Stress priming in picture naming: an SOA study

This study investigates whether or not the representation of lexical stress information can be primed during speech production. In four experiments, we attempted to prime the stress position of bisyllabic target nouns (picture names) having initial and final stress with auditory prime words having either the same or different stress as the target (e.g., WORtel-MOtor vs. koSTUUM-MOtor; capital letters indicate stressed syllables in prime-target pairs). Furthermore, half of the prime words were semantically related, the other half unrelated. Overall, picture names were not produced faster when the prime word had the same stress as the target than when the prime had different stress, i.e., there was no stress-priming effect in any experiment. This result would not be expected if stress were stored in the lexicon. However, targets with initial stress were responded to faster than final-stress targets. The reason for this effect was neither the quality of the pictures nor frequency of occurrence or voice-key characteristics. We hypothesize here that this stress effect is a genuine encoding effect, i.e., words with stress on the second syllable take longer to be encoded because their stress pattern is irregular with respect to the lexical distribution of bisyllabic stress patterns, even though it can be regular with respect to metrical stress rules in Dutch. The results of the experiments are discussed in the framework of models of phonological encoding.     

Given-New Ordering Effects on the Production of Scrambled Sentences in Japanese

Across many languages, speakers tend to produce sentences so that given (previously referred to) arguments are mentioned before new arguments; this is termed given-new ordering. We explored the nature of such given-new effects in Japanese using a procedure following Bock and Irwin (1980). Speakers encoded and then recalled canonical (e.g., okusan-ga otetsudaisan-ni purezento-o okutta, the housewife gave the housekeeper a present) or scrambled (okusan-ga purezento-o otetsudaisan-ni okutta) dative targets when prompted by a statement-question sequence. The prompting statement established one nonsubject argument of the dative target as given, leaving the other nonsubject argument as new. Previous mention was either with lexically identical content (e.g., otetsudaisan or purezento) or with lexically distinct but nearly synonymous content (meidosan, housemaid or okurimono, gift). Results showed that speakers produced canonical or scrambled word orders so that given arguments were mentioned before new, but especially when the previous mention of the given argument occurred with lexically identical content (replicating Bock and Irwin's English effect). These results show that the production of Japanese scrambled and canonical word orders is sensitive to given versus new status (as in English), implying that given-new ordering arises at the stage of sentence production where scrambling effects are realized.     

Functional recovery of skilled forelimb use in rats obliged to use the impaired limb after grafting of the frontal cortex lesion with homotopic fetal cortex

The long-term effect of transplanting embryonic frontal cortex into a unilateral frontal cortex lesion has been studied in adult rats. Before surgery, activity in an open field, muscular strength of both forelimbs, and performance in a paw-reaching-for-food task were scored in 26 rats. In 21 animals a unilateral cortex lesion was then made in the forelimb motor area of the hemisphere contralateral to the preferred paw in the paw-reaching-for-food task, while the other 5 animals were sham-operated. On retesting, the lesion animals changed the preferred paw. A solid homotopic transplant of embryonic tissue (embryonic day 17) was then placed in the lesion cavity in 11 of the lesion rats. Three months later neither lesion alone nor lesion plus transplantation affected open field behavior and muscular strength, but the lesion permanently affected performance in the paw-reaching-for-food task, as shown by a change of preferred paw and a functional deficit in the paw contralateral to the lesion. Transplantation ameliorated the deficits caused by the lesion, but this was only evident when animals were forced to reach with the paw contralateral to the lesion plus transplant. The behavioral results were independent of the size of the lesion and graft. Connections between graft and host tissue were studied by means of the fluorescent tracer 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3'3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI). A dense array of labeled fibers was found in the host cortex adjacent to the transplant. The results suggest that functional recovery depends on grafting but is only evident when the animal is obliged to use the affected limb.     

小学儿童空间物体位置编码（Ⅰ）

采用找物范式研究小学7、9、11岁儿童利用点与点之间的关系对目标物位置进行编码的认知发展。结果表明：两点距离编码和三点共线编码认知成绩的年龄效应显著,9岁组和11岁组儿童的认知成绩显著好于7岁组儿童的认知成绩。两个不同实验任务对儿童认知成绩的影响不同,7岁组儿童两点距离编码认知成绩显著好于三点共线编码认知成绩,9岁组和11岁组两个任务的认知成绩差异不显著。提供编码线索后,认知成绩有了较大的改善。     

带状记忆仪的研制

本文介绍了一种最新研制的适用于师范类大专院校教育及心理专业的心理学实验教学装置"带状记忆仪".     

定量运动负荷后间隔不同时间的肘关节动觉方位准确性

该研究以过去研究中发现的定量运动负荷可以显著提高肘关节动觉方位准确性为基础,试图讨论这种定量运动负荷后间隔不同时间的肘关节动觉方位准确性。     

Effect of Aging on Processes of Motor Inhibition

The processes of inhibiting uninstructed motor responses were examined to identify age differences. Younger adults (n = 40) and older adults (n = 38) participated in two experiments using the Stimulus‐Response Compatibility task. They were asked to push the switch on the side contralateral to the stimulus. The results indicated that responses induced by visual stimuli were gradually inhibited as a result of repeated trials on the contralateral (not‐induced) side, and no age differences were noted. The addition of a color‐discrimination task to the Stimulus‐Response Compatibility task inhibited impulsive response induced by visual stimuli in younger adults only. These results indicate that certain processes of inhibiting motor responses are affected by aging, whereas other processes remain unaffected.     

The Role of Executive Control of Attention and Selective Encoding for Preschoolers' Learning

Selectivity in encoding, aspects of attentional control and their contribution to learning performance were explored in a sample of preschoolers. While the children are performing a learning task, their encoding of relevant and attention towards irrelevant information was recorded through an eye‐tracking device. Recognition of target items was used as measure of learning outcome, and individual differences in resistance to interference and inhibition of attention to task‐irrelevant stimuli (i.e. distractibility) were used as measures of executive control of attention. Results indicated well‐developed selectivity during encoding in young children. Recognition performance was related to selective encoding and aspects of attentional control, explaining individual differences in learning. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dopamine regulation of human speech and bird song: a critical review

To understand the neural basis of human speech control, extensive research has been done using a variety of methodologies in a range of experimental models. Nevertheless, several critical questions about learned vocal motor control still remain open. One of them is the mechanism(s) by which neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, modulate speech and song production. In this review, we bring together the two fields of investigations of dopamine action on voice control in humans and songbirds, who share similar behavioral and neural mechanisms for speech and song production. While human studies investigating the role of dopamine in speech control are limited to reports in neurological patients, research on dopaminergic modulation of bird song control has recently expanded our views on how this system might be organized. We discuss the parallels between bird song and human speech from the perspective of dopaminergic control as well as outline important differences between these species.     

Exploring the enactment effect from an information processing view: What can we learn from serial position analyses?

The focus of the present article was to analyze processes that determine the enactment and age effect in a multi-trial free recall paradigm by looking at the serial position effects. In an experimental study (see Schatz et al 2010), the performance-enhancing effect of enactive encoding and repeated learning was tested with older and younger participants. As expected, there was a steady improvement of memory performance as a function of repeated learning regardless of age. In addition, enactive encoding led to a better memory performance than verbal encoding in both age groups. Furthermore, younger adults outperformed the elderly regardless of type of encoding. Analyses in the present article show that encoding by enacting seems to profit especially from remembering the last items of a presented list. Regarding age differences, younger outperformed older participants in nearly all item positions. The performance enhancement after task repetition is due to a higher amount of recalled items in the middle positions in a subject performed task (SPT) and a verbal task (VT) as well as the last positions of a learned list in VT.