Effects of D-amphetamine and ethanol on variable and repetitive key-peck sequences in pigeons

This experiment assessed the effects of d-amphetamine and ethanol on reinforced variable and repetitive key-peck sequences in pigeons. Pigeons responded on two keys under a multiple schedule of Repeat and Vary components. In the Repeat component, completion of a target sequence of right, right, left, left resulted in food. In the Vary component, 4-peck sequences differing from the previous 10 produced food. d-Amphetamine (0.1-3.0 mg/kg, i.m.) was administered in two separate phases, separated by ethanol administration (1.0-2.0 g/kg, i.g.). Under control conditions, measures of variability were high in the Vary component, and lower in the Repeat component. Following administration of the highest dose of d-amphetamine, but not ethanol, response rates decreased in both components. d-Amphetamine and ethanol tended to increase overall sequence variability in the Repeat component, and had less of an effect in the Vary component. Performance in the Repeat component during Phase 2 of d-amphetamine administration was more disrupted than during Phase 1. Measures of variability and repetition based on shifts in the relative frequency distributions of the 16 possible keypeck sequences differed from those based on the overall measure of variability, highlighting the importance of considering both molar and molecular measures when assessing the effects of drugs on reinforced variability and repetition. In addition, the shifts in the relative frequency distribution of response sequences suggest that d-amphetamine produced decrements in repeat performance by decreasing discriminative control within response sequences, whereas ethanol decreased repeat performance by decreasing discriminability between components as well as discriminative control within response sequences.     

Modality-repetition and attentional effects on reflex blinking in infants and adults

The ability of a brief prepulse to inhibit reflexively elicited startle is a robust phenomenon in adults of several species but is weak or absent in infants. The possibility that afferent processing of the prepulse is inadequate in infants was tested by assessing the integrity of two other types of reflex modulation that occur in modality-specific paths, that is, attenuation by repetition of same-modality stimuli and enhancement by modality-selective attention. The reflex, measured by electromyographic activity of the muscle controlling blink, was elicited by intense light flashes or noise bursts preceded by brief acoustic or visual prepulses and delivered during attention-directing acoustic or visual foregrounds that evoked cardiac deceleration. Modality-repetition effects were evidenced by smaller peak blink magnitude and longer latency of blinking to same than to different modality pairs and did not differ as a function of age (4-month-old infants or college students). Attention effects were also seen in both infants and adults and, in accord with previous findings, were evident in magnitude for infants and latency for adults. Thus, immaturity in paths mediating these effects could not explain delayed development of prepulse inhibition. Other possibilities include delayed maturation of extrinsic inhibition or of transient-processing systems.     

任务需求对基于位置的返回抑制和基于颜色的重复劣势效应的影响

在 3个实验中探讨了任务需求对基于位置的返回抑制和基于颜色的重复劣势效应的影响。实验 1选取2 3名本科生被试 ,在把所有刺激都呈现在中央视觉上的颜色辨别任务中 ,发现颜色重复条件下的反应时明显长于非重复条件下的反应时 ,出现了显著的基于颜色的重复劣势效应 ,而且它的量显著大于简单检测任务中基于颜色的重复劣势效应量。实验 2和 3在实验 1的基础上加入空间不确定性 ,分别选取 2 2名和 2 3名本科生被试 ,并要求他们分别完成颜色辨别任务和简单检测任务。结果发现 ,在颜色辨别任务中 ,既获得了基于空间的返回抑制 ,又获得了基于颜色的重复劣势效应 ,而且二者之间没有交互作用 ,即它们各自独立地发挥作用 ;而在简单检测任务中 ,只获得了基于空间的返回抑制。 3个实验的结果表明 ,在一种实验情境下出现基于何种刺激特性的重复劣势效应 ,以及其量的大小完全取决于实验中的任务需求。在文章最后还将本研究结果与一种选择性注意领域内普遍抑制模型相结合 ,进行了深入讨论     

时间间隔和情绪效价对双字词重复启动效应的影响

已有研究大多以中性刺激为材料,尚缺乏同时关注预存知识表征和情绪效价对重复启动效应影响及时间间隔对情绪材料相应效应调节机制的探究。本研究以国际情绪词库翻译而成的汉语双字词为材料并控制其效价,旨在探讨时间间隔对不同情绪效价词的重复启动效应的影响,并与转置词的结果相比较。结果显示,转置词较标准词的重复启动效应更强;立即重复较长间隔条件的重复启动效应更强;情绪效价与时间间隔交互影响词的重复启动效应。上述结果表明,情绪效价对重复启动效应的影响受时间间隔调节且支持注意资源缩减理论;该作用为材料是否具有预存知识表征所调节,支持自下而上加工的观点。     

Doing it again: Obsessions

This paper gives three readings of psychoanalysis based on differing understandings of the repetition compulsion as instanced in the case of Freud's rat man. the first reading is an interpretation of Freud's official analytic theory and practice and can be called the ordinary or naive reading. the second reading brackets the natural standpoint assumed by the first reading, hence requiring scare quotes over the word ‘psychoanalysis'. the second reading is constructed from the perspective of the structuralist and quasi-existential orientation of Lacan. the third and final reading is a sketch of the rat man as if seen through the anasemic lens of Nicolas Abraham. the title of this paper - ‘Doing it again' - refers to our ‘numbers' or symptoms, i.e. the compulsive and repetitive ways in which we relate to others and the potential of each of these psychoanalytic approaches to enable us to catch ourselves at it.     

Age-Related Influences on Repetition Priming in the Verb Generation Task: Examining the Role of Response Competition

ABSTRACT

The identification-production framework suggests that aging is associated with a decline in production forms of repetition priming, particularly under test conditions that maximize response competition. The present study examined this prediction by testing young and healthy older adults in a single-encoding version of the verb generation task in which some items had one dominant verb response (low competition) or had no such dominant response (high competition). Further analyses examined whether priming and error rates were related to performance on neuropsychological tests purported to measure frontal lobe functioning. Priming was invariant across age groups and was not related to frontal lobe status in older adults, but frontal lobe status did predict task performance: low-frontal older adults made more errors than high-frontal older adults, particularly for high-competition items and items with high association strength. These results are not consistent with the identification-production framework, but are consistent with the conclusions that (a) aging is associated with invariance in the processes that support repetition priming in the verb generation task and (b) frontal lobe status in aging is related to verb generation performance.     

The Meaningfulness of Helping Others: Loren Eiseley's “The Star Thrower”

Freud and Klein describe projective processes—projection, projective identification, and the repetition compulsion—that cause interpersonal distortions not only in the psychotherapy relationship but in adult intimate relationships as well. Winnicott's theory of the use of an object describes a way of relating that is free of the distortions of projection, opening up the possibility of differentiation between intimate partners. Two case examples illustrate how addressing projective processes assisted one patient in extricating herself from a psychologically abusive relationship and helped a couple in treatment to move from object relating to object use. It is argued that the use of these psychoanalytic theories has an important role within a modern relational social work practice.     

Nonword repetition and nonword reading abilities in adults who do and do not stutter

Purpose

In the present study a nonword repetition and a nonword reading task were used to investigate the behavioral (speech accuracy) and speech kinematic (movement variability measured as lip aperture variability index; speech duration) profiles of groups of young adults who do (AWS) and do not stutter (control).

Method

Participants were 9 AWS (8 males, Mean age = 32.2, SD = 14.7) and 9 age- and sex-matched control participants (Mean age = 31.8, SD = 14.6). For the nonword repetition task, participants were administered the Nonword Repetition Test ( Dollaghan & Campbell, 1998). For the reading task, participants were required to read out target nonwords varying in length (6 vs. 11 syllables). Repeated measures analyses of variance were conducted to compare the groups in percent speech accuracy for both tasks; only for the nonword reading task, the groups were compared in movement variability and speech duration.

Results

The groups were comparable in percent accuracy in nonword repetition. Findings from nonword reading revealed a trend for the AWS to show a lower percent of accurate productions compared to the control group. AWS also showed significantly higher movement variability and longer speech durations compared to the control group in nonword reading. Some preliminary evidence for group differences in practice effect (seen as differences between the early vs. later 5 trials) was evident in speech duration.

Conclusions

Findings suggest differences between AWS and control groups in phonemic encoding and/or speech motor planning and production. Findings from nonword repetition vs. reading highlight the need for careful consideration of nonword properties.Educational objectives At the end of this activity the reader will be able to: (a) summarize the literature on nonword repetition skills in adults who stutter, (b) describe processes underlying nonword repetition and nonword reading, (c) summarize whether or not adults who stutter differ from those who do not in the behavioral and kinematic markers of nonword reading performance, (d) discuss future directions for research.     

ON THE PROBLEM OF ENVY

It is easy for modern man to draw up outlines of a future ideal society where people are good and happy and no social discord prevails anymore It is probably even easier to criticize mistakes of the past, to hold our forefathers responsible for social wrongs and human suffering. The greatest difficulty lies in realizing the limitations of our own conception of the world and of our own objectives. Each generation tends to be blind to its own mistakes, but becomes later, in its turn, the object of the judgment of history.     

Primary shame,mortal wound and tragic circularity: Some new reflections on shame and shame conflicts

Invited to contribute some thoughts on recent developments in psychoanalytic thinking about shame, the author starts off with Aristotle's prescient analysis of shame and then focuses on accumulating experiences in the psychoanalytic treatment of patients with severe neuroses, in particular the close relationship of severe traumatization and chronic states of shame, and how this is reflected in shelfdestructive repetitions. Reminiscent of what we know from tragedy and the tragic dimension of human existence, this repetition compulsion shows a built‐in circularity. These circular dynamics have at their core struggles with deep woundedness that can variably be conceived of as primary pain, primary shame and primary anxiety. Consequently, throughout the experiences with these patients goes the absoluteness both of their conscience and of their ideal, what we know as the “archaic superego:”