Is there an alternative cerebral network associated with enhanced phonological processing in deaf speech-users? An exceptional case

Most people born deaf and exposed to oral language show scant evidence of sensitivity to the phonology of speech when processing written language. In this respect they differ from hearing people. However, occasionally, a prelingually deaf person can achieve good processing of written language in terms of phonological sensitivity and awareness, and in this respect appears exceptional. We report the pattern of event-related fMRI activation in such a deaf reader while performing a rhyme-judgment on written words with similar spelling endings that do not provide rhyme clues. The left inferior frontal gyrus pars opercularis and the left inferior parietal lobe showed greater activation for this task than for a letter-string identity matching task. This participant was special in this regard, showing significantly greater activation in these regions than a group of hearing participants with a similar level of phonological and reading skill. In addition, SR showed activation in the left mid-fusiform gyrus; a region which did not show task-specific activation in the other respondents. The pattern of activation in this exceptional deaf reader was also unique compared with three deaf readers who showed limited phonological processing. We discuss the possibility that this pattern of activation may be critical in relation to phonological decoding of the written word in good deaf readers whose phonological reading skills are indistinguishable from those of hearing readers.     

The detrimental effects of physical restraint as a consequence for inappropriate classroom behavior.

Functional analyses produced inconclusive results regarding variables that maintained problem behavior for 2 students with developmental disabilities. Procedures were modified to include a contingent physical restraint condition based on in‐class observations. Results indicated that under conditions in which physical restraint (i.e., basket‐hold time‐out) was applied contingent on problem behavior, rates of these behaviors increased across sessions for both subjects. Implications for the use of physical restraint in the classroom are discussed.     

The Effects of Repeated Exposure to the ARRAY Program With Offenders With Mental Illness

In an A‐B‐A‐B‐A single‐case research study of 3 incarcerated offenders with mental illness, repeated exposure to the pilot Adult Recidivism Reduction Alternatives (ARRAY) group counseling intervention was an effective or very effective treatment for anxiety, depression, and associated somatic symptoms.     

Functional analysis of self-injurious behavior and its relation to self-restraint

Some individuals who engage in self-injurious behavior (SIB) also exhibit self-restraint. In the present study, a series of three functional analyses were conducted to determine the variables that maintained a participant's SIB, one without restraint items available, one with a preferred and effective form of self-restraint (an airplane pillow) available noncontingently, and one with this item delivered contingent on SIB. Results suggested that SIB was reinforced by escape and by access to self-restraint materials, self-restraint appeared to be maintained by automatic reinforcement, and continuous access to highly preferred restraint materials effectively suppressed SIB.     

Neuronal substrates of relapse to cocaine-seeking behavior: role of prefrontal cortex

The return to drug seeking, even after prolonged periods of abstinence, is a defining feature of cocaine addiction. The neural circuitry underlying relapse has been identified in neuropharmacological studies of experimental animals, typically rats, and supported in brain imaging studies of human addicts. Although the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), which has long been implicated in goal-directed behavior, plays a critical role in this circuit, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) appears to process the events that directly trigger relapse: exposure to acute stress, cues previously associated with the drug, and the drug itself. In this paper, we review animal models of relapse and what they have revealed about the mechanisms underlying the involvement of the NAcc and PFC in cocaine-seeking behavior. We also present electrophysiological data from PFC illustrating how the hedonic, motor, motivational, and reinforcing effects of cocaine can be analyzed at the neuronal level. Our preliminary findings suggest a role for PFC in processing information related to cocaine seeking but not the hedonic effects of the drug. Further use of this recording technology can help dissect the functions of PFC and other components of the neural circuitry underlying relapse.     

Worth the risk? Fear of being single and willingness to make risky health decisions in sex and dating contexts

Does fear of being single (FOBS) predict risky health behaviors when such behavior could promote pursuit of a romantic connection? Study 1 tested general tendencies toward taking health risks associated with FOBS. Study 2 tested how those with stronger FOBS navigated romantic versus non-romantic risk behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study 3 extended the test of risky behavior beyond the pandemic to test whether FOBS was associated with willingness to engage in risky sexual behavior. Despite nonsignificant associations with taking health risks more generally, FOBS was associated with greater willingness to engage in risky behaviors in dating contexts, particularly when considering their willingness to settle for less in relationships. This research provides novel insight into dating choices associated with stronger FOBS and how willingness to settle predicts risky health behavior when it could appeal to romantic prospects.     

Increased training complexity reduces the effectiveness of brief working memory training: evidence from short-term single and dual n-back training interventions

N-back training has recently come under intense scientific scrutiny due to reports of training-related improvements in general fluid intelligence. As of yet, relatively little is known about the effects of short-term n-back training interventions, however. In a pretest-training-posttest design, we compared brief dual and single n-back training regimen in terms of training gains and transfer effects relative to a passive control group. Transfer effects indicated that, in the short-term, single n-back training may be the more effective training task: At the short training duration we employed, neither training group showed far transfer to specific task switch costs, Stroop inhibition costs or matrix reasoning indexing fluid intelligence. Yet, both types of training resulted in a reduction of general task switch costs indicating improved cognitive control during the sustained maintenance of competing task sets. Single but not dual n-back training additionally yielded near transfer to an untrained working memory updating task.     

Categories in the pigeon brain: A reverse engineering approach

Pigeons are well known for their visual capabilities as well as their ability to categorize visual stimuli at both the basic and superordinate level. We adopt a reverse engineering approach to study categorization learning: Instead of training pigeons on predefined categories, we simply present stimuli and analyze neural output in search of categorical clustering on a solely neural level. We presented artificial stimuli, pictorial and grating stimuli, to pigeons without the need of any differential behavioral responding while recording from the nidopallium frontolaterale (NFL), a higher visual area in the avian brain. The pictorial stimuli differed in color and shape; the gratings differed in spatial frequency and amplitude. We computed representational dissimilarity matrices to reveal categorical clustering based on both neural data and pecking behavior. Based on neural output of the NFL, pictorial and grating stimuli were differentially represented in the brain. Pecking behavior showed a similar pattern, but to a lesser extent. A further subclustering within pictorial stimuli according to color and shape, and within gratings according to frequency and amplitude, was not present. Our study gives proof‐of‐concept that this reverse engineering approach—namely reading out categorical information from neural data—can be quite helpful in understanding the neural underpinnings of categorization learning.