Visual Feedback and Positioning Movements

Subjects (n = 60) performed both the reproduction and learning of a linear positioning movement under one of five visual feedback conditions. Results from two experiments indicated that visual cues from the task display augmented information available from visual feedback of the movement per se. Extraneous cues from the task display have clearly confounded the manipulation of visual feedback in previous positioning studies. When these cues are eliminated, visual distance information seems more useful than visual location information.     

Effects of Voluntary and Automatic Control of Center of Pressure Sway During Quiet Standing

The authors investigated the effects of voluntary and automatic control on the spatial variables (envelope area, maximal amplitude, and root mean square [RMS]) of center of pressure (COP) displacement during quiet standing and identified differences in their postural control strategies (mean velocity [MV], mean power frequency [MPF], and power density). COP data were recorded under relaxed (experimental control), still (voluntary control), and dual (automatic control) conditions. RMS was significantly lower in the still and dual conditions than in the relaxed condition. MV, MPF, and power density were significantly higher in the still condition than in the dual condition. These results indicate that both voluntary and automatic control decrease the spatial variables of COP displacement; however, their postural control strategies are different.     

Psychology Has to Deal with Efferences Too

The authors argue that F. Mechsner's (2004) perceptual-cognitive approach is an important contribution to the current discussion of motor control. Mechsner presents convincing evidence against direct motor control. Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which perceptual-cognitive representations determine efferent commands must still be clarified.     

NEUTRALITY IN THE FIELD: ALPHA‐FUNCTION AND THE DREAMING DYAD IN PSYCHOANALYTIC PROCESS

Analysts have interpreted the concept of neutrality in a variety of ways, beginning with Strachey's use of that word to translate Freud's (1915) term, Indifferenz. In this paper, neutrality is linked to Freud's notions of free association and evenly suspended attention. A history of psychoanalytic attempts to clarify the concept are presented, with special attention to issues of ambiguity and the patient's role in the determination of neutrality. Neutrality is further elaborated in relation to the bipersonal field as described by the Barangers and contemporary field theorists. Understood in terms of the field, neutrality becomes a transpersonal concept, here conceived in terms of alpha‐function and a dreaming dyad. Two clinical examples cast in the light of a Bionian perspective are discussed to suggest an alternative understanding of analytic impasses and their relation to alpha‐function and neutrality.     

Implicit response-irrelevant number information triggers the SNARC effect: Evidence using a neural overlap paradigm

There is evidence from the SNARC (spatial–numerical association of response codes) effect and NDE (numerical distance effect) that number activates spatial representations. Most of this evidence comes from tasks with explicit reference to number, whether through presentation of Arabic digits (SNARC) or through magnitude decisions to nonsymbolic representations (NDE). Here, we report four studies that use the neural overlap paradigm developed by Fias, Lauwereyns, and Lammertyn (2001) to examine whether the presentation of implicit and task-irrelevant numerosity information (nonsymbolic arrays and auditory numbers) is enough to activate a spatial representation of number. Participants were presented with either numerosity arrays (1–9 circles or triangles) to which they made colour (Experiment 1) or orientation (Experiment 2) judgements, or auditory numbers coupled with an on-screen stimulus to which they made a colour (Experiment 3) or orientation (Experiment 4) judgement. SNARC effects were observed only for the orientation tasks. Following the logic of Fias et al., we argue that this SNARC effect occurs as a result of overlap in parietal processing for number and orientation judgements irrespective of modality. Furthermore, we found stronger SNARC effects in the small number range (1–4) than in the larger number range (6–9) for both nonsymbolic displays and auditory numbers. These results suggest that quantity is extracted (and interferes with responses in the orientation task) but this is not exact for the entire number range. We discuss a number of alternative models and mechanisms of numerical processing that may account for such effects.     

Temporal integration of face view sequences and recognition of novel views

When faces are learned from rotating view sequences, novel views may be recognized by matching them with an integrated representation of the sequence or with individual views. An integrated-representation process should benefit from short view durations, and thus from the inclusion of views in a short temporal window, allowing the distribution of attention over the entire sequence. A view-matching process should benefit from long view durations, allowing the attention to focus on each view. In a sequential comparison task, we tested the recognition of learned and novel interpolated and extrapolated views after learning faces from rapid and slow sequences (240 ms or 960 ms for each view). We found a superiority of rapid over slow sequences, in favour of the integrated-representation hypothesis. In addition, the recognition pattern for the different viewpoints in the sequence depended on the absence or presence of extrapolated views, showing a bias of the distribution of attention.     

骨髓捐献人中途拒捐的民事责任探析——基于信赖保护的视角

基于捐献行为的公益性、单务性和人身性,各国法律赋予捐献人任意撤销权,但是出于对捐献人允诺的信赖而改变自身处境的接受人利益也应该得到保护.从信赖保护的视角出发,在血型高分辨检测之前,捐献人一旦签订了捐献协议,即负有保护接受人信赖利益的义务,捐献人虽然有权中途拒捐,但应当承担信赖赔偿责任.     

Generalized Trust Through Civic Engagement? Evidence from Five National Panel Studies

According to a popular version of social capital theory, civic engagement should produce generalized trust among citizens. We put this theory to the test by examining the causal connection between civic engagement and generalized trust using multiple methods and multiple (prospective) panel datasets. We found participants to be more trusting. This was mostly likely caused by selection effects: the causal effects of civic engagement on trust were very small or nonsignificant. In the cases where small causal effects were found, they turned out not to last. We found no differences across types of organizations and only minor variations across countries.     

Older English churchgoing women as voluntary providers of welfare

The contribution of UK Christian churches to the provision of welfare projects, relying largely on a pool of volunteer labour, has long been recognised by a number of commentators. What is also now recognised is that it is women who have made up and still make up the majority of these volunteers but they are a largely ageing – and declining – population, hence the question arises as to whether most churches in Britain can continue to provide the same levels of support for much longer. This article considers the factors which have made women longstanding and committed individuals in both their churches and their civic communities, and argues that the same conditions do not pertain for their children. Unless more volunteers are forthcoming from secular organisations, we are likely to be seeing a significant gap in voluntary welfare provision at precisely the time when state funding for welfare is being drastically cut and more volunteers are needed, not fewer.