Incidental picture exposure affects later reading: evidence from the N400

Language comprehenders form a mental representation of the implied shape of objects mentioned in the text. In the present study, the influence of prior visual experience on subsequent reading was assessed. In two separate phases, participants saw a picture of an object and read a text about the object, suggesting the same or a different shape. When the shapes in the two phases mismatched, ERPs during reading showed a larger N400 amplitude than when the shapes matched, suggesting that a picture presented incidentally 15 min earlier affected reading. These results further strengthen the case for the interaction of language and visual experience during language comprehension.     

认知与情绪过程的脑诱发电位研究——情绪的适应性假说

本研究观测了30名女性被试在月经周期中的不同激素时相对图像刺激的情绪价值的主观评估和脑诱发电位反应。调节刺激的情绪价值的五类幻灯片分别为普通人像、婴儿像、皮肤病人像、男模特儿像和女模特儿像。实验发现只有脑诱发电位的P3成份随刺激的情绪价值和激素的时相而变化。被评为喜爱与不喜爱的图像(婴儿像和皮肤病人像)所诱发的P3波在幅度上均明显高于中性图像(普通人像)所致的P3反应。在高孕激素时相,对婴儿像和男模特儿像的P3反应高于在低孕激素时相对同类刺激的P3反应。高孕激素时相还伴有对各类图像性感程度评估值的降低。对各类图像喜爱程度的评估则随雌激素水平的上升而增高。上述实验结果表明,P3波敏感于刺激的情绪价值并反映了认知与情绪过程中受生理状态调节的适应性变化。     

Reflections on the Evaluation of a Cambodian Youth Dance Program

Evaluating a youth program whose goals are to provide instruction in Cambodian dance, increase awareness and pride in Cambodian culture, promote healthy behaviors, and create linkages within the community has been a challenge. A primary source of conflict was incorporating evaluation methods that were required of all funded programs with our own specifically tailored measures. One of our concerns was that the required tools were not culturally appropriate for our participants. Our experiences reinforce the importance of forming partnerships that embrace principles of respect, equity, and empowerment among all involved before establishing a research agenda. The choices we made and did not make contributed to our struggles and frustration and also to the insight that was gained. Our analysis examines the importance of clear communication, cultural awareness, tailoring evaluation, and meaningful participation. We believe that the lessons we learned will help facilitate the conduct of culturally sensitive community-based research.     

Secondary attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder following perinatal and childhood stroke: impact on cognitive and academic outcomes

This cross-sectional retrospective clinical research study examines a large group of children followed within a pediatric stroke program and a developmental attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) clinic at the Hospital for Sick Children, between May 2004 and June 2016. All children with a history of stroke who participated in a neuropsychological assessment between the ages of 4 and 18 years were considered for inclusion. From a sample of 275 participants with a history of stroke, 36 children (13.1%) received a diagnosis of secondary ADHD. Children with secondary ADHD were younger at the time of stroke and more likely to be identified as having a presumed perinatal stroke and persistent seizures than children without secondary ADHD diagnoses. There were no differences in pattern of lesion, size, or laterality between children who developed secondary ADHD and those who did not. Children with secondary ADHD had the lowest scores across all cognitive and academic measures compared to children with stroke-only and developmental ADHD. Findings highlight the added risk of receiving a diagnosis of secondary ADHD following pediatric stroke. Implications for future research and directed intervention are discussed.     

Cognitive development and locus of control as predictors of preschoolers' understanding of safety and prevention

Preschoolers' cognitive level and locus of control orientation and their parents' locus of control orientation were considered as possible predictors of children's abilities to differentiate between safe and unsafe situations (safety score) and specify preventive measures (prevention score). Individual interviews were conducted with 3- to 6-year-old children enrolled at a daycare center, and their parents completed the Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control and the Accident Locus of Control (ALOC) scales. As hypothesized, children's level of causal reasoning was positively correlated with their safety and prevention scores. A curvilinear relationship was evident relationship existed with prevention score. Fathers' ALOC score was the only parent measure that predicted children's safety score, while none of the parent measures were predictive of children's prevention score. The findings were discussed in terms of safety education programs and directions for future research.     

Category-specific naming effect in non-brain-damaged individuals

A category effect (i.e., living vs. nonliving exemplars) in confrontation naming has been reported in association with various cerebral pathologies. However, the published reports conflict as to the presence of this category effect in normal controls. The present experiment included 90 subjects in three age groups (young, young-elderly, and old-elderly) and controlled the stimuli in two major ways: by increasing the difficulty level to avoid a ceiling effect, and by equating the stimulus lists on five important word property variables (word frequency, familiarity, age of acquisition, visual complexity, and name agreement). The results confirmed that the category effect was present in the two elderly groups but not in the younger group. However, a gender effect was evidenced in the younger group but not in the two elderly groups. Overall, these results suggest that the category effect reported in neurological populations represents at least in part the influence of normal aging on semantic memory.     

Crossed aphasia: an analysis of the symptoms,their frequency,and a comparison with left-hemisphere aphasia symptomatology

This study presents a thorough analysis of published crossed aphasia (CA) cases, including for the first time the cases published in Japanese. The frequency of specific symptoms was determined, and symptomatology differences based on gender, familial sinistrality, and CA subtype were investigated. Results suggested that the CA population is comparable to the left-hemisphere patient population. However, male were significantly more likely than female CA subjects to show a positive history of familial sinistrality. Typical right-hemisphere (i.e., nonlanguage-dominant) symptoms were frequent but rarely carefully reported or assessed. Results are compared with previous CA reviews and left-hemisphere aphasia. Suggestions for a more systematic assessment of the CA symptomatology are presented.