Early interactive behaviours in preterm infants and their mothers: Influences of maternal depressive symptomatology and neonatal birth weight

The study evaluated the quality of preterm infant–mother interactions, considering severity of birth weight (ELBW and VLBW) and maternal depression, compared to full term babies. 69 preterm infants (29 ELBW and 40 VLBW) and 80 full-term (FT) infants and their mothers were recruited. At 3 months of corrected age, the quality of mother–infant interaction was evaluated through Global Rating Scales; moreover, infant level of development and maternal depression were assessed through Griffith Development Mental Scales and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Results showed adequate sensitivity in preterm infants’ mothers and higher involvement with their infants, compared to full term mothers, but ELBW ones exhibited an intrusive interactive pattern and a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms. The study underlined the relevance of paying special attention to both ELBW infants and their mothers, in order to support the parenting role and the co-construction of early interactions.     

Lying: Knowledge or belief?

Philosophical Studies - A new definition of lying is gaining traction, according to which you lie only if you say what you know to be false. Drawing inspiration from “New Evil Demon”...     

Protection from light-rays by cold-weather goggles

To arrive at transmittance standards for cold-weather goggles, the levels of natural radiation were estimated, and the amounts by which they must be reduced to fall below the damage thresholds for various bands of electromagnetic radiation were calculated. No more than 16% of UV from 320 to 40 nm, and no more than 5% of UV from 290 to 320 nm should be transmitted. If the short wavelengths of the visible spectrum (less than 500 nm) are filtered out, the remaining wavelengths appear to pose no danger. Measurements of the transmittances of a random selection of 13 commercial skigoggles showed that most offer satisfactory protection.     

How inherently noisy is human sensory processing?

Like any physical information processing device, the human brain is inherently noisy: If a participant is presented with the same sensory stimulus multiple times and is asked to press one of two buttons in response to some property of the stimulus, the response may vary even though the stimulus did not. This response variability can be used to estimate the amount of so-called internal noise—that is, noise that is not present in the stimulus (such as random dynamic dots on the screen) but in the participant’s brain. How large is this internally generated noise? We obtained >400 independent estimates on 40 participants for a range of protocols (yes/no, two-, four-, and eight-alternative forced choice), modalities (auditory and visual), attentional state, adaptation state, stimulus types (static, moving, stereoscopic), and other parameters (timing, size, contrast). Our final estimate at ～1.3 (units of external noise standard deviation) is generally somewhat larger than that previously inferred from smaller and less varied data sets. We discuss the impact of high levels of internal noise on a number of experimental and computational efforts aimed at understanding and characterizing human sensory processing.     

Authenticity as an aim of Psychoanalysis

This paper will present a series of predominantly clinical observations concerning the lengthy work a patient carries out, with the help of the analyst, in order to achieve greater personal authenticity. When this work is drawing to a close and the patient has gained a degree of authenticity, this authenticity remains within him, almost without his realizing it. The power of authenticity is instead revealed through the patient's most intimate and important relationships. In the long term, the patient's authenticity also alters his perception of himself and of his role in the world. He feels more alive and less overcome by a sense of futility, if earlier this had been the case.