Deformation of the useful visual field with state of vigilance,task priority,and central task complexity

In a dual-task situation, peripheral perception can deteriorate due to different variables related to the experimental situation, such as central task complexity and the relative priority given to the two tasks. Recent studies have also shown that individual characteristics (such as the state of vigilance) can alter the useful visual field. The ability to perceive signals presented at different places in the visual field decreases in situations that lead to episodes of low vigilance. In Exp. 1, 27 subjects (18-29 years) had to perform a monotonous and prolonged dual-monitoring task involving central and peripheral vision. The test was carried out with two different sets of instructions regarding priority: the more important task was either the central task or the peripheral one. In Exp. 2, 18 subjects (18-30 years) performed the same test, but this time with two levels of complexity of the central task, either a simple monitoring activity or the same monitoring task coupled with a counting activity. Elliptical interpolation of the data enabled assessment of the deformation of the useful visual field in both experiments. The analysis of the parameters of the elliptical model indicated that the useful visual field mainly shrinks on the vertical axis, as the individual becomes drowsy. The useful visual field also shrinks on the horizontal axis when the peripheral task has priority and the monitoring activity is prolonged, or when the central task is complex.     

Case–contrast study about parent–infant interaction in a Brazilian sample of siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders

Siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) present greater susceptibility to developmental problems, in comparison with siblings of typically developing children. The greater prevalence of mental health disorders among parents of children with ASD increases younger siblings’ vulnerability to emotional problems. The aim of this study is to compare the interaction between carers and babies aged 2 to 26 months (M = 11.7, SD = 6.9) who are siblings of children with ASD (ASD dyads) with the interaction of dyads of siblings of typically developing children (TD dyads). The protocol of Clinical Indicators of Risk for Child Development and the Coding Interactive Behaviour measures were used to evaluate interaction. ASD dyads presented higher scores of constriction in their interaction, P = .024, with babies presenting higher scores of withdrawal behavior, P = .003, and carers presenting higher scores of depressive mood, P = .008, when compared to TD dyads. The ASD dyads have interactive impairments more frequently than do the TD dyads.     

The Interplay Between Housing Stability and Child Separation: Implications for Practice and Policy

Greater understanding of how residential stability affects child separation and reunification among homeless families can guide both child welfare and homeless policy and practice. This article draws upon two longitudinal studies examining services and housing for homeless families and their relationship to family and housing stability. Both studies were conducted in the same state at roughly the same time with similar instruments. The first study, examining families’ experiences and outcomes following entry into the homeless service system in three counties in Washington State, found that at 18 months following shelter entry, families that are intact with their children were significantly more likely to be housed in their own housing (46%) than families that were separated from one or more of their children (31%). The second study, a quasiexperimental evaluation of a supportive housing program for homeless families with multiple housing barriers, found that the rates of reunification for Child Protective Services (CPS)‐involved families receiving supportive housing was comparable to that for families entering public housing without services, but significantly higher than the rate of reunification for families entering shelter. Taken together, the findings from both studies contribute to the evidence underscoring the importance of housing assistance to homeless families involved in the child welfare system.     

Effect of a short nap on the alertness of young drivers: Repercussion on the perception of motorcycles according to extent of the useful visual field of the driver

The objectives of this study are to analyze the effect of a short nap on the level of alertness and on the drivers’ ability to detect the motorcyclists on the road according to the size of his/her useful visual field (UVF).Nineteen participants (m = 21 years old) carried out a driving task with a simulator, after taking a short nap (30 min) in the vehicle or not. They had to distinguish the colour change of a signal on a vehicle they were following and to detect a motorcycle which briefly appeared on the road at different eccentricities.Drivers with a limited UVF are those who detect the fewest motorcycles. Taking a short nap before the driving does not have any significant effect on data related to vision (motorcycles and signals detected), driving and alertness state ((α+θ)/β). There is a linear relationship between the size of the UVF and the ability to detect the motorcycle appearing in the left outside mirror.The implications of the results concerning the short nap as a countermeasure to a decrease in alertness and the perception of motorcycles according to extent of the useful visual field of the driver are discussed in terms of road safety.     

Knowledge Argument: Scientific Reasoning and the Explanatory Gap

It is easy to accept that scientific reasoning cannot determine the characteristics of subjective experiences in cases like Broad’s archangel or Jackson’s Mary. The author questions why this seems to be evident and discusses the differences between these cases and ordinary scientific work, where future states of studied systems can be predicted in phenomenal terms. He concludes that important limitations of scientific reasoning are due to the inadequacy of human sensorial apparatus for representing physical reality. Such inadequacies were more evident in Mary’s case, but are always present, and entail the existence of the explanatory gap.     

Modulation of stress consequences by hippocampal monoaminergic, glutamatergic and nitrergic neurotransmitter systems

Several findings relate the hippocampal formation to the behavioural consequences of stress. It contains a high concentration of corticoid receptors and undergoes plastic modifications, including decreased neurogenesis and cellular remodelling, following stress exposure. Various major neurotransmitter systems in the hippocampus are involved in these effects. Serotonin (5-HT) seems to exert a protective role in the hippocampus and attenuates the behavioural consequences of stress by activating 5-HT1A receptors in this structure. These effects may mediate the therapeutic actions of several antidepressants. The role of noradrenaline is less clear and possibly depends on the specific hippocampal region (dorsal vs. ventral). The deleterious modifications induced in the hippocampus by stress might involve a decrease in neurotrophic factors such as brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) following glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation. In addition to glutamate, nitric oxide (NO) could also be related to these effects. Systemic and intra-hippocampal administration of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors attenuates stress-induced behavioural consequences. The challenge for the future will be to integrate results related to these different neurotransmitter systems in a unifying theory about the role of the hippocampus in mood regulation, depressive disorder and antidepressant effects.     

Early processing of emotional faces in children with autism: An event-related potential study

Social deficits are one of the most striking manifestations of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Among these social deficits, the recognition and understanding of emotional facial expressions has been widely reported to be affected in ASDs. We investigated emotional face processing in children with and without autism using event-related potentials (ERPs). High-functioning children with autism (n = 15, mean age = 10.5 ± 3.3 years) completed an implicit emotional task while visual ERPs were recorded. Two groups of typically developing children (chronological age-matched and verbal equivalent age-matched [both ns = 15, mean age = 7.7 ± 3.8 years]) also participated in this study. The early ERP responses to faces (P1 and N170) were delayed, and the P1 was smaller in children with autism than in typically developing children of the same chronological age, revealing that the first stages of emotional face processing are affected in autism. However, when matched by verbal equivalent age, only P1 amplitude remained affected in autism. Our results suggest that the emotional and facial processing difficulties in autism could start from atypicalities in visual perceptual processes involving rapid feedback to primary visual areas and subsequent holistic processing.     

Parking Manoeuvres Differ among Drivers with Narrower and Wider Field of View in the Presence of a Spatial Reference

Parking manoeuvring was studied in a driving simulator. Younger and older participants were classified according to the extent of their visual and attentional fields of view. The manoeuvres were made either in the presence of a spatial reference on the adjacent pavement (a pedestrian or a parking meter) or with no reference. It was found that the length of manoeuvres varied only among younger drivers depending on the type of spatial reference and the extent of their visual and attentional fields. The participants with wider fields took advantage of the presence of a pedestrian or a parking meter, whereas those with a narrower field of view did not. Furthermore, the individuals with a narrower field of view were disturbed by the presence of a pedestrian on the pavement. This study provides new information to consider in relation to the safety of manoeuvring among drivers with different visual and attentional capacities. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Validation française du Caregiving Strain Questionnaire sur une population de parents d’enfants avec troubles du spectre de l’autisme

The Caregiving Strain Questionnaire (CGSQ-21) allows the assessment of the burden of family caregivers. The objective of this study is to present a validation of a French translation of this questionnaire (FCGSQ-21) to parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A literature review from 2002 to 2012 highlighted that five scales measured caregivers’ burden regarding children and only one English scale examined parents of children with ASD's burden. The CGSQ-21 was chosen for this study and has been validated with 167 French parents who completed an online survey. Those parents filled out a total of six questionnaires measuring optimism, perceived social support, care satisfaction, anxiety, depression and perceived burden. The factorial and convergent validities as well as the internal consistency of the FCGSQ-21 have been tested with an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). A three factors model was found to best fit the structure of this scale, those include the objective burden as well as the internalized and externalized subjective burdens. The convergent validity brings to light significant correlations between many scales of the protocol. In the present study, the FCGSQ-21's homogeneity is excellent with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.90. The FCGSQ-21 is a valid and useful tool to measure the burden perceived by parents of children with ASD. This study's objective was to confirm the tool's validity in order to improve clinical practice with children and their parents. This scale evaluates parents’ levels of burden perceived for the purpose of adapting interventions given to the children while taking into account parental well-being's specificities highlighted by the FCGSQ-21.