Rats (Rattus norvegicus) encode the shape of an array of discrete objects

To navigate efficiently, a traveler must establish a heading using a frame of reference. A large body of evidence has indicated that humans and a variety of nonhuman animals utilize the geometry, or shape, of enclosed spaces as a frame of reference to determine their heading. An important and yet unresolved question is whether shape information from arrays of discrete objects and enclosed environments are represented, and utilized, in the same way. In the present study, rats were presented with a reference memory task in which they had to find water that was hidden in 1 of 4 discrete and unique objects placed at the vertices of a rectangle. The results indicate that rats could utilize both feature and geometry cues to locate the hidden goal. The rats' performance declined during transformation tests using a triangular array, indicating that the rats may have encoded the primary axis of the object array, rather than local cues, to direct their search.     

Form and content in semantics

This paper continues a strain of intellectual complaint against the presumptions of certain kinds of formal semantics (the qualification is important) and their bad effects on those areas of artificial intelligence concerned with machine understanding of human language. After some discussion of the use of the term epistemology in artificial intelligence, the paper takes as a case study the various positions held by McDermott on these issues and concludes, reluctantly, that, although he has reversed himself on the issue, there was no time at which he was right.     

Language disorders in dementia of the Alzheimer type

The language profile of a group of 18 Alzheimer patients is documented and their performance on a standard aphasia test battery compared to a group of institutionalized, nonneurologically impaired control subjects matched for age, sex, and educational level. The Alzheimer patients scored significantly lower than the controls in the areas of verbal expression, auditory comprehension, repetition, reading, and writing. Articulation abilities were the same in each group. A language deficit was evident in all Alzheimer patients. The language disorder exhibited resembled a transcortical sensory aphasia. Syntax and phonology remained relatively intact but semantic abilities were impaired. The results support the inclusion of a language deficit as a diagnostic criterion of Alzheimer's disease.     

Weighting systems for linear functions of correlated variables when there is no dependent variable

When no criterion variable is available, the combination of tests or other variables by the use of multiple correlation is not possible. Three methods of combining variables are described mathematically, and discussed with reference to the linear combination of tests. Iterative computational schemes are outlined and illustrated.     

Making good use of online case study materials

Web-based access to engaging instructional materials for SEE instruction represents an increasingly viable and attractive opportunity for educators. This paper will review research findings that demonstrate important differences in more experienced and novice ethical responses to engaging online materials, including authentic cases, codes, and commentaries. Results demonstrate that experienced ethical thinkers are more likely than novices to appeal to middle level principles that identify professional role-specific obligations (RSO); to make greater use of professional knowledge in order to recognize moral issues and relevant facts; and to employ more 'contextually sensitive' reasoning strategies when crafting resolutions to moral problems--e.g., identify alternative moral issues, assess the moral implications of actions, and provide alternative practical resolutions to conflicts. These findings suggest that when effectively integrated into SEE courses, authentic instructional materials have the potential to effectively challenge students and enhance student learning. However, there is evidence that the uses and benefits of these materials are not well understood. In the second part of this paper, five research-based instructional principles will be identified and discussed that can help SEE instructors better understand how to effectively integrate these materials into their courses.     

A Historical Review of Counseling Theory Development in Relation to Definitions of Free Will and Determinism

This review traces the development of counseling theory in relation to the philosophical constructs of free will and determinism. Problems associated with free will are discussed, and an analysis of related theoretical trends and convergent paradigms is provided. Results indicate that (a) no major theory of counseling addresses the free will versus determinism problem or includes indeterminate free will as a component; (b) no grand, comprehensive theory of counseling currently exists; and (c) recent findings relating to free will suggest the need for research along theoretical lines of inquiry. The relevance of such research to counseling professionals is emphasized.     

Preschool children's learning proclivities: When the ritual stance trumps the instrumental stance

Previous research has demonstrated an efficiency bias in social learning whereby young children preferentially imitate the functional actions of a successful individual over an unsuccessful group member. Our aim in the current research was to examine whether this bias remains when actions are presented as conventional rather than instrumental. Preschool children watched videos of an individual and a group member. The individual always demonstrated a successful instrumental action and the group member an unsuccessful action that was either causally transparent or opaque. Highlighting the selective nature of social learning, children copied the group at higher rates when the demonstrated actions were causally opaque than when they were causally transparent. This research draws attention to the influence of conventional/ritual‐like actions on young children's learning choices and emphasizes the role of this orientation in the development of human‐specific cumulative culture.     

A Qualitative Exploration of Sleep Habits and Intervention Needs Among Youth with Cystic Fibrosis

Evidence suggests that individuals with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) experience difficulties with sleep architecture and hygiene, although research is limited. There are currently no behavioral sleep interventions for youth with CF. The current study used qualitative methods to understand sleep needs and concerns among youth with CF, as well as to obtain feedback about potentially useful behavioral sleep intervention strategies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with youth with CF between the ages of 11–17 and their parents. Themes were extracted from the data and will be used to inform the development of a brief behavioral sleep intervention for youth with CF. Youth and their parents described several CF-specific sleep concerns, often related to respiratory symptoms, and a number of strategies used to manage these concerns. They also described concerns that apply to the general population, including pervasive use of technology around bedtime. Many evidence-based behavioral sleep intervention strategies are acceptable to youth with CF, although modifications are appropriate to reduce time burden and address CF-specific needs. Youth with CF experience a number of disease-specific and more generalized sleep concerns which are likely amenable to behavioral intervention. Results from this study will be used to inform the development of a brief behavioral sleep intervention for youth with CF.

     

The mediating role of work locus of control on the relationship among emotional intelligence,organisational citizenship behaviours,and mental health among nurses

Using a cross‐sectional design to evaluate the perceptions of 242 nurses working in a Malaysian hospital, this study investigates the mediating role of work locus of control (WLOC) on the relationship among emotional intelligence (EI), organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs), and mental health among nurses. Additionally, the role of EI is examined. Findings indicate that EI correlates positively with OCBs and negatively with mental health and that WLOC mediates the relationship between EI and OCBs. However, WLOC does not mediate the relationship between EI and mental health. An in‐depth understanding of nurses' EI provides insights into health institution management to increase organisational outcomes. Results of this study are interpreted to indicate that EI should be part of nurse training and that OCBs are associated with performance and productivity. It is suggested that EI could also be included in selection processes to encourage growth and development of a health institution.     

Twenty‐First‐Century Counseling Theory Development in Relation to Definitions of Free Will and Determinism

This article is a continuation of Wilks's ( 2003 ) review of the development of counseling theory in relation to definitions of free will and determinism. The original review showed that theoretical synthesis was in part achieved when causal events inherent in absolute determinism were incorporated into a soft self‐determinist process. This review traces three 21st‐century challenges to self‐determinism and provides evidence supporting the inclusion of both self‐determinism and indeterminate free will in a single but asymmetrical causal model.