Physics and plasticine.

Argues that children's failure on one of Piaget's best known tasks, conservation of solid quantity, reflects ignorance of physical properties rather than inadequate reasoning ability. The evidence for conservation itself, seen from the child's position, is analyzed. It is emphasized that children can learn and enjoy the concepts and methods of physics at much earlier ages than current orthodoxies would indicate. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Traumatic brain injury and memory: The role of hippocampal atrophy.

In traumatically brain-injured (TBI) patients (n?=?83), memory performance was examined on the Warrington Recognition Memory Test, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, and the Logical Memory and Visual Reproduction subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised in relationship to time postinjury and structural changes based on MRI volumetry, including hippocampus volume. Significant trauma-induced changes were observed, including hippocampal atrophy. Structure-function relationships generally became significant only after 90 days postinjury. Memory tended to relate more to the degree of hippocampal atrophy, particularly left hippocampus, than to nonspecific indicators such as the temporal horns or the ventricle-to-brain ratio. A stronger relationship with left versus right hippocampus was evident for measures of verbal and supposedly nonverbal memory. These results are discussed with regard to the role the hippocampus may play in a neural system of memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Amazing new discovery: Piaget was wrong": Response.

Responds to the critiques by H. Markovits (see record 1994-05074-001) and L. S. Siegel (see record 1994-05095-001) of the authors' original article (see record 1994-05070-001) suggesting that children's failure on one of Piaget's best known tasks, conservation of solid quantity, reflexts ignorance of physical properties rather than inadequate reasoning ability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Caregiver strain: Need for late poststroke intervention.

Surveyed 41 resident caregivers of stroke victims, using a daily activities measure and an open-ended interview. Surveys took place a mean of 14.63 mo poststroke. Data show that, even in successful caregivers (i.e., those who had not sought assistance concerning their caregiver role), anxiety increased with time spent caregiving. Rehabilitation facilities should explore institution-initiated postdischarge caregiver support programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Proposal for spotbeam pattern for GSM-based satellite personalcommunications

A novel satellite footprint design is presented in order to mitigate the GSM synchronisation problems, caused by the potential wide variety of required timing advances, during the access phase of the signalling procedure. It is applied to LEO and MEO constellations and for different satellite channel parameters. Different approaches are presented and their tradeoff in terms of signalling load is discussed     

Physical objects: The relation between psychology and philosophy.

Argues that cognitive psychology and metaphysics are opposite poles of a single inquiry. The argument is advanced by contrasting the theories of D. Hume and Aristotle on physical objects. The works of Piaget (1967) and T. G. Bower (1974) on the development of the concept of physical objects are examined. (French abstract) (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Father Sheehy's flashlight.

Uses personal anecdotes and writings from well-known theorists, including Aristotle and Descartes, to discuss how skepticism about perception affects one's view of reality. The influence of D. Hume (1888 [1739]) on the development of modern psychology is reviewed. The main currents in contemporary philosophy seem to be deeply skeptical about the mind's capacity to know extramental reality. In psychology, this view is manifested by a determination to model the mind in computers. Such psychologists fail to grasp the nature of the evidence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Effects of Lime Properties on Basic Oxygen Steelmaking

Observations covering periods of good and bad conduct of heats pointed at the lime as being the cause of the metallurgical differences. A good parameter for metallurgical properties of burnt lime is its dissolving rate in water. Analysis furnishes information about the burning degree of the lime. Soft burnt lime leads to a more rapid dephosphorization and better desul-furization, as well as an easier conduct of heat with reduced slopping. Hard burnt lime has a poor solubility in slag, and pieces of lime remain undissolved. Slopping increases; the final composition of iron and slag and the final temperature are more widely scattered. Hard burnt lime is denser, the crystallite grain is larger. Annular shaft kilns with waste gas recirculation are being started up by the supplier for the production of soft burnt lime. Sizing the burnt lime by utilizing differences in density is also intended.     

Children as common sense psychologists.

Reviews the book, Developing theories of mind edited by Janet W. Astington, Paul L. Harris, and David R. Olson (see record 1988-98675-000). This book is a collection of the 20 papers delivered at the International Conference on Developing Theories of Mind organized in the University of Toronto in 1986. The book explores the area of cognitive sciences dealing with children's awareness of themselves and other people as intentional creatures who know, believe, doubt, imagine, pretend, etc. The reviewer thinks that the work as a whole suffers from a lack of depth. The problem is that researchers have set out to explore a development without taking stock of that in which development is supposed to occur, namely intentionality and children's grasp of its nature in its diverse forms. On the other hand, if you want to know what psychologists are doing to understand the child's growing appreciation of mind and what psychologists claim they have found, this is the place to start. The contributions are attractively modest and free of bewildering jargon. The editors have worked hard and, together with the contributors, raise fundamental questions that have long been ignored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)