A topographic study of ERPs elicited by visual feature discrimination

We report the cloning of a zebrafish paired-type homeobox gene, Alx, closely related to the murine Chx10 and the gold fish Vsx-I homeodomain proteins. Alx is first expressed at about 12 h post-fertilization (hpf) when optic vesicles appear. Its expression is restricted to the early retinal neuroepithelium, whereas no signal can be detected in the optic placode. Later, Alx expression follows the differentiation of the neural retina. Inhibition experiments with antisense oligonucleotides resulted in specific eye malformations which are reminiscent of the phenotype of ocular retardation (or) mice, caused by a spontaneous Chx10 mutation. The expression of other developmentally relevant genes such as pax(zf-a), pax(zf-b) and krx-20 was not affected in the antisense treated embryos.     

Competence and the overjustification effect: A developmental study.

Examined the conditions under which information regarding competence would mitigate the negative side effects of rewards on the intrinsic interest of preschool and middle elementary school children. 144 nursery school and 3rd–5th graders engaging in a task of high initial interest anticipated a reward made contingent either upon meeting a standard based on absolute performance level or upon task engagement alone, or they were not rewarded. In addition, Ss were provided with direct information concerning competence presented in terms of social comparison. Results indicate that the preschool children were primarily affected by information about meeting the absolute standard but not the social comparison information. That is, the overjustification effect did not occur when attaining a reward was made contingent on meeting an absolute standard of performance. Social comparison information superseded the effect of the contingency of the reward on subsequent interest in the target task for the older children. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The discrimination of temporal fine structure in call-like harmonic sounds by birds.

Thresholds for discriminating changes in the temporal fine structure of call-like, harmonic sounds were measured in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) and budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus). Birds could detect changes in periods as short as 1.225 ms at near 100% accuracy even when spectral and envelope cues were identical, as in time-reversed stimuli. Humans performed poorly on such stimuli, paralleling results from previous studies. Bird thresholds were in the range of those reported in neurophysiological studies of the songbird high vocal center (HVC) to temporally modified conspecific songs. Taken together, these results show that birds can hear differences in temporal fine structure in their natural vocalizations that go beyond human capabilities, but whether these abilities have communicative relevance remains to be seen. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A developmental investigation of the priority effect.

Studied the priority effect in free-recall learning from a developmental standpoint using proper controls for serial position bias. Data from 160 preschool, 2nd-grade, 6th-grade, and adult Ss, which show the absence of the priority effect at the preschool level and the presence of it at elementary and adult levels, strengthen the position that the priority effect reflects the use of a relatively sophisticated learning strategy and that it is not a product of serial position bias. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attention and the perception of temporal order.

The effect of directing attention to a particular location in space has been widely examined in the study of human information processing. Current models assume that attention modulates the speed of information flow such that attended signals are transmitted more rapidly through the perceptual system than unattended signals. This assumption that attention modulates the speed of information flow was examined in the present research by having observers judge the temporal order of two visual stimuli while directing their attention towards one of the stimuli or away from both stimuli. In one experiment, attended stimuli were perceived with a shorter latency than unattended stimuli, supporting the assumption that attention influences the speed of information transmission in the visual system. The results of another experiment indicate that attention alters the temporal profile of the visual responses, such that visual responses at the attended location are more sharply tuned than responses at the unattended location. It is concluded that attention has two effects on visual responses: It affects the transmission speed of information in the visual system and it alters the temporal profile of the responses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Characteristics of temporal summation of second pain sensations elicited by brief contact of glabrous skin by a preheated thermode

Temporal summation of sensory intensity was investigated in normal subjects using novel methods of thermal stimulation. A Peltier thermode was heated and then applied in a series of brief (700 ms) contacts to different sites on the glabrous skin of either hand. Repetitive contacts on the thenar or hypothenar eminence, at interstimulus intervals (ISIs) of 3 s, progressively increased the perceived intensity of a thermal sensation that followed each contact at an onset latency > 2 s. Temporal summation of these delayed (late) sensations was proportional to thermode temperature over a range of 45-53 degrees C, progressing from a nonpainful level (warmth) to painful sensations that could be rated as very strong after 10 contacts. Short-latency pain sensations rarely were evoked by such stimuli and never attained levels substantially above pain threshold for the sequences and temperatures presented. Temporal summation produced by brief contacts was greater in rate and amount than increases in sensory intensity resulting from repetitive ramping to the same temperature by a thermode in constant contact with the skin. Variation of the interval between contacts revealed a dependence of sensory intensity on interstimulus interval that is similar to physiological demonstrations of windup, where increasing frequencies of spike train activity are evoked from spinal neurons by repetitive activation of unmyelinated nociceptors. However, substantial summation at repetition rates of > or = 0.33 Hz was observed for temperatures that produced only late sensations of warmth when presented at frequencies < 0.16 Hz. Measurements of subepidermal skin temperature from anesthetized monkeys revealed different time courses for storage and dissipation of heat by the skin than for temporal summation and decay of sensory intensity for the human subjects. For example, negligible heat loss occurred during a 6-s interval between two trials of 10 contacts at 0.33 Hz, but ratings of sensory magnitude decreased from very strong levels of pain to sensations of warmth during the same interval. Evidence that temporal summation of sensory intensity during series of brief contacts relies on central integration, rather than a sensitization of peripheral receptors, was obtained using two approaches. In the first, a moderate degree of temporal summation was observed during alternating stimulation of adjacent but nonoverlapping skin sites at 0.33 Hz. Second, temporal summation was significantly attenuated by prior administration of dextromethorphan, a N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist.     

A developmental study of learned helplessness.

Examined susceptibility to learned helplessness among 20 children from each of kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 3, and Grade 5 classes by exposing groups of Ss to either repeated failure or repeated success on hidden figures problems. Helplessness was measured by Ss' persistence in looking for hidden figures and their capacity to find them following repeated success or failure. It was hypothesized that younger Ss would be less susceptible to helplessness than older ones, due to age-related differences in causal attributions for success and failure. Results confirm the hypothesis in that failure, relative to success, had significantly less influence on the level of helplessness in younger Ss' behavior. It is suggested that the development of attributional capabilities during the preschool and early elementary school years has important ramifications for cognitive theories of motivation. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A developmental study of the acquisition of Russian colour terms

We report a study of the acquisition of colour terms by Russian children which had two main aims: first, to test Berlin & Kay's (1969) theory of colour universals using acquisition order as a measure of basicness; and secondly, to see if the two BLUE terms of Russian are genuinely basic. Two hundred children aged from three to six-years-old were tested on three colour-tasks--colour term listing, colour term production and colour term comprehension. To a reasonable approximation, the order of colour term acquisition was in accord with Berlin & Kay's theory, but the data are also consistent with the weaker claim that primary terms tend to be learned before derived terms. On balance the data were consistent with Russian exceptionally, having an extra term for the BLUE region. But, the two BLUE terms--goluboj 'light blue' and sinij 'dark blue'--were confused more often than other pairs of terms even by the five- to six-year-old sample.     

A general model for the study of developmental problems.

Various research designs employed in developmental psychology for the investigation of maturational and aging effects are examined. Discrepancies and contradictions in the conclusions derived from cross-sectional and longitudinal studies are consequences of the violation of assumptions implicit in these research designs. The conventional methods are shown to be special cases of a general model for research on behavior change over time. The properties of the general model are explicated and the assumptions for the customary designs are reviewed in the light of these properties. The complete model requires consideration of the components of age, time and cohort differences in the identification of developmental change. Both the longitudinal and cross-sectional methods in this context require strong assumptions which can rarely be met. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The perception of temporal order along the mental number line.

R. Sekuler, P. Tynan, and E. Levinson (1973) found that when 2 characters are presented side-by-side with a short onset asynchrony, subjectively they often appear in a “first-left, then-right” order. The authors of this article conducted 6 experiments in which observers judged the temporal order (TOJs) in which 2 digits were presented. They found a consistent TOJ benefit (larger d`) when the numerically smaller digit was presented first, even though this semantic information was irrelevant to the task and unrelated to the correct response. They concluded that digits located to the left of the mental number line are transmitted faster to a central comparison stage, which represents an “internal counterpart” to the Sekuler et al. (1973) finding regarding external locations. A corresponding benefit is found for letters pairs (e.g., A–Z) and also for mixed digit–letter pairs (e.g., 1–Z). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A cognitive developmental study of metaphor comprehension.

In metaphor, sentence elements are classified according to principles of similarity, as in "hair is spaghetti" (both mixed up), or of proportionality, as in "my head is an apple without any core" (head is to apple as brain is to core). Metaphors of similarity and of proportionality, along with a pictorial form of the similarity metaphors, proverbs, and several Piaget-type cognitive tasks, were presented to 50 5-13 yr old males. Results indicate that metaphor comprehension is a type of classificatory behavior and, as such, is strongly related to maturing cognitive operations as well as to age. Rudimentary forms of metaphor comprehension exist earlier in the child's life than hitherto supposed. Significant (p     

A field survey on the annoyance caused by sounds from large firearms and road traffic

Subjective reactions to artillery sounds were determined for over 400 respondents divided among 17 different residential areas. Also, for the same respondents, the subjective effects of road-traffic sounds were determined enabling a comprehensive comparison of the dose-response relations. For the sake of comparison with other field surveys, the noise dose for the shooting sounds was, among other things, expressed as the yearly average C-weighted day-night level (CDNL) and that for the road-traffic sounds was expressed as the A-weighted day-night level (ADNL). Similarly, for both sound types the community response was expressed as the percentage of respondents being "highly annoyed." From the comparison of the two dose-response relationships it could be concluded that for numerically equal day-night levels, the artillery sounds were more annoying than the road-traffic sounds. Overall, the difference was equivalent to the change in annoyance produced by a 5-dB shift in the yearly average day-night levels of the sounds. With equal day-night levels for "downwind" conditions, the artillery and road-traffic sounds were equally annoying. Results from the present highly controlled field survey provided a new opportunity to optimize the parameter values in Schomer's rating procedure y = (1/beta)(LCE-PNSE) + PNSE, in which the noise exposure for impulsive sounds (y) is expressed as the A-weighted SEL of equally annoying vehicle sounds. PNSE represents the point at which the impulsive and vehicle sounds with numerically equal levels are also equally annoying. With PNSE fixed at 103 dB, an optimal solution was found with slope beta set to 1.3. With the previously recommended slope beta = 0.67, the rating sound level for artillery sounds would be underestimated by almost 12 dB.     

The effect of linomide on the migration and the proliferation of capillary endothelial cells elicited by vascular endothelial growth factor

In order to assess the mechanism of action of the quinoline-3-carboxyamide linomide as an antiangiogenic drug, the effect of linomide was studied in vitro on postcapillary endothelial cells exposed to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Linomide did not block the spontaneous replication of endothelial cells, but significantly suppressed endothelial cell growth and migration elicited by VEGF. It is concluded that linomide appears to be an effective tool to inhibit VEGF-dependent angiogenesis.     

Social cognition and environmental structure: A critique of assimilation-side developmental psychology.

Summarizes 3 studies of social cognitive development to illustrate the role of the stimulus environment in shaping the developmental process. These studies build upon a conceptual framework and illustrate an investigative strategy intended to replace exclusively S centered, assimilation-side accounts with a more explicitly transactional model that focuses equal attention on the structural characteristics of both Ss and their social stimulus environments. These studies, which dealt with the experience of crowding (M. J. Chandler et al., 1977), the interpretation of psychological defense mechanisms (M. J. Chandler et al.; see record 1979-25577-001) and the process of moral deliberation (M. J. Chandler et al.; see record 1981-25546-001), followed a common format. The formal structure of children's cognitions and their relevant social environments were characterized, and then problem-solving competence was explored in relation to both of these structural dimensions. Results support the call for a more balanced consideration of the structural features of both subjects and their social environments. (French abstract) (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the relationship between the redundant signals effect and temporal order judgments: Parametric data and a new model.

Paradigms used to study the time course of the redundant signals effect (RSE; J. O. Miller, 1986) and temporal order judgments (TOJs) share many important similarities and address related questions concerning the time course of sensory processing. The author of this article proposes and tests a new aggregate diffusion-based model to quantitatively explain both the RSE and TOJs and the relationship between them. Parametric data (13 stimulus onset asynchronies) from an experiment with pairs of visual stimuli (626-nm LEDs) confirm that, relative to central signals (3 degrees), peripheral signals (35 degrees) yield slower reaction times, more strongly modulated RSE time-course functions, and flatter TOJ psychometric functions. All of these qualitative features are well captured, even in quantitative detail, by the aggregate diffusion model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of halothane on the amplitude and frequency characteristics of heart sounds in children

Although continuous auscultation has been used during surgery as a monitor of cardiac function for many years, the effect of anesthetics on heart sounds has never been quantified. We determined the root mean squared amplitude and frequency characteristics (peak frequency, spectral edge, and power ratios) of the first (S1) and second (S2) heart sounds in 19 healthy children during induction of anesthesia with halothane. In all patients, halothane decreased the amplitude of S1 (R2 = 0.87 +/- 0.12) and S2 (R2 = 0.66 +/- 0.33) and the high-frequency components (>80 Hz) of these sounds. These changes were clearly audible and preceded decreases in heart rate and blood pressure. The spectral edge decreased for S1 in 18 patients (R2 = 0.73 +/- 0.24) and for S2 in 13 patients (R2 = 0.58 +/- 0.25). Peak frequency did not change. The rapidity with which myocardial depression and its associated changes in heart sound characteristics occurred confirms that continuous auscultation of heart sounds is a useful clinical tool for hemodynamic monitoring of anesthetized infants and children. Implications: Heart sound characteristics can be used to monitor cardiac function during halothane anesthesia in children. The changes occur rapidly and precede noticeable changes in heart rate and blood pressure.     

Mechanism of the acute pressor effect and bradycardia elicited by diaspirin crosslinked hemoglobin in anesthetized rats

Although intracellular pH (pHi), is a regulator of numerous biological processes, it has received relatively little attention with regard to the physiology of the mammalian preimplantation embryo. Interestingly, there is some controversy as to whether the early embryo can recover from an acid load. The significance of this is that two constituents of mouse embryo culture media are pyruvate and lactate. These carboxylic acids are utilised by the early mouse embryo for energy production. However, as weak acids, pyruvate and lactate may induce perturbations in the pHi and thus alter the physiology of the embryo. The aims of this study were therefore to measure the pHi of the mouse preimplantation embryo and to determine the effect of lactate on pHi at different developmental stages. The pHi was measured using the ratio-metric fluorophore carboxy-seminaphthorhodafluor-1-acetoxymethylester (SNARF-1) in conjunction with confocal microscopy. The pHi increased significantly with development from the zygote to the morula stage. Furthermore, at concentrations greater than 5 mM, lactate caused the pHi of the zygote to become significantly more acidic. It was demonstrated that facilitative transport in association with a smaller passive component was responsible for the movement of lactate into the zygote. Metabolic studies revealed that, through their acidifying effect, weak acids caused a reduction in glycolytic activity in the early embryo. In contrast, the pHi of the compacted embryo remained unchanged by the presence of lactate in the external media. Furthermore, incubation with weak acids did not affect the rate of glycolysis in the morula. These data suggest that, by the generation of a transporting epithelium at compaction, the embryo develops the ability to regulate pHi against an acid load.     

A study of the influence of arrangement of upper posterior artificial teeth on pronunciation: Japanese sounds articulated on the posterior palate

To clarify the standard of bucco-lingual tooth arrangement in complete denture construction, the influence of the bucco-lingual position of upper posterior artificial teeth on pronunciation was investigated. Wearing 7 kinds of experimental artificial teeth with the upper posterior ones arranged in 7 different positions, patients pronounced 5 test sounds: "ka", "ki", "kw", "ke" and "ko". Resultant sounds were evaluated in terms of how the bucco-lingual position of posterior artificial teeth influenced pronunciation as determined with by aural pronunciation judgment test and frequency analysis using a 1/3 octave-band real-time analyzer. Pronunciation disorders caused by the arrangement of the upper posterior artificial teeth in complete dentures occur when the lingual surfaces of the upper molars is located more than 1/4 inward of the distance between the right and left denture border from the buccal denture border or less than 1/10 of that distance outward from the buccal denture border. Results of the aural pronunciation judgment test indicated that the influence of the arrangement of the upper posterior artificial teeth on pronunciation depends on the vowel following the consonant of the sound. When the vowel following the consonant is a back vowel, as in "ka", "kw" and "ko" the sound was barely influenced, but when the vowel is a front vowel. as in "ke" and "ki", the sound was markedly influenced. We established the frequency spectrum of the consonant of the normally pronounced 5 test sounds as the standard frequency spectral range and compared distorted and misheard sounds with it.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)