"Visual Memory for Shapes in Deaf Signers and Nonsigners and in Hearing Signers and Nonsigners: Atypical Lateralization and Enhancement": Correction.

Reports an error in "Visual Memory for Shapes in Deaf Signers and Nonsigners and in Hearing Signers and Nonsigners: Atypical Lateralization and Enhancement" by Allegra Cattani, John Clibbens and Timothy J. Perfect (Neuropsychology, 2007[Jan], Vol 21[1], 114-121). Figure 1 on p. 117 (Stimulus Materials section) depicting sample and match stimuli was incorrect. The labels Object condition and Shape condition should be reversed so that the top row is indicated as the shape condition and the bottom row as the object condition. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2006-23022-010.) Deaf and hearing individuals who either used sign language (signers) or not (nonsigners) were tested on visual memory for objects and shapes that were difficult to describe verbally with a same/different matching paradigm. The use of 4 groups was designed to permit a separation of effects related to sign language use (signers vs. nonsigners) and effects related to auditory deprivation (deaf vs. hearing). Forty deaf native signers and nonsigners and 51 hearing signers and nonsigners participated in the study. Signing individuals (both deaf and hearing) were more accurate than nonsigning individuals (deaf and hearing) at memorizing shapes. For the shape memory task but not the object task, deaf signers and nonsigners displayed right hemisphere (RH) advantage over the left hemisphere (LH). Conversely, both hearing groups displayed a memory advantage for shapes in the LH over the RH. Results indicate that enhanced memory performance for shapes in signers (deaf and hearing) stems from the visual skills acquired through sign language use and that deafness, irrespective of language background, leads to the use of a visually based strategy for memory of difficult-to-describe items. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Additional evidence that the K-ras protooncogene is a candidate for the major mouse pulmonary adenoma susceptibility (Pas-1) gene

The memory of 11 deaf and 11 hearing British Sign Language users and 11 hearing nonsigners for pictures of faces of and verbalizable objects was measured using the game Concentration. The three groups performed at the same level for the objects. In contrast the deaf signers were better for faces than the hearing signers, who in turn were superior to the hearing nonsigners, who were the worst. Three hypotheses were made: That there would be no significant difference in terms of the number of attempts between the three groups on the verbalizable object task, that the hearing and deaf signers would demonstrate superior performance to that of the hearing nonsigners on the matching faces task, and that the hearing and deaf signers would exhibit similar performance levels on the matching faces task. The first two hypotheses were supported, but the third was not. Deaf signers were found to be superior for memory for faces to hearing signers and hearing nonsigners. Possible explanations for the findings are discussed, including the possibility that deafness and the long use of sign language have additive effects.     

Language access and theory of mind reasoning: Evidence from deaf children in bilingual and oralist environments.

This investigation examined whether access to sign language as a medium for instruction influences theory of mind (ToM) reasoning in deaf children with similar home language environments. Experiment 1 involved 97 deaf Italian children ages 4-12 years: 56 were from deaf families and had LIS (Italian Sign Language) as their native language, and 41 had acquired LIS as late signers following contact with signers outside their hearing families. Children receiving bimodal/bilingual instruction in LIS together with Sign-Supported and spoken Italian significantly outperformed children in oralist schools in which communication was in Italian and often relied on lipreading. Experiment 2 involved 61 deaf children in Estonia and Sweden ages 6-16 years. On a wide variety of ToM tasks, bilingually instructed native signers in Estonian Sign Language and spoken Estonian succeeded at a level similar to age-matched hearing children. They outperformed bilingually instructed late signers and native signers attending oralist schools. Particularly for native signers, access to sign language in a bilingual environment may facilitate conversational exchanges that promote the expression of ToM by enabling children to monitor others' mental states effectively. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Variability in deaf children's spelling: The effect of language experience.

French-speaking hearing and deaf children, ranging in age from 6 years 10 months to 14 years 7 months were required to spell words including phoneme-to-grapheme correspondences that were either statistically dominant or nondominant. Of interest was whether the nature of linguistic experience (cued speech vs. sign language) and the precocity of such experience (early vs. late exposure) determines accuracy in the use of phoneme-to-grapheme knowledge. Cued speech is a system delivering phonemically augmented speechreading through the visual modality. Hearing and deaf children exposed to cued speech early at home relied on accurate phoneme-to-grapheme correspondences, whereas children exposed to cued speech later and at school only, and children exposed to sign language, did not. A critical factor in the development of the phonological route for spelling seems to be early and intensive exposure to a system making all phonological distinctions easily perceivable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Selective attentional processing and the right hemisphere: Effects of aging and alcoholism.

Thirty-seven nonalcoholic individuals (22 women, 15 men), ages 26–76, and 36 abstinent alcoholic individuals (11 women, 25 men), ages 31–74, participated in a cued-detection task that assessed right hemisphere (RH) functioning associated with aging and alcoholism. Young controls were less reliant on cues following RH activation, which is consistent with the view that the RH has an advantage because it has the ability to attend to a broader spatial array than does the left hemisphere (LH). This RH advantage was not obtained in older controls or alcoholic participants. The pattern of results for the older nonalcoholic participants indicated that they neither benefited from valid cues following LH activation, nor exhibited enhanced processing on invalid cue trials following RH activation. The results for the alcoholic participants were consistent with RH functional decline, but did not support the view that alcoholism and aging have synergistic effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Color-object paired associates in deaf and hearing children with and without response competition.

Deaf and hearing Ss, aged 6 and 10, were compared in 2 nonverbally presented paired-associates tasks. One condition used neutral color stimuli unrelated to toy response objects and another condition had colors systematically related to the same objects to provide interfering response competition. Age differences were observed, while task interacted with deafness such that hearing but not deaf Ss were impeded by the interference condition relative to the neutral condition. It was concluded that deaf Ss showed no perceptual rigidity and that covert verbalizations of hearing Ss or experiential poverty in deaf Ss produced the differential task effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hemiface contributions to hemispheric dominance in visual speech perception.

Lateralized displays are used widely to investigate hemispheric asymmetry in language perception. However, few studies have used lateralized displays to investigate hemispheric asymmetry in visual speech perception, and those that have yielded mixed results. This issue was investigated in the current study by presenting visual speech to either the left hemisphere (LH) or the right hemisphere (RH) using the face as recorded (normal), a mirror image of the normal face (reversed), and chimeric displays constructed by duplicating and reversing just one hemiface (left or right) to form symmetrical images (left-duplicated, right-duplicated). The projection of displays to each hemisphere was controlled precisely by an automated eye-tracking technique. Visual speech perception showed the same, clear LH advantage for normal and reversed displays, a greater LH advantage for right-duplicated displays, and no hemispheric difference for left-duplicated displays. Of particular note is that perception of LH displays was affected greatly by the presence of right-hemiface information, whereas perception of RH displays was unaffected by changes in hemiface content. Thus, when investigated under precise viewing conditions, the indications are not only that the dominant processes of visual speech perception are located in the LH but that these processes are uniquely sensitive to right-hemiface information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive processing by prelingual deaf students as a function of language context.

Investigated the influence of language mode (print or sign) and syntax (English or American Sign Language [ASL]) on recall, preference, and comprehension. In Exp I, the effects of reading meaningful print passages in ASL or English were tested for 12 16–29 yr old deaf and 12 16–28 yr old hearing Ss. An effort toward comprehension interpretation was supported for the hearing Ss only. Deaf Ss not trained in ASL exhibited a familiarity with ASL syntax not exhibited by the hearing Ss. In Exp II, meaningful passages were presented to 30 15–19 yr old prelingual deaf Ss in 4 language contexts (signed English, signed ASL, print English, and print ASL) in a free recall task. Results show greater recall from ASL than from English contexts. Findings indicate that the visual orientation of prelingual deaf individuals, regardless of training in ASL, leads to the development of a sign-based encoding system that responds to ASL as a familiar language. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interaction of frontal and perirhinal cortices in visual object recognition memory in monkeys

Monkeys were trained preoperatively in visual object recognition memory. The task was delayed matching-to-sample with lists of trial-unique randomly generated visual stimuli in an automated apparatus, and the stimuli were 2D visual objects made from randomly generated coloured shapes. We then examined the effect of either: (i) disconnecting the frontal cortex in one hemisphere from the perirhinal cortex in the contralateral hemisphere by crossed unilateral ablations; (ii) disconnecting the magnocellular portion of the mediodorsal (MDmc) thalamic nucleus in one hemisphere from the perirhinal cortex in the contralateral hemisphere; or (iii) bilaterally ablating first the amygdala, then adding fornix transection, then finally perirhinal cortex ablation. We found that both frontal/perirhinal and MDmc/perirhinal disconnection had a large effect on visual object recognition memory, whereas both amygdalectomy and the addition of fornix transection had only a mild effect. We conclude that the frontal lobe needs to interact with the perirhinal cortex within the same hemisphere for visual object recognition memory, but that routes through the amygdala and hippocampus are not of primary importance.     

Relation of nutrition, body composition and physical activity to skeletal development: a cross-sectional study in preadolescent females

OBJECTIVE: Subjective organization (SO) of verbal memory and learning was investigated for 44 adolescent patients. METHOD: The patients were subdivided into four clinical groups according to localization of lesion: right hemisphere (RH), left hemisphere (LH), frontal (FL), and brain stem (SL). RESULTS: As expected RH patients performed best on this verbal learning task, whereas FL and SL patients demonstrated very poor SO, indicating their failure in categorize memory input. LH patients increased SO, following successive trials, which suggests an active learning strategy. CONCLUSIONS: It is argued that the use SO analysis in neuropsychology will stimulate the course of further research towards attaining a better understanding of memory and learning impairments and their remission in brain-damaged patient.     

Hearing status and language fluency as predictors of automatic word and sign recognition

In previous studies, evidence concerning the extent of automatic word recognition in deaf children and the influence of language fluency on word and sign recognition (as indexed by the Stroop task) has been contradictory. This study examined the effects of English and sign language fluency in the automatic word and sign recognition of deaf and hearing adults. Results indicated that responding in sign took longer and created more Stroop interference than responding orally. Two groups of certified interpreters revealed this finding to be independent of hearing status. Most important, deaf subjects showed greater automaticity in recognizing signs than words, whereas hearing subjects showed greater automaticity in recognizing words than signs. This pattern was unaffected by language fluency. The findings clarify the results of previous studies both theoretically and methodologically.     

Communication between deaf children and their hearing mothers: the role of language, gesture, and vocalizations

In the present longitudinal study, 20 deaf and 20 hearing children were observed during free play with their hearing mothers when the children were 22 months and 3 years of age. Compared to hearing children, deaf children were severely language delayed, with deaf 3-year-olds using less language (speech or sign) than hearing 22-month-olds. Deaf children communicated primarily through nonlinguistic vocalizations, with increasing use of gesture from 22 months to 3 years of age. Although mothers of deaf children used more visual communication than mothers of hearing children, they still primarily communicated through speech. In addition, deaf children did not visually attend to much of their mothers' communication. Therefore, deaf children received much less communication than hearing children. These results suggest that intervention efforts should be focused on increasing the quantity of perceived linguistic input by the child.     

Responses of deaf adolescents to differences in counselor method of communication and disability status.

This study tested the effects of disability status (deaf or hearing) and communication method (sign language, interpreter, or written) on deaf subjects' ratings of counselor social influence, counselor empathy, and willingness to see the counselor. Deaf adolescent subjects (53 female and 53 male) rated one of six videotapes portraying a deaf or hearing counselor using sign language, an intepreter, or written communication in counseling a deaf client on a topic of high relevance. The results indicated that counselors were rated higher on social influence, counselor effectiveness, and empathy if they used sign language rather than written communication. No significant differences were found for counselor or disability status. The subjects indicated a greater willingness to see a hearing counselor who used a sign language or an interpreter rather than written communication, although these results were not replicated for a deaf counselor. We discuss the implications for the use of sign language with deaf adolescent clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and validation of the Signed Paired Associates Test.

Objective: To develop and validate a verbal (sign-based) test of learning and memory for individuals who are deaf. Method: Completed test development, determined performance norms, investigated correlation with IQ, and evaluated discriminant validity in healthy versus clinical participant samples. Participants: Thirty-eight deaf adults screened as free from brain impairment and 35 deaf adults referred for cognitive testing. Outcome measure: Signed Paired Associates Test (SPAT). Results: Healthy participant norms were similar to pilot study norms. SPAT performance was correlated with IQ. The healthy sample scored significantly better than the clinical sample on all 13 SPAT performance elements analyzed. Performance patterns paralleled those commonly found with other tests of verbal learning and memory. Conclusions: SPAT shows utility as a test of verbal learning and memory for sign language users and evidence of validity in detecting verbal cognitive impairment in that population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward special loyalty oaths at the University of California.

In 1951 "… the attitudes and backgrounds of a number of persons who declined to sign one or both of two special oaths then required at the University of California… " were examined and compared "… with comparable data from a sample of persons, similar in other respects, who had signed both of these oaths." Similarities and differences between signers and nonsigners are indicated. F-Scale results indicated that "… the nonsigners were markedly less authoritarian than the signers." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

When hearing clients work with a deaf therapist.

Not being able to hear can present significant challenges for the therapist and for the deaf therapist/hearing client dyad. It can also create opportunities. Although the literature indicates that most culturally Deaf therapists work with Deaf clients due to their mutual use of American Sign Language, I describe (a) the background of an audiologically deaf therapist who relies on speech reading rather than sign language, and (b) this therapist's clinical work with hearing clients. Some of the relational dynamics of these treatments are identified, and I conclude by noting how attention to communication can benefit the work of all psychotherapists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Research with the deaf: Implications for language and cognition.

Deaf people who are deprived of linguistic experience during the formative years seem to provide a unique opportunity to psychologists concerned with the language-cognition relationship. Empirical studies of deaf people's performance on nonverbal cognitive tasks were reviewed. Deaf were found to perform similarly to hearing persons on tasks where verbal knowledge could have been assumed a priori to benefit the hearing. Such evidence appears to weaken a theoretical position which attributes to language a direct, general, or decisive influence on intellective development. The poorer performance of the deaf on some tasks is parsimoniously attributed to either lack of general experience which is no longer manifest by adulthood or to specific task conditions which favor linguistic habits. (2 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peer interaction in young deaf children: The effect of partner hearing status and familiarity.

14 deaf 54–83 mo olds were videotaped playing once with each of 4 partners: a familiar deaf playmate, a familiar hearing playmate, an unfamiliar hearing child who was a playmate of another deaf child, and an unfamiliar hearing child who had little experience playing with deaf children. 21 hearing and 7 deaf playmates participated. Deaf Ss rarely used language, and formal language use was not related to measures of interaction or play even when playing with another deaf child. Instead, interaction and pretense seemed to be related to the deaf Ss' nonlinguistic communication abilities. Partner hearing status primarily affected communication, with communication between deaf playmates being more visual (both linguistic and nonlinguistic) and less object-based than communication between deaf and hearing playmates. Familiarity played a larger role than experience in improving interaction between deaf and hearing children. The hearing children were more responsive to and used more visual communication devices with their deaf playmate than an unfamiliar deaf child. But the hearing playmates were no better at playing with an unfamiliar deaf child than were hearing children who had little experience playing with deaf children. Implications for the understanding of young children's communication abilities and for deaf educational programs are discussed. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neural organization of material-specific memory functions in temporal lobe epilepsy patients as assessed by the intracarotid amobarbital test.

Lateralization of material-specific memory processing was evaluated in 105 epilepsy patients undergoing the intracarotid amobarbital test prior to temporal lobectomy (TL). Left hemisphere (LH) language dominant patients demonstrated LH specialization for long-term verbal recognition memory and right hemisphere specialization for visuospatial recognition memory. The pattern of hemispheric memory specialization was similar for LH language dominant patients with brain injuries before 2 yrs of age and those without history of early brain injury, suggesting that the apparent sparing of memory post-TL in early brain injury patients reflects reorganization of memory functions within the epileptic hemisphere. Non-LH-language dominant patients showed no lateral specialization for either verbal or visuospatial memory processing, suggesting that in these individuals reorganization of memory functions between hemispheres accompanies the lateral shift in language representation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)