The role of vision in the Corsi Block-Tapping task: Evidence from blind and sighted people.

Objective: This study aims at adapting the Corsi Block-Tapping task to measure serial-spatial memory in blind people and at clarifying the role of visual experience in the task. Method: Congenitally blind, adventitiously blind, and blindfolded sighted people were compared on a version of the Corsi board that allowed the haptic perception of block positions (Haptic-Corsi). Participants placed their fingers on the blocks that the experimenter moved upward according to sequences of increasing length. Afterward, participants reproduced the sequences in forward/backward order. Results: The results showed a significant interaction between groups and forward/backward span: F(2, 58) = 5.74, MSE = .39, p     

From white spots to stem cells: the role of the Kit receptor in mammalian development

The Kit tyrosine kinase membrane receptor is essential for melanogenesis, gametogenesis and hematopoiesis during embryonic development and postnatal life. This review summarizes the genetic evidence implicating Kit and its ligand, Steel factor, in the control of stem cell proliferation, migration and survival, with emphasis on mutations in the human and mouse genes.     

The pathogenesis of cotton-wool spots

The sequence of a representative mitochondrial gene COXI, encoding cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, was determined in five species that cover all the orders of the Prymnesiophyta with the exception of the Pavlovales. Through this analysis, we noticed that the 'stop' codon UGA appears frequently and, specifically, at conserved tryptophan (Trp) sites of the gene. We showed these sites were not edited in the corresponding mRNA in one of these species, Isochrysis galbana. Therefore, it is most likely that the UGA codon is used for Trp, and not as a stop codon, in prymnesiophytes. All the analyzed prymnesiophytes made a tight cluster on the COXI phylogenetic tree which includes representative species of green-algae, land plants, yellow-green algae, eustigmatophytes and a red-alga. This suggests a monophyletic origin for the prymnesiophytes. The same deviant genetic code, i.e. UGA for Trp, has also been found in the red-alga, Chondrus crispus. In spite of the fact that this red-alga and the prymnesiophytes, share the same deviant genetic code for Trp, close affinity between the two groups was not statistically supported by the phylogenetic analysis of COXI sequences.     

The experience of boredom: The role of the self-perception of attention.

The effect of the self-perception of inattention on feeling bored was investigated. Ss in a listening situation were simultaneously distracted (a) not at all, (b) moderately, or (c) loudly. As hypothesized, Ss who were distracted by extraneous noise at levels too low to be recognized as a distraction reported that they felt more bored and that the task was less pleasant. That is, they attributed their inattention to the material as opposed to the distraction. Extraverts required louder distractions than introverts to produce boredom. These findings extend self-perception theory in an important direction. This is the first demonstration of a self-perception being based on a cognitive, rather than a physical, action. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lower limb amputation. 3: The role of the nurse

This article, the third in a series on lower limb amputation, examines the role of the nurse in the pre- and postoperative care of patients undergoing amputation. The nurse has an integral role not only in providing care but also in liaising with other members of the multidisciplinary team in order to ensure that the person undergoing the amputation feels prepared for both the operation and discharge home. Amputation may greatly distort an individual's vision of him/herself as a person, a partner and a parent; ways in which this distortion can be minimized are explored.     

The changing workforce: The role of health psychology.

Because the federal government is the largest payer of all health costs, unbridled increases in the health workforce have profound fiscal implications. Recent efforts to control health spending through modifications of health delivery systems are related to the consequences of the unlimited production of health professionals. However, the federal government has established processes to review physician workforce changes, and these mechanisms have become important in accessing federal training monies. Psychologists have no concerted workforce policy and receive little federal training money. Moreover, other health professionals have attained statutory authority to perform and provide the same services as psychologists. This diffusion of professional functions impedes the ability to assess the status of the workforce and the development of psychology as a health profession. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Managing the innovative process: The dynamic role of leaders.

Innovation has become increasingly important to the survival of organizations. Leaders must manage the process in a series of planning stages. These stages are qualitatively different and thus, have implications for what the leader must think about and do. The relevant leader cognition and social behaviors are discussed, as they must change throughout the process of planning for innovation. In order for leaders to effectively and efficiently manage innovation, they must be able to recognize and adapt to the varying requirements. Existing discrepancies in the literature may be resolved when considered within the context of these stages. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Editors are not blind.

Comments on the continuing debate on anonymous reviewing (see record 1986-18404-001) and notes that the journal's editor decides whether a paper will be published, not the reviewer. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The development of anxiety: The role of control in the early environment.

Current developments in cognitive and emotion theory suggest that anxiety plays a rather central role in negative emotions. This article reviews findings in the area of anxiety and depression, helplessness, locus of control, explanatory style, animal learning, biology, parenting, attachment theory, and childhood stress and resilience to articulate a model of the environmental influences on the development of anxiety. Evidence from a variety of sources suggests that early experience with diminished control may foster a cognitive style characterized by an increased probability of interpreting or processing subsequent events as out of one's control, which may represent a psychological vulnerability for anxiety. Implications for research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Communicating emotion: The role of prosodic features.

Reviews research on the expression of emotion through the nonverbal (prosodic) features of speech. Findings show that emotions can be expressed prosodically, apparently through a variety of prosodic features. This communication appears to be largely the same for different individuals and cultures, suggesting that the prosodic expression of emotion is not conventional. Some correlations between dimensions of emotions (e.g., anxiety, aggression) and prosodic features are discussed; activity or arousal seems to be signaled by increased pitch height, pitch range, loudness, and rate. The possibility that prosodic contours (patterns of pitch and loudness over time) are used to communicate specific emotions is explored. A number of authors suggest that anger is communicated by an even contour with occasional sharp increases in pitch and loudness. Methodological difficulties with the acoustical manipulation of relevant auditory and articulatory features are noted. It is suggested that a major step in investigating the prosodic expression of emotion will be learning how to synthesize various articulatory and auditory features. (3 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impression formation: The role of expressive behavior.

35 female and 27 male undergraduates completed the Personality Research Form, Eysenck Personality Inventory, and Self-Monitoring Scale. Ss were also assessed on posed emotional sending ability and on physical attractiveness. Ss were then videotaped while giving a spontaneous "explanation." Trained coders measured 5 separate nonverbal cue factors displayed by the Ss in the videotapes. Groups of untrained judges viewed the tapes and rated their impressions of the Ss on scales of likability, speaking effectiveness, and expressivity-confidence. Males who were nonverbally skilled and extraverted tended to display more outwardly focused and fluid expressive behaviors, and made more favorable impressions on judges, than did males who scored low on the measures of nonverbal skills and extraversion. Females who were nonverbally skilled displayed more facial expressiveness, which led to more favorable initial impressions. It is suggested that these sex differences may reflect basic differences in the acquisition and use of expressive nonverbal cues by males and females. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The pediatric psychologist: A role model.

Discusses the special knowledge, training, and roles required in the emerging subspecialty of pediatric psychology. Because psychologists in the pediatric setting will be working with a clientele consisting of nonpsychiatric referrals and colleagues not primarily interested in behavioral problems, they will need training in both normal child development and personality in clinical areas. Another area of concern is childrearing and the optimal climate for cognitive, affective, and interpersonal growth. In addition, requests for cognitive and/or developmental appraisals will be high, and there will be a need for more emphasis on applied vs basic research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School desegregation: The social science role.

Discusses the social science statement supporting the 1954 Brown vs Board of Education US Supreme Court decision. It is contended that the statement was based on well-meaning rhetoric rather than solid research. All that the statement said, in effect, was that because the minority child was now in a classroom with Whites, he or she would no longer have the status of an outcast or a pariah. The "lateral transmission of values" hypothesis contained in a desegregation report by J. S. Coleman et al (1966) predicted that through classroom contact with their White peers, minority pupils would experience a personality change by absorbing the achievement-related values of the Whites. Social science thinking 10 yrs later, when desegregation began to be implemented, was more sophisticated but still unsupported by necessary research. It is concluded that no real evidence has been found for the lateral transmission hypotheses and that research and development as well as systems engineering in the social sciences are needed if some of the social problems in the US, including successful implementation of school desegregation, are to be eventually solved. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The analyst's role in healing: Psychoanalysis-plus.

We argue that the original structuring of psychoanalytic treatment is based upon an unsound foundation. The questions we raise about the bases of early treatment make understandable the subsequent evolution of substantial changes, and make plausible our recommendation of still further changes. We propose that the nuanced use of techniques of explicit support, consolation, suggestion, persuasion, and advice, all used in healing across many ages and societies, be added to traditional psychoanalytic treatment. These techniques are inconsistent with the analyst's neutrality, a fundamental characteristic of the analyst's stance in the original model. The demonstration that the analyst's own values, beliefs, expectations, and theories profoundly influence all of the analyst's interventions leads us to reconsider the concept of neutrality. The possible risks associated with using these recommended explicit techniques mandate that their use requires the same discriminating judgment as is used to determine whether and when an interpretation is presented. Whether use of these additional techniques, which we have termed "psychoanalysis-plus," will enhance treatment effectiveness is an empirical, not a theoretical, question. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reducing organizational conflict: The role of attributions.

To investigate the role of attributions in reducing organizational conflict, 69 male and 36 female undergraduates played the role of an executive representing a department in a large organization and discussed the division of surplus funds with an accomplice representing a different department who behaved in a conflict-inducing manner. During discussions with the S, the accomplice made remarks suggesting that his/her confrontational behavior stemmed primarily from external causes (felt role obligations), or internal causes (his/her competitive personality, beliefs concerning the value of his/her department). In a control condition, the accomplice provided no information about such causal factors. On the basis of previous research by J. Greenwell and H. A. Dengerink (see record 1973-24784-001), it was predicted that Ss would respond in a more favorable and conciliatory manner to the accomplice when his/her actions seemed to stem from external rather than internal causes. Results indicate that, contrary to this hypothesis, Ss actually demonstrated the most positive pattern of reactions when the accomplice's behavior appeared to derive from sincere beliefs about the importance of his/her department. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Encoding specificity revisited: The role of semantics.

Three experiments with undergraduates examined the effects of semantic characteristics of word pairs on memory using the encoding specificity paradigm. The paradigm involved four phases: (a) an encoding phase to relate cues and targets, (b) a phase in which words were generated to new cues, (c) a phase for recognition of generated targets, and (d) a cued-recall phase using the original encoding cues. Encoding pairs were classified a priori as either semantically similar (e.g., alluring PRETTY), semantically contrasting (e.g., drab-PRETTY) or semantically unrelated (e.g., sore-PRETTY) Generation pairs were classified a priori as either semantically similar (e.g., beautiful-PRETTY) or semantically contrasting (e.g., ugly-PRETTY). For recall, the results showed that both the semantic relation between the encoding cue and target and the reprovision of the encoding cue at retrieval were important factors. In the case of recognition, however, both the semantic congruence between the encoding and generation contexts and the amount of semantic elaboration provided by the encoding context were important factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)