Infant perceptual development: An introduction to the update.

This article serves as an introduction to the update of a previous special issue that concentrated on infant perceptual development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

New perspectives on the effects of action on perceptual and cognitive development.

This special section was motivated by a resurgence in the view that it is impossible to investigate perceptual and cognitive development without considering how it is affected by, and intertwined with, infants' and children's action in the world. This view has long been foundational to the field, yet contemporary investigations of the effects of acting on cognition and perception have been limited. The research showcased in this section indicates that this trend is changing as researchers consider anew the ways in which cognition derives structure from action. The work presented here illustrates the breadth of these potential effects across ages and domains of development, and it highlights the breadth of methods that can be recruited to investigate them. This new research focus provides insight for the mechanisms by which action affects perception and cognition and at the same time reveals that much remains to be learned. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The language environment of the young infant: Implications for early perceptual development.

Reviews recent research on young infants' use of auditory information during early language processing. Evidence indicates that infants actively process sounds, particularly those with acoustic attributes of their native language. Infants' prenatal experience with maternal speech may determine the early postnatal perceptual salience of a specific mother's speech, motherese speech, and native speech. Infants' sensitivity to suprasegmental aspects of speech may dictate much of what they attend to, while features of infant-directed speech seem to draw their attention to the speaker and elicit positive affective responses. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Client interpersonal and cognitive styles as predictors of response to time-limited cognitive therapy for depression.

This study examined the relationship between cognitive and interpersonal styles and outcome among 24 clients who received time-limited cognitive therapy for depression. The authors hypothesized that this relationship would be mediated by therapeutic alliance. They found that clients' interpersonal style, particularly an underinvolved style, was predictive of treatment outcome. As predicted, the impact of this style on outcome was mediated through the therapeutic alliance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Metaphoric language, metaphoric cognition, and cognitive therapy.

A model of cognition is presented that includes propositional cognition together with imaginal and metaphoric cognitive modalities. It is posited that metaphor is a distinct form of cognition that appears to combine propositional and imaginal cognition. Client-generated linguistic metaphors appear to represent deep, tacit, metaphoric knowledge that can be directly accessed, explored, and ultimately transformed by the client using a step-by-step interview protocol. Two case examples, involving a 38-yr-old male and a 43-yr-old female, illustrate how this brief intervention can access and change imaginal and metaphoric cognition not readily accessed by traditional cognitive methods. This approach is compared and contrasted with constructivist theory of cognitive therapy and with Ericksonian interventions using embedded metaphors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Demographic, health, cognitive, and sensory variables as predictors of mortality in very old adults.

Cognitive and sensorimotor predictors of mortality were examined in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing, controlling for demographic and health variables. A stratified random sample of 1,947 males and females aged 70 and older were interviewed, and 1,500 were assessed on measures of health, memory, verbal ability, processing speed, vision, hearing, and grip strength in 1992 and 1994. Analyses of incident rate ratios for mortality over 4- and 6-year periods were conducted using Cox hierarchical regression analyses. Results showed that poor performance on nearly all cognitive variables was associated with mortality, but many of these effects were explained by measures of self-rated health and disease. Significant decline in hearing and cognitive performance also predicted mortality as did incomplete data at Wave 1. Results suggest that poor cognitive performance and cognitive decline in very old adults reflect both biological aging and disease processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motor development and the mind: the potential role of motor abilities as a determinant of aspects of perceptual development

Recent advances in the science of human movement have enabled developmental psychologists to discover unique patterns of organization and control in infant motor behavior and development, provoking a resurgence of interest in this topic. In this article, we emphasize the role that motor development may play in determining developmental sequences or "timetables" in other domains. Specifically, we argue that particular motor achievements may be integral to developments in the domains of haptic perception and depth perception. In both cases, there is a high degree of fit between the developmental sequence in which certain perceptual sensitivities unfold and the ages at which the corresponding motor abilities onset. The discussions may provide new contexts in which to consider the developments of haptic perception and depth perception. The general purpose, however, is to highlight the wide-ranging influence of motor development during infancy.     

Field independence as related to nonverbal measures of perceptual performance and cognitive ability.

Evaluated the effectiveness of 5 group-administered tests in assessing cognitive functions underlying the disposition to perceive stimuli in a field-independent, articulated manner. 309 undergraduates were given the D48 Test, Closure Flexibility (Concealed Figures) test, Survey of Space Relations Ability, Crutchfield's Street Gestalt Test, and the Perceptual Acuity Test. Cluster analysis yielded 2 factors: perceptual-cognitive ability and spatial perception. Both clusters and 4 of the individual tests correlated significantly with the individually-administered Rod and Frame Test in a subsample of 47 Ss; all variables were essentially uncorrelated with verbal ability. Regression analysis revealed that a reliable estimate of the field-analytic disposition could be derived from a combination of scores on the Closure Flexibility, Space Relations, Street Gestalt, and Perceptual Acuity tests. (18 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived locus of control and field dependence as predictors of cognitive activity.

Assigned 90 male undergraduates to 1 of 4 groups on the basis of scores on the internal-external control scale and a rod-and-frame device. Ss were then tested on 2 measures of cognitive activity and 2 measures of verbal productivity. Significant interacitons between locus of control and field dependence were obtained. As predicted, internal-field-independent ss scored highest on all measures. In contrast to the hypotheses, however, external-field-dependent ss were not the lowest scorers. Rather, the theoretically incongruent groups (external-field independent, internal-field dependent) scored lowest on each measure. (17 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The interaction of ethanol and delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol in man: effects on perceptual, cognitive and motor functions

Twelve paid student volunteers (8 male, 4 female) were used in a double-blind crossover experiment to investigate the effects of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) alone, and in combination with ethanol, on human perceptual, cognitive and motor functions. Both THC (10 mg/70 kg) and ethanol (0-5 g/kg) had little effect when administered alone. The combination of drugs, however, induced a significnat decrement in performance in some of the tests and this interaction was considered to be at least additive. The peak blood ethanol concentration was higher (P = 0-05) when subjects received both ethanol and THC than when they received ethanol alone.     

Naming speed and phonological awareness as predictors of reading development.

This article investigates how well kindergarten phonological awareness (PA) and naming speed (NS) account for reading development to Grade 5. The authors use regression analyses to predict reading development, with mental ability and prior achievement controlled, and follow the reading development of children having combinations of adequate or inadequate PA and NS. PA was most strongly related to reading in the first 2 years of school, and NS's initially weaker relationship increased with grade level. Children with weak PA and slow NS were most likely to develop reading difficulties by Grade 5, followed by children with slow NS alone. The authors discuss the roles of NS and PA in reading development and the need to clarify the constructs underlying NS. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Affordances, perceptual complexity, and the development of tool use.

Perceiving the affordance of a tool requires the integration of several complementary relationships among actor, tool, and target. Higher order affordance structures are introduced to deal with these forms of complex action from an ecological-realist point of view. The complexity of the higher order affordance structure was used to predict the difficulty of perceiving the tool function. Predictions were tested in 3 experiments involving children between 9 mo and 4 yrs old. In a classical tool use task dating back to W. K?hler (1921), a desirable target was obtained by using a hook as a tool. The relative positions of the hook and the target were systematically varied to obtain structures differing in complexity. The observed difficulty of the task was found essentially in accordance with the theoretical complexity of the higher order affordance structures involved in perceiving the tool function. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family status, family constellation, and home environmental variables as predictors of cognitive performance of Mexican American children.

Examined the relative contributions of several family status variables (child and parental language, parental schooling attainment and location, and SES), a family constellation variable (family size), and the Henderson Environmental Learning Process Scale (HELPS) to the prediction of cognitive performance among 140 Mexican-American preschool children (aged 38–71 mo) from low-income backgrounds. Ss were administered the McCarthy Scales of Childrens' Abilities (MSCA). A factor analysis of the family status and constellation variables produced 3 factors. The General Cognitive Index (GCI) of the MSCA was predicted by multiple regression procedures. The 3 status/constellation factors and HELPS served as independent variables. As hypothesized, the best predictor of GCI was HELPS. A Language/Schooling factor made an additional significant contribution to the explained variance. The theoretical and practical implications of including proximal as well as distal background variables in future research on relations between family characteristics and intellectual performance are discussed. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Infant expectations and reaction time as predictors of childhood speed of processing and IQ

A longitudinal study investigated the relation between infant expectations and reaction time (RT) and childhood IQ and RT. Measures of visual anticipation and visual RT were taken at 3.5 months and 4 years of age. In addition, manual RT and verbal and performance IQ were measured at 4 years of age. Infant visual RT correlated reliably with childhood visual RT, and infant performance correlated significantly with childhood IQ. Childhood performance also correlated with concurrent childhood IQ. Children were slower to initiate eye movements when a manual choice button press was required than when it was not required. This load effect decreased as IQ increased. Visual RT and manual RT in childhood correlated only marginally. These are the first data to suggest stability in RT between early infancy and childhood or predictability from infant RT and anticipation in the first half-year of life to childhood IQ.     

Reaction time and assessments of cognitive effort as predictors of eyewitness memory accuracy and confidence.

The authors investigate reaction time (RT), subjective assessments of memory processing, and confidence as predictors of memory for the details of a crime. The authors also examine the mediation of a previously identified difference between recognition tasks and recall tasks in the correlation between confidence and accuracy. College undergraduates (n?=?111) answered either recognition or recall questions. RT and subjective assessments of cognitive effort were both negatively related to confidence and accuracy. Subjective assessments, however, were superior predictors of confidence, whereas RT was a unique predictor of accuracy. The RT–confidence and RT–accuracy correlations were stronger under recall conditions than under recognition conditions. Multiple regression results suggested a possible explanation for the superior insight of recall participants into memory accuracy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of psychotropic medication on selected cognitive and perceptual measures.

Assessed the effects of antipsychotic drugs on schizophrenic (SZ) and affective disordered (AD) patients (mean age 28.1 yrs) who completed 11 cognitive tests, including 4 subscales of the WAIS. Two hospital experimental groups (SZs and ADs), 2 hospital comparison groups (SZs and ADs), and a normal control group (mean age 28.7 yrs) were tested on 2 occasions. The 34 experimental SZ Ss and the 26 experimental AD Ss were removed from all medication for 3 wks and were then tested; they were tested again 4 wks after being placed on their prescribed therapeutic drugs. The 13 control SZ Ss and the 6 control AD Ss were tested twice, 4 wks apart, and medicated on both occasions. The 26 normal, drug-free controls were also tested twice, 4 wks apart. Results show the following: (1) During drug-free periods, there were significant differences between drug-free and drug-treated Ss, attributable most likely to generalized deficits. (2) Medication did not affect performance on the tests in any manner. (3) Presence or absence of clinical improvement did not account for performance on these measures. (4) The test performance of Ss already on drugs changed in ways that were very similar to those of Ss who are first off drugs and then put on drugs. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mercer's Adaptive Behavior Inventory, the McCarthy scales, and dental development as predictors of first-grade achievement.

Administered a battery of tests to 65 1st graders. Nine months later the Metropolitan Achievement Test was administered to 62 of the Ss. The McCarthy General Cognitive Index, the Adaptive Behavior Inventory for Children Average Scaled Score, and the McCarthy Motor Index demonstrated significant correlations with achievement. The McCarthy General Cognitive Index emerged as the only significant predictor of achievement in multiple regression analyses. Implications for 1st-grade screening are discussed. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

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.     

Individual differences in language development: Implications for development and language.

Reviews literature on differences in characteristics of language development. Some children have been found to emphasize single words, simple productive rules for combining words, nouns and noun phrases, and referential functions; others use whole phrases and formulas, pronouns, compressed sentences, and expressive or social functions. The evidence for 2 styles of acquisition and their continuity over time is examined. Explanations in terms of hemispheric functions, cognitive maturation, cognitive style, and environmental context are considered, and an explanation in terms of the interaction of individual and environment in different functional contexts is suggested. Implications for development and the mastery of complex systems are discussed. (51 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personal construct threat and irrational beliefs as cognitive predictors of increases in musical performance anxiety.

Conducted 2 studies based on constructs derived from G. A. Kelly's (1955) personal construct theory and A. Ellis's (1962) rational emotive therapy to measure the predictability of anxiety using Kelly's measure of threat and Ellis's measure of irrational beliefs. In Exp I, 33 college music majors were tested at the beginning of the academic quarter and 3 days prior to their required music juries. In Exp II, 29 music majors were tested using the same format. In both experiments analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that Kelly's threat scores and scores on the irrational belief questionnaire predicted increases in scores on the anxiety inventory. Findings are consistent with the personal construct theory of threat and support its predictive validity to measure threat and anxiety about music performances. Findings also suggest the utility of irrational beliefs in understanding musical performance anxiety. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)