The interplay between language, gesture, and affect during communicative transition: A dynamic systems approach.

From a dynamic systems perspective, transition points in development are times of increased instability, during which behavioral patterns are susceptible to temporary decoupling. This study investigated the impact of the vocabulary spurt on existing patterns of communicative coordination. Eighteen typically developing infants were videotaped at home 1 month before, at, and after the vocabulary spurt. Infants were identified as spurters if they underwent a discrete phase transition in vocabulary development (marked by an inflection point), and compared with a group of nonspurters whose word-learning rates followed a trajectory of continuous change. Relative to surrounding sessions, there were significant reductions in overall coordination of communicative behaviors and in words produced in coordination at the vocabulary spurt session for infants who experienced more dramatic vocabulary growth. In contrast, nonspurters demonstrated little change across sessions. Findings underscore the importance of transitions as opportunities for observing processes of developmental change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of language in the development of the self I: Language acquisition.

The present essay discusses the aspects of the process of language acquisition in relation to the development of the self. Methodological issues are discussed; particularly the integration of maturational and environmental factors in the development of language. Theories of the development of transformational generative grammars point toward maturational aspects, but must be complemented by and integrated with the experience of evolving communication between child and caregivers. Progressive steps in the acquisition of language are discussed with specific reference to the influence of such developments on the concept of the self. Rudiments of a functional self are extant even from within the womb, and develop a conceptual and communicative capacity well before the onset of language. The functional and developmental gains acquired through the emergence of language are indicated in expanding and elaborating the scope and depth of preexistent capacities, and adding new and powerful dimensions to the experiential and expressive capacity of the self, especially in relation to self-awareness and a sense of identity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental systems theory and alcoholism: Analyzing patterns of variation in high-risk families.

Developmental systems theory emphasizes the nonlinear, emergent, and coactive nature of system organization and change and provides an innovative approach to the study of alcohol abuse and dependence. A developmental systems approach to the study of alcohol abuse and dependence begins with an analysis of the presenting state characteristics of individual systems and proceeds through identification and explanation of the processes that regulate structural and functional intersystem relationships, emergent properties of new levels of organization, transitions across system boundaries, and state changes. Data from the Michigan State University–University of Michigan Longitudinal Study of child health and family development are used to illustrate an analysis strategy that proceeds from individual characteristics to intersystem dynamics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A therapeutic milieu for establishing and expanding communicative behaviors in psychotic children

This study describes a clinical intervention program that was used to facilitate development of receptive and expressive language skills in a group of four psychotic children. A group format utilizing an interactive language development teaching procedure combined with a therapeutic milieu was shown to be effective in establishing and expanding communicative behaviors in psychotic children. Nine diagnostic measures were utilized to assess children's performance prior to therapy and at the end of three-month and six-month intervals. Results indicated substantial reduction of delayed and immediate echolalia, jargon, inappropriate stress, pitch, and intonation. Substantial improvement was noted in expressive syntactic and morphological functioning and in the children's ability to generate novel utterances about day-to-day experiences, family, and toys. Increases in children's concept of body image and ego functioning paralleled their improvement in receptive and expressive language development.     

Transcriptional regulation of metabolic processes: implications for cardiac metabolism

Developmental delay is frequently used to identify children with delay in meeting developmental milestones in one or more streams of development. There is no consensus on the specific definition. Developmental delay is best viewed generically as a chief complaint rather than a diagnosis. A child suspected to have delays should always be assessed in each of the major streams of development: expressive and receptive language, including social communication; visual problem solving (nonverbal cognition); motor development; neurobehavioral development; and social-emotional development. A model developed by the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research is used to compare existing classifications of developmental delays. This model defines the five domains in the disability process: pathophysiology, impairment, functional limitation, disability, and societal limitation. An etiology domain is added. This model is used to illustrate how existing classification systems of cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism, and language delay draw on information from one or more domains. The model illustrates some of the conflicts between different systems. For example, most classification systems for cerebral palsy emphasize only impairment (spasticity, dyskinesias, and topography). The current definition and classification system for mental retardation focuses on functional limitations (IQ), disability, and societal limitations, ignoring pathophysiology and details of impairment. Given the complexity of neurodevelopmental disabilities, it is unlikely that a single classification system will fit all needs.     

Acquisition and transfer of meaningful function by meaningless sounds.

In 2 experiments with 120 students, nonsense syllables were acquired in situations designed to bias evocative or expressive functions. Following acquisition, the tokens were presented again with real words in a transfer task. The general finding was that tokens which acquired evocative function were relatively effective as cues, while those acquiring expressive function were relatively well recalled in a free task. Results are interpreted within the framework of a communicative function view of meaning. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Possible origin of speech in selective orienting.

Argues that early vocal naming by infants is simply selective orienting to a percept and that infants' initial words are verbalized perception. Because the word is spoken, others accord communicative intent to it. Previous research reveals that, although there is agreement that naming emerges with communicative intent, evidence that unequivocally supports this belief is lacking. The present authors assert that the referential function of speech develops from selective orienting to stimuli outside the child, following a developmental progression, whereby infants begin to point to a percept and subsequently to point and name it. In contrast to theories of language acquisition that treat the use of language as separate from the development of reference, the emergence of vocal naming is viewed as continuing the development of reference. (70 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Do younger and older adults’ communicative goals influence off-topic speech in autobiographical narratives?

The present research investigated younger and older adults’ communicative goals and their effects on off-topic speech for autobiographical narratives. Participants indicated their communicative goals by rating preferences among paired goals, for example, focus–fascinating, one of which was designated as an expressive goal, appropriate for producing elaborative speech, and one of which was an objective goal, suited to producing concise speech. The participants then told stories about episodic and procedural topics, which were rated by groups of younger and older listeners. Age differences emerged in communicative goals, where younger adults clearly favored expressive goals for episodic topics and objective goals for procedural topics. In contrast, older adults’ goals were more diverse, consisting of a mixture of expressive and objective goals for both topic types, without a clear preference. Younger adults’ goals predicted ratings of off-topic speech assessed by listeners: Younger and older adults were perceived as equivalently focused, coherent, and clear for episodic topics, but older adults were perceived as less focused, less clear, and more talkative than younger adults on procedural topics. These results suggest that age-related changes in off-topic speech emerge as a result of younger adults selecting goals designed to produce more succinct stories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A case study in communication disorders

Often, children with language disorders exhibit other more subtle delays or deviance in social, communicative, and cognitive development. By focusing on these three areas, the clinician can understand the developmental context in which the language delay manifests. This approach includes the following: gathering information, psychological and communicative examinations, psychiatric examination, and medical evaluation.     

The temporal coordination of early infant communication.

The ability to coordinate expressive behaviors is crucial to the development of social and emotional communication. Coordination involves systematic sequencing of behaviors from two different modalities that have some temporal overlap. A bootstrapping procedure was used to determine whether preverbal 3- and 6-month-old infants sequence vocalizations, gazes at their mothers' faces, and facial expressions into pairs of coordinated patterns nonrandomly. Smiles and frowns were highly coordinated with vocalizations. Smiles were also coordinated with gazes at mothers' faces, which became stronger with age. Vocalizations were not coordinated with gazes at mothers' faces. These findings illustrate the manner in which infants temporally coordinate communicative actions and provide new evidence that facial expressions (particularly smiles) are central to early infant communications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The K+/Cl- co-transporter KCC2 renders GABA hyperpolarizing during neuronal maturation

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is the main inhibitory transmitter in the adult brain, and it exerts its fast hyperpolarizing effect through activation of anion (predominantly Cl-)-permeant GABA(A) receptors. However, during early neuronal development, GABA(A)-receptor-mediated responses are often depolarizing, which may be a key factor in the control of several Ca2+-dependent developmental phenomena, including neuronal proliferation, migration and targeting. To date, however, the molecular mechanism underlying this shift in neuronal electrophysiological phenotype is unknown. Here we show that, in pyramidal neurons of the rat hippocampus, the ontogenetic change in GABA(A)-mediated responses from depolarizing to hyperpolarizing is coupled to a developmental induction of the expression of the neuronal (Cl-)-extruding K+/Cl- co-transporter, KCC2. Antisense oligonucleotide inhibition of KCC2 expression produces a marked positive shift in the reversal potential of GABAA responses in functionally mature hippocampal pyramidal neurons. These data support the conclusion that KCC2 is the main Cl- extruder to promote fast hyperpolarizing postsynaptic inhibition in the brain.     

Physiology, psychology and pathology of writing and spelling--an overview

Writing and spelling are conceived as concerted actions comprising cognitive planning, motor action and an expressive content. In literate societies the individual use of alphabetic systems is acquired immediately after speech as a "cultural technique". As such these systems demand specific cognitive and motor skills which have been analysed primarily on the basis of neurological and psychiatric syndromes. We distinguish primary developmental disturbances and secondarily acquired disturbances of writing and spelling, categorizing the latter into four essential disturbance areas: linguistic command, motor execution, automatism control and dynamic tonus regulation. The clinical significance of writing and spelling is not confined to its possible disturbances. In pathologically induced restrictions of cognitive functions or of social skills the fact is rather that the written language frequently contributes to the development of individual coping strategies. From the psychodynamic aspect, written communication is characterized principally by its proximity-regulating function.     

Effects of day-care experience on the use of intentional communicative behaviors in a sample of socioeconomically depressed infants.

The frequency of communicative initiations and the proportion of spontaneous communicative initiations in 2 developmentally based categories—the "showing" and "requesting" functions—were used for the comparison between 40 20-mo-old lower- and middle-class infants. It is concluded that (a) daycare significantly enhanced both the frequency and the developmental level of the communicative initiations of poor Ss and (b) the patterns of developmental levels of communicative initiations Ss used were consistent across functions. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exploring general systems processes in group settings.

Redefines group dynamics as boundary processes having distinctive systems and object-relations properties. A historical analysis is offered that leads to a modern functional definition of group dynamics as communicative signals requiring some form of intervention or response from the therapist. The boundary properties of both the original group dynamic process and the leader's ultimate response need to be articulated from a systems vantage point. The most effective and systems opening forms of intervention require a solid comprehension and grasp on the part of the therapist of the significant dynamic processes occurring within the group. A systems approach offers contemporary group therapists numerous strategic options and a greater variety of intervention possibilities in their response to the dynamic processes taking place in their groups. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A theory of the measurement of knowledge content, access, and learning.

An approach to the measurement of knowledge content, knowledge access, and knowledge learning is developed. This approach has 2 elements: First, a theoretical view of cognition, called the Newell-Dennett framework, is described that is particularly favorable to the development of a measurement approach. A class of measurement models, based on Rasch modeling, is described that is particularly favorable to the development of cognitive theories. Knowledge content and access are viewed as determining the observable actions selected by an agent to achieve desired goals in observable situations. To the degree that models within the theory fit the data at hand, one considers measures of observed behavior to be manifestations of intelligent agents having specific classes of knowledge content and varying degrees of access to that knowledge. Although agents, environment, and knowledge are constitutively defined (in terms of one another), successful application of the theory affords separation of parameters associated with the person from those associated with the environment. Two examples of measurement models developed within the approach are discussed that address the evolution of cognitive skill, strategy choice and application, and developmental changes in mixtures of strategy use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)