Dynamics of Balancing Space and Time in Memory: Tau and Kappa Effects Revisited.

In 3 experiments, the authors studied the organization of spatiotemporal information in memory. Stimuli consisted of configurations of dots, presented sequentially. The stimuli were either proportional, with interdot distances corresponding to interdot durations, or not proportional, with interdol distances not corresponding to interdot durations. After a learning phase, participants reproduced the spatial (Experiment 1), temporal (Experiment 2), or spatial and temporal (Experiment 3) characteristics of the target 60 times in succession. In the nonproportional conditions, effects of variable interdot durations or distances on the reproduction of, respectively, constant distances (tau effect) or durations (kappa effect) were observed, whereas no such effects were observed when variable distances or durations were to be produced. Tau and kappa effects influenced the accuracy but not the variability of responses. The results are discussed in light of the distinction between properties of the stabilized mental image and the process of stabilization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coordination in prehension. Information-based coupling of reaching and grasping

Research using the balanced placebo design seeks to differentiate the physiological and psychological effects of drinking alcohol. Questions regarding the validity of the design center about experimenter instructions, particularly in the antiplacebo cell at higher blood alcohol content (BAC) levels. This study tested the plausibility of two misattribution strategies designed to reduce the conflict between experimenter instructions and internal cues of drunkenness. Forty-two participants (BAC = .055) were told that they received no alcohol, with internal cues of drunkenness said to be produced by a (sham) second drug, a (placebo) tachistoscopic display, or no misattribution given. The placebo drug group reported less alcohol intoxication without reporting less physical impairment than the control or tachistoscopic groups. Doubt of instructions was expressed more frequently in the control group than in the placebo drug group. Mean time to first reported doubt of experimenter instructions was longer for the placebo drug group. A manipulation check designed to account for demand effects indicated that instituting the pharmacologic misattribution increased the success of the manipulation over the control group. Providing a credible attribution for internal symptoms of drunkenness makes experimenter's instructions more credible, improving the validity of the antiplacebo cell of the balanced placebo design.     

News & notes.

Presents information about the Society for the History of Psychology. Members may obtain the latest information on the Division's web site, or subscribe to the electronic mailing list. The column specifically summarizes the History of Psychology sessions at Southeastern Regional meetings. It also reports on the 23rd Annual Conference of the European Society for the History of the Human Sciences, Salzburg, Austria, July 20–24, 2004. The death of a Division member is also announced. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

News & notes.

This article gives the latest information about the Society for the History of Psychology. It announces that David B. Baker will become News & Notes Editor for History of Psychology in 2006. It covers statements from the candidates for the presidential elections in Division 26, the candidate for secretary-treasurer, and the candidates for representative to council. It also discusses the 2005 meeting of the council of representatives and provides the Society for the History of Psychology's 2005 Convention Program. There is also personal news, as well as a notice of death. The article concludes by summarizing the History of Psychology Around the World: Philemon Foundation Lectures, C. G. Jung Center, Houston, Texas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

News & notes.

This column contains information of interest to members of APA's Division 26. Included are information about the Society for the History of Psychology's web site; Division 26 news items (call for officer nominations and the past president's letter); minutes of the 2004 business meeting; a report from the 36th annual meeting of Cheiron, along with a call for papers for the 37th annual meeting; a report from the Wellcome Trust; and information about APA Federal Policy Fellowship deadlines. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

News and notes.

This section of News & Notes provides information on current news from Division 26. Included in this section are Minutes of the 2005 Business Meeting of the Society for the History of Psychology (APA Division 26), New Business, History of Psychology Around the World: The British Psychological Society’s History of Psychology Centre, Psychology on Film: The Prelinger Archives of Ephemeral Films and The Archives of the History of American Psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The dual function of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in the response of human cells to UV damages

An auxiliary protein of DNA polymerases delta and epsilon, the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), is necessary for efficient DNA replication in vivo and in vitro, and also for the repair synthesis in vitro, but its role in the excision repair of genome in vivo is not exactly established. In S-phase of unirradiated cells, PCNA is tightly bound to focal centers of DNA replication and is not removed by treatment with detergent Triton X-100, but is completely extracted from non-S-phase cells by the indicated detergent. It was shown earlier that after UV-irradiation PCNA could not be removed by the detergent even from non-S-phase cells. It was interpreted as the evidence of PCNA integration into the repair complex and of the participation of this protein in repair synthesis in vivo. In the present work the data were obtained indicating that the role of PCNA in cell response to UV-damage was not confined only to its possible involvement in repair synthesis. With the help of confocal microscopy it was established that in Triton X-100-extracted normal cells PCNA did not colocalize with the well known excision repair protein XPB/ERCC3, defective in cells from Xeroderma pigmentosum (complementation group B) patients. XPB-protein is induced by UV-irradiation in normal cells, and this induction is not observed in repair deficient cells. However, in such cells UV-light induces a detergent-resistant form of PCNA, and this form is obviously not connected with repair. It cannot be excluded that a rapid PCNA immobilization immediately after UV-irradiation of cells is needed for the facilitation of photochemical damage bypass during the subsequent replication of genome.     

Accuracy demands, environmental structure and viewing conditions in interception tasks

30 subjects performed an interception task in which the accuracy demands were varied under binocular vs monocular viewing conditions and under different conditions of environmental structure. The pattern of results suggests that the advantage of binocular viewing is due to the concordance of information detected by both eyes rather than to binocular vision per se. The presence of static environmental structure enhances performance because it provides a stable external basis against which optical changes can be evaluated.     

Dynamics of reaching for stationary and moving objects: Data and model.

The nature of the interrelations among movement amplitude, movement time, and peak velocity was addressed in 2 experiments in which participants reached for stationary and moving objects. Movement time was found to scale with the distance between the hand and the object at the onset of movement but to be relatively independent of object speed. Peak velocity, however, was found to scale with both these variables. The origin of these interrelations cannot be understood within the framework of existing trajectory formation models that are based on optimization procedures. A dynamical perspective in which the movements are considered in an object-attached coordinate frame allows for their emergence. This is demonstrated by simulation of a nonlinear model, built up from Rayleigh and Duffing components, with the nonlinear dissipative parameter being associated with amplitude scaling. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Great Lakes Cladophora Model: Development,testing, and application to Lake Michigan

A recent review of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement has concluded that while controls on phosphorus inputs to Lake Michigan achieved the desired effect in offshore waters, the nearshore region continues to suffer from elevated phosphorus levels. Failure to achieve trophic state goals in the nearshore is manifested in nuisance growth of Cladophora and attendant impacts on property owners, utilities, and the public health and welfare. This study focuses on a site in Lake Michigan near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where nuisance growth of Cladophora and associated beach fouling occur regularly. A mechanistic model simulating Cladophora growth, suitable for guiding nutrient management in the Great Lakes nearshore, is presented. The model represents an update of the Canale and Auer framework, reflecting current understandings of Cladophora ecology and offering a user-friendly interface making the software more widely available to decision makers. This Great Lakes Cladophora Model (GLCM) is first validated for the Auer/Canale data set collected in 1979 at a site on Lake Huron and then for a data set developed in 2006 for a site on Lake Michigan. Model performance under the strikingly different forcing conditions (depth, light, phosphorus levels) characteristic of these two sites affirms the widespread applicability of the tool. The GLCM is then extended to examine the impacts of ecosystem perturbation (dreissenid colonization) on Cladophora growth and to future approaches to monitoring and management.