bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
From Piaget's Epistemic Subject to Pascual‐Leone's Metasubject: Epistemic Transition in the Constructivist—Rationalist Theory of Cognitive Development
Authors: Niaz Mansoor
Published: September 2007

The explanation of the transition from one epistemic theory to another is an important part of Piaget's genetic epistemology. It is argued that this epistemic transition leads to a retrodictable orthogenetic tendency toward optimizing equilibration. The objective of this paper is to establish a relationship between Piaget's epistemic subject and Pascual‐Leone's metasubject and to demonstrate that the postulation of the latter can be considered as an epistemic transition between two constructivist—rationalist theories, which leads to the development of a theory with greater explanatory power. Epistemic transition in this paper refers to a progressive problemshift (cf. Lakatos, 1970), between the theories of Piaget and Pascual‐Leone. Piaget builds a “general model” by neglecting individual differences, that is, studies the epistemic subject, whereas Pascual‐Leone by incorporating a framework for individual difference variables, studies the metasubject—the psychological organization of the epistemic subject. Empirical evidence is presented to demonstrate that Pascual‐Leone's theory of constructive operators is a model of the psychological organism (the metasubject), which is at work inside Piaget's epistemic subject. Finally, it is concluded that the greater explanatory power of Pascual‐Leone's theory can be interpreted as an epistemic transition between Piaget's epistemic subject and Pascual‐Leone's metasubject.
L'illusion de l'identité perceptive de l'objet
Authors: Boudreau Ginette
Published: September 2007

Cette étude avait deux objectifs. L'un était de mesurer, à différents niveaux d'âges, l'illusion de l'identité de l'objet pour des paires de formes différentes, présentées en mouvement apparent. L'autre consistait à déterminer les effets de la démonstration de transformations sur l'identification des mêmes paires de formes lorsque présentées en mouvement apparent. Un total de 138 enfants (âges moyens: 5;6, 6;6 et 7;6 ans) a été soumis à deux séances. La première présentait cinq couples de formes différentes en mouvement apparent afin de produire, pour chacun de ces couples, l'illusion d'un seul objet changeant de forme. La seconde séance présentait les mêmes couples en mouvement apparent, sauf que chacun de ces couples était précédé, individuellement, d'un démonstration de leur transformation. L'analyse nonparamétrique des résultats montre que l'illusion de l'identité ne varie guère de manière significative avec l'âge, ou avec la démonstration des transformations. L'interprétation suggère que la représentation des transformations serait un facteur plus important dans le processus d'identification que la simple perception de ces modifications.
Lexical Decisions in Persian: A Test of the Orthographic Depth Hypothesis
Authors: Baluch Bahman
Published: September 2007

The orthographic depth hypothesis holds that words in scripts whose spelling—sound correspondences are entirely consistent (transparent) are recognized by computing a phonological code prior to lexical access. In contrast, the universal hypothesis holds that words in all scripts are recognized by utilizing visual orthographic information to access the mental lexicon. The present experiment examines the issue of whether orthographic—phonological transparency of Persian words affect the decision in a lexical decision task, because the orthographic depth and the universal hypothesis make different predictions. Persian script enables contrast of words reflecting extremes of orthographic opaqueness and transparency. This is because, the spelling—sound correspondences in written Persian are always consistent, but only some of the words include vowels as a fixed part of their spelling, (transparent words), whereas for other words the vowels are typically not specified (opaque words). The result of the lexical decision task found that for higher frequency words the Reaction Times (RTs), were as fast for both opaque and transparent words, although RTs to lower frequency transparent words were faster than matched opaque words. These data offer support for the universal hypothesis, and are inconsistent with the orthographic depth hypothesis.
Perceived Reasons and Consequences of Work Absence: A Survey of French‐speaking Employees in Quebec
Authors: Haccoun Robert R. , Desgent Colette
Published: September 2007

This study follows a descriptive approach to the study of absence behaviour. A sample of workers representative of the French‐speaking population of the Greater Montreal area were interviewed by telephone to gather their perceptions on absence. Respondents reported their absence reasons, the consequences of absences, the absence policies in force by their employer as well as their own absence levels. The results indicate that employees are more likely to be absent for reasons of non‐work constraints than for work‐related difficulties, and they perceive that few consequences are attached to absence. Unionization appears to interact with the generosity of company policies towards absence. Gender differences are noted with regard to the perceived reasons for absence and these findings are juxtaposed with recent meta‐analytic results. The findings of this survey appear highly consistent with other recently published research, and the greater level of detail provided help suggest different strategies for dealing with and for understanding absence behaviour.
Sample Size Requirements for the Capron and Duyme Balanced Fostering Study of IQ
Authors: Wahlsten Douglas
Published: September 2007

A simplified method is used to estimate the appropriate sample sizes needed to detect main effects and an interaction effect in analysis of variance, using the IQ data from the Capron and Duyme (1991) adoption study as an example. To achieve power of 80% to reject an hypothesis of no interaction when there is in reality a modest interaction requires about 215 children in each of four groups in a 2 × 2 design, whereas only 9 to 10 children per group are needed to detect main effects. Only a transnational collaborative study could hope to find this many children in the condition where a child from high socioeconomic status background is adopted into a low status family.
Discussion
Authors: Fayol Michel
Published: September 2007

Three problems are raised concerning the concept of metalinguistic abilities: First, the term metalinguistic refers not to language but to linguistics. Secondly, some paradoxical behaviors occur at the same developmental level. Thirdly, metalinguistic interventions are moderately efficient: Why are they efficient but to such a moderate degree? These three problems must be dealt with in order to better understand what metalinguistic means.
La double dynamique sociale dans le développement cognitif
Authors: Doise Willem
Published: September 2007

Dès les débuts de la psychologie sociale et développementale deux mécanismes ont été vus à l'oeuvre dans le développement cognitif: le conflit et l'imitation. Le premier devait rendre compte de l'innovation, le second de l'appropriation de l'héritage culturel. Les recherches actuelles sur le marquage social montrent que celui‐ci peut remplir certaines fonctions réservées traditionnellement à l'imitation, mais ce rôle de reproduction peut nécessiter l'intervention du conflit. Une recherche est rapportée qui montre que, pour des enfants d'environ six ans et demi (N=160), l'intervention combinée du marquage social et du conflit socio‐cognitif est un facteur important de progrès à une tâche de conservation de quantités.
The Influence of Social Comparison Situations on Individual Task Performance: Experimental Illustrations
Authors: Monteil Jean‐Marc , Huguet Pascal
Published: September 2007

In the past ten or so years, numerous experiments have been conducted to illustrate the intervention of social regulations in cognitive functioning (e.g., social coordination, sociocognitive conflict, and social marking). However, in that way, social comparison processes have not received any extended theoretical and empirical attention. Several experimental results are reported here in an attempt to show that the social conditions, in particular personal and categorical comparison situations, in which subjects are led to perform memory and problem‐solving tasks constitute a determining factor in their cognitive performances. The discussion presents some new theoretical prospects for the study of social regulations of cognitive functioning.
Discussion
Authors: Verba Mina
Published: September 2007

The construction of knowledge is dependent upon a system of relations linking the child's skills to a variety of interactive contexts, which are governed, in turn, by broader social influence. However, the child plays an active role in the cognitive and social management of exchanges. The issue lies in the articulation of intra‐ and inter‐individual processes in knowledge elaboration. Analysis of the dynamics of change and socio‐cognitive mechanisms underlying child's performance can shed light on this topic. In elaboration processes at the individual level, cognitive and metacognitive knowledge enter into the child's awareness of his/her difficulties, the need for help from others, and the integration of new information to knowledge‐in‐construction. Helping relations are part of interpersonal dynamics, whose forms are dependent on various situational factors. In direct exchanges, a variety of mechanisms such as imitation, conflict in viewpoint and reorganization, and guidance/tutoring may account for cognitive progress. The management of the situation is shared by the child and his/her partner(s), but to varying degrees as a function of the type of interactive dynamics at work. In contrast, in indirect exchanges, child productions are dependent on a metasystem of control whose mechanisms are extremely difficult to capture. However, different general mechanisms—such as recourse to an internalized model, conflict between models, reorganization through emotional or social resources—may also play a role at this molar level. These mechanisms present commonalities with those identified at interpersonal level, and it is warranted to raise the issue of the similarity between socio‐cognitive organizations at different levels of interaction.
Composantes culturelles du développement du raisonnement technique chez les enfants d'âge préscolaire lors de substitutions instrumentales
Authors: Papamichaël Yannis
Published: September 2007

Cette recherche vise à définir le rôle du milieu culturel dans la substitution d'un outil par un autre instrument dans trois tâches techniques quotidiennes: découpage, dévissage, clouage. Trois catégories de sujets (n = 180) d'âge préscolaire (milieu: gitan, technicien, “favorisé”) ont été testées dans deux conditions expérimentales de substitution: (1) les sujets ont à choisir un instrument adéquat parmi les substituts (11 objets proposés) socialement marqués par leur usage courant; (2) les sujets sont invités à remplacer l'outil manquant par un objet non investi de significations sociales particulières. Les résultats montrent une supériorité générale du milieu gitan dans les deux conditions expérimentales; surtout dans la mesure où le substitut proposé ne se trouve pas investi par les valeurs culturelles propres au mode de vie du groupe social.
Expectancy of Chinese Parents and Children's Cognitive Abilities
Authors: Ji Guiping , Jiao Shulan , Jing Qicheng
Published: September 2007

A total of 142 first grade and 188 fifth grade schoolchildren from Beijing were tested on 11 cognitive tasks. The parents of these children were surveyed with questionnaires to obtain family background materials, and were asked about their expectancies of their children's future careers and future educational achievements. It was found that fifth grade children from high career (professional) expectancy fathers tend to have better developed cognitive abilities, however there is no career expectancy effect on first grade children. Children from high school achievement expectancy fathers tend to have better developed cognitive skills, this educational expectancy effect is stronger for fifth grade children than first grade children. There is a general trend that the higher the educational level of the fathers, the higher expectancy they have for their children.
Handedness on Tristan da Cunha: The Genetic Consequences of Social Isolation
Authors: McManus I. C. , Bryden M. P.
Published: September 2007

Provins (1990) has suggested that the apparently low incidence of left‐handedness on the island of Tristan da Cunha is the result of social pressures such as deference to authority and group conformity, and that “any genetic factor determining left‐handedness must be very weak”. Here we use a large number of Monte Carlo simulations (n = 10,825) of the growth of the population of Tristan da Cunha from 1827 to 1961, to show that if the original population was randomly selected from a large population with a typical gene‐frequency, then a combination of founder effects, genetic drift and evolutionary bottlenecks can readily explain the fairly low incidence of left‐handedness that was found. Indeed in 15% of the simulations the c‐allele, which is postulated to be responsible for left‐handedness, has disappeared entirely, resulting in a population with no left‐handers at all. The data from Tristan da Cunha are therefore entirely compatible with a genetic model of left‐handedness.
Linguistic Phenomena and Language Selection in the REM Dreams of German‐English Bilinguals
Authors: Foulkes David , Meier Barbara , Strauch Inge , Kerr Nancy H. , Bradley Laura , Hollifield Michael
Published: September 2007

Sixteen German‐English bilinguals were studied in a sleep laboratory for four nonconsecutive nights each. Half were native English speakers living in Zürich, and half native German speakers living in Atlanta. Presleep thought samples were solicited each evening and REM dream reports each night; subjects judged the waking appropriateness of their imagined speech and language phenomena, and also identified waking sources of their dream imagery, the following mornings. Incidences of dreaming and of speech therein generally were similar to those of monolinguals. Whether sessions were conducted in German (two nights) or English (two nights) did directly influence language selection in subjects' dreams. Judged appropriateness of language selection to imagined events was very high for thought samples, and high for REM dreams. Sources for thought samples were generally consonant with the language dominant at study site; for REM dreams this relationship was considerably weaker. Judged waking appropriateness to imagined situations was more strongly related to language selection than was the language reference of the supposed sources of those situations.
Training‐related Variables, Gender and Training Outcomes: A Field Investigation
Authors: Tziner Aharon , Falbe Cecilia M.
Published: September 2007

A two‐week training programme was provided to male and female trainees. Data were collected on each of the subject's locus of control and on each subject's perception of the degree to which their work environment would be supportive of application of skills acquired in training. The outcome variables measured for the 73 trainees (35 males, 38 females) included motivation to transfer, evaluation of the training programme, the grade achieved at the conclusion of training, self‐report and immediate superior's evaluation of the use of acquired skills. Data were also collected on seniority. Hierarchical regression analysis was employed to test the effect of gender, and training‐related variables on training outcomes. Controlling for the effect of seniority the data indicated that gender had an impact on motivation to transfer, and gender and seniority both had a significant effect on reaction to the course. Perceived work environment support and its interaction with seniority also accounted for a significant portion of explained variance of motivation to transfer and reactions to the course. Locus of control did not have a significant effect on four of the training outcomes but the interaction of locus of control and seniority affected the superior's evaluation of the use of skills. The results are discussed in terms of their tactical and strategic implications for the relationship between training‐related variables and gender.
Acculturation Attitudes and Acculturative Stress of Central American Refugees
Authors: Donà G. , Berry J. W.
Published: September 2007

Research on acculturation has revealed a variable relationship between acculturation and mental health, which is due to the presence of a number of moderating factors. Some of these factors, namely, modes of acculturation, acculturative experience with the host society, contact with the culture of origin, and individualistic values have been examined in order to understand better the relationship of these factors with acculturative stress. In the present research. Central American refugees (N = 101) who were resettled in Canada completed a questionnaire dealing with their attitudes, behaviours, values, and levels of acculturative stress. Results indicated that different factors are involved in the prediction of psychological and somatic aspects of acculturative stress, with contact with the culture of origin and modes of acculturation being the best predictors.
Data‐driven Processing and Priming Effects in a Word‐fragment Completion Task
Authors: Nicolas Serge , Carbonnel Serge , Tiberghien Guy
Published: September 2007

An experiment was designed to examine the role and importance of data‐driven processing in an implicit memory task: Word‐fragment completion. We investigated the effects of priming and manipulating the context in which the target words had been read. Three main results emerged. First, replicating MacLeod's experiment (1989), we found that there was a very small priming effect for words previously studied in a text. Second, the magnitude of the priming effect increased with the perceptual difficulty of information intake during reading. Third, these variations in priming for the texts were functionally independent of subjects' recall of the text read. These results suggest that data‐driven processing plays a critical role in priming. They are consistent with the transfer‐appropriate processing theory recently advocated by Roediger, Weldon, and Challis (1989).
Person Recognition and Ageing: The Cognitive Status of Addresses—An Empirical Question
Authors: Bruyer Raymond , Scailquin Jean‐Christophe
Published: September 2007

Thirty young and 30 elderly adults were enrolled in the learning (4 trials) of the name, the occupation and the address of 10 unfamiliar persons whose faces were shown. This experiment was planned as an attempt to clarify the cognitive status of the address within the cognitive architecture of person recognition, especially in relation to the names and the semantic information. Two main features emerged. First, beyond a general detrimental effect of age, the patterns of results were very similar in young and elderly subjects, in agreement with other reported data. Second, the processing of the address is much more like the processing of names than the processing of semantic information (occupation). However, unlike names, the recall of addresses is influenced by the ambiguity of the labels used.
Experimenter—Subject Interaction: The Influence of a Request for Assistance on Subjects' Attitudes
Authors: Rijsman John B. , Bruin Ralph H.
Published: September 2007

Based on role‐theory and social comparison theory, it is hypothesized that assistance deception techniques, which are sometimes used in social psychological research, can alter subjects' self‐positioning on relevant dimensions of comparison and, consequently, affect connected dependent variables such as the attitude towards a task.

Two experiments are reported in which subjects carried out the same task in two different status positions (ordinary subject or co‐experimenter). For exploratory reasons autonomy (experiment 1) and power (experiment 2) were also manipulated. The dependent measure was the evaluation (attitude) of the task. In both experiments significant differences between high and low status were found that were generally in line with the predictions. With respect to autonomy, no support for the hypothesized relationship was found; as to the power variable, the results indicate that, contrary to predictions, both high power and high status need to be combined in order to make the subjects evaluate the task more positively. Possible explanations for the obtained results are discussed, and possible consequences for one of the types of experiments in which assistance‐deception is sometimes used (i.e., dissonance experiments) are described.
Self‐concept in Profoundly Deaf Adolescent Pupils
Authors: Martinez Maite , Silvestre Núria
Published: September 2007

This study compares the concept of self of profoundly deaf adolescents with that of their hearing companions of the same age. The technique originally designed by Khun and Portland was used: “Who am I?” The chief results indicate on the one hand some significant differences between the hearing and the deaf, and on the other hand the difficulties of the latter in defining themselves as deaf. However, it is necessary to point out that the few references to hearing deficiency do not carry a negative connotation.

These data are interpreted in the framework of the educational conditions of the country in which integration is a general mode of schooling and frequently the deaf pupil has no opportunity to have class or school companions who are also deaf.

It concludes with some considerations of an educational nature about the future lines of research in which a greater variety of educational and social conditions could be taken into account.
Metaphonological Abilities of Spanish Illiterate Adults
Authors: Adrián José Antonio , Alegria Jesús , Morais José
Published: September 2007

The metaphonological abilities of illiterate Spanish‐speaking people were evaluated. A group of rudimentary readers who have had deficient schooling was taken as control. The subjects were asked to discriminate between pairs of syllables that are minimally different in terms of phonetic features, to evaluate rhyme relations, to judge whether or not a particular phoneme or syllable was present in an utterance, and to delete and reverse phonemes and syllables. The results show that illiterates are quite good at phonetic discrimination. Almost half of them demonstrated an unequivocal ability to appreciate rhyme. However, their performance on the syllable tasks, and especially on the phoneme tasks, was very poor. There was almost no overlap between the scores of illiterates and rudimentary readers in the phonemic tasks. The present study confirms previous indications that phonemic awareness does not develop as a mere consequence of cognitive or linguistic maturation. It extends this claim to languages that, like Spanish, possess only a small set of vowels. On the other hand, the lack of phonemic awareness does not imply any substantial inferiority in phonemic sensitivity, i.e. the ability to discriminate between minimal pairs.
Presence of Others and Task Performance in Japan and the United States: A Laboratory Investigation
Authors: Westaby James D.
Published: September 2007

This study examined the effects of culture (Japan and the United States) and task setting (working individually or working in the presence of a group) on job productivity and job quality. Subjects were asked to maximize both their quantity and quality of performance in a laboratory task. Results showed that Japanese subjects had higher productivity than American subjects, but did not have higher quality of work. In addition, both Japanese and American subjects had higher productivity and job quality in the presence of a group than working alone. Against expectations, group presence did not interact with cultural samples.
Multimethod Probes of Allocentrism and Idiocentrism
Authors: Triandis Harry C. , Chan Darius K.‐S. , Bhawuk Dharm P. S. , Iwao Sumiko , Sinha Jai B.P.
Published: September 2007

Collectivism and individualism are cultural syndromes that have some common cores. Allocentrism and idiocentrism are constructs at the individual level that correspond to collectivism and individualism respectively at the cultural level. In two studies, the first with American (from Illinois) and the second with Japanese subjects, we examined the best way to measure these common cores. We also present the recommended items in two appendices, and provide information about the reliability and convergent validity of the items in these appendices. Finally, we tested the hypothesis that women will be more allocentric than men. We obtained only directional support in the US but fairly good support of this hypothesis in Japan.
Développement d'une mesure de la justification de la violence envers l'enfant
Authors: Fortin Andrée
Published: September 2007

Cet article présente les résultats de deux études ayant pour but de développer et de valider un instrument de mesure de la justification de la violence que le parent exerce envers l'enfant. L'instrument, la Mesure de la justification de la violence envers l'enfant (MJVE), évalue trois composantes de la justification: une conception restreinte de la violence faite à l'enfant, une tolérance envers cette violence et une attribution biaisée qui nie la responsabilité du parent ou l'innocente. Les propriétés psychométriques du MJVE ont été évaluées auprès de 896 parents. Les résultats montrent que le MJVE est formée de six facteurs reflétant les trois composantes de la justification identifiées. La validité de construit du MJVE est appuyée par une analyse factorielle confirmatoire et l'étude des corrélations entre les échelles. Des indices de cohérence interne acceptables sont observés pour le MJVE et ses échelles. Au total, les résultats soutiennent la validité et la fidélité de l'instrument. La discussion souligne l'intérět de poursuivre la validation du MJVE qui pourrait se révéler un outil d'intervention et de prévention utile en matière de violence in fligée à l'enfant.
Perceived Functions of Family and Friends During Childhood, Adolescence, and Youth: Developmental Theories of Two Turkish Groups
Authors: Hortaçsu Nuran , Gençöz Tülin , Oral Atiye
Published: September 2007

The present study compared Turkish University students' and middle‐aged adults' developmental theories about the perceived importance of needs related to different life tasks and functionality of relationships with parents, same‐sex siblings, and friends for need satisfaction during childhood, adolescence, and youth. A retrospective method was used. The following results emerged: (1) the importance of needs related to a search for identity and intimacy increased and the importance of those related to dependency decreased from childhood to adolescence; (2) needs related to intimacy maintained a high level of importance during youth whereas importance of the need for self‐understanding/development decreased from adolescence to youth; (3) increases in the perceived importance of friends occurred between childhood and adolescence, especially with respect to needs related to identity and intimacy issues; (4) decreases in the perceived importance of parents were reported between adolescence and youth, especially with respect to needs related to identity, intimacy, and dependency; (5) developmental theories of groups and sexes did not differ; (6) group and sex differences with respect to importance ratings of some needs emerged.
Systemic Considerations: Factors Facilitating and Impeding the Development of Psychology in Developing Countries
Authors: Leung Kwok , Zhang Jianxin
Published: September 2007

Systemic factors that influence the development of psychology in developing countries are explored. Such factors include socio‐political considerations, influences from other countries, public perceptions of psychology, relationships with other disciplines, training of psychologists, economic constraints, and research orientations. Because of the scarcity of resources and the widespread desire to modernize, the perceived applied value of psychology in developing countries has a major impact on its development. Student preference for choosing psychology as a major, the allocation of funding to psychology departments, and the status of psychology in relation to other disciplines partly depend on the applied value of the discipline. Thus, to facilitate its development, psychology must be seen as useful, and applied research should be emphasized. However, applied research should be backed up by the necessary basic research. Indigenization is also necessary so that psychological research is effective in addressing local problems.
Factors Influencing the Development of Psychology in Sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Nsamenang A. Bame
Published: September 2007

Psychology is an ethnocentric science, cultivated mainly in the developed world and then exported to sub‐Saharan Africa. The major facilitators or deterrents—local, international, and systemic—to its development pertain to the extent to which training, research, and practice are driven by Eurocentric theories, epistemologies, and methods, and how they undermine, ignore, or exclude folk psychology and local issues. Africa has her own frames of reference and social reality; these differ in some remarkable ways from the Euro‐American. Efforts to indigenize psychology or to use it to solve the multiple problems Africa faces have merely begun, and need to be hastened. The eco‐cultural framework, which compels sensitivity to local cultures and conditions, can promote the process of indigenizing psychology. A few contextualist or Afrocentric studies have yielded evidence pointing to the necessity for the reconsideration of Eurocentric conceptualization.
Towards a Hierarchical Model of Self‐concept for Hong Kong Chinese Adults with Physical Disabilities
Authors: Tam Alan S. F. , Watkins David
Published: September 2007

This paper explores the basic facets and structure of the self‐concepts of groups of 135 and 146 Hong Kong Chinese adults with and without physical disabilities, respectively. Comparison of responses to a 20‐item scale indicated a very similar pattern of the importance the individuals in these groups attached to these areas of their lives. However, the non‐disabled group did report higher satisfaction ratings on six of these areas and factor analysis of both the importance and satisfaction ratings showed a similar underlying factor structure for both groups. Content analysis of open‐ended questions confirmed that both groups shared similar self‐concept facets except that the subjects with physical disabilities most frequently reported the importance of “functional independence in daily living tasks”. It is proposed that this facet needs to be included in a self‐concept instrument appropriate for subjects with physical disabilities. Models of self‐concept were then suggested for each group.
The Relationship Between Performance on the Gordon Diagnostic System and Other Measures of Attention
Authors: Rasile Deborah A. , Burg Joanna S. , Burright Richard G. , Donovick Peter J.
Published: September 2007

Tests purporting to measure attention were administered to college students to examine their relationship to three relatively new tests of attention from the Gordon Diagnostic System (GDS). All subjects received the Standard Delay, Vigilance, and Distractibility Tests of the GDS. In addition, 69 of 136 subjects received the Digit Span, Arithmetic, and Digit Symbol subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale‐Revised (WAIS‐R), and Kagan's Matching Familiar Figures Test. After the GDS, the other 67 subjects received the Visual Span subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale‐Revised (WMS‐R), and the Stroop. Replication (across two studies) and gender influences were not evident on GDS performance. Performance data on this test for these 136 college students, collapsed across replication and gender, are presented. Although within‐test correlations were strong, correlations between tests were weak. A ceiling effect on the Vigilance task may have effected its correlations with other tests. Results suggest that the GDS tasks are not substitutes for commonly used tests of attention, but may be useful as an additional source of information in the assessment of attention.
Attachement, solitude et détresse psychologique chez des jeunes adultes
Authors: Lambert Valérie , Lussier Yvan , Sabourin Stéphane , Wright John
Published: September 2007

La présente étude vise à examiner la nature des liens entre les styles d'attachement (sécurisant, anxieux/ambivalent et évitant), la solitude et la détresse psychologique (dépression, anxiété, agressivité et problèmes cognitifs) chez des jeunes adultes. L'échantillon se compose de 407 étudiants de niveau collégial dont l'âge moyen se situe à 18 ans. Les sujets doivent répondre à deux questionnaires d'évaluation du style d'attachement, à l'échelle de solitude UCLA, ainsi qu'à l'index de symptômes psychiatriques. Les résultats laissent voir que les individus ayant un style d'attachement sécurisant rapportent moins de symptômes de dépression et de sentiments de solitude que les sujets des styles anxieux/ambivalent et évitant. De même, ils vivent moins d'anxiété, d'agressivité et de problèmes cognitifs que les individus du style anxieux/ambivalent. Par ailleurs, les individus du style d'attachement anxieux/ambivalent sont plus déprimés, anxieux et agressifs que les individus du style évitant. Par contre, aucune différence significative ne ressort entre les sujets des styles d'attachement anxieux/ambivalent et évitant sur le plan des problèmes cognitifs et de la solitude. Des analyses de régression multiple montrent que l'attachement anxieux/ambivalent et la solitude expliquent un pourcentage significatif de la variance associée à la détresse psychologique. Enfin, il ressort que la solitude joue un rôle modérateur dans la relation unissant l'attachement non sécurisant et les problèmes de nature cognitive, alors qu'elle joue un rôle médiateur dans la relation entre l'attachement sécurisant, la dépression et l'anxiété.
CD44 and β3 Integrin Organize Two Functionally Distinct Actin-based Domains in Osteoclasts
Authors: Chabadel Anne , Bañon-Rodríguez Inmaculada , Cluet David , Rudkin Brian B. , Wehrle-Haller Bernhard , Genot Elisabeth , Jurdic Pierre , Anton Ines M. , Saltel Frédéric
Published: September 2007

The actin cytoskeleton of mature osteoclasts (OCs) adhering to nonmineralized substrates is organized in a belt of podosomes reminiscent of the sealing zone (SZ) found in bone resorbing OCs. In this study, we demonstrate that the belt is composed of two functionally different actin-based domains: podosome cores linked with CD44, which are involved in cell adhesion, and a diffuse cloud associated with β3 integrin, which is involved in cell adhesion and contraction. Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome Protein (WASp) Interacting Protein (WIP)−/− OCs were devoid of podosomes, but they still exhibited actin clouds. Indeed, WIP−/− OCs show diminished expression of WASp, which is required for podosome formation. CD44 is a novel marker of OC podosome cores and the first nonintegrin receptor detected in these structures. The importance of CD44 is revealed by showing that its clustering restores podosome cores and WASp expression in WIP−/− OCs. However, although CD44 signals are sufficient to form a SZ, the presence of WIP is indispensable for the formation of a fully functional SZ.
Phospholipase C Regulation of Phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate-mediated Chemotaxis
Authors: Kortholt Arjan , King Jason S. , Keizer-Gunnink Ineke , Harwood Adrian J. , Van Haastert Peter J.M.
Published: September 2007

Generation of a phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate [PI(3,4,5)P3] gradient within the plasma membrane is important for cell polarization and chemotaxis in many eukaryotic cells. The gradient is produced by the combined activity of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) to increase PI(3,4,5)P3on the membrane nearest the polarizing signal and PI(3,4,5)P3dephosphorylation by phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) elsewhere. Common to both of these enzymes is the lipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2], which is not only the substrate of PI3K and product of PTEN but also important for membrane binding of PTEN. Consequently, regulation of phospholipase C (PLC) activity, which hydrolyzes PI(4,5)P2, could have important consequences for PI(3,4,5)P3localization. We investigate the role of PLC in PI(3,4,5)P3-mediated chemotaxis in Dictyostelium. plc-null cells are resistant to the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 and produce little PI(3,4,5)P3after cAMP stimulation, as monitored by the PI(3,4,5)P3-specific pleckstrin homology (PH)-domain of CRAC (PHCRACGFP). In contrast, PLC overexpression elevates PI(3,4,5)P3and impairs chemotaxis in a similar way to loss of pten. PI3K localization at the leading edge of plc-null cells is unaltered, but dissociation of PTEN from the membrane is strongly reduced in both gradient and uniform stimulation with cAMP. These results indicate that local activation of PLC can control PTEN localization and suggest a novel mechanism to regulate the internal PI(3,4,5)P3gradient.
Scd5p Mediates Phosphoregulation of Actin and Endocytosis by the Type 1 Phosphatase Glc7p in Yeast
Authors: Zeng Guisheng , Huang Bo , Neo Suat Peng , Wang Junxia , Cai Mingjie
Published: September 2007

Pan1p plays essential roles in both actin and endocytosis in yeast. It interacts with, and regulates the function of, multiple endocytic proteins and actin assembly machinery. Phosphorylation of Pan1p by the kinase Prk1p down-regulates its activity, resulting in disassembly of the endocytic vesicle coat complex and termination of vesicle-associated actin polymerization. In this study, we focus on the mechanism that acts to release Pan1p from phosphorylation inhibition. We show that Pan1p is dephosphorylated by the phosphatase Glc7p, and the dephosphorylation is dependent on the Glc7p-targeting protein Scd5p, which itself is a phosphorylation target of Prk1p. Scd5p links Glc7p to Pan1p in two ways: directly by interacting with Pan1p and indirectly by interacting with the Pan1p-binding protein End3p. Depletion of Glc7p from the cells causes defects in cell growth, actin organization, and endocytosis, all of which can be partially suppressed by deletion of the PRK1 gene. These results suggest that Glc7p antagonizes the activity of the Prk1p kinase in regulating the functions of Pan1p and possibly other actin- and endocytosis-related proteins.
Identification of CAP as a Costameric Protein that Interacts with Filamin C
Authors: Zhang Mei , Liu Jun , Cheng Alan , DeYoung Stephanie M. , Saltiel Alan R.
Published: September 2007

Cbl-associated protein (CAP) is an adaptor protein that interacts with both signaling and cytoskeletal proteins. Here, we characterize the expression, localization and potential function of CAP in striated muscle. CAP is markedly induced during myoblast differentiation, and colocalizes with vinculin during costamerogenesis. In adult mice, CAP is enriched in oxidative muscle fibers, and it is found in membrane anchorage complexes, including intercalated discs, costameres, and myotendinous junctions. Using both yeast two-hybrid and proteomic approaches, we identified the sarcomeric protein filamin C (FLNc) as a binding partner for CAP. When overexpressed, CAP recruits FLNc to cell–extracellular matrix adhesions, where the two proteins cooperatively regulate actin reorganization. Moreover, overexpression of CAP inhibits FLNc-induced cell spreading on fibronectin. In dystrophin-deficient mdx mice, the expression and membrane localization of CAP is increased, concomitant with the elevated plasma membrane content of FLNc, suggesting that CAP may compensate for the reduced membrane linkage of the myofibrils due to the loss of the dystroglycan–sarcoglycan complex in these mice. Thus, through its interaction with FLNc, CAP provides another link between the myofibril cytoskeleton and the plasma membrane of muscle cells, and it may play a dynamic role in the regulation and maintenance of muscle structural integrity.
Reconstruction of fig wasp mating structure: how many mothers share a fig?
Authors: ZAVODNA MONIKA , KNAPP SHANNON M. , COMPTON STEPHEN G. , ARENS PAUL , VOSMAN BEN , Van DIJK PETER J. , GILMARTIN PHILIP M. , Van DAMME JOS M. M.
Published: September 2007

Abstract 1. Fig wasps (Hymenoptera: Agaonidae) represent an important model system for studies of sex ratio evolution, mainly because they may adjust their sex ratios in response to the numbers of ovipositing females (foundresses) that enter a fig and their clutch size.

2. Until recently, it was assumed that all foundresses fail to re‐emerge from the figs that they have entered to oviposit, but there is increasing evidence that such re‐emergence may be routine. The common practice of counting the number of dead foundresses present in a fig in order to deduce the number of foundresses is therefore questionable in species where failure to re‐emerge has not been confirmed.

3. In this study, the alternative approach of microsatellite markers was used to reconstruct the within‐fig breeding structure of a pollinating fig wasp by genetic analysis of the offspring. Broods of Liporrhopalum tentacularis, a species where foundresses regularly re‐emerge from figs, were collected from figs of Ficus montana in their natural habitat in Indonesia as well as from an experimental glasshouse population in Leeds (U.K.).

4. The estimated foundress densities in the glasshouse population were similar to those in the field and ranged from one to six foundresses per brood.

5. Nearly 40% of all broods were produced by a single foundress, indicating that mating in these broods occurs exclusively between full siblings. High levels of inbreeding are therefore common in this species.
Roles of endothermy in niche differentiation for ball‐rolling dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) along an altitudinal gradient
Authors: VERDÚ JOSÉ R. , ARELLANO LUCRECIA , NUMA CATHERINE , MICÓ ESTEFANÍA
Published: September 2007

Abstract 1. An analysis of whether niche differentiation in ball‐rolling dung beetles can be explained by the way in which they regulate their body temperature was conducted.

2. A priori assumptions were: (i) if thermoregulation affects niche partitioning, sympatric species must have different endothermic strategies that minimise encounters; or, alternatively (ii) if two co‐occurring species show the same thermoregulation pattern and their flight periods overlap, they might be avoiding competition by exhibiting different resource preferences or different food relocation behaviour.

3. The ball‐rolling dung beetles studied showed a hierarchical structure based on the species’ endothermic capacity, measured as temperature excess [Tex= difference between body temperature (Tb) and ambient temperature (Ta)]. Those with a high Tex (10–15 °C) were located exclusively at altitudes >1000 m a.s.l. On the coastal plains, species with a high Tex were restricted to flying at night when the Ta was lower. Species with a lower Tex (less than 10 °C higher than Ta) were found in the coastal plains zone.

4. Where there was sympatry with similar trophic habits, the species involved showed very different thermal niches, and where there was significant overlap of thermal niches between sympatric species, trophic habits of species were very different.

5. The results suggest that it is possible to use the concept of the thermal niche as a tool to explain interspecific interactions and the spatial distribution of species.
Subcellular localization and cytoplasmic complex status of endogenous Keap1
Authors: Watai Yoriko , Kobayashi Akira , Nagase Hiroko , Mizukami Mio , McEvoy Justina , Singer Jeffrey D. , Itoh Ken , Yamamoto Masayuki
Published: September 2007

Keap1 acts as a sensor for oxidative/electrophilic stress, an adaptor for Cullin‐3‐based ubiquitin ligase, and a regulator of Nrf2 activity through the interaction with Nrf2 Neh2 domain. However, the mechanism(s) of Nrf2 migration into the nucleus in response to stress remains largely unknown due to the lack of a reliable antibody for the detection of endogenous Keap1 molecule. Here, we report the generation of a new monoclonal antibody for the detection of endogenous Keap1 molecules. Immunocytochemical analysis of mouse embryonic fibroblasts with the antibody revealed that under normal, unstressed condition, Keap1 is localized primarily in the cytoplasm with minimal amount in the nucleus and endoplasmic reticulum. This subcellular localization profile of Keap1 appears unchanged after treatment of cells with diethyl maleate, an electrophile, and/or Leptomycin B, a nuclear export inhibitor. Subcellular fractionation analysis of mouse liver cells showed similar results. No substantial change in the subcellular distribution profile could be observed in cells isolated from butylated hydroxyanisole‐treated mice. Analyses of sucrose density gradient centrifugation of mouse liver cells indicated that Keap1 appears to form multiprotein complexes in the cytoplasm. These results demonstrate that endogenous Keap1 remains mostly in the cytoplasm, and electrophiles promote nuclear accumulation of Nrf2 without altering the subcellular localization of Keap1.
GANP suppresses DNA recombination, measured by direct‐repeat β‐galactosidase gene construct, but does not suppress the type of recombination applying to immunoglobulin genes in mammalian cells
Authors: Yoshida Mikoto , Kuwahara Kazuhiko , Shimasaki Tatsuya , Nakagata Naomi , Matsuoka Masao , Sakaguchi Nobuo
Published: September 2007

Immunoglobulin V‐region somatic hypermutation and C‐region class‐switch recombination are initiated by activation‐induced cytidine deaminase (AID) in B‐cells. AID‐induced DNA damage at the immunoglobulin S‐region is known to be repaired by non‐homologous end‐joining, but repair mechanisms at the V‐region remain to be elucidated. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, DNA homologous recombination is regulated by the expression of Sac3, involved in actin assembly, cell cycle transition and mRNA metabolism. Here, we demonstrate that the Sac3‐homologue GANP suppresses DNA recombination in a direct‐repeat β‐galactosidase gene construct in mammalian cells. Homozygous ganp gene knockout is embryonic lethal in mice. Embryonic fibroblasts immortalized from hetero‐deficient ganp+/– mice showed more DNA recombination than wild‐type. In contrast, over‐expression of GANP suppressed either spontaneous DNA recombination or that caused by the introduction of aid cDNA into NIH3T3 cells (susceptible to I‐sceI restriction enzyme cleavage but not to RAG‐mediated immunoglobulin gene recombination). GANP suppresses the DNA recombination not only on the extrachromosomal DNA construct but also on the integrated DNA. The Sac3‐homology portion is necessary for the suppressive activity, but the truncated carboxyl terminal MCM3‐binding/acetylating region adversely augmented DNA recombination, acting as a dominant negative form. Expression of full‐length GANP is critical for suppression of DNA hyper‐recombination in mammalian cells.