bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tissue reaction ofTagelus plebeius(Bivalvia: Psammobiidae) against larval digeneans in mixohaline habitats connected to the south-western Atlantic
Authors: Ituarte Cristián , Cremonte Florencia , Scarano Agostina
Published: July 2008

This paper describes the organism–organism relationship between a bivalve host and larval digeneans. The studied population of the stout razor clamTagelus plebeiusfrom the mixohaline Mar Chiquita lagoon (37° 32′S 57° 19′W) showed 100% of prevalence of infection by a larval digenean (metacercaria) of the family Gymnophallidae. The larvae occupied the extrapallial space just below the hinge of the bivalve. The tissue reaction against larval digeneans byT. plebeiusconsisted of hyperplasia and metaplasia of the outer layer of the mantle epithelium adjacent to parasites, forming an invagination to generate a sac that surrounded gymnophallid larvae. According to the intensity of infection, each sac progressively enlarged to harbour a variable number of larvae. In highly infected clams, a great number of sacs are formed. Eventually, the older sacs containing larvae may become closed, losing their communication with the extrapallial space and sinking into the dorsal part of the visceral mass. Larvae within sacs grow and remain alive until they reach an appropriate definitive bird vertebrate host. Older lesions commonly showed remains of dead larvae which had undergone resorption. As a result, an orange to brownish amorphous material accumulated in the space once occupied by the larvae leaving conspicuous orange marks on the inner surface of the valves. In some cases, calcifications in the form of pearls or blisters were observed.
Spatio-temporal variability of zoobenthic communities in a tectonic lagoon (Lake Vouliagmeni, Attika, Greece)
Authors: Chintiroglou Chariton , Antoniadou Chryssanthi , Damianidis Panagiotis
Published: July 2008

Lake Vouliagmeni (Attica, Greece) is a lagoon of great scientific interest due to its endemic fauna, widely used for recreational activities. Understanding the dynamics of this peculiar ecosystem is essential for its conservation. An ecological survey of the benthic communities was carried out, in both spatial and temporal scales. Material was collected with SCUBA diving, by taking off samples from the principal habitats of the lagoon, i.e. meadows, soft and hard substrata. The identification of the collected 61,975 living specimens revealed the presence of 12 floral and 20 faunal species. Multivariate analyses separated the sampling sites according to the four different habitats of the lagoon, whereas no temporal patterns came up. Micrograzers were the dominant trophic group, followed by deposit feeders regardless of the habitat studied. Lake Vouliagmeni is among the less diverse Mediterranean lagoons, mostly due to its isolation from the sea that hinders the entrance of marine species.
Organism responses to habitat fragmentation in two shallow-water brackish environments: the Goro Lagoon (Adriatic Sea) and the Padrongiano Delta (Tyrrhenian Sea)
Authors: Munari Cristina
Published: July 2008

Habitat fragmentation from natural or human-mediated causes is a common phenomenon in terrestrial and aquatic environments. In this study, the effects of varying the size of habitat patches on the abundance of benthic invertebrates inhabiting date mussel (Musculista senhousia) patches was studied at two different transition environments, the Goro Lagoon (Adriatic Sea) and the Padrongiano Delta (Tyrrhenian Sea). Benthic fauna responded to habitat patchiness in a complex manner that varied according to habitat type, taxon and animal body size (small: 0.5–2.0 mm; large >2 mm). Small invertebrates were mostly polychaetes, nemertea, amphipods and isopods. Large invertebrates were mostly large polychaetes, bivalves, gastropods and crabs. Invertebrate population size and diversity seemed to be maximized in landscapes that include both small and large patches of mussel beds ‘embedded’ in a continuous matrix. Musculista senhousia patches served as a critical refuge and foraging habitat for many species. Patchy and continuous areas may promote the persistence of organisms with different life histories, especially in environments like those studied where mussel patches represent the only structural refuge available.
Phylogenetics of Hydroidolina (Hydrozoa: Cnidaria)
Authors: Cartwright Paulyn , Evans Nathaniel M. , Dunn Casey W. , Marques Antonio C. , Miglietta Maria Pia , Schuchert Peter , Collins Allen G.
Published: July 2008

Hydroidolina is a group of hydrozoans that includes Anthoathecata, Leptothecata and Siphonophorae. Previous phylogenetic analyses show strong support for Hydroidolina monophyly, but the relationships between and within its subgroups remain uncertain. In an effort to further clarify hydroidolinan relationships, we performed phylogenetic analyses on 97 hydroidolinan taxa, using DNA sequences from partial mitochondrial 16S rDNA, nearly complete nuclear 18S rDNA and nearly complete nuclear 28S rDNA. Our findings are consistent with previous analyses that support monophyly of Siphonophorae and Leptothecata and do not support monophyly of Anthoathecata nor its component subgroups, Filifera and Capitata. Instead, within Anthoathecata, we find support for four separate filiferan clades and two separate capitate clades (Aplanulata and Capitatasensu stricto). Our data however, lack any substantive support for discerning relationships between these eight distinct hydroidolinan clades.
Abundance and biomass of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms coupled with environmental factors in an arid multi-pond solar saltern (Sfax, Tunisia)
Authors: Elloumi Jannet , Guermazi Wassim , Ayadi Habib , Bouain Abderrahmen , Aleya Lotfi
Published: July 2008

The distribution of abundance and biomass of prokaryotes, flagellates, ciliates and phytoplankton, were studied in five ponds of increasing salinity in the Sfax solar saltern (Tunisia) coupled with environmental factors. The results showed that abundance of eukaryotic microorganisms decreased with increasing salinity of the ponds whereas prokaryotes (heterotrophic bacteria and Archaea) were abundant in the hyper-saline ponds. Phototrophic picoplankton was found in a large range of salinity values (70 and 200‰). Phototrophic non-flagellated nanoplankton which dominated in the first sampled pond was substituted by phototrophic flagellated nanoplankton in the other ponds. Heterotrophic nanoplankton dominated in the crystallizer pond but its quantitative importance declined in the less saline ponds. Diatoms and dinoflagellates were the major contributors to phytoplankton abundance in the first ponds (>90% of total abundance). Ciliated protozoa were found in all the ponds except in the crystallizer in which prokaryotes proliferated. Oligotrichida and Heterotrichida were the most abundant ciliate groups. Overall, species richness decreased with salinity gradient. We propose a simplified diagram of the Sfax saltern's food web showing the dominant role of the microbial loop along the salinity gradient.
Contribution of parasites to intra- and inter-site variation in shell morphology of a marine gastropod
Authors: Thieltges David W. , Saldanha Ian , Leung Tommy L.F. , Poulin Robert
Published: July 2008

In gastropods, variation in shell morphology can be caused by the action of several biotic and abiotic factors. While much of this variation is seen in comparisons between different sites or populations, there is also substantial variation in shell morphology among individuals living side by side. We investigate the effect of trematode parasitism on both intra- as well as inter-site variation in the morphology of the New Zealand whelkCominella glandiformis. We found that both infection by the trematodeCurtuteria australisand site of origin had significant effects on several morphometric dimensions of the snail shell, with some interactions between the two factors. On its own, infection byC. australisaccounted for 20 to 60% of the variance in shell morphology, depending on the dimension measured. Infected snails also had smoother shells, with less prominent ridges, than their uninfected conspecifics. Other trematode species, infecting whelks at much lower prevalence, also had impacts on shell morphology, but not necessarily in the same direction asC. australis. Overall, parasitism may be an important factor in explaining intra- and inter-site variation in snail phenotype, with potential repercussions for snail populations and their interactions with other community members.
Trophic ecology of the octocoral Carijoa riisei from littoral of Pernambuco, Brazil. I. Composition and spatio-temporal variation of the diet
Authors: Lira Ana K.F. , Naud Jean-Philippe , Gomes Paula B. , Santos Andre M. , Perez Carlos D.
Published: July 2008

Octocorals are common components of sublittoral benthic communities in temperate, tropical and polar areas. However, their natural diets and feeding rates are poorly known. The aim of this study was to determine qualitatively–quantitatively the diet of the octocoral Carijoa riisei (snowflake coral) and analyse the distribution and diet composition throughout a whole year at two different depths of the same environment. Hence, 30 colonies were haphazardly sampled for gastric content analysis from 2 and 6 m deep (surface and bottom) at Porto de Galinhas beach, Pernambuco, Brazil, in January, June and October 2006, and March 2007. Relative and absolute abundance, richness and occurrence frequency per gastric cavity were assessed. Shannon–Wiener index (H′) and evenness were also calculated. Items were classified according to the occurrence frequency. The biovolume of preys was estimated from meristic data, and from the biovolume were then estimated wet weight, dry weight and organic carbon. Weighed biovolume (WBV), which relates biomass and abundance, was assessed to estimate the real contribution of preys to octocoral diet. Results attested the presence of 102 phytoplankton and 25 zooplankton taxa. Mean prey size was 112.7 µm. Diatoms showed the greater richness with 88 morphotypes. Only cyanophytes and diatoms, from phytoplankton, were very common (>70%). As a whole, phytoplankton was also the most abundant group (83%), followed by crustacean fragments (5%). Thus, although having low biovolume (<0.09 mm3×10−3), the phytoplankton showed the highest WBV (44.5%). Feeding items richness was homogeneous throughout the study year and in both depths, while abundance showed significant seasonal and bathymetric fluctuation. The t-test (Hutchinson) found significant differences for prey item diversity related to depth and season. From the analysis, it is possible to conclude that the C. riisei population of the Brazilian north-eastern coast is polyphagous, but shows preference for phytoplanktonic elements and small prey. Therefore, the species behaves as a passive suspensivorous feeder with equitable biomass contribution from phytoplankton and zooplankton.
Feeding habits of the seahorse Hippocampus patagonicus in San Antonio Bay (Patagonia, Argentina)
Authors: Storero Lorena P. , González Raúl A.
Published: July 2008

The aim of this study was to evaluate the dietary composition of the Patagonian seahorse Hippocampus patagonicus in San Antonio Bay, Patagonia, Argentina. To this end, analyses of stomach and gut contents were carried out and the diet composition was compared to the potential preys available in the natural environment. Samples were collected from different places in San Antonio Bay, a Marine Protected Area in San Matías Gulf. Type and number of prey present in the digestive tracts were registered and frequency of occurrence (%FO) and number of prey (%N) were calculated for each study area. Amphipods (Gammaridae, Caprellidae and Hiperidae) and decapods are the main dietary items of H. patagonicus in San Antonio Bay. There were differences in %FO and %N at different sites, which could indicate differences in abundance and availability of prey in the environment. No dietary differences were detected between sex and size of seahorse (ANOVA, P > 0.05). Results from the present study show that, in nature and probably due to limiting environmental factors, H. patagonicus behaves as an opportunistic predator, which preys on the most abundant and vulnerable species present in the environment.
The use and abuse of dogs on Scott's and Amundsen's South Pole expeditions
Authors: Murray Carl
Published: July 2008

In the century since Roald Amundsen and Robert F. Scott led the first and second expeditions to reach the South Pole, commentators have frequently passed judgement on the different means of transport that the two explorers employed. In hindsight, and since he ‘won,’ they have consistently praised Amundsen for using dogs exclusively and criticised Scott for not doing the same. Surprisingly, however, almost no attention has been given to the experience of Amundsen's dogs, whose extreme suffering seems to have vanished into a collective blind spot. Here, with the aim of restoring balance to one part of the vexed historiography of the two explorers, that record is set straight. Amundsen's troubled and contradictory attitude towards his animals is also explored and common misconceptions about Scott's views on the use of dogs for transport are confuted.
Toleration and exclusion: al-Shāfi‘ī and al-Ghazālī on the treatment of apostates
Authors: GRIFFEL FRANK
Published: July 2008

The muslim judgement against apostates has in recent years been applied in cases of publicly expressed conviction that contradict generally accepted foundations of the Muslim faith. This situation is, however, only the outcome of a theological and legal development in the 5th/11th century. Until that time, the judgement of apostasy (irtidād) could not have been applied against Muslims who voiced opinions that were regarded as unbelief. The rules for this earlier period were written down by al-Shāfi‘ī in his Kitāb al-Umm. His interpretation of the legal institution of istitāba leads to the acknowledgement that the judgement of irtidād is applicable only in a very small number of cases. This reflects legal sensitivity in the period of mass conversions when the secret practice of pre-Islamic religious rites amongst newly converted Muslims might have been widespread. Al-Shāfi‘ī's guidelines, based on earlier judgements within the Kufan tradition, gained widespread acceptance in the Hanafī, Hanbalī, and Shāfi‘ī schools of law. A first change can be noted in the middle of the 5th/11th century when authors such as al-Māwardī and Abū Ya‘lā argued for a less generous application of the istitāba. Two generations later, al-Ghazālī (d. 555/1111) and his contemporaries such as Ibn ‘Aqīl (d. 513/1119) did not restrict the judgement of irtidād to cases of openly declared apostasy. Al-Ghazālī develops a reasoning which is fully aware of the change in law and of the deviation from long-established principles. His own condemnation of three key statements of the falāsifa, expressed in his Tahāfut al-falāsifa, would be impossible without his identification of kufr with irtidād in earlier works.
Kuru kings, Tura Kāvaseya, and the -tvāya gerund
Authors: PROFERES THEODORE
Published: July 2008

The present paper provides new evidence to support recent suggestions that a significant transformation of early Vedic culture was promoted by the kings of the Kuru dynasty, and argues that this transformation was fundamental to the establishment of the śrauta system of rituals. The evidence in question concerns a number of verse mantras in śrauta liturgies which, contrary to the rule, have no parallels in the Rgveda. It is suggested that the reason why new verse mantras were composed in these limited cases is that the rites for which they were intended were all rites of sovereignty through which the Kuru kings proclaimed, legitimized, and consolidated their hegemony.
Archaeology and cognitive evolution
Authors: Wynn Thomas
Published: July 2008

Archaeology can provide two bodies of information relevant to the understanding of the evolution of human cognition – the timing of developments, and the evolutionary context of these developments. The challenge is methodological. Archaeology must document attributes that have direct implications for underlying cognitive mechanisms. One example of such a cognitive archaeology is found in spatial cognition. The archaeological record documents an evolutionary sequence that begins with ape-equivalent spatial abilities 2.5 million years ago and ends with the appearance of modern abilities in the still remote past of 400,000 years ago. The timing of these developments reveals two major episodes in the evolution in spatial ability, one, 1.5 million years ago and the other, one million years later. The two episodes of development in spatial cognition had very different evolutionary contexts. The first was associated with the shift to an open country adaptive niche that occurred early in the time range of Homo erectus. The second was associated with no clear adaptive shift, though it does appear to have coincided with the invasion of more hostile environments and the appearance of systematic hunting of large mammals. Neither, however, occurred in a context of modern hunting and gathering.
Is the self-organizing consciousness framework compatible with human deductive reasoning?
Authors: Barrouillet Pierre , Markovits Henry
Published: July 2008

As stressed by Perruchet & Vinter, the SOC model echoes Johnson-Laird's mental model theory. Indeed, the latter rejects rule-based processing and assumes that reasoning is achieved through the manipulation of conscious representations. However, the mental model theory as well as its modified versions resorts to the abstraction of complex schemas and some form of implicit logic that seems incompatible with the SOC approach.
Consciousness organizes more than itself: Findings from subliminal mere exposure research
Authors: Bornstein Robert F.
Published: July 2008

Contrary to Perruchet & Vinter's self-organizing consciousness (SOC) model, subliminal mere exposure (SME) research indicates that stimuli perceived without awareness produce robust effects. Moreover, SME effects are significantly stronger than mere exposure effects produced by clearly recognized stimuli. The SOC model must be revised to accommodate findings from studies that use affect-based outcome measures.
A complete theory of human evolution of intelligence must consider stage changes
Authors: Commons Michael Lamport , Miller Patrice Marie
Published: July 2008

We show 13 stages of the development of tool-use and tool making during different eras in the evolution of Homo sapiens. We used the NeoPiagetian Model of Hierarchical Complexity rather than Piaget's. We distinguished the use of existing methods imitated or learned from others, from doing such a task on one's own.
Does complex behaviour imply complex cognitive abilities?
Authors: Coventry Kenny R. , Clibbens John
Published: July 2008

In this commentary, we propose that the shifts in symmetry Wynn documents may be explained in terms of simpler mechanisms than he suggests. Furthermore, we argue that it is dangerous to draw definitive conclusions about the cognitive abilities of a species from the level of symmetry observed in the artefacts produced by that species.
Modeling consciousness
Authors: Dandurand Frédéric , Shultz Thomas R.
Published: July 2008

Perruchet & Vinter do not fully resolve issues about the role of consciousness and the unconscious in cognition and learning, and it is doubtful that consciousness has been computationally implemented. The cascade-correlation (CC) connectionist model develops high-order feature detectors as it learns a problem. We describe an extension, knowledge-based cascade-correlation (KBCC), that uses knowledge to learn in a hierarchical fashion.
The self-organizing conundrum
Authors: Destrebecqz Arnaud , Cleeremans Axel
Published: July 2008

Perruchet and Vinter stop short of fully embracing the implications of their own SOC framework, and hence end up defending an implausible perspective on consciousness. We suggest instead that consciousness should be viewed as a graded dimension defined over quality of representation. This graded perspective eliminates the most problematic aspects of the cognitive unconscious without denying its existence altogether.
Evolution of the reasoning hominid brain
Authors: Epstein Herman T.
Published: July 2008

Cognition is readily seen to be connected to evolution through plots of the ratio of cranial capacity to body size of hominids which show two regions of sharply increasing ratios beginning at 2.5 and 0.5 million years ago – precisely the critical times inferred by the author from his study of tools. A similar correlation exists between current human brain growth spurts and the onsets of the Piagetian stages of reasoning development. The first goal of the author's target article is stated to be “to make a case for the relevance of archeological contributions to studies of the evolution of cognition” (sect. 1, Introduction). His analysis focuses on spatial cognition.
Tacit symmetry detection and explicit symmetry processing
Authors: Gurd Jennifer M. , Fink Gereon R. , Marshall John C.
Published: July 2008

Wynn's claims are, in principle, entirely reasonable; although, as always, the devil is in the details. With respect to Wynn's discussion of the cultural evolution of artifactual symmetry, we provide a few more arguments for the utility of mirror symmetry and extend the enquiry into the tacit and explicit processing of natural and artifactual symmetry.
Mentalistic metatheory and strategies
Authors: Dulany Donelson E.
Published: July 2008

Mentalism (Dulany 1991; 1997) provides a metatheoretical alternative to the dominant cognitive view. This commentary briefly outlines its main propositions and what I see as strategies for its use and support at this stage. These propositions represent conscious states as the sole carriers of symbolic representations, and mental episodes as consisting exclusively of conscious states interrelated by nonconscious operations.
The explanatory limits of cognitive archaeology
Authors: Jeffares Ben
Published: July 2008

I make two claims about cognitive archaeology. I question its role, seeing psychology as yet another contributor to the archaeological tool-kit rather than as something unique. I then suggest that cognitive archaeology is not in a position to provide evolutionary contexts without other disciplines. As a consequence it cannot deliver on the provision of evolutionary contexts for cognitive evolution.
Natura non facit saltum: The need for the full continuum of mental representations
Authors: French Robert M.
Published: July 2008

Natura non facit saltum (Nature does not make leaps) was the lovely aphorism on which Darwin based his work on evolution. It applies as much to the formation of mental representations as to the formation of species, and therein lies our major disagreement with the SOC model proposed by Perruchet & Vinter.
Unconscious semantic access: A case against a hyperpowerful unconscious
Authors: Holender Daniel , Duscherer Katia
Published: July 2008

We analyze some of the recent evidence for unconscious semantic access stemming from tasks that, although based on a priming procedure, generate semantic congruity effects because of response competition, not semantic priming effects. We argue that such effects cannot occur without at least some glimpses of awareness about the identity and the meaning of a significant proportion of the primes.
Surfing on consciousness, or, a deliberately shallow outline of cognition
Authors: Jiménez Luis
Published: July 2008

By assuming that conscious states are the only constructs entitled to bear a cognitive status, while denying this status both to the learning processes and to their nonconscious outcomes, the SOC view leaves consciousness alone as the single tool to explain itself. This does not endow consciousness with any self-organizing properties, but rather, draws a deliberately shallow outline of cognition.
Unconscious abstraction in motor learning
Authors: Keisler Aysha S. , Willingham Daniel T.
Published: July 2008

Given the complexity and generalizability of motor skills, it is difficult to account for learning in this area without incorporating the concept of unconscious abstraction. A model based solely on association does not seem to account for data in this domain; specifically, instances that require learners to execute a practiced motor skill in a novel situation.
The conscious and the unconscious: A package deal
Authors: Kurthen Martin
Published: July 2008

Parsimony and simplicity in cognition theory are not achieved by excluding either the “cognitive unconscious” or consciousness from theoretical modeling, but rather, by eliminating redundant constructs independent of their location on the conscious-unconscious axis. Hence, Perruchet & Vinter's (P&V's) case against the “cognitive unconscious” does not work as an argument for consciousness, but rather as a rejection of the redundant background computational processes postulated in traditional cognition theory.
Putting meat on the bones: The necessity of empirical tests of hypotheses about cognitive evolution.
Authors: Schoenemann P. Thomas
Published: July 2008

Reconstructing the evolution of cognition requires maximal extraction of information from very sparse data. The role that archaeology plays in this process is important, but strong empirical tests of plausible hypotheses are absolutely critical. Quantitative measures of symmetry must be devised, a much deeper understanding of nonhuman primate spatial cognition is needed, and a better understanding of brain/behavior relationships across species is necessary to properly ground these hypotheses.
The reported demise of the cognitive unconscious is premature
Authors: Lambert Anthony J.
Published: July 2008

Perruchet & Vinter (P&V) claim that all mental representations are conscious and that the cognitive unconscious does not exist. Unfortunately, support for these claims is garnered illicitly, by defining the terms representation and computation in a way that is unduly restrictive and misleading. In addition, their proposals fail to engage adequately with critically important evidence and theory from neuropsychology concerning consciousness and cognition.
Rules, abstractions, and evolution
Authors: Litman Leonid , Reber Arthur S.
Published: July 2008

Perruchet & Vinter's article, for all its breadth and scope, has several deep problems: specifically, an eccentric notion of rule, a narrow notion of what it means for a mental instantiation to be abstract, and a failure to take into account fundamental principles of evolutionary biology. While not the only problems, these three are sufficient to seriously weaken their arguments.
Natural selection of visual symmetries
Authors: van der Helm Peter A.
Published: July 2008

Implicitly, Wynn's target article starts from the transformational definition of symmetry. Unlike his suggestion, this traditional definition and the recent holographic definition are relevant to the discussion on the cognitive evolution of visual symmetries. These definitions reveal underlying properties and, thereby, they support the natural selection hypothesis. The holographic definition even agrees with an indirect test of this hypothesis.
Oral and visual language are not processed in like fashion: Constraints on the products of the SOC
Authors: Parisse Christophe , Cohen Henri
Published: July 2008

The SOC framework does not take into account the fact that the oral modality consists of purely transient data, which is not the case for the other modalities. This, however, has important consequences on the nature of oral and written language, on language consciousness, on child language development, and on the history of linguistics.
Neo-associativism: Limited learning transfer without binding symbol representations
Authors: Phillips Steven
Published: July 2008

Perruchet & Vinter claim that with the additional capacity to determine whether two arbitrary stimuli are the same or different, their association-based PARSER model is sufficient to account for learning transfer. This claim overstates the generalization capacity of perceptual versus nonperceptual (symbolic) relational processes. An example shows why some types of learning transfer also require the capacity to bind arbitrary representations to nonperceptual relational symbols.
Is syntax a representation in itself?
Authors: Rivera-Gaxiola Maritza , Silva-Pereyra Juan Felipe
Published: July 2008

We address the issue of the nature of representations during development regarding language acquisition. The controversy of syntax as a process or operation for representation formation and syntax as a representation in itself is discussed. Eliminating the cognitive unconscious does not warrant a simplified, more parsimonious approach to human cognition in general.
Language heterogeneity and self-organizing consciousness
Authors: Wang William S.-Y. , Ke Jinyun
Published: July 2008

While the current generative paradigm in linguistics leans heavily toward computation, investigations on conscious representations are much welcome. The SOC model examines the acquisition of complex representations in individuals. We note that heterogeneity of representation in populations is a central issue that must be addressed as well. In addition to the self-organizing processes proposed for the individual, interactions among individuals must be incorporated in any comprehensive account of language.
The self-organizing consciousness entails additional intervening subsystems
Authors: Yamauchi Takashi
Published: July 2008

The self-organizing consciousness (SOC) is not sufficient to account for young children's ability to acquire complex rules and word-object mappings. First, the attention-association cycles suggested by the SOC are unlikely to happen because recurrence of particular stimulus properties usually disengages the attention of an observer. Second, “primitive processors” preinstalled in the system make the SOC unnecessarily complex.
Huygens' Principle: A case against optimality
Authors: Gaertner Hans-Martin
Published: July 2008

I will present evidence that nature does not optimize in the sense of Fermat's principle of least time, contrary to what Schoemaker's unintentionally ambiguous exposition might suggest. First, Huygens' principle, an alternative nonteleological account of Snell's law, is outlined. Second, I confront Fermat's principle with a substantive conceptual problem.
Semantic paralysis
Authors: Adams Fred
Published: July 2008

I challenge Jackendoff's claim that semantics should not be paralyzed by a failure to solve Brentano's problem of intentionality. I argue that his account of semantics is in fact paralyzed because it fails to live up to his own standards of naturalization, has no account of falsity, and gives the wrong semantic objects for words and thoughts.
On the role of frame-based knowledge in lexical representation
Authors: Andor József
Published: July 2008

In this commentary I discuss the role of types of knowledge and conceptual structures in lexical representation, revealing the explanatory potential of frame-based knowledge. Although frame-based lexical semantics is not alien to the theoretical model outlined in Jackendoff's conceptual semantics, testing its relevance to the analysis of the lexical evidence presented in his book has been left out of consideration.
brain, Meaning, Grammar, evolution
Authors: Arbib Michael A.
Published: July 2008

I reject Jackendoff's view of Universal Grammar as something that evolved biologically but applaud his integration of blackboard architectures. I thus recall the HEARSAY speech understanding system—the AI system that introduced the concept of “blackboard”—to provide another perspective on Jackendoff's architecture.
Physicalism plus intentionalism equals error theory
Authors: Stoljar Daniel
Published: July 2008

Byrne & Hilbert (B&H) combine physicalism about color with intentionalism about color experience. I argue that this combination leads to an “error theory” about color experience, that is, the doctrine that color experience is systematically illusory. But this conflicts with another aspect of B&H's position, namely, the denial of error theory.
“Grammar box” in the brain
Authors: Csépe Valéria
Published: July 2008

Brain activity data prove the existence of qualitatively different structures in the brain. However, the question is whether the human brain acts as linguists assume in their models. The modular architecture of grammar that has been claimed by many linguists raises some empirical questions. One of the main questions is whether the threefold abstract partition of language (into syntactic, phonological, and semantic domains) has distinct neural correlates.
Prefrontal cortex and the generation of oscillatory visual persistence
Authors: Elliott Mark A. , Conci Markus , Müller Hermann J.
Published: July 2008

In this commentary, the formation of “pre-iconic” visual-prime persistence is described in the context of prime-specific, independent-component activation at prefrontal and posterior EEG-recording sites. Although this activity subserves neural systems that are near identical to those described by Ruchkin and colleagues, we consider priming to be a dynamic process, identified with patterns of coherence and temporal structure of very high precision.
Beyond beanbag semantics
Authors: Dennett Daniel C.
Published: July 2008

Jackendoff's “mentalistic” semantics looks more radical than it is. It can best be understood as a necessary corrective to the traditional oversimplification that holds that psychological variation “cancels out” on the path from word to world. This reform parallels the “evo-devo” reform in evolutionary biology.
Thoughts from the long-term memory chair
Authors: Foster Jonathan K.
Published: July 2008

With reference to Ruchkins et al.'s framework, this commentary briefly considers the history of working memory, and whether, heuristically, this is a useful concept. A neuropsychologically motivated critique is offered, specifically with regard to the recent trend for working-memory researchers to conceptualise this capacity more as a process than as a set of distinct task-specific stores.
A conceptuocentric shift in the characterization of language
Authors: Dominey Peter Ford
Published: July 2008

Recognizing limitations of the “syntactocentric” perspective, Jackendoff proposes a model in which phonology, syntax, and conceptual systems are each independently combinatorial. We can ask, however, whether he has taken this issue to its logical conclusion. The fundamental question that is not fully addressed is whether the combinatorial aspect of syntax originated in, and derives from, the indeed “far richer” conceptual system, a question to be discussed.
More memory?
Authors: Grote Irene
Published: July 2008

Modern investigators of cognition ask about the conditions under which faculties occur rather than about their existence. This tendency, combined with the axiom of parsimony, emphasizes a paradigm shift in the fundamental principles of economic thought in science, mimicking evolutionary conceptualizations. The Ruchkin model of memory-related brain activity replaces less economic models. From interdisciplinary approaches, proceduralist models for other memory-related processes analogously support this model.
Linguistics fit for dialogue
Authors: Garrod Simon , Pickering Martin J.
Published: July 2008

Foundations of Language (Jackendoff 2002) sets out to reconcile generative accounts of language structure with psychological accounts of language processing. We argue that Jackendoff's “parallel architecture” is a particularly appropriate linguistic framework for the interactive alignment account of dialogue processing. It offers a helpful definition of linguistic levels of representation, it gives an interesting account of routine expressions, and it supports radical incrementality in processing.
Temporal lobe speech perception systems are part of the verbal working memory circuit: Evidence from two recent fMRI studies
Authors: Hickok Gregory , Buchsbaum Bradley
Published: July 2008

In the verbal domain, there is only very weak evidence favoring the view that working memory is an active state of long-term memory. We strengthen existing evidence by reviewing two recent fMRI studies of verbal working memory, which clearly demonstrate activation in the superior temporal lobe, a region known to be involved in processing speech during comprehension tasks.
What is the source of activation for working memory?
Authors: Jonides John , Awh Edward
Published: July 2008

Attentional processes that operate on the contents of memory to produce the activation that is described as working memory by Ruchkin et al. and others, involve a network of brain regions that include both prefrontal and parietal sites. This network appears to mimic the one that is activated by attentional processes that operate on information entering via the senses.
Incorporating semantics and individual differences in models of working memory
Authors: Keenan Janice M. , Hyönä Jukka , Kaakinen Johanna K.
Published: July 2008

Ruchkin et al.'s view of working memory as activated long-term memory is more compatible with language processing than models such as Baddeley's, but it raises questions about individual differences in working memory and the validity of domain-general capacity estimates. Does it make sense to refer to someone as having low working memory capacity if capacity depends on particular knowledge structures tapped by the task?
Psychologism and conceptual semantics
Authors: Jerzykiewicz Luke , Scott Sam
Published: July 2008

Psychologism is the attempt to account for the necessary truths of mathematics in terms of contingent psychological facts. It is widely regarded as a fallacy. Jackendoff's view of reference and truth entails psychologism. Therefore, he needs to either provide a defense of the doctrine, or show that the charge doesn't apply.
Working memory as a mental workspace: Why activated long-term memory is not enough
Authors: Logie Robert H. , Della Sala Sergio
Published: July 2008

Working-memory retention as activated long-term memory fails to capture orchestrated processing and storage, the hallmark of the concept of working memory. The event-related potential (ERP) data are compatible with working memory as a mental workspace that holds and manipulates information on line, which is distinct from long-term memory, and deals with the products of activated traces from stored knowledge.
Retention of order and the binding of verbal and spatial information in short-term memory: Constraints for proceduralist accounts
Authors: Maybery Murray T. , Parmentier Fabrice B. R. , Clissa Peter J.
Published: July 2008

Consistent with Ruchkin and colleagues' proceduralist account, recent research on grouping and verbal-spatial binding in immediate memory shows continuity across short- and long-term retention, and activation of classes of information extending beyond those typically allowed in modular models. However, Ruchkin et al.'s account lacks well-specified mechanisms for the retention of serial order, binding, and the control of activation through attention.
How Jackendoff helps us think
Authors: Molina Carlos
Published: July 2008

The nature of the relationship between language and thought has been quite elusive. We believe that its understanding is crucially dependent on the available notions of language and thought. Foundations of Language offers an unusually clear and complete account of both, providing a fruitful and much needed framework for future research. No doubt it will help us think better about these elusive complexities.
Neglecting the posterior parietal cortex: The role of higher-order perceptual memories for working-memory retention
Authors: Mecklinger Axel , Opitz Bertram
Published: July 2008

The view that posterior brain systems engaged in lower-order perceptual functions are activated during sustained retention is challenged by fMRI data, which show consistent retention-related activation of higher-order memory representations for a variety of working-memory materials. Sustained retention entails the dynamic link of these higher-order memories with schemata for goal-oriented action housed by the frontal lobes.
Developmental evidence for working memory as activated long-term memory
Authors: Morra Sergio
Published: July 2008

There is remarkable agreement between Ruchkin et al.'s psychophysiological views and my own model, based on developmental-experimental evidence, of working memory as activated long-term memory (LTM). I construe subvocal rehearsal as an operative scheme that maintains order information and demands attentional resources. Encoding and retrieving operations also demand attention. Another share of resources is used for keeping activated specific LTM representations.
Will the unitary view survive the short- and long-term?
Authors: Patterson Michael D. , Rypma Bart
Published: July 2008

In this commentary, we focus on four points. First, we discuss the assertion that the unitary model explains dissociations that implicate multiple systems. Second, the distinct nature of information utilized in immediate- and delayed-recall supports the distinct memory systems view. Third, the variable nature of capacity limits corroborates this view. Finally, we review event-related fMRI results that suggest support for multiple systems.
Linear order and its place in grammar
Authors: Wiese Richard
Published: July 2008

This commentary discusses the division of labor between syntax and phonology, starting with the parallel model of grammar developed by Jackendoff. It is proposed that linear, left-to-right order of linguistic items is not represented in syntax, but in phonology. Syntax concerns the abstract relations of categories alone. All components of grammar contribute to linear order, by means of the interface rules.
Working memory as a state of activated long-term memory: A plausible theory, but other data provide more compelling evidence
Authors: Rösler Frank , Heil Martin
Published: July 2008

The identity of working-memory and long-term memory representations follows from many lines of evidence. However, the data provided by Ruchkin et al. are hardly compelling, as they make unproved assumptions about hypothetical generators. We cite studies from our lab in which congruent slow-wave topographies were found for short-term and long-term memory tasks, strongly suggesting that both activate identical cell assemblies.
Toward better mutual understanding
Authors: Jackendoff Ray
Published: July 2008

The commentaries show the wide variety of incommensurable viewpoints on language that Foundations of Language attempts to integrate. In order to achieve a more comprehensive framework that preserves genuine insights coming from all sides, everyone will have to give a little.
The contribution of long-term memory and the role of frontal-lobe systems in on-line processing
Authors: Ryan Jennifer D. , Cohen Neal J.
Published: July 2008

Ruchkin et al. ascribe a pivotal role to long-term memory representations and binding within working memory. Here we focus on the interaction of working memory and long-term memory in supporting on-line representations of experience available to guide on-going processing, and we distinguish the role of frontal-lobe systems from what the hippocampus contributes to relational long-term memory binding.
The short-term/long-term memory distinction: Back to the past?
Authors: Vallar Giuseppe
Published: July 2008

The view that short-term memory should be conceived of as being a process based on the activation of long-term memory is inconsistent with neuropsychological evidence. Data from brain-damaged patients, showing specific patterns of impairment, are compatible with a vision of memory as a multiple-component system, whose different aspects, in neurologically unimpaired subjects, show a high degree of interaction.
Working memory: Unemployed but still doing day labor
Authors: Ruchkin Daniel S. , Grafman Jordan , Cameron Katherine , Berndt Rita S.
Published: July 2008

The goal of our target article is to establish that electrophysiological data constrain models of short-term memory retention operations to schemes in which activated long-term memory is its representational basis. The temporary stores correspond to neural circuits involved in the perception and subsequent processing of the relevant information, and do not involve specialized neural circuits dedicated to the temporary holding of information outside of those embedded in long-term memory. The commentaries ranged from general agreement with the view that short-term memory stores correspond to activated long-term memory (e.g., Abry, Sato, Schwartz, Loevenbruck & Cathiard [Abry etal.], Cowan, Fuster, Grote, Hickok & Buchsbaum, Keenan, Hyönä & Kaakinen [Keenan et al.], Martin, Morra), to taking a definite exception to this view (e.g., Baddeley, Düzel, Logie & Della Sala, Kroger, Majerus, Van der Linden, Colette & Salmon [Majerus et al.], Vallar).
Prelinguistic evolution in early hominins: Whence motherese?
Authors: Falk Dean
Published: July 2008

In order to formulate hypotheses about the evolutionary underpinnings that preceded the first glimmerings of language, mother-infant gestural and vocal interactions are compared in chimpanzees and humans and used to model those of early hominins. These data, along with paleoanthropological evidence, suggest that prelinguistic vocal substrates for protolanguage that had prosodic features similar to contemporary motherese evolved as the trend for enlarging brains in late australopithecines/early Homo progressively increased the difficulty of parturition, thus causing a selective shift toward females that gave birth to relatively undeveloped neonates. It is hypothesized that hominin mothers adopted new foraging strategies that entailed maternal silencing, reassuring, and controlling of the behaviors of physically removed infants (i.e., that shared human babies' inability to cling to their mothers' bodies). As mothers increasingly used prosodic and gestural markings to encourage juveniles to behave and to follow, the meanings of certain utterances (words) became conventionalized. This hypothesis is based on the premises that hominin mothers that attended vigilantly to infants were strongly selected for, and that such mothers had genetically based potentials for consciously modifying vocalizations and gestures to control infants, both of which receive support from the literature.
To give and to give not: The behavioral ecology of human food transfers
Authors: Gurven Michael
Published: July 2008

The transfer of food among group members is a ubiquitous feature of small-scale forager and forager-agricultural populations. The uniqueness of pervasive sharing among humans, especially among unrelated individuals, has led researchers to evaluate numerous hypotheses about the adaptive functions and patterns of sharing in different ecologies. This article attempts to organize available cross-cultural evidence pertaining to several contentious evolutionary models: kin selection, reciprocal altruism, tolerated scrounging, and costly signaling. Debates about the relevance of these models focus primarily on the extent to which individuals exert control over the distribution of foods they acquire, and the extent to which donors receive food or other fitness-enhancing benefits in return for shares given away. Each model can explain some of the variance in sharing patterns within groups, and so generalizations that ignore or deny the importance of any one model may be misleading. Careful multivariate analyses and cross-cultural comparisons of food transfer patterns are therefore necessary tools for assessing aspects of the sexual division of labor, human life history evolution, and the evolution of the family. This article also introduces a framework for better understanding variation in sharing behavior across small-scale traditional societies. I discuss the importance of resource ecology and the degree of coordination in acquisition activities as a key feature that influences sharing behavior.