The role of multisensory memories in unisensory object discrimination.

Past multisensory experiences can influence current unisensory processing and memory performance. Repeated images are better discriminated if initially presented as auditory-visual pairs, rather than only visually. An experience's context thus plays a role in how well repetitions of certain aspects are later recognized. Here, we investigated factors during the initial multisensory experience that are essential for generating improved memory performance. Subjects discriminated repeated versus initial image presentations intermixed within a continuous recognition task. Half of initial presentations were multisensory, and all repetitions were only visual. Experiment 1 examined whether purely episodic multisensory information suffices for enhancing later discrimination performance by pairing visual objects with either tones or vibrations. We could therefore also assess whether effects can be elicited with different sensory pairings. Experiment 2 examined semantic context by manipulating the congruence between auditory and visual object stimuli within blocks of trials. Relative to images only encountered visually, accuracy in discriminating image repetitions was significantly impaired by auditory-visual, yet unaffected by somatosensory-visual multisensory memory traces. By contrast, this accuracy was selectively enhanced for visual stimuli with semantically congruent multisensory pasts and unchanged for those with semantically incongruent multisensory pasts. The collective results reveal opposing effects of purely episodic versus semantic information from auditory-visual multisensory events. Nonetheless, both types of multisensory memory traces are accessible for processing incoming stimuli and indeed result in distinct visual object processing, leading to either impaired or enhanced performance relative to unisensory memory traces. We discuss these results as supporting a model of object-based multisensory interactions.

The role of the object and the mourning process in the child

The young child's ability to go through a genuine mourning process has been a source of controversy in the psychoanalytical literature. This may seem surprising, considering that mourning is essential for and inherent to psychic development. This paper attempts to show that the young child's ability to go through a mourning process does not depend mainly on ego maturity, nor just on an acknowledgment of a loss in the external world, nor on the child's understanding the idea of death at an intellectual and cognitive level. But it may depend mainly on the establishment of the primordial mourning process inherent to the separation of the transnarcissistic mother-child relation and on the existence of the objectalizing function (A. Green, 1986) in the remaining or substitute parent's psyche. A clinical example serves to illustrate these hypotheses.

The "speech of the 'intelligentsia" as the object of the study of Soviet social linguistics

В статье будут рассмотрены два исследования русского и советского лингвиста Е.Д. Поливанова, посвященные фонетике «интеллигентского языка». В начале 1930-ч гг. Поливанов выдвинул новаторскую теорию языка, основанную на изучении социолектов и групповых диалектов русского языка современности. Язык интеллигенции - один из излюбленных предметов исследований лингвиста. Поливанов доказывает, что изменениям подвержен не только словарный запас, но и фонетика, и приводит конкретные примеры фонетических изменений, вызванных революцией.

Object-oriented Bayesian networks for evaluating DIP-STR profiling results from unbalanced DNA mixtures.

The genetic characterization of unbalanced mixed stains remains an important area where improvement is imperative. In fact, with current methods for DNA analysis (Polymerase Chain Reaction with the SGM Plus™ multiplex kit), it is generally not possible to obtain a conventional autosomal DNA profile of the minor contributor if the ratio between the two contributors in a mixture is smaller than 1:10. This is a consequence of the fact that the major contributor's profile 'masks' that of the minor contributor. Besides known remedies to this problem, such as Y-STR analysis, a new compound genetic marker that consists of a Deletion/Insertion Polymorphism (DIP), linked to a Short Tandem Repeat (STR) polymorphism, has recently been developed and proposed elsewhere in literature [1]. The present paper reports on the derivation of an approach for the probabilistic evaluation of DIP-STR profiling results obtained from unbalanced DNA mixtures. The procedure is based on object-oriented Bayesian networks (OOBNs) and uses the likelihood ratio as an expression of the probative value. OOBNs are retained in this paper because they allow one to provide a clear description of the genotypic configuration observed for the mixed stain as well as for the various potential contributors (e.g., victim and suspect). These models also allow one to depict the assumed relevance relationships and perform the necessary probabilistic computations.

Ecologia e rappresentazione dello spazio: Saviano, Tournier, DeLillo

Résumé: Great traveller and tireless observer, the Sicilian poet and writer Bartolo Cattafi was trying to escape from his land for his whole life, which was conducted paradoxically autour de sa chambre, but also travelling through islands and continents, where he found inspiration for his poetry and prose. For this reason, his literary contribution, which never betrayed his poetic nature and reporter character, gives an added value to the modern ulyssic dimension. The latter considers travelling as an essential life step and it is closely related to the concept of attachment to its own land. These two perspectives, often met in his different «isole lontane», define the career of this singular migrant figure. Initially he moves to Milan to fulfil the need to find a job. Later he will find in his own Sicily the harmony and the serenity he has been looking for in the course of his travels. The writings collected in 2008 and object of this study reveal interesting affinities to those published in the "Mondadori" series edited by his good friend Vittorio Sereni and that explain part of the works belonging to the Sicilian author, clarifying his topoi and obsessions.

Sex differences: From mental rotation to object location memory, an ERP study

Sex differences in cognition have been largely investigated. The most consistent sex differences favoring females are observed in object location memory involving the left hemisphere whereas the most consistent sex differences favoring males are observed in tasks that require mental rotation involving the right hemisphere. Here we used a task involving these two abilities to see the impact of mental rotation on object location memory. To that end we used a combination of behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) electroencephalography (EEG) measures.A computer screen displayed a square frame of 4 pairs of images (a "teddy" bear, a shoe, an umbrella and a lamp) randomly arranged around a central fixation cross. After a 10-second interval for memorization, images disappeared and were replaced by a test frame with no image but a random pair of two locations marked in black. In addition, this test frame was randomly displayed either in the original orientation (0° rotation) or in the rotated one (90° clockwise - CW - or 90° counterclockwise - CCW). Preceding the test frame, an arrow indicating the presence or the absence of rotation of the frame was displayed on the screen. The task of the participants (15 females and 15 males) was to determine if two marked locations corresponded or not to a pair of identical images. Each response was followed by feedback.Findings showed no significant sex differences in the performance of the original orientation. In comparison with this position, the rotation of the frame produced an equal decrease of male and female performance. In addition, this decrease was significantly higher when the rotation of the frame was in a CCW direction. We further assessed the ERP when the arrow indicated the direction of rotation as stimulus-onset, during four time windows representing major components C1, P1, N1 and N2. Although no sex differences were observed in performance, brain activities differed according to sex. Enhanced amplitudes were found for the CCW compared to CW rotation over the right posterior areas for the P1, N1 and N2 components for men as well as for women. Major topographical differences related to sex were measured for the CW rotation condition as marked lateralized amplitude: left-hemisphere amplitude larger than right one was measured during P1 time range for men. These similar patterns prolonged from P1 to N1 for women. Early distinctions were found in interaction with sex between CCW and CW waveform amplitudes, expressing over anterior electrode sites during C1 time range (0-50 ms post-stimulus).In conclusion (i) women do not outperform men in object location memory in this study (absence of rotation condition); (ii) mental rotation, in particular the direction of rotation, influences performance on object location memory; (iii) CCW rotation is associated with activity in the right parietal hemisphere whereas the CW rotation involves the left parietal hemisphere; (iv) this last effect is less pronounced in males, which could explain why greater involvement of right parietal areas in men and of bilateral posterior areas in women is generally reported in mental rotation tasks; and (v) the early distinctions between both directions of rotation located over anterior sites could be related to sex differences in their respective involvement of control mechanisms.

Sex differences: From mental rotation to object location memory, an ERP study

Sex differences in cognition have been largely investigated. The most consistent sex differences favoring females are observed in object location memory involving the left hemisphere whereas the most consistent sex differences favoring males are observed in tasks that require mental rotation involving the right hemisphere. Here we used a task involving these two abilities to see the impact of mental rotation on object location memory. To that end we used a combination of behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) electroencephalography (EEG) measures.A computer screen displayed a square frame of 4 pairs of images (a "teddy" bear, a shoe, an umbrella and a lamp) randomly arranged around a central fixation cross. After a 10-second interval for memorization, images disappeared and were replaced by a test frame with no image but a random pair of two locations marked in black. In addition, this test frame was randomly displayed either in the original orientation (0° rotation) or in the rotated one (90° clockwise - CW - or 90° counterclockwise - CCW). Preceding the test frame, an arrow indicating the presence or the absence of rotation of the frame was displayed on the screen. The task of the participants (15 females and 15 males) was to determine if two marked locations corresponded or not to a pair of identical images. Each response was followed by feedback.Findings showed no significant sex differences in the performance of the original orientation. In comparison with this position, the rotation of the frame produced an equal decrease of male and female performance. In addition, this decrease was significantly higher when the rotation of the frame was in a CCW direction. We further assessed the ERP when the arrow indicated the direction of rotation as stimulus-onset, during four time windows representing major components C1, P1, N1 and N2. Although no sex differences were observed in performance, brain activities differed according to sex. Enhanced amplitudes were found for the CCW compared to CW rotation over the right posterior areas for the P1, N1 and N2 components for men as well as for women. Major topographical differences related to sex were measured for the CW rotation condition as marked lateralized amplitude: left-hemisphere amplitude larger than right one was measured during P1 time range for men. These similar patterns prolonged from P1 to N1 for women. Early distinctions were found in interaction with sex between CCW and CW waveform amplitudes, expressing over anterior electrode sites during C1 time range (0-50 ms post-stimulus).In conclusion (i) women do not outperform men in object location memory in this study (absence of rotation condition); (ii) mental rotation, in particular the direction of rotation, influences performance on object location memory; (iii) CCW rotation is associated with activity in the right parietal hemisphere whereas the CW rotation involves the left parietal hemisphere; (iv) this last effect is less pronounced in males, which could explain why greater involvement of right parietal areas in men and of bilateral posterior areas in women is generally reported in mental rotation tasks; and (v) the early distinctions between both directions of rotation located over anterior sites could be related to sex differences in their respective involvement of control mechanisms.

Processus et fonctions psychiques de l'écriture : de la création littéraire au groupe à médiation

Ce travail porte sur l'étude des processus et fonctions psychiques de la création littéraire et de l'écriture dans une perspective psychanalytique, à partir d'une méthodologie de recherche qualitative exploratoire. Un premier volet de la recherche s'attache à étudier les processus et fonctions psychiques dans la création littéraire à partir de six entretiens semi-structurés avec des écrivains romands publiés. Les entretiens sont analysés en profondeur à partir de la méthodologie qualitative Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, Flowers & Larkin, 2009). Un second volet de la recherche étudie les processus et fonctions psychiques de l'écriture dans un atelier de groupe à médiation écriture prenant place dans un Centre de Jour pour adultes, à partir de l'élaboration de deux cas. L'articulation des analyses de ces expériences d'écriture dans les deux contextes étudiés permet de mettre en évidence des enjeux de continuité/discontinuité dans le passage du premier mouvement créateur de l'écriture - le « miroir-papier » - vers le mouvement de la publication/lecture - le « miroir-lecteur ». Ces enjeux de partage invitent à penser le travail créateur de l'écriture à partir de la notion de « Moi- peau » (Anzieu, 1995) et à préciser cinq fonctions psychiques de l'écriture : transformation ; protection ; échange ; réassurance narcissique ; partage. Un accent particulier est porté sur la fonction de protection, dans la tension qu'elle entretient avec celle de transformation, au travers de la mise en évidence de six formes d'enveloppes d'écriture protectrice. Finalement, les analyses mettent en évidence la manière dont cette tension entre un investissement défensif de l'écriture et un investissement de transformation se déploie par des voies singulières en vue d'une tentative de résolution du conflit subjectif interne entre les exigences du « public intérieur » (De M'Uzan, 1964) et la rencontre avec l'objet réel. Ces pistes d'analyses permettent de préciser les modalités de contribution de l'écriture aux processus de symbolisation et d'enrichir la pratique du champ des médiations thérapeutiques de repères d'appréciation clinique. - Based on an exploratory qualitative research methodology, this work focuses on the psychical processes and functions of literary creation and writing from a psychoanalytic perspective. The first part of the research investigates psychical processes and functions in creative writing through the analysis of six semi-structured interviews with published Swiss writers. The interviews are analyzed according to the exploratory qualitative methodology Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, Flowers & Larkin, 2009). The second area of research examines the processes of writing in the context of an art-therapy writing group that took place in an adult day center. The observations lead to the elaboration of two case studies. The joint analysis of these writing experiences highlights issues of continuity/discontinuity in passing from the first creative writing movement - the « mirror-paper » - to the final publication/reading of the work - the «mirror-reader». These issues enable us to understand the creative writing processes from the concept of the « skin-ego » (Anzieu, 1995). Five functions of writing are proposed: transformation, protection, exchange, narcissistic reassurance, and sharing. An emphasis on the tension between the protection and the transformation functions is highlighted through the identification of six forms of protective writing psychical envelopes. Finally, the analysis shows how this tension between a defensive and a transformative investment in writing takes place in an attempt to resolve the internal conflict between the « inner audience » (De M'Uzan, 1964) and the encounter with the real object. This study clarifies the way creative writing can contribute to symbolization and can enrich clinical assessment in the field of art-therapy.

Transformations in Deuteronomistic and Biblical Historiography. On "Book-Finding" and other Literary Strategies

L'a. cherche à dater l'historiographie deutéronomiste et à établir une transformation à l'intérieur de cette historiographie. Les écrits de propagande de l'époque de Josias (Rois, Deutéronome, Josué, Exode et Nombres) ont été changés après la catastrophe de 597/87 en récit historique prenant une distance et présentant la Tora prenant la relève de l'autorité perdue du Temple. L'A. peut ainsi pencher pour une rédaction de ce courant historiographique datant de l'époque post-éxilique.

Where sound position influences sound object representations: a 7-T fMRI study.

Evidence from human and non-human primate studies supports a dual-pathway model of audition, with partially segregated cortical networks for sound recognition and sound localisation, referred to as the What and Where processing streams. In normal subjects, these two networks overlap partially on the supra-temporal plane, suggesting that some early-stage auditory areas are involved in processing of either auditory feature alone or of both. Using high-resolution 7-T fMRI we have investigated the influence of positional information on sound object representations by comparing activation patterns to environmental sounds lateralised to the right or left ear. While unilaterally presented sounds induced bilateral activation, small clusters in specific non-primary auditory areas were significantly more activated by contra-laterally presented stimuli. Comparison of these data with histologically identified non-primary auditory areas suggests that the coding of sound objects within early-stage auditory areas lateral and posterior to primary auditory cortex AI is modulated by the position of the sound, while that within anterior areas is not.

Accurate memory for object location by individuals with intellectual disability: Absolute spatial tagging instead of configural processing?

Using head-mounted eye tracker material, we assessed spatial recognition abilities (e.g., reaction to object permutation, removal or replacement with a new object) in participants with intellectual disabilities. The "Intellectual Disabilities (ID)" group (n=40) obtained a score totalling a 93.7% success rate, whereas the "Normal Control" group (n=40) scored 55.6% and took longer to fix their attention on the displaced object. The participants with an intellectual disability thus had a more accurate perception of spatial changes than controls. Interestingly, the ID participants were more reactive to object displacement than to removal of the object. In the specific test of novelty detection, however, the scores were similar, the two groups approaching 100% detection. Analysis of the strategies expressed by the ID group revealed that they engaged in more systematic object checking and were more sensitive than the control group to changes in the structure of the environment. Indeed, during the familiarisation phase, the "ID" group explored the collection of objects more slowly, and fixed their gaze for a longer time upon a significantly lower number of fixation points during visual sweeping.