Recognition of familiar and unfamiliar music in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease

We tested normal young and elderly adults and elderly Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients on recognition memory for tunes. In Experiment 1, AD patients and age-matched controls received a study list and an old/new recognition test of highly familiar, traditional tunes, followed by a study list and test of novel tunes. The controls performed better than did the AD patients. The controls showed the “mirror effect” of increased hits and reduced false alarms for traditional versus novel tunes, whereas the patients false-alarmed as often to traditional tunes as to novel tunes. Experiment 2 compared young adults and healthy elderly persons using a similar design. Performance was lower in the elderly group, but both younger and older subjects showed the mirror effect. Experiment 3 produced confusion between preexperimental familiarity and intraexperimental familiarity by mixing traditional and novel tunes in the study lists and tests. Here, the subjects in both age groups resembled the patients of Experiment 1 in failing to show the mirror effect. Older subjects again performed more poorly, and they differed qualitatively from younger subjects in setting stricter criteria for more nameable tunes. Distinguishing different sources of global familiarity is a factor in tune recognition, and the data suggest that this type of source monitoring is impaired in AD and involves different strategies in younger and older adults.

When that tune runs through your head: a PET investigation of auditory imagery for familiar melodies

The present study used positron emission tomography (PET) to examine the cerebral activity pattern associated with auditory imagery for familiar tunes. Subjects either imagined the continuation of nonverbal tunes cued by their first few notes, listened to a short sequence of notes as a control task, or listened and then reimagined that short sequence. Subtraction of the activation in the control task from that in the real-tune imagery task revealed primarily right-sided activation in frontal and superior temporal regions, plus supplementary motor area (SMA). Isolating retrieval of the real tunes by subtracting activation in the reimagine task from that in the real-tune imagery task revealed activation primarily in right frontal areas and right superior temporal gyrus. Subtraction of activation in the control condition from that in the reimagine condition, intended to capture imagery of unfamiliar sequences, revealed activation in SMA, plus some left frontal regions. We conclude that areas of right auditory association cortex, together with right and left frontal cortices, are implicated in imagery for familiar tunes, in accord with previous behavioral, lesion and PET data. Retrieval from musical semantic memory is mediated by structures in the right frontal lobe, in contrast to results from previous studies implicating left frontal areas for all semantic retrieval. The SMA seems to be involved specifically in image generation, implicating a motor code in this process.

Memory for the absolute pitch of familiar songs

Four experiments were conducted to examine the ability of people without "perfect pitch" to retain the absolute pitch offamiliar tunes. In Experiment 1, participants imagined given tunes, and then hummed their first notes four times either between or within sessions. The variability of these productions was very low. Experiment 2 used a recognition paradigm, with results similar to those in Experiment 1 for musicians, but with some additional variability shown for unselected subjects. In Experiment 3, subjects rated the suitability ofvarious pitches to start familiar tunes. Previously given preferred notes were rated high, as were notes three or four semitones distant from the preferred notes, but not notes one or two semitones distant. In Experiment 4, subjects mentally transformed the pitches of familiar tunes to the highest and lowest levels possible. These experiments suggest some retention of the absolute pitch of tunes despite a paucity of verbal or visual cues for the pitch.

The organization of memory for familiar songs

Investigated the organizing principles in memory for familiar songs in 2 experiments. It was hypothesized that individuals do not store and remember each song in isolation. Rather, there exists a rich system of relationships among tunes that can be revealed through similarity rating studies and memory tasks. One initial assumption was the division of relations among tunes into musical (e.g., tempo, rhythm) and nonmusical similarity. In Exp I, 20 undergraduates were asked to sort 60 familiar tunes into groups according to both musical and nonmusical criteria. Clustering analyses showed clear patterns of nonmusical similarity but few instances of musical similarity. Exp II, with 16 Ss, explored the psychological validity of the nonmusical relationships revealed in Exp I. A speeded verification task showed that songs similar to each other are confused more often than are distantly related songs. A free-recall task showed greater clustering for closely related songs than for distantly related ones. The relationship between these studies and studies of semantic memory is discussed. Also, the contribution of musical training and individual knowledge to the organization of the memory system is considered. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Perceived and Imagined Tempos of Familiar Songs

Two studies investigated the similarity of metronome settings to perceived and imagined familiar songs by subjects unselected for musical ability. In Study 1, mean tempo settings in the two tasks were about 100 beats per minute. Songs with slower perceived tempos tended to be faster in the imagery task and vice versa. In Study 2, subjects set fastest and slowest acceptable tempos for the same set of songs in the imagery mode. These settings were positively correlated with the preferred tempo for the song. Most subjects thought that there were limits on how fast or slow a song could be imagined. These results suggest that tempo is explicitly represented in auditory imagery.

Metamemory judgments for familiar and unfamiliar tunes

Metamemory is an important skill that allows humans to monitor their own memory abilities; however, little research has concerned what perceptual information influences metamemory judgments. A series of experiments assessed the accuracy of metamemory judgments for music as well as determined if metamemory judgments are affected by ease of processing of musical features. A recognition memory task inconjunction with metamemory judgments (Judgments of Learning, or JOLs) were used to determine actual and predicted memory performance. We found that changing the ease of processing of the volume and timbre of unfamiliar tunes affected metamemory judgments, but not memory performance, for unfamiliar tunes. Manipulating the ease ofprocessing of the timbre and tempo of familiar tunes did not affect metamemory judgments or memory performance although metamemory accuracy on an item-by-item basis was better for familiar tunes as compared to unfamiliar tunes. Thus, metamemory judgments for unfamiliar tunes are more sensitive to ease of processing changes ascompared to familiar tunes, suggesting that different types of information are processed in different ways.

Regrouping rabbit does in a familiar or novel pen: Effects on agonistic behaviour, injuries and core body temperature

Regrouping female rabbits in group-housing systems is common management practice in rabbit breeding, which may, however, induce agonistic interactions resulting in social stress and severe injuries. Here we compared two methods of regrouping female rabbits with respect to their effects on behaviour, stress and injuries. Thus, we introduced two unfamiliar rabbits into a group of rabbits either in the group's familiar pen (HOME) or in a novel disinfected pen (NOVEL), and assessed the effects of these treatments on general activity, number and duration of agonistic interactions, number and severity of injuries and body temperature as a measure of stress. General activities were not affected by the method of regrouping. Also, treatment had no effect on the number and duration of agonistic interactions. However, the numbers of injuries (P=0.030) as well as body temperature on the first clay after regrouping (p=0.0036) were increased in rabbits regrouped in a novel clean pen. These findings question the recommendation to introduce unfamiliar does into established groups in a neutral environment and indicate that regrouping in the group's home pen may decrease the risk of severe injuries and social stress. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alexander’s Dictum and the Reality of Familiar Objects

Alexander's Dictum--"to be is to have causal powers"--appears to furnish an argument against the reality of familiar medium-sized objects. For every time a familiar object appears to cause a familiar macro-event, it sets up a rival claim by its component microparticles to have caused the complex swarm of microphysical events that composes into that macro-event. But this argument, argues this paper, wrongly assumes that even after familiar objects are removed from the picture, there is a phenomenon of joint causation which unites all and only the microparticles within each familiar object.

Sobre la dimensión familiar de la escolarización y el trabajo docente. En: Avá, nº 17

En este artículo reflexionamos sobre el trabajo de los docentes en relación al lugar de los padres de sus alumnos en el espacio de la escuela. Partimos de la tensión que notamos entre un proyecto institucional que explícitamente reserva un papel específico a las familias en lo que refiere a “la educación” de los niños, lo que requiere la mediación de los docentes a través de una serie de prácticas; y las valoraciones de los maestros sobre los modos de vincularse inicialmente con el proyecto, y formarse progresivamente, en el marco de la institución. Aquí planteamos que la dimensión familiar de lo escolar resulta constitutiva del trabajo de los docentes. Por otro lado, la construcción que realizan los padres sobre los procesos de escolarización, que estructuran sobre la idea de cierta optatividad, imprimirá sobre la tarea de los maestros determinadas particularidades que se articularán con las valoraciones de los docentes sobre su propio trabajo.

Relaciones de parentesco en la producción familiar capitalizada del sur de Santa Fe. En: Avá, nº 16

La región sur de la provincia de Santa Fe responde a los requerimientos de especialización productiva agrícola a través del cual el país se integra a los mercados internacionales. Dicha especialización, centrada mayormente en el cultivo de soja, está asociada a la profundización del capital en las relaciones de producción pero mantiene la condición de espacio productivo familiar. La presencia de trabajo familiar en la agricultura de esta región es una variable relevante que define a estas explotaciones. En este artículo se relatan las relaciones de parentesco en las diferentes estrategias de reproducción. El trabajo conjunto y la asociación entre parientes son prácticas comunes en el proceso de continuidad sobre la tierra heredada.

Plan de negocio de una empresa familiar, Bodega Dos Familias

El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar un plan de negocios para la Bodega Dos Familias. El plan de negocios es fundamental para el empresario, tanto para una gran compañía como para una PYME. En distintas situaciones de la vida de una empresa se hace necesario mostrar en un documento único todos los aspectos de un proyecto: ya sea para su aprobación por superiores dentro de la organización, para convencer a un inversionista, para respaldar un pedido de crédito, para presentar una oferta de compraventa, o para interesar a un potencial socio. Es un documento único que reúne información para evaluar un negocio y los requisitos para ponerlo en marcha, porque no basta con tener una buena idea sino que debe ser factible en su contexto. Resulta fundamental a la hora de buscar financiamiento, socios e inversionistas y como guía para quienes están al frente de la empresa. El plan de negocios servirá como guía a la bodega para competir de forma eficiente en los complejos mercados actuales. Interesará como herramienta para facilitar un análisis integral y será presentado a otras partes involucradas en el proyecto (inversionistas, socios, bancos, proveedores, clientes).

Mejoramiento continuo de procesos internos en empresa familiar

Rerda S.A. representa la empresa en la cual se desarrollará y aplicará el objeto de este trabajo de investigación. Se trata de una empresa familiar destinada principalmente a la confección y venta de uniformes para la policía. Desde hace más de 50 años lidera en el mercado, distinguiéndose de sus competidores gracias a la calidad de sus prendas, variable que hasta el momento ninguno de ellos ha podido superar. Esta empresa ha experimentado un crecimiento importante en la última década que no ha sido acompañado de cambios en su estructura ni en la toma de decisiones. Estos dos aspectos son fundamentales a la hora de evaluar los resultados que se observan en el actuar cotidiano de sus empleados e incluso de la misma gerencia. Es de vital importancia generar cambios en este sentido para asegurar el crecimiento y continuidad de la empresa en este sector.

Jóvenes trabajadores mendocinos : trayectorias laborales y su condicionante familiar

Fil: Dalla Torre, Julieta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

El testamento como herramienta idónea para la protección familiar

La presente obra tiene por objeto informar al lector sobre la necesidad actual de contar con una buena planificación sucesoria que proteja a su familia al momento de su deceso, utilizando para tal fin la tan ventajosa herramienta denominada testamento, entre otras.