Interaction with a High- versus Low-Competence Influence Source in Inductive Reasoning

International audienceLiterature on inductive reasoning shows that when testing hypotheses, people are biased toward the use of confirmatory strategies (P. C. Wason, 1960). In the present article, the authors presented 2 studies showing how people use confirmation and disconfirmation strategies during actual interaction in problem solving. Study I showed that participants were able to learn to use disconfirmation when confronted with a low-competence, nonthreatening partner. When the partner was high in competence (thereby threatening the participant's competence), participants used confirmation, even when the partner used disconfirmation. In Study 2, the authors aimed at generalizing the aforementioned results by exploring the hypothesis that disconfirmation stems from the possibility of diverging from norms. Participants who were confronted with the violation of a conversational norm used a high proportion of disconfirmation, whatever the source of influence. When there was no violation but there was a low-competence partner, the proportion of disconfirmation was high; when there was no violation but there was a high-competence partner, the proportion of disconfirmation was low. The authors discussed the interpersonal functions of confirmation and disconfirmation

Epilessia e morbo di Wilson: discussione di un caso clinico e revisione della letteratura = Epilepsy and Wilson's disease: case report and literature review

We describe the case of a 26 years old patient, with neuro-psychiatric onset of Wilson's disease, who developed severe generalized dystonia, dysphagia and dysphonia, two weeks after introducing Penicillamine treatment. Brain MRI showed extensive damage of cerebral white matter and cortex in temporal lobes, basal ganglia, thalamus and brainsteam. Despite of treatment was shifted to Trientine and Zinc Acetate, there was not clinical improvement and a month later the patient presented a status epilepticus. In addition a new MRI showed an important extension of temporal lesions

DEVICE FOR REDUCING FAN-GENERATED NOISE

The present invention relates to a device (10) for reducing fan-generated noise, comprising: a plurality of grid elements (201, 902) identifying a main development plane, and empty portions (202) delimited by the grid elements (201, 902) and configured for the passage of an airflow through the device (10), wherein each of the grid elements (201, 902) comprises a respective inner cavity (501, 903) delimited by side walls, the side walls defining at least one tube opening (401) facing a respective one of the empty portions (202) and substantially orthogonal to the main development plane, the inner cavity (501, 903) being acoustic resonant for reducing the fan-generated noise. The device (10) has a substantially circular overall shape (101, 102, 103, 104) having a substantially circular outer edge (203), first grid elements (201) of the grid elements (201, 902) having their main direction of development aligned to the outer edge (203), the first grid elements (201) being tangentially arranged and aligned with each other on concentric circumferences in the substantially circular overall shape (101, 102, 103, 104)

ACOUSTIC ATTENUATION DEVICE FOR PROPAGATED SOUND THROUGH SURFACES

The present invention relates to un acoustic attenuation device (100) for propagated sound through surfaces. The acoustic attenuation device is of the layered type and comprises an innermost connection layer (101), adapted to associate the acoustic attenuation device (100) with at least one surface. The acoustic attenuation device (100) further comprises an intermediate layer (102), comprising a plurality of attenuation modules (103), each of which comprises at least one movable element (201) defined by at least one first opening (202), the at least one movable element (201) being adapted to vibrate relative to the at least one first opening (202) in a resonant manner when hit by the propagated sound, to attenuate the propagated sound by mechanical dissipation. The acoustic attenuation device (100) further comprises an outermost layer (104), comprising at least one closure surface (105) defining at least one cavity (301) facing the movable elements (201) and adapted to encapsulate the movable elements (201) of the attenuation modules (103) of the intermediate layer (102), to further attenuate the propagated sound by sound-absorbing effect

Modulation of late alpha band oscillations by feedback in a hypothesis testing paradigm

We used the electroencephalogram (EEG) to investigate whether positive and negative performance feedbacks differentially modulate late time-locked oscillatory brain activity in hypothesis testing. Ten college students serially tested hypotheses concerning a hidden rule by judging its presence or absence in triplets of digits, and revised them on the basis of an exogenous performance feedback. The EEG signal was convolved with a family of complex wavelets and induced brain potentials were extracted in the alpha range (8-13 Hz). The time-varying modulation of alpha activity time-locked to positive and negative feedback was analyzed in the 350-700 ms time-window. The results showed differential feedback-induced modulations of upper-alpha rhythms (≥ 10 Hz) between 450 and 700 ms in parieto-occipital and central regions, and of lower-alpha rhythms (< 10 Hz) between 350 and 450 ms in central regions. These results were interpreted in terms of differential functional roles of feedback in short-term memory and active inhibition/disinhibition of resources for subsequent hypothesis testing. Some implications for cognitive models of feedback are discussed. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Feedback modulates gamma oscillations in a hypothesis testing paradigm

We analyzed the time-varying modulation of gamma (> 30 Hz) electroencephalographic (EEG) activity exerted by positive and negative feedback in a hypothesis testing paradigm. Ten college students serially tested hypotheses concerning a hidden rule by judging its presence or absence in triplets of digits and revised them on the basis of an exogenous performance feedback. The EEG signal was convolved with a family of complex wavelets and brain potentials were extracted in the gamma range. Feedback-related modulations were found as early as 100 ms after feedback onset, as well as in the 300-600 ms time-window. The results were discussed in terms of functional and neurophysiological models of feedback. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Time-frequency intracranial source localization of feedback-related EEG activity in hypothesis testing

The neural correlates of the response to performance feedback have been the object of numerous neuroimaging studies. However, the precise timing and functional meaning of the resulting activations are poorly understood. We studied the electroencephalographic response time locked to positive and negative performance feedback in a hypothesis testing paradigm. The signal was convoluted with a family of complex wavelets. Intracranial sources of activity at various narrow-band frequencies were estimated in the 100- to 400-ms time window following feedback onset. Positive and negative feedback were associated to 1) early parahippocampo-cingular sources of alpha oscillations, more posteriorly located and long lasting for negative feedback and to 2) late partially overlapping neural circuits comprising regions in prefrontal, cingular, and temporal cortices but operating at feedback-specific latencies and frequencies. The results were interpreted in the light of neurophysiological models of feedback and were used to discuss methodological issues in the study of high-level cognitive functions, including reasoning and decision making. © The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved