Bilingual episodic memory: an introduction

Our current models of bilingual memory are essentially accounts of semantic memory whose goal is to explain bilingual lexical access to underlying imagistic and conceptual referents. While this research has included episodic memory, it has focused largely on recall for words, phrases, and sentences in the service of understanding the structure of semantic memory. Building on the four papers in this special issue, this article focuses on larger units of episodic memory(from quotidian events with simple narrative form to complex autobiographical memories) in service of developing a model of bilingual episodic memory. This requires integrating theory and research on how culture-specific narrative traditions inform encoding and retrieval with theory and research on the relation between(monolingual) semantic and episodic memory(Schank, 1982; Schank & Abelson, 1995; Tulving, 2002). Then, taking a cue from memory-based text processing studies in psycholinguistics(McKoon & Ratcliff, 1998), we suggest that as language forms surface in the progressive retrieval of features of an event, they trigger further forms within the same language serving to guide a within-language/ within-culture retrieval

Metaphoric coherence: Distinguishing verbal metaphor from `anomaly\u27

Theories and computational models of metaphor comprehension generally circumvent the question of metaphor versus “anomaly” in favor of a treatment of metaphor versus literal language. Making the distinction between metaphoric and “anomalous” expressions is subject to wide variation in judgment, yet humans agree that some potentially metaphoric expressions are much more comprehensible than others. In the context of a program which interprets simple isolated sentences that are potential instances of cross‐modal and other verbal metaphor, I consider some possible coherence criteria which must be satisfied for an expression to be “conceivable” metaphorically. Metaphoric constraints on object nominals are represented as abstracted or extended along with the invariant structural components of the verb meaning in a metaphor. This approach distinguishes what is preserved in metaphoric extension from that which is “violated”, thus referring to both “similarity” and “dissimilarity” views of metaphor. The role and potential limits of represented abstracted properties and constraints is discussed as they relate to the recognition of incoherent semantic combinations and the rejection or adjustment of metaphoric interpretations

Collaboration scripts - a conceptual analysis

This article presents a conceptual analysis of collaboration scripts used in face-to-face and computer-mediated collaborative learning. Collaboration scripts are scaffolds that aim to improve collaboration through structuring the interactive processes between two or more learning partners. Collaboration scripts consist of at least five components: (a) learning objectives, (b) type of activities, (c) sequencing, (d) role distribution, and (e) type of representation. These components serve as a basis for comparing prototypical collaboration script approaches for face-to-face vs. computer-mediated learning. As our analysis reveals, collaboration scripts for face-to-face learning often focus on supporting collaborators in engaging in activities that are specifically related to individual knowledge acquisition. Scripts for computer-mediated collaboration are typically concerned with facilitating communicative-coordinative processes that occur among group members. The two lines of research can be consolidated to facilitate the design of collaboration scripts, which both support participation and coordination, as well as induce learning activities closely related to individual knowledge acquisition and metacognition. In addition, research on collaboration scripts needs to consider the learners’ internal collaboration scripts as a further determinant of collaboration behavior. The article closes with the presentation of a conceptual framework incorporating both external and internal collaboration scripts

Problem formulation by medical students: an observation study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Medical problems are often complex and ill-structured. In formulating the problem, one has to discriminate pertinent elements from irrelevant information in order to effectively find a solution. In this observation study, we describe how medical students formulate the problem of a complex case.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>32 third year medical students were presented with a complex case of endocarditis. They were asked to synthesize the case and give the best formulation of the problem. They were then asked to provide a diagnosis. A subsequent group of 25 students were presented with the problem already formulated and were also asked for the diagnosis. We analyzed the student's problem formulations using the presence or absence of essential elements of the case, the use of higher-order concepts and the use of relations between concepts.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>12/32 students presented with the case made the correct diagnosis. Diagnostic accuracy was significantly associated with the use of higher-order concepts and relations between concepts. Establishing explicit relations was particularly important. Almost all students who missed the diagnosis could not elicit any relations between concepts but only reported factual observations. When presented with an already formulated problem, 19/25 students made the correct diagnosis. (p < 0.05)</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>When faced with a complex new case, students may not have the structured knowledge to recognize the nature of the problem. They have to build new schema or problem representation. Our observations suggest that this process involves using higher-order concepts and establishing new relations between concepts. The fact that students could recognize the disease when presented with a formulated problem but had more difficulty when presented with the original complex case indicates that knowledge of the clinical features may be necessary but not sufficient for problem formulation. Our hypothesis is that problem formulation represents a distinct ability.</p

A Self-Organising Model of Thermoregulatory Huddling

Endotherms such as rats and mice huddle together to keep warm. The huddle is considered to be an example of a self-organising system, because complex properties of the collective group behaviour are thought to emerge spontaneously through simple interactions between individuals. Groups of rodent pups display two such emergent properties. First, huddling undergoes a ‘phase transition’, such that pups start to aggregate rapidly as the temperature of the environment falls below a critical temperature. Second, the huddle maintains a constant ‘pup flow’, where cooler pups at the periphery continually displace warmer pups at the centre. We set out to test whether these complex group behaviours can emerge spontaneously from local interactions between individuals. We designed a model using a minimal set of assumptions about how individual pups interact, by simply turning towards heat sources, and show in computer simulations that the model reproduces the first emergent property—the phase transition. However, this minimal model tends to produce an unnatural behaviour where several smaller aggregates emerge rather than one large huddle. We found that an extension of the minimal model to include heat exchange between pups allows the group to maintain one large huddle but eradicates the phase transition, whereas inclusion of an additional homeostatic term recovers the phase transition for large huddles. As an unanticipated consequence, the extended model also naturally gave rise to the second observed emergent property—a continuous pup flow. The model therefore serves as a minimal description of huddling as a self-organising system, and as an existence proof that group-level huddling dynamics emerge spontaneously through simple interactions between individuals. We derive a specific testable prediction: Increasing the capacity of the individual to generate or conserve heat will increase the range of ambient temperatures over which adaptive thermoregulatory huddling will emerge

Triangular clustering in document networks

Document networks are characteristic in that a document node, e.g. a webpage or an article, carries meaningful content. Properties of document networks are not only affected by topological connectivity between nodes, but also strongly influenced by the semantic relation between content of the nodes. We observe that document networks have a large number of triangles and a high value of clustering coefficient. And there is a strong correlation between the probability of formation of a triangle and the content similarity among the three nodes involved. We propose the degree-similarity product (DSP) model which well reproduces these properties. The model achieves this by using a preferential attachment mechanism which favours the linkage between nodes that are both popular and similar. This work is a step forward towards a better understanding of the structure and evolution of document networks.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, 2 table

Travando uma guerra contra a guerra: Nietzsche contra Kant acerca do conflito

Este artigo examina e compara Kant e Nietzsche enquanto pensadores do conflito. Argumenta-se no § 1 que, para ambos os filósofos, o conflito desempenha um papel essencial e construtivo em vários domínios de seu pensamento, e que ambos nos oferecem um rico conjunto de insights sobre as qualidades produtivas do conflito. Contudo, Kant não é capaz de formular um conceito genuinamente afirmativo do conflito que faça jus aos prodigiosos poderes produtivos por ele descritos. Em vez disso, ele promove uma guerra de extermínio (Vernichtungskrieg) filosófica contra toda guerra, destinada a negá-la em favor de uma reivindicação absoluta pela paz ('paz perpétua'). Como nos mostra a análise de "Zum ewigen Frieden" no § 2, a possibilidade de ação construtiva requer a eliminação da guerra em favor da paz perpétua por meio do Estado de Direito, e o conflito é, na melhor das hipóteses, produtor de sua própria negação. A parte final do artigo se volta para Nietzsche em busca de um modelo conceitual que permita uma compreensão genuinamente afirmativa do conflito e seus potenciais produtivos. A filosofia da vida de Nietzsche é uma ontologia do conflito que culmina em um ideal de maximização da tensão baseado em um equilíbrio de poderes mais ou menos equânimes. Argumenta-se que a noção nietzschiana de afirmação da vida nos compromete com uma posição que se situa entre a guerra kantiana e o direito cosmopolita, focando a nossa atenção nas relações antagônicas que se estabelecem tanto no interior quanto entre uma pluralidade de ordenamentos jurídicos

TPR Investigation of bimetallic Ru-Cu samples supported on SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 and MgO

Bimetallic Ru-Cu samples supported on SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 and MgO were studied by the temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) technique. Experiments were carried out both on unreduced impregnated salts and after oxidation of already reduced samples. The TPR profiles reveal a simultaneous reduction of ruthenium and copper precursors, even though the Ru and Cu in the monometallic catalysts exhibit reduction peaks which differ by up to 150 °C. It is suggested that the two metal salts interact during the stages of preparation and drying, and after reduction form bimetallic aggregates which are not stable and tend to separate. The stability of the bimetallic particles was found to be strongly dependent on the support used, being higher on SiO 2 than on Al 2 O 3 and MgO. It is suggested that the chemical nature of the support determines the different degree of interaction and/or agglomeration of the bimetallic particles. Auf SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 und MgO aufgebrachte bimetallische Ru-Cu-Proben wurden mittels temperaturprogrammierter Reduktion (TPR) untersucht. Experimente wurden sowohl mit unreduzierten, durch Impregnation aufgebrachten Salzen als auch mit nach vorangegangener Reduktion reoxydierten Proben ausgeführt. Die TPR-Profile lassen eine gleichzeitige Reduktion der Ruthenium- und Kupfervorstufen erkennen, obwohl Ru und Cu in monometallischen Katalysatoren Reduktionspeaks zeigen, die um bis zu 150 °C voneinander entfernt liegen. Es wird angenommen, daß die zwei Metallsalze während des Darstellungs- und Trocknungsstadiums miteinander in Wechselwirkung treten und nach der Reduktion nicht stabile, zum Zerfall tendierende bimetallische Aggregate bilden. Die Stabilität der bimetallischen Partikel ist stark vom Träger abhängig, sie ist an SiO 2 höher als an Al 2 O 3 und MgO. Es wird angenommen, daß die chemische Natur des Trägers den Grad der Wechselwirkung und/oder Agglomeration der bimetallischen Partikel bestimmt. Методом температурн о-программного восстановления (ТПВ) и зучены биметаллические обр азцы рутений — медь на подложках из двуокиси кремния, о киси алюминия и окиси магния. Экспер именты были проведен ы как с невосстановленными пропитанными солями, так и с вновь ок исленными ранее восстановленными об разцами. Профили крив ых показывают одноврем енное восстановлени е рутения и меди, тогда как в случа е монометаллов пики восстановления рутения и меди отлича ются на 150 °C, Это свидетельствует о том, что соли обоих металлов взаим одействуют между соб ой на стадии получения и высушива ния, а после восстановления обра зуют биметаллически е агрегаты, которые неустойчивы и имеют тенденцию к разделению. Установ лено, что стабильност ь биметаллических час тиц сильно зависит от характера подложки, я вляясь более высокой на двуокиси кремния по сравнению с тем, что на окиси алюминия и окис и магния. Предположен о, что химическая природа п одложки определяет различную степень вз аимодействия или агл омерации биметаллических час тиц.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43142/1/10973_2005_Article_BF01912699.pd

Behavioral Modernity and the Cultural Transmission of Structured Information: The Semantic Axelrod Model

Cultural transmission models are coming to the fore in explaining increases in the Paleolithic toolkit richness and diversity. During the later Paleolithic, technologies increase not only in terms of diversity but also in their complexity and interdependence. As Mesoudi and O'Brien (2008) have shown, selection broadly favors social learning of information that is hierarchical and structured, and multiple studies have demonstrated that teaching within a social learning environment can increase fitness. We believe that teaching also provides the scaffolding for transmission of more complex cultural traits. Here, we introduce an extension of the Axelrod (1997} model of cultural differentiation in which traits have prerequisite relationships, and where social learning is dependent upon the ordering of those prerequisites. We examine the resulting structure of cultural repertoires as learning environments range from largely unstructured imitation, to structured teaching of necessary prerequisites, and we find that in combination with individual learning and innovation, high probabilities of teaching prerequisites leads to richer cultural repertoires. Our results point to ways in which we can build more comprehensive explanations of the archaeological record of the Paleolithic as well as other cases of technological change.Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures. Submitted to "Learning Strategies and Cultural Evolution during the Paleolithic", edited by Kenichi Aoki and Alex Mesoudi, and presented at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Austin TX. Revised 5/14/1