Sequential presentation protects working memory from catastrophic interference

Neural network models of memory are notorious for catastrophic interference: old items are forgotten as new items are memorized (e.g., French, 1999; McCloskey & Cohen, 1989). While Working Memory (WM) in human adults shows severe capacity limitations, these capacity limitations do not reflect neural-network style catastrophic interference. However, our ability to quickly apprehend the numerosity of small sets of objects (i.e., subitizing) does show catastrophic capacity limitations, and this subitizing capacity and WM might reflect a common capacity. Accordingly, computational investigations (Knops, Piazza, Sengupta, Eger, & Melcher, 2014; Sengupta, Surampudi, & Melcher, 2014) suggest that mutual inhibition among neurons can explain both kinds of capacity limitations as well as why our ability to estimate the numerosity of larger sets is limited according to a Weber ratio signature. Based on simulations with a saliency map-like network and mathematical proofs, we provide three results. First, mutual inhibition among neurons leads to catastrophic interference when items are presented simultaneously. The network can remember a limited number of items, but when more items are presented, the network forgets all of them. Second, if memory items are presented sequentially rather than simultaneously, the network remembers the most recent items rather than forgetting all of them. Hence, the tendency in WM tasks to sequentially attend even to simultaneously presented items might not only reflect attentional limitations, but an adaptive strategy to avoid catastrophic interference. Third, the mean activation level in the network can be used to estimate the number of items in small sets, but does not accurately reflect the number of items in larger sets. Rather, we suggest that the Weber ratio signature of large number discrimination emerges naturally from the interaction between the limited precision of a numeric estimation system and a multiplicative gain control mechanism

Si vis Pacem, Cole Iustitiam. A Century of International Labour Organization

In 2019 the International Labour Organization celebrated its 100th anniversary. Established after the end of World War I, the organization aimed to improve working conditions and support actions for workers’ rights by negotiating labour standards through tripartite concertation involving representatives of employers, employees and governments, and by ensuring, through social justice, long-term global peace. Over the years, the ILO has developed methods of action allowing for achieving those goals by actively participating in solving the evolving problems of the world of work and labour. The article attempts to summarize the achievements of the ILO in the 1919–2019 period by analysing the directions of action and outlining the evolution of the activities of the organization

Effects of selection for early and late reproduction in low and high larval density populations of the bean weevil (Acanthoscelides obtectus)

International audienc

Podstawy ideowe polskich ubezpieczeń społecznych

Digitalizacja i deponowanie archiwalnych zeszytów RPEiS sfinansowane przez MNiSW w ramach realizacji umowy nr 541/P-DUN/201

Ewolucja ubezpieczeń społecznych w Polsce od 1919 do 1935 r.

Digitalizacja i deponowanie archiwalnych zeszytów RPEiS sfinansowane przez MNiSW w ramach realizacji umowy nr 541/P-DUN/201

Meeting the Challenge of International Peace Operations: Assessing the Contribution of Technology

This report contains the proceedings of a conference held in Livermore, California September 9-10, 1996

Influence of Religion and Culture on Drinking Behaviours: A Test of Hypotheses Between Canada and the USA

This is a post-print version of the article accepted for publication in the British Journal of Addiction, http://www.addictionjournal.org/. DOI/link to publishers version not available.Other research PUBLICATIONS and PAPERS on university students drinking, drug use and health concerns and behaviors can be found at: https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/17130/browse?type=title; https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/17127/browse?type=title and https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/17124/browse?type=title. Further information about the questionnaire, calculations, and the original data base used can be found in the following item records within IUScholarworks repository. Details about the reliability and validity of the SAQ are found at: http://hdl.handle.net/2022/17337; http://hdl.handle.net/2022/17154; http://hdl.handle.net/2022/17181. The classic 1975 copy of the SAQ is found at http://hdl.handle.net/2022/17153. The Health Concern Questionnaire is found at: http://hdl.handle.net/2022/17250. Reliability and validity of this instrument are found at: http://hdl.handle.net/2022/17251. ALL QUESTIONNAIRES developed by Engs are found in the repository at: https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/17141/browse?type=dateissuedAmerican Roman Catholic and mainstream Protestant students consume more alcohol and have more alcohol abuse problem compared to Canadian students within the same religious groups. Among abstinent oriented Protestants there was no difference in regards to alcohol consumption or problems related to drinking between the countries. For Jews there were mixed results with Americans exhibiting similar consumption rates but reporting more problems related to drinking compared to the Canadians. Among this sample it was concluded that religious norms have a greater influence in cohesive religious groups while cultural norms are more influential among less cohesive groups. The results also support the Canadian 'Mosaic' and American 'Melting Pot' assumption

Enumeration and Alertness in Developmental Dyscalculia

Enumeration, the ability to report an amount of elements, differs as a function of range. Subitizing (quantities 1–4) is an accurate and quick process with reaction times (RTs) minimally affected by the number of presented elements within its range. In the counting range (range of 5–9 elements), RTs increase linearly. Subitizing was considered to be a pre-attentive process for many years. However, recently we found that subitizing could be facilitated by improving engagement of attention. Specifically, brief alerting cues increase attentional engagement and reduced RTs in the subitizing range. Moreover, previous studies found that students with developmental dyscalculia (DD) have a smaller than normal subitizing range (3 vs. 4) and their alerting attentional system is impaired. In the current study, we explored whether an alerting cue would increase the subitizing range of adults suffering from DD from 3 to 4. For controls, alerting increased accuracy rates and facilitated enumeration of quantities only in the subitizing range. Participants with DD presented a larger alerting effect; an alerting cue enhanced their RTs in all ranges, but did not increase their smaller than normal subitizing range or accuracy. Our results suggest that both domain-general and domain-specific abilities contribute to the mechanism of enumeration and related to developmental dyscalculia