Positive evidence for neonatal imitation:A general response, adaptive engagement

The study employed four gestural models using frame-by-frame microanalytic methods, and followed how the behaviours unfolded over time. Forty-two human newborns (0-3 days) were examined for their imitation of tongue protrusion, 'head tilt with looking up', three-finger and two-finger gestures. The results showed that all three gesture groups were imitated. Results of the temporal analyses revealed an early and a later, second stage of responses. Later responses were characterized by a suppression of similar, but non-matching movements. Perinatal imitation is not a phenomenon served by a single underlying mechanism; it has at least two different stages. An early phase is followed by voluntary matching behaviour by the neonatal infant

Variation in grouping patterns, mating systems and social structure: what socio-ecological models attempt to explain

Socio-ecological models aim to predict the variation in social systems based on a limited number of ecological parameters. Since the 1960s, the original model has taken two paths: one relating to grouping patterns and mating systems and one relating to grouping patterns and female social structure. Here, we review the basic ideas specifically with regard to non-human primates, present new results and point to open questions. While most primates live in permanent groups and exhibit female defence polygyny, recent studies indicate more flexibility with cooperative male resource defence occurring repeatedly in all radiations. In contrast to other animals, the potential link between ecology and these mating systems remains, however, largely unexplored. The model of the ecology of female social structure has often been deemed successful, but has recently been criticized. We show that the predicted association of agonistic rates and despotism (directional consistency of relationships) was not supported in a comparative test. The overall variation in despotism is probably due to phylogenetic grade shifts. At the same time, it varies within clades more or less in the direction predicted by the model. This suggests that the model's utility may lie in predicting social variation within but not across clades

Different effects of dual task demands on the speech of young and older adults

This is an electronic version of an article published in Kemper, S., Herman, R. E., Nartowicz, J.(2005). Different effects of dual task demands on the speech of young and older adults. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 12, 340-358. PM#1410812. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition is available online at www.taylorandfrancis.comYoung and older adults provided language samples in response to elicitation questions while concurrently performing 3 different tasks. The language samples were scored on three dimensions: fluency, grammatical complexity, and content. Previous research has shown that older adults use a restricted speech register that is grammatically less complex than young adults’ and has suggested that this restricted speech register is buffered from the costs of dual task demands. This hypothesis was tested by comparing language samples collected during a baseline condition with those produced while the participants were performing the concurrent tasks. The results indicate that young and older adults adopt different strategies when confronted with dual task demands. Young adults shift to a restricted speech register when confronted with dual task demands. Older adults, who were already using a restricted speech register, became less fluent although the grammatical complexity and informational content of their speech was preserved. Hence, some but not all aspects of older adults’ speech are buffered from dual task demands

Associations between maternal responsive linguistic input and child language performance at age 4 in a community-based sample of slow-to-talk toddlers

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this recordBACKGROUND: In a community sample of slow-to-talk toddlers, we aimed to (a) quantify how well maternal responsive behaviors at age 2 years predict language ability at age 4 and (b) examine whether maternal responsive behaviors more accurately predict low language status at age 4 than does expressive vocabulary measured at age 2 years. DESIGN OR METHODS: Prospective community-based longitudinal study. At child age 18 months, 1,138 parents completed a 100-word expressive vocabulary checklist within a population survey; 251 (22.1%) children scored ≤20th percentile and were eligible for the current study. Potential predictors at 2 years were (a) responsive language behaviors derived from videotaped parent-child free-play samples and (b) late-talker status. Outcomes were (a) Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Preschool Second Edition receptive and expressive language standard score at 4 years and (b) low language status (standard score > 1.25 standard deviations below the mean on expressive or receptive language). RESULTS: Two hundred eight (82.9% of 251) participants were retained to age 4. In adjusted linear regression analyses, maternal expansions predicted higher receptive (p < 0.001, partial R2  = 6.5%) and expressive (p < 0.001, partial R2  = 7.7%), whereas labels predicted lower receptive (p = 0.01, partial R2  = 2.8%) and expressive (p = 0.007, partial R2  = 3.5%) language scores at 4. The logistic regression model containing only responsive behaviors achieved "fair" predictive ability of low language status at age 4 (area under curve [AUC] = 0.79), slightly better than the model containing only late-talker status (AUC = 0.74). This improved to "good" predictive ability with inclusion of other known risk factors (AUC = 0.82). CONCLUSION: A combination of short measures of different dimensions, such as parent responsive behaviors, in addition to a child's earlier language skills increases the ability to predict language outcomes at age 4 to a precision that is approaching clinical value. Research to further enhance predictive values should be a priority, enabling health professionals to identify which slow-to-talk toddlers most likely will or will not experience later poorer language.Let's Learn Language (NHMRC Strategic Award 384491) and Language for Learning (Project Grant 607407) were funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. The authors thank the Let's Learn Language and Language for Learning study teams and all participating families, as well as Carly Vaness who carried out the interrater reliability for the current study. Dr Levickis was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska‐Curie Grant 705044. The authors acknowledge the support of the NHMRC‐funded Centre of Research Excellence in Child Language (1023493): Prof Wake (Senior Research Fellowship 1046518) and Prof Reilly (Practitioner Fellowship 1041892). Obi Ukoumunne was supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care South West Peninsula (NIHR CLAHRC South West Peninsula). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. Research at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute is supported by the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program. The researchers were independent of the funders

No short-term contingency between grooming and food tolerance in Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus)

The exchange services such as allo-grooming, allo-preening, food tolerance and agonistic support has been observed in a range of species. Two proximate mechanisms have been proposed to explain the exchanges of services in animals. First, an animal can give a service to a partner depending on how the partner behaved toward it in the recent past. This mechanism is usually tested by examining the within-dyad temporal relation between events given and received over short time periods. Second, the partner choice mechanism assumes that animals give favours toward specific partners but not others, by comparing how each partner behaved toward them over longer time frames. As such, the partner choice mechanism does not make specific predictions on a temporal contingency between services received and given over short time frames. While there is evidence for a long-term positive correlation between services exchanged in animals, results for short-term contingencies between services given and received are mixed. Our study investigated the exchange of grooming for food tolerance in a partially-provisioned group of Barbary macaques, by analysing the short-term contingency between these events. Tolerance over food was compared immediately after grooming and in control condition, using food of different shareability. We found no evidence that grooming increases food tolerance or decrease aggression around food in the short term. Food tolerance was affected by the shareability of the food and the sex of the partners. The exchanges of grooming and food tolerance in non-human primates may be little affected by recent single events. We suggest that long-term exchanges between services given and received and social partner choice may play a more important role in explaining social interactions than short-term contingent events

Do toddlers prefer the primary caregiver or the parent with whom they feel more secure? The role of toddler emotion

This study tested Bowlby and Ainsworth’s hypothesis that a hierarchy of caregivers exists whereby infants prefer one caregiver over another when distressed. We examined parent gender (mother vs. father), primary caregiver status (defined as the parent who spent most time with the infant and performed most of the caregiving tasks), and role of toddlers’ history of attachment security with each parent, as predictors of toddlers’ preference for a particular caregiver when the toddlers are distressed and when they are content. Infants’ attachment security with each parent was assessed at 12–15 months. At 24 months, mother–child and father–child interactions were observed in triadic (mother, father, toddler) home interactions. When distressed, regardless of the security of their attachment to each parent, toddlers more often interacted with the primary caregiver. When content, toddlers did not show this preference. As expected, toddlers’ recovery from distress was predicted by their security of attachment with the parent whom they approached when distressed

Acceptance and suitability of ultraviolet-irradiated Helicoverpa armigera (Hühner) (Lep., Noctuidae) eggs for Trichogramma chilonis Ishii (Hym., Trichogrammatidae)

Helicoverpa armigera (Hbn.) eggs were irradiated with a 30 W ultraviolet (UV)-lamp from a distance of 30 cm. Egg mortality increased with duration of exposure to the UV-light source; exposure for 48 min was sufficient to kill 98% of the eggs. Survival of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma chilonis Ishii was lower on eggs irradiated for 60 and 90 min than on untreated control eggs. Clutch size and sex ratio of the parasitoid progeny were similar in irradiated and control eggs. The lower suitability of irradiated host eggs was not recognized by female wasps as they accepted irradiated and control eggs equally in a choice test. The higher parasitoid mortality in irradiated eggs may be a result of morphological changes in the host egg chorion. Supporting this hypothesis, it was observed that the duration of drilling by the parasitoid was significantly shorter on irradiated eggs than on control egg