Simplicity and specificity in language:Domain general biases have domain specific effects

The extent to which the linguistic system—its architecture, the representations it operates on, the constraints it is subject to—is specific to language has broad implications for cognitive science and its relation to evolutionary biology. Importantly, a given property of the linguistic system can be specific to the domain of language in several ways. For example, if the property evolved by natural selection under the pressure of the linguistic function it serves then the property is domain­-specific in the sense that its design is tailored for language. Equally though, if that property evolved to serve a different function or if that property is domain-general, it may nevertheless interact with the linguistic system in a way that is unique. This gives a second sense in which a property can be thought of as specific to language. An evolutionary approach to the language faculty might at first blush appear to favor domain­-specificity in the first sense, with individual properties of the language faculty being specifically linguistic adaptations. However, we argue that interactions between learning, culture and biological evolution mean any domain-specific adaptations that evolve will take the form of weak biases rather than hard constraints. Turning to the latter sense of domain-specificity, we highlight a very general bias, simplicity, which operates widely in cognition and yet interacts with linguistic representations in a domain-­specific way

Illness representations, coping and psychological morbidity in infertility

This study uses a cross sectional survey design to explore the illness representations, coping strategies and levels of psychological morbidity of patients planning IVF treatments. The aim was to develop a theoretical understanding, within the framework of the self-regulation model, of the factors which predict anxiety and depression in this group. Fifty patients completed a demographic questionnaire, the Illness Perception Questionnaire, the COPE and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Chance, stress and age were the most commonly endorsed causal factors. Those without a diagnosis were more likely than those with one to think that chance had caused their infertility, but there was no difference between groups in belief in psychological causes. The coping style of this group of patients was characterised by planning and active coping within the ethos of acceptance. Overall, they used adaptive strategies significantly more than maladaptive, and this pattern did not differ between men and women. As a group, these patients' anxiety and depression scores did not fall into the clinically significant range and there were no significant differences in distress scores between groups. The relationships between illness perceptions, coping and distress were examined. Stepwise multiple regressions revealed that both illness perceptions and coping strategies predicted anxiety and depression. An adapted version of the self regulation model shows that belief in psychological cause for infertility, lack of coherence, and high levels of emotionalism and emotional lability were associated with use of maladaptive coping strategies; and increased anxiety and depression. Theoretical and clinical implications of the research are presented, along with a critique of the research; and ideas for future research are discussed

Four at a Birth.

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On the Ungrammaticality of Remnant Movement in the Derivation of Greenberg's Universal 20

We propose an analysis that derives Cinque's (2005) typology of linear orders involving a demonstrative, numeral, adjective, and noun through four Optimality Theory constraints requiring leftward alignment of these items. We show that remnant movement is ungrammatical whenever it produces universally suboptimal alignments, compared with remnant-movement-free structures. Any movement is permitted, but only the best alignment configurations surface as grammatical. We also show that Cinque's original analysis must encode the structural derivations of all attested orders as parametric values of the associated languages. Our analysis need not make similar structural stipulations, as the different attested structures emerge from constraint reranking