Does narrator variability facilitate incidental word learning in the classroom?

Recent studies have revealed that presenting novel words across various contexts (i.e., contextual diversity) helps to consolidate the meaning of these words both in adults and children. This effect has been typically explained in terms of semantic distinctiveness (e.g., Semantic Distinctiveness Model, Jones et al., Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 66(2), 115, 2012). However, the relative influence of other, non-semantic, elements of the context is still unclear. In this study, we examined whether incidental learning of new words in children was facilitated when the words were uttered by several individuals rather than when they were uttered by the same individual. In the learning phase, the to-be-learned words were presented through audible fables recorded either by the same voice (low diversity) or by different voices (high diversity). Subsequently, word learning was assessed through two orthographic and semantic integration tasks. Results showed that words uttered by different voices were learned better than those uttered by the same voice. Thus, the benefits of contextual diversity in word learning extend beyond semantic differences among contexts; they also benefit from perceptual differences among contexts.Psicologí

Does narrator variability facilitate incidental word learning in the classroom?

Published online: 20 September 2021Recent studies have revealed that presenting novel words across various contexts (i.e., contextual diversity) helps to consolidate the meaning of these words both in adults and children. This effect has been typically explained in terms of semantic distinctiveness (e.g., Semantic Distinctiveness Model, Jones et al., Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 66(2), 115, 2012). However, the relative influence of other, non-semantic, elements of the context is still unclear. In this study, we examined whether incidental learning of new words in children was facilitated when the words were uttered by several individuals rather than when they were uttered by the same individual. In the learning phase, the to-be-learned words were presented through audible fables recorded either by the same voice (low diversity) or by different voices (high diversity). Subsequently, word learning was assessed through two orthographic and semantic integration tasks. Results showed that words uttered by different voices were learned better than those uttered by the same voice. Thus, the benefits of contextual diversity in word learning extend beyond semantic differences among contexts; they also benefit from perceptual differences among contexts.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities: PSI2017-86210-P

Automatic use of phonological codes during word recognition in deaf signers of Spanish Sign Language.

The poor reading skills often found in deaf readers are typically explained on the basis of underspecified print-to-sound mapping and poorer use of spoken phonology. Whilst prior research using explicit phonological tasks has shown that deaf readers can use phonological codes when required, an open question is whether congenitally deaf readers can automatically use phonological codes when reading. We designed a masked sandwich priming experiment to examine whether deaf readers can automatic activate phonological codes during the early stages of lexical processing. 24 deaf participants had to decide whether a target stimulus was a word or not. We also recruited a group of 24 hearing controls. Each target word was preceded by a pseudohomophone or by an orthographic control prime. Results showed faster word identification times in the pseudohomophone than in the control condition (i.e., masked phonological priming). The magnitude of this phonological effect was similar in the two groups, thus supporting the view that phonological codes are automatically activated during word identification. The pattern of correlations of the phonological priming effect with reading ability suggested that the amount of sub-lexical use of phonological information might be a main contributor to reading ability for hearing but not for deaf readers

The time course of processing handwritten words: An ERP investigation

Behavioral studies have shown that the legibility of handwritten script hinders visual word recognition. Furthermore, when compared with printed words, lexical effects (e.g., word-frequency effect) are magnified for less intelligible (difficult) handwriting (Barnhart & Goldinger, 2010; Perea et al., 2016). This boost has been interpreted in terms of greater influence of top-down mechanisms during visual word recognition. In the present experiment, we registered the participants' ERPs to uncover top-down processing effects on early perceptual encoding. Participants' behavioral and EEG responses were recorded to high- and low-frequency words that varied in script's legibility (printed, easy handwritten, difficult handwritten) in a lexical decision experiment. Behavioral results replicated previous findings: word-frequency effects were larger in difficult handwriting than in easy handwritten or printed conditions. Critically, the ERP data showed an early effect of word-frequency in the N170 that was restricted to the difficult-to-read handwritten condition. These results are interpreted in terms of increased attentional deployment when the bottom-up signal is weak (difficult handwritten stimuli). This attentional boost would enhance top-down effects (e.g., lexical effects) in the early stages of visual word processing

Diplomado de profundización acompañamiento psicosocial en escenarios de violencia La imagen y la narrativa como herramientas para el abordaje psicosocial en Escenarios de violencia. Departamento de Sucre y Antioquia.

El conflicto armado es un fenómeno histórico que existe desde el comienzo de la historia y pueden darse entre distintos pueblos, este es muy doloroso ya que produce muertes y mutilaciones de todo tipo, abusos, asesinatos y violencia sin fin que muchas veces es difícil de controlar, revertir o superar. El presente trabajo consistente en un Diplomado de Profundización Acompañamiento Psicosocial en Escenarios de Violencia, el cual percibe una serie de tareas realizadas con base a diversos relatos de vida, que tratan de historias que dibujan escenarios de violencia que han acontecido en nuestro país y que nos ayudarán a establecer un escenario de reflexión para los propósitos de la actividad. En este se evidencian diferentes argumentos valiosos y familias de determinados territorios, quienes marcados por las inhumanas conductas ejercidas por parte de grupos ilegales comediantes del conflicto armado en Colombia, Han hecho que se desaten afectaciones psicosociales en cada una de las víctimas y pobladores de las diferentes comunidades marcando su historia de vida. Desde el análisis narrativo de los relatos como el de “Oscar Alberto Bravo”, un joven de 14 años, nacido en Colón Génova Nariño, al cual el 7 de septiembre del 2002, su vida cambió cuando se convierte en víctima del conflicto armado al ser sorprendido con la explosión de una mina antipersona que lo dejo incapacitado de por vida debido a las graves lesiones. De igual forma se presenta el hecho victimizante que vivió el municipio de Pandurí, después de la irrupción de un grupo armado al margen de la ley, quienes ingresaron al municipio acusando a sus habitantes de ser colaboradores de un grupo armado contrario y quemando a su paso aproximadamente 20 viviendas. Siguiendo también con el daño a 30 personas, entre ellas 5 mujeres y 25 hombres, que fueron torturadas con quemaduras en su cuerpo y posteriormente asesinadas. Por lo que las amenazas, muertes, desplazamientos y torturas dieron paso a la desolación y temor.Estas historias son las que nos permiten poner en práctica, analizar las herramientas de abordaje psicosocial, buscando respuestas y medios de acompañamiento a la población víctima del conflicto armado.The armed conflict is a historical phenomenon that exists since the beginning of history and can occur between different peoples, this is very painful because it produces deaths and mutilations of all kinds, abuses, murders and endless violence that many are difficult to control, reverse or overcome. The present work consists of a Diploma of Deepening Psychosocial Accompaniment in Violence Scenarios, which perceives a series of tasks carried out based on different life stories, which deal with stories that draw marks and violence scenarios that have taken place in our country and will help us to stablish a reflection scenario for the purposes of the activity. In the same way, different vital contexts and families of certain territories are evidenced, those marked by the inhuman conducts exerted by illegal comedians group of the armed conflict in Colombia. They have unleashed psychosocial affectations in each one of the victims and inhabitants of the different communities. From the narrative analysis of the stories like "Oscar Alberto Bravo", a young man of 14 years, born in Colón Genoa, Nariño. Who lived in the village of El Guayabo with his father, his mother and his five brothers, dedicated to agriculture, to grow coffee, yucca, beans. But on September 7th, 2002, his life changed when he became a victim of the armed conflict when he was surprised by the explosion of an antipersonnel mine that left him incapacitated for life due to serious injuries. Similarly, the victimizing event that the Municipality of Pandurí experienced after the irruption of an armed group outside the law, who entered the municipality accusing its inhabitants of being collaborators of an armed group opposite and burning in its path approximately 20 homes. Also following the damage to 30 people, including 5 women and 25 men, who were tortured with burns on their bodies and subsequently killed. So the threats, deaths, displacement and torture gave a way to desolation and fear.These stories are what allow us to put into practice and analyze the tools of psychosocial approach, seeking answers and means of accompaniment to the victim population

READ-COGvid: A Database From Reading and Media Habits During COVID-19 Confinement in Spain and Italy

In the present paper, we present the READ-COGvid database, composed of responses of 4,800 individuals from Spain and Italy. While we focus on leisure and reading habits at different moments (before the confinement, shortly after confinement, and after 1 month confined), we also collected many other indices (socio-demographic, psychological, and reading-related) that may be of interest to researchers interested in adults' reading and related areas (e.g., communication research, cognitive sciences, social studies, health sciences, cross-cultural studies).Psicologí

La “diversidad contextual” de las palabras como facilitador de la lectura

Eva M. Rosa, Marta Vergara-Martínez, Manuel Perea (miembros de la ERI-Lectura de la Universitat de València) y Jose L. Tapia (profesor de la Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir) presentan los resultados de su investigación sobre la “diversidad contextual” de las palabras como facilitador de la lectura en las Jornades Lectura Fàcil de la Generalitat Valenciana organizadas por la ERI-Lectura de la Universitat de València el 18-19 mayo de 2018. http://ir.uv.es/4zhj7I

Genetic Study of SARS-CoV-2 Non Structural Protein 12 in COVID-19 Patients Non Responders to Remdesivir

Remdesivir (RDV) was the first antiviral drug approved by the FDA to treat severe coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) patients. RDV inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication by stalling the non structural protein 12 (nsp12) subunit of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). No evidence of global widespread RDV-resistance mutations has been reported, however, defining genetic pathways to RDV resistance and determining emergent mutations prior and subsequent antiviral therapy in clinical settings is necessary. This study identified 57/149 (38.3%) patients who did not respond to one course (5-days) (n = 36/111, 32.4%) or prolonged (5 to 20 days) (n = 21/38, 55.3%) RDV therapy by subgenomic RNA detection. Genetic variants in the nsp12 gene were detected in 29/49 (59.2%) non responder patients by Illumina sequencing, including the de novo E83D mutation that emerged in an immunosuppressed patient after receiving 10 + 8 days of RDV, and the L838I detected at baseline and/or after prolonged RDV treatment in 9/49 (18.4%) non responder subjects. Although 3D protein modeling predicted no interference with RDV, the amino acid substitutions detected in the nsp12 involved changes on the electrostatic outer surface and in secondary structures that may alter antiviral response. It is important for health surveillance to study potential mutations associated with drug resistance as well as the benefit of RDV retreatment, especially in immunosuppressed patients and in those with persistent replication. IMPORTANCE This study provides clinical and microbiologic data of an extended population of hospitalized patients for COVID-19 pneumonia who experienced treatment failure, detected by the presence of subgenomic RNA (sgRNA). The genetic variants found in the nsp12 pharmacological target of RDV bring into focus the importance of monitoring emergent mutations, one of the objectives of the World Health Organization (WHO) for health surveillance. These mutations become even more crucial as RDV keeps being prescribed and new molecules are being repurposed for the treatment of COVID-19. The present article offers new perspectives for the clinical management of non responder patients treated and retreated with RDV and emphasizes the need of further research of the benefit of combinatorial therapies and RDV retreatment, especially in immunosuppressed patients with persistent replication after therapy.This work was financed by a Gilead Sciences grant (IN-ES-540-6089) and CIBER Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, España (CB21/13/00081). This work was financed by ad hoc patronage funds for research on COVID-19 from donations from citizens and organizations to the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona-Fundació Clínic per a la Recerca Biomèdica.S

COVID-19 : Age, Interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, and lymphocytes as key clues from a multicentre retrospective study

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 infection has widely spread to become the greatest public health challenge to date, the COVID-19 pandemic. Different fatality rates among countries are probably due to non-standardized records being carried out by local health authorities. The Spanish case-fatality rate is 11.22%, far higher than those reported in Asia or by other European countries. A multicentre retrospective study of demographic, clinical, laboratory and immunological features of 584 Spanish COVID-19 hospitalized patients and their outcomes was performed. The use of renin-angiotensin system blockers was also analysed as a risk factor. Results: In this study, 27.4% of cases presented a mild course, 42.1% a moderate one and for 30.5% of cases, the course was severe. Ages ranged from 18 to 98 (average 63). Almost 60 % (59.8%) of patients were male. Interleukin 6 was higher as severity increased. On the other hand, CD8 lymphocyte count was significantly lower as severity grew and subpopulations CD4, CD8, CD19, and NK showed concordant lowering trends. Severity-related natural killer percent descents were evidenced just within aged cases. A significant severity-related decrease of CD4 lymphocytes was found in males. The use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors was associated with a better prognosis. The angiotensin II receptor blocker use was associated with a more severe course. Conclusions: Age and age-related comorbidities, such as dyslipidaemia, hypertension or diabetes, determined more frequent severe forms of the disease in this study than in previous literature cohorts. Our cases are older than those so far reported and the clinical course of the disease is found to be impaired by age. Immunosenescence might be therefore a suitable explanation for the hampering of immune system effectors. The adaptive immunity would become exhausted and a strong but ineffective and almost deleterious innate response would account for COVID-19 severity. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors used by hypertensive patients have a protective effect in regards to COVID-19 severity in our series. Conversely, patients on angiotensin II receptor blockers showed a severer disease

Superiority of microwaves over conventional heating to preserve shelf-life and quality of kiwifruit puree

[EN] The effect of both microwave (1000 W-340 s) and conventional heating (97 degrees C-30 s) on the quality and shelf-life of kiwifruit puree was investigated. The growth of microorganisms and the evolution of enzyme activity, colour, pH, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity in the product during storage at 4, 10 and 22 degrees C were checked. The storage temperature had a significant (p < 0.05) impact on both the shelf-life and the nutritional and functional value of the samples: the higher the temperature, the significantly (p <0.05) faster the rate of both the sample spoilage and the loss of the bioactive compounds. On the other hand, thermal processing significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the growth of microorganisms and the degradation rate of some bioactive compounds in a 12-59%, as well as leading to enzyme and colour stabilization. A longer shelf-life (123 days at 4 degrees C) and a superior preservation of colour (Delta E-SE = 6.54) and bioactive compounds (57-67%) were obtained when microwave heating was the technology selected to process the kiwifruit puree. Microwave heating was considered a suitable means of preserving kiwifruit puree that might be successfully employed as an innovation tool with which to help safe, high-quality and minimally processed kiwifruit based-products reach the market.The authors thank the Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia for the financial support given throughout the Projects AGL 2010-22176 and AGL 2010-22206-C02-01 and the Generalitat Valenciana for the Grant awarded to the author Maria Benlloch.Benlloch Tinoco, M.; Igual Ramo, M.; Rodrigo Aliaga, MD.; Martínez Navarrete, N. (2015). Superiority of microwaves over conventional heating to preserve shelf-life and quality of kiwifruit puree. Food Control. 50:620-629. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2014.10.006S6206295