Landscapes of Foreclosure: The Foreclosure Crisis in Rural America

As housing markets across the country continue to struggle to bounce back, ever-increasing instances of foreclosures remain a daunting problem. While the situation in highly affected urban areas has received much attention, there has been a dearth and inconsistency in research on corresponding rural areas. While the forces commonly linked to the urban crisis such as widespread predatory lending, ballooned housing prices and excessive real estate speculation have affected some rural areas as well, overall the rural crisis is a unique, complex crisis all of its own. As the following analysis illustrates through the use of publicly available data, a survey and interviews, a clear and worsening problem exists in America's rural communities, and it is the goal of this paper to outline the workings of this rural crisis as much as the limited data availability allows. Further, the author makes the case that the crisis has exacerbated already difficult conditions in rural areas, and, while claims of a recovery begin to arise, in rural America, hopes of a quick recovery remain slim

The Role of Attention in Somatosensory Processing: A Multi-trait, Multi-method Analysis

Sensory processing abnormalities in autism have largely been described by parent report. This study used a multi-method (parent-report and measurement), multi-trait (tactile sensitivity and attention) design to evaluate somatosensory processing in ASD. Results showed multiple significant within-method (e.g., parent report of different traits)/cross-trait (e.g., attention and tactile sensitivity) correlations, suggesting that parent-reported tactile sensory dysfunction and performance-based tactile sensitivity describe different behavioral phenomena. Additionally, both parent-reported tactile functioning and performance-based tactile sensitivity measures were significantly associated with measures of attention. Findings suggest that sensory (tactile) processing abnormalities in ASD are multifaceted, and may partially reflect a more global deficit in behavioral regulation (including attention). Challenges of relying solely on parent-report to describe sensory difficulties faced by children/families with ASD are also highlighted

Reciprocal Cooperation in Rats

Reciprocal cooperation means working together with another individual to increase the likelihood of future cooperation. It can be explained evolutionarily because it promotes the fitness of individuals in certain conditions. Cooperation is common in humans, however rats display cooperative behaviors under certain conditions. This study examines conditions for cooperation in rats by testing housing conditions and prior interactions between cooperating rats in a Prisoner’s Dilemma task. Furthermore, this study examines the effects of the neurosteroid Allopregnanolone on cooperation. We hypothesize that Allopregnanolone will increase social cooperation behaviors based upon its ability to increase nonspatial memory capacity. We did not find evidence that Allopregnanolone significantly influenced measures of cooperation, although there was a statistical trend towards greater cooperation in the Allopregnanolone-treated animals

Evaluating causal psychological models: A study of language theories of autism using a large sample

We used a large convenience sample (n = 22,223) from the Simons Powering Autism Research (SPARK) dataset to evaluate causal, explanatory theories of core autism symptoms. In particular, the data-items collected supported the testing of theories that posited altered language abilities as cause of social withdrawal, as well as alternative theories that competed with these language theories. Our results using this large dataset converge with the evolution of the field in the decades since these theories were first proposed, namely supporting primary social withdrawal (in some cases of autism) as a cause of altered language development, rather than vice versa.To accomplish the above empiric goals, we used a highly theory-constrained approach, one which differs from current data-driven modeling trends but is coherent with a very recent resurgence in theory-driven psychology. In addition to careful explication and formalization of theoretical accounts, we propose three principles for future work of this type: specification, quantification, and integration. Specification refers to constraining models with pre-existing data, from both outside and within autism research, with more elaborate models and more veridical measures, and with longitudinal data collection. Quantification refers to using continuous measures of both psychological causes and effects, as well as weighted graphs. This approach avoids “universality and uniqueness” tests that hold that a single cognitive difference could be responsible for a heterogeneous and complex behavioral phenotype. Integration of multiple explanatory paths within a single model helps the field examine for multiple contributors to a single behavioral feature or to multiple behavioral features. It also allows integration of explanatory theories across multiple current-day diagnoses and as well as typical development

A vibrotactile behavioral battery for investigating somatosensory processing in children and adults

The cortical dynamics of somatosensory processing can be investigated using vibrotactile psychophysics. It has been suggested that different vibrotactile paradigms target different cortical mechanisms, and a number of recent studies have established links between somatosensory cortical function and measurable aspects of behavior. The relationship between cortical mechanisms and sensory function is particularly relevant with respect to developmental disorders in which altered inhibitory processing has been postulated, such as in ASD and ADHD. In this study, a vibrotactile battery consisting of nine tasks (incorporating reaction time, detection threshold, and amplitude- and frequency discrimination) was applied to a cohort of healthy adults and a cohort of typically developing children to assess the feasibility of such a vibrotactile battery in both cohorts, and the performance between children and adults was compared. These results showed that children and adults were both able to perform these tasks with a similar performance, although the children were slightly less sensitive in frequency discrimination. Performance within different task-groups clustered together in adults, providing further evidence that these tasks tap into different cortical mechanisms, which is also discussed. This clustering was not observed in children, which may be potentially indicative of development and a greater variability. In conclusion, in this study, we showed that both children and adults were able to perform an extensive vibrotactile battery, and we showed the feasibility of applying this battery to other (e.g., neurodevelopmental) cohorts to probe different cortical mechanisms

Towards a Material Oriented Approach in Economics(part1)

The Neo-Classical Economics have regarded objects which have exchange value as goods. In this recognition, it is not necessary to make distinction between material objects and non-material objects or services. However, considering that environmental burdens stem from not enjoyment of services but use of material objects such as energy and matter, I argue that there should be clear distinction between material objects and non-material objects or services in environmental economic theories. In part 1,by reviewing some past masters, I will show there was clear distinction between material and non-material objects in the beginning of this science, describe how the Neo-Classical way of thinking has become dominant, and introduce some works of pioneers those who straggle to make economics stand on material bases, though their efforts had not resulted in success