Short term implicit memory in lexical processing

A single recent presentation of an item can lead to substantial improvementin speed or accuracy of processing when that item is presented subsequently, a phenomenon referred to as repetition priming. This empirical finding has been considered within two general frameworks. The first can be termed a "perceptual" approach, in which the perception of the target occurs more easily due to a transient change in the state of the target's internal representation. The second can be termed a "memory" approach, in which priming is seen as an example of implicit memory, that is, as arising from subconscious, nondeliberate access to a trace of an earlier event. This thesis examined repetition priming for words and nonwords from both perspectives. A review of priming within a word recognition framework suggested that transient modifications of lexical representations might be able to endure for several seconds, allowing a short-lived priming effect for words and word-like nonwords. A review of priming within a memory framework suggested that there might exist a short-lived implicit memory form, with a duration similar to that of explicit working memory. Empirical work examined priming over short lags (generally 0-23 items intervening between repeats) using lexical decision and speeded naming tasks. A novel short-lived repetition effect was apparent, superimposed on standard long-lived priming. For words, this effect endured until lag 3 (8 seconds). More rapid decay was apparent for nonwords, producing a lag x lexicality interaction. Short term priming was distinguished from long term priming on the basis of decay rate, the effects of word frequency, and the effects of the proportion of repeated items in the list. Short term priming was distinguished from explicit working memory on the basis of the effects of lexical status and overall differences in speed and accuracy. Finally, short term priming was shown to decay through the effects of both spontaneous trace loss and interference. The effect of interference on nonword priming was particularly severe, and the relative effects of interference were shown to be responsible for the form of the lag x lexicality interaction. The results are interpreted as showing that a) short term priming reflects the operation of a novel memory form, namely, short term implicit memory, (b) this memory arises {for lexical items) within the perceptual system responsible for word recognition, possibly through transient modification of orthographic representations, and (c) the word recognition system therefore retains a number of partially-active words simultaneously. It is suggested that short term implicit memory might exist to allow the integration of successively­ presented stimuli across a short time window of perceptual processing

Book review: Data practices: making up a European people by Evelyn Ruppert and Stephan Scheel

In Data Practices: Making Up a European People – available open access – Evelyn Ruppert and Stephan Scheel explore how statisticians and policymakers use statistical methods and data practices to ‘enact’ or ‘make up’ their data subjects: in this case, the people of Europe. The book’s detailed case studies and thoughtful consideration of quantitative data production from the perspective of the data subject have earned it pride of place on the bookshelf of reviewer Mariel McKone Leonard. Data Practices: Making Up a European People. Evelyn Ruppert and Stephan Scheel. Goldsmiths Press. London. 2021

Review essay: exposing the costs of uncounting

What does it mean to be ‘uncounted’? It means that the uncounted – an event, an individual, a group – is invisible, absent from a world built on data. In this review essay, Mariel McKone Leonard examines two recent books, Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez and The Uncounted by Alex Cobham, that take up the task of documenting the true extent of uncounting and make a compelling moral argument for addressing the consequences of the data gap

New Tests to Measure Individual Differences in Matching and Labelling Facial Expressions of Emotion, and Their Association with Ability to Recognise Vocal Emotions and Facial Identity

Although good tests are available for diagnosing clinical impairments in face expression processing, there is a lack of strong tests for assessing "individual differences"--that is, differences in ability between individuals within the typical, nonclinical, range. Here, we develop two new tests, one for expression perception (an odd-man-out matching task in which participants select which one of three faces displays a different expression) and one additionally requiring explicit identification of the emotion (a labelling task in which participants select one of six verbal labels). We demonstrate validity (careful check of individual items, large inversion effects, independence from nonverbal IQ, convergent validity with a previous labelling task), reliability (Cronbach's alphas of.77 and.76 respectively), and wide individual differences across the typical population. We then demonstrate the usefulness of the tests by addressing theoretical questions regarding the structure of face processing, specifically the extent to which the following processes are common or distinct: (a) perceptual matching and explicit labelling of expression (modest correlation between matching and labelling supported partial independence); (b) judgement of expressions from faces and voices (results argued labelling tasks tap into a multi-modal system, while matching tasks tap distinct perceptual processes); and (c) expression and identity processing (results argued for a common first step of perceptual processing for expression and identity).This research was supported by the Australian Research Council (http://www.arc.gov.au/) grant DP110100850 to RP and EM and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Cognition and its Disorders (CE110001021) http://www.ccd.edu.au. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Thermal exchange processes within shallow fractured bedrock: Applications for standing column wells

This research investigates thermal properties of fractured bedrock for the purpose of better understanding the sustainability of standing column well (SCW) geothermal heating systems. The three objectives are to quantify effective thermal conductivity and heat capacity of the fracture network; measure heat exchange between the fluid and the fractured surfaces; and estimate time of thermal breakthrough into a pumping well. Single and dipole well tests are performed to meet these objectives. Single well data is compared with an analytical heat flow model to estimate thermal conductivity and heat capacity. Dipole well data is compared to a model of the Kolditz (1995) modification of Gringarten and Sauty\u27s (1975) thermal breakthrough curve. Thermal conductivity is estimated to be lower than the previously reported value by Roy et al. (1968). No thermal breakthrough is observed during the dipole test, however, modeling of theoretical SCW systems shows significant temperature changes over the long term

Exposing the costs of uncounting, a review essay

What does it mean to be ‘uncounted’? It means that the uncounted – an event, an individual, a group – is invisible, absent from a world built on data. In this review essay, Mariel McKone Leonard examines two recent books, Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez and The Uncounted by Alex Cobham, that take up the task of documenting the true extent of uncounting and make a compelling moral argument for addressing the consequences of the data gap

Mother-daughter mutual arousal escalation and emotion regulation in adolescence

Emotion dysregulation is a core transdiagnostic risk factor for psychopathology and adolescence may be a sensitive period for the development of emotion regulation. Mothers may socialize emotion dysregulation by engaging in frequent interactions with their adolescents that involve mutual increases in arousal. This study examined mother-adolescent mutual arousal escalation in a conflict discussion task in adolescent girls. Further, we tested associations between mutual arousal escalation and adolescent emotion regulation. Participants comprised 84 adolescent girls (Mage=12.3[0.78]; 69% White) and their biological mothers. Dyads completed a 5m conflict discussion task, during which skin conductance level was collected as a measure of arousal. Adolescent emotion regulation outcomes included self-reported rumination and problem-solving, arousal habituation to a stressful speech task, and real-world use of positive and negative emotion regulation strategies. Multilevel models for distinguishable dyads indicated a significant random effect of time, with individual differences in arousal slope throughout the task for both adolescents and mothers. There were significant fixed and random effects of mother-to-adolescent cross-lagged arousal, indicating that mothers “transmitted” arousal to adolescents on average, and there was significant dyadic variability. Dyadic mutual arousal escalation predicted adolescent rumination, indicating that for dyads high in mutual arousal escalation and high in mutual arousal de-escalation, adolescents reported higher rumination. Mother arousal slope during the conflict task significantly predicted adolescent physiological regulation during the speech task; as mothers exhibited higher slopes on the speech task, adolescent slopes on the speech task were higher, reflecting less habituation. Higher mother-to-adolescent arousal transmission was associated with more use of positive and less use of negative emotion regulation strategies in the real world. Results suggest that mother-adolescent dyads vary in the degree to which they mutually escalate or de-escalate in arousal during stressful interactions, and in the degree to which mothers “transmit” arousal to adolescents. These differences in interaction style appear related to adolescents’ abilities to regulate their emotions. Adolescents in dyads who mutually escalate or de-escalate in arousal report more rumination, which may be indicative of a practiced dysregulatory response in stressful contexts (escalation) or a tendency toward cognitive processes that lead to withdrawal from aversive environments (de-escalation)

Photoelectrochemical water splitting: silicon photocathodes for hydrogen evolution

The development of low cost, scalable, renewable energy technologies is one of today's most pressing scientific challenges. We report on progress towards the development of a photoelectrochemical water-splitting system that will use sunlight and water as the inputs to produce renewable hydrogen with oxygen as a by-product. This system is based on the design principle of incorporating two separate, photosensitive inorganic semiconductor/liquid junctions to collectively generate the 1.7-1.9 V at open circuit needed to support both the oxidation of H_2O (or OH^-) and the reduction of H^+ (or H_2O). Si microwire arrays are a promising photocathode material because the high aspect-ratio electrode architecture allows for the use of low cost, earth-abundant materials without sacrificing energy-conversion efficiency, due to the orthogonalization of light absorption and charge-carrier collection. Additionally, the high surfacearea design of the rod-based semiconductor array inherently lowers the flux of charge carriers over the rod array surface relative to the projected geometric surface of the photoelectrode, thus lowering the photocurrent density at the solid/liquid junction and thereby relaxing the demands on the activity (and cost) of any electrocatalysts. Arrays of Si microwires grown using the Vapor Liquid Solid (VLS) mechanism have been shown to have desirable electronic light absorption properties. We have demonstrated that these arrays can be coated with earth-abundant metallic catalysts and used for photoelectrochemical production of hydrogen. This development is a step towards the demonstration of a complete artificial photosynthetic system, composed of only inexpensive, earth-abundant materials, that is simultaneously efficient, durable, and scalable