Arts Research & Publications

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Open Access
12-month-olds' phonotactic knowledge guides their word-object mappings
(Society for Research In Child Development, 2012-01) MacKenzie, Heather K.; Curtin, Suzanne; Graham, Susan
This study examined whether 12-month-olds will accept words that differ phonologically and phonetically from their native language as object labels in an associative learning task. Sixty infants were presented with sets of English word-object (N = 30), Japanese word-object (N = 15), or Czech word-object (N = 15) pairings until they habituated. Infants associated CVCV English, CCVC English, and CVCV Japanese words, but not CCVC Czech words, with novel objects. These results demonstrate that by 12 months of age, infants are beginning to apply their language-specific knowledge to their acceptance of word forms. That is, they will not map words that violate the phonotactics of their native language to objects.
Open Access
14- to 16-Month-Olds Attend to Distinct Labels in an Inductive Reasoning Task
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2017-01) Switzer, Jessica L.; Graham, Susan A.
We examined how naming objects with unique labels influenced infants' reasoning about the non-obvious properties of novel objects. Seventy 14- to 16-month-olds participated in an imitation-based inductive inference task during which they were presented with target objects possessing a non-obvious sound property, followed by test objects that varied in shape similarity in comparison to the target. Infants were assigned to one of two groups: a No Label group in which objects were introduced with a general attentional phrase (i.e., "Look at this one") and a Distinct Label group in which target and test objects were labeled with two distinct count nouns (i.e., fep vs. wug). Infants in the Distinct Label group performed significantly fewer target actions on the high-similarity objects than infants in the No Label group but did not differ in performance of actions on the low-similarity object. Within the Distinct Label group, performance on the inductive inference task was related to age, but not to working memory, inhibitory control, or vocabulary. Within the No Label condition, performance on the inductive inference task was related to a measure of inhibitory control. Our findings suggest that between 14- and 16-months, infants begin to use labels to carve out distinct categories, even when objects are highly perceptually similar.
Open Access
24-Month-Olds' Selective Learning Is Not an All-or-None Phenomenon
(2015-06) Henderson, Annette M. E.; Graham, Susan; Schell, Vanessa
Evidence that children maintain some memories of labels that are unlikely to be shared by the broader linguistic community suggests that children's selective learning is not an all-or-none phenomenon. Across three experiments, we examine the contexts in which 24-month-olds show selective learning and whether they adjust their selective learning if provided with cues of in-context relevance. In each experiment, toddlers were first familiarized with a source who acted on familiar objects in either typical or atypical ways (e.g., used a car to mimic driving or hop like a rabbit) or labeled familiar objects incorrectly (e.g., called a spoon a "brush"). The source then labeled unfamiliar objects using either a novel word (e.g., fep; Experiment 1) or sound (e.g., ring; Experiments 2 and 3). Results indicated that toddlers learnt words from the typical source but not from the atypical or inaccurate source. In contrast, toddlers extended sound labels only when a source who had previously acted atypically provided the sound labels. Thus, toddlers, like preschoolers, avoid forming semantic representations of new object labels that are unlikely to be relevant in the broader community, but will form event-based memories of such labels if they have reason to suspect such labels will have in-context relevance.
Open Access
Activation of M1/4 receptors phase advances the hamster circadian clock during the day
(Elsevier, 2016-05-16) Basu, Priyoneel; Wensel, Adrienne L; McKibbon, Reid; Lefebvre, Nicole; Antle, Michael C
The mammalian circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) can be reset by the cholinergic agonist carbachol. In hamsters, intraSCN carbachol produces phase advances during the day. This phenomenon has previously been attributed to the muscarinic receptors, as carbachol-induced phase shifts are blocked by pretreatment with the muscarinic antagonist atropine. The SCN contains all five muscarinic receptors, leaving open the question as to which muscarinic receptors mediate these shifts. Here we test two selective muscarinic agonists, the M1/4 agonist McN-A-343 and the M2/3 agonist bethanechol, in addition to the non-selective cholinergic agonist carbachol. Consistent with previous reports, carbachol produced significant phase advances when injected to the SCN during the mid-subjective day. At the doses used here, McN-A-343, but not bethanechol, also produced significant phase shifts when injected to the SCN during the mid-subjective day. Phase shifts to McN-A-343 were as large as those produced by carbachol, suggesting that activation of the M1/4 receptors alone can fully account for the daytime phase advances produced by cholinergic agonists. Given acetylcholine’s role in arousal, and the similarity between phase advances to carbachol/McN-A-343 and to exercise and arousal manipulations, it is possible that acetylcholine may contribute to non-photic resetting of the circadian clock.
Open Access
Animacy cues facilitate 10-month-olds' categorization of novel objects with similar insides
(2018-11-26) Anderson, Nina; Meagher, Kristinn; Welder, Andrea N.; Graham, Susan
In this experiment, we examined whether sensitivity to the relevance of object insides for the categorization of animate objects is in place around 10 months of age. Using an object examining paradigm, 10-month-old infants' (N = 58) were familiarized to novel objects with varying outward appearances but shared insides in one of three groups: No cues, Eyes, and Cue control. During test trials, infants were presented with a novel in-category test object followed by an out-of-category test object. When objects were presented with animacy cues (i.e., Eyes), infants categorized the objects together. In contrast, when objects were presented without any added cues or when they were presented with a shared perceptual marker (Cue control, i.e., plastic spoons placed on top of the objects), infants showed no evidence of categorization. These results indicate that by 10 months of age, eyes signal to infants that objects share some kind of uniting commonality that may not be obvious or readily perceptually available.
Open Access
Are IQ scores valid for children who are poor readers?
(American Psychological Association, 1993-01) Kline, Rex Bryan; Graham, Susan; Lachar, David
Open Access
Back to the Basics: Origins of Sex Therapy, Sexual Disorder and Therapeutic Techniques
(OMICS Group Corporation, 2012-06-20) Walker, Lauren M.; Robinson, John W.
Open Access
A bifactor model of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory
(Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 2014-04-23) Konkoly-Thege, Barna; Kovács, Éva; Balog, Piroska
Purpose: The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) is a self-administered measurement instrument designed to provide information concerning positive psychological changes after a traumatic life event. The aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the PTGI in a Hungarian sample. By examining a bifactor model of the instrument, we also wanted to contribute to the establishment of an evidence-based practice concerning the use of different score types (total score versus subscale scores). Methods: Altogether, 691 Hungarian respondents (82.2% female; Mage = 33.0 ± 13.4 years), who experienced some kind of trauma or loss, participated in this study. Results: A series of confirmatory factor analyses revealed that among the tested first- and second-order models, a bifactor model provided the best-fit to our data (χ2/df = 4.32, Comparative Fit Index = .91, root mean square error of approximation = .07, standardized root mean square residual = .04). Further, the Hungarian version of the PTGI showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .93, omega total = .95, omega hierarchical = .87) and test–retest reliability (r = .90; p < .01) coefficients. However, omega hierarchical coefficients (.14–.40) and explained variance values (.05–.10) for the subscales were low. Conclusions: The present study provided empirical support for the psychometric adequacy of the Hungarian adaptation of the PTGI and suggests that only the total and not the subscale scores of the inventory should be used.
Open Access
Bridging the Gaps in the Study of Typical and Atypical Cognitive Development: A Commentary
(Taylor & Francis, 2016-01) Graham, Susan; Madigan, Sheri L.
The articles in this special issue of the Journal of Cognition and Development examine the cognitive development of children who are following typical and atypical developmental pathways. The articles offer a mixture of theory-based considerations, reviews of the literature, and new empirical data addressing fundamental aspects of cognitive development. Our commentary considers these articles in light of comparative and dimensional approaches to the study of typicality/atypicality and offers some considerations for researchers building bridges between typical and atypical development.
Open Access
Cannabis: An Overview
(2019-11-28) Baring, Jasmine
Open Access
Category markers or attributes: why do labels guide infants' inductive inferences?
(Association for Psychological Science, 2008-12) Keates, Jeany; Graham, Susan
To clarify the role of labels in early induction, we compared 16-month-old infants' (n=114) generalization of target properties to test objects when objects were introduced by the experimenter in one of the following ways: (a) with a general attentional phrase, (b) highlighted with a flashlight and a general attentional phrase, (c) via a recorded voice that labeled the objects using a naming phrase, (d) with a label consisting of a count noun embedded within a naming phrase, (e) with a label consisting of a single word that was not marked as belonging to a particular grammatical form class, and (f) with a label consisting of an adjective. Infants relied on object labels to guide their inductive inferences only when the labels were presented referentially, embedded within an intentional naming phrase, and marked as count nouns. These results suggest that infants do not view labels as attributes of objects; rather, infants understand that count-noun labels are intentional markers denoting category membership.
Open Access
Children's communicative strategies in novel and familiar word situations
(SAGE : First Language, 2006-10) Nayer, Samantha L.; Graham, Susan
The present studies investigated 3-year-olds’ ability to adapt their communication based on their parents’ knowledge state when requesting familiar and novel objects. Children participated in a toy retrieval game during which their parent was present or absent during toy introductions. In Study 1, children used more specific requests and cue combinations in the parent-absent group versus parent- present group when requesting familiar labelled objects. In Study 2, a similar game was administered with adaptations to reduce cognitive demands. Children produced more specific requests in the parent-absent group compared with the parent-present group when requesting an unlabelled novel object. The results indicate that three-year-olds have an emergent ability to adapt their communicative behaviours based on their parents’ knowledge state.
Open Access
Children's sensitivity to the knowledge expressed in pedagogical and nonpedagogical contexts
(American Psychological Association, 2013-03) Gelman, Susan A.; Ware, Elizabeth A.; Manczak, Erika M.; Graham, Susan
The present studies test 2 hypotheses: (1) that pedagogical contexts especially convey generic information (Csibra & Gergely, 2009) and (2) that young children are sensitive to this aspect of pedagogy. We examined generic language (e.g., "Elephants live in Africa") in 3 studies, focusing on informational versus narrative children's books (Study 1), the language of 6-year-old children and adults assuming either a pedagogical (teacher) or non-pedagogical (friend) role (Study 2), and the language of 5-year-old children and adults speaking to either an ignorant alien (pedagogical context) or a peer (nonpedagogical context; Study 3). Results suggest that generics are more frequent in informational than narrative texts. Furthermore, both adults and young children provide more generic language in pedagogical contexts and when assuming a pedagogical role. Together, the studies demonstrate that pedagogical contexts are distinctive in conveying generic information and that children are sensitive to this aspect of the language input. We suggest that generic knowledge is more useful in making predictions about the future and thus more highly valued during instruction.
Open Access
Children's use of syntactic and pragmatic knowledge in the interpretation of novel adjectives
(Wiley : Society for Research In Child Development, 2006-01) Diesendruck, Gil; Hall, D. Geoffrey; Graham, Susan
In Study 1, English-speaking 3- and 4-year-olds heard a novel adjective used to label one of two objects and were asked for the referent of a different novel adjective. Children were more likely to select the unlabelled object if the two adjectives appeared prenominally (e.g., "a very DAXY dog") than as predicates (e.g., "a dog that is very DAXY"). Study 2 revealed that this response occurred only when both adjectives were prenominal. Study 3 replicated Study 1 with Hebrew-speaking 3- and 4-year-olds, even though in Hebrew both types of adjectives appear postnominally. Preschoolers understand that prenominal adjectives imply a restriction of the reference of nouns, and this knowledge motivates a contrastive pragmatic inference regarding the referents of different prenominal adjectives.
Open Access
Chronic BMY7378 treatment alters behavioral circadian rhythms
(Wiley, 2017-10-17) Vijaya Shankara, Jhenkruthie; Orr, Angélique; Mychasiuk, Richelle; Antle, Michael C
The mammalian circadian clock is synchronized to the day:night cycle by light. Serotonin modulates the circadian effects of light, with agonists inhibiting response to light and antagonists enhancing responses to light. A special class of serotonergic compounds, the mixed 5-HT1A agonist/antagonists, potentiate light-induced phase advances by up to 400% when administered acutely. In this study, we examine the effects of one of these mixed 5-HT1A agonist/antagonists, BMY7378, when administered chronically. Thirty adult male hamsters were administered either vehicle or BMY7378 via surgically implanted osmotic minipumps over a period of 28 days. In a light:dark cycle, chronic BMY7378 advanced the phase angle of entrainment, prolonged the duration of the active phase, and attenuated the amplitude of the wheel running rhythm during the early night. In constant darkness, chronic treatment with BMY7378 significantly attenuated light-induced phase advances, but had no significant effect on light-induced phase delays. Non-photic phase shifts to daytime administration of a 5-HT1A/7 agonist were also attenuated by chronic BMY7378 treatment. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that chronic BMY7378 treatment upregulated mRNA for 5-HT1A and 5-HT1B receptors in the hypothalamus, and downregulated mRNA for 5-HT1A and monoamine oxidase-A in the brainstem. These results highlight adaptive changes of serotonin receptors in the brain to chronic treatment with BMY7378, and link such up- and down-regulation to changes in important circadian parameters. Such long-term changes to the circadian system should be considered when patients are treated chronically with drugs that alter serotonergic function.
Open Access
Class matters: 12-month-olds' word-object associations privilege content over function words
(Blackwell, 2012-11) MacKenzie, Heather K.; Curtin, Suzanne; Graham, Susan
A fundamental step in learning words is the development of an association between a sound pattern and an element in the environment. Here we explore the nature of this associative ability in 12-month-olds, examining whether it is constrained to privilege particular word forms over others. Forty-eight infants were presented with sets of novel English content-like word-object pairings (e.g. fep) or novel English function-like word-object (e.g. iv) pairings until they habituated. Results indicated that infants associated novel content-like words, but not the novel function-like words, with novel objects. These results demonstrate that the mechanism with which basic word-object associations are formed is remarkably sophisticated by the onset of productive language. That is, mere associative pairings are not sufficient to form mappings. Rather the system requires well-formed noun-like words to co-occur with objects in order for the linkages to arise.
Open Access
Cohort Profile: The All Our Babies pregnancy cohort (AOB)
(Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association, 2017-01) Tough, Suzanne C.; McDonald, Sheila W.; Collisson, Beverly Anne; Graham, Susan; Kehler, Heather L.; Kingston, Dawn E.; Benzies, Karen Marie
Why was the cohort set up? All Our Babies (AOB) is a community-based, longitudinal pregnancy cohort developed to investigate the relationships between the prenatal and early life periods and outcomes for infants, children and mothers. The design of AOB follows a life course perspective, whereby the influence of early events on long-term health and development of both mothers and children are investigated through examining factors across life stages. AOB spans pregnancy, birth and early postpartum through childhood, and therefore provides the unique opportunity to describe the relations between prenatal events and early life development and to examine key factors that influence child and mother well-being over time. AOB was originally designed to measure maternal and infant outcomes during the perinatal period, with a particular emphasis on barriers and facilitators to accessing health care services in Calgary, Alberta. Approximately 1 year after recruitment had started, an additional objective,to examine biological and environmental determinants of adverse birth outcomes, specifically spontaneous pre-term birth, was added. Recognition of the opportunity to continue to collect relevant life course information on the AOB families, collaborations with content experts and securing additional funding has enabled ongoing follow-up of AOB mother-child dyads. The overall objective was to further investigate risk and protective factors for optimal child development, and to understand the trajectory and impact of poor maternal mental health over time. Mothers have completed questionnaires from pregnancy to 3 years postpartum, and consented to providing the research team with access to their obstetric medical records. Data collection for a 5-year follow-up questionnaire is ongoing. A subgroup within the cohort participated in the ‘prediction of preterm birth’ component and provided blood samples during pregnancy and an umbilical cord blood sample. The continuation of follow-up to 8 years is under way.
Open Access
Cohort Profile: The All Our Babies pregnancy cohort (AOB)
(Oxford University Press, 2017-01) Tough, Suzanne C.; McDonald, Sheila W.; Collisson, Beverly Anne; Graham, Susan A.; Kehler, Heather L.; Kingston, Dawn E.; Benzies, Karen Marie
Open Access
Contextual influences on children's use of vocal affect cues during referential interpretation
(Routledge, 2012-09) Berman, Jared M. J.; Graham, Susan; Chambers, Craig G.
In three experiments, we investigated 5-year-olds' sensitivity to speaker vocal affect during referential interpretation in cases where the indeterminacy is or is not resolved by speech information. In Experiment 1, analyses of eye gaze patterns and pointing behaviours indicated that 5-year-olds used vocal affect cues at the point where an ambiguous description was encountered. In Experiments 2 and 3, we used unambiguous situations to investigate how the referential context influences the ability to use affect cues earlier in the utterance. Here, we found a differential use of speaker vocal affect whereby 5-year-olds' referential hypotheses were influenced by negative vocal affect cues in advance of the noun, but not by positive affect cues. Together, our findings reveal how 5-year-olds use a speaker's vocal affect to identify potential referents in different contextual situations and also suggest that children may be more attuned to negative vocal affect than positive vocal affect, particularly early in an utterance.
Open Access
The Contribution of Trade Books to Early Science Literacy: In and Out of School
(Springer, 2008-01) Schroeder, Meadow; McKeough, Anne M.; Graham, Susan; Stock, Hayli R.; Bisanz, Gay L.
Lifelong science literacy begins with attitudes and interests established early in childhood. The use of trade books (i.e., a literary work intended for sale to the general public) in North American school classrooms to support the development of science literacy invites an examination of the quality of science content disseminated to students. A total of 116 trade books were examined to: (a) determine the degree to which science trade books complement expected science knowledge outcomes outlined in school curricula, and (b) compare trade book content to the goals of scientific literacy. Analysis across four science topics, Dinosaurs, Space, Inheritance, and Growth and Life Properties, revealed that this body of children’s literature is inconsistent in its coverage of curricular goals and elements of scientific literacy. Because trade books represent children’s first exposure to science, these shortcomings should be addressed if these books are to be maximally effective in promoting science literacy. Implications for using trade books in the classroom are discussed.