Haloperidol increases false recognition memory of thematically related pictures in healthy volunteers.

Dopamine can modulate long-term episodic memory. Its potential role on the generation of false memories, however, is less well known. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment, 24 young healthy volunteers ingested a 4-mg oral dose of haloperidol, a dopamine D2 -receptor antagonist, or placebo, before taking part in a recognition memory task. Haloperidol was active during both study and test phases of the experiment. Participants in the haloperidol group produced more false recognition responses than those in the placebo group, despite similar levels of correct recognition. These findings show that dopamine blockade in healthy volunteers can specifically increase false recognition memory.

Dual-memory processes in crack cocaine dependents: The effects of childhood neglect on recall.

Exposure to adversities during sensitive periods of neurodevelopment is associated with the subsequent development of substance dependence and exerts harmful, long-lasting effects upon memory functioning. In this study, we investigated the relationship between childhood neglect (CN) and memory using a dual-process model that quantifies recollective and non-recollective retrieval processes in crack cocaine dependents. Eighty-four female crack cocaine-dependent inpatients who did (N = 32) or did not (N = 52) report a history of CN received multiple opportunities to study and recall a short list composed of familiar and concrete words and then received a delayed-recall test. Crack cocaine dependents with a history of CN showed worse performance on free-recall tests than did dependents without a history of CN; this finding was associated with declines in recollective retrieval (direct access) rather than non-recollective retrieval. In addition, we found no evidence of group differences in forgetting rates between immediate- and delayed-recall tests. The results support developmental models of traumatology and suggest that neglect of crack cocaine dependents in early life disrupts the adult memory processes that support the retrieval of detailed representations of events from the past.

Neuroendocrine and immunological correlates of chronic stress in 'strictly healthy' populations.

BACKGROUND: Chronic stress has been associated with detrimental or maladaptive neuroendocrine and immunological changes. OBJECTIVES: We assessed the neuroendocrine and immunological correlates of a realistic chronic stress experienced by strictly healthy caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients and age-matched controls. METHODS: We screened 330 caregivers and 206 non-caregivers according to the 'strictly healthy' conditions established by the SENIEUR protocol. Forty-one strictly healthy caregivers (60.56 +/- 16.56 years) and 33 non-stressed controls (60.27 +/- 14.11 years) were selected for this study. Salivary cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) were assessed at multiple points by radioimmunoassay. Peripheral T cell proliferation and cellular sensitivity to glucocorticoids (corticosterone and dexamethasone, DEX) were evaluated by colorimetric assays. We also examined the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to the administration of a low-dose DEX in vivo. RESULTS: The caregivers were significantly more stressed, anxious and depressed than non-caregivers (all p < 0.0001), in contrast to similar cortisol levels. Caregivers had reduced DHEAS levels (-32%, p < 0.0001), an increased cortisol/DHEAS ratio (39.7%, p < 0.0001) and impaired HPA axis response to DEX intake. Caregivers had a higher T cell proliferation (p < 0.0001) and increased sensitivity to glucocorticoids in vitro (p < 0.01) as compared to non-stressed controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the maintenance of health in chronically stressed populations may be associated with both protective and detrimental neuroendocrine and immunological changes.

Effects of emotional valence and arousal on recollective and nonrecollective recall.

The authors investigated the effects of valence and arousal on memory using a dual-process model that quantifies recollective and nonrecollective components of recall without relying on metacognitive judgments to separate them. The results showed that valenced words increased reconstruction (a component of nonrecollective retrieval) relative to neutral words. In addition, the authors found that positive valence increased recollective retrieval in comparison to negative valence, whereas negative valence increased nonrecollective retrieval relative to positive valence. The latter effect, however, depended on arousal: It was reliable only when arousal was high. The present findings supported the notion that emotional valence is a conceptual gist because it affected nonrecollective retrieval and because subjects' recall protocols were clustered by valence. The results challenge the hypothesis that valence affects only recollection, and they clarify previous inconsistent findings about the effects of emotion on memory accuracy and brain activity.

Individual Differences in Numeracy and Cognitive Reflection, with Implications for Biases and Fallacies in Probability Judgment.

Despite evidence that individual differences in numeracy affect judgment and decision making, the precise mechanisms underlying how such differences produce biases and fallacies remain unclear. Numeracy scales have been developed without sufficient theoretical grounding, and their relation to other cognitive tasks that assess numerical reasoning, such as the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT), has been debated. In studies conducted in Brazil and in the USA, we administered an objective Numeracy Scale (NS), Subjective Numeracy Scale (SNS), and the CRT to assess whether they measured similar constructs. The Rational-Experiential Inventory, inhibition (go/no-go task), and intelligence were also investigated. By examining factor solutions along with frequent errors for questions that loaded on each factor, we characterized different types of processing captured by different items on these scales. We also tested the predictive power of these factors to account for biases and fallacies in probability judgments. In the first study, 259 Brazilian undergraduates were tested on the conjunction and disjunction fallacies. In the second study, 190 American undergraduates responded to a ratio-bias task. Across the different samples, the results were remarkably similar. The results indicated that the CRT is not just another numeracy scale, that objective and subjective numeracy scales do not measure an identical construct, and that different aspects of numeracy predict different biases and fallacies. Dimensions of numeracy included computational skills such as multiplying, proportional reasoning, mindless or verbatim matching, metacognitive monitoring, and understanding the gist of relative magnitude, consistent with dual-process theories such as fuzzy-trace theory.

¿Puede el efecto de generación producir falsas memorias? / Can generation effect produce false memories? / Pode produzir falsas memórias o efeito de geração?

El Efecto de Generación (EG) se refiere a la ventaja memorística que tiene la información que fue generada por nosotros mismos (e.g., dep_rt_me_to), en comparación con la información que recibimos sólo para memorizarla (e.g., departamento). La ventaja del EG en la memoria viene siendo cuestionada debido a los altos niveles de asociación que tiene con las FM y debido a propuestas recientes que indican que ambos fenómenos comparten procesos memorísticos. Las FM son reportes memorísticos que difieren parcial o totalmente de los eventos experimentados. El objetivo del presente artículo es presentar una revisión de estudios clásicos sobre EG y FM, así como la interacción de estos dos fenómenos y las propuestas explicativas existentes para ellos. Además, se pretende analizar la hipótesis que sugieren que el EG podría no solo aumentar índices de Memorias Verdaderas, sino también índices de FM. De ello se sugieren posibles líneas de investigación empírica que permitan esclarecer la relación entre estos dos fenómenos.

The generation effect (GE) is the memory advantage of a self-generated (e.g., dep_rt_me_t) information, as compared to information that has been received complete, just to be memorized (e.g., department). The advantage of the GE in memory has been questioned because of its high associations with FM, and recent approaches that state commonality of responsible memory processes to both phenomena. FM refers to memory reports that are partially or totally inconsistent with experienced events. The aim of the present paper is to review the classical studies on GE and FM, as well as the interaction with each other and the theoretical approaches about them. Some hypotheses suggesting that the GE could not only enhance true memory but also produce more FM are discussed. Possible lines for future empirical research that may lead to clarify the relationship between these two phenomena are considered.

O efeito de geração (EG) é a vantagem de recordar a informação gerada por nós mesmos (por exemplo, dep_rt_me_to) frente à informação recebida apenas para memorizá-la (departamento, por exemplo). A vantagem da GE na memória tem sido questionada devido aos elevados níveis de associação que tem com as FM e às propostas recentes que indicam que ambos os fenômenos compartilham processos de memória. As FM são relatórios diferentes, parcial ou inteiramente, dos eventos vivenciados. O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar uma revisão de estudos clássicos acerca do EG e da FM, a interação desses dois fenômenos e as propostas para explicá-los. Além disso, se examina a hipótese que a GE poderia não só aumentar os níveis de memória verdadeira, mas também os índices de FM. Se sugerem as possíveis linhas de investigação empírica que projetem luz sobre a relação entre estes dois fenômenos.

Desenvolvimento do comportamento alimentar infantil / Development of children`s eanting behavior

Objetivo: Revisar a literatura, descrevendo fatores que colaboram no desenvolvimento do comportamento alimentar infantil, em especial o papel da aprendizagem e do contexto social. Método: a busca nos bancos de dados Medline, Psyclit e LiLac forneceu a literatura nacional e estrangeira na forma de artigos de estudos realizados nos últimos anos sobre nutrição infantil com ênfase no comportamento alimentar. Estes artigos foram revisados e agrupados por temáticas. A família é responsável pela formação do comportamento alimentar da criança através da aprendizagem social, tendo os pais o papel de primeiros educadores nutricionais. Os fatores culturais e psicossociais influenciam as experiências alimentares da criança, desde o momento do nascimento, dando início ao processo de aprendizagem. O contexto social adquire um papel preponderante neste processo, principalmente nas estratégias que os pais utilizam para a criança alimentar-se ou para aprender a comer alimentos específicos. Estas estratégias podem apresentar estímulos tanto adequados , quanto inadequados, quando inadequados na aquisição das preferências alimentares da criança e no autocontrole da ingesta alimentar. Conclusão: O processo de aprendizagem é um dos fatores determinantes do comportamento alimentar da criança, cujo condicionamento está associado a três fatores: a sugestão do sabor dos alimentos, a consequência pós-ingesta da alimentação e o contexto social. Constata-se que a preocupação dos pais centra-se na quantidade da alimentação, e não em desenvolver hábitos e atitudes direcionados a padrões de alimentação mais adequados do ponto de vista qualitativo