Nonverbal Conditions Research Articles

An fMRI analysis of verbal and non-verbal working memory in people with a past history of opioid dependence.

Working memory describes the ability to maintain and manipulate information held in mind, and it is a fundamental aspect of executive function. Within drug addiction, impairments of executive control over behavior are thought to lead to poor decision making and risky behaviors. Previous research has demonstrated working memory (WM) and executive function difficulties in opioid-dependent individuals, but the neural underpinnings of such impairments in this population are not well understood. This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural mechanisms involved in WM in 13 opioid-dependent, methadone-maintained participants (OP) and 13 matched, healthy controls (HC). A Sternberg item-recognition task was administered with three conditions: (1) a "verbal" condition in which participants determined whether any six visually presented target letters matched a probe item that was presented 4-6 s later, (2) a "non-verbal" condition in which participants were presented with a Chinese character and, following a 4-6 s delay, determined whether the character matched the probe item, and (3) a "control" condition in which participants were presented with three horizontal lines and following the same delay, determined whether the lines matched a probe item (always the same three lines). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) contrasts focused on the delay (or "maintenance") phase for verbal and non-verbal conditions relative to the control condition. Accuracy on the WM task did not differ between groups, but the OP group was significantly slower to respond. The fMRI imaging results indicated differences in brain activity between the OP and HC groups. fMRI-guided regions of interest correlated with age of first alcohol and THC use, suggesting that early substance use, in addition to years of opioid-abuse, may have played a role in the OP group's WM performance. A deeper understanding of these neural differences between opioid-dependent individuals and their healthy control counterparts helps shed light on fundamental ways in which substance use impacts the brain and cognition, potentially opening up novel avenues for therapeutic targets to treat substance use disorder.

Is Sexual Consent Sexy?: Investigating the Effects of a Televised Depiction of Verbal Sexual Consent on College Students’ Sexual Consent Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions

ABSTRACT Although depictions of sexual consent are rare in the media, such portrayals have the potential to instruct young people on the procedural details of sexual consent. Taking an entertainment-education (E-E) perspective, we examined the effects of a televised depiction of sexual consent that contained verbal sexual consent, versus a televised depiction that only included nonverbal sexual consent, versus a no-exposure control group to test for changes in college students’ attitudes and behavioral intentions toward sexual consent. In the pretest-posttest experimental design, those who were assigned to the nonverbal video condition reported less favorable attitudes about sexual consent between pretest and posttest. Additionally, interpersonal liking was an important facilitator of the E-E impact of the verbal sexual consent condition; the more the participants liked the characters in the verbal condition, the more positively about sexual consent they felt and the more likely they were to plan to engage in sexual consent. Narrative engagement did not mediate the effects of experimental condition on sexual consent attitudes and behavioral intentions. The implications for E-E are discussed.

Electrophysiological signatures of attentional control in bilingual processing: Evidence from proactive interference

Monolingual and bilingual participants performed a Proactive Interference task in verbal and nonverbal conditions while EEG was recorded. Behavioral results showed faster responses for bilinguals on interference trials in the nonverbal condition, and electrophysiological results indicated greater attentional control for bilinguals. ROI analyses showed this pattern for bilinguals mainly in the verbal condition, whereas whole brain analyses found this association in both conditions. Frequency power analysis found activity related to interference trials was associated with recruitment of different neural resources for verbal and nonverbal conditions. Nonverbal results indicated beta activity for interference trials in bilinguals and the verbal condition showed this pattern in theta and gamma frequency bands as well, revealing more extensive brain activation in the verbal domain for bilinguals. For monolinguals, frequency power in beta, gamma, and theta were related to facilitation trials. These results suggest different strategies for allocating attention by monolingual and bilingual young adults.

Nonverbal Semantics Test (NVST)-A Novel Diagnostic Tool to Assess Semantic Processing Deficits: Application to Persons with Aphasia after Cerebrovascular Accident.

Assessment of semantic processing capacities often relies on verbal tasks which are, however, sensitive to impairments at several language processing levels. Especially for persons with aphasia there is a strong need for a tool that measures semantic processing skills independent of verbal abilities. Furthermore, in order to assess a patient’s potential for using alternative means of communication in cases of severe aphasia, semantic processing should be assessed in different nonverbal conditions. The Nonverbal Semantics Test (NVST) is a tool that captures semantic processing capacities through three tasks—Semantic Sorting, Drawing, and Pantomime. The main aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between the NVST and measures of standard neurolinguistic assessment. Fifty-one persons with aphasia caused by left hemisphere brain damage were administered the NVST as well as the Aachen Aphasia Test (AAT). A principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted across all AAT and NVST subtests. The analysis resulted in a two-factor model that captured 69% of the variance of the original data, with all linguistic tasks loading high on one factor and the NVST subtests loading high on the other. These findings suggest that nonverbal tasks assessing semantic processing capacities should be administered alongside standard neurolinguistic aphasia tests.

Spontaneous productions of infinitive clauses by English-speaking children with and without specific language impairment

ABSTRACT As a group, children with specific language impairment (SLI) have presented with lower levels of proficiency with infinitive clauses relative to comparison groups with typical language (TL). The presence of considerable individual variability within those affected by SLI, however, remains unexplained. Furthermore, the status of infinitive clause productions in children with language impairments that do not meet criteria for SLI, because of either low nonverbal abilities or other concomitant conditions, is unknown. Previous studies focused on children with SLI and have not included children who would fit into a broader developmental language disorder (DLD) designation. In this study, spontaneous language samples were collected on 30 children with DLD and 30 children with typical language skills, including those with low nonverbal abilities or other neurodevelopmental disorders (age range: 5;1–7;7). Samples were analyzed to examine potential predictors of children’s infinitive clause use and their infinitive TO omission rates. Significant group differences were found for the number and accuracy of infinitive clauses produced. Consistent with previous reports examining children with SLI, considerable variability was found across cases of DLD. Maternal education and mean length of utterance (MLU) were significant predictors for children’s infinitive clause use. Finite verb morphology composite scores and MLU were significant predictors of children’s infinitive TO omission rates.

Effect of verbal encouragement on quadriceps and knee joint function during three sets of knee extension exercise

BACKGROUND: Although the common practice of verbal encouragement is scientifically supported, its effect on the maintenance of force output in fatiguing exertions is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of verbal encouragement on exercise-induced quadriceps and knee joint function during three sets of knee extension exercise. METHODS: Sixty-five healthy males (23.3 years, 175.8 cm, 75.3 kg) underwent testing using the administration of verbal encouragement (n= 32) or not (n= 33) during assessment of quadriceps and knee joint function. Assessments were performed at baseline and times 1, 2, and 3. The knee concentric isokinetic extension at 60∘/s, was performed between the time points. For quadriceps function, maximal isometric strength and activation (central activation ratio) were recorded. Absolute error values on knee flexion replications at 15∘ or 45∘ were recorded for knee joint function. RESULTS: There was no verbal encouragement effect over three sets of exercise in quadriceps strength (condition × time: F3,189= 1.71, p= 0.17) and knee flexion replication (condition × time for 15∘: F3,189= 0.11, p= 0.96; 45∘: F3,189= 0.63, p= 0.6). However, subjects who had received verbal encouragement maintained quadriceps activation (condition × time: F3,189= 5.49, p= 0.001). Specifically, quadriceps activation in the verbal condition was 3.0% higher at time 2 (p= 0.01) and 4.7% higher at time 3 (p= 0.0003) versus in the non-verbal condition. CONCLUSIONS: Verbal encouragement appears to be effective in maintaining central activation, but is insufficient for promoting strength. This supports the idea that peripheral contributing factors play a larger role in force production when performing multiple sets of exercises.

TTYL :-) … Nonverbal cues and perceptions of personality and homophily in synchronous mediated communication

ABSTRACT Person perception is an integral aspect of human communication and is increasingly relevant in computer-mediated communication (CMC) because of the mobile and ubiquitous nature of mediated communication. Based on the hypothesis that nonverbal cues in CMC such as emoticons, acronyms, exaggerated spellings, acronyms, and altered sentence structure are similar to face-to-face nonverbal cues and have similar communicative outcomes, this study examines the effect of nonverbal cues in online synchronous interactions on perceptions of personality and homophily. Employing a between-subjects post-test experimental design, participants (N = 505) were randomized to view one of three transcripts of an instant messaging conversation in which nonverbal cues along with the valence were manipulated. Results showed that subjects in the positive nonverbal cues condition were perceived to be extraverted and agreeable; those in the negative nonverbal cues condition were perceived to be neurotic, and those in the control condition were perceived to be conscientiousness and homophilous. The findings suggest that nonverbal cues in synchronous mediated communication allow individuals to engage in impression formation.

Orthographic learning in children with isolated and combined reading and spelling deficits

ABSTRACTDissociations between reading and spelling problems are likely to be associated with different underlying cognitive deficits, and with different deficits in orthographic learning. In order to understand these differences, the current study examined orthographic learning using a printed-word learning paradigm. Children (4th grade) with isolated reading, isolated spelling and combined reading and spelling problems were compared to children with age appropriate reading and spelling skills on their performance during learning novel words and symbols (non-verbal control condition), and during immediate and delayed reading and spelling recall tasks. No group differences occurred in the non-verbal control condition. In the verbal condition, initial learning was intact in all groups, but differences occurred during recall tasks. Children with reading fluency deficits showed slower reading times, while children with spelling deficits were less accurate, both in reading and spelling recall. Children with isolated spelling problems showed no difficulties in immediate spelling recall, but had problems in remembering the spellings 2 hours later. The results suggest that different orthographic learning deficits underlie reading fluency and spelling problems: Children with isolated reading fluency deficits have no difficulties in building-up orthographic representations, but access to these representations is slowed down while children with isolated spelling deficits have problems in storing precise orthographic representations in long-term memory.

Latent profiles of executive functioning in healthy young adults: evidence of individual differences in hemispheric asymmetry.

Two competing theoretical models of individual differences in executive functioning (EF) were examined: the Prefrontal Convexity Model and the Hemispheric Asymmetry Model. Neurologically healthy individuals (N=315; mean age 20.8) completed a modified switching task (MST) and the Attention Network Test (ANT) in a single testing session. Data analysis was conducted in two phases. In the first phase (model identification), latent profile analysis was applied to MST variables measuring the abilities to form, switch, and maintain mental sets under conditions designed to tax left or right hemisphere resources. In the second phase (model validation), participant clusters obtained from the first phase were compared on the ANT. The Model Identification phase yielded a 3-profile solution consistent with the Hemispheric Asymmetry Model. Profile 1 (N=203) was characterized by average EF performances. Profile 2 (N=43) revealed a set maintenance weakness under non-verbal conditions. Profile 3 (N=38) demonstrated weaknesses in cognitive flexibility combined with poor executive performances under verbal conditions. The Model Validation phase confirmed group differences. Profile 1 demonstrated average EF performances. Profile 2 demonstrated distractibility and decreased alertness, consistent with a right hemisphere weakness. Profile 3 demonstrated cognitive rigidity in the absence of external cues, consistent with a left hemisphere weakness. Individual differences in EF appear to follow a Hemispheric Asymmetry Model of EF among neurologically healthy adults. Investigating the relationship between hemispherically mediated executive functions and other individual difference factors known to confer health risk or resilience could inform numerous disciplines within the field of psychology.

Nonverbal interaction contextualized in collaborative virtual environments

Like other communication media, a Collaborative Virtual Environment (CVE) enables interaction under certain characteristics. Here, the main display of nonverbal cues is through a graphical representation of the user in a computer-created environment; in such a way that nonverbal behavior in CVEs varies, not only because of the people and the scenario involved as in a face-to-face situation, but also because of technical and design issues. In order to present an overview of the nonverbal interaction conditions in this technology, the study of nonverbal interaction in face-to-face situations is here contextualized in CVEs.

How language impacts memory of motion events in English and French.

This paper examines whether cross-linguistic differences in motion encoding affect event processing, specifically memory performance. We compared speakers of two languages which differ strikingly in how they habitually encode MANNER and PATH of motion (Talmy in Toward a cognitive semantics: typology and process in concept structuring, 2nd edn, vol 2. MIT Press, Cambridge, 2000). We tested French and English adult native speakers across three tasks that recruited and/or suppressed verbal processing to different extents: verbal event descriptions elicited on the basis of dynamic motion stimuli, a verbal memory task testing the impact of prior verbalisation on target recognition, and a non-verbal memory task, using a dual-task paradigm to suppress internal verbalisation. Results showed significant group differences in the verbal description task, which mirrored expected typological tendencies. English speakers more frequently expressed both MANNER and PATH information than French speakers, who produced more descriptions encoding either PATH or MANNER alone. However, these differences in linguistic encoding did not significantly affect speakers' memory performance in the memory recognition tasks, neither in the verbal nor in the non-verbal condition. The findings contribute to current debates regarding the conditions under which language effects occur and the relative weight of language-specific and universal constraints on spatial cognition.

Extensive Left Temporal Pole Damage Does Not Impact on Theory of Mind Abilities

The temporal poles (TPs) are among the brain regions that are often considered as the brain network sustaining our ability to understand other people's mental states or "Theory of Mind" (ToM). However, so far the functional role of the left and right TPs in ToM is still debated, and it is even not clear yet whether these regions are necessary for ToM. In this study, we tested whether the left TP is necessary for ToM by assessing the mentalizing abilities of a patient (C.M.) diagnosed with semantic dementia. Converging evidence from detailed MRI and (18)F-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose PET examinations showed a massive atrophy of the left TP with the right TP being relatively unaffected. Furthermore, C.M.'s atrophy encompassed most regions of the left TP usually activated in neuroimaging studies investigating ToM. Given C.M.'s language impairments, we used a battery of entirely nonverbal ToM tasks. Across five tasks encompassing 100 trials, which probed the patient's ability to attribute various mental states (intentions, knowledge, and beliefs), C.M. showed a totally spared performance. This finding suggests that, despite its consistently observed activation in neuroimaging studies involving ToM tasks, the left TP is not necessary for ToM reasoning, at least in nonverbal conditions and as long as its right counterpart is preserved. Implications for understanding the social abilities of patients with semantic dementia are discussed.

Stimulus dependence in probabilistic category learning

The current study investigates whether probabilistic categorization on the Weather Prediction task involves a single, modality/domain general learning mechanism or there are modality/domain differences. The same probabilistic categorization task was used in three modalities/domains and two modes of presentation. Cues consisted of visual, auditory-verbal or auditory-nonverbal stimuli, and were presented either sequentially or simultaneously. Results show that while there was no general difference in performance across modalities/domains, the mode of presentation affected them differently. In the visual modality, simultaneous performance had a general advantage over sequential presentation, while in the auditory conditions, there was an initial advantage of simultaneous presentation, which disappeared, and in the non-verbal condition, gave over to a sequential advantage in the later stages of learning. Data suggest that there are strong peripheral modality effects; however, there are no signs of modality/domain of stimuli centrally affecting categorization.

Semantic encoding in working memory: Is there a (multi)modality effect?

In spite of a large body of empirical research demonstrating the importance of multisensory integration in cognition, there is still little research about multimodal encoding and maintenance effects in working memory. In this study we investigated multimodal encoding in working memory by means of an immediate serial recall task with different modality and format conditions. In a first non-verbal condition participants were presented with sequences of non-verbal inputs representing familiar (concrete) objects, either in visual, auditory or audio-visual formats. In a second verbal condition participants were presented with written, spoken, or bimodally presented words denoting the same objects represented by pictures or sounds in the non-verbal condition. The effects of articulatory suppression were assessed in both conditions. We found a bimodal superiority effect on memory span with non-verbal material, and a larger span with auditory (or bimodal) versus visual presentation with verbal material, with a significant effect of articulatory suppression in the two conditions.

Visual attention in a multiple‐choice task: Influences of image characteristics with and without presentation of a verbal stimulus

Background: Use of multiple‐choice items is common in the assessment of language comprehension. Stimulus‐driven aspects of multiple‐choice images may interfere with valid assessment. Understanding the influences of stimulus‐driven factors is crucial because individuals with neurological disorders have increased susceptibility to them. Aims: The first goal of this study was to explore the influence of objectively measurable image characteristics in multiple‐choice image sets that are otherwise well controlled in terms of physical stimulus features on individuals' visual attention. The second goal was to explore viewers' visual attention under the influence of a verbal stimulus. Methods & Procedures: The effects of controlled manipulation of physical image characteristics on visual attention in 40 healthy adults were assessed. Eye movements were recorded while participants viewed 40 image sets with and without a verbal stimulus. Within each set, two images shared the same image characteristics (colour, orientation, size, and luminance) and one image differed in terms of one of those characteristics. Outcomes & Results: All characteristics had a significant influence on visual attention in verbal and nonverbal conditions. The influence of verbal stimuli on visual attention did not override the tendency for physical stimulus characteristics to distract attention from target images. Conclusions: Research and clinical relevance is highlighted in terms of the potential for assessment confounds to be greater in individuals with neurological impairments. This study was supported in part by a grant (# DC 0015301 A1) from the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders of the National Institutes of Health, an Ohio University Graduate Student Senate Original Work grant, and an Ohio University Graduate Fellowship Award. The authors thank Dr Hans Kruse for stimulus presentation and analysis software design, Dr Helmut Zwahlen for technical assistance in physical stimulus control, and Anshula Odekar, Maria Ivanova, and Tae Asahina for assistance with data collection.

Risk assessment in man and mouse.

Human and mouse subjects tried to anticipate at which of 2 locations a reward would appear. On a randomly scheduled fraction of the trials, it appeared with a short latency at one location; on the complementary fraction, it appeared after a longer latency at the other location. Subjects of both species accurately assessed the exogenous uncertainty (the probability of a short versus a long trial) and the endogenous uncertainty (from the scalar variability in their estimates of an elapsed duration) to compute the optimal target latency for a switch from the short- to the long-latency location. The optimal latency was arrived at so rapidly that there was no reliably discernible improvement over trials. Under these nonverbal conditions, humans and mice accurately assess risks and behave nearly optimally. That this capacity is well-developed in the mouse opens up the possibility of a genetic approach to the neurobiological mechanisms underlying risk assessment.

Dissociation of neural correlates of verbal and non-verbal visual working memory with different delays

BackgroundDorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), posterior parietal cortex, and regions in the occipital cortex have been identified as neural sites for visual working memory (WM). The exact involvement of the DLPFC in verbal and non-verbal working memory processes, and how these processes depend on the time-span for retention, remains disputed.MethodsWe used functional MRI to explore the neural correlates of the delayed discrimination of Gabor stimuli differing in orientation. Twelve subjects were instructed to code the relative orientation either verbally or non-verbally with memory delays of short (2 s) or long (8 s) duration.ResultsBlood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) 3-Tesla fMRI revealed significantly more activity for the short verbal condition compared to the short non-verbal condition in bilateral superior temporal gyrus, insula and supramarginal gyrus. Activity in the long verbal condition was greater than in the long non-verbal condition in left language-associated areas (STG) and bilateral posterior parietal areas, including precuneus. Interestingly, right DLPFC and bilateral superior frontal gyrus was more active in the non-verbal long delay condition than in the long verbal condition.ConclusionThe results point to a dissociation between the cortical sites involved in verbal and non-verbal WM for long and short delays. Right DLPFC seems to be engaged in non-verbal WM tasks especially for long delays. Furthermore, the results indicate that even slightly different memory maintenance intervals engage largely differing networks and that this novel finding may explain differing results in previous verbal/non-verbal WM studies.

Material-dependent Activation in Prefrontal Cortex: Working Memory for Letters and Texture Patterns—Initial Observations

To prospectively evaluate whether a distinction between verbal and nonverbal short-term memory systems, as predicted with the multicomponent working memory model, is reflected in the material-specific patterns of activation in the prefrontal cortex. Informed written consent was obtained from all participants, and the institutional review board approved the study protocol. Echo-planar MR imaging was performed in 12 healthy subjects (five female and seven male subjects), with a mean age of 23.52 years +/- 2.52 (standard deviation) and a range of 20-29 years. A two-back task was used in the verbal and nonverbal versions. In the first version, letters were used as stimuli, and in the second version, the stimuli were abstract texture patterns. Timing parameters for both versions were the same. Statistical analysis of the functional data involved a fixed-effects general linear model. Regions of activation were identified from specific t-statistic contrasts between baseline and active tasks (corrected for whole-brain multiple comparisons). The following suprathreshold voxels for the verbal condition were observed predominantly in the left hemisphere (middle frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, and occipital cortex). Bilateral activations were in inferior frontal gyri, insulae inferior, superior parietal lobules, and cingulate gyri. In the nonverbal condition, suprathreshold voxels were located mostly bilaterally in the following regions: inferior, middle, and medial frontal gyri and inferior parietal lobules. Active regions were also found in the precentral gyrus and precuneate gyrus in the left parietal lobe and the occipital cortex in the right hemisphere. Results of this study are consistent with the multicomponent model of working memory.

P300-based Stroop study with low probability and target Stroop oddballs: The evidence still favors the response selection hypothesis

This paper addresses the issue of the locus of action in cognitive processing during Stroop effects. It uses the P300 latency to assess stimulus processing effects, but, for the first time, under conditions in which Stroop stimuli are rare and target stimuli. The study was also concerned with demonstrating that apparent P300s during verbal responding are in fact uninterpretable due to contamination of EEG by speech-related artifact. Three studies were presented. In Study 1, there were 3 blocks, each containing 1 of 3 types of rare Stroop stimuli ( p = .15), congruent, neutral, and incongruent. There were also 3 response modes: button press (BUTTON), speaking aloud (VERBAL), and speaking to self (SILENT). Three sessions were used, each for a different response style. The only task was to name the color on each trial. In the 2 non-verbal blocks, Reaction Time (RT) varied by stimulus type; congruent < neutral < incongruent. P300 latency was the same across blocks in these non-verbal conditions in which one saw the classic Pz > Cz > Fz distribution. The much larger, speech artifact-contaminated “P300s” in the VERBAL blocks did suggest a Stroop effect, especially at Fz and Cz, where “P300s” were larger than at Pz. In Study 2, there were 2 response modes, VERBAL and SILENT, and only two rare Stroop stimuli; neutral and incongruent, 1 per block. In each of these blocks, one word–color combination was a designated target requiring a unique response. The subject was to name the color followed by a yes or no to categorize the target or non-target. Again the RT for incongruents was greater than RT for neutrals, without a parallel effect in P300 latency. Again, the rostral ERPs appeared artifactual in the VERBAL condition. Study 3 was a replication of the second study, except that motivated subjects, versus Psychology pool recruits, were used. The latency–RT correlation still failed to obtain. Thus, using classic P300-eliciting antecedents–rare and target (Stroop) stimuli–this study supports the view that the locus of Stroop interference is in response processing.

Self-ordered pointing in children with autism: failure to use verbal mediation in the service of working memory?

This study tested the hypothesis that children with autism are impaired in using verbal encoding and rehearsal strategies in the service of working memory. Participants were 24 high-ability, school-age children with autism and a comparison group matched on verbal and non-verbal IQ, receptive and expressive vocabulary, and visual memory. Working memory was assessed using verbal and non-verbal variants of a non-spatial, self-ordered pointing test [Petrides, M., & Milner, B. (1982). Deficits on subject-ordered tasks after frontal- and temporal-lobe lesions in man. Neuropsychologia, 20, 249–262] in which children had to point to a new stimulus in a set upon each presentation without repeating a previous choice. In the verbal condition, the stimuli were pictures of concrete, nameable objects, whereas in the non-verbal condition, the stimuli were not easily named or verbally encoded. Participants were also administered a verbal span task to assess non-executive verbal rehearsal skills. Although the two groups were equivalent in verbal rehearsal skills, the autism group performed significantly less well in the verbal, but not the non-verbal, self-ordered pointing test. These findings suggested that children with autism are deficient in the use of verbal mediation strategies to maintain and monitor goal-related information in working memory. The findings are discussed in terms of possible autistic impairments in episodic memory as well as working memory.