The role of perspective in the accessibility of goals during reading.

An implicit assumption of several causal reasoning models is that readers adopt the goals of a narrative's protagonist during text comprehension. In apparent violation of this assumption, readers participating in Experiment 1 of the present study drew inferences relevant to a protagonist's goal even when that goal was already satisfied from the perspective of the protagonist. In Experiments 2 and 3, participants were explicitly asked to view the text situation from the point of view of the protagonist. In this case, the goals of the reader and the protagonist should be the same. In these experiments, participants focused on the goals of the protagonist only when those goals had not been satisfied from the perspective of the protagonist. These results are discussed in terms of reader- and character-based perspectives and in terms of text characteristics that cue perspective taking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maintaining global coherence during reading.

Previous research demonstrated a contradiction effect: Although text currently being processed was locally coherent, readers were aware of inconsistencies between a protagonist's actions and characteristics of the protagonists that were described earlier in the text and subsequently backgrounded. In the present experiments, not only the critical characteristics but also the protagonist were backgrounded. When the protagonist was reintroduced into the narrative in the context of carrying out an inconsistent action, the contradiction effect again occurred. In Exps 1–3, we examined the effects of several variables on the onset of the effect. In Exp 4, we presented probes at various points in the passage with results that supported the conclusion that the critical characteristics had been backgrounded before the sentence that contradicted them. Results are discussed in terms of several recent models in which currently active representational elements serve as retrieval cues for other inactive, but highly related, elements. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Delayed traumatic cerebral aneurysm after brain injury

Traumatic aneurysms (TAs) are an unusual etiology for late neurological deterioration after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and represent less than 1% of all cerebral aneurysms. TAs most often are diagnosed acutely but may be delayed in presentation. To increase awareness of this serious but treatable condition when diagnosed early, we report a delayed TA after a motor vehicle accident. The patient experienced a seizure on day 46 postinjury while in rehabilitation and demonstrated persistent lethargy and hemiparesis. Neuroimaging revealed a large, ruptured left pericallosal artery TA, which was surgically clipped. The patient completed his rehabilitation course and was eventually discharged home with family. Among TBIs, TAs are associated with penetrating injuries and skull base or anterior cranial fossa fractures. Associated mortality is high, especially if rupture has occurred. Although TAs are rare, the clinician should be vigilant in the at-risk patient.     

Internal mammary vein to coronary artery anastomotic fistula

Two patients are presented where internal mammary artery grafting was performed for the relief of symptomatic coronary artery disease. At follow-up the internal mammary artery was occluded and a communication between the internal mammary vein and the native coronary artery was demonstrated. These patients were characterised by the early recurrence of angina or the appearance of a continuous murmur. Both patients were treated by re-operation with ligation of the arterio-venous fistula and saphenous vein grafting.     

"The association between emotional upset and cardiac arrhythmia during daily life": Correction to Carels et al. (2003).

Reports an error in the original article by R. A. Carels et al (Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 2003[Jun], Vol 71[3], 613-618). On page 615, Lines 18, 20, 22, of Table 1, the data in the rows that read "Tachycardia in min per hr," "Repetitive PVCs per hr," and "PVCs per hr" are incorrectly reported in the n and % columns. They should have been reported in the M and SD columns. The corrected table is provided. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 2003-00756-023.) Ventricular arrhythmia exhibits considerable within-subject variability that cannot be attributed to clinical status alone. This investigation examined the extent to which cardiac arrhythmia was associated with psychological and physical factors assessed during the hour preceding arrhythmic or nonarrhythmic activity. Approximately twice hourly, 46 patients randomly completed a diary assessing mood and physical symptoms during 24-hr electrocardiographic monitoring. Greater negative emotion was associated with increased arrhythmia. Additionally, greater negative emotion was significantly associated with increased arrhythmia among participants in a low left ventricular ejection fraction group (LVEF). However, this relationship between negative emotion and arrhythmia was not... (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)