Littérature scientifique sur le sujet « M-psi/01 »

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Parent stress and coping impacts reward and motivation circuits during child development which influence self-regulation. One well known maladaptive coping response is alcohol or drinking-to-cope (DTC). This study assessed differences in stress and child behaviors among DTC parents as compared to non-DTC parents. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Baseline data was used from parents of a 2-5-year-old who were screened for a larger study assessing a mindfulness-based parent stress reduction intervention to improve healthy choices for themselves and their families. The sample included 172 parent-child dyads, mean parent age was 34.4 (6.1) years old, 56.3% white, mean child age was 3.6 (1.2) years old, 52.3% male. Subjective stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), parent-specific stress was assessing using the Parenting Stress Index (PSI), DTC was assessed using the COPE inventory, and child behaviors were assessed using the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment. To investigate the differences in stress and child behaviors between DTC parents and non-DTC parents independent samples t-tests were conducted. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: DTC was significantly correlated with PSS (r= 0.23, p<.01), PSI (r= 0.26, p<.01), child self-control (r= -0.16, p= .03), child attention problems (r= 0.22, p<.01), and total behavioral concerns (r= 0.16, p=.04). After excluding those who do not drink alcohol at all, we found significantly higher perceived stress among DTC parents (M= 27.83, SD= 9.79) compared to non-DTC parents (M= 23.79, SD= 8.40), t(80)= 2.02, p= .02. For children, we found significantly higher aggression scores for children of DTC parents (M= 47.16, SD= 31.69) compared to children of non-DTC parents (M=35.83, SD=25.72), t(84)= 1.83, p= .04. And greater attention problems among children of DTC parents (M= 73.97, SD= 26.77) compared to children of non-DTC parents (M= 56.71, SD= 34.09), t(84)=2.63, p=.01. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Stress and DTC may contribute to negative behaviors in children. An intervention designed to decrease stress and increase adaptive coping mechanism in parents could benefit health child socioemotional and behavioral development. Future analyses will examine third variable effects in the relationship between stress, coping, and child behaviors.

Abstract Nine insecticides were evaluated for control of 1st generation European corn borer larvae. The test was planted in a lst-year corn field in the UK Spindletop Research Farm in Fayette County on 17 Apr as a randomized block design with 3 replicates. Individual plots consisted of 2 rows, 19 m long, with 96.5 cm row spacing. Counter 20 CR was applied as a T-band at planting, while M-Peril 5 G and Lorsban 15 G granules were applied in a band over the whorl stage corn using a Gandy applicator driven by electric motor and mounted on a high-clearance tractor. Liquid insecticides were applied using high-clearance tractor sprayer at 40 psi and 26 gal finished spray per acre, except for Penncap-M and TD-2328-01 which were applied with 16 gal finished spray pre acre. All insecticide applications, with the exception of Counter 20 CR were made on 11 Jun. Ten stalks per plot were destructively sampled and the number of European corn borers recorded on 18 Jun. Ten stalks were removed from each plot, split and the numbers of European corn borer tunnels recorded on 13-14 Jul. Data were subject to ANOVA and treatment means were compared to the control by LSD (SAS Institute).

Abstract Nine insecticides were evaluated for control of 1st generation European corn borer larvae. The test was planted in a lst-year corn field in the UK Spindletop Research Farm in Fayette County on 17 Apr as a randomized block design with 3 replicates. Individual plots consisted of 2 rows, 19 m long, with 96.5 cm row spacing. Counter 20 CR was applied as a T-band at planting, while M-Peril 5 G and Lorsban 15 G granules were applied in a band over the whorl stage corn using a Gandy applicator driven by electric motor and mounted on a high-clearance tractor. Liquid insecticides were applied using high-clearance tractor sprayer at 40 psi and 26 gal finished spray per acre, except for Penncap-M and TD-2328-01 which were applied with 16 gal finished spray pre acre. All insecticide applications, with the exception of Counter 20 CR were made on 11 Jun. Ten stalks per plot were destructively sampled and the number of European corn borers recorded on 18 Jun. Ten stalks were removed from each plot, split and the numbers of European corn borer tunnels recorded on 13-14 Jul. Data were subject to ANOVA and treatment means were compared to the control by LSD (SAS Institute).

Production optimization in mature field water drive gas reservoir is not easy especially when water already breakthrough in producing wells. An integrated reservoir study is needed to get reliable strategy to optimize production of water drive gas reservoir. This research presents the integrated reservoir study of Lower Menggala (LM) Gas Field which is located Central Sumatera Basin, Riau Province. LM had been produced since 1997, current RF are 55%, which is quite high for water drive gas reservoir. The current gas rate production is about 1.97 MMscfd with high water production around 4250 BWPD, consequently some of wells suffered liquid loading problem This research comprises of well performance analysis, estimate OGIP, aquifer strength of the reservoir by using conventional material balance method and modern production analysis method then conduct dynamic reservoir simulation to identify the best strategy to optimize gas production. Economic analysis also be performed to guide in making decision which scenario will be selected. DST analysis on DC-01 well defined reservoir parameter, boundary and deliverability which are P*= 2520 psia, k= 229 mD, Total skin= 8, detected sealing fault with distance 175 m, and AOF 45 MMscfd. Conventional material balance method gave OGIP 22.7 BScf, aquifer strength 34 B/D/Psi, whereas modern production analysis estimated OGIP 22.35 BScf, aquifer strength 34 B/D/psi. Those two method shows good consistency with OGIP volumetric calculation with discrepancy OGIP value +/- 1%. Six (6) scenario of production optimization has been analyzed, the result shows that work over in two wells and drilling of 1 infill well (case 6) achieve gas recovery factor up to 75.2%, minimal water production and attractive economic result

Pressure Vessel merupakan suatu wadah untuk menyimpan fluida, baik cairan maupun gas berbentuk seperti silinder yang dapat menghasilkan tekanan dari luar maupun dalam. Hampir semua industri minyak dan gas sering menggunakan benda ini, untuk menampung dan memisahkan antara air dan minyak hasil ekplorasi dilepas pantai. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kekuatan sebuah Pressure Vessel dan mengetahui mana yang lebih ekonomis dengan membanding 2 jenis material yaitu SA-106 Grade B dan SA-516-70N dengan ketebalan yang sama 12,7 mm. Untuk mengetahui kekuatan dari masing-masing material maka di lakukan simulasi pada bagian shell dengan menggunakan software SolidWorkss. Data-data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini mengacu pada salah satu Pressure Vessel dari perusahaan dengan dasar perancangan mengkuti standar ASME section VIII Div.1 tahun 2007, nama dokumen “Cartridge Filter C027-S-U13000-01 A/B” dan nomor dokumen 6522-XXX-C027-ISGP-U40300-MX-4018-00XXX dengan tekanan desain sebesar 10 bar, suhu desain sebesar 121°C, diameter dalam sebesar 444,5 mm, faktor korosi sebesar 3 mm. Dari perhitungan dan simulasi yang sudah dilakukan, maka didapat nilai dari tekanan maksimal pada material SA-516-70N sebesar 34,10 Bar dan material SA-106 Grade B sebesar 16,90 Bar. Tegangan yang diterima dari pressure vessel berdasarkan analisa software SolidWorks yaitu dengan nilai yang sama untuk kedua material sebesar 1758 psi/121 Bar. Dalam penelitian ini juga membuktikan bahwa material SA-106 Grade B jauh lebih ekonomis dengan estimasi anggaran sebesar Rp6.531.951 untuk satu batang pipa sepanjang 10 m.

Abstract Cabbage was transplanted on 16 Jun at the Vegetable Crops Research Farm near Geneva, NY. Plots consisted of two 10 ft rows on 36 inch centers with 18 inch plant spacing. Treatments were replicated 3 times in a randomized complete block design. A backpack sprayer with a one-row boom, having 3 nozzles per row with HC 12 hollow cone tips, and delivering 38 gal/acre at 40 psi and 2 mph, was used to apply applications of each treatment. Javelin at 1.0 lb/acre was added to M-pede, Cygon and the check treatments to control Lepidoptera and insure readable plants at harvest. Bond sticker-spreader was applied at .01% v/v with all treatments. Treatments were applied on 27 Jul, 6, 14, 27 Aug, 4, 11, 18 Sep and 2 Oct. Harvest evaluations for thrips were made on 8 Oct. Evaluations for thrips damage were made by randomly selecting 2 mature heads per plot, cutting them in half along the core, and peeling back 10 layers. Each layer was assessed for the presence of thrips injury. The overall damage rating (intensity of injury plus the number of layers injured) was also made on a scale of 0 (no damage) to 4 (each of the 10 leaves severely injured). Data were analyzed by a two-way ANOVA. For analysis of damage ratings we used the average damage rating per replicate, transformed this to a rank, and analyzed ranks. For layers injured, we used the average number of layers per two plants in a replicate and then analyzed these averages.

Background and aim Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn’s Disease (CD), collectively labelled as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are idiopathic, chronic inflammatory disorder of the bowel with a remitting and relapsing course. IBD are associated to poor emotional functioning and psychological distress. We have investigated the brain involvement in patients with IBD using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Materials and methods We developed an emotional visual task to investigate the emotional functioning in 10 UC patients and 10 healthy controls (HC). Furthermore, we have compared the brain stress response between a group of 20 CD patients and a group of 18 HC. Finally, we evaluated potential morphological differences between 18 CD patients and 18 HC in a voxel based morphometry (VBM) study. Results We found brain functional changes in UC patients characterized by decreased activity in the amygdala in response to positive emotional stimuli. Moreover, in CD patients, the brain stress response and habituation to stressful stimuli were significantly different in the medial temporal lobe (including the amygdala and hippocampus), the insula and cerebellum. Finally, in CD patients there were morphological abnormalities in the anterior mid cingulated cortex (aMCC). Conclusion IBD are associated to functional and morphological brain abnormalities. The previous intestinal inflammatory activity in IBD patients might have contributed to determine the functional and morphological changes we found. On the other hand, the dysfunctions of the brain structures we found may influence the course of the disease. Our findings might have clinical implications. The differences in the emotional processing may play a role in the development of psychological disorders in UC patients. Furthermore, in CD patients, the different habituation to stress might contribute to stress related inflammatory exacerbations. Finally, the structural changes in the aMCC might be involved in the pain symptoms associated to the bowel disorder.

Background and aim Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn’s Disease (CD), collectively labelled as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are idiopathic, chronic inflammatory disorder of the bowel with a remitting and relapsing course. IBD are associated to poor emotional functioning and psychological distress. We have investigated the brain involvement in patients with IBD using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Materials and methods We developed an emotional visual task to investigate the emotional functioning in 10 UC patients and 10 healthy controls (HC). Furthermore, we have compared the brain stress response between a group of 20 CD patients and a group of 18 HC. Finally, we evaluated potential morphological differences between 18 CD patients and 18 HC in a voxel based morphometry (VBM) study. Results We found brain functional changes in UC patients characterized by decreased activity in the amygdala in response to positive emotional stimuli. Moreover, in CD patients, the brain stress response and habituation to stressful stimuli were significantly different in the medial temporal lobe (including the amygdala and hippocampus), the insula and cerebellum. Finally, in CD patients there were morphological abnormalities in the anterior mid cingulated cortex (aMCC). Conclusion IBD are associated to functional and morphological brain abnormalities. The previous intestinal inflammatory activity in IBD patients might have contributed to determine the functional and morphological changes we found. On the other hand, the dysfunctions of the brain structures we found may influence the course of the disease. Our findings might have clinical implications. The differences in the emotional processing may play a role in the development of psychological disorders in UC patients. Furthermore, in CD patients, the different habituation to stress might contribute to stress related inflammatory exacerbations. Finally, the structural changes in the aMCC might be involved in the pain symptoms associated to the bowel disorder.

It is believed that the way of being and the communicative-relational skills of every individual have multifactorial origins, including the quality of primary relationships with caregivers. For some time, the need for health care professionals to possess specific communicative and interpersonal skills has been highlighted. To the degree course in Nursing, like to all other degree programs related to health, access is granted to students who have large individual differences, both in terms of personality, and in terms of relational skills. Each academic year, therefore, the people responsible for the didactic organization of every course, are faced with having to prepare a training plan capable of addressing communicative-relational aspects and, at the same time, of being adequate to the real attitudes of incoming students. Thus, the need for appropriate tools for measuring the personological and vocational traits considered specific to health professions was born. This study has a twofold objective. On one hand, it aims at selecting a battery of psychological tests to detect psychological and attitudinal patterns, to facilitate the coordinators of graduate courses in their didactic organization and planning of educational training; on the other hand, it seeks to assess the correlations between communicative-relational skills (Relational-Communicative style, according to the model of patient-centered medicine-TRS) (Mucchielli’s Test of Spontaneous Attitudes – usual kind of attitude in dual relationships), personality traits (Alexithymia), styles of attachment to parental figures (PBI), and the capability of recognizing facial emotions, in a sample of students enrolled in the first year of a degree in Nursing.

It is believed that the way of being and the communicative-relational skills of every individual have multifactorial origins, including the quality of primary relationships with caregivers. For some time, the need for health care professionals to possess specific communicative and interpersonal skills has been highlighted. To the degree course in Nursing, like to all other degree programs related to health, access is granted to students who have large individual differences, both in terms of personality, and in terms of relational skills. Each academic year, therefore, the people responsible for the didactic organization of every course, are faced with having to prepare a training plan capable of addressing communicative-relational aspects and, at the same time, of being adequate to the real attitudes of incoming students. Thus, the need for appropriate tools for measuring the personological and vocational traits considered specific to health professions was born. This study has a twofold objective. On one hand, it aims at selecting a battery of psychological tests to detect psychological and attitudinal patterns, to facilitate the coordinators of graduate courses in their didactic organization and planning of educational training; on the other hand, it seeks to assess the correlations between communicative-relational skills (Relational-Communicative style, according to the model of patient-centered medicine-TRS) (Mucchielli’s Test of Spontaneous Attitudes – usual kind of attitude in dual relationships), personality traits (Alexithymia), styles of attachment to parental figures (PBI), and the capability of recognizing facial emotions, in a sample of students enrolled in the first year of a degree in Nursing.

Background: It is well known, since the pioneristic observation by Jenkins and Dallenbach (Am J Psychol 1924;35:605-12), that a period of sleep provides a specific advantage for the consolidation of newly acquired informations. Recent research about the possible enhancing effect of sleep on memory consolidation has focused on procedural memory (part of non-declarative memory system, according to Squire’s taxonomy), as it appears the memory sub-system for which the available data are more consistent. The acquisition of a procedural skill follows a typical time course, consisting in a substantial practice-dependent learning followed by a slow, off-line improvement. Sleep seems to play a critical role in promoting the process of slow learning, by consolidating memory traces and making them more stable and resistant to interferences. If sleep is critical for the consolidation of a procedural skill, then an alteration of the organization of sleep should result in a less effective consolidation, and therefore in a reduced memory performance. Such alteration can be experimentally induced, as in a deprivation protocol, or it can be naturally observed in some sleep disorders as, for example, in narcolepsy. In this research, a group of narcoleptic patients, and a group of matched healthy controls, were tested in two different procedural abilities, in order to better define the size and time course of sleep contribution to memory consolidation. Experimental Procedure: A Texture Discrimination Task (Karni & Sagi, Nature 1993;365:250-2) and a Finger Tapping Task (Walker et al., Neuron 2002;35:205-11) were administered to two indipendent samples of drug-naive patients with first-diagnosed narcolepsy with cataplexy (International Classification of Sleep Disorder 2nd ed., 2005), and two samples of matched healthy controls. In the Texture Discrimination task, subjects (n=22) had to learn to recognize a complex visual array on the screen of a personal computer, while in the Finger Tapping task (n=14) they had to press a numeric sequence on a standard keyboard, as quickly and accurately as possible. Three subsequent experimental sessions were scheduled for each partecipant, namely a training session, a first retrieval session the next day, and a second retrieval session one week later. To test for possible circadian effects on learning, half of the subjects performed the training session at 11 a.m. and half at 17 p.m. Performance at training session was taken as a measure of the practice-dependent learning, while performance of subsequent sessions were taken as a measure of the consolidation level achieved respectively after one and seven nights of sleep. Between training and first retrieval session, all participants spent a night in a sleep laboratory and underwent a polygraphic recording. Results and Discussion: In both experimental tasks, while healthy controls improved their performance after one night of undisturbed sleep, narcoleptic patients showed a non statistically significant learning. Despite this, at the second retrieval session either healthy controls and narcoleptics improved their skills. Narcoleptics improved relatively more than controls between first and second retrieval session in the texture discrimination ability, while their performance remained largely lower in the motor (FTT) ability. Sleep parameters showed a grater fragmentation in the sleep of the pathological group, and a different distribution of Stage 1 and 2 NREM sleep in the two groups, being thus consistent with the hypothesis of a lower consolidation power of sleep in narcoleptic patients. Moreover, REM density of the first part of the night of healthy subjects showed a significant correlation with the amount of improvement achieved at the first retrieval session in TDT task, supporting the hypothesis that REM sleep plays an important role in the consolidation of visuo-perceptual skills. Taken together, these results speak in favor of a slower, rather than lower consolidation of procedural skills in narcoleptic patients. Finally, an explanation of the results, based on the possible role of sleep in contrasting the interference provided by task repetition is proposed.

Background: It is well known, since the pioneristic observation by Jenkins and Dallenbach (Am J Psychol 1924;35:605-12), that a period of sleep provides a specific advantage for the consolidation of newly acquired informations. Recent research about the possible enhancing effect of sleep on memory consolidation has focused on procedural memory (part of non-declarative memory system, according to Squire’s taxonomy), as it appears the memory sub-system for which the available data are more consistent. The acquisition of a procedural skill follows a typical time course, consisting in a substantial practice-dependent learning followed by a slow, off-line improvement. Sleep seems to play a critical role in promoting the process of slow learning, by consolidating memory traces and making them more stable and resistant to interferences. If sleep is critical for the consolidation of a procedural skill, then an alteration of the organization of sleep should result in a less effective consolidation, and therefore in a reduced memory performance. Such alteration can be experimentally induced, as in a deprivation protocol, or it can be naturally observed in some sleep disorders as, for example, in narcolepsy. In this research, a group of narcoleptic patients, and a group of matched healthy controls, were tested in two different procedural abilities, in order to better define the size and time course of sleep contribution to memory consolidation. Experimental Procedure: A Texture Discrimination Task (Karni & Sagi, Nature 1993;365:250-2) and a Finger Tapping Task (Walker et al., Neuron 2002;35:205-11) were administered to two indipendent samples of drug-naive patients with first-diagnosed narcolepsy with cataplexy (International Classification of Sleep Disorder 2nd ed., 2005), and two samples of matched healthy controls. In the Texture Discrimination task, subjects (n=22) had to learn to recognize a complex visual array on the screen of a personal computer, while in the Finger Tapping task (n=14) they had to press a numeric sequence on a standard keyboard, as quickly and accurately as possible. Three subsequent experimental sessions were scheduled for each partecipant, namely a training session, a first retrieval session the next day, and a second retrieval session one week later. To test for possible circadian effects on learning, half of the subjects performed the training session at 11 a.m. and half at 17 p.m. Performance at training session was taken as a measure of the practice-dependent learning, while performance of subsequent sessions were taken as a measure of the consolidation level achieved respectively after one and seven nights of sleep. Between training and first retrieval session, all participants spent a night in a sleep laboratory and underwent a polygraphic recording. Results and Discussion: In both experimental tasks, while healthy controls improved their performance after one night of undisturbed sleep, narcoleptic patients showed a non statistically significant learning. Despite this, at the second retrieval session either healthy controls and narcoleptics improved their skills. Narcoleptics improved relatively more than controls between first and second retrieval session in the texture discrimination ability, while their performance remained largely lower in the motor (FTT) ability. Sleep parameters showed a grater fragmentation in the sleep of the pathological group, and a different distribution of Stage 1 and 2 NREM sleep in the two groups, being thus consistent with the hypothesis of a lower consolidation power of sleep in narcoleptic patients. Moreover, REM density of the first part of the night of healthy subjects showed a significant correlation with the amount of improvement achieved at the first retrieval session in TDT task, supporting the hypothesis that REM sleep plays an important role in the consolidation of visuo-perceptual skills. Taken together, these results speak in favor of a slower, rather than lower consolidation of procedural skills in narcoleptic patients. Finally, an explanation of the results, based on the possible role of sleep in contrasting the interference provided by task repetition is proposed.

The current studies assessed the role of trait anger and anger expression styles on risk decision-making in adulthood, adolescence and childhood. In the first experiment 158 adults completed the STAXI-2 and an inventory consisting of a battery of hypothetical everyday decision-making scenarios. Participants were also asked to evaluate the perception of risk for each chosen option and some contextual characteristics, that are familiarity and salience for each scenario. The study provides evidence for a relationship between individual differences in the tendency to feel and express anger and risky decisions and for mediation effects of familiarity and salience appraisals. Moreover, results indicated that trait anger was predictive of risk perception and they provide evidence for a positive relationship between risk decision-making and risk perception. In the second study, we examined the relationship between specific components of anger (i.e., cognitive, affective and behavioural) and risk decision-making in adolescents. 101 subjects completed specific tasks, measuring risk decision-making, assessed using hypothetical choice scenarios, and anger, evaluated through the STAXI-CA and the MSAI-R. Results showed that adolescents higher on hostility, anger experience and destructive expression, make more risky decisions in everyday life situations. Moreover, regression analyses indicated that destructive expression of anger and hostility were predictive of adolescents’ risky decisions. In the third experiment, 104 children completed three tasks: the STAXI-CA, the MSAI-R and a task measuring risk decision-making in everyday situations. Subjects were also asked to evaluate the degree of danger, benefit, fun and fear perceived for each risky choice. Analyses indicated that: (a) risk decision-making was predicted by both trait anger and outward expression of anger; (b) destructive expression o anger was predictive of children’s risky decisions; (c) appraisal of danger fully mediated the relation between trait anger and risk; (d) perceptions of benefit, scare and fun partially mediated the relationship between trait anger and risk; and (e) appraisal of danger partially mediated the relationship between outward expression of anger and risk decision-making. The results provide evidence for a relationship between dispositional anger and risk decision-making during childhood, suggesting a possible explanation of the mechanisms below. In particular, risk decision-making can be viewed as the output of cognitive and emotive processes, linked to dispositional anger that leads children to be amused, optimistic and fearless in potentially risky situations. These findings substantiate the importance of incorporating cognitive and emotive factors in theories that seek to explain the relationship between personality traits and risk decision making across a broad range of age.

The current studies assessed the role of trait anger and anger expression styles on risk decision-making in adulthood, adolescence and childhood. In the first experiment 158 adults completed the STAXI-2 and an inventory consisting of a battery of hypothetical everyday decision-making scenarios. Participants were also asked to evaluate the perception of risk for each chosen option and some contextual characteristics, that are familiarity and salience for each scenario. The study provides evidence for a relationship between individual differences in the tendency to feel and express anger and risky decisions and for mediation effects of familiarity and salience appraisals. Moreover, results indicated that trait anger was predictive of risk perception and they provide evidence for a positive relationship between risk decision-making and risk perception. In the second study, we examined the relationship between specific components of anger (i.e., cognitive, affective and behavioural) and risk decision-making in adolescents. 101 subjects completed specific tasks, measuring risk decision-making, assessed using hypothetical choice scenarios, and anger, evaluated through the STAXI-CA and the MSAI-R. Results showed that adolescents higher on hostility, anger experience and destructive expression, make more risky decisions in everyday life situations. Moreover, regression analyses indicated that destructive expression of anger and hostility were predictive of adolescents’ risky decisions. In the third experiment, 104 children completed three tasks: the STAXI-CA, the MSAI-R and a task measuring risk decision-making in everyday situations. Subjects were also asked to evaluate the degree of danger, benefit, fun and fear perceived for each risky choice. Analyses indicated that: (a) risk decision-making was predicted by both trait anger and outward expression of anger; (b) destructive expression o anger was predictive of children’s risky decisions; (c) appraisal of danger fully mediated the relation between trait anger and risk; (d) perceptions of benefit, scare and fun partially mediated the relationship between trait anger and risk; and (e) appraisal of danger partially mediated the relationship between outward expression of anger and risk decision-making. The results provide evidence for a relationship between dispositional anger and risk decision-making during childhood, suggesting a possible explanation of the mechanisms below. In particular, risk decision-making can be viewed as the output of cognitive and emotive processes, linked to dispositional anger that leads children to be amused, optimistic and fearless in potentially risky situations. These findings substantiate the importance of incorporating cognitive and emotive factors in theories that seek to explain the relationship between personality traits and risk decision making across a broad range of age.

Crowding is defined as the negative effect obtained by adding visual distractors around a central target which has to be identified. Some studies have suggested the presence of a marked crowding effect in developmental dyslexia (e.g. Atkinson, 1991; Spinelli et al., 2002). Inspired by Spinelli’s (2002) experimental design, we explored the hypothesis that the crowding effect may affect dyslexics’ response times (RTs) and accuracy in identification tasks dealing with words, pseudowords, illegal non-words and symbolstrings. Moreover, our study aimed to clarify the relationship between the crowding phenomenon and the word-reading process, in an inter-language comparison perspective. For this purpose we studied twenty-two French dyslexics and twenty-two Italian dyslexics (total forty-four dyslexics), compared to forty-four subjects matched for reading level (22 French and 22 Italians) and forty-four chronological age-matched subjects (22 French and 22 Italians). Children were all tested on reading and cognitive abilities. Results showed no differences between French and Italian participants suggesting that performances were homogenous. Dyslexic children were all significantly impaired in words and pseudowords reading compared to their normal reading controls. Regarding the identification task with which we assessed crowding effect, both accuracy and RTs showed a lexicality effect which meant that the recognition of words was more accurate and faster in words than pseudowords, non-words and symbolstrings. Moreover, compared to normal readers, dyslexics’ RTs and accuracy were impaired only for verbal materials but not for non-verbal material; these results are in line with the phonological hypothesis (Griffiths & Snowling, 2002; Snowling, 2000; 2006) . RTs revealed a general crowding effect (RTs in the crowding condition were slower than those recorded in the isolated condition) affecting all the subjects’ performances. This effect, however, emerged to be not specific for dyslexics. Data didn’t reveal a significant effect of language, allowing the generalization of the obtained results. We also analyzed the performance of two subgroups of dyslexics, categorized according to their reading abilities. The two subgroups produced different results regarding the crowding effect and type of material, suggesting that it is meaningful to take into account also the heterogeneity of the dyslexia disorder. Finally, we also analyzed the relationship of the identification task with both reading and cognitive abilities. In conclusion, this study points out the importance of comparing visual tasks performances of dyslexic participants with those of their reading level-matched controls. This approach may improve our comprehension of the potential causal link between crowding and reading (Goswami, 2003).

Crowding is defined as the negative effect obtained by adding visual distractors around a central target which has to be identified. Some studies have suggested the presence of a marked crowding effect in developmental dyslexia (e.g. Atkinson, 1991; Spinelli et al., 2002). Inspired by Spinelli’s (2002) experimental design, we explored the hypothesis that the crowding effect may affect dyslexics’ response times (RTs) and accuracy in identification tasks dealing with words, pseudowords, illegal non-words and symbolstrings. Moreover, our study aimed to clarify the relationship between the crowding phenomenon and the word-reading process, in an inter-language comparison perspective. For this purpose we studied twenty-two French dyslexics and twenty-two Italian dyslexics (total forty-four dyslexics), compared to forty-four subjects matched for reading level (22 French and 22 Italians) and forty-four chronological age-matched subjects (22 French and 22 Italians). Children were all tested on reading and cognitive abilities. Results showed no differences between French and Italian participants suggesting that performances were homogenous. Dyslexic children were all significantly impaired in words and pseudowords reading compared to their normal reading controls. Regarding the identification task with which we assessed crowding effect, both accuracy and RTs showed a lexicality effect which meant that the recognition of words was more accurate and faster in words than pseudowords, non-words and symbolstrings. Moreover, compared to normal readers, dyslexics’ RTs and accuracy were impaired only for verbal materials but not for non-verbal material; these results are in line with the phonological hypothesis (Griffiths & Snowling, 2002; Snowling, 2000; 2006) . RTs revealed a general crowding effect (RTs in the crowding condition were slower than those recorded in the isolated condition) affecting all the subjects’ performances. This effect, however, emerged to be not specific for dyslexics. Data didn’t reveal a significant effect of language, allowing the generalization of the obtained results. We also analyzed the performance of two subgroups of dyslexics, categorized according to their reading abilities. The two subgroups produced different results regarding the crowding effect and type of material, suggesting that it is meaningful to take into account also the heterogeneity of the dyslexia disorder. Finally, we also analyzed the relationship of the identification task with both reading and cognitive abilities. In conclusion, this study points out the importance of comparing visual tasks performances of dyslexic participants with those of their reading level-matched controls. This approach may improve our comprehension of the potential causal link between crowding and reading (Goswami, 2003).