Autobiographical memory retrieval implies different phenomenological features. Given the lack of previous work in Hispanic-speaking populations, 34 in depth interview were carried out in individuals with and without Major Depressive Disorder in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Phenomenological components during the evocation of autobiographical memories were explored. Data was qualitatively analyzed using Grounded Theory. During the descriptive analyses, seven phenomenological categories were detected as emerging from the discourse. The axial and selective analyses revealed two main discursive axles areas; rhetoric-propo­ sitional and specificity- generalized. The impact on affective regulation processes, derived from the assumption of an amodal or multimodal style of processing autobiographical infor­ mation, merits further attention. / La evocación de recuerdos autobiográficos se caracteriza por presentar distintos compo­ nentes fenomenológicos. Dada la ausencia de trabajos previos realizados en poblaciones hispanoparlantes, se realizaron 34 entrevistas en profundidad a individuos con y sin tras­ torno depresivo mayor de la ciudad de Buenos Aires (Argentina). Fueron explorados los componentes fenomenológicos presentes en la evocación de recuerdos autobiográficos significativos. Los datos fueron analizados cualitativamente por medio de la Teoría Fun­ damentada en los Hechos. Durante el análisis descriptivo, se detectaron siete categorías fenomenológicas emergentes del discurso. Del análisis axial y selectivo fueron identificados dos ejes discursivos: retórico-proposicional y especificidad-generalidad. Las implicancias, en la regulación afectiva, derivadas de la asunción de un estilo amodal o multimodal de proce­ samiento de información autobiográfica merecen mayor atención. / A evocação de memórias autobiográficas é caracterizada por diferentes componentes feno­ menológicos. Dada a falta de trabalhos prévios sobre o tema em populações de língua espanhola, 34 entrevistas em profundidade foram conduzidas em indivíduos com e sem transtorno depressivo maior na cidade de Buenos Aires (Argentina). Foram explorados os componentes fenomenológicos presentes na evocação de memórias autobiográficas signi­ ficativas. Os dados foram analisados qualitativamente através da Teoria Fundamentada. Durante a análise descritiva, foram detectadas sete categorias fenomenológicas emer­ gentes no discurso. Dos analises axial e seletivo foram identificados dois eixos discursivos: retórico-proposicional e especificidade-generalidade. As implicações, na regulação afetiva, decorrentes da assunção de um estilo amodal ou um estilo multimodal no processamento de informações autobiográficas merecem mais atenção.

Although many researchers investigate the senses separately, most people have a coherent conscious experience of the world that is not divided into separate perceptions of vision, hearing, or other senses. The brain integrates the information received from our senses into a unified representation of the world around us. Previous research has demonstrated that what people perceive with one sense can influence their perception of stimuli with the other senses (Roffler & Butler, 1968; Marks, 2000). The current set of studies was designed to illuminate the associations between musical pitch and visuospatial motion. The first two experiments with infants revealed that 11-month-old infants are sensitive to associations between ascending and descending musical pitch and the direction of an object’s motion. Additionally, two more experiments with infants revealed that infants of the same age do not show the associations of rightward motion with ascending pitch and leftward motion with descending pitch that adults have demonstrated in some experiments (Eitan & Granot, 2006). The fifth experiment tested the influence of ascending and descending musical stimuli on making a visuospatial motion to a target location. Adult subjects demonstrated faster reaction times when using a trackball to move a cursor to a target location on a computer screen when the direction of the target was congruent with the musical stimulus to which they were listening. The effect was stronger for vertical target locations than for horizontal target locations. The results of these studies indicate that both infants and adults are sensitive to associations between musical pitch and visuospatial motion in the vertical plane, and adults may also make associations between musical pitch and visuospatial motion in the horizontal plane. / text

Amodal completion enables animals (birds, mammals, but also fish) to perceive partly occluded objects as whole. Most of the studies focusing on the occlusion phenomenon were carried out in a laboratory and were based on either operant conditioning or filial imprinting techniques. This study concentrates on behavior of untrained animals in their natural habitat. Pairwise preferential experiments were used to reveal responses of tits (the great tit, Parus major; the blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus; the marsh tit, Poecile palustris) to two dummies placed near an experimental and an alternative feeder. The dummies used were the complete dummy of a sparrowhawk and a pigeon, and partly occluded (the lower or upper torso hidden in shrubs) and amputated (only lower or upper torso on the perch) models of sparrowhawks - 15 combinations altogether. The tits considered all variants of torsos to be predators. The great tit and the blue tit perceived the model with occluded lower torso as more dangerous than the one with amputated lower torso. Such discrimination between these torsos requires the ability of amodal completion. The great tit also confirms this ability as it regarded the complete sparrowhawk and the model with occluded lower torso as equally dangerous. In the remaining cases, the number of arrivals...

Pair-wise preferential experiments were used to reveal dangerous predator differentiation and ability of amodal completion by four tit species. Firstly was revealed that the tits{\crq} behaviour towards the feeder was in agreement with predictions of the dynamic risk assessment theory. The presence of any predator at the feeder lowered the number of visits to the feeder. Likewise, the tits evaluated the sparrowhawk as more dangerous than the kestrel because its presence lowered the number of visits more than the kestrel. Secondly, we observed tits{\crq} reactions to both partly occluded and amputated dummy of sparrowhawk in two different treatments (torsos vs. complete dummy of pigeon, torsos vs. complete dummy of sparrowhawk). All birds clearly classified both torsos as ``full-featured{\crqq} predators and kept away of them when pigeon on the second feeder. However, when sparrowhawk was presented on the second feeder, number of visits to amputated predator was higher than to occluded one. Birds risked arriving to ``utter{\crqq} amputated torso while the fear of ``full-featured{\crqq} occluded torso stayed without change when second feeder did not provide safe alternative. Such discrimination between torsos needs ability of amodal completion.

Pair-wise preferential experiments were used to reveal dangerous predator differentiation and ability of amodal completion by four tit species. Firstly was revealed that the tits{\crq} behaviour towards the feeder was in agreement with predictions of the dynamic risk assessment theory. The presence of any predator at the feeder lowered the number of visits to the feeder. Likewise, the tits evaluated the sparrowhawk as more dangerous than the kestrel because its presence lowered the number of visits more than the kestrel. Secondly, we observed tits{\crq} reactions to both partly occluded and amputated dummy of sparrowhawk in two different treatments (torsos vs. complete dummy of pigeon, torsos vs. complete dummy of sparrowhawk). All birds clearly classified both torsos as ``full-featured{\crqq} predators and kept away of them when pigeon on the second feeder. However, when sparrowhawk was presented on the second feeder, number of visits to amputated predator was higher than to occluded one. Birds risked arriving to ``utter{\crqq} amputated torso while the fear of ``full-featured{\crqq} occluded torso stayed without change when second feeder did not provide safe alternative. Such discrimination between torsos needs ability of amodal completion.

<p>Three main theories have been proposed to account for the completion of occluded objects, namely local theories (e.g., Kellman & Shipley, 1991), global theories (e.g., Boselie & Leeuwenberg, 1986), and integrative models of completion (e.g., Sekuler, 1994; van Lier et al., 1994). Here, we investigated age-related changes in the completion of a complex partially occluded object using a prime-matching task. Subjects were shown a prime (global, local, occluded, or no prime) that was followed immediately by two shapes that were judged as being the same or different. In Experiment 1, we tested adults (n = 36/group) at various prime durations (150 - 700 msec) to tap into earlier and later representations of the occluded object. Although the occluded object primed both the global and local shapes at 150 and 500 msec (<em>p</em>s<0.05), only the global shapes were primed at 300 and 700 msec (<em>p</em>s<0.05). Overall, our results are most consistent with integrative models of completion. In Experiment 2, we tested 8-year-olds (n = 20) at a prime duration of 700 msec and 11-year-olds (n = 30/group) at a prime duration of 300 or 700 msec. For 11-year-olds, unlike adults, the occluded object did not significantly prime either the global or local shapes at 300 msec (<em>p</em>>0.50). For both 8- and 11-year-olds, the global, local, and occluded primes did not significantly prime either shape at 700 msec (<em>p</em>s>0.50). Based on the current testing conditions, we found that the perceptual completion process may not be adult-like even at 11 years of age.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

This thesis is essentially a portfolio of four disjoint yet thematically related articles that deal with some semantic aspect or another of natural language conditionals. The thesis opens with a brief introductory chapter that offers a short yet opinionated historical overview and a theoretical background of several important semantic issues of conditionals. The second chapter then deals with the issue of truth values and conditions of indicative conditionals. So-called Gibbard Phenomenon cases have been used to argue that indicative conditionals construed in terms of the Ramsey Test cannot have truth values. Since that conclusion is somewhat incredible, several alternative options are explored. Finally, a contextualised revision of the Ramsey Test is offered which successfully avoids the threats of the Gibbard Phenomenon. The third chapter deals with the question of where to draw the so-called indicative/ subjunctive line. Natural language conditionals are commonly believed to be of two semantically distinct types: indicative and subjunctive. Although this distinction is central to many semantic analyses of natural conditionals, there seems to be no consensus on the details of its nature. While trying to uncover the grounds for the distinction, we will argue our way through several plausible proposals found in the literature. Upon discovering that none of these proposals seem entirely suited, we will reconsider our position and make several helpful observations into the nature of conditional sentences. And finally, in light of our observations, we shall propose and argue for plausible grounds for the indicative/subjunctive distinction.distinction. The fourth chapter offers semantics for modal and amodal natural language conditionals based on the distinction proposed in the previous chapter. First, the nature of modal and amodal suppositions will be explored. Armed with an analysis of modal and amodal suppositions, the corresponding conditionals will be examined further. Consequently, the syntax of conditionals in English will be uncovered for the purpose of providing input for our semantics. And finally, compositional semantics in generative grammar will be offered for modal and amodal conditionals. The fifth and final chapter defends Modus Ponens from alleged counterexamples. In particular, the chapter offers a solution to McGee’s infamous counterexamples. First, several solutions offered to the counterexamples hitherto are all argued to be inadequate. After a couple of observations on the counterexamples’ nature, a solution is offered and demonstrated. the solution suggests that the semantics of embedded natural language conditionals is more sophisticated than their surface syntax indicates. The heart of the solution is a translation function from the surface form of natural language conditionals to their logical form. Finally, the thesis ends with a conclusion that briefly summarises the main conclusions drawn in its preceding chapters.