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Biomedical subjects

D E Copeland

Publications and source records attributed to D E Copeland.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Situation models and aging.

Younger and older adults were tested for their ability to process and retrieve information from texts. The authors focused on the construction and retrieval of situation models relative to other types of text representations. The results showed that during memory retrieval, younger adults showed superior memory for surface form and textbase knowledge (what the text was), whereas older adults had equivalent or superior memory for situation model information (what the text was about). The results also showed that during reading, older and younger adults were similar in their sensitivity to various aspects of the texts. Overall, these findings suggest that although there are age-related declines in the processing and memory for text-based information, for higher level representations, these abilities appear to be preserved. Several possibilities for why this is the case are discussed, including an in-depth consideration of one possibility that involves W. Kintsch's (1988) construction-integration model.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2001

Phonological similarity in working memory.

That phonologically similar words in a short-term memory test are more difficult to recall than phonologically dissimilar words is a well-known phenomenon. This effect is the phonological similarity decrement. In the present study, we examined whether this phonological similarity decrement is present when additional semantic information is available, as in a reading span test, as compared with a standard presentation, or in the context of an operation span test. The results revealed a phonological similarity facilitation. Phonologically similar words were remembered better than phonologically dissimilar words.

Attention↗
PubMed2001

Working memory and situation model updating.

Situation model updating requires managing the availability of information as a function of its relevance to the current situation. This is thought to involve some aspect of working memory. The present study assesses the relation between updating ability and various measures of working memory span or capacity. In addition, a primitive general measure of situation model processing, a situation model identification test, and its relation to updating ability was also assessed. The present experiment used a version of a paradigm developed by Glenberg, Meyer, and Lindem (1987) to assess updating. Although updating was observed in both anaphoric reading time and recognition test accuracy measures, the reading time measure was relatively weak. Importantly, the updating effect on the recognition test was unrelated to working memory capacity. In contrast, updating was related to performance on the situation model identification task. Specifically, people who were good at model processing were better able to keep associated objects available than were people who were less adept. There were no differences in the maintenance of dissociated objects. These results suggest that the relationship between situation model processing and working memory capacity is relatively weak.

Humans↗
PubMed2000

Functionality and spatial relations in memory and language.

We examined whether the functionality of spatial relations affects the construction and memory of information in situation models. A functional relationship involves the interaction of entities that is implied by either typical use or contextual demands. Previous research has shown that spatial relations are less likely to be encoded during comprehension unless there is extensive prior knowledge, explicit instructions to attend to spatial information, or a clear emphasis on spatial information. If the construction of a situation model is guided by a need to understand the functional structure of a situation, then functional spatial relations should be more likely to be encoded. The results of our study showed that sentences with functional spatial relations were read faster and remembered better in both recall and recognition tests than sentences with nonfunctional spatial relations.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

A newly described organ associated with the eye and lateral line system in the marine teleost, Stenotomus chrysops.

A hitherto undescribed type of organ, possibly sensory, is reported. It is in the form of small cylindrical projections primarily concentrated on the surface in the area of the reticular lateral-line complex and around the eye of the scup (Stenotomus chrysops). The projection is composed of a central core cell surrounded by an epithelium. Enveloped within the epithelium and parallel to the core cell are six to eight symmetrically arranged 'bulbs' with cytoplasmic stems extending to cell bodies within the epidermis proper. A circle of 'collar' cells at the base of the cylinder facilitates the observed bending of the projection. Detection of the direction of water movement is hypothesized.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Layered membranes: a diffusion barrier to gases in teleostean swimbladders.

Flattened cells are dispersed in an overlapping fashion within the submucosa of closed (physoclistous) swimbladders. Within the cells are located round platelets best seen by phase or interference type microscopy. At the electron microscope level the platelets are revealed as repeated, numerous layers of membranous discs. Each disc is a bilayer with an enlarged rim. The bilayer is strongly and preferentially reactive to osmium tetroxide. Swimbladder walls are known to be highly resistant to passage of gases. The randomly disposed platelets with the highly ordered layering of membranes may provide that physical resistance to gas movement.

Air Sacs↗