Biomedical subjects

G E Butterworth

Publications and source records attributed to G E Butterworth.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1998

Hand-mouth coordination, congenital absence of limb, and evidence for innate body schemas.

Studies of phantom limb in cases of congenital (aplasic) absence of limb have provided inadequate evidence concerning the innate neurological substrate responsible for the phantom. In this study we review evidence from ultrasonic and behavioral studies of hand-mouth coordination in utero and in early infancy, neurobiological studies in primates, and studies of neural reorganization following amputation. We suggest two complementary hypotheses to explain aplasic phantoms. First, aplasic phantoms are based on the existence of specific neural circuitry associated with innate motor schemas, such as the neural matrix responsible for early hand-mouth coordination. Second, aplasic phantoms are modified by mechanisms that involve a reorganization of neural representations of the missing limb within a complex network involving both cortical and subcortical structures.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Infants' attention to object structure in early categorization.

Three experiments with object-manipulation tasks examined the effect of object structure on 14-, 18-, and 22-month-olds' categorization. In Experiment 1, categorization of animals and vehicles was tested when object structure was normal and when it was violated by moving parts (legs or wheels) into a novel configuration. In Experiment 2, categorization of animals, vehicles, and furniture was examined when object structure was modified in orientation (e.g., legs inverted) or in configuration (e.g., legs at tangential angles). In Experiment 3, infants' attention to texture in categorization was tested. The results of the studies showed that 14- to 22-month-olds attend to object parts and structural configuration to categorize and that they do not attend to object texture. There is a perceptual basis for early categorization at the superordinate-like level, and infants are constrained in the parts and object structures they recognize in this process.

Attention↗

PubMed1998

Infants' use of object parts in early categorization.

Two experiments involving object-manipulation tasks were performed to examine whether 1- to 2-year-olds form superordinate-like categories by attending to object parts. In Study 1, 14-, 18-, and 22-month-olds were tested with contrasts of animals, furniture, insects, and vehicles. Fourteen- and 18-month-olds behaved systematically toward categories with different parts (legs or wheels) but not toward categories with matching parts (legs or legs). In Study 2, infants were tested with novel animals and vehicles generated by removing or attaching legs or wheels. In the absence of part differences, all three age groups failed to form superordinate categories. The two younger groups chose to categorize by parts (i.e., legs or wheels) rather than by category membership (animal or vehicle). The results suggest a perceptual basis for categorization whereby infants form dynamic categories, on-line, that are based on the characteristics of the input.

Attention↗

PubMed1980

Verbal-performance discrepancies: relationship to birth risk and specific reading retardation.

169 unselected children were given the WPPSI at 4 1/2 years and the WISC-R at 8 1/2 years. Retrospective data on perinatal risk factors and neurological disease in childhood were collected. Verbal-performance discrepancies at 4 1/2 years were not related to perinatal risk, childhood neurological disease, left-handedness or subsequent reading ability. A weak relationship was found between WISC-R verbal-performance discrepancies and perinatal history. At 8 1/2 years, VIQ correlated much more strongly with reading ability than did PIQ. Consequently, the relationship between verbal-performance discrepancy and specific reading retardation depends critically on how reading retardation is defined. Logical problems concerning the definition of specific reading retardation are discussed.

Brain Diseases↗