There is disagreement in the literature about the exact nature of the phenomenon of empathy. There are emotional, cogni- tive, and conditioning views, applying in varying degrees across species. An adequate description of the ultimate and proximate mecha- nism can integrate these views. Proximately, the perception of an object's state activates the subject's corresponding representations, which in turn activate somatic and autonomic responses. This mechanism supports basic behaviors (e.g., alarm, social facilitation, vicar- iousness of emotions, mother-infant responsiveness, and the modeling of competitors and predators) that are crucial for the reproduc- tive success of animals living in groups. The Perception-Action Model (PAM), together with an understanding of how representations change with experience, can explain the major empirical effects in the literature (similarity, familiarity, past experience, explicit teach- ing, and salience). It can also predict a variety of empathy disorders. The interaction between the PAM and prefrontal functioning can also explain different levels of empathy across species and age groups. This view can advance our evolutionary understanding of empa- thy beyond inclusive fitness and reciprocal altruism and can explain different levels of empathy across individuals, species, stages of de- velopment, and situations.

/pdf/empathy-its-ultimate-and-proximate-bases-3gnr9okjki.pdf

Empathy: Its ultimate and proximate bases.

Doing Qualitative Research

Part I: The Basic Account. 1. Language and Cognition: Constructing an Alternative Approach Within the Behavioral Tradition S.C. Hayes, et al. 2. Derived Relational Responding as Learned Behavior S.C. Hayes, et al. 3. Multiple Stimulus Relations and the Transformation of Stimulus Functions D. Barnes-Holmes, et al. 4. Relations Among Relations: Analogies, Metaphors, and Stories I. Stewart, et al. 5. Thinking, Problem-Solving, and Pragmatic Verbal Analysis S.C. Hayes, et al. 6. Understanding and Verbal Regulation D. Barnes-Holmes, et al. 7. Self and Self-Directed Rules D. Barnes-Holmes, et al. 8. Relational Frame Theory: A Precis S.C. Hayes, et al. Part II: Extensions and Applications. 9. Psychological Development Y. Barnes-Holmes, et al. 10. Education Y. Barnes-Holmes, et al. 11. Social Processes B. Roche, et al. 12. Psychopathology and Psychotherapy K.G. Wilson, et al. 13. Religion, Spirituality, and Transcendence D. Barnes-Holmes, et al. Epilogue. References. Index.

Relational Frame Theory: A Post-Skinnerian Account Of Human Language And Cognition

A relatively simple model of the phonological loop (A. D. Baddeley, 1986), a component of working memory, has proved capable of accommodating a great deal of experimental evidence from normal adult participants, children, and neuropsychological patients. Until recently, however, the role of this subsystem in everyday cognitive activities was unclear. In this article the authors review studies of word learning by normal adults and children, neuropsychological patients, and special developmental populations, which provide evidence that the phonological loop plays a crucial role in learning the novel phonological forms of new words. The authors propose that the primary purpose for which the phonological loop evolved is to store unfamiliar sound patterns while more permanent memory records are being constructed. Its use in retaining sequences of familiar words is, it is argued,

/pdf/the-phonological-loop-as-a-language-learning-device-484uirmmjo.pdf

The phonological loop as a language learning device.

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(06)69041-7.pdf

Prevalence of disorders of the autism spectrum in a population cohort of children in South Thames: the Special Needs and Autism Project (SNAP).

Psychological distress and well-being in mothers and fathers of children with Angelman, Cornelia de Lange, and Cri du Chat syndromes.

A follow-up study of cognitive and social outcome in autism

Gene-environment interactions in self-injury and aggression

Previous studies have suggested that autistic adults may be negatively affected by the COVID‐19 pandemic and its associated restrictions. In this study, we examined continuity and change in loneliness and stress, and their predictors, in 448 autistic and 70 non‐autistic adults living in the Netherlands. Autistic participants were assessed on three occasions using the de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale and Perceived Stress Scale (pre‐lockdown (T0), first lockdown (T1), and second lockdown (T2)); non‐autistic participants were assessed twice (T1 and T2). Autistic adults' loneliness and stress levels remained stable across all three time points over 8 months, but were consistently higher than those of non‐autistic adults. Other predictors of higher loneliness and stress levels at the first lockdown (T1) included low perceived social support and high levels of COVID‐19 related worries. Although loneliness and stress were stable at the group level, the wellbeing of some autistic adults worsened over the course of the pandemic, while others improved. For instance, adults with a mental health diagnosis (other than autism) prior to the pandemic were more likely to increase in stress over time, whereas adults with higher perceived social support were more likely to decrease in stress over time (from T1 to T2). Factors contributing to variability in outcome require further examination. Moreover, the relatively high loneliness and stress levels in autistic adults call for attention from clinicians and service providers.

/pdf/continuity-and-change-in-loneliness-and-stress-during-the-fxqlkqyq.pdf

Patricia Howlin

Papers

Psychological distress and well-being in mothers and fathers of children with Angelman, Cornelia de Lange, and Cri du Chat syndromes.

A follow-up study of cognitive and social outcome in autism

Gene-environment interactions in self-injury and aggression

Continuity and change in loneliness and stress during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A longitudinal study of autistic and non‐autistic adults

Impaired and preserved sociability, social interaction skills and stranger discrimination in Cornelia de Lange, Angelman and Cri du Chat syndromes