In this study we examined how social learning of feeding preferences by zebra finches was affected by the identity of different demonstrators. We presented adult zebra finches with two demonstrators, one male and one female, that exhibited different food choices, and we recorded their subsequent preference when given a choice between the two food types. Previously it was found that young zebra finches' patterns of social learning are affected by the sex of the individual demonstrating a feeding behaviour. This result could be explained by the lack of exposure these animals had to the opposite sex, or by their mating status. Therefore, we investigated the social learning preferences of adult mated zebra finches. We found the same pattern of directed social learning of a different type of feeding behaviour (food colour): female zebra finches preferred the colour of food eaten by male demonstrators, whereas male zebra finches showed little evidence of any preference for the colour of food eaten by female demonstrators. Furthermore, we found that female observers' preferences were biased by demonstrators' relative feeding activity: the female demonstrator was only ever preferred if it ate less than its male counterpart.

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This is a report of a study testing the capacity of a computerized measure of the content analysis of five minute verbal samples to detect and measure cognitive impairment and comorbid neuropsychiatric dimensions in 117 drug-abusing inpatients. The cognitive impairment scores obtained from the computerized procedure correlated significantly with independent scores from the Trails B and Stroop Color and Word test as well as with ANAM (Automated Neuropsychiatric Assessment Metric) neuropsychological tests, including the Matching to Sample Efficiency and Accuracy, the Code Substitution Efficiency, the Continuous Performance Task Efficiency and Accuracy, the Code Substitution Delayed Recall Accuracy, and the Simple Reaction Time Efficiency. When the computerized verbal-content-analysis-derived cognitive impairment scores were combined with scores of selected other ANAM measures, more and higher intercorrelations occurred with Trails A, Trails B, the Stroop Color and Word test, and the Wisconsin Card Sort test. In addition, validated measures of a broad range of associated neuropsychiatric dimensions can be obtained simultaneously from the same five minute verbal samples providing the cognitive impairment scores. No significant effects were found on the cognitive impairment scores of age, education, gender, race, and duration of drug-abuse abstinence.

Discusses the role that turning-point experiences, “second chances,” and supportive individuals have played in the lives of people who have overcome childhood difficulties