Past research suggests that dexamphetamine (Dex) can facilitate learning and memory in healthy individuals and after a neurological lesion. This study investigated the effects of Dex on the learning of names for new objects in young healthy adults (n=37) within an explicit learning paradigm by using a double-blind, placebo-controlled between- subjects design. Participants received 10 mg Dex or ...

Human languages can be seen as socially evolved systems that have been structured to optimize information flow in communication. Communication appears to proceed both more efficiently and more fluently when information is distributed evenly across the linguistic signal. In previous work (Ramscar et al., 2013), we used tools from information theory to examine how naming systems evolved to meet t...

Names as markers of identity are a source of a wide variety of information. This paper explores the names of characters to show the sociocultural factors which influence the choice of names and the effects that the names of these characters have on the roles they play. Using a variety of personal names from Ayi Kwei Armah’s Fragments, Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood, a...

Negative brand names are surprisingly common in the marketplace (e.g., Poison perfume; Hell pizza, and Monster energy drink), yet their effects on consumer behavior are currently unknown. Three studies investigated the effects of negative brand name valence on brand name memory and liking of a branded product. Study 1 demonstrates that relative to non-negative brand names, negative brand names ...

Establishing verbal memory traces for non-verbal stimuli was reported to facilitate or inhibit memory for the non-verbal stimuli. We show that these effects are also observed in a domain not indicated before-wayfinding. Fifty-three participants followed a guided route in a virtual environment. They were asked to remember half of the intersections by relying on the visual impression only. At the...

Important changes brought about by the Melbourne International Code of Nomenclature for Algae,FungiandPlantsare briefly reviewed concerning a clarification of the spelling and typification of sanctioned fungal names, the recognition of electronic publication for the validity of nomenclatural novelties, permission to use English diagnoses or descriptions for their valid publication, and the requ...

Verbal-to-spatial associations in working memory may index a core capacity for abstract information limited in the amount concurrently retained. However, what look like associative, abstract representations could instead reflect verbal and spatial codes held separately and then used in parallel. We investigated this issue in two experiments on memory for associations between names and spatial l...