想象膨胀范式下错误记忆的老化效应

通过2个实验探究想象膨胀范式下老年人的错误记忆特点及其认知机制。实验1采用经典想象膨胀实验范式, 考察老年人是否会产生比年轻人更大的想象膨胀错误记忆效应; 实验2引入情景特异性诱导技术, 进一步考察老年人的想象膨胀错误记忆可能的认知机制。研究结果表明：(1)老年人与年轻人均表现出显著的想象膨胀错误记忆, 但老年人并没有比年轻人产生更多的错误记忆; (2)当通过情景特异性诱导技术有效增加了老年人在事件想象过程中的内在细节数量后, 老年人的错误记忆显著上升。该结果揭示对事件情景的想象过程是想象膨胀错误记忆发生的关键环节, 老年人没有表现出明显的老化效应, 主要是由于该群体随年龄增长表现出在回忆/想象情景事件时内部细节缺乏这一特征所致。研究结果支持了建构性情景模拟假说和激活/监测理论。     

情绪影响错误记忆认知机制的年龄差异

以情绪性的类别图片为实验材料,使用改进后的简化联合再认范式,结合多项式加工树建模的统计手段,对28名老年人（67.95±4.70岁）和29名年轻人（22.60±2.74岁）情绪错误记忆的产生机制进行考察。结果发现,在行为层面,消极情绪增加年轻人和老年人的错误“记得”,而积极情绪只增加老年人的错误“记得”,老年人错误记忆的积极效应体现在更多地报告自己生动鲜明地“记得”未曾发生过的积极事件。在认知机制层面,虚假回想是导致老年人错误记忆出现积极效应的关键认知过程。相比年轻人,积极情绪会独特地增加老年人的虚假回想,进而增加错误“记得”的发生概率。     

心理时间旅行的方向与事件情绪效价对任务自信的影响

时间是认识和定义自我的框架之一。本研究采用两个实验,探讨心理时间旅行对任务自信的影响。实验1采用自由回忆或想象过去、未来事件的操纵,结果发现：事件情绪效价影响任务自信,时间方向以事件情绪效价为中介间接影响任务自信,想象的未来事件比回忆的过去事件更积极,进而引发更高任务自信。实验2采用平衡回忆或想象事件的情绪效价的操纵,使效价与时间方向的作用相分离,结果发现：时间方向不影响任务自信,想象事件的情绪效价对任务自信的作用受到时间方向的调节。回忆过去事件时,效价不影响任务自信;而想象未来事件时,事件效价越积极,任务自信越高。对于时间旅行中的积极事件,时间旅行的方向不影响任务自信;而对于消极事件,想象未来所引发的任务自信低于回忆过去。结论：时间旅行的方向与想象事件的情绪效价共同作用于任务自信。     

压抑者对情绪和非情绪自传体记忆的提取诱发遗忘

该实验考察了压抑应对方式,高焦虑和低焦虑三组被试对不同情绪性自传体记忆的提取诱发遗忘的差异。结果表明,与情绪性自传体记忆比较,被试能回忆出更多非情绪性自传体记忆;正性,负性和非情绪性自传体记忆均能得到显著的提取诱发遗忘,但是提取练习对正性和非情绪性事件的回忆率的促进弱于负性事件。压抑者的提取诱发遗忘效应要小于另外两组,且对于负性自传体记忆,压抑者没有产生提取诱发遗忘。     

早老性痴呆病人早期记忆损害的检测方法

采用词语延迟回忆、记忆广度和双任务工作记忆测验,研究可能用于检测(Alzheimer’s disease,AD)早期记忆损害的方法。共有4组被试：两个正常年轻人组、一个正常老年人组、一个很可能患早老性痴呆病人(Probable AD,PAD)组。结果表明：(1)正常年轻人和正常老年人的词语延迟回忆保持率没有显著差异,而PAD患者表现出明显受损;(2)两个正常年轻人组的双任务工作记忆成绩也没有显著不同,与之相比,正常老年人组有一定程度的降低,而PAD患者表现出更大程度的损害;(3)4组被试的记忆广度都不相同。这些结果提示,词语延迟回忆和双任务工作记忆测验可能能够用于检测AD早期的记忆损害。     

关于动物脑与人脑的猜想及其与电脑的比较

高等动物大脑和人类大脑,至少有以下相似功能:(1)接受来自感官的各种外来信息;(2)进行信息的非逻辑加工;(3)贮存外来的经过加工的信息;(4)能处于睡眠、觉醒和定向注意的状态;(5)情感性的行为反应控制。人类大脑的功能显然比动物复杂得多,主要表现在:(1)具有对信息进行筛选和回忆、巩固的记忆功能;(2)在非逻辑加工方面,具有复杂的回忆、联想、想象等功能;(3)具有信息的逻辑     

内隐和外显记忆测验中情绪词差异的ERP研究

运用事件相关电位(ERPs)技术, 采用学习-再认范式, 探讨情绪词(积极词和消极词)在内隐和外显记忆测验中的差异。结果发现：在内隐记忆测验中, 消极词的ERP波形比积极词更正; 在450~900 ms时程上存在提取方式的ERP分离, 即在内隐提取过程中, 消极词比积极词的ERP波形更正, 而在外显提取过程中, 二者ERP之间不存在差异。这些结果表明, 在相同编码影响下, 内隐提取对情绪性材料敏感, 而外显提取对情绪性材料不敏感。本实验结果说明刺激的情绪信息影响提取过程, 消极词语义较强的注意攫取能力主要体现在内隐提取阶段。     

亲子自传叙事中母亲语言支架的研究综述

亲子自传叙事中母亲的语言支架指母亲在对过去事件进行回忆和交流的过程中给儿童提供的引导性语言。母亲语言支架的风格分为高详尽和低详尽两个水平,高详尽的语言风格更能促进儿童语言、认知和社会情感的发展。在特定情绪性事件中,母亲的语言支架对儿童社会性的发展也有十分重要的影响。此外,亲子自传叙事中母亲的语言支架还存在性别和社会文化差异,且在特殊儿童身上表现出不同的特点。未来应加强对母亲语言支架的影响因素以及母亲回忆目标对语言支架的影响等问题的探讨。     

心境与记忆材料易接近性的实验研究

本研究通过让40名非心理学专业的被试解决数学问题并获得成功或失败的假反馈,诱发被试积极或消极的心境。进而考察心境与记忆材料之间的关系。结果发现:(1)在良好的心境下,积极材料比消极材料在回忆中更有易接近性,良好的心境促进了在回忆中提取积极的材料;(2)消极的心境没有促进在回忆中提取消极的材料;(3)心境对记忆材料易接近性的影响发生在提取阶段,而不在最初的编码阶段。     

任务难度与老化对大脑激活的影响——以线索记忆编码为例

以汉语名词双字词对为材料,采用了两种性质、三种难度水平的线索回忆任务对12名老年被试和15名年轻被试的项目记忆编码过程进行fMRI扫描,考察在编码阶段大脑激活受任务难度变化和老化的影响。行为研究结果发现:年龄的主效应、难度的主效应以及难度与年龄交互作用均显著,即,随着任务难度的增加,老年人的成绩更加明显地低于年轻人。神经成像研究结果发现:(1)当词对的相关性降低时,大脑激活的增强主要表现为面积的增加,而当词对的频率降低时,主要表现在激活强度的增加上。(2)任务难度和大脑激活面积、强度之间均不存在对应的递增变化关系。(3)仅当词对的相关性降低时,老年人比年轻人调用了更多的额叶脑区。     

Remembering the past and imagining the future: attachment effects on production of episodic details in close relationships

Attachment theories and studies have shown that Internal Working Models (IWMs) can impact autobiographical memory and future-oriented information processing relevant to close relationships. According to the constructive episodic simulation hypothesis (CESH), both remembering the past and imagining the future rely on episodic memory. We hypothesised that one way IWMs may bridge past experiences and future adaptations is via episodic memory. The present study investigated the association between attachment and episodic specificity in attachment-relevant and attachment-irrelevant memory and imagination among young and older adults. We measured the attachment style of 37 young adults and 40 older adults, and then asked them to remember or imagine attachment-relevant and attachment-irrelevant events. Participants’ narratives were coded for internal details (i.e., episodic) and external details (e.g., semantic, repetitions). The results showed that across age group, secure individuals generated more internal details and fewer external details in attachment-relevant tasks compared to attachment-irrelevant tasks; these differences were not observed in insecure individuals. These findings support the CESH and provide a new perspective to understand the function of IWMs.     

Emotion matters: The influence of valence on episodic future thinking in young and older adults

In young adults, valence not only alters the degree to which future events are imagined in rich episodic detail, but also how memorable these events are later on. For older adults, how valence influences episodic detail generation while imagining future events, or recalling these details at another time, remains unclear. We investigated the effect of valence on the specificity and memorability of episodic future thinking (EFT) in young and older adults. Among young and older adults, negative EFT was accompanied by less episodic detail generation relative to positive and neutral EFT. A similar reduction in episodic specificity for negative EFT was found two days later when participants recalled their previously imagined events. Notably, while older adults generated less episodically specific future thoughts relative to young adults, age did not influence the effect of valence on episodic detail generation at imagination or recollection.     

Reaping what they sow: Benefits of remembering together in intimate couples

Recent research suggests that remembering with a long-term partner may scaffold successful memory. To test whether collaboration reduces the episodic deficit shown by older adults, we created a social version of Addis, Musicaro, Pan, and Schacter's (2010) episodic memory paradigm. As predicted, in Experiment 1 20 long-married, older adult couples generated more “internal” – on topic, episodic – details when they remembered together versus alone, but the same amount of “external” – off-topic, semantic – details. In Experiment 2 this memory benefit did not extend to 20 young adult couples who generated high levels of internal details together or alone. Notably, however, young adults’ self-reported relationship intimacy was related to their episodic recall across conditions. We discuss these findings in terms of possible benefits of collaboration in the face of ageing and cognitive decline as well as the development over time of “transactive memory systems” in intimate relationships.     

Phenomenal characteristics associated with projecting oneself back into the past and forward into the future: influence of valence and temporal distance

As humans, we frequently engage in mental time travel, reliving past experiences and imagining possible future events. This study examined whether similar factors affect the subjective experience associated with remembering the past and imagining the future. Participants mentally "re-experienced" or "pre-experienced" positive and negative events that differed in their temporal distance from the present (close versus distant), and then rated the phenomenal characteristics (i.e., sensorial, contextual, and emotional details) associated with their representations. For both past and future, representations of positive events were associated with a greater feeling of re-experiencing (or pre-experiencing) than representations of negative events. In addition, representations of temporally close events (both past and future) contained more sensorial and contextual details, and generated a stronger feeling of re-experiencing (or pre-experiencing) than representations of temporally distant events. It is suggested that the way we both remember our past and imagine our future is constrained by our current goals.     

Exploring the experience of episodic past,future, and counterfactual thinking in younger and older adults: A study of a Colombian sample

Although extant evidence suggests that many neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying episodic past, future, and counterfactual thinking overlap, recent results have uncovered differences among these three processes. However, the extent to which there may be age-related differences in the phenomenological characteristics associated with episodic past, future and counterfactual thinking remains unclear. This study used adapted versions of the Memory Characteristics Questionnaire and the Autobiographical Interview in younger and older adults to investigate the subjective experience of episodic past, future and counterfactual thinking. The results suggest that, across all conditions, younger adults generated more internal details than older adults. However, older adults generated more external details for episodic future and counterfactual thinking than younger adults. Additionally, younger and older adults generated more internal details, and gave higher sensory and contextual ratings, for memories rather than future and counterfactual thoughts. Methodological and theoretical consequences for extant theories of mental simulation are discussed.