主观幸福感的脑机制

主观幸福感是社会认知领域一直关注的重要问题。Kahneman等人提出的评价系统模型为主观幸福感的研究提供了基本框架。主观幸福感形成过程中,评价系统的主要产物包括即时效用、回忆效用、抉择效用和预期效用,这些效用都有着各自特殊的神经机制。主观幸福感的影响因素分为内部和外部因素,它们也对应着各异的神经基础。未来主观幸福感领域的研究应遵循生理机制和心理机制相结合的整合研究思路。     

相继记忆模式：展现情节记忆形成脑机制的窗口

相继记忆模式在记忆形成的脑认知成像研究领域应用广泛,已成为研究者探究大脑形成记忆时活动的主要窗口。该文在介绍相继记忆模式及记忆形成过程的基础上,分析影响相继记忆效应大小和时空分布的因素,最后讨论内侧颞叶及前额叶神经网络中相关脑区如何分工、协同支持情节记忆形成。情节记忆多维度特性导致该神经网络中有关区域表现出不同形式的相继记忆效应,因此,该文提出有效分离这些脑区在记忆形成中如何分工及交互协同关系进行更为重要     

情节式未来思考的年龄差异及其脑机制

情节式未来思考是将自我投射到未来以预先经历某事件的能力。本文探讨情节式未来思考的年龄差异及其脑机制,重点阐述情节式未来思考的个体发生发展及其现象学特征的年龄差异,探究其年龄差异的脑机制主要涉及颞叶及楔前叶、海马以及额叶等脑区。未来研究应扩大正常人与特殊群体的年龄范围,关注情节式未来思考年龄差异的研究角度及纵向交叉方法,同时需结合内外部影响因素进行研究,这在认知老化中有重要的社会应用价值。     

联想启动效应及其脑机制的研究现状

１概述人们每天都会加工大量信息,其中许多是第一次接触到的,我们称之为新异信息,而新异联系属于新异信息的一种。在实验研究中,被试所学的项目都是熟悉的,但它们之间的关系需要在学习中形成,被试须加工这种关系,从而将以前互不相关的项目作为一个整体。我们称这种...     

FOK与情节记忆、语义记忆和内隐记忆关系的研究

实验采用R/K判断和PDP测量技术,研究了FOK判断与情节记忆、语义记忆和内隐记忆关系及其监测强度.实验结果表明FOK判断的准确性程度为R判断＞K判断,即对情节记忆监测的准确性要大于对语义记忆监测的准确性.FOK对于自动加工的预测准确性差异不显著,说明FOK监测对内隐记忆的作用是微弱的,由此推测无记忆是意识最高层面的活动.对记忆监测水平强度是由意识--无意识逐渐减弱的.FOK判断对意识性水平较高的记忆活动监测的准确性较强.     

应激对记忆影响的脑科学研究及其教育启示

大量脑科学的研究揭示,应激对与海马相关的陈述性记忆的调节主要通过应激激素,尤其是糖皮质激素的分泌而发生作用,而影响的方向取决于一些调节变量,包括糖皮质激素升高的水平以及记忆的不同阶段等。研究发现基底外侧杏仁核是糖皮质激素对记忆不同阶段产生差异性影响的关键部位。因此,在教育过程中,既要科学地认识应激对记忆的消极影响,又要有效利用应激对记忆产生的调节作用,来提高学生的学习效率。     

年龄、焦虑与情节记忆之内容与来源的关系

将情节记忆区分为内容记忆和来源记忆,筛选年老和年轻的高、低特质焦虑者完成记忆任务,以探讨情节记忆年老化的选择性和变异性及其与焦虑之间的联系。两项实验结果表明来源记忆是否随增龄而有选择性受损受来源性质影响,与来源呈现方式和来源识记意识性无关。焦虑干扰了老年组的记忆操作,是老年人情节记忆存在个体差异的原因之一;但焦虑对青年组没有不利影响,提示焦虑调节两类记忆的年龄差异。     

老化的年龄标识:主观年龄对老年人主观老化体验的影响

为证明年龄对老化的标识作用,研究假设降低被试的主观年龄可减少老年人的主观老化体验。采取实验组控制组前测后测设计,以主观年龄为自变量,分为"等于年代年龄"(控制组)和"小于年代年龄10±5岁"(实验组)两种水平,随机分配至两组的62名老年被试填写《个人老化体验问卷》,评估其主观老化体验。结果显示,实验组在后测中的主观老化体验不仅显著低于本组前测,也显著低于控制组,且这一结果不受被试最初自评的主观年龄影响。原假设得到证明,支持年龄对老化的标识作用。年龄标识对老化意义的简单化建构了世俗的绝对老化观。     

亲子支持对老年人主观幸福感的影响机制

采用自编的“老年人亲子支持问卷”、“老年人恩情感问卷”和已有量表,对来自4个省市的288名53-87岁的老年人进行问卷调查。结果表明,亲子支持通过影响老年人的自尊感、孤独感、恩情感,进而影响其主观幸福感。其中接受支持对自尊感、孤独感、恩情感产生积极的影响效应;给予支持对老年人的自尊感产生积极的影响效应。     

老年人社会适应性与主观幸福感的结构关系

该研究通过编制适应老年人的社会适应性与主观幸福感问卷,探讨了老年人社会适应性与主观幸福感的结构关系。结果表明,问卷具有良好的结构效度和内部一致性信度,人际交往适应性和角色转换适应性对主观幸福感各维度具有显著的预测价值,生活自理适应性对积极情感具有显著预测作用,但预测力不如人际交往适应性和角色转换适应性,而社会整体变化适应性对主观幸福感不存在预测的价值。地区差异对老年人社会适应性和主观幸福感结构预测关系存在显著的调节效应。     

Episodic and semantic memory in bilingual and monolingual children

Although bilinguality has been reported to confer advantages upon children with respect to various cognitive abilities, much less is known about the relation between memory and bilinguality. In this study, 60 (30 girls and 30 boys) bilingual and 60 (30 girls and 30 boys) monolingual children in three age groups (mean ages 8.5, 10.5 and 12.5 years) were compared on episodic memory and semantic memory tasks. Episodic memory was assessed using subject-performed tasks (with real or imaginary objects) and verbal tasks, with retrieval by both free recall and cued recall. Semantic memory was assessed by word fluency tests. Positive effects of bilingualism were found on both episodic memory and semantic memory at all age levels. These findings suggest that bilingual children integrate and/or organize the information of two languages, and so bilingualism creates advantages in terms of cognitive abilities (including memory). Some sex differences were also found in episodic memory but not in semantic memory. This episodic memory difference was found with younger children.     

Terminal decline of episodic memory and perceptual speed in a biracial population

We compared trajectories of terminal cognitive decline in older Black (n = 3372) and White (n = 1756) persons from a defined population who completed tests of episodic memory and perceptual speed at 3-year intervals for up to 18 years. During a mean of 9.9 years of observation, 1608 Black persons and 902 White persons died. Preterminal decline of episodic memory did not differ by race. Terminal episodic memory decline began earlier in Black persons (mean of 4.3 years before death) than in White persons (mean = 3.9 years) and progressed more slowly. By contrast, terminal decline of perceptual speed began earlier in White persons (mean = 5.0 years) than in Black persons (mean = 4.5 years). Rate of perceptual speed decline was more rapid in White persons than in Black persons in both the preterminal and terminal periods. The results indicate that terminal cognitive decline occurs in Black persons but suggest that the rate of cognitive decline during the terminal period is less rapid in Black persons than in White persons.     

Temporal contiguity and ageing: The role of memory organization in cognitive decline

The temporal contiguity effect is the tendency to form associations between items presented in nearby study positions. In the present study, we explored whether temporal contiguity predicted conversion to cognitively unimpaired-declining (CUD) status from a baseline of unimpaired older adults. Data from 419 participants were drawn from the Wisconsin Registry of Alzheimer’s Prevention (WRAP) data set and analysed with binary logistic regressions. Temporal contiguity was calculated using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Other predictors included age, years of education, sex, APOE-ε4 status, and other measures of memory recall. Lower temporal contiguity predicted conversion to CUD after accounting for covariates. These findings support the hypothesis that temporal organization in memory is related to cognitive decline and suggest that temporal contiguity may be used for studies of early detection.     

Episodic memory and the hippocampus: it's about time

Several recent studies have sought to develop animal models of episodic memory, the capacity to recollect unique personal experiences. However, these studies have not yet provided unambiguous evidence that this capacity is based on recollection of the learning episodes. A recent study that examined memory for the ordering of events within unique experiences, and demonstrated a critical and selective role for the hippocampus, suggests a new and promising model for neurobiological analyses of episodic memory.     

The mark of adaptive memory in healthy and cognitively impaired older adults and elderly

The survival processing paradigm has recently drawn attention to the functional aspects of memory functioning. The survival effect, characterized by better memory performance when information is processed in a survival context, as compared with a variety of controls, is now well established in healthy populations. The main goal of this study was to test this paradigm in a group of cognitively impaired older adults and elderly; their data were compared to the data obtained in a group of healthy older adults and elderly. Seventeen cognitively impaired and 17 healthy participants performed a typical survival task using a blocked within‐subject design procedure and free recall as the memory test. The healthy older adults and elderly performed better on this memory task as well as on other tests included in a neuropsychological evaluation protocol. Importantly, both groups benefited from survival processing. These results provide further support for the power of survival processing, extending this phenomenon to cognitively impaired aging participants. The data also suggest that the survival effect is not simply a form of deep processing. Potential applied considerations are presented.     

错误记忆产生的认知与神经机制：信息加工视角

采用信息加工视角, 在划分不同信息来源的基础上分析编码、存储(巩固)、再激活/再巩固和提取的一系列加工过程如何导致错误记忆形成, 由此总结出错误记忆产生的三个可能原因：(1)因缺乏针对目标事物特异性细节的记忆表征而侧重于编码和提取目标和非目标事物共享的抽象记忆表征, 使被试更倾向于依赖抽象表征对缺失的目标细节进行重构, 引发错误记忆; (2)目标事物启动了对应图式, 导致与图式相关的非目标事物记忆表征得到增强, 引发错误记忆; (3)误导信息干扰了再度激活状态下目标事物的记忆表征, 妨碍其进行准确的记忆再巩固, 从而引发错误记忆。未来研究可进一步探讨目标事物特异性细节的表征区域、不同类型的图式表征促进非目标事物记忆表征的具体机制以及提取阶段的图式复现对错误记忆形成的影响等问题。     

A comparison of visual working memory and episodic memory performance in younger and older adults

Working memory and episodic memory decline with age. However, as they are typically studied separately, it is largely unknown whether age-associated differences are similar. A task design was developed in which visual working memory and episodic memory performances were measured using the same stimuli, with both tasks involving context binding. A 2-back working memory task was followed by a surprise subsequent recognition memory task that assessed incidental encoding of object locations of the 2-back task. The study compared performance of younger (N=30; M_age=23.5, SD_age=2.9, range=20-29) and older adults (N=29; M_age=72.1, SD_age=6.8, range=62-90). Older adults performed worse than younger adults, without an interaction effect. In younger, but not in older adults, performance on the two tasks was related. We conclude that although age differences (Young>Older) are similar in the working memory and incidental associative memory tasks, the relationship between the two memory systems differs as a function of age group.     

Interactive effects of subjective memory complaints and hypertension on learning and memory performance in the elderly

This study evaluated whether the relation between subjective memory complaints and cognitive performance is influenced by the presence of hypertension in the elderly. One hundred and five healthy older adults, 70–89 years of age, with and without hypertension treatment or diagnosis, completed a scale of subjective memory complaints. Participants were divided into those with mild memory concerns and those with minimal or no complaints. All participants completed a battery of neuropsychological tests including measures of verbal and nonverbal memory. After controlling for differences in age, gender, education, and overall intellectual ability, there were significant main effects for memory concerns and significant interactions for memory complaints and hypertension on several measures of memory performance. There were no main effects for hypertension on memory performance. Simple effects analyses of the interactions showed that the hypertensive complainers demonstrated poorer performance on measures of long-term memory and greater reliance on short-term recall than the hypertensive non-complainers. There were no differences in memory performance for the non-hypertensive groups. Among healthy elderly community-dwelling adults, those with mild subjective memory complaints in the context of hypertension demonstrated greater objective cognitive difficulties than those without hypertension as well as a greater reliance on a less efficient learning strategy. These findings suggest that memory concerns in the presence of hypertension may be important when evaluating treatment efficacy in these individuals and for identifying differences in cognitive aging.     

Relationship of cognitive strategy use to prospective memory performance in a diverse sample of nondemented older adults with varying degrees of cognitive complaints and impairment

Although older adults typically have better performance on prospective memory (PM) tasks carried out in naturalistic settings, a paucity of research directly assesses older adults’ use of compensatory strategies on such tasks. The current study investigates external memory strategy use during performance of a clinical PM test that features both short-term (in laboratory) and long-term (out of laboratory) subtasks (i.e., the Royal Prince Alfred Prospective Memory Test – RPA-ProMem. Nondemented, community-dwelling older adults (n = 214; mean age = 80.5; 68.2% female; 39.7% non-white) with mild cognitive impairment, subjective cognitive decline, and healthy controls completed the RPA-ProMem while external strategy use was permitted and recorded. Overall, participants utilized external strategies 41% of the time on the RPA-ProMem. Increased utilization of external memory strategies was significantly associated with better PM performance. Additionally, better performance on executive functioning tasks was associated with increased use of external memory strategies. Results are discussed in relation to how memory strategy use can be enhanced to improve everyday memory ability in older adults at risk for dementia.