When two memories can and cannot be retrieved concurrently

We examined whether two memories can be retrieved concurrently from long-term memory. In Experiment 1, the subjects recalled words, either from two categories—alternating between the two—or from just one category. In Experiment 2, the subjects recalled two words belonging to either the same category or different categories, and the category prompts for these two responses appeared either simultaneously or successively. The results of both studies are consistent with the view that two items from different categories must be retrieved serially, whereas two items from the same category can be retrieved in parallel.     

Gestalts are more closely associated with performance on a discrimination task than are component stimuli

Distance, similarity, and other components of the physical stimulus but also gestalts are associated with the ability to discriminate between two objects. The present research bears on this confound. Identical lines were added to the opening and closing bracket of a pair of brackets to form two identical rectangles. A stimulus consisted of either one or two of these brackets, lines, or rectangles. Subjects indicated as quickly as possible whether one or two objects occurred. The discriminations between two near brackets and two near lines were more difficult than the discrimination between two near rectangles. A large distance between two objects improved the bracket and line discriminations more than the rectangle discrimination. Single brackets and lines did not result in poorer performance than did single rectangles. These results disconfirm the distance, similarity (including relational similarity), good continuation, location of geometric centers, size, closedness, symmetry, spatial frequency, redundancy, and number of lines component stimulus predictions at least twice. Both the two near brackets and the two near lines produce single gestalts, whereas each remaining 2-object stimulus results in two gestalts. Therefore, gestalts predicted performance better than did component stimuli. Another result was that the 2-object responses were faster than the 1-object responses for far objects.     

Analysis of group composition in multimember multigroup data

Data from groups often have a multimember multigroup (MMMG) structure. Examples are two‐parent families with a female or male child (three members, two groups), two same‐gender and opposite‐gender peers of different status (two members, four groups), or gay, lesbian, and heterosexual couples (two members, three groups). To analyze such data, a framework called MMMG actor–partner interdependence model (MMMG APIM) is presented considering group composition. Three models are discussed in detail: the three‐member two‐group APIM, the two‐member four‐group APIM, and the two‐member three‐group APIM. Structural equation modeling and cross‐sectional and longitudinal data are used to illustrate the approach. To ease the interpretation of APIM findings, a proposal of a general classification scheme is made.     

对定量归因判断的能力差异解释

该文提出对由两个原因一起作用而产生的结果的定量归因判断的能力差异解释,认为对两个原因定量归因判断之间的差异主要取决于对两个原因能力评估之间的相对差异。两个实验发现,大学生被试一般能根据对两个原因能力评估的相对差异程度,对产生给定结果的贡献在两个竞争原因之间进行相应的比例分配;对两个原因贡献评估的差异随着对两个原因能力评估的相对差异程度的增大而增大。这支持对这种定量归因判断的能力差异解释。     

The semantics and acquisition of number words: integrating linguistic and developmental perspectives

This article brings together two independent lines of research on numerally quantified expressions, e.g. two girls. One stems from work in linguistic theory and asks what truth conditional contributions such expressions make to the utterances in which they are used--in other words, what do numerals mean? The other comes from the study of language development and asks when and how children learn the meaning of such expressions. My goal is to show that when integrated, these two perspectives can both constrain and enrich each other in ways hitherto not considered. Specifically, work in linguistic theory suggests that in addition to their 'exactly n' interpretation, numerally quantified NPs such as two hoops can also receive an 'at least n' and an 'at most n' interpretation, e.g. you need to put two hoops on the pole to win (i.e. at least two hoops) and you can miss two shots and still win (i.e. at most two shots). I demonstrate here through the results of three sets of experiments that by the age of 5 children have implicit knowledge of the fact that expressions like two N can be interpreted as 'at least two N' and 'at most two N' while they do not yet know the meaning of corresponding expressions such as at least/most two N which convey these senses explicitly. I show that these results have important implications for theories of the semantics of numerals and that they raise new questions for developmental accounts of the number vocabulary.     

Are monocular arrays discriminable from binocular arrays?

On each trial of this experiment, a subject was visually stimulated by one or two shadows on a translucent background in a Telebinocular. For each subject, there were 40 trials of monocular stimulation by one shadow, 40 trials of monocular stimulation by two shadows (one in each hemifield), and 40 trials of binocular stimulation by two shadows (one in the left hemifield of one eye and another in the right hemifield of the other eye). Across these randomly ordered trials, 52 subjects were unable to discriminate two right-eye shadows from two left-eye shadows and were unable to discriminate two monocularly perceived shadows from two binocularly perceived shadows. Generally, subjects tended to misidentify right-hemifield shadows as right-eye shadows and tended to misidentify two-hemifield shadows as two-eye shadows.     

Dividing attention across feature dimensions in statistical processing of perceptual groups

Statistical processing has been shown in the perception of several visual dimensions, including size, speed, direction of motion, and orientation. Chong and Treisman (2005) found no decrement when people simultaneously averaged two sets on a single dimension, size. What happens when attention is divided between different dimensions? In two experiments, we investigated judgments of mean size and speed, either within the same objects or in two separate sets. In a third, we examined judgments of mean size and orientation in two different sets. All three experiments suggest a decrement in performance when attention is shared between two dimensions, especially when they are carried by two different sets of objects.     

Hemi-retinal attention under conditions of color rivalry

Human Ss viewed stimulus arrays of color patches such that two instances of color rivalry were simultaneously present. That is, two patches of different color were present, one each in each of the left halves of the two ocular fields, and at the same time, rival patches were also present in the two right halves. As would be expected, binocular percepts often corresponded to predominance of one or the other of the two eyes. On other occasions, however, Ss reported percepts which indicated simultaneous predominance of the nasal halves or, more often, of the temporal halves of the two retinas.     

Hierarchical switching with two types of judgment and two stimulus dimensions

A number of recent studies have shown that shifting among four tasks that result from a factorial combination of two types of judgment with two judgment-to-response mappings results in a characteristics pattern of shift costs that indicates a hierarchical representation of the two task features judgment and mapping (e.g., Kleinsorge & Heuer, 1999). In the present study, two types of judgment were combined with two stimulus dimensions. With this task combination, the same basic shift-cost pattern was observed. This suggests that a combination of two types of judgment with two stimulus dimensions also results in a hierarchically structured task representation, indicating that such a task representation is readily adopted by participants when the combination of task features is suitable for a hierarchical organization.     

Two ways of being a Christian in the Muslim context of the Middle East

This article identifies two fundamental outlooks and basic orientations of Christians living among Muslims in the context of the Middle East that result in two ways of being a Christian in that region. The origin of the two types, labelled the ‘Arab Christian’ and the ‘Eastern Christian’, is traced back to early Christian contacts with Islam, and the content of those two ways is explicated in their political, cultural and religious implications by briefly elaborating two contemporary Lebanese Christian conceptualizations of the two ways. It is argued that these two types provide a hermeneutical key not only for understanding the behaviour, actions and thought of Christians of the Middle East, but also for understanding and evaluating the perceptions of non-Middle Eastern writers and historians about the topic of Christians in that region.     

双重作业的颜色编码方式对作业绩效的影响

研究探讨了不同颜色编码方式对双重任务操作绩效的影响。实验结果证明：若采用同类颜色编码方式,同时操作的两种作业就会产生结构限制,降低双重任务操作绩效;相反,若采用异常颜色编码方式,将有效地减少双重任务操作的结构限制,使双重任务的操作绩效得到提高。     

Visual form integration and discontinuity detection

Two experiments were conducted to determine if discontinuity detection limits the visual integration of two stimuli presented successively. If this is the case, then presenting two dim stimuli should permit better integration than presenting two bright stimuli. In Experiment 1, five observers named the position of the missing dot in a 5 x 5 dot matrix. Twelve randomly selected dots were presented in each of two stimulus presentations. The stimuli varied in intensity in a ratio of 15:1 and stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) varied between 50 msec and 80 msec. At the longer SOAs, presenting two bright stimuli led to a higher percentage of correct responses than presenting two dim stimuli. There was no difference between those conditions at the shorter SOAs. In Experiment 2, 12 naive observers rated the amount of integration of the same stimuli on a 7-point scale, under the same presentation conditions. Rated integration was higher with two dim stimuli than with two bright stimuli. These apparently contradictory results are explained in terms of Hawkins and Shulman's distinction between two kinds of visual persistence. It is concluded that subjects can respond to integration and discontinuity detection separately. No evidence was found that discontinuity detection limits the integration.     

Self-Report Measures of Individual Differences in Regulatory Focus: A Cautionary Note

Regulatory focus theory distinguishes between two independent structures of strategic inclination, promotion versus prevention. However, the theory implies two potentially independent definitions of these inclinations, the self-guide versus the reference-point definitions. Two scales (the Regulatory Focus Questionnaire, Higgins al., 2001, and the General Regulatory Focus Measure, Lockwood, Jordan, & Kunda, 2002) have been widely used to measure dispositional regulatory focus. We suggest that these two scales align respectively with the two definitions, and find that the two scales are largely uncorrelated. Both conceptual and methodological implications are discussed.     

Blake's Development of the Number Words “One,” “Two,” and “Three”

A mother tracked her preschooler's number word development daily from 18 to 49 months of age. Naturalistic observations were supplemented with observations during structured (Kumon) training and microgenetic testing. The boy's everyday use of “two” did not become highly reliable and selective for 10 months (at 28 months), emerged later than that of words representing less abstract concepts, and was used in a relatively abstract manner to describe various visible pairs of items. He quickly generalized “two” to partially visible collections and then those that were not visible. Highly reliable use of “one” and “two” appeared to develop simultaneously, before he started using a plural rule, and before he could put out two items upon request. Reliable and accurate use of number words in everyday situations, particularly child-initiated efforts, preceded such use in the contexts of the Kumon training and microgenetic testing, both of which involved adult-initiated tasks. Educational implications include underscoring differences among the first number words by contrasting, for instance, one with two, and pointing out non-examples of a number (“not two”) as well as a wide variety of examples, such as “two blocks, two hands, two socks, two airplanes.”     

Post-reinforcement pauses and response rate of monkeys on a two-hand fixed-ratio schedule

Fixed-ratio behavior of monkeys was analyzed separately for two hands. While one hand responded on the fixed-ratio schedule the other performed a holding response and the function of the hands changed in alternate ratio runs. After performance was stable on the fixed ratio (70 responses, two monkeys; 100 responses, two monkeys, 120 responses, two monkeys) 90 sessions of further training equalized post-reinforcement pauses and the mean interresponse time of the two hands. Hand preference in reaching for food remained unchanged. Then, the fixed-ratio requirement was changed (a) in small sequential steps, (b) in two large steps, and, (c) within sessions alternating two runs at a high ratio with two runs at a low ratio. The mean duration of post-reinforcement pauses was correlated with a fixed ratio maintained throughout a session but single pauses were neither controlled by the immediately preceding nor by the following ratio run when a cue to its length was available. The mean interresponse time was insensitive to changes in fixed ratio. The fixed-ratio performance was generally similar to that of pigeons and rats.     

Acquisition of a same-different discrimination task by pigeons (Columba livia)

Four homing pigeons were trained to discriminate two figures simultaneously presented on an LCD screen. The figure was either a rectangle (A) or a square (B), and four combinations of the two figures, AA, AB, BA, BB, appeared in a pseudo-randomized order. The pigeons' task was to peck one of these figures based upon whether the two figures were identical or not. One pigeon successfully learned this discrimination, with proportions of correct responses above 90% in two consecutive sessions. Of the other birds, two performed above chance level but had difficulty meeting a learning criterion of above 80% in two consecutive sessions. All birds achieved this criterion when the combinations of figures presented were reduced to two. Results suggested that learning the present same-different discrimination is within the capacity of pigeons to a certain extent, although there exists considerable individual variation in the pigeons' skills to acquire complex discrimination.     

Mental representations of obligatory and prohibitory traffic signs

Every traffic sign conveys a single proposition about traffic conditions. Drivers must integrate this proposition with their goals and other known facts to decide on an appropriate action in what amounts to a deduction task. For example, imagine that you are driving a car and you want to turn right at an intersection but there is a no right turn sign. You have to assess the options and make a decision (reach a conclusion). Theoretical accounts from research about reasoning can be applied to how we understand traffic signs and make inferences from them. This study includes two experiments that analysed how people decide whether a situation is allowed or not, taking into account the information provided by one sign - obligatory or prohibitory - or two signs - two obligatory or two prohibitory signs. The number of signs, that is, the complexity of the driving scene, was a key factor in this study. The two experiments differ in the presentation format of the two-sign experimental condition. In the first experiment, the signs were presented as two isolated signs. In the second experiment, the two signs were embedded in one. Equivalent results were found whether two isolated signs or two embedded signs were shown. When an obligatory sign was used at the junction, faster responses were obtained for allowed manoeuvres than for those not allowed. When a prohibitory sign was used, the results were the opposite. However, the advantage of prohibitory signs in the not-allowed situation was not replicated when people had to collect information from two prohibitory signs. Results showed that people integrate two obligatory sign messages - informing where one can go - more easily than two prohibitory sign messages - informing where not to go. Therefore, it could be said that each traffic sign elicits an internal mental model elaboration in which forbidden actions are explicitly labelled by means of attached "mental footnotes" indicating the epistemic status of "prohibitory information."     

认知主义与联结主义之比较

认知主义的研究定向和联结主义的研究定向是广义的现代认知心理学的两种主要研究范式。这两种研究范式都各有自己的研究内容和方法论,也取得了各自不同的成就,同时也存在各自不同的问题。通过对两种研究范式的比较,我们可以清楚地认识到二者的相互沟通和融合才是认知心理学未来发展的必然趋势。     

类别成员跨维度特征关系对类别学习的影响

探讨类别成员具有多维度相同特征与多维度匹配特征条件下对人们类别学习的影响。被试来自华南师范大学一年级本科生,要求他们学习不同特征结构的类别材料,然后进行测试,以学习阶段的单元数与错误率、测试阶段的反应时与错误率为指标。共包括3个实验,实验1探讨了类别成员具有双维度相同特征、双维度匹配特征与非匹配特征条件下进行类别学习的成绩。实验2探讨类别成员在空间位置分离的两个维度上具有相同特征对类别学习的影响。实验3进一步探讨类别间成员具有双维度相同特征对类别学习的影响。结果表明：（1）类别成员具有双维度相同特征时,人们在归类学习中会将这两个维度看成是一个维度,从而促进类别学习;（2）类别成员具有双维度匹配特征,或者在两个不相邻维度具有相同特征时,对于类别学习没有起到这种特定的促进作用;（3）如果类别间成员具有双维度相同特征,则对类别学习产生消极影响。研究结果表明,在类别学习过程中,特征相似性状况对维度的确立也会产生影响。     

What limits tool use in nonhuman primates? Insights from tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) aligning three-dimensional objects to a surface

Perceptuomotor functions that support using hand tools can be examined in other manipulation tasks, such as alignment of objects to surfaces. We examined tufted capuchin monkeys’ and chimpanzees’ performance at aligning objects to surfaces while managing one or two spatial relations to do so. We presented six subjects of each species with a single stick to place into a groove, two sticks of equal length to place into two grooves, or two sticks joined as a T to place into a T-shaped groove. Tufted capuchins and chimpanzees performed equivalently on these tasks, aligning the straight stick to within 22.5° of parallel to the groove in approximately half of their attempts to place it, and taking more attempts to place the T stick than two straight sticks. The findings provide strong evidence that tufted capuchins and chimpanzees do not reliably align even one prominent axial feature of an object to a surface, and that managing two concurrent allocentric spatial relations in an alignment problem is significantly more challenging to them than managing two sequential relations. In contrast, humans from 2 years of age display very different perceptuomotor abilities in a similar task: they align sticks to a groove reliably on each attempt, and they readily manage two allocentric spatial relations concurrently. Limitations in aligning objects and in managing two or more relations at a time significantly constrain how nonhuman primates can use hand tools.