工作记忆对时间加工的影响

非时间信息加工与时间加工的关系是复杂的, 存在双向干扰或单向干扰, 结果的不一致与任务所需的注意资源及工作记忆都有关。工作记忆的中央执行系统在时间加工中起主要作用, 同时进行的非时间任务对中央执行功能的需求越多, 两种任务之间的干扰程度越大。语言环和视空间模板对时间加工的影响与非时间信息的类型有关。工作记忆作为一个整体以工作记忆容量为指标, 计时成绩也表现出与工作记忆容量有关的年龄、智力等方面的差异。时间加工和工作记忆在额叶、顶叶、基底神经节等皮质存在共同的神经机制。未来应该丰富工作记忆的研究内容, 结合时间加工的分段性探讨工作记忆影响时间加工的具体进程及神经机制, 并力求在应用方面取得一定的成果。     

时空干扰效应：基于贝叶斯模型的解释

时空干扰效应是指时间知觉受空间信息干扰或空间知觉受时间信息干扰而出现错觉的现象。部分研究认为时空干扰是不对称的,空间对时间的干扰总是更大;还有研究认为时间和空间相互干扰的强度受实验因素影响,一般来说,空间对时间的干扰更大,但时间也能对空间产生同等程度甚至更大的干扰。在回顾隐喻理论和量值理论的主要观点之后,重点分析贝叶斯模型对时空干扰效应的解释,最后提出未来研究应关注的三个问题,即拓展贝叶斯模型对时空干扰效应的解释范围,探明基于贝叶斯推断的时空干扰神经机制和探索时空干扰的调控方法。     

时间隐喻在汉语时间量词语义加工中的作用

通过三个实验, 考察了时间隐喻在汉语时间量词语义加工中的作用。实验1表明, 当时间量词的水平方向隐喻(“长–短”)与字词的空间长度特征(“长–短”或“宽–窄”)不一致时, 语义加工受到了干扰; 实验2表明, 虽然“高–矮”亦为字词的空间特征, 但对时间量词的语义加工没有显著的影响, 证明时间的空间隐喻受讲话者的语言使用习惯影响; 实验3表明, 通过使用不同长度的背景降低了字形变化对于语义加工的影响之后, 与字形一致、隐喻不一致的条件比, 字形和隐喻皆不一致的条件引起了更大的干扰。整个研究表明, 汉语讲话者的时间隐喻只受空间的水平方向特征(“长–短”或“宽–窄”)影响, 不受空间的竖直方向特征(“高–矮”)影响。时间概念以空间长度特征为中介, 在长时记忆中与知觉符号同时储存。     

时空距离、特征类型对态度的影响

建构水平理论（Construal level theory）认为时间能够独立地改变评价对象的建构水平,从而对对象的不同特征赋予不同的权重。个体倾向于用抽象的整体的特征表征时距远的事物,而用具体的局部的特征表征时距近的事物。空间距离不同的评价对象是否也遵循同样的规律？在考察时空距离与个人相关性的基础上,通过2（时间距离：明天和十年后）×2（空间距离：近地点和远地点）×2（特征类型：样例特征和类型特征）三因素被试间实验设计,探讨时间距离、空间距离、特征类型对态度的影响。结果发现,空间距离影响人们对事物的态度。在远空间距离水平上,时间距离对态度的影响显著,而在近空间距离水平上时间距离对态度的影响不显著;在远空间条件下,时距远的对象优先注意类型化的特征,时距近的对象优先注意样例化特征。最后,在建构水平理论框架内讨论了实验结果。     

Müller-Lyer图形中长度加工与时距估计的关系

采用复制法,考察Müller-Lyer错觉条件下,长度加工与时距估计的关系。实验1和实验2分别采用实线段和空线段,结果发现,图形的客观长度越长,估计的时距越长;箭头朝向造成的主观长度错觉对时距估计无影响;时距对长度判断的影响较小。实验3进一步操作线段长度和箭杆方向,发现长度错觉不影响时距估计与错觉量的大小无关。研究表明刺激的客观长度与时间在心理表征上存在自动化的联结,也受到刺激、实验方法和时距等因素的影响。     

扫视导致时间知觉的扭曲及其机制探讨

扫视是一种在两个注视点之间快速移动的眼部运动,它有助于将任务相关信息移动至中央凹进一步加工。然而扫视也会导致视觉时间知觉扭曲,从而出现空时距压缩、时序倒置及实时距膨胀。扫视导致的空时距压缩和时序倒置可能源于潜伏期缩短、时间关系错误编码及预测性重新映射;实时距膨胀则可能由于扫视提前了目标位置视觉刺激的开始时间。探究扫视对时间知觉的影响有利于了解大脑加工不同类型时间信息的差异并厘清时间扭曲的发生阶段。     

数字加工任务影响时距知觉的数字效应

本研究采用复制时距和数字加工双任务,探讨数字大小影响时距知觉的机制。实验首先呈现不同时距的圆点,然后让被试按键复制圆点呈现的时距,与此同时,对屏幕上出现的数字进行命名(实验1)、奇偶数判断(实验2)、大小判断(实验3)。实验结果发现对数字进行奇偶数判断时,数字大小对时距知觉没有影响;进行数字命名和大小判断任务时,数字大小对时距知觉都产生了影响,并且时距不同,数字大小对时距知觉的影响也不同。该结果表明时距知觉的数字效应与数字加工任务和时距长短有关,呈现出动态变化的过程。     

数字加工的认知神经基础

数学作为人类最重要的发明,越来越引起认知神经科学家的重视与关注,究竟什么才是人类数学知识的脑基础？脑成像的研究已经证实了一个参与数学运算加工的神经网络,包括顶叶皮质、侧前额叶皮质、内前额叶皮质、和小脑。实验证明：人脑对于数字具有一种模拟表达,类似于将数量在脑内部作为一种内心的数字线上的点来操作。神经心理学的研究证实数字加工的这种数量表达分布于两半球,其优势区位于下顶叶皮质区。     

标量计时模型中的神经机制

标量计时模型中各阶段的神经机制有重叠也有分离。从当今认知神经科学的研究结果看,与内部时钟有关的神经结构有小脑、基底神经节、前额皮质、前运动辅助皮质及顶叶下回皮质等;与记忆阶段有关的神经结构有基底神经节、背外侧前额皮质、右侧额下皮质及外侧前运动皮质等;与决策阶段有关的神经结构有背外侧前额皮质、前扣带回、高级颞叶皮质和基底神经节等。文章还从神经机制角度论证了计时的标量特性,讨论了今后研究值得注意的三个问题,即研究结果的确定性、研究手段的局限性以及该模型的适用性     

智力运动专家领域内知觉与记忆的加工特点及其机制

智力运动是以开发智力为目的且涉及到较多认知活动的竞技运动。研究表明, 长期的智力运动经验会影响专家在领域内任务中知觉及记忆的行为表现及其大脑活动。智力运动经验使专家知觉广度增大的同时, 促进专家对棋子关系进行整体性知觉加工, 且这一过程与颞顶联合区、缘上回、压后皮质、侧副沟、梭状回等区域有关; 在长时记忆中存储的具体(空间位置)及抽象信息(知识、策略、棋子关系等)是专家记忆优势发生的基础, 该过程与内侧颞叶、额叶和顶叶有关。未来研究可以从智力运动类型、创新实验范式, 结合测量设备及认知特点, 深入探讨智力运动专家整体知觉优势及记忆优势的神经机制, 为人工智能和技能训练等提供理论依据。     

视时距知觉适应后效的空间选择性

时距知觉适应后效是指长时间适应于某一特定时距会导致个体对后续时距产生知觉偏差。其中对视时距知觉适应后效空间选择性的探讨存在争议,有研究支持位置不变性,也有研究支持位置特异性。这类研究能有效揭示时距编码的认知神经机制,位置不变性可能意味着时距编码位于较高级的脑区,而位置特异性则可能意味着时距编码位于初级视觉皮层。未来还可以探究时距知觉适应后效的视觉坐标表征方式,开展多通道研究以及相应的神经基础研究。     

Duration and numerical estimation in right brain‐damaged patients with and without neglect: Lack of support for a mental time line

Previous studies have shown that left neglect patients are impaired when they have to orient their attention leftward relative to a standard in numerical comparison tasks. This finding has been accounted for by the idea that numerical magnitudes are represented along a spatial continuum oriented from left to right with small magnitudes on the left and large magnitudes on the right. Similarly, it has been proposed that duration could be represented along a mental time line that shares the properties of the number continuum. By comparing directly duration and numerosity processing, this study investigates whether or not the performance of neglect patients supports the hypothesis of a mental time line. Twenty‐two right brain‐damaged patients (11 with and 11 without left neglect), as well as 11 age‐matched healthy controls, had to judge whether a single dot presented visually lasted shorter or longer than 500 ms and whether a sequence of flashed dots was smaller or larger than 5. Digit spans were also assessed to measure verbal working memory capacities. In duration comparison, no spatial‐duration bias was found in neglect patients. Moreover, a significant correlation between verbal working memory and duration performance was observed in right brain‐damaged patients, irrespective of the presence or absence of neglect. In numerical comparison, only neglect patients showed an enhanced distance effect for numerical magnitude smaller than the standard. These results do not support the hypothesis of the existence of a mental continuum oriented from left to right for duration. We discuss an alternative account to explain the duration impairment observed in right brain‐damaged patients.     

Short-component multiple schedules: effects of relative reinforcement duration

Pigeons were exposed to multiple variable-interval 2-min variable-interval 2-min schedules of food presentation in which relative duration of food presentation was manipulated. When components alternated every 5 sec and were scheduled on separate response keys, relative response rates closely matched relative reinforcement duration in three of four pigeons. On the other hand, relative response rates were insensitive to relative reinforcement duration when components scheduled on a single response key alternated every 5 sec, and when components scheduled on separate response keys alternated every 2 min. Thus, both rapid alternation and spatial separation of components were necessary to produce approximate matching of relative responding to relative reinforcement duration. This finding contrasts with previous findings that only rapid component alternation is necessary for matching when relative rate of reinforcement is manipulated.     

The effect of construal level on predictions of task duration

Construal level theory (Trope & Liberman, 2010) contends that distance to events leads to higher level processing. In a series of studies, we examined the role of construal level in prediction of the time needed to perform a task. Estimates increased when the tasks were distant rather than close in time (Study 1), were hypothetical rather than real (Study 2), and when participants were primed to adopt an abstract rather than a concrete mindset (Study 3). As a possible explanation, it is suggested that time units are perceived as smaller as people move up in abstraction, so that more time units are needed to cover the same amount of work. In line with this, we found that people who were primed to adopt a higher level processing mode visualized an hour as shorter than those in a lower level mode, as indicated by their distance marks on a time-line (Study 4). Finally, the contraction of time units was shown to mediate the relationship between temporal distance and task duration estimates (Study 5).     

Exploring environments by hand or foot: time-based heuristics for encoding distance in movement space

In Experiment 1, blindfolded observers judged (a) the distance of pathways felt by hand and (b) the straight-line distance between pathway endpoints inferred from such exploration. In Experiment 2, blindfolded observers made corresponding estimates after traversing similar pathways on foot. Pathways were explored under three different speeds. Under both manipulatory and ambulatory exploration, there was substantial length distortion of inferred distance: The straight-line distance was increasingly overestimated with increases in the length of the explored pathway. With manipulatory exploration, slower movements increased length distortion, but duration effects proved secondary to effects of spatial extent. For ambulatory exploration, no duration effects were obtained. Observers used time-independent heuristics, that is, a footstep metric for estimating the pathway actually travelled and a spatial imaging strategy for estimating the inferred line between pathway endpoints. The studies establish length distortion as a general phenomenon in movement space and identify its major causes as spatial rather than temporal.     

On the interdependence of temporal and spatial judgments

Three experiments are reported on the tau and kappa effects, the dependence of judgments of distance upon duration (tau) and of judgments of duration upon distance (kappa). In Experiment 1, three lights in a horizontal sequence were used to define two temporal and two spatial intervals over a total duration of 160 msec. The subject was required to choose the shorter of either the two durations or the two distances. The results confirmed Collyer’s (1977) findings that the two effects are inconsistently observed across subjects when the display duration is brief. In Experiment 2, display duration was systematically manipulated from 160 to 1,500 msec. It is argued that relative temporal judgments should become easier as the total display duration is increased and that, hence, the kappa effect should become less marked. On the other hand, relative spatial judgments should become more difficult as the total duration of the display is increased, and the tau effect should become more marked. The data were in conformity with the hypothesis. In Experiment 3, data are presented for a tau experiment which fit the assumption that the effect depends upon a weighted average of distance and the expected distance which would be traversed in the given time at constant velocity.     

学前儿童对时距的估计及其策略

该研究旨在探查学前儿童对时距的认识过程及其认识策略。使用2秒、4秒、6秒、8秒四种不同的时间间隔作为刺激物,在每次呈现之后要求儿童按键再现时距。5岁和6岁的学前儿童参加这一实验。主要结果表明:5、6岁儿童已能区分只有几秒钟差异的单一时距;在无声音参照条件下,他们对4秒钟的估计较为准确,而在有声音参照条件下,5岁儿童则对6秒钟的估计更趋准确。研究材料还证实了,儿童从5岁起初步能够使用时间标尺,开始把时间看成是可以计数的维量。     

Attentional processing of location and color cues during driving

Studies have shown that prior information concerning the spatial location of a subsequent target facilitates the selection of that target for further visual processing in three-dimensional (3-D) space. Using Posner's cuing paradigm, our work examined the reaction time of drivers when cue duration and peripheral environment luminance was changed, and explored the effect color and location on reaction time. Experiment 1 showed that reaction time was not affected by cue duration, and that shifts of attention operated more efficiently for cue location validity. Experiment 2 showed that there was no main effect of background luminance on reaction time. Experiment 3 showed that location produces a greater effect than color.     

学前儿童对短时时距的区分及其认知策略

本研究以令儿童比较时距长短为手段进一步探查学前（５、６岁）儿童对短时时距的认知过程,挖掘幼儿的认知潜力。研究结果表明：１）学前５、６岁儿童已能区分只有几秒钟差异的短时时距;２）６岁儿童已能使用时间标尺测量时间,５岁儿童已有潜力把时间看成是可以计数的维量;３）两时距的时间差别大小是影响儿童认知成绩的主要因素之一。