羞怯的认知神经机制

羞怯是个体在陌生社会情境或感知社会评价时表现出恐惧和抑制的一种特质,其与诸多适应问题相关。认知神经科学研究发现羞怯个体在对威胁的注意、情绪体验、情绪调节上均与非羞怯个体存在差异。具体表现为与羞怯相关的额叶、边缘系统等脑区在结构、功能连接和激活状态中表现不同。未来研究仍需从羞怯亚类型、羞怯的个体与文化差异入手,增加多模态数据分析方法和元分析方法,并在数字化背景下来进一步探究羞怯的认知神经机制。     

抑制性控制的认知与人格因素

本文回顾了认知与人格心理学对抑制基本概念及其加工模型的研究,指出基于认知、人格和神经基础三个维度的整合分析将为抑制性控制提供更为深广的研究空间。     

儿童2~7岁行为抑制性的发展

采用实验室录像观察对中国儿童的行为抑制性的发展进行了追踪研究(2岁、4岁、7岁)。儿童2岁时,有124名儿童参加了实验室观察。儿童4岁时,由于搬迁、退出或失约,有103名儿童参加。儿童7岁时由于以上原因有100名儿童参加实验室观察。在2岁、4岁、7岁至少参加一次观察的儿童有113名,而在三个时间点都参加观察的儿童有89名。我们对儿童2~7岁行为抑制性整体发展的稳定性以及行为抑制性和非抑制性的发展趋向进行了分析。结果表明,中国儿童从2岁到7岁的行为抑制性的整体发展稳定性较低。从2岁到7岁,行为抑制性-非抑制倾向比较稳定的儿童共28人,占总人数的31.5%。而行为抑制性-非抑制性不稳定的儿童为61人,占总人数的68.5%。随着年龄增长,本研究中的儿童的行为抑制性-非抑制性倾向有向中间型趋中的趋势。从2岁到7岁,行为抑制性的发展变化没有显著性别差异     

不诚实行为的认知神经机制

说谎,作为人性的一方面,已经成为心理学、生物进化学、实验经济学等多学科的关注点。说谎会受到多种文化的谴责,说谎行为也是人们所不支持的。但是国外的研究发现,在普通人群中,不诚实行为也是普遍存在的,而且这种不诚实行为并没有影响被试诚实的自我概念。因此了解这种不诚实行为的发生、发展过程,对人们认识和识别不诚实行为,提高人际互动质量至关重要。本文从不诚实行为的发生、发展过程出发,重点介绍了不诚实行为的研究范式、认知神经机制和影响因素。并针对已有研究的不足:(1)实验结果的解释水平低;(2)变量操纵不严谨;(3)研究方法局限; 提出了可能的解决方案。     

儿童行为抑制性与母亲教养行为：一项追踪研究

该研究采用纵向追踪的研究设计考察儿童的行为抑制性气质与母亲的教养行为之间的相互影响关系。104名儿童来自中国西部农村,第一次测查的平均年龄为45个月。通过录像观察编码的方式测量儿童的行为抑制性及母亲的教养行为,2年后对他们进行追踪。交叉滞后回归分析结果发现,儿童的行为抑制性对母亲的教养行为具有显著的预测作用,具体表现在对行为抑制性高的儿童,母亲在之后会表现出更多的接受性和指导性控制的教养行为。     

亲社会行为的认知过程及脑神经基础

亲社会行为是指有利于他人和社会的行为,包括合作、分享、助人、安慰等。亲社会行为产生主要涉及几种认知过程:对他人行为和情绪的注意、社会信息加工、对结果的奖赏预期、社会规范表征、自我控制、以及社会信息整合与价值计算等。基于这些认知过程,研究发现,亲社会行为主要与前脑岛和前扣带回、默认网络背内侧子系统、奖赏系统以及前额叶皮层等神经区域有关,因此提出亲社会行为共同的认知-脑神经回路。未来可以对亲社会行为脑神经基础的共性、功能连接以及跨文化研究等方面做进一步探讨。     

儿童行为抑制性发展的研究综述

美国心理学家杰罗姆·凯根提出了气质的行为抑制-非抑制性说,激发了学者从儿童的行为抑制性的角度对气质进行深入研究。本文阐述了当前行为抑制性研究对气质的研究方法的改进、行为抑制性发展的稳定性问题及抑制性与文化差异等的关系。     

认知行为疗法在儿童社会退缩行为干预中的新进展

社会退缩行为指儿童在社会情境中抑制自己参与同伴互动并表现出独处的行为。社会退缩阻碍儿童形成良好的社交能力,影响其人格和认知的健康发展,因而对儿童社会退缩行为进行及时干预显得十分重要。研究对认知行为疗法在儿童社会退缩行为干预中的进展进行了整合,包括虚拟现实暴露疗法、学校情境下的认知行为治疗及网络认知行为治疗。未来研究应设计针对社会退缩行为不同亚类型的干预方案,以及在干预中重视情绪调节的训练和教师的介入。     

中国家庭中的亲子互动行为与儿童行为抑制性的发展

本研究采用家庭录像的方法对53名中国4岁儿童在家庭自由游戏和拼图游戏小与父母的交往行为进行了观察,并在这些儿童7岁时任实验室里的行为抑制性进行了录像观察,从而考察了在家庭自然环境中的亲子互动行为与儿童行为抑制性发展之间的关系。结果发现：在以上家庭录像的两个情境中,随着年龄的变化,母亲的控制行为越多,儿童抑制倾向的发展速度越快,作抑制倾向发展得越慢;儿童顺从行为越多,儿童的非抑制倾向发展得越慢,抑制倾向发展得越快。父母之间的情感表达越亲密,父亲在身体上对儿童的积极情感越多,儿童的非抑制倾向发展得越快。     

拖延行为的认知神经模型及干预

拖延是一种普遍存在, 具有跨时间和跨情景稳定性的问题行为, 它会危害到人们的学习、工作和身心健康。然而目前拖延行为的认知神经机制仍不清晰, 且缺乏因果证据, 本项目拟从拖延的时间决策模型和三重神经结构网络模型出发, 构建拖延的认知神经模型, 并利用认知干预和神经调控技术, 检验和完善拖延行为的认知神经模型, 进而试图制定拖延的精准化干预方案。本项目分为3部分：(1)从记录与关联研究的视角出发, 利用多模态神经影像方法系统考察拖延行为的认知神经机制; (2)从因果/近因果研究视角出发, 利用认知干预和神经调控技术, 验证并完善拖延的认知神经模型; (3)从临床应用的视角出发, 建立拖延行为障碍的临床筛查-诊断体系, 并制定精准化治疗方案。本项目的开展对于探明拖延产生的核心认知神经机制具有十分重要的理论贡献, 同时对于拖延行为的有效预防和精准治疗具有重要的现实意义。     

Selective inhibition in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder off and on stimulant medication

Selective inhibition requires discrimination between auditory signals and is assessed using a modification of the stop-signal task. Selective inhibition was assessed in a group of 59 clinic-referred, DSM-IV-diagnosed children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and compared to that of a community sample of 59 children. Methylphenidate (MPH) effects on selective inhibition were assessed in a subset of the ADHD sample that participated in an acute, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial with 3 fixed doses of MPH. Children with ADHD performed more poorly than controls on the majority of selective stop-signal task parameters: they exhibited more anticipatory (invalid) responses, with less accurate and more variable responses on the response execution task, as well as a slower selective inhibition process. MPH improved speed of both inhibition and response execution processes; it also reduced variability of response execution and decreased nonselective inhibition. On the one hand, findings are consistent with purported inhibition deficit in ADHD, but on the other hand, suggest that neither the impairment itself, nor MPH effects, were restricted to inhibition.     

Cognitive and behavioral attention in children with math difficulties

Cognitive assessments and behavioral ratings of attention were used to examine the relation of inattention to math performance in children. Third grade students with math difficulties (MD; n?=?17) and math and reading difficulties (MDRD; n?=?35) were administered the Attentional Network Test (ANT), as well as achievement and intelligence measures. Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD-Symptoms and Normal-Behavior-IV (SWAN-IV) Inattention ratings were collected from teachers. Two comparison groups were also recruited: a typically achieving group (n?=?23) and a group that responded to a math-tutoring intervention (responders; n?=?54). On the ANT, children with MD and MDRD did not perform significantly different than typically achieving children or responders on measures of alerting and orienting attention and executive control. All subgroups did demonstrate performance patterns that were expected on the ANT. However, performance across blocks of the task was inconsistent, suggesting poor reliability. There were no relations between ANT performance and SWAN-IV behavioral inattention scores, though behavioral ratings of inattention correlated significantly with math performance. Children with MD and MDRD may have more difficulty with distraction and attention to detail in contextual situations, as opposed to impulsive responding in these settings. The lack of relation between cognitive attention and math performance may suggest that either the ANT does not assess the relevant attention constructs associated with math difficulties or may parallel studies of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in which cognitive and behavioral assessments are weakly related.     

Two types of behavioral inhibition: Relations to effortful control and attention in school children

This study aimed to examine the relationship of two types of behavioral inhibition, social inhibition and nonsocial inhibition, to effortful control and attention in 7–9-year olds. Social and nonsocial inhibition and effortful control were assessed by questionnaires. The child version of the Attention Network Task was used to measure attention including alerting, orienting and executive attention. Results indicated that in girls, social inhibition was negatively related to effortful control and alerting, while nonsocial inhibition was positively related to orienting; there was an interaction between social and nonsocial inhibition in predicting executive attention in boys. Thus, it is of great significance to differentiate social and nonsocial inhibition when examining the association between behavioral inhibition and effortful control and attention in school-age children.     

The development of attention and response inhibition in early childhood

The goal of this study was to examine the development of attention and response inhibition from ages 5 to 7. Forty children (20 5‐year‐olds and 20 7‐year‐olds) completed four counterbalanced phases of a continuous performance task. Phase 1 was designed to measure attention without distraction, Phase 2 was designed to measure attention with distraction, Phase 3 was designed to measure attention and response inhibition without distraction, and Phase 4 was designed to measure attention and response inhibition with distraction. With regard to attention, 7‐year‐olds performed significantly better than 5‐year‐olds. This age difference was more pronounced when distraction was present. With regard to response inhibition, there were no significant age differences. These results appear to suggest that attention improves between ages 5 and 7 but response inhibition does not. However, conclusions regarding response inhibition were limited because the distraction appeared to have had too powerful an effect on the 5‐year‐olds. Implications and future directions are discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cognitive,behavioral and psychological functioning in children with metopic synostosis: a meta-analysis examining the impact of surgical status

Neurodevelopmental delays are known to occur in children with metopic synostosis, but it is presently unclear whether the cognitive, behavioral and psychological outcomes of children with metopic synostosis differ to those of their healthy peers. This meta-analysis consolidated data from 17 studies (published prior to August 2017) that examined the cognitive, behavioral and psychological outcomes of children (n = 666; aged ≤19 yrs) with metopic synostosis. Hedges’g (g_w) effect sizes compared the outcomes of samples with metopic synostosis (unoperated, operated) to healthy controls or normative data and, where available, the prevalence of problems/disorders was calculated. Children with unoperated metopic synostosis performed significantly worse than their healthy peers on measures of: general cognition (g_w = ?.38), motor functioning, (g_w = ?.81), and verbal (g_w = ?.82) and visuospatial (g_w = ?.92) abilities. Children with operated metopic synostosis performed significantly worse on measures of motor functioning (g_w = ?.45), visuospatial skills (g_w = ?.32), attention (g_w = ?.50), executive functioning (g_w = ?.36), arithmetic ability (g_w = ?.37), and behavior (g_w = ?.34). Cognitive, behavioral, and psychological problems were prevalent, but variable. Overall, the cognitive, behavioral, and psychological outcomes of children with metopic synostosis are generally worse than their healthy peers, regardless of surgical status. However, research is sparse, samples small, controls are rarely recruited, and the severity of metopic synostosis often not stated. Nevertheless, the findings suggest that children with metopic synostosis are likely to experience a variety of negative outcomes and should therefore receive ongoing monitoring and support.     

Sequential evaluation of behavioral treatments and methylphenidate dosage for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

We used a sequential approach to evaluate the relative and combined effects of different types of behavioral treatments, as well as dosage of methylphenidate (MPH), on the disruptive behavior of 3 students who had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Results showed that individualized behavioral treatments produced decreases in disruptive behavior equivalent to MPH for all 3 participants and demonstrated the need to evaluate behavioral treatments and medication dosage on an individual basis.     

Working memory and behavioral inhibition in boys with ADHD: An experimental examination of competing models

Working memory (WM) and behavioral inhibition impairments have garnered significant attention as candidate core features, endophenotypes, and/or associated neurocognitive deficits of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The relationship between ADHD-related WM and inhibition deficits remains relatively unclear, however, with inferences about the constructs’ directional relationship stemming predominantly from correlational research. The current study utilized a dual-task paradigm to experimentally examine the relationship between ADHD-related WM and behavioral inhibition deficits. A total of 31 boys (15 ADHD and 16 typically developing [TD]) aged 8–12 years completed WM (1-back and 2-back), behavioral inhibition (stop-signal task [SST]), and dual-condition (1-back/SST and 2-back/SST) experimental tasks. Children with ADHD exhibited significant, large-magnitude WM deficits for the 1-back condition but were not significantly different from children in the TD group for the 2-back, 1-back/SST, and 2-back/SST conditions. Children with ADHD also exhibited significant inhibition deficits for the SST, 1-back/SST, and 2-back/SST conditions, but the within-group effect was not significant. The findings suggest that ADHD-related stop-signal demands are upstream, or compete for, resources involved in controlled-focused attention and/or other central executive (CE), WM processes.     

A cognitive‐behavioral model of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents

This study investigated a cognitive‐behavioral model of anxiety disorders in Japanese children and adolescents. Participants comprised 532 children from elementary schools and 751 adolescents from junior high schools as a community group, and 41 children and adolescents who fulfilled the criteria for childhood anxiety disorders as a clinical group. All participants completed three questionnaires about anxiety symptoms, self‐statements, and cognitive errors. While the clinical group showed more anxiety symptoms, negative self‐statements, and cognitive errors than the community group, there was no significant difference in positive self‐statements. Multigroup structural equation modeling found the presence of cognitive links for the community and clinical groups. Specifically, cognitive errors generated negative self‐statements, exacerbating a higher‐order factor (childhood anxiety) affecting six anxiety symptoms corresponding to the diagnostic criteria of psychological disorders. Mediated relationships were supported in only the community sample. Clinical implications for prevention and treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents are discussed.