A Review Of Geraldine Jonçich's The Sane Positivist: A Biography Of Edward L. Thorndike

This book review, unfinished at the author's death, examines in historical context Thorndike's law of effect, his Animal Intelligence monograph of 1898, and related works on learning and behavior.     

Did John B. Watson Really “Found” Behaviorism?

Developments culminating in the nineteenth century, along with the predictable collapse of introspective psychology, meant that the rise of behavioral psychology was inevitable. In 1913, John B. Watson was an established scientist with impeccable credentials who acted as a strong and combative promoter of a natural science approach to psychology when just such an advocate was needed. He never claimed to have founded “behavior psychology” and, despite the acclaim and criticism attending his portrayal as the original behaviorist, he was more an exemplar of a movement than a founder. Many influential writers had already characterized psychology, including so-called mental activity, as behavior, offered many applications, and rejected metaphysical dualism. Among others, William Carpenter, Alexander Bain, and (early) Sigmund Freud held views compatible with twentieth-century behaviorism. Thus, though Watson was the first to argue specifically for psychology as a natural science, behaviorism in both theory and practice had clear roots long before 1913. If behaviorism really needs a “founder,” Edward Thorndike might seem more deserving, because of his great influence and promotion of an objective psychology, but he was not a true behaviorist for several important reasons. Watson deserves the fame he has received, since he first made a strong case for a natural science (behaviorist) approach and, importantly, he made people pay attention to it.     

Reconnecting the individual and the social in health psychology

Abstract

Much social psychological research has sought to distinguish itself from more ‘individualistic’ approaches to human cognition and personality. Much of this debate fails to take account of the interactions between social and intrapsychic processes which, it is argued, are vital to the formulation of unifying theoretical principles and to practical applications in the field of health psychology. A general theoretical perspective is outlined, based on notions of connectionist systems operating at both the individual and interpersonal level. A special feature is the assumption that we depend on communication with and from other people to attribute reality to our interpretations of events. The benefits of this perspective for health psychology are then illustrated in the contexts of attitude-behaviour relations, appraisals of risk and uncertainty, person-situation interactions, and group processes and social influence.     

Type a behaviour pattern as a risk factor after myocardial infarction: A review

Abstract

This paper is a response to Eiser's (1996) call for a unifying theoretical perspective that would bridge the gap between 'individualistic and ‘social’ approaches to studying human social behaviour in general, and health behaviour in particular. While agreeing with Eiser's premise that it makes no sense to study cognition, affect, and behaviour independently of social context, the present paper takes issue with certain features of his argument that a connectionist approach provides the needed unifying theoretical framework. It is suggested that if connectionism can describe the psychological processes underlying social behavior better than non-connectionist theories, this would provide more compelling evidence of its value than claims that it affords new theoretical insights.     

A selectionist approach to reinforcement.

We describe a principle of reinforcement that draws upon experimental analyses of both behavior and the neurosciences. Some of the implications of this principle for the interpretation of behavior are explored using computer simulations of adaptive neural networks. The simulations indicate that a single reinforcement principle, implemented in a biologically plausible neural network, is competent to produce as its cumulative product networks that can mediate a substantial number of the phenomena generated by respondent and operant contingencies. These include acquisition, extinction, reacquisition, conditioned reinforcement, and stimulus-control phenomena such as blocking and stimulus discrimination. The characteristics of the environment-behavior relations selected by the action of reinforcement on the connectivity of the network are consistent with behavior-analytic formulations: Operants are not elicited but, instead, the network permits them to be guided by the environment. Moreover, the guidance of behavior is context dependent, with the pathways activated by a stimulus determined in part by what other stimuli are acting on the network at that moment. In keeping with a selectionist approach to complexity, the cumulative effects of relatively simple reinforcement processes give promise of simulating the complex behavior of living organisms when acting upon adaptive neural networks.     

基于语义的词汇判断的计算模型

词汇判断是一种在字词认知研究中广泛使用的实验范式。本文提出了一个基于分布式语义表征的计算模型,用来解释某些在词汇判断作业中出现的实验现象。模型是一个包括词形层、隐层、语义层、词典层和判断层的前传网络。词形层、隐层和语义层之间的连接权重在学习过程中被不断调整,使用反传算法进行学习。语义层、词典层和判断层之间的连接权重在学习前就已被固定,在学习过程中不进行调整。模型模拟了在词汇判断作业中出现的四种实验现象：（１）频率效应;（２）语义启动效应;（３）频率与语境的交互作用;（４）重复启动效应。模型所表现出的行为特性由模型的框架和学习算法所决定。     

基于特征的联想

联想是认知科学中十分重要的现象,许多学者进行过不同角度的研究,获得了许多有意义的结果。根据有关对象（０ｂｊｅｃｔ）描述的基本概念,从联接机制的角度对联想问题进行一些探讨,并提出一个基于特征的联想模型ＦＢＣＡＭ（ＦｅａｔｕｒｅＢａｓｅｄＣｏｎｎｅｃｔｉｏｎｉｓｔＡｓｓｏｃｉａｔｉｏｎＭｏｄｅｌ）。在ＦＢＣＡＭ中,对象由其特征及特征的伴随值描述,从而可以获得更为精确的描述。对象的全部特征构成描述模式,伴随值则相应地构成伴随向量。在此基础上可以细致地刻画概念之间的相似性,并可对联想及注意机制进行细致的模拟与分析。文中利用联接机制的思想实现了ＦＢＣＡＭ并给出该系统的部分运行结果,表明ＦＢＣＡＭ可以较合理地解释联想过程     

运用联结主义模型研究知觉边界效应问题

运用了联结主义理论中的级连相关模型,以连续XOR问题为实例,研究了心理学中的知觉边界效应问题。实验结果表明,联结主义模型可以对知觉边界效应进行模拟,表征不同知识结构的神经网络对于连续XOR问题的知觉边界效应没有显著差异。     

序列位置内隐学习产生机制的实验研究

内隐学习是当今认知和学习领域继内隐记忆之后又一重要的研究课题。该研究利用序列反应时研究程式,通过两个实验,对序列位置内隐学习产生的机制进行了探讨。结果表明：（１）在序列反应时任务程式中,随着反应一刺激间隔的延长,序列位置内隐学习的学习量逐渐减少;（２）异形同模式迁移组和异形异模式迁移组被试间内隐学习量无显著差异,被试未能内隐地习得抽象的序列模式。说明序列位置内隐学习产生的基础是水平联结,在该实验条件下没有发现垂直联结存在的证据。     

基于联结主义的连续记分IRT模型的项目参数和被试能力估计

运用联结主义中的级连相关模型对于小样本条件下的连续记分项目反应理论 (IRT)模型的项目参数和被试能力进行了估计。一组被试对于一组项目的反应矩阵作为级连相关模型的输入 ,这组被试的能力θ或该组项目的参数a、b和c作为该模型的输出 ,对神经网络进行训练使之具备了估计θ,a ,b或c的能力。计算机模拟的实验表明 ,如果测验中有少量项目取自于题库 ,就可以运用联结主义方法对IRT参数和被试能力进行较好的估计     

Language function and dysfunction among Chinese- and English-speaking polyglots: Cortical stimulation, Wada Testing, and clinical studies

Language functions in a group of Chinese- and English-speaking polyglots living in a multiracial society have been investigated by several methods: the effects of cortical stimulation on object-naming and reading tasks in patients who required awake craniotomy, lateralization of cerebral dominance for speech by the Wada Test, and the pattern of language loss and recovery following stroke. The data indicate that these polyglots were all left hemisphere dominant for the languages tested: no consistent evidence for increased participation by the right hemisphere for language functions was found. The cortical stimulation experiments provided data most compatible with the "differential localization" model of cerebral localization in bilingualism. The variable which most influenced performance in all of these investigations was which language was used primarily for speaking as well as reading and writing at the time of the study.     

现代认知心理学关于图式模型的研究

对现代认知心理学关于知识图式的研究作了系统的阐述,分析了产生式系统取向和联结主义取向的优缺点。指出：图式模型研究的整合观是近来及以后认知心理学研究的主要课题之一。