Cerebral Asymmetry and Reading Performance: Effect of Language Lateralization and Hand Preference

Abstract

We propose an alternative approach aimed at relating cerebral asymmetry to reading ability: the joint consideration of language lateralization and hand preference. Specifically, we studied whether children with dominance for language and control of the preferred hand lateralized to the same hemisphere (convergent cerebral organization) were better readers than were children with these processes lateralized to different hemispheres (nonconvergent organization). Eighty children, selected on the basis of the combination of these factors, were assessed using a set of reading tasks. The main finding was that subjects with convergent cerebral organization were superior in reading speed, reading accuracy, and reading comprehension.     

注意瞬脱对视觉空间关系判断的影响

将RSVP范式和视觉空间关系研究范式相结合,以两个实验探讨了注意瞬脱对视觉空间关系判断的影响。结果发现,类别和数量空间关系判断之间出现了实验性分离:类别空间关系判断表现出较大的注意瞬脱效应,数量空间关系判断只有轻度注意瞬脱效应。这说明,类别和数量空间关系加工子系统具有不同信息加工特性:前者依赖实时注意资源,其编码过程更多涉及控制性加工;后者较少依赖实时注意资源,其编码过程更多涉及自动加工。另外,还运用注意瞬脱理论对结果进行了解释。     

Expertise in the Game of Go and Levels of Visuospatial and Pattern Recognition Abilities

The results of existing research indicate higher levels of visuospatial and pattern recognition abilities in experts in the game of Go compared to novices. However, the tasks included in the research have been focused only on Go‐game situations. This study aimed to verify the hypothesis that experts in the game of Go would achieve higher scores, compared to novices, on behavioral tests measuring visuospatial abilities and that pattern recognition tests would be a predictor of group membership (experts, low‐skill players, novices). We consider that the game of Go can be treated as a special case of tasks related to visuospatial abilities and pattern recognition. Sixty men participated in the study, including 17 experts in the game of Go, 13 low‐skill players, and 30 novices. The results of behavioral tests—the advanced version of Raven's Progressive Matrices and the APIS‐Z Test's Visuospatial Abilities subscale, which measure pattern recognition and visuospatial abilities, respectively—confirmed the hypotheses.     

金钱竞拍任务上的风险偏好:自尊水平和性别的作用

基于金钱-自尊交换理论,针对以往研究遗留的问题,本研究采用改编自著名的1美元竞拍游戏的实验任务,通过两个实验探索了自尊水平、竞拍者性别和竞拍对手性别对金钱竞拍中风险偏好的影响。结果表明:(1)自尊水平对金钱竞拍中的风险偏好有显著影响,中等水平自尊者表现出较高的风险偏好;(2)竞拍者性别的主效应及其与自尊水平的交互作用均不显著;(3)竞拍对手性别的主效应不显著,而与自尊水平及竞拍者性别之间的交互作用显著。依据相关的文献对上述发现进行了分析和讨论。     

Aging,Task Complexity,and Efficiency Modes: The Influence of Working Memory Involvement on Age Differences in Response Times for Verbal and Visuospatial Tasks

ABSTRACT

We examined the information-processing functions (response-time × load) of younger and older adults for two verbal and one visuo-spatial task; each task was implemented in a baseline and a high-complexity condition. Heightened complexity transformed the baseline functions in either an additive or a multiplicative fashion. The processing efficiency of older adults was defined as the old-young ratio of the slopes of the load functions. Three levels of efficiency could be distinguished. The first level, with an age-related slowing factor of about 1.2, consisted of low-complexity verbal processing and additive-complexity verbal processing. The second level, associated with a slowing factor of about 1.6, consisted of a mixture of verbal-high-multiplicative-complexity processing and visuo-spatial-low-complexity processing. The third level, with a slowing factor of about 4, consisted of visuo-spatial processing of high multiplicative complexity. The results go against any common factor theory of aging. Instead, they suggest that a shift from a higher to a lower mode of efficiency is triggered by a greater degree of working memory involvement.     

中-英双语者词汇语义通达的大脑功能偏侧化与合作效应

采用半视野速示术对48名英语专业硕士研究生进行词汇判别的语义启动实验,检查中一英双语者词汇语义通达可能存在的大脑功能偏侧化与合作效应.结果提示:(1)相对熟练的中一英双语者L1(中文)和L2(英文)均可直接通达一个共同的词汇语义概念表征系统,但L1可以通过两半球,而L2可能主要依赖于大脑右半球;(2)跨语言条件出现了半球间语义通达的合作优势效应.     

视觉长时记忆激活度对促进视觉短时记忆的影响

短时记忆与长时记忆的关系是记忆领域研究的重要内容。基于此, 研究者们就视觉长时记忆是否能促进视觉短时记忆的问题展开了大量研究, 但所得出的结论并不一致。通过不同程度的学习形成不同激活度的视觉长时记忆, 考察对几何图形的视觉长时记忆是否能对变化检测中的短时记忆起到促进作用。结果发现, 低激活水平的视觉长时记忆不能促进视觉短时记忆, 而事先存在且高度激活的视觉长时记忆对视觉短时记忆却具有促进作用; 同时, 随着视觉长时记忆激活水平的提高, 刺激间间隔的效应值也逐渐减小。本研究说明, 视觉长时记忆能否促进视觉短时记忆取决于视觉长时记忆的激活水平, 高激活的视觉长时记忆对阻止视觉短时记忆痕迹的迅速消退具有重要意义。     

The Effects of Brain Lateralization on Motor Control and Adaptation

ABSTRACT

Lateralization of mechanisms mediating functions such as language and perception is widely accepted as a fundamental feature of neural organization. Recent research has revealed that a similar organization exists for the control of motor actions, in that each brain hemisphere contributes unique control mechanisms to the movements of each arm. The authors review present research that addresses the nature of the control mechanisms that are lateralized to each hemisphere and how they impact motor adaptation and learning. In general, the studies suggest an enhanced role for the left hemisphere during adaptation, and the learning of new sequences and skills. The authors suggest that this specialization emerges from a left hemisphere specialization for predictive control—the ability to effectively plan and coordinate motor actions, possibly by optimizing certain cost functions. In contrast, right hemisphere circuits appear to be important for updating ongoing actions and stopping at a goal position, through modulation of sensorimotor stabilization mechanisms such as reflexes. The authors also propose that each brain hemisphere contributes its mechanism to the control of both arms. They also discuss the potential advantages of such a lateralized control system.     

提取任务对联合效应和特征效应的调节不具有测验范式敏感性

我们近期发表的研究显示,联合效应和特征效应具有提取任务敏感性,表现为来源提取较项目再认任务的相应效应更强。然而,来源提取任务中仅采用了排除范式,其他测验范式的相应效应尚未报告。因此本实验在此基础上更改了测验范式,采用三键范式。结果显示,来源提取任务中的联合效应和特征效应仍然比再认任务中的相应效应强,表明联合效应和特征效应的提取任务敏感性不为测验范式所调节,提取任务对两类效应的调节与双重加工模型相吻合。     

利手与语言功能偏侧化的遗传模型

利手与语言功能偏侧化现象不仅具有跨文化一致性和发生、发展上的关联性, 还具有明显的生态学优势, 从遗传角度探讨它们的成因是必要的。早期遗传模型认为, 存在一对等位基因分别决定左、右利手。当代单基因模型则将语言功能偏侧化也纳入进来, 认为等位基因不仅可以决定具有方向性的偏侧化, 而且可以使偏侧化有一定几率向左或向右。在这个框架下形成了方向-随机等位基因模型、X-连锁隐性基因模型和右侧位移理论, 它们对等位基因的位置和功能有不同表述, 对利手的划分标准、性别差异以及遗传和环境的关系也有不同阐释。今后需加强对语言偏侧化的数据验证, 进一步阐明语言感知、理解与利手的关系, 并注重基因怎样决定表型、基因多效性和多基因合作等问题的研究。     

The Common Ratio Effect in Choice,Pricing, and Happiness Tasks

The Allais common ratio effect is one of the most robust violations of rational decision making under risk. In this paper, we conduct a novel test of the common ratio effect in which we elicit preferences for the common ratio choice alternatives in choice, pricing, and happiness rating tasks. We find large shifts in preference patterns across tasks, both within and between subjects. In particular, we find that both the consistency and distribution of responses differ systematically across tasks, with modal choices replicating the Allais preference pattern, modal happiness ratings exhibiting consistent risk aversion, and modal prices maximizing expected value. We discuss the predictions of various cognitive explanations of the common ratio effect in the context of our experiment. We find that a dual process framework provides the most complete account of our results. Surprisingly, we also find that although the Allais pattern was the modal behavior in the choice task, none of the 158 respondents in our experiment exhibited the Allais pattern simultaneously in choice, happiness, and pricing tasks. Our results constitute a new paradox for the leading theories of choice under risk. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

运动轨迹和方向对视觉空间关系加工的影响

视觉空间关系分为类别与数量两种表征。研究通过控制起参照作用的运动客体消失状态与定位客体出现时间,分析客体运动信息对两种关系判断的影响。结果发现:运动信息在各间隔时间对类别任务影响呈序列排列,运动方向较轨迹信息有优势,轨迹较法线信息有优势;数量表征仅在0ms间隔受运动方向促进,在其他间隔下,三种位置上的判断均无差异。结果表明运动客体类别表征比数量表征更持久;且相对类别表征,数量判断作为精确距离表征不易受运动方向和轨迹信息影响。     

自由基与蛛网膜下腔出血后脑血管痉挛的关系及防治策略

脑血管痉挛是蛛网膜下腔出血后的严重并发症之一,可引起脑组织严重缺血或迟发性缺血性脑损伤,甚至导致脑梗死,但其病理机制仍未完全清楚,而越来越多的研究表明自由基在脑血管痉挛病理变化过程中发挥着重要作用.通过对自由基与脑血管痉挛之间关系的科学分析,探讨蛛网膜下腔出血后与自由基相关的脑血管痉挛的防治策略.     

刻板印象激活的行为效应

刻板印象激活的行为效应是指刻板印象激活后个体所产生的行为变化。本文介绍了西方关于刻板印象激活的行为效应的两种主要机制,即刻板印象威胁理论和观念运动理论,并对两种理论进行了分析和比较。     

刻板印象激活效应对社会分类的影响

采用改进的flanker范式,探讨了刻板印象激活效应对社会分类的影响,并考察了匹配刺激出现概率对刻板印象激活效应影响社会分类的调节作用。实验一发现,性别刻板印象激活后,按性别分类时,匹配刺激中和不匹配刺激中面孔分类反应时之间的差异是显著的,但按年龄分类时,二者间的差异不显著。实验二表明,匹配刺激出现概率为80%时和50%时,匹配刺激中和不匹配刺激中面孔分类反应时之间的差异是显著的;但当匹配刺激出现概率为20%时,二者间的差异不显著。结果表明,刻板印象激活效应对与该刻板印象对应的社会分类有显著的影响,对与该刻板印象无关社会分类不会产生影响。刻板印象激活效应对社会分类的影响受匹配刺激出现概率的调节。     

风险决策任务中时间距离对框架效应的影响

通过考察中国大学生时间距离的认知相关性,并进而探讨时间距离对风险决策任务加工方式及框架效应的影响.实验一通过问卷调查发现,与发生时间相对较远的事件相比,相对较近的事件,其认知相关性更大,验证了时间距离的认知相关性假设.在此基础上,以时间距离为自变量,设计小同的风险决策任务,考察框架效应发生的可能性(实验二、实验三).结果显示,时间距离近时,框架效应不明显;时间距离远时,框架效应明显.其原因是,发生在相对不远的将来事件引起分析加工模式,导致框架效应的减弱;发生在相对远的将来事件引起整体加工模式,导致框架效应的增强.     

视空间工作记忆和非言语流体智力在小学生数学问题解题中的作用

研究采用3(数学问题类型)×6(视空间工作记忆组别)×2(非言语流体智力水平)三因素混合实验设计,探讨了视空间工作记忆和非言语流体智力对小学生数学问题解题水平的影响。结果表明：（1）视空间工作记忆和非言语智力在小学生数学问题解题中起着重要作用;（2）不同的视空间工作记忆成分对不同类型的数学问题解决的影响是不同的,被动同时性视空间工作记忆容量是解决心算问题的显著预测变量,主动视空间工作记忆是几何应用题解决中的一个显著预测变量,被动序列视空间工作记忆是文字应用题解决中一个显著的预测变量;（3）在视空间工作记忆对数学问题解决水平的影响上,非言语流体智力起到了中介作用。     

视觉和言语空间信息共同作用下SNARC效应的空间参照特点

已有研究显示,SNARC效应存在多个灵活的空间参照系统,可在不同的实验条件下激活。心理数字线理论对于SNARC效应空间编码的理解仅局限于物理空间层面,并不能很好地甄别SNARC效应空间参照系统的激活条件。研究以视觉空间和言语空间双编码理论为基础,考查在视觉空间信息与言语空间信息共同作用下,单手（左手或右手）与双手反应下SNARC效应的空间参照特点。结果显示,在视觉空间信息与言语空间信息共同作用下,左手、右手和双手反应下均出现了典型SNARC效应,且左手、右手和双手反应下的数字空间映射模式相似。研究结果证实,在视觉-空间与言语空间信息共同作用下仅激活SNARC效应多个灵活的空间参照系统中的身体中心为基础的参照系统,说明言语空间信息的参与有助于激活该效应中身体中心为基础的空间参照系统。     

The Effect of Rest Following Massed Practice of Continuous and Discrete Motor Tasks

Theories of the rest-related phenomena of reminiscence and warm-up decrement regard them as independent, being due to different factors. In this study it was found that rest following massed practice of a continuous task increased performance (reminiscence) and rest following massed practice of a discrete task lowered performance (warm-up decrement). The near-zero correlation found between the phenomena indicates that they are indeed independent and task-specific. Implications of the findings for the prediction of the effect of rest, and the fact that much motor learning and performance is task-specific, is discussed.