Remembering Your Parents: Reflections on the Retrospective Method

In the present paper, I critique the use of the retrospective method when it is used as a proxy for actual longitudinal data on personality development. Studies on the constructive nature of memory cast strong doubts about the meaning of retrospective data. There are good reasons, both theoretical and empirical, to distrust the accuracy of such recall concerning parenting, whether recalled by parents, children, or siblings. Instead of using the method as a shortcut to developmental data, studies examining individual differences in accuracy and distortion and the factors that moderate them may inform us of the various meanings of retrospective data.     

The development of locomotor coordination: longitudinal change and invariance

Developmental sequence, relative timing, center of gravity, and phase-plane analyses were used to study a minimum of 15 years of longitudinal, filmed data on the development of hopping in 7 children. The developmental sequences revealed common, qualitative changes in the movement of the children, although each child progressed through the changes at his/her own rate. The timing analyses showed that, in the advanced hop, the tightest limb relationships were found within the hopping leg, then between contralateral limbs of the same girdle, and then between legs and arms. Relative-timing calculations revealed (a) intralimb, timing invariances that were present in first attempts to perform the skill at age 3 and remained for 15 years across all developmental levels; (b) emergent, interlimb timings that gradually became invariant; and (c) intra- and interlimb timing showing gradual development over the 15 years. One invariant, the time between landing and deepest knee flexion, is also invariant in the walk and the run (Shapiro, Zernicke, Gregor, & Diestel, 1981). Phase plane analyses indicated that the timing of peak and zero velocities may be the coordinative constant accounting for a relative timing invariance between the two legs. Position of the body's center of gravity may explain the invariant relative time between landing and deepest knee flexion, or the explanation could lie in the "equation of constraint" regulating joint equilibrium points. The data suggest that modeling the developing hop as the evolving interaction of four vibratory systems would be promising.     

Social skills and depression in adolescent suicide attempters

The relationship among depression, social skills, and suicidal behavior was examined in a sample of 41 adolescents hospitalized in a general medical setting following a suicide attempt. These subjects were compared to 40 nonsuicidal psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents. Level of depression, assessed using the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), and social skills, assessed via the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY), were evaluated for all subjects. The suicide attempters and psychiatrically hospitalized patients were not found to differ on either the CDI or MESSY. However, multiple regression analyses revealed the factor scores of the MESSY to be related to depression in both patient groups. The data provide support for the relationship between social skills and depression. Results are also discussed in terms of the similarities between adolescent suicide attempters and nonsuicidal psychiatrically disturbed adolescents.     

Group Consensus and Psychological Well-Being: A Large Field Study1

Models of group process propose that stressful social environments develop when there is a lack of consensus among group members about issues of relevance to the group. Based on these models, we expected that levels of consensus would be positively related to the average levels of psychological well-being in naturally occurring work groups. An examination of data from 3,546 respondents within 73 work groups revealed that levels of consensus about leadership and peer relations were positively related to the average psychological well-being of the group members, even after controlling for absolute level effects and covariates. In contrast, levels of consensus were not related to the average psychological well-being of group members when identical analyses were conducted using pseudogroups.     

风险偏好预测中的性别差异和框架效应

11 8名大学生被试在得益和损失两种任务框架下对自己、其他男性和女性的风险偏好进行了预测。结果发现 ,被试在损失框架下对各类对象风险偏好的预测均高于得益框架 ,且都高估了男性的风险偏好 ,低估了女性的风险偏好。在损失框架下 ,女性被试对各类对象的风险偏好预测高于男性的预测。研究认为 ,性别原型知识、任务框架和即时情绪共同影响被试的风险偏好预测。     

先苦后乐:英语乐学大学生在英语学习时情绪反应的脑认知特点

运用功能性磁共振成像(fMRI)技术探索了乐学英语的大学生在对中、英文材料的学习、记忆及成绩反馈过程中的情绪和脑活动特征。结果发现,被试学习英文较之学习中文积极情绪更少且伴随更强的前部脑岛的激活;但当他们获得关于英文成绩的正反馈时,中脑奖赏区的激活却明显高于获得中文成绩正反馈时的情形,且中脑激活与英语乐学呈正相关。这说明乐学是"苦中作乐",人们虽在学习时并未体验到更多快乐,但其成功却带来了更大的心理奖赏。     

权力感对个体的影响:调节定向的视角

采用4个研究探究了权力感对调节定向的影响。研究1通过测量被试的特质性权力感和特质性调节定向初步探索权力感水平与调节定向的关系。研究2和研究3分别通过外显角色扮演和故事回忆法来探究状态性权力感对调节定向目标表征和策略选择的影响。研究4采用身体姿势法启动权力感,进一步探究在内隐层面权力感对调节定向的影响。结果发现,高权力感个体更倾向于促进定向;而低权力感个体更倾向于预防定向,并且排除了其中可能的无关变量(情绪)的影响。本研究有助于更好地理解和整合现有的权力感研究结果,并能预测更多未知的权力感效应。     

医患双方“集体无意识”现象的剖析及破解对策——从追求“最优解”,到争取“满意解”

分析了医疗领域积极诊查、过度治疗等问题,认为这是医患双方的集体无意识行为,其表现众多,驱动因素复杂,在肿瘤领域问题尤为严重,表现在过度追求筛查,热衷于创伤性治疗,习惯于滥用靶向药等最新治疗,且只追求最优结局。集体无意识的促成因素众多,包括对健康及生命的注重,科学主义的盛行,认为医学就是纯粹的科学,凡科学总有解决的办法,且完美主义作祟等思潮,都是背后的思想理路。最后提出,破解方法之一是倡导用争取“满意解”来替代追求“最优解”,很多情况下,应推广“够好了就可以了”的决策思维。     

数字媒体使用与心理健康的理论争议和研究证据

采用系统综述的方法对数字媒体使用与心理健康的不同关系类型做了详细梳理并总结了争议的原因。结果发现,目前理论上的争议可归纳为四大类：负相关、正相关、不相关以及U形关系。研究结果不一致的原因可能与数字媒体的使用性质、心理健康的内涵、研究的取向和设计形式以及被试群体有关。该结果有助于从宏观上把握数字媒体使用与心理健康的研究动态并批判性地看待既有研究结果。未来应将数字媒体使用做精细化区分并加强实验研究准确揭示因果关系,以便厘清该领域的争论。