Striving for optimal relevance when answering questions

When people are asked "Do you have the time?" they can answer in a variety of ways, such as "It is almost 3", "Yeah, it is quarter past two", or more precisely as in "It is now 1:43". We present the results of four experiments that examined people's real-life answers to questions about the time. Our hypothesis, following previous research findings, was that people strive to make their answers optimally relevant for the addressee, which in many cases allows people to give rounded, and not exact, time responses. Moreover, analyses of the non-numeral words, hesitations, and latencies of people's verbal responses to time questions reveal important insights into the dynamics of speaking to achieve optimal relevance. People include discourse markers, hesitation marks, like "uh" and "um", and pauses when answering time questions to maximize the cognitive effects (e.g., a rounded answer is adequate) listeners can infer while minimizing the cognitive effort required to infer these effects. This research provides new empirical evidence on how relevance considerations shape collaborative language use.     

Flexible spatial mapping of different notations of numbers in Chinese readers

The spatial component of numerical and ordinal information has been explored in previous research. However, how such mapping emerges and how it is affected by the learning experience are issues still under debate. In the current study, we examined the orientation of the mental number line for different numerical notations (e.g., “1”, “—-”, “”) in Chinese readers. Our data demonstrated that Arabic numbers are mentally aligned horizontally with a left-to-right directionality, while Chinese number words are aligned vertically with a top-to-bottom directionality. These findings indicate that different notations of the same concept have flexible mappings within space, which is plausibly shaped by the dominant context in which the numerical notations appear.     

Measuring Hong Kong Undergraduate Students’ Attitudes Towards Transpeople

Hill and Willoughby’s (Sex Roles, 53:531–544, 2005) Genderism and Transphobia Scale (GTS), originally developed in Canada, was examined with a Hong Kong sample. Undergraduate students, 82 female and 121 male (total n?=?203), completed a Chinese version of the instrument. Overall scores and factor structure of the Hong Kong sample were compared with Hill and Willoughby’s Canadian data. Gender differences in transphobia were investigated, both in terms of the participants’ gender as well as the gender of the gender variant persons to whom GTS items referred. Transphobia was higher in Hong Kong than in Canada. The factor structure for Hong Kong differed from Canada. Five factors were identified (with a gender effect on Factors II and V). They were: I, Anti Sissy Prejudice; II, Anti Trans Violence; III, Trans Unnaturalness; IV, Trans Immorality; and V, Background Genderism. Hong Kong men were more transphobic than women. Gender variance in men was viewed less favourably than in women.     

Perceptions of social changes and social identity: Study focusing on Hong Kong society after reunification

Based on the social identity theory and the need for closure theory, the present study investigates how Hong Kong people's perceptions of social changes after the reunification with China are related to their social identities. A randomly selected sample of 315 Hong Kong residents participated in a telephone survey to report their perceptions of major changes in five social areas, as well as their social identities. A series of logistic regression analyses confirmed, as predicted, that the perceived pace of social change was related to the participants' preference for a single identity ('Hongkonger' or 'Chinese') over dual identities ('Hongkonger and Chinese', or 'Chinese and secondarily Hongkonger') through the mediation of social uncertainty. The results indicate that for individuals with dual social identities, perceptions and evaluations of social change are important factors contributing to social identity preference.     

性别歧视语言的心理学研究进展状况

本文介绍了性别歧视语言的几个基本概念,重点探讨了性别歧视语言对认知的影响,阐述了当前研究中主要成果,提出了消除性别歧视语言的对策。最后,结合汉语特点,就当前性别歧视语言研究的不足以及今后研究的方向提出了自己的看法。     

4～7岁儿童基于不同可信度特质和情景的信任判断

以120名4～7岁儿童为研究对象, 采用改编后的对偶选择范式, 探讨儿童基于两种不同的可信度特质(善良和能力)和两个与信任有关的情景进行的信任判断能力。结果显示:(1)4~7岁儿童在善良情景正确判断率都高于随机水平, 而在能力情景中, 仅6岁和7岁儿童的正确率显著高于随机水平; (2)6岁儿童虽然已经具备依据可信度特质和情景做出正确的信任判断的能力, 但是在善意情景中的信任判断能力要好于在能力情景中的信任判断能力, 而7岁儿童在能力情景和善意情景中的信任判断能力则没有显著差异;(3)同时考虑两种可信度特质和情景时, 5～7 岁儿童的正确率高于了随机水平, 并且6、7岁儿童的正确率要显著高于5岁儿童。这些结果表明儿童到了5岁才初步发展出同时考虑可信度特质和情景进行信任判断的能力, 直到7岁这一能力才相对成熟和稳定。     

Suicide and Its Association with Individual,Family, Peer,and School Factors in an Adolescent Population in Southern Taiwan

A representative sample of 10,233 adolescent students was recruited to examine the rate of suicidal attempt and its correlates in the adolescents living in southern Taiwan. Five questions from the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (Kiddie‐SADS‐E) were used to inquire about the participants' suicidality. The associations between suicidal attempt and multidimensional factors were examined by using logistic regression analysis: 9.1% of the participants reported a suicidal attempt in the preceding year. Female gender, low self‐esteem, weekly alcohol use, illicit drugs use, depression, high family conflict, low maternal education level, poor family function, low connectedness to school, low rank, poor feeling in peer group, and drop out from school were associated with adolescent suicidal attempt. The rate of suicidal attempt was found to be high in Taiwanese adolescents, and multidimensional factors were correlated to adolescent suicidal attempt.     

反思的、批判的、重构的当代中国伦理学

当代中国伦理学面临广度拓展和深度发掘两大理论任务,前者属于问题域的开显,后者属于伦理学自身的深化。为摆脱成果多、质量低的窘境,当代中国伦理学必须在“不再是”“正在是”和“尚未是”三个维度上拓展和深化。在“不再是”的框架内,从发生学视角深化道德观念史与道德实践史、文化的伦理性的研究;在“正在是”的视阈中,公共性危机的伦理省思、制度与体制伦理学、德性论困境与规范论难题、不同道德范型之间的冲突与通约,将成为亟待深入分析和论证的问题与难题;朝向“尚未是”的当代中国伦理学,必须关注现代技术的二重性、基于构建人类命运共同体之上的人类伦理学的滥觞和走向心灵深处的道德哲学。而完成以上理论任务的思维能力正是判断力、思索和意愿,而这些能力只有在“实际性”生活的体验和沉思中才能培养起来。     

氟哌啶醇干扰决策过程中前扣带回神经元的放电活动

运用在体多通道神经元放电同步记录技术, 观察和记录大鼠在完成T-迷宫成本效益决策任务时前扣带回神经元放电和局部场电位的变化及氟哌啶醇对此的改变, 在细胞水平上探讨前扣带回在决策中的作用以及多巴胺递质系统对决策的作用机制。结果显示, 经过一段时间的训练, 10只大鼠中有8只偏好高付出-高奖赏端, 且在选择高付出-高奖赏端时的神经元放电频率要显著高于选择低付出-低奖赏端时的频率, 同时局部场电位也呈现出事件相关性; 腹腔注射多巴胺受体拮抗剂氟哌啶醇后, 大鼠不再偏好高付出-高奖赏端, 对该端的选择显著减少, 而对低付出-低奖赏端的选择显著增加, 且神经元的放电频率和局部场电位显著降低, 神经元放电和局部场电位的特征性也消失。研究提示, 前扣带回和多巴胺在努力相关决策任务中有着至关重要的作用。