Diencephalic damage decreases hippocampal acetylcholine release during spontaneous alternation testing

A rodent model of diencephalic amnesia, pyrithiamine-induced thiamine deficiency (PTD), was used to investigate diencephalic-hippocampal interactions. Acetylcholine (ACh) release, a marker of memory-related activation, was measured in the hippocampus of PTD-treated and control rats prior to, during, and after spontaneous alternation test. During behavioral testing, all animals displayed increases in ACh release. However, both the percent increase of ACh release during spontaneous alternation testing and the alternation scores were higher in control rats relative to PTD-treated rats. Thus, when rats are tested on a task with demands dependent on the hippocampus, it appears that the hippocampus is not fully activated after diencephalic damage.     

Using the Observer to analyze learning in virtual worlds

In this study, we describe and analyze the ways in which high school students explored a virtual solar system (VSS). VSS is a nonimmersive virtual environment that affords visual manipulations of space by altering its frame of reference. The Observer software was used to code and analyze the participants’ real-time free-exploration task. Two basic behaviors were identified across participants: establishing several home bases, and shifting between a still mode and a dynamic mode. Moreover, three overall exploration patterns emerged: thebutterfly pattern represents a superficial mode of learning; thebee pattern represents an in-depth mode of studying the various celestial objects; and theeagle pattern represents a global approach of studying the complex system. This virtual reality environment promises to provide a setting in which to further study consistent patterns and individual differences in exploration strategies.     

Somatosensory processing in the biological relatives of schizophrenia patients: a signal detection analysis of two-point discrimination

This study examined 2-point discrimination performance in 1 st-degree biological relatives (n = 39) of individuals with schizophrenia and normal adult control participants (n = 30) recruited from the community. They completed an objective 2-point discrimination task, adapted for use with a signal detection approach to permit separation of discriminability (i.e., sensitivity, d') from response bias/ criterion (or motivation, lnbeta). Relatives revealed poorer performance on the d' index compared with controls. The 2 groups did not differ on lnbeta, suggesting a genuine difference in sensitivity but not response bias. The sensitivity deficit might reflect decreased spatial acuity and/or impaired intensity cue processing of tactile stimuli. Poor performance on the d' index was most closely associated with 2 schizotypic features, namely "odd beliefs/magical thinking."     

Cultural variations in optimistic and pessimistic bias: do Easterners really expect the worst and Westerners really expect the best when predicting future life events?

The authors compared levels of optimistic and pessimistic bias in the prediction of positive and negative life events between European Americans and Japanese. Study 1 showed that European Americans compared with Japanese were more likely to predict positive events to occur to self than to others. The opposite pattern emerged in the prediction of negative events. Study 2 replicated these cultural differences. Furthermore, positive associations emerged between predictions and occurrence of life events 2 months later for both European Americans and Japanese. Across both studies, results of within-groups analyses indicated that both groups expected negative events to be more likely to occur to others than to self (optimistic bias). In addition, Japanese expected positive events to be more likely to occur to others than to self (pessimistic bias). However, European Americans failed to show the expected optimistic bias for positive events.     

知识图对阅读的作用研究现状述评

知识图作为辅助阅读的一种方式,其辅助作用已为大量的研究所证实。本文介绍了知识图的概念和种类及其影响因素等方面研究的基本发现和结论。但目前对知识图作用的研究还停留在对辅助作用的方式的探讨上,对机制问题的研究数量和质量上都需加强。     

Ethnic similarities and differences in the association of emotional autonomy and adolescent outcomes: comparing Euro-American and Asian-American adolescents.

This study has conducted an ethnic comparison on the strength of the association between Individuation, a subscale from the Emotional Autonomy construct presented originally by Steinberg and Silverberg in 1986, and adolescent outcomes in terms of self-esteem and susceptibility to negative peer pressure. Consistent with what was expected, the association between Individuation and lowered self-esteem was more salient among 287 Asian-American adolescent boys than among 1,353 Euro-American adolescent boys. Contrary to what was hypothesized, the association between Individuation and susceptibility to negative peer pressure was more pronounced among 1,573 Euro-American adolescent girls than among 292 Asian-American adolescent girls.     

心算加工年老化及其机制研究

以１７２名２０－７９岁成人为被式对心算加工的年老化过程及其机制进行了研究。任务为连续减法心算,依难度分为５种：１０００－１,１０００－３,１０００－１３及１０００－１７。结果表明,年龄与心算难度存在明显的交互作用,且随着年龄增加,不同难度心算效率均以幂函数形式降低。     

心算活动机制的研究

心算是一种重要的思维活动,是认知心理学的研究主题之一。心算活动具有明显的问题大小效应,其加工过程与工作记忆和长时记忆存在密切关系。此外,对心算的加工机制进行跨学科（认知心理学、神经科学等）的综合研究,是今后心算研究的主要方向。     

心算加工年老化及其机制研究

以172名20－79岁成人为被试对心算加工的年老化过程及其机制进行了研究。任务为连续减法心算,依难度分为5种：1000－1、1000－3、1000－7、1000－13及1000－17。结果表明,年龄与心算难度存在明显的交互作用,且随着年龄增加,不同难度心算效率均以幂函数形式降低。结构方程建模分析发现心算加工年老化过程存在两个中介作用因子,即速度因子和非速度因子,且速度因子对非速度因子存在明显的正效应。     

论流行病学与医学创新

流行病学随医学的发展而发展,同时,它的发展对整个医学学科的发展也产生了重大的影响。从流行病学对医学思维、医学研究方法、医学模式及医学目的的实现等几个方面讨论了该学科在现代医学发展中的作用和地位。