时间信息加工与信息加工时间特性双视角下的重要时间参数及其证据

时间既是人类信息加工的对象, 也是(非时间)信息加工的制约因素。数十毫秒至数秒之间的时间加工与人类日常生活关联紧密, 譬如主观计时、演奏及言语等活动。根据以往文献分析可知, 在该时间区域内, 20~ 60 ms、1/3~1 s、2~3 s是研究者关注的重要时间参数, 但是支持这些参数的证据尚存分歧。首先从“时间信息加工”和“信息加工的时间特性”的视角介绍时间参数的基本观点及其提出背景, 然后基于“时间信息加工”视角从行为学研究、脑损伤研究、神经药理学研究, 脑电研究、脑成像研究、经颅磁刺激研究、经颅直流电刺激研究等领域介评了1/3~1 s和2~3 s分界区域的证据, 接着基于“信息加工的时间特性”视角从时序知觉阈限研究、感觉运动同步研究、主观节奏研究、言语行为研究、知觉逆转研究、返回抑制研究及失匹配负波研究等领域介评了20~60 ms和2~3 s时间窗口的证据。未来研究既要注意构建基于分界区域与时间窗口的更强解释力的理论假说, 也要厘清分界区域与时间窗口的联系与区别。     

慈悲冥想对利他行为的影响及其认知神经机制

慈悲冥想是一类旨在培养对自己和他人无条件的善意与同情的冥想练习方法, 主要包括慈心禅和怜悯禅修。诸多研究表明, 慈悲冥想可以促进练习者的利他行为。就影响机制而言, 慈悲冥想可能是通过增强对他人不幸的共情反应, 促进情绪的有效调控和提高亲社会动机来影响练习者的利他行为。未来的研究需选择更具生态效度的利他行为测量方法, 深入挖掘慈悲冥想影响利他行为的动态神经加工过程, 并尝试将慈悲冥想应用于临床群体。     

Systematic angular biases in the representation of visual space

Representing spatial information is one of our most foundational abilities. Yet in the present work we find that even the simplest possible spatial tasks reveal surprising, systematic misrepresentations of space—such as biases wherein objects are perceived and remembered as being nearer to the centers of their surrounding quadrants. We employed both a placement task (in which observers see two differently sized shapes, one of which has a dot in it, and then must place a second dot in the other shape so that their relative locations are equated) and a matching task (in which observers see two dots, each inside a separate shape, and must simply report whether their relative locations are matched). Some of the resulting biases were shape specific. For example, when dots appeared in a triangle during the placement task, the dots placed by observers were biased away from certain parts of the symmetry axes. But other systematic biases were not shape specific, and seemed instead to reflect differences in the grain of resolution for different regions of space. For example, with both a circle and even a shapeless configuration (with only a central landmark) in the matching task, observers were better at discriminating angular differences (when a dot changed positions around the circle, as opposed to inward/outward changes) in cardinal versus oblique sectors. These data reveal a powerful angular spatial bias, and highlight how the resolution of spatial representation differs for different regions and dimensions of space itself.

     

Malinowski's influence on Wittgenstein on the matter of use in language

Language use in social contexts plays a central role in the thinking of philosophers and social scientists. Evidence is presented that suggests that the anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski influenced Ludwig Wittgenstein on the contexted use of language. It is also proposed that non-Western peoples have been a heuristic for Western thinkers on epistemological matters.     

日本侵略战争中的宗教动员

一、日本神道教的宗教动员在历次侵略战争中,日本军国主义政府以神道教为国教,发动佛教及其他宗教实施宗教动员。1.神道教的宗教动员思想神道教主张“神国日本”在世界上的绝对优越性,具有领导全世界的责任和神圣使命感。天皇是创造日本国的天照大神的直系子孙,具有神权,是日本唯一正统的统治者,国民必须对天皇绝对崇敬和绝对服从。而且臣民必须“忠于天皇”、“敬神崇祖”、“灭私奉公”,甚至要求“一旦如有缓急,当义勇奉公,以扶翼天壤无穷之皇运”,即要求一旦遇有战争等非常事态,要为天皇制国家卖命。而以天皇名义发动的战争则是“圣战”,…     

科学之魂——谈科学家崇尚科学精神

由于职业的关系,作为一位科普期刊记者的我常和科学家们打交道。走进这支特殊群体的内心世界,他们向我吐露心扉,为我讲述他们毕生执著追求的科技事业。我这才得知他们的故事很精彩。我常常把他们美誉为“金字塔上的人物”,这是因为这些科学家们用他们的卓而不群的智慧,将呕心沥血的科研成果广泛应用于实际生产当中,推动了中国乃至世界的生产力的发展。他们是最可爱的人。我常常思索这么一个问题:是什么样的一种力量支撑着这些科学家们投入到物我两忘、宠辱不惊的伟大的科技事业?继而,为了全人类生产力的发展,为全人类谋求一个和谐、幸福、和…     

Representation of memory for order of mental operations in cognitive tasks

Recent research shows that people learning a cognitive task acquire a memory for the order of operations applied, independent of the data to which those operations were applied. We designed two experiments to show how this sequence memory is represented. Experiment 1 compared predictions based on 3 possible sequence representation methods: composition, dyad transition, and associative chain. Latency and error results from a simple sequential task supported the associative chain representation. The associative links between operations presumably enhance performance by priming subsequent operations but do not operate in an all-or-none fashion. Experiment 2 explored whether transfer items that matched the first 2 rules and first 3 elements of a training item could bias participants toward executing a composed production learned during training. Latency and undetected error results were consistent with an associative chain representation but not with additional predictions made by the composition representation. These two experiments support the representation of operation sequences in memory as an associative chain.     

Development of rules and strategies: balancing the old and the new

The experiments described in the lead articles replicate findings from previous studies of development of knowledge about balance scales, add several new findings, and raise four key questions: (a) How can rule use best be assessed? (b) How can we reconcile systematic use of rules with variable use of strategies? (c) When do children begin to use rules? and (d) How do children generate new rules? In this Reflection, we summarize current understanding of development of knowledge about balance scales and consider each of the four questions.     

Role of sex in externally motivated self-touching gestures

Self-touching gestures can be externally induced by the verbal presentation of anxiety-inducing stimuli and the active discussion of a passage. The frequency of these self-touching gestures appears to be affected by the individual interacting with the topic, the type of discourse (listening or discussing), the type of stimulus (canaries or leeches), and the interaction between the types of discourse and stimulus. This study assessed these variables as well as the sex of the participant and the order of presentation of stimulus type, neither of which were statistically significant. Participants were read two passages, one about a topic (leeches) expected to produce anxiety and the other about a topic (canaries) not expected to do so, and asked to answer questions about the passages. The number of self-touches was counted by an observer in another room. Each participant had both types of discourse (listening and discussing) and both types of stimulus (canaries and leeches). There was no significant difference between the number of self-touches by participants with either the male or female reader. Discussion as a method of discourse was associated with a significantly greater number of self-touches than listening. The interaction between discourse type and stimulus type was also significant. The combination of the anxiety-producing stimulus and the active discourse (discussion) produced the highest average number of self-touches.     

Masked priming of prefixes and the influence of spelling-meaning consistency

Two experiments are reported which examined whether a prefixed word can be primed by a word sharing only the prefix letters in a masked priming paradigm. In addition the studies examined whether the size of the priming effect is influenced by the consistency with which a prefix letter pattern appears in real prefixed words. The ratio of real prefixed words to all words containing a prefix letter pattern was calculated and used to identify high-consistency prefixes, which are frequently used as prefixes (e.g., UN in UNHAPPY) and rarely appear as pseudoprefixes (e.g., UNCLE), and low-consistency prefixes, which appear in many pseudoprefixed words (e.g., DE in DESERT) but fewer truly prefixed words (e.g., DECODE). In Experiment 1, decision latencies for both types of prefixes were facilitated when real prefixed target words were preceded by real prefixed prime words in a short SOA masked priming paradigm, although the size of the priming effect for low-consistency prefixes was similar in size to that for orthographic controls. In Experiment 2, real prefixed target words were preceded by pseudoprefixed prime words. Facilitation in performance remained for high-consistency prefixes but was absent for low-consistency prefixes. These results support models of morphological processing that are sensitive to the statistical nature of the relationships between orthographic and semantic representations in a language.