Refining the psychometric properties of the circadian type inventory

The psychometric properties of the 18-item circadian type inventory (CTI) were examined in a non-shiftwork sample. Inter-item correlations for each scale were low to moderate. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) via structural equation modelling did not support the posited structure of the CTI. Principal components analysis and reliability analyses suggested the CTI is better represented by 11-items. The revised five item FR scale accounted for 27% of the variance, had stronger factor loadings and increased Cronbach alpha. The psychometric properties of the six item LV scale were marginally improved and explained 21% of the variance. The two-factor 11-item model was supported by CFA. Compared to the 18-item model, the 11-item model showed a marked improvement on several incremental fit indices and achieved a more parsimonious model fit. There was some indication of gender differences but a multi-group CFA indicated model parsimony was best for the invariant model. Gender difference needs to be further examined in large samples using a similar gender balance. It is concluded that the 11-item CTI is psychometrically superior to the original. However, its predictive efficacy needs to be examined in longitudinal studies.     

The Variability and Flexibility of Gender-Typed Toy Play: A Close Look at Children's Behavioral Responses to Counterstereotypic Models

Gender differences in play behavior are well documented. However, little work has examined the issue of variability of gender-typed behaviors within individuals or within genders. We investigated whether children's gender-typed toy play behavior is (a) variable across time within individuals, and (b) variable in response to exposure to counterstereotypic models. Extensive observations (N=203) were made of 8 highly gender-typed preschool children over 4 months. Variability was assessed by examining changes in the percentage of masculine and feminine toy play across successive days in which (a) gender neutral stories were read (within-individual variability) and (b) gender counterstereotypic stories were introduced (environmental variability). Variability of gender-typed play within individuals and in response to environmental stimuli was found among girls, but not among boys.     

情绪对工作记忆影响的研究综述

情绪在我们的生活中扮演着十分重要的角色,各种认知活动都或多或少的受其影响。有关情绪与工作记忆相互作用的研究中,很多的证据表明,情绪对认知表现的影响可能是通过工作记忆完成的。本文对情绪分类,情绪影响工作记忆的相关理论及以往的相关研究进行了介绍,同时提出存在的问题并进行展望。     

Dynamic time warping: a new method in the study of poor handwriting

Poor handwriting is a diagnostic criterion for developmental coordination disorder. Typical of poor handwriting is its low overall quality and the high variability of the spatial characteristics of the letters, usually assessed with a subjective handwriting scale. Recently, Dynamic Time Warping (DTW), a technique originally developed for speech recognition, was introduced for pattern recognition in handwriting. The present study evaluates its application to analyze poor handwriting. Forty children attending Dutch mainstream primary schools were recruited and based on their scores on the Concise Evaluation Scale for Children's Handwriting (Dutch abbreviation: BHK), 20 good and 20 poor writers (of whom 13 were scheduled for handwriting intervention) were identified. The groups were matched for age (7-9 years), school grade (grades 2 and 3) and handedness. The children subsequently wrote sequences of the letter "a" on a graphics tablet in three conditions (normal, fast, and accurate). Classical kinematics were obtained and for each individual letter DTW was used to calculate the distance from the mean shape. The DTW data revealed much higher variability in the letter forms of the poor writers that was independent of the kinematic results of larger trajectories, faster movements, and higher pen pressure. The current results suggest that DTW is a valid and objective technique for letter-form analysis in handwriting and may hence be useful to evaluate the rehabilitation treatments of children suffering from poor handwriting. In education research it may be exploited to explore how children (should) learn to write.     

ASTEF: A simple tool for examining fixations

In human factors and ergonomics research, the analysis of eye movements has gained popularity as a method for obtaining information concerning the operator's cognitive strategies and for drawing inferences about the cognitive state of an individual. For example, recent studies have shown that the distribution of eye fixations is sensitive to variations in mental workload---dispersed when workload is high, and clustered when workload is low. Spatial statistics algorithms can be used to obtain information about the type of distribution and can be applied over fixations recorded during small epochs of time to assess online changes in the level of mental load experienced by the individuals. In order to ease the computation of the statistical index and to encourage research on the spatial properties of visual scanning, A Simple Tool for Examining Fixations has been developed. The software application implements functions for fixation visualization, management, and analysis, and includes a tool for fixation identification from raw gaze point data. Updated information can be obtained online at www.astef.info, where the installation package is freely downloadable.     

Ignorance is bliss: the role of observer expectation in dynamic spatial tuning of the attentional focus

When two sequential targets (T1, T2) are inserted in an RSVP stream of distractors, perception of T2 is impaired at intertarget lags shorter than 700 msec. Paradoxically, this deficit disappears when T2 is presented directly after T1 (lag-1 sparing). Visser, Bischof, and Di Lollo (1999) found that lag-1 sparing occurs only when T1 and T2 are presented in the same stream. In contrast, Shih (2000) obtained lag-1 sparing with targets insepa-rate streams. Four experiments addressed this inconsistency and revealed lag-1 sparing with targets in different streams, but only when observers had no foreknowledge of T1's location. We hypothesized that when T1 location is known, attention is focused narrowly on that stream; if T2 then appears in the other stream it is missed, and lag-1 sparing does not occur. When T1 location is not known, attention is focused broadly, encompassing both streams, and lag-1 sparing ensues.     

Parents' representations of their children: an exploratory study using the Osgood Semantic Differential Scales

The results of an exploratory national study carried out in Italy using Osgood's Semantic Differential Scales (Osgood, Suci, & Tannenbaum, 1957) with parents of 100 normal 6- to 11-yr.-old children in mainstream classrooms are reported. The aim was to devise a simple tool to be used to explore parents' perceptions of their children in this age group. Parents were asked to rate "my child" using some of Osgood's Semantic Differential Scales especially adapted for this study. Participants were 97 fathers and 100 mothers. Fathers were 32 to 57 years of age (M = 43.2, SD = 5.4), mothers were 29 to 49 years of age (M = 39.7, SD =4.4). In factor analysis four factors were identified: Activity, Evaluation, Emotions evoked by the child, Personality/Physical contact. Average factor scores were significantly different. There were no significant differences between fathers and mothers on the four factor scores. Children were more positively evaluated the younger they were.     

The time required for perceptual (nonmotoric) processing in IOR

In an inhibition of return (IOR) paradigm, we used a threshold-tracking procedure combined with backward masking to measure the speed of perceptual processing in IOR independent of motoric factors. Instead of the conventional reaction time measure, this procedure yielded the critical exposure duration (DUR_c) that is required in order for a target to be identified reliably before the onset of a trailing mask. In Experiment 1, the facilitation effects conventionally found at short cue—target onset asynchrony (CTOA) were evidenced by shorter values of DUR_c at cued relative to uncued locations. Conversely, the retardation effects conventionally found at long CTOA were evidenced by correspondingly longer values of DUR_c. In Experiment 2, the DUR_c results strongly suggest that the directional reading bias previously observed in IOR studies is due, at least in part, to perceptual rather than motoric factors.     

The role of coping, anxiety, and stress in depression post-acute coronary syndrome

Depressive symptoms are common and can affect prognosis following acute coronary syndromes (ACS). This study examined the psychological factors, coping, anxiety, and perceived stress associated with depression following ACS. Psychological variables were assessed in 15 females and 66 males (M = 57 years, SD = 12). Repeated measures at 2, 12, and 24 weeks post-ACS compared depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and coping resources as determined by the Cardiac Depression Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II, State Trait Anxiety Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, and Coping Resources Inventory. Depression, anxiety, and perceived stress remained high in the depressed group across time. Coping scores at 2 weeks post-ACS predicted depression scores at 24 weeks post-ACS. It appears that trait anxiety and coping resources are related to depressive symptoms post-ACS.