The consultation clinic

Pastoral Psychology -     

说普通话儿童的语音习得

以说普通话的１２９名一岁半至四岁半儿童的口语资料为基础,首次确定了正常发展的普通话儿童在语音习得过程中各年龄段的音位集合、音位习得的先后顺序、及习得过程中典型的语音简化类型。研究结果可以应用到普通话儿童语音发展水平标准化测试,及对患有语音障碍的儿童的诊断。此外,研究结果还表明在普通话儿童的语音习得中同时体现了各语言共有的“普遍趋势”和普通话独有的语音特征,从而为跨语言语音习得的研究提供了新的证据,进一步发展了儿童语音习得的理论。     

Construct validity for the verbal associated pairs screen

The present study introduces the Verbal Associated Pairs Screen (VAPS) as a new measure for assessing performance validity in pediatric populations. This study presents initial data on psychometric properties and establishes construct validity for the VAPS in a sample of 30 adolescent healthy controls and 206 youths with traumatic brain injury (TBI: moderate/severe, N = 30; mild, N = 176). The control group’s age (M = 14.93, SD = 1.8) was significantly higher than the moderate/severe TBI (M = 13.9, SD = 2.8), t(68.508) = ?3.038, p = .003, and mild TBI (mTBI) groups (M = 14, SD = 2.8), t(54.147) = 2.038, p = .046. The TBI groups were administered the VAPS in accord with other established performance validity tests (PVTs) and well-established memory tests as part of routine clinical evaluations. The healthy control group was administered the VAPS only. VAPS score distributions for the control group were negatively skewed and highly kurtotic. VAPS scores from the moderate/severe TBI and control groups were indistinguishable for Trial 2 (U = 274, p < .01) and the Delay (U = 396, p = .218). In the mTBI group, convergent and divergent validity was established with other well-validated PVTs and memory tests, respectively. ROC curve analyses identified optimal cutoff scores for the VAPS Total Score, with acceptable sensitivity (55%) and excellent specificity (100%), as well as strong detectability (AUC = .829, 95% CI: 0.731 – 0.928, p < .001). Clinical applications, limitations, and directions for future research with the VAPS are discussed.     

Human classifier: Observers can deduce task solely from eye movements

Computer classifiers have been successful at classifying various tasks using eye movement statistics. However, the question of human classification of task from eye movements has rarely been studied. Across two experiments, we examined whether humans could classify task based solely on the eye movements of other individuals. In Experiment 1, human classifiers were shown one of three sets of eye movements: Fixations, which were displayed as blue circles, with larger circles meaning longer fixation durations; Scanpaths, which were displayed as yellow arrows; and Videos, in which a neon green dot moved around the screen. There was an additional Scene manipulation in which eye movement properties were displayed either on the original scene where the task (Search, Memory, or Rating) was performed or on a black background in which no scene information was available. Experiment 2 used similar methods but only displayed Fixations and Videos with the same Scene manipulation. The results of both experiments showed successful classification of Search. Interestingly, Search was best classified in the absence of the original scene, particularly in the Fixation condition. Memory also was classified above chance with the strongest classification occurring with Videos in the presence of the scene. Additional analyses on the pattern of correct responses in these two conditions demonstrated which eye movement properties successful classifiers were using. These findings demonstrate conditions under which humans can extract information from eye movement characteristics in addition to providing insight into the relative success/failure of previous computer classifiers.     

Motor and visual codes interact to facilitate visuospatial memory performance

The spatial working memory system constantly updates spatial representations and many studies have focused on the underlying principles of the encoding and maintenance of visual information. Here we investigated the question of how the production of actions influences spatial working memory. Participants were given a task that required concurrent maintenance of two spatial arrays, one encoded by visual observation accompanied with pointing movements, the other by only visual observation. Across two experiments, movement during encoding was found to facilitate recognition of spatial arrays in a load-dependent manner. The results suggest an action-based encoding principle within the working memory system, and possible underlying action-related mechanisms are discussed.