Re-conceptualizing the Factor Structure of the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality

Rationale This study attempted to differentiate statistically the spiritual and religious factors of the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality (BMMRS), which was developed based on theoretical conceptualizations that have yet to be adequately empirically validated in a population with significant health disorders. Participants One hundred sixty-four individuals with heterogeneous medical conditions [i.e., brain injury, spinal cord injury (SCI), cancer, stroke, primary care conditions]. Methods Participants completed the BMMRS as part of a pilot study on spirituality, religion, and physical and mental health. Results A principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation and Kaiser normalization identified a six-factor solution (opposed to the expected 8-factor solution) accounting for 60% of the variance in scores, labeled as: (1) Positive Spiritual Experience; (2) Negative Spiritual Experience; (3) Forgiveness; (4) Religious Practices; (5) Positive Congregational Support; and (6) Negative Congregational Support. Conclusions The results suggest the BMMRS assesses distinct positive and negative aspects of religiousness and spirituality that may be best conceptualized in a psychoneuroimmunological context as measuring: (a) Spiritual Experiences (i.e., emotional experience of feeling connected with a higher power/the universe); (b) Religious Practices (i.e., prayer, rituals, service attendance); (c) Congregational Support; and (d) Forgiveness (i.e., a specific coping strategy that can be conceptualized as religious or non-religious in context).     

陆修静的道教思想略述

陆修静(406-477),字元德,南朝宋吴兴东迁(今浙江吴兴县)人,三国吴丞相陆凯的后代.据史料记载,其母怀胎期间,有一位老姥来到家中语其母日:"生子当为人天师."①"及生之日,踱有重轮,足有双踝,掌有大字,身有斗文也."②少习儒业,博通坟典,旁及象纬.又性好道术,精研玉书.成年后,入山中修炼,专精教法,习断谷之术,隐云梦山中修道.后遍访仙踪,收集道书.曾南诣衡湘九嶷,访魏华存之遗迹,西至峨眉,寻清虚真人王褒之高躅.     

Habituation in songbirds

Songbirds respond to initial playback of a recorded conspecific song in numerous ways, from changes in gene expression in the brain to changes in overt physical activity. When the same song is presented repeatedly, responses have been observed to habituate at multiple levels: molecular, cellular and organismal. Core criteria of habituation have been established at each level, although in no case have all the formal parameters been rigorously measured. At the level of overt behavior, classical field studies showed that territorial birds respond to the song of a potential challenger with a variety of behaviors, and many (but not all) of these behaviors decline with repeated stimulus presentation. More recent laboratory studies have defined analogous responses to song presentation in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), the dominant species in current molecular and neurobiological research and one that does not use song for territorial defense. Studies in the zebra finch have also demonstrated activation followed by habituation of responses measured at both electrophysiological and molecular (gene expression and signal transduction) levels. In all cases, habituation is specific for a very particular stimulus – an individual song presented in a particular context. There are strong correlations between habituation measurements made at these different levels, but some dissociations have also been observed, implying that molecular, electrophysiological and behavioral habituations are not equivalent manifestations of a single core process.     

Environmental enrichment improves behavioral performance and auditory spatial representation of primary auditory cortical neurons in rat

Environmental enrichment (EE) has an important role in brain plasticity. Early research has shown that EE increases the response strength of neurons in the auditory cortex, but it remains unknown whether EE can influence the process of spatial localization in the auditory system. In this study, we raised rats in enriched and standard conditions from postnatal day 10 to day 56. By testing behavioral tasks via auditory cues, we have shown that EE improved the number of correct scores, but decreased the reaction time and azimuth deviation in behavioral performance of sound-azimuth discrimination. By in vivo extracellular recording, we have shown that EE enhanced the directional sensitivity of neurons in the primary auditory cortex. For example, EE rats had a smaller spatial receptive field, sharper frequency tuning curve and directional selective curve of auditory neurons compared with normal rats. Our findings indicate that early exposure to EE increases directional sensitivity. These results provide an insight into developmental plasticity in the auditory system.     

爬行经验与婴儿空间认知能力的发展

本研究采用“A非B”时间延搁测验对34名9-12个月缨儿的爬行经验与其空间认知能力发展的关系进行了研究。协方差分析表明,婴儿的爬行经验对其在“A非B”延搁任务中表现出来的空间认知能力有显著的主效应,而年龄的效应不明显;进一步分析显示,爬行经验7周以内的婴儿与爬行经验10周以上的婴儿空间认知能力发展水平差异显著。本研究说明,爬行经验与婴儿在“A非B”延搁任务上表现出来的空间认知能力发展有密切的关系。     

前瞻记忆的情绪一致性反转效应

采用经典双任务实验范式,探讨前瞻记忆的情绪一致性效应及其理论模型。情绪电影片段诱发被试高兴或悲伤情绪后,观察被试在高兴、悲伤和自然情绪状态下的前瞻记忆任务和当前任务的成绩。结果发现,情绪一致性前瞻记忆出现反转效应,即在高兴背景下前瞻记忆负性词比正性词成绩好,在悲伤背景下前瞻记忆正性词比负性词成绩好。实验结果支持前瞻记忆的注意—搜索模型,不支持自动激活模型。     

小学生表征数学应用题策略的实验研究

通过一个2(成功与否)×2(提示与否)×2(题型)的混合实验设计,对小学五年级学生解决和差应用题的表征策略进行了研究.结果表明:(1)与比较应用题的表征相类似,小学生对和差应用题的表征也存在着直译策略和问题模型策略;(2)不成功组解题者在表征和差应用题时倾向于运用直译策略,而成功组的解题者更倾向于运用问题模型策略,这导致了成功者与不成功者在列式上的差异,特别是在不一致题型上表现得更明显;(3)在读题前给以“请注意理解这道题的意思”这样简单的提示,对不成功的解题者对和差问题的正确表征并不能起到作用;(4)成功的和差应用题解题者和不成功的解题者在列式正确性的自我评价上存在显著差异.     

积极情绪与身心健康关系研究的进展

积极情绪与身体健康、心理健康和社会适应有密切的关系。首先,积极情绪不仅能够降低传染性疾病的感染风险,能够影响非传染性疾病病情、病程及死亡率。其次,积极情绪能够降低个体的心理易感性,使个体更好的应对负性或压力事件。最后,现有的研究表明积极情绪和社会交往存在相互促进的关系。现存的直接效应模型和压力缓冲模型解释了积极情绪直接和间接促进健康的机制。未来的研究还需在研究方法和模型完善等方面进一步改进。     

儿童早期测量能力的发展

测量能力是儿童早期数学认知能力的一个重要方面,其中直接比较和非标准测量能力作为儿童早期测量能力发展的主要形式,在一定程度上代表着儿童早期测量能力的发展。本研究对92名3岁儿童的测量能力进行了为期一年的追踪研究,结果发现:(1)在3~4岁期间,儿童直接比较测量能力和非标准测量能力均得到显著发展,但直接比较测量能力的水平提高得更快;(2)儿童直接比较测量能力的年龄主效应、任务主效应以及年龄和任务的交互效应显著;(3)儿童非标准测量能力的年龄主效应和任务主效应均达到显著水平,非标准测量单位应用能力的水平显著高于非标准测量单位形成能力的水平。     

人眼深度运动知觉的研究

人类的深度运动知觉,是通过检测二维平面内的相对运动而形成的。本文在心理物理学实验基础上,揭示该机制的数学与生理学实现形式。视觉系统中存在对视平面内的相对运动敏感的神经元,构成深度运动的检测机制,产生单眼深度运动知觉与双眼深度运动知觉。在心理学上,视觉利用物体视角变化及大小知觉的恒常性判断深度运动。文中还初步讨论了人类的深度运动知觉与蜜蜂,家蝇等昆虫的深度运动知觉的区别。