Gender Differences in Children’s Psychological Well-Being in Mainland China: Risk and Protective Factors

Applied Research in Quality of Life - Despite extensive research on children’s psychological well-being, little consensus about gender’s influence has been reached. In response, we...     

非平衡双语者Stroop效应的时间进程

运用Stroop任务的SOA范式,考察中-英双语者干扰和易化效应的时间进程及程度,比较双语者认知控制和词汇通达的差异。结果发现,在中文条件下,干扰效应的峰值发生在SOA为-200ms时,在英文条件下,最大的干扰效应发生在SOA为-300 ms时,由此可见,干扰效应时间出现了负转换。在英文条件下,-400ms SOA引发了最大的易化效应,而中文条件下最大的易化效应发生在-300ms SOA。该研究表明,双语者没有表现出认知优势,在Stroop任务中受到了词汇通达的影响。     

A SAS/IML program using the Kalman filter for estimating state space models

To help disseminate the knowledge and software implementation of a state space model (SSM), this article provides a SAS/IML (SAS Institute, 2010) program for estimating the parameters of general linear Gaussian SSMs using the Kalman filter algorithm. In order to use this program, the user should have SAS installed on a computer and have a valid license for SAS/IML. Since the code is completely open, it is expected that this program can be used not only by applied researchers, but also by quantitative methodologists who are interested in improving their methods and promoting SSM as a research instrument.     

Raw Data Maximum Likelihood Estimation for Common Principal Component Models: A State Space Approach

The specifications of state space model for some principal component-related models are described, including the independent-group common principal component (CPC) model, the dependent-group CPC model, and principal component-based multivariate analysis of variance. Some derivations are provided to show the equivalence of the state space approach and the existing Wishart-likelihood approach. For each model, a numeric example is used to illustrate the state space approach. In addition, a simulation study is conducted to evaluate the standard error estimates under the normality and nonnormality conditions. In order to cope with the nonnormality conditions, the robust standard errors are also computed. Finally, other possible applications of the state space approach are discussed at the end.     

人格相似性与关系质量的关系：单向视角

温州两所大学的199个大学生在人际形容词量表上对自己的人际特质进行评定,并对自己选定的一个关系对象进行评定,感知与选定对象的人格相似性,同时评定与该对象的关系质量。根据自我报告和评定对象计算出假定相似性。对关系质量的分层回归分析得到人际特质两个维度的交互效应均为正,即表现出假定相似相吸的效应趋势,亲和性维度显著;相关显示假定的相似性和感知的相似性与关系质量均呈中等程度相关;路径分析表明感知的相似性中介假定相似性与关系质量的关系。     

Control deprivation and styles of thinking

Westerners habitually think in analytical ways, whereas East Asians tend to favor holistic styles of thinking. We replicated this difference but showed that it disappeared after control deprivation (Experiment 1). Brief experiences of control deprivation, which stimulate increased desire for control, caused Chinese participants to shift toward Western-style analytical thinking in multiple ways (Experiments 2-5). Western Caucasian participants also increased their use of analytical thinking after control deprivation (Experiment 6). Manipulations that required Chinese participants to think in Western, analytical ways caused their sense of personal control to increase (Experiments 7-9). Prolonged experiences of control deprivation, which past work suggested foster an attitude more akin to learned helplessness than striving for control, had the opposite effect of causing Chinese participants to shift back toward a strongly holistic style of thinking (Experiments 10-12). Taken together, the results support the reality of cultural differences in cognition but also the cross-cultural similarity of using analytical thinking when seeking to enhance personal control.     

A Longitudinal Examination of Serious Adolescent Offenders’ Perceptions of Chances for Success and Engagement in Behaviors Accomplishing Goals

We examined antisocial adolescents’ perceptions of the importance of and their ability to accomplish positive life outcomes (e.g., employment) and avoid negative ones (e.g., arrests) during their transition from adolescence to young adulthood. Participants were 1,354 adolescents from the Pathways to Desistance project, a multisite longitudinal study of seriously antisocial adolescents. Participants’ perceptions of the importance and likelihood of accomplishing positive adult goals at one age uniquely predicted how often they engaged in behaviors that were consistent with these goals the following year. Our findings suggest that among serious adolescent offenders aspirations to achieve positive goals are related to engaging in behaviors that bring adolescents’ current selves more in line with their aspired-to future selves. We discuss the implications of these findings for prevention and intervention efforts.     

Inaccurate representation of the ground surface beyond a texture boundary

The sequential-surface-integration-process (SSIP) hypothesis was proposed to elucidate how the visual system constructs the ground-surface representation in the intermediate distance range (He et al, 2004 Perception 33 789-806). According to the hypothesis, the SSIP constructs an accurate representation of the near ground surface by using reliable near depth cues. The near ground representation then serves as a template for integrating the adjacent surface patch by using the texture gradient information as the predominant depth cue. By sequentially integrating the surface patches from near to far, the visual system obtains the global ground representation. A critical prediction of the SSIP hypothesis is that, when an abrupt texture-gradient change exists between the near and far ground surfaces, the SSIP can no longer accurately represent the far surface. Consequently, the representation of the far surface will be slanted upward toward the frontoparallel plane (owing to the intrinsic bias of the visual system), and the egocentric distance of a target on the far surface will be underestimated. Our previous findings in the real 3-D environment have shown that observers underestimated the target distance across a texture boundary. Here, we used the virtual-reality system to first test distance judgments with a distance-matching task. We created the texture boundary by having virtual grass- and cobblestone-textured patterns abutting on a flat (horizontal) ground surface in experiment 1, and by placing a brick wall to interrupt the continuous texture gradient of a flat grass surface in experiment 2. In both instances, observers underestimated the target distance across the texture boundary, compared to the homogeneous-texture ground surface (control). Second, we tested the proposal that the far surface beyond the texture boundary is perceived as slanted upward. For this, we used a virtual checkerboard-textured ground surface that was interrupted by a texture boundary. We found that not only was the target distance beyond the texture boundary underestimated relative to the homogeneous-texture condition, but the far surface beyond the texture boundary was also perceived as relatively slanted upward (experiment 3). Altogether, our results confirm the predictions of the SSIP hypothesis.     

Sortal concepts and causal continuity: comment of Rips, Blok, and Newman (2006)

L. J. Rips, S. Blok, and G. Newman (2006) proposed that singular concepts, which support the tracing of individual objects across their existence, are governed by a principle of causal continuity. They purported to show that causal continuity is better than existing theories at explaining judgments of the persistence of individual objects. This article makes 3 points. First, the construct of causal connectedness entails a wide variety of different explanatory factors; calling them all causal has questionable explanatory value. There is little evidence that the ultimate basis for identity judgments in many cases is causal. Second, the authors suggest that causal knowledge is indeed important to identity, but that it is important in the context of sortal concepts; different causal information matters for different kinds of things. Finally, the authors consider whether causal knowledge or sortal concepts are more fundamental to tracing individual identity, that is, whether causal knowledge is necessary for identity judgments. The authors appeal to research in developmental psychology that has begun to address this debate, supporting the primacy of sortal concepts. Although there continues to be shortcomings of all theories of object persistence, it is not clear that the causal continuer theory brings new clarity to the puzzle.     

Perceptual space in the dark affected by the intrinsic bias of the visual system

Correct judgment of egocentric/absolute distance in the intermediate distance range requires both the angular declination below the horizon and ground-surface information being represented accurately. This requirement can be met in the light environment but not in the dark, where the ground surface is invisible and hence cannot be represented accurately. We previously showed that a target in the dark is judged at the intersection of the projection line from the eye to the target that defines the angular declination below the horizon and an implicit surface. The implicit surface can be approximated as a slant surface with its far end slanted toward the frontoparallel plane. We hypothesize that the implicit slant surface reflects the intrinsic bias of the visual system and helps to define the perceptual space. Accordingly, we conducted two experiments in the dark to further elucidate the characteristics of the implicit slant surface. In the first experiment we measured the egocentric location of a dimly lit target on, or above, the ground, using the blind-walking-gesturing paradigm. Our results reveal that the judged target locations could be fitted by a line (surface), which indicates an intrinsic bias with a geographical slant of about 12.4 degrees. In the second experiment, with an exocentric/relative-distance task, we measured the judged ratio of aspect ratio of a fluorescent L-shaped target. Using trigonometric analysis, we found that the judged ratio of aspect ratio can be accounted for by assuming that the L-shaped target was perceived on an implicit slant surface with an average geographical slant of 14.4 degrees. That the data from the two experiments with different tasks can be fitted by implicit slant surfaces suggests that the intrinsic bias has a role in determining perceived space in the dark. The possible contribution of the intrinsic bias to representing the ground surface and its impact on space perception in the light environment are also discussed.