Measures of Cognitive Complexity and Its Development in Chinese Adolescents

There are various controversies over the measurement of cognitive complexity and few studies concerning its development in adolescents, especially in China. Based on a sample of 234 Chinese adolescents from Grades 7 through 11, the present study first compared 2 instruments and 12 corresponding indices of cognitive complexity—11 traditional and new forms of cognitive complexity scores on the Repgrid, and 1 score on the Role Category Questionnaire (RCQ)—then adopted the most appropriate tool to investigate the development of cognitive complexity. The results showed that the RCQ may have relatively more construct validity than the Repgrid in terms of the assessment of adolescents’ cognitive complexity. Using the RCQ, it was found that adolescents of different grades, gender, peer status, and academic achievement had different levels of cognitive complexity.     

Are objects required for object-files? Roles of segmentation and spatiotemporal continuity in computing object persistence

Two central tasks of visual processing are (1) to segment undifferentiated retinal images into discrete objects, and (2) to represent those objects as the same persisting individuals over time and motion. Here we explore the interaction of these two types of processing in the context of object files—mid-level visual representations that “stick” to moving objects on the basis of spatiotemporal properties. Object files can be revealed by object-specific preview benefits (OSPBs), wherein a “preview” of information on a moving object speeds the recognition of that information at a later point when it appears again on the same object (compared to when it reappears on a different moving object), beyond display-wide priming. Here we explore the degree of segmentation required to establish object files in the first place. Surprisingly, we find that no explicit segmentation is required until after the previews disappear, when using purely motion-defined objects (consisting of random elements on a random background). Moreover, OSPBs are observed in such displays even after moderate (but not long) delays between the offset of the preview information and the onset of the motion. These effects indicate that object files can be established without initial static segmentation cues, so long as there is spatiotemporal continuity between the previews and the eventual appearance of the objects. We also find that top-down strategies can sometimes mimic OSPBs, but that these strategies can be eliminated by novel manipulations. We discuss how these results alter our understanding of the nature of object files, and also why researchers must take care to distinguish “true OSPBs” from “illusory OSPBs”.     

Developmental trends in auditory processing can provide early predictions of language acquisition in young infants

Auditory processing capabilities at the subcortical level have been hypothesized to impact an individual's development of both language and reading abilities. The present study examined whether auditory processing capabilities relate to language development in healthy 9‐month‐old infants. Participants were 71 infants (31 boys and 40 girls) with both Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) and language assessments. At 6 weeks and/or 9 months of age, the infants underwent ABR testing using both a standard hearing screening protocol with 30 dB clicks and a second protocol using click pairs separated by 8, 16, and 64‐ms intervals presented at 80 dB. We evaluated the effects of interval duration on ABR latency and amplitude elicited by the second click. At 9 months, language development was assessed via parent report on the Chinese Communicative Development Inventory ‐ Putonghua version (CCDI‐P). Wave V latency z‐scores of the 64‐ms condition at 6 weeks showed strong direct relationships with Wave V latency in the same condition at 9 months. More importantly, shorter Wave V latencies at 9 months showed strong relationships with the CCDI‐P composite consisting of phrases understood, gestures, and words produced. Likewise, infants who had greater decreases in Wave V latencies from 6 weeks to 9 months had higher CCDI‐P composite scores. Females had higher language development scores and shorter Wave V latencies at both ages than males. Interestingly, when the ABR Wave V latencies at both ages were taken into account, the direct effects of gender on language disappeared. In conclusion, these results support the importance of low‐level auditory processing capabilities for early language acquisition in a population of typically developing young infants. Moreover, the auditory brainstem response in this paradigm shows promise as an electrophysiological marker to predict individual differences in language development in young children.     

Buying Life Experiences for the “Right” Reasons: A Validation of the Motivations for Experiential Buying Scale

Although numerous studies have demonstrated the hedonic benefits of spending money on life experiences instead of material possessions, there has been no attempt to determine how different motivations for experiential consumption relate to psychological need satisfaction and well-being. Across five studies (N = 931), guided by self-determination theory, we developed a reliable and valid measure of motivation for experiential consumption—the Motivation for Experiential Buying Scale—to test these relations. Those who spend money on life experience for autonomous reasons (e.g., “because they are an integral part of my life”) report more autonomy, competence, relatedness, flourishing, and vitality; however, those who spend money on life experiences for controlled (e.g., “for the recognition I’ll get from others”) or amotivated reasons (e.g., “I don’t really know”) reported less autonomy, competence, and relatedness. These results demonstrated that the benefits of experiential consumption depend on why one buys life experiences.     

紧急专断治疗相关主体的权利义务研究

在紧急情况下,医师一般应当尊重患者的自决权;如果有证据表明患者的决策不是基于其对生命健康的放弃,医师则有违反患者意志对其进行抢救的权利和义务。代理人的决策如果违背患者的利益,医师有权利和义务拒绝代理人的意见,而实施对患者最有利的医疗处置方案。     

医学的“死亡”背景与现代医学对死亡的遗忘

人是一种承担着有死性的存在物,一切从人出发并为了人的事业都必须在“人固有一死”的背景中进行.首先阐述了死亡对于医学的背景意义:死亡是人类面临的客观的、必要的限制,关于死亡的立场对于医学具有源始性与优先性,最后从三个方面揭示了当代医学对于死亡的立场:遗忘.     

早期乳腺癌患者术后心理状况研究

早期乳腺癌的检出率越来越高,关注治愈率同时,人们越来越关心患者术后的心理状态及生活质量.本文对保乳术及根治术后5年患者进行心理调查.保乳组患者术后心理障碍发生率明显低于根治组.保乳组患者术后心理状况影响因素主要为术后美容效果,而根治组患者心理障碍发生率与年龄、职业、家庭收入相关.两种手术方式对患者5年生存率及无病生存率的影响无明显差异,所以对于早期乳腺癌患者,在符合保乳原则的前提下,保乳手术是一种既安全又能提高生活质量的手术方式.     

Professional Ethical Issues and the Development of Professional Ethical Standards in Counseling and Clinical Psychology in China

This article aims to summarize the current ethical issues in the field of clinical and counseling psychology and the process of developing professional ethical standards in China. First, through a review of the history of counseling and psychotherapy in China, general background information is provided. Important ethical issues are then discussed based on the results from several empirical studies. Finally, the process of developing the new edition of the Chinese Psychological Society Code of Ethics for Clinical and Counseling Psychology, the main contents as well as the considerations taken into account in the development of this code are presented.