Delay discounting mediates the association between posterior insular cortex volume and social media addiction symptoms

Addiction-like symptoms in relation to excessive and compulsive social media use are common in the general population. Because they can lead to various adverse effects, there is a growing need to understand the brain systems and processes that are involved in potential social media addiction. We focus on the morphology of the posterior subdivision of the insular cortex (i.e., the insula), because it has been shown to be instrumental to supporting the maintenance of substance addictions and problematic behaviors. Assuming that social media addiction shares neural similarities with more established ones and consistent with evidence from the neuroeconomics domain, we further examine one possible reason for this association—namely that insular morphology influences one's delay discounting and that this delay discounting contributes to exaggerated preference for immediate social media rewards and consequent addiction-like symptoms. Based on voxel-based morphometry techniques applied to MRI scans of 32 social media users, we show that the gray matter volumes of the bilateral posterior insula are negatively associated with social media addiction symptoms. We further show that this association is mediated by delay discounting. This provides initial evidence that insular morphology can be associated with potential social media addiction, in part, through its contribution to poor foresight and impulsivity as captured by delay discounting.     

Validation of the Chinese Revision of Emotional and Behavioral Screener among Preschoolers (4–7 years old)

The study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese revision of the Emotional and Behavioral Screener (EBS), and to extend its application to preschoolers (4–7 years old). Teachers and parents of 216 preschoolers (age M?=?5.11, SD?=?0.9) were invited to complete the EBS, and some of the teachers were also asked to complete the Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (PreBERS) (N?=?80) and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaires (SDQ) (N?=?90). Results of confirmatory factor analysis suggested that the original single-factor model of the EBS didn’t fit the data well. Based on the results of a series of exploratory factor analyses, we proposed a two-factor model instead, representing externalizing and internalizing problems respectively. The Chinese revision demonstrated satisfactory internal reliability, inter-rater reliability, convergent validity and divergent validity. All these evidences supported its use among Chinese preschoolers to identify those who will be at risk of suffering from emotional and behavioral disturbances.     

2～3.5岁儿童执行功能发展特点及其言语能力的影响

2~3.5岁是婴儿成长到幼儿的重要发展转折期,也是儿童执行功能及言语能力的发展萌芽期。研究通过测查北京市81名2~3.5岁儿童在固定盒子任务、搭积木任务、A非B任务和皮博迪图片词汇测验上的表现,探究了该年龄段儿童执行功能的发展特点、各成分间的内部关系、以及言语能力对执行功能的影响。结果发现:(1)在2~3.5岁期间,除认知灵活性外,儿童的工作记忆与抑制控制均快速发展,其中,2.5岁前后是工作记忆与抑制控制的重要发展时期;(2)在2~3岁期间,认知灵活性与工作记忆之间相关密切,在3~3.5岁期间,认知灵活性与抑制控制的相关密切,3岁是儿童执行功能内部成分关系的重要发展转折期;(3)在2~3.5岁期间,儿童言语能力呈现快速发展,并且言语能力对该年龄段执行功能各成分间关系产生一定的影响,但不同言语能力的儿童在执行功能各成分的表现并没有显著差异。     

略论市场逻辑及其伦理基础

市场逻辑是在特定制度约束条件下的个人权利的自由交易.作为现实的人的经济活动场所,市场充分体现了现实的人自由交换的需要,体现了人们对自身价值和创造力的肯定.自市场经济体制产生以来,各种伦理学说所关注的一个共同课题就是如何从伦理上为各自所设计的市场经济制度作辩护.基于市场逻辑的伦理原则为自由原则、平等原则、效率原则和秩序原则.     

Resolution of activated background information in text comprehension

The present experiments explored the resolution of activated background information in text comprehension. In Experiment 1, participants read passages that contained an elaboration section that was either consistent or qualified (inconsistent but then corrected to be consistent) with respect to the subsequently presented target sentence (see O'Brien et al., 1998). However, the experiment used two target sentences, and several filler sentences were inserted between the first and second target sentence. The results showed that the reading times for the first target sentence in the qualified elaboration version were significantly longer than those in the consistent elaboration version. These were consistent with O'Brien's study, and further indicated that the basic process captured by the memory-based view appears to generalize to the Chinese reader better than does the here-and-now view. More importantly, the results showed that the reading times for the second target sentence in the qualified elaboration version were as long as those in the consistent elaboration version. These further indicated that the activation of background information not only maintained the coherence of the text, but also allowed for the relevant information to be updated, resulting in a unified information set. When the information was reactivated during ongoing reading, it would be in the form of unified information. In Experiment 2, the first target sentence in each passage from Experiment 1 was converted to a filler sentence, and the second target sentence became the target sentence. The results of Experiment 2 showed that the reading times for the target sentence in the qualified elaboration version were significantly longer than those for the consistent elaboration version. These indicated that the delay between the target sentences and the elaboration section was not responsible for the lack of differences in Experiment 1, and confirmed the conclusion of Experiment 1.     

虐待与儿童心理发展

儿童虐待问题近年来日益受到社会的广泛关注,本文旨在国内外已有的相关研究的基础上,阐述儿童期的虐待对儿童各个方面的心理发展的影响,以为心理和教育工作者对受虐待儿童的心理进行有效的干预和教育提供参考。     

Spinal Cord Circuits

Over the past decade, research at three different levels of sensorimotor control has revealed a degree of complexity that challenges traditional hypotheses regarding servocontrol of individual muscles: (a) The connectivity of spinal circuits is much more divergent and convergent than expected. (b) The normal and reflex-induced recruitment of individual muscles and compartments of muscles is more finely controlled than was noted previously. (c) The mechanical interactions among linked skeletal segments and their often multiarticular muscles are neither simple nor intuitively obvious. We have developed a mathematical model of the cat hind limb that permits us to examine the influence of individual muscles on posture and gait. We have used linear quadratic control theory to predict the optimal distribution of feedback from a hypothetical set of proprioceptors, given different assumptions about the behavioral goals of the animal. The changes in these predictions that result from changes in the structure and control objectives of the model may provide insights into the functions actually performed by the various circuits in the spinal cord.     

A study of the greater male variability hypothesis in creative thinking in Mainland China: Male superiority exists

This study tested the greater male variability hypothesis in creative thinking with a Chinese student sample in Mainland China. The Test for Creative Thinking-Drawing Production (TCT-DP) was administered to 627 Chinese adolescent boys (n = 332) and girls (n = 295). Results using the boy/girl variance ratio (VR) generally supported the hypothesis that boys have greater variability than girls in creativity test performance. However, results using the boy/girl ratios from different regions of the creativity score distribution revealed a pattern of male superiority. While boys significantly outnumbered girls in the higher extremes, girls tended to outnumber boys in the central region and the lower extremes. Results from an analysis of the means lent further support to the findings of male superiority. Plausible explanations for greater male variability and male superiority in Mainland China are proposed. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.