Working memory task decreases the survival of newly born neurons in hippocampus

Throughout life new neurons are generated in dentate gyrus of hippocampus. Previous studies have found that spatial tasks can rescue newly born neurons from death. However, it is still unknown whether new neurons are similarly affected by all types of hippocampal-dependent tasks. Here we investigated the possible effects of working memory task (WMT) on immature neurons. Mice were trained in reference memory task and WMT respectively. The reference memory task used the classical hidden platform (HP) water maze task, while WMT used a delayed matching-to-place (DMTP) water maze task. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was administrated during the early or late phase of training, or 1week prior to training, in order to label dividing proliferating cells. After water maze training, the number of BrdU-labeled cells in dentate gyrus of hippocampus was compared. In addition, hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and Notch 1 receptor were characterized using Western blot. Serum corticosterone levels were also measured using enzyme immunoassay. Results showed that HP task and DMTP task did not change the number of BrdU-labeled cells produced during the early or late phase of training. As expected, the HP task increased the number of BrdU-labeled cells produced 1 week prior to training. However, DMTP task decreased the number of BrdU-labeled cells produced 1 week prior to training. Both tasks lead to a significant increase in serum corticosterone levels and did not change the expression of BDNF and Notch 1 receptor in hippocampus. Taken together, these results demonstrate that WMT has different effects on survival of immature neurons, and therefore suggests immature neurons may have more than one role depending on the demands of the tasks.     

汉语同音字具体频率和同音字数在听觉词汇通达中的相互作用

用跨通道的音-字同音判断任务配以视觉词汇判断作协变分析,实验研究了汉语同音字音节的听觉词汇通达中同音字具体频率和同音字数的相互作用,等同了音节的累积频率和笔画数,结果发现了稳健的同音字族内的词频效应,同音字数与同音字频率相互牵制,表现在同音字数效应缺失,两因素刺激材料难以完全控制新的影响因素产生,出现逆抑制效应。结果说明在同音字频率和同音字数的相互作用中频率起稳健和主导的作用。     

心理模拟在语言理解中的作用

心理模拟在语言理解中的作用逐渐受到人们重视。相关理论包括知觉符号系统理论、语言的神经理论和语言与情境模拟理论。行为研究发现感知觉运动信息与语言理解存在交互作用,而脑机制研究显示感知觉运动脑区参与语言理解。目前的研究对于心理模拟参与语言理解的机制仍缺乏细致探讨,导致结果存在矛盾之处。对隐喻语言里心理模拟作用的探讨也需加强。此外,心理模拟系统如何与语言学信息交互作用的相关假设也需要完善。     

Dispositional Antecedents of Demonstration and Usefulness of Voice Behavior

Purpose  

To examine the relationship between Five-Factor Model (FFM) and non-FFM personality traits that are theoretically relevant to voice behavior and the demonstration and usefulness of voice behavior.     

“解释学”的没落与“描述学”的兴起——“既成”与“当下瞬间”的冲突

为了充分理解解释这个术语本身,我们得回到它的前提及其相关术语。解释的前提是理解,被理解的叫含义或意义。无论我们是否意识到,解释已经意味着进入哲学,从来的哲学家都在解释世界(马克思语)。怎么解释呢?用语言。传统上,我们往往从意识或概念领域接近解释学问     

基督教与川康民族地区的禁毒努力(1939-1949)

川康地区是近代中国烟毒泛滥的重灾区,在该地区从事传教活动的基督教传教士,不仅致力于禁烟的宣传工作,还采取积极措施劝导边民及协助政府禁烟。传教士不仅帮助政府对边地烟毒屡禁不止的原因进行深入分析,积极参与到禁烟的具体行动中,而且还帮助政府处理与禁戒烟毒有关的善后事宜。传教士的禁烟措施改变了边地民众吸食大烟的恶习,促进了边民的身体健康,有利于边地社会的稳定和发展;改善了政府与边地的紧张关系,使边民对政府的信任度增强;密切了边民与基督教的关系,便于基督教会各种活动的开展。     

广东省中职生生涯规划问题研究

本研究以广东省中等职业学校学生为研究对象,考察一直走在全国职业教育前沿的广东省中职生的生涯规划现状。通过自编的生涯规划测量量表对广州地区近800名中职学生的调查结果显示(1)积极方面:对专业的接受度较高、中职生的就业准备时间较早和对工作的薪酬较为理性;(2)消极方面:缺乏生涯规划意识、学习动力不足,学习动机复杂、中职生的就业地点较为局限等。     

Dividing the self: distinct neural substrates of task-based and automatic self-prioritization after brain damage

Facial self-awareness is a basic human ability dependent on a distributed bilateral neural network and revealed through prioritized processing of our own over other faces. Using non-prosopagnosic patients we show, for the first time, that facial self-awareness can be fractionated into different component processes. Patients performed two face perception tasks. In a face orientation task, they judged whether their own or others' faces were oriented to the left or right. In the 'cross' experiment, they judged which horizontal or vertical element in a cross was relatively longer while ignoring a task-irrelevant face presented as background. The data indicate that impairments to a distinct task-based prioritization process (when faces had to be attended) were present after brain damage to right superior frontal gyrus, bilateral precuneus, and left middle temporal gyrus. In contrast, impairments to automatic prioritization processes (when faces had to be ignored) were associated only with left hemisphere damage (the cingulate gyrus, superior parietal lobe, and superior temporal gyrus). In addition, both automatic and task-based self-prioritizations were affected by damage to left supramarginal and angular gyrus. The results for the gray matter analyses also extended to the adjacent white matter fiber tracts including the inferior occipital-frontal fasciculus, cingulum, and optic radiation. The data provide the first empirical evidence for separate functional roles of the left and right hemispheres in different aspects of self-face perception and suggest distinct functional processes respectively for paying attention to and for ignoring self-related information.     

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.     

Trichotomous goals of elementary school students learning English as a foreign language: a structural equation model

This study applied structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques to define the relations among trichotomous goals (mastery goals, performance-approach goals, and performance-avoidance goals), self-efficacy, use of metacognitive self-regulation strategies, positive belief in seeking help, and help-avoidance behavior. Elementary school students (N = 105), who were learning English as a foreign language, were surveyed using five self-report scales. The structural equation model showed that self-efficacy led to the adoption of mastery goals but discouraged the adoption of performance-approach goals and performance-avoidance goals. Furthermore, mastery goals increased the use of metacognitive self-regulation strategies, whereas performance-approach goals and performance-avoidance goals reduced their use. Mastery goals encouraged positive belief in help-seeking, but performance-avoidance goals decreased such belief. Finally, performance-avoidance goals directly led to help-avoidance behavior, whereas positive belief assumed a critical role in reducing help-avoidance. The established structural equation model illuminated the potential causal relations among these variables for the young learners in this study.