An attentional blink for nontargets?

In a typical attentional blink experiment, viewers try to detect two target items among distractors in a Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP): processing of the first target impairs participants' ability to recall a subsequent target at short stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs). However, little is known about whether target detection interferes with memory for nontarget items. To answer this question, in two experiments, we employed a novel dual-task procedure: participants searched for a word target (e.g., "a four-footed animal") and then were tested for recognition of nontarget words. Detection of the target word, which was present on half the trials, produced a standard attentional blink effect on memory for nontarget words, with lag 1 sparing followed by an attentional blink at longer lags. This result shows that target processing has a generalized effect on processing of later events, not only other targets.     

In the zone: flow state and cognition in older adults

The current study investigated the nature of the flow state among older adults. Flow is a pleasurable experiential state that occurs during full-capacity engagement in which an individual is performing at a level that is matched with the demands of the task. Each participant completed a scale assessing dimensions of flow in a particular activity selected by the participant. More cognitively demanding activities elicited higher levels of flow for those with higher fluid ability, but lower levels of flow for those with lower fluid ability. This pattern was reversed for activities that were low in demand. Our data highlight the potential importance of considering motivational states such as flow in understanding cognitive optimization in adulthood.     

The depressive personality disorder inventory and current depressive symptoms: implications for the assessment of depressive personality

The Depressive Personality Disorder Inventory (DPDI; Huprich, Margrett, Barthelemy, & Fine, 1996; see Appendix) was created to assess Depressive Personality Disorder in clinical and nonclinical samples. Since its creation, the DPDI has been used in multiple studies, and the psychometric properties of the measure have generally supported its reliability, convergent validity, and construct validity; however, evidence for the measure's discriminant validity has been mixed. Specifically, the DPDI tends to correlate highly with measures of current depressive symptoms, which limits its efficacy in differentiating current depressive symptoms from a depressive personality structure. A principal components analysis of 362 individuals who completed both the DPDI and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II; Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996) found that 49% of the variance was accounted for in two components. Seven items from the DPDI loaded more strongly on the first component composed of many BDI-II items. These items were removed in order to create a measure believed to assess DPD without the confounding influence of current depressive symptomology. Principal components analysis of the revised measure yielded three components, accounting for 46% of the variance. The revised DPDI was used to calculate convergent, discriminant, and construct validity coefficients from measures used in former studies. Virtually no improvement in the validity coefficients was observed. It is concluded that assessing DPD via self-report is limited in its utility.     

Attachment-related differences in perceptions of an initial peer interaction emerge over time: Evidence of reconstructive memory processes in adolescents

This study examined whether attachment, assessed using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI; George, Kaplan, & Main, 1996) was linked to how adolescents reconstructed their memory for an initial interaction with an unfamiliar peer. Adolescents (N = 189, 62% female) completed a 10-min laboratory task with a student whom they did not know. Immediately following this task, adolescents rated their perceptions of the interaction. Adolescents completed the same perception measure 2 weeks later. Although adolescents classified as secure and insecure on the AAI did not differ in how they perceived unfamiliar peers initially, attachment-related differences emerged over time. Insecure adolescents remembered the interactions as less positive and more negative and also reported being treated with greater hostility than they had initially reported 2 weeks earlier. In contrast, secure adolescents' memories for the negative aspects of the interaction and for hostile treatment remained stable, although, like insecure adolescents, they remembered the conflicts as being less positive than initially reported. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

Testing the efficacy of a new procedure for reducing faking on personality tests within selection contexts

The authors propose a new procedure for reducing faking on personality tests within selection contexts. This computer-based procedure attempts to identify and warn potential fakers early on during the testing process and then give them a chance for recourse. Two field studies were conducted to test the efficacy of the proposed procedure. Study 1 participants were 157 applicants competing for 10 staff positions at a large university located in a southern city in the People's Republic of China. In Study 1, potential fakers received a warning message, whereas nonfakers received a nonwarning (control) message. Study 2 participants were 386 Chinese college students applying for membership of a popular student organization at the same university where Study 1 was conducted. In Study 2, the warning and control messages were randomly assigned to all applicants. Results showed some promise for the proposed procedure, but several practical issues need to be considered.     

汉语婴儿词汇学习的注意偏好

婴儿的动、名词词类学习存在跨文化差异,但是很少研究从注意偏好角度解释这类差异。本研究利用习惯化范式考察汉语婴儿在6-8个月和17-19个月时对事件中人物,动作和物体的区分。结果发现,6-8个月的婴儿仅能区分动作变化,对人物和物体无法区分,而17-19个月的婴儿对三类变化均可以区分。本研究提供了婴儿早期注意偏好发展的实验依据,同时为儿童早期单词获得提供了新的理论基础。     

试论原始佛教的缘起思想

佛教,是一个注重生命解脱实践的宗教。原始佛教的思想和教义针对的是众生正在面临的苦难,研究的是生命及其感受的本质,解决的是众生如何能够得到解脱的问题。原始佛教是一个立足于众生解脱的宗教,主要思想内容包括"四谛""缘起""无常""无我"和"涅槃"等学说,其研究对象是众生的"苦"的问题,目的是令众生脱离痛苦而达到解脱。原始佛教哲学体系就是围绕着众生的痛苦及其解脱而展开的,其缘起说也是如此。^[1]缘起思想是佛教哲学的理论基石,是佛教思想的理论源泉和根基。     

古希腊哲学与我们

西方哲学研究一直是现代中国思想发展的一个重要推动力，但长期以来，古希腊哲学并非其中最具影响的力量。古希腊哲学近来日益受到关注，是现代中国思想成熟的一个标志。而对古希腊哲学理解的加深，关键在于现代中国思想如何能够在哲学上建立与希腊古代哲学的关联，并形成自身理解古希腊哲学的研究传统。