Bayesian Diagnostics of Hidden Markov Structural Equation Models with Missing Data

Cocaine is a type of drug that functions to increase the availability of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. However, cocaine dependence or abuse is highly related to an increased risk of psychiatric disorders and deficits in cognitive performance, attention, and decision-making abilities. Given the chronic and persistent features of drug addiction, the progression of abstaining from cocaine often evolves across several states, such as addiction to, moderate dependence on, and swearing off cocaine. Hidden Markov models (HMMs) are well suited to the characterization of longitudinal data in terms of a set of unobservable states, and have increasingly been used to uncover the dynamic heterogeneity in progressive diseases or activities. However, the existence of outliers or influential points may misidentify the hidden states and distort the associated inference. In this study, we develop a Bayesian local influence procedure for HMMs with latent variables in the presence of missing data. The proposed model enables us to investigate the dynamic heterogeneity of multivariate longitudinal data, reveal how the interrelationships among latent variables change from one state to another, and simultaneously conduct statistical diagnosis for the given data, model assumptions, and prior inputs. We apply the proposed procedure to analyze a dataset collected by the UCLA center for advancing longitudinal drug abuse research. Several outliers or influential points that seriously influence estimation results are identified and removed. The proposed procedure also discovers the effects of treatment and individuals’ psychological problems on cocaine use behavior and delineates their dynamic changes across the cocaine-addiction states.     

Word segmentation by alternating colors facilitates eye guidance in Chinese reading

During sentence reading, low spatial frequency information afforded by spaces between words is the primary factor for eye guidance in spaced writing systems, whereas saccade generation for unspaced writing systems is less clear and under debate. In the present study, we investigated whether word-boundary information, provided by alternating colors (consistent or inconsistent with word-boundary information) influences saccade-target selection in Chinese. In Experiment 1, as compared to a baseline (i.e., uniform color) condition, word segmentation with alternating color shifted fixation location towards the center of words. In contrast, incorrect word segmentation shifted fixation location towards the beginning of words. In Experiment 2, we used a gaze-contingent paradigm to restrict the color manipulation only to the upcoming parafoveal words and replicated the results, including fixation location effects, as observed in Experiment 1. These results indicate that Chinese readers are capable of making use of parafoveal word-boundary knowledge for saccade generation, even if such information is unfamiliar to them. The present study provides novel support for the hypothesis that word segmentation is involved in the decision about where to fixate next during Chinese reading.     

旧客体抑制和新客体捕获视角下预览效应的机制

预览效应是一种在已经存在的多个旧客体中优先选择多个新客体, 对新客体表现出优先加工的现象。文章综述了预览效应认知神经机制的两种主要观点：(1)旧客体抑制观点, 认为预览效应是由于对旧客体的抑制; (2)新客体突现捕获注意观点, 认为预览效应是由于新客体出现伴随着亮度突然增加捕获注意。这两种观点之间的主要争论在于：预览效应与新旧客体亮度变化的关系; 新旧客体的颜色关系是否影响对目标的搜索; 在一些因素的作用下, 旧客体形状变化是否还会破坏预览效应。文章指出, 预览效应是旧客体抑制机制与新客体突现捕获注意机制共同作用的结果。     

返回抑制和抑制标签在长时训练下的分离

返回抑制(Inhibition of return, IOR)是指当线索-靶子的时隔大于约300 ms时, 被试对呈现在线索化位置的靶子相较对出现在非线索化位置的靶子而言反应更慢的现象。新近抑制标签 (Inhibitory tagging, IT) 理论指出, 除返回抑制外, 一个由前额叶执行控制系统负责的抑制标签机制也作用于先前线索化位置, 起着暂时中断刺激-反应链接的作用。然而, 迄今为止, 该理论的关键假设-“抑制标签一定程度上独立于返回抑制发挥作用”还未有来自常规被试研究的支持。结合线索-靶子和Stroop范式, 采用8(训练天数)×2(线索-靶子关系)×3(色字一致性)的三因素被试内实验设计, 通过连续8天的长时训练对常规被试的返回抑制和抑制标签功能在学习可塑性上的差别进行考察。结果发现, 返回抑制随着练习的增加呈现出了显著降低的趋势, 而抑制标签并未随着练习的变化而变化。研究结果表明返回抑制和抑制标签在一定程度上可以相互分离, 为抑制标签理论的关键假设提供了重要的来自常规被试的证据。     

Separation anxiety in first-time mothers: infant behavioral reactivity and maternal parenting self-efficacy as contributors

This short-term longitudinal study examined the contribution of infant behavioral reactivity and maternal parenting self-efficacy to first-time mothers’ (total n = 32) separation anxiety. Infants’ behavioral reactivity indexed by gaze and facial affect were observed in the conditions of routine play and maternal still face at 3 months. Mothers reported their self-perceived parenting efficacy at 3 months and separation anxiety at 6 months. Results revealed that infants’ frequent gazing at their mother, greater negative affect, and less positive affect observed during the still face, but not during the routine play, contributed to heightened maternal separation anxiety. In addition to a direct link between low maternal parenting self-efficacy and high maternal separation anxiety, maternal parenting self-efficacy buffered against the impact of infant negative reactivity on maternal separation anxiety. The role of infant reactivity and maternal self-efficacy in parenting was discussed.     

从假装到心理表征理论:假装认识训练的影响

研究探究假装情境及假装认识对幼儿心理理论(Theory of mind)发展的影响。实验一考察60名3~4岁幼儿在假装情境下的信念认识任务中的表现,发现幼儿对假装的早期认识的出现要早于对信念的认识的出现,假装情境对幼儿的信念认识没有直接促进作用。实验二对42名在信念认识任务上表现不佳的幼儿进行假装认识训练,结果发现假装认识训练促进了幼儿的信念认识,促进效应须经历一段时间才显现。研究支持假装认识在心理理论发展中具有重要作用的假设,但潜在作用机制仍有待进一步探究。     

责任心的多元研究与测量

责任心研究理论背景的多元性,决定了其测量方法和研究结果的多元特征。文章介绍了心理动力学、人格心理学领域和社会认知等不同领域的责任心测量探索;并对责任心测量方法的发展做了整理,如责任心的自评与他评测量、个体与团队水平测量、经典与项目反应理论测量和外显测量与内隐测量;最后根据责任心三侧面的理论构想,讨论了责任心测量的未来发展。     

道教戒律中的生态伦理思想探析

道教是以"道"为最高信仰的土生土长的中国传统宗教,是中国古代文化遗产的一个有机组成部分,在中国传统文化中占有重要地位.道教以"道"立教,以"道"化人,在"天人合一"思想的指导下,强调人与天地万物的和谐共处,道教在人与自然关系问题上所具有的深邃的生态智慧,在推崇可持续发展的当今时代,在世界范围内得到了学界的广泛认可和高度评价.一些西方生态伦理学家认为,道教思想是建构现代生态伦理的重要的思想资源.在道教的各种戒律中,对于保护动植物、保护生态环境作了多方面的规定,其中包含着深刻的生态伦理思想.重温这些戒律,对于我们今天建设和谐社会,促进人与自然的和谐相处、社会与自然的协调发展,具有重要的启迪和借鉴作用.论文包括四个部分:(一)、关于保护动物的思想;(二)、关于保护植物的思想;(三)、关于保护水土资源的思想;(四)、道教戒律生态伦理思想的现代启示.     

Attitudes toward intimate partner violence in dating relationships

Prevention of intimate partner violence on college campuses includes programs designed to change attitudes, and hence, a scale that assesses such attitudes is needed. Study 1 (N = 859) cross validates the factor structure of the Intimate Partner Violence Attitude Scale-Revised using exploratory factor analysis and presents initial validity data on the scale. In Study 2 (N = 687), the obtained three-factor structure (Abuse, Control, Violence) is tested using confirmatory factor analysis, and it is shown to be concurrently related to assault in romantic relationships and to predict psychological aggression 14 weeks later. The findings are discussed in the context of how understanding and modifying attitudes assessed by the Intimate Partner Violence Attitude Scale-Revised may improve interventions aimed at reducing intimate partner violence.     

Coping strategies in Chinese social context

The present study examined whether the scale called Coping Strategies in Chinese Social Context (CSCSC) developed in this paper is better at predicting individual mental health than the COPE Scale, which focuses on 'active-passive' coping. Two hundred and 51 university students were recruited and measured on the CSCSC, COPE and five mental health inventories. The results demonstrated that the CSCSC predicted mental health better than the COPE. 'Active-prosocial' and 'passive-prosocial' are two suitable coping strategies, whereas 'passive-antisocial' is not a suitable coping strategy. Studies exploring coping processes in Chinese culture should consider social interactions and connection with others as a significant aspect of coping.