Working memory modulates the perception of time

Recent research has indicated that reentrant feedback from the contents of working memory can enhance neural representations and the perceptual strengths of matching stimuli in the visual field. However, whether the contents of working memory can also distort conscious experiences of perception remains unclear. Our present results show that the durations of perceptual stimuli matching the nontemporal representations in working memory tend to be perceived as longer than those of mismatching stimuli. This is the first demonstration that working memory can lead to distortions of time perception. Our findings are consistent with the ideas that the perceived duration of a stimulus depends on the magnitude of the neural responses to that stimulus in visual cortex and that there is a common system for representing both temporal and nontemporal magnitudes. We conclude that top-down modulation from the nontemporal contents of working memory distorts the perceptual experience of temporal duration.     

Recognizing vocal emotions in Mandarin Chinese: A validated database of Chinese vocal emotional stimuli

To establish a valid database of vocal emotional stimuli in Mandarin Chinese, a set of Chinese pseudosentences (i.e., semantically meaningless sentences that resembled real Chinese) were produced by four native Mandarin speakers to express seven emotional meanings: anger, disgust, fear, sadness, happiness, pleasant surprise, and neutrality. These expressions were identified by a group of native Mandarin listeners in a seven-alternative forced choice task, and items reaching a recognition rate of at least three times chance performance in the seven-choice task were selected as a valid database and then subjected to acoustic analysis. The results demonstrated expected variations in both perceptual and acoustic patterns of the seven vocal emotions in Mandarin. For instance, fear, anger, sadness, and neutrality were associated with relatively high recognition, whereas happiness, disgust, and pleasant surprise were recognized less accurately. Acoustically, anger and pleasant surprise exhibited relatively high mean f0 values and large variation in f0 and amplitude; in contrast, sadness, disgust, fear, and neutrality exhibited relatively low mean f0 values and small amplitude variations, and happiness exhibited a moderate mean f0 value and f0 variation. Emotional expressions varied systematically in speech rate and harmonics-to-noise ratio values as well. This validated database is available to the research community and will contribute to future studies of emotional prosody for a number of purposes. To access the database, please contact pan.liu@mail.mcgill.ca.     

基于空间与基于物体的视觉选择的交互作用

已有的大量实验证据表明,基于空间和基于物体的注意成分都存在于视觉系统中,两者并不是相互排斥的。然而,过去对基于空间和基于物体的视觉选择的研究是分别在非常不同的实验范式下进行的,从而导致对两种注意成分之间的内在关系的理论争论。本文介绍近十年来在单任务范式下对基于空间和基于物体的注意的内在关系的研究,并指出未来的研究应该重点从神经生理水平上揭示两种注意成分之间的交互作用关系。     

Three variant forms of subcortical aphasia in Chinese stroke patients

Five right-handed patients with subcortical aphasia that involved the left hemisphere subcortical lesion sites were subjected to CT scans. Given their etiology, two cases were infarctions and the other three were hemorrhages. Two of the patients presented an involvement of the anterior limb of the internal capsule and of the basal ganglia and an anterior superior white-matter lesion extension. In both cases slow scanty dysarthric speech was noted; one had markedly impaired auditory comprehension, and the others were only partially impaired. The third patient presented an involvement of the posterior limb of the internal capsule and of the thalamus and a posterior paraventricular white-matter lesion extension. He had poor auditory comprehension, echolalia, and fluent speech. The last two patients presented an involvement of the internal capsule, the basal ganglia, and the thalamus and an anterior posterior paraventricular white-matter lesion extension. The latter two showed poor auditory comprehension with nonfluent and scanty spontaneous speech. The speech sounds were nonsensical monosyllabic words with a pattern similar to that of global aphasia. All patients had lasting right hemiplegia.     

决策论中的协方差方法与信号检测论

本文有两个目的。第一,介绍决策论中的平均概率分数的协方差分解方法——一种评估判断能力的新方法。第二,探索协方差方法与信号检测论的关系。按照信号检测论评价法程序进行的两个实验证明:1.协方差分解方法能够把人的判断能力及其主观态度区分开。2.协方差分解方法在处理感觉事件上(重量感觉)与信号检测论同等有效。     

论心理学基本理论问题的研究

心理学的基本理论问题,是心理学上老大难问题,一直没有得到好好解决。这些问题比较复杂,不容易解决,不容易碰,但不能回避,不能不去碰它们。我国心理学要大步跨上去,要赶超世界先进水平,要很好地为社会主义现代化建设服务,非尽可能研究解决这些问题不可。     

受苦的上帝与人的解放──莫尔特曼的政治神学

莫尔特曼的政治神学是其希望神学的逻辑延伸与必要组成部分。政治神学的特点是面向实践。它是关于复活与十字架受难的辩证和谐统一。政治神学的上帝是被钉十字架的、受苦的上帝。奥斯维辛之后的上帝不再是战无不胜的。上帝与不信神的、被上帝遗弃者结合。解放是指从政治偶像及焦虑中解放出来。拯救不仅仅是传统所谓从罪中救赎。除了罪以外,人还有无缘无故地遭受的苦难。上帝站在无辜受难者一边,并亲自受苦。这是新的神正论。人的解放不仅包括宗教偶像的破除,也包括政治偶像的破除。注重行动与成就,使人变得冷漠,对人缺乏同情,缺乏激情。现代神学的趋势是与社会现实结合更密切。     

吊车工人深度视觉阈值的测定

本研究对１０９名吊车工人进行了红橙黄绿蓝紫黑白等八种颜色的深度知觉阈限的测定．结果发现：在白色背景条件下,绿蓝两色为最佳深度色,最易辨别深度差异;黑紫红三色为二级深度色;橙黄两色为三级深度色;白色为四级深度色．易于深度辨别的颜色．,平均阈值小,分布较集中;不易深度辨别的颜色,平均阈值大,分布较分散．建议吊车设计部门,在吊钩臂部位的黄色背景上,涂上黑色条子．使吊车的吊钧本身具有颜色对比,少受作业环境的影响。     

整体字形对部件识别的影响

该研究借用 Estes的部件再认范式 ,以真字假字和部件字三种刺激材料探索了合体汉字 (或假字 )整体字形对部件的影响 ,结果发现 :(1 )对左右结构型和上下结构型汉字中的部件识别存在字优效应 ;而假字中 ,这二种结构方式的部件识别存在着假字劣效应。(2 )对左右结构型和上下结构型字刺激中的部件识别存在着部位效应。字形整体对左部件或上部件的影响大于右部件或下部件。     

实验性恶心与呕吐——大脑皮层与内脏相关研究的新途径

大脑皮层与内脏关系的脑机制是揭示心身疾病和心理疾病的重要依据。本文综述了经典条件学习与期待性恶心与呕吐的关系以及实验性恶心与呕吐的研究方法。作者认为,实验性恶心与呕吐结合脑成像技术是研究大脑皮层与内脏关系神经机制的重要途径。