Working memory biasing of visual perception without awareness

Previous research has demonstrated that the contents of visual working memory can bias visual processing in favor of matching stimuli in the scene. However, the extent to which such top-down, memory-driven biasing of visual perception is contingent on conscious awareness remains unknown. Here we showed that conscious awareness of critical visual cues is dispensable for working memory to bias perceptual selection mechanisms. Using the procedure of continuous flash suppression, we demonstrated that “unseen” visual stimuli during interocular suppression can gain preferential access to awareness if they match the contents of visual working memory. Strikingly, the very same effect occurred even when the visual cue to be held in memory was rendered nonconscious by masking. Control experiments ruled out the alternative accounts of repetition priming and different detection criteria. We conclude that working memory biases of visual perception can operate in the absence of conscious awareness.     

Bayesian Inferences of Latent Class Models with an Unknown Number of Classes

This paper focuses on analyzing data collected in situations where investigators use multiple discrete indicators as surrogates, for example, a set of questionnaires. A very flexible latent class model is used for analysis. We propose a Bayesian framework to perform the joint estimation of the number of latent classes and model parameters. The proposed approach applies the reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo to analyze finite mixtures of multivariate multinomial distributions. In the paper, we also develop a procedure for the unique labeling of the classes. We have carried out a detailed sensitivity analysis for various hyperparameter specifications, which leads us to make standard default recommendations for the choice of priors. The usefulness of the proposed method is demonstrated through computer simulations and a study on subtypes of schizophrenia using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).     

Predictors of smoking cessation in Taiwan: using the theory of planned behavior

This study aimed to explore the factors predicting the intention to quit smoking and the subsequent behavior 6 months later using the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Data were obtained from 145 smokers who attended a smoking cessation clinic in a community hospital. All participants completed a questionnaire which included demographic information, TPB-based items, perceived susceptibility and previous attempts to quit. The actual quitting behavior was obtained by follow-up phone calls 6 months later. The TPB constructs explained 34% of the variance in intention to quit smoking. By adding perceived susceptibility, the explained variance was significantly improved to 40%. The most important predictors were perceived behavior control and perceived susceptibility, followed by attitude. Subjective norm did not contribute to the prediction of intention. Attitude and perceived behavior control contributed to the prediction of actual quitting behavior, but intention, subjective norm and perceived susceptibility did not. Our findings support that the TPB is generally a useful framework to predict the intention to quit smoking in Taiwan. The inclusion of perceived susceptibility improved the prediction of intention. With regards to successfully quitting, attitude and perceived behavior control played more crucial roles than other TPB constructs. Smoking cessation promotion initiatives focusing on reinforcing cessation belief, enhancing a smoker’s perception of their capability to quit smoking, and persuading smokers that they can overcome cessation barriers to cessation could make subsequent interventions more effective.     

Young children discover how to deceive in 10 days: a microgenetic study

We investigated how the ability to deceive emerges in early childhood among a sample of young preschoolers (Mean age = 34.7 months). We did this via a 10‐session microgenetic method that took place over a 10‐day period. In each session, children played a zero‐sum game against an adult to win treats. In the game, children hid the treats and had opportunities (10 trials) to win them by providing deceptive information about their whereabouts to the adult. Although children initially showed little or no ability to deceive, most spontaneously discovered deception and systematically used it to win the game by the tenth day. Both theory of mind and executive function skills were predictive of relatively faster patterns of discovery. These results are the first to provide evidence for the importance of cognitive skills and social experience in the discovery of deception over time in early childhood.     

The direction of bilateral transfer depends on the performance parameter

To acquire a more comprehensive understanding of the learning benefits associated with bilateral transfer and to gain knowledge of possible mechanisms behind bilateral transfer, we investigated the transfer direction of several parameters which are assumed to represent important features of movement control in a visuo-motor task. During the study, participants learned a multidirectional point-to-point drawing task in which the visual feedback was rotated 45° and the gain was increased. Performance changes of the untrained hand in movement time, trajectory length, normalized jerk, initial direction error, ratio of the primary sub-movement time to the total movement time, and the accuracy of the aiming movement after the primary sub-movement were investigated as indices of learning from bilateral transfer. The results showed that performance parameters related to the initial production of the movement, such as the initial direction, ratio of primary sub-movement to the total movement time, and movement accuracy after the primary sub-movement, only transferred to the non-dominant, while hand performance variables related to the overall outcome, such as movement duration, movement smoothness, and trajectory length, transferred in both directions. The findings of the current study support the basic principle of the “dynamic dominance model” because it is suggested that overall improvements in the non-dominant system are controlled by trajectory parameters in visuo-motor tasks, which resulted in transference of the afore mentioned production parameters to rather occur to the non-dominant hand as opposed to transference to the dominant hand.     

中医和中国哲学中身体的意义:以梦为中心

对梦这个精神现象的考察可从多个角度进行,中国医学和哲学范围内的几种释梦思路反映出对精神状态的一贯重视,但这种重视必须联系身体观念才构成完整的体察。中医把梦视为身体疾病的信号,道家的"至人无梦"说和宋代理学对"孔子梦周公"问题的讨论则涉及两种释梦思路间的转移,即从视梦为精神状态和精神修养的指针到兆示吉凶的征兆。脱离身体的精神化解读暴露的中国古典身体观念和崇圣传统之间的张力,是造成这一转移的主要因素。     

工作记忆内容对空间返回抑制的影响

工作记忆内容能够以相对自动化的方式引导视觉选择性注意。研究的目的在于考察工作记忆内容对空间返回抑制的影响。实验一要求被试在客体工作记忆保持阶段完成返回抑制任务,结果发现无论返回抑制任务目标是否与工作记忆内容匹配都出现了返回抑制效应。实验二要求被试在空间工作记忆保持阶段完成返回抑制任务,结果发现当目标落在记忆空间上时返回抑制效应消失。因此,空间返回抑制仅会受到基于空间工作记忆的视觉注意引导的影响。     

中学组织气氛与教师工作满意度的相关分析

本研究在国内外相关研究的基础上,通过自编中学组织气氛量表调查分析中学组织气氛与其教师工作满意度的关系。结果表明学校组织气氛各因子与其教师工作满意度除人际关系因子外的各因子相关显著;回归分析进一步发现,学校组织气氛与教师工作满意度的工作性质、领导管理、薪水、进修晋升和物质条件等因子回归显著。     

不同气质类型大学生注意集中性的实验研究

研究首先采用气质量表选择四种典型气质类型的大学生各16人共计64人,再采用划消实验对所选被试的注意集中性进行测试,力图探索大学生的不同气质类型与注意集中性的关系。研究结果发现:在划消速度上,粘液质明显快于胆汁质;在划消正确数上,胆汁质明显低于多血质和抑郁质;性别因素对划消速度和划消正确数的影响无显著差异。     

工程中利益冲突问题研究

首先在详细分析工程中利益冲突已有定义的基础上,本文从不同角度提出了一种不同的定义。然后,分析了利益冲突的构成,并列举了利益冲突的情形。接着,分析了利益冲突的伦理问题,并提出解决方法。最后介绍了美国工程社团以及大型企业有关利益冲突的伦理章程和行为规范。