Shared and distinct factors driving attention and temporal processing across modalities

In addition to the classic finding that “sounds are judged longer than lights,” the timing of auditory stimuli is often more precise and accurate than is the timing of visual stimuli. In cognitive models of temporal processing, these modality differences are explained by positing that auditory stimuli more automatically capture and hold attention, more efficiently closing an attentional switch that allows the accumulation of pulses marking the passage of time (Penney, Gibbon, & Meck, 2000). However, attention is a multifaceted construct, and there has been little attempt to determine which aspects of attention may be related to modality effects. We used visual and auditory versions of the Continuous Temporal Expectancy Task (CTET; O'Connell et al., 2009) a timing task previously linked to behavioral and electrophysiological measures of mind-wandering and attention lapses, and tested participants with or without the presence of a video distractor. Performance in the auditory condition was generally superior to that in the visual condition, replicating standard results in the timing literature. The auditory modality was also less affected by declines in sustained attention indexed by declines in performance over time. In contrast, distraction had an equivalent impact on performance in the two modalities. Analysis of individual differences in performance revealed further differences between the two modalities: Poor performance in the auditory condition was primarily related to boredom whereas poor performance in the visual condition was primarily related to distractibility. These results suggest that: 1) challenges to different aspects of attention reveal both modality-specific and nonspecific effects on temporal processing, and 2) different factors drive individual differences when testing across modalities.     

The Career Adapt-Abilities Scale in Macau: Psychometric characteristics and construct validity

The purpose of the study was to determine if the CAAS could be used with middle school students. Currently no study has been done for the application of CAAS on middle school students. We examined the reliability and validity of the Career Adapt-Ability Scale (CAAS) in Macau for middle school and high school students. The CAAS consists of four scales, each with six items, which measure concern, control, curiosity, and confidence. We tested the internal consistency and factor structure with 270 middle school students and 188 high school students. We also compared students' performance on CAAS in terms of gender and age. The results indicated that internal consistency estimates for the subscale and total scores were good for both high school and middle school students. The factor structure was quite similar to the one computed for combined data from 13 countries (Savickas & Porfeli, 2012). In addition, we found that high school students scored significantly higher than middle school students on the CAAS scales. Based on the results, the CAAS-Macau Form appears ready for use by researchers and practitioners who wish to measure adaptability resources among middle school and high school students in Macau.     

不同时程应激对大鼠行为、免疫和交感神经系统反应的影响

研究旨在研究不同时程情绪应激诱导的大鼠行为、免疫和神经内分泌反应的动态变化及其相互关系。实验采用一种在程序性饮水的固定时间点不确定性给予大鼠空瓶刺激诱发其情绪反应的应激模式,测定不同时程（14,21和28天）应激对大鼠行为、交感神经系统反应、体液免疫功能及体重增长的影响。结果表明,情绪应激导致大鼠攻击行为显著增加,且在整个应激过程中情绪应激组大鼠的攻击行为都被稳定地诱导;不同时程的情绪应激均导致大鼠特异性抗OVA抗体水平明显降低,且降低的程度类似;在情绪应激的第14天和28天应激组大鼠血中去甲肾上腺素水平明显高于对照组,但后者升高的水平明显低于前者。此外,14天应激明显抑制大鼠的体重增长,但随着应激时程的延长,体重增长逐渐恢复。这些结果表明,随着应激时程的延长,大鼠行为、免疫和神经内分泌反应的适应性改变存在时程差异,有助于进一步了解应激诱发的各种反应间的复杂关系     

CSR"品牌":以企业社会责任提升国家形象

消费者对别国的国家形象是通过食品、艺术、旅游等多种接触渠道形成的,其中一种体验会引发并上升为整个国家形象,即“光环效应”。申言之,消费者对其他国家的形象是通过消费者对该国产品的体验间接培育的,而消费者对其他国家某种产品的正、负面体验,将直接影响对该国其它产品的相应看法,即“连带效应”。据此,本文推论,民众可以通过企业社会责任的“光环效应”认知一个国家,进而依据“连带效应”形成对一国企业产品社会责任的总体印象。韩国在华中小型企业社会责任的不良纪录,很可能导致对韩国国家形象的负面看法。特有的集体行动逻辑阻碍了韩国在华中小型企业及时采取反应,其结果又反过来伤害其自身。     

Ⅰ期颈椎前后路手术治疗后纵韧带骨化症

为了探讨颈椎前后路手术治疗后纵韧带骨化症的疗效,对65例后纵韧带骨化症患者,Ⅰ期行颈椎前后路手术,采用JOA评分和X线,CT对手术效果进行评价。结果显示,按JOA标准评定,优良率为94％。术后X线及CT均示椎管有效矢状径增加,硬膜囊压迫解除。因此,颈椎前后路手术可以达到减压、稳定的目的,手术效果良好。     

Adolescents on the net: Internet use and well-being

With the growing popularity of Internet communication applications among adolescents, the Internet has become an important social context for their development. This paper examined the relationship between adolescent online activity and well-being. Participants included 156 adolescents between 15 to 18.4 years of age who were surveyed about their access to and use of the Internet. Participants also completed measures of loneliness and perceived social support. An ANOVA suggested that loneliness was not related to the total time spent online, nor to the time spent on e-mail, but was related to participants' gender. Regression analyses suggested that gender and participants' perceptions regarding their online relationships were the only variables that predicted loneliness. Adolescents who felt that their relationship with online partners was one that they could turn to in times of need were more lonely. However, perceived support from significant others was not related to time spent online, time on e-mail, participants' relationships with online partners, and to their perceptions about these relationships. The implications of our results for researchers, parents, and other lay persons are discussed.     

Mediating effect of cooperative norm in predicting organizational citizenship behaviors from procedural justice climate

Although the relationships between procedural justice climate and organizational citizenship behaviors have been examined in recent years, little research has explored the mechanism by which procedural justice climate shapes individual employee prosocial behaviors in the workplace. The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating role of a group-level cooperative norm on the relationships between the group-level procedural justice climate and individual-level organizational citizenship behaviors. The survey involved 45 work groups in four different industry fields in Taiwan, including manufacturing, technology, banking, and insurance, and each of the groups was composed of one supervisor and three subordinates. Cross-level analyses using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) indicated that the cooperative norm fully mediated the relationship between procedural justice climate and individual helping behaviors. Procedural justice climate indirectly affects individual helping behaviors through their effects on the cooperative norm.     

Cocaine-but not methamphetamine-associated memory requires de novo protein synthesis

Context-induced drug craving and continuous drug use manifest the critical roles of specific memory episodes associated with the drug use experiences. Drug-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in C57BL/6J mouse model, in this regard, is an appropriate behavioral paradigm to study such drug use-associated memories. Requirement of protein synthesis in various forms of long-term memory formation and storage has been phylogenetically demonstrated. This study was undertaken to study the requirement of protein synthesis in the learning and memory aspect of the conditioned place preference induced by cocaine and methamphetamine, two abused drugs of choice in local area. Since pCREB has been documented as a candidate substrate for mediating the drug-induced neuroadaptation, the pCREB level in hippocampus, nucleus accumbens, and prefrontal cortex was examined for its potential participation in the formation of CPP caused by these psychostimulants. We found that cocaine (2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg/dose)-induced CPP was abolished by the pretreatment of anisomycin (50 mg/kg/dose), a protein synthesis inhibitor, whereas methamphetamine (0.5 or 1.0 mg/kg/dose)-induced CPP was not affected by the anisomycin pretreatment. Likewise, cocaine-induced CPP was mitigated by another protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide (15 mg/kg/injection) pretreatment, whereas methamphetamine-induced CPP remained intact by such pretreatment. Moreover, anisomycin treatment 2h after each drug-place pairing disrupted the cocaine-induced CPP, whereas the same treatment did not affect methamphetamine-induced CPP. An increase of accumbal pCREB level was found to associate with the learning phase of cocaine, but not with the learning phase of methamphetamine. We further found that intraaccumbal CREB antisense oligodeoxynucleotide infusion diminished cocaine-induced CPP, whereas did not affect the methamphetamine-induced CPP. Taken together, these data suggest that protein synthesis and accumbal CREB phosphorylation are essential for the learning and consolidation of the cocaine-induced CPP, whereas methamphetamine-induced CPP may be unrelated to the synthesis of new proteins.     

Changes in mechanical control of movement during the first 5 months of independent walking: a longitudinal study

Insight into neuromuscular control of movement is gained through an understanding of the mechanical causes of movement. Data on new walkers' net joint moments is scarce, however, although those moments can be considered the direct cause of movement. The authors' goal in this research project was to characterize net joint moments in toddlers (N = 10) during the first 5 months of independent walking and to discuss their role in mechanical control of walking. The authors modeled leg segments as oscillating pendulums fixed at the proximal joint and investigated the relationship between force and movement. Their investigation revealed that at the onset of independent gait, walking was primarily hip driven. Furthermore, the toddlers seemed to experience problems in uncoupling active and passive control around the joints. Changes in mechanical control of walking were observed after 3 to 4 months of independent walking. The changes were more obvious at the hip and the knee joint than at the ankle.     

Impact of language anxiety and self-efficacy on accessing Internet sites.

Language interface plays a critical role as the foundation of communication. Possessing greater fluency in the host language can lead to increased opportunities for interaction with host members. This research is to examine the impact of language and Internet usage anxiety and self-efficacy on the intended uses of Internet sites, respectively. By the same token, whether Internet/language self-efficacy would mediate the effects of Internet/language anxiety on the intention of the Internet site use is also examined. A valid sample of 368 undergraduates was tested in this study. The path analysis results mostly supported the model tested. The results display that the anxiety of language and Internet use have significantly influenced self-efficacy of Internet use and language, respectively. Anxiety about language and Internet use have also significantly influenced the intention to use Internet sites individually. Furthermore, language self-efficacy has significantly influenced the intention to use Internet sites, but Internet self-efficacy has not. The implications are discussed at the end of the paper.