同步内隐／外显序列学习：事件相关的fMRI的初步研究

本文利用事件相关fMRI研究探讨对于内隐和外显学习在脑区激活上的差异.实验采用同步内隐/外显学习序列,以有色的形状作为刺激材料.要求被试对于刺激的颜色做选择反应,并在颜色消失后找出形状的内在规则.颜色和图形序列分别采用两个独立的马尔可夫链,即下一个图形的颜色或者形状有70%的可能服从序列规则.行为数据显示被试习得了外显和内隐的规则,fMRI成像主要比较内隐和外显学习在学习过程和知识运用上脑区激活的差异.结果发现,与内隐学习柑比,外显学习在额叶的激活更为显著.而且,内隐学习和外显学习在视觉皮层的激活出现分离,内隐学习中枕叶的激活减弱,而外显学习中枕叶的激活增加.     

Validity of the GDS-4 revisited

This article points out several flaws in an earlier article (Chau, Martin, Thompson, Chang, & Woo, 2006). We note that Chau, Martin, Thompson, Chang, and Woo (2006) had misquoted our work on a 4-item version of the geriatric depression scale (GDS), and the work of the research team, which developed the original 30-item and 15-item versions of the scale. Furthermore, their data analytic methods were flawed, and their conclusions were often not supported by the data they presented. On the basis of these observations, we found no evidence against the use of the 4-item version of the GDS.     

Whither geometry? Troubles of the geometric module

In rectangular arenas, rats often confuse diagonally opposite corners, even when distinctive cues differentiate them. This led to the postulation that rats rely preferentially on the geometry of space, encoded in a dedicated geometric module. Recent research casts doubt on this idea. Distinctive featural cues such as entire walls of a distinct color can hinder or aid the learning of geometry. In one situation in which using geometry would help greatly, rats had trouble learning the task. An associative model has been developed to capture these different learning processes, and view-based matching has been proposed as an alternative to the explicit coding of geometric cues. Considerations about how cues interact in learning are crucial in a recent theory of human spatial cognition.     

Conscious and unconscious forms of memory in different implicit tests

This study investigated how shallow processing (complexity rating), deep processing (pleasantness rating), and semantic generation (translating from English) of Chinese words affects conscious memory (CM) and unconscious memory (UM) of the words with three implicit tests: word association, word identification, and word-stem completion. A metacognition-based dissociation procedure was used to estimate the two forms of memory for each test. Except for the shallow condition preceding the word-association test, all three study conditions produced a positive effect on the estimate of CM. The estimate of UM did not benefit from any of the study conditions in the word-association test, it benefited from the shallow and deep conditions but did not benefit from the generation condition in the stem-completion test, and it benefited from the shallow condition but did not benefit from the deep and generation conditions in the word-identification test. Implications of these results for CM and UM operations are discussed.     

Exploring Master Therapists’ Use of Power in Conversation

Various theoretical approaches to therapy place different emphases on the use of power in therapy. In this study, we explore six master therapists’ use of power via communicational control for theoretical consistency. Results indicate that all therapists, regardless of their stance on power, use the role of therapist to exert power in an initial therapy session. Master therapists, in general, did appear to be theoretically consistent with their stated philosophies of therapy. Suggestions for future studies exploring power therapists have are included.     

心境对情绪信息加工的影响

该文考察在自然情境和人为诱发的情境下,心境对不同情绪信息加工过程的影响,验证特质一致性假设。采用实验研究和问卷调查相结合的方法,并以SPSS11.5进行数据处理。结果显示,在自然情境下,心境对于情绪信息加工的影响不是很明显;而在人为诱发的情境下,验证了心境一致性效应。     

Multiple pathways from stress to suicidality and the protective effect of social support in Hong Kong adolescents

Two theoretical models were constructed to illustrate how stressful events, family and friends support, depression, substance use, and death attitude mutually influence to create cumulative risks for suicide. The models were evaluated using structural equation modeling. Results showed that suicidality was strongly predicted by death attitude, depression, and substance use which together form a dangerous combination of risk factors at the personal level. Within the adolescent's social environment, stressful events increased suicidality through intensifying depression, substance use, and death acceptance, whereas family and friends support lowered it, partly through reducing stress and death acceptance. The effect (direct and indirect combined) of family support was much stronger than that of friends support. Enhancing stress coping ability, promoting positive family relationships, and attacking attitudes supportive of death might be the best strategies to prevent youth suicide.     

Internet café addiction of Taiwanese adolescents.

With the recent vigorous development, the Internet has become a part of life. And the Internet café has become an emerging industry under this new wave of Internet heat. However, the Internet café has also brought about many unexpected social problems and negative effects on society in Taiwan. For example, Internet café addiction (or pathological use) is a particular phenomenon derived from Internet café in Taiwan. But currently there are just a few scholars who attend to this problem. This study focuses mainly on the phenomenon of Internet café addiction among adolescents in Taiwan, the Internet café patronage behavior, and the cause of this phenomenon. Result of a questionnaire survey indicate that a significant difference exists between male and female adolescent in the following two aspects: "the stay hours for each visit in Internet café" and "Internet café addiction scores." Males' stay hours in Internet café are longer than females', and males also get higher Internet café addiction scores than females. The results also indicate that participants' degree of self-esteem and support from their social network can account for 30% of variance of Internet café addiction. Further, the results also suggest that social support is positively related to Internet café addiction score, whereas a negative relationship between self-esteem and Internet café addiction score is observed.     

The maximum priority index method for severely constrained item selection in computerized adaptive testing

This paper introduces a new heuristic approach, the maximum priority index (MPI) method, for severely constrained item selection in computerized adaptive testing. Our simulation study shows that it is able to accommodate various non‐statistical constraints simultaneously, such as content balancing, exposure control, answer key balancing, and so on. Compared with the weighted deviation modelling method, it leads to fewer constraint violations and better exposure control while maintaining the same level of measurement precision.     

Global Aging: Challenges for Community Psychology

Older persons are among the major marginalized, disenfranchised citizens worldwide, yet this group has generally been ignored in the community psychology literature. In this paper, we trace the demographic trends in aging worldwide, and draw the field’s attention to the United Nations Program on Aging, which structures its policy recommendations in terms of concepts that are familiar to community psychologists. A central theme of the paper is that community psychology can have a role in producing the conceptual shifts needed to change societal attitudes now dominated by negative age stereotypes.