时间知觉的脑机制:时钟模型的困境和新导向

长期以来人们认为神经系统是通过类似于时钟的方式来实现对一段时间的知觉的,并认为多巴胺能系统(基地神经节)和时钟的快慢有关。与多巴胺信号有关的药物的动物实验的结果以及帕金森氏症(parkinson’s disease)患者的行为表现被看作是支持以上看法的证据。然而,最近的大量研究对这个理论提出了挑战,结合行为研究和脑机制研究的新成果,研究者提出了知觉信息可以通过神经活动状态或加工中的能量消耗来表达。     

Effects of Image Preprocessing on Face Matching and Recognition in Human Observers

In person identification, recognition failure due to variations of illumination is common. In this study, we employed image‐processing techniques to tackle this problem. Participants performed recognition and matching tasks where the face stimuli were either original images or computer‐processed images in which shading was weakened via a number of image‐processing techniques. The results show that whereas recognition accuracy in a memory task was unaffected, some of the techniques significantly improved the identification performance in a face‐matching task. We conclude that relative to long‐term face memory, face matching is more susceptible to discrepancy of shading in different images of a face. Reducing the discrepancy by certain preprocessing techniques can facilitate person identification when original face images contain large illumination differences. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

不同视角条件下条件推理任务和选择任务的反应模式

在不同视角条件下,要求被试先后完成选择任务和条件推理任务,考察被试在不同视角条件下对两种任务的反应模式。实验结果表明,提供强制情境下对立角色违反规则的信息时,两种任务的反应模式没有明显的关联;提供非强制情境下的反例信息时,两种任务的反应模式出现分离趋势;当对规则的语义关系进行充分非必要或必要非充分关系的解释时,两者又趋于一致。分析表明,被试采用多种策略完成选择任务,而是否采用条件推理的逻辑取决于特定情境能否激活这种逻辑。     

大学本科生基督新教信仰状况调查

本文以无记名问卷方式系统调查了浙江某高校在校大学本科生信仰基督教的状况,具体包括:接触宗教的心理状态,接触宗教的途径和动机,宗教皈依的过程,宗教认同的维持,对教义、崇拜对象、宗教团体、宗教活动场所的认同,一般仪式行为,宗教认同的程度,宗教信仰情操,宗教身份认同,虔诚程度的评价,对宗教信仰重要性的评价,宗教人格的成长。并针对这些情况,作了相关分析。     

Parental, Behavioral, and Psychological Factors Associated with Cigarette Smoking among Secondary School Students in Nanjing, China

We designed this study to assess parental, behavioral, and psychological factors associated with tobacco use among Chinese adolescents. The data were collected from 995 middle school students in Nanjing, China. Both smoking experimentation and current smoking (smoking in the past 30 days) were assessed among the study sample. Psychosocial measures include family structure, problem behaviors, social influence of smoking (both parental and friends’ approval of smoking), depressive symptoms, social alienation, self-esteem, parental monitoring (social monitoring and academic monitoring) and parenting style (responsiveness and demandingness). Among the study sample (mean age 15.16 years and 50% females), 24% ever smoked and 15% smoked in the past 30 days. Advanced age, male gender, low family SES, low school performance and low educational aspiration were associated with both smoking experimentation and current smoking. Depressive symptoms, social alienation, low self-esteem, low social and academic monitoring, problem behaviors, low maternal and paternal responsiveness, peer smoking, parent smoking, and parental and friends’ approval of smoking were positively associated with current smoking among Chinese adolescents. Future tobacco use prevention efforts among Chinese adolescents need to consider the parental, behavioral, and psychological correlates identified in the current study.     

Chronic administration of troxerutin protects mouse brain against d-galactose-induced impairment of cholinergic system

Previous evidence showed that administration of d-galactose (d-gal) increased ROS production and resulted in impairment of cholinergic system. Troxerutin, a natural bioflavonoid, has been reported to have many benefits and medicinal properties. In this study, we evaluated the protective effect of troxerutin against d-gal-induced impairment of cholinergic system, and explored the potential mechanism of its action. Our results displayed that troxerutin administration significantly improved behavioral performance of d-gal-treated mice in step-through test and morris water maze task. One of the potential mechanisms of this action was decreased AGEs, ROS and protein carbonyl levels in the basal forebrain, hippocampus and front cortex of d-gal-treated mice. Furthermore, our results also showed that troxerutin significantly inhibited cholinesterase (AchE) activity, increased the expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha 7 (nAchRα7) and enhanced interactions between nAchRα7 and either postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) or N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors subunit 1 (NMDAR1) in the basal forebrain, hippocampus and front cortex of d-gal-treated mice, which could help restore impairment of brain function.     

胰岛再生治疗的前景

胰岛β细胞数量减少和功能障碍是糖尿病的根本原因,现有的治疗手段主要以维持正常血糖水平为主要目的,尚无有效恢复受损胰岛功能的治愈性治疗手段.胰岛再生治疗将是一种可以恢复受损胰岛功能、改变糖尿病自然病程的崭新治疗手段.目前现有的噻唑烷二酮、肠促胰岛素及类似物、二肽基肽酶-4抑制剂等治疗,虽然不是一类新的胰岛再生药物,但其具有一定的促进胰岛再生、改善胰岛功能的作用.体外诱导β细胞再生也将为胰岛移植提供新的来源,为治愈糖尿病带来曙光.     

公共健康领域里的几个相关伦理问题

公共健康与个人自由权既有相冲突的一面,又有相促进的一面.在一定的情况下,只有个人的权利得到了相应的保障,公共健康才能有效地促进.个人生命权利作为一项不可转让的权利,其中包括了健康权.然而,面对着公共健康的危机时,对于个人权利呈现出一种家长主义保护,以及公共善和个人自由权的关系问题.     

直觉对内隐学习优势效应的特异性贡献

已有人工语法的内隐学习研究中一个关键的问题是被试在不同指导语诱发下究竟形成了什么样的知识表征？实验借助结构知识的测量方式, 采用记忆和规则探索两种指导语, 考察了两组被试所获得的深层知识表征(结构知识)。结果发现：(1)在记忆指导语条件下, 被试获得了语法规则; (2)直觉在记忆指导语条件下贡献突出, 表现出特异性。该结果表明记忆指导语引发了被试基于直觉区分人工语法规则的内隐学习优势效应。     

推理能力、认知方式和启发量对顿悟问题解决不同阶段的影响*

从《科学发明创造实验问题材料库》中选取实验材料,采用“学习多个原型-测试多个问题”的两阶段实验范式,探究推理能力、认知方式和启发量对顿悟问题解决中原型激活与关键启发信息提取这两个阶段的影响。结果发现:(1)高推理能力被试比低推理能力被试的顿悟问题解决水平更高,且高推理能力被试在原型激活和关键启发信息提取上都显著优于低推理能力被试;(2)认知方式对原型激活和关键启发信息提取均没有影响;(3)启发量对原型激活没有影响,但对关键启发信息的提取有影响,并且高启发量的原型比低启发量的原型更能促进关键启发信息的提取。