A Fate Worse Than Death? The Well-Being of Patients Diagnosed as Vegetative With Covert Awareness

Patients in the vegetative state are wholly unaware of themselves, or their surroundings. However, a minority of patients diagnosed as vegetative are actually aware. What is the well-being of these patients? How are their lives going, for them? It has been argued that on a reasonable conception of well-being, these patients are faring so poorly that it may be in their best interests not to continue existing. I argue against this claim. Standard conceptions of well-being do not clearly support the conclusion that these patients would be better off having life-sustaining treatment withdrawn, and in fact, it may be possible for these patients to retain a passable level of well-being. I suggest that further research into the subjective experiences of these patients will allow us to better promote their well-being.     

Floral guidance of learning a preference for symmetry by bumblebees

This study examines the mechanism underlying one way in which bumblebees are known to develop a preference for symmetric patterns: through prior non-differential reinforcement on simple patterns (black discs and white discs). In three experiments, bees were given a choice among symmetric and asymmetric black-and-white non-rewarding patterns presented at the ends of corridors in a radial maze. Experimental groups had prior rewarded non-discrimination training on white patterns and black patterns, while control groups had no pre-test experience outside the colony. No preference for symmetry was obtained for any of the control groups. Prior training with circular patterns highlighting a horizontal axis of symmetry led to a specific subsequent preference for horizontal over vertical symmetry, while training with a vertical axis abolished this effect. Circles highlighting both axes created a general avoidance of asymmetry in favour of symmetric patterns with vertical, horizontal or both axes of symmetry. Training with plain circles, but not with deformed circles, led to a preference for symmetry: there was no evidence that the preference emerged just by virtue of having attention drawn away from irrelevant pattern differences. Our results point to a preference for symmetry developing gradually through first learning to extract an axis of symmetry from simple patterns and subsequently recognizing that axis in new patterns. They highlight the importance of continued learning through non-differential reinforcement by skilled foragers. Floral guides can function not only to guide pollinators to the source of reward but also to highlight an axis of symmetry for use in subsequent floral encounters.     

注意分散对类比推理内隐加工的影响

通过两个实验分别考察在类比推理的检索阶段和评价阶段的注意分散对类比推理内隐加工的影响。实验一以83名大学生为被试,采用喜好判断范式探讨检索阶段注意分散对类比推理过程中直觉加工效应和逻辑加工效应的不同影响。实验二以80名大学生为被试,探讨评价阶段注意分散对类比推理过程中直觉加工效应和逻辑加工效应的不同影响。结果显示:检索阶段的注意分散对类比推理的内隐加工的影响不显著,评价阶段的注意分散对类比推理的内隐加工和外显加工均有显著影响。     

简单非一致:以再认启发式使用为例

再认启发式理论认为人们仅依赖再认做出决策。以两项高低不同再认预测力(效度)的任务为材料,选取初中生(N=138,M=14.1岁)和成年大学生(N=136,M=19.3岁)被试,探讨再认启发式使用特征。使用层级多项式加工树模型对数据进行分析,结果显示:(1)初中生较大学生认识的材料数更少或运用知识比较的正确率更低;(2)再认启发式使用存在被试异质性;(3)初中生再认启发式的使用低于大学生。结论:知识表现出随年龄增长的趋势,再认启发式的使用存在较大的个体差异和群体差异,决策时初中生相比大学生会更少依赖再认线索。     

中国医患社会心态问卷的初步编制与信效度检验

确立医患社会心态的医患社会情绪、医患社会认知、医患价值观与医患行为倾向四个维度,并在每个维度下建立分问卷,分医方卷与患方卷编制了国内首个标准化中国医患社会心态问卷。在初测问卷进行探索性因素分析的基础上,对有效患方卷和医方卷进行验证性因素分析,验证了四维度结构的合理性。中国医患社会心态问卷内部一致性系数在0.757～0.932之间,两周重测信度在0.632～0.759之间; 各因素间呈中等偏低的相关,验证性因素分析的各项参数在可接受水平; 专家评定效度良好。各分问卷可在中国大陆地区单独或组合使用。     

中国文艺心理学研究中弗洛伊德理论的“简化”

在中国文艺心理学研究中,对弗洛伊德理论进行了简化。出现这一现象既和弗洛伊德理论结构庞大、复杂有关,也和国内相关资料不足和文艺学学者的学术取向有关。弗洛伊德理论的简化主要表现为本能理论的简化、心理人格/心理结构理论的简化和潜意识理论的简化。对弗洛伊德理论的简化,既有适当的取舍,同时也存在着忽视弗洛伊德理论复杂的心理学内涵和对弗洛伊德理论产生误读的问题。对弗洛伊德理论简化后的借鉴,一方面使中国的文艺心理学在文艺创作研究上有所突破,另一方面也导致了对弗洛伊德理论批判上的偏差和理论创新方面的不足。     

观察因果学习和自主探索对学前儿童因果推理的影响

本研究采取单因素完全随机实验设计,以94名学前末期儿童(66-74月龄)为被试,在控制证据顺序的条件下探究观察因果学习结果和自主探索结果对儿童因果推理的影响,结果发现:(1)在只获得观察学习结果或自主探索结果一种证据条件下,绝大多数儿童依据所获证据推断因果关系;(2)在获得观察学习结果和自主探索结果两种证据条件下,儿童能综合两类证据推断因果关系,其中自主探索结果对儿童因果推理的影响力大于观察学习结果。     

关系流动性、拒绝敏感性与主观幸福感的关系

为了从社会生态学的视角探讨预测主观幸福感的相关因素、考察拒绝敏感性在其中的中介作用、揭示高关系流动的社会环境对心理健康可能的积极作用,以生活满意度和心理幸福感等为测量工具,对成人进行了研究。研究结果显示:关系流动性可显著正向预测主观幸福感; 拒绝敏感性在关系流动性与主观幸福感之间起中介作用。研究结果表明,高关系流动性能预测个体的低拒绝敏感性,进而预测更高的主观幸福感。