Sensorimotor and working memory systems jointly support development of perceptual rhythm processing

We studied the role of sensorimotor and working memory systems in supporting development of perceptual rhythm processing with 119 participants aged 7–12 years. Children were assessed for their abilities in sensorimotor synchronization (SMS; beat tapping), auditory working memory (AWM; digit span), and rhythm discrimination (RD; same/different judgment on a pair of musical rhythm sequences). Multiple regression analysis revealed that children's RD performance was independently predicted by higher beat tapping consistency and greater digit span score, with all other demographic variables (age, sex, socioeconomic status, music training) controlled. The association between RD and SMS was more robust in the slower tempos (60 and 100 beats-per-minute (BPM)) than faster ones (120 and 180 BPM). Critically, the relation of SMS to RD was moderated by age in that RD performance was predicted by beat tapping consistency in younger children (age: 7–9 years), but not in older children (age: 10–12 years). AWM was the only predictor of RD in older children. Together, the current findings demonstrate that the sensorimotor and working memory systems jointly support RD processing during middle-to-late childhood and that the degree of association between the two systems and perceptual rhythm processing is shifted before entering into early adolescence.     

Eternity and the Future: A Critique of the Plotinian Myth in Pannenberg’s Theology

For Pannenberg, the eschatological future is considered as the locus where the ultimate causation lies. Such an idea shapes Pannenberg’s doctrinal accounts of Christ and the Trinity in an idiosyncratic way. However, as this article will indicate, the idea is derived from the Plotinian myth that time can become a whole and so a vessel of divine infinity when it reaches the End. Dispensing with the faulty assumption but retaining the concept of the priority of the future, this article will argue that divine eternity as the totality can engage with history directly at any point of time, without a detour via the eschaton.     

Simple Threshold Rules Solve Explore/Exploit Trade-offs in a Resource Accumulation Search Task

How, and how well, do people switch between exploration and exploitation to search for and accumulate resources? We study the decision processes underlying such exploration/exploitation trade-offs using a novel card selection task that captures the common situation of searching among multiple resources (e.g., jobs) that can be exploited without depleting. With experience, participants learn to switch appropriately between exploration and exploitation and approach optimal performance. We model participants' behavior on this task with random, threshold, and sampling strategies, and find that a linear decreasing threshold rule best fits participants' results. Further evidence that participants use decreasing threshold-based strategies comes from reaction time differences between exploration and exploitation; however, participants themselves report non-decreasing thresholds. Decreasing threshold strategies that “front-load” exploration and switch quickly to exploitation are particularly effective in resource accumulation tasks, in contrast to optimal stopping problems like the Secretary Problem requiring longer exploration.     

Interaction between transient change in local muscle structure and segmented leg motor responses

We investigated the interaction between transient change in the local structure of gastrocnemius muscle fibers and the segmented leg motor responses elicited by toes-up rotation of the support surface. The gastrocnemius muscle in healthy young subjects underwent a sustained 2-min, isometric stretch (Prestretch group), followed immediately by the rotations. Analysis showed that the prestretch affected the amplitude of the monosynaptic but not the automatic components of the medial gastrocnemius muscle responses (monosynaptic response: 93 +/- 20% of the mean of the last three rotations in the Prestretch group compared to 174 +/- 42% in the Control group; automatic response: 128 +/- 18% in the Prestretch group versus 123 +/- 31% in the Control group). The shortened tibialis anterior muscle response and the onset latencies of responses were not affected by prestretching the gastrocnemius muscle. The prestretch effect on the amplitude of the monosynaptic (mediated by group Ia afferents) but not the automatic gastrocnemius muscle response (mediated by group II afferents) suggests that the automatic component of the muscle response to platform rotations has a stronger supraspinal influence than the monosynaptic response and is thus less affected by local events such as prolonged stretching.     

幼儿心理理论发展的一般认知基础--不同心理理论任务表现的特异性与一致性

本研究试图探究中国幼儿心理理论发展的一般变化趋势,通过探查90位3～5岁幼儿在不同心理理论任务表现的特殊性及内在一致性,结果表明：3～5岁间幼儿的心理理论发生急剧变化;幼儿在各任务上的表现总体上存在某种潜在的一致性;但他们在不同任务上的表现存在较大差异,这表明心理理论表现具有显著的任务特异性。     

心理理论研究的毕生取向

心理理论经典研究范式主要关注的是3～5岁年龄的儿童。随着研究的不断深入,学者们开始逐渐把眼光投向人的生命全程,表现在：开始考察4岁以前儿童有关心理理论的问题;尝试对自5岁直到老年期的心理理论发展情况进行探讨;提出了心理理论的毕生发展观。心理理论研究的毕生(life-span)取向已初露端倪,该取向将是今后心理理论领域研究的重要发展方向之一。     

发展认知神经科学研究述评

发展认知神经科学是发展心理学与认知神经科学相结合而形成的跨学科研究领域,旨在从神经、行为和情境三个水平,对认知发展的方方面面进行整合性研究。本文从发展认知神经科学的研究内容、研究方法及其对发展心理学的贡献进行了梳理,并对该学科未来发展的趋势进行了展望。     

Effects of Parent’s Gender, Child’s Gender, and Parental Involvement on the Academic Achievement of Adolescents in Single Parent Families

We used a national database (Educational Longitudinal Study) to investigate the effects of parent’s gender, child’s gender, and parental involvement in school on the academic achievement of adolescents in single-parent families. A three way 2 × 2 × 2 (parent’s gender × child’s gender × parental involvement) MANCOVA was conducted with four student academic achievement indicators as dependent variables and SES as a covariate. The results indicated that parent gender and child gender interact with parent involvement to affect adolescents’ academic achievement differentially. Specifically, daughters who lived with highly involved single-fathers performed better academically than the other groups did. These findings suggest that researchers who study single-parents’ involvement in their adolescents’ academic achievement need to pay more attention to gender-specific effects.     

Sender Demeanor: Individual Differences in Sender Believability Have a Powerful Impact on Deception Detection Judgments

Sender demeanor is an individual difference in the believability of message senders that is conceptually independent of actual honesty. Recent research suggests that sender demeanor may be the most influential source of variation in deception detection judgments. Sender demeanor was varied in five experiments (N = 30, 113, 182, 30, and 35) to create demeanor–veracity matched and demeanor–veracity mismatched conditions. The sender demeanor induction explained as much as 98% of the variance in detection accuracy. Three additional studies (N = 30, 113, and 104) investigated the behavioral profiles of more and less believable senders. The results document the strong impact of sender effects in deception detection and provide an explanation of the low‐accuracy ceiling in the previous findings.     

Examining Differential Effects of Internal and External Resources on Counselor Burnout Symptoms in South Korea

This study aims to bring to light the relationship between internal/external resources and counselors’ burnout depending on the type of clients (traumatized/bereaved vs. personal growth issues). Moderated mediation analysis was conducted with 165 counselors in South Korea. The results indicated that counselors of traumatized or bereaved clients were more likely to be affected by internal resources (countertransference management ability), whereas counselors of clients with personal growth issues were more likely to be affected by external resources (environmental resources). Implications and limitations of this study are discussed.