Cultural effect on perspective taking in Chinese-English bilinguals

Some recent evidence has suggested that perspective taking skills in everyday life situations may differ across cultural groups. In the present study, we investigated this effect via culture priming in a group of Chinese-English bilingual adults in the context of a communication game. Results showed that the participants made more perspective taking errors when interpreting the game instruction under the Western than the Chinese primes. The findings suggest that the ability to assume others' mental states not only can be used strategically but is also influenced by the currently active cultural frame in the mind of the bilingual. The present study provides the first evidence for a cultural effect on perspective taking using a within-sample approach via culture priming.     

The Impact of Processing Speed Training on Working Memory in Old Adults

Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have gotten different results as to whether processing speed can explain the aging of cognitive functions. Experimental analyses are needed to develop further evidence. To explore the relationship between speed and working memory in cognitive aging, processing speed intervention is conducted in the present study. Utilizing paper–pencil training, computer training, and a control group, 78 adults aged 58–83?years from Beijing participated in a speed intervention study. After 5?weeks of training, there were substantial training gains on two speed tests in two training groups, but no transfer effect on working memory was found. Discussion: The results fail to support the view that processing speed is a foundation of working memory for aging. The aging of working memory may depend more on an executive attention component.     

Attitude of Medical School Students in China Towards Genetic Testing and Counseling Issues in FXS

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common form of inherited intellectual disability. However, genetic testing protocols and genetic counseling guidelines for FXS are not yet established in mainland China. In the present study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis using a self-administered questionnaire among students at the Xiangya medical school to investigate their attitude towards genetic testing and counseling issues of FXS. We have gained a general understanding of the attitudes of medical students towards these FXS issues in China. This information is of immense importance to develop appropriate genetic tests and to train counselors for FXS. As the medical school students surveyed are prospective physicians who will be a part of the Chinese health system, our survey was focused on the basic knowledge of FXS, population-based FXS screening, confidentiality and reproductive options for mutation carriers. The study demonstrated that only less than one third of the participants had heard about FXS. 94.6 % of participants were in favor of FXS screening for women in their reproductive age who had a genetic history of FXS. Furthermore, only half of the participants would inform their families about their genetic status in case of positive test results, and more than half of the participants supported natural conception and prenatal diagnosis for FXS mutation carriers. Additional findings and research implications are also discussed. This survey targeting potential doctors provides important information for the development of FXS genetic test and counselor training for the Chinese health system.     

The Impacts of Ignoring a Crossed Factor in Analyzing Cross-Classified Data

Cross-classified random-effects models (CCREMs) are used for modeling nonhierarchical multilevel data. Misspecifying CCREMs as hierarchical linear models (i.e., treating the cross-classified data as strictly hierarchical by ignoring one of the crossed factors) causes biases in the variance component estimates, which in turn, results in biased estimation in the standard errors of the regression coefficients. Analytical studies were conducted to provide closed-form expressions for the biases. With balanced design data structure, ignoring a crossed factor causes overestimation of the variance components of adjacent levels and underestimation of the variance component of the remaining crossed factor. Moreover, ignoring a crossed factor at the kth level causes underestimation of the standard error of the regression coefficient of the predictor associated with the ignored factor and overestimation of the standard error of the regression coefficient of the predictor at the (k?1)th level. Simulation studies were also conducted to examine the effect of different structures of cross-classification on the biases. In general, the direction and magnitude of the biases depend on the level of the ignored crossed factor, the level with which the predictor is associated at, the magnitude of the variance component of the ignored crossed factor, the variance components of the predictors, the sample sizes, and the structure of cross-classification. The results were further illustrated using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort data.     

School Connectedness and Problematic Internet Use in Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model of Deviant Peer Affiliation and Self-Control

Although a growing body of research documents the negative association between school connectedness and adolescent problematic Internet use (PIU), little is known about the mediating mechanism (i.e., how school connectedness relates to PIU?) and moderating mechanism (i.e., when the protection is most potent?) underlying this relation. The present study examined whether deviant peer affiliation mediated the relationship between school connectedness and PIU, and whether this mediating process was moderated by adolescent self-control. A total of 2,758 Chinese adolescents (46 % male; mean age?=?13.53 years, SD?=?1.06) from 10 middle schools completed anonymous questionnaires regarding school connectedness, deviant peer affiliation, self-control, and PIU. After controlling for gender, age, socioeconomic status, and parental attachment, it was found that the negative association between school connectedness and adolescent PIU was partially mediated by deviant peer affiliation. Moreover, this indirect link was stronger for adolescents with low self-control than for those with high self-control. These findings underscore the importance of integrating the social control theory and organism-environment interaction model to understand how and when school connectedness impacts adolescent PIU.     

未来工作自我清晰度对主动职业行为的影响——一个有调节的中介模型

基于主动性行为模型和生涯建构理论探讨未来工作自我清晰度对主动职业行为的影响机制。采用主动职业行为量表、未来工作自我清晰度量表、生涯适应力量表、同事支持量表对广深两地13所民营企业的195名员工进行调查分析。结果显示:(1)未来工作自我清晰度影响主动职业行为;(2)生涯适应力在其中起到部分中介作用;(3)同事支持在中介模型的前半路径起到调节作用。     

基于多元回归的调节效应分析

在心理学和其他社科研究领域,大量实证研究建立调节模型,以分析自变量对因变量关系的影响机制,但在基于多元回归的调节效应分析实践中仍存在不足。我们回顾了均值中心化在基于多元回归的调节效应分析中的作用,均值中心化不影响乘积项(即调节效应)的检验,仅对一阶项(即主效应)的检验有影响。讨论了简单斜率的检验方法,建议在调节变量为连续变量时,使用Johnson-Neyman法进行简单斜率检验;在调节变量为类别变量或研究者对某个调节变量值感兴趣时,使用选点法。并用一个实际例子演示如何进行调节效应分析。随后展望了调节效应检验的拓展方向。     

Is expressive suppression an effective coping strategy? A study of Chinese rescue medical staff following an earthquake

The current study examined the function of expressive suppression among Chinese rescue medical staff following a major earthquake. We administered self‐report questionnaires to (1) a sample of Chinese hospital medical staff (n = 305) who assisted victims of the Sichuan earthquake, and (2) a second sample of Chinese hospital medical staff (n = 149) who had not been exposed to a major stressor. To examine possible interaction effects among differing emotion regulation strategies, we also conducted structured interviews with a subset of rescue medical staff to obtain support for a positive function of expressive suppression and a mediating role of positive reappraisal. Structural equation modelling indicated that expressive suppression was associated with higher levels of job engagement and lower levels of job burnout among the rescue medical staff and that these effects were mediated by positive reappraisal. However, for regular medical staff (not exposed to traumatic stress), expressive suppression was associated with higher levels of both job engagement and job burnout; these effects were mediated by acceptance. These results provide preliminary evidence for the positive role of expressive suppression within Chinese culture.     

多级计分测验中基于残差统计量的被试拟合研究

本文提出一种多级计分项目下的个人拟合统计量R, 考察它在检测6种常见的异常作答模式(作弊、猜测、随机、粗心、创新作答、混合异常)下的表现, 并与标准化对数似然统计量l_zp进行比较。结果表明：(1) 在异常作答覆盖率较低并且异常作答类型为作弊和猜测时, R的检测率显著高于l_zp; (2) 随着测验长度和被试异常程度的增加, 两种统计量的检测率都会上升; (3) 在一些条件下, R与l_zp检测效果接近。实证数据分析进一步展示了R统计量的使用方法和过程, 结果也表明R统计量具有较好的应用前景。