Delayed backward conditioning of place preference induced by wheel running in rats

Backward conditioning of place preference has been obtained in hungry rats when wheel running (the rewarding US) is followed immediately by exposure to a distinctive chamber (the CS). We tested whether such backward conditioning would occur with a 10-min delay. In each of four paired exposures, a period of wheel running (2 or 22 h, in separate experiments) was followed by 10 min in the home cage and then 30 min in the CS chamber. Control rats were put in the CS chamber without wheel running. In other similar experiments, a 0-, 10-, or 30-min delay separated wheel running from exposure to the CS chamber. Reliable conditioned place preference (CPP) occurred when the delay was 0 or 10 but not 30 min. The strength of CPP decreased as the delay increased. These findings imply that the reward process initiated by wheel running remains active for some time after running stops. They support the view that the suppression of feeding produced by wheel running in hungry rats (activity anorexia) is mediated by this reward process.     

5~6岁自闭症儿童与正常儿童的辨别反转学习研究

采用条件性辨别反转范式,考察自闭症儿童与正常儿童的反转灵活性。44名5~6岁儿童（24名自闭症儿童,20名正常儿童）参加了辨别反转学习。结果显示：⑴在习得阶段,两类儿童都能辨别两个不同的条件性刺激;⑵在晚期反转阶段,正常儿童在晚期反转阶段升高了对新的条件性厌恶刺激的主观预期值,辨别了新的条件性刺激,而自闭症儿童在晚期反转阶段对新的条件性厌恶刺激的主观预期值没有显著性变化,无法辨别新的条件性刺激。研究结果表明,5~6岁自闭症儿童反转灵活性存在缺陷。     

合作学习情境下监控者监控发音任务中的定向遗忘效应

在以构建留学生的汉字语音库为共同目标的合作学习情境下,考察了合作学习中的监控者是否会表现出定向遗忘效应。实验一中,协助者朗读两字表的单字并接受定向遗忘或记忆字表中单字的指令;监控者监控发音的流畅性或准确性,并单独接受再认测验;实验二在协助者重新朗读单字的条件下监控者接受再认测验。结果发现:(1)实验一中,监控者只在深层监控发音准确性的任务时,再认成绩表现出定向遗忘效应,浅层监控发音流畅性的任务中未表现出定向遗忘效应;(2)实验二中在测验阶段复原学习情境后,深浅监控任务下的再认成绩虽存在显著差异,但定向遗忘效应也消失了。综合两个实验表明,合作学习情境下,非有意遗忘的监控者的定向遗忘效应与监控任务深度和学习情境复原与否存在密切联系。     

Assessing Proprioception in Children: A Review

Proprioception is the subconscious and conscious awareness of the spatial and mechanical status of the musculoskeletal framework. When working with children with motor delays and sensory integrative dysfunction, occupational therapists routinely assess the client's proprioceptive system. However, currently available assessments for occupational therapists are primarily observer-based and concerns have been raised about the reliability of observer-based assessments of sensation. The author's purpose was to review measures of proprioception currently available to occupational therapists and explore direct measures of proprioception from neuroscience and rehabilitation that can be adapted for pediatric clinical use. Observer-based and direct measurements of proprioception assessments complement each other in meeting clinical needs. A better understanding of both types of evaluation will improve proprioceptive evaluation.     

A Developmental Study of Chinese Children’s Word and Character Reading

To investigate the relationship between Chinese children’s character and word reading, 62 third and 50 fifth grade children in Hong Kong were asked to read single characters and words that were comprised of these characters. Results showed that words helped children to recognize characters for both grades of children. Compared to older children, younger children’s character reading was more likely to rely on the word that the character appeared in as a component; younger children made more errors in confusing the correct character with words related to it. Younger children’s greater rate of meaning-related errors also underscored the role of the word in their character learning. This study confirmed the important role of words in children’s character learning, and provided evidence for a developmental pattern of character and word reading in Chinese.     

All in the first glance: first fixation predicts individual differences in valence bias*

Surprised expressions are interpreted as negative by some people, and as positive by others. When compared to fearful expressions, which are consistently rated as negative, surprise and fear share similar morphological structures (e.g. widened eyes), but these similarities are primarily in the upper part of the face (eyes). We hypothesised, then, that individuals would be more likely to interpret surprise positively when fixating faster to the lower part of the face (mouth). Participants rated surprised and fearful faces as either positive or negative while eye movements were recorded. Positive ratings of surprise were associated with longer fixation on the mouth than negative ratings. There were also individual differences in fixation patterns, with individuals who fixated the mouth earlier exhibiting increased positive ratings. These findings suggest that there are meaningful individual differences in how people process faces.     

中国不同发展水平城市间幸福指数差异及收入对其的影响作用

对全国四种发展水平城市5471名被试的幸福感进行调查,探讨不同发展水平城市居民幸福指数差异及收入对其的影响作用。结果发现:从一线到四线城市,居民的总体和领域幸福指数都显著上升,二、三线城市显著高于一线,但又显著低于四线城市;个人收入对一线城市总体幸福指数无显著影响,但对二、三、四线影响显著;家庭人均收入对不同发展水平城市总体幸福指数的影响与个人收入的影响作用完全相反,即对一线城市总体幸福指数影响不显著,但对其它三线城市影响显著。以上结果表明不同发展水平城市间在总体和领域幸福指数上均存在差异,且不同收入对其总体幸福指数的影响作用有所不同。该结论对于中国的城市化建设具有一定启示意义。     

儿童的分配公平性:心理理论的作用

心理理论是影响儿童分配公平性的重要因素之一。"多重动机"的理论假设认为心理理论能够帮助儿童在不同的动机中权衡利弊,找到满足自我利益和他人需求之间的平衡;其中,感知需求、推断意图、理解情绪是影响独裁者博弈、最后通牒博弈、第三方惩罚中分配公平性的主要成分。未来研究需为此提供更多实证依据,探讨不同类型的公平分配与心理理论各组成成分的关系,以及可否通过训练心理理论能力促进儿童公平概念的发展。     

未来情景思考对目标达成的双刃作用及其机制

未来情景思考指个体想象并预先感受某个可能在未来发生的自我相关情景事件的心理加工,它对目标达成可产生双刃影响:一些思考方式会妨碍目标达成,如想象理想的结果或过程;而另一些思考方式则会促进目标达成,如过程模拟和想象较为消极的目标相关场景。对于未来情景思考是促进还是妨碍目标达成,动机水平的高低和执行意向的清晰程度可能是关键调节因素,相应的干预策略可通过增强这两者而将未来情景思考对目标达成的妨碍作用转化为促进作用。进一步的研究需系统探讨不同方式的未来情景思考影响目标达成的认知神经机制,并对目标特征和人格特点如何调节未来情景思考对目标达成的影响进行探讨。     

Conformity: moods matter

This study examined the hypotheses that positive mood enhances conformity and that negative mood reduces it. Participants were induced to feel positive, neutral, or negative moods and then answered, in private, six mathematical questions. They observed that wrong answers were unanimously given by five bogus participants for three of the questions. Conformity was measured by whether they indicated the erroneous answers given by these bogus participants in these three questions. The results were supportive of the hypothesis. The current results are consistent with past findings about mood differences in heuristic versus elaborative processing. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.