Multiple memory systems: the power of interactions

Two relatively simple theories of brain function will be used to demonstrate the explanatory power of multiple memory systems in your brain interacting cooperatively or competitively to directly or indirectly influence cognition and behaviour. The view put forth in this mini-review is that interactions between memory systems produce normal and abnormal manifestations of behaviour, and by logical extension, an understanding of these complex interactions holds the key to understanding debilitating brain and psychiatric disorders.     

Medication barriers and anti-hypertensive medication adherence: the moderating role of locus of control

Locus of control as a moderator of the relationship between medication barriers (e.g., side-effects, forgetting to take medication, and keeping track of pills) and anti-hypertensive medication adherence was examined. Baseline data were obtained from 588 hypertensive veterans. In general, fewer medication barriers, higher internal locus of control and lower external locus of control was associated with better hypertensive medication adherence. Furthermore, internal locus of control served as a moderator (beta = -.74, p < .01) for the relationship between medication barriers and medication adherence; effect size was large. Decomposition of the interaction revealed that the relationship between medication barriers and medication adherence was strongest when internal control was high (b = -.24, p < .01). Higher internal locus of control was beneficial when barriers to medication adherence are low, but at high perceived barriers, locus of control plays less of a role in medication adherence. Future efforts to improve medication adherence should consider the patient's perceived level of medication barriers in conjunction with their locus of control.     

VRVision: A new tool for the display of 3-D images in behavioral research

Researchers using three-dimensional (3-D) scenes in their studies often spend a lot of time prerendering the scenes into a set of images for later presentations. To improve efficiency, we have developed a new plugin program for MATLAB that eliminates this step. The program is able to manipulate and present 3-D scenes in real time. It allows fine control over numerous parameters, including the mode of projection, angular rotation, lighting, surface photo textures, and animation. Images can be presented with monoscopic or stereoscopic display. It can also dynamically track viewer position and update and display an appropriate 3-D projection. The program is fully compatible with existing MATLAB utilities such as the Psychophysics Toolbox (psychtoolbox.org). It is made freely available to the research community (www.hive.hull .ac.uk/software/vrvision).     

3.5～5.5岁儿童时序认知能力的发展研究

采用被试内设计,研究了90名3.5～5.5岁儿童时序认知能力。结果发现:(1)3.5岁儿童基本上不具备时序认知的能力,儿童的时序认知能力在4.5岁到5.5岁间出现快速发展。到5.5岁左右,大部分儿童已具备时序认知能力。(2)不同年龄的儿童都表现出对现在的认知最好、对过去的认知次之、对将来的认知最差的特点。(3)3.5岁和4.5岁儿童还不具备判断时序先后的能力,到了5.5岁以后,儿童知道了什么是先发生的,什么是后发生的,具备了判断时序的能力。     

从儿童赌博任务看热执行功能的发展

为考察热执行功能的发展,本研究通过儿童赌博任务检测了60名3～4岁儿童(男女各半)的情感决策。实验结果表明,3岁和4岁儿童在此任务上存在显著的年龄差异,4岁组在各试验组的分数呈上升趋势,他们在试验组2、尤其在试验组4和5中选择有利纸牌的次数显著多于3岁儿童,这反映出情感决策在3～4岁期间发展迅速。此外,儿童在此任务上的成绩存在很多可变性,可能掩盖了性别差异,因而,尽管男孩在最后两个试验组的成绩优于女孩,但性别差异在统计上并不显著。     

Face recognition is robust with incongruent image resolution: relationship to security video images

Identifying a criminal captured on conventional security video typically requires matching poor-quality video footage against a high-quality photograph. The authors examined the consequence of such a large discrepancy in image quality. Recognition and matching performance of this incongruent-quality condition was compared with that of a congruent one, in which a high-quality photograph was reduced to a low-quality video. Recognition memory was little affected by this manipulation, whereas matching performance of the incongruent condition enjoyed occasional advantage. The results show that person identification can tolerate a large discrepancy between image qualities of matching stimuli when one of the images is of poor quality.     

海德格尔与世界问题的发生:一个"Topology"的标画

本文着重指出：是“无人称句”唤醒了海德格尔对思想的源初惊讶——而这是目前国内的海学研究还没有关注的,即“无人称句”(Eswehet,Esgibt Welt)所指引的问题。但本文不在于论证与展开海氏对这个问题的具体解决,而在于从海德格尔的现象学解释学方法勾勒出世界问题的“拓扑学”(Topology),即首先显示了他对传统世界观哲学的“拆毁”,然后他把世界问题“还原”到无人称句上,最后用形式指示方式“重建”本几的成事的世界。     

Trust me if you can: The effect of driver username on passengers' intention to use ride-sharing service

Building trust and enhancing consumers' participation are critical for the growth of peer-to-peer sharing economy. This research explores the effect of driver username on passengers' intention to use ride-sharing service and its underlying psychological mechanisms. The results indicate that driver username has a significant impact on passengers' intention to use ride-sharing service, as a driver with a real name elicits greater intention to use ride-sharing service than a driver with a screen name (studies 1, 2, 3a, 3b, and 3c). In addition, the effect of driver username on passengers' intention to use ride-sharing service is serially mediated by social presence and trust (study 2). Importantly, the effect of driver username on passengers' intention to use ride-sharing service is moderated by driver reputation (studies 3a, 3b, and 3c). A high (vs. low) reputation facilitates the impact of driver username on passengers' usage intention. Based upon these findings, theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Testing the bidirectional relationship between belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories and psychological distress: A five-wave longitudinal study

Previous studies have primarily focused on understanding why people believe conspiracy theories, especially during societal crises (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic). The investigation of how such conspiracy beliefs would influence people's mental well-being has just begun recently. The present research aims to address this crucial question by testing the relationships between psychological distress and COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs with a five-wave longitudinal study. On the one hand, COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs could be more appealing to people with heightened distress, as these theories apparently help people to make sense of the uncertainty and life-threatening disease outbreak. On the other hand, conspiracy theories could be a source of existential threat and thus, would induce rather than reduce psychological distress. We tested these possibilities empirically by a series of cross-lagged model analyses. Using the random intercept cross-lagged panel model analysis, we only found a between-person association but not a cross-lagged within-person relationship between the two. COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs was predicted by being more politically conservative. These findings were further corroborated by the supplementary latent growth curve analyses. Overall, our findings suggest that conspiracy beliefs may not induce or reduce psychological distress in the context of COVID-19.