The Motivational Function of Regulatory Focus in Creativity

The Regulatory Focus Theory maintains that people may focus on achieving positive outcomes (have a promotion focus) or avoiding negative ones (have a prevention focus) when they pursue their goals. Under a promotion focus, people would formulate as many strategies as possible to attain their goal, and hence be fluent in idea generation when they perform a creative task. In contrast, people under a prevention focus would seek to avoid the negative consequences of failing to attain a valued goal, and persist even when the likelihood of success in a creativity situation is small. We tested these predictions in a study, where regulatory focus was measured as an individual differences variable (Part 1) and induced by a goal framing manipulation (Part 2). The results supported our predictions, and suggested that creative accomplishment requires flexible alternation of regulatory foci at the different stages of creative undertakings.     

全球化背景下的文化排斥反应

全球化导致文化价值观的跨国界传播, 也可能因为侵蚀地方(local)传统文化使人感到恐慌。文化排斥现象就是人们对全球化过程的反应之一, 它是指人们为了使传统文化免遭污染而可能对外来文化表现出的排斥。文化排斥反应出现的前提是双文化启动效应, 即在两种或多种文化共同出现的情境中文化的类别属性被凸显出来。其中, 厌恶性情绪是双文化情境激发出文化排斥反应的中介机制。文化排斥反应具有的边界属性：内群体象征性文化被污染、人们感知到外来文化的入侵性、或存在性动机被唤起、具有较高认知需求、受类别化思维启动、对外来文化认同较低或对内群文化认同较高时, 人们更倾向于对外来文化表现出排斥性反应。未来研究将借鉴文化排斥研究范式探讨更广泛的群际关系问题。     

语言指示对动作效果的影响

問題 有人认为,用语言提示动作任务可以提高动作效果,语言提示的任务不同,其效果也不同。在我们的运动实践中,看到不完全相同的结果,运动员对待运动活动的态度也是影响运动效果的原因。在运动活动中,他人的语言指示对运动效果究竟有何影响?在提高运动动作效果中它是否起主导作用?这是本文要探讨的问题。     

Sex role concepts in eight- and twelve-year olds

Abstract.— Children's perception of sex roles was sought, taking Piaget's cognitive developmental theory and the role theory of Sarbin as points of departure. It was proposed that sex role perception could be described on two levels. The first level entailed a sex role enactment based upon superficial understanding, whereas the second level involved a sex role taking based upon a deeper understanding.
The measuring device consisted of a standardized interview of 20 narratives, 10 covering the first level 10 the second level. Each narrative described the objectively observable behavior (level 1) or the supposedly constant personality characteristics (level 2) of a typical boy or girl. The subjects, 8- and 12-year olds, listened to each story and then were asked whether a typical boy, girl, or both would have performed the behavior or expressed the personality quality. The results suggest that both 8-and 12-year-old children understand the superficial as well as the deep aspects of sex roles. However, the younger children accept the sex role differences, whereas the older children are starting to question them. There was also evidence of a developmental difference in experiencing sex roles between boys and girls. The 8-year-old girls in the study most strongly recognized the sex role differences and therefore were the most rigid in their sex role conceptions. The 12-year-old girls were the most liberal group in their approach to sex roles. The boys fell in-between, with small developmental differences.     

On the relationship between knowledge of the world and comprehension of texts Assimilation and accommodation effects related to belief structu

Abstract.— Two empirical studies are presented, investigating the effect of readers' world knowledge on comprehension of a text (assimilation effect) and the effect of the reading of the text on readers' knowledge of the world (accommodation effect). The definition 'knowledge of the world' is here restricted to a part, represented by the readers' beliefs. 46 junior college students and 11 university students served as subjects. The results regarding assimilation showed that the average subject in both studies interpreted the text to have a meaning more similar to his own beliefs than was actually the case. As to accommodation, the junior college students' own beliefs changed in the direction of the text, whereas the university students' own beliefs became even more adamant in opposition to the text.     

Effects of Novel Conceptual Combination on Creativity

Two experiments revealed that solving novel conceptual combination problems could enhance performance in a subsequent test of creativity. The evidence also showed that the beneficial effects of solving novel conceptual combination problems were mediated in part by the use of novel conceptual combination strategies. However, the positive effect of the novel conceptual combination training on divergent thinking was found only among males, probably because the creativity measure used in the experiment was biased against female participants. These findings were discussed in terms of their theoretical significance and implications for teaching creativity.