Unconsciously learning task-irrelevant perceptual sequences

We demonstrated unconscious learning of task-irrelevant perceptual regularities in a Serial Reaction Time (SRT) task in both visual and auditory domains. Participants were required to respond to different letters (‘F’ or ‘J’, experiment 1) or syllables (‘can’ or ‘you’, experiment 2) which occurred in random order. Unbeknownst to participants, the color (red, green, blue or yellow) of the two letters or the tone (1–4) of the syllables varied according to certain rules. Reaction times indicated that people indeed learnt both the color and tonal regularities indicating that task-irrelevant sequence structure can be learned perceptually. In a subsequent prediction test of knowledge of the color or tonal cues using subjective measures, we showed that people could acquire task irrelevant knowledge unconsciously.     

Spirituality’ as reconceptualisation of the self: Alan Turing and his pioneering ideas on artificial intelligence

This article investigates the underlying agenda of the philosophy of artificial intelligence (AI) – a discipline of computer science – and proposes a threefold model of ‘spirituality’ as reconceptualisation of the self, composed of one’s search, adaptation and transformation of self-knowledge, specifically concerning the rational humanity. By using the life and ideas of the father of AI and computer science, Alan Turing (1912–1954) as a case study, I will carefully examine his three stages of self-reconceptualisation and highlight the relevance of seeing spirituality as self-reconceptualisation for the current digital age.     

The nature of the memory buffer in implicit learning: Learning Chinese tonal symmetries

Previous research has established that people can implicitly learn chunks, which (in terms of formal language theory) do not require a memory buffer to process. The present study explores the implicit learning of nonlocal dependencies generated by higher than finite-state grammars, specifically, Chinese tonal retrogrades (i.e. centre embeddings generated from a context-free grammar) and inversions (i.e. cross-serial dependencies generated from a mildly context-sensitive grammar), which do require buffers (for example, last in-first out and first in-first out, respectively). People were asked to listen to and memorize artificial poetry instantiating one of the two grammars; after this training phase, people were informed of the existence of rules and asked to classify new poems, while providing attributions of the basis of their judgments. People acquired unconscious structural knowledge of both tonal retrogrades and inversions. Moreover, inversions were implicitly learnt more easily than retrogrades constraining the nature of the memory buffer in computational models of implicit learning.     

You can't stop new motion: Attentional capture despite a control set for colour

When a stationary object begins to move, visual spatial attention is reflexively deployed to the location of that object. We tested whether this capture of attention by new motion is entirely stimulus driven, or whether it is contingent on an observer's goals. Participants monitored a visual display for a colour change, inducing an attentional control set (ACS) for colour. Across the three performed experiments, irrelevant new-motion cues always captured visual spatial attention, despite the ACS for colour. This persistence of the attentional cueing effect demonstrates that ACSs, in particular an ACS for colour, cannot prevent new motion from capturing attention. Unlike other stimulus types, such as luminance changes, colour singletons, and new objects, new motion may always capture attention regardless of an observer's goals. This conclusion entails that new motion is an important determinant of when, and to where, visual spatial attention is deployed.     

基层医务人员院外实施心肺复苏的意愿及障碍因素的质性研究

为了解基层医务人员院外实施心肺复苏(cardiopulmonary resuscitation,CPR)的意愿及其障碍因素,探讨消除障碍因素的途径,以提高院外心肺复苏实施率。采用目的抽样法对14名基层医务人员进行深度访谈,运用内容分析法对资料进行整理、分析。归纳出两大主题,即基层医务人员院外实施CPR的意愿和实施CPR的障碍因素,其中障碍因素包括急救技能不佳、担心疾病传播、社会压力大、相关法律缺乏4个亚主题。基层医务人员在院外实施CPR存在不同程度的顾虑,需尽快制定相关课程的再培训计划和相关政策或法律以提高基层医务人员院外实施CPR的意愿。     

失独者爱哀交加的情思活动及其反刍机制研究

通过扎根理论方法悬置失独研究中的哀伤视角,呈现失独心理的复杂内涵和动态机制。结果发现哀伤只是失独者的部分体验,失独心理是爱哀交加的复杂情思。失独者具有念好、牵挂和感伤三种情思活动,念好和牵挂均伴生爱体验,念好的基础思维是回忆,伴生爱惜之情,牵挂的基础思维是想象,伴生关爱之情;感伤的基础思维是比较,伴生哀体验。空闲、独处、旧环境是影响念好和牵挂的重要因素;人生期待、文化氛围、事件界定是影响感伤的重要因素。三种情思活动间存在反刍成瘾机制。

     

关系类别及其学习机制

关系类别是指类别的成员身份由一个共同的关系结构决定。其意义来自于其与其他实体的关系或其内部的一系列成分间的关系,关系类别强调关系结构的系统性。文章重点介绍和评述了相似性种类,关系类别和实体类别的联系和差异,关系类别的学习过程及机制———结构—映射理论。未来的研究方向主要是探索新的研究范式,以深入理解关系类别的学习;深入探讨校准和映射过程与其他基本认知过程的相互作用,为关系类别的学习提供更一致的认知观点。     

几何图形类比推理的ERP研究

该研究以几何图形作为实验材料,测定14名硕士研究生在完成两种类比推理任务（大小变化和颜色变化）和其基线任务时的事件相关电位（ERP）,探讨类比推理过程的脑内时程动态变化。研究发现,两种推理任务所诱发的波形基本一致,而推理任务与其基线任务之间的ERP波形存在显著差异,两种基线任务之间的ERP波形也存在显著差异;类比推理的加工过程是有阶段性的,即编码潍断、映射、得出结论,研究结果进一步支持了Sternberg的成分理论;推断和映射这两个类比推理所特有的加工阶段都有其对应的脑机制,图式推断阶段主要激活的是前额皮层和双侧的顶叶皮层,类比映射和调整阶段主要激活的是左半球的颞叶、额叶和中央顶。     

Attracting Minority Applicants to Malaysian Organizations: The Effect of Race Composition

This study aims to investigate the effect of race composition of organizational representatives on perceived similarity, organizational attractiveness, and perceived opportunities for advancement. Two hundred and twenty four Malaysian Chinese university students participated in the study. The findings showed that race composition was significantly related to the participant’s perception of similarity to the representatives, attraction to the organization, and perception of advancement opportunities in the organization. Minority Chinese participants gave higher ratings on all three outcome variables when they were presented with an organization featuring a homogenous group of Chinese representatives or a racially diverse group of representatives, than an organization featuring a homogenous group of Malay representatives in recruitment advertising. In summary, the inclusion of minority representatives in recruitment advertising is beneficial in attracting minority applicants.     

老子《道德经》中的理想人格思想

理想人格是解读《道德经》的一个重要维度。老子关注人的生命的本真存在和理想状态的实现,他从其抽象玄妙的形而上道论出发,引申出以"朴"为本质的人性论,并通过其朴素的辨证思维建立其彻底的道德观,进而提出尚柔、守中、持保三宝等修养途径,建立了一个使人实现其个别性与普遍性相统一、完成人格并达至理想的存在状态的体系。守中成德——修德复命——复命归朴——道无名,朴,这即是老子理想人格思想的基本进路。