视觉工作记忆中基于客体的存储机制：来自ERPs的证据

该研究以简单形状和颜色构成的客体为材料,采用延迟匹配范式,通过记录事件相关电位,以反映工作记忆表征与知觉输入间冲突的N270为指标,就视觉工作记忆中的客体存储机制进行了探讨。结果发现,无关维度特征变化与目标维度特征变化均可诱发N270。该结果表明,视觉工作记忆对客体目标特征进行存储时,无关特征亦自动得到选择加工,支持基于客体的存储说。     

厌而避额外之“利”；喜而趋额外之“害”

趋利避害是生物的本能。《管子·禁藏》云：夫凡人之情, 见利莫能勿就, 见害莫能勿避。“两利相权取其重, 两害相权取其轻”是规范性决策理论的一基本原则。本研究以金钱作为奖赏或惩罚刺激, 检验人们能否理性地遵循“价值最大化”原则。在实验中, 主试以检查硬币生产年代的数目为由, 让被试逐枚地感受两个金钱序列：10元硬币序列(由20枚五角硬币组成)和10.3元硬币序列(由20枚五角硬币和3枚一角硬币组成),随后评定获得(或损失)各金钱序列的高兴(或不高兴)程度, 并从中选择一金钱序列(与硬币等值的金钱)作为其奖赏(或惩罚)。实验为2 (3枚一角硬币在序列首vs. 3枚一角硬币在序列尾)´2(先检查10元硬币序列vs. 先检查10.3元硬币序列)´2(损失vs. 获得)三因素设计, 每种条件随机分配15名商学院学生被试。结果表明, 被试倾向选择获益少(10元)和损失多(-10.3元)的金钱序列; 且获益大(10.3元)时高兴程度小, 损失小(-10元)时不高兴程度大。这一结果意味着：“聊”并不胜于“无”,反而是“无”胜于“聊”。其中, 伴随着违背价值最大化原则所产生的情感亦有悖逻辑。负性情感的引发一般有其“逻辑正确”的原因(如, 无惠而不乐); 而引发本研究负性情感的原因实属“逻辑错误”(如, 惠多而不乐)。这种不曾被定义而类似于“冤”的情感不仅见于个人,也见于民族、国家间的持续交往, 值得进一步研究。     

负性情绪词错误再认的跨语言实验

根据词语情绪标准编制汉语双字词关联词表和英汉双语关联词表,考察DRM任务下的英汉双语者对负性情绪诱词产生的语言内、语言间关联性错误再认。结果表明：（1）汉语双字词语义关联下,情绪色彩的强度影响错误再认水平,负性诱词的错误再认率显著高于中性诱词;（2）英汉双语语义关联下,错误再认发生跨语言现象,汉语负性诱词的错误再认显著高于英语负性诱词与汉语中性诱词的错误再认;（3）汉语负性诱词的语言间关联性错误再认率显著增加, 语言类型、词表类型与情绪强度有显著交互作用。     

语言理解中的动作知觉：基于具身认知的视角

具身认知理论是目前认知科学领域中最新的研究范式和取向, 它认为人的认知过程依赖于感知和动作系统, 强调身体在认知中发挥重要作用。具身语言理解则认为, 身体、动作和知觉系统在语言认知中也起着不可或缺的作用。文章在简要回顾具身语言理解的相关理论如索引假设、浸入式经历者框架、语言神经理论的基础上, 重点从语言理解的四个层面的实证研究, 即音位、单词、句子、语篇, 证实具身语言理解的观点。未来的研究应该着眼于用具身认知观点来解释更高级的抽象语言表征, 具身单词、句子、语篇的具体表征形式, 并利用具身语言认知的观点进行认知的本土化研究。     

“非典”流行期大学生面对非典的压力源和压力研究

该研究旨在探索非典流行期大学生面对非典的压力源和压力状况,用“大学生非典压力状况调查表”和“大学生非典压力源调查表”测查了723名大学生。结果表明：（1）大学生的非典压力源来自3个方面,它们是非典疾病压力源、非典信息压力源和应对非典措施压力源。（2）非典流行期大学生对非典的恐慌程度、所感受到的非典压力强度以及非典压力对其造成的影响程度均处于中等水平。     

汉字失读的类型与意义

本研究依据汉字的语言学特点,采用现代认知神经心理学方法。揭示出汉字失读的一些特性。汉字失读可由形、音、义三者正常联系的破坏而产生形音式失读和形义式失读。汉字失读也可因汉字本身的语言学特点而产生特有的会意式失读和复合式失读。与拼音文字失读类型类比,汉字失读存在着类似但又具有其独特性质的表层失读和深层失读。     

损毁下丘脑弓状核、中缝背核和蓝斑对大鼠应激镇痛的影响

本文用不能躲避的间歇脚底电刺激引起大鼠应激,用电刺激鼠尾-嘶叫法测定镇痛效应,研究下丘脑弓状核(脑内β-内啡肽能神经元胞体集中的部位)、中缝背核(脑内5-羟色胺能神经元胞体主要集中的部位之一)和蓝斑(脑内去甲肾上腺素能神经元胞体主要集中的部位之一)与应激镇痛的关系。 用新生大鼠腹腔注射谷氨酸-钠的方法损毁弓状核后,用海人酸和电解两种方法损毁中缝背核或蓝斑后,应激镇痛效应均明显减弱。由于谷氨酸-钠和海人酸只选择性地损毁神经元胞体,故认为脑内的β-内啡肽能神经元、5-羟色胺能神经元和去甲肾上腺素能神经元均参与应激的行为镇痛。     

Lessons on the utilization of research from nine case experiences in the natural hazards field

Research-funding organizations and research investigators can take several steps to improve the utilization of scientific research. These steps were derived from nine case studies of research projects in the natural hazards field, representing three academic fields of study: physical science, social science, and architecture. The case studies investigated the extent to which these projects corroborated the conditions associated with specific theories of research utilization. Following a replication research design, the cross-case conclusions were that greater utilization will result where research investigators and users maintain a rich set of professional communications over time, leading to research that is: academically excellent, addresses practical problems, can be modified in the early stages to be responsive to users’ needs, and produces usable products. Robert K. Yin is President of COSMOS Corporation, which specializes in both social science research and in information systems development. Dr. Yin also serves as a visiting professor, department of Computer Science and Information Systems, American University, Washington, D.C. 20016. Gwendolyn B. Moore is a senior manager for Nolan, Norton, & Co., an information technology affiliate of Peat Marwick. She specializes in information technology and strategic planning projects, and holds an MBA in Business Policy from the University of Massachusetts.     

Temporal Coding in Pavlovian Conditioning: Hall-Pearce Negative Transfer

The Hall-Pearce (1979) negative transfer effect in rats was used to examine whether temporal relationships are coded as part of the informational content of associations that result from CS-US pairings. The transfer effect consists of adeficit in conditioned responding following CS-US pairings in Phase 2 that results from prior CS-US pairings in Phase 1. strong weak Using conditioned bar-press suppression, we found that gaps of different duration between CS termination and US onset in the two training phases resulted in less of a Hall-Pearce negative transfer effect than did an equivalent gap in the twotraining phases. The results are discussed with respect tothe temporal coding hypothesis (Matzel, Held, &Miller, 1988), the Pearce and Hall (1980) model, and Bouton's (1993) interference model.     

Testing domain general learning in an Australian lizard

A key question in cognition is whether animals that are proficient in a specific cognitive domain (domain specific hypothesis), such as spatial learning, are also proficient in other domains (domain general hypothesis) or whether there is a trade-off. Studies testing among these hypotheses are biased towards mammals and birds. To understand constraints on the evolution of cognition more generally, we need broader taxonomic and phylogenetic coverage. We used Australian eastern water skinks (Eulamprus quoyii) with known spatial learning ability in three additional tasks: an instrumental and two discrimination tasks. Under domain specific learning we predicted that lizards that were good at spatial learning would perform less well in the discrimination tasks. Conversely, we predicted that lizards that did not meet our criterion for spatial learning would likewise perform better in discrimination tasks. Lizards with domain general learning should perform approximately equally well (or poorly) in these tasks. Lizards classified as spatial learners performed no differently to non-spatial learners in both the instrumental and discrimination learning tasks. Nevertheless, lizards were proficient in all tasks. Our results reveal two patterns: domain general learning in spatial learners and domain specific learning in non-spatial learners. We suggest that delineating learning into domain general and domain specific may be overly simplistic and we need to instead focus on individual variation in learning ability, which ultimately, is likely to play a key role in fitness. These results, in combination with previously published work on this species, suggests that this species has behavioral flexibility because they are competent across multiple cognitive domains and are capable of reversal learning.