An improved stochastic EM algorithm for large-scale full-information item factor analysis

In this paper, we explore the use of the stochastic EM algorithm (Celeux & Diebolt (1985) Computational Statistics Quarterly, 2, 73) for large-scale full-information item factor analysis. Innovations have been made on its implementation, including an adaptive-rejection-based Gibbs sampler for the stochastic E step, a proximal gradient descent algorithm for the optimization in the M step, and diagnostic procedures for determining the burn-in size and the stopping of the algorithm. These developments are based on the theoretical results of Nielsen (2000, Bernoulli, 6, 457), as well as advanced sampling and optimization techniques. The proposed algorithm is computationally efficient and virtually tuning-free, making it scalable to large-scale data with many latent traits (e.g. more than five latent traits) and easy to use for practitioners. Standard errors of parameter estimation are also obtained based on the missing-information identity (Louis, 1982, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series B, 44, 226). The performance of the algorithm is evaluated through simulation studies and an application to the analysis of the IPIP-NEO personality inventory. Extensions of the proposed algorithm to other latent variable models are discussed.     

Gender Differences in the Creativity–Academic Achievement Relationship: A Study from China

This study investigated gender differences in the relationship between creativity and academic achievement. A sample of 1082 primary students participated in this study in Beijing, China. Their age ranged between 8 and 15 years old (M = 10.41, SD = 0.99). Students’ creativity was measured by the Chinese version of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking Figural Form A, and academic achievement was based on students’ self-reported grades of last semester. Results revealed that there was a significantly positive relationship between creativity and academic achievement, ranging from r = .07 to r = .21. Gender differences regarding which aspects of creativity were related to academic achievement were also found. Plausible explanations and implications of the findings in creativity research and education are discussed.     

Jeffrey Meets Kolmogorov

Journal of Philosophical Logic - Jeffrey conditionalization is a rule for updating degrees of belief in light of uncertain evidence. It is usually assumed that the partitions involved in Jeffrey...     

How mindfulness affects benign and malicious envy from the perspective of the mindfulness reperceiving model

At present, mindfulness is a hotspot in psychological research. Mindfulness is an effective tool that enables people to effectively inhibit negative emotions. Previous studies have shown that envy is a typical negative emotion; however, envy can be divided into two completely different types: benign envy and malicious envy. The question then arises, how does mindfulness affect both types of envy? Using a mindfulness reperceiving model, we explored the effect of mindfulness on these two different types of envy and on the mediating mechanism of psychological resilience. To accomplish this, we recruited 676 Chinese undergraduates to complete the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Benign and Malicious Envy Scale (BEMAS) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). The results we obtained showed that mindfulness and psychological resilience significantly and negatively predicted malicious envy and that psychological resilience played a partially mediating role in the relationship. In addition, the results showed that there was no significant effect between mindfulness and benign envy; however, psychological resilience can significantly and positively predict benign envy and played a completely mediating role between mindfulness and benign envy. These results effectively extend theories based on the mindfulness reperceiving model while also being important for promoting benign envy and inhibiting malicious envy in terms of improving mindfulness and psychological resilience.     

Relation matters: relative depth order is stored in working memory for depth

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review - Working memory is considered as a cognitive memory buffer for temporarily holding, processing, and manipulating information. Although working memory for verbal...     

How does green advertising skepticism on social media affect consumer intention to purchase green products?

Underpinned by the stimulus–organism–response model, this study explores the underlying mechanism through which green advertising skepticism on social media affects consumer green purchase intention. It also investigates the boundary factors that moderate this indirect relationship. Performing structural equation modeling on data collected from an online survey on Sina Weibo, this study finds that green advertising skepticism on social media negatively affects green purchase intention through the mediation of perceived information utility. Moreover, interdependent self‐construal positively moderates, and independent self‐construal negatively moderates this indirect relationship. These findings suggest that truthful and consumer‐tailored green advertising is crucial to green product marketing.     

信任的认知神经网络模型

信任是指一方在基于对另一方行为期望的基础上愿意冒一定的风险, 以期在将来得到积极结果的心理过程。近年, 认知神经取向的研究对信任行为引起的特定脑区激活进行了考察, 却忽略了大规模脑网络在信任过程中的整体作用。在总结前人研究的基础上提出信任的认知神经网络模型, 并从认知神经网络视角对信任行为进行解释和整合。在模型中, 信任行为是动力系统、情感系统和认知系统相互作用的结果, 并分别与奖励网络、显著网络、中央执行网络和默认网络等神经网络激活有关。此外, 模型还强调信任行为的反馈机制, 以此构成完整的建构模型。模型阐明了心理系统与中枢神经网络之间的对应关系, 从认知神经角度解释了信任行为发生的心理机制和神经基础。     

员工对企业社会责任的差异化反应:基于归因理论的阐释

企业社会责任归因是指个体对企业践行社会责任背后的动机进行主观推理和判断的过程与结果, 也是影响企业社会责任发挥积极作用的关键因素。通过梳理以往研究, 从个体、领导及组织三个层面总结了影响员工企业社会责任归因的因素, 同时从社会交换和组织认同视角深入剖析企业社会责任归因对员工态度和行为的影响及作用机理。未来研究可以进一步明晰不同企业社会责任归因的独特影响因素与作用效果, 基于归因理论探索企业社会责任归因的形成机制, 同时研究多种因素对企业社会责任归因的影响, 考察归因对企业社会责任公平启发机制的影响, 并基于中国情境开展本土化研究。     

Visual working memory enhances target discrimination accuracy with single-item displays

The maintenance of information in visual working memory has been shown to bias the concurrent processing in favor of matching visual input. The present study aimed to examine whether this bias can act at an early stage of processing to enhance target feature perception in single-item displays. Participants were sequentially presented with two distinct colored stimuli as memory samples and a retro-cue indicating which of the two samples should be maintained for subsequent memory test. During the retention interval, they had to discriminate the gap orientation of a Landolt target presented through a single visual stimulus that could match one or neither of the two samples. Across two experiments, we consistently found that discrimination performance was more accurate when the Landolt target was situated within a stimulus that matched the sample being retained in visual working memory, as compared with when the target was not. This effect cannot be attributed to the mechanism of passive priming, because we failed to observe priming effects when the stimulus containing the target matched the sample that was retro-cued to be irrelevant to the working memory task, as compared to when the stimulus matched neither sample. Given the fact that target stimuli were presented in single-item displays wherein external noise was precluded, the present findings demonstrate that the working memory bias of visual attention operating in the absence of stimulus competition facilitates early perceptual processing at the attended location via signal enhancement.

     

Evaluation of Life Quality and its Spatial Mismatch with Local Economic Development in Large Chinese Cities

Quality of life (QoL) is an important factor which influences local economic development (LED). The study aims to evaluate the quality of life in large Chinese cities and explore the relationship between life quality and local economic development. By constructing the index system of QoL of large cities, this study analyses the spatial pattern of QoL in 39 largest cities across China and then introduces the spatial mismatch method to analyse the relationship between QoL and LED. The results point to the significant differences in QoL among large Chinese cities and unlock the spatial mismatch between QoL and LED in these cities. The quality of life is generally better than local economic development in large cities across Western China and different cities display various spatial mismatch features. This study also shows that local economic development can promote quality of life, though they do not merely stand in a quantitative relation. Quality of life is related more to the economic structure. It is suggested that future urban development focus on high value-added and environmental-friendly industries, which can improve both local economic development and quality of life.