The Connection Between Happiness and Service Businesses: A Preliminary Study

Happiness may be one of the most important goals that many people pursue in the world. This study adopts a qualitative approach to investigate the determinants of happiness for Taiwanese/Chinese people. Further, we investigate related service opportunities for happiness via a field survey of 808 respondents. This study identifies four happiness segments for people in Taiwan/China: Influential & Outgoing, Adequately Settled, Pleasure Seeking, and Young & Restless. These four happiness segments differ markedly in terms of characteristics and potential service opportunities. The findings of this study have implications for researchers who are seeking to understand happiness in an Asian country.     

Chinese characters elicit face-like N170 inversion effects

Recognition of both faces and Chinese characters is commonly believed to rely on configural information. While faces typically exhibit behavioral and N170 inversion effects that differ from non-face stimuli (Rossion, Joyce, Cottrell, & Tarr, 2003), the current study examined whether a similar reliance on configural processing may result in similar inversion effects for faces and Chinese characters. Participants were engaged in an orientation judgment task (Experiment 1) and a one-back identity matching task (Experiment 2). Across two experiments, the N170 was delayed and enhanced in magnitude for upside-down faces and compound Chinese characters, compared to upright stimuli. The inversion effects for these two stimulus categories were bilateral for latency and right-lateralized for amplitudes. For simple Chinese characters, only the latency inversion effects were significant. Moreover, the size of the right-hemisphere inversion effects in N170 amplitude was larger for faces than Chinese characters. These findings show the N170 inversion effects from non-face stimuli closely parallel effects seen with faces. Face-like N170 inversion effects elicited by Chinese compound characters were attributed to the difficulty of part-whole integration as well as the disrupted regularity in relational information due to inversion. Hemispheric difference in Chinese character processing is also discussed.     

Individual and sex differences in reminiscence

Inverted alphabet printing, rotary pursuit, and mirror tracking tasks were administered to 84 subjects in order to ascertain (a) reproducibility of reminiscence scores within and between tasks and (b)sex differences in reminiscence. With prerest performance levels held constant by second-order partial correlation procedures, reproducibility of individual reminiscence differences within tasks was significant but quite low, while predictability of reminiscence from one task to another was negligible. The sexes reminisced essentially alike on inverted alphabet printing, but females reminisced more than males on the other tasks, presumably because they were relatively more depressed by massed practice on these tasks. Thus, individual and sex differences were essentially task specific. Implications of results for reminiscence theories and for the credibility of alleged relationships between reminiscence and other organismic variables were discussed.     

Fertile Ground for Community: Inner-City Neighborhood Common Spaces

Research suggests that the formation of neighborhood social ties (NSTs) may substantially depend on the informal social contact which occurs in neighborhood common spaces, and that in inner-city neighborhoods where common spaces are often barren no-man's lands, the presence of trees and grass supports common space use and informal social contact among neighbors. We found that for 145 urban public housing residents randomly assigned to 18 architecturally identical buildings, levels of vegetation in common spaces predict both use of common spaces and NSTs; further, use of common spaces mediated the relationship between vegetation and NSTS. In addition, vegetation and NSTs were significantly related to residents' senses of safety and adjustment. These findings suggest that the use and characteristics of common spaces may play a vital role in the natural growth of community, and that improving common spaces may be an especially productive focus for community organizing efforts in inner-city neighborhoods.     

第二语言阅读中的元认知

在第二语言习得领域,元认知自20世纪90年代中后期开始引起了研究者的关注并逐渐被应用于阅读、写作、听力和口语等各种教学实践中。该文以元认知结构的二分法为框架,说明了心理学研究者致力于探讨第二语言学习者通过元认知监控来使用元认知知识的内部加工过程的特点,并从影响第二语言阅读的自我观念、文本内容和策略使用意识等方面系统介绍了元认知知识、监控与第二语言阅读的关系,最后对元认知的研究方法进行了归纳和展望     

工作倦怠结构的验证性因素分析

用所编制的工作倦怠问卷,先后对541名被试的调查,对工作倦怠的结构进行探讨。结果表明,工作倦怠由耗竭、人格解体和成就感降低三个因素构成。工作倦怠的三因素结构模型在三个职业样本的验证性因素分析中都得到了支持。工作倦怠问卷的信度与效度指标也都达到了心理测量学的要求。     

Enhanced neuronal excitability in rat CA1 pyramidal neurons following trace eyeblink conditioning acquisition is not due to alterations in I M

Previous work done by our laboratory has demonstrated a reduction of the post-burst afterhyperpolarization (AHP) and accommodation following trace eyeblink conditioning in rabbit CA1 pyramidal neurons. Our laboratory has also demonstrated a reduction in the AHP in rat CA1 pyramidal neurons following spatial learning. In the current study we have extended our findings in rabbits by showing a reduction in both the AHP and accommodation in F344 X BN rat CA1 pyramidal neurons following acquisition of trace eyeblink conditioning. A component current of the AHP, I(M), was evaluated with a specific blocker of this current, and showed no apparent contribution to the learning-related increase in neuronal excitability. Rather, a reduction in an isoproterenol-sensitive component of the AHP, presumably sI(AHP), was observed to underlie the learning-specific change.     

The six determinants of gait and the inverted pendulum analogy: A dynamic walking perspective

We examine two prevailing, yet surprisingly contradictory, theories of human walking. The six determinants of gait are kinematic features of gait proposed to minimize the energetic cost of locomotion by reducing the vertical displacement of the body center of mass (COM). The inverted pendulum analogy proposes that it is beneficial for the stance leg to behave like a pendulum, prescribing a more circular arc, rather than a horizontal path, for the COM. Recent literature presents evidence against the six determinants theory, and a simple mathematical analysis shows that a flattened COM trajectory in fact increases muscle work and force requirements. A similar analysis shows that the inverted pendulum fares better, but paradoxically predicts no work or force requirements. The paradox may be resolved through the dynamic walking approach, which refers to periodic gaits produced almost entirely by the dynamics of the limbs alone. Demonstrations include passive dynamic walking machines that descend a gentle slope, and active dynamic walking robots that walk on level ground. Dynamic walking takes advantage of the inverted pendulum mechanism, but requires mechanical work to transition from one pendular stance leg to the next. We show how the step-to-step transition is an unavoidable energetic consequence of the inverted pendulum gait, and gives rise to predictions that are experimentally testable on humans and machines. The dynamic walking approach provides a new perspective, focusing on mechanical work rather than the kinematics or forces of gait. It is helpful for explaining human gait features in a constructive rather than interpretive manner.     

A study of Internet addiction through the lens of the interpersonal theory.

Previous studies have presented conflicting claims regarding reasons that people become addicted to the Internet. In this study, we attempted to identify predictors of Internet addiction based on Sullivan's interpersonal theory and Internet addiction literature. In our research model, it is hypothesized that good parent-child relationship positively correlates with good interpersonal relationships, which in turn are hypothesized to correlate with undesirable social anxiety. In addition, both parent-child and interpersonal relationships are hypothesized to negatively correlate with Internet addiction, whereas the level of social anxiety is hypothesized to positively correlate with Internet addiction. The results of this study confirm the research model hypotheses, indicating that the quality of parent-child relationship is indeed positively correlated to the quality of our participants' interpersonal relationships and that frustrating interpersonal relationships may raise the level of social anxiety. In addition, interpersonal relationships, the parent-child relationship, and social anxiety all influence Internet addiction, as predicted by the model. Finally, the more social anxiety and discontent with their peer interactions the participants experienced, the more addicted they were to the Internet.     

心理资本与工作绩效的关系:基于本土心理资本理论的视角

采用问卷调查法,以445名企业员工和MBA学员为调查对象,考察了本土心理资本与适应性绩效的关系。结果表明:(1)本土心理资本对任务绩效和周边绩效均有显著的预测作用;其中事务型心理资本对任务绩效的预测作用较强;而人际型心理资本对周边绩效的预测作用较强。(2)本土心理资本对适应性绩效有显著的正向预测作用;其中事务型心理资本主要影响了压力与应急管理、创新问题解决、岗位持续学习等维度,而人际型心理资本则主要影响了人际与文化适应和岗位持续学习等维度。(3)适应性绩效在事务型和人际型心理资本与周边绩效间起部分中介作用,在事务型心理资本与任务绩效间也起部分中介作用。(4)在控制事务型心理资本的前提下,人际型心理资本对适应性绩效和周边绩效仍有显著的预测作用,显示人际型心理资本的构念具备实证效度。