2001年人类生殖科学研究领域的八大突破(之一)

2001年,人类生殖科学研究领域取得多项重大突破：美国科学家研制的一种电脑控制芯片,可以使受精和胚胎发育的早期过程在一个芯片内完成;中国科学院通过探索与精子成熟相关的功能基因,寻找到一种调控生育的“基因钥匙”,澳大利亚科学家发明的“单亲无精生殖技术”,使女人生孩子可以不要男人的“贡献”等等。     

Does L/M cone opponency disappear in human periphery?

We have assessed the optimal cone contrast sensitivity across eccentricity in human vision of the two cone-opponent mechanisms [L/M or red-green, and S/(L + M) or blue-yellow] and the luminance mechanism. We have used a novel stimulus, termed a 'sinring', that is a radially modulated sine-wave arc, Gaussian enveloped in both angular and radial directions. This stimulus overcomes the problem inherent in Gabor stimuli of confounding stimulus spatial frequency, size, and eccentricity and so allows contrast sensitivity to be tracked accurately into the periphery. Our results show that L/M cone opponency declines steeply across the human periphery and becomes behaviourally absent by 25-30 deg (in the nasal field). This result suggests that any L/M cone-opponent neurons found in primate peripheral retina beyond this limit are unlikely to be significant for colour contrast detection measured behaviourally.     

Reducing reactive aggression in schoolchildren through child,parent, and conjoint parent‐child group interventions: An efficacy study of longitudinal outcomes

This study was the first to evaluate the effectiveness of three different group interventions to reduce children's reactive aggression based on the social information processing (SIP) model. In the first stage of screening, 3,734 children of Grades 4–6 completed the Reactive–Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ) to assess their reactive and proactive aggression. Respondents with a total score of z ≥ 1 on the RPQ were shortlisted for the second stage of screening by qualitative interview. Interviews with 475 children were conducted to select those who showed reactive aggression featuring a hostile attributional bias. Finally, 126 children (97 males and 29 females) aged 8 to 14 (M = 9.71, SD = 1.23) were selected and randomly assigned to one of the three groups: a child group, a parent group, and a parent–child group. A significant Time × Intervention effect was found for general and reactive aggression. The parent–child group and child group showed a significant drop in general aggression and reactive aggression from posttest to 6‐month follow‐up, after controlling for baseline scores, sex, and age. However, the parent group showed no treatment effect: reactive aggression scores were significantly higher than those in the child group at 6‐month follow‐up. This study has provided strong evidence that children with reactive aggression need direct and specific treatment to reconstruct the steps of the SIP involving the selection and interpretation of cues. The intervention could help to prevent severe violent crimes at the later stage of a reactive aggressor.     

元认知在画图表征策略和小学生数学问题解决能力中的中介作用

该研究采用自然实验和问卷调查法,对268名小学五年级学生进行画图表征策略训练,在此基础上根据策略学习情况筛选出掌握了该策略的218名学生,以这些学生为被试,探讨元认知在画图表征策略和小学生数学问题解决能力中的作用。结果表明:(1)策略学习后,小学生的画图表征策略水平和数学问题解决成绩均显著高于策略学习前。(2)画图表征策略通过元认知这一中介变量对小学生数学问题解决能力有显著的促进作用。     

The nature of gestures' beneficial role in spatial problem solving

Co-thought gestures are hand movements produced in silent, noncommunicative, problem-solving situations. In the study, we investigated whether and how such gestures enhance performance in spatial visualization tasks such as a mental rotation task and a paper folding task. We found that participants gestured more often when they had difficulties solving mental rotation problems (Experiment 1). The gesture-encouraged group solved more mental rotation problems correctly than did the gesture-allowed and gesture-prohibited groups (Experiment 2). Gestures produced by the gesture-encouraged group enhanced performance in the very trials in which they were produced (Experiments 2 & 3). Furthermore, gesture frequency decreased as the participants in the gesture-encouraged group solved more problems (Experiments 2 & 3). In addition, the advantage of the gesture-encouraged group persisted into subsequent spatial visualization problems in which gesturing was prohibited: another mental rotation block (Experiment 2) and a newly introduced paper folding task (Experiment 3). The results indicate that when people have difficulty in solving spatial visualization problems, they spontaneously produce gestures to help them, and gestures can indeed improve performance. As they solve more problems, the spatial computation supported by gestures becomes internalized, and the gesture frequency decreases. The benefit of gestures persists even in subsequent spatial visualization problems in which gesture is prohibited. Moreover, the beneficial effect of gesturing can be generalized to a different spatial visualization task when two tasks require similar spatial transformation processes. We concluded that gestures enhance performance on spatial visualization tasks by improving the internal computation of spatial transformations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).     

The Culture-Embedded Social Problem of Elder Mistreatment: A Review of International Literature on Asian Elders

Elder mistreatment is now recognized as a worldwide social problem occurring in all racial and ethnic groups. The research on elder mistreatment started in the late 1970s and expanded its focus to ethnic elderly groups including Asian elders in the mid-1980s. Many researchers have explored the issues of elder mistreatment in conjunction with Asian elders’ culture and immigration backgrounds. This article reviews the state of the literature on elder mistreatment among Asians living in Asia or abroad to identify future directions of research, prevention, intervention, and policy. This research indicates that prevention, education, and intervention must take into account the cultural backgrounds of Asian elders and their family members. There is clearly a need for greater research into appropriate elder mistreatment prevention and intervention with Asian elders and their family members.     

认知控制的层级性：来自任务切换的脑电证据*

认知控制的主要研究范式之一是任务切换。以往研究发现切换代价受到认知控制层级性的调节, 但鲜有研究探索这一调节过程的动态神经机制。本研究通过嵌套的线索-任务切换范式考察不同层级任务切换代价的差异及其神经机制。在实验中, 要求被试完成高低两种层级任务, 低层级任务要求被试判断数字大小(或奇偶); 高层级任务则须先加工数字的某一语义特征(如当前数字是否是偶数), 然后进行大小判断。行为结果表明, 高层级任务切换代价显著大于低层级任务切换代价。线索锁时的脑电结果表明, 层级效应最早出现于P2成分, 切换效应(切换与重复之差)在CNV成分上受到任务层级的调控, 反映了在任务目标重构阶段给予高层级任务更多的选择性注意以及更高的主动性控制。目标锁时的脑电结果表明, 在N2及慢波(SP)成分上, 高层级任务切换与重复的波幅差异相比低层级任务显著更大, 反映了在抑制旧任务集与重构新反应集的过程中增强的反应性控制。这些结果为任务设置重构论和认知控制的层级性提供了新的证据。     

二孩家庭父母偏爱的特点及其与青少年抑郁的关系

对1655名来自二孩家庭的青少年进行调查,以考察二孩家庭中父母偏爱的特点及其与青少年抑郁的关系。结果发现：（1）父母偏爱水平较低,且父亲偏爱和母亲偏爱不存在显著差异。（2）父母偏爱存在性别和出生次序差异,男孩报告父母更偏爱自己,女孩报告父母更偏爱同胞;头胎子女报告父亲更偏爱自己,母亲更偏爱同胞,二胎子女则相反。（3）父母偏爱对青少年抑郁有显著影响,且为U型曲线关系,即当父母偏爱同胞或中高程度偏爱自己时,青少年抑郁水平均较高;当父母较低程度偏爱自己时,青少年抑郁水平最低。说明二孩家庭中不存在严重的父母偏爱,但父母偏爱会对青少年发展产生消极影响。     

Outcomes and intentions in children’s,adolescents’, and adults’ second- and third-party punishment behavior

Theories of morality maintain that punishment supports the emergence and maintenance of moral behavior. This study investigated developmental differences in the role of outcomes and the violator’s intentions in second-party punishment (where punishers are victims of a violation) and third-party punishment (where punishers are unaffected observers of a violation). Four hundred and forty-three adults and 8-, 12-, and 15-year-olds made choices in mini-ultimatum games and newly-developed mini-third-party punishment games, which involved actual incentives rather than hypothetical decisions. Adults integrated outcomes and intentions in their second- and third-party punishment, whereas 8-year-olds consistently based their punishment on the outcome of the violation. Adolescents integrated outcomes and intentions in second- but not third-party punishment.