Racial identification, racial discrimination, and substance use vulnerability among African American young adults

Two studies examined racial identity (RI) as a protective factor against substance use cognitions among African American young adults who either envisioned or experienced racial discrimination. In Study 1, participants envisioned a discrimination or nondiscrimination scenario, and then their willingness to use drugs and an indirect measure of substance use were assessed. Discrimination was associated with higher levels of use cognitions among participants with low levels of RI. In Study 2, participants were excluded or included in an online game (Cyberball) by White peers and then engaged in an RI-affirmation or control writing task. Participants attributed this exclusion to racial discrimination. Excluded participants who did not affirm their RI reported the highest levels of substance use cognitions, especially if they had engaged in higher levels of previous substance use. These findings highlight the importance of RI among Black young adults and the impact of discrimination on health behaviors.     

儿童早期自尊的行为观察研究

以自尊情感模型为理论起点,采用行为事件取样法,对58名1.5-4岁婴幼儿的掌控感和归属感事件进行系统观察。结果表明：早期掌控感源于以动作为基础的掌控行为,包括掌控自我、掌控外物和掌控他人。而归属感一方面源于儿童以不同的行为方式寻求归属,即主动归属感;另一方面源于不同情境下成人的行为使儿童获得了归属,即被动归属感。掌控感和归属感事件均随年龄增长而逐渐减少,反映了个体自尊的早期形态。     

The control of stimulus-driven saccades is subject not to central, but to visual attention limitations

In three experiments, we investigated whether the control of reflexive saccades is subject to central attention limitations. In a dual-task procedure, Task 1 required either unspeeded reporting or ignoring of briefly presented masked stimuli, whereas Task 2 required a speeded saccade toward a visual target. The stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) between the two tasks was varied. In Experiments 1 and 2, the Task 1 stimulus was one or three letters, and we asked how saccade target selection is influenced by the number of items. We found (1) longer saccade latencies at short than at long SOAs in the report condition, (2) a substantially larger latency increase for three letters than for one letter, and (3) a latency difference between SOAs in the ignore condition. Broadly, these results match the central interference theory. However, in Experiment 3, an auditory stimulus was used as the Task 1 stimulus, to test whether the interference effects in Experiments 1 and 2 were due to visual instead of central interference. Although there was a small saccade latency increase from short to long SOAs, this difference did not increase from the ignore to the report condition. To explain visual interference effects between letter encoding and stimulus-driven saccade control, we propose an extended theory of visual attention.     

Adolescents' evaluative beliefs of failure: explorations in a Chinese Singaporean sample

Our study explored evaluative beliefs of failure to see whether positive and negative beliefs of failure are bivariate in nature within three domains of an adolescent's life (academic, social, and athletic) and how such beliefs are differentially linked to the importance of a domain, the frequency of failure in a domain, and the extremity of negative emotions experienced when encountering failure in a domain. A total of 163 Chinese Singaporean students in Secondary 3 and 4 (Grades 9 and 10) from two Singapore schools participated in the study by completing a questionnaire. Results from various analyses converged to demonstrate that evaluative beliefs could be distinguished by both valence (positive and negative) and domain (academic, social, and athletic). The six evaluative beliefs were also distinguished from failure attributions. While there was consensus in what constituted negative beliefs of failure across domains, positive beliefs of failure showed some domain specificity, with unique aspects in particular domains (e.g., the inevitability of failure only in the academic domain). Positive and negative beliefs in the different domains were correlated among themselves, but positive and negative beliefs were uncorrelated within (except for academic) and across domains. Positive and negative beliefs were also differentially linked to domain importance, failure frequency, and extremity of negative emotion. Unexpectedly, domain importance was not linked to negative beliefs but was linked to positive beliefs, while positive and negative beliefs showed domain-specific links with failure frequency. As expected, however, negative beliefs were (positively) linked to extremity of negative emotions while positive beliefs were not linked to such extremity. The conceptual, substantive, and practical implications of these results are discussed.     

一种对动物学习记忆能力突变筛查的新途径

本文详细描述了一种全自动化的行为检测方案.在自然饲养环境/检测环境(24/7)中,我们测量了小鼠针对两个给食器中获得食物的比例与它们在相应给食器停留时长的比例进行匹配的精确性与准确性.该方案是对传统条件性习得(trials-to-acquisition)行为测验设备的改进,可以检测动物时间间隔能力的精确性与准确性,对定时目标选择的相关概率的效果,以及记忆一天中从不同给食器中获得食物次数的精确性与准确性.该压缩系统避免了在整个实验过程中对小鼠的持握操作,可忽略实验者/技术员的实验操作时间,而且可以递送小鼠置入实验环境后,7～9个实验日中全部3组实验流程产生的大量结果.其中,第一个实验流程为单个24小时周期内完成的时间匹配能力的筛查,它对动物的时间、空间估计能力的记忆机制进行精确检测.因此,该系统允许在有限的实验空间、较短的实验周期内,对大量的实验小鼠进行有可能存在的学习记忆能力缺陷进行大规模筛查.此外,该系统运行所依赖的软件可以在公共开放平台获得.     

L'identification des enfants à haut potentiel : Quelles perspectives pour l'approche psychométrique ?

The identification of gifted children is a paradoxical issue in the scientific literature. This topic is largely underrepresented, in spite of the complexity of the questions it raises. The concept of identification of giftedness is a multifaceted topic. From a theoretical point of view, the definitions of giftedness diverge. From a methodological point of view, the domains of measurement, the techniques of evaluation and the criteria used are also extremely variable. The limits of the “traditional” psychometric approach to giftedness are presented starting from the example of the WISC. Several questions are addressed: the value of the identification threshold, the relevance of available norms and psychometric qualities of this test. Finally, prospects offered by Item Response Models to renew the psychometric approach to the identification of giftedness are considered.     

Leverpress Escape/Avoidance Conditioning in Rats: Safety Signal Length and Avoidance Performance

Leverpress escape/avoidance is an excellent model for assessing coping in rats. Acquisition of the leverpress response is determined by the interstimulus (signal-shock) interval, as well as the type and duration of the aversive event. One factor that has received less research attention is the safety or feedback signal. The safety signal presumably negatively reinforces leverpress responding through fear reduction. Here, we present a parametric manipulation of safety signal length and avoidance performance. All rats were trained with a 60-s tone conditioned stimulus and an intermittent 1-s, 1.0-mA footshock. Training was further accomplished with a 1-, 2-, 4-, or 6-min safety signal. Acquisition of the avoidance response was comparable at all safety signal durations. Rats trained with the shortest safety signal (1 min) exhibited more leverpresses during the safe period, a measure of anxiety. Thus, acquisition of the leverpress avoidance response was efficient regardless of safety signal duration, even though shorter periods were associated with greater anxiety.     

中学生人格特点和发展现状的研究

本研究以《中学生个性测验》为研究工具,以广东省五所不同类型中学的2816名初高中学生为被试,考察了中学生人格发展的状况和特点。研究发现：中学生人格发展状况不甚乐观,检出率较高;中学生人格发展状况在男女生之间、初高中之间和各类型学校之间都存在明显的差异;建议要有针对性的加强中学生的健康人格教育。     

大学生行为抑制的特点与行为抑制量表的编制

本研究旨在探讨行为抑制与心身症状之间的关系,并建立大学生行为抑制量表。行为抑制量表由63个项目构成,分别测量对亲密关系、自信、求助、拒绝、信任和服从行为抑制的程度．项目的鉴别度、信度和效度符合心理测量学的要求。对大学生行为抑制的个体差异分析揭示了该团体的年级、性别和学科对行为抑制的影响。文中还对大学生行为抑制量表的局限性以及今后研究的方向进行了讨论。