Clinician experiences of homework in couples and family therapy: A survey of perceived impact on the working alliance

The process of engaging clients in homework assignments has been studied extensively in research settings, but rarely have the challenges in the implementation of the science been considered in couples and family therapy. A survey was conducted of 226 clinicians regarding (1) their experience of homework adherence (quantity and quality) with couple and family clients, and (2) their experience of the impact of homework non-completion (IHN) on the working alliance. Clinicians working with families reported less overall homework quantity and quality. However, across both couples and family clients, more negative IHN was reported among clinicians experiencing less homework quantity, both in terms of IHN bond (couple ρ = 0.71, p < 0.001; family ρ = 0.78, p < 0.001) and IHN agreement (couples ρ = 0.25, p < 0.001; ρ = 0.19, p = 0.006), and among clinicians with fewer years of clinical experience (r = 0.19, n = 136, p < 0.05). The present findings suggest that, in the context of couples and family therapy, there is a risk of perceived negative IHN on the working alliance. There would be merit to future investigations examining the processes of facilitating homework engagement within the context of a strong working alliance.     

作业中断对任务绩效的影响及心理疲劳的调节作用

作业中断会对中断后行为绩效产生影响,探讨不同疲劳状态下中断对作业绩效影响的认知机制将有助于完善和发展中断的认知理论。本研究采用事件相关电位(ERP),通过在不同心理疲劳状态下执行数学题任务中断、暂停中断和不中断的空间2-back任务,结合行为数据和ERPs结果,分析作业中断对任务绩效的影响以及心理疲劳在其中的调节作用。实验结果发现,中断后诱发的P200和P300振幅显著提高,作业中断使得主任务的注意力资源下降,任务中断的无关信息干扰了主任务工作记忆,而疲劳状态则进一步加剧了中断对注意资源、工作记忆及行为绩效的负面效应。本研究在揭示作业中断认知过程及疲劳对其影响机理的同时,也支持了中断的目标记忆模型。     

Stroke damages attentional maintenance in working memory

Stroke is the main cause of acquired disability in adults, and specific deficits in working memory (WM) are among the most common cognitive consequences. In neuropsychological routine, WM is most of the time investigated in the framework of the multicomponent model (Baddeley & Hitch, 1974, The psychology of learning and motivation, 47). Using a more recent theoretical WM model, the time-based resource-sharing (TBRS) model (Barrouillet et al., 2011, Psychol. Rev., 118, 175), the aim of the present study was to investigate in young post-stroke patients to which extent attentional maintenance is impaired in WM. To address this question, we discarded other factors known to directly influence WM performance, that is processing speed and short-term memory span. We proposed to 53 post-stroke patients and to 63 healthy controls a complex span paradigm in which participants were asked to alternate between the memorization of a series of images and a concurrent parity judgement task of a series of digits. To investigate the attentional maintenance processes, we manipulated the cognitive load (CL) of the concurrent task. CL effect is typically interpreted as the involvement of attentional maintenance processes. The task was adapted to each participant according to their processing speed and memory span. As expected, the results showed higher recall performance in healthy controls compared with post-stroke patients. Consistent with the literature, we also observed higher performance when the CL was low compared with high. However, the improvement in recall at low CL was smaller for post-stroke patients compared with controls, suggesting that post-stroke WM deficit could be in part due to a deficit of the attentional maintenance processes.     

MEMORY PROCESSES IN DELAYED SPATIAL DISCRIMINATIONS: RESPONSE INTENTIONS OR RESPONSE MEDIATION?

Pigeons were trained on a pair-comparison task in which left versus right choices were reinforced following different sequences of two center-key stimuli. Choice accuracy was higher when retention intervals occurred after the entire sequence than when they separated the two stimuli comprising it, and this effect occurred independently of whether the initial and terminal stimuli came from the same or different dimensions. The initial stimulus from the prior trial was a source of proactive interference only in groups for which the retention interval separated the two sequence stimuli. By contrast, differential delay-interval behavior was observed only in groups for which the retention interval followed presentation of the entire sequence. These results indicate that coding processes in delayed discriminations are influenced by the location of the retention interval, and that response mediation affects retention performances if the reinforced choice can be determined prior to the interval.     

语义联系类型和强度对预期推理生成的制约作用

首先采用开放式问卷实验方法,由被试生成日常生活中的事件以及组成这些事件的各种活动和活动的参加者。然后,对这些事件熟悉性、对活动的典型性和可区分性三个维度进行主观评价,形成事件以及每个事件活动序列,并据此编制实验材料。实验主要考察活动的典型性和可区分性对于熟悉性高的事件的预期推理的影响,以及不同工作记忆能力的被试进行事件预期推理时的加工模式。实验结果表明：（１）高工艺记忆能力的被试对事件的预期量小于     

视觉工作记忆回溯线索效应的产生机制：认知阶段分离

以往研究关于视觉工作记忆回溯线索效应的产生机制主要存在5种假设,目前依然存在争议。本研究通过改进前人研究实验范式,采用包含内源性回溯线索的颜色回忆报告范式,进一步对这5种假设进行检验。在实验1中,我们调控了线索与探测阵列之间的时间间隔,发现不同时间间隔不影响无线索条件的行为表现,而在正常线索条件中被试的记忆精度以及能记住的项目数量均优于无线索条件;在实验2中,我们对回溯线索伴随的干扰刺激类型进行控制,结果显示,在不同条件下记忆精度不存在差别,但当回溯线索伴随干扰刺激呈现时,被试能记住的项目数量会被降低,降低程度受干扰刺激的类型调制;在实验3中,我们对伴随回溯线索的干扰刺激的呈现时间进行控制,发现虽然回溯线索效应仍然存在,但干扰刺激的呈现时间不会影响效应程度。研究结果表明,回溯线索的出现使得被试能够在决策加工前完成内部注意资源的再分配,从而避免了同时进行这两种认知加工与记忆表征维持本身竞争认知资源。本研究为认知阶段分离假设提供了支持证据,对解决回溯线索效应产生机制的争议以及理解内部注意与视觉工作记忆的关系有重要意义。     

客体的视觉工作记忆研究进展

近年来,客体信息的视觉工作记忆问题引发了大量研究,并获得不少成果。本文对视觉工作记忆的研究范式,客体在视觉工作记忆中的存储方式、容量及保持时间等相关研究进行了概述,重点介绍关于视觉工作记忆存储单元和容量问题的"强客体"假设、"弱客体"假设和双重存储机制假设,并提出进一步的研究思路。     

东莨菪碱对大鼠空间参考记忆和工作记忆的不同影响

观察东莨菪碱对空间参考记忆和空间工作记忆的编码、保持和提取过程的作用。应用Morris水迷宫实验测定大鼠的空间参考记忆和空间工作记忆,分别在训练的不同阶段腹腔注射东莨菪碱（1mg/kg）和相同容量的生理盐水,比较各东莨菪碱组和生理盐水组之间游泳潜伏期、路径长度、轨迹和游泳速度的差异。结果发现：与注射生理盐水相比,在训练前和探测实验前注射东莨菪碱的大鼠在探测实验中对目标象限不表现出空间偏爱,说明东莨菪碱干扰参考记忆的信息编码和提取过程;而在训练结束后注射东莨菪碱的大鼠探测实验的结果与生理盐水组相比没有显著差异,说明东莨菪碱对参考记忆的保持过程没有影响。在工作记忆实验中,无论第一次测试前、第一次测试后和第2次测试前注射东莨菪碱,均造成大鼠游泳潜伏期延长,说明东莨菪碱干扰工作记忆的编码、保持和提取过程。研究提示M受体在空间工作记忆和参考记忆中发挥不同作用     

信息保持、短时存贮与执行控制的脑模型

工作记忆的脑机制是认知神经科学研究的重要问题。研究者在分析大量脑成像研究数据的基础上,创建了许多解释工作记忆神经基础的模型。Smith和Jonides发展了工作记忆成分结构模型和贮存与执行加工分离模型。Postle和D’Esposito建构了工作记忆相对表征混合模型,D’Esposito, Postle和Rypma阐述了工作记忆加工阶段动态模型。Fletcher和Henson提出工作记忆额叶分区整合理论。该文通过对上述模型或理论的评价,总结了工作记忆脑成像研究中存在的问题,展望了该研究领域的发展趋势。     

客体工作记忆对注意的导向作用：抑制动机的影响

通过两个实验验证了客体工作记忆内容对注意的导向过程是灵活可控的; 与客体工作记忆内容匹配的刺激既可以捕获注意, 也可以被抑制。实验1通过操作匹配试验概率来诱发不同水平的抑制动机, 考察在客体工作记忆内容对注意的导向作用中抑制动机的影响。匹配试验中有分心物与客体工作记忆内容相同。控制试验中所有搜索项目均与客体工作记忆内容不同。实验2保持实际匹配试验概率恒定, 仅通过改变指导语来调节抑制动机水平, 以排除练习的干扰。两实验结果均表明, 当抑制动机水平较低时, 匹配分心物会捕获注意; 而当抑制动机水平足够高时, 匹配分心物会被抑制。并且, 抑制动机水平的高低还会影响认知控制的效应量和时程。