图片命名中词汇频率效应的眼动研究

在延时命名范式的基础上,通过控制熟悉性并运用连续图片命名的眼动记录技术,考察图片的注视时间,将词汇提取的过程单独地呈现出来。实验结果表明,在控制熟悉性及延时命名的条件下,图片名称的频率仍影响着图片的注视时间,表现出频率效应,但对出声输出的快慢没有影响,从而进一步证实了图片命名频率效应的“词汇通达假设”。     

记忆编码与特异性效应之间关系的ERP研究

通过事件相关电位（ERPs）探讨了在“学习–再认”模式条件下的记忆编码与特异性效应之间的关系。选择首要特异性特征为深、浅加工,次要特异性特征为高、低词频。研究结果表明,（1）行为数据支持了低频词的再认比高频词更精确;深加工的再认比浅加工更精确,并且深加工存在着显著的字频效应,浅加工没有显著的字频效应。（2）低频词比高频词有更大的ERP晚正成分（LPC）;在低频词条件下,存在着显著的相继记忆效应,随后再认正确的ERPs比随后再认不正确的ERPs更正。因此,加工方式和词频间接地影响着记忆编码的形成。     

自我参照加工中的频率作用二重性

本实验在三种加工水平下考察了自我参照加工和频率作用二重性的关系,实验分为回忆部分和再认部分,三组被试分别进行自我参照、他人参照和一般语义加工,再认测验包括R／K判断。结果发现,在一般的回忆和再认模式下,自我参照加工中的频率作用二重性依然存在,即回忆中高频词的成绩优于低频词,而再认中低频词的成绩优于高频词;但在R／K判断上,对于低频词,无论哪一种参照加工的R都大于K,但对于高频词,只有自我参照加工的R仍大于K。最后,本文从自我参照加工的独特性对结果进行了讨论。     

Word frequency influences on the list length effect and associative memory in young and older adults

Many studies show that age deficits in memory are smaller for information supported by pre-experimental experience. Many studies also find dissociations in memory tasks between words that occur with high and low frequencies in language, but the literature is mixed regarding the extent of word frequency effects in normal ageing. We examined whether age deficits in episodic memory could be influenced by manipulations of word frequency. In Experiment 1, young and older adults studied short and long lists of high- and low-frequency words for free recall. The list length effect (the drop in proportion recalled for longer lists) was larger in young compared to older adults and for high- compared to low-frequency words. In Experiment 2, young and older adults completed item and associative recognition memory tests with high- and low-frequency words. Age deficits were greater for associative memory than for item memory, demonstrating an age-related associative deficit. High-frequency words led to better associative memory performance whilst low-frequency words resulted in better item memory performance. In neither experiment was there any evidence for age deficits to be smaller for high- relative to low-frequency words, suggesting that word frequency effects on memory operate independently from effects due to cognitive ageing.     

The role of vowel formant frequencies and duration in the perception of foreign accent

ABSTRACT

This study used synthesis to manipulate vowel formant frequencies and durations to evaluate their role on foreign accent perception. Formant frequencies and durations for the vowels /æ/, /?/, and /a/ were manipulated with changes toward and away from the mean native English and Spanish-accented values from Sidaras, S. K., Alexander, J. E. D., & Nygaard, L. C. (2009. Perceptual learning of systematic variation in Spanish-accented speech. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 125, 3306–3316). Native listeners rated these stimuli on degree of accentedness and comprehensibility. Gradual changes in formant frequencies from native to non-native values impacted /a/ negatively, /?/ positively, and /æ/ minimally. Effects of vowel duration on either type of ratings were small and restricted to vowel-specific interactions. The current findings suggest that vowel formant frequencies are primary cues to foreign accent. Their influence depends upon whether or not frequencies could reflect alternative vowel categories.     

Young children's affective decision-making in a gambling task: Does difficulty in learning the gain/loss schedule matter?

This research investigated the development of affective decision-making (ADM) during early childhood, in particular role of difficulty in learning a gain/loss schedule. In Experiment 1, we administrated the Children's Gambling Task (CGT) to 60 Chinese children aged 3 and 4, replicating the results obtained by Kerr and Zelazo [Kerr, A., & Zelazo, P. D. (2004). Development of “hot” executive function: The Children's Gambling Task. Brain and Cognition, 55, 148–157]. In Experiment 2, the CGT was modified to make it easier for young children to learn the gain/loss schedule by increasing delayed loss frequency and magnitude in the disadvantageous deck, and a larger sample (181 children aged 3–5) was assessed. Age-differences between 3- and 4-year-olds, rather than 4- and 5-year-olds, showed that ADM develops rapidly between 3 and 4 years. The reduction of the difficulty in learning the gain/loss schedule provides the basis for an account of the development of young children's AMD.     

Infants’ expressive behaviors to mothers and unfamiliar partners during face-to-face interactions from 4 to 10 months

Changes in the organization of infant looking, facial expressions, and vocalizations were examined over age (4, 7, and 10 months) and with different social partners. Although infants at all ages accompanied smiling with looking at both mothers and unfamiliar partners, 7- and 10-month infants accompanied vocalization with looking only when they were with mothers. Seven- and 10-month-olds vocalized with unfamiliar partners only when they were smiling at the same time. When mothers stopped talking, infants reduced smiling significantly at all ages, yet vocalized more at 10 months. In the second half of the first year, there are fundamental changes in the coordination of infant expressive behaviors that reveal a keen attunement to variations in maternal behavior and the familiarity of social partners.     

Dream recall frequency and openness to experience: a negative finding

The question of whether personality dimensions explain the interindividual differences in dream recall frequency has often been investigated by dream researchers. Previous research has shown that traits such as absorption, hypnotic susceptibility and thin boundaries which are related to the openness-to-experience factor of the Five-Factor-Model of personality correlate substantially with dream recall frequency. The present study, however, was unable to demonstrate a relationship between openness and the six facet scales and dream recall frequency. It may be hypothesized that other factors such as visual memory, sleep behavior or creativity explain the interindividual differences in dream recall.     

The explicit learning of new names for known objects is improved by dexamphetamine

A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, between subjects study design (N=37) was used to investigate the effects of dexamphetamine on explicit new name learning. Participants ingested 10mg of dexamphetamine or placebo daily over 5 consecutive mornings before learning new names for 50 familiar objects plus fillers. The dexamphetamine group recognised and recalled the new names more accurately than the placebo group over the 5 days and 1 month later. Word learning success was not associated with baseline neuropsychological performance, mood, cardiovascular arousal, or sustained attention. These results may have implications for the pharmacological treatment of acquired naming difficulties.     

Finitistic and Frequentistic Approximation of Probability Measures with or without <Emphasis Type="Italic">σ</Emphasis>-Additivity

In this paper a theory of finitistic and frequentistic approximations — in short: f-approximations — of probability measures P over a countably infinite outcome space N is developed. The family of subsets of N for which f-approximations converge to a frequency limit forms a pre-Dynkin system . The limiting probability measure over D can always be extended to a probability measure over , but this measure is not always σ-additive. We conclude that probability measures can be regarded as idealizations of limiting frequencies if and only if σ-additivity is not assumed as a necessary axiom for probabilities. We prove that σ-additive probability measures can be characterized in terms of so-called canonical and in terms of so-called full f-approximations. We also show that every non-σ-additive probability measure is f-approximable, though neither canonically nor fully f-approximable. Finally, we transfer our results to probability measures on open or closed formulas of first-order languages.