Hidden meaning of an early loss. The common ground of attachment and social character assessments and their clinical applications

All contemporary psychoanalytical theorists are concerned with the common problem of how to account for the preeminent importance of relations. John Bowlby, the founder of attachment theory, suggests that “instinctive” behavioral systems underlie much of the emotional life of man and have developed because they were necessary for survival. The system with which he was almost exclusively concerned was the multitude of behaviors and experiences constituting the child's “attachment” to the mother. This “strikingly strong tie, evident particularly when disrupted”, has systematically been observed by attachment researchers, through the development of a series of instruments that gauge interpersonal communication. These interpersonal communications have on their part been found to “contain traces of developmental history”.

Bowlby's theory is based on clinical accounts of cases of important loss experiences. A transcendental role is given in Bowlby's theory to the experiences of loss. It stresses that the construction of mourning processes can be seen as a manifestation of search and as a general gradual mental reorientation. The paper introduces the methodological perspectives, which are observable derivations of Bowlby's psycho‐ethological ideas. We will argue that becoming acquainted with these attachment‐research tools and with socio‐psychoanalytic assessment can enhance the development of the clinicians' observational skills, their insight and their scientific research practices. A clinical vignette seen through the lenses of the attachment assessment of loss is presented. It points in addition to the socio‐cultural‐ethnical basis that serves as an underlying structure for the development of meaning.     

Why read Fairbairn?

The author offers a close reading of portions of Fairbairn's work in which he not only explicates and clarifies Fairbairn's thinking, but generates ideas of his own by developing concepts that he believes to be implicit in, or logical extensions of, Fairbairn's work. Among the unstated or underdeveloped aspects of Fairbairn's contribution that the author discusses are (1) the idea that the formation of the internal object world is always, in part, a response to trauma (actual failure on the part of the mother to convey to her infant a sense that she loves him and accepts his love); (2) the notion that the infant's unceasing efforts to transform the internalized relationship with the unloving mother into a loving relationship – thus reversing the effect on his mother of his (imagined) 'toxic love'– is the single most important motivation sustaining the structure of the internal object world; and (3) the idea that attacks on oneself for the way one loves, while self-destructive, contain a glimmer of insight into one's own self-hatred and shame regarding one's endless, futile attempts to change oneself (or the rejecting object) into a different person. The author, using his own clinical work, illustrates the way he makes use of his understanding of the 'emotional life' of internal objects to facilitate the patient's emotional growth.     

汉字字形关联对错误记忆的影响

采用DRM范式,研究汉字字形关联对错误记忆的影响。实验以占汉字主体的形声字为材料。学习阶段使用了两类字表:在一半字表中,各字表内汉字及相应的关键诱饵具有相同形旁;另一半字表中,各字表内汉字及相应关键诱饵具有相同声旁。再认测试中,被试对两类关键诱饵均表现出了明显的错误记忆,并且其效应大小与字表汉字相似度成正比。这些结果说明,汉字的字形关联可以诱发错误记忆现象,并且这种错误记忆效应由汉字间字形相似度决定。     

字形系联与幼稚园的识字教学

本研究根据汉字形义系联的特性设计字形系联识字法,并且进行教学实验。研究发现采用字形系联识字法较诸传统识字法,无论在形音义的辨认正确率都有显著差异．而且时问越久,差异越大。字形系联识字法的形音义相关系数很高,但教材编排的次序对辨识正确率无显著差异。     

Through the lens of strength: A framework for educating the heart

The work of Chris Peterson and his colleagues provides a context and rationale for creating a new paradigm for character education. While most character education approaches (past and present) have served the purpose of inculcating societal norms and expectations, a positive psychology-based approach seeks to help individuals identify and engage their personal character strengths, thereby promoting well-being. To date, research on character strengths-based classroom interventions has identified positive outcomes related to positive emotion, engagement, relationships, and accomplishment. During the past decade, a number of public and private schools have served as pioneers in this emerging field. This work has contributed to the development of (1) a theoretical framework for infusing strengths-based practices in classrooms and schools and (2) a corresponding body of practices.     

The eye movement measure of memory and its relationship with explicit measures

This study examined whether the eye movement can be used to measure memory of past events and its relationship with the explicit measures. In Experiment 1, after studying a list of Chinese characters, the participants received a recognition memory test. For each trial the participants had to indicate, among one studied character and two nonstudied homonyms, which character they had studied. Participants’ eye movements were monitored while they viewed the three-character test display. Both the time-course and response-locked measures showed that participants viewed the studied character longer than the nonstudied character regardless of their explicit response. Experiment 2 used a wagering task to assess participants’ conscious awareness and found that wagering points predicted viewing time for the target better than the recognition accuracy did. These findings suggest that the effect of memory on viewing time occurs automatically and is weakly associated with subsequent conscious awareness of the studied event.     

主观声旁家族对汉语儿童汉字命名的影响

研究选取三年级、五年级和七年级学生,采用两个汉字命名实验,考察主观声旁家族对汉字命名的影响。实验一操纵主观声旁家族大小,发现三年级儿童没有表现出家族效应;五年级儿童表现出边缘显著的家族抑制效应,即对大家族的字命名更慢;七年级儿童表现出显著的家族抑制效应。实验二操纵了目标字是否有高频家族成员字（higher frequency neighbors,HFNs）这个变量,发现儿童普遍都表现出HFNs抑制效应,即对有高频家族成员字的目标字命名更慢。以上结果表明随着年级增长,主观声旁家族对儿童命名的影响逐渐增强,且高年级儿童已表现出家族抑制效应,这一表现与普遍出现的HFNs抑制效应有关。     

汉字语音关联对错误记忆的影响

应用DRM范式, 研究单个汉字语音关联对错误记忆的影响。实验一中, 学习阶段呈现的各字表汉字与未呈现的诱饵字具有相同音节。再认测试发现, 被试对诱饵字产生了明显的错误再认。实验二发现, 当各学习字表内的汉字拥有相同声母或相同韵母时, 被试对相应的两种诱饵字也能产生明显的错误再认, 并且其效应与音节相同时基本一样。这些结果说明, 汉字的语音关联可以诱发错误记忆现象, 但其效应并不随语音相似度的增加而增加。研究提示, 错误记忆可以来源于较低层次的基于知觉的加工; 中文语音网络虽然易于激活, 但激活程度有限。     

文盲与非文盲汉字字形和语音加工的脑机制

利用功能性磁共振成像(fMRI)技术探讨文盲和非文盲汉字字形和语音加工脑机制的差异。实验1使用汉字字形和图形比较了中国人文盲和非文盲字形加工过程脑机制的左侧差异。实验2使用汉字语音和纯音比较了文盲和非文盲语音加工过程脑机制的双侧差异。结果表明文盲与非文盲汉字字形和语音加工脑机制不同,且非文盲的脑活动强。