Implicit attitudes and the improvement of exercise capacity during pulmonary rehabilitation

The aim of this study was to examine the role of explicit and implicit attitudes in the improvement of exercise capacity during a 5-week pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). A total of 105 patients performed walking tests at baseline and at the end of PR. Change between performances was computed at the end of PR, and Minimal-Clinically-Important-Difference (MCID) were used to categorize patients as responders (i.e. change above MCID, N = 54) or non-responders (i.e. change below MCID, N = 51). At baseline, implicit attitudes were measured through a physical activity versus sedentary behavior Implicit Association Test; explicit attitudes toward physical activity and sedentary behavior were measured by questionnaires. Only implicit attitudes significantly differed between the two groups (p = .015), responders displaying implicit attitudes significantly more in favor of physical activity (M = .91, SD = .54) than non-responders (M = .60, SD = .71) at baseline. Measuring implicit attitudes in PR could help to accurately estimate patients’ motivation, and design more individualized rehabilitation programs.     

Response to restrictive policies: Reconciling system justification and psychological reactance

Here we propose a dual process model to reconcile two contradictory predictions about how people respond to restrictive policies imposed upon them by organizations and systems within which they operate. When participants’ attention was not drawn to the restrictive nature of the policy, or when it was, but their cognitive resources were restricted, we found evidence supporting a prediction based on System Justification Theory: Participants reacted favorably to restrictive policies, endorsing them and downplaying the importance of the restricted freedom. Only when we cued participants to focus their undivided attention on the restrictive nature of the policy did we find evidence supporting a prediction based on psychological reactance: Only then did participants display reactance and respond negatively to the policies.     

Stimulus modality and working memory performance in Greek children with reading disabilities: Additional evidence for the pictorial superiority hypothesis

This study investigated the effects of stimulus presentation modality on working memory performance in children with reading disabilities (RD) and in typically developing children (TDC), all native speakers of Greek. It was hypothesized that the visual presentation of common objects would result in improved learning and recall performance as compared to the auditory presentation of stimuli. Twenty children, ages 10–12, diagnosed with RD were matched to 20 TDC age peers. The experimental tasks implemented a multitrial verbal learning paradigm incorporating three modalities: auditory, visual, and auditory plus visual. Significant group differences were noted on language, verbal and nonverbal memory, and measures of executive abilities. A mixed-model MANOVA indicated that children with RD had a slower learning curve and recalled fewer words than TDC across experimental modalities. Both groups of participants benefited from the visual presentation of objects; however, children with RD showed the greatest gains during this condition. In conclusion, working memory for common verbal items is impaired in children with RD; however, performance can be facilitated, and learning efficiency maximized, when information is presented visually. The results provide further evidence for the pictorial superiority hypothesis and the theory that pictorial presentation of verbal stimuli is adequate for dual coding.     

Examining the link between adolescent brain development and risk taking from a social–developmental perspective

The adolescent age period is often characterized as a health paradox because it is a time of extensive increases in physical and mental capabilities, yet overall mortality/morbidity rates increase significantly from childhood to adolescence, often due to preventable causes such as risk taking. Asynchrony in developmental time courses between the affective/approach and cognitive control brain systems, as well as the ongoing maturation of neural connectivity are thought to lead to increased vulnerability for risk taking in adolescence. A critical analysis of the frequency of risk taking behaviors, as well as mortality and morbidity rates across the lifespan, however, challenges the hypothesis that the peak of risk taking occurs in middle adolescence when the asynchrony between the different developmental time courses of the affective/approach and cognitive control systems is the largest. In fact, the highest levels of risk taking behaviors, such as alcohol and drug use, often occur among emerging adults (e.g., university/college students), and highlight the role of the social context in predicting risk taking behavior. Moreover, risk taking is not always unregulated or impulsive. Future research should broaden the scope of risk taking to include risks that are relevant to older adults, such as risky financial investing, gambling, and marital infidelity. In addition, a lifespan perspective, with a focus on how associations between neural systems and behavior are moderated by context and trait-level characteristics, and which includes diverse samples (e.g., divorced individuals), will help to address some important limitations in the adolescent brain development and risk taking literature.     

Hierarchical single- and dual-process models of recognition memory

Recognition memory is commonly modeled as either a single, continuous process within the theory of signal detection, or with two-process models such as Yonelinas’ dual-process model. Previous attempts to determine which model provides a better account of the data have relied on fitting the models to data that are averaged over items. Because such averaging distorts conclusions, we develop and compare hierarchical versions of competing single and dual-process models that account for item variability. The dual-process model provides a superior account of a typical data set when models are compared with the deviance information criterion. Parameters of the dual-process model are highly correlated, however, suggesting that a single-process model may exist that can provide a better account of the data.     

The psychological underpinnings of relative thinking in price comparisons

This article investigates the psychological underpinnings of relative thinking—the tendency of consumers to consider relative savings, and not just absolute savings, in their decisions to search for a deal or purchase an item. We examine how (i) cognitive load, (ii) the affective-richness of the product, and (iii) the consumer's propensity for intuitive decision-making influence relative thinking. As hypothesized, high cognitive load and affect-rich (vs. affect-poor) products, and individual level preference for intuitive decision-making aggravate this behavior. Our results present clear managerial implications along with developing a better understanding of the behavioral foundations of relative thinking.     

Experiential and rational processing styles,emotional intelligence and wellbeing

This research examined a model specifying precursors of emotional intelligence and subjective wellbeing. The model proposes that experiential and rational processing styles influence level of trait emotional intelligence, which in turn influences subjective wellbeing. One hundred and fifty‐four adult Australian participants completed measures of preference for rational and experiential processing, trait emotional intelligence, and indicators of subjective wellbeing (affect and life satisfaction). Structural equation path analysis identified a model for predicting wellbeing. Preference for experiential and rational processing both significantly predicted higher levels of emotional intelligence, which in turn predicted greater subjective wellbeing. Emotional intelligence fully mediated the effect of rational processing on wellbeing, and partially mediated the effect of experiential processing.     

推理心理研究中的逻辑加工与非逻辑加工评析

本文对西方心理学研究中有关推理心理学争论的两个热点问题之一：逻辑推理与非逻辑推理之争的发展线索和相互关系等问题进行了评述,指出了这两种理论争论中未能注意到的三个问题,并对试图解决这三个问题的“知识和试题双重结构模型”作了简要介绍。