Why did adolescents have sleep problems after earthquakes? Understanding the role of traumatic exposure,fear, and PTSD

To examine the relationships between trauma exposure, fear, post‐traumatic stress disorder, and sleep problems in adolescents, 746 adolescent survivors of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China were assessed at 1 year (T1) and 1.5 years (T2) after the earthquake using a trauma exposure questionnaire, a fear questionnaire, a child posttraumatic stress disorder symptom scale, and a subscale on child sleep problems. The results showed that T1 trauma exposure were not directly associated with sleep problems at T1 and T2, but played a positive role in sleep problems at both T1 and T2 indirectly through T1 posttraumatic stress disorder and T1 fear. T1 trauma exposure was also positively and indirectly associated with T2 sleep problems through T1 posttraumatic stress disorder via T1 sleep problems, or through T1 fear via the path from T1 posttraumatic stress disorder to T1 sleep problems. These findings indicated that fear and posttraumatic stress disorder 1 year after the earthquake played a mediating role in the relationship between trauma exposure at 1 year after the earthquake, and sleep problems at both 1 year and 1.5 years after the earthquake, respectively. In particular, posttraumatic stress disorder also had a multiple mediating effect in the path from trauma exposure to sleep problems via fear. Furthermore, the findings indicated that sleep problems were relatively stable between 1 and 1.5 years after an earthquake.     

Effects of Group Functional Behavior-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior in a Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often present with comorbid Obsessive Compulsive Behaviors (OCBs), but little research exists on effective intervention for OCBs. Using a single-case experimental design, this study highlights the efficacy of a Group Functional Behavior-based Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (Fb-CBT) to reduce OCBs in an 11-year-old youth with ASD. Tailored to the individual needs of this youth, Fb-CBT included traditional CBT components (e.g., psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioral skills training, and exposure and response prevention) coupled with functional behavior assessment and intervention. Time-series parent report data and standardized measures showed clinically significant decreases in OCBs, an increase in psychosocial functioning, and high consumer satisfaction.     

Aristotle,Kant, and …Facebook? A Look at the Implications of Social Media on Ethics

The purpose of this study was to explore if and how social media might come to bear on people’s understanding of ethics. Participants were asked to complete online surveys regarding social media interaction and respond to 14 scenarios depicting ethical dilemmas. Our results suggest that social media and people’s perceptions of ethics do share a relationship. Specifically, we found that people who reported being exposed to ethical violations on social media were more likely to find our unethical scenarios to be personally unacceptable, to be of lower ethicality, and to react negatively to the content. These findings suggest that mere exposure to ethical violations is enough to produce awareness in people regarding ethical issues, which carries significant implications for ethics education.     

Does mere exposure enhance positive evaluation,independent of stimulus recognition? A replication study in Japan and the USA1

Abstract: In order to examine whether the mere exposure effect, the finding that exposure to a stimulus enhances a positive evaluation of it, occurs in Japan as well as in the USA, a test was carried out using a novel auditory stimulus. Japanese and American people were asked to listen to repeatedly presented Tagalog (the native Filipino language) utterances. They were then asked to estimate their liking for each utterance and whether they recognized it as one presented during the first exposure stage. The mere exposure effect was found in both cultures. Further, it resulted from only exposure frequency, not recognition. Implications for preference and the role of culture are discussed.     

The evaluative connotation of processing fluency: Inherently positive or moderated by motivational context?

A fundamental question for evaluation research is whether cues can impact evaluative responses directly or only in combination with contextual information. Focusing on the experience of processing fluency, the current work tested whether manipulating this cue’s motivational context would moderate its evaluative impact. Because fluently processed stimuli can be assumed to communicate safety, owing to implicit signals of either familiarity (through processes monitoring perception-memory coordination), we reasoned that motivation to avoid negative events should heighten preferences for fluently processed stimuli. Following a motivation manipulation, prevention-focused, but not promotion-focused, participants preferred stimuli that they were able to process quickly (Experiment 2) and that were preceded by concordant primes (Experiment 1). These findings suggest that the value of fluent processing reflects its relation to contextual features, such as one’s current motivational state.     

The effects of "thin ideal" media on women's body image concerns and eating-related intentions: the beneficial role of an autonomous regulation of eating behaviors

The present study examines the protective role of an autonomous regulation of eating behaviors (AREB) on the relationship between trait body dissatisfaction and women's body image concerns and eating-related intentions in response to “thin ideal” media. Undergraduate women (n = 138) were randomly assigned to view a “thin ideal” video or a neutral video. As hypothesized, trait body dissatisfaction predicted more negative affect and size dissatisfaction following exposure to the “thin ideal” video among women who displayed less AREB. Conversely, trait body dissatisfaction predicted greater intentions to monitor food intake and limit unhealthy foods following exposure to the “thin ideal” video among women who displayed more AREB.     

The vocational well-being of workers with childhood onset of disability: Life satisfaction and perceived workplace discrimination

Workers with disabilities are understudied, and workers with childhood onset of disability have been excluded from many of the studies on disability and work that do exist. This research compares the effects of childhood and adult onset of disability in a nationally representative sample of workers with disabilities. Educational disruptions due to disability status in childhood are negatively associated with life satisfaction and positively associated with perceived discrimination. Although age is associated with increased life satisfaction and decreased perceptions of discrimination for workers with adult disability onset, age is unrelated to these outcomes for workers with childhood disability onset. Receiving workplace accommodations is positively associated with satisfaction and negatively associated with discrimination for both groups, however, these relationships are stronger in magnitude for the childhood disability onset group. Organizational environments, both in education and in the workplace, play a critical role in the vocational well-being of workers with childhood disability onset.     

儿童发展与电子媒体：基于生态科技微系统理论的视角

电子产品改变了人们社会活动的模式和生活方式,其低龄化使用也不可避免地影响和塑造了儿童的发展。生态系统理论认为儿童的发展源于儿童与周围环境之间不断的交互作用。生态科技微系统理论是在当今电子科技的环境下以生态系统理论为背景框架提出的解释电子媒体对儿童发展影响的理论模型。电子产品作为儿童学习、娱乐、沟通和展示自我的工具,对儿童的认知方式、情感互动方式和参与社会的方式等都会产生一定的影响。这些影响依赖于三个相互独立又关联的因素之间的作用：儿童自身的特点、电子媒体的内容和特点,以及儿童媒体使用的环境。未来的研究可以从研究手段和研究内容上进一步深化以探讨电子产品的使用和儿童发展的关系。     

变长CD-CAT中的曝光控制与终止规则

本研究借鉴传统计算机化自适应测验的思想, 并结合认知诊断的特点, 在认知诊断框架下提出了4种变长CD-CAT的终止规则, 分别是属性标准误法(SEA)、邻近后验概率之差法(DAPP)、二等分法(HA)以及混合法(HM)。在未控制曝光和采用不同曝光控制条件下, 与HSU法及KL法进行了比较。研究结果表明：(1) 终止条件越严格, 平均测验长度越长, 按测验长度最大值终止的测验百分比越大, 模式判准率越高。(2) 当未加入曝光控制时, 4种新的终止规则均有较好表现, 与HSU法十分接近。随着最大后验概率预设值的增加或e的减小, 模式判准率呈上升趋势, 平均测验长度逐渐增加, 但在题库使用率方面均较差。(3) 当加入项目曝光控制时, 6种变长终止规则下的题库使用率有了极大的提升, 仍能保持较高的模式判准率, 并且不同的曝光控制方法对终止规则的影响是不同的。其中, 相对标准终止规则极易受到曝光控制方法的影响。(4) 综合来看, SEA、HM以及HA法在各项指标上的表现与HSU法基本一致, 其次为KL法和DAPP法。     

诱发的积极情绪会促进多媒体学习吗?

近来, 教育心理学领域开始关注情绪因素对多媒体学习的影响, 其中诱发情绪逐渐成为研究者关注的指导设计形式。已有研究主要通过外部情绪诱发和内部情绪设计来考察诱发的积极情绪在学习过程中的作用, 并发现外部情绪诱发和内部情绪设计能够成功诱发积极情绪, 但由于情绪诱发方式的多样性和多媒体学习过程的复杂性, 诱发的积极情绪对学习效果的促进作用比较微弱。综述发现, 7项涉及外部情绪诱发的实验在学习结果上产生的效应量中值分别为d_保持 = -0.25, d_理解 = 0.04, d_迁移 = 0.30; 14项涉及内部情绪设计的实验在学习结果上产生的效应量中值分别为d_保持 = 0.27, d_理解 = 0.36, d_迁移 = 0.29。诱发的情绪对学习过程的主观体验影响很小。多媒体学习认知情感理论认为诱发的积极情绪会通过动机的中介作用进而促进学习; 相反, 认知负荷理论认为诱发的积极情绪会增加学习者的外在认知负荷从而阻碍学习。未来研究仍需关注情绪的操纵方法、效果评定以及潜在调节变量的作用等。