Infants' perception of human body orientation and the effect of a surrounding square

We examined two hypotheses about infants' perception of orientation. The first is that infants develop an expectation that the human body is normally vertical. To examine this hypothesis, we compared the preferential looking to vertical and oblique versions of a silhouette of a human body, to an inverted body, and to a grating. Our second hypothesis is that presenting a figure inside a frame affects the perception of orientation. To examine the second hypothesis, we placed the figure inside a surrounding square that was oriented normally or at an oblique angle. Four‐ to seven‐month‐old infants (N = 78) participated. The results showed that 6–7‐month‐old infants preferred the oblique human body presented upright; no such preference was observed for the inverted body or the grating. For all types of displays, the surrounding square influenced preferences. Our results suggest that (a) 6–7‐month‐old infants have specific expectations about the orientation of the human body, and (b) surrounding displays with a square could influence the perception of the orientation of the human body, as well as that of a grating.     

Perception of the Ebbinghaus illusion in 5- to 8-month-old infants

The Ebbinghaus illusion is a geometric illusion based on a size-contrast between a central circle and surrounding circles. A central circle surrounded by small inducing circles is perceived as being larger than a central circle surrounded by large inducing circles. In the present study we investigated 5- to 8-month-old infants' perception of the Ebbinghaus illusion using a preferential-looking paradigm. We measured the preference between a central circle surrounded by small inducing circles (overestimated figure) and a central circle surrounded by large inducing circles (underestimated figure). Infants showed a significant preference for the overestimated figure when the central circle was flashing, but not when it was static. Furthermore, there was no preference between the two figures when the central circles were removed. These results suggest that infants' preference reflects their perception of the size illusion of the central circle. There is a possibility that 5- to 8-month-old infants perceive the Ebbinghaus illusion.     

PROBLEM BEHAVIOR DURING PREFERENCE ASSESSMENTS: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS AND PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Preferences of 2 children with developmental disabilities, whose functional analyses indicated that their problem behavior was maintained by access to tangible items, were assessed using three formats (i.e., paired stimulus [PS], multiple‐stimulus without replacement [MSWO], and free operant [FO]). The experimenter administered each format five times and compared levels of problem behavior across formats in a multielement design. Both participants exhibited problem behavior in PS and MSWO formats but not in the FO format. Results are discussed in terms of recommendations for practitioners.     

Assessing the value of choice in a token system

Responding of 4 children was assessed under conditions in which (a) no programmed contingencies were arranged for target behavior, (b) responding produced tokens that could be exchanged for a single highly preferred edible item, and (c) responding produced a token that could be exchanged for a variety of preferred edible items. After assessing the effects of these contingencies, the preferences of 3 participants were assessed using a concurrent-chains schedule. Preference for the opportunity to choose from the same or qualitatively different edible items varied across participants, and findings were generally consistent with those of Tiger, Hanley, and Hernandez (2006).     

人格特质与主观幸福感:情绪调节的中介作用

通过对1163名大学生被试进行人格特质、情绪调节策略的使用以及主观幸福感的测查,本研究探讨了气质性人格特质(神经质和外倾性)这种稳定的内在心理结构对主观幸福感产生影响的可能机制。结果发现:(1)除直接影响个体的主观幸福感外,神经质和外倾性还会通过重新评价策略的使用间接影响主观幸福感;(2)人格特质和重新评价策略的使用可以有效预测个体主观幸福感的变异;(3)习惯性地使用表达抑制策略对个体的主观幸福感并没有显著的影响。这些结果表明重新评价策略的使用在人格特质对主观幸福感的影响中具有重要的中介作用。该发现对进一步制定改善和提高个体的主观幸福感的干预措施具有重要的启示和指导意义。     

Are risk preferences consistent?: The influence of decision domain and personality

This paper examines the consistency of risk preferences across three decision domains important in most people’s lives: work, health and personal finance. We consider the degree to which the five factor model of personality and a range of factors that influence risk-related decision-making (perceived risk, framing, emotions and cost–benefit analysis) impact upon cross-domain consistency. Data were gathered from a sample of participants for whom approaches to risk were likely to vary (academics, chess players, firefighters, mountaineers and City traders). The results showed that participants could be categorised into two groups: those who were consistent in their risk preferences in three decision domains, and those who were inconsistent or domain-specific. The consistent group was significantly lower on neuroticism and higher on agreeableness and conscientiousness with a less variable approach to weighing up the costs and benefits of taking risks than the inconsistent group. The majority of the consistent group was risk averse.When the domain-specific risk preferences of the inconsistent group were examined, data showed that different combinations of personality and decision-making factors predicted risk preferences within each domain.     

“What I did” versus “what I might have done”: Effect of factual versus counterfactual thinking on blame, guilt, and shame in prisoners

The present study tested the prediction that counterfactual thinking would have a stronger amplificatory effect on guilt than on shame and that the effect would be mediated by self-blame. Ninety sentenced prisoners were instructed to think either counterfactually or factually about the role they played in the events leading to their capture, conviction, and sentencing prior to reporting on their level of self-blame, guilt, and shame. Compared to factual-focused prisoners, counterfactual-focused prisoners reported feeling more blameworthy and guiltier but not more shameful. The effect of thought focus on guilt was fully mediated by blame. The findings support an emotion-specific account of the emotional consequences of counterfactual thinking that implicate attributional judgment as an important mediating process.     

The Role of Basic, Self-Conscious and Self-Conscious Evaluative Emotions in Children’s Memory and Understanding of Emotion

In past research, emotion has been classified as basic, self-conscious or self-conscious evaluative, with each type of emotion being progressively more difficult for children to understand (Lewis, M. (2000a). In M. Lewis & J. M. Haviland-Jones (Eds.), Handbook of emotions (2nd ed., pp. 265–280), New York, NY: The Guilford Press). Although researchers have examined children’s understanding of individual emotions (e.g., guilt), researchers have not assessed children’s understanding and memory for emotions based on this classification. In the present research, 6-, 8- and 10-year-old children’s memory and understanding of basic, self-conscious and self-conscious evaluative emotions were examined. Although a memory advantage was found for emotions, this effect was less so for the younger children and less so for non-basic emotions. In fact, 6-year-old children and, to a lesser extent 8-year-old children, were more likely than older children to recall self-conscious and self-conscious evaluative emotions with basic emotion labels, and were more likely to explain them using basic emotion labels. Overall, negative emotions (e.g., mad, guilt) were better recalled than positive emotions (e.g., happy, pride), regardless of type of emotion. Gender differences were found as girls were more likely to remember emotion than boys, especially when the emotion action was specifically labeled and a female character experienced it. Proportions of this research were presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (2005), Atlanta, Georgia and the meeting of the Cognitive Development Society (2005), San Diego, CA.     

青少年神经质人格、互联网服务偏好与网络成瘾的关系

采用问卷法,以339名中学生为被试,通过无拘束结构方程模型分析方法探讨了神经质人格特征与互联网服务偏好的交互作用对网络成瘾的影响。研究发现在对网络成瘾的影响上,神经质人格与互联网社交、娱乐和信息使用偏好存在显著的交互作用,但与互联网交易服务不存在显著的交互作用：（1）从平均影响来看,互联网社交、娱乐和交易使用偏好以及神经质人格对网络成瘾有显著的正向影响,而互联网信息使用偏好对网络成瘾没有显著影响;（2）在神经质高分组中,互联网社交、娱乐和信息服务偏好与PIU的正向关系都是最强的;在神经质低分组中,互联网社交服务偏好与PIU的正向关系最弱,而互联网娱乐和信息服务偏好与PIU甚至呈现出微弱的反向关系;（3）即便是高神经质人格类型的青少年,对信息服务的偏好也不容易使其卷入PIU;而对于低神经质人格类型的青少年来说,即便是偏好社交和娱乐服务,也不容易卷入PIU