Re-evaluating evidence for linguistic relativity: reply to Boroditsky (2001)

Six unsuccessful attempts at replicating a key finding in the linguistic relativity literature [Boroditsky, L. (2001). Does language shape thought?: Mandarin and English speakers' conceptions of time. Cognitive Psychology, 43, 1-22] are reported. In addition to these empirical issues in replicating the original finding, theoretical issues present in the original report are discussed. In sum, we conclude that Boroditsky (2001) provides no support for the Whorfian hypothesis.     

Differentiating the effects of self-control and self-esteem on reactions to mortality salience

Whereas many previous studies suggest that self-esteem may buffer against the psychological threat of death, recent research has begun to suggest that self-control also may serve as a buffer. Two studies examined the possibility that dispositional self-control uniquely predicts responses to mortality salience, above and beyond self-esteem. In Study 1, an initial exercise in emotion regulation increased subsequent accessibility of death thoughts. In Study 2, mortality salience increased worldview defense. Both of these effects were moderated by dispositional self-control, such that the effects occurred among participants with low but not high self-control. More importantly, these moderating effects were observed over and above the moderating effects of self-esteem. Findings suggest that self-control may serve as an important and unique buffer against thoughts of death.     

行为遗传学：解决面孔特异性问题争论的新思

面孔刺激的加工存在特异性,但“特异性”的具体内涵仍存在争议。面孔特异性假说认为面孔刺激具有特异性;而专家假说则认为存在特异性的是整体加工的模式。通过对相关领域近年来主要的研究结果的总结,发现争论中混淆了两个概念——加工类型和刺激类型,二者正交分解可将争论归纳为三个假设：1）面孔整体加工特异性的假设;2）面孔刺激特异性的假设;3）专家加工特异性的假设。在未来的研究中,行为遗传学可为解决该争论提供合适的方法     

创伤性分离个体注意加工的警戒-回避模式研究

采用点探测研究范式,对高分离个体和低分离个体在两种呈现时间500ms和1500ms条件下,随机呈现创伤性图片和中性图片,进行点探测反应,考察创伤性分离个体的注意加工特点.结果表明,高分离个体在500ms呈现时间条件下对创伤性图片的反应时间显著快于低分离个体对创伤图片刺激的反应时间,而在1500ms呈现时间条件下则显著慢于低分离个体.表明创伤性高分离个体的注意加工符合警戒-回避的时程性模式:开始时对创伤性刺激是一种保护性的警戒反应;在随后刺激的呈现时间增加时,回避对创伤相关信息的进一步编码和精细加工,出现有意遗忘,体现在提取和回忆上的减弱,我们称之为回避加工.     

MINDS, INTRINSIC PROPERTIES, AND MADHYAMAKA BUDDHISM

Certain philosophers and scientists have noticed that there are data that do not seem to fit with the traditional view known as the Mind/Brain Identity theory (MBI). This has inspired a new theory about the mind known as the Hypothesis of Extended Cognition (HEC). Now there is a growing controversy over whether these data actually require extending the mind out beyond the brain. Such arguments, despite their empirical diversity, have an underlying form. They all are disputes over where to draw the line between intrinsic and relational causal powers. The second-century Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna deals with similar issues when he argues for a middle way between the two positions that were known in his time by the terms eternalism and nihilism. Eternalism, like MBI, asserts that the mind is a permanent enduring substance (although the two theories disagree as to how long mind endures). Nihilism argued that the mind had no intrinsic existence, and today some argue that HEC could lead us to a similar conclusion. Nagarjuna's argument for a middle way between these two extremes is similar to an argument that can be made for HEC. We can accept that neither the brain nor any other single physical item is identical to the mind without falling down the slippery slope that leads to "The mind does not really exist, and therefore we are one with everything." Nagarjuna was correct to say that the mind has conventional reality—that the mind exists even though there is no sharp border between the mind and the world.     

Does prior exposure to interpersonal violence increase risk of PTSD following subsequent exposure?

Research has generally found a “dose relationship” between potentially traumatic events (PTEs) and the likelihood of developing PTSD, with greater number of events associated with greater likelihood. Most of these studies have been cross-sectional, however. A recent prospective study (Breslau, Peterson, & Schultz, 2008) found that PTSD response to prior potentially traumatic event (PTE) exposure, rather than prior exposure itself, acts as a risk factor for PTSD in response to subsequent PTE; however, this analysis combined many different types of events, and the unique contribution of specific events (e.g., assault) that may be associated with differential risk of PTSD was indeterminable. The present study examined the effects of cumulative PTE exposure prospectively using a two-wave design in the National Survey of Adolescents (N = 1703). History of assault and witnessing serious violence were the focal PTEs examined. Wave I assault without PTSD was found to predict PTSD at Wave II following exposure to new assault or witnessed violence; however, among those without prior PTSD, Wave I witnessed violence did not increase risk of subsequent PTSD following exposure.     

Use of samples differing markedly in salience may encourage use of a single-code/default strategy in matching-to-sample in pigeons

To test the hypothesis that pigeons will only code the more salient sample when samples differ markedly in salience, pigeons were trained with samples consisting of a 2-s presentation of food (highly salient sample) and an 8-s presentation of keylight (less salient sample). During retention testing, pigeons tended to respond at longer delays as if an 8-s keylight sample had been presented. This finding is consistent with use of a single-code/default strategy in which only the 2-s food sample was coded and the comparison associated with an 8-s keylight sample was selected by default in the absence of memory for the salient 2-s food sample. Hence, a marked difference in sample salience appears to encourage use of a single-code/default strategy.     

英语文章阅读过程中的文章标记效应研究

该研究通过三个实验探讨高职生英语阅读的文章标记效应。实验一探讨文章标记对阅读英语长、短文章的影响,结果发现文章标记对英语长文章主题信息保持的促进作用大于对英语短文章主题信息的促进作用。实验二以EyelinkⅡ型眼动仪为工具,考察被试阅读有、无标记文章的主题句的眼动模式的差异,结果发现被试阅读这两类主题句的眼动模式存在显著差异。实验三考察对被试进行文章结构策略训练对文章标记效应的影响,结果发现训练促进了被试对无标记英语长文章主题信息的保持,研究结果支持策略转换假设。     

Anomalous brain dominance and the immune system: Do left-handers have specific immunological patterns?

Geschwind and Behan (1982) and Geschwind and Galaburda (1985a, 1985b, 1985c) suggested a correlation between brain laterality and immune disorders. To test whether this hypothesis holds true not only for the frequency of immune diseases and circulating autoantibodies, but extends also to cellular immunity, we examined the association between handedness and markers of cellular immunity. Twenty-seven left-handed and 37 right-handed subjects were serologically screened for cellular parameters and 22 left-handed subjects were typed for human leukocyte antigen (HLA). When compared to the right-handers, the left-handed group showed a significant decrease in the inflammatory cell types CD3(+) T cells (total T cells), CD4(+) T cells (T-helper cells), and HLA-Dr (MHC-II, antigen-presenting cells) as well as in the CD19(+) cells (B cells) and CD16/CD57(+) cells (natural killer cells). We assume a relationship exists between cerebral hemispheric specialisation and the immune system not only for humoral but also for cellular immunity, and we discuss the role of the major histocompatibility complex in neurological and immunological development.     

The interacting roles of testosterone and challenges to status in human male aggression

This paper reviews the literature on sex and cultural differences in physical aggression and argues that only through understanding the interactions among evolutionary predispositions, hormonal influences, and social/situational factors can we possibly make sense of the patterns of human aggression that we see around us. Specifically, it is proposed that the process of natural selection has shaped hormonal responses in males that are sensitive to situations involving challenges to status and/or competition with other males, and that these hormonal changes are essential ingredients of the aggressiveness that occurs in these situations. Models of aggression that focus only on situational and cognitive/emotional triggers of aggressive behavior and attempt to understand human aggression without any reference to biology are destined to be incomplete at best.