Frequent frames as a cue for grammatical categories in child directed speech

This paper introduces the notion of frequent frames, distributional patterns based on co-occurrence patterns of words in sentences, then investigates the usefulness of this information in grammatical categorization. A frame is defined as two jointly occurring words with one word intervening. Qualitative and quantitative results from distributional analyses of six different corpora of child directed speech are presented in two experiments. In the analyses, words that were surrounded by the same frequent frame were categorized together. The results show that frequent frames yield very accurate categories. Furthermore, evidence from behavioral studies suggests that infants and adults are sensitive to frame-like units, and that adults use them to categorize words. This evidence, along with the success of frames in categorizing words, provides support for frames as a basis for the acquisition of grammatical categories.     

On the malleability of emotional encoding

The encoding of emotional events has sometimes been regarded as automatic, because the processing involved can occur outside awareness. However, this does not mean that emotional encoding cannot be controlled, although it may often be the case that people are unaware of how to do so, or even that such control is possible. Evidence is presented to show that the neural activation associated with fear-related stimuli can be modified by top-down control, and that related instructions can modify emotional vulnerability to stressful events. However, it is further argued that such effortful control is resource limited, and that more robust control might be achieved via repeated practice in accessing positive representations that inhibit competing negative meanings. Studies of attentional and interpretative encoding biases induced by practice show that they have causal effects on emotional vulnerability, by influencing how threatening events are encoded. Experimental investigations are beginning to reveal the critical processes underlying these changes in emotional vulnerability, and it is argued that the same approach is likely to be helpful in addressing questions relevant to therapeutic change.     

Memory encoding of stimulus features in human perceptual learning

Two experiments analysed memory encoding in human perceptual learning. Both experiments started with preexposure without feedback to four checkerboards composed by a unique feature each and sharing a common feature (AX, BX, CX, and DX). Elements of one pair were presented intermixed and elements of the other pair were presented in separate blocks. Immediately after preexposure participants completed a memory recognition task in which the characteristics of the distractors were manipulated. Experiment 1 showed that only intermixed presentation results in good encoding of the unique features of the stimuli. Experiment 2 demonstrated that intermixed preexposure results in different encoding of unique versus common features of the stimuli: Participants are able to remember A and B better than they remember X, whereas for the blocked condition memory for C, D, and X does not differ. Overall, the results presented here support the proposal that intermixing stimuli results in differential memory traces for unique versus common features and that this contributes to the intermixed/blocked effect.     

Word for word: Multiple lexical access in speech production

We report an experiment in which we test the possible influence of the tense of the verb and explicit negatives with indicative conditionals. We tested the effects of systematically negating the constituents of four fundamental inferences based on conditionals in three different tenses (present tense, past tense, future tense): Modus Ponens (i.e., inferences of the form: if p then q; p; therefore q), Modus Tollens (if p then q; not-q; therefore not-p), Affirmation of the Consequent (if p then q; q; therefore p), and Denial of the Antecedent (if p then q; not-p; therefore not-q). The latter two inferences are invalid for true conditionals, but are valid for bi-conditionals (if, and only if, p then q). The participants drew their own conclusions from premises about letters and numbers on cards. We discuss the results in relation to an affirmation premise bias, a negative conclusion bias, and a double negation effect. We outline the importance of our findings for theories about conditional and counterfactual thinking.     

面孔识别中脑电成分N170的研究概述

N170是在面孔刺激呈现后的130-200ms记录到的并在160~170ms时达到峰值的一种脑电负成分。目前, 在N170的研究中存在争议性的问题有：N170反映面孔结构编码还是面孔特征编码; N170是否是面孔特异性成分; 以及N170是否受注意的影响等。这些争议也为N170后续研究指明了方向, 即探讨结构编码和特征编码在诱发N170成分上起着怎样的作用; 比较不同熟悉度的刺激材料所诱发的N170反应差异; 探讨N170成分与识别电位间的关系;采用多研究方法的结合从不同层面深入揭示N170的认知机制。     

二年级小学生“记”“忆”策略的微观发生研究

采用微观发生法,以33名小学二年级学生为被试,以记忆书面语词的分类材料为任务,对儿童记忆过程中\"记\"、\"忆\"策略的不同发展规律进行了5个期间的测查.结果发现:(1)分类记忆策略的发展既有突变过程也有渐变过程:分类记策略有生成缺陷,表现为训练后的突然变化;分类忆策略则是一个可以自发形成的渐变过程,如果加以适当的训练也会发生突然的增长.(2)在材料熟悉度较低的情况下,会使少量儿童产生分类记、忆策略使用缺陷现象.