Association of polymorphisms in BDNF, MTHFR, and genes involved in the dopaminergic pathway with memory in a healthy Chinese population

The contribution of genetic factors to the memory is widely acknowledged. Research suggests that these factors include genes involved in the dopaminergic pathway, as well as the genes for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR). The activity of the products of these genes is affected by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the genes. This study investigates the association between memory and SNPs in genes involved in the dopaminergic pathway, as well as in the BDNF and MTHFR genes, in a sample of healthy individuals. The sample includes 134 Taiwanese undergraduate volunteers of similar cognitive ability. The Chinese versions of the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS-III) and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III) were employed. Our findings indicate that the BDNF Met66Val polymorphism and dopamine receptor D3 (DRD3) Ser9Gly polymorphism are associated significantly with long-term auditory memory. Further analysis detects no significant associations in the other polymorphisms and indices. Future replicated studies with larger sample sizes, and studies that consider different ethnic groups, are encouraged.     

Visual and verbal modes of information processing and their relation to the effectiveness of cognitively-based anxiety-reduction techniques

This study examined the interaction between preferred modes of information processing (visual and verbal) and two cognitively-based anxiety-reduction techniques. One technique was based on the use of images as a coping strategy while the other employed a self-instructional approach. Thirty-six subjects reporting high levels of dental fear were assigned to one of three groups (two types of treatment and a no-treatment control). One-half of the subjects in each group had been identified as preferring the visual mode of information processing while for the other half the verbal mode was preferred. After treatment, subjects viewed an anxiety-inducing videotape depicting a visit to the dentist. Results indicated that, while both treatments were significantly effective in reducing self-reports of discomfort while viewing the videotape, there was no significant interaction between the type of treatment and preferred cognitive mode. The results were interpreted as indicating that treatment may override individual cognitive styles. Furthermore, the data suggested that the normal individual has the ability to adapt to divergent and non-preferred forms of information processing.     

Parental defense style and child competence: A match-mismatch hypothesis

This study sought to explore the possible relationship between parental style of psychological defense and children's social competence in 50 families in which one parent had been hospitalized for a psychiatric disorder. Based upon a formal analysis of the logical transformations inherent in various defense mechanisms, three levels of complexity of defenses were identified, along with a counterpart set of cognitive operations necessary for decoding these defense levels. It was hypothesized that children lacking the requisite cognitive skills to grasp the logical complexities of their disturbed parent's primary mode of psychological defense would be less socially adjusted and judged less competent than children who could understand the defensive transformations of their parent. The results suggested that children who, due to their cognitive immaturity, are potentially     

西方汉学家葛瑞汉《墨子》研究述评——以墨子十论为重心

本文介绍著名西方汉学家葛瑞汉的墨子研究,主要以“墨子十论”为讨论重点.本文第一部分简介葛瑞汉之学术研究概况;本文第二部分分别讨论葛氏提出“墨分为三”与十论篇次关系之理论,共有:其一,《非攻上》归属问题与《天志》诸篇关系;其二,《非命》诸篇之错简问题;其三,导致三派分歧的主题研究三大主题,逐一述评葛氏之研究成果,并参照相关文献,检讨其得失所在;本文第三部分则略论葛氏提出的墨家分派及其“十论”研究的效用与限制:最后则说明中、西学界治学方法、风格之异同,而吾人若能两者并参,截长朴短,则必能双赢.     

Non-empirical and empirical components in the hypotheses of five social psychological experiments

Five studies published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology and selected without advance knowledge of their contents, were analyzed with respect to the epistemic and modal status of their hypotheses. It was found that the general hypotheses were a priori and noncontingent (necessarily true), whereas the local auxiliary hypotheses were empirical and contingent. Hence, the data were only relevant for the latter. It is conjectured that such pseudoempirical studies may abound in contemporary psychology. They remain undiscovered because researchers unreflectively believe that all propositions that can be related to data are empirical and that psychological terms need not be defined. Only when terms are defined and presuppositions (axioms) are stated, can one determine the epistemic and modal status of a given proposition, and, hence, whether or not a study is pseudoempirical.