Phonological Concept Learning

Linguistic and non‐linguistic pattern learning have been studied separately, but we argue for a comparative approach. Analogous inductive problems arise in phonological and visual pattern learning. Evidence from three experiments shows that human learners can solve them in analogous ways, and that human performance in both cases can be captured by the same models. We test GMECCS (Gradual Maximum Entropy with a Conjunctive Constraint Schema), an implementation of the Configural Cue Model (Gluck & Bower, 1988a ) in a Maximum Entropy phonotactic‐learning framework (Goldwater & Johnson, 2003 ; Hayes & Wilson, 2008 ) with a single free parameter, against the alternative hypothesis that learners seek featurally simple algebraic rules (“rule‐seeking”). We study the full typology of patterns introduced by Shepard, Hovland, and Jenkins ( 1961 ) (“SHJ”), instantiated as both phonotactic patterns and visual analogs, using unsupervised training. Unlike SHJ, Experiments 1 and 2 found that both phonotactic and visual patterns that depended on fewer features could be more difficult than those that depended on more features, as predicted by GMECCS but not by rule‐seeking. GMECCS also correctly predicted performance differences between stimulus subclasses within each pattern. A third experiment tried supervised training (which can facilitate rule‐seeking in visual learning) to elicit simple rule‐seeking phonotactic learning, but cue‐based behavior persisted. We conclude that similar cue‐based cognitive processes are available for phonological and visual concept learning, and hence that studying either kind of learning can lead to significant insights about the other.     

Incidental Learning of Melodic Structure of North Indian Music

Musical knowledge is largely implicit. It is acquired without awareness of its complex rules, through interaction with a large number of samples during musical enculturation. Whereas several studies explored implicit learning of mostly abstract and less ecologically valid features of Western music, very little work has been done with respect to ecologically valid stimuli as well as non‐Western music. The present study investigated implicit learning of modal melodic features in North Indian classical music in a realistic and ecologically valid way. It employed a cross‐grammar design, using melodic materials from two modes (rāgas) that use the same scale. Findings indicated that Western participants unfamiliar with Indian music incidentally learned to identify distinctive features of each mode. Confidence ratings suggest that participants' performance was consistently correlated with confidence, indicating that they became aware of whether they were right in their responses; that is, they possessed explicit judgment knowledge. Altogether our findings show incidental learning in a realistic ecologically valid context during only a very short exposure, they provide evidence that incidental learning constitutes a powerful mechanism that plays a fundamental role in musical acquisition.     

大学生性别情绪刻板印象的内隐和外显研究

为了了解不同性别大学生的性别情绪刻板印象,并分析内隐和外显测验的关系,对280名大学生进行了外显连线测试,对87名大学生进行了内隐联想测验。结果发现:在内隐和外显测验中,男女大学生均存在性别情绪刻板印象,将男性名字更多地与愤怒词相联系,将女性名字更多地与高兴词相联系;男女大学生的性别情绪刻板印象程度存在极其显著的差异,女生更明显地表现出"男性更容易愤怒、女性更容易高兴"的偏见;被试的内隐和外显性别情绪刻板印象相关不显著,是两个不同的建构。     

不同强迫倾向个体信息加工方式的特点研究

采用Flanker范式,通过考察高低强迫倾向个体在Flanker任务上的差异,来研究强迫倾向个体信息加工方式的特点。研究结果显示,在Flanker任务中,高强迫倾向个体显示出较慢的反应速度,表现为更多的犹豫不觉的特性;高强迫倾向个体的信息加工方式以集中加工为主;高强迫倾向个体在信息加工的灵活性上存在不足,对情景的变化较不敏感。通过对强迫倾向个体的信息加工方式的研究,有助于丰富和发展强迫症的理论,同时为强迫症的临床治疗提供依据。     

领导的消极情绪对员工绩效的积极作用

领导情绪对员工绩效有非常重要的影响, 但并非总是遵循“对称假设”。在特定条件下, 领导表达的消极情绪对员工绩效起到积极作用。情绪即社会信息模型(EASI)可以通过情绪表达者、情绪接受者、组织氛围和组织文化四个角度解释这一不对称现象, 但也存在局限性。文章在以往研究的基础上, 从情绪和认知两条路径出发, 对领导情绪和员工绩效间的中介机制及影响因素进行了系统梳理, 并提出了一个整合模型。未来研究应该关注：领导消极情绪表达的时机和程度, 不同类型的消极情绪对员工绩效的影响, 员工情绪反应的差异性。     

The persistence of implicit behavioral associations for moms and dads

While the concept of the “new involved father” has gained popularity in the media and academic circles, it is unclear to what extent behavioral expectations of moms and dads today reflect gender equality. Using a Go/No-Go Task, Study 1 examined implicit associations between behavioral images indicative of childcare versus the professional world with (a) parent roles (dads versus moms) and (b) gender categories (males versus females). Both evidenced strong persistence of traditional stereotypes. Moreover, females were more strongly associated with the role mom than males were with dad. In Study 2, individual variation in the strength of these implicit associations predicted differences in judgments of how best to resolve work—family conflicts along traditional stereotypic lines. Implicit associations tying mom to childcare and dad to the professional world likely contribute to greater experienced conflict for women than men in striving to be both a parent and a professional.     

The statistical properties of the Survivor Interaction Contrast

The Survivor Interaction Contrast (SIC) is a powerful tool for assessing the architecture and stopping rule of a model of mental processes (Townsend & Nozawa, 1995). Despite its demonstrated utility, the methodology has lacked a method for statistical testing until now. In this paper we briefly describe the SIC then develop some basic statistical properties of the measure. These developments lead to a statistical test for rejecting certain classes of models based on the SIC. We verify these tests using simulated data, then demonstrate their use on data from a simple cognitive task.     

Continuous dynamics in the real-time perception of race

Although the outcomes of race categorization have been studied in detail, the temporal dynamics of real-time processing of race remain elusive. We measured participants’ hand movements en route to one of two race-category alternatives by recording the streaming x, y coordinates of the computer mouse. Study 1 showed that, when categorizing White and Black computer-generated faces that featurally overlapped with the opposite race, mouse trajectories showed a continuous spatial attraction toward the opposite category. Moreover, these race-atypical White and Black targets induced spatial attraction effects that had different temporal signatures. Study 2 showed that, when categorizing real faces that varied along a continuum of racial ambiguity, graded increases in ambiguity led to corresponding increases in trajectories’ attraction to the opposite category and trajectories’ movement complexity. These studies provide evidence for temporally dynamic competition across perceptions of race, where simultaneously and partially-active race categories continuously evolve into single categorical outcomes over time. Moreover, the findings show how different social category cues may exert different dynamic patterns of influence over the real-time processing that culminates in categorizations of others.     

Racial prejudice predicts opposition to Obama and his health care reform plan

The present study examines the relationship between racial prejudice and reactions to President Barack Obama and his policies. Before the 2008 election, participants’ levels of implicit and explicit anti-Black prejudice were measured. Over the following days and months, voting behavior, attitudes toward Obama, and attitudes toward Obama’s health care reform plan were assessed. Controlling for explicit prejudice, implicit prejudice predicted a reluctance to vote for Obama, opposition to his health care reform plan, and endorsement of specific concerns about the plan. In an experiment, the association between implicit prejudice and opposition to health care reform replicated when the plan was attributed to Obama, but not to Bill Clinton—suggesting that individuals high in anti-Black prejudice tended to oppose Obama at least in part because they dislike him as a Black person. In sum, our data support the notion that racial prejudice is one factor driving opposition to Obama and his policies.     

Identity salience moderates processing of group-relevant information

When an individual is categorized as a member of a group, the individual’s social identity becomes his or her frame for perceiving the world. This research investigates how information can be perceived and processed differently when relevant social identities are salient. In two studies, participants’ individual, student, or American identities were made salient before they read strong or weak arguments in favor of the institution of comprehensive exams at their university in 10 years time. In both studies, student-salient participants analytically processed the message whereas self-salient (Study 1) and American-salient (Study 2) participants failed to agree differentially with strong and weak messages. These data suggest that social-identity salience changes the information that individuals consider relevant, providing clear support for the contention that social identities have a profound impact on the way individuals perceive and interact with the world around them.