Academic Processing Speed Mediates the Influence of Both Externalizing Behavior and Language Skills on the Academic Skills of Students with Emotional Disturbance

The results from previous research suggest that there is a relatively small (albeit statistically significant) relationship between the externalizing behavior and academic skills of students with emotional disturbance (ED). Researchers have also found that the majority of these students have language deficits that hinder their academic performance. The purposes of this study were to investigate the mediating role of academic processing speed (i.e., academic fluency) on the relationship between: (a) The externalizing behavior and academic skills of K-12 students with ED; and (b) language skills and academic skills of students with ED. Results indicate that academic processing speed mediated the influence of both language skills and externalizing behavior on academic skills of this population. The findings, limitations, and implications were discussed.     

Attitude accessibility and message processing: The moderating role of message position

Past research suggests that pre-message attitude accessibility can influence the amount of processing of persuasives messages (with highly accessible attitudes eliciting higher levels of processing than attitudes lower in accessibility). The current research suggests that the previous conclusions are only partly true—effects of accessibility on message processing are moderated by the extent to which the persuasive message is proattitudinal versus counterattitudinal. In two experiments, pre-message attitudes and attitude accessibility were measured (Study 1) or manipulated (Study 2) prior to receiving a strong or weak persuasive message. When messages were counterattitudinal, increased pre-message accessibility was associated with greater message processing (as in past research). However, when messages were proattitudinal, increased pre-message accessibility was associated with decreased message scrutiny. Potential underlying mechanisms and implications are discussed.     

Testing for selectivity in the dependence of random variables on external factors

Random variables A and B, whose joint distribution depends on factors (x,y), are selectively influenced by x and y, respectively, if A and B can be represented as functions of, respectively, (x,S_A,C) and (y,S_B,C), where S_A,S_B,C are stochastically independent and do not depend on (x,y). Selective influence implies selective dependence of marginal distributions on the respective factors: thus no parameter of A may depend on y. But parameters characterizing stochastic interdependence of A and B, such as their mixed moments, are generally functions of both x and y. We derive two simple necessary conditions for selective dependence of (A,B) on (x,y), which can be used to conduct a potential infinity of selectiveness tests. One condition is that, for any factor values x,x^′ and y,y^′,

s_xy≤s_xy^′+s_x^′y^′+s_x^′y,     

平面广告中图形与文本加工差异的眼动研究

记录被试在观看不同文本位置的平面广告时的眼动轨迹,探讨了广告中文本和图形加工的差异性、文本在广告中的不同位置(左上、左下、右下、右上)的加工差异、人们对广告图片及文字的评价与其眼动指标是否具有一致性以及与再认成绩的相关程度等。结果表明,(1)瞳孔大小是比较敏感的指标,在观看广告时,文本的位置及评价水平都可以引起瞳孔大小的改变：而不会对注视时间产生影响。(2)人们对文本和图形的加工方式上存在差异,它不仅表现在眼动指标上,同时也表现在再认成绩上。广告中适当的文字有助于广告内容的记忆。     

Age-related differences in reaction time task performance in young children

Performance of reaction time (RT) tasks was investigated in young children and adults to test the hypothesis that age-related differences in processing speed supersede a “global” mechanism and are a function of specific differences in task demands and processing requirements. The sample consisted of 54 4-year-olds, 53 5-year-olds, 59 6-year-olds, and 35 adults from Russia. Using the regression approach pioneered by Brinley and the transformation method proposed by Madden and colleagues and Ridderinkhoff and van der Molen, age-related differences in processing speed differed among RT tasks with varying demands. In particular, RTs differed between children and adults on tasks that required response suppression, discrimination of color or spatial orientation, reversal of contingencies of previously learned stimulus-response rules, and greater stimulus-response complexity. Relative costs of these RT task differences were larger than predicted by the global difference hypothesis except for response suppression. Among young children, age-related differences larger than predicted by the global difference hypothesis were evident when tasks required color or spatial orientation discrimination and stimulus-response rule complexity, but not for response suppression or reversal of stimulus-response contingencies. Process-specific, age-related differences in processing speed that support heterochronicity of brain development during childhood were revealed.     

When vaccinating against information reduction works and when it does not work

Practice not only affects how information is processed, but also which information is processed. The Information-Reduction Hypothesis (i.e. Haider & Frensch, 1996) holds that — with practice — irrelevant task information (i.e. information that is not logically needed to correctly perform the task) is discarded from processing. Recently, Gaschler and Frensch (2007) have demonstrated that Information Reduction is not affected by the frequency with which individual task configurations are presented: well-practiced and little-practiced irrelevant task configurations are discarded at the same point in time during practice; Information Reduction is thus an item-general phenomenon. These findings suggest that Information Reduction is at least in part a consequence of top-down, voluntary control. In the present research, we ask how tasks can be constructed such that Information Reduction is avoided. Our results show that item-general Information Reduction is observed even when it leads to severe processing costs (i.e. errors). On the whole, the present results are in line with models of skill acquisition incorporating top-down modulation (e.g. Haider & Frensch, 2002) and are incompatible with purely data-driven accounts of skill acquisition (e.g. Logan, 1988; Nosofski & Palmeri, 1997; Palmeri, 1997; Rickard, 2004).     

De-Religionizing the Missio Dei

The message of the World Council of Churches' 11th Assembly invites the global Christian family “to act together” – a call that is based on Christ's love urging us (2 Cor. 5:14) toward reconciliation and unity. This is the missio Dei of the church of all ages. In considering the relevance of this message and call, this article endeavours to hermeneutically problematize (to “de-religionize”) them through biblical, theological, and missiological lenses in the present global context from the perspective of those who are marginalized, victimized, and in need of this gospel message.     

在亮度对比和颜色对比下立体视知觉的定量研究

研究了在亮度对比与等亮度颜色对比的条件下,受试者分辨随机点阵立体图对的立体视敏度（最小视差）．结果表明：（１）在亮度对比条件下,立体视敏度随对比度的增加而增加,１０％的对比度即可引起立体视知觉,对比度大于３０％时达到饱和;（２）在亮度对比与等亮度颜色对比两种不同的条件下,受试者的立体视敏度不存在有统计学意义的差异;（３）当双眼分别接受不同颜色的等亮度立体图刺激时,与亮度对比条件相比,受试者的立体视敏度无明显差异;（４）当受试者双眼分别接受由亮度对比和颜色对比形成的立体图刺激时,只有当颜色对比图中图形与背景间的对比度超过等亮度值３８％以上时,才能形成立体视知觉．以上结果提示,大、小细胞系统（包括斑点系统与斑点间系统）均参与立体视知觉信息的传递．     

Effects of processing speed on intelligence may be underestimated: Comment on Demetriou et al. (2013)

This commentary suggests ways to extend research by Demetriou et al. (2013), who may have underestimated the effects of processing speed on the development of intelligence. It argues that future research should consider variability in processing speed, complexity in speed tasks, and reaction times excluded from speed estimates.