A cross-cultural study of the representation of shape: Sensitivity to generalized cone dimensions

Many of the phenomena underlying shape recognition can be derived from an assumption that the representation of simple parts can be understood in terms of independent dimensions of generalized cones, e.g., whether the axis of a cylinder is straight or curved or whether the sides are parallel or nonparallel. What enables this sensitivity? One explanation is that the representations derive from our immersion in a manufactured world of simple objects, e.g., a cylinder and a funnel, where these dimensions can be readily discerned independent of other stimulus variations. An alternative explanation is that genetic coding and/or early experience with extended contours—a characteristic of all naturally varying visual worlds—would be sufficient to develop the appropriate representations. The Himba, a seminomadic people in a remote region of Northwestern Namibia with little exposure to regular, simple artifacts, were virtually identical to western observers in representing generalized-cone dimensions of simple shapes independently. Thus immersion in a world of simple, manufactured shapes is not required for the development of a representation that specifies these dimensions independently.     

阈下语义启动效应影响因素述评

阈下语义启动效应是指阈下呈现的启动词能够对与之有语义联想关系的目标词的加工产生促进作用.阈下语义启动效应具有不稳定性且容易受到各种因素的影响.影响阈下语义启动效应的因素有外部因素和内部因素两大类,外部因素包括任务类型、实验材料和实验程序等因素,内部因素包括注意、任务设置、目的和期望.本文首先简单回顾阈下语义启动效应的研究历史,并介绍相应的研究范式及觉知状态的测量方法,然后重点对影响因素进行了总结和评述.未来的研究可以从优化研究范式、加强脑机制研究以及发展理论等几个方面进一步拓展.     

Trauma and traumatic neurosis: Freud's concepts revisited

The authors examine Freud 's concepts of 'trauma', 'protective shield against stimuli ' and 'traumatic neurosis' in the light of recent findings. 'Protective shield against stimuli' is regarded as a biological concept which appears in mental life as the striving to avoid unpleasant affects. 'Trauma' is a twofold concept in that it relates to mental experience and links an external event with the specific after-effects on an individual 's psychic reality. A distinction needs to be made between mentally destructive trauma and affective trauma. A destructive trauma does not break through the protective shield but does breach the pleasure-unpleasure principle, so that in the course of its subsequent mastery it leads to a traumatic neurosis. An affective trauma can be warded off under the rule of the pleasure-unpleasure principle and leads to a psychoneurosis.     

RATS,We Should Have Used Clinton: Subliminal Priming in Political Campaigns

Political strategists decide daily how to market their candidates. Growing recognition of the importance of implicit processes (processes occurring outside of awareness) suggests limitations to focus groups and polling, which rely on conscious self‐report. Two experiments, inspired by national political campaigns, employed Internet‐presented subliminal primes to study evaluations of politicians. In Experiment 1, the subliminal word “RATS” increased negative ratings of an unknown politician. In Experiment 2, conducted during former California Governor Gray Davis's recall referendum, a subliminal photo of Clinton affected ratings of Davis, primarily among Independents. Results showed that subliminal stimuli can affect ratings of well‐known as well as unknown politicians. Further, subliminal studies can be conducted in a mass media outlet (the Internet) in real time and supplement voter self‐report, supporting the potential utility of implicit measures for campaign decision making.     

积极效应研究的几个方法学问题

社会情绪选择理论从时间知觉和动机的角度推论老年人的情绪加工有积极效应; 即与年轻人相比, 老年人更偏向于加工积极刺激而回避消极刺激。但是, 关于积极效应的实证研究有诸多不一致之处。分析近年相关研究的设计细节, 验证积极效应的研究多采用年轻和老年两个年龄组的对照, 而采用3个以上年龄组被试的研究结果不一致; 积极效应在东方文化下的应用研究结论也不一致; 多样化的情绪刺激、情绪分类和刺激呈现方式是各研究结论差异的重要原因, 而且积极效应研究应区分“情绪偏向”和“情绪效应”两种年龄组评价方式。因此, 今后研究需要尽可能地扩大年龄范围以确认积极效应出现时间、加强跨文化、跨地区比较以验证积极效应的普适性, 并提高研究中所用刺激材料的生态效度, 深入探索积极效应的普遍性与神经机制。     

RSVP任务下双刺激重复的优势与劣势

本研究探讨重复知盲发生在知觉阶段还是在记忆阶段。采用快速视觉系列呈现(rapid serial visual representation, 简称RSVP)任务, 让被试即时回忆80个词表中呈现的词。操作了词表中目标词的重复数, 分为无重复、单刺激重复(重复一对)和双刺激重复(重复两对)三种, 和目标词的情绪效价, 分为中性词和情绪词两种。结果发现, 对目标词回忆的正确率是：当目标词和非目标词都是中性词汇, 即二者的情绪效价强度相当时(实验1), 在无重复条件与双刺激重复条件下无差异, 二者均大于单刺激重复条件; 当目标词是消极词汇, 非目标词是中性词汇, 即目标刺激的情绪效价强度大于非目标刺激时(实验2), 无重复条件与单刺激重复条件无差异, 二者均大于双刺激重复条件。结果表明：(1)RSVP 任务下词表中有双刺激重复时, 如果刺激的效价强度相当, 出现重复优势; 如果目标刺激的效价强度高于非目标刺激, 出现重复劣势; (2)人们会主动分配更多的注意资源给效价高的刺激, 重复知盲产生在记忆阶段, 支持注意资源分配最优化假设。     

汉字数字与阿拉伯数字的阈下启动研究

该研究采用了反应窗技术和回归分析范式,通过两个实验对汉字数字和阿拉伯数字的启动效应进行了实验探索。结果表明(1)在客观阔限以下,汉字数字和阿拉伯数字都可以被加工到语义水平,而数字的表征形式对启动效应无影响;(2)在本研究中,在启动数字为汉字数字的条件下,当觉察水平高于客观阈限时,不存在启动效应。     

互联网成瘾者内隐网络态度及其干预研究

内隐互联网态度是个体对网络内隐的、自动化的心理倾向。研究发现,网络成瘾者持有对互联网积极评价的内隐态度．这种评价可以通过阈下评价性条件反射技术有效改变．通过对IAT、效应的考察表明,网络成瘾者内隐态度具有稳定性和易变化性特点,内隐矛盾态度(AIA)可能是提供解决该问题的整合性视角。     

Alpha synchronization as a brain model for unconscious defense: An overview of the work of Howard Shevrin and his team

Howard Shevrin and his team have developed a stringent subliminal priming methodology, which experimentally approximates a situation of an internal, mental triggering of unconscious defense. Through a series of four studies they thus are able to bring evidence for this type of unconscious defense. With event‐related potentials, three clinical studies show how synchronization of a specific brain wave, the alpha wave, known for its inhibitory function, is also induced by subliminally presented conflictual subject‐specific stimuli. Therefore, alpha synchronization could serve as the brain mechanism of unconscious defense. The results only make sense if we suppose the existence of a dynamic unconscious, which has inherited childhood conflicts, and with privileged connections to neurotic symptom characteristics. Moreover, by showing that the unconscious conflict phrases, inferred by clinicians from clinical interviews, have a similar brain behavior, Shevrin and his team provide evidence that these inferences are not simply clinician‐dependent subjective interpretations but also imply some form of independent mental reality. Finally, interpretation of the results has led us to propose two distinct physiological mechanisms for defense: one, unconscious defense, by alpha synchronization in connection with the drive derivatives, and another, repression, based on the indications of reality in connection with the ego.     

Attentional Resources Measured by Reaction Times Highlight Differences Within Pleasant and Unpleasant,High Arousing Stimuli

Simple reaction times (RTs) to acoustic tones were recorded during picture viewing in order to investigate attentional resource allocation to threat stimuli compared with pleasant (sport/adventure) and neutral (household objects) contents. Stimuli were selected as equally arousing according to standardized subjective ratings. In the late stage of picture processing threat pictures showed shorter RTs compared with neutral and pleasant ones. In a second study, a choice-RT task was employed, and a wider range of both pleasant and unpleasant contents was shown. Results indicated slower RTs when blood/injury and erotic couples were presented, compared with other threat, and with other positive (sport/adventure) scenes. Specifically, erotic couples require a greater amount of attentional resources compared with sport/adventure; the same is true for blood/injury stimuli as compared with threat. Remarkable differences were thus shown in attentional deployment to specific stimulus contents within the same valence category. These differences should be taken into account when using such stimuli to investigate emotional processing.