Human Signal-detection Performance: Effects Of Signal Presentation Probabilities And Reinforcer Distributions

University students participated in one of four standard two-choice signal-detection experiments in which signal presentation probability was varied and the reinforcement distribution was held constant and equal. In Experiments 1, 3 and 4, subjects' performance showed a systematic response bias for reporting the stimulus presented least often. Experiments 1 and 4 showed that this effect was reliable with extended training and monetary, rather than point, reinforcement. In Experiment 2, all correct responses were signaled in some way, and this produced the opposite relationship between signal presentation probability and response bias. Experiments 1 and 3 found that explicitly deducting money (intended as punishment) for equal numbers of incorrect responses on each alternative, or varying the obtained overall rate of reinforcement, produced no clear change in response bias. The bias, shown by humans, for reporting the stimulus presented least often remains a challenge for theories of stimulus detection.     

情绪Stroop效应：威胁驱动还是反应偏差？

为了考查情绪Stroop效应的产生机制是威胁驱动还是反应偏差,本研究进行了两个实验.实验一用一般负性情绪词语和中性词语作为实验材料,实验二用威胁性的情绪图片和中性图片作为实验材料.每个实验均要求一组被试做按键反应,另一组被试做摇杆反应.结果发现,当实验材料为词语时,未出现情绪Stroop效应;当实验材料为威胁性图片时,无论是趋向性反应方式还是回避性反应方式,都出现了情绪Stroop效应.本研究结果支持威胁驱动机制.     

竞争情境下社会比较认知偏差实验研究

本文以在校大学生为被试,考察社会比较的一个重要领域—学业竞争中的比较偏差。通过操纵竞争双方的实力(强VS.弱)以及竞争对手的信息清晰度(清晰VS.模糊)来考察不同的任务类型与信息清晰度对竞争中认知偏差的影响,以及探讨认知偏差对决策者决策意图的影响。结果发现,在社会比较中,面对不同类型的问题,会出现不同的认知偏差;竞争双方信息清晰时优于常人效应会减弱;认知偏差会影响个体的决策意图和决策行为。     

Biases in social comparisons: Optimism or pessimism?

Social comparisons typically lead to two kinds of biases: A comparative optimism bias (i.e., a tendency for people to view themselves as more likely than others to be the beneficiaries of positive outcomes) or a comparative pessimism bias (i.e., a tendency for people to view themselves as less likely than others to be such beneficiaries); rarely are people fully calibrated in terms of how they compare to others. However, there is little systematic research on the factors that determine when a comparative optimism versus pessimism bias will occur, how they can be attenuated and whether such attenuation is always desirable. In this paper, we report four studies which demonstrate the following key results: First, we show that perceived level of control over the outcome drives whether a comparative optimism or pessimism bias will occur (Study 1). Second, an increase in perceived similarity between self and a comparison target person attenuates the comparative optimism bias in domains that people view as highly controllable (Study 2a) and attenuates the comparative pessimism bias in domains that people view as less controllable (Study 2b). Finally, we show that people are willing to work harder when they experience more comparative optimism in higher control scenarios and when they experience less comparative pessimism in lower control scenarios, illustrating that motivating people to strive harder for positive outcomes can result from exacerbated or attenuated bias, depending on the context (Study 3).     

Negative self-evaluations and the relation to performance level in socially anxious children and adolescents

The current study investigated whether negatively biased self-evaluations of nervousness and social skills are related to how well an individual actually performs, that is performance level. Sixty-eight high socially anxious and 68 control participants (age range 9–17 years) gave a 5 min speech in front of a pre-recorded audience of same age peers and a teacher. Participants' evaluations immediately after the task were measured on a number of performance dimensions. Three independent observers also evaluated recordings of the speech performances. Participants were further divided into good and bad performers based on their actual performance level as judged by the observers. Self-evaluations of the high socially anxious participants were negatively biased for nervous appearance regardless of how well they actually performed. In contrast, a negative bias for social skills only occurred in the high anxious participants with a good performance. The social skill evaluations of the poor performers appear warranted. Taking actual performance level into account may help to clarify the exact nature of a negative bias in socially anxious youth and has clear implications for the choice of treatment approach.     

任务类型与信息清晰度对社会比较中认知偏差的影响

社会比较中的认知偏差是指个体在社会比较中表现出的过度自信与不自信现象.本研究在前人研究的基础之上,以在校大学生为被试,采用两个系列实验,探讨了社会比较中认知偏差现象的原因以及对判断和决策的影响.研究结果发现:在社会比较中,面对不同类型的问题,会出现不同的认知偏差;在社会比较中,不同类型的问题和信息清晰度共同影响认知偏差,且二者之间存在交互作用;社会比较中的认知偏差会影响个体的决策意图.     

教师教学认知偏差的调查研究

通过对846名教师进行“教师教学认知偏差问卷”调查发现,所调查的教师在教学对象等10个教学因子方面均存在不同程度的认知偏差,这些认知偏差之间均存在着非常显著性相关。同时发现教师在教学诸因子方面的认知偏差存在性别、类型、任教的学校层次及教龄等方面的显著性差异,其中在整个教学因子上,女教师的教学认知偏差要好于男教师,教龄在1～5年的教师的教学认知偏差要好于教龄在16—20年及20年以上的教师;在绝大多数因子方面,教学优秀教师的认知偏差要好于一般普通教师;在部分教学因子上,小学和高校教师的认知偏差分别要好于初中和高中教师,教龄在6～10年段和11～15年段的教师的认知偏差均好于教龄在16～20年及20以上的教师。     

The effects of modifying interpretation bias on worry in generalized anxiety disorder

This study investigated whether facilitating a benign interpretive bias decreases negative thought intrusions in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Clients were randomly allocated to an interpretation modification condition in which they repeatedly accessed benign meanings of emotionally ambiguous homographs and scenarios, or to a control condition in which they accessed threat and benign meanings with equal frequency. Worry frequency was assessed using a breathing focus task that involved categorising the valence of thought intrusions before and after an instructed worry period. Interpretation bias was assessed during the modification tasks, and on a different measure of interpretation bias (sentence completion) following a period of worry. The experimental procedure modified interpretations made during training, and in the later sentence completion task. Furthermore, compared to the control group, the benign group showed fewer negative thought intrusions during breathing focus (as rated by both participants and an assessor). These findings show that it is possible to induce a more benign interpretive bias in GAD clients and that this reduces negative thought intrusions.     

听觉后见之明偏差的实验研究

后见之明偏差是一种人类认知自我中心。后见之明偏差的研究具有重大的理论价值和应用价值,尤其是其应用价值更不容低估。研究1采用回忆型和假定型研究范式考察听觉领域是否存在后见之明偏差;研究2采用回忆型研究范式,从需要角度考察奖励性动机对去除听觉后见之明偏差的作用。研究发现:听觉领域存在后见之明偏差;两种研究范式的后见之明偏差不存在差异;奖励性动机并不能消除听觉后见之明偏差。     

Form follows function: Learning about function helps children learn about shape

Object functions help young children to organize new artifact categories. However, the scope of their influence is unknown. We explore whether functions highlight property dimensions that are relevant to artifact categories in general. Specifically, using a longitudinal training procedure, we assessed whether experience with functions highlights shape as important for categorization. Seventeen-month-olds were provided experience with novel categories of similarly shaped objects. In Study 1, the function group learned about the objects’ shape-based functions; a control group did not. In Study 2, 17-month-olds were trained on the same categories, but the objects’ shapes and functions were no longer causally related. Only the function group in Study 1 subsequently used shape reliably when categorizing novel objects. These results suggest that function is instrumental in establishing a ‘shape bias’ in early categorization and that it does so via conceptually based processes.