Which components of processing speed are affected in ADHD subtypes?

The term “processing speed” (PS) encompasses many components including perceptual, cognitive and output speed. Despite evidence for reduced PS in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), little is known about which component(s) is most impacted in ADHD, or how it may vary by subtypes. Participants included 151 children, ages 8–12 years, with ADHD Predominantly Inattentive Type, ADHD Combined Type and typically developing controls using DSM-IV criteria. All children completed four measures of processing speed: Symbol Search, Coding, Decision Speed, and simple reaction time. We found children with ADHD-PI and ADHD-C had slower perceptual and psychomotor/incidental learning speed than controls and that ADHD-PI had slower decision speed than controls. The subtypes did not differ on any of these measures. Mean reaction time was intact in ADHD. Hence, at a very basic output level, children with ADHD do not have impaired speed overall, but as task demands increase their processing speed becomes less efficient than controls’. Further, perceptual and psychomotor speed were related to inattention, and psychomotor speed/incidental learning was related to hyperactivity/impulsivity. Thus, inattention may contribute to less efficient performance and worse attention to detail on tasks with a higher perceptual and/or psychomotor load; whereas hyperactivity/impulsivity may affect psychomotor speed/incidental learning, possibly via greater inaccuracy and/or reduced learning efficiency. Decision speed was not related to either dimension. Results suggest that PS deficits are primarily linked to the inattention dimension of ADHD but not exclusively. Findings also suggest PS is not a singular process but rather a multifaceted system that is differentially impacted in ADHD.     

Qualities of reflection: using Saul’s (2001) On Equilibrium to restore humanity to reflection in healthcare

Reflection features strongly in health and care work as a tool for personal and professional development and can support us as practitioners to be critical and self-aware in practice, of practice and the impact on clients and patients. Its power to transform learning and practice, however, has been watered down through recipe-following in reflective recording and through the avoidance of recording uncertainty or practice that might not measure against professional codes. Drawing on the humanist philosophy of John Ralston Saul, I suggest using Saul’s ‘six qualities’ as themes for reflective questions. I reflect on the influence of reason through codes of practice and offer suggestions for questions to restore an awareness of Self in work with clients and patients. Finally, from my experience as a counselling student and healthcare educator, I argue that we should have a greater appreciation of the power of uncertainty in reflective recording.     

经济全球化的若干伦理思考

经济全球化已经成为当代社会的客观事实和发展趋势。经济全球化的实质是人类利益实现形式的转换与更新。经济全球化中,不同利益主体需要遵循一定的道德要求,即全球伦理,以实现稳定的经济秩序和自身的利益。但全球伦理的实现是一个漫长而艰苦的过程,需要克服一系列价值观和价值取向的障碍,乃至冲破政治上霸权主义的干扰。     

降低决策冲动性的方法及其神经机制

大量实验研究显示, 成瘾患者、多动症患者和病态赌博者在决策中表现出冲动偏好。目前研究冲动性决策偏好的经典实验范式是延迟折扣任务。通过延迟折扣任务, 心理学家揭示了冲动性决策偏好的神经机制并构建了多种理论, 包括单一系统评价理论、双系统评价理论、自我控制理论和自我参照加工理论。基于这些理论, 已经发展出了多种降低决策冲动性的方法, 包括想象未来具体事件、工作记忆训练、预先承诺以及提高血液中葡萄糖水平, 其背后的神经机制是通过认知控制和价值表征理论来实现的。未来研究方向需集中于价值计算、价值系统和多体素模式分析(MVPA)在改善决策冲动性以及内在机制研究上的应用。     

存在三议

存在是毋庸置疑的事实,存在在其存在过程中显现为由低到高的四重境界。存在也是一个从无到有到无的过程,存在之和谐在这一过程中得以彰显。哲学就是对存在之和谐的反思。哲学对存在之和谐的反思也应遵循从无到有到无的逻辑历程。这样的哲学才是和谐之路,这样的反思才是和谐的反思,这样的反思指导下的人的存在才是和谐的存在。     

Impulsivity and anxiety differences in cognitive inhibition

An identity negative priming task was employed to investigate cognitive inhibition in 245 undergraduates. The task presented consecutively a prime and a probe display that contained a target and a distractor. Negative priming is observed when subjects must respond to a target in the probe display that had been a distractor in the prime display. This task also served to study the Eriksen interference effect by comparing a condition in which the target and the distractor had the same identity with a condition in which they had different identities. Subjects completed the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire designed to measure Gray's anxiety and impulsivity dimensions. Results showed that impulsives had a lower cognitive inhibition than non-impulsives, whereas impulsive women also showed a greater Eriksen interference effect than non-impulsive women. Furthermore, no differences in task performance were found between anxious and non-anxious groups. Our discussion considers the importance of studying cognitive functioning in personality research.     

青少年重度抑郁患者自伤行为及危险因素研究

为探讨重度抑郁青少年非自杀性自伤(non-suicidial self-injury,NSSI)行为发生的风险因素,采用贝克自杀意念量表、焦虑自评量表、Barratt冲动量表、认知情绪调节量表、青少年生活事件量表、家庭亲密度及适应性量表对160例抑郁障碍青少年患者进行调查。结果发现,青少年重度抑郁发作患者中NSSI行为发生率较高,性别差异不显著。伴NSSI组患者的冲动性、自杀危险、焦虑、自我责难、灾难化及人际关系得分显著高于不伴NSSI组(P<0.05);计划、积极重新评价,家庭实际适应性得分显著低于不伴NSSI组(P<0.05)。二分类Logistic回归分析显示,自杀危险得分、冲动性总分、人际关系、自我责难是NSSI的危险因素。     

青少年早期冲动性的发展轨迹:界定亚群组及其影响因素

以发展的整体互动论和生态系统理论为基础,考察青少年早期冲动性的发展轨迹及其影响因素。采用Barratt冲动性量表、家庭环境量表、青少年感知校园氛围问卷对天津市某中学210名初中生进行了为期1年的3次追踪调查,使用潜变量增长模型、潜类别增长模型、多元Logistic回归进行数据分析。结果发现:(1)青少年早期冲动性的发展呈线性增长趋势,并可分为三个亚群组:恒低组(16.67%)、恒高组(41.43%)和居中升高组(41.91%);(2)家庭环境亲密度和教师支持对亚群组有显著预测作用。本研究揭示了在青少年早期冲动性的动态变化性、个体差异性及其相关影响因素。