Basic visual perceptual processes in children with typical development and cerebral palsy: The processing of surface,length, orientation,and position

The present study aims to assess how the processing of basic visual perceptual (VP) components (length, surface, orientation, and position) develops in typically developing (TD) children (n = 215, 4–14 years old) and adults (n = 20, 20–25 years old), and in children with cerebral palsy (CP) (n = 86, 5–14 years old) using the first four subtests of the Battery for the Evaluation of Visual Perceptual and Spatial processing in children. Experiment 1 showed that these four basic VP processes follow distinct developmental trajectories in typical development. Experiment 2 revealed that children with CP present global and persistent deficits for the processing of basic VP components when compared with TD children matched on chronological age and nonverbal reasoning abilities.     

心理学中话语分析的立场与方法

研究区分了两种不同的“话语”定义,它们各自引申出一类“话语分析”。最为常见的是话语的描述性定义——“话语是建构某个对象的意义、表征或陈述系统”;另一种是功能性定义——“话语即做事”;“话语即行动”;“话语即实践”。话语分析在心理学中首先是一种研究立场,其次是一类研究方法。作为研究立场,话语分析悬置了心理、人格等传统心理学构念;解构了实证研究的客观性原则;重新调整了心理学的研究目标。作为研究方法,心理学中的话语分析有修辞研究、隐喻研究、叙事研究等多种形式     

Friends in Low-Entropy Places: Orthographic Neighbor Effects on Visual Word Identification Differ Across Letter Positions

Visual word recognition is facilitated by the presence of orthographic neighbors that mismatch the target word by a single letter substitution. However, researchers typically do not consider where neighbors mismatch the target. In light of evidence that some letter positions are more informative than others, we investigate whether the influence of orthographic neighbors differs across letter positions. To do so, we quantify the number of enemies at each letter position (how many neighbors mismatch the target word at that position). Analyses of reaction time data from a visual word naming task indicate that the influence of enemies differs across letter positions, with the negative impacts of enemies being most pronounced at letter positions where readers have low prior uncertainty about which letters they will encounter (i.e., positions with low entropy). To understand the computational mechanisms that give rise to such positional entropy effects, we introduce a new computational model, VOISeR (Visual Orthographic Input Serial Reader), which receives orthographic inputs in parallel and produces an over-time sequence of phonemes as output. VOISeR produces a similar pattern of results as in the human data, suggesting that positional entropy effects may emerge even when letters are not sampled serially. Finally, we demonstrate that these effects also emerge in human subjects' data from a lexical decision task, illustrating the generalizability of positional entropy effects across visual word recognition paradigms. Taken together, such work suggests that research into orthographic neighbor effects in visual word recognition should also consider differences between letter positions.     

幼儿在地图任务中对自我位置与自我朝向的结合

使用地图-空间和空间-地图两种地图定向任务,设置需同时表征自我位置和自我朝向的任务情境,探讨了5~6岁幼儿在地图使用中结合自我位置和自我朝向表征的能力。结果发现:(1)位置选择和朝向选择同时正确的比率显著高于概率水平;(2)被试在位置选择上的准确性显著高于朝向选择;(3)位置表征与朝向表征之间的关系在不同任务条件下表现出一定的差异。这些结果说明,5~6岁幼儿在使用地图时已经能够同时关注空间位置与朝向,实现位置表征与朝向表征的结合。     

Hidden gifts of love: A clinical application of object relations theory

Using an extended clinical example, the author applies aspects of Kleinian, Fairbairnian, and Bionian theory to demonstrate how individuals may come to hide away feelings of both love and aggression. In the clinical material presented, a version of a schizoid retreat was understood as a pervasive response to trauma. The author attempts to explore more specifically the nature of a ‘traumatizing outer world’ ( Guntrip, 1969 ) and how these experiences cause an individual to retreat and undermine movement toward healthy adult dependency. An understanding of these dynamics helps inform the psychoanalytic treatment process and can serve as a type of roadmap in navigating through challenging transference–countertransference enactments.     

“To work,or not to work,that is the question” – Recent trends and avenues for research on presenteeism

ABSTRACT

This position paper brings together recent and emerging developments in the field of presenteeism. A critical synthesis of the evidence is needed due to persisting conceptual and methodological challenges as well as the increased volume of research in the field. This paper integrates emerging evidence and critical thinking into three areas: (1) concept, (2) measurement and methodological issues, and (3) the context of presenteeism. First, due to the variety of existing definitions, competing understandings, as well as the notion of positive presenteeism, it is important to reconsider the notion of presenteeism. Second, it is important to reflect on the measurement of the act of presenteeism and the productivity loss associated with that. Third, following the call to investigate presenteeism in specific contexts, it is important to explain the social, occupational, cross-cultural aspects, as well as the contemporary workplace changes. Based on this critical synthesis, we conclude by identifying recommendations for future research on presenteeism.     

A theory-based intervention to prevent calibration effects in serial sport performance evaluations

ObjectivesSerial performance evaluations show calibration effects: Judges avoid extreme categories in the beginning (e.g. best or worst) because they need to calibrate an internal judgment scale (Unkelbach et al., 2012). Successful calibration is therefore important for fair and unbiased evaluations. A central prerequisite for successful calibration is knowledge about the performance range. The present study tests whether advance knowledge about the range (best and worst) of performances in a series reduces calibration effects.DesignA 2 × 2 × 2 design was developed with two between subject factors: the knowledge about the performance range (with vs. without) and two different talent tests (specific vs. unspecific). As within subject factor the position of the performances in the series (position 1–10 vs. 11–20) was integrated. The combination of the between subject factors resulted in four experimental conditions.MethodHandball coaches were randomly assigned to one of the conditions. Afterwards twenty performances were evaluated in a randomized order by the coaches.ResultsWithout knowledge about the range, they showed the expected avoidance of extreme categories in the beginning independent of the presented talent test. However, observing the best and worst performance in advance prevented the biases. Range-presentation is therefore a viable theory-based intervention to improve fairness in serial judgments.