Social brain development and the affective consequences of ostracism in adolescence

Recent structural and functional imaging studies have provided evidence for continued development of brain regions involved in social cognition during adolescence. In this paper, we review this rapidly expanding area of neuroscience and describe models of neurocognitive development that have emerged recently. One implication of these models is that neural development underlies commonly observed adolescent phenomena such as susceptibility to peer influence and sensitivity to peer rejection. Experimental behavioural evidence of rejection sensitivity in adolescence is currently sparse. Here, we describe a study that directly compared the affective consequences of an experimental ostracism manipulation (Cyberball) in female adolescents and adults. The ostracism condition led to significantly greater affective consequences in the adolescents compared with adults. This suggests that the ability to regulate distress resulting from ostracism continues to develop between adolescence and adulthood. The results are discussed in the context of models of neurocognitive development.     

青春期开始时间早晚对初中女生自我概念的影响

目的:探讨青春期开始时间早晚对初中女生自我概念发展的影响。方法:整群抽取初一至初三年龄12-14岁的女生共658人,采用青春期发育量表、田纳西自我概念量表进行测量。结果:①绝大多数12至14岁的女生青春期发育状态处于青春期中和青春期晚期（二者合占90%）;②年龄×青春期发育水平的方差分析显示,在自我概念各因子分及总分上,年龄和青春期发育水平的主效应均不显著;③在家庭自我、社会自我、自我认同、自我行动以及自我概念总分上年龄与青春期发育水平交互效应显著,高年龄低青春期发展水平和低年龄高青春期发展水平的初中女生的得分均较低。结论:青春期开始时间早晚可能对初中女生的自我概念的发展有一定影响,青春期开始时间晚或早均不利于女生自我概念的发展。     

刻板印象威胁效应的消除：干预策略及其展望

刻板印象威胁效应的产生主要受到情境线索、所在刻板印象威胁群体的集体表征及群体认同、信念和动机等个人特质因素的影响。本文以认同威胁模型为基础,针对影响刻板印象威胁效应产生的主要因素,分别从改善情境、改变认知图式和训练积极的内隐态度和动机等多个方面系统地探讨了干预刻板印象威胁可能采用的策略,主要包括提供对困难的外归因、提供角色榜样、启动积极身份特征、提供多重社会身份信息、鼓励自我肯定、强调智力增长观、训练积极内隐态度及重塑任务环境等。在系统梳理各种干预策略的基础上,本文还探讨了当前该领域研究存在的不足和未来的发展方向。     

Self-esteem in patients with borderline and avoidant personality disorders

This study compared self-esteem in patients with avoidant personality disorder (APD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD). Patients diagnosed with one or more personality disorders answered the questionnaire Index of Self Esteem as part of a comprehensive evaluation within the setting of a treatment trial. Our hypotheses were that (1) both patients with APD and patients with BPD would report low levels of self-esteem, (2) patients with APD would report lower self-esteem than patients with BPD. We further expected that (3) patients with higher levels of depression would report lower levels of self-esteem, but that (4) both borderline and avoidant personality pathology would contribute to explained variance in self-esteem beyond what would be accounted for by depression. All of our hypotheses were supported. The results from our study showed a significant difference in self-esteem level between the two personality disorders, patients with APD reporting lower self-esteem than patients with BPD. Subjects with both disorders were measured to have self-esteem levels within the range that presumes clinical problems. Self-esteem represents an important quality of subjective experience of the self, and the study of self-esteem in PDs can offer new and important knowledge of PDs as self-pathology.     

Social presence in online discussion groups: testing three conceptions and their relations to perceived learning

The correlation between three conceptions of social presence (seen as 1. a subjective quality of a medium that determines the quality of the communication and perception of others, 2. self-projection onto the group, and 3. identification with the group) and different aspects of perceived learning in online discussion groups were tested. Six hundreds and fifty nine students completed a web-based questionnaire that was distributed via 50 course Websites. Self projection, perception of others and identification with the group correlated positively with each other. They also correlated positively with most aspects of perceived learning. The subjective quality of the medium did not correlate with these conceptions and also did not correlate with any aspects of perceived learning. Thus, social presence may afford learning by setting a convenient climate. Alternatively, it may contribute only to the socioemotional source of perceived learning while leaving cognitive source unaffected.

Self,Sin, and the Sacred: Some Elements of a Select Psychology for the Care of Souls

Many pastors feel that their work in the secular sphere can best be described as an exploration of the meaning of life: as spiritual care. However, the idea that it is possible and easy to find such a thing as “the meaning of life,” as well as the concurrent idea that this meaning will help to make life more agreeable, should not be taken for granted but, rather, should be considered to be open for further exploration. To get a better understanding of the difference between spiritual care and the care of souls, I will discuss three central themes in any pastoral practice: sin, sense, and sorrow, together with three related constructs: soul, self, and the sacred. My exposition will result in a plea for revaluing two traditional but ever relevant modes of religious leadership: the modes of shepherd and teacher, of tutor and theologian, which are performed either in the context of the church or the secular institutional environment.     

Dynamic self-organization and early lexical development in children

In this study we present a self-organizing connectionist model of early lexical development. We call this model DevLex-II, based on the earlier DevLex model. DevLex-II can simulate a variety of empirical patterns in children's acquisition of words. These include a clear vocabulary spurt, effects of word frequency and length on age of acquisition, and individual differences as a function of phonological short-term memory and associative capacity. Further results from lesioned models indicate developmental plasticity in the network's recovery from damage, in a non-monotonic fashion. We attribute the network's abilities in accounting for lexical development to interactive dynamics in the learning process. In particular, variations displayed by the model in the rate and size of early vocabulary development are modulated by (a) input characteristics, such as word frequency and word length, (b) consolidation of lexical-semantic representation, meaning-form association, and phonological short-term memory, and (c) delayed processes due to interactions among timing, severity, and recoverability of lesion. Together, DevLex and DevLex-II provide an accurate computational account of early lexical development.     

Self‐reports and stereotypes: a comment on McCrae et al.

The results and conclusions of McCrae, Terracciano, Realo, and Allik (this issue) are discussed, with particular attention to the question of the accuracy of mean self‐reports and stereotypes as indicators of national or regional differences in personality. It is suggested that more evidence will be needed to evaluate the accuracy of these indicators, and that mean self‐reports cannot yet be taken as the standard against which the accuracy of stereotypes can be judged. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

高兴和悲伤电影片段诱发情绪的有效性和时间进程

选取269名大学生为被试,探讨情绪电影片段诱发被试高兴和悲伤情绪的有效性和时间进程.待被试稳定情绪后观看情绪电影片段,分别采用主观报告和心率、指温、皮电、指脉率、血氧饱和度、心率等心理生理反应的指标,获取被试观看高兴和悲伤电影片段时的前测和后测成绩并进行了分析比较.结果发现: (1)高兴影片能诱发被试高兴情绪,高兴情绪唤醒后,3分钟内处于一般偏上的状态且显著高于基线水平. (2)悲伤影片能诱发被试悲伤情绪,悲伤情绪唤醒后.5分钟内处于一般偏上的状态且显著高于基线水平.