Apocalyptic relevance

In their book, Relevance, Sperber and Wilson make an important contribution towards constructing a credible theory of this unforthcoming notion. All is not clear sailing, however. If it is accepted as a condition on the adequacy of any account of relevance that it not be derivable either that nothing is relevant to anything or that everything is relevant to everything, it can be shown that Sperber and Wilson come close to violating the condition.     

Failure of hierarchical conditional rule learning in the pigeon (Columba livia)

Pigeons were trained with a conditional discrimination task in three-key operant chambers. Choosing either the left or right key was followed by food according to combinations of three preceding events: (a) a houselight illumination condition (dark or light), (b) presence or absence of green flashes on the three keys, (c) a color (amber or blue) of the center sample key. With these 2×2×2 event combinations, eight types of correct trials were prepared: (1) dark→no flash→amber→LEFT, (2) dark→no flash→blue→RIGHT, (3) dark→flash→amber→RIGHT, (4) dark→flash→blue→LEFT, (5) light→no flash→amber→RIGHT, (6) light→no flash→blue→LEFT, (7) light→flash→amber→LEFT, and (8) light→flash→blue→RIGHT. Seven of these eight types were used for training of a given bird, and then the remaining trial type was presented as the test. If the birds had learned the conditional structure of the events (the hierarchical switching rule), they would have responded correctly to the test type. However, they chose the opposite side key, suggesting that they had learned cue configuration or multiple rules to solve the task. Accepted after revision: 13 January 2001 Electronic Publication     

Atom Exchangeability and Instantial Relevance

We give an account of some relationships between the principles of Constant and Atom Exchangeability and various generalizations of the Principle of Instantial Relevance within the framework of Inductive Logic. In particular we demonstrate some surprising and somewhat counterintuitive dependencies of these relationships on ostensibly unimportant parameters, such as the number of predicates in the overlying language. Supported by a UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Research Studentship.     

The development of stimulus control over tics: A potential explanation for contextually-based variability in the symptoms of Tourette syndrome

Research has demonstrated that providing reinforcement for tic-free intervals can decrease tic frequency in controlled analogue settings. The aim of the current study was to determine whether reinforcement could be used to create stimulus control over tic expression. Ten children with chronic tic disorders (including Tourette syndrome) completed four discrimination training sessions. Each session consisted of three exposures to each of three, 5 min conditions presented in a random order. In one condition, participants were reinforced for tic absence on a 10-s fixed interval schedule in the presence of a purple light. In a second condition, participants were instructed to suppress their tics, but were not reinforced for doing so in the presence of an orange light. In a third condition, participants were instructed not to suppress their tics in the presence of two non-illuminated lights. Confirming findings from other studies, results showed that reinforcing tic suppression reduced tic frequency to a greater extent than only providing instructions to suppress. To test for stimulus control, a fifth session was conducted following the aforementioned discrimination training sessions. The fifth session consisted of three exposures to each of three 5 min conditions presented in a random order. In one condition, a purple light was illuminated. In a second condition, an orange light was illuminated. In a third condition, neither light was illuminated. Across all three conditions, instructions to suppress (or not suppress) tics were not provided, and reinforcers for successful suppression were not delivered. Results indicated that in the presence of the purple light, tics were significantly lower than when neither light was illuminated. These findings provide preliminary support for the idea that a history of differential reinforcement in various contexts may play a role explaining variability in tic symptom expression.     

特征归纳中关联强度与关联相似性的交互作用效应

根据特征归纳的关联相似性模型分析和三个因素实验研究发现,在基于关联相似性而进行的特征归纳中,关联强度和关联相似性两因素对归纳强度的影响存在交互作用效应。关联相似性变化对归纳强度的影响依赖于关联强度,随关联强度的增加而增加。关联强度变化对归纳强度的影响依赖于关联相似性水平：在高的关联相似性条件下,归纳强度随关联强度增加而增加;在中等关联相似性条件下,归纳强度不受关联强度变化的影响;而在低的关联相似性条件下,归纳强度随关联强度增加而减小     

线索靶子关联和搜索策略对注意捕获的作用

采用线索化范式, 通过实验任务设计线索与靶子不同的关联并鼓励被试采用不同的搜索策略, 探讨线索与靶子间的知觉关联、语义关联及特征独子检测模式、特征搜索模式对注意捕获的作用。通过线索无效条件和线索有效条件反应时之差判断每一条件下的捕获量, 并综合各条件的反应情况做出结论如下：(1)线索与靶子的知觉关联调控注意捕获, 其效应不受语义关联和搜索策略影响; (2)线索与靶子的语义关联只在排除知觉关联后调控注意捕获; (3)控制知觉关联和语义关联后, 特征搜索模式不影响注意捕获, 而特征独子检测模式对注意捕获有影响。这表明语义知识和知觉经验根据当前任务要求共同作用指导个体的视觉加工, 表现了人类加工系统的灵活性和可调节性。     

一致性、相关性对记忆生存优势效应的影响

对词语进行生存加工能提高记忆成绩,这种记忆的生存优势效应已得到不少研究的验证,且大多数研究表明生存优势是一种独特的编码方式(Nairne&Pandeirada,2011)。但是,Butler等人(2009)的研究结果表明实验中生存加工带来的记忆优势可能是一致性效应(即编码任务与编码的材料之间具有一致性)的作用。本文在2个实验中选用与生存和抢劫加工条件相关程度不同的词(高中低)为实验材料,采用生存加工、抢劫加工、愉悦度和有意学习为实验条件,研究一致性和相关性在记忆生存优势中的作用。结果发现:(1)生存条件下的记忆效果显著优于愉悦度条件和有意学习条件,这说明的确存在记忆的生存优势效应;(2)高生存相关词在生存加工条件下产生了记忆优势,而中、低生存相关词在2种加工条件下记忆成绩差异不显著,这说明加工条件的一致性只在一定程度上影响着记忆的生存优势效应;(3)词语自身的生存相关性没有表现出较强的记忆优势,当然这也可能与实验材料的词频有关。研究结果支持了Nairne和Pandeirada(2011)的观点。     

Human latent inhibition and the density of predictive relationships in the context in which the target stimulus occurs

In two experiments, participants were exposed to a listing of actions performed by a fictitious Mr. X, over three days of his life. For most of his actions an outcome was described, but some were not followed by any outcome. On Day 3, Mr. X performed an action (the target action) that was followed by a novel outcome. For participants in the control condition, the target action that preceded the appearance of this outcome was also novel; for participants in the latent inhibition (LI) condition, Mr. X had performed the target action on repeated occasions during Days 2 and 3, without it producing any outcome. All the participants were tested on their ability to retrieve the action performed by Mr. X prior to the target outcome. In Experiment 1, retrieval of the target action (indicating a less effective target action–outcome association) was poorer in the LI than in the control condition. In Experiment 2, reducing the proportion (the density) of nontarget actions that brought outcomes during initial training was found to reduce the size of the LI effect. These results are predicted by the account of LI put forward previously [Hall, G., & Rodríguez, G. (2010). Associative and nonassociative processes in latent inhibition: An elaboration of the Pearce-Hall model. In R. E. Lubow & I. Weiner (Eds.), Latent inhibition: Data, theories, and applications to schizophrenia (pp. 114–136). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press]. A high density of predictive relationships ensures strong activation of the expectancy that some outcome will occur when the target action is first presented; this facilitates the formation of a target action–no-event association during training in the LI condition, thus enhancing the LI effect.     

自我概念影响选择性记忆的理论模型与研究

关于自我概念对个人选择性记忆的影响及其机制问题目前主要存在不一致—负性忽略模型和关联模型两种解释。前者假定,个人努力忽略对与其积极自我概念不一致或冲突信息的加工,以维持其自我概念的稳定性,但该模型忽视了自我概念的个别差异。后者则假定,自我概念对选择性记忆的影响是由评价性信息与自我概念的关联程度决定的,并质疑记忆的心境一致性效应,但该模型无法解释积极自我概念者面临消极心境和消极自我概念者面临积极心境时对外部信息的记忆模式。未来研究有必要考察即时性心境状态下不同自我概念对选择性记忆加工的影响,以促进对自我概念和心境状态影响记忆选择性及其机制的深入理解。