Examination of the processing speed account in a population-based longitudinal study with narrow age cohort design

The processing speed account suggests that general slowing of mental processing speed results in an overall decline, especially age-related decline, in other cognitive domains. Support for the speed account comes mainly from cross-sectional studies with participants that vary in age (age-heterogeneous samples). This study investigated how well variations in processing speed predict change of episodic recall in a longitudinal framework and examined with the Narrow Age Cohort (NAC) design. Data were obtained from Betula, a population-based longitudinal study. Both 5-year (n= 490; Time 3 - Time 4) and 10-year follow-up results (n= 608; Time 1 - Time 3) were used. In both samples, which were subjected to prospective dementia screening, we found considerably weaker associations in longitudinal data compared to cross-sectional, and also weaker associations in age-homogeneous than in age-heterogeneous samples. The results provide little support for the speed account.     

Is Parental Knowledge of their Adolescent Offspring’s Whereabouts and Peer Associations Spuriously Associated with Offspring Delinquency?

Recent studies suggest that most of what parents know about their adolescent offspring's whereabouts and companions is the result of youth disclosure, rather than information gained through active parental monitoring. This raises the possibility that parental knowledge is spuriously correlated with youth delinquency solely because the most delinquent youth disclose the least information to parents (because they have the most to hide). We tested this spurious association hypothesis using prospective data on offspring of a nationally representative sample of US women, controlling demographic and contextual covariates. In separate analyses, greater parental knowledge of their offspring's peer associations at both 12-13 years and at 14-15 years was associated with lower odds of being in the top 1 standard deviation of youth-reported delinquency at 16-17 years, controlling for delinquency at the earlier ages. The extent to which parents set limits on activities with peers at 14-15 years did not mediate or moderate the association between parental knowledge and delinquency, but it did independently predict future delinquency among adolescents living in high-risk neighborhoods. This suggests that the association between parental knowledge and future delinquency is not solely spurious; rather parental knowledge and limit setting are both meaningful predictors of future delinquency.     

NATURALISTIC METHODOLOGY IN AN EMERGING SCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGY: LOTZE AND FECHNER IN THE BALANCE

The development of a methodologically naturalistic approach to physiological and experimental psychology in the nineteenth century was not primarily driven by a naturalistic agenda. The work of R. Hermann Lotze and G. T. Fechner help to illustrate this claim. I examine a selected set of central commitments in each thinkers philosophical outlook, particularly regarding the human soul and the nature of God, that departed strongly from a reductionist materialism. Yet, each contributed significantly to the formation of experimental and physiological psychology. Their work was influenced substantively by their respective philosophical commitments. Nevertheless, the evaluation of the merits of their specific proposals, Fechner's psychophysics and Lotze's local sign hypothesis respectively, did not depend upon sharing their metaphysical views regarding the human soul or the nature of God. A moderate, but significant, distinction between the contexts of discovery and of justification aids in understanding this balancing act.     

教育水平在认知老化中的作用

为考察教育水平在认知老化中的作用,分别使用横断数据和干预数据分析教育水平对认知老化的影响模式。对51名58～83岁的城市社区老年人实施加工速度测验和基本心理能力测验。随机选取25名被试作为干预组接受加工速度训练。被试在前测后第8周接受与前测内容相同的后测。横断分析的结果显示,在特定的认知测验中,教育水平对认知能力的年龄差异有调节作用。干预数据的分析结果显示,加工速度干预效果显著,且对词汇流畅性有迁移作用。但相关分析和回归分析的结果则表明,教育水平在促进老年人干预收益和迁移方面的作用不显著。在获取和应用新知识方面,教育水平的作用并不显著,其在认知老化中的作用可能更多地表现为对固有认知功能的保护。     

临床决策与疾病发展的“度”

临床决策是十分复杂的专业劳动,良好而科学的临床决策取决于众多因素,包括医师的临床经验、知识水平、医师的爱心与责任心、患者病情的复杂性、医疗水平与条件、患者及家属的条件与配合程度等等,辩证法的“度”在临床的良好应用会帮助医师准确地把握病情,给予更加适度治疗;真正的个体化临床决策必须由医师与患者及家属的密切配合才能实现。     

化学概念心理表征的初步研究

化学概念表征是化学教育心理学的重要研究对象。化学概念是以命题、表象、产生式和图式等方式表征的。化学概念表征有表象优先性、丰富性、相关性、个体性、可变性等特点。学习者对化学概念理解的本质是形成恰当的心理表征,用“正确度”、“深度”和“速度”等概念,对化学概念的表征可作更为精致的描述。     

Le voisinage orthographique influence la catégorisation de couleur des mots différemment selon l’âge et la vitesse de traitement

The objective of this research was to determine to what extent the effect of higher-frequency orthographic neighbourhood in a word colour-categorization task is changed during aging when processing speed is taken into account. In addition, the effect of the lexicality of the stimuli on colour categorization was examined, as well as its variation according to age and processing speed. Fifty-two young adults (M_age = 21.62) and 52 older adults (M_age = 66.04) participated in this study. For each age group, two sub-groups were created according to the processing speed of the participants as measured by the WAIS Coding subtest. Two conditions of words (written in red, yellow, green or blue) were presented in a colour-categorization task. Half of the words did not have any orthographic neighbours (e.g., pistil [pistil]), while the other half had a higher-frequency neighbour (e.g., tirade [tirade]/TIRAGE [draw]). A control condition with a series of Xs was added to test the influence of the effect of the lexicality of words on the colour-categorization times. As a whole, the results showed slower colour-categorization times for words compared to a series of Xs, which did not vary with age and processing speed. Importantly, the results showed that orthographic neighbourhood frequency interacted with age and processing speed, on colour categorization response times. More precisely, the neighbourhood frequency effect was found to vary differently according to processing speed in each age group. For the fastest young adults, the facilitatory effect of higher-frequency orthographic neighbourhood was obtained, whereas no such effect was found for the slowest young adults. The fastest older adults did not exhibit any effect of higher-frequency orthographic neighbourhood whereas a facilitatory effect was observed for the slowest older adults. Therefore, these data suggest that both aging and the processing speed of the participants influence the interference effect of reading on colour categorization. These findings are discussed in the context of cognitive aging theories and models of written word recognition.     

Effects of route guidance variable message signs (VMS) on driver behaviour

Effects of route guidance Variable Message Signs (VMS) on speed and route choice were investigated in a field study on two sites on motorways. Two VMS were used in the study, which displayed information about a closed road section downstream on the motorways and recommendations for alternative routes. Route choice, speed and braking behaviour were compared between vehicles approaching the VMS while they displayed messages and while they were left blank without message. There was high compliance with the messages on the VMS. About every fifth vehicle changed route choice according to the recommendation, and almost none drove as far as the closed road section. Speed measurements of 3342 vehicles showed large speed reductions, and video observations showed that large proportions of vehicles braked while approaching the VMS. The speed reductions and braking manoeuvres can partly be attributed to attention overload or distraction due to the information on the VMS. However, a proportion of the speed reductions was due to chain reactions where one vehicle braked and forced the following vehicles to brake or change lanes in order to avoid collisions. Safety problems may result directly from distraction, or indirectly from the reactions of the drivers to the distraction.     

Visual attention capacity: a review of TVA-based patient studies

Psychophysical studies have identified two distinct limitations of visual attention capacity: processing speed and apprehension span. Using a simple test, these cognitive factors can be analyzed by Bundesen's Theory of Visual Attention (TVA). The method has strong specificity and sensitivity, and measurements are highly reliable. As the method is theoretically founded, it also has high validity. TVA-based assessment has recently been used to investigate a broad range of neuropsychological and neurological conditions. We present the method, including the experimental paradigm and practical guidelines to patient testing, and review existing TVA-based patient studies organized by lesion anatomy. Lesions in three anatomical regions affect visual capacity: The parietal lobes, frontal cortex and basal ganglia, and extrastriate cortex. Visual capacity thus depends on large, bilaterally distributed anatomical networks that include several regions outside the visual system. The two visual capacity parameters are functionally separable, but seem to rely on largely overlapping brain areas.