Olfaction,Emotion and Associative Learning: Effects on Motivated Behavior

Two experiments were conducted to investigate emotional associative learning to odors and subsequent behavioral effects. In Experiment 1, participants experienced a frustration mood induction in the presence of an unfamiliar ambient odor and later worked on puzzle tests in a room scented with either the same-odor, a different-odor, or no-odor. Participants in the same-odor condition spent significantly less time working on the tests than participants in the other conditions; however, test accuracy did not vary. To clarify the findings, Experiment 2 included a test-only control and an emotionally neutral same-odor conditions. Results were compatible with the conclusion that decreased time spent by participants in the negative-same-odor condition was due to emotions elicited by associative learning to the ambient odor, although alternative interpretations remain possible. These data extend our previous results with children and suggest that odors readily become associated to emotions and can thereby influence behavior.     

Constraints upon word substitution speech errors

We explore the features of a corpus of naturally occurring word substitution speech errors. Words are replaced by more imageable competitors in semantic substitution errors but not in phonological substitution errors. Frequency effects in these errors are complex and the details prove difficult for any model of speech production. We argue that word frequency mainly affects phonological errors. Both semantic and phonological substitutions are constrained by phonological and syntactic similarity between the target and intrusion. We distinguish between associative and shared-feature semantic substitutions. Associative errors originate from outside the lexicon, while shared-feature errors arise within the lexicon and occur when particular properties of the targets make them less accessible than the intrusion. Semantic errors arise early while accessing lemmas from a semantic-conceptual input, while phonological errors arise late when accessing phonological forms from lemmas. Semantic errors are primarily sensitive to the properties of the semantic field involved, whereas phonological errors are sensitive to phonological properties of the targets and intrusions.     

Driving errors,estimated performance and individual characteristics under simulated and real road traffic conditions – A validation study

BackgroundThe suitability of driving simulators for the prediction of driving behaviour in road traffic has been able to be confirmed in respect of individual assessment parameters. However, there is a need for overarching approaches that take into account the interaction between various influencing factors in order to establish proof of validity. The aim of this study was to explore the validity of our driving simulator in respect of its ability to predict driving behaviour based on participants‘ observed driving errors and driver’s individual characteristics.Method41 healthy participants were assessed both in a Smart-Realo-Simulator and on the road. By means of linear modelling, the correlation between observed driving errors was investigated. In addition, the influence of self-reported and externally assessed driving behaviour as well as individual parameters (education and training; driving history) were analysed.ResultsBy including these factors, 58% of the variance could be explained. For observed driving errors, a relative validity was established. For self-reported and externally assessed driving behaviour, an absolute to relative validity emerged. The amount of time spent in education and training proved to have a significant influence on driving performance in the simulator, but not on the road.DiscussionIn general, our results confirmed the validity of our driving simulator with regard to observed and self-reported driving behaviour. It emerged that education and training as potential indicators of cognitive resources played a differential role regarding the study conditions. Since real road driving is considerably automated in experienced drivers, this result suggests that simulation-related behavioural regulation is challenged by additional cognitive demands as opposed to behavioural regulation extending to real road driving. However, the source of these additional cognitive demands remains currently elusive and may form the subject of future research.     

Is the devil in the detail? Evidence for S-S learning after unconditional stimulus revaluation in human evaluative conditioning under a broader set of experimental conditions

Whether valence change during evaluative conditioning is mediated by a link between the conditional stimulus (CS) and the unconditional stimulus (US; S-S learning) or between the CS and the unconditional response (S-R learning) is a matter of continued debate. Changing the valence of the US after conditioning, known as US revaluation, can be used to dissociate these accounts. Changes in CS valence after US revaluation provide evidence for S-S learning but if CS valence does not change, evidence for S-R learning is found. Support for S-S learning has been provided by most past revaluation studies, but typically the CS and US have been from the same stimulus category, the task instructions have suggested that judgements of the CS should be based on the US, and USs have been mildly valenced stimuli. These factors may bias the results in favour of S-S learning. We examined whether S-R learning would be evident when CSs and USs were taken from different categories, the task instructions were removed, and more salient USs were used. US revaluation was found to influence explicit US evaluations and explicit and implicit CS evaluations, supporting an S-S learning account and suggesting that past results are stable across procedural changes.     

Comparison of pedestrian behaviors between drivers and non-drivers in Chinese sample

Road safety is a serious problem worldwide. Pedestrians, as the most vulnerable road users, deserve more attention. The aims of this study were to examine the validity of the Chinese version of the pedestrian behavior scale (CPBS) in both driver and non-driver samples, and to compare pedestrian behaviors between the two samples. In addition, we assessed the association of attention with pedestrian behaviors by exploring the relationships among CPBS, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and Attention-Related Cognitive Errors Scale (ARCES). Two groups were assessed, including 302 members in the population with driving experience and 307 individuals in the non-driver group without driving experience. All participants completed the CPBS, MAAS, and ARCES, and provided sociodemographic parameters. The results showed that the CPBS had acceptable internal consistency and stability structure. More importantly, pedestrian behaviors were significantly different between drivers and non-drivers. Drivers reported significantly less transgressive and aggressive behaviors compared with non-drivers. As for the relationship between attention and pedestrian behavior, the MAAS score showed a significant negative correlation with aggressive behavior in the CPBS among drivers, while the ARCES score had significant positive correlations with all three CPBS factors. In non-drivers, the MAAS score was negatively correlated with aggressive behavior and positively associated with positive behavior; the ARCES score was positively correlated with aggressive behavior.     

婴幼儿词语习得中的社会性认知加工过程

有关婴幼儿词语习得的研究主要有三种理论假设:联想学习理论、制约限制理论和社会语用理论.本文将从以下四个方面着重介绍社会语用理论的相关研究:婴幼儿词语习得过程涉及哪些社会性认知加工过程,社会语用理论如何应对来自前两种理论的质疑和挑战,社会性认知加工过程的相对权重如何以及自闲症儿童词语习得存在怎样的社会性认知加工障碍.相关研究结果表明社会性认知加工过程在婴幼儿词语习得中具有基础性作用.最后对今后在该领域的研究中需要进一步深入探讨的问题提出了一些思考.     

Marginal maximum likelihood estimation of item response theory (IRT) equating coefficients for the common-examinee design

A method of estimating item response theory (IRT) equating coefficients by the common-examinee design with the assumption of the two-parameter logistic model is provided. The method uses the marginal maximum likelihood estimation, in which individual ability parameters in a common-examinee group are numerically integrated out. The abilities of the common examinees are assumed to follow a normal distribution but with an unknown mean and standard deviation on one of the two tests to be equated. The distribution parameters are jointly estimated with the equating coefficients. Further, the asymptotic standard errors of the estimates of the equating coefficients and the parameters for the ability distribution are given. Numerical examples are provided to show the accuracy of the method.     

职业精神和医患关系

通过调查发现,外科医生在提供做决策的信息的问题上执行得较好;有些医生无论错误多么严重也不会把医疗错误披露出来;但是能够公开医生的经济奖励,这样医生的信任不但没有被损害,相反医生和医生团体的信任和忠诚却增强了。从知情决策、医疗错误的披露和利益冲突三个方面展示职业精神对医患关系产生的影响,并为职业精神的发展提供了新视角。