The capacity to symbolise: Ideas and implications

Through a literature review and clinical examples of session material and dreams, this paper explores aspects of the origin and development of the capacity to symbolise. The literature review considers Freud’s thinking on symbols in dreams, hysteria and obsessional neurosis, Klein’s discovery of the importance of unconscious phantasy, Bion’s ideas on the psychotic part of the mind and Bick’s seminal ideas on skin as an important symbolic boundary between psyche and soma. The clinical material in this paper is used to demonstrate the capacity to symbolise, reasons for the impairment of this capacity, and how the translation of symbols through interpretation in a therapeutic setting can enable the symbols to acquire meaning. It includes examples both of the author’s work with adults and of other clinicians’ work with a child and an adolescent in a psychotic state of mind. The paper’s aim is to consolidate the idea that the capacity to symbolise grows out of an optimal early parent/child relationship and that the awareness of the significance of the symbols when they have been interpreted is of crucial importance.     

Compounding Vulnerability: Pregnancy and Schizophrenia

The predominant ethical framework for addressing reproductive decisions in the maternal–fetal relationship is respect for the woman's autonomy. However, when a pregnant schizophrenic woman lacks such autonomy, healthcare providers try to both protect her and respect her preferences. By delineating etic (objective) and emic (subjective) perspectives on vulnerability, I argue that options which balance both perspectives are preferable and that acting on etic perspectives to the exclusion of emic considerations is rarely justified. In negotiating perspectives, we balance the etic commitment to protect the vulnerable patient and her fetus from harm with the emic concern to empower a decisionally incapacitated woman. Equilibrium is best achieved by nurturing interdependent relationships that empower and protect the vulnerable woman. The analysis points to the need for better social support for mentally ill patients.     

Preventing Intimate Partner Violence

ABSTRACT

Bringing together the energy, resources, creativity, and good will of citizens enhances community resilience. The shared responsibility and collective competence that emerge from community members banding together can be a powerful and ongoing positive influence on the quality of community life, including the relationships between intimate partners. We explore the importance that the community has for preventing intimate partner violence (IPV). We argue for active, network-oriented prevention efforts. We discuss key community principles and concepts (including a definition of the nature of community), explore a social organization perspective on communities, and present a theoretical approach to building community capacity. We posit implications for program development that include community as a place for prevention, a target for prevention, and as a force for prevention. Our implications for research include examining multiple community layers, the nexus of informal and formal social care systems, and contrasting extreme groups on pivotal social organization processes.     

表现性测验在能力评价中的应用

相对传统的纸笔测验形式,表现性测验的突出特点是任务的真实性水平较高。表现性测验是一种认知导向的测验。在国外教育、医学、心理咨询与治疗等领域的能力评价中,一系列表现性测验已被开发出来并用于实践,获得了较好的心理测量学指标。表现性测验可用于国内学生、教师的能力评价,辅助人才选拔以及相关职业资格认证的实践。表现性测验开发过程中若合理应用概化理论、项目反应理论等现代测量理论,对于提高测验信度和效度都有一定积极意义。     

道德建设:价值向度的迷失与回归

本文认为道德结构是规范向度和价值向度的内在统一,然而人们往往偏爱前者,忽视后者,造成了规范向度的膨胀和价值向度的迷失,因此本文着重从理论上对道德的价值向度及其功能作了阐释和论证,并对在道德建设中凸显价值向度的途径作了陈述和分析。     

Working memory predicts the rejection of false memories

The relationship between working memory capacity (WMC) and false memories in the memory conjunction paradigm was explored. Previous research using other paradigms has shown that individuals high in WMC are not as likely to experience false memories as low-WMC individuals, the explanation being that high-WMC individuals are better able to engage in source monitoring. In the memory conjunction paradigm participants are presented at study with parent words (e.g., eyeglasses, whiplash). At test, in addition to being presented with targets and foils, participants are presented with lures that are composed of previously studied features (e.g., eyelash). It was found that high-WMC individuals had lower levels of false recognition than low-WMC individuals. Furthermore, recall-to-reject responses were analysed (e.g., “I know I didn't see eyelash because I remember seeing eyeglasses”) and it was found that high-WMC individuals were more likely to utilise this memory editing strategy, providing direct evidence that one reason that high-WMC individuals are not as prone to false memories is because they are better able to engage in source monitoring.     

Working memory capacity and visual attention: Top-down and bottom-up guidance

Previous studies have indicated that working memory capacity (WMC) is related to visual attention when selection of critical information must be made in the face of distraction. The present study examines whether WMC-related differences in flanker task performance might be decreased by displays that are designed to support bottom-up guidance of attention. Participants were required to respond to a centrally located target while ignoring a peripheral flanker. In one condition, bottom-up support was provided by embedding the target in a row of zeros. In another condition, the zeros were removed, thus emphasizing the role of top-down attention in selecting spatially defined information. It was found that the inclusion of zeros led to the elimination of WMC-related flanker effects. We conclude that bottom-up attentional guidance can attenuate the role of WMC in selective attention.     

1～6秒时距认知分段性特征

时距认知分段性指不同长度时距的加工机制和表征方式是不同的。以往研究者对1 s以上时距认知的分段性仍存在分歧,为了探讨这一主题,本研究设计了实验1和实验2。实验1采用时间复制任务比较高、低工作记忆容量被试在完成1~6 s视、听时距加工的成绩,结果发现,时距长度与工作记忆容量或通道均存在交互作用,被试在复制1 s、2 s的平均复制时距、复制比率及变异系数没有随工作记忆容量或通道而变化,而复制3 s、4 s、5 s及6 s时,高WMC组较低WMC组或听觉组较视觉组,平均复制时距显著更长、复制比率显著更高、变异系数显著更小。实验2采用时间产生任务比较高、低工作记忆容量被试在完成1~6 s视、听时距加工的成绩,结果也发现,时距长度与工作记忆容量或通道均存在交互作用,被试在产生1 s、2 s的平均产生时距、产生比率及变异系数没有随工作记忆容量或通道而变化,而产生3 s、4 s、5 s及6 s时,高WMC组较低WMC组或听觉组较视觉组,平均产生时距显著更短、产生比率显著更低、变异系数显著更小。这意味着1~6 s的时距认知存在分段性,大约2~3 s可能为分段临界点。时间认知的分段性可以用时间工作记忆说解释,该假说是时间认知分段综合模型解释短时距加工分段性的具体表现形式。     

两维特征图形的客体和空间工作记忆存储研究

研究采用单探测变化检测范式,考察了两维特征图形在视觉客体和视觉空间工作记忆中的存储机制,并对其容量进行测定。40名被试(平均年龄20.56±1.73岁)随机分为两个等组,分别完成实验一和实验二。实验一的刺激图形由颜色和形状两基本特征组成,实验二的刺激为由不同颜色和开口朝向组成的兰道环。两个实验结果均显示:(1)特征交换变化条件下的记忆成绩与单特征变化条件下最差的记忆成绩差异不显著;(2)空间工作记忆任务的成绩显著优于客体工作记忆任务;(3)被试在视觉工作记忆中能存储2~3个客体和3~4个空间位置。这表明,由两种不同维度特征组成的图形在视觉客体和视觉空间工作记忆中均以整合方式进行存储,空间工作记忆的容量大于客体工作记忆。     

目标－背景色的配合对彩色CRT显示工效的影响

以通道容量为作业效标,用实验方法对ＣＲＴ显示屏上黑、深蓝、绿、浅蓝、红、紫、黄、白等８种颜色组成的５６种目标－背景色配合方式与显示工效的关系作了比较研究。结果表明：从工效学考虑,彩色ＣＲＴ显示屏的背景色有以深色为好的趋势,目标色有以浅色为好的趋势。目标与背景色彩的恰当配合能显著提高信息的传递绩效。白目标黑背景、黄目标黑背景、绿目标黑背景等对比度较大的目标－背景配合显示工效最佳。