Sequential responding to arabic numerals with wild cards by the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)

One adult female chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) was trained to respond serially to three arabic numerals between 1 and 9, presented on a cathode-ray-tube (CRT) screen. To examine the factors affecting her sequential responding behavior, wild-card items were added to the three-item sequences. When this wild-card item remained until the subject responded to the last numeral (i.e., the terminator condition), her response to the terminator at each point of the sequence was controlled by the ordinal distance between numerals. Thus, the number of responses to the terminator increased as the ordinal distance between numerals increased. When the wild-card item was eliminated by the subject’s response (wild-card conditions), the probability of responses to the wild card before the first numeral increased as a function of the serial position of the first numeral. These results were consistent with previous studies of response time and suggest both serial position and symbolic distance effects. It is suggested that the subject might form the integrated 9-item linear representations by training of possible subsets of three-item sequences. Knowledge concerning the ordinal position of each numeral was established through this training. Received: 27 October 1999 / Accepted: 22 November 1999     

Ideal Point Discriminant Analysis Revisited with a Special Emphasis on Visualization

Ideal point discriminant analysis is a classification tool which uses highly intuitive multidimensional scaling procedures. However, in the last paper, Takane wrote about it. He concludes that the interpretation is rather intricate and calls that a weakness of the model. We summarize the conditions that provide an easy interpretation and show that in maximum dimensionality they can be obtained without any loss. For reduced dimensionality, it is conjectured that loss is minor which is examined using several data sets. This research was conducted while the author was sponsored by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), Innovational Grant, no. 452-06-002.     

Integration of weight and distance information in young children: The role of relational complexity

Young children's integration of weight and distance information was examined using a new methodology that combines a single-armed apparatus with functional measurement. Weight and distance values were varied factorially across the item set. Children estimated how far the beam would tilt when different numbers of weights were placed at different distances from the pivot. There was a developmental progression from non-systematic responding (3-year-olds) to responding based on a single variable, usually weight (4-year-olds) to responding based on integration of weight and distance (5-, 6- and 7-year-olds). Individual analyses revealed additive and multiplicative integration rules in children aged from 5 years. Weight–distance strategy complexity increased with age and was associated with better performance on independent measures of relational processing, especially the more complex items. Thus weight–distance integration involves processing of complex relational information. The findings enhance the explanatory power of Relational Complexity theory as a domain-general approach to cognitive development.     

心理距离对基线比例忽略的影响

基线比例忽略是指在不确定情境中, 个体进行判断和决策时不能充分利用或者忽略基线比例的现象。本研究通过系列情境实验探索了三种不同维度的心理距离, 即时间距离、空间距离和社会距离对基线比例忽略的影响。结果发现, 三种心理距离均能够对基线比例忽略产生影响：当时间距离、空间距离和社会距离较近时, 个体更容易表现出基线比例忽略现象; 而当时间距离、空间距离和社会距离较远时, 个体的基线比例忽略倾向减弱。     

心理距离对判断预测中的趋势阻尼的影响

三个实验考察了不同心理距离（空间、社会、时间）和序列特征（趋势和发展速度）对判断预测中的趋势阻尼的影响。结果发现,当个体对人工时间序列做出预测时,会出现趋势阻尼;下降序列的阻尼大于上升序列,序列发展速度越快阻尼越大;不同心理距离对趋势阻尼的影响不一致,空间距离对趋势阻尼的影响不显著,为他人预测时的阻尼小于为自己预测,时间距离远时的阻尼大于时间距离近。     

权力的三种心理机制及其影响

权力指控制有价值资源及他人行为结果的相对能力。心理学研究发现,权力不仅是等级制度的核心概念,一种结构变量、社会关系的基础属性,还是一种心理属性,即知觉到自己有能力影响他人的一种心理状态。这一发现促使研究者愈发关注权力效应背后的心理机制。本文在分别综述了权力效应三种心理机制（趋近系统激活、心理距离增加、诱发控制错觉）的基础上,详细分析总结了各心理机制及其影响与拥有权力的人（以下简称掌权者）的认知、动机、情绪乃至判断、决策、行为间的关系,并尝试阐述了各心理机制及其影响与促进集体利益繁荣这一权力产生初衷之间的关系。最后,根据研究现状,就权力各心理机制间的关系、心理机制如何运作、文化与心理机制间的关系等问题进行了讨论。     

人际距离调节自我-他人的神经表征：来自oFRN的证据

为考察人际距离对自我-他人表征的影响, 采用金钱博弈任务检测了在自己操作、观察朋友操作和观察陌生同学操作时的脑电成分反馈相关负波(FRN)。结果发现, 观察任务产生了类似于自我操作时输钱反馈的负偏向, 即观察者反馈负波(oFRN); 在观察条件下, 被试自评与朋友的亲近程度高于同学(p<0.001), 两者引起的oFRN达到边缘显著性水平(p = 0.062), 亲近程度与oFRN呈显著相关(p = 0.041)。前者说明自我和他人具有相似表征, 后者则反映了自我对他人信息表征的替代性体验可能受人际距离所调节。     

思维聚焦对发展型文化消费产品购买意愿的影响

本研究探析了消费者的思维聚焦（过程聚焦/结果聚焦）对发展型文化消费产品购买意愿的影响,发现结果聚焦的消费者比过程聚焦的消费者对发展型文化消费产品的购买意愿更强烈。同时,时间距离对这一效应存在调节作用,即时间距离远时,这一效应显著;时间距离近时,思维聚焦对发展型文化消费产品的购买意愿没有显著影响。此外,本研究进一步考察了时间距离较远时,消费者的未来时间洞察力部分中介了思维聚焦对发展型文化消费产品的购买意愿。     

Proximity bias: Interactive effect of spatial distance and outcome valence on probability judgments

Across a range of decision contexts, we provide evidence of a novel proximity bias in probability judgments, whereby spatial distance and outcome valence systematically interact in determining probability judgments. Six hypothetical and incentive-compatible experiments (combined N = 4007) show that a positive outcome is estimated as more likely to occur when near than distant, whereas a negative outcome is estimated as less likely to occur when near than distant (studies 1–6). The proximity bias is explained by wishful thinking and thus perceptions of outcome desirability (study 3), and it does not manifest when an outcome is less relevant for the self, such as the case of outcomes with little consequence for the self (studies 4 and 5) or when estimating outcomes for others who are irrelevant to the self (study 6). Overall, the proximity bias we document deepens our understanding of the antecedents of probability judgments.     

Intercontinental telehealth coaching of therapists to improve verbalizations by children with autism

This study examined the effects of intercontinental telehealth coaching on the mastery of therapists’ skills and improvements in verbalizations by children with autism, testing whether telehealth can be a solution for underserved communities in developing countries such as Georgia‐Sakartvelo in Eastern Europe. Three therapists delivering and three children with autism receiving early‐intervention services from the nongovernmental organization Children of Georgia in Tbilisi participated. Experimenters provided coaching from Virginia, USA to therapists in Georgia‐Sakartvelo. Observers in Georgia‐Sakartvelo and in Virginia conducted the behavioral observations. We used inexpensive communications technology to provide the coaching and a multiple‐baseline design across participants to evaluate the effects of the intervention. Therapists demonstrated improvements in two classes of behaviors: correct command sequences and positive consequences. The children demonstrated improvements with echoics and mands. The study demonstrated that telehealth can be a good model for delivering early‐intervention services to children with autism in underserved and distant regions of the world.