Response acquisition and fixed-ratio escalation based on interresponse times in rats

The effectiveness of a fixed‐ratio (FR) escalation procedure, developed by Pinkston and Branch (2004) and based on interresponse times (IRTs), was assessed during lever‐press acquisition. Forty‐nine experimentally naïve adult male Long Evans rats were deprived of food for 24 hr prior to an extended acquisition session. Before the start of the session, three food pellets were placed in the magazine. Otherwise, no magazine training, shaping, nor autoshaping procedure was employed. The first 20 presses each resulted in the delivery of a 45‐mg food pellet. Then, the FR increased (2, 4, 8, 11, 16, 20, 25, 30) when each IRT in the ratio was less than 2 s during three consecutive ratios. Sessions lasted 13 hr or until 500 pellets were earned. On average, rats reached a terminal ratio of 11 (mean) or 16 (median) during the first session. Seven rats reached the maximum value of FR 30 and only one rat did not acquire the response. In most rats, a break‐and‐run pattern of responding characteristic of FR schedules began to develop in this acquisition session. Subsequently, the ratio‐escalation procedure continued during daily 2‐hr sessions. In these sessions, the starting ratio requirement was set at the terminal ratio reached in the previous session. Using this procedure, over half (26) of the rats reached the FR 30 requirement by the fourth session. These data demonstrate that a ratio‐escalation procedure based on IRTs provides a time‐efficient way of establishing ratio responding.     

Thing, Value, Time, and Freedom: A Consideration of Some Key Concepts in Marx’s Philosophical System

Criticizing the misunderstanding and wrong explanation of Marx’s philosophical system made by recent Chinese textbooks on Marxist philosophy, the author argues that Marx’s philosophy has practical, economical-philosophical, and ontological dimensions and stresses on reconstructing Marx’s philosophical system through synthesizing the above three dimensions. This paper intends to set up a new outline of Marx’s philosophical system, in terms of the following four concepts—thing, value, time, and freedom. Translated by Tang Jie from Zhexue Yanjiu, 2004:11     

时间磨砺人格美——评《时间与人格心理学探索》

时间和人格都是心理学领域极为重要的研究内容。时间无处不在,它不仅是基本心理过程的存在方式,而且也是人格特征的存在方式。时间与人格心理的研究是现代心理学研究的重要领域之一。《时间与人格心理学探索》一书,向我们详尽地展现了时间和人格心理学的研究成果。综观全书,主要凸显四个方面特点:一、研究取向上强调中国化;二、研究过程上体现长期性;三、研究方法上注重多样性;四、研究成果上凸显创新性。     

中学生好胜心培养的实验研究

以积极的归因训练、表扬与奖励和适当的竞赛等手段对中学生的好胜心进行培养,通过一个学期三个阶段的培养,结果发现,实验班学生的好胜心水平增量显著高于对照班学生,实验班学生的学习成绩增量也显著高于对照班学生,好胜心水平与学习成绩存在着显著的正相关。研究表明,积极的归因训练、表扬与奖励、适当的竞赛是培养中学生好胜心的有效措施。     

结直肠癌患者术后寻求中医药治疗的质性研究

为了解结直肠癌术后患者寻求中医药治疗的目的、体验、信念.采用目的抽样的办法,选取18位结直肠癌术后患者进行个人深入访谈.发现结直肠癌术后的患者,选择中医药治疗的目的主要有以下几个方面：减轻放、化疗的不良反应,使身体尽快恢复,提高生活质量,防止复发转移等.随着治疗的进行,患者对中医的认识逐步提高.中医药的疗效主要体现在各种症状及客观指标的改善上,近期良好的治疗体验使患者对实现远期目标更具信心.     

急性心肌梗死患者院前延误的影响因素

急性心肌梗死(AMI)患者的治疗关键在于早期诊断和及时开通闭塞的冠状动脉,患者在发病后能否及早到院接受再灌注治疗,对患者的治疗效果和预后有重要影响.院前延误时间(PDT)即为从患者出现症状至到达医院接受治疗的时间.AMI患者就医大多是延迟的,主要原因是患者不能决定自己的症状是否需要治疗,也就是患者决定就医时间延长.本研究目的是分析造成急性心肌梗死患者院前延误的相关影响因素,为患者赢得最佳治疗时间提供理论依据.     

Assessing At‐Risk Youth Using the Reynolds Adolescent Adjustment Screening Inventory With a Latino Population

Factor analyses were conducted on scores from the Reynolds Adolescent Adjustment Screening Inventory (RAASI; Reynolds, 2001 ) representing at‐risk Latino youth. The 4‐factor model of the RAASI did not exhibit a good fit. However, evidence of generalizability for Latino youth was noted.     

Indecision and Avoidant Procrastination: The Role of Morningness—Eveningness and Time Perspective in Chronic Delay Lifestyles

The authors examined how time orientation and morningness—eveningness relate to 2 forms of procrastination: indecision and avoidant forms. Participants were 509 adults (M age = 49.78 years, SD = 6.14) who completed measures of time orientation, morningness—eveningness, decisional procrastination (i.e., indecision), and avoidant procrastination. Results showed that morningness was negatively related to avoidant procrastination but not decisional procrastination. Overall, the results indicated different temporal profiles for indecision and avoidant procrastinations. Avoidant procrastination related to low future time orientation and low morningness, whereas indecision related to both (a) high negative and high positive past orientations and (b) low present-hedonistic and low future time orientations. The authors inferred that distinct forms of procrastination seem different on the basis of dimensions of time.     

Variability and Determinism in Motor Behavior

In investigations into perception-action systems, variability of observable behavior may be considered to (a) interfere with inquiry, (b) be neither detrimental nor particularly useful to inquiry, or (c) play a crucial role in inquiry. The authors underscore recent suggestions that alternative (c) is a preferred strategy for the study of many motor behaviors. In tutorial fashion, the authors review the concepts of variability and determinism with respect to postural and rhythmic movements. Study of the variability of those behaviors has revealed crucial features suggestive of underlying mechanisms and control, such as particular blends of noise and determinism (piecewise determinism). It has also revealed general lessons (for example, more variable does not mean more random and more controllable does not mean more deterministic) that may extend to other classes of perceptual-motor behavior.