A shortened version of Raven’s standard progressive matrices for children and adolescents

Numerous developmental studies assess general cognitive ability, not as the primary variable of interest, but rather as a background variable. Raven’s Progressive Matrices is an easy to administer non-verbal test that is widely used to measure general cognitive ability. However, the relatively long administration time (up to 45 min) is still a drawback for developmental studies as it often leaves little time to assess the primary variable of interest. Therefore, we used a machine learning approach – regularized regression in combination with cross-validation – to develop a short 15-item version. We did so for two age groups, namely 9 to 12 years and 13 to 16 years. The short versions predicted the scores on the standard full 60-item versions to a very high degree r = 0.89 (9–12 years) and r = 0.93 (13–16 years). We, therefore, recommend using the short version to measure general cognitive ability as a background variable in developmental studies.     

社区老年人执行功能和加工速度与运动能力的关系

随着年龄的增长,老年人的运动能力和执行功能,以及心理加工速度都出现不同程度的衰退。已有的研究多集中于步行与跌倒,未能统合考察运动能力、心理加工速度以及执行功能各子成分之间的关系。本研究对66名老年人的运动能力、执行功能以及加工速度进行了测试,通过经典范式对老年人四种运动能力测试(握力、30秒连续坐起、闭眼单足站立、起立行走计时)与执行功能各子成分(抑制控制、刷新功能、转换功能以及工作记忆)及心理加工速度进行了统合考察,更深入地探究了老年人运动能力与认知能力之间的关系。结果发现,在运动能力中,起立行走计时的成绩与执行功能和加工速度的关系最为密切,对起立行走计时的预测模型中加工速度权重最大。结果提示,对老年人认知功能的干预可能会影响老年人的基本运动能力。     

小学教师的创造力培养观与创造性教学行为的关系:教学监控能力的中介作用

用创造力培养观、教学监控能力和创造性教学行为问卷对430名小学教师进行调查,考察三者之间的关系,并着重对教学监控能力在其中的中介作用进行分析。结果表明:(1)创造力培养观、教学监控能力及其各个维度对创造性教学行为都有正向预测作用;(2)教学监控能力的计划准备性、控制调节性、评价反馈性、课后反省性及作为一个整体在创造力培养观与创造性教学行为之间均具有显著的中介效应。这一发现提示教师培训工作应重视教师教学监控能力的实际增长,这样才能使教师已经接受的创造教育理念落实到创造性教学行为上。     

Measuring Creativity: A 40+ Year Retrospective

This article describes how, as theories of creativity evolved, so have measures of creativity. Measures thus reflect the theories that generated them.     

Psychological individual differences as predictors of refugees’ local language proficiency

Learning the local language is important for the successful integration of immigrants. Previous research has identified a number of sociodemographic factors that are associated with the effectiveness of local language acquisition among immigrants, but little is known about the influence of psychological differences on immigrants’ local language acquisition. In the present research, individual differences in general mental ability (GMA), work search intention, and personality traits Conscientiousness and Openness were studied among recently arrived Syrian (n = 1054) and Eritrean (n = 500) refugees in the Netherlands. The results revealed that in addition to the effects of age of arrival, local length of stay, premigration educational attainment, and psychological distress, GMA and work search intention were positively associated with refugees’ local language proficiency. Additionally, work search intention was found to strengthen the effect of GMA on local language proficiency. No positive linear effects were observed for Conscientiousness and Openness. Some evidence was found for curvilinear relationships between psychological predictors and local language proficiency. Implications are discussed.     

The effect of aging on termination of voluntary movement while standing: A study on community-dwelling older adults

For older adults, falls often occur when transitioning from motion to a complete stop, as the motor control required during this phase is very complex and challenging. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of aging on the motor control required to terminate motion. Twenty-five healthy older adults (aged >65 years) and 25 healthy young adults (20–23 years) performed a rapid stopping task while standing on a force plate. The rapid stopping task was conducted by analyzing center of pressure (COP) on the force plate during a visually guided tracking experiment. To assess the ability to terminate motion, we measured the velocity waveform for the COP, along with the reaction, propulsion, braking, and total movement times. Both the reaction and movement times of the older-adult group were significantly longer than those of the younger-adult group (all, p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups in regard to the initial backward propulsion time; however, in the subsequent sequence of backward braking, forward propulsion, and backward braking, all times were longer in the older-adult group than in the younger-adult group (p < 0.05). Our results show that the series of time delays shown by older adults when initiating and terminating motion is due to not only delayed reactions but also delayed stopping. Furthermore, our findings suggest that older adults have not only a diminished propulsion ability but also a diminished braking ability.     

Poor emotion regulation ability mediates the link between depressive symptoms and affective bipolarity

People's relationship between positive and negative affect varies on a continuum from relatively independent to bipolar opposites, with stronger bipolar opposition being termed affective bipolarity. Experiencing more depressive symptoms is associated with increased bipolarity, but the processes underlying this relation are not yet understood. Here, we sought to replicate this link, and to examine the role of two potential mediating mechanisms: emotion regulation ability, and trait brooding. Drawing from the Dynamic Model of Affect, we hypothesised that (a) a poor ability to regulate negative emotion, and (b) the tendency to brood over one's depressed feelings would predict stronger affective bipolarity, and mediate the relationship between depressive symptoms and affective bipolarity. To measure affective bipolarity, we calculated within-person affect correlations using two weeks of experience sampling data from a community sample (n?=?100). Mediation analyses indicated that baseline assessments of an inability to regulate negative emotions in general, but not brooding specifically, mediated the relation between depressive symptoms and affective bipolarity. These findings highlight an initial mechanism through which depressive symptoms are associated with lower emotional complexity and flexibility.     

当代高中生职业选择调查研究

本研究对浙江三所高中的三个年级共 3 3 7名高中生职业选择情况进行了调查 ,调查内容包括高中生对将来的打算、职业兴趣以及职业能力。调查结果表明 ,职业兴趣的性别分化在高中时期业已显现 ;高中生虽然会结合自己的理想、兴趣对职业进行选择 ,但是也受到社会环境和社会舆论的影响     

工作记忆容量和加工速度在归纳推理能力老化中的作用

利用结构方程模型考察了工作记忆容量和加工速度在归纳推理老化中的作用。样本为217名社区老人。结果发现：(1)工作记忆容量在归纳推理老化中具有重要作用．语音环路和视空问初步加工系统在推理过程巾参与程度相当。(2)在年龄和归纳推理能力之问存在年龄——加工速度——工作记忆容量——归纳推理这样一条层级关系。年龄、加工速度和工作记忆容量共同解释归纳推理中57％的变异。     

试析联结主义范式对婴儿发展的解释

用联结主义范式作为解释婴儿发展的机制已成为当前认知发展研究的新趋势。本文以婴儿分类和客体永久性为范例,分析了这一范式在解释婴儿发展方面的理论潜力及不足。