Escalating schedules of incentives increase physical activity with no differences between deposit and no-deposit groups: A systematic replication

Physical inactivity has increasingly affected public health in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic as it is associated with chronic diseases such as arthritis, cancer, and heart disease. Contingency management has been shown to increase physical activity. Therefore, the present study sought to evaluate the effects of an escalating schedule of monetary reinforcement with a reset contingency on physical activity, as compared between 2 counterbalanced groups in which a monetary deposit of $25 was either required (deposit group) or not (no-deposit group). Twenty-five adults wore Fitbit accelerometers to monitor step counts. An ABA reversal design was used; in the 2 baseline phases, no programmed contingencies were in place for step counts. During intervention, step goals were set using a modified 70^th percentile schedule with a 7-day window: Reaching the first goal would result in $0.25, and incentives increased by $0.25 for each subsequent day in which the goal was met. Failure to reach a goal resulted in a reset of the monetary incentive value to $0.25. Ten out of 12 participants from the deposit group were determined to be responders to intervention, whereas 8 out of 13 participants from the no-deposit group were determined to be responders to intervention. Overall, there were no significant differences between the groups' step counts. However, the deposit group's intervention was cheaper to implement, which suggests that deposit contracts are a viable modification for physical activity interventions.     

Contingency,arbitrariness, and the basis of moral equality

Hardly anyone denies that (nearly) all human beings have equal moral status and therefore should be considered and treated as equals. Yet, if humans possess the property that confers moral status upon them to an unequal degree, how come they should be considered and treated as equals? It has been argued that this is because the variations in the degree to which the status-conferring property is held above a relevant threshold are contingencies that do not generate differences in degrees of moral status. Call this the contingency argument for the basis of moral equality. In this paper, I reject the contingency argument. Instead, I develop an attitude-based account of the basis of moral equality: according to this account, the basis of moral equality lies in a fitting, basic, and independent moral attitude which is owed to human beings qua moral status-holders, and provides a coherent and plausible explanation for why the variations above the threshold for moral status do not matter.     

Token‐economy‐based contingency management increases daily steps in adults with developmental disabilities

Adults with developmental disabilities are less likely to meet physical activity guidelines than typically developing counterparts. Contingency management (CM) interventions increase physical activity in sedentary adults. The current study systematically replicated previous research among sedentary adults diagnosed with developmental disabilities living in a residential group home, using a token economy in the context of a CM intervention. Using a changing criterion design, participants (N = 4) were given tokens contingent on meeting increasing step goals over 8 weeks, tracked via a Fitbit Flex?. CM increased the number of steps substantially for three of four participants. These findings extend previous research supporting the use of token‐based CM interventions for increasing daily steps among individuals with developmental disabilities. Because the current study was conducted in a residential group home setting, it may offer a long‐term sustainable approach to improving the health of some individuals living with developmental disabilities.     

A translational evaluation of potential iatrogenic effects of single and combined contingencies during functional analysis

Recent research suggests that combining putative reinforcers for problem behavior into a single, synthesized contingency may increase efficiency in identifying behavioral function relative to traditional functional analysis (FA). Other research suggests potential shortcomings of synthesized contingency analysis (SCA), such as the potential for false-positive outcomes. In prior comparisons of traditional FAs and SCAs, investigators could not ascertain with certainty the true function(s) of the participants' problem behavior for use as the criterion variable. We conducted a translational study to circumvent this limitation by training a specific function for a surrogate destructive behavior prior to conducting a traditional FA and SCA. The traditional FA correctly identified the previously established function of the target response in all six cases and produced no iatrogenic effects. The SCA produced differentiated results in all cases and iatrogenic effects (i.e., an additional function) in three of six cases. We discuss these findings in terms of the mechanisms that may promote iatrogenic effects.     

两宋瘟疫灾害考述

两宋时期爆发的瘟疫次数比较多,在时间上,不是呈平均之势,而是不规则,无周期的;空间分布上呈现出南方比北方多,东部比西部多的特征。由于瘟疫造成的危害比较大,当时人们在和瘟疫的多次斗争中摸索出一些防治措施,积累了相当丰富的经验。     

基于认知特性的信息显示方式

大规模信息的不断涌现使目前的WIMP界面显示方式已无法满足信息显示的要求,同时也给人们处理和理解信息带来极大的困难.本文从认知工效学的角度,深入分析了目前WIMP界面中信息显示与交互方式所存在问题及其原因,并对近年来信息可视化领域中出现的焦点与场景(focus+context)显示技术作了简要的介绍,进一步分析了该技术所面临的挑战.     

A Pragma-Dialectical Analysis of the Inquisition

Disagreement space consists of all the commitments and understandings required for an utterance to take on its discourse function. These are virtual standpoints that can be called out for explicit argumentation. This paper shows how the Inquisition systematically controlled disagreement space, preventing some apparently important standpoints from ever being argued about, and requiring attention to others that may not have initially seemed relevant. This control of disagreement space constituted violation of the rules for critical discussion. The essay suggests that the idea of disagreement space be slightly enlarged, to show the distinctions among virtual, possible, and actual disagreement spaces. The Inquisition's extra-argumentative power is what permitted its specification of the possible disagreement space. The analysis suggests that pragma-dialectics may have application in the criticism and analysis of social institutions.     

医院公共空间环境对病人心理的影响分析

医院公共空间设置应契合使用者对医院总体空间的使用需求,分析其心理、生理和行为特点,满足病人生理、心理和行为的需求。充分考虑病人对空间环境的响应度,对不同空间类型应提供多样支持,关注空间环境对病人的生理、心理和行为的影响,顺应医疗流程,防止和控制交叉感染。     

小学儿童一维空间方位传递性推理能力的发展

研究了小学儿童一维空间方位传递性推理能力的发展水平及认知策略 ,同时 ,对心理模型理论进行了检验。被试为城市中等小学 7岁、9岁、11岁儿童各 2 4名 ,男女各半。 4种实验任务分别为三前提单模型、三前提双模型、四前提单模型和四前提双模型。采用个别实验 ,儿童在前提呈现的情况下进行推理。主要研究结果 :(1)从小学 7岁到 11岁 ,儿童的一维空间方位传递性推理能力明显提高 ,7岁儿童初步形成了一维空间方位推理能力 ,9岁和 11岁基本具有了这种能力 ;(2 )随着年龄增长 ,使用模型建构策略解决问题的儿童人次越来越多 ,绝大部分 11岁儿童都能使用这一策略进行推理。但即使儿童使用了模型建构策略 ,他们的推理成绩也没有反映出模型数量所造成的任务难度差异 ,即不符合心理模型理论关于模型数量的主要预期。     

自我价值感的权变性与自我调控：Logistic回归分析

自我价值感权变性是近年在西方关于自尊的研究中出现的新概念。为了探讨自我价值感权变性的作用和性质,特别是其对行为产生的调控作用,以90名大学本科生为被试进行测验,Logistic回归分析显示,在控制了自我价值感、性别、家庭所在地等变量的情况下,自我价值感权变性对被试的活动或任务选择产生显著影响。结果表明,自我价值感权变于个人目标的个体较少愿意参加助人活动,较少选择难度大但有利自身成长的任务。