Don’t stereotype, think different! Overcoming automatic stereotype activation by mindset priming

Automatic stereotype activation can be overcome intentionally and after an extensive training. However, intentions have to be tailored to a certain social category. It is hypothesized that activating the mindset “think different” by priming creativity prevents stereotypes and associations in general from becoming automatically activated. In two experiments a creative, a thoughtful or no mindset was activated. Afterwards, the activation of associations was measured using a lexical decision task with semantic priming. As predicted, the automatic activation of stereotypes (Study 1) and other associations (Study 2) was found in the control conditions but not in a creative mindset. These results suggest that people possess a mindset that allows for overcoming automatic stereotype activation without being tailored to a specific category.     

类别指称对象提取过程的发展研究

本研究选取初中二年级、高中二年级和大学二年级学生为被试,探讨了青少年对含有类别指称对象语篇心理加工过程。实验1采用命名法,实验2采用眼动记录法。结果发现,随着年级的升高,被试在单位时间内获得的信息逐渐增多,阅读能力不断提高,对类别指称概念的理解能力也不断提高;各年级被试表现出对类别指称对象激活的增强;大学生组被试还表现出对非指称对象激活的抑制;激活是立即发生的认知过程;抑制则是延缓发生的认知过程,且是一种策略性的控制加工过程。     

Divided Visual Attention and Left Hemisphere Activation Among Psychopathic and Nonpsychopathic Offenders

Recent divided attention studies suggest the impulsive antisocial behavior of psychopaths may be related to deficient processing of information under conditions that place substantial demands on left-hemisphere-specific processing resources (left hemisphere activation (LHA) hypothesis; D. S. Kosson [1996, 1998]). To examine performance under conditions constraining eye movements and covert shifts of attention, 26 psychopathic and 46 nonpsychopathic inmates completed a divided attention task in which lateralized stimuli appeared briefly and simultaneously in the left visual field (LVF) and right visual field (RVF) of a monitor. Targets were either presented primarily in the RVF to induce LHA or were equiprobable in LVF and RVF to promote equal activation (EA) of left and right hemisphere resources. Psychopaths were less accurate than nonpsychopaths only under LHA conditions; within-group comparisons also revealed a substantial decrement from EA to LHA only in psychopaths. Thus, psychopaths’ performance deficits were specific to conditions priming left hemisphere resources asymmetrically.     

The neural correlates of orienting to walking direction in 6‐month‐old infants: An ERP study

The ability to detect social signals represents a first step to enter our social world. Behavioral evidence has demonstrated that 6‐month‐old infants are able to orient their attention toward the position indicated by walking direction, showing faster orienting responses toward stimuli cued by the direction of motion than toward uncued stimuli. The present study investigated the neural mechanisms underpinning this attentional priming effect by using a spatial cueing paradigm and recording EEG (Geodesic System 128 channels) from 6‐month‐old infants. Infants were presented with a central point‐light walker followed by a single peripheral target. The target appeared randomly at a position either congruent or incongruent with the walking direction of the cue. We examined infants' target‐locked event‐related potential (ERP) responses and we used cortical source analysis to explore which brain regions gave rise to the ERP responses. The P1 component and saccade latencies toward the peripheral target were modulated by the congruency between the walking direction of the cue and the position of the target. Infants' saccade latencies were faster in response to targets appearing at congruent spatial locations. The P1 component was larger in response to congruent than to incongruent targets and a similar congruency effect was found with cortical source analysis in the parahippocampal gyrus and the anterior fusiform gyrus. Overall, these findings suggest that a type of biological motion like the one of a vertebrate walking on the legs can trigger covert orienting of attention in 6‐month‐old infants, enabling enhancement of neural activity related to visual processing of potentially relevant information as well as a facilitation of oculomotor responses to stimuli appearing at the attended location.     

强弱语义语境下的否定句加工机制

2个眼动实验分别探讨强弱语义语境下的否定句加工机制, 以便考察语言理解是命题表征的过程还是经验模拟的过程, 抑或是二者兼具。在实验中, 被试首先听句子(强语义语境：如“胳膊不是弯曲的”的备择选项为“伸直的胳膊”, 其中“弯曲−伸直”为具有反义关系的强语义连接关系; 弱语义语境：如加工“裙子不是蓝色的”的备择选项为“黑色的裙子”, “蓝色−黑色”为弱语义连接关系), 然后会看到4张同时呈现的图片, 被试的任务是按键选择与句子描述匹配的图片。结果发现, 在强语义语境条件下, 被试在早期(201~600 ms时窗)对描述事件否定状态的图片(弯曲的胳膊)与描述事件实际状态的图片(伸直的胳膊)的注视概率没有差别, 晚期(601 ms后)仅对描述事件实际状态的图片的注视概率更高; 弱语义语境条件下, 被试在早期(401~600 ms)仅对描述事件否定状态的图片(蓝裙子)注视概率更高, 晚期(801 ms后)仅对描述事件实际状态的图片(黑色裙子)注视概率更高; 并且, 都对描述事件否定状态的图片的注视概率低于随机水平。结果支持符号依存假设和抑制假设。     

形声字的语义透明度和结构类型对义符语音激活进程的影响

采用启动命名任务考察形声字的语义透明度和结构类型对义符语音激活进程的影响。结果发现,透明汉字和不透明汉字的义符语音在SOA=50 ms时都出现了激活;在SOA=100 ms时,透明汉字的义符语音激活仍然显著,不透明汉字的义符语音激活消退了;到SOA=300 ms时,两类汉字的义符语音激活完全消退。左形右声结构汉字的义符语音在SOA=50 ms和SOA=100 ms时都出现了激活,右形左声结构汉字的义符语音只在SOA=50 ms时出现了微弱的激活。     

基于自发脑电的脑机接口研究进展

脑机接口是一种不依赖于外周神经和肌肉等常规输出通道的信息交流系统,近年来发展非常迅速。它可为神经肌肉障碍患者提供一条与外界沟通的途径,并在虚拟现实、游戏娱乐和航空等领域具有潜在价值。目前,脑机接口中常用的脑电输入信号包括P300、稳态视觉诱发电位（SS—VEP）、皮层慢电位（SCP）以及μ或β节律等。其中,SCP、μ或β节律等自发脑电不依赖于额外刺激的输入,不会产生视觉疲劳,没有适应性的问题,且其神经生理学基础已获得比较深入的研究,因而在脑机接口中得到了较多的应用。但是,基于自发脑电的脑机接口也存在明显的缺陷,如并非所有个体都适用基于汕节律的脑机接口,基于SCP的脑机接口要经过长时间的训练才能实现等。     

中国背景下建言行为研究：结构、形成机制及影响

建言行为研究伴随角色外行为研究而兴起, 对其研究顺应了知识管理等管理新理念的要求, 也与弘扬自主创新的时代主题一致。相比国外的盛行, 国内对该主题的本土化实证研究尚待加强。经对以往研究的总结分析, 结合本土化研究取向, 本研究拟采用半结构化访谈、配对成组问卷的现场研究和实验室模拟研究等方法, 以特质激活理论、社会认同理论和经济理性观为基础, 探索中国背景下企业员工建言行为的构思、形成机制及其对组织创新的影响。具体包括以下三个方面：(1)中国背景下建言行为结构研究; (2)建言行为多层次动态形成机制研究, 包括基于特质激活的个体特征对建言行为的影响研究, 基于个人认同的领导行为对建言行为的影响研究, 基于社会认同的组织因素对建言行为的影响研究, 及基于经济理性的个体与情境因素对建言行为交互影响的实验模拟研究; (3)建言行为对组织创新的影响研究。     

语言理解中抑制机制的研究概况

抑制是语言理解中的一种重要的认知加工机制。该简要介绍了语言理解中抑制的概念、分类和有关抑制机制的建构一整合模型、结构建构框架等理论;同时,概括介绍了对语言内部无关或不适当信息干扰的抑制、对来自语言外部无关信息干扰的抑制以及跨通道语言理解过程中有关抑制的研究。     

干扰子的激活、抑制及其加工时程

针对有关干扰子激活和抑制加工的时程研究存在的分歧,采用干扰效应和负启动效应双指标,探讨不同知觉负载水平下干扰子的激活和抑制及其加工时程问题。结果显示：在同一实验条件下采用干扰效应和负启动效应双指标可将干扰子加工过程分离为激活和抑制两个阶段;激活加工时程发生在选择性注意早期,抑制加工时程发生在选择性注意的早期至中期之间。这一结果与Lavie等的推测及认知神经科学研究成果均有异同。