The Detection of Prosocial Lying by Children

The purpose of the present study was to explore the detection of prosocial lying in children. Six‐ to 11‐year‐olds and adults were videotaped telling the truth or a lie about the desirability of an object, sometimes being asked a follow‐up question (i.e., elaborative trials) and other times not (i.e., regular trials). A different group of adults and children then judged the veracity of the individuals' statements in the video clips. Adults and children performed significantly better than chance at detecting lies in the youngest age group, and children's detection performance was unrelated to their age. Child lie detectors, unlike the adults, were also able to discriminate between adults' truthful and untruthful statements in the regular trials, but misidentified adults' truthful responses as lies. They appeared to be more trusting of other children. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The impact of smoking cues in antismoking messages among intermittent and light smokers

Objective: Based on the Limited Capacity Model of Motivated Mediated Message Processing, this study explored the effects of smoking cues in antismoking Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on message processing among intermittent/light smokers and nonsmokers.

Method: A 2 (smoking cues: present vs. absent) × 2 (smoking status: smokers vs. nonsmokers) mixed experimental design was conducted. Self-report measures and two physiological measures including skin conductance and heart rate were examined.

Results: Messages with smoking cues generated higher levels of arousal (F = 4.57, p = .04), attention (F = 2.51, p = .04), positive message evaluation (F = 28.70, p < .001) and less intent to smoke (F = 26.60, p < .001). Intermittent and light smokers had much stronger reactions to messages containing tobacco-related visuals, including arousal (F = 4.10, p = .04), perceived ad effectiveness (F = 9.24, p = .03) and intent to smoke (F = 22.98, p < .001).

Implication: The antismoking arguments may have suppressed cue-induced smoking urges, which dampened negative persuasion outcomes. Limitations included the restricted generalisability and the focus on short-term effect. Future research may use a random sample of PSAs with a general population.     

自闭症谱系障碍儿童在多重线索下习得词语的眼动研究

本文利用眼动追踪技术在基线、一致和矛盾3种实验条件下考察感知觉线索和社会性线索在自闭症谱系障碍儿童词语习得中的相对作用。行为数据结果表明, 此类儿童在矛盾条件下选择枯燥物体作为新异词语的所指对象, 这说明社会性线索较之于感知觉线索具有优势作用; 而他们在基线和一致条件下选择有趣物体作为新异词语的所指对象, 且一致条件的词语习得成绩优于基线条件, 这说明社会性线索较之于感知觉线索具有促进作用。眼动数据结果表明, 此类儿童在脸部注视模式和视线追随行为上与普通儿童存在差异。这说明, 虽然社会性线索在此类儿童与普通儿童的词语习得中具有相同的相对作用, 但他们获取社会性信息的方式与普通儿童存在差异。     

Attentional shift by eye gaze requires joint attention: Eye gaze cues are unique to shift attention1

Researchers have demonstrated that attentional shift triggered by gaze direction is reflexive. However, here we show that attentional shift by gaze direction was not always reflexive, but could be modulated by another's perspective. In Experiment 1, a schematic face's line of sight to a peripheral target was obstructed by a vertical barrier located between the face and the target under two conditions. However, the line of sight of the face was clear under another two conditions, in which the barrier was located behind the line of sight by utilizing a depth cue. The gaze cue shifted attention only when the line of sight was not blocked (i.e. joint attention was attained). The arrow cue did not shift attention regardless of the obstruction conditions in Experiment 2. These results suggest that attentional shift by gaze cues, but not arrow cues, involve a higher social cognitive process such as interpretation of the gaze.     

Examining the role of social cues in early word learning

Infants watched a video of an adult pointing towards two different objects while hearing novel labels. Analyses indicated that 14- and 18-month-olds looked longer at the target object, but only 18-month-olds showed word learning. The results suggest that different types of social cues are available at different ages.     

Social cues modulate the representations underlying cross-situational learning

Because children hear language in environments that contain many things to talk about, learning the meaning of even the simplest word requires making inferences under uncertainty. A cross-situational statistical learner can aggregate across naming events to form stable word-referent mappings, but this approach neglects an important source of information that can reduce referential uncertainty: social cues from speakers (e.g., eye gaze). In four large-scale experiments with adults, we tested the effects of varying referential uncertainty in cross-situational word learning using social cues. Social cues shifted learners away from tracking multiple hypotheses and towards storing only a single hypothesis (Experiments 1 and 2). In addition, learners were sensitive to graded changes in the strength of a social cue, and when it became less reliable, they were more likely to store multiple hypotheses (Experiment 3). Finally, learners stored fewer word-referent mappings in the presence of a social cue even when given the opportunity to visually inspect the objects for the same amount of time (Experiment 4). Taken together, our data suggest that the representations underlying cross-situational word learning of concrete object labels are quite flexible: In conditions of greater uncertainty, learners store a broader range of information.     

Are there limits to collectivism? Culture and children's reasoning about lying to conceal a group transgression

This study explored the effects of collectivism on lying to conceal a group transgression. Seven‐, 9‐, and 11‐year‐old US and Chinese children (N=374) were asked to evaluate stories in which protagonists either lied or told the truth about their group's transgression and were then asked about either the protagonist's motivations or justification for their own evaluations. Previous research suggests that children in collectivist societies such as China find lying for one's group to be more acceptable than do children from individualistic societies such as the United States. The current study provides evidence that this is not always the case: Chinese children in this study viewed lies told to conceal a group's transgressions less favourably than did US children. An examination of children's reasoning about protagonists' motivations for lying indicated that children in both countries focused on an impact to self when discussing motivations for protagonists to lie for their group. Overall, results suggest that children living in collectivist societies do not always focus on the needs of the group. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

触动觉对词汇学习和回忆的作用

本研究通过两个实验采用单因素被试内设计研究了触动觉对无意义词汇学习和回忆的作用。自变量设置了3 个水平,视觉学习—视觉回忆(水平1),视觉触动觉结合学习—视觉回忆(水平2),视觉触动觉结合学习—视觉触动觉结合回忆(水平3)。结果表明,在即时回忆条件下,触动觉对3字符词汇的学习和回忆都没有明显的促进作用。但是对5 字符词汇而言,在学习过程中,加入触动觉会明显提高学习成绩;在回忆过程中加不加触动觉对成绩影响不大。     

学前儿童欺骗的阶段性发展的实验研究

研究以3~6岁的学前儿童为被试,探讨学前儿童欺骗的阶段性发展。实验的研究结果说明学前儿童欺骗的发展呈阶段性,包括三个阶段:行为主义的欺骗阶段,一级信念的欺骗阶段和二级信念的欺骗阶段,其中后两个阶段都属于心理主义阶段;就年龄而论,则可以说3岁儿童处于第一阶段,4、5岁儿童处于第二阶段,6岁以后进入第三阶段。     

海洛因戒除者对相关线索和负性生理线索的注意偏向

以84名海洛因戒除者和20名正常成人为被试,采用情绪stroop范式探讨了不同康复时相海洛因戒除者对海洛因相关线索和负性生理线索的注意偏向。结果发现,海洛因戒除者对表征与海洛因滥用相关的负性生理线索和表征海洛因使用行为的相关线索存在同等效力的注意偏向,且在不同康复时相内具有稳定性。该研究为解释基于戒除症状的负性情绪对于诱发依赖者药物渴求感和复吸行为的作用及整合基于对相关线索注意偏向的认知加工理论和基于对负性情绪的回避的负强化情绪加工理论提供了实验证据。