A Three‐Domain Personality Analysis of a Mentally Tough Athlete

The current study adopted McAdams' multilayer framework as the basis to develop a psychological portrait of an elite athlete who was identified as being particularly ‘mentally tough’. The aim was to use this single case as an exemplar to demonstrate the utility of McAdams' framework for understanding the complexity of sport performers across three domains of personality: dispositional traits, characteristic adaptations, and narrative identity. We operationalised these domains through the development of specific research questions and, subsequently, the collection and integration of the participant's Big Five traits, personal strivings, coping strategies, and response to a life story interview. The results offered a comprehensive insight into the nature of one athlete's personality that, in turn, informed conceptual perspectives of mental toughness in sport psychology literature and qualitatively supported emerging evidence of the validity of a three‐layer framework in personality psychology. Specifically, the study's design showed how a holistic approach to personality analysis can lead to a more complete psychological representation of competitors in sport, and people generally. It demonstrated how motivational, sociocultural, and meaning‐making aspects of personality can complement a trait profile to achieving a satisfying assessment of the whole person. Copyright © 2017 European Association of Personality Psychology     

How physical interaction with insight problems affects solution rates,hint use,and cognitive load

So-called insight problems are widely studied because they tap into the creative thinking that is crucial for solving real problems. However, insight problems are typically presented in static formats (on paper, computer) that allow no physical interaction with the problem elements, whereas such an interaction might in fact reduce the load on limited cognitive resources, such as working memory (WM) capacity, thereby facilitating solutions. To test this proposition, 124 young adults were allowed to interact physically with nine established insight problems, while another 124 people attempted to solve these problems using paper and pencil. Additionally, hints were provided for three problems that typically no-one solves. No general facilitating effect of physical interaction was found, with only one problem clearly benefitting from it. Furthermore, making use of hints was actually hindered by physical interaction. No difference in perceived task load and correlation with WM capacity was observed between the formats, and subjective ratings of insight were virtually unaffected by presentation format. Overall, physical interaction minimally affected insight problem-solving, which appears to rely strongly on internalized cognitive processing involving WM.     

状态性平和亦或是倾向性平和?平和的概念、测量与文化差异

加强社会心理服务体系建设,培育平和与理性等积极的社会心态,需要深入研究心理学视角下的平和。对状态性平和与倾向性平和进行区分,可以更好地理解平和。状态性平和研究与平和直接相关的情绪和心境范畴,即东方文化强调的安适恬淡和平静心境。西方文化语境下,平和主要涉及的是倾向性平和,描述其跨时空稳定的倾向,强调平和的超越性、不被偏差影响的内在中立性以及非暴力性的人格。西方平和仅仅强调平静,东方平和还强调和谐。目前,倾向性平和尚未作为独立概念进入心理学研究领域,这正是中国特色心理学的研究方向。未来,应确定倾向性平和的概念和结构、开发倾向性平和的测量工具并且开展倾向性平和的本土化和跨文化研究。     

Crossing the invisible line: De-differentiation of wake,sleep and dreaming may engender both creative insight and psychopathology

Writing about dreaming, the poet Raymond Carver said “I feel as if I’ve crossed some kind of invisible line”. In creative people, the “line” between wake, dreaming and psychopathology may be porous, engendering a de-differentiated, super-critical, hybrid state. Evidence exists for a relationship between creativity and psychopathology but its nature has been elusive. De-differentiation between wake, sleep and dreaming may be the common substrate, as dream-like cognition pervades wake and wake-like neurophysiology suffuses sleep. Chaos theory posits brain states as inherently labile, transient and dynamically unstable. Over and above transient dissociations, an enduring and, sometimes, progressive, de-differentiation may be possible. Evidence indicates that sleep and dreaming facilitate creative insight. In consequence, a mild to moderate form of de-differentiation may enhance creativity but if wake-like neurobiology permeates sleep this may disrupt sleep-dependent memory processing and emotional regulation. If de-differentiation is progressive and enduring, various forms of psychopathology may result.     

顿悟体验的心理与神经机制

顿悟体验研究是揭示顿悟本质的重要途径。先前研究从认知角度对顿悟问题解决中的"旧而无效解题思路如何抛弃"与"新而有效解题思路如何形成"过程进行了颇多探讨,但较少探讨顿悟体验本身。顿悟体验研究对理清创造性顿悟中关键过程间的关系及阐明顿悟的科学规律均有重要的意义。基于创造性顿悟的"新旧交替"的动态视角,本项目拟借助多元方法来对言语类和视图类问题解决过程中尝试解题阶段和答案闪现阶段的顿悟体验的心理实质与脑机制进行研究。本项目成果不仅可以丰富和优化顿悟问题研究的方法学体系,而且能从知情转化层面深化对创造性顿悟脑机制的认识。     

顿悟问题解决的心理机制的验证性研究

目前顿悟问题解决的心理机制主要存在两个有争议性的理论：进程监控理论和表征变化理论。现以非限制性的停车场问题为实验材料,检验顿悟问题解决的这两个心理机制。结果发现：（1）进程监控理论可解释顿悟被试的成绩优劣;（2）表征变化理论可对顿悟问题能否解决做出解释。     

Generalized Dispositional Distrust as the Common Core of Populism and Conspiracy Mentality

Populism and beliefs in conspiracy theories fuel societal division as both rely on a Manichean us-versus-them, good-versus-evil narrative. However, whether both constructs have the same dispositional roots is essentially unknown. Across three studies conducted in two different countries and using diverse samples (total N = 1,888), we show that populism and conspiracy mentality have a strong common core as evidenced using bifactor modeling. This common core was uniquely linked to (aversive) personality, namely the Dark Factor of Personality (D), beyond basic personality traits from the HEXACO Model of Personality Structure. The association between D and the common core, in turn, was fully accounted for by distrust-related beliefs as captured in cynicism, dangerous and competitive social worldviews, sensitivity to befallen injustice, and (low) trust propensity. Taken together, the results show that populism and conspiracy mentality have a shared psychological basis that is well described as a sociopolitically flavored manifestation of generalized dispositional distrust. The findings thus underscore the value of generalized trust for societal functioning and suggest that increasing trust may simultaneously combat both populism and beliefs in conspiracy theories.     

Social connectedness,mindfulness, and coping as protective factors during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented psychological impact, revealing immense emotional disturbances among the general population. This study examined the extent to which social connectedness, dispositional mindfulness, and coping moderate symptoms of anxiety and depression in 1242 adults under the same government-issued COVID-19 stay-at-home mandate. Participants completed measures of anxiety, depression, dispositional mindfulness, social connectedness, and coping, and regression analyses were used to examine associations and interaction effects. Results indicated that social connectedness and dispositional mindfulness were associated with reduced symptoms. For individuals living with a partner, decreased mindfulness and avoidant coping were associated with anxious symptoms. In households with children, overutilization of approach coping served to increase symptoms of depression. Results indicate the importance of considering social connectedness, mindfulness, and coping in counseling to enhance factors serving to protect clients during a public health crisis. Implications for professional counselors and areas of future research are discussed.     

四字谜问题解决中原型启发的时间抵消与位置效应

根据顿悟的原型启发理论,通过两个实验考察原型启发的时间抵消和位置效应。实验1采用2（字谜类型）×2（原型呈现时间）混合设计,结果发现：松组块字谜的正确率显著高于紧组块字谜;原型谜面消失的正确率显著大于谜面存在的正确率。实验2采用2（原型位置）×2（字谜类型）×2（原型呈现时间）混合设计,结果不仅证明了实验1,且原型位置、字谜类型、原型呈现时间的交互作用显著,原型在靶字谜之前时,紧组块字谜上谜面消失的正确率显著大于谜面存在的正确率;原型在靶字谜之后时,松组块字谜上谜面消失的正确率显著大于谜面存在的正确率。表明字谜顿悟问题解决中存在原型的时间抵消和位置效应,二者连同任务难度共同影响问题解决。     

情绪影响创造性认知过程的神经机制

先前有关情绪与创造力的研究多以行为实验为主, 且存在研究结果不一致、缺乏可比性等问题。本项目拟借助认知神经科学技术, 以认知加工的初级过程和次级过程为线索, 采用新颖性判断、远距离联想、顿悟字谜任务等改进的实验范式, 通过时空二维脑机制参数, 重点测查创造力相关脑区激活的时间进程与空间模式, 揭示情绪影响创造性认知活动的大脑动态加工过程。