The role of semantically related distractors during encoding and retrieval of words in long-term memory

We examined the influence of divided attention (DA) on recognition of words when the concurrent task was semantically related or unrelated to the to-be-recognised target words. Participants were asked to either study or retrieve a target list of semantically related words while simultaneously making semantic decisions (i.e., size judgements) to another set of related or unrelated words heard concurrently. We manipulated semantic relatedness of distractor to target words, and whether DA occurred during the encoding or retrieval phase of memory. Recognition accuracy was significantly diminished relative to full attention, following DA conditions at encoding, regardless of relatedness of distractors to study words. However, response times (RTs) were slower with related compared to unrelated distractors. Similarly, under DA at retrieval, recognition RTs were slower when distractors were semantically related than unrelated to target words. Unlike the effect from DA at encoding, recognition accuracy was worse under DA at retrieval when the distractors were related compared to unrelated to the target words. Results suggest that availability of general attentional resources is critical for successful encoding, whereas successful retrieval is particularly reliant on access to a semantic code, making it sensitive to related distractors under DA conditions.     

The role of attention at retrieval on the false recognition of negative emotional DRM lists

This study examined the role of attention at retrieval on the false recognition of emotional items using the Deese–Roediger–McDermott (DRM) paradigm. Previous research has shown that divided attention at test increases false remember judgements for neutral critical lures. However, no research has yet directly assessed emotional false memories when attention is manipulated at retrieval. To examine this, participants studied negative (low in valence and high in arousal) and neutral DRM lists and completed recognition tests under conditions of full and divided attention. Results revealed that divided attention at retrieval increased false remember judgements for all critical lures compared to retrieval under full attention, but in both retrieval conditions, false memories were greater for negative compared to neutral stimuli. We believe that this is due to reliance on a more easily accessible (meaning of the word) but less diagnostic form of source monitoring, amplified under conditions of divided attention.     

Functional Mobility in a Divided Attention Task in Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment

ABSTRACT. Motor disorders may occur in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and at early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD), particularly under divided attention conditions. We examined functional mobility in 104 older adults (42 with MCI, 26 with mild AD, and 36 cognitively healthy) using the Timed Up and Go test (TUG) under 4 experimental conditions: TUG single task, TUG plus a cognitive task, TUG plus a manual task, and TUG plus a cognitive and a manual task. Statistically significant differences in mean time of execution were found in all four experimental conditions when comparing MCI and controls (p < .001), and when comparing MCI and AD patients (p < .05). Receiver-operating characteristic curve analyses showed that all four testing conditions could differentiate the three groups (area under the curve > .8, p < .001 for MCI vs. controls; area under the curve > .7, p < .001 for MCI vs. AD). The authors conclude that functional motor deficits occurring in MCI can be assessed by the TUG test, in single or dual task modality.     

注意分散对类比推理内隐加工的影响

通过两个实验分别考察在类比推理的检索阶段和评价阶段的注意分散对类比推理内隐加工的影响。实验一以83名大学生为被试,采用喜好判断范式探讨检索阶段注意分散对类比推理过程中直觉加工效应和逻辑加工效应的不同影响。实验二以80名大学生为被试,探讨评价阶段注意分散对类比推理过程中直觉加工效应和逻辑加工效应的不同影响。结果显示:检索阶段的注意分散对类比推理的内隐加工的影响不显著,评价阶段的注意分散对类比推理的内隐加工和外显加工均有显著影响。     

分散注意条件下学优生与学困生视空间工作记忆的比较研究

通过控制干扰刺激量 ,研究分散注意对学优生和学困生视空间WM的影响。实验一的结果表明 :在不同干扰条件下 ,学困生视空间WM均比学优生差 ;干扰任务不仅影响学困生视空间WM的加工能力 ,也影响他们的存储能力。这说明学困生不能有效抑制外界干扰可能是他们视空间WM存在缺陷的主要原因之一。实验二的结果表明 :视空间WM有缺陷是各类学困生普遍存在的问题 ;对于学优生来说 ,不同类型学优生视空间WM不同 ,语文学优比数学学优的学生的视空间WM能力更强 ,主要表现在加工功能上。     

"状态改变:状态继续"与"做:不做"

检查了“做／不做”这对概念的不足后．本文用“状态改变／状态继续”来替代“做／不做”。在“状态改变-状态继续”框架基础上将事件分为“整体事件”和“分段事件”。研究证实“做／不做”只适合于“整体事件”而不适合“分段事件”。最后．该框架部分也解释了长期存在于实验研究与现场研究中的假设思想所表现出的差异。     

关于短时记忆中范畴群集的定位实验

本研究通过对短时记忆的编码或提取阶段进行注意分散来探讨范畴群集的定位问题。以大学生为被试,应用双作业进行分散注意条件下的记忆实验,并与集中注意条件下的记忆实验进行比较。识记材料均为双范畴词表。结果表现无论在编码还是提取阶段分散注意,都导致范畴群集程度的降低。实验结果不支持认为范畴群集的组织过程仅仅发生在记忆信息加工的某一个阶段的看法,而有利于双重定位观点,即认为范畴群集既与编码阶段有关,也与提取阶段有关。     

The influence of motivational priority on younger and older adults’ positive gaze preferences

ABSTRACT

The present study investigated whether manipulating emotional goal priority within a series of divided attention tasks influenced the presence or absence of age-related positive gaze preferences. Across two experiments, participants viewed image pairs while performing an auditory version of a 3-back n-back task. In Experiment 1, four conditions were presented: full attention viewing, emotion regulation priority, n-back task priority, and equal priority. The same conditions were included for Experiment 2, with the addition of a “no priority” divided attention condition and full attention n-back condition. Both age groups demonstrated greater positive relative to negative preferences when emotion regulation goals were prioritized, in spite of the challenge presented by a secondary task in divided attention. The present findings are discussed in terms of how positive emotional processing preferences may emerge despite cognitive control constraints in old age. Implications for the role of explicit motivations for older adults’ positivity preferences are discussed.     

Hemispheric Differences in the Processing of Words Learned Early Versus Later in Childhood

The research investigated whether there are hemispheric differences in processing for words acquired early in childhood (early AoA) and words acquired later in childhood (late AoA). We hypothesized that because of recent evidence suggesting that there is a right hemisphere dominance in early childhood, early AoA words would be represented in the right hemisphere, and late AoA words would be represented in the left hemisphere. This hypothesis differs from an early view that late AoA words would be represented in the left hemisphere, and early AoA words would be represented in both hemispheres (Gazzaniga, 1974). We report two experiments using the divided visual field (DVF) technique. The results showed that there was a right visual field (RVF)/left hemisphere (LH) advantage only for late AoA words. For early AoA words, there was a left visual field (LVF)/right hemisphere advantage (RH). Implications for theories of hemispheric differences in word processing are discussed.     

Experimenting With the Balancing Hypothesis

The reasons why divided government is on the rise in the United States remain unclear. Of the explanations offered, Fiorina's (1992 ) balancing hypothesis—the idea that voters intentionally cast their ballots in a way that would increase the prospects of split party control—has drawn the most attention. This study gathered empirical evidence to test the hypothesis; its focus was not on whether citizens want divided government, but rather on whether they collectively act in a way consistent with balancing. In September 1900, during the national election campaign, a sample of undergraduates responded to one of five versions of a newspaper article (similar to actual articles about the campaign) that varied with respect to reported polling data on the competitiveness of the congressional and presidential races. The results cast doubt on the merits of the balancing hypothesis.