Effect of Representational Distance Between Meanings on Recognition of Ambiguous Spoken Words

Previous research indicates that mental representations of word meanings are distributed along both semantic and syntactic dimensions such that nouns and verbs are relatively distinct from one another. Two experiments examined the effect of representational distance between meanings on recognition of ambiguous spoken words by comparing recognition of unambiguous words, noun–verb homonyms, and noun–noun homonyms. In Experiment 1, auditory lexical decision was fastest for unambiguous words, slower for noun–verb homonyms, and slowest for noun–noun homonyms. In Experiment 2, response times for matching spoken words to pictures followed the same pattern and eye fixation time courses revealed converging, gradual time course differences between conditions. These results indicate greater competition between meanings of ambiguous words when the meanings are from the same grammatical class (noun–noun homonyms) than when they are from different grammatical classes (noun–verb homonyms).     

Aftereffects for face attributes with different natural variability: Children are more adaptable than adolescents

Adults can be adapted to a particular facial distortion in which both eyes are shifted symmetrically (Robbins, R., McKone, E., & Edwards, M. (2007). Aftereffects for face attributes with different natural variability: Adapter position effects and neural models. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 33, 570–592), but they do not show as great adaptation to an asymmetrical eye distortion. We adapted children and adolescents to symmetrical and asymmetrical eye distortions and measured the aftereffects. Children (aged 6–12, mean age 9 years) showed larger aftereffects than adolescents (aged 13–18, mean age 15 years) and demonstrated aftereffects of a similar magnitude for both asymmetrical and symmetrical distortions. Adolescents only showed aftereffects for symmetrical distortions. We propose that children may have a more flexible face norm and neural responses that allow a broader range of adapted states compared to adolescents.     

Perception of the Ebbinghaus illusion in 5- to 8-month-old infants

The Ebbinghaus illusion is a geometric illusion based on a size-contrast between a central circle and surrounding circles. A central circle surrounded by small inducing circles is perceived as being larger than a central circle surrounded by large inducing circles. In the present study we investigated 5- to 8-month-old infants' perception of the Ebbinghaus illusion using a preferential-looking paradigm. We measured the preference between a central circle surrounded by small inducing circles (overestimated figure) and a central circle surrounded by large inducing circles (underestimated figure). Infants showed a significant preference for the overestimated figure when the central circle was flashing, but not when it was static. Furthermore, there was no preference between the two figures when the central circles were removed. These results suggest that infants' preference reflects their perception of the size illusion of the central circle. There is a possibility that 5- to 8-month-old infants perceive the Ebbinghaus illusion.     

Learning of syllable-object relations by preverbal infants: The role of temporal synchrony and syllable distinctiveness

The role of temporal synchrony and syllable distinctiveness in preverbal infants’ learning of word-object relations was investigated. In Experiment 1, 7- and 8-month-olds (N = 64) were habituated under conditions where two similar-sounding syllables, /tah/ and /gah/, were spoken simultaneously with the motions of one of two sets of objects (synchronous) or out of phase with the motions (asynchronous). On test trials, 8-month-olds, but not 7-month-olds, showed learning of the relations in the synchronous condition but not in the asynchronous condition. Furthermore, in Experiment 2, following habituation to one of the synchronous syllable-object pairs, 7-month-olds (n = 8) discriminated the syllables and the objects. In Experiment 3, following habituation to two distinct syllables, /tah/-/gih/ or /gah/-/tih/, paired with identical objects, 7-month-olds (n = 40) showed learning of the relations, again only in the synchronous condition. Thus, synchrony, which mothers naturally provide between words and object motions, facilitated the mapping onto objects of similar-sounding syllables at 8 months of age and distinct syllables at 7 months of age. These findings suggest an interaction between infants’ synchrony and syllable distinctiveness perception during early word mapping development.     

Children's ability to distinguish between enjoyment and non‐enjoyment smiles

Children's ability to distinguish between enjoyment and non‐enjoyment smiles was investigated by presenting participants with short video excerpts of smiles. Enjoyment smiles differed from non‐enjoyment smiles by greater symmetry and by appearance changes produced in the eye region by the Cheek Raiser action. The results indicate that 6‐ and 7‐year‐old children have the abilities to detect these differences and are able to interpret them with above chance‐level accuracy. Sensitivity was higher for the symmetry of the smiles than for the appearance changes produced in the eye region and improved in later childhood. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

简单心算中数学学习困难儿童的数字距离效应

采用事件相关电位(ERP)方法,以阿拉伯数字的简单心算为任务,考察数学学习困难儿童(MD)的数字距离效应。行为数据的结果表明:MD组没有出现数字距离效应,对照组儿童出现了数字距离效应。事件相关电位数据显示:与对照组相比,MD组N270的潜伏期更长;两组被试在N270的波幅和潜伏期上都没有表现出数字距离效应。研究结果表明:MD儿童对数量信息的空间表征存在缺陷。     

复合刺激潜意识知觉的属性分离

通过四种复合刺激的属性分离实验,检验刺激不同属性在潜意识知觉中的差异。结果表明,刺激的不同属性在刺激材料潜意识知觉中具有不同的作用。验证了潜意识知觉心理加工的部分优先理论。检验了基于控制迫选任务中比较刺激所建立的复合刺激潜意识知觉属性分离模型的有效性。     

群体断层强度测量指标的构建与检验：一个整合的视角

群体断层概念近些年来在理论和实证研究方面都取得了重要的进展, 但有关断层强度的测量却始终呈现出滞后的态势。已有的文献表明只有FLS, Fau和PMD三个指标对群体断层强度进行了系统而完整的测量, 且三个指标都表现出相当的稳健性。尽管如此, 三大指标却都没有能够反映断层宽度这个重要维度。本研究在以往文献的基础上构建了整合群体断层强度测量指标, 很好地解决了这一问题。整合群体断层强度指标具体表现为亚群体内部一致性、亚群体间差异性和断层宽度的乘积。我们从以往研究中提炼了10个准则对新构建的指标进行了检验, 结果显示, 整合群体断层强度指标要显著优于以往的测度, 10个准则全部能够很好地拟合。本研究最后讨论了基于主观感知的断层强度的测量问题, 并提出了采用回归系数作为衡量亚群体间距离的PMD改进算法。     

受艾滋病影响儿童的歧视知觉在歧视经历和心理健康之间的作用分析

本研究旨在考察中国农村地区受艾滋病影响儿童(包括双孤儿童、单孤儿童和非孤儿童)在经历了父母感染艾滋病、父母因为艾滋病丧亡后的歧视经历和歧视知觉状况,及其对心理健康的影响.采用问卷调查了1221名被试,测查了他们的歧视经历、歧视知觉、心理健康(抑郁、孤独、自尊).经过数据分析发现:(1)歧视经历和歧视知觉存在显著的年龄段和儿童类别的差异,12岁及以下的儿童得分显著高于13岁及以上的,双孤儿童得分显著高于单孤儿童和非孤儿童;抑郁、孤独和自尊存在显著的儿童类别差异,双孤儿童、单孤儿童差于非孤儿童;且孤独和自尊还存在显著的年龄段差异,12岁以下的儿童差于13岁以上的;(2)不同歧视经历和歧视知觉的儿童在抑郁、孤独和自尊上存在显著差异,均是歧视经历、歧视知觉多的儿童抑郁和孤独严重、自尊低;(3)歧视经历对抑郁、孤独和自尊都有显著的预测作用,歧视知觉在其中起到了部分中介作用.     

Psychological Correlates of Support for Compromise: A Polling Study of Jewish-Israeli Attitudes toward Solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

A representative national sampling of Israeli Jewish adults (n = 550) reported attitudes toward solutions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that were salient in Israeli public discourse in 2002. Negative attitudes toward compromise were associated with zero-sum threat perceptions of the conflict with Palestinians, such that improvement for the Palestinian side can only come at the expense of the Israeli side. Positive attitudes toward compromise were associated with feelings of sympathy toward Palestinians, but, surprisingly, attitudes toward compromise were not associated with feelings of fear toward Palestinians. The possibility is advanced that it is fear of harm to the group, not fear of harm to self and family, that is related to willingness to compromise. Zero-sum perceptions of collective threat were not strongly related to affective reactions, and, contrary to a realist analysis of intergroup conflict, sympathy for Palestinians predicted support for compromise beyond what zero-sum perceptions of threat could predict.