On epistemic and moral certainty: A wittgensteinian approach

Abstract

Epistemic and moral certainities like ‘This is a hand’ or ‘Killing people is evil’ will be interpreted as constitutive rules of language games, such that they are unjustifiable, undeniable and serving as obliging standards of truth, goodness and rationality for members of a community engaging in the respective practices.     

Elucidating satisfaction with physical activity: An examination of the day-to-day associations between experiences with physical activity and satisfaction during physical activity initiation

Satisfaction with physical activity is known to be an important factor in physical activity maintenance, but the factors that influence satisfaction are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to elucidate how ongoing experiences with recently initiated physical activity are associated with satisfaction. Participants (n?=?116) included insufficiently active volunteers who initiated a self-directed physical activity regimen and completed daily diaries about their experiences for 28?days. We used multilevel models to examine the associations between experiences with physical activity and satisfaction. Significant between-person effects demonstrated that people reporting higher average levels of positive experiences and lower levels of thinking about the negative aspects of exercise were more likely to report higher levels of satisfaction (ps?<?.05). Positive experiences and perceived progress toward goals had significant within-person effects (ps?<?.01), suggesting that day-to-day fluctuations in these experiences were associated with changes in satisfaction. These findings elucidate a process through which people may determine their satisfaction with physical activity.     

高中生英语阅读知觉广度的眼动研究

该研究采用经典的"呈现随眼动变化技术"对高中生的英语阅读的知觉广度进行了眼动研究。结果发现:1)高中生英语阅读知觉广度的右侧范围是注视点右侧8～11个字符的空间;2)高中生的英语阅读知觉广度已达到成人水平。     

小学五年级学生英语阅读知觉广度的眼动研究

使用Eyelink2000型眼动仪,采用经典的呈现随眼动变化技术,对24名被试在不同窗口条件下英文阅读的眼动指标进行记录和分析,以考察小学五年级学生英语阅读的知觉广度。研究结果表明:小学五年级学生英语阅读的知觉广度的右侧范围是注视点右侧5-8个字符空间。     

User perceptions and evaluations of short vibrotactile feedback

The objective of the present study was to provide a better understanding of the factors that influence discrimination and subjective assessment of vibrotactile feedbacks during active interaction with a touchscreen. Twenty-four participants were presented with 162 pairs of vibrotactile signals that varied in frequency (60 Hz, 130 Hz, 200 Hz), waveform (sine, square and triangle), and duration (around 123 ms for short and 163 ms for long). Participants had to complete three successive tasks: a dissimilarity task, a preference judgement task, and a resemblance (to push-buttons) judgement task. For the discrimination task, a MultiDimensional Scale analysis revealed: (1) a predominant role of frequency, (2) a role of duration for a given frequency, and (3) no role of waveform. An analysis of variance performed on the preference and resemblance data also point out the main role of the signal frequency. Finally, a correlation was found between preference and resemblance data, indicating that the participants tend to prefer signals judged to be similar to familiar tactile sensations.     

The role of meaning in gastric cancer patients: relationships among meaning structures,coping, and psychological well-being

ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives: Research demonstrates that the experience of cancer invariably violates patients’ meaning structures, prompting them to use coping strategies to alleviate stress and enhance well-being. The current study aimed to examine the mediating effects of coping strategies in the relationship between global and situational meaning and psychological well-being in gastric cancer patients.

Design and Method: One hundred eighty-seven patients (96 women and 91 men) with gastric cancer completed questionnaires measuring meaning in life, changes of beliefs and goals, coping, and psychological well-being. Participants were between 27 and 82 years of age. They were diagnosed with gastric cancer from 1 to 3.2 years ago. Using Structural Equation Modeling, both the direct and indirect associations between meaning structures, coping, and psychological well-being were examined.

Results: Meaning in life exerted significant indirect effects on psychological well-being through three coping strategies: problem-, emotion-, and meaning-focused. The relationship between changes of beliefs and goals and psychological well-being was also mediated by coping.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that coping strategies are mediators in the relationship between global and situational meaning and psychological well-being. They also provide empirical evidence that in severe cancer-related stress conditions both meaning structures and coping strategies influence patients’ psychological well-being.     

Psychophysiological effects of emotional dissonance in a face-to-face service interaction

Abstract

Current research demonstrates that requirements to express emotions which are not genuinely felt in the particular situation (emotional dissonance) are associated with negative long and short-term effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate: (a) the psychophysiological short-term effects of emotional dissonance in a face-to-face service interaction and (b) the moderating role of gender and neuroticism. In total, 32 women and 27 men were instructed to play the role of a service employee, who had to interact with an angry and rude customer. Half of the sample was given information that the organization expected them to be friendly (emotional dissonance), the other half was told they were expected to act naturally and show their genuine feelings (no emotional dissonance). Subjective and behavioral responses revealed that participants in the “friendly” condition modulated their emotional expressions to a greater extent than those in the “naturally” condition. Participants in the “friendly” condition showed stronger systolic and diastolic blood pressure responses. Furthermore, hierarchical regression analyses yielded that gender and neuroticism partly moderated the association between emotional dissonance and participants' psychophysiological response.     

Personality features and cognitive level in patients at an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease

In this cross-sectional study, we explored the relationship between premorbid personality and its changes over 5 years, and cognitive deterioration in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease. The cognitive level of 54 patients was compared with that of 64 control subjects using the Mini Mental State (MMSE). Family members completed the NEO-PI-R (form R) twice, once to evaluate the participants’ current personality and again to assess personality traits as they were remembered to be 5 years earlier. Furthermore, the family filled in the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline (IQCODE), the Activities of Daily Living (ADL), and the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scales to assess their proxies’ cognitive level and daily living functioning. Regarding the relationship between personality characteristics and cognitive status, we observed trends for premorbid personality and significant links for personality changes in the clinical group. Thus, changes in neuroticism and conscientiousness were associated with cognitive deterioration, whereas decreased openness to experience and conscientiousness over time predicted loss of independence in daily functioning in the clinical group. Our study suggests that premorbid features can be considered as latent traits linked to the neuropathology underlying the disease process, while personality changes are probably the consequences of the pathological process.     

句子理解过程中句法与语义加工的EEG时频分析

EEG时频分析旨在通过测量单个电极各频段的能量变化, 揭示事件相关振荡活动。采用该技术, 最近的句子加工研究发现, 句法与语义过程均与多个频段(θ、a、b或γ)能量变化相联系。此外, 不同方面的句法(如语法性、数)和语义加工(语义整合或预期)与不同频段振荡活动相联系。将来的研究应该使用多种EEG能量计算方法, 在多种语言中, 探讨时态、词序等句法加工所伴随的振荡活动, 特别是句法和语义过程相互作用在EEG能量变化上的表现。     

面部表情的跨文化表达与识别研究述评

近年来面部表情的跨文化研究显示出更多的跨文化一致性和差异性证据。自发面部表情的表达和识别、组内优势效应以及面部表情信息的上下不对称性已成为该领域的研究热点。方言理论、中国民间模型和EMPATH模型从三种不同的角度对面部表情跨文化研究的结果进行了理论解释。而表达规则和解码规则以及语言效应是面部表情跨文化表达与识别的重要影响因素。今后, 面部表情跨文化的表达和识别研究应更加关注面部表情特征信息和影响因素这两个方面。