Differential emergence of representational systems: Drawings,letters, and numerals

This study investigated the process by which the representational activity and knowledge about drawing and letter and number writing emerge in children 21–46 months old. The results revealed that representational activities developed with age through several phases. Beginning at age 2, children produced different marks for different systems, but children under two produced common graphic marks. Representational systems were significantly correlated with developmental processes, but drawing developed faster than letters or numbers with respect to both their production and their classification. Three-year-old children were able to recognize each system correctly in a sample-matching task, but the recognition of each system was not correlated with representational activity. These findings indicate that only after children engaged in graphic production did they begin to make representational distinctions among systems by drawing on their domain-specific knowledge, although alternative explanations can be suggested.     

Stress coping and the adjustment process among university freshmen

The purpose of the present study was to investigate causal relationships between dispositional and situational coping and health status in university freshmen. Two hundred and twenty-nine university freshmen completed questionnaires at Time 1 (immediately after university matriculation) and at Time 2 (approximately three months later) in a short-term, prospective study. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze causal relationships between four coping strategies (i.e., emotion expression, emotional support seeking, cognitive reinterpretation, and problem solving) and four health status variables (i.e., somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction, and depression). Increases in dispositional coping predicted increases in situational coping at certain time points. In addition, increases in dispositional emotion-focused coping, such as emotion expression and emotional support seeking, predicted poor health status. This relationship was mediated by situational coping variables. Finally, increases in dispositional problem-focused coping, such as cognitive reinterpretation and problem solving, predicted better health status. This relationship was direct or indirectly mediated by situational coping variables. Our data suggest that the use of coping skills such as cognitive reinterpretation and problem solving may promote better health and adaptation in university freshmen.     

A Domain-General Theory of the Development of Perceptual Discrimination

ABSTRACT— In this article, we posit a domain-general principle that may account for the improvement that is observed in several aspects of perceptual development over the first years of life. Development during this time frame is characterized by a process of perceptual narrowing, whereby the discrimination of perceptual information is broadly tuned at first and then declines to more selective levels with experience. This process appears to cut across both the visual and auditory modalities and may reflect the development of a common neural architecture.     

Can research influence clinical practice?1

After briefly reviewing the unfavourable reception accorded empirical research by parts of the psychoanalytic community, as well as some of the benefits to clinical practice of analysts being involved in research activities, the author examines whether the findings of process and outcome research in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis can help identify the most appropriate forms of intervention for producing therapeutic change, given the specific condition of the patient and the relationship that the individual establishes with the analyst. He argues that research findings can influence clinical practice on various levels and in different areas, and goes on to examine a number of related issues: the specificity of therapeutic interventions versus the relevance of common curative factors; the dyadic conception of technique and ways of understanding the therapeutic action of the treatment alliance; and the strategic or heuristic conception in psychoanalytic therapy. Finally, the author presents clinical material with the aim of illustrating how the knowledge acquired through research can be applied to psychoanalytic treatment.     

海洛因戒断者吸毒及情绪注意偏向的ERP研究

海洛因戒断组对吸毒、正、负性线索注意偏向是理解戒断者复吸脑机制的重要手段之一。研究采用dot-probe实验范式,海洛因戒断组及正常被试各10名,分别记录64个电极点脑电数据。结果表明,戒断者吸毒线索注意偏向P200振幅显著高于正负性情绪线索,也显著高于正常组,提示戒断者存在吸毒线索注意偏向;N300振幅显著低于正常组,说明戒断者具有较低的情绪评价;吸毒线索诱发P300振幅显著高于正常组,表明戒断组对吸毒线索可能附加情绪加工。     

人际心理治疗的发展

人际心理治疗是一种有时间限制、基于操作手册和生活事件、诊断指向的实证性心理治疗方法。它最初主要被用于重型抑郁成年患者的门诊治疗,现已被用于治疗多种心理障碍。人际心理治疗过程变化包括：是否还赋予患者“病人”角色、人际关系问题领域的变化、如何处理结束和安排时间等。不过,有关治疗过程的研究还很少。为了更好地满足大众的需要,它与其他心理治疗成分进行了整合及其自身的简化。文章最后讨论了人际心理治疗发展的特点和问题     

面孔吸引力研究方法综述

面孔吸引力研究是目前西方认知心理学、社会心理学以及文化心理学研究者们所共同关注的一个崭新的研究领域。众多研究表明,面孔的平均化、对称性和性别二态性是影响面孔吸引力的三个主要生物学因素。这些发现得益于各种面孔图像处理技术的发展和应用,其中包括多次曝光摄影技术、漫画和反漫画技术、Morph技术、“凯米拉”合成法以及面部特征测量法等。     

视觉客体工作记忆中图形特征存储与捆绑时程

采用单探测变化检测范式,考察了形状和颜色客体在工作记忆中的表征方式、特征检测类型及初始刺激呈现时间对工作记忆表征的影响。结果表明:(1)视觉客体工作记忆的表征包括两个水平,首先是对客体的特征进行加工存储,其次才是对特征的捆绑;(2)不同特征的加工时间不同,颜色的加工完成的较早,记忆效果好,而形状的加工完成的较晚,记忆效果也差,表现出颜色的子系统优势;(3)特征的捆绑不是必需的,只有在任务需要时才进行,并且捆绑的过程符合特征捆绑的双阶段理论。     

Personality, career decision self-efficacy and commitment to the career choices process among Chinese graduate students

This study examined the mediating effect of career decision self-efficacy on the relationship between the Five-Factor Model of personality and the career commitment process (i.e., vocational commitment and the tendency to foreclose) in a sample of 785 Chinese graduate students. The multiple regression analyses showed that neuroticism and conscientiousness related significantly to progress in vocational commitment both directly and indirectly through career decision self-efficacy. High agreeableness related to less premature foreclosure. In addition, career decision self-efficacy associated with greater progress in vocational commitment but also a strong tendency to foreclose. The implications for career development theory and practice are discussed.     

The Primary Triangle and Variation in Nuclear Family Functioning

The triangle, a concept in Bowen theory, is the emotional molecule in the family system that shapes the human over the course of life. This longitudinal study explored the influence of the family of origin primary triangle on 51 couples’ family of procreation functioning over 10 years. The quantitative analysis found associations between family of procreation functioning and three variables: distance versus openness in the family of origin primary triangle, the degree of inside and outside positions in the primary triangle, and the degree of family projection as expressed in worry. In addition, the three triangle relationships correlated with each other, supporting the idea that each relationship influenced the other. Using qualitative methods, a focused analysis elaborated on the quantitative findings.