How persuasive messages can influence behavior without awareness

A persuasive message that favors one option in a binary choice can enhance the apparent value of its target by biasing the interpretation of subsequent information. The message installs its target as the initial leader in preference and lets the predecisional distortion of information defend that leadership position. An experiment that contrasts showing TV commercials before and after objective product information demonstrates this process. Ratings of the importance of the commercials to the choice indicate that people are aware of advertising's direct effect on their choice but not of its indirect effect through the biased evaluation of the product information.     

乐观偏差研究概况

乐观偏差指个体倾向于认为自己更可能经历积极事件而他人更可能遭遇消极事件的现象。对乐观偏差的测量主要有直接比较和间接比较两种方式。事件特征和个体因素是乐观偏差的主要影响因素。产生乐观偏差的心理机制主要有自我中心主义和聚焦主义。乐观偏差对个体既有积极作用也有消极影响。未来研究主要包括:开发科学可行的测量工具;加强对个体水平乐观偏差的研究;把乐观偏差和悲观偏差结合起来进行研究;对乐观偏差进行认知神经心理机制的探讨。     

语音信息对中国英语学习者语义加工的影响及其脑机制

本研究采用经典的句尾畸义词诱发N400的ERP实验范式探讨了中国英语学习者在进行英文阅读时语音的影响及其相关脑机制。实验包括两类畸义语句:1.同音畸义:句尾词有畸义,但语音和相应正常语义句尾词相同;2.非同音畸义:句尾词有畸义,且语音和相应正常语义句尾词不同。行为数据显示:在错误率上同音畸义显著地高于非同音畸义。ERP显示:无论在早期(N100)还是晚期(N400)脑电成份上,同音畸义和非同音畸义的ERP振幅都有明显差异。本研究从行为和脑电两个方面一致揭示中国英语学习者阅读英文时受到了语音的影响。     

Seven-month-olds detect ordinal numerical relationships within temporal sequences

Previous evidence has shown that 11-month-olds represent ordinal relations between purely numerical values, whereas younger infants require a confluence of numerical and non-numerical cues. In this study, we show that when multiple featural cues (i.e., color and shape) are provided, 7-month-olds detect reversals in the ordinal direction of numerical sequences relying solely on number when non-numerical quantitative cues are controlled. These results provide evidence for the influence of featural information and multiple cue integration on infants’ proneness to detect ordinal numerical information.     

The development of infants’ use of property-poor sounds to individuate objects

There is evidence that infants as young as 4.5 months use property-rich but not property-poor sounds as the basis for individuating objects (Wilcox, Woods, Tuggy, & Napoli, 2006). The current research sought to identify the age at which infants demonstrate the capacity to use property-poor sounds. Using the task of Wilcox et al., infants aged 7 and 9 months were tested. The results revealed that 9- but not 7-month-olds demonstrated sensitivity to property-poor sounds (electronic tones) in an object individuation task. Additional results confirmed that the younger infants were sensitive to property-rich sounds (rattle sounds). These are the first positive results obtained with property-poor sounds in infants and lay the foundation for future research to identify the underlying basis for the developmental hierarchy favoring property-rich over property-poor sounds and possible mechanisms for change.     

走向双赢:动机倾向和信息分享质量在整合性谈判过程中的作用

研究的主要目的是考察谈判组的动机倾向、信息分享数量和质量、对优先考虑事项和利益一致事项的判断准确性和联合收益之间的关系,以及信息分享质量在谈判过程中的重要性。采用一对一的买卖式谈判任务,由226名被试组成113个谈判组进行面对面的谈判。结果表明,动机倾向、信息分享数量和质量以及谈判双方对优先考虑事项的判断准确性都对联合收益有显著影响,而且信息分享质量比信息分享数量更有预测力。中介作用分析结果显示,信息分享质量在动机倾向和联合收益之间起完全中介作用,对优先考虑事项的判断准确性在信息分享质量和联合收益之间起部分中介作用。研究揭示了整合性谈判的整个过程,验证了信息分享质量在谈判过程中的重要作用。     

Evaluating advisors: A policy‐capturing study under conditions of complete and missing information

Decision‐makers' relative preferences for various advisor characteristics were investigated in two multilevel policy‐capturing studies. The characteristics under consideration were: advisor expertise, advisor confidence, advisor intentions, and whether that advisor was the sole available source of advice. In Study 1, decision‐makers had access to all relevant information about the advisors. In contrast, some relevant information about the advisors was systematically made unavailable in Study 2, which allowed an investigation of the effect of missing information on decision‐makers' evaluations of advisors. Results from both studies indicated that advisor expertise and intentions were most important in promoting decision‐makers' positive evaluations of advisors, that this effect was even more pronounced under conditions of missing information, and that advisor expertise and intentions also interacted synergistically. Given that expertise and good intentions are determinants of an advisor's trustworthiness, the results highlight the interpersonal nature of advice giving and taking. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

When forewarning backfires: Paradoxical effects of elaborating social feedback on entrapment in a losing course of action

Entrapment occurs if people persist with losing courses of action. In two experiments, we show how elaborating social feedback (i.e., premature praise or forewarning regarding the chosen course of action) can have paradoxical effects on entrapment. The participants acted as head of a translation department and had to choose one out of four possible translation strategies for their employees. After choosing, they read four arguments (presumably written by former participants) which were either all in favor of the strategy chosen, all against it, or mixed. Half of the participants only read these arguments, whereas the other half elaborated on them by providing written comments (Experiment 1). The results showed that elaborating on other persons' arguments led to stronger entrapment, independently of whether the arguments were positive or negative. This pattern was due to biased argument processing: Whereas confirming thoughts were generated for positive arguments, negative arguments were refuted. Experiment 2 confirmed that this biased argument processing caused subsequent entrapment. These results indicate that elaborating any type of argument can lead to heightened entrapment and, hence, forewarning can backfire. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

重读在口语语篇理解加工中的作用

用三个实验探索了重读在口语语篇理解加工中的作用。其中实验1利用以句子为单位的口语动窗法,考察了重读如何影响语篇的临场加工速度。实验2和实验3利用词汇再认任务,考察了重读对语篇临场加工效果（即信息在语篇表征中的激活水平）的影响。结果表明：与控制条件相比,一致性重读加快语篇的临场加工,不一致性重读减慢语篇的理解加工;与控制条件相比,一致性重读提高了新信息在语篇表征中的激活水平;不一致性重读虽然促进了所标示的旧信息的激活,但是对于相对重要的新信息的激活具有抑制作用。从而说明一致性重读对语篇理解具有促进作用,而不一致性重读阻碍语篇理解。这一促进和抑制作用不仅体现于语篇的临场加工过程中,而且表现在即时的语篇加工效果中。     

7岁超常和常态儿童的信息加工速度

该研究以超常和常态儿童各25名(平均年龄分别为6岁10个月和6岁11个月)为被试,以选择反应、图形匹配、心理旋转、和抽象匹配为基本认知任务,对超常和常态儿童的信息加工速度作了比较研究。研究者对被试的正确率和反应时作了分析。结果表明：(1)超常儿童基本信息加工能力显著优于普通儿童,具体表现在反应时更短,或正确率更高。(2)超常儿童与常态儿童信息、加工的差异与任务难度有关,在选择反应和图形匹配任务中,超常儿童的反应时显著短于常态儿童。而且,在图形匹配任务中,任务难度越大,差异越显著。而在心里旋转和抽象匹配任务中,超常儿童的正确率显著高于常态儿童。(3)任务的难度无论对超常组被试还是常态组被试的反应时及反应正确率都有影响,但影响方式不太一样。在反应时上,随着任务难度的增加,两组被试的反应时都明显延长;但在正确率上,则随着任务难度的增加,常态组被试的正确率降低,而超常组被试的正确率基本稳定在一个较高的水平上,即任务难度问的差异不显著。