Overcoming fixed mindsets: The role of affect

When there is an established strategy to solve a problem, we often approach the problem with a mindset that makes us blind for more efficient solutions. We examined the role of affect in overcoming such blinding effects of mindsets. As positive affect is known to broaden and negative affect to narrow thought–action repertoires, we speculated that positive affect facilitates and negative affect impedes the overcoming of a current mindset. To induce a mindset, participants initially solved 60 similar problems which were only solvable using the same complex strategy. After a short break in which positive or negative affect was induced, participants continued to work on the problems. Critically, there now was an additional simple way to solve the problems. Participants experiencing positive affect were more likely to detect the simple solution than participants experiencing negative affect. These findings reveal that affect modulates how much we are constrained by current mindsets.     

Many-body potential for nitrogen in α-iron

N atom is one of the most frequent foreign interstitial atoms in α-iron along with C atoms. The Fe–C potential has been well-developed and can reproduce many significant interactions of C with point defects present in α-iron. However, there exists no satisfactory Fe–N potential to describe the interactions of N with point defects. Here, we develop a many-body potential for N in α-iron. The potential parameters are determined by fitting to ab initio data, which includes energetics, configurations, and relaxations of Fe atoms close to N atom. This potential successfully describes the interactions of Fe–N across a wide range of defect environments. The potential employs the embedded atom method form and hence is appropriate for large-scale molecular dynamics simulation.     

Under what conditions do children have difficulty in inhibiting imitation? Evidence for the importance of planning specific responses

The response set effect has been observed in a number of developmental tasks that are proposed to required inhibition. This effect has been interpreted as evidence that the specific responses children plan to make in these tasks become prepotent. Here we investigated whether there is a response set effect in the hand game. In this task, children need to suppress imitation and make a fist in response to a finger and point a finger in response to a fist. Following pilot data, we tested 7- and 11-year-olds (N=36, Experiment 1) and then 5- and 6-year-olds (N=40, Experiment 2). A response set effect was observed in the hand game with children 6years of age and older. Thus, we obtained evidence consistent with a domain-general intentional mechanism that modulates prepotency. In the General discussion, we consider how this mechanism may work and how our findings relate to current theories of imitation.     

Broad versus narrow traits: Conscientiousness and honesty–humility as predictors of academic criteria

Recent research has suggested that the six‐dimensional personality model, and especially the dimension Honesty–Humility/Integrity, adds incremental validity to the prediction of important criteria. We expected both this dimension and the dimension Conscientiousness to explain incremental variance in two academic criteria, namely grade point average (GPA) and counterproductive academic behaviour (CAB). In addition, we expected the more specific, so‐called narrow traits of Conscientiousness and Honesty–Humility/Integrity to be stronger predictors of academic criteria than the broad traits. To test these expectations, two studies were conducted using the HEXACO Personality Inventory Revised (HEXACO‐PI‐R) and the Multicultural Personality Test—Big Six (MPT‐BS). The results confirmed our expectations and suggest that academic criteria may be predicted with greater accuracy by focusing on the narrow traits of Conscientiousness and Honesty–Humility/Integrity. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

对几种临床定势思维的思考

思维定势有权威定势、从众定势、经验定势、唯书本定势、情感定势。思维定势制约我们创新思想的发展,要更好实践临床工作,必须客观评价各种思维定势,主动进行创新思维训练。本文分别对各种思维定势在临床工作中的体现、优劣进行表述,并举例说明。     

The Causal Principle

There is a charge sometimes made in metaphysics that particular commitments are ‘hypothetical’, ‘dubious’ or ‘suspicious’. There have been two analyses given of what this consists in—due to Crisp (2007) and Cameron (2011). The aim of this paper is to reject both analyses and thereby show that there is no obvious way to press the objection against said commitments that they are ‘dubious’ and objectionable. Later in the paper I consider another account of what it might be to be ‘dubious’, and argue that this too fails. I use Bigelow's (1996) Lucretian properties as a vehicle for the discussions of dubiousness that follow. As a consequence, the paper ends up offering a partial defense of Lucretianism.     

The points of concepts: their types,tensions, and connections

ABSTRACT

In the literature seeking to explain concepts in terms of their point, talk of ‘the point’ of concepts remains under-theorised. I propose a typology of points which distinguishes practical, evaluative, animating, and inferential points. This allows us to resolve tensions such as that between the ambition of explanations in terms of the points of concepts to be informative and the claim that mastering concepts requires grasping their point; and it allows us to exploit connections between types of points to understand why they come apart, and whether they do so for problematic ideological reasons or for benignly functional reasons.     

A methodological note on the interactive and main effects of dualistic personality dimensions: An example using the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism

The goal of this methodological note was to outline the importance of considering the interactive and main effects of dualistic personality dimensions by presenting an example grounded in the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism (Gaudreau & Thompson, 2010). A study was conducted with a sample of 98 university students to examine the associations between four subtypes of perfectionism and academic performance. Results of moderated regression analyses revealed a non-significant interaction between self-oriented (SOP) and socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP). Nonetheless, the four hypotheses of the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism were supported in the context of a compensatory model showing a significant and positive main effect of SOP along with a negative and significant main effect of SPP. This methodological note contributes to the literature by offering clear guidelines on how the two main effects of SOP and SPP (and their resulting predicted values) can be used to test the four hypotheses of the 2 × 2 model despite the absence of a significant interaction between SOP and SPP.     

Effects of methadone on alternative fixed-ratio fixed-interval performance: latent influences on schedule-controlled responding.

Effects of methadone on pigeons' key pecking were examined under four conditions selected to analyze the control of behavior under alternative fixed-ratio fixed-interval schedules. In Condition 1, pigeons pecked under one of three different alternative schedules (alternative fixed-ratio 50 fixed-interval 90 s, alternative fixed-ratio 75 fixed-interval 90 s and alternative fixed-ratio 200 fixed-interval 90 s) each week. In Condition 2, fixed-ratio 50 or fixed-ratio 75 schedules were in effect during baseline sessions, and alternative fixed-ratio 50 fixed-interval 90-s or alternative fixed-ratio 75 fixed-interval 90-s schedules were in effect during sessions in which methadone was administered. In Condition 3, effects of methadone on key pecking maintained under fixed-ratio 50 and fixed-ratio 75 schedules were examined, whereas in Condition 4 the effects of methadone on key pecking under a fixed-interval 90-s schedule as well as fixed-ratio 50 and fixed-ratio 75 schedules were investigated. Control by the fixed-interval contingency was assessed by computing the proportion of total session reinforcers delivered under the fixed-interval schedule. Methadone administration (0.5-4.0 mg/kg) shifted the predominant source of schedule control under the alternative schedule from the fixed-ratio schedule to the fixed-interval contingency. This shift was dependent on methadone dose and fixed-ratio size. Control by the fixed-interval contingency was greatest following extensive exposure to the interval component embedded within the alternative schedule (Condition 1), but was apparent to a lesser degree with even very limited exposure to the alternative fixed-ratio fixed-interval schedule (Condition 2). Interreinforcement intervals comparable to those under fixed-interval schedule were not observed under the fixed-ratio schedules presented alone (Condition 3). Repeated exposure to the fixed-interval contingency outside the context of the alternative fixed-ratio fixed-interval schedule did not engender performance changes under a fixed-ratio schedule which would mimic those of increased fixed-interval contingency control (Condition 4). These data suggest that drug administration can be used to unmask the influence of contingencies that are latent under baseline conditions and reveal influences of both past and present environmental variables.