The effects of bilateral presentations on lateralized lexical decision

We investigated how lateralized lexical decision is affected by the presence of distractors in the visual hemifield contralateral to the target. The study had three goals: first, to determine how the presence of a distractor (either a word or a pseudoword) affects visual field differences in the processing of the target; second, to identify the stage of the process in which the distractor is affecting the decision about the target; and third, to determine whether the interaction between the lexicality of the target and the lexicality of the distractor ("lexical redundancy effect") is due to facilitation or inhibition of lexical processing. Unilateral and bilateral trials were presented in separate blocks. Target stimuli were always underlined. Regarding our first goal, we found that bilateral presentations (a) increased the effect of visual hemifield of presentation (right visual field advantage) for words by slowing down the processing of word targets presented to the left visual field, and (b) produced an interaction between visual hemifield of presentation (VF) and target lexicality (TLex), which implies the use of different strategies by the two hemispheres in lexical processing. For our second goal of determining the processing stage that is affected by the distractor, we introduced a third condition in which targets were always accompanied by "perceptual" distractors consisting of sequences of the letter "x" (e.g., xxxx). Performance on these trials indicated that most of the interaction occurs during lexical access (after basic perceptual analysis but before response programming). Finally, a comparison between performance patterns on the trials containing perceptual and lexical distractors indicated that the lexical redundancy effect is mainly due to inhibition of word processing by pseudoword distractors.     

成年雄性斑胸草雀高级发声中枢鸣声控制的右侧优势

鸣禽是研究语言功能的动物模型。鸣禽端脑的高级发声中枢(high vocal center, HVC)与人类布洛卡氏区具有功能同源性。利用电损毁与声谱分析相结合的方法, 对成年雄性斑胸草雀两侧HVC分别进行电损毁, 观察HVC控制鸣声的侧别差异。结果表明, 损毁左侧HVC对长鸣和鸣曲的频域和声强特征均无显著性影响。损毁右侧HVC导致长鸣的振幅、调频、幅度调制显著减小(p < 0.05), 鸣曲的振幅、平均频率、峰频率显著减小(p < 0.05)。损毁双侧HVC后均引起鸣曲时域特征的改变, 暗示鸣曲时域特征的编码需要两侧半球鸣唱系统的整合。HVC在控制鸣声频域和声强特征上具有右侧优势, 但对鸣曲时域特征的控制需要两侧HVC的共同参与。     

Letter Position Coding with Fred Astaire: Inversion of Letter Position Substitution Effects in Reverse Spelled Words

The effects of letter substitutions have been linked to their position within a word (letter position effects). The current study expanded upon previous research by examining letter-position effects for letter substitutions using forward- and reverse-spelled word primes. Often substituting a letter on one side of a word will have a stronger impact on performance than substituting a letter on the other side of a word. In three experiments it was revealed that the letter-position effects of substitutions changed places when words were spelled backwards. This occurred when both the target and prime were spelled backwards. This was evidence of a congruency effect of letter-position priming. The ramifications of these results for word recognition and transfer are discussed. However, the need for future research should focus on the possibility of an inversion process/mechanism.     

The role of ingroup threat and conservative ideologies on prejudice against immigrants in two samples of Italian adults

This research investigated the relationship among perception of ingroup threats (realistic and symbolic), conservative ideologies (social dominance orientation [SDO] and right-wing authoritarianism [RWA]), and prejudice against immigrants. Data were collected with a cross-sectional design in two samples: non-student Italian adults (n = 223) and healthcare professionals (n = 679). Results were similar in both samples and indicated that symbolic and realistic threats, as well as SDO and RWA, positively and significantly predicted anti-immigrant prejudice. Moreover, the model considering SDO and RWA as mediators of threats’ effects on prejudice showed a better fit than the model in which ingroup threats mediated the effects of SDO and RWA on prejudice against immigrants. Accordingly, SDO and RWA partially mediated the effect of both symbolic and realistic threats, which maintained a significant effect on prejudice against immigrants, however.     

新颖语义联结形成的右半球优势效应

新颖语义联结形成是创造性思维的重要加工过程。采用谜题型歇后语为材料,直接操控语义联结的新颖性,通过两个实验考察汉语新颖语义联结形成的神经机制。实验1采用fMRI记录谜题型歇后语阅读理解过程的神经活动,结果显示相对于寻常语义关联条件,新颖语义关联条件更强地激活了右侧颞上回,该脑区可能与新颖语义信息的激活有关。实验2采用ERP技术在语义关联性判断任务中考察新颖语义联结形成神经加工的时空特征,结果显示相对于寻常语义关联条件,新颖语义关联条件在右侧颞区和右侧额区诱发了更正的晚期正成分,可能分别反映了新颖语义信息的激活以及选择与整合。研究结果支持了新颖语义联结形成的右半球加工优势效应。     

Local dominance effects on self-evaluations and intrinsic motivation

Previous research indicates that local comparisons with one or a few people in the immediate environment have a stronger influence on self-evaluations than general comparisons with larger samples. Two studies examined whether this local dominance effect extends to intrinsic motivation. Study 1 suggests that local comparisons have a stronger effect on both self-evaluations and task enjoyment than general comparisons. Study 2 suggests that local comparisons have a stronger effect on intrinsic motivation than general comparisons and that local comparisons have a significant indirect effect on persistence via intrinsic motivation. Altogether, the present findings are among the first to demonstrate the contribution of local social comparisons to intrinsic motivation. We highlight the implications of these findings for social comparison theories.     

Can small lesions induce language reorganization as large lesions do?

Shift of the cortical mechanisms of language from the usually dominant left to the non-dominant right hemisphere has been demonstrated in the presence of large brain lesions. Here, we report a similar phenomenon in a patient with a cavernoma over the anterolateral superior temporal gyrus associated with epilepsy. Language mapping was performed by two complementary procedures, magnetoencephalography, and electrocorticography. The maps, indicated right temporal lobe dominance for receptive language and left frontal lobe dominance for expressive language. These results indicate that a small lesion, associated with epilepsy, may produce selective shifting of receptive language mechanisms as large lesions have been known to produce.     

Word frequency and laterality effects in lexical decision: right hemisphere mechanisms

Three experiments investigated the role of the right cerebral hemisphere in the word frequency effect observed in visual word recognition. The experiments examined lexical decisions to low and high frequency words as well as non-words in a divided visual field paradigm. Experiment 1 showed a significant word frequency effect only for left visual field presentation. Experiment 2 provided a partial replication of the results of Experiment 1 with a different set of words. In Experiment 3, case alternation was implemented to investigate a possible explanation of the findings. Results of the first experiment were replicated in the condition without case alternation. In the case-alternated condition, the word frequency effect was significant only for right visual field presentations. The present findings emphasize the need to consider that information processing strategies relevant to hemispheric asymmetries might account in part for the word frequency effect.     

Associations between power,stress, and dominance in romantic relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic: Examining curvilinear and within-person effects

Two key processes in romantic relationships—power and dominance—can contribute to relationship disruption, but the association between these variables is complex. Elucidating the association between power and dominance during the COVID-19 pandemic is particularly important given the economic, social, and health-related stressors that pose a risk to relationship health. We examined associations between power, stress, and dominance by recruiting 1813 participants to complete an initial online survey at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were contacted 10 and 22 months later to complete follow-up surveys. Results revealed two main effects: individuals who had greater relationship power and experienced more COVID-19-related stressors than other people engaged in more dominance behaviors. A significant curvilinear effect revealed that at low levels of power, power was not associated with dominance behaviors. However, once power surpassed low levels, individuals with more power engaged in more dominance behaviors. Finally, people engaged in more dominance behaviors when they experienced more power and stress compared to their own average (i.e., within-person effects) during the pandemic. Implications for theories of power, dominance, and relationship disruption and distress are discussed.     

性别刻板印象的人际传播特点研究——基于社会认同理论或社会支配理论?

为探讨性别刻板印象的传播更符合社会认同理论还是社会支配理论的假设,采用单一复述故事法来研究不同性别的传播者、故事主人公和听众在传播一致性性别刻板印象信息和不一致性别刻板印象信息的过程中所表现出的特点。结果发现:男性更少地传播不利于维持阶层差异的不一致性刻板印象,女性更多地传播打破现有阶层划分的男性不一致刻板印象。这些传播特点都较为支持社会支配理论的假设。。