Social Media and Language Processing: How Facebook and Twitter Provide the Best Frequency Estimates for Studying Word Recognition

Corpus‐based word frequencies are one of the most important predictors in language processing tasks. Frequencies based on conversational corpora (such as movie subtitles) are shown to better capture the variance in lexical decision tasks compared to traditional corpora. In this study, we show that frequencies computed from social media are currently the best frequency‐based estimators of lexical decision reaction times (up to 3.6% increase in explained variance). The results are robust (observed for Twitter‐ and Facebook‐based frequencies on American English and British English datasets) and are still substantial when we control for corpus size.     

The Phantom Decoy Effect in Perceptual Decision Making

A phantom decoy is an alternative that is superior to another “target” option but is unavailable at the time of choice. In value‐based decisions involving phantom decoys (e.g., consumer choices), individuals often show increased preference for the similar, inferior target option over a non‐dominated competitor alternative. Unlike value‐based decisions that are driven by subjective goals, perceptual decisions typically have an outside criterion that defines the goal of the task (e.g., target is present or absent). Despite their obvious differences, past research has documented a number of commonalities between both types of decisions. In a set of three experiments, we examine the influence of phantom options on simple perceptual decisions and point out a critical difference between perceptual and value‐based decisions. Our results show that in perceptual choice, participants prefer competitor options to target options, the opposite of the pattern typically found in consumer choice. We use the results of the experiments to examine the predictions of four different models of context effects including loss aversion and dynamic, preference accumulation models. We find that accumulation models provide the best explanation for our results as well as being able to generalize to other context effects. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multiple Framing: Verbal,Facial, and Vocal Cues in Risky Choice

Verbal framing effects have been widely studied, but little is known about how people react to multiple framing cues in risk communication, where verbal messages are often accompanied by facial and vocal cues. We examined joint and differential effects of verbal, facial, and vocal framing on risk preference in hypothetical monetary and life–death situations. In the multiple framing condition with the factorial design (2 verbal frames × 2 vocal tones × 4 basic facial expressions × 2 task domains), each scenario was presented auditorily with a written message on a photo of the messenger's face. Compared with verbal framing effects resulting in preference reversal, multiple frames made risky choice more consistent and shifted risk preference without reversal. Moreover, a positive tone of voice increased risk‐seeking preference in women. When the valence of facial and vocal cues was incongruent with verbal frame, verbal framing effects were significant. In contrast, when the affect cues were congruent with verbal frame, framing effects disappeared. These results suggest that verbal framing is given higher priority when other affect cues are incongruent. Further analysis revealed that participants were more risk‐averse when positive affect cues (positive tone or facial expressions) were congruently paired with a positive verbal frame whereas participants were more risk‐seeking when positive affect cues were incongruent with the verbal frame. In contrast, for negative affect cues, congruency promoted risk‐seeking tendency whereas incongruency increased risk‐aversion. Overall, the results show that facial and vocal cues interact with verbal framing and significantly affect risk communication. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Psychometric costs of retaking driving-related cognitive ability tests

The present study tested predictions deduced from competing models advanced in the literature to explain practice effects in driving-related cognitive ability tests due to retesting. The models differ in terms of the processes assumed to be responsible for practice effects and make competing predictions with regard to the level measurement invariance across test administration sessions. A total of N = 239 test-takers solved four driving-related cognitive ability tests at three time-points of measurement. Item response theory analyses indicated that practice effects can be explained in terms of an increase in test-specific abilities. The size of the practice effect varied across driving-related cognitive ability tests and across test-takers’ level of general mental ability. Latent mean and covariance structure analyses indicated that the observed improvements in test performance are purely test-specific and do not generalize to broad cognitive speededness.     

发展级联:解释个体纵向发展的新视角

发展级联(developmental cascades)近年来已成为发展心理学追踪研究中一种重要的理论视角。其基本观点是:人的发展过程是一个诸多发展特征不断产生级联效应的过程,某个时间点上个体特征的发展状况会对该特征的后续发展产生影响,并影响其他领域的发展,进而影响到个体的整个发展进程。在发展级联的理论观点基础上形成的相关方法学模型,为探究发展系统中多个因素之间的纵向关联提供了方法学依据与指导。本文介绍了发展级联的相关概念、理论基础、主要观点以及相关的方法学问题,并对其在实证研究中的应用进行了展望。     

参照性交流对关系类别间接性学习的促进作用

以大学生为被试,以4特征虚拟外星生物为实验材料,采用类别的间接性学习范式——个人条件和参照条件,及一个无功能条件,通过三个实验任务（功能预测、自由分类和维度选择）,探讨参照性交流范式下关系类别的间接性学习特点。结果发现：类别的间接性学习条件下,自由分类任务中,被试更倾向于选择关系作为类标准;功能预测的关系类别的间接性学习过程中,参照条件下的功能预测成绩显著高于个人条件,这种差异体现在参照惯例形成的学习过程的中后期;关系类别的间接性学习条件下,参照条件下被试的选择性注意水平显著高于个人条件,这种差异主要表现于选择性注意的指向性方面,而不体现于选择性注意的集中性（对无关维度的抑制）方面。     

死亡提醒效应的心理机制及影响因素

死亡提醒效应是指个体在死亡提醒后会产生世界观防御或自尊寻求的一种普遍现象。其心理机制是以死亡想法通达性为指标的潜在死亡焦虑,影响因素则包括年龄、宗教信仰、结构需求、自我控制、依恋类型等个体差异和不同的情境启动。未来研究应解释与死亡无直接关联的刺激可引发类似效应的原因,进一步阐释与证实潜在的死亡焦虑,并明确自尊对死亡提醒效应的影响。     

歧视知觉的影响效应及其机制

近年来,歧视研究领域中的"强势心理学"现象开始减弱,研究者们逐渐重视弱势群体自身对于歧视现象的知觉与反应.本文在整合歧视知觉相关领域研究成果的基础上,首先就歧视知觉的概念内涵、测量进行阐述;继而从"风险"与"弹性"两个方面,分别探讨歧视知觉的消极影响效应与间接性的积极影响效应;最后从整合的视角,对歧视知觉影响效应的内在机制——拒绝认同理论进行讨论.未来歧视知觉领域的研究将会进一步细化群体成员资格;重视考察个体和群体歧视知觉的作用差异;加强探讨个体水平的中介变量的作用;更多关注儿童群体的歧视知觉问题.     

副中央凹-中央凹效应的研究现状及展望

副中央凹-中央凹效应指在阅读过程中副中央凹处词语(通常是注视词右侧的词)的特性对中央凹处词语的注视时间产生的影响。主要从四个方面总结了副中央凹-中央凹效应的研究进展：(1)副中央凹-中央凹效应的类型：同向效应、反向效应和不确定效应; (2)副中央凹-中央凹效应的研究范式：边界范式、句子正常阅读范式和词对阅读范式; (3)分析序列加工模型和平行加工模型对副中央凹-中央凹效应的认识; (4)探讨词n+1特性、词n的特性以及误差眼跳对副中央凹-中央凹效应的影响。在此基础上, 提出未来需要从研究范式和分析方法等方面对副中央凹-中央凹效应进行研究。