Staying or returning: Pre‐migration influences on the migration process of German migrants to New Zealand

Changes in migrants' backgrounds and societies sending and receiving migrants might increase adaptation issues and reduce retention. To enhance migrants' well‐being/health and their likelihood of staying it is necessary to gain an understanding of psychological and social factors that contribute to resilience and adaptation. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study that investigated the experiences, interpretations and actions of German migrant couples to New Zealand throughout the whole migration process to identify these factors. In depth, episodic interviews were conducted with four couples who decided to stay in New Zealand and four couples who decided to return to Germany. Interview data were complemented with participant observation. This paper provides insights into how the pre‐migration experiences, interpretations and actions of German migrants to New Zealand influenced their establishment, their interpretations and actions and consequently adaptation, well‐being/health and the decision whether to stay in New Zealand or to return to Germany. The findings illuminate the influence of psychological and social factors on migration experiences, interpretations and actions throughout the migration process. The paper offers some solutions for addressing the identified barriers to successful migration and integration into host societies. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Are Plans Necessary?

According to classical decision theory, an agent realises at time t the option with maximum expected utility (determined by his beliefs and desires at t), where the relevant options are possible actions performed at t. I consider an alternative according to which the relevant options are in general plans, complex courses of action extending into the future.     

艾滋病人心理问题的探讨及其应对策略

我国艾滋病患者持续上升。艾滋病不仅损害了人们的躯体健康,也同时损害了人们的心理健康,引发心理危机。观察300例患者发现：抑郁症41．3％、焦虑症31．4％、报复心理20．0％、麻木8．3％。艾滋病的防治不仅仅是治疗肌体病痛的问题,还应该治疗患者的心理问题。因此运用系统论对艾滋病人心理问题中的相关问题进行探索和剖析,动员患者及全社会行动起来,才能达到对艾滋病的有效控制。     

Analysing trends in subjective well-being in 15 European countries, 1973–2002

Previous empirical research has been unable to find a sufficient correlation between subjective well-being and per capita income, being hampered by limited longitudinal information and an inability to account for the predictions of competing theories. We bring new evidence to this question by exploiting a long and complete time-series from the Eurobarometer Survey, 1973–2002 allowing an examination of trends in life satisfaction across 15 European countries employing a modified version of Kendall’s Tau. Our results show that while current GDP growth does not affect trends in well-being, accelerations in GDP growth do. In addition, faster GDP growth and faster growth of government consumption than in neighbouring countries induces positive trends in life satisfaction. Our findings are consistent with the predictions of aspirations theory and the theory of reference group comparisons.     

三维物体识别的心理表征：角度依赖还是角度独立

“物体识别是角度独立还是角度依赖”的问题一直存在着争议。以物体为中心理论认为是角度独立, 以观察者为中心理论认为是角度依赖。研究参照物体识别的“小几何体”思想自制实验材料, 采用启动范式, 在两个实验中通过考察结构信息和视图信息对物体识别的影响, 揭示物体识别的心理表征。结果发现: (1)形状信息和类别空间关系信息影响物体识别, 表明以物体为中心理论对物体识别表征机制解释的合理性; (2)角度信息可能独立于形状信息表征, 深度旋转方式下的识别成绩优于平面旋转, 表明以观察者为中心理论能够更好地解释三维物体识别的深度旋转现象。研究结果为物体识别理论的融合提供了实证依据。     

非语言情境中时间加工与空间距离加工的关系

时间加工与空间距离加工的关系主要有两种, 一种是在空距离–空时距以及动物的研究中, 时间加工影响空间距离加工, 空间距离加工影响时间加工, 两者相互影响, 存在对称的干扰, 这种关系与注意和记忆有关。另一种是在实距离–实时距中, 空间距离加工影响时间加工, 而时间加工不受空间距离加工的影响, 时间加工和空间距离加工之间具有不对称的干扰。时空关系的不对称与隐喻理论、人们的感知运动经验和时空信息的显著性有关。神经机制上, 右顶叶皮质、侧顶内区、左顶叶皮质、小脑、前额等参与时间加工和空间距离加工, 但两种加工涉及到的神经机制也有部分差异。未来可以从时间加工的分段性、不同条件下时间加工和空间距离加工的心理机制以及脑机制进行研究。     

情绪和社会行为的迷走神经活动基础

Porges基于自主神经进化观点提出的多迷走神经理论, 区分了无髓鞘迷走神经与髓鞘迷走神经的不同功能。认为对心脏等起调控作用的髓鞘迷走神经, 经由进化逐渐与调控头面部肌肉的脑神经之间产生了神经上的联系, 成为情绪和社会行为的神经基础。已有的相关实证研究表明, 髓鞘迷走神经与个体的情绪表达与调节、社会行为以及情绪与社会行为障碍密切相关。较低的迷走神经张力、较低的迷走抑制与较低的情绪调节能力相关; 迷走抑制较高的学前儿童有较少的行为问题以及较好的社交技能; 焦虑障碍的个体表现出较低的基线迷走张力以及较低的迷走抑制水平等。多迷走神经理论及其实证研究的结果, 对于推动情绪和社会行为的自主神经基础研究具有重要的意义。     

IMAGINATION'S GRIP ON SCIENCE

Abstract: In part because “imagination” is a slippery notion, its exact role in the production of scientific knowledge remains unclear. There is, however, one often explicit and deliberate use of imagination by scientists that can be (and has been) studied intensively by epistemologists and historians of science: thought experiments. The main goal of this article is to document the varieties of thought experimentation, not so much in terms of the different sciences in which they occur but rather in terms of the different functions they fulfil. I argue that thought experimentation (and hence imagination) plays a role not only in theory choice but in singular causal analysis and scientific discovery as well. I pinpoint, moreover, some of the rules governing the use of thought experiments in theory choice and in singular causal analysis, that is, some of the criteria they should meet in order to fulfil those functions successfully.     

Determinants of instrumental extinction in terrestrial toads (Bufo arenarum)

Previous research in a water-reinforced instrumental training situation with toads (Bufo arenarum) has shown that performance in both acquisition and extinction is poorer after partial, rather than continuous reinforcement training. In Experiment 1, the performance of a group receiving 24 trials on a 50% partial reinforcement schedule was poorer in acquisition and extinction than that of continuously reinforced groups matched for trials or reinforcements. However, partially reinforced toads extinguished at the same rapid rate as a continuously reinforced group that received training only on the days in which the partial toads received water reinforcement. In Experiment 2, extinction was faster after 10 reinforced acquisition trials than after 30 trials. This evidence suggests that the deleterious effects of partial reinforcement in toads can be explained by a combination of two factors, namely, the distribution of reinforced trials across days and the total number of reinforcements.     

FANTASY,FICTION, AND FEELINGS

Abstract: The nature of fantasy has been little discussed, despite its importance in the arts. Its significance is brought out here in relation to the long‐standing debate on the alleged paradox of fiction—that we respond emotionally to characters and events known to be unreal. Examination of the paradox shows it to be ill founded once the nature of fantasy is appreciated. Moreover, a detailed consideration of fantasy shows that it can itself provide a plausible account of our emotional reactions to creative literature, an account that, after a review of some possible objections, is then contrasted with the leading contemporary theories.