Pre-stressor cognitive control is related to intrusive cognition of a stressful film

It has been suggested that relatively weak cognitive control existing prior to a stressful event may be associated with intrusive memories of that stressor afterwards. We explored this in two analog studies employing unselected participants who saw an emotional film fragment and completed behavioral (i.e., color-naming interference [CNI]) and self-report indices of intrusions. Prior to film presentation, several cognitive control tests were administered. Study 1 showed that better updating/monitoring was linked to less CNI from negative film-related words. However, better updating/monitoring was associated with more diary reports of intrusive memories. Study 2 showed that a better resistance to pro-active interference (PI) predicted less self-reported film-related intrusive cognition after 24h. However, after this delay, both self-reported intrusions and CNI were not related to updating/monitoring. Taken together, the results suggest that a specific pre-existing cognitive control function (i.e., resistance to PI) may be involved in the regulation of post-stressor intrusive memory phenomena.     

How young children judge whether a word is one they know: a dual criterion account

Word familiarity judgment may be important for word learning, yet little is known about how children make this judgment. We hypothesized that preschool-age children differ in the judgment criteria that they use and that this difference derives from individual differences in basic memory processes. Those who have superior phonological working memory, but who retrieve less semantic information than their peers, base the judgment on whether they recognize a word’s sound form. Those who show the opposite memory profile base the judgment on whether they retrieve a word’s meaning. The results of two studies of 3- and 4-year-olds were consistent with these claims. Among those performing poorly on one memory measure, judgment accuracy was directly related to performance on the other memory measure. These memory-judgment relations were also found to be highly specific. This is the first investigation to demonstrate the usefulness of an individual differences approach for identifying relations between linguistic judgment processes and basic memory processes during early childhood.     

Coding strategies in number space: memory requirements influence spatial-numerical associations

The tendency to respond faster with the left hand to relatively small numbers and faster with the right hand to relatively large numbers (spatial numerical association of response codes, SNARC effect) has been interpreted as an automatic association of spatial and numerical information. We investigated in two experiments the impact of task-irrelevant memory representations on this effect. Participants memorized three Arabic digits describing a left-to-right ascending number sequence (e.g., 3-4-5), a descending sequence (e.g., 5-4-3), or a disordered sequence (e.g., 5-3-4) and indicated afterwards the parity status of a centrally presented digit (i.e., 1, 2, 8, or 9) with a left/right keypress response. As indicated by the reaction times, the SNARC effect in the parity task was mediated by the coding requirements of the memory tasks. That is, a SNARC effect was only present after memorizing ascending or disordered number sequences but disappeared after processing descending sequences. Interestingly, the effects of the second task were only present if all sequences within one experimental block had the same type of order. Taken together, our findings are inconsistent with the idea that spatial-numerical associations are the result of an automatic and obligatory cognitive process but do suggest that coding strategies might be responsible for the cognitive link between numbers and space.     

背景任务刺激间的时距对前瞻干扰效应的影响

前瞻记忆是指形成和保持一个意向直到合适的情境或时间再执行的一种记忆任务。由于在执行背景任务的过程中保持和提取前瞻意向, 使成功执行前瞻记忆任务与加工背景任务之间存在着相互影响。保持前瞻记忆意向对背景任务的反应时和正确率有影响的现象称之为前瞻干扰效应。本研究通过操纵背景任务刺激间时距的两个实验, 考察了背景任务刺激间时距长度对时间性前瞻记忆和事件性前瞻记忆干扰效应量的对比关系的影响。结果发现随着背景任务刺激间时距缩短, 两类前瞻记忆干扰效应量的对比关系发生了变化, 且在背景任务刺激间时距长度不同的情况下执行时间性前瞻记忆任务时, 被试查看时钟的策略也有差异。提示了时间性前瞻记忆任务与事件性前瞻记忆任务认知加工机制上的不同。     

Additional effects of a cognitive task on dual-task training to reduce dual-task interference

ObjectiveWhen we perform dual-tasks in daily life, task performance is generally reduced. As these reductions in performance (i.e., dual-task interference) are responsible for various accidents such as falls, the repeated practice of dual-task (i.e., dual-task training) is often implemented to reduce dual-task interference. However, the risk of various accidents increases with longer dual-task training, as dual-task interference cannot be avoided. Therefore, it is important to achieve training goals more rapidly during dual-task training. This study sought to determine whether a combination of dual-task training and cognitive tasks would accelerate training effects.DesignThe experimental design included four groups: 1) cognitive task training group, 2) dual-task training group, 3) cognitive task and dual-task training group, and 4) non training group.MethodWe assessed single- and dual-task performance before and after the 2-week training sessions. We adopted a dual-task involving knee extension and an auditory reaction, and used N-back task as a cognitive task. On the other hand, dual-task training was the same method to assess dual-task performance.ResultDual-task interference was reduced in all groups in both the tasks. However, the number of participants in the cognitive task and dual-task training group who achieved a reduction in dual-task cost was significantly higher than those in other groups.ConclusionThese findings could contribute to the development of an effective method for reducing dual-task interference and resolving issues caused by dual-task interference in daily life.     

视觉负后像对视觉搜索效率的干扰效应

为了探究视觉负后像对视觉搜索效率是否会通过颜色这一特征产生干扰,结合Van Lier后像和视觉搜索范式,通过两个实验考察了负后像对视觉搜索效率的干扰效应,并对负后像填充区域和原始发生区域进行了对比。实验结果表明,在有负后像的情况下,视觉搜索效率明显降低,但是不同颜色之间的差异并不显著;而负后像填充区域的干扰效应要弱于原始发生区域。研究结论对于进一步提高视觉搜索效率的颜色设计以及视觉负后像的新研究方法具有重要的参考意义。     

Part‐set cueing effects in a diagnostic setting with professional auditors

The aim of this research is to examine the generality of the part‐set cueing effect, a well‐known memory‐inhibition phenomenon in basic research, to professional problem diagnosis. Three experiments were conducted. Experiment 1 examines whether part‐set cueing affects the ability of auditors to recall diagnoses, and if so, whether memory inhibition is affected by the plausibility of the hypotheses. Experiment 2 examines whether the part‐set cueing effect is sensitive to changes in the symptoms that drive the diagnosis and whether differences in inhibition occur because of prompt plausibility or because of target plausibility. Experiment 3 extends the findings of the first two experiments to hypothesis generation and discriminates between competing accounts for the part‐set cueing effect. The results show that part‐set cueing effects occur during hypothesis generation and that they are robust to changes in the symptoms. However, the results from the experiments reveal an asymmetric inhibition effect. Inhibition is significant when prompts contain low plausibility hypotheses that are also high in severity. When prompts consist of high plausibility or low severity hypotheses, no inhibition is observed. These findings are considered to be consistent with an editing account of the part‐set cueing phenomenon. The implications of these findings to problem diagnosis and decision aids are discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

在抑制分心物干扰效应上学困生和学优生的比较

采用Stroop颜色命名作业,在严格控制各种条件下探究重复分心物的促进效应是由习惯化机制还是由分心物连续抑制机制造成的问题,进而比较学困生和学优生在Stroop干扰效应、重复分心物促进效应和负启动效应上的差异,结果显示,重复分心物促进效应是由习惯化机制造成的。这种抑制机制,只有在分心物重复条件下才能发挥作用;因而其效用并不广泛;而负启动效应所指的分心物抑制机制却是一种效用广泛的抑制机制。并进而揭示,学困生和学优生都存在重复分心物促进效应,但因学困生的负启动效应比学优生小,所以学困生在Stroop色词干扰效应上大于学优生。     

干扰控制的训练:内容、效果与机制

研究发现,干扰控制能力具有一定的可塑性。研究者通常选取儿童、成年人、老年人和部分特殊群体为研究对象。研究以Stroop、Flanker等任务为训练任务,训练时间从5天至5周不等,任务量从76至2200试次不等。研究者一般通过行为、脑电和脑成像等技术对训练效果进行评估。训练的研究结果发现,训练后个体的干扰控制能力得到提升,且训练效果可以迁移到其他相关任务中去。干扰控制的训练效果可能受训练任务与评估任务的设置和个体差异等因素的影响。经过认知训练,对冲突信号起监控作用的前扣带回皮层激活程度降低,而执行冲突解决的前额皮层激活程度增强,加强了自上而下的认知控制能力,进而导致干扰控制能力的提升。干扰控制训练的保持效果、机制探讨等问题将成为该领域日后重点关注的内容。