Perceived optimality of competing solutions to the Euclidean travelling salesperson problem

The Travelling Salesperson Problem (TSP) is a nondeterministic-polynomial hard (NP-hard) combinatorial problem that occurs in a wide range of industrial domains, including logistics, route finding, and computer wiring. Interestingly, despite the problem’s inherent computational difficulty, when presented in Euclidean space (ETSP), human participants can produce close-to-optimal solutions in near-linear time. However, when asked to compare and select the most optimum solution from a set of pre-defined competing solution options, participants can struggle. In this study we investigate this paradox by asking participants to compare four closed-loop Euclidean TSP solutions, in order to determine which solution they perceived to have the most optimal tour cost. We hypothesise that the extracted geometric properties have an effect on stimulus selection in a discrimination task (selection or no selection). Accordingly, we extracted four geometric properties from competing stimuli in order to create a perceptual activation function. Predictive analytics demonstrated that a classification model could identify the most optimal solution 97% of the time using the perceptual activation scores alone, yet human participants only correctly determined the most optimal solution 47% of the time. Mixed-effects models suggest that ‘likelihood of stimulus selection’ can be modelled as a function of the weighted coefficients of competing perceptual activation scores within each trial; however only a small amount of the variance is explained by these perceptual activation scores. Finally, a drift–diffusion model was used to create a theoretical framework of how likelihood of stimulus selection is influenced by competing perceptual activators. Our study highlights a novel way of extracting and analysing the importance of geometric properties that influence ETSP discrimination tasks, and links this analysis to human behaviour when discriminating between competing ETSP solutions.     

情绪的身体感觉：基于身体感觉地图（BSMs）与主观报告

关于不同情绪是否对应不同的生理反应一直存在争议。Nummenmma等人（2014）使用自创的emBODY工具,发现每种情绪都有其独特的身体感觉地图（BSMs）。本研究以中国大学生为被试,以emBODY为研究工具绘制快乐、爱、恐惧、焦虑四种情绪的BSMs,并要求被试口头报告BSMs所反映的身体感觉。结果发现,四种情绪具有不同的身体感觉,体现为BSMs的差异与主观报告的差异。质性资料分析发现BSMs所反映的身体感觉不仅包括生理反应、也包括认知、感受和行为倾向,这为情绪与身体的关系提供了新的证据。被试对身体部位活动性增强或减弱的理解不一致、只呈现身体的一面等是BSMs作为研究工具的潜在局限,未来研究需要做出改进。     

《侵权责任法》背景下临床决策新路径与方法探讨

我国新颁布实施的《侵权责任法》对临床决策产生了重大影响,需要我们医务人员高度认识新法律的地位与作用,需要认识临床决策的真正内涵。通过深化医患沟通职能建设、患方参与医疗小组、健全医患权益协议书、加强患者医学与健康教育等,探索临床决策的新路径和方法。     

迈向整合脑与经验的意识科学——Varela的神经现象学述评

意识的困难问题引发了当代意识科学所面临的最大困境：构建一个能同时阐明意识的主观性及其神经生物学基础的研究纲领。为此,Varela提出了神经现象学方案,即意识经验是脑内大尺度神经集合活动的涌现结果,神经相位同步模式就是表现形式之一。意识的主观性决定了在意识研究中必须将第一人称方法与第三人称方法结合起来,使得主观与客观数据间形成互惠的约束。     

Interdisciplinary Linkage of Community Psychology and Cross-Cultural Psychology: History, Values, and an Illustrative Research and Action Project on Intimate Partner Violence

An analysis of the respective organizational histories, missions, and scholarly activity of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology and the Society for Community Research and Action was conducted in order to inform the development of interdisciplinary linkages between members of the two organizations. The analysis revealed many points of shared values and actions, as well as some important differences. Both scholarly organizations developed out of a similar historical and cultural zeitgeist in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The missions emphasize the role of culture/diversity in psychological phenomena, adopting an interdisciplinary orientation, the value of collaboration, the importance of research method and ethics, and the value of action research. However, community psychology generally lacks an adequate treatment of cultural phenomena while cross-cultural psychology often fails to draw on community and participatory methods useful for understanding culture in context. These common roots and differences are examined. Finally, we describe a community based, participatory research and intervention project to address intimate partner violence among Latinos and European-Americans living in Oregon. Analysis of the research process and on some of our initial findings illustrates challenges and potential benefits of an interdisciplinary, cultural community psychology.     

Diagnostic efficiency of several methods of identifying socially rejected children and effect of participation rate on classification accuracy

Social rejection is associated with a wide variety of negative outcomes. Early identification of social rejection and intervention to minimize its negative impact is thus important. However, sociometric methods, which are considered high in validity for identifying socially rejected children, are frequently not used because of (a) procedural challenges, (b) community apprehension, and (c) sensitivity to missing data. In a sample of 316 students in grades K through 8, we used receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analyses to compare the diagnostic efficiency of several methods for identifying socially rejected children. When not using least-liked nominations, (a) most-liked nominations yielded the greatest diagnostic efficiency (AUC = .96), (b) peer ratings were more efficient (AUC = .84 to .99) than teacher ratings (AUC = .74 to .81), and (c) teacher report of social status was more efficient (AUC = .81) than scores from teacher behavior rating scales (AUC = .74 to .75). We also examined the effects of nominator non-participation on diagnostic efficiency. At participation as low as 50%, classification of sociometric rejection (i.e., being rejected or not rejected) was quite accurate (κ = .63 to .77). In contrast, at participation as high as 70%, classification of sociometric status (i.e., popular, average, unclassified, neglected, controversial, or rejected) was significantly less accurate (κ = .50 to .59).     

Percentile Norms and Accompanying Interval Estimates from an Australian General Adult Population Sample for Self‐Report Mood Scales (BAI,BDI, CRSD,CES‐D,DASS, DASS‐21, STAI‐X,STAI‐Y,SRDS, and SRAS)

Despite their widespread use, many self‐report mood scales have very limited normative data. To rectify this, Crawford et al. have recently provided percentile norms for a series of self‐report scales. The present study aimed to extend the work of Crawford et al. by providing percentile norms for additional mood scales based on samples drawn from the general Australian adult population. Participants completed a series of self‐report mood scales. The resultant normative data were incorporated into a computer programme that provides point and interval estimates of the percentile ranks corresponding to raw scores for each of the scales. The programme can be used to obtain point and interval estimates of the percentile ranks of an individual's raw scores on the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Carroll Rating Scale for Depression, the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Rating Scale for Depression, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS), the short‐form version of the DASS (DASS‐21), the Self‐rating Scale for Anxiety, the Self‐rating Scale for Depression, the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), form X, and the STAI, form Y, based on normative sample sizes ranging from 497 to 769. The interval estimates can be obtained using either classical or Bayesian methods as preferred. The programme (which can be downloaded at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/~psy086/dept/MoodScore_Aus.htm ) provides a convenient and reliable means of obtaining the percentile ranks of individuals' raw scores on self‐report mood scales.     

Modern Regression Methods that can Substantially Increase Power and Provide a more Accurate Understanding of Associations

During the last half century, hundreds of papers published in statistical journals have documented general conditions where reliance on least squares regression and Pearson's correlation can result in missing even strong associations between variables. Moreover, highly misleading conclusions can be made, even when the sample size is large. There are, in fact, several fundamental concerns related to non‐normality, outliers, heteroscedasticity, and curvature that can result in missing a strong association. Simultaneously, a vast array of new methods has been derived for effectively dealing with these concerns. The paper (i) reviews why least squares regression and classic inferential methods can fail, (ii) provides an overview of the many modern strategies for dealing with known problems, including some recent advances, and (iii) illustrates that modern robust methods can make a practical difference in our understanding of data. Included are some general recommendations regarding how modern methods might be used. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

质性研究中的资料饱和及其判定

在质性研究中,资料饱和通常被用以评估研究资料的充足性。但在研究实践中,资料饱和却存在概念模糊及操作性问题。作为某项质性研究所抽取的样本量已满足研究需要的标志,按照在研究过程中判定时点的先后顺序,资料饱和可划分为数据饱和、编码或主题饱和、意义饱和及理论饱和4种主要形式。4种形式的资料饱和各有其特定的内涵、评估方式和判定标准。研究认为,达到资料饱和的样本量标准不应统一设定,其检验需嵌入具体的研究过程;资料饱和存在逻辑上的不确定性,适度追加抽样有助于进一步确认;资料饱和作为考察研究质量的一项重要指标,并不适用于所有质性研究。     

Quantifying the psychopathic stare: Automated assessment of head motion is related to antisocial traits in forensic interviews

Clinicians have long noted that individuals with high psychopathic traits exhibit unique interpersonal style often observable during forensic interviews. Here we develop an automated approach for quantifying head dynamics during video-recorded naturalistic clinical interviews. We expected head dynamics would be related to psychopathic traits. As predicted, dwell times indicate that those with higher levels of psychopathic traits are characterized by more stationary head positions, focused directly towards the camera/interviewer, than were individuals low in psychopathic traits. These associations were primarily driven by developmental/antisocial features of psychopathy, indicating that those with severe and life-course persistent antisocial behavior exhibit more rigid and focused orienting of their head during interpersonal communication. These results encourage more research into the automated quantification of behavioral manifestations of personality to support clinical observations that psychopaths exhibit unique qualities in non-verbal interpersonal communication.