Making Sense of Dynamic Systems: How Our Understanding of Stocks and Flows Depends on a Global Perspective

Stocks and flows (SF) are building blocks of dynamic systems: Stocks change through inflows and outflows, such as our bank balance changing with withdrawals and deposits, or atmospheric CO₂ with absorptions and emissions. However, people make systematic errors when trying to infer the behavior of dynamic systems, termed SF failure, whose cognitive explanations are yet unknown. We argue that SF failure appears when people focus on specific system elements (local processing), rather than on the system structure and gestalt (global processing). Using a standard SF task (n = 148), SF failure decreased by (a) a global as opposed to local task format; (b) individual global as opposed to local processing styles; and (c) global as opposed to local perceptual priming. These results converge toward local processing as an explanation for SF failure. We discuss theoretical and practical implications on the connections between the scope of attention and understanding of dynamic systems.     

Manipulated flow reduces downstream defensiveness

Flow is a psychological state people experience when performing highly challenging tasks with a high degree of skill. It is related to happiness, creativity, and productivity. In three experiments, we developed a manipulation of flow and assessed its effects on subsequent defensive behavior. In all three experiments, participants who played a game with more features of flow (e.g. engagement, match of challenge and skill, performance feedback) reported more feelings of flow (e.g. enjoyment, concentration and interest) and less downstream defensiveness. The results suggest that we developed a flexible, reliable manipulation of flow, and that inducing people to experience flow may reduce their subsequent defensive behavior.     

Effects of translational background motion on visual localization

Three subjects were asked to judge the position of small spots of light flashed before, during or after rapid translational motion of the background grating pattern. Mislocalization of the spots was observed when the background moved during or immediately after presentation of the spot. In both cases, mislocalization always occurred in the direction of the fixation point. Furthermore, this mislocalization occurred only when the background moved in the opposite direction to the visual half-field in which the spot appeared. That is to say, a spot to the right of the fixation point was mislocalized when its background moved to the left, but not when it moved to the right, and the converse was also true. This finding was interpreted as reflecting a long-term adaptation to the optokinetic stimulation that we experience during forward and backward locomotion.     

Associations of transcranial doppler velocity,age, and gender with cognitive function in children with sickle cell anemia in Nigeria

Children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) have elevated cerebral blood velocity relative to healthy peers. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the association between cerebral blood velocity, measured by transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound, age, and gender with cognitive function in children with SCA in Nigeria. Eighty-three children (M_age = 9.10, SD = 1.90 years; 55% female) with SCA in Nigeria completed cognitive assessments and a TCD ultrasound. The association between TCD velocity and measures of perceptual reasoning (Raven’s Progressive Matrices), working memory (WISC-IV Digit Span), and executive planning (Tower of London, TOL) were assessed. Results showed that elevated TCD velocity significantly predicted lower scores on TOL Time Violations and Total Problem-Solving Time when controlling for BMI, hemoglobin level, and parent education, suggesting that TCD velocity is related to the efficiency of executive function. Further, age was negatively related to children’s performance on the Ravens Matrices and TOL Total Correct, and boys showed greater deficits on the TOL Total Correct relative to girls. Moderation analyses for gender showed that there was a conditional negative association between TCD velocity and Digit Span for boys, but not for girls. Findings suggest that children with SCA in Nigeria with elevated TCD velocity are at risk for deficits in efficiency of executive planning, and boys with elevated TCD velocity are particularly at increased risk for deficits in auditory working memory. Implications of this study are important for interventions to reduce cerebral blood velocity and the use of TCD in this population.     

教学设计中的成绩表现和心流体验:基于认知负荷视角

教学设计是为优化教学效果而形成的教学实施方案。为提高学习表现,认知负荷理论认为在组织教学设计时需考虑内、外认知负荷两大因素,但少有研究关注学生在学习过程中的体验。本研究通过单词复合性操纵内在负荷,通过呈现方式操纵外在负荷,探究两类负荷对心流体验及表现的影响。结果发现,内在负荷对心流及表现均有影响,外在负荷仅在低水平组表现出对心流及表现的影响,另外内外负荷在低水平组的表现上存在交互作用。结果表明,教学设计中的内在负荷是影响心流及表现的稳定因素,外在负荷不仅受知识水平影响,其对表现的有效性还受内在负荷的调节。     

神经质人格与大学生网络小说成瘾关系:叙事传输和沉浸感的中介作用

本研究以502名大学生为被试,探讨神经质人格与网络小说成瘾的关系以及叙事传输和沉浸感在其中的序列中介作用。结果发现:(1)网络小说成瘾与神经质人格、叙事传输和沉浸感之间均呈显著正相关;(2)神经质人格不仅可以直接影响网络小说成瘾,还可以通过叙事传输和沉浸感的中介作用对其产生影响,且该中介作用包含了两条路径——沉浸感的单独中介作用以及叙事传输-沉浸感的序列中介作用。这一结论有助于引导大学生健康阅读网络小说,预防成瘾。     

Religion and the decision to donate organs: Exploring the potential role of religious leaders

The two‐step flow model of communication (Katz, 1957 ) suggests opinion leaders obtain critical information from the mass media and, in turn, communicate this information to interpersonal contacts such as friends, family and co‐workers. It is suggested that religious leaders (RLs) may serve as opinion leaders on the topic of organ donation by debunking donation myths, promoting donation during worship services, or communicating the benefit of donation to families faced with the opportunity to participate in living or cadaveric donation. The current study examined the personal knowledge, experiences, and willingness to communicate about organ donation in a sample of RLs (N = 59) in Rochester, New York. Structured interviews were conducted in summer and fall of 2009 with a random sample of RLs. Results indicate a disparity between RLs' expressed personal support for donation and their engagement in donor registration. Approximately one‐quarter of RLs have spoken about donation during a religious service and many indicate their knowledge is not sufficient to discuss organ donation in detail. Results elaborate on how RLs may be trained to serve as opinion leaders in the promotion of organ donation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

神经肌肉下意识前馈与反馈控制的知觉线索效应

为研究视觉和时间知觉线索对突发外部姿势干扰下中枢神经系统对动作肌肉和姿势肌肉预期姿势调节(APAs)和补偿姿势调节(CPAs)的影响, 本研究被试分别在视觉和时间线索引导下完成经典落球试验, 同步采集右侧动作肌肉肱二头肌和姿势肌肉腰部竖脊肌和腰部多裂肌的sEMG信号, 计算被检肌肉APAs发生率、预激活时间和CPAs反应强度。结果发现, 视觉线索可以引发动作肌肉和姿势肌肉APAs发生率明显增加, 预激活时间明显提前, 以及动作肌肉CPAs反应强度明显减小; 而时间线索主要引发动作肌肉预激活提前, 对姿势肌肉APAs和CPAs无明显影响。该结果表明, 视觉和时间引导线索对突发外部姿势干扰条件下人体姿势肌肉和动作肌肉的中枢运动控制具有不同的作用。视觉引导线索能够明显增加姿势肌肉和动作肌肉预激活发生率和提早预激活时间, 表现出明显的“视觉线索预激活优势现象”; 而时间引导线索主要引发动作肌肉预激活提前, 对姿势肌肉APAs和CPAs无明显影响。