Chronic violent video game exposure and desensitization to violence: Behavioral and event-related brain potential data

Numerous studies have shown that exposure to media violence increases aggression, though the mechanisms of this effect have remained elusive. One theory posits that repeated exposure to media violence desensitizes viewers to real world violence, increasing aggression by blunting aversive reactions to violence and removing normal inhibitions against aggression. Theoretically, violence desensitization should be reflected in the amplitude of the P300 component of the event-related brain potential (ERP), which has been associated with activation of the aversive motivational system. In the current study, violent images elicited reduced P300 amplitudes among violent, as compared to nonviolent video game players. Additionally, this reduced brain response predicted increased aggressive behavior in a later task. Moreover, these effects held after controlling for individual differences in trait aggressiveness. These data are the first to link media violence exposure and aggressive behavior to brain processes hypothetically associated with desensitization.     

p63在涎腺肿瘤组织研究的思考

通过对p53家族成员p63的结构、机能和在组织发育和肿瘤发生中的作用及其在涎腺肿瘤组织表达的研究的回顾,我们体会到p63分子复杂性所蕴涵的深刻哲学内涵,如其在细胞周期调控和凋亡的作用。这种研究使我们认识到应该用辨证的思维方法去认识分析客观事物。     

音乐情境中自我参照加工的时间特征：来自ERPs的证据

采用事件相关电位技术, 考察在有情境条件下不同层面的自我参照加工的特性及其神经机制。实验发现,在两种音乐情境条件下个体自我参展刺激所激发的P300波幅比集体自我参照刺激和非自我刺激更大,而集体自我参照刺激所激发的P300波幅比非自我刺激更大;两种音乐情境条件下个体自我参照刺激所激发的P300波幅差异显著,而集体自我参照刺激所激发的P300波幅差异不显著。研究结果表明了在不同的情境中,个体自我参照加工的差异较大,表现出不稳定的特征;个体自我参照加工与集体自我参照加工的神经机制是不同的。这些结果还可能表明了相对于集体自我来讲,个体自我是自我的核心层面。     

决策中后悔的ERP研究

采用运气轮博弈范式探讨后悔的加工时程。分析决策正误的ERPs发现,200～300ms决策错误比正确诱发更为负走向的波,表现为典型的FRN（feedback-related negativity, FRN）;300～400ms决策正确比错误诱发更大的P300。500～900ms决策正确比错误诱发更大的LPC（late positive component, LPC）,并表现出明显的右半球优势效应。上述结果支持了FRN加工反馈刺激显著性信息和P300加工反馈刺激效价的观点,研究发现后悔与LPC可能具有密切关联。将来研究须在控制得失程度基础上,考察FRN、P300和LPC与效价、得失及得失程度和情绪体验的关系。     

Fisher与Neyman–Pearson的分歧与心理统计中的假设检验争议

假设检验思想的提出者Fisher与Neyman–Pearson在统计模型的方法论基础、两类错误的性质、显著性水平的理解、以及假设检验的功能等方面存在诸多分歧, 使得心理统计中最常用的原假设显著性检验模式呈现出隐含的各种矛盾, 从而引发了应用上的争议。心理统计不仅需要检讨现有检验模型的模糊之处和提出其他补充性的统计推论方式,更应注重反思心理统计的教育传统, 以建立更加开放和多元的统计应用视野, 使心理统计为更好地心理学研究服务。     

社会网络分析在心理研究中的应用

个体不是孤立存在的, 其心理与行为的变化常依赖于与他人存在的关系。社会网络分析正是考虑到了这种依赖性, 发展出相应的处理关系变量的方法。在介绍社会网络理论的中心思想、社会网络分析的基本概念、数据表示方法和研究方法以及在个体水平和关系水平上的静态统计模型后, 使用UCINET软件展现了处理关系数据的基本步骤, 并简述社会网络分析在人格心理学、发展与教育心理学和管理心理学中的应用。     

不同调控方式个体反事实思维上的差异：来自ERP的证据

利用事件相关电位技术(ERP), 采用简单赌博任务范式, 考察具有“评估倾向”和“行动倾向”的两类个体在反事实思维上的差异及其神经电生理证据。行为结果表明：评估倾向的个体比行动倾向的个体产生更强的反事实思维, 两者差异极其显著; 脑电结果表明：(1)在反映结果快速评价的FRN上, 组别主效应显著, 评估倾向的个体所产生的FRN波幅显著大于行动倾向的个体, (2)在P300上, 组别主效应显著, 评估倾向的个体所产生的P300波幅显著大于行动倾向的个体。简而言之, 两种不同调控方式的个体在反事实思维强度上存在着显著差异, 这在FRN和P300上得到了反映, 评估倾向的个体所产生的反事实思维更强, 情绪体验也更加强烈。不同调控方式的个体, 其反事实思维具有不同的特点和不同的大脑活动。     

The Boston Naming Test: Norm data and cue utilization in a sample of normal 6- and 7-year-old children

The object-naming abilities of 83 normal children were examined using the Boston Naming Test developed by E. Kaplan, H. Goodglass, and S. Weintraub (1976, The Boston Naming Test (experimental edition), unpublished test, Veterans Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts). There is currently a lack of available norms for this instrument, especially for populations of younger children. Cue utilization in this sample is explored and attention is focused upon possible gender differences in naming performance and cue strategies. Seven summary scores derived from the test are presented in this report. Results indicate that the Boston Naming Test can discriminate within a normal population sample of young children and provides a relatively normal distribution for six of seven derived scores. Boys were found to have a significantly greater number of items correctly named but no gender differences in cue utilization were evident. A major proportion of the children in this sample of 6- and 7-year-olds used phonological cues almost exclusively, rather than semantic cues also provided. Cue use was not related to age or spontaneously given responses, and none of the children were found to be highly proficient at using both types of cues.     

Comparing one-step m-estimators of location corresponding to two independent groups

Experience with real data indicates that psychometric measures often have heavy-tailed distributions. This is known to be a serious problem when comparing the means of two independent groups because heavy-tailed distributions can have a serious effect on power. Another problem that is common in some areas is outliers. This paper suggests an approach to these problems based on the one-step M-estimator of location. Simulations indicate that the new procedure provides very good control over the probability of a Type I error even when distributions are skewed, have different shapes, and the variances are unequal. Moreover, the new procedure has considerably more power than Welch's method when distributions have heavy tails, and it compares well to Yuen's method for comparing trimmed means. Wilcox's median procedure has about the same power as the proposed procedure, but Wilcox's method is based on a statistic that has a finite sample breakdown point of only 1/n, wheren is the sample size. Comments on other methods for comparing groups are also included.     

Tests that discriminate between dyslexic and other learning-disabled boys

Dyslexic and nondyslexic boys within a single community's learning-disabled class were given a set of tests; performance on each of these tests has been reported to be significantly impaired in other dyslexic children compared to learning-disabled and normal groups. Linear discriminant function analysis revealed that error types rather than levels of performance best separated the carefully matched learning-disabled groups. Slow naming and high percentage of “dysphasic” errors characterized dyslexic boys. Visual temporal-spatial matching and “configuration-deficient” perceptual errors characterized the adequate readers who have other learning disabilities.