Maximization and Search for Alternatives in Decision Situations With and Without Loss of Options

Maximizing tendency has been associated with greater accumulation of choice alternatives prior to selection of a preference. It is not known whether this search behavior extends to situations in which accumulation of new choice alternatives comes with the potential loss of existing ones. In Study 1, we replicate the original finding of greater accumulation of choice alternatives, using a computer‐based laboratory task. We then provide evidence, in Studies 2 and 3, that when potential loss of existing options is incorporated into the task, maximization is associated with less rather than more search for additional options. Maximization components of decision difficulty and alternative search, but not high standards or satisficing, explain this behavior. Other task measures are also collected, but few maximization‐related differences are observed. The findings support an interpretation of maximizers as decision makers who are as concerned with the potential loss of existing options as with the loss of undiscovered future ones. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

颜色对基于时间的视觉选择的影响

旨在探讨颜色属性对基于时间的图形预览搜索的影响及其机制。实验采用视觉标记实验范式的变式考察三种颜色的图形刺激的预览收益。结果发现:搜索与旧干扰物相同颜色的靶子和搜索新异颜色刺激并未出现反应时的差异,而且,两者都快于搜索与新干扰物颜色相同的靶子。这说明,在图形刺激的预览搜索中,观察者没有主动抑制旧干扰物的颜色,而是主动加工新出现的刺激。还探讨了基于颜色标记的抑制机制和主动非抑制机制。     

Cultural Differences in Visual Search for Geometric Figures

While some studies suggest cultural differences in visual processing, others do not, possibly because the complexity of their tasks draws upon high‐level factors that could obscure such effects. To control for this, we examined cultural differences in visual search for geometric figures, a relatively simple task for which the underlying mechanisms are reasonably well known. We replicated earlier results showing that North Americans had a reliable search asymmetry for line length: Search for long among short lines was faster than vice versa. In contrast, Japanese participants showed no asymmetry. This difference did not appear to be affected by stimulus density. Other kinds of stimuli resulted in other patterns of asymmetry differences, suggesting that these are not due to factors such as analytic/holistic processing but are based instead on the target‐detection process. In particular, our results indicate that at least some cultural differences reflect different ways of processing early‐level features, possibly in response to environmental factors.     

预期对注意的影响受制于被预期主体是目标还是分心物

以往研究表明, 预期机制和注意机制都能促进感知行为, 但两者以何种方式共同作用于感知行为仍然存在争议, 特别是, 对于预期主体在其中的作用尚不清楚。本研究采用空间提示以及视觉搜索相结合的范式, 通过4个实验, 考察了当被试对目标进行预期以及对分心物进行预期时, 空间预期对空间注意效应的不同影响。结果显示：(1)当目标为预期主体时, 预期对注意效应具有调节作用; (2)当分心物为预期主体时, 预期与注意的作用独立; (3)当目标为预期主体时, 通过刺激数增加而导致的任务难度变化不影响预期和注意之间的关系。这表明, 空间预期是否影响空间注意效应受制于预期主体——当预期主体为目标时, 预期和注意两者交互式地影响感知行为; 当预期主体为分心物时, 预期和注意独立地影响感知行为; 而且, 预期和注意之间的关系不受任务难度影响。     

Self-efficacy dimensions and job search strategies

ObjectiveThis study explored the paths between dimensions of self-efficacy and job search strategies. An examination of social cognitive career theory and career adaptability enabled us to consider several paths between dimensions of self-efficacy and job search strategies, as well as among self-efficacy dimensions.MethodScales measuring these concepts were administered to a sample of 120 jobseekers.ResultsStructural analyses allowed us to confirm expected paths. Barrier coping efficacy is significantly related to career decision self-efficacy. Career decision self-efficacy and job search self-efficacy are related to exploratory strategy and to job search strategy.ConclusionResults are discussed with reference to the literature and in terms of practical implications. They highlight the need to implement interventions in order to increase barrier coping efficacy and career decision self-efficacy.     

The Effect of Informative and Uninformative Cueing of Attention on Feature Integration

In the present study, the authors observed the effect of informative and uninformative attentional cueing on visual search for targets that were defined by a simple feature or by conjunctions of features. Three different types of attentional cueing were tested in three experiments: peripheral informative cueing, peripheral uninformative cueing, and central informative cueing. Participants showed a greater effect of cueing in detecting a conjunction of features than in detecting unique features only when attention was oriented by either peripheral or central informative cueing. This differential cueing effect was not observed when attention was oriented by peripheral uninformative cueing. The results suggest that voluntarily oriented attention plays a more important role in feature integration than automatically oriented attention does. The results also pose limits on the generalizability of K. A. Briand's (1998) proposal regarding the role of automatically oriented attention in feature integration.     

Compositional inductive biases in function learning

How do people recognize and learn about complex functional structure? Taking inspiration from other areas of cognitive science, we propose that this is achieved by harnessing compositionality: complex structure is decomposed into simpler building blocks. We formalize this idea within the framework of Bayesian regression using a grammar over Gaussian process kernels, and compare this approach with other structure learning approaches. Participants consistently chose compositional (over non-compositional) extrapolations and interpolations of functions. Experiments designed to elicit priors over functional patterns revealed an inductive bias for compositional structure. Compositional functions were perceived as subjectively more predictable than non-compositional functions, and exhibited other signatures of predictability, such as enhanced memorability and reduced numerosity. Taken together, these results support the view that the human intuitive theory of functions is inherently compositional.     

Independent operation of implicit working memory under cognitive load

Implicit working memory (WM) has been known to operate non-consciously and unintentionally. The current study investigated whether implicit WM is a discrete mechanism from explicit WM in terms of cognitive resource. To induce cognitive resource competition, we used a conjunction search task (Experiment 1) and imposed spatial WM load (Experiment 2a and 2b). Each trial was composed of a set of five consecutive search displays. The location of the first four displays appeared as per pre-determined patterns, but the fifth display could follow the same pattern or not. If implicit WM can extract the moving pattern of stimuli, response times for the fifth target would be faster when it followed the pattern compared to when it did not. Our results showed implicit WM can operate when participants are searching for the conjunction target and even while maintaining spatial WM information. These results suggest that implicit WM is independent from explicit spatial WM.     

汉语发展性阅读障碍儿童的视知觉学习*

研究采用知觉学习经典范式中的视觉搜索任务探讨汉语发展性阅读障碍儿童的知觉学习过程。研究考察了阅读障碍儿童与正常儿童在简单搜索任务、复杂搜索任务和限制时间的复杂搜索任务上的知觉学习特点。结果发现,阅读障碍儿童在复杂搜索任务中初始搜索时间显著长于正常控制组;在限制时间的复杂搜索任务中更进一步发现阅读障碍儿童的反应正确率显著低于正常控制组儿童;而且两组儿童视觉搜索任务的正确率与汉语阅读的识字量成绩存在显著相关。上述结果表明,汉语发展性阅读障碍儿童存在复杂搜索的知觉学习缺陷,这种缺陷可能在某种程度上与儿童的阅读技能发展有关。     

Unemployed and exhausted? Job-search fatigue and reemployment quality

Job loss and job search are particularly devastating and stressful events that individuals can experience in their careers. However, less research attention has been paid to fatigue or burnout in the context of unemployment and job search. Drawing from Conservation of Resources theory, this study highlights the role that fatigue plays during unemployment and job search among displaced employees — defined as individuals who have lost their jobs involuntarily and are currently not engaged in any form of paid employment. In a two-wave longitudinal study involving 89 displaced employees, we illustrate how financial difficulties and social exclusion can lead to job search fatigue, while psychological capital serves as a personal resource that reduces job seekers' fatigue. We also demonstrate how job search fatigue at Time 1 can lead to lower reemployment quality at Time 2, which, in turn, can lead to lower organizational commitment and increased turnover intentions. Our findings bring into attention the important role that fatigue can play in the context of unemployment and job search.