文本阅读中背景信息的加工过程：激活与整合

采用移动窗口技术和眼动技术探讨了文本阅读中当前信息跟背景信息的具体加工过程。被试为华南师范大学本科生92名。实验1使用移动窗口技术,计算机屏幕上每次只呈现一个句子,让被试自己按键逐句进行阅读,通过分析不同实验条件下探测词的再认反应时间和不同实验条件下目标句的阅读时间来探讨文本阅读中信息加工的具体过程。实验2使用眼动技术在一种更自然的情境中通过分析不同实验条件下眼动指标的差异来进一步探讨文本阅读中信息加工的具体过程。实验结果表明,文本阅读中背景信息的加工过程包括激活和整合两个阶段,这两个阶段相互独立但又紧密联系,激活是整合发生的前提,有整合必先发生激活,但激活发生后并不一定会发生整合;文本阅读过程中读者阅读时间的延长主要发生在整合阶段     

认知加工的自动化现象：从二分法到渐进观

认知自动化是人类学习和进步的必经之路。传统的二分法通过无意识等特征简单地将认知加工过程分为受控加工与自动化加工。但这些特征取决于研究者所采用的研究范式, 不具有普适性。近年来研究者根据注意资源有限理论提出自动化是一个渐进的过程, 而注意资源需求的减少是自动化发展的核心特征。相比二分法, 这种渐进观更加符合实证研究的发现。而且, 渐进观在信息加工自动化理论和技能习得理论的阶段性中都得以体现, 进一步证明了渐进观的普适性。     

7岁超常和常态儿童的信息加工速度

该研究以超常和常态儿童各25名(平均年龄分别为6岁10个月和6岁11个月)为被试,以选择反应、图形匹配、心理旋转、和抽象匹配为基本认知任务,对超常和常态儿童的信息加工速度作了比较研究。研究者对被试的正确率和反应时作了分析。结果表明：(1)超常儿童基本信息加工能力显著优于普通儿童,具体表现在反应时更短,或正确率更高。(2)超常儿童与常态儿童信息、加工的差异与任务难度有关,在选择反应和图形匹配任务中,超常儿童的反应时显著短于常态儿童。而且,在图形匹配任务中,任务难度越大,差异越显著。而在心里旋转和抽象匹配任务中,超常儿童的正确率显著高于常态儿童。(3)任务的难度无论对超常组被试还是常态组被试的反应时及反应正确率都有影响,但影响方式不太一样。在反应时上,随着任务难度的增加,两组被试的反应时都明显延长;但在正确率上,则随着任务难度的增加,常态组被试的正确率降低,而超常组被试的正确率基本稳定在一个较高的水平上,即任务难度问的差异不显著。     

When and why do we want to know? How experienced regret promotes post‐decision information search

The effect of emotional and situational factors on the decision to seek out post‐decision information about un‐chosen alternative was examined in five experiments. Experiment 1 tested participants' willingness to find out the outcome of an un‐chosen investment that was likely to have a higher value than the chosen investment. It was found that participants were more willing to acquire information when they were responsible for the decision. Experiment 2 showed that responsibility affects information seeking, in particular when one suspects that a wrong decision was made. Experiments 3–5 examined the role of regret on information seeking. It was shown that regret about making the wrong investment (Experiment 3), forgetting to send in a lottery ticket (Experiment 4), and missing an opportunity to use a discount card after spending a month in Australia (Experiment 5), mediates the information‐seeking behavior. Experiment 5 also demonstrated that the experience of regret (and not its anticipation) influences post‐decision information seeking even when the information is of no future use. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The “identified victim” effect: an identified group,or just a single individual?

People's greater willingness to help identified victims, relative to non‐identified ones, was examined by varying the singularity of the victim (single vs. a group of eight individuals), and the availability of individually identifying information (the main difference being the inclusion of a picture in the “identified” versions). Results support the proposal that the “identified victim” effect is largely restricted to situations with a single victim: the identified single victim elicited considerably more contributions than the non‐identified single victim, while the identification of the individual group members had essentially no effect on willingness to contribute. Participants also report experiencing distress when the victim is single and identified more than in any other condition. Hence, the emotional reaction to the victims appears to be a major source of the effect. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.