Which kind of attention is captured by cues with the relative target colour?

Most theories of visual search maintain that attention is selectively tuned to the attributes of the search target (e.g., orange). Conversely, according to the relational account, attention is biased to the relative feature of the target (e.g., redder). However, previous studies that supported the relational account mainly measured mean response times. Hence, the results might not reflect early, perceptual mechanisms (e.g., signal enhancement) but later, decision-based mechanisms (channel selection). The current study tested the relational account against feature-specific theories in a spatial cueing task, in which the targets were backward-masked, and target identification accuracy was measured. The first experiment corroborated earlier results, demonstrating that relational effects are due to signal enhancement. In the second experiment, we chose highly discriminable colours along the blue–red continuum, and obtained results that were more consistent with broad feature-specific rather than relational tuning. The implications of these findings for current theories of attention are discussed.     

绕口令效应对汉语阅读影响的眼动研究

绕口令效应指无论朗读还是默读,绕口令的阅读时间都长于正常句子的阅读时间。本研究采用Eyelink 2000型眼动仪,通过两个实验考察汉语阅读中的绕口令效应及其对知觉广度的影响。实验1结果表明:与阅读非绕口令相比,绕口令的阅读时间和注视次数均显著增加而阅读速度和平均眼跳幅度均显著下降。实验2结果表明:绕口令的知觉广度为注视点右侧1~2个汉字,控制句的知觉广度为注视点右侧2~3个汉字。结果说明汉语中存在绕口令效应,使读者知觉广度变小,阅读效率下降。。     

Institutional consequentialism and global governance

Elsewhere we have responded to the so-called demandingness objection to consequentialism – that consequentialism is excessively demanding and is therefore unacceptable as a moral theory – by introducing the theoretical position we call institutional consequentialism. This is a consequentialist view that, however, requires institutional systems, and not individuals, to follow the consequentialist principle. In this paper, we first introduce and explain the theory of institutional consequentialism and the main reasons that support it. In the remainder of the paper, we turn to the global dimension where the first and foremost challenge is to explain how institutional consequentialism can deal with unsolved global problems, such as poverty, war and climate change. In response, following the general idea of institutional consequentialism, we draw up three alternative routes: relying on existing national, transnational and supranational institutions; promoting gradual institutional reform; and advocating radical changes to the status quo. We evaluate these routes by describing normatively relevant properties of the existing global institutional system, as well as by showing what institutional consequentialism can say about alternatives to it: a world government; and multi-layered sovereignty/neo-medieval system.     

The indeterminacy failures of moral cosmopolitanism and liberal nationalism

Much of the discussion on cosmopolitanism and nationalism has focused on their different normative views. The purpose of this article is to shift the attention away from the normative debate to the metatheoretical argument about how we determine moral and political principles independently of each other. I argue that the discussion among proponents of cosmopolitanism and contextualist models boils down to latent methodological and metatheoretical assumptions about what selection of facts are considered politically relevant. In the article, I explore what I call ‘the indeterminacy failure’ of moral cosmopolitanism, that is, the view according to which moral principles fail to determine what political-institutional level might be preferable; and the ‘indeterminacy failure’ of liberal nationalism, that is, the view according to which national identity fails to determine moral principles. In opposition to dichotomist cosmopolitan models (including various nonideal types of moral cosmopolitanism) and alternative contextualist approaches (including the practice-dependence thesis and liberal nationalism), I promote a ‘split-level’ model that is set to avoid the difficulties in the other approaches. The split-level corrects the indeterminacy failures of cosmopolitanism and contextualism by distinguishing clearly between the level of moral theorising and the level of political theorising.     

Visual feature vs. conjunction searches as a robust manipulation of perceptual load

It has previously been suggested that Lavie’s Perceptual Load Theory can be assessed using feature vs. conjunction search tasks. In this study we manipulated load using a novel paradigm which retains the key features of both classic Load Theory and Feature Integration Theory paradigms. This new paradigm has the advantage of an inbuilt manipulation check which is necessary for future research to translate Load Theory to applied contexts. Across five experiments, we demonstrate the robust nature of this paradigm, which functions with extended display times, large, complex stimuli and when conditions are intermixed on a trial-by-trial basis. We also rule out dilution as a possible cause of these results. The results of all five experiments provide evidence that the feature vs. conjunction search dichotomy is an effective means of imposing low and high perceptual load while controlling for working memory load.     

拓扑几何在知觉组织与空间概念形成中的运用

陈霖的拓扑知觉理论运用几何性质解释知觉组织,并强调拓扑性质的优先性——拓扑知觉是其他几何知觉的基础,拓扑知觉先于其他几何知觉发生。皮亚杰的拓扑首位理论认为儿童的空间概念发展顺序为先发展拓扑几何概念,之后再发展射影与欧式几何概念。两大理论都运用拓扑性质来解释心理现象,其研究对象、研究方法存在很大不同,但它们在理论结构上具有高度一致性,对几何学在心理学上的运用有非常重要的启示意义。     

小学五年级语文学优生与学困生阅读知觉广度的眼动研究

本研究以眼动仪为工具,采用移动窗口范式来考察小学五年级语文学优生和学困生的阅读知觉广度。实验结果发现,小学五年级语文学优生的阅读知觉广度范围为注视字左侧一个汉字到注视字右侧三个汉字,小学五年级语文学困生的阅读知觉广度范围为注视字左侧一个汉字到注视字右侧两个汉字。小学五年级语文学优生的阅读知觉广度比学困生更大。     

弈棋风格的fMRI证据

为了探寻弈棋风格大局观维度存在的生理证据,研究使用1.5T功能型磁共振仪,采用被试间设计,记录并比较不同风格的围棋业余棋手在思考围棋问题时脑区激活情况。结果表明：大局观高分组被单独激活的Brodmann区有右BA1、右BA6、右BA17、右BA19,而低分组被试被单独激活的Brodmann区是左BA7、左BA9、右BA25、右BA37、右BA46、左BA47。这种差异为弈棋风格大局观维度的存在提供了生理性证据。     

篮球运动员对假动作任务的知觉预期优势

进行了三项实验以探讨篮球运动员知觉预期优势的原因,实验一通过对假动作任务和无假动作任务的预期正确率和自信心程度分析发现所有被试在假动作任务中的正确率和自信心程度均小于无假动作任务,假动作任务中运动员在这两个指标上均优于新手且趋势更满足二次曲线。实验二通过多重任务方法比较了点刺激和运动情景刺激条件下有无假动作任务的预期判断,发现假动作任务中运动员在反应时和正确率方面都有显著优势。实验三通过ERP分析发现运动员诱发了较大的N200和P200。据此认为,运动员的知觉预期优势可能主要存在假动作任务中,运动员在预期中采取启发式策略、并且更早编码、注意范围集中且稳定。     

知觉符号理论及其研究范式

知觉符号理论是第二代认知科学的核心理论之一, 研究者采用多种实验范式、在各个领域对该理论进行了探讨。分析以往的研究发现, 大量的研究主要探讨语言表征、概念获得、具身情绪、推理过程、社会认知和知觉符号发展等科学问题。本文对此领域的发展进行了简要梳理, 特别是以实验范式发展为主线详细介绍了知觉符号理论的发展, 并在此基础上提出了多元表征的思考。最后, 对知觉符号理论的发展提出了展望。