Effects of time pressure on strategy selection and strategy execution in forced choice tests

We examined the effects of cognitive load on the strategy selection in the forced choice test (FCT) when used to detect hidden crime knowledge. Examinees (N = 120) with and without concealed knowledge from a mock crime were subjected to an FCT either under standard circumstances or cognitive load. Cognitive load was implemented through time pressure. The FCT distinguished examinees with concealed knowledge from those without better than chance in both conditions, but the counterstrategies did not differ between conditions. Further investigation revealed that time pressure did affect examinees' ability to follow their intended counterstrategy to produce randomized test patterns, which constitutes an effective counterstrategy in the FCT. Hence, time pressure lowered the success rate of effective counterstrategies, but not their incident rates. Further disambiguation of various cognitive load manipulations and their effects on strategy selection and execution is needed.     

L’intensification du travail,et l’intensification des changements dans le travail : quels enjeux pour les travailleurs expérimentés ?

In this article we address, on the basis of various knowledge in ergonomics, work psychology and work demography, the stakes of a confrontation between two trends in progress: on one side the structural ageing of workforce, on the other side work intensification, and intensification of changes at work. This analyze includes statements on these evolutions by themselves, and a synthesis of knowledge on the difficulties created by the intensification of work, or changes at work, for elderly workers, but also on work strategies that those can elaborate, using their experience, in order to cope with these constraints.     

高低创造性思维水平者的认知抑制能力：行为和生理的证据

本研究采用2个实验, 考察创造性思维测验得分高低者在Stroop任务干扰条件上的差异, 从行为和生理指标探讨认知抑制与创造性思维的关系, 以及时间压力对认知抑制与创造性思维关系的调节作用。实验1采用Stroop颜色命名任务。结果发现, 相比低创者, 高创者的反应时干扰效应量和正确率干扰效应量均更小。实验2采用更灵活的Stroop字义-颜色命名转换任务, 操纵不同的时间压力条件, 并记录被试完成任务时的皮肤电活动。结果发现, 高创者在有时间压力条件下的干扰效应量显著小于无时间压力条件下, 而低创者在有和无时间压力条件下的干扰效应量无显著差异; 高创者在颜色命名任务的不一致条件下的皮肤电活动变化显著高于一致条件, 而低创者在颜色命名任务的一致和不一致条件下无显著差异。研究表明：总体而言, 相比低创者, 高创者的认知抑制能力更高, 能够有效抑制优势的但不相关的反应倾向。时间压力在认知抑制与创造性思维的关系中起调节作用, 高创者面对不同任务要求能够灵活调整自身的认知抑制水平, 并表现出变化的生理唤醒水平。结果支持创造性思维的适应性认知抑制假说。     

Domain-specific assessment of anger expression and ambulatory blood pressure

Bongard and al’Absi (2003) proposed domain-specific anger expression as an improved method for measuring the expression of anger with stronger links to cardiovascular parameters. We tested this proposal by relating their domain-specific measure to ambulatory blood pressure. One hundred and forty-nine Singapore young adults responded to a modified version of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory that measured anger expression at home, school/work and leisure and then underwent 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Results indicated significant differences in reported anger expression in the three domains measured and also showed that domain-specific measures of anger expression were more strongly related to ambulatory blood pressure than was the general measure of anger expression. These results provide additional evidence for the importance of measures of anger expression that take account of the specific context in which anger occurs.     

学习时间分配机制的眼动研究

本研究采用被试内的实验设计,以无意义词对为实验材料,利用眼动记录技术,通过分析在有无时间压力时,个体对不同难度词对的学习时间分配,检验学习时间分配的差距缩减模型和最近学习区模型.研究发现:(1)在总注视时间上,难度和时间压力的影响都是显著的,并且存在交互作用.(2)个体的学习次序是由易到难的.研究结果支持了最近学习区模型.     

The relation of hypertension to cognitive function

Hypertension is an established risk factor for stroke. However, prior to such a major clinical event, hypertension exerts a more subtle impact on the brain that is revealed by diminished cognitive function. Studies comparing the performance of people with high and normal blood pressure levels have shown that high blood pressure or hypertension is related to poorer performance on tests of attention, learning and memory, executive functions, visuospatial skills, psychomotor abilities, and perceptual skills. Hypertension is also predictive of cognitive decline. Variables that may alter (i.e., moderate) the relation of hypertension to cognitive function include age, education, several biological characteristics of hypertension, and the presence of concurrent diseases. Although hypertensives are not clinically impaired, their diminished levels of cognitive performance could affect their perceived quality of life. Various brain mechanisms may explain the relation of hypertension to lower levels of cognitive function. Further understanding of the relation between hypertension and cognition is critical to the preservation of cognitive function across the life span.     

Are pets a healthy pleasure? the influence of pets on blood pressure

Pet owners often describe their pets as important and cherished family members who offer solace in times of stress. This article considers evidence suggesting that pets influence human blood pressure. Studies on this topic extend current research testing the hypothesis that having other people around in stressful times can buffer the negative consequences of stress. The existing data suggest that people perceive pets as important, supportive parts of their lives and that the presence of a pet is associated with significant cardiovascular benefits, among both people with normal blood pressure and those with high blood pressure. Studies about pets and blood pressure have examined both naturally occurring and randomly assigned pet ownership but are limited by their focus on responses to short-term, acute stress. Future prospective studies should explore the influence of pets on people at risk for cardiovascular disease and also consider explanatory mechanisms for the pet effect.     

When is one head better than two? Interdependent information in group decision making

Research on information exchange in group decision making has frequently assumed that information items have independent meanings. Relaxing this assumption raises new issues and presents new possibilities. In the experiment presented here, dyads worked on hidden profile decision tasks in which pairs of unshared information items had interdependent meanings. Dyad decisions were more likely to be accurate when each pair of interdependent items was allocated to a single member (a “connected” hidden profile) than when each pair of interdependent items was separated between the two members (a “disconnected” hidden profile). These information distributions influenced the degree to which dyads considered unshared information. Cognitive load was manipulated, and it impaired decision makers’ ability to identify connections among interdependent information items. The differentiated distribution of information inherent in transactive memory systems moderated the negative effects of cognitive load on dyad decisions.     

Evaluation of pre-operative anxiety and propofol-induced sedation using newly proposed indices of finger vascular tone

Abstract: This study examined estimates of finger vascular tone, obtained from photoplethysmography. Normalized and double‐normalized pulse volume (NPV and DNPV), blood volume (BV), and pulse volume (PV) were obtained in 2 male and 7 female middle‐aged patients at an outpatient office 1–3 days before an operation and in the operating room before and after anesthesia by propofol. There was a preoperative decrease in NPV, and the propofol injection yielded a moderate increase in BV. The latter seemed to contribute to a decrease in DNPV. A partial correlation controlling for body mass index was observed between the change in NPV and the dose of propofol; a larger reduction in NPV before anesthesia compared with the control condition was accompanied by the need for a greater infusion of propofol for sedation. In conclusion, among the measures examined, NPV appears to be the best indicator of heightened arteriolar vascular tone.