Latent inhibition is affected by phase of estrous cycle in female rats

Estrogen has been shown to have a strong modulatory influence on several types of cognition in both women and female rodents. Latent inhibition is a task in which pre-exposure to a neutral stimulus, such as a tone, later impedes the association of that stimulus with a particular consequence, such as a shock. Previous work from our lab demonstrates that high levels of estradiol (E2) administered to ovariectomized (OVX) female rats abolishes latent inhibition when compared to female rats with low levels of E2 or male rats. To determine if this E2-induced impairment also occurs with the natural variations of ovarian hormones during the estrous cycle, this behavior was investigated in cycling female rats. In addition, pre-pubertal male and female rats were also tested in this paradigm to determine if the previously described sex differences are activational or organizational in nature. In a latent inhibition paradigm using a tone and a shock, adult rats were conditioned during different points of the estrous cycle. Rats conditioned during proestrus, a period of high E2 levels, exhibited attenuated latent inhibition when compared to rats conditioned during estrus or metestrus, periods associated with low levels of E2. Moreover, this effect is not seen until puberty indicating it is dependent on the surge of hormones at puberty. This study confirms recent findings that high E2 interferes with latent inhibition and is the first to show this is based in the activational actions of hormones.     

时间情景模型提取过程的实质初探:激活与抑制

采用扇效应技术和负启动实验范式探讨时间情景模型提取过程的实质。实验材料为18个"某人在某时间做某事"的句子,结果发现,实验条件下目标句的反应时显著长于控制条件下目标句的反应时,而两种条件下启动句的反应时无显著差异,出现了显著的负启动效应。这表明,在时间情景模型提取过程中,不仅激活了目标情景模型和与之相关的情景模型,而且对同时激活的相关的情景模型进行了抑制,支持长时记忆提取的抑制观。     

认知老化中有意控制对自动抑制的调节作用

结合比例控制范式与基于空间位置的返回抑制范式, 探讨了认知老化过程中自上而下的有意认知控制对自动抑制的调节作用。结果表明, 当线索有效率由50%提升至80%时, 两组被试的返回抑制量均下降, 老年组表现为返回抑制消失, 但年轻组出现返回抑制的反转, 表明有意认知控制对自动抑制的调节作用受认知老化的影响而发生衰减。同时文章还就认知老化机制的新兴理论—— 执行衰退假说进行了讨论。     

外框数目、线索数目和线索类型对返回抑制的影响

采用被试内重复测量设计和经典的线索—靶子实验范式,考查了外框数目（4和8）、线索数目（1和3）、不同线索类型（on-off线索（即线索出现后消失）、onset线索（即线索持续呈现））对返回抑制的影响,发现靶子潜在位置数目越多反应时越长,返回抑制量越小;线索数目越少反应时越长,返回抑制量越大;onset线索反应时长于on-off线索,onset线索产生的返回抑制量大于on-off线索。这表明空间工作记忆负载和记忆痕迹会影响返回抑制。     

记忆编码与提取的非对称关系

编码与提取是记忆的两个重要加工阶段, 虽然多数研究认为记忆的编码与提取过程是重叠的, 但也有一些研究结果证实了二者之间存在着差异性。这些研究主要从行为和神经成像两方面探讨编码与提取的非对称性关系, 并通过双加工模型及记忆两阶段神经生理学模型加以解释。综合以往研究, 编码与提取加工之间可能存在着多重复杂的关系。     

触动觉对词汇学习和回忆的作用

本研究通过两个实验采用单因素被试内设计研究了触动觉对无意义词汇学习和回忆的作用。自变量设置了3 个水平,视觉学习—视觉回忆(水平1),视觉触动觉结合学习—视觉回忆(水平2),视觉触动觉结合学习—视觉触动觉结合回忆(水平3)。结果表明,在即时回忆条件下,触动觉对3字符词汇的学习和回忆都没有明显的促进作用。但是对5 字符词汇而言,在学习过程中,加入触动觉会明显提高学习成绩;在回忆过程中加不加触动觉对成绩影响不大。     

“Strength and Safety in Numbers”: A Theoretical Perspective on Group Influences on Approach and Avoidance Motivation

This paper presents a theoretical framework that advances current understanding of motivational and affective causes and consequences of small group processes and behaviors. Theories on the approach and avoidance systems of motivation state that these systems are active in the presence of potential positive or negative outcomes, respectively. In many instances, groups are associated with rewards and are perceived to facilitate positive outcomes (“strength in numbers”), and are a source of security and thought to reduce the occurrence of negative outcomes (“safety in numbers”). Accordingly, group membership and interaction should impact activation of group members’ approach and avoidance motivation systems. Thus, systematic group influences on mood, information processing, perceptions, attention, and behavior should be expected. The integration of approach and avoidance theories with small group research can potentially broaden our knowledge of the group experience, and lead to a theoretical framework for investigations of goal-directed behaviors in group settings.     

定向遗忘研究的进展

定向遗忘是关于记忆研究的一种实验范式,也是记忆心理学家非常关注的热点问题。本文主要阐释了基于代价———收益原则的定向遗忘研究范式,探讨了定向遗忘的研究方法,揭示了定向遗忘可能存在的机制,并结合实证研究论述了定向遗忘研究的进展。     

Do secondary school students make use of effective study strategies when they study on their own?

Although there is a large body of evidence for the utility of particular study strategies such as retrieval practice and distributed practice as memory‐enhancing instruments, they are seldom used by learners in educational practice. Thus far, the research on the use of these study strategies has focused only on undergraduate university students, oftentimes only investigating a set of predefined strategies. The question, thus, remains whether these results are generalisable to secondary school students. The present study is the first to explore the use of different study strategies by secondary school students. With the use of an open question, 316 secondary school students from three different secondary school levels were asked how they prepare for an exam when they are studying by themselves. The results show that secondary school students use study strategies considered to be suboptimal. In the discussion, we compare our findings with results of previous studies among undergraduate university students.     

Social information processing skills link executive functions to aggression in adolescents with mild to borderline intellectual disability

Executive Functions (EFs) have been associated with aggression in children and adolescents. EFs as higher-order cognitive abilities are assumed to affect cognitive functions such as Social Information Processing (SIP). We explored SIP skills as a mediating mechanism linking EFs to aggression in adolescents with mild to borderline intellectual disability (MBID with IQ from 50–84), a high risk group for aggressive behaviors and EF impairments. A total of 153 adolescents (M_age = 15.24, SD = 1.35; 54% male) with MBID participated. Focused attention, behavioral inhibition, and working memory were tested with multiple neurocognitive tasks to define latent EF constructs. Participants responded to a video-based SIP task. A latent construct for aggression was defined by caretaker, teacher, and adolescent self-reports of aggression (Child Behavior Check List, Teacher Report Form, and Youth Self Report). Structural equation modeling was performed to test mediation. Results were consistent with mediation of the relation between focused attention and aggression by SIP, namely via hostile interpretations and self-efficacy for aggression. Behavioral inhibition was linked to aggression, but this relation was not mediated by SIP. The relation between working memory and aggression was mediated by SIP, namely via hostile interpretations, aggressive response generation and via self-efficacy for aggressive responses. Bearing the cross-sectional design in mind, support was found for SIP skills as a mechanism linking EFs, in particular focused attention and working memory, to aggression, providing a viable explanation for the high vulnerability of adolescents with MBID for aggression.