Gist-based illusions within and across stimulus modalities in autism spectrum disorder

Some studies have reported a low rate of false recognition (FR) in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) relative to non-autistic comparison participants (CPs). This finding, however, has not always been replicated and the source of the discrepancy remains unknown. We hypothesised that poor episodic memory functions may account for this finding. We used an adapted version of the Deese, Roediger and McDermott paradigm which presents lists of words, pictures or word–picture pairs to obtain measures of performance which reflect episodic [hits and false alarms (FAs)] and semantic (FR) memory functions. Results showed a decreased rate of FR in ASD individuals with lists of words which rose above the rate seen in non-autistic CPs with lists of word–picture pairs. This increased rate of FR in ASD was accompanied by a parallel increase in hits and a decrease in FA which reached a similar level in the two groups. Poor episodic memory functions may prevent individuals with ASD from acquiring item information which in turn precludes the formation of semantic links between items. This could render them less prone to FR.     

The development of preferences for own-race versus other-race faces in 3-, 6- and 9-month-old Caucasian infants

Visual preferences for pairs of African and Caucasian faces were repeatedly assessed in 3-, 6- and 9-month-old Caucasian infants with a preferential looking paradigm. Two different patterns of preference development were found: First, the spontaneous own-race preference at three months reported in the literature tilts to a preference for other-race faces at nine months passing through a null-preference at six months. This replicates the pattern recently reported for Asian infants [Liu et al. (2015). Development of visual preference for own- versus other-race faces in infancy. Developmental Psychology. doi:10.1037/a0038835]. Second, at all three ages fixation time towards Caucasian faces significantly reduces across the consecutive trial presentation. This is a similar effect as in novelty preference studies to occur after a sufficiently long familiarization phase. Both patterns can be explained in terms of an advantaged own-race face processing with the emerging Other-Race-Effect.     

The influence of high and low cue–action association on prospective memory performance

Recent discoveries in the field of prospective memory (PM) show higher accuracy for remembering intentions in which prospective cue and action are strongly associated. In two experiments presented in this paper, participants encoded both high and low association cue–action pairs and were later tested on both prospective and retrospective PM components. Results of both studies show higher PM accuracy for the low association pairs, compared to high association ones, but only for the prospective component (across both Experiments) and only when a high association cue was presented first (Experiment 2). This finding was accompanied by longer study times for the low association pairs and study times were functionally related to later performance (across both Experiments). In the retrospective component, higher accuracy was observed for pairs with high level of association (but only in the first Experiment). Data are discussed in the context of metacognitive processes possibly related to the encoding of an intention as well as cue monitoring in case of PM tasks with high memory load and varying task difficulty.     

自主任务转换中的重构和干扰

任务转换是研究执行功能的常用范式。任务转换通常伴随着转换代价：执行转换任务比重复任务的反应时更长、错误率更高。转换代价可能反映了任务设置重构(重构理论), 也可能表明任务之间存在干扰(干扰理论)。与任务线索范式相比, 自主任务转换范式更具生态效度, 而且不仅能获得转换代价这个传统结果, 还引入了任务选择比例、任务转换率等新指标, 其结果倾向于支持重构理论。此外, 新近研究指出自主任务转换可能也包含干扰的作用。未来, 应通过进一步改进实验范式等方法, 实现两大理论的融合。     

语义关联的注意捕获——来自线索化范式的证据

采用线索化范式, 操作性地建立线索和靶子的语义关联, 考察语义关联对注意捕获的影响。实验1采用特征线索意义靶子的形式, 建立某一特定语义水平的注意控制定势, 发现线索靶子语义一致时线索捕获注意, 线索靶子语义不一致时同样的线索失去捕获注意的能力。实验2随机呈现线索颜色和靶子汉字, 建立两种语义概念的注意控制定势, 发现所有的线索都出现了捕获效应, 而不论其在某一具体试次中是否与靶子意义一致。实验3交换了线索与靶子的属性及概念, 采用意义线索特征靶子的形式, 结果与实验1一致。这些结果表明, (1)语义关联的注意捕获符合关联性的无意注意定向假说, 刺激的捕获能力受当前的注意控制定势调节; (2)由语义概念激活的知觉表征在调节空间注意分配上与其自身相比形式相同, 但程度有所下降; (3)知觉特征水平的注意控制定势能够激活与其相应的语义概念, 使其吸引注意并调节空间注意分配; (4)知觉表征和语义概念的激活可能是双向的, 激活后在指导注意转移上表现出相同的特性。     

想象膨胀范式下错误记忆的老化效应

通过2个实验探究想象膨胀范式下老年人的错误记忆特点及其认知机制。实验1采用经典想象膨胀实验范式, 考察老年人是否会产生比年轻人更大的想象膨胀错误记忆效应; 实验2引入情景特异性诱导技术, 进一步考察老年人的想象膨胀错误记忆可能的认知机制。研究结果表明：(1)老年人与年轻人均表现出显著的想象膨胀错误记忆, 但老年人并没有比年轻人产生更多的错误记忆; (2)当通过情景特异性诱导技术有效增加了老年人在事件想象过程中的内在细节数量后, 老年人的错误记忆显著上升。该结果揭示对事件情景的想象过程是想象膨胀错误记忆发生的关键环节, 老年人没有表现出明显的老化效应, 主要是由于该群体随年龄增长表现出在回忆/想象情景事件时内部细节缺乏这一特征所致。研究结果支持了建构性情景模拟假说和激活/监测理论。     

遮挡范式下对碰撞时间的估计

本文研究视觉信息对碰撞时间估计的影响。实验采用遮挡范式（ｏｃｃｌｕｓｉｏｎ ｐａｒａｄｉｇｍ）,遮挡一段固定的距离,让被试估计该段距离所用的时间。自变量为移动速度与挡板的宽度。过程：让被试看速度知觉仪上移动的红灯,估计碰撞发生时按下电键。结果表明,移动速度对时间估计的准确性影响显著,速度越大,估计准确性越高;移动速度还与挡板宽度存在交互作用,即速度快、挡板宽度时碰撞时间的估计更准确,而速度慢、挡板     

自发特质推理中的社会刻板效应

近来, 考察自发特质推理中的社会刻板效应, 成为自发特质推理研究的一个新趋势。在介绍自发特质推理及其研究范式的基础上, 概述了刻板印象与特质的概念联系, 并阐明了考察自发特质推理中的社会刻板效应的理论依据和方法。接着, 对自发特质推理中的职业、种族和性别刻板效应研究进行了回顾, 发现刻板印象对自发特质推理的影响主要通过它对自发特质推理的阻碍作用体现出来, 在高认知负荷下, 这种阻碍作用更为明显。最后, 从研究对象、研究方法、研究内容三个方面对该领域的研究进行了评价和展望。     

当前阅读的眼动研究范式述评

目前, 阅读的眼动研究中常用的实验研究范式包括移动窗口范式、移动掩蔽范式、边界范式、快速启动范式、消失文本范式和视觉—情境范式等。本文详细介绍了这些实验范式的具体实验操作程序、内在的实验逻辑关系及相应的研究成果, 同时总结了在应用各种眼动范式时需要注意的问题。另外, 本文对阅读的眼动研究范式的应用前景进行了展望：(1)眼动研究范式在验证当前阅读的眼动理论模型中的作用; (2)不同眼动研究范式的有效结合及其在场景知觉等研究领域的迁移; (3)眼动研究范式和电生理/脑成像技术的结合; (4)眼动研究范式在中文阅读研究中的应用。