父母婚姻冲突对儿童发展的影响及其机制

婚姻关系是家庭关系中最核心的关系, 家庭中父母婚姻冲突影响着儿童发展。众多研究发现, 父母婚姻冲突对儿童认知发展和情绪社会性发展均有重要影响, 而且父母婚姻冲突影响儿童发展存在复杂的作用机制(如中介机制和调节机制)。父母婚姻冲突对儿童发展的影响主要通过儿童认知-情绪过程和家庭过程来实现, 且这一影响会因多种儿童因素和环境因素的不同而不同。未来研究有必要同时考察父母婚姻冲突对儿童认知发展和情绪社会性发展的影响, 并进一步探究和整合多种作用机制, 为干预方案的制定提供有力支持。     

三数值加工系统假说：数值加工机制新探

数值加工的机制是数量认知领域的核心科学问题之一。三数值加工系统假说从新的角度阐释了各种数值加工机制的关系, 它认为认知系统通过三种不同的机制来快速分析非符号刺激的数值：感数(subitizing)机制精确地分析1~4个刺激的数值; 数量(numerosity)机制分析密度适中的刺激点阵的数量, 加工误差正比于被分析的数量, 符合韦伯定律; 当刺激的密度超出一定范围时, 密度(density)机制通过分析刺激密度来推断刺激的数量关系, 加工误差正比于被加工数值的平方根。一系列研究证实, 这三种数值加工机制具有不同的行为规律和脑电特征。未来研究需要探讨数量机制是否分别与感数机制、密度机制存在平行激活, 从而阐明三种数值加工机制的作用关系。     

Alignment and commitment in joint action

Important work on alignment systems has been applied to philosophical work on joint action by Tollefsen and Dale. This paper builds from and expands on their work. The first aim of the paper is to spell out how the empirical research on alignment may be integrated into philosophical theories of joint action. The second aim is then to develop a successful characterization of joint action, which spells out the difference between genuine joint action and simpler forms of coordination based on alignment. I begin by introducing the empirical research and two definitions of joint action. I then argue that instead of using this research in conjunction with Searle’s account of collective intentionality, as Tollefsen and Dale suggest, we would be better served by applying this research to Gilbert’s account of plural subjects. In the final sections I distinguish between alignment, coordination, and joint action, clarify the roles of joint commitment and sub-personal alignment in joint action, and argue that these concepts are both consistent and mutually supportive. Combining these two research programs gives us an account of joint action that does justice to both the empirical and philosophical research.     

“Poor is pious”: Distinctiveness threat increases glorification of poverty among the poor

The current study examines whether a threat to group distinctiveness motivates the poor to glorify poverty as an identity management strategy. Research shows that threat to ingroup distinctiveness can motivate people to positively differentiate their group from similar outgroups on relevant dimensions of comparison. Little is known however about whether such processes would occur also with respect to devalued group characteristics that are not reflective of explicit group norms. This question is of high theoretical and practical importance because it can illustrate that people internalize and glorify even adverse traits as means of managing their social identity when faced with threat. We therefore tested whether among a poor community, individuals would glorify poverty when faced with distinctiveness threat. We collected data from Haredim (ultra‐Orthodox Jews), a poor and highly religious population in Israel. Across two experiments, we manipulated distinctiveness threat via inducing similarity between Haredim and seculars in Israel. We found that poverty was reconstrued as positive and desirable following distinctiveness threat, but only among Haredim who have a high commitment to group norms (Study 1) and who strongly justify their own social system (Study 2). Theoretical and applied implications of the findings are discussed.     

Blaming a Few Bad Apples to Save a Threatened Barrel: The System‐Justifying Function of Conspiracy Theories

This research demonstrates that conspiracy theories—often represented as subversive alternatives to establishment narratives—may bolster, rather than undermine, support for the social status quo when its legitimacy is under threat. A pilot study (N = 98) found a positive relationship between conspiracy belief and satisfaction with the status quo. In Study 1 (N = 120), threatening (vs. affirming) the status quo in British society caused participants to endorse conspiracy theories. In Study 2 (N = 159), exposure to conspiracy theories increased satisfaction with the British social system after this had been experimentally threatened. In Study 3 (N = 109), this effect was mediated by the tendency for participants exposed (vs. not exposed) to conspiracy theories to attribute societal problems relatively more strongly to small groups of people rather than systemic causes. By blaming tragedies, disasters, and social problems on the actions of a malign few, conspiracy theories can divert attention from the inherent limitations of social systems.     

Interference Effects from Observed Movement in Parkinson's Disease

Previous research has demonstrated that Parkinson's disease patients have an increased susceptibility to response conflict. In the present study, the authors investigate whether Parkinson's patients have a similar sensitivity to interference from observed movements. In all, 10 patients and 10 controls performed horizontal and vertical arm movements while watching a video of either a person performing similar movements or a moving dot. Movements were performed in the same plane (congruent) and orthogonal to the observed movement (incongruent). The off-axis variance of movements was our index of interference. Although patients tended to exhibit more off-axis variability than did controls, both groups demonstrated similar congruence effects, with greater variance in incongruent conditions. These results indicated that increased susceptibility to interference in Parkinson's disease does not extend to interference from observed movements.     

Mechanisms Controlling Head Stabilization in the Elderly During Random Rotations in the Vertical Plane

Frequency-related response characteristics of the mechanisms controlling stabilization of the head in 10 elderly subjects were compared with response characteristics in 8 young adults. Angular velocity of the head with respect to the trunk and EMG responses of 2 neck muscles were recorded in 10 seated subjects during pseudorandom rotations of the trunk in the sagittal plane at frequencies of 0.35 to 3.05 Hz. Subjects were required to actively stabilize their heads with (VS) and without (NV) visual feedback so that voluntary mechanisms and the influence of vision could be tested. Reflex mechanisms were examined when subjects were distracted by a mental calculation task during rotations in the dark (MA). Age emerged as an influential factor in the performance of head stabilization mechanisms, and decrements in performance were even more pronounced in the older as compared with younger elderly subjects. Age effects could be seen in the (a) diminished ability to voluntarily stabilize the head, particularly with the absence of vision, (b) impaired ability to stabilize the head when cognitively distracted, and (c) appearance of a resonant response of the head. Control of head stabilization shifted from reflex mechanisms to system mechanics, probably as a result of age-related changes in the integrity of the sensory systems. The elderly's system mechanics could not effectively compensate for the disturbances, however, and instability was the result.     

Dynamic Touch by Hand and Head During Walking: Protective Behavior for the Head?

We investigated perception of the extent of an object held in the hand or attached to the head during walking. Participants wielded an occluded, weighted rod by hand and by head and reported the perceived location of the rod end (relative to a virtual vertical line) while walking and while standing. There was an unexpected effect of body part on perceived location of the rod end. In particular, participants stood or walked so that the rod end was farther away from the vertical line when wielding with the head than wielding with the hand. It is possible that differences between the tasks and the relative costs of a collision influenced the locomotory behavior in each condition.     

Reinforcement sensitivity theory and symptoms of personality disorder: Specificity of the BIS in Cluster C and BAS in Cluster B

Gray’s reinforcement sensitivity theory, consisting of the behavioral inhibition (BIS) and behavioral activation (BAS), is frequently used to represent basic dimensions of psychopathology. However, notably few investigations have examined the link between the BIS/BAS and symptoms of personality disorder (PD). Although the Fight-Flight-Freeze System has emerged in the revised model as an important aspect of motivation, the BIS (linked to anxiety) and BAS (linked to impulsivity) have been the primary foci. The current investigation uses a dimensional measure of PD, the schedule for nonadaptive and adaptive personality (SNAP; Clark, 1993) applied to two independent samples of English-speaking participants: undergraduates (n = 276) and clinical patients (n = 47). Results were consistent across both samples, demonstrating that symptoms of Cluster B PDs are indicative of high BAS levels whereas symptoms of Cluster C PDs are characterized by high BIS levels.