Attention network test: Assessment of cognitive function in chronic fatigue syndrome

Information processing difficulties are common in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). It has been shown that the time it takes to process a complex cognitive task, rather than error rate, may be the critical variable underlying CFS patients' cognitive complaints. The Attention Network Task (ANT) developed by Fan and colleagues may be of clinical utility to assess cognitive function in CFS, because it allows for simultaneous assessment of mental response speed, also called information processing speed, and error rate under three conditions challenging the attention system. Comparison of data from two groups of CFS patients (those with and without comorbid major depressive disorder; n = 19 and 22, respectively) to controls (n = 29) consistently showed that error rates did not differ among groups across conditions, but speed of information processing did. Processing time was prolonged in both CFS groups and most significantly affected in response to the most complex task conditions. For simpler tasks, processing time was only prolonged in CFS participants with depression. The data suggest that the ANT may be a task that could be used clinically to assess information processing deficits in individuals with CFS.     

Do Bettors Correctly Perceive Odds? Three Studies of How Bettors Interpret Betting Odds as Probabilistic Information

This paper reports on three studies investigating how accurately bettors (=people who regularly bet on sports events) interpret the probabilistic information implied by betting odds. All studies were based on data collected by web surveys prompting a total of 186 experienced bettors to convert sets of representative odds into frequency judgments. Bayesian statistical methods were used to analyze the data. From the results, the following conclusions were made: (i) On the whole, the bettors produced well‐calibrated judgments, indicating that they have realistic perceptions of odds. (ii) Bettors were unable to consciously adjust judgments for different margins. (iii) Although their interval judgments often covered the estimates implied by the odds, the bettors tended to overestimate the variation of expected profitable bets between months. The results are consistent with prior research showing that people tend to make accurate probability judgments when faced with tasks characterized by constant and clear feedback. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Empirical Priors in Polytomous Computerized Adaptive Tests: Risks and Rewards in Clinical Settings

The use of empirical prior information about participants has been shown to substantially improve the efficiency of computerized adaptive tests (CATs) in educational settings. However, it is unclear how these results translate to clinical settings, where small item banks with highly informative polytomous items often lead to very short CATs. We explored the risks and rewards of using prior information in CAT in two simulation studies, rooted in applied clinical examples. In the first simulation, prior precision and bias in the prior location were manipulated independently. Our results show that a precise personalized prior can meaningfully increase CAT efficiency. However, this reward comes with the potential risk of overconfidence in wrong empirical information (i.e., using a precise severely biased prior), which can lead to unnecessarily long tests, or severely biased estimates. The latter risk can be mitigated by setting a minimum number of items that are to be administered during the CAT, or by setting a less precise prior; be it at the expense of canceling out any efficiency gains. The second simulation, with more realistic bias and precision combinations in the empirical prior, places the prevalence of the potential risks in context. With similar estimation bias, an empirical prior reduced CAT test length, compared to a standard normal prior, in 68% of cases, by a median of 20%; while test length increased in only 3% of cases. The use of prior information in CAT seems to be a feasible and simple method to reduce test burden for patients and clinical practitioners alike.     

艾滋病防控中获取患者信息的伦理问题刍议

当前艾滋病获取患者信息中,存在公私观念上的摩擦、相关规定与环节存在疏漏、对信息弱势群体关照不足的伦理难题。问题背后包含着患者为了公共健康的伦理目的却又失去伦理关系的风险,“失德”名声带来的耻感与歧视,遵守政策规范却缺少应有的尊重与保护等矛盾。问题的解决需要在文化背景和利益关系下思量个人身心秩序与社会整体秩序间如何权衡,结合历史、理论与现实维度提出路径。“信”的建立是关键所在,包括公共卫生部门公信力的树立和相应制度措施建设,同时在信息活动中需要给“私”以合理地位,并注重艾滋病治疗相关医学信息的宣传。     

数据权属与规制探讨

数据可分为原生数据与衍生数据。原生数据视来源不同分属国家、集体或个人。数据处理而形成的衍生数据往往涉及多方利益,形成“利益光谱”,对应多方权利主体。基于价值优先次序、权利位阶规则等,数据利益的“两头强化,多方平衡”,是我国法律数据确权和规制的指导思想。“两头强化”是指法律强化对位于“利益光谱”两端的国家利益与个人权益的保护,“多方平衡”指的是多方主体数据权益的平衡。数据规制的“硬法”进路为：明确法律概念,分析“利益光谱”,确定利益归属,权衡优先次序,平衡多方利益,搭建规制框架,制定具体规则。

     

甲骨文所见医疾资料研究综论

甲骨文中保存了目前所见最早的医疾资料,引起了古文字学家、历史学家、中医学者的共同关注,产生了非常丰富的研究成果。目前,关于甲骨文医疾资料的研究,主要集中在甲骨文医疾资料数量、病症名称、致病原因、诊疗方法等几个方面;以往研究中存在释字不确、观点更新滞后、对卜辞语句理解欠准确、过度解读等问题,应引起学界的重视。甲骨文医疾资料的研究当以准确识文断字为前提,其研究具有跨学科性,古文字学、中医学等相关学科的交叉合作有助于推进甲骨文医疾资料的纵深研究。

     

汉字字谜任务中限制解除的电生理机制

尽管“限制解除”作为一种顿悟问题解决的关键途径早在上世纪90年代就被德国心理学者Knoblich及其同事提出, 但学界对于“限制解除”所包含的信息加工程序、阶段以及相应的脑认知过程却并未有进一步的探讨和细化。本文从“限制解除”的理论角度出发, 以答案提示催化的“诱发式”字谜解决顿悟为例, 首次提出了一个关于“诱发式”限制解除过程的信息加工阶段初步构想。该构想认为：顿悟问题解决中的“诱发式”限制解除过程包含3个不同的信息加工阶段。第一阶段是以早期注意参与为特征的冲突信息的预警或预处理过程; 第二阶段是以新旧思路交替为特征的关键限制解除过程, 鉴于这个过程以基本问题表征空间的拓展为特征, 因此我们推测右脑的活动很有可能在这个过程中占据主导地位; 第三阶段是以自上而下的控制加工为特征的重新整合过程。脑电研究数据部分地支持了本研究的假设, 发现了上述第一阶段在脑电变化上体现为顿悟性限制解除所伴随的N100/P200复合体; 第二阶段体现为P300在300~400 ms的时间窗内的地形图分布及差异波; 而第三阶段则体现为N400在400~800 ms内的变化。脑电结果还证实：在第二阶段也就是限制解除的关键阶段, 右脑的活动明显强于左脑, 提示基本问题空间的拓展可能更多地依赖于右脑, 而在第三阶段也就是信息的重新整合阶段则表现出相反的半球偏侧化倾向。上述发现有可能为进一步认识和理解顿悟中“限制解除”的脑认知机理提供了新的见解。     

认知需求对个体信息加工倾向性的影响

认知需求指"个体参与和享受思考的倾向"。作为一种认知动机,研究者认为其影响了个体信息加工的倾向性。对国外近30年来的相关研究进行回顾,结果显示认知需求主要在努力程度、自主性和结果及其应用范围这三方面影响了个体的信息加工。最后,展望了认知需求的研究趋势,并从认知需求的测量、无关变量的控制、影响的长期性和稳定性,以及情感因素负荷四方面探讨了现有相关研究的不足。