Data-driven sequence learning or search: What are the prerequisites for the generation of explicit sequence knowledge?

In incidental sequence learning situations, there is often a number of participants who can report the task-inherent sequential regularity after training. Two kinds of mechanisms for the generation of this explicit knowledge have been proposed in the literature. First, a sequence representation may become explicit when its strength reaches a certain level (Cleeremans, 2006), and secondly, explicit knowledge may emerge as the result of a search process that is triggered by unexpected events that occur during task processing and require an explanation (the unexpected-event hypothesis; Haider & Frensch, 2009). Our study aimed at systematically exploring the contribution of both mechanisms to the generation of explicit sequence knowledge in an incidental learning situation. We varied the amount of specific sequence training and inserted unexpected events into a 6-choice serial reaction time task. Results support the unexpected-event view, as the generation of explicit sequence knowledge could not be predicted by the representation strength acquired through implicit sequence learning. Rather sequence detection turned out to be more likely when participants were shifted to the fixed repeating sequence after training than when practicing one and the same fixed sequence without interruption. The behavioral effects of representation strength appear to be related to the effectiveness of unexpected changes in performance as triggers of a controlled search.     

Stimulus-dependent modulation of perceptual and motor learning in a serial reaction time task

In two experiments, we investigated the impact of spatial attributes on the representation acquired during a serial reaction time task. Two sequences were used, in which structural regularities occurred either in the horizontal or in the vertical locations of successive stimuli. After training with the dominant hand, participants were required to respond with the non-dominant hand to either the original sequence or to a mirror-ordered version of the original sequence that required finger movements homologous to those used during training. We observed that a difference in reaction times between the two transfer conditions was smaller in the vertical sequence than in the horizontal sequence. This pattern of results was independent of whether three fingers (Experiment 1) were used or only one finger (Experiment 2) was used for responding. This result suggests that perceptual and motor learning mechanisms may be weighted differently depending on the context in which the stimulus is presented.     

Ageing Health Care and the Spiritual Imperative: A View from Scotland

SUMMARY

This paper, given as a keynote presentation at the third international conference on Ageing and Spirituality 2004 in Adelaide, Australia, offers a perspective on ageing that makes central and fundamental the spiritual journey. Ageing is not confined to the old. We are all ageing all the time and whilst the imperative of ego integration (Erikson, 1986, 1982) is more pressing in old age, the march of time makes no exceptions. The paper starts with a consideration of the Scottish context and the current interest in Scotland in spirituality and health. Borrowing from the human developmental ideas of Frankl, Jung, Erikson, and Klein, the paper takes the view that we are all spiritual beings, and we are all trying to be successful, integrated reconciled and mature individuals. Ageing and spirituality is relevant to every individual. Successful ageing is fundamentally concerned with the successful self. The spiritual journey is bound up with the search for meaning. Ageing is part of the task of being human and it involves decline and loss. The spiritual journey–search for meaning–is unique to each one of us. The spiritual journey is made evident in the search for the ultimate destination of giving up self, transcending self. Remembrance and routine are methods by which the ageing and the spiritual journey can be facilitated. A successful ageing, according to this perspective, is therefore one that embraces and self-consciously embarks upon a spiritual journey. To take it further–the spiritual journey is bound up with ageing–and further still–ageing is a spiritual journey (Bianchi, 1984). The primary task of ageing is spiritual development. Spiritual development is helped by an appropriate societal context in which ageing as spiritual journey can flourish. This has implications for health and social care services.     

A Transdiagnostic Examination of Intolerance of Uncertainty Across Anxiety and Depressive Disorders

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) has been identified as a potential maintaining factor for generalised anxiety disorder; however, there is a growing evidence to suggest that IU may contribute to other anxiety and depressive disorders. Moreover, certain components of IU (namely prospective and inhibitory IU) have been shown to be differentially associated with symptoms of emotional disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which individuals with various anxiety and depressive disorders endorsed IU, firstly as a trait variable (with prospective and inhibitory components) and secondly in reference to regularly occurring, diagnostically relevant situations (situation-specific IU). The degree to which diagnosis predicted IU was examined in a highly comorbid clinical sample (N = 218). Regardless of specific diagnoses, the degree of comorbidity emerged as a significant predictor of prospective IU and situation-specific IU. Conversely, specific diagnoses of social phobia, generalised anxiety disorder, depression, and obsessive compulsive disorder were uniquely related to inhibitory IU. These findings suggest that IU is a transdiagnostic construct and have implications for current diagnosis-specific and transdiagnostic theory and clinical practice.     

不同表面特征图片对内隐记忆和外显记忆的影响

该研究选取30名被试,采用任务分离实验研究范式探讨不同表面特征图片对内隐记忆和外显记忆的影响。以32张动物图片为实验材料,其中鱼类和鸟类图片各半。两类图片中一半为黑白图片,另一半为彩色图片,所有实验材料用E—Prime软件呈现在电脑上。结果表明：（1）不同表面特征图片的再认成绩（外显记忆）显著好于偏好再认成绩（内隐记忆）,即外显记忆成绩好于内隐记忆;（2）在再认测验和偏好判断测验中,再认成绩和偏好再认成绩在图片表面特征的两个水平上存在显著差异;（3）控制组的偏好再认成绩显著好于实验组的偏好再认成绩,即控制组的内隐记忆好于实验组。结论：刺激材料的表面特征既是外显记忆的内容,也是影响外显记忆的重要因素;内隐记忆的作业成绩高度依赖于刺激材料的表面特征,刺激材料的表面特征是影响两种记忆的重要因素。     

情绪对西蒙效应的调节作用

西蒙效应（Simoneffect）是动作反应机制研究中的经典效应。基于微观分析的视角,动作反应机制可以用来解释和衡量操作效率。本文以22名大学生为被试,采用实验研究的方式,应用启动一靶（priming—target）范式探索情绪对水平和垂直西蒙效应的调节机制。结果表明,情绪影响西蒙效应的强度,相比中性和正性情绪启动,负性情绪降低了西蒙效应。同时,情绪对西蒙效应的调节作用仅表现在水平西蒙效应而不是在垂直西蒙效应中。本文为情绪对西蒙效应的调节机制提供了行为学实验研究证据。     

The impact of uncertainty and communal coping on mental health following natural disasters

Abstract

Feelings of uncertainty are a central feature of the disaster experience. Surprisingly, though, there is very little systematic quantitative research about the impact of uncertainty on disaster survivors. Moreover, communal coping has increasingly received attention as a potential buffer of the negative effects of stressors but that literature is also limited in its application to disasters. This investigation applies research in the domain of uncertainty, together with the Theoretical Model of Communal Coping to better understand the experience of a community exposed to three wildfires in a one year period. A random-digit dialing procedure was used to gather data from 402 individuals. Participants completed measures of mental health, uncertainty, and communal coping in the context of their experience with the most personally stressful of the three wildfires. All analyses were examined separately for those who were evacuated and those who were not. Results support the negative impact of uncertainty across both evacuated and nonevacuated sub-samples and show a strong buffering role for communal coping among those who evacuated. The implications of these findings for the understanding of wildfire survivors' experiences are noted and future directions are proposed.     

Intolerance of uncertainty predicts analogue posttraumatic stress following adverse life events

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There is evidence that intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is associated with elevated post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms. There is a scarcity of research examining whether IU is prospectively related to PTS following exposure to negative life events. Using data from a Dutch student-sample, we examined the degree to which IU predicts post-traumatic stress symptoms associated with negative stressful life events (analogue posttraumatic stress (PTS)).

DESIGN: This was a prospective survey-study.

METHODS: A group of 193 undergraduate students completed self-report measures of Inhibitory IU, Prospective IU, and anxiety sensitivity (at Time 1, T1). One year later (at T2), participants rated adverse life-events experienced between T1 and T2, and completed a questionnaire tapping PTS associated with the most distressing event experienced in this time-frame. We hypothesized that pre-event Inhibitory IU and—to a lesser extent—Prospective IU would predict analogue PTS, after covarying for anxiety sensitivity.

RESULTS: As predicted, pre-event Inhibitory IU predicted post-event analogue PTS, even when controlling for anxiety sensitivity. With respect to distinct analogue PTS clusters, Inhibitory IU predicted PTS avoidance and PTS hyperarousal, but was unrelated to PTS reexperiencing.

CONCLUSIONS: This study confirm that IU, particularly Inhibitory IU, may convey risk for elevated PTS following adverse life events.     

Emotional and Cognitive Processing in Sexual Assault Survivors' Narratives

Sexual assault sequelae include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and substance use. Seminal treatment models have been developed based on emotional (Foa & Kozak, 1986) and cognitive (Resick & Schnicke, 1992) theories, and determined to be efficacious. Studies also have documented the utility of Pennebaker and Beall's (1986) narrative writing paradigm for trauma- related depressive and PTSD symptoms. Recently investigations have sought to explicate its benefit, focusing on mechanisms of action. This study aimed to examine the emotional activation and cognitive processing across narrative writing sessions with undergraduate sexual assault survivors. Results revealed statistically significant reductions in depressive symptoms and alcohol use, but not PTSD symptoms. Clinically meaningful and statistically significant emotional activation and habituation occurred within and across sessions. Implications and limitations are discussed.     

Distractor-response bindings in dual task scenarios

If a response is executed in reaction to a target stimulus, accompanying distractor stimuli can be integrated with and later on retrieve this response, an effect called distractor-response binding. There has been some debate as to whether S-R binding is generally influenced by attentional processes and in particular the role of attentional processes for the binding of irrelevant stimuli and responses is unclear. We therefore analyze the impact of spatial input attention while engaging central attention in an additional task. In particular, participants worked in dual task situations that induced load on central attention while the distribution of spatial attention was manipulated by varying the location of the different tasks. Distractor-response binding occurred only if both tasks were presented in the same spatial location. In contrast, binding effects within one task were prevented if spatial attention was withdrawn from the task by presenting a second task in a separate area. It is concluded that input but no central attention is required for the integration of distractor stimuli and responses. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.