Mirror-drawing skill in children with specific language impairment: Improving generalization by incorporating variability into the practice session

This study aimed to investigate the procedural deficit hypothesis (PDH) in children with specific language impairment (SLI) by using a mirror-drawing task, a sensorimotor adaptation paradigm that does not involve sequence learning and has never before been used in SLI. A total of 30 school-aged children with SLI matched to 30 typically developing (TD) control children had to trace several figures seen only in mirror-reversed view in two practice sessions separated by a one-week interval. Two practice conditions were compared: a constant condition in which children had to trace the same figure throughout the learning trials, and a variable one in which they had to trace different figures in each trial. The results revealed a similar learning pattern between SLI and TD children in both practice conditions, suggesting that initial learning for a non-sequential procedural task is preserved in SLI. However, the children with SLI generalized the mirror-drawing skill in the same way as the TD children only if there was variability in the way the material was trained (variable practice). No significant schedule effects were observed in the control group.     

Repressive coping and cardiovascular reactivity to novel and recurrent stress

Background and objectives: Repressors tend to report less negative emotion and to describe challenges as less stressful, yet tend to exhibit higher rates of cardiovascular disease. While repressive coping has been shown to be associated with exaggerated physiological reactivity to novel stress, we sought to establish if elevated responses persisted across repeated exposure.

Design and methods: In a sample of 86 healthy female adults, a verbal-autonomic response dissociation index of repressive coping was computed. Participants were exposed to two consecutive stress tasks, with analyses based on comparisons of consecutive stress responses.

Results: Analysis of covariance demonstrated significant differences across the study on diastolic blood pressure and cardiac output, as a function of repressive coping. Repressors showed elevated reactions to both stress tasks; however, cardiac output responses to the second task were more muted indicating that repressive coping was associated with successful adaptation to recurrent stress. Nevertheless, repressive copers maintained an exaggerated cardiovascular responses to recurrent stress.

Conclusions: The present study identifies that repressive coping may be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease development through elevated cardiovascular reactions to both novel and recurrent stress.     

A qualitative study of adaptation to the euro in the Republic of Ireland: I. attitudes,the ‘euro illusion’ and the perception of prices

This is the first of two reports of a study using semi‐structured, in‐depth interviews to explore the current and recollected experiences of Irish people for the period before, during, and after the introduction of euro notes and coins (1 January 2002). Twenty‐four adults, 12 males and 12 females, covering a range of ages and educational attainment, were interviewed between October 2002 and February 2003. We found that most had welcomed the new currency initially, though some had felt less positive about it, whilst current experiences were more mixed. People's explanations for their attitudes seemed to focus more on the economic and practical aspects of currency change rather than symbolic meanings. Initially, most had experienced a euro illusion (prices in euros seeming to be more expensive than in punts). However, for most, the strength of the illusion appeared to diminish quite quickly. Nonetheless, current prices were believed to be higher, and many respondents attributed this either directly or indirectly to the change of currency. Although independent evidence found that there had been price increases in certain sectors, it was concluded that perceived price rises were, in part, illusory, and driven by expectations and selective price monitoring. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

虚拟团队中的信任研究

信任是从组织行为学领域研究虚拟团队的一个重要课题。与传统组织中的信任相比,虚拟团队中的信任主要是认知或行为定向的;它在最初几次互动的基础上迅速建立起来,并通过随后的沟通行为维持下去,所以沟通行为和沟通内容的特征对虚拟团队中信任的建立和维持有着特殊重要的意义。由于目前研究方法所限,无法确定虚拟团队中信任与绩效的因果关系,但是它们之间存在着密切的相关关系。     

从中亚东干人语言的变迁看文化适应

文化适应是一个描述民族文化关系的重要概念,它指的是两个或两个以上不同文化体系间由于持续接触、相互影响而造成一方或双方发生的大规模文化变迁。本文透过中亚东干人在不同民族文化的接触中其语言变迁的过程,对人类文化适应这一重要的文化现象进行了考察。笔者认为,东干人学习使用范围较广的其他民族语言的事实,不仅表现出其自身较强的文化适应性,而且反映出一种对本民族成员所需社会文化资源和未来发展机会的积极争取。     

中学教师社会化过程:交互作用视角

本研究以345名教师为研究对象,基于交互作用视角建立框架模型,研究教师社会化前因变量、社会化近端结果和终极结果之间的关系,以揭示教师社会化过程。结果表明:①教师社会化近端结果在组织策略和社会化终极结果之间起部分中介作用,在教师主动策略和社会化终极结果之间起完全中介作用;②同事帮带仅通过促进教师对学校的了解促进教师社会化终极结果;③家长配合一方面直接促进教师工作绩效,另一方面通过角色清晰对社会化终极结果产生积极影响。     

大学生自恋与心理适应的关系研究

西方心理学界对自恋已有大量的实证研究,文章在依托前人研究的基础上,对大学生自恋与心理适应性的关系进行实证研究,结果表明,（1）男女生在自恋方面无差异显著性,在心理适应性方面存在差异显著性。男生的心理适应性均分高于女生。（2）不同系不同专业的学生,自恋方面无差异显著性,心理适应性方面呈差异显著性。（3）自恋与心理适应性的4个因子的关系研究显示,自恋与心理自控力、自信心有关系。     

A cross-cultural study of reference point adaptation: Evidence from China,Korea, and the US

We examined reference point adaptation following gains or losses in security trading using participants from China, Korea, and the US. In both questionnaire studies and trading experiments with real money incentives, reference point adaptation was larger for Asians than for Americans. Subjects in all countries adapted their reference points more after a gain than after an equal-sized loss. When we introduced a forced sale intervention that is designed to close the mental account for a prior outcome, Americans showed greater adaptation toward the new price than their Asian counterparts. We offer possible explanations both for the cross-cultural similarities and the cross-cultural differences.     

Public good provision in inter‐team conflicts: Effects of asymmetry and profit‐sharing rule

A fundamental problem in organizations is designing mechanisms for eliciting voluntary contributions from individual members of a team who are entrapped in a social dilemma. To solve the problem, we utilize a game‐theoretical framework that embeds the traditional within‐team social dilemma in a between‐team competition for an exogenously determined prize. In equilibrium, such competition enhances the incentive to contribute, thereby reducing free‐riding. Extending existing literature, we focus on asymmetric competitions between teams of unequal size, and competitions between more than two teams. Comparing two protocols for sharing the prize—egalitarian and proportional profit‐sharing rules—we find that (i) free‐riding diminishes and (ii) team members contribute more toward their team's effort when they belong to the larger team and when the profit‐sharing rule is proportional. (iii) Additionally, under the egalitarian profit‐sharing rule team members contribute more than predicted by the equilibrium solution. We discuss implications of our findings for eliciting contributions in competitive environments. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.