How fast would you (or should you) drive here? Investigation of relationships between official speed limit,perceived speed limit,and preferred speed

Speed is a critical risk factor, which makes its management the central point of the Vision Zero approach. Driving speed is influenced by speed choice, and in turn by the perception of the road parameters, as well as by the characteristics of drivers. Credible speed limits and self-explaining roads have been suggested as promising countermeasures; however, these rather theoretical concepts have only rarely been operationalized and quantified.The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between speed indicators (official speed limit, perceived speed limit, preferred speed), as well as their differences, and to determine which road and personality characteristics influence them. Compared to previous studies, we introduced several innovative features, including a richer personality dataset based on three different questionnaires, a focus on all three types of roads (urban, rural, transition), and representative data on observed speeds.Using statistical models of the speed indicators, we found that both speed limit belief and speed choice, as well as their differences, are often influenced by the same characteristics. These are mainly more generous road design (higher road class, higher speed limit, and wider road) and the presence of additional elements (vegetation, pavements, and pedestrian crossings). These characteristics may help improve the credibility of speed limits and self-explaining performance.     

基本心理能力老化的中介变量

从整合思路,针对认知老化的四个中介变量建立基本心理能力老化的结构方程模型。样本来自北京三个社区的217位60-85岁的老人。采用计算机化的任务测查五项基本心理能力和加工资源的各项指标。结果表明：(1)感觉功能、加工速度和加工容量是基本心理能力老化的重要中介变量;(2)基本心理能力老化的中介作用表现出层次性。感觉功能是最基础的一层中介作用,它通过加工速度和加工容量间接调节基本心理能力的老化;加工速度对基本心理能力老化的作用受感觉功能的影响,同时也通过加工容量对基本心理能力的老化起作用;加工容量在基本心理能力老化的中介模型中直接与基本心理能力产生联系,但是其61％的变异来自感觉功能和加工速度;(3)负启动测验与颜色词启动测验不能共同表达加工抑制,以颜色词启动值作为观测指标的加工抑制不能进入基本心理能力老化的中介模型。     

目击辨认研究概览

目击辨认的结果作为证据对于法庭判决具有重要意义。DNA证据显示辨认似乎不可靠,心理学家试图了解影响辨认准确性的因素。文章介绍了西方目击辨认研究的范式,估计变量和系统变量对辨认的影响,并分析目击辨认研究存在的理论缺乏和外部效度问题,从而为今后研究提供参考     

类比推理的影响因素及脑生理基础研究

类比推理是不同于演绎,也不同于归纳的一种独立的推理形式。作为人类认知发展的中心能力之一,类比推理已逐渐成为当代认知研究的一个活跃领域。研究表明类比推理不仅受顺序、因果结构、上下文连贯性等项目特征的影响,并且与加工速度、工作记忆等其它认知能力有密切关系。有关类比推理的神经影像研究则主要发现大脑左半球前部和后部区域的参与,似可进一步从脑生理水平表明类比推理与工作记忆存在密切关系。     

Effects of position of speed limit signs and the presence of speed camera on Malaysian drivers’ speed choice: An eye-tracking study

Speeding is one of the most common driving violations in the world including in Malaysia. Reducing speed-related fatalities is one of Malaysia’s strategies to improve road safety. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of speed limit sign positioning and the presence of speed camera on drivers’ judgments about the appropriate speed to drive and their associated eye movements. Twenty participants took part in the study, and thirty two images of roads with a range of actual speed limits were presented. In each picture the displayed speed limit was edited to 30% lower than what participants think is appropriate on average. Speed limit signs were either presented on the road or on the speed limit sign boards at the road sides, and a speed camera sign was either present or not. Drivers judged a lower appropriate speed to drive when the camera sign was present than absent, while there was a wider spread of differences between judged and displayed speed when the speed limit sign was presented on the board than on the road. Drivers were quicker in fixating and looked more at the general area in which the speed limit sign appeared. Therefore drivers’ visual attention across scenes may be manipulated by the sign positions. These low-cost interventions could be useful in managing speed choice in Malaysia.     

Look-ahead content balancing method in variable-length computerized classification testing

Content balancing is one of the most important issues in computerized classification testing. To adapt to variable-length forms, special treatments are needed to successfully control content constraints without knowledge of test length during the test. To this end, we propose the notions of ‘look-ahead’ and ‘step size’ to adaptively control content constraints in each item selection step. The step size gives a prediction of the number of items to be selected at the current stage, that is, how far we will look ahead. Two look-ahead content balancing (LA-CB) methods, one with a constant step size and another with an adaptive step size, are proposed as feasible solutions to balancing content areas in variable-length computerized classification testing. The proposed LA-CB methods are compared with conventional item selection methods in variable-length tests and are examined with different classification methods. Simulation results show that, integrated with heuristic item selection methods, the proposed LA-CB methods result in fewer constraint violations and can maintain higher classification accuracy. In addition, the LA-CB method with an adaptive step size outperforms that with a constant step size in content management. Furthermore, the LA-CB methods generate higher test efficiency while using the sequential probability ratio test classification method.     

Does God Cheat at Dice? Divine Action and Quantum Possibilities

The recent debates concerning divine action in the context of quantum mechanics are examined with particular reference to the work of William Pollard, Robert J. Russell, Thomas Tracy, Nancey Murphy, and Keith Ward. The concept of a quantum mechanical "event" is elucidated and shown to be at the center of this debate. An attempt is made to clarify the claims made by the protagonists of quantum mechanical divine action by considering the measurement process of quantum mechanics in detail. Four possibilities for divine influence on quantum mechanics are identified and the theological and scientific implications of each discussed. The conclusion reached is that quantum mechanics is not easily reconciled with the doctrine of divine action.     

Walking in an environment of moving ground texture

The visual control of global body movements has mainly been studied in terms of the maintenance of balance. The present experiment examined the effect of moving visual surroundings on the speed of locomotion. A virtually boundless optical environment was generated by the projection of a dotted texture on the ground that was reflected on large vertical mirrors fixed along the walls of the room. Subjects' head velocity was recorded over a walking path of about 10 m along the projection surface. In the experimental sessions, the texture was animated and moved at different speeds in the same direction as the subject or in the opposite direction. In the control condition, the projected texture remained motionless and therefore appeared to pass by at the subjects' walking speed. The subjects' task was to maintain a constant walking speed as far as possible over the different conditions. Changes in walking speed give indications of how the processing of optical flow modulates locomotor activity.     

阅读速度与提要位置对不同认知方式学生信息保持的影响

本研究主要探讨阅读速度与提要位置对不同认知风格学生信息保持的影响。结果表明：读者认知方式的差异在很大程度上影响了对文章不同类型信息的保持．但对文章总回忆量没有显著影响。提要前置使场依存型读者对文章结构性信息的回忆量增多,场独立型读者对从属性信息的回忆量增多;提要后置使场依存型读者从属性信息的回忆量增多。阅读速度对文章不同类型信息和总信息量的保持均有显著影响．但在提要前置的情况下,对文章结构性信息的回忆量没有显著影响。     

The reductive effects of noncontingent reinforcement fixed-time versus variable-time schedules.

The effects of fixed‐time (FT) and variable‐time (VT) schedules on responding were evaluated with 2 adults with mental retardation. Multielement and reversal designs were used to compare the effects of FT and VT schedules in reducing responses previously maintained on variable‐ratio reinforcement schedules. The schedules were equally effective in reducing the target behavior.