Externally controlled involuntary cognitions and their relations with other representations in consciousness

Percepts and action-related urges often enter consciousness insuppressibly. The Reflexive Imagery Task (RIT) was developed to investigate how high-level cognitions (e.g., subvocalizations), too, can enter consciousness in this manner. Limitations of the paradigm include (a) that no data have confirmed subjects’ introspections about the involuntary subvocalizations, and (b) that, in everyday life, adaptive responses to involuntary cognitions often depend on the nature of the other contents in consciousness. To address a and b, we developed an RIT in which subjects were presented with visual objects and instructed to not think of the object names. If a subvocalization did arise, however, subjects responded motorically only if the subvocalization rhymed with a word held in memory and if there was a visual “go” cue. Subjects successfully (on 0.83 of the trials) emitted this complex, “multi-determined” response, which provides evidence for the occurrence of the involuntary subvocalizations and illuminates the function of consciousness.     

Employable,committed, and thus well-performing: a matter of interdependent forward-looking social exchange

This study probes the relationship between perceived external employability (i.e., the individual’s perception of available jobs on the external labour market) and affective commitment and performance within the framework of social exchange. An innovative feature is that we advance perceived external employability as a commodity of interdependent forward-looking exchange: employees who perceive themselves as externally employable anticipate successful exchange, which drives further responses, both relational (i.e., affective organizational commitment) and behavioural (i.e., performance). Strong features of this study are that we include (a) both the organization and the workgroup as foci of affective commitment, and (b) task, helping, and counterproductive behaviour as indicators of performance. Results from cross-lagged, structural equation modelling (SEM) analyses on two-wave survey data (N = 458 Belgian employees) largely align with our idea: perceived external employability has a positive cross-lagged effect on affective organizational and workgroup commitment. The two foci of commitment in turn have a cross-lagged effect on performance, positive in the case of helping behaviour and negative in the case of counterproductive behaviour. No significant cross-lagged effects were found in relation to task behaviour. We discuss these results in the light of Social Exchange Theory and potential routes for future research.     

基于反馈加工的规则学习:研究儿童认知灵活性的新范式

认知灵活性作为执行功能的三个主要成分之一,对个体能力发展和环境适应起着重要作用。但以往研究多采用不同范式来考察不同年龄段儿童在一个优势规则失效后灵活转换至新规则的能力。本研究旨在威斯康星卡片分类任务(WCST)的基础上设计一种新任务范式,考察年龄范围更大的群体在规则习得过程中根据不同性质的反馈信息保持与灵活修订假设的能力。我们设计了目标选择任务(target choose task,TCT),考察181名5~11岁儿童的认知灵活性。其中24名儿童亦完成WCST。结果表明,TCT通过率界于32~65.7%;TCT高分组成绩显著高于低分组;分半信度计算结果表明奇数编号题目与偶数题目得分正相关;TCT分数与WCST完成分类数和概念化水平数分别呈正相关。这些结果表明TCT难度适中,具有区分度,内部一致性高,效度良好,可以在更大的年龄跨度上研究儿童在规则习得过程中的认知灵活性。     

不同分配情境下儿童公平行为的发展

为探究儿童在不同利益对比情境以及与己利益无关情境中的公平行为,研究呈现了自我任务的劣势博弈、优势博弈、冲突博弈以及第三方任务博弈四种分配情境。自我任务中儿童需要为自己与另一名匿名儿童迫选方案,第三方任务中则需为两名匿名儿童迫选方案。结果发现:(1)劣势博弈中所有年龄组均倾向于选择公平方案,而非劣势方案;(2)优势博弈中,8岁、10岁组选择公平方案的人显著多于优势方案,而4岁、6岁组均无显著差异;(3)冲突博弈中,4岁、6岁组选择优势方案的人显著多于劣势方案,而8岁、10岁组均无显著差异;(4)第三方博弈中, 8岁、10岁组选择公平方案的人显著多于不公平方案,而4岁、6岁组均无显著差异。这表明,4岁~6岁儿童尚未真正获得公平观念,且以获得个人利益为主;而8岁是真正获得公平观念的转折年龄,8~10岁儿童对人对己均坚持公平原则,且表现出利他倾向。     

An event‐related potential study on the “check operation” in the Eriksen task1

Abstract: We examined two issues for the Eriksen task with two types of stimuli, the central target letter of which was flanked with noise (e.g., HHHHH for compatible stimuli and SSHSS for incompatible stimuli). First, we examined whether or not a response‐stop function is carried out until the check operation to detect and correct erroneous response readiness has finished (Eriksen & Eriksen, 1974). Second, reaction times for incompatible stimuli are not prolonged if only identical noise stimuli are used throughout the block. This phenomenon is called the blocking effect. We then explored whether or not the blocking effect can be caused by the selective inhibition of erroneous response readiness (Eriksen & Schultz, 1979). Sixteen participants (18–29 years old) selectively pressed one of two buttons for the target letter. The results showed that the negative potential related to the response‐stop function was enlarged for incompatible stimuli. Moreover, the blocking effect was observed, while erroneous response readiness was still observable for incompatible stimuli. These results suggest that the blocking effect is caused by something other than reciprocal inhibition.     

额叶参与执行控制的ERP负荷效应

为了检测执行控制的激活脑区及其时间进程,测量了14名健康成人被试执行汉字1/2/3-back任务时的64导事件相关电位(ERPs)。1/2/3-back任务均在头皮前部诱发N360,从刺激消失250ms起至600ms左右结束,其波幅表现出随记忆负荷而增高的负荷效应。3-back任务N360源分析发现位于额叶等部位的高密度电流分布和偶极子,表明左右半球均参与执行控制,但左侧额叶具有相对的半球优势。     

Components of Short-Term Memory and Their Relation to Language Processing

Abstract— Verbal working memory consists of separable capacities for the retention of phonological and semantic information. Within the phonological domain, there are independent capacities for retaining input-phonological codes and output-phonological codes. The input-phonological capacity does not appear to be critical for language comprehension but is involved in verbatim repetition and long-term learning of new words. The semantic capacity is critical for both comprehension and production and for the learning of new semantic information. Different neural structures appear to underlie these capacities, with a left-parietal region involved in input-phonological retention and a left-frontal region involved in semantic retention.     

自我主观标准决定执行任务和观察任务中的结果评价

为了解结果的自我相关性对执行任务和观察任务中内侧额叶负波的影响, 研究使用事件相关电位技术观测男女被试在两种任务中, 知觉自己结果和他人结果时的神经活动。结果发现执行任务中内侧额叶负波波幅大于观察任务; 在执行任务中, 男性的内侧额叶负波相对于他人结果, 观察自己结果时的波幅更大; 在观察任务中, 女性的内侧额叶负波相对于自己结果, 观察他人结果时的波幅更大, 这些结果说明内侧额叶负波反映了个体按照主观标准对结果的情绪动机意义进行监测, 男女对社会信息的奖赏评价具有不同的方向性。     

学习材料的背景颜色对认知负荷及学习的影响

本研究采用2×2的多因素混合实验设计,探讨了物理学习环境之一的学习材料背景颜色对认知负荷及学习的影响。结果发现：（1）背景颜色在对认知负荷的影响上与任务类型产生交互作用,在解决创造性问题时,暖色调（如红色）背景下的认知负荷显著高于冷色调（如蓝色）。（2）从学习成绩上看,暖色调（如红色）更有利于记忆测试问题的解决,冷色调（如蓝色）更有利于创造性问题的解决。（3）认知负荷与任务绩效呈一定程度相关。     

背景颜色对一致性序列效应的调节

为满足迅速变化的环境要求,个体需要快速灵活地调整认知加工策略。背景颜色是一个重要的环境因素,它能够影响人的认知和行为表现。然而,背景颜色对认知控制在线调整的影响,是一个关键但又被忽略的问题。为解决这个问题,本研究采用字母flanker任务,考察了灰色、蓝色和红色背景条件下的一致性序列效应。结果发现,蓝色背景下的一致性序列效应不显著,而灰色和红色背景下得到了显著的一致性序列效应;此外,在这三种颜色背景下,flanker干扰效应无显著差异。这些结果说明,蓝色背景影响一致性序列效应,但干扰效应不受背景颜色的调节。当前的研究首次揭示了背景颜色对认知控制在线调整的影响,也进一步加深了我们对一致性序列效应的理解。