脑功能成像的新方法——功能性近红外光谱技术（fNIRS）

功能性近红外光谱技术（functional near-infrared spectroscopy, fNIRS）利用血液的主要成分对600-900nm近红外光良好的散射性,从而获得大脑活动时氧合血红蛋白和脱氧血红蛋白的变化情况。目前该技术开始运用于自然情境下的高级认知、发展心理学、异常心理学等多个领域的研究。该技术具有造价较低、便携性好,无噪音、无创性和对实验过程中被试动作不会过份敏感等优点,但也存在空间分辨率不高和校正算法有待进一步完善等方面的不足。未来fNIRS的研究可以与fMRI等其他成像技术进行结合,开展婴幼儿和特殊人群的认知神经科学研究以及自然情境下大脑认知的神经机制研究。     

Children's identity matching and oddity: assessing control by specific and general sample-comparison relations.

After children in Experiments 1 and 2 learned identity matching or oddity, control by sample-comparison relations was assessed. Tests for generalized control displayed novel samples and two comparison stimuli, one identical to the sample. Specific relations were tested with identical or nonidentical sample-comparison stimuli from one set of stimuli and substitute comparisons from either the other training set or from a novel set. When tests displayed identical stimuli, patterns of comparison selection suggested control by generalized identity and oddity. However, selection patterns varied when stimuli were nonidentical and familiar or novel substitute comparisons were used. Therefore, control by specific relations is not a precondition for generalized identity and oddity. One set of training stimuli was used in Experiment 3, and generalized performances occurred again. Moreover, control by specific relations was shown by the oddity subjects and 2 of 6 identity subjects. Generalized and specific control may therefore exist simultaneously. In Experiment 4, selections were irregular on tests displaying substitute comparisons and samples and familiar comparison stimuli; this finding supported the relational account of specific sample-comparison control found in Experiment 3.     

Control of adolescents' arbitrary matching-to-sample by positive and negative stimulus relations.

In Experiment 1, four developmentally delayed adolescents were taught an A-B matching-to-sample task with nonidentical stimuli: given Sample A1, select Comparison B1; given A2, select B2. During nonreinforced test trials, appropriate matching occurred when B stimuli appeared as samples and A stimuli as comparisons, i.e., the sample and comparison functions were symmetrical (B-A matching). During A-B or B-A matching test trials in which familiar samples and correct comparisons were presented along with novel comparisons, the subjects selected the correct comparisons. In tests with familiar samples and both incorrect and novel comparisons, subjects selected the novel comparisons, demonstrating control by both positive ("matching") and negative ("nonmatching") stimulus relations in A-B and B-A arrays. In Experiment 2, 12 developmentally delayed subjects were taught a two-stage arbitrary-matching task (e.g., A-B, C-B matching). Test sessions showed sample-comparison symmetry (e.g., B-A, B-C matching) and derived sample-comparison relations (e.g., A-C, C-A matching) for 11 subjects. These subjects also demonstrated control by positive and negative stimulus relations in the derived relations.     

多线索语篇阅读中影响背景信息通达的因素

先前的研究发现,在语篇阅读中,背景信息的通达会受到情景的限制,本研究采用实时窗口阅读技术,通过双人物线索材料,进一步探讨影响这种限制作用的因素。在实验所用材料中,配角只是被提及而未在故事情景中出现,其特征描述与目标句中主角的行为形成冲突关系,以配角特征为探测句,要求被试进行意义判断。结果发现,目标句中主角的行为激活了配角的特征描述,使目标句后探测句的反应时显著短于目标句前的反应时,说明起限制作用的所谓"情景"并非故事所发生的"真实情景",而是读者根据故事所建立的"心理情景"。     

Brexit,Trump, and Christ's Call to Discipleship

In March 2018 the World Council of Churches will convene a Conference on World Mission and Evangelism at Arusha in Tanzania to address the theme “Moving in the Spirit: Called to Transforming Discipleship.” The verbs in the title give an important clue as to its meaning. It suggests an understanding of faith that is dynamic and relevant, provoking challenge and engendering change. This article seeks to sketch salient aspects of the contemporary global context that invite such transformative engagement. We are living through a time of rapid change in the “Overton window” – the acceptable range of beliefs and values in a culture at any particular time. This is illustrated by examining populist politics; fake news, post‐truth and alternative facts; the new age of xenophobia and racism; inequality and justice; and the earth at stake. Behind the forces driving the change in values are powerful vested interests that will not take kindly to being challenged. Discipleship is going to be costly. Deep personal transformation will shape agents of change who bring hope to a deeply troubled world. Disciples are called to carry their cross, yet at the same time, and no less fundamentally, they discover the source of infinite joy.     

语篇阅读理解中人物性格模型的建构

采用实时窗口阅读技术,通过操纵特征段落性质和屏蔽段落长度两个变量,探讨人物性格模型在语篇阅读中的建构和影响因素。在研究所用材料中,特征段落描述能反映主人公性格的典型行为或不能反映其性格的一般行为,使其与目标句分别形成冲突或无关关系,考察读者能否利用这些内隐式的行为描述建构人物的性格模型。同时,改变屏蔽段落长度,形成局部或整体联贯两种条件,考察不同联贯类型的影响作用。结果发现：在不论整体还是局部联贯条件下,读者均能利用内隐的行为描述建构人物性格模型,并能应用该模型预期人物的后续行为。     

Distance is relative: Inattentional blindness critically depends on the breadth of the attentional focus

Inattentional blindness – the phenomenon that we sometimes miss salient stimuli in our direct view when they appear unexpectedly and attention is focused on something else - is modulated by various parameters, including distance of the unexpected stimulus from the attentional focus. In two experiments, we expanded the existing literature on spatial factors influencing inattentional blindness as well as theories on the spatial distribution of attention. Noticing rates of unexpected objects were significantly higher when they appeared outside instead of inside the bounds of primary task stimuli. Thus, our results do neither support the account that spatial attention is tuned as a spotlight that includes relevant targets and everything in between nor an account of purely object-based attentional orientation. Instead, the results speak in favor of an inhibitory area between two attended targets. Experiment 2 replicated these surprising findings and additionally demonstrated that they were not confounded by task.