Functional analyses and treatment of precursor behavior

Functional analysis has been demonstrated to be an effective method to identify environmental variables that maintain problem behavior. However, there are cases when conducting functional analyses of severe problem behavior may be contraindicated. The current study applied functional analysis procedures to a class of behavior that preceded severe problem behavior (precursor behavior) and evaluated treatments based on the outcomes of the functional analyses of precursor behavior. Responding for all participants was differentiated during the functional analyses, and individualized treatments eliminated precursor behavior. These results suggest that functional analysis of precursor behavior may offer an alternative, indirect method to assess the operant function of severe problem behavior.     

Parental communication appears not to be an effective strategy to reduce smoking in a sample of Dutch adolescents

This longitudinal study examined the reciprocal effects of the frequency of parent–adolescent communication on tobacco-related issues (smoking-specific communication), and adolescents’ smoking. Participants were 428 Dutch older and younger siblings between 13 and 16 years old. Smoking-specific communication did not affect youth smoking in general; however, among younger, but not older, siblings, smoking-specific communication was associated with a higher likelihood of smoking over time. In addition, when adolescents already smoked parents started to talk more frequently about smoking-related issues with their older and younger adolescents later on. Neither the quality of smoking-specific communication, the quality of parent–adolescent relationship, nor parental smoking moderated these reciprocal effects. In conclusion, prevention campaigns encouraging parents to undertake smoking-specific communication might not be desirable.     

文化心理学的跨学科运用——以跨文化传播研究为例

文化心理学是最近二三十年来心理学中发展最快的领域之一,作为一门典型的交叉学科,它有人类学、心理学、传播学等多种学科取向,是一门有胸怀、有气度、能包容的学科。文化心理学与跨文化传播研究诞生在相同的社会历史文化背景中,拥有共同的学科渊源,这种天然的关系决定了跨文化传播研究中运用文化心理学的正当性、必然性。文化心理学的全球化研究视角为跨文化传播研究提供了参照; 文化的观念、文化适应理论、文化敏感性和文化冲突理论等文化心理学的概念和理论为跨文化传播研究提供了理论支撑; 文化心理学还为跨文化传播现象和问题的具体研究提供了分析工具。反之,跨文化传播研究不仅为文化心理学提供了鲜活的案例,还为其理论建构提供了重要资源。     

User gesticulation inside an automated vehicle with external communication can cause confusion in pedestrians and a lower willingness to cross

Automated vehicles are expected to require some form of communication (e.g., via LED strip or display) with vulnerable road users such as pedestrians. However, the passenger inside the automated vehicle could perform gestures or motions which could potentially be interpreted by the pedestrian as contradictory to the outside communication of the car. To explore this conflict, we conducted an online experiment (N = 59) with different message types (no message, intention, command), gestures (no gesture, wave, stop), and user positions (driver, co-driver) and measured the pedestrian’s confidence in crossing. Our results show that certain combinations (e.g., car indicates cross while the user in the driver seat gestures stop) confused the pedestrian, resulting in significantly lower confidence to cross. We further show that designing intention-based external communication led to less confusion and a significantly higher intention to cross.     

我国医患关系研究的进路与省思

基于CiteSpace可视化分析工具,以“医患关系”为关键词,分析近年来传播学视域的医患关系研究议题与进程,发现医患关系研究出现从“媒介”到“人”的研究转向。其中以“媒介”为中心的医患关系视角注重医患关系的媒介呈现和媒介宣传,以“人”为中心的医患关系视角注重媒介使用与医患信任建构、媒介与患者健康意向行为关系及新型医患沟通模式分析。同时,探讨提升中国社会的医患关系研究路径,提出未来研究更应注重制度和文化等语境,跳出实证主义范式以及单一的“医−患”二元视角,以推动医患关系研究的均衡与系统化发展。

     

Aggressive Children and Effective Communication

Testing a component of a theoretical model which postulates that low levels of communication effectiveness accompany the social and affective problems presented by aggressive children, the study compared the communication skills of a group of aggressive (n = 49) and nonaggressive (n = 49) elementary school children (selected on the basis of teacher ratings) in a structured and cooperative communication task. Based on direct observational measures of communication effectiveness and aggression, and on teacher, peer, and self-rating measures of peer rejection and depressive symptoms, results showed that (a) aggressive children exhibited less effective communication skills and more disruptive communication skills than nonaggressive peers; (b) aggressive children experienced higher levels of peer rejection and depressive symptoms than nonaggressive peers; and (c) group differences in communication effectiveness could not be accounted for by differences in observed aggression and remained significant, even after controlling for differences in peer status and affective functioning. These findings highlight the role that ineffective communication may play in the development and maintenance of aggression and have important theoretical and applied implications, which are briefly discussed. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

夫妻沟通模式与婚姻质量的关系

本文拟采用主-客体互倚模型(Actor-partner interdependence model,APIM)的方法深入探讨夫妻双方感知到的夫妻间的沟通模式与其自身及配偶感知到的婚姻质量之间的关系。以方便取样的方式在澳门地区选取130对成年夫妻,采用Christensen等人修订的沟通模式调查问卷(Communication Pattern Questionnaire,CPQ)和Spanier编制的婚姻质量问卷(Dyadic Adjustment Scales,DAS),要求夫妻双方分别以自陈问卷的方式报告其感知到的沟通模式和婚姻质量。通过配对t检验、相关分析和结构方程模型统计分析发现:(1)夫妻间的沟通以建设性沟通为主,双方回避和要求/回避型沟通较少;丈夫感知到的婚姻质量总体上优于妻子感知到的婚姻质量。(2)夫妻双方在沟通模式和婚姻质量的感知上具有一致性,在沟通模式中的两个和婚姻质量中的三个分量表上的得分不存在显著差异。(3)夫妻间建设性沟通可以显著地正向预测自身感知到的婚姻质量;而双方回避和要求/回避型沟通则显著地负向预测自身感知到的婚姻质量。(4)在控制了丈夫、妻子感知到的沟通模式对其自身婚姻质量的主体效应之后,丈夫感知到的沟通模式可以显著地预测妻子感受到的婚姻质量;然而妻子感知到的沟通模式并不能显著地预测丈夫的婚姻质量。     

Belief in a just world and subjective well-being: mothers of normal and Down syndrome children

A cross-sectional study examined the relationship between three dimensions of the belief in a just world and the subjective well-being of Pakistani mothers of normal and Down syndrome children (n = 100 each). Personal belief in a just world and two dimensions of general belief in a just world-beliefs in immanent and ultimate justice-were assessed along with four dimensions of subjective well-being: life satisfaction, mood, state anxiety, and depression. It was hypothesized that personal belief in a just world and belief in ultimate justice would be positively associated with subjective well-being for both groups of mothers. Results were obtained through moderated regression analyses. In line with our hypothesis, personal belief in a just world positively predicted life satisfaction and mood level and negatively predicted state anxiety and depression in both groups of mothers. In contrast, beliefs in immanent and ultimate justice were not consistently adaptive. In particular, the more the mothers of a Down syndrome child believed in immanent justice, the more anxiety they experienced the previous week. In addition, the more the mothers of normal children believed in ultimate justice, the more they experienced anxiety. The pattern of results persisted when controlled for mothers' education, the total number of their children and marital status. Overall, the results support the role of personal belief in a just world as a personal resource in adverse as well as normal life circumstances.     

语言伴随性手势是否和语言共享同一交流系统?

语言伴随性手势是人类语言交流的一个普遍的特征, 它可以发挥信息交流的功能。依据产生目的以及适用范围的不同, 手势可以分成表象性手势和非表象性手势。多数研究者认为, 语言和手势动作是“近亲”, 具有“家族相似性”。来自语言发展、认知心理学和认知神经科学的证据均表明, 手势和语言共享同一个交流系统。当手势动作和发音单词意义相同时, 手势动作受到单词发音的干扰, 同时引发发音共振峰2 (F2)的放大。手势和言语之间遵循互相作用理论, 它们作用的基础是语义一致性, 镜像神经系统完成了两者语义一致性的传递。由于语言伴随性手势和语言之间的关系是语言和行为结合良好的特例, 因此, 对语言伴随性手势的研究将有助于对人类心智有一个更深层次的认识和理解。     

危机情境中的期望差异效应

本文提出了期望差异效应的概念并细致阐述了期望差异效应可能是导致风险沟通障碍的原因。期望差异效应是指处于同一情境中的一方对另一方的期望与另一方自我期望之间的差异。围绕上述问题,研究者在阐述了期望差异效应的含义以及期望差异效应可能的心理表征和认知根源之后,细致分析了期望差异效应的强化因素及其可能导致的风险沟通障碍。有关期望差异效应的研究尚处于起步阶段,界定期望差异效应的心理表征,确定期望差异效应的测量工具,探索期望差异效应的影响因素以及分析期望差异效应与风险沟通障碍的关系等都可以作为未来的研究方向。