Memory and Counterfactual Simulations for Past Wrongdoings Foster Moral Learning and Improvement

In four studies, we investigated the role of remembering, reflecting on, and mutating personal past moral transgressions to learn from those moral mistakes and to form intentions for moral improvement. Participants reported having ruminated on their past wrongdoings, particularly their more severe transgressions, and they reported having frequently thought about morally better ways in which they could have acted instead (i.e., morally upward counterfactuals; Studies 1–3). The more that participants reported having mentally simulated morally better ways in which they could have acted, the stronger their intentions were to improve in the future (Studies 2 and 3). Implementing an experimental manipulation, we then found that making accessible a morally upward counterfactual after committing a moral transgression strengthened reported intentions for moral improvement—relative to resimulating the remembered event and considering morally worse ways in which they could have acted instead (Study 4). We discuss the implications of these results for competing theoretical views on the relationship between memory and morality and for functional theories of counterfactual thinking.     

Comparing contrast-modulated and luminance-modulated masking: effects of spatial frequency and phase

The masking of a sinusoidal test grating by contrast-modulated (CM) gratings could, in principle, be attributable to the presence of a distortion product, injected into the stimulus during some nonlinear transformation at an early level of visual processing (e.g. Nachmias, 1989 Vision Research 29 137-142). If so, CM gratings and luminance-modulated (LM) gratings of similar effective contrast and spatial frequency should mask the detection of sinusoids in a similar fashion. We compared the effects of masking by 1 cycle deg-1 CM gratings [both simple beats (8 + 9 cycles deg-1) and amplitude-modulated gratings (8 + 9 + 10 cycles deg-1)], with those of masking by 1 cycle deg-1 LM gratings of low contrast. We found that: (i) CM and low-contrast LM grating masks yielded similar spatial-frequency tuning functions around the modulation frequency of 1 cycle deg-1; (ii) low-contrast LM gratings masked the detection of test sinusoids in a highly phase-dependent fashion, while masking by CM gratings did not vary systematically with relative spatial phase. The results suggest that masking produced by CM gratings cannot simply be explained by the presence of a distortion product at the beat or modulation frequency.     

Choosing and using geospatial displays: effects of design on performance and metacognition

Interactive display systems give users flexibility to tailor their visual displays to different tasks and situations. However, in order for such flexibility to be beneficial, users need to understand how to tailor displays to different tasks (to possess "metarepresentational competence"). Recent research suggests that people may desire more complex and realistic displays than are most effective (Smallman & St. John, 2005). In Experiment 1, undergraduate students were tested on a comprehension task with geospatial displays (weather maps) that varied in the number of extraneous variables displayed. Their metacognitive judgments about the relative effectiveness of the displays were also solicited. Extraneous variables slowed response time and increased errors, but participants favored complex maps that looked more realistic about one third of the time. In Experiment 2, the eye fixations of undergraduate students were monitored as they performed the comprehension task. Complex maps that looked more realistic led to more eye fixations on both task-relevant and task-irrelevant regions of the displays. Experiment 3 compared performance of experienced meteorologists and undergraduate students on the comprehension and metacognitive tasks. Meteorologists were as likely as undergraduate students to prefer geographically complex (realistic) displays and more likely than undergraduates to opt for displays that added extraneous weather variables. However, meteorologists were also slower and less accurate with complex than with simple displays. This work highlights the importance of empirically testing principles of visual display design and suggests some limits to metarepresentational competence.     

視、听語文材料同时識記的干扰与相对优势

問題識記时若有两种或多种感觉通道同时活动,可能彼此助长,也可能相互干扰。这对于了解識記时神經中枢各部分的活动与相互影响可能有一定的启发意义。视、听两种感觉通道在学习时最常应用,两种感觉通道可以同时或先后接受同一的刺激物,也可接受不同的刺激物。以往关于比較視、听材料識記效果的研究較多,結果指出,两种感觉材料的識記效果一般难分高低,主要决定于材料的性貭与被試的經驗等条件。     

体育馆比赛厅观众席距离与视觉辨认的关系

問題 深入地探討体育館內观众席的视觉效果問題,是保証观众“看得好”的首要因素,是合理分布观众席、决定比賽厅平面形式(如圓形、椭圓形、方形、矩形等)的必备前提。决定观众席视觉效果的两大因素是观察距离及观察方位。关于这两个問題,国內外先后都进行过研究,但距离、方位与观众席分区方法的关系等問題,一般多局限在理論方面的討論,不能完全符合于实际情况。要对这些問題进行更深入的探討,必需进行视知觉心理学方面的实驗和研究,非仅靠建筑学知識所能解决,本研究卽试图通过知觉心理学的研究方法,对体育館比賽厅观众席距場地距离与視觉辨认的关系进行一些探索。     

体育馆比赛厅观众席方位与视觉效果的关系

問題 体育馆內的比赛场地为长方形,观众席多沿场地四周布置,由于场地形状及比赛的主要进行方向等因素的影响,所以不同方位的观众席视觉效果卽不相同。 有关观众席方位的划分,国內外都曾有过一些研究,各持不同见解,结论也不一致。如有人凭经验来划分,显得依据不足;有人按场地几何关系来划分,则不足以说明空间     

朗读与默读对初一学生識记和理解课文的影响

朗讀与默讀是閱讀的两种形式,在語文教学中有效地运用朗讀与默讀是提高閱讀效率的重要条件。据有些中学語文教师反映,初一学生只习慣于朗读,而不善于默讀。不論什么学科的課文,什么性貭的文章,一概誦讀。这些教师认为,朗读固有利于熟記成誦,但     

The implications of counterfactual mind-sets for the functioning of implementation intentions

Two experiments explored how counterfactual mind-sets interact with implementation intentions and affect their flexibility. Participants engaged in a subtractive mind-set, an additive mind-set, or a control condition and were subsequently given either goal intentions or implementation intentions that facilitated cue detection (Experiment 1) or the goal-directed response (Experiment 2). Dependent variables were the number of targets specified in the intentions and the legitimate alternatives to the targets (flexibility measure). In Experiment 1, the implementation intention (versus goal intention) group were better at detecting specified cues, but worse on alternatives, regardless of mind-set. In Experiment 2, an interaction emerged. For both specified and alternative responses, the subtractive mind-set paired with an implementation intention versus goal intention performed better. This pattern was reversed for additive mind-set conditions. Hence, how counterfactual mind-sets affect the flexibility of planning is dependent on the particular mind-set used and the specific operations of plan.     

Beliefs in moral luck: When and why blame hinges on luck

Belief in moral luck is represented in judgements that offenders should be held accountable for intent to cause harm as well as whether or not harm occurred. Scores on a measure of moral luck beliefs predicted judgements of offenders who varied in intent and the outcomes of their actions, although judgements overall were not consistent with abstract beliefs in moral luck. Prompting participants to consider alternative outcomes, particularly worse outcomes, reduced moral luck beliefs. Findings suggest that some people believe that offenders should be punished based on the outcome of their actions. Furthermore, prompting counterfactuals decreased judgements consistent with moral luck beliefs. The results have implications for theories of moral judgement as well as legal decision making.