Retroactive interference in single-cue probability learning

Abstract.— When two single-cue probability learning tasks with different amounts of unpredictable variance were learned in succession. a low variance task interfered with the retention of a high variance task, but the opposite was not true. The effects were positive in that they enabled the subjects to reach a higher response consistency and, thus, a higher level of achievement. It was suggested that the subjects made use of the low variance task to reject incorrect hypotheses about the cue-criterion relation and that interference from an interpolated task occurs only when this task provides information which has functional value for the subject.     

Acceptance-based treatment for persons with complex, long standing chronic pain: a preliminary analysis of treatment outcome in comparison to a waiting phase

The concept of acceptance is receiving increased attention as an alternate approach to the suffering that is often associated with persistent and disabling pain. This approach differs from established treatments in that it does not principally focus on reducing pain, but on reducing the distressing and disabling influences of pain as they concern important areas in patients' lives. The present analyses represent a preliminary evaluation of an acceptance-based approach to chronic pain within an interdisciplinary treatment program. One hundred and eight patients with complex chronic pain conditions completed treatment and provided data for the current study. Treatment was conducted in a 3- or 4-week residential or hospital-based format. It included a number of exposure-based, experiential, and other behavior change methods focused on increasing (a) engagement in daily activity regardless of pain and (b) willingness to have pain present without responding to it. Significant improvements in emotional, social, and physical functioning, and healthcare use were demonstrated following treatment. The majority of improvements continued at 3-months post-treatment. Improvements in most outcomes during treatment were correlated with increases in acceptance, supporting the proposed process of treatment.     

多元文化经历对领导者能力及发展的影响

随着全球化发展的深入, 越来越多的企业领导者具有多元文化经历。多元文化经历是指个体具有直接或间接与外国文化元素或人群进行交互的经历。拟从领导者发展(leader development)和领导力发展(leadership development)两个层面, 全面地探讨多元文化经历对企业领导者能力形成及发展的影响：第一, 探讨多元文化经历对领导者能力发展(包括个人层面、关系层面和社会层面能力)的影响及内部机制; 第二, 探讨多元文化经历对领导力发展(包括领导力涌现、领导力选拔和领导力效能)的影响及内部机制。项目成果不仅能够丰富领导者能力形成与发展等组织管理相关理论, 还能为企业的全球化管理及国际化人才培养实践提供建议。     

Fear and pain: investigating the interaction between aversive states

Pain and fear often co-occur and appear to interact, although the nature and direction of their relation is not clearly delineated. The present study investigates how exposure to the experience of one of these states subsequently affects responding to the other. Pressure stimulation and carbon dioxide-enriched air (CO2) were used to induce pain and fear, respectively, in 48 healthy individuals. The order in which the stimuli were introduced was manipulated, as was the CO2 level. Measures of overt behavior, physiological responding, and self-report were obtained; analyses of stimuli effects generally supported their ability to produce pain or fear. Results indicate that the stimulus rated as the most aversive, the higher level of CO2, led to the highest levels of distressed responding across dependent measures. This pattern was replicated for the stimuli found to be less aversive (i.e., pressure stimulation and low-level CO2, respectively). The authors conclude that fear and pain, in and of themselves, do not dictate the nature of their interaction; the most important factor is how aversive they are perceived to be in relation to one another.     

中国背景下员工沉默的测量以及信任对其的影响

应用自行编制的员工沉默行为调查问卷,通过对928名被试的调查,对中国背景下员工沉默行为的结构维度进行了探讨。探索性因素分析结果表明,员工沉默由三个因素构成。三因素结构的结果在验证性因素分析中得到了证实。由此得到结论,员工沉默有三维结构：默许沉默、漠视沉默和防御沉默。以员工沉默的三个维度为因变量,以员工对上级和组织的信任为自变量进行回归分析,结果表明,员工对上级信任对员工沉默三个维度都有负面影响,而员工对组织信任对默许沉默和漠视沉默有负向影响,对防御沉默的影响并不显著     

中国古代辟疫思想的当代启示

通过对以未病先防为主导的中国古代主要辟疫思想及方法的回顾与思考,探讨了其对今天传染病预防的参考价值。认识到在当代传染病预防工作中,借鉴中国古代医学的思想与实践之精粹或许可为当代新发传染病的防治另辟新径,以期能对现代传染病的预治有所启示。     

Effects of pain acceptance and pain control strategies on physical impairment in individuals with chronic low back pain

Psychosocial treatments for chronic pain are effective. There is a need, however, to understand the processes involved in determining how these treatments contribute to behavior change. Control and acceptance strategies represent two potentially important processes involved in treatment, although they differ significantly in approach. Results from laboratory-based studies suggest that acceptance-oriented strategies significantly enhance pain tolerance and behavioral persistence, compared with control-oriented strategies. There is a need, however, to investigate processes of acceptance and control directly in clinical settings. The present study investigated the effects of three brief instructional sets (pain control, pain acceptance, continued practice) on demonstrated physical impairment in 74 individuals with chronic low back pain using an analogue experimental design. After controlling for baseline performance, the pain acceptance group demonstrated greater overall functioning on a set of 7 standardized physical tasks relative to the other two groups, which did not differ from one another. Further, the acceptance group exhibited a 16.3% improvement in impairment, whereas the pain control group worsened by 8.3% and the continued practice group improved by 2.5%. These results suggest that acceptance may be a key process involved in behavior change in individuals with chronic pain.     

Psychometric properties of scales in the General Nordic Questionnaire for Psychological and Social Factors at Work (QPSNordic): Confirmatory factor analysis and prediction of certified long-term sickness absence

Psychometric properties, particularly predictive validity, of scales in the General Nordic Questionnaire for Psychological and Social Factors at Work (QPS_Nordic) were assessed. The analysis is confined to the scales in the QPS_Nordic, and 24 of the 26 scales are included. A large group of Swedish county council employees ( n = 3,976; response rate = 65%) participated in a study and were given the QPS_Nordic. Register data for long-term sick leave (>90 days), with diagnosis, were used for predictive analysis. The following main results were obtained: Reliability was generally satisfactory, confirmatory factor analysis indicated good fit, concurrent validity was good, some less often investigated organizational variables predicted sickness absence, and scales were differentially associated with absence due to psychiatric and musculoskeletal disorders. In conclusion, the psychometric testing of the QPS_Nordic so far suggests that it is a good instrument for assessing health-related factors at work.     

Reading and spelling skills in the first school years predicted from phonemic awareness skills in kindergarten

A series of metalinguistic tasks, including segmentation and synthesis of words, were given to 143 children in kindergarten. The children were followed up in school where reading and writing achievement was assessed with several tests and ratings. A causal model was postulated concering the relationships between general abilities, metalinguistic competence, and reading and spelling skills. The quantitative implications of the model were worked out by path analysis, which revealed an orderly and interpretable picture. The most invariant and important determinant of basic reading and spelling skills was the analysis of simple words. Failure and success in school could be predicted with high accuracy on the basis of preschool data. Over 70% of the children were classified correctly in the extreme quartiles as to their future school achievement. The methodological advantage of applying path analysis instead of conventional multiple regression analysis on the present problem was discussed.     

Book reviews

Machine Intelligence. Edited by N. L. Collins and D. Michie. Edinburgh: Oliver & Body. 1967. Pp x + 278. 63s.

Mechanisms of Animal behavior. By P. R. Marler and W. J. Hamilton III. London and New York: Wiley. 1966. Pp. xi + 740. 113s.

Animal Behaviour: A Synthesis of Ethology and Comparative Psychology. By Robert A. Hinde. London: McGraw-Hill. 1966. Pp. x + 534. 84s.

Manual of Psychophysiological Methods. Edited by P.H Venables and Irene Martin. Amsterdam: North-Holland publishing Co. 1967. Pp ix + 557. £4 10s. od.

The Senses. By Lowenstein. London: Penguin Books. Pelican Original. 1966. Pp. 217. 5s.

Human Spatial Orientation. By I. P. Howard and W. B. Templeton. London and New York: Wiley. 1966. Pp. 553. 84s. net.

Attention: An Enduring Problem in Psychology. Edited by Paul Baskan. London: van Nostrand. Insight book No. 34. 1966. Pp. iv + 225. 14s. $1.75.

Amnesia. Edited by C. W. M. Whitty and O. L. Zangwill. London: Butterworths. 1967. Pp. x + 217. 64s.

Brain Function. Volume III: Speech, Language and Communication. Edited by Edward C. Carterette, UCLA Forum in Medical Sciences. No. 4. University of California Press. London: Cambridge University press. 1967. Pp. xiii + 279. 96s.

Annual review of Psychology. Volume 18. Edited by P. R. Farnsworth, O. McNemar and O. McNemar. Palo Alto, California: Annual Reviews Inc. 1967. PP. 606. $9.00 ($8.50 in U.S.A.).

Contemporary Approaches to Psychology. Edited by H. helson and W. bevan. Princeton, New Jersey and London: Van Nostrand Company. 1967. Pp. xii + 596. £5 16s.

The Hypnotic Investigation of Dereams. By C. scott Moss. London and New York: Wiley. 1967. Pp. xi + 290. 60s.

The Dynamics of Behavior Development: An Epigenetic View. By Zing-Yang Kuo. Random House Studies In Psychology (Consulting Editor, L. J. Stone) New York: Random House. 1967. Pp. xii + 240. $2.45.

Self-Evaluation: Concepts and Studies. By James C. Diggory. London and New York: Wiley. 1966. Pp. xiii + 477. 80s.

The Psychology of Interpersonal Behaviour. by Michael Argyle. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd. 1967. Pp. 223. 4s. 6d.

The Causes of Behaviour II. Second edition. Edited by Judy F. Rosenblith and Wesley Allinsmith. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. 1966. Pp. xv + 608. $6.95.