A multi-relation approach of general systems and tests of applications

In this paper, under the assumption that ZFC axiom system is consistent, the following are proved: (a) there is no system whose object set consists of all systems; (b) any system is not an object of itself; (c) any system is constructed with basic elements (elements which are not systems). Based on these results, the following problems in epistemology are discussed: the feasibility of the definition of the theory so-called science of science; the existence of basic particles in the world; and the existence of absolute truths.This paper was partially supported by Auburn University, presented atThe 20th Annual Spring Topology Conference, entitled The ZFC Axiom System and Problems in Epistemology.     

Free-range domestic chickens can distinguish between different alarm calls of Japanese tits

Animal Cognition - Heterospecific eavesdropping of alarm information is an anti-predator adaptation in the wild as it improves the monitoring of shared predators and hence provides opportunities to...     

Social factors influence solo and rat dyads exploration of an unfamiliar open field

Animal Cognition - Exploring new and unfamiliar environments is critical for survival, providing information on food, shelter, mates, and sources of danger. The open field paradigm is commonly used...     

Pessimistic explanatory style and response to illness

Previous studies have shown that a pessimistic explanatory style is a risk factor for illness, but the factors linking explanatory style and illness are unknown. One's characteristic response to poor health may mediate this relationship. Perhaps pessimistic individuals act helplessly in the face of their symptoms, thereby exacerbating disease. In the present study, we investigated this possibility by asking 96 young adults to complete measures of explanatory style, habitual response to illness, and ways of coping during their most recent episode of illness. Subjects who explain bad events pessimistically (with internal, stable, and global causes) reported more frequent illnesses during the past year and rated their overall health more poorly than those who habitually favor external, unstable, and specific explanations. When ill, the pessimistic subjects were less likely than their optimistic counterparts to take active steps to combat their illness. Our results suggest that one pathway leading from pessimistic explanatory style to poor health is mundane: passivity in the face of disease.     

行为与脑的关系及其与机体其它属性间的相互作用的研究──心理学研究展望

“二十一世纪的心理学”的论题是当今许多科学家感兴趣的．这种预测是一种想象与现实相结合的尝试。审视过去和现在．心理学未来的雏形的基础可能是行为与脑的关系及其与生命其它属性之间的相互作用。     

Finite mixtures in confirmatory factor-analysis models

In this paper, various types of finite mixtures of confirmatory factor-analysis models are proposed for handling data heterogeneity. Under the proposed mixture approach, observations are assumed to be drawn from mixtures of distinct confirmatory factor-analysis models. But each observation does not need to be identified to a particular model prior to model fitting. Several classes of mixture models are proposed. These models differ by their unique representations of data heterogeneity. Three different sampling schemes for these mixture models are distinguished. A mixed type of the these three sampling schemes is considered throughout this article. The proposed mixture approach reduces to regular multiple-group confirmatory factor-analysis under a restrictive sampling scheme, in which the structural equation model for each observation is assumed to be known. By assuming a mixture of multivariate normals for the data, maximum likelihood estimation using the EM (Expectation-Maximization) algorithm and the AS (Approximate-Scoring) method are developed, respectively. Some mixture models were fitted to a real data set for illustrating the application of the theory. Although the EM algorithm and the AS method gave similar sets of parameter estimates, the AS method was found computationally more efficient than the EM algorithm. Some comments on applying the mixture approach to structural equation modeling are made.Note: This paper is one of the Psychometric Society's 1995 Dissertation Award papers.—EditorThis article is based on the dissertation of the author. The author would like to thank Peter Bentler, who was the dissertation chair, for guidance and encouragement of this work. Eric Holman, Robert Jennrich, Bengt Muthén, and Thomas Wickens, who served as the committee members for the dissertation, had been very supportive and helpful. Michael Browne is appreciated for discussing some important points about the use of the approximate information in the dissertation. Thanks also go to an anonymous associate editor, whose comments were very useful for the revision of an earlier version of this article.     

On the detection of a brief signal in the temporal center of a noise masker of varying duration

The threshold of a brief signal temporally centered in a noise masker first increases and then decreases as the masker is increased in duration. We discuss two explanations for this “over-shoot” phenomenon which consider the role of peaks of an exponentially weighted sliding integrator. One such explanation takes into account the finding that the steepness of the psychometric function continues to increase monotonically as its location moves first right and then left.     

Friendship patterns of overseas students: A functional model1

The respondents were 30 foreign students at the University of Hawaii (6 each from Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand), and 6 host national (American) students, balanced for sex. The subjects identified their 5 best friends, and the 5 people with whom they spend most of their time. The subjects were then presented with a list of 15 activities, and identified a preferred companion for each of the situations. The data were used to test a functional model of the academic sojourn, which predicts that foreign students will belong to three social networks, in descending order of salience: a) a conational network whose function is to affirm and express the culture of origin; b) a network with host nationals, whose function is the instrumental facilitation of academic and professional aspirations; and c) a multinational network whose main function is recreational. The results confirmed the existence, predicted differential function, and salience hierarchy of these three social networks, and reconciled previous conflicting reports regarding the social relations of foreign students.     

The sex by race interaction in cognitive measures

Data consisting of 79 cognitive measures from Project TALENT for 100,000 white and black high school students have been analyzed for possible race by sex interactions. Control variables included geographical area, grade in high school, and socio-economic class. Race by sex interactions are largest when socioeconomic class is controlled and are highly related to the size of the main effect of sex as well. White boys and girls differ more than black boys and girls whether the overall sex difference favors males or females. Sex by grade and, to a lesser extent, sex by area interactions were also moderately large and consistent with the size of the main effect of sex. Since there are no consistent relationships with other main effects, and since the measures producing sex differences also tend to produce the interactions, it is concluded that sex differences and the interactions with sex share the same causes. Differences between these results and those of Jensen are also discussed.     

视觉搜索左右视野靶时脑两半球加工特点

研究视觉分别搜索在左右视野靶时,脑两侧前额叶视觉加工的机制。14名有偿被试参加实验。实验任务是从正圆中所存在的垂直方向的箭头,搜索出水平方向箭头,并判断箭头方向。靶所在左右视野经过镜面处理完全对应。结果发现当靶出现约220ms后左右两侧脑区ERP出现分叉点,靶对侧与靶同侧的前脑区相比有非常显著的负向电位活动,对侧和同侧的N2延续40-80ms。分析认为靶对侧前额脑区N2负向活动增强是注意的等级提高,聚焦点收窄,使所要加工的靶在主效应脑区(靶视野对侧脑区)“跃显”出来,在得到正反馈诱导的同时,也得到更多的资源,靶同侧脑区N2可能与中断或阻止其他无关信息的涌入有关。