非言语学习不良青少年空间关系推理及其影响因素研究

It has reported that individuals with nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD) have deficits in visual-spatial organization and strengths in rote language abilities. At present, there are few studies on higher order cognitive abilities of adolescents with NLD, such as the reasoning about spatial relations. The study sampled three groups: a normal group (a control group, C), a nonverbal learning disabilities group (NLD), and a verbal learning disabilities group (VLD). The aim of this study was to examine spatial and nonspatial relation reasoning abilities in adolescents with NLD under figure and word conditions, and assessed the relative involvement of different working memory components in four types of reasoning tasks: reasoning about figure-spatial, figure-nonspatial, verbal-spatial, and verbal-nonspatial relations. Using the double-tasks methodology, visual, spatial, central-executive, and phonological loads were realized. We tried to find how working memory components impact on adolescents with NLD spatial and nonspatial reasoning. The main results of present research are as follows. (1) The NLD group didn’t differ from normal group on reasoning about figure-nonspatial relations. The NLD group scored lower than the C group in spatial problems. So, adolescents with NLD showed a dissociation between spatial and non-spatial relation reasoning. They scored higher in non-spatial problems than in spatial ones. Adolescents with VLD developed well in reasoning about figure-nonspatial relations, but showed deficits in other three tasks. (2) For each reasoning task, the difficult of four types of reasoning problem had different changing trend. For figure and verbal spatial problems, mental model approach can interpret performance of the four problems well. For verbal nonspatial problems, a logical rule approach can interpret performance of the four problems well. (3) Adolescents with NLD did not differ from adolescents with VLD and normal adolescents in phonological, central-executive, and visual dual tasks. But the NLD group had lower performance than the other two groups in spatial dual task. The results showed a dissociation between visual and spatial working memory in NLD group. The VLD group only experienced deficits in central-executive subsystem. (4) The studies found that spatial reasoning mainly loaded spatial working memory, whist the involvement of spatial resources in nonspatial reasoning was little. Visual working memory mainly involved in reasoning about spatial and figure-nonspatial relations, especially in figure-nonspatial problems, and had few impacts on verbal-nonspatial reasoning. Central executive system was involved in all reasoning tasks. The role of phonological loop in the reasoning tasks required further explored. (5) According to the findings, we concluded that the deficits in spatial working memory resulted in poor spatial reasoning abilities for teenagers with NLD, whist because of the limited central executive capability, teenagers with VLD showed poor reasoning abilities. (6) The three groups can used multiple strategies during the reasoning process. They didn’t differ from each other in reasoning strategies. They all used mental model strategy to solve figure and verbal spatial problems, and used logic rule strategy to solve verbal nonspatial problems.

社会发展与中国人人格变迁——控制测验理论与工具的变异后不同时期的中国人人格差异研究

In non-western society，researches on social development and personality change focused on economic development and social modernization. The present study is aimed at exploring the relationship between the social transformation and personality changes of Chinese people by using so-called indigenous personality measurement of CPAI (Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory). Meanwhile, the influence of CPAI measurement itself and measurement theory were also taken into consideration. In study 1, two sets of CPAI data collected in a 10 year interval were analyzed. At the same time, the CPAI-2 data was analyzed in terms of modernization level of various cities from which the data were collected. However, this study didn’t consider the importance of “equivalence” of the measurement, CPAI. In study 2, we detected DIF (Differential item functioning) across the different period groups to confirm if CPAI was equal to people in different period. In this process, both CTT and IRT method were used. The outcome reminded us that there were some DIF items. In study 3, to make sure that the personality measurement is fair to people in different period, we only saved those items whose DIF effect size lower than 0.01, and used IRT method to estimate test-taker’s personality. Then, cohort analysis was used to explore the pattern of personality change of Chinese people. In study 4, we factor-analyzed the DIF items to find the relation between social transformation and the latent personality variable which were composed of DIF items. From these 4 studies, we could got the following conclusions: (1) The CPAI 22 traits could be divided into two categories, with the changing of age, period and cohort, type I traits didn’t change, they were Logical vs Affective Orientation, Enterprise, Responsibility, Inferiority vs Self-Acceptance, Optimism vs Pessimism, Face, Family, Defensive, Graciousness vs Meanness; While with the changing of age, period and cohort, type II traits changed, they were Leadership, Self vs. Social Orientation, Veraciousness vs Slickness, Traditionalism vs Modernity, Harmony, Renqing, Meticulousness, Extraversion vs Introversion, Emotionality, Practical Mindedness, Internal vs External Locus of Control, Thrift vs Extravagance, Discipline. Meanwhile DIF items measured 5 psychologycial characteristics which changed greatly with the changing of age, period and cohort, they were Life attitude of Cynicism-realism, Psychological maladjustment, Coping style of Waiyuanneifang, Self-efficacy, the value of Individualism. (2) In sum, Chinese people in 1992 were more traditional than those in 2001, and with the 10-year of rapid development, according to the market economy’s needs, Chinese people became more individualism. (3) The DIF method of CTT and IRT were comparable. But, in generally, IRT method was more accurate and valid in detecting DIF as were as estimating personality. (4) The DIF outcomes showed that CPAI had good item validity. Meanwhile, it’s possible to develop a subscale by using CPAI items to assess some psychological characteristics. In this current study, according to their stability and variability, we could divided personality traits and psychological characteristics into 3 categories, and the outcome supported the hypothesis of “Six Factor Model”, these foundings were of some theoretic meanings. Meanwhile, as the relation between social development and personality change being explored, it certain help Chinese people cope with the rapid changing society. In this study, we also found that it’s possible to develop a subscale by using CPAI items to assess obverse personality traits and it had some practical use. Furthermore, the use of different measurement theory and cohort analysis embodied some innovation in methodology.

金融工作者的抑郁症状的影响因素及其形成机制研究

Ill-health prevails in the workplace. A key problem encountered in the area of stress management is a lack of research into the way job burnout turns into mental problems, especially depressive symptoms, the most prevalent and costly psychiatric condition in the workplace. This research belongs to a cross-discipline area of industrial psychiatry and organizational behavior, which has seldom been investigated before. This research will contribute to the theoretical development of organizational behavior, especially to stress management and industrial psychiatry. This study aims to explore etiological factors and mechanisms of depressive symptoms of workers in the financial industry. By using literature review, semi-structured interviews and surveys as the major research methods, this Ph.D. study systematically investigated the risk factors of workers’ depressive symptoms within and outside of the work area. These risk factors are worker-work environment fits, work family conflicts, and workers’ psychological vulnerabilities to depression. A thorough literature review and 20 semi-structured interviews of brokers in different kinds of financial markets show the feasibility and necessity of this Ph.D. study when it comes to the issue of financial workers’ depressive symptoms. Two surveys of workplace-etiological factors of depressive symptoms were conducted among 244 financial workers and 1024 financial workers. This cross-sample verification showed that worker-work environment fit was a good framework to study risk factors of workers’ depressive symptoms. Results revealed that job demands-abilities misfit could lead to job burnout which in turn contributed to worker’s depressive symptoms; besides this, work effort-reward imbalance could directly cause workers’ depressive symptoms. Emotional labor enhanced the positive effect of job burnout on workers’ depressive symptoms. In the third study, a prominent risk factor outside of the work area, namely work family conflict, and workers’ psychological vulnerabilities of depression were included with workplace etiological factors to investigate the overall predictive model of depressive symptoms of financial workers. The survey was conducted among the same 1024 financial workers. Results indicated that work effort-reward imbalance, job burnout and work interfering in family life were three external etiological factors of workers’ depressive symptoms. Neuroticism, autonomy and low emotional intelligence were three individual etiological factors which had a positive effect on workers’ depressive symptoms. Moreover, neuroticism enhanced the relationship between job burnout and depressive symptoms as well as between work interfering in family life and depressive symptoms. Autonomy aggravated the relationship between job burnout and depressive symptoms. However, emotional intelligence attenuated the relationship between job burnout and depressive symptoms as well as between work effort-reward imbalance and depressive symptoms. Besides, workers’ dysfunctional attitudes played a partial mediating role in the relationships between above etiological factors and depressive symptoms. In the same sample, research evidence of impairments of workers’ depressive symptoms to their work-life quality was also obtained. Specifically, depressive symptoms could predict workers’ presenteeism, absenteeism and turnover intention. Their subjective well-being was also lowered when suffering more severe depressive symptoms. This research provides a theoretical basis to management practices targeted to set up the Employee Assistance Program or even more specilised rehabilitation programs for workers with depressive symptoms so as to improve their work-life quality and and establish a harmonious enterprise.

左中部梭状回枕颞沟内皮质对汉字加工的必要性、选择性和作用性质

A number of functional neuroimaging studies with skilled readers consistently showed activation to visual words in the left mid-fusiform cortex in occipitotemporal sulcus (LMFC-OTS). Neuropsychological studies also showed that lesions at left ventral occipitotemporal areas result in impairment in visual word processing. Based on these empirical observations and some theoretical speculations, a few researchers postulated that the LMFC-OTS is responsible for instant parallel and holistic extraction of the abstract representation of letter strings, and labeled this piece of cortex as “visual word form area” (VWFA). Nonetheless, functional neuroimaging studies alone is basically a correlative rather than causal approach, and lesions in the previous studies were typically not constrained within LMFC-OTS but also involving other brain regions beyond this area. Given these limitations, it remains unanswered for three fundamental questions: is LMFC-OTS necessary for visual word processing? is this functionally selective for visual word processing while unnecessary for processing of non-visual word stimuli? what are its function properties in visual word processing? This thesis aimed to address these questions through a series of neuropsychological, anatomical and functional MRI experiments in four patients with different degrees of impairments in the left fusiform gyrus. Necessity: Detailed analysis of anatomical brain images revealed that the four patients had differential foci of brain infarction. Specifically, the LMFC-OTS was damaged in one patient, while it remained intact in the other three. Neuropsychological experiments showed that the patient with lesions in the LMFC-OTS had severe impairments in reading aloud and recognizing Chinese characters, i.e., pure alexia. The patient with intact LMFC-OTS but information from the left visual field (LVF) was blocked due to lesions in the splenium of corpus callosum, showed impairment in Chinese characters recognition when the stimuli were presented in the LVF but not in the RVF, i.e. left hemialexia. In contrast, the other two patients with intact LMFC-OTS had normal function in processing Chinese characters. The fMRI experiments demonstrated that there was no significant activation to Chinese characters in the LMFC-OTS of the pure alexic patient and of the patient with left hemialexia when the stimuli were presented in the LVF. On the other hand, this patient, when Chinese characters were presented in right visual field, and the other two with intact LMFC-OTS had activation in the LMFC-OTS. These results together point to the necessity of the LMFC-OTS for Chinese character processing. Selectivity: We tested selectivity of the LMFC-OTS for visual word processing through systematically examining the patients’ ability for processing visual vs. auditory words, and word vs. non-word visual stimuli, such as faces, objects and colors. Results showed that the pure alexic patients could normally process auditory words (expression, understanding and repetition of orally presented words) and non-word visual stimuli (faces, objects, colors and numbers). Although the patient showed some impairments in naming faces, objects and colors, his performance scores were only slightly lower or not significantly different relative to those of the patients with intact LMFC-OTS. These data provide compelling evidence that the LMFC-OTS is not requisite for processing non-visual word stimuli, thus has selectivity for visual word processing. Functional properties: With tasks involving multiple levels and aspects of word processing, including Chinese character reading, phonological judgment, semantic judgment, identity judgment of abstract visual word representation, lexical decision, perceptual judgment of visual word appearance, and dictation, copying, voluntary writing, etc., we attempted to reveal the most critical dysfunction caused by damage in the LMFC-OTS, thus to clarify the most essential function of this region. Results showed that in addition to dysfunctions in Chinese character reading, phonological and semantic judgment, the patient with lesions at LMFC-OTS failed to judge correctly whether two characters (including compound and simple characters) with different surface features (e.g., different fonts, printed vs. handwritten vs. calligraphy styles, simplified characters vs. traditional characters, different orientations of strokes or whole characters) had the same abstract representation. The patient initially showed severe impairments in processing both simple characters and compound characters. He could only copy a compound character in a stroke-by-stroke manner, but not by character-by-character or even by radical-by-radical manners. During the recovery process, namely five months later, the patient could complete the abstract representation tasks of simple characters, but showed no improvement for compound characters. However, he then could copy compound characters in a radical-by-radical manner. Furthermore, it seems that the recovery of copying paralleled to that of judgment of abstract representation. These observations indicate that lesions of the LMFC-OTS in the pure alexic patients caused several damage in the ability of extracting the abstract representation from lower level units to higher level units, and the patient had especial difficulty to extract the abstract representation of whole character from its secondary units (e.g., radicals or single characters) and this ability was resistant to recover from impairment. Therefore, the LMFC-OTS appears to be responsible for the multilevel (particularly higher levels) abstract representations of visual word form. Successful extraction seems independent on access to phonological and semantic information, given the alexic patient showed severe impairments in reading aloud and semantic processing on simple characters while maintenance of intact judgment on their abstract representation. However, it is also possible that the interaction between the abstract representation and its related information e.g. phonological and semantic information was damaged as well in this patient. Taken together, we conclude that: 1) the LMFC-OTS is necessary for Chinese character processing, 2) it is selective for Chinese character processing, and 3) its critical function is to extract multiple levels of abstract representation of visual word and possibly to transmit it to phonological and semantic systems.

应用解析水平理论考察时间距离对决策的影响

Construal Level Theory is a kind of social cognitive theory, with the main conclusion of that the more time distance is, the more people use high level construal and the more high level construal affect in judging, decision making and such of these cognitive processes, and the low level construal has the mirror process as well. In these ten years, construal level theory is developing very fast and some of the researches of consumer behavior has concerned this developed trend very much. In 2007’s Journal of Consumer psychology, half of the papers focused on construal topics and ask for more researches about these topics. So our research mainly focused on such topics, the application of construal level theory in consumer behavior research. The first part is contained 3 experiments which mean to discuss the questions from reviewing the prior literatures. The research methods, manipulated definition, construal level factors VS construal level events are the goal of first part of this study. The results showed that construal level’s effect might be a consecutive variable and has a consecutive trend when time goes by. Time distance might not be a semantic cognitive effect to construal level but a internal ones for when there’s no verbal information of time distance the results would have the same one as well. The second part of the study is focus on a simplified model of decision-making, which contained two times decision-making, to detect whether and how would the prior decision making affect the next decision making. The study conducted the time distance in first decision making with the situation for the decision and conducted the second time distance in the time distance between the two decision situations. Although we couldn’t get the detail of the weight changes in construal level factors limited by our research, we can have a logical hypothesis based on “one-down- the other-up”. The results showed that the level of construal factors can affect the memory and the more the factors affected, the bigger the error would be. The first time distance and second time distance could effect the second decision in a interaction-way, and support the hypothesis. The whole research is mean to explore the application of construal level theory in consumer behavior research. The conclusion suggests that the periods of products and the consuming may need different marketing strategies in a long-term perspective and time distance should be control are detected in marketing analysis even there’s no time information on the paper.