Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《心理科学进展》
Abstract： Spatial interaction is critical for the survival and social interaction of human beings, including domains of spatial language communication and perspective-taking. In spatial language communication, people are usually located in different locations, so the spatial relationships observed from different perspectives are not the same. Therefore, perspective choices and switches are required in spatial language communication. What factors affect perspective choices and switches in spatial language communication is the critical scientific question in this area. Before the spatial language is produced and comprehended, people have recognized that the other’s perspective is different from their own just by visually observing. It involves an important spatial cognitive mechanism, which is called “perspective-taking”. The core issue in this area is: What factors affect the efficiency and spontaneousness of perspective-taking? The three elements of spatial interaction are the subject, object, and spatial environment, so this process is not only related to spatial cognition but also closely related to social cognition. Traditionally, studies on strategy selection and efficacy of spatial interaction focus on the effects of spatial factors. However, recent studies investigated multiple social factors, including the individual’s social cognitive traits, the partners’ social attributes, and social cues in the spatial environments. An individual’s social cognitive traits mainly involve social skill, empathy, psychopathy. The partners’ social attributes mainly involve human/nonhuman attributes, spatial cognitive ability, and sight state. Social cues in the spatial environments mainly involve the affordance of objects and the alignment between spatial orientation and partners’ orientation. All these factors would affect the perspective choice of individuals. The theoretical explanations of the influence of social factors on spatial interaction are limited or under debate. Currently, the main theoretical explanation in spatial language communication is the principle of least collaborative effort, and the main theoretical explanations in perspective-taking are implicit mentalizing and submentalizing. According to the principle of least collaborative effort, the conversation partners, instead of minimizing the speaker’s or the addressee’s effort individually, take account of both sides’ effort and adapt their perspective to share the cognitive burden and facilitate their coordination. Thus both the speaker and the listener are influenced by social factors in themselves, in partners, and in the environment. The theoretical hypothesis of implicit mentalizing assumes that perspective-taking is the processing of others’ mental states. In contrast, the hypothesis of submentalizing assumes that perspective-taking is caused by attentional shifting. Based on these two hypotheses, others’ mental states, sights, and spatial cues in the environment will affect the process of perspective-taking. Currently, there are some limitations in this research area, such as unbalanced research focuses, attributing spatial interaction targets with single and limited criteria, exploring social factors unsystematically and not extensively, and providing empirical evidence without theoretical constructs. Future research should focus on these limitations and promote the cross-domain integration between social cognition and spatial cognition.
Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《心理科学进展》
Abstract： HPA axis (Hypothalamic - Pituitary - Adrenal, HPA) dysfunction determines the formation or deterioration of stress-related emotional disorders. As a special stress-related disease, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) appears before menstruation and disappears after menstruation. This stable and explosive phenomenon reflects acute stress. On the other hand, the premenstrual discomfort symptoms are considered chronic stress, which may last about 30 years. In order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the pathological mechanisms of PMS, we relied on two types of the activity patterns of HPA axis, namely activity patterns at the baseline level and activity patterns after experimental manipulations on stress levels. The current meta-analysis study included 32 studies (total sample size N = 1280) from 1990 to 2021. We investigated the difference of cortisol levels in luteal phase and follicular phase between PMS women and controls. In addition, we investigated the moderating roles of the cortisol measurement method, cortisol measurement time, PMS/PMDD sample size, and diagnostic type. Because of age-related changes in female hormone secretion and regional differences in menstruation attitude, we further investigated the moderating roles of age and area. 牋We found that the cortisol of PMS individuals in the luteal phase was significantly lower than that of the controls at the baseline level. This effect was moderated by the time of cortisol measurement. At follicular stage, there was no significant difference in cortisol content between PMS women and controls. Similarly, in the experimental studies manipulating stress levels, the cortisol content of PMS women in the luteal phase was significantly lower than that of the controls, but the two groups did not differ in the cortisol content of the follicular phase. The moderating roles of cortisol measurement method, PMS/PMDD sample size, diagnostic type, age and area were not significant. 牋The findings suggested that the persistent changes of the HPA axis and blunted reactivity of HPA axis to pressure might be pathological mechanisms of PMS. The inactivation of the HPA axis at the baseline reflected the lasting change of the neurobiological system due to long-term ineffective activation, while the inactivation of the HPA axis in the experimental studies directly showed blunted reaction to subsequent stressors. Blunted baseline cortisol response may be a risk factor to the development of PMS. Thus, future studies need to further clarify the role of blunted baseline cortisol response on the occurrence of PMS using a longitudinal design. 牋In addition, the results of the follicular phase were unstable in both the baseline and experimental studies, influenced by depression history and trauma experience. 牋The study responds to the controversy of the existing research findings on the topic and provides a deeper understanding for the pathological mechanisms of PMS. Based on the findings of this study, the roles of the time effect of cortisol measurement and stress regulation strategies should be considered in future research.
Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《心理科学进展》
Abstract： The advent of the big data era has made it possible to use data to predict behavior. Game is an important part of human social behavior. The issue of how to use the rich data obtained from games to predict players' knowledge, skills, and traits has attracted increasing attention, resulting in game-based psychological assessment. Game-based psychological assessment (GBPA) refers to evaluating a person's ability, personality, and other psychological characteristics through games or gamified activities. In the early days, it was mainly used to evaluate the effectiveness of education and training, and later it was extended to assessing psychological characteristics. As a new technology, game-based assessment creates a more realistic situation to get more accurate data, which has advantages in form, process, and outcome. A paradigm based on evidence-centered design has been developed in game-based assessment to design instruments and conduct empirical studies. It consists of three core components: competence model, task model, and evidence model. Establishing a competency model refers to defining the structure of the target characteristics under a theoretical framework. Establishing an evidence model refers to determining the indicators and scoring rules. Specifically, selecting the indicators associated with the competence model, setting the scoring rules, and further establishing the predictive model. Establishing a task model refers to designing tasks to obtain indicators from them. The game is the assessment task itself in a game-based assessment. Researchers can refine predictive indicators based on existing games for evaluation or design new games according to the purpose of the study. Utilizing evidence-centered design to establish assessment tools provides necessary conditions for further data collection, processing, and reliability and validity testing. This paradigm has been applied to assessing individual differences in cognitive and non-cognitive abilities. For example, predicting reasoning ability and mathematics performance through Sokoban games, evaluating elderly people with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease using “Kitchen and cooking” game, and assessing children's social emotional skills using a novel computer game called Zoo U. Non-cognitive ability reflecting social characteristics and personality traits is more difficult to measure than cognitive ability. Researchers have not reached a consensus about whether the game-based assessment is effective in predicting personality traits. However, this technique is still in its infancy. Future research can be further expanded in task design, data mining, and practical application. Non-linear game patterns and multi-player large-scale game designs expand the applicable scope. The attempts in corporate recruitment and clinical assessment and treatment also bring new value to this technique. Game-based assessment has great potential in the field of psychometrics.
Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《心理科学进展》
Abstract： Therapeutic zone of proximal development (TZPD) is an extension of Vygotsky's concept of the zone of proximal development in the field of psychotherapy. Based on the assimilation model, TZPD represents the space between the actual development level and the potential development level of clients within a developmental sequence. As a new concept to understand the change process of psychotherapy, it can enhance the understanding of setbacks in psychotherapy, provide an easy-to-operate theoretical framework for promoting the change of the client, and provide precise guidance for the therapist to choose supportive or challenging intervention strategies. In terms of research, TZPD theory is based on an unconventional methodology of Theory-Building Qualitative Research. TZPD theory is built upon accumulating observations in qualitative case studies in which TZPD helped the therapist understand and interpret the psychotherapy process. Under this methodology, researchers mainly use a therapeutic collaboration coding system (TCCS) as a research tool to analyze different case studies, understand the causes and characteristics of different counseling cases, and compare the effects of good and bad results based on TZPD, to describe the characteristics of the psychotherapy process. This kind of practice will provide a richer perspective for future research on the theoretical construction of psychological counseling and therapy and the understanding of psychological treatment mechanisms. In clinical practice, as the working area of psychotherapy, TZPD provides a new perspective for understanding the setback phenomenon in the psychotherapy process. Early researchers regarded setbacks as a hindrance in the psychotherapy process, but the TZPD suggests that setbacks may be therapists' exploration of the clients' TZPD boundaries and preparation for subsequent progress. The key point of therapists' work is not to avoid setbacks, but to discover and differentiate the phenomenon of setbacks under the enlightenment of TZPD theory, and choose the appropriate intervention technique at the appropriate stage. The future of TZPD hinges on further exploration of the clinical wisdom of experienced therapists. It's also worthy of carrying out theoretical exploration from different approaches and perspectives, which might ultimately explain setbacks in the process of assimilation and lead to a better understanding of the dynamics of the psychotherapy process.
submitted time 2023-03-25 Cooperative journals: 《心理科学进展》
Abstract： HPA axis (Hypothalamic - Pituitary - Adrenal, HPA) dysfunction determines the formation or deterioration of stress-related emotional disorders. As a special stress-related disease, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) appears before menstruation and disappears after menstruation. This stable and explosive phenomenon reflects acute stress. On the other hand, the premenstrual discomfort symptoms are considered chronic stress, which may last about 30 years. In order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the pathological mechanisms of PMS, we relied on two types of the activity patterns of HPA axis, namely activity patterns at the baseline level and activity patterns after experimental manipulations on stress levels. The current meta-analysis study included 32 studies (total sample size N = 1280) from 1990 to 2021. We investigated the difference of cortisol levels in luteal phase and follicular phase between PMS women and controls. In addition, we investigated the moderating roles of the cortisol measurement method, cortisol measurement time, PMS/PMDD sample size, and diagnostic type. Because of age-related changes in female hormone secretion and regional differences in menstruation attitude, we further investigated the moderating roles of age and area. 牋We found that the cortisol of PMS individuals in the luteal phase was significantly lower than that of the controls at the baseline level. This effect was moderated by the time of cortisol measurement. At follicular stage, there was no significant difference in cortisol content between PMS women and controls. Similarly, in the experimental studies manipulating stress levels, the cortisol content of PMS women in the luteal phase was significantly lower than that of the controls, but the two groups did not differ in the cortisol content of the follicular phase. The moderating roles of cortisol measurement method, PMS/PMDD sample size, diagnostic type, age and area were not significant. 牋The findings suggested that the persistent changes of the HPA axis and blunted reactivity of HPA axis to pressure might be pathological mechanisms of PMS. The inactivation of the HPA axis at the baseline reflected the lasting change of the neurobiological system due to long-term ineffective activation, while the inactivation of the HPA axis in the experimental studies directly showed blunted reaction to subsequent stressors. Blunted baseline cortisol response may be a risk factor to the development of PMS. Thus, future studies need to further clarify the role of blunted baseline cortisol response on the occurrence of PMS using a longitudinal design. 牋In addition, the results of the follicular phase were unstable in both the baseline and experimental studies, influenced by depression history and trauma experience. 牋The study responds to the controversy of the existing research findings on the topic and provides a deeper understanding for the pathological mechanisms of PMS. Based on the findings of this study, the roles of the time effect of cortisol measurement and stress regulation strategies should be considered in future research.
Subjects: Psychology >> Personality Psychology submitted time 2023-01-06
Abstract：
HPA axis (Hypothalamic - Pituitary - Adrenal, HPA) dysfunction determines the formation or deterioration of stress-related emotional disorders. In order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the pathological mechanisms of PMS, we relied on two types of the activity patterns of HPA axis, namely activity patterns at the baseline level and activity patterns after experimental manipulations on stress levels. The current meta-analysis study included 32 studies (total sample size N = 1280) from 1990 to 2021. We found that the cortisol of PMS individuals in the luteal phase was significantly lower than that of the controls at the baseline level. This effect was moderated by the time of cortisol measurement. At follicular stage, there was no significant difference in cortisol content between PMS women and controls. Similarly, in the experimental studies manipulating stress levels, the cortisol content of PMS women in the luteal phase was significantly lower than that of the controls, but the two groups did not differ in the cortisol content of the follicular phase. The findings suggested that the persistent changes of the HPA axis and blunted reactivity of HPA axis to pressure might be pathological mechanisms of PMS. Future research should focus on stress regulation strategies to improve PMS.
Peer Review Status:
Awaiting Review
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology submitted time 2018-03-22 Cooperative journals: 《心理学报》
Abstract： Reactive aggression has been widely concerned by researchers because of its serious impact on society, such as violent crimes. Existing neuroimaging studies using patients with high levels of aggression indicated a network of brain regions subserve reactive aggression, including amygdala, caudate nucleus, and orbitofrontal cortex. Furthermore, researchers believed that reduced prefrontal activity along with heightened subcortical activity in the context of provocative stimuli poses an increased risk for reactive aggression. However, evidence for this theory in healthy population is lacking, especially this independently of the experiment task.
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