Experiences of Autonomy and Control Among Chinese Learners: Vitalizing or Immobilizing?

Various cross-cultural researchers state that autonomy is not valued in Eastern cultures and, hence, is unlikely to predict optimal study functioning and well-being. In contrast, self-determination theory (SDT; R. M. Ryan & E. L. Deci, 2000) maintains that autonomous or volitional study motivation is universally important and should predict better learning and higher well-being, even among Chinese students. Two studies were conducted to shed light on this controversial issue. Findings from both studies indicated that autonomous study motivation positively predicts adaptive learning attitudes, academic success, and personal well-being, whereas controlled motivation was associated with higher drop-out rates, maladaptive learning attitudes, and ill-being. In addition, Study 2 revealed that parental autonomy support versus psychological control is related to more adaptive learning strategies and higher well-being and that these effects were mediated by students' relative autonomy for studying. The importance of defining autonomy as an intraindividual, phenomenological experience versus an interpersonal, culturally bounded value is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Regret and quality of life across the adult life span: The influence of disengagement and available future goals.

Two studies examined the associations between life regrets and indicators of quality of life across the adult life span. Given that opportunities to undo regrets decline with age, regret intensity was expected to be inversely associated with subjective well-being and health among older adults. In addition, the research explored protective factors that have the potential to reduce older adults' regret intensity. It was suggested that being disengaged from undoing the consequences of regrets and having many future goals available may reduce older adults' intensity of regret and thereby contribute to a better quality of life. Across both studies, the findings demonstrate that older adults perceived reduced opportunities to undo the consequences of their regrets and that regret intensity predicted a reduced quality of life only among older adults. Furthermore, the findings support the adaptive value of disengagement and available future goals for managing life regrets in older adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpreting the Good Life: Growth Memories in the Lives of Mature, Happy People.

In 2 studies, the authors examined autobiographical memories for the presence of 2 growth orientations that were expected to correspond differentially to maturity and well-being, which are considered to be key facets of "the good life" by L. A. King (2001). Mature participants emphasized integrative memories (conceptual integration and learning), whereas happy participants emphasized intrinsic memories (humanistic concerns). Both kinds of growth memories correlated more strongly with eudaimonic than with hedonic measures of well-being. Growth memories were largely independent of Big Five traits in relation to maturity and well-being. Finally, older participants were more likely than younger participants to have greater maturity (marginally) and well-being, but this was in part explained by older participants' greater tendency to have growth memories. The discussion considers the role of growth memories in the intentional cultivation of the good life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

基于心理声学参数的车内声品质偏好性评价

应用等间隔直接单尺度评分法对所采集的20个车内噪声样本进行了主观评价实验,并使用Artemis软件计算了其主要的心理声学参数.偏好性评价结果与各心理声学参数间的多元回归分析表明: 尖锐度和响度是影响匀速工况下车内声品质偏好性的两个主要心理声学参数.     

论经济犯罪中的内幕交易罪

证券内幕交易是证券市场中经常发生的、危害极大的一种经济犯罪行为。本文主要论述了内幕交易的犯罪构成，从内幕信息、内幕信息知情人员的范围、内幕交易的主观方面、客观方面等环节重新梳理内幕交易罪。     

Subjective Probability Intervals: How to Reduce Overconfidence by Interval Evaluation.

Format dependence implies that assessment of the same subjective probability distribution produces different conclusions about over- or underconfidence depending on the assessment format. In 2 experiments, the authors demonstrate that the overconfidence bias that occurs when participants produce intervals for an uncertain quantity is almost abolished when they evaluate the probability that the same intervals include the quantity. The authors successfully apply a method for adaptive adjustment of probability intervals as a debiasing tool and discuss a tentative explanation in terms of a naive sampling model. According to this view, people report their experiences accurately, but they are naive in that they treat both sample proportion and sample dispersion as unbiased estimators, yielding small bias in probability evaluation but strong bias in interval production. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Human interaction with robotic systems: performance and workload evaluations

Abstract

We first tested the effect of differing tactile informational forms (i.e. directional cues vs. static cues vs. dynamic cues) on objective performance and perceived workload in a collaborative human–robot task. A second experiment evaluated the influence of task load and informational message type (i.e. single words vs. grouped phrases) on that same collaborative task. In both experiments, the relationship of personal characteristics (attentional control and spatial ability) to performance and workload was also measured. In addition to objective performance and self-report of cognitive load, we evaluated different physiological responses in each experiment. Results showed a performance–workload association for directional cues, message type and task load. EEG measures however, proved generally insensitive to such task load manipulations. Where significant EEG effects were observed, right hemisphere amplitude differences predominated, although unexpectedly these latter relationships were negative. Although EEG measures were partially associated with performance, they appear to possess limited utility as measures of workload in association with tactile displays.

Practitioner Summary: As practitioners look to take advantage of innovative tactile displays in complex operational realms like human–robotic interaction, associated performance effects are mediated by cognitive workload. Despite some patterns of association, reliable reflections of operator state can be difficult to discern and employ as the number, complexity and sophistication of these respective measures themselves increase.     

Cardiovascular and eye activity measures as indices for momentary changes in mental effort during simulated flight

This study examines effects of momentary changes in mental effort on cardiovascular and eye activity measures. A total of 19 male pilots performed an instrument flight task. Task load was manipulated by having the pilots perform flight manoeuvres of varying complexity. Multilevel analyses demonstrated clear effects of momentary changes in mental effort on both the cardiovascular and the eye activity measures. An increase in task load resulted in an increase of heart rate and a decrease in heart rate variability, mean dwell time and fixation duration. Heart rate differentiated between resting period and task execution. Heart rate variability from short data segments provided more insight in intermediate levels of mental effort. The eye activity measures were sensitive to intermediate levels of mental effort as well. Attitude changes resulted in an increase of mean dwell time and mean fixation duration. Task analysis is required to use eye measures as valid indices of mental effort. Having indications of the effects of changing mental demands during daily work of operators is of great importance nowadays. This paper presents an approach to estimate such effects on the basis of heart rate and eye activity measures. In particular, the use of averaged short-term heart rate variability measures is a relatively new aspect.     

Food satisfaction: Integrating feelings before,during and after food intake

Consumers’ satisfaction is important for the food industry to ensure product success. Determinants to food satisfaction are multifactorial and a method approaching the multiple determinants would provide a detailed picture of determinant behind consumers’ hedonic food appreciation.The aims of this study were (1) to develop a method that could give detailed information about sensory- and food satisfaction (2) to study differences in sensory satisfaction in a case study, and (3) to study the factors related to food satisfaction. Focus group interviews and a literature study provided an overview of factors with potential to affect food satisfaction. A total of four questionnaires, covering factors before-, during- and after intake as well as demographics, were developed to measure factors related to satisfaction. The questionnaires were utilised in a cross-over consumer study with 79 subjects consuming two sensory different variants of chicken soup. Soups were sensory evaluated utilising expert statements. The consumer study showed that sensory satisfaction was highly influenced by liking of taste and appearance, whereas liking of odour and texture influenced sensory satisfaction moderately. Food satisfaction was influenced by factors measured during- and post intake; sensory satisfaction, fulfilment of expectations, reason for ending intake, product performance relative to expectations, hunger and fullness after intake were found highly influential in food satisfaction. Pre-intake factors did not substantially influence food satisfaction. Though the use of multiple variables gave a detailed picture of factors involved in food satisfaction, there was still variation in food satisfaction that remained unaccounted.     

How does time spent on WeChat bolster subjective well-being through social integration and social capital?

Although WeChat has recently spawned significant resolutions in technology-mediated social contact and interpersonal communication, the research regarding the social and psychological impacts of the newly emerging technology is relatively few. The primary purpose of the current empirical research is to unearth whether and how WeChat interaction could enhance overseas students’ sense of subjective well-being by concentrating on social integration, bridging relationships, and bonding relationships. Using web-based data of 228 Chinese subjects, the obtained results reveal that the time spent on WeChat significantly and directly impacts users’ subjective well-being. Additionally, the findings demonstrate that social integration, bridging relationships, bonding relationships are all significant predictors to subjective well-being. Furthermore, the perceptions of social integration and social capital could play the crucial mediating roles in the connection between WeChat use and the dependent variable of subjective well-being. Therefore, these outcomes may shed light on a more nuanced comprehending of the influence of the new social media interaction on sojourner’s social adaption and overall life quality in the digital age.