Psychological Research-Psychologische Forschung最新文献

Linguistic properties affect numerical cognition. It is well-documented that transparent number-naming systems, such as those found in Chinese, Japanese and Korean, support mathematical performance due to their explicit structure that highlights place-value concepts. However, less is known about opaque number-naming systems and their impact on math achievement. In this review, we present several studies that investigate a linguistic trait known as the "inversion property" and examine its impact on a variety of math skills such as transcoding, magnitude estimation, addition and addition-estimation among young children. The inversion property can be found in languages such as German, Dutch and Czech, and is defined as the phenomenon where the standard, descending place-value order of numbers is inverted in written and oral expressions. For example, referring to "32" as "two and thirty." We argue that the inversion property impedes mathematical performance, likely because it undermines place-value processing and burdens working memory. To limit its negative impact, we consider early interventions such as modifying number-names to become more transparent and using physical manipulatives to strengthen place-value concepts.

People typically perceive objects to be the same size and shape despite changes in viewing distance, a phenomenon known as object constancy. Recent work suggests that perceptual processing of object shape and size may be enhanced in near space, consistent with similar reports from attentional tasks. These studies, however, have some methodological limitations, as the viewing distance was manipulated using illusory 2D depth cues, for which perceptual processes may differ significantly from those in real three-dimensional (3D) environments. To address this, a series of psychophysical experiments were conducted in which participants' visual resolution for object length was tested within and outside their peripersonal space. In Experiments 1 and 2, difference thresholds (Just Noticeable Differences, JND) were measured using the Method of Adjustment, while Experiment 3 employed the Method of Constant Stimuli. Experiment 4 tested whether the findings can be extended to 3D stimuli. Results from Experiments 1 and 2 showed that perceived size (PSE) varied with distance. Critically, however, across all experiments, JNDs were modulated by the size of objects and were insensitive to differences in retinal size or viewing distance. These findings suggest that in natural 3D environments, perceptual resolution is constrained by high-level visual representations of object size. More broadly, the study points to potential differences in how perceptual mechanisms operate in 3D versus 2D contexts, consistent with recent findings in the perception and action literature.

Rapidly evolving scientific, technological and societal advancements depend on those who are accomplished in mathematics, so uncovering the underpinnings of maths performance remains a valuable topic of research. The interplay between numerical and spatial aspects of cognition is of interest in this respect, and interference in this relationship from domain-specific anxieties present potential long-term consequences for overall maths learning and achievement. This study examines the impacts of maths anxiety and spatial anxiety on visuo-spatial elements of mathematical performance i.e. number line estimation. Across three separate experiments, we examine how different variations of the number line estimation task (i.e. directionality, range and unbounding) tap into spatial aspects of numerical cognitive interaction with domain-specific anxieties. Secondarily, we explore the pertinent relationship between these emotional factors and gender. We implemented three adaptations of the multi-directional number line task to simultaneously assess elements of individual differences in spatial-numerical associations. The paradigm was administered online to 471 participants in the United Kingdom across three studies. Regression models indicated that while directional number line estimation was predicted by maths anxiety, no relationship was found for spatial anxiety in any of the three experiments. While no differences in gender were found in task performance, significant differences existed in both anxiety domains. We discuss results in the context of the solid, yet elusive relationships between numerical and spatial processing and the affective underpinnings of mathematics performance in adults.

It is increasingly recognized that the embodiment of older adults reflects the declines in physical capacity that typically attend aging. Specifically, older adult embodiment is characterized by decreased involvement of bodily and action-system inputs, true for both cognitive and perceptual processing (Costello & Bloesch, Frontiers in Psychology, 267, 2017; Kuehn et al., Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 86, 207-225, 2018), and for emotional processing (Mendes, Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 86, 207-225, 2010; MacCormack et al., Emotion Review, 9(1), 36-45, 2024). However, it is unclear whether this "less embodied" effect extends into language capacity, for language is relatively well preserved in healthy aging with no obvious manifestations of embodiment-based changes. This critical review paper explores the question through evidence drawn from multiple facets of language processing that are pertinent to the embodiment of language. We find positive evidence of embodiment-based reweighting (EBR) effects for older adult language, with decreased salience of physicality and action-based inputs that are offset by increased weighting for visuo-cognitive facets of language. We interpret the EBR model in light of both compensatory and predictive coding models, and discuss its broader significance and consequences.

Previous research shows that observationally acquired stimulus-response binding and retrieval (oSRBR) effects only occur when the observed person is socially relevant. An important factor that influences one's social relevance in everyday life is social status: People typically orient their behavior and attention towards others whom they perceive to be of higher social status than themselves. This implies that these persons are considered more relevant than other persons of lower status. Thus, in two experiments we tested whether social status modulates oSRBR effects. To manipulate social status, participants were either assigned to a high status or low status condition. High status participants were able to give their interaction partner feedback on their performance and decided how an extra reward would be split between them. Then they performed an online interactive color classification task to assess oSRBR effects. Contrary to our expectation and despite successful manipulation checks, we did not find a modulation of oSRBR by social status in two highly powered (total N = 329) experiments. We discuss the implications of our findings for research on the influence of social status on imitative action regulation processes.

Skilled behaviour in real-world contexts often relies on a combination of both declarative and procedural learning. However, precisely how declarative and procedural knowledge interact is not yet fully understood. Previous findings have shown that procedural and declarative learning may interact or compete at the systems level during encoding, consolidation, and retrieval, but beyond this, it is not known whether declarative and procedural representations themselves interact. The goal of the current study is to investigate whether procedural and declarative knowledge can contribute simultaneously to categorization response selection behavior. We designed a stimulus set in which information learned by each system sometimes supports different responses, and created trials in the test phase that are designed to maximize such divergence. Participants were instructed to use a completely diagnostic, verbalizable, shape-based rule to categorize exemplars, receiving feedback after each trial. However, unbeknownst to participants, the categories also differed probabilistically in their color distributions. Participants used both color (learned procedurally) and shape (learned declaratively) to categorize exemplars, responding more quickly when both sources indicated the same category judgement, and more slowly when they conflicted. Debriefing confirmed that most participants were unaware of the color distributions. These results show simultaneous trial-level contributions from both declarative and procedural memory systems. Our findings represent a novel form of interaction between the two systems and have implications for domains beyond the laboratory, such as decision-making and classroom instruction.

Previous studies have primarily focused on how object-based or perceptual feature-based cues influence representational prioritization in visual working memory (VWM). However, it remains unclear how semantic category cues modulate this process during the maintenance phase. The present study employed electroencephalography (EEG) and a retro-cue paradigm to investigate how category-based retro-cues regulate representational prioritization in VWM. Behavioral results showed that valid cues improved recognition accuracy and reduced response times for same-object trials (i.e., items matching both category and identity), but decreased recognition accuracy and increased response times for different-object trials (i.e., items matching the category but not the identity). ERP results revealed more negative frontal N1 amplitudes under neutral-cue conditions than valid-cue conditions, indicating greater early attentional demand in the absence of informative cues. Valid cues elicited enhanced P2 and P3 components, reflecting stronger attentional engagement and target updating, while more negative CDA amplitudes suggested the active suppression of non-target items. Time-frequency analyses further demonstrated stronger frontal theta synchronization under neutral cues, whereas valid cues induced greater parieto-occipital alpha desynchronization. Critically, phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) analysis revealed increased coupling between frontal theta phases and parietal alpha amplitudes in the valid-cue condition, suggesting enhanced functional coordination within the frontoparietal attentional network. Together, these findings suggest that category-based retro-cues promote representational prioritization through a dual mechanism of target enhancement and non-target suppression, highlighting the pivotal role of frontoparietal interactions in the dynamic regulation of VWM representations.

Depression is often characterized by a persistent low mood and negative future thinking, leading to a vicious cycle of negative thoughts. Previous studies have found that individuals with depression tend to have increased negative future expectations and decreased positive future expectations. However, no study has examined how depressed individuals navigate dynamic shifts between positive and negative future scenarios. The present study attempts to investigate the abnormalities of the shifting between positive and negative future thoughts, adopting 19 individuals with depressive tendency (BDI > = 14) and 20 healthy participants (BDI < = 4). Using a cue imagination paradigm, participants alternated between imagining positive and negative future events, with varying levels of shifts. Results revealed that depressed individuals (compared to healthy controls) took significantly longer time to imagine positive (t(37) = -2.23, p = .032, Cohen's d = -0.71) and eight-switch future events (t(37) = -2.12, p = .040, Cohen's d = -0.68). Additionally, they regarded imagining dynamic future scenarios as more difficult than their healthy counterparts (F(1, 37) = 10.80, p = .002, η²= 0.226). These findings suggested that depressed individuals experience greater cognitive inflexibility when imagining fluctuating future events, potentially contributing to their negative outlook and future expectations. Understanding these abnormalities provides important implications for clinical interventions aimed at improving cognitive flexibility in individuals with depression.

Classification is a common cognitive task, which requires assigning objects or events to categories based on shared features or rules (e.g., red objects are fruit, brown objects are mushrooms). In everyday scenarios, however, objects usually belong to more than one category (e.g., red objects can also be classified as edible, and brown objects could be poisonous). This study investigates whether humans can learn corresponding regularities between outcomes of such multiple categorizations when performed in a series of decisions for each stimulus. We therefore translated classical category learning designs, known as Type I (one-dimensional rule) and Type II (disjunctive rule), into a temporal context. We compared these cases to conditions in which no correlations existed between the series of categorization outcomes, and only the visual stimulus predicted each category outcome. Besides the structural complexity, we also tested in Type I scenarios whether learning and generalization were moderated by the temporal proximity of the successive decisions (adjacent vs. non-adjacent categorizations). The results show that participants can abstract away from the visual stimulus with a temporal Type I regularity, but there was no evidence for a corresponding effect with a temporal Type II regularity. The role of adjacency was not clear-cut, but there was no strong evidence favoring stronger performance with adjacent relative to non-adjacent categorizations. We discuss these findings before the background of category- and artificial grammar-learning research, and expand on potential moderating factors such as the cognitive effort of keeping the necessary amount of information in working memory and the modality of category predictors when determining whether people will extract rules or rely on memory-based learning.

Early mathematical skills predict later mathematical skills and general school achievement. The approximate number system (ANS), number line estimation, and working memory (WM) were found to be important predictors of the development of mathematical skills. However, studies specifying contributions of ANS, number line estimation, and WM at developmental levels are scarce. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate differential contributions of ANS, number line estimation, and WM to mathematical skills in preschool and primary school children. German preschool (N = 68, M = 6 years) and primary school children (N = 66, M = 9 years 1 month) completed an age-appropriate test for mathematical skills, a non-symbolic comparison task, a number line estimation task, WM span tasks, and a nonverbal intelligence task. Results indicated that ANS accuracy, number line estimation performance, and WM capacity were significant predictors for mathematical skills in both groups when controlled for influences of sex and nonverbal intelligence. Importantly, we also observed that only number line estimation performance contributed differentially to mathematical skills as it was a significantly stronger predictor in primary school children as compared to preschool children. In sum, these results suggest that the start of formal instruction on symbolic numerical representations in primary school is reflected in the contribution of related task performance to overall mathematics. To extend current findings, future studies may focus on differentiating age groups in a more fine-grained way to evaluate developmental trajectories of specific contributions of cognitive variables.