Behavioral Sciences最新文献

Background: This study explored the interrelation between motor coordination abilities and cognitive functions in older adults, aiming to establish a preliminary diagnostic tool that may facilitate early detection of motor-cognitive decline.

Methods: Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, we investigated the efficacy of the Stroop word test in conjunction with various motor coordination measurements to identify markers of cognitive aging in older adults.

Results: The analysis revealed significant correlations between asymmetric spatial coordination (AC) and Stroop error effects (SEEs), indicating that better coordination correlates with reduced cognitive errors. Multiple-regression analysis showed that AC, simple reaction time (SRT), and anticipation time (AT) significantly predicted SEE (R² = 0.635), with AC emerging as the strongest predictor (β = -0.475). These results underscore the significance of asymmetric spatial motor coordination as a predictive factor for executive cognitive abilities affected by aging. We propose a potential tool for individuals to monitor their motor-cognitive health.

Conclusions: The findings of this study contribute to the growing body of evidence linking physical coordination to cognitive function, emphasizing the importance of integrated diagnostic approaches in the management of aging-related cognitive impairments.

Smoking cessation after a cancer diagnosis is a key determinant of prognosis, yet the psychological mechanisms underlying cessation remain poorly understood. Building on a recently validated Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) scale, this study examined whether baseline HAPA constructs predicted short-term smoking cessation and tobacco dependence in patients with head and neck cancer. Eighty-nine patients completed assessments at diagnosis (T0) and one-month follow-up (T1). Six HAPA constructs were measured at T0: Risk Perception, Outcome Expectancies, Recovery Self-Efficacy, Behavioral Intention, Coping Planning, and Action Control Efficacy. Smoking outcomes at T1 included cigarette dependence (CDS-12) and smoking status. Hierarchical linear regression showed that sociodemographic and clinical variables did not predict dependence, whereas adding HAPA constructs significantly improved prediction (ΔR² = 0.28, p < 0.001). Higher Risk Perception and Outcome Expectancies were associated with greater dependence, while logistic regression identified Action Control Efficacy as the only independent predictor of smoking cessation. These findings provide the first longitudinal evidence supporting the application of the HAPA framework to smoking cessation after cancer diagnosis and underscore the critical role of volitional processes in early cessation. Targeting action control may therefore enhance the effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions in oncology settings.

Understanding how attitudes and stereotypes influence each other is central to social cognition, yet prior findings have been inconsistent, with some indicating strong connections and others suggesting separation. To help explain these discrepancies, we introduce the construct of conceptual distance, defined as the evaluative proximity between attitude objects and stereotypical trait dimensions (e.g., warmth, morality, competence). Across four experiments, we first measured conceptual distance using a forced-choice task that estimated how closely each trait dimension aligns with positive or negative valence. We then tested whether the strength of causal effects between attitudes and stereotypes corresponds to these distances. Attitudes or stereotypes were manipulated using evaluative conditioning (EC), and their effects were measured through either explicit self-report ratings or Implicit Association Tests (IATs). Results consistently showed stronger causal effects for stereotype dimensions that were evaluatively closer to attitudes (warmth and morality) than for more distant ones (competence). These findings offer initial evidence for a correspondence between conceptual distance and the strength of experimentally induced influence. The study contributes to theories of causal cognition and social representation, and offers implications for designing interventions that aim to reduce stereotype-based bias and promote more flexible social inferences.

The theory of embodied cognition suggests that cognitive development in infancy relies on sensorimotor experiences gained through interaction with the environment. Additionally, the need for more sleep in early childhood may be linked to the development of executive functions. This study examined 255 children in Beijing to investigate these ideas. Motor skills were evaluated at 6 months and 1 year old, cognitive abilities at 2 years old, and executive functions at 3 years old. The results showed that strong motor skills in infancy predicted better executive functions in preschool, and this relationship was fully mediated by cognitive abilities. Furthermore, the mediating effects of cognitive abilities on executive functions were stronger in preschoolers with more and better sleep. In conclusion, motor competence and sufficient sleep are crucial for the development of executive function.

Autism-specific screening and developmental surveillance in primary care aid identification of autism. In this study, we assessed primary care clinicians' (PCCs') reported confidence in screening scores from the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised (M-CHAT-R) and in their own diagnostic impressions. Four PCCs provided data for 50 children aged 16-36 months for whom they had any developmental concern. PCCs' diagnostic impressions were "Definitely Autism" for 15 children (30%), "Unsure-Needs Further Evaluation" for 25 children (50%) and "Definitely Not Autism" for 10 children (20%). They reported High Confidence on the screener score in 33 cases (66%). Of the 17 cases for whom PCCs reported having Low Confidence on the M-CHAT-R, 14 children (82.3%) had a Low Likelihood score, with no significant association between M-CHAT-R likelihood and PCC's confidence in the screening score. PCCs' diagnostic impressions were concordant with the M-CHAT-R autism likelihood in 42% of cases, with a significantly higher mean in confidence rating when compared to the non-concordant cases. Language development and social engagement were the most frequently endorsed concerns by PCCs, with significant associations between these concerns and M-CHAT-R likelihood. Our results suggest that, when developmental concerns exist, PCCs may place greater confidence in the M-CHAT-R when scores indicate a higher likelihood of autism, and that confidence in their own diagnostic impressions may be associated with concordance with the screener score.

Art theory suggests that the pleasure of art appreciation stems from resolving uncertainty, yet empirical support for this idea remains limited. To address this gap, we conducted three studies (N = 1127), providing empirical evidence for the Aesthetic of Reception theory. Our findings reveal that reducing uncertainty enhances art appreciation and alleviates boredom, with meaning-making being the most effective strategy (Study 1). Specifically, meaning-making alignment with the artist's intent leads to more favorable judgments for artworks with low-to-moderate uncertainty. Conversely, highly uncertain paintings are more appreciated when viewers create self-relevant narratives (Study 2). Furthermore, the relationship between uncertainty reduction and aesthetic experience is mediated by the satisfaction of certainty needs (Study 3). These findings suggest that viewers should actively and creatively fill the uncertainty in artworks through meaning-making, fulfilling their need for certainty and transforming uncertainty to a rewarding aesthetic experience while reducing boredom. Overall, our research validates the Aesthetic of Reception theory and offers valuable insights for aesthetic education, encouraging deeper engagement with uncertain artworks.

Social media platforms serve as critical channels for autism support groups to communicate and seek assistance. This study employed Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling to analyze discourse patterns within the Autism Bar on Baidu Tieba, a major Chinese social media. A dataset of 14,151 posts was collected through web crawling, with 12,667 posts retained after preprocessing. The analysis revealed two key findings: (1) The discourse among autism support communities on Baidu Tieba focuses on four central themes: intervention and therapy, early educational journey, early symptom detection and family interaction, and access to educational resources and community support. (2) Sociocultural factors exert a significant influence on autism-related discourse, particularly in shaping societal attitudes toward individuals with autism and the formation of support networks. Traditional Chinese cultural values, such as collectivism and familial centrality, impact the behavioral patterns and decision-making processes of families with autistic children. This study has demonstrated the unique needs and challenges faced by the autism support community, while also informing strategies to promote social media platforms as spaces for support and information exchange. The findings have practical implications for designing targeted interventions and support mechanisms for individuals with autism and their families.

Pain empathy plays an important role in both social bonding and defensive mechanisms, yet previous studies have mostly used non-predictive paradigms and rarely examined the effects of expectation. Using event-related potentials (ERPs), this study explored how pain expectation temporally modulates empathic responses and proposed an avoidance-approach dual-drive model. Behaviorally, participants responded faster and more accurately under pain-expectation conditions. At the neural level, greater N2 amplitudes were elicited by pain expectation, reflecting avoidance reactions driven by self-protection. In the P3 stage, two concurrent effects emerged: (1) overall P3 amplitudes decreased under pain expectation, suggesting reduced cognitive resource allocation due to avoidance; and (2) painful stimuli still evoked larger P3 amplitudes than neutral stimuli, indicating empathic engagement associated with approach motivation. These results suggest that pain empathy is not governed by a single mechanism but by a dynamic interplay between avoidance and approach motivations at different temporal stages, providing a neurophysiological framework that integrates defensive and affiliative needs in pain empathy.

Objective: From a family perspective, this study aimed to examine the effects of a 12-week digital platform-based parent-child exercise intervention on children's behavioral level (physical activity), psychological level (physical exercise attitude), and mental health. Methods: This study included 218 students aged 10-11 years who underwent a 12-week standardized parent-child exercise intervention. The intervention group completed two structured parent-child tasks per week through a digital platform (Ding Talk App) while maintaining regular physical education classes; the control group only maintained their regular physical education classes. Assessments were conducted using the Physical Activity Rating Scale, Exercise Attitude Scale, and mental health scales (The Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) and The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)) at four stages: pre-intervention (T1), mid-intervention (T2), post-intervention (T3), and a 2-month follow-up period (T4). The intervention effects and effect sizes (ηp²) were examined using Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance. Results: At the behavioral level, a significant group × time interaction was found for physical activity volume (F = 17.651, p = 0.04, ηp² = 0.138), indicating the presence of a moderate effect. At the psychological level, significant interactions were observed across exercise attitude dimensions (behavioral attitude: F = 3.699, p = 0.002, ηp² = 0.033; perceived behavioral control: F = 4.189, p = 0.006, ηp² = 0.037; subjective norm: F = 4.616, p < 0.001, ηp² = 0.040) and mental health measures (depression: F = 4.009, p = 0.026, ηp² = 0.044; anxiety: F = 3.1, p = 0.016, ηp² = 0.020), though no significant effect was found for behavioral intention (F = 1.346, p = 0.259, ηp² = 0.012), with all significant effects being relatively weak. Conclusions: The home-school collaborative, digital platform-based parent-child exercise intervention demonstrated positive effects on children's physical activity volume, exercise attitudes, and mental health, offering a feasible and promising strategy to support more integrated child health promotion initiatives.

This phenomenologically informed qualitative study gives voice to the experience of a teacher, a special educator, and co-art therapists in art therapy workshops given to first-generation immigrant adolescents in a welcome classroom in Quebec, Canada. This study uses a constructivist-interpretive paradigm, allowing the exploration of individual and interactional dynamics in artmaking. The objective was to explore the experiences and perceptions of a teacher, a special educator, and two art therapists who participated in art-based workshops in a welcome classroom for adolescents, and to understand the meaning these workshops hold for them as well as their perception of the meaning it holds for the young people. Grounded in the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC), 17 first-generation immigrant adolescents, their teacher, the special educator, and two art therapists participated in nine art therapy workshops and an art exhibition to foster creativity, openness, and reciprocity. The adolescents had experienced trauma, including wars, violence, and separation, as well as uprooting, and acculturation in the host country. Given the limited research on school-based art therapy workshops in high schools, this study seeks to address that gap by examining how students in a welcome class emerge, unfold, and express themselves through the perspectives of the supporting adults. Reflexive thematic analyses revealed that the art workshops were an emancipatory experience, an existential path to crossing barriers, and a lived space for self-expression. These findings highlight the ETC's potential in helping immigrant adolescents and their classroom community share their stories and they emphasize art therapy's transcultural value.