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ISSN 0439-755X
CN 11-1911/B
主办:中国心理学会
   中国科学院心理研究所
出版:科学出版社

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    25 April 2024, Volume 56 Issue 4 Previous Issue    Next Issue

    Reports of Empirical Studies
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    Reports of Empirical Studies
    Morphological structures of two-character words influence character position encoding
    SU Xingzhi, LI Xiaoxuan, LI Rongrong, ZHAO Changze, CUI Lei
    2024, 56 (4):  383-393.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2024.00383
    Abstract ( 1497 )   PDF (433KB) ( 1966 )   Peer Review Comments
    The Transposed-Letter effect (TL effect) demonstrates the importance of letter position encoding in word recognition, highlighting its stable flexibility. In order to understand the processing mechanisms of word recognition, recent research investigated letter position encoding in words with different morphological structures. If the compound word is processed in the morphological decomposition manner, the transposition across morphemes will cause more interference than within morphemes, then resulting in a reduced TL effect. In Chinese, it was also found that the character position encoding is flexible, which is demonstrated by the Transposed-Character (TC) effect. Researchers examined whether the character position encoding is different between the monomorphemic word and the compound word. There was found no significant difference between them. It indicates that the compound word is accessed in a holistic route. However, the Chinese compound word consists of various types of morphological structures. Since the semantic role of each morpheme is different across morphological structures, the subordinative compound word, formed by a modifier and a semantic headedness, might have more rigid character position encoding than the coordinative compound word, formed by two semantic headedness. Then causes different processing mechanisms. Therefore, this study employed eye-tracking technology and the boundary paradigm to explore character position encoding in different morphological structures of two-character words.
    Seventy-eight students participated in the experiment, which utilized a 3 (Word type: monomorphemic word, subordinate compound, coordinative compound) × 3 (Preview type: identical preview, transposed preview, unrelated preview) within-participants design. We hypothesized the TC effect exists in all types of the two-character word. However, for the processing of the subordinative compound word, the assignment of the semantic role is needed. Thus, the character flexibility of the subordinative compound word should be lower than that of the coordinative compound and monomorphemic word, which is indicated by the lower TC effect for the subordinative compound word.
    The results revealed that the fixation time (First fixation, Gaze duration, and regression path reading time) of transposed previews were significantly shorter than those of unrelated previews. It indicates a significant TC effect and demonstrates the flexibility of character position encoding. Furthermore, the fixation time of identical previews was significantly shorter than that of transposed previews. It indicates the importance of character position encoding in accurate word recognition. We also found an interaction effect between word type and preview type. The subordinate compound word exhibited a smaller TC effect compared to the coordinative compound word and the monomorphemic word. However, the TC effect of the coordinative compound word did not differ from that of the monomorphemic word in terms of gaze duration and regression path reading time. Additionally, the difference between the identical preview and the transposed preview conditions was greater for the subordinate compound word than for the coordinative compound word and the monomorphemic word. However, the difference between identical preview and transposed preview conditions of the coordinative compound word did not differ from that of the monomorphemic word in terms of gaze duration.
    In conclusion, the character position encoding of the monomorphemic word and the coordinative compound word showed greater flexibility compared to that of the subordinate compound word, while no significant difference was observed between the monomorphemic word and the coordinative compound word. These findings suggest that the morphological structure of the two-character word directly influences the TC effect, supporting the dual-route race model of the processing of the morphological complex word and providing empirical support for the Chinese reading model.
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    Spatial generalization of serial dependence in visual duration perception
    WANG Biyao, CHEN Chen, HU Xiaofei, WANG Di, LI Baolin
    2024, 56 (4):  394-411.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2024.00394
    Abstract ( 768 )   PDF (990KB) ( 929 )   Peer Review Comments
    To establish a stable and sensitive experience of the world, the brain tends to use recent history when forming perceptual decisions. This results in serial dependence in perception, by which previous trials affect the current perception. The serial dependence effect can be divided into (at least) two categories: the effect of previous stimuli (i.e., the stimulus serial dependence effect) and the effect of previous decisions (i.e., the decisional serial dependence effect) on the current perception. Although separate stimulus and decisional serial dependence effects have been demonstrated in duration perception, their spatial selectivity is unclear. In the present study, we investigated whether and how serial dependence in duration perception generalizes across different visual positions of stimuli.
    The modified temporal bisection task was used in three experiments. Specifically, 24 naïve volunteers participated in Experiment 1. During the experiment, the visual stimulus (a white Gaussian blob) was pseudorandomly presented in the central or peripheral (10° from the left fixation) visual field. Participants were asked to judge whether the duration of the test stimulus (i.e., 300, 395, 520, 684, or 900 ms) was shorter or longer than a reference stimulus of intermediate duration (i.e., 520 ms) once the test stimulus disappeared. A group of 23 new volunteers were recruited for Experiment 2. The task of Experiment 2 was similar to that of Experiment 1, except that the visual stimulus was pseudorandomly located at either 5° to the left or 5° to the right of the central fixation. A new set of 24 volunteers participated in Experiment 3, in which the positions of both the fixation and the visual stimulus were changed; there were thus four types of positional relationships between stimuli across trials (i.e., identity, retinal position change, external position change, and both changes).
    The results showed that previous stimulus duration and previous choice exerted opposing effects on serial dependence of duration perception: specifically, a repulsive stimulus serial dependence and an attractive decisional serial dependence. In other words, current duration estimates were repelled away from the previous trial's stimulus duration but attracted toward the previous choice. We found these effects in both the central and peripheral visual fields. More importantly, we found that the stimulus serial dependence effect was not constrained by the visual position of the stimuli: the effects were comparable between contexts in which the stimulus positions of previous and current trials were the same and when they were different. The effects fully transferred across the central and peripheral visual fields, across the left and right visual hemifields, and across different external spaces. However, we found that the decisional serial dependence effect was larger in the position-consistent context than in the position-inconsistent context. This indicates that the decisional serial dependence effect could only be partially transferred across different visual positions regardless of the types of positions (i.e., spatiotopic vs. retinotopic).
    These results provide evidence that both previous stimuli duration and previous choices affect subsequent perceptual decisions about duration, resulting in repulsive and attractive serial dependence effects, respectively. The repulsive stimulus serial dependence effect fully generalizes across different visual positions, suggesting it occurs primarily in higher-level visual areas. This also implies the existence of fast-duration adaptation. The attractive decisional serial dependence effect suggests that there is decision inertia in perceptual choices. Moreover, this effect is partly contingent on the visual position, which may result from the category organization function of higher-order brain areas. This suggests that the brain takes advantage of the visual position context when forming the decisional prior. These findings are helpful for understanding the plasticity of duration perception.
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    Cognitive mechanisms underlying the formation of offline representations in visual working memory
    LI Ziyuan, LEI Ming, LIU Qiang
    2024, 56 (4):  412-420.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2024.00412
    Abstract ( 506 )   PDF (839KB) ( 579 )   Peer Review Comments
    Visual working memory (VWM) plays a foundational role in advanced cognitive functions. The state-based models propose a hierarchical organization of functional states, where memory representations with high attentional priority are retained in an online state (i.e., active state), while those with lower priority are kept in an offline state (i.e., passive state) for later use. The memory representations can be dynamically transferred between the two states according to the task demands. However, there was rare work to explore how the memory representations transitioned into the offline state from the online, generating the offline representations. Here, we put forward two hypothesis, the consolidation hypothesis and the fade-away hypothesis.
    To explore this question, participants were instructed to remember two sequential memory arrays, with Memory array 2 being detected before Memory array 1. In this memory task, Memory array 1 was held in the offline state during the active maintenance of Memory array 2. Colored squares served as memory stimuli. 30 healthy college students participated in each experiment. We primarily modulated the temporal context related to the state transformation of memory representations: the interval delay between the two memory arrays in Experiment 1 and the presentation time of Memory array 2 in Experiment 2. The load of online memory varied between two and four in each trial. These variables were within-subject factors. Experiment 1 aimed to verify that the shortage of interval delay between memory arrays led to the failure of state transformation in the condition of 0.8s-interval. Experiment 2 attempted to determine which hypothesis, consolidation or fade-away, aligned better with the state transformation process.
    The exploration of representational state transformation was built on the resources-dissociation account, which proposed that the offline representations are independent of the active processing of online representations. Memory arrays 1 and 2 were used to test the offline and online memory, respectively. The results of Experiment 1 showed that variations in online load did not affect offline memory when extending the interval delay from 0.8s to 1s. This indicated that the state transformation of Memory array 1 continued beyond 0.8s after its disappearance and could complete within a 1s-interval. In Experiment 2, the interval was designed at 0.8s. We observed that the online load variation had no impact on offline memory when extending the presentation time of Memory array 2 from 0.2 s to 0.5 s. This supported the consolidation hypothesis, indicating that the sufficient presentation time of Memory array 2 allowed for the state transformation of Memory array 1 to complete before the subsequent processing of Memory array 2. Thus, we concluded that the state transformation involved a consolidation processing to transfer the online representations to the offline state, rather than natural fade-away of persistent neural activity.
    In summary, the state transformation acts as a process of consolidating online memory representations into the offline state, thereby forming offline representations. This process can be completed within a sufficiently long retention interval, or continue during the presentation of subsequent stimuli when providing a deficient interval. The current findings provide fresh insights into the mechanisms of representational maintenance in the two distinct states.
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    The spontaneity of Level-1 visual perspective taking: Under the condition of multiple avatars
    DOU Yan, LI Jing
    2024, 56 (4):  421-434.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2024.00421
    Abstract ( 365 )   PDF (748KB) ( 440 )   Peer Review Comments
    The spontaneity of Level-1 visual perspective taking has been widely discussed in the field of visual perspective taking. Many studies have confirmed that Level-1 visual perspective taking is spontaneously activated, but this finding has mainly been observed in the context of a single avatar's presence. Scenarios involving two or more avatars have received scant attention. Specifically, no suitable experimental paradigm has been developed for situations with multiple avatars in this domain. Therefore, the paradigm adapted from those employed by Samson et al. (2010) and Mattan et al. (2015) was used in this study. The stimuli of virtual scenes were modeled by 3D Max, and the experimental procedures were programmed by E-Prime, recording the accuracy rate and reaction time. In contrast to previous studies, this paper explores whether and how the multiple avatars affect the process of Level-1 visual perspective taking, and clarifies the influencing factors by varying the conditions.
    This study comprises three experiments. In Experiment 1, the paradigm adapted from the classic “dot-perspective task” was employed to investigate whether participants would spontaneously compute another perspective in the presence of a single avatar (target avatar). In Experiment 2, an additional avatar (irrelevant avatar) is introduced to explore how the consistency in the number of dots seen by the avatars would affect the perspective-taking process. Subsequently, Experiment 3 excluded the influence of the consistency in the number of dots seen by the avatars and investigated whether consistency in the line of sight would impact the presence of multiple avatars.
    Based on the results from these three experiments, the conclusions drawn are as follows:
    (1) The adapted paradigm proved to be feasible, successfully replicating the results of previous studies: which indicated that Level-1 visual perspective taking was spontaneously activated in the presence of a single avatar. The perspectives of the self and the avatar mutually interfered with each other. For self-perspective judging trials, the avatar's perspective was spontaneously activated, leading to altercentric intrusion, and conversely, egocentric intrusion could occur.
    (2) In the presence of multiple avatars, the Level-1 visual perspective-taking process remained spontaneous. Furthermore, the consistency in the number of objects seen by avatars resulted in a group-perspective effect, especially during self-perspective judgments. When the number of objects seen by the participant and the target avatar was consistent, the group perspective had a positive impact on the judgment. Conversely, if there was an inconsistency, it would impede the judgment process.
    (3) When the number of objects seen by avatars was set to be inconsistent, the consistency of the line of sight could still capture the participants' attention to both avatars. This situation leads to interference from the perspective of the irrelevant avatar, further influencing the spontaneity of Level-1 visual perspective taking, whether it was judged from the perspective of the self or the avatar.
    In summary, perspective computation occurs effortlessly, flexibly, and spontaneously in scenarios involving multiple avatars, whether considering the perspective of a target or irrelevant avatar. The outcomes of perspective taking can either enhance or impede the performance in dot-perspective tasks, depending on the relationship among the “self, target avatar, and irrelevant avatar”, while exhibiting distinctive performance traits based on the specific situation.
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    Reward facilitates working memory precision during retrieval
    NIU Hui, HU Yanmei, ZHENG Xutao, JIANG Yingjie, LIU Jia
    2024, 56 (4):  435-446.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2024.00435
    Abstract ( 1365 )   PDF (1155KB) ( 2157 )   Peer Review Comments
    Reward can improve working memory performance. However, there has been controversy on whether reward can regulate the retrieval of working memory. Some studies have presented reward signals before the retrieval stage, with the results showing that reward can affect the retrieval phase during working memory. Klink et al. (2017) indicated that reward cues presented in the retrieval phase cannot affect working memory. However, this finding lacks support in the literature and needs to be further tested. The present study aims to explore the mechanism and effect of reward on the precision of working memory during retrieval.
    A total of 24 participants (Experiment 1) and 60 participants (Experiment 2) were recruited for two experiments. Experiment 1 included two stages: association learning and memory test. The participants first established the connection between color and value through association learning. Thereafter, a working memory test was conducted. Reward cues were presented with the memory probe during the working memory test. Experiment 2 included four stages: pretest, association learning, posttest, and confidence assessment. Pre- and post-test tasks were the same, in which the participants performed two memory tests in sequence during the retrieval phase. Colored cues were not related to rewards in the pre-test but associated with rewards in the post-test. Confidence judgment required the participants to evaluate their confidence that they can infer the color of the second cue based on the color of the first cue. This undertaking aimed to test whether the participants have expectations for the order of cues.
    Results of Experiment 1 showed that the effect of reward was significant in the memory test stage. In particular, memory performance with high and low reward cues was better than that with no reward cues. Results of the post-test of Experiment 2 showed a significant main effect of test order. Memory performance of the first test item was particularly better than that of the second test item. Moreover, there was a significant test order by serial position of the high-reward cue interaction effect. Memory performance of the first test item was better when the high-reward cue appeared before the low-reward cue. Memory performance of the second test item was better when the low reward cue appeared before the high-reward cue. The participants' working memory capacity was differentiated according to their performance during the pre-test to investigate the individual differences of the reward effects. Results likewise indicated that reward did not affect the memory performance of the high-capacity group. For the low-capacity group, memory performance was affected by the test order, serial position of the high-reward cue, and their interaction. Thus, the effect of reward was more evident with the low-capacity group.
    The present study was the first to observe that rewards can directly regulate working memory retrieval without affecting encoding and retention. In addition, the regulation mechanism of reward on working memory retrieval involved the redistribution of working memory resources. Such a reward regulation was affected by the test order and working memory capacity. Moreover, findings indicated that individuals can adjust cognitive strategies before or during learning according to the item value to promote working memory processing. They can also adjust retrieval precision after learning according to the value of information set by the test. This flexible working memory regulation mechanism plays an important role in promoting human cognitive activities and social adaptation.
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    Individual and collective temporal self-evaluation: Evidence from behavior and ERP
    ZHANG Feng, PI Yu, LI Xiaobao
    2024, 56 (4):  447-457.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2024.00447
    Abstract ( 741 )   PDF (1132KB) ( 1018 )   Peer Review Comments
    Both behavioral and electrophysiological studies have demonstrated the future positive bias of individual temporal self-evaluation. However, the characteristic of collective temporal self-evaluation is still an open question. The present study aimed to investigate the similarities and differences between individual and collective temporal self-evaluation using a temporal self-reference paradigm among Chinese undergraduates. In comparison to Westerners, Chinese are more unified in their self-concept, and their temporal self contains more social, relational, and family selves in the context of collectivist culture. Therefore, it was assumed that the collective temporal self-evaluation might be highly similar to individual temporal self-evaluation across time, according to interdependent self-construal theory.
    The present study adopted a 3 (time dimension) × 2 (reference object) × 2 (valence) within-subjects design and employed an event-related potential (ERP) technique to explore the individual and collective temporal self-evaluation using two experiments. Brain electrical activity was recorded from 64 scalp sites using tin electrodes mounted in an elastic cap according to the international 10-20 system, and late positive components (LPC) were used as the EEG indicators because LPC was closely related to temporal self-evaluation. In Experiment 1, 30 Chinese undergraduates were recruited, and they were asked to evaluate their and Zhangsan's past self, present self, and future self (“Zhangsan” was often referred to the name of an ordinary person in China), using positive and negative personality adjectives. In Experiment 2, 23 Chinese undergraduates were recruited to assess past self, present self, and future self of Chinese and Americans.
    In Experiment 1, the behavioral results showed that participants tended to use more positive adjectives and fewer negative adjectives to evaluate their future self, compared to their past self and present self; They tended to use more negative adjectives to evaluate their past self, compared to their present self. In addition, participants tended to use more positive adjectives and fewer negative adjectives to evaluate their future self, compared to Zhangsan's self. These behavioral results indicated that individual self-evaluation was positive across time and had a trend to increase from past to future. ERP data showed that negative adjectives evoked greater LPC amplitudes than positive adjectives in the tasks of evaluating past self and present self, while there was no significant difference in the evaluation of future self, which demonstrated more “negativity bias” effects in individual past self-evaluation and present self-evaluation, compared to individual future self-evaluation. In Experiment 2, the behavioral results showed that participants tended to use more positive adjectives and fewer negative adjectives to evaluate collective temporal self than non-collective temporal self. The positive attitudes toward collective temporal self were no significant differences between different temporal dimensions (past, present, and future), indicating that participants had a stable and consistent positive bias toward their collective temporal self. ERP data showed that greater LPC amplitudes were evoked for negative adjectives than positive adjectives in evaluating collective past self and present self, while there was no significant difference in evaluating collective future self, which indicated that participants had more “negativity bias” effects in collective past self-evaluation and present self-evaluation, compared to collective future self-evaluation.
    In conclusion, our study suggested that both individual self-evaluation and collective self-evaluation had a positive bias across time. Moreover, there existed a “negativity bias” effect at the neurophysiological level in individual self-evaluation and collective self-evaluation. These results demonstrated that individual temporal self-evaluation and collective temporal self-evaluation among Chinese college students had similar cognitive and neurophysiological characteristics, to some extent, providing supporting evidence for the theory of interdependent self-construal.
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    The cognitive mechanism of reducing procrastination by emotion regulation: The mediation role of task aversiveness
    TONG Tingting, BAI Youling, FENG Tingyong
    2024, 56 (4):  458-468.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2024.00458
    Abstract ( 2465 )   PDF (504KB) ( 3691 )   Peer Review Comments
    Previous research has shown that using adaptive emotion-regulation strategies, particularly cognitive reappraisal, can help reduce procrastination. However, the precise cognitive mechanisms underlying the impact of emotion regulation on procrastination remain unclear. The temporal decision model of procrastination posits that procrastination is primarily influenced by the tradeoff between task aversiveness and outcome utility. When task aversiveness surpasses outcome utility, individuals are more likely to procrastinate, whereas when outcome utility outweighs task aversiveness, immediate action is more probable. Consequently, emotion regulation could reduce procrastination by diminishing task aversiveness or by improving outcome utility.
    To investigate this issue, based on Gross's emotion regulation theory and the temporal decision model of procrastination, this research focuses on individuals exhibiting high levels of procrastination (as measured by the General Procrastination Scale, with scores above 67.5). These participants were divided into two groups: the positive reappraisal group (consisting of 34 individuals) and the ineffective strategy group (also consisting of 34 individuals). Over a period of 7 days, the two groups were longitudinally tracked through empirical sampling, resulting in a total of 14 data collection points.
    The results showed that: (1) There was no notable disparity between the two groups in task executive willingness during the pre-test, while the positive reappraisal group demonstrated a significantly higher task executive willingness compared to the ineffective strategy group in the post-test, indicating that positive reappraisal significantly enhanced individuals' task executive willingness. (2) No significant difference was observed in task aversiveness between the two groups during the pre-test, while the positive reappraisal group exhibited noticeably lower levels of task aversiveness compared to the ineffective strategy group in the post-test. Additionally, initial outcome utility levels did not differ significantly between the two groups, while the positive reappraisal group demonstrated significantly higher outcome utility compared to the ineffective strategy group in the post-test. (3) Mediation analysis indicated that the reduction of task aversiveness mediated the influence of emotion regulation on the degree of improvement in procrastination (that is, the increase in task executive willingness), whereas the increase of outcome utility did not mediate the impact of emotion regulation on the degree of improvement in procrastination (that is, the increase in task executive willingness).
    These findings suggest that emotion regulation mainly enhance individuals' task executive willingness by diminishing task aversiveness, thereby reducing procrastination behavior. This offers a strong theoretical foundation for interventions targeting procrastination through the lens of emotional regulation.
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    Prompts affect learning-by-teaching process and learning outcome in multimedia learning
    WANG Fuxing, HUANG Yu, ZHANG Yang, ZHU Wanling, LENG Xiaoxue
    2024, 56 (4):  469-481.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2024.00469
    Abstract ( 876 )   PDF (2860KB) ( 1434 )   Peer Review Comments
    Learning by teaching is an important generative learning strategy which mainly promotes learners' knowledge building in educational psychology. It refers to learners teach others what they have learned as the role of a teacher after learning the materials. However, learners cannot fully retrieve all concept units contained in learning materials in the retrieval activities of learning by teaching, which hinders learners' active generation and final learning performance. According to the Retrieval Practice Theory (RPT) and Generative learning Theory (GLT), prompts can serve as a cue and activates learners' retrieval and generating activity. Therefore, the aim of current study was to explore the effects of different types of prompts on learning outcomes and subjective perceptions in learning by teaching.
    In Experiment 1, fifty-six college students were randomly assigned to teaching group and control group. Participants in teaching group were told to explain the learning materials by making a lecture video, then complete a final exam. The control condition didn't include teaching process. In Experiment 2, Participants were one hundred and fourteen college students that were randomly assigned to picture-prompt group, text-prompt group, keyword-prompt group and non-prompt group. Four conditions all include teaching process. The difference between conditions is whether there is a prompt when learners are teaching. In Experiment 3, to compare the effects of learners' passive reception and active generation of prompts, eighty-seven college students were randomly assigned to keyword-prompt group, generated-prompt group and non-prompt group.
    The results showed that: (1) the retention and transfer test performance of the teaching group were better than that of the control group; (2) picture and keyword prompts could effectively improve learners' retention test scores, while keyword prompts could also improve learners' transfer test scores; (3) the retention test performance of the keyword-prompt group and the generated-prompt group were better than those of the non-prompt group, while the transfer test performance of the generated-prompt group were better than those of the non-prompt group; (4) Experiment 2 and Experiment 3 both found that the number of concept units plays a mediating role in the effect of prompts on learning performance.
    The conclusions are as follows: (1) Providing picture prompts in the process of learning by teaching can promote knowledge retention, while providing keyword prompts can promote knowledge retention and transfer; (2) Compared to passively obtaining prompts, learners' active generation of prompts is more conducive to knowledge transfer. (3) The number of idea units generated by learners plays a mediating role in the effect of prompts on learning. Above all, the study verified the effectiveness of RPT and GLT in the process of learning by teaching in multimedia learning environment.
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    A longitudinal study on depression and anxiety among Chinese adolescents in the late phase of the COVID-19 pandemic: The trajectories, antecedents, and outcomes
    YANG Zhixu, PENG Haiyun, XIN Sufei
    2024, 56 (4):  482-496.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2024.00482
    Abstract ( 1565 )   PDF (801KB) ( 2378 )   Peer Review Comments
    During the COVID-19 pandemic, all age groups' mental health has substantially declined. Compared to other age groups, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent mental health problems was more salient, particularly on depression and anxiety. Previous studies, which were primarily conducted during the phase of COVID-19 pandemic, have mainly covered the first and second phases of COVID-19-related prevention and containment in China, without adequate attention being paid to the third and fourth phases of COVID-19-related prevention and containment in China. Currently, there are three competing hypotheses for the longitudinal trajectories of depression and anxiety among Chinese adolescents in the post-COVID era, making the construction of the mental health monitoring system and the mental health service system for adolescents in China “blind spots”. Based on developmental contextualism and three-dimensional theoretical framework of mental health change, the present study thus investigated the developmental trajectories of depression and anxiety among adolescents, as well as the potential antecedent (psychological resilience) and outcome (prosocial tendency) of such trajectories in the late phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in China.
    In this study, 1170 adolescents in Shandong province were assessed at three time points with a six-month interval (Time 1 = May 2021; Time 2 = November 2021; Time 3 = May 2022) from the normalization period of the pandemic through self-report questionnaires. The adolescents completed Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale during the three measurements. Furthermore, all adolescents completed the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale at Time 1 and Prosocial Tendencies Measure at Time 3. Attrition analyses, common method bias analyses, and descriptive statistics were analyzed by SPSS software. The trajectories of depression and anxiety, as well as their associated antecedent (i.e., psychological resilience) and outcome (i.e., prosocial tendency) were further analyzed via latent growth curve models using Mplus software.
    According to the results of the latent growth curve models, adolescents' depression and anxiety levels tended to decline. The higher the level of depression and anxiety at Time 1, the slower the decline over time. Furthermore, psychological resilience at Time 1 negatively predicted initial levels of depression and anxiety but positively predicted the decreasing speed of depression and anxiety trajectories. Concerning the outcomes, we found that the initial level and speed of depression trajectories significantly and negatively predicted the levels of prosocial tendency at Time 3. Regarding the anxiety trajectory, its intercept factor negatively predicted prosocial tendency at Time 3, but its slope factor's predictive effect was non-significant. Finally, multi-group analyses revealed that both boys and girls showed declining trends in depression and anxiety over time, while girls scored significantly higher on depression and anxiety initially than boys.
    In conclusion, this research found that the changes in mental health (particularly depression and anxiety problems) among Chinese adolescents in the late phase of the COVID-19 pandemic were developing well, which provides empirical evidence for better construction of adolescent mental health service systems in China.
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    Perceived opacity leads to algorithm aversion in the workplace
    ZHAO Yijun, XU Liying, YU Feng, JIN Wanglong
    2024, 56 (4):  497-514.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2024.00497
    Abstract ( 750 )   PDF (1819KB) ( 887 )   Peer Review Comments
    With algorithms standing out and influencing every aspect of human society, people's attitudes toward algorithmic invasion have become a vital topic to be discussed. Recently, algorithms as alternatives and enhancements to human decision-making have become ubiquitously applied in the workplace. Despite algorithms offering numerous advantages, such as vast data storage and anti-interference performance, previous research has found that people tend to reject algorithmic agents across different applications. Especially in the realm of human resources, the increasing utilization of algorithms forces us to focus on users' attitudes. Thus, the present study aimed to explore public attitudes toward algorithmic decision-making and probe the underlying mechanism and potential boundary conditions behind the possible difference.
    To verify our research hypotheses, four experiments (N = 1211) were conducted, which involved various kinds of human resource decisions in the daily workplace, including resume screening, recruitment and hiring, allocation of bonuses, and performance assessment. Experiment 1 used a single-factor, two-level, between-subjects design. 303 participants were randomly assigned to two conditions (agent of decision-making: human versus algorithm) and measured their permissibility, liking, and willingness to utilize the agent. Experiment 1 was designed to be consistent with Experiment 2. The only difference was an additional measurement of perceived transparency to test the mediating role. Experiment 3 aimed to establish a causal chain between the mediator and dependent variables by manipulating the perceived transparency of the algorithm. In Experiment 4, a single-factor three-level between-subjects design (non-anthropomorphism algorithm versus anthropomorphism algorithm versus human) was utilized to explore the boundary condition of this effect.
    As anticipated, the present research revealed a pervasive algorithmic aversion across diverse organizational settings. Specifically, we conceptualized algorithm aversion as a tripartite framework encompassing cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions. We found that compared with human managers, participants demonstrated significantly lower permissibility (Experiments: 1, 2, and 4), liking (Experiments: 1, 2, and 4), and willingness to utilize (Experiment 2) algorithmic management. And the robustness of this result was demonstrated by the diversity of our scenarios and samples. Additionally, this research discovered perceived transparency as an interpretation mechanism explaining participants' psychological reactions to different decision-making agents. That is to say, participants were opposed to algorithmic management because they thought its decision processes were more incomprehensible and inaccessible than humans (noted in Experiment 2). Addressing this “black box” phenomenon, Experiment 3 showed that providing more information and principles about algorithmic management positively influenced participants' attitudes. Crucially, the result also demonstrated the moderating effect of anthropomorphism. The result showed that participants exhibited greater permissibility and liking for the algorithm with human-like characteristics, such as a human-like name and communication style, over more than a mechanized form of the algorithm. This observation underlined the potential of anthropomorphism to ameliorate resistance to algorithmic management.
    These results bridge the gap between algorithmic aversion and decision transparency from the social-psychological perspective. Firstly, the present research establishes a three-dimensional (cognitive, affective, and behavioral) dual-perspective (employee and employer) model to elucidate the negative responses toward algorithmic management. Secondly, it reveals that perceived opacity acts as an obstacle to embracing algorithmic decision-making. This finding lays the theoretical foundation of Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) which is conceptualized as a “glass box”. Ultimately, the study highlights the moderating effect of anthropomorphism on algorithmic aversion. This suggests that anthropomorphizing algorithms could be a feasible approach to facilitate the integration of intelligent management systems.
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    Remembering the past makes consumers easier to forgive: The influence of nostalgia on forgiveness and its internal mechanism in service failure
    WANG Lili, ZHANG Xuan, CHEN Hanyu
    2024, 56 (4):  515-530.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2024.00515
    Abstract ( 962 )   PDF (1364KB) ( 1230 )   Peer Review Comments
    Memories of personal experiences, intimate interactions, and significant life events are examples of nostalgia. Nostalgia affects not only individuals' cognitions and emotions but also their behaviors. One prosocial behavior that nostalgia might encourage is forgiveness, which is a process that involves decreasing unpleasant feelings and fostering amiable and positive attitudes toward others. We propose that nostalgia positively affects forgiveness. Furthermore, nostalgia can also affect empathy, an altruistic and other-focused emotional experience. Previous research has demonstrated that empathy leads consumers to view issues from the standpoint of service providers, thereby increasing their forgiveness. Thus, we propose that empathy mediates the effect of nostalgia on forgiveness.
    Six experiments were performed to test the proposed hypotheses. Experiment 1a (149 adults, 33 men) employed real restaurant decorations to activate nostalgia. Common service failure cases were utilized to measure consumers' forgiveness. Experiment 1b (210 adults, 82 men) demonstrated that both individual and collective nostalgia promoted forgiveness. Experiment 2a (130 adults, 57 men) used snack ads to validate the mediating role of empathy in the effect of nostalgia on forgiveness. Furthermore, potential alternative explanations such as focalism, relaxation, self-esteem, and positive affect were excluded. Experiment 2b (130 adults, 60 men) demonstrated that empathy was a mediator, and perceived severity was excluded. Experiments 3 (300 adults, 142 men) and 4 (240 adults, 109 men) showed that brand image type (warmth vs. competence) and service failure severity moderated the effect of nostalgia on forgiveness. Specifically, for warm brands and for minor service failures, nostalgia promoted forgiveness. For competence brands and for severe service failures, there was no effect of nostalgia on forgiveness.
    In summary, Experiments 1a and 1b provided compelling evidence for the main effect of nostalgia in promoting forgiveness, as observed in real service failure scenarios. Experiments 2a and 2b demonstrated the critical role of empathy as a mediator, effectively eliminating alternative explanations such as focalism, relaxation, self-esteem, positive affect, and perceived severity. Finally, Experiments 3 and 4 confirmed the moderating role of brand image type and service failure severity, shedding light on the nuanced interaction between nostalgia and forgiveness under varying degrees of service failure.
    The current study investigated the relationship between nostalgia and forgiveness and found that individuals with high (vs. low) nostalgia perceptions are more forgiving, with empathy mediating this effect and brand image type and service failure severity moderating it. This study adds to the body of knowledge regarding the role of nostalgia and offers a new altruistic effect: increasing consumer forgiveness. Furthermore, this study contributes to the research on the antecedents of forgiveness. This study has substantial practical implications for marketing practitioners. Marketing managers can create more successful consumer interaction tactics by utilizing nostalgia. This approach helps them address service failures and provide better resolution. Marketing professionals can use this understanding to create more successful strategies for resolving customer complaints and increasing overall customer satisfaction by leveraging nostalgia's potential to promote forgiveness.
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