The facilitating effect of identical objects in visual working memory.

According to the associative network of memory representations proposed by embedded processes models, the links between related memory representations were automatically established, which rendered these representations more easily activated. The present study adopted color recall tasks to explore whether the memory performance of identical objects was enhanced via the strengthening links between them, producing facilitating effect of identical objects. In Experiment 1, the number of identical items was manipulated. The results evidenced the facilitating effect, which was positively related to the number of identical objects. Experiment 2 modulated the spatial location of identical objects, which suggested that the facilitating effect was absent when two pairs of identical objects were located diagonally. Furthermore, Experiment 3 suggested that the facilitating effect was observed for the identical items which were presented in the second and fourth quadrants, rather than the first and third quadrants. Together, these results evidenced the facilitating effect of identical objects, which, however, was affected by spatial bias.

Negatively Linking Connector Networks in Cognitive Control of Affective Pictures.

Cognitive control of emotions depends on intermodular long-distance communications. However, negative connections between connector hubs are removed by traditional hard-thresholding approach in graph-theoretical research. Using soft-thresholding approach to reserve negative links, we explore time-varying features of connector hubs in intermodular communications during cognitive control of affective pictures. We develop a novel approach to sparse functional networks and construct negatively linking connector networks for positive, negative, and neutral pictures. We find that consisting of flexible hubs, the frontoparietal system dynamically top-down inhibits neural activities through negative connections from the salience subnetwork and visual processing area. Moreover, the shared connectors form functional backbones that dynamically reconfigure according to differently-valenced pictures in order to coordinate both stability and flexibility of cognitive connector networks. These results reveal the necessity of conserving negative links between intermodular communications in chronnectome research and deepen the understanding of how connector networks dynamically evolute during cognitive control of affective processing.

Electrophysiological correlates related to the conflict adaptation effect in an emotional conflict task.

Previous studies have provided some evidence of the neural basis of the emotional conflict adaptation effect. However, the neural time-course is largely unknown. Therefore, a face-word Stroop task was used in the present study to explore the neural dynamics of the emotional conflict control effect, using event-related potentials (ERPs). The behavioral data showed a robust emotional conflict adaptation effect, and there was an interaction between previous trials and current trials for RT. There were two ERP components (N450 and conflict SP) that might be related to trial congruency. The N450 results showed both a main effect of current trial congruency and an interaction between previous trials and current trials, which might be related to successful conflict adaptation. The SP results only showed the main effect of current trial congruency, which might be associated with post-response monitoring.

N170 Changes Show Identifiable Chinese Characters Compete Primarily with Faces Rather than Houses.

Character processing is a crucial cognitive skill that is highly emphasized and industriously cultivated in contemporary society. In the present study, using a competition paradigm, we examined the electrophysiological correlates of different relationships between Chinese characters and faces and between Chinese characters and houses during early visual processing. We observed that identifiable Chinese characters compete primarily with faces rather than houses at an early visual processing stage, with a significantly reduced N170 for faces but not for houses, when they were viewed concurrently with identifiable characters relative to when they were viewed concurrently with unidentifiable characters. Consistent with our previous study, there was a significant increase in N170 after characters have been learned, indicating a modulatory effect of Chinese character identification level on N170 amplitude. Furthermore, we found an enlarged N170 in response to faces compared to houses, indicating that the neural mechanisms for processing faces and houses are different at an early visual processing stage.

The impact of perception of discrimination and sense of belonging on the loneliness of the children of Chinese migrant workers: a structural equation modeling analysis.

BACKGROUND: The children of migrant workers can experience several mental health problems after they enter the cities, among which, loneliness is the most prominent and the most common psychological problem. The current study aimed to examine the impact of discrimination perception on loneliness of migrant children, mainly focused on confirmation of the mediator role of sense of belonging. METHOD: 357 children of Chinese migrant workers were as participants involving in this research. Data were collected by using the Perception of Discrimination Scale, Sense of Belonging Instrument, and the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale. RESULTS: The results revealed that both perception of discrimination and sense of belonging were significantly correlated with loneliness of the children of migrant workers. Structural equation modeling indicated that sense of belonging partially mediated perception of discrimination to job loneliness. CONCLUSIONS: Sense of belonging played a significant role in the relation between perception of discrimination and loneliness of the children of migrant workers.

Task interference from event-based prospective memory: an event-related potentials study.

Event-related potentials (ERPs) technique was used to examine brain activity related to task interference during event-based prospective memory. The behavioral data indicated that there existed task interference. Data from ERPs record on non-prospective memory trials suggested that there were significant differences in the time windows of 200-300, 300-350, and 350-400 ms after the onset of stimulus. The ERP difference wave showed the maximum amplitude over the central site (Fz) with a peak latency of 250 ms (N250). The topographical map in the time window of 200-300 ms indicated that the components reflected activation mainly in the frontal lobe. The results seemed to support preparatory attentional processes and memory processes theory and revealed that frontal lobe was involved in monitoring, which caused task interference effect.