Evaluative conditioning of artificial grammars: evidence that subjectively-unconscious structures bias affective evaluations of novel stimuli

Evaluative conditioning (EC) refers to the acquisition of emotional valence by an initially-neutral stimulus (conditioned stimulus; CS), after being paired with an emotional stimulus (unconditioned stimulus; US). An important issue regards whether, when participants are unaware of the CS-US contingency, the affective valence can generalize to new stimuli that share similarities with the CS. Previous studies have shown that generalization of EC ef-fects appears only when participants are aware of the contingencies, but we suggest that this is because (a) the contingencies typically used in these studies are salient and easy to detect consciously, and (b) the performance-based measures of awareness (so-called “ob-jective measures”), typically used in these studies, tend to overestimate the amount of available conscious knowledge. We report a preregistered study in which participants (N = 217) were exposed to letter strings generated from two complex artificial grammars that are difficult to decipher consciously. Stimuli from one grammar were paired with positive USs, while those from the other grammar were paired with negative USs. Subsequently, partici-pants evaluated new, previously-unseen, stimuli from the positively-conditioned grammar more positively than new stimuli from the negatively-conditioned grammar. Importantly, this effect appeared even when trial-by-trial subjective measures indicated lack of relevant conscious knowledge. We provide evidence for the generalization of EC effects even with-out subjective awareness of the structures that enable those generalizations

Cognitive control goes to school: The impact of executive functions on academic performance

AbstractThe general aim of the present study was to investigate EF in relation to academic performance. We chose tasks evaluating three EF dimensions: working memory (WM), inhibition (resistance to interference and negative priming), and set-shifting. Subjects (N = 70) were school-aged children in the 5th and the 8th Grades. Regression models supported the contribution of individual differences in EF performance to explaining over half of total variance in school performance, revealing the main role of WM in predicting Mathematics performance. Results are discussed in terms of relevance of meaningful assessment practices and for educational interventions. © 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of Masterprof tea

Computerized simulations and modelling for evaluation of ballistic and security parameters of explosives for civil use

Explosives are chemical compounds - substances or mixtures of substances that have a large amount of energy and which under the influence of external actions decompose suddenly, violently with the release of heat and the formation of gases capable of performing a mechanical work. Due to their specific characteristics, these products are used, both in the civil field and in industry, for the execution of works such as: extraction from the massif, in mines or quarries of useful rocks, execution of mining works (galleries) for opening and preparing deposits for exploitation, tunnels, wells, road constructions, railways, canals, demolition of foundations / civil / industrial buildings that have become unusable, geophysical-seism metric surveys, etc. Research in the field of use of explosives for civil use in various industrial and civil applications requires in-depth knowledge of areas such as the phenomenology of explosion, the behaviour of materials in shock waves, the dynamics of structures, seismic engineering, etc. The design of these types of processes requires the consideration, with a relative approximation, of the degree of danger due to the design of fragments resulting from detonation, vibrations, pressures, tensions created in the space affected by the explosion, generation of explosion gases, etc. legislation in force, being an important indicator regarding the classification, handling, storage and transport in the assessment and management of the risks related to these operations. The paper presents a series of computer simulations, both of the ballistic parameter regarding the working capacity of the explosives, and of the security parameter regarding the impact sensitivity

Platforma de evaluare a dezvoltarii : 3-6/7 ani

Miclea Mircea, Platformă de evaluare a dezvoltării : 3-6/7 ani. Cluj-Napoca : A.S.C.R [Asociaţia de Ştiinţe Cognitive din România], 2010

Trauma from pathology to growth

Kállay Éva, Miclea Mircea, Trauma from pathology to growth. Cluj-Napoca : A.S.C.R [Asociaţia de Ştiinţe Cognitive din România], 2011

Platforma de evaluare a dezvoltării : 6/7-18 ani : Evaluarea neuropsihologică şi a personalităţii

Platforma de evaluare a dezvoltării : 6/7-18 ani: Evaluarea neuropsihologică şi a personalităţii. - Cluj-Napoca : A.S.C.R [Asociaţia de Ştiinţe Cognitive din România], 2012 donaţieASCR ISBN 978-606-8244-45-7 (Vol. 1

Platforma de evaluare a dezvoltarii: Screening si dezvoltarea competentelor

Miclea Mircea, Platformă de evaluare a dezvoltării: Screening şi dezvoltarea competenţelor. Cluj-Napoca : A.S.C.R [Asociaţia de Ştiinţe Cognitive din România], 2010