This paper examines the claim that the phenomenal "for-me-ness" is the core feature of every conscious experience. Any conscious episode is intrinsically given as mine, and this mineness, while non-reflective and non-cognitive, belongs to the personal and phenomenal level. The compatibility checks for the for-me-ness thesis comes from cases such as depersonalization, schizophrenia, infancy and autism. I argue that this view lacks evidential support beyond the phenomenological descriptions it was built to interpret and that these phenomena receive better explanations that do not require positing for-me-ness.

This study examined the effect of problematic short-video use on attention network performance among college students. Based on the screening results of the SPAI, the adapted IAT, and a scale adapted from the DSM-5 IGD symptom criteria, 34 college students were included in the problematic short-video use group and 37 in the control group. Both groups completed the Attention Network Test (ANT), with reaction time and accuracy recorded, and the effects of the alerting, orienting, and executive control networks calculated. Independent-samples t tests and repeated-measures analysis of variance were used to compare group differences. The results showed that the orienting network effect in the problematic short-video use group was significantly lower than that in the control group, whereas no significant differences were found in the alerting network effect or the executive control network effect. Repeated-measures analysis of variance showed a significant main effect of cue condition on reaction time and a significant group × cue condition interaction; the main effect of target condition was significant, but the group × target condition interaction was not significant. Accuracy results showed that the problematic short-video use group had lower overall accuracy than the control group, but the group × cue condition and group × target condition interactions were not significant. College students with problematic short-video use mainly showed a reduced orienting network effect, suggesting that they may have lower efficiency in using spatial cues, shifting attention, and locating targets, rather than a general decline in attention function. This study provides preliminary behavioral evidence for understanding the relationship between problematic short-video use and attention network performance.

Previous studies have revealed conflicting results as regards whether second language (L2) learners decompose morphologically complex words during online reading or process them in a whole-word manner. To resolve such controversies, first language (L1) morphological characteristics have been proposed as one factor leading to variation in L2 performance. Evidence for the argument of L1 morphological effects includes (1) that L2 learners from an L1 with a similar/congruent morphological feature outperform those from an L1 without a similar corresponding morphological feature and (2) that there is an advantage for L2 learners from an L1 with a more complex morphological system. In this paper, we examine the design of these studies and identify two potentially confounding factors that most studies have failed to consider when comparing L2 learners from different L1 morphological backgrounds: cognateness and L1 writing system. We suggest that studies examining L1 morphological effects recruit L2 groups whose L1s differ in their morphological system characteristics but share the same type of writing system, while also stringently excluding cognates in the design of experimental materials.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the prefrontal and posterior parietal cortex can enhance mental rotation (MR) performance, whereas little is known about cerebellar tDCS (ctDCS). This study aimed to evaluate effects of ctDCS on a MR task. Fifty-five healthy subjects were randomly assigned to active-ctDCS (1.5 mA; 20 min; n = 28) or sham-ctDCS (n = 27). Participants performed a MR task before (T0) and after (T1) stimulation. In each trial, two shapes appeared on a computer screen, one randomly rotated by 0, 45, 90, or 135 degrees. Subjects pressed the A or L key to indicate whether the shapes were identical or mirrored. A linear mixed model was run on the reaction times (RTs) recorded in each trial. Percent change in RTs (%RT) from T0 to T1 was also computed and analyzed using a second mixed-effects model with planned contrasts. A significant main effect of Time revealed RTs decreased from T0 (M = 3079.35, SE = 102.27) to T1 (M = 2565.36, SE = 102.27). No significant main effects or interactions involving Group were observed in either RT or %RT models. Planned contrasts revealed a single significant difference between groups in the 0° same condition, with the ctDCS group showing a greater reduction in %RT compared to the sham group. No other significant effects were found. ctDCS did not produce a global improvement in MR but showed selective effects under minimal spatial transformation demands. Further studies with different stimulation protocols are needed to clarify its role.

Language is a cognitive domain essential for communication; however, its responsiveness to acute physical exercise or activity is unexplored. This quasi-randomized trial examined the effects of different intervention modalities on verbal functions and attention. Ninety-eight participants were assigned to high-intensity interval training (HIIT), coordinatively demanding motor activity (COOR), or a sedentary control group (CG). A pre-post design with a 24-hour follow-up assessed semantic (VFsem) and category-switching verbal fluency (VFsw), verbal learning, and attention. No group × time effects were observed for verbal learning encoding (p = .258); however, HIIT showed a steeper learning slope compared to CG (p = .044). Following an interference list, proactive interference was unaffected (p = .428), whereas retroactive interference differed significantly between groups (p = .019), with CG showing lower susceptibility than both intervention groups. No group differences were found for consolidation after 20 min or 24 h (p's ≥ .271). Semantic verbal fluency improved significantly following HIIT relative to CG (p = .029), with no significant effects in VFsw (p = .221) or attention (p = .187). We conclude an intensity-dependent pattern following the interventions, manifesting as enhanced semantic lexical retrieval and an exploratory finding of a steeper encoding following HIIT, compared to CG, with COOR in between, accompanied by an increased susceptibility to retroactive interference.

Self-prioritization effect (SPE) refers to the perceptual benefit for self-associated information during the perceptual judgement task. Recent work on SPE shows the role of valenced self in the self-prioritization. This subtle comprehension is particularly relevant to the research of self-disgust, a negatively valenced self-conscious emotion that includes feelings of revulsion and avoidance toward the self. In the current paper, we examined whether the negative self-judgments, which are implicated in self-disgust, influence the extent of SPE. To achieve this, we employed a standard perceptual matching task with four labels: self, stranger, desirable self, and disgusting self. Individual's self-disgust was measured using the Self Disgust Scale (SDS). Our results showed standard SPE with faster responses for the self than for stranger. In addition, we also observed greater prioritization of the "desirable-self" but not the "disgusting-self." Importantly, reaction times for the "desirable-self" were comparable to the "self", whereas the "disgusting-self" showed comparable RTs to the "stranger". Additionally, we observed a significant negative correlation between SDS and both desirable and disgusting self, and no correlation between self and SDS, suggesting that individual differences in self-disgust sensitivity modulate the speed of processing for valenced self-representations. Implications for the role of the "positive-self construct" and negative-self deprioritization are discussed.

Little research has been conducted on how the two cerebral hemispheres are involved when readers generate inferences about the emotion of characters in a text. It is unclear how the cerebral hemispheres process inference-related information about text that is positively and negatively valenced. In the current study, participants read texts which promoted an inference about either a positive (Experiment 1) or negative (Experiment 2) emotional state of a character. Using the divided visual-field paradigm, participants performed a lexical decision task for target words consistent with the inferred character's emotional state, which were presented to either the left visual field-right hemisphere or the right visual field-left hemisphere. Results showed facilitation in both hemispheres when readers generated negatively-valenced character inferences, but no facilitation effects were found for positively-valenced character inferences. A negativity bias may be present in which readers more quickly infer negatively-valenced character emotions compared to positively-valenced character emotions in a text.

There is growing interdisciplinary interest in the potential for 'nature-based interventions' (NBIs) to foster physical, social, cognitive, and emotional well-being in children. This review aims to identify the methodological strengths and weaknesses of NBIs and analyze the various activities conducted in NBIs that enhance developmental domains in children. The systematic search was conducted using electronic databases such as PubMed, PsycINFO, Taylor and Francis, and Google Scholar from inception to the present. Children aged 4-12 without health or developmental conditions were eligible to participate in the review. Out of 5168 studies, 12 quantitative studies were selected with an overall sample size of (N = 2,444) inclusion/exclusion criteria. Two authors independently performed the literature search, record screening, data extraction, and quality assessment of each included systematic review. The risk of bias in the systematic reviews was assessed using a well-established modified McMaster Critical Review Form for quantitative studies. Due to the heterogeneity of activities delivered in interventions and measurements, there is a lack of evidence to draw firm conclusions regarding the effectiveness of NBIs. Despite the need to overcome some challenges and knowledge gaps, the studies consistently suggest that NBIs profoundly affect children's socio-emotional, physical, and cognitive domains.

Readers are frequently exposed to background speech while reading, which slows reading speed and reduces comprehension accuracy-a phenomenon known as the irrelevant speech effect (ISE). The Semantic Interference Hypothesis proposes that only intelligible speech disrupts reading, whereas the Phonological Interference Hypothesis predicts that both intelligible and unintelligible speech cause disruption. However, empirical findings have not provided unequivocal support for either account. The present study addressed this issue by using a three-level meta-analysis. After a systematic search and screening, 30 studies were included, yielding 606 effect sizes. The results showed that, compared to the silence condition, intelligible speech slowed down the whole reading processing and prolonged lexical processing. Unintelligible speech also slowed down reading and affected post-lexical stages of lexical processing, as reflected in longer go-past time and total fixation duration. Importantly, intelligible speech exerted a stronger disruptive effect than unintelligible speech, by increasing reading time and delaying lexical processing across all stages. These results suggest that both intelligible and unintelligible speech interfere with reading, but intelligible speech causes greater disruption than unintelligible speech. The Phonological and the Semantic Interference Hypotheses only provide partial accounts for these findings, whereas the Process Interference Hypothesis offers a more comprehensive explanation.

Volatile, unpredictable environments often evoke experiences of anxiety and uncontrollability. Previous research has shown that both high trait anxiety and a perceived lack of control can negatively affect the efficiency of attentional control. In the present research, we examined a novel hypothesis: that anxiety and uncontrollability impact the learning of control allocation in a context-dependent way. We assumed that highly anxious individuals or those who experience uncontrollability would exhibit reduced attentional control because incidental learning from contextual cues is altered. In Experiment 1, we investigated how dispositional differences in anxiety relate to incidental learning from the task context, indexed by the context-specific proportion congruency (CSPC) effect. Participants scoring high (vs. low) in trait anxiety did not differ in the magnitude of the CSPC effect during the initial learning phase. However, once the association was acquired, anxious participants showed difficulties in flexibly modifying it based on new contextual information indicating that the association between proportion congruency and the context was reversed. In Experiment 2, we examined the effect of induced uncontrollability on subsequent incidental learning from contextual cues. We observed an absence of the CSPC effect during the learning phase for participants who had previously been exposed to uncontrollability. We discuss the implications of these findings for theories concerning how anxiety and a lack of control influence flexible learning about when to allocate more or less attentional control based on contextual cues.

This study aimed to examine the reciprocal associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and cognitive function by disentangling between-person and within-person effects, and further examined potential heterogeneity across six specific subgroups: age, gender, residence, ever smoking, ever drinking, night sleep duration, and depressive symptoms. The data analyzed were drawn from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) during 2011-2018. Cognitive function was assessed by intelligence and episodic memory. SES was operationalized using annual per-capita household expenditure, occupation, education level, and health insurance. Adjusted random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) and multiple group RI-CLPMs were used to determine the reciprocal relationship between cognitive function and SES. Among 9,322 participants, at the between-person level, middle-aged and older adults showed positive association between SES and cognitive function over an eight-year period after adjusting covariates (β = 0.545, P < 0.001). At the within-person level, SES and cognitive function exhibited reciprocal positive cross-lagged effects across wave 2 to 4 (β = 0.032-0.063, P < 0.050). Using multi-group RI-CLPMs, we identified differences in the longitudinal effect of SES on cognitive function, particularly when comparing groups based on the residence and depressive symptoms (P < 0.050). An increase in individual socioeconomic status was a positive predictor of cognitive function. Likewise, improvements in cognitive function were found to positively predict short-term gains in socioeconomic status. These findings suggest that tailored interventions should be developed to prevent cognitive aging, taking into account the heterogeneity of different population.

Evaluative conditioning (EC) is a mechanism through which attitudes toward neutral stimuli can be shaped by pairing them with positive or negative cues. Despite growing evidence for its role in attitude formation, little is known about whether EC can effectively modify body-related evaluations and how individual dispositions may moderate these effects. The present study examined whether neutral geometric figures (CS) would become more positive in valence and liking when paired with body images differing in weight status (average-weight vs. obese). A total of N = 146 participants completed baseline ratings of neutral CS, underwent an EC task pairing CS with average-weight or obese body images, and provided post-conditioning evaluations along with measures of self-esteem and body, eating and exercise-related social comparison (BEECOM). Results showed that CS paired with average-weight bodies increased significantly in both valence and liking, whereas obese-paired CS showed no significant change. Critically, social comparison tendency moderated overall responsiveness to conditioning: participants low in BEECOM showed significant increases in liking across conditions, whereas high-BEECOM participants showed no change. Neither variable moderated the specific differential conditioning effect between pairing conditions. Self-esteem did not moderate conditioning effects. Exploratory analyses revealed no evidence that conditioning altered perceptual judgments of stimulus size. Findings highlight the importance of individual differences in social comparison as determinants of conditioning responsiveness in the body image domain.

We identify a previously unreported phenomenon where certain individuals show spontaneous increases in parietal-occipital upper alpha power before and after their first exposure to a mental rotation task. This enhancement likely reflects efficient cortical inhibition and selective neural tuning within visuospatial networks-mechanisms comparable to those engaged during neurofeedback-based cognitive training. Previous studies show that alpha oscillations, associated with attention, working memory, and mental rotation, can be consistently enhanced using neurofeedback. In our recent research, we found that the neurofeedback group significantly increased upper alpha amplitude and improved mental rotation speed compared to a control group. Surprisingly, some individuals in the control group exhibited increased upper alpha intensity both before and during the mental rotation task, without external conditioning. To examine this phenomenon, we conducted a follow-up study with 45 participants. First, we recorded their EEG activity, then they completed a mental rotation task. After finishing the task, participants rested for about 30 min, followed by another EEG recording before they undertook the mental rotation task again. The aim was to focus on the phenomenon where individuals exhibit spontaneous and task-related upper alpha power increases, and to examine whether their mental rotation performance differs from that of individuals without natural alpha elevation. Findings from this study are the first to show that both spontaneous and task-induced increases in upper alpha oscillations correlate with enhanced mental rotation, suggesting a unique and inherent mental mechanism allowing specific individuals to excel compared to their counterparts who lack this capacity. The paper examines potential mechanisms underlying spontaneous and task-related upper alpha elevation, providing crucial insights for refining strategies that aim to enhance spatial skills. Our results suggest intrinsic neurophysiological predispositions supporting superior spatial processing and highlight spontaneous alpha modulation as a potential biomarker of individual differences in visuo-cognitive efficiency.

Numbers and time are closely linked to space. Two key effects illustrate this: the SNARC effect, associating smaller numbers with the left visual field and larger ones with the right, and the STEARC effect, linking the past to the left and the future to the right visual fields. This study examined whether time influences visual-spatial attention and memory by affecting attention shifts toward relevant visual fields and facilitating memory retrieval. To investigate this, we employed four experimental tasks: the SNARC task, the STEARC task, the visual-spatial attention task, and the visual-spatial memory task. In the SNARC task, participants pressed a key to determine whether the presented numbers were smaller or larger than 5. In the STEARC task, they assessed whether temporal words referred to the past or future. The SNARC and STEARC tasks confirmed number-space and time-space interactions, a necessary step before further investigation. During the visual-spatial attention task, participants responded to images presented in the left or right visual field following temporal reference words. We employed a single-key procedure for responses to eliminate any facilitation effects from response keys. In the visual-spatial memory task, participants indicated whether they had seen the images displayed previously. Our findings confirm the presence of the SNARC and STEARC effects. However, no detectable effect of temporal reference on visual-spatial attention was observed under the current task conditions. Similarly, no reliable effect was found in the visual-spatial memory task. Taken together, these findings suggest that temporal-spatial mappings may not be robustly observed in visual attention tasks that do not involve explicit left-right responses.

The Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) is widely used to assess English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students' metacognitive regulation of reading across three strategy dimensions (Global, Problem-Solving, Support), yet this three-factor structure has rarely undergone confirmatory validation. This study introduces HiLoLev, a theory-driven two-factor measurement reconceptualisation that distinguishes higher-level integrative/monitoring strategies from lower-level decoding/support strategies. Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on data from 554 Swedish upper-secondary ESL students, legacy three-factor specifications (oblique, higher-order) were contrasted with the proposed theory-driven HiLoLev model based on SORS items. The original structures showed poor fit with high interfactor correlations and substantial cross-loadings; by contrast, an 11-item HiLoLev model fit well (RMSEA = 0.051, SRMR = 0.045) and offered clearer interpretability. While the full SORS remains pedagogically useful, its subscales should not be assumed to represent stable latent constructs for inferential analyses. For research applications (e.g., regression models, mediation analyses, or group comparisons), confirm the structure in-sample via CFA or consider using the 11-item HiLoLev model as a compact, cognitively grounded latent specification of SORS items.