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Intelligence is strongly associated with working memory. Working memory training can improve fluid intelligence, but the underlying mechanism requires further investigation. Because inhibition control may play a key role in working memory training, this study investigated this process from an electrophysiological perspective. In total, 40 children aged 9 to 11 years were enrolled and randomly divided into a training group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 20). The training group received 20 days of working memory training, whereas the control group did not receive any training. Before and after the training period, all participants were tested using Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM), and electrophysiological indicators were recorded while they performed go/no-go and Stroop tasks. The results revealed that relative to the control group, the training group had significantly improved RSPM scores in the test conducted after their training. For the go/no-go tasks, the training group exhibited a significant decrease in N2 amplitude, a significant increase in P3 amplitude, a significant decrease in theta band energy, and an improvement in response inhibition ability. No significant change was observed for the Stroop task. Correlation analysis revealed that an improvement in individual response inhibition can positively predict an improvement in fluid intelligence. These results suggest that working memory training enhances the fluid intelligence of children by enhancing their response inhibition ability.

Objectives: Previous studies revealed a positive association between neuroticism and depression. This study further extended the previous findings by exploring the psychological processes underlying this association among Chinese postgraduates. Guided by theoretical models and empirical research, we proposed a multiple mediation and moderated mediation model to investigate the roles of dispositional mindfulness and cognitive reappraisal in the relationship between neuroticism and depression.Methods: Using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, 1103 first-year postgraduates at a comprehensive university in China were surveyed. Path analysis was adopted to test the models.Results: The results showed that dispositional mindfulness mediated the association between neuroticism and depression. Further, this mediating effect was moderated by cognitive reappraisal, with this effect being stronger in individuals with low engagement in cognitive reappraisal.Conclusion: The results support interrelations among neuroticism, depression, dispositional mindfulness, and cognitive reappraisal as moderated mediation rather than multiple mediation. The results enhance our understanding of psychological mechanisms between neuroticism and depression and provide suggestions for interventions to prevent or reduce depression in highly neurotic postgraduates.

Whether working memory training is effective in enhancing fluid intelligence remains in dispute. Several researchers, who doubt the training benefits, consider that placebo effects may be the reason for positive training gains. One of the vital variables that may induce the placebo effect is the mindset of intelligence. In this article, we provide a test of whether the mindset of intelligence leads to placebo effects in working memory training. Participants were overtly recruited and allocated to the growth mindset group or the fixed mindset group by Theories of Intelligence Scale scores. A single, 1 h session working memory training is the cue to introduce the placebo effects. During pre/post-testing, all participants completed tasks measuring working memory capacity (near transfer) and fluid intelligence (far transfer). Our findings show no significant difference between the two groups in both tasks. Therefore, these results suggest that the placebo effect does not exist in this study, which means individuals' mindset of intelligence may not be a contributor to the placebo effect in 1 h working memory training. This research will further help to clarify the mechanism of the placebo effect in working memory training.

We report our investigation on the S-shaped current–voltage characteristics in a hot-casting–processed (BA)2 (MA)3Pb4I13 Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) perovskite solar cell. The two-dimensional perovskite solar cells are fabricated with NiOx as the hole transport layer (HTL), which leads to significantly high open-circuit voltage (Voc). The champion device shows a Voc of 1.21 V and a short current density (Jsc) of 17.14 mA/cm2, leading to an overall power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 13.7%. Although the PCE is much higher than the control device fabricated on PEDOT:PSS, a significant S-shaped current–voltage behavior is observed in these NiOx-based devices. It is found that the S-shaped current–voltage behavior is related to the lower dimensional phase distribution and crystallinity at the bottom interface of the RP perovskite layer, and the S-shaped distortion is less severe after the device ageing test.

Quarantine and isolation at extended length, although considered as highly effective countermeasures for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) which started at the end of 2019, can have great impact on individual's mental health, especially emotional state. The present research recruited 5,115 participants from the general public across 32 provinces and autonomous regions in China in an online survey study, about 20 days after the lockdown of the epicenter (Wuhan), to investigate the relationship between the length of the quarantine and negative affect (including depression and anxiety), as well as the mediating roles of negative cognition (including worry and anticipation), and the moderating roles of dispositional optimism, tolerance of uncertainty, social support, and healthy behavior. The results showed that: (1) Worry and anticipation mediated the relationship between quarantine length and depression and anxiety; (2) Dispositional optimism moderated the path coefficients of quarantine length to worry, worry to anxiety, and anticipation to depression; (3) Tolerance of uncertainty moderated the path coefficient of worry to anxiety; (4) Social support moderated the path coefficient of anticipation to anxiety. In conclusion, during quarantine, dispositional optimism, uncertainty tolerance, and social support can buffer the direct or indirect effects of quarantine length on depression and anxiety. These findings could have profound implications on the societal responses to COVID-19 and future pandemics.

Researchers interested in emotions have endeavored to elicit emotional responses in the laboratory and have determined that films were one of the most effective ways to elicit emotions. The present study presented the development of a new standardized emotional film database for Asian culture. There were eight kinds of emotion: fear, disgust, anger, sadness, neutrality, surprise, amusement, and pleasure. Each kind included eight film clips, and a total of 64 emotional films were viewed by 110 participants. We analyzed both the subjective experience (valence, arousal, motivation, and dominance) and physiological response (heart rate and respiration rate) to the presentation of each film. The results of the subjective ratings indicated that our set of 64 films successfully elicited the target emotions. Heart rate declined while watching high-arousal films compared to neutral ones. Films that expressed amusement elicited the lowest respiration rate, whereas fear elicited the highest. The amount and category of emotional films in this database were considerable. This database may help researchers choose applicable emotional films for study according to their own purposes and help in studies of cultural differences in emotion.