bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Contribution of REM sleep and N2 sleep spindles to procedural memory consolidation in Vipassana meditators and non-meditating controls.
Authors: Solomonova Elizaveta , Dubé Simon , Blanchette-Carrière Cloé , Samson-Richer Arnaud , Carr Michelle , Paquette Tyna , Nielsen Tore
Published: July 2018

Study objectives: Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, and sleep spindles are all implicated in the consolidation of procedural memories. The relative contributions of sleep stages and sleep spindles was previously shown to depend on individual differences in task processing. Experience with Vipassana meditation is one such individual difference that has not been investigated in relation to sleep. Vipassana meditation is a form of mental training that enhances proprioceptive and somatic awareness and alters attentional style. The goal was thus to examine a potential moderating role for Vipassana meditation experience on sleep-dependent procedural memory consolidation.Methods: Groups of Vipassana meditation practitioners (N=20) and matched meditation-naïve controls (N=20) slept for a single daytime nap in the laboratory. Before and after the nap they completed a procedural task on the Wii Fit balance platform.Results: Meditators performed slightly better on the task before the nap, but the two groups improved similarly after sleep. The groups showed different patterns of sleep-dependent procedural memory consolidation: in meditators task learning was negatively correlated with density of fast and positively correlated with density of slow occipital spindles, while in controls task improvement was associated with increases in REM sleep. Meditation practitioners had a lower density of sleep spindles, especially in occipital regions.Conclusions: Results suggest that neuroplastic changes associated with sustained meditation practice may alter overall sleep architecture and reorganize sleep-dependent patterns of memory consolidation. The lower density of spindles in meditators may mean that meditation practice compensates for some of the memory functions of sleep.
Unwanted effects: Is there a negative side of meditation? A multicentre survey
Authors: Marti Ausias Cebolla , Demarzo Marcelo , Garcia-Campayo Javier , Soler Joaquim
Published: July 2018

Despite the long-term use and evidence-based efficacy of meditation and mindfulness-based interventions, there is still a lack of data about the possible unwanted effects (UEs) of these practices. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of UEs among meditation practitioners, considering moderating factors such as the type, frequency, and lifetime duration of the meditation practices.An online survey was developed and disseminated through several websites, such as Spanish-, English- and Portuguese-language scientific research portals related to mindfulness and meditation. After excluding people who did not answer the survey correctly or completely and those who had less than two months of meditation experience, a total of 342 people participated in the study. However, only 87 reported information about UEs.The majority of the practitioners were women from Spain who were married and had a University education level. Practices were more frequently informal, performed on a daily basis, and followed by focused attention (FA). Among the participants, 25.4% reported UEs, showing that severity varies considerably. The information requested indicated that most of the UEs were transitory and did not lead to discontinuing meditation practice or the need for medical assistance. They were more frequently reported in relation to individual practice, during focused attention meditation, and when practising for more than 20 minutes and alone. The practice of body awareness was associated with UEs to a lesser extent, whereas focused attention was associated more with UEs.This is the first large-scale, multi-cultural study on the UEs of meditation. Despite its limitations, this study suggests that UEs are prevalent and transitory and should be further studied. We recommend the use of standardized questionnaires to assess the UEs of meditation practices.
Brief Training in Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Symptoms in Patients with a Chronic or Recurrent Lifetime History of Depression: A Randomized Controlled Study
Authors: Winnebeck Emilia , Fissler Maria , Gärtner Matti , Chadwick Paul , Barnhofer Thorsten
Published: July 2018

Background: Training in mindfulness has been introduced to the treatment of depression as a means of relapse prevention. However, from a stress-buffering perspective, mindfulness techniques would be expected to unfold their beneficial effects particularly in those who are currently suffering from symptoms. This study investigated whether a brief and targeted mindfulness-based intervention can reduce symptoms in acutely depressed patients.Methods: Seventy-four patients with a chronic or recurrent lifetime history were randomly allocated to receive either a brief mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) encompassing three individual sessions and regular home practice or a control condition that combined psycho-educational components and regular rest periods using the same format as the MBI. Self-reported severity of symptoms, mindfulness in every day life, ruminative tendencies and cognitive reactivity were assessed before and after intervention.Results: Patients in the MBI condition showed pronounced and significantly stronger reductions in symptoms than those in the control condition. In the MBI group only, patients showed significant increases in mindfulness, and significant reductions in ruminative tendencies and cognitive reactivity.Conclusions: Findings are in line with a stress-buffering account of mindfulness and suggest that brief targeted mindfulness interventions can help to reduce symptoms in acutely depressed patients with chronic or recurrent lifetime history.
Sellarsian Buddhism: Comments on Jay Garfield, Engaging Buddhism: Why It Matters to Philosophy
Authors: Thompson Evan
Published: July 2018

A critical commentary on Jay Garfield's book, Engaging Buddhism: Why It Matters to Philosophy.
The Effect of Atmospheric Plasma on a Protein Thermal Shift Assay of Powdered Whey Protein Isolate
Authors: Aguilar Danielle
Published: July 2018

Whey is both a dietary supplement as well as a food ingredient. It is a byproduct of the cheese making process, and it can be processed further to create three forms, namely whey isolate, whey concentrate and whey hydrolysate. Given whey’s complexity and applicability in the food, nutrition and health industries, understanding how changes to its structure contribute to or affect its function is of great interest. One method by which protein structure could be altered is via plasma-surface modification (PSM), an effective surface altering technique of inorganic materials, and there is growing interest in its application on organic materials such as proteins. However, research on the use of PSM to promote structural changes of food proteins has been limited as studies have mostly focused on aqueous solutions and their contributions to pharmacological development. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the structure of dry powdered whey protein isolate can be modified by atmospheric plasma. The Protein Thermal Shift Assay (PTSA) was implemented to measure structural changes of PSM altered whey protein powder, and a range of protein structure alterations was observed, with a highest total change of 12.77% between control and treated protein. The applicability of changes in protein structure via atmospheric plasma could have several economical and nutritional benefits as it could be implemented in the process of whey product optimization, which in turn could be of use in the food and nutrition sectors.
On the Probabilities of Branch Durations and Stratigraphic Gaps in Phylogenies of Fossil Taxa when Rates of Diversification Vary over Time
Authors: Wagner Peter
Published: July 2018

When testing hypotheses about rates and divergence times, it is important to estimate the probability of any given branch duration and its implicit stratigraphic gap on a phylogeny. The two components to estimating these probabilities are the probability of sampling predecessors (ancestors) and the probability of sampling other relatives (i.e., a sister taxon). The former reflects only sampling whereas the latter reflects sampling, origination and extinction. A concern is that sampling, origination and extinction all vary substantially over time. In this paper, I present a modified version of birth death-sampling models allowing interval to interval variation in rates. I explore the effects of a small number of idealized macroevolutionary scenarios on the probabilities of branch durations. Simulations indicate that this approach does a very good job at estimating the probability of sampling a clade of any size at any time after its divergence. I show that the effects of radiations and extinctions on phylogenies precede the actual events, particularly true when sampling rates are low. For radiations, this reflects unsampled ancestors having a higher probability of numerous progeny that are ultimately sampled than have unsampled ancestors from intervals with the same origination rates but no subsequent radiation. In the case of extinctions, it is the opposite: unsampled ancestors are much less apt to leave progeny and thus have much lower chances of having any progeny sampled. Taking advantage of paleobiological estimates of diversification and sampling over time should improve tree based paleobiological studies in the future.
Reassessment of the oldest British turtle: Protochelys from the Middle Jurassic Stonesfield Slate of Stonesfield, Oxfordshire, UK
Authors: Anquetin Jérémy , Claude Julien
Published: July 2018

Protochelys Lydekker, 1889 from the Stonesfield Slate (middle Bathonian) is the oldest British turtle and the only record to date of fossil epidermal shell scales preserved isolated from underlying bone. Although known since the 1840s, these remains have never been properly described, figured or compared with other taxa. Here, we provide a thorough reassessment of the available material with a discussion of the exceptional preservation of isolated scales. We conclude that: (1) no satisfactory diagnosis can be proposed and Protochelys blakii has to be considered nomen dubium; (2) the carapace of the Stonesfield turtle has a plesiomorphic morphology (vertebral scales twice as wide as long; fifth vertebral scale as wide anteriorly as it is posteriorly; pleural scales longer than wide) shared with numerous basal turtles. The fossilisation of turtle epidermal scales is extremely rare (only two other examples are known). The Stonesfield material is unique in that the scales are isolated, without underlying bone. A review of the literature shows that isolation of shell scales occurs as a result of two processes: shedding of old scale layers during growth or post mortem disarticulation. We favour the disarticulation hypothesis because complete scales are thicker and more likely to preserve the well-developed ornamentation shown by the Stonesfield scales.
New turtle remains from the Late Cretaceous of Monte Alto-SP, Brazil, including cranial osteology, neuroanatomy and phylogenetic position of a new taxon
Authors: Ferreira Gabriel S. , Iori Fabiano Vidoi , Hermanson Guilherme , Langer Max C.
Published: July 2018

A high diversity of land vertebrates is known from the Late Cretaceous deposits of the Bauru Basin, Brazil, including at least five turtle taxa, all belonging tothe cladePodocnemidoidae. Some of the richest fossil sites of this basin are in the area of Monte Alto, which yielded several squamate, dinosaur, and crocodyliform taxa. Yet, the single turtle reported so far from this area was only briefly described. Here, we further describe that specimen, a complete but very crushed shell, as well as a partial skull, both found in outcrops of the Adamantina Formation. Comparison of the shell to other podocnemidoid taxa reveals its affinities to Roxochelys wanderleyi, a turtle originally described from that same stratigraphic unit. The comparative description of the skull and its inclusion in a phylogenetic study, supports the proposal of a new taxon representing a lineage (Peiropemydodda) so far known only from the Marília Formation of the Bauru Basin and the early Paleocene of Bolivia. The digitally reconstructed endocast and inner ear of the new taxon were also described, as not previously done fora fossil pleurodire.
Diverse early Paleocene megaflora from the Ojo Alamo Sandstone, San Juan Basin, New Mexico, USA
Authors: Flynn Andrew G. , Peppe Daniel J.
Published: July 2018

Earliest Paleocene megafloras from North America are hypothesized to be low diversity and dominated by long-lived cosmopolitan species following the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K/Pg) mass extinction. However, megafloras used to develop this hypothesis are from the Northern Great Plains of North America, and relatively little is known about floras from southern basins. Here, we present a quantitative analysis of a diverse earliest Paleocene megaflora (<350 kyr after K/Pg boundary) from the Ojo Alamo Sandstone in the San Juan Basin (SJB), New Mexico. The megaflora, comprised of 55 morphotypes, was dominated by dicotyledonous angiosperms, with accessory taxa composed of ferns, monocotyledonous angiosperms, and conifers. The majority of morphotypes were restricted to the SJB indicating the presence of an endemic flora in the earliest Paleocene. Diversity analyses indicate that the flora was species rich, highly uneven, and laterally heterogeneous. Paleoclimate estimates using multivariate and univariate methods indicate warm temperatures and high precipitation. When compared to contemporaneous floras from the Denver Basin (DB) of Colorado and the Williston Basin (WB) of North Dakota, the SJB flora had significantly higher species richness, site rarefied richness, and basin rarefied richness, but was significantly less even. Paleoclimate estimates from the SJB were 7-14 °C warmer than the DB and WB, indicating a shift from a temperate deciduous forest biome in the Northern Great Plains to a tropical seasonal forest biome in the SJB. These results demonstrate that the SJB flora is markedly different from floras in the Northern Great Plains, that there were latitudinal differences in species composition and diversity, and that there was a variable floral response to the K/Pg boundary in North America during the earliest Paleocene. We hypothesize that the warm, wet conditions in the earliest Paleocene SJB drove rapid rates of speciation following the K/Pg boundary resulting in a heterogenous, endemic flora.
Assessing the point at which averages are stable: A tool illustrated in the context of person perception
Authors: Hehman Eric , Xie Sally Y , Ofosu Eugene K , Nespoli Gabriel A
Published: July 2018

Across many diverse areas of research, it is common to average a series of observations, and to use these averages in subsequent analyses. Research using this approach faces the challenge of knowing when these averages are stable. Meaning, to what extent do these averages change when additional observations are included? Using averages that are not stable introduces a great deal of error into any analysis. The current research develops a tool, implemented in R, to assess when averages are stable. Using a sequential sampling approach, it determines how many observations are needed before additional observations would no longer meaningfully change an average. The utility of this tool is illustrated in the context of impression formation, demonstrating that averages of some perceived traits (e.g., happy) stabilize with fewer observations than others (e.g., assertive). A tutorial regarding how to utilize this tool in researchers’ own data is provided.
Inference and exact numerical representation in early language development
Authors: Barner David , Bachrach Asaf
Published: July 2018

How do children as young as 2 years of age know that numerals, like one,have exact interpretations, while quantifiers and words like a do not?Previous studies have argued that only numerals have exact lexicalmeanings. Children could not use scalar implicature to strengthen numeralmeanings, it is argued, since they fail to do so for quantifiers(Papafragou & Musolino, 2003). Against this view, we present evidence thatchildren’s early interpretation of numerals does rely on scalarimplicature, and argue that differences between numerals and quantifiersare due to differences in the availability of the respective scales ofwhich they are members. Evidence from previous studies establishes that (1)children can make scalar inferences when interpreting numerals, (2)children initially assign weak, non-exact interpretations to numerals whenfirst acquiring their meanings, and (3) children can strengthen quantifierinterpretations when scalar alternatives are made explicitly available.
Through a womb, darkly: Methodological problems in a recent study of fetal visual perception
Authors: Scheel Anne M. , Ritchie Stuart James , Brown Nicholas John Laird , Jacques Steven L.
Published: July 2018

Reid et al. analyzed data from 39 third-trimester fetuses, concluding that they showed a preferential head-orienting reaction towards lights projected through the uterine wall in a face-like arrangement, as opposed to an inverted triangle of dots. These results imply not only that assessment of visual-perceptive responses is possible in prenatal subjects, but also that a measurable preference for faces exists before birth. However, we have identified three substantial problems with Reid et al.’s method and analyses, which we outline here.
A New Stimulus Set for Cognitive Research
Authors: Rosedahl Luke , Ashby F. Greg
Published: July 2018

A new stimulus set is described that could prove useful for a wide variety of different cognitive experiments. Each stimulus is a schematic representation of a fish and the stimulus ensemble could potentially be varied on many dimensions. These new stimuli have a number of attractive properties, including 1) a higher degree of ecological validity than most stimuli used in cognitive research, and 2) a large number of qualitatively different types of dimensions that can be varied. Psychophysical properties of the stimuli were studied in two experiments. Experiment 1 measured just noticeable differences on two prominent dimensions, and Experiment 2 used multidimensional scaling to study the structure of the underlying perceptual representations. The result is an ecologically valid stimulus set with a well-understood perceptual representation.
A data-driven study of Chinese participants’ social judgments of Chinese faces
Authors: Wang Hongyi , Han Chengyang , Hahn Amanda , Fasolt Vanessa , Morrison Danielle , Holzleitner Iris Jasmin , DeBruine Lisa Marie , Jones Benedict C
Published: July 2018

Social judgments of faces made by Western participants are thought to be underpinned by two dimensions: valence and dominance. Because some research suggests that Western and Eastern participants process faces differently, the two-dimensional model of face evaluation may not necessarily apply to judgments of faces by Eastern participants. Here we used a data-driven approach to investigate the components underlying social judgments of Chinese faces by Chinese participants. Analyses showed that social judgments of Chinese faces by Chinese participants are partly underpinned by a general approachability dimension similar to the valence dimension previously found to underpin Western participants’ evaluations of White faces. However, we found that a general capability dimension, rather than a dominance dimension, contributed to Chinese participants’ evaluations of Chinese faces. Thus, our findings present evidence for both cultural similarities and cultural differences in social evaluations of faces. Importantly, the dimension that explained most of the variance in Chinese participants’ social judgments of faces was strikingly similar to the valence dimension previously reported for Western participants.
Composition of multiple dimension representations in context during real-time comprehension
Authors: Lai Yao-Ying , Braze David , Piñango Maria Mercedes
Published: July 2018

We investigate the role of context in the comprehension of competing semantic representations of sentences with aspectual verbs (AspVs). On the Structured Individual Hypothesis, AspVs select for structured individuals as their complement, construed as a directed axis along various dimensions. During comprehension, the verb’s lexical functions are exhaustively retrieved and the AspV+complement composition yields multiple mutually exclusive dimension representations, which are later constrained by context. Results from this eye-movement study show that AspV sentences engender additional processing cost independent of context. That is, while processing multiple dimension representations is costly, the exhaustive lexical retrieval and dimension composition are initially encapsulated from context.
Health Literacy in Familial Hypercholesterolemia: A Cross-National Study
Authors: Hagger Martin S
Published: July 2018

Background: High rates of inadequate health literacy (HL) are associated with maladaptive health outcomes in chronic disease including increased mortality and morbidity rates, poor treatment adherence, and poor health. Adequate HL may be an important factor in the effective treatment and management of Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH), and may also be implicated in genetic screening for FH among index cases. The present study examined the prevalence and predictors of HL in FH patients attending clinics in seven countries. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: Consecutive FH patients attending clinics in Australia, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, and the UK completed measures of demographic variables (age, gender, household income, and highest education level) and a brief three-item HL scale. Results: Rates of inadequate HL were lowest in the UK (7.0%), Australia (10.0%), Hong Kong (15.7%), and Taiwan (18.0%) samples, with higher rates in the Brazil (22.0%), Malaysia (25.0%), and China (37.0%) samples. Income was an independent predictor of HL levels, accounting for effects of age. HL was also independently related to China national group membership. Conclusions: Findings indicate non-trivial levels of inadequate HL in samples of FH patients. Consistent with previous research in chronic illness, inadequate HL is related to income as an index of health disparities. Chinese FH patients are more likely to have high rates of inadequate HL independent of income. Current findings highlight the imperative of education interventions targeting FH patients with inadequate HL.
Professors Are Not Elderly: Evaluating the Evidential Value of Two Social Priming Effects through P-Curve Analyses
Authors: Lakens Daniel
Published: July 2018

It is possible that the number of false positives in the literature is much greater than is desirable due to a combination of low statistical power, publication bias, and flexibility when analyzing data. Recently, some researchers have argued the replicability crisis social priming research is greatly exaggerated (Dijksterhuis, 2014; Stroebe & Strack, 2014). To quantify the extent to which researcher degrees of freedom are a real problem, I present two p-curve analyses that examine the evidential value of research lines on professor priming and elderly priming. The results indicate studies examining elderly priming are p-hacked, while studies examining professor priming contain evidential value. I believe a polarized discussion about whether social priming is true or not, whether direct replications or conceptual replications are preferable, or whether methodological rigor or theory development is needed is unlikely to lead to scientific progress. Instead, we have to meta-analytically evaluate individual effects based on their evidential value, and collaboratively examine what is likely to be true.
Applying the multi-threat framework of stereotype threat in the context of digital gaming.
Authors: Pennington Charlotte Rebecca , Kaye Linda Katherine , McCann Joseph
Published: July 2018

Females often report experiencing stigmatisation pertaining to their competency in digital gaming communities. Employing the principles of the multi-threat framework of stereotype threat, the current research examined the impact of gender-related stereotypes on females’ gaming performance and related self-perceptions. In Experiment 1, 90 females were assigned to one of three conditions in which they were primed that their performance would be either diagnostic of their personal (self-as-target) or gender group’s ability (group-as-target) or would be non-diagnostic of gaming ability (control). In Experiment 2, 90 females were primed that their performance would be judged by a group of other females (in-group source) or males (out-group source), or would be non-diagnostic of ability (control). Participants then completed a casual gaming task, as well as measures of competence beliefs, self-efficacy and self-esteem. Findings from Experiment 1 indicate that neither a self-as-target nor a group-as-target stereotype affected significantly gaming performance, or game-related self-efficacy, self-esteem and competency beliefs. Findings from Experiment 2 reveal further that females’ gaming performance and associated self-perceptions were not impacted significantly by an in-group or out-group source of stereotype threat. The discussion turns to potential explanations for these findings, proposing that females may not perceive negative gender-gaming stereotypes to be an accurate representation of their personal or social group’s gaming ability. We also discuss the implications of the experimental design and difficulty, as well as the potential for domain identification to moderate performance outcomes under stereotype threat.
Topological Data Analysis for Data Mining Small Educational Samples with Application to Studies of the Gifted
Authors: Farrelly Colleen Molloy
Published: July 2018

Studies of highly and profoundly gifted children typically involve small sample sizes, as the population is relatively rare, and many statistical methods cannot handle these small sample sizes well. However, topological data analysis (TDA) tools are robust, even with very small samples, and can provide useful information as well as robust statistical tests.This study demonstrates these capabilities on data simulated from previous talent search results (small and large samples), as well as a subset of data from Ruf’s cohort of gifted children. TDA methods show strong, robust performance and uncover insight into sample characteristics and subgroups, including the appearance of similar subgroups across assessment populations.
Unexpected events disrupt visuomotor working memory and increase guessing
Authors: Finzi R. Dawn , Aron Adam Robert
Published: July 2018

When a unexpected event, such as a car honking, occurs in daily life, it often disrupts our train of thought. In the lab, this effect was recently modeled with a task in which verbal working memory (WM) was disrupted by unexpected auditory events (Wessel et al., 2016). Here, we tested whether this effect extends to a different type of WM, viz. visuomotor. We found that unexpected auditory events similarly decremented visuomotor WM. Moreover, this effect persisted for many more trials than previously shown, and the effect occurred for two types of unexpected auditory event. Furthermore, we found that unexpected events decremented WM by decreasing the quantity, but not necessarily the quality, of the items stored. These studies show a statistically robust, and across time enduring, impact of unexpected events on visuomotor WM. They also show an increase of guessing, consistent with a neuroscience-inspired theory that unexpected events ‘wipe out’ WM by stopping the ongoing maintenance of the trace.
Prediction of autobiographical memory interview ratings using quantitative text feature analysis.
Authors: Peters Jan
Published: July 2018

AbstractAutobiographical memory and episodic future thinking (i.e. the capacity to project oneself into an imaginary future) are typically assessed using the Autobiographical Memory Interview (AMI). In the AMI, subjects are provided with verbal cues (i.e. “your wedding day”) and are asked to freely imagine (or recall) the cued present or future situation. Narratives are then recorded, transcribed and analysed using and established manual rating procedure (Levine et al., 2002). Here we applied automatic text feature extraction methods to a relatively large (n=86) set of AMI data. In a first proof-of-concept approach, we used regression models to predict manual AMI ratings from low-level linguistic features. Across a range of different regression methods, prediction accuracy averaged at about 0.5 standard deviations. Further analyses revealed that episodic and sematic detail ratings are association with both overlapping and distinct low-level linguistic features. Finally, we explored how prediction accuracy changes for test data sets of varying sizes. Prediction accuracy appeared to reach a maximum at about n=3 cues per condition, with additional test data failing to increase prediction accuracy. Our findings highlight the feasibility of using tools from quantitative text analysis to analyse AMI datasets, and we discuss potential future applications.
Making 'Null Effects' Informative: Statistical Techniques and Inferential Frameworks
Authors: Harms Christopher , Lakens Daniel
Published: July 2018

Being able to interpret `null effects' is important for cumulative knowledge generation in science. To draw informative conclusions from null-effects, researchers need to move beyond the incorrect interpretation of a non-significant result in a null-hypothesis significance test as evidence of the absence of an effect. We explain how to statistically evaluate null-results using equivalence tests, Bayesian estimation, and Bayes factors. A worked example demonstrates how to apply these statistical tools and interpret the results. Finally, we explain how no statistical approach can actually prove that the null-hypothesis is true, and briefly discuss the philosophical differences between statistical approaches to examine null-effects. The increasing availability of easy-to-use software and online tools to perform equivalence tests, Bayesian estimation, and calculate Bayes factors make it timely and feasible to complement or move beyond traditional null-hypothesis tests, and allow researchers to draw more informative conclusions about null-effects.
Listeners rapidly use unexpected information to update their predictions: Evidence from eye-movements.
Authors: Chow Wing Yee , Chen Di
Published: July 2018

Comprehenders can incorporate rich contextual information to predict upcoming input on the fly and they can detect cues that conflict with their predictions very quickly. However, to date little is known about whether and how listeners use unexpected information to revise their existing predictions. Here we took advantage of the rich classifier system in Mandarin Chinese to examine whether and how comprehenders update their noun prediction upon encountering an unexpected classifier. We present evidence from a visual world eye-tracking experiment which suggests that listeners can quickly use prediction-mismatching classifiers to revise their predictions.
Testing the Ability of the Surprisingly Popular Method to Predict NFL Games
Authors: Lee Michael David , Danileiko Irina , Vi Julie
Published: July 2018

We consider the recently-developed "surprisingly popular'' method for aggregating decisions across a group of people (Prelec et al. 2017). The method has shown impressive performance in a range of decision-making situations, but typically for situations in which the correct answer is already established. We consider the ability of the surprisingly popular method to make predictions, in a situation where the correct answer does not exist at the time people are asked to make decisions. Specifically, we tested its ability to predict the winners of the 256 US National Football League (NFL) games in the 2017--2018 season. Each of these predictions used participants who self-rated as "extremely knowledgeable" about the NFL, drawn from a set of 100 participants recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT). We compare the accuracy and calibration of the surprisingly popular method to a variety of alternatives: the mode and confidence-weighted predictions of the expert AMT participants, the individual and aggregated predictions of media experts, and a statistical Elo method based on the performance histories of the NFL teams. We find that the surprisingly popular method outperforms all of these alternatives, and has reasonable calibration properties relating the confidence of predictions to accuracy.
Parent conditional regard and the development of perfectionism in adolescent athletes: The mediating role of competence contingent self-worth
Authors: Curran Thomas
Published: July 2018

Despite evidence highlighting the debilitating nature of perfectionism in sport, very few studies have examined how it develops. In explaining the development of perfectionism, theorists emphasize controlling parental practices in family contexts replete with conditional regard. This study, then, tested the role of parent conditional regard in the development of perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns among adolescent athletes. It also tested the mediating role of competence contingent self-worth in these associations. One hundred and forty eight (Mage = 15.12 years, SD = 1.64) adolescent athletes competing at regional level or above in their primary sport completed measures of multidimensional perfectionism, competence contingent self-worth, and parent conditional regard. In line with hypotheses, structural equation modelling showed that perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns were positively predicted by parental conditional regard. As expected, competence contingent self-worth mediated both relationships. The findings are the first to suggest conditional regard from parents is important in the development of perfectionism among adolescent athletes because these behaviours contribute to contingencies of self-worth that are based on competence.
Personality dynamics in the brain: Individual differences in updating of representations and their phylogenetic roots
Authors: Tops Mattie , IJzerman Hans , Quirin Markus
Published: July 2018

To cope with changing and unfamiliar situations, individuals process novel information and integrate this information into internal models that were formed through previous experiences. We propose that the continuum of the degree to which people update these internal models when encountering novel information is central to personality dynamics. Personality traits therefore arise at both ends of this continuum. Personality dimensions and behavioral manifestations (such as those reflected in liberal and conservative political thought) are classified at different points along this continuum, as well as according to the availability and flexible situational accessibility of internal models. Our model is rooted in neurobiological evidence (interactions of large-scale brain networks in particular) and shows strong parallels with models of basic animal personality traits. The model thus permits to explain both personality traits and personality dynamics, including phasic and stable adaptations to environmental conditions. Moreover, the model sheds light on the development of personality and its origins through phylogenetic and ontogenetic time.
A model of linguistic accommodation leading to language simplification
Authors: Frank Stella , Smith Kenny
Published: July 2018

Language complexity seems to be influenced by population characteristics such as the proportion of adult learners. One potential explanation for this link is that native speakers accommodate to non-native speakers, simplifying their language use during such interactions: learners may then acquire a less complex language. We model accommodation in interaction in a Bayesian framework, where in order to accommodate appropriately, an agent must first infer their interlocutor’s linguistic abilities. We find that when the agent consistently accommodates, learners end up with a simplified language, due to a reinforcing effect between an initially underinformed learner and an accommodating native speaker.
Preliminary simulations on the interpretation of cross-sectional Gaussian graphical models
Authors: Epskamp Sacha
Published: July 2018

This report describes two preliminary simulation studies that were included in earlierrevisions of Epskamp, Waldorp, Mõttus, and Borsboom (2017). These will now be includedin a future manuscript.
ASR Systems as Models of Phonetic Category Perception in Adults
Authors: Schatz Thomas , Bach Francis , Dupoux Emmanuel
Published: July 2018

We test the potential of standard Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems trained on large corpora of continuous speech as quantitative models of human speech processing. In human adults, speech perception is attuned to efficiently process native speech sounds, at the expense of difficulties in pro- cessing non-native sounds. We use ABX-discriminability measures to test whether ASR models can account for the patterns of confusion between speech sounds observed in humans. We show that ASR models reproduce some well-documented effects in non-native phonetic perception. Beyond the immediate results, our methodology opens up the possibility of a more systematic investigation of phonetic category perception in humans.
Relationship between the Implicit Association Test and intergroup behavior: A meta-analysis
Authors: Kurdi Benedek , Seitchik Allison E. , Axt Jordan , Carroll Timothy , Karapetyan Arpi , Kaushik Neela , Tomezsko Diana , Greenwald Anthony G. , Banaji Mahzarin R.
Published: July 2018

Using data from 217 research reports (N = 36,071, compared to 3,471 and 5,433 in previous meta-analyses), this meta-analysis investigated the conceptual and methodological conditions under which Implicit Association Tests (IATs) measuring attitudes, stereotypes, and identity correlate with criterion measures of intergroup behavior. We found significant implicit–criterion correlations (ICCs) and explicit–criterion correlations (ECCs), with unique contributions of implicit (β = .14) and explicit measures (β = .11) revealed by structural equation modeling. ICCs were found to be highly heterogeneous, making moderator analyses necessary. Basic study features or conceptual variables did not account for any heterogeneity: Unlike explicit measures, implicit measures predicted for all target groups and types of behavior, and implicit, but not explicit, measures were equally associated with behaviors varying in controllability and conscious awareness. However, ICCs differed greatly by methodological features: Studies with a declared focus on ICCs, standard IATs rather than variants, high-polarity attributes, behaviors measured in a relative (two categories present) rather than absolute manner (single category present), and high implicit–criterion correspondence (k = 13) produced a mean ICC of r = .37. Studies scoring low on these variables (k = 6) produced an ICC of r = .02. Examination of methodological properties—a novelty of this meta-analysis—revealed that most studies were vastly underpowered and analytic strategies regularly ignored measurement error. Recommendations, along with online applications for calculating statistical power and internal consistency (http://www.benedekkurdi.com/#iat), are provided to improve future studies on the implicit–criterion relationship. Open materials are available under https://osf.io/47xw8/.
Prevalence of Auditory Pseudohallucinations in Adult Survivors of Physical and Sexual Trauma with Chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Authors: Clifford Georgina , Hitchcock Caitlin , Dalgleish Tim
Published: July 2018

Auditory Verbal Hallucinations (AVHs) are commonly associated with psychosis but are also reported in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Hearing voices after the experience of stress has been conceptualised as a dissociative experience. Brewin and Patels’s (2010) seminal study reported that hearing voices is relatively common in PTSD, as hearing voices was associated with PTSD in half and two thirds of military veterans and survivors of civilian trauma, respectively. The authors conceptualised these voices as “auditory pseudohallucinations.” To build upon this work, we extended Brewin and Patel’s’ methodology with adult survivors (n=40) of repeated physical and sexual trauma involving a dominant perpetrator with PTSD, and healthy controls (n=39). In contrast to previous findings, only 5% (n=2) of our PTSD sample reported recently hearing a voice that was consistent with a pseudohallucination, with no reports in our control group. Thus, no support was provided for pseudo-hallucinations as a significant symptom in this population.
The Effect of Mood on Judgments of Subjective Well-Being: Nine Tests of the Judgment Model
Authors: Yap Stevie C. Y. , Wortman Jessica , Anusic Ivana , Baker S. Glenn , Scherer Laura Danielle , Donnellan Brent , Lucas Richard E.
Published: July 2018

Life satisfaction judgments are thought to represent an overall evaluationof the quality of a person’s life as a whole. Thus, they should reflectrelatively important and stable characteristics of that person’s life.Previous highly cited research has suggested that transient factors, suchas the mood that a person experiences at the time that well-being judgmentsare made, can influence these judgments. However, most existing studiesused small sample sizes, and few replications have been attempted. Ninedirect and conceptual replications of past studies testing the effects ofmood on life satisfaction judgments were conducted using sample sizes thatwere considerably larger than previous studies (Ns = 202, 200, 269, 118,320, 401, 285, 129, 122). Most of the nine studies resulted innonsignificant effects on life satisfaction and happiness judgments, andthose that were significant were substantially smaller than effects foundin previous research.______________________________________
Using Confidence Interval-Based Estimation of Relevance to select social-cognitive determinants for behaviour change interventions
Authors: Crutzen Rik , Peters Gjalt - Jorn Ygram , Noijen Judith
Published: July 2018

When developing an intervention aimed at behavior change, one of the crucial steps in the development process is to select the most relevant social-cognitive determinants. These determinants can be seen as the buttons one needs to push to establish behavior change. Insight into these determinants is needed to select behavior change methods (i.e., general behavior change techniques that are applied in an intervention) in the devel- opment process. Therefore, a study on determinants is often conducted as formative research in the intervention development process. Ideally, all relevant determinants identi ed in such a study are addressed by an intervention. However, when developing a behavior change intervention, there are limits in terms of, for example, resources available for intervention development and the amount of content that participants of an intervention can be exposed to. Hence, it is important to select those determinants that are most relevant to the target behavior as these determinants should be addressed in an intervention. The aim of the current paper is to introduce a novel approach to select the most relevant social-cognitive determinants and use them in intervention develop- ment. This approach is based on visualization of con dence intervals for the means and correlation coef cients for all determinants simultaneously. This visualization facilitates comparison, which is necessary when making selections. By means of a case study on the determinants of using a high dose of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (commonly known as ecstasy), we illustrate this approach. We provide a freely available tool to facilitate the analyses needed in this approach.
Number Words, Quantifiers, and Principles of Word Learning
Authors: Sullivan Jess , Barner David
Published: July 2018

How do children learn the meanings of words like many and five? Althoughmuch is known about the mechanisms that underlie children’s acquisition ofnouns and verbs, considerably less is understood of how children begin tolearn the meanings of words that refer to sets (e.g., number words andquantifiers). Here we argue that children’s acquisition of quantityexpressions relies on learning mechanisms typically associated withlearning content words. In particular, we argue that the Whole ObjectAssumption and the Principle of Contrast are special cases of more generalprinciples that guide not just the acquisition of nouns and verbs, but alsothe acquisition and interpretation of number words and quantifiers.
Are you on my wavelength? Interpersonal coordination in naturalistic conversations
Authors: Hale Joanna , Ward Jamie A , Buccheri Francesco , Oliver Dominic , Hamilton Antonia
Published: July 2018

Conversation between two people involves subtle non-verbal coordination but the parameters and timing of this coordination remain unclear, which limits our models of social coordination mechanisms. We implemented high-resolution motion capture of human head motion during structured conversations. Using pre-registered analyses, we quantify cross-participant wavelet coherence of head motion as a measure of non-verbal coordination, and report two novel results. First, head pitch (nodding) at 2.6 – 6.5 Hz shows below-chance coherence between people. This is driven by fast-nodding behaviour from the person listening, and is a newly defined nonverbal behaviour which may act as an important social signal. Second, head pitch movements at 0.2-1.1 Hz show above-chance coherence with a constant lag of around 600msec between a leader and follower. This is consistent with reactive (rather than predictive) models of mimicry behaviour. These results provide a step towards the quantification of real-world human behaviour and reveal mechanisms of social coordination.
Profiles of change: Patterns and dynamics and change coordination during a specialized educational program for professionals working with multi-challenged families
Authors: Melo Ana Teixeira , Alarcão Madalena
Published: July 2018

This paper describes an exploratory, discovery-oriented study, aimed at inspecting the structure and dynamics of emotional, behavioural and cognitive changes, as well as the coordination of these changes, by professionals participating in a specialized educational/training program. The program aimed at the implementation of a family assessment and intervention model for multi-challenged families with at-risk, maltreated of neglected children. The authors combined a metaphorical approach to complexity and dynamic systems’ theories, through the heuristic use of its core concepts, with grounded methods for qualitative analysis, in order to create a coding framework applicable to data collected from simple self-report measures of change. This coding schemed showed potential to illuminate individual processes of change and for application in other fields. This scheme was used with data collected throughout the 42 weeks duration of the program. The results, after binary conversion of the variables, were subjected to a hierarchical cluster analysis, in order to identify profiles of change. We obtained a final solution of 6 clusters, aggregating different properties of change and different evolution dynamics of the trajectories of change and change coordination. Implications for educational practice and for future studies are discussed.