bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Disgust sensitivity is primarily associated with purity-based moral judgments
Authors: Wagemans Fieke Maria Antoinet , Brandt Mark John , Zeelenberg Marcel
Published: July 2018

Individual differences in disgust sensitivity are associated with a range of judgments and attitudes related to the moral domain. Some perspectives suggest that the association between disgust sensitivity and moral judgments will be equally strong across all moral domains (purity, authority, loyalty, care, fairness, and liberty). Other perspectives predict that disgust sensitivity is primarily associated with judgments of specific moral domains (e.g., primarily purity). However, no study has systematically tested if disgust sensitivity is associated with moral judgments of the purity domain specifically, more generally to moral judgments of the binding moral domains, or to moral judgments of all of the moral domains equally. Across five studies (total N = 1104), we find consistent evidence for the notion that disgust sensitivity relates more strongly to moral condemnation of purity-based transgression (meta-analytic r = .40) than to moral condemnation of transgressions of any of the other domains (range meta-analytic r’s: .07 ̶ .27). Our findings are in line with predictions from Moral Foundations Theory, which predicts that personality characteristics like disgust sensitivity make people more sensitive to a certain set of moral issues.
What is Central to Political Belief System Networks?
Authors: Brandt Mark John , Sibley Chris G , Osborne Danny
Published: July 2018

A central challenge for identifying core components of a belief system is examining the position of components within the structure of the entire belief system. Here, we test whether operational (i.e. positions on specific issues) or symbolic (i.e. affective attachments to political groups and labels) components are most central by modeling a political belief system as a network of interconnected attitudes and beliefs. Across seven annual waves of representative panel data from New Zealand, we find that symbolic components are more central in the system than operational components (d’s range 0.78 – 0.97). Symbolic components were also closer than operational components in the network to self-reported voting (d = -2.28) and environmental behaviors (d’s = -1.62 and -1.54). These findings are consistent with perspectives that emphasize the importance of symbolic politics in tying belief systems together and motivating behavior, and further the link between political belief system research and network science.
Exploratory and confirmatory analyses in sentence processing: A case study of number interference in German
Authors: Nicenboim Bruno , Vasishth Shravan , Engelmann Felix , Suckow Katja
Published: July 2018

Given the replication crisis in cognitive science, it is important to consider what researchers need to do in order to report results that are reliable. We consider three changes in current practice that have the potential to deliver more realistic and robust claims. First, the planned experiment should be divided up into two stages, an exploratory stage and a confirmatory stage. This clear separation allows the researcher to check whether any results found in the exploratory stage are robust. The second change is to carry out adequately powered studies. We show that this is imperative if we want to obtain realistic estimates of effects in psycholinguistics. The third change is to use Bayesian data-analytic methods rather than frequentist ones; the Bayesian framework allows us to focus on the best estimates we can obtain of the effect, rather than rejecting a strawman null. As a case study, we investigate number interference effects in German. Number feature interference is predicted by cue-based retrieval models of sentence processing (Van Dyke & Lewis, 2003; Vasishth & Lewis, 2006), but has shown inconsistent results. We show that by implementing the three changes mentioned, suggestive evidence emerges that is consistent with the predicted number interference effects.
The Science of Technology and Human Behavior: Standards, Old and New
Authors: Elson Malte , Przybylski Andrew K
Published: July 2018

Editorial of the Journal of Media Psychology special issue on "Technology & Human Behavior", and meta-analysis of the empirical research published in JMP since 2008.DATA AVAILABILITYWe were not able to identify a single publication reporting a link to research data in a public repository or the journal’s supplementary materials.STATISTICAL REPORTING ERRORSWe extracted a total of 1036 NHSTs reported in 98 articles. 129 tests were flagged as inconsistent (i.e., reported test statistics and degrees of freedom do not match reported p-values), of which 23 were grossly inconsistent (the reported p-value is <.05 while the recomputed p-value is >.05, or vice-versa). 41 publications reported at least one inconsistent NHST, and 16 publications reported at least one grossly inconsistent NHST. Thus, a substantial proportion of publications in JMP seem to contain inaccurately reported statistical analyses, of which some might affect the conclusions drawn from them.STATISTICAL POWERAs in other fields, surveys tend to have healthy sample sizes apt to reliably detect medium to large relationships between variables. The median sample size for survey studies is 327, allowing researchers to detect small bivariate correlations of r=.1 at 44% power (rs=.3/.5 both > 99%).For (quasi-)experiments, the outlook is a bit different, with a median sample size of 107. Across all types of designs, the median condition size is 30.67. Thus, the average power of experiments published in JMP to detect small differences between conditions (d=.20) is 12% (d=.50 at 49%, d=.80 at 87%).
Investigating the Utility of Fixed-Margin Sampling in Network Psychometrics
Authors: Epskamp Sacha , Fried Eiko I , van Borkulo Claudia D. , Robinaugh Donald , Marsman Maarten , Dalege Jonas , Rhemtulla Mijke , Cramer Angélique Odette Joanne
Published: July 2018

Steinley, Hoffman, Brusco and Sher (2017) proposed a new method for evaluating the performance of psychological network models: fixed-margin sampling. The authors investigated LASSO regularized Ising models (eLasso) by generating random datasets with the same margins as the original binary dataset, and concluded that many estimated eLasso parameters are not distinguishable from those that would be expected if the data were generated by chance. We argue that fixed-margin sampling cannot be used for this purpose, as it generates data under a particular null-hypothesis: a unidimensional factor model with interchangeable indicators (i.e., the Rasch model). We show this by discussing relevant psychometric literature and by performing simulation studies. Results indicate that while eLasso correctly estimated network models and estimated almost no edges due to chance, fixed-margin sampling performed poorly in classifying true effects as “interesting” (Steinley et al. 2017, p. 1004). Further simulation studies indicate that fixed-margin sampling offers a powerful method for highlighting local misfit from the Rasch model, but performs only moderately in identifying global departures from the Rasch model. We conclude that fixed-margin sampling is not up to the task of assessing if results from estimated Ising models or other multivariate psychometric models are due to chance.
The contribution of forward masking to saccadic inhibition of return
Authors: Souto David , Born Sabine , Kerzel Dirk
Published: July 2018

Inhibition of return is the name typically given to the prolonged latency of motor responses directed to a previously cued target location. There is intense debate about the origins of this effect and its function, but most take for granted (despite lack of evidence) that it depends little on forward masking. Therefore, we re-examined the role of forward masking in inhibition of return. Forward masking was indexed by slower saccadic reaction times (SRTs) when the target orientation repeated the cue orientation at the same location. We confirmed effects of orientation repetition in the absence of an attentional bias when cues were presented on both sides of fixation (bilateral presentation). The effect of orientation repetition was reduced with high target contrast, consistent with a low-level origin such as contrast gain control in early visual areas. When presenting cues on only one side of fixation (unilateral presentation), we obtained inhibition of return with longer cue-target intervals and facilitation with targets presented shortly after the cue. The effect of orientation repetition was reduced when facilitation was observed, but was as strong as with bilateral cues when inhibition of return was observed. Therefore, forward masking may contribute to the inhibition of return effect by delaying reaction times to repeated features at the same location, but is not a principal cause of inhibition of return; in agreement with previous views.
Attributions
Authors: Grossmann Igor , Ross Lee
Published: July 2018

In psychology, attributions refer to processes involved in judgments about the cause of behavior, and inferences about those people made on the basis of such judgments. In particular, attributions reflect assessments about the role of intentions, traits, and other dispositions versus possible situational factors in determining the actions and outcomes one observes. The study of attribution processes and biases has been actively pursued by psychologists for over half a century, with a heavy emphasis first on theory development and later on the application of insights gained from research on basic attribution tasks and biases. Studies directly concerned with lifespan issues have been limited, but changes in the types of actions and outcomes that people are called on to assess and respond to at different stages of life, and the consequences of those assessments are relevant topics for lifespan human development. This entry reviews attribution theory and research, especially with its application across different life stages.
The role of stabilizing and communicating symptoms given overlapping communities in psychopathology networks
Authors: Blanken Tessa , Deserno Marie Katharina , Dalege Jonas , Borsboom Denny , Blanken Peter , Kerkhof Gerard , Cramer Angélique Odette Joanne
Published: July 2018

Network theory, as a theoretical and methodological framework, is energizing many research fields, among which clinical psychology and psychiatry. Fundamental to the network theory of psychopathology is the role of specific symptoms and their interactions. Current statistical tools, however, fail to fully capture this constitutional property. We propose community detection tools as a means to evaluate the complex network structure of psychopathology, free from its original boundaries of distinct disorders. Unique to this approach is that symptoms can belong to multiple communities. Using a large community sample and spanning a broad range of symptoms (Symptom Checklist-90-Revised), we identified 18 communities of interconnected symptoms. The differential role of symptoms within and between communities offers a framework to study the clinical concepts of comorbidity, heterogeneity and hallmark symptoms. Symptoms with many and strong connections within a community, defined as stabilizing symptoms, could be thought of as the core of a community, whereas symptoms that belong to multiple communities, defined as communicating symptoms, facilitate the communication between problem areas. We propose that defining symptoms on their stabilizing and/or communicating role within and across communities accelerates our understanding of these clinical phenomena, central to research and treatment of psychopathology.
Close, and ye shall find: Eye closure during thinking enhances creativity
Authors: Yonemitsu Fumiya , Sasaki Kyoshiro , Gobara Akihiko , Kosugi Koji Eigenvalue , Yamada Yuki
Published: July 2018

Facilitation of creative thinking is an important element for innovation. It has been suggested that cognitive resources are involved in creative thinking; however, little evidence of this involvement has been found. To address this issue, the present study focused on eye closure, which saves more cognitive resources than open eyes. Forty participants experienced both close-eyed and open-eyed conditions, and all of them were asked to generate new names for rice and tea. The results revealed that in the close-eyed condition, participants generated 1.6 times more divergent (unrestricted and flexible) ideas than in the open-eyed condition, suggesting that closing eyes during thinking enhances creativity. Our findings provide empirical evidence for the necessity of cognitive resources in creative thinking.
Time in causal structure learning
Authors: Bramley Neil R , Gerstenberg Tobias , Mayrhofer Ralf , Lagnado David
Published: July 2018

A large body of research has explored how the time between two events affects judgments of causal strength between them. In this paper, we extend this work in 4 experiments that explore the role of temporal information in causal structure induction with multiple variables. We distinguish two qualitatively different types of information: The order in which events occur, and the temporal intervals between those events. We focus on one-shot learning in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2, we explore how people integrate evidence from multiple observations of the same causal device. Participants' judgments are well predicted by a Bayesian model that rules out causal structures that are inconsistent with the observed temporal order, and favors structures that imply similar intervals between causally connected components. In Experiments 3 and 4, we look more closely at participants' sensitivity to exact event timings. Participants see three events that always occur in the same order, but the variability and correlation between the timings of the events is either more consistent with a chain or a fork structure. We show, for the first time, that even when order cues do not differentiate, people can still make accurate causal structure judgments on the basis of interval variability alone.
Top-Down Structure Influences Learning of Non-Adjacent Dependencies in an Artificial Language
Authors: Wang Felix Hao , Zevin Jason D , Mintz Toben Herbert
Published: July 2018

Due to the hierarchical organization of natural languages, words that are syntactically related are not always linearly adjacent. For example, the subject and verb in the child always runs agree in person and number, although they are not adjacent in the sequences of words. Since such dependencies are indicative of abstact linguistc structure, it is of significant theoretical interest how these relationships are acquired by language learners. Most experiments that investigate non-adjacent dependency (NAD) learning have used artificial languages in which the to-be-learned dependencies are isolated, by presenting the minimal sequences that contain the dependent elements. However, dependencies in natural language are not typically isolated in this way. We report the first demonstration to our knowledge of successful learning of embedded NADs, in which silences do not mark dependency boundaries. Subjects heard passages of English with a predictable structure, interspersed with passages of the artificial language. The English sentences were designed to induce boundaries in the artificial languages. In Experiment 1 & 3 the artificial NADs were contained within the induced boundaries and subjects learned them, whereas in Experiment 2 & 4, the NADs crossed the induced boundaries and subjects did not learn them. We take this as evidence that sentential structure was “carried over” from the English sentences and used to organize the artificial language. This approach provides several new insights into the basic mechanisms of NAD learning in particular and statistical learning in general. © American Psychological Association. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the final, authoritative version of the article. Please do not copy or cite without authors permission. The final article is available via its DOI: 10.1037/xge0000384
Breaking the prejudice habit: Mechanisms, timecourse, and longevity
Authors: Forscher Patrick S. , Mitamura Chelsea , Dix Emily L. , Cox William Taylor Laimaka , Devine Patricia G.
Published: July 2018

The prejudice habit-breaking intervention (Devine et al., 2012) and its offshoots (e.g., Carnes et al., 2012) have shown promise in effecting long-term change in key outcomes related to intergroup bias, including increases in awareness, concern about discrimination, and, in one study, long-term decreases in implicit bias. This intervention is based on the premise that unintentional bias is like a habit that can be broken with sufficient motivation, awareness, and effort. We conducted replication of the original habit-breaking intervention experiment in a sample more than three times the size of the original (N = 292). We also measured all outcomes every other day for 14 days and measured potential mechanisms for the intervention’s effects. Consistent with previous results, the habit-breaking intervention produced a change in concern that endured two weeks post-intervention. These effects were associated with increased sensitivity to the biases of others and an increased tendency to label biases as wrong. Contrasting with the original work, both control and intervention participants decreased in implicit bias, and the effects of the habit-breaking intervention on awareness declined in the second week of the study. In a subsample recruited two years later, intervention participants were more likely than control participants to object on a public online forum to an essay endorsing racial stereotyping. Our results suggest that the habit-breaking intervention produces enduring changes in peoples’ knowledge of and beliefs about race-related issues, and we argue that these changes are even more important for promoting long-term behavioral change than are changes in implicit bias.
Probabilistic rejection templates in visual working memory
Authors: Chetverikov Andrey , Campana Gianluca , Kristjansson Arni
Published: July 2018

Our interactions with the visual world are guided by attention and visual working memory. Things that we look for and those we ignore are stored as templates that reflect our goals and the tasks at hand. The nature of such templates has been widely debated. A recent proposal is that these templates can be thought of as probabilistic representations of task-relevant features. Crucially, such probabilistic templates should accurately reflect feature probabilities in the environment. Here we ask whether observers can quickly form a correct internal model of a complex (bimodal) distribution of distractor features. We assessed observers’ representations by measuring the slowing of visual search when target features unexpectedly match a distractor template. Distractor stimuli were heterogeneous, randomly drawn on each trial from a bimodal probability distribution. Using two targets on each trial, we tested whether observers encode the full distribution, only one peak of it, or the average of the two peaks. Search was slower when the two targets corresponded to the two modes of a previous distractor distribution than when one target was at one of the modes and another between them or outside the distribution range. Furthermore, targets on the modes were reported later than targets between the modes that, in turn, were reported later than targets outside this range. This shows that observers use a correct internal model, representing both distribution modes using templates based on the full probability distribution rather than just one peak or simple summary statistics. The findings further confirm that performance in odd-one out search with repeated distractors cannot be described by a simple decision rule. Our findings indicate that probabilistic visual working memory templates guiding attention, dynamically adapt to task requirements, accurately reflecting the probabilistic nature of the input.
The Science of Situations and the Integration of Personality and Social Psychology
Authors: Donnellan Brent , Corker Katherine S.
Published: July 2018

The Rauthmann, Sherman, and Funder (2015) target article (doi: 10.1002/per.1994) provides a solid foundation for future research concerning the psychology of situations. Inspired by their work, we offer two extensions. First, we suggest that efforts be directed toward developing a working taxonomy of situational characteristics. Second, we suggest that experiments, particularly those rooted in classic experimental social psychology, may prove to be very useful for testing whether situational cues truly cause situational characteristics and ultimately behavior. In sum, we think their paper provides a template for integrating personality and social psychology.
Social Affiliation in Same-Class and Cross-Class Interactions
Authors: Côté Stéphane , Kraus Michael W.
Published: July 2018

Historically high levels of economic inequality likely have important consequences for relationships between people of the same and different social class backgrounds. Here, we test the prediction that social affiliation among same-class partners is stronger at the extremes of the class spectrum, given that these groups are highly distinctive and most separated from others by institutional and economic forces. An internal meta-analysis of four studies (N = 723) provided support for this hypothesis. Participant and partner social class were interactively, rather than additively, associated with social affiliation, indexed by affiliative behaviors and emotions during structured laboratory interactions and in daily life. Further, response surface analyses revealed that paired upper- or lower-class partners generally affiliated more than average-class pairs. Analyses with separate class indices suggested that these patterns are driven more by parental income and subjective social class than by parental education. The findings illuminate the dynamics of same- and cross-class interactions, revealing that not all same-class interactions feature the same degree of affiliation. They also reveal the importance of studying social class from an intergroup perspective.
Alexithymia increases moral acceptability of accidental harms
Authors: Patil Indrajeet , Silani Giorgia
Published: July 2018

Previous research shows that when people judge moral acceptability of others’ harmful behavior, they not only take into account information about the consequences of the act but also an actor’s beliefs while carrying out the act. A two-process model has been proposed to account for this pattern of moral judgments and posits: (a) a causal process that detects the presence of a harmful outcome and is motivated by empathic aversion stemming from victim suffering; (b) a mental state based process that attributes beliefs, desires, intentions, etc. to the agent in question and is motivated by imagining personally carrying out harmful actions. One prediction of this model would be that personality traits associated with empathy deficits would find accidental harms more acceptable not because they focus on innocent intentions but because they have reduced concern for the victim’s well-being. In this study we show that one such personality trait, viz. alexithymia, indeed exhibits the predicted pattern and this increased acceptability of accidental harm in alexithymia is mediated by reduced dispositional empathic concern. Results attest to the validity of two-process model of intent-based moral judgments and emphasize key role affective empathy plays in harm-based moral judgments.
A randomised controlled trial of Memory Flexibility training (MemFlex) to enhance memory flexibility and reduce depressive symptomatology in individuals with Major Depressive Disorder
Authors: Hitchcock Caitlin , Gormley Siobhan , Rees Catrin , Rodrigues Evangeline , Gillard Julia , Panesar Inderpal , Wright Isobel M. , Hammond Emily , Dritschel Barbara , Watson Peter , Werner-Seidler Aliza , Dalgleish Tim
Published: July 2018

The published version of this paper is available through open access at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2018.08.008. Successful navigation within the autobiographical memory store is integral to daily cognition. Impairment in the flexibility of memory retrieval processes can thereby have a detrimental impact on mental health. This randomised controlled phase II trial (N=60) evaluated the potential of a novel, autobiographical memory-based intervention drawn from basic science – an autobiographical Memory Flexibility (MemFlex) training programme – which sought to ameliorate memory difficulties and improve symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder. MemFlex was compared to Psychoeducation (an evidence-based low-intensity intervention) to determine the likely range of effects on a primary cognitive target of memory flexibility at post-intervention, and co-primary clinical targets of self-reported depressive symptoms and depression diagnostic status at three month follow-up, in preparation for a later phase trial. Results demonstrated small-moderate effect sizes in favour of MemFlex for memory flexibility (d=0.34), self-reported depressive symptoms (d=0.24), and loss of depression diagnosis (OR=0.65), along with the secondary outcome of depression-free days (d=0.36). These results suggest that further development and definitive evaluation of MemFlex is warranted as an avenue to improving the low-intensity treatment of depression.
The Kids Are Alright: Taking Stock of Generational Differences at Work
Authors: Rudolph Cort , Zacher Hannes
Published: July 2018

What influence does the notion of generational differences actually have on those processes that we care about as industrial and organizational psychologists? In this manuscript, we take a balanced look at this question, with the hope of providing some practical guidance for both researchers and practitioners about how to address the topic of generational differences in their own work.
“I’ll Take a Shot for Every Like I Get on This Status”: Posting Alcohol- related Facebook Content Predicts Drinking Outcomes
Authors: Westgate Erin Corwin , Lindgren Kristen
Published: July 2018

Objective:This study investigated whether self-reports of alcohol-related postings on Facebook by oneself or one’s Facebook friends were related to common motives for drinking and were uniquely predictive of self-reported alcohol outcomes (alcohol consumption, problems, and cravings).Method:Pacific Northwest undergraduates completed a survey of alcohol outcomes, drinking motives, and alcoholrelated Facebook postings. Participants completed the survey online as part of a larger study on alcohol use and cognitive associations. Participants were randomly selected through the university registrar’s office and consisted of 1,106 undergraduates (449 men, 654 women, 2 transgender, 1 declined to answer) between the ages of 18 and 25 years (M = 20.40, SD = 1.60) at a large university in the Pacific Northwest. Seven participants were excluded from analyses because of missing or suspect data.Results:Alcohol-related postings on Facebook were significantly correlated with social, enhancement, conformity, and coping motives for drinking (all ps < .001). After drinking motives were controlled for, self–alcohol-related postings independently and positively predicted the number of drinks per week, alcohol-related problems, risk of alcohol use disorders, and alcohol cravings (all ps < .001). In contrast, friends’ alcohol-related postings only predicted the risk of alcohol use disorders (p < .05) and marginally predicted alcohol-related problems (p = .07).Conclusions:Posting alcohol-related content on social media platforms such as Facebook is associated with common motivations for drinking and is, in itself, a strong predictive indicator of drinking outcomes independent of drinking motives. Moreover, self-related posting activity appears to be more predictive than Facebook friends’ activity. These findings suggest that social media platforms may be a useful target for future preventative and intervention efforts.
Moral foundations theory and the psychology of charitable giving
Authors: Nilsson Artur , Erlandsson Arvid , Västfjäll Daniel
Published: July 2018

Moral foundations theory proposes that intuitions about what is morally right or wrong rest upon a set of universal foundations. Although this theory has generated a recent surge of research, few studies have investigated the real-world moral consequences of the postulated moral intuitions. We show that they are predictably associated with an important type of moral behavior. Stronger individualizing intuitions (fairness and harm prevention) and weaker binding intuitions (loyalty, authority, and sanctity) were associated with the willingness to comply with a request to volunteer for charity and with the amount of self-reported donations to charity organizations. Among participants who complied with the request, individualizing intuitions predicted the allocation of donations to causes that benefit outgroups, whereas binding intuitions predicted the allocation of donations to causes that benefit the ingroup. The associations between moral foundations and self-report measures of allocations in a hypothetical dilemma and concern with helping ingroup and outgroup victims were similar. Moral foundations predicted charitable giving over and above effects of political ideology, religiosity, and demographics, although variables within these categories also exhibited unique effects on charitable giving and accounted for a portion of the relationship between moral foundations and charitable giving.
Automatic Encoding of Gender by Three-Year-Old Children
Authors: Bednarek Gina T , Shutts Kristin
Published: July 2018

The present research tested whether three-year-old children – like older children and adults – automatically encode other people’s gender. Three-year-old participants (N = 24) learned facts about unfamiliar target children who varied in gender and were asked to remember facts about the targets during a test phase. At test, children made more within-category memory errors (e.g., misattributing a fact associated with one girl to another girl) than between-category errors (e.g., misattributing a fact associated with a girl to a boy). The findings suggest that at least as early as three years of age, children automatically encode whether someone is a boy or a girl upon first meeting them. The results have implications for our understanding of the automaticity and emergence of stereotyping processes.
Detecting Sinusoidal Patterns from Circumplex Models of Psychological Constructs
Authors: Hanel Paul H. P. , Zacharopoulos George , Mégardon Geoffrey , Maio Gregory R.
Published: July 2018

An interesting feature of circumplex models of psychological constructs is that they may yield a sinusoidal (i.e., sine wave) pattern of relations between the elements in the model and variables that are external to the model. Thus far, however, the fit to a sinusoidal pattern has been evaluated with visual inspection or arbitrary means of parsing patterns of association. In this research, we developed and validated a sinusoidal fit index (SFI). We then applied the SFI to Schwartz’s original (1992) and revised (Schwartz et al., 2012) models of human values and the circumplex model of interpersonal problems (Alden et al., 1990). Examination of data from the European Social Survey revealed adequate to very good sinusoidal fit of Schwartz’s model to two-thirds of the variables in the survey. Data from published papers revealed very good fit to all variables in the model of interpersonal problems. The results also suggested potential adjustments to the scoring of human values and to the ordering of the values. Discussion focuses on implications for research on values, applications to other circumplex models of individual difference, and broad implications for detecting sinusoidal patterns in data.
Reasons Probably Won’t Change Your Mind: The Role of Reasons in Revising Moral Decisions
Authors: Stanley Matthew , Dougherty Ashley , Yang Brenda , Henne Paul , De Brigard Felipe
Published: July 2018

While many philosophers argue that making and revising moral decisions ought to be a matter of deliberating over reasons, the extent to which the consideration of reasons informs people’s moral decisions and induces them to change their initial decisions remains unclear. Here, after making an initial decision in two-option moral dilemmas, participants examined reasons for only the option initially chosen (affirming reasons), reasons for only the option not initially chosen (opposing reasons), or the complete set of reasons for both options. While participants were more likely to change their initial decisions when presented with only opposing reasons compared to only affirming reasons, these effect sizes were consistently small. After evaluating reasons, participants were significantly more likely not to change their initial decisions than to change them, regardless of the set of reasons considered. The initial decision accounted for most of the variance in predicting the final decision, while the reasons evaluated accounted for a relatively small proportion of the variance in predicting the final decision. Participants almost always made the same decision before and after evaluating reasons. This resistance to changing moral decisions is at least partly attributable to a biased, motivated evaluation of the available reasons: participants rated the reasons supporting their initial decisions more favorably than the reasons opposing their initial decisions, regardless of the reported strategy used to make the initial decision. Overall, our results suggest that the consideration of reasons rarely induces people to change their initial decisions in moral dilemmas.
Leveraging the Open Science Framework in Clinical Psychological Assessment Research
Authors: Tackett Jennifer L , Brandes Cassandra M , Reardon Kathleen Wade
Published: July 2018

The last decade has seen enormous advances in research transparency in psychology. One of these advances has been the creation of a common interface for openness across the sciences – the Open Science Framework (OSF). While social, personality, and cognitive psychologists have been at the fore in participating in open practices on the OSF, clinical psychology has trailed behind. In this paper, we discuss the advantages and special considerations for clinical assessment researchers’ participation in open science broadly, and specifically in using the OSF for these purposes. We use several studies from our lab to illustrate the uses of the OSF for psychological studies, as well as the process of implementing this tool in assessment research. Among these studies are an archival assessment study, a project using an extensive unpublished assessment battery, and one in which we developed a short-form assessment instrument.
Crossmodal evaluative conditioning with briefly presented visual conditioned stimuli
Authors: Heycke Tobias , Aust Frederik , Stahl Christoph
Published: July 2018

In the field of evaluative conditioning (EC), two opposing theories—propositional single-process theory versus dual-process theory—are currently being discussed in the literature. The present set of experiments test a crucial prediction to adjudicate between these two theories: Dual-process theory postulates that evaluative conditioning can occur without awareness of the contingency between conditioned stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (US); in contrast, single-process propositional theory postulates that EC requires CS-US contingency awareness. In a set of three studies, we experimentally manipulate contingency awareness by presenting the CSs very briefly, thereby rendering it unlikely to be processed consciously. We address potential issues with previous studies on EC with subliminal or near-threshold CSs that limited their interpretation. Across two experiments, we consistently found an EC effect for CSs presented for 1000 ms and consistently failed to find an EC effect for briefly presented CSs. In a third pre-registered experiment, we again found evidence for an EC effect with CSs presented for 1000 ms, and we found some indication for an EC effect for CSs presented for 20 ms.
Parental Investment and Mate Value
Authors: Antfolk Jan , Sjölund Agneta
Published: July 2018

Stressors in the childhood environment, such as decreased parental investment (PI) regulates an individual’s reproductive behaviors. The effect of these behaviors on fitness is partly determined by individual mate value (MV). We tested whether PI during childhood is associated to MV in adulthood. Adult men and women (N = 1244) reported received maternal and paternal investment, and also current MV. We found that high PI in childhood was associated with increased MV in adulthood. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between maternal and paternal investment and the association between paternal investment and MV was mediated through maternal investment. We conclude that PI, especially maternal investment, might influence MV in offspring.
Using Attachment and Relational Perspectives to Understand Adaptation and Resilience among Immigrant and Refugee Youth
Authors: Juang Linda P. , Simpson Jeffry , Lee Richard M. , Rothman Alexander , Titzmann Peter F. , Schachner Maja K. , Korn Lars , Heinemeier Dorothee K. , Betsch Cornelia
Published: July 2018

Migration is a critical issue for child development in the 21st century. We expand on García Coll et al.’s (1996) integrative model of minority child development by drawing from principles of attachment theory and interpersonal relationships research to offer new insights into how youth manage and respond to migration experiences. Immigrant and refugee youth should experience better outcomes to the extent that they: (1) maintain strong relationships with caregivers and peers that provide a sense of closeness, safety, and confidence during the process of adjusting to this life transition, and (2) find ways to establish a sense of connection and belonging to the new people, places, communities, and social networks within which they now live. Strong bonds to people and connection to places (both familiar and new) can counter the social stratification consequences to minority youth development that are well articulated in García Coll et al.’s integrative model. The need for new and better strategies that promote the positive development of immigrant and refugee youth within their families, schools, work places, and communities is crucial, not only for individuals and families, but for society as a whole.
Negative self-referential processing is associated with genetic variation in the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR): Evidence from two independent studies
Authors: Dainer-Best Justin , Disner Seth G. , McGeary John E. , Hamilton Bethany , Beevers Christopher G
Published: July 2018

The current research examined whether carriers of the short 5-HTTLPR allele (in SLC6A4), who have been shown to selectively attend to negative information, exhibit a bias towards negative self-referent processing. The self-referent encoding task (SRET) was used to measure self-referential processing of positive and negative adjectives. Ratcliff's diffusion model isolated and extracted decision-making components from SRET responses and reaction times. Across the initial ( N = 183) and replication ( N = 137) studies, results indicated that short 5-HTTLPR allele carriers more easily categorized negative adjectives as self-referential (i.e., higher drift rate). Further, drift rate was associated with recall of negative self-referential stimuli. Findings across both studies provide further evidence that genetic variation may contribute to the etiology of negatively biased processing of self-referent information. Large scale studies examining the genetic contributions to negative self-referent processing may be warranted.
Some goals just feel easier: Self-concordance leads to goal progress through subjective ease, not effort
Authors: Werner Kaitlyn M. , Milyavskaya Marina , Foxen-Craft Emily , Koestner Richard
Published: July 2018

The objective of the present study was to examine whether subjective ease of goal pursuit would mediate the relation between an individual’s motivation for pursuing a goal and their subsequent goal progress. Toward the beginning of a university semester, participants (n=176) identified three goals they planned to pursue throughout the semester and reported their motivation for pursuing each of them. Participants then indicated, at two monthly follow-ups, how easy and natural it felt to pursue these goals and how much effort they were putting into attaining them. At the end of the semester, participants reported on their goal progress. Within-person analyses indicated that self-concordant goals were perceived as being easier to pursue relative to an individual’s other goals. Using multilevel structural equation modelling, results indicated that subjective ease, but not effort, mediated the relation between motivation and goal progress, such that people were more likely to successfully accomplish self-concordant goals because pursuing those goals was perceived as being more effortless, and not because more effort was exerted. Discussion focuses on the implications and future directions for research on subjective effort and goal pursuit.
Language Signalling High Proportions, not Just Generics, Leads to Essentializing for Novel Social Kinds
Authors: Hoicka Elena , Saul Jennifer , Prouten Eloise , Whitehead Laura , Sterken Rachel
Published: July 2018

Generics (e.g., “Dogs bark”) are proposed to lead to essentializing: to assuming that members of the same category share an internal property that causally grounds shared behaviors and traits, even without evidence. Academics have suggested generics help transmit prejudice, and should be avoided around children when discussing stigmatized social groups. We dispute these contentions. Study 1 (100 5-6 year-olds, 140 adults) found high proportion quantifiers (“most”, “many”) elicited essentializing about a novel social kind (Zarpies) as well as generics for adults, demonstrating generics are not unique in forming essentialist beliefs. Language did not affect children’s essentializing. Study 2 (100 5-6 year-olds, 112 adults) found neither generics nor visual imagery indicating multiple instances led to essentializing in adults or children.
Reduced empathic concern leads to utilitarian moral judgments in trait alexithymia
Authors: Patil Indrajeet , Silani Giorgia
Published: July 2018

Recent research with moral dilemmas supports dual-process model of moral decision making. This model posits two different paths via which people can endorse utilitarian solution that requires personally harming someone in order to achieve the greater good (e.g., killing one to save five people): (i) weakened emotional aversion to the prospect of harming someone due to reduced empathic concern for the victim; (ii) enhanced cognition which supports cost-benefit analysis and countervails the prepotent emotional aversion to harm. Direct prediction of this model would be that personality traits associated with reduced empathy would show higher propensity to endorse utilitarian solutions. As per this prediction, we found that trait alexithymia, which is well-known to have deficits in empathy, was indeed associated with increased utilitarian tendencies on emotionally aversive personal moral dilemmas and this was due to reduced empathic concern for the victim. Results underscore the importance of empathy for moral judgments in harm/care domain of morality.
The Cognitive Reflection Test: A Measure of Intuition/Reflection, Numeracy, and Insight Problem Solving, and the Implications for Understanding Real-World Judgments and Beliefs
Authors: Patel Niraj , Baker S. Glenn , Scherer Laura Danielle
Published: July 2018

The Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) has increasingly dominated theorizing about individual differences in intuitive/reflective thinking propensities, and it is associated with many real-world beliefs and judgments, such as religiosity, paranormal beliefs, and moral judgments. The CRT triggers common incorrect responses that come to mind easily, and it is assumed that recognizing this error is tantamount to solving the problems. As a result, incorrect answers on the CRT purportedly indicate an intuitive thought process, whereas correct answers purportedly indicate a reflective thought process. It has also been argued that the CRT problems are fundamentally different from insight problems because insight problems often cause people to sit lost in thought, unable to solve the problem until they correctly reframe it. The present research tested these assumptions and found that a substantial proportion of people have difficulty solving the problems even when the “intuitive” response is unavailable to them, the correct answer is among four multiple-choice options, and they take time to reflect. Associations between the CRT and beliefs (religiosity, paranormal beliefs, moral judgments, etc.) remained even under conditions in which CRT errors appeared to result from more reflective thought than correct responses. Furthermore, multi-dimensional item response theory models indicated that the CRT loaded onto numeracy and insight problem solving ability factors rather than its own unique factor. Additionally, regression analyses indicated that numeracy and insight may account for many associations between the CRT and real-world beliefs. Broader implications for dual-process theories of reasoning and judgment are discussed.
Risk and protective factors for mental health at a youth mass gathering
Authors: Cruwys Tegan , Saeri Alexander K , Radke Helena , Walter Zoe , Crimston Daniel , Ferris Laura J
Published: July 2018

Background: Mass gatherings are well-documented for their public health risks, however, little research has examined their impact on mental health or focused on young people specifically. This study explores risk and protective factors for mental health at mass gatherings, with a particular focus on characterizing attendees with high levels of psychological distress and risk taking. Method: Data collection was conducted in situ at “Schoolies”, an annual informal week-long mass gathering of approximately 30,000 Australian school leavers. Participants were 812 attendees of Schoolies on the Gold Coast in 2015 or 2016 (74% aged 17 years old).Results: In both years, attendee mental health was found to be significantly better than population norms for their age-peers. Identification with the mass gathering predicted better mental health, and this relationship became stronger across the course of the mass gathering. Attendees with high levels of psychological distress were more likely to be male, socially isolated, impulsive, and in a friendship group where risk taking was normative. Conclusions: Mass gatherings may have a net benefit for attendee mental health, especially for those attendees who are subjectively committed to the event. However, a vulnerable subgroup of attendees requires targeted mental health support.