bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An introductory tutorial on Bayesian inference using a simple pedagogical tool
Authors: CAMPITELLI Guillermo
Published: July 2018

This tutorial on Bayesian inference targets psychological researchers who are trained in the null hypothesis testing approach and use of SPSS software. There a number ofexcellent quality tutorials on Bayesian inference, but their problem is that, they assume mathematical knowledge that most psychological researchers do not possess. Thistutorial starts from the idea that Bayesian inference is not more difficult than the traditional approach, but before being introduced to probability theory notation is necessary for the newcomer to understand simple probability principles, which could be explained without mathematical formulas or probability notation. For this purpose in this tutorial I use a simple tool-the parameter-data table-to explain how probability theory can easily be used to make inferences in research. Then I compare the Bayesian and the null hypothesis testing approach using the same tool. Only after having introduced these principles I show the formulas and notations and explain how they relate to the parameter-data table. It is to be expected that this tutorial will increase the use of Bayesian inference by psychological researchers. Moreover, Bayesian researchers may use this tutorial to teach Bayesian inference to undergraduate or postgraduate students.
The Pursuit of Differences in Prosociality Among Identical Twins: Religion Matters, Education Does Not
Authors: Bekkers Rene , Posthuma Danielle , van Lange Paul
Published: July 2018

Understanding the roots of human cooperation, or prosociality, is one of the key scientific challenges. Past research has revealed that individual differences in prosociality are positively associated with both level of education and religion. The present research asks whether education and religiosity might also help explain genetic and environmental influences on prosociality. Using a representative sample of US twins in a co-twin control study, we replicate the positive associations of prosociality, for both education and religiosity, and uncover new findings by examining differences within monozygotic twin pairs. For education, we find that the relation between prosocial behavior and level of education is not due to unique environmental influences. But for religiosity, we do find mediation by unique environmental influences. Among pairs of monozygotic twins we find that differences in levels of religiosity are associated with differences in levels of prosocial behavior. The more religious twin from a pair displays more prosocial behavior than the less religious twin. We conclude that religiosity is an important variable that helps to uncover unique environmental, non-genetic influences on prosociality.
Sensitivity to Viscosity Changes and Subsequent Estimates of Satiety across Different Senses
Authors: Pellegrino Robert , Jones Jourdan , Shupe Grace E. , Luckett Curtis
Published: July 2018

While it is widely accepted that texture is a multisensory property, little research has been published regarding how we use senses other than touch to assess texture. In beverages, humans use texture (i.e. viscosity) information to estimate calories and expected satiety. This study was designed to compare and contrast the sensitivity of humans to changes in viscosity and estimated satiety through different sensory modalities. Milk samples of varying viscosities were constructed, and 49 participants were asked to perform a series of 2-alternative forced choice tests and identify which sample was thicker. Sensitivity to viscosity changes across different sensory modalities was determined by having each participant consume the samples, listen to the sample pouring, and observe clear vials of the samples. Using vision, participants were notably less sensitive to changes in viscosity when compared to hearing or oral tactile sensations. Interestingly, oral tactile sensations and hearing were almost identical in their viscosity difference threshold (0.346 cP and 0.361 cP, respectively). Similar patterns were observed when the participants were asked to estimate how full they would be after consuming beverage stimuli varying in viscosity. Expected caloric values and satiation were found to change with thickness level when participants were assessing the stimuli through the auditory or tactile modalities. However, these measures of expected caloric value and satiation did not change as a function of viscosity for visual assessment, suggesting the assessment of caloric density and satiation are linked to specific sensory modalities’ ability to detect viscosity. This study highlights the relative importance of vision, audition, and touch to forming our sensory judgments regarding viscosity and subsequent satiety estimations.
Words as Windows to Thought: The Case of Object Representation
Authors: Barner David , Li Peggy , Snedeker Jesse
Published: July 2018

Languages differ in how they express thought, leading some researchers toconclude that speakers of different languages perceive objects differently.Others, in contrast, argue that words are windows to thought—reflecting itsstructure without modifying it. Here, we explore the case study of objectrepresentation. Studies indicate that Japanese, Chinese, and Englishspeakers do not perceive objects differently, despite their languages’grammatical differences. Syntax provides frames for words that can selectamong meanings without affecting underlying object perception.
Loudness judgements are not necessarily affected by visual cues to sound source distance
Authors: libesman sol , Whitford Thomas , Mannion Damien John
Published: July 2018

The level of the auditory signals at the ear depends both on the capacity of the sound source to produce acoustic energy and on the distance of the source from the listener. Loudness constancy requires that our perception of sound level, loudness, corresponds to the source level by remaining invariant to the confounding effects of distance. Here, we assessed the evidence for a potential contribution of vision, via the disambiguation of sound source distance, to loudness constancy. We presented participants with a visual environment, on a computer monitor, which contained a visible loudspeaker at a particular distance and was accompanied by the auditory delivery, via headphones, of an anechoic sound of a particular aural level. We measured the point of subjective loudness equality for sounds associated with loudspeakers at different visually-depicted distances. We report strong evidence that such loudness judgements were closely aligned with the aural level, rather than being affected by the apparent distance of the sound source conveyed visually. Similar results were obtained across variations in sound and environment characteristics. We conclude that the loudness of anechoic sounds are not necessarily affected by indications of the sound source distance as established via vision.
Introducing SNAC: Sparse Network and Component model for integration of multi-source data
Authors: Tio Pia , Waldorp Lourens , Van Deun Katrijn
Published: July 2018

Gaussian graphical models (GGMs) are a popular method for analysing complex data by modelling the unique relationships between variables. Recently, a shift in interest has taken place from investigating relationships within a discipline (e.g. genetics) to estimating relationships between variables from various disciplines (e.g. how gene expression relates to cognitive performance). It is thus not surprising that there is an increasing need for analysing large, so-called \textit{multi-source} datasets, each containing detailed information from many data sources on the same individuals. GGMs are a straightforward statistical candidate for estimating \textit{unique cross-source relationships} from such network-oriented data. However, the multi-source nature of the data poses two challenges: First, different sources may inherently differ from one another, biasing the estimated relations. Second, GGMs are not cut out for separating cross-source relationships from all other, source-specific relationships. In this paper we propose adding a simultaneous-component-model as a pre-pocessing step to the GGM, the combination of which is suitable for estimating cross-source relationships from multi-source data. Compared to the graphical lasso (a commonly used GGM technique), this Sparse Network And Component (SNAC) model more accurately estimates the unique cross-source relationships from multi-source data. This holds in particular when the data contains more variables than observations ($p>n$). Neither differences in sparseness of the underlying component structure of the data nor in the relative dominance of the cross-source compared to source-specific relationships strongly affect the relationship estimates. Sparse Network And Component analysis, a hybrid component-graphical model, is a promising tool for modelling unique relationships between different data sources, thus providing insight in how various disciplines are connected to one another.
An Integrated Developmental Model for Studying Identity Content in Context
Authors: Galliher Renee V. , McLean Kate C. , Syed Moin
Published: July 2018

Historically, identity researchers have placed greater emphasis on processes of identity development (how people develop their identities) and less on the content of identity (what the identity is). The relative neglect of identity content may reflect the lack of a comprehensive framework to guide research. In this article, we provide such a comprehensive framework for the study of the content of identity, including four levels of analysis. At the broadest level, we situate individual identity within historical, cultural, and political contexts, elaborating on identity development within the context of shifting cultural norms, values, and attitudes. Histories of prejudice and discrimination are relevant in shaping intersections among historically marginalized identities. Second, we examine social roles as unique and central contexts for identity development, such that relationship labels become integrated into a larger identity constellation. Third, domains of individual or personal identity content intersect to yield a sense of self in which various aspects are subjectively experienced as an integrated whole. We explore the negotiation of culturally marginalized and dominant identity labels, as well as idiosyncratic aspects of identities based on unique characteristics or group memberships. Finally, we argue that the content of identity is enacted at the level of everyday interactions, the “micro-level” of identity. The concepts of identity conflict, coherence, and compartmentalization are presented as strategies used to navigate identity content across these four levels. This framework serves as an organizing tool for the current literature, as well as for designing future studies on the identity development.
On differentiating sensory and attentional contributions to psychophysical performance
Authors: Skottun Bernt
Published: July 2018

Both sensory and attentional factors have the ability to influence psychophysical performance. To be ableto differentiate these factors is important in relation to conditions such as, e.g., dyslexia and schizophrenia.A generalized expression of the psychometric function takes account of the ”Lapse Rate”. By assuming theLapse Rate corresponds to ”lapses of attention”, i.e. to inattention so as to make attention = 1.0 - LapseRate, it is possible to generate a simple method for distinguishing attentional and sensory contributions topsychophysical performance. Psychometric functions increase with stimulus intensity, or the magnitude ofstimulus difference, up to an upper asymptote. From the level of this asymptote it is possible to determinethe Lapse Rate and consequently the level of attention. Sensory capabilities, on the other hand, can bededuced from noting where the psychometric function crosses the level halfway between chance performanceand the upper asymptote.
To Have Practical Relevance, Scientific Claims Need to be Accurate
Authors: Zwaan Rolf Antonius , Eerland Anita
Published: July 2018

To have practical relevance, scientific claims should be accurate. Everyone needs scientific claims, and practices derived from them to be accurate and reliable: researchers, reviewers, editors, policy makers, funding agencies, journalists, and the general public. Nevertheless, there is evidence that questions the reliability and accuracy of findings in the social and behavioral sciences. In this article, we identify several prevalent threats to accuracy. We will then discuss ways in which these threats can be removed, or at least minimized. Finally, we will discuss how different agents in the system, researchers, reviewers, editors, policy makers, funding agencies, journalists, and the general public, can contribute to making science more accurate and thus more practically relevant.
The Interpretation of Functional Heads: Using Comparatives to Explore the Mass/Count Distinction
Authors: Bale Alan , Barner David
Published: July 2018

Comparative judgments for mass and count nouns yield two generalizations.First, all words that can be used in both mass and count syntax (e.g., rock,string, apple, water) always denote individuals when used in count syntaxbut never when used in mass syntax (e.g. too many rocks vs. too much rock).Second, some mass nouns denote individuals (e.g., furniture) while othersdo not (e.g., water). In this article, we show that no current theory ofmass-count semantics can capture these two facts and argue for analternative theory that can. We propose that lexical roots are notspecified as mass or count. Rather, a root becomes a mass noun or countnoun by combining with a functional head. Some roots have denotations withindividuals while others do not. The count head is interpreted as afunction that maps denotations without individuals to those withindividuals. The mass head is interpreted as an identity function makingthe interpretation of a mass noun equivalent to the interpretation of theroot. As a result, all count nouns have individuals in their denotation,whereas mass counterparts of count nouns do not. Also, some roots that haveindividuals in their denotations can be used as mass nouns to denoteindividuals.
Environmental influences on spatial memory: A study with Space Syntax
Authors: Pagkratidou Marianna , Galati Alexia , Avraamides Marios N
Published: July 2018

In this study we employed Space Syntax techniques to investigate the relation between environmental properties and spatial memory resulting from navigation of an unfamiliar environment. Participants first navigated two main routes in a virtual environment, memorizing the names and locations of buildings in them, and then carried out from memory a pointing task and a model-building task. In the pointing task, participants pointed more accurately to locations of high than low connectivity and integration. However, they pointed less accurately from locations of higher than lower connectivity and integration. This finding can be contextualized by broader memory phenomena (namely, the fan effect), whereby the ease of retrieval of a piece of information depends on its connections with other information. Additionally, both memory tasks here provide evidence that participants maintained the two routes they experienced as distinct representations. Together, our findings suggest that space syntax metrics, such as the connectivity and integration of locations, along with other environmental properties we explore (e.g., whether locations are experienced along the same route or not, and whether locations are intervisible) account well for the way spatial information is stored in and retrieved from memory.
Aphasia & Syntax
Authors: Matchin William , Rogalsky Corianne
Published: July 2018

In this chapter we will first outline the methods of research in aphasia and how they have been applied to syntax. Following this, we will review the history of the interaction of these two fields, particularly with respect to the putative syndrome of “agrammatism” that is most relevant to syntactic theory. We will make key observations about the successes and failures of this research. In light of these failures, we propose splitting agrammatism into at least two separate syndromes: one that is tied to deficits in domain-general verbal working memory resources, and another that is tied to a content-addressable memory (CAM) retrieval system operating over syntactic features (McElree et al., 2003; Lewis & Vasishth, 2005). This distinction allows us to capture aspects of agrammatism that appear to be domain-general as well as those that appear to be specific to language. We then suggest some helpful steps to reconnect syntactic theory to the study of aphasia.
Worth the wait: Children trade off delay and reward in self- and other-benefiting decisions
Authors: Liu Shari , Gonzalez Gorana , Warneken Felix
Published: July 2018

Human prosocial behaviors are supported by early-emerging psychological processes that detect and fulfill the needs of others. However, little is known about the mechanisms that enable children to deliver benefits to others at costs to the self, which requires weighing other-regarding and self-serving preferences. We used an intertemporal choice paradigm to systematically study and compare these behaviors in 5-year-old children. Our results show that other-benefiting and self-benefiting behavior share a common decision-making process that integrates delay and reward. Specifically, we found that children sought to minimize delay and maximize reward, and traded off delays against rewards, regardless of whether these rewards were for children themselves or another child. However, we found that children were more willing to invest their time to benefit themselves than someone else. Together, these findings show that from childhood, other- and self-serving decisions are supported by a general mechanism that flexibly integrates information about the magnitude of rewards, and the opportunity costs of pursuing them.
Hüffmeier & Krumm (2018). No Myth far and wide: Relay Swimming is Faster than Individual Swimming and the Conclusion of Skorski et al. (2016) is Unfounded
Authors: Hüffmeier Joachim , Krumm Stefan
Published: July 2018

Skorski, Extebarria, and Thompson (2016) aim at our article on relay swimmers (Hüffmeier, Krumm, Kanthak, & Hertel, 2012). We have shown that professional freestyle swimmers at relay positions 2 to 4 swam faster in the relay than in the individual competition if they had a high chance to win a relay medal. After applying a reaction-time correction that controls for different starting procedures in relay and individual competitions, Skorski et al. (2016) con-clude that swimmers in relays do not swim faster. At first sight, their results appear to show this very pattern. However, we argue that the authors’ findings and conclusion—that our find-ing is a myth—are not warranted. First, we have also controlled for quicker reaction times in the relay competition. Our correction has been based on the swimmers’ own reaction time da-ta rather than on a constant reaction time estimate and is, thus, more precise than theirs. Sec-ond, Skorski et al. treat data from international and national competitions equally although na-tional relay competitions are less attractive for the swimmers than national individual competi-tions. This difference likely biases their data towards slower relay times. Third, the authors se-lect a small and arbitrary sample without explicit power considerations or a clear stopping rule. Fourth, they unfavorably aggregate their data. We conclude that the reported results are most likely due to the methodological choices by Skorski et al. and do not invalidate our findings.
Technological Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Authors: Moussawi Nour Al , Diederich Joachim
Published: July 2018

While communication is changing all around us, psychological practice has not fundamentally adapted for more than a hundred years. Psychologists deliver services by talking to people in an office environment or out in the field. However, with the arrival of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace, psychological service delivery is set to change dramatically. The focus here is to explore and review the role of technology in psychological interventions, in particular for adults. This paper introduces the current definition of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the main psychological intervention: Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA). This is followed by a review of current technology to support ABA and to enhance psychological practice.
The relationship between intelligence and creativity: On methodology for necessity and sufficiency
Authors: Ilagan Michael John , Patungan Welfredo
Published: July 2018

Plain English Abstract A classic theory in psychology is that intelligence is necessary but not sufficient for creativity: unintelligent people are only uncreative; but intelligent people may be creative or uncreative. Many other theories in the social sciences invoke the same asymmetric necessary-but-not-sufficient relationship. Whereas the theory is simple enough to state, statistically confirming it—as scientists aim to do with their theories—is a complicated matter, as statistical methods conventional to psychologists are inappropriate for asymmetric relationships. For decades, this methodological problem left researchers stumped, and the present article sheds light on it. In particular, the present article does the following: argues that previous methods purported to statistically confirm the theorized relationship are lacking; proposes a novel model that elucidates the notions of necessity and sufficiency between a pair of variables; and demonstrates this model on a dataset from a published study of intelligence and creativity. Of the two creativity variables analyzed, the classic theory was confirmed for only one of them. It is important that social science researchers carefully think about methodology, as doing so guards against false-positive results in their respective fields.Scientific Abstract On the relationship between intelligence and creativity, a classic theory is that intelligence is necessary but not sufficient for creativity. Graphically, this theory is represented by a triangular shape of bivariate scatter between the two. As conventional linear methods are known to be inappropriate, a long-standing problem has been how to substantiate this theory. One innovation purported to solve this problem is the use of Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA), a method that confirms the relationship on the basis of an empty upper left corner in the scatterplot. The present article elaborates a novel take on this methodological problem. What it takes to account for necessity and sufficiency is tackled, and it is argued that NCA is not an appropriate method. As an alternative, a probability model of creativity as a function of IQ was posited, in particular for double-bounded creativity variables. Using the model proposed, intelligence vs. creativity data from Jauk et al. (2013b) were reanalyzed. A formal hypothesis based on the theorized relationship was supported for one of the two creativity variables analyzed.
Digit identity influences numerical estimation in children and adults
Authors: Lai Maxine , Zax Alexandra , Barth Hilary
Published: July 2018

Learning the meanings of Arabic numerals involves mapping the number symbols to mental representations of their corresponding, approximate numerical quantities. It is often assumed that performance on numerical tasks, such as number line estimation (NLE), is primarily driven by translating from a presented numeral to a mental representation of its overall magnitude. Part of this assumption is that it is the overall numerical magnitude of the presented numeral, not the specific digits that comprise it, that matter for task performance. Here we ask whether the magnitudes of the presented target numerals drive symbolic number line performance, or whether specific digits influence estimates. If the former is true, estimates of numerals with very similar magnitudes but different digits (such as 399 and 402) should be placed in similar locations. However, if the latter is true, these placements will differ significantly. In two studies (N = 262), children aged 7-11 and adults completed 0-1000 NLE tasks with target values drawn from a set of paired numerals that fell on either side of “Hundreds” boundaries (e.g. 698 and 701) and “Fifties” boundaries (e.g. 749 and 752). Study 1 used an atypical speeded NLE task, while Study 2 used a standard non-speeded NLE task. Under both speeded and non-speeded conditions, specific hundreds digits in the target numerals exerted a strong influence on estimates, with large effect sizes at all ages, showing that the magnitudes of target numerals are not the primary influence shaping children’s or adults’ placements. We discuss patterns of developmental change and individual difference revealed by planned and exploratory analyses.
Registered Reports: A Method to Increase the Credibility of Published Reports
Authors: Nosek Brian A. , Lakens Daniel
Published: July 2018

From abstract: Ignoring replications and negative results is bad for science. This special issue presents a novel publishing format – Registered Reports – as a partial solution.
Topology and Geometry for Small Sample Sizes: An Application to Research on the Profoundly Gifted
Authors: Farrelly Colleen Molloy
Published: July 2018

This study aims to confirm prior findings on the usefulness of topological data analysis (TDA) in the analysis of small samples, particularly focused on cohorts of profoundly gifted students, as well as explore the use of TDA-based regression methods for statistical modeling with small samples. A subset of the Gross sample is analyzed through supervised and unsupervised methods, including 16 and 17 individuals, respectively. Unsupervised learning confirmed prior results suggesting that evenly gifted and unevenly gifted subpopulations fundamentally differ. Supervised learning focused on predicting graduate school attendance and awards earned during undergraduate studies, and TDA-based logistic regression models were compared with more traditional machine learning models for logistic regression. Results suggest 1) that TDA-based methods are capable of handing small samples and seem more robust to the issues that arise in small samples than other machine learning methods and 2) that early childhood achievement scores and several factors related to childhood education interventions (such as early entry and radical acceleration) play a role in predicting key educational and professional achievements in adulthood. Possible new directions from this work include the use of TDA-based tools in the analysis of rare cohorts thus-far relegated to qualitative analytics or case studies, as well as potential exploration of early educational factors and adult-level achievement in larger populations of the profoundly gifted, particularly within the Study of Exceptional Talent and Talent Identification Program cohorts.
Prior Verbal Description of Novel Stimuli Improves the Learning of Information Integration Categories but not Rule-Described Categories
Authors: Minda John Paul , Brashears Bailey , Hatherley Joshua John
Published: July 2018

A prominent theory of category learning assumes that people rely on two parallel and competing systems that make use of either the abstraction of verbal rules (explicit system) or the gradual association of the category exemplars with the appropriate response (implicit system). Because the explicit system relies on verbal processing, we hypothesized that priming the verbal system by asking participants to provide a verbal description of some of the stimuli prior to classification would enhance the learning of rule-described categories but would have no effect on the learning of information integration categories. Our results failed to confirm the hypothesis, and we observed the opposite pattern: prior verbal description enhanced learning of the information integration categories but not the rule-described categories. Our data and subsequent modelling suggest that participants in both categories tended to rely on a rule-based strategy, but participants were quicker to abandon that strategy when they had prior exposure to the stimuli.
Social Network Limits Language Complexity
Authors: Lou-Magnuson Matthew , Onnis Luca
Published: July 2018

Natural languages vary widely in the degree to which they make use of nested compositional structure in their grammars. It has long been noted by linguists that the languages historically spoken in small communities develop much deeper levels of compositional embedding than those spoken by larger groups. Recently this observation has been confirmed by a robust statistical analysis of the World Atlas of Language Structures. In order to examine this connection mechanistically, we propose an agent-based model that accounts for key cultural evolutionary features of language transfer and language change. We identify global transitivity as a physical parameter of social networks critical for the evolution of compositional structure, and the hierarchical patterning of scale-free distributions as inhibitory.
Low-level percepts predict emotion concepts across modalities and cultures
Authors: Sievers Beau , Parkinson Carolyn , Walker Trent , Haslett William , Wheatley Thalia
Published: July 2018

Köhler (1929) first demonstrated that “hard” sounds (e.g., takete) are intuitively associated with spiky shapes, while “soft” sounds (e.g., maluma) are associated with rounded shapes. Here we replicate Köhler’s original shape–sound correspondence study using non-phonetic sounds in a population with little exposure to globalized culture. Further, we show that these low-level crossmodal correspondences predict judgments of emotional arousal. Together, these findings suggest that cross-cultural, high-level concepts may piggyback on low-level perceptual correspondences.
Estimates of Between-Study Heterogeneity for 705 Meta-Analyses Reported in Psychological Bulletin From 1990-2013
Authors: van Erp Sara , Verhagen Josine , Grasman Raoul P P P , Wagenmakers Eric-Jan
Published: July 2018

We present a data set containing 705 between-study heterogeneity estimates as reported in 61 articles published in Psychological Bulletin from 1990-2013. The data set also includes information about the number and type of effect sizes, the Q-statistic, and publication bias. The data set is stored in the Open Science Framework repository and can be used for several purposes: (1) to compare a specific heterogeneity estimate to the distribution of between-study heterogeneity estimates in psychology; (2) to construct an informed prior distribution for the between-study heterogeneity in psychology; (3) to obtain realistic population values for Monte Carlo simulations investigating the performance of meta-analytic methods.
Interventions in dynamic systems: A causal approach to continuous-time mediation analysis
Authors: Ryan Oisín
Published: July 2018

Mediation analysis plays a central role in the investigation of causal mechanisms, where the total, direct and indirect influence of one variable on another is typically assessed using path-tracing rule}. Two recent developments promise to revolutionize mediation analysis: first, the interventionist causal inference framework has allowed researchers to define and investigate mediation in terms of interventions on variables rather than path-tracing rules; second, researchers have begun to use Continuous-Time (CT) models to investigate mediation in longitudinal data. This paper shows how CT mediation can be treated using an interventionist approach. The links between interventionist and path-tracing definitions in traditional longitudinal SEM models and in CT models are explored in detail. The treatment of mediation from diverse strands of literature is unified, by showing how total, direct and indirect effects in different frameworks can be defined as qualitatively different types of interventions on the values of variables.
Scientific progress is like doing a puzzle, not building a wall
Authors: Tullett Alexa Mary , Vazire Simine
Published: July 2018

We contest the “building a wall” analogy of scientific progress. We argue that this analogy unfairly privileges original research (which is perceived as laying bricks, and therefore constructive) over replication research (which is perceived as testing and removing bricks, and therefore destructive). We propose an alternative analogy for scientific progress: solving a jigsaw puzzle.
Priming human-computer interactions: Experimental evidence from economic development mobile surveys
Authors: Opoku-Agyemang Kweku A.
Published: July 2018

This paper investigates how citizens from developing countries vocalize controversial topics, combining the behavioral economics of development with human-computer interaction for potentially mutual benefit across fields. I examine a priming effort to understand how people decide to discuss controversial local subjects, using the human-computer interaction of people with their mobile phones to quantify how attracted people feel to alternative local political economy topics when randomly asked what they think about international aid. The treatment significantly impacted the likelihood of choosing to discuss sanitation, health, poverty, democracy, individual determination, pro-poor support, and happiness. However, the intervention does not affect subjectively ranked preferences. The proposed approach quantifies the attraction users feel to concepts based on human-computer interactions and this approach may be relevant for contexts beyond developing countries. Human-computer interaction approaches may help policy makers entrusted with the Sustainable Development Goals and other initiatives better understand the needs and desires of people in developing countries.
Quantity judgments and individuation: evidence that mass nouns count
Authors: Barner David , Snedeker Jesses
Published: July 2018

Three experiments explored the semantics of the mass-count distinction inyoung children and adults. In Experiments 1 and 2, the quantity judgmentsof participants provided evidence that some mass nouns refer toindividuals, as such. Participants judged one large portion of stuff to be”more” than three tiny portions for substance-mass nouns (e.g. mustard,ketchup), but chose according to number for count nouns (e.g. shoes, candles)and object-mass nouns (e.g. furniture, jewelry). These results suggest thatsome mass nouns quantify over individuals, and that therefore reference toindividuals does not distinguish count nouns from mass nouns. Thus,Experiments 1 and 2 failed to support the hypothesis that there existone-to- one mappings between mass-count syntax and semantics for eitheradults or young children. In Experiment 3, it was found that for mass-countflexible terms (e.g. string, stone) participants based quantity judgmentson number when the terms were used with count syntax, but on total amountof stuff when used with mass syntax. Apparently, the presence of discretephysical objects in a scene (e.g. stones) is not sufficient to permitquantity judgments based on number. It is proposed that object-mass nouns(e.g. furniture) can be used to refer to individuals due to lexically specified grammatical features that normally occur in count syntax. Also, wesuggest that children learning language parse words that refer toindividuals as count nouns unless given morpho-syntactic and referentialevidence to the contrary, in which case object-mass nouns are acquired.
What are reaction time indices of automatic imitation measuring?
Authors: Ramsey Richard
Published: July 2018

Humans unintentionally copy other people’s gestures, postures and speech patterns. This behaviour has been termed ‘automatic imitation’, and is thought to play a crucial role in the development of social relationships by building affiliation and rapport between interaction partners. The wide-ranging impact imitation may play in social life has stimulated considerable interest among psychologists and neuroscientists, but measuring imitative behaviour with high fidelity poses a problem due to the inherent difficulty of measuring live social interactions. To study imitative processes in a more controlled manner, a reaction time measure has been developed that is argued to index processes associated with imitation. The current paper critically evaluates reaction time measures of automatic imitation and demonstrates that it is currently unclear what reaction time indices measure, due to a lack of research assessing task validity. A consequence of low validity is that a sufficiently solid foundation has not been formed for future research to build upon in a progressive manner. Based on this assessment of the literature, three suggestions are made for future research. First, studies that assess the validity of the paradigm as a measure of automatic imitation are required. Second, theories of imitation need to be developed that move beyond neat divisions between domain-specific and domain-general systems. Third, a greater focus needs to be placed on methodological rigour to enable a cumulative science to develop. In sum, by providing a critical review of the current literature, as well as suggesting new directions for the development of research questions, theories and methods, this paper aims to stimulate discussion regarding optimal approaches to studying automatic imitation. Moreover, the analysis and recommendations presented here generalise to other domains of social cognition, such as gaze perception and perspective taking, which also rely on similar reaction time paradigms.
Direct replications in the era of open sampling
Authors: Paolacci Gabriele , Chandler Jesse J.
Published: July 2018

Data collection in psychology increasingly relies on “open populations” of participants recruited online, which presents both opportunities and challenges for replication. Reduced costs and the possibility to access the same populations allows for more informative replications. However, researchers should ensure the directness of their replications by dealing with the threats of participant nonnaiveté and selection effects.
Shifting ground: A definite puzzle in article production
Authors: Hochstein Lara , Barner David
Published: July 2018

Interlocutors are typically thought to create models of discourse that represent information that is shared between speaker and listener (i.e., common ground) and information that is available only to the speaker (i.e., privileged ground). In this study, we investigated the conditions under which speakers update these discourse models to accommodate new interlocutors. To do so, we investigated the production of a linguistic distinction which is conditioned on common ground information and is ubiquitous in everyday speech – namely, the distinction between definite articles (e.g., the) and indefinite articles (e.g., a). In Experiment 1, we asked subjects to describe a set of events they witnessed to either (1) an experimenter who was present during the events, or (2) a second person who was not present during the events and thus did not share common ground with the subject. We found that a surprisingly high number of subjects used the definite article to refer to objects in privileged ground when addressing the second interlocutor. In Experiments 2-6, we replicated this finding and explored the factors that cause speakers to update their discourse models to accommodate the knowledge states of new interlocutors. Our results suggest that although subjects generally consider use of the definite article to be infelicitous when referring to objects in privileged ground, they often fail to update their discourse models once a discourse has been created, to consider the perspective of new interlocutors.
Age-related differences during visual search: the role of contextual expectations and top-down control mechanisms.
Authors: Borges Miguel , Fernandes Eunice G. , Coco Moreno I.
Published: July 2018

In visual search, the cognitive system controls the contextual information available by inhibiting irrelevant information to successfully orient attention towards the search target. As cognitive control is reduced in older adults they often experience more difficulties in such tasks. In two eye-tracking experiments, we investigated the interplay between contextual expectations and cognitive control during visual search in naturalistic scenes. A younger and an older group of participants had to find a target object varying in consistency with the search scene (e.g., a basket of bread vs a clothes iron in a restaurant scene) after being primed with contextual information either congruent or incongruent with it (e.g., a restaurant vs a bathroom), and administered as a scene (Experiment 1) or a word (Experiment 2, which included a scrambled word as neutral prime). Participants also completed two cognitive control tasks (Stroop and Flanker) to assess their cognitive control. Older adults had greater difficulty than younger adults with inconsistent objects, especially when primed with congruent information (Experiment 1), or a scrambled word (neutral condition, Experiment 2). Congruent expectations boost distractor objects which have to be suppressed when the semantics of the target object violates them. Neutral primes acted as low-level perceptual distractors that increased the attentional load of participants and needed to be suppressed. Higher cognitive control, especially in older participants, improved the search accuracy in these experimental conditions, but it did not mediate the eye-movement responses. These results shed new light on the links between cognitive control and visual attention in ageing.
Reducing social judgment biases may require identifying the potential source of bias
Authors: Axt Jordan , Casola Grace , Nosek Brian A.
Published: July 2018

Social judgment is shaped by multiple biases operating simultaneously, but most bias-reduction interventions target only a single social category. In seven pre-registered studies (Total N > 7,000), we investigated whether asking participants to avoid one social bias impacted that and other social biases. Participants selected honor society applicants based on academic credentials. Applicants also differed on social categories irrelevant for selection: attractiveness and ingroup status. Participants asked to avoid potential bias in one social category showed small but reliable reductions in bias for that category (r = .095), but showed near zero bias reduction on the unmentioned social category (r = .006). Asking participants to avoid many possible social biases or alerting them to bias without specifically identifying a category did not consistently reduce bias. The effectiveness of interventions for reducing social biases may be highly specific, perhaps even contingent on explicitly and narrowly identifying the potential source of bias.
Smoking status and attractiveness among identical twins discordant for smoking
Authors: Skinner Andy , Andy  , Penton-Voak Ian , Munafo Marcus Robert
Published: July 2018

Background and aims: Smoking is associated with negative health of skin and increased signs of facial aging. We aimed to address two questions about smoking and appearance: 1) how does smoking affect the attractiveness of faces, and 2) does facial appearance alone provide an indication of smoking status?Methods: Faces of identical twins discordant for smoking were averaged to make male and female smoking and non-smoking prototypes faces. In Task 1, we presented same sex smoking and non-smoking prototypes side-by-side and participants (n=590) indicated which face was more attractive. Participants were blind to prototype smoking status. In Task 2 a separate sample (n=580) indicated which prototype was the smoker.Results: In Task 1 both male and female participants judged non-smoking prototypes more attractive, irrespective of the sex of the prototype face. In Task 2, both male and female participants selected the smoking prototype as the smoker more often, again irrespective of the sex of the prototype face.Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence that smoking may negatively impact facial appearance, and that facial appearance alone may be sufficient to indicate smoking status. We discuss the possible use of these findings in smoking behaviour change interventions.
Too True to be Bad: When Sets of Studies with Significant and Non-Significant Findings Are Probably True
Authors: Lakens Daniel , Etz Alexander
Published: July 2018

Psychology journals rarely publish non-significant results. At the same time, it is often very unlikely (or ‘too good to be true’) that a set of studies yields exclusively significant results. Here, we use likelihood ratios to explain when sets of studies that contain a mix of significant and non-significant results are likely to be true, or ‘too true to be bad’. As we show, mixed results are not only likely to be observed in lines of research, but when observed, mixed results often provide evidence for the alternative hypothesis, given reasonable levels of statistical power and an adequately controlled low Type 1 error rate. Researchers should feel comfortable submitting such lines of research with an internal meta-analysis for publication. A better understanding of probabilities, accompanied by more realistic expectations of what real lines of studies look like, might be an important step in mitigating publication bias in the scientific literature.
Polygenic risk for schizophrenia and neighbourhood characteristics at birth: findings from a UK longitudinal birth cohort
Authors: Solmi Francesca , Lewis Glyn , Zammit Stanley , Kirkbride James Bowes
Published: July 2018

Background: Being born in more urban, deprived and socially fragmented neighbourhoods is associated with increased schizophrenia risk. It remains unclear whether this association is causal, or arises due to genetic confounding, possibly via inter-generational social drift of those at greater schizophrenia risk over time. We investigated whether children with greater polygenic risk scores (PRS) for schizophrenia were more likely to be born in more disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Method: Using geocoded data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, standardised PRS for schizophrenia and multinomial logistic regression models, we investigated the association between greater PRS and tertiles of neighbourhood population density, deprivation, inequality and social fragmentation at birth. Results: A total of 6,374 children had data available on neighbourhood characteristics at birth and PRS. A one standard deviation increase in PRS was associated with greater risk of being born in the most deprived neighbourhoods (third tertile relative risk ratio (RRR): 1.07, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 95%CI: 1.00 – 1.14, p=0.04) and in more socially fragmented neighbourhoods (second tertile RRR: 1.07, 95%CI: 1.01 – 1.14 p=0.02; third tertile: RRR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.05 – 1.20, p<0.0001). We did not observe any other associations.Conclusions: In this population-based cohort of children in southwest England, those born in more deprived and socially fragmented, but not densely populated neighbourhoods were at greater polygenic risk for schizophrenia. These findings only partially support intergenerational drift as a possible explanation of higher schizophrenia rates in urban areas, and are in line with a multifactorial aetiology of schizophrenia.
Mischaracterizing replication studies leads to erroneous conclusions
Authors: Nosek Brian A. , Gilbert Elizabeth Ann
Published: July 2018

This piece originally appeared on Retraction Watch: http://retractionwatch.com/2016/03/07/lets-not-mischaracterize-replication-studies-authors/. It is a response to D. Gilbert, King, Pettigrew, and Wilson's (2016) claims that low replication rates in the Reproducibility Project: Psychology were due to differences between the original and replication methodologies. Nosek and E. Gilbert use an example of D. Gilbert's characterizations of a study to suggest that the criticism is misleading at best.