bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identifying emotion subtypes from individualized emotion space
Authors: Levine Seth M , Alahäivälä Aino , Wackerle Anja , Rupprecht Rainer , Schwarzbach Jens
Published: July 2018

Many investigations into emotion processing contend that emotions can be reduced to a set of lower dimensions (e.g., valence and arousal). Additionally, emotion dysregulation is associated with numerous psychiatric disorders, whose treatment(s) may require inspiration from personalized medicine. To translate emotion research to the clinical domain, one may therefore need to investigate at the individual level, employing data-driven methods and forgoing classical assumptions regarding emotions. To this end, we explored the relative structure of emotion information resulting from 85 participants organizing emotionally-charged images following their own emotional responses to the pictures. Using cluster analyses and multidimensional scaling, we investigated the underlying composition of individuals’ emotion spaces. Hierarchical clustering revealed five subtypes that reflect differing layouts of the emotion space; multidimensional scaling of each subtype’s representative emotion space demonstrated that, although valence explained the primary organization of all emotion spaces, arousal as a secondary explanatory variable played a reduced role differentially for the subtypes, suggesting intrinsic differences in emotion information processing. Such data-driven methods yield new, unbiased ways of studying emotions and may reveal limitations of classic models or idiosyncrasies of individuals, which can inform future neuroimaging research and offer new approaches for studying emotions and emotion dysfunctions in psychiatric disorders.
Failed attempts to improve the reliability of the Alcohol Visual Probe task following empirical recommendations
Authors: Jones Andrew , Christiansen Paul , Field Matt
Published: July 2018

Introduction: The Visual Probe Task (VPT) is a computerised task commonly used to measure attentional bias to substance-related stimuli. Despite concerns it demonstrates poor reliability and internal consistency little research has examined its psychometric properties. These issues can reduce confidence in inferences based on VPT performance. As such, we attempted to improve the reliability of the alcohol VPT, by attempting to apply empirical recommendations for outlier handling and task design from the anxiety literature. Methods: We reanalysed data from three previously published studies in our laboratory and three newly collected data sets. We compared tasks which presented images on the left and right of the screen to above and below, whether participants responded to the location of the probe or the content, and whether general alcohol-related images or images personalised to the individual were used. In each VPT we also applied a-priori outlier removal (2 and 3 standard deviations and median absolute difference) and data-driven outlier removal (Winsorising). Results: Across all studies and tasks internal consistency and test-retest reliability of attentional bias measures were inadequate. There was no consistent improvement in internal consistency or rest-retest reliability as a function of outlier removal methods. Discussion: We were unable to demonstrate adequate reliability of the alcohol VPT, which further supports observations that these tasks may not yield reliable measures. Future research should focus on improving the reliability of these tasks or abandoning them in favour of more reliable alternatives
An experimental investigation of the effect of cubicles on perseverance
Authors: Roberts Adam , Christopoulos George , Soh Chee-Kiong
Published: July 2018

Do we really want large offices? In many countries, a large, private office is associated with increased status. However, working in a large office by yourself could increase distractibility and reduce concentration on a task. In large open plan offices, cubicles are often used to reduce distraction from colleagues and improve task performance. This study shows that the addition of a cubicle partition around a desk in a large private office can increase perseverance even though the worker is alone. This means that the positive effects of cubicles could be elicited by architectural (and not social) parameters.
Relying on brain rhythms for improving the diagnosis of dyslexia
Authors: Benítez-Burraco Antonio , Jiménez-Bravo Miguel , Marrero Victoria
Published: July 2018

Background. Developmental dyslexia is a pervasive child condition whose characteristic phenotypic profile precludes an early diagnosis. Different early markers of the risk for dyslexia have been posited over time, but neither of them seems totally reliable. Aims and main contribution. In this paper we argue for a diagnostic test based on the abnormal oscillatory signature of the dyslexic brain which builds on recent, robust oscillation-to-phonology links.
Facing humanness: Facial width-to-height ratio predicts ascriptions of humanity
Authors: Deska Jason C. , Lloyd Emily Paige , Hugenberg Kurt
Published: July 2018

The ascription of mind to others is central to social cognition. Most research on the ascription of mind has focused on motivated, top-down processes. The current work provides novel evidence that facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) serves as a bottom-up perceptual signal of humanness. Using a range of well-validated operational definitions of humanness, we provide evidence across five studies that target faces with relatively greater fWHR are seen as less than fully human compared to their relatively lower fWHR counterparts. We then present two ancillary studies exploring whether the fWHR-to-humanness link is mediated by previously established fWHR-trait links in the literature. Finally, three additional studies extend this fWHR-humanness link beyond measurements of humanness, demonstrating that the fWHR-humanness link has consequences for downstream social judgments including the sorts of crimes people are perceived to be guilty of and the social tasks for which they seem helpful. In short, we provide evidence for the hypothesis that individuals with relatively greater facial width-to-height ratio are routinely denied sophisticated, humanlike minds.
A Dissociation Between a Response’s Effectiveness and its Monetary Outcome
Authors: Karsh Noam , Hemed Eitan , Nafcha Orit , eitam baruch
Published: July 2018

Recent evidence points to the reinforcing impact of a response’s ‘pure’ effectiveness (e.g., generating an action-contingent effect) even when the own-action effects are valueless. The finding raises the fundamental question of whether and how different types of reinforcers (e.g., pure response-effectiveness and positive outcomes) are integrated to influence response selection. To begin investigating this question, we modified two different tasks, previously established to capture the influence of a response’s effectiveness on lower-level, pre-conceptual, stages of response-selection (action execution; indexed here by participants’ reaction times). Specifically, in six experiments we manipulated both a response’s effectiveness and its outcome (e.g., substantial versus negligible monetary reward) and measured the influence of both on the speed of responding. The findings strongly suggest that the low-level stages of response selection are influenced only by a response’s pure effectiveness, as assessed by the motor system; surprisingly, responding is insensitive to abstract representations of the value of a response (e.g., monetary value). We discuss the value of distinguishing between two necessary aspects of adaptive behavior namely, dynamic motor-control and attaining desired outcomes. Finally, we embed the findings in the recently proposed Control-based response selection (CBRS) framework and elaborate its potential for understanding motor-learning processes in developing infants.
Convex hull as a heuristic
Authors: Katzin Naama
Published: July 2018

Recent studies in the field of numerical cognition quantify the impact of physical properties of an array on its enumeration, demonstrating that enumeration relies on the perception of these properties. This paper marks a shift in reasoning as it changes the focus from demonstrating this effect to explaining it. Interestingly, we were inspired by one of the very first articles in the field, “The power of numerical discrimination” by Stanley Jevons that was published in Nature in 1871. In his report, Jevons attempts to answer the question of how many objects can be perceived in “a single mental beat of attention”. We relate directly to Jevons’s records, putting forward a plausible heuristic mechanism that relies on the physical geometrical properties of the arrays to be enumerated. We use a mathematical theorem and computer simulation to show that the shape of the convex hull, the smallest polygon containing all dots in an array, is a good predictor of numerosity. We show that convex hull downsamples the spatial data, allowing quick and fairly accurate numerical estimation. Moreover, convex hull predictability changes as numerosity grows, corresponding to the psychophysical curve of enumeration shown by Jevons and many others that followed.
Predicting Psychological and Subjective Well-Being from Personality: Incremental Prediction from 30 Facets over the Big 5
Authors: Anglim Jeromy , Grant Sharon L.
Published: July 2018

This study investigated the relationship between the Big 5, measured at factor and facet levels, and dimensions of both psychological and subjective well-being. Three hundred and thirty-seven participants completed the 30 Facet International Personality Item Pool Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Positive and Negative Affectivity Schedule, and Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being. Cross-correlation decomposition presented a parsimonious picture of how well-being is related to personality factors. Incremental facet prediction was examined using double-adjusted r2 confidence intervals and semi-partial correlations. Incremental prediction by facets over factors ranged from almost nothing to a third more variance explained, suggesting a more modest incremental prediction than presented in the literature previously. Examination of semi-partial correlations controlling for factors revealed a small number of important facet-well-being correlations. All data and R analysis scripts are made available in an online repository.
Social judgments of sexual behavior and use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis
Authors: Martinez Joel Eduardo , Jonas Kai
Published: July 2018

Bio-medical HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can drastically decrease the transmission of HIV between sexual partners. However, peer evaluations may worry men who have sex with men (MSM) that are considering or taking PrEP. We used a trait transference paradigm to characterize attitudes towards PrEP users, their sexual behavior, and transference effects on their social network. We recruited 339 men across nine U.S. cities from advertisements on a phone dating application. They judged vignettes about MSM and associated friends on their trustworthiness and responsibility, with the main character described as having frequently changing partners (FCP) or monogamous, and taking PrEP or not. We found PrEP praise within our U.S. sample, especially when evaluating responsibility, while FCP behavior was negatively evaluated. Minimal transference effects suggested judgments about sex-related actions anchor to the actor. These insights identify contextual boundaries of associative cognition and can inform interventions hoping to improve PrEP acceptance and uptake.
Predictive physiological anticipation preceding seemingly unpredictable stimuli: an update of Mossbridge’s et al. meta-analysis
Authors: Duggan Michael , Tressoldi Patrizio
Published: July 2018

Background: This is an update of the Mossbridge et al’s meta-analysis related to the physiological anticipation preceding seemingly unpredictable stimuli which overall effect size was 0.21; 95% Confidence Intervals: 0.13 - 0.29Methods: Nineteen new peer and non-peer reviewed studies completed from January 2008 to June 2018 were retrieved describing a total of 27 experiments and 36 associated effect sizes.Results: The overall weighted effect size, estimated with a frequentist multilevel random model, was: 0.28; 95% Confidence Intervals: 0.18-0.38; the overall weighted effect size, estimated with a multilevel Bayesian model, was: 0.28; 95% Credible Intervals: 0.18-0.38. The weighted mean estimate of the effect size of peer reviewed studies was higher than that of non peer reviewed studies, but with overlapped confidence intervals: Peer reviewed: 0.36; 95% Confidence Intervals: 0.26-0.47; Non peer reviewed: 0.22; 95% Confidence Intervals: 0.05-0.39. Similarly, the weighted mean estimate of the effect size of Preregistered studies was higher than that of Non-Preregistered studies: Preregistered: 0.31; 95% Confidence Intervals: 0.18-0.45; No-Preregistered: 0.24; 95% Confidence Intervals: 0.08-0.41.The statistical estimation of the publication bias by using the Copas selection model suggest that the main findings are not contaminated by publication bias.Conclusions: In summary, with this update, the main findings reported in Mossbridge et al’s meta-analysis, are confirmed.
Heuristic Glance at the Fundamentals of General Psychology
Authors: Movsesyan Arsen A.
Published: July 2018

In the article are offered the models allowing deeper understand the essence of the concepts "will" and "attention", and to determine their possible types, which allows us to clear up the essence of the concept "faith". Proceeding from the principle of symmetry of the Laws of Nature and of some general physical representations, a heuristic glance at the fundamentals of General Psychology is proposed, which allows us to discern interrelations between the basic concepts of General Psychology, and thereby systematizing them. In doing so the author does not attempt to reduce complex psychical processes to mechanical schemes, and at all not concerned these processes, but the real unity of the foundation of science as a whole concerning to the General Psychology is trying to show.
Microaggressions as part of the historical context of stigma and prejudice
Authors: Kraus Michael W. , Park Jun Won
Published: July 2018

In this comment we articulate one central weakness in Lilienfeld’s (2017) perspective on microaggression research in psychological science: Namely, that any analysis of modern forms of expressed prejudice, be they subtle or overt, that does not acknowledge the historical context in which these forms of prejudice are expressed is likely to be fraught with challenges and potential for misunderstanding. Here we articulate how this ahistorical context of prejudice has a prominent history in psychological science, and has frequently led otherwise well-meaning and rigorous research studies to incomplete conclusions about the prejudice experienced by historically marginalized groups. We then discuss how this ahistorical perspective on expressed prejudice leads to misconceptions about microaggression research. Ultimately, the Lilienfeld (2017) piece is a compelling case for considering, whenever possible, the perspectives of those for whom the surrounding historical context of prejudice is most salient. This need is particularly great with respect to research questions that examine the experience of prejudice and thereby directly rely on the wisdom of individuals who come from traditionally marginalized groups and thus are personally steeped in the history, traditions, and thought perspectives that arise from those conditions.
Recognising faces but not traits; Accurate personality judgment from faces is unrelated to superior face memory
Authors: Satchell Liam , Davis Josh P , Julle-Danière Eglantine , Tupper Nina , Marshman Paul
Published: July 2018

Research has shown that individuals can recognise personality traits from photographs of others’ faces. It is suggested that this is possible as faces contain a biometric ‘kernel of truth’ for personality traits. If biometric facial features facilitate person judgments, then those adept at face memory (super-recognisers) could show heightened ability at recognising personality traits. This study evaluates the links between face memory accuracy and trait judgment accuracy. We investigated the relationship between participants’ face memory, Big Five personality traits and their accuracy in judging the Big Five personality traits (from 50 self-selected photographs of unknown individuals) in a sample of 792 individuals. We replicated previous findings that participant extraversion relates to face memory ability. We find no relationship between other personality traits, personality judgment accuracy and face memory. Individual differences in detecting personality traits do not relate to their face memory abilities. We do replicate the relationship between extraversion and face memory ability in the largest sample to date. This suggests that super-recognising faces and traits are domain-specific abilities. If surveillance operators are expected to detect impending incidents, then our findings would suggest that this is something that super-recognisers would need training in.
Neurophenomenology of Out-of-Body experiences induced by hypnotic suggestions
Authors: Facco Enrico , Casiglia Edoardo , Khafaji Benedikt Emanuel Al , Finatti Francesco , Duma Gian Marco , Mento Giovanni , Pederzoli Luciano , Tressoldi Patrizio
Published: July 2018

Inducing out-of-body experiences in hypnosis (H-OBEs) offers an almost unique opportunity to investigate them in a controlled condition.OBEs were induced as imaginative task in resting conditions (I-OBE) or in hypnosis (H-OBE) in 15 high hypnotizable subjects. A 32-channel EEG was recorded and the spectral power and imaginary coherence were calculated. At the end of each session, the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI) was administered to check the phenomenological aspects of their experience.Significantly higher scores in the Altered State, Positive Affect, Altered Experience and Attention subdimensions of the PCI were reported in H-OBE than in I-OBE, which were associated to a significant decrease of power in beta and gamma band activity in right parieto-temporal derivations. Our result suggest that H-OBE may be an appealing model of “true” OBEs, including an alteration of multisensory integration in right parieto-temporal brain areas.
The grammaticality asymmetry in agreement attraction reflects response bias: Experimental and modeling evidence
Authors: Hammerly Christopher Mathias , Staub Adrian , Dillon Brian
Published: July 2018

Memory access mechanisms such as cue-based retrieval have come to dominate theories of the processing of linguistic dependencies such as subject-verb agreement. One phenomenon that has been regarded as demonstrating the role of such mechanisms is the grammaticality asymmetry in agreement attraction, which is the observation that nouns other than the grammatical controller of agreement can influence the computation of subject-verb agreement in ungrammatical, but not grammatical, sentences. This asymmetry is most often accounted for via the dynamics of retrieval interference. We challenge this interpretation, arguing that the asymmetry largely reflects response bias. Three forced-choice judgment experiments show that neutralizing response bias results in a decrease in the size of the grammaticality asymmetry, or its elimination altogether. Together with the response time patterns in these experiments, this result favors an account that attributes attraction effects to a continuous and equivocal representation of number, rather than to the dynamics of retrieval interference. We implement a model of grammaticality judgments that links a continuous representation of number to the rate of evidence accumulation in a diffusion process. This model accounts for the presence or absence of the grammaticality asymmetry through shifts in the decisional starting point (i.e. response bias), and highlights the importance of monitoring for response bias effects in judgment tasks.
Network models of driver behaviour
Authors: Mattsson Markus
Published: July 2018

The way people behave in traffic is not always optimal from the road safety perspective: drivers exceed speed limits, misjudge speeds or distances, tailgate other road users or fail to perceive them. Such behaviours are commonly investigated using self-report-based latent variable models, and conceptualized as reflections of violation- and error-proneness. However, traffic safety work is unlikely to progress by attributing dangerous behaviour to stable properties of individuals, whereas investigating direct relationships between traffic behaviours offers a fruitful way forward. Network models of driver behaviour and background factors influencing behaviour were constructed using a large UK sample of novice drivers. The models show how individual violations, such as speeding, are related to and may contribute to individual errors such as tailgating and braking to avoid an accident. In addition, a network model of the background factors and driver behaviours is reported. Finally, a model predicting crashes based on prior behaviour was built and tested in separate datasets. This contribution helps to bridge a gap between experimental / theoretical studies and self-report-based studies in traffic research: the former have recognized the importance of focusing on relationships between individual driver behaviours, while network analysis offers a way to do so for self-report studies.
They’re all the same!...but for several different reasons: A review of the multicausal nature of perceived group variability.
Authors: Rubin Mark
Published: July 2018

Perceived group variability refers to the variability that people perceive among the members of a social group. Researchers in this area have tended to focus on the way in which perceivers’ group affiliations lead to in-group and out-group homogeneity effects, including the other race effect. However, recent advances have highlighted the role of additional influences. In the present review, we consider the influence of (1) the perceiver’s group affiliation, (2) the group’s objective variability, (3) the group’s social position, and (4) the group’s central tendency. We focus on recent research in these areas that has highlighted the strategic, context-dependent, and symbolic nature of perceived group variability. We conclude that future research needs to adopt a multicausal approach in order to provide a more complete and comprehensive account of perceived group variability.
Body dissatisfaction and pathogenic weight loss behaviors among Iranian women with different level of physical activity
Authors: Nemati Donya
Published: July 2018

Body dissatisfaction is becoming increasingly pervasive in the developing non-Western countriessuch as Iran; however, there exists a lack of research investigating the factors associated withthese problems. The current study examined body dissatisfaction, social pressure, and weight lossbehaviors and the relationships between these variables. Our data collected from 711 women; eliteathletes (non-lean sport) (N = 211), non-elite athletes (N= 93) and non-athletes (N = 407) in Iranby employing a Photographic Figure Rating Scale (PFRS) and a questionnaire of pathogenic weightloss behaviors. Non-athletes reported greater body dissatisfaction, social pressure to changeweight and pathogenic weight loss behaviors than the other groups. Body dissatisfaction waspredicted by pressure from family and friends to change weight and followed by BMI in 3 groups.Body dissatisfaction was also positively correlated with pathogenic weight loss behaviors. Ourresults showed that non-athletes women experience greater body dissatisfaction, social pressurethan elite athletes and non-elite athletes.
Fernanda Ferreira -- Fame: I'm Skeptical (2017)
Authors: Ferreira Fernanda
Published: July 2018

Fame is often deserved, emerging from a person’s significant and timely contributions to science. It is also true that fame and quality clearly sometimes diverge: many people who do excellent work are barely known, and some people are famous even though their work is mediocre. Reliance on fame and name recognition when identifying psychologists as candidates for honors and awards helps to perpetuate a range of stereotypes and prevents us from broadening participation in our field, particularly from women and underrepresented groups. The pursuit of fame may also be contributing to the current crisis in psychology concerning research integrity, because it incentivizes quantity and speed in publishing. The right attitude towards fame is to use it wisely if it happens to come, but to focus our efforts on conducting excellent research and nurturing talent in others.
Truth Matters: Cognitive Integrity as an Intervention for Self-Deception
Authors: Gorlin Eugenia Isabel , Otto Michael
Published: July 2018

To live well in the present, we take direction from the past. Yet, individuals may engage in a variety of behaviors that distort their past and current circumstances, reducing the likelihood of adaptive problem solving and decision making. In this article, we attend to self-deception as one such class of behaviors. Drawing upon research showing both the maladaptive consequences and self-perpetuating nature of self-deception, we propose that self-deception is an understudied risk and maintaining factor for psychopathology, and we introduce a “cognitive-integrity”-based approach that may hold promise for increasing the reach and effectiveness of our existing therapeutic interventions. Pending empirical validation of this theoretically-informed approach, we posit that patients may become more informed and autonomous agents in their own therapeutic growth by becoming more honest with themselves.
Is overconfidence a social liability? The effect of verbal versus nonverbal expressions of confidence
Authors: Tenney Elizabeth R. , Meikle Nathan , Hunsaker David Adams , Moore Don A , Anderson Cameron
Published: July 2018

What are the reputational consequences of being overconfident? We propose that the channel of confidence expression is one key moderator—that is, whether confidence is expressed verbally or nonverbally. In a series of experiments, participants assessed target individuals (potential collaborators or advisors) who were either overconfident or cautious. Targets expressed confidence, or a lack thereof, verbally or nonverbally. Participants then learned targets’ actual performance. Across studies, overconfidence was advantageous initially—regardless of whether targets expressed confidence verbally or nonverbally. After performance was revealed, overconfident targets who had expressed confidence verbally were viewed more negatively than cautious targets; however, overconfident targets who had expressed confidence nonverbally were still viewed more positively than cautious ones. The one condition wherein nonverbal overconfidence was detrimental was when confidence was clearly tied to a falsifiable claim. Results suggest that, compared to verbal statements, nonverbal overconfidence reaps reputational benefits because of its plausible deniability.
StopWatch: A smartwatch based system for passive detection of cigarette smoking
Authors: Skinner Andy , Stone Christopher J , Doughty Hazel , Munafo Marcus Robert
Published: July 2018

Introduction: Passive detection of cigarette smoking offers potential for considerable benefits to researchers exploring smoking behaviour and designing precision behaviour change interventions. A number of systems have been developed that either use bespoke sensing technology, or rely on connected smartphones to run analytical software. Here we present StopWatch, a system for passive detection of cigarette smoking that runs on a smartwatch and does not require additional sensing or a connected smartphone.Methods: Our system uses motion data from the accelerometer and gyroscope in an Android smartwatch to detect the signature hand movements of cigarette smoking. It uses a three-stage analytical pipeline to transform raw motion data into motion features, and in turn into individual drags and instances of smoking. This pipeline runs on the smartwatch, and does not require a smartphone.Results: We validated the system in daily smokers (n=13) in laboratory and free-living conditions running on an Android LG G-Watch. In free-living conditions, over a 24 hour period, the system achieved precision of 86% and recall of 71%.Conclusions: StopWatch is a system for passive measurement of cigarette smoking that runs entirely on a commercially available smartwatch. It runs on an Android smartwatch and requires no smartphone so the cost is low. No bespoke sensing equipment is needed, and it uses a mass-market smartwatch, so participant burden is low. Performance is currently lower than other more expensive and complex systems, though adequate for some applications. Future developments will focus on enhancing performance, and validation on a range of smartwatches.
Do You Name Speedy Objects Faster Than Slow Objects: SPEEDED NAMING OR NAMING SPEED? THE AUTOMATIC EFFECT OF OBJECT SPEED ON PERFORMANCE
Authors: Ben-Haim Moshe Shay , Chajut Eran , Hassin Ran , Algom Daniel
Published: July 2018

we test the hypothesis that naming an object depicted in a picture, and reading aloud an object’s name, are affected by the object’s speed. We contend that the mental representations of everyday objects and situations include their speed, and that the latter influences behavior in instantaneous and systematic ways. An important corollary is that high-speed objects are named faster than low-speed objects despite the fact that object speed is irrelevant to the naming task at hand. The results of a series of 7 studies with pictures and words support these predictions.
Learning Rapidly about the Relevance of Visual Cues Requires Conscious Awareness
Authors: Travers Eoin , Frith Chris D. , Shea Nicholas
Published: July 2018

Humans have been shown capable of performing many cognitive tasks using information of which they are not consciously aware. This raises questions about what role consciousness actually plays in cognition. Here, we explored whether participants can learn cue-target contingencies in an attentional learning task when the cues were presented below the level of conscious awareness, and how this differs from learning about conscious cues. Participants’ manual (Experiment 1) and saccadic (Experiment 2) response speeds were influenced by both conscious and unconscious cues. However, participants were only able to adapt to reversals of the cue-target contingencies (Experiment 1) or changes in the reliability of the cues (Experiment 2) when consciously aware of the cues. Therefore, although visual cues can be processed unconsciously, learning about cues over a few trials requires conscious awareness of them. Finally, we discuss implications for cognitive theories of consciousness.
Bayesian Inference in Human Time Perception
Authors: Rhodes Darren
Published: July 2018

Time is a fundamental dimension of human perception, cognition and action, as the perception and cognition of temporal information is essential for everyday activities and survival. Innumerable studies have investigated the perception of time over the last 100 years, but the neural and computational bases for the processing of time remains unknown. First, we present a brief history of research and the methods used in time perception and then discuss the psychophysical approach to time, extant models of time perception, and advancing inconsistencies between each account that this review aims to bridge the gap between. Recent work has advocated a Bayesian approach to time perception. This framework has been applied to both duration and perceived timing, where prior expectations about when a stimulus might occur in the future (prior distribution) are combined with current sensory evidence (likelihood function) in order to generate the perception of temporal properties (posterior distribution). In general, these models predict that the brain uses temporal expectations to bias perception in a way that stimuli are ‘regularized’ i.e. stimuli look more like what has been seen before. Evidence for this framework has been found using human psychophysical testing (experimental methods to quantify behaviour in the perceptual system). Finally, an outlook for how these models can advance future research in temporal perception is discussed.
Probing ovulatory cycle shifts in women’s preferences for men’s behaviors
Authors: Stern Julia , Gerlach Tanja M. , Penke Lars
Published: July 2018

The existence of ovulatory cycle shifts in women’s mate preferences has been discussed controversially. There is evidence that naturally cycling women in their fertile phase, compared to their luteal phase, evaluate specific behavioral cues in men as more attractive for sexual relationships. However, recent research has cast doubt on these findings. We addressed this debate in a large, pre-registered within-subject study including salivary hormone measures and luteinizing hormone tests. One-hundred-fifty-seven female participants rated natural videos of 70 men in dyadic intersexual interactions on sexual and long-term attractiveness. Multilevel comparisons across two ovulatory cycles indicated that women’s mate preferences for men’s behaviors did not shift across the cycle, neither for competitive, nor for courtship behavior. Within-women hormone levels and relationship status did not affect these results. Hormonal mechanisms and implications for estrus theories are discussed.
Brown, Smith, Samara, & Wonnacott (pre-print). Semantic cues in language learning: An artificial language study with adult and child learners.
Authors: Brown Helen , Smith Kenny , Samara Anna , Wonnacott Elizabeth
Published: July 2018

Grammatical regularities may correlate with semantics cues; for instance, the grammatical gender of a noun is often partially predictable from its semantics. However, semantic cues seem to pose difficulties for child learners. We explore whether 6-year-olds and adults generalize over semantic cues, and how this is affected by the extent of exposure (1v4 sessions) and the number of exemplars for each semantic class (type-frequency). Participants were exposed to semi-artificial languages in which nouns co-occurred with novel particles, with particle usage either fully or partially determined by a semantic property of the noun. Subsequent production and comprehension tests showed that both adults and children generalized semantic cues to novel nouns when cues were fully consistent. Adults (but not children) also generalized when cues were partially consistent. However, although generalization increased with exposure, there was no evidence for a role of type-frequency (i.e. no greater generalization when there were more nouns per category). In addition, post-experiment interviews suggested that successful generalization was dependent upon explicit awareness. These results provide additional support for the observation that semantic cues seem to be particularly difficult for children to exploit during the early stages of language acquisition.
Communicative Misalignment in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Wadge Harshali , Brewer Rebecca , Bird Geoff , Toni Ivan , Stolk Arjen
Published: July 2018

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is diagnosed on the basis of communicative impairments observed in everyday social interactions. Although individuals with ASD show surprising proficiency on several lab tests of social cognition, face-to-face interaction proves problematic and has been associated with biases in processing biological and multimodal linguistic cues. Here, we provide empirical evidence characterizing a special interactional challenge raised by interpersonal communication in people with ASD, which persists even during interactions stripped of those biases. During online, experimentally-controlled interactions, both adults with ASD (N=22) and neurotypical adults (N=30) generated intelligible communicative behaviors toward their partners. Both groups showed a similar propensity for modifying their behavior after misunderstandings, indicating matched social motivation and cognitive flexibility. Yet, communicative success was lower when autistic individuals interacted with other individuals, both with and without ASD, to solve communicative problems that afforded multiple solutions. Neurotypical pairs navigated through those epochs of communicative ambiguity by taking recent signals into account, and aligned their conceptualizations of novel communicative behaviors. In contrast, pairs with one or more ASD members were less likely to produce communicative behaviors informed by their pair-specific history of interaction and mutual understanding. The precise characterization of the cognitive source of these communicative misalignments provides novel boundaries to the general notion that ASD is linked to altered mentalizing abilities. Furthermore, the findings illustrate the cognitive and clinical importance of considering human communication as a solution to a conceptual alignment challenge, and how ineffective the human communicative system is without this special interactional ingredient.
An Investigation of the Divergences and Convergences of Trait Empathy across Two Cultures
Authors: jami parvaneh yaghoubi , Mansouri Behzad , Thoma Stephen J. , Han Hyemin
Published: July 2018

The extent to which individuals with a variety of cultural backgrounds differ in empathic responsiveness is unknown. This paper describes the differences in trait empathy in one independent and one interdependent society (i.e., United States and Iran respectively). The analysis of data collected from self-reported questionnaires answered by 326 adults indicated a significant difference in the cognitive component of empathy concerning participants’ affiliation to either egocentric or socio-centric society: Iranian participants with interdependent cultural norms, reported higher cognitive empathy compared to American participants who share independent cultural norms. In line with previous studies, gender differences were observed in all subscales of questionnaires except the Empathy Quotient. Female participants demonstrated more empathy than males in both samples. Implications for understanding the cross-cultural differences of various components of empathy are discussed.
Positive Imagery Training Increases Positive Self-Referent Cognition in Depression
Authors: Dainer-Best Justin , Shumake Jason , Beevers Christopher G
Published: July 2018

Depressed adults often show a bias towards negative self-referent processing at the expense of positive self-referent processing. The current study assessed whether a mental imagery intervention (Positive Self Reference Training -- PSRT) delivered via the Internet could improve self-referent processing and depressive symptomatology among adults with moderate or greater depression symptoms. Participants were recruited via online methods and randomly assigned to one of two computerized interventions: active PSRT (n = 44) or control training (NTC; n = 43). The PSRT involved visualizing the self in response to different positive cues (e.g., an achievement) every other day for two weeks. The NTC provided neutral cues about objects. Self-referential processing of positive and negative adjectives and depression symptoms were measured at baseline, one week, and two weeks after initiating training. Over those two weeks, PSRT participants showed a greater increase in positive self-referent processing than did NTC participants. Negative self-referent processing and symptoms of depression declined comparably in both groups. Similarly, for both groups, increase in positive and decrease in negative self-referent processing was associated with a greater reduction in depression. These results indicate that mental imagery has the potential to improve self-referential processing, especially for positive stimuli, which may, in turn, help reduce depressive symptomatology.
The implications of significance testing based on hypothesiswise and studywise error
Authors: Rubin Mark
Published: July 2018

This article (a) clarifies the arguments put forward in Rubin, M. (2017). Do p values lose their meaning in exploratory analyses? It depends how you define the familywise error rate. Review of General Psychology, 21, 269-275. doi: 10.1037/gpr0000123 and (b) provides a response to Robidoux, S. (2017). Do p values lose their meaning in exploratory analyses? It depends how you define exploratory. Retrieved from http://serjerobidoux.blogspot.com.au/2017/10/do-p-values-lose-their-meaning-in.html
Making predictable unpredictable with style – Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence for the critical role of prosodic expectations in the perception of prominence in speech
Authors: Kakouros Sofoklis , Salminen Nelli , Räsänen Okko
Published: July 2018

Perceptual prominence of linguistic units such as words has been earlier connected to the concepts of predictability and attentional orientation. One hypothesis is that low-probability prosodic or lexical content is perceived as prominent due to the surprisal and high information value associated with the stimulus. However, the existing behavioral studies have used stimulus manipulations that follow or violate typical linguistic patterns present in the listeners’ native language, i.e., assuming that the listeners have already established a model for acceptable prosodic patterns in the language. In the present study, we investigated whether prosodic expectations and the resulting subjective impression of prominence is affected by brief statistical adaptation to suprasegmental acoustic features in speech, also in the case where the prosodic patterns do not necessarily follow language- typical marking for prominence. We first exposed listeners to five minutes of speech with uneven distributions of falling and rising fundamental frequency (F0) trajectories on sentence-final words, and then tested their judgments of prominence on a set of new utterances. The results show that the probability of the F0 trajectory affects the perception of prominence, a less frequent F0 trajectory making a word more prominent independently of the absolute direction of F0 change. In the second part of the study, we conducted EEG-measurements on a set of new subjects listening to similar utterances with predominantly rising or falling F0 on sentence-final words. Analysis of the resulting event-related potentials (ERP) reveals a significant difference in N200 and N400 ERP-component amplitudes between standard and deviant prosody, again independently of the F0 direction and the underlying lexical content. Since N400 has earlier been associated with semantic processing of stimuli, this suggests that listeners implicitly track probabilities at the suprasegmental level and that predictability of a prosodic pattern during a word has an impact to the semantic processing of the word. Overall, the study suggests that prosodic markers for prominence are at least partially driven by the statistical structure of recently perceived speech, and therefore prominence perception could be based on statistical learning mechanisms similar to those observed in early word learning, but in this case operating at the level of suprasegmental acoustic features.
Preprint:The neglected contribution of memory encoding in spatial cueing: A new theory of costs and benefits
Authors: CHEN HUI , Wyble Brad
Published: July 2018

Spatial cueing is one of the most robust effects in cognitive psychology and has been thought for decades to indicate the resource limits of the visual attention system given that invalidly cued items are processed less efficiently than neutral ones. However, limited resource accounts cannot explain findings of dividing attention without yielding noticeable costs as well as findings showing benefits without costs in spatial cueing. The current study presents a new account of cueing effects, namely the memory encoding cost (MEC) theory, which integrates attention and memory encoding effects in an explanation of the costs and benefits evoked by a spatial cue. Unlike previous theories that focused only on the role of attention in yielding spatial cueing effects, the MEC theory argues that cueing effects are driven by two distinct mechanisms: attentional facilitation and a memory encoding cost. That is, the cost of an invalid cue as measured by target report is entirely or at least partially driven by memory encoding of the cue which extends across the entire visual field, while the benefit of a valid cue is the net effect of a combination of this encoding cost, and a spatiotopic attentional facilitation. The crucial implication of this theory is that attention may be unlimited despite the observation of invalidity costs. MEC generates a number of predictions that we test here, providing three convergent lines of evidence for such encoding costs in cueing paradigms. Furthermore, as the MEC suggests a common mechanism underlying cueing costs and the attentional blink, we simulated the core empirical findings of the current study by using an existing attentional blink model and found that the model was able to simulate them with manipulation of a single parameter that corresponds to memory encoding. The MEC theory thus simplifies our theoretical understanding of attentional effects by linking the attentional blink and spatial cueing costs to a common mechanism. The code and data for all of the reported experiments and simulations are available on the Open Science Framework at this URL:https://osf.io/ckqrj/?view_only=0d1e9b6f412d47109e933201b61de78c
On the Origin of the Matthew Effect: Insights from a Quantitative Theoretical Model
Authors: McBee Matthew , Makel Matthew C. , Godkin Natasha
Published: July 2018

A quantitative theoretical model of academic achievement, based on the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is used to explore the origin and development of achievement discrepancies via the phenomenon known as the Matthew effect. This paper applies the model to explore the potential impact of various types of educational interventions and their anticipated effects on academic achievement as well as excellence and achievement gaps. Interventions tend to aggravate both type of gaps unless they are paired with countervailing curricular insufficiency that serves to limit the growth of the highest achieving students.