Monday, March 9, 2020

Aphantasia is associated with scientific & mathematical occupations; hyperphantasia with ‘creative’ professions; those with aphantasia report an elevated rate of difficulty with face recognition & autobiographical memory

Zeman, Adam, Fraser Milton, Sergio Della Sala, Michaela Dewar, Timothy Frayling, James Gaddum, Andrew Hattersley, et al. 2020. “Phantasia - the Psychological Significance of Lifelong Visual Imagery Vividness Extremes.” PsyArXiv. March 9. doi:10.31234/osf.io/sfn9w

Abstract: Visual imagery typically enables us to see absent items in the mind’s eye. It plays a role in memory, day-dreaming and creativity. Since coining the terms aphantasia and hyperphantasia to describe the absence and abundance of visual imagery, we have been contacted by many thousands of people with extreme imagery abilities. Questionnaire data from 2000 participants with aphantasia and 200 with hyperphantasia indicate that aphantasia is associated with scientific and mathematical occupations, whereas hyperphantasia is associated with ‘creative’ professions. Participants with aphantasia report an elevated rate of difficulty with face recognition and autobiographical memory, whereas participants with hyperphantasia report an elevated rate of synaesthesia. Around half those with aphantasia describe an absence of wakeful imagery in all sense modalities, while a majority dream visually. Aphantasia appears to run within families more often than would be expected by chance. Aphantasia and hyperphantasia appear to be widespread but neglected features of human experience with informative psychological associations.



Abortion attitudes have become less complex and more polarized over time, a trend largely driven by the pro-abortion camp

Abortion Complexity Scores from 1972 to 2018: A Cross-Sectional Time-Series Analysis Using Data from the General Social Survey. Kristen N. Jozkowski, Brandon L. Crawford & Malachi Willis. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, March 9 2020. https://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13178-020-00439-9

Abstract
Introduction: According to data from the General Social Survey (GSS), abortion attitudes have remained relatively stable since 1972. Despite this apparent stability, some researchers argue abortion opinions have become increasingly polarized, particularly among certain subgroups. Others argue people’s attitudes toward abortion are complex and nuanced; that is, people may feel conflicted or ambivalent about abortion in certain contexts. To better understand this issue, we examined complexity and polarization in people’s attitudes toward abortion using GSS data from 1972 until 2018 (n = 44,302).

Methods: The GSS includes six items assessing whether it should be possible for “a pregnant woman to obtain a legal abortion” under specific circumstances. Using these items, we created an aggregate complexity measure. Negative binomial, Poisson, and logistic regression models were tested to assess potential changes in complexity and polarization over time among demographic subgroups.

Results: Findings indicate changes in complexity across political party affiliations, religious identity, and age groups. However, any significant differences among these demographic subgroups are lost once polarized scores are removed. That is, changes in complexity are driven largely by more people supporting access to abortion in all or no situations; among those who remain conflicted, there has been little change in complexity.

Discussion: These findings provide a more nuanced assessment of trends in abortion attitudes. Given the saliency of this issue, we recommend researchers consider alternative mechanisms to assess abortion attitudes.

Policy Implication: These nuanced assessments of abortion attitudes should be considered when determining the congruence between abortion legislation and public opinion.

Cognitive ability was related to more affective prejudice towards relatively conservative groups; people with higher levels of cognitive ability were more in favor of freedom of speech for all groups

De keersmaecker, Jonas, Dries H. Bostyn, Alain Van Hiel, and Arne Roets. 2020. “Disliked but Free to Speak: Cognitive Ability Is Related to Supporting Freedom of Speech for Groups Across the Ideological Spectrum.” PsyArXiv. March 9. doi:10.31234/osf.io/b7kty

Abstract: Freedom of speech for all citizens is often considered as a cornerstone of democratic societies. In three studies, we examined the relationship between cognitive ability and support for freedom of speech for a variety of social groups across the ideological spectrum (N1 varies between 1373 and 18719, N2 = 298, N3 = 395). Corroborating our theoretical expectations, although cognitive ability was related to more affective prejudice towards relatively conservative groups, and less affective prejudice towards relatively liberal groups (Study 2), people with higher levels of cognitive ability were more in favor of freedom of speech for all target groups (Study 1 – 3). The relationship between cognitive ability and freedom of speech support was mediated by intellectual humility (pre-registered Study 3). These results indicate that, cognitive ability contributes to support for the democratic right of freedom of speech for all social-ideological groups.

Consistent with Petry & others' work, nonmonetary outcomes are discounted more steeply than monetary outcomes; people who steeply discount monetary outcomes steeply discount nonmonetary outcomes as well

Delay discounting of different outcomes: Review and theory. Amy L. Odum et al. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, March 8 2020. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.589

Abstract: Steep delay discounting is characterized by a preference for small immediate outcomes relative to larger delayed outcomes and is predictive of drug abuse, risky sexual behaviors, and other maladaptive behaviors. Nancy M. Petry was a pioneer in delay discounting research who demonstrated that people discount delayed monetary gains less steeply than they discount substances with abuse liability. Subsequent research found steep discounting for not only drugs, but other nonmonetary outcomes such as food, sex, and health. In this systematic review, we evaluate the hypotheses proposed to explain differences in discounting as a function of the type of outcome and explore the trait‐ and state‐like nature of delay discounting. We found overwhelming evidence for the state‐like quality of delay discounting: Consistent with Petry and others' work, nonmonetary outcomes are discounted more steeply than monetary outcomes. We propose two hypotheses that together may account for this effect: Decreasing Future Preference and Decreasing Future Worth. We also found clear evidence that delay discounting has trait‐like qualities: People who steeply discount monetary outcomes steeply discount nonmonetary outcomes as well. The implication is that changing delay discounting for one outcome could change discounting for other outcomes.


Canada: Rank mobility increases as the percentage of mothers with a high school diploma increases; weaker evidence that mobility increases with the percentage of mothers with a university degree

Parental Education Mitigates the Rising Transmission of Income between Generations. Marie Connolly, Catherine Haeck, and Jean-William P. Laliberte. NBER, February 19, 2020. http://conference.nber.org/conf_papers/f129700.pdf

Abstract: This article provides evidence on the causal relationship between maternal education andthe intergenerational transmission of income. Using a novel linkage between intergenerational income tax data and Census data for individuals born between 1963 and 1985 and their parents, we show that rank mobility has decreased over time, and that this decline was sharpest for children of mothers without a high school diploma. Using variation in compulsory schooling laws, we show that rank mobility increases as the percentage of mothers with a high school diploma increases. We find weaker evidence that mobility increases with the percentage of mothers with a university degree.

JEL codes: J62, D63
Keywords: social mobility, intergenerational income transmission, income inequality, educa-tion, Canada