Wednesday, March 7, 2018

I find a worldwide optimism about the future; in spite of repeated evidence to the contrary, people consistently but irrationally predict they will be better off five years from now. The gap between future & current wellbeing diminishes with age, & in rich countries, is negative among the elderly

What do Self-Reports of Wellbeing Say about Life-Cycle Theory and Policy? Angus Deaton. NBER Working Paper No. 24369. http://www.nber.org/papers/w24369

Abstract: I respond to Atkinson's plea to revive welfare economics, and to considering alternative ethical frameworks when making policy recommendations. I examine a measure of self-reported evaluative wellbeing, the Cantril Ladder, and use data from Gallup to examine wellbeing over the life-cycle. I assess the validity of the measure, and show that it is hard to reconcile with familiar theories of intertemporal choice. I find a worldwide optimism about the future; in spite of repeated evidence to the contrary, people consistently but irrationally predict they will be better off five years from now. The gap between future and current wellbeing diminishes with age, and in rich countries, is negative among the elderly. I also use the measure to think about income transfers by age and sex. Policies that give priority those with low incomes favor the young and the old, while utilitarian policies favor the middle aged, and men over women.

Taboo words to describe proper names does not cause a significant effect; however, we found that participants rated certain categories of taboo words as more offensive than other categorie

Duncan, Jennifer, Erin M Buchanan, Caleb Z Marshall, and Katerina Oberdieck 2018. “But Words Will Never Hurt Me”. Open Science Framework. February 2. osf.io/b2nxg

Abstract: It is no secret that people often use taboo words when speaking about persons and objects in their environment. Taboo words are charged with emotion and have observable impact on the listener as well as the speaker. The purpose of this study was to determine whether taboo words were quantitatively more offensive when used in combination with a proper name versus being used with a non-human object. We found that using taboo words to describe proper names does not cause a significant effect; however, we found that participants rated certain categories of taboo words as more offensive than other categories. In a second experiment, taboo words did affect ratings and memory for proper names and non-human objects.

No evidence to support an association between emotion recognition deficits and previous exposure to adversity, either in terms of total lifetime exposure, timing, duration, or recency, or when stratifying by sex

Dunn, E. C., Crawford, K. M., Soare, T. W., Button, K. S., Raffeld, M. R., Smith, A. D.A.C., Penton-Voak, I. S. and Munafò, M. R. (2018), Exposure to childhood adversity and deficits in emotion recognition: results from a large, population-based sample. J Child Psychol Psychiatr. doi:10.1111/jcpp.12881

Abstract

Background: Emotion recognition skills are essential for social communication. Deficits in these skills have been implicated in mental disorders. Prior studies of clinical and high-risk samples have consistently shown that children exposed to adversity are more likely than their unexposed peers to have emotion recognition skills deficits. However, only one population-based study has examined this association.

Methods: We analyzed data from children participating in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a prospective birth cohort (n = 6,506). We examined the association between eight adversities, assessed repeatedly from birth to age 8 (caregiver physical or emotional abuse; sexual or physical abuse; maternal psychopathology; one adult in the household; family instability; financial stress; parent legal problems; neighborhood disadvantage) and the ability to recognize facial displays of emotion measured using the faces subtest of the Diagnostic Assessment of Non-Verbal Accuracy (DANVA) at age 8.5 years. In addition to examining the role of exposure (vs. nonexposure) to each type of adversity, we also evaluated the role of the timing, duration, and recency of each adversity using a Least Angle Regression variable selection procedure.

Results: Over three-quarters of the sample experienced at least one adversity. We found no evidence to support an association between emotion recognition deficits and previous exposure to adversity, either in terms of total lifetime exposure, timing, duration, or recency, or when stratifying by sex.

Conclusions: Results from the largest population-based sample suggest that even extreme forms of adversity are unrelated to emotion recognition deficits as measured by the DANVA, suggesting the possible immutability of emotion recognition in the general population. These findings emphasize the importance of population-based studies to generate generalizable results.

Married...with children: The science of well-being in marriage and family life

Nelson-Coffey, S. K. (2018). Married...with children: The science of well-being in marriage and family life.  In E. Diener, S. Oishi, & L. Tay (Eds.),  Handbook of well-being. Salt Lake City, UT: DEF Publishers. DOI:nobascholar.com.

Abstract: As  some  of  the  most  important  relationships  in  people’s  lives,  marriage  and  parenthood  offer  many opportunities  for  people  to  experience  great  joy  or  to suffer  incredible  disappointment.  In  the  current chapter, I review current understanding of whether, how, and why marriage and parenthood are associated with well-being, drawing on evidence from cross-sectional, longitudinal, and daily experience studies. I also consider the implications of family structure for the associations between marriage and well-being, and parenthood  and  well-being,  respectively.  Current evidence  provides  relatively  robust  support  for  the association between marriage and well-being; however, the association between parenthood is much more complex. I conclude with a number of suggestions for future research.

Keywords: Family, Marriage, Parenthood, Well-Being, Happiness

Significant variation in suicide frequency concerning day of the week with a peak on Mondays and Tuesdays and seasonality with increased numbers in spring and summer months

Time-related aspects of suicides – suicide frequency related to birthday, major holidays, day of the week, season, month of birth and zodiac signs. Eberhard A. Deisenhammer, Christoph Stiglbauer, Georg Kemmler. Neuropsychiatrie, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40211-018-0260-7

Summary

Background: Suicides are generally the consequence of overchallenged coping strategies of individual for psychological, social or internal and external biological strain factors. Timing of the suicide, too, may be influenced by external factors. Studies so far have yielded in part inconsistent results concerning the association of suicides with particular days or periods of the year. Even less is known regarding a potential effect of the time of birth on suicide risk.

Methods: The Tyrol Suicide Register (TSR) provides data on suicides occurring in the Austrian State of Tyrol including birthday of the suicide victim and day of the suicide. In the present study the frequency of suicides was analyzed with regard to birthday, day of the week, major holidays and season over a period of 17 years. Further, a potential association with month of birth and zodiac signs was studied.

Results: We found a significant variation in suicide frequency concerning day of the week with a peak on Mondays and Tuesdays and seasonality with increased numbers in spring and summer months.

Conclusions: The increase of suicide numbers at the beginning of the week may be explained by the “broken-promise effect” which has been described as the consequence of frustrated expectations concerning the weekend. Possible explanations for the suicide peaks in spring and summer may be biological, specifically serotonergic alterations as well as the experience of depressed patients perceiving the social and emotional contrast to people who are able to enjoy these periods of pleasure and outdoor activities.

Keywords: Suicide risk Birth Seasonality Holidays Weekday Zodiac

Relatedness decreases and reciprocity increases cooperation in Norway rats

Relatedness decreases and reciprocity increases cooperation in Norway rats. Manon K. Schweinfurth, Michael Taborsky. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, March 07 2018.DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0035

Abstract: Kin selection and reciprocity are two mechanisms underlying the evolution of cooperation, but the relative importance of kinship and reciprocity for decisions to cooperate are yet unclear for most cases of cooperation. Here, we experimentally tested the relative importance of relatedness and received cooperation for decisions to help a conspecific in wild-type Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus). Test rats provided more food to non-kin than to siblings, and they generally donated more food to previously helpful social partners than to those that had refused help. The rats thus applied reciprocal cooperation rules irrespective of relatedness, highlighting the importance of reciprocal help for cooperative interactions among both related and unrelated conspecifics.


Check also Reciprocal Trading of Different Commodities in Norway Rats. Manon K. Schweinfurth, Michael Taborsky. Current Biology, www.bipartisanalliance.com/2018/02/reciprocal-altruism-among-non-human.html

Decision-makers are resilient in the face of social exclusion

Juanchich, M., Walasek, L. and Sirota, M. (2018), Decision-makers are resilient in the face of social exclusion. Br J Psychol. doi:10.1111/bjop.12294

Abstract: A growing body of evidence suggests that social exclusion impairs people's capacity for active deliberation and logical reasoning. Building on this finding and on the postulate from the dual-process theory that analytical thinking is essential in order to make good judgements and decisions, we hypothesized that social exclusion will alter judgement and choice behaviour. We tested this hypothesis in three experiments in which social exclusion was manipulated using the Cyberball paradigm, an online ball-tossing game in which participants either received the ball a fair number of times or were excluded by the other two players. We focused on a range of tasks designed to be sensitive to participants’ ability to engage in analytical thinking and careful deliberation, including the cognitive reflection test (Experiment 1) and a set of anchoring, intertemporal preference, disjunction, and confidence tasks (experiments 2 and 3). Our results unanimously failed to support the hypothesis that social exclusion influences people's judgements and decision-making. We discuss the implications of our findings for social exclusion theory.

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Our results also showed that Facebook news use was related to a modest over-time spiral of depolarization. Furthermore, we found that people who use Facebook for news were more likely to view both pro- and counter-attitudinal news in each wave

Facebook news and (de)polarization: reinforcing spirals in the 2016 US election. Michael A. Beam, Myiah J. Hutchens & Jay D. Hmielowski. Information, Communication & Society,  https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2018.1444783

ABSTRACT: The rise of social media, and specifically Facebook, as a dominant force in the flow of news in the United States has led to concern that people incur greater isolation from diverse perspectives through filter bubbles (from algorithmic filtering) and echo chambers (from an information environment populated by social recommendations coming from overwhelmingly like-minded others). This evolution in news diffusion comes at a time when Americans report increased affective partisan polarization. In particular, evidence shows increasingly negative attitudes about out-party members. Based on selective exposure and reinforcing spirals model perspectives, we examined the reciprocal relationship between Facebook news use and polarization using national 3-wave panel data collected during the 2016 US Presidential Election. Over the course of the campaign, we found media use and attitudes remained relatively stable. Our results also showed that Facebook news use was related to a modest over-time spiral of depolarization. Furthermore, we found that people who use Facebook for news were more likely to view both pro- and counter-attitudinal news in each wave. Our results indicated that counter-attitudinal news exposure increased over time, which resulted in depolarization. We found no evidence of a parallel model, where pro-attitudinal exposure stemming from Facebook news use resulted in greater affective polarization.

KEYWORDS: Selective exposure, reinforcing spirals, political polarization, Facebook, filter bubbles, echo chambers

‘Nest tying’ by wild chimpanzees at Bulindi—a variant of a universal great ape behavior?

Tie one on: ‘nest tying’ by wild chimpanzees at Bulindi—a variant of a universal great ape behavior? Matthew R. McLennan. Primates, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10329-018-0658-7

Abstract: With data accumulating from a growing pool of chimpanzee field studies, new behaviors as well as novel variants on common behaviors continue to be described. Nest construction is a universal behavior in wild great apes. Among chimpanzee populations, reported variation in nest building behavior mostly reflects environmental constraints. Despite the ubiquity of nest making by chimpanzees, only ground nesting has been recognized as a behavioral variant, potentially determined by both environmental and social factors. In a study of nests made by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in Bulindi, Uganda, I identified a hitherto undescribed nest construction technique, termed ‘nest tying’. Five observed nests lacked strong weight-bearing structures beneath them, such as large branches or a supporting trunk. Instead, the nests appeared ‘tied’ (or ‘tethered’) to an adjacent trunk by looping leafy stems or palm fronds around it and interweaving these into the nest mattress, securing the nest against the trunk; thus, nest tying presumably functions to provide added stability and support. This preliminary report presents a description of the observed nests. Irrespective of whether nest tying constitutes true knot making—commonly considered absent in wild great apes—this nest construction technique would seem to require advanced dexterity and a sophisticated understanding of the mechanical properties of the plants used. Forest fragments in Bulindi are highly degraded. Thus, nest tying—and construction of integrated nests (i.e., utilizing multiple plants, often small trees and shrubs) generally—may be promoted by a relative paucity of suitable nesting trees at this site. Still, insofar as nest building is learned in chimpanzees, different construction techniques including nest tying are potentially acquired through social learning. Further investigation is required to ascertain the prevalence and acquisition of this nest construction technique at Bulindi, and to verify its presence or absence in other habitats.

In women, the biological pre-disposition to sexual problems seems to remain relatively stable over time, that is, environment has no influence

Burri A, Ogata S. Stability of Genetic and Environmental Influences on Female Sexual Functioning. The Journal of Sexual Medicine March 06 2018, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2018.01.020

Abstract

Background: Genetic factors have been implicated in the etiology of female sexual dysfunction. Yet, how much the dynamic nature of sexual functioning is influenced by changes in genetic and/or environmental factors remains unknown.

Aim: To explore temporal stability of genetic and environmental influences on female sexual functioning over a 4-year period.

Methods: Data on desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain were collected in 2009 and 2013 using the Female Sexual Function Index and were available for 1,209 British twin women.
Outcomes: To track the stability of genetic influences the Female Sexual Function Index sub-domain and total scores were subject to multivariate twin analyses for repeated measures.

Results: Desire showed a lower heritability at follow-up (37% vs 14%) whereas for arousal and sexual pain the heritability at follow-up was higher compared to baseline (28% vs 34% and 30% vs 45%, respectively). The heritability of lubrication remained stable at 27%. According to the best-fitting additive environmental (AE) Cholesky model for all domains except for sexual pain there were no new genetic factors expressing themselves over the 4-year period, but an addition of new, unique environmental determinants could be observed. For sexual pain an additional genetic factor could be observed at follow-up, explaining 39% of the phenotypic variance.

Clinical Translation: The biological pre-disposition to sexual problems seems to remain relatively stable over time.

Conclusions: This is the first study to investigate the genetic stability of female sexual functioning in a large population sample of women. White ethnicity and the relatively high mean age of women asks for caution in extrapolating the findings to other ethnic and age groups. The findings highlight the value of more in-depth exploration of the non-shared environmental influences that could provide clues to the mechanisms behind remittance and/or persistence of sexual problems. Integration of these findings may provide a useful conceptual framework for the treatment and prevention of certain types of sexual problems.

Key Words: Female Sexual Functioning; Female Sexual Dysfunction; Genetics; Twins; Longitudinal


Zero-sum beliefs are pervasive. These beliefs seem to arise in part due to intuitive mercantilist beliefs that money has value over- and-above what it can purchase, since buyers are seen as less likely to benefit than sellers

Johnson, Samuel and Zhang, Jiewen and Keil, Frank, Psychological Underpinnings of Zero-Sum Thinking (January 28, 2018). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3117627 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3117627

Abstract: A core proposition in economics is that voluntary exchanges benefit both parties. We show that people often deny the mutually beneficial nature of exchange, instead using zero-sum thinking. Participants read about simple exchanges of goods and services, judging whether each party to the transaction was better off or worse off afterwards. These studies revealed that zero-sum beliefs are pervasive. These beliefs seem to arise in part due to intuitive mercantilist beliefs that money has value over- and-above what it can purchase, since buyers are seen as less likely to benefit than sellers, and barters are often seen as failing to benefit either party (Experiment 1). Zero-sum beliefs are greatly reduced by giving reasons for the exchange (Experiment 2), suggesting that a second mechanism underlying zero-sum thinking is a failure to spontaneously take the perspective of the buyer. Implications for politics and business are discussed.

Keywords: Intuitive theories, Folk psychology, Judgment & decision-making, Behavioral economics

Ten Things Career Changers Need on Their Resume

Ten Things Career Changers Need on Their Resume. By Alina Dizik. FINS, Sep 26 2011
http://europe-jobs.fins.com/Articles/SBB0001424053111904332804576540560574814434/Ten-Things-Career-Changers-Need-on-Their-Resume

In the last few years, executive resume writer Mary Elizabeth Bradford has noticed more of her clients seeking a career switch, even after having built successful careers in another field.

Nowadays, mid-level career changers -- such as software developers who now work in finance or entrepreneurs who come back into corporate life -- make up more than 45% of her practice. Many struggle to create an attention-grabbing resume, she says.

"The ability to objectively match up relevant skills to the position of choice is invaluable," Bradford says.

Eager to switch careers? Here are 10 ways to improve your resume:


Do a Comprehensive Rewrite

Most job candidates make a few quick changes to their resume before submitting it for a new role. If you are switching careers, re-analyze your skills during the editing process and include every area of the business that you've been able to impact, says Jill Smart, chief human resources officer at Accenture, a management consulting and technology firm with employees in 120 countries.

"People changing careers need to make sure their resume shows the full breadth of their skills -- operations, leadership, management, communication," explains Smart.

For example, Accenture hires former doctors to work in their health and public service practice. Their resumes need to demonstrate not only their relationship-building skills but also how they'll fit into the new business setting.


Use the New Job Description to Write a Summary Paragraph

Experts' opinions are mixed on the need for a resume summary or objective for those looking to stay in their field, but it's an important feature for a career changer, says Bonnie Marcus, a New York-based business coach and founder of Women's Success Coaching, a career coaching firm targeting women.

Include a summary paragraph at the top of your resume and tie "everything in the job description with everything you've accomplished in the past," she says.

For example, if the new position calls for online marketing expertise, make sure any marketing or Web experience is mentioned in this opening paragraph. Since most managers spend less than a minute scanning your resume, make sure the first thing they read ties directly to the job description.


Know What to Exclude

While conveying your skills is important, your resume shouldn't be a dumping ground for every minor accomplishment in your career, says resume expert Alesia Benedict, president of GetInterviews.com.

"Don't list tasks that are not relevant to the new career or you will simply reinforce that you should only be considered for your current type of position," Benedict says.

For example, an accountant shouldn't list certain routine bookkeeping duties if they are eager to leave accounting. Also avoid using specific company or industry terms or acronyms that are only known to those in your field.


Demonstrate Accomplishments With Numbers

Include bullet points that show how you've contributed to the bottom line. Numbers, especially those given in dollars, can quickly give hiring managers an idea of your contributions -- even in an unrelated field, says recruiter Craig Libis, founder of Executive Recruiting Consultants based in Dell Rapids, S.D.

While important on all resumes, for a career changer, numbers can be a simple way for hiring managers to relate to an unfamiliar work history. "Specific numbers [allow] the hiring company the ability to apply what the applicant can do for their company in the future," Libis says.


Add Relatable Job Title Descriptions

Adding a short descriptor after the official job title can help hiring managers easily identify your transferable skills.

"For example, if your job title was 'software engineer,' but you want to transition to project management, consider demonstrating the job title as 'Software Engineer (with a heavy emphasis on Project Management)'," Feldberg explains. But be careful not to exaggerate the truth. "You only want to use this approach if you can do it honestly," she adds.


Match up Keywords

When it comes to resume writing, keywords help you move past the electronic filters. For a career changer, that's the first potential barrier in stepping into a new role; a resume full of accounting keywords, for instance, will have a hard time getting past filters for a job in marketing.

Bradford recommends using job aggregator sites like Indeed.com to identify applicable keywords. Find several job postings for your ideal job, paste the job descriptions into a document and find keywords by highlighting any terms that are job descriptors or mention specific needed skills. Then pick out those keywords that match up with your previous experience and include them throughout the first page of your resume, says Bradford.

"Most job seekers are surprised how many matching and relevant skills they find in these job descriptions," she says.


Use a Mixed Format

When working with career switchers, resume writer Robyn Feldberg creates a functional-style resume on the first page and includes the traditional chronological format on the second page. "In other words, the first page looks like a glorified profile," says Dallas-based Feldberg who runs Abundant Success Coach, a career coaching and resume writing service.

Since the functional format focuses more on skills, you can use it to draw the hiring manager in with relevant experience without worrying about the chronology. Combining both resume formats helps to highlight the various transferable skills while still providing a look at the job history, she adds.



Drop Names to Show Previous Success

Showing that you've been able to succeed and work with established industry leaders in your previous career shouldn't be saved for the interview; instead, weave it into your resume to get a hiring manager's attention, says Theresa Szczurek, chief executive Radish Systems, a Boulder-based software firm. A bullet point may read: "Closed $2 million in new sales in 12 months with industry leaders XYZ," she explains.

Especially when applying for a position where you don't have prior experience, it's important to show that you've have the support of top industry leaders and were able to make a difference in your previous role.


Highlight Non-Work Related Experience

As a career changer, the extracurricular activities on your resume will carry more weight, say experts. Be sure to include activities that relate to your desired role like professional association memberships, volunteering, internships or part-time consulting.

For example, "if you're looking to move into Web or database development, volunteer [your] time ... creating a website or database for schools, churches, non-profits," and then highlight your role on your resume, suggests Mike McBrierty, chief operating officer of the technology staffing division of Eliassen Group, an IT recruiting firm based in Wakefield, Mass.


Find Natural Alignments

From a human resources perspective, there are certain accomplishments that are similar across different management structures and firms.

"Look for things about your current position that would have meaning to the person considering you for the new position," says Luke Tanen who left the music industry to work as the director of the Chicago Innovation Awards. For example, Tanen's mention of closing sponsorship deals was similarly impressive in both fields. "In seeing that the Chicago Innovation Awards were [free] in the job posting, I was quite certain that sponsors play a big role in this program. So I made a point to highlight it as my top bullet point from my past experience securing music sponsorships."

The Prevalence of Sexual Abuse in Institutions in Germany: Overall, 3.1% of adult respondents (women: 4.8%, men: 0.8%) reported abuse

The Prevalence of Sexual Abuse in Institutions: Results From a Representative Population-Based Sample in Germany. Andreas Witt et al. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1079063218759323

Abstract: The lifetime prevalence of sexual abuse in institutional settings in Germany was examined in a sample representative of the general adult population (N = 2,437). Participants completed a survey on whether they had ever experienced such abuse, its nature (contact, noncontact, forced sexual, intercourse), the type of institution (e.g. school, club), and the relationship of perpetrator to victim (peer, caregiver, staff member). Overall, 3.1% of adult respondents (women: 4.8%, men: 0.8%) reported having experienced some type of sexual abuse in institutions. Adult women reported higher rates of all types than did men, with rates of 3.9% versus 0.8% for contact sexual abuse, 1.2% versus 0.3% for noncontact sexual abuse, and 1.7% versus 0.2% for forced sexual intercourse. We conclude that a remarkable proportion of the general population experiences sexual abuse in institutions, underscoring the need for development of protective strategies. Especially, schools seem to represent good starting points for primary prevention strategies.

Keywords: abuse, child sexual abuse, sexual abuse, sexual offender, victim

How Counterfeits Infect Genuine Products: The Role of Moral Disgust

Amar, M., Ariely, D., Carmon, Z. and Yang, H. (2018), How Counterfeits Infect Genuine Products: The Role of Moral Disgust. J Consum Psychol. doi:10.1002/jcpy.1036

Abstract: We argue that moral disgust toward counterfeiting can degrade both the efficacy of products perceived to be counterfeits and that of genuine products resembling them. Five studies support our propositions and highlight the infectious nature of counterfeiting: Perceiving a product as a counterfeit made disgust more mentally accessible, and led participants to disinfect the item more and reduce how long they remained in physical contact with it (Study 1). Participants who perceived a mouse as a counterfeit, performed less well in a computer game using the mouse and expressed greater moral disgust, which mediated lowered performance (Study 2). Exposure to a supposedly counterfeit fountain pen in an unrelated prior task infected participants’ performance using a genuine ballpoint pen resembling the “counterfeit;” individual differences in moral attitudes moderated the effect (Study 3). Exposure to a supposedly counterfeit mouse infected performance with a genuine mouse of the same brand; moral disgust mediated this effect (Study 4). Finally, moral disgust mediated lowered efficacy of a supposed counterfeit and that of a genuine item resembling the “counterfeit” (Study 5).

Chimpanzees but not orangutans display aversive reactions toward their partner receiving a superior reward

Chimpanzees but not orangutans display aversive reactions toward their partner receiving a superior reward. Yena Kim et al. bioRxiv, https://doi.org/10.1101/274803

Abstract: Fairness judgment is a fundamental aspect of human cooperation. By carefully balancing the payoffs and efforts with cooperating partner (s) we could either avoid or punish cheaters and stably maintain cooperation. Recent studies investigating the origin of this fairness sentiment have demonstrated that this psychological trait is not unique to humans, but also can be observed in other group-living primates, such as chimpanzees and capuchins, suggesting a convergent evolution of a sense of fairness, with cooperative social life being the selective pressure for it. The current study was designed to test this hypothesis by directly comparing the response to the outcome inequity in two of our closest living relatives, chimpanzees and orangutans, having different social systems, i.e. solitary and patrilocal multi-male multi-female groups. Unlike other inequity experiments, we used a prosocial choice apparatus with different reward distributions (advantageous / disadvantageous) to give subjects an active role of not-sharing foods if they considered it unfair. In addition to the choice, we also recorded the behavioral responses of the apes to the inequity. Throughout the experiments aversive emotional responses toward the disadvantageous inequity were only found in chimpanzees, but not in orangutans, supporting the convergent (or domain-specific) evolution of a sense of fairness. However, this aversion to the inequity did not lead the chimpanzees to actually make selfish choices, indirectly supporting the previous findings that chimpanzees employ a partner choice strategy rather than a punishment for fair cooperation. We also found that hierarchy seems to play an important role in the expression of aversion to inequity and prosocial tendency in chimpanzees.

Monday, March 5, 2018

How Well Do Economists Forecast Recessions? As we already knew, badly.

How Well Do Economists Forecast Recessions? Zidong An ; JoĂŁo Tovar Jalles ; Prakash Loungani. IMF Working Paper No. 18/39. March 5, 2018. http://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2018/03/05/How-Well-Do-Economists-Forecast-Recessions-45672?cid=em-COM-123-36702

Summary: We describe the evolution of forecasts in the run-up to recessions. The GDP forecasts cover 63 countries for the years 1992 to 2014. The main finding is that, while forecasters are generally aware that recession years will be different from other years, they miss the magnitude of the recession by a wide margin until the year is almost over. Forecasts during non-recession years are revised slowly; in recession years, the pace of revision picks up but not sufficiently to avoid large forecast errors. Our second finding is that forecasts of the private sector and the official sector are virtually identical; thus, both are equally good at missing recessions. Strong booms are also missed, providing suggestive evidence for Nordhaus’ (1987) view that behavioral factors—the reluctance to absorb either good or bad news—play a role in the evolution of forecasts.

Does Students’ Grit Predict Their School Achievement Above and Beyond Their Personality, Motivation, and Engagement? It seems to have little explanatory power.

Does Students’ Grit Predict Their School Achievement Above and Beyond Their Personality, Motivation, and Engagement? Ricarda Steinmayr, Anne F. Weidinger, Allan Wigfield. Contemporary Educational Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2018.02.004

Highlights
•    In 2 independent samples, we investigated grit’s relation to school achievement.
•    Established conceptually and empirically related constructs were also considered.
•    Only Grit – perseverance of effort predicted GPA when including the other constructs.
•    Perseverance of effort did not predict GPA when controlling for previous achievement.

    Results question grit’s relevance for school achievement, at least in the short term.

Abstract: Grit—individuals’ perseverance of effort and consistency of interests—was introduced in 2007 as new construct that predicts different achievement outcomes. To date, most studies examining grit’s prediction of achievement have not included other predictors in their analyses. Therefore, we assessed grit’s incremental validity for school achievement above theoretically and empirically related predictors, in two adolescent student samples from Germany. Study 1 (N = 227) examined grit’s relative importance for students’ school grades (GPA, math, German) when controlling for prior school grades, the Big Five personality traits, school engagement, values, expectancies for success, and self-efficacy. In Study 2 (N = 586), intelligence, conscientiousness, and established constructs from motivation and engagement literatures were controlled to investigate grit’s relative importance for GPA, math grades and test performance in math. In both studies, relative weight analyses revealed that the grit subscales added little explanatory power. Results question grit’s unique prediction of scholastic success.

Keywords: grit; personality; motivation; school engagement; school performance; intelligence; relative weight analysis


Men’s attractiveness actually decreased if he was presented as the partner of an unattractive woman

Mate Copying and the Effects of Sexual History on Romantic Desirability. Ryan Corley Anderson. Evolutionary Psychological Science, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40806-018-0143-y

Abstract: Mate copying typically refers to the idea that the likelihood of an individual being chosen as a romantic partner varies as a function of how they are assessed by (generally opposite sex) others. The phenomenon has been well documented among nonhumans, but mate copying among humans has only really begun to receive attention from an academic audience in the last decade. Although our understanding of mate copying can be broadly encapsulated by the statement “sexual experience is desirable,” the long-standing and deeply ingrained social prescriptions against promiscuity present a challenge to this dictum. This paper attempts to address this inconsistency by reviewing literature supportive of and inconsistent with the above statement. It is concluded that the two ideas, although seemingly opposing, are not mutually exclusive.

The documented potential of humor for the maintenance of well-being is impressive, thereby rendering exaggerations and insufficiently substantiated claims of additional effects unnecessary

Humor and well-being: A little less is quite enough. Ilona Papousek. International Journal of Humor Research, https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/humr.ahead-of-print/humor-2016-0114/humor-2016-0114.xml

Abstract: Paul McGhee, one of the most influential pioneers in the field of humor research has been engaged for decades in exploring how humor can be used for the maintenance or improvement of well-being in the face of adversity. The present paper reviews recent empirical research corroborating several of his propositions. Undeniably, the benefits of humor can be much greater when one generates his or her own humor compared to just passively consuming humor. The active use of humor can be a potent tool to successfully cope with and appropriately recover from stressful situations, especially if it becomes a habitual response to adverse circumstances. While the ice is thin with regard to any beneficial effects of humor on physical health, it certainly may enhance the quality of life of patients. The paper concludes with the general evaluation that the documented potential of humor for the maintenance of well-being is impressive, thereby rendering exaggerations and insufficiently substantiated claims of additional effects unnecessary.

Keywords: Humor production; humor appreciation; humor training; laughter; coping; health

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Face identification is more accurate when people collaborate in social dyads than when they work alone; accuracy peaks at near perfection with eight participants

Jeckeln, G., Hahn, C. A., Noyes, E., Cavazos, J. G. and O'Toole, A. J. (2018), Wisdom of the social versus non-social crowd in face identification. Br J Psychol. doi:10.1111/bjop.12291

Abstract: Face identification is more accurate when people collaborate in social dyads than when they work alone (Dowsett & Burton, 2015, Br. J. Psychol., 106, 433). Identification accuracy is also increased when the responses of two people are averaged for each item to create a ‘non-social’ dyad (White, Burton, Kemp, & Jenkins, 2013, Appl. Cogn. Psychol., 27, 769; White et al., 2015, Proc. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci., 282, 20151292). Does social collaboration add to the benefits of response averaging for face identification? We compared individuals, social dyads, and non-social dyads on an unfamiliar face identity-matching test. We also simulated non-social collaborations for larger groups of people. Individuals and social dyads judged whether face image pairs depicted the same- or different identities, responding on a 5-point certainty scale. Non-social dyads were constructed by averaging the responses of paired individuals. Both social and non-social dyads were more accurate than individuals. There was no advantage for social over non-social dyads. For larger non-social groups, performance peaked at near perfection with a crowd size of eight participants. We tested three computational models of social collaboration and found that social dyad performance was predicted by the decision of the more accurate partner. We conclude that social interaction does not bolster accuracy for unfamiliar face identity matching in dyads beyond what can be achieved by averaging judgements.


Saturday, March 3, 2018

Are personality traits a good predictors of the type of watched pornography? Analysis of the relationship between personality traits and the preference of a chosen pornographic categories

Are personality traits a good predictors of the type of watched pornography? Analysis of the relationship between personality traits and the preference of a chosen pornographic categories. RafaĹ‚ Gerymski, Institute of Psychology, Opole University.  https://depot.ceon.pl/handle/123456789/14659

Abstract: The aim of this work was the further exploration of the relationship between selected personality factors and the preference of a given type of pornography. Data from 136 respondents aged between 19 and 56 years was used for the analysis. Selected personality traits were examined using the TIPI-PL questionnaire. Subjects were presented with 25 categories of pornographic films and were asked to select the keywords they use to search for pornography on the Internet. Data exploration has shown that the viewers of pornographic films are characterized by a significantly higher level of extraversion and emotional stability in relation to people who do not use pornography. In addition, it was shown that openness to experience turned out to be a significant predictor of the preferences of pornographic categories such as „BDSM”, „group sex” or „big penis”. Further research should take into account other features of the human psyche that may be related to pornographic preferences and examine the attractiveness of a given type of pornography.

Myths and Misconceptions in Developmental and Neuro-Psychology

Myths and Misconceptions in Developmental and Neuro-Psychology. Adrian Furnham. Psychology, Vol.9 No.2, February 2018. DOI 10.4236/psych.2018.92016

ABSTRACT: The current study examined the prevalence of psychological myths and misconceptions in two areas of psychology: Developmental and Neuro-Psychology. In all 220 participants completed two questionnaires both derived from two recently published books, in which they rated to what extent, they thought various statements/facts about the brain and about child development were True or False. A large number of these myths were rated as True (Definitely or Partly) indicating the extent to which people had misconceptions about this area of psychology. There were few significant demographic correlates of the total correct score (determined by rating the myth as False) indicating no clear pattern in what sort of person has these misconceptions. Implications and limitations are discussed.

KEYWORDS: Psychology, Education, Myths, Misconceptions, Psychological Knowledge, Misrepresentations

Check also Seven myths of memory. Nicola S. Clayton, , Clive Wilkins. Behavioural Processes, http://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2017/12/seven-myths-of-memory.html

And Class Dis-Mythed: Exploring the Prevalence and Perseverance of Myths in Upper-Level Psychology Courses. Michael Root and Caroline Stanley.
http://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2017/10/typical-courses-and-critical-thinking.html

And Dispelling the Myth: Training in Education or Neuroscience Decreases but Does Not Eliminate Beliefs in Neuromyths. Kelly Macdonald et al. Frontiers in Psychology, Aug 10 2017. http://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2017/08/training-in-education-or-neuroscience.html

People tend to rate low their ability to tell lies convincingly and at the same time believe that they are better lie detectors than the average person. Study of personality, demographic and psychophysiological correlates

Chapter 15 – Personality, Demographic, and Psychophysiological Correlates of People's Self-Assessed Lying Abilities. Eitan Elaad. In Detecting Concealed Information and Deception, 2018, Pages 353–376, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812729-2.00015-X

Abstract: Previous research indicated that people tend to rate low their ability to tell lies convincingly and at the same time believe that they are better lie detectors than the average person. The present chapter highlights correlations of the low self-assessed lie-telling ability and of the relatively high self-assessed lie-detection ability. A mini metaanalysis was performed on observations gathered from 16 experimental groups. The analysis shows demographic differences in these assessments. It was observed that religiosity, gender, age, and on-the-job lie-related experience, are moderators of the lie-telling and lie-detection ability assessments. Personality dimensions such as the Big Five attributes are also associated with people's lie-related ability assessments. It was further observed that high lie-telling ability raters preferred plausible deception over implausible truth. Finally, larger physiological responses to critical items in the Concealed Information Test were found among high lie-telling ability raters. Suggestions for future research are provided.

Keywords: Age; Big five; Concealed information test; Lie-detection ability; Lie-telling ability; Lying preference; Mini metaanalysis; Religiosity; Self-assessments

A Case of Pathological Collecting Behavior

Pathological collecting behavior. Michitaka Funayama et al. Cortex, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2018.02.014

Here we describe the development of pathological collecting behavior, which was observed in a patient with right orbitofrontal damage after subarachnoid hemorrhage [...]. His pathological collection behavior was first noticed 11 years post-onset (at age 59) when he began searching out detergents, newspapers, bottles of milk and beer, and hangers every day, mainly from garbage dumps [...]. At age 66, he began washing window screens and his car and cleaning his bathroom several times per day.

At age 76, during his stereotypical automobile washing, he removed the license plate to thouroughly wash underneath it; while doing so, he dropped a screw for the fight side of his car's license plate into the sewer. He was unable to retrieve the screw, and henceforth he began stealing screws from only the right side of license plates of other people's cars. His wife warned him not to collect them, and he always told her that he would never do it again; moreover, he surely knew that stealing was not permitted under any circumstances. However, he collected more than 50 screws over the following 2 months, but eventually he was arrested and again hospitalized in our psychiatry ward. Notably, even after his discharge from our ward, he could still work as a salesclerk at his liquor store.

From Swiping to Casual Sex and/or Committed Relationships: Exploring the Experiences of Tinder Users

From Swiping to Casual Sex and/or Committed Relationships: Exploring the Experiences of Tinder Users. Elisabeth Timmermans, CĂ©dric Courtois. The Information Society 34(2), March 2018, DOI 10.1080/01972243.2017.1414093

Abstract: To better understand if and how the mechanics of the process Tinder imposes on its users (i.e., swiping, matching, and starting conversations) influences the resulting sexual or romantic interactions, we collected data from 1038 Belgian Tinder users. Our findings show that a user’s swiping quantity does not guarantee a higher number of Tinder matches, women have generally more matches than men and men usually have to start a conversation on Tinder. Moreover, while having conversations was positively associated with reporting having had offline Tinder encounters, less than half of our sample reported having had an offline meeting with another Tinder user. Whereas more than one third of those offline encounters lead to casual sex, more than a quarter of those offline encounters result in the formation of a committed relationship. Such findings indicate that Tinder is not “just a hookup app”, as often assumed in public discourse. We argue it is plausible that sexual encounters will eventually lead to committed relationships in a society where initiation of relationship formation with dating has been replaced by hooking up.

Comments to "If Christianity or Communism were called diseases, would they then look for the chemical and genetic “causes” of these “conditions”?"

A person wrote in Facebook's Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology group:  "Psychiatrists look for twisted molecules and defective genes as the causes of schizophrenia, because schizophrenia is the name of a disease. If Christianity or Communism were called diseases, would they then look for the chemical and genetic “causes” of these “conditions”?
     Thomas Szasz, Hungarian psychiatrist

It seems that there are several contributions of biological nature to our social behavior.

1  Regarding Communism:

1.1  "We document a statistically significant and robust positive relation between risk aversion and the demand for redistribution that is also economically important. We show that previously used proxies for risk aversion (such as being an entrepreneur or having a history of unemployment) do not capture the effect of our measure of risk aversion but have distinctly different effects on the demand for redistribution." From Individual risk preferences and the demand for redistribution. Manja Gärtner, Johanna Mollerstrom and David Seim. Journal of Public Economics, v 153, September 2017, Pages 49-55. http://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2017/08/individual-risk-preferences-and-demand.html


1.2  There are several species in which inequity aversion has been measured, like common marmosets. http://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2018/02/inequity-aversion-is-observed-in-common.html

Or check this: Social inequality aversion in mice: Analysis with stress-induced hyperthermia and behavioral preference. Shigeru Watanabe. Learning and Motivation, Volume 59, August 2017, Pages 38-46, http://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2017/09/social-inequality-aversion-in-mice.html

Which is why some suspect that there is an "Evolutionary Origin of Empathy and Inequality Aversion" http://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2017/09/evolutionary-origin-of-empathy-and.html


1.3  Even in dictator's games, we try to avoid the taking version, and prefer the giving version: "Over 85% of the dictators in our experiment choose to play a giving game over a taking game when the payoff possibilities are identical and, on average, dictators are willing to sacrifice over 31% of their endowment to avoid taking." http://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2018/02/dictator-game-aversion-to-taking-is.html



2  Regarding religiosity:

2.1  there are good reasons to believe that religiosity is a substantially heritable trait. Good summary here: "The Future of Secularism: A Biologically Informed Theory Supplemented with Cross-Cultural Evidence" http://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2017/08/the-future-of-secularism-biologically.html


2.2  "In spite of increased secularization in American culture and a growing distrust of organized religion, religious involvement, personal religiosity, and spirituality are still viewed as highly desirable characteristics." Examining Social Desirability in Measures of Religion and Spirituality Using the Bogus Pipeline. Ann E. Jones and Marta Elliott. Review of Religious Research. March 2017, Volume 59, Issue 1, pp 47–64. http://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2017/08/examining-social-desirability-in.html

2.3  Being Atheist is linked to genes, which is a way to say than being religious is linked to the other genes. See The Mutant Says in His Heart, “There Is No God”: the Rejection of Collective Religiosity Centred Around the Worship of Moral Gods Is Associated with High Mutational Load. Edward Dutton, Guy Madison, Curtis Dunkel. Evolutionary Psychological Science, http://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2017/12/the-rejection-of-collective-religiosity.html



These authors are not saying that genetics make us more religious than not, or more redistributive than not, as an originally predetermined outcome... What they say is that being redistributive and religious was favored by the ancestors, and those with such behaviours reproduced better (more than the others), and are now dominant behaviors.

Of course, we don't know if that is a good idea or not, but we can discuss such theories, since they help explain observed behaviors.

Disclaimer: I am an Atheist (although I am not mad at religous people, I respect them).

Friday, March 2, 2018

An Investigation of Islamic Well-Being and Mental Health

An Investigation of Islamic Well-Being and Mental Health. Ali Eryilmaz, Naci Kula. Journal of Religion and Health, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10943-018-0588-0

Abstract: The overall aim of this study was to develop the Islamic Well-Being Scale and examine the relationship between mental health and Islamic well-being. In this study, four sub-studies were performed to create the one-factor Islamic Well-Being Scale, perform a confirmatory factor analysis and validate the Islamic Well-Being Scale, differentially predict ill-being and well-being outcomes using the Islamic Well-Being Scale, and compare individuals with different Islamic belief levels using the Islamic Well-Being Scale. In total, 170 adults, 209 adults, 216 theological faculty students and 152 undergraduate educational faculty students participated in each sub-study. Several scales related to well-being and ill-being were used in this study. The Islamic Well-Being Scale was found to be valid and reliable. Islamic well-being was related to certain indicators of well-being and ill-being.

Keywords: Islam Well-Being Ill-Being Scale

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From the Islamic perspective, three important criteria of happiness are evident. First, all Muslims who claim to be Muslims must first believe in the basic principles of Islam (Eryılmaz 2015; Joshanloo 2013; Skinner 2010). Therefore, they must believe in Allah, the prophets, the angels, the Hereafter, fate and scripture (Qur’an, 4/136). In essence, the principles of faith in Islam enable individuals to feel self-confident because they believe in Allah’s existence and power and remember and trust Him. According to the Qur’an, ‘‘Hearts find peace only by commemoration of God’’ (Qur’an, 13/28). Second, Islam means surrendering to the will of God (Haque 2004; Husain 1998). In Islam, followers must obey God’s divine laws. These rules include evaluating Islamic rituals, ethics, individual and social problems and the solutions to these problems from the perspective of the creator. These divine laws explain how happiness can be reached on Earth and in the Hereafter (Nasr 2003). Indeed, the attainment of happiness on Earth and in the Hereafter by mankind is expressed in relation to the fulfillment of the divine laws as follows: ‘‘Whosoever doth the law of Allah, his bans, and his respect, his righteousness is on the right hand of this Lord’’ (Qur’an, 22/30). The term ‘‘Fad/Fardh’’ describes the rules that should be observed at least at a minimum level. Fulfilling these obligations is necessary for one to be happy on Earth and in the Hereafter (Sajedi 2008). According to the Qur’an, ‘‘Allah does not lose the reward of those who do good works’’ (Qur’an, 9/120–121). Third, individuals must be called to Allah’s will to be happy both on Earth and in the Hereafter (Haque 2004; Joshanloo 2013). Therefore, Muslims must avoid the following seven major sins: human killing (Qur’an, 2/85, 178; 4/29, 92–93), adultery (Qur’an, 17/32, 4/15, 25; 24/2–10; 25/68–69; 33/30/65/1), drinking (Qur’an, 2/219; 5/90–91), breaking bonds with relatives (Qur’an, 4/1; 13/21–25), gambling (Qur’an, 2/219; 5/90–91) and bearing false witness against another (Qur’an, 4/135; 5/8; 25/75). To engage in such behavior is to be a party to corruptions that harm the Islamic religion (Qur’an, 4/117; 7/152; 10/32; 57/27).

...

Religion and spirituality are related to individual happiness (Hills and Argyle 2001; Tellegen et al. 1999; Ellison 1991; Francis and Robbins 2000; Wills 2009). Many studies have investigated religion and well-being (Paloutzian and Park 2005; Pargament and Abu-Raiya 2007; Spilka et al. 2003). Many of these studies focused on Christian populations (Abu-Raiya and Pargament 2011; Hills and Argyle 2001) and Muslim populations (Abdel-Khalek and Lester 2007; Abdel-Khalek and Naceur 2007; Abdel-Khalek and Thorson 2006; Alavi 2007; Baroun 2006; Eryılmaz 2014, 2015). However, studies examining happiness among adherents of Islam are lacking. Most studies have explored individual happiness in terms of Western concepts of well-being. Moreover, in these studies, the definition of happiness is humanistic rather than religious. From a humanistic perspective, happiness is a matter of what happens between birth and death. From a religious perspective, happiness extends to include periods before and after birth and death. Islam and well-being have only been examined theoretically or in review studies (Husain 1998; Joshanloo 2013; Nasr 2003; Sajedi 2008; Skinner 2010). Most scale development studies are based on Islamic religiosity. Abu-Raiya and Pargament (2011) reviewed 14 scale development studies in their literature review. However, no scale that directly measured Islamic well-being was identified in these studies. Abu-Raiya and Pargament (2011) state that studies on Islamic well-being should be conducted separately from studies of wellbeing in other cultures and should not consider Muslim life, worldviews and communication styles. Moreover, there are very few empirical studies on Islamic well-being because valid and reliable measurement tools are limited, making this an emerging field. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the relationships between Islamic well-being and mental health.

...

According to the results of this study, there is a weak positive relationship between Islamic well-being and mental health. Many reasons explain this relationship, such as the view of Islam on life, humans and happiness. According to Islam, the mind, heart and soul are required to reach man’s ultimate reality, which reveals the ultimate knowledge and happiness that is pre-emptive of a healthy mind. Islamic scholars believe that virtues and a good character will emerge by declining nafs-i emmareyi (animal spirit) and nafs-i lavvamah (logic soul), which directs human behavior according to the thoughts of the body angels. Happiness is in the heart of man in Islam. Mental calmness, calmness, feelings of well-being and comfort are the indicators of happiness. Happiness is the result of proper behavior both internally and externally, and a strong belief is the main source of happiness. Allah stated that ‘‘Whoever acts properly as a believer, we will bestow a good life on him who cannot go astray or suffer from my advice. But whoever turns away from my advice lives a difficult life’’ (Quran 16: 97). Ghazali stated in his book, ‘‘The Alchemy of Happiness,’’ that happiness can only be found by turning to God. To understand life and obtain happiness, one must understand himself/herself as if he/she were God and the world and that he is a lifesaver. One can only obtain true peace and maintain long-term purity by submitting to the will of God and following his rules (Husain 1998, p. 282). To achieve happiness in this world and the world to come, Muslims must choose to experience happiness in the Hereafter. In Islamic philosophy, happiness and apocalyptic science are interrelated. According to Islam, adherent Muslims can live in this world and the other world with positive feelings, such as peace, satisfaction, happiness and gratitude (Joshanloo 2013). There are approaches that treat happiness as a departure from the id (Khademi 2009; Mattila 2011) and those that deny, ignore or kill the id. However, to be a human being is a part of the id personality, and the id only dies when the individual does. Another perspective in Islamic terms is not to kill the id but to fulfill its wishes and anticipations while meeting Islamic criteria. Therefore, satisfaction based on the rules of instinct will make people happy to a certain extent. The accuracy of this explanation is indicated by the results of this study.

Given these explanations, it is necessary to underline the important points of Islamic well-being. Islamic well-being recommends modest pleasure rather than unlimited pleasure. Happiness derived from personal growth and capacity building is more important in the Hereafter than in this life because of the limited scope for personal growth and capacity building in the secular world. Islam views well-being in terms of the afterlife and its possibilities because compared to eternity, life on earth is but a drop in the ocean.

Is bilingualism associated with enhanced executive functioning in adults? It seems not.

Lehtonen, M., Soveri, A., Laine, A., Järvenpää, J., de Bruin, A., & Antfolk, J. (2018). Is bilingualism associated with enhanced executive functioning in adults? A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/bul0000142

Abstract: Because of enduring experience of managing two languages, bilinguals have been argued to develop superior executive functioning compared with monolinguals. Despite extensive investigation, there is, however, no consensus regarding the existence of such a bilingual advantage. Here we synthesized comparisons of bilinguals’ and monolinguals’ performance in six executive domains using 891 effect sizes from 152 studies on adults. We also included unpublished data, and considered the potential influence of a number of study-, task-, and participant-related variables. Before correcting estimates for observed publication bias, our analyses revealed a very small bilingual advantage for inhibition, shifting, and working memory, but not for monitoring or attention. No evidence for a bilingual advantage remained after correcting for bias. For verbal fluency, our analyses indicated a small bilingual disadvantage, possibly reflecting less exposure for each individual language when using two languages in a balanced manner. Moreover, moderator analyses did not support theoretical presuppositions concerning the bilingual advantage. We conclude that the available evidence does not provide systematic support for the widely held notion that bilingualism is associated with benefits in cognitive control functions in adults.

Psychosocial factors affecting resilience in Nepalese individuals with earthquake-related spinal cord injury

Psychosocial factors affecting resilience in Nepalese individuals with earthquake-related spinal cord injury: a cross-sectional study. Muna Bhattarai, Khomapak Maneewat, Wipa Sae-Sia. BMC Psychiatry, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186%2Fs12888-018-1640-z

Abstract

Background: One of many types of injuries following an earthquake is spinal cord injury (SCI) which is a life-long medically complex injury and high-cost health problem. Despite several negative consequences, some persons with SCI are resilient enough to achieve positive adjustment, greater acceptance, and better quality of life. Since resilience is influenced by several factors and can vary by context, it is beneficial to explore factors that affect the resilience of people who sustained spinal cord injury from the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study included 82 participants from the Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Center and communities in Nepal. Participants completed the Demographic and Injury-related Questionnaire, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Moorong Self-efficacy Scale, Intrinsic Spirituality Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Pearson’s correlation and point biserial correlation analyses were performed to examine associations between resilience and independent variables. A hierarchical regression analysis was used to identify the influence of certain factors.

Results: Findings indicated significant associations between resilience and social support (r = 0.42, p < 0.001), self-efficacy (r = 0.53, p < 0.001), depressive mood (r = − 0.50, p < 0.001) and demographic variables which included sex (r = 0.47, p < 0.001), employment (r = 0.27, p = 0.016), and current living location (r = 0.24, p = 0.029). There was a non-significant association between resilience and spirituality (r = − 0.12, p > 0.05). In hierarchical regression analysis, an overall regression model explained 46% of the variance in resilience. Self-efficacy (β = 0.28, p = 0.007) and depressive mood (β = − 0.24, p = 0.016) significantly determined resilience after controlling the effect of demographic variables. Among the demographic factors, being male significantly explained the variance in resilience (β = 0.31, p = 0.001).

Conclusions: Multiple psychosocial and demographic factors were associated with resilience in people who sustained an earthquake-related SCI. Mental health professionals should demonstrate concern and consider such factors in allocating care in this group. Development of intervention research concerning resilience is recommended to strengthen resilience in order to improve rehabilitation outcomes and enhance reintegration of individuals with SCI into their communities.

Keywords: Resilience Social support Self-efficacy Spirituality Depressive mood Earthquake Spinal cord injury Nepal



Voice pitch predicts electability, but does not signal leadership ability

Voice pitch predicts electability, but does not signal leadership ability. Casey A. Klofstad, Rindy C. Anderson. Evolution and Human Behavior, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2018.02.007

Abstract: Voice pitch, the perceived “highness” or “lowness” of a voice, influences how humans perceive and treat each other in various ways. One example is the selection of leaders. A growing number of studies, both experimental and observational, show that individuals with lower-pitched voices are more likely to win elected office. This leads to the yet untested question of whether individuals with lower voices are actually better leaders. That is, is voice pitch a reliable signal of leadership ability? Here we address this question with an observational study of the vocal pitch and leadership ability of elected officials, and an experiment where subjects were asked to respond to persuasive political policy statements made by speakers with different pitched voices. Both studies lead to the same conclusion: voice pitch does not correlate with leadership ability.

Keywords: Voice pitch, Leadership, Vote choice, Persuasion, Perception

Thursday, March 1, 2018

If there’s a penis, it’s most likely a man: Investigating the social construction of gender using eye tracking

If there’s a penis, it’s most likely a man: Investigating the social construction of gender using eye tracking. Frederike Wenzlaff, Peer Briken, Arne Dekker. PLOS One, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193616

Abstract: In their foundational work on the social construction of gender, Kessler and McKenna (1978) investigated the relationship between gender attribution and genital attribution. We used digital reproductions of the original stimuli to replicate their findings in the current social context. To further investigate the underlying decision processes we applied eye tracking. The stimuli shown varied in the composition of gender cues: from those more commonly associated with maleness to associated with femaleness. Applying the ethnomethodological approach originally used, participants were asked to decide for each stimulus whether they saw a man or a woman and to indicate subjective confidence with the decision. In line with the original results we found that the genital attribution contributed immensely to the gender attribution. Also, male gender was ascribed more often when the penis was present than was female gender when the vulva was shown. Eye tracking revealed that overall most dwell time as a proxy for important information was dedicated to the head, chest and genital areas of all the stimuli. Total dwell time depended on whether the gender attribution was made in line with the depicted genital, if the genital was a penis. Attributing female gender when a penis was present was associated with longer total dwell time, unlike attributing male gender with a vulva shown. This is indicative of higher cognitive effort and more difficulty ignoring the penis as opposed to the vulva. We interpret this finding in context of the persistent male dominance as well as to the socio-cultural understanding of the vulva as a concealed and therefore seemingly absent organ. In summary, we were able to show that the gender attribution is still closely linked to genital attribution when having a binary forced choice task and that the penis is a special cue in this attribution process.

JĂĽnger, Gerlach, & Penke, 2018. No Evidence for Ovulatory Cycle Shifts in Women’s Preferences for Men’s Behaviors in a Pre-registered Study

JĂĽnger, Julia, Tanja M Gerlach, and Lars Penke 2018. “JĂĽnger, Gerlach, & Penke, 2018. No Evidence for Ovulatory Cycle Shifts in Women’s Preferences for Men’s Behaviors in a Pre-registered Study”. PsyArXiv. March 1. psyarxiv.com/7g3xc

Abstract: 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 short-term 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 flirtatious dyadic interactions on sexual and long-term attractiveness. Multilevel comparisons across two ovulatory cycles revealed significant cycle shifts: When fertile, women’s ratings of men’s sexual and long-term attractiveness increased. Contrary to previous findings, behavioral cues as displayed in men’s flirting behavior did not interact with cycle phase to predict these shifts. Effects were only found for partnered women, not for singles. Hormonal mechanisms and implications for estrus theories are discussed.

Found that luck is more important than good traits for lifetime reproductive success

Pluck or Luck: Does Trait Variation or Chance Drive Variation in Lifetime Reproductive Success? Robin E. Snyder, and Stephen P. Ellner. The American Naturalist, https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/696125

Abstract: While there has been extensive interest in how intraspecific trait variation affects ecological processes, outcomes are highly variable even when individuals are identical: some are lucky, while others are not. Trait variation is therefore important only if it adds substantially to the variability produced by luck. We ask when trait variation has a substantial effect on variability in lifetime reproductive success (LRS), using two approaches: (1) we partition the variation in LRS into contributions from luck and trait variation and (2) we ask what can be inferred about an individual’s traits and with what certainty, given their observed LRS. In theoretical stage- and size-structured models and two empirical case studies, we find that luck usually dominates the variance of LRS. Even when individuals differ substantially in ways that affect expected LRS, unless the effects of luck are substantially reduced (e.g., low variability in reproductive life span or annual fecundity), most variance in lifetime outcomes is due to luck, implying that departures from “null” models omitting trait variation will be hard to detect. Luck also obscures the relationship between realized LRS and individual traits. While trait variation may influence the fate of populations, luck often governs the lives of individuals.

Keywords: reproductive skew, lifetime reproductive success, trait variation, individual stochasticity, Rissa tridactyla, Pseudoroegneria spicata, Artemisia tridentata

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

No Evidence for Unethical Amnesia for Imagined Actions: A Failed Replication and Extension

Stanley, Matthew, Brenda W Yang, and Felipe De Brigard 2018. “No Evidence for Unethical Amnesia for Imagined Actions: A Failed Replication and Extension”. PsyArXiv. March 1. psyarxiv.com/kn8ce

Abstract: In a recent paper, Kouchaki and Gino (2016) suggest that memory for unethical actions is impaired, regardless of whether such actions are real or imagined. However, as we argue in the current paper, their claim that people develop “unethical amnesia” confuses two distinct and dissociable memory deficits: one affecting the phenomenology of remembering and another affecting memory accuracy. To further investigate whether unethical amnesia affects memory accuracy, we conducted three studies exploring unethical amnesia for imagined ethical violations. The first study (N = 228) attempts to directly replicate the only study from Kouchaki and Gino (2016) that includes a measure of memory accuracy. The second study (N = 232) attempts again to replicate these accuracy effects from Kouchaki and Gino (2016), while including several additional variables meant to potentially help in finding the effect. The third study (N = 228) is an attempted conceptual replication using the same paradigm as Kouchaki and Gino (2016), but with a new vignette describing a different moral violation. We did not find an unethical amnesia effect involving memory accuracy in any of our three studies. These results cast doubt upon the claim that memory accuracy is impaired for imagined unethical actions. Suggestions for further ways to study memory for moral and immoral actions are discussed.

Self-Presentation Concerns of Appearing Overly Moral

Good, but Not a Goody Two-Shoes: Self-Presentation Concerns of Appearing Overly Moral. Colleen M. Cowgill. Thesis presented to the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University, August 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1492991431186931

People are generally motivated to appear moral to others in order to gain trust and be liked. However, there may be conditions under which people may be motivated to appear less moral to others in order to be liked. Given previous research that people often tend to derogate and dislike "do-gooders" and "moral rebels," we hypothesized that people will be motivated to downplay their level of morality in interpersonal interactions after privately receiving feedback that they are far more moral than their peers. Furthermore, we predicted these effects would occur in the realm of morality, but not the realm of intelligence. Hypotheses were partially supported by the results of four studies. Although studies provided evidence that people prefer to be seen as intellectually superior to their peers rather than morally superior on affective measures, other studies provided no behavioral evidence that fear of being seen as a "goody-two-shoes" leads people to downplay their moral behavior.

Keywords: morality; self-presentation; overly moral; optimal distinctiveness

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A recent study showed that participants derogated "moral rebels" who refused to participate in a racist task that the participants themselves agreed to take part in (Monin, Sawyer, Marquez, 2008). This effect was driven by the imagined or implicit reproach of the "moral rebels" against the complicit participants. In another study, participants who were asked to freely associate words with a target group (vegetarians) selected more words with negative connotations if they expected that target group to identify themselves as morally superior to the participants, who were meat-eaters (Minson &Monin, 2012).

Other research has shown that this phenomenon of derogating potentially morally superior others even appears in young children. Although children rated their peers as more likable if they were generous they liked generous children significantly less if those children were more generous than themselves - presumably because those children represented a threatening upward social comparison (Tasim, Dominquez, & Winn, 2015). These do-gooder derogation effects highlight an important potential drawback to being identified as "holier than thou." People tend not to like those they perceive as morally superior to themselves, or those they imagine as deeming themselves morally superior. Additionally, people in danger of being perceived as “holier than thou” may even face social penalties in the form of antisocial punishment.

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Demographically diverse crowds are typically not much wiser than homogeneous crowds

Demographically diverse crowds are typically not much wiser than homogeneous crowds. Stephanie de Oliveira and Richard E. Nisbett. PNAS 2018 February, 115 (9) 2066-2071. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1717632115

Significance: Leveraging social diversity to maximize group performance is an important challenge in the organizational sphere. Reported studies examine the effects of demographic diversity on the accuracy of “crowd” judgment—statistically aggregated individual judgments. Results suggest that demographic diversity does not boost crowds’ cognitive diversity to the extent necessary to make diverse crowds much wiser than homogeneous ones. A strong implication is that a decision to seek diverse opinion on matters of fact should be based on a cost/benefit analysis: Will a search for diversity likely pay off in increased accuracy? Payoffs can be maximized by using stronger correlates of cognitive diversity than demographic variables.

Abstract: Averaging independent numerical judgments can be more accurate than the average individual judgment. This “wisdom of crowds” effect has been shown with large, diverse samples, but the layperson wishing to take advantage of this may only have access to the opinions of a small, more demographically homogeneous “convenience sample.” How wise are homogeneous crowds relative to diverse crowds? In simulations and survey studies, we demonstrate three necessary conditions under which small socially diverse crowds can outperform socially homogeneous crowds: Social identity must predict judgment, the effect of social identity on judgment must be at least moderate in size, and the average estimates of the social groups in question must “bracket” the truth being judged. Seven survey studies suggest that these conditions are rarely met in real judgment tasks. Comparisons between the performances of diverse and homogeneous crowds further confirm that social diversity can make crowds wiser but typically by a very small margin.

Individuals cheat significantly more when they interact with a machine rather than a person, regardless of whether the machine is equipped with human features. When interacting with a human, individuals are particularly reluctant to report unlikely favorable outcomes

Honesty in the Digital Age. Alain Cohn, Tobias Gesche and Michel Maréchal (2018), University of Zurich, Working paper series / Department of Economics No. 280, http://www.econ.uzh.ch/static/workingpapers.php?id=959

Abstract: Modern communication technologies enable efficient exchange of information, but often sacrifice direct human interaction inherent in more traditional forms of communication. This raises the question of whether the lack of personal interaction induces individuals to exploit informational asymmetries. We conducted two experiments with 866 subjects to examine how human versus machine interaction influences cheating for financial gain. We find that individuals cheat significantly more when they interact with a machine rather than a person, regardless of whether the machine is equipped with human features. When interacting with a human, individuals are particularly reluctant to report unlikely favorable outcomes, which is consistent with social image concerns. The second experiment shows that dishonest individuals prefer to interact with a machine when facing an opportunity to cheat. Our results suggest that human interaction is key to mitigating dishonest behavior and that self-selection into communication channels can be used to screen for dishonest people.

Keywords: Cheating, honesty, private information, communication, digitization, lying costs

What is mood? A computational perspective

What is mood? A computational perspective. James E Clark, Stuart Watson and Karl J Friston. Psychological Medicine, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291718000430

Abstract: The neurobiological understanding of mood, and by extension mood disorders, remains elusive despite decades of research implicating several neuromodulator systems. This review considers a new approach based on existing theories of functional brain organisation. The free energy principle (a.k.a. active inference), and its instantiation in the Bayesian brain, offers a complete and simple formulation of mood. It has been proposed that emotions reflect the precision of – or certainty about – the predicted sensorimotor/interoceptive consequences of action. By extending this reasoning, in a hierarchical setting, we suggest mood states act as (hyper) priors over uncertainty (i.e. emotions). Here, we consider the same computational pathology in the proprioceptive and interoceptive (behavioural and autonomic) domain in order to furnish an explanation for mood disorders. This formulation reconciles several strands of research at multiple levels of enquiry.

What do undergraduates learn about human intelligence? An analysis of introductory psychology textbooks

Warne, R. T., Astle, M. C., & Hill, J. C. (2018). What do undergraduates learn about human intelligence? An analysis of introductory psychology textbooks. Archives of Scientific Psychology, 6(1), 32-50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/arc0000038

Abstract: Human intelligence is an important concept in psychology because it provides insights into many areas, including neurology, sociology, and health. Additionally, IQ scores can predict life outcomes in health, education, work, and socioeconomic status. Yet, most students of psychology do not have an opportunity to take a class on intelligence. To learn what psychology students typically learn about intelligence, we analyzed 29 textbooks for introductory psychology courses. We found that over 3/4 of textbooks contained inaccurate statements. The five most commonly taught topics were IQ (93.1% of books), Gardner’s multiple intelligences (93.1%), Spearman’s g (93.1%), Sternberg’s triarchic theory (89.7%), and how intelligence is measured (82.8%). We learned that most introductory psychology students are exposed to some inaccurate information about intelligence and may have the mistaken impression that nonmainstream theories (e.g., Sternberg’s or Gardner’s theories) are as empirically supported mainstream theories (such as Spearman’s g).

Impact of Quran in Treatment of the Psychological Disorder and Spiritual Illness: 92.6% support the contention that the Quran has a significant healing influence

Impact of Quran in Treatment of the Psychological Disorder and Spiritual Illness. Ali Ali Gobaili Saged et al. Journal of Religion and Health, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10943-018-0572-8

Abstract: This paper studies the effect of Quranic therapy on psychological diseases and spiritual diseases. The experiments have been conducted on a random sample with 121 patients from both genders. The procedures that have been followed were different sessions with the patients, who were given some verses from the Holy Quran to listen within a specific period of time. After that, each patient was given a remedy program. This study aimed to measure the effectiveness and responsiveness of patients to receive treatment through Quran. This study highlighted the employment of a quantitative research, which achieved its objective through validity and reliability. The results of the effectiveness factor came after ability and willingness and gave a result of 92.6% for those who support the contention that the Quran has a significant healing influence. Also, some of the patients who regularly attended Quranic therapy sessions have been successfully cured, 81.8% of the sample believe that Quranic therapy sessions support their health needs. This study has empirically proved that the sound of the Holy Quran is an effective treatment for those who suffer from spiritual and psychological issues. Folk medicine and other traditional methods of treatment are important field of study that require further investigation. The study also illustrates that it’s highly important for patient to have confidence in his doctor or healer. Furthermore, our results show that the ability and willingness positively and significantly are related to the effectiveness and responsiveness, also effectiveness positively and significantly related to the responsiveness. Therefore, the patients satisfied to receive treatment through Quran and they have the ability and willingness to do so as they believe that Quran is an essential part of their life.

Individual variations in ratings of physical attractiveness were broadly unrelated to rater BMI and suggest that mutual attraction is an unlikely explanation for assortative mating for obesity

Wang, G., Ekeleme-Egedigwe, C. A., El Hamdouchi, A., Sauciuvenaite, J., Bissland, R., Djafarian, K., Ojiambo, R., Ramuth, H., Holasek, S., Lackner, S., Diouf, A., Hambly, C., Vaanholt, L. M., Cao, M., Hacker, M., Kruger, H. S., Seru, T., Faries, M. D. and Speakman, J. R. (2018), Beauty and the Body of the Beholder: Raters’ BMI Has Only Limited Association with Ratings of Attractiveness of the Opposite Sex. Obesity, 26: 522–530. doi:10.1002/oby.22092

Abstract

Objective: Assortative mating for adiposity increases the genetic burden on offspring, but its causes remain unclear. One hypothesis is that people who have high adiposity find other people with obesity more physically attractive than lean people.

Methods: The attractiveness of sets of images of males and females who varied in adiposity were rated by opposite sex subjects (559 males and 340 females) across 12 countries.

Results: There was tremendous individual variability in attractiveness ratings. For female attractiveness, most males favored the leanest subjects, but others favored intermediate fatness, some were indifferent to body composition, and others rated the subjects with obesity as most attractive. For male images rated by females, the patterns were more complex. Most females favored subjects with low levels of adiposity (but not the lowest level), whereas others were indifferent to body fatness or rated the images depicting individuals with obesity as the most attractive. These patterns were unrelated to rater BMI. Among Caucasian males who rated the images of the thinnest females as being more attractive, the magnitude of the effect depended on rater BMI, indicating limited “mutual attraction.”

Conclusions: Individual variations in ratings of physical attractiveness were broadly unrelated to rater BMI and suggest that mutual attraction is an unlikely explanation for assortative mating for obesity.

Cross-national study, USA, Iran, Turkey, shows that the embodiment of an ideal sense of humor was predominantly a male figure

Is an Ideal Sense of Humor Gendered? A Cross-National Study. SĂĽmeyr Tosun, Nafiseh Faghihi and Jyotsna Vaid. Front. Psychol., February 27 2018 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00199

Abstract: To explore lay conceptions of characteristics of an ideal sense of humor as embodied in a known individual, our study examined elicited written narratives by male and female participants from three different countries of origin: United States, Iran, and Turkey. As reported in an earlier previous study with United States-based participants (Crawford and Gressley, 1991), our study also found that the embodiment of an ideal sense of humor was predominantly a male figure. This effect was more pronounced for male than for female participants but did not differ by country. Relative mention of specific humor characteristics differed by participant gender and by country of origin. Whereas all groups mentioned creativity most often as a component of an ideal sense of humor, this attribute was mentioned significantly more often by Americans than by the other two groups; hostility/sarcasm was also mentioned significantly more often by Americans than Turkish participants who mentioned it more often than Iranian participants. Caring was mentioned significantly more often by Americans and Iranians than by Turkish participants. These findings show a shared pattern of humor characteristics by gender but group differences in the relative prominence given to specific humor characteristics. Further work is needed to corroborate the group differences observed and to pinpoint their source.

Monday, February 26, 2018

How Pervasive Is Mind Wandering?

Seli, Paul, Roger E Beaty, James A Cheyne, Daniel Smilek, and Daniel L Schacter 2018. “How Pervasive Is Mind Wandering, Really?”. PsyArXiv. February 26. psyarxiv.com/9pruj

Abstract: Recent claims that people spend 40-50% of their waking lives mind wandering (MW) (Killingsworth & Gilbert, 2010; Kane et al. 2007) have become widely accepted and frequently cited. While acknowledging attention to be inconstant and wavering, and MW to be ubiquitous, we argue and present evidence that such simple quantitative estimates are misleading and potentially meaningless without serious qualification. MW estimates requiring dichotomous judgments of inner experience rely on questionable assumptions about how such judgments are made and the resulting data do not permit straightforward interpretations. We present evidence that estimates of daily-life MW vary dramatically depending on response options provided. Offering participants a range of options in estimating task engagement yielded variable MW estimates, from approximately 60% to 10%, depending on assumptions made about how observers make introspective judgments about their MW experiences and how they understand what it means to be on- or off-task.

‘You Do You’ Feminism: Lesbian, Bisexual, and Queer Women’s Perspectives on the Dildo

‘You Do You’ Feminism: Lesbian, Bisexual, and Queer Women’s Perspectives on the Dildo. Michaela Madraga, Elly-Jean Nielsen, Todd G. Morrison. Sexuality & Culture, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12119-018-9507-5

Abstract: Historically, feminists have engaged in a contentious debate about the dildo. Some assert that it is an oppressive tool of the patriarchy whereas others proclaim that it is a practical means of expressing lesbian, bisexual, and queer women’s sexuality. To gain some perspective into the current status of this debate, seven non-heterosexual women were interviewed about their attitudes toward dildos. Interviews were examined using inductive thematic analysis, and viewed through the lens of social constructionism. Rather than taking sides in the dildo debates, participants embraced a you do you ideology (i.e., there is no “right” or “wrong” answer when it comes to choosing whether to use or not use dildos). Three themes clustered around this overarching ideology: dildos are optional (Ă  la carte dildo), meanings of dildos are contextually and phenomenologically determined (contextuality of the dildo), and dildos have theoretical implications (critically conscious queers). Participants’ eschewal of the binarized debate about the dildo may be entwined with changing understandings of feminist, gender, and queer theory.

Journalists continue to live in bubbles in their online interactions with each other; most journalists were more likely to interact with journalists who have the same gender, work in the same organization, on the same beat or in the same location

Journalistic Homophily on Social Media: Exploring journalists’ interactions with each other on Twitter. Folker Hanusch & Daniel Nölleke. Digital Journalism, https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2018.1436977

Abstract: Journalists have for considerable time been criticized for living in their own bubbles, a phenomenon industry commentators have referred to as groupthink, while in scholarship the tendency of individuals to connect with people who are like them is termed homophily. This age-old process has come under scrutiny in recent times due to the arrival of social network sites, which have been viewed as both working against but also leading to more homophily. In journalism scholarship, these processes are still little understood, however. Focusing on the social network site Twitter and drawing on a large-scale analysis of more than 600,000 tweets sent by 2908 Australian journalists during one year, this study shows that journalists continue to live in bubbles in their online interactions with each other. Most journalists were more likely to interact with journalists who have the same gender, work in the same organization, on the same beat or in the same location. However, the study also demonstrates some notable exceptions as well as the importance of differentiating between types of interaction.

Keywords: homophily, interactions, journalist, social media, Twitter, groupthink, bubble

There are no specific neurophysiological systems of positive or negative affect, and emotional valence is rather an integrative product of many brain systems during estimations of needs and the capacities required to satisfy these needs

Functionality versus dimensionality in psychological taxonomies, and a puzzle of emotional valence. Irina Trofimova. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0167

Abstract: This paper applies evolutionary and functional constructivism approaches to the discussion of psychological taxonomies, as implemented in the neurochemical model Functional Ensemble of Temperament (FET). FET asserts that neurochemical systems developed in evolution to regulate functional-dynamical aspects of construction of actions: orientation, selection (integration), energetic maintenance, and management of automatic behavioural elements. As an example, the paper reviews the neurochemical mechanisms of interlocking between emotional dispositions and performance capacities. Research shows that there are no specific neurophysiological systems of positive or negative affect, and that emotional valence is rather an integrative product of many brain systems during estimations of needs and the capacities required to satisfy these needs. The interlocking between emotional valence and functional aspects of performance appears to be only partial since all monoamine and opioid receptor systems play important roles in non-emotional aspects of behaviour, in addition to emotionality. This suggests that the Positive/Negative Affect framework for DSM/ICD classifications of mental disorders oversimplifies the structure of non-emotionality symptoms of these disorders. Contingent dynamical relationships between neurochemical systems cannot be represented by linear statistical models searching for independent dimensions (such as factor analysis); nevertheless, these relationships should be reflected in psychological and psychiatric taxonomies.

Media usage diminishes memory for experiences

Media usage diminishes memory for experiences. Diana I. Tamir et al. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Volume 76, May 2018, Pages 161–168, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2018.01.006

Highlights
•    Media use during an experience impairs memory for that experience.
•    Media use impairs memory in controlled and naturalistic studies, solo and social experiences.
•    Using media does not reliably reduce engagement or enjoyment of that experience.

Abstract: People increasingly use social media to record and share their experiences, but it is unclear whether or how social media use changes those experiences. Here we present both naturalistic and controlled studies in which participants engage in an experience while using media to record or share their experiences with others, or not engaging with media. We collected objective measures of participants' experiences (scores on a surprise memory test) as well as subjective measures of participants' experiences (self-reports about their engagement and enjoyment). Across three studies, participants without media consistently remembered their experience more precisely than participants who used media. There is no conclusive evidence that media use impacted subjective measures of experience. Together, these findings suggest that using media may prevent people from remembering the very events they are attempting to preserve.

Keywords: Media; Sharing; Pictures; Memory; Engagement; Enjoyment

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Preschoolers’ knowledge about language-specific properties of writing

Otake, S., Treiman, R. and Yin, L. (2018), Preschoolers’ knowledge about language-specific properties of writing. Br J Dev Psychol. doi:10.1111/bjdp.12240

Abstract: According to the differentiation hypothesis, young children's attempts to write show characteristics common to all writing systems, such as linearity. Characteristics that are specific to the writing system of the child's culture emerge only later. We tested this hypothesis by presenting adults who knew both Chinese and English with written productions of Chinese and United States 2- to 5-year-olds and asking them to judge the nationality of the writer. Adults performed significantly above the level expected by chance even with the productions of 2- and 3-year-olds, suggesting that knowledge of language-specific characteristics emerges earlier than previously thought. Children appeared to show more language-specific characteristics in their names than in other writings, for adults performed better with children's names than with other items.

Comment on US’ Taiwan Travel Act challenges Beijing’s red line, by Ling Shengli

To the editor, Global Times

Sir, I read US’ Taiwan Travel Act challenges Beijing’s red line, by Ling Shengli (www.globaltimes.cn/content/1089576.shtml). The author concludes the pamphlet with this sentence: "If any US high-level official pays an official visit to Taiwan, Beijing will treat it as severe provocation and adopt all possible countermeasures, including uniting Taiwan by military force." All of them? All possible measures? Not many, not some, not the most forceful?

Before, he exhibits more of the lack of nuance of someone writing for the hand that feeds him: "Once the Taiwan Travel Act goes into effect, the foundation of Sino-US relationship will be shaken and damage to the ties will be immeasurable." With no hesitation they will be so damaged?

I am worried that the author may be ill, or perhaps entering into senility. I offer him as a suggestion to retire soon and look for a nursing home where to live his last years, since the Jinping Xi regime will take care of him for his use of his brains writing such materials.

Another suggestion is for the editor to stop publishing texts like this one from people that, as academics with a Ph. D., should as a minimum show moderation in the form. The same things could have been said with much better effect with the author just appearing less of a lackey.

Sincerely,

       [name, phone, other data]
       [not keeping here the signature with a personal name as a precaution due
       to the government's aggressiveness with opposing views]

Higher sex ratio at sexual maturity is linked to higher later-life male mortality, likely due to stress caused by low mate availability

Does the sex ratio at sexual maturity affect Men's later-life mortality risks? Evidence from historical China. Emma Zang, Hui Zheng. Social Science & Medicine, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.02.024

Highlights
•    Higher sex ratio at sexual maturity is linked to higher later-life male mortality.
•    This association is likely due to stress caused by low mate availability.
•    A high sex ratio at sexual maturity mitigates the health benefits of marriage.
•    A high sex ratio at sexual maturity exacerbates health disadvantages.

Abstract: This study examines the relationship between the male-to-female sex ratio (measured as the proportion male) at sexual maturity and later-life mortality risks in the context of pre-industrial northeast China, using registration data from the Qing Dynasty. We find that a higher male-to-female sex ratio at sexual maturity is associated with a higher later-life mortality risk among men. This association is likely due to the long-term adverse consequences of stress caused by low mate availability at sexual maturity. We further find that a high sex ratio at sexual maturity mitigates the health benefits of marriage and exacerbates the health disadvantages of holding an official position in Qing China.

Keywords: Sex ratio at sexual maturity; Mortality risks; Life course

Adult Attachment Styles: No Predictive Power (More Freudian Trickery?)

Check this, reality in contact with theory:
The Development of Adult Attachment Styles: Four Lessons. R. Chris Fraley, Glenn I. Roisman. Current Opinion in Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.02.008

Abstract: Why are some adults secure or insecure in their relationships? The authors review four lessons they have learned from longitudinal research on the developmental antecedents of adult attachment styles. First, although adult attachment appears to have its origins in early caregiving experiences, those associations are weak and inconsistent across measurement domains. Second, attachment styles appear to be more malleable in childhood and adolescence than in adulthood, leading to asymmetries in socialization and selection processes. Third, early experiences do not determine adult outcomes. Fourth, there is still a lot to learn, and future research requires examining relationship-specific attachment patterns, the distinction between distal and proximal factors, and interactions between relational and genetic vulnerabilities.