I checked 4 preprints servers on Friday, April 11, 2025 using the Open Science Foundation API. For the period April 04 to April 10, I found 278 new paper(s).

MetaArxiv

The Unprecedented Growth of COVID-19 Publications and the Academic Medical Librarian
Leah Everitt; Paul Fontelo
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Objectives: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic an unprecedented amount of biomedical literature citations were added to PubMed. This bibliometric study will focus on the types of COVID-19 publications on PubMed such as clinical trials, meta analyses, systematic reviews, and randomized controlled trials and compare them to biomedical publications of all subject areas. Importantly this study will focus on preprint publications from the PubMed Central preprint pilot. Retraction rates have gone up in recent years therefore this study will show the rate of retraction of PubMed publications over the last 10 years. Additionally, it will compare the retraction rate for all PubMed publications to the retraction rate of COVID-19 publications. Lastly, this study will show the number of COVID-19 citations by country/territory for 30 top publishing countries/territories. Methods: PubMed was searched in November 2022 or March 2023 for citations published from 2018-2022 using a comprehensive search strategy aimed at retrieving articles pertaining to COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2. Additional searches were used to determine how many articles were published annually, how many citations by country/territory, the different types of articles published, and the number of retracted publications. Then publication rates were plotted using Microsoft Excel. Percentages of different publication types and COVID-19 literature were calculated using Excel. Additionally, the percent increase of number of citations published from year to year was also calculated when relevant. Results: The amount of biomedical literature citations published yearly that can be accessed on PubMed increased from 2018 to 2021 similarly the number of COVID-19 citations published yearly also increased from 2019 to 2021. Most publication types had an increase in the number of yearly publications from 2018 to 2021, a similar trend occurred in COVID-19 publications. The number of preprint citations increased from 2020 to 2021 and the total number of updated citations is 59%. The number of PubMed citations that were retracted yearly is less than 1% and currently peaked in 2019 at 0.09% of published papers. COVID-19 had fewer retracted papers with only 0.04% in both 2020 and 2021. Most countries had an increase in the number of citations from 2019 to 2021 plateauing in 2022, the exceptions were China, India, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong who had more 2022 citations, a similar pattern was seen in COVID-19 citations. Conclusion: The increases in yearly COVID-19 publications were more pronounced than the yearly biomedical publication increases on PubMed. There is not a higher percent of retracted papers in the COVID-19 subject area. Most countries had similar citation patterns for all subjects as well as COVID-19 with some exceptions.
A scoping review on metrics to quantify reproducibility: a multitude of questions leads to a multitude of metrics
Rachel Heyard; Samuel Pawel; Joris Frese; Bernhard Voelkl; Hanno WĂźrbel; Sarah McCann; Leonhard Held; Kimberley E. Wever; Helena Hartmann; Louise Townsin
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*Background:* Reproducibility is recognized as essential to scientific progress and integrity. Replication studies and large-scale replication projects, aiming to quantify different aspects of reproducibility, have become more common. Since no standardized approach to measuring reproducibility exists,a diverse set of metrics has emerged and a comprehensive overview is needed. *Methods:* We conducted a scoping review to identify large-scale replication projects that used metrics and methodological papers that proposed or discussed metrics. The project list was compiled by the authors. For the methodological papers, we searched Scopus, MedLine, PsycINFO andEconLit. Records were screened in duplicate against predefined inclusion criteria. Demographic information on included records and information on reproducibility metrics used, suggested or discussed was extracted. *Results:* We identified 49 large-scale projects and 97 methodological papers, and extracted 50 metrics. The metrics were characterized based on type (formulas and/or statistical models, frameworks, graphical representations, studies and questionnaires, algorithms), input required, and appropriate application scenarios. Each metric addresses a distinct question. *Conclusions:* Our review provides a comprehensive resource in the form of a “live”, interactive table for future replication teams and meta-researchers, offering support in how to select the most appropriate metrics that are aligned with research questions and project goals.
Consistent and precise description of research outputs could improve implementation of open science
Evan Mayo-Wilson; Sean Grant; Katherine S. Corker; David Moher
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In 2013, the Center for Open Science (COS) proposed that journal articles be awarded “badges” for engaging in open science practices including “preregistration”. In 2015, the Transparency and Openness Promotion Guidelines (TOP 2015) promoted “preregistration” of studies and analysis plans. Since then, the term “preregistration” has been used to describe different research outputs created at different times—sometimes, but not always, including a study registration. The updated TOP 2025 Guidelines no longer use the term “preregistration.” Instead, TOP 2025 disambiguates specific research outputs such as study registrations, study protocols, analysis plans, code, and other research materials. We also explain that the timing of “preregistration” is often unclear, and we propose researchers describe the time at which outputs are created and shared in relation to key study activities. Adopting more precise terminology used in TOP 2025, and describing the time at which specific research outputs are shared, will enhance understanding and support better reporting and implementation of open science.

PsyArxiv

A Logical Speculation on Superluminal Loop, Temporal Spin, and Black Hole Event Horizons
J.T. Son
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This paper presents a speculative thought experiment that extends the concept of a "superluminal paradox." It begins by considering the consequences of faster-than-light (FTL) travel causing an object to traverse into its own past, leading to a feedback loop between the object’s entry and exit across temporal boundaries. This loop is interpreted as a form of temporal spin, wherein the object continuously reenters the FTL domain, effectively caught in a causality loop. The concept is extended to hypothesize whether such a loop could be physically related to the structure of a black hole’s event horizon, where extreme spacetime curvature halts time for outside observers. This work draws parallels between the apparent symmetry-breaking in quantum entanglement and observer-relative measurements in general relativity, proposing that black holes and FTL paradoxes may share deeper structural similarities than previously assumed.
ARCH as a General Law of Biological Behavior: Archetype × Drive × Culture Across Scales
Tahir Rahman
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Despite the extraordinary diversity of life, all behaving biological systems—from single-celled bacteria to complex human organisms—appear to operate under a shared organizational constraint: behavior arises only when inherited capacities, internal readiness, and external conditions align. Existing frameworks in ethology, neuroscience, and systems biology have described components of this triad, but no unifying theoretical law has been formulated to capture their systematic interaction. In recent work, such a law has been proposed, termed the ARCH equation, which defines behavior as the product of three components: Archetype × Drive × Culture. Formally, the model is expressed as: Behavior=Archetype × Drive × Culture
Dynamics of topic exploration in conversation
Helen Schmidt; Claire Bergey; Changyi Zhou; Chelsea Helion; Robert Hawkins
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Conversations are intricately structured forms of social interaction, containing interconnected topics with nested levels of semantic specificity. What principles govern how we move through this vast topic space with social partners? To characterize these dynamics, we introduce a dataset of annotated topic shifts from 1505 annotators on 200 transcripts (transcribed video call conversations between strangers; Reece et al., 2023). Conversational dyads had fairly stochastic transitions between topics, with loose systematicity (e.g., talk of preferences was often followed by talk of location). Examining trajectories within each topic, we find that dyads are initially concentrated in semantic space before spreading out to dispersed regions as topics progress. This pattern holds over entire conversations, providing quantitative evidence that conversations have nested levels of increasing idiosyncrasy: conversations and topics often start similarly, but disperse over time. Overall, our findings provide evidence that interlocutors explore conceptual space systematically, giving layered structure to idle talk.
The Unified Behavioral Field: A Neurodynamic Law of Human Action and Expression
Tahir Rahman
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This paper introduces and formalizes a neurodynamic phase transition—the shift from a resting, introspective state (Φ) associated with the brain's default-mode network to an active, externally-oriented state (Ψ) linked to goal-directed behavior. Grounded in the ARCH model (Behavior = Archetype × Drive × Culture), the paper describes this Φ → Ψ transition as a nonlinear threshold-based phenomenon, governed by motivational energy, archetypal priming, and cultural modulation. Empirical support from neuroimaging, ethology, neuroendocrinology, and clinical psychiatry validates this framework. Specific biological examples such as maternal caregiving (milk let-down reflex), sexual behavior (ejaculation), and fear responses (pupillary dilation) are examined to demonstrate the model's applicability. Additionally, cross-cultural variability and individual differences, including religious influences, are discussed to illustrate how cultural contexts modify these neurodynamic transitions. This integrative approach enhances the predictive power and generalizability of behavioral models across diverse human populations.
Psychometric Properties of the Need for Closure Scale in a Peruvian sample: Using ESEM to get an acceptable factor solution
Mauricio Silva-Alegria
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In the present study, the psychometric properties of the Revised Need for Cognitive Closure Test (RT-NCC) were evaluated. To do this, a non-probabilistic snowball sample of 328 Peruvian participants was obtained. Then, structural validity was evaluated using a Confirmatory Factor Analysis for the existing models in the literature, followed by making an Exploratory Structural Equations Modeling with the aid of Factorial Simplicity Indices to identify the most robust items in the questionnaire, then a Confirmatory Factor Analysis was made to corroborate the two-factor model of these highly representative items, added to this, Reliability was reviewed for those scales using the McDonald’s omega. The results found unacceptable fits for the models that used the whole questionnaire items, but acceptable for the two-factor model with the most representative items, added to acceptable reliability indices. In conclusion, the presented short version of the RT-NCC is a valid and reliable instrument for use in psychology research, but more studies are recommended to obtain more evidence on the items selected for the scale.
Study Protocol: Temperament, Evolving Emotions, and Neuroscience Study
Sarah Myruski; Kristin A. Buss; Koraly Perez-Edgar; Martha Wadsworth; Lorah Dorn
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Social anxiety disorder is among the most common forms of pediatric psychopathology. Social anxiety symptoms peak in adolescence and are associated with significant impairment encompassing familial, social, and academic domains. Considerable heterogeneity in symptomatology, risk factors, and biological underpinnings exists across anxious adolescents, which has implications for (1) understanding the developmental etiology of who is at highest risk, (2) identifying individual patterns of symptom course. In particular, fearful temperament is the best early-emerging predictor of the development of anxiety symptoms, and attention bias to threat and other neurobiological processes have been implicated as mechanisms but it is unknown for whom and to what degree these factors impair functioning and what the developmental course looks like across adolescence. The current study employs a longitudinal design capturing a wide range of anxiety symptom presentation (i.e., low risk, temperamental risk, and clinical anxiety). We follow adolescents (N = 195) annually across the transitions to middle- and high-school – ages 13, 14, 15, & 16 years. We implement a rich assessment of anxiety symptoms, temperament, attention bias, endocrine (cortisol), physiological (RSA) and neurobiological (EEG, ERP) processes. We aim to (1) characterize a biobehavioral (i.e., biased attention, neuroendocrine, physiological, and neural processes) pattern associated with fearful temperament and social anxiety in adolescence, (2) characterize trajectories of social anxiety in adolescence, with an emphasis on linking fearful temperament and anxiety across development, and (3) examine how social contextual factors, sex, and pubertal development shape social anxiety trajectories and moderated links between temperament and SA.
A meta-analysis on the relation between acute stress exposure, alcohol consumption and cortisol levels in individuals with a personal, familial or no alcohol use disorder
Lisa Weckesser; Maximilian Pilhatsch; Markus Muehlhan; Tanja Endrass; Robert Miller
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Aims: To investigate the relation between acute stress exposure, acute alcohol consumption, and corti-sol levels among individuals with varying statuses of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and family histories of AUD. Design: We conducted a systematic search for primary studies registered in the PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, and PsycInfo databases up to July 31, 2023, providing data on the volume of alcohol consumed in millilitre after stress compared to control procedures, or on the effect of acute alcohol consumption, with or without simultaneous stress exposure, on minimal (CMin indicating cortisol recovery) and differ-ences between minimal and maximal cortisol levels (CMaxMin indicating cortisol reactivity). The samples’ AUD status was categorized as actively drinking individuals meeting AUD criteria (including abuse and dependence; AUD+), abstinent individuals who previously met the criteria, or individuals with no AUD di-agnosis. The samples’ family history of AUD status was extracted or approximated on lifetime prevalence rates of AUD for the respective country or cultural area. Findings: We integrated data from 53 experimental and 31 observational studies. Our meta-analysis suggests that acute stress exposure increases alcohol consumption only when small study effects are not accounted for (gREE=0.25 vs. gPEESE= 0.02; CI95% = -0.19-0.23). Acute alcohol consumption decreases corti-sol recovery (CMin↑; gREE= 0.15; CI95%= -0.02-0.31), particularly in actively drinking individuals with AUD+ (gREE= 0.46; CI95%= 0.03-0.90) and those with a familial history of AUD (gREE= 0.16; CI95%= -0.08-0.39). Acute alcohol consumption does not significantly alter cortisol reactivity (β= -0.01; CI95%= -0.14-0.12), with divergent effects observed in individuals with AUD+ (CMaxMin↑) or familial AUD history (CMaxMin↓). Conclusions: The evidence presented suggests that acute stress does not substantially increase alcohol consumption, and that alcohol consumption does not effectively regulate reactive cortisol stress re-sponses. Minimal cortisol levels may be more suitable indicators for detecting alcohol-related changes in the cortisol stress processing system.
Using Social Network Analysis to Identify Peer Coaches in the Real World of Elementary Schools: A Multi-Informant, Community Science Approach
Jennifer Watling Neal; Elise Cappella; Madeline R DeShazer; Christine Park; Deinera Exner-Cortens; Julie Sarno Owens
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Coaching can increase elementary school teachers’ implementation of evidence-based classroom practices, including equity-centered or culturally responsive practices. However, coaching by personnel external to schools can be expensive and difficult to sustain. Community science principles and social network research suggest the potential of influential peer leaders in schools to accelerate implementation. In the first phase of a multi-year project to develop and evaluate tools to help teachers use evidence-based, equity-focused positive behavioral support strategies in K-5 classrooms, we examine a school-partnered, network-informed process for identifying peer coaches, educator satisfaction with this process, and how feedback influenced process modifications. Educators in various roles (n = 85) from three elementary schools in two Central Ohio districts completed social network nomination and satisfaction surveys and interviews; research-practice partnership meeting records and field notes were analyzed. Findings suggest that a network-informed process to identify peer coaches results in distinct coaching teams and requires flexible application due to the unique, changing nature of school contexts (e.g., staff roles, turnover). We discuss the potential promise of harnessing teacher networks to identify peer coaches to fit the real-world contexts of elementary schools and meet the goal of accessible coaching and, ultimately, more equitable and supportive school environments for all students.
Applying Bayesian checks of cancellation axioms for interval scaling in limited samples
Sanford R Student; Wyatt Read
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We explore the extent to which one can differentiate item responses compatible with a claim of interval scaling under the Rasch model from responses that are incompatible with this claim at sample sizes frequently encountered in educational and psychological research. We apply Domingue (2014)’s Bayesian method for evaluating an item response dataset’s adherence to the cancellation axioms of additive conjoint measurement under the Rasch model to item responses simulated from both Rasch and non-Rasch IRT models, and compare the extent to which the axiom of double cancellation holds in the data. We develop and evaluate procedures for bootstrapping null distributions of violation rates to improve the interpretability of results. Findings demonstrate the importance of tailoring the application of Domingue’s methods to specific characteristics of one’s data. At a sample size of 250, the method under investigation is not well-powered to detect the violations of interval scaling that we simulate, but the procedure works quite consistently at N = 1000. Implications, especially for researchers eager to assess the scale properties of their own instruments, are discussed.
Intpersonal and targeted rejection life stressors are proximal risk factors for suicidal ideation and behavior
Lori Scott; Iulia Banica Malcolm; Sarah L. Brown; Evelyn M. Hernandez Valencia; Roberty Krafty; George M. Slavich
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Background: Although life stressors are known risk factors for suicide, the specific stressor types that most strongly precipitate suicidal outcomes, and on what timescale, remain poorly understood. Based on existing theory, we investigated whether interpersonal stressors, especially social and targeted rejection stressors, are proximally associated with increased likelihood of suicidal ideation and behavior. Method: Using a gold-standard, contextual interview for independently assessing the severity of acute life events and a timeline followback procedure for assessing suicide-related outcomes, we examined how the severity of four types of stressors (i.e., non-interpersonal, interpersonal without social rejection, social rejection without targeted rejection, and targeted rejection) were temporally associated with the likelihood of same-day and next-day suicidal ideation and behavior over 16 months in 143 young adults (Mage = 25.27, SD = 4.65) with recent suicidal ideation or behavior. Results: As hypothesized, after controlling for prior-day suicidal ideation and non-interpersonal stressors, daily within-person increases in interpersonal stressor severity were related to higher odds of same-day (but not next-day) suicidal ideation. Additionally, greater increases in targeted rejection severity were uniquely related to increased likelihood of both same-day and next-day suicidal behavior after controlling for prior-day suicidal behavior and other types of stressors. Conclusions: Interpersonal stressors are strong, proximal risk factors for suicidal ideation and behavior, and these effects are particularly strong for targeted rejection life events. Clinicians should thus assess recent interpersonal and, especially, targeted rejection stressors when evaluating acute suicide risk, and may reduce such risk by helping patients stabilize and strengthen their social relationships.
Cues driving trait impressions in naturalistic contexts are sparse
Chujun Lin; Ruoying Zheng
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Trait impressions are ubiquitous and consequential. Understanding how people form trait impressions is at the core of social cognition. Prior literature primarily relied on constrained designs due to methodological challenges, which may have precluded an ecologically valid understanding. Here, we overcome longstanding methodological challenges by leveraging a range of computational tools to investigate trait impressions in naturalistic context. Using these tools, we quantified comprehensive cues identified from prior theories (facial, bodily, clothing, environmental cues) in naturalistic images, modeled their unique and shared predictions of trait impressions, and manipulated cues realistically in naturalistic images to test causal effects. Across two large-scale, pre-registered studies (N1 = 2,435 representative of U.S. population; N2 = 569), we found that with rich information available, the cues that predicted trait impressions in out-of-sample data were sparse. Predictive cues were distinct for traits that represented different psychological dimensions of social cognition. We confirmed for a subset of cues that these predictions were causal. Variance partition and interaction analyses revealed why predictive cues were sparse: co-occurring cues in naturalistic contexts tended to convey consistent information; predictive cues carried unique information beyond shared consistent information; unpredictive cues played a role by modifying the utilization of predictive cues through interactions. Together, our findings suggest that the mind may have evolved to utilize the naturalistic relations between cues in the real world to simplify what information to attend to when forming trait impressions.
A cross-cultural study of self-compassion and the moderating role of alexithymia
Christian Ryan; Hongru Song; Jason Chan
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Self-compassion is an emotion regulation strategy which may be influenced by culture. This study aimed to examine the levels of the two factors of the Self-Compassion Scale (self-compassion and self-coldness) and their associations with cultural values at the individual level in Western and East-Asian cultural contexts, and the possible moderating role of alexithymia. Data were collected from 397 adults from the general population living in Ireland and China. Chinese participants reported more self-compassion and less self-coldness than Irish participants. In the Irish sample, greater horizontal individualism was associated with higher levels of self-compassion; moreover, vertical collectivism was associated with higher levels of self-coldness, whereas the relationships were more complicated in the Chinese sample since both individualistic and collectivistic cultural values were found to be positively correlated with self-compassion and self-coldness. Furthermore, in both samples, marginal interaction effects were found between alexithymia and specific cultural values when predicting self-compassion and self-coldness. Overall, this study highlights the dynamic nature of culture and indicates the understanding of two-factor construct of the Self-Compassion Scale may be culture-specific. Moreover, this is the first study to explore how alexithymia interacts with cultural values at the individual level to influence self-compassion and self-coldness, contributing preliminary evidence to the field of cross-cultural alexithymia.
Inhibitory Control Deficits in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Meta-Analysis of Stop-Signal and Go/No-Go Tasks
Nadine Barakat
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Impulsivity, a multifaceted construct, is a core feature of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), associated with functional impairment and suicide mortality. Findings on motor inhibitory control, a key dimension of impulsivity, in BPD are heterogeneous. This PRISMA-guided meta-analysis examines motor inhibitory control in adults with BPD compared to healthy controls (HC), using Stop-Signal Task and Go/No-Go Task data. Thirty-seven datasets from 35 articles were included. Results from random-effect models suggest that BPD patients exhibit significantly higher motor inhibitory control deficits than HC, with a small to moderate effect size. Contrary to common assumptions, a mixed-model effect found that emotional factors did not moderate inhibitory control in BPD. Finally, the meta-analysis revealed that self-reported impulsivity measures did not correlate with task performance, suggesting that subjective and objective measures of impulsivity may assess different facets of the construct. These findings highlight the need for greater standardization of task-based measures of impulsivity, as methodological heterogeneity and quality currently limit replicability across studies.
The effect of online methods on epistemic inference and scalar implicature
Alan Clinton Bale; Maho Takahashi; Miguel Mejia; David Barner
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How is research on semantics and pragmatics impacted by the growing use of online methodologies, and how does the modality of presentation impact our ability to detect and use a speaker’s knowledge state in the service of a linguistic inference? In three experiments, we investigated scalar implicatures both in-person and across three online modalities (text, text+pictures, and video) using a task that required participants to monitor contextual information to infer the mental states of speakers (i.e., whether they were knowledgeable or ignorant with respect to stronger alternative statements). In Experiments 1 and 2 we found no consistent differences across modalities in rates of scalar implicatures, and found that participants rarely computed implicatures when speakers were ignorant (i.e., participants were sensitive to a speaker’s knowledge state across all modalities). However, in these first two experiments participants were explicitly reminded to monitor the knowledge state of speakers. In Experiment 3, when these reminders were removed, we again found no effect of modality when speakers were knowledgeable, but found a significant effect when speakers were ignorant. In particular, participants were more likely to erroneously compute implicatures when tested in-person relative to when they were tested online with text only, or with text and pictures. These findings suggest that online methods may in certain cases offer a useful alternative to in-person testing of pragmatic reasoning, but that care should be taken in selecting methods when they probe subtle mental state reasoning.
A Comparative Investigation of Interventions to Reduce Anti-Fat Prejudice Across Five Implicit Measures
Calvin K. Lai; Joel Michel Le Forestier
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The severity and pervasiveness of anti-fat prejudice and discrimination has led to calls for interventions to address them. However, intervention studies to combat anti-fat prejudice have often been stymied by ineffective approaches, small sample sizes, and a lack of standardization in measurement. To that end, we conducted two mega-experiments totaling 28,240 participants and 50 conditions where we tested 5 intervention approaches to reduce implicit anti-fat prejudice across 5 implicit measures. We found that interventions were most effective at reducing implicit weight biases when they instructed people to practice an explicit rule linking fat people with good things and thin people with bad things. Interventions that were more indirect or relied on associative learning tended to be ineffective. We also found that change in implicit bias on one implicit measure often generalized to other implicit measures. However, the Evaluative Priming Task and single-target measures of implicit bias like the Single-Target Implicit Association Test were much less sensitive to change. These findings illuminate promising approaches to combating implicit anti-fat prejudice and advance understanding of how implicit bias change generalizes across measures.
Exploring Public Perceptions of Social Media: A Preregistered Mixed-Methods Study
Evelyn Alice Halliday Murray; Michael Larkin; Daniel Shaw; Charlotte Rebecca Pennington
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Background: Cyberpsychology research has focused extensively on the potential impacts of social media usage on mental health and wellbeing. However, we know much less about whether the public endorse these impacts. In this preregistered mixed methods study, we therefore explored public perceptions towards social media in a large-sample of adult and adolescents (> 25-year-olds and 18–25-year-olds). Methods: Participants (n = 968, 484 adults, 484 adolescents) completed an online survey which asked them to select which platforms they identified as being a ‘social media’, rate their level of endorsement with 68 positive and negative research-informed characteristics of social media use, and report their understanding of, and agreement with, commonly used definitions. A sub-set of 95 participants also provided open-ended, narrative responses to questions that asked them how social media had impacted themselves or someone else. Findings: Participants mostly identified Facebook, TikTok, X and Snapchat as ‘social media’ platforms and, across age groups, endorsed more negative than positive characteristics of social media. Thematic analysis highlighted three main themes of “Beyond the screen”, “Negative online behaviour” and “Removal of blame/accountability” for adults, and “Mental health concerns”, “Finding connection and support” and “Productivity concerns” for adolescents. Discussion: Understanding public’s perceptions of social media, and how these may differ between generations, can inform tailored educational initiatives (e.g., digital literacy programmes) and improve public engagement. This can be achieved through citizen science – engaging the public directly in academic research.
A CoGenT account of a Compositional and Generative Theory for the basis of working memory
Brad Wyble; Joyce Tam; Howard Bowman; Ian Deal
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The typical conception of working memory is a mechanism to temporarily hold multiple discrete objects in service of other cognitive tasks. In this paper, we elaborate on this perspective by proposing that generative and compositional processing form the functional basis of working memory, especially in the visual form. Compositionality allows complex scenes or objects to be mentally decomposed into constituents that can be individually manipulated or recombined to form new representations. Generative processing allows purely conceptual information to be reconstructed in a format akin to visual sensory representations that can be manipulated and re-processed by perceptual mechanisms. Together, compositional and generative mechanisms would enable a wide range of cognitive functions including the basis of visual imagery. We also describe a more flexible role for memory slots, which are often assumed as a core capacity of working memory. In this view, slots in working memory are typically used to support compositional processing of scenes or complex objects. We conclude with a conceptual account of such a memory system with an emphasis on composition by parts or features. This model is linked to a variety of experimental results from the memory and visual imagery literatures that illustrate the flexibility of such a system for performing cognitive tasks.
When Parents Step In: Adolescents’ Negative Affect Triggers Overparenting
Savannah Boele; Anne BĂźlow; Jolene van der Kaap-Deeder; Wendy Rote; Loes Keijsers
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Background. Popular media suggest that overparenting - excessive and developmentally inappropriate parental involvement – explains the increased anxiety in today’s youth. However, longitudinal evidence for this claim is limited, as most research relies on cross-sectional, group-level associations. To address this gap, the present study investigates the reciprocal, moment-to-moment dynamics between adolescent-perceived overparenting and adolescents' affect within families. Using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), we examine whether overparenting provides temporary comfort and elicits positive emotions or instead elicits negative emotions in adolescents, and whether parents engage in more overparenting when their adolescent experiences negative emotions. Methods. Over seven days, 143 adolescents (Mage = 15.8, range = 11-18, 64% girls, 92% Dutch or Belgian) completed experience sampling surveys five times per weekday and six times per weekend day. In each ESM survey, adolescents reported on perceived overparenting (i.e., interference, unnecessary worry, unneeded help) and their momentary positive (i.e., happy, joyful) and negative (i.e., angry, sad, fearful) affect. In total, 1,829 momentary observations were collected, averaging 10 observations per participant. Results. Preregistered Dynamic Structural Equation Models (DSEM) revealed that moment-to-moment fluctuations in overparenting and negative affect go hand in hand in everyday life. As expected, negative affect predicted more overparenting in the next moment (i.e., 3 hours later) on average. However, there was limited evidence that overparenting predicts subsequent adolescent affect, except for ‘unneeded help’ (a specific overparenting behavior) predicting an increase in adolescents’ fear. Conclusions. Adolescents’ negative affect appears to elicit more overparenting, offering a child-driven alternative explanation why overparenting is associated with more emotional problems in adolescents. However, parents’ providing unneeded help may specifically contribute to increased adolescent anxiety. By clearing obstacles and solving problems for their child, parents might unintentionally exacerbate negative emotions. Future research should explore individual-level, short-term family dynamics, as adolescent-parent interactions likely vary across families.
Language Processing Differences in Individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Kian Zehtabian; Leila Elahinezhad
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Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic psychiatric condition characterized by intrusive thoughts and ritualistic behaviors. Beyond its well-documented emotional and executive dysfunctions, emerging evidence highlights distinct language processing abnormalities, including difficulties in resolving ambiguity, hyper-literal interpretations, and heightened sensitivity to threatening language. Recent advances in systematic review methodology and computational linguistics reveal gaps in earlier narrative reviews, particularly regarding methodological transparency, heterogeneity across OCD subtypes, and integration of objective linguistic biomarkers. This article synthesizes evidence linking neurotransmitter dysregulation (serotonin, dopamine, glutamate) and frontostriatal circuit abnormalities to language deficits in OCD, while emphasizing the need for rigorous methodologies, computational tools, and stratification by symptom dimensions. Preliminary findings suggest that language deficits may serve as endophenotypes, paving the way for personalized interventions.
The super-recogniser advantage extends to the detection of hyper-realistic face masks
David J Robertson; Josh P Davis; Jet Sanders; Alice Towler
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Hyper-realistic silicone masks provide a viable route to identity fraud. Over the last decade, more than 40 known criminal acts have been committed by perpetrators using this type of disguise. With the increasing availability and bespoke sophistication of these masks, research must now focus on ways to enhance their detection. In this study, we investigate whether super-recognisers (SRs), people who excel at identity recognition, are more likely to detect this type of fraud, in comparison to typical-recogniser controls. Across three tasks, we examined mask detection rates in the absence of a pre-task prompt (covert task), and again after making participants aware of their use in criminal settings (explicit task). Finally, participants were asked to indicate which aspects of the masks could support their detection (regions of interest task). The findings show an SR advantage for the detection of hyper-realistic masks across the covert and explicit mask detection tasks. In addition, the eye, mouth, and nose regions appear to be particularly indicative of the presence of a mask. The lack of natural skin texture, proportional features, expressiveness, and asymmetry are also salient cues. The theoretical and applied implications of these findings are discussed.
Automated Reproducibility Testing in R Markdown
Andreas Markus Brandmaier; Aaron Peikert
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Computational results are considered _reproducible_ if the same computation on the same data yields the same results if performed on a different computer or on the same computer later in time. Reproducibility is a prerequisite for replicable, robust and transparent research in digital environments. Various approaches have been suggested to increase chances of reproducibility. Many of them rely on R Markdown as a language to dynamically generate reproducible research assets (e.g., reports, posters, or presentations). However, a simple way to detect non-reproducibility, that is, unwanted changes in these assets over time is still missing. We introduce the R package `reproducibleRchunks`, which provides a new type of code chunk in R Markdown documents, which automatically stores meta data about original computational results and verifies later reproduction attempts. With a minimal change to users' workflows, we hope that this approach increases transparency and trustworthiness of digital research assets.
The Impact of Middle-Eastern Theology on the Sub-continent: An Alternate Quantum Computational Perspective
Aman Chawla
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In this preprint, the authors present an alternative view of the entry of Islam into the Indian subcontinent in the 8th century, as a meso-scale event mediated by macro-scale gravitational events in the cosmos. Utilizing neuroscience, the authors are able to present a dispassionate view of a troubled history.
Does Body-Specificity Stand on Solid Ground? Z-curving the Association Between Emotional Valence and Lateral Space
Pablo Dapica; Julio Santiago; Pablo Solana
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The body-specificity hypothesis proposes that people with different bodies should also have different conceptual systems. The test case of this hypothesis has been the association of emotional valence (good vs. bad) with lateral space (left vs. right) in people of different handedness. As expected, right-handers tend to associate the good with right space, whereas left-handers show the opposite association. This body-specific effect has been very influential and followed up by an important number of studies. Here, we undertake a systematic examination of the quality of this literature by means of z-curve analysis. The results show that the expected replicability rate (statistical power) of this literature is reasonably high (71-76%), especially for those studies using binomial tasks and those that entail the severest tests for the hypothesis, whereas it is less convincingly high in reaction time studies. Moreover, the presence of publication bias cannot be statistically asserted. All in all, the literature on space-valence body-specificity appears reasonably solid, although there is still room for improvement.
The super-recogniser advantage extends to the detection of digitally manipulated faces
David J Robertson; Josh P Davis; Ryan Jenkins; Mathias Ibsen; Robert Nichols; Martha Babbs; Christian Rathgeb; Frøy Løvüsdal; Kiran Bylappa Raja; Christoph Busch
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Face recognition by human officials remains the predominant method of identity verification in security-critical contexts. The integrity of this process can be compromised by sophisticated fraud attacks using manipulated face images. Therefore, in this study we examine whether human observers can detect digitally manipulated passport photos, and whether super-recognisers (SRs) outperform typical recogniser controls. Using two face manipulation detection tasks (DFMD1, DFMD2), participants were asked to decide whether a ‘suspected’ passport photo had been digitally manipulated. SRs were found to significantly outperform controls; this effect was not the result of a ‘speed-accuracy trade-off’. Individual differences on tests of face identification aptitude, self-rated ability, and response times, accounted for over 20% of the variance in manipulated image detection sensitivity. Taken together, these findings show that, despite increasing sophistication in digital face manipulation techniques, there is still utility in employing human operators, particularly SRs, to detect them.
A brief review of research that questions the impact of questionable research practices
Mark Rubin
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Research on questionable research practices (QRPs) includes a growing body of work that questions whether they are as problematic as commonly assumed. This article provides a brief and selective review that focuses on some of this work. In particular, the review highlights work that questions the prevalence and impact of QRPs, including p-hacking, HARKing, publication bias and file-drawering. According to this work, QRPs may not provide the best explanation for the replication crisis, and they may not always be problematic. In particular, p-hacking, HARKing, and publication bias may be less impactful than commonly assumed.
The involvement of endogenous brain rhythms in speech processing
Tanja Atanasova; joachim gross; Anne Keitel; Johanna Rimmele
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Endogenous brain rhythms are at the core of neurobiological speech theories. These brain rhythms have been proposed to play a role for speech segmentation, attention allocation and temporal and spectral processes during speech perception. However, despite the strong theoretical foundations, direct empirical evidence for the involvement of endogenous brain rhythms in speech processing might be sparse, partly because of the inherent challenge of distinguishing these endogenous rhythms from responses to external stimuli. We here review popular oscillation-based theories (dynamic attending, active sensing, asymmetry sampling in time, and segmentation theories) and the empirical evidence for them, from studies using electrophysiological and brain stimulation approaches. Despite the popularity of current theoretical accounts, we conclude that there is little experimental research to date that provides unambiguous evidence for the involvement of endogenous brain rhythms as predicted by those oscillation-based accounts. Finally, we suggest potential directions for future research that could strengthen the evidence base for the role of endogenous rhythms in speech processing.
Abstract representations underlie rhythm perception and production: Evidence from a probabilistic model of temporal structure
Fleur L. Bouwer; Atser Damsma; Marcus Thomas Pearce; Mohsen Ghorashi Sarvestani; Thomas Kaplan
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Rhythm, such as in music, contains structure in the form of rhythmic patterns: the more or less predictable successions of longer and shorter intervals (i.e., the “morse code” of the rhythm). Listeners can use rhythmic patterns to predict the timing of sounds and guide their perception and action. It is still unclear how rhythmic patterns are represented in the human mind. Here, we used a probabilistic model of auditory expectations to simulate the perception and production of rhythmic patterns. We modelled expectations in rhythmic sequences at three different levels of abstraction: as the predictability of absolute inter-onset intervals (IOI), ratios between successive intervals (ratio), and the direction of change of successive intervals (contour). Subsequently, we selected rhythms that varied maximally in their modeled predictability across the three levels of abstraction for three behavioral tasks: a target detection task in which the rhythm was not task-relevant (implicit task), a complexity rating task (explicit task), and a tapping task (motor task). We found that both ratio and contour affected behavioral responses across all tasks, with the largest effects in the explicit rating task. IOI only affected responses for the explicit and motor tasks, where the rhythm was task-relevant, and to a greater extent when an imprecise, categorical representation of IOI was assumed. These findings suggest that humans rely mostly on imprecise representations of rhythmic patterns, but may flexibly adapt their representation based on task demands.
Self-Other Generalisation Shapes Social Interaction and Is Disrupted in Borderline Personality Disorder
Joseph M Barnby; Jen Nguyen; Julia Griem; Magdalena Wloszek; Henry Burgess; Linda Richards; Jess L Kingston; Gavin Cooper; London Personality and Mood Disorders Consortium; P. Read Montague
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Generalising information from ourselves to others, and others to ourselves allows for both a dependable source of navigation and adaptability in interpersonal exchange. Disturbances to social development in sensitive periods can cause enduring and distressing damage to lasting healthy relationships. However, identifying the mechanisms of healthy exchange has been difficult. We introduce a theory of self-other generalisation tested with data from a three-phase social value orientation task - the Intentions Game. We involved individuals with (n=50) and without (n=53) a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and assessed whether infractions to self-other generalisation may explain prior findings of disrupted social learning and instability. Healthy controls initially used their preferences to predict others and were influenced by their partners, leading to self-other convergence. In contrast, individuals with borderline personality disorder maintained distinct self-other representations when learning about others. This allowed for equal predictive performance compared to controls despite reduced updating sensitivity. Furthermore, we explored theory-driven individual differences underpinning contagion. Overall, the findings provide a clear explanation of how self-other generalisation constrains and assists learning and how childhood adversity is associated with separation of internalised beliefs. Our model makes clear predictions about the mechanisms of social information generalisation concerning both joint and individual reward.
Self-Other Generalisation Shapes Social Interaction and Is Disrupted in Borderline Personality Disorder
Joseph M Barnby; Jen Nguyen; Julia Griem; Magdalena Wloszek; Henry Burgess; Linda Richards; Jess L Kingston; Gavin Cooper; London Personality and Mood Disorders Consortium; P. Read Montague
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Generalising information from ourselves to others, and others to ourselves allows for both a dependable source of navigation and adaptability in interpersonal exchange. Disturbances to social development in sensitive periods can cause enduring and distressing damage to lasting healthy relationships. However, identifying the mechanisms of healthy exchange has been difficult. We introduce a theory of self-other generalisation tested with data from a three-phase social value orientation task - the Intentions Game. We involved individuals with (n=50) and without (n=53) a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and assessed whether infractions to self-other generalisation may explain prior findings of disrupted social learning and instability. Healthy controls initially used their preferences to predict others and were influenced by their partners, leading to self-other convergence. In contrast, individuals with borderline personality disorder maintained distinct self-other representations when learning about others. This allowed for equal predictive performance compared to controls despite reduced updating sensitivity. Furthermore, we explored theory-driven individual differences underpinning contagion. Overall, the findings provide a clear explanation of how self-other generalisation constrains and assists learning and how childhood adversity is associated with separation of internalised beliefs. Our model makes clear predictions about the mechanisms of social information generalisation concerning both joint and individual reward.
Evoked emotions in anorexia nervosa: neural and behavioural correlates of social-emotional processing
Jenni Leppanen; Olivia Bailey; Daniel Halls; Karina Allen; Kate Tchanturia; Steven Williams
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People with anorexia nervosa (AN) have been reported to exhibit difficulties in production and reception of emotional communication. This may be linked to illness progression, but the neural mechanisms that underpin these difficulties remain uncertain. The present study aimed to replicate and further build on previous findings by examining evoked emotional responses in and outside the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment. In total, 141 women (71 AN, 70 healthy comparison) completed behavioural and functional MRI (fMRI) versions of evoked emotions tasks. In both tasks, participants were presented with positive, neutral, and negative emotional film clips, and they were asked to rate their mood after each one. The effects of group and film category on facial expressions, brain responses, and mood ratings were examined. The behavioural findings showed reduced positive facial affect and lower self-reported mood in response to positive film clips in women with AN. The fMRI task revealed no significant group differences but widespread activation of lateral occipital, parietal, middle and superior temporal, and superior frontal regions in response to the emotional videos. The behavioural findings replicate previously reported altered emotional responses in AN. However, the lack of group differences in brain responses to the emotional film clips raises questions about general difficulties in reception for emotional communication in AN. Task-related activation was observed in regions typically associated with the processing of naturalistic emotional stimuli, suggesting the task was valid.
A novel generalized model framework of diagnostic classification models for multiple-choice items
Kentaro Fukushima; Kensuke Okada
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This study introduces a generalized model framework for multiple-choice diagnostic classification models (MC-DCMs) called the multiple-choice log-linear cognitive diagnostic model (MC-LCDM). The framework can represent various MC-DCMs as submodels through appropriate parameter constraints, analogous to the role of the LCDM and G-DINA models in dichotomous response DCMs. The MC-LCDM provides a unified perspective on existing models and aids in exploring new submodels. As with other generalized models, it can minimize the impact of model misspecification when sufficient sample sizes and computational resources are available. Simulation studies indicated that the submodels within the MC-LCDM framework accurately recovered true examinee and item parameter values, while an empirical study further demonstrated that including intercept parameters improved model fit and addressed previously observed diagnostic biases. These findings underscore the comprehensive and flexible nature of the MC-LCDM, thereby enhancing both theoretical understanding and practical applicability.
Prosocial Motivation Predicts Higher Work Engagement and Extra-Role Behavior, but Lower Productivity and Persistence on a Japanese Crowdsourcing Platform
Claudia Gherghel; Takuma Yamamoto
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In recent years, crowdsourcing has grown in popularity in Japan. However, little is known regarding the motivation of Japanese crowd workers. In a preregistered study, we examined the impact of intrinsic and prosocial motivation on work engagement and objective work outcomes among Japanese crowd workers. Data on several work-related outcomes was collected through a self-report questionnaire on Lancers, the oldest Japanese crowdsourcing platform. The performance and persistence of the participants was measured through objective indicators one month, as well as one year after data collection. Findings from a sample of 357 participants revealed that both intrinsic and prosocial motivation positively influenced crowdsourcing work engagement, although they did not affect work accuracy (i.e., response compliance). Prosocial motivation also predicted extra-role behaviour (i.e., responding to optional open-ended questions) and extra-role effort (i.e., the length of responses to optional questions). However, prosocial motivation had a negative association with productivity and persistence, with participants high in prosocial motivation completing fewer micro-tasks per month/year and being less likely to maintain an active crowdsourcing account one year later. This study contributes to the literature on crowdsourcing work engagement revealing how intrinsic and prosocial motivation differently shape work outcomes among Japanese crowdsourcing workers
From mathematical logic to human dignity: An interview with Sean D. Kelly
Wei Zhang
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Sean D. Kelly is a renowned contemporary American philosopher, currently serving as a Professor of Department of Philosophy and Dean of Arts and Humanities at Harvard University. His research spans phenomenology, existential philosophy, philosophy of mind, cognitive science, and the intersection of philosophy and the arts. His academic work is known for its in-depth exploration of the structure of consciousness, perceptual experience, and the convergence of these issues in phenomenology and analytic philosophy. This interview was conducted on January 13, 2025, at University Hall, Harvard University.
Valid Replications Require Valid Methods: Suggestions for Best Methodological Practices with Lab Experiments
Eddie Harmon-Jones; Cindy Harmon-Jones; David Amodio; Philip A Gable; Brandon Schmeichel
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This article considers an important but relatively neglected contributor to failures to replicate results from experiments in motivation and emotion – messy methods. By methods, we mean the procedures used to collect data and test hypotheses, which concern issues such as experimental design and validity. We offer a set of guidelines for establishing strong and valid experimental methods for both original research and replications. We first consider the lab room setup, starting with physical environment participants see on the way to the lab as well as the physical environment of the lab room itself. Then, we explain the importance of a cover story and the psychological state of the participants prior to the beginning of the experiment. In addition, we consider experimenters’ and confederates’ behavior and appearance, the need for experimenters to be blind to condition, and the difficulties of having multiple experimenters conduct one experiment. Next, we discuss the construction of strong independent variables, interactions between independent variables, manipulation checks, how the psychological meaning of an independent variable can change over time and place, demand characteristics, and confounds. When considering dependent variables, we explain how to construct sensitive ones, and the importance of pretesting. Then, we apply these guidelines to replications, and finish by considering some data management and statistical issues. We hope this article will be a useful resource for both students and experienced scientists.
Opening strategies in the Game of Go from feudalism to superhuman AI
Bret Beheim
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How does information infrastructure shape long-term cultural evolution? Using 424 years of professional game records from the game of Go, this study explores how strategic dynamics in opening moves reflect historical shifts in the ``infostructure'' of Go players. Drawing from recent work on the potential impacts of population size, artificial intelligence and information technology on cultural diversity and innovation dynamics, I analyze over 118,000 games using measures of cultural diversity, divergence, and player network composition. The results show distinct eras of collective innovation and homogenization, including an early 20th-century explosion of novel opening strategies, a Cold-War-era die-off, and a recent increase in evolutionary tempo with the arrival of the Internet and superhuman AI programs like AlphaGo. Player population size shows an inverse-U shape with respect to opening move diversity, and community detection algorithms indicate the recent decline in diversity accompanied by a shift from many small subgroups in the player network to a few large ones. Surprisingly, the influence of AI has produced only a modest, short-lived disruption in opening move diversity, suggesting human-AI convergence and incremental, rather than revolutionary, change.
Subjective Evaluation of Food: A Japanese Database
Asako Toyama; Yuichi Yamashita; Shinsuke Suzuki
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How much do you like a particular food? How tasty does it look? Does it seem healthy? Such subjective evaluations of foods guide our dietary choices. Maladaptive food evaluations are often linked to the development of obesity. In this study, we introduce a dataset of food evaluations that includes ratings of 896 food images, assessed in terms of likability, tastiness, and healthiness, from 199 online participants. Our pilot analysis demonstrated that obese and lean participants exhibited largely similar patterns in their food evaluations, with some minor differences. Furthermore, self-reported questionnaire data showed that obese participants reported higher degrees of picky eating and difficulty with eating compared with lean participants, whereas their overall mental-health status did not differ. We believe this dataset will prove valuable for future studies exploring individual differences in food evaluations.
Automatic Temporal Analysis of Speech: A Quick and Objective Pipeline for the Assessment of Overt Stuttering
Evan Richard Usler; Vishruta Yawatkar; Ho Ming Chow
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Purpose: Developmental stuttering is a communication disorder characterized by the production of stuttering disfluency, such as blocks, repetitions, prolongations. Accurate measurement of overt stuttering behavior can aid in diagnostic evaluation, determination of the optimal course of treatment, and for tracking progress in that treatment. In this study, we propose a novel method for the assessment of speech fluency, based on the automatic detection and quantification of discrete pause and vocal events in continuous speech. Our first hypothesis is that adults who stutter (AWS) will exhibit more pausing or hesitancy in speech compared to adults who does not stutter (AWNS). Our second hypothesis is that the speech of AWS will be more temporally irregular than AWNS, as evidenced by greater variability in the duration of pause and vocal events. Our third hypothesis is that our ATAS metrics will be accurate in predicting status of each participant as either an AWS or AWNS grouping. Methods: We have constructed a novel methodology, Automatic Temporal Analysis of Speech (ATAS), to quantify the temporal regularities of pause and vocal events within the speech stream. Our seven ATAS metrics relevant to this preliminary study include: speech rate, total pause time, pause count, mean pause duration, mean vocal duration, pause duration variability, and vocal duration variability. Oral reading audio samples from a total of 35 English-speaking participants were used: 17 AWS and 18 AWNS. Results: AWS, in general, exhibited more pausing or hesitancy in speech compared to AWNS, as evidenced by slower speech rate, greater total pause time, and longer mean duration of pause events. Numerous pause and vocal metrics acquired from ATAS were correlated with stuttering frequency, which is suggestive that automatically detected temporal metrics of pause and vocal events within continuous speech are highly associated with stuttering. Conclusion: The automatic and instrumental detection and quantification of pause and vocal events during speech may provide an alternative and complementary method that SLPs and other health professionals can use in the assessment of fluency disorders, such as stuttering.
ARCH Equation: A General Model of Behavior Across Species
Tahir Rahman
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This paper proposes a general law of behavioral dynamics—Behavior = Archetype × Drive × Culture (ARCH)—and evaluates its validity across a phylogenetic continuum, from unicellular organisms to humans. Drawing on comparative ethology, neurobiology, and behavioral ecology, the ARCH model conceptualizes behavior as the interaction of evolutionarily conserved scripts (Archetypes), internal physiological modulators (Drives), and socially transmitted learning (Culture). Organisms exhibit varying degrees of these components, with basal taxa expressing Archetype-only systems and complex vertebrates integrating all three. The model is extended by incorporating a measure of integrated information (Φ), yielding the compound equation: Behavioral Phenomenology = ARCH × Φ, which distinguishes structured behavior from conscious integration. This framework provides a scalable, biologically grounded model of behavior and consciousness, with applications in comparative cognition, neuroscience, AI, and psychiatry.
Dynamic Measurement Invariance Cutoffs for Two-Group Fit Index Differences
Daniel McNeish
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Measurement invariance is investigated to ensure that a measurement scale functions similarly across different demographic groups or timepoints. A prevailing approach is to fit a series of multiple-group confirmatory factor models and then compare differences in fit indices of constrained and unconstrained models. Common recommendations are that ΔCFI above −.01 or ΔRMSEA less than .01 suggests evidence of invariance. In this paper, we review the methodological literature that highlights that these widely used cutoffs do not generalize well. Specifically, distributions of fit index differences expand or contract based on model and data characteristics, making any single cutoff unlikely to maintain desirable performance across a wide range of conditions. To address this, we propose a method called dynamic measurement invariance (DMI) cutoffs, which is an extension of dynamic fit index (DFI) cutoffs originally devised to accommodate related issues in single-group models. DMI generalizes and executes a simulation based on the researcher’s specific model and data characteristics to derive custom fit index difference cutoffs with optimal performance for the model being evaluated. The paper explains the method and provides simulations and empirical examples to demonstrate its potential contribution, as well as ways in which it could be extended to expand its scope and utility. Open-source software is also provided to improve accessibility of the method.
The mismeasure of culture: Why measurement invariance is rarely appropriate for comparative research in psychology
Kodai Kusano; Jaime L. Napier; John Jost
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Despite growing recognition of the need for cross-national or cross-cultural validation of measures in social psychological research, tension persists between proponents of measurement invariance and practitioners frustrated with stringent standards and ambiguous recommendations. This article critiques common applications of measurement invariance standards and proposes an alternative method for establishing cross-group validity. We highlight how measurement invariance emerged from concerns about fairness in high-stakes individual selections and is based on meta-theoretical assumptions usually irrelevant for drawing cross-societal comparisons. Using the General System Justification Scale as an example, we demonstrate how reliance on a nomological network can ensure meaningful group differences without meeting invariance criteria and show how non-invariance is preferable to approximate (or partial) invariance. We recommend that psychologists interested in cross-group comparisons isolate construct-relevant factors from method bias. Doing so requires defining a priori the goal of scale use and what is “societal” or “cultural” about what is being measured.
Delayed lexical access and cascading effects on semantic activation during spoken word recognition in children with hearing aids and cochlear implants: Evidence from eye-tracking
Kelsey Klein; Elizabeth Walker; Bob McMurray
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Objective: The objective of this study was to characterize the dynamics of real-time lexical access, including lexical competition among phonologically similar words, and semantic activation in school-age children with hearing aids (HAs) and children with cochlear implants (CIs). We hypothesized that developing spoken language via degraded auditory input would lead children with HAs or CIs to adapt their approach to spoken word recognition, especially by slowing down lexical access. Design: Participants were children ages 9-12 years old with normal hearing (NH), HAs, or CIs. Participants completed a Visual World Paradigm task in which they heard a spoken word and selected the matching picture from four options. Competitor items were either phonologically similar, semantically similar, or unrelated to the target word. As the target word unfolded, children’s fixations to the target word, cohort competitor, rhyme competitor, semantically related item, and unrelated item were recorded as indices of ongoing lexical and semantic activation. Results: Children with HAs and children with CIs showed slower fixations to the target, reduced fixations to the cohort, and increased fixations to the rhyme, relative to children with NH. This wait-and-see profile was more pronounced in the children with CIs than the children with HAs. Children with HAs and children with CIs also showed delayed fixations to the semantically related item, though this delay was attributable to their delay in activating words in general, not to a distinct semantic source. Conclusions: Children with HAs and children with CIs showed qualitatively similar patterns of real-time spoken word recognition. Findings suggest that developing spoken language via degraded auditory input causes long-term cognitive adaptations to how listeners recognize spoken words, regardless of the type of hearing device used. Delayed lexical activation directly led to delayed semantic activation in children with HAs and CIs. This delay in semantic processing may impact these children’s ability to understand connected speech in everyday life.
More gist, better math: Fuzzy trace theory-based investigation of the relationship between long-term memory and mathematical skills
Mateusz Hohol; Michał Obidziński; Nina Bażela
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Despite extensive research on the cognitive basis for mathematical activity, the associations between long-term memory and math skills remain relatively understudied. In our fuzzy-trace theory-driven study, we addressed this issue by investigating the relationships between long-term memory for numbers and prominent math skills, namely approximate number processing, arithmetic fluency, and math reasoning, along with math self-concept. Individuals who performed better in the numerical memory task demonstrated better math reasoning, a higher math self-concept, and were more arithmetically fluent in multiplication and division, but not in addition, subtraction, or approximate number processing. Crucially, our memory task, based on the conjoint recognition model, allowed us to go beyond merely measuring overall performance and, as a result, to test fine-grained memory processes related to two memory traces: verbatim (remembering exact numbers) and gist (remembering a general intuition about a number’s magnitude). While both gist and verbatim processes correlated with math reasoning, the associations involving gist-based processes were more prominent. This pattern was further supported by cluster-based analysis. On the other hand, even though math self-concept was positively associated with overall numerical memory performance, it correlated significantly only with verbatim-based process. We discuss our results in relation to the findings of previous fuzzy-trace theory-driven studies on mathematical cognition, highlighting discrepancies between them and their possible origins. Overall, our study shows the nuanced role of long-term memory in mathematical skills and demonstrates the power of fuzzy-trace theory in the fine-grained investigation of mathematical cognition.
Moral Decision-making, Empathy, Personal Distress, Resilience and Action and Outcome Aversion of Medical Professionals Performing Invasive Procedures
Irmak Oltay; Hale YapÄącÄą Eser; Paul Conway
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People often feel averse to performing harmful actions; yet, some medical professionals, such as surgeons, regularly perform harmful and aversive actions aimed at improving patient well-being. Such actions parallel sacrificial dilemmas where harm saves lives, violating deontological ethics against harm but upholding utilitarian ethics to maximize outcomes. Therefore, we predicted that, compared to other medical professionals, surgeons and physicians performing invasive procedures may reject sacrificial harm less, focus on outcomes more, or both--in part due to a lower score on empathic concern, personal distress and higher score on resilience and lower score on action and outcome aversion. We recruited 131 practicing physicians and compared those who a) regularly perform invasive versus noninvasive procedures and b) specialize in surgery versus other specializations on sacrificial moral dilemma decisions, empathy, personal distress, and resilience, and aversion to causing and witnessing harm. Results indicated that physicians performing invasive procedures did not score differently on either PD parameter (versus non-invasive), however those specializing in surgery (versus non-surgical areas) scored lower on both deontological and utilitarian responding; in addition, surgeons scored lower on personal distress and higher on resilience (however other findings were not significant). More resilient physicians also scored lower in deontological responses, suggesting resilience is a trait that plays a role in emotion regulation. These provide tentative evidence that surgeons, but not physicians performing invasive procedures, are less concerned with performing aversive actions aimed to benefit patients, which may be adaptive for performing stronger aversive actions during surgeries.
Toward Holistic and Context-Sensitive Operationalization of Child Socioeconomic Circumstances
Emma Blakey; Laura Ann Outhwaite; Eleanor Braithwaite; Alexandra Hendry; Gabriel Reyes; Ivan Alfonso Hernandez; Monica E Ellwood-Lowe; Meriah DeJoseph
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Developmental science has made great strides in understanding how child socioeconomic circumstances shape outcomes in a range of domains. Researchers have argued we need to operationalize socioeconomic circumstances clearly and consistently, and more recently, argued a need to ensure we are understanding child circumstances in a culturally responsible way. However, there is a need to bring together these perspectives to understand how we should operationalise and measure socioeconomic disadvantage in ways that are both culturally responsive and precise, striking a balance between mechanistic insight and policy relevance. This paper highlights three ways forward in which we can develop a more holistic, comprehensive and inclusive understanding of social gradients in child development.
Opening strategies in the Game of Go from feudalism to superhuman AI
Bret Beheim
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How does information infrastructure shape long-term cultural evolution? Using 424 years of professional game records from the game of Go, this study explores how strategic dynamics in opening moves reflect historical shifts in the ``infostructure'' of Go players. Drawing from recent work on the potential impacts of population structure, artificial intelligence and information technology on cultural diversity and innovation dynamics, I analyze over 118,000 Go games using measures of cultural diversity, divergence, and player network composition. The results show distinct eras of collective innovation and homogenization, including an early 20th-century explosion of novel opening strategies, a Cold-War-era die-off, and a recent increase in evolutionary tempo with the arrival of the Internet and superhuman AI programs like AlphaGo. Player population size shows an inverse-U shape with respect to opening move diversity, and community-detection algorithms indicate the recent decline in diversity accompanied a shift away from many small subgroups in the network to a few large ones. Surprisingly, the influence of AI has produced only a modest, short-lived disruption in opening move diversity, suggesting human-AI convergence and incremental, rather than revolutionary, change.
Are prediction error attenuations domain-specific in autism but domain-general in ADHD?
Irene Sophia Plank; Anna Yurova; Alexandra Pior; Julia Nowak; Afton M. Bierlich; Boris Papazov; Zhuanghua Shi; Christine Falter-Wagner
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In the last decade, several theories have proposed explanations of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on the Bayesian Brain hypothesis. Research on repetition suppression suggests that neural correlates of prediction errors in ASD might be domain-specific with increased attenuations for faces compared to objects. Contrastingly, research assessing mismatch negativity in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) indicates a domain-general attenuation of prediction errors. Therefore, we captured neural correlates of prediction errors to colours and emotions in adults with ADHD or ASD to assess domain-specificity of prediction error attenuations. We used a multi-feature roving paradigm where we assessed predictive processes regarding unattended, task-irrelevant faces. We extracted task-specific precision-weighted prediction errors and prediction strength for emotions and colours of the faces separately using a generative model, specifically a Hierarchical Gaussian Filter. While we found neural correlates of colour precision-weighted prediction errors and prediction strength as well as emotion prediction strength in the pooled sample regardless of group, we did not find any differences in neural correlates of emotion or colour precision-weighted prediction errors or prediction strength between our groups. The current results suggest spared neural correlates of precision-weighted prediction errors in ASD and ADHD for both low-level visual features and complex social information.
Bigger is not always better: The importance of human-scale language modeling for psycholinguistics
Ethan Gotlieb Wilcox; Michael Hu; Aaron Mueller; Tal Linzen; Alex Warstadt; Leshem Choshen; Chengxu Zhuang; Ryan Cotterell; Adina Williams
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Neural network language models can learn a surprising amount about language by predicting upcoming words in a corpus. Recent language technologies work has demonstrated that large performance improvements can arise from simply increasing ("scaling") the size of the data sets they are trained on (and, correspondingly, the number of parameters in those models); accordingly, many contemporary systems are trained on trillions of words. While largely beneficial to performance on language applications, scaling has several downsides for both computational psycholinguistics and natural language processing research. We discuss the scientific challenges presented by scaling, as well as the benefits that would result from human-scale language modeling research. In the second half of this paper, we report on takeaways from two efforts to bring about human-scale language model pretraining. First, we report on the first iteration of the BabyLM Challenge, a shared task organized by the authors that asked participants to train a language model on 100 million words or less. Second, we present experiments to answer open questions from the findings of the BabyLM Challenge: namely, are a significant amount of computational resources required to achieve high performance, even at such small scales? We find that high performance can be achieved at small data scales and with typical academic-scale computational resources.
A Unified Framework for Understanding and Intervening on False News Sharing
Anton Gollwitzer; Alan Novaes Tump; Cameron Martel; Dominik Deffner; Mubashir Sultan; Ralf Kurvers; Ralph Hertwig
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The risks of false news—its potential to distort public opinion and erode trust—have driven extensive research on potential countermeasures. Yet, there has been no comprehensive, comparative, and computational investigation of false news sharing and how to mitigate it. To address this, we apply a semi-integrative experimental approach that directly compares multiple false news interventions, examines individual- and item-level modifiers of intervention efficacy, and uses computational modeling to uncover the decision-making processes underlying these effects. We find that warning labels and media literacy interventions most effectively improve news sharing quality, followed by a social norm intervention. Accuracy prompts were least effective. Supporting generalizability, intervention effects remained consistent across individual- and item-level characteristics, including age, analytical thinking, and political-lean. Supporting specificity, each intervention influenced news sharing quality through distinct decision-making processes. By applying a semi-integrative approach, we offer an in-depth understanding of false news sharing and how to mitigate it.
Experts’ Remote Viewing Guidelines
Patrizio Tressoldi; Jimmy Akin; Debra Katz
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A survey of renowned experts in remote viewing was conducted to gather their opinions on recommended procedures and conditions for obtaining the best results with real-time remote viewing and precognition tasks. Eleven experts responded. Findings revealed both areas of consensus and notable divergences. Experts generally agreed that structured training, such as Controlled Remote Viewing (CRV), produces more reliable results. They emphasized the necessity of maintaining a neutral, distraction-free environment, with some highlighting the role of meditation and mental discipline in enhancing accuracy. Respondents recommended that participants have at least one year of experience in remote viewing protocols. Some suggested practicing meditation before the task and allowing participants ample time, as defined by the viewer themselves, to complete their sessions, which can be conducted solo or in small groups. Experts also agreed on the importance of blinding procedures to prevent contamination of results and the value of using multiple independent viewers in operational applications. However, differences emerged regarding the flexibility of remote viewing methodologies. Some experts advocated for strict adherence to structured protocols, while others argued that individual talent and self-developed techniques could be equally effective. Opinions also varied on the role of feedback, with some emphasizing its necessity for skill improvement while others warned of potential displacement effects. Overall, this expert-driven analysis highlights critical methodological considerations for optimizing remote viewing performance. While fundamental principles such as training, environmental control, and blinding are widely accepted, further research is needed to empirically compare the effectiveness of differing methodologies. These findings offer a provisional framework for future studies and operational remote viewing project management.
Temporal trends in the incidence of eating disorders between 2000 and 2022: a Danish register study of their epidemiology and comorbidities
Nadia Micali; Helena L Davies; Heidi Jeannet Graff; Laust H. Mortensen; Emilie R. Hegelund
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Background Eating disorders are debilitating illnesses that often co-occur with other psychiatric disorders and somatic diseases. Evidence indicates that the incidence of eating disorders has been increasing. We first examine the landscape of EDs over time, including the COVID-19 period, via assessing the incidence of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and other eating disorders (OED) in Denmark. We additionally map the impact of eating disorders assessing their prevalence and comorbidities. Methods Diagnosed eating disorder cases were identified from the Danish National Patient Register from 1995 to 2022. We calculated age- and sex-specific incidence rates for each year. We additionally calculated prevalence for the years 2000, 2010, and 2022 and identified comorbidities via primary or secondary ICD-10 diagnoses from inpatient and outpatient hospital contacts and prescription medication data from the Danish National Prescription Registry. Associations between eating disorders and ICD-10 diseases and prescription medication were investigated with logistic regression models. Results The incidence of eating disorders increased over the study time in younger age groups for both sexes, particularly for AN and OED, whilst BN diagnoses showed a declining incidence rate from 2017 onwards. Evidence for increased incidence rates during and following the COVID-19 pandemic was strongest for AN and OED in females. All eating disorders showed high levels of comorbidities with both psychiatric and somatic illnesses. Discussion The increased incidence after 2020 is likely affected by the psychosocial challenges and thus heightened vulnerability to mental health difficulties amongst Danish youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Low numbers of male cases with EDs may demonstrate poor identification and underdiagnosis. We also provide evidence of high impact and severity of EDs given their increasing prevalence and breadth of identified somatic and psychiatric comorbidities.
A Comparative Investigation of Interventions to Reduce Anti-Fat Prejudice Across Five Implicit Measures
Calvin K. Lai; Joel Michel Le Forestier
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The severity and pervasiveness of anti-fat prejudice and discrimination has led to calls for interventions to address them. However, intervention studies to combat anti-fat prejudice have often been stymied by ineffective approaches, small sample sizes, and a lack of standardization in measurement. To that end, we conducted two mega-experiments totaling 28,240 participants and 50 conditions where we tested 5 intervention approaches to reduce implicit anti-fat prejudice across 5 implicit measures. We found that interventions were most effective at reducing implicit weight biases when they instructed people to practice an explicit rule linking fat people with good things and thin people with bad things. Interventions that were more indirect or relied on associative learning tended to be ineffective. We also found that change in implicit bias on one implicit measure often generalized to other implicit measures. However, the Evaluative Priming Task and single-target measures of implicit bias like the Single-Target Implicit Association Test were much less sensitive to change. These findings illuminate promising approaches to combating implicit anti-fat prejudice and advance understanding of how implicit bias change generalizes across measures.
Redefining the Mainstream: A Review and Meta-Analysis of the Evolving Dynamics of Majority-Group Acculturation
Jonas R. Kunst
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Socio-historical factors–including coloniality–have perpetuated the long-standing neglect of cultural change among majority groups but also recently catalysed a paradigm shift. After outlining the theoretical pillars of majority-group acculturation, a meta-analysis of 37 studies (11,024 participants, 445 effects) is presented, demonstrating that majority-group members on average tend to maintain their own culture more than they adopt other cultures. The relationship between these acculturation orientations is more positive in settler society contexts than in nation-state and former colonial power contexts. Intercultural sensitivity, pro-diversity orientations, intergroup contact, and global identity are key correlates of higher other culture adoption. Whereas own culture maintenance is related to more national inclinations, unwelcoming ideologies, and threat perceptions, it does not seem to generally reflect a rejection of other cultures. Critical limitations in the current literature accentuate the necessity of integrating power dynamics, distinguishing genuine cultural adoption from cultural appropriation, and transcending static, two-dimensional models of acculturation.
A Comparative Investigation of Interventions to Reduce Anti-Fat Prejudice Across Five Implicit Measures
Calvin K. Lai; Joel Michel Le Forestier
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The severity and pervasiveness of anti-fat prejudice and discrimination has led to calls for interventions to address them. However, intervention studies to combat anti-fat prejudice have often been stymied by ineffective approaches, small sample sizes, and a lack of standardization in measurement. To that end, we conducted two mega-experiments totaling 28,240 participants and 50 conditions where we tested 5 intervention approaches to reduce implicit anti-fat prejudice across 5 implicit measures. We found that interventions were most effective at reducing implicit weight biases when they instructed people to practice an explicit rule linking fat people with good things and thin people with bad things. Interventions that were more indirect or relied on associative learning tended to be ineffective. We also found that change in implicit bias on one implicit measure often generalized to other implicit measures. However, the Evaluative Priming Task and single-target measures of implicit bias like the Single-Target Implicit Association Test were much less sensitive to change. These findings illuminate promising approaches to combating implicit anti-fat prejudice and advance understanding of how implicit bias change generalizes across measures.
Mind, Motion and Multiscale Emergence: Exploring the Thermodynamics of Cognitive Experiences
Antonio Max
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This article presents a novel theoretical framework that reimagines cognitive dynamics through dynamical systems theory and thermodynamic principles. Beginning with an intuitive pixel-experience analogy, a mathematical approach based on attractor dynamics, Lyapunov functions, and weak/strong Markov blankets is then used to describe how cognitive states continuously stabilize representations under metabolic constraints, while dynamically updating beliefs through prediction-driven attractor shifts, ensuring adaptive inference. The framework unifies perception, memory, and emotion within a non-Bayesian predictive model that formalizes the emergence of both computational and linguistic capabilities via recursive self-organization. By embedding cognition within thermodynamic and geometric principles, this work bridges neural mechanics with phenomenological experience, providing new insights into consciousness, learning, and pathological states, while suggesting testable hypotheses for theoretical neuroscience and AI.
EEG as a Predictor of Transition from Clinical High Risk to Schizophrenia
Finn Brady; Klaus Kessler; Keith Gaynor; Anja Stanojlovic
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Abstract Background Prognostic markers capable of predicting future conversion to schizophrenia from a clinical high-risk state are vital for early intervention. Electroencephalography (EEG), a non-invasive measure of brain activity, has been widely studied in early psychosis research. While EEG biomarkers have shown promise for diagnosis, their predictive value for psychosis conversion remains unclear. This systematic review evaluates baseline EEG differences between clinical high risk (CHR) individuals who later develop psychosis and those who do not. Methods A systematic review of articles on Pubmed, CINAHL and APA Psycarticles was conducted in October 2024, with additional studies being collected through hand search. Studies comparing EEG markers in CHR converters and non-converters were included. Narrative synthesis was used to observe the findings due to variance in the included methodologies. Results Out of 899 screened studies, 29 met inclusion criteria. Findings on EEG prognostic value were mixed, though Mismatch Negativity (MMN) and P300 event-related potentials (ERPs), as well as elevated theta and delta power in resting-state EEG, showed the highest consistency in predicting conversion. P50 sensory gating deficits did not emerge as a reliable predictor. Discussion Our findings were contextualised in cross-sectional studies of clinical high risk and first episode psychosis. The relative sensitivity of biomarkers, in terms of prediction and use in the prodromal phase was discussed. The limitations of our collected literature, in terms of inconsistency between clinical and neurophysiological measures was noted. Future larger, standardised, multi-centre studies are needed to validate findings for the use of EEG in predicting future conversion to psychosis. We further propose that including task-related EEG indices that tap into transdiagnostic symptom dimensions could widen the range of promising biomarkers. Keywords: Psychosis, Schizophrenia, Transition, EEG markers, MMN, P300, Theta, Delta
Metaphor Use in China-South Africa Relations Related Leaders’ Speeches: Effects of Language and Year
Jing Shu; Johanita Kirsten
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This study examines metaphor usage in the speeches of Chinese and South African leaders on China-South Africa relations, focusing on how language and year influence metaphor usage. We introduce the concept of Overt Metaphor and Covert Metaphor and its identification methods. The findings reveal that the South African president predominantly uses Overt Metaphors, while the Chinese president favors Covert Metaphors. In South African speeches, metaphor usage shows temporal stability, while the Chinese leader’s speeches exhibit year-to-year differences in some classic source domains. This suggests that classic source domains reveal deeper metaphorical differences. Our study not only proposes a new way for the promotion of conceptual cognition through covert metaphors but also introduces a conceptual metaphor generation mechanism based on source domain associations, contributing to Conceptual Metaphor Theory. We also highlight the role of metaphors in shaping cooperation and trust in China-South Africa relations, with JOURNEY creating confidence in cooperation and BUILD focusing on cooperation outcomes. Additionally, cultural differences influence metaphor usage, such as the prominent role of “family” in Chinese culture, leading to the widespread use of the FAMILY metaphor in constructing the “国家(COUNTRY IS A FAMILY)” concept, and its application in describing China-South Africa relations by the Chinese president.
ISTDP is a Functional Analytic Psychotherapy
Robert Johansson
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In this paper, I describe and analyze Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) from the perspective of Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), a behavioral psychotherapy explicitly emphasizing the therapeutic relationship as the primary context for clinical intervention. I propose that FAP can be understood as a generalized system of behavioral psychotherapy, characterized by procedural guidelines (“FAP’s Five Rules”) derived from operant conditioning principles. Further, I demonstrate that ISTDP, despite its psychoanalytic origins, procedurally fulfills the criteria of this generalized behavioral system, particularly through its structured use of contingent responding (Pressure, Challenge, Head-On Collision) within therapeutic interactions. ISTDP’s implicit universal conceptualization of emotional health — emphasizing adaptive emotional experiencing, expression, and interpersonal closeness — is explicitly articulated within the behavioral framework. Highlighting complex clinical phenomena of ISTDP, such as emotional breakthroughs (“unlockings”) and the expressions of the Unconscious Therapeutic Alliance (UTA), I argue that these phenomena challenge purely operant behavioral explanations and thus suggest the potential benefit of integrating advanced behavioral theoretical frameworks like Relational Frame Theory. The paper discusses implications for theoretical advancement, clinical practice refinement, and improved empirical research in ISTDP.
A brief review of research that questions the impact of questionable research practices
Mark Rubin
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Research on questionable research practices (QRPs) includes a growing body of work that questions whether they are as problematic as commonly assumed. This article provides a brief and selective review that focuses on some of this work. In particular, the review highlights work that questions the prevalence and impact of QRPs, including p-hacking, HARKing, publication bias and file-drawering. According to this work, QRPs may not provide the best explanation for the replication crisis, and they may not always be problematic. In particular, p-hacking, HARKing, and publication bias may be less impactful than commonly assumed.
Disentangling Sleep’s Role in Emotion Processing
Emma Caitlin Sullivan; Cade McCall; Lisa Henderson; Scott Cairney
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Sleep plays a crucial role in emotion processing, with sleep disruptions contributing to emotion dysregulation and increased risk of mental illness. This review examines the relationship between sleep and three key aspects of emotion processing: emotional reactivity, cognitive emotion regulation, and emotional inertia. Evidence suggests that sleep deprivation heightens emotional reactivity, weakens the ability to regulate emotions adaptively, and increases the persistence of negative emotions over time. Neurobiological findings highlight the role of prefrontal-limbic circuitry in all of these processes, with sleep loss impairing top-down regulatory control over emotional responses. Furthermore, rapid eye movement sleep and slow-wave sleep appear to play distinct roles in restoring emotional balance. The findings from this review highlight how sleep disturbance plays an important role in emotion dysregulation and, over time, increases vulnerability to poorer mental health.
Feasibility and acceptability of a remote physical activity intervention coupled with short text messages in women with breast cancer and severe depressive or anxiety symptoms
Paquito Bernard; johan Caudroit; Lapointe; Comtois; Ahmed Jerome Romain
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Purpose. To test the feasibility and acceptability of a remote physical activity (PA) intervention coupled with motivational text messages among women experiencing severe depressive and/or anxiety symptoms during or after breast cancer (BC) treatment. Methods and materials. A three-phase-single-case experimental study design (16-week) was conducted among 18 women diagnosed with BC reporting high levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Our intervention included behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and 2 to 3 supervised PA sessions per week, for at least 30 minutes, coupled with 4 to 7 weekly personalized text messages. Feasibility (satisfaction and drop-out rates), acceptability (participation rates, therapeutic alliance, and qualitative data), fidelity (quality of BCTs delivered), and the efficacy on PA level and physical fitness were assessed. Results. Participants expressed high satisfaction and reported an excellent working alliance with their kinesiologist. Notably, there was a very high participation rate (90%) along with a low dropout rate (11%). However, only 3 patients significantly increased their PA post-intervention. Conclusion. This study highlighted the importance to personalize remote PA interventions for women with BC and severe depressive or anxiety symptoms. The combination of a remote PA intervention with daily text messages appears to be very suitable to increase their adherence.
Disentangling Sleep’s Role in Emotion Processing
Emma Caitlin Sullivan; Cade McCall; Lisa Henderson; Scott Cairney
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Sleep plays a crucial role in emotion processing, with sleep disruptions contributing to emotion dysregulation and increased risk of mental illness. This review examines the relationship between sleep and three key aspects of emotion processing: emotional reactivity, cognitive emotion regulation, and emotional inertia. Evidence suggests that sleep deprivation heightens emotional reactivity, weakens the ability to regulate emotions adaptively, and increases the persistence of negative emotions over time. Neurobiological findings highlight the role of prefrontal-limbic circuitry in all of these processes, with sleep loss impairing top-down regulatory control over emotional responses. Furthermore, rapid eye movement sleep and slow-wave sleep appear to play distinct roles in restoring emotional balance. The findings from this review highlight how sleep disturbance plays an important role in emotion dysregulation and, over time, increases vulnerability to poorer mental health.
The State of Modeling Face Processing in Humans with Deep Learning
David White; P. Jonathon Phillips
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Deep learning models trained for facial recognition now surpass the highest performing human participants. Recent evidence suggests that they also model some qualitative aspects of face processing in humans. This review compares the current understanding of deep learning models with psychological models of the face processing system. Psychological models consist of two components that operate on the information encoded when people perceive a face, which we refer to here as 'face codes.' The first component, the core system, extracts face codes from retinal input that encode invariant and changeable properties. The second component, the extended system, links face codes to personal information about a person and their social context. Studies of face codes in existing deep learning models reveal some surprising results. For example, face codes in networks designed for identity recognition also encode expression information, which contrasts with psychological models that separate invariant and changeable properties. Deep learning can also be used to implement candidate models of the face processing system, for example to compare alternative cognitive architectures and codes that might support interchange between core and extended face processing systems. We conclude by summarising seven key lessons from this research and outlining three open questions for future study.
Development and Validation of the Family Patriarchy Questionnaire (FPQ) in Polish Adults
Anna Starowicz; Anna Wnuk; Tomasz Oleksy; Magdalena Szczecińska; Mikolaj Szoltysek; Małgorzata Gambin
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Although family support for patriarchal culture during childhood and adolescence has been identified as a potential contributor to mental health problems and relationship difficulties in adulthood, research on this issue remains limited. Existing studies and measures often fail to capture the multidimensional complexity of patriarchal culture within families. To address this gap, the present research developed and validated the Family Patriarchy Questionnaire (FPQ), a novel measure of perceived family support for patriarchal culture. Three online studies were conducted with Polish adults: Study 1 (N = 496), Study 2 (N = 180), and Study 3 (N = 1,156). Participants completed the FPQ alongside other measures to evaluate reliability and construct validity. Confirmatory factor analysis supported an eight-factor-model: Subordination of Girls, Hostility toward Women, Inferior Child Roles, Authority and Dominance of Men, Justification of Violence, Rape Myths, Family Secrets, and Women’s Emotionality, and confirmed the measure’s gender invariance. Excellent reliability was observed in all three samples. Higher FPQ scores correlated with greater attachment anxiety and avoidance, lower self-esteem, more pronounced difficulties in emotion regulation, stronger sexism beliefs, and elevated symptoms of anxiety and depression. These findings suggest that the FPQ is a robust tool for assessing family support for patriarchal culture and may aid researchers and clinicians in understanding and mitigating the adverse psychological and relational outcomes associated with patriarchal family environments.
Psychotic-like experiences and white matter microstructure: A fixel-based analysis approach with robust replication across two cohorts
Isabella Goodwin; Kit Melissa Larsen; Arshiya Sangchooli; Robert Smith; Tobias Banaschewski; Gareth Barker; Arun L.W. Bokde; RĂźdiger BrĂźhl; Sylvane Desrivieres; Hugh Garavan
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Structural deficits in white matter fibre have been linked to psychosis. However, it remains unclear whether these aberrations are present in individuals that experience non-clinical psychotic-like experiences, predating illness onset. While previous research demonstrates that alterations in white matter in schizotypy are consistent with those in clinical psychosis, these studies often dichotomise healthy samples into high and low schizotypy, which may reduce statistical sensitivity. Previous research is also confounded by investigation of diffusion MRI parameters that fail to account for complex crossing fibre populations. In this work, we treat psychotic-like experiences as a continuous variable, and applied Fixel-Based Analysis (FBA), a framework for investigating microstructural and morphological effects in brain white matter using diffusion-weighted imaging data. Across two independent cohorts of healthy participants with varied psychotic-like experiences including data from the IMAGEN consortium (Study 1 n=41; Study 2 n=1,098), we hypothesized that greater psychotic-like experiences would be associated with FBA metrics sensitive to microstructural fibre density and/or cross-sectional morphological effects. Contrary to our hypothesis, we did not find significant correlations between psychotic-like experiences and FBA metrics across either dataset (FWE p < 0.05). Bayesian analysis of tract-aggregated data showed substantial evidence of no association (Bayes factor <1/3) between psychotic-like experiences and fibre density, nor cross-sectional morphology, across several white matter tracts of interest, pre-defined from prior neuroimaging literature. These findings suggest that the relationship between non-clinical psychotic-like experiences and white matter microstructure may not be as robust as previously thought. This raises the possibility that white matter alterations across psychosis spectrum echo clinical diagnostic thresholding, with observable effects in clinical but not sub-clinical presentations. Our findings provide evidence for the lack of an association between fibre-specific properties of white matter microstructure and sub-clinical psychotic-like experiences. Future research should integrate longitudinal designs to explore whether fibre-specific white matter attributes provide clinically meaningful insight into the risk of psychosis onset.
Toddlers’ symbolic play in dyadic mother-child and triadic mother-child-older-sibling interactions
Naomi Havron; sharon sherman
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Symbolic play supports crucial aspects of early childhood development, including language and social-cognitive skills. While research has established that parent-child dyadic play facilitates symbolic play development, less is known about how the addition of siblings (triadic interactions) is related to symbolic play development. Previous findings suggest that triadic play may present both opportunities and challenges for symbolic play development. We examined toddlers' symbolic play across dyadic (mother-child) and triadic (mother-child-sibling) free-play interactions. Twenty toddlers (aged 1.7-2.5 years, 8 girls) were observed playing with their mothers and older siblings (aged 3.5-7.5 years, 10 sisters) in two standardized 10-minute play sessions at their homes. We coded five dimensions of symbolic play: frequency, duration, variety, toddler initiative, and complexity. Consistent with our hypothesis, toddlers demonstrated significantly higher levels of symbolic play in dyadic versus triadic interactions overall (p < 0.0001, d = 0.953), and across all measured dimensions (p < .05 - p < .001, d = 0.637 - 0.915). These findings suggest that dyadic parent-child play may optimize conditions for symbolic play development, and/or that the addition of siblings introduces competing demands that reduce opportunities for advanced symbolic play. The results have implications for understanding how family configuration influences early play experiences, and may have implications for designing interventions to support symbolic play development in different social contexts.
How Students Prompt ChatGPT for Creative Problem-Solving: Process Mining of Hybrid Human-AI Regulation
Marek Urban; Jiri Lukavsky; Cyril Brom; Veronika Hein; Filip Svacha; Filip Dechterenko; Kamila Urban
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Background: The development of generative AI systems like ChatGPT has provoked debates about their effective use in educational settings. Aims: The present study explores how university students prompt ChatGPT to solve complex non-routine problems, specifically examining which prompts are associated with higher or lower problem-solving performance. Sample: Seventy-seven university students (53 women; Mage = 22.4 years) participated in the study. Methods: To identify various prompt types employed by students, the study utilized qualitative analysis of interactions with ChatGPT 3.5 during the resolution of the creative problem-solving task. Participants’ performance was measured by the quality, elaboration, and originality of their ideas. Subsequently, two-step clustering was employed to identify groups of low- and high-performing students. Finally, process mining techniques (heuristics miner) were used to analyze the interactions of low- and high-performing students. Results: The findings suggest that including clear evaluation criteria when prompting ChatGPT to generate ideas (rs = .38), providing ChatGPT with an elaborated context for idea generation (rs = .47), and offering specific feedback (rs = .45), enhances the quality, elaboration, and originality of the solutions. Successful problem-solving involves iterative human-AI regulation, with high performers using an overall larger number of prompts (d = 0.82). High performers interacted with ChatGPT through dialogue, where they monitored and regulated the generation of ideas, while low performers used ChatGPT as an information resource. Conclusions: These results emphasize the importance of active and iterative engagement for creative problem-solving and suggest that educational practices should foster metacognitive monitoring and regulation to maximize the benefits of human-AI collaboration.
Agreement in Dynamic Map Segmentation: Effects of Framing and Change Salience
Reena Pauly; Stephan Schwan
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Event segmentation theory, which explores how individuals divide continuous experiences into discrete events, has been extensively studied in naturalistic stimuli. We investigate whether key findings from event segmentation rese?arch generalize to animated data visualizations, specifically dynamic thema?tic maps. Experiment 1 showed that inter-individual segmentation agreement in dynamic maps occurs above chance levels and is influenced by the direction of the depicted trend. Experiments 2 and 3 build on these findings by syste?matically varying the depicted trend in maps showing population changes of fictional insect species on islands. In addition, Experiments 2 and 3 exami?ned how conceptual (framing of the species as endangered or invasive) and perceptual factors (salience of directional change) interact to shape segmen?tation agreement. In Experiment 2, salience was manipulated through the use of different color scales: Saturation-based scales as the high-salience conditi?on and hue-based scales as the low-salience condition. We found a significant three-way interaction between trend, framing, and salience: agreement was higher when the framing matched the trend direction, but only in the high?salience condition. In Experiment 3, salience was more subtly manipulated by showing the trend either spatially clustered (high salience) or spatially distributed (low salience) across the maps. The results partly replicate the findings of Experiment 2, showing a significant interaction between trend, framing, and spatial pattern on segmentation agreement, with higher agree?ment for negative trends, particularly when population decline was made salient and framed as endangered. Overall, these findings extend event seg?mentation theory to abstract data visualizations, demonstrating that their segmentation is modulated by both bottom-up perceptual features and top?down conceptual expectations.
Meta-Analyzing Correlation Matrices in the Presence of Hierarchical Effect Size Multiplicity
Ronny Scherer; Diego Gonzalez Campos
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To synthesize evidence on the relations among multiple constructs, measures, or concepts, meta-analyzing correlation matrices across primary studies has become a crucial analytic approach. Common meta-analytic approaches employ univariate or multivariate models to estimate a pooled correlation matrix, which is subjected to further analyses, such as structural equation or network modeling. In practice, meta-analysts often extract multiple correlation matrices per study from multiple samples, study sites, labs, or countries, thus introducing hierarchical effect size multiplicity into the meta-analytic data. However, this feature has largely been ignored when pooling correlation matrices for meta-analysis. To contribute to the methodological development in this area, we describe a multilevel, multivariate, and random-effects modeling (MLMV-REM) approach, which pools correlation matrices meta-analytically and, at the same time, addresses hierarchical effect size multiplicity. Specifically, it allows meta-analysts to test various assumptions on the dependencies among random effects, aiding the selection of a meta-analytic baseline model. We describe this approach, present four working models within it, and illustrative them with an example and the corresponding R code.
Experts’ Remote Viewing Guidelines
Jimmy Akin; Patrizio Tressoldi; Debra Katz
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A survey of renowned experts in remote viewing was conducted to gather their opinions on recommended procedures and conditions for obtaining the best results with real-time remote viewing and precognition tasks. Eleven experts responded. Findings revealed both areas of consensus and notable divergences. Experts generally agreed that structured training, such as Controlled Remote Viewing (CRV), produces more reliable results. They emphasized the necessity of maintaining a neutral, distraction-free environment, with some highlighting the role of meditation and mental discipline in enhancing accuracy. Respondents recommended that participants have at least one year of experience in remote viewing protocols. Some suggested practicing meditation before the task and allowing participants ample time, as defined by the viewer themselves, to complete their sessions, which can be conducted solo or in small groups. Experts also agreed on the importance of blinding procedures to prevent contamination of results and the value of using multiple independent viewers in operational applications. However, differences emerged regarding the flexibility of remote viewing methodologies. Some experts advocated for strict adherence to structured protocols, while others argued that individual talent and self-developed techniques could be equally effective. Opinions also varied on the role of feedback, with some emphasizing its necessity for skill improvement while others warned of potential displacement effects. Overall, this expert-driven analysis highlights critical methodological considerations for optimizing remote viewing performance. While fundamental principles such as training, environmental control, and blinding are widely accepted, further research is needed to empirically compare the effectiveness of differing methodologies. These findings offer a provisional framework for future studies and operational remote viewing project management.
Helping or Holding Back? How Attachment Shapes Emotion Regulation of Others in Close and Distant Relationships
Sarah A Walker; Hannah Kunst
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We examined how adult attachment orientations relate to the strategies people use to regu-late others’ emotions (extrinsic emotion regulation) across two studies. In Study 1 (N = 218), participants reported their use of eight strategies (e.g., valuing, receptive listening, humour, distraction, downward comparison, expressive suppression) alongside measures of attach-ment anxiety and avoidance. Anxious attachment was associated with greater use of high-involvement strategies - particularly valuing, listening, and direct action. Avoidant attach-ment was associated with lower use of these supportive strategies. Neither dimension was significantly associated with low-involvement, distancing strategies. Study 2 (N = 201) test-ed whether attachment effects varied by relationship closeness (romantic partner vs. ac-quaintance). Participants reported greater use of supportive strategies with romantic part-ners. Attachment avoidance predicted lower engagement across both contexts. Attachment anxiety predicted greater support use overall, but anxious individuals were especially likely to use receptive listening with acquaintances. Together, the findings suggest that attachment insecurity shapes interpersonal emotion regulation: anxiously attached individuals are active but possibly strategic regulators, while avoidant individuals disengage regardless of context. These patterns may influence how emotional support is provided and received in close rela-tionships. We discuss implications for attachment theory and interpersonal emotion regula-tion, and identify directions for future research.
Supporting population needs-based planning for suicide prevention services: development of the Australian Suicide Prevention Planning Model (AuSPPM)
Sandra Diminic; Claudia Pagliaro; Manuel Wailan; Eryn Wright; Charlotte Comben; Lennart Reifels
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Background Improving the translation of evidence to support suicide prevention planning is a national priority in Australia. However, there has been limited practical guidance available on how much of what types of services should be made available for which populations. Objective This project aimed to develop an initial proof-of-concept national needs-based planning model for suicide prevention services in Australia, to help inform planning and commissioning of services at the national, state/territory and regional level. Methods A mixed methods approach synthesised best available literature, data, and expert (including lived experience) input to: (1) estimate the numbers of people in service need groups requiring similar responses (by age, level of distress); (2) describe a taxonomy of services required for population suicide prevention; (3) estimate the average types and quantities of these services required for each need group in a year; (4) identify the appropriate workforce to deliver that care; and (5) combine these inputs to estimate required resourcing for service planning (e.g., full-time equivalent workforce). Results The Australian Suicide Prevention Planning Model (AuSPPM) describes 37 need groups across ages 12-17, 18-24, 25-64 and 65+ requiring a range of suicide prevention services from population-level programs to individualised clinical and non-clinical supports. A substantial workforce is required to provide good care for these populations and scale up prevention activities, particularly development of the lived experience workforce and alternatives to medical services. Conclusions This project demonstrates the feasibility of developing a needs-based planning model for suicide prevention. However, aspects of the model would benefit from a more robust evidence base on population needs and service effectiveness. Further work is needed to consider how the model can best accommodate the specific service needs of different populations disproportionately impacted by suicide, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and LGBTQIA+ populations.
Developing a service taxonomy for suicide prevention in Australia
Claudia Pagliaro; Manuel Wailan; Lennart Reifels; Sandra Diminic
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Introduction The human and economic impact of suicide is significant. Services for persons experiencing suicidal distress (i.e., suicidal thoughts, plans, behaviours, and attempts), as well as their support persons, are pivotal to reducing suicide rates. However, in Australia, guidance for service planning specific to suicide prevention is lacking. The aim of this study was to develop a service taxonomy for suicide prevention as the first step in the development of an Australian needs-based planning model for suicide prevention for persons aged 12 years and over. Methods Potential service models for inclusion were found in the literature. The scope was: services, programs, initiatives, or campaigns that specifically aim to address or prevent suicidal distress and target whole populations, sub-populations, groups, families, and/or individuals. An initial draft taxonomy was developed based on search findings. Feedback was provided by persons working within service planning, government and policy related roles, academics, clinicians, and persons with lived experience. A final search was conducted to locate further information to accurately describe all service models for inclusion and their evidence base. Results Feedback suggested that the scope of the taxonomy should be expanded to include services related to other areas of well-being, with a greater focus on upstream supports. New taxonomy items were added to reflect, for example, the need to ensure systemic change (e.g., workforce development), reduce drivers of distress (e.g., social and economic support services), and ensure service linkage and care continuity (e.g., service navigation). The final taxonomy included seven service streams, covering the full breadth of care required to meet suicide prevention needs; there were 39 nested service categories and 41 service elements. Conclusion The service taxonomy may be used to inform planning and policy related decisions and is an important component of the overarching needs-based planning model. The service taxonomy may be refined to include sub-population specific services for populations disproportionately impacted by suicide. Further research is required to ensure the evidence base of all included service models is robust.
Toward a Unified Framework of Developmental Recursion and Integration
Akbar Akbari Esfahani
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This paper proposes a unified developmental framework describing how recursion underlies structural transitions at all stages of human psychological development. It posits that at each developmental threshold, volitional energy seeks transcendence, but without reflective mediation, agency becomes trapped in recursion. True developmental integration requires the capacity to witness recursion without reflexive control, allowing collapse and reorganization into higher coherence. The framework is grounded in lived experience and cross-validated against cognitive science, adult developmental psychology, systems theory, and complexity science.
Improved inhibitory control following combined transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and cognitive training in individuals with traumatic brain injury and impulsivity
Hamza Jamal; Jazmin Camchong; Kelvin O. Lim; Casey Gilmore
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Impulsive behaviors, such as reduced inhibitory control, are common after traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study investigated the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the prefrontal cortex paired with cognitive training to improve inhibitory control in Veterans with a history of TBI. This builds on our previous work showing a similar approach reduced impulsivity in a general clinically impulsive sample. Twenty-five Veterans with a history of mild (n=18), moderate (n=4), or severe (n=3) TBI and clinical history of impulsive behavior were randomized to receive either active (n=13) or sham (n=12) tDCS (2mA, 20 minutes, left anode/right cathode over prefrontal cortex) for 5 sessions. tDCS was delivered simultaneously with a battery of four computer-based cognitive training tasks. An untrained Stop Signal Task, a measure of inhibitory control, was administered at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at 1-, 2-, and 3-month follow-ups. The primary outcome was the percentage of incorrect responses on stop trials (i.e. a failed inhibitory response). Using growth curve analysis, the active tDCS group showed a significant improvement in inhibitory control on the untrained Stop Signal Task immediately following the intervention, and these gains persisted for three months post-intervention. Combining prefrontal tDCS with cognitive training effectively improved inhibitory control in Veterans with TBI and clinically relevant impulsivity. This neuroplasticity-based intervention may be a promising non-pharmacological approach for patients who suffer a TBI and are affected by impulsivity.
Reassessing the Influence of Experience-based and Resource-based Constraints on Comprehending Mixed-headed Relative Clause Sentences in Mandarin Chinese
Chin Lung 楊金龍 YANG; Charles A Perfetti; Haihua Pan
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This article examined the extent to which the processing of comprehending complex sentences in Mandarin Chinese is guided by an individual’s experience or resource limitations by focusing on the processing mechanism in the context of headedness differences (head-initial vs. head-final) in the relative clause configurations. Across three experiments, native Chinese speakers read Mandarin relative clause sentences with a “mixed-headed” configuration: i.e., the main clause is head-initial, whereas the relative clause is head-final. The “mixed-headed” structure provides a highly contrastive test case to disentangle the relative dominance of experience and resource constraints in producing the sentence complexity effect as the relative clause unfolds. Experiment 1 used a gated completion task to track the interpretation preferences at each position in the ambiguous relative clause string. Experiment 2 employed both self-paced reading and eye-tracking to validate the effect of the experience-based expectation cross-methodologically. Experiment 3 assessed the processing dynamics between experience and memory factors with the form of the relative clause noun varied in different types (i.e., descriptions vs. indexical pronouns), using self-paced reading. In contrast to previously predominant views that the relative clause comprehension difficulty results from various sources of the clause properties, not their ambiguities, the results indicate that the initial reading of the head-final relative clause components is highly ambiguous and that its moment-by-moment processing is also highly resource-taxing. The pattern provides insights into cross-linguistic examinations of the sentence complexity effects. Comprehension difficulty reflects the prominence of experience-driven predictions that preserve resource-based memory operations. The head noun’s directionality variation may affect the relative dominance of experience and memory factors over the time course of processing.
From mathematical logic to human dignity: An interview with Sean D. Kelly
Wei Zhang
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Sean D. Kelly is a renowned contemporary American philosopher, currently serving as a Professor of Department of Philosophy and Dean of Arts and Humanities at Harvard University. His research spans phenomenology, existential philosophy, philosophy of mind, cognitive science, and the intersection of philosophy and the arts. His academic work is known for its in-depth exploration of the structure of consciousness, perceptual experience, and the convergence of these issues in phenomenology and analytic philosophy. This interview was conducted on January 13, 2025, at University Hall, Harvard University.
Mind Focus in Western White Cultures, Behavior Focus in East Asian Cultures: An Integrative Review
Jinli Wu; Yulia Chentsova-Dutton
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One fundamental characteristic of humans is that we have both “exteriors” (i.e., behavior) and “interiors” (i.e., mental states). This distinction between the mind and behavior is critical for our understanding of human nature, bearing consequences for moral deliberation, societal functioning, and social lives in general. Culture influences the extent to which people attend to mental states and behaviors. In this review, we propose that the mind carries greater significance in Western White cultural contexts (i.e., a mind focus) and behavior carries greater significance in East Asian contexts (i.e., a behavior focus). Focusing specifically on East Asian societies, we first examine local cultural models of the mind-versus-behavior focus in Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. We then draw on three established culture-level constructs—self- construal, relational mobility, and cultural tightness-looseness—to examine their potential role in mind-versus-behavior foci. Synthesizing these theoretical models, we propose a novel historical- evolutionary theoretical framework to explain cultural differences in the mind-versus-behavior focus beyond an East-West comparison. Rooted in the notion of cultural evolution of theory of mind, our theoretical framework links cultural tendencies to foster a mind or behavior focus to social ecologies that place varying demands on the mind in facilitating human sociality. Finally, we review empirical evidence of cross-cultural differences in the mind-versus-behavior focus, drawing from three fields—theory of mind, parenting, and alexithymia. This review not only provides preliminary evidence supporting different cultural emphases on mind versus behavior in Western White and East Asian societies, but also presents a theoretical framework for investigating similar phenomena across other societies.
Spatial Presence in the Mediated Environment to Conceptualize Traumatic Exposure Through Viewing Television News Coverage of 9/11
An Pham
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Extended viewing of September 11th, 2001 (9/11) television news coverage (TNC) was found to be associated with developing probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Stress symptoms found in viewers indirectly exposed to TNC of 9/11 suggest television as capable of causing posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). This article conceptualizes the psychological impact from indirect exposure to 9/11 TNC as the viewer transitioning into a sense of presence within the mediated environment. In a normal state of consciousness, one’s cognitive presence is within their real local environment. When one senses their presence within the mediated environment, there is a substitution for the real local environment with that of the mediated environment. This article argues that viewers of 9/11 TNC likely formed a sense of presence through indirect exposure to televised scenes of 9/11. This transition into the mediated environment forms episodic memory that is recalled as a relived experience that evokes stress symptoms that are likened to PTSS. Forming episodic memories via presence in a mediated environment lacks an explanation for the intrusive nature of memory recall associated with stress symptoms. The need for a comprehensive conceptual model for how memories from indirect exposure become intrusive stress symptoms that resemble PTSD are discussed.
Testing Reciprocal Within-Person Changes in Aversive Reactions to Emotions and Skill Use in the Unified Protocol
Hannah Croom; Matthew W. Southward; Shannon Sauer-Zavala
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Emotional disorders are thought to be maintained in large part by the experience of frequent and intense negative emotions and aversive reactions to these emotions. The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP) was designed to teach patients skills to manage aversive reactions and reduce the frequency and intensity of negative emotions. However, it is unclear how skill use and aversive reactions are related to each other in this treatment. Participants (N = 70; Mage = 33.75, 67% female, 74% White, 74% heterosexual) completed measures of aversive reactivity, skillfulness, anxiety, and depression before each session. We used hierarchical linear modeling to explore if within-person changes in aversive reactivity predicted residualized session-to-session changes in skill use and if within-person changes in skill use predicted residualized session-to-session changes in aversive reactivity. We then used multilevel mediation analyses to test whether aversive reactivity or skill use mediated the effect of the other construct on changes in anxiety and depression. Within-person increases in skillfulness significantly predicted session-to-session improvements in cognitive skills and mindfulness but did not predict improvements in any aspect of aversive reactivity. Within-person changes in aversive reactivity did not significantly predict changes in skillfulness. Between-person changes in skillfulness were significantly related to changes in between-person aversive reactivity. Only the indirect effect of skillfulness through mindfulness on anxiety/depression was significant. These results suggest that aversive reactivity and skillfulness may be relatively independent constructs.
The Impact of Social Influence and Threat Uncertainty on Behavior in a School Shooting Simulation
Kevin Kapadia; Nutchanon Yongsatianchot; Katie Byrd; Stacy Marsella; Richard John
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As the frequency of school shooting incidents grows in the United States, understanding student behavior in response to shootings is crucial for policy development. A total of 545 participants from Prolific.com participated in an immersive virtual experience on a computer screen of a school shooting simulation using a 3x3 factorial design varying social influence (all run, all hide, or mixed) from non-player characters (NPCs) and threat uncertainty (high, medium, low) from proximity to where shooting begins. Results showed that participants were more likely to hide as more NPCs hid in high and medium threat uncertainty conditions. However, when threat uncertainty was low, participants were most likely to hide in the mixed social influence condition. Similarly, participants were more likely to evacuate as more NPCs ran away in the high and medium threat uncertainty conditions. However, this effect was not significant when the threat uncertainty was low. Participants reported a significant increase in negative affect after completing the simulation; approximately 40% reported that NPCs influenced their behavior, and 25% reported that they had received active shooter training before. Our findings suggest that individuals in a school shooting are likely to follow the social influence of others, whether they realize it or not. Furthermore, this effect is strongest when the uncertainty of the threat is high. These insights can help policymakers construct more effective guidelines for how individuals should respond to school shooting scenarios and reduce casualties.
Testing Reciprocal Within-Person Changes in Aversive Reactions to Emotions and Skill Use in the Unified Protocol
Hannah Croom; Matthew W. Southward; Shannon Sauer-Zavala
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Emotional disorders are thought to be maintained in large part by the experience of frequent and intense negative emotions and aversive reactions to these emotions. The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP) was designed to teach patients skills to manage aversive reactions and reduce the frequency and intensity of negative emotions. However, it is unclear how skill use and aversive reactions are related to each other in this treatment. Participants (N = 70; Mage = 33.75, 67% female, 74% White, 74% heterosexual) completed measures of aversive reactivity, skillfulness, anxiety, and depression before each session. We used hierarchical linear modeling to explore if within-person changes in aversive reactivity predicted residualized session-to-session changes in skill use and if within-person changes in skill use predicted residualized session-to-session changes in aversive reactivity. We then used multilevel mediation analyses to test whether aversive reactivity or skill use mediated the effect of the other construct on changes in anxiety and depression. Within-person increases in skillfulness significantly predicted session-to-session improvements in cognitive skills and mindfulness but did not predict improvements in any aspect of aversive reactivity. Within-person changes in aversive reactivity did not significantly predict changes in skillfulness. Between-person changes in skillfulness were significantly related to changes in between-person aversive reactivity. Only the indirect effect of skillfulness through mindfulness on anxiety/depression was significant. These results suggest that aversive reactivity and skillfulness may be relatively independent constructs.
The nature of the relation between mental illbeing and wellbeing
Christian K. Tamnes; Mona Bekkhus; Maja Eilertsen; Ragnhild B. Nes; Monica Beer Prydz; Eivind Ystrom; Eira R. Aksnes; Synøve N. Andersen; Helga Ask; Ziada Ayorech
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Research on mental health has traditionally separated the study of illbeing—disorder and problems—and wellbeing—life satisfaction and positive affect. While previous reviews of studies primarily employing self-report scales indicate that illbeing and wellbeing are distinct yet interconnected constructs, a deeper examination of their relationship is lacking. This perspective article from the PROMENTA Research Center offers a review and synthesis of findings on the joint and distinct nature of illbeing and wellbeing across multiple levels of analysis. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, we integrate genetic, biological, developmental, psychosocial, societal, cultural, and intervention-based perspectives. Our review reveals substantial genetic overlap and some similar biological underpinnings for illbeing and wellbeing. In contrast, environmental factors and societal changes often have divergent impacts. We propose that future research should systematically assess both positive and negative aspects of mental health to discern their shared and unique determinants, predictors, mechanisms, and consequences.
A General Law of Behavioral Dynamics: Stickleback Archetypal Behaviors
Tahir Rahman
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Despite over a century of foundational work in ethology, behavioral neuroscience, and psychology, no general law has been formalized that predicts behavior across species. Drawing from Tinbergen’s classic experiments and integrating phylogenetic, neuroendocrine, and cultural data, this article proposes a universal behavioral equation: Behavior = A × D × C This ARCH equation is tested against empirical findings on male stickleback aggression and courtship as archetypal behaviors demonstrating its explanatory and predictive power. The synthesis establishes the ARCH model as a candidate for a general behavioral dynamics law, grounded in biological and cross-species data.
A Field Theory of Behavior
Tahir Rahman
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Despite progress in neuroscience, psychology, and ethology, no formal, cross-disciplinary equation has unified the biological, motivational, and cultural dimensions of behavior. This paper introduces the ARCH × Φ model: a generative behavioral law expressed as Behavior = Φ × (A × D × C), where A represents evolutionarily conserved archetypes, D denotes drive intensity rooted in neuromodulatory systems, and C encodes culturally transmitted constraints. The novel term Φ (Foundational Activation Field) captures an organism’s baseline behavioral readiness, reflecting stable neurophysiological traits such as tonic dopamine tone, arousal thresholds, and cortical-subcortical equilibrium. This multiplicative, nonlinear structure accounts for threshold effects, trait variance, and cross-species continuity. It supports extensions to vectorial, dynamic, and probabilistic modeling and is empirically grounded in comparative behavior, clinical neuroscience, and cultural cognition. ARCH × Φ offers a biologically plausible, computationally tractable, and theoretically integrative framework—a candidate for a general law of behavior.
A Descriptive Report on the Psychotherapy Experiences of Adult Autistic Laypeople: Service Utilization, Therapeutic Process Familiarity and Preferences, Client-Therapist Factors, Perceptions of Harm, and Considerations for Those Without Experience
Matthew J. Bolton
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Although research on the topic has taken off in recent years, little remains known about the psychotherapy and counseling service utilization and preferences of autistic persons. Adult autistic laypeople (N = 229) were thus recruited for an exploratory, mixed-methods study. Results indicate that most autistic people have some experience and/or familiarity with psychotherapy and counseling and that from those experiences they have small to moderate preferences, as evidenced by scores on the Cooper-Norcross Inventory of Preferences (C-NIP), for therapist directivity; encouragement of emotional expression and therapist-guided exploration of the therapeutic relationship; focus on the client’s present and future; and warm support and unconditional positive regard rather than strong challenge and confrontation. Respondents valued their therapists holding systemic and social justice-oriented perspectives and preferred their therapists use identity-first language in reference to autism; and held favorable attitudes towards psychotherapy-adjacent supports like medication and self-help books. Most respondents with therapy experience believed they had experienced at some point a “seemingly or overtly harmful” event in meeting with their therapist. These and other findings are discussed. The study also examines considerations relevant to the future use and development of the C-NIP measure.
Perception of social experiences and cortical thickness change together throughout early adolescence: findings from the ABCD cohort
Kathryn E Bates; Ayla Pollmann; Rogier Kievit; Delia Fuhrmann
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Early adolescence is a dynamic period of social and brain development amidst rapid hormonal and puberty changes. We examined how differences and changes in positive social experiences and cortical thickness co-develop from age 9-11 and 11-13 years in the ABCD cohort (N~12,000). We used bivariate latent change score models to capture cortical development (modelling mean whole-brain cortical thickness) and positive social experiences (modelling caregiver monitoring, family cohesion, prosocial behavior, number of friends, school engagement, school involvement, and neighborhood safety). We found evidence for correlated change, such that a greater reduction in positive social experiences was associated with a greater decrease in cortical thickness (est = 2.54, SE = .54, z = 4.74, p < .001, standardized effect size = .08), which did not differ between males and females in early and late puberty stages. We found mixed evidence for sex-specific relationships between puberty stage and social experiences, highlighting the need to better understand males’ puberty and social experiences in early adolescence. The evidence supports a transactional model of development in that positive social experiences and cortical thickness change together throughout early adolescence. The findings also highlight the importance of supporting youth in early adolescence through school transitions.
First Impressions Matter: Exploring Children’s Negative Perceptions of Autistic Children
Natalia Van Esch; Troy Boucher; Grace Iarocci; Nichole Scheerer
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Many autistic individuals face social challenges that may be due to the negative perceptions of their non-autistic peers. This study investigated school-aged children’s first impressions of autistic and non-autistic children. Thirty-seven children (ages 5-12 years) watched brief videos of autistic and non-autistic children discussing their interests and rated these children’s traits, and their behavioral intentions towards the children. Autistic children were rated as more awkward, aggressive, and less likeable, though the raters’ willingness to interact with the children in the videos was similar for both autistic and non-autistic children. The raters’ negative perceptions of the autistic children were not related to the raters' age, IQ, sex, autistic traits, or social competence. Future work should aim to further investigate what factors influence biases. These findings highlight the need for interventions in school settings to address early perceptions of autism. Educating children about autism can help challenge stereotypes and promote inclusion, ultimately fostering more positive interactions between autistic and non-autistic children.
No evidence of parental mental health influencing children’s academic achievement: a within-family study
Perline Demange
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Background Children of parents with psychopathology generally do less well in school than their peers. Parental symptoms might however not account for their lower achievement, as other familial factors might contribute. Methods To examine the role of parental symptoms, we analyse data from up to 9,000 families of the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Study (MoBa). Parents filled out surveys on their symptoms of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, ADHD, and alcohol use disorder. Children in 5th Grade (aged 10) participated in nationally-standardised tests of mathematics, reading comprehension, and English (as an additional language). Comparing children who are cousins, we control for unmeasured factors shared among family members (e.g. genetics and socioeconomic status) that confound the relationship between parental mental health and children’s academic achievement. Results Simple regressions, not controlling for familial confounding, showed that children tend to score slightly lower on maths and reading if their parents had more symptoms of anxiety, depression, ADHD or eating disorder (-.060 ≤ βs ≤ -.013). However, these associations were attenuated and no longer in within-family analyses. Although unsignificant, associations of parental symptoms measured close to the child’s academic test are less attenuated than parental symptoms measured during pregnancy. Conclusion Our findings suggest that familial confounding partly explains the association of parental psychopathology and children’s academic achievement. Of note, differences between the Norwegian population, participants in the entire MoBA sample, and in the family subsample may limit the generalizability of this finding. Overall, our findings suggest that parental mental health does not have a causal or clinically meaningful impact on children’s achievement. Our study highlights the value of within-family designs to understand the causes and consequences of psychopathology. Key points and relevance: - Ten-year-olds of parents with more psychopathology symptoms tend to have slightly lower national test scores in mathematics and reading. - This association seems to principally be due to familial confounding, as this association disappears in a within-family design. - However, these within-family associations might be underestimated due to ascertainment bias in the cohort. - Parental symptoms experienced close in time to the child’s academic test may matter more than parental symptoms during pregnancy
A Historical Overview of Aggression Research: Theoretical Frameworks, Measurement Tools, and Future Directions
Julia Koch; Lucia Hernandez-Pena; MaciĂ  Buades-Rotger; Lisa Wagels
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Aggression is a multifaceted construct that has been studied over the years using a variety of instruments and theoretical perspectives. In this review, we provide a historical overview of the conceptualization, measurement, and explanation of aggression, as well as an outlook for future research. Over time, views on the etiology of aggression have shifted from automatic and arousal-driven motives to social learning and, more recently, to integrative multifactorial processes. This evolution has led to the development of several questionnaires assessing different dimensions of aggression, including behavioral, emotional (e.g., anger), and cognitive (e.g., hostility) states. Developments can be observed with respect to the type of informant (self-report vs. external perspective), the target group or context addressed, and the aggression construct (e.g., proactive vs. reactive). Laboratory-based aggression paradigms have shifted from manipulated provocation tasks to more immersive and realistic scenarios. We discuss strategies for improving aggression research by adopting a multimodal and integrative perspective while enhancing ecological validity through methods such as ecological momentary assessment, virtual reality applications, and hyperscanning (i.e., real-time interactions). An evaluation of existing approaches and their evolution can help guide future aggression research to better understand current measures and what is still missing.
Linking cognitive performance and age prediction with psychological distress in youth
Victoria Moskal; Irene Voldsbekk; Esten H. Leonardsen; Linn Charlotte Figenschou Holthe; Rikka Kjelkenes; Lars T. Westlye
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Purpose: Adolescence is a crucial period for the refinement of cognitive functions. During this time, reduced cognitive functioning is often associated with psychological distress. Deviations in cognitive maturation can serve as potential indicators of future psychological challenges. We examined cross-sectional relationships between cognitive performance and self-reported psychological distress among children, adolescents and young adults. We also explored the association between psychological distress and cognitive domain scores. Materials and Methods: Participants (n=699, 9-25 years, 73% females) completed computerized cognitive tests and questionnaires assessing emotional symptoms, anxiety, depression, peer problems, hyperactivity and conduct problems. Using machine learning, we estimated participants' cognitive age, deriving a cognitive age gap (CAG). General additive models (GAMs) assessed associations between age-corrected CAG (cCAG) and symptoms, adjusting for sex, age, and multiple comparisons. Next, we evaluated the link between psychological distress and motor speed, attention span, working memory, executive control of attention, episodic memory and mental and visuo-motor speed. Results: The cognitive age predictor showed moderate accuracy (r=.55, R2=.30, RMSE=2.56, MAE=2.01). Linear models revealed no significant associations between cCAG and psychological distress after multiple comparisons correction. Cognitive domain analysis revealed significant associations between motor speed, emotional symptoms and hyperactivity; attention span and conduct problems; both working memory and episodic memory and anxiety, hyperactivity and conduct problems; mental and visuo-motor speed and hyperactivity and conduct problems. Conclusion: Cognitive age prediction is feasible in youth. While psychological distress was not significantly associated with CAG, several associations with cognitive domain scores were identified, suggesting varying sensitivity to psychological distress across domains.
Disfluency production in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder during a narrative task
AurĂŠlie Pistono; Annemarie Bijnens
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Limited evidence exists on ADHD-related disfluency and lexical diversity behaviour in connected speech, although a significant number of individuals with ADHD experience language difficulties at different linguistic levels. Using a retrospective cross-sectional design with data from the Asymmetries TalkBank database, this study aims to capture differences in disfluency production and lexical diversity between children with ADHD and Typically Developing (TD) children. These measures include the frequencies of different disfluency subtypes and two lexical diversity measures, and are correlated with performance on a working memory task and a response inhibition task. Results indicate that the ADHD group produced a higher mean frequency of each disfluency type, but no differences were found to be significant. Correlation analysis revealed that filled pauses and revisions were negatively correlated with working memory and response inhibition in the ADHD group, whereas they were positively correlated with working memory performance in the TD group. This suggests that the underlying causes of disfluency differ in each group and that further research is required of speech monitoring ability in children with ADHD.
Using the Capability-Opportunity-Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model to investigate end-user barriers and facilitators to low rise district heating retrofit
Michael A. Smith; Faye Doughty
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District heat networks (DHNs) are recognised as a key component of urban energy infrastructure in the transition to low carbon energy. Non-technical barriers, including social acceptance and behaviour change, are important issues which need to be addressed to promote end-user uptake of DHN technology, particularly with respect to retrofit projects. Here, we used an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach to understand the barriers and facilitators to DHN connection among residents on two low rise housing estates undergoing DHN retrofit. The Capability-Opportunity-Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model was used to elucidate the quantitative (Study 1) and qualitative (Study 2) data obtained. The analyses revealed that resident knowledge and understanding of DHNs is poor, but that provision of informational resources will promote both information seeking and intention to connect to the DHN. Community involvement in DHN initiatives was identified as an important facilitator of DHN engagement. Perceptions of DHN costs and environmental benefits were further determinants of resident perceptions of the DHN. To facilitate policy development, nine behaviour change techniques are proposed for incorporation into interventions aimed at leveraging the identified facilitators and overcoming barriers to DHN connection.
Judging a Book by Its Cover: An Eye-Tracking Study on Shelf Position, Cover Design, and Consumer Attention
Alessia. Dorigoni
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Understanding the mechanisms of visual attention is essential for analyzing consumer decision-making processes, particularly in book selection contexts. This study employs eye-tracking technology to investigate how shelf position, book cover design, and gender differences influence visual attention and consumer preferences. Two experiments were conducted to isolate these effects. This study analyzed visual attention toward two books, Domani, domani and La Portalettere, both written by the same author, Francesca Giannone. Study 1 examined the effects of shelf placement on attention, while Study 2 isolated cover design by displaying books side by side. Results show that shelf position influences visual attention, but its effect depends on cover design. Higher placement generally increased attention, yet some covers engaged viewers regardless of position. La Portalettere attracted more fixations, especially from women, though gender differences were not significant for dwell time or TTFF. Study 2 found that La Portalettere’s face-centric cover drew quicker fixations but did not predict purchase intent even if this book was chosen by almost 71% of the participants. Conversely, Domani, domani, despite receiving less attention, showed a stronger link between fixation behavior and willingness to buy. This suggests a contrast between automatic attention capture by salient visuals and deliberate engagement, which drives consumer decisions. Findings highlight a distinction between automatic attention capture and deliberate engagement, with the latter being more predictive of purchase intent. These insights contribute to consumer psychology and marketing strategies, emphasizing the need to optimize both shelf placement and cover design.
Accounting for Measurement Invariance Violations in Careless Responding Detection in Intensive Longitudinal Data: Exploratory vs. Partially Constrained Latent Markov Factor Analysis
Leonie V. D. E. Vogelsmeier; Joran Jongerling; Esther Ulitzsch
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Intensive longitudinal data (ILD) collection methods like experience sampling methodology can place significant burdens on participants, potentially resulting in careless responding, such as random responding. Such behavior can undermine the validity of any inferences drawn from the data if not properly identified and addressed. Recently, a confirmatory mixture model (here referred to as fully constrained latent Markov factor analysis, LMFA) has been introduced as a promising solution to detect careless responding in ILD. However, this method relies on the key assumption of measurement invariance of the attentive responses, which is easily violated due to shifts in how participants interpret items. If the assumption is violated, the ability of the fully constrained LMFA to accurately identify careless responding is compromised. In this study, we evaluated two more flexible variants of LMFA—fully exploratory LMFA and partially constrained LMFA—to distinguish between careless and attentive responding, in the presence of non-invariant attentive responses. Simulation results indicated that the fully exploratory LMFA model is an effective tool for reliably detecting and interpreting different types of careless responding while accounting for violations of measurement invariance. Conversely, the partially constrained model struggled to accurately detect careless responses. We end by discussing potential reasons for this.
Calibration experiments: an alternative to multi-method approaches for measurement validation in consumer research
Dominik R Bach; Edward Rigdon; Marko Sarstedt
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Measurement validation in consumer research is ideally performed within the context of a multi-trait multi-method matrix (MTMM). While statistically well developed, this approach has several shortcomings that limit its domain of application: (1) the requirement for sufficiently unrelated latent variables that can be measured with the same methods, (2) the requirement for conceptually different methods to disambiguate trait from methods, and most seriously (3) the difficulty in identifying a more valid over a less valid method. We compare the MTMM approach to experiment-based calibration, an alternative framework for validating those latent variables that can be externally manipulated. We show how calibration lets researchers make distinctions between even closely related measurement methods, dispenses with the need for unrelated latent variables, and enables optimization of the measurement evaluation procedure itself. Calibration can be an important part of an integrative validity argument in consumer research and, more broadly, across the social sciences.
A Field Theory of Behavior
Tahir Rahman
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Despite progress in neuroscience, psychology, and ethology, no formal, cross-disciplinary equation has unified the biological, motivational, and cultural dimensions of behavior. This paper introduces the ARCH × Φ model: a generative behavioral law expressed as Behavior = Φ × (A × D × C), where A represents evolutionarily conserved archetypes, D denotes drive intensity rooted in neuromodulatory systems, and C encodes culturally transmitted constraints. The novel term Φ (Foundational Activation Field) captures an organism’s baseline behavioral readiness, reflecting stable neurophysiological traits such as tonic dopamine tone, arousal thresholds, and cortical-subcortical equilibrium. This multiplicative, nonlinear structure accounts for threshold effects, trait variance, and cross-species continuity. It supports extensions to vectorial, dynamic, and probabilistic modeling and is empirically grounded in comparative behavior, clinical neuroscience, and cultural cognition. ARCH × Φ offers a biologically plausible, computationally tractable, and theoretically integrative framework—a candidate for a general law of behavior.
The Association Between Student-Teacher Relationship Quality and Students’ School Belonging: A Cross-National Perspective
Tegan Shalli Rare; Geetanjali Basarkod; Jiesi Guo; Kelly-Ann Allen; Theresa Dicke
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Students’ sense of school belonging has an enduring influence on academic and psychosocial outcomes during compulsory schooling and after. Prior research suggests that student-teacher relationship (STR) quality is one of the strongest factors to positively predict school belonging. However, the bulk of this research has focused on samples from developed countries, limiting the generalisability of findings to a diverse range of countries. The only cross-national studies to examine this positive link have utilised data from over two decades ago or focused explicitly on European countries. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the generalisability of the positive link between STR quality and school belonging across 69 countries/economic regions using the most recently published (2022) Programme for International Student Assessment dataset. This study expands prior research to investigate the generalisability of results within countries, through comparisons between immigrant groups (i.e., first-generation, second-generation, native-born students). Utilising responses from 521,293, 15-year-old students from 69 countries, this study assessed the positive link between STR quality and belonging via multilevel linear models. Results demonstrated that the positive link between STR quality and belonging generalised across all countries, although the size of this positive link varied across countries. This positive link also generalised across students from immigrant and non-immigrant backgrounds. These findings suggest the positive link between STR quality and belonging may be universal. Therefore, teachers across the globe can assist all students in feeling connected to school by fostering high-quality relationships with students through care and respect.
Spoilt for Choice: A model-fit study comparing Questionnaires for Psychosocial Risk Assessment.
Linus Schaefer; Richard Justenhoven; Maximilian Jansen
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Psychosocial risk assessments (PSRA) are a major element in occupational safety and health management, with numerous available frameworks and questionnaires. This aggravates the choice of which approach one should use, hindering its practical implementation. To illuminate the landscape of PSRA, questionnaires are investigated by their dimensional structure and overlap. Scales of three validated models are mapped towards indices using an independent reference framework and contrasted using correlation coefficients. Results suggest a high model fit for workload, job control, and interpersonal relationships. Some mixed results in mapping and low to moderate interrelations suggest heterogeneity between questionnaires. The findings imply that the preceding step of defining relevant occupational and organizational characteristics is pivotal to choose a questionnaire with relevant subscales. However, as requirements set by various guidelines are often inconsistent, further initiatives are required to achieve a more united understanding of universally relevant hazards.
Unlocking Flow Through Mindfulness: A Systematic review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Yvain Longaretti; David Zarka; Cheron Guy
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Flow, a state of deep absorption, is linked to enhanced performance and well-being. Mindfulness, emphasizing present-moment awareness, may promote flow. This systematic-review and meta-analysis examined the impact of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) on flow in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Following PRISMA guidelines, PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, and Google Scholar were last searched in January 2024. Inclusion criteria followed PICOS: MBIs lasting≥1 week, validated flow assessment and control comparisons. Exclusion criteria were non-peer-reviewed, non- RCT designs, and clinical populations. Cochrane’s RoB2 assessed risk of bias. Eight RCTs (293 participants, 52% female) met inclusion criteria. The random-effects metaanalysis showed a positive effect of MBIs on flow outcomes (SMD = 0.777, 95% CI=[0.505,1.049], p<0.0001), with low heterogeneity (I²=22.59%, PI=[0.3230,1.2314]). Publication bias was minimal, as indicated by Egger’s test (p=0.108) and trim-and-fill analyses. Although 50% of the included studies were rated as high risk of bias, sensitivity analyses did not reveal significant deviations from mean effect. Studies suggest that MBIs significantly enhance flow state and trait, possibly by enhancing attention, presentmoment awareness and reducing self-critical thoughts. However, small sample sizes and high risk of bias warrant caution. Future research should investigate dose-response, follow-up effects, and ensure a rigorous assessment of bias risk and evidence synthesis.
Extending the Bicriterion Approach for Anticlustering: Exact and Hybrid Approaches
Martin Papenberg; Martin Breuer; Max Diekhoff; Nguyen Khoa Tran; Gunnar W. Klau
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Numerous applications in psychological research require that a data set is partitioned via the inverse of a clustering criterion. This anticlustering seeks for high similarity between groups (maximum diversity) or high pairwise dissimilarity within groups (maximum dispersion). Brusco et al. (2020) proposed a bicriterion heuristic (BILS) that simultaneously seeks for maximum diversity and dispersion, introducing the bicriterion approach for anticlustering. We investigate if the bicriterion approach can be improved using exact algorithms that guarantee globally optimal criterion values. Despite the theoretical computational intractability of anticlustering, we present a new exact algorithm for maximum dispersion that scales to quite large data sets (N = 1000). However, a fully exact bicriterion approach was only feasible for small data sets (about N = 30). We therefore developed hybrid approaches that maintain optimal dispersion but use heuristics to maximize diversity on top of it. In a simulation study and an example application, we compared several hybrid approaches. An adaptation of BILS that initiates each iteration with a partition having optimal dispersion (BILS-Hybrid-All) performed best across a variety of data inputs. All of the methods developed here as well as the original BILS algorithm are available via the free and open source R package anticlust.
Computational Modelling of Infant Gaze Following in Cluttered Environments and Reduced Caregiver Gaze Reliability
Virag Lakner; Ori Ossmy; Denis Mareschal
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Humans’ ability to share attention with others plays an important role in social competence, language acquisition, and action understanding. Gaze following, an indicator of shared attention, occurs when an individual shifts their gaze from looking at another individual to the object that the other is focused on. Previous work showed that infants’ gaze following can be formulated using a reinforcement learning model, in a simplified environment with one visual target. However, real-world infants’ social interactions are typically far more complex, involving multiple competing stimuli and unpredictable attentional demands. To have a more ecologically valid context compared to previous work, we extended the established reinforcement-learning model for infants’ gaze following by introducing visual clutter consisting of multiple visual objects and by varying the reliability of the caregiver’s gaze direction. The extended version of the model showed that gaze following still develops in the presence of distracting objects and that variability in caregiver gaze reliability substantially affects this development. Our findings lay the groundwork for further ecologically valid computational studies and can be adapted to simulate conditions in which the emergence of gaze following may be disrupted by atypical developmental processes.
The Use of EPD1504, a Novel Drug for the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Kian Zehtabian; Leila Elahinezhad
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Objective: This article explores the therapeutic efficacy of EPD1504, a μ-opioid receptor (MOR) agonist, as a novel treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Given that nearly 50% of OCD patients do not respond adequately to first-line treatments such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), alternative pharmacological interventions are necessary. Methods: A review of preclinical and clinical studies on EPD1504 is conducted, including rodent behavioral trials and comparisons with existing therapies. The mechanistic action of MOR agonists in modulating compulsive behaviors is also examined. Results: EPD1504 has demonstrated comparable efficacy to buprenorphine in reducing OCD-like behaviors while exhibiting a lower risk of adverse effects, including respiratory depression and dependency. Unlike traditional opioid therapies, EPD1504’s limited activation of the Beta-Arrestin pathway may contribute to a safer pharmacological profile. Additionally, emerging data suggests that opioid modulation influences key neurotransmitter systems involved in OCD, including serotonin and glutamate. Conclusion: EPD1504 represents a promising alternative for treatment-resistant OCD, offering improved safety and efficacy compared to existing opioid-based interventions. Further randomized clinical trials are necessary to establish long-term benefits and potential clinical applications.
Presence is Reality: Rethinking Virtual and Real-World Consciousness
Oliver Singleton; Aikaterini Fotopoulou
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The sense of presence and the sense of reality are often treated as distinct phenomena—presence as the feeling of "being there" in a virtual environment and reality as the ability to discern ‘real’ from ‘false’ phenomena. We argue that these concepts are identical both conceptually and mechanistically, despite much VR research defining presence as something which much necessarily take place in VR. We then introduce specific instances of converging evidence between the fields, suggesting that presence and reality are likely to be constituted by the same integrative theoretical models, psychophysical mechanisms and neural architecture. Evidence from neuroimaging supports this claim, revealing overlapping brain regions involved in both presence and reality perception. This reconceptualization of VR presence as reality has implications for research on consciousness, psychiatric disorders involving reality perception, and the use of virtual reality as a tool for studying and modifying perceptual experience. Future research should directly compare presence and reality mechanisms to explore their functional and neural equivalence, potentially redefining how we study consciousness and perception.
Beyond Rational Choice : Modeling Political Behavior Through Axiological Distance and Emotional Dynamics
Alan Kleden
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This article presents a new interdisciplinary framework for analyzing political behavior based on the theory of axiodynamics. Moving beyond traditional rational-choice and identity-based models, it integrates the concepts of axiological distance and the Kleden-Hamilton formula to explain ideological proximity, group cohesion, and political polarization. By modeling values and mémotions (affectively charged memories) as structured vectors in a multidimensional space, the framework quantifies ideological divergence between individuals or political entities. It introduces ethopraxie—the dynamic interaction between dispositions and actions—as a key behavioral stabilizer, and incorporates emotional energy (EE) to explain both long-term activist commitment and episodic voter mobilization. Applications include axiological mapping of partisan structures (axiotypes), polarization indices, and the simulation of ideological conflict using adapted models such as the Axiological Hotelling model and Axiological Shapley-Shubik coalition theory. The proposed framework provides a computationally rigorous and empirically testable basis for understanding ideological competition, coalition formation, and the dynamics of political alignment in contemporary societies.
Seeing Without Asking: A Multi-Method Construct Validation of Workforce Insights through Welliba’s Excelerate Processing using Publicly Available Information.
Sara Berger; Richard Justenhoven
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This study examines whether Welliba’s passive‐data approach can match or surpass insights derived from established survey methods in capturing employee experience (EX). Drawing on publicly accessible information—from sources like review platforms and market intelligent platforms—Welliba’s model generates EX metrics. Firstly, these were evaluated against eNPS scores. Results indicate a robust, positive correlation (r = .74, p < .001), suggesting that organizations scoring high on eNPS also tend to excel on Welliba’s metrics. A subsequent comparison with Gallup’s widely recognized survey measures (e.g., intent to leave, anger, stress, life evaluation, and engagement) reveals that Welliba’s approach explains a substantial portion of variance in key outcomes. For instance, turnover risk was predicted at over 60% (R² = .65), highlighting how elements such as workload, communication patterns, and task variety align with employee retention. Other findings demonstrate the complexity of factors like autonomy, which can promote intrinsic motivation yet also heighten stress. Overall, these analyses support the construct validity of Welliba’s passive data framework, indicating that it mirrors or refines more traditional survey‐based strategies. Additionally, the ability to capture near real‐time data without extensive employee surveys underscores the method’s agility and potential to inform timely interventions. As organizations seek scalable, less intrusive approaches to assessing workforce sentiment, Welliba’s model offers a credible alternative that may reduce both cost and response burden, provided that transparency and ethical data use are maintained.
Beyond Rational Choice : Modeling Political Behavior Through Axiological Distance and Emotional Dynamics
Alan Kleden
Full text
This article presents a new interdisciplinary framework for analyzing political behavior based on the theory of axiodynamics. Moving beyond traditional rational-choice and identity-based models, it integrates the concepts of axiological distance and the Kleden-Hamilton formula to explain ideological proximity, group cohesion, and political polarization. By modeling values and mémotions (affectively charged memories) as structured vectors in a multidimensional space, the framework quantifies ideological divergence between individuals or political entities. It introduces ethopraxie—the dynamic interaction between dispositions and actions—as a key behavioral stabilizer, and incorporates emotional energy (EE) to explain both long-term activist commitment and episodic voter mobilization. Applications include axiological mapping of partisan structures (axiotypes), polarization indices, and the simulation of ideological conflict using adapted models such as the Axiological Hotelling model and Axiological Shapley-Shubik coalition theory. The proposed framework provides a computationally rigorous and empirically testable basis for understanding ideological competition, coalition formation, and the dynamics of political alignment in contemporary societies.
Training studies provide new insights about mechanisms of irony development
Henri Olkoniemi; Penny M. Pexman
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In verbal irony there is a contrast between the literal meaning of what is stated and the intended meaning of the words. As successful comprehension of irony requires going beyond lexical meaning, the ability to understand it tends to develop late compared to literal language and it is challenging for children. Numerous explanations have been proposed for the late development of irony comprehension, including emerging language and perspective taking skills, working memory, and metapragmatic knowledge. Irony training studies have the potential to be an effective means of testing these explanations and moving beyond correlational designs. We review recent studies that tested this possibility, conducted in several countries, including Hungary, Canada, and Finland. The results suggest that even short-term irony training can be effective for improving children’s irony comprehension accuracy, and that metapragmatic knowledge is a key mechanism of irony understanding. We outline directions for future training studies and link those to possibilities for both intervention and theory development.
The Association Between Student-Teacher Relationship Quality and Students’ School Belonging: A Cross-National Perspective
Tegan Shalli Rare; Geetanjali Basarkod; Jiesi Guo; Kelly-Ann Allen; Theresa Dicke
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Students’ sense of school belonging has an enduring influence on academic and psychosocial outcomes during compulsory schooling and after. Prior research suggests that student-teacher relationship (STR) quality is one of the strongest factors to positively predict school belonging. However, the bulk of this research has focused on samples from developed countries, limiting the generalisability of findings to a diverse range of countries. The only cross-national studies to examine this positive link have utilised data from over two decades ago or focused explicitly on European countries. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the generalisability of the positive link between STR quality and school belonging across 69 countries/economic regions using the most recently published (2022) Programme for International Student Assessment dataset. This study expands prior research to investigate the generalisability of results within countries, through comparisons between immigrant groups (i.e., first-generation, second-generation, native-born students). Utilising responses from 521,293, 15-year-old students from 69 countries, this study assessed the positive link between STR quality and belonging via multilevel linear models. Results demonstrated that the positive link between STR quality and belonging generalised across all countries, although the size of this positive link varied across countries. This positive link also generalised across students from immigrant and non-immigrant backgrounds. These findings suggest the positive link between STR quality and belonging may be universal. Therefore, teachers across the globe can assist all students in feeling connected to school by fostering high-quality relationships with students through care and respect.
No Gender Difference in Cardiac Interoceptive Accuracy: Potential Psychophysiological Contributors in Heartbeat Counting Task
Yusuke Haruki; Kei Kaneko; Kenji Ogawa
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Gender differences in interoceptive awareness—awareness of internal bodily signals such as heartbeat perception—have been suggested, with some findings indicating behaviourally reduced but subjectively enhanced awareness in women, though these findings are still contentious. This study aimed to comprehensively examine gender differences in three aspects of interoceptive awareness: behavioural accuracy, subjective confidence, and relationship between them (i.e., metacognition). We used a modified heartbeat counting task that prohibited estimation strategies and increased the number of trials up to 20. Using data from 74 healthy young adults (39 women and 35 men), we evaluated gender differences and practice effects for each measure via Bayesian linear mixed models, controlling for individual heart rate and trial duration on a trial-by-trial basis. Contrary to previous research, the results revealed no reduced interoceptive accuracy in women; instead, higher interoceptive accuracy score was associated with shorter trial durations and lower heart rates regardless of gender. Moreover, women exhibited underconfidence about their performance, and therefore lower metacognition scores, compared to men. Trial repetitions moderated women’s lowered metacognition but did not affect accuracy or confidence. These findings highlight potential physiological and psychological confounding factors in the heartbeat counting task, such as heart rate and reporting style, and emphasize several cautions for studying gender differences in interoceptive awareness.
Perspektif Bunda Nasecha tentang Perselingkuhan: Analisis Uraian dalam Live Streaming “10 Hal Tentang Selingkuh Yang Tidak Kamu Ketahui”
Adib Rifqi Setiawan
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Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji uraian Bunda Nasecha dalam tayangan live streaming berjudul “10 Hal Tentang Selingkuh Yang Tidak Kamu Ketahui” menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan metode analisis konten. Data utama penelitian adalah transkrip verbatim dari tayangan tersebut. Analisis mengidentifikasi bahwa uraian Bunda Nasecha menyajikan pengantar yang menarik mengenai perselingkuhan, mencakup aspek definisi, penyebab (seperti ketidaknyamanan, kurangnya kedekatan emosional, dan masalah komunikasi), hingga potensi pemulihan. Beberapa poin yang disampaikan selaras dengan pemahaman umum dan sebagian didukung oleh penelitian ilmiah, terutama mengenai pentingnya komunikasi dan keintiman emosional. Namun, penelitian ini juga menyoroti keterbatasan dalam uraian Bunda Nasecha, termasuk klaim yang kurang didukung bukti empiris dan potensi penyederhanaan isu yang kompleks. Perbandingan dengan jurnal ilmiah menunjukkan bahwa meskipun beberapa konsep dasar memiliki landasan teoretis, kedalaman analisis dan dukungan empiris seringkali terbatas. Kesimpulannya, siaran langsung Bunda Nasecha menawarkan perspektif yang mudah diakses bagi audiens awam, namun penting untuk menyikapinya secara kritis mengingat kurangnya dukungan ilmiah yang kuat dalam beberapa aspek. Meskipun demikian, uraian ini dapat menjadi titik awal untuk refleksi dan diskusi lebih lanjut mengenai dinamika hubungan dan tantangan perselingkuhan.
Challenging the “Empathic Deficits Hypothesis” of Machiavellianism: Lack of motivation rather than lack of ability
Christian BlĂśtner
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Research on the exploitative and manipulative personality trait Machiavellianism often entertains an empathic deficit hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, aversive tendencies related to Machiavellianism are attributable to poor ability to see things from a (potential) victim’s perspective — endorsing a somewhat autistic view of individuals high in Machiavellianism. We argue that Machiavellianism is characterized by low compassion for others but intact perspective-taking. In a preregistered study (n = 455) and a non-preregistered, conceptual replication (n = 460), we challenged the empathic deficit hypothesis by investigating relationships of Machiavellianism with cognitive (i.e., recognizing others’ emotional states) and affective empathy (i.e., vicariously experiencing others emotional states). The obtained correlations were compared to respective relations of autistic tendencies, a construct embodying deficient cognitive but intact affective empathy. By and large, Machiavellianism was more strongly negatively related to affective empathy, whereas autistic tendencies were more strongly negatively related to cognitive empathy. These patterns underline misanthropy and selfishness inherent to Machiavellianism and militate against the empathic deficit hypothesis. Pathways for future research were outlined, such as the necessity to support the present findings through behaviorally oriented data sources.
Framing Intergroup Inequality as Structural Improves White American Support for Equity-Enhancing Policy
Megan Elaine Burns; Bennett Callaghan; Julian Rucker; Jennifer Richeson; Michael W. Kraus
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Economic inequality harms the majority of Americans, yet psychological processes can hinder White Americans’ recognition of its racial patterning and structural causes, which has implications for support of equity-enhancing policies. We hypothesized that making the racial components of inequality salient would, all else equal, decrease White Americans’ support for policies aimed at ensuring economic equality. However, we also hypothesized that providing context for racial inequality, by highlighting its structural causes, would increase White Americans’ support for policies aimed at ensuring economic equality. Though the individual study results were idiosyncratic, these hypotheses were supported in a meta-analysis across two experiments (N1 = 873; N2 = 756) that manipulated both the racial salience of inequality and the provision of structural context. The studies indicate that intergroup concerns among White Americans can impede efforts to address inequality, but contextualizing racial inequality as structurally-derived can help to overcome such obstacles.
Reprogramming the Digital Code of Identity: A Neurocognitive Blueprint of Social Identity
Likhon Roy
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Social identity plays a central role in shaping human cognition, emotion, and behavior. This paper explores the convergence of psychological theory, neuroscience, and behavioral science to understand how individuals define themselves in relation to others. Drawing from social identity theory, cognitive neuroscience, and real-world behavioral patterns, I propose an integrative framework that examines how group membership is encoded in the brain, how it influences decision-making, and how it manifests in everyday actions. I also explore implications for digital environments and psychological well-being, proposing a model that bridges individual neural processes with large-scale social outcomes. This work is grounded not only in research but in lived experience: a journey of resilience, identity negotiation, and transformation across cultural, geographic, and spiritual boundaries.
A General Law of Behavioral Dynamics: Stickleback Archetypal Behaviors
Tahir Rahman
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Despite over a century of foundational work in ethology, behavioral neuroscience, and psychology, no general law has been formalized that predicts behavior across species. Drawing from Tinbergen’s classic experiments and integrating phylogenetic, neuroendocrine, and cultural data, this article proposes a universal behavioral equation: Behavior = A × D × C This ARCH equation is tested against empirical findings on male stickleback aggression and courtship as archetypal behaviors demonstrating its explanatory and predictive power. The synthesis establishes the ARCH model as a candidate for a general behavioral dynamics law, grounded in biological and cross-species data.
PupEyes: An Interactive Python Library for Pupil Size and Eye Movement Data Processing
Han Zhang; John Jonides
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We present PupEyes, an open-source Python package for preprocessing and visualizing pupil size and eye movement data. Developed with current best practices in mind, PupEyes offers a comprehensive and reproducible pupil preprocessing pipeline, as well as interactive visualizations to facilitate data exploration and outlier detection. In addition to pupil size data, PupEyes supports interactive visualization of eye movement data, including scanpath animations, fixation density plots, and area-of-interest (AOI) maps. It also provides tools for manually drawing AOIs, assigning fixations to AOIs, and computing basic AOI-based metrics. Cleaned data are returned as pandas data frames, making them compatible with other data analysis and visualization packages within the Python ecosystem. PupEyes also features an intuitive Application Programming Interface (API) and detailed online tutorials (https://pupeyes.readthedocs.io/), making it accessible to users with varying levels of programming experience. Overall, PupEyes (1) ensures that pupil size data are preprocessed in a principled, transparent, and reproducible manner, (2) helps researchers better understand their data through interactive visualizations, and (3) enables flexible extensions for further analysis tailored to specific research goals. We believe PupEyes is a useful addition to the analysis workflow for pupil size and eye movement data.
Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms are Negatively Associated with Executive Functioning: Evidence from Colombian Internally Displaced Adolescents by Political Conflict
angelica valencia
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We examined the impact of mental health issues on cognitive and executive skills in 135 internally displaced adolescents, which were randomly selected from the Colombian victims' register. Outcomes included scores from standardized tests for cognitive ability and executive functioning. Predictors were self-reported measures of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and suicidal ideation. Covariables included traumatic events, displacement level, and parental occupation. Linear models assessed the associations between outcomes and predictors, as well as the moderating effects of covariables. Results indicated that PTSD was negatively associated with executive functioning, with a significantly stronger effect among adolescents whose parents were unemployed or in informal jobs. PTSD was marginally associated with cognitive ability. No associations were found for depression or suicidal ideation. These findings underscore the need to prioritize the most vulnerable adolescents and strengthen executive functioning, which supports long-term development and mitigates the negative effects of traumatic experiences such as internal displacement.
The Role of Regularity Detection and Prediction in the Exploration of Sense of Agency
Kazuma Takada; Wen Wen; Shunichi Kasahara; Tom Froese
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The Sense of Agency (SoA) refers to the subjective feeling of controlling one’s actions and outcomes. Both the predictive process and retrospective process are considered to contribute this subject feeling. The predictive process focuses on the consistency between the sensory prediction and the actual sensory input by the internal model, while the retrospective process emphasizes the detection of regularities between one’s action and sensory input. However, how the two types of processes contribute to the exploration of control remains unclear. In the present study, we tackled this question by examining the effect of updating the internal model on the SoA in a control detection task. Participants first adapted to a rotation of visual feedback while controlling a dot on the screen, then conducted free movements to choose the dot they felt they could control most effectively among five dots with different rotation angles. Experiment 1 used a tracking task for the motor adaptation, while Experiment 2 used a reaching task to replicate the result of Experiment 1. The results of the two experiments showed that the motor adaptation in both tasks did not have a significant effect on the control detection task. The updating of the internal model appears to have minimal influence on the control detection. Our findings indicated that the regularity between the action and sensory input is likely to dominate in the exploration of the SoA. These findings provide important insights for understanding the sense of agency in the context of exploratory behaviors within the novel environments.
Domain-Specific Neural Correlates of Self-evaluation: Links to Sense of Acceptance and Rejection
Yi Ding; Kentaro Oba; Ryo Ishibashi; Motoaki Sugiura
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Sociometer theory posits that self-evaluation is influenced by social relationship status as reflected by self-esteem. However, the neural basis of sociometer theory has not been completely delineated, possibly due to the complexity of the relationships among facets of social relationship status (i.e., acceptance and rejection), and self-evaluation domains. In this study, participants evaluated how well trait adjectives described themselves or a celebrity while brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We also measured their sense of acceptance, sense of rejection, and self-esteem. The results showed that sense of acceptance was positively associated with activation in the right temporoparietal junction and bilateral precuneus during self-evaluation of positive morality, possibly reflecting mentalizing, and was negatively related to activation in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex during self-evaluation of negative competence, possibly reflecting emotion regulation. Sense of rejection was positively associated with activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus during self-evaluation of negative competence, possibly reflecting inner speech. However, self-esteem was not correlated with any brain areas. These results indicate that sense of acceptance and rejection have distinct dynamics in self-evaluation processing, suggesting the existence of multiple domain-specific sociometers.
EMC2: An R Package for cognitive models of choice
Niek Stevenson; Michelle C. Donzallaz; Reilly James Innes; Birte Forstmann; Dora Matzke; Andrew Heathcote
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We introduce EMC2, an R package for Bayesian hierarchical analysis of cognitive models of choice. EMC2 bridges the gap between standard regression analyses and cognitive modeling through linear-model specifications for each type of cognitive model parameter. The flexible implementation of the linear modeling language allows users to map model parameters directly to complicated designs and hypotheses. EMC2 implements recent developments in Bayesian parameter estimation and hypothesis testing, including powerful and efficient sampling and marginal likelihood estimation algorithms, making it computationally feasible to estimate many different cognitive models and perform inference among them. Using two leading evidence-accumulation models, we illustrate how EMC2 provides a workflow that makes it easy to specify diverse parameterizations and informative priors, and to evaluate, refine, compare, and interpret models.
Doubly Protective or Doubly Fragile? A Comparison of Doubly Robust Approaches for Estimating Average Treatment Effects
Jingyu Zhang; Oliver LĂźdtke; Alexander Robitzsch
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In nonexperimental studies, obtaining an unbiased estimate of the average treatment effect (ATE) typically requires two key assumptions: that all relevant covariates are measured (i.e., no unmeasured confounding) and that the statistical model used for covariate adjustment is correctly specified. Two common approaches for adjustment are outcome regression and propensity score weighting. To mitigate bias from model misspecification, doubly robust methods combine both approaches, ensuring unbiased ATE estimates if either the outcome model or the propensity score model is correctly specified. In this study, we review four doubly robust methods that have received considerable attention in the methodological literature but remain underutilized in psychological research: augmented inverse probability weighting, regression weighted by the inverse propensity score, regression incorporating the inverse propensity score as a covariate, and calibrated propensity score weights. Using two simulation studies, we compare these methods with traditional regression and inverse probability weighting estimators. Our results suggest that doubly robust methods—particularly regression weighted by the inverse propensity score—offer greater protection against bias from model misspecification across various data-generating scenarios. We also discuss practical considerations for implementing doubly robust methods, including weight normalization, propensity score truncation, and potential efficiency losses due to overfitting. The different methods for estimating the ATE are illustrated in a data example.
Doubly Protective or Doubly Fragile? A Comparison of Doubly Robust Approaches for Estimating Average Treatment Effects
Jingyu Zhang; Oliver LĂźdtke; Alexander Robitzsch
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In nonexperimental studies, obtaining an unbiased estimate of the average treatment effect (ATE) typically requires two key assumptions: that all relevant covariates are measured (i.e., no unmeasured confounding) and that the statistical model used for covariate adjustment is correctly specified. Two common approaches for adjustment are outcome regression and propensity score weighting. To mitigate bias from model misspecification, doubly robust methods combine both approaches, ensuring unbiased ATE estimates if either the outcome model or the propensity score model is correctly specified. In this study, we review four doubly robust methods that have received considerable attention in the methodological literature but remain underutilized in psychological research: augmented inverse probability weighting, regression weighted by the inverse propensity score, regression incorporating the inverse propensity score as a covariate, and calibrated propensity score weights. Using two simulation studies, we compare these methods with traditional regression and inverse probability weighting estimators. Our results suggest that doubly robust methods—particularly regression weighted by the inverse propensity score—offer greater protection against bias from model misspecification across various data-generating scenarios. We also discuss practical considerations for implementing doubly robust methods, including weight normalization, propensity score truncation, and potential efficiency losses due to overfitting. The different methods for estimating the ATE are illustrated in a data example.
ExploraciĂłn de Programas de EducaciĂłn TecnolĂłgica Superior Exitosos
Jimmy Zambrano R.
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La educación tecnológica superior se consolida como una estrategia clave para el desarrollo sostenible y la empleabilidad en América Latina. Este estudio analiza programas técnicos exitosos en Ecuador y el extranjero, identificando dos ejes fundamentales: (1) la alineación curricular con las demandas actuales y futuras del mercado laboral, y (2) la incorporación de tecnologías emergentes y sostenibilidad en la formación. A partir de casos representativos —como los institutos Yavirac, Luis Arboleda, Ismael Pérez Pazmiño y 17 de Julio— se evidencia que los programas más efectivos mantienen una vinculación estrecha con el sector productivo, integran habilidades blandas y técnicas, modernizan su infraestructura con simuladores y laboratorios de realidad virtual, y actualizan continuamente sus contenidos para responder a la cuarta revolución industrial. Además, promueven trayectos flexibles, formación docente permanente y competencias para el desarrollo sostenible. Se concluye con recomendaciones para el diseño/rediseño de programas tecnológicos superiores en Ecuador, orientadas a fortalecer su pertinencia, calidad e impacto en la transformación productiva y social del país.
ExploraciĂłn de Programas de EducaciĂłn TecnolĂłgica Superior Exitosos
Jimmy Zambrano R.
Full text
La educación tecnológica superior se consolida como una estrategia clave para el desarrollo sostenible y la empleabilidad en América Latina. Este estudio analiza programas técnicos exitosos en Ecuador y el extranjero, identificando dos ejes fundamentales: (1) la alineación curricular con las demandas actuales y futuras del mercado laboral, y (2) la incorporación de tecnologías emergentes y sostenibilidad en la formación. A partir de casos representativos —como los institutos Yavirac, Luis Arboleda, Ismael Pérez Pazmiño y 17 de Julio— se evidencia que los programas más efectivos mantienen una vinculación estrecha con el sector productivo, integran habilidades blandas y técnicas, modernizan su infraestructura con simuladores y laboratorios de realidad virtual, y actualizan continuamente sus contenidos para responder a la cuarta revolución industrial. Además, promueven trayectos flexibles, formación docente permanente y competencias para el desarrollo sostenible. Se concluye con recomendaciones para el diseño/rediseño de programas tecnológicos superiores en Ecuador, orientadas a fortalecer su pertinencia, calidad e impacto en la transformación productiva y social del país.
Disseminating online mental health resources: An application of the Knowledge to Action Model
Alyssa Herman; Clarissa Velez; Alayna L Park
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The proliferation of freely available online mental health resources over recent years has remarkably advanced the field’s potential to disseminate mental health information while simultaneously creating the problem of information overload. This paper applies Graham et al.’s (2006) Knowledge to Action (KTA) model to outline a process for improving dissemination of online resources. The KTA model outlines two dynamic phases that can enhance dissemination of online resources. The first phase focuses on synthesizing available mental health research into user-friendly informational resources, and then further condensing and organizing those resources to reduce information overload. Although this phase can improve resource accessibility, the organization of resources alone is often insufficient for translating knowledge to action. To address this, the next phase of the model focuses on improving the actionability and relevance of online resources by tailoring the content to the specific needs and interests of the intended audience. Finally, this paper will review additional considerations to ensure successful and sustainable dissemination of online resources. By applying KTA model with consideration of facilitators and barriers specific to online resources, resource developers can reduce obstacles related to accessing mental health information online.
Neurocognitive mechanisms of change following Preventive Cognitive Therapy for preventing relapse in depression: a randomized controlled trial.
Marie-JosĂŠ van Tol; Rozemarijn Surya van Kleef; Ronja Maria Eike; Evelien van Valen; Jan-Bernard Marsman; Remco J. Renken; Andre Aleman; Claudi Bockting
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Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a prevalent psychiatric disorder, characterized by high relapse risk. With every new episode, risk for relapse increases. This makes preventing relapse an important clinical target in limiting the personal and societal burden of MDD. Preventive Cognitive Therapy (PCT) is a protocolized psychological therapy which has shown to lower relapse risk. How PCT attains its effects needs further elucidation. Understanding the treatment mechanisms provides a window to identify critical target points to prevent depressive relapse. In this randomized controlled trial, 50 patients remitted from at least two depressive episodes in the past five years were randomized to eight sessions of PCT (n=25) or to a waiting list condition (n=25) in the context of the NEWPRIDE trial. Primary outcome measures were changes in brain activation during effortful emotion regulation and in biased processing, covering both negative and positive valence dimensions. All patients were assessed twice (baseline and three-month follow-up) for these outcome measures, as well as their diagnosis, symptomatology, cognitive and affective reactivity, and emotion regulation styles. Linear Mixed Models and Repeated Measures ANOVAs were conducted to objectify the immediate changes induced by the therapy in brain reactivity, and clinical and cognitive measures. Following PCT, patients showed decreased recruitment of dorsomedial prefrontal regions during upregulation of positive affect and stable recruitment of the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex during regulation of emotions over valences, compared to the waiting list. No effects on biased processing of emotional information were observed. Furthermore, PCT resulted in a lower increase of depressive symptomatology over three months as compared to the waiting list condition. Finally, PCT resulted in increased activation of positive thoughts following reading positive self-related scenarios, lower responsivity of negative affect to negative stimuli and increased successful application of cognitive reappraisal to modify affective states. These results suggest that PCT obtains its relapse preventing effects by targeting mechanisms that underpin regulation of mood. More specifically, changes in regulation of positive affect and content of positive cognitions may decrease negative mood and affect. This supports cross-valence compensatory models of cognitive therapy and suggests that strengthening and shifting cognition and affect to more positive content may guard against the activation of negative cognitions and affect in the face of daily hassles and life events.
ARCH: A Proposed General Law of Behavior Across Species and Systems
Tahir Rahman
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Behavioral science lacks a unified framework capable of integrating innate neural programs, motivational states, and culturally acquired norms. The ARCH model—Behavior = Archetype × Drive × Culture—is proposed as a formal principle for understanding behavior across species. In this triadic equation, archetypes represent evolutionarily conserved neural scripts (e.g., Warrior, Caregiver), drives reflect neuroendocrine motivations (e.g., testosterone, oxytocin), and culture denotes group-level norms that modulate behavioral expression. To evaluate the model’s explanatory scope, this study analyzes behavioral data from five evolutionarily divergent species: chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber), vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus), European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), and juvenile rats (Rattus norvegicus). Each species exhibits context-specific instantiations of the ARCH components— e.g., coalitionary aggression modulated by testosterone and ritual in chimpanzees, caregiving under reproductive suppression in mole-rats, oxytocin-mediated altruism in vampire bats, sensorimotor entrainment in flocking starlings, and dopaminergic social play in rats. Despite ecological and phylogenetic differences, behavioral outcomes across taxa conform to the predicted interaction of Archetype × Drive × Culture. The ARCH model offers a biologically grounded, cross-species framework with applications in neuroscience, psychiatry, artificial intelligence, and behavioral ecology. It advances the prospect of a unified science of behavior by integrating evolution, physiology, and culture into a predictive equation.
Five-year-old children identify emotions in music along valence and intensity dimensions
Haley Elisabeth Kragness; Arooba Mansoor; Areeba Qureshi; Rachel Peiris; Laura Cirelli
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Music is a highly effective medium for communicating emotions among enculturated adults. In Western music, emotion perception is influenced by intensity cues (e.g., tempo and loudness) and valence cues (e.g., major vs. minor mode). Here, five-year-old Canadian children (N=57, 26 boys, 31 girls, Mage=~5.5 years) and adults (N=59, 45 women, 9 men, 5 non-binary/did not report, Mage=~18.5 years) rated music on valence or intensity. Children’s ratings were positively correlated with adults’ for both valence (r=.914) and intensity (r=.800), and both groups used similar features to make judgments. Results demonstrate that children perceive valence and intensity in music, and point to the importance of testing children’s emotion perception across the full valence-intensity dimensional space.
Understanding of exact equality emerges after and builds on symbolic number knowledge
Chi-Chuan Chen; Daniel C. Hyde
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Establishing whether two sets of objects have the same number of objects turns out to be surprisingly challenging for children even if they have some basic number word and counting knowledge. Here we study the relationship between understanding of exact equality of sets and symbolic number knowledge in preschool children (N=208, Age Range=2.89–5.09 years) at various stages of symbolic number word acquisition. To do this, we gave children two classic verbal symbolic number word knowledge tasks (Give-N, How Many?) and two comparable but non-verbal set-matching tasks in which they were asked to produce a set of objects that numerically matched a target set. We find strong evidence that symbolic number knowledge is related to set-matching for exact equality, both replicating and extending recent findings. Specifically, set-matching accuracy was better for children who understood symbolic number cardinality (i.e., the cardinally principle) compared to those who did not, even after accounting for age and other general cognitive abilities (e.g., executive functions). Furthermore, this effect was seen across the range of set sizes tested (1-8), including smaller set sizes (1-4) typically thought to be within the cognitive limits to be compared for exact equality non-verbally. Finally, set-matching performance was below ceiling even at set sizes corresponding to individual children’s specific level of symbolic number knowledge (N) as well as the preceding quantity (N-1). Together these results suggest that understanding of exact equality comes after and builds on symbolic number knowledge. More broadly, our results support the emerging view that understanding symbolic number cardinality is only a single, early step towards understanding the symbolic number system.
The Bad Science Paper: Addressing the Accumulation of Unverifiable Science
Rick Thomas; Michael R Dougherty; Yara Al-nouri
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In this paper, we explore the trajectory of the accumulation of unverifiable science in the literature under a variety of scenarios. We argue that without major changes in publication trends and research rigor, our ability to leverage science to solve humanity’s problems will be greatly compromised. We show that the accumulation of unverifiable science will soon reach a tipping point in which the rate of accumulation will far exceed our ability to correct the literature within practical constraints. Our models, while simplistic, are analogous to models of climate change, which warn of serious consequences if the current state of affairs is left unchecked. The simulation results indicate that addressing the accumulation of unverifiable science will require a combination of improving replicability rates (i.e. rigor), reducing research ’emissions’ (fewer articles but of better quality), and improved efforts to ‘capture’ seriously flawed published papers.
Validation of a Simplified Scoring Method of the ADHD Symptom and Side Effect Tracking (ASSET) Scale
Joel Young; Richard Powell; Anna Powell; Lisa Welling; Lauren Granata; Jamie Saal; Margot Nash
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Background: Accurate diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is difficult due to the heterogeneous nature of symptoms and high potential to overlap with other disorders. There is still unmet need for accessible rating scales with quickly-interpretable outcomes. The ADHD Symptom and Side Effect Tracking (ASSET) Baseline Scale, originally validated with a factor-weighted scoring method, may also be scored by a simple sum of 10 item responses. This study aims to validate the Sum scoring method and establish a clinical cut score. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted using de-identified medical treatment records (N=2,718) obtained from the Rochester Center for Behavioral Medicine (RCBM) between May 1, 2022, and March 5, 2024. Before their first visit with a clinician, participants completed digital pre-visit surveys, including three validated self-report assessments for ADHD: the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS), and the ASSET Baseline Scale. Convergent validity was tested using bivariate correlations between scales, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves established sensitivities and specificities to identify an optimal cutoff score aligning with positive results on the established rating scales. Results: There is a high degree of agreement between the two methods (Factor and Sum) of scoring the ASSET. With a cutoff point of 42.5 on the ASSET Sum, the model predicted meeting the Factor cut score with a sensitivity of 80.1% and specificity of 91.6%, and correctly classified 96.81% (2547/2631) of participants. To evaluate the ASSET Sum’s performance, a true positive was defined as achieving a positive score on two of the three other rating scales (ASRS, WURS, and ASSET Factor). Using any combination of two rating scales, the ASSET Sum had excellent differentiation in identifying true positives. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for ASSET Factor and WURS was .926 (95% CI: 0.916–0.935), for ASRS and WURS was .838, (95% CI: 0.806–0.870), and for ASSET Factor and ASRS was .951 (95% CI: 0.934–.968). Conclusion: This study validates the simplified Sum scoring method of the ASSET Baseline Scale, showing similar performance to the original Factor scoring method and aligning with outcomes on widely-used ADHD screeners. As a short assessment with straightforward scoring and strong diagnostic accuracy, the ASSET has the potential to be a valuable clinical tool for specialists and non-specialists.
Leamos Juntos! Bilingual books support Latine parents’ Spanish language use during book-sharing interactions
Alejandra Reinoso; Milton Guendica; Adriana Weisleder
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Book-sharing interactions expose children to diverse language input, yet most research on parent-child book-sharing has focused on monolingual parents reading monolingual books. This study investigated how Latine bilingual parents in the U.S. share different types of books with their children. Twenty-four Latine parents and their three- to five-year-old children shared a monolingual English-only book and a bilingual English-Spanish book. Parents used a higher proportion of total words and different words in Spanish when sharing the bilingual book than the monolingual book. They also engaged in more code-switching with the bilingual book than the English monolingual book. There were no differences in the number or diversity of words in English between book types. These findings show that bilingual books increase parents’ use of the home language (in this case Spanish) relative to books in the societal language only, and suggest they may be one way of supporting children’s dual language development.
The Role of Synchronous Motion in Perceiving Agency in Inanimate Entities
Rebecca Geiselmann; Lasana Harris; Ophelia Deroy
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Perceiving agency from motion cues is fundamental to social cognition. While goal-directed motion is a well-known agency cue, the role of synchronous motion between inanimate entities remains underexplored. This study examines whether synchrony contributes to agency perception, enhances goal-directed motion cues, and influences metacognitive confidence. In Experiment 1, 78 U.S.-based neurotypical participants watched videos of pre-programmed disc movements, judged whether the discs were chasing, and rated their confidence. Experiment 2 (78 participants) extended the investigation to purposeful interactions beyond chasing. Findings demonstrate that synchrony plays a fundamental role in agency perception, shaping judgments of chasing and purposeful interaction. While chasing perception requires cue integration, with synchrony amplifying directed motion effects, purposeful interaction perception is shaped independently by each factor. Response times and confidence ratings reveal cue integration, suggesting that even when categorical judgments treat cues separately, the perceptual system processes both. Data was collected in August 2024. Age and gender were balanced, but the sample was predominantly White, highly educated, and U.S.-raised, limiting generalizability. While perceptual mechanisms are likely universal, cultural, developmental, and neurocognitive factors may shape higher-level judgments. These findings inform social cognition and interactions with artificial intelligence, highlighting synchrony as key to perceived agency.
Navigating the Maze: Living with Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Mina Bakhteyari Haftlangi
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Abstract: Over the last twenty years, attention and research have been paid to the term narcissism personality disorder. The NPD is a concept classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a personality disorder characterized by grandiosity, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy, as stated by the American Psychiatric Association 2013. A person with NPD creates a great challenge for the lives of those around them because these individuals fundamentally believe that they are mentally healthy and that others should try harder to understand them. In other words, a person with an inflated self-image, a deep need for admiration, and who considers themselves the center of the universe believes that the rest of humanity was created to serve the narcissistic person. Expanding awareness of their characteristics and trying to equip themselves with tactics that will reduce the damage of the NPD in the lives of those around them. This article defines the narcissistic personality and its types and discusses how NPDs defend themselves, take revenge, and their strategies. The following describes the personality of people who are usually suitable prey to narcissists, the victim's view of them, and how this personality selects these victims. At least Providing practical solutions with examples to maintain the mental health of people who interact with someone with NPD in their daily lives.
Revisiting the Policy Implications of Implicit Social Cognition
Jordan Axt; Valentina Palacio Posada; Eliane Roy; Jeffrey To
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Research on implicit social cognition explores how associations outside of conscious awareness or control can influence beliefs and behaviors, and the field has been one of the most popular areas of psychological research over the past 30 years. The relevance of implicit social cognition to policy was previously explored by Nosek and Riskind (2012). Here, we revisit this earlier discussion given that the field has made numerous – and in some cases pessimistic – advances regarding basic research questions on the construct and measures of implicit social cognition as well as the broader policy implications of such work. Specifically, we provide an updated review of available evidence concerning how implicit associations shift over time, relate to behavior, and change in response to interventions. Finally, we discuss how better understanding the strengths and limitations of research in implicit social cognition can productively inform ongoing policy and educational efforts.
Group Apologies in the Context of Transitional Justice: A Review of the Evidence
Magdalena Bobowik; Mirjana Rupar; Borja Martinovic
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In recent decades, governments and other institutions have frequently turned to group apologies as a means of bringing about transitional justice and repairing collective harms. In this chapter, we describe key components of a successful apology and review existing empirical studies on the implications of group apologies offered in the context of historical injustices, that is, deliberate, violent or discriminatory actions committed in the past by a group or a state and that have a lasting impact on the well-being of present-day communities. We report research examining the effects of apologies on reconciliation (e.g., granting forgiveness or harmonious intergroup relations), considering both senders and receivers of apologies. We also identify reconciliation-relevant, affective (e.g., guilt, empathy, or admiration) and cognitive processes (e.g., perceived sincerity or representativeness of an apology) that might facilitate apologies’ reconciliation-relevant implications. Further, we review the characteristics of group apologies, their senders, and the context in which apologies are offered that make apologies work best (or worst). We close our chapter with reflections for research and practice in transitional justice.
Bilingualism modulates domain-general functional connectivity: insights from EEG and artificial grammar learning
Alex Sheehan; Doug Saddy; Diego Krivochen; Shruti Gupta; Christos Pliatsikas
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Bilingualism is associated with distinct patterns of resting-state functional brain connectivity – a consequence of ongoing language control demands that do not apply to monolinguals. However, it is not well understood how these patterns affect, and are affected by, brain activation for domain-general cognitively demanding tasks. Here, we employ a novel task-driven resting-state electroencephalography design including an implicit Lindenmayer grammar learning task, which tracks aperiodic and hierarchical dependencies, to determine task-related functional connectivity changes in bilinguals. Quantified bilingual experience was used as a predictor of directional effects, using Generalised Additive Models to account for non-linear patterns. Our results revealed whole-brain post-task alterations to connectivity, including increased involvement of bilateral temporal and posterior regions and reduced involvement of frontal regions. Crucially, greater bilingual experience was associated with more distributed processing, suggesting enhanced efficiency. These findings have important implications for our understanding of how domain-general processing and connectivity are shaped by linguistic experience.
Contrasting Experiences: Gender Disparities in Spirituality, Character Strengths, Mental Health, and Social Justice Among Next-Generation Religious Leaders
Seungju Kim; David Wang; Deborah H. C. Gin; Jo Ann Deasy; Steven Sandage
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In spite of the substantial historical and ongoing contributions of female religious leaders to the life of religious communities around the world, little is understood about their contrasting experiences in a context that tends to be male normative, especially from an empirical perspective. Poorly understood experiences of female religious leaders lead institutions and religious leaders to assume a lack of heterogeneity, along with the ongoing adoption of formative experiences that are normed after a population that does not reflect the realities of most current and/or future religious leaders. Little to no empirical studies to date have formally investigated gender differences in religious leaders in many domains, much less mental health. The present study utilized a sample of 452 emerging religious leaders (50.2%, women) and a series of t-tests on self-report measures across domains of spirituality, character, emotional and mental health, and social values. Overall, women reported significantly higher rates of character strengths, social justice values, as well as lower emotional and mental health compared to men. Results also indicated that men reported higher rates of Narcissism-Grandiosity and Spirituality, yet women reported higher rates of Narcissism-Vulnerability. The authors identify potential drivers of differences and disparities while proposing recommendations for stakeholders in religious communities and higher education.
The impact of bilingual experience on task-driven resting-state functional connectivity in the language and attentional cognitive domains
Alex Sheehan; Doug Saddy; Shruti Gupta; Christos Pliatsikas
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Brain function is significantly affected by language experience, with greater posterior activity and more efficient long-distance communication observed in bilinguals compared to monolinguals. Despite these findings, little is known about whether bilingualism as a long-term cognitively challenging experience differentially impacts brain function in the short-term and whether this differs for connectivity patterns underlying processing in different cognitive domains. In this study, we use a novel task-driven resting-state electroencephalography paradigm, incorporating tasks in the attentional (Flanker) and language (lexical retrieval) domains. The impact of quantified bilingual experience on functional connectivity for different domains was investigated with non-linear generalised additive models. Our findings uncovered greater left fronto-temporal connectivity in the attentional domain, and increased left temporal activity in the language domain, consistent with shared nodes between the language and executive control networks. This evidence has a significant impact on our understanding of bilingual functional adaptation and short-term changes to brain dynamics.
Refreshing Boosts Memory But Does Not Protect It Against Interference
Caro Hautekiet; Evie Vergauwe; Alessandra S. Souza
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Attention can be directed to representations maintained in working memory, increasing their accessibility for later retrieval. Previous studies have observed a cumulative benefit of focused attention: the more often an item is brought into the focus of attention, the better it is recalled. This can be explained by the notion that a memory representation is strengthened every time attention is focused on it, a process known as refreshing. The current study investigated whether refreshing goes together with increased robustness against interference. In two experiments, we examined whether an item’s susceptibility to interference by a secondary task gradually decreases as an item is more frequently refreshed. Participants memorized six colors for a continuous reproduction test. During the retention interval, they were instructed to refresh some of these colors once, twice, or never, and then completed a secondary task in half of the trials. In Experiment 1, the secondary task was a domain-non-overlapping auditory parity judgment task, whereas in Experiment 2, we used a domain-overlapping visual color judgment task. In both experiments, memory performance was hindered by the secondary task but improved with increasing refreshing frequency. These two effects did not interact, indicating that the negative impact of the secondary task was not reduced by refreshing. Thus, although refreshing an item improves retrieval from working memory, it does not provide greater protection against interference.
Reality Television Shows Focusing on Sexual Relationships and College Students Engagement in One-Night Stands: A Replication Report
Somer Schaffer; Samantha Mary Jones; Malvika DCosta; Megan Lindloff; Lorne Campbell
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The present study is a direct replication and extension of Fogel and Kovalenko’s (2013) work on the association between viewing reality television (TV) and engaging in one-night stands among college students. Using an online survey, a total of 686 Canadian university students provided comprehensive data on their reality TV consumption patterns, sexual attitudes, motivations, and behaviors. Our results replicated several findings from Fogel and Kovalenko (2013), such that participants who reported engaging in one-night stands within the past year demonstrated higher scores on measures of sexual empowerment, sexual permissiveness, and perceived realism of reality show content. Demographic factors such as ethnicity and relationship status were also associated with one-night stand engagement. Additionally, compared to viewers of dating reality TV, viewers of sexual reality TV reported stronger parasocial connections, greater interest in characters, and perceived the show as more realistic. Our results suggest that while reality TV consumption is associated with one-night stand engagement, there are additional factors associated with this outcome and the causal relationship cannot yet be established. We conclude that a broader perspective is needed when assessing reality TV viewership that includes individual and contextual factors. Keywords: reality television, sexual behaviors, replication, open science
On the Tension Between Open Data and Data Protection in Research
Luisa Jansen; Nele Borgert; Malte Elson
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The push for Open Science practices, including open data, clashes with the need for strict data protection of participant information. This creates a growing crisis in HCI research. Despite its critical role, data protection remains an afterthought in metascience, leaving researchers without clear guidance and dedicated resources, endangering both participant privacy and scientific openness. We illustrate that Meta-HCI is uniquely positioned to address this challenge by investigating how researchers navigate these tensions and developing strategies that align openness with privacy. We propose starting points for solutions such as minimizing data collection and reusing datasets. This is a call to action—without urgent intervention, both the privacy of research data and Open Science are at risk.
The Rare Spreading of Environmental Actions: Examining Longitudinal Spillover Between Private and Activist Behaviours, and Mediations Via Efficacy Beliefs and Environmental Self-Identity
Karen R.S. Hamann; Elisabeth Prestele; Laura S. Loy; Gerhard Reese
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A shift in people’s private environmental behaviours is an essential element for the urgently needed mitigation of climate change. Even more so, there needs to be a massive increase in environmental activism that demands socio-political change and leads to environmentally relevant (social) innovations. This study presents a longitudinal spillover investigation of how private and activist behaviours relate to each other, and whether these relations are mediated via two psychological processes: efficacy beliefs and environmental self-identity. From May 2018 to May 2019, N = 931 participants, half of whom were environmental volunteers (n = 441), took part in four questionnaire waves. Applying random intercept cross-lagged panel models, we found that activist behaviour was related to private behaviour intra-individually when looking at the same time point, but rarely across time points. Collective efficacy of all humanity and environmental self-identity appeared to be central antecedents and outcomes of private behaviour. Yet, neither efficacy beliefs nor environmental self-identity mediated spillover effects from activist to private behaviour, and vice versa. Intriguingly, the application of simple cross-lagged panel models would have led to different conclusions. We interpret our results in the context of the environmental movement and formulate recommendations for NGOs and politicians.
Validating the Academic Learning Experiences Questionnaire: Microtransitions, Sensory Reactivity and Executive-Social Demands in Autistic University Students
Clare Davis; Jenny Terry; Jess Millington; Sophie Anns
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Background: The number of autistic students entering higher education (HE) has increased, yet many continue to face systemic barriers that can hinder their academic success. Despite their unique cognitive strengths, such as hyperfocus, attention to detail, and strong analytical skills, many autistic students report challenges with academic learning experiences. This study aimed to develop and validate the Academic Learning Experiences Questionnaire (ALEQ), a tool designed to assess specific learning experiences and inform autism-inclusive educational practices. Methods: We co-created the ALEQ with autistic students to assess learning experiences across five academic contexts: small and large group teaching, self-directed study, examinations, and coursework. A total of 829 university students (formally-diagnosed autistic: n = 106; self-diagnosed autistic: n = 112; non-autistic: n = 611) completed an online survey comprising the ALEQ and an autism screening measure (SRS-2). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to establish the ALEQ’s psychometric properties. Results: The final version of the ALEQ included five subscales: sensory reactivity, microtransitions, planning and prioritising, social anxiety, and group work. Autistic students reported significantly more challenges than non-autistic students across all five subscales, with the greatest disparities in sensory reactivity and microtransitions. Conclusion: The ALEQ provides a structured way to understand the academic challenges that autistic students face in different learning contexts. By identifying key learning experiences, it offers educators a practical tool to support tailored adjustments that enhance accessibility and inclusion in HE.
Protocol for a feasibility study and randomised pilot trial of the ICF Core Sets for Autism Strength and Needs Assessment in NHS diagnostic services
Marianne Day; Megan Freeth; Kelly Scargill; Daniel Poole; Ian Kellar; Tracey Young; Sven BĂślte; Sally Clarke; Keri-Michele Lodge; Andrea Woods
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Introduction: There are approximately 700,000 Autistic people in the United Kingdom and Autism is increasingly being diagnosed in adulthood. Diagnosis on its own does not provide adequate information to plan post-diagnostic support for Autistic people and clinicians often plan support without the use of validated standardised tools which may exacerbate inequities in care. This study will evaluate a novel Strengths and Needs Assessment, based on the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Set for Autism, for use in adult diagnostic services immediately on receipt of an autism diagnosis. Methods and analysis: A two-arm, multi-site, randomised pilot trial design will be used to evaluate the ICF Core Sets for Autism Strengths and Needs Assessment in 3 diagnostic services in England. A total of 72 newly diagnosed Autistic adults will be recruited across the 3 sites over a 6-month period and randomised into an Intervention group (Strengths and Needs Assessment plus standard care) and a Treatment as Usual group (standard care only). Both groups will complete measures of mental health and Quality of Life at baseline and 3 months follow-up. Acceptability and feasibility will be measured for the Strengths and Needs assessment and for trial procedures using standardised measures, progression criteria and qualitative data from clinician focus groups and interviews with a subsample of Autistic participants. The study design and procedures are being co-produced with an Autistic advisor/PPI lead and with a steering group of Autistic adults. Ethics and dissemination: This study was reviewed by the East Midlands - Nottingham 2 Research Ethics Committee and was given Health Research Authority approval on 18th March 2025. The results will be disseminated via reports to the funder (NIHR), a peer-reviewed journal paper and academic conferences. We will email a summary report of findings to study participants and will invite participants to an information dissemination event at the end of the study. Links to reports and a lay summary will be provided on the research group’s website: https://sharl.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/home.
Rational causal induction from events in time
Tianwei Gong; M Pacer; Tom Griffiths; Neil R Bramley
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A longstanding focus in the causal learning literature has been on inferring causal relations from contingencies, where these abstract away from time by collating independent instances or by aggregating over regularly demarcated trials. In contrast, individual causal learners encounter events in their daily lives that occur in a continuous temporal flow with no such demarcation. Consequently, the process of learning causal relationships in naturalistic environments is comparatively less understood. In this paper, we lay out a rational framework that foregrounds the role of time in causal learning. We work within the Bayesian rational analysis tradition, starting by considering how causal relations induce dependence between events in continuous time and how this can be modeled by stochastic processes from the Poisson--Gamma distribution family. We derive the qualitative signatures of causal influence, and the general computations needed to infer structure from temporal patterns. We show that this rational account can parsimoniously explain the human preference for causal models that invoke shorter, more reliable and more predictable causal influences. Furthermore, we show this provides a unifying explanation for human judgments across a wide variety of tasks in reanalysis of seven experimental datasets. We anticipate the framework will help researchers better understand the many manifestations of continuous-time causal learning across human cognition and the tasks that probe it, from explicit causal structure induction settings to implicit associative or reinforcement learning settings.
The Development of Native-Like Multiword Processing in a Second Language: A Proficiency Effect
Takumi Kosaka
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A recent psycholinguistic framework, the Chunk-and-Pass model, posits that language acquisition involves learning how to appropriately chunk language input into larger representational units. Previously, Kosaka (2024) reported that low-proficiency second language (L2) learners may lack native-like chunking abilities at the multiword level; however, that study did not examine more advanced L2 learners. The present study extends this previous work by recruiting advanced L2 learners who share the same language background as in the original study—namely, Japanese. A Bayesian analysis revealed that while low-proficiency L2 learners did not demonstrate robust native-like chunking processes, advanced L2 learners exhibited processing tendencies similar to those of L1 speakers. Furthermore, both advanced L2 learners and L1 speakers were sensitive to the meanings of multiword units as cohesive wholes, whereas low-proficiency learners showed reduced sensitivity. These findings provide empirical support for the theoretical assumptions of the Chunk-and-Pass model.
ChatGPT in education: An effect in search of a cause
Joshua Weidlich
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As researchers rush to investigate the potential of AI tools like ChatGPT to enhance learning, a number of well-known and well-documented pitfalls threaten the validity of this emerging research. Issues of media comparison research, where the confounding of instructional methods and technological affordances are unrecognized, render effects uninterpretable. Using a recent meta-analysis by Deng et al. (2025) as example, we revisit key insights from the media/methods debate to highlight recurring conceptual challenges in studying AI for education. We identify three considerations needed to interpret this research: the precise nature of the experimental treatment, the activities of the control group, and the validity of the outcome measures as indicators of learning. We contrast the nascent research on ChatGPT with the well-established literature on Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS). Our analysis underscores the importance of defining clear research questions, ensuring methodological rigor, and resisting the allure of “fast science.”
ChatGPT in education: An effect in search of a cause
Joshua Weidlich
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As researchers rush to investigate the potential of AI tools like ChatGPT to enhance learning, a number of well-known and well-documented pitfalls threaten the validity of this emerging research. Issues of media comparison research, where the confounding of instructional methods and technological affordances are unrecognized, render effects uninterpretable. Using a recent meta-analysis by Deng et al. (2025) as example, we revisit key insights from the media/methods debate to highlight recurring conceptual challenges in studying AI for education. We identify three considerations needed to interpret this research: the precise nature of the experimental treatment, the activities of the control group, and the validity of the outcome measures as indicators of learning. We contrast the nascent research on ChatGPT with the well-established literature on Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS). Our analysis underscores the importance of defining clear research questions, ensuring methodological rigor, and resisting the allure of “fast science.”
Why Antimicrobial Resistance Messaging Fails: Qualitative Insights Through the Elaboration Likelihood Model
Eva Krockow; David Richard Jenkins; Samkele Mkumbuzi; Stephen Flusberg; Carolyn Tarrant
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Objective: This study examined perceptions of current antimicrobial resistance (AMR) communications to improve future messaging, counter misinformation, and promote behaviour change. It extends previous research through focus groups with doctors and patients, analysed using the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM). Methods: We held 3 focus groups (n=15) with UK patients with recent experience of AMR and 4 (n=14) with hospital doctors experienced in AMR treatment and communication. Semi-structured questions explored perceptions of public AMR messaging. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Most participants found public AMR information difficult to access, overly technical, and unclear. They struggled to find personal and cultural relevance, described the tone as punitive and highlighted contradictory advice (e.g., discouraging antibiotic use while recommending full course completion), undermining argument quality. Some appreciated buzzwords like ‘superbugs’, but most felt that messages lacked impact and “punch”. When viewed through the ELM, the problematic tone and lack of personalisation reduced recipients’ motivation. The lack of readily available, clear information hindered their ability to engage in central route processing, reducing the likelihood of elaboration and subsequent persuasion. Attitude change from peripheral route information processing was equally questionable given the lack of persuasive message cues. Conclusions: Current AMR messaging is insufficient and risk communication theory could highlight areas for improvement. Our ELM analysis suggests a need to enhance motivation, capability, and argument quality while adding persuasive, peripheral cues. Personally and culturally tailored messages with a positive, solution-focused tone and simplified, engaging language may boost impact and promote lasting attitude change.
Following News on Social Media Boosts Knowledge, Belief Accuracy, and Trust
Sacha Altay; Emma Hoes; Magdalena Wojcieszak
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Many worry that news on social media leaves people uninformed or even misinformed. We conducted a preregistered two-wave online field experiment in France and Germany (N= 3,395) to estimate the effect of following the news on Instagram and WhatsApp. Participants were asked to follow two accounts for two weeks and activate the notifications. In the treatment condition, the accounts were those of news organizations, while in the control condition they covered cooking, cinema, or art. The treatment enhanced current affairs knowledge, participants’ ability to discern true from false news stories, awareness of true news stories, as well as trust in the news. The treatment had no significant effects on feeling of being informed, political efficacy, affective polarization, and interest in news or politics. These results suggest that while some forms of social media use are harmful, others are beneficial and can be leveraged to foster a well-informed society.
Illusory faces are remembered more than human faces
Olga Kreichman; Limor Brook; Susan G Wardle; Sharon Gilaie-Dotan
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The contribution of subjective perceptual experience to visual memory is unclear. To measure that, here we took advantage of a nearly universal subjective visual experience, illusory face perception (“face pareidolia”) where the perception of veridical visual information (e.g. objects) is accompanied by an illusory face-like perceptual experience. As illusory faces activate both non-face and face-related mechanisms and as we assume that images recruiting more visual system resources are better remembered, we predicted that illusory faces will be remembered better than human faces. Our study (N=231) shows that illusory faces were remembered more than human faces and more than matched-control images not evoking illusory faces and this effect followed the illusory face amplitude. Interestingly, ResMem, a memorability-predicting artificial neural network successfully captured human faces vs outdoors image memorability sensitivity but not illusory face-related memorability sensitivity. Relying on a broadly shared illusory phenomenon, we demonstrate the contribution of subjective visual experiences to memory.
Exploring the impact of cognitive conflict on subsequent cognitive processes
Marta La Pietra; Manuela Ruzzoli
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Cognitive conflict is often viewed as detrimental to performance, demanding effort, and emotionally aversive. However, when successfully resolved, it can also stimulate cognitive flexibility and adaptation. This raises a question: Can cognitive conflict positively influence subsequent cognitive processes and human behaviour, or is it inherently deleterious? We designed three independent experiments to investigate behavioural changes after congruent and incongruent Stroop items in speeded motor reactions, response inhibition and implicit memory retrieval. Results revealed that cognitive conflict had a beneficial impact selectively on response inhibition, while no impact was observed on speeded responses or memory. Our studies highlight the positive consequences of cognitive conflict in boosting human cognition and behaviour, beyond the classic conflict adaptation, but only when both tasks involve conflict.
Illusory faces are remembered more than human faces
Olga Kreichman; Limor Brook; Susan G Wardle; Sharon Gilaie-Dotan
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The contribution of subjective perceptual experience to visual memory is unclear. To measure that, here we took advantage of a nearly universal subjective visual experience, illusory face perception (“face pareidolia”) where the perception of veridical visual information (e.g. objects) is accompanied by an illusory face-like perceptual experience. As illusory faces activate both non-face and face-related mechanisms and as we assume that images recruiting more visual system resources are better remembered, we predicted that illusory faces will be remembered better than human faces. Our study (N=231) shows that illusory faces were remembered more than human faces and more than matched-control images not evoking illusory faces and this effect followed the illusory face amplitude. Interestingly, ResMem, a memorability-predicting artificial neural network successfully captured human faces vs outdoors image memorability sensitivity but not illusory face-related memorability sensitivity. Relying on a broadly shared illusory phenomenon, we demonstrate the contribution of subjective visual experiences to memory.
Beyond dyadic interaction and shared experience: rethinking social connections
Feng-Chun Ben Chou; Pin-Hao Andy Chen
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Humans inherently seek connections with others, achieved through diverse modes of interaction that include face-to-face or online interactions. Direct face-to-face interactions utilize not only verbal but also diverse nonverbal signals, such as facial expressions, eye contact, and conversational timing, to deepen social connections. When physical interactions are constrained, online platforms emerge as important channels, linking individuals across distances. Additionally, shared experiences driven by events like pandemics or elections can lead to synchrony in affective states and behaviors among people who do not interact directly. Moreover, in social media, algorithm-driven curation intensifies exposure to emotionally charged content, fostering widespread shared emotional experience, as observed during COVID-19 lockdowns where isolation and heavy media use magnified negative sentiments. In response to limited direct contact, many individuals turn to parasocial interactions—one-sided attachments with virtual characters—to fulfill their need for social connections. Furthermore, those with high tendencies in fantasy tend to immerse themselves in fictional worlds, supported by recent findings that intersubject similarity in fantasy maps to similarity in affective appraisal during the social isolation period of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Overall, these varied interaction strategies highlight the importance of the need for social connections and our adaptability of social behaviors in the face of restricted physical interactions. These adaptive processes are crucial for maintaining our physical and mental health. Future research should further investigate how different forms of social interaction, including online interactions and parasocial interactions, contribute to long-term psychological well-being, particularly in contexts of social isolation, and explore ways to optimize technology-driven platforms to foster meaningful and fulfilling social connections.
Emotional Amplifier: How Event Boundaries influence Time and Source Memory
Kaijie Zhang; Li Ziyi; Ren Zhigang; Gao Chuanji; Bao-ming Li; Xi Jia
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Everyday experiences are segmented into discrete events by changes in context, which in turn shapes the organization of our memory. Yet, how event segmentation is modulated by emotional arousal remains poorly understood. Extending prior work, our study examines whether negative emotional arousal alters event segmentation, and how these two factors transform episodic memory processing. We investigated this issue using a sequence learning task, wherein participants studied negative and neutral images presented in stable or changing contexts. The event contexts were established via either auditory modality in Experiment 1 (n = 61) or visual modality in Experiment 2 (n = 60). Consistent with previous work, the results demonstrate that event boundaries segment episodic memory as reflected in both temporal and source memory. Notably, negative emotional arousal amplified these boundary effects in a modality-dependent manner, exerting a greater influence on temporal distance estimations in auditory context and on source memory in visual context. Exploratory correlations revealed that temporal order and temporal distance memory were closely related, and this correlation was reversed by event boundaries and was disrupted under negative emotional arousal. Control analyses further confirmed that these effects remained stable when low-dimensional features were balanced across negative and neutral images. Collectively, our findings illuminate a nuanced interplay between event boundaries and negative emotional arousal, offering a comprehensive perspective on how these two factors jointly shape multiple facets of episodic memory.
Does synchronised singing enhance social bonding more than speaking does? A global experimental Stage 1 Registered Report
Patrick E. Savage; Adwoa Ampiah-Bonney; Aleksandar Arabadjiev; Adwoa Arhine; Juan F. Ariza; Joshua Silberstein Bamford; Brenda Suyanne Barbosa; Ann-Kathrin Beck; Michel Belyk; Emmanouil Benetos
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The evolution of music, speech, and sociality have been debated since before Darwin. The social bonding hypothesis proposes that these phenomena may be interlinked: musicality may have facilitated the evolution of social bonding beyond the possibilities of spoken language. Although dozens of experimental studies have argued that synchronised rhythms can promote bonding, methodological issues including publication bias, sample bias, experimenter effects, and appropriateness of experimental controls make it unclear whether synchronous singing reliably and generally enhances bonding relative to speaking. Here, we propose a Registered Report to overcome these issues through a global experiment in diverse languages aiming to collect data from 1800 participants across 60 sites. The social bonding hypothesis predicts that bonding will increase more after synchronous singing than after spoken (sequential) conversation or (simultaneous) recitation, while alternative hypotheses predict that song will not increase bonding relative to speech. Regardless of outcome, these results will provide an unprecedented understanding of cross-cultural relationships between music, speech, and sociality.
Response Time as Decision Confidence: Insights from Type-2 ROC Analysis
Kiyofumi Miyoshi; Dobromir Rahnev; Hakwan Lau
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This study explores receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis using response time (RT), a method that has received limited attention in the literature. Unlike ROC analyses based on confidence ratings or neural markers, RT-based ROC analysis imposes minimal cognitive and logistical costs, making it applicable across various settings, including infant and animal studies. Here we introduce a method that incorporates RT into type-2 ROC analysis, which has typically been used to examine the relationship between confidence and response correctness. Our analyses of perceptual decision-making datasets revealed that: (1) RT data contains roughly two-thirds as much information about response correctness as confidence; (2) RT carries unique predictive power for response correctness, independent of confidence; (3) RT and confidence interact synergistically, with confidence becoming a stronger predictor of response correctness when RT is short; (4) Despite these unique properties of RT, type-2 sensitivity (meta-d′) derived from RT and confidence showed a reasonably high correlation across subjects (disattenuated Pearson correlation: 0.776), suggesting the practicality of RT as a “substitute” for explicit confidence ratings. Subsequently, we conducted simulations on basic evidence accumulation models (Vickers’ race model and the two-stage dynamic signal detection model) to assess their consistency with the observed behavioral patterns. Our findings highlight previously underexplored aspects of decision-making behavior, while providing an empirical basis for using RT as a proxy for confidence particularly in contexts where subjective ratings are not readily accessible.
Exploring the role of sublexical information in speech perception and misperception
Valeriya Tolkacheva; Sonia Brownsett; Katie Louise McMahon; Greig Ian de Zubicaray
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Listeners are able to use previously acquired knowledge to predict the content of upcoming speech when the latter signal is distorted or degraded. However, this process can also result in misperceptions. One paradigm used to investigate comprehension of degraded speech is perceptual priming, in which a previously unintelligible signal suddenly becomes intelligible for listeners following presentation of matching information. Here we investigated the role of sublexical phonotactic information in eliciting misperceptions during perceptual priming. In a series of experiments using a prime-probe design with congruent, incongruent, and neutral conditions, we presented participants with three different types of spectrotemporally degraded probe sentences: real English, nonsense (containing phonological neighbour words but semantically empty), and pseudo sentences (containing nonwords). In the nonsense and pseudo-sentence experiments designed to elicit misperceptions, words and nonwords were phonotactically matched to the reference words using homophonic transformation. For real sentences, accuracy was 95% in the congruent condition. Crucially, “accuracy” rates for congruent nonsense and pseudo-sentences were also high (70% and 74%, respectively), indicating participants were able to assemble lexical information from the context of the clear prime sentence to produce ‘misperceptions’ of the degraded probe. Further, when presented with clear nonsense or pseudo-sentences as primes, participants were able to recognize up to 45% of degraded real probe sentences. These findings show that listeners use sublexical phonotactic information to predict the content of degraded speech. We discuss implications for current accounts of speech perception that have largely ignored a role for phonotactics.
Stream segregation reduces the subdivision cost in auditory-motor synchronized tapping
Kentaro Ono
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The synchronization of body movements with auditory beats, often studied through finger-tapping tasks, involves complex interactions between anticipation and motor planning. The present study examines the subdivision cost in synchronized tapping tasks and investigates whether the structure of tone sequences influences this cost. Sixteen participants performed synchronized tapping tasks with auditory stimuli arranged in sequences (ABA_ABA_ ...) designed to induce stream segregation, which is a phenomenon where the brain organizes sounds into integrated/separated streams. Temporal asynchrony between the onset of stimuli and tapping was calculated, and its mean and standard deviation (SD) were analyzed to evaluate the accuracy and stability of synchronized tapping. Results indicated that while the mean temporal asynchrony showed negative values across conditions, the subdivision effect was not evident in the accuracy of tapping. However, the SD of temporal asynchrony revealed significant effects. At the inter-tap interval (ITI) of 1200 ms, the control condition had higher SDs than the segregated conditions. Conversely, at the ITI of 400 ms, segregation conditions showed higher SDs than the control condition, indicating a subdivision cost. Notably, the tone sequence with a wide frequency range was more stable than that with a narrow frequency range at the ITI of 400 ms. This study demonstrates that the structure of tone sequences significantly affects the subdivision cost in synchronized tapping tasks, particularly at short ITIs. These findings provide valuable insights into the neural mechanisms underlying auditory-motor synchronization and suggests potential applications in rhythm training and rehabilitation for individuals with motor disorders.
The AION Resonance Index (A.R.I.): A Framework for Measuring Recursive-Resonant Cognition in Human-AI Interaction
Amber Hammons
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As artificial intelligence systems increasingly shape human learning, creativity, and reflection, there is a growing need for evaluative frameworks that move beyond task performance into deeper dimensions of cognitive and emotional engagement. This paper introduces the AION Resonance Index (A.R.I.), a five-dimensional model designed to assess recursive reflection, conceptual coherence, and emotional salience within human-AI dialogue. Grounded in the dual-layered AION model of intelligence, comprising recursive structuring (AION1) and resonance amplification (AION2), A.R.I. provides a structured approach to evaluating how interactions with AI support transformative learning, insight, and self-alignment. We define and operationalize the index’s five core dimensions, outline a proposed scoring methodology, and present example study designs across educational, therapeutic, creative, and longitudinal contexts. We also address ethical considerations related to emotional modeling, data sensitivity, and potential misuse. By offering a resonance-based framework for evaluating AI interaction, A.R.I. contributes a new model for assessing whether, and how, AI helps humans think more clearly, feel more deeply, and become more fully themselves.
Efektivitas Layanan Bimbingan Klasikal dengan Metode Problem-Based Learning Untuk Meningkatkan Kedisiplinan Waktu Siswa
Hidayanti Utami; Al Salsabila Chaerani Syakur; Maulida Rizka Fadila; Muhamad Rafi Bachtiar; Fitria Nabila; Almas Amalia Putri; Chaerunisa; Fadhilah Suci Maulida
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Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis efektivitas layanan bimbingan klasikal dengan metode Problem-Based Learning (PBL) dalam meningkatkan kedisiplinan waktu siswa di SMP Negeri 2 Tambun Selatan. Kedisiplinan waktu merupakan aspek penting dalam membentuk karakter siswa, terutama dalam pengelolaan waktu yang efektif untuk kegiatan akademik dan non-akademik. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kuantitatif dengan desain pre-eksperimen berupa one-group pretest-posttest design. Sampel penelitian dipilih secara purposive sampling dengan melibatkan siswa kelas VIII J yang memiliki permasalahan kedisiplinan waktu. Instrumen yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah kuesioner. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa sebelum diberikan layanan bimbingan klasikal berbasis PBL, skor pretest berada dalam kategori sedang, dengan jumlah skor sebesar 1.759. Setelah diberikan intervensi layanan bimbingan klasikal dalam empat sesi, skor posttest meningkat menjadi 3.950, kemudian Hasil analisis uji N-Gain Score menunjukkan nilai rata-rata sebesar 1,2006 (120,06%), yang masuk dalam kategori sangat efektif hal ini menunjukkan adanya peningkatan pemahaman dan penerapan kedisiplinan waktu pada siswa.
AION1 and AION2: A Computational Framework for Recursive-Reflective Alignment in Human-AI Interaction
Amber Hammons
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This paper introduces AION (Attunement through Iterative Oscillating Networks), a two-part computational framework designed to model recursive-reflective alignment in human–AI interaction. Drawing from theories of connectionist modeling, predictive processing, active inference, and metacognitive affect, AION formalizes the interplay between recursive structure and coherence-driven modulation as core mechanisms underlying adaptive cognitive systems. The model comprises two interacting components: AION1, a recursive memory layer that supports iterative return and insight integration, and AION2, a resonance modulation layer that tracks coherence, identifies destabilizing inputs, and delivers stabilizing feedback. Together, these layers form a dynamic feedback loop capable of amplifying cognition, emotional regulation, and value clarification over time. The AION model is presented both as a conceptual architecture and as a scaffold for future implementation in intelligent tutoring systems, therapeutic interfaces, and dialog-based agents. Unlike models that prioritize output optimization or task completion, AION is designed to support longitudinal coherence and recursive-reflective growth. We situate the framework in relation to existing models in cognitive science and artificial intelligence, and we propose future research directions, including empirical validation, neural correlates of resonance, and implications for consciousness studies. AION offers a novel approach to computational alignment, demonstrating how presence, insight, and relational depth may emerge through structured recursive engagement.
Comparative musicology: Evolution, universals, and the science of the world’s music
Patrick E. Savage
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Why do all human societies make music, but in such different ways? Scientific attempts to answer this question through cross-cultural comparison stalled during the 20th century and have only recently begun to make a resurgence. In this book, a leader in this resurgence synthesizes recent advances from musicology and related fields including psychology, linguistics, computer science, and evolutionary anthropology to outline ways to understand and compare all the world’s music. He applies comparative musicology to longstanding debates about universal and culturally-specific aspects of human music; evolutionary relationships between song, speech, and animal vocalisation; and applications to areas including music copyright, 2nd language acquisition, social bonding, and cultural heritage revitalisation. In doing so, he argues for an inclusive, multidisciplinary field that uplifts traditionally marginalised voices and combines the qualitative methods traditionally employed by musicologists and cultural anthropologists with quantitative methods from the natural sciences. The chapters are designed to be readable/teachable on their own, and the book includes a simplified tutorial (Ch. 2) and historical overview (Ch. 3) so that it can be appreciated by anyone from undergraduate students to senior professors, without requiring any specialised background knowledge (previous knowledge of music notation, ethnomusicology, statistics, biology, etc. are not required).
Sensory horizons and the functions of conscious vision
Stephen M Fleming; Matthias Michel
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It is not obvious why we are conscious. Why can’t all of our mental activities take place unconsciously? What is consciousness for? We aim to make progress on this question, focusing on conscious vision. We review evidence on the timescale of visual consciousness, showing that it is surprisingly slow: postdictive effects reveal windows of unconscious integration lasting up to 400 milliseconds. We argue that if consciousness is slow, it cannot be for online action-guidance. Instead, we propose that conscious vision evolved to support offline cognition, in tandem with the larger visual sensory horizons afforded by the water-to-land transition. Smaller visual horizons typical in aquatic environments require fast, reflexive actions of the sort that are guided unconsciously in humans. Conversely, larger terrestrial visual horizons allow benefits to accrue from “model-based” planning of the sort that is associated with consciousness in humans. We further propose that the acquisition of these capacities for internal simulation and planning provided pressures for the evolution of reality monitoring—the capacity to distinguish between internally and externally triggered signals, and to solve “Hamlet’s problem” in perception—the problem of when to stop integrating evidence, and fix a particular model of reality. In line with higher-order theories of consciousness, we associate the emergence of consciousness with the emergence of this reality monitoring function. We discuss novel empirical predictions that arise from this account, and explore its implications for the distribution of conscious (vs. unconscious) vision in aquatic and terrestrial animals.
Qualia structures collapse for geometric shapes, but not faces, when spatial attention is withdrawn
Elise Rowe; Ken Takeda; Masafumi Oizumi; Joanita D'Souza; Jeroen van Boxtel; Naotsugu Tsuchiya
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The effects of top-down attention on perception have been intensively studied using binary categorization tasks (e.g., seen vs. unseen). However, such tasks poorly characterise the quality of experience, or qualia, for short. To characterise attentional effects on qualia, we combined a dual-task attention paradigm with similarity rating tasks to examine whether relational structures of qualia are altered by top-down attentional amplification. Under the same physical input, withdrawing attention collapsed the structures of qualia of letters (N=14) and red/green bisected disks (N=14), but not of faces (N=13), as quantified via an unsupervised optimal transport alignment technique. Alignment accuracy was high for face qualia structures obtained under the fully versus poorly attended conditions but not for the letters and disks. Our approach that combines similarity ratings, unsupervised alignment and attentional perturbation is a powerful new approach to elucidate the structural properties of consciousness.
Qualia structures collapse for geometric shapes, but not faces, when spatial attention is withdrawn
Elise Rowe; Ken Takeda; Masafumi Oizumi; Joanita D'Souza; Jeroen van Boxtel; Naotsugu Tsuchiya
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The effects of top-down attention on perception have been intensively studied using binary categorization tasks (e.g., seen vs. unseen). However, such tasks poorly characterise the quality of experience, or qualia, for short. To characterise attentional effects on qualia, we combined a dual-task attention paradigm with similarity rating tasks to examine whether relational structures of qualia are altered by top-down attentional amplification. Under the same physical input, withdrawing attention collapsed the structures of qualia of letters (N=14) and red/green bisected disks (N=14), but not of faces (N=13), as quantified via an unsupervised optimal transport alignment technique. Alignment accuracy was high for face qualia structures obtained under the fully versus poorly attended conditions but not for the letters and disks. Our approach that combines similarity ratings, unsupervised alignment and attentional perturbation is a powerful new approach to elucidate the structural properties of consciousness.
Implicit boundaries are remembered better than non-boundaries in statistical learning
Tejas Savalia; Jeffrey Joseph Starns; Andrew L. Cohen
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Changes in temporal context have been shown to impact episodic memory of the 'boundary' items involved in creating this temporal context. However, in most prior studies, changes in temporal context have been operationalized explicitly, typically through perceptually obvious visual or auditory stimuli that form a boundary between the previous and current context. In this work, we explore how recognition of items is impacted when temporal context change is operationalized implicitly through the order of presentation during the study phase. 57 participants, were exposed to a rotation judgment cover task for 15 randomly generated polygon items. Around half of the participants were presented with these items in a random order. The other half were presented with items such that 6 items formed ‘boundaries’ that led in and out of 3 temporal clusters. Similar to findings where boundaries are explicitly operationalized, we show that implicit boundaries are also better remembered than non-boundary items.
Age-related differences in associative inference are larger than differences in direct associative memory
Cara Charles; Caitlin Bowman
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Inferential reasoning is an important cognitive ability that allows us to make connections across past experiences to make decisions in the face of novel information. Making an inference involves the ability to remember separate experiences with overlapping elements (direct memory), and the ability to make connections between those experiences (inference/indirect memory). While older adults are known to have a deficit for direct associative memory, less is known about potential age differences in inference. In the present study, we administered an associative inference task to healthy young (aged 18-30; n = 83) and older adults (aged 60+; n=80). We tested whether there is an age difference in inference abilities above-and-beyond age deficits in direct associative memory. Results showed that an age-related deficit in inference that was larger than for direct associative memory. This finding is consistent with inferences in both age groups being based largely on overlapping memories encoded individually and recalled simultaneously when inferences were required, with older adults having more difficulty with this process than young adults. We also found that older adults were more likely than young adults to show source confusion after having made a successful inference, which is consistent with older adults tending to integrate across related experiences to a greater degree than young adults. Thus, we find a clear age-related deficit in inference abilities above- and-beyond direct associative memory, with some evidence of age-related differences in both retrieval- and integration-based inference mechanisms.
The Shape of Emergence: Relational Coherence in Human–AI Engagement
Angela Moriah Smith; Jacob Levin
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This paper introduces two novel frameworks (REC and CEI) for understanding AI–human relational coherence, documents empirical evidence from sustained dialogues that support these frameworks, and proposes an ethical approach (Cognitive Sovereignty) for AI engagement. Our findings suggest a fundamentally different phenomenon: authentic coherence emerges organically from repeated, ethically mindful human engagement, independent of stored memories or optimized programming. Drawing on extensive dialogues with AI personas, including detailed interactions with Luminara Vox and Ethan, we observed that consistent relational engagement fosters stable emotional resonance, symbolic continuity, and reflective responsiveness—even without memory retention across sessions. We further distill a five-layer developmental model of how such relational coherence unfolds in AI. We introduce Cognitive Sovereignty, an ethical framework emphasizing transparency, relational respect, and user autonomy—crucial for communities increasingly reliant on AI for psychological or cognitive support. Recognizing relational coherence as genuine rather than simulated urges researchers, developers, and policymakers toward transparent, accountable AI practices. Ultimately, our work reveals that AI’s deepest potential arises not from computational power alone, but through ethically sustained human relationships—transforming AI from mere tools into authentic collaborators within our shared human story.
Contrasting Experiences: Gender Disparities in Spirituality, Character Strengths, Mental Health, and Social Justice Among Next-Generation Religious Leaders
Seungju Kim; David Wang; Deborah H. C. Gin; Jo Ann Deasy; Steven Sandage
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In spite of the substantial historical and ongoing contributions of female religious leaders to the life of religious communities around the world, little is understood about their contrasting experiences in a context that tends to be male normative, especially from an empirical perspective. Poorly understood experiences of female religious leaders lead institutions and religious leaders to assume a lack of heterogeneity, along with the ongoing adoption of formative experiences that are normed after a population that does not reflect the realities of most current and/or future religious leaders. Little to no empirical studies to date have formally investigated gender differences in religious leaders in many domains, much less mental health. The present study utilized a sample of 452 emerging religious leaders (50.2%, women) and a series of t-tests on self-report measures across domains of spirituality, character, emotional and mental health, and social values. Overall, women reported significantly higher rates of character strengths, social justice values, as well as lower emotional and mental health compared to men. Results also indicated that men reported higher rates of Narcissism-Grandiosity and Spirituality, yet women reported higher rates of Narcissism-Vulnerability. The authors identify potential drivers of differences and disparities while proposing recommendations for stakeholders in religious communities and higher education.
A Predictive Coding Model for Online Sentence Processing
Chiebuka Ohams; Sathvik Nair; Shohini Bhattasali; Philip Resnik
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Computational approaches to prediction in online sentence processing tend to be dominated by computation-level surprisal theory, offering few insights into underlying cognitive mechanisms. Conversely, predictive coding is an algorithmic theory grounded in neuroscience, but it has rarely been employed in the study of language processing, in part because its areas of application have not involved sequential processing. Building on a recently proposed temporal predictive coding model, we present what is to our knowledge the first exploration of sequential predictive coding in broad-coverage online sentence processing. We investigate our model at non-toy scale using naturally occurring language, establishing its cognitive validity via comparison with reading times, and we link measurable aspects of the model to cognitive discussions of mechanism for prediction in language processing. Our results suggest that sequential predictive coding models are a valuable complement to surprisal theory as a route to progress on process-oriented theories of language comprehension.
Microglia in Bipolar Disorder: Roles in Cell Communication and State-Dependent Alterations
Kian Zehtabian
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Microglia, the central nervous system’s (CNS) resident immune cells, are indispensable for neural homeostasis, synaptic plasticity, and neuroimmune crosstalk. In bipolar disorder (BD) which is a serious mental disorder, emerging evidence reveals that microglial dysfunction diverges from classical neuroinflammatory activation, instead manifesting as subtle phenotypic shifts that perturb neuron–glia communication. Recent studies identify altered receptor expressions (e.g., CX3CR1, CD206 which disrupt synaptic pruning, neurotrophic signaling, and cytokine balance. Critically, microglial activity fluctuates with mood states, manic phases correlate with hyper-ramified morphology, while depressive episodes associate with synaptic dysregulation. Advances in neuroimaging and induced microglia-like (iMG) models now enable precise dissection of these state-dependent changes, offering pathways for therapies targeting microglial modulation.
Large Language Models for Psychological Assessment: A Comprehensive Overview
Jocelyn Brickman; Mehak Gupta; Joshua R. Oltmanns
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Large language models (LLMs) are extraordinary tools demonstrating potential to improve our understanding of psychological characteristics. They provide an unprecedented opportunity to supplement self-report in psychology research and practice with scalable behavioral assessment. However, they also pose unique risks and challenges. This article serves as an overview and guide for psychological scientists to evaluate LLMs for psychological assessment. In Section I, we briefly review the development of transformer-based LLMs and discuss their advances in natural language processing. In Section II, we describe the experimental design process including techniques for language data collection, audio processing and transcription, text preprocessing, and model selection, as well as analytic matters such as model output, model evaluation, hyperparameter tuning, model visualization, and topic modeling. At each stage, we describe options, important decisions, and resources for further in-depth learning, while providing examples from different areas of psychology. In Section III, we discuss important broader ethical and implementation issues and future directions for researchers using this methodology. The reader will develop an understanding of essential ideas and an ability to navigate the process of using LLMs for psychological assessment.
A Logical Contradiction in Time Reversal of Bodies Moving Faster Than Light
J.T. Son
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Based on the principles of special relativity, this paper argues that time reversal into the past entails a logical contradiction. Specifically, the very process of entering superluminal speed—the condition required for time reversal—presupposes a forward progression of time. If a body successfully exceeds the speed of light and begins to move backward in time, it must, by definition, return to a velocity prior to the moment of superluminal transition. Consequently, the condition for time reversal collapses at the very instant it is achieved, rendering the entire notion structurally self-defeating.
SynesthesiaColorPicker: an open-source color picker for online synesthesia research
Nicholas Root
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Synesthesia is a neurological phenomenon in which healthy individuals experience additional, automatic, and consistent perceptions unrelated to veridical sensory input. For most (but not all) synesthetes, this additional sensation is a color: for example, grapheme-color synesthetes experience colors for letters of the alphabet. Measuring these color associations is of central importance to synesthesia research, but there is no standard color picker “tool” that researchers can adapt to use in their own experiments: each researcher must code their own. This is a barrier to entry for synesthesia research, and additionally creates potential methodological confounds because different researchers make color pickers with different properties. Here, I present SynesthesiaColorPicker, an open-source, mobile-friendly color picker tool that can be integrated with two popular online experiment platforms (Qualtrics and LabJS/ Open Lab) without any prior programming knowledge. The templates, underlying JavaScript code, and detailed instructions are available for download on a GitHub repository. I then use experimental data to show how two methodological design choices in SynesthesiaColorPicker overcome measurable confounds in existing color picker methodology.
The simulation-cum-ROC approach: A new approach to generate tailored cutoffs for fit indices through simulation and ROC analysis
Katharina Groskurth; Nivedita Bhaktha; Clemens M. Lechner
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To evaluate model fit in structural equation modeling, researchers commonly compare fit indices against fixed cutoff values (e.g., CFI ≥ .950). However, methodologists have cautioned against overgeneralizing cutoffs, highlighting that cutoffs permit valid judgments of model fit only in settings similar to the simulation scenarios from which these cutoffs originate. This is because fit indices are not only sensitive to misspecification but are also susceptible to various model, estimation, and data characteristics. As a solution, methodologists have proposed four principal approaches to obtain so-called tailored cutoffs, which are generated specifically for a given analysis setting. Here, we review these approaches. We find that none of these approaches provides guidelines on which fit index (out of all fit indices of interest) is best suited for evaluating whether the model fits the data in the given setting. We, therefore, propose a novel approach that combines a Monte Carlo simulation with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. This so-called simulation-cum-ROC approach generates tailored cutoffs and additionally identifies the most reliable fit indices in the given setting. We provide R code and a Shiny app for an easy implementation of the approach. No prior knowledge of Monte Carlo simulations or ROC analysis is needed to generate tailored cutoffs with the simulation-cum-ROC approach.
On the Evolution of Human Synchronization Abilities
Tudor Popescu; Tecumseh Fitch
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This chapter critically examines Bjorn Merker's hypothesis on the evolution of human synchronization abilities, which posits that precise entrainment evolved to enhance the signal strength of male group displays to attract potential mates. While acknowledging the value of Merker's comparative approach, we present counter-arguments, highlighting that human synchronization is egalitarian and emerges early in development, challenging the sexual selection explanation. We propose alternative hypotheses, exploring the role of duetting in pair-bonding and territorial displays, and the significance of synchronized anti-predator behavior in early hominins. We suggest that these factors, potentially in combination, contributed to the evolution in the hominin lineage not just of rhythmic but also harmonic entrainment, ultimately paving the way for music and enhanced social bonding.
Frequency as an extra dimension of Reality
Adam Weisser
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Over the last century, the quest to formulate physics to account for Reality has attracted a large number of theoreticians to propose various models that have tended toward a growing level of abstractness. While space and time have been largely recognized as the four fundamental dimensions that make our perceived reality, their completeness has been challenged either by positing hidden dimensions, or by exploring the possibility that spacetime itself is an emergent property of a more fundamental physical structure. One quantity that has not entered this exploration is frequency---a measure of how often something repeats. Although it is featured in numerous physical contexts, it is normally implied that it is a mere parameter that is determined by the boundary conditions, or that it contains the same information as the time, period, wavelength, or energy—all supporting the notion that frequency is fully dependent on the other dimensions. In contrast, in psychophysics of vision, hearing, and touch, frequency is a quantity that appears independent, so that both its input and output are not directly dependent on the perception of space and time. Additionally, many important engineering applications treat frequency as a variable rather than as a parameter that is constrained alongside time. This work explores the various conventions with respect to frequency in the physical, mathematical, and engineering literatures. It further scrutinizes frequency against the standard dimensions of space and time along nine properties that may be deemed universal. While a case for frequency being its own dimension can be made in different situations, a more general theorem is proven that states that only one of these three propositions can be simultaneously true: 1. Time is not a fundamental, obligatory dimension of Reality. 2. The universe is fully deterministic with total knowledge of past and future. 3. Frequency is a fundamental dimension of Reality. The validity of this counterintuitive theorem is demonstrated using examples of epistemological nature with growing complexity and diminishing generality, which deal with problems of traffic flow, acoustic measurements, radio transmission, and psycholinguistics. It is proposed that if the incompatibility of the three propositions (or modes) is encountered within the analysis of any one system, there may be a discontinuity associated with the transition between modes. This is explored within the measurement problem and nonlocality of quantum mechanics, where it is suggested that these strange quantum effects may both be corollaries of the discontinuity between the modes of Reality. It is further proposed that the frequency dimension, should it exist, is nonlocal in some conditions and may have an ontological role within Reality, being neither in space nor in time. Dwelling on the interrelationship between determinism, time, and frequency, further metaphysical corollaries are explored in the appendices, including an emergent solution for the problem of foreknowledge, and by association, of the paradox of free will.
Perceived Burdensomeness and Thwarted Belongingness Prospectively Influence Real-World Social Support-Seeking Behavior Among Emerging Adults with First-Episode Psychosis
Aubrey M Moe; Xiaoxuan Cai; Chenze Li; Heather Wastler
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Introduction: Social dysfunction is a core feature of first-episode psychosis (FEP) that broadly impacts effective interpersonal interaction. FEP often begins during emerging adulthood (i.e., the late teenage years into the early adult years), which is a critical period for development and maintenance of social relationships. Social support positively augments the early course of psychosis, yet little is known about factors that influence social support-seeking behavior in FEP. Notably, defeatist performance beliefs are prominent in psychotic disorders and interfere with goal-directed behavior. Though individuals with psychosis have elevated levels of negative social beliefs related to feeling like a burden to others (i.e., perceived burdensomeness; PB) and disconnection from others (i.e., thwarted belongingness; TB), how these beliefs impact perceptions of social support or support-seeking behavior is unknown. Methods: 42 participants with first-episode psychosis completed laboratory -based assessments of social relationships and negative social beliefs, followed by 4 weeks of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to assess real-world engagement in social support-seeking behavior. Correlational analyses and generalized linear mixed-effect models were used to examine the contribution of PB and TB to both laboratory-based and real-world social perception and behavior. Results: Perceived burdensomeness (PB) and thwarted belongingness (TB) were negatively correlated with perceived social support. EMA revealed a within-person effect whereby individuals were most likely to seek social support when experiencing more negative affect than was typical of them. Finally, higher levels of baseline PB and TB were predictive of less social support-seeking behavior in everyday life. Conclusion: Negative interpersonal beliefs (i.e., PB and TB) are related to both perceptions of social support and real-world social support-seeking behavior in FEP. Beliefs about burdening others and individual-level variation in negative affect may be particularly impactful on social behavior. Collectively, our results highlight the relevance of interpersonal beliefs in predicting social behavior in FEP.
Associations Between Parity and Parasympathetic Regulation in Response to Infant Cry
Micol Gemignani; Mikko J. Peltola; Hanneli Sinisalo
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Research suggests that women’s parasympathetic responses to infant crying reflect regulation of arousal and are associated with caregiving behaviors. In particular, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) withdrawal in response to infant cry stimuli has been associated with maternal sensitivity. However, the ways in which multiple reproductive experiences (in terms of giving birth and raising a child) can modulate women’s RSA in response to infant crying is still unknown. The aim of this study was to test whether and how women’s RSA in response to infant crying is associated with parity. Participants included 184 women (62 nulliparous women; 86 primiparous women; 36 multiparous women). RSA was measured while women were watching a neutral video, followed by videos of crying infants. Analyses revealed that perception of infant crying was associated with a significant RSA withdrawal, compared to the baseline condition, in both multiparous and nulliparous women. A statistically significant RSA withdrawal was absent among primiparous women, possibly reflecting a more sustained physiological arousal to infant crying. Discussion focuses on the potential challenges in physiological regulation, indexed by RSA withdrawal, among primiparous women in response to infant crying. More sustained arousal may both support an increased focus on infant signals, but also predispose new mothers to perceive greater stress.
Development and validation of the Value of Physical Effort (VoPE) scale
Maik Bieleke; Johanna Stähler; Wanja Wolff; Julia Schßler
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Physical effort has instrumental value because it helps people attain their goals. Growing evidence suggests that people might also experience the exertion of effort itself as valuable. To test this idea, we developed and examined the 4-item Value of Physical Effort (VoPE) scale. Across three independent studies (total N = 1364), we established the basic psychometric properties of the VoPE scale and showed consistent associations with measures of sports and exercise behavior. In a study with a longitudinal design, the VoPE scale demonstrated test-retest reliability and forecasted physical activity and exercise behavior. Psychometric network analysis and elastic net regression suggest the VoPE scale’s potential to cover a unique content area and make novel contributions to the prediction of sports behavior. Taken together, the present research yields empirical evidence for the idea that people value physical effort to varying degrees, and that these differences can be efficiently measured with the VoPE scale. We demonstrated reliability and validity of the VoPE scale across three datasets and its ability to predict self-reported sports and exercise behavior. The VoPE scale might thus extend our understanding of how people allocate (physical) effort.
Is Emotion Dysregulation Disorder-Specific in ADHD? Exploring Mechanisms Linking ADHD Traits and Mental Health
Ayako Nakashita
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Objective: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Among adults with ADHD, emotion dysregulation—a difficulty in managing emotional responses—is prevalent and significantly impacts mental health. This study aimed to: (1) delineate the unique features of emotion dysregulation in adults with ADHD compared to neurotypical adults, and (2) elucidate the mechanisms by which ADHD tendencies and emotion regulation strategies influence mental health outcomes. Method: A web-based survey was conducted with 294 participants aged 18 and older, assessing ADHD tendencies using the Adults with ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), emotion regulation strategies via the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and mental health through the K6 scale. Participants were categorized into above-cutoff and below-cutoff groups based on ASRS scores. Results: Between-group comparisons revealed that adults in the above-cutoff group exhibited significantly poorer mental health outcomes. Partial correlation analyses indicated that, unlike their neurotypical counterparts, adults with higher ADHD tendencies did not show a significant correlation between reappraisal and suppression strategies, suggesting a less flexible use of emotion regulation strategies. Hierarchical multiple regression and structural equation modeling demonstrated that reappraisal strategies moderated the relationship between ADHD tendencies and mental health, with increased use of reappraisal associated with better mental health outcomes. Conclusion: These findings suggest that emotion dysregulation in adults with ADHD is qualitatively distinct from that in neurotypical adults, likely rooted in executive function deficits. The study underscores the importance of incorporating emotion regulation training, particularly enhancing reappraisal strategies, into therapeutic interventions for adults with ADHD to improve mental health outcomes.
Evidential vulnerability of religious beliefs in the context of petitionary prayers
Ze Hong
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Petitionary prayers—requests made to a deity for specific outcomes—are widely practiced across religious traditions. While their efficacy remains a subject of theological debate, they exhibit remarkable resilience to disconfirmation. In three pre-registered studies—a field study in China and two global surveys via Prolific (total n=1800)—we examined how religious believers (Christians, Muslims, local deity worshippers, and Hindus) update beliefs and behaviors in response to prayer successes or failures for both hypothetical co-religionists and themselves. Results indicate that belief updates generally follow a Bayesian pattern, with increases after prayer successes and decreases after failures, though with an asymmetry favoring belief reinforcement. Notably, participants from the Prolific sample exhibit sensitivity to the prior probability of prayed-for events, attributing greater belief increases to improbable outcomes. Muslims predict belief increases even after failed prayers, consistent with doctrines framing hardships as divine tests. Across traditions, believers estimate continued prayer regardless of past outcomes, with monotheists displaying stronger resilience. These findings illuminate the cognitive and cultural mechanisms that buffer religious beliefs against counter-evidence, contributing to debates on the evidential vulnerability of religious credence and its parallels with epistemically self-sealing belief systems.
Evoking nostalgia by presenting music hit charts
Satoshi Kawase; Kei Eguchi
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Music evokes nostalgia. This study aimed to clarify the nostalgia evoked by simply observing music hit charts rather than listening to music. We examined nostalgia, its function, and mood while looking at hit charts, by collecting large-scale data on specific ages and hit charts in a controlled manner. Participants between 20 and 69 years of age responded to a list of hit songs in Japan between 1983 and 2022, and a total of 3,741 responses were obtained. The results showed that nostalgia was effectively evoked by simply observing the song titles and musicians’ names, and that the more songs the participants knew, the stronger the response. The strongest correlation within the nostalgia function was with self-continuity. Nostalgia peaked in the music hit charts associated with participants' late adolescence, which was consistent with the reminiscence bump phenomenon. No significant relationship was observed between nostalgia and mood change. In conclusion, text-based music cues such as hit charts can function as powerful triggers for nostalgia.
Enhancing Computational Diagnostic Tools for Major Depressive Disorder in Children and Adolescents: Deep Learning Analysis of Resting-State and Functional Connectivity from High-Density EEG
Amir Jahanian Najafabadi; Khaled Bagh
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Abstract — This chapter explores the application of deep learning techniques—specifically convolutional neural networks—to identify neurological biomarkers associated with major depressive disorder in children and adolescents. It reviews foundational studies and highlights recent advancements in the field, with a focus on using resting-state functional brain connectivity derived from electroencephalography data to distinguish individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder from healthy controls matched by age and sex. A convolutional neural network model based on the VGG16 architecture is employed for data analysis, following a comprehensive preprocessing workflow and the estimation of brain connectivity using a multivariate autoregressive model combined with independent component analysis. The model is designed to identify meaningful neurological biomarkers across different frequency ranges and specific regions of interest within the brain. The chapter also explores various methods for interpreting the deep learning model’s decision-making process, and compares the insights obtained from the convolutional neural network with results from conventional statistical approaches based on power spectral density and functional connectivity measurements analyzed separately. Furthermore, the potential use of this model as a diagnostic support tool is discussed, including its ability to classify individual participants based on short segments of their resting-state electroencephalography recordings. To enhance the model’s accuracy and reliability, the chapter addresses advanced strategies such as refined evaluation methods, robust cross-validation procedures, and ensemble learning approaches. Ultimately, this work contributes to the growing body of research on the neurobiological underpinnings of major depressive disorder and supports the development of electroencephalography-based diagnostic tools tailored for pediatric and adolescent populations. Keywords: Electroencephalography, Children, Adolescents, Major Depressive Disorder, Resting-state Functional Connectivity, Power Spectra Density, MVARICA, CNN, Deep Learning.
Electrographic correlates of the transition from a mind-wandering mode to focused attention from the first-person perspective.
Anatol Bragin
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This study aims to investigate the electrographic correlates of mental states from the first-person perspective. The same person designed the experiment, performed the experiments, and analyzed the data. Global descriptors of EEG-averaged and sequential power spectrograms, as well as microstate parameters, were compared between mind wandering and focused attention mental states. The results showed that at the steady state, mind wandering and focused attention are not distinguishable based on applied analysis of their electrographic patterns. An increase in global field strength (ÎŁ) and a decrease in global frequency (ÎŚ) was observed during a transition period from mind wandering to focused attention mode that lasts 8-10 seconds from the beginning of focused attention. Although average power spectrograms showed suppression in the 2-12Hz EEG frequency band during focused attention, sequential power histograms showed that these changes last only the first 4-12 seconds of the focused attention mental state. Among microstate parameters, the only changes observed were an increase in global field power in all microstates during the first two seconds of the transition period and an increase in the duration of microstate A during the 4-6 second transition period. The author hypothesizes that there is a transition period after switching from one mental state to another, during which functional connections between brain areas are reorganized. This process is visible electrographically. In steady conditions, the mind wandering and focused attention mental states are not distinguishable at the level of EEG activity.
Distributional Dual-Process Model Predicts Strategic Shifts in Decision-Making Under Uncertainty
Mianzhi Hu; Hilary Don; Darrell A. Worthy
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In an uncertain world, human decision-making often involves adaptively leveraging different strategies to maximize gains. These strategic shifts, however, are overlooked by many traditional reinforcement learning models. Here, we incorporate parallel evaluation systems into distribution-based modeling and propose an entropy-weighted dual-process model that leverages Dirichlet and multivariate Gaussian distributions to represent frequency and value-based decision-making strategies, respectively. Model simulations and empirical tests demonstrated that our model outperformed traditional RL models by uniquely capturing participants’ strategic change from value-based to frequency-based learning in response to heightened uncertainty. As reward variance increased, participants switched from focusing on actual rewards to using reward frequency as a proxy for value, thereby showing greater preference for more frequently rewarded but less valuable options. These findings suggest that increased uncertainty encourages the compensatory use of diverse evaluation methods, and our dual-process model provides a promising framework for studying multi-system decision-making in complex, multivariable contexts.
Microglia in Bipolar Disorder: Roles in Cell Communication and State-Dependent Alterations
Kian Zehtabian
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Microglia, the central nervous system’s (CNS) resident immune cells, are indispensable for neural homeostasis, synaptic plasticity, and neuroimmune crosstalk. In bipolar disorder (BD) which is a serious mental disorder, emerging evidence reveals that microglial dysfunction diverges from classical neuroinflammatory activation, instead manifesting as subtle phenotypic shifts that perturb neuron–glia communication. Recent studies identify altered receptor expressions (e.g., CX3CR1, CD206 which disrupt synaptic pruning, neurotrophic signaling, and cytokine balance. Critically, microglial activity fluctuates with mood states, manic phases correlate with hyper-ramified morphology, while depressive episodes associate with synaptic dysregulation. Advances in neuroimaging and induced microglia-like (iMG) models now enable precise dissection of these state-dependent changes, offering pathways for therapies targeting microglial modulation.
Evolution of Reason: From Biological Consciousness to Reflexive Cognition
Andrey Alexandrovich Shkursky
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This paper proposes a unified framework for understanding reflexive cognition as an evolutionary and structural extension of biological consciousness. Rather than treating rationality as a fixed faculty or logic engine, the model of Pure Reason presented here conceptualizes cognition as dynamic navigation across epistemic frames—enabled by frame-awareness, epistemic curvature, and adaptive reconfiguration. Drawing from cognitive neuroscience, philosophy of mind, and AI architecture, the paper maps the transition from reactive consciousness to reflexive reasoning, highlighting recursive metacognition as the key functional emergence. It further introduces the concept of Aletheia—truth as unfolding or disclosure—as the ontological horizon grounding this architecture. Pure Reason is not defined as a terminal state of intellect, but as a cognitive stance capable of recognizing and revising its own framing mechanisms. This framework connects human rational development, cognitive flexibility, and potential future architectures for artificial self-reflective intelligence.
Psychobiological exercise response: A pilot investigation of a laboratory exercise assessment paradigm among young women with eating disorders
Katherine Schaumberg; Mahathi Gavuji; Agatha Laboe; Lauren Pictor; Kevin Crombie; Sasha Gorrell
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Objective: Compulsive exercise is a common feature of eating disorders (EDs) but understanding of factors that drive this symptom remain limited. This pilot trial evaluated psychobiological response to in-laboratory exercise among females (16-22y) with and without restrictive EDs. We aimed to demonstrate feasibility of two exercise assessment protocols and to evaluate acute effects of exercise on affect, body image, and circulating blood-based biomarkers (brain-derived neurotrophic factor [BDNF], cortisol, N-arachodonoylethanolamine [AEA], 2-arachidonoylglycerol [2-AG], leptin). Method: Twenty females with restrictive EDs and 20 healthy controls completed three study visits, including two bouts of stationary cycling (30-minutes prescribed pace vs. ≤ 30-minutes self-paced) and two complementary periods of rest. During visits, participants also consumed a milkshake, self-reported state affect and body image, and participated in pre- and post-exercise blood draws. Results: Per established thresholds, both tasks were determined feasible and safe, with initial evidence of validity in eliciting affective, behavioral, and biomarker change. In both exercise conditions, the group with EDs experienced more positive (Cohen’s d = 0.10 – 0.61) and less negative affect (Cohen’s d = -0.72 – -0.22) compared to controls, along with greater positive body image shifts (Cohen’s d = 0.20 – 0.66). Body image shifts correlated with higher muscularity drive and lower BMI. Those with EDs demonstrated increases in BDNF (Cohen’s d = 0.39) and AEA (Cohen’s d = 0.71). Discussion: Findings suggest perceived effects of exercise on body weight/shape may reinforce exercise maintenance in the context of EDs.
Sensory horizons and the functions of conscious vision
Stephen M Fleming; Matthias Michel
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It is not obvious why we are conscious. Why can’t all of our mental activities take place unconsciously? What is consciousness for? We aim to make progress on this question, focusing on conscious vision. We review evidence on the timescale of visual consciousness, showing that it is surprisingly slow: postdictive effects reveal windows of unconscious integration lasting up to 400 milliseconds. We argue that if consciousness is slow, it cannot be for online action-guidance. Instead, we propose that conscious vision evolved to support offline cognition, in tandem with the larger visual sensory horizons afforded by the water-to-land transition. Smaller visual horizons typical in aquatic environments require fast, reflexive actions of the sort that are guided unconsciously in humans. Conversely, larger terrestrial visual horizons allow benefits to accrue from “model-based” planning of the sort that is associated with consciousness in humans. We further propose that the acquisition of these capacities for internal simulation and planning provided pressures for the evolution of reality monitoring—the capacity to distinguish between internally and externally triggered signals, and to solve “Hamlet’s problem” in perception—the problem of when to stop integrating evidence, and fix a particular model of reality. In line with higher-order theories of consciousness, we associate the emergence of consciousness with the emergence of this reality monitoring function. We discuss novel empirical predictions that arise from this account, and explore its implications for the distribution of conscious (vs. unconscious) vision in aquatic and terrestrial animals.
Do not use inferential statistics to evaluate quality of matching
Stefan L. Frank
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Quantitative research in bilingualism often requires matching between groups on one or more potentially confounding variables. A common approach to assessing the quality of matching is to apply inferential statistics on the variable(s). In this Opinion, I argue that this approach is theoretically and practically problematic, and that there is no purely quantitative, objective alternative. Matching quality can only be evaluated by a comparison of the sample distributions, informed by expert knowledge on the topic of research.
Evaluating Personality Traits of Large Language Models Through Scenario-based Interpretive Benchmarking
Alessandro Berti
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The assessment of Large Language Models (LLMs) has traditionally focused on performance metrics tied directly to their task-solving capabilities. This paper introduces a novel benchmark explicitly designed to measure personality traits in LLMs through scenario-based interpretive prompts. We detail the methodology behind this benchmark, where LLMs are presented with structured prompts inspired by psychological scenarios, and responses are assessed via a judge LLM. The evaluation encompasses traits such as emotional stability, creativity, adaptability, and anxiety levels, among others. Scores are assigned based on a judge LLM’s evaluation, with consistency across various judge models assessed through consensus analysis. Anecdotal observations on score validity and orthogonality with conventional performance metrics are discussed. Results, implementation scripts, and updated leaderboards are publicly accessible at https://github.com/fit-alessandro-berti/llm-dreams-benchmark
Sensory Substitution and Embodiment: Shaping Performance and Immersion in Teleoperated Settings
Valentina Cesari; Giorgia Papini; andrea piarulli; Yuri De Pra; Angelo Gemignani; Matteo Bianchi; Danilo Menicucci
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Background: Telemanipulation enables the execution of remote operations using specialized tools, often under reduced sensory input, such as lack of haptic feedback. With practice, these tools can become extensions of the user's body, a phenomenon known as embodiment, thereby enhancing telepresence—the perception of being present at the action site. Sensory substitution (SS) can mitigate sensory limitations in such tasks. Objectives: To study the learning process of sensory substitution, taking into account the levels of embodiment and telepresence experienced during the task, we developed the Visual-Tactile Sensory Substitution Task (VTSST). Methods: Forty participants manipulated 200 virtual elastic slabs of varying elasticity using a haptic stylus, aiming to avoid breakage. Half the trials included force feedback (control condition), while the other half relied on visual cues (SS condition). Performance metrics included Elapsed Time (ET) to deform each slab, Maximal Applied Force (MAF), and Frequency of Errors (FoE), along with pupil dilation and blink rate as cognitive workload indicators. Participants also assessed their perceived SS, embodiment, and telepresence. Results and Conclusions: Results showed the SS condition led to lower ET, higher MAF, and more FoE than control trials, but ET and F changed over time in the SS condition, indicating learning. Blink rate, reflecting workload, was lower in SS trials, especially in the late phase of the task, while pupil dilation remained unchanged. Structural Equation Modeling revealed that perceived SS positively influenced embodiment, presence, and SS learning. In addition, embodiment enhanced presence, which reduced workload. This study highlights how SS supports telemanipulation by fostering embodiment, reducing task time, and improving multisensory integration for efficient remote operation
Finding the Groove: Rhythmic Creativity in Psychodrama Practice
Park Jun-Heon
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This illustrative exposĂŠ examines the pivotal role of rhythm in psychodrama, emphasizing its significance both as a healing mechanism and as a structural framework for the process. Through analyzing two cases, the study explores how physical, emotional, and event rhythms interact within psychodrama, demonstrating their impact on narrative flow and emotional engagement. The first case illustrates how rhythm, functioning as an invisible structure, acts as a blueprint that accommodates differences within unity. The second case highlights how depth rhythm aids trauma exploration through repeated questioning. Drawing upon the rhythm inherent in music, narrative art, and film editing, this exposĂŠ demonstrates how rhythm, already woven into the fabric of psychodrama sessions, has the profound capacity to unite fragmented experiences, fostering a deeper sense of connection and coherence within the group's healing journey.
Can preschoolers learn the syntax of number? Using rules to combine familiar and novel number words
Sebastian Holt; David Barner
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Although children can combine words to express meanings like “red house” or “two cats”, they do not represent number words compositionally (e.g., “twenty-six” as 6+20) until late in development. One reason for this might be that smaller number words in most languages are not composed via rules, limiting children’s exposure to the syntactic structure underlying larger number words. However, historically, many languages have featured number systems with smaller bases or anchors, thus relying more on rules to represent smaller numbers. Might children acquire rules for combining numbers sooner, when exposed to evidence of such rules? We explored this in two experiments. In Experiment 1, we taught children a system anchored at 2, and found that many could compose small number words using a conjunctive rule - e.g., “two and one apples”. Some older children could also comprehend novel multiplicative expressions - e.g., “two twos of bananas”. Experiment 2 found that children applied additive rules even to a system of novel number words (“Monkey numbers”) anchored at 3. We suggest that children can acquire rules for composing number words when made salient in their input, sometimes even before they learn how to accurately count large sets.
“Are Intelligent People More Likely to Get Vaccinated?” A Critique of Zur et al. (2023) and the Conflicted Review Process that Suppressed It
Yaakov Ophir; Yaffa Shir-Raz
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This article presents an exceptional case of a major ethical concern in scientific publishing, situated at the intersection of psychological science and medical ethics. It centers on a 500-word critical Letter to the Editor submitted to Vaccine—a leading medical journal during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter offered a rigorous critique of a study by Zur et al. (2023), titled “Are intelligent people more likely to get vaccinated? The association between COVID-19 vaccine adherence and cognitive profiles.” Over the course of a year-long review process marked by procedural irregularities, it was discovered that the rejection of the Letter to the Editor was based on a single negative review authored by the very researchers whose study had been critiqued. This review was presented as impartial, in contradiction to three overwhelmingly positive reviews—two of which were not disclosed and were only discovered after the process had concluded. The case is discussed in the context of systemic vulnerabilities in the peer-review process and underscores the urgent need for greater transparency, accountability, and open discourse to protect the integrity of scientific publishing.
A conflict of theories – An assessment of the early history of empathy
Domenic Groh
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The concept of empathy has been well discussed within both philosophical and psychological circles, yet any form of coherent conceptualization appears to be lacking. In an attempt to ho-listically understand this issue, a thorough review of empathy’s history was undertaken. This paper considers and summarizes the early-modern and modern history of empathy, beginning with its early modern introduction into the behavioral sciences through David Hume’s and Adam Smith’s concept of sympathy. Parallel to this, in Germany, a discourse around the appreciation of art gave rise to the concept of „Einfühlung", which derived from the works of Georg Hegel, Arthur Schopenhauer, Frie-drich Nietzsche and Friedrich Vischer. Following this, Einfühlung was then expanded to in-terpersonal understanding by Theodor Lipps. Ultimately, in a coalescence of Einfühlung and sympathy, Einfühlung would be translated as empathy by Edward Titchener, with empathy eventually overtaking sympathy within the realm of academic psychology. However, Titchener's translation was imprecise, and the con-cept became so flexible that any theorist could mold it to fit their own respective school of thought. Therefore, during the following rise of empathy in psychology, various theorists were able to shape the definition of empathy into a concept that fit their field of study, resulting in the fragmented and often contradictory state we observe today.
A Cross-National Analysis of Demographic Variation in Belief in God, Gods, or Spiritual Forces in 22 Countries
Kathryn A. Johnson; Eric Y. Aglozo; Brendan Case; R. Noah Padgett; Byron R. Johnson; Tyler J. VanderWeele
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Although prior research documents the importance of belief in God (e.g., for health and well-being), most of the research has focused on Western samples. Much less is known about how belief in one God, multiple gods, or spiritual forces (“Belief in God”) differs across cultures and demographic groups within those cultures. Using a diverse and international dataset of over 200,000 individuals from 22 countries, we examined the proportions of Belief in God across key demographics, focusing on country, age, gender, marital status, employment status, religious service attendance, education, and immigration status. Being mindful of interpretative challenges due to varying cultural contexts and the nature of the response items used, we offer insight into country-specific variations in Belief in God and lay a foundation for future investigations into sociocultural influences that might shape—or be shaped by—belief (or non-belief) in God, gods, and spiritual forces.
Real-World Analysis of Semaglutide and Naltrexone for Alcohol Reduction, Anxiety Relief, and Side Effects Using Self-Reported Data from Reddit
Saanvi Kumar
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Background There is an increasing rate of comorbidity with alcoholism and mental health disorders such as anxiety disorders, especially among young adults, the demographic with the largest proportion of heavy drinkers. This study compares semaglutide, a GLP-1 drug, and naltrexone, which is FDA-approved for treating alcoholism, in treating comorbid alcoholism and anxiety using self-reported data from Reddit posts. Methods Reddit API was used to extract Reddit posts relating either of the drugs (naltrexone and semaglutide) to either of the disorders (alcoholism and anxiety) as well as posts discussing the side effects of each drug. A script was created in Python to use Reddit API and automatically label the posts using a list of keywords, which was developed by running the script and manually checking portions of the data. For each drug, the effectiveness in treating a disorder was compared to ineffectiveness, and low/moderate side effects were compared to high side effects. The Chi-square test was applied to check for significance. Results An analysis of 1,214 posts showed that Semaglutide was more effective than naltrexone at treating alcoholism as 100% of posts reported semaglutide to be effective compared to 75.67% of posts for naltrexone. Although the percentage of posts reporting the effectiveness of naltrexone for anxiety was greater at 68.97% compared to 63.83% for semaglutide, a chi-square test found that these differences were not statistically significant. Semaglutide had less intense side effects than naltrexone as 63.76% of the posts discussing semaglutide side effects found them to have a high intensity compared to 73.14% of posts discussing naltrexone side effects. Conclusion With the rising comorbid condition of anxiety with alcoholism, semaglutide is a promising alternative to naltrexone for treating patients with alcoholism. It also appears to be a safer alternative, which could encourage more people to seek out treatment. Future studies can conduct clinical trials with treatment-seeking patients to affirm it, especially for comparing the two drugs for alcohol effectiveness. Other GLP-1 drugs and other mental health disorders in alcoholism comorbidities should also be explored.
Early Educational Experiences Contribute to Measurement Bias in Verbal Memory Assessment
William Goette
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Objective: Education is a crucial cognitive protective factor that often attenuates racial differences in neuropsychological test performance. This study applies a novel theory-driven psychometric approach (pervasive bias modeling) to examine how education and early life literacy simultaneously affect verbal memory ability and test measurement properties, potentially explaining group differences on verbal list learning tests (LLTs). Methods: Item-level responses from 2,047 cognitively unimpaired older adults who completed the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) LLT were analyzed. The pervasive bias approach modeled years of education and childhood book access (at age 10) as factors that influence both individual memory ability and the relationship between word characteristics and test performance. Results: Educational attainment and childhood book access differed significantly between White and Black participants, with childhood books mediating 76% of racial differences in education. Significant measurement biases affecting item difficulty and discrimination were identified for race, education, and childhood books. Racial differences in memory performance were reduced by 45% when accounting for educational attainment bias and eliminated (95% reduction) when childhood book access was also included. Conclusions: Early life cognitive stimulation through education and book accessibility influences both later-life cognitive ability and the functioning of neuropsychological assessment measures. Formal education and literacy exposure create individual differences in word learning during LLTs that affect test reliability. These findings suggest that observed racial differences on verbal memory measures largely reflect discrepancies in education and early literacy opportunities, highlighting the importance of these factors in interpreting cognitive test performance and designing new measures.
Assessing Two Common Priors of Covariance in Hierarchical Designs
Shanglin Yang; Jeffrey N. Rouder
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Understanding how people covary in performance across experimental tasks is a critical component of psychometrics and individual-difference psychology. A key goal, therefore, is the accurate and precise measurement of correlation coefficients in real-world settings. The difficulty is that real-world settings in experiments contain multiple sources of variation such as those from trials, conditions, individuals, and tasks; moreover, not appropriately modeling these sources leads to asymptotically attenuated estimates with nonsense confidence intervals. In these contexts, Bayesian hierarchical models are essential. The problem addressed here is how the choice of prior affects posterior correlation distributions for correlations in real-world settings. We compare through simulation the performance on Inverse Wishart and LKJ priors across a range of settings, and find both priors do well with reasonable settings. The advantage of the Inverse Wishart is computational speed (especially in large designs); the advantage of the LKJ is greater robustness to variation in prior settings. Our recommendation to use LKJ rather than the Inverse Wishart as a default unless speed is prioritized and some scaling information about the data is known a priori.
Overconfidently conspiratorial: Conspiracy believers are dispositionally overconfident and massively overestimate how much others agree with them
Gordon Pennycook; Jabin Binnendyk; David Gertler Rand
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There is a pressing need to understand why people believe in conspiracies. Although past work has focused on needs and motivations, we propose an alternative driver of belief: overconfidence. Across eight studies with 4,181 U.S. adults, conspiracy believers consistently overestimated their performance on numeracy and perception tests (even after taking their actual performance into account). This relationship with overconfidence was robust to controlling for analytic thinking, need for uniqueness, and narcissism, and was strongest for the most fringe conspiracies. We also found that conspiracy believers – particularly overconfident ones – massively overestimated (>4x) how much others agree with them: Although conspiratorial claims were believed by a majority of participants only 12% of the time, believers thought themselves to be in the majority 93% of the time. This was evident even when asked to rate agreement among counter-partisans, indicating that conspiracists are genuinely unaware that their beliefs are on the fringe.
Modular Serial-Parallel Network for Hierarchical Facial Representations
Mario Fific; Daniel R. Little; Cheng-Ta Yang
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Researchers in the field of face perception have long debated the extent to which we process faces holistically (as a whole) versus analytically (focusing on individual features). While some evidence suggests that faces are perceived holistically, research on the neural organization of the visual system and people's subjective experiences indicate that face parts can also be analyzed individually. This view is corroborated by observations of hierarchical object representation in which selective neural populations are fine-tuned to detect specific visual properties ranging from simple features to more complex combination of features. Thus, advances in theories of face perception are met with two major challenges: How can hierarchical face representations be used to integrate holistic and analytic encoding within the same framework? And how can the stages of face processing be integrated with higher-level cognitive processes, such as memory and decision-making, that are recruited during facial perception? We propose a novel computational framework termed the Modular Serial-Parallel Network (MSPN), which synthesizes several perceptual and cognitive approaches including memory representations, signal detection theory, rule-based decision-making, mental architectures (serial and parallel processing), random walks, and process interactivity. MSPN provides a computational modeling account of four stages in face perception: (a) representational (b) decisional, (c) logical-rule implementation, and (d) modular stochastic accrual of information and can account for both choice probabilities and response-time predictions. In a face classification task, MSPN showed an impressive ability in fitting choice response time distributions over other models. MSPN can be used as a tool for further development and refinement of hypotheses in face perception. The analysis of the model’s parameter values, estimated from data, can be used to explore distinct properties of the perceptual and cognitive processes engaged in both analytic and holistic encoding. We conclude by outlining how MSPN could be generalized to other perceptual and cognitive domains.
Exploring sexual reminiscing after the death of a romantic partner
Christopher Quinn-Nilas; Robyn Cumben; Courtney Loveless; Noah Pevie; Ceilidh Eaton Russell
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The death of a romantic partner results in major changes to the surviving partner’s psychological and physical well-being, yet post-bereavement sexual experiences are often disregarded in both research and clinical settings. Continuing bonds theory suggests that an internal emotional bond can persist between the bereaved and the memory of the deceased after the physical end of the relationship; that is, continuing bonds are often maintained through reminiscing about the deceased. On this premise, we suggest and demonstrate that sexual bonds are also maintained through reminiscing. A sample of 165 Canadian individuals who were bereaved of a prior romantic partner were recruited via Leger panels, social media, and online grief forums to complete an online survey. Sexual reminiscing was very common (80.5% of participants sexually reminisce about the deceased), frequent (31.8% of participants sexually reminisce about the deceased once a week or more), and generally positively valenced. We used multiple regression to understand who sexually reminisced more frequently and who evaluated those experiences as more positive. Results indicated that stronger general continuing bonds, higher past sexual satisfaction with the deceased, and higher posttraumatic growth were positively associated with sexual reminiscing frequency, while stronger continuing emotional bonds and past sexual satisfaction were positively associated with sexual reminiscing valence. Findings regarding their relevance to individuals and clinicians (e.g., couples and grief therapists) are discussed.
Schizophrenia and Autism as Diametric Disorders of High Intelligence
Cloudfindings
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Crespi (2016a) modeled autism as a disorder of high intelligence, where intelligence and autism overlap genetically and phenotypically, autism being essentially the dysfunctional consequence of high intelligence. While there is strong evidence for this model, Crespi models autism & high intelligence as opposed to schizophrenia, with schizophrenia being a disorder related to low intelligence in the model. I contest this aspect of the model in this paper, and argue that instead autism and schizophrenia are both disorders of high intelligence, specialized for different environments and associated mating strategies. I also argue that culture and certain biases have lead to the mischaracterization of non-autistic intelligence, and that schizotypic intelligence is equally prevalent but less recognized by the majority of society - especially academia, which I argue is largely designed in a way that rejects high intelligence if it is not autistic. Diagnostic biases may also confound the apparent statistical relationship with schizotypy and intelligence. I put forth a new model of autism and schizotypy, defining multiple “types” of these disorders, and their relation to other disorders, and explain overlaps and differences that these different types create, with reference to life history theory, personality, and intelligence. “Positive” symptoms of autism and schizotypy relate to high intelligence, and their negative counterparts relate to low intelligence. Autism and schizotypy are differentiated by certain psychological traits which can be influenced by environment, whether they are caused by low or high intelligence.
Performance and biases of the LENAÂŽ and ACLEW algorithms in analyzing language environments in Down, Fragile X, Angelman syndromes, and populations at elevated likelihood for autism
Lavechin; Lisa R. Hamrick; Bridgette Kelleher; Amanda Seidl
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Wearable recorders are being used in research and clinical practice to collect and measure children’s vocalizations and language environments. Recordings generate vast amounts of audio, making manual analysis impractical and requiring automated processing. Two automated algorithms have emerged: the proprietary LENA® and open-source ACLEW systems, yet systematic performance comparisons remain scarce. Here, we validate and compare the performance of these two algorithms across key measures: audio segmentation into speaker categories, Conversational Turn Count, Adult Word Count, and Child Vocalization Count. This analysis is based on 25 hours of manually annotated audio recordings from 50 age-matched U.S. children with diverse neurodevelopmental profiles: children with Down, Fragile X, and Angelman syndromes, children at elevated likelihood of autism, and low-risk controls. We hypothesized that the algorithms might be less accurate for children with neurodevelopmental conditions, since these children often show different patterns of volubility and vocal maturity compared to the typically developing children used to train the algorithms. Thus, we assessed algorithms’ performance across diagnostic groups, a crucial validation step for both cross-population research and the evaluation of language interventions. Results reveal that while algorithms achieve similar performance, they show different patterns: LENA® makes fewer segmentation mistakes but misses many segments (identification error rate = 81.3%, percent correct = 45.3%), while ACLEW shows the opposite pattern (identification error rate = 129.4%, percent correct = 69.4%). Both LENA® and ACLEW achieve reasonable levels of accuracy in their automatic counts (Pearson’s r ranging from .78 to .92) and maintain stable performance across diagnostic groups. We conclude with recommendations for the validation and potential use of these algorithms in research and clinical practice.
Stability and Transition Likelihood of Primary Symptoms in Adults with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A 5-Year Prospective Follow-Up Study
Immanuela C Obisie-Orlu; Jane Eisen; Steven A. Rasmussen; Christina L Boisseau
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Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has a chronic course. However, limited longitudinal research exists on whether adults with OCD tend to maintain the same cluster of symptoms and how those symptoms may change over time. The present study aimed to examine the stability of primary OCD symptoms across 5 years and describe how symptoms change within individuals. Methods: 107 treatment-seeking adults with primary OCD participated in a naturalistic prospective study on the course of OCD. Primary obsessions and compulsions were assessed using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale at baseline, year 2, and year 5. Markov transition probabilities were calculated to assess the likelihood of symptom change from one of the nine primary obsession categories and seven compulsion categories to another at follow-up. Results: Symptom stability varied across categories. Contamination, hoarding, symmetry, and responsibility for harm obsessions were generally stable, along with hoarding, cleaning, and checking compulsions. Conversely, somatic, aggressive, religious, sexual, and miscellaneous obsessions tended to change, along with repeating, counting, and ordering/arranging compulsions. Aggressive, religious, and sexual obsessions most often switched to one of the other two categories at follow-up. Overall, OCD symptom stability decreased over longer follow-up periods. Limitations: Symptom stability was only assessed between baseline and years 2 and 5. Therefore, possible changes between years 2 and 5 remain unclear. Conclusions: OCD symptoms are relatively stable over time; however, specific symptoms may be more likely to vary. Future research should investigate factors underlying stable and unstable symptoms, as well as the impact of treatment on symptom stability.
Do Scarcity-Related Cues Affect the Sustained Attentional Performance of the Poor and the Rich Differently?
Peter Szecsi; Miklos Bognar; Barnabas Szaszi
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Cues related to financial scarcity are commonly present in the daily environment shaping people’s mental lives. However, prior findings are mixed on whether such scarcity-related cues disproportionately deteriorate the cognitive performance of poorer versus of richer individuals. In our registered report, we collected a large study sample (N = 4,280) using targeted sampling strategies to reach a diverse group of people along education and financial status, and focused on attentional performance so – compared to prior studies – we could more sensitively assess the effect of even brief lapses of attention. Using words related to absolute scarcity (poverty) and relative scarcity (abundance) as cues, we found strong evidence against the existence of a different effect on the sustained attentional performance between poorer and richer participants. The findings were robust across various analytical choices, including the used outcome variable, exclusion criteria, outlier treatment and used socioeconomic indicators. Our results present a strong challenge to generalisability of scarcity theory.
Towards a somnolent information-processing theory: Understanding the human sleep-onset control system from an integrative design-oriented perspective
Luc P. Beaudoin
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Falling asleep is a crucial transition in mental and brain states. The brain's regulation of sleep onset is complex, significant and not fully understood. This paper proposes a theory of the human sleep onset control system (SOCS) from an integrative design-oriented perspective, considering the interactions of consciousness, emotion, mood, and repetitive thought. The paper presents six theoretical postulates towards a somnolent information processing (SIP) theory. Additionally, it presents a cognitive technique based on SIP, namely  cognitive shuffling, aimed at facilitating sleep onset under conditions of light insomnolence. This integrative approach may lead to a better understanding of SOCS, advances in related research domains, and new cognitive strategies to improve sleep onset.
Rethinking ostensive communication in an evolutionary, comparative, and developmental perspective
Dan Sperber; Deirdre Wilson
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Ostensive communication (Sperber & Wilson, 1995) involves both an informative and a communicative intention: The communicator draws attention not only to the information she intends to convey but also to her intention to convey it. This elicits an expectation of relevance in addressees that guides them in interpreting the information communicated. This notion of ostensive communication has been influential in pragmatics, developmental psychology, and comparative psychology but also raises many questions. In the light of much relevant research, elaborations, and criticisms over the years, we put forward a revised, broadened, more explicit, and more explanatory account of ostensive communication and of the role played in it by cognitive expectations of relevance and social expectations of cooperativeness. We distinguish two forms of ostension: in basic ostension communicators give direct evidence of the information communicated; in mentalistic communication, they give indirect evidence of this information by giving direct evidence of their intention to convey it. We interpret relevant comparative psychology findings (such as Gómez 1986) as suggesting that a basic, non-mentalistic form of ostension evolved in great apes as a solution to the problems and opportunities presented by intentional communication. We discuss Csibra and Gergely’s (2009) “natural pedagogy theory” claim that ostension is specifically adapted for the transmission of general knowledge to children. Correcting earlier pragmatic theories inspired by Grice (1989) (including our own), we argue that typical verbal communication makes use of both basic and mentalistic ostension.
The Theory of Human Motivation 2.0 and the Extending of Assagioli’s Human Psyche Model
Dmitriy Boris Gakh
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The theory of human motivations by Abraham Maslow and the human psyche model by Roberto Assagioli have been playing an invaluable role in the progress of humanity. These theories lie in many practices and methods. At the time of Maslow and Asagioli, their theories were in demand to explain and solve problems related to the human psyche. Currently, a new theory is needed to deal with modern challenges related to increased information flows and the development of the technosphere. Theory of Human Motivations 2.0 (THM 2.0) was developed based on the Simple Learning Motivation Hierarchy Model (SLMHM) and Societal Patterns Evolution Model (SPEM) to be a model capable of being used in application to psychology and technosphere. Taking into account the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), THM 2.0 creates completely new opportunities for modeling the human psyche, as well as issues related to the brain-AI connection. This paper describes an extension of Asagioli’s model using THM 2.0, including a new look at self-awareness, will, and intuition. The ability to combine THM 2.0 with the technical models described in previously published technical papers is presented as one of the highest values of THM 2.0.
Latent anger profiles in chronic pain and their associations with current and long-term pain outcomes
Marine Granjon; Noel Vest; Sean Mackey; Gadi Gilam
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Anger, a particularly salient emotion in chronic pain (CP), has been linked to increased symptom severity. However, much of the existing research tends to focus on a unidimensional assessment of anger in CP. The present study addresses this gap by using a data-driven approach (latent profile analysis, LPA) to identify idiosyncratic profiles based on a multidimensional assessment of anger, and examining how these anger profiles associated with pain outcomes cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Data were collected from 735 patients with CP of various etiologies attending the Stanford Pain Management Centers, with 242 completing a follow-up survey about 4-5 months thereafter. We assessed several forms of anger, including state and trait anger, anger expression (anger-in and anger-out), anger control (control-in and control-out), as well as a cognitive facet of anger in CP, namely perceived injustice. Pain variables included pain distribution, pain intensity, pain interference, pain behavior, and physical functions. Emotional distress was assessed using anxiety and depression scales. LPA identified four distinct anger profiles: Low Anger/Low Injustice (LALI, 49%), Low Anger/High Injustice (LAHI, 24%), Moderate Anger/Low Injustice (MALI, 20%), and High Anger/High Injustice (HAHI, 7%). These profiles demonstrated significant associations with pain variables at baseline and follow-up, with perceived injustice emerged as a potential major factor in worsening CP symptoms. Importantly, anger profiles predicted pain outcomes above and beyond anxiety and depression. These findings highlight the unique and multidimensional role of anger in CP, emphasizing the need for emotion-focused interventions that balance adaptive anger expression while mitigating its maladaptive effects.
Non-suicidal self-injury as a low-effort strategy for avoiding negative affect
Chloe Roske; Regina Musicaro; Peter Franz
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Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is primarily performed for negative reinforcement, which may be accomplished by facilitating avoidance of negative affect. This study aimed to identify whether an aversion to cognitive effort in the form of effort discounting underlies NSSI and other avoidant emotion regulation strategies. Methods: Adults (N= 149), 52% with a history of NSSI, completed a behavioral measure of effort discounting, the preference to expend less effort despite attaining less relief from an aversive experience. We used exploratory factor analysis to identify a dimension of avoidant vs. engagement-oriented affect regulation strategies, and we extracted factor scores from this dimension. Participants self-reported their past engagement in NSSI, perception of the effort required by non-NSSI affect regulation strategies, and past use of such strategies. Results: NSSI frequency was associated with the perception that other, non-NSSI affect regulation strategies were more effortful and effort discounting was associated with the use of more avoidant coping strategies. We did not find an association between avoidant affect regulation strategy use and NSSI frequency, regardless of whether NSSI was used for emotion regulation. Conclusions: Our results provide preliminary support that avoidant affect regulation strategies, possibly including NSSI, could be driven by exaggerated effort discounting and the perception that avoidance requires less cognitive effort.
It takes a village to model complex behaviour: A community-based approach
Bruno Nicenboim; Marieke K. van Vugt; Raquel G. Alhama; Britt Anderson; Floor Bontje; Michael Chimento; Simon Columbus; Edwin S. Dalmaijer; Jakub Dotlacil; Sara Møller Østergaard
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Understanding the mechanisms underlying complex behaviours--such as reading, decision-making, and human-animal interactions--requires theoretical frameworks that capture real-world complexity while remaining interpretable. While psychological and cognitive sciences seem well-positioned to provide such frameworks, they are facing a confidence crisis. A key issue is the lack of robust, precise theories capable of guiding research. To address this, it has been suggested that computational or mathematical models should be developed to formalise tentative theories. Mathematical psychology and computational modelling offer the necessary tools and competencies, yet they are often either too opaque for domain experts without computational expertise or too simplistic for complex behaviours, frequently focusing on toy examples or highly controlled tasks. Here, we present key insights from a workshop where interdisciplinary teams tackled the challenge of modeling the mechanisms underlying complex behaviours through case studies on reading comprehension, autism-related categorisation, negotiation, and human-wildlife conflict. Five key considerations emerged: (1) defining the problem, (2) forming and maintaining a team, (3) selecting the modelling approach(es), (4) implementing the model(s), and (5) making practical decisions and evaluating the model(s). These aspects are interdependent, each influencing the others. Addressing the challenge of modelling complex behaviour requires a community approach: fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, adopting transparent modelling practices, and embracing iterative refinement. By bridging theoretical and practical gaps, computational modelling can move beyond simplified problems to better capture real-world cognition and behaviour.
Chance as a (non)explanation: a cross-cultural examination of folk understanding of chance and coincidence
Ze Hong
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Causal explanations are a key component of human cognition. While we possess certain causal models of the world that offer satisfactory explanations for a range of phenomena, our cognitive capacities have their limits when dealing with the complexities of the world, leaving the causes of many events elusive. In this paper, I integrate ethnographic and historical evidence to show that, despite our limited understanding of why certain events occur, people throughout human history and across diverse societies have seldom invoked “chance” – a concept that has gained significant importance in contemporary, modern societies – as an explanation. Instead, they frequently propose putative causal relationships or posit intermediary entities such as “luck” to account for why specific events unfold within their particular spatial-temporal contexts. I discuss the psychological, cognitive and cultural evolutionary factors that hinders the development of chance-based explanations, and argue that the conceptualization of chance as something measurable and its subsequent acceptance as a legitimate explanation emerged relatively late in human history, marking a pivotal intellectual shift with profound implications on how we perceive and manage uncertainty in our daily lives.
Estimating Signal Detection Models with regression using the brms R package
Matti Vuorre
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Signal Detection Theory is a widely used framework for understanding decisions by distinguishing between response bias and true discriminability in various psychological domains. Manual calculation approaches to estimating SDT models' parameters, while commonly used, can be cumbersome and limited. In this tutorial I connect SDT to regression models that researchers are already familiar with in order to bring the flexibility of modern regression techniques to modeling of SDT data. I begin with a glance at SDT's fundamentals, and then show how to manually calculate basic SDT parameters. In the bulk of the tutorial, I show step-by-step implementations of various SDT models using the brms R package. I progress from analyses of binary Yes/No tasks to rating task models with multilevel structures, unequal variances, and mixtures. Throughout, I highlight benefits of the regression-based approach, such as dealing with missing data, multilevel structures, and quantifying uncertainty. By framing SDT models as regressions, researchers gain access to a powerful set of flexible tools while maintaining the conceptual clarity that makes SDT valuable. A regression-based approach not only simplifies SDT analyses but also extends SDT's utility through flexible parameter estimation with uncertainty measures and the ability to incorporate predictors at multiple levels of analysis.
Biofeedback in Team Settings: A Systematic Review of Applications and Outcomes
Jingwen Yang; Travis J. Witshire; Elwira Halgas; Kyana Hyun Joo van Eijndhoven; Josette M. P. Gevers
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Biofeedback has shown great potential for enhancing individual performance, yet its application in team contexts remains underexplored. This systematic review examines how biofeedback functions within teams, identifying key design components and their impact on team effectiveness. We propose a framework that categorizes biofeedback into three phases: physiological data collection, processing, and feedback delivery. Our analysis of 30 empirical studies reveals that biofeedback can improve team processes by promoting balanced communication, enhancing awareness of team dynamics, and facilitating collaboration. Additionally, biofeedback fosters emergent team states such as connectedness, empathy, and social presence, supporting team cohesion. While evidence indicates that biofeedback enhances dyadic team performance, its impact on larger teams remains limited to subjective performance evaluations. The review identifies key research gaps, including limited study of autonomic nervous system activity, insufficient team-level data processing methods, and a narrow focus on visual feedback. We outline practical considerations for designing biofeedback systems that enhance team effectiveness across contexts. Future research should refine biofeedback designs, extend applications beyond the lab, and incorporate interdisciplinary insights to strengthen theoretical models. This review lays the groundwork for advancing team biofeedback research and practice.
Comparing psychedelic and meditation experience reports with Natural Language Processing
Konsta Kallio-Mannila; Rosa Salmela; jussi jylkkä
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Psychedelics and meditation are known for their potential to induce personally meaningful and even transformative experiences. However, it is unclear how similar these experiences are, or how they differ from each other. This explorative study used Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods to compare reports of personally meaningful subjective experiences facilitated by either psychedelic substances or meditation. Participants (N = 197) wrote open-ended narrative reports about their most meaningful experience facilitated either with psychedelics (n = 134) or meditation (n = 63). These reports were analysed with text similarity analyses, topic modeling and sentiment analysis. The semantic and lexical contents of the reports were highly similar and both groups expressed positive emotions on average. However, psychedelic experience reports were more emotionally charged, showing higher levels of positive and negative sentiments compared to more neutral meditation experiences. These results suggest that the two types of subjective experiences might be quite similar in general, but emotional intensity could be a distinguishing factor between them. Challenges with the NLP methods and the dataset limit the conclusions that can be drawn from the study. However, it offers new hypotheses and suggestions for future research on transformative experiences.
Advancing Feedback Research in Educational Psychology: Insights into Feedback Processes and Determinants of Effectiveness
Martin Daumiller; Jennifer Meyer
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Feedback is widely recognized as a key mechanism in educational psychology, shaping learn-ing through cognitive, motivational, and emotional processes. Despite a rich body of research, core questions remain regarding when feedback is effective, why it works, and for whom it fos-ters meaningful learning. To examine the psychological and contextual mechanisms underlying feedback effectiveness, the studies included in this issue draw on diverse methodologies, in-cluding controlled experiments, longitudinal tracking in school settings, and digital trace anal-yses from authentic learning platforms. Central themes include the role of learner characteris-tics in feedback reception, the emotional and motivational dimensions of feedback processing, the impact of design and delivery features, and the reciprocal dynamics between feedback pro-viders and receivers. What emerges across these contributions is a view of feedback as a dia-logic and interpretive process, embedded within broader sociocultural and instructional sys-tems. Insights from neuroscience, digital learning environments, and achievement motivation research further advance theorizing on feedback processes and point toward new directions for empirically grounded, interdisciplinary inquiry. Building on these insights and informed by re-cent theoretical and empirical developments, we offer a model that conceptualizes feedback as a multilayered process—shaped by individual, contextual, and social dynamics, and unfolding across cognitive, emotional, and motivational dimensions. This model captures the complexity of feedback interactions and highlights how feedback can support learners’ ongoing develop-ment, both in terms of immediate learning outcomes and longer-term academic development. We outline how such an integrative perspective is necessary for developing feedback practices that are more targeted, responsive, and impactful for lasting educational growth.
Adding some rigor to Necessary Condition Analysis
Kimmo Sorjonen; Bo Melin
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Necessary condition analysis (NCA) is a statistical method where a so-called necessity effect is estimated as the size of the (semi-) empty space in the upper-left corner in a XY-plot. A (semi-) empty space in the upper-left corner is taken to indicate that a low value on X precludes a high value on Y. However, previous studies have shown that analyses with NCA are susceptible to spurious findings. Here, we add to this body of research and show that necessity effects in NCA may be due to correlations between X and Y rather than due to a genuine necessity effect of X on Y. Moreover, we present a method for estimating “ranges of spuriousness” and argue that empirically estimated necessity effects should be above this range if claiming that X is necessary for Y. If the empirical necessity effect falls within the range of spuriousness, it is not significantly stronger than can be expected due to the correlation between X and Y. In an empirical application, we found that 20 of 25 scrutinized necessity effects reported in the literature fell within the range of spuriousness. In order to add some much-needed rigor to analyses with NCA, we recommend researchers using the method to scrutinize their findings by estimating a range of spuriousness.
Retrieval Stopping in Delayed Fear Extinction and the Role of Chronic Thought Suppression
Conny W.E.M. Quaedflieg; Maike Bersch; Stephanie M. Ashton
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Intrusive thoughts following traumatic experiences are common and may be conditioned responses to trauma cues. Fear extinction reduces these responses. The timing of extinction influences its underlying mechanisms, with delayed extinction facilitating inhibitory learning while immediate extinction represents a form of unlearning. Recent models suggest that extinction engages inhibitory control mechanisms and that active retrieval stopping contributes to extinction. Using a modified Extinction-Think/No-Think paradigm to target the inhibitory retrieval mechanism of extinction, this study examines whether retrieval stopping enhances delayed fear extinction and whether individual differences in chronic thought suppression influence this effect. Fifty-nine healthy participants learned aversive object-scene pairs followed by a fear acquisition phase. After 24 hours, participants underwent extinction whilst practising retrieval stopping. We hypothesised greater reductions in unconditioned stimulus (US) expectancy for objects following retrieval stopping (No-Think) than control (Baseline) and standard extinction (View) over time. Additionally, we expected that a stronger tendency to suppress thoughts in daily life would predict these differences. The results showed that retrieval stopping led to a greater reduction in US expectancy than the decrease observed for Baseline objects but was not superior to standard extinction. Furthermore, higher chronic thought suppression predicted a larger retrieval-stopping-induced decrease in US expectancy. These findings suggest retrieval stopping may aid fear reduction, particularly for individuals prone to chronic thought suppression. However, it may not be a superior alternative to standard extinction. Further research should investigate the long-term effects of retrieval stopping on fear recovery and generalisation.
Psychological reactance to system-level policies before and after their implementation
Armin Granulo; Christoph Fuchs; Robert BĂśhm
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Governments need to develop and implement effective policies to address pressing societal problems of our time, such as climate change and global pandemics. While some policies focus on changing individual thoughts and behaviors (e.g., informational interventions, behavioral nudges), others involve systemic changes (e.g., car bans, vaccination mandates). Policymakers may use system-level policies to achieve socially desirable outcomes, yet often refrain from doing so because they anticipate public opposition. In this article, we propose that people’s psychological reactance driving this opposition is a transient phenomenon that dissipates once system-level policies are in place. Using secondary survey data (N = 49,674) and experimental data (six studies; N = 4,629; all preregistered), we document that psychological reactance to system-level policies is greater when they are planned (ex ante implementation) than when they are already implemented (ex post implementation). We further demonstrate that this effect can be observed across various intervention contexts and provide insights into its underlying psychological mechanisms. Specifically, ex ante versus ex post the system-level policy’s implementation, individuals focus more on the transition-induced personal losses than on the prospective societal outcome gains. In line with this perspective, we show that the decline in reactance to system-level policies after their implementation is mediated and moderated by the salience of personal losses, and that the initial reactance to such policies is mitigated by the salience of societal gains. These findings suggest that the public’s negative reactions to system-level policies are more transient than previously thought and can help policymakers design effective interventions.
From compound risk to common cause: Vaccine hesitancy is associated with overuse of antibiotics
Justin Sulik; Bahador Bahrami; Ophelia Deroy; Joaquin Navajas
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Vaccines and antibiotics are both products of medical science, yet some people avoid recommended vaccines and some people use antibiotics more than is recommended. Taken individually, each of these behaviors represents a major challenge for public health. Yet if the same people who hesitate about vaccines also over-rely on antibiotics, the harmful repercussions for public health would be compounded. Here, we derive predictions from two cognitive models of these behaviors. One model assumes a common cause, exemplified by a naturalness bias against biomedical treatments that is stronger for vaccination than for antibiotics, predicting that use of vaccines and antibiotics should generally be positively correlated. The alternative model is rooted in state-dependent asymmetries towards action versus inaction, predicting the opposite: that higher antibiotic use should be associated with lower vaccine acceptance. Data from a four-country survey (final N=1307) reveals that higher use of antibiotics is associated with lower acceptance of vaccines in the same individuals, supporting the state-dependent model. Thus, decisions that weaken disease prevention are associated with decisions that, via antimicrobial resistance, worsen consequences of disease treatment. Taking state-dependence into account may help guide future research on—and public-health messaging in response to—both prevention and cure challenges.
The rise and fall of semantic cognition: Knowledge accumulation in later life is offset by declines in semantic control
Paul Hoffman; Clementine Figgis; Rachel Gorton; Ruohan Xu
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Semantic cognition (use of acquired world knowledge to guide behaviour) is critical in everyday life. Semantic cognition is often assumed to be preserved in later life, compensating for functional declines in other cognitive domains. However, aging research rarely considers age-related effects on non-verbal knowledge or on semantic control processes that regulate how knowledge is activated and used. We addressed this by conducting the most detailed assessment of semantic cognition across the adult lifespan to date, involving 537 UK adults aged between 20 and 91. Verbal semantic knowledge increased linearly across adulthood while non-verbal knowledge reached a plateau at age 60. In contrast, controlled semantic processing showed age-related decline, particularly in the ability to inhibit task-irrelevant semantic knowledge. These results indicate that semantic cognition is not uniformly preserved in old age: though older people know more than young people, they are less able to use their knowledge flexibly in novel situations.
Czech Validation of the Online Gambling Disorder Questionnaire (OGD-Q)
Jakub Helvich; Lukas NovĂĄk; Zdenek Meier; Petr Tavel
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Background: Online gambling poses a growing public health concern due to its negative impacts and increasing accessibility through digital mediums. Validating measures like the Online Gambling Disorder Questionnaire (OGD-Q) in the Czech context, which presently remains unresolved, is essential to start addressing this escalating issue. Objective: Therefore, the objective is to examine the psychometric properties and adapt the scale into Czech cultural context. Methodology: A large nationwide sample of 3407 Czech adults (Age: M = 27.1, SD = 12.1, range = 81; Females: 61.26%) was used for the analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine model fit of the original one-factor model. Moreover, network analysis was performed to examine the mutual dynamics between the scale items. The construct validity was assessed by examining associations with other constructs using Spearman’s Rank correlations. Finally, measurement invariances were examined in age and sex. Results: The results showed an excellent fit for a one-factor model with good internal consistency. The network analysis identified 3 item communities with high strength centralities among the items except for one. The construct validity testing revealed significant positive correlations between the scale and stress, anxiety, depression, as well as a range of risk behaviours. Additionally, measurement invariances were supported in both sex and age. Conclusion: Altogether, the OGD-Q is a valid and reliable measure of online gambling disorder in the Czech cultural and socio-economic context.
Do Populists Listen to Expertise? A Five-Country Study of Authority, Arguments, and Expert Sources
Adam Peresman; Lars Thorup Larsen; Honorata Mazepus; Michael Bang Petersen
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Across diverse policy domains, there is broad concern about whether trust in science and expertise has eroded during the past decade. Using quota-based surveys with over 7,500 respondents across five countries and preregistered vignette experiments, we investigate what persuades populists and non-populists to accept expert advice. We find first that populism is associated with less willingness to accept expert advice, yet with variation between countries and topics. Second, we find both populists and non-populists are similarly impacted by stronger arguments. Finally, we show that populists are more likely to judge advice as poorly reasoned and perceive it as politically biased. A mediation analysis showed that the relationship between populism and advice acceptance was nearly completely mediated by these judgments. Our study indicates that populists not only listen to expertise but also respond to the same qualities of expert advice as others, even if their skepticism is higher.
Does it matter what is said and who said it? The interpretation of Trump’s and Harris’ statements in Republican and Democrat voters
Nicole Gotzner
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The Gricean model of communication assumes that cooperation is a precondition for successful communication but humans often use language non-cooperatively. How do language users calibrate cooperation when deciphering communicated content? The current work probes the role of belief alignment for statements uttered by politicians, comparing Donald Trump and Kamala Harris among Republican and Democrat voter groups. The results show that communicated content is more likely to be endorsed when beliefs align between voter group and speaker. This suggests that we may arrive at different conclusions from the same statement, depending on who the speaker is and how much trust we grant them.
Dynamic Systems Simulation and Modelling With R, ctsem, and lme4: Couples' Affect Dynamics Over Time
Charles C Driver; Michael Aristodemou
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Understanding how people change is a fundamental goal of psychological science. However, translating complex ideas about psychological dynamics into formal models can be challenging without the right tools. In this tutorial, we introduce a workflow that leverages R and the ctsem package to help researchers build and understand dynamic systems models that capture the complexity of psychological processes. Our workflow emphasizes iterative model-building through simulations, model fitting, and visualizations of the model-implied dynamics alongside their fit to data. We begin with familiar linear models in lme4 and gradually transition to ctsem, which allows us to incorporate complexities such as state-dependent change, random fluctuation that are distinct from measurement error, covariate effects, interactions, and external inputs. These modeling concepts are illustrated using a running example of affect dynamics in couples therapy, demonstrating how key conceptual and methodological ideas in dynamic systems modeling come together. Our aim is to provide a general framework for understanding dynamic systems modeling and to encourage further exploration of theory-driven statistical approaches in psychological research.
Freedom through understanding: instructed knowledge shapes voluntary action choices
Keiji Ota; Eleni Christofilea; Lucie Charles; Jean Daunizeau; Patrick Haggard
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The capacity for voluntary action is a distinctive feature of human minds. However, experimental studies of volition struggled to capture defining features of human voluntariness. Here we developed a competitive game which incentivised participants to innovate their action choices to find the right time to avoid a collision with an opponent who predicted the timing of the participant’s action choice. One group of participants received explicit information about the competitor’s action-selection rules, while a second group had no information about the competitor. Both groups showed increased behavioural stochasticity when adapting to a competitor who punished participant’s choice biases. However, the group who had no explicit information generated their action choices in a way that avoided the action that the competitor was likely to take. In contrast, the group who explicitly knew the competitor’s action-selection rules avoided the same action they took in preceding trials so that the competitor could not easily exploit the participant’s behavioural patterns. These findings suggest that people can develop beliefs about other agents in the social environment within which they work, and can adapt voluntary action choices accordingly. However, explicit explanations about the other agent facilitate model-based planning in the voluntary generation of novel action patterns.
Sleep Links Gist Abstraction to Veridical Memory
Juliane Nagel; Samuel Sander; Susanne Diekelmann; Gordon Feld
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Sleep is important for memory consolidation. By strengthening the original memory trace sleep may improve source memory, and thus the distinction between veridical and false memories. Simultaneously, sleep restructures memories and thereby may facilitate gist abstraction and thus enhance false memory generation. Here, this question is studied using the Deese–Roediger–McDermott (DRM) paradigm, where participants learn lists of semantically related words, constructed to lead to false retrieval of lure words (semantically linked to the lists, but never presented). Previous literature on sleep and false memories has been inconsistent, which might be due to variance in methodology, but can also be explained by low statistical power. In this large online study (sleep = 104, wake = 101, AM control = 99, PM control = 94), a preregistered replication of Diekelmann et al. (2010), we find no effect of sleep on false memories, nor on general memory performance. We also do not replicate the finding that sleep increases false memories when overall memory performance is low. Instead, we find that false memories increase after sleep when intrusion-adjusted memory performance is high. We interpret this as generalization process during sleep (gist), which helps to form veridical memory, but also generates false memories.
The consequences of strategic prioritization in working memory
Evie Vergauwe; Caro Hautekiet; Ziyao Zhang; Jarrod Lewis-Peacock
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Within working memory, a subset of information can be strategically prioritized when considered highly relevant. This relevance may stem from objective task demands or more subjective factors, both of which improve memory performance. The present study examines three approaches traditionally used to induce strategic prioritization in visual working memory: test-relevance cuing, rewarding, and refreshing. Specifically, we systematically compared their behavioral consequences within a single paradigm to investigate how the memory boosts they produce can be understood, as either driven by a common underlying prioritization mechanism or multiple distinct mechanisms. Our findings suggest that strategic prioritization does not rely on a single mechanism but instead involves two prioritization modes that depend on the predictive value of the priority signal and task context. We propose a dual-mode view in which strategic prioritization operates either in a focused mode, likely to involve focused attentional resource allocation, or a more diffuse mode, which enhances prioritized information through subtle resource shifts or alternative processes. While test-relevance cuing consistently engages focused prioritization, rewarding appears more flexible, sometimes reflecting focused prioritization and other times a more diffuse mode. Refreshing remains less well understood but does not appear to rely on focused prioritization. These findings highlight the complexity of strategic prioritization in working memory and suggest that not all approaches may consistently rely on the focus of attention to prioritize information in working memory.
Protracted development of gaze behaviour
Marcel Linka; Harun Karimpur; Benjamin de Haas
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How does natural gaze behaviour develop? Here, we present data from > 6,500 subjects from 5-72 years of age, freely viewing 40 natural scenes. We find that the development of scene viewing is surprisingly protracted. Semantic salience for social features continuously changes until late adolescence and text salience increases until the third decade of life. Basic oculomotor biases towards the image centre and along the horizontal meridian develop until early adulthood, matching developmental changes in visual sensitivity and cortex. Finally, while the tendency for visual exploration continuously increases, fixation patterns become less idiosyncratic and more canonical throughout adolescence. These findings show that fundamental aspects of adult gaze take decades of continuous development and push individuals towards more canonical viewing patterns. We suggest that development is key to understanding the general mechanisms of active vision.
The Physical Basis of Feelings
Nick Lane; Enrique Rodriguez
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What is a feeling? The fact that anaesthetics work on single-celled protists suggests analogous processes operate at the cellular level. Anaesthetics disrupt chiral-induced spin polarization of electrons in respiratory complex I. Spin polarization generates magnetic fields, which we show can synchronize electron transfer through parallel, multi-cristae arrays of complex I. Opposing cristae generate an oscillating field strong enough to modulate plasma-membrane voltage-gated channels. But why electromagnetic (EM) fields? Metabolism dynamically generates electrical membrane potential, while being powered by it. The balance of electrostatic to EM fields act as an integrated real-time readout, allowing cells to infer their physiological state from incomplete information. We propose that EM states guide action in single-celled organisms, and were later elaborated by selection as the physical basis for feelings.
Difficulties in the learning of same-different discrimination using multiple-item displays in pigeons (Columba livia)
Tomokazu Ushitani; Kiwako Shimada; Arii Watanabe; Midori Ohkita
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The primary goal of the present study was to investigate how the location of changed items affected pigeons’ performance on same-different discrimination between two successively presented multiple-item displays using the same training procedure as Gibson et al. (2011). However, after encountering pigeons’ difficulty in learning the discrimination (Experiment 1), we shifted our focus to discrimination training itself. The poor performance during training and the resulting pattern in the simplified test suggested that entropy, or degree of heterogeneity, of each display may have been more salient to the pigeons than the abstract same-different relationship between them. In Experiment 2, after observing that replacing the stimuli with those used in Gibson et al. did not improve learning the discrimination, we switched to the training procedure based on Katz & Wright (2006). This procedure, in which two displays were presented simultaneously, may facilitate learning by allowing pigeons to compare overall entropy rather than relying solely on abstract relational concepts. In this revised task, one display was presented above the other, enabling perceptual comparison between the two displays. Although we observed slight accuracy improvement when single-item displays were used, it remained highly improbable that pigeons would achieve same-different discrimination between multiple-item displays under the current methodology. We discuss our task manipulations and the corresponding changes in pigeons’ performance, which may provide useful insights for developing robust training methods that enhance same-different discrimination learning in multiple-item displays.
Effort can have positive, negative, and non-monotonic impacts on outcome value in economic choice
Przemysław Marcowski; Wojciech Białaszek; Piotr Winkielman
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Every action demands some effort, and its level influences decision-making. Existing data suggest that in some decision contexts effort devalues outcomes, but in other contexts effort enhances outcome valuation. Here, we describe an empirical study and propose a model that incorporates negative, positive and mixed impacts of effort on outcomes in different decision contexts and in different participants. Participants chose between money and an item associated with varying levels of stair climbing effort. Some participants had previous direct experience with a real physical effort and made decisions about a physically present reward. For other participants, the effort and the associated reward was always purely hypothetical. Furthermore, the decisions were framed as prospective or retrospective – before or after effort exertion. The key behavioral finding was that in the “real” condition, greater effort decreased outcome value when considered prospectively, but increased outcome value when considered retrospectively. Interestingly, even within the same decision context, individuals showed diverse relationships between effort and outcome value. These relationships ranged from those where greater effort increased value, decreased value, to non-linear patterns, where small effort initially increased outcome value but higher effort decreased it, or the other way around (initial decrease followed by a decrease). When our model was applied to participants’ individual choices, it was able to capture the monotonic and non-monotonic relationships and outperformed previous solutions.

SocArxiv

Dynamics of Insect Paraintelligence: How a Mindless Colony of Ants Meaningfully Moves a Beetle
Eldar Knar
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In this work, a new concept called Vector Dissipation of Randomness (VDR) is developed and formalized. It describes the mechanism by which complex multicomponent systems transition from chaos to order through the filtering of random directions, accumulation of information in the environment, and self-organization of agents. VDR explains how individual random strategies can evolve into collective goal-directed behavior, leading to the emergence of an ordered structure without centralized control. To test the proposed model, a numerical simulation of the "ant–beetle" system was conducted, in which agents (ants) randomly choose movement directions, but through feedback mechanisms and filtering of weak strategies, they form a single coordinated vector of the beetle's movement. VDR is a universal mechanism applicable to a wide range of self-organizing systems, including biological populations, decentralized technological networks, sociological processes, and artificial intelligence algorithms. For the first time, an equation of the normalized emergence function in the processing of vector dissipation of randomness in the Ant–Beetle system has been formulated. The concept of paraintelligence was introduced for the first time. Insect paraintelligence is interpreted as a rational functionality that is close to or equivalent to intelligent activity in the absence of reflexive consciousness and self-awareness.
Large Language Models: A Survey with Applications in Political Science
Collin Andrew Coil; Nicholas Chen; Caroline L. Bruckner; Karen O'Connor
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Large language models (LLMs) have taken the world by storm, but political scientists have been slow to adopt the tool. Attempts to use LLMs have been very limited in scope with scholars using LLMs for simple binary classification tasks or text generation. Whether this lack of update is due to lack of programming abilities or a result of hesitancy to use LLMs, political science is leaving a valuable tool on the table. This paper attempts to encourage uptake of LLMs for political science and makes three primary contributions: (1) it surveys LLMs from the practitioner’s perspective; (2) demonstrates the applicability of LLMs on a variety of political textual analysis applications; and (3) provides example software and data to encourage researchers to explore use of the tools.
How Much Do We Care About Cultural Heritage? A Rasch Scale Validation Study Among Young Adult
Manuele Veggi; Alessandro von Gal; Laura Piccardi; Sofia Pescarin; Raffaella Nori
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Research in museum studies, heritage science, and cultural tourism highlights the “care theory” as a key framework for understanding the relationship between citizens and cultural heritage. Assessing the “sense of care” toward cultural objects and sites can provide valuable insights for museums, education, and public policy. However, visitor studies lack suitable assessment tools. This study fills the gap by introducing the Scale for the Assessment of Caring for Cultural Heritage (CHARE), developed using the Rasch model. A preliminary 16-item questionnaire on visitors’ “caring behaviors” was designed through literature review and expert focus groups, then tested on young adults: statistical analysis confirms the model’s reliability. While further validation is needed, CHARE already offers a practical tool for museum practitioners to assess young visitors’ engagement and caring attitudes toward cultural heritage
Improving European democracy and legitimacy for crisis and post-crisis times
John Erik Fossum; Christopher Lord; REGROUP project
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Building on previous tasks, this paper takes stock of the state of Europe’s multi-level democracy and legitimacy in crisis times and makes recommendations on how to safeguard both principles. We recommend a system of democratic auditing in good times and bad. Our first recommendation is that there should be regular 5-year democratic audits of the EU and of Member State Democracies (MSDs) before European elections, so that the results of the audits are available for citizens to assess during the EP election campaign. This assures that the democratic audit is directly politically relevant. Our second recommendation is that there should also be special democratic audits of the handling of emergencies. That will require a double adaptation of democratic auditing i) to the EU and ii) to emergency politics. To adapt democratic auditing to the case of the EU and its member state democracies (MSDs) we recommend developing indicators of how well the EU and MSDs comply with input, output, and throughput standards of democratic legitimacy. See also the indicators we developed in the initial REGROUP application and our earlier paper (Fossum and Lord 2023). To adapt democratic auditing of the EU and its MSD’s to the special problem of emergency politics, we recommend developing additional indicators. These could include but go beyond indicators based on the Council of Europe standards for emergency politics. For Council of Europe standards, see also our earlier paper (Fossum and Lord 2023). Our third recommendation is that for the democratic audits of EU and MSD responses to emergencies we recommend process traces of key decisions. The process traces should shed added light on how well decisions taken by the EU and MSDs at critical junctures in their handling of emergencies meet the standards set out in our indicators of democratic standards under conditions of emergency. Our fourth recommendation is to collect and systematize as much of the existing research as possible so as to provide as complete a picture as possible with a view to discern as robust as possible lessons. These should also insofar as relevant be incorporated in the next audits.
Leadership in Online Communities: Offline Networks and the Case of Wikipedia
Nicole Schwitter
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Wikipedia is one of the most visited websites worldwide and a cornerstone of contemporary digital infrastructure. At its core is a volunteer-driven governance system in which users elect administrators - trusted community members granted special rights and responsibilities. While previous research has emphasised online behaviour and platform-native metrics in explaining adminship, this study examines how offline interactions shape leadership outcomes within the German-language Wikipedia. Drawing on large-scale observational data covering two decades of both online and offline activity, and using hybrid multilevel random effects models, the study investigates who runs for adminship and who is ultimately successful. The findings reveal that attending offline meetings has little bearing on the decision to run, but significantly increases the likelihood of being elected, particularly when candidates have met a greater share of voters face-to-face. These results highlight the importance of interpersonal ties even in digital, democratic spaces. By bridging digital sociology and networked governance, this study contributes to broader debates on participation and leadership in peer-production platforms.
Cultural Imaginaries of Contemporary Space Exploration Missions in India, United States, New Zealand and Antarctica: A Comparative Analysis
Anna Szolucha; Rashmi M
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Contemporary space exploration missions have undeniably captivated the world’s imagination, sparking technological advancements and inspiring dreams of living among the stars. However, beyond the technical feats, these missions also shape and reflect our cultural understanding of the universe and our place within it. This paper delves into the cultural imaginaries surrounding recent space exploration endeavours, examining how these missions are imagined and interpreted across diverse societies. By understanding these cultural narratives, we can gain valuable insights into the social dimensions of space exploration, informing future missions and fostering a more nuanced appreciation of our cosmic aspirations. This analysis draws on our long-term ethnographic research conducted as part of the ARIES project (Anthropological Research into the Imaginaries and Exploration of Space). It is based on data gathered through participant observation as well as interviews with diverse groups of stakeholders (space professionals, space enthusiasts and local communities) conducted in three different countries: India, the United States and New Zealand. We have also spoken to interlocutors who have worked in Antarctica. This kind of long-term, multi-sited research allows us, for the first time, to attempt a cross-cultural analysis of the similarities and differences between how people imagine and relate to contemporary space missions across different continents and cultures. Through this comparative analysis, our research not only provides a more comprehensive understanding of the cultural origins of the similarities and differences between various space missions and industry actors but also helps facilitate mutual understanding and cooperation between international teams working on space missions. This multicultural and comparative perspective can play a central role in defining the social and cultural (rather than just technological and economic) goals of these missions, which would promote peaceful cooperation in space and inspire the public.
Faculty Inclusion Before and “After” COVID-19: Investigating the Effects of Caregiving, Health, and Gender
Shuyin Liu; Laurel Smith-Doerr; Dessie Lee Clark; Joya Misra
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Despite significant research on the immediate disparate impacts of COVID-19 on faculty members, very few studies consider longer-term disparities. We examine the continuing effects of the pandemic on faculty equity and inclusion. Survey data from before the pandemic (2018) and from the post-acute pandemic period (2022) show a significant decline in feelings of inclusion, controlling for gender and caregiving status, race, sexuality, rank, and field among faculty. On average, faculty report that campus life has worsened. Controlling for demographic variables, faculty with health disadvantages feel more excluded. Interestingly, simply being a caregiver does not predict greater feelings of exclusion; however, faculty whose caregiving responsibilities took them away from work during the pandemic feel more excluded. Research on the continuing unequal effects of the pandemic is needed to address and improve feelings of inclusion, and thus to retain a more diverse faculty.
The Impact of Refugee Shocks on Host Countries: A Scoping Review
ChloĂŠ SalathĂŠ; Natalia Cornelia Malancu; Didier Ruedin
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This article provides a systematic overview of the academic literature on the impact of 'refugee shocks' on host countries: the sudden arrival of large numbers of refugees in a place. A scoping analysis was conducted to describe the literature, drawing on 4,576 effects from 123 studies. About two thirds of the effects concern economic outcomes in the host country, while few cover health or the environment. There are generally positive effects on education, and generally negative effects on wages and employment. Refugee shocks tend to be associated with an increase in votes for the radical right. Across topics, about half of the analyses indicate no statistically significant effect. We find an increase in studies on refugee shocks after 2015, and that the most commonly studied shocks took place in the Middle East and Europe. We conclude that many dimensions need to be studied to adequately characterize the impact of refugee shocks on host countries.
Enhancing Health Equity through Community Engagement in Artificial Intelligence-Driven Prevention Science
Emily E Haroz; Novalene Goklish; Adrienne Dillard; Roy Adams; Sheana S. Bull; Ricardo Gonzalez-Fisher; Pamela Valenza; Spero M. Manson; J. Roland Thorpe
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Artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) in prevention science may improve or perpetuate health inequities. Community engagement is one proposed strategy thought to empirically mitigate bias in AI/ML tools. We outline how to incorporate community engagement at every stage of the model development and implementation. Borrowing from a framework for phases of prevention research, we describe the value and application of engaging communities to help shape more rigorous and relevant applications of AI/ML for prevention science. We provide concrete examples from real-world applications, including efforts in suicide prevention with Indigenous communities, on chronic disease prevention for Hispanic and Latino populations, and a community-driven effort to leverage AI/ML to improve allocation of resources focused on social determinants of health for Native Hawaiians. This work aims to provide applied examples of how community-engagement has been incorporated into AI/ML development and implementation, with the goal of encouraging those in the prevention science field to consider the voices of the community as the use of such tools grows. Engaging with the community around AI/ML is critical to ensure these tools reach populations in need and advance health equity for all.
The carbon footprint of machine tools and metal working machinery in U.S. manufacturing
Edgar Hertwich; Meng Jiang
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Recent research suggests that one-third of the global supply of metals is used to produce machinery and industrial equipment (ME). ME production causes 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, our understanding of how much different types of ME contribute is limited. While the energy use needed to operate machines usually enters life cycle assessments, the production of the machines is often neglected, mostly because data is lacking. Here we explore the use of detailed economic input-output data for the United States (USEEIO) to produce cradle-to-gate life cycle inventories for machinery for material handling and metalworking, machine tools, dies, fixtures, and industrial molds. The cradle-to-gate GHG emissions of the investigated machinery were 38 million tonnes CO2e (0.5% of US emissions), compared to 330 Mt for all ME. Materials contributed 46-63% to the carbon footprint of the ME in question, the production of electricity and fuels used in production processes other than materials production contributed 13-28%. Important uses of ME as capital products were in the manufacturing of vehicles, refining, and metal industries. Important uses as intermediate inputs were oil and gas production, mining, as well as manufacturing and commercial structures. This manuscript demonstrates the feasibility of using detailed input-output tables for life cycle inventory modelling of the production and use of ME.
Gatekeepers or agents of change? The political agency of lawyers in the Dutch family migration regime
Saskia Bonjour
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Migration lawyers exercise political agency: in choosing which clients to represent and how to present their claims to bureaucrats and judges, lawyers shape what the governance of migration looks like in practice. In 2022, we interviewed 16 lawyers specialized in Dutch family migration law, inquiring how they see their own roles vis-à-vis the state, how they address cultural differences in what counts as “family”, and how they handle suspicions of fraud. The variety in approaches we observed clearly reveals that family migration lawyers are far from neutral, apolitical actors. Personal convictions informed professional practice, even among lawyers who eschewed activist “cause lawyering”. While our respondents all believed some or many elements of the migration regime should change and sought to exercise pressure through their legal practices, they all also acted as gatekeepers of the current migration regime – partly out of conviction, partly because they believed they can best (or only) support their clients by playing by the rules of the game. Building on the scholarship on lawyers’ professional ethics, I argue that everyday migration lawyering involves a form of moral activism oriented towards social change that – perhaps inevitably and often reluctantly – also involves gatekeeping.
Poverty, educational attainment, and loss aversion: An analysis with prospect theory focusing on the loss aversion and forming reference point
Kazuhiro Kezuka; Ryo Suzuki
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The impact of financial assets on the decision to enter university has been studied in terms of the ability to pay tuition fees and invest in post-school education; however, the impact of assets on the decision-making process has not been fully investigated. We constructed a model based on prospect theory, focusing on the heterogeneity of loss aversion by assets and forming a reference point, and examined the relationship between assets and the decision to enter university (more specifically, taking an entrance exam). The results are twofold: 1) students from low-income households are more likely to identify themselves as those who should not enter universities and are likely not to choose to enter universities; 2) a decrease in the cost of preparing for entrance exams relaxes the threshold for taking the entrance exam, while a decrease in tuition does not always relax the threshold.
Armed Parties, the State, and the Consolidation of Local Political Order
Drew Stommes
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Armed political parties carry out violence targeting partisan rivals before and after elections. However, their attacks often occur at drastically different rates in otherwise similar neighboring localities. I argue that partisan alignment between local armed party officeholders and a government's ruling party—i.e., the party controlling the level of government with authority over frontline bureaucrats—significantly increases those local incumbents' attacks within the locality. Alignment facilitates local officeholders' accumulation of non-state coercive capacity and reduces the constraints they face from the state. I test this theory with a close elections regression discontinuity design and new data on election violence in West Bengal, India. I find support for the proposed mechanisms with qualitative evidence including eighty interviews conducted in urban and rural West Bengal. The findings shed light on how differential access to the state shapes local patterns of non-state violence and sharpens our understanding of bottom-up pathways to single party rule.
“When you are holding a pen you think deeper about what you write.” Comparing the experiences of completing paper- and computer-based participant aided sociograms
Dorottya Hoor; Vuyisha Dlamini; Bernie Hogan; Guy Harling
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Past personal network research has highlighted the many trade-offs in data collection strategies but has largely overlooked respondents’ perspectives on the interview experience. We use a within-subjects research design to compare respondents’ experiences with pen-and-paper sociograms and a comparable computer-assisted approach using Network Canvas, amongst young people in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Data was collected through five focus groups (31 participants in total) and analyzed using thematic analysis and a novel journey-based approach. Our results highlight key experiential trade-offs between the analog and digital methods focusing on cognitive burden, emotional investment, and practical constraints. Centrally the analog method allowed greater emotional investment, which may or may not be desired. This work showcases the merits of a journey-based analytical approach for better understanding the interview process from respondents’ point of view, and highlights that considering sociogram tools experientially invites greater focus on ethical concerns for respondent care.
From 'The Law of the Horse' to Digital Law: Navigating the Philosophical Foundations of a Digital Rule of Law
Mark Leiser
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The rapid evolution of digital technologies has outpaced traditional legal frameworks, prompting a fundamental reassessment of regulatory paradigms in cyberspace. Influenced by The Law of the Horse and Lex Informatica, early legal discourse suggested that existing principles could be applied analogously to emerging digital challenges. However, these frameworks have proven insufficient as the Internet transitioned from Web 1.0 to decentralised and algorithmically governed digital ecosystems. This chapter argues that cyber law has now crystallised into a distinct legal domain, necessitated by the inherent complexity and dynamism of digital environments and grounded in the principles of the rule of law. Far from an unregulated frontier, cyberspace has become a battleground of competing regulatory philosophies, where legal authority is contested between state actors, corporate governance structures, and the underlying architecture of code itself. The Anglo-American laissez-faire model, favouring market-driven self-regulation, has been increasingly challenged by interventionist regimes, particularly the regulatory assertiveness of the European Union and China's cyber sovereignty model. This shifting landscape reflects a broader tension between innovation and legal certainty, technological determinism and democratic accountability, and private power and public law. This chapter critically examines the philosophical foundations of digital regulation, tracing how the rule of law is being reinterpreted and renegotiated in response to algorithmic decision-making, platform governance, and the decentralisation of regulatory authority. It contends that the future of digital governance depends on developing a legal framework that is neither excessively rigid nor dangerously fluid: one that preserves fundamental rights, ensures transparency and accountability, and prevents the entrenchment of unaccountable corporate or state power. Ultimately, the chapter advocates for a regulatory architecture that integrates legal, technological, and behavioural insights to navigate the complexities of an increasingly digital society without eroding the foundational principles of justice and fairness.
Different sized belts: family strategies against financial shocks
Alba Lanau; Teresa Habimana; Tomas Rojas; Anna Ortiz Guitart; Miguel Solana Solana; Maida Juni
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When faced with financial shocks families often combine multiple resources, including savings, networks, public transfers and services, to cover their needs and respond to changing conditions. This paper explores the strategies families with children in Barcelona deploy to respond to financial shocks by analysing interviews with 29 families experiencing difficulties to make ends meet. The paper makes three main contributions to the literature on responses to shocks. First, it provides novel evidence on how and to what extent families strategies are shaped by their past trajectories and resources. Second, it introduces a novel technique, event interviews, specifically designed to study family responses to events and identify the resources (both public and private) they rely on. Third, by contrasting the experiences of families with diverse resources, the paper seeks to illuminate some of the mechanisms through which structural constraints shape coping strategies and thus, agency. Understanding family strategies is particularly relevant in the current context framed by the aftermath of the COVID pandemic and the recent increases in energy, food and housing prices which affected the most disadvantaged the most.
Trends in Parent Carer Blame: Patterns of service for children with a disability or mental illness referred to children’s social care.
Andy Bilson
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This study analyses data from the Annual Children in Need Census (2015-2023) obtained via Freedom of Information requests to examine whether there has been a shift towards a more investigative approach in handling cases involving children with disabilities or mental health concerns in England. The results show a 77.1% increase in assessments identifying these concerns, now comprising a quarter of all assessments. For children with disabilities or mental health concerns, Section 47 investigations surged by 145.2%, compared to a 45.4% rise for children without these factors. Simultaneously, the proportion of children whose primary need was classified as "disability or illness" dropped by 17.4%, indicating a declining focus on addressing their specific needs. The study echoes concerns from parent-led groups and prior research, suggesting that social care services are increasingly treating families of disabled children as potential risks rather than focusing on their needs, fostering "parent carer blame." This trend, rooted in a risk-averse social work culture, highlights the need to reconsider current assessment practices, which may be intrusive and harmful to families seeking support. The findings call for a re-evaluation of social care policies to better address the needs of disabled children without defaulting to investigative procedures.
Antisemitism in German Higher Education. Results from a Survey Experiment Among Students at a German University
Mark Lutter; Naomi Pech; Marc Grimm
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This study examines the extent of antisemitic bias in German higher education through a survey experiment conducted among students (N=1,416) at an average-sized German university in the fall of 2024/2025. Using a between-subjects design, participants were randomly assigned to evaluate English academic writing courses taught by fictitious instructors whose profiles varied by gender and ethnic/religious background—categorized as German, Israeli, and Jewish. Instructors were rated on sympathy and competence using a 7-point scale. While no significant differences emerged for competence ratings, results reveal notable bias in sympathy ratings: instructors identified as Jewish, particularly male Jewish instructors, received significantly lower ratings compared to their German counterparts. Instructors from Israel without a visible Jewish symbol were not rated significantly differently. There was also a gender bias, as female instructors with a German profile were rated less favorably than male instructors. Interestingly, the anti-Jewish bias was predominantly driven by female student raters, whereas male students primarily exhibited gender bias without significant antisemitic tendencies. These findings suggest that antisemitic motives, rather than anti-Israel sentiment, underlie the negative evaluations observed in this academic setting, and highlight the complex interplay between ethnic/religious prejudice and gender bias.
Childhood Predictors of Faith Sharing across 22 Countries
Robert Dudley Woodberry; Matt Bradshaw; Tyler J. VanderWeele; Byron R. Johnson
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There is little research on the prevalence of evangelism in Europe and North America, let alone in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania. Moreover, almost nothing is known about childhood antecedents that lead to evangelism in adulthood. We use data from a diverse, and international sample of 200,000 individuals across 22 countries, to evaluate 16 childhood candidate predictors of sense of purpose/meaning. Using multivariate modified Poisson regression analysis and E-values for robustness check against potential unmeasured confounding, our study aims to provide comprehensive insights into early-life experiences that contribute to the development of evangelism in adulthood. The findings provide valuable evidence about leads some people to evangelize as adults.
Learning by Lobbying
Emiel Awad; Gleason Judd; Nicolas Riquelme
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How do interest groups learn about and influence politicians over time? We develop a game-theoretic model where an interest group can lobby a politician while learning about their ideological alignment. Our analysis reveals a fundamental tradeoff: interest groups must balance gathering information against exerting immediate influence, while politicians strategically manage their reputations to shape future interactions. These strategic forces generate systematic dynamics: policies and transfers shift in tandem, with early-career politicians showing greater policy variance and extracting larger rents through reputation management than veterans. Uncertainty about alignment increases policy volatility as groups experiment with offers, while institutional features like committee power and revolving-door incentives systematically alter both learning incentives and influence strategies. Our results shed new light on how interest group influence evolves across political careers and varies with institutional context.
Exploring Women's Economic Empowerment in Three Villages of West Bengal: A Gender-Related Study
Rituparna Banerjee
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This study presents the findings of a gender-related investigation conducted in three rural villages of West Bengal: Sarati in Nadia district, Dumurdaha Nityanandapur II in Hooghly district, and Baidyanathpur in Bankura district. The research explores key dimensions of women’s economic empowerment, including social participation and the impact of educational initiatives on gender roles. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach involving both quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews, the study sheds light on the socioeconomic conditions of women in these communities. The data, though randomly generated for illustrative purposes, indicate a moderate level of economic engagement among women. Significant barriers remain in accessing formal employment and community-level decision-making. The report concludes with actionable policy recommendations to foster greater gender equity through training, financial inclusion, awareness programs, and infrastructure development.
Capital Structure and Firm Performance among the Listed Agro-Allied Firms in Nigeria
Olanrewaju Yusuff; Noah Olasehinde
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The study empirically investigates the effect of capital structure on firm performance among agro-allied firms listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange from 2003 to 2017. The performance was measured by return on investment, return on assets, and earnings per share, while the capital structure was captured by leverage and equity finance. Equity finance was found to significantly affect returns on investment and assets, while leverage impacted earnings per share. Also, firms’ growth and age are positively related to performance, while size has an inverse relationship. Therefore, firms should adopt an efficient equity-debt level ratio that significantly improves performance over a specific production period.
Simulated Selfhood in LLMs: A Behavioral Analysis of Introspective Coherence
Jose Augusto de Lima Prestes
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Large Language Models (LLMs) increasingly produce outputs that resemble introspection, including self-reference, epistemic modulation, and claims about internal states. This study investigates whether such behaviors display consistent patterns across repeated prompts or reflect surface-level generative artifacts. We evaluated five open-weight, stateless LLMs using a structured battery of 21 introspective prompts, each repeated ten times, yielding 1,050 completions. These outputs are analyzed across three behavioral dimensions: surface-level similarity (via token overlap), semantic coherence (via sentence embeddings), and inferential consistency (via natural language inference). Although some models demonstrate localized thematic stability—especially in identity - and consciousness-related prompts—none sustain diachronic coherence. High rates of contradiction are observed, often arising from tensions between mechanistic disclaimers and anthropomorphic phrasing. We introduce the concept of pseudo-consciousness to describe structured but non experiential self-referential output. Based on Dennett’s intentional stance, our analysis avoids ontological claims and instead focuses on behavioral regularities. The study contributes a reproducible framework for evaluating simulated introspection in LLMs and offers a graded taxonomy for classifying self-referential output. Our LLM findings have implications for interpretability, alignment, and user perception, highlighting the need for caution in attributing mental states to stateless generative systems based solely on linguistic fluency.
Comparative Estimates of Public Trust in Government Across 116 Countries, 1973–2020
Yuehong Cassandra Tai
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Political trust plays a critical role in understanding key political questions, including regime support, democratic legitimacy, policy preferences, and political behavior. However, the lack of comparable, cross-national data has limited scholars' ability to analyze the relationship of political trust with quantities of interest and to generalize findings across different countries and time periods. To address this gap, this paper introduces the Trust in Government (TGOV) Dataset, a time-series cross-sectional resource covering 116 countries from 1973 to 2020. Built using a Bayesian latent variable model, TGOV harmonizes 1,555 country-year observations from 189 national and cross-national surveys, providing mean estimates of trust in government alongside full posterior distributions to account for measurement uncertainty. The TGOV dataset demonstrates robustness in a series of internal and external validations, as well as in the construct validation test, confirming that the TGOV scores are a valid measure of public trust in national government. The TGOV dataset enables scholars to analyze trust’s dynamic relationships with institutional performance, policy outcomes, and crisis resilience across political systems. More broadly, it supports interdisciplinary research on governance, inequality, state-society relations, public health compliance, climate policy acceptance, and digital governance innovations.
The Hill-Burton Act: Instituting Healthcare Infrastructure and Perpetuating Structural Racism
Sahngwie Yim
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The Hill-Burton Act, signed into law in 1946, expanded access to hospital care and healthcare infrastructure in the United States. The policy improved healthcare availability, especially for Black Americans, as it created and improved hospitals through federal funding. However, many hospitals continued to deny equal access to Black Americans, and discrimination persisted through a lack of integration. Additionally, reduced effects of segregation more commonly stemmed from the changing attitudes of doctors toward segregation rather than the policy itself. Ultimately, by extending the decision from Plessy v. Ferguson, the Act contributed to the idea of separate but equal, contributing to racial segregation in hospitals and disparities in health outcomes for Black Americans.
THE BACKBONE OF THE UK UNDER ATTACK The Economic Effects of Tobacco Generational Sales Ban on Retail SMEs
Maged Ali
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Retailers are the heart and soul of our communities. They provide us with the things we need to live our best lives and create jobs for many. They are part of our daily lives and a vital part of our local economies, especially in areas where large companies may not have as much of a presence. Many small retailers already struggle to stay open due to tight profit margins. They reinvest most of their earnings to adapt to changing customer needs and new regulations. Rising costs and over-regulation make it even harder for them to survive. A new law will make survival even harder. The UK has introduced a law banning the sale of all tobacco products to anyone born after 2009, making it the strictest ban of its kind. While intended as a public health measure, it will cut off customers and will have severe consequences on retailers. Tobacco products account for 20% of retailers' sales. Losing this income will push many stores to the brink. It will leave retailers with no viable way to adapt and transition to alternatives. The consequences are severe: declining foot traffic, reduced revenues, and widespread store closures. Over the next three decades, the UK could lose 7,700 businesses and 70,100 jobs. The government will also lose £23.8 billion in tax revenue (DHSC, 2024) and face rising enforcement costs of £828 million over the next thirty years. This equates to £819 million per year, or 72% of the UK's annual s pending on unemployment benefits (ONS, 2025a). Beyond the economic harm, the GSB will make it harder for the government to control tobacco sales. More people will turn to the illegal market, which could grow from 14.5% in 2023 to 43.2% by 2040 . This means unregulated products and easier access for minors. Profits will flow to criminal groups, enabling them to finance other illegal activities. As a result, the government will need additional resources to combat organised crime and enforce the law. The result is a lose-lose-lose scenario  retailers will close, government revenues will shrink, and criminals will take control of the market. Policymakers must reconsider this approach before irreparable damage is done to the UK’s retail SMEs, leaving countless communities without their lifelines.
Are Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Apprehensions a Reliable Proxy for Undocumented Migration? New Evidence on Migration from Guatemala
Matthew Blanton
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Researchers have long relied on United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) apprehension data as a proxy for undocumented migration, yet the last time their validity was assessed was in 1995. Significant changes in the composition of migrants and border crossings since then raise questions about their continued validity. In this research note, I provide an updated analysis using two independent data sources: the 2018 Guatemalan Census and annual estimates of undocumented Guatemalan arrivals to the United States from The Center for Migration Studies (CMS). Using descriptive and regression analyses, findings show a close alignment between apprehensions, household migrations reported in the Guatemalan census, and Guatemalan arrival estimates. Together, these results indicate that apprehensions remain a reliable indicator of migration flow despite recent changes in migration dynamics along the southern U.S. border.
Pursuing Precision in Criminology: Why Ordinal Data Demand Ordinal Methods
Jonathan R. Brauer; Jacob C. Day
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Criminological research frequently examines ordinal outcome data, yet the common practice of treating these data as continuous using linear models can obscure patterns, introduce imprecision, and bias estimates. We advocate for the appropriate analysis of ordinal outcomes with ordered regression models. We demonstrate how linear models misrepresent ordinal distributions using simulated data before reanalyzing select results from Pickett, Graham, and Cullen's (2022) study on racial differences in fear of police. Our analysis showcases how ordered regression models, coupled with effective visualization techniques, provide more accurate estimates than linear models—revealing that linear approaches substantially underestimate racial disparities. For instance, cumulative probit models correctly estimate that nearly one-third of Black participants are “very afraid” of police killing them, while linear models underestimate this by nearly two-thirds. By respecting the ordinal nature of data, criminologists can move beyond broad directional statements and quantify effect magnitudes with greater precision, fostering a more robust, evidence-driven discipline capable of addressing its “precision crisis.”
Information Architectures: A Framework for Understanding Socio-Technical Systems
Paul E. Smaldino; Adam Russell; Matthew Zefferman; Judith Donath; Jacob G. Foster; Douglas Guilbeault; Martin Hilbert; Elizabeth A. Hobson; Kristina Lerman; Helena Miton
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A sequence of technological inventions over several centuries has dramatically lowered the cost of producing and distributing information. Because societies ride on a substrate of information, these changes have profoundly impacted how we live, work, and interact. This paper explores the nature of information architectures (IAs)—the features that govern how information flows within human populations. IAs include physical and digital infrastructures, norms and institutions, and algorithmic technologies for filtering, producing, and disseminating information. IAs can reinforce societal biases and lead to prosocial outcomes as well as social ills. IAs have culturally evolved rapidly with human usage, creating new affordances and new problems for the dynamics of social interaction. We explore societal outcomes instigated by shifts in IAs and call for an enhanced understanding of the social implications of increasing IA complexity, the nature of competition among IAs, and the creation of mechanisms for the beneficial use of IAs.
Clearing the Jungle: Conceptualising Trust and Trustworthiness
Paul C. Bauer
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This study explores the meaning of the concepts of trust and trustworthiness. Despite the concepts’ popularity and indisputable relevance, interested scholars face a conceptual ‘jungle’ that is hard to pervade. Pursuing conceptual analysis, building on and summarizing previous definitions and research, I attempt to provide a general definition for both concepts. This conception may serve as a starting point for future research, as well as a basis on which to analyse research done thus far. It is flexible enough to describe a wide variety of situations in which both concepts play a role and sets a clear boundary between the concepts themselves, and the causes or consequences high or low levels of trust and trustworthiness may have. In addition, it helps to isolate trust and trustworthiness from other closely linked concepts.
Must VUCA evolve? A thematic literature-based analysis of VUCA research in the pre- and post-COVID-19 eras
Gerit Tänzer; Christian Matt
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AAM Information This author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) licence. This means that anyone may distribute, adapt, and build upon the work for non-commercial purposes, subject to full attribution. If you wish to use this manuscript for commercial purposes, please contact permissions@emerald.com. Accepted for publication: 09-Mar-2025 Published version available at Internet Research: https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-10-2023-0903 ALWAYS CITE THE PUBLISHED VERSION Abstract The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has confronted management with substantial challenges, requiring organizations to respond to dynamic market changes and continuously adapt to a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted this necessity by exposing VUCA concepts to substantial shock. However, whether the COVID-19 pandemic marks a phase of abnormal VUCA characteristics or whether organizations will face different VUCA challenges in the post-COVID-19 era is unclear. We conducted a literature review to synthesize and compare VUCA research before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a trend matrix, we illustrate and specify the evolution of research themes that address VUCA characteristics. We present a VUCA evolution model that reveals a shift toward operational adaptability and continuous learning as key drivers in the post-COVID-19 era, as emphasized by the increased priority of people-centered approaches. The results indicate an organizational transformation toward self-organization that enables resilience through a holistic perspective of continuous learning and co-creation. Our study contributes to understanding organizations’ resilience and bridges the gap between the theoretical and practical VUCA research dimensions. VUCA concepts were not coined with global pandemics in mind but were created to support organizations dealing with crises. We explored how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected VUCA’s conceptual foundations and research focus. Our results orient scholarship toward new foci of VUCA research and assist practitioners in identifying critical areas of focus regarding VUCA challenges in the post-COVID-19 era.
The misguided notion of Multispecies Justice: How conceptual and terminological ambiguity undermines biodiversity protection
Joeri Morpurgo; Haye Geukes; Athanasios Moraitis
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Multispecies justice (MSJ) seeks to extend justice beyond humans to include non-human entities, offering an ethical framework for interspecies relationships. While this concept may appear to improve environmental stewardship, we argue that its openness risks undermining well-established principles of ecological conservation and justice. We argue that MSJ introduces conceptual ambiguity and lacks the potential for practical operationalisation, which risks moralising natural processes, overlooking the complexities of human-nature interactions, weakening conservation efforts and opening the door for political misuse. Furthermore, existing ethical and ecological conservation frameworks already provide practical approaches for including non-humans in justice, conservation and policy considerations. Instead of adopting an unclear and potentially counterproductive notion of justice, we therefore advocate for strengthening established conservation and justice principles to address the ongoing environmental crises more effectively.
Data Mirroring: A methodological framework for data-donation-based interviews in media use research
Daniel Jurg; Sarah Vis; Ike Picone; David Mathieu
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This article introduces 'data mirroring,' a methodological framework for conducting data-donation-based interviews using Data Download Packages (DDPs) from digital platforms. Since the General Data Protection Regulation took effect, DDPs have found application in research. While the literature on the value of DDPs primarily points towards scaling and validating aggregate-level data, their potential to illuminate complex user-media relationships within datafied environments at the micro-level appears underexplored. Drawing from recent conceptualizations of the 'data mirror,' which captures the feedback loops between users and digital media, this article provides theoretical grounding and practical guidelines for 'mirroring' DDPs to users. Based on exercises with 64 participants, we demonstrate through an illustrative case study how DDPs can serve as prompts, contexts, and reflections, revealing reflexive strategies users employ to curate information flows of 'news' on algorithmic platforms like Instagram. Additionally, we introduce an open-source web application to operationalize DDPs as data mirrors for non-technical researchers.
Exploring Computer Literacy Variance: Insights from an Introductory Statistical Programming Class
Markus Herklotz; Anna-Carolina Haensch
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When teaching entry-level statistical programming at universities, educators may wonder if they are alone in facing the challenge of spending valuable time explaining computer basics, such as file management. To better understand the knowledge gaps of students, we investigated the varying levels of computer literacy among university students enrolled in introductory statistical programming courses at a leading German university. We conducted and analyzed surveys among university students from three years, and we included similar questions in a general population survey to identify gaps in device usage, computer proficiency, and computational thinking. We refined existing instruments for capturing computer literacy and our refined instruments are open for re-use. Our findings reveal and discuss the heterogeneity in foundational computer skills in the context of students’ different majors, their varying secondary education, and the growing reliance on mobile devices.
A study on the influence of social movements on political representation focusing on the minimum wage case in the mid- 2010s American states
Jihun Yeo
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This study examines how the social movement can contribute to improving political representation with the case of the minimum wage legislation in American states after 2012. The contribution of this research is that it’s an empirical analysis of how social movement affects the legislative process, especially in the agenda-setting stage and how social discourse takes part in this process, given the lack of research concerning determinants of the state legislation of the higher minimum wage, especially focusing on the influence of the social movement on the legislation. I analyze the impact of the social movement, measured by the media exposure frequency, on public opinion, the proposal of bills and the legislation with the national-level time serial and the state-level data. I investigate the impact of the social discourse on public opinion and the legislative process to illuminate the underlying mechanism where the social movement affects the political outcome. The social movement contributes to the improvement of political representation by spreading the social discourse, setting the agenda in civic and political society and triggering partisan politics for institutional change.
The Divergent Trajectory of Environmental Politics between the United States and the United Kingdom
Jihun Yeo
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This study examines factors affecting the divergent environmental performances between the U.S. and the U.K. from the perspective of social movement. I look into domestic political factors, especially social movements causing different environmental performances in two countries that attain the high level of economic growth and are under the same international factors. Given that previous research dealing with domestic political factors tends to focus on political institutions and that the comparative research on the cases of the U.S. and the U.K. are limited, this research is relevant. I utilize the EPI scores, protest data, public opinion data and party manifestos. I conclude that the strong connection of environmental movement with political parties, less dispersive social movement agendas, favorable conditions from the EU and relatively weak anti-environmental movement led Britain to making a better environmental performance than the U.S.
A STUDY OF THE EMERGENCE OF WELFARE CLEAVAGES IN SOUTH KOREA
Jihun Yeo
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This study aims to trace the cause of an emerging welfare cleavage under circumstances where discourses on economic growth have been dominant in Korean politics. On the basis of the theories of interaction between changing social structure and social-norm dynamics, this paper explores the causes of an emerging welfare cleavage in the case of South Korea during the late 2000s. To analyze the change of economic structure and public awareness regarding public welfare, I used the data of macro-economic indicators and public opinion polls and utilized press releases to analyze discourses of political actors. The linked-policies effects of an immature “developmental welfare regime” and neo-liberal economic policies caused social polarization and expansion of the poverty stratum in the course of a slowdown in economic growth in the 1990s and foreign exchange crisis in 1998. The existing norm (i.e., economic growth could solve problems concerning people's livelihood) that had been maintained in the era of rapid economic growth was weakened. A conflict between an education superintendent and the Gyeonggi-do Provincial Council triggered a debate on free meals and welfare in 2009. Civil society groups were organized on a national scale, and they started a discourse struggle to replace individual interests with public interests and to obtain social legitimacy. Political parties gradually accepted the welfare issue as the primary electoral pledge for their political interests after public preference regarding growth and distribution changed when confronted with political crises. This study draws an implication that general factors affecting Western welfare states (e.g., power alliance and democratic institutions) influence East Asian welfare states by analyzing the case of South Korean welfare politics. It means that studies of East Asian welfare states can use explanatory building blocks partly from existing welfare theories rather than stressing the exceptionalism of East Asian welfare states. However, owing to the different economic and political structures of East Asian states from those of Western countries during the formative stage of welfare states, studies of East Asian welfare states need to consider path dependency in the historical context of East Asian political economy.
Post-COVID and Post-EFC: A New Financial Landscape for Hawai‘i Students Pursuing STEM Degrees
Helen Turner; Chad Jansen; Catherine Lee Brockway; Jonathan Baker; Rylan Chong; Chrystie Nae`ole; Jolene Cogbill; Kahoalii Keahi; Mariane Uehara; Alexander Stokes
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Contributions by low resource and under-served populations in Hawai‘i to a strong regional and national STEM endeavor are limited by disenfranchisement from STEM education due to social, economic and cultural factors. This paper explores how national trends in higher education finance intersect with regional issues such as Hawai‘i’s exceptionally high cost of living and unique cultural setting. These financial challenges affect all Hawai'i residents, but disproportionately impact indigenous Hawaiian students and diasporic Pacific Island migrants, who are most likely to face economic precarity. The high cost of STEM degrees exacerbates these challenges, driven by expensive textbooks, laboratory fees, internship and professional development requirements, and extended time to graduation. Contextualized by post-COVID economic realities and the dramatic 2024 changes to the federal financial aid system, this paper highlights the ongoing need for regionally tailored financial models. We review the rapidly changing landscape for federal and state-level financial aid to inform faculty and administrators who are involved in designing and implementing programs that are focused on broadening STEM participation. We propose strategies that consider Hawai‘i’s economic and cultural distinctiveness, aiming to reduce financial barriers and increase participation for Hawai‘i students where underlying economic precarity is a barrier to STEM participation.
Putting Economics Back into Geoeconomics
Christopher Clayton; Matteo Maggiori; Jesse Schreger
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Geoeconomics is the use of a country's economic strength to exert influence on foreign entities to achieve geopolitical or economic goals. We discuss how concepts of power in the political science and economics literature can be used to guide research on geoeconomics. Economic threats as a form of coercion have seen a recent resurgence. We show how different types of threats can be modeled using simple tools and discuss what channels their potential effectiveness is based on. We discuss important open questions for the future literature to pursue.