A laboratory analogue of mirrored-self misidentification delusion: The role of hypnosis,suggestion, and demand characteristics

Mirrored-self misidentification is the delusional belief that one’s own reflection in the mirror is a stranger. In two experiments, we tested the ability of hypnotic suggestion to model this condition. In Experiment 1, we compared two suggestions based on either the delusion’s surface features (seeing a stranger in the mirror) or underlying processes (impaired face processing). Fifty-two high hypnotisable participants received one of these suggestions either with hypnosis or without in a wake control. In Experiment 2, we examined the extent to which social cues and role-playing could account for participants’ behaviour by comparing the responses of 14 hypnotised participants to the suggestion for impaired face processing (reals) with those of 14 nonhypnotised participants instructed to fake their responses (simulators). Overall, results from both experiments confirm that we can use hypnotic suggestion to produce a compelling analogue of mirrored-self misidentification that cannot simply be attributed to social cues or role-playing.     

The direction of movement of machine controls

Experiments are described in which the relation between the direction of movement of a control and display was varied in order to determine what relationships are likely to cause least confusion to the operator of a machine. Two different types of task were used: a task consisting of intermittent stimuli whose rate of presentation could be varied, and a continuous pursuit task.

It is found that accuracy of performance varies with the degree of remoteiiess of the directional relationship from those met in everyday life, with the complexity of the task, with the ability of the subject, and there is some indication that under certain Conditions it may vary with the breadth of his attention. Awareness of the response aspect of the situation in these simple sensori-motor tasks, it is suggested, although necessary in the early stages of learning, may be associated in the later stages with confusion and error.     

The part played by intellectual processes in a sensori-motor performance

An experimental method is described for investigating the relation between intellectual processes and hand movements as both develop during the learning of a skilled task. Subjects were required to make predictive movements to join a series of circles; these appeared one at a time and were arranged in a pattern which was repeated thirty-two times. Comparison between the record of predictive movements and the subject's drawing of the pattern, made at the end of the experiment, showed that errors in the drawing corresponded to the type of response first made when the whole pattern was unfamiliar. For this reason it is suggested that the making of the responses played a part in the development of the idea of the pattern of circles, but the relation between the two is not a simple one.     

Differentiating emotional processing and attention in psychopathy with functional neuroimaging

Individuals with psychopathy are often characterized by emotional processing deficits, and recent research has examined the specific contexts and cognitive mechanisms that underlie these abnormalities. Some evidence suggests that abnormal features of attention are fundamental to emotional deficits in persons with psychopathy, but few studies have demonstrated the neural underpinnings responsible for such effects. Here, we use functional neuroimaging to examine attention–emotion interactions among incarcerated individuals (n = 120) evaluated for psychopathic traits using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R). Using a task designed to manipulate attention to emotional features of visual stimuli, we demonstrate effects representing implicit emotional processing, explicit emotional processing, attention-facilitated emotional processing, and vigilance for emotional content. Results confirm the importance of considering mechanisms of attention when evaluating emotional processing differences related to psychopathic traits. The affective-interpersonal features of psychopathy (PCL-R Factor 1) were associated with relatively lower emotion-dependent augmentation of activity in visual processing areas during implicit emotional processing, while antisocial-lifestyle features (PCL-R Factor 2) were associated with elevated activity in the amygdala and related salience network regions. During explicit emotional processing, psychopathic traits were associated with upregulation in the medial prefrontal cortex, insula, and superior frontal regions. Isolating the impact of explicit attention to emotional content, only Factor 1 was related to upregulation of activity in the visual processing stream, which was accompanied by increased activity in the angular gyrus. These effects highlight some important mechanisms underlying abnormal features of attention and emotional processing that accompany psychopathic traits.     

Book reviews

Nervous and Hormonal Mechanisms of Integration: Symposia of the Society for Experimental Bilogy, No. 20. Edited by G. M. Hughes. London: Cambridge University press. 1966. Pp. viii + 553. 75s.

Essential Works of Pavlov. Edited with an Introduction by Muchael Kaplan. New York: bantam Books. 1966. Pp. xiii + 392. $1.25.

Psycholinguistic Papers. Proceedings of the Edinburgh Conference 1966. Edited by J. Lyons and R. J. Wales. Edinburgh University Press. 1966. Pp. 243. 42s.

On Human Communication. By Colin Cherry. 2nd edition. London and Cambridge, Mass.: M.I.T. Press. 1966. Pp. xiv + 337. 80s.

Psycholigical Principles Appropvite to Socal and Cinical Problems. By John C. Raven. London: H. K. Lewis. 1966. Pp. xx + 187. 25s.     

Corrective movements in a pursuit task

In the use of many instruments the operator is required to keep two objects in alignment, when one is continually moving with respect to the other. The pursuit-meter, in various forms, has provided such a task for experimental purposes. Problems connected with target tracking have, in recent years, given an impetus to investigations into the nature of the operator's response under various conditions when faced with such a situation.     

Sales Technology Applications: Self-Paced Video Enhanced Training: A Case Study

Video enhanced sales training (VET) is being adopted by a substantial number of firms. The reported advantages of video enhanced programs are lower costs and results-oriented training. The major characteristics and applications of this sales training technology are presented. The application of video enhanced training at Motorola Inc. is described. Results indicate that video enhanced training is a promising technological application that improves sales training effectiveness.     

Decomposing the brain: components and modes, networks and nodes

Smith and colleagues recently presented a temporal independent component analysis (tICA) decomposition of resting-state functional MRI data. Compared to the widely used spatial ICA (sICA), tICA better allows for a brain region to engage in multiple, independent interactions with other regions and will potentially offer new insights into brain function.