A CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY OF RECOGNITION MEMORY FOR FACES1

The hypothesis that subjects would show superior memory for faces of members of their own ethnic group compared with those of a different ethnic group was tested in a cross-cultural experiment. Thirty two African and 32 European subjects were presented with coloured photographs of ten black Africans and ten white Europeans, with the instruction to try to remember them. Twenty four hours later, the subjects were presented with the same photographs shuffled with an equal number of new photographs of Africans and Europeans, and were asked to identify those they had seen before. The index d' was used as a measure of recognition. As predicted, European subjects were superior at recognising European faces compared with African faces, and African subjects were superior at recognising African faces compared with European faces. Response bias data indicated that European subjects had a differential response bias for the photographs of the two ethnic groups, but African subjects did not differ in their bias towards the two ethnic groups. African subjects did, however, show differential response bias for sex within the European faces. The results were discussed in terms of perceptual discrimination and stereotyping.     

THE MANY FACES OF PANENTHEISM: AN EDITORIAL INTRODUCTION

A well‐known difficulty of the interdisciplinary dialogue beyond the limits of particular disciplines is the lack of common ground regarding their metaphysical and methodological assumptions and commitments. This is particularly evident for the precarious relationship between science and religion. In a 2016 conference entitled “The Many Faces of Panentheism” held in Zurich, and now in this introduction as well as this section, we try to counteract this situation by choosing a focus theme located at the interface between nature and the divine. Thus, key perspectives, arguments, and implications of panentheism are introduced not only from one selected point of view but in relation to others. This allows us to explore territory beyond the boundaries of disciplinary backgrounds and to address intellectual and practical consequences for current debates.     

THE PAST,PRESENT, AND FUTURE ALL MATTER: HOW TIME PERSPECTIVE IS ASSOCIATED WITH OPTIMISM AND SENSATION SEEKING AMONG YOUNG ADULTS

We used a multidimensional model of time perspective to examine how feelings and thoughts about the past, present, and future were related to optimism and sensation seeking among young adults. The dimensions of time perspective assessed were time feelings, the positive and negative emotions one has about the past, present, and future; time frequency, the amount of thinking about each time period; and time orientation, the relative emphases toward the time periods. Optimism and sensation seeking were self-reported and participants included 463 young adults. Variable-based analyses indicated that reporting more positive and less negative feelings about the time periods or emphasizing the present and future simultaneously were associated with greater optimism. For sensation seeking, boredom susceptibility was especially associated with the time perspective dimensions. Person-centered analyses based on time feelings and time frequency yielded four profiles (i.e., Mindful, Discontent, Bleak, and Indifferent) that were associated with both optimism and sensation seeking.     

THE IMPACT OF DEPRESSION ON MATERNAL RESPONSES TO INFANT FACES IN PREGNANCY

Research has suggested that prenatal depression may be associated with disrupted maternal responses to infant stimuli, with depressed pregnant women not showing the bias toward distressed infants as that observed in nondepressed pregnant women. The current study examined the effects of depression on self‐ reported responses to infant stimuli, in early pregnancy. Women with clinical depression (n = 38), and nondepressed women (n = 67) were recruited from a wider cognitive behavioral therapy trial. They completed Maternal Response Scales in which they were presented with images of distressed, neutral, and happy infant faces, with no time limit. The women rated their responses to these images along three dimensions—wanting to comfort, wanting to turn away, and feelings of anxiety—using Likert scales via a computerized task. There was evidence that women with depression in pregnancy showed different responses than did women without depression. Women with depression were substantially more likely to be in the highest quartile for ratings of wanting to turn away, odds (OR) ratio = 4.15, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) = 1.63–10.5, p = .003, and also were substantially less likely to be in the highest quartile for wanting to comfort a distressed infant face, OR = 0.22, 95% CIs = 0.09–0.54, p < .001. Findings are consistent with there being both a heightened avoidant and a reduced comforting response toward distressed infants in depressed pregnant women, providing some support that depression disrupts maternal preparations at a conscious level.