When Sharing Is Not Caring: Does (un)Certainty About Bill Payment Method Lead Diners to Consume More and Spend More Money?

Previous work has demonstrated that unacquainted participants in an experimental, restaurant‐like setting consume more when they know in advance that the bill will be split evenly rather than paid according to individual consumption. Real life, however, often differs from these experimental settings in two important ways. First, unlike random groups of participants, diners who eat together are frequently friends or colleagues. Second, payment method (even vs. individual payment) is usually unknown (i.e. uncertain) at the time people place their orders, and is determined when the check arrives. The current research tests the ecological validity of the association between consumption amount and payment method. Study 1 was conducted in a natural setting with organic groups of diners. Some were asked to state their desired payment method before ordering (Certain condition); others did so only after asking for the check (Uncertain condition). In both conditions, even payment (as opposed to individual payment) was associated with greater consumption amount. However, overall, consumption amount was lower among diners in the Uncertain condition than among those in the Certain condition. Study 2 presents a controlled follow‐up experiment showing that eliminating diners' prior expectations regarding the payment method—by informing them that the payment method will be randomly determined after the consumption decision—eliminates the relationship between payment method and consumption amount. This study further indicates that when diners are uncertain what the payment method will be, even bill‐splitting has negative implications for their subsequent social interactions, expressed in retribution tendencies. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Do Raters Agree More on Observable Items?

When providing performance ratings, it is commonly assumed that raters agree more on rating items that are behaviorally based and observable than on items that are vague and less behaviorally based. This study empirically investigated the relationships between agreement among raters, raters' perceptions regarding their difficulty in providing ratings, and expert assessments of the behavioral observability of each item. The results, based on 611 raters in two studies conducted in different locations, suggest that contrary to common expectations, rater agreement can increase as raters' reported rating difficulty increases and as behavioral observability decreases. Explanations and implications are discussed.     

More Difficult to Believe? Luther on Divine Omnipotence

This article considers Luther's statement in thesis 21 of the 1545 doctoral disputation of Petrus Hegemon (1545) concerning the difficulty of belief in creatio ex nihilo , and suggests that this difficulty shapes the later Luther's theology in significant ways. The difficulty is reconstructed as a gradual movement into the mystery of the creatio ex nihilo . The first site of difficulty correlates the knowledge of creatures as particulars with the knowledge of the Creator as the source of existence. The move towards a second site is propelled by the question of inevitable death, which Luther answers by moving from material and natural generation to the resurrection and then to the creatio ex nihilo . At the third site, Luther addresses such disturbing questions as the suffering of the righteous, the historical cycle of political power, and the harshness of reprobation. He answers these questions by integrating the symmetrical biblical statements of the annihilatio and the creatio with a theological theory of divine omnipotence. God's hiddenness is understood as God's omnipotence working at the specific locations of self-negation, as well as behind the ebb and flow of historical-political contingency. Faith presses into the hidden mystery, grounded in the certainty that all things are effected by the Creator whose nature is self-giving goodness, and established by the hope that the light of glory will determine more fully the God who is to be honored above all.     

More on Putnam’s models: a reply to Belloti

In an earlier paper, I claimed that one version of Putnam's model-theoretic argument against realism turned on a subtle, but philosophically significant, mathematical mistake. Recently, Luca Bellotti has criticized my argument for this claim. This paper responds to Bellotti's criticisms.     

Strawson or Straw Man? More on Moral Responsibility and the Moral Community

In a recent article in this journal, I argued against the popular twofold Strawsonian claim that there can be no moral responsibility without a moral community and that, as a result, moral responsibility is essentially interpersonal. Benjamin De Mesel has offered a number of objections to my argument, including in particular the objection that I mischaracterized Strawson’s view. In this article, I respond to De Mesel’s criticisms.     

Are Judgments of Linear Size More Accurate When Based on an Affordance?

Perceptual judgments of size affect a wide variety of activities but can be difficult to measure. Two methods of estimating size (linear extent) were compared. One required adjustment of the distance between a point created by a laser beam and a fixed reference line; the other involved adjusting the separation of 2 vertical posts. Two groups of adults were instructed to use these methods to indicate either simple linear extent ("width") or the affordance of passability (minimal opening) for identical dimensions of objects and their own bodies. Afterward, the participants completed a survey including the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). Accuracy did not vary with instructions or EAT-26 scores. As predicted, accuracy was found to be lower for participants whose body weight had recently changed by 5% or more, presumably due to a less refined attunement to their current body sizes. Higher accuracy was expected for both the method (posts) and instructions ("opening") that should foster affordance-based judgments. Despite the greater ease and precision of the laser-based method, more accurate estimates were made using movable posts. These results are discussed in terms of 2 contrasting perceptual modes.     

Do They Suffer More? Reflections on Research Comparing Suicide Survivors to Other Survivors

This article contrasts public perceptions of suicide survivors with conclusions based on comparative studies of suicide, fatal accident survivors, and other survivors. Although suicide is commonly thought to cause a particularly burden-some grief, quantitative studies have often failed to support this. We then offer some interpretations of these findings and suggest future pathways for research.     

“Dream More,Learn More,Care More,and Be More”: The Imagination Library Influencing Storybook Reading and Early Literacy

Abstract

This study examined the free book giving program of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library and its influence upon storybook reading and early literacy within one county-wide setting in the United States. Family literacy and early literacy experiences are known to be critical to young children's literacy development. The study found that childre who received the Imagination Library books were statistically different from those children who did not participate in the free book giving program. This study has implications for the early literacy outcomes for young children and their families, as well as other communities who utilize Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.     

Effects of Self-Reported Wisdom on Happiness: Not Much More Than Emotional Intelligence?

Wisdom and emotional intelligence are increasingly popular topics among happiness scholars. Despite their conceptual overlap, no empirical research has examined their interrelations and incremental predictive validities. The aims of this study were (a) to investigate associations between multidimensional conceptualizations of self-reported wisdom (Ardelt in Res Aging 25(3):275–324, 2003, 2004) and emotional intelligence (Davies et al. in J Pers Soc Psychol 75:989–1015, 1998) and (b) to examine the joint effects of self-reported wisdom and emotional intelligence on dimensions of happiness (life satisfaction as well as positive and negative affect). Data were provided by two samples: 175 university students and 400 online workers. Correlations between a composite wisdom score, a composite emotional intelligence score, and happiness facets were positive and moderate in size. Regression analyses showed that the effects of composite wisdom on life satisfaction and positive affect (but not negative affect) became weaker and non-significant when composite emotional intelligence was controlled. Additional analyses including three dimensions of the self-reported wisdom (cognitive, reflective, and affective wisdom) and four dimensions of emotional intelligence (self- and others-emotions appraisal, use and regulation of emotion) revealed a more differentiated pattern of results. Implications for future research on wisdom and happiness are discussed.     

More than mere mimicry? The influence of emotion on rapid facial reactions to faces

Within a second of seeing an emotional facial expression, people typically match that expression. These rapid facial reactions (RFRs), often termed mimicry, are implicated in emotional contagion, social perception, and embodied affect, yet ambiguity remains regarding the mechanism(s) involved. Two studies evaluated whether RFRs to faces are solely nonaffective motor responses or whether emotional processes are involved. Brow (corrugator, related to anger) and forehead (frontalis, related to fear) activity were recorded using facial electromyography (EMG) while undergraduates in two conditions (fear induction vs. neutral) viewed fear, anger, and neutral facial expressions. As predicted, fear induction increased fear expressions to angry faces within 1000 ms of exposure, demonstrating an emotional component of RFRs. This did not merely reflect increased fear from the induction, because responses to neutral faces were unaffected. Considering RFRs to be merely nonaffective automatic reactions is inaccurate. RFRs are not purely motor mimicry; emotion influences early facial responses to faces. The relevance of these data to emotional contagion, autism, and the mirror system-based perspectives on imitation is discussed.     

Are Older Adults More Dependent on Visual Information in Regulating Self-Motion Than Younger Adults?

Older adults look at the ground more while they are walking than younger adults do. In the present study, the effect of blocking that exproprioceptive visual information on the walking pattern of older adults was investigated. The first 0.75 m of the floor in front of healthy young adults (n = 10, mean age = 26.0 years) and 2 groups of older adults (n = 10, mean age 65.7 years; and n = 9, mean age = 75.9 years) was occluded. The dependent variables were step velocity, step length, and step frequency. The effect of the manipulation on those kinematic variables increased with age. The older adults had a significant increase in velocity and step length. The possible use of optic flow information from the ground to regulate the velocity of self-motion is discussed.     

“Do You See and Hear More? A Study on Telugu Perception Verbs”

Journal of Psycholinguistic Research - Verbs of perception describe the actual perception of some entity and it is emphasized by earlier researchers that lexicon in languages is...     

“We Always Spend Time Together on Sundays”: How Grandparents and Their Grandchildren Think About and Use Informal Learning Spaces

ABSTRACT

Self-reflection is critical for visitors to make sense of an exhibit collection in which they are the subject of investigation and may play an important role in any informal learning context. This study examines this construct by listening for self-reflective talk at Mind, an exhibit collection focused on helping visitors explore aspects of themselves rather than external objects or phenomena. It addresses 3 questions: (a) What does self-reflective talk sound like in such a collection? (b) What categories of self-reflective talk are prevalent? (c) What types of exhibits engender what categories of self-reflective talk? Findings indicate that self-reflective talk comes in various forms. Self-monitoring talk, including self-assessments about how visitors are feeling and doing and what they know, is more prevalent than self-connecting talk, comments about visitors’ own lives, values, and their sense of self. Comparisons among different types of exhibits suggest that exhibits designed for multiple users prompt high frequencies of self-connecting talk and self-monitoring talk, whereas interactive exhibits and exhibits that pose a challenge elicit high frequencies of self-monitoring but not self-connecting talk. Additional work is needed to better understand self-reflection, its role in informal learning, and effective means of fostering self-reflection in science museums.     

Not Much More Than g? An Examination of the Impact of Intelligence on NFL Performance

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficiency and equity of general mental ability (GMA) in a nontraditional employment setting—professional football. The National Football League (NFL) uses a measure of GMA, the Wonderlic Personnel Test, to evaluate potential draftees in an assessment-style environment. A total of 762 NFL players, represented from three draft classes, were included in our sample. In terms of efficiency, results indicated that GMA was unrelated to (a) future NFL performance, (b) selection decisions during the NFL Draft, and (c) the number of games started in the NFL. In regards to equity, differential prediction analyses by race suggested only the existence of intercept bias. The implications of these findings to the NFL and the selection literature are further discussed.     

More Rational or More Emotional Than Others? Lay Beliefs About Decision-Making Strategies

Research demonstrates that people utilize both reasoning and feeling in decision making and that both strategies can be advantageous. However, little is known about how people perceive their decision-making relative to others. Despite research findings and popular appeals supporting the use of affective decision processes, across a series of studies, we find that individuals believe they rely more on reasoning, and less on feelings, than others. These effects are driven by the motivation to self-enhance where, in most contexts, individuals believe the use of reasoning is superior, and self-enhancing, compared to the use of feelings. Consistent with this mechanism, beliefs that one’s decisions are more rational than others’ are as follows: (a) stronger for those who exhibit greater beliefs in the superiority of reasoning (vs. feeling), (b) attenuated when the decision context precludes motivational thinking about the self or the self is affirmed, and (c) reversed when the use of feelings is perceived as more self-enhancing. We demonstrate downstream consequences (e.g., decision delegation), rule out alternative explanations, and discuss practical implications of these lay beliefs.     

Does Advertising on Black Entertainment Television Portray More Positive Gender Representations Compared to Broadcast Networks?

This article reports on a content analysis of television commercials (n?=?434) aired during prime-time on US general networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX) and an African American niche station (Black Entertainment Television—BET) in 2002. Targeted group/nontargeted group representations are explored in relation to depictions of domestic/romantic fulfillment and agency. The findings reveal that although the majority of characters on all stations studied were male and White, the niche station did provide a venue for some positive gender representations. Specifically, characters on BET were more likely to be portrayed as respected and as sex-objects. Findings demonstrate that although the niche station BET represents a venue for minority voices, it is also a source of problematic representations of gender.     

‘In human shape to become the very beast!’ – Henry More on animals

ABSTRACT

Animals – both tame and wild, as metaphors and as real presences – populate many of More’s works. In this essay, I show that, from the early Psychodia Platonica to the Divine Dialogues, animals are at the core of key metaphysical issues that reverberate on the levels of psychology and ethics. In particular I discuss three main aspects: (1) the role of animals in More’s critique of atheism, both as safeguard for the body–soul interaction and as proofs of divine providence in nature; (2) the problem of evil in the universe, and how to justify the existence of ‘evil’ animals in particular; (3) the differentiation between animals and humans, especially on the basis of their respective possibility of attaining happiness. In all three cases, I argue that More attempts to ‘tame’ the nature of animals, and yet that he is aware that ‘animality’ remains partly untamed.