Obstacle crossing with lower visual field restriction: shifts in strategy

In this study, the authors investigated how restriction of the vertical viewing angle influences obstacle-crossing behavior. Twelve participants stepped over obstacles of different dimensions while wearing visual-field-restricting goggles. Using full-body motion capture, several kinematic measures were extracted and analyzed. Results indicate that both a 40° and 90° vertical viewing angle yielded increased step length and toe clearance as compared to an unrestricted view (i.e., 135°), whereas speed remained unaltered. A further decrease (to 25°) caused participants to slow down in addition to a further increase of step length and toe clearance. These results are discussed in terms of a change in priorities, from conservation of energy and time to safety.     

Is viewing ostracism on television distressing?

Being ostracized can be a painful and distressing experience and can lead to subsequent aggression by the victim. However, it is unknown whether watching someone else be ostracized either in real life or on television is similarly distressing. The purpose of the current study was to examine what type of distress (if any) is induced after viewing ostracism on television. The study consisted of 50 participants, half who viewed a movie clip containing ostracism and half who viewed a control clip. Physiological and self-report data revealed that viewing ostracism was distressing to participants. In particular, participants who viewed the ostracism clip reported a lower sense of belonging, self esteem, and mood, and a greater increase in heart rate and skin conductivity than those who viewed the control clip.     

The A-theory of time and induction

The A-theory of time says that it is an objective, non-perspectival fact about the world that some events are present, while others were present or will be present. I shall argue that the A-theory has some implausible consequences for inductive reasoning. In particular, the presentist version of the A-theory, which holds that the difference between the present and the non-present consists in the present events being the only ones that exist, is very much in trouble.     

Looking young for your age: Perceptions of anti‐aging actions

Despite the potential benefits of looking young, we predicted that older adults who attempt to look younger than they are would threaten the distinctiveness of young adults' social identity and, for this reason, such “passers” would be evaluated negatively. In three experiments we found that both male and female young adults negatively evaluated older adults who attempt to look younger compared to older adults who do not attempt to do so. Both male and female targets who attempt to look younger were evaluated negatively (Experiment 2), and these negative evaluations were a function of experienced threat to young adults' social identities (Experiment 3). Older adults may attempt to look young to avoid age‐based prejudice or conform to existing standards, but doing so can result in negative evaluations by younger people. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Neural correlates of metonymy resolution

Metonymies are exemplary models for complex semantic association processes at the sentence level. We investigated processing of metonymies using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).During an 1.5 Tesla fMRI scan, 14 healthy subjects (12 female) read 124 short German sentences with either literal (like “Africa is arid”), metonymic (“Africa is hungry”), or nonsense (“Africa is woollen”) content. Sentences were constructed so that they obey certain grammatical, semantic, and plausibility conditions and were matched for word frequency, semantic association, length and syntactic structure. We concentrated on metonymies that were not yet fossilised; we also examined a wide variety of metonymic readings.Reading metonymies relative to literal sentences revealed signal changes in a predominantly left-lateralised fronto-temporal network with maxima in the left and right inferior frontal as well as left middle temporal gyri. Left inferior frontal activation may reflect both inference processes and access to world knowledge during metonymy resolution.     

How to get really smart: Modeling retest and training effects in ability testing using computer-generated figural matrix items

The interpretation of retest scores is problematic because they are potentially affected by measurement and predictive bias, which impact construct validity, and because their size differs as a function of various factors. This paper investigates the construct stability of scores on a figural matrices test and models retest effects at the level of the individual test taker as a function of covariates (simple retest vs. training, use of identical vs. parallel retest forms, and general mental ability). A total of N = 189 subjects took two tests of matrix items that were automatically generated according to a strict construction rationale. Between test administrations, participants in the intervention groups received training, while controls did not. The Rasch model fit the data at both time points, but there was a lack of item difficulty parameter invariance across time. Training increased test performance beyond simple retesting, but there was no large difference between the identical and parallel retest forms at the individual level. Individuals varied greatly in how they profited from retest experience, training, and the use of identical vs. parallel retest forms. The results suggest that even with carefully designed tasks, it is problematic to directly compare scores from initial tests and retests. Test administrators should emphasize learning potential instead of state level assessment, and inter-individual differences with regard to test experience should be taken into account when interpreting test results.     

Short version of CaMir questionnaire (CaMir-R) to assess attachment

The CaMir is a questionnaire aimed at measuring attachment cognitions. It is based on subjects' evaluations of past and present attachment experiences and family functioning. It is a widely used tool both in research and in clinical settings. The aim of this study was to develop a short version of CaMir in Spanish (CaMir-R) and to obtain evidence about its validity and reliability in a sample of 676 adolescents (364 female and 312 male) belonging to different groups (clinical, maltreated, and community samples) with an age range between 13 and 19 years (M = 15.62, SD = 1.49). We examined its internal structure, convergent, and decision validity, the relationship between its dimensions and psychopathological symptoms, as well as its internal consistency and temporal stability. The CaMir-R included 7 factors whose internal consistency indexes ranged between 0.60 and 0.85. With the exception of the ?Parental Permissiveness? dimension, which did not show good reliability, the results suggest that the CaMir-R provides a valid and reliable assessment of attachment representations and of the conception of family functioning.     

Conditions for growth in one-person startups: a longitudinal study spanning eight years

In the European Union, one-person businesses (OPBs) are increasingly regarded as an important alternative to dependent employment. From an economic policy standpoint, the growth potential of such businesses is especially attractive. This paper analyzes the growth potential of OPBs by postulating five key groups of enterprise growth predictors: personal traits, resources, strategy, industry, and organizational structures and systems. The framework model was adapted to suit the specific circumstances of OPBs. The model was tested using a longitudinal data set comprising 188 OPBs which were observed over a period of eight years. At the end of the observation period, the OPBs included in the study had an average of 1.33 employees. The gender of the founder, capital requirements at the time of establishment, and growth strategy proved to be the most important predictors of growth. In addition, human capital resources also tended to have a positive impact. The traits of the person founding the business were not found to affect growth. In summary, it is possible to draw empirically reliable conclusions about growth potential on the basis of the ?seriousness? of an OPB startup project.     

Attitudes about memory dampening drugs depend on context and country

When people take drugs such as propranolol in response to trauma, it may dampen their bad memories – tempering recall of a traumatic event. We examined people's attitudes toward these drugs. Americans and New Zealanders read about a hypothetical assault inserting themselves into a scenario as a victim attacked while serving on a peace keeping mission (soldier role) or while walking home from a job as a restaurant manager (civilian role). Then they told us whether they should receive a memory dampening drug, and whether they would want to take a memory dampening drug. Subjects were negatively disposed towards a memory dampening drug, but Americans who adopted the soldier role were more in favor of having access to the drug than those who adopted the civilian role. We discuss the implications of these findings in relation to an increasing trend in ‘cosmetic neurology’, medicating with the goal of enhancement, rather than therapy. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.