Contextual Variations of Infrahumanization: The Role of Physical Context and Territoriality

The malleability of the infrahumanization bias was tested varying the physical context in which the ingroup and the outgroup target were assessed. Using a sequential priming paradigm, Study 1 replicated the infrahumanization bias in a neutral context. Study 2 tested the hypothesis that there are contextual variations in infrahumanization. Specifically, Black targets were infrahumanized in a context familiar to White participants, and not in an unfamiliar context. Study 3 revealed that participants’ threat perceptions were reduced when ingroup targets appeared in familiar context, compared to Black targets. Theoretical implications for the infrahumanization bias are discussed.     

Quality adjusted survival analysis: A neglected application of the quality of well-being scale

Abstract

Background In survival analysis, those who are alive are statistically coded as 1.0 while those who are dead are coded as 0.0. Since everyone who remains alive is given the same score, a person confined to bed with an irreversible coma is alive and is counted the same as someone who is active and asymtomatic. The Quality of Well-being (QWB) scale defines levels of wellness on the continuum between death and optimum function and integrates morbidity and mortality into the same number. This paper demonstrates the effect of including mortality in QWB estimates for male adults with HIV infection.

Method This study involves follow-up of a cohort of 386 male adults participating in the San Diego HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center (HNRC). Patients were evaluated using the QWB at enrollment and at six month intervals. All patients were classified into three stages of HIV disease according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) classification: CDC IV (symptomatic HIV disease), CDC II or III (asymptomatic infection) and uninfected male controls.

Results QWB scores were calculated with and without mortality included for men in each CDC class who completed a one year (N = 148) or two year follow-up (N = 60). At each evaluation, there were significant differences among CDC classes and inclusion of deaths increased the variance accounted for by CDC class at each evaluation.

Conclusions HIV infection has significant impacts upon both morbidity and mortality. Survival analysis captures only the mortality dimension, while quality adjusted survival analysis using the QWB includes both dimensions. We propose quality adjusted survival analysis as a more sensitive method for assessing outcome in HIV disease and other health conditions.     

How Many is Enough? Determining Optimal Sample Sizes for Normative Studies in Pediatric Neuropsychology

The purpose of this investigation was to determine how confidence intervals (CIs) for pediatric neuropsychological norms vary as a function of sample size, and to determine optimal sample sizes for normative studies. First, the authors calculated 95% CIs for a set of published pediatric norms for four commonly used neuropsychological instruments. Second, 95% CIs were calculated for varying sample size (from n?=?5 to n?=?500). Results suggest that some pediatric norms have unacceptably wide CIs, and normative studies ought optimally to use 50 to 75 participants per cell. Smaller sample sizes may lead to overpathologizing results, while the cost of obtaining larger samples may not be justifiable.     

Structural Equation Modeling of Spatial Presence: The Influence of Cognitive Processes and Traits

This article examines the formation process of spatial presence, which is conceived as a two-step process involving the construction of a mental model of the mediated environment, followed by the emergence of spatial presence. During both stages, cognitive processes and user traits are in effect. We present data derived from a pooled set of data of three studies using the same virtual environment. Structural equation modeling is used to confirm the proposed theoretical model. The results show that attention and the trait of visual spatial imagery are positive predictors of the mental model of the mediated environment. In the second step, the formation of spatial presence is governed by involvement, the suspension of disbelief, and the domain-specific interest, together with the mental model.     

Task dependent modulation of exogenous attention: Effects of target duration and intervening events

Inhibition of return (IOR) consists of slower reaction times in response to stimuli appearing at previously attended or inspected locations. The exact mechanisms underlying the effect have not yet been determined. In the present work, we manipulated two variables, target duration and intervening event (fixation cue between cue and target), through which we modulated the IOR effect as a function of task. When the target was presented until response, the presence of an intervening event made the cueing effect more negative in all tasks, although facilitation in the absence of an intervening event was only observed in discrimination and go–no-go tasks. When the target duration was 50 ms, the effect of the intervening event on cueing was also only observed for the discrimination and go–no-go tasks. Target duration had no effect at all in the discrimination task. Possible mechanisms for these modulations (detection cost and spatial selection benefit, both of which are based on cue–target integration processes) are discussed.     

“Who said it?” How contextual information influences perceived profundity of meaningful quotes and pseudo-profound bullshit

Psychological research on pseudo-profound bullshit—randomly assembled buzz words plugged into a syntactic structure—has only recently begun. Most such research has focused on dispositional traits, such as thinking styles or political orientation. However, none has investigated contextual factors. In two studies, we introduce a new paradigm by investigating the contextual effect on pseudo-profound bullshit and meaningful quotes. In Study 1, all participants rated the profundity of statements in three contexts: (a) isolated, (b) as allegedly said by a famous author, or (c) within a vignette (short story). Study 2 serves as a conceptual replication in which participants rated statements in only one of three contexts. Overall, our results demonstrate that although contextual information such as author's name increases the perceived profundity of bullshit, it has an inconsistent effect on meaningful quotes. The present study helps to better understand the bullshit receptivity while offering a new line of research.     

Self-Criticism and Depressive Symptoms Mediate the Relationship Between Emotional Experiences With Family and Peers and Self-Injury in Adolescence

Although the relationship between negative childhood experiences, peer victimization, depressive symptoms, and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) is widely recognized, the mechanisms involved are not fully understood, especially among adolescents. This study aims to test the mediating role of both self-criticism and depressive symptoms in the relationship between memories of negative or positive experiences, current peer victimization, and NSSI. The sample consists 854 Portuguese adolescents, 451 female and 403 male, with ages between 12 and 18 years (M = 14.89; SD = 1.79), from middle and secondary schools. Participants answered self-report measures. Results from path analysis showed that memories of negative experiences, the absence of positive memories with family in childhood and peer victimization indirectly impact on NSSI through self-criticism and depressive symptoms. In addition, these stressful experiences led to depressive symptoms through self-criticism. Lastly, the most severe form of self-criticism indirectly impacts on NSSI through depressive symptoms, even though it also has a strong direct effect. It suggests that negative experiences with parents and peer victimization, as well as the absence of positive memories with family, have a negative impact on NSSI when these experiences are linked with a sense of self-hatred and depressive symptoms.