Perception of line‐up suggestiveness: effects of identification outcome knowledge

Research on the hindsight bias has shown that knowledge of an event outcome makes the observed outcome appear more predictable than it does in the absence of outcome knowledge. It was hypothesised that perceptions of the suggestiveness of a line‐up would be similarly influenced by knowledge of a witness' identification decision, with a positive identification of the suspect increasing, and a negative non‐identification decreasing, perceived suggestiveness. The ratings of undergraduate students (N = 50) in Experiment 1 showed the predicted influence of positive outcome, whereas negative outcome had no demonstrable influence. In contrast, Experiment 2, conducted with police trainees (N = 126) and with the line‐up presented in the context of a criminal investigation, partially supported the predicted influence of negative, but not positive, outcome. The discrepant findings are discussed in terms of the cognitive mechanisms underlying the hindsight bias and the implications for real‐life judgements of line‐up suggestiveness. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An investigation of brain processes supporting meditation

Meditation is an ancient spiritual practice, which aims to still the fluctuations of the mind. We investigated meditation with fMRI in order to identify and characterise both the “neural switch” mechanism used in the voluntary shift from normal consciousness to meditation and the “threshold regulation mechanism” sustaining the meditative state. Thirty-one individuals with 1.5–25 years experience in meditation were scanned using a blocked on–off design with 45 s alternating epochs during the onset of respectively meditation and normal relaxation. Additionally, 21 subjects were scanned during 14.5 min of sustained meditation. The data were analysed with SPM and ICA. During the onset of meditation, activations were found bilaterally in the putamen and the supplementary motor cortex, while deactivations were found predominately in the right hemisphere, the precuneus, the posterior cingulum and the parieto–temporal area. During sustained meditation, SPM analysis revealed activation in the head of nucleus caudatus. Extensive deactivations were observed in white matter in the right hemisphere, i.e. mainly in the posterior occipito–parieto–temporal area and in the frontal lobes. ICA identified 38 components including known baseline-resting state components, one of which not only overlaps with the activated area revealed in the SPM analysis but extends further into frontal, temporal, parietal and limbic areas, and might presumably constitute a combination of frontoparietal and cinguloopercular task control systems. The identified component processes display varying degrees of correlation. We hypothesise that a proper characterisation of brain processes during meditation will require an operational definition of brain dynamics matching a stable state of mind.     

Discriminant validation of measures of organizations commitment,job involvement,and job satisfaction among Swedish army officers

The discriminant validity of measures of job involvement, job satisfaction and organizational commitment was tested with data from 467 army officers in Sweden. Confirmatory-factor analysis showed a close fit between the proposed three-factor model and the data. Further, six of eleven job and health correlates related differently to the three attitude vairables. The results indicate that job involvement, job satisfaction and organizational commitment represent three empirically distinct constructs. Implications for future research discussed.     

The Effects of Experience and Disuse on Crossword Solving

At the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, participants filled out a questionnaire about their experience with crossword solving and related activities for every year since they began solving crossword puzzles. This study focused on the role of crossword‐solving disruptions in influencing objective performance at the tournament. The number of breaks (a period of at least a year without crossword solving) predicted decreases in current performance, and the more time since the last break predicted increased performance. The effects of different types of experience on crossword performance are discussed with respect to their influence on performance, such as regular leisure engagement in crossword solving and more focused efforts to improve particular aspects of performance. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Facilitating particularization of repeated similar events with context‐specific cues

Ninety‐five dental care patients participated in a quasi‐experiment in which they were interviewed twice about dental visits they had made during the past ten years. Objective truth was established by analysing their dental records. The main purpose of the study was to investigate to what extent context‐specific cues could facilitate particularization (i.e., recollection of events and details) of repeated and similar events. A mixed design was employed and the effects of three types of cues were explored: two types of context‐specific cues vs. cues commonly used in police practise when interviewing plaintiffs. In line with our hypothesis, context‐specific cues tended to be more effective for recollection of individual events than the comparison cues. In addition, context‐specific cues generated more details than the comparison cues and the difference was marginally significant. Rehearsal of the memories by telling them to others was associated with an increased number of recollected events and details. The results are discussed from a legal psychology perspective with focus on recollection of repeated abuse.     

Family-of-Origin Factors and Physical Teen Dating Violence Victimization and Perpetration: A Meta-Analysis

Journal of Child and Family Studies - The purpose of this meta-analysis is to explore the relationship between family-of-origin factors (i.e., attachment, witnessing inter-parental violence,...