Narcissism, vanity, personality and mating effort

The current study examined the relationship between narcissism and vanity, and the degree these are predicted by the ‘Big Five’ personality traits and mating effort (ME) using a sample of 103 females recruited from a large beauty salon. Narcissism correlated with vanity at 0.72 (P < 0.001), and was associated positively with extraversion (E), ME and the subscales of vanity; narcissism was associated negatively with neuroticism (N) and agreeableness (A). Vanity correlated positively with E, conscientiousness, both subscales of narcissism, and ME, and negatively with N and A. A composite narcissism–vanity score was produced using principal components analysis, and used along with scores from the NEO-FFI-R to predict mating effort. The narcissism–vanity composite, low A and E significantly and independently predicted mating effort (adjusted R² = 0.28, F(9.96) = 7.74, P < 0.001). These results show that mating effort is additionally predicted by narcissism as well as self-reported personality.     

The origins of cognitive dissonance: evidence from children and monkeys

In a study exploring the origins of cognitive dissonance, preschoolers and capuchins were given a choice between two equally preferred alternatives (two different stickers and two differently colored M&M's, respectively). On the basis of previous research with adults, this choice was thought to cause dissonance because it conflicted with subjects' belief that the two options were equally valuable. We therefore expected subjects to change their attitude toward the unchosen alternative, deeming it less valuable. We then presented subjects with a choice between the unchosen option and an option that was originally as attractive as both options in the first choice. Both groups preferred the novel over the unchosen option in this experimental condition, but not in a control condition in which they did not take part in the first decision. These results provide the first evidence of decision rationalization in children and nonhuman primates. They suggest that the mechanisms underlying cognitive-dissonance reduction in human adults may have originated both developmentally and evolutionarily earlier than previously thought.     

Billboards,bombs and shotgun weddings

It’s a presupposition of a very common way of thinking about context-sensitivity in language that the semantic contribution made by a bit of context-sensitive vocabulary is sensitive only to features of the speaker’s situation at the time of utterance. I argue that this is false, and that we need a theory of context-dependence that allows for content to depend not just on the features of the utterance’s origin, but also on features of its destination. There are cases in which a single utterance semantically conveys different propositions to different members of its audience, which force us to say that what a sentence conveys depends not just on the context in which it is uttered, but also on the context in which it is received.     

Perceiving affect from the voice and the face

This experiment examines how emotion is perceived by using facial and vocal cues of a speaker. Three levels of facial affect were presented using a computer-generated face. Three levels of vocal affect were obtained by recording the voice of a male amateur actor who spoke a semantically neutral word in different simulated emotional states. These two independent variables were presented to subjects in all possible permutations—visual cues alone, vocal cues alone, and visual and vocal cues together—which gave a total set of 15 stimuli. The subjects were asked to judge the emotion of the stimuli in a two-alternative forced choice task (either HAPPY or ANGRY). The results indicate that subjects evaluate and integrate information from both modalities to perceive emotion. The influence of one modality was greater to the extent that the other was ambiguous (neutral). The fuzzy logical model of perception (FLMP) fit the judgments significantly better than an additive model, which weakens theories based on an additive combination of modalities, categorical perception, and influence from only a single modality.     

Intonation and meaning

A general theory of meaning is introduced, based on a distinction between the content of a mental act and its mode of arousal. The distinction is extended to speech acts and to the role of intonation in determining their mode of utterance. Difference judgments based on intonation are used to produce a mode space with dimensions of Credence, Option, Salience, Arousal, and Weak Belief. It is argued that the modal function of intonations should not be restricted to the enrichment of declarations. The distinction between mode and content is used to separate the specficially linguistic content of intonations from other contents which they convey perceptually and by implication.This research was supported by a Canada Council Doctoral Fellowship) (W70 3030, W71 4373).     

Masking-level differences and the form of the psychometric function

Functions showing the relation between-the detectability and the energy of a signal were determined for various interaural phase conditions. The empirical relation between d′ and signal energy E is approximately d′=m(E/N₀)^k where m and k are constants for a particular function. The data show that k is fairly constant for a particular O and that m depends upon the interaural condition. That is, the various psychometrie functions for a given O all had the same form, independent of location. Therefore, the magnitude of the MLD=(10/k)log(m_i/m_r), where m_i is the constant for condition i, and m_r corresponds to a reference condition. Consequently, an MLD is relatively independent of the level of performance that is chosen for the determination of that MLD.     

Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression in Older Adults Delivered via Videoconferencing: A Pilot Study

Depression affects up to 25% of older adults. Underdetection and subsequent undertreatment of depression in older adults has been attributed in part to difficulties in older adults being able to access treatment. This uncontrolled pilot study, N = 3, explored the acceptability and efficacy of a brief behavioral activation treatment delivered via videoconferencing to 3 participants, aged 64 to 73 years, diagnosed with major depressive disorder. The results indicate that a 5-session behavioral activation treatment delivered via videoconferencing produced clinically significant and reliable decreases in depression. The results also showed clinically significant and reliable decreases in negative affect and clinically significant and reliable increases in positive affect. Treatment gains were maintained at 1-month follow-up. Videoconferencing can be a valuable and effective tool in increasing accessibility to psychological treatment for older adults.