Misleading Suggestions can Alter Later Memory Reports even Following a Cognitive Interview

Taking an immediate recall test prior to misinformation exposure can increase eyewitness suggestibility—a finding termed retrieval‐enhanced suggestibility. Here, we examined whether retrieval‐enhanced suggestibility would occur when participants were administered an immediate Cognitive Interview (CI). The CI is an investigative interviewing technique that consistently elicits more correct details in memory reports than standard interviews. In this study, participants watched a video of a crime and then completed a distractor task (control condition), a free recall test, or the CI. They then heard misinformation presented in a narrative. Participants produced more accurate memory details in the CI than in free recall despite spending equal time on both tasks. However, the CI also increased the later report of misinformation relative to the control condition. These results show that initial retrieval can increase subsequent suggestibility even when such retrieval occurs under relatively ideal conditions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transfer of motor learning engages specific neural substrates during motor memory consolidation dependent on the practice structure

The authors investigated how brain activity during motor-memory consolidation contributes to transfer of learning to novel versions of a motor skill following distinct practice structures. They used 1 Hz repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) immediately after constant or variable practice of an arm movement skill to interfere with primary motor cortex (M1) or dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The effect of interference was assessed through skill performance on two transfer targets: one within and one outside the range of practiced movement parameters for the variable practice group. For the control (no rTMS) group, variable practice benefited delayed transfer performance more than constant practice. The rTMS effect on delayed transfer performance differed for the two transfer targets. For the within-range target, rTMS interference had no significant affect on the delayed transfer after either practice structure. However, for the outside-range target, rTMS interference to DLPFC but not M1 attenuated delayed transfer benefit following variable practice. Additionally, for the outside-range target, rTMS interference to M1 but not DLPFC attenuated delayed transfer following constant practice. This suggests that variable practice may promote reliance on DLPFC for memory consolidation associated with outside-range transfer of learning, whereas constant practice may promote reliance on M1 for consolidation and long-term transfer.     

Facet personality and surface-level diversity as team mental model antecedents: implications for implicit coordination

Team mental models (TMMs) have received much attention as important drivers of effective team processes and performance. Less is known about the factors that give rise to these shared cognitive structures. We examined potential antecedents of TMMs, with a specific focus on team composition variables, including various facets of personality and surface-level diversity. Further, we examined implicit coordination as an important outcome of TMMs. Results suggest that team composition in terms of the cooperation facet of agreeableness and racial diversity were significantly related to team-focused TMM similarity. TMM similarity was also positively predictive of implicit coordination, which mediated the relationship between TMM similarity and team performance. Post hoc analyses revealed a significant interaction between the trust facet of agreeableness and racial diversity in predicting TMM similarity. Results are discussed in terms of facilitating the emergence of TMMs and corresponding implications for team-related human resource practices.     

Cross-cultural temperamental differences in infants, children, and adults in the United States of America and Finland

Cross-cultural differences in temperament were investigated between infants (n = 131, 84 Finns), children (n = 653, 427 Finns), and adults (n = 759, 538 Finns) from the United States of America and Finland. Participants from both cultures completed the Infant Behavior Questionnaire, Childhood Behavior Questionnaire and the Adult Temperament Questionnaire. Across all ages, Americans received higher ratings on temperamental fearfulness than Finnish individuals, and also demonstrated higher levels of other negative affects at several time points. During infancy and adulthood, Finns tended to score higher on positive affect and elements of temperamental effortful control. Gender differences consistent with prior studies emerged cross-culturally, and were found to be more pronounced in the US during childhood and in Finland during adulthood.     

Effects of spatial context during acquisition on the recall of attributive information

We found that learners were sensitive to the spatial context in which various information was obtained and that they could use it symbolically to aid recall even when spatial cues were not available during testing. In three experiments, televised and purely aural statements made by various speakers were presented at distinct locations in the recipient's immediate surroundings. This was found to increase attributive recall compared to (a) all information sources in a single place, (b) information sources in several places but with place not consistently linked with information sources, and (c) use of a nonspatial stimulus context consistently associated with information source, such as the physical appearance of announcers. Theoretically, we conclude, with Hasher and Zacks, the place provides especially privileged cues and that not all content-correlated background stimuli are equipotent cues in associative learning. Practically, we recommend that in order to remember who said what, it helps to have speakers in separate and distinct places.     

Predictors of repeat hospitalizations in children with asthma: the role of psychosocial and socioenvironmental factors.

This study examined relationships between psychosocial factors and asthma rehospitalization patterns in 115 children (ages 4-15) who had > or = 1 hospitalization during the study period. Lifetime history of hospitalizations and new hospitalizations during a 1-year follow-up period were measured, controlling for baseline asthma symptoms and medications. Prospectively, caretaker characteristics (lower sense of mastery, being less emotionally bothered by asthma) predicted greater likelihood of future asthma hospitalizations. Lifetime history of hospitalizations was associated with family impacts (greater family strain and family conflict greater financial strain) as well as caretaker characteristics (greater personal strain, beliefs about not being able to manage one's child's asthma). These findings could help guide future interventions targeted at the subgroup of children who represent a high proportion of asthma hospitalizations.