The effect of reference field organization on language processing

Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada Subjects were exposed to a miniature artificial language in which auditorily presented nonsense words were correlated to a visually presented reference field. Both the organization of the reference field and the order of words were manipulated to test whether subjects were encoding on the basis of an English-based semantic code or a code based on the nonverbal reference field. Results indicated that the code used was based on the organization of the nonverbal reference field.     

FISH 3: A microworld for studying social dilemmas and resource management

A Java-based microworld environment for studying resource management is described. FISH 3 may be used in research or the classroom to investigate commons dilemmas and resource dilemmas. The program uses ocean fishing as its metaphor; participants (“fishers”) experience the metaphor through both graphics (“fish” may be seen in an ocean) and text (e.g., resource replenishment is translated as “spawning”). In either stand-alone or networked modes, either with all human fishers or a mixture of human and computer fishers, 15 parameters such as the number of resource units (fish), participants (fishers), and trials (seasons), payoff values, the rate and period of resource regeneration (spawning), harvesting greed by computer fishers, awareness of other harvesters’ actions, uncertainty in the amount of the resource, operating costs, and whether the resource is visible to harvesters may be varied.     

Priors and payoffs in confidence judgments

Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics - Priors and payoffs are known to affect perceptual decision-making, but little is understood about how they influence confidence judgments. For optimal...     

Psychosocial mediators of antiretroviral nonadherence in HIV-positive adults with substance use and mental health problems.

This study used data from 1,889 HIV-positive patients on antiretroviral (ARV) medications who participated in the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study to investigate whether nonadherence to ARV medications among patients with mental health and substance use problems could be explained by difficulty getting and negative attitudes toward ARV medications, poor fit of the regimen with lifestyle, lack of instruction and cues for remembering the regimen from a health care provider, and poor support from others for taking ARV medications. Difficulty getting ARV medications and poor fit with lifestyle were significant mediators of nonadherence for patients with a probable psychiatric disorder. Difficulty getting medication was a mediator for heavy drinkers, and poor fit with lifestyle was a mediator for drug users who drank heavily. Further research is needed to identify and address the barriers to adherence in these populations.     

Gun Violence Restraining Orders: Alternative or Adjunct to Mental Health-Based Restrictions on Firearms?

The gun violence restraining order (GVRO) is a new tool for preventing gun violence. Unlike traditional approaches to prohibiting gun purchase and possession, which rely on a high threshold (adjudication by criminal justice or mental health systems) before intervening, the GVRO allows family members and intimate partners who observe a relative's dangerous behavior and believe it may be a precursor to violence to request a GVRO through the civil justice system. Once issued by the court, a GVRO authorizes law enforcement to remove any guns in the respondent's possession and prohibits the respondent from purchasing new guns. In September 2014, California's governor signed AB1014 into law, making California the first U.S. state to enact a GVRO law. This article describes the GVRO and the rationale behind the concept, considers case examples to assess the potential impact of the GVRO as a strategy for preventing gun violence, and reviews the content of the California law. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.