The appeal of the devil’s eye: social evaluation affects social attention

Humans typically exhibit a tendency to follow the gaze of conspecifics, a social attention behaviour known as gaze cueing. Here, we addressed whether episodically learned social knowledge about the behaviours performed by the individual bearing the gaze can influence this phenomenon. In a learning phase, different faces were systematically associated with either positive or negative behaviours. The same faces were then used as stimuli in a gaze-cueing task. The results showed that faces associated with antisocial norm-violating behaviours triggered stronger gaze-cueing effects as compared to faces associated with sociable behaviours. Importantly, this was especially evident for participants who perceived the presented norm-violating behaviours as far more negative as compared to positive behaviours. These findings suggest that reflexive attentional responses can be affected by our appraisal of the valence of the behaviours of individuals around us.     

An evaluation of the Italian version of the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence

This study examined the psychometric properties of an Italian version of the Fagerstr?m Test for Nicotine Dependence in a sample of 593 smokers who were enrolled in a randomized Phase IV clinical trial to compare bupropion to placebo. This version was administered at baseline, and from each participant an expired air carbon monoxide (CO) measure was taken. Spearman correlations between the Total score and CO concentration were .27 in the combined sample and .27 and .25 among men and women. With respect to the internal consistency reliability, the coefficient alpha was low (alpha= .55) in the combined sample and among men (.59) and women (.50). While the Total score predicted abstinence at 7 wk., it was not significantly related to continuous abstinence at 12 mo. postrandomization. The properties of the Italian version of the Fagerstr?m Test for Nicotine Dependence appear to be consistent with other versions described in the literature.     

Grasp preparation improves change detection for congruent objects

A series of experiments provided converging support for the hypothesis that action preparation biases selective attention to action-congruent object features. When visual transients are masked in so-called change-blindness scenes, viewers are blind to substantial changes between 2 otherwise identical pictures that flick back and forth. The authors report data in which participants planned a grasp prior to the onset of a change-blindness scene in which 1 of 12 objects changed identity. Change blindness was substantially reduced for grasp-congruent objects (e.g., planning a whole-hand grasp reduced change blindness to a changing apple). A series of follow-up experiments ruled out an alternative explanation that this reduction had resulted from a labeling or strategizing of responses and provided converging support that the effect genuinely arose from grasp planning.     

Processing abstract language modulates motor system activity

Embodiment theory proposes that neural systems for perception and action are also engaged during language comprehension. Previous neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies have only been able to demonstrate modulation of action systems during comprehension of concrete language. We provide neurophysiological evidence for modulation of motor system activity during the comprehension of both concrete and abstract language. In Experiment 1, when the described direction of object transfer or information transfer (e.g., away from the reader to another) matched the literal direction of a hand movement used to make a response, speed of responding was faster than when the two directions mismatched (an action-sentence compatibility effect). In Experiment 2, we used single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation to study changes in the corticospinal motor pathways to hand muscles while reading the same sentences. Relative to sentences that do not describe transfer, there is greater modulation of activity in the hand muscles when reading sentences describing transfer of both concrete objects and abstract information. These findings are discussed in relation to the human mirror neuron system.     

Comments on Daniel E. Flage’s “Berkeley’s Contingent Necessities”

According to Daniel Flage, Berkeley thinks that all necessary truths are founded on acts of will that assign meanings to words. After briefly commenting on the air of paradox contained in the title of Flage’s paper, and on the historical accuracy of Berkeley’s understanding of the abstractionist tradition, I make some remarks on two points made by Flage. Firstly, I discuss Flage’s distinction between the ontological ground of a necessary truth and our knowledge of a necessary truth. Secondly, I discuss Flage’s attempt to show that, according to Berkeley, the resemblance relation does not constitute a necessary connection.

Coping as a mediator of the relationships between trait intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and approaches to studying during academic exam preparation

This study investigated how students’ approaches to studying during exam preparation are influenced by their trait intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and situational coping strategies. A sample of 317 college students completed the approaches and study skills inventory for students (ASSIST), the revised COPE (R-COPE), and the work preference inventory (WPI), one week before exams. Structural equation modeling indicated that intrinsic motivation fosters deep and strategic approaches to studying directly and indirectly, through the mediation of approach coping, and prevents surface approach to studying directly and indirectly, through the mediation of avoidance coping. Moreover, the modeling indicated that extrinsic motivation fosters surface approach to studying directly and indirectly, through the mediation of avoidance coping. The implications of these findings are outlined.     

Wittgenstein and Cassirer on Hinges and Relativity

The paper explores the striking similarities between some of Wittgenstein’s core claims in On Certainty (1969), including the famous hinge metaphor, and Cassirer’s Einstein’s Theory of Relativity (1921). Moreover, it suggests that Wittgenstein’s remark on relativity in On Certainty might have been triggered by his reading of Cassirer’s book.     

Men Should Be Competent,Women Should Have it All: Multiple Criteria in the Evaluation of Female Job Candidates

Sex Roles - The present research investigated whether evaluations of female and male job candidates rely on different dimensions. Going beyond previous studies on the role of gender stereotypes, we...     

Über die Wirkung figuraler Merkmale auf das Entstehen der „Induzierten Bewegung“

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