Parotid and whole-mouth secretion in response to viewing, handling, and sniffing food

There was no significant change in flow rates of parotid saliva in nineteen of twenty subjects while they viewed photographs of lemons, or in fourteen of twenty subjects while they cut lemons in a glove box. Neither parotid nor whole-mouth secretion changed from baseline when subjects viewed fresh lemons and lemonade presented in a plastic box. Further, no significant changes in whole-mouth secretion rates were observed when subjects viewed photographs of two appetizing foods, or of fresh doughnuts in a plastic box, even though subjects knew they could eat the doughnuts after the experiment. In most cases, sniffing of the lemons or of the doughnuts resulted in increased flow rates. Subjects demonstrated large differences in their patterns of affective responses to full-strength and diluted lemon juice, which were independent of salivary flow. In the absence of olfactory or tactile stimulations, few subjects altered parotid or whole-mouth secretion rates in response to viewing food or photographs of food. A reevaluation of findings on 'psychic' stimulation of saliva may be in order to ascertain the role of olfactory, tactile, and even trigeminal clues in salivary response to food stimuli.     

The effect of viewing distance on empirical discriminability and the confidence–accuracy relationship for eyewitness identification

The distance from which an eyewitness views a perpetrator is a critical factor for eyewitness identification, but has received little research attention. We presented three mock-crime videos to participants, varying distance to three perpetrators (3, 10, or 20 m). Across two experiments, increased distance reduced empirical discriminability in the form of a mirror effect, such that correct identifications decreased while false identifications increased. Moreover, high confidence identifications were associated with high accuracy at 3 m (Experiment 1 and 2) and 10 m (Experiment 2), but not at 20 m. We conclude that eyewitnesses may be less likely to identify a perpetrator viewed at a distance, and also more likely to falsely identify an innocent suspect. Furthermore, there may be certain boundary conditions associated with distance and the impact it has on the confidence–accuracy relationship. More research is needed to elucidate the effect of estimator variable manipulations on the confidence–accuracy relationship.     

The effects of violent video games on aggression.

Violent content video games such as Mortal Kombat and Doom have become very popular among children and adolescents, causing great concern for parents, teachers, and policy makers. This study cumulates findings across existing empirical research on the effects of violent video games to estimate overall effect size and discern important trends and moderating variables. Results suggest there is a smaller effect of violent video games on aggression than has been found with television violence on aggression. This effect is positively associated with type of game violence and negatively related to time spent playing the games. Directions for future programmatic research on video games are outlined.     

Personnel risk management assessment for newly emerging forms of employee crimes

Advances in digital technology have led to new forms of employee crime and organizational risk. Employee collusion with external criminals engaged in theft is increasing in the digital age. Digital storage of company and customer information puts both at risk of hacking, which may be aided, or accidentally facilitated, by insiders. Both negligent and risk-taking employees may cause cyber-safety violations, leading to accidents whose scope is multiplied by digital interconnectivity. Prospective employees can use digital software and social media sites to misrepresent their identities while creating bogus credentials and the misleading appearance of a work history. Disgruntled employees can engage in cyber-sabotage of the organization, and cyber-harassment of co-workers. To address these emergent threats, new forms of personnel risk assessment can be developed and deployed. One such measure is the Reid Background Check Plus (RBCP). A meta-analysis of 39 studies supporting the five dimensions of the new RBCP produced encouraging construct and criterion-related validity evidence.     

“I Wouldn’t Classify Myself as a Patient”: The Importance of a “Well-being” Environment for Individuals Receiving Counseling about Familial Cancer Risk

Many individuals receiving genetic counseling are healthy with no need for clinical cancer services. We have recently relocated our cancer genetic clinic to a small house on the outskirts of a hospital site which incorporates many elements proven to be important in creating a “well-being” environment. This study explored participants’ perceptions of such an environment. Eleven semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with women who had attended the new cancer genetic clinic. All were at high risk of familial cancer, five were gene carriers and three had a personal diagnosis of cancer. The new clinic was perceived to be less medical and more relaxing than other clinics, encouraged other family members to attend in support of the attendee and did not appear to impede information comprehension. The importance of not being made to feel like an ill patient was apparent. A desire for a quiet area allowing time for reflection whilst waiting for, and following, counseling was identified. A poorly designed counseling area could reduce the quality of the interaction between patient and counselor. Consideration of specific environmental design features may promote individuals’ well-being and make those attending genetic counseling feel less like “patients.” Larger studies should seek to explore further the potential associations between factors such as environmental design, psychological well-being and comprehension of risk information.