Fragment difficulty in priming on word-completion tests

Word-fragment completion is a frequently used test in implicit memory research. In this test priming is the relevant variable. Priming is obtained by subtracting the proportion of nonstudied word fragments correctly completed (called "completion difficulty baseline") from the studied word fragments correctly completed. Since completion difficulty can spuriously vary greatly between experimental conditions, its effect on magnitude of priming is studied. Normative frequency of occurrence of target words was considered because their influence over performance is known. In an experiment using a word-fragment completion test, participants' completion of fragments at three levels of completion difficulty and two levels of frequency was tested. Analysis showed that completion difficulty had a significant effect on global priming. The priming magnitude was higher for Difficult and Moderately Difficult fragments than for Easy ones. An interaction between fragment difficulty and normative word frequency was observed. When the fragments were easy to complete, the expected effect of higher priming for low-frequency words than for high-frequency words was not observed.     

How exposure to real conspiracy theories motivates collective action and political engagement? Τhe moderating role of primed victimhood and underlying emotional mechanisms in the case of 2018 bushfire in Attica

Conspiracy theories concern milestone events, mobilizing various explanations. However, there is still emerging research on how conspiracy beliefs mobilize normative and nonnormative collective action, as well as political engagement and what the emotional underpinnings of such effects are. We conducted two experimental studies (Study 1, N = 301 and Study 2, N = 328) on exploring the relationship between exposure to conspiracy theories and normative, nonnormative collective action and political engagement, moderated by primed victimhood and mediated by fear/anxiety and anger emotional indices. Results in Study 1 showed that exposure to conspiracy theories decreases normative collective action, but increases nonnormative collective action, negative emotions of anger and fear/anxiety and political engagement. In Study 2 we confirmed findings of Study 1, but these effects were moderated by primed victimhood. Study 2 also showed that anger index, but not fear/anxiety index, significantly mediated the moderating interaction effect between exposure to conspiracy theories and primed victimhood on the (non)normative collective action and political engagement. Results are discussed in light of the broader impact of circulation of conspiracy theories and their effective tackle amidst societal traumas.     

Effects of attentional set and rhythmic complexity on attending

In a target detection task involving sustained attentional monitoring, rhythmic properties of tone sequences were found to affect detection performance (area under receiver-operating characteristic curves) and reaction times. Alternating tone frequencies (high, low) formed three different recurrent rhythms (binary, trinary, mixed) which varied in complexity. Attentional set was also manipulated so that participants attended either to tones of both frequencies (divided) or to only the higher of the two tones (selective). The most interesting finding involved an interaction between attentional set and rhythm, indicating that selective attending is enhanced by the most complex (mixed) rhythm, whereas divided attending tends to be best with the simplest rhythm (binary). Results are discussed in terms of a theory of dynamic attending, in which it is assumed that listeners actively use attending oscillators to direct attending.     

Expected endings and judged duration

In four experiments, the predictions of an expectancy/contrast model (Jones & Boltz, 1989) for judged duration were evaluated. In Experiments 1 and 2, listeners estimated the relative durations of auditory pattern pairs that varied in contextual phrasing and temporal contrast. The results showed that when the second pattern of a pair either seems to (Experiments 1 and 2) or actually does (Experiment 2) end earlier (later)than the first, subjects judge it as being relatively shorter (longer). In Experiment 3, listeners heard single patterns in which notes immediately preceding the final one were omitted. Timing of the final (target) tone was varied such that it was one beat early, on time, or one beat late. Listeners’ ratings of target tones revealed systematic effects of phrasing and target timing. In Experiment 4, listeners temporally completed (extrapolated) sequences of Experiment 3 that were modified to exclude the target tone. The results again showed that phrase context systematically influenced expectancies about “when” sequences should end. As a set, these studies demonstrate the effects of event structure and anticipatory attending upon experienced duration and are discussed in terms of the expectancy/contrast model.     

Some Notes on the Census of Religious Bodies, 1926

In line with previous results that challenge the traditional primacy of warmth over competence in outgroup perception, we propose to bridge elements from stereotype content model and social identity theory: Perceivers will use the competence and warmth dimensions differentially when interpreting higher or lower status outgroup members' behavior. We test the hypothesis that the dimension that is less favorable for the outgroup and more favorable for the ingroup will be used. In particular, we investigate whether the warmth dimension would better predict the interpretation of higher status outgroup members' behavior than the competence dimension, whereas the competence dimension would better predict the interpretation of lower status outgroup members' behavior than the warmth dimension. Two studies separately test these effects. Results suggest the existence of a motivated bias in interpreting outgroup members' behavior, especially when there is ingroup identification.     

An odorant congruent with a colour cue is selectively perceived in an odour mixture

Odour identification can be influenced by colour cues. This study examined the mechanism underlying this colour context effect. We hypothesised that a specific odour component congruent with a colour would be selectively perceived in preference to another odour component in a binary odour mixture. We used a ratio estimation method under two colour conditions, a binary odour mixture (experiment 1) and single chemicals presented individually (experiment 2). Each colour was congruent with one of the odour components. Participants judged the perceived mixture ratio in each odour container on which a colour patch was pasted. An influence of colour was not observed when the odour stimulus did not contain the odour component congruent with the colour (experiment 2); however, the odour component congruent with the colour was perceived as more dominant when the odour stimulus did contain the colour-congruent odorant (experiment 1). This pattern indicates that a colour-congruent odour component is selectively perceived in an odour mixture. This finding suggests that colours can enhance the perceptual representation of the colour-associated component in an odour mixture.     

Enhanced development of auditory change detection in musically trained school‐aged children: a longitudinal event‐related potential study

Adult musicians show superior auditory discrimination skills when compared to non‐musicians. The enhanced auditory skills of musicians are reflected in the augmented amplitudes of their auditory event‐related potential (ERP) responses. In the current study, we investigated longitudinally the development of auditory discrimination skills in musically trained and nontrained individuals. To this end, we recorded the mismatch negativity (MMN) and P3a responses from children who play a musical instrument and age‐matched children with no musical training at ages 7, 9, 11, and 13. Basic auditory processing was investigated by recording ERPs in the Multi‐Feature Paradigm that included frequency, duration, intensity, location, and gap deviants. The detection of musically more relevant sound changes was examined in an oddball paradigm with major chords as standards and minor chords as deviants. The musically trained children showed larger increase in MMN and P3a amplitudes with age for the chord deviants than the control children. There was also a strong trend (p = .054) for larger increase in MMN amplitude in the musically trained children for the location deviant. As no group differences in response amplitudes were evident at the early stages of the training, our results suggest that the superior neural auditory discrimination in adult musicians is due to training and not pre‐existing differences between musicians and non‐musicians.