Mobile telephones, computers, and the internet: sex differences in adolescents' use and attitudes.

This study investigated sex differences in mobile telephone, computer, and Internet use and attitudes via self-report questionnaires in 15 and 16 year olds. Significant sex differences were reported for use and computer anxiety, and use and Internet attitudes, although both females and males were generally competent and frequent users of both technologies. No sex differences were reported for either general mobile phone use or expertise, although analysis of specific aspects of use indicated that the sexes favored different phone activities.     

Comments on “A neurobiological model for near-death experiences”

Journal of Near-Death Studies -     

A taxometric study of hypochondriasis symptoms

Hypochondriasis has been conceptualized as both a distinct category that is characterized by a disabling illness preoccupation and as a continuum of health concerns. Empirical support for one of these theoretical models will clarify inconsistent assessment approaches and study designs that have impeded theory and research. To facilitate progress, taxometric analyses were conducted to determine whether hypochondriasis is best understood as a discrete category, consistent with the DSM, or as a dimensional entity, consistent with prevailing opinion and most self-report measures. Data from a large undergraduate sample that completed 3 hypochondriasis symptom measures were factor analyzed. The 4 factor analytically derived symptom indicators were then used in these taxometric analyses. Consistent with our hypotheses and existing theory, results supported a dimensional structure for hypochondriasis. Implications for the conceptualization of hypochondriasis and directions for future study are discussed.     

Comment on evaluating cognitive demand

In 2005 Shieh and Chen found differences in EEG responses when using computer- and paper-based display media, which they attributed to different cognitive demands. This paper supports this interpretation by reporting an unpublished study in which cognitive demand was measured using a self-report workload measure.     

Wisdom of the social versus non-social crowd in face identification

Face identification is more accurate when people collaborate in social dyads than when they work alone (Dowsett & Burton, 2015, Br. J. Psychol., 106, 433). Identification accuracy is also increased when the responses of two people are averaged for each item to create a ‘non-social’ dyad (White, Burton, Kemp, & Jenkins, 2013, Appl. Cogn. Psychol., 27, 769; White et al., 2015, Proc. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci., 282, 20151292). Does social collaboration add to the benefits of response averaging for face identification? We compared individuals, social dyads, and non-social dyads on an unfamiliar face identity-matching test. We also simulated non-social collaborations for larger groups of people. Individuals and social dyads judged whether face image pairs depicted the same- or different identities, responding on a 5-point certainty scale. Non-social dyads were constructed by averaging the responses of paired individuals. Both social and non-social dyads were more accurate than individuals. There was no advantage for social over non-social dyads. For larger non-social groups, performance peaked at near perfection with a crowd size of eight participants. We tested three computational models of social collaboration and found that social dyad performance was predicted by the decision of the more accurate partner. We conclude that social interaction does not bolster accuracy for unfamiliar face identity matching in dyads beyond what can be achieved by averaging judgements.     

The ironic impact of activists: Negative stereotypes reduce social change influence

Despite recognizing the need for social change in areas such as social equality and environmental protection, individuals often avoid supporting such change. Researchers have previously attempted to understand this resistance to social change by examining individuals' perceptions of social issues and social change. We instead examined the possibility that individuals resist social change because they have negative stereotypes of activists, the agents of social change. Participants had negative stereotypes of activists (feminists and environmentalists), regardless of the domain of activism, viewing them as eccentric and militant. Furthermore, these stereotypes reduced participants' willingness to affiliate with ‘typical’ activists and, ultimately, to adopt the behaviours that these activists promoted. These results indicate that stereotypes and person perception processes more generally play a key role in creating resistance to social change. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A family‐therapy approach to child abuse: countering resistance

Abusing and high-risk families have been seen over three years at a new treatment resource with a family therapy orientation. The families present with established resistance to any treatment intervention and many have defeated a succession of previous helping agencies. Initial typology and treatment strategies are described with the aim of more systematic selection of therapeutic techniques.     

We need to talk about super‐recognizers Invited commentary on: Ramon,M., Bobak,A. K., & White,D. Super‐recognizers: From the lab to the world and back again. British Journal of Psychology.

Whilst we agree with much of what Ramon et al. (2019, British Journal of Psychology) say, we emphasize the additional importance of taking into account the often‐neglected psychometric properties of existing and future techniques.