A tool to act blind? Object-assisted eye-covering as a self-handicapping behavior and social play signal in Balinese long-tailed macaques

Animal Cognition - Self-handicapping behaviors evolved as honest signals that reliably reflect the quality of their performers. In playful activities, self-handicapping is described as...     

An ecological pedagogy of embeddedness: Theological education for human flourishing

This paper sets forth a proposal for an ecological pedagogy of embeddedness informed by place-based, challenge-based, and competency-based methodologies. While some theological institutions have begun implementing principles from competency-based models, theological educators have not adequately explored the resources within place-based and challenge-based systems. This paper will contribute to the literature on theological education in three distinct ways: first, this proposal will perform the oft-overlooked task of bringing these three pedagogical models into conversation with one another; second, this proposal will aim the outcomes and effects of the three pedagogical models toward the flourishing of the communities in which institutions are embedded; and third, this proposal will break new ground in its application of these three pedagogical systems to the context of a theological seminary.     

The mood effect: How mood,disclosure language and ad skepticism influence the effectiveness of native advertising

This research investigated the interplay between mood, disclosure language, and ad skepticism on consumers' recognition and evaluation of native advertising. During two online experiments, participants first received a mood manipulation and then read an article-style native advertisement. Results from both studies indicated that participants were more likely to recognize a native ad with an explicit rather than an implicit disclosure label, and a negative mood was more likely than a positive mood to drive participants to recognize the native ad. More importantly, participants in a positive mood evaluated a native ad with an implicit disclosure more favorably than an ad with an explicit disclosure. By contrast, participants in a negative mood responded more positively to a native ad with explicit disclosure compared to an ad with implicit disclosure. Study 2 demonstrated that the interaction between mood and disclosure language was further moderated by individuals' levels of ad skepticism. These results are believed to provide meaningful theoretical and practical implications to the field of native advertising and consumer behavior.     

Exploratory study of best friendship dissolution characteristics and psychological difficulties during early adolescence

Few studies have evaluated best friendship dissolutions and especially the circumstances surrounding the dissolutions. In this exploratory study of young adolescents (N = 273, M_age = 11.83 years; 51% boys), we investigate young adolescents' experiences with two types of best friendship dissolution (complete dissolutions, downgrade dissolutions) and two characteristics of such experiences: initiation status (self- versus friend-initiation) and emotional reactions (degree of happiness, anger, sadness, and embarrassment). We also consider whether these characteristics of best friendship dissolutions are related to psychological difficulties (loneliness, depressive symptoms). Results indicated that most young adolescents perceive their friends initiated their recent complete and downgrade dissolutions. When young adolescents did initiate their complete dissolutions, however, they reported less negative (anger) and more positive (happiness) emotional responses. Initiation status was not related to psychological difficulties, but variability in several types of emotional responses (e.g., embarrassment) was related to variability in loneliness and depressive symptoms. Findings underscore the importance of considering not only the type of dissolution, but also the circumstances surrounding dissolutions, during early adolescence.     

Safety behaviors were associated with greater anxious symptoms during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

Research shows that people who use safety behaviors are at greater risk factor for anxiety than people who do not use safety behaviors. However, the perception of some safety behaviors changed during the COVID-19 pandemic; behaviors that were once considered unnecessary or excessive were now commonplace (e.g., monitoring bodily symptoms, avoiding crowds). The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which the pandemic changed the status of health-related safety behaviors as a risk factor for symptoms of anxiety. To this end, we tested the effect of safety behavior use on anxious symptoms during the first year of the pandemic using a longitudinal design with 8 time points and participants (n = 233) from over 20 countries. Despite possible changes in their perception, those engaging in high levels of safety behaviors reported the greatest levels of anxious symptoms throughout the pandemic year. However, the outcomes for safety behavior users were not all negative. Safety behavior use at baseline was the only predictor of participants' willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine (measured one year later).     

Pause measures during reading and recall in serial list learning

An investigation is reported into pausing and grouping during the serial learning of letter strings, when presented randomly by length and when presented in ascending order. Mean pause times for the reading and recall of longer lists were significantly greater than for lists of shorter span due to extended pausing at specific list positions. In general, reading rhythms were duplicated during recall. Subjects were highly consistent in maintaining their level of pause duration across lists and responded to additions in list length by increasing their number of groups, not by increasing group size. Triadic sequences were the most popular form of spontaneous organization. Pausing measures are discussed as indices of organizational strategies.     

Auditory evoked brain responses: Intensity functions from bipolar human scalp recordings

Average evoked brain responses were computed from four simultaneous recordings during binaural tone stimulation at 10 intensity levels. Amplitudes and latencies were measured for the prominent components, and linear regression coefficients were computed. The results indicate that the sensitivity of the evoked response to stimulus intensity is dependent upon the selection of the appropriate measure. Linear amplitude functions were demonstrated. Additional research relating these responses to psychophysical measures is suggested.