Individual differences in neonatal “imitation” fail to predict early social cognitive behaviour

The influential hypothesis that humans imitate from birth – and that this capacity is foundational to social cognition – is currently being challenged from several angles. Most prominently, the largest and most comprehensive longitudinal study of neonatal imitation to date failed to find evidence that neonates copied any of nine actions at any of four time points (Oostenbroek et al., [2016] Current Biology, 26, 1334–1338). The authors of an alternative and statistically liberal post‐hoc analysis of these same data (Meltzoff et al., [2017] Developmental Science, 21, e12609), however, concluded that the infants actually did imitate one of the nine actions: tongue protrusion. In line with the original intentions of this longitudinal study, we here report on whether individual differences in neonatal “imitation” predict later‐developing social cognitive behaviours. We measured a variety of social cognitive behaviours in a subset of the original sample of infants (N = 71) during the first 18 months: object‐directed imitation, joint attention, synchronous imitation and mirror self‐recognition. Results show that, even using the liberal operationalization, individual scores for neonatal “imitation” of tongue protrusion failed to predict any of the later‐developing social cognitive behaviours. The average Spearman correlation was close to zero, mean r_s = 0.027, 95% CI [?0.020, 0.075], with all Bonferroni adjusted p values > .999. These results run counter to Meltzoff et al.'s rebuttal, and to the existence of a “like me” mechanism in neonates that is foundational to human social cognition.     

Infants attribute false beliefs to a toy crane

The mentalistic view of early theory of mind posits that infants possess a robust and sophisticated understanding of false belief that is masked by the demands of traditional explicit tasks. Much of the evidence supporting this mentalistic view comes from infants’ looking time at events that violate their expectations about the beliefs of a human agent. We conducted a replication of the violation‐of‐expectation procedure, except that the human agent was replaced by an inanimate agent. Infants watched a toy crane repeatedly move toward a box containing an object. In the absence of the crane, the object changed location. When the crane returned, 16‐month‐old infants looked longer when it turned toward the object's new location, consistent with the attribution of a false belief to the crane. These results suggest that infants spontaneously attribute false beliefs to inanimate agents. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://youtu.be/qqEPPhd9FDo     

Consumer preference for bio‐based batteries

Growing concern about the degradation of the environment and public health has called into question the use of conventional household batteries that are consumed and then typically discarded. Because most conventional batteries are not recycled, they end up in landfills where they decompose, potentially leaching harmful chemicals into the surrounding soil. Bio‐based batteries, which are made from agricultural by‐products, have been designed to help meet the need for household batteries while using sustainable, safe technology. This research examines the links between consumer willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) for bio‐based batteries and consumer characteristics and preferences for certain product attributes and environmentally‐friendly practices. We designed a nationwide survey and analyzed the survey data using the dichotomous‐choice contingent valuation method. The results show an increase in the estimated WTP in the Midwest and South in response to an information treatment about bio‐based batteries. Overall, U.S. consumers concerned about green production and recycling practices are willing to pay a premium for bio‐based batteries. Our results provide essential information for quantitatively assessing the potential market impact of bio‐based batteries, for developing effective management and marketing strategies to reach various consumer groups, and for efficiently establishing sustainable policies and regulations.     

Interventions to change well‐anchored attitudes in the context of intergroup conflict

Changing attitudes is one of the most challenging and important endeavors social psychologists have undertaken in order to promote better quality of life for individuals and collectives. However, when addressing pressing issues, such as intergroup conflict, racism, and inequality, changing attitudes is particularly difficult as individuals are often frozen in their attitudes. Based on the important work of conflict‐resolution scholars and practitioners, we report several well‐known and new socio‐psychological interventions that have been developed to unfreeze attitudes, especially in the context of intergroup conflict. These include providing contradictory information, paradoxical thinking, enlightening individual shortcomings, teaching skills, and the informative process model. We conclude by assessing the lessons learned from the research and practice of psychological interventions, focusing on their application in the field, and the value of increased cooperation between researchers and practitioners.     

Towards a socially situated rumouring: Historical and critical perspectives of rumour transmission

Rumours are an ubiquitous feature of people's social life and one of the oldest topics in social psychology. Rumours, which tend to spread during crisis situations, allow people to mitigate unpleasant feelings and construct a meaning of the surrounding world. Rumour transmission has been associated with a number of specific individual (e.g., anxiety, personal involvement) and situational (e.g., ambiguity, uncertainty) characteristics and studied with the serial reproduction paradigm (Allport & Postman, 1947) in laboratory settings. The main criticism of rumour research has been its focus on primarily individual‐level analyses in an attempt to explain a social phenomenon. Furthermore, the classic serial reproduction paradigm tends to omit the essential properties of interpersonal interactions and communication processes. Despite the recent and rapidly growing trend of social network methods in social and behavioural sciences, rumour research could also include a finer analysis of individuals' social characteristics and the related complexity of real‐life communication processes. Therefore, the integration of a socially situated approach to rumour transmission might be especially relevant for rumour research and promising for the study of other social phenomena by extension.     

Right-sided human prefrontal brain activation during acquisition of conditioned fear

This H2(15)O positron emission tomography (PET) study reports on relative regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) alterations during fear conditioning in humans. In the PET scanner, subjects viewed a TV screen with either visual white noise or snake videotapes displayed alone, then with electric shocks, followed by final presentations of white noise and snakes. Autonomic nervous system responses confirmed fear conditioning only to snakes. To reveal neural activation during acquisition, while equating sensory stimulation, scans during snakes with shocks and white noise alone were contrasted against white noise with shocks and snakes alone. During acquisition, rCBF increased in the right medial frontal gyrus, supporting a role for the prefrontal cortex in fear conditioning to unmasked evolutionary fear-relevant stimuli.     

Celebrating 50 Years of Service: A Conversation With Mary Thomas Burke

Mary Thomas Burke, known affectionately to many in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the surrounding communities as “Sister,” has devoted over 50 of the past years of her life to service. In this interview, she explores the paths that her service endeavors have followed, the influences and turning points in her life, and shares her insights on achieving balance in service and in life.     

Antiaggressive and motor effects of the DA release inhibitor CGS 10746B

In the present study the effects of a wide range of doses of the dopamine release inhibitor CGS 10746B were evaluated in spontaneous activity and in aggressive behaviour using the paradigm of isolation‐induced aggression. The two higher doses (8 and 16 mg/kg) produced a decrease in spontaneous motor activity. Antiaggressive effects were observed after administration of doses from 4 mg/kg upwards. At this dose, CGS 10746B diminished threat and attack, and although an increase in immobility was observed, no impairment of other motor behaviours was presented. With higher doses, aggression was practically abolished but with a concomitant effect on many other behaviours. When animals were separated depending on their latency of attack, those that showed a long attack latency (LAL) presented a stronger response to 4 mg/kg than those that had a short attack latency (SAL), which were not affected in their aggression by this dose. We can conclude that presynaptic dopamine function is necessary for the normal expression of aggressive behaviours, since CGS 10746B reduces aggression at doses that do not affect spontaneous motor activity. Aggr. Behav. 27:382–390, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

The resilience of gesture in talk: gesture in blind speakers and listeners

Spontaneous gesture frequently accompanies speech. The question is why. In these studies, we tested two non‐mutually exclusive possibilities. First, speakers may gesture simply because they see others gesture and learn from this model to move their hands as they talk. We tested this hypothesis by examining spontaneous communication in congenitally blind children and adolescents. Second, speakers may gesture because they recognize that gestures can be useful to the listener. We tested this hypothesis by examining whether speakers gesture even when communicating with a blind listener who is unable to profit from the information that the hands convey. We found that congenitally blind speakers, who had never seen gestures, nevertheless gestured as they spoke, conveying the same information and producing the same range of gesture forms as sighted speakers. Moreover, blind speakers gestured even when interacting with another blind individual who could not have benefited from the information contained in those gestures. These findings underscore the robustness of gesture in talk and suggest that the gestures that co‐occur with speech may serve a function for the speaker as well as for the listener.