Social stimuli increase physiological reactivity but not defensive responses

Emotional reactions are crucial in survival because they provide approach and withdrawal behaviors. However, an unsolved question is whether the social content of the affective stimuli has a specific effect on emotional responses. We studied whether the social content of affective pictures influenced the defensive response and response mobilization. For this purpose, we recorded startle blink reflex (a defensive response) and skin conductance responses (a measure of unspecific physiological reactivity or arousal) in 73 participants while they viewed a series of 81 pictures of varying affective valence and social content. Our results revealed that defense response, as indicated by increases in the magnitude of the startle blink reflex, was mainly dependent on threatening or unpleasant cues, but was unrelated to the social content of the pictures. The social content, however, had an influence on pleasant stimuli, provoking an increase in resource mobilization, as reflected by changes in electrodermal activity. Hence, the social content of the affective stimuli may increase the physiological arousal elicited by pleasant stimuli, and it appears to be unrelated to the defense reactivity provoked by unpleasant stimuli.     

叠音品牌名称对消费者知觉和偏好的影响

品牌名称是重要的品牌资产,在传递品牌价值、构建品牌形象和凸显品牌特征的过程中起到关键作用。以往研究发现,品牌名称的语义特征和语音特征都会对消费者知觉和偏好产生影响,但少有研究考察品牌名称语音特征中叠音的作用。本研究将从婴儿图式的角度,基于刻板印象内容模型,通过4个实验考察叠音品牌名称对消费者知觉和偏好的影响,并检验元音特征和产品类型的调节作用。研究结果表明:(1)与非叠音品牌名称相比,叠音品牌名称会让消费者觉得该品牌更像婴儿,进而感觉该品牌更加温暖,但是能力更低。(2)叠音对于消费者温暖知觉的影响受到元音特征的调节。当品牌名称中含有前元音时,叠音对于温暖知觉的影响会削弱。(3)叠音对于消费者偏好的影响受到产品类型的调节。对于享乐型产品,消费者更偏好叠音品牌名称;对于实用型产品,消费者更偏好非叠音品牌名称。本文为品牌名称的设计提供了指导,同时也丰富了婴儿图式和刻板印象内容模型的理论内涵。     

Ockham’s weak externalism

There is debate over whether the content of an intuitive cognition is determined externally or internally in Ockham’s theory. According to the most common view, which I call the Strong Externalist Interpretation (SE), intuitive content is wholly determined externally. Opposed to SE is the Strong Internalist Interpretation (SI), according to which the content of an intuition is wholly determined by internal features of a cognizer. The aim of this paper is to argue against those interpretations, and to argue for a third kind of interpretation which preserves interpretative advantages of SE and SI without falling into the difficulties that each faces. On this view, intuitive content is complex, and its complexity is analyzed into a mix of internalist and externalist elements.     

Cartographic systems and non-linguistic inference

It is often assumed that the capability to make inferences requires language. Against this assumption, I claim that inferential abilities do not necessarily require a language. On the contrary, certain cartographic systems could be used to explain some forms of inferences, and they are capable of warranting rational relations between contents they represent. By arguing that certain maps, as well as sentences, are adequate for inferential processes, I do not mean to neglect that there are important differences between maps and sentences. Instead, the purpose of this paper is to highlight interesting distinctions that might affect the way that cartographic thinking works.     

Influence of warmth and competence on the promotion of safe in-group selection: Stereotype content model and social categorization of faces

Categorizing an individual as a friend or foe plays a pivotal role in navigating the social world. According to the stereotype content model (SCM), social perception relies on two fundamental dimensions, warmth and competence, which allow us to process the intentions of others and their ability to enact those intentions, respectively. Social cognition research indicates that, in categorization tasks, people tend to classify other individuals as more likely to belong to the out-group than the in-group (in-group overexclusion effect, IOE) when lacking diagnostic information, probably with the aim of protecting in-group integrity. Here, we explored the role of warmth and competence in group-membership decisions by testing 62 participants in a social-categorization task consisting of 150 neutral faces. We assessed whether (a) warmth and competence ratings could predict the in-group/out-group categorization, and (b) the reliance on these two dimensions differed in low-IOE versus high-IOE participants. Data showed that high ratings of warmth and competence were necessary to categorize a face as in-group. Moreover, while low-IOE participants relied on warmth, high-IOE participants relied on competence. This finding suggests that the proneness to include/exclude unknown identities in/from one's own in-group is related to individual differences in the reliance on SCM social dimensions. Furthermore, the primacy of the warmth effect seems not to represent a universal phenomenon adopted in the context of social evaluation.     

HIV/AIDS and immigrant Cape Verdean women: Contextualized perspectives of Cape Verdean community advocates

This research explored Cape Verdean community advocates’ understandings of the structural and social realities that contribute to the increased HIV/AIDS risk of Northeastern U.S.-based immigrant Cape Verdean women. A community perspective informed the analysis of the multi-layered contextual barriers that these advocates identified as limiting the effectiveness of individual-level HIV/AIDS prevention and intervention models. Qualitative content analysis of interviews with nine community advocates revealed several thematic clusters including challenges to (1) perceived institutional and community realities; (2) traditional gender relations; and, (3) traditional ways of thinking. These findings challenge universalist cognitive-behavioral change models of HIV/AIDS prevention and intervention and are critically discussed to better understand the complex realities faced by Cape Verdean immigrant women. A liberatory community psychology perspective framed the research process and contributed to reconceptualizing HIV/AIDS risk as a community problem that requires interventions not simply at the individual and relational levels, but also at the structural level.     

Sexual Content on Mainstream TV Advertising: A Cross-cultural Comparison

A content analysis of 1,785 American ads and 1,467 Israeli ads maps the representation of sexual content on mainstream TV advertising in the two countries. This content appears in less than 5% of the advertisements. Most of it is mild and portrayed in the conservative context of an established relationship. Explicit material, socially discouraged practices, references to sexual responsibility and complete nudity are extremely rare. Israeli advertisements tend to present a higher share of sexual content than American ads, and male models are more likely to be partially nude than female models—but these differences are minor in extent.     

Hierarchical, job content, and double plateaus: A mixed-method study of stress, depression and coping responses

Hierarchically, job content, and double plateaued employees from a variety of industries were surveyed regarding their experiences. Plateau-specific stress was higher than the stress experienced by the general population. Plateaued employees also reported more depression than the general population. Double plateaued employees reported higher depression than hierarchically plateaued employees. Content analysis revealed 27 distinct coping strategies reported by employees, representing 7 coping meta-themes. The most frequently occurring meta-themes were Discuss Problem, Job Withdrawal, and Mental Coping. Hierarchically plateaued employees reported slightly greater use of Mental Coping strategies than job content and double plateaued employees.     

Keep making sense

In a number works Jerry Fodor has defended a reductive, causal and referential theory of cognitive content. I argue against this, defending a quasi-Fregean notion of cognitive content, and arguing also that the cognitive content of non-singular concepts is narrow, rather than wide.