How misinformation taints our belief system: A focus on belief updating and relational reasoning

This commentary complements Stanley et al.'s (2022) target article by concentrating on the process of false belief construction and its associated cognitive mechanisms. It also concurs with the target article that a deeper understanding of the cognitive mechanisms by which consumers revise their truth judgments in view of new evidence is needed. Specifically, this essay develops two main dimensions: the first about what we know from the actual construction of truth judgments; the second about what we know from the cognitive mechanisms by which truth judgments are constructed. Particularly on this second dimension, I develop the idea that relational reasoning is key to understanding how individuals integrate new information within their internal belief systems. These two dimensions are both process-minded, yet one is about how beliefs evolve over time, whereas the other is about the cognitive mechanisms that underlie belief construction. Overall, an understanding of these two elements is crucial to finding behavioral interventions that may curb the spread of misinformation.     

RSK2 signaling in brain habenula contributes to place aversion learning

RSK2 is a Ser/Thr kinase acting in the Ras/MAPK pathway. Rsk2 gene deficiency leads to the Coffin-Lowry Syndrome, notably characterized by cognitive deficits. We found that mrsk2 knockout mice are unable to associate an aversive stimulus with context in a lithium-induced conditioned place aversion task requiring both high-order cognition and emotional processing. Virally mediated shRNA-RSK2 knockdown in the habenula, whose involvement in cognition is receiving increasing attention, also ablated contextual conditioning. RSK2 signaling in the habenula, therefore, is essential for this task. Our study reveals a novel role for RSK2 in cognitive processes and uncovers the critical implication of an intriguing brain structure in place aversion learning.     

Acoustic variability and individual distinctiveness in the vocal repertoire of red-capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus)

Acoustic variability and individual distinctiveness of vocal signals are expected to vary with both their communicative function and the need for individual recognition during social interactions. So far, few attempts have been made to comparatively study these features across the different call types within a species' vocal repertoire. We collected recordings of the six most common call types from 14 red-capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus) to assess intra- and interindividual acoustic variability, using a range of temporal and frequency parameters. Acoustic variability was highest in contact and threat calls, intermediate in food calls, and lowest in loud and alarm calls. Individual distinctiveness was high in contact, threat, loud and alarm calls, and low in food calls. In sum, calls mediating intragroup social interactions were structurally most variable and individually most distinctive, highlighting the key role that social factors must have played in the evolution of the vocal repertoire in this species. We discuss these findings in light of existing hypotheses of acoustic variability in primate vocal behavior.     

Cuttlefish rely on both polarized light and landmarks for orientation

Cuttlefish are sensitive to linear polarization of light, a sensitivity that they use in predation and possibly in intraspecific communication. It has also been shown that cuttlefish are able to solve a maze using visual landmarks. In this study, cuttlefish were trained to solve a Y-maze with the e-vector of a polarized light and landmarks as redundant spatial information. The results showed that cuttlefish can use the e-vector orientation and landmarks in parallel to orient and that they are able to use either type of cue when the other one is missing. When they faced conflicting spatial information in the experimental apparatus, the majority of cuttlefish followed the e-vector rather than landmarks. Differences in response latencies in the different conditions of testing (training with both types of cue, tests with single cue or with conflicting information) were observed and discussed in terms of decision making. The ability to use near field and far field information may enable animals to interpret the partially occluded underwater light field.     

The influence of attachment and temperament on venipuncture distress in 14-month-old infants: the Generation R Study

Objective

This study examined the effects of attachment and temperament on infant distress during venipuncture.

Method

The study was embedded in the Generation R Study, a prospective population-based study. Two different research procedures (i.e., blood sampling and the Ainsworth Strange Situation Procedure) yielded measures of venipuncture distress and attachment security and disorganization in 246 infants aged 14 months. Four temperament traits (distress to limitations, fear, recovery from distress, and sadness) were assessed using the maternally reported Infant Behavior Questionnaire - Revised, at the age of 6 months.

Results

There were no differences between mean levels of distress during venipuncture in infants classified as having insecure attachment, but there was a trend for disorganized attachment. The temperament traits were not related to distress. However, children with a disorganized attachment and higher temperamental fear had more venipuncture distress.

Conclusion

When different risk factors are present simultaneously, infant distress is heightened.     

Acquisition of Reading and Intellectual Development Disorder

Journal of Psycholinguistic Research - We propose a review of the literature of the studies investigating reading acquisition in intellectual deficiency (ID), with particular focus on the...     

Do reef fish, Variola louti and Scarus niger, perform amodal completion? Evidence from a field study

In terms of visual perception, coral reefs are structurally complex habitats. Therefore, visual stimuli that invoke territorial behavior in fish, causing them to respond to potential intruders and competitors, may be fragmented. Amodal completion was recently shown in a fish species. Here, we presented a mirror covered by occluders, with different squared openings arranged in a vertical or a horizontal broken line or a checkerboard formation, within their natural territories in the reef. Single small openings in the occluders did not trigger an attack on the reflected image, while specific configurations of them did so, suggesting that fish recognized an intruder in the fragmented image. The results suggest the use of amodal completion by fish although other possibilities cannot be rejected.     

We are our passions: The role of identity processes in harmonious and obsessive passion and links to optimal functioning in society

The Dualistic Model of Passion (DMP) proposes two types of passion, namely harmonious passion and obsessive passion. The DMP posits that the activity becomes part of one’s identity. However, little research assessed how the two types of passion relate to identity. Two important facets of identity hypothesized to be associated with passion are identity integration and identity styles. In two studies, we assessed these types of identity processes as determinants of passion. We expected the presence of positive associations between on the one hand informational identity style, identity integration, and their interaction term and HP on the other, and positive associations between normative identity style and OP. Participants in both studies (N1 = 107 and N2 = 135) completed the Identity Style Inventory-3, the Identity Integration subscale of the Multidimensional Self-Esteem Inventory, and the Passion Scale. In addition, in Study 2 we also looked at the relationships between passion and five indicators of the construct of Optimal Functioning in Society. Overall, results were consistent with our hypotheses.     

Does betrayal aversion really guide trust decisions towards strangers?

Trust is a double-edged sword. When warranted, it leads to positive and rewarding interactions. When not, it leads to disappointment and anger. Therefore, it has been argued that people will display “betrayal aversion” in trust situations (i.e., avoid trusting to avoid betrayal). Yet, people also feel tense and uneasy when they signal distrust to another person and thus show signs of “principled trustfulness” (i.e., choosing to trust others although being skeptical of their trustworthiness). These two theoretical orientations imply directly opposite influences on trust behavior. Thus, we conducted two laboratory studies (with a total of 841 participants) with binary trust games (implying a risk of being betrayed) and extended lottery games (implying no such risk). In both studies, we varied the payoff structures of both games. Further, we made sure that the average perceived likelihood of winning or losing money when choosing the risky option was identical in both games, as was the distribution of these likelihoods. Neither study showed any sign of betrayal aversion. Rather, participants were more willing to risk their money in the trust game than they were to invest their money in a lottery, supporting the principled trustfulness view. We discuss possible explanations why, unlike previous studies, we did not find any indication of betrayal aversion.