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The Sorting Property of Memory Consolidation - Cross-sectional Study
No full textWe investigate how autobiographical memories change over time by eliciting a cross-section of memories and meausing changes in the Memory Experiences Questionnaire
The Relationship Between Employment Status, Time Structure and Time Perceptions
No full textThis study explores the relationship between employment status, time structure and time perceptions using an online survey and UK-based survey participants
Just Gender Housework Gap: Evidence from the U.S.
No full textGender inequalities in the division of housework have persisted for decades and are threatened to increase due to COVID-19. Despite extensive research on the individual determinants of these gaps, we know less about the psycho-social mechanisms driving these unequal divisions of housework, such as fairness perceptions. Indeed, studies show that couples with unequal housework divisions tend to perceive their arrangement as fair, a finding which has long puzzled scholars.
To fill this gap, we conduct a multi-factorial vignette experiment in a nationally representative sample of the U.S. In particular, respondents will evaluate the fairness of the division of housework across hypothetical couples. Our main aim is to estimate the just gender housework gap. In other words, to what extent are husbands more likely to be perceived as unfairly doing too much housework compared to wives? Drawing on equity theory, we examine how hypothetical spouses' non-housework contributions shape fairness perceptions and if those assessments differ by spouses' gender. Lastly, we test to what extent these fairness beliefs about housework divisions vary by respondents' cohort, gender, and race
Exploring the neural correlates of dynamic touch: A cross-cultural study in the UK and South Africa
No full textThe objective of this interdisciplinary project is to examine cross-cultural differences in the experience of affective touch at behavioural (self-report) and neurophysiological (electroencephalography; EEG) levels. Touch is an integral part of interpersonal interactions. Early in life, we rely on our caregivers’ touch to meet our basic needs (Fotopoulou et al., 2022). Across the lifespan, touch signals affiliation (Morrison et al., 2010), social support (Kirsch et al., 2018), and has beneficial effects on wellbeing (e.g., reducing pain; von Mohr, Krahé, et al., 2018). A particular type of slow, gentle, stroking touch (termed affective touch) activates unmyelinated nerves called c-tactile (CT) afferents. The CT system plays a fundamental role in the beneficial impact of stroking touch (Morrison et al., 2010). Gentle stroking is typically used spontaneously in intimate interactions (Croy et al., 2020), is generally perceived as pleasant (Löken et al., 2009), and can communicate prosocial intentions (Kirsch et al., 2018). While affective touch is generally perceived as pleasant, its perception is shaped by environmental and personality factors, such as exposure to touch (Sailer & Ackerley, 2019) and individual differences in how we relate to others, namely attachment styles (Krahé et al., 2018). Factors influencing the perception of touch are increasingly being researched, but two critical factors have thus far been neglected:
1) Most touch research is carried out in WEIRD (western, educated, industrialised, rich and demographic) contexts (Henrich et al., 2010), neglecting cross-cultural differences. How the perception of affective touch varies across cultures is important to study given cultural and social contextual influences on the frequency and types of touch individuals are likely to experience from early childhood through adulthood (Sorokowska et al., 2021).
2) Most research has examined self-report or physiological measures associated with receiving touch without examining neural correlates of how touch is subjectively experienced. Given that touch is increasingly used therapeutically (Di Lernia et al., 2020; Pinar & Demirel, 2021), and given cultural diversity within and between countries, it is vital to understand how touch is experienced at both self-report and neural levels contingent on the culture-bound meaning and functions of touch.
Accordingly, we will conduct an exploratory study with 15 participants in South Africa (SA) and 15 in the United Kingdom (UK) (N = 30, comparable to N = 28 for neurophysiological data in von Mohr, Crowley, et al., 2018, though with the exploratory country variable). The UK is a low-contact culture, with low allowed touch (Suvilehto et al., 2015), while touch is more acceptable in SA (higher-contact culture; greater frequency of physical contact), though little research has quantified touch norms in SA, adding to the exploratory nature of this study. Participants will receive affective (CT-optimal slow, gentle) vs. neutral (non-CT-optimal faster-velocity; Löken et al., 2009) touch to CT-innervated (arm) vs. non-CT-innervated skin (palm) while electroencephalography (EEG) is recorded (as in von Mohr, Crowley, et al., 2018). They will complete the Touch Experiences and Attitudes Questionnaire (TEAQ; Trotter et al., 2018), developed in the UK and recently validated in a South African population (Puckle, Besharati & Krahé, in prep), which will also include socio-cultural touch questions. Outcome measures are (1) self-reported pleasantness, comfort, intensity, liking and wanting ratings of touch, and (2) neural correlates, that is, neural oscillations in delta, theta, alpha, betta, gamma bands, as well as ultralate potentials, obtained using EEG (see e.g., von Mohr et al., 2018; Haggarty et al., 2020). Questionnaire measures of touch frequency, experiences and attitudes to touch and attachment style will also be obtained and used as covariates
Cancer Stigma Study in Africa
No full textA scoping review of studies related to the experiences of cancer-related stigma among people living with and being screened for cancer in Africa. The review also includes studies of stigma related to cancer screening and broader health issues with strong relevance to cancer stigma and participants who are cancer patients
Threat Ownership Theory (TOT): Towards a greater understanding of the dynamic link between threat and political attitudes
No full textHow do threatening events shape political attitudes? While some theories argue that threat increases support for conservatism, others claim that threat reinforces pre-existing political beliefs, and yet others assert that some threats can equally induce support for liberalism. The current article reconciles these conflicting perspectives by testing an overarching theoretical framework: Threat Ownership Theory (TOT). Building on the issue ownership and ideology-affordance literature, this theory posits that specific policy ideas can offer affordances under specific types of threats. As a result, threat-driven shifts in political ideology will depend upon the political party and policy associated with remedying a given threat. In cases where no single political party “owns” a solution to a particular threat, political polarization is expected. In cases where the threat is not political, no change in political attitudes is predicted. In this pre-analysis plan, we outline our new theory and propose two studies to comprehensively test its empirical implications. First, we will re-analyze a prominent meta-analysis based on the propositions of our new theory. Second, we will conduct a high-powered, multi-treat, vignette experiment
Five Minute ASD Diagnostic Impressions
No full text“Frank autism” describes the distinct behavioral presentation of individuals with ASD, and is recognizable within minutes of meeting the individual. To date, clinicians use this term loosely to describe a wide range of behavioral presentations that do not necessarily correspond to overall level of functioning. In one study that aimed to better understand the utility of this phenomenon, licensed psychologists watched 10-minute video clips of another clinician administering the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS; Lord, Rutter, DiLavore, & Risi, 2002) to toddlers who had previously been flagged as possibly having ASD on a commonly used ASD screening tool (Gibrielsen, et. al., 2015). After watching the video, clinicians were instructed to indicate whether they would refer the child for a comprehensive ASD-specific assessment. Of the children that were observed, 61% were referred and ultimately diagnosed with ASD, 25% were referred but ultimately diagnosed with language delays, and 11% were referred but were ultimately found to be typically developing. The sensitivity and specificity of the referral process was 0.61 and 0.82, respectively. From the total sample of children observed, one-third of the children were ultimately diagnosed with ASD, one-third were ultimately diagnosed with a language delay but no ASD, and one-third were found to fall within the broad range of typical development. These findings suggest that trained clinicians are able to identify individuals with ASD and discern them from individuals who may have other developmental delays from behavioral observation alone. However, it also demonstrates that not all toddlers with ASD present with behavioral characteristics that are readily apparent, given that the children included in this sample were referred for further testing rather than given an initial diagnosis.
Another recent study explored the diagnostic impressions of a trained clinician within the first five minutes of meeting a young child for an ASD evaluation (Wieckowski et. al., 2021). After five minutes of interacting with the child, clinicians were instructed to indicate whether or not they believed the child would meet criteria for ASD following the evaluation, and recorded their confidence in this initial impression. Results showed that 81% of initial clinical impressions matched with the final diagnosis, with 92% of the cases that were initially thought to have ASD meeting criteria. However, 24% of the cases that were initially thought not to have ASD ultimately met criteria for ASD at the end of the evaluation. Overall, clinicians were confident in their initial impressions, particularly for those cases where a child was thought to not have ASD. These results further highlight the ability of trained clinicians to detect ASD from behavioral observation alone, as well as underscores the fact that not all young children with ASD present with a “frank” phenotype.
Despite clinical and empirical evidence suggesting that trained clinicians can discern ASD from non-ASD with good reliability after a brief behavioral observation, the factors that contribute to this impression have not been readily studied, and studies to date have focused on young children. The initial study proposing the Frank Autism construct surveyed 151 clinicians with ASD diagnostic expertise about their representation and usage of this “frank autism” phenomenon. Results showed that 97% of clinicians were familiar with the phenomenon and believed that they could determine whether or not an individual fit the phenotype of “frank autism” within roughly ten minutes of interaction or observation. Of those clinicians that were familiar with the phenomenon, they estimated that roughly 40% of the ASD population exhibited the “frank autism” phenotype. Clinicians also reported that the most specific behaviors associated with this phenotype included impaired reciprocity, atypical vocal prosody, poor quality eye contact, atypical motor mannerisms, and atypical gait or posture. These findings highlight some common variables that may impact initial impressions during ASD diagnostic decision making. However, no studies to date have empirically validated these anecdotal endorsements.
Given that the phenomenon of “frank autism” is used widely in clinical practice, and likely has implications for who is ultimately diagnosed, it is important to empirically validate what behavioral factors commonly contribute to this impression. Understanding these factors has the potential to improve diagnostic classification by combining computational and clinical expertise to analytically identify key features that may be useful to predict ASD in young children (Corona et. al., 2021). Additionally, it may provide further clinical utility for identifying “frank” ASD symptoms in females, as it is well established that males and females with ASD present with varying behavioral characteristics and are perceived differently both by their peers and clinicians (Cola et. al., 2020). More broadly, this construct may be useful in addressing current controversies about the status of ASD as a biological entity (Mottron, 2021, Fein et. al. 2021, Eigsti et. al., 2022).
The current study aims to quantitatively assess what factors contribute to a clinician’s initial impression of ASD within the first five minutes of an evaluation. These factors include gesture, eye contact, motor mannerisms, prosody and vocalizations, facial expressions, focus/shifting of attention (including perseverative thinking and distractibility), social reciprocity (responses), and interactions with others (initiations). We also aim to replicate the findings of Wieckowski et. al., 2021 to assess the stability of five-minute impression status and ultimate diagnostic group classification, expanding these findings to adolescent and adult populations. In addition to assessing participant factors, we aim to evaluate clinician factors, such as background and years of experience, and their effect on initial impression accuracy
Causes of refusal to donate organs and tissues by family members of potential donors: scoping review protocol
No full textThis is the registration of scoping review protocol titled "Reasons that cause people to decline or be against organ and tissue donation: scoping review protocol". This protocol follows the methodology proposed by Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) for scoping reviews. To the best of the authors knowledge, no other protocol within this field has been made available to the public
Perfect Fit - Beliefs about and Competencies Built by Preparatory Activities for Quitting Smoking and Becoming More Physically Active
No full textIn this study, we are aiming to find beliefs about and competencies built by preparatory activities for quitting smoking and becoming more physically active. The study consists of two parts. In part A, we aim to get competencies for quitting smoking that activities contribute to from health experts; in part B, we aim to get beliefs about the activities from daily smokers.
This work is part of the multidisciplinary research project Perfect Fit, which is supported by several funders organized by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), program Commit2Data - Big Data & Health (project number 628.011.211)
pre register organazational moral credit--unethical behaviour for organization9-study4
No full textWe confirm the influence of organizational moral credit on unethical behavior of people.We wanted to further validate his external validity.We will select American subjects as the new sutdy group