Biophysikalische Untersuchungen zur Wirkung von niederfrequenten elektromagnetischen Feldern auf die Modulation und Funktion von Connexonen

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Do people remember what is prototypical?:The role of accent-religion intersectionality for individual and category memory

Evidence suggests that accents can be typically more powerful in activating ethnicity categorization than appearance. Concurrently, some social categories, such as ethnicity, can be linked with other categories, such as religion. We investigate how people categorize those who belong to a (mis)matching pair of categories? In the present study we investigated Germans’ categorization of women either wearing a headscarf (Muslim religious symbol), or not, and speaking either standard German or German with an Arabic accent. The “Who Said What?” paradigm and multinomial modelling yielded that category memory, indicative of subtyping, was best for non-prototypical targets (i.e., headscarf and standard German accent, no headscarf and Arabic accent). In contrast, ingroup targets (no headscarf and standard German accent) were individually remembered better than all other targets, whereas non-prototypical targets (no-headscarf and Arabic accent) were not remembered individually at all. These findings are discussed in terms of intersectionality and category prototypicality

How to like yourself better, or chocolate less: changing implicit attitudes with one IAT task

The current paper introduces a novel feature of Implicit Association Tests (IATs) by demonstrating their potential to change implicit attitudes. We assume that such changes are driven by associative learning mechanisms caused by carrying out an IAT task. Currently, evaluative conditioning appears to be the only widespread paradigm for changing implicit attitudes. An IAT task could provide an alternative. In two experiments, participants initially reacted to only one IAT task. Implicit preferences subsequently assessed with different implicit measures depended on the initial IAT task. This was shown for implicit self-esteem and for attitudes towards well-known candy brands. Findings are discussed in relation to task-order effects in IATs

Positionsartikel zum Forschungsprogramm 'Explizite und implizite geschlechterbezogene Kognitionen heute'

"'Frauen kümmern sich gern um andere.' 'Männer streben nach Wettbewerb mit anderen.' 'Frauen sind emotional.' 'Männer sind rational.' - Geschlechterklischees prägen oft Denken und Handeln. Doch wie ist es tatsächlich um unser Denken in Bezug auf Frauen und Männer bestellt? Wie hat sich dieses Denken über die letzten Jahrzehnte hinweg entwickelt und worauf ist zurückzuführen, dass manche stereotypen Vorstellungen im Wandel begriffen sind, andere hingegen in unveränderter Weise vorherrschen? Und: Wie hängt unser Denken über die Geschlechter mit den in einer Gesellschaft geltenden Geschlechterrollenstrukturen zusammen? Unter Berücksichtigung einschlägiger psychologischer Modelle sowie aktueller Erkenntnisse aus eigenen Forschungsarbeiten werden Antworten gegeben und mit Blick auf theoretische und praktische Implikationen diskutiert." (Autorenreferat)"Explicit and implicit gender-related cognitions today 'Women like caring for other people.' 'Men like engaging in competition with other people.' 'Women are emotional.' 'Men are rational.' - Gender stereotypes often determine our thinking and acting. But which explicit and implicit stereotypes of men and women still exist today? How has such thinking about gender changed over the last decades and how can we explain the fact that some stereotypical content is in a state of flux while some prevails unaltered? And, how do cognitions of gender relate to genderrole structures in a given society? These questions are addressed below. By considering relevant psychological models and latest findings from the authors' research, answers will be provided and discussed with respect to theoretical and practical implications." (author's abstract

Microarray-based screening system identifies temperature-controlled activity of Connexin 26 that is distorted by mutations

Here, we show that human Connexin 26 (hCx26 or Cx26WT) hemichannel opening rapidly enables the transport of small molecules when triggered by temperature and by compensation of the Ca2+ blockade with EDTA. Point mutations within Cx26 were analysed by a novel optical microarray-based Lucifer Yellow uptake assay or by two electrode voltage clamp (TEVC) on frog oocytes to monitor simultaneous activities of channel proteins. Point mutations L90P, F161S, R184P or K188N influenced the temperature-dependent activity drastically. Since several mutations blocked trafficking, the temperature-dependent activity of the recombinant synthesized and purified wild-type Cx26WT and Cx26K188N hemichannel was tested by liposome flux assay (LFA) and on a microarray-based Lucifer Yellow uptake assay under warm conditions (>30 °C). The data from TEVC measurements and dye flux experiments showed that the mutations gave no or only a weak activity at increased temperature (>30 °C). We conclude that the position K188 in the Cx26WT forms a temperature-sensitive salt bridge with E47 whereas the exchange to K188N destabilizes the network loop- gating filter, which was recently identified as a part of the flexible Ca2+ binding site. We assume that the temperature sensitivity of Cx26 is required to protect cells from uncontrolled release or uptake activities through Cx26 hemichannels

From Acceleration to Rhythmicity : Smartphone-Assessed Movement Predicts Properties of Music

Music moves us. Yet, querying music is still a disembodied process in most music rec- ommender scenarios. New mediation technologies like querying music by movement would take account of the empirically well founded knowledge of embodied mu- sic cognition. Thus, the goal of the presented study was to explore how movement captured by smartphone accelerometer data can be related to musical properties. Participants (N = 23, mean age = 34.6 yrs, SD = 13.7 yrs, 13 females, 10 males) moved a smartphone to 15 musical stimuli of 20s length presented in random order. Motion features related to tempo, smoothness, size, and regularity were extracted from accelerometer data to predict the musical qualities “rhythmicity”, “pitch level + range” and “complexity” assessed by three music experts. Motion features se- lected by a stepwise AIC model predicted the musical properties to the following degrees “rhythmicity” (R2 = .45), “pitch level and range” (R2 = .06) and “com- plexity” (R2 = .15). We conclude that (rhythmic) music properties can be predicted from the movement it evoked, and that an embodied approach to Music Information Retrieval is feasible

A double‐edged sword: How social diversity affects trust in representatives via perceived competence and warmth

Abstract Previous research has claimed that diversity erodes trust, even though the empirical evidence is mixed and restricted to ethnic neighborhood diversity. Against the backdrop of increasing diversity within the political sphere and concurrently declining political trust, we examined the impact of social diversity on trust in groups of political representatives. In two experiments (N1 = 109, N2 = 248) we tested how the diversity of political parties affected citizens’ trust in them. In line with predictions of the stereotype content model, diverse parties were perceived as warmer and less competent than non‐diverse parties (Experiments 1–2). Additionally, party diversity was perceived as having more benefits, but also involving more threats (Experiment 2). Consequently, diversity had both positive (via warmth and benefits) and negative (via competence and threats) indirect effects on trust. These results help to untangle previously mixed, for the most part non‐experimental, findings of the relationship between diversity and trust

Smartphone-Assessed Movement Predicts Music Properties : Towards Integrating Embodied Music Cognition into Music Recommender Services via Accelerometer

Numerous studies have shown a close relationship between move- ment and music [7], [17], [11], [14], [16], [3], [8]. That is why Leman calls for new mediation technologies to query music in a corporeal way [9]. Thus, the goal of the presented study was to explore how movement captured by smartphone accelerometer data can be re- lated to musical properties. Participants (N = 23, mean age = 34.6 yrs, SD = 13.7 yrs, 13 females, 10 males) moved a smartphone to 15 musical stimuli of 20s length presented in random order. Mo- tion features related to tempo, smoothness, size, regularity, and direction were extracted from accelerometer data to predict the musical qualities “rhythmicity", “pitch level + range" and "complex- ity“ assessed by three music experts. Motion features selected by a 20-fold lasso predicted the musical properties to the following degrees “rhythmicity" (R2 : .47), pitch level and range (R2 : .03) and complexity (R2 : .10). As a consequence, we conclude that music properties can be predicted from the movement it evoked, and that an embodied approach to Music Information Retrieval is feasible

Competent and warm?:how mismatching appearance and accent influence first impressions

Most research on ethnicity has focused on visual cues. However, accents are strong social cues that can match or contradict visual cues. We examined understudied reactions to people whose one cue suggests one ethnicity, whereas the other cue contradicts it. In an experiment conducted in Germany, job candidates spoke with an accent either congruent or incongruent with their (German or Turkish) appearance. Based on ethnolinguistic identity theory, we predicted that accents would be strong cues for categorization and evaluation. Based on expectancy violations theory we expected that incongruent targets would be evaluated more extremely than congruent targets. Both predictions were confirmed: Accents strongly influenced perceptions and Turkish-looking German-accented targets were perceived as most competent of all targets (and additionally most warm). The findings show that bringing together visual and auditory information yields a more complete picture of the processes underlying impression formation