Insomnia‐related interpretational bias is associated with pre‐sleep worry

Cognitive models of insomnia highlight the role of biased cognition in sleep‐related information, which is proposed to underlie pre‐sleep worry, which in turn results in both subjective and objective sleep deficits. To test this hypothesis, the current study investigated interpretational bias, which is a tendency to interpret ambiguous stimuli in a threat‐related (here: insomnia‐related) manner. We specifically hypothesized that interpretational bias would be associated with (a) pre‐sleep worry and (b) poor subjective and objective sleep. Interpretational bias was measured using the ambiguous scenario task, in which participants (n = 76, community sample) were presented with two types of scenarios (insomnia and anxiety related) that could be alternatively interpreted in a neutral manner. Participants additionally completed questionnaires to assess global sleep quality and pre‐sleep worry, which were followed by 1‐week sleep assessments (via diaries and actigraphy) to estimate specific, daily subjective and objective sleep parameters. The results showed that insomnia‐related (but not anxiety‐related) interpretational bias was positively associated with pre‐sleep worry as well as overall sleep quality. However, these associations could be explained by general trait anxiety. We also found no connection to specific subjective or objective parameters of daily sleep, such as sleep onset latency. These findings support the cognitive‐hyperarousal mechanism, where biased cognition (together with trait anxiety) underlies pre‐sleep worry. The association with overall sleep quality, but not with specific, daily subjective or objective sleep parameters, may suggest that interpretational bias is specifically relevant for how individuals judge and describe their sleep quality

The Role of Ethological Observation for Measuring Animal Reactions to Biotelemetry Devices

This paper presents a methodological approach used to assess the wearability of biotelemetry devices in animals. A detailed protocol to gather quantitative and qualitative ethological observations was adapted and tested in an experimental study of 13 cat participants wearing two different GPS devices. The aim was twofold: firstly, to ascertain the potential interference generated by the devices on the animal body and behavior by quantifying and characterizing it; secondly, to individuate device features potentially responsible for the influence registered, and establish design requirements. This research contributes towards the development of a framework for evaluating the design of wearer-centered biotelemetry interventions for animals, consistent with values advocated by Animal- Computer Interaction researchers

The Irreducibly Normative Nature of Provocation/Passion

I agree with Professor Fontaine that provocation/passion is best interpreted as a partial excuse, but the ground for my conclusion is normative and not analytic. Indeed, I fear that he has not made the analytic case in large part because he begs a question about failed justifications that has only a normative and not an analytic answer. This Essay first briefly provides my own understanding of provocation/ passion. In the course of doing so, I address Professor Fontaine\u27s argument that provocation/passion should also be applied to people with provocation interpretational bias. I then turn to why Fontaine\u27s case for partial excuse is not analytically airtight

Adequate (Non)Provocation and Heat of Passion as Excuse Not Justification

For a number of reasons, including the complicated psychological makeup of reactive homicide, the heat of passion defense has remained subject to various points of confusion. One persistent issue of disagreement has been the justificatory versus excusatory nature of the defense. In this Article, I highlight and categorize a series of varied American homicide cases in which the applicability of heat of passion was supported although adequate provocation (or significant provocation by the victim) was absent. The cases are organized to illustrate how common law heat of passion may apply in instances in which there is no actual provocation or the source of provocation is the victim. The rationale is that the emotional disturbance that interferes with one\u27s rationality and self-control arises as an effect of the genuine belief that one has been seriously wronged, a perspective that can only be characterized as an excuse. In addition, I discuss how the rationale that this defense is a partial justification fails even in most situations in which the killer has really been seriously provoked by the victim. Finally, I clarify discrete psychological components of heat of passion homicide, and discuss how scholarly and judicial blurring of these forms of mental functioning may contribute to the longstanding confusion as to the nature of the defense. In sum, this Article contributes further evidence as to why it is correct to view heat of passion as a partial excuse

Cannabis and Driving Ability

The aim of this review is to discuss recent evidence on cannabis and driving ability. In particular, the review examines experimental research on the acute effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on driving-related neurobehavioral skills and driving performance based on simulator and road course studies. The evidence indicates that certain driving abilities are significantly, albeit modestly, impaired in individuals experiencing the acute effects of THC. Treatment effects are moderated by dose, delivery method, recency of use, and tolerance development, with inconclusive evidence concerning the moderating influence of cannabidiol (CBD). Emerging research priorities include linking neurobehavioral deficits to specific decrements in driving performance, estimating the real-world implications of experimental driving impairment research, understanding how tolerance differentially affects driving impairment in different subgroups, and developing more evidence on CBD’s potential role in mitigating THC-induced impairment

Relationship between social anxiety and perceived trustworthiness

Background and Objectives: Given that the correct interpretation of emotional facial expressions is an essential social skill, it has been repeatedly tested if socially anxious persons show an interpretational bias for emotional faces. Studies examining interpretational biases have revealed inconsistent findings, resulting in four possible bias patterns. However, the assessment may have been hampered by employing more general ratings that arguably are less able to reflect processing of social information. We examined the relationship between social anxiety and face ratings for perceived trustworthiness given that trustworthiness is an inherently socially relevant construct. Improving on earlier analytical strategies, we directly evaluated the four bias patterns using a Bayesian approach to test informative hypotheses. Method: Ninety-eight undergraduates rated 198 face stimuli on perceived trustworthiness and intelligence, the latter serving as a control condition. Subsequently, participants completed a set of questionnaires. Results: It was three times more likely that social anxiety does not influence trustworthiness judgments than assuming any kind of negative interpretation bias in social anxiety. Also, this independence model reached the best fit for perceived intelligence, indicating that social anxiety does not have a prominent influence on intelligence ratings. Limitations: Since we did not assess the participant’s diagnostic status, we cannot generalize our findings to clinical levels of social anxiety. Conclusions: We conclude that the deviant interpretation of facial characteristics is not a relevant aspect in social anxiety

The Values of Interdisciplinarity in Homicide Law Reform

Professor Reid Fontaine\u27s article, Adequate (Non)Provocation and Heat of Passion as Excuse Not Justification, makes a convincing case for treating heat of passion wholly as an excuse not a justification, as the only sensible way to comprehend its various forms. In doing so, Professor Fontaine stimulates further thinking about heat of passion doctrine, along two dimensions

Open Research for Academics: how to be an academic in the twenty-first century

Open research is about more than open access. It is about making all aspects of the research process open to all possible interested parties. Ahead of a workshop and hackathon later this week, Bianca Elena Ivanof and Caspar Addyman outline some steps towards being a successful academic in the 21st century; from writing clearly and engaging with the public to opening up your research to your peers

Complex joint probabilities as expressions of determinism in quantum mechanics

The density operator of a quantum state can be represented as a complex joint probability of any two observables whose eigenstates have non-zero mutual overlap. Transformations to a new basis set are then expressed in terms of complex conditional probabilities that describe the fundamental relation between precise statements about the three different observables. Since such transformations merely change the representation of the quantum state, these conditional probabilities provide a state-independent definition of the deterministic relation between the outcomes of different quantum measurements. In this paper, it is shown how classical reality emerges as an approximation to the fundamental laws of quantum determinism expressed by complex conditional probabilities. The quantum mechanical origin of phase spaces and trajectories is identified and implications for the interpretation of quantum measurements are considered. It is argued that the transformation laws of quantum determinism provide a fundamental description of the measurement dependence of empirical reality.Comment: 12 pages, including 1 figure, updated introduction includes references to the historical background of complex joint probabilities and to related work by Lars M. Johanse