Digitally manipulating memory : effects of doctored videos and imagination in distorting beliefs and memories

In prior research on false autobiographical beliefs and memories, subjects have been asked to imagine fictional events and they have been exposed to false evidence that indicates the fictional events occurred. But what are the relative contributions of imagination and false evidence toward false belief and memory construction? Subjects observed and copied various simple actions, then viewed doctored videos that suggested they had performed extra actions, and they imagined performing some of those and some other actions. Subjects returned two weeks later for a memory test. False evidence or imagination alone was often sufficient to cause belief and memory distortions; the two techniques in combination appeared to have additive or even superadditive effects. The results bear on the mechanisms underlying false beliefs and memories, and we propose legal and clinical applications of these findings

Reasons to doubt the reliability of eyewitness memory: Commentary on Wixted, Mickes, and Fisher (2018)

Wixted, Mickes, and Fisher (this issue) take issue with the common trope that eyewitness memory is inherently unreliable. They draw on a large body of mock-crime research and a small number of field studies, which indicate that high-confidence eyewitness reports are usually accurate, at least when memory is uncontaminated and suitable interviewing procedures are used. We agree with the thrust of Wixted et al.’s argument and welcome their invitation to confront the mass underselling of eyewitnesses’ potential reliability. Nevertheless, we argue that there is a comparable risk of overselling eyewitnesses’ reliability. Wixted et al.’s reasoning implies that near-pristine conditions or uncontaminated memories are normative, but there are at least two good reasons to doubt this. First, psychological science does not yet offer a good understanding of how often and when eyewitness interviews might deviate from best practice in ways that compromise the accuracy of witnesses’ reports. Second, witnesses may frequently be exposed to preinterview influences that could corrupt reports obtained in best-practice interviews

Spectroscopic Evidence That the Extreme Properties of IRAS F10214+4724 are due to Gravitational Lensing

The extreme bolometric luminosity of IRAS F10214+4724, and in particular the huge mass in molecular gas inferred from the CO line fluxes have led to suggestions that this is a giant galaxy in the process of formation. An arc-like structure and the closeness of a second object suggest, however, that gravitational lensing may be responsible for its anomalously high luminosity and mass. In this paper, we use an optical spectrum taken in conditions of 0.7-arcsec seeing to provide further evidence that F10214+4724 is a gravitationally lensed system. We measure tentative redshifts of 0.896 and 0.899 for galaxies projected $\approx 1$ and $\approx 3$ arcsec from IRAS F10214+4724 respectively. Identifying the former as the lensing galaxy we obtain a mass:light ratio consistent with those derived for other lenses, and find that its luminosity is consistent with the velocity dispersion deduced from the radius of the Einstein ring. If lensed, our models suggest magnification by a factor $\sim 10$, and hence an intrinsic bolometric luminosity for F10214+4724 similar to local ULIRGs.Comment: 5 pages, uuencoded compressed PostScript, 3 figures included. Accepted for publication in MNRAS pink pages; submitted 1 May 199

Sedimentological Equilibrium of Marshes and Mudflats at Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia

Proceedings of the 1993 Georgia Water Resources Conference, April 20-21, 1993, Athens, Georgia.Coastal wetland loss has become nationally recognized as a significant habitat destruction and degradation process (Frayer et al., 1983 and Park et al., 1989). The causes of land loss in wetlands are complex, however, linkages to natural processes and cultural factors are poorly understood in most cases. Efforts to establish causal relationships have led a number of researchers to develop techniques for assessing changes in marsh environments. Until recently these techniques have been limited to measurements of planimetric change or land loss. Changes in rates of sedimentation, nutrient supply, and inundation may cause physiological stress to marsh vegetation. The ultimate result is plant death, disintegration of the root mat, and land loss. Few efforts have been directed toward measuring the early process-setting changes. The rate of change in marsh surface elevation - if it could be measured reliably - might serve as a diagnostic predictor of these more subtle effects of microtopographical change. Such knowledge could serve as the basis of a very focused countermeasure program to reduce or stop land loss.Sponsored and Organized by: U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of TechnologyThis book was published by the Institute of Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602 with partial funding provided by the U.S. Department of Interior, Geological Survey, through the Georgia Water Research Institute as authorized by the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 (P.L. 98-242). The views and statements advanced in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not represent official views or policies of the University of Georgia or the U.S. Geological Survey or the conference sponsors

SARS-CoV-2 E gene variant alters analytical sensitivity characteristics of viral detection using a commercial reverse transcription-PCR assay

Diagnostic assays for detecting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are essential for patient management, infection prevention, and the public health response for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The efficacy and reliability of these assays are of paramount importance in both tracking and controlling the spread of the virus. Real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) assays rely on a fixed genetic sequence for primer and probe binding. Mutations can potentially alter the accuracy of these assays and lead to unpredictable analytical performance characteristics and false-negative results. Here, we identify a G-to-U transversion (nucleotide 26372) in the SARS-CoV-2 E gene in three specimens with reduced viral detection efficiency using a widely available commercial assay. Further analysis of the public GISAID repository led to the identification of 18 additional genomes with this mutation, which reflect five independent mutational events. This work supports the use of dual-target assays to reduce the number of false-negative PCR results

An Educational Intervention to Improve HPV Vaccination: A Cluster Randomized Trial

Background: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection can lead to serious health issues and remains the most common sexually transmitted infection. Despite availability of effective vaccines, HPV vaccination rates are suboptimal. Methods: In a cluster randomized trial, an intervention targeting parents of adolescents (11-17 years) eligible for a dose of HPV vaccine was tested in pediatric clinics part of an urban health system. Parents watched a digital video outlining the risks and benefits of vaccine using a tablet in the exam room. The primary outcome was change in HPV vaccine status two weeks after the clinic visit. An intention to treat analysis for the primary outcome utilized generalized estimating equations to accommodate the potential cluster effect of clinics. Results: A total of 1596 eligible adolescents were observed during the 7-month trial. One-third of adolescents visited an intervention clinic. Adolescents who attended an intervention clinic were more likely to be younger (11-12 years) than those who attended a control clinic (72.4% versus 49.8%; p<0.001). No differences in race or gender were observed. The proportion of adolescents with an observed change in vaccine status was higher for those attending an intervention clinic (64.8%) versus control clinic (50.1%; OR=1.82; 95% CI=1.47-2.25; p<0.001). Adolescents whose parents watched the video had a three times greater odds of receiving a dose of the HPV vaccine (78.0%; OR=3.07; 95% CI=1.47-6.42; p=0.003). Conclusions: Educational interventions delivered within a clinical setting hold promise to improve vaccination behaviors

Meta-awareness and the involuntary memory spectrum: Reply to Meyer, Otgaar, and Smeets (2015)

© 2015 Elsevier Inc. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/In their commentary, Meyer, Otgaar, and Smeets (2015) raise several important issues about the definitions, characteristics and applications of various involuntary cognitive phenomena. Here we respond to the comments of Meyer et al. in ways that we hope will advance understanding of these issues, and inform future research. In particular, we have focused on the characteristics of involuntary phenomena—particularly in relation to meta-awareness—and the clinical relevance of mind-wandering

Witnessing-condition Heterogeneity and Witnesses’ Versus Investigators’ Confidence in the Accuracy of Witnesses’ Identification Decisions

©American Psychological Association, [2000]. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission. The final article is available, upon publication, at: [https://doi.apa.org/doi/10.1023/A:1005504320565]Undergraduate participants were tested in 144 pairs, with one member of each pair randomly assigned to a “witness” role and the other to an “:investigator” role. Each witness viewed a target person on video under good or poor witnessing conditions and was then interviewed by an investigator, who administered a photo lineup and rated his or her confidence in the witness. Witnesses also (separately) rated their own confidence. Investigators discriminated between accurate and inaccurate witnesses, but did so less well than witnesses' own confidence ratings and were biased toward accepting witnesses' decisions. Moreover, investigators' confidence made no unique contribution to the prediction of witnesses' accuracy. Witnesses' confidence and accuracy were affected in the same direction by witnessing conditions, and there was a substantial confidence–accuracy correlation when data were collapsed across witnessing conditions. Confidence can be strongly indicative of accuracy when witnessing conditions vary widely, and witnesses' confidence may be a better indicator than investigators'Funder 1,This research was supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada grant to the first author || Funder 2, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada grant to the third author

Radio Frequency Tag Satellite: Backscatter Communication in Low Earth Orbit

Wireless sensor communication can evaluate the structural integrity of a system while reducing the danger and cost of installation and maintenance on satellites. This is needed at the International Space Station as well as other satellites. The objective of this mission is to perform a demonstration using backscatter Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tag technology as a method of wireless communication in extremely low earth orbit. While RFID tag communication has been used on earth for many practical applications the technology has yet to be tested in space. A 3U Cubesat was selected as the configuration to house the experiment. This project utilizes an electrical power system, an interface board custom built around a microcontroller, and two radio communication systems to run the RFID experiment to be designed by a Georgia Tech engineering team. The RFID tag will be mounted to a carbon fiber boom that can be extended out one meter to incrementally collect data. This satellite will need to be strong enough to pass a series of vibration and heat tests to be qualified for flight. It will be programmed to maintain its own power, take data, and communicate the data back to earth via the Globalstar Network