When to walk away: The effect of variability on keeping options viable

In this work we explore a variant of a classic explore/exploit dilemma based on a recent study by Shin and Ariely (2004). We presented participants with a scenario in which they were forced to explore among 9 different options of unknown value; for some, options left unexplored long enough disappeared. Contrary to expectations, the mere presence of additional options did not substantially increase people's ability to walk away from them. However, when options differed in value, people were able to locate the more valuable options and became much more willing to walk away from at least a few. Finally, our analysis of individual differences revealed that while people differ greatly in the strategies they approach the task with, almost every participant showed an "explore to exploit" shift over time.Anastasia Ejova, Daniel Navarro and Amy Perfor

Success-slope effects on the illusion of control and on remembered success-frequency

The illusion of control refers to the inference of action-outcome contingency in situations where outcomes are in fact random. The strength of this illusion has been found to be affected by whether the frequency of successes increases or decreases over repeated trials, in what can be termed a “success-slope” effect. Previous studies have generated inconsistent findings regarding the nature of this effect. In this paper we present an experiment (N = 334) that overcomes several methodological limitations within this literature, employing a wider range of dependent measures (measures of two different types of illusory control, primary (by self) and secondary (by luck), as well as measures of remembered success-frequency). Results indicate that different dependent measures lead to different effects. On measures of (primary, but not secondary) control over the task, scores were highest when the rate of success increased over time. Meanwhile, estimates of success-frequency in the task did not vary across conditions and showed trends consistent with the broader literature on human memory.Anastasia Ejova, Daniel J. Navarro, Paul H. Delfabbr

Illusory control, gambling, and video gaming: an investigation of regular gamblers and video game players

There is a paucity of empirical research examining the possible association between gambling and video game play. In two studies, we examined the association between video game playing, erroneous gambling cognitions, and risky gambling behaviour. One hundred and fifteen participants, including 65 electronic gambling machine(EGM)players and 50 regular video game players, were administered a questionnaire that examined video game play, gambling involvement, problem gambling, and beliefs about gambling. We then assessed each groups’ performance on a computerised gambling task that involved real money. A post-game survey examined perceptions of the skill and chance involved in the gambling task. The results showed that video game playing itself was not significantly associated with gambling involvement or problem gambling status. However, among those persons who both gambled and played video games, video game playing was uniquely and significantly positively associated with the perception of direct control over chance-based gambling events. Further research is needed to better understand the nature of this association, as it may assist in understanding the impact of emerging digital gambling technologies.Daniel L. King, Anastasia Ejova and Paul H. Delfabbr

Blame the skilled

This study investigates the influence of players’ performance and level of skill on responsibility attributions in groups. Participants act as external judges and evaluate the performance of teams of differently skilled players who compete in a darts game. The results show that both performance and skill influence responsibility attributions. Poor performance elicits high blame and low credit ratings and vice versa for good performance. Responsibility attributions to one player did not vary as a function of the other player’s performance. The influence of skill on responsibility attributions was asymmetric. While skilled players were blamed more for losses than unskilled players, credit ratings did not vary significantly as a function of skill. This result is in line with people’s strong tendency to spontaneously consider upwards counterfactual alternatives for losses over downwards counterfactuals for wins.6 page(s

Clear thinking in deep space: A guide by cognitive scientists

This is a preprint of a chapter published in "Human Uses of Outer Space" - edited by Melissa de Zwart, John Culton, Stacey Henderson, Amit Srivastava, and Deborah Turnbull

Weight stigmatization and disordered eating in obese women: The mediating effects of self-esteem and fear of negative appearance evaluation

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado.Objective The aim of this study is to examine whether self-esteem and fear of negative appearance evaluation are significant mediators in the association between weight-related self-devaluation and disordered eating. Method A sample of obese Canadian women (N = 111, M age = 40.9, SD = 10.2) completed the Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire (WSSQ), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the Fear of Negative Appearance Evaluation Scale (FNAES), and the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q). Results Self-esteem mediated the relationship between weight-related self-devaluation and restraint and weight concerns, whereas fear of negative appearance evaluation mediated the relationship with weight, shape and eating concerns. Conclusion Since, for obese women, self-esteem and fear of negative appearance evaluation are likely to maintain disordered eating, they should be more frequently taken into consideration by researchers, health professionals and public policy stakeholders.Revisión por pare

The awe-prosociality relationship: Evidence for the role of context

People in a state of awe have been found to perceive their needs as small while also expressing intentions to act in a prosocial way, benefitting others at personal cost. However, these findings come largely out of the USA and have focused on intended rather than real prosocial behavior. We propose a contextual model of the awe-prosociality relationship predicated on the constructed theory of emotion, according to which emotion categories and cost–benefit analyses of possible subsequent actions differ across cultures and in line with enduring individual differences. To test the model, we conducted a laboratory study (N = 143) examining whether costly volunteering behavior is higher amid awe in the Czech Republic, a country where social psychological studies have often produced different results compared to the USA. Awe-inspiring and neutral primes were validated in pilot studies (N = 229). As is possible under the contextual model, awe-inspiring primes elicited not more, but less, prosocial behavior, with the relationship being moderated by various facets of Openness to Experience. Individuals higher in the Feelings facet of Openness were also found to be more awe-prone. A call is made for a cross-cultural investigation of the awe-behavior relationship that accounts for complex phylogenetic relationships between cultures.- Pilot study: emotion prime manipulation check and investigation of the relationship between Openness facets and awe-proneness (Hypothesis 2) -- Aims -- Method -- Results and discussion - Main study: the awe-behavior relationship and its moderators (Hypotheses 1 and 3) -- Aims -- Method -- Results and discussion - General discussio