When sounds look right and images sound correct : cross-modal coherence enhances claims of pattern presence

How do people decide whether a stimulus contains a pattern? One possibility is that they rely on a global, non-specific signal of coherence. Interestingly, this signal might reflect a combination of different stimulus sources. Consequently, the coherence of one stimulus might influence decisions about coherence of a second, unrelated stimulus. We explored this possibility in three experiments in which participants judged the presence of a pattern in targets from one sensory modality, while being exposed in the background to incidental coherent and incoherent stimuli in a different modality (visual → auditory, auditory → visual). Across all three experiments, using a variety of judgments, coherence of incidental background cross-modal patterns enhanced claims of pattern presence. These findings advance our understanding of how people judge order in the structured as well as in the unstructured world

Rhythms of the day: how electronic media and daily routines influence mood during COVID-19 pandemic

This study aims to investigate how daily activities affect mood in the context of social distancing guidelines enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) administered four times a day during a two-week period, we asked participants (N = 91) about their mood and the activities they engaged in. Seven individuals were selected for a follow-up, open-ended questionnaire. Results show that a stable routine, including physical exercise, hobbies, regular sleep hours, and minimal time spent in front of the computer, helps maintain a good mood. Coping strategies such as planning and scheduling help keep routines and circadian rhythms stable. Face-to-face contact is associated with a more positive mood, while similar interaction through electronic communication has a less positive effect. We observe an effect related to the infodemic phenomenon: daily reports on COVID-19 cases and deaths affect mood fluctuations. This is an important consideration in shaping public information policies

Trajectories of discussion stages in 3 communication conditions (face-to-face, phone and chat) and averaged over all media.

<p> On X-axis each point refers to a fraction of the total number of utterances ordered in time. The Y-axis depicts the fraction of utterances of each category in the given time frame.</p

Descriptive statistics of individual level variables used in the study.

<p>Descriptive statistics of individual level variables used in the study.</p

State transition diagrams in 3 media conditions: chat (A), mobile phone (B), face-to-face (C).

<p>State transition diagrams in 3 media conditions: chat (A), mobile phone (B), face-to-face (C).</p

Comparison of the quality of solutions achieved by dyads (A), difference between the quality of dyadic and individual solutions (B), duration of conversations (C) in three conditions: chat, mobile phone and face-to-face communication.

<p>Comparison of the quality of solutions achieved by dyads (A), difference between the quality of dyadic and individual solutions (B), duration of conversations (C) in three conditions: chat, mobile phone and face-to-face communication.</p