The Experience of Insight Facilitates Long‐Term Semantic Priming in the Right Hemisphere

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156008/1/jocb374.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156008/2/jocb374_am.pd

Reconsidering power and distance

A wide range of studies indicate that power and distance affect the production and interpretation of language. However, this paper argues that greater consideration needs to be given to the conceptual nature of these dimensions, and to terminological usage. In the first half of the paper, the need for this consideration is explained. A number of pragmatic studies are examined, and this reveals that authors often use the same terms with different meanings, or different terms with the same meaning, and that the parameters are rarely explicitly defined. Then the paper reviews recent calls for an extra parameter of interlocutor relations to be added: for affect to be separated from distance. In the second half of the paper, relevant social psychological research is reported, and it is concluded that the number of ‘horizontal’ dimensions of interlocutor relations needs to be reconsidered. Power, on the other hand, emerges as a robust and relatively unitary dimension, yet its label has connotations that may not be cross-culturally valid

The politics of identity: the roots of radicalization and home-grown terrorism amongst second and third generation immigrants in Europe

Jihadi terrorism in Europe is a growing and ever-changing threat. Radicals embracing a militant brand of Islam were once an external threat, planning missions abroad before traveling to their Western targets. Jihadi terrorism has since evolved into an internal threat with the emergence of loose-knit homegrown terrorist organizations. Second and third generation immigrants have increasingly turned to militant Islam, radicalizing against the very society into which they were born and raised. This phenomenon is complex, stemming from an identity crisis in which second and third generation immigrants do not feel a sense of belonging to their European host societies, nor their ethnic countries of origin. Radical Islam provides a sense of dignity and purpose to youth that oftentimes feel marginalized and discriminated against. There they also find a badly needed sense of identity derived from the greater Islamic community and its fixed value system. Radicalization is a threat to social cohesion in Europe, and requires a nuanced and precise counter-terrorism policy that will increase trust and communication between groups

Self-other differences in student drinking norms research: the role of impression management, self-deception and measurement methodology

Background: Data-driven student drinking norms interventions are based on reported normative overestimation of the extent and approval of an average student’s drinking. Self-reported differences between personal and perceived normative drinking behaviors and attitudes are taken at face value as evidence of actual levels of overestimation. This study investigates whether commonly used data collection methods and socially desirable responding may inadvertently impede establishing 'objective' drinking norms. Methods: UK students [N=421; 69% female; Mean age 20.22 years (SD = 2.5)] were randomly assigned to one of three versions of a drinking norms questionnaire: The standard multi-target questionnaire assessed respondents' drinking attitudes and behaviors (frequency of consumption, heavy drinking, units on a typical occasion) as well as drinking attitudes and behaviors for an ‘average student’. Two deconstructed versions of this questionnaire assessed identical behaviors and attitudes for participants themselves or an 'average student'. The Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding was also administered. Results: Students who answered questions about themselves and peers reported more extreme perceived drinking attitudes for the average student compared with those reporting solely on the ‘average student’. Personal and perceived reports of drinking behaviors did not differ between multi- and single-target versions of the questionnaire. Among those who completed the multi-target questionnaire, after controlling for demographics and weekly drinking, socially desirable responding was related positively with the magnitude of difference between students’ own reported behaviors/attitudes and those perceived for the average student. Conclusions: Standard methodological practices and socially desirable responding may be sources of bias in peer norm overestimation research

Loneliness, social support and cardiovascular reactivity to laboratory stress

Self-reported or explicit loneliness and social support have been inconsistently associated with cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) to stress. The present study aimed to adapt an implicit measure of loneliness, and use it alongside the measures of explicit loneliness and social support, to investigate their correlations with CVR to laboratory stress. Twenty-five female volunteers aged between 18 and 39 years completed self-reported measures of loneliness and social support, and an Implicit Association Test (IAT) of loneliness. The systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) reactivity indices were measured in response to psychosocial stress induced in the laboratory. Functional support indices of social support were significantly correlated with CVR reactivity to stress. Interestingly, implicit, but not explicit, loneliness was significantly correlated with DBP reactivity after one of the stressors. No associations were found between structural support and CVR indices. Results are discussed in terms of validity of implicit versus explicit measures and possible factors that affect physiological outcomes

Age-related physical and psychological vulnerability as pathways to problem gambling in older adults

Background: To inform clinical treatment and preventative efforts, there is an important need to understand the pathways to late-life gambling disorder. Aims: This study assesses the association between age-related physical health, social networks, and problem gambling in adults aged over 65 years and assesses the mediating role of affective disorders in this association. Methods: The sample comprised 595 older adults (mean age: 74.4 years, range: 65–94 years; 77.1% female) who were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to assess physical frailty, geriatric pain, loneliness, geriatric depression, geriatric anxiety, and problem gambling. Results: Pathway analysis demonstrated associations between these variables and gambling problems, providing a good fit for the data, but that critically these relationships were mediated by both anxiety and depression symptoms. Conclusions: This study indicates that late-life problem gambling may develop as vulnerable individuals gamble to escape anxiety and depression consequent to deteriorating physical well-being and social support. When individuals develop late-life problem gambling, it is recommended that the treatment primarily focuses upon targeting and replacing avoidant coping approaches

Neuronal interactions between mentalizing and action systems during indirect request processing

Human communication relies on the ability to process linguistic structure and to map words and utterances onto our environment. Furthermore, as what we communicate is often not directly encoded in our language (e.g., in the case of irony, jokes, or indirect requests), we need to extract additional cues to infer the beliefs and desires of our conversational partners. Although the functional interplay between language and the ability to mentalize has been discussed in theoretical accounts in the past, the neurobiological underpinnings of these dynamics are currently not well understood. Here, we address this issue using functional imaging (fMRI). Participants listened to question-reply dialogues. In these dialogues, a reply is interpreted as a direct reply, an indirect reply, or a request for action, depending on the question. We show that inferring meaning from indirect replies engages parts of the mentalizing network (mPFC) while requests for action also activate the cortical motor system (IPL). Subsequent connectivity analysis using Dynamic Causal Modelling (DCM) revealed that this pattern of activation is best explained by an increase in effective connectivity from the mentalizing network (mPFC) to the action system (IPL). These results are an important step towards a more integrative understanding of the neurobiological basis of indirect speech processing

Why do individuals engage in in-play sports betting? A qualitative interview study

Increasing technological advancements and changing consumer behavior has resulted in individuals having access to a wider range of online gambling markets and sporting events than ever before. Sports betting in real time has been aided by the accessibility of smartphone devices. Consequently, the popularity of live sports betting (i.e., 'in-play' betting) has spread across Europe and around the rest of world. The aim of the present exploratory study was to examine attitudes and opinions towards online sports betting. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 males and 2 females aged between 21 and 32 years. Participants were asked a range of semi-structured interview questions based on pre-determined topic areas. Socio-demographic data were collected and the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) was used to assess problem gambling. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis in order to identify themes. Analysis of the transcripts identified several notable areas including the ease of engaging in in-play sports betting, motivations for engaging in in-play sports betting (including increased excitement, demonstrating knowledge/skill and response to live odds), and different reasons for using the ‘cash-out’ feature. The findings will contribute to the design of future research investigating in-play sports betting behaviours