The Effect of Stereoscopic (3D) Movies on Psychological and Physiological Experiences

Despite the recent rise in the popularity of 3D entertainment technology, there is surprisingly little research on the psychophysiological experience of watching 3D movies. Previous studies suggest that exposure to stereoscopic (3D) images in training environments (e.g., flight simulators) can cause discomforts including eyestrain and visually induced motion sickness. However, existing research on 3D entertainment has been mixed and has relied primarily on retrospective, non-experimental research designs, which do not allow us to draw clear causal conclusions. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychological and physiological effects of viewing 3D movies using a controlled, manipulated experiment. Eighty-two participants were randomly assigned to watch a segment of a nature movie in either stereoscopic (3D) or standard (2D) format and were measured on their psychological and physiological experiences. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) revealed statistically significant adverse effects of the 3D movie format. Specifically, watching a movie segment in 3D resulted in significantly more ocular discomfort (e.g., eyestrain) and feelings of disorientation compared to watching the same segment in 2D. Most notably, these results were observed after controlling for an individual’s self-reported level of intolerance for physical discomfort and pre-existing attitudes towards 3D movies. Interestingly, although nausea is often reported anecdotally in reaction to 3D movies, we did not find significant effects of the 3D format on feelings of nausea. These results suggest that the direct psychophysiological experience of 3D movies is complex and continued research is necessary to improve the comfort and safety of consumers

The psychological interaction of spam email features

This study explored distinct perceptual and decisional contributions to spam email mental construal. Participants classified spam emails according to pairings of three stimulus features – presence or absence of awkward prose, abnormal message structure, and implausible premise. We examined dimensional interactions within general recognition theory (GRT; a multidimensional extension of signal detection theory). Classification accuracy was highest for categories containing either two non-normal dimension levels (e.g. awkward prose and implausible premise) or two normal dimension levels (e.g. normal prose and plausible premise). Modelling indicated both perceptual and decisional contributions to classification responding. In most cases, perceptual discriminability was higher along one dimension when stimuli contained a non-normal level of the paired dimension (e.g. prose discriminability was higher with abnormal structure). Similarly, decision criteria along one dimension were biased in favour of the non-normal response when stimuli contained a non-normal level of the paired dimension. Potential applications for training are discussed

Genetic mechanisms of critical illness in COVID-19.

Host-mediated lung inflammation is present1, and drives mortality2, in the critical illness caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Host genetic variants associated with critical illness may identify mechanistic targets for therapeutic development3. Here we report the results of the GenOMICC (Genetics Of Mortality In Critical Care) genome-wide association study in 2,244 critically ill patients with COVID-19 from 208 UK intensive care units. We have identified and replicated the following new genome-wide significant associations: on chromosome 12q24.13 (rs10735079, P = 1.65 × 10-8) in a gene cluster that encodes antiviral restriction enzyme activators (OAS1, OAS2 and OAS3); on chromosome 19p13.2 (rs74956615, P = 2.3 × 10-8) near the gene that encodes tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2); on chromosome 19p13.3 (rs2109069, P = 3.98 ×  10-12) within the gene that encodes dipeptidyl peptidase 9 (DPP9); and on chromosome 21q22.1 (rs2236757, P = 4.99 × 10-8) in the interferon receptor gene IFNAR2. We identified potential targets for repurposing of licensed medications: using Mendelian randomization, we found evidence that low expression of IFNAR2, or high expression of TYK2, are associated with life-threatening disease; and transcriptome-wide association in lung tissue revealed that high expression of the monocyte-macrophage chemotactic receptor CCR2 is associated with severe COVID-19. Our results identify robust genetic signals relating to key host antiviral defence mechanisms and mediators of inflammatory organ damage in COVID-19. Both mechanisms may be amenable to targeted treatment with existing drugs. However, large-scale randomized clinical trials will be essential before any change to clinical practice

So Many Phish, So Little Time: Exploring Email Task Factors and Phishing Susceptibility

ObjectiveThe present studies examine how task factors (e.g., email load, phishing prevalence) influence email performance.BackgroundPhishing emails are a paramount cybersecurity threat for the modern email user. Research attempting to understand how users are susceptible to phishing attacks has been limited and has not fully explored how task factors (e.g., prevalence, email load) influence accurate detection.MethodIn three experiments, participants classified emails as either legitimate or not legitimate and reported on a variety of other categorizations. The first two experiments examined how email load and phishing prevalence influence phishing detection independently. The third experiment examined the interaction of these two factors to determine whether they have compounding effects. All three experiments utilized individual difference variables to examine how cognitive, behavioral, and personality factors may influence classifications.ResultsExperiment 1 suggests that high email load can make the task appear more challenging. Experiment 2 indicates that low phishing prevalence can decrease sensitivity for phishing emails. Experiment 3 demonstrates that high levels of email load can decrease classification accuracy under 50/50 prevalence rates. Notably, performance was poor across all experiments, with phishing detection near chance levels and low discriminability for emails. Participants demonstrated poor metacognition with over confidence, low self-reported difficulty, and low perceived threat for the emails.ConclusionOverall, the present studies suggest that high email load and low phishing prevalence can influence email classifications.ApplicationOrganizations and researchers should consider the influences of both email load and phishing prevalence when implementing phishing interventions

So Many Phish, So Little Time: Exploring Email Task Factors and Phishing Susceptibility

ObjectiveThe present studies examine how task factors (e.g., email load, phishing prevalence) influence email performance.BackgroundPhishing emails are a paramount cybersecurity threat for the modern email user. Research attempting to understand how users are susceptible to phishing attacks has been limited and has not fully explored how task factors (e.g., prevalence, email load) influence accurate detection.MethodIn three experiments, participants classified emails as either legitimate or not legitimate and reported on a variety of other categorizations. The first two experiments examined how email load and phishing prevalence influence phishing detection independently. The third experiment examined the interaction of these two factors to determine whether they have compounding effects. All three experiments utilized individual difference variables to examine how cognitive, behavioral, and personality factors may influence classifications.ResultsExperiment 1 suggests that high email load can make the task appear more challenging. Experiment 2 indicates that low phishing prevalence can decrease sensitivity for phishing emails. Experiment 3 demonstrates that high levels of email load can decrease classification accuracy under 50/50 prevalence rates. Notably, performance was poor across all experiments, with phishing detection near chance levels and low discriminability for emails. Participants demonstrated poor metacognition with over confidence, low self-reported difficulty, and low perceived threat for the emails.ConclusionOverall, the present studies suggest that high email load and low phishing prevalence can influence email classifications.ApplicationOrganizations and researchers should consider the influences of both email load and phishing prevalence when implementing phishing interventions

Exploring the Third Dimension of Visual Search

Previous research has suggested that the presence of depth cues may facilitate search performance (e.g., faster RTs for 3-D vs 2-D displays). Here, search arrays were constructed with “T” targets among “L” distractors at two set sizes (18 & 24) at various orientations. To create a percept of depth, 3-D items were rendered with a bevel at three depths and 2-D stimuli were created without a bevel at three sizes to control for a potential size confound. Participants were instructed to search and respond to the presence of a “T” target on each trial – no specific target preview was provided and participants received feedback on every trial. Participants either searched only through 3-D arrays or only through 2-D arrays. The results supported previous findings. Overall, participants in the 3-D condition were faster at detecting the target, but this RT advantage was attenuated as set size increased in target present trials (~217 ms advantage at set size 18 compared to ~61 ms at set size 24). In target absent trials, the RT advantage for 3-D arrays remained intact across set size (~418 ms advantage at set size 18 compared to ~555 ms at set size 24). Accuracy did not differ significantly across the 2-D and 3-D conditions. Overall, these results suggest that the addition of depth may provide a valuable cue for facilitating visual search behavior, but that its utility may diminish as search displays become more complex or cluttered

Who Are Phishers Luring?: A Demographic Analysis Of Those Susceptible To Fake Emails

Previous research has identified several populations that are susceptible to inauthentic emails (e.g., spam). However, these studies utilize retrospective, self-report measures to assess email users\u27 interactions with limited sets of inauthentic emails. In order to fill this gap in the literature, the present study assessed participants\u27 likelihood to rate a wide variety of emails as spam, authentic, and dangerous. The results highlighted several key findings, 1) there were no gender differences for the email ratings, there were only differences in experience with email, 2) those who do not regularly email and read other electronic documents were more likely to rate emails as spam, possibly indicating an increase in false positives, and 3) the relationship between age and rating an email as spam indicates that younger users may be more susceptible to spam. Overall, the present study identified demographic characteristics that should be considered when training users to detect inauthentic emails

You Can\u27T Catch \u27Em All: Inattention During Active Mobile Gaming

Using a mobile device while driving or walking leads to inattention. The popular augmented reality mobile game Pokémon GO (PGO) requires users to walk in order to play, creating a possible multitasking conflict as users interact with the game. This study required three groups to walk a predefined course while either playing PGO, texting with a confederate, or walking naturally. After the walk, participants were given a surprise memory test for what they saw while walking the course, also rating confidence in their responses. Accuracy was significantly lower only in the texting condition; however, both multitasking conditions had significantly lower confidence ratings for their responses as well as more safety infractions. Overall, while the PGO participants did not suffer the same attentional costs as the texting condition, their unsafe walking behavior and low confidence in their responses may still lead to dangerous situations

Perceptual representation of spam and phishing emails

Understanding how computer users allocate attention to features of potentially dangerous emails could help mitigate costly errors. Which features are salient? How stable is attention allocation across variation in email features? We attempted to measure the mental salience of several email features common in spam and/or phishing emails. We created two email sets: one in which messages contained company logos and urgent actionable links and one without these features. Participants rated pairwise similarity of emails within each set. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis was conducted to quantify psychological similarity between emails. A separate group rated the same emails for presence of five other features: important downloadable content, collecting personal information, account deletion or suspension, advertisement, and large images with clickable content. Regressing feature ratings onto the MDS coordinates revealed that similarity judgments were influenced mostly by advertisement/large images and collecting personal information, regardless of presence or absence of company logos and urgent actionable links