The effects of instruction on the frequency and characteristics of involuntary autobiographical memories

The present study investigated the effects of experimental instruction on the retrieval of involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs). In previous studies of IAMs, participants were either instructed to record only memories (henceforth, the restricted group) or any thoughts (henceforth, the unrestricted group). However, it is unknown whether these two different types of instructions influence the retrieval of IAMs. The most recent study by Vannucci and her colleagues directly addressed this question and demonstrated that the frequency and phenomenological characteristics of IAMs strongly depended on the type of instruction received. The goal of the present study was to replicate these results while addressing some limitations of the Vannucci et al. study and to test three possible mechanisms proposed to explain the effect of instructions on the retrieval of IAMs. Our results accord well with the data presented by Vannucci et al. When participants were instructed to record only IAMs (the restricted group), they reported more memories and rated them as being retrieved in a more goal-oriented fashion. Their memories also were less clear, vivid, detailed and were less frequently accompanied by physiological reactions, compared to memories reported by the participants in the unrestricted group. In addition, the events to which the memories referred were rated as more unusual and personal by the restricted group. These results are consistent with the assumption that retrieval of IAMs depends on the type of instructions used in a study. In addition, our results suggest that one of the main mechanisms underlying the higher frequency of IAMs in the restricted group may be participants’ ability to monitor the stream of consciousness and to extract autobiographical content from this flow. Further implications of the effect of instructions for IAMs research are discussed

Priming involuntary autobiographical memories in the lab

Involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs) are recollections of personal past that frequently and spontaneously occur in daily life. Initial studies by Mace. Priming involuntary autobiographical memories. Showed that deliberately reminiscing about a certain lifetime period (e.g., high school) significantly increased the number of different IAMs from the same period in subsequent days, suggesting that priming may play a significant role in the retrieval of IAMs in everyday life. In the present study, we used a modified experimental paradigm, originally used by Schlagman and Kvavilashvili. Involuntary autobiographical memories in and outside the laboratory: How different are they from voluntary autobiographical memories? Memory and Cognition, to study IAMs under well-controlled laboratory conditions. Participants completed a monotonous vigilance task twice and reported the occurrence of any spontaneous thoughts that were later classed as IAMs or other thoughts. Priming was manipulated by having experimental participants reminiscing about high school period between the two vigilance tasks and control participants playing simple games. Results showed that participants in the experimental group reported IAMs relating to high school period more frequently during the second vigilance task than those in the control group. In the experimental group, the number of high school memories was marginally higher in the second vigilance task compared to the first vigilance task with the medium effect size, but this within subjects effect was not significant in the control group. Finally, priming also enhanced the retrieval of more remote IAMs in the experimental group compared to the control group. These results suggest that priming may play a significant role in the activation and recall of IAMs and open up interesting avenues for future research

Involuntary autobiographical memories are relatively more often reported during high cognitive load tasks

Recent studies on involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs) in daily life have shown that they are most frequently reported during daily routines (e.g. while ironing). Such studies have suggested that reporting IAMs may be influenced by the level of the ongoing task demands and availability of cognitive resources. In two studies, we investigated the effects of cognitive load on reporting IAMs. To examine the presumed cognitive load dependency of IAMs, we utilised an often-employed experimental paradigm (Schlagman & Kvavilashvili, 2008) to elicit IAMs under conditions that differed in cognitive load. When performing a vigilance task, participants had to interrupt the task each time they experienced any spontaneous mental contents and write them down. We manipulated the level of cognitive load by either instructing (cognitive load group) or not instructing (control group) participants to perform an additional demanding task. We compared the groups on the number of IAMs and other mental contents (non-IAM contents) recorded, as well as on the frequency of IAMs that was calculated as a proportion of IAMs in all mental contents reported by the participant. We expected that if reporting IAMs depends on the level of cognitive demands, then we should observe lower frequency of IAMs in the cognitive load group compared to the control group. Consistently across studies, we observed a lower number of IAMs and non-IAM contents in the cognitive load group. However, IAMs unexpectedly constituted a higher percentage of all mental contents when participants were cognitively loaded. Further implications of the cognitive load effects for IAMs research and experimental methodology are discussed

An Inquisit-web protocol for calculating composite inhibitory control capacity score : an individual differences approach

In the present paper, we provide a protocol for experimentally measuring and calculating individual inhibitory control capacity index in adult participants in an online Inquisit-based setting. We believe that this method can serve other researchers in the standardized assessment of individual inhibitory control capacity that can be used in studies on the possible role of inhibitory control in many every-day cognitive phenomena. Thus, the paper focuses mainly on the calculation of a composite inhibitory control capacity score from two inhibitory control tasks. Specifically, it is calculated on the basis of participants’ performance in two well-established experimental paradigms: the Stroop Task and the Eriksen Flanker Task. The methods described in this protocol have already been successfully applied in both lab and online settings. In the first part of the article, we provide a short theoretical background and a brief description of the previous usage of this method in our two original studies. In the following parts, we provide step-by-step instructions for measuring and calculating the individual inhibitory control capacity index using web-based methodology. The protocol is supplemented with slides of original experimental tasks and instructions for participants (both translated from Polish)

The polish version of the Cultural Intelligence Scale : assessment of its reliability and validity among healthcare professionals and medical faculty students

Healthcare professionals and students of medical faculties in Poland increasingly encounter culturally diverse patients. It is necessary to support the development of cultural intelligence in order to improve the medical care provided to patients from different cultural backgrounds. At present there are no standardized tools in Poland that can accurately and reliably assess cultural intelligence, which is defined by Ang et al. as “an individual’s capability to function and manage effectively in culturally diverse settings”. As argued in the present paper, this (cap)ability may be important for providing patient-centred care that is culturally adequate and competent. The aim of the research was to show the multistage process of validation of the Polish version of The Cultural Intelligence Scale by Ang et al. and Van Dyne et. al. Across two studies we examined the psychometric properties of the Cultural Intelligence Scale, including reliability (i.e. internal consistency, test-retest reliability, factor structure) and validity (i.e. theoretical, criteria, convergent). In the first two-session study, 349 participants (98% were healthcare professionals, e.g. nurse, student nurse, medical student; mainly women, 89%) completed the Polish version of the Cultural Intelligence Scale twice with an interval of at least 22 days. In addition, across two study sessions participants completed questionnaires constructed to measure (a) cultural competence, (b) need for cognitive closure, (c) emphatic sensitiveness, (d) emotional intelligence, (e) self-esteem, (f) social desirability, (g) personality, and (h) positive/negative attitudes towards culturally divergent people. Finally, to additionally examine the theoretical validity, 36 professional cross-cultural competence trainers completed the Cultural Intelligence Scale during a one-session study. The Cultural Intelligence Scale has been shown to have satisfactory psychometric properties. It has high reliability (Cronbach’s alpha, respectively .94 and .95 in the first and second sessions) and the factor structure seems to approach the postulated one. Theoretical and criterion accuracy are well proven; convergence is less straightforward, but it correlates well with tools that examine variables such as cultural competence, cognitive closure, empathy/emphatic sensitiveness, emotional intelligence, self-esteem, personality, and social desirability. The results suggest that these factors contribute to the development of the cultural intelligence. The Cultural Intelligence Scale can be successfully used in empirical research of cultural intelligence of medical professionals and students of medical majors and their education in Polish conditions

The Cross-Cultural Competence Inventory : validity and psychometric properties of a Polish adaptation

Due to changes in Polish society resulting from a significant inflow of immigrants to Poland, the need to develop the cultural competences of various professional groups who have contact with immigrants in their work has increased. These groups should include healthcare professionals, especially because of the significant increase in the number of culturally diverse patients. Therefore, medical education in Poland has had to rapidly adapt to this novel situation. For instance, the teaching process should be now more focused on the development and evaluation of the cultural competences of prospective health care workers. However, there is still a lack of standardized, valid and reliable instruments to assess cross-cultural competences among healthcare professionals. The purpose of the present paper was to describe, for the first time, the translation, adaptation, and psychometric evaluation of the Polish version of the Cross-Cultural Competence Inventory. Across two studies, we examined psychometric properties of the Cross-Cultural Competence Inventory (CCCI) such as reliability (i.e. internal consistency, test-retest reliability, factor structure) and validity (i.e. theoretical, criteria, convergent). In the first study, 408 participants (75% were healthcare professionals) completed the Polish version of the CCCI and the Positive/Negative Attitude Towards Culturally Divergent People Questionnaire. In the second study, 317 participants (97% were healthcare professionals) completed the CCCI twice, with an interval of at least 22 days. In addition, across two study sessions, participants completed questionnaires constructed to measure (a) cultural intelligence, (b) need for cognitive closure, (c) emphatic sensitiveness, (d) emotional intelligence, (e) self-esteem, (f) social desirability, and (g) personality. Finally, to additionally examine the theoretical validity, 36 professional cross-cultural competence trainers completed the CCCI during a one-session study. Our findings confirm the reliability and validity of the CCCI. More precisely, in study 1 we proved the theoretical validity and reliability (i.e. internal consistency) of the CCCI. While the assumed structure did not fit the data well, all items were significantly related to the general factor, thus providing strong support for the usage of the total score of the CCCI. In study 2, we additionally estimated the test-retest reliability and theoretical, criterion and convergent validity. Across two studies we were able to successfully confirm these psychometric properties. The reliability was satisfactory and ranged from .83 to .86. We also observed a high and significant positive correlation between CCCI and the Cultural Intelligence Scale, which measures a concept similar to the one measured by CCCI. In addition, a significant relationship between intercultural competences (CCCI) and other variables such as personality, empathic sensitivity, emotional intelligence, self-esteem (positive correlations) and the need for cognitive closure (mainly negative correlation) were demonstrated. The obtained results support the usage of the CCCI questionnaire in scientific research, such as, for example, among healthcare professionals (nurses, doctors) and students of medical fields (nursing, medicine)

Stan wdrożenia modelu nauczania skoncentrowanego na studentach i studentkach na polskich uczelniach wyższych

Student-Centered Learning, i.e. education concentrated on students, is one of the basic ideas influencing the evaluation of higher education in Europe within the program of the Bolognese Process, and on the local level - of works on the Domestic Framework of Classification. The article is discussing history and assumptions of the Student-Centered Learning (SCL), and is also an attempt to diagnose the functioning of the SCL policy in Polish higher education. The article is presenting the results of the research conducted with the participation of 336 studying persons (43% men, 57% women) in 50 colleges in 19 Polish cities. The research were conducted in the form of online questionnaire, constructed on the basis of a checklist published in Student-Centered Learning - Toolkit for Students, Staff and Higher Education Institutions (Attard, Di Jorio, Geven and Santa, 2010) taking into consideration the specifics of Polish universities. The discussion of the results is presented in the context of factors obstructing the implementation of the idea of education concentrated on students in Polish higher education.Student-Centered Learning, czyli kształcenie skoncentrowane na osobach studiujących, jest jedną z podstawowych idei wpływających na ewolucję szkolnictwa wyższego w Europie w ramach realizacji programu Procesu Bolońskiego, a na poziomie lokalnym – prac nad Krajowymi Ramami Kwalifikacji. Artykuł omawia historię i założenia Student- Centered Learning (SCL), a także jest próbą zdiagnozowania funkcjonowania polityki SCL w polskim szkolnictwie wyższym. Artykuł prezentuje wyniki badania przeprowadzonego z udziałem 336 osób studiujących (43% mężczyzn, 57% kobiet) na 50 uczelniach wyższych w 19 miastach polskich. Badania zostały przeprowadzone w formie kwestiona- riusza online, skonstruowanego na podstawie listy kontrolnej zamieszczonej w publikacji Student-Centered Learning – Toolkit for Students, Staff and Higher Education Institutions (Attard, Di Jorio, Geven i Santa, 2010) z uwzględnieniem specyfiki polskich uczelni wyż- szych. Omówienie wyników zaprezentowane jest w kontekście czynników, które utrud- niają wprowadzenie idei kształcenia skoncentrowanego na studentach i studentkach w polskim szkolnictwie wyższym

Polish adaptation of the cultural intelligence scale : an overview

Cel pracy: Inteligencja kulturowa stanowi jeden z kluczowych elementów kompetencji społecznych we współczesnym zglobalizowanym świecie. Dążenie do rozwoju tych kompetencji należy uznać za szczególnie istotne w przypadku pracowników opieki medycznej, którzy coraz częściej spotykają się w swojej codziennej pracy z pacjentami pochodzącymi z różnych kręgów kulturowych. Edukacja medyczna, powinna uwzględniać konieczność rozwoju inteligencji kulturowej i szukać metod umożliwiających rzetelny i trafny jej pomiar. Inteligencja kulturowa jest konceptem szerszym niż inteligencja emocjonalna, uwzględnia umiejętność odróżniania uwarunkowanych kulturowo zachowań od zachowań wynikających z indywidualnych (a więc pozakulturowych) uwarunkowań (np. cech osobowości). Celem pracy było omówienie i rekomendacja możliwości stosowania polskiej adaptacji Skali Inteligencji kulturowej (Cultural Intelligence Scale; CQS) [1] przy ocenie kompetencji kulturowych pracowników opieki medycznej. Materiał i metody: Procedurę adaptacji CQS do polskich warunków przeprowadzono na grupie profesjonalistów medycznych i studentów kierunków medycznych (pielęgniarstwo, lekarski). Grupa ta była badana podwójnie z zachowaniem odstępu czasowego minimum 22 dni, przy czym w pierwszym i drugim pomiarze wzięło udział 317 osób. Celem badania, którego procedura została szczegółowo opisana w osobnym artykule [1], było określenie własności psychometrycznych polskiej adaptacji Skali. Wyniki: CQS posiada zadowalające właściwości psychometryczne i odznacza się wysoką rzetelnością, a struktura czynnikowa zbliżona jest do postulowanej. Trafność teoretyczna i kryterialna zostały również zadowalająco dowiedzione i oszacowane. CQS istotnie statystycznie koreluje z narzędziami badającymi takie zmienne jak: kompetencje międzykulturowe, potrzeba domknięcia poznawczego, empatyczna wrażliwość, inteligencja emocjonalna, aprobata społeczna, oraz wybrane cechy osobowości. Wnioski: Uzyskane rezultaty przemawiają za stosowaniem CQS w badaniach naukowych wśród profesjonalnych pracowników opieki zdrowotnej oraz studentów kierunków medycznych w warunkach polskich.Aim: Cultural intelligence is one of the key elements of social competences in the modern globalized world in the case of healthcare workers who increasingly encounter patients from different cultural backgrounds in their daily work. The aim of the study was to discuss and recommend the usage of the Polish adaptation of the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) [1] when assessing the cultural competences of healthcare professionals. Material and methods: The procedure for adapting CQS to Polish conditions was carried out on a group of 317 participants consisting of medical professionals and medical students (nursing, medicine). Participants were examined twice with a minimum time interval of 22 days. The aim of the study, whose procedure was described in detail in a separate article [1], was to determine the psychometric properties (in terms of reliability, internal consistency, factorial structure, test-retest reliability, and theoretical validity, criterion, and convergent validity) of the Polish adaptation of the Scale. Results: CQS has satisfactory psychometric properties; namely, it is characterized by high reliability and the factor structure is similar to the postulated one. Theoretical and criterion validity have also been satisfactorily proven and evaluated. Finally, CQS significantly correlates with tools examining variables such as crosscultural competences, the need for cognitive closure, emphatic sensitiveness, emotional intelligence, social desirability, and selected personality traits. Conclusions: The obtained results support the conclusion that the CQS can be successfully used in empirical research among healthcare professionals and students of medical courses in a Polish context

Online misinformation can distort witnesses’ memories. Analysis of co-witness discussions using an online version of the MORI-v technique

IntroductionThe memory conformity effect occurs when people witness a given incident and then talk to each other about it, and the statement of one person affects the memory account of another person with respect to that incident. The main objectives of this experiment were (1) to examine the effectiveness of a modified version of the MORI-v technique in inducing the memory conformity effect and (2) to investigate how the manner in which participants discuss the observed event influences the magnitude of this effect. In general, the modified online MORI-v technique consists of the following main elements: (1) original material, that is, two versions of a short film which are identical except for certain critical details; for example, in one version, a thief puts on a red cap, but in the other version it is black; (2) the collaborative recognition test, that is, a discussion about the original material which leads to mutual misinformation; and (3) an individual recognition test that checks the effect of the discussion on the memory account of the original material.MethodsA total of 72 participants (36 pairs) aged 18–54 took part in the research. Participants were tested using the online MORI-v technique: They were familiarized with the original material on their computers at home, and then they talked about it via a video communication app and completed an individual recognition test on their computers. Importantly, the discussions were recorded and analyzed in detail after the experimental session.Results and discussionUsing the online MORI-v technique, the effect of memory conformity was demonstrated, that is, in the individual recognition test, the proportion of correct answers to questions about discussed details (related to misinformation) was lower than the proportion of correct answers to questions about non-discussed details. It was also demonstrated that if one participant introduced misinformation during the discussion about a particular item and the other did not question it, the latter’s answer to that item during the individual recognition test was most often incorrect. However, if one participant introduced misinformation during the discussion about an item and the other questioned it, the latter’s answer about that item during the individual recognition test was most often correct

Why are we not flooded by involuntary thoughts about the past and future? Testing the cognitive inhibition dependency hypothesis

© The Author(s) 2018In everyday life, involuntary thoughts about future plans and events occur as often as involuntary thoughts about the past. However, compared to involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs), such episodic involuntary future thoughts (IFTs) have become a focus of study only recently. The aim of the present investigation was to examine why we are not constantly flooded by IFTs and IAMs given that they are often triggered by incidental cues while performing undemanding activities. One possibility is that activated thoughts are suppressed by the inhibitory control mechanism, and therefore depleting inhibitory control should enhance the frequency of both IFTs and IAMs. We report an experiment with a between-subjects design, in which participants in the depleted inhibition condition performed a 60-min high-conflict Stroop task before completing a laboratory vigilance task measuring the frequency of IFTs and IAMs. Participants in the intact inhibition condition performed a version of the Stroop task that did not deplete inhibitory control. To control for physical and mental fatigue resulting from performing the 60-min Stroop tasks in experimental conditions, participants in the control condition completed only the vigilance task. Contrary to predictions, the number of IFTs and IAMs reported during the vigilance task, using the probe-caught method, did not differ across conditions. However, manipulation checks showed that participants’ inhibitory resources were reduced in the depleted inhibition condition, and participants were more tired in the experimental than in the control conditions. These initial findings suggest that neither inhibitory control nor physical and mental fatigue affect the frequency of IFTs and IAMs.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio