Nature Engagement for Human and Nature’s Wellbeing during the Corona Pandemic

To explore the associations between noticing nature, nature connectedness, time in nature and human and nature’s wellbeing during the Corona pandemic restrictions. Natural England’s People and Nature Survey (PANS) data (n=4206) from the UK was used to assess a number of wellbeing outcomes (loneliness, life satisfaction, worthwhile life and happiness) and pro-nature behaviours as a function of longer-term physical time in nature and psychological connectedness to nature and shorter-term visits and noticing of nature. Longer-term factors of nature connectedness and time in nature were both consistent significant predictors of wellbeing measures (apart from loneliness) and pro-nature conservation behaviours. Considered alone short-term visits and noticing were again consistent and significant predictors of three wellbeing measures, but recent visits to nature were not associated with pro-nature conservation behaviours. A combined regression highlighted the importance of a longer-term relationship with nature in all outcomes apart from loneliness, but also revealed that, even when considered in concert with longer-term factors, currently noticing nature had a role in feeling one’s life was worthwhile, pro-nature behaviours and loneliness. The closeness of the human-nature relationship and noticing nature have rarely been examined in concert with nature visits. Further, the reciprocal benefits of pro-nature behaviours are often overlooked.N/

Generalised inhibitory impairment to appetitive cues: From alcoholic to non-alcoholic visual stimuli.

Background: Prior research demonstrates that individuals who consume alcohol show diminished inhibitory control towards alcohol-related cues. However, such research contrasts predominantly alcoholic appetitive cues with non-alcoholic, non-appetitive cues (e.g., stationary items). As such, it is not clear whether it is specifically the alcoholic nature of the cues that influences impairments in inhibitory control or whether more general appetitive processes are at play. Aims: The current study examined the hitherto untested assertion that the disinhibiting effects of alcohol-related stimuli might generalise to other appetitive liquid stimuli, but not to non-appetitive liquid stimuli. Method: Fifty-nine participants (Mage = 21.63, SD = 5.85) completed a modified version of the Stop Signal Task, which exposed them to visual stimuli of three types of liquids: Alcoholic appetitive (e.g., wine), non-alcoholic appetitive (e.g., water) and non-appetitive (e.g., washing-up liquid). Results: Consistent with predictions, Stop-signal reaction time was significantly longer for appetitive (alcoholic, non-alcoholic) compared to non-appetitive stimuli. Participants were also faster and less error-prone when responding to appetitive relative to non-appetitive stimuli on go-trials. There were no apparent differences in stop signal reaction times between alcoholic and non-alcoholic appetitive products. Conclusions: These findings suggest that decreases in inhibitory control in response to alcohol-related cues might generalise to other appetitive liquids, possibly due to evaluative conditioning. Implications for existing research methodologies include the use of appetitive control conditions and the diversification of cues within tests of alcohol-related inhibitory control

On being forgotten : Memory and forgetting serve as signals of interpersonal importance

The research reported here was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council, award ES/L008173/1. We wish to thank Kristina Ceslikauskaite, Katie Ramsay, Charlotte Vaassen, Kathryn Gordon, Nicolas Paul, and Jasmine Kern for their contributions to this work.Peer reviewedPostprintPostprin

What about the Male Victims? Exploring the Impact of Gender Stereotyping on Implicit Attitudes and Behavioural Intentions Associated with Intimate Partner Violence

Although intimate partner violence (IPV) is considered stereotypically as a gendered phenomenon, empirical evidence contradicts such gender asymmetry in reported rates of victimisation and perpetration. The current research explored the impact of stereotype priming on implicit attitudes associated with IPV victimisation (Study 1) and perpetration (Study 2), and further examined behavioural intentions associated with hypothetical gendered scenarios of IPV. Participants recruited in the United Kingdom were primed with either stereotype congruent, incongruent or no information about IPV victimisation (Study 1, n = 122) or perpetration rates (Study 2, n = 101). They then completed an Implicit Association Test and reported their subjective norms, self-efficacy, behavioural intentions, and outcome expectancies pertaining to different scenarios depicting gendered IPV. Findings indicate that priming an incongruent stereotype did not impact significantly on implicit or explicit attitudes toward IPV. Gendered scenarios were found to be influential on explicit attitudes, with IPV less likely to be identified toward male victims and considered more acceptable compared to when the victim was female. Moreover, individuals reported feeling more capable and likely to intervene in an act of IPV when the victim was female compared to male, were more likely to report such an incident, and anticipated greater outcomes. These findings highlight the need for an inclusive research approach that recognises men’s victimisation

A Psychometric Investigation into the Structure of Deception Strategy Use

This paper uses a data-driven approach to identify the psychological factors that underlie the array of strategies that people use to hide their deceit. Two hundred and nine participants told two lies and two truths and then completed a self-report scale that elicited their experiences when deceiving. A factor analysis of responses produced four factors, three of which were strategic in nature: Nonverbal behaviour control, which relates to attempts to monitor and control nonverbal behaviour when lying; Detail, which relates to attempts to produce detailed, engaging lies; Cognitive difficulty, which relates to the cognitive difficulties experienced when lying and their strategic consequences; and Anxiety, which relates to the negative emotions experienced when deceiving. The results further our understanding of the psychological processes that underpin deception and suggest several potentially fruitful avenues for future research

Structured groups make more accurate veracity judgements than individuals

Groups often make better judgements than individuals, and recent research suggests that this phenomenon extends to the deception detection domain. The present research investigated whether the influence of groups enhances the accuracy of judgements, and whether group size influences deception detection accuracy. Two-hundred fifty participants evaluated written statements with a pre-established detection accuracy rate of 60% in terms of veracity before viewing either the judgements and rationales of several other group members or a short summary of the written statement and revising or restating their own judgements accordingly. Participants' second responses were significantly more accurate than their first, suggesting a small positive effect of structured groups on deception detection accuracy. Group size did not have a significant effect on detection accuracy. The present work extends our understanding of the utility of group deception detection, suggesting that asynchronous, structured groups outperform individuals at detecting deception

Quantifying sources of variability in infancy research using the infant-directed-speech preference

Psychological scientists have become increasingly concerned with issues related to methodology and replicability, and infancy researchers in particular face specific challenges related to replicability: For example, high-powered studies are difficult to conduct, testing conditions vary across labs, and different labs have access to different infant populations. Addressing these concerns, we report on a large-scale, multisite study aimed at (a) assessing the overall replicability of a single theoretically important phenomenon and (b) examining methodological, cultural, and developmental moderators. We focus on infants’ preference for infant-directed speech (IDS) over adult-directed speech (ADS). Stimuli of mothers speaking to their infants and to an adult in North American English were created using seminaturalistic laboratory-based audio recordings. Infants’ relative preference for IDS and ADS was assessed across 67 laboratories in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia using the three common methods for measuring infants’ discrimination (head-turn preference, central fixation, and eye tracking). The overall meta-analytic effect size (Cohen’s d) was 0.35, 95% confidence interval = [0.29, 0.42], which was reliably above zero but smaller than the meta-analytic mean computed from previous literature (0.67). The IDS preference was significantly stronger in older children, in those children for whom the stimuli matched their native language and dialect, and in data from labs using the head-turn preference procedure. Together, these findings replicate the IDS preference but suggest that its magnitude is modulated by development, native-language experience, and testing procedure. (This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 798658.

Implicit Learning in a Card Prediction Task

Two experiments are described in which participants were asked to make predictions about which of four cards they would be presented with next. The order that the cards were presented in was governed by a non-salient underlying sequence, in one condition, and by a pseudo random-number generator in the other. In experiment one, playing cards were used, and no effects were found. In experiment two, Zener ESP cards were used and it was found that participants were more likely to make successful predictions in the sequence condition, but not the random condition. Furthermore, correct responses were associated with faster reaction times. We also found that extroversion was positively correlated with success in the sequence condition, as was the extent to which participants reported being guided by psychic forces. These results are discussed in terms of framing effects and task demands.div_PaS22pub1074pub

Visible Garden Biodiversity Leads to an Increase in Noticing Nature, Which in Turn Leads to an Increase in Nature Connectedness

A strong connection with nature promotes behaviors that help conserve the natural world. However, it is likely that this relationship is reciprocal, with proconservation behaviors positively impacting nature connectedness by increasing sensory contact with nature. Proconservation behaviors vary in terms of how much visible biodiversity, and therefore contact with nature, they produce. It is likely that conservation behaviors that support higher visible biodiversity will result in more sensory contact with nature and, therefore, greater levels of nature connectedness. This research explores the relationship between garden-focused pronature conservation behavior, noticing nature and nature connectedness using data from Natural England's People and Nature Survey in the United Kingdom (n = 4206), a large national survey that includes items to measure noticing nature, nature connectedness, and pronature conservation behaviors. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that undertaking garden-based pronature conservation behaviors that enhance visible biodiversity leads to an increase in noticing nature, which, in turn, leads to an increase in nature connectedness. These results point to a relatively simple way to boost nature connectedness: boost and engage people with visible biodiversity