What is left and what is right? Spatial position as a context for conceptual processing

Abstract concepts are often described in terms of spatial dimensions. For example, time is represented on ahorizontal line with past on the left, and future on the right. Mental number line goes form left to the right. Somestudies indicate that a horizontal axis is also used to describe power and affect. Theories of grounded cognitionassume that metaphors describe the way in which concepts are represented in memory. In the first experiment weexplored influence of spatial position of different word categories on speed in semantic decision task. Pairs of wordswere presented on a horizontal line one next to the other. Participants were faster to respond to pairs of words relatedto quantities when small quantities were presented on the left and large on the right. Second experiment examinedinfluence of spatial position on speed of detection of a neutral object after presentation of words from differentcategories. Participants were slower to identify an object that appeared in the position congruent with the metaphoricalrepresentation of previously presented word from categories of time and quantities. Results support the idea ofperceptual processes being active during processing of concepts related to time and quantities

What do we test with memory tests?: the relation of metamemory and objective measures of memory

Metamemorija se odnosi na naše znanje o pamćenju općenito, poznavanje vlastitih procesa i pamćenja te zadovoljstvo svojim pamćenjem. Područje mjerenja metamemorije relativno je novo, a ovaj je rad prilog raspravi o važnosti uključivanja metamemorije u procjenu nečijeg pamćenja, te nedostacima zaključivanja o kvaliteti ili poteškoćama nečijeg pamćenja isključivo na osnovi uratka u objektivnim zadacima pamćenja. Na uzorku od 247 sudionika, raspona dobi od 13 do 78 godina, ispitivali smo odnos metamemorije te nekih objektivnih i subjektivnih mjera pamćenja. Korišteni su Upitnik sustava pamćenja (SMSq – Tonković i Vranić, 2004; 2011), Upitnik sklonosti prisjećanju (Cornoldi, De Beni i Helstrup, 2007) te 4 zadatka pamćenja kojima su ispitani sljedeći sustavi pamćenja: semantičko pamćenje, epizodičko pamćenje, pamćenje brojeva, pamćenje vidno-prostornih informacija. U skladu s nalazima iz literature nisu utvrđene visoke povezanosti faktora SMSq-a s odgovarajućim objektivnim zadacima, izuzev za faktor pamćenja brojeva koji je značajno povezan s uratkom u zadatku pamćenja brojeva. Također, utvrđena je povezanost faktora epizodičkog pamćenja sa Sklonosti prisjećanju, konstruktom koji ispituje metamemorijske karakteristike epizodičkog pamćenja. Rezultati su interpretirani pod vidom potrebe za validacijom upitničkih mjera pamćenja s objektivnim mjerama temeljenim na odgođenom dosjećanju. Time bi objektivni zadaci, kao i procjena metamemorije, dobili snažniju zajedničku osnovu – protok vremena koji utječe na sposobnost upamćivanja, a time i na formiranje stava o vlastitom pamćenju.Metamemory refers to our knowledge of memory functioning, of our mnemonic processes, as well as satisfaction with our own mnemonic system. Its assessment is a relatively new field in memory research, and in this paper we aimed at drawing attention to the importance of incorporating metamory assessment in the neuropsychological screening procedure. The relation of metamemory and other objective and subjective memory measures was investigated on a sample of 247 participants (aged 13-78). We used the Self-Evaluation of Memory Systems Questionnaire (SMSq – Tonkovic and Vranić, 2004; 2011), Memory Sensitivity Questionnaire (MS - Cornoldi, De Beni and Helstrup, 2007) and 4 memory tasks tapping the following memory systems: episodic, semantic, memory for numbers, memory for visuo-spatial information. In accordance to the literature we did not find high correlations of factors on SMSq and their respective memory tasks, the exception being the factor Memory for numbers which had a significant correlation with the memory task involving numbers. Also, we found a correlation of the episodic memory factor and MS. MS refers to the metamemorial characteristics of episodic memory, so this correlation was expected. Results are discussed in terms of the necessity of change in the validation procedure of memory self-assessment, where a delayed recall score is suggested to serve as a criterion variable. This would ensure for both type of measures to be based on a similar factor – the passage of time which undoubtedly affects the quality of our remembering, and renders a similar impact on the formation of the attitude toward our own memory

Gemütsverfassung als Determinante der Meinungsänderung

Cilj je ovog istraživanja ispitati efekte što ih imaju različita raspoloženja na dubinu procesiranja poruke, a što se odražava u postojanju razlike u efektima jake i slabe poruke, te ispitati utječe li postojanje perifernoga znaka na veličinu promjene stava ovisno o raspoloženju i snazi prezentiranih argumenata. U istraživanju, u kojem su sudjelovala 132 studenta psihologije, upotrijebljen je eksperimentalni nacrt 2 (pozitivno/negativno inducirano raspoloženje) x 2 (jaka/slaba persuazivna poruka) x 2 (periferni znak postoji/ne postoji) s kontrolnom grupom. Provedeno istraživanje pokazalo je da do sistematskoga procesiranja dolazi i u negativnom i u pozitivnom raspoloženju. Snaga poruke pokazala se jedinom značajnom determinantom promjene stava, i to tako da su ispitanici koji su čitali jaku poruku promijenili stav u zagovaranom smjeru. Inducirano raspoloženje, kao i postojanje perifernoga znaka, nisu utjecali na promjenu stava.The goal of this research was to examine the effects of positive and negative mood on message processing, reflected in the difference that strong and weak messages have on attitude change. It was also examined how the presence of peripheral cue combined with a strong vs. weak message influences attitude change in positive and negative mood. The experiment was a 2 (mood: positive or negative) x 2 (message quality: weak or strong) x 2 (peripheral cue present or without peripheral cue) between-subjects factorial design with control group. The subjects were 132 psychology students. Results have indicated that both positive and negative moods lead to systematic processing. Message strength was the only significant determinant of attitude change. The subjects who read a strong message changed the attitude in the pleaded direction. Neither induced mood nor the presence of peripheral cue, had any impact on attitude change.verschiedener Gemütszustände auf die Tiefe der Stimulusverarbeitung (Verarbeitung einer Aussage) erforscht werden; in diesem Sinne ist von den Effekten starker und schwacher Stimuli (Aussagen) die Rede. Des Weiteren wollte man herausfinden, ob das Bestehen eines peripheren Zeichens das Ausmaß der Meinungsänderung je nach Gemütszustand und Überzeugungskraft der präsentierten Argumente beeinflussen kann. An der Untersuchung nahmen 132 Psychologiestundenten teil, deren Aussagen mit denen einer Kontrollgruppe verglichen wurden. Die im Experiment wirksamen Faktoren waren im Verhältnis 2 x 2 x 2 angelegt: positiv / negativ induzierte Gemütsverfassung x Aussage von starker / schwacher Überzeugungskraft x bestehendes / nicht bestehendes peripheres Zeichen. Die Untersuchung zeigte, dass es sowohl bei negativer als auch positiver Stimmung zur systematischen Stimulusverarbeitung kommt. Die Überzeugungskraft einer jeweils aufgenommenen Aussage erwies sich als einzige bedeutende Determinante der Meinungsänderung, da die Befragten nämlich, die eine Aussage von starker Überzeugungskraft lasen, ihre Meinung in der suggerierten Richtung veränderten. Die induzierte Gemütsverfassung wie auch ein jeweils bestehendes peripheres Zeichen hatten keinerlei Einfluss auf die Wahrung oder Änderung einer Einstellung

The (Ir)relevance of Metaphorical Framing in Reasoning About the Covid-19 Problem

Previous research has shown that different metaphorical framings lead people to reason differently, even about important social issues. Critics of such investigations argue that there is no empirical evidence to show that framing significantly influences how people think about real-world problems. In our experiment, we investigated the effects of different metaphorical framings on reasoning about possible solutions to the Covid-19 pandemic to verify the results of previous studies investigating hypothetical situations and showing the powerful influence of metaphor on people’s attempts at solving social problems. Randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions (war, football, and dance framing), participants were asked to imagine themselves as members of the government and, having read a short report about the current pandemic situation in Croatia, they were asked to answer questions regarding their proposed solutions. We found that different framings do not elicit different responses from the participants in terms of reform vs. enforce, local vs. global, and dominance vs. cooperation. The proposed solutions did not differ as a function of metaphorical framing. This result calls for sceptical scrutiny and additional in-depth and more extensive studies of the relevance and power of metaphorical framings in real-life situations

When do Metaphorical Frames Exhibit Psycholinguistic Effects? The Case of the Ego-Moving and Time-Moving Metaphor in Climate Change

Der Beitrag enthält das Abstract ausschließlich in englischer Sprache.In this paper we discuss the framing effects of the ego- vs. time-moving metaphor in relation to climate change. Previous studies have found that time-moving metaphors (e.g., climate disaster is approaching us) led participants to assess the urgency and perceived risk of climate change as higher than ego-moving metaphors (e.g., we are approaching climate disaster). Our results did not show the framing effect of metaphor, but observed individual differences in participants’ political orientation. We discuss factors that may influence framing and argue for a non-reductionist perspective of discourse or experimental studies

Implicit Association Test in Measuring Self-esteem - Comparison of Two Forms of the IAT and Overview of Some Methodological Issues

Korištenjem implicitnih mjera, konkretno Testa implicitnih asocijacija, u mjerenju samopoštovanja može se izbjeći davanje socijalno poželjnih odgovora. No, još uvijek postoje određene dileme oko optimalne forme ovoga testa kada se njime mjeri implicitno samopoštovanje i načina formiranja konačnoga rezultata na testu. U ovom smo radu usporedili dvije forme Testa implicitnih asocijacija za ispitivanje samopoštovanja. Jedna forma, kao referentnu točku za usporedbu s pojmom ja koristi drugi, a druga forma koristi ne-ja, tj. neutralni pojam. Iako neki istraživači smatraju da pojam drugi ima negativno konotativno značenje, naši rezultati upućuju na to da nema razlike u shvaćanju pojma drugi i neutralnoga pojma, te smatramo da ga je opravdano koristiti u ispitivanju samopoštovanja Testom implicitnih asocijacija. Također smo pokušali dati odgovor na neke od čestih dilema koje se javljaju kod primjene i korištenja rezultata dobivenih Testom implicitnih asocijacija, kao što je uključivanje rezultata u zadacima za vježbu u formiranju konačnoga rezultata i uključivanje netočnih odgovora u formiranju konačnoga rezultata. Provjeravali smo i razlike u dobivenim rezultatima s obzirom na redoslijed rješavanja blokova zadataka u testu.Using implicit measures, such as Implicit Association Test (IAT) in measuring self-esteem enables us to avoid socially-desirable answers. However, certain dilemmas regarding the most appropriate form of the test for implicit self-esteem measurement and an optimal way of forming the final result still exist. Two parallel forms of Implicit Association Test for measuring self-esteem were compared. One form uses the concept others as a reference point for comparison with the concept me, while the other form takes not-me as a reference point. Although some researchers believe that the word “other” has a negative connotative meaning, our results suggest that it has a neutral meaning, which makes it possible to use in measuring implicit self-esteem with IAT. We tried to give answers to some of the issues that emerge very often when using IAT, such as whether to use results on practice tasks, as well as latencies on incorrect answers when working out the final score. We have also tested differences in results regarding the order of blocks in IAT

Foreign language eff ect and moral decision making

Efekt stranoga jezika odnosi se na razlike u ishodima procesa donošenja odluka ovisno o tome odvija li se on na materinskom ili stranom jeziku. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati postoji li efekt stranog jezika na procjenjivanje etičnosti postupanja u različitim situacijama, odnosno ispitati utječe li jezik na kojem je moralna dilema prezentirana na procjene prihvatljivosti kršenja moralnih normi. Moralne dileme upotrijebljene u istraživanju opisivale su širok raspon situacija: od onih s kojima se susrećemo u svakodnevnom životu pa do situacija u kojima je potrebno odlučivati o životima ljudi, a razlikovale su se i s obzirom na to koliko su teški moralni prekršaji koje opisuju. U istraživanju su sudjelovali studenti germanistike Filozofskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, koji su po slučaju raspodijeljeni u dvije skupine, jednu koja je ispunjavala upitnike na hrvatskom jeziku i drugu koje je ispunjavala upitnike na njemačkom jeziku. Istraživanje se sastojalo od tri dijela. Prvi dio činio je Upitnik svakodnevnog morala i socijalnih normi, drugi se dio sastojao od tri moralne dileme koje su opisivale moralne prekršaje različitog stupnja težine, a posljednji dio sastojao se od priča koje su opisivale situacije u kojima je bilo potrebno odlučivati o životima ljudi. Zadatak sudionika bio je procijeniti koliko je opisani postupak moralno pogrešan. Rezultati upućuju na postojanje efekta stranog jezika onda kada se radilo o blažim moralnim prekršajima i onda kada je bilo potrebno odlučivati o životima – sudionici koji su rješavali zadatke na hrvatskom jeziku procjenjivali su opisane situacije više pogrešnima od onih koji su iste zadatke rješavali na njemačkom jeziku. Efekta nije bilo u situaciji velikog moralnog prijestupa kao ni u upitniku svakodnevnog morala i socijalnih normi.Foreign language eff ect (FLE) refers to different outcomes of the decision–making process depending on whether it is carried out in a native or a foreign language. The aim of this study was to examine whether the FLE is present in the assessment of moral wrongness of behaviour in diff erent scenarios. Put differently, the aim was to examine whether the language in which the moral dilemma was presented influenced ratings of acceptability of violating moral norms. Dilemmas used in the research described a wide range of situations ranging from the ones that could be faced in everyday life to the situations in which decisions about people’s lives had to be made and diff ered in degree of violation of moral norms they described. The study participants, students of German Language and Literature from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, were divided into two groups: one group completed the questionnaire in Croatian, while the other group completed it in German. Th e questionnaire consisted of three parts: a Questionnaire of Everyday Morality and Social Norms, three moral dilemmas describing moral misdeeds of varying degrees, and scenarios describing situations in which it was necessary to decide on the lives of people. Th e task of the participant was to rate the moral wrongness of the described behaviour. Th e results show that FLE was present in mild moral offences as well as when it was necessary to decide on the lives of people – participants who assessed violating moral norms in the Croatian language rated them as less acceptable than those who assessed the same violations in German. Th e eff ect was not present for great moral off ense nor in the Questionnaire of Everyday Morality and Social Norms

On the Form and Type of Information in Language Processing: the Choice of Antecedent of VP Ellipsis in Croatian

U literaturi je pokazano kako se sintaktička struktura, za razliku od značenja iskaza, vrlo kratko zadržava u pamćenju, osobito nakon rečenične granice (Caplan 1972, Jarvella 1971). Unatoč tomu postoje istraživanja koja pokazuju kako sintaktička struktura koja prethodi elipsi glagolske skupine utječe na njezinu obradu i interpretaciju (Hankamer i Sag 1976, Shapiro i Hestvik 1995). Frazier i Clifton (2005) formuliraju hipotezu glavne tvrdnje prema kojoj se novi jezični materijal povezuje s glavnom tvrdnjom prethodne rečenice ako je ona lako dostupna te hipotezu domene koordinacije prema kojoj je u obradi koordinirane strukture dostupna čitava koordinirana struktura ili samo recentna sastavnica. Te su hipoteze eksperimentalno potvrđene u engleskom jeziku ispitivanjem odabira antecedenta eliptičnih rečenica koje otvaraju mogućnost višestruke interpretacije. U ovom su radu hipoteze glavne tvrdnje i domene koordinacije eksperimentalno testirane u hrvatskom jeziku ispitivanjem odabira antecedenta eliptičnih rečenica kojima prethode zavisnosložene (Tina je otišla kući nakon što je popila piće. I Marija je. // Nakon što je popila piće, Tina je otišla kući. I Marija je.) i nezavisnosložene rečenice (Tina je otišla kući i popila piće. I Marija je. // Tina je popila piće i otišla kući. I Marija je.). U ispitivanju je dodatno mjereno i vrijeme reakcije ispitanika. Rezultati eksperimenta pokazuju da su ispitanici, neovisno o vrsti rečenice koja im je prethodila, dominantno birali koordiniranu strukturu kao antecedent elipse. Uz to, u interpretaciji elipse nakon zavisnosloženih rečenica zabilježen je utjecaj glavne tvrdnje, ali i utjecaj recentnosti na odabir antecedenta.Psycholinguistic research of language processing has provided evidence that memory for the syntactic structure, as opposed to memory of the meaning of the utterance, is short lived, especially across the sentence boundaries (Caplan 1972, Jarvella 1971). However, the syntactic structure of the preceding text influences processing and interpretation of the ellipsis. (Hankamer and Sag 1976, Shapiro and Hestvik 1995). Frazier and Clifton (2005) formulated the (1) Main Assertion Hypothesis (MAH): comprehenders prefer to relate material in a new sentence to the main assertion of the preceding sentence; (2) Conjunction Domain Hypothesis: the processing of conjunction allows either the entire conjoined phrase to be processed or just the closer conjunct. These hypotheses are experimentally confirmed in the study of the interpretation of ambiguous elliptical sentences (Frazier and Clifton 2005). In this paper we experimentaly test the role of the Main Assertion Hypothesis and the Conjunction domain Hypothesis in the interpretation of VP ellipsis in Croatian. The differences in interpretation and reaction times were measured in comprehension task for two-sentenced discourses including complex sentences (e.g. Tina je otišla kući nakon što je popila piće. I Marija je. ‘Tina went home after she had a drink. So did Marija.’) and compound sentences (Tina je otišla kući i popila piće. I Marija je. ‘Tina went home and had a drink. So did Marija.’). Results suggest that the dominant strategy is choosing the cojoined structure as an antecedent of VP ellipsis. However, the effects of the main assertion and clause order are observed in the interpretation of the ellipsis following complex sentences. Results for the preferred interpretation of elliptical sentences that follow compound sentences confirm the Conjunction Domain Hypothesis i.e. the role of the clause order in processing

Extravascular lung water index as an indicator of lung injury in septic patients

Introduction. Transpulmonary thermodilution using PiCCO (Pulse-induced Contour Cardiac Output) is a standard minimally invasive method used for haemodynamic monitoring. Objectives. The goal of this paper is to examine the correlation and dynamics of the ExtraVascular Lung Water Index (EVLWI) as an indicator of acute lung injury in septic patients who underwent major abdominal surgery. Two groups of patients were selected: the ones with ALI (Acute Lung Injury): ALI patient group, and the ones without ALI: non-ALI patient group. A correlation between EVLWI and other haemodynamic and respiratory data in both groups were analyzed. Materials and methods. The study included 48 patients. Throughout the seven-day period EVLWI, GEDVI (Global End-Diastolic Volume Index), ITBVI (IntraThoracic Blood Volume Index), CI (Cardiac Index), SVRI (Systemic Vascular Resistance Index) were measured in both groups using PiCCO monitoring over 8-hour intervals as well as heart rate, mean arterial pressure, serum albumin concentration, PaCO2 (arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide), PaO2 (arterial partial pressure of oxygen), PaO2/FiO2 (arterial partial pressure of oxygen/fraction of inspired oxygen) ratio, lung compliance, lung resistance and ScvO2 (central venous oxygen saturation). All patients were analgosedated, intubated, mechanically ventilated, in sinus cardiac rhythm. Circulatory unstable patients had vasoactive support and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores calculated. Ventilator settings and dosage of vasoactive drugs were kept constant during the study. Results. EVLWI was significantly higher in ALI patients group compared to non-ALI patients group. In patients with ALI group 11/22 patients died (50%), in the non-ALI patients group 6/26 patients died (23%). EVLWI was significantly higher in patients that died compared to ones who survived. Conclusion. EVLWI is a good indicator of early acute lung injury in surgical patients with sepsis

Who Believes in COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories in Croatia? Prevalence and Predictors of Conspiracy Beliefs

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to numerous new conspiracy theories related to the virus. This study aimed to investigate a range of individual predictors of beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories that account for sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, education, economic standard, the importance of religion, and political self-identification), distinctive motivational orientations (social dominance and authoritarianism), relevant social attitudes (sense of political powerlessness and trust in science and scientists), and perceived personal risk (perceived risk for self and family members, the concern of being infected, and the expected influence of pandemic on the economic standard of an individual). Participants were 1,060 adults recruited from the general public of Croatia. The sample was a probabilistic quota sample with gender, age, level of education, size of the dwelling, and region of the country as predetermined quotas. The regression model explained 42.2% of the individual differences in beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories. Trust in science and scientists and political powerlessness were the strongest predictors, whereas fear of being infected had the weakest contribution in explaining the variance of the criterion. Additionally, results revealed that the relation of conventionalism (as a proxy of authoritarianism) with belief in COVID-19 conspiracies was mediated by trust in science and scientists. The relation between social dominance and belief in conspiracies was also partially mediated by trust in science. The results suggest that (re)building trust in science and lowering the sense of political helplessness might help in fighting potentially harmful false beliefs about the pandemic