Alle Publikationen
2019
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(2019): Regularity Extraction Across Species: Associative Learning Mechanisms Shared by Human and Non-Human Primates. In: Topics in cognitive science 11 (3), S. 573-586. DOI: 10.1111/tops.12343
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.12343 Abstract: Extracting the regularities of our environment is a core cognitive ability in human and non-human primates. Comparative studies may provide information of strong heuristic value to constrain the elaboration of computational models of regularity learning. This study illustrates this point by testing human and non-human primates (Guinea baboons, Papio papio) with the same experimental paradigm, using a novel online learning measure. For local co-occurrence regularities, we found similar patterns of regularity extraction in baboons and humans. However, only humans extracted the more global sequence structure. It is proposed that only the first result that is common to both species should be used to constrain models of regularity learning. The second result indicates that the extraction of global regularities cannot be accounted for by mere associative learning mechanisms and suggests that humans probably benefit from their language recoding abilities for extracting these regularities. We propose to use a comparative approach to address a series of remaining theoretical questions, which will contribute to the development of a general theory of regularity learning.
2018
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(2018): ROBIN, a Telepresence Robot to Support Older Users Monitoring and Social Inclusion: Development and Evaluation. In: Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association 24 (2), S. 145-154. DOI: 10.1089/tmj.2016.0258
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2016.0258 Abstract: INTRODUCTION This article describes an enhanced telepresence robot named ROBIN, part of a telecare system derived from the GIRAFFPLUS project for supporting and monitoring older adults at home. ROBIN is integrated in a sensor-rich environment that aims to continuously monitor physical and psychological wellbeing of older persons living alone. The caregivers (formal/informal) can communicate through it with their assisted persons. Long-term trials in real houses highlighted several user requirements that inspired improvements on the robotic platform. The enhanced telepresence robot was assessed by users to test its suitability to support social interaction and provide motivational feedback on health-related aspects. METHODS Twenty-five users (n = 25) assessed the new multimodal interaction capabilities and new communication services. A psychophysiological approach was adopted to investigate aspects like engagement, usability, and affective impact, as well as the possible role of individual differences on the quality of human-robot interaction. RESULTS ROBIN was overall judged usable, the interaction with/through it resulted pleasant and the required workload was limited, thus supporting the idea of using it as a central component for remote assistance and social participation. Open-minded users tended to have a more positive interaction with it. CONCLUSIONS This work describes an enabling technology for remote assistance and social communication. It highlights the importance of being compliant with users' needs to develop solutions easy to use and able to foster their social connections. The role of personality appeared to be relevant for the interaction, underscoring a clear role of the service personalization.
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(2018): Do a robot's social skills and its objection discourage interactants from switching the robot off?. In: PLoS one 13 (7). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201581
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30063750 Abstract: Building on the notion that people respond to media as if they were real, switching off a robot which exhibits lifelike behavior implies an interesting situation. In an experimental lab study with a 2x2 between-subjects-design (N = 85), people were given the choice to switch off a robot with which they had just interacted. The style of the interaction was either social (mimicking human behavior) or functional (displaying machinelike behavior). Additionally, the robot either voiced an objection against being switched off or it remained silent. Results show that participants rather let the robot stay switched on when the robot objected. After the functional interaction, people evaluated the robot as less likeable, which in turn led to a reduced stress experience after the switching off situation. Furthermore, individuals hesitated longest when they had experienced a functional interaction in combination with an objecting robot. This unexpected result might be due to the fact that the impression people had formed based on the task-focused behavior of the robot conflicted with the emotional nature of the objection.
Keywords: Adolescent, Adult, Artificial intelligence, Attitude, Biomimetic Materials, Electrical Equipment and Supplies, Emotions/physiology, Female, Fortschritt, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Mensch-Roboter-Interaktion, Motivation, Object Attachment, Robotics/instrumentation, Social Skills, User-Computer Interface, Young Adult -
(2018): Views of nurses and other health and social care workers on the use of assistive humanoid and animal-like robots in health and social care: a scoping review. In: Contemporary nurse 54 (4-5), S. 425-442. DOI: 10.1080/10376178.2018.1519374
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10376178.2018.1519374 Abstract: BACKGROUND Robots are introduced in many health and social care settings. OBJECTIVES To provide an overview of the existing evidence related to the views of nurses and other health and social care workers about the use of assistive humanoid and animal-like robots. METHODS Using the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines we searched MEDLINE, PUBMED, CINHAL, EMBASE, PsycInfo, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore digital library. Nineteen (19) articles met the criteria for inclusion. RESULTS Health care workers reported mixed views regarding the use of robots. They considered an array of tasks that robots could perform; they addressed the issue of patient safety and raised concerns about privacy. CONCLUSIONS A limited number of studies have explored the views of health care workers about the use of robots. Considering the fast pace with which technology is advancing in the care field, it is critical to conduct more research in this area. Impact Statement: Robots will increasingly have a role to play in nursing, health and social care. The potential impact will be challenging for the healthcare workforce. It is therefore important for nurses and other health and social care workers to engage in discussion regarding the contribution of robots and their impact not only on nursing care but also on future roles of health and social care workers.
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(2018): The influence of effective communication, perceived respect and willingness to collaborate on nurses' perceptions of nurse-physician collaboration in China. In: Applied nursing research: ANR 41, S. 73-79. DOI: 10.1016/j.apnr.2018.04.005
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29853219 Abstract: BACKGROUND Nurse-physician collaboration is a critical prerequisite for high-quality care. Previous researchers have addressed multiple factors that influence collaboration. However, little of this research has explored the influence of interactional factors on nurses' perception of nurse-physician collaboration in China. AIMS To examine the influence of interactional factors (effective communication, perceived respect and willingness to collaborate) on nurses' perception of nurse-physician collaboration. METHODS A cross-sectional survey of 971 registered nurses in nine hospitals was conducted. An author-designed interactional factor questionnaire and the Nurse-Physician Collaboration Scale were used to collect data. Multiple regression analysis was used. RESULTS Nurse-physician collaboration was identified as at a moderate level (mean = 3.93 ± 0.68). Interactional factors (effective communication, perceived respect and willingness to collaborate) were identified as relatively moderate to high (mean = 4.03 ± 0.68, mean = 3.87 ± 0.75, mean = 4.50 ± 0.59, respectively). The results showed that effective communication, perceived respect and willingness to collaborate explained 57.3% of the variance in nurses' perception of nurse-physician collaboration (Adjusted R2 = 0.573, F = 435.563, P < 0.001). Perceived respect (β = 0.378) was the strongest factor relevant to nurses' perception of nurse-physician collaboration, second was effective communication (β = 0.315), and the weakest factor among these three factors was willingness to collaborate (β = 0.160). CONCLUSION Nurses' perceptions of collaboration were relatively positive, mainly in Sharing of patient information; however, improvements need to be made regarding Joint participation in the cure/care decision-making process. Effective communication, perceived respect and willingness to collaborate significantly affect nurses' perception of nurse-physician collaboration, with perceived respect having greater explanatory power among the three interactional factors. It is necessary for hospital managers to develop strategies to build professional respect for nurses, facilitate effective nurse-physician communication and improve nurses' willingness to collaborate.
2017
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(2017): Familiarity with Own Population's Appearance Influences Facial Preferences. In: Human nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.) 28 (3), S. 344-354. DOI: 10.1007/s12110-017-9289-8
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28516361 Abstract: Previous studies have found that individuals from rural areas in Malaysia and in El Salvador prefer heavier women than individuals from urban areas. Several explanations have been proposed to explain these differences in weight preferences but no study has explored familiarity as a possible explanation. We therefore sought to investigate participants' face preferences while also examining the facial characteristics of the actual participants. Our results showed that participants from rural areas preferred heavier-looking female faces than participants from urban areas. We also found that the female faces from the rural areas were rated as looking heavier than the female faces from the urban areas. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that familiarity may be contributing to the differences found in face preferences between rural and urban areas given that people from rural and urban areas are exposed to different faces.
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(2017): Risky business. When humor increases and decreases status. In: Journal of personality and social psychology 112 (3), S. 431-455. DOI: 10.1037/pspi0000079
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27831701 Abstract: Across 8 experiments, we demonstrate that humor can influence status, but attempting to use humor is risky. The successful use of humor can increase status in both new and existing relationships, but unsuccessful humor attempts (e.g., inappropriate jokes) can harm status. The relationship between the successful use of humor and status is mediated by perceptions of confidence and competence. The successful use of humor signals confidence and competence, which in turn increases the joke teller's status. Interestingly, telling both appropriate and inappropriate jokes, regardless of the outcome, signals confidence. Although signaling confidence typically increases status and power, telling inappropriate jokes signals low competence and the combined effect of high confidence and low competence harms status. Rather than conceptualizing humor as a frivolous or ancillary behavior, we argue that humor plays a fundamental role in shaping interpersonal perceptions and hierarchies within groups.
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(2017): Implicit moral evaluations. A multinomial modeling approach. In: Cognition 158, S. 224-241. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2016.10.013
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27865113 Abstract: Implicit moral evaluations-i.e., immediate, unintentional assessments of the wrongness of actions or persons-play a central role in supporting moral behavior in everyday life. Yet little research has employed methods that rigorously measure individual differences in implicit moral evaluations. In five experiments, we develop a new sequential priming measure-the Moral Categorization Task-and a multinomial model that decomposes judgment on this task into multiple component processes. These include implicit moral evaluations of moral transgression primes (Unintentional Judgment), accurate moral judgments about target actions (Intentional Judgment), and a directional tendency to judge actions as morally wrong (Response Bias). Speeded response deadlines reduced Intentional Judgment but not Unintentional Judgment (Experiment 1). Unintentional Judgment was stronger toward moral transgression primes than non-moral negative primes (Experiments 2-4). Intentional Judgment was associated with increased error-related negativity, a neurophysiological indicator of behavioral control (Experiment 4). Finally, people who voted for an anti-gay marriage amendment had stronger Unintentional Judgment toward gay marriage primes (Experiment 5). Across Experiments 1-4, implicit moral evaluations converged with moral personality: Unintentional Judgment about wrong primes, but not negative primes, was negatively associated with psychopathic tendencies and positively associated with moral identity and guilt proneness. Theoretical and practical applications of formal modeling for moral psychology are discussed.
Keywords: Adult, Cerebral Cortex/physiology, Cognition/physiology, Electroencephalography, Evoked Potentials, Female, Guilt, Humans, Individuality, Intention, Judgment/physiology, Kognitionswissenschaften, Male, Middle Aged, Models, Psychological, Moral, Morals, Neuropsychological Tests, Personality, Personality Assessment, science direct, Shame, Social Perception -
(2017): Social distance influences the outcome evaluation of cooperation and conflict. Evidence from event-related potentials. In: Neuroscience letters 647, S. 78-84. DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.03.018
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28315726 Abstract: Previous research shows that social distance plays an important role in promoting cooperation and that subtle cues that reduce social distance increase the tendency to cooperate. However, it is unclear how social distance influences our outcome evaluation of cooperative and conflict feedback. The present study investigated the influence of social distance on cooperative and conflict behavior and the evaluation process of the cooperative and conflict outcomes, using the event-related potentials (ERPs) technique. We recorded ERPs from 14 normal adults playing a social game task against a friend and a stranger. The results showed that the FRN (Feedback Related Negativity) and P300 were affected by the opponent's choice to cooperate or aggress; however, only the P300 was affected by social distance. Specifically, when the opponent chose to cooperate, the feedback elicited a smaller FRN and a larger P300 amplitude; and compared with playing against friends, the P300 had a larger amplitude when participants gaming with strangers. Our results indicate that at the early stage of the evaluation of cooperation and conflict outcomes, individuals may initially and quickly encode the valence of outcomes, judging whether an outcome is consistent with their expectations. However, at the late stage, which involves a top-down cognitive appraisal process, some social factors, such as social distance, may moderate processing of attention resource allocation of feedback about outcomes, and of higher-level motivation/affective appraisal. zitiert von 1
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(2017): Effects of context and individual differences on the processing of taboo words. In: Acta psychologica 178, S. 73-86. DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2017.05.012
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28618300 Abstract: Previous studies suggest that taboo words are special in regards to language processing. Findings from the studies have led to the formation of two theories, global resource theory and binding theory, of taboo word processing. The current study investigates how readers process taboo words embedded in sentences during silent reading. In two experiments, measures collected include eye movement data, accuracy and reaction time measures for recalling probe words within the sentences, and individual differences in likelihood of being offended by taboo words. Although certain aspects of the results support both theories, as the likelihood of a person being offended by a taboo word influenced some measures, neither theory sufficiently predicts or describes the effects observed. The results are interpreted as evidence that processing effects ascribed to taboo words are largely, but not completely, attributable to the context in which they are used and the individual attitudes of the people who hear/read them. The results also demonstrate the importance of investigating taboo words in naturalistic language processing paradigms. A revised theory of taboo word processing is proposed that incorporates both global resource theory and binding theory along with the sociolinguistic factors and individual differences that largely drive the effects observed here.
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(2017): Individual Differences in Verbal and Non-Verbal Affective Responses to Smells. Influence of Odor Label Across Cultures. In: Chemical senses 42 (1), S. 37-46. DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjw098
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27655940 Abstract: Olfactory perception is highly variable from one person to another, as a function of individual and contextual factors. Here, we investigated the influence of 2 important factors of variation: culture and semantic information. More specifically, we tested whether cultural-specific knowledge and presence versus absence of odor names modulate odor perception, by measuring these effects in 2 populations differing in cultural background but not in language. Participants from France and Quebec, Canada, smelled 4 culture-specific and 2 non-specific odorants in 2 conditions: first without label, then with label. Their ratings of pleasantness, familiarity, edibility, and intensity were collected as well as their psychophysiological and olfactomotor responses. The results revealed significant effects of culture and semantic information, both at the verbal and non-verbal level. They also provided evidence that availability of semantic information reduced cultural differences. Semantic information had a unifying action on olfactory perception that overrode the influence of cultural background.
Keywords: Adult, Affect, Culture, culture specific, Disziplin, Female, France, Geruch / mikrobiologische Zusammensetzung von Körpersekreten, Humans, Kognitionswissenschaft/Social Sciences/Humanities, kulturspezifisch, Kulturtheorie, Male, Odorants/analysis, Olfactory Perception, Quebec, Semantics, Smell, Status / biologische Marker, Young Adult -
(2017): Perceived differences in social status between speaker and listener affect the speaker's vocal characteristics. In: PLoS one 12 (6). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179407
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28614413 Abstract: Non-verbal behaviours, including voice characteristics during speech, are an important way to communicate social status. Research suggests that individuals can obtain high social status through dominance (using force and intimidation) or through prestige (by being knowledgeable and skilful). However, little is known regarding differences in the vocal behaviour of men and women in response to dominant and prestigious individuals. Here, we tested within-subject differences in vocal parameters of interviewees during simulated job interviews with dominant, prestigious, and neutral employers (targets), while responding to questions which were classified as introductory, personal, and interpersonal. We found that vocal modulations were apparent between responses to the neutral and high-status targets, with participants, especially those who perceived themselves as low in dominance, increasing fundamental frequency (F0) in response to the dominant and prestigious targets relative to the neutral target. Self-perceived prestige, however, was less related to contextual vocal modulations than self-perceived dominance. Finally, we found that differences in the context of the interview questions participants were asked to respond to (introductory, personal, interpersonal), also affected their vocal parameters, being more prominent in responses to personal and interpersonal questions. Overall, our results suggest that people adjust their vocal parameters according to the perceived social status of the listener as well as their own self-perceived social status.
Keywords: Acoustic Stimulation, Adolescent, Adult, Auditory Perception/physiology, Diagnostic Self Evaluation, Female, fundamental frequency, Humans, Interviews as Topic/methods, Macht, Male, Middle Aged, Social Class, Social Perception, Socioeconomic Factors, Soziale Dominanz, Speech Acoustics, Speech/physiology, Status / biologische Marker, Stimme, Stimme / Prosodie, Voice/physiology, Young Adult -
(2017): Moral alchemy. How love changes norms. In: Cognition 167, S. 135-150. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.03.003
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28404207 Abstract: We discuss a process by which non-moral concerns (that is concerns agreed to be non-moral within a particular cultural context) can take on moral content. We refer to this phenomenon as moral alchemy and suggest that it arises because moral obligations of care entail recursively valuing loved ones' values, thus allowing propositions with no moral weight in themselves to become morally charged. Within this framework, we predict that when people believe a loved one cares about a behavior more than they do themselves, the moral imperative to care about the loved one's interests will raise the value of that behavior, such that people will be more likely to infer that third parties will see the behavior as wrong (Experiment 1) and the behavior itself as more morally important (Experiment 2) than when the same behaviors are considered outside the context of a caring relationship. The current study confirmed these predictions. zitiert von: 2
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(2017): Choice predicts the feedback negativity. In: Psychophysiology 54 (12), S. 1800-1811. DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12961
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28752549 Abstract: Choosing the appropriate response given the circumstance is integral to all aspects of human behavior. One way of elucidating the mechanisms of choice is to relate behavior to neural correlates. Electrophysiological evidence implicates the ERP feedback-negativity (FN) and the P300 as promising neural correlates of reward processing, an integral component of learning. However, prior research has not adequately addressed how the development of a preference to select one option over another (choice preference) relates to the FN and the P300. We assessed whether variation in choice preference predicted the FN and P300 amplitude within subjects. We used a discrete-trials two-alternative choice procedure, where the reinforcer rate for each option was dependently scheduled by a concurrent variable interval. The reinforcer ratio for selecting each option was varied between sessions. Choice was quantified using both the generalized matching law sensitivity and the log odds of staying on the same versus switching to the other alternative (stay preference). The relationship between stay preference, FN, and P300 amplitudes was assessed using the innovative application of hierarchical Bayesian linear regression. The results demonstrate that stay preference was controlled by the reinforcer ratios and credibly predicted the FN amplitude but not P300 amplitude. The findings are consistent with the view that reinforcers may guide behavior by what they signal about future reinforcement, with the FN related to such a process.
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(2017): "You Need to Be a Good Listener". Recruiters' Use of Relational Communication Behaviors to Enhance Clinical Trial and Research Study Accrual. In: Journal of health communication 22 (2), S. 95-101. DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2016.1256356
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28085636 Abstract: Medical and research professionals who discuss clinical trials and research studies with potential participants face an often daunting challenge, particularly when recruiting from minority and underserved populations. This study reports on findings from a focus group study of 63 research coordinators, study nurses, professional recruiters, and other professionals in Indianapolis, IN and Miami, FL who work to recruit from minority and underserved populations. These professionals discussed the importance of creating a sense of connection with potential participants as part of the recruitment and retention process. Building a relationship, however fleeting, involved a number of concrete behaviors, including listening to personal information, expressing empathy, and then providing reciprocal self-disclosures; having repeated contact, usually by working in the same environment over an extended period of time; demonstrating respect through politeness and the use of honorifics; going the extra mile for participants; offering flexibility in scheduling follow-up appointments; and creating a sense of personal and community trust by being truthful. The implications of these findings for clinical trial and research study accrual are discussed.
Keywords: Adult, Aufrichtigkeit/Truthfulness, Benutzen von Respektanrede/Honorifics, Bereitschaft zu Termin-Flexibilität, Bereitschaft, für den Interaktionspartner mehr Aufwand auf sich zu nehmen, als erwartet wird, Clinical Trials as Topic, Communication, Demonstration von Respekt gegenüber dem Interaktionspartner, Empathie, Female, Florida, Focus Groups, Häufigkeit des Kontakts mit dem Interaktionspartner, Humans, Indiana, Kommunikations-/Interaktionsprinzipien, Listening to personal information, Male, Middle Aged, Minority Groups, Patient Selection, Research Personnel/psychology/statistics & numerical data, Researcher-Subject Relations, Self-disclosure, time, Übermitteln von Gefühlen/Emotionen, Vulnerable Populations, Young Adult -
(2017): Kultursensible Aspekte während der Diagnostik von psychischen Belastungen bei Flüchtlingen – Zwei kommentierte Fallberichte. In: Psychotherapie, Psychosomatik, medizinische Psychologie 67 (3-04), S. 109-118. DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-107802
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27706544 Abstract: High levels of mental disorders, especially PTSD, are commonly known among groups of people forced to leave their homeland as a consequence of war-related experiences (e. g. armed conflict, torture or persecution). Depending on the cultural background the perceptions of illnesses vary, different symptom presentation and thereupon different coping strategies respectively expectations towards health care services exist. To minimize the danger of misdiagnosis by different experts working with refugees in the host countries, a culture-sensitive diagnostic approach is needed from the beginning. This article describes important aspects of culture-sensitive diagnostics by means of 2 commented case reports. Special focus is set on the aspect of linguistic and in a broader sense cultural comprehension between therapist, client and if necessary language mediator.
Keywords: Adult, Communication Barriers, Culturally Competent Care, Culture, culture sensitive, Disziplin, Female, Germany, Humans, Kultur, Kulturtheorie, Life Change Events, Linguistik, Male, Mental Disorders/diagnosis/ethnology/psychology, Observablen/Kriterien für sozial angemessenes Verhalten und dessen Bewertung, Pathologie, Physician-Patient Relations, PREJUDICE, Psychologie, Refugees/psychology, Social Identification, Somatoform Disorders/diagnosis/ethnology/psychology, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/diagnosis/ethnology/psychology, Suicidal Ideation, Translating -
(2017): The psychometric properties of the "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" Test: an item response theory (IRT) analysis. In: Cognitive neuropsychiatry 22 (3), S. 233-253. DOI: 10.1080/13546805.2017.1300091
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13546805.2017.1300091 Abstract: INTRODUCTION The "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" Test (hereafter: Eyes Test) is considered an advanced task of the Theory of Mind aimed at assessing the performance of the participant in perspective-takingthat is, the ability to sense or understand other people's cognitive and emotional states. In this study, the item response theory analysis was applied to the adult version of the Eyes Test. METHODS The Italian version of the Eyes Test was administered to 200 undergraduate students of both genders (males = 46%). Modified parallel analysis (MPA) was used to test unidimensionality. Marginal maximum likelihood estimation was used to fit the 1-, 2-, and 3-parameter logistic (PL) model to the data. Differential Item Functioning (DIF) due to gender was explored with five independent methods. RESULTS MPA provided evidence in favour of unidimensionality. The Rasch model (1-PL) was superior to the other two models in explaining participants' responses to the Eyes Test. There was no robust evidence of gender-related DIF in the Eyes Test, although some differences may exist for some items as a reflection of real differences by group. CONCLUSIONS The study results support a one-factor model of the Eyes Test. Performance on the Eyes Test is defined by the participant's ability in perspective-taking. Researchers should cease using arbitrarily selected subscores in assessing the performance of participants to the Eyes Test. Lack of gender-related DIF favours the use of the Eyes Test in the investigation of gender differences concerning empathy and social cognition.
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(2017): Altruistic behavior in cohesive social groups. The role of target identifiability. In: PLoS one 12 (11). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187903
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29161282 Abstract: People's tendency to be more generous toward identifiable victims than toward unidentifiable or statistical victims is known as the Identifiable Victim Effect. Recent research has called the generality of this effect into question, showing that in cross-national contexts, identifiability mostly affects willingness to help victims of one's own "in-group." Furthermore, in inter-group conflict situations, identifiability increased generosity toward a member of the adversary group, but decreased generosity toward a member of one's own group. In the present research we examine the role of group-cohesiveness as an underlying factor accounting for these divergent findings. In particular, we examined novel groups generated in the lab, using the minimal group paradigm, as well as natural groups of students in regular exercise sections. Allocation decisions in dictator games revealed that a group's cohesiveness affects generosity toward in-group and out-group recipients differently, depending on their identifiability. In particular, in cohesive groups the identification of an in-group recipient decreased, rather than increased generosity.
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(2017): Variations in judgments of intentional action and moral evaluation across eight cultures. In: Cognition 164, S. 22-30. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.02.012
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28364713 Abstract: Individuals tend to judge bad side effects as more intentional than good side effects (the Knobe or sideeffect effect). Here, we assessed how widespread these findings are by testing eleven adult cohorts of eight highly contrasted cultures on their attributions of intentional action as well as ratings of blame and praise. We found limited generalizability of the original side-effect effect, and even a reversal of the effect in two rural, traditional cultures (Samoa and Vanuatu) where participants were more likely to judge the good side effect as intentional. Three follow-up experiments indicate that this reversal of the side-effect effect is not due to semantics and may be linked to the perception of the status of the protagonist. These results highlight the importance of factoring cultural context in our understanding of moral cognition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved) zitiert von: 2
Keywords: 80 and over, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Costa Rica, Cross-Cultural Comparison, cross-cultural psychology, Culture, Honduras, Humans, Intention, Intentional action, Judgment, Kognitionswissenschaften, Kulturelle Unterschiede, Kulturforschung, Mexico, Middle Aged, Moral, Moral cognition, Moral evaluation, Morals, Republic of Korea, Samoa, Side-effect effect, Social Perception, United States, Vanuatu, Young Adult -
(2017): Pushing boundaries-culture-sensitive care in oncology and palliative care. A qualitative study. In: Psycho-oncology 26 (6), S. 763-769. DOI: 10.1002/pon.4217
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27429221 Abstract: OBJECTIVE In increasingly globalized societies, patient-centered cancer care requires culture-sensitive approaches in order to ensure patients well-being. While migrant patients' needs are frequently reported in the literature, staff members' perception of work with migrant patients, associated challenges, or individual work approaches are largely unknown. This study addresses this research gap through qualitative exploration of experiences of multicultural health care professionals in supportive oncology and palliative care, working with patients from different cultural backgrounds. This study aims to understand staff experience of the impact of culture on cancer care. METHODS This study was conducted at the Medical University of Vienna, including staff from different settings of oncology and palliative care, in different professional positions, and with a range of individual migration backgrounds. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 21 staff members working with patients from different cultural backgrounds. Interviews explored views on the impact of culture on care were audio-taped, transcribed, and analyzed using a rigorous method of thematic analysis, enhanced with grounded theory techniques. RESULTS Interviews revealed 4 key topics: culture-specific differences, assumed reasons for differences, consequences of multicultural care, and tools for culture-sensitive care. Strategies to better deal with migrant patients and their families were suggested to improve work satisfaction amongst staff. CONCLUSIONS This study identifies relevant staff challenges in work with migrant patients. Concrete suggestions for improvement include measures on an organizational level, team level, and personal tools. The suggested measures are applicable to improve work satisfaction and culture-sensitive care not only in cancer care but also in other areas of medicine.
Keywords: Adult, Attitude of Health Personnel, Culturally Competent Care, Culture, culture specific, Female, Gesellschaftsprofit, Health Personnel/psychology/statistics & numerical data, Humans, Interaktion, Job Satisfaction, Kultur, kulturspezifisch, Male, Medical Oncology, Medizin, Middle Aged, Neoplasms/ethnology/therapy, Observablen/Kriterien für sozial angemessenes Verhalten und dessen Bewertung, Palliative Care, Pflege, Qualitative research, Umgangsformen, Young Adult -
(2017): Increased social distance makes people more risk-neutral. In: The Journal of Social Psychology 157 (4), S. 502-512. DOI: 10.1080/00224545.2016.1242471
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27685243 Abstract: Individuals are consistently observed to be risk-averse over gains and risk-seeking over losses. This study examined whether increased social distance would change these behavioral patterns. To test our hypothesis, social distance was manipulated by asking the participants to make decisions either for themselves or for another person (Experiment 1), either for a known person or for an unknown person (Experiment 2), and either for a close friend or for a distant friend (Experiment 3). The results of Experiments 1 and 3 showed that increased social distance made people more risk-neutral, and such an effect was stronger in the gain domain than in the loss domain. However, the effect of social distance was not observed in Experiment 2. These findings suggest that risk preferences are influenced by the social distance between decision makers and beneficiaries. zitiert von 4
Keywords: Adult, Decision Making, distance, Female, Humans, Male, Risk-Taking, Social Distance, Sozialpsychologie, Verhaltensforschung, Young Adult -
(2017): How "ought" exceeds but implies "can". Description and encouragement in moral judgment. In: Cognition 168, S. 267-275. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.07.008
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28755538 Abstract: This paper tests a theory about the relationship between two important topics in moral philosophy and psychology. One topic is the function of normative language, specifically claims that one "ought" to do something. Do these claims function to describe moral responsibilities, encourage specific behavior, or both? The other topic is the relationship between saying that one "ought" to do something and one's ability to do it. In what respect, if any, does what one "ought" to do exceed what one "can" do? The theory tested here has two parts: (1) "ought" claims function to both describe responsibilities and encourage people to fulfill them (the dual-function hypothesis); (2) the two functions relate differently to ability, because the encouragement function is limited by the person's ability, but the descriptive function is not (the interaction hypothesis). If this theory is correct, then in one respect "ought implies can" is false because people have responsibilities that exceed their abilities. But in another respect "ought implies can" is legitimate because it is not worthwhile to encourage people to do things that exceed their ability. Results from two behavioral experiments support the theory that "ought" exceeds but implies "can." Results from a third experiment provide further evidence regarding an "ought" claim's primary function and how contextual features can affect the interpretation of its functions.
Keywords: Adult, Aged, Female, Humans, Judgment, Kognitionswissenschaften, Male, Middle Aged, Moral, Morals, science direct, Social Behavior, Social Norms, Sprachwissenschaften, Young Adult -
(2017): Language from police body camera footage shows racial disparities in officer respect. In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 114 (25), S. 6521-6526. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1702413114
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1702413114 Abstract: Using footage from body-worn cameras, we analyze the respectfulness of police officer language toward white and black community members during routine traffic stops. We develop computational linguistic methods that extract levels of respect automatically from transcripts, informed by a thin-slicing study of participant ratings of officer utterances. We find that officers speak with consistently less respect toward black versus white community members, even after controlling for the race of the officer, the severity of the infraction, the location of the stop, and the outcome of the stop. Such disparities in common, everyday interactions between police and the communities they serve have important implications for procedural justice and the building of police-community trust.
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(2017): Towards a social functional account of laughter. Acoustic features convey reward, affiliation, and dominance. In: PLoS one 12 (8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183811
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28850589 Abstract: Recent work has identified the physical features of smiles that accomplish three tasks fundamental to human social living: rewarding behavior, establishing and managing affiliative bonds, and negotiating social status. The current work extends the social functional account to laughter. Participants (N = 762) rated the degree to which reward, affiliation, or dominance (between-subjects) was conveyed by 400 laughter samples acquired from a commercial sound effects website. Inclusion of a fourth rating dimension, spontaneity, allowed us to situate the current approach in the context of existing laughter research, which emphasizes the distinction between spontaneous and volitional laughter. We used 11 acoustic properties extracted from the laugh samples to predict participants' ratings. Actor sex moderated, and sometimes even reversed, the relation between acoustics and participants' judgments. Spontaneous laughter appears to serve the reward function in the current framework, as similar acoustic properties guided perceiver judgments of spontaneity and reward: reduced voicing and increased pitch, increased duration for female actors, and increased pitch slope, center of gravity, first formant, and noisiness for male actors. Affiliation ratings diverged from reward in their sex-dependent relationship to intensity and, for females, reduced pitch range and raised second formant. Dominance displayed the most distinct pattern of acoustic predictors, including increased pitch range, reduced second formant in females, and decreased pitch variability in males. We relate the current findings to existing findings on laughter and human and non-human vocalizations, concluding laughter can signal much more that felt or faked amusement.
Keywords: Acoustics, Adult, Aged, Art der Beziehung zum Interaktionspartner, Belohnung, center of gravity, Dauer, Female, formant, Gender, Gestik/Mimik, Humans, Klanghöhe (pitch), Kommunikations-/Interaktionsprinzipien, Lächeln, Lachen, Laughter/psychology, Male, Middle Aged, noisiness, pitch slope, Reward, Sanktionierung, Sex Factors, Social Dominance, Social Identification, Soziale Distanz, Soziale Dominanz, Spontaneität beim Lachen, Status / biologische Marker, Stimmhaftigkeit (voicing), Young Adult, Zugehörigkeit (affiliation) -
(2017): Individual Differences in Good Manners Rather Than Compassion Predict Fair Allocations of Wealth in the Dictator Game. In: Journal of personality 85 (2), S. 244-256. DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12237
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26691600 Abstract: One of the most common tools for studying pro-sociality is the dictator game, in which allocations to one's partner are often described in terms of altruism. However, the motivations driving these allocations may represent either emotional concern for others (compassion), adherence to social norms regarding fairness (politeness), or both. In this article, we apply personality psychology to the study of behavior in the dictator game, in which we examine the discriminant validity of distinct pro-social constructs from the Big Five and HEXACO models in relation to allocations of wealth. Across four studies (Study 1: N = 192; Study 2: N = 212; Study 3: N = 304; Study 4: N = 90) utilizing both hypothetical and incentivized designs, we found that the politeness-but not compassion-aspect of Big Five Agreeableness, as well as HEXACO Honesty-Humility, uniquely predicted dictator allocations within their respective personality models. These findings contribute to a growing literature indicating that the standard dictator game measures "good manners" or adherence to norms concerning fairness, rather than pure emotional concern or compassionate motives, and have important implications for how this paradigm is used and interpreted in psychological research.
Keywords: Adolescent, Adult, Dictator Game, Disziplin, Empathy/physiology, Entwicklungspsychologie, Female, Games, Experimental, Good manners, HEXACO, Humans, Individuality, Male, Middle Aged, Personality/physiology, Postkasten, Psychologie, Social Behavior, Social Conformity, Soziale Angemessenheit, Spieltheorie, Umgangsformen, Young Adult