Time on task effects during interactive visual search
There is a major shift taking place in airports across the globe, changing from 2D dual-view X-ray screening to 3D computed tomography (CT) screening. 3D CT screening is believed to improve target detection since it enables screeners to interact with images of passenger baggage (i.e., rotating and zooming into the displays). The change in screening technology is moving what was once a purely visual search task to an interactive search task. Here, we conducted two experiments with a large sample size during February of 2023 (695 participants) to examine (a) changes in search performance between a simulated dual-view and simulated interactive search task and (b) the effects of time on task upon performance. Consistent with past research, we found that interactive search, when compared with dual-view search, produced higher response accuracy rates coupled with increased reaction times (RTs). However, while we found effects of time on task (RTs reduced, and participants became more likely to respond "absent" as the experiments progressed), there was no evidence that these effects differed across simulated dual-view and simulated interactive searches. The results are discussed in relation to benefits of interactive search for supporting target detection by airport screeners. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
A comparison between numeric confidence ratings and verbal confidence statements
Is confidence most diagnostic of accuracy when expressed in numbers or when expressed in words? This question bears immense importance in many real-world contexts especially within the confines of eyewitness identification. In an eyewitness identification task, we compared the diagnostic value of numeric confidence across rating scales that varied in grain size (3-point vs. 6-point vs. 21-point vs. 101-point rating scales). We also compared the diagnostic value of numeric confidence to verbal confidence statements using several machine-learning algorithms. We found that fine-grain ratings are more diagnostic of identification accuracy than coarse-grain ratings, which suggests that the former provides a closer correspondence to memory strength than the latter. Moreover, we found that verbal confidence statements capture diagnostic information about the likely accuracy of an identification that numeric confidence ratings do not capture. This suggests that verbal confidence statements and numeric confidence ratings reflect partially independent, nonoverlapping sources of information. These results shed light on the processes that provide diagnostic value to confidence. From an applied standpoint, these results suggest that verbal confidence statements and numeric confidence ratings ought to be collected from eyewitnesses after an identification decision. Collecting both captures more diagnostic information than either can capture in isolation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Prior knowledge and new learning: An experimental study of domain-specific knowledge
It is commonly claimed that higher domain knowledge enhances new learning-the knowledge-is-power hypothesis. However, a recent meta-analysis (Simonsmeier et al., 2022) has challenged this idea, finding no overall relationship between prior knowledge and new learning across hundreds of highly variable effect sizes. The authors note that this variability and lack of randomized controlled experiments preclude broad claims regarding the influence of prior knowledge on learning. The present study (conducted in 2020) provides an experimental assessment of the causal effect of prior domain knowledge on new learning. Participants were randomly assigned to receive training in one of two academic domains over 3 days before learning new information about topics in both domains for a later test. Training was specific to three of four topics within that domain, allowing the untrained topic in the trained domain to act as a measure of new learning in that domain. New learning, measured as final test performance or knowledge gains, did not differ between the high and low domain knowledge conditions. Experimentally induced prior domain knowledge did not affect new learning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
A rate-them-all lineup procedure increases information but reduces discriminability
Prior research has investigated ways to optimize identification performance, but an open question concerns exactly what variable should be optimized. One reasonable way to optimize performance is to maximize discriminability, which is achieved by increasing correct identifications of guilty suspects while simultaneously decreasing false identifications of innocent suspects. Another reasonable way to optimize performance is to maximize the information about the guilt or innocence of the suspect, which is best achieved by ensuring that a confidence rating is always made to the suspect. In a typical lineup, however, limited information about the suspect is obtained if the witness picks a filler or rejects the lineup. One proposed solution to that problem is to have the witness provide a confidence rating to every member of the lineup (a rate-them-all lineup). But what effect, if any, does a rate-them-all procedure have on discriminability? To answer that question, we compared a rate-them-all lineup procedure to standard simultaneous lineup and showup procedures using receiver operating characteristic analysis. In terms of discriminability, the rate-them-all procedure was diagnostically inferior to both. A reasonable goal for future research is to make use of theoretical models of eyewitness identification to simultaneously maximize both discriminability and information gain. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Comparing generating predictions with retrieval practice as learning strategies for primary school children
This eye tracking study run in 2019 examines the learning benefits of two common active learning approaches-generating predictions and retrieval practice-for young children. Both generating predictions and retrieval practice are active learning approaches that involve generating responses and then being provided with the correct information or retrieving previously provided correct information. Participants included 90 children ( = 7 years; female = 46, male = 42). Parents reported children's race and ethnicity as follows: 2% Asian/Pacific Islander, 5% African American, 74% Caucasian, 3% other, and 6% identified as two or more categories; demographics largely reflective of the county where the data were collected, but nevertheless the generalizability of these findings to more diverse populations may be limited. In this study, young children learned facts about insects (e.g., "Insects are hard on the outside.") while we measured their attention to the lesson using eye tracking technology. Then their knowledge was assessed on an immediate test. All children were presented with the same materials, but the presentation order was modified based on condition assignment. In the generating predictions condition, children saw examples of animals and were asked if an animal was an insect or they saw animals and were asked to identify which one was the insect, followed by the correct response. In the retrieve condition, the presentation order was reversed such that children first saw the correct response and then were asked if the animal was an insect, or which of two examples was an insect. Results suggest that although retrieval practice results in overall better learning outcomes, generating predictions increased children's attention to the materials ( = 1.92), and among children who were able to maintain attention, learning outcomes were equal among the two conditions in an immediate test. This work highlights the importance of considering student-level factors when deciding the best learning strategies to implement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
The metacognition of vigilance: Using self-scheduled breaks to improve sustained attention
Attention fluctuates over time and is prone to fatigue. Thus, maintaining sustained attention is difficult. The goal of this article is to evaluate the metacognitive penetrability of attention by examining whether dynamic control over the pacing of an ongoing attention-demanding task helps individuals maintain attention. In Experiments 1 and 2, breaks were found to provide a small localized benefit in performance, but self-administered breaks were no more beneficial than ones imposed by the experimenter. Experiment 3 and 4 provided subjects full control over the onset of each trial. Subjects who self-paced stimuli now outperformed yoked controls who experienced the stimuli at a fixed rate and also those who experienced the exact same schedule as the self-pacing subjects. Experiment 5 replicated this set of findings and demonstrated that the benefit of self-pacing was diminished under dual-task conditions. Taken together, it appears that providing workers control over the pace of work allows them to coordinate the occurrence of cognitively demanding events with moments of heightened attention. However, the improvement in performance is subject to important boundary conditions on the parameters of control, does not diminish the vigilance decrement associated with fatigue, and is reduced under conditions in which attention is divided. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Resolving problems with the skill retention literature: An empirical demonstration and recommendations for researchers
Questions about the degree of retention and decay for procedural skills, once acquired but not used for a period of time, have been raised repeatedly in basic and applied research. Despite widespread interest and numerous empirical investigations, definitive answers to the question "How much skill is retained after a period of disuse?" remain elusive. Shortcomings with the literature were identified that limit the ability of researchers to develop models of skill decay for various tasks, including medical/health care, military, sports, and other applications. Problems with design, measurement, analysis, and interpretation aspects of research are reviewed. An empirical study of acquisition and retention after a 1-month delay for four tasks is presented: (1) A mid fidelity air traffic control simulation, (2) a low-fidelity air traffic control task, and (3, 4) two versions of a perceptual/memory search task, with data from 150 participants. The results illustrate how different approaches to measurement and analysis lead to biased interpretations of decay, especially in the context of relearning. Recommendations are provided for research that can clarify decay functions for procedural tasks and may generate improved understanding and actionable models for refresher training programs to optimize skill retention over extended time periods. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Moral paragons, but crummy friends: The case of snitching
Loyalty to friends is an important moral value, but does that mean snitching on friends is considered immoral? Across six preregistered studies, we examine how loyalty obligations impact people's moral evaluations of snitching (i.e., turning in others who commit transgressions). In vignette and incentivized partner choice paradigms, we find that witnesses who snitch (vs. do not snitch) are seen as more moral and as better leaders (Studies 1-6), regardless of whether they snitch on a friend or an acquaintance (Studies 1-3). We find that a willingness to turn in one's friends increases perceived morality, while an unwillingness to do so diminishes it, with the latter effect exhibiting a stronger impact than the former (Study 2). Our experiments also demonstrate that snitches receive less moral credit when snitching on nonmoral (vs. moral) transgressions (Study 3) and when snitching aligns with self-interest (Study 4). We demonstrate that although snitching is often seen as morally right, turning in transgressors entails important reputational trade-offs: Snitching makes one appear disloyal and a bad friend but boosts perceptions of morality and leadership. This reveals a context in which what is loyal is no longer considered moral. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Acceleration neglect in trend extrapolations
Many decisions rely on intuitive predictions based on time series data showing a trend. For instance, the current upward trend in global temperatures might lead to specific predictions about the extent to which global temperatures will rise in the future, and these predictions might be used to inform judgments about the urgency with which climate change must be addressed. However, those predictions often need to be revised to incorporate the effects of unexpected events that might accelerate a trend (i.e., increase its rate of change), such as an unanticipated increase in CO₂ emissions, or decelerate a trend (i.e., decrease its rate of change), such as an unanticipated reduction in CO₂ emissions. In this work, we uncover a new cognitive bias by which people neglect how much a trend can accelerate (vs. decelerate) due to unexpected events. We explain this bias in terms of momentum theory and a naive understanding of physics. These findings have important implications for businesses and policymakers seeking to communicate information about topics such as climate change, stock market prices, or disease prevention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
The relative effectiveness of conditioning one or two attributes to a brand
Attribute conditioning refers to the phenomenon that target stimuli acquire specific attributes by pairing them with stimuli possessing these attributes. We apply attribute conditioning to a marketing context where brands are often displayed with stimuli possessing semantic attributes to establish brand-attribute associations. In particular, we examine whether it is more effective from a brand image perspective to associate a brand with only one attribute, two related attributes, or two unrelated attributes. Across four experimental studies, we find that pairing a single attribute (e.g., athletic) with a brand is most effective for building brand-attribute associations and that pairing multiple, related attributes (athletic and healthy) is more effective than pairing multiple, unrelated attributes (athletic and smart). Supplementing this finding, an analysis of observational data from real brands suggests that attributing two orthogonal attributes to a brand is associated with negative effects on marketing-relevant outcomes. Our findings extend previous research on multiattribute conditioning and highlight the importance of the number and relationship between attributes for building effective brand associations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Judgments of sex trafficked women: The role of emotions
This study examined how incidental emotions influence decisions to arrest or release sex trafficking survivors. Community members ( = 984) completed an autobiographical memory task invoking disgust, sympathy, or no emotion and read case facts from (2014) varying whether the survivor had a prior history of sex work and whether she came from a vulnerable or nonvulnerable background. Participants in the vulnerable condition believed that the survivor was less able to resist the trafficker's proposal. Furthermore, women but not men made to feel disgust believed that she should have resisted. Regarding arresting the survivor for prostitution versus releasing her for services, invoking either incidental disgust or sympathy, but especially disgust, triggered feelings of disgust, which in turn predicted an arrest decision. Finally, our data supported a moderated mediation model in which the belief that the survivor should have been able to resist the trafficker predicted a greater probability of an arrest judgment. Furthermore, participants in the vulnerable condition believed that the survivor had less ability to resist, and they disfavored her arrest. However, this was only true when we invoked no emotion. When we invoked disgust, vulnerability ceased to have this moderation effect. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Scientists, speak up! Source impacts trust in health advice across five countries
We examined how different types of communication influence people's responses to health advice. We tested whether presenting COVID-19 prevention advice (e.g., washing hands/distancing) as either originating from a government or scientific source would affect people's trust in and intentions to comply with the advice. We also manipulated uncertainty in communicating the advice effectiveness. To achieve this, we conducted an experiment using large samples of participants ( = 4,561) from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Across countries, participants found messages more trustworthy when the purported source was science rather than the government. This effect was moderated by political orientation in all countries except for Canada, while religiosity moderated the source effect in the United States. Although source did not directly affect intentions to act upon the advice, we found an indirect effect via trust, such that a more trusted source (i.e., science) was predictive of higher intentions to comply. However, the uncertainty manipulation was not effective. Together, our findings suggest that despite prominence of science skepticism in public discourse, people trust scientists more than governments when it comes to practical health advice. It is therefore beneficial to communicate health messages by stressing their scientific bases. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
From surviving to thriving: How preferences shift in helping resource allocation
The helper's allocation of helping resources to multiple recipients often involves a trade-off between equality and efficiency. This research examines how the condition of potential recipients ("survival" or "development") influences the preferences for helping resources allocation in terms of equality and efficiency. Through seven studies, including a field study (Study 6), we discovered that helpers show a higher preference for equality over efficiency when recipients are in a survival situation (i.e., below the survival line) as opposed to in development situation (i.e., above the survival line). This phenomenon is attributed to the different priorities of deontological and utilitarian perspectives in survival and development situations (Studies 3 and 4). Our findings offer insights into the existing research on helping decisions and enhance the understanding of the trade-off between efficiency and equality among helpers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Metacognition guides intention offloading and fulfillment of real-world plans
Reminders such as calendar entries and digital alerts are highly effective at helping people remember what they need to do. Recent work has explored the triggers of reminder setting, also known as intention offloading, finding that low confidence is associated with more offloading in laboratory tasks. This supports a metacognitive model of cognitive offloading. Here, we investigated whether this model generalizes to real-world intentions. We asked 112 participants about their upcoming plans and subsequent fulfillment of those plans in two online surveys conducted in 2022. Participants were more likely to set reminders for plans that (a) they were less confident they would remember and (b) they judged to be more important. Participants with lower confidence that they would remember to return for the second survey were more likely to set a reminder for this plan. This, in turn, predicted greater fulfillment. Therefore, ironically, lower confidence predicted greater success. These findings show that intention offloading predicts fulfillment of real-world intentions. They also point toward metacognition as a target for interventions to facilitate this. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Mapping the traits desired in followers and leaders onto fundamental dimensions of social evaluation
We applied the social evaluation framework to investigate the traits desired in an "ideal" follower, which were compared to the traits desired in an "ideal" leader. Across three studies and five samples, both differences and similarities in role-specific preferences mapped onto the Vertical-Horizontal dimensions of the social evaluation framework in ways that aligned with the demands of each role. Traits higher on the Horizontal-Morality facet (e.g., cooperative, dutiful) and lower on the Vertical-Assertiveness facet (e.g., confident, ambitious) differentiated ideal follower preferences from ideal leader preferences. Focusing on the traits most strongly desired in relation to each role, traits that supported social coordination and collective goal attainment (i.e., work ethic, cooperativeness) were prioritized in relation to ideal followers, whereas intelligence was prioritized for ideal leaders. Trustworthiness was equally valued across both roles. Moreover, we differentiated between necessary and luxury traits by adjusting the budget individuals could allocate toward the desired traits. Investments in necessary versus luxury traits further supported the social evaluation framework and highlighted the need to account for the facet-level distinctions within the Vertical (assertiveness, ability) and Horizontal (morality, friendliness) dimensions. Further, these findings were found to be robust across manipulations (e.g., the target's gender and hierarchical level). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
The role of mental representation in sharing misinformation online
Fuzzy-trace theory (FTT) posits that people share misinformation online if it promotes gist mental representations, cuing motivationally relevant values. Most people value the truth. Thus, per FTT, people decide to share messages that they perceive as true. FTT also predicts that messages will be more effective if they communicate a simple gist. We test these predictions by examining the roles of mental representation and epistemic quality in decisions to share misinformative articles on Facebook across two experiments and two correlational studies. In Studies 1 and 2, we use Facebook data to test the hypothesis that gist proxies in text are associated with online sharing. In Study 3, we experimentally manipulate subjects' exposure to a gist-based intervention that explains why a misinformative article is false, a simple debunk stating only that the article is false (but not explaining why) and a verbatim condition providing relevant detailed information but allowing subjects to draw their own conclusions. We found that the gist condition decreased intentions to share misinformation. Finally, in Study 4, we replicated this finding and showed that the gist condition also reduces misinformation endorsement. Results provide support for FTT's predictions regarding reducing sharing and endorsement of misinformation on social media. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
The effects of summarization and factual retrieval practice on text comprehension and text retention in elementary education
When reading a text in school, the goal is both text comprehension and text retention. We examined the effects of the learning strategies summarization and factual retrieval practice on third- and fourth-grade pupils' text comprehension and retention of factual knowledge from a text, using restudy as a control condition. The experiment was conducted in an authentic classroom setting, with teachers executing the experiment using original course materials. In 2016, 57 regular third- and fourth-grade pupils ( = 9.04 years old) read three different texts, and each applied three different learning strategies (summarization, retrieval practice and restudy, which were counterbalanced across texts) in subsequent practice sessions. After a 2-week delay, a final test was administered. The learning strategy summarization had a larger positive effect on text comprehension than factual retrieval practice, but had a similar effect compared to restudy. The learning strategy factual retrieval practice had a larger positive effect on text retention than both summarization and restudy. Implications for educational practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Out of sight, out of mind: When and how perceived vulnerability decreases foreseeability and responsibility for causing harm in the marketplace
Numerous social categories are often seen as vulnerable to harm. In the context of firms causing harm to individuals, we seek to better explain when and why observers absolve firms of responsibility as opposed to holding them more accountable. We propose that when someone's identity is thought to make them vulnerable to harm, identity visibility (how observable the identity is) and frequency (how common the identity is) influence the perceived foreseeability of a harmful event and firm responsibility. Across five studies (total = 2,101), we find that when visibility and frequency are low, perceptions of foreseeability decrease, in turn decreasing firm responsibility. We illustrate how visibility and frequency, and in turn foreseeability, can vary based on the characteristics of the individual being observed (e.g., the visibility or rarity of a health condition) or context (e.g., an otherwise visible identity may be invisible in an online service context). Foreseeability and firm responsibility increased when the harmed individual's rare health condition was reframed to communicate the firm's likelihood of interacting with any individual with the same health condition. Implications for consumer welfare, policy, and inclusivity are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Better to bend than to break? Effects of rule behavior on dominance, prestige, and leadership granting
How people handle rules can influence their social standing in the eyes of others, including their appeal as leaders. It stands to reason that people prefer to grant leadership to individuals who follow rather than break the rules. However, preferences for rule abiders are less evident than one might expect. To enhance understanding of people's responses to (counter)normative behavior, we (a) introduce the concept of rule -behavior that infringes a rule without technically breaking it-and (b) draw on the dominance/prestige framework of social rank to illuminate the underlying processes that drive responses to such behavior. In two experiments (Study 1: = 149; Study 2: = 480, preregistered), we show that rule breaking (compared to rule abiding) signals relatively high dominance and low prestige, which undermine leadership granting to rule breakers. We further found that rule benders are seen as relatively high on both prestige and dominance, which renders them more attractive as leaders than rule breakers. Finally, we show that the attractiveness of nonabiders as leaders increases under competition when their apparent dominance becomes an asset. We discuss how rule bending relates to rule abiding and rule breaking and consider implications for understanding and managing rule-bending behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Speeding lectures to make time for retrieval practice: Can we improve the efficiency of interpolated testing?
Testing is increasingly recognized as an important tool in learning. One form of testing often used in lectures, particularly recorded lectures, is interpolated testing wherein tests are interspersed throughout the lecture. Like testing in general, interpolated testing appears to benefit performance on content tests among other outcome variables (e.g., mind wandering). While beneficial, adding testing also increases instructional time. In the present investigation, we examine one strategy to mitigate the costs of this increase in instructional time in the context of recorded lectures. Specifically, we examine the interaction between increasing the playback speed of a recorded lecture and adding interpolated tests. Results demonstrate that the conjoint effects of these two interventions are largely additive. That is, the benefit of testing was as robust in a normal speed lecture and a lecture that was sped up 1.5×. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Exemplar learners and rule learners: Stable tendencies or malleable preferences?
When learning new concepts, students tend to use either exemplar-based learning strategies (e.g., memorizing specific examples) or rule-based learning strategies (e.g., abstracting general rules). Prior research suggests that participants' strategy choices during learning depend on individuals' preexisting learning tendencies, with some people being exemplar learners and others rule learners. Yet, strategy choices are also influenced by how the study materials are taught (rule-focused or exemplar-focused). The present study examined how these two factors interact using an alphanumeric symbol addition task. We examined whether exemplar learners would switch to using rule-based strategies when given rule-focused training and if rule learners would fail to learn the rule when given exemplar-focused training. We found that both rule and exemplar learners used a rule-based strategy after a rule-focused training and neither group learned the rule after an exemplar-focused training. Our results suggest that individuals can be shaped to adopt either rule-based or exemplar-based strategies during learning, regardless of their inherent learning tendencies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Weighting ratings: Are people adjusting for bias in extreme reviews?
The increasing importance of consumer ratings raises the question of whether people adjust for potentially fake or biased extreme opinions when judging products. Two studies tested treatments that trimmed the extremes of rating distributions. Neither removing extreme ratings while preserving the mean, nor flagging suspicious extreme ratings, nor priming individuals about review manipulation significantly affect judged product quality on average. However, judgments for specific distributions may be made less extreme by flagging or trimming. On average, it is difficult to override usage of the mean rating as the strongest proxy for product quality. When a weighted-mean model is fitted, the estimated weighting profile is hump-shaped and asymmetric. Consumers appear to discount 5-star ratings but are particularly susceptible to being misled by disingenuous 1-star ratings. The weights suggest that there is a binary bias with an inflection point at 2-stars for product ratings, meaning that any rating above this broadly sends an equally strong positive signal of quality. Further theoretical work is required to understand how people form weights for ratings, and applied work should continue to search for decision aids that could help consumers to better adjust for review bias. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Market mindset can increase allocations in the trust game through proportional thinking
Prior research has demonstrated that adopting the market mindset hinders interpersonal trust. In the present work, we show that this effect is not universal, as trust can rise when people with the market mindset perceive the situation as resembling market-pricing principles. We start by showing that the Trust Game represents an interaction that people perceive as being more similar to market-pricing relationships rather than to communal-sharing relationships (pilot study; = 114). In a series of three experiments, we then demonstrate that (a) compared to controls, participants with the market mindset make larger allocations in the Trust Game (Experiment 1; = 131), (b) this effect is mediated by the motivation to use proportional thinking (preregistered Experiment 2; = 581), and (c) compared to controls, people with the market mindset are more sensitive to proportions-their allocations in the Trust Game are significantly higher when multiplied by 4 compared to when multiplied by 2 (preregistered Experiment 3; = 931). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Quantitative effects of overlay clutter and information access effort: Examining the scan-clutter trade-off in displays with geospatial maps
Overlaying images from multiple geospatial databases increases clutter and imposes attentional costs by disrupting focusing attention on each database and dividing attention when comparing databases. Costs of overlay clutter may offset the benefits of reduced scanning between two images displayed separately. In two experiments, we examine these attention issues using computational metrics to quantify clutter. We also examine how the scan-clutter trade-off is modified by different levels of clutter, display separation, and task attentional requirements. Participants viewed information from a geographical terrain database and a schematic map database and made judgments that required focusing attention on either database or integrating information across both. In Experiment 1, databases were presented as either overlaid or adjacent displays, and in Experiment 2, as either overlay, adjacent, or more separated displays. Results showed that response time was modulated by the magnitude of clutter, spatial separation, and task type. Results also revealed that clutter costs dominated those of spatial separation, particularly in tasks requiring focused attention. A computational feature congestion metric of clutter effectively predicted performance but could be improved by incorporating an overlay component, which amplified the costs of clutter. The results provide design guidelines for overlay displays (e.g., head-mounted displays) that will minimize the scan-clutter trade-off. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Racial bias in perceptions of children's pain
Across eight experiments, we investigated whether adult perceivers (both lay perceivers and elementary school teachers) evaluate children's pain differently depending on the child's race. We found evidence that adults varying in racial and ethnic identities (but primarily White) believed 4- to 6-year-old Black children felt less pain than 4- to 6-year-old White children (Experiments 1-7), and this effect was not moderated by child sex (Experiments 6-7). We also examined perceptions of life hardship as a mediator of this race-to-pain effect, finding that adults evaluated Black children as having lived harder lives and thus as feeling less pain than White children (Experiments 1-3). Finally, we examined downstream consequences for hypothetical treatment recommendations among samples of both lay perceivers and elementary school teachers. We found that adults' perceptions of pain sensitivity were linked with hypothetical pain treatment decisions (Experiments 5a-7). Thus, we consistently observed that adults' race-based pain stereotypes biased evaluations of 4- to 6-year-old children's pain and may influence pain care. This racial bias in evaluations of young children's pain has implications for psychological theory and equitable treatment of children's pain. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Stereotypes and emotions as moderators of risk and race in judgments about juvenile probationers
Little research has explored the psychological mechanisms underlying racial disparities in the juvenile justice system. In Phase 1, of our mock officer paradigm, participants completed a stereotype content model survey comparing ratings of warmth and competence between juvenile delinquents and other social categories. In Phase 2, participants reviewed a predisposition investigation and made predictions about offender dangerousness and adherence to probation. Randomly assigned to experience fear, anger, or a neutral emotion, participants reviewed either a Black or White juvenile with no risk information versus low-, moderate-, or high-risk information. Participants stereotyped juvenile delinquents as low in warmth and competence and found those individuals extreme on these dimensions more dangerous. However, in some situations, stereotypical warmth interacted with emotions, risk, and race to exert a protective influence; in other situations, it was neutral, and in still others it was detrimental to the youth. For example, fearful participants provided lower dangerousness ratings to a White, high-risk offender as stereotypic warmth increased but this protective effect disappeared for high-risk Black offenders. Furthermore, irrespective of race, increases in warmth predicted higher dangerousness for low- and moderate-risk youth supporting the activation of a less "cold" stereotype that makes youthful offenders appear more dangerous. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Us versus them: The role of national identity in the formation of false memories for fake news
People are prone to forming false memories for fictitious events described in fake news stories. In this preregistered study, we hypothesized that the formation of false memories may be promoted when the fake news includes stereotypes that reflect positively on one's own nationality or negatively on another nationality. We exposed German and Irish participants ( = 1,184) to fabricated news stories that were consistent with positive or negative stereotypes about Germany and Ireland. The predicted three-way interaction was not observed. Exploratory follow-up analyses revealed the expected pattern of results for German participants but not for Irish participants, who were more likely to remember positive stories and stories about Ireland. Individual differences in patriotism did not significantly affect false memory rates; however, higher levels of cognitive ability and analytical reasoning decreased false memories and increased participants' ability to distinguish between true and false news stories. These results demonstrate that stereotypical information pertaining to national identity can influence the formation of false memories for fake news, but variations in cultural context may affect how misinformation is received and processed. We conclude by urging researchers to consider the sociopolitical and media landscape when predicting the consequences of fake news exposure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Editorial
The Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied has a new editor. This article describes the aim of the new editor which is for the journal to continue publishing studies that make strong theoretical advances while also having applied implications. The journal is expanding the scope of acceptable experimental research and will now accept correlational studies. This includes quasiexperimental designs as well as articles examining associations between variables. The article also details the journal's view on context and individual differences for different studies, the new open science category, and the preexternal review revisions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
The role of controllability, resources, and effort in reducing prejudice against "unmarried" mothers
The term "unmarried" mothers is widely used in South Korea to indicate that carrying a baby without marriage is not culturally acceptable. A societal stigma, which single mothers experience, causes more abortion and doubles the burden of parenting alone. This study aimed to identify what type of information (onset/before pregnancy controllability, offset/after pregnancy ability and effort) contributes to reducing stigmatization toward unmarried mothers. The findings showed that offset effort information has a robust impact on participants' cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses toward mothers of newborns out of wedlock across the three studies (n = 275; = 266; = 227, respectively) with different targets (a minor and an adult of 25 years old) and different participants (college students and adults above 30 years old). This pro-effort bias increased behavioral intentions of helping single mothers through the moderators of onset controllability and offset ability and the mediators of cognitive and affective responses. In particular, Study 2 found individual differences, such as type of interpersonal attitude, gender-role attitude, and family communication style moderated the relationship of offset effort with behavioral intentions. Mothers who made an effort to build a better future were ascribed fewer negative stereotypes, evoked more positive emotions, and were considered to deserve more help and support from the public. The findings have implications for communication interventions to lower prejudice against unwed mothers in South Korea. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Finding your roots: Do DNA ancestry tests increase racial (in)tolerance?
While it is often assumed that Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) ancestry results illuminate one's true racial or ethnic lineage, the consequence of this inference remains largely unknown. This leaves two conflictual hypotheses largely untested: Do DNA ancestry tests increase racial tolerance or, alternatively, racial intolerance? Two multiwave experiments aimed to test these hypotheses using either real or bogus DNA ancestry results in combination with random assignment and a tightly controlled repeated-measurements experimental design. Bayesian and inferential analyses on both general and student populations of majority-group members in the United States (i.e., White/European Americans) indicated no support for either hypothesis on measures including multiculturalism, essentialism, and outgroup bias, even when moderating factors such as the degree of unexpected ancestry and genetic knowledge were considered. Despite wide societal optimism as well as concern, receiving DNA ancestry results appears not to impact feelings and attitudes about other racial and ethnic groups. Implications for prospective test-takers and education are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).