Psychology Commons^™

Beyond Perceptual Expertise: Revisiting The Neural Substrates Of Expert Object Recognition, Assaf Harel, Dwight J. Kravitz, Chris I. Baker

Psychology Faculty Publications

Real-world expertise provides a valuable opportunity to understand how experience shapes human behavior and neural function. In the visual domain, the study of expert object recognition, such as in car enthusiasts or bird watchers, has produced a large, growing, and often-controversial literature. Here, we synthesize this literature, focusing primarily on results from functional brain imaging, and propose an interactive framework that incorporates the impact of high-level factors, such as attention and conceptual knowledge, in supporting expertise. This framework contrasts with the perceptual view of object expertise that has concentrated largely on stimulus-driven processing in visual cortex. One prominent version of …

Transformational Leadership And Creative Problem-Solving: The Mediating Role Of Psychological Safety And Reflexivity, Abraham Carmeli, Zachary Sheaffer, Galy Binyamin, Roni Reiter-Palmon, Tali Shimoni

Psychology Faculty Publications

Previous research has pointed to the importance of transformational leadership in facilitating employees' creative outcomes. However, the mechanism by which transformational leadership cultivates employees' creative problem-solving capacity is not well understood. Drawing on theories of leadership, information processing and creativity, we proposed and tested a model in which psychological safety and reflexivity mediate the effect of transformational leadership and creative problem-solving capacity. The results of survey data collected at three points in time indicate that transformational leadership facilitates the development of employees' creative problem-solving capacity by shaping a climate of psychological safety conducive to reflexivity processes. However, the findings also …

Pleading Innocents: Laboratory Evidence Of Plea Bargaining's Innocence Problem, Vanessa A. Edkins, Lucian E. Dervan

Psychology Faculty Publications

We investigated plea bargaining by making students actually guilty or innocent of a cheating offense and varying the sentence that they would face if found ‘guilty’ by a review board. As hypothesized, guilty students were more likely than innocent students to accept a plea deal (i.e., admit guilt and lose credit; akin to accepting a sentence of probation) (Chi-square=8.63, p<.01) but we did not find an effect of sentence severity. Innocent students, though not as likely to plead as guilty students, showed an overall preference (56% across conditions) for accepting a plea deal. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Less Acting, More Doing: How Surface Acting Relates To Perceived Meeting Effectiveness And Other Employee Outcomes, Linda R. Shanock, Joseph A. Allen, Alexandra M. Dunn, Benjamin E. Baran, Cliff W. Scott, Steven G. Rogelberg

Psychology Faculty Publications

This study adds to the growing body of research on work meetings and extends the emotional labour literature beyond a service context by examining the relationship between surface acting during meetings and perceived meeting effectiveness. Additionally, the relationships of surface acting during meetings and perceived meeting effectiveness with time-lagged reports of intention to quit and emotional exhaustion 3 months later were investigated. Structural equation modelling of data from 178 working adults revealed negative relationships between surface acting and perceptions of meeting effectiveness. Perceived meeting effectiveness partially mediated the relationship between surface acting and both intention to quit and emotional exhaustion …

Learning To Be A Grandmother, Jasmin Tahmaseb-Mcconatha

Psychology Faculty Publications

Support from grandmothers is linked to pro-social behavior and longevity.

Successful Transition To Elementary School And The Implementation Of Facilitative Practices Specified In The Reggio-Emilia Philosophy, Barry H. Schneider, Mara Manetti, Laura Frattini, Nadia Rania, Jonathan Bruce Santo, Robert J. Coplan, Eli Cwinn

Psychology Faculty Publications

Systematic, mandated facilitation of school transitions is an important but understudied aspect of the Reggio-Emilia approach to early childhood education admired internationally as best practice. We studied the links between Northern Italian transition practices and academic achievement, school liking, cooperativeness, and problem behaviors. We followed 288 students across a transition from preschool to elementary school. Schools varied in their implementation of transition practices. High implementation of Reggio-type transition practices was related to significantly more school liking and significantly fewer problem behaviors after the transition. At follow-up at the end of the post-transition year, high-implementation schools were still characterized by lower …

Using The Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument–Version 2 On A Community Sample Of African American And Latino/A Juvenile Offenders To Identify Mental Health And Substance Abuse Treatment Needs, Kendell Coker, Jamie Wernsman, Uduakobong N. Ikpe, Jeannie S. Brooks, Lynn Bushell, Barbara Kahn

Psychology Faculty Publications

The Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Version 2 (MAYSI-2) is a brief screening tool used to identify youth in the juvenile justice system that are at-risk for mental health related difficulties. The MAYSI-2 was administered to 5,205 African American and Latino/a youth throughout Chicago, Illinois who were on probation and residing in the community. This study investigated differences (i.e., legal status, gender, age, race/ethnicity) in reporting of mental health symptoms and substance use on the MAYSI-2. Females scored above the clinical cutoffs more frequently than males and there were few differences found between diverted and adjudicated youth. Age comparisons revealed mixed results. …

Orderly And Disorderly Environments And Creativity: Environment Effects On Behavior., V. Krishna Kumar

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Qualitative Perspectives Towards Prostitution's Perceived Lifestyle Addictiveness, Michael W. Firmin, Alisha D. Lee, Ruth L. Firmin, Lauren Mccotter Deakin, Hannah J. Holmes

Psychology Faculty Publications

The aim of the present study was to provide a phenomenological perspective of individuals who actively engage in street-level prostitution and identified a lifestyle addiction associated with their activities. Methods: We interviewed 25 women who were incarcerated in American county jails (at the time of interviews) for prostitution crimes. The transcripts were analyzed for themes that represented the shared consensus of the research participants. Results: Four negative psychological dynamics related to prostitution. First, participants described accounts of physical and emotional violence which they experienced at the hand of clients and others involved in the lifestyle. Second, interviewees explained …

The Sound Of Social Cognition: Toddlers’ Understanding Of How Sound Influences Others, Rebecca Williamson, Rechele Brooks, Andrew N. Meltzoff

Psychology Faculty Publications

Understanding others’ perceptions is a fundamental aspect of social cognition. Children’s construal of visual perception is well investigated, but there is little work on children’s understanding of others’ auditory perception. The current study assesses toddlers’ recognition that producing different sounds can affect others differentially—auditory perspective taking. Two- and three-year-olds were familiarized with two objects, one loud and one quiet. The adult then introduced a doll, and children were randomly assigned to one of two goals: either to wake the doll or to let her sleep. Children’s object choice and the sound intensity they produced significantly varied in the predicted direction …

The Impact Of Genome-Wide Supported Schizophrenia Risk Variants In The Neurogranin Gene On Brain Structure And Function, Esther Walton, Daniel Geisler, Johanna Hass, Jingyu Liu, Jessica Turner, Anastasia Yendiki, Michael N. Smolka, Beng-Choon Ho, Dara S. Manoach, Randy L. Gollub, Veit Roessner, Vince D. Calhoun, Stefan Ehrlich

Psychology Faculty Publications

The neural mechanisms underlying genetic risk for schizophrenia, a highly heritable psychiatric condition, are still under investigation. New schizophrenia risk genes discovered through genome-wide association studies (GWAS), such as neurogranin (NRGN), can be used to identify these mechanisms. In this study we examined the association of two common NRGN risk single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with functional and structural brain-based intermediate phenotypes for schizophrenia. We obtained structural, functional MRI and genotype data of 92 schizophrenia patients and 114 healthy volunteers from the multisite Mind Clinical Imaging Consortium study. Two schizophrenia-associated NRGN SNPs (rs12807809 and rs12541) were tested for association with working …

Manager-Led Group Meetings: A Context For Promoting Employee Engagement, Joseph A. Allen, Steven G. Rogelberg

Psychology Faculty Publications

Employee engagement is a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. Using Kahn’s theory of engagement, we look at an organizational context where employee engagement may be promoted—the workgroup meeting. Two time-separated Internet-based surveys were used to query a sample of working adults (N = 319). The findings provide support that the psychological conditions for engagement mediate the relationship between manager usage/facilitation of meetings and overall employee engagement. Specifically, as managers make their workgroup meetings relevant, allow for employee voice in their meetings where possible, and manage the meeting from a time perspective, employees …

Ambiguity And Freedom Of Dissent In Post-Incident Discussion, Cliff Scott, Joseph A. Allen, Daniel L. Bonilla, Benjamin E. Baran, Dave Murphy

Psychology Faculty Publications

The after-action review (AAR) is a discussion technique some high-reliability organizations employ to encourage learning via collective retrospection. AARs are an effective communication tool for promoting reliability if they are held regularly. One way to encourage frequent AARs is to increase participants’ satisfaction with these meetings. This study examined the impact of post-incident, pre-discussion ambiguity and freedom of dissent on participant satisfaction with AARs. Firefighters (N = 119) completed a survey on their most recent AAR. As predicted, the level of post-incident, pre-discussion ambiguity was negatively related to AAR satisfaction. Freedom of dissent, however, attenuated the negative influence of …

Summertime Blues, Jasmin Tahmaseb-Mcconatha

Psychology Faculty Publications

Vacations are an important ingredient in the recipe for a happy and fulfilled life. Unfortunately modern life seems to be ever more busy and more hectic. Research indicates that for most Americans a perceived lack of time is a major source of stress.

Crossover Of Organizational Commitment, Rebecca A. Bull Schaefer, Stephen G. Green, Mahima Saxena, Howard M. Weiss, Shelly M. Macdermid Wadsworth

Psychology Faculty Publications

Spousal commitment toward an employee's organization is a little-studied construct that deserves attention because his or her spouse may influence the employee's assessments of organizational commitment and turnover intentions. Using 186 couples, this study investigated spousal influence on U.S. military members’ organizational commitment and their decisions to reenlist. Results of a structural equation model analysis indicate that indirect mechanisms of crossover (e.g., positive emotions displayed by the spouse during discussions of reenlistment) facilitated the positive relationships between the organizational commitment of military spouses and members. Findings and discussion contribute to the fields of organizational commitment and crossover, and we conclude …

The Interactive Effects Of Self-Perceptions And Job Requirements On Creative Problem Solving, Erika J. Robinson-Morral, Roni Reiter-Palmon, James C. Kaufman

Psychology Faculty Publications

Over the years, researchers have focused on ways to facilitate creativity in the workplace by looking at individual factors and organizational factors that affect employee creativity (Woodman, Sawyer, & Griffin, 1993). In many cases, the factors that affect creativity are examined independently. In other words, it is uncommon for researchers to look at the interaction among individual and organizational factors. In this study, it is argued that to get a true understanding of how to maximize creativity in the workplace, organizational researchers must look at the interaction between organizational factors and individual factors that affect employee creativity. More specifically, …

When Given The Opportunity, Chimpanzees Maximize Personal Gain Rather Than "Level The Playing Field", Lydia M. Hopper, Susan P. Lambeth, Steven J. Schapiro, Sarah F. Brosnan

Psychology Faculty Publications

We provided chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) with the ability to improve the quality of food rewards they received in a dyadic test of inequity.We were interested to see if this provision influenced their responses and, if so, whether it was mediated by a social partner’s outcomes. We tested eight dyads using an exchange paradigm in which, depending on the condition, the chimpanzees were rewarded with either high-value (a grape) or low-value (a piece of celery) food rewards for each completed exchange. We included four conditions. In the first, “Different” condition, the subject received different, less-preferred, rewards than their partner for each …

Sources Of Interference In Recognition Testing, Jeffrey Annis, Kenneth J. Malmberg, Amy Criss, Richard M. Shiffrin

Psychology Faculty Publications

Recognition memory accuracy is harmed by prior testing (a.k.a., output interference [OI]; Tulving & Arbuckle, 1966). In several experiments, we interpolated various tasks between recognition test trials. The stimuli and the tasks were more similar (lexical decision [LD] of words and nonwords) or less similar (gender identification of male and female faces) to the stimuli and task used in recognition testing. Not only did the similarity between the interpolated and recognition tasks not affect recognition accuracy but performance of the interpolated task caused no interference in subsequent recognition testing. Only the addition of recognition trials caused OI. When we presented …

Eye-Catching Odors: Olfaction Elicits Sustained Gazing To Faces And Eyes In 4-Month-Old Infants, Karine Durand, Jean-Yves Baudouin, David J. Lewkowicz, Nathalie Goubet, Benoist Schaal

Psychology Faculty Publications

This study investigated whether an odor can affect infants’ attention to visually presented objects and whether it can selectively direct visual gaze at visual targets as a function of their meaning. Four-month-old infants (n = 48) were exposed to their mother’s body odors while their visual exploration was recorded with an eye-movement tracking system. Two groups of infants, who were assigned to either an odor condition or a control condition, looked at a scene composed of still pictures of faces and cars. As expected, infants looked longer at the faces than at the cars but this spontaneous preference for faces …

Predictors Of Online And Offline Sexual Activities And Behaviors Among Adolescents, Anna Ševčíková, Alexander T. Vazsonyi, Janelle Širůček, Štěpán Konečný

Psychology Faculty Publications

Despite the fact that many adolescents spend much time on the Internet, it is unknown who engages in sexually related online activities (SROA) and how these affect adolescent sexual development. The present longitudinal study on 323 adolescents (51.1% girls) aimed to explore how peer attachment processes predicted both SROA and offline sexual behaviors at the age of 17, while also considering puberty and prior offline sexual experiences in order to elucidate potential similarities or differences. Findings based on hierarchical, binary logistic regression analyses revealed that SROA were predicted by alienation attachment to peers (OR=3.36, p<0.05), puberty (OR=1.03, p<0.05), and prior SROA (OR=0.56, p<0.001), while only previous offline sexual experiences at the age of 15 increased the likelihood of offline sexual behaviors at the age of 17 (OR=6.04, p<0.001). Study findings indicate that the Internet provides an additional context for acquiring sexual experiences during adolescence.

A Multi-Site Resting State Fmri Study On The Amplitude Of Low Frequency Fluctuations In Schizophrenia, Jessica Turner, Eswar Damaraju, Theo G. M. Van Erp, Daniel H. Mathalon, Judith Ford, James Voyvodic, Bryon A. Mueller, Aysenil Belger, Juan Bustillo, Sarah Mcewin, Steven G. Potkin, Vince D. Calhoun

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: This multi-site study compares resting state fMRI amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and fractional ALFF (fALFF) between patients with schizophrenia (SZ) and healthy controls (HC). Methods: Eyes-closed resting fMRI scans (5:38 min; n = 306, 146 SZ) were collected from 6 Siemens 3T scanners and one GE 3T scanner. Imaging data were pre-processed using an SPM pipeline. Power in the low frequency band (0.01–0.08 Hz) was calculated both for the original pre-processed data as well as for the pre-processed data after regressing out the six rigid-body motion parameters, mean white matter (WM) and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) signals. …

Mouse-Tracking Reveals When The Stroop Effect Happens., Sara Incera, Theresa A. Markis, Conor T. Mclennan

Psychology Faculty Publications

We examined the continuous dynamics of the Stroop task using mouse-tracking. Participants moved the computer mouse to indicate the color of words presented on the computer screen in both congruent (blue in blue font) and incongruent (blue in yellow font) conditions. Mouse-tracking data revealed significant differences in reaction times, spatial attraction, and velocity. In the Stroop effect, word reading and color processing influenced performance, but they did so differently: Word reading influenced the early part of the mouse trajectory, but color processing influenced later parts. The data provide important new information about the real time processing dynamics underlying the effect.

Using Mouse Tracking To Examine The Time Course Of An Auditory Lexical Decision Task, Maura Krestar, Sara Incera, Conor T. Mclennan

Psychology Faculty Publications

Mouse-tracking studies demonstrate that hand movements reveal the progression of responses over time during
psychological tasks. In the present study, we examined the time course of cognitive processing during an auditory lexical
decision task. The following predicted results emerged to indicate facilitation for words relative to nonwords: 1) shorter
reaction times; 2) fewer direction changes, and, compared to the ideal trajectory; 3) smaller deviation; and, 4) area under
the curve for words relative to nonwords. We also found predicted differences between words and nonwords in velocity
throughout the trials, providing a greater understanding of the real-time processing dynamics throughout the …

Observing Culture: Differences In U.S.-American And German Team Meeting Behaviors, Nale Lehmann-Willenbrock, Joseph A. Allen, Annika L. Meinecke

Psychology Faculty Publications

Although previous research has theorized about team interaction differences between the German and U.S. cultures, actual behavioral observations of such differences are sparse. This study explores team meetings as a context for examining intercultural differences. We analyzed a total of 5,188 meeting behaviors in German and U.S. student teams. All teams discussed the same task to consensus. Results from behavioral process analyses showed that German teams focused significantly more on problem analysis, whereas U.S. teams focused more on solution production. Moreover, U.S. teams showed significantly more positive socioemotional meeting behavior than German teams. Finally, German teams showed significantly more counteractive …

The Effect Of Emotional Intelligence And Task Type On Malevolent Creativity, Daniel J. Harris, Roni Reiter-Palmon, James C. Kaufman

Psychology Faculty Publications

Malevolent creativity (MC), or intending to inflict harm in original ways, is an aspect of creativity that has received little empirical attention. It reasons that generating malevolently creative products in response to a problem is dependent upon individual differences and environmental factors, especially with regard to the social and emotional content of a particular problem. A personality variable strongly associated with how individuals acknowledge and respond to such social and emotional content is emotional intelligence (EI). Individuals with higher EI often solve problems in cooperative, beneficial, and positive ways, which seems contrary to solving a problem with MC. In addition …

Reduced Neural Activation During An Inhibition Task Is Associated With Impaired Fear Inhibition In A Traumatized Civilian Sample, Tanja Jovanovic, Tim Ely, Negar Fani, Ebony Glover, David Gutman, Erin Tone, Seth D. Norrholm, Bekh Bradley, Kerry J. Ressler

Psychology Faculty Publications

Introduction: Impaired inhibition of fear in the presence of safety cues and a deficiency in the extinction of fear cues are increasingly thought to be important biological markers of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Other studies have suggested that there may be altered neural activation during behavioral inhibition tasks in subjects with PTSD. The current study aimed to see whether neural activation during inhibition was reduced in a highly traumatized civilian population, and whether atypical activation was associated with impaired fear inhibition.

Methods: The participants were 41 traumatized women (20 PTSD+, 21 PTSD-) recruited from Grady Memorial Hospital in …

Animals Represent The Past And The Future, Thomas R. Zentall

Psychology Faculty Publications

It has been proposed by some that only humans have the ability to mentallytravel back in time (i.e., have episodic memory) and forward in time (i.e., have the ability to simulate the future). However, there is evidence from a variety of nonhuman animals (e.g., primates, dolphins, scrub jays, rats, and pigeons) that they have some ability to recover personal memories of what-where-when an event occurred (an earlier requirement of the ability to recover an episodic memory) and answer unexpected questions (another requirement to distinguish between semantic and episodic memory). Also, perhaps more critically, according to Tulving’s more recent definition of …

Time Doesn’T Change Everything: The Longitudinal Course Of Distress Tolerance And Its Relationship With Internalizing And Externalizing Symptoms During Early Adolescence, Jenna R. Cummings, Marina Bornovalova, Tiina Ojanen, Elizabeth Hunt, Laura Macpherson, Carl W. Lejuez

Psychology Faculty Publications

Although distress tolerance is an emerging construct of empirical interest, we know little about its temporal change, developmental trajectory, and prospective relationships with maladaptive behaviors. The current study examined the developmental trajectory (mean- and individual-level change, and rank-order stability) of distress tolerance in an adolescent sample of boys and girls (N = 277) followed over a four-year period. Next we examined if distress tolerance influenced change in Externalizing (EXT) and Internalizing (INT) symptoms, and if EXT and INT symptoms in turn influenced change in distress tolerance. Finally, we examined if any of these trends differed by gender. Results indicated …

Are All Types Of Expertise Created Equal? Car Experts Use Different Spatial Frequency Scales For Subordinate Categorization Of Cars And Faces, Assaf Harel, Shlomo Bentin

Psychology Faculty Publications

A much-debated question in object recognition is whether expertise for faces and expertise for non-face objects utilize common perceptual information. We investigated this issue by assessing the diagnostic information required for different types of expertise. Specifically, we asked whether face categorization and expert car categorization at the subordinate level relies on the same spatial frequency (SF) scales. Fifteen car experts and fifteen novices performed a category verification task with spatially filtered images of faces, cars, and airplanes. Images were categorized based on their basic (e.g. ‘‘car’’) and subordinate level (e.g. ‘‘Japanese car’’) identity. The effect of expertise was not evident …

Reflection Of Self: Ageism And The Body, Jasmin Tahmaseb-Mcconatha

Psychology Faculty Publications

Cultural body ideals are often elusive and unattainable, especially with age. Aging bodies can can become a symbol of despair leading to anxiety and unhappiness. We negotiate our identities through our bodies.