Prediction Markets for Paper Evaluations

Title:

The Effect of Exercise on Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Authors:

Carter T, Morres ID, Meade O, Callaghan P.

Year:

2016

Journal:

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2016.04.016

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review was to examine the treatment effect of physical exercise on depressive symptoms for adolescents aged 13 to 17 years. METHOD: A systematic search of 7 electronic databases identified relevant randomized controlled trials. Following removal of duplicates, 543 texts were screened for eligibility. Screening, data extraction, and trial methodological quality assessment (using the Delphi list) were undertaken by 2 independent researchers. Standardized mean differences were used for pooling postintervention depressive symptom scores. RESULTS: Eleven trials met the inclusion criteria, 8 of which provided the necessary data for calculation of standardized effect size. Exercise showed a statistically significant moderate overall effect on depressive symptom reduction (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.48, 95% CI = -0.87, -0.10, p = .01, I(2) = 67%). Among trials with higher methodological scoring, a nonsignificant moderate effect was recorded (SMD = -0.41, 95% CI = -0.86, 0.05, p = .08). In trials with exclusively clinical samples, exercise showed a statistically significant moderate effect on depressive symptoms with lower levels of heterogeneity (SMD = -0.43, 95% CI = -0.84, -0.02, p = .04, I(2) = 44%). CONCLUSION: Physical exercise appears to improve depressive symptoms in adolescents, especially in clinical samples in which the moderate antidepressant effect, higher methodological quality, and lowered statistical heterogeneity suggest that exercise may be a useful treatment strategy for depression. Larger trials with clinical samples that adequately minimize the risk of bias are required for firmer conclusions on the effectiveness of exercise as an antidepressant treatment.

Citations:

44

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

3.01

Title:

LGBT people and suicidality in youth: A qualitative study of perceptions of risk and protective circumstances

Authors:

Rivers I, Gonzalez C, Nodin N, Peel E, Tyler A.

Year:

2018

Journal:

Social science & medicine

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.06.040

Abstract:

Evidence suggests that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people are more likely to attempt to take their own lives in their youth when compared to heterosexual and/or cisgender people. This study draws on in-depth interviews with 17 LGBT individuals living in England, and explores the narratives used by participants to better understand their perceptions of risk and protective circumstances to explain suicide attempts in youth. Using a Goffman-informed thematic analysis, results identified three key themes that were linked to attempts to end life in youth. The first theme considers the conflicts resulting from first disclosure of sexual orientation and/or gender identity/trans status and being 'out' to others. The second theme explores participants' accounts of their concurrent mental health issues and how diagnoses of the mental health issues helped them make sense of their own experiences of attempted suicide. The final theme explores the experience of grieving over lost relationships and how that grief is received by others, including health professionals. Our results indicate that some LGBT individuals have effectively, although often arduously, navigated suicidal crises by utilising various approaches to coping. We provide a rich and layered picture of LGBT suicide risk in youth and potential resilience scenarios, although these are a reflection of our specific group of participants' experiences and realities. We argue that it is important to understand how LGBT individuals with a history of suicide attempts narrate and make sense of their experiences in early life and we suggest that the early negative experiences continue to have an effect on LGBT adults today.

Citations:

7

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

2.73

Title:

A systematic review and meta-analysis of CBT interventions based on the Fennell model of low self-esteem

Authors:

Kolubinski DC, Frings D, Nikčević AV, Lawrence JA, Spada MM.

Year:

2018

Journal:

Psychiatry research

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.06.025

Abstract:

Low self-esteem is a feature of several mental health disorders that has been directly treated with Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The aim of our study was to determine the efficacy of interventions for improving low self-esteem in adults by utilizing the model outlined in Fennell (1997; 1998; 1999). A literature search identified 8 studies that met the inclusion criteria of CBT-based interventions for low self-esteem using this model, 7 of which were used in a quantitative synthesis. These studies included weekly group and individual sessions and one-day workshop formats. Summary effect sizes of 1.12 and 0.34 at post-treatment were observed, with low levels of heterogeneity, for weekly sessions and one-day workshops, respectively. Comparable results were found for the reduction of depressive symptoms. Results suggest that CBT-based interventions may be efficacious for treating individuals with low self-esteem, according to changes in self-report measures; however, it is unclear whether these interventions are dissimilar to those aimed at reducing depression.

Citations:

4

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

0.92

Title:

Identity processes in smokers who want to quit smoking: A longitudinal interpretative phenomenological analysis

Authors:

Meijer E, Vangeli E, Gebhardt WA, van Laar C.

Year:

2018

Journal:

Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health, Illness and Medicine

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1177/1363459318817923

Abstract:

The importance of identity in smoking cessation is increasingly becoming recognized by researchers. This study is the first in-depth longitudinal qualitative investigation of identity change processes among smokers who intend to quit. Participants’ accounts of smoking, attempts to quit and sense of identity were explored over time to examine identity continuity and change. Ten smokers with a quit intention were interviewed three times, approximately 1 month apart, and approached for follow-up 2 years later. Data from 30 in-depth interviews were analyzed using the interpretative phenomenological analysis approach. Two themes of identity change processes are presented: “Identity transition makes it easier to quit” and “Identity conflict resolution is needed when quitting is unsuccessful or not attempted.” Identity transition toward the identity of nonsmoker appeared to be facilitated by permeable identity boundaries, a continuous sense of identity, and a sense of mastery of quitting. Conflicted smoker identities were observed among participants who continued to smoke, along with barriers that appeared to prevent them from identifying with nonsmoking. Among these participants psychological (e.g. using downward comparisons with worse-off smokers) and behavioral strategies (e.g. hiding smoking from others) were seen that may serve to resolve identity conflict and protect a positive sense of identity. Our findings suggest that transition toward a nonsmoker identity may be necessary for successful quitting. Future research investigating ways to help smokers to perceive themselves increasingly as nonsmokers appears indicated.

Citations:

1

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

0.72

Title:

Working memory and high-level cognition in children: An analysis of timing and accuracy in complex span tasks

Authors:

Gordon R, Smith-Spark JH, Newton EJ, Henry, LA.

Year:

2020

Journal:

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2019.104736

Abstract:

This study examined working memory (WM) using complex span tasks (CSTs) to improve theoretical understanding of the relationship between WM and high-level cognition (HLC) in children. A total of 92 children aged 7 and 8 years were tested on three computer-paced CSTs and measures of nonverbal reasoning, reading, and mathematics. Processing times in the CSTs were restricted based on individually titrated processing speeds, and performance was compared with participant-led tasks with no time restrictions. Storage, processing accuracy, and both processing and recall times within the CSTs were used as performance indices to understand the effects of time restrictions at a granular level. Restricting processing times did not impair storage, challenging models that argue for a role of maintenance in WM. A task-switching account best explained the effect of time restrictions on performance indices and their interrelationships. Principal component analysis showed that a single factor with all performance indices from just one CST (counting span) was the best predictor of HLC. Storage in both the participant-led and computer-paced versions of this task explained unique and shared variance in HLC. However, the latter accounted for more variance in HLC when contributions from processing time were included in the model. Processing time in this condition also explained variance above and beyond storage. This suggests that faster processing is important to keep information active in WM; however, this is evident only when time restrictions are placed on the task and important when WM performance is applied in broader contexts that rely on this resource.

Citations:

0

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

n/a

Title:

Evaluation of the impact of a psycho-educational intervention for people diagnosed with schizophrenia and their primary caregivers in Jordan: A randomized controlled trial

Authors:

Hasan AA, Callaghan P, Lymn JS.

Year:

2015

Journal:

BMC Psychiatry

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-015-0444-7

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Psycho-educational interventions for people diagnosed with schizophrenia (PDwS) and their primary caregivers appear promising, however, the majority of trials have significant methodological shortcomings. There is little known about the effects of these interventions delivered in a booklet format in resource-poor countries. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted from September, 2012 to July, 2013 with 121 dyads of PDwS and their primary caregivers. Participants aged 18 years or older with DSM-IV schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, and their primary caregivers, from four outpatient mental health clinics in Jordan, were randomly assigned to receive 12 weeks of a booklet form of psycho-education, with follow-up phone calls, and treatment as usual [TAU] (intervention, n = 58), or TAU (control, n = 63). Participants were assessed at baseline, immediately post-intervention (post-treatment1) and at three months follow-up. The primary outcome measure was change in knowledge of schizophrenia. Secondary outcomes for PDwS were psychiatric symptoms and relapse rate, with hospitalization or medication (number of episodes of increasing antipsychotic dosage), and for primary caregivers were burden of care and quality of life. RESULTS: PDwS in the intervention group experienced greater improvement in knowledge scores (4.9 vs −0.5; p < 0.001) at post-treatment and (6.5 vs −0.7; p < 0.001) at three month-follow-up, greater reduction in symptom severity (−26.1 vs 2.5; p < 0.001: −36.2 vs −4.9; p < 0.001, at follow-up times respectively. Relapse rate with hospitalization was reduced significantly at both follow-up times in the intervention group (p < 0.001), and relapse with medication increased in the intervention group at both follow-up times (p < 0.001). Similarly there was a significant improvement in the primary caregivers knowledge score at post-treatment (6.3 vs −0.4; p  <  0.001) and three month-follow-up (7.3 vs −0.7; p < 0.001). Primary caregivers burden of care was significantly reduced in the intervention group (−6.4 vs 1.5; p < 0.001; −9.4 vs 0.8; p < 0.001), and their quality of life improved (9.2 vs −1.6; p = 0.01; 17.1 vs −5.3; p < 0.001) at post-treatment and three month-follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Psycho-education and TAU was more effective than TAU alone at improving participants’ knowledge and psychological outcomes.

Citations:

13

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

1.19

Title:

Recollection-Related Increases in Functional Connectivity Predict Individual Differences in Memory Accuracy

Authors:

King DR, de Chastelaine M, Elward RL, Wang TH, Rugg, MD.

Year:

2015

Journal:

The Journal of Neuroscience

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3219-14.2015

Abstract:

Recollection involves retrieving specific contextual details about a prior event. Functional neuroimaging studies have identified several brain regions that are consistently more active during successful versus failed recollection—the “core recollection network.” In the present study, we investigated whether these regions demonstrate recollection-related increases not only in activity but also in functional connectivity in healthy human adults. We used fMRI to compare time-series correlations during successful versus unsuccessful recollection in three separate experiments, each using a different operational definition of recollection. Across experiments, a broadly distributed set of regions consistently exhibited recollection-related increases in connectivity with different members of the core recollection network. Regions that demonstrated this effect included both recollection-sensitive regions and areas where activity did not vary as a function of recollection success. In addition, in all three experiments the magnitude of connectivity increases correlated across individuals with recollection accuracy in areas diffusely distributed throughout the brain. These findings suggest that enhanced functional interactions between distributed brain regions are a signature of successful recollection. In addition, these findings demonstrate that examining dynamic modulations in functional connectivity during episodic retrieval will likely provide valuable insight into neural mechanisms underlying individual differences in memory performance

Citations:

67

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

3.41

Title:

Understanding women's feelings about safety and hazards of street drinking in London through interpretative phenomenological analysis

Authors:

Tyler A, Moss AC, Cox S

Year:

2019

Journal:

Addictive behaviors

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.106042

Abstract:

AIMS: Drinking alcohol in outdoor public places (e.g. streets and parks) and outside of formally organised events is perceived and reported as antisocial behaviour and may be indicative of a problematic relationship with alcohol, and other clinical needs. This paper aims to address a lack of qualitative research on street drinking in the United Kingdom and develop a textured understanding of the lived-experience of how some women engage in street drinking, in the context of one London borough. METHOD: The authors collected semi-structured interviews as part of a larger mixed methods study on street drinking from April to August 2018. A sub-set of interviews (n = 3) with women who were accessing local drug and alcohol services and had a history of street drinking behaviour were selected as a case series for triangulating analysis with a smaller, homogenous sample. These data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis with a reflexive, feminist, social constructionist approach. RESULTS: The authors developed and named a superordinate theme, Constellations of Safety and Hazards for Women Drinking in Public and Private. Within this, four themes were defined and illustrated from the data: Drinking outdoors to be away from hazards at home; Women's awareness of geo-temporal factors to moderate risk; Women identifying risks of accepting drinks from strangers; and Threats of untreated trauma within histories of heavy drinking. Definitions and illustrations from participants aid explanations of how the texts add detail or disruption to dominant discourses. CONCLUSION: The case studies illustrating how these women have experienced alcohol misuse and behaviour change provide reflexive accounts of exercising agency in managing embodied and affective states of vulnerability. This was demonstrated by asserting choice around environmental spaces and friendships, even when still in positions deemed as 'risky'. These three women's decisions around drinking in public, outdoor spaces were shaped by complex interactions of interpersonal, intrapersonal, socio-economic, and cultural structures. Understanding behaviours is improved with data that situates people in contexts where they experience and make sense of their lives.

Citations:

1

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

0.81

Title:

Seeking fluid possibility and solid ground: Space and movement in mental health service users' experiences of 'crisis'

Authors:

McGrath L & Reavey P.

Year:

2015

Journal:

Social science & medicine

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.01.017

Abstract:

Since the closure of the UK asylums, 'the community' has become short hand for describing a variety of disparate and complex spaces, in which service users manage their experiences of distress. An examination of such spaces here forms the basis of an analysis of the way in which service users move through and within space, to establish agency and dis/order while distressed. Seventeen participants, with various experiences of mental distress took part in a qualitative study, and a further textual analysis was conducted on eight published autobiographies. In the context of the interviews, participants presented drawings of the spaces they occupy during times of crisis, wellbeing and recovery. All texts were analysed using a thematic approach, informed by theories of embodiment and relational space. In this paper, the focus is directed towards two key patterns of movement, in order to explore ways in which participants experiencing various forms of mental health crisis used space in order to maintain and manage feelings of agency. Firstly, incidents where participants described moving towards fluid, outside spaces are explored, with agency being established through seeking, and utilising, greater possibilities for action and engaging others. In addition, the opposite pattern of movement is also explored, using incidents where participants described moving indoors, using the private space of the home to establish order and restore feelings of agency and strength, in contrast to overwhelming experiences in public space. Connections between these patterns of movement and particular forms of distress are discussed. It is argued that community and private spaces are integral to the ways in which selfhood, agency and action is experienced in mental distress, which in turn has implications for policy, treatment and community action

Citations:

24

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

3.39

Title:

A Randomized Trial of E-Cigarettes versus Nicotine-Replacement Therapy

Authors:

Hajek P, Phillips-Waller A, Przulj D, Pesola F, Myers Smith K, Bisal N, Li J, Parrott S, Sasieni P, Dawkins L, Ross L, Goniewicz M, Wu Q, McRobbie HJ

Year:

2019

Journal:

The New England journal of medicine

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1808779

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: E-cigarettes are commonly used in attempts to stop smoking, but evidence is limited regarding their effectiveness as compared with that of nicotine products approved as smoking-cessation treatments. METHODS: We randomly assigned adults attending U.K. National Health Service stop-smoking services to either nicotine-replacement products of their choice, including product combinations, provided for up to 3 months, or an e-cigarette starter pack (a second-generation refillable e-cigarette with one bottle of nicotine e-liquid [18 mg per milliliter]), with a recommendation to purchase further e-liquids of the flavor and strength of their choice. Treatment included weekly behavioral support for at least 4 weeks. The primary outcome was sustained abstinence for 1 year, which was validated biochemically at the final visit. Participants who were lost to follow-up or did not provide biochemical validation were considered to not be abstinent. Secondary outcomes included participant-reported treatment usage and respiratory symptoms. RESULTS: A total of 886 participants underwent randomization. The 1-year abstinence rate was 18.0% in the e-cigarette group, as compared with 9.9% in the nicotine-replacement group (relative risk, 1.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.30 to 2.58; P<0.001). Among participants with 1-year abstinence, those in the e-cigarette group were more likely than those in the nicotine-replacement group to use their assigned product at 52 weeks (80% [63 of 79 participants] vs. 9% [4 of 44 participants]). Overall, throat or mouth irritation was reported more frequently in the e-cigarette group (65.3%, vs. 51.2% in the nicotine-replacement group) and nausea more frequently in the nicotine-replacement group (37.9%, vs. 31.3% in the e-cigarette group). The e-cigarette group reported greater declines in the incidence of cough and phlegm production from baseline to 52 weeks than did the nicotine-replacement group (relative risk for cough, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.6 to 0.9; relative risk for phlegm, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.6 to 0.9). There were no significant between-group differences in the incidence of wheezing or shortness of breath. CONCLUSIONS: E-cigarettes were more effective for smoking cessation than nicotine-replacement therapy, when both products were accompanied by behavioral support. (Funded by the National Institute for Health Research and Cancer Research UK; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN60477608).

Citations:

226

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

283.06

Title:

Face processing in Williams syndrome is already atypical in infancy

Authors:

D'Souza D, Cole V, Farran EK, Brown JH, Humphreys K, Howard J, Rodic M, Dekker TM, D'Souza H, Karmiloff-Smith A.

Year:

2015

Journal:

Frontiers in Psychology

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00760

Abstract:

Face processing is a crucial socio-cognitive ability. Is it acquired progressively or does it constitute an innately-specified, face-processing module? The latter would be supported if some individuals with seriously impaired intelligence nonetheless showed intact face-processing abilities. Some theorists claim that Williams syndrome (WS) provides such evidence since, despite IQs in the 50s, adolescents/adults with WS score in the normal range on standardized face-processing tests. Others argue that atypical neural and cognitive processes underlie WS face-processing proficiencies. But what about infants with WS? Do they start with typical face-processing abilities, with atypicality developing later, or are atypicalities already evident in infancy? We used an infant familiarization/novelty design and compared infants with WS to typically developing controls as well as to a group of infants with Down syndrome matched on both mental and chronological age. Participants were familiarized with a schematic face, after which they saw a novel face in which either the features (eye shape) were changed or just the configuration of the original features. Configural changes were processed successfully by controls, but not by infants with WS who were only sensitive to featural changes and who showed syndrome-specific profiles different from infants with the other neurodevelopmental disorder. Our findings indicate that theorists can no longer use the case of WS to support claims that evolution has endowed the human brain with an independent face-processing module

Citations:

5

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

0.63

Title:

Tales of hope: Social identity and learning lessons from others in Alcoholics Anonymous: A test of the Social Identity Model of Cessation Maintenance

Authors:

Frings D, Wood KV, Lionetti N, Albery IP.

Year:

2019

Journal:

Addictive behaviors

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.02.004

Abstract:

Social identities can facilitate positive recovery outcomes for people overcoming addiction. However, the mechanism through which such protective effects emerge are unclear. The social identity model of cessation maintenance posits that one such process may be contextualisation (the creation of meaning around relevant future events and actions which act in a protective fashion). The current paper tested the role of contextualisation by exploring the role of a common feature of addiction meetings, the sharing of a personal recovery story. Data were collected from an online sample of 170 members of Alcoholics Anonymous [AA] (mean age 45.4 years, 50% male). Participants rated their social identification with AA before reading an archetypal tale of hope. They then completed measures of contextualisation (the perceived self-relevance and utility of the tale) and measures of perceived quit efficacy and costs of relapse to self and others. Identity, relevance and utility positively related to quit efficacy and perceived cost of relapse to the self. High identification with AA was also related to higher story relevance and utility. However, no mediation relationship between identity and efficacy via story relevance or utility was observed. Perceived cost to self increased in line with identity, with an additional joint indirect mediation of social identity via both meditators. These findings provide a clear pattern of results linking identity to contextualisation (story relevance and utility) and contextualisation to outcome measures. They also support the role of contextualisation as an important component of group processes more generally.

Citations:

0

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

n/a

Title:

Impact of lower strength alcohol labeling on consumption: A randomized controlled trial

Authors:

Vasiljevic M, Couturier DL, Frings D, Moss AC, Albery IP, Marteau TM.

Year:

2018

Journal:

Health psychology

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000622

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: Labels indicating low/light versions of tobacco and foods are perceived as less harmful, which may encourage people to consume more. There is an absence of evidence concerning the impact on consumption of labeling alcohol products as lower in strength. The current study tests the hypothesis that labeling wine and beer as lower in alcohol increases their consumption. METHOD: Weekly wine and beer drinkers (n = 264) sampled from a representative panel of the general population of England were randomized to one of three groups to taste test drinks in a bar-laboratory varying only in the label displayed; Group 1: verbal descriptor Super Low combined with 4% alcohol by volume (ABV) for wine/1% ABV for beer; Group 2: verbal descriptor Low combined with 8% ABV for wine/3% ABV for beer; Group 3: no verbal descriptors of strength (Regular). Primary outcome was total volume (ml) of drink consumed. RESULTS: The results supported the study hypothesis: the total amount of drink consumed increased as the label on the drink denoted successively lower alcohol strength, BLin = .71, p = .015, 95% CI [0.13, 1.30]. Group contrasts showed significant differences between those offered drinks labeled as Super Low (M = 213.77) compared with Regular (M = 176.85), B = 1.43, p = .019, 95% CI [0.24, 2.61]. There was no significant difference in amount consumed between those offered drinks labeled as Low compared with Regular. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that labeling drinks as lower in strength increases the amount consumed. Further studies are warranted to test for replication in non-laboratory settings and to estimate whether any effects are at a level with the potential to harm health.

Citations:

3

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

0.54

Title:

Agents and spectres: Life-space on a medium secure forensic psychiatric unit

Authors:

Reavey P, Brown SD, Kanyeredzi A, McGrath L, Tucker I.

Year:

2018

Journal:

Social science & medicine

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.11.012

Abstract:

Medium secure forensic psychiatric units are unique environments within the broader 'post asylum' landscape of mental health services. Length of stay is much greater, a recovery-focused care system is much more difficult to implement, and there is a paucity of suitable "step-down" services. The aim of this study was to examine how forensic psychiatric environments contribute to the shaping of recovery, by examining key features such as social interactions and agency. Here, we report on the findings from patients participating in a qualitative-visual study. This analysis forms part of larger study on staff and patient experiences of secure hospital space. In this paper, the analytical focus is directed towards two key elements of recovery - agency and relationality, using the concept of 'topology' and 'life-space', developed by the social psychologist Kurt Lewin. First, we explore how patients have relative freedom to move within institutional spaces, yet lack relational space. Secondly, we explore how life-space is expanded or compressed by the manner in which the patient's present life in hospital is connected or disconnected from their past or pending future. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings for a recovery model within secure forensic settings, focused on personalisation and expanded life-space.

Citations:

4

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

5.59

Title:

Examining the cognitive costs of counterfactual language comprehension: Evidence from ERPs

Authors:

Ferguson HJ & Cane JE

Year:

2015

Journal:

Brain research

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2015.05.024

Abstract:

Recent empirical research suggests that understanding a counterfactual event (e.g. 'If Josie had revised, she would have passed her exams') activates mental representations of both the factual and counterfactual versions of events. However, it remains unclear when readers switch between these models during comprehension, and whether representing multiple 'worlds' is cognitively effortful. This paper reports two ERP studies where participants read contexts that set up a factual or counterfactual scenario, followed by a second sentence describing a consequence of this event. Critically, this sentence included a noun that was either consistent or inconsistent with the preceding context, and either included a modal verb to indicate reference to the counterfactual-world or not (thus referring to the factual-world). Experiment 2 used adapted versions of the materials used in Experiment 1 to examine the degree to which representing multiple versions of a counterfactual situation makes heavy demands on cognitive resources by measuring individuals' working memory capacity. Results showed that when reference to the counterfactual-world was maintained by the ongoing discourse, readers correctly interpreted events according to the counterfactual-world (i.e. showed larger N400 for inconsistent than consistent words). In contrast, when cues referred back to the factual-world, readers showed no difference between consistent and inconsistent critical words, suggesting that they simultaneously compared information against both possible worlds. These results support previous dual-representation accounts for counterfactuals, and provide new evidence that linguistic cues can guide the reader in selecting which world model to evaluate incoming information against. Crucially, we reveal evidence that maintaining and updating a hypothetical model over time relies upon the availability of cognitive resources.

Citations:

7

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

0.36

Title:

Context-specific drinking and social anxiety: The roles of anticipatory anxiety and post-event processing

Authors:

Buckner JD, Lewis EM, Terlecki MA, Albery IP, Moss AC.

Year:

2019

Journal:

Addictive behaviors

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.106184

Abstract:

Individuals with clinically elevated social anxiety are especially vulnerable to alcohol-related problems, despite not drinking more than those with less anxiety. It is therefore important to identify contexts in which socially anxious persons drink more to inform intervention efforts. This study tested whether social anxiety was related to greater drinking before, during, or after a social event and whether such drinking was related to the psychosocial factors anticipatory anxiety or post-event processing (PEP; review of the social event). Among past-month drinkers, those with clinically elevated or higher social anxiety (HSA; n = 212) reported more anticipatory anxiety, more pre-event drinking to manage anxiety, and PEP than those with normative or lower social anxiety (LSA; n = 365). There was a significant indirect effect of social anxiety on pre-drinking via anticipatory anxiety. Social anxiety was related to more drinking during the event indirectly via the serial effects of anticipatory anxiety and pre-drinking. Unexpectedly, PEP did not mediate or moderate the relation between social anxiety and post-event drinking. In sum, anticipatory anxiety was related to more drinking before, during, and after a social event and HSA drinkers were especially vulnerable to drinking more to manage this anxiety, which increased drinking before and during the event. This effect was specific to anticipatory anxiety and not evident for another social anxiety-specific risk factor, PEP. Thus, anticipatory anxiety may be an important therapeutic target for drinkers generally and may be especially important among HSA drinkers.

Citations:

1

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

4.74

Title:

Mental time travel ability and the Mental Reinstatement of Context for crime witnesses

Authors:

Smith-Spark JH, Bartimus J, Wilcock R.

Year:

2017

Journal:

Consciousness and cognition

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2016.10.002

Abstract:

Mental time travel ability marks how well the phenomenological aspects of events are mentally re-experienced during recall. The Cognitive Interview (CI) elicits eyewitness information. One of its techniques, Mental Reinstatement of Context (MRC), asks eyewitnesses to reinstate the incident's context mentally before recall. Fifty-six participants watched a simulated crime video. Self-report measures were then taken to estimate general mental time travel ability. Participants were questioned subsequently about the video. Eyewitness performance under MRC was compared with the CI's Report Everything (RE) technique, wherein eyewitnesses recall everything they can but with no invitation to mentally reinstate the context. There was no effect of interview condition on accuracy of recall; however, general mental time travel ability was positively associated with the amount of correct and incorrect information produced under MRC, but not RE, conditions. This is the first empirical demonstration that MRC instructions engage the mental time travel capacities they purport to.

Citations:

3

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

0.49

Title:

A scarcity mindset alters neural processing underlying consumer decision making

Authors:

Huijsmans I, Ma I, Micheli L, Civai C, Stallen M, Sanfey AG.

Year:

2019

Journal:

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1818572116

Abstract:

Not having enough of what one needs has long been shown to have detrimental consequences for decision making. Recent work suggests that the experience of insufficient resources can create a “scarcity” mindset; increasing attention toward the scarce resource itself, but at the cost of attention for unrelated aspects. To investigate the effects of a scarcity mindset on consumer choice behavior, as well as its underlying neural mechanisms, we used an experimental manipulation to induce both a scarcity and an abundance mindset within participants and examined the effects of both mindsets on participants’ willingness to pay for familiar food items while being scanned using fMRI. Results demonstrated that a scarcity mindset affects neural mechanisms related to consumer decision making. When in a scarcity mindset compared with an abundance mindset, participants had increased activity in the orbitofrontal cortex, a region often implicated in valuation processes. Moreover, again compared with abundance, a scarcity mindset decreased activity in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, an area well known for its role in goal-directed choice. This effect was predominant in the group of participants who experienced scarcity following abundance, suggesting that the effects of scarcity are largest when they are compared with previous situations when resources were plentiful. More broadly, these data suggest a potential neural locus for a scarcity mindset and demonstrate how these changes in brain activity might underlie goal-directed decision making.

Citations:

1

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

n/a

Title:

Using mixed methods to investigate factors influencing reporting of livestock diseases: A case study among smallholders in Bolivia

Authors:

Limon G, Lewis EG, Chang Y, Ruiz H, Balanza ME, Guitian J.

Year:

2014

Journal:

Preventive Vetinary Medicine

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2013.11.004

Abstract:

Livestock disease surveillance is particularly challenging in resource-scarce settings, where disease events are often unreported. Surveillance performance is determined as much by the quantifiable biological attributes of the disease, as it is by motivations and barriers perceived by livestock keepers for disease reporting. Mixed methods designs, which integrate the collection, analysis and interpretation of qualitative and quantitative data in a single study, are increasingly used across different disciplines. These designs allow for a deeper exploration of the topic under investigation, than can be achieved by either approach alone. In this study a mixed methods design was used in order to gain a greater understanding of the factors that influence reporting of livestock diseases in Bolivia. There is a need to strengthen passive surveillance in this country, among other reasons as part of an eradication programme for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). Findings revealed livestock keepers in the study area were extremely unlikely to report the occurrence of livestock health events to the Official Veterinary Services (OVS). Communication outside the local community occurs more often through alternative routes and this is positively correlated with disease awareness. The main barriers to disease reporting identified were a lack of institutional credibility and the conflicting priorities of the OVS and livestock keepers. As for other animal and human diseases across the developing world, passive surveillance of livestock diseases in Bolivia should be enhanced; this is urgent in view of the current FMD eradication programme. Increasing timeliness and smallholders’ participation requires a detailed understanding of their likely actions and perceived barriers towards disease reporting. These insights are most likely to be developed through a holistic mixed methods approach of quantitative and qualitative analyses.

Citations:

13

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

1.84

Title:

The off-prescription use of modafinil: an online survey of perceived risks and benefits

Authors:

Teodorini RD, Rycroft N, Smith-Spark JH.

Year:

2020

Journal:

PLOS One

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227818

Abstract:

Cognitive enhancing drugs are claimed to improve cognitive functions such as learning and attention. However, little is known presently about the characteristics of off-prescription cognitive enhancing drug users or their perceived everyday experience with these drugs. As modafinil is the most commonly used off-prescription cognitive enhancing drug, the current study aimed to provide a detailed profile of modafinil users and their experiences and perceptions of this drug. To this end, an online survey, targeting cognitive enhancing drug users and students, was advertised on forum sites. Information was obtained regarding demographic data, illicit drug use, psychiatric diagnosis and experience of modafinil. Of the 404 respondents, 219 reported taking modafinil. Of these the majority were male, American or British, university-educated and currently employed, with a mean age of 27. Overall, modafinil was perceived by users as being safe. Modafinil users reported higher levels of illicit drug use and psychiatric diagnosis than would be expected from population-based data. More frequent reported modafinil use was associated with higher numbers of perceived benefits whilst reported frequency of use was not associated with the number of perceived risks. There was also a tentative link between the reported use of modafinil and the reported presence of psychiatric disorders, largely depression and anxiety. Respondents who had reported a psychiatric diagnosis declared higher subjective benefits of modafinil. This may suggest further beneficial effects of modafinil or it may reflect insufficient medical treatment for psychiatric disorders in some people. Overall, the findings of the current study should be beneficial in informing clinicians and legislative bodies about the modafinil user profile and how modafinil is perceived.

Citations:

0

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

n/a

Title:

Interviewing strategically to elicit admissions from guilty suspects

Authors:

Tekin S, Granhag PA, Strömwall L, Giolla EM, Vrij A, Hartwig M.

Year:

2015

Journal:

Law and human behavior

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000131

Abstract:

In this article we introduce a novel interviewing tactic to elicit admissions from guilty suspects. By influencing the suspects' perception of the amount of evidence the interviewer holds against them, we aimed to shift the suspects' counterinterrogation strategies from less to more forthcoming. The proposed tactic (SUE-Confrontation) is a development of the Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) framework and aims to affect the suspects' perception by confronting them with statement-evidence inconsistencies. Participants (N = 90) were asked to perform several mock criminal tasks before being interviewed using 1 of 3 interview techniques: (a) SUE-Confrontation, (b) Early Disclosure of Evidence, or (c) No Disclosure of Evidence. As predicted, the SUE-Confrontation interview generated more statement-evidence inconsistencies from suspects than the Early Disclosure interview. Importantly, suspects in the SUE-Confrontation condition (vs. Early and No disclosure conditions) admitted more self-incriminating information and also perceived the interviewer to have had more information about the critical phase of the crime (the phase where the interviewer lacked evidence). The findings show the adaptability of the SUE-technique and how it may be used as a tool for eliciting admissions

Citations:

28

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

3.58

Title:

The effect of alcohol dependence on automatic visuo-spatial perspective taking

Authors:

Cox S, Chandler C, Simpson A, Riggs K.

Year:

2016

Journal:

Drug and alcohol dependence

Weblink:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.06.007

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Alcoholism is associated with cognitive deficits that affect social functioning. Previous research has shown that alcoholism is associated with deficits in conscious, deliberate social processing. However, little is known about whether alcoholism also affects rapid, spontaneous processing. We therefore investigated the extent to which alcoholism affects the ability to spontaneously adopt the viewpoint of another in a visuo-spatial perspective taking (VSPT) task. METHODS: VSPT was measured in participants responding to a dot probe presented for 35ms alongside neutral faces, fearful faces and baseline stimuli (rectangles). RESULTS: Non alcohol dependent participants showed the standard reaction time cost to fearful faces, but not neutral faces relative to baseline. However, Alcohol dependent (AD) participants showed a reaction time cost to both fearful and neutral faces. CONCLUSIONS: AD participants are not impaired in their ability to automatically adopt the perspective of another. However, unlike non-AD participants, they show automatic perspective taking to both neutral and fearful faces

Citations:

3

Field-Weighted Citation Impact:

0.39