Analysis Of Individual Differences Research Articles

Strategic encoding and retrieval processes in verbal recall among middle-aged and older adults.

The authors used an analysis of individual differences to examine the role of executive control in strategic encoding and retrieval in verbal recall. Participants enrolled in the Louisiana Healthy Aging Study completed measures of working memory (WM), cognitive status, vocabulary, and free recall of words. Indices of clustering in free recall were calculated to permit inferences on strategic encoding and retrieval processes. We hypothesized that WM would be more strongly associated with strategic encoding and retrieval metrics than vocabulary based on the assumption that successful remembering requires executive control in WM. Regression analyses, together with a variance portioning procedure, confirmed that WM had comparable levels of unique and shared variance with the strategic encoding and retrieval metrics, and both exceeded vocabulary. Theoretical and clinical implications of these data are considered, with the suggestion of future research in lifespan samples as opposed to exclusively young adult or older adult samples.

Early activation of cross-language meaning from phonology during sentence processing.

The current study investigated whether shared phonology across languages activates cross-language meaning when reading in context. Eighty-five bilinguals read English sentences while their eye movements were tracked. Critical sentences contained English members of English-French interlingual homophone pairs (e.g., mow; French homophone mate mot means "word") or they contained spelling control words (e.g., mop). Only the meaning of the unseen French homophone mate fit the context (e.g., Hannah wrote another mow/mop on the blackboard for the spelling test). Differences in fixation durations between homophone errors and spelling control errors provided evidence for cross-language activation that extended to semantic representations. When the unseen French homophone was of high frequency, shorter first fixations and gaze durations were observed on English interlingual homophones than on English control words, providing evidence that the French meaning associated with the shared phonology was activated during early stage word identification. Individual differences analyses showed that these effects were larger when bilinguals were using the nontarget language (i.e., French) more regularly in daily life. Results provide evidence that cross-language activation of phonology can be sufficiently strong to activate corresponding semantic representations during single language sentence processing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Epigenetic tuning of brain signal entropy in emergent human social behavior

BackgroundHow the brain develops accurate models of the external world and generates appropriate behavioral responses is a vital question of widespread multidisciplinary interest. It is increasingly understood that brain signal variability—posited to enhance perception, facilitate flexible cognitive representations, and improve behavioral outcomes—plays an important role in neural and cognitive development. The ability to perceive, interpret, and respond to complex and dynamic social information is particularly critical for the development of adaptive learning and behavior. Social perception relies on oxytocin-regulated neural networks that emerge early in development.MethodsWe tested the hypothesis that individual differences in the endogenous oxytocinergic system early in life may influence social behavioral outcomes by regulating variability in brain signaling during social perception. In study 1, 55 infants provided a saliva sample at 5 months of age for analysis of individual differences in the oxytocinergic system and underwent electroencephalography (EEG) while listening to human vocalizations at 8 months of age for the assessment of brain signal variability. Infant behavior was assessed via parental report. In study 2, 60 infants provided a saliva sample and underwent EEG while viewing faces and objects and listening to human speech and water sounds at 4 months of age. Infant behavior was assessed via parental report and eye tracking.ResultsWe show in two independent infant samples that increased brain signal entropy during social perception is in part explained by an epigenetic modification to the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and accounts for significant individual differences in social behavior in the first year of life. These results are measure-, context-, and modality-specific: entropy, not standard deviation, links OXTR methylation and infant behavior; entropy evoked during social perception specifically explains social behavior only; and only entropy evoked during social auditory perception predicts infant vocalization behavior.ConclusionsDemonstrating these associations in infancy is critical for elucidating the neurobiological mechanisms accounting for individual differences in cognition and behavior relevant to neurodevelopmental disorders. Our results suggest that an epigenetic modification to the oxytocin receptor gene and brain signal entropy are useful indicators of social development and may hold potential diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic value.

Categorical and Dimensional Approaches to Examining the Joint Effect of Autism and Schizotypal Personality Disorder on Sustained Attention.

IntroductionAccumulating evidence for the co-occurrence autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) at both the diagnostic and symptom levels raises important questions about the nature of their association and the effect of their co-occurrence on the individual’s phenotype and functional outcome. Research comparing adults with ASD and SPD, as well as the impact of their co-occurrence on outcomes is extremely limited. We investigated executive functioning in terms of response inhibition and sustained attention, candidate endophenotypes of both conditions, in adults with ASD, SPD, comorbid ASD and SPD, and neurotypical adults using both categorical and dimensional approaches.MethodsA total of 88 adults (Mean Age = 37.54; SD = 10.17): ASD (n = 26; M/F = 20/6); SPD (n = 20; M/F = 14/6); comorbid ASD and SPD (n=9; M/F=6/3) and neurotypicals (n=33; M/F=23/10) completed the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) in both its fixed and random forms. Positive and autistic symptom severity was assessed with the positive subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSSpos) and the PANSS Autism Severity Score (PAUSS), respectively.ResultsControlling for full scale IQ, working memory and medication dosage, group analyses revealed that the comorbid group committed fewer omission errors than the ASD group on the fixed SART, and fewer omission errors than the ASD and SPD groups on the random SART. The individual difference analyses of the entire sample revealed that the PANSSpos and PAUSS interactively reduced omission errors in both the fixed and random SARTs, as well as increased d’ scores, indicative of improved overall performance. We observed no significant results for commission errors or reaction time.ConclusionsConcurrent elevated levels of autistic and positive psychotic symptoms seem to be associated with improved sustained attention abilities (reduced omission errors) but not inhibition (commission errors). Our findings highlight the importance of investigating the concurrent effect of ASD and SPD at both the symptom and diagnostic levels, and raise important questions for future research regarding the clinical and behavioral phenotypes of adults with dual diagnosis and, more generally, about the nature of the relationship between ASD and SPD.

Examining the consistency of the good target across contexts and domains of personality

AbstractObjectiveGood targets are those individuals who are seen more accurately than others. The present study examines the extent to which the good target is consistent across two domains and two contexts as well as how being perceived accurately is moderated by target well‐being.MethodN = 194 participants completed a round‐robin forming first impressions design, wrote short essays on five life domains and completed a self‐report including measures of well‐being. An additional N = 211 participants read the essays to assess the author’s personality. We used the social accuracy model to allow for detailed analysis of individual differences among targets across traits and motives.ResultsWe found support for the theory that the good target generalizes across both contexts and domains and also found evidence for a likable target. Target well‐being was not consistently associated with the good target across contexts and domains, though target well‐being was a consistent moderator for the likable target.ConclusionThe good target is consistent across contexts and domains, but target well‐being is not a consistent moderator of distinctive accuracy beyond in‐person perceptions of traits. The likable target is more consistent across contexts and domains and has stronger links to target well‐being.

Multi‐subject stochastic blockmodels with mixed effects for adaptive analysis of individual differences in human brain network cluster structure

Recently, there has been a renewed interest in the class of stochastic blockmodels (SBM) and their applications to multi‐subject brain networks. In our most recent work, we have considered an extension of the classical SBM, termed heterogeneous SBM (Het‐SBM), that models subject variability in the cluster‐connectivity profiles through the addition of a logistic regression model with subject‐specific covariates on the level of each block. Although this model has proved to be useful in both the clustering and inference aspects of multi‐subject brain network data, including fleshing out differences in connectivity between patients and controls, it does not account for dependencies that may exist within subjects. To overcome this limitation, we propose an extension of Het‐SBM, termed Het‐Mixed‐SBM, in which we model the within‐subject dependencies by adding subject‐ and block‐level random intercepts in the embedded logistic regression model. Using synthetic data, we investigate the accuracy of the partitions estimated by our proposed model as well as the validity of inference procedures based on the Wald and permutation tests. Finally, we illustrate the model by analyzing the resting‐state fMRI networks of 99 healthy volunteers from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) using covariates like age, gender, and IQ to explain the clustering patterns observed in the data.

An exploratory analysis of individual differences in mind wandering content and consistency.

We conducted an exploratory study of adult individual differences in the contents of mind-wandering experiences and in the moment-to-moment consistency of that off-task thought content within tasks. This secondary analysis of a published dataset (Kane et al., 2016) examined the content-based thought reports that 472–541 undergraduates made within five probed tasks across three sessions, and tested whether executive-control abilities (working memory capacity, attention-restraint ability), or personality dimensions of schizotypy (positive, disorganized, negative), predicted particular contents of task-unrelated thought (TUT) or the (in)stability of TUT content across successive thought reports. Latent-variable models indicated trait-like consistency in both TUT content and short-term TUT-content stability across tasks and sessions; some subjects mind-wandered about some things more than others, and some subjects were more temporally consistent in their TUT content than were others. Higher executive control was associated with more evaluative thoughts about task performance and fewer thoughts about current physical or emotional states; higher positive and disorganized schizotypy was associated with more fantastical-daydream and worry content. Contrary to expectations, executive ability correlated positively with TUT instability: higher-ability students had more shifting and varied TUT content within a task. Post hoc analysis suggested that better executive control predicted inconsistent TUT content because it also predicted shorter streaks of mind-wandering; tuning back in to task-related thought may decouple trains of off-task thought and afford novel spontaneous or cued thought content. [Data, sample analysis scripts and output, and article preprint are available via the Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/guhw7/].

T113. CATEGORICAL AND DIMENSIONAL APPROACHES EXAMINING THE JOINT EFFECT OF AUTISM AND SCHIZOTYPAL PERSONALITY DISORDER ON SUSTAINED ATTENTION

BackgroundAccumulating evidence for the co-occurrence Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) at both the diagnostic and symptom/trait levels raises important questions about the nature of their association and the effect of their co-occurrence on the individual’s phenotype and functional outcome. It has been recommend that informing etiological and phenotypic overlaps between ASD and schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) would require the utilization of a dual-diagnosis cohort compared with two control groups, each singly diagnosed with ASD or SSD, and that the development of a multidimensional model for understanding the relationship between these two spectra would require cohorts to be described not solely by diagnosis, but also by using dimensional measures that cut across diagnostic boundaries. Research comparing adults with ASD and SPD, as well as the impact of their co-occurrence on outcomes is extremely limited. To fill in this gap, we investigated executive functioning in terms of response inhibition and sustained attention, candidate endophenotypes of both conditions, in adults with ASD, SPD, comorbid ASD and SPD, and neurotypical adults using both categorical and dimensional approaches.MethodsA total of 88 adults (Mean Age ± SD = 37.54 ± 10.17): ASD (n = 26; m/f = 20/6); SPD (n = 20; m/f = 14/6); comorbid ASD and SPD (n=9; m/f =6/3) and neurotypicals (n=33; m/f =23/10) completed the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) in both its fixed and random forms.Individuals with ASD had a DSM-IV diagnosis of either autism or Asperger Syndrome and met ASD cut-offs on the Autism Diagnostic Observational Schedule-Generic (ADOS-G). All individuals with SPD met DSM-IV criteria for SPD using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Disorders (SCID-II). Individuals in the comorbid group met criteria for both ASD (determined by DSM-IV and the ADOS) and SPD (determined by the SCID-II). In addition, in both the clinical and healthy participants, positive and autistic symptom severity were assessed with the positive subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSSpos) and the PANSS Autism Severity Score (PAUSS), respectively.ResultsControlling for full scale IQ, working memory and medication dosage, group analyses revealed that the comorbid group committed fewer omission errors than the ASD group on the fixed SART, and fewer omission errors than the ASD and SPD groups on the random SART. The individual difference analyses revealed that the PANSSpos and PAUSS interactively reduced omission errors in both the fixed and random SARTs, as well as increased d’ scores, indicative of improved overall performance.DiscussionConcurrent elevated levels of autistic and positive psychotic symptoms seem to be associated with improved sustained attention abilities. We propose that sustaining and switching attention may represent two poles of irregularities across the autism and schizotypal spectra, which appear to converge in a compensatory manner in the comorbid group. Our findings highlight the importance of investigating the concurrent effect of ASD and SPD at both the symptom and diagnostic levels, and the potential benefit of this research approach to understanding the underlying mechanisms of seemingly overlapping phenotypes.

Crash rates over time among younger and older drivers in the SHRP 2 naturalistic driving study

Objective: To examine crash rates over time among 16–17-year-old drivers compared to older drivers. Methods: Data were from a random sample of 854 of the 3,500 study participants in SHRP 2, a U.S. national, naturalistic driving (instrumented vehicle) study. Crashes/10,000 miles by driver age group, 3-month period, and sex were examined within generalized linear mixed models. Results: Analyses of individual differences between age cohorts indicated higher incidence rates in the 16–17-year old cohort relative to older age groups each of the first four quarters (except the first quarter compared to 18–20 year old drivers) with incident rate ratios (IRR) ranging from 1.98 to 18.90, and for the full study period compared with drivers 18–20 (IRR = 1.69, CI = 1.00, 2.86), 21 to 25 (IRR = 2.27, CI = 1.31, 3.91), and 35 to 55 (IRR = 4.00, CI = 2.28, 7.03). Within the 16–17-year old cohort no differences were found in rates among males and females and the decline in rates over the 24-month study period was not significant. Conclusions: The prolonged period of elevated crash rates suggests the need to enhance novice young driver prevention approaches such as Graduated Driver’s Licensing limits, parent restrictions, and post-licensure supervision and monitoring. Practical Applications: Increases are needed in Graduated Driver’s Licensing limits, parent restrictions, and postlicensure supervision and monitoring.

Strategic Leadership, Commitment and Employee Motivation: what influences attitudes towards the workplace

This article presents an overview of recent research that has been conducted into how leadership, specifically inspirational leadership, affects employee motivation, and how strategic decision making can be improved by behavioural game theory. Further, studies on which HR measures drive employee commitment, as well as on personal differences and their impact on commitment and satisfaction are discussed. Twenty years after the landmark McKinsey study (Chambers et al., 1998), the “war for talent” still continues. How to increase employees’ commitment to the organisation is of central importance to the ongoing policy debate on the development and especially the retention of the workforce. In a time of rapidly changing economic environments, organisations cannot afford to be inefficient and let potential go untapped. Motivation can be defined as energy and direction that drives cognition or behaviour (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2000). Equally, individuals strive for satisfaction at work as well as personal fulfilment. This article compiles current research findings in the areas of management science and organisational psychology, illustrating how leadership style, strategic decision making, HR measures, and personal differences contribute to a committed and motivated workforce. The following abstract of this article discusses research on how leadership styles can influence employee motivation and commitment. Next, theoretical concepts of strategic decision making are discussed, specifically behavioural game theory as a practical model compared to traditional game theory. Examples of practical application illustrate how behavioural game theory can inform management decisions. Then, analyses of specific HR measures and their impact on employee commitment are presented. The final abstract presents an analysis of individual differences’, specifically intelligence’, relation to commitment and job satisfaction.

Multi-subject Stochastic Blockmodels for adaptive analysis of individual differences in human brain network cluster structure

There is considerable interest in elucidating the cluster structure of brain networks in terms of modules, blocks or clusters of similar nodes. However, it is currently challenging to handle data on multiple subjects since most of the existing methods are applicable only on a subject-by-subject basis or for analysis of an average group network. The main limitation of per-subject models is that there is no obvious way to combine the results for group comparisons, and of group-averaged models that they do not reflect the variability between subjects. Here, we propose two new extensions of the classical Stochastic Blockmodel (SBM) that use a mixture model to estimate blocks or clusters of connected nodes, combined with a regression model to capture the effects of subject-level covariates on individual differences in cluster structure. The proposed Multi-Subject Stochastic Blockmodels (MS-SBMs) can flexibly account for between-subject variability in terms of homogeneous or heterogeneous covariate effects on connectivity using subject demographics such as age or diagnostic status. Using synthetic data, representing a range of block sizes and cluster structures, we investigate the accuracy of the estimated MS-SBM parameters as well as the validity of inference procedures based on the Wald, likelihood ratio and permutation tests. We show that the proposed multi-subject SBMs recover the true cluster structure of synthetic networks more accurately and adaptively than standard methods for modular decomposition (i.e. the Fast Louvain and Newman Spectral algorithms). Permutation tests of MS-SBM parameters were more robustly valid for statistical inference and Type I error control than tests based on standard asymptotic assumptions. Applied to analysis of multi-subject resting-state fMRI networks (13 healthy volunteers; 12 people with schizophrenia; n=268 brain regions), we show that Heterogeneous Stochastic Blockmodel (Het-SBM) identifies a range of network topologies simultaneously, including modular and core structures.

Longitudinal jerk and celeration as measures of safety in bus rapid transit drivers in Tehran

Traditionally, analysis of individual differences in road traffic crash risk has relied on after the fact crash data. Nowadays with the help of technologies like GPS, new measures are developed to assess driving risk, inferred from naturalistic driving behaviour of drivers. In this study, two main ways of modelling driver behaviour in naturalistic driving research were discussed and compared to each other. For this purpose, 176 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) drivers were investigated during their normal driving on Tehran BRT routes. Their speed was continuously recorded by a smart phone app from which was derived deceleration, jerk and celeration measures. Analysis showed that all of the proposed measures had positive correlations with culpable crashes and that one of the jerk variables yielded the highest correlation. Measurements of speed derivatives like jerk and celeration can help to identify dangerous driving styles in public transportation and reduce the number of crashes. Although the results of this study are encouraging, further studies for longer periods are needed to improve the reliability of the measures.

Age Differences in the Effects of Speaking Rate on Auditory, Visual, and Auditory-Visual Speech Perception.

This study was designed to examine how speaking rate affects auditory-only, visual-only, and auditory-visual speech perception across the adult lifespan. In addition, the study examined the extent to which unimodal (auditory-only and visual-only) performance predicts auditory-visual performance across a range of speaking rates. The authors hypothesized significant Age × Rate interactions in all three modalities and that unimodal performance would account for a majority of the variance in auditory-visual speech perception for speaking rates that are both slower and faster than normal. Participants (N = 145), ranging in age from 22 to 92, were tested in conditions with auditory-only, visual-only, and auditory-visual presentations using a closed-set speech perception test. Five different speaking rates were presented in each modality: an unmodified (normal rate), two rates that were slower than normal, and two rates that were faster than normal. Signal to noise ratios were set individually to produce approximately 30% correct identification in the auditory-only condition and this signal to noise ratio was used in the auditory-only and auditory-visual conditions. Age × Rate interactions were observed for the fastest speaking rates in both the visual-only and auditory-visual conditions. Unimodal performance accounted for at least 60% of the variance in auditory-visual performance for all five speaking rates. The findings demonstrate that the disproportionate difficulty that older adults have with rapid speech for auditory-only presentations can also be observed with visual-only and auditory-visual presentations. Taken together, the present analyses of age and individual differences indicate a generalized age-related decline in the ability to understand speech produced at fast speaking rates. The finding that auditory-visual speech performance was almost entirely predicted by unimodal performance across all five speaking rates has important clinical implications for auditory-visual speech perception and the ability of older adults to use visual speech information to compensate for age-related hearing loss.

Considerations for the study of individual differences in gaze control during expert visual anticipation: an exploratory study

Recent perspectives for the study of perceptual-motor expertise have highlighted the importance for considering variability in gaze behaviour. The present paper explores the prevalence of variability in gaze behaviour in an anticipation task through examining goalkeepers gaze behaviours when saving soccer penalty kicks, with a primary focus on offering new considerations for the study of variability in gaze behaviour. A subset of data from five goalkeepers in the previously published article of Dicks et al. (2010) (Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 72(3), 706–720) were reanalysed, with a focus on ten successful penalty saves for each goalkeeper. As the aim was to conduct exploratory analyses of individual differences in goalkeeping performance, data were not averaged across participants and instead intra- and inter-individual differences are described using descriptive statistics. The main observation was that variation in the goalkeepers’ gaze behaviours existed and were evident both between and within individuals, specifically with regards to quiet eye duration but also for percentage viewing time and visual search patterns. However, QE location appeared to represent the only invariant gaze measure with the location being on the ball for the majority of trials. The current exploratory analysis suggested that experienced goalkeepers did not converge on the same gaze patterns during successful anticipation performance. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to extant gaze behaviour literature before considering implications for future research.

The ANES Child Rearing Scale: Is It a Measure of Authoritarianism?

Objective: The objective of the research reported in this paper is to determine the meaning of the scores yielded by an administration of the ANES Child Rearing Scale. Methods: An argument is developed that the CRS is scale is measuring “Autonomy versus Conformity”. In support of this claim, scores on the CRS scale for a national sample of United States adults are analyzed using Gutman scaling, correlation, factor, and regression analyses. The overall sample is divided into White respondents on one hand, and Black, Hispanic, and Asian-American respondents on the other on the basis of evidence that CRS scores have different meaning for White respondents in contrast to minority respondents. Results: The results point to the conclusion that the CRS is not a measure of authoritarianism for either White or minority respondents. The results are consistent with the alternative conjecture that the CRS is a measure of “Autonomy versus Conformity.” Results also point to the conclusion that the scores on the CRS have different meanings for White respondents on one hand and minorities on the other. It is concluded that White and minority respondents be treated separately when using the CRS. It is also argued-with supporting empirical evidence-that the CRS is actually measuring liberal/conservatism. Conclusion: It is concluded that the CRS scale is surplus to the analysis of individual differences in attitudes and behaviors with the possible exception of certain circumstances. *The data used for the research reported in this paper are drawn from the ANES 2016 time series study. All calculations were completed using Stata 13. Any errors are the responsibility of the author alone.

An expert system gap analysis and empirical triangulation of individual differences, interventions, and information technology applications in alertness of railroad workers

In this abstract we would like to provide some exciting concrete information including the article's main impact and significance on expert and intelligent systems. The main impact is that the PTC expert intelligent system fills in the gaps between the human and software decision making processes. This gap analysis is analyzed via empirical triangulation of rail worker data collected from its groups, individuals and the rail industry itself. We utilize an expert intelligent system PTC information technology application to both measure and to improve the alertness of the groups and workers in order to improve the overall safety of the railways through reduced human errors and failures to prevent accidents. Many individual differences in alertness among military, railroad, and other industry workers stem from a lack of sufficient sleep. This continues to be a concern in the railroad industry, even with the implementation of positive train control (PTC) expert system technology. Information technology aids such as PTC cannot prevent all accidents, and errors and failures with PTC may occur. Furthermore, drug interventions are a short-term solution for improving alertness. This study investigated the effect of sleep deprivation on the alertness of railroad signalmen at work, individual differences in alertness, and the information technology available to improve alertness. We investigated various information and communication technology control systems that can be used to maintain operational safety in the railroad industry in the face of incompatible circadian rhythms due to irregular hours, weekend work, and night operations. To fully explain individual differences after the adoption of technology, our approach posits the necessary parameters that one must consider for reason-oriented action, sequential updating, feedback, and technology acceptance in a unified model. This triangulation can help manage workers by efficiently increasing their productivity and improving their health. In our analysis we used R statistical software and Tableau. To test our theory, we issued an Apple watch to a locomotive engineer. The perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and actual use he reported led to an analysis of his sleep patterns that eventually ended in his adoption of a sleep apnea device and an improvement in his alertness and effectiveness. His adoption of the technology also resulted in a decrease in his use of chemical interventions to increase his alertness. Our model shows that the alertness of signalmen can be predicted. Therefore, we recommend that the alertness of all railroad workers be predicted given the safety limitations of PTC.

Personal networks and psychological attributes: Exploring individual differences in personality and sense of community and their relationship to the structure of personal networks

AbstractThe paper explores the relationship between personality characteristics, sense of community and the structure of personal networks. We collected personal network data from 100 adults, consisting of the information about their 45 alters and ties among them. In addition to the typically used bivariate correlations to analyze the relationship between individual psychological differences and network structure, we propose first the use of typologies of networks and personality and second modified versions of the triadic census in ego-networks. The results show that different personality types tend to occupy a different kind of networks and that newly introduced triadic measures show a relatively higher association with examined psychological attributes than global network measures. Overall, the Psychological Sense of Community showed higher associations with network measures than Big Five personality traits. The former was positively correlated with measures of closed triads among alters, but also with alters embedded in triads with weak ties. Regarding personality traits, Emotional Stability was positively correlated with strong closed triads and with the overall indicator of density. The elaboration of typologies and the census of triads are shown to be effective strategies for the description of personal networks, as well as for the analysis of individual psychological differences.

Changing attitudes and intentions related to doping: An analysis of individual differences in need for cognition

ABSTRACTResearch has shown that athletes’ attitudes towards the use of banned performance-enhancing substances are reliable predictors of their intentions to use these substances, which in turn can be relevant predictors of their actual doping behaviours. Despite the important role played by attitudes and intentions in doping, research analysing how to change those attitudes and intentions is relatively scarce. The present study examined how individual differences in Need for Cognition (NC, Cacioppo & Petty, 1982) influenced doping-related attitude change and subsequent behavioural intentions. Participants were randomly assigned to read a persuasive message either against or in favour of legalising the use of several banned substances, including anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) and Erythropoietin (EPO). In addition, participants completed the NC scale, and finally reported their attitudes and behavioural intentions regarding the legalisation proposal. As hypothesised, results showed that participants who received an anti-legalisation message had significantly more unfavourable attitudes towards the proposal than participants who received a pro-legalisation message, regardless of NC. However, as predicted, NC moderated the relationship between individuals’ attitudes and their intentions. That is, high-NC participants showed greater attitude-intention correspondence than low-NC participants.

Validating the use of a smartphone app for remote administration of a fear conditioning paradigm

Fear conditioning models key processes related to the development, maintenance and treatment of anxiety disorders and is associated with group differences in anxiety. However, laboratory administration of tasks is time and cost intensive, precluding assessment in large samplesnecessary for the analysis of individual differences. This study introduces a newly developed smartphone app that delivers a fear conditioning paradigm remotely using a loud human scream as an aversive stimulus. Three groups of participants (total n = 152) took part in three studies involving a differential fear conditioning experiment to assess the reliability and validity of a smartphone administered fear conditioning paradigm. This comprised of fear acquisition, generalisation, extinction, and renewal phases during which online US-expectancy ratings were collected during every trial with evaluative ratings of negative affect at three time points. We show that smartphone app delivery of a fear conditioning paradigm results in a pattern of fear learning comparable to traditional laboratory delivery and is able to detect individual differences in performance that show comparable associations with anxiety to the prior group differences literature.

Kinematic risky driving behavior among younger and older drivers: Differences over time by age group and sex

Objective: This research examined the incidence rates of elevated gravitational force events (kinematic risky driving, KRD) among 16- to 17-year-old drivers compared to those of 18- to 20-year-old, 21- to 25-year-old, and 35- to 55-year-old drivers over a 12-month period.Methods: Data were sampled from the Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP2) naturalistic driving study that recruited a U.S. national sample of study participants. General linear mixed models (GLIMMIX) for recurrent events were used to estimate KRD incident rates for age cohorts in 3-month periods.Results: KRD incidence rates for 16- to 17-year-old drivers were higher than the rates for older drivers at each 3-month period. Analyses of individual differences for the 12-month period indicated that incidence rates for the 16- to 17-year-old group were 1.84 times higher than the rates for 18- to 20-year-old drivers, 2.86 higher than those for 21- to 25-year-old drivers, and 4.92 times higher than those for 35- to 55-year-old drivers. The incident rate for 16- to 17-year-old males was 1.9 times higher than that for same-aged females in the first 3 months and 2.3 times higher over 12 months. Over the study period, KRD rates of 16- to 17-year-old participants declined 24.5% among females and 18.0% among males.Conclusions: KRD rates were higher among younger relative to older, more experienced drivers and did not decline over time, consistent with a protracted period of risky driving behavior. The persistently higher KRD rate among young drivers suggests the need to enhance crash prevention approaches, such as feedback about abrupt maneuvering, to young drivers and their parents.