ABSTRACTEnvironmental input is inherently uncertain at both global and local levels. Depending on the level of uncertainty, cognitive systems dynamically adapt by shifting attention between exploiting learned regularities and exploring less predictable alternatives. While these dynamics are well documented in adults, how local and global uncertainty jointly influences children's exploration‐exploitation strategies during statistical learning remains unclear. Combining eye‐tracking with a probabilistic cueing task, this study quantified local and global uncertainty on a trial‐by‐trial basis to examine their effects on children's attentional preferences for cues differing in predictive value. Overall, 158 children aged 4 to 13 years passively viewed cue‐target sequences in which target shapes were predicted by cues with high‐ and low‐transitional probabilities. Results showed that under high global uncertainty, high local uncertainty biased attention toward high‐predictive cues, indicating uncertainty‐exploitation, whereas low local uncertainty biased attention toward low‐predictive cues, suggesting certainty‐exploration. Conversely, under low global uncertainty, attentional strategies reversed, shifting toward certainty‐exploitation and uncertainty‐exploration. These patterns were amplified in older children but attenuated in younger ones. These findings support a developmental dynamic model of exploration‐exploitation in which children's attention strategies are jointly regulated by local and global uncertainty and undergo systematic change across childhood.SummaryHow local and global uncertainty jointly shapes the development of children's exploration‐exploitation behavior during statistical learning across different ages remains poorly understood.Using eye‐tracking in a probabilistic learning task, we showed that 4‐13‐year‐olds adapt their information sampling and choices in response to overarching and trial‐by‐trial uncertainty.Under high global uncertainty, children relied on local uncertainty for exploitation and exploration; under low global uncertainty, they favored certainty‐driven exploitation and uncertainty‐driven exploration.These uncertainty‐regulated strategies were amplified in older children but attenuated in younger children.

The attentional hypothesis of psychological distress suggests that people with visible dermatological conditions may display an attentional preference for disease-related or stigma-related cues. Although this idea has been tested in psoriasis, the current work is the first to examine it in the context of atopic dermatitis. We conducted 4 preregistered online experiments in which individuals with atopic dermatitis ( N =133) and matched healthy controls completed an emotional spatial cueing task. Reaction times to stigma-related and disease-related threat words, compared with neutral words, were used as indicators of attentional bias. Across all 4 studies, participants with atopic dermatitis did not show enhanced attention toward threat-related stimuli. Frequentist analyses revealed no significant attentional bias differences between groups either at shorter stimulus onset asynchronies (300ms, reflecting disengagement processes) or at longer ones (1300ms, reflecting sustained attention under strategic control). Bayes Factors provided additional support for the null in 3 experiments (BF10<1/3) and inconclusive evidence in one (BF10=0.4). Contrary to the attentional hypothesis, individuals with atopic dermatitis did not preferentially allocate attention to disease-related or stigma-related cues. By combining preregistration, frequentist statistics, and Bayesian inference, this work provides robust evidence that is incompatible with the assumption of attentional hypervigilance in atopic dermatitis.

ABSTRACT Increasingly, it is posited that video-call interviews have a different character and require distinct methodological considerations. This paper explores participant and interviewer experiences from a qualitative study involving 83 individual semi-structured interviews conducted largely using Zoom. It is proposed that video-call interviews can be characterised by informal low-context communication which may be incongruent with interviewer expectations and may, or may not, fit with individual needs for effective communication. Identified influences on this fit include perceived strength of in-or-out group affiliations between participant and interviewer, comfort with technology and assumptions about research processes, as well as individualised preferences for non-verbal cues, customary gestures and interpersonal distance. A re-negotiation of quality attributes of interviewing to better fit informal low-context communication and inclusion of participant communication needs in research design decisions are discussed as potential sustainable responses to this informality, individuality and incongruity.

In this study, we mapped individual differences in preferred sensory modality (both orientation- and mobility-related), and classified which personal and environmental factors are relevant for these preferences. To this end, interviews were conducted with eleven Dutch VIPs whose impairment varied in onset, ontology, and severity. We concluded from our thematic analysis that hearing is the most important sensory modality to VIPs for orientation purposes, although it varies per person how and how often other resources are relied upon (i.e., other sensory modalities, existing knowledge of an environment, help from others, or navigational aids). Additionally, environmental factors such as weather conditions, crowdedness, and familiarity of the environment influence if, how, and which sensory modalities are employed. These preferences and strategies might be mediated by individual differences in priorities and needs pertaining to energy management. We discuss how the current findings could be of interest to orientation and mobility instructors when choosing a training strategy for individual clients.

Background/Objectives: People with visual impairments can participate in orientation and mobility (O&M) training to learn how to navigate to their desired destinations. Instructors adapt their approach to each individual client. However, assessments of client characteristics and resulting instructional adaptations are not standardised and may therefore vary. This study aimed to identify which individual differences instructors consider during O&M training and why. Methods: We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 10 O&M instructors. Participants were asked to describe how they prepare for a training trajectory, and to describe a route they taught a specific client. Thematic analysis was used to determine instructional choices and the relevant client-specific factors. Results: We observed a common four-step instructional process in which clients are taught to notice, interpret, act upon, and anticipate relevant sensory cues until a destination is reached. Four main themes captured the individual differences impacting this process: Sensory modalities, Capacities and limits, Personal contextual characteristics, and Training approach. Conclusions: Instructors perceive route learning to be shaped by clients’ sensory abilities (even fluctuating within sensory modalities), mental and physical capacities (especially concentration and energy), and personal characteristics (especially age and anxiety). The dynamic social context in which training takes place (e.g., the instructor–client relationship) is shaped by individual differences between both clients and instructors. We speculate that trust-related themes (e.g., building confidence) may explain why certain client characteristics are emphasised by instructors, as they are associated with training outcomes.

The tendency for men to find younger adult women more attractive has been hypothesised to reflect preferences for cues of reproductive potential. To further test this hypothesis, we investigated the possible relationship between heterosexual men and women’s reported desire to have children and their preferences for cues of youth in face images of potential mates. Contrary to our expectation that reported desire to have children would be correlated with stronger preferences for younger adult faces, and that this pattern of results would be particularly pronounced when men judged women’s attractiveness, both men and women who reported greater desire to have children actually demonstrated weaker preferences for the faces of younger potential mates. Follow-up work suggested that this pattern of results was unlikely to have occurred because individuals with older faces were perceived as more likely to be better parents (Study 2) or wealthier (Study 3). While the role of individual differences in desire to have children in preferences for facial cues of age remains somewhat unclear, our results show no evidence for the widely held view that strong reliable sex differences exist in preferences for cues of youth.

Navigation is crucial for animal survival, and despite their small brains, insects are impressive at it. For example, desert ants acquire environmental information by learning to walk before foraging, enabling them to return home accurately over long distances. These learning walks involve multimodal sensory experiences and induce neuroplastic changes in the Central Complex (CX) and the Mushroom Body (MB) of ants’ brains, making them a key topic in behavioural science, neuroscience, and computational modelling. To address unresolved questions in how ants integrate sensory cues and adapt navigation strategies, we propose a computational model that achieves multisensory integration during learning walks. Central to this model is a novel Learning Vector mechanism that dynamically combines visual, olfactory, and path integration inputs to guide movement decisions. Specifically, the agent in our model determines the degree to which it deviates from the homing direction by evaluating the familiarity of the environment. In this way, agents could strike a balance between their tendency to explore and the need to return safely to the nest. Our model replicates key features reported in biological studies and accounts for individual and inter-species variability by tuning parameters such as cue preferences and environmental parameters. This flexibility enables the simulation of species-specific learning walks and supports a unified view of sensory integration and behavioural adaptation. Moreover, it yields testable predictions that may inform future investigations into the neural and behavioural mechanisms underlying insects’ learning walks. How the proposed model could be adapted for robotics navigation has also been discussed.

A behavioural assay for investigating cued conflict between allocentric and egocentric spatial memory with instinctive escape in mice.

Body color transformations play important roles in the environmental adaptations of organisms. However, the molecular mechanisms and ecological significance underlying these phenomena remain unclear. In this study, we observed that starvation induced a shift in Myzus persicae body coloration from red to green. Through transcriptomic analyses, RNA interference (RNAi) assays, and dual-luciferase assays, we demonstrated that starvation down-regulates the expression of carotene desaturase 2 (Cde2), a key gene involved in the dehydrogenation of γ-carotene, through the nutrient-responsive transcription factor FoxO, ultimately leading to a color transition in M. persicae. Metabolomic analyses further revealed that starvation enhances the cyclization of γ-carotene and the metabolism of β-carotene, which is a γ-carotene cyclization product. This metabolic change strengthens aphids' behavioral preference for yellow cues, which facilitates aphid-located host plants to combat starvation stress. Overall, these results provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying body color plasticity and environmental adaptation strategies in insects.

Attentional bias (AB) is a key behavioural feature known to contribute to the maintenance of tobacco use; however, little information exists on whether e-cigarette users display an AB. We aimed to measure differences in AB between exclusive cigarette smokers and exclusive e-cigarette users. Our secondary aim was to compare overnight abstinence and sated conditions on AB within e-cigarette users and cigarette smokers. Participants included exclusive e-cigarette users (n = 28), cigarette smokers (n = 29), and healthy non-nicotine-using controls (n = 18). AB was measured using a free-viewing eye-tracking task. Participants were shown 85 slides, each containing 4 competing images, with test images relating to one of the following cue categories; vaping, smoking, and competing smoking versus vaping. The primary outcome was relative fixation time (RFT) (in ms). AB was determined by subtracting the mean RFT of the neutral images from the mean RFT of the test images. E-cigarette users exhibited significantly higher AB towards vaping-related (d = 1.107, p = 0.002) and smoking-related cues (d = 0.1080, p = 0.001) compared to non-using controls. Additionally, e-cigarette users and cigarette smokers both showed a preference for their product's cues in the competing smoking versus vaping cue category. The only difference observed between the abstinent and sated states was cigarette smokers showing a greater preference for smoking-related cues over vaping-related cues in their abstinent state compared to sated (d = 0.644, p < 0.001). E-cigarette users show AB to both vaping- and smoking-related cues, suggesting possible AB transfer between the two products. AB does not appear to be sensitive to acute withdrawal states.

Abstract Insects exhibit olfactory plasticity to optimize their survival and reproduction, which ensures that their sensory preferences flexibly meets their needs. However, a comprehensive understanding of the sequential regulatory mechanisms driving these sensory adjustments is lacking. Addressing this knowledge gap is crucial for clarifying how the olfactory system of insect flexibly meets their reproductive needs. Using electroantennogram (EAG) and single‐sensillum recordings, we found that female Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae) displayed distinct olfactory preferences for oviposition cues, host volatiles, and sex pheromones before and after mating. The injection of synthesized sex peptide (SP) or juvenile hormone (JH) into virgin females, as well as the knockdown of SP‐ or JH‐receptors in mated females, reversed the olfactory preferences in both groups of flies. The onset of the effect of JH was relatively gradual, as evidenced by the lack of changes observed during the first 6 h after mating. The rapid changes in antennal sensitivities may involve specific neuromolecules, such as phosphatidylcholine (PC) and D‐chiro‐inositol (DCI), which were identified through metabolomics screening, and their functions were further validated by microinjection. Our findings reveal a post‐mating regulatory mechanism where immediate olfactory adjustments are facilitated by rapid signaling molecules, while long‐term sensitivity modifications rely on the gradual action of JH.

How does the brain process 3D motion? We focused on the human motion complex (hMT+), extending insights from monkey studies. Using 3D-motion stimuli containing perspective and/or stereoscopic cues, we investigated the hierarchy within the motion complex in humans of both sexes to understand the neural mechanisms underlying motion perception. On each trial we decoded 3D motion direction (toward/away) based on the BOLD response in primary visual cortex (V1), and regions within hMT+ including the middle temporal (MT) and medial superior temporal (MST) areas, and the fundus of the superior temporal sulcus (FST). We found that 3D-motion direction could be reliably decoded from all four areas but accuracy depended on cue content. MT and FST showed greatest decoding accuracy with perspective and stereoscopic cues, respectively. Decoding of motion direction in V1 and MST could be explained by retinotopic biases in the BOLD response to motion stimuli. MT and FST were less impacted by such biases. We also identified significant behavioral differences between participants: some were proficient at using stereoscopic cues and others performed near chance. Good behavioral performance with stereoscopic cues was accompanied by better decoding performance in FST but not MT. A control experiment that eliminated 3D motion percepts for stereoscopic stimuli, but not perspective stimuli, revealed that unlike MT, decoding accuracy in FST was influenced by perceptual components of 3D motion. Our findings support that MT and FST play distinct roles in the analysis of visual motion and are key in the transformation of retinal input into perceptual report.

The transition to plant-based diets is advocated as a consumption measure to mitigate the environmental impacts of animal-based food production. Understanding the drivers and barriers to consumption can guide the formulation of tailored strategies for advancing plant-based alternatives in markets. This study investigated the principal drivers and barriers influencing the adoption of plant-based cheese alternatives among Danish consumers (n = 550) through an online survey. Participants were clustered based on the sensory (flavor and texture) cues using Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering, resulting in four consumer groups: (C1) consumers who prefer plant-based cheese alternatives to closely mimic both the flavor and texture of dairy cheese (n = 172); (C2) Consumers who prefer dairy-like flavor but are open to plant-based textures (n = 141); (C3) Consumers who prefer dairy-like texture but are open to novel flavor (n = 146); and (C4) Consumers who seek variety and novelty in both flavor and texture (n = 91). The results showed that consumer preferences for flavor and texture cues are important factors in shaping their motivations and barriers toward plant-based cheese. Specifically, product availability emerged as a significant barrier for those preferring dairy-like alternatives, while sensory perception and convenience were less influential for consumers who favor novelty. Notably, the consumer clusters did not show significant statistical differences in dietary pattern types, such as omnivores, flexitarians, vegetarians, or vegans. Understanding these dynamics is essential for developing effective strategies to promote plant-based cheese alternatives and cater to varying consumer needs.

Object identification is fundamental to animal behaviour and identifying nutritive objects is key for survival. Solitary insects emerging far from food sources and without access to social learning must therefore employ innate identification of food cues to locate relevant nutritive objects from a distance. Such innate preferences for food cues should be both specific enough to allow discrimination between food and non-food objects and general enough to allow for the variety of food objects relevant to the insect species. Here, we examined innate floral object identification behaviour in solitary generalist insect pollinator Eristalinus aeneus using an artificial floral object with both visual and olfactory cues previously found to be attractive to several hoverfly species across multiple environments. We used a subtractive two choice assay to present flower-naïve E. aeneus with a choice between this object and a similar object that differed in either a single visual or olfactory cue. We found that innate floral choices of the hoverfly E. aeneus are a product of broad, plant-based olfactory cues and visual cues, where a combination of radial symmetry and reflectance in the 300–400 nm and 500–700 nm wavelength range was particularly important for innate floral object preference. Our study, therefore, shows how solitary animals without prior experience can efficiently employ multimodal cues to identify multiple relevant nutritive objects.

Successful resolution of approach-avoidance conflict (AAC) is fundamentally important for survival, and its dysregulation is a hallmark of many neuropsychiatric disorders, and yet the underlying neural circuit mechanisms are not well elucidated. Converging human and animal research has implicated the anterior/ventral hippocampus (vHPC) as a key node in arbitrating AAC in a region-specific manner. In this study, we sought to target the vHPC CA1 projection pathway to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) to delineate its contribution to AAC decision-making, particularly in the arbitration of learned reward and punishment signals, as well as innate signals. To this end, we used pathway-specific chemogenetics in male and female Long Evans rats to inhibit the NAc shell projecting vHPC CA1 neurons while rats underwent a test in which cues of positive and negative valence were presented concurrently to elicit AAC. Additional behavioral assays of social preference and memory, reward and punishment cue processing, anxiety, and novelty processing were administered to further interrogate the conditions under which the vCA1-NAc shell pathway is recruited. Chemogenetic inhibition of the vCA1-NAc shell circuit resulted in animals exhibiting increased decision-making time and avoidance bias specifically in the face of motivational conflict, as the same behavioral phenotype was absent in separate conditioned cue preference and avoidance tests. vCA1-NAc shell inhibition also led to a reduction in seeking social interaction with a novel rat but did not alter anxiety-like behaviors. The vCA1-NAc shell circuit is therefore critically engaged in biasing decisions to approach in the face of social novelty and approach-avoidance conflict. Dysregulation of this circuit could lead to the precipitation of addictive behaviors in substance abuse, or maladaptive avoidance in situations of approach-avoidance conflict.

Successful resolution of approach-avoidance conflict (AAC) is fundamentally important for survival, and its dysregulation is a hallmark of many neuropsychiatric disorders, and yet the underlying neural circuit mechanisms are not well elucidated. Converging human and animal research has implicated the anterior/ventral hippocampus (vHPC) as a key node in arbitrating AAC in a region-specific manner. In this study, we sought to target the vHPC CA1 projection pathway to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) to delineate its contribution to AAC decision-making, particularly in the arbitration of learned reward and punishment signals, as well as innate signals. To this end, we used pathway-specific chemogenetics in male and female Long Evans rats to inhibit the NAc shell projecting vHPC CA1 neurons while rats underwent a test in which cues of positive and negative valence were presented concurrently to elicit AAC. Additional behavioral assays of social preference and memory, reward and punishment cue processing, anxiety, and novelty processing were administered to further interrogate the conditions under which the vCA1-NAc shell pathway is recruited. Chemogenetic inhibition of the vCA1-NAc shell circuit resulted in animals exhibiting increased decision-making time and avoidance bias specifically in the face of motivational conflict, as the same behavioral phenotype was absent in separate conditioned cue preference and avoidance tests. vCA1-NAc shell inhibition also led to a reduction in seeking social interaction with a novel rat but did not alter anxiety-like behaviors. The vCA1-NAc shell circuit is therefore critically engaged in biasing decisions to approach in the face of social novelty and approach-avoidance conflict. Dysregulation of this circuit could lead to the precipitation of addictive behaviors in substance abuse, or maladaptive avoidance in situations of approach-avoidance conflict.

Orthorexia nervosa (OrNe) is an eating disorder characterised by a pathological interest and preoccupation with healthy foods and a healthy diet. Evidence suggests that tendencies towards OrNe may be prevalent across diet groups, and this is particularly the case in vegans and vegetarians. Our previous work has identified that alongside individual differences in obsessive compulsiveness and perfectionism, cognitive biases (attentional preference for healthy-related cues) are associated with OrNe, whereas explicit identity (as a vegan/vegetarian) is only associated with a healthy orthorexia form. No work has assessed whether one’s known identity (explicit identity) or that form of identity which is based on fast acting cognitive associations (implicit identity) further differentiate healthy orthorexia from OrNe tendencies in addition to compulsiveness and perfectionism. One hundred and forty-four self-identified vegans (n = 45), vegetarians (n = 50) and meat-eaters (omnivores) (n = 49) (66 females, 74 males, 4 non-binary; M age = 35.09) completed measures of current hunger status, obsessive compulsivity, perfectionism, the Teruel Orthorexia Scale, perceived identity centrality as a vegan/vegetarian (explicit identity) and a “self as vegan/vegetarian” implicit association test (implicit identity). Results showed increased orthorexia tendencies in both vegans and vegetarians compared to meat eaters (omnivores) but only in terms of healthy orthorexia. In addition, no differences were shown for OrNe suggesting the diet type is not influential in pathological orthorexia. Explicit identity and current hunger status were both shown to be associated with healthy orthorexia and not OrNe. Implicit identity as a vegan/vegetarian was unrelated to both dimensions, while compulsiveness and perfectionism predicted OrNe. Despite individuals implicitly associating the self with being a vegan/vegetarian, this identity does not serve as a maker of orthorexia nervosa.

Refining the classification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) subtypes is essential for advancing personalized interventions strategies, given the substantial heterogeneity in phenotypic clinical symptoms among individuals with ASD. Thus, the current study integrated normative modeling, resting-state fMRI data, clinical assessment, and eye-gaze patterns to investigate potential ASD subtypes. By incorporating both static and instant dynamic (strength and variability) functional connectivity as predictive variables within the normative models, we aimed to delineate multi-level functional developmental trajectories. Our comprehensive analysis of 1046 participants (479 with ASD, 567 typical development) identified two distinct neural ASD subtypes with unique functional brain network profiles despite comparable clinical presentations. One ASD subtype was characterized by positive deviations in the occipital network and cerebellar network, coupled with negative deviations in the frontoparietal network, default mode network, and cingulo-opercular network. Conversely, the other subtype exhibited an inverse pattern of functional deviations across these networks. Furthermore, an independent cohort of 21 ASD individuals revealed that these neural subtypes were also associated with distinct gaze patterns assessed by two autism-sensitive eye-tracking tasks focused on preference for social cues. These findings emphasize the complexity and heterogeneity of ASD, uncovering the presence of neurobehavioral subtypes that extend beyond simple neural variations and manifest in diverse functional developmental patterns and behavioral presentations. This study underscores the importance of adopting personalized intervention strategies that cater to the individual needs of each person, rather than relying on a standardized, one-size-fits-all approach, despite the presence of similar clinical symptoms.

Freezing of gait (FoG) is a treatment-resistant symptom of Parkinson disease (PD). Augmented reality (AR) cues have been investigated as a therapy for FoG, with inconclusive results from a limited array of AR constructs. Compare four modalities of a novel AR cue to physical and no-cue controls. Presence of FoG in PD was required; exclusion criteria included dementia, severe vision loss, and significant gait-disrupting comorbidities. Participants completed six walking tasks, featuring different cueing conditions in a crossover fashion, in a holographic hallway displayed by an AR headset. A conventional physical cue was presented first, followed by other conditions in randomized order (hand-controlled AR cue, observer-controlled AR cue, eye-controlled AR cue, constant AR cue, no-cue control). Primary outcomes were FoG duration and incidence, manually annotated. Secondary outcomes included survey questions and gait parameters derived from IMUs. Thirty-six participants completed testing. The observer-controlled AR cue produced lower FoG duration than the no-cue, physical, and hand-controlled AR cue conditions (N=36, p≤0.006, Wilcoxon effect size (WES)≥0.46). The constant cue reduced FoG incidence compared to all other conditions (N=36, p≤0.016, WES≥0.40). Participants' preferred AR cues decreased FoG duration (N=28, p≤0.004, WES≥0.48) and incidence (N=28, p≤0.022, WES≥0.38) compared to controls. Differences in kinematic outcomes were negligible. Survey results indicated receptiveness toward AR cueing, with diversity in preferred cue activation modalities. No significant adverse events occurred. AR cueing decreased FoG incidence and duration compared to controls. Efficacy of discrete cueing modalities likely depends on user intrinsic factors, such as preference.

Reputation vs. price: Sequential recommendations based on cue diagnosticity theory