Providentia

Are Older Adults "Risky Readers?"

According to an influential account of aging effects on reading, older adults (65+ years) employ a more “risky” reading strategy compared to young adults (18–30 years), in which they attempt to compensate for slower processing by using lexical and contextual knowledge to guess upcoming (i.e., parafoveal) words more often. Consequently, while older adults may read more slowly, they might also skip words more often (by moving their gaze past words without fixating them), especially when these are of higher lexical frequency or more predictable from context. However, this characterization of aging effects on reading has been challenged recently following several failures to replicate key aspects of the risky reading hypothesis, as well as evidence that key effects predicted by the hypothesis are not observed in Chinese reading. To resolve this controversy, a recent study presents in the journal Psychology and Aging presented the results of  a meta-analysis of 102 eye movement experiments comparing the reading performance of young and older adults. Researchers focused on the reading of sentences displayed normally (i.e., without unusual formatting or structures, or use of gaze-contingent display-change techniques), conducted using an alphabetic script or Chinese, and including experiments manipulating the frequency or predictability of a specific target word. Meta-analysis confirmed that slower reading by older compared to younger adults is accompanied by increased word-skipping, although only for alphabetic scripts. Meta-analysis additionally showed that word-skipping probabilities are unaffected by age differences in word frequency or predictability effects, casting doubt on a central component of the risky reading hypothesis. We consider implications for future research on aging effects on reading. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

For the abstract

Do People With Mental Illness Age Faster?

A new study in the Psychiatric Rehabilation Journal compared physical functional measures of people with severe mental illness (SMI) to standardized geriatric values. Method: Retrospective analysis of physical functioning sample data of middle-aged people with SMI was compared to standardized older adult data. Compared: Sit to Stand Test (STS; n = 68), 6 min Walk Test (6MWT; n = 71), and Single Legged Stance Test (SLS; n = 55). One sample t tests were computed, using standardized values for older adult healthy populations, to identify differences for the group. Results: STS (M = 11.3 SD = 5.36), for the sample were comparable to 80–89 year old. The 6MWT values were significantly worse than 80–89-year-old range for women, t(28) = −2.88, p < .01, and men, t(40) = −5.32, p =. 00. SLS values for women and men were comparable to the 70–79-year-old range in the general population. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: People with SMI have functional fitness levels that are older than chronological age, and should be assessed regularly for physical functioning to support independent living. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

For the abstract

Making Chatbots More User-Friendly

Emotionally-responsive chatbots are marketed as agents with which one can form emotional connections. They can also become weak ties in the outer layers of one's acquaintance network and available for social support. A recent study in Computers In Human Behavior described an experiment designed to study the acquaintance process in whgichg randomly assigned 417 participants into three conditions: face-to-face (FTF) chat with a human, online chat with a human, and online chat with a commercially-available, emotionally-responsive chatbot, Replika. After a 20-min getting-acquainted chat, participants reported their affective state and relational evaluations of the chat. Additionally, all chats were recorded and text analyzed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) program. In all conditions, participants reported moderate levels of positive emotions and low levels of negative emotions. Those who chatted FTF with a human reported significantly more negative emotions than those who chatted with a bot. However, those who chatted with a human also reported more homophily with and liking of their chat partner and that their partner was more responsive. Meanwhile, participants had fewest conversational concerns with the chatbot. These findings have implications for future computer-mediated interaction studies: conversations with chatbots appear to have different affordances and effects on chatter enjoyment and conversational concerns in getting-acquainted contexts. These results may help designers improve reception and marketability for chatbots in consumer markets. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

For the abstract

Why Do People Believe in Astrology?

Belief in astrology is on the rise, although the reasons behind this are unclear. A new study published in Personality and Individual Differences tested whether individual personality traits could predict such epistemically unfounded beliefs. Data was collected for 264 participants through an anonymous online survey shared on social media. The survey consisted of four instruments: Belief in Astrology (BAI), the Big Five personality traits (IPIP-30), narcissism (SD3) and intelligence (ICAR16-R3D). Data analysis was done with multiple linear regression. Narcissism was surprisingly the strongest predictor, and intelligence showed a negative relationship with belief in astrology. Overall, these vel results suggest that something as innocent as astrology could both attract and possibly reinforce individual differences.

For the abstract

 

Can Mass Shootings Be Prevented?

Whenever a mass shooting is reported, whether in the United States or some other country, the inevitable questions arise over what may have motivated the shooter to go on a rampage. 

While the term "public mass shooting" typically applies to incidents with four or more victims, the distinction is usually lost on the ones traumatized by witnessing an active shooting, regardless of the actual number of victims involved. Admittedly, there has been a tremendous increase in mass shootings in the past few years. In fact, the five deadliest incidents in U.S. history occurred since 2007 alone, with the average number of victims increasing 47 percent since 2010.

There is also intense speculation over how such tragedies might be prevented, typically by focusing on presumed "causes" such as mental illness, easy availability of guns, or whether they play "shoot-em-up" video games, were bullied, belong to a radical organization, etc. But this fails to explain why the overwhelming majority of people who fall into the same categories do not become mass shooters. 

To read more, check out my new Psychology Today blog post.

Why Are People Single?

Not having an intimate partner constitutes a common state in contemporary societies, and a study published in Personality and Individual Differences, aimed to examine the relationship between personality, marital status and the length of singlehood. More specifically, we hypothesized that extraversion would be a significant predictor of singlehood. Consistent with this hypothesis, using a sample of 1418 Greek-speaking participants, we found that lower scores in extraversion were associated with higher probability to be involuntarily single than in an intimate relationship, and with more prolonged spells of singlehood. Furthermore, higher scores in openness were associated with higher probability to be voluntarily single than in an intimate relationship, and with more prolonged spells of singlehood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

For the abstract

COVID, Lockdowns, and Mental Health

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has put a great strain on people’s mental health. A growing number of studies have shown worsening mental health measures globally during the pandemic. However, there is a lack of empirical study on how people support their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. TA study published in Epidemiology and Mental Health Ser vices aimed to examine a number of formal and informal mental health support. Further, it explored factors that might be associated with the use of different types mental health support. Methods: Data from 26,720 adults in the UCL COVID-19 Social Study were analysed between 13th April 2020 and 3rd July 2020. Data were analysed using logistic and Poisson regression models. Results: About 45% of people reported talking to friends or family members to support their mental health, 43% engaging in self-care activities, 20% taking medication, 9% speaking to mental health professionals, 8% talking to a GP or other health professional, and another 8% using helpline or online services. Gender, education, living status, loneliness, pre-existing mental health conditions, general depression and anxiety, coping and personality were found to be associated with the use of mental health support. Conclusion: While the negative impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are inevitable, people can play an active role in managing their mental health. Understanding the patterns and predictors of various kinds of mental health support during the pandemic is crucial for future service planning and delivery through recognising potential barriers to mental health care faced by certain groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

For the abstract

When Autistic People Camouflage

Camouflaging includes strategies used by individuals to mask or hide autistic traits. Research has shown that both autistic and neurotypical individuals engage in camouflaging and that there may be sex differences in the reasons for camouflaging in autistic adults. A qualitative study recently published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders extends previous research on the lived experience of camouflaging through exploring camouflaging motivations and consequences in autistic and neurotypical adolescents through both questionnaires (n = 132) and semi-structured interviews (n = 19). Results revealed trends in camouflaging motivations and consequences by diagnosis and sex, as well as by sex within the autistic group. These findings further inform our understanding of camouflaging and why it may be reported as particularly detrimental for autistic females. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

For the abstract

Is Psychopathy Just for Weirdos?

The prevalence, manifestation and assessment of psychopathy might be influenced by culture. However, the vast majority of research on psychopathy has been carried out in a few Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic (WEIRD) countries. In contrast, there is limited knowledge in the Middle Eastern Arabic speaking countries for psychopathy.   A recent issue of the journal Mental Health, Religion & Culture showed a study using a  large sample of under-graduate university students (N = 850) from two Arab countries (Egypt and Kuwait) administered the original version of the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (LSRP) along with the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). The LSRP is better organized using a three-factor structure (Egocentrism, Callousness, and Antisocial) rather than its original two-factor model (primary and secondary psychopathy) and the reliabilities of all factors were found to be acceptable to high. In addition, all factors correlated negatively with agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion but positively with neuroticism. These results provide initial evidence for cross-cultural similarity of psychopathy construct. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

For the abstract (Open source)

Can Mental Illness Be Classified Genetically?

Typically, mental disorders are defined and classified based on clinical symptoms and syndromes. Although clinically useful, current diagnostic systems for psychiatry cause concerns due to the lack of biological mechanisms. Deciphering the relationships among psychiatric traits according to their genetic basis may facilitate understanding the biological mechanisms of psychiatric disorders. In a study published recently in Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, ten mental disorders were classified by genomic structural equation modeling (SEM), which leverages summary results of genome-wide association studies. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anorexia nervosa (AN), anxiety disorder (ANX), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), bipolar disorder (BD), major depressive disorder (MDD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia (SZ), and Tourette syndrome (TS) were included. The analysis indicates that they are genetically inter-correlated with one another and can be separated based on their general psychopathology. Most disorders have a close partner, forming pairs of traits; only TS is a relatively distinctive condition. At a higher level, MDD, ANX, ADHD, ASD, and PTSD cluster together, while OCD, AN, and TS cluster together. Together, the ten traits constitute a hierarchical classificatory system. This study allows inference of genetically determined classification of the ten mental disorders, which may biologically inform the current diagnostic framework and treatment regimens for mental disorders. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

For the abstract