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Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14288/6

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Open Access
A comprehensive ınvestigation of associations of objective and subjective socioeconomic status with perceived health and subjective well-being
(Ubiquity Press, 2020) Department of Psychology; Cemalcılar, Zeynep; Kezer, Murat; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; Graduate School of Social Sciences and Humanities; 40374; N/A
Socioeconomic status (SES) accounts for disparities in health and well-being. Recent studies consider the effects of individuals' subjective standing in society (i.e., subjective SES) as well as the traditional (objective) indicators of SES (i.e., income, education, occupational status), in predominantly Western samples. This study presents a comprehensive investigation of associations of objective and subjective SES with individuals' perceived health and well-being in a representative sample of young adults (aged 18-35; N = 3016) from a non-WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic) population (i.e., Turkey), employing polynomial regressions and plotting the results onto a three-dimensional plane. Findings confirmed the value of polynomial regression to understanding the relationship of different types of SES with perceived health and well-being. For instance, while perceived overall health was descriptively greater when objective-SES exceeded subjective-SES, the reverse was the case for happiness, one indicator of well-being. Our findings also suggest an additive effect of the two types of socioeconomic status on majority of the outcome variables; individuals' perceptions of overall health, life satisfaction, happiness, and financial satisfaction were enhanced when they reported higher scores on both objective and subjective SES.
Open Access
A multi-site collaborative study of the hostile priming effect
(University of California Press, 2021) McCarthy, Randy; Gervais, Will; Aczel, Balazs; Al-Kire, Rosemary L.; Aveyard, Mark; Baraldo, Silvia Marcella; Basch, Charlotte; Baumert, Anna; Bettencourt, Ann; Bitar, Adam; Bouxom, Hugo; Buck, Ashley; Chekroun, Peggy; Chen, Jacqueline M.; del Fresno-Diaz, Angel; Ducham, Alec; Edlund, John E.; ElBassiouny, Amanda; Evans, Thomas Rhys; Ewell, Patrick J.; Forscher, Patrick S.; Fuglestad, Paul T.; Hauck, Lauren; Hawk, Christopher E.; Hermann, Anthony D.; Hines, Bryon; Irumva, Mukunzi; Jordan, Lauren N.; Joy-Gaba, Jennifer A.; Haley, Catherine; Kacmar, Pavol; Koerner, Robert; Kosaka, Muriel; Kovacs, Marton; Lair, Elicia C.; Legal, Jean-Baptiste; Leighton, Dana C.; Magee, Michael W.; Markman, Keith; Martoncik, Marcel Mueller, Martin; Norman, Jasmine B.; Olsen, Jerome; Oyler, Danielle; Phills, Curtis E.; Ribeiro, Gianni; Rohain, Alia; Sakaluk, John; Schuetz, Astrid; Toribio-Florez, Daniel; Tsang, Jo-Ann; Vezzoli, Michela; Williams, Caitlin; Willis, Guillermo B.; Young, Jason; Zogmaister, Cristina; Department of Psychology; Baruh, Lemi; Cemalcılar, Zeynep; Kezer, Murat; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; Graduate School of Social Sciences and Humanities; 36113; 40374; N/A
In a now-classic study by Srull and Wyer (1979), people who were exposed to phrases with hostile content subsequently judged a man as being more hostile. And this “hostile priming effect” has had a significant influence on the field of social cognition over the subsequent decades. However, a recent multi-lab collaborative study (McCarthy et al., 2018) that closely followed the methods described by Srull and Wyer (1979) found a hostile priming effect that was nearly zero, which casts doubt on whether these methods reliably produce an effect. To address some limitations with McCarthy et al. (2018), the current multi-site collaborative study included data collected from 29 labs. Each lab conducted a close replication (total N = 2,123) and a conceptual replication (total N = 2,579) of Srull and Wyer's methods. The hostile priming effect for both the close replication (d = 0.09, 95% CI [-0.04, 0.22], z = 1.34, p =.16) and the conceptual replication (d = 0.05, 95% CI [-0.04, 0.15], z = 1.15, p =.58) were not significantly different from zero and, if the true effects are non-zero, were smaller than what most labs could feasibly and routinely detect. Despite our best efforts to produce favorable conditions for the effect to emerge, we did not detect a hostile priming effect. We suggest that researchers should not invest more resources into trying to detect a hostile priming effect using methods like those described in Srull and Wyer (1979).
Open Access
A multilevel analysis of the relationship between leaders' experiential avoidance and followers' well-being
(Springer, 2022) Köydemir, Selda; Fehn, Theresa; Bilgiç, İlkyaz D.; Gauglitz, İris; Schutz, Astrid; Department of Psychology; Varol, Melisa; Department of Psychology; Graduate School of Social Sciences and Humanities
Experiential avoidance is defined as a process involving excessive negative evaluations of difficult or unwanted feelings, thoughts, and sensations, an unwillingness to remain in contact with and express these experiences, and habitual attempts to avoid or control them. Experiential avoidance is closely associated with maladaptive functioning. Although the ability to connect with internal experiences has been considered an important element of effective leadership, this assumption has not yet been empirically tested. On the basis of the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy model of experiential avoidance and the propositions of leadership models (e.g., transformational and authentic leadership) that characterize leadership as an emotion-related process, we examined the relationship between leaders' experiential avoidance and their followers' well-being in a sample of leader-follower triads. Well-being outcomes were subjective happiness, purpose in life, and job satisfaction. We also tested the mediating roles of followers' basic psychological need satisfaction and need frustration in this relationship. Multilevel mediation model analyses suggested that followers' psychological need frustration but not need satisfaction mediated the relationship between leaders' experiential avoidance and followers' well-being outcomes. Thus, a rigid attitude toward one's internal experiences as a leader is a risk factor for followers' well-being because leaders with such attitudes may pay little attention to their followers and give rise to need frustration in their followers. Organizational efforts to increase leaders' flexibility in dealing with negative experiences can help foster well-being among both leaders and their followers.
Open Access
A review on complementary natures of tangible user interfaces (TUIs) and early spatial learning
(Elsevier, 2018) Department of Media and Visual Arts; Department of Psychology; Göksun, Tilbe; Alaca, Ilgım Veryeri; Yantaç, Asım Evren; Baykal, Gökçe Elif; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Department of Media and Visual Arts; Department of Psychology; KU Arçelik Research Center for Creative Industries (KUAR) / KU Arçelik Yaratıcı Endüstriler Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi (KUAR); College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 47278; 50569; 52621; N/A
Spatial skills are essential for everyday tasks, and technology blends seamlessly into children's everyday environment. Since spatiality as a term is ubiquitous in experience this paper bridges literature in two fields: theories on early spatial learning in cognitive development and potential benefits of tangible user interfaces (TUIs) for supporting very young children's spatial skills. Studies suggest that the period between 2 and 4 years of age is critical for training spatial skills (e.g., mental rotation), which relate to further success in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) disciplines. We first present a review of the empirical findings on spatial skills, early interventions, and tools (i.e., narrative and gesture input) recommended for training preschool children's spatial skills. By situating the work within the use and benefits of manipulatives (e.g., building blocks, puzzles, shapes) combined with digital affordances in interaction design, we address the relevance of TUIs as complementary tools for spatial learning. We concentrate on the supporting properties of TUIs that enable playful learning, make storytelling more concrete, and provide embodiment effects through physicality. Through various products found in the market and literature that address the physical–digital convergence, we invite designers and researchers to consider design practices and applicable technology that build on present efforts and paradigms in this area. To contribute to this area, we conclude with a discussion of the gaps in design methods to develop technologies for children younger than 4 years old, and propose directions for future work to leverage new tools that serve very young children's spatial learning and possible inquiries for dual payoff.
Open Access
A simplified model of communication between time cells: accounting for the linearly increasing timing imprecision
(Frontiers, 2019) Department of Psychology; Balcı, Fuat; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 51269
Many organisms can time intervals flexibly on average with high accuracy but substantial variability between the trials. One of the core psychophysical features of interval timing functions relates to the signatures of this timing variability; for a given individual, the standard deviation of timed responses/time estimates is nearly proportional to their central tendency (scalar property). Many studies have aimed at elucidating the neural basis of interval timing based on the neurocomputational principles in a fashion that would explain the scalar property. Recent experimental evidence shows that there is indeed a specialized neural system for timekeeping. This system, referred to as the “time cells,” is composed of a group of neurons that fire sequentially as a function of elapsed time. Importantly, the time interval between consecutively firing time cell ensembles has been shown to increase with more elapsed time. However, when the subjective time is calculated by adding the distributions of time intervals between these sequentially firing time cell ensembles, the standard deviation would be compressed by the square root function. In light of this information the question becomes, “How should the signaling between the sequentially firing time cell ensembles be for the resulting variability to increase linearly with time as required by the scalar property?” We developed a simplified model of time cells that offers a mechanism for the synaptic communication of the sequentially firing neurons to address this ubiquitous property of interval timing. The model is composed of a single layer of time cells formulated in the form of integrate-and-fire neurons with feed-forward excitatory connections. The resulting behavior is simple neural wave activity. When this model is simulated with noisy conductances, the standard deviation of the time cell spike times increases proportionally to the mean of the spike-times. We demonstrate that this statistical property of the model outcomes is robustly observed even when the values of the key model parameters are varied.
Open Access
Adverse childhood experiences and global mental health: avenues to reduce the burden of child and adolescent mental disorders
(Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2022) Ceccarelli, C.; Prina, E.; Muneghina, O.; Jordans, M.; Barker, E.; Miller, K.; Singh, R.; Sorsdhal, K.; Cuijpers, P.; Lund, C.; Barbui, C.; Purgato, M.; Department of Psychology; Acartürk, Ceren; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 39271
Mental disorders are one of the largest contributors to the burden of disease globally, this holds also for children and adolescents, especially in low-and middle-income countries. The prevalence and severity of these disorders are influenced by social determinants, including exposure to adversity. When occurring early in life, these latter events are referred to as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). In this editorial, we provide an overview of the literature on the role of ACEs as social determinants of mental health through the lenses of global mental health. While the relation between ACEs and mental health has been extensively explored, most research was centred in higher income contexts. We argue that findings from the realm of global mental health should be integrated into that of ACEs, e.g. through preventative and responsive psychosocial interventions for children, adolescents and their caregivers. The field of global mental health should also undertake active efforts to better address ACEs in its initiatives, all with the goal of reducing the burden of mental disorders among children and adolescents globally.
Open Access
Adverse childhood experiences and global mental health: avenues to reduce the burden of child and adolescent mental disorders- Corrigendum (vol 31, E75, 2022)
(Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2022) Ceccar, C.; Prina, E.; Muneghina, O.; Jordans, M.; Barker, E.; Miller, K.; Singh, R.; Sorsdhal, K.; Cuijpers, P.; Lund, C.; Barbui, C.; Purgato, M.; Department of Psychology; Acartürk, Ceren; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 39271
Open Access
Age-dependent decline in learning and memory performances of WAG/Rij rat model of absence epilepsy
(BioMed Central, 2012) Karson, Ayşe; Utkan, Tijen; Arıcıoğlu, Feyza; Ateş, Nurbay; Department of Psychology; Balcı, Fuat; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 51269
Recent clinical studies revealed emotional and cognitive impairments associated with absence epilepsy. Preclinical research with genetic models of absence epilepsy however have primarily focused on dysfunctional emotional processes and paid relatively less attention to cognitive impairment. In order to bridge this gap, we investigated age-dependent changes in learning and memory performance, anxiety-like behavior, and locomotor activity of WAG/Rij rats (a valid model of generalized absence epilepsy) using passive avoidance, Morris water maze, elevated plus maze, and locomotor activity cage. We tested 5 month-old and 13 month-old WAG/Rij rats and compared their performance to age-matched Wistar rats. Results revealed a decline in emotional and spatial memory of WAG/Rij rats compared to age-matched Wistar rats only at 13 months of age. Importantly, there were no significant differences between WAG/Rij and Wistar rats in terms of anxiety-like behavior and locomotor activity at either age. Results pointed at age-dependent learning and memory deficits in the WAG/Rij rat model of absence epilepsy.
Open Access
Aggression and multi-modal signaling in noise in a common urban songbird
(Springer, 2022) Department of Media and Visual Arts; Department of Psychology; Akçay, Çağlar; Yelimlieş, Alper; Önsal, Çağla; Faculty Member; Department of Media and Visual Arts; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 272053; N/A; N/A
Anthropogenic noise may disrupt signals used to mediate aggressive interactions, leading to more physical aggression between opponents. One solution to this problem is to switch signaling effort to a less noisy modality (e.g., the visual modality). In the present study, we investigate aggressive behaviors and signaling in urban and rural male European robins (Erithacus rubecula) in response to simulated intrusions with or without experimental noise. First, we predicted that urban birds, living in noisier habitats, would be generally more aggressive than rural birds. We also predicted that during simulated intrusions with experimental noise, robins would increase their physical aggression and show a multi-modal shift, i.e., respond with more visual threat displays and sing fewer songs. Finally, we expected the multi-modal shift in response to noise to be stronger in urban birds compared to rural birds. The results showed that urban birds were more aggressive than rural robins, but an increase in aggression with experimental noise was seen only in the rural birds. Urban but not rural birds decreased their song rate in response to noise. Contrary to the multi-modal shift hypothesis, however, there was no evidence of a concurrent increase in visual signals. These results point to a complex role of immediate plasticity and longer-term processes in affecting communication during aggressive interactions under anthropogenic noise. Significance statement Human activity has an enormous effect on wildlife, including on their social behavior. Animals living in urban areas often tend to be more aggressive than those living in rural areas, which may be due to urban acoustic noise making communication between individuals more difficult. In a study with a common songbird, the European robin, we investigated the role of urban acoustic noise in aggression and territorial communication. Urban robins were more aggressive than rural robins, and additional noise in the territory increased aggression in rural but not urban robins. While urban robins decreased their singing effort with additional noise, they did not increase visual signals concurrently. These results suggest that noise can indeed make animals behave more aggressively although the effect may depend on how noisy it is already. These results further our understanding of how human-made noise changes animal communication and social behavior.
Open Access
Aging, gesture production, and disfluency in speech: a comparison of younger and older adults
(Wiley, 2022) Department of Psychology; Göksun, Tilbe; Arslan, Burcu; Faculty Member; PhD Student; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; Graduate School of Social Sciences and Humanities; 47278; N/A
Age-related changes are observed in the speech and gestures of neurotypical individuals. Older adults are more disfluent in speech and use fewer representational gestures (e.g., holding two hands close to each other to mean small), compared to younger adults. Using gestures, especially representational gestures, is common in difficult tasks to aid the conceptualization process and to facilitate lexical access. This study investigates how aging can affect gesture production and the co-occurrence between gesture and speech disfluency. We elicited speech and gesture samples from younger and older adults (N = 60) by using a painting description task that provided concrete and abstract contexts. Results indicated that albeit the two age groups revealed comparable overall speech disfluency and gesture rates, they differed in terms of how their disfluencies and gestures were distributed across specific categories. Moreover, the proportion of speech disfluencies that occur with a gesture was significantly higher for younger than older adults. However, the two age groups were comparable in terms of the proportion of gestures that were accompanied by a speech disfluency. These findings suggest that younger adults' language production system might be better at benefiting from other modalities, that is, gesture, to resolve temporary problems in speech planning. However, from a gesture perspective, it might be difficult to differentiate between gestures' self-oriented and communicative functions and understand their role in speech facilitation. Focusing on specific cases where speech disfluency and gestures co-occur and considering individual differences might bring insight into multimodal communication.
Open Access
Ambivalent stereotypes link to peace, conflict, and inequality across 38 nations
(National Academy of Sciences, 2017) Durante, Federica; Fiske, Susan T.; Gelfand, Michele J.; Crippa, Franca; Suttora, Chiara; Stillwell, Amelia; Asbrock, Frank; Bye, Hege H.; Carlsson, Rickard; Bjorklund, Fredrik; Dagher, Munqith; Geller, Armando; Larsen, Christian Albrekt; Latif, Abdel-Hamid Abdel; Mahonen, Tuuli Anna; Jasinskaja-Lahti, Inga; Teymoori, Ali; Department of Psychology; Aycan, Zeynep; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 5798
A cross-national study, 49 samples in 38 nations (n = 4,344), investigates whether national peace and conflict reflect ambivalent warmth and competence stereotypes: High-conflict societies (Pakistan) may need clearcut, unambivalent group images distinguishing friends from foes. Highly peaceful countries (Denmark) also may need less ambivalence because most groups occupy the shared national identity, with only a few outcasts. Finally, nations with intermediate conflict (United States) may need ambivalence to justify more complex intergroup-system stability. Using the Global Peace Index to measure conflict, a curvilinear (quadratic) relationship between ambivalence and conflict highlights how both extremely peaceful and extremely conflictual countries display lower stereotype ambivalence, whereas countries intermediate on peace-conflict present higher ambivalence. These data also replicated a linear inequality-ambivalence relationship.
Open Access
An inquiry into the TUI design space for parent-child math engagement at home
(Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), 2022) Department of Psychology; Department of Media and Visual Arts; Beşevli, Ceylan; Göksun, Tilbe; Özcan, Oğuzhan; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; Department of Media and Visual Arts; KU Arçelik Research Center for Creative Industries (KUAR) / KU Arçelik Yaratıcı Endüstriler Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi (KUAR); College of Social Sciences and Humanities; N/A; 47278; 12532
Preschoolers' early-math development is vital for their later math and academic achievement. Tangible user interfaces (TUI) may support early math as they feature physical objects imperative to math development and multimedia to support engagement. As a potentially meaningful context for TUIs, developmental studies highlight the need to support the home math environment (HME) that covers math-related interactions among parents and children. Therefore, we focus on HME as a design space that has not been investigated in TUI literature. We conducted an observational study involving physical-object based math activities and semi-structured interviews with 13 parent-child dyads. Our findings revealed the multifaceted nature of the HME, where children's agency is valued and providing lasting materials is challenging. Also, we realized that parents juggled their child's demands and the object-based physical activity at once. By reflecting on these findings, we propose design directions for supporting the home-math environment with TUIs.
Open Access
Any way the wind blows: children's inferences about force and motion events
(Elsevier, 2019) George, Nathan R.; Hirsh-Pasek, Kathy; Golinkoff, Roberta Michnick; Department of Psychology; Göksun, Tilbe; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 47278
Goksun, George, Hirsh-Pasek, and Golinkoff (2013) used force dynamics, or the semantic categories defined by spatial arrays of forces, to study the development of preschoolers' predictions about the outcomes of forces working in concert. The current study extends this approach to problems requiring inferences about causal factors. In total, 30 5- and 6-year-old children were asked to identify and coordinate forces to achieve a result. Problems varied in the number and orientation of forces, mirroring spatial arrays characteristic of categories like prevent (i.e., opposing forces). Children successfully inferred causes of single- and dual-force events, performing best when problems reflected the spatial arrays of forces described in language. Results support force dynamics as a valuable framework for the development of force and motion representations.
Open Access
Automated, quantitative cognitive/behavioral screening of mice: for genetics, pharmacology, animal cognition and undergraduate instruction
(Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE), 2014) Gallistel, C. R.; Freestone, David; Kheifets, Aaron; King, Adam; Department of Psychology; Balcı, Fuat; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 51269
We describe a high-throughput, high-volume, fully automated, live-in 24/7 behavioral testing system for assessing the effects of genetic and pharmacological manipulations on basic mechanisms of cognition and learning in mice. A standard polypropylene mouse housing tub is connected through an acrylic tube to a standard commercial mouse test box. The test box has 3 hoppers, 2 of which are connected to pellet feeders. All are internally illuminable with an LED and monitored for head entries by infrared (IR) beams. Mice live in the environment, which eliminates handling during screening. They obtain their food during two or more daily feeding periods by performing in operant (instrumental) and Pavlovian (classical) protocols, for which we have written protocol-control software and quasi-real-time data analysis and graphing software. The data analysis and graphing routines are written in a MATLAB-based language created to simplify greatly the analysis of large time-stamped behavioral and physiological event records and to preserve a full data trail from raw data through all intermediate analyses to the published graphs and statistics within a single data structure. The data-analysis code harvests the data several times a day and subjects it to statistical and graphical analyses, which are automatically stored in the "cloud" and on in-lab computers. Thus, the progress of individual mice is visualized and quantified daily. The data-analysis code talks to the protocol-control code, permitting the automated advance from protocol to protocol of individual subjects. The behavioral protocols implemented are matching, autoshaping, timed hopper-switching, risk assessment in timed hopper-switching, impulsivity measurement, and the circadian anticipation of food availability. Open-source protocol-control and data-analysis code makes the addition of new protocols simple. Eight test environments fit in a 48 in x 24 in x 78 in cabinet; two such cabinets (16 environments) may be controlled by one computer.
Open Access
Bayesian Behavioral Systems Theory
(Elsevier, 2019) Department of Psychology; Balcı, Fuat; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 51269
Behavioral Systems Theory suggests that observable behavior is embedded in a hierarchy. A CS elicits behavior because, after learning, it activates a pathway through this hierarchy. Much of Timberlake's body of work on Behavioral Systems Theory focuses on the conditions that support the conditioning of these pathways. Most notably, his work shows that the identity of the CS, US, and the CS–US interval all help support conditioning of the system. Here, we use recent experiments in the interval timing literature to motivate a Bayesian implementation of Behavioral Systems Theory. There is a probability distribution over possible pathways through the hierarchy, and the one that maximizes reinforcement is elicited. This probability distribution is conditioned on background information, like the CS–US interval and the animal's motivational state. Lower level actions of the hierarchy, like tracking prey, are conditioned on higher level goals, like the general search for food. Our implementation of Behavioral Systems Theory captures the essential features of Timberlake's verbal model; it acts as a glue, integrating sensory, timing, and decision mechanisms with observed behavior.
Open Access
Beliefs about sleep paralysis in Turkey: Karabasan attack
(Sage, 2021) Jalal, Baland; Eskici, H. Sevde; Hinton, Devon E.; Department of Psychology; Acartürk, Ceren; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 39271
The present study examined explanations of sleep paralysis (SP) in Turkey. The participants were 59 college students recruited in Istanbul, Turkey, who had experienced SP at least once in their lifetime. Participants were administered the Sleep Paralysis Experiences and Phenomenology Questionnaire (SP-EPQ) in an interview. When asked whether they had heard of a name for SP, the vast majority (88%) mentioned the ""Karabasan""-a spirit-like creature rooted in Turkish folk tradition. Seventeen percent of the participants believed that their SP might have been caused by this supernatural creature. Thirty-seven percent of participants applied various supernatural and religious methods to prevent future SP attacks such as dua (supplicating to God), reciting the Quran, and wearing a musqa (a type of talisman inscribed with Quranic verses). Case studies are presented to illustrate these findings. The Karabasan constitutes a culturally specific, supernatural interpretation of the phenomenology of SP in Turkey.
Open Access
Bilingualism and task switching: the need for experimental designs
(Türk Psikologlar Derneği, 2021) Department of Psychology; Seçer, İlmiye; Teaching Faculty; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 330365
The extant literature illustrates the positive effect of bilingualism on task switching abilities. In particular, frequency of language switching and task switching abilities have been shown to be positively correlated. However, not all studies find a beneficial effect of bilingualism on cognition indicating that rather than bilingualism per se other factors such as uncontrolled confounding factors such as socio-economic status and small sample sizes drive any group differences. To date, the majority of the research conducted in this area have employed quasi-experimental designs and correlational methods, which do not determine the effect of bilingualism on cognition. That is, it is unclear whether bilinguals have improved cognition because they speak two languages or whether people with better cognition become bilingual. For such reasons, there is a need for experimental designs that examine bilingualism and task switching abilities in older children, younger adults and older adults. This design entails a pre-test of task switching abilities of monolingual individuals in which thereafter they are randomly allocated to an experimental and control group. Only participants in the experimental group continue to learn a second language and then all participants are tested for their task switching abilities once again. The aim of the current paper is to provide an overview of the current literature related to bilingualism and task switching and suggest methodological future directions. Methodological improvements for future studies include the use of a pre and posttest design, random allocation of participants to groups, inclusion of active control groups, and the assessment of participants’ prior knowledge of the relation between bilingualism and task switching abilities and their level of motivation to do well on switching tasks. / Birçok araştırma iki dilliliğin geçiş görev becerilerini olumlu etkilediğini göstermektedir. Özellikle, iki dil arasındaki geçiş yapma miktarı ile geçiş görev becerilerinin birbirleriyle ilişkili olduğu bulunmuştur. Fakat tüm araştırmalar aynı kanıda olmamakla birlikte bazı araştırmalar gruplar arası farklılıkları iki dilden ziyade kontrol edilmeyen faktörlere, örneğin sosyoekonomik düzeye veya katılımcı sayısının yetersizliğine yormuştur. Günümüzde bu alandaki araştırmaların çoğunluğu yarı deneysel desen ve korelasyon yöntemini kullanmıştır. Fakat bu yöntemlerle daha gelişmiş merkezi yönetici işlemleri olan bireyler mi ikinci bir dil edinmektedir, yoksa bu bireyler ikinci bir dil öğrendiği için mi geçiş görev becerileri gelişmektedir belirlemek imkânsızdır. Bundan dolayı büyük çocuklar, genç ve ileri yaşlı yetişkin örneklemlerini içeren deneysel desen araştırmalarına ihtiyaç vardır. Bu desene göre tek dilli katılımcılar, geçiş görev becerilerinin ölçülmesinin ardından seçkisiz bir şekilde deney veya kontrol grubuna atanır ve sadece deney grubundaki bireyler ikinci bir dil öğrenir. Ardından her iki grubun geçiş görev becerileri tekrardan ölçülerek, dil edinmenin etkileri incelenir. Dolayısıyla bu yazının amacı iki dillilik ile geçiş görev becerilerine ait mevcut literatür bulgularını gözden geçirip gelecek araştırmalar için yöntemsel önerilerde bulunmaktır. Bu alandaki araştırmaların iyileşebilmesi için dikkat edilmesi gereken hususlar ise şöyledir: ön-test ve son-testin olması, gruplara rastgele atama yapılması, aktif kontrol gruplarının olması. Aynı zamanda katılımcıların iki dillilik ile geçiş görev becerileri arasındaki ilişkiyle ilgili herhangi bir bilgisinin olup olmadığının öğrenilmesi ve geçiş görevlerinde başarılı olabilmeleri için olan motivasyonlarının ölçülmesi önemlidir.
Open Access
Birdsong learning is mutually beneficial for tutee and tutor in song sparrows
(Elsevier, 2020) Beecher, Michael D.; Campbell, S. Elizabeth; Department of Psychology; Akçay, Çağlar; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 272053
Song learning is generally assumed to be beneficial for a young songbird, but merely incidental, without costs or benefits, for the older song ‘tutors’. In the present study we contrast two mutually exclusive hypotheses about the tutor/tutee relationship: (1) that it is cooperative, or at least mutually tolerant, with tutor and tutee mutually benefiting from their relationship, versus (2) that it is competitive, with tutor and tutee competing over territory, so that one or the other suffers negative fitness consequences of their relationship. In a field study of three consecutive cohorts of song sparrows, Melospiza melodia morphna, we determined the older bird (primary tutor) from whom the young bird (tutee) learned most of his songs, and how long tutee and primary tutor survived subsequently. We found that the more songs a tutee learns from his primary tutor, the longer their mutual survival on their respective territories. While the number of songs they share predicts the mutual survival of tutor and tutee, it does not predict the independent survival of tutor or tutee, suggesting that the benefit each receives from song sharing exists only so long as both survive.
Open Access
But for the bad, there would not be good: grounding valence in brightness through shared relational structures
(American Psychological Association (APA), 2011) Lakens, Daniel; Foroni Francesco; Department of Psychology; Semin, Gün Refik; Researcher; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 58066
Light and dark are used pervasively to represent positive and negative concepts. Recent studies suggest that black and white stimuli are automatically associated with negativity and positivity. However, structural factors in experimental designs, such as the shared opposition in the valence (good vs. bad) and brightness (light vs. dark) dimensions might play an important role in the valence– brightness association. In 6 experiments, we show that while black ideographs are consistently judged to represent negative words, white ideographs represent positivity only when the negativity of black is coactivated. The positivity of white emerged only when brightness and valence were manipulated within participants (but not between participants) or when the negativity of black was perceptually activated by presenting positive and white stimuli against a black (vs. gray) background. These findings add to an emerging literature on how structural overlap between dimensions creates associations and highlight the inherently contextualized construction of meaning structures.
Open Access
Causal mediation analysis in the presence of post-treatment confounding variables: a Monte Carlo simulation study
(Frontiers, 2020) MacKinnon, David P.; Valente, Matthew J.; Department of Psychology; Sakarya, Yasemin Kisbu; Selçuk, Esra Çetinkaya; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; Graduate School of Social Sciences and Humanities; 219275; N/A
In many disciplines, mediating processes are usually investigated with randomized experiments and linear regression to determine if the treatment affects the outcome through a mediator. However, randomizing the treatment will not yield accurate causal direct and indirect estimates unless certain assumptions are satisfied since the mediator status is not randomized. This study describes methods to estimate causal direct and indirect effects and reports the results of a large Monte Carlo simulation study on the performance of the ordinary regression and modern causal mediation analysis methods, including a previously untested doubly robust sequential g-estimation method, when there are confounders of the mediator-to-outcome relation. Results show that failing to measure and incorporate potential post-treatment confounders in a mediation model leads to biased estimates, regardless of the analysis method used. Results emphasize the importance of measuring potential confounding variables and conducting sensitivity analysis.