A cross-culture, cross-gender comparison of perspective taking mechanisms

Being able to judge another person's visuo-spatial perspective is an essential social skill, hence we investigated the generalizability of the involved mechanisms across cultures and genders. Developmental, cross-species, and our own previous research suggest that two different forms of perspective taking can be distinguished, which are subserved by two distinct mechanisms. The simpler form relies on inferring another's line-of-sight, whereas the more complex form depends on embodied transformation into the other's orientation in form of a simulated body rotation. Our current results suggest that, in principle, the same basic mechanisms are employed by males and females in both, East-Asian (EA; Chinese) and Western culture. However, we also confirmed the hypothesis that Westerners show an egocentric bias, whereas EAs reveal an other-oriented bias. Furthermore, Westerners were slower overall than EAs and showed stronger gender differences in speed and depth of embodied processing. Our findings substantiate differences and communalities in social cognition mechanisms across genders and two cultures and suggest that cultural evolution or transmission should take gender as a modulating variable into account.

Mobile note taking:investigating the efficacy of mobile text entry

When designing interaction techniques for mobile devices we must ensure users are able to safely navigate through their physical environment while interacting with their mobile device. Non-speech audio has proven effective at improving interaction on mobile devices by allowing users to maintain visual focus on environmental navigation while presenting information to them via their audio channel. The research described here builds on this to create an audio-enhanced single-stroke-based text entry facility that demands as little visual resource as possible. An evaluation of the system demonstrated that users were more aware of their errors when dynamically guided by audio-feedback. The study also highlighted the effect of handwriting style and mobility on text entry; designers of handwriting recognizers and of applications involving mobile note taking can use this fundamental knowledge to further develop their systems to better support the mobility of mobile text entry.

Taking the carbon out of the car

Effective measures are being taken to reduce emissions from cars, which are now emerging as a major contributor to climate change. Developed countries will need to reduce emissions by at least 80% by 2050 to achieve stabilization of atmospheric CO2 concentration between 450 and 550 ppm, and have a unique opportunity to avoid the most damaging effects of climate change. The UK is aiming at completely decarbonising transport by 2050 through a combination of more efficient vehicles, cleaner fuels, and smart driving choices. The European Commission has proposed a mandatory CO2 target on new car CO 2 efficiency, which is an urgent needed development. The nation is also using regulatory targets for local schemes, such as free parking or congestion charging, break points for company car tax, and vehicle excise duty. Car ownership and use should thereby continue to drive economic growth and enhance quality of life around the world without destroying the planet.

Improving the description of the retinal vasculature and patient history taking for monitoring systemic hypertension

Systemic hypertension is an important public health concern. If optometrists are to perform a more active role in the detection and monitoring of high blood pressure (BP), there is a need to improve the consistency of describing the retinal vasculature and to assess patient's ability to correctly report the diagnosis of hypertension, its control and medication. One hundred and one patients aged >40 years were dilated and had fundus photography performed. BP was measured and a self-reported history of general health and current medication was compared with the records of their general practitioner (GP). The status of the retinal vasculature was quantified using a numeric scale by five clinicians and this was compared to the same evaluation performed with the aid of a basic pictorial grading scale. Image analysis was used to objectively measure the artery-to-vein (A/V) ratio and arterial reflex. Arteriolar tortuosity and calibre changes were found to be the most sensitive retinal signs of high BP. Using the grading scale to describe the retinal vasculature significantly improved inter- and intra-observer repeatability. Almost half the patients examined were on medication for high BP or cardiovascular disease. Patients' ability to give their complete medical history was poor, as was their ability to recall what medication they had been prescribed. GPs indicated it was useful to receive details of their patient's BP when it was >140/90 mmHg. The use of improved description of the retinal vasculature and stronger links between optometrists and GPs may enhance future patient care. © 2001 The College of Optometrists. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perspective-taking mediates the imagined contact effect

We investigated the potential for mental imagery to reduce intergroup bias in Cyprus, an island that has suffered from interethnic tension for over 40 years. Seventy-three Turkish Cypriots were asked to imagine a scenario in which they interacted with Greek Cypriots, compared to those imagining an outdoor scene. Subsequently, participants in the imagined contact condition reported more positive outgroup evaluations. Mediational analysis showed this relationship was explained by increased levels of perspective-taking. The findings highlight theoretical and practical possibilities for future imagined contact research.

History and symptom taking in contact lens fitting and aftercare

Aim: To appraise history and symptom taking for contact lens consultations, to determine current practice and to make recommendations for best practice. Method: The peer reviewed academic literature was reviewed and the results informed a survey completed by 256 eye care practitioners (ECPs) on their current practice and influences. Results: The last eye-test date, last contact lens aftercare (for existing wearers) and reason for visit are key questions for most ECPs. Detailed use of contact lens questions are more commonly applied in aftercares than when refitting patients who have previously discontinued wear (87% vs 56% use), whereas questions on ocular and general history, medication and lifestyle were generally more commonly utilised for new patients than in aftercares (72% vs 50%). 75% of ECPs requested patients bring a list of their medication to appointments. Differential diagnosis questioning was thorough in most ECPs (87% of relevant questions asked). Attempts to optimise compliance included oral instruction (95% always) and written patient instructions (95% at least sometimes). Abbreviations were used by 39% of respondents (26% used ones provided by a professional body). Conclusion: There is scope for more consistency in history and symptom taking for contact lens consultations and recommendations are made.

Rhythm makes the world go round:an MEG-TMS study on the role of right TPJ theta oscillations in embodied perspective taking

While some aspects of social processing are shared between humans and other species, some aspects are not. The former seems to apply to merely tracking another's visual perspective in the world (i.e., what a conspecific can or cannot perceive), while the latter applies to perspective taking in form of mentally “embodying” another's viewpoint. Our previous behavioural research had indicated that only perspective taking, but not tracking, relies on simulating a body schema rotation into another's viewpoint. In the current study we employed Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and revealed that this mechanism of mental body schema rotation is primarily linked to theta oscillations in a wider brain network of body-schema, somatosensory and motor-related areas, with the right posterior temporo-parietal junction (pTPJ) at its core. The latter was reflected by a convergence of theta oscillatory power in right pTPJ obtained by overlapping the separately localised effects of rotation demands (angular disparity effect), cognitive embodiment (posture congruence effect), and basic body schema involvement (posture relevance effect) during perspective taking in contrast to perspective tracking. In a subsequent experiment we interfered with right pTPJ processing using dual pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (dpTMS) and observed a significant reduction of embodied processing. We conclude that right TPJ is the crucial network hub for transforming the embodied self into another's viewpoint, body and/or mind, thus, substantiating how conflicting representations between self and other may be resolved and potentially highlighting the embodied origins of high-level social cognition in general.

Medicine-taking behaviour in schizophrenia - part 1

In this, the first of two articles, Celia Feetam and Hannah Roberts focus on factors contributing to poor medicine-taking behaviour in schizophrenia and the consequences of this. The second article will consider treatment variables that may influence such behaviour and the interventions that have been proposed to improve medicine-taking behaviour in those diagnosed with schizophrenia. These articles follow on from two articles published in Progress in 2009 on Medicine-taking behaviour in depression.

Taking risks in the face of uncertainty:an exploratory analysis of green innovation

The relationship between uncertainty and firms’ risk-taking behaviour has been a focus of investigation since early discussion of the nature of enterprise activity. Here, we focus on how firms’ perceptions of environmental uncertainty and their perceptions of the risks involved impact on their willingness to undertake green innovation. Analysis is based on a cross-sectional survey of UK food companies undertaken in 2008. The results reinforce the relationship between perceived environmental uncertainty and perceived innovation risk and emphasise the importance of macro-uncertainty in shaping firms’ willingness to undertake green innovation. The perceived (market-related) riskiness of innovation also positively influences the probability of innovating, suggesting either a proactive approach to stimulating market disruption or an opportunistic approach to innovation leadership.

Unveiling faculty conceptions of academic risk taking:a phenomenographic study

Among recent developments in the field of higher education is the emergence of New Public Management and of what has been labelled as ‘risk university’. The aim of this paper is to redress the lack of discussion over the role that risk taking plays in academic practice by exploring what faculty understand academic risk taking to be and how they enact this understanding in their tasks. Drawing on a phenomenographic perspective and semi-structured interviews with 20 faculty members from a high-profile UK university, we find that academic risk taking is experienced in four qualitatively different ways. Our results suggest that although academics engage in relatively similar endeavours, they exhibit various approaches to these endeavours due to their different conceptions of what constitutes academic risk taking. These findings have implications for the literature on identity construction and the debate over how the greater accountability of academic activity is affectively experienced.