The public is more accepting of psychologists’ involvement in national security settings, including involvement in many of the activities highlighted as problematic, than are psychologists

Thornewill, A., DeMatteo, D., & Heilbrun, K. (2019). In the immediate wake of Hoffman’s independent review: Psychologist and general public perceptions. American Psychologist, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000497 

Abstract: In 2015, the American Psychological Association (APA) commissioned an independent review (IR) to examine APA’s potential involvement with “enhanced interrogation” procedures following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The IR concluded that certain APA officials acted together with the Department of Defense to “align APA and curry favor with” the Department of Defense to allow the involvement of psychologists in such enhanced interrogations (Hoffman et al., 2015, p. 9). Discussion following the IR’s release underscored differences in the views of psychologists regarding the IR’s conclusions. Despite extensive discussion, there is only anecdotal evidence regarding the views of psychologists on many of the questions investigated in the IR. This study examined the opinions of psychologists and the public shortly after the IR’s release regarding the roles of psychologists in national security interrogations and other non-treatment-focused contexts. This survey of psychologists (N = 1,146) engaged in treatment-focused and non-treatment-focused activities, and of the general public (N = 522), sheds light on the broader perceptions of the IR’s conclusions, and is relevant in considering future directions for the profession. Results suggest that the public is more accepting of psychologists’ involvement in national security settings, including involvement in many of the activities highlighted as problematic in the IR, than are psychologists. The perceptions of treatment-focused and non-treatment-focused psychologists regarding the appropriate roles of psychologists in national security settings did not differ significantly. These empirical data should help inform the ongoing discussion in this area. None of the authors is associated with an unequivocal position on the IR or the issues addressed as part of it.

From 2015... Envy would be most strongly experienced in response to others who had highly divisible resources that participants did not believe would be shared

Effects of resource divisibility and expectations of sharing on envy. Yumi Inoue et al. Motivation and Emotion, December 2015, Volume 39, Issue 6, pp 961–972. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11031-015-9498-6

Abstract: In three experiments, we provide evidence that resource divisibility and expectations of sharing influence the degree to which envy arises in response to another’s superior resources. We manipulated the resource divisibility (e.g., 2 coins worth approximately $5.50 each vs. a single note worth approximately $11) and expectations of sharing were measured (Experiments 1 and 2) and manipulated (Experiment 3). Findings in these three experiments supported our hypothesis that envy would be most strongly experienced in response to others who had highly divisible resources that participants did not believe would be shared. These findings offer novel insights into the adaptive function of envy, which may promote sharing of divisible resources.

Keywords: Envy Sharing Divisibility Expectations

In recent years, equity-based compensation represents almost 45% of total compensation to high-skilled labor; ignoring such income results in incorrect measurement of the returns to such labor

Human Capitalists. Andrea L. Eisfeldt, Antonio Falato, and Mindy Z. Xiaolan. Stanford Univ, Jul 2019. https://economics.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj9386/f/abstract_5.pdf

Abstract: The widespread and growing practice of equity-based compensation has transformed high-skilled labor from a pure labor input into a class of “human capitalists”. We show that high-skilled labor income in the form of equity claims to firms’ future dividends and capital gains has dramatically increased since the 1980s. Indeed, in recent years, equity-based compensation represents almost 45% of total compensation to high-skilled labor. Ignoring such income results in incorrect measurement of the returns to high-skilled labor, with important implications for macroeconomics. Including equity-based compensation to high-skilled labor cuts the total decline in the labor share since the 1980’s by over 60%, and completely reverses the decline in the high skilled labor share to an increase of almost 1%. Correctly measuring the return to high-skilled labor can thus resolve the puzzling lack of a skill premium in recent data, as well as the corresponding lack of evidence of complementarity between high-skilled labor and new-economy physical capital. Moreover, tackling the capital structure question of who owns firms’ profits is necessary to provide a link between changing factor shares and changing income and wealth shares. We use an estimated model to understand the rise of human capitalists in an economy with declining capital goods prices. Finally, we present corroborating cross section and time series evidence for complementarity between high-skilled labor and physical capital using our corrected measure of the total return to human capitalists.

Declines in vocabulary of American adults, 1974–2016: As educational attainment has increased, those at each educational level are less verbally skilled

Declines in vocabulary among American adults within levels of educational attainment, 1974–2016. Jean M. Twenge et al. Intelligence, Volume 76, September–October 2019, 101377, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2019.101377

Highlights
• When controlled for educational attainment, adults' vocabulary skills have declined.
• The vocabulary of U.S. college graduates was lower in the 2010s vs. the late 1970s.
• Vocabulary declined across all levels of educational attainment.
• The decline in vocabulary is primarily a time period effect.

Abstract: We examined trends over time in vocabulary, a key component of verbal intelligence, in the nationally representative General Social Survey of U.S. adults (n = 29,912). Participants answered multiple-choice questions about the definitions of 10 specific words. When controlled for educational attainment, the vocabulary of the average U.S. adult declined between the mid-1970s and the 2010s. Vocabulary declined across all levels of educational attainment (less than high school, high school or 2-year college graduate, bachelor's or graduate degree), with the largest declines among those with a bachelor's or graduate degree. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses separating the effects of age, time period, and cohort suggest that the decline is primarily a time period effect. Increasing educational attainment has apparently not improved verbal ability among Americans. Instead, as educational attainment has increased, those at each educational level are less verbally skilled even though the vocabulary skills of the whole population are unchanged.

Despite the popularity of the Ancient Greek maxim ‘know thyself’, the importance of self-insight for adjustment, or effective psychological functioning, is not there: There is no better adjustment

Self-insight into emotional and cognitive abilities is not related to higher adjustment. Joyce C. He & Stéphane Côté. Nature Human Behaviour, July 22 2019. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-019-0644-0

Abstract: Despite the popularity of the Ancient Greek maxim ‘know thyself’, the importance of self-insight for adjustment, or effective psychological functioning, remains unclear. Here we examined four perspectives about how cognitive and emotional abilities and self-views about these abilities relate to adjustment. We administered tests of cognitive and emotional abilities and assessed self-views about these abilities. Participants then completed daily diaries for a week to report multiple self-reported indicators of adjustment. We analysed data using polynomial regression and response surface analysis. We found no support for benefits of self-insight. The conditions to infer support for linear or curvilinear associations between abilities or self-views about these abilities and adjustment were also not met. The findings suggest that giving employees and students feedback about their cognitive and emotional abilities in organizations and in schools may not enhance their adjustment. We discuss the limitations of our study and offer suggestions for future research.

Women strongly prefer a highly educated potential partner in dating app Tinder; men have not aversion to a highly educated partner; & there is no preference for a partner with a similar education level

Are Men Intimidated by Highly Educated Women? Undercover on Tinder. Brecht Neyt et al. Economics of Education Review, July 22 2019, 101914. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2019.101914

Highlights
• Women on Tinder are more selective than men on Tinder.
• Women on Tinder have a preference for highly educated men.
• Men on Tinder are not intimidated by highly educated women.
• On Tinder, preferences for educational assortative mating are absent.

Abstract: In this study, we examine the impact of an individual's education level on her/his mating success on the mobile dating app Tinder. To do so, we conducted a field experiment on Tinder in which we collected data on 3,600 profile evaluations. In line with previous research on mating preferences from multiple fields, our results indicate a heterogeneous effect of education level by gender: while women strongly prefer a highly educated potential partner, this hypothesis is rejected for men. In contrast with recent influential studies from the field of economics, we do not find any evidence that men would have an aversion to a highly educated potential partner. Additionally, in contrast with most previous research – again from multiple fields – we do not find any evidence for preferences for educational assortative mating, i.e. preferring a partner with a similar education level.

Keywords: Returns to educationMating successAssortative matingDating appsTinder

The presence of laughter enhances how funny people find jokes, even recorded laughter; this effect is increased for spontaneous laughter; effect was present for both neurotypical & autistic participants

Modulation of humor ratings of bad jokes by other people’s laughter. Qing Cai, Sinead Chen, Sarah J. White, Sophie K. Scott. Current Biology, Volume 29, Issue 14, July 22 2019, Pages R677-R678. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.05.073

Summary: Laughter is a positive vocal emotional expression: most laughter is found in social interactions [1]. We are overwhelmingly more likely to laugh when we are with other people [1], and laughter can play a very important communicative role [2]. We do of course also laugh at humor — but can laughter influence how funny we actually perceive the humorous material to be? In this study, we show that the presence of laughter enhances how funny people find jokes and that this effect is increased for spontaneous laughter. This effect was present for both neurotypical and autistic participants, indicating similarities in their implicit processing of laughter.

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This may be due to our autistic participants being high functioning, or perhaps similar performance patterns can rest on distinctly different neural systems 6, 7, or laughter is implicitly processed by autistic individuals in the same way as their neurotypical peers.