Environmental influences on affect and cognition: A study of natural and commercial semi-public spaces

Research has consistently shown differences in affect and cognition after exposure to different physical environments. The time course of these differences emerging or fading during short-term exploration of environments is less explored, as most studies measure dependent variables only before and after environmental exposure. In this within-subject study, we used repeated surveys to measure differences in thought content and affect throughout a one-hour environmental exploration of a nature conservatory and a large indoor mall. At each survey, participants reported on aspects of their most recent thoughts (e.g., thinking of the present moment vs. the future; thinking positively vs. negatively) and state affect. Using Bayesian multi-level models, we found that while visiting the conservatory, participants were more likely to report thoughts about the past, more positive and exciting thoughts, and higher feelings of positive affect and creativity. In the mall, participants were more likely to report thoughts about the future and higher feelings of impulsivity. Many of these differences in environments were present throughout the one-hour walk, however some differences were only evident at intermediary time points, indicating the importance of collecting data during exploration, as opposed to only before and after environmental exposures. We also measured cognitive performance with a dual n-back task. Results on 2-back trials replicated results from prior work that interacting with nature leads to improvements in working-memory performance. This study furthers our understanding of how thoughts and feelings are influenced by the surrounding physical environment and has implications for the design and use of public spaces.

Horses’ (Equus caballus) Ability to Solve Visible but Not Invisible Displacement Tasks Is Associated With Frustration Behavior and Heart Rate

Many frameworks have assessed the ultimate and ontogenetic underpinnings in the development of object permanence, but less is known about whether individual characteristics, such as sex or training level, as well as proximate factors, such as arousal or emotional state, affect performance in these tasks. The current study investigated horses’ performance in visible and invisible displacement tasks and assessed whether specific ontogenetic, behavioral, and physiological factors were associated with performance. The study included 39 Icelandic horses aged 2–25 years, of varying training levels. The horses were exposed to three tasks: (a) a choice test (n = 37), (b) a visible displacement task (n = 35), and (c) an invisible displacement task (n = 31). 27 horses in the choice test, and 8 horses in the visible displacement task, performed significantly better than expected by chance, while none did so in the invisible displacement task. This was also reflected in their group performance, where horses performed above chance level in the choice task and the visible displacement task only. In the invisible displacement task, the group performed significantly worse than expected by chance indicating that horses persistently chose the side where they had last seen the target. None of the individual characteristics included in the study had an effect on performance. Unsuccessful horses had higher heart rate levels, and expressed more behavior indicative of frustration, likely because of their inability to solve the task. The increased frustration/arousal could lead to a negative feedback loop, which might hamper performance in subsequent trials. Care should thus be taken in future experimental designs to closely monitor the arousal level of the tested individuals in order to safeguard comparability.

Are Trait–State Fit and State–Situation Fit Informative of Within-Person Processes of Personality State Expression?

Choosing the right behavior can oftentimes be an act of balance between one’s own preferences or tendencies and momentary situational affordances. How do people navigate these potentially different requirements? One way would be to choose the behavior that makes one feel good. Specifically, we argue that fit between personality traits and personality states and fit between personality states and situation characteristics should be associated with positive affect. Thereby, fit may provide feedback to within-person processes of personality state expression. In two experience sampling studies (Study 1: N = 194, 4,244 observations; Study 2: N = 254, 7,667 observations), we employed moderated multilevel polynomial regressions and response surface analysis to examine whether trait–state fit and state–situation fit were associated with state affect. We found a consistent pattern of interactions between personality traits, personality states, and situation characteristics predicting state affect, but did not find evidence for the hypothesized trait–state fit patterns or state–situation fit patterns. These findings have two main implications. First, the results suggest that fit patterns are not involved in associations between personality traits, personality states, situation characteristics, and state affect. However, because theories proposing fit are often imprecise regarding the operationalization of fit, it is difficult to draw concrete conclusions about these theories. Second, the large number of interactions between personality traits, personality states, and situation characteristics suggests that these three constructs should be studied together. The specific role of these interactions for personality processes needs to be further determined in future research.

Horses’ (Equus caballus) performance in visible and invisible displacement tasks is expressed in frustration behavior and heart rate

Many frameworks have assessed the ultimate and ontogenetic underpinnings in the development of object permanence, but less is known about whether individual characteristics, such as sex or training level, as well as proximate factors, such as arousal or emotional state, affect performance in these tasks. The current study investigated horses’ performance in visible and invisible displacement tasks and investigated whether specific ontogenetic, behavioral and physiological factors were associated with performance. The study included 39 Icelandic horses aged 2–25 years, of varying training levels. The horses were exposed to three tasks: a) a choice test (n=37), b) a visible displacement task (n=35), and c) an invisible displacement task (n=31). 27 horses in the choice test, and 8 horses in the visible displacement task, performed significantly better than expected by chance, while none did so in the invisible displacement task. This was also reflected in their group performance, where horses performed above chance level in the choice task and the visible displacement task only. In the invisible displacement task, the group performed significantly worse than expected by chance indicating that horses persistently chose the side where they had last seen the target. None of the individual characteristics included in the study had an effect on performance. Unsuccessful horses showed higher heart rate levels, and expressed more behavior indicative of frustration, likely because of their inability to solve the task. The increased frustration/arousal could lead to a negative feedback loop, which might hamperperformance in subsequent trials. Care should thus be taken in future experimental designs to closely monitor the arousal level of the tested individuals in order to safeguard comparability.

The Greek War of Independence in Turkish historiography

How was the Greek War of Independence or the Greek Revolution narrated in Turkish historical texts? How did the Turkish historians’ approach to the establishment of the Greek State affect Greek–Turkish relations? On the occasion of the bicentenary of the Greek War of Independence, this article reviews the approaches of the Ottoman/Turkish historians to the Greeks, to the establishment of the Greek State and to outbreak the Greek Revolution, and demonstrates to what extent their perceptions have changed from the Ottoman period to the present day. Offering an analysis based on three historical periods (Ottoman rule to the 1920s, the 1930s to the1980s and from the 1990s to the present), the discussion highlights the prevalent approach of Turkish nationalist historiography in the 1970s and 1980s, and the influence on younger generations’ approaches to the Greek War of Independence. This article also tackles the issue of how this prevalent historiographical approach affected the Turkish–Greek relations, and conversely, how the trajectory of Turkish–Greek relations impacted the consolidation of such a narrative.

Interpersonal factors and mental well-being are associated with accuracy in judging the veracity of political news

Little is known about whether individual differences in interpersonal behaviors and mental health (broadly defined) are associated with vulnerability to political misinformation. Three days before the 2020 U.S. presidential election, 477 participants guessed the veracity of true and false political statements. Various interpersonal factors (e.g. high prosociality and a need to belong) and mental health risk factors (e.g. high depressive symptoms and low eudaimonic well-being) were highly associated with the tendency to believe that most headlines were true. However, low prosociality, low negative affect, and high eduaimonic well-being were associated with assessing news with a partisan bias. To reduce the chances of overfitting, out-of-sample validation was used to understand the combination of factors which best predicted accuracy in judging political statements. Including measures of a.) interpersonal behaviors, b.) state affect, and c.) eudaimonic well-being in a model, explained more than 50% of the variance for both true and false statements.

Alone Together: Computer-Mediated Communication in Leisure Time During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

In spring 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a global pandemic and several lockdowns were followed in Germany. To weaken the spread of the virus, SARS-CoV-2, people were required to reduce their face-to-face contact with others. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) offers opportunities to stay in touch with important people and still meets social needs. During the first lockdown in spring 2020, we collected data from 679 participants to explore the role of CMC for social interaction in the context of leisure activities and how personal characteristics contribute to such media use. Results showed that people complied with the restriction and shifted their communication to several media, especially instant messengers and video calls. Many leisure activities were performed via CMC, especially low-key activities, such as just talking or simply spending time together. Perceived social closeness to others was positively related to the quality and quantity of CMC. The extent of leisure activities that people experienced with others via communication media was higher among younger individuals, males, and individuals with higher scores on positive state affect, extraversion, openness, and fear of missing out. The preference for solitude showed a negative relation. The motivation to continue using media for communication after the pandemic was strongly related to the quality and quantity of actual use. Low extraversion and high openness were related to higher motivation for future use. Implications such as the importance of providing fast internet and good usability of communication media as well as the relevance of increasing media literacy of people are discussed.

LEGAL REGULATION OF PUBLIC FINANCIAL POLICY IN UKRAINE: CHALLENGES, IMPACT OF RISKS, LANDMARKS

The diverse geopolitical and economic life of society during the pandemic requires awareness of the analysis of the states’ effectiveness in implementing careful public financial policies and requires proper changes in the legal regulation of relations based on understanding of social, spiritual and legal values in the context of moral and physical health of humankind. The content and nature of legal regulation of public policy, financial crises, the development of democratic institutions, awareness of the impact of risks in balancing different interests in the formation and distribution of public finances and the nature of financial activities of the state affect the dynamics of reforms and socio-economic transformations in society that change the possibilities of mankind development and create the basis for the protection of state sovereignty.