Functional organization of social perception in the human brain

Humans can readily perceive a multitude of features from social interactions, but the phenomenological and neural basis of social perception has yet to be solved. Short film clips with rich social content were shown to 97 healthy participants while their haemodynamic brain activity was measured with fMRI. The stimulus clips were annotated for 112 social features yielding the initial stimulus model. Cluster analysis revealed that 13 dimensions were sufficient for describing the social perceptual space. Univariate GLM using these dimensions as predictors was used to map regional neural response profiles to different social features. Multivariate pattern analysis was then utilized to establish the regional specificity of the responses. The results revealed a posterior-anterior gradient in the processing of social information in the brain. Occipital and temporal regions responded to most social dimensions and the classifier revealed that these responses were dimension specific; in contrast Heschl gyri and parietal areas were also broadly tuned to different social signals yet the responses were domain-general and did not differentiate between dimensions. Altogether these results highlight the distributed nature of social processing in the brain as well as the specific contributions of feature-specific versus domain-general social perceptual processes.

The Context of Caring and Concern for Falling Differentiate Which Mobile Fall Technology Features Chinese Family Caregivers Find Most Important

Falls are not only a leading cause of death and disability, but also a strain on the capacity for caregivers to provide care. This study examined how the context of caregiving relates to the importance of caregiver-defined mobile fall prevention feature sets. A sample of 266 family caregivers, recruited from a Chinese social media platform, reported care for an older adult and interest in mobile fall prevention technology features. Factor analysis identified three caregiver-defined feature sets: automatic fall response, digitized fall prevention tools, and social features. Multiple regression showed caregivers’ concern about falling was the most robust predictor of a feature set’s importance. Poisson regression revealed that caregiver concern and assistance with instrumental activities of daily living were associated with rating more features as important. Our findings suggest that caregivers are interested in mobile fall prevention technologies that support older adults’ independence while also alleviating concerns about falling.

Social Overload and Discontinuance Intention on Facebook: A Comparative Study

When users begin to feel uncomfortable about the influence of social network services (SNSs) on their lives, they react with various discontinuance behaviors. This comparative study intends to provide a comprehensive explanation of how the fatigue or regret phenomenon is related -to users’ diverse reactions against SNSs. This study attempts to answer two questions: 1) How do specific types of relationships influence social overload from SNS interactions on Facebook? and 2) How does social overload threaten the free usage of services and lead to users’ dissatisfaction with SNSs, and how do these constructs influence users’ intent to discontinue usage of SNSs? To this end, we test a reactance model with Facebook users (n = 433) using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). This study found significant results of the reactance mechanism using samples from two countries, Korea and Japan, which support the generalizability of the reactance mechanism in SNS fatigue. The path of the psychological reactance mechanism in SNSs could differ by country. We also found that reactions toward persona non grata in SNSs differed by country. Our findings suggest that the specific cultural context should be considered when analyzing social overload in SNSs. In previous studies, insufficient attention has been paid to the social features or contexts of SNS. This study proposes a new categorization of relationships in the context of SNSs through the persona non grata concept. As SNSs are social platforms, emotions perceived from the social features of SNSs are an important construct that motivates people to continue using SNSs. Therefore, promoting free activities for users can be an important strategy for maintaining their motivation to use the service. It should be noted that the sample used in this study was slightly unbalanced by the inclusion of a greater proportion of young participants.

Cinematic Discourse as a Polycoded and Multimodal Phenomenon

This article is devoted to the study of polycoded and multimodal nature of the cinematic discourse as a semiotically heterogeneous phenomenon. The cinematic discourse is interpreted as a complex integrated socially and culturally conditioned mental-communicative phenomenon that is characterized by a combination of lingual and non-lingual codes in its structure and is polycoded and multimodal by its nature. The paper analyzes the main approaches to the interpretation of the cinematic discourse as a creolized / polycoded / multimodal formation, proves the assumption that the cinematic discourse cannot be considered creolized, as it consists of more than two code systems that are in complex interaction aimed at constructing the meaning. The polycoded nature of the cinematic discourse focuses on the combination of several code systems attracted by filmmakers to construct the meaning. The multimodal nature of the cinematic discourse emphasizes its dynamic character and focuses on the addressee considering his cognitive and social features. The combination of different semiotic systems conduces to the film meaning construction.

Game-based Climate Change Engagement

Video games have risen as a popular medium with the potential to become a powerful tool for public climate change engagement. However, little is known about how existing digital games can fulfill this role. This study systematically compiles 150 video games that represent climate change, including serious (n = 109) and for entertainment (n = 41). The games are analyzed by adapting an existing framework (15 dimensions: achievable, challenging, concrete, credible, efficacy-enhancing, experiential learning, feedback-oriented, fun, identity-driven, levelling-up, meaningful, narrative-driven, reward-driven, simulating, social) and statistically compared. The analysis reveals that most games comply with most recommended attributes, but credibility, achievability, meaningfulness, and social features are uncommon or rare. Statistical results comparing serious games and games for entertainment associate six attributes with serious games (achievable, challenging, credible, efficacy-enhancing, experiential learning, feedback-oriented), and one (narrative-driven) with games for entertainment. The findings suggest that researchers would benefit from widening their lens to detect previously overlooked opportunities for game-based climate change engagement, communication, and education. The study also provides a systematic mapping of extant games depicting climate change for interested developers, designers and educators.