Cognitive process in high neuroticism: incompatible flexibility in frontal brain region

Objective: This study examines the difference of interference effect in high and low neuroticism. Material and Methods: Low and high groups of neuroticism performed the congruent and incongruent Stroop Colour Word task in the Event Related Potential session. The ERP P300 was extracted and analysed. Results: High neuroticism exhibited larger P300 amplitude than low neuroticism in both congruent and incongruent condition. Conclusion: High neuroticism appraises conflict and non-conflict condition under incompatibility manner driven by prefrontal cortical top–down control. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol. 21(1) 2022 Page : 129-134

The effect of conflicting public health guidance on smokers and vapers’ e-cigarette harm perceptions

Background: E-cigarettes are increasingly being viewed, incorrectly, as more harmful than cigarettes. This may discourage smokers from switching to e-cigarettes. One potential explanation for these increasingly harmful attitudes is conflicting information presented in the media, online and from public health bodies. Methods: In a prospectively registered online study, daily UK smokers who do not vape (n=334) and daily UK vapers (n=368) were randomised to receive either: 1) a consistent harm reduction statement from two different public health bodies (Harm Reduction); 2) a consistent negative statement about e-cigarette harms from two different public health bodies (Negative); 3) a harm reduction statement from one public health body and a negative statement from another (Conflict); 4) a statement of the risks of smoking followed by a harm reduction statement from one public health body and a negative statement from another (Smoking Risk + Conflict). Participants then answered questions regarding their e-cigarette harm perceptions. Results: The Negative condition had the highest e-cigarette harm perceptions, significantly higher than the Smoking Risk + Conflict condition (MD=5.4, SE=1.8, p<.016, d=0.3 [CI 0.73 to 10.04]), which did not differ from the Conflict condition (MD=1.5, SE=1.8, p=.836, d=0.1 [CI -3.14 to 6.17]). The Conflict condition differed from the Harm Reduction condition, where harm perceptions were lowest (MD=5.4, SE=1.8, p=.016, d=0.3 [CI 0.74 to 10.07]). Conclusions: These findings are the first to demonstrate that, compared to harm reduction information, conflicting information increases e-cigarette harm perceptions amongst vapers, and smokers who do not vape.

Moral by default? The dynamic tradeoffs between honesty and self-interest

Humans are often faced with social dilemmas that pit self-interest against honesty, yet questions arise about whether this trade-off reflects spontaneous default response or active suppression of the alternative response. Here, we created two message-sending tasks where decisions involved honesty as truth-telling or dishonesty as untruthful-message-sending. In our pre-registered study, participants joined the message task as the sender, who can send truthful or untruthful messages to earn more money for themselves, thus manipulating the conflict between self-interest and honesty. In experiment 1, we used mouse tracking (MT) to gain insight from movement trajectories and reaction time (RTs) of a forced-choice task with one fair default option. We found that being honest under conflict situations took longer for individuals who had higher self-interest concerns. In experiment 2 with a two-alternative forced-choice design without a default fair option on another sample to test whether self-interest-seeking people would show a similar tendency to lie and how these behavioral patterns correlated with utility and drift-diffusion model (DDM) modeling parameters. We found lower RTs for untruthful responses when self-interest concern was higher. In both experiments, the mixed model of RTs indicated the interest-temptation (i.e., conflict) condition led to a longer RT for truth-telling. These results were also supported by a DDM showing a larger drift rate for untruthful, compared to truthful, responses in conflict trials. Overall, our findings further support the individual difference in moral default, which can be manifested in behavioral indices in decisions.

INFORMATION CONFLICT BETWEEN A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND A SYSTEM OF DESTABILIZING INFLUENCES Part III CONTROLLING OF A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM IN CONFLICT SITUATION

In the paper is presented formalization of the controlling and connecting processes for in the conflict condition with the system of destabilizing influences. The quality of control in the organizational and technical system is matched to the stability of its communication system. It is showed match to reduce of the relevance and com-pleteness of the transmitted information in the control system with decrease of the reliability, timeliness and volume of information transmitted through the communi-cation system in condition a information conflict. A new indicator "information damage" is proposed in paper and it is shown that this indicator can estimate of the reduction of the quality of information support for controlling processes. Brief analysis of other studies that are aimed at developing generalized models of infor-mation conflict is carried out. Directions for further research are outlined.

Selection for Action: The Medial Frontal Cortex Is an Executive Hub for Stimulus and Response Selection

This EEG study investigates the electrophysiological activity underlying processes of stimulus and response selection, and their executive orchestration via long-range functional connectivity under conflict condition, in order to shed more light on how these brain dynamics shape individual behavioral performance. Participants (n = 91) performed a modified flanker task, in which bilateral visual stimulation and a bimanual response pattern were employed to isolate the stimulus and response selection-related lateralized activity. First, we identified conflict-related markers of task-relevant processes; most importantly, the stimulus and response selection were evidenced by contra–ipsilateral differences in visual and motor activity, respectively, and executive control was evidenced by modulations of midfrontal activity. Second, we identified conflict-related functional connectivity between midfrontal and other task-relevant areas. The results showed that interregional phase synchronization in theta band was centered at the midfrontal site, interpreted here as a “hub” of executive communication. Importantly, the theta functional connectivity was more robust under the condition of increased demands for stimulus and response selection, including connectivity between the medial frontal cortex and the lateral frontal and motor areas, as well as cross-frequency theta–alpha coupling between the medial frontal cortex and contralateral visual areas. Third, we showed that individual differences in the measured conflict-related EEG activity, particularly the midfrontal N2, theta power, and global theta connectivity, predict the behavioral efficiency in conflict resolution.

Constraints and opportunities facing construction organization in post-conflict condition in Afghanistan

Purpose Although there are many challenges and constraints for construction organization operation and performance in a post-conflict condition, there is insufficient construction project management literature. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to identify a framework to understand and determine critical constraints and opportunities in a post-conflict condition facing local construction firms in Afghanistan. The proposed framework is composed of three major steps: identify and determine key performance indicators; identify challenges impacting organization operation and performance in post-conflict condition; determine critical constraints and opportunities based on prioritized performance measures; and organizational strength and weakness factors. Design/methodology/approach The strength, weakness, opportunities and threat matrix analysis has been used to determine post-conflict condition constraints and opportunities. Then the analytical hierarchy process has been used to prioritize the measures and identify the constraints and opportunities facing construction companies in a post-conflict situation. The mix-research method is applied to this study to analyse qualitative variables and quantitative variables obtained from the experts’ opinions and 51 filled questioners. Findings The study shows that there are a total of 11 critical constraints and three essential opportunities for construction companies that industry practitioners and policymakers should take into account while formulating the organizational strategy. Practical implications The developed framework will benefit construction companies in improving their performance and operation in after-conflict conditions. Originality/value This paper is the first to provide a comprehensive conceptualization of the challenges and constraints for construction organization operation and performance in a post-conflict condition. It also offers a novel conceptual framework to understand and determine critical constraints and opportunities in a post-conflict condition facing local construction firms in Afghanistan.

Seven- and eight-year-old children’s deception in the conflict situation

Six-year-olds will deceive in the individual condition, only if a competitor exists; but not in the conflict condition, when a competitor and a cooperator both exist. Seven- and eight-year-olds acquire the second-order theory of mind (ToM2) related to sophisticated deception. However, it is not known whether children and adults resort to deception in the conflict condition; and if a relationship exists between deception and ToM2. Children (N = 34, range = [6; 7-8; 5]) and adults (N = 38, range = [18-24]) participated in two deception tasks: for self-benefit and for the other person’s benefit. Children also participated in a ToM2 task. Although adults deceived above chance levels, children deceived only for self-benefit. Furthermore, although there was no relationship between children’s deception and ToM2; children who passed the ToM2 task tended to deceive by denying or not responding. These findings suggest that 7- and 8-year-olds can deceive for self-benefit in the conflict condition without ToM2.

Is There Visual Lateralisation of the Sun Compass in Homing Pigeons?

Functional lateralisation in the avian visual system can be easily studied by testing monocularly occluded birds. The sun compass is a critical source of navigational information in birds, but studies of visual asymmetry have focussed on cues in a laboratory rather than a natural setting. We investigate functional lateralisation of sun compass use in the visual system of homing pigeons trained to locate food in an outdoor octagonal arena, with a coloured beacon in each sector and a view of the sun. The arena was rotated to introduce a cue conflict, and the experimental groups, a binocular treatment and two monocular treatments, were tested for their directional choice. We found no significant difference in test orientation between the treatments, with all groups showing evidence of both sun compass and beacon use, suggesting no complete functional lateralisation of sun compass use within the visual system. However, reduced directional consistency of binocular vs. monocular birds may reveal a conflict between the two hemispheres in a cue conflict condition. Birds using the right hemisphere were more likely to choose the intermediate sector between the training sector and the shifted training beacon, suggesting a possible asymmetry in favour of the left eye/right hemisphere (LE/RH) when integrating different cues.

Tracking Syntactic Conflict between Languages over the Course of L2 Acquisition: A Cross-sectional Event-related Potential Study

One challenge of learning a foreign language (L2) in adulthood is the mastery of syntactic structures that are implemented differently in L2 and one's native language (L1). Here, we asked how L2 speakers learn to process syntactic constructions that are in direct conflict between L1 and L2, in comparison to structures without such a conflict. To do so, we measured EEG during sentence reading in three groups of German learners of Dutch with different degrees of L2 experience (from 3 to more than 18 months of L2 immersion) as well as a control group of Dutch native speakers. They read grammatical and ungrammatical Dutch sentences that, in the conflict condition, contained a structure with opposing word orders in Dutch and German (sentence-final double infinitives) and, in the no-conflict condition, a structure for which word order is identical in Dutch and German (subordinate clause inversion). Results showed, first, that beginning learners showed N400-like signatures instead of the expected P600 for both types of violations, suggesting that, in the very early stages of learning, different neurocognitive processes are employed compared with native speakers, regardless of L1–L2 similarity. In contrast, both advanced and intermediate learners already showed native-like P600 signatures for the no-conflict sentences. However, their P600 signatures were significantly delayed in processing the conflicting structure, even though behavioral performance was on a native level for both these groups and structures. These findings suggest that L1–L2 word order conflicts clearly remain an obstacle to native-like processing, even for advanced L2 learners.

Una aproximación a territorios en situación de conflicto armado: perspectivas desde la Economía Solidaria con un enfoque triangulado en dos municipios del Cauca (Colombia)

El auge de los procesos de negociación en Colombia entre el Gobierno y grupos insurgentes ha generado un amplio panorama tanto de investigación académica como de acción pública, que conlleva a la reflexión sobre las condiciones necesarias para la construcción de paz territorial en las zonas rurales del país. En tal dirección, en este documento se propone una lectura del conflicto armado desde los fundamentos y prácticas de la Economía Solidaria, y la utilización de una metodología triangulada o mixta, que incorpore las voces de los actores locales con el fin de identificar iniciativas sociales construidas de “Abajo-hacia-Arriba”, para así configurar nuevas agendas temáticas en zonas rurales como las del departamento del Cauca en Colombia, tal como se realiza aquí para dos municipios de referencia. An approach to territories with armed conflict condition: perspectives since Solidarity Economics and triangulated approach in two municipalities of Cauca (Colombia) Abstract: The height of negotiation processes in Colombia between the Government and insurgent groups has generated a broad outlook for academic research as well as public intervention, which lead to reflect on the needed conditions for territorial peace construction in the rural areas of the country. In this regard, the document proposes an interpretation for the armed conflict since the foundations and practices of Solidarity Economics. In addition, a triangulated methodology is applied (that incorporates voices of local actors in order to identify “Bottom-up” social initiatives), in order to set up new thematic agendas in rural areas such as those of the department of Cauca in Colombia, in the way as it is done here for two reference municipalities. Keywords: Armed Conflict, Solidarity Economics, Territory, Rural Sector.