Do Managers’ Nonnative Accents Influence Investment Decisions?

Reactions to earnings calls are sensitive to subtle features of managers’ speech, but little is known about the effect of nonnative accents in this setting. Nonnative-accented CEOs may avoid holding calls in English for fear of investors’ negative stereotypes. However, theory indicates that stereotypes from the CEO position and nonnative accents conflict, and that the process of reconciling conflicting stereotypes requires effortful processing. We use a series of four experiments to test each link of the causal chain that we hypothesize based on this theory. We demonstrate that motivated investors reconcile conflicting stereotypes by inferring exceptional qualities, such as hard work and determination, that positively affect their impressions of nonnative-accented CEOs and, hence, of the company as an investment. We also show that, because bad news stimulates effortful processing, investors receiving bad (versus good) news are more likely to form a positive image of nonnative-accented CEOs and their companies.

Learning from Incidental Exposure to Political Information in Online Environments

This article aims to explain learning outcomes of incidental exposure (IE) to political information in online environments. Drawing on the Political Incidental News Exposure Model, we predict learning outcomes by distinguishing between first-level (i.e., scanning of incidentally encountered information) and second-level IE (i.e., effortful processing of incidentally encountered information appraised as relevant). Furthermore, we conceptualize intention-based IE (i.e., while looking for non-political content) and topic-based IE (i.e., while looking for different political content). In a 2x2 experiment (N = 290), we manipulated respondents’ initial processing goal (i.e., political or non-political information) and low (i.e., first-level IE) versus high (i.e., second-level IE) relevance of the incidentally encountered information. Results show stronger learning effects for second level than for first-level IE. Learning effects do not differ between topic-based and intention-based IE, but second-level IE decreases learning related to the initial processing goal. Theoretical implications are discussed.

When Practice Fails to Reduce Racial Bias in the Decision to Shoot: The Case of Cognitive Load

Practice improves performance on a first-person shooter task (FPST), increasing accuracy and decreasing racial bias. But rather than simply promoting cognitively efficient processing, we argue that the benefits of practice on a difficult, cognitively demanding task like the FPST rely, at least in part, on resource-intensive, cognitively effortful processing. If practice-based improvements require cognitive resources, then cognitive load should compromise the value of practice by depriving trained participants of the cognitive resources on which they depend. This experiment shows that inducing cognitive load eliminates the benefits of training, leading to an increase in racial bias, as predicted.

The polarity specific nature of single session high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation to the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex on motor and non-motor task performance

The cerebellum has an increasingly recognized role in higher order cognition. Advancements in noninvasive neuromodulation techniques allows one to focally create functional alterations in the cerebellum to investigate its role in cognitive functions. To this point, work in this area has been mixed, in part due to varying methodologies for stimulation, and it is unclear whether or not transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) effects on the cerebellum are task or load dependent. Here, we employed a between-subjects design using a high definition tDCS system to apply anodal, cathodal, or sham stimulation to the cerebellum or prefrontal cortex (PFC) to examine the role the cerebellum plays in verbal working memory, inhibition, motor learning, and balance performance, and how this interaction might interact with the cortex (i.e. PFC). We predicted performance decrements following anodal stimulation and performance increases following cathodal stimulation, compared to sham. Broadly, our work provides evidence for cerebellar contributions to cognitive processing, particularly in verbal working memory and sequence learning. Additionally, we found the effect of stimulation might be load specific, particularly when applied to the cerebellum. Critically, anodal simulation negatively impacted performance during effortful processing, but was helpful during less effortful processing. Cathodal stimulation hindered task performance, regardless of simulation region. The current results suggest an effect of stimulation on cognition, perhaps suggesting that the cerebellum is more critical when processing is less effortful but becomes less involved under higher load when processing is more prefrontally-dependent.

Cognitive science and theological education in technologically developing countries

Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary study of human thoughts, feelings, and the associated processes, including learning. In the past 50 years, tremendous progress has been made in understanding how people learn. These principles can be used to make theological education more effective in the majority world. Missionaries and other educators can make theological education more effective by being familiar with the concepts of automatic and effortful processing, the spacing effect, and the testing effect. Since the use of technology is rapidly evolving in many parts of the world, cognitive science also provides insights into some of the educational pitfalls associated with technology. Technology-based distraction in the classroom prevents effortful processing from occurring. Outside of the classroom, technology may make time-management more difficult, leading to poor study habits. An inappropriate use of multimedia in the classroom may impede learning rather than enhance it. Increasing use of technology in the majority world is often accompanied by economic growth which may also impact theological education. Although incredible diversity exists among humans, there is sufficient similarity in human minds across cultures to scientifically study how a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior influence each other. Cognitive science is the broad, interdisciplinary field that examines the psychological and biological phenomena associated with the mind. Because the human mind is so complex, progress in the field is often painstakingly slow, especially when compared to the progress that has been made in the physical sciences. Although we can predict with a good deal of accuracy what a molecule or a nearby star will do in a year or in a century from now, we have a very difficult time predicting what our next-door neighbor will do tomorrow. Nevertheless, cognitive science has enabled us to discover general trends that describe how humans are likely to behave in various circumstances, although we will never be able to predict exactly how a specific individual would act in those circumstances.

Dubbing vs. subtitling

Despite the claims regarding the potential disruptiveness of subtitling for audiovisual processing, existing empirical evidence supports the idea that subtitle processing is semi-automatic and cognitively effective, and that, in moderately complex viewing scenarios, dubbing does not necessarily help viewers. In this paper we appraise whether the complexity of the translated audiovisual material matters for the cognitive and evaluative reception of subtitled vs. dubbed audiovisual material. To this aim, we present the results of two studies on the viewers’ reception of film translation (dubbing vs. subtitling), in which we investigate the cognitive and evaluative consequences of audiovisual complexity. In Study 1, the results show that a moderately complex film is processed effectively and is enjoyed irrespective of the translation method. In Study 2, the subtitling (vs. dubbing) of a more complex film leads to more effortful processing and lower cognitive performance, but not to a lessened appreciation. These results expose the boundaries of subtitle processing, which are reached only when the audiovisual material to be processed is complex, and they encourage scholars and practitioners to reconsider old standards as well as to invest more effort in crafting diverse types of audiovisual translations tailored both to the degree of complexity of the source product and to the individual differences of the target viewers.