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Narrative experiences are characterized by dynamic emotional responses. Research has begun to investigate implications of emotional shifts for narrative processing, but the continuous measurement of emotion poses a challenge. This study examines how valence shifts captured using real-time response (RTR) measurement during two films relate to transportation and post-exposure self-reported emotional flow. Across both films, valence shifts (in terms of the mean intra-individual standard deviation of RTR valence) were positively correlated with transportation and self-reported emotional flow. Valence shifts and self-reported emotional flow were higher among women than men. We discuss the use of RTR measurement for the assessment of emotional shifts during narrative processes.

The personalization of digital environments is becoming ubiquitous due to the rise of AI-based algorithms and recommender systems. Arguably, this technological development has far-reaching consequences for individuals and societies alike. In this article, we propose a psychological model of the effects of personalization in digital environments, which connects personalization with motivational tendencies, psychological needs, and well-being. Based on the model, we review studies from three areas of application—news feeds and websites, music streaming, and online dating—to explain both the positive and the negative effects of personalization on individuals. We conclude that personalization can lead to desirable outcomes such as reducing choice overload. However, personalized digital environments without transparency and without the option for users to play an active role in the personalization process potentially pose a danger to human well-being. Design recommendations as well as avenues for future research that follow from these conclusions are being discussed.

When interacting with sophisticated digital technologies, people often fall back on the same interaction scripts they apply to the communication with other humans—especially if the technology in question provides strong anthropomorphic cues (e.g., a human-like embodiment). Accordingly, research indicates that observers tend to interpret the body language of social robots in the same way as they would with another human being. Backed by initial evidence, we assumed that a humanoid robot will be considered as more dominant and competent, but also as more eerie and threatening once it strikes a so-called power pose. Moreover, we pursued the research question whether these effects might be accentuated by the robot’s body size. To this end, the current study presented 204 participants with pictures of the robot NAO in different poses (expansive vs. constrictive), while also manipulating its height (child-sized vs. adult-sized). Our results show that NAO’s posture indeed exerted strong effects on perceptions of dominance and competence. Conversely, participants’ threat and eeriness ratings remained statistically independent of the robot’s depicted body language. Further, we found that the machine’s size did not affect any of the measured interpersonal perceptions in a notable way. The study findings are discussed considering limitations and future research directions.

We report the direct observation of oxide ion dynamics on both nano- and picosecond timescales in the isostructural Bi2O3-derived solid electrolytes Bi0.852V0.148O1.648 and Bi0.852P0.148O1.648 using quasielastic neutron scattering. Comprehensive ab initio molecular dynamics simulations allowed us to reproduce the experimental picosecond timescale data by directly simulating the scattering function at various temperatures. Our analysis of the experimental data in conjunction with the simulations revealed the origin of the picosecond dynamics to be localized motions within the V–O and P–O sublattices, while nanosecond dynamics correspond to the diffusion of the oxide ions in the Bi–O sublattice via vacancy-hopping. This combined approach provides insight into the different oxide ion migration pathways and mechanisms in Bi0.852V0.148O1.648 and Bi0.852P0.148O1.648, with the flexibility of the V coordination environment playing an important role, consistent with the superior conductivity of the vanadate.

Abstract. In the field of human-robot interaction, the well-known uncanny valley hypothesis proposes a curvilinear relationship between a robot’s degree of human likeness and the observers’ responses to the robot. While low to medium human likeness should be associated with increased positive responses, a shift to negative responses is expected for highly anthropomorphic robots. As empirical findings on the uncanny valley hypothesis are inconclusive, we conducted a random-effects meta-analysis of 49 studies (total N = 3,556) that reported 131 evaluations of robots based on the Godspeed scales for anthropomorphism (i.e., human likeness) and likeability. Our results confirm more positive responses for more human-like robots at low to medium anthropomorphism, with moving robots rated as more human-like but not necessarily more likable than static ones. However, because highly anthropomorphic robots were sparsely utilized in previous studies, no conclusions regarding proposed adverse effects at higher levels of human likeness can be made at this stage.

Scholars have increasingly explored the ways that media content can touch, move, and inspire audiences, leading to numerous beneficial outcomes including increased feelings of connectedness to and heightened motivations for doing good for others. Although this line of inquiry is relatively new, sufficient evidence and patterns of results have emerged such that a clearer picture of the inspiring media experience is coming into focus. This article has two primary goals. First, we seek to synthesize the existing research into a working and evolving model of inspiring media experiences reflecting five interrelated and symbiotic elements: exposure, message factors, responses, outcomes, and personal/situational factors. The model also identifies theoretical mechanisms underlying the previously observed positive effects. Secondly, the article explores situations in which, and precipitating factors present, when these hoped-for outcomes either fail to materialize or result in negative or maladaptive responses and outcomes. Ultimately, the model is proposed as a heuristic roadmap for future scholarship and as an invitation for critique and collaboration in the emerging field of positive media psychology.

The successful management of the COVID-19 pandemic depends on individuals accepting the current state of research and adhering to the preventive behaviors that follow from it. However, the processing of scientific results is not always rational, but influenced by prior attitudes as well as the ability to understand statistical data. Against this background, this study investigated the role of motivated reasoning and numeracy in the context of the current pandemic. To this end, participants ( N = 417; US sample) evaluated two fictitious studies, one indicating that mask mandates in schools are an effective intervention to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2, and one indicating that mask mandates in schools are counterproductive. Participants evaluated the studies in line with their prior attitude toward mask mandates. In addition, higher numeracy was associated with decreased bias, demonstrating that the ability to reason with numbers can lead to more accurate processing of statistical information.

Deepfake technology, allowing manipulations of audiovisual content by means of artificial intelligence, is on the rise. This has sparked concerns about a weaponization of manipulated videos for malicious ends. A theory on deepfake detection is presented and three preregistered studies examined the detection of deepfakes in the political realm (featuring UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Studies 1–3, or former U.S. President Barack Obama, Study 2). Based on two system models of information processing as well as recent theory and research on fake news, individual differences in analytic thinking and political interest were examined as predictors of correctly detecting deepfakes. Analytic thinking (Studies 1 and 2) and political interest (Study 1) were positively associated with identifying deepfakes and negatively associated with the perceived accuracy of a fake news piece about a leaked video (whether or not the deepfake video itself was presented, Study 3). Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Objective Global challenges such as climate change or the COVID‐19 pandemic have drawn public attention to conspiracy theories and citizens' non‐compliance to science‐based behavioral guidelines. We focus on individuals' worldviews about how one can and should construct reality (epistemic beliefs) to explain the endorsement of conspiracy theories and behavior during the COVID‐19 pandemic and propose the Dark Factor of Personality (D) as an antecedent of post‐truth epistemic beliefs. Method and Results This model is tested in four pre‐registered studies. In Study 1 (N = 321), we found first evidence for a positive association between D and post‐truth epistemic beliefs (Faith in Intuition for Facts, Need for Evidence, Truth is Political). In Study 2 (N = 453), we tested the model proper by further showing that post‐truth epistemic beliefs predict the endorsement of COVID‐19 conspiracies and disregarding COVID‐19 behavioral guidelines. Study 3 (N = 923) largely replicated these results at a later stage of the pandemic. Finally, in Study 4 (N = 513), we replicated the results in a German sample, corroborating their cross‐cultural validity. Interactions with political orientation were observed. Conclusion Our research highlights that epistemic beliefs need to be taken into account when addressing major challenges to humankind.

A growing number of studies have examined the psychological corollaries of using social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter (often called social media). The interdisciplinary research area and conflicting evidence from primary studies complicate the assessment of current scholarly knowledge in this field of high public attention. We review meta-analytic evidence on three hotly debated topics regarding the effects of SNSs: well-being, academic achievement, and narcissism. Meta-analyses from different laboratories draw a rather equivocal picture. They show small associations in the r = .10 range between the intensity of SNS use and loneliness, self-esteem, life satisfaction, or self-reported depression, and somewhat stronger links to a thin body ideal and higher social capital. There is no indication for potential devastating effects of social media on school achievement; social media use and school grades are unrelated for adolescents. The meta-analyses revealed small to moderate associations between narcissism and SNS use. In sum, meta-analytic evidence is not in support of dramatic claims relating social media use to mischief.

International audience; Novel cold neutron backscattering spectrometers contribute substantially to the understanding of the diffusive dynamics of proteins in dense aqueous suspensions. Such suspensions are fundamentally interesting for instance in terms of the so-called macromolecular crowding, protein cluster formation, gelation, and self-assembly. Notably, backscattering spectrometers with the highest flux can simultaneously access the center-of-mass diffusion of the proteins and the superimposed internal molecular diffusive motions. The nearly complete absence of protein-protein collisions on the accessible nanosecond observation time scale even in dense protein suspensions implies that neutron backscattering accesses the so-called short-time limit for the center-of-mass diffusion. This limit is particularly interesting in terms of a theoretical understanding by concepts from colloid physics. Here we briefly review recent progress in studying protein dynamics achieved with the latest generation of backscattering spectrometers. We illustrate this progress by the first data from a protein solution using the backscattering-and-time-of-flight option BATS on IN16B at the ILL and we outline future perspectives.

Many societies are on the brink of a robotic era. In the near future, various autonomous computer systems are expected to be part of many people's daily lives. Because attitudes influence the adoption of new technologies, we studied the attitudes towards robots in the European Union between 2012 and 2017. Using representative samples from 27 countries (three waves, total N = 80,396), these analyses showed that, within five years, public opinions regarding robots exhibited a marked negative trend. Respondents became more cautious towards the use of robots. This tendency was particularly strong for robots at the workplace, which are, despite the drop, still more positively evaluated than robots performing surgeries or autonomous cars. Attitudes were more positive among men and people in white-collar jobs. Moreover, countries with a larger share of older citizens evaluated robotic assistance more favorably. In general, these results highlight increasing reservations towards autonomous robotic systems in Europe.

International audience; We have investigated the dynamics of liquid water confined in mesostructured porous silica (MCM-41) and periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) by incoherent quasielastic neutron scattering experiments. The effect of tuning the water/surface interaction from hydrophilic to more hydrophobic on the water mobility, while keeping the pore size in the range 3.5-4.1 nm, was assessed from the comparative study of three PMOs comprising different organic bridging units and the purely siliceous MCM-41 case. An extended dynamical range was achieved by combining time-of-flight (IN5B) and backscattering (IN16B) quasielastic neutron spectrometers providing complementary energy resolutions. Liquid water was studied at regularly spaced temperatures ranging from 300 K to 243 K. In all systems, the molecular dynamics could be described consistently by the combination of two independent motions resulting from fast local motion around the average molecule position and the confined translational jump diffusion of its center of mass. All the molecules performed local relaxations, whereas the translational motion of a fraction of molecules was frozen on the experimental timescale. This study provides a comprehensive microscopic view on the dynamics of liquid water confined in mesopores, with distinct surface chemistries, in terms of non-mobile/mobile fraction, self-diffusion coefficient, residence time, confining radius, local relaxation time, and their temperature dependence. Importantly, it demonstrates that the strength of the water/surface interaction determines the long-time tail of the dynamics, which we attributed to the translational diffusion of interfacial molecules, while the water dynamics in the pore center is barely affected by the interface hydrophilicity.

Fuel cells that generate electrical power by the direct electrochemical conversion of fuel to electricity are expected to become important sustainable energy sources for transportation and stationary applications. Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) systems operating with oxygen and hydrogen or bio-derived fuels require an ion exchange membrane to transport H+ or OH- ions between the anode and cathode. Proton conduction in Nafion membranes is well studied. However these PEMFC systems rely on noble metal electrocatalysts due to the corrosive nature of the acidic electrolyte. An alkaline electrolyte allows non-noble catalysts to be used at the cathode, leading to reduced cost and enhanced sustainability. Understanding OH- transport and how it influences water management and polymer dynamics in anion exchange membranes (AEMs) is a critical design challenge and design parameter. Here, neutron scattering is used to disentangle the water, polymer relaxation and OH- diffusion dynamics in a commercial AEM system

Several studies have shown that narratives can influence readers’ beliefs about themselves. In the present study, our goal was to investigate whether stories portraying a strong protagonist can positively influence recipients’ beliefs of being in control of events in their own lives (self-related control beliefs). Experiment 1 showed that narratives in both written text and video form with protagonists displaying high versus low self-efficacy can, at least temporarily, affect recipients’ own self-related control beliefs when they experience strong transportation into the stories. In addition, the results suggest that recipients’ perceived ability to generate vivid mental imagery affects their transportation into and identification with characters in texts versus films. Experiment 2 manipulated transportation and identification experimentally and showed that the effect of this manipulation on self-related control beliefs was indeed mediated by experienced transportation and identification. The results are discussed within the framework of the Transportation Imagery Model of narrative persuasion.

Interest in the meaningful sides of media entertainment has blossomed over the last decade, with numerous scholars examining how certain media content can enhance social good and well-being. Because social scientific work in this area is relatively new and is rapidly evolving, numerous conceptualizations of meaningful media experiences have been introduced. In this paper we argue for the importance of recognizing a unique form of media experience that causes us to look beyond our own concerns, to recognize moral beauty, and to feel unity with humanity and nature-what we label here as "self-transcendent media experiences."

We report on dielectric test measurements of a rectangular flat sample holder which serves as capacitor and which is aimed for simultaneous neutron and dielectric (n-DE) spectroscopy of acidic liquid samples. We describe technical details of the sample holder assembly and the dielectric and neutron equipment as well as the sample preparation procedure of the air sensitive acidic samples. The sample holder was characterised off-line from the neutron spectrometer by dielectric spectroscopy, but using the standard IN16B cryofurnace with a dielectric sample stick with 4-wire connection and a Novocontrol equipment, previously setup by a collaborative effort between ILL and Roskilde University. Temperature-dependent dielectric scans on standard samples (glycerol, glycerol-water, and Milli-Q water) were measured in the frequency range between 0.27 Hz and 1 MHz. Step-like temperature changes allowed to probe the temperature equilibrium conditions and continuous temperature changes were made to mimic typical IN16B backscattering neutron fixed window scans. Both type of scans were carried out in cooling and in heating. The standard samples show that our dielectric setup with flat sample holder is well suited for simultaneous n-DE-experiments. On the other hand, the dielectric scan on phosphoric acid reveals the limitations of our setup in case of high sample conductivities, but also shows that the DC-conductivity can still be accessed in a sufficiently wide low temperature range where the onset of conductivity can be simultaneously probed with the change in proton dynamics as seen by neutron spectroscopy.

In this chapter the authors explore the intersection of media, self, and identity. They discuss various theories of media effects from the perspective of how media are affected by, and in turn affect, self and identity. They explore ways that the self informs media choices and ways that media content and use affect how our identities are shaped and how they evolve. They examine research on social comparison, identification and parasocial relationships, and how stories can be used to expand the boundaries of the self (TEBOTS). Finally, they present a discussion of the possibility that eudaimonic stories about deeply moving human emotions may impact human behavior by providing wisdom of experience (MWOE).

Digital technologies are advancing rapidly, growing to be more human-like and intelligent by the day. However, research shows that a machine's resemblance to humans can reach a critical level, which makes it seem uncanny to observers. While scholars have discussed this effect in terms of both human-like appearances and mental abilities, a potential interaction between the two aspects has hardly been addressed in literature. We designed a two-factorial experiment to overcome the identified research gap, introducing participants to digital agents with varying embodiment (text interface/human rendering) and mental capacity (simple algorithms/complex artificial intelligence). Our results show that the interaction of both factors indeed affects participants’ experience in a crucial way: Whereas an agent based on simple algorithms only evokes discomfort when embedded in a human-like body, the artificial intelligence is always perceived as eerie, regardless of its embodiment. Yet, additional findings raise doubts on the unidimensionality of participants’ affective response.

Many societies are on the brink of a robotic era. In the near future, various autonomous computer systems are expected to be part of many people’s daily lives. Because attitudes influence the adoption of new technologies, we studied the attitudes towards robots in the European Union between 2012 and 2017. Using representative samples from 27 countries (three waves, total N = 80,396), these analyses showed that, within five years, public opinions regarding robots exhibited a marked negative trend. Respondents became more cautious towards the use of robots. This tendency was particularly strong for robots at the workplace, which are, despite the drop, still more positively evaluated than robots performing surgeries or autonomous cars. Attitudes were more positive among men and people in white-collar jobs. Moreover, countries with a larger share of older citizens evaluated robotic assistance more favorably. In general, these results highlight increasing reservations towards autonomous robotic systems in Europe.

Playing computer and video games is a popular pastime activity for many adolescents worldwide. However, the increasing amount of time spent on these games each day raised fears that this comes at the expense of school and, over the long run, impairs academic achievement. Extending prior research, the present study on a sample of N = 3,554 German adolescents (56% girls) adopted a prospective design and examined the effects of the time playing computer games each day on grades and domain-specific competences in mathematics and reading over time. Robust polynomial regressions combined with specification curve analyses showed that longer gaming times predicted worse grades two years later. These results could be replicated after controlling for initial grades and reasoning abilities. In contrast, mathematical and reading competences were not affected by gaming times. Thus, playing computer and video games can result in a noticeably, albeit small, loss of educational returns, but it does not affect basic competences.

The present research examined the role of personality factors and paratextual information about the reliability of a story on its persuasiveness. Study 1 (N = 135) was focused on recipients' explicit expectations about the trustworthiness/usefulness and the immersiveness/entertainment value of stories introduced as nonfiction, fiction, or fake. Study 2 (experimental, N = 186) demonstrated that a story was persuasive in all three paratext conditions (nonfiction, fiction, or fake versus belief-unrelated control story) and that its influence increased with the recipients' need for affect. Participants' need for cognition increased the difference in persuasiveness of a nonfictional versus a fake story. Additional mediation analyses suggest that fiction is more persuasive than fake because readers of fiction get more deeply transported into the story world.

Stereotype threat is known as a situational predicament that prevents members of negatively stereotyped groups to perform up to their full ability. This review shows that the detrimental influence of stereotype threat goes beyond test taking: It impairs stereotyped students to build abilities in the first place. Guided by current theory on stereotype threat processes and boundary conditions, this review integrates findings on test taking, disidentification, and learning. A new three-stage account of stereotype threat is proposed that includes stereotype threat effects on both ability and performance. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

In recent years radical right political parties have become a substantial electoral force in many countries around the world. Based on the vision of a mono-ethnic state, anti-immigration is these parties' core message. Connecting research on discrimination, social exclusion, and social identity threat, it was assumed that this anti-immigrant propaganda undermines the intellectual performance of immigrant adolescents. In an experiment conducted at Austrian schools, the intelligence test performance of adolescents with an immigration background decreased after they were exposed to radical right election posters whereas ethnic majority adolescents remained unaffected. The results further suggest that individuals with a strong ethnic minority identity are less vulnerable to the detrimental impact of the radical right propaganda.

Audiences are attracted to dramas and horror movies even though negative and ambivalent emotions are likely to be experienced. Research into the seemingly paradoxical enjoyment of this kind of media entertainment has typically focused on gender- and genre-specific needs and viewing motivations. Extending this line of research, the authors focus the role of the need for affect as a more general, gender- and genre-independent predictor of individual differences in the experience of emotions and meta-emotions (i.e., evaluative thoughts and feelings about one’s emotions). The article discusses a field study of moviegoers who attended the regular screening of a drama or a horror film. Results support the assumption that individuals high in need for affect experience higher levels of negative and ambivalent emotions and evaluate their emotions more positively on the level of meta-emotions. Controlling for the Big Five personality factors does not alter these effects. The results are discussed within an extended meta-emotion framework.

Cultivation research has identified several misrepresentations on television and has shown that the more people watch television, the more their beliefs correspond to the television world. In recent years, experimental research has demonstrated that fictional narratives are powerful means to change audience beliefs. Theories on the narrative structure of fictional narratives and disposition-based theories of media enjoyment suggest that televised fictional narratives tend to portray the world as a just place. We propose that the amount of fiction watched on television predicts the belief in a just world (BJW). Further, we assume this effect to be compatible with the television use/meanworld relationship expressed by cultivation theory. Two cross-sectional studies with N = 128 participants (German sample) and N = 387 (Austrian sample) corroborate our assumptions. The self-reported frequency of watching fiction on television was positively related to the BJW, whereas the general amount of television viewing was positively related to mean- and scary-world beliefs. In the German sample, mean-world beliefs were also affected by viewing tabloid-style (infotainment) television news. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2007.00374.x The relationship between the reality depicted by the media and the worldviews held by the audience is a fundamental question of mass communication research. Starting from cultivation theory, we posit that watching fictional narratives on television goes along with an increased belief in a just world (BJW), whereas general television use and watching infotainment nonfiction are related to the belief in a mean world. After introducing relevant theory and research, we present two cross-sectional studies that corroborate our assumptions. Cultivation of beliefs Cultivation theory assumes that the ‘‘television world’’ differs from our daily experiences, which leads heavy viewers to believe in the television world rather than real-world statistics. Most prominently, the more people watch television, the more they overestimate crime-related incidents and believe in a mean and scary world

High-precision sensor networks and localization systems require precise time and frequency synchronization. In this paper, we present a novel high-precision frequency synchronization approach for wireless network devices. It adapts the local oscillator frequency of a receiver to the frequency of a transmitter and can be integrated into existing wireless communication systems. The measurement of frequency differences as well as the frequency adjustment is realized in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). Using a 60 GHz wireless experimental setup, the receiver clock is aligned to the transmitter clock with a precision of 37 picoseconds.

In many regions around the world students with certain immigrant backgrounds underachieve in educational settings. This paper provides a review and meta-analysis on one potential source of the immigrant achievement gap: stereotype threat, a situational predicament that may prevent students to perform up to their full abilities. A meta-analysis of 19 experiments suggests an overall mean effect size of 0.63 (random effects model) in support of stereotype threat theory. The results are complemented by moderator analyses with regard to circulation (published or unpublished research), cultural context (US versus Europe), age of immigrants, type of stereotype threat manipulation, dependent measures, and means for identification of immigrant status; evidence on the role of ethnic identity strength is reviewed. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

The present research examined the role of a fictional character's trustworthiness on narrative persuasion. The authors suggest that trustworthiness indicators within the story, rather than paratextual cues (fact–fiction labeling) affect persuasive outcomes. An experiment on fuel-efficient driving behavior (green driving) was conducted, with behavioral intentions and self-reported behavior (3 weeks postexposure) as dependent variables. A story with a trustworthy character who introduced green driving behavior led to stronger intentions to engage in fuel-efficient driving among car owners than a story with a less trustworthy character who provided the same information or a control story. Low character trustworthiness was particularly detrimental to story-consistent intentions and behavior for recipients who were not deeply immersed into the story world (low narrative presence).