Cognitive ability and human behavior in experimental ultimatum games

Cynicism refers to a negative appraisal of human nature—a belief that self-interest is the ultimate motive guiding human behavior. We explored laypersons’ beliefs about cynicism and competence and to what extent these beliefs correspond to reality. Four studies showed that laypeople tend to believe in cynical individuals’ cognitive superiority. A further three studies based on the data of about 200,000 individuals from 30 countries debunked these lay beliefs as illusionary by revealing that cynical (vs. less cynical) individuals generally do worse on cognitive ability and academic competency tasks. Cross-cultural analyses showed that competent individuals held contingent attitudes and endorsed cynicism only if it was warranted in a given sociocultural environment. Less competent individuals embraced cynicism unconditionally, suggesting that—at low levels of competence—holding a cynical worldview might represent an adaptive default strategy to avoid the potential costs of falling prey to others’ cunning.

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Differential Contributions of Static and Time-Varying Functional Connectivity to Human Behavior

10.1101/2020.07.14.203273 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Adam Eichenbaum ◽

Ioannis Pappas ◽

Daniel Lurie ◽

Jessica R. Cohen ◽

Mark D’Esposito

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Human Brain ◽

Cognitive Ability ◽

Human Behavior ◽

Resting State ◽

Behavioral Variability ◽

Static Case ◽

Time Varying ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Brain Functional Connectivity

AbstractMeasures of human brain functional connectivity acquired during the resting-state track critical aspects of behavior. Recently, fluctuations in resting-state functional connectivity patterns – typically averaged across in traditional analyses – have been considered for their potential neuroscientific relevance. There exists a lack of research on the differences between traditional “static” measures of functional connectivity and newly-considered “time-varying” measures as they relate to human behavior. Using functional magnetic resonance imagining (fMRI) data collected at rest, and a battery of behavioral measures collected outside the scanner, we determined the degree to which each modality captures aspects of personality and cognitive ability. Measures of time-varying functional connectivity were derived by fitting a Hidden Markov Model. To determine behavioral relationships, static and time-varying connectivity measures were submitted separately to canonical correlation analysis. A single relationship between static functional connectivity and behavior existed, defined by measures of personality and stable behavioral features. However, two relationships were found when using time-varying measures. The first relationship was similar to the static case. The second relationship was unique, defined by measures reflecting trialwise behavioral variability. Our findings suggest that time-varying measures of functional connectivity are capable of capturing unique aspects of behavior to which static measures are insensitive.Author SummaryCorrelated patterns of brain activity measured in the absence of any prescribed task show meaningful temporal fluctuations. However, the manner by which such fluctuations track aspects of human behavior remains unresolved. The current report takes a data-driven approach to characterize how time-varying patterns of human brain functional connectivity differ from traditional static measures in their ability to track aspects of personality and cognitive ability. We determine that time-varying patterns of functional connectivity not only track similar aspects of behavior as do static measures, but also unique behavioral qualities as well, specifically those that reflect behavioral variability. These results highlight the importance and relevance of examining time-varying measures of functional connectivity.

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Preclinical laboratory course in dental behavioral science: changing human behavior

Journal of Dental Education ◽

10.1002/j.0022-0337.1978.42.3.tb01171.x ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 42 (3) ◽

pp. 147-149

Author(s):

P Weinstein ◽

T Getz

Keyword(s):

Human Behavior ◽

Behavioral Science ◽

Laboratory Course

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A Latent State-Trait Analysis of Current Achievement Motivation Across Different Tasks of Cognitive Ability

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000289 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 33 (5) ◽

pp. 318-327

Author(s):

Philipp Alexander Freund ◽

Vanessa Katharina Jaensch ◽

Franzis Preckel

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Ability ◽

Task Performance ◽

Achievement Motivation ◽

Fear Of Failure ◽

Specific Task ◽

Test Taker ◽

Specific Interest ◽

Probability Of Success ◽

Ability Tests ◽

Perceived Challenge

Abstract. The current study investigates the behavior of task-specific, current achievement motivation (CAM: interest in the task, probability of success, perceived challenge, and fear of failure) across a variety of reasoning tasks featuring verbal, numerical, and figural content. CAM is conceptualized as a state-like variable, and in order to assess the relative stability of the four CAM variables across different tasks, latent state trait analyses are conducted. The major findings indicate that the degree of challenge a test taker experiences and the fear of failing a given task appear to be relatively stable regardless of the specific task utilized, whereas interest and probability of success are more directly influenced by task-specific characteristics and demands. Furthermore, task performance is related to task-specific interest and probability of success. We discuss the implications and benefits of these results with regard to the use of cognitive ability tests in general. Importantly, taking motivational differences between test takers into account appears to offer valuable information which helps to explain differences in task performance.

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Sex Differences in Childhood Associations between DNA Markers and General Cognitive Ability

Journal of Individual Differences ◽

10.1027/1614-0001.28.3.161 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 161-164 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rosalind Arden ◽

Nicole Harlaar ◽

Robert Plomin

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Cognitive Ability ◽

Dna Markers ◽

Community Sample ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

General Cognitive Ability ◽

Single Nucleotide ◽

The Difference

Abstract. An association between intelligence at age 7 and a set of five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) has been identified and replicated. We used this composite SNP set to investigate whether the associations differ between boys and girls for general cognitive ability at ages 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, and 10 years. In a longitudinal community sample of British twins aged 2-10 (n > 4,000 individuals), we found that the SNP set is more strongly associated with intelligence in males than in females at ages 7, 9, and 10 and the difference is significant at 10. If this finding replicates in other studies, these results will constitute the first evidence of the same autosomal genes acting differently on intelligence in the two sexes.

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A Meta-Analysis of Interviews and Cognitive Ability

Journal of Personnel Psychology ◽

10.1027/1866-5888/a000091 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 157-169 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Philip L. Roth ◽

Allen I. Huffcutt

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Ability ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Incremental Validity ◽

Employment Interviews ◽

Moderator Analysis ◽

The Future ◽

Research Questions ◽

Meta Analyses ◽

The Relationship

The topic of what interviews measure has received a great deal of attention over the years. One line of research has investigated the relationship between interviews and the construct of cognitive ability. A previous meta-analysis reported an overall corrected correlation of .40 ( Huffcutt, Roth, & McDaniel, 1996 ). A more recent meta-analysis reported a noticeably lower corrected correlation of .27 ( Berry, Sackett, & Landers, 2007 ). After reviewing both meta-analyses, it appears that the two studies posed different research questions. Further, there were a number of coding judgments in Berry et al. that merit review, and there was no moderator analysis for educational versus employment interviews. As a result, we reanalyzed the work by Berry et al. and found a corrected correlation of .42 for employment interviews (.15 higher than Berry et al., a 56% increase). Further, educational interviews were associated with a corrected correlation of .21, supporting their influence as a moderator. We suggest a better estimate of the correlation between employment interviews and cognitive ability is .42, and this takes us “back to the future” in that the better overall estimate of the employment interviews – cognitive ability relationship is roughly .40. This difference has implications for what is being measured by interviews and their incremental validity.

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A Multimedia Situational Test With a Constructed-Response Format

Journal of Personnel Psychology ◽

10.1027/1866-5888/a000035 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 78-88 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Janneke K. Oostrom ◽

Marise Ph. Born ◽

Alec W. Serlie ◽

Henk T. van der Molen

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Ability ◽

Computer Technology ◽

Psychology Students ◽

Learning Activities ◽

Ability Test ◽

Constructed Response ◽

Job Experience ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship ◽

Situational Test

Advances in computer technology have created opportunities for the development of a multimedia situational test in which responses are filmed with a webcam. This paper examined the relationship of a so-called webcam test with personality, cognitive ability, job experience, and academic performance. Data were collected among 153 psychology students. In line with our expectations, scores on the webcam test, intended to measure interpersonally oriented leadership, were related to extraversion, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and job experience. Furthermore, the webcam tests significantly predicted students’ learning activities during group meetings over and above a cognitive ability test and a personality questionnaire. Overall, this study demonstrates that webcam tests can be a valid complement to traditional predictors in selection contexts.

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