A view from mindreading on fast-and-slow thinking

De Neys's incisive critique of empirical and theoretical research on the exclusivity feature underscores the depth of the challenge of explaining the interplay of fast and slow processes. We argue that a closer look at research on mindreading reveals abundant evidence for the exclusivity feature - as well as methodological and theoretical perspectives that could inform research on fast and slow thinking.

Mindreading by body: incorporating mediolateral balance and mouse-tracking measures to examine the motor basis of adults' false-belief tracking

The role played by motor representations in tracking others' belief-based actions remains unclear. In experiment 1, the dynamics of adults' anticipatory mediolateral motor activity (leftwards-rightwards leaning on a balance board) as well as hand trajectories were measured as they attempted to help an agent who had a true or false belief about an object's location. Participants' leaning was influenced by the agent's belief about the target's location when the agent was free to act but not when she was motorically constrained. However, the hand trajectories participants produced to provide a response were not modulated by the other person's beliefs. Therefore, we designed a simplified second experiment in which participants were instructed to click as fast as possible on the location of a target object. In experiment 2, mouse-movements deviated from an ideal direct path to the object location, with trajectories that were influenced by the location in which the agent falsely believed the object to be located. These experiments highlight that information about an agent's false-belief can be mapped onto the motor system of a passive observer, and that there are situations in which the motor system plays an important role in accurate belief-tracking.

The psychology of natural history

Natural history observations are an integral part of ecology and evolution. However, they can be underappreciated because they operate independent of the scientific method. Here, we illustrate that the science of natural history has its own methodology based on a well-known psychological paradigm that describes how the human mind learns.

Development of a cost-effective diagnostic algorithm incorporating transcription factor immunohistochemistry in the evaluation of pituitary tumours

PURPOSE

To determine the utility of the 2022 WHO Classification of pituitary tumours in routine clinical practice and to develop an optimal diagnostic algorithm for evaluation of tumour type in a real-world setting.

METHODS

Retrospective evaluation of pituitary tumour immunohistochemistry (IHC), operatively managed at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney, between 2019 and 2021. Routine IHC comprised evaluation of transcription factors [steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1), T-box transcription factor 19 (TPIT) and pituitary-specific positive transcription factor (PIT1)] and anterior pituitary hormones. Three tiered algorithms were tested, in which hormone IHC was performed selectively based on the initial transcription factor results. These were applied retrospectively and compared with current practice 'gold standard' comprising all transcription factor and hormone IHC. Diagnostic accuracy and cost were evaluated for each.

RESULTS

There were 113 tumours included in the analysis. All three algorithms resulted in 100% concordance with the 'gold standard' in the characterisation of tumour lineage. While all three were associated with relative cost reduction, Algorithm #3, which omitted hormone IHC in the setting of positive SF1 or TPIT and performed IHC for growth hormone, prolactin and thyroid stimulating hormone only in the setting of PIT1 positivity, was the most cost-efficient. Additionally, there were 12/113 tumours with no distinct cell lineage.

CONCLUSION

A diagnostic algorithm omitting hormone IHC except in cases of PIT1 positivity is an accurate and cost-effective approach to diagnose the type of pituitary tumour. A significant subgroup of pituitary tumours with no distinct cell lineage, frequently plurihormonal, remains difficult to classify with the new WHO criteria and requires further evaluation.

Identification of Distinct Long COVID Clinical Phenotypes Through Cluster Analysis of Self-Reported Symptoms

Background

We aimed to describe the clinical presentation of individuals presenting with prolonged recovery from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), known as long COVID.

Methods

This was an analysis within a multicenter, prospective cohort study of individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 and persistent symptoms >4 weeks from onset of acute symptoms. We performed a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) on the most common self-reported symptoms and hierarchical clustering on the results of the MCA to identify symptom clusters.

Results

Two hundred thirty-three individuals were included in the analysis; the median age of the cohort was 43 (interquartile range [IQR], 36–54) years, 74% were women, and 77.3% reported a mild initial illness. MCA and hierarchical clustering revealed 3 clusters. Cluster 1 had predominantly pain symptoms with a higher proportion of joint pain, myalgia, and headache; cluster 2 had a preponderance of cardiovascular symptoms with prominent chest pain, shortness of breath, and palpitations; and cluster 3 had significantly fewer symptoms than the other clusters (2 [IQR, 2–3] symptoms per individual in cluster 3 vs 6 [IQR, 5–7] and 4 [IQR, 3–5] in clusters 1 and 2, respectively; P < .001). Clusters 1 and 2 had greater functional impairment, demonstrated by significantly longer work absence, higher dyspnea scores, and lower scores in SF-36 domains of general health, physical functioning, and role limitation due to physical functioning and social functioning.

Conclusions

Clusters of symptoms are evident in long COVID patients that are associated with functional impairments and may point to distinct underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms of disease.

Retrieval-induced forgetting for autobiographical memories beyond recall rates: A developmental study

We investigated whether selective discussion of autobiographical memory narratives would impact the quality of young people's recall of their nondiscussed memory narratives. Children (ages 8-9 years, n = 65) and adolescents (ages 13-15 years, n = 58) completed an adapted version of the retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) paradigm for self-generated positively and negatively valenced autobiographical memories. Overall, 54.5% of the sample were female and 63.4% were of European ethnicity (11.4% Pacific Peoples, 8.1% Middle Eastern/Latin American/African, 7.3% Māori, 7.3% Asian, 2.4% Other). We defined narrative qualities as narrative coherence (Reese et al., 2011) and episodic and nonepisodic information (Addis et al., 2008). In light of developmental findings in other domains of autobiographical memory research (e.g., Reese et al., 2011; Willoughby et al., 2012), we hypothesized that selective discussion would result in RIF for children's, but not adolescents', narrative coherence and episodic detail, and that RIF would not occur for nonepisodic details for either children or adolescents. Findings for narrative coherence and nonepisodic detail indicated support for our hypotheses. Findings for episodic detail were in partial support of our hypothesis; RIF for episodic detail was found for both children and adolescents. Our findings not only demonstrate the importance of investigating the wider effects of RIF but also uncovered developmental differences previously overlooked in the field. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

A multi-site study on the impact of an advance care planning workshop on attitudes, beliefs and behavioural intentions over a 6-month period

BACKGROUND

This study evaluated the impact of the adapted version of the Respecting Choices® The Living Matters Advance Care Planning (ACP) facilitator training programme on trainees' attitudes on facilitation 6 months post-training.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Two hundred and twenty-one healthcare professionals consisting of doctors, nurses, medical social workers from different training venues in Singapore participated in the first phase of the study (pre- and post) of which 107 participated in the second phase 6 months later (follow-up).

METHODS

Participants self-rated their attitudes, beliefs and behavioural intentions through surveys at three time points in an evaluation design that utilised repeated measures one-way ANOVA (pre-, post-, follow-up). Between-group differences were also examined using independent t-test.

RESULTS

At follow-up, mean scores increased significantly in understanding, confidence, and competence. Changes in effect sizes were large. Although trainees continued to think that ACP is emotionally draining for facilitators, more than before, facilitation experience was considered pleasant for themselves with the positive change significant and moderate in effect size. Those who had experience completing/initiating ACP significantly held more positive views than those who did not.

CONCLUSIONS

The ACP facilitator training programme had lasting effects on enhancing the understanding, competence, and confidence of trainees. Importantly, findings showed that experience in actual facilitation within 6 months after training was important and giving trainees opportunities to facilitate is recommended.

Association Between Diabetes Mellitus and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Results From the United States National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey

Background

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common compression neuropathy in the upper limb. While various risk factors have been linked to CTS, the role of diabetes mellitus (DM) in the development of CTS remains unclear. Previous studies have failed to consistently demonstrate a clear association between DM and CTS due to variations based on the geographic setting and differences in the study design. The objective of this study was to assess if there is an association between DM and CTS using population-based data from the United States.

Methodology

We used data from patients ≥18 years old who contributed to the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey between 2006 and 2015. The outcome was CTS identified by the International Classification of Diseases-9-Clinical Modification codes (354.0 and 354.1), and the main independent variable was physician-reported diabetes status. Multivariable logistic regression was used to adjust for confounding variables. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. Stata v15 was used for all analyses.

Results

Among the patients included in this study (n = 322,092), 13.5% were reported to have diabetes while 0.55% reported CTS. The unadjusted odds of having CTS among patients with diabetes was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.74-1.14; p = 0.447). After adjusting for confounding variables, the association remained not statistically significant (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.65-1.09; p = 0.203). Other variables independently associated with CTS included age 50-59 (aOR: 1.91; 95% CI: 1.49-2.45; p < 0.001), female gender (aOR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.09-1.58; p < 0.004), and current tobacco users (aOR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.07-1.63; p < 0.01).

Conclusions

No association was found between DM and CTS in adult ambulatory patients in the United States, but results should be considered in light of potential outcome misclassification.

Development of a Performance Evaluation Protocol for Air Sensors Deployed on a Google Street View Car

Performance evaluation studies of low-cost sensors (LCS) measuring air pollutants have been conducted by academic and governmental groups for stationary applications. In contrast, evaluation protocols are nonexistent for LCS used in mobile deployments, though LCS are used in this manner by research groups and may be employed to complement regulatory directives for community monitoring. Mobile measurements with LCS are a nascent but growing use-case, and questions of data quality will become increasingly important. The South Coast Air Quality Management District's Air Quality Sensor Performance Evaluation Center has developed the first evaluation protocol in which LCS are compared to reference- or research-grade instruments while deployed on a ground-based mobile platform. LCS are assessed in test scenarios of various degrees of environmental control, ranging from placement in a controlled flow sampling duct to unsheltered mounting on a vehicle rooftop. The testing procedures aim to quantify the performance of LCS and the effects of sensor siting, orientation, and vehicle velocity, the results of which can guide users on appropriate LCS and configurations for their applications. Unexpected performance effects have been revealed through pilot-testing of this evaluation protocol that would likely have not been known from stationary field and laboratory testing.

Effect of varietal attributes on the adoption of an orange-fleshed sweetpotato variety in Upper East and Northern Ghana

Despite sustained economic growth and reduction in some of forms of malnutrition, Ghana still faces a national prevalence rate of 20.8% vitamin A deficiency (VAD) among for children 6-59 months old. Orange-fleshed sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) (OFSP) can significantly improve vitamin A intake and contribute toward reducing VAD, especially in Northern Ghana where VAD is 31% among young children. Several poverty and nutrition projects in Ghana have promoted the use of OFSP for its health benefits. This study assesses the effect of three varietial attributes on adoption of the first released OFSP variety in Northern Ghana namely, Apomuden. The study concluded that sweetness, taste and dry matter have joint significant effects on adoption of an OFSP variety. The positive and negative traits highlighted will inform the on-going breeding effort.

Glycopyrrolate and Post-Operative Urinary Retention: A Narrative Review

The use of non-depolarizing neuromuscular blockade (NDNMB) necessitates the use of reversal agents. Glycopyrrolate, an anticholinergic agent, is commonly used in combination with neostigmine, an anticholinesterase, for the reversal of neuromuscular blockade medications. Glycopyrrolate is known to effect on the genitourinary system adversely with an inhibitory effect on bladder contraction, bladder hypotonia, and increase in the frequency of urinary retention. Many studies analyzing the association between glycopyrrolate and urinary retention are outdated and published over a decade ago. The decade old studies were retrospective and did not consider post-operative urinary retention (POUR) as a primary outcome. The purpose of this manuscript is to review the association between glycopyrrolate administration and post-operative urinary retention in the perioperative setting.

Mindreading in the balance: adults' mediolateral leaning and anticipatory looking foretell others' action preparation in a false-belief interactive task

Anticipatory looking on mindreading tasks can indicate our expectation of an agent's action. The challenge is that social situations are often more complex, involving instances where we need to track an agent's false belief to successfully identify the outcome to which an action is directed. If motor processes can guide how action goals are understood, it is conceivable-where that kind of goal ascription occurs in false-belief tasks-for motor representations to account for someone's belief-like state. Testing adults (N = 42) in a real-time interactive helping scenario, we discovered that participants' early mediolateral motor activity (leftwards-rightwards leaning on balance board) foreshadowed the agent's belief-based action preparation. These results suggest fast belief-tracking can modulate motor representations generated in the course of one's interaction with an agent. While adults' leaning, and anticipatory looking, revealed the contribution of fast false-belief tracking, participants did not correct the agent's mistake in their final helping action. These discoveries suggest that adults may not necessarily use another's belief during overt social interaction or find reflecting on another's belief as being normatively relevant to one's own choice of action. Our interactive task design offers a promising way to investigate how motor and mindreading processes may be variously integrated.

Level 2 perspective-taking distinguishes automatic and non-automatic belief-tracking

Little is known about whether human beings' automatic mindreading is computationally restricted to processing a limited kind of content, and what exactly the nature of that signature limit might be. We developed a novel object-detection paradigm to test adults' automatic processing in a Level 1 perspective-taking (L1PT) context (where an agent's belief, but not his visuospatial perspective, is relevantly different) and in a Level 2 perspective-taking (L2PT) context (where both the agent's belief and visuospatial perspective are relevantly different). Experiment 1 uncovered that adults' reaction times in the L1PT task were helpfully speeded by a bystander's irrelevant belief when tracking two homogenous objects but not in the L2PT task when tracking a single heterogeneous object. The limitation is especially striking given that the heterogeneous nature of the single object was fully revealed to participants as well as the bystander. The results were replicated in two further experiments, which confirmed that the selective modulation of adults' reaction times was maintained when tracking the location of a single object (Experiment 2) and when attention checks were removed (Experiment 3). Our findings suggest that automatic mindreading draws upon a distinctively minimalist model of the mental that underspecifies representation of differences in perspective relative to an agent's position in space.

Short- and longer-term effects of selective discussion of adolescents' autobiographical memories

We investigated whether selective discussion leads to retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) for early to mid-adolescents' positive and negative autobiographical memories after delays of 5 min and 1 day. Adolescents (13-15 years of age; N = 58) completed an adapted version of the RIF paradigm for adults' emotionally valenced autobiographical memories. Following findings that RIF occurs for children's positive and negative memories and adults' negative autobiographical memories only, we posed three research questions. First, would RIF occur for adolescents' autobiographical memories after a short delay? Second, would adolescents demonstrate an RIF valence effect? Third, would any RIF findings be replicated after a longer delay? We found RIF for negative memories after both a short and longer delay. We also found RIF for positive memories, but only after the longer delay. The potential mechanisms underpinning these findings are discussed.

P43 Parasellar capillary haemangioma with intrasellar extension

Objectives

Capillary haemangioma is a benign vascular tumour that typically arises from skin and mucosal surfaces at birth and in infants. Central nervous system (CNS) capillary haemangioma in adults is extremely rare. We describe a case of capillary haemangioma located within the parasellar region extending into the sella.

Design

Case report.

Results

We report a 64-year-old patient who presented with a short history of ptosis and left sided headaches. CT showed a 3 cm by 2.5 cm para-sellar lesion extending into the sella. MRI showed a homogenously hyperintense lesion on T2-weighted MRI and FLAIR, which was isointense with adjacent brain parenchyma on T1-weighted MRI. This lesion also demonstrated contrast enhancement. The patient underwent an initial endoscopic transsphenoidal biopsy, which was inconclusive, followed by a craniotomy and debulking. Histological examination revealed fibrous tissue containing numerous thin walled and irregular vascular channels of varying sizes. There was a mild associated inflammatory infiltrate, mainly formed of small mononuclear chronic inflammatory cells, and occasional histiocytes. The histological appearances were in keeping capillary haemangioma.

Conclusions

The present case describes a capillary haemangioma located in the sella. The rarity of this vascular entity and the absence of any pathognomonic imaging features make it difficult to diagnose based on radiological appearances alone. Although rare, CH should be a differential when considering a sella or parasellar lesion.

Multiple parasitism reduces egg rejection in the host (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) of a mimetic avian brood parasite (Cuculus canorus)

A host that has been targeted by an avian brood parasite can recover most of its potential fitness loss by ejecting the foreign egg(s) from its nest. The propensity for some hosts to engage in egg rejection behavior has put selective pressure on their parasites to evolve mimetic eggshells resembling the host's own shell colors and maculation. In turn, hosts have counterevolved increasingly more sophisticated detection methods such as narrowing visual egg acceptance thresholds or using social cues to recognize parasitism. However, multiple cognitive mechanisms acting simultaneously could theoretically interfere with one another and ultimately decrease egg rejection accuracy, especially if these heuristics yield differing targets for rejection. By painting hosts own eggs, we studied a host species of the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus, the great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus, and tested its responses to the presence of "foreign" eggs of varying quantity, colors, and uniformity. Using reflectance spectra of egg background coloration and avian perceptual modeling, we then estimated the sensory thresholds triggering egg rejection by this host for each treatment. As previously reported, rejection rates were positively related to the perceptual distance between own and foreign eggs in the nests in all treatments. However, rejection thresholds were more permissive (error prone) both with greater proportions of foreign eggs per clutch and/or when the suite of foreign eggs was perceptually more variable within the nest. These results suggest that parasites, through multiple parasitism, can partially overcome the evolution of hosts' recognition of mimetic parasite eggs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).