Darwinian grandparenting: preferential investment in more certain kin

Studies on grandparental investment have revealed that mothers' fathers are emotionally closer to their grandchildren than are fathers' mothers. In the current study, it was hypothesized that this difference is caused by the fact that fathers' mothers often have the potential to invest in genetically more certain kin (children through their daughters). To test this hypothesis, 787 participants rated their emotional closeness and exposure to their grandparents and indicated whether they had cousins through paternal and maternal aunts and uncles. Results indicated that participants felt closer to mothers' fathers than fathers' mothers only when alternate investment outlets for fathers' mothers were available. Closeness ratings to fathers' fathers also were reduced when they had grandchildren through their daughters. Exposure to grandparents revealed a similar pattern of findings but did not show the same sensitivity to the presence of more certain kin and did not appear to account for the closeness ratings.

Multiple emotions: a person-centered approach to the relationship between intergroup emotion and action orientation

Although a great deal of research has investigated the relationship between emotions and action orientations, most studies to date have used variable-centered techniques to identify the best emotion predictor(s) of a particular action. Given that people frequently report multiple or blended emotions, a profitable area of research may be to adopt person-centered approaches to examine the action orientations elicited by a particular combination of emotions or "emotion profile." In two studies, across instances of intergroup inequality in Australia and Canada, we examined participants' experiences of six intergroup emotions: sympathy, anger directed at three targets, shame, and pride. In both studies, five groups of participants with similar emotion profiles were identified by cluster analysis and their action orientations were compared; clusters indicated that the majority of participants experienced multiple emotions. Each action orientation was also regressed on the six emotions. There were a number of differences in the results obtained from the person-centered and variable-centered approaches. This was most apparent for sympathy: the group of participants experiencing only sympathy showed little inclination to perform prosocial actions, yet sympathy was a significant predictor of numerous action orientations in regression analyses. These results imply that sympathy may only prompt a desire for action when experienced in combination with other emotions. We suggest that the use of person-centered and variable-centered approaches as complementary analytic strategies may enrich research into not only the affective predictors of action, but emotion research in general.

Our Flaws Are More Human Than Yours

Four studies investigated whether people tend to see ingroup flaws as part of human nature (HN) to a greater degree than outgroup flaws. In Study 1, people preferentially ascribed high HN flaws to their ingroup relative to two outgroups. Study 2 demonstrated that flaws were rated higher on HN when attributed to the ingroup than when attributed to an outgroup, and no such difference occurred for positive traits. Study 3 replicated this humanizing ingroup flaws (HIF) effect and showed that it was (a) independent of desirability and (b) specific to the HN sense of humanness. Study 4 replicated the results of Study 3 and demonstrated that the HIF effect is amplified under ingroup identity threat. Together, these findings show that people humanize ingroup flaws and preferentially ascribe high HN flaws to the ingroup. These ingroup humanizing biases may serve a group-protective function by mitigating ingroup flaws as “only human.”

The future in clinical genetics: affective forecasting biases in patient and clinician decision making

When clinicians facilitate and patients make decisions about predictive genetic testing, they often base their choices on the predicted emotional consequences of positive and negative test results. Research from psychology and decision making suggests that such predictions may often be biased. Work on affective forecasting-predicting one's future emotional states-shows that people tend to overestimate the impact of (especially negative) emotional events on their well-being; a phenomenon termed the impact bias. In this article, we review the causes and consequences of the impact bias in medical decision making, with a focus on applying such findings to predictive testing in clinical genetics. We also recommend strategies for reducing the impact bias and consider the ethical and practical implications of doing so.

The Socio-Moral Image Database (SMID): A novel stimulus set for the study of social, moral and affective processes

A major obstacle for the design of rigorous, reproducible studies in moral psychology is the lack of suitable stimulus sets. Here, we present the Socio-Moral Image Database (SMID), the largest standardized moral stimulus set assembled to date, containing 2,941 freely available photographic images, representing a wide range of morally (and affectively) positive, negative and neutral content. The SMID was validated with over 820,525 individual judgments from 2,716 participants, with normative ratings currently available for all images on affective valence and arousal, moral wrongness, and relevance to each of the five moral values posited by Moral Foundations Theory. We present a thorough analysis of the SMID regarding (1) inter-rater consensus, (2) rating precision, and (3) breadth and variability of moral content. Additionally, we provide recommendations for use aimed at efficient study design and reproducibility, and outline planned extensions to the database. We anticipate that the SMID will serve as a useful resource for psychological, neuroscientific and computational (e.g., natural language processing or computer vision) investigations of social, moral and affective processes. The SMID images, along with associated normative data and additional resources are available at https://osf.io/2rqad/.

Wrongness in different relationships: Relational context effects on moral judgment

Morality primarily serves social-relational functions. However, little research in moral psychology investigates how relational factors impact moral judgment, and a theoretically grounded approach to such investigations is lacking. We used Relational Models Theory and Moral Foundations Theory to explore how varying actor-victim relationships impacts judgment of different types of moral violations. Across three studies, using a diverse range of moral violations and varying the experimental design, relational context substantially influenced third-party judgment of moral violations, and typically independent of several factors strongly associated with moral judgment. Results lend novel but mixed support to Relationship Regulation Theory and provide some novel implications for Moral Foundations Theory. These studies highlight the importance of relational factors in moral psychology and provide guidelines for exploring how relational factors might shape moral judgment.

Biological conversion of benzaldehyde to benzylmercapturic acid in the Sprague-Dawley rat

The metabolism of benzaldehyde was investigated in Sprague-Dawley rats. After repeated oral administration of this compound (0.4-1.0 g/kg) for 13 consecutive days, urine was collected and analyzed for the presence of metabolites. The acidification of the pooled urine samples (pH:2.0) with 6 N H2SO4 was followed by ethyl acetate extraction, evaporation of the extract and methylation with diazomethane. Identification of the metabolite by comparison with a synthetic sample of benzylmercapturic acid (BENZM) was conducted by gas chromatography. Mass spectrometry examination of this metabolite revealed the following peaks characteristic of benzylmercapturic acid: m/z (%), 91(100), 176(27), 208(23), 43(20), 88(13), 117(10), 134(9), M+ 267(2). Monitoring of urines from both female and male rats showed a dose-related increase of benzylmercapturic acid which was found to be a reliable indicator of exposure to benzaldehyde.

Subjective status and perceived legitimacy across countries

The relationships between subjective status and perceived legitimacy are important for understanding the extent to which people with low status are complicit in their oppression. We use novel data from 66 samples and 30 countries (N = 12,788) and find that people with higher status see the social system as more legitimate than those with lower status, but there is variation across people and countries. The association between subjective status and perceived legitimacy was never negative at any levels of eight moderator variables, although the positive association was sometimes reduced. Although not always consistent with hypotheses, group identification, self-esteem, and beliefs in social mobility were all associated with perceived legitimacy among people who have low subjective status. These findings enrich our understanding of the relationship between social status and legitimacy.

Respect for persons in the intergroup context: Self—other overlap and intergroup emotions as mediators of the impact of respect on action tendencies

Two studies examined self—other overlap and intergroup emotions as mediators of the effects of respect for persons on action tendencies towards outgroup members. In contexts of both mild (Study 1) and more severe (Study 2) intergroup conflict, respect for persons predicted action tendencies towards outgroup members: those who value the intrinsic worth of others (high respect for persons) expressed less negative and more positive action tendencies towards outgroup members than did those with low respect for persons. These effects were obtained while controlling for Social Dominance Orientation and Agreeableness (Study 1). Further, the effects of respect for persons on action tendencies were shown to be partially mediated by self—other overlap and intergroup emotions. The findings support previous work in suggesting that respect for persons is an important predictor in intergroup contexts, and they highlight potential mechanisms through which respect might operate.

A meta-analysis of the object-based compatibility effect

The object-based compatibility effect (CE) describes, in the context of two-choice keypress tasks, the facilitation of response times (RTs) by the correspondence between participants' response hand and the task-irrelevant orientation of a viewed object's handle. Object-based CEs are often attributed to affordance perception. Although the object-based CE paradigm is the major RT task used to study affordances, failures to replicate the effect have raised questions about its robustness. Moreover, it remains unclear whether the object-based CE is indeed indicative of affordances, or whether it is merely an example of spatial CEs brought about by the object's protruding handle. We present a meta-analysis of object-based CEs to (1) obtain a point estimate of the overall effect and (2) test for moderation consistent with either affordance or spatial compatibility accounts. From 88 independent effects (computed on 2359 participants), we estimated a small but significant compatibility effect (ES = 0.106, z = 5.44, p < .001 95% CI:[0.068, 0.145]), although evidence of publication bias suggests that the true effect is smaller in magnitude. Further, we found significant heterogeneity in effect sizes, indicating between-study variation beyond sampling variability. Moderator analyses indicated that CEs were larger when (1) task-relevant decisions were not about the function of objects, (2) when stimuli were silhouettes as opposed to photographs, and (3) when objects were centered on-screen according to their base or pixel distribution. Response mode (within vs between-hand) did not moderate CEs, nor did the critical interaction between stimulus type (photograph vs silhouette/illustration) and response mode. In all, results are mostly consistent with a spatial compatibility account of object-based CEs. Finally, analyses revealed moderation by trial and task structure, providing implications for study design.

Effects of tri-n-butyl phosphate on the peripheral nervous system of the Sprague-Dawley rat

Tri-n-butyl phosphate, a widely used plasticizer and solvent, was orally administered to male and female Sprague-Dawley rats for 14 consecutive days (low dose: 0.28 mL/kg; high dose: 0.42 mL/kg). Effects of this industrial chemical were investigated on the peripheral nervous system of these animals. A significant (P less than 0.05) reduction in conduction velocity of caudal nerve was observed in high dose male rats. Electron microscopic examination of sciatic nerve showed morphological changes such as retraction of Schwann cell processes surrounding unmyelinated fibres in both sexes of high dose groups.

Subacute inhalation toxicity of benzaldehyde in the Sprague-Dawley rat

Benzaldehyde was administered by inhalation to female and male Sprague-Dawley rats for 14 consecutive days (low level: 500 ppm; medium level: 750 ppm; high level: 1000 ppm). Effects of this chemical were investigated during and at the end of the exposure period. Throughout the experiment, significant hypothermia and a reduction of motor activity were observed in all rats exposed to benzaldehyde and were accompanied in high-level rats by a severe impairment of the central nervous system, as evidenced by abnormal gait, tremors, and a positive Straub sign. Histopathologic examination of tissues from exposed rats showed a goblet cell metaplasia that was largely confined to the respiratory epithelium lining the nasal septum in male rats. No other abnormal microscopic changes were observed. A no effect level was not observed in these studies.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Morality: Deontological, Consequentialist, and Emotive Language Use in Justifications Across Foundation-Specific Moral Violations

Morality is inherently social, yet much extant work in moral psychology ignores the central role of social processes in moral phenomena. To partly address this, this article examined the content of persuasive moral communication-the way people justify their moral attitudes in persuasive contexts. Across two studies, we explored variation in justification content (deontological, consequentialist, or emotive) as a function of moral foundations. Using justification selection techniques (Study 1) and open-ended justification production (Study 2), results demonstrate a preference (a) for deontological appeals in justifications for the sanctity foundation, (b) for consequentialist appeals for the individualizing foundations (care and fairness), and (c) for emotive appeals in justifications for the binding foundations (loyalty, authority and sanctity). The present research questions the generality of inferences about the primacy of emotions/intuition in moral psychology research and highlights the important role of reasons in persuasive moral communication.

Induction of urinary bladder hyperplasia in Sprague-Dawley rats orally administered tri-n-butyl phosphate

The effects of tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) were investigated in the Sprague-Dawley rat over an 18-wk period. Groups of randomized female (average weight [AW] = 206 +/- 10 g) and male (AW = 294 +/- 13 g) rats were divided into low-dose, high-dose, and control groups (12 rats/sex X group). Tri-n-butyl phosphate was administered by gavage once a day for 5 days/wk over an 18-wk period. Low-dose animals received 0.20 g/kg X day throughout the experiment and high-dose animals received 0.30 g/kg X day for the first 6 wk. For the remaining 12 wk, the high-dose level was increased to 0.35 g/kg X day. Histopathological examination of tissues revealed that all test rats examined developed diffuse hyperplasia of the urinary bladder epithelium. Similar changes were not found in the control animals.

Acidic metabolites of pseudocumene in rabbit urine

In order to identify biological indicators of exposure to trimethylbenzenes, the metabolism of pseudocumene (1,2,4-trimethylbenzene) was investigated in rabbits. After oral administration of this compound, urine was collected for several days and analyzed for the presence of acidic metabolites. Isolation techniques included steam-distillation, direct extraction of urine by ethyl acetate, preparative thin-layer and column chromatography of the extract. The metabolites were identified by microanalysis, followed by TLC, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, infrared and ultraviolet spectroscopy. Two major urinary metabolites were identified namely 2,4-dimethylbenzoic acid and 3,4-dimethylhippuric acid. The presence of these acidic metabolites in urine is a good indication of exposure to pseudocumene.

Personality and moral judgment: Curious consequentialists and polite deontologists

OBJECTIVE

How does our personality relate to the ways in which we judge right from wrong? Drawing on influential theories of moral judgment, we identify candidate traits that may be linked with inclinations toward (a) consequentialist judgments (i.e., those based on the outcomes of an action) and (b) deontological judgments (i.e., those based on the alignment of an action with particular moral rules).

METHOD

Across two studies (total N = 843) we examined domains and aspects of the Big Five in relation to inclinations toward consequentialist and deontological judgments.

RESULTS

In both studies, we found a unique association between intellect (curiosity, cognitive engagement) and consequentialist inclinations, in line with the view that deliberative cognitive processes drive such inclinations. We also found a consistent unique association between politeness (respectfulness, etiquette) and deontological inclinations, in line with the view that norm-adherence drives such inclinations. Neither study yielded a significant unique relation between deontological inclinations and compassion (sympathy, empathic concern)-or any other emotion-infused trait (e.g., Neuroticism)-as would be expected based on emotion-centered views of deontological moral judgment.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings have implications for theories of moral judgment, and reveal how our personality may guide our approach to questions of ethics and morality.