The costs of curiosity and creativity: Minimizing the downsides while maximizing the upsides.

The unbridled positivity toward curiosity and creativity may be excessive. Both aid species survival through exploration and advancement. These beneficial effects are well documented. What remains is to understand their optimal levels and contexts for maximal achievement, health, and well-being. Every beneficial element to individuals and groups carries the potential for harm - curiosity and creativity included.

Swimming with a head-mounted display: dual-task costs.

Head-up displays (HUDs) have the potential to change work in operation environments by providing hands-free information to wearers. However, these benefits may be accompanied by trade-offs, primarily by increasing cognitive load due to dividing attention. Previous studies have attempted to understand the trade-offs of HUD usage; however, all of which were focused on land-based tasks. A gap in understanding exists when examining HUD use in aquatic environments as immersion introduces unique environmental and physiological factors that could affect multitasking. In this study, we investigated multitasking performance associated with swimming with a HUD. Eighteen participants completed three tasks: swimming only, a HUD-administered word recall task, and a dual-task combining both tasks. Results revealed significant dual-task interference in both tasks, though possibly less pronounced than in land-based tasks. These findings enhance not only help characterise dual-task performance, but also offer valuable insights for HUD design for aquatic settings.

HUDs have become an increasingly popular tool to present information to users in complex working environments. However, past research examining HUD task performance has been restricted to land-based contexts. The current study examines HUD use while swimming and provides characterisation of multitasking performance within aquatic environments.

A Closer Look at Warning Cues on the Sustained Attention to Response Task Performance.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effects of auditory cues of varying reliability levels on response inhibition performance using a target detection task to determine if external cues offer performance benefits. Further, we examined how the slope of the speed accuracy trade-off changes as a function of auditory cue reliability and used the trade-off to understand where any performance gains may be realized. BACKGROUND: Researchers have proposed that the sustained attention to response task (SART) can be used to study the mechanisms causing failures of response inhibition. External cues may mitigate the results of motor inhibition failure. The extent to which external cues can effectively aid performance depends on the level of cue reliability. METHOD: Ninety-one participants performed three SARTs with auditory cue assistance at three different levels of reliability (i.e. 0%, 60% and 100% reliable at cueing imminent No-Go stimuli). RESULTS: We observed fewer errors of commission and faster reaction time in conditions with higher cue reliability. The slope of speed-accuracy trade-off relationship was impacted by cue reliability and was not a simple linear function. CONCLUSION: Reliable auditory cues aid performance by reducing reaction time and errors of commission. Auditory cues also impact the relationship between speed and accuracy trade-off. APPLICATION: Insights of cue effectiveness at different reliability levels help people make informed decisions in developing automation interfaces or sensors based on expected performance. Reliable cues mitigate the risk of impulsive errors; however, the reliability has to be high to have a noticeable impact on the speed-accuracy trade-off.

The Role of State and Trait Self-Control on the Sustained Attention to Response Task.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the plausibility of self-control depletion, or ego-depletion, as the underlying cognitive resource responsible for performance decrements on the sustained attention to response task. BACKGROUND: Researchers suggested that self-control is a limited cognitive resource used to complete a myriad of processes, including sustained attention. Past research showed that trait self-control affects some sustained attention tasks. However, little research has investigated the effect of self-control as a limited cognitive resource that varies over time (i.e., as a state-dependent variable). METHODS: This experiment investigated the effect of self-control (trait and state) on a sustained motor-inhibition task (e.g., sustained attention to response task; SART). State self-control was manipulated using a between-subjects design-participants in the experimental condition completed a task designed to deplete state self-control prior to performing the SART while the control condition completed a modified version that did not deplete self-control. RESULTS: Trait self-control predicted performance on the SART, but the depletion task (state self-control) had no detectable effect. CONCLUSION: Given the evidence, it is unlikely that state self-control plays a causal role in performance decrements in the SART, but there appears to be some association between performance on the SART and trait self-control. APPLICATION: Trait self-control ought to be considered in future work for personnel selection in real-world tasks that the SART models such as long-distance driving, air traffic control, and TSA operations.

High-Frequency Heart Rate Variability and Emotion-Driven Impulse Control Difficulties During Adolescence: Examining Experienced and Expressed Negative Emotion as Moderators.

Emotion-driven impulse control difficulties are associated with negative psychological outcomes. Extant research suggests that high frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) may be indicative of emotion-driven impulse control difficulties and potentially moderated by negative emotion. In the current study, 248 eleven- to 14-year-olds and their parent engaged in a negatively emotionally arousing conflict task at Time 1. Adolescents' HF-HRV and negative emotional expression and experience were assessed before, during, and/or after the task. Adolescents reported on their levels of emotion-driven impulse control difficulties at Time 1 and one year later. Results revealed that higher levels of HF-HRV reactivity (i.e., higher HF-HRV augmentation) predicted higher levels of emotion-driven impulse control difficulties one year later among adolescents who experienced higher negative emotion. These findings suggest that negative emotional context should be considered when examining HF-HRV reactivity as a risk factor for emotion-driven impulse control difficulties and associated outcomes.

Placebo effects in cognitive training.

Although a large body of research shows that general cognitive ability is heritable and stable in young adults, there is recent evidence that fluid intelligence can be heightened with cognitive training. Many researchers, however, have questioned the methodology of the cognitive-training studies reporting improvements in fluid intelligence: specifically, the role of placebo effects. We designed a procedure to intentionally induce a placebo effect via overt recruitment in an effort to evaluate the role of placebo effects in fluid intelligence gains from cognitive training. Individuals who self-selected into the placebo group by responding to a suggestive flyer showed improvements after a single, 1-h session of cognitive training that equates to a 5- to 10-point increase on a standard IQ test. Controls responding to a nonsuggestive flyer showed no improvement. These findings provide an alternative explanation for effects observed in the cognitive-training literature and the brain-training industry, revealing the need to account for confounds in future research.

Cerebral hemovelocity reveals differential resource allocation strategies for extraverts and introverts during vigilance.

Extraversion--one of the Big 5 personality factors--correlates negatively with vigilance, but most studies focus on performance outcomes and not the performance process. Previous research has shown that transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD), which measures cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV), can be used to examine resource allocation strategies during vigilance performance. Hence, this study was designed to assess the attentional resource allocation strategies of introverts and extraverts using the CBFV measure. Twelve extroverts and 13 introverts monitored a 60-min vigilance task for a critical signal--the absence of a line on a five-circle array. The results revealed an overall performance decrement that was not modulated by extraversion. We observed an interaction between extraversion and time; CBFV declined in the introversion group, but not in the extraversion group. Additionally, an interaction between cerebral hemisphere and personality revealed that extraverts were recruiting resources from both the left and right cerebral hemispheres, while introverts only recruited resources from the right hemisphere. The results suggest that extraverts can allocate compensatory effort to mask performance differences. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings and offer future research directions that may help us understand these effects.

Sexual healing: daily diary investigation of the benefits of intimate and pleasurable sexual activity in socially anxious adults.

A growing literature attests to deficits in social and romantic life quality in people with elevated social anxiety, but no research to date has explored how intense intimate encounters influence social anxiety symptoms. This study investigated whether the presence and quality of sexual activity on a given day predicted less social anxiety and negative cognitions on a subsequent day. We also explored whether the benefits of sexual activity would be stronger for more socially anxious individuals. Over 21 days, 172 undergraduate students described the presence and quality of sexual activity, social anxiety symptoms, and use of social comparisons on the day in question. Time-lagged analyses determined that being sexually active on one day was related to less social anxiety symptoms and the generation of fewer negative social comparisons the next day. Furthermore, more intense experiences of pleasure and connectedness during sex predicted greater reductions in social anxiety the next day for people high in trait social anxiety, compared to those low in trait social anxiety. These results were similar regardless of whether sex occurred in the context of romantic relationships or on weekdays versus weekends. The results suggest that sexual activity, particularly when pleasurable and intimate, may mitigate some of the social anxiety and negative comparisons frequently experienced by people with high trait social anxiety.

Purpose in life: A resolution on the definition, conceptual model, and optimal measurement.

Theoretically, purpose serves as a basic dimension of healthy psychological functioning and an important protective factor from psychopathology. Theory alone, however, is insufficient to answer critical questions about human behavior and functioning; we require empirical evidence that explores the parameters of purpose with respect to measurement, prediction, and modification. Here, we provide empirically supported insights about how purpose can operate as a beneficial outcome (e.g., marker of well-being), a predictor or mechanism that accounts for benefits that a person derives (such as from an intervention), or a moderator that offers insight into when benefits arise. Advancing the study of purpose requires careful consideration of how purpose is conceptualized, manipulated, and measured across the lifespan. Our aim is to help scientists understand, specify, and conduct high-quality studies of purpose in life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Factors that affect dentists' use of antibiotic prophylaxis: Findings from The National Dental Practice-Based Research Network questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about factors that influence dentists' decision making concerning antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) prescribing. The objective of this study was to determine factors that influence dentists' AP prescribing habits in patients at risk of developing infective endocarditis and prosthetic joint infections. METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to 3,584 dentist members of The National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. In addition to descriptive statistics, ordinal regression models were used to determine the factors most likely to impact dentists' decisions to prescribe AP. RESULTS: Overall, 2,169 (61%) dentists in The National Dental Practice-Based Resesarch Network responded. Responders' decisions to prescribe antibiotics were influenced primarily by official guidelines, scientific literature, and physician or medical specialist opinion. Regarding potential risks, the greatest level of concern was for the development of infective endocarditis or prosthetic joint infections. Although litigation was deemed problematic, more than 90% of responders indicated a strong concern for the best course of action for the patient's health. Dentists also indicated a high level of concern about the potential for generating antibiotic-resistant bacteria with AP use and increased risk of adverse drug reactions. CONCLUSIONS: Dentists' AP decision making seems most influenced by official guidelines, scientific literature, and advice from a physician or medical specialist. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: These results suggest that one of the most effective means for promoting concordance of dentists clinical practice with the scientific basis for AP is to emphasize the importance and clarity of American Heart Association and American Dental Association recommendations and antimicrobial stewardship regarding prevention of infective endocarditis and prosthetic joint infections.

Dynamic, contextual approaches to studying personality in the social world.

This special issue of Journal of Personality, composed of eight original articles, attends to the intersection of intrapersonal and interpersonal processes. Articles adopt a contextual approach to personality with attention to the need to belong (and the lack thereof), self-presentation concerns and styles, sexuality, curiosity, self-regulatory strength and strategies, and dynamic methodologies and analyses to study people within relationships. In this introduction, we offer challenges and aspirational goals for personality science. In particular, we discuss the importance of context when conceptualizing and studying personality, the seduction of innovative methodologies and analytic procedures, and the value of focusing on people and heterogeneity in groups instead of simply variables. We hope that this collection of articles deepens personality science and reminds readers that to truly understand human beings, they cannot be divorced from their social milieu.

When curiosity breeds intimacy: taking advantage of intimacy opportunities and transforming boring conversations.

Curious people seek knowledge and new experiences. In 3 studies, we examined whether, when, and how curiosity contributes to positive social outcomes between unacquainted strangers. Study 1 (98 college students) showed that curious people expect to generate closeness during intimate conversations but not during small talk; less curious people anticipated poor outcomes in both situations. We hypothesized that curious people underestimate their ability to bond with unacquainted strangers during mundane conversations. Studies 2 (90 college students) and 3 (106 college students) showed that curious people felt close to partners during intimate and small-talk conversations; less curious people only felt close when the situation offered relationship-building exercises. Surprise at the pleasure felt during this novel, uncertain situation partially mediated the benefits linked to curiosity. We found evidence of slight asymmetry between self and partner reactions. Results could not be attributed to physical attraction or positive affect. Collectively, results suggest that positive social interactions benefit from an open and curious mind-set.

Coping self-efficacy as a mediator between catastrophizing and physical functioning: treatment target selection in an osteoarthritis sample.

The purpose of this study was to assess the relative effects of coping self-efficacy and catastrophizing on physical functioning. Over a 9-month period, studying changes in self-efficacy as possible mediator between catastrophizing changes and physical functioning changes might provide evidence for the most promising treatment target. Data came from a randomized, longitudinal controlled trial comparing exercise, self-management and the two combined to treat 254 individuals with early knee osteoarthritis. A secondary analysis using a bootstrapped linear mixed-effects mediational model produced estimates of both the direct and indirect effects. Results indicated that self-efficacy partially mediated the effect between catastrophizing and physical functioning suggesting that self-efficacy was the more direct treatment target compared to catastrophizing. Treatments targeting both self-efficacy and catastrophizing may have greater impact on physical functioning compared to treatments that focus on only one.

Understanding psychological flexibility: A multimethod exploration of pursuing valued goals despite the presence of distress.

Psychological flexibility (PF), defined as the ability to pursue valued life aims despite the presence of distress, is a fundamental contributor to health (Kashdan & Rottenberg, 2010). Existing measures of PF have failed to consider the valued goals that give context for why people are willing to manage distress. Using 4 independent samples and 3 follow-up samples, we examined the role of PF in well-being, emotional experience and regulation, resilience, goal pursuit, and daily functioning. We describe the development and psychometric properties of the Personalized Psychological Flexibility Index (PPFI), which captures tendencies to avoid, accept, and harness discomfort during valued goal pursuit. Correlational, laboratory, and experience-sampling methods show that the PPFI measures a trait-like individual difference dimension that is related to a variety of well-being and healthy personality constructs. Unlike existing measures of PF, the PPFI was shown to be distinct from negative emotionality. Beyond trait measures, the PPFI is associated with effective daily goals and life strivings pursuit and adaptive emotional and regulatory responses to stressful life events. By adopting our measurement index, PF may be better integrated into mainstream theory and research on adaptive human functioning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Prophylactic antibiotic prescribing in dental practice: Findings from a National Dental Practice-Based Research Network questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about antibiotic prescribing practices of dentists. The objective of this study was to gain a better understanding of dentists' beliefs and behaviors regarding the use of antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) before invasive dental procedures. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team developed and disseminated a questionnaire to 3,584 dentist members of the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. RESULTS: Overall, 2,169 network dentists (61%) responded. Respondents saw patients at risk of developing infective endocarditis (IE) and prosthetic joint infection (PJI) at least once per week (35% and 65%, respectively). Although 78% of dentists agreed that the 2007 American Heart Association guidelines for the prevention of IE are well-defined and clear, only 49% agreed concerning PJI guidelines. Differences for the IE and PJI patient populations also existed for questions regarding dentists' understanding of the specific patient groups at risk, the recommended antibiotic regimens, and the need to consult with a patient's cardiologist or orthopedic surgeon. CONCLUSIONS: The survey results indicate that decision making regarding the use of AP occurs frequently among dentists. Moreover, dentists reported uncertainty about the appropriate use of AP as defined by both IE and PJI guidelines, which may have resulted in a lack of concordance between dentists' beliefs and their practice behaviors. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The results reported by the authors highlight the need to develop better educational programs that address antimicrobial stewardship in AP for patients at risk of developing IE and PJI and target the dental profession.

Methodology for the development of a national Dental Practice-Based Research Network survey on dentist's beliefs and behaviors concerning antibiotic prophylaxis.

BACKGROUND: Dentists are high prescribers of antibiotics for both treatment and prevention of infection, although there are few guidelines to aid clinicians. Given the worldwide concerns about unnecessary use of antibiotics, there is a need for a better understanding of dentists' use of these drugs for antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) to prevent distant site infections (i.e., infective endocarditis and prosthetic joint infection). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop and implement an effective, self-reporting, cross-sectional, survey instrument that optimized the response rate and maximized reliability and validity for determining the beliefs and behaviors of a large and nationally representative group of generalist and specialist dentists concerning their use of AP. STUDY DESIGN: A 15-question survey (58 items) was developed in a structured process by a multidisciplinary team and configured for automated online dissemination to 3584 national Dental Practice-Based Research Network (DPBRN; hitherto referred to as "Network") practitioners. The implementation phase consisted of 3 waves of greater than 1000 Network members. Additionally, 47 randomly selected dentists were surveyed twice to assess test-retest reliability. RESULTS: Of 3584 eligible Network members, 2169 (60.5%) completed the survey. The age and geographic distributions of responders was similar to those of dentists in the 2019 American Dental Association census. Furthermore, test-retest weighted kappa values for the survey were acceptable (median 0.56; interquartile range 0.42-0.64). CONCLUSIONS: We developed a highly structured survey with a high response rate and good reliability that will allow us to obtain unique data on dentists' beliefs and practices regarding AP prescribing.

High risk, high reward: Daily perceptions of social challenge and performance in social anxiety disorder.

Individuals with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) have difficulty engaging in social situations because their actions are predicated on minimizing the subjectively biased high potential for rejection. That is, individuals with SAD frequently perceive social situations as challenging, and their performance as subpar. Yet when individuals perceive themselves as succeeding in challenging situations, they typically report these situations as enjoyable and rewarding. This subjective experience of succeeding in a challenging situation has been studied as flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975; 2000). Thirty-three adults with SAD and 34 matched healthy controls completed a baseline assessment, along with daily and experience sampling entries for 14 days. Results were analyzed using three-level generalized linear mixed effects models, with observations nested within days, nested within participants. Although individuals with and without SAD experienced the same frequency of flow in daily life, social situations led to proportionally more flow in participants with SAD than healthy controls. Both results were unexpected, and reasons for them are explored at length. Several experiential variables (positive emotions during and importance ascribed to the event) predicted the probability of flow during each situation. These results offer intervention-relevant suggestions for how individuals may benefit from seeking out challenging situations that offer maximal rewards.

Predicting treatment course and outcome using a promotion and prevention framework in a community sample of arthritis sufferers.

OBJECTIVE: The present study examined the proposition that patients need to focus on something beyond simply "getting better". In a sample of arthritis sufferers, we distinguished individuals by the goals that motivated them - moving toward aspirational goals and maximizing gains (promotion focus) rather than obligations and minimizing losses (prevention focus) - and how these motivational styles influenced treatment. METHODS: Patients (N=254) participated in a randomized controlled trial of resistance training and self-management, providing 6 time points of data over 2 years. Promotion and prevention focus at baseline were used to predict the course (compliance and changes in coping self-efficacy) and outcome (changes in physical functioning) of treatment. RESULTS: Arthritis sufferers with strong promotion orientations showed significant improvements in physical functioning (a direct positive impact on physical health); there were no significant associations with treatment compliance and coping self-efficacy. Arthritis sufferers with strong prevention orientations complied less with the treatment and showed little change in coping self-efficacy during treatment, which, in turn, predicted worse physical functioning over time (a pernicious, indirect influence on treatment outcome). CONCLUSION: A focus on positive approach-oriented goals may improve overall treatment response, whereas a focus on negative avoidance-oriented goals may degrade treatment response through reduced compliance and self-efficacy.

Sexuality leads to boosts in mood and meaning in life with no evidence for the reverse direction: A daily diary investigation.

Sex is rarely discussed in theories of well-being and rarely empirically examined using methods other than cross-sectional surveys. In the present study, a daily diary approach was used (for 21 days with 152 adults) to explore the relationship between the presence and quality of sexual episodes and well-being (positive affect, negative affect, meaning in life). Time-lagged analyses demonstrated that sexual activity on 1 day was related to greater well-being the next. As for the quality of episodes, higher reported sexual pleasure and intimacy predicted greater positive affect and lower negative affect the following day. When the reverse direction was tested, well-being did not predict next-day sexual activity, pleasure, or intimacy. These results suggest a unidirectional relationship in which the presence and quality of sexual activity lead to gains in well-being the following day. Contextual moderators (gender, relationship status, relationship closeness, and relationship length) allowed for tests of conditions altering the link between sexuality and well-being. Relationship closeness was the most robust moderator in predicting greater levels of meaning in life and positive affect following sexual episodes. These data provide evidence to support the continual consideration of sex in empirical work and theoretical models of elements that comprise healthy relationships and a good life. (PsycINFO Database Record

Personality strengths in romantic relationships: Measuring perceptions of benefits and costs and their impact on personal and relational well-being.

Three studies using samples of people in romantic relationships were conducted to create a new individual difference measure of partner strengths in couples. The 2 perceptions of partner strengths included (1) appreciation of their use and effectiveness and (2) recognition of costs associated with their use. Factor analyses supported 2-factors and we found that greater appreciation of partner strengths predicted greater relationship satisfaction, commitment, investment, intimacy, self-expansion, and support for goal pursuit; recognizing significant costs with partner strengths was inversely related to several outcomes. Using a 1-week daily diary, we found that appreciation of partner strength use and recognition of costs associated with these strengths predicted daily relationship satisfaction and whether basic psychological needs were met within the relationship. The explanatory power of partner strength perceptions could not be explained by the actual character strengths or Big Five personality traits of partners, support for positive self-disclosures (capitalization), or gratitude for relationship partners. Finally, we found that the relational consequences of partner strength perceptions were not just "in the head" of the perceiver-influencing partner relational outcomes. This research program provides evidence for the use of a new measure of how strengths are perceived to better understand romantic couples and aspirational targets in clinical interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record