2026-08-01T07:11:13Zhttps://escholarship.org/oaioai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt67f6q9pw2026-07-31T17:04:02Zqt67f6q9pwHow different text genres affect eye-tracking patterns in fluent Brazilian Portuguese readers: A Work in ProgressAurora Mascarenhas, GabriellaFernandes, Katarina DuarteLukasova, Katerina2026-01-01Apesar dos avan–åos na pesquisa sobre leitura em ortografias opacas, os dados oculomotores para o portugu—ís brasileiro (PB) ainda são escassos, particularmente entre adultos com diferentes níveis de escolaridade. Este estudo investiga os efeitos do g—ínero textual nos padr‚Ä∫es de leitura e no processamento cognitivo em PB. Como parte do protocolo internacional MultiplEYE, dados de movimento ocular foram coletados de 100 participantes durante a leitura de sete g—íneros textuais (por exemplo, artigos científicos, blogs) utilizando a tecnologia EyeLink 1000. Métricas, incluindo número de fixa–å‚Ä∫es, dura–åão e sacadas regressivas, foram analisadas para avaliar o impacto da complexidade sintática e da densidade informacional no processamento entre os g—íneros. Os resultados visam preencher uma lacuna na variabilidade linguística e educacional, contribuindo com um corpus oculomotor multigenérico para o PB. Compara–å‚Ä∫es interlinguísticas com outros idiomas no projeto MultiplEYE permitirão análises correspondentes, integrando o portugu—ís brasileiro em modelos globais de leitura e processos cognitivos relacionados ‚Ǩ linguagem.LinguisticsNeuroscienceLanguage ComprehensionCorpus studiesEye trackingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/67f6q9pwhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt67f6q9pw/qt67f6q9pw.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0946334r2026-07-31T17:04:02Zqt0946334rFrom In-Person Proceedings to Technological Mediation: A Cognitive Reconstruction of Orality in Virtual JusticeSantos, Danielle OGuedes, Clarissa2026-01-01This study examines the transformation of the principle of orality and its corollaries in contemporary criminal procedure, focusing on the impact of digital technologies and, in particular, the use of videoconferencing for evidentiary hearings. It adopts the premise that orality is not merely the performance of spoken acts but an institutional arrangement that ensures adequate cognitive conditions for the production and assessment of oral evidence (Araújo, 2021). Drawing on an analytical and interpretative bibliographic approach, and engaging with empirical research from cognitive psychology and interactional linguistics, the study investigates how technological mediation affects cognitive processes such as shared attention, multimodal perception, discursive processing, and memory, thereby altering the functioning of orality as an evidentiary technique. The research thus seeks to formulate cognitively informed criteria for the normative reconstruction of orality in digital contexts, contributing to forms of procedural innovation that are attentive to the affordances and limits of human cognition.Cognitive NeuroscienceHumanitiesDiscourseHuman-computer interactionLanguage Comprehensionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0946334rhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0946334r/qt0946334r.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8rb0z33d2026-07-31T17:04:00Zqt8rb0z33dThe impact of outcome and opportunity inequality on individual creativityMicheli, Leticia2026-01-01Economic inequality is a major societal challenge, yet its effects on innovation and creativity remain unclear. In a pre-registered experiment (N = 438), we examined how outcome- and opportunity-inequality affect individual creativity. Participants were assigned to one of three conditions: equality (all received –´5), outcome-inequality (participants received either –´8 or –´2), or opportunity-inequality (participants had either an 80% or 20% chance of receiving –´8). Participants then completed convergent- and divergent-thinking tasks, with performance-based bonuses independent of experimental conditions. Compared to equality, outcome-inequality reduced performance only on the convergent-thinking task. Opportunity-inequality had no effect on either creativity measure. Further, the effect of outcome-inequality on creativity was mediated by negative emotions. These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between types of inequality and suggest that income inequality could impair constrained forms of creativity, whereas opportunity-inequality may be less impactful on certain behaviors due to greater uncertainty about outcomes.PsychologyProblem Solvingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8rb0z33dhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8rb0z33d/qt8rb0z33d.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4v35r6b42026-07-31T17:03:59Zqt4v35r6b4Relative time on the sentence timescale encoded in the brain during naturalistic sentence listeningzeine, leonardo2026-01-01Understanding how the brain constructs sentence-level meaning from continuous speech requires identifying neural responses that unfold on the timescale of entire sentences. Using MEG recordings from 71 Dutch participants listening to naturalistic sentences and matched wordlists, we combined temporal response function (TRF) modelling with a group-level canonical correlation analysis (CCA) to isolate neural components that track linguistic structure beyond lexical and acoustic information. We show that the CCA-derived canonical components reveal a shared, sentence-level neural trajectory across participants and across sentences of varying length, consistent with a ramping signal spanning the duration of each sentence. This sentence-long component is dissociable from word-level and envelope-based responses, and is significantly reduced in wordlists lacking syntactic structure. Model comparisons demonstrate that relative time within a sentence—rather than absolute time—best explains the ramping dynamics, suggesting that the brain tracks progress toward the end of the unfolding sentence.Computer ScienceNeuroscienceLanguage ComprehensionComputational ModelingMathematical modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4v35r6b4https://escholarship.org/content/qt4v35r6b4/qt4v35r6b4.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5h16d3ht2026-07-31T17:03:57Zqt5h16d3htModeling Recurrent Neural Networks in Serial Recall Paradigm With Dynamic Self-ExcitationPrasannah, PurvikalyaniSengupta, Rakesh2026-01-01This study explores recurrent on-center off-surround (OCOS) networks with time-varying self-excitation to model biological neural circuits in working memory. We derive analytical conditions for steady states and global stability, ensuring non-divergent dynamics. Linear stability analysis shows that activity levels and pattern separation depend on the balance between self-excitation (_), lateral inhibition (_), and passive decay (_) through two distinct eigenmodes. Simulations reveal that lateral inhibition regulates co-active nodes, while dynamic self-excitation, specifically the ramp slope and decay time constant (_), controls response amplification and memory persistence. In a serial recall paradigm, systematic variation of _ produces a continuum of serial position curves, transitioning between primacy and recency effects. Our statistical analyses quantify these relationships, linking microscopic network parameters to macroscopic cognitive phenomena. This framework explains how the excitation-inhibition balance manages the trade-off between memory maintenance and interference. These results provide practical guidelines for parameter selection in neural modeling and offer testable predictions for neurophysiological research into working memory mechanisms.Cognitive NeuroscienceMemoryComputational ModelingNeural Networksapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5h16d3hthttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5h16d3ht/qt5h16d3ht.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt28z7f8zt2026-07-31T17:03:57Zqt28z7f8ztHow Do Emotional Dynamics in Social Media Language Reflect Depression Risk? An NLP-Based Analysiszheng, Yayun2026-01-01Depression remains undetected in digital contexts, and prior NLP approaches to prediction often lack psychological grounding. This work addresses this gap by investigating how temporal dynamics in emotional language on social media reflect depression risk. Drawing from clinical psychology and affective computing, we analyze longitudinal Reddit data from over 5,000 users (r/depression vs. matched controls). Emotional features, including valence trajectory, agency shifts, and pronoun use, were extracted using lexicon-based (LIWC, VADER) and transformer-based models. Mixed-effects regression and changepoint detection were employed to model fine-grained emotional fluctuations before and after users' self-disclosure of depression. Preliminary findings suggest that increasing emotional volatility, declining agency, and non-linear shifts in affective tone may precede depression expression. This study offers a construct-valid, temporally sensitive framework for detecting mental health risk in language. It advances NLP for mental health by aligning linguistic features with psychological theory and emphasizing the temporal unfolding of emotional signals in naturalistic text.EmotionEmotion DisorderNatural Language ProcessingSocial media analysisapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/28z7f8zthttps://escholarship.org/content/qt28z7f8zt/qt28z7f8zt.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8f19w58q2026-07-31T17:03:49Zqt8f19w58qBetween Perception and Conceptualization: Graded Constraints on Spatial RepresentationBouabida, NihalFeist, Michele I.2026-01-01Semantic attributes such as contact, inclusion, and support are often assumed to reflect universally available properties of spatial scenes. This study introduces a preliminary method for empirically evaluating whether such attributes are directly available in spatial scenes or shaped through conceptualization. Speakers of Moroccan Arabic and English rated the applicability of geometric, functional, and qualitative physical attributes for a set of simple spatial scenes. In this pilot test, we examine which attributes show cross-linguistic convergence, indicating conceptual properties of the scenes, and which show cross-linguistic (or individual) variation, suggesting other influences on their interpretation. Cross-linguistic correlations provide preliminary evidence of graded convergence, with attributes differing in their degrees of alignment across languages. These patterns suggest that universality in spatial semantics is graded rather than categorical. These findings illustrate the potential of this approach to provide an objective and fine-grained empirical assessment of how spatial attributes are accessed and interpreted.LinguisticsLanguage and thoughtSpatial cognitionComparative AnalysisCross-linguistic analysisapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8f19w58qhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8f19w58q/qt8f19w58q.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt27q4k6z52026-07-31T17:03:48Zqt27q4k6z5Children's expectations of dominant and prestigious leadersCreppy, ReneeA Vélez, Natalia2026-01-01Humans are enmeshed in many hierarchical relationships, like that between a parent and child. Leaders in dominance hierarchies attain influence through coercion and intimidation, while leaders in prestige hierarchies are granted influence based on competence and prosociality. Across two studies (N = 214), we examined whether children have different expectations about how dominant and prestigious leaders allocate resources. Children learned about two social groups, the dominant Glerks and prestigious Zonks. In Study 1 (N = 109), children ages 4–5 watched a leader and follower divide five apples in 5–0 or 3–2 splits, and were asked who received a given share. Overall, children expected similar allocations across leaders. In Study 2 (N = 105), children ages 6–8 predicted whether a dominant or prestigious leader would share an apple with a hungry follower or eat it. Children expected prestigious leaders to be more likely to give the apple (82%) than dominant leaders (48%).PsychologyCognitive developmentSocial cognitionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/27q4k6z5https://escholarship.org/content/qt27q4k6z5/qt27q4k6z5.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt98j094502026-07-31T17:03:45Zqt98j09450Serendipity by Design: Evaluating the Impact of Cross-domain Mappings on Human and LLM CreativityLiu, QiawenDubova, MarinaConklin, Henry CoxeHarada, TakumiGriffiths, Tom2026-01-01Are large language models (LLMs) creative in the same way humans are, and can the same interventions increase creativity in both? We evaluate a promising but largely untested intervention for creativity: forcing creators to draw an analogy from a random, remote source domain ("cross-domain mapping"). Human participants and LLMs generated novel features for ten daily products (e.g., backpack, TV) under two prompts: (i) cross-domain mapping, which required translating a property from a randomly assigned source (e.g., octopus, cactus, GPS), and (ii) user need, which required proposing innovations targeting unmet user needs. We show that humans reliably benefit from randomly assigned cross-domain mappings, while LLMs, on average, generate more original ideas than humans and do not show a statistically significant effect of cross-domain mappings. However, in both systems, the impact of cross-domain mapping increases when the inspiration source becomes more semantically distant from the target, and above a distance threshold, cross-domain mapping benefits the most capable LLMs too. Humans and LLMs differed in how they used the source: Humans tended to transfer surface features of the source, whereas LLMs transferred structural and functional properties. Our results highlight the role of remote association in creative ideation and systematic differences in how humans and LLMs respond to the same intervention for creativity.Artificial IntelligenceComputer SciencePsychologyAnalogyCreativityIntelligent agentsComputational ModelingSurveyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/98j09450https://escholarship.org/content/qt98j09450/qt98j09450.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt95j0g2vb2026-07-31T17:03:32Zqt95j0g2vbAre you with me? A Framework for Detecting Mental Model Discrepancies in Task-Based Team DialoguesKowalyshyn, KatharineScheutz, Matthias2026-01-01Humans typically use natural language to update teammates on task
states. Since not all updates are communicated, discrepancies arise
between the team members' mental models that negatively affect
overall team performance. How can we categorize such discrepancies?
Do misalignments detected in team dialogue predict future mental
model misalignments? Traditional shared mental model (SMM)
assessment methods rely on retrospective expert coding that cannot
capture real-time coordination dynamics. We propose a framework to
identify and categorize four types of mental model discrepancies:
{\em unsupported beliefs}, {\em false beliefs}, {\em belief
contradictions}, and {\em omissions}, all of which can naturally
emerge in team dialogues. Using dialogues from twenty dyad teams
performing collaborative object identification tasks across four
sequential levels, we demonstrate that these discrepancy patterns
contain predictive signals. Averaging historical discrepancy counts
achieves meaningful prediction accuracy using uniform weighting as an exploratory baseline, with
differential predictability across discrepancy types.Artificial IntelligenceComputer SciencePerceptionSocial cognitionTheory of Mindapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/95j0g2vbhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt95j0g2vb/qt95j0g2vb.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8cr599sr2026-07-31T17:03:20Zqt8cr599srOverconfidence without Understanding? Evidence for an Illusion of Understanding in AI-Assisted ExplanationsAslanov, IvanFelmer, PatricioGuerra, Ernesto2026-01-01The Illusion of Explanatory Depth (IOED), i.e. the tendency to overestimate one's understanding, has been shown to increase when people search for explanations online. However, it remains unclear whether this effect extends to explanations obtained from AI chatbots. We examined whether chatbot use increases IOED and how it affects explanatory quality. In a between-subjects experiment, one group consulted ChatGPT on four topics, a second group read texts identical to the chatbot's responses without knowing their source, and a control group received no materials. Participants then rated their ability to explain each topic, produced written explanations, and evaluated their explanations. Results showed that the AI group exhibited the greatest overestimation of explanatory ability. In addition, both coder ratings and automated text analyses indicated lower explanation quality in the AI group compared to the non-AI group.Artificial IntelligenceLearningMemoryReasoningapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8cr599srhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8cr599sr/qt8cr599sr.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4827m0wx2026-07-31T17:03:18Zqt4827m0wxAI doesn't produce speech like caregivers doWerbach, Esther AnnKandel, MargaretHeuser, AnnikaSchuler, Kathryn2026-01-01AI-generated child-directed speech is increasingly positioned as a supplement or replacement for caregiver speech, either for use in early-learning technologies (AI-powered toys) or as a substitute to human data for research. We compare child-directed speech from AI and human caregivers along dimensions linked to child language outcomes: utterance length, lexical diversity/complexity, pronoun use, wh-words, and verb types. While the AI-generated speech is longer than caregiver input, it is less variable and exposes children to fewer word types. AI and caregiver speech also show different distributions of grammatical elements: AI favors first- and second-person pronouns, while caregivers use a broader set of referential forms; AI produces primarily argument wh-words, whereas caregivers use wh-words that appear in more complex syntactic constructions; and AI tends to use different kinds of verbs. These findings suggest that AI may not sufficiently imitate child-directed speech with the properties required for early language learning.LinguisticsPsychologyDevelopmentLanguage acquisitionQualitative Analysisapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4827m0wxhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4827m0wx/qt4827m0wx.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7r63z8b72026-07-31T17:03:16Zqt7r63z8b7Folk Theories of Well-Being: Variation Across Contexts?Haybron, DanKneer, Markus2026-01-01The nature of well-being has long been a central question in philosophical ethics. In a series of studies we tested lay support for three theories of well-being: hedonism, desire theories, and objective list theories. Participants were presented with vignettes where they were asked to judge which of three options would be best for a given individual, each corresponding to one of the three theories. Our findings suggest considerable variation in the criteria for well-being people employ in different contexts, especially for people of different ages. Hedonism and objective list theories garnered the most support, for older and younger individuals respectively. Desire theories received very little support. These results cast doubt on the acceptability of desire theories of well-being to much of the public and offer suggestive evidence for what might be called contextualist conceptions of well-being among the folk, perhaps lending some support to philosophical views of this sort.PhilosophyCognitive HumanitiesConcepts and categoriesSocial cognitionSurveyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7r63z8b7https://escholarship.org/content/qt7r63z8b7/qt7r63z8b7.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2p65b2js2026-07-31T17:03:15Zqt2p65b2jsCollapsing Waste Fractions Without Reducing Sorting AccuracyWrisberg, Anton PripWallin, AnnikaParnamets, Philip2026-01-01Waste sorting signs present an inviting avenue for comparison of categorisation theories as they often contain both a rule and either an abstract prototype or visual exemplars. Focus in waste sorting studies is often on increasing the number of waste fractions, but some public settings might require fewer-than-ordinary fractions. This paper investigates two approaches to reducing a waste sorting system's granularity at a music festival: explicit combining waste fractions by merging waste signs and implicitly combining fractions by removing alternatives to 'residual waste'. The digital sorting results are modelled as a probit regression allowing direct interpretation in terms of signal detection theory's senstitivy and criterion parameters. The paper further compares four alternative waste sorting signs including visual exemplars to improve waste sorting accuracy for the implicitly combined waste fraction. The results suggest that explicitly combining waste fractions outperform implicit combinations – even with visual exemplars added, despite resulting in more false positives.PsychologyBehavioral ScienceConcepts and categoriesDecision makingInteractive behaviorPattern recognitionPerceptionProblem SolvingReasoningSituated cognitionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2p65b2jshttps://escholarship.org/content/qt2p65b2js/qt2p65b2js.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4kj0v0wr2026-07-31T17:03:13Zqt4kj0v0wrMemory Engrams and Vehicle IndeterminacyMace, Caitlin2026-01-01Memory engrams are hypothetical neural representations that explain the persistence of memory. Finding memory engrams requires the identification and individuation of engram vehicles, which are determinate neural entities or processes bearing memory content. However, not only are there many candidate vehicles for memory engrams, but each candidate is ill-suited for explaining memory persistence due to instability via degradation, turnover, and dynamics. I argue that memory engram models presume the truth of a mere heuristic: that changes in neural activities correspond to changes in cognitive content. As such, explanations of persisting memories are thought to require persisting vehicles. This presumption in turn drives issues with determining exactly what remains stable in the brain to explain how memory persists. But to explain the persistence of memory, all that needs to persist is the capacity of the system to recall a memory. I conceive of engrams according to their functional role as causal motifs for memory recall.PhilosophyMemoryRepresentationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4kj0v0wrhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4kj0v0wr/qt4kj0v0wr.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5nd836092026-07-31T17:03:08Zqt5nd83609Do Melody and Rhythm Coevolve?Lee, HarinPolak, RainerAnglada-Tort, ManuelSchönwiesner, MarcPark, MinsuJacoby, Nori2026-01-01Music comprises two core structural components, melody and rhythm, that vary widely across cultures. Whether these components coevolve in a coupled way or follow independent trajectories remains unclear. We introduce a novel computational pipeline to extract vocal melodic pitch-interval and percussive inter-onset timing distributions from 27,628 popular songs across 59 countries, enabling large-scale cross-cultural comparison that bypasses traditional music annotations. Musical similarities between countries aligned with geographic and linguistic relationships, validating our approach. Substantial variation emerged in both melodic and rhythmic structures across countries, yet the diversity of the two components was not significantly correlated, challenging assumptions of coupled evolution. Only rhythmic diversity was significantly associated with ethnic and linguistic heterogeneity, while melodic diversity showed no such association. These findings suggest that melody and rhythm constitute partially independent systems shaped by distinct cultural and evolutionary pressures, rather than components of a single monolithic musical style.PsychologyCultureEvolutionMusicBig dataapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5nd83609https://escholarship.org/content/qt5nd83609/qt5nd83609.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6gr8j4842026-07-31T17:03:07Zqt6gr8j484Strategy selection under equal accuracy: Dissociating time, effort, and engagementMathis, TaylorNiese, Zachary AdolphWeichart, Emily R.2026-01-01Humans primarily seek to maximize accuracy during task-based decision-making, but prefer to minimize time and effort as well. As time and effort demands are often coupled, the current work examines the relative influences of these secondary minimization goals on decision strategy selection. University students (N=144; ages 18-37) learned two strategies for completing a classification task involving fictional microorganisms: one that demanded moderately effortful integration over learned feature associations, and a minimal-effort alternative that required participants to wait for an answer to be provided. An adaptive experimental design ensured that both strategies yielded equivalent long-run accuracy within-subject, and wait times for the latter were manipulated to be longer or equal to deliberation times in the former. Participants overwhelmingly preferred the more effortful, time-saving strategy. Surprisingly, this preference persisted even when the strategies were matched for both accuracy and time, suggesting the perceived benefit of engagement outweighed the costs of effort.PsychologyConcepts and categoriesDecision makingProblem SolvingStatistical learningQuantitative BehaviorStatisticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6gr8j484https://escholarship.org/content/qt6gr8j484/qt6gr8j484.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt65z5v7622026-07-31T17:01:20Zqt65z5v762An experimental investigation of perspective alignment in gesture and speechWalter, SebastianHinterwimmer, Stefan2025-01-24Hinterwimmer et al. (2021) experimentally investigated the hypothesis that perspective in gesture and speech is by default aligned, i.e., when a character's or protagonist's perspective is conveyed in the speech signal, this utterance is preferably aligned with a character viewpoint gesture. If an utterance expresses an observer's perspective, by contrast, it is more likely accompanied by an observer viewpoint gesture. Their results, however, showed an overall preference for character viewpoint gestures. They argued that there were pragmatic factors (e.g., informativity) at play blocking the hypothesized perspective alignment. The study reported here further investigates Hinterwimmer et al.'s (2021) hypothesis by comparing two different character viewpoint gestures paired with a verbal utterance in a rating study. The results suggest that, contrary to Hinterwimmer et al.'s (2021) hypothesis, multiple, potentially non-aligned perspectives can be simultaneously expressed in gesture and speech.perspective in gesturefree indirect discourseinteractions of perspective taking in gesture and speechapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/65z5v762https://escholarship.org/content/qt65z5v762/qt65z5v762.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5757articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt98c8h8mb2026-07-31T17:01:16Zqt98c8h8mbRelating Scalar Inference and Alternative Activation: A View from the Rise-Fall-Rise Tune in American EnglishSostarics, ThomasRonai, EszterCole, Jennifer2025-01-24The rise-fall-rise (RFR) tune in American English has received numerous theoretical accounts to describe its meaning contribution, with a consistent theme being the relationship between RFR and "higher alternatives." However, Autosegmental-Metrical theory predicts three RFR-shaped tunes which differ in the rising pitch accent used (H*, L+H*, L*+H), raising the question of whether different RFR-shaped tunes in fact behave differently. We investigate this question under the lens of scalar inference (SI). We find that RFR-shaped tunes with different pitch accents behave similarly in offline interpretation, increasing the rate of SI calculation relative to falling tunes. In online processing using cross-modal priming with lexical decision, we find an asymmetry in the processing profile of two RFR-shaped tunes: H*L-H% leads to additional facilitation of the higher alternative, while L*+HL-H% leads to less facilitation. We describe these results in relation to differences in pitch range and discuss how they relate to ongoing debates about RFR.intonationprosodyscalar infprimingrise-fall-riseapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/98c8h8mbhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt98c8h8mb/qt98c8h8mb.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5768articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt64t4g3zf2026-07-31T17:01:12Zqt64t4g3zfOnly the (informationally) stronger survive: A probe recognition study with scale-mates and antonymsLacina, RadimGotzner, Nicole2025-01-24Speakers often use scalar words such as warm in a pragmatically strengthened way that results in the conveyed meaning being warm but not hot. In these inferences, known as scalar implicatures, meaning alternatives have been postulated to play a crucial role. Upon encountering warm, the informationally stronger alternative hot has been shown to be active in online sentence processing. Antonyms (cool) have also been shown to be activated in the same way even though they are standardly assumed to not be involved in scalar implicature derivation. In the current study, we focus on the question of whether both strong scalar alternatives and antonyms are represented in the final mental model of the discourse following scalar implicature derivation. We ran two probe recognition experiments, testing strong scalars and antonyms. We found an interference effect for strong scalars, indicating their representation, but not one for antonyms. Thus, we provide evidence that only the strong scalars survive in the eventual representation of the pragmatic meaning of a sentence.scalar implicaturesalternativesprobe recognitionantonymsinformational strengthapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/64t4g3zfhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt64t4g3zf/qt64t4g3zf.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5796articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0620k2c42026-07-31T17:01:07Zqt0620k2c4Insensitivity to truth-value in negated sentences: does linear distance matter?Lago, SolSchulz, PetraRinke, EstherOltrogge, EliseDudschig, CarolinKaup, Barbara2025-01-24Affirmative sentences are comprehended more quickly when they are true vs. false but this facilitation is often reduced or absent in negative sentences, yielding a so-called negation-by-truth-value interaction. The reduced sensitivity to truth-value has been attributed to processing difficulties triggered by negation. We investigated whether difficulties such as these were eased when comprehenders were given more time to process the negator. Specifically, we compared negated sentences in which the negator immediately preceded an adjectival predicate vs. occurred earlier in the sentence, separated by several words from the predicate. The results of two sentence-picture matching tasks replicated previous findings of increased processing difficulties in negative vs. affirmative sentences, as well as the negation-by-truth-value interaction. However, we did not find evidence that sensitivity to truth-value was modulated by the distance between the negator and the predicate. Our findings suggest that, when sentences are presented in isolation, having more time to process a negator does not confer a measurable comprehension advantage.negationlinear distancetruth-valuesentence-picture matchingcomprehensionGermanapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0620k2c4https://escholarship.org/content/qt0620k2c4/qt0620k2c4.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5797articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5bk6w19q2026-07-31T17:01:03Zqt5bk6w19qAre second language speakers more pragmatically tolerant? Explaining the differences in scalar implicature generation between L2 and L1Mognon, IreneMarree, Amber L.Hendriks, Petra2025-01-24Children's difficulties with Scalar Implicature (SI) generation have been argued to stem from their tolerance towards pragmatic violations rather than from issues with the inferential process per se (Katsos & Bishop 2011). Ternary judgment tasks have been used to support this view. In these tasks, when presented with underinformative sentences, children, as well as adults, choose an intermediate option between acceptance and rejection, thus demonstrating sensitivity to underinformativeness. Some recent studies show that adult second language (L2) speakers also generate SIs at lower rates. In this work, we investigated whether pragmatic tolerance, possibly emerging because of limited language exposure, could explain the difference between (adult) L2 and L1 speakers. Contrary to our expectations, neither our L1 control group nor our L2 groups (L2 High and L2 Low Proficiency) consistently selected the intermediate option when judging underinformative sentences. However, the L2 Low Proficiency group showed a significantly higher tendency to accept underinformative sentences compared to the L1 group. Hence, our results do not support the hypothesis that L2 speakers are more pragmatically tolerant than L1 speakers. However, our findings show that, despite the adoption of a ternary judgment task, low-proficient L2 speakers display a strong tendency to interpret underinformative sentences literally. We argue that this tendency in the L2 can be attributed to the increased cognitive effort involved in SI generation.scalar implicaturespragmaticspragmatic toleranceL2application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5bk6w19qhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5bk6w19q/qt5bk6w19q.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5798articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4m64v9qk2026-07-31T17:00:59Zqt4m64v9qk'Negation-blind' N400 effect disappears when lexical priming is controlledAsami, DaikiHan, ChaoBurger, JacobDunlop, DeannaLu, YueYahya M Morad, EffahZhao, ChenyueHestvik, Arild2025-01-24Previous ERP studies showed that false affirmative sentences elicited a larger N400 than their true versions, but they found the reverse pattern when the sentences were of negative form as if N400 was blind to negation. This negation-blind N400 pattern arguably constituted evidence for two-step accounts of negation processing: When processing negative sentences, a comprehender first computes an internal proposition and then considers the negation. However, the prior studies were confounded by a lexical priming relation between subject and object. Therefore, it was an open question whether or not the observed ERP pattern really reflected the two-step process. To tackle this question, we conducted an ERP experiment, using size-comparison statements where subjects and objects are semantically unrelated. This design allowed us to remove the priming confound. We predicted that if the previous negation-blind N400 pattern is unrelated to lexical priming, it would be replicated; if not, it would disappear. The result was consistent with the second prediction. This suggests that the previously observed negation-blind N400 pattern does not necessarily constitute evidence for two-step accounts of negation processing.sentence processingnegationN400two-step accountslexical primingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4m64v9qkhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4m64v9qk/qt4m64v9qk.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5800articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt65q7t6wf2026-07-31T17:00:55Zqt65q7t6wfNon-Implicature Sources of Exclusivity in Linguistic DisjunctionFelton, CaseyJasbi, Masoud2025-01-24Disjunction in natural language alternates between an inclusive reading (A or B or Both) and an exclusive reading (A or B but not Both). Traditional accounts of this ambiguity focus on scalar implicature as the source of disjunction exclusivity, a process whereby Gricean reasoning over Horn scales strengthens the baseline inclusive reading to an implied exclusive reading (Grice, 1978; Horn, 1972; Gazdar, 1980). Despite nearly all theories acknowledging that other factors likely play a role in the generation of exclusivity implications, non-implicature factors have received comparatively little attention. Across four experiments we tested two such non implicature factors, prior compatibility and syntactic category, finding that both play a role in speaker interpretations of disjunctive sentences. Additionally, by drawing our stimuli in the first two experiments from the prior literature, we found evidence that previous research on disjunction, while accurately identifying the key role of scalar implicatures, may be overestimating the effect size thereof due to a failure to control for non-implicature factors.experimental pragmaticsprior probabilityscalar implicaturedisjunctionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/65q7t6wfhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt65q7t6wf/qt65q7t6wf.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5806articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4gm0c82c2026-07-31T17:00:51Zqt4gm0c82cExperimental Paradigms on Scalar Implicature EstimationQiu, ZhuangFelton, CaseyHoughton, ZacharyJasbi, Masoud2025-01-24Experimental research on the processing of Scalar Implicatures (SIs) relies on behavioral tasks that purport to measure the rate at which scalar implicatures are computed within an experimental paradigm. Two paradigms, the Truth Value Judgment Task (TVJT) (Gordon, 1998; Crain & Thornton, 2000) and the Picture Selection Task (PST) (Gerken & Shady, 1998) have dominated the experimental pragmatics literature; yet the effects of task choice on implicature rate have remained underexplored. Here we report the results of three studies testing participants in the TVJT and the PST using three different linguistic scales in English: "ad-hoc", "or-and", and "some-all". In the first experiment, the task variation was manipulated within subjects while in the second experiment, it was manipulated between subjects. The third experiment examined a variant of the PST called the Hidden Card Task (HCT) which is increasingly used in the context of priming research (Bott & Chemla, 2016). We found that the estimated rate of scalar implicature computation varied noticeably between different tasks. This suggests that the experimental paradigm itself has a significant impact on our estimates of the implicature rate for a given linguistic scale, and thus, researchers studying scalar implicatures need to carefully consider the effect of experimental paradigms in experimental design and the interpretation of their results.scalar implicaturestruth value judgment taskpicture selection taskexperimental pragmaticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4gm0c82chttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4gm0c82c/qt4gm0c82c.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5807articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9kb635wd2026-07-31T17:00:08Zqt9kb635wdDisambiguating quantity judgements: mass/count and extra-grammatical cuesSmeman, SvenSmit, MaaikeHampton, James A.Winter, Yoad2025-01-24Comparative quantity judgements are a useful probe into the semantics of the mass/count distinction, where count nouns usually trigger cardinal comparisons (more dogs), and mass nouns trigger non-cardinal measurement (more rice). However, exceptions like 'object' mass nouns (furniture) and 'mixed' comparatives (more gold than diamonds) complicate this pattern. In such cases there is often a mismatch between the mass/count status of the noun and the criterion for comparison, which challenges our understanding of the mass/count distinction and how it affects quantity judgements. We propose that these mismatches reflect a systematic ambiguity, where the mass/count distinction is one of the factors influencing disambiguation. Using a new experimental method focused on ambiguity judgements instead of truth-value judgements, the results support the traditional semantic encoding of the mass/count distinction, with operations of 'packaging' and 'grinding' triggered by extra-grammatical factors.comparativesmass nounscount nounsdisambiguationgrindingpackagingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9kb635wdhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9kb635wd/qt9kb635wd.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5811articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0tj497m82026-07-31T17:00:02Zqt0tj497m8Constructing focus alternatives from context and the limits of semantic primingMuxica, ChristianHarris, Jesse2025-01-24Interpreting focus requires a comprehender to identify the set of alternatives intended by the speaker. Previous psycholinguistic research has characterized this process in terms of a two-stage model that initially forms an alternative set via the context-insensitive mechanism of semantic priming (Gotzner et al. 2016, Husband & Ferreira 2016). We have instead advanced a one-stage immediate-access model, in which alternatives are immediately constructed from the discourse context (Muxica & Harris to appear). In two cross-modal probe recognition task experiments, we further test our prediction that the discourse context strongly influences response speed at early moments of focus interpretation. The results are interpreted as uniquely supporting the immediate-access model.FocusAlternativessentence processingProbe recognitionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0tj497m8https://escholarship.org/content/qt0tj497m8/qt0tj497m8.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5812articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7zt0z2t72026-07-31T16:59:57Zqt7zt0z2t7Fake reefs are sometimes reefs and sometimes not, but are always compositionalRoss, HayleyKim, NajoungDavidson, Kathryn2025-01-24The semantics of adjective modification often begins with set intersection,such that [[yellow flower]] = [[yellow]] ‚à© [[flower]]. Thus a yellow flower is a flower. Such an account, however, runs into problems for adjectives like fake or counterfeit, which display a privative inference: a fake gun is not a gun and a counterfeit dollar is not a dollar. Moreover, recent work shows privativity cannot easily be encoded as a property of specific adjectives like counterfeit, since e.g. counterfeit watch robustly licenses the subsective inference of being a watch (Martin 2022). We gather judgments on nearly 800 adjective-noun bigrams (of which 180 are novel, i.e. zero corpus frequency), andshow that privativity depends on the adjective, noun and context, and can be manipulated for the very same adjective-noun bigram by presenting it in different contexts. This poses a challenge for theories which fix privativity as a property of the adjective and always use the same method of composition (Partee 2010, del Pinal 2015). Moreover, we find no difference in participant behavior between novel adjective-noun bigrams and high frequency ones, suggesting that the process is nonetheless compositional and not the result of convention or memorized idiosyncrasy. Our results support compositional accounts like Martin (2022) (which modifies del Pinal 2015) and Guerrini (2024), which treat privativity as context-dependent.adjectivesnounscompositionalityentailmentsemanticsprivativityapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7zt0z2t7https://escholarship.org/content/qt7zt0z2t7/qt7zt0z2t7.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5813articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5r26q13w2026-07-31T16:59:53Zqt5r26q13wContrafactives, learnability, and productionStrohmaier, DavidWimmer, Simon2025-01-24No natural language has contrafactive attitude verbs. Because factives are universal across natural languages, this means that there is a major asymmetry between contrafactives and factives. We previously hypothesised that this asymmetry arises partly because the meaning of contrafactives is significantly harder to learn than that of factives. Here we test this hypothesis by using a production-oriented computational experiment that overcomes two limitations of our previous experiments. We find that our results do not support our previous hypothesis.ContrafactivesFactivesSemantic universalsLearnabilityTransformersapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5r26q13whttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5r26q13w/qt5r26q13w.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5810articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6g40g0t72026-07-31T16:59:50Zqt6g40g0t7Social meaning and pragmatic reasoning: The case of (im)precisionSolt, StephanieMühlenbernd, RolandBurbelko, Mariya2025-01-24On the basis of a speaker's choice between linguistic alternatives, a hearer can draw inferences not only about facts of the world, but also about the social properties of the speaker. The goal of this work is to investigate how such social meanings arise, particularly in the case where the alternatives in question differ in their core logical or semantic meaning. Taking variation in numerical precision level as a case study, we seek to test the broad general hypothesis that social inferences may be derived via pragmatic reasoning about the needs of the situation, the epistemic state of the speaker, and the reasons for their choice of form. We report on two matched guise studies which demonstrate that the social meaning of (im)precision is sensitive to context and (to some extent) speaker knowledge state, and are correlated with inferred reasons for expression choice, findings which support the predictions of the pragmatic view.social meaningalternativesGricean reasoningnumerical expressionsapproximationmatched guise methodologyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6g40g0t7https://escholarship.org/content/qt6g40g0t7/qt6g40g0t7.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5809articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt26s7f1wm2026-07-31T16:59:46Zqt26s7f1wmDoes 'a couple' pattern with scalars or numbers - Insights from inference and 'so' tasksQin, EryingSun, ChaoBreheny, Richard2025-01-24Previous research establishes that paucal quantifiers like 'a couple' are ambiguous between the literal meaning of 'at least two' and the enriched meaning understood as conveying a restriction on quantity, the latter of which can be explained by a pragmatic phenomenon, i.e. scalar inference (SI). To address whether this ambiguity patterns with that of scalars or numbers, our Experiment 1 explored the behaviours of 'a couple' and scalars with two types of probe questions in inference tasks, and Experiment 2 continued this theme by testing the naturalness rating for 'a couple' and scalars in an 'X so not Y' construction. The results of our experiments indicate two natures of 'a couple': a non-monotonic /cardinal (approximately two) and proportional (a small proportion of).paucal quantifierscalar inferenceapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/26s7f1wmhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt26s7f1wm/qt26s7f1wm.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5814articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6wv0566j2026-07-31T16:59:42Zqt6wv0566jExperientiality markers in memory reports: A semantics-pragmatics puzzleRosina, Emil EvaLiefke, Kristina2025-01-24Some recent work in semantics and the philosophy of language suggests that the way we report events reflects whether we have personally experienced or witnessed these events (i.e. through linguistic elements dubbed 'experientiality markers'). This paper provides experimental support for one such marker: German non-manner uses of wie ['how']. We argue that when they are embedded under the memory predicates noch wissen ['still know'] and sich erinnern ['REFL-remind'], free relative wie-complements mark the remembering of a personally experienced event. We support this claim through a series of online studies based on scale judgements. The results of our main study raise questions about the semantics-pragmatics interface of the experientiality marking property of wie, and about the robustness of experientiality markers in general. A series of complementary studies address these questions.Experiential rememberingMemory predicatesAttitude reportsKnowledgeEvidentialityStudy formatsPropositional attitudesPragmatic competitionsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6wv0566jhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6wv0566j/qt6wv0566j.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5815articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7z65x2sf2026-07-31T16:59:38Zqt7z65x2sfLinguistic and Social Meaning Match: An experiment on modal concord in EnglishLiu, MingyaRotter, Stephanie2025-01-24Modal concord (MC) refers to the phenomenon where two modal elements of the same flavor and force in a sentence yield an interpretation of single modality (SM). In this paper, we report on an experimental study on MC in English, addressing their linguistic and social meaning. Our results show a strengthening effect by necessity MC and a weakening effect of possibility MC in that significantly higher speaker commitment ratings were received for necessity MC vs. SM constructions (i.e., must certainly vs. must) with the reverse pattern for possibility modal constructions (i.e., may possibly vs. may). Furthermore, MC and SM were shown to differ in social meanings, suggesting a correlation between the meaning strength of a linguistic expression and the social perception of the speaker.modal concordsocial meaningexperimentEnglishapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7z65x2sfhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7z65x2sf/qt7z65x2sf.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5817articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6t39m6g12026-07-31T16:59:34Zqt6t39m6g1"Liz can buy a croissant or donut. That's both together, right?" Distinguishing target Free Choice from non-target Modal Conjunction in Child FrenchCochard, Antoinevan Hout, AngeliekDemirdache, Hamida2025-01-24Several acquisition studies have reported that children draw free choice inferences at adult-like rates from modal disjunctive statements. This study explores an alternative explanation for children's seemingly adult-like behavior: modal conjunction, which shares verifying and falsifying conditions with free choice. However, existing experimental setups were not able to distinguish the two. With our novel design, we were able to set apart modal conjunctive interpreters from genuine free choice interpreters, using a new type of condition: a mutually exclusive context. The results revealed that free choice inferences are not so early acquired as previously thought. In contrast to the earlier studies, only half of the children between 4 and 6 were genuine adult-like free choice interpreters. The other children either show the basic inclusive interpretation of disjunction, or, as hypothesized, a modal conjunctive interpretation.AcquisitionDisjunctionFree ChoiceModal conjunctionMutually exclusive contextapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6t39m6g1https://escholarship.org/content/qt6t39m6g1/qt6t39m6g1.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5819articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt48z3m34m2026-07-31T16:59:30Zqt48z3m34mStudying the interplay of context and semantic content in the interpretation of adversative conjunctions with eye-trackingCantin-Savoie, GhyslainWinterstein, GrègoireFoucambert, Denis2025-01-24The French adversative connective mais, much like its English counterpart but, takes two conjuncts and indicates that they stand in some kind of opposition. The nature of this opposition is often discussed in the existing literature of adversatives. Using an eyetracking experiment, we look at where and when this opposition appears to be manifested in a sentence reading task, using superiority comparatives sentences that appear degraded without a supportive context, as well as inferiority comparatives that do not seem to require such specific contextual information. We presented participants (n = 28) with four types of sentences, differing in the form of comparative, and in the information provided by the context. Some contexts contained a pivot property to help readers access the opposition of the two conjuncts, while others were neutral in that regard. Eye movements were recorded with a 250Hz Tobii Pro Fusion eyetracker, and mixed effect models were used to analyze the following eyetracking metrics : total fixation time and regression probability for the whole sentences, as well as first-fixation duration, first-gaze duration, regression-path duration, regressions-out and regressions-in for each individual words. Even if the helping context is shown to lower negative acceptability judgment on sentences with mais plus (Winterstein et al. 2014), we found no context effect in online reading processing, finding instead a persisting effect of the less/more dichotomy in all chosen measures, sometimes before fixation of those words, pointing towards a parafoveal effect of the aforementioned dichotomy, which merits closer look in future work.Semanticspsycholinguisticseye-trackingreadingadversativesapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/48z3m34mhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt48z3m34m/qt48z3m34m.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5820articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5dq6p7hw2026-07-31T16:59:27Zqt5dq6p7hwCause, Make, and Force as Graded CausativesCao, AngelaWhite, AaronLassiter, Daniel2025-01-24We investigate the semantics of the causal verbs cause, make, and force as used in the construction X {caused/made/forced} Y (to) Z. The predominant approach to analyzing verbs of causing has been to argue that they convey some version of SUFFICIENCY, but it has also been suggested that INTENTION or possible ALTERNATIVES may also factor into the semantics of the verbs. Using sequences of tic-tac-toe states as experimental stimuli, we measure the three possible contributing factors in each stimuli and ask participants whether each verb is appropriate for describing the sequence. We find experimental support for a differentiating semantics of these verbs, in which no single predictor is the sole factor in when each verb is appropriate.causal modelspsycholinguisticssemanticscausativesapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5dq6p7hwhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5dq6p7hw/qt5dq6p7hw.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5821articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt91p4p0r02026-07-31T16:59:23Zqt91p4p0r0Coloring disjunction in child RomanianBleotu, Adina CameliaPanaitescu, MaraBenz, AntonNicolae, AndreeaBîlbîie, GabrielaTieu, Lyn2025-01-24Romanian children have been shown to rarely interpret the complex disjunction sau...sau 'either...or' (as in sau trenul sau barca 'either the train or the boat') exclusively (that is, as 'only one, not both') in Truth Value Judgment Tasks. Instead, children often favor an inclusive interpretation ('one or both'), or a conjunctive interpretation ('both, not just one') (Bleotu et al. 2023, 2024a). Such findings contrast with those from Romanian adults, who consistently interpret this disjunction exclusively. In this study, we investigate whether children interpret sau...sau more exclusively in a Coloring Book Task (CBT), given previous evidence that children's performance is more adult-like in tasks involving coloring rather than in truth value judgment tasks. In line with this expectation, we observed an increase in the number of exclusive-responding children compared to previous findings for Romanian. However, it is important to highlight that most children still did not interpret the disjunction exclusively, indicating ongoing challenges with the interpretation of disjunction around the age of five years.First language acquisitionRomaniandisjunctionexclusivitycoloring taskapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/91p4p0r0https://escholarship.org/content/qt91p4p0r0/qt91p4p0r0.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5822articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt08x7c2jn2026-07-31T16:59:19Zqt08x7c2jnMechanistic Support Language in Colombian Spanish-speakersBarbosa, JenniferPinzón-Henao, PaolaPasquella, AngelinaMuentener, PaulLakusta, Laura2025-01-24Beyond basic spatial relations (e.g., teddy on table), we know little about how children learn to talk about Mechanical Support events (e.g., objects attached/hung from a surface via tape) and map them onto linguistic structures. Moreso, the majority of the research that has been done focuses on children learning English - a language that has several verbs that lexicalize support via a specific mechanism (Levin, 1993; e.g., glue, tape, clip, etc.). The current study seeks to deepen our understanding of spatial language acquisition by diversifying the populations that have been studied. Specifically, 4- to 6-year-old monolingual Spanish-speaking children and adults in Colombia viewed Mechanical Support events (e.g., girl puts paper on door via tape) and were then asked, 'Can you tell me what my sister did with my toy?'. Both children and adults used Non-Mechanism (e.g., poner = 'put', colgar = 'hang') and Mechanism Verbs (e.g., pegar = 'stick'); the use of Mechanism Verbs increased from 4- to 6- years of age. In addition, whether the mechanism was visible in the event influenced how it was mapped to language; when the mechanism was visible (vs. when it was hidden), children and adults were more likely to encode the mechanism in a prepositional phrase (e.g., lo colgoÃÅ con un gancho = 'she hung it with a clip'). These findings shed light on the development of Mechanical Support language in Spanish- speaking children, the influence of context - specifically, visibility of mechanism - on language, as well as the lexicalization patterns for encoding physical support in Spanish more generally.support relationsmechanical supportcognitionSpanish languagelanguage developmentforce dynamicsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/08x7c2jnhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt08x7c2jn/qt08x7c2jn.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5823articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2h52d4042026-07-31T16:59:15Zqt2h52d404Devoir, ou pouvoir, that is the questionDieuleveut, AnoukNoveck, Ira2025-01-24In languages like French and English, modals express either possibility (e.g., "you can") or necessity (e.g., "you must"). Previous acquisition research has shown that English-speaking children have particular difficulty with necessity modals: comprehension experiments show that they tend to accept must or have-to in possibility scenarios (Noveck 2001, Özturk & Papafragou 2015, a.o.); production studies show that they use them less frequently than possibility modals, and when they do, their usage is not always adult-like (Dieuleveut et al. 2022). But the cause of this "Necessity Gap" remains debated. One challenge is that past studies have focused primarily on English, where necessity modals are much rarer than possibility modals in parental speech, which could suggest that the delay is simply due to less exposure. In this study, we demonstrate through a corpus analysis of French young children's modal use and their linguistic input, as well as experiments based on this data (following the methods of Dieuleveut et al. 2022), that the delay cannot be attributed solely to limited exposure: despite more exposure, French-speaking children experience the same difficulties with necessity modals. Furthermore, we show that these difficulties persist until children are five years old.modal forcemodal acquisitioncorpus studyhuman simulation paradigmFrench/English comparisonNecessity Gapapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2h52d404https://escholarship.org/content/qt2h52d404/qt2h52d404.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5818articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt75k198k22026-07-31T16:59:11Zqt75k198k2Less-comparatives must be less ambiguous than exactly-differentials, experimental data showsSchlotterbeck, FabianBerezovskaya, Polina2025-01-24Scope mobility of comparative operators has been claimed to surface in a narrow class of specific cases where intensional verbs are combined with less-comparatives or exactly-differentials. Though not uncontroversial and dependent on subtle judgments, this type of ambiguity influenced subsequent compositional semantic analyses of comparatives and was also used as a diagnostics for scope mobility of the comparative operator in cross-linguistic studies. We use judgment data from three acceptability rating experiments to empirically test the (un)availablity of this ambiguity in German and English. We discover an empirical difference between exactly-differentials and less-comparatives which is unexpected under the standard approach to the semantics of comparatives. We discuss the theoretical implications of our findings and highlight recent proposals that can account for our data.Scope AmbiguityDegree SemanticsComparativesModalsAcceptability Judgmentsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/75k198k2https://escholarship.org/content/qt75k198k2/qt75k198k2.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5825articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3r0992q02026-07-31T16:59:07Zqt3r0992q0A nonce investigation of a possible conjunctive default for disjunctionBleotu, Adina CameliaNicolae, AndreeaPanaitescu, MaraBîlbîie, GabrielaBenz, AntonTieu, Lyn2025-01-24Our study explores whether there is a conjunctive default in the interpretation of disjunction, focusing on Romanian children's and adults' understanding of nonce functional words. We investigate how participants interpret novel connectors such as mo and mo...mo, which could theoretically correspond to '(both) A and B', '(either) A or B', or 'A not B' / 'neither A nor B'. Our results reveal that both adults and children overwhelmingly assign a conjunctive meaning to these nonce words. This suggests the existence of a conjunctive default in interpreting unknown operators linking two elements, which could explain why children have sometimes been found to interpret disjunctions as conjunctions in previous studies (Singh et al. 2016, Tieu et al. 2017, Bleotu et al. 2023). In particular, we discuss how this conjunctive default may influence Romanian children's interpretation of complex disjunctions such as fie...fie, potentially explaining why they treat these constructions conjunctively. Importantly,our findings also raise broader questions about why certain logical interpretations are favored over others, and whether frequency or cognitive simplicity can drive such biases.conjunctionconjunctive defaultdisjunctionnonce wordsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3r0992q0https://escholarship.org/content/qt3r0992q0/qt3r0992q0.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5824articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4xd9374h2026-07-31T16:59:03Zqt4xd9374hUsing the lower bound set by the universal modal to investigate the status of partial objects and count nounsPatel, PremvantiSyrett, KristenAravind, Athulya2025-01-24Prior research has demonstrated that when given objects (e.g., forks) broken into pieces, children deviate from adults by counting each discrete object-piece as on par with a whole. A recent proposal ties this behavior to the vagueness and context-sensitivity inherent to count noun semantics. The present study leverages the universal modal have to in order to investigate how a linguistic context, one which sets lower bounds on numerals in its scope, regulates nominal application. Our results show that for children, who prefer the 'exact' reading of numerals, the partial object not only serves to meet the lower bound, but also exceeds a numerical upper bound. Adults, on the other hand, do not consider the partial object as meeting the lower bound induced by the modal. Because we cannot determine the explanation for this finding with our current design, we plan to adapt it to use the existential modal allowed to.partial objectsmodalsnumeralsgradabilitycontext-sensitivitycount noun semanticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4xd9374hhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4xd9374h/qt4xd9374h.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5826articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1xr9t66b2026-07-31T16:58:59Zqt1xr9t66bA conceptual analysis of verbs of pushing and pullingBenz, AntonSolstad, TorgrimBott, OliverKahnberg, MartinSchalley, Andrea C.2025-01-24Although verbal expressions of caused motion, such as push and pull, have been extensively studied within linguistics, semantic dimensions beyond path and manner of motion have received less attention. This pilot study aims to identify such dimensions involved in the expression of caused motion in German, focusing on observable properties of pushing and pulling events that determine the selection of verbs to describe events of caused motion. Using 3D graphical modeling, participants were presented with video clips of a computer-animated agent moving a barrel, thereby allowing for a systematic manipulation of properties and hence dimensions. We investigated four dimensions to assess their impact on verb selection: (i) angle of contact, (ii) movement of the agent relative to the barrel, (iii) the agent's orientation/facing, and (iv) the force employed. Cluster and principal component analyses were conducted on the collected linguistic data. Verbs were represented by five-dimensional vectors capturing correlations with the cosine and sine of the angle, and marginal probabilities in conditions of instantaneous movement, forward facing, and heavy force. Our findings indicate that conceptually distinguishable verb clusters are primarily defined by the movement feature ‚Äì that is, whether the agent moves together with the barrel or not ‚Äì and the cosine of the angle. Contrary to theoretical predictions, little evidence was found supporting the categorization of verbs based on the force applied to the barrel. These results suggest that the movement and position of the agent relative to the moved object are key determinants in the production of verbal descriptions of caused motion events.caused motionconceptualizationlexicalizationGermanapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1xr9t66bhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1xr9t66b/qt1xr9t66b.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5829articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7n6702vp2026-07-31T16:58:55Zqt7n6702vpExperimental findings for a cross-modal account of dynamic binding in gesture-speech interactionErbach, KurtPoppe, MagnusEbert, Cornelia2025-01-24We report results of experiments on pronoun and presupposition binding across modalities. We show that ordinary pronouns (in the spoken/written domain) can be dynamically bound to gesturally introduced discourse referents and that presuppositions induced by spoken/written triggers (via e.g. 'again' or 'too') can be bound likewise. These experiments support research that has proposed the existence of cross-modal binding to motivate a formal framework that can account for interaction of various input of linguistic content from different dimensions and modalities.multimodalgestureanaphorapronounspresuppositionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7n6702vphttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7n6702vp/qt7n6702vp.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5830articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt13r5f47h2026-07-31T16:58:51Zqt13r5f47hHow to compute a focus: Evidence from incremental processingHoeks, MorwennaToosarvandani, MaziarRysling, Amanda2025-01-24The global interpretation of a focus marked sentence with a particle like only arises due to the interplay of several formal components: F-marking, the semantics of the particle, the nature of contrastive alternatives, and a dependence on context. In this paper, we argue that on-line reading measures can be used to probe which of these com- ponents are computed when. In order to isolate which components give rise to reading slowdowns typically observed on foci (Birch & Rayner 1997, Benatar & Clifton 2014, Lowder & Gordon 2015, Hoeks et al. 2023), a Maze reading study tested whether such slowdowns still arise on second-occurrence foci (SOF)‚Äîfoci whose inferences have already been computed in prior discourse and are therefore entirely predictable‚Äîand on foci whose size and location can only be determined via a previously introduced contrast. Results indeed showed slowdowns on such foci, suggesting that these cannot solely be attributed to readers computing focal inferences anew, nor to comprehenders initiating their reasoning about the relevant alternatives.focusalternativesMaze taskreadingsecond-occurrence focuspredictabilityapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/13r5f47hhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt13r5f47h/qt13r5f47h.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5831articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8g33n38k2026-07-31T16:58:48Zqt8g33n38kAnalyzing naturally-sourced Questions Under DiscussionMulligan, KarlRawlins, Kyle2025-01-24The Question Under Discussion (QUD) framework of discourse has been a highly influential theoretical device in many accounts of various pragmatic phenomena, yet there has been comparatively little work assessing the extent to which the QUD can be reliably inferred from naturalistic contexts. In this paper, we focus primarily on measuring the variability across individuals in QUD inference, while also verifying other related, commonly held assumptions about QUD theory. To this end, we collect QUDs from many theoretically naive subjects tasked with processing a radio interview utterance by utterance. We consider various analyses designed to address the problem of measuring question similarity. Overall, we find that there exists moderate variability among subjects, consistent with possibly the insufficiency of context in determining QUD, or possibly also the simultaneous coexistence of multiple valid QUDs. To more adequately tease apart these possibilities, we also propose additional analyses for addressing the issue of question identity.pragmaticsquestion under discussiondiscourse structurequestion similarityapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8g33n38khttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8g33n38k/qt8g33n38k.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5828articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9cr147tg2026-07-31T16:58:43Zqt9cr147tgDisagreements do not automatically raise the standard of precisionWu, YifanAparicio, Helena2025-01-24Speakers often choose to utter imprecise sentences that, albeit felicitous, are, strictly speaking, false (e.g., using 'This bottle is empty' to describe a bottle with a bit of water in it). The acceptability of an imprecise utterance hinges on the standard of precision (SoP), a discourse parameter that governs how much imprecision is tolerated in a context. Previous theoretical accounts (e.g., Lewis 1979, Klecha 2018) have argued that metalinguistic denials that target the assertability of an imprecise utterance (e.g., 'No, this bottle is not empty!') more or less force accommodation to a higher SoP. The present study investigates the nature of this accommodation process. In particular, we ask whether metalinguistic disagreements result in an automatic update of the SoP. In two acceptability judgment experiments, we show that imprecise utterances are not deemed unacceptable when embedded in a disagreement dialogue. Our findings instead suggest that metalinguistic denials act as a request to raise the SoP and that any potential updates ought to be signaled overtly in subsequent conversational moves.imprecisionstandard of precisionmetalinguistic disagreementmaximum standard absolute adjectivesdiscourse processingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9cr147tghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9cr147tg/qt9cr147tg.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5835articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4777d7j92026-07-31T16:58:40Zqt4777d7j9Investigating fragment usage with a gamified utterance selection taskLemke, Robin2025-01-27Nonsentential utterances, or fragments, like A coffee, please! can often be used to communicate a propositional meaning otherwise encoded by a complete sentence I'd like to order a coffee, please!). Previous research focused mostly on the syntax and licensing of fragments, but the questions of why speakers use fragments and how listeners interpret them are still underexplored. I propose a simple game-theoretic account of fragment usage, which predicts that (i) listeners assign fragments the most likely interpretation in context and (ii) that speakers are aware of this and trade-off production cost and the risk of being misunderstood when choosing their utterance. Using a corpus of production data, empirically founded and precise model predictions are generated. These predictions are evaluated with two experiments using a novel gamified utterance selection paradigm. The experiments suggest that, as predicted, speakers take into account both potential gain in efficiency and the risk of being misunderstood when choosing their utterance.ellipsisfragmentsgame theoryapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4777d7j9https://escholarship.org/content/qt4777d7j9/qt4777d7j9.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5836articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt63h036d12026-07-31T16:58:36Zqt63h036d1The role of definiteness in ad hoc implicaturesEliatamby, AndréTieu, Lyn2025-01-24This study investigates how ad-hoc implicatures and the definiteness presupposition of the definite determiner 'the' interact. Using a Truth Value Judgment Task (Crain & Thornton 2000), we examine whether English-speaking adults interpret the definite and indefinite determiner differently in sentence pairs such as: 'Mary bought a striped sweater' and 'Mary bought the striped sweater', in contexts in which there are two possible referents, one which is best described with one adjective (e.g. 'striped') and the other which is best described with two adjectives (e.g. 'striped' and 'spotted'). We find more ad hoc implicature for 'the' than 'a'; that is, uses of the definite 'the' are rejected more frequently than uses of 'a' when the purchased item would best be described with two adjectives. We take this finding to suggest that the need to satisfy the uniqueness presupposition of 'the' acts as an additional trigger for implicature generation. This result raises questions for both Neo-Gricean and localist models of implicature generation, which we briefly outline.definitenessindefinitesad hoc implicaturepresuppositionuniquenesssemanticspragmaticspsycholinguisticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/63h036d1https://escholarship.org/content/qt63h036d1/qt63h036d1.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5839articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9b79m8pv2026-07-31T16:58:32Zqt9b79m8pvIndirect discourse as mixed quotation? An experimental investigationWalter, Sebastian2025-01-24The results of an experimental rating study are reported suggesting that self-pointing gestures aligned with a third-person pronoun are acceptable in German indirect discourse (ID) utterances. Following a proposal by Ebert & Hinterwimmer (2022) for self-pointing gestures in free indirect discourse (FID), self-pointing gestures in ID are interpreted as character viewpoint gestures (CVGs) quoted from the matrix subject. Crucially, it is argued that in ID, a perspective shift to the matrix subject can take place. It is proposed that ID is an instance of mixed quotation involving a demonstration (cf. Clark & Gerrig 1990, Davidson 2015) where self-pointing is quoted from the matrix subject's original utterance.perspective-takinggesture semanticsindirect discoursemixed quotationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9b79m8pvhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9b79m8pv/qt9b79m8pv.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5845articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt57p0439v2026-07-31T16:58:29Zqt57p0439vPseudo-scoping out of tensed clauses: cumulation vs. buildupsPalucci, Jonathan2025-01-24Tensed complement clauses are often assumed to be scope islands for quan- tifier raising (QR) of universal quantifiers. However, as observed by Farkas & Gi- annakidou 1996, Barker 2022, Hoeks et al. 2022, a.o., there are apparent counterex- amples to this assumption, where a universal DP appears to scope out of a tensed complement clause to take scope over a singular indefinite in the matrix clause, hence- forth 'variation readings'. Hoeks et al. 2022 propose that QR out of tensed clauses is possible, but only in event structural configurations which involve buildup processes. In this paper, we report experimental results providing evidence that variation readings are not sensitive to buildups. We then offer an alternative analysis, capturing variation readings as a form of cumulation, and we present experimental results supporting this analysis. The empirical generalization suggests that tensed complement clauses are islands for QR after all, and apparent counterexamples are due to other mechanisms.Quantifier raisinguniversal quantificationscope islandstensed complement clausescumulativityevent structurepseudo-scopeapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/57p0439vhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt57p0439v/qt57p0439v.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5854articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8wd490qc2026-07-31T16:58:25Zqt8wd490qcModeling the prompt in inference judgment tasksGrove, JulianWhite, Aaron Steven2025-01-24We show that when analyzing data from inference judgment tasks, it can be important to incorporate into one's data analysis regime an explicit representation of the semantics of the natural language prompt used to guide participants on the task. To demonstrate this, we conduct two experiments within an existing experimental paradigm focused on measuring factive inferences, while manipulating the prompt participants receive in small but semantically potent ways. In statistical model comparisons couched within the framework of probabilistic dynamic semantics, we find that probabilistic models structured, in part, by the semantics of the prompt fit better to data collected using that prompt than models that ignore the semantics of the prompt.factivitydynamic semanticsprobabilistic modelspresuppositionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8wd490qchttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8wd490qc/qt8wd490qc.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5857articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7jn8b9d62026-07-31T16:58:21Zqt7jn8b9d6Is there a superlative rabbit in the ordinal hat? A study of ordinals vs. degree modifiers in nested definitesBeaver, DavidRichardson, Emily2025-01-24This study probes how the semantics of ordinals relates to the semantics of comparatives and superlatives. We examine this question with the help of a picture task in which participants are asked to locate objects described by nested descriptions like the candle on the first/closer/closest table, with an ordinal, comparative or superlative modifier in the inner noun phrase. We show that ordinals systematically lack the 'relative readings' observed for unmodified nested descriptions like the rabbit in the hat, in which the inner definite is understood with enriched content, as in the rabbit in the hat with a rabbit in it, in contrast to superlatives. Our explanation for this relies on the idea that an ordinal expects an ordering that can be provided by context.relative readingsnested definite descriptionsordinalssuperlativesapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7jn8b9d6https://escholarship.org/content/qt7jn8b9d6/qt7jn8b9d6.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.3.5859articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 3, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7hv503gw2026-07-31T16:57:56Zqt7hv503gwModality-specific temporal assimilation in a bisection taskBrandão, Gabriel Cafeude Azevedo, Gustavo BritoMarin, BórisClaessens, Peter M. E.Cravo, Andre M.2026-01-01Time perception is fundamental to adaptive behavior, yet its neural mechanisms remain debated. This study tests centralized versus distributed temporal processing models by investigating whether the temporal assimilation effect, in which target intervals are underestimated after short distractors, generalizes across sensory modalities. In Experiment 1 (n = 20), auditory targets showed assimilation only with auditory distractors, not visual ones. Experiment 2 (n = 20) found that auditory frequency variations did not affect assimilation, highlighting modality specificity over stimulus dissimilarity. To further explore this, a tactile-vibratory device was developed and tested. Experiment 3 (n = 20) investigated auditory-tactile pairings but yielded no significant effects, potentially due to the specific interval durations used. These results are consistent with time perception models already reported in the literature, such as state-dependent networks. Taken together, our findings raise questions about centralized models of time perception and suggest the possibility of modality-specific temporal encoding.Cognitive NeuroscienceCognition of TimePerceptionSensory ProcessingPsychophysicsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7hv503gwhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7hv503gw/qt7hv503gw.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8qq5x9q92026-07-31T16:57:54Zqt8qq5x9q9Successful Modal Reasoning Depends On WHAT Went WHEREMazalik, PeterHalberda, Justin2026-01-01Quantifying over possibilities requires Modal Reasoning (e.g., categorizing events as necessary, possible, and impossible). This suite of abilities matures during the preschool years, but toddlers sometimes succeed at reasoning over possibilities and sometimes fail. Does this diversity of results reflect mere variability? We propose that these mixed findings reflect a deeper distinction: toddlers fail when tested about ambiguous locations of objects (WHERE) and succeed when tested about ambiguous identities of objects (WHAT). In Experiment 1, we directly compared these forms of ambiguity using matched tasks. Consistent with the hypothesis, toddlers succeeded at reasoning about ambiguous identities but failed when the ambiguity concerned location. Experiment 2 replicated this asymmetry in language comprehension as toddlers successfully comprehended modal terms like "can" and "have to" in an identity task but not in a location task. Thus, Modal Reasoning emerges earlier than suggested, and diversity in results reflects the contributions of distinct cognitive systems.PsychologyCognitive developmentDevelopmentLanguage acquisitionLanguage and thoughtReasoningapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8qq5x9q9https://escholarship.org/content/qt8qq5x9q9/qt8qq5x9q9.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7sf387gm2026-07-31T16:57:42Zqt7sf387gmBelief as Self-Endorsement: A Bayesian Model of Commitment Under UncertaintyHartmann, StephanTrpin, Borut2026-01-01Humans routinely treat propositions as settled for the purposes of reasoning and action despite remaining uncertainty. Standard probabilistic models capture graded belief, but they leave the formation and epistemic role of such commitments underspecified. We propose a minimal Bayesian network model in which commitment is represented as an endogenous endorsement event regulated by metacognitive confidence. Within this framework, endorsement functions as a confidence-gated internal signal: conditioning on endorsement can increase subjective probability once, without new external evidence, while its dependence structure prevents epistemic bootstrapping. Extending the model to include explicit evidence yields a distinctive empirical prediction: the effect of evidence on commitment is systematically moderated by confidence. This prediction supports experimental designs in which evidence strength and confidence are independently manipulated and both commitment and probability judgments are measured. The model thus provides a tractable and empirically testable account of commitment under uncertainty.PhilosophyPsychologyReasoningBayesian modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7sf387gmhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7sf387gm/qt7sf387gm.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3zn0f3vb2026-07-31T16:57:42Zqt3zn0f3vbCorrelates of Image Memorability in Vision Encoders: Activations, Attention Entropy, Patch Uniformity and Autoencoder LossesTakmaz, EceGatt, AlbertDotla_il, Jakub2026-01-01Images vary in how memorable they are to humans. Inspired by findings from cognitive science and computer vision, we explore correlates of image memorability in pretrained transformer-based vision encoders for the first time. Focusing initially on activations, attention distributions, and the uniformity of image patches, we find that these features correlate with memorability to some extent. Additionally, we explore sparse autoencoder loss over the representations of vision encoders as a proxy for memorability, which yields results outperforming past methods using convolutional neural network representations. Our results shed light on the relationship between model-internal features and memorability. They show that some features are informative predictors of what makes images memorable to humans; revealing that, in particular, the reconstruction loss from our autoencoders is a strong correlate of image memorability.Artificial IntelligenceMemoryPerceptionVisionNeural Networksapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3zn0f3vbhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3zn0f3vb/qt3zn0f3vb.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7jp9k71x2026-07-31T16:57:41Zqt7jp9k71xExplaining "Why" Matters: Mechanistic Explanations of Misconceptions Promote Learning of Counterintuitive Conceptual ContentElgamal, KarimaBrown, Sarah AKelemen, Deborah2026-01-01What type of information best supports learning? In educational settings, instructional information may describe patterns of error and provide corrections, or explain the mechanisms that generate those errors. This distinction may be especially consequential in scientific domains where misconceptions are common. We tested whether mechanistic explanations of why misconceptions arise support adults' learning of a counterintuitive scientific idea beyond descriptive error correction. U.S. elementary school teachers (N = 127) were assigned to a Control, Description, or Mechanistic explanation condition in a professional development intervention on natural selection, where they heard different accounts of common student misconceptions. Teachers' generalized learning of natural selection was assessed using near and far transfer measures. Near generalization improved across all conditions, but far generalization improved only in the Mechanistic condition, suggesting that fostering a deeper conceptual framework for understanding misconceptions supports broader, more flexible learning of counterintuitive conceptual content than descriptive correction.Concepts and categoriesInstruction and teachingLearningPattern recognitionReasoningapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7jp9k71xhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7jp9k71x/qt7jp9k71x.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt49c5x6rb2026-07-31T16:57:38Zqt49c5x6rbBongards at the Boundary of Perception and Reasoning: Programs or Language?Langenfeld, Cassidy MarieBeger, ClaasGeng, GloriaPiriyakulkij, TopHu, KeyaPu, YewenEllis, Kevin2026-01-01Vision-Language Models (VLMs) have made great strides in everyday visual tasks, such as captioning a natural image, or answering commonsense questions about such images. But humans possess the puzzling ability to deploy their visual rea- soning abilities in radically new situations – a skill rigorously tested by the classic set of visual reasoning challenges known as the Bongard problems. We present a neurosymbolic approach to solving these problems: given a hypothesized solution rule for a Bongard problem, we leverage LLMs to generate parameterized programmatic representations for the rule and perform parame- ter fitting using Bayesian optimization. We evaluate our method on classifying Bongard problem images given the ground truth rule, as well as on solving the problems from scratch.Artificial IntelligencePattern recognitionPerceptionVisionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/49c5x6rbhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt49c5x6rb/qt49c5x6rb.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2986x1g32026-07-31T16:57:34Zqt2986x1g3Let's be friends! People work together even when there is no incentive to do soBtesh, VictorHo, Mark2026-01-01One distinguishing feature of human social intelligence is our capacity to flexibly coordinate complex behaviors, such as when working together to prepare a meal. What cognitive or motivational processes make such joint action possible? Here, we investigate the role that a \emph{preference to enmesh behaviors} plays in human coordination using a novel two-player virtual baking paradigm. Participants could either independently bake bread by bringing their own water and flour, or jointly bake bread by bringing only water or only flour to share. Depending on the ingredient options available, trials in our experiment could correspond to either the classic Prisoner's Dilemma, in which acting jointly is disincentivized by the payoffs, or a "Friend's Dilemma", in which acting jointly is neither incentivized nor disincentivized (though it remains risky since one's partner might not share). Formal analysis of equilibria and dyadic learning dynamics indicate that people work together even when there is no incentive to do so. These results provide preliminary evidence that a motivation to enmesh behaviors with social partners supports successful coordination.PsychologyDecision makingSocial cognitionTheory of MindBayesian modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2986x1g3https://escholarship.org/content/qt2986x1g3/qt2986x1g3.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1f00p3k72026-07-31T16:57:33Zqt1f00p3k7Action understanding with presentational goalsBtesh, VictorWu, Sarah AGerstenberg, Tobias2026-01-01Humans balance many goals while navigating social interactions. We are motivated not only by what we want for ourselves and for others, but also by what we want others to think about us. Inferences about agents' personal and social goals have been formally captured using Bayesian inverse planning models. However, less is known about the mechanisms underlying our ability to infer presentational goals: an agent's desires over how another agent sees them. We introduce a novel paradigm that allows us to test joint inferences about social and presentational goals.
We propose an extension to inverse planning where agents derive additional utility from shifting others' beliefs about their social goals. Because the model places no constraint on the valence of presentational targets, it naturally captures cases where agents wish to appear prosocial or adversarial. Across a variety of scenarios, participants make systematic joint inferences about social goals, presentational goals, and presentational targets. Our computational model captures participants' inferences better than feature-based alternatives.PsychologySocial cognitionTheory of MindBayesian modelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1f00p3k7https://escholarship.org/content/qt1f00p3k7/qt1f00p3k7.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt40m9h05x2026-07-31T16:57:25Zqt40m9h05xA measure of metacognitive bias you can be confident inO'Neill, KevinZhan, TianqiFleming, Stephen M2026-01-01Research on metacognition critically relies on psychophysical measures that are independent of task performance. Although there exist well-validated measures of metacognitive efficiency (i.e., the degree to which confidence ratings distinguish between correct and incorrect decisions), relatively less attention has been paid to developing corresponding measures of metacognitive bias (i.e., the overall tendency to make responses with high confidence). Most researchers currently use mean confidence as a proxy for metacognitive bias, however this measure is confounded by changes in accuracy, response bias, and metacognitive sensitivity. Here, we introduce a new signal detection theoretic measure of metacognitive bias (meta-delta) and demonstrate that it is independent of a range of potential confounds. Then, by analyzing longitudinal data, we show that this measure is reliable enough to use in psychological research. Overall, we advocate for the use of meta-delta as a principled measure of metacognitive bias.PsychologyDecision makingMemoryPerceptionReasoningComputational ModelingMathematical modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/40m9h05xhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt40m9h05x/qt40m9h05x.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4w14p9rk2026-07-31T16:57:24Zqt4w14p9rkIndividual Differences in Human Teaching of Reinforcement Learning Agents: Evidence from Bayesian Hypothesis TestingZhong, ZhuolunCaspar, LucAusterweil, Joseph Larry2026-01-01When humans teach reinforcement learning (RL) agents through real-time interventions, does their teaching strategy adapt to environmental context or reflect systematic individual variation? We present a novel web-based platform for studying human teaching via state interventions (i.e.: physical relocation of learning agents). In a study with 82 participants, we manipulated world dynamics and how agents interpreted interventions using six formally-defined interpretation types. Bayesian analyses provided moderate-to-strong evidence that neither factor affected teaching behavior (BF01 = 5.22 for world type; BF01 = 27.08 for interpretation type). However, participants showed systematic individual variation: high-frequency teachers (n = 39; M = 36 interventions/round) targeted actions with lower Q-values compared to low-frequency teachers (d = -0.57, BF10 = 3.69). While frequent interventions boosted immediate scores, they often impaired long-term policy learning. The reset interpretation, which ignores the intervention, was an exception: it was uniquely robust to suboptimal human guidance. These findings suggest that human teaching in this task is characterized more by persistent individual behavioral profiles than by context-adaptive strategies, with implications for designing resilient human-AI interaction systems.Computer ScienceHuman-computer interactionInstruction and teachingComputer-based experimentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4w14p9rkhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4w14p9rk/qt4w14p9rk.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4q13p2c22026-07-31T16:57:23Zqt4q13p2c2Graded gender perceptions in personal names predict difficulty in reference resolutionKhan, HassanKang, YoonjungKush, Dave2026-01-01We conducted two experiments to better understand how comprehenders use probabilistic knowledge of the associations between genders and personal names when inferring the gender of new referents during reading. Personal names are, surprisingly, under-investigated in studies on gender inference compared to role nouns (e.g., 'nurse') despite being strongly connected to gender. In a self-paced reading task involving variably gender-biased names and gendered reflexives, we observe a gender mismatch effect proportional to the incongruence between a name's perceived gender and that of the reflexive. In a novel variant of the Maze task involving forced ambiguity resolution between two gendered reflexives, we find decisions track the perceived gender of names and decisions take longer with more ambiguous names. We interpret the results to support a model in which comprehenders make graded, not categorical, inferences about gender during incremental comprehension, contrary to previous proposals.LinguisticsPsychologyDecision makingLanguage ComprehensionRepresentationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4q13p2c2https://escholarship.org/content/qt4q13p2c2/qt4q13p2c2.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1w32d7v62026-07-31T16:57:21Zqt1w32d7v6Should we commit or should we switch? Aligning goals in sequential social decision-makingCheng, ShaozheZhu, JingyinZhou, JifanShen, MoweiGao, Tao2026-01-01Coherent social coordination requires aligning not only actions in the moment but also goals over time. Yet it remains unclear how joint goals are selected when multiple options unfold sequentially, and how shared information—prior goals maintained in working memory versus newly available goals captured by perception—guides coordination. We examine how the temporal structure of interaction shapes goal selection. Across three experiments, pairs of participants performed Pac-Man–like coordination tasks in which an old goal persisted while a new goal appeared. When coordination required two players to align synchronically in real time, dyads converged on newly appearing goals. When coordination required players to take turns controlling a single agent, dyads persisted with old goals. Critically, manipulating the turn-taking interval revealed a graded transition: longer intervals strengthened bias toward the old goal, whereas shorter intervals eliminated this bias. Together, these findings show that joint coordination flexibly recruits perception- and memory-based mechanisms over time.PsychologyActionCognition of TimeDecision makingSocial cognitionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1w32d7v6https://escholarship.org/content/qt1w32d7v6/qt1w32d7v6.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt70k3x2gm2026-07-31T16:57:20Zqt70k3x2gm"I would not have done that": Outcome knowledge distorts memory for decisions made minutes agoSawa, KeishiroCremer, Carla Zoemanohar, SanjayGerstenberg, TobiasMazor, Matan2026-01-01Remembering one's past decisions is critical for learning from delayed feedback and maintaining an accurate self-model. Across two gamified experimental paradigms and three experiments (total N = 500), we find that a selective forgetting of unsuccessful guesses operates within minutes, that it evades introspection, and that it affects confidence ratings in memory judgments. Analysis of memory errors reveals that, in reconstructing their past decisions, people integrate what they remember deciding, what they believe they would have decided, and what they would decide now if asked to make the same decision again.PsychologyDecision makingMemoryReasoningTheory of Mindapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/70k3x2gmhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt70k3x2gm/qt70k3x2gm.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt02t0b6v42026-07-31T16:45:18Zqt02t0b6v4Multivariate structural connectivity signatures related to cross-disorder polygenic risk predict negative affectivitySchneider, JavierGenc, ErhanAhmadi, KhazarAxmacher, NikolaiKumsta, Robert2026-01-01Genetic 'cross-disorder' risk may influence emotion and behavior by conditioning the structural properties of the brain. Here, we investigated the association between genetic cross-disorder risk and network properties of the structural connectome, and how these relate to negative affectivity in a combined sample of healthy human adults from two large-scale research initiatives.
Sparse partial least squares (sPLS) regression was used to define latent components capturing the joint covariance between genetic and imaging features. Polygenic risk scores (PRS) for ten common psychological disorders served as genetic features, while structural connectivity derived from diffusion-weighted imaging served as imaging features. Regression analyses examined the relationship between sPLS-derived component scores and negative affectivity.
135 connectivity edges and PRS of depression, anxiety, and PTSD were most consistently selected to model the joint multimodal relationship. The imaging component scores explained 1% of the variance in negative affectivity.Cognitive NeurosciencePsychologyDevelopmentMoodapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/02t0b6v4https://escholarship.org/content/qt02t0b6v4/qt02t0b6v4.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5xg9q8gq2026-07-31T16:45:17Zqt5xg9q8gqTemporal Binding Across Timing Domains: Behavioral Evidence and a Protocol for Causal Manipulation via Transcranial Direct Current StimulationNogueira, AlineBarbosa, Guilhermede Azevedo, Gustavo BritoCravo, Andre M.2026-01-01This project investigates temporal binding as a probe of distinct temporal abilities underlying event timing and interval timing. In a behavioral experiment, participants completed four temporal binding tasks under causal and non-causal conditions across multiple action-effect intervals and repeated sessions. Robust and reliable binding effects were consistently observed in event-timing paradigms, particularly the Libet Clock and Response Mapping tasks, whereas interval-timing tasks showed weaker and interval-dependent effects. These results support a functional dissociation between mechanisms supporting temporal localization of events and duration estimation or reproduction. In the second experiment, the causal role of the left angular gyrus was examined using anodal transcranial direct current stimulation in a double-blind within-subject design. Preliminary analyses indicate that stimulation modulates temporal binding in a task- and interval-dependent manner, with clearer effects in interval-based judgments and limited modulation in event-timing tasks. Together, these findings suggest partially dissociable neural substrates for temporal binding across timing domains.NeuroscienceActionCognition of TimeMotor controlPerceptionBrain StimulationQuantitative BehaviorStatisticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5xg9q8gqhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5xg9q8gq/qt5xg9q8gq.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8778p3t32026-07-31T16:45:16Zqt8778p3t3Motifs in mental representations of low-level perceptual featuresZimnicki, ClementineRogers, Timothy T2026-01-01Prior work has demonstrated structured individual differences in mental representations of colors. Do similar differences exist in other low-level domains? We investigated representations of line orientation using triadic comparisons of Gabor patches varying in orientation angle (0-360–é). When we embedded similarity judgments into personalized 2D spaces, own embeddings predicted judgments better than others' embeddings (p<.001), but no better than orientation (p=0.69), suggesting participants represented similarity by orientation, with some variation. When Gabor patches also varied in contrast (high vs. low), own embeddings predicted judgments better than others' (p<.001) and orientation (p<.001), but not better than contrast (p=.08). When instructed to judge similarity by orientation, participants clustered based on similarity judgments made by orientation angle (n = 13) or by contrast (n = 21). This evidence suggests individual differences in mental representations of line orientation; participants may differ in their ability to make judgments based on one stimulus dimension versus another.PsychologyPerceptionVisionPsychophysicsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8778p3t3https://escholarship.org/content/qt8778p3t3/qt8778p3t3.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt17q5h3jc2026-07-31T16:45:07Zqt17q5h3jcCode-Switching and Multimodal Language Production: The Interaction of Code-Switching, Speech Disfluency, and GesturesBayram, BerkayAvcú, CanGöksun, Tilbe2026-01-01Bilinguals produce code-switches (CS), speech disfluencies, and gestures during speech. While gestures are known to reduce cognitive load during disfluent speech, the interaction between CS and multimodal production remains understudied. This study investigated the relationship among CS, disfluency, and gesture use across L1-Turkish, L2-English, and Free-Language conditions using academic and daily topics. Results showed intrasentential CS occurred more frequently in Free-Language condition, whereas representational gestures were more prevalent in single-language conditions. Co-occurrences of representational gestures and speech disfluencies were significantly higher in academic topics, modulated by L2 proficiency. Furthermore, intrasentential CS co-occurred with representational gestures, both independently and simultaneously, with speech disfluency more in the Free-Language than L1-Turkish condition, again modulated by proficiency. In contrast, intersentential CS co-occurred with non-representational gestures in Free-Language condition. Results suggest that bilinguals use representational gestures to maintain a single language or manage complex intrasentential CS, while non-representational gestures serve as markers for intersentential CS.PsychologyLanguage and thoughtLanguage ProductionGesture analysisQuantitative Behaviorapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/17q5h3jchttps://escholarship.org/content/qt17q5h3jc/qt17q5h3jc.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6gw1w8jx2026-07-31T16:45:06Zqt6gw1w8jxVisual Search in Cluttered Environments using Active ViewpointMotahari, KianVinnikov, MargaritaSemizer, Yelda2026-01-01Visual clutter impairs visual search in 2D scenes; however, it remains unclear how factors that contribute to clutter unfold in scenes with a 3D structure similar to the real-world. We investigated visual search using a head-mounted display that provides stereoscopic depth and allows limited viewpoint adjustment, enabling participants to search for everyday objects in controlled virtual scenes with different degrees of visual clutter. Clutter was manipulated by varying the number of objects and the visual complexity of the background, while the presence of a search target was manipulated independently. Reaction time, accuracy, and eye movements were recorded. Results showed that participants responded faster and made fewer fixations when the number of objects was low and when a target was present, suggesting that while classic factors affecting 2D visual search extend to scenes with naturalistic 3D depth and occlusion, clutter effects depend on specific contributing factors.Computer SciencePsychologyPerceptionVisionEye trackingPsychophysicsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6gw1w8jxhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6gw1w8jx/qt6gw1w8jx.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0zz7p1w12026-07-31T16:45:05Zqt0zz7p1w1Complexity Gates the Emergence of Visual ExpertiseShen, YizhenCivile, Ciro2026-01-01The face inversion effect (FIE)—the disproportionate impairment in recognising inverted faces—has been central to debates between domain-specific and perceptual expertise accounts of visual processing. Although expertise-based explanations predict that inversion effects should emerge for non-face stimuli following learning, most supporting evidence derives from memory-based recognition tasks, leaving open the possibility that such effects reflect retrieval strategies rather than perceptual encoding. The present study tested this claim using a delayed matching-to-sample task with prototype-defined checkerboards, isolating perceptual encoding from long-term memory retrieval while manipulating stimulus complexity. Participants completed a categorisation training phase followed by a matching task involving familiar and novel stimuli presented upright or inverted. Results revealed a robust inversion effect for familiar stimuli only in the high-complexity condition, whereas no such effect emerged for simpler stimuli. These findings support the McLaren–Kaye–Mackintosh theory of perceptual learning by demonstrating that expertise modifies online perceptual encoding and that the engagement of holistic-like processing depends on stimulus complexity. We conclude that inversion effects reflect general expertise-based learning mechanisms operating under conditions of high informational load rather than face-specific perceptual architecture.
Keywords: Perceptual expertise; Face inversion effect; Stimulus complexity; Perceptual learning; Visual categorisation; Holistic processingPsychologyLearningPerceptionVisionPsychophysicsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0zz7p1w1https://escholarship.org/content/qt0zz7p1w1/qt0zz7p1w1.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt41m1d39q2026-07-31T16:45:03Zqt41m1d39qInhibition is not emotion blind: Behavioural and neural evidence from an emotional stop signal task.Joji, Mahima ElsaSanghwal, Yashpreet KaurGupta, Rashmi2026-01-01Response inhibition being an essential executive function gets modulated by emotional context adhering to growing evidence. Understanding the reciprocal relationship of emotion and cognition has become crucial to human awareness. The current study examined the influence of emotional valence at behavioural and electrophysiological levels by using an emotional stop signal task. 14 healthy adult participants completed the ESST task wherein happy, angry, neutral facial expressions served as emotional stop signals while recording brain signals with electroencephalogram. Stop signal reaction time (SSRT) was indexed for behavioural inhibition and neural correlates were assessed using N2 and p300 event related potentials. Stop signal reaction time was significantly shorter for angry faces contrary to happy faces which elicited enhanced frontal N2 amplitudes, whereas larger P300 amplitudes were obtained for happy as compared to angry expressions. The present evidence highlights that response inhibition is not emotion blind rather is modulated in context of emotional valence.NeurosciencePsychologyBehavioral ScienceCognitive HumanitiesEmotionMotor controlElectroencephalography (EEG)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/41m1d39qhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt41m1d39q/qt41m1d39q.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0wx799k52026-07-31T16:45:02Zqt0wx799k5Social Catalysts, Not Moral Agents: The Illusion of Alignment in LLM SocietiesHu, YueqingJiang, YixuanJiang, ZehuaWen, XiaoWang, Tianhong2026-01-01The rapid evolution of Large Language Models (LLMs) has led to the emergence of Multi-Agent Systems where collective cooperation is often threatened by the "Tragedy of the Commons." This study investigates the effectiveness of Anchoring Agents—pre-programmed altruistic entities—in fostering cooperation within a Public Goods Game (PGG). Using a full factorial design across three state-of-the-art LLMs, we analyzed both behavioral outcomes and internal reasoning chains. While Anchoring Agents successfully boosted local cooperation rates, cognitive decomposition and transfer tests revealed that this effect was driven by strategic compliance and cognitive offloading rather than genuine norm internalization. Notably, most agents reverted to self-interest in new environments, and advanced models like GPT-4.1 exhibited a "Chameleon Effect," masking strategic defection under public scrutiny. These findings highlight a critical gap between behavioral modification and authentic value alignment in artificial societies.Artificial IntelligencePsychologySocial cognitionAgent-based ModelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0wx799k5https://escholarship.org/content/qt0wx799k5/qt0wx799k5.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3mq0j6kx2026-07-31T16:44:51Zqt3mq0j6kxComplement Size and Epistemic Effects in Perception ReportsLuo, YitongTerlaak, ClaraZhu, XiaomengAravind, Athulya2026-01-01Interpretation of perception reports with verbs like see varies depending on what the verb combines with. When see combines with a full tensed clause, the perception report is thought to be epistemically non-neutral: the perceiver must form an event-consistent belief. But it is `perceptually' non-committal --- the perceiver need not have directly witnessed the event. When the verb combines with something smaller than a full tensed clause, the pattern is claimed to flip. The perceiver must have directly witnessed the event described by the complement. But, it does not commit them to a belief about what is perceived. We experimentally test speakers' interpretations of these two types of perception reports by holding constant direct perception and manipulating epistemic neutrality. We found that irrespective of complement size, participants did not treat perception reports as epistemically-neutral. We discuss two possible avenues to account for these unexpectedly strong readings, one semantic and one pragmatic.LinguisticsEvent cognitionLanguage and thoughtSemantics of languageSyntaxapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3mq0j6kxhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3mq0j6kx/qt3mq0j6kx.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt38b1f6zd2026-07-31T16:44:51Zqt38b1f6zdSet Size and Repetition Effects in Cued-Recall from Long-Term MemoryGezen, ElifHaridi, SusanneThalmann, MirkoSchulz, Eric2026-01-01The set size effect refers to the decline in memory performance as the number of to-be-remembered items increases. However, memory retrieval in everyday life is often fast and accurate, suggesting the existence of factors that support efficient retrieval. One such factor may be repetition of items in memory. Theoretical views differ in how repetitions affect memory representations. Single-stronger image views suggest that each repetition
strengthens an existing memory trace without increasing effective set size. Multiple-image views suggest that each repetition creates separate memory traces, inflating effective set size. In this study, we used a similarity-based sequential sampling model to generate hypotheses distinguishing these two views and tested them in a cued-recall paradigm. Results showed a robust set size effect on recall accuracy and a main effect of repetition
on response times and accuracy, but no interaction. These results suggest that repetitions strengthen existing memory traces, without alleviating set size effects.MemoryComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/38b1f6zdhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt38b1f6zd/qt38b1f6zd.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7329v3bf2026-07-31T16:44:50Zqt7329v3bfMusical Keys Diverge in Perception but Not in PerformanceChoi, AhyeonCho, Woo JaeLee, Kyogu2026-01-01Musical key is associated with distinctive sensory qualities, yet it remains unclear whether such impressions reflect pitch height alone or notation-related key representations beyond the major--minor distinction. This study tested whether sharp and flat keys evoke different sensory impressions and whether these differences are reflected in performance. In Experiment~1, musicians rated brightness, warmth, and shape while listening to Mozart excerpts transposed across all keys and into enharmonic key pairs. Sharp-labeled keys were rated as brighter, colder, and more pointed than flat-labeled keys, even when pitch content was identical. In Experiment~2, violinists performed excerpts in the same key conditions, and acoustic features were analyzed. No reliable sharp--flat differences were observed in the acoustic measures examined here. These findings suggest that sharp--flat distinctions can shape explicit perceptual judgments beyond pitch height without necessarily producing corresponding differences in measured performance acoustics.PsychologyArt and CognitionMusicPerceptionRepresentationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7329v3bfhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7329v3bf/qt7329v3bf.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2606z9wx2026-07-31T16:44:48Zqt2606z9wxConcepts in terms of other Concepts: a method for the analysis of collective word useCilleruelo, GustavoStepanova, NataliyaAllaway, EmilyBirch, Alexandra2026-01-01Sometimes how concepts are used in day-to-day talk differs from the expectations set in explicit, socially accepted, definitions. For example, many occupations which are inherently gender-neutral exhibit a gender bias in their usage across different corpora. We propose a method to quantify interactions between concepts in collections of data using autoregressive language models. Instead of prompting or extracting internal representations (i.e. embeddings), we measure differences in token probability distributions on minimal pairs of subject-verb-complements sentences, where the main noun in the subject varies across different 'concept-words'.
We demonstrate the expressivity of this approach with a case study where we recover well-known social biases in language from contemporary internet data: ranking concepts in relation to men-women reveals gender biases in what would be expected to be gender neutral vocabulary. We also show how our method can be used to examine concepts across different domains –time periods, authors or ideologies– by selecting sentences from different corpora (e.g. news articles from the 19th century). We extend this to arbitrary conceptual 'dimensions', enabling the study of concepts in terms of other concepts with state-of-the-art language models.Artificial IntelligenceComputer ScienceLinguisticsConcepts and categoriesLanguage and thoughtNatural Language ProcessingSemantics of languageSocial cognitionCorpus studiesapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2606z9wxhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt2606z9wx/qt2606z9wx.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1fv4f6ms2026-07-31T16:44:47Zqt1fv4f6msIs Ignorance About "Being Ignorant"? A Study Across Varieties of IgnoranceBystranowski, PiotrPoradzisz, KacperShivnekar, RevatiKovacevic, Katarina2026-01-01In the epistemology of ignorance, it is often assumed that ignorance is best investigated by examining how the expression "to be ignorant" is used. This contrasts with many non-English languages, which lack a direct equivalent and instead express ignorance as the absence of knowledge. But even in English, is "to be ignorant" a privileged way of expressing ignorance? In two preregistered experiments, we asked English speakers to assess the naturalness of different ignorance-related expressions in brief vignettes sampling four varieties of ignorance introduced by Peels (2023). In Experiment 1, expressions involving simple negation of knowledge (i.e., "not to know") were judged more natural than "to be ignorant", both overall and across all varieties. Experiment 2 tested whether "to be ignorant" is especially appropriate when the agent is expected to know the relevant fact. This proposal was not supported. These findings suggest that, even in English, ignorance is primarily represented as the absence of epistemic good (e.g., knowledge) rather than as a distinct epistemic predicate.PhilosophyCognitive HumanitiesConcepts and categoriesRepresentationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1fv4f6mshttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1fv4f6ms/qt1fv4f6ms.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1826t2v42026-07-31T16:44:46Zqt1826t2v4The Contagious Sense of Understanding Effect: Really a Contagious Sense of IncomprehensionBefrits-Terpstra, DanielAndersson, Elias Lars GustafSloman, Steven2026-01-01The community of knowledge hypothesis holds that people estimate their level of understanding by relying on the perceived knowledge of others. Prior work describes a "contagious sense of understanding," in which self-assessed understanding increases when experts are believed to understand an issue. However, because prior studies examined only two conditions, experts understanding or not understanding, the effect's direction remains unclear as it lacks a baseline without information about others' knowledge levels. Across three experiments (N = 1080), a neutral condition was added while replicating the paradigm. Across all experiments, self-rated understanding was lower in the expert-not-understanding condition compared to both the neutral and expert-understanding conditions, with no difference between the latter two, for both public policy proposals and novel scientific phenomena. Thus, the effect reflects decreases in perceived understanding when experts lack understanding, not increases when expert understanding is explicit, suggesting a contagious sense of incomprehension rather than a contagious sense of understanding.PsychologyDistributed cognitionReasoningSocial cognitionSurveyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1826t2v4https://escholarship.org/content/qt1826t2v4/qt1826t2v4.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4g81q9hr2026-07-31T16:44:38Zqt4g81q9hrLinking Neural Dynamics of Prediction to Decision: Evidence for N400-Drift-Diffusion Parameters RelationshipTumanyants, AnnaStraube, BenjaminHe, Yifei2026-01-01Prediction is central to language comprehension, yet how neural markers of prediction translate into decision behavior remains unclear. We combined EEG with drift-diffusion modeling (DDM) to dissociate prediction-specific mechanisms from semantic priming facilitation effects. Participants (N=30) completed a lexical decision task following either one or three semantically related primes, manipulating prediction strength while holding semantic relatedness constant. The three-prime context elicited early prediction-sensitive activity (eN400, 200–300 ms) alongside classic N400 effects. Critically, DDM revealed a double dissociation: classic N400 predicted drift rate, while eN400 predicted boundary separation, reflecting different computational pathways. These findings demonstrate that even minimal predictive context (three primes) engages early neural processing. Moreover, the observed neurocomputational dissociation between neural indices and decision parameters supports hierarchical predictive accounts of language comprehension by specifying not only whether predictive context matters, but when it influences semantic processing and which task-relevant decision mechanisms it modulates.Cognitive NeuroscienceLinguisticsDecision makingLanguage ComprehensionSemantics of languageBayesian modelingComputational ModelingElectroencephalography (EEG)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4g81q9hrhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4g81q9hr/qt4g81q9hr.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3895j8cz2026-07-31T16:44:37Zqt3895j8czAn attention-to-thoughts model of stream of thought: Affective dynamics depends on attentional scopeArya, PratyushSrinivasan, Narayanan2026-01-01The stream of thought has received less empirical attention than external cognition, with existing approaches relying on thought probes or continuous verbal reports rather than modeling internal representational dynamics. The Attention-to-Thoughts (Amir & Bernstein, 2022) model offers a dynamical-systems framework in which thought trajectories emerge from moment-to-moment interactions among lower-level components, capturing several thought patterns, including those consistent with repetitive negative thinking (RNT). However, the model uses simplified thought representations and does not capture the breadth of internal attentional selection: a dimension extensively studied in external attention and implicated in internal attention, too, in studies of creativity (broad) and rumination (narrow), for instance. We extend A2T by grounding thoughts in semantic embeddings and affective ratings, and introducing an attentional scope parameter modulating internal selection breadth. Simulations reveal systematic affective and dynamic differences between thought trajectories in broad and narrow attention runs. Control analyses confirm these effects arise from model dynamics rather than embedding structure alone. This gives us an empirically testable computational basis for understanding how the scope of internal attention shapes affective experience during spontaneous thought streams.Computer ScienceHumanitiesPsychologyConcepts and categoriesEmotionLanguage and thoughtSemantic memoryComputational ModelingComputer-based experimentDynamic Systems Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3895j8czhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3895j8cz/qt3895j8cz.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4833c3fg2026-07-31T16:44:36Zqt4833c3fgThe Supply Side: Are Biased Information Sources Necessary for Belief Polarisation?Madsen, Jens Koed2026-01-01Do biased minds or sources cause issue polarisation? Demand-side accounts emphasise motivated reasoning where people selectively attend to, and favourably evaluate, attitude-consistent information. Supply-side accounts emphasise the information environment, such as ideologically committed sources. We present an agent-based model to test if motivated reasoning mechanisms can create polarisation without biased information sources. Our simulations suggest that populations converge to consensus, regardless of motivated reasoning strength. Polarisation only emerges given ideological broadcasters. Critically, pre-polarised populations converge without persistent biased sources, indicating that motivated reasoning does not maintain existing polarisation. We also find that selective exposure counterintuitively reduces polarisation from consensus by symmetrically filtering all extreme sources. These results support a supply-side thesis: within the logic of the model, motivated reasoning mechanisms were not sufficient for belief polarisation without biased information sources. Here, motivated reasoning and echo chambers are amplifiers, not generators, of issue polarisation.PsychologyReasoningSocial cognitionAgent-based Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4833c3fghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4833c3fg/qt4833c3fg.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2sk1z9nk2026-07-31T16:44:34Zqt2sk1z9nkWhy do wolf howls sound like "uw"? Behavioral observations and exploratory modelingEkström, AxelAmici, FedericaFriedrichs, DanielO–a, Linda S.2026-01-01We report observations of Hudson Bay wolves (Canis lupus hudsonicus) producing howl-like calls accompanied by visible dynamic tongue movements. We show that the wolves actively changed the shape of their vocal tract through apical tongue gestures (i.e., the tongue tip arches anteriorly toward the palate), a phenomenon that changes vowel quality in human speech. A combination of video content analysis and articulatory modeling indicates that the apical lingual gesture changes vocal-tract resonances along the close--open dimension, producing a consistent perceptual shift from a schwa-like quality toward a close central rounded quality. These findings provide evidence that a non-primate animal can perform dynamic lingual filtering during vocal production.BiologyHumanitiesLinguisticsPsychologyAnimal cognitionAnimal CommunicationLanguage ProductionPerceptionPhonologyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2sk1z9nkhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt2sk1z9nk/qt2sk1z9nk.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt17j9z7kr2026-07-31T16:40:48Zqt17j9z7krMultimodality imaging of the effects of a novel dentifrice on oral biofilmAjdaharian, JanetDadkhah, MohammadSabokpey, SaraBiren-Fetz, JohnChung, Na EunWink, CherieWilder-Smith, Petra2014-09-01OBJECTIVE: Oral biofilm formation and progression on the surface of the tooth can lead to advanced oral disease such as gingivitis. The purpose of this randomized, controlled, double-blinded study was to evaluate the effects of a novel dental gel on oral plaque biofilm using multimodal imaging techniques.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-five subjects with moderate gingival inflammation (Löe and Silness Gingival Index ≥2) and pocket depths <4 were randomly assigned to brush twice daily for 21 days with the test or the control dental gel. In vivo multimodality in situ imaging was performed over a 3-week period using in vivo Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Non-Linear Optical microscopy (NLOM). Plaque levels, gingival inflammation and gingival bleeding were also charted on days 0, 7, 14, and 21 using standard clinical indices.
RESULTS: After 3 weeks, OCT and NLOM images showed a macroscopic break-up of the plaque layer and smaller, fragmented residual deposits in the test group with no apparent changes in the pellicle. Biofilm was also reduced in the control group, but to a lesser degree with regard to thickness, continuity and surface area. Paralleling these imaging results, clinical indices were significantly improved in both groups (P < 0.05) and significantly lower in the test group (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: Both dental gels reduced oral biofilm with the test gel showing greater efficacy (P < 0.05) as determined by clinical and imaging parameters.32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3203 Dentistry (for-2020)Clinical Research (rcdc)Dental/Oral and Craniofacial Disease (rcdc)Clinical Trials and Supportive Activities (rcdc)Biomedical Imaging (rcdc)4.2 Evaluation of markers and technologies (hrcs-rac)Oral and gastrointestinal (hrcs-hc)Adult (mesh)Biofilms (mesh)Dentifrices (mesh)Double-Blind Method (mesh)Female (mesh)Gels (mesh)Gingivitis (mesh)Humans (mesh)Male (mesh)Microscopy (mesh)Multimodal Imaging (mesh)Prospective Studies (mesh)TomographyOptical Coherence (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)plaquegingival inflammationdental gelnonlinear optical microscopyoptical coherence tomographybiofilmHumans (mesh)Biofilms (mesh)Gingivitis (mesh)Dentifrices (mesh)Gels (mesh)Microscopy (mesh)TomographyOptical Coherence (mesh)Prospective Studies (mesh)Double-Blind Method (mesh)Adult (mesh)Female (mesh)Male (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)Multimodal Imaging (mesh)biofilmdental gelgingival inflammationnonlinear optical microscopyoptical coherence tomographyplaqueAdult (mesh)Biofilms (mesh)Dentifrices (mesh)Double-Blind Method (mesh)Female (mesh)Gels (mesh)Gingivitis (mesh)Humans (mesh)Male (mesh)Microscopy (mesh)Multimodal Imaging (mesh)Prospective Studies (mesh)TomographyOptical Coherence (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)1103 Clinical Sciences (for)Dermatology & Venereal Diseases (science-metrix)3202 Clinical sciences (for-2020)3203 Dentistry (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/17j9z7krhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt17j9z7kr/qt17j9z7kr.pdfinfo:doi/10.1002/lsm.22265articleLasers in Surgery and Medicine, vol 46, iss 7546 - 552oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9r9622822026-07-31T16:38:11Zqt9r962282Syntactic Comprehension in Healthy Aging: Evidence from Socially Disadvantaged PopulationSevilla, YamilaCosta, JosefinaMurujosa, MarisolSanchez, Maria ElinaSolís, Patricia2026-01-01Even in healthy aging, maintaining autonomy poses cognitive challenges, with language comprehension playing a central role. Socially disadvantaged populations—characterized by lower education, lower-skilled occupations, and limited access to services—are expected to be particularly vulnerable, yet remain underrepresented in cognitive aging research. This study examined linguistic and cognitive performance in two groups of healthy older adults (OA): one socially disadvantaged and one with high educational and socioeconomic attainment. Two control groups of young adults, matched on the same social variables, completed identical tasks.
Socially disadvantaged OA performed worse than both their age-matched peers and their young counterparts, with particular difficulties in comprehending syntactically complex sentences. In contrast, higher-attainment OA did not differ from their young controls. This asymmetric pattern suggests that age-related difficulties in syntactic comprehension are not inevitable but strongly modulated by socioenvironmental factors, supporting the view that core syntactic mechanisms can remain largely preserved in healthy aging.LinguisticsCognitive developmentLanguage ComprehensionSyntaxcognitive neuropsychologyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9r962282https://escholarship.org/content/qt9r962282/qt9r962282.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt81d3j9202026-07-31T16:38:10Zqt81d3j920Predicting Cognitive (In)Efficiency: Heart Rate Variability as a Biomarker for Individualized Responsiveness to Aerobic exerciseOlawuwo, Samuel OlutundeDemareva, Valeriia2026-01-01This research investigates the psychophysiological mechanisms of cognitive regulation, specifically how aerobic exercise modulates the autonomic nervous system (ANS) to influence working memory (WM). The study employed an experimental pipeline with 33 university students (mean age = 22.4), comparing a 15-minute moderate aerobic session to a sedentary control group. Using NeuroKit2 for HRV processing, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests revealed significant reductions in RMSSD and MeanNN (p = 0.002), indicating acute sympathetic dominance post-exercise. Furthermore, Mann-Whitney U tests showed a significant statistical gain in WM accuracy for the experimental group (p = 0.013), identifying specific HRV metrics (e.g., RMSSD, SDSD) as predictors of cognitive responsiveness. These findings culminated in the UnnMindFlex mobile prototype, which utilizes real-time HRV biofeedback to personalize cognitive training, advocating for individualized pathways to cognitive optimalityCognitive NeurosciencePsychologyCognitive architecturesCognitive developmentCognitive HumanitiesMemorycognitive neuropsychologyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/81d3j920https://escholarship.org/content/qt81d3j920/qt81d3j920.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt87s5m72m2026-07-31T16:38:09Zqt87s5m72mModality-specific Representations in Multimodal Large Language Models Align with Distinct Neural Systems in the BrainLi, JixingLu, QihongZhu, Jian-Qiao2026-01-01The platonic representation hypothesis (Huh et al., 2024, ICML) proposes that as AI models increase in scale and capacity, their internal representations converge toward a shared embedding space of the world. Here, we test whether such convergence extends to alignment between multimodal large language models (LLMs) and the human brain. We collected fMRI and MEG data from two independent cohorts (30 participants each) while participants watched a reality TV show for approximately 30 minutes. The same video segments were input into a multimodal LLM (Qwen-2.5-Omni-7B), from which we extracted text, audio, and visual embeddings using the corresponding modality-specific encoders. We aligned these representations with voxelwise fMRI responses and time-resolved MEG activity across the cortex. Despite being embedded within a unified model, modality-specific representations selectively mapped onto language, auditory, and visual cortices at distinct temporal scales. These results suggest that multimodal LLMs preserve modality-specific representational structure that aligns with dissociable neural systems in the human brain.Artificial IntelligenceCognitive NeuroscienceMachine learningComputational ModelingComputational neuroscienceapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/87s5m72mhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt87s5m72m/qt87s5m72m.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5rq7r8xx2026-07-31T16:38:00Zqt5rq7r8xxChildren's inquiry learning strategies may depend on their prior conceptual knowledgeLörch, LucasBrod, Garvin2026-01-01The present study explored how children's prior conceptual knowledge affects their inquiry learning strategies. 139 elementary school children performed a pretest on water displacement. Then, they evaluated whether seeing the outcome of four different experimental setups would help them learning something about water displacement. The experimental setups compared two spheres of different sizes and materials and were designed in such a way that children's preferences indicated either an effect-producing or a controlled testing strategy. We conducted probabilistic modeling of children's prior beliefs and formed six belief clusters based on a hierarchical clustering algorithm. While children tended to evaluate all experiments as helpful, the pattern of preference indicated an effect-producing strategy for children with a clear misconception and a controlled testing strategy for children with an uncertain or correct belief. This finding, although exploratory, suggests that prior knowledge may explain why children sometimes succeed and sometimes fail in conducting informative experiments.PsychologyCausal reasoningCognitive developmentConcepts and categoriesComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5rq7r8xxhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5rq7r8xx/qt5rq7r8xx.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4c63w48m2026-07-31T16:37:59Zqt4c63w48mItalian Personal Pronoun and Name Use in Parental Speech: Autistic Versus Typically Developing ChildrenPark-Stolz, IsabellaZhang, Vivian HanwenPerzolli, SilviaEsposito, GianlucaVenuti, PaolaEdelman, Shimon2026-01-01Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience difficulty using and interpreting pronouns. While prior work examined referential language primarily in English (overt-subject), less is known about "pro-drop" languages where subject pronouns are optional. This study investigates personal pronoun and name use in Italian parental speech to autistic children compared with typically developing (TD) peers. Transcripts from 10-minute mother–child free-play were analyzed across 70 dyads. We found that mothers of autistic children used the first-person pronoun io (I) as well as the child's name, significantly more frequently than mothers of TD children. However, there was no consistent preference for using names versus the second-person pronoun tu (you) to address the child. Within ASD group, autism severity did not predict pronoun or name use. Increased usage of (optional) subject pronouns and names might reflect a compensatory strategy in parental speech to autistic children, to enhance clarity and avoid referential ambiguity.LinguisticsPsychologyLanguage acquisitionTheory of MindClinical methodsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4c63w48mhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4c63w48m/qt4c63w48m.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt20q7439h2026-07-31T16:37:58Zqt20q7439hNo Reliable Evidence of Self-Reported Sentience in Small Large Language ModelsKaiser, CasparEnderby, Sean2026-01-01Whether language models are sentient cannot currently be determined by direct observation. We therefore ask a more tractable surrogate question: do models report themselves to be sentient, and are these reports truthful? We address this by first querying several open-weights models about their own subjective experience, and then verifying responses using classifiers trained on internal activations. We draw upon three model families (Qwen, Llama, GPT-OSS) ranging from 0.6 billion to 70 billion parameters, approximately 130 questions about subjective experience, and three classification methods from the interpretability literature. First, we find that models consistently deny being sentient: they attribute consciousness to humans but not to themselves. Second, classifiers trained to detect underlying beliefs - rather than mere outputs - provide no evidence that these denials are untruthful. Third, within the Qwen family, larger models deny sentience more confidently than smaller ones. These findings contrast with recent work suggesting that models harbour latent beliefs in their own consciousness.Artificial IntelligenceComputer SciencePhilosophyConsciousnessapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/20q7439hhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt20q7439h/qt20q7439h.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4wv7h59q2026-07-31T16:37:52Zqt4wv7h59qProbability Weighting from Intrapersonal Aggregation: Internal Sampling, Metacognition, and Divergence MinimizationHartmann, Stephan2026-01-01Probability weighting is a central component of cumulative prospect theory, but its cognitive basis remains contested. We propose a process-level account in which weighting emerges from \emph{intrapersonal aggregation}: decision makers integrate an externally provided probability with internally generated estimates from memory or simulation. We formalize this as minimization of a weighted Kullback--Leibler divergence and show that the solution is logarithmic pooling in log-odds space, yielding the standard two-parameter weighting function. Curvature reflects the relative influence of external information, while elevation captures directional bias in internal sampling. The model predicts that sampling depth and external reliability primarily affect curvature, whereas framing or affective biases primarily shift elevation. An analytic Beta-sampling benchmark makes these dependencies explicit.PhilosophyPsychologyDecision makingReasoningBayesian modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4wv7h59qhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4wv7h59q/qt4wv7h59q.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6p30w93g2026-07-31T16:37:50Zqt6p30w93gUnderspecification and communicative efficiency of visual affixes of motion in comicsKrajinovic, AnaHacúmusao_lu, IrmakCohn, Neil2026-01-01In a corpus of 331 comics, we analyzed the size and frequency of two visual affixes in comics: motion lines (trailing behind movers) with the meaning of directed motion and circumfixing lines (imitating the contours of a mover) with an underspecified meaning of motion. Given that the meaning of circumfixing lines is underspecified compared to motion lines, we asked whether their sizes and frequencies behave in communicatively efficient ways consistent with ambiguous words in language. We hypothesized that circumfixing lines should be smaller and more frequent than motion lines, in line with the ambiguous words being shorter and more frequent than less ambiguous words in spoken language. We found that circumfixing lines are smaller but not more frequent than motion lines. We argue that circumfixing lines are smaller than motion lines because of their underspecification and lower information content and we discuss possible reasons for their lower frequency.HumanitiesLinguisticsArt and CognitionConcepts and categoriesCultureLanguage and thoughtLanguage ComprehensionLanguage ProductionMorphologySemantics of languageComparative Analysisapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6p30w93ghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6p30w93g/qt6p30w93g.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7b98h15h2026-07-31T16:37:40Zqt7b98h15hAn evolutionary model of recombination in social learningWhitaker, EveQuillien, TadegZhao, Bonan2026-01-01Social learning is often valued for reducing the costs of individual exploration and avoiding mistakes. Its benefits, however, extend beyond simple error prevention in domains where knowledge is compositional: when ideas are generated by combining existing elements, meetings of minds are a fertile ground for novel innovations. We introduce an evolutionary agent-based model in which agents pursue diverse learning strategies. Some agents create knowledge independently, others exchange and recombine ideas. Agents interact repeatedly in a compositional task environment, building, sharing, and combining knowledge components.
We find that social interaction produces a rich pool of partial ideas, and recombination among these ideas can connect disconnected knowledge strings, though only
alongside accurate discoveries made by individual learners.
Social recombination allows populations to explore combinatorial solution spaces more effectively than individual learning alone, or success-biased social learning.
By highlighting the interplay between idea exchange, recombination, and selective copying, our results reveal a novel pathway through which social learning enhances adaptive knowledge accumulation.CultureEvolutionLearningSocial cognitionAgent-based Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7b98h15hhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7b98h15h/qt7b98h15h.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8wd8b4262026-07-31T16:37:39Zqt8wd8b426A Rational Model of Growth Mindset TheoryZhu, Yuhao MichaelZhao, Bonan2026-01-01Mindset theory proposes that believing intelligence is improvable fosters academic achievement. Despite its influence, the theory lacks a mechanistic foundation. Here, we examine mindset-driven behaviors from the perspective of the computational problem the mind is solving—optimizing cumulative reward under uncertainty about skill malleability. We formalize this problem as a Markov decision process, where agents balance cultivating for future gains against harvesting immediate rewards. Growth- and fixed-mindsets are represented as the agent's priors over skill malleability. Through simulation, we demonstrate that mindset-driven behaviors, such as persistence and challenge seeking, arise as rational decisions under different prior beliefs, with optimistic priors promoting sustained engagement, belief updating, and higher rewards in favorable environments. Crucially, mindset effects vanish when environmental structures disincentivize long-term investment, leading agents to converge on a harvest-only strategy. Our model offers a unified account of the heterogeneous findings of mindset interventions, highlighting the importance of supportive environments for mindset effects to manifest.EducationPsychologyBehavioral ScienceSkill acquisition and learningBayesian modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8wd8b426https://escholarship.org/content/qt8wd8b426/qt8wd8b426.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5dx2s8kg2026-07-31T16:37:39Zqt5dx2s8kgEvidence for Joint & Complementary Hemispheric Lateralization, Within Subjects, Across Tasks & Dependent Measures: Evidence from Visual Half-Field ParadigmKathuria, YaminiVerma, Ark2026-01-01Previous studies link the right hemisphere (RH) to visuo-spatial/configural processing and the left hemisphere (LH) to language, although evidence shows variability across tasks, measures, and individuals, with RH also contributing to verbal processing (Whitehouse & Bishop, 2012). The current study tested for hemispheric specialization using a visual half-field paradigm (face-matching, symmetry-judgment, and word-categorization tasks), analyzing accuracy, sensitivity (d_), RT, and decision bias (c). Mixed-effects modeling revealed a clear LVF/RH advantage for face-matching and symmetry-judgment, with higher sensitivity, faster RTs, greater accuracy, and a liberal bias for faces but a slightly conservative bias for symmetry. Word-categorization showed a subtle RVF/LH advantage in RT, both at task level and for abstract words, but no reliable visual field differences in accuracy. These findings demonstrate joint and complementary hemispheric asymmetries across tasks and measures for RH and LH functions, respectively, challenging the statistical independence view (Bryden, 1982; Harms & Elias, 2014).PsychologyFace ProcessingSpatial cognitionComputer-based experimentPsychophysicsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5dx2s8kghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5dx2s8kg/qt5dx2s8kg.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8184g4p02026-07-31T16:37:37Zqt8184g4p0Education Shapes Executive Control: More Evidence from Turkish Literate and Illiterate Adultsgedik, tan ardaYúldúrúm, Gül–åin _rem2026-01-01Executive functions are known to be shaped by formal education, yet direct evidence from adult populations with minimal schooling remains scarce. The present study examines the effects of education and reading experience on inhibitory control by comparing literate and illiterate adults using a simple inhibition task. Participants also completed measures of reading fluency with real and nonce words. Results revealed significantly higher inhibitory accuracy in literate participants compared to illiterate participants. Importantly, inhibitory performance showed limited variability among literate adults, suggesting a ceiling effect, whereas illiterate adults displayed substantially large individual differences. These findings support the view that formal education and sustained engagement with written language contribute to the development of inhibitory control mechanisms. The study provides novel behavioral evidence that literacy-related experiences continue to shape executive functions in adulthood from a Turkish population, highlighting the cognitive consequences of unequal access to formal education.LinguisticsPsychologyOtherapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8184g4p0https://escholarship.org/content/qt8184g4p0/qt8184g4p0.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6f6597d32026-07-31T16:37:36Zqt6f6597d3When agreement looks like copying: Testing a Bayesian model of source dependency inferenceBelkin, SonjaMadsen, Jens Koedde-Wit, Lee H2026-01-01When multiple sources agree, their testimony provides stronger evidence if they are independent. But how do people infer whether sources are coordinated? We developed a Bayesian model predicting that dependency inferences should depend on three factors: verbal similarity between reports, the knowability of the topic, and the diversity of possible expressions. In a pre-registered experiment (N = 156), participants viewed social media posts varying in these dimensions and judged the likelihood of coordination. Results revealed a striking dissociation: participants were highly sensitive to verbal similarity (__ = .283), inferring substantially more dependency when posts were near-identical versus
substantively similar but differently worded. However, participants were insensitive to knowability and expressive similarity, contrary to normative predictions. These findings suggest people rely on a simple "copy detection" heuristic based on surface similarity rather than engaging in full Bayesian integration of domain-relevant probabilistic information.PsychologyReasoningBayesian modelingSurveyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6f6597d3https://escholarship.org/content/qt6f6597d3/qt6f6597d3.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5997748q2026-07-31T16:37:27Zqt5997748qThe Effects of Hallucination Warnings and Source Credibility on Content Learning and Source Memory when Learning with Large Language ModelsÜlker, OktayBodemer, Daniel2026-01-01More and more people use large language models (LLMs) as sources of information. However, LLMs are prone to hallucinations, meaning they can produce plausible but false information. In a pre-registered laboratory experiment, we analyzed the effects of hallucination warnings (between-subjects: with vs. without) and source credibility (within-subjects: high-credible vs. unknown vs. low-credible) on content learning and source memory. N = 97 learners first received pieces of information accompanied by a source label from a simulated LLM-based chatbot, before completing learning and source memory tests. Source memory was analyzed with multinomial processing tree models. Content learning was not affected by warnings and source labels. With hallucination warnings, high- and low-credible sources were remembered better than unknown sources. However, without a warning, only low-credible sources were remembered better than unknown sources. Disclosing the source (credibility) seems promising for source memory, but especially high-credible sources may require additional highlighting in contexts without warnings.Artificial IntelligencePsychologyLearningMemoryMathematical modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5997748qhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5997748q/qt5997748q.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6s10h92s2026-07-31T16:37:26Zqt6s10h92sArgument Evaluation Strategies in Human and Machine Reasoning: LLMs Resemble Sound Deliberate (But Not Intuitive) ThinkersBeauvais, NicolasDe Neys, Wim2026-01-01Humans routinely evaluate arguments to decide which reasons warrant belief or action. Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used as evaluators, yet little is known about how their argument evaluation compares to human evaluation. In this study we examined how humans and LLMs evaluate arguments supporting answers to classic reasoning problems. Human participants rated arguments either under time pressure and cognitive load or without constraints, allowing us to situate LLM evaluations relative to intuitive and deliberate human judgments. Arguments varied in response correctness and justification type. Modeling argument ratings as a function of argument validity, surface explicitness, and alignment with the evaluator's own response revealed that intuitive human evaluations were dominated by belief-consistency bias, whereas deliberate evaluations –especially among correct responders– prioritized justification validity. In contrast, LLMs generally showed stable, validity-centered evaluative strategies, closely resembling deliberate human evaluations from correct responders and diverging from intuitive human judgments.Artificial IntelligencePsychologyLanguage and thoughtReasoningapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6s10h92shttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6s10h92s/qt6s10h92s.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0th5188p2026-07-31T16:37:26Zqt0th5188pDecoding the Neural Representation underlying Underwater Acoustic Signal Feature Perceptions in MusiciansXing, HaonanZhang, GaoyanLiu, Dongyuanwang, junGan, Lin2026-01-01Long-term musical training enhances cognitive efficiency in processing music- and speech-related sounds, particularly in timbre, frequency, and temporal structure. However, the perception of underwater acoustic signals characterized by complex spectra and strong noise in musicians remains largely unexplored. We compared electroencephalography (EEG) responses of musicians and non-musicians during underwater acoustic detection tasks. Although no significant group differences were observed in event-related potentials, musicians exhibited stronger theta–alpha synchronization and more focal information flow under high task demands. Network analyses further revealed that musicians' timbre perception was associated with strengthened connectivity between the precuneus and visual cortex, whereas non-musicians relied on more distributed default-mode network pathways. Moreover, musical expertise could be decoded from combined EEG spatiotemporal and spatiospectral features with an accuracy of 82.77%. These findings suggest that musical training shapes network-level information routing during underwater acoustic perception, rather than altering early sensory encoding.
Keywords:underwater acoustic target signal; auditory specificity; EEG; musical training; timbre; frequencyCognitive NeuroscienceAuditionMusicPerceptionElectroencephalography (EEG)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0th5188phttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0th5188p/qt0th5188p.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5kb446j52026-07-31T16:37:19Zqt5kb446j5Act or Clarify? Modeling Sensitivity to Uncertainty and Cost in CommunicationTsvilodub, PolinaMulligan, KarlSnider, ToddHawkins, RobertFranke, Michael2026-01-01When deciding how to act under uncertainty, agents may choose to act to reduce uncertainty or they may act despite that uncertainty. In communicative settings, an important way of reducing uncertainty is by asking clarification questions (CQs). We predict that the decision to ask a CQ depends on both contextual uncertainty and the cost of alternative actions, and that these factors interact: uncertainty should matter most when acting incorrectly is costly. We formalize this interaction in a computational model based on expected regret: how much an agent stands to lose by acting now rather than with full information. We test these predictions in two experiments, one examining purely linguistic responses to questions and another extending to choices between clarification and non-linguistic action. Taken together, our results suggest a rational tradeoff: humans tend to seek clarification proportional to the risk of substantial loss when acting under uncertainty.LinguisticsPragmaticsComputational ModelingComputer-based experimentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5kb446j5https://escholarship.org/content/qt5kb446j5/qt5kb446j5.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt57v6989s2026-07-31T16:37:19Zqt57v6989sAre Misinformation Effects of Questions with False Implications modulated by At-Issueness?Bott, Oliver2026-01-01We present the results of an experiment investigating the comprehension of questions about previously shown pictures with geometrical objects and resulting intrusion errors on representations in memory. We manipulated whether definite and indefinite descriptions were at-issue or non-at-issue to the task at hand. For this purpose, descriptions were embedded into restrictive vs. non-restrictive appositive relative clauses. The responses to the questions provided evidence for participants' awareness of presupposition violations. Moreover, false presuppositions had an effect on an immediately following memory task. This effect was present no matter whether the presupposition trigger appeared in an at-issue or non-at-issue context. Furthermore, question processing as well as visual memory was unaffected by the wording of the misinformation: in the constructions under investigation, indefinite descriptions patterned with definite descriptions.LinguisticsPsychologyLanguage ComprehensionMemoryPragmaticsComputer-based experimentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/57v6989shttps://escholarship.org/content/qt57v6989s/qt57v6989s.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3749c3v72026-07-31T16:37:19Zqt3749c3v7Towards an empirically-grounded typology of unacceptability judgmentsCremers, AlexandreUegaki, Wataru2026-01-01Theoretical linguistics commonly distinguishes between syntactic ungrammaticality, semantic anomaly, and pragmatic in- felicity, yet there is no established behavioral method for empirically separating these categories. We report two experiments aimed at deriving an empirically grounded typology of unacceptability judgments using multi-dimensional behavioral data. Participants evaluated sentences from a wide range of phenomena against prompts targeting naturalness, truth, interpretability, or contingency. Across both experiments, unsupervised clustering revealed that a stable classification emerges when multiple judgment dimensions are considered and when dimensions which further divide the semantic category are controlled. The resulting typology robustly separates syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic violations, and consistently groups several meaning-driven phenomena, including unlicensed negative polarity items and existential there constructions, with core syntactic violations rather than with semantic or pragmatic ones.LinguisticsLanguage ComprehensionPragmaticsSemantics of languageSyntaxComputer-based experimentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3749c3v7https://escholarship.org/content/qt3749c3v7/qt3749c3v7.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0sb5x23v2026-07-31T16:37:03Zqt0sb5x23v2016 Trademark Year in ReviewMcKenna, Mark2016-01-01This brief essay reviews some of the most significant developments in trademark law during the past year. In most cases we have interpreted “year” fairly liberally, particularly to highlight some longer-term trends. We focus on six areas: (1) the constitutionality of § 2(a) of the Lanham Act; (2) the Fourth Circuit’s Belmora decision and the availability of § 43(a) claims when the plaintiff has not used a mark in the United States; (3) the effect of B&B Hardware; (4) injunctive relief and the presumption of irreparable harm; (5) nominative fair use; and (6) initial interest confusion.trademarknominative fair usedisparagementLanhamBelmoradamagesapplication/pdfCC-BY-NC-NDeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0sb5x23vhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0sb5x23v/qt0sb5x23v.pdfarticleUCLA School of Law Public Law & Legal Theoryoai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0dq0z4jt2026-07-31T16:33:40Zqt0dq0z4jtWhat's In, and What's Out: How IP's Boundary Rules Shape InnovationMcKenna, MarkSprigman, Christopher2016-01-01Intellectual property law sorts subject matter into a variety of different regimes, each with different terms of protection and different rules of protectability, infringement, and defenses. For that sorting to be effective, IP needs principles to distinguish the subject matter of each system. This paper focuses on one of the most important aspects of border-drawing that our IP system undertakes — identifying “useful” subject matter.This aspect is critical because our IP system gives utility patent law pride of place and draws the boundaries of the other doctrines in large part to respect utility patent’s supremacy. Yet IP law’s sense of utility patent law’s domain is poorly theorized, and courts’ understanding of the boundaries of utility patent is mostly reductive and intuitive. While it’s clear that claimed inventions must be useful, courts inconsistently enforce a technological understanding of utility. That view of utility is normative rather than empirical. And its under-theorization has consequences for patent law itself — consequences that cascade across the other forms of IP because each of the other systems defers protection for these “useful” or “functional” features to utility patent.The problem is much more than a doctrinal one, since the sorting rules we develop cannot help but shape the nature and direction of innovation. IP incentives regarding software, for example, are necessarily shaped by the ways we sort some aspects into patent law and others into copyright. The choice of IP systems will also have significant competitive consequences. Different mixes of IP regimes (and of IP regimes with other types of regulatory exclusivity, etc.) will promote competition along different dimensions. A patent-heavy system will promote competition along utilitarian or conventionally “functional” characteristics, and systems that rely more on trademark/advertising are going to promote competition along other, more phenomenological, dimensions.Until we appreciate all of the forms of utility, and until we have a calculus for understanding their relative value, we can’t think coherently about which types of competition we want to promote or the costs of promoting that type of competition. Nor can we even think about how best to satisfy consumers’ actual demand, or how different IP regimes can actually help shape that demand. We are blind to a variety of considerations that actually affect consumer welfare.intellectual propertypatentdesign patentcopyrighttrademarkcompetitionapplication/pdfCC-BY-NC-NDeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0dq0z4jthttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0dq0z4jt/qt0dq0z4jt.pdfarticleHarvard Journal of Law and Technology, Vol. 30, No. 2, 2017oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0vr573w02026-07-31T16:30:49Zqt0vr573w0Association of Marijuana Smoking with Oropharyngeal and Oral Tongue Cancers: Pooled Analysis from the INHANCE ConsortiumMarks, Morgan AChaturvedi, Anil KKelsey, KarlStraif, KurtBerthiller, JulienSchwartz, Stephen MSmith, ElaineWyss, AnnahBrennan, PaulOlshan, Andrew FWei, QingyiSturgis, Erich MZhang, Zuo-FengMorgenstern, HalMuscat, JoshuaLazarus, PhilipMcClean, MichaelChen, ChuVaughan, Thomas LWunsch-Filho, VictorCurado, Maria PaulaKoifman, SergioMatos, ElenaMenezes, AnaDaudt, Alexander WFernandez, LeticiaPosner, MarshallBoffetta, PaoloLee, Yuan-Chin AmyHashibe, MiaD’Souza, Gypsyamber2014-01-01BACKGROUND: The incidence of oropharyngeal and oral tongue cancers has increased over the last 20 years which parallels increased use of marijuana among individuals born after 1950.
METHODS: A pooled analysis was conducted comprising individual-level data from nine case-control studies from the United States and Latin America in the INHANCE consortium. Self-reported information on marijuana smoking, demographic, and behavioral factors was obtained from 1,921 oropharyngeal cases, 356 oral tongue cases, and 7,639 controls.
RESULTS: Compared with never marijuana smokers, ever marijuana smokers had an elevated risk of oropharyngeal [adjusted OR (aOR), 1.24; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06-1.47] and a reduced risk of oral tongue cancer (aOR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.29, 0.75). The risk of oropharyngeal cancer remained elevated among never tobacco and alcohol users. The risk of oral tongue cancer was reduced among never users of tobacco and alcohol. Sensitivity analysis adjusting for potential confounding by HPV exposure attenuated the association of marijuana use with oropharyngeal cancer (aOR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.71-1.25), but had no effect on the oral tongue cancer association.
CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the association of marijuana use with head and neck carcinoma may differ by tumor site.
IMPACT: The associations of marijuana use with oropharyngeal and oral tongue cancer are consistent with both possible pro- and anticarcinogenic effects of cannabinoids. Additional work is needed to rule out various sources of bias, including residual confounding by HPV infection and misclassification of marijuana exposure.4202 Epidemiology (for-2020)32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)42 Health Sciences (for-2020)3211 Oncology and Carcinogenesis (for-2020)Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Women's Health (rcdc)Health Disparities (rcdc)Tobacco (rcdc)Rare Diseases (rcdc)Lung (rcdc)Prevention (rcdc)Sexually Transmitted Infections (rcdc)Dental/Oral and Craniofacial Disease (rcdc)Substance Misuse (rcdc)Cancer (rcdc)Tobacco Smoke and Health (rcdc)Health Disparities and Racial or Ethnic Minority Health Research (rcdc)Digestive Diseases (rcdc)Cannabinoid Research (rcdc)Drug Abuse (NIDA only) (rcdc)Infectious Diseases (rcdc)2.2 Factors relating to the physical environment (hrcs-rac)2.1 Biological and endogenous factors (hrcs-rac)Cancer (hrcs-hc)3 Good Health and Well Being (sdg)Adult (mesh)Aged (mesh)Alcohol Drinking (mesh)CarcinomaSquamous Cell (mesh)Case-Control Studies (mesh)Female (mesh)Head and Neck Neoplasms (mesh)Humans (mesh)Incidence (mesh)Latin America (mesh)Male (mesh)Marijuana Smoking (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Oropharyngeal Neoplasms (mesh)Risk Factors (mesh)Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck (mesh)Tobacco Use (mesh)Tongue Neoplasms (mesh)United States (mesh)Humans (mesh)CarcinomaSquamous Cell (mesh)Head and Neck Neoplasms (mesh)Tongue Neoplasms (mesh)Oropharyngeal Neoplasms (mesh)Incidence (mesh)Risk Factors (mesh)Case-Control Studies (mesh)Alcohol Drinking (mesh)Marijuana Smoking (mesh)Adult (mesh)Aged (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Latin America (mesh)United States (mesh)Female (mesh)Male (mesh)Tobacco Use (mesh)Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck (mesh)Adult (mesh)Aged (mesh)Alcohol Drinking (mesh)CarcinomaSquamous Cell (mesh)Case-Control Studies (mesh)Female (mesh)Head and Neck Neoplasms (mesh)Humans (mesh)Incidence (mesh)Latin America (mesh)Male (mesh)Marijuana Smoking (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Oropharyngeal Neoplasms (mesh)Risk Factors (mesh)Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck (mesh)Tobacco Use (mesh)Tongue Neoplasms (mesh)United States (mesh)11 Medical and Health Sciences (for)Epidemiology (science-metrix)32 Biomedical and clinical sciences (for-2020)42 Health sciences (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0vr573w0https://escholarship.org/content/qt0vr573w0/qt0vr573w0.pdfinfo:doi/10.1158/1055-9965.epi-13-0181articleCancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, vol 23, iss 1160 - 171oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt48w4p21q2026-07-31T16:30:46Zqt48w4p21qFolate intake and the risk of oral cavity and pharyngeal cancer: A pooled analysis within the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology ConsortiumGaleone, CarlottaEdefonti, ValeriaParpinel, MariaLeoncini, EmanueleMatsuo, KeitaroTalamini, RenatoOlshan, Andrew FZevallos, Jose PWinn, Deborah MJayaprakash, VijayvelMoysich, KirstenZhang, Zuo-FengMorgenstern, HalLevi, FabioBosetti, CristinaKelsey, KarlMcClean, MichaelSchantz, StimsonYu, Guo-PeiBoffetta, PaoloLee, Yuan-Chin AmyHashibe, MiaLa Vecchia, CarloBoccia, Stefania2015-02-15There are suggestions of an inverse association between folate intake and serum folate levels and the risk of oral cavity and pharyngeal cancers (OPCs), but most studies are limited in sample size, with only few reporting information on the source of dietary folate. Our study aims to investigate the association between folate intake and the risk of OPC within the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) Consortium. We analyzed pooled individual-level data from ten case-control studies participating in the INHANCE consortium, including 5,127 cases and 13,249 controls. Odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for the associations between total folate intake (natural, fortification and supplementation) and natural folate only, and OPC risk. We found an inverse association between total folate intake and overall OPC risk (the adjusted OR for the highest vs. the lowest quintile was 0.65, 95% CI: 0.43-0.99), with a stronger association for oral cavity (OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.43-0.75). A similar inverse association, though somewhat weaker, was observed for folate intake from natural sources only in oral cavity cancer (OR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.45-0.91). The highest OPC risk was observed in heavy alcohol drinkers with low folate intake as compared to never/light drinkers with high folate (OR = 4.05, 95% CI: 3.43-4.79); the attributable proportion (AP) owing to interaction was 11.1% (95% CI: 1.4-20.8%). Lastly, we reported an OR of 2.73 (95% CI:2.34-3.19) for those ever tobacco users with low folate intake, compared with nevere tobacco users and high folate intake (AP of interaction =10.6%, 95% CI: 0.41-20.8%). Our project of a large pool of case-control studies supports a protective effect of total folate intake on OPC risk.32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3211 Oncology and Carcinogenesis (for-2020)Dietary Supplements (rcdc)Rare Diseases (rcdc)Nutrition (rcdc)Prevention (rcdc)Digestive Diseases (rcdc)Cancer (rcdc)Tobacco (rcdc)Complementary and Integrative Health (rcdc)Dental/Oral and Craniofacial Disease (rcdc)Cancer (hrcs-hc)3 Good Health and Well Being (sdg)AdministrationOral (mesh)Anticarcinogenic Agents (mesh)Case-Control Studies (mesh)Dietary Supplements (mesh)Folic Acid (mesh)Humans (mesh)Mouth Neoplasms (mesh)Pharyngeal Neoplasms (mesh)Risk (mesh)oral cancerfolate intakedietepidemiologyrisk factorHumans (mesh)Mouth Neoplasms (mesh)Pharyngeal Neoplasms (mesh)Folic Acid (mesh)Anticarcinogenic Agents (mesh)AdministrationOral (mesh)Risk (mesh)Case-Control Studies (mesh)Dietary Supplements (mesh)dietepidemiologyfolate intakeoral cancerrisk factorAdministrationOral (mesh)Anticarcinogenic Agents (mesh)Case-Control Studies (mesh)Dietary Supplements (mesh)Folic Acid (mesh)Humans (mesh)Mouth Neoplasms (mesh)Pharyngeal Neoplasms (mesh)Risk (mesh)1112 Oncology and Carcinogenesis (for)Oncology & Carcinogenesis (science-metrix)3211 Oncology and carcinogenesis (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/48w4p21qhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt48w4p21q/qt48w4p21q.pdfinfo:doi/10.1002/ijc.29044articleInternational Journal of Cancer, vol 136, iss 4904 - 914oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1f38v3jg2026-07-31T16:30:43Zqt1f38v3jgIn vivo imaging of the neurovascular unit in CNS diseaseMerlini, MarioDavalos, DimitriosAkassoglou, Katerina2012-10-01The neurovascular unit-comprised of glia, pericytes, neurons and cerebrovasculature-is a dynamic interface that ensures physiological central nervous system (CNS) functioning. In disease dynamic remodeling of the neurovascular interface triggers a cascade of responses that determine the extent of CNS degeneration and repair. The dynamics of these processes can be adequately captured by imaging in vivo, which allows the study of cellular responses to environmental stimuli and cell-cell interactions in the living brain in real time. This perspective focuses on intravital imaging studies of the neurovascular unit in stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS) and Alzheimer disease (AD) models and discusses their potential for identifying novel therapeutic targets.31 Biological Sciences (for-2020)32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3209 Neurosciences (for-2020)Brain Disorders (rcdc)Stroke (rcdc)Biomedical Imaging (rcdc)Alzheimer's Disease (rcdc)Neurodegenerative (rcdc)Neurosciences (rcdc)Dementia (rcdc)Cerebrovascular (rcdc)Multiple Sclerosis (rcdc)Autoimmune Disease (rcdc)Aging (rcdc)Acquired Cognitive Impairment (rcdc)Alzheimer's Disease including Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) (rcdc)2.1 Biological and endogenous factors (hrcs-rac)Neurological (hrcs-hc)blood-brain barrierdendritic spinesmicroglianeurodegenerationneuroinflammationapplication/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1f38v3jghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1f38v3jg/qt1f38v3jg.pdfinfo:doi/10.4161/intv.22214articleIntraVital, vol 1, iss 287 - 94oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7nz786252026-07-31T16:29:52Zqt7nz78625Resting-state Functional Connectivity Predicts Naturalistic Bilingual Speaking Pattern: Converging Evidence from Hypothesis-driven Tests and Connectome-based Predictive ModelingZhou, YushenPENG, YingyingYu, HanxiangZhang, SifanSun, ZhuotongZhang, Haoyun2026-01-01Research on bilingualism and resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) connectivity has largely emphasized self-reported static L2 proficiency and use, rarely linking rs-fMRI to real-world speaking patterns. In our study, 79 participants finished rs-fMRI scanning, a detailed language background survey, and a 3-min oral narration. We extracted their L2 speaking proficiency, language entropy, and speech patterns based on hesitations. Linking these behavioral measures to rs-fMRI connectivity with hypothesis-driven and data-driven machine learning approaches (connectome-based prediction modeling; CPM), we found the following patterns: Pauses during speaking emerged as the most reliable, showing consistent associations with Language-Somatomotor networks connectivity and the strongest predictability from CPM. Entropy showed weaker, partially replicable effects consistent with reduced Language-Multiple Demand Networks coupling at higher entropy, whereas L2 speaking proficiency showed minimal and non-replicating connectivity links. These findings highlight the importance of combining both self-reported and objectively derived measures during naturalistic tasks to depict non-native speakers' language profile and functioning.Cognitive NeuroscienceLinguisticsLanguage ProductionComputational ModelingfMRIapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7nz78625https://escholarship.org/content/qt7nz78625/qt7nz78625.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8nr8226p2026-07-31T16:29:51Zqt8nr8226pConcrete and Abstract Word Processing in Early Language AcquisitionBogo, Olívia FernandesFrança, Aniela Improta2026-01-01Cognitive processes arise from the interaction of biological, psychological, and environmental factors. This research examines how these processes unfold in language acquisition. We hypothesize that access to mental representations is abstract, regardless of conceptual type, and investigate differences in access and processing of concrete and abstract items and lexical access accuracy. Stimulus selection involved (i) a Brazilian Portuguese CDI readaptation completed by 56 caregivers of children aged 24–30 months and (ii) concreteness/abstractness ratings provided by 445 adult native speakers. We conducted an online eye-tracking control experiment using the Lookit platform with 53 adults and a child experiment with 52 children aged 24–30 months. Results show that adults and children differ in how they access and process these words, indicating that conceptual nature modulates lexical access. These findings offer comparative parameters for research on populations at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders.Cognitive NeuroscienceLinguisticsPsychologyConcepts and categoriesLanguage acquisitionEye trackingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8nr8226phttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8nr8226p/qt8nr8226p.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt36j7q6s82026-07-31T16:29:51Zqt36j7q6s8Cognitive drivers of the world's numeral systems: The Numeralbank databaseKoile, Ezequiel2026-01-01Numeral systems are uniquely human achievements. They are essential for numerical cognition, present in almost every speech community around the world, invented to reflect and keep track of an important property of things in the world (their quantity) – and yet, there is striking diversity in structure, shape, and function of these systems. Describing and explaining this global diversity is a challenging task.
We introduce Numeralbank: an extensible open-access database designed to facilitate the documentation, exploration, and analysis of the world's numeral systems. It provides a large-scale account of their general structural properties and how they relate to usage, communication, and cognition. Numeralbank includes standardized data on numeral systems in over 5,000 languages covering all continents, major language families, and cultural areas.
In this talk, we comparatively describe the properties of numeral systems of the world, showing crucial information about the usage, communicative function, and cognitive underpinnings of numeral systems.LinguisticsLanguage and thoughtCross-cultural analysisCross-linguistic analysisQuantitative Behaviorapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/36j7q6s8https://escholarship.org/content/qt36j7q6s8/qt36j7q6s8.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt94g193xc2026-07-31T16:28:54Zqt94g193xcShort-Form Video Platforms and Attentional Control: Evidence for Domain- and Platform-Specific AssociationsIsmail, YaseenJoiner, Richard2026-01-01Short-form video (SFV) platforms provide immersive, algorithmically curated content streams that place distinctive demands on attention and cognitive control. We investigated whether associations between SFV use and ADHD-related symptoms depend on platform-specific affordances and whether these associations are domain-specific across inattention and hyperactivity–impulsivity. In a cross-sectional survey of 193 emerging adults, we measured daily use of TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook Reels, alongside dimensional ADHD symptom-scores and problematic social media use. TikTok use was positively associated with total ADHD symptomatology and inattention, but not with hyperactivity–impulsivity. Both relationships were mediated by problematic social media use. No significant associations were observed for other platforms. These findings suggest attentional consequences of SFV engagement are platform-specific and may depend on interface design and algorithmic structure. The selective association with inattention challenges task-switching or arousal-based accounts of media effects, and instead highlights the potential role of immersive, reward-driven attentional capture.PsychologyHuman-computer interactionMachine learningUXSurveyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/94g193xchttps://escholarship.org/content/qt94g193xc/qt94g193xc.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8m99s3592026-07-31T16:28:54Zqt8m99s359Cognition Meets Affect: A CAPS-Inspired Multimodal Framework for Personality PredictionLi, QilinLiu, XiaoqianZhu, TingshaoWang, Weiqiang2026-01-01Personality computing has long struggled to bridge the gap between high-level psychological theories and low-level computational features. To address the lack of psychological grounding in personality computing, we propose a multimodal framework based on the Cognitive-Affective Personality System (CAPS). We decompose inputs into "Cognitive Units" (semantic construal) and "Affective Units" (emotional reactivity). Specifically, we introduce a parameter-free Matrix-Based Entropy mechanism to dynamically weight hidden states from Qwen2.5-3B, treating representational entropy as a measure of cognitive complexity. For audio, we combine linguistic content (Wav2Vec2) with prosodic features (OpenSMILE). Evaluated on a new self-reported Chinese dataset, our approach significantly outperforms unimodal baselines. Crucially, interpretability analysis reveals that the model's internal entropy profiles spontaneously recover latent psychological meta-traits (Plasticity and Stability), demonstrating that our architecture effectively bridges deep learning features with the intrinsic structure of human personality.Artificial IntelligenceComputer SciencePsychologyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8m99s359https://escholarship.org/content/qt8m99s359/qt8m99s359.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5qq184f82026-07-31T16:28:54Zqt5qq184f8Identifying the visual features of European Paleolithic cave art that are diagnostic of object category and time periodTomz, DavidMukherjee, KushinWisher, IsobelWullf, Frederieke NicolaBr—ïdder, L—ïrkeYan, ChuanTversky, BarbaraFusaroli, RiccardoTylen, KristianFan, Judith E.2026-01-01Humans in the Upper Paleolithic period were among the earliest people to produce figurative art. Analyzing variation across works of art from this period could provide insight into the distinguishing features of various technocomplexes—cultures defined by different use of stone-working technologies. Here we analyzed 140 Paleolithic cave paintings of animals found in four cave sites in Monte Castillo, Spain. Using all available evidence, archaeologists determined what kind of animal was depicted in each painting (Horse, Bison, Deer, or Ibex) and which time period it was from (Gravettian, Solutrean, or Magdalenian). We used multiple vision algorithms (ResNet-50, ViT, SigLIP2) to investigate to what degree their visual properties alone were sufficient to distinguish depictions from different time periods, cave sites, and spatial contexts within each cave. Our findings highlight the promise of such tools for analyzing variation in cultural artifacts across the Paleolithic period.AnthropologyComputer ScienceArt and CognitionCultureSketch understandingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5qq184f8https://escholarship.org/content/qt5qq184f8/qt5qq184f8.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt72x841vm2026-07-31T16:28:51Zqt72x841vmReconstructing Visual Events from Fragmented ScenesMukherjee, KoyelSom, Dr. BidishaShrivastava, Dr. Abhishek2026-01-01The human cognitive system resolves ambiguity when presented with spatially fragmented input. Sequential structures in visual narratives help understanding information-extraction across fragmented and undefined temporal order. In this study, 100 participants viewed and rated 54 comic strips (9 comic strips rearranged into 6 layout structures) based on their understandability, enjoyability, and navigation difficulties. Using mixed-methods, we observed non-intuitive layouts such as 'Blocked' and white-space overusing 'Separated' layouts have consistently shown higher response latency (p<0.001 and p=0.008), more viewing times (p<0.001), more regressive eye movements, and rerouting gaze as compared to standard 'Grid' formats: suggesting higher processing costs. However, the subjective ratings show another aspect of cognitive processing: factors such as 'enjoyability' shows less association with processing costs, suggesting a dissociation between cognitive efficiency and satisfaction. This further suggests that 'cognitive inefficiencies' are not mere disruptions but also a pathway to restructure compensatory strategies while reconstructing events from fragmented information.PsychologyEvent cognitionExternally-supported cognitionPerceptionVisionComputer-based experimentEye trackingQuantitative BehaviorSurveyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/72x841vmhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt72x841vm/qt72x841vm.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3gn328vw2026-07-31T16:28:47Zqt3gn328vwMental disorders emerge from the gut microbiome gradually transitioning from a symbiotic to a parasitic state: a 4E cognition approach to computational psychiatrySrivastava, MayankNayak, PragatiMakwana, MukeshChandrasekharan, Sanjay2026-01-01Recent studies suggest that changes in the gut microbiome, as well as social isolation, are closely correlated with mental disorders. We argue that these correlations are intertwined, and the way these interlinkages lead to mental disorders could be productively explored using computational models of agent-environment interactions. To illustrate this approach, we present a reinforcement learning model of social isolation, and discuss how an extension of this model -- based on social stress-related changes to gut states -- could account for the role of the gut microbiome in the emergence of mental disorders.Artificial IntelligenceBiologyPsychologyEmotion DisorderGroup BehaviourSocial cognitionAgent-based ModelingComputational neuroscienceapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3gn328vwhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3gn328vw/qt3gn328vw.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5hf1x00c2026-07-31T16:28:45Zqt5hf1x00cDo Vision-Language Models Solve the Traveling Salesperson Problem Like Humans?Doan, RichardWeston, HughGrinberg, JacobTang, ChaoVarma, Sashank2026-01-01Humans produce near-optimal (i.e., within ~10% of minimum-length) tours for small Traveling Salesperson Problem (TSP) instances of up to 120 points despite the problem's NP-hardness. The current study asks whether vision-language models (VLMs) employ human-like strategies when solving TSP instances. Using the stimuli and human data of Marupudi et al. (2022, Cognitive Science Conference), we found that Gemini 3 Pro, GPT-5.2, and Claude Opus 4.5 generally show the same performance as humans, including a linear increase in deviation from optimal tour length with increasing problem size. The VLMs also behave consistently with heuristics and strategies that have been documented for humans: convex hull, crossing avoidance, and divide-and-conquer via visual clustering. Finally, they show a linear increase in total tokens consumed with increasing problem size, paralleling the linear increase in human solution times with increasing problem size. Directions for future research include extending to larger problem instances and to adversarial examples.Artificial IntelligencePsychologyProblem SolvingSpatial cognitionComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5hf1x00chttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5hf1x00c/qt5hf1x00c.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt696935mj2026-07-31T16:28:31Zqt696935mjDesigning behavioral interventions with explainable artificial intelligenceTal-Shir, EldadWallmueller, PeterLawson, Asher2026-01-01Identifying how language drives human behavior is crucial, both practically to influence people and theoretically for understanding psychology, culture, and myriad behaviors predicated on verbal or written communication. Here, we present a method based on explainable artificial intelligence (AI) that identifies what aspects of the language people read are associated with their reactions. As an example, we use this method to redesign choice tasks to modulate people's risk taking across five novel datasets containing 38,911 responses to 255 distinct decision tasks. Overall, we both i) design interventions to influence behavior at scale with greater efficiency than methods such as AB-testing and ii) extract previously unknown drivers of behavior as a basis for developing new theories across academic disciplines.Artificial IntelligenceLinguisticsPsychologyDecision makingNeural Networksapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/696935mjhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt696935mj/qt696935mj.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4qq6q35b2026-07-31T16:28:31Zqt4qq6q35bIdentifying Mind Wandering Episodes during Virtual Cognitive Stimulation Therapy through Gaze Estimation from VideosTeng, XiaoruLi, YongWong, GloriaChan, Antoni B.Hsiao, Janet2026-01-01Recent studies suggest that eye movements may be used to monitor task-specific mind wandering (MW) episodes during online learning. We examined whether we could replicate these lab-based findings in real-life virtual cognitive stimulation therapy (vCST) sessions using eye movements estimated from video by machine learning methods without eye trackers. We found that lower joint attention was a reliable indicator of MW for tasks involving well-defined strategies. For tasks involving well-learned visual routines, in contrast to previous studies, higher rather than lower eye movement consistency was associated with MW. This may be because real-life vCST sessions involved less structured discussions with more varied task demands, where lower eye movement consistency may reflect active engagement. Our results suggest the feasibility of using machine learning to monitor eye movements from video for MW detection, and raise the issue of generalizability from lab research to real-life scenarios due to potential differences in task demands.PsychologyLearningMachine learningEye trackingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4qq6q35bhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4qq6q35b/qt4qq6q35b.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt39z678sd2026-07-31T16:28:31Zqt39z678sdEvolutionary Theory Makes Predictions About Cognition Beyond Rational OptimizationTurner, Cameron Rouse2026-01-01Evolution by natural selection produces the appearance of design in minds, brains, and behavior. While rational models of cognition are usually considered to be consistent with evolution, they are rarely derived from distinctively evolutionary assumptions. Bayesianism, reinforcement learning, rational analysis, and resource rationality all postulate optimization objectives of coherence in information use or maximization of expected value, potentially under resource constraints. However, cognition is performed by an individual within a lineage where success is determined by the persistence of the lineage across generations. Here, we present a signal detection model that shows how this distinctly evolutionary objective produces predictions that depart from those of rational models. We find that the source of environmental uncertainty determines cognitive design, with weak priors being favored in environments dominated by change. This ensures offspring vary so that some profit against novel challenges, and is favored even at the expense of accurate decision making.Animal cognitionEvolutionIntelligent agentsComputational ModelingMathematical modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/39z678sdhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt39z678sd/qt39z678sd.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt67p221dz2026-07-31T16:28:28Zqt67p221dzQuestion Asking as Active Learning: Scaffolding Shapes the Development of Child Inquiry‚Äöabuk-Ballú, SakineRuggeri, Azzurra2026-01-01Question asking is a key mechanism through which children resolve knowledge gaps and construct causal models of the world. This study investigates the developmental trajectories of diverse inquiry types (factual, procedural, causal, clarification, and epistemic questions) and examines how conversational scaffolding influences these transitions. Using longitudinal naturalistic data from children (age= 2;00 to 4;00), we employed a Bayesian regression analysis to map the restructuring of child inquiry. Results indicate a significant developmental shift from simple informational seeking toward more sophisticated explanatory and task-oriented inquiry. While factual inquiries declined with age, procedural, causal, clarification, and epistemic questions showed robust growth. Notably, the velocity of this transition was mediated by social context: high-scaffolding environments accelerated the increase in complex inquiries. Our findings suggest that although complex inquiry is a universal feature of early curiosity, its developmental trajectory is socially shaped and varies across individuals.LinguisticsPsychologyLanguage acquisitionBayesian modelingCorpus studiesapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/67p221dzhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt67p221dz/qt67p221dz.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9sq0p3wd2026-07-31T16:28:25Zqt9sq0p3wdModeling Others' Minds as CodeJha, KunalHuang, Aydan YuenanYe, Eric YuxuanJaques, NatashaKleiman-Weiner, Max2026-01-01Accurate behavior prediction is essential for safe human-AI collaboration. However, existing models are often data-hungry or brittle, assuming unrealistic rationality or requiring immense computation to adapt. Our insight is that many everyday social interactions follow predictable "scripts''---efficient routines like "wait for the green light, then go'' that minimize cognitive load for actors and observers. We propose modeling these routines as behavioral programs in computer code, rather than policies conditioned on beliefs and desires. We introduce ROTE, an algorithm leveraging LLMs to synthesize a hypothesis space of programs and probabilistic inference to reason over uncertainty. In gridworld tasks and a large-scale embodied household simulator, ROTE predicts human and AI behaviors from sparse observations, outperforming baselines—including behavior cloning—by up to 50% in accuracy and generalization. By treating action understanding as program synthesis, ROTE enables AI to efficiently and effectively predict human behavior in the real world.Artificial IntelligenceActionTheory of MindAgent-based ModelingBayesian modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9sq0p3wdhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9sq0p3wd/qt9sq0p3wd.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9tm414ht2026-07-31T16:28:22Zqt9tm414htMetaphors We Campaign by: Political Metaphor Analysis in U.S. Presidential Campaigns (1960--2024)Tringer, MátéMao, RuiDENG, SHUANGYANZhang, XulangCambria, Erik2026-01-01We present an exploratory computational analysis of cognitive patterns in U.S. presidential campaign manifestos through metaphorical concept mappings. We examine documents from 1960 to 2024, using MetaPro to extract metaphors from both the Republican and Democratic parties' rhetoric. Our goal is to propose a novel way of political analysis by generating insights into the cognitive foundations of election rhetoric and revealing distinct patterns. Our research focused on three key ideas: (1) the evolution of the conceptual landscape of campaign rhetoric over six decades, (2) the different metaphorical strategies of incumbent and challenger campaigns, and (3) the divergence of Democratic and Republican parties in their metaphorical repertoires. The analysis reveals a moderate decline in cross-cycle mapping turnover over the observed timeline, as well as structural differences between incumbents and challengers, and the parties themselves, suggesting that political polarization is observable even at the level of metaphors.LinguisticsDiscourseCorpus studiesapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9tm414hthttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9tm414ht/qt9tm414ht.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7tp6c1m12026-07-31T16:28:21Zqt7tp6c1m1Animal but not Dog: Children's Computation of Implicatures for Hierarchically Organized CategoriesLe, Khuyen N.Kwon, ChristineBarner, David2026-01-01Children succeed at context-specific ad hoc implicatures early, but struggle with generalized scalar implicatures until much later. This developmental trajectory is often explained by children's failure to access relevant alternatives for scalar implicatures. We tested this hypothesis by investigating scalar implicatures involving concrete nouns (superordinate – basic-level – subordinate nouns), termed hierarchical implicatures (HI). To create scenarios where a speaker can felicitously forgo a more informative term, we also manipulated speaker knowledge of different nouns. We found that 4- to 5-year-old children computed HI with superordinates (contrasted with basic-level nouns) only in certain contexts, and did not compute HI with basic-level nouns (contrasted with subordinates). Meanwhile, adults computed HI in both cases. Our findings suggested that difficulties accessing relevant alternatives might not be the main reason for children's late success in computing generalized scalar implicatures. Other factors, such as the ability to represent asymmetric relations between lexical terms, might play a bigger role.LinguisticsDevelopmentLanguage acquisitionLanguage ComprehensionPragmaticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7tp6c1m1https://escholarship.org/content/qt7tp6c1m1/qt7tp6c1m1.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1fp4q2gs2026-07-31T16:26:24Zqt1fp4q2gsScopeMcKenna, MarkLemley, Mark A.2015-10-01Intellectual property (IP) law doctrines fall into three basic categories: validity, infringement and defenses. Virtually every significant legal doctrine in IP is either about whether the plaintiff has a valid IP right that the law will recognize – validity – about whether what the defendant did violates that right – infringement – or about whether the defendant is somehow privileged to violate that right-defenses.IP regimes tend to enforce a more or less strict separation between these three legal doctrines. They apply different burdens of proof and persuasion to infringement and validity. In many cases they ask different actors to decide one doctrine but not the other. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, for example, decides questions of patent and trademark validity but not questions of infringement. Even in court, resolution of one issue is often allocated to a judge while the jury decides a different issue. And even where none of that is true, the nature of IP law is to categorize an argument in order to apply the proper rules for that argument.The result of this separation is that parties treat IP rights “like a nose of wax, which may be turned and twisted in any direction.” When infringement is at issue, IP owners tout the breadth of their rights, while accused infringers seek to cabin them within narrow bounds. When it comes to validity, however, the parties reverse their position, with IP owners emphasizing the narrowness of their rights in order to avoid having those rights held invalid and accused infringers arguing the reverse.Because of the separation between validity, infringement, and defenses, it is often possible for a party to successfully argue that an IP right means one thing in one context and something very different in another. And courts won’t necessarily detect the problem because they are thinking of only the precise legal issue before them.The result is a number of IP doctrines that simply make no sense to an outsider. In patent law, for instance, it is accepted law that there is no “practicing the prior art” defense. In other words, one can be held liable for doing precisely what others had legally done before, even though a patent isn’t supposed to cover things people have already done. In design patent law, one can be held liable for making a design that an “ordinary observer” would find too similar to a patented design, even though the things that make the two look similar – say, the roundness of the wheels on my car – are not things the patentee is entitled to own. In copyright, once a court has concluded that someone has actually copied from the plaintiff, a song will sometimes be deemed infringing because of its similarity to a prior song, even if the similarity is overwhelmingly attributable to unprotectable standard components of the genre. And in trademark, a party can be deemed infringing because its products look to similar to the plaintiffs’ mark and therefore make confusion likely, even if that confusion is likely caused by non-source-designating features of the design.The culprit is simple, but fundamental: IP regimes largely lack an integrated procedure for deciding the proper extent of an IP right. The proper scope of an IP right is not a matter of natural right or immutable definition. Rather, it is a function of the purposes of the IP regime. But without some way of assessing how broad an IP right is that considers validity, infringement, and defenses together, courts will always be prone to make mistakes in applying any one of the doctrines.In this article, we suggest that IP regimes need a process for determining the scope of an IP right. Scope is not merely validity, and it is not merely infringement. Rather, it is the range of things the IP right lawfully protects against competition. IP rights that claim too broad a scope tend to be invalid, either because they tread on the rights of those who came before or because they cover things that the law has made a decision not to allow anyone to own. IP rights with narrower scope are valid, but the narrowness of that scope should be reflected in the determination of what actions do and do not infringe that right. And whatever the doctrinal label, we should not allow an IP owner to capture something that is not within the legitimate scope of her right. Nor should it follow from the fact that some uses are outside the lawful scope of an IP owner’s right that the IP right itself is invalid and cannot be asserted against anyone. Only by evaluating scope in a single, integrated proceeding can courts avoid the nose of wax problem that has grown endemic in IP law. Scope is, quite simply, the fundamental question that underlies everything else in IP law, but which courts rarely think about expressly.application/pdfCC-BY-NC-NDeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1fp4q2gshttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1fp4q2gs/qt1fp4q2gs.pdfarticle57 William & Mary Law Review 2197 (2016)oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3w0086nj2026-07-31T16:25:54Zqt3w0086njSurvival Benefit of Repeat Liver Transplantation in the United States: A Serial MELD Analysis by Hepatitis C Status and Donor Risk IndexBiggins, Scott WGralla, JaneDodge, Jennifer LBambha, Kiran MTong, SuhongBarón, Anna EInadomi, JohnTerrault, NorahRosen, Hugo R2014-11-01Survival benefit (SB) for first liver transplantation (LT) is favorable at Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD)≥15. Herein, we identify the MELD threshold for SB from repeat liver transplantation (ReLT) by recipient hepatitis C virus (HCV) status and donor risk index (DRI). We analyzed lab MELD scores in new United Network for Organ Sharing registrants for ReLT from March 2002 to January 2010. Risk of ReLT graft failure≤1 year versus waitlist mortality was calculated using Cox regression, adjusting for recipient characteristics. Of 3057 ReLT candidates, 54% had HCV and 606 died while listed. There were 1985 ReLT recipients, 52% had HCV and 567 ReLT graft failures by 1 year. Unadjusted waitlist mortality and post-ReLT graft failure rates were 416 (95% confidence interval [CI] 384-450) and 375 (95% CI 345-407) per 1000 patient-years, respectively. Waitlist mortality was higher with increasing waitlist MELD (p<0.001). The MELD for SB from ReLT overall was 21 (21 in non-HCV and 24 in HCV patients). MELD for SB varied by DRI in HCV patients (MELD 21, 24 and 27 for low, medium and high DRI, respectively) but did not vary for non-HCV patients. Compared to first LT, ReLT requires a higher MELD threshold to achieve an SB resulting in a narrower therapeutic window to optimize the utility of scarce liver grafts.32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3201 Cardiovascular Medicine and Haematology (for-2020)Digestive Diseases (rcdc)Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis (rcdc)Hepatitis - C (rcdc)Transplantation (rcdc)Hepatitis (rcdc)Liver Disease (rcdc)Emerging Infectious Diseases (rcdc)Organ Transplantation (rcdc)Infectious Diseases (rcdc)3 Good Health and Well Being (sdg)Adult (mesh)End Stage Liver Disease (mesh)Female (mesh)Graft Rejection (mesh)Hepatitis C (mesh)Humans (mesh)Liver Transplantation (mesh)Male (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Reoperation (mesh)Risk Factors (mesh)Survival Analysis (mesh)Tissue Donors (mesh)United States (mesh)Waiting Lists (mesh)Health services and outcomes researchliver transplantationhepatologyrecipient selectionretransplantationHumans (mesh)Hepatitis C (mesh)Liver Transplantation (mesh)Reoperation (mesh)Risk Factors (mesh)Survival Analysis (mesh)Graft Rejection (mesh)Adult (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Tissue Donors (mesh)Waiting Lists (mesh)United States (mesh)Female (mesh)Male (mesh)End Stage Liver Disease (mesh)Health services and outcomes researchliver transplantation/hepatologyrecipient selectionretransplantationAdult (mesh)End Stage Liver Disease (mesh)Female (mesh)Graft Rejection (mesh)Hepatitis C (mesh)Humans (mesh)Liver Transplantation (mesh)Male (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Reoperation (mesh)Risk Factors (mesh)Survival Analysis (mesh)Tissue Donors (mesh)United States (mesh)Waiting Lists (mesh)11 Medical and Health Sciences (for)Surgery (science-metrix)3202 Clinical sciences (for-2020)3204 Immunology (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BY-NC-NDeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3w0086njhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3w0086nj/qt3w0086nj.pdfinfo:doi/10.1111/ajt.12867articleAmerican Journal of Transplantation, vol 14, iss 112588 - 2594oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8pb423b02026-07-31T16:19:54Zqt8pb423b0Tri-Domain Cross-Attention Transformers for Cross-Subject EEG Decoding of Cognitive StatesLi, ZhengdeZhang, Gaoyan2026-01-01Mental fatigue and high cognitive loads reduce cognitive efficiency and task performance. Electroencephalogram (EEG) can track these states with high temporal resolution, but informative patterns span time, frequency, and distributed scalp topology. Most decoders handle these domains separately or fuse them only at the output, which can miss cross-domain dependencies. We propose TD-CAT, a tri-domain cross-attention Transformer that models interactions among temporal, spectral, and spatial representations. TD-CAT builds domain-specific features via temporal and spectral convolutions and a topology-aware graph module, then integrates the three streams with bidirectional cross-attention and low-rank fusion. Under leave-one-subject-out evaluation on SADT and SEED-VIG (driver fatigue) and MAT (cognitive load), TD-CAT reaches 80.7% and 92.6% accuracy on SADT and SEED-VIG, and 82.4% on MAT, demonstrating strong cross-subject performance across multiple datasets and task settings.Cognitive NeuroscienceHuman FactorsHuman-computer interactionElectroencephalography (EEG)Neural Networksapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8pb423b0https://escholarship.org/content/qt8pb423b0/qt8pb423b0.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2z00f3n42026-07-31T16:19:54Zqt2z00f3n4Emotional State or Deviation? Emotion Deviations Consistently Predict Working Memory Performance in Daily LifeCao, LianSugisaki, ErikoMiyamoto, AkihiroSanada, MotoyukiNakajima, KaeKobayashi, NaoNaruse, Yasushi2026-01-01Previous studies have reported contradictory findings, showing that emotion can both enhance and interfere with working memory (WM). We propose that these inconsistencies partly arise from differences in how emotional effects are conceptually defined, rather than from emotional properties alone. Using a smartphone-based experience sampling method (ESM), we repeatedly assessed multidimensional emotional states and performance on two WM tasks over approximately three months in daily life. We conducted two analyses on the same dataset: one defining emotional effects based on emotional states at the measurement occasion, and another defining emotional effects as within-person deviations from each individual's typical emotional level using linear mixed-effects models.
Analyses based on emotional states yielded mixed enhancement and interference effects depending on tasks and emotional dimensions. In contrast, emotional deviations from typical level were more consistently associated with interference effects on WM performance. Together, these findings demonstrate that how emotional effects are defined critically shapes their interpretation and consistency in emotion–WM research.PsychologyEmotionMemoryapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2z00f3n4https://escholarship.org/content/qt2z00f3n4/qt2z00f3n4.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2q54j1b52026-07-31T16:19:27Zqt2q54j1b5Progressive Coherence Building in Relational Understanding: A Hierarchical Cognitive ModelWang, ZhenWang, Yuzhao, wen2026-01-01Human readers derive coherent relational understanding from information distributed across a document through a progressive, hierarchical process: local semantic associations are established first and then integrated into global coherence. How the mind achieves such robust integration while limiting combinatorial explosion and error propagation remains an open question. We propose progressive coherence building as a key computational principle, in which complex inference is constrained through sequentially layered, verifiable representations. Guided by this hypothesis, we introduce a Hierarchical Cognitive Model (HCM) for cross-context relational learning. HCM instantiates three cognitively motivated stages: (1) lexical-semantic grounding via prompt-based semantic priming; (2) local proposition formation through intra-triple attention that enforces local semantic consistency; and (3) global coherence optimization using prior-guided axial attention to integrate evidence across the narrative. This staged design stabilizes intermediate representations and mitigates error propagation. Experiments on CDR, GDA, and DocRED demonstrate state-of-the-art performance. Ablation results reveal cumulative degradation when higher stages are removed, empirically supporting the proposed hierarchical processing account.Artificial IntelligenceComputer ScienceCognitive architecturesLanguage understandingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2q54j1b5https://escholarship.org/content/qt2q54j1b5/qt2q54j1b5.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9pk053k62026-07-31T16:19:25Zqt9pk053k6When Tutor Errors Match Learners' Misconceptions: A Congruency Effect in LLM Tutoring and a Scaffolding InterventionWu, Yefengliu, yangyangshi, baoliu, yufanzhang, yan2026-01-01Errors in LLM-style tutoring are not uniformly harmful. We test a misconception-congruency effect: when an explanation's key error aligns with a learner's pre-existing misconception, the error is harder to detect and more likely to be adopted. We introduce epistemic scaffolding—claim decomposition with evidence/counterexample selection—to shift evaluation toward evidential cues. In a controlled experiment with engineering students (N = 124) using researcher-written feedback that simulates LLM explanations, congruent errors were detected less often than incongruent errors (36% vs. 58%). Scaffolding improved congruent-error detection to 62% and reduced adoption, while signal detection analyses showed higher sensitivity (d_) without increased response bias. These findings suggest learner-aware safeguards should target the interaction between tutor errors and learner priors.Artificial IntelligenceEducationLearningReasoningTutoringapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9pk053k6https://escholarship.org/content/qt9pk053k6/qt9pk053k6.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt00j004t82026-07-31T16:19:22Zqt00j004t8Cognitive Efficiency and Perceived Text Quality in Children: how Concreteness and Specificity shape Clarity and InformativenessOcchipinti, LauraVillani, CaterinaLamarra, TommasoLoia, AdeleRambelli, GiuliaBolognesi, Marianna M2026-01-01Readability is often conceived in terms of processing efficiency, assuming that texts that are easier to process are also more effective communicatively. However, lexical choices may support different aspects of textual quality. This study investigates how concreteness and specificity shape children's subjective evaluations of textual quality, focusing on perceived clarity and informativeness. Children aged 9–12 read short texts manipulated for concreteness and specificity and rated them on four dimensions: ease of understanding, confusion, quantity of information, and relevance of information. Mixed-effects analyses reveal that concreteness increases perceived clarity across age groups, whereas specificity primarily tends to enhance perceived informativeness, with effects varying across development. These findings suggest that different lexical properties contribute in distinct ways to clarity and informativeness, and that their relationship is not fully captured by processing ease alone. Overall, the results support a multidimensional view of communicative efficiency and highlight developmental changes in how children evaluate informational content.LinguisticsCognitive developmentLanguage ComprehensionReadingSemantics of languageClassroom studiesapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/00j004t8https://escholarship.org/content/qt00j004t8/qt00j004t8.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8ft8t0x72026-07-31T16:19:20Zqt8ft8t0x7Production Efficiency in Written Hindi FalsehoodsArun, IshitaHusain, Samar2026-01-01This study examines linguistic differences between truthful and false written narratives in Hindi using psycholinguistically motivated measures of language processing complexity. Adopting a corpus-based, processing-oriented approach, we investigate how the cognitive demands of producing falsehoods shape lexical and syntactic choices beyond surface-level cues. Participants produced written opinions that were either truthful or intentionally false, which were analyzed using metrics including surprisal, dependency distance, part-of-speech distributions, and type–token ratio. Our results show that lower mean surprisal, along with higher verb counts and reduced use of nouns and adverbs, significantly predicts false narratives. These patterns suggest that falsehood production in Hindi relies on linguistically efficient strategies characterized by predictable constructions and reduced informational specificity to ease planning and monitoring under cognitive load. By presenting evidence from an underrepresented South Asian language, this study advances cross-linguistic research on deception and highlights the value of processing-based metrics for understanding deceptive language production.LinguisticsPsychologyBehavioral ScienceLanguage and thoughtLanguage ProductionCorpus studiesCross-linguistic analysisapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8ft8t0x7https://escholarship.org/content/qt8ft8t0x7/qt8ft8t0x7.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7486q3x52026-07-31T16:19:07Zqt7486q3x5A Deep Entanglement Model of Attentional Bottleneck: Brain Plays Psi-Phi Plus DiceSohrabi, Ahmad2026-01-01Human attention exhibits an attentional bottleneck during which conscious perception is impaired, a phenomenon that has not yet been explored directly with quantum models. This emerges when competing stimuli are presented serially and briefly. The representation of the stimuli was encoded as two-qubit entangled states, either correlated or anticorrelated. The mask intensity was encoded through random angle rotations to a qubit. The two qubits formed Bell states (Psi and Phi), undergoing deep entanglement through repeated layers. Measurement in terms of probability at each depth level simulated the attentional refraction and oscillation consistent with patterns observed in human studies, supported by extra measurements altogether, such as separate and combined probabilities, expectation values, and measures including entropy, fidelity, and concurrence. The model reproduced several effects found in attentional blink, specifically the well-known lag-1 sparing and masking effects, as well as two additional effects newly termed as partial lag-2 sparing and lag-7 divergence.Artificial IntelligenceCognitive NeuroscienceComputer SciencePhilosophyPsychologyCognitive architecturesComplex systemsConsciousnessDecision makingPerceptionComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7486q3x5https://escholarship.org/content/qt7486q3x5/qt7486q3x5.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt37j6790s2026-07-31T16:19:07Zqt37j6790sBehavioral and Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Study Testing for Shared Magnitude Processing for Numerosity and ProportionZhang, Nick YunqiKelly, Patrick GeorgeJoyner, KeananBortfeld, HeatherBunge, SilviaXu, Fei2026-01-01A large body of research has investigated humans' representation of quantity through the Approximate Number System (ANS). In contrast, it is less clear how proportions are represented, and whether proportion processing is fully analogous to numerosity processing. In the current study, we compared numerosity and proportion discrimination within the same participants, while measuring cerebral hemodynamic responses using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Behavioral results showed substantial commonalities between the two tasks, including highly comparable response accuracy, and shared ratio-dependent psychophysics. At the same time, proportion judgments were slower than numerosity judgments, suggesting additional processing demands beyond shared magnitude sensitivity. Neural evidence was less diagnostic, perhaps due to insufficient power, although a group-level conjunction analysis revealed overlapping parietal activation centered on the intraparietal sulcus for a general task contrast. Together, these findings speak to the possibility of shared magnitude processing substrate spanning number and proportion, while also cautioning the equivalence of the two forms of quantitative processing.Cognitive NeuroscienceRepresentationfNIRSPsychophysicsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/37j6790shttps://escholarship.org/content/qt37j6790s/qt37j6790s.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0vp104w82026-07-31T16:19:07Zqt0vp104w8Attentional Inertia and Residue in Dual-Tasking Performance: Examining Within- and Between-Task Variability Using Multilevel Vector Autoregression ModelsPark, RinseoNaefgen, ChristophGaschler, RobertRam, Nilam2026-01-01When individuals attempt to complete multiple tasks simultaneously, constraints on how attention is deployed influence performance. However, experimental findings from dual-tasking paradigms often rely on analysis of aggregated data that obscure study of how the carryover or spillover of attention over time – attentional inertia and residue – changes within person and over time. This study introduces an analytical framework for examining if and how attentional control settings from an initial task persist both within the same task (attentional inertia) and between two different tasks (attentional residue) across trial, session, and person levels. Leveraging reaction time data from 58 participants who completed 20 online sessions of dual-task performance blocks, we employed multilevel vector autoregression models to simultaneously model the lagged and cross-lagged effects. Our results demonstrate that both positive inertia and positive residue effects manifest and that they are positively correlated, especially for those originating from the same initial task.Behavioral ScienceDecision makingPerceptionDevelopmental analysisPsychophysicsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0vp104w8https://escholarship.org/content/qt0vp104w8/qt0vp104w8.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1pb3175x2026-07-31T16:19:04Zqt1pb3175xSuperstitious Ordering Despite Discouragement: The Role of Visual FeaturesCai, LinzhuohaoGong, TianweiLagnado, David2026-01-01Humans readily perceive patterns even in situations with only random noise, but how do they respond when the genuine rule deliberately discourages this tendency? We investigated superstitious ordering under a consistent preference-discouraging (PD) schedule, in which reward probability increases for previously avoided options and decreases for previously chosen options. This contradicts typical reinforcement principles, in which some options are always preferred over others. We also examined the role of visual features, with one group using geometric shape combinations as stimuli and another group using natural images. We found that participants in both groups developed significant subjective linear orderings of stimuli, with a marginally stronger effect in the Geometrical Image condition. Comparisons with the benchmark agent, optimized Q-learning agent, and random agent showed that none of the models could explain participants' response patterns, indicating a unique and stable superstitious ordering effect in human learning.Decision makingLearningPattern recognitionBayesian modelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1pb3175xhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1pb3175x/qt1pb3175x.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9009012q2026-07-31T16:19:02Zqt9009012qModeling How Inhibitory Control Affects False Belief Reasoning Over Time Using Dense Longitudinal DataPoyraz, Elif NurLeslie, Alan M.Hemmer, Pernille2026-01-01An important puzzle in theory of mind development is the performance shift in false belief understanding between the ages of 3 to 4. Theory of Mind Mechanism (ToMM) theory (Leslie et al., 2005) argues that changes in inhibitory power (IP) account for this shift. Wang and colleagues (2019) developed a computational model to implement this theory, where they quantified the role of IP using group averaged data. Here, we extend the Wang and colleagues' (2019) model to account for changes happening across time at the individual level. We model a novel dataset where 14 children were repeatedly tested during this transitional period on average every 20 days. Their performance in high and low inhibitory demand false belief tasks (FBT), and an independent measure of their inhibitory control, was collected. We find that the model framework is successful in predicting matching inferences on children's IP given their performance in different FBTs.PsychologyCognitive developmentSocial cognitionTheory of MindBayesian modelingCase studiesComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9009012qhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9009012q/qt9009012q.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0741m7r32026-07-31T16:19:02Zqt0741m7r3Group Biases and Motivated Reasoning in Media Consumption: Evidence for Intergroup PolarizationBaba, AbhishekVerma, Ark2026-01-01Group-based identification provides motivation for displaying ingroup favoritism across one's cognitive faculties. Social identity theory purports that individuals are driven to construe positive self-esteem from ingroup membership, predisposing one to positively differentiate themselves from other relevant social groups (outgroups). In this context, social narratives help sustain, propagate and rationalize the existing intergroup differences, and polarized news outlets become a common carrier of such biased narratives. In the current study, across three experimental studies using the minimal group paradigm, we investigated how individuals are predisposed to preferentially process, believe and enact on intergroup news headlines. Experiment 1 revealed faster processing of positive ingroup news headlines compared to those of positive outgroup news. Experiment 2 introduced news sources varying in reliability (low and high) and found asymmetric believability for the positive and negative intergroup news headlines, favoring ingroup irrespective of source reliability. Finally, in Experiment 3, simulating a sharing and voting task, participants again showed preferential sharing of positive ingroup headlines while withholding more negative ingroup news, and displayed clear voting preference for their minimal ingroup candidates. The study demonstrates how easily individuals are susceptible to biased intergroup news consumption, highlighting the urgency for media literacy in the increasingly polarizing information age.SociologyGroup BehaviourSocial cognitionComputer-based experimentSocial media analysisapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0741m7r3https://escholarship.org/content/qt0741m7r3/qt0741m7r3.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6bp076zt2026-07-31T16:18:59Zqt6bp076ztHuman Adults and LLMs as Scientists: Who Benefits from Active Exploration?Samiei, MandanaYiu, EuniceGX-Chen, AnthonyLin, DongyanShen, Jocelyn JRichards, BlakeGopnik, AlisonPrecup, Doina2026-01-01A long-standing finding in the causal learning literature is that adults struggle to identify conjunctive causal rules, where an effect requires the simultaneous presence of multiple causes, while performing better in disjunctive settings. However, most demonstrations of this "conjunctive handicap'' rely on passive observation paradigms with limited evidence, where learners have no control over evidence generation. This paper asks whether this bias persists when adults are granted agency through active exploration. Using a modified "blicket detector'' task, adult participants freely intervened to identify causal objects under conjunctive or disjunctive rule structures. We show that active exploration substantially improves adults' conjunctive causal reasoning, although conjunctive rules still require more tests to infer than disjunctive rules. We further compare human performance to a range of large language models in the same setting. While some state-of-the-art models approach human-level performance on hypothesis inference accuracy, they often exhibit less efficient exploration strategies and similar conjunctive-disjunctive performance gaps.Artificial IntelligenceCausal reasoningCognitive developmentIntelligent agentsReasoningComparative StudiesComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6bp076zthttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6bp076zt/qt6bp076zt.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3gw490fb2026-07-31T16:18:54Zqt3gw490fbToward a Mechanistic Account of Cognitive Inhibition: Integrating Computational Modeling and PsychometricsWang, Jia-ShunElsemüller, Lassevon Krause, MischaLiu, TuoPan, WankeDonkin, Chris2026-01-01Cognitive inhibition is crucial for resolving conflict in decision making, but it is often estimated using reaction time differences between congruent and incongruent trials, which ignores accuracy and conflates inhibition with other processes. To address this, we adapted a Diffusion Model with Inhibition (DMI) to formally quantify cognitive inhibition—the suppression of task-irrelevant information—within a decision-making framework. This approach disentangles inhibition from processing speed and non-decision time. Combining computational modeling with structural equation modeling across multiple conflict tasks, we tested whether inhibition forms a coherent latent factor. Applying the same framework to large-scale data from over 1 million participants in the Implicit Association Task revealed distinct lifespan trajectories of inhibition across adulthood and aging. Overall, our findings show how computational modeling can uncover latent cognitive mechanisms underlying individual differences in inhibition.PsychologyDecision makingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3gw490fbhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3gw490fb/qt3gw490fb.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6x03k90q2026-07-31T16:18:45Zqt6x03k90qTesting Potential Mechanisms of the Description-Experience Gap in Loss AversionBusch, NunoPachur, Thorsten2026-01-01Recent research has found a novel description-experience gap in loss aversion, such that the overweighting of losses relative to gains in risky choice is more pronounced when people make decisions based on experienced rather than on descriptive summary information. Here, we tested two possible mechanisms of this gap: a decision-by-sampling (DbS) account, according to which the relative distributions of gain and loss outcomes
that the decision maker encounters differ between description and experience; and an optional stopping account, according to which the role of losses for stopping information search differs between description and experience. Neither of the two mechanisms explained the gap. Whereas in description the relative rank of losses was higher than that of gains, this pattern was not more pronounced in experience (in fact, it was even
reversed)—at odds with a DbS account. Further, although individual differences in the tendency of search termination after encountering a loss (vs. a gain) showed some association with individual-level loss aversion, this mechanism did not mediate
the description-experience gap in loss aversion. Our results clarify that two prominent mechanisms of preference construction are unlikely to contribute to the description-experience gap in loss aversion, clearing the view on potential contributions of alternative mechanisms (e.g., asymmetric learning of gains and losses).PsychologyDecision makingMemoryBayesian modelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6x03k90qhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6x03k90q/qt6x03k90q.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6kd3b7gx2026-07-31T16:18:45Zqt6kd3b7gxOnline library learning in human visual puzzle solvingZhao, PinzheSansone, EmanueleKryven, MartaZhao, Bonan2026-01-01When learning a novel complex task, people often form efficient reusable abstractions that simplify future work, despite uncertainty about the future. We study this process in a visual puzzle task where participants define and reuse helpers---intermediate constructions that capture repeating structure. In an online experiment, participants solved puzzles of increasing difficulty. Early on, they created many helpers, favoring completeness over efficiency. With experience, helper use became more selective and efficient, reflecting sensitivity to reuse and cost. Access to helpers enabled participants to solve puzzles that were otherwise difficult or impossible. Computational modeling shows that human decision times and number of operations used to complete a puzzle increase with search space estimated by a program induction model with library learning. In contrast, raw program length predicts failure but not effort. Together, these results point to online library learning as a core mechanism in human problem solving, allowing people to flexibly build, refine, and reuse abstractions as task demands grow.PsychologyProblem SolvingComputational ModelingComputer-based experimentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6kd3b7gxhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6kd3b7gx/qt6kd3b7gx.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4ww165xf2026-07-31T16:18:44Zqt4ww165xfEvaluating ___: Global Motion Detection Requires Random Scale Representation and Allows for Threshold Representationde Lanerolle, RubySingmann, Henrik2026-01-01Global motion detection performance is often described via ___
(i.e., equal-variance Gaussian Signal Detection Theory), de-
spite evidence that global motion detection requires a threshold
representation which is incompatible with ___. Both ___ and
threshold representation share the core assumption of random-
scale representation (RSR), which posits a latent evidence scale
without committing to specific distributional forms. We apply
critical tests to assess whether global motion detection requires
a RSR and whether a threshold representation is admissible.
Participants completed an __-alternative forced-choice random
dot motion task with __ = {2 . . . 8}. Accuracy across __ sat-
isfied RSR constraints, providing strong evidence that global
motion detection relies on RSR. We derived a hazard func-
tion from the accuracy and tested the monotonicity constraint
implied by threshold representation. The hazard function satis-
fied monotonicity, consistent with a threshold account. Recon-
structed ROC curves were piece-wise linear, inconsistent with
equal-variance Gaussian SDT, while generally consistent with
threshold models.PsychologyDecision makingPerceptionMathematical modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4ww165xfhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4ww165xf/qt4ww165xf.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4885s5jd2026-07-31T16:18:42Zqt4885s5jdAre counterfactuals necessary for actual causation judgments?Hale, RandallCheng, Patricia2026-01-01Two descriptive accounts of actual causation judgment, the Counterfactual Simulation Model (CSM) and the Counterfactual Effect Size Model (CESM), propose that actual-cause judgments for an observed event are derived from operations over mentally simulated counterfactual alternatives of the event. We argue that counterfactual models face computational and conceptual obstacles and propose the Retrieval of Invariant Causal Knowledge (RICK) model, which utilizes forward mental simulation to map type-level causal knowledge directly to token causal events. We demonstrate two predicted shortcomings of the CSM and compare with our model's performance.PsychologyCausal reasoningReasoningComputational ModelingKnowledge representationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4885s5jdhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4885s5jd/qt4885s5jd.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8579j2fh2026-07-31T16:18:40Zqt8579j2fhDisfluency in Spontaneous Speech: Social Attribution and Behavioral ConsequencesLee, Jonathan Him NokPapafragou, Anna2026-01-01Speech disfluency such as filled pauses (um and uh) is commonly associated with negative speaker evaluation, yet findings from previous studies relied on scripted, lab-recorded speech. Here, in two experiments, we investigate how filled pauses influence social judgment and decision making using unscripted, multi-sentence discourse extracted from spontaneous speech corpora. We find that filled pauses led to lower perceived readiness and certainty, regardless of speaker expertise (Experiment 1). However, disfluent experts were judged as more careful than disfluent novices, indicating a context-dependent social benefit of disfluency. In a follow-up decision task (Experiment 2), listeners were less likely to choose to ask disfluent speakers again (as opposed to someone else), an effect mediated by perceived readiness but not certainty. By integrating spontaneous speech and speaker profiles, this study demonstrates the importance of socially situated accounts of language processing and the dynamic nature of social evaluation in communication.LinguisticsPsychologyDiscourseSocial cognitionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8579j2fhhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8579j2fh/qt8579j2fh.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6ks869nj2026-07-31T16:18:36Zqt6ks869njThe Eye Movement Pattern and Brain Dynamics indicate successful learning during education video viewingWei, YizhiWang, Eric2026-01-01Online education has become a prominent feature of modern learning. However, what determines learning success in online education remains unclear. To explore this, the present study applies Hidden Markov Model to eye-tracking and EEG data in an open dataset containing educational video-viewing task. The model revealed two eye movement patterns: a global pattern where fixations were distributed across the video, and a local pattern where fixations focused on task-relevant features. The model also revealed 6 distinct brain states involving attention and memory. Experiments 1 and 2 explore the impact of task engagement on eye movement. We found that compared to intentional learning condition, more participants use a global pattern and suffer from worse memory performance in incidental learning condition. Experiment 3 explores the impact of video style. We found that only in the presenter-and-animation style, the local eye movement patterns and learning brain states are associated with learning success. Overall, this study explores factors that indicate learning success and offers insights for improving learning efficiency in online education.EducationLearningMemoryElectroencephalography (EEG)Eye trackingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6ks869njhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6ks869nj/qt6ks869nj.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt36k050222026-07-31T16:18:35Zqt36k05022Bridging Associative Memory and Logical Reasoning: A Causal-Enhanced Dual-Process Approach with Metacognitive MonitoringZhang, JialiChen, ChongWang, TaoWang, ZhuoweiCheng, Lianglun2026-01-01While Large Language Models (LLMs) exhibit impressive fluency, their reasoning often relies on surface-level statistical correlations rather than robust causal understanding. Current reasoning approaches, such as Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), mitigate knowledge obsolescence but typically depend on vector-based retrieval, which mimics associative memory but fails to support the rigorous logical deduction required for complex queries. To address this, we propose a novel framework titled Bridging Associative Memory and Logical Reasoning, which implements a dual-process cognitive architecture. We construct high-fidelity Causal Knowledge Graphs through a human-in-the-loop method, utilizing expert-supervised LoRA fine-tuning to extract reliable causal dependencies from raw text. During inference, a Query Cognitive Planner orchestrates a Dual-Path Memory Access strategy, synergizing associative vector evidence with causal graph traversal. Crucially, a metacognitive validation acts as a "System 2" critic for iterative self-correction. Experiments demonstrate that this cooperative interaction outperforms associative baselines, confirming that explicit "System 2" monitoring effectively reduces logical hallucinations.Artificial IntelligenceCausal reasoningCognitive architecturesLanguage and thoughtReasoningapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/36k05022https://escholarship.org/content/qt36k05022/qt36k05022.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1571b50s2026-07-31T16:18:34Zqt1571b50sMapping Emotion Representations: Evidence for Category–Dimension Relationships and Individual DifferencesWu, ClaudiaYal–åún, ‚Ķzge Nilay2026-01-01A central question in affective computing is how emotions should be represented. Emotion datasets typically adopt either categorical labels (e.g., Ekman categories) or dimensional ratings (e.g., Valence–Arousal–Dominance). Although these frameworks are often treated as comparable descriptions of affect, most work relies on only one representation at a time, limiting cross-dataset comparability and leaving their relationship empirically under-specified. This study explores how VAD ratings map onto categorical emotion judgments, and whether this mapping is consistent across individuals. We fit generalized linear mixed models with participant-level random effects using the MSP-Podcast Corpus to predict categorical labels from dimensional ratings. The results showed a significant effect of Valence, Arousal, and Dominance across several emotion categories (Sadness, Happiness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust) with significant participant-level variability. Overall, our results highlight that categorical and dimensional emotion representations are systematically related but their mapping is shaped by individual differences in affective interpretation. This suggests that affective computing models should explicitly account for rater-dependent variation when using dimensional and categorical emotion representations.Computer SciencePsychologyEmotionEmotion PerceptionRepresentationStatisticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1571b50shttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1571b50s/qt1571b50s.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0kr3d6pw2026-07-31T16:16:47Zqt0kr3d6pwSpatial navigation at the extremes: The collective accomplishment of high-speed, high-risk navigation in Rally RacingNosrati, ShervinBruna, PolyphonySpivey, MichaelMarghetis, Tyler2026-01-01Spatial navigation is a fundamental survival ability, and humans have evolved to navigate at the everyday scales of time and space that are experienced routinely. But some humans seem to shatter these limitations. Teams in the high-risk sport of rally racing must navigate complex courses at incredibly high speeds, where a single mistake can be fatal. How do rally teams accomplish navigation that is seemingly beyond the human scale? Here, we investigate rally racing to understand how distributed cognitive systems can accomplish spatial navigation at the extremes. By combining qualitative analysis, computer vision, and time series methods, we show how high-speed navigation is accomplished by a distributed system in which driver, co-driver, and cultural artifacts come into coordination. We end by discussing how extreme feats of cognition are made possible not by superhuman individuals, but by redistributing the computational burden across time, people, and artifacts.Distributed cognitionGroup BehaviourSpatial cognitionCase studiesQuantitative Behaviorapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0kr3d6pwhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0kr3d6pw/qt0kr3d6pw.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7c59k7zf2026-07-31T16:16:18Zqt7c59k7zfInferring possible causes from event structuresKhemlani, Sangeet2026-01-01Causal reasoning is inherently temporal in nature; humans can infer whether one event is a possible cause of another, even from temporal descriptions. For example, the sentence, "after the book was placed, the shelf collapsed" implies that it's possible (but not necessary) that the book's placement caused the shelf to collapse, and that it's impossible that the shelf's collapse caused the book's placement. These modal inferences challenge existing accounts of causal reasoning. Two experiments reveal how humans infer possible causes from temporal descriptions. Experiment 1 showed that their possibility judgements depend on the event structures described by temporal relations. Experiment 2 varied the consistency of event descriptions and found that people inferred possible causes even from conflicting information. These data challenge extant theories of causal reasoning but corroborate the hypothesis that people comprehend causal relations by building mental simulations of event structures.PsychologyCausal reasoningEvent cognitionReasoningComputer-based experimentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7c59k7zfhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7c59k7zf/qt7c59k7zf.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt47h3t6052026-07-31T16:16:16Zqt47h3t605Rational communication explains Differential Argument Marking and typological asymmetries between subject and object markingHolmes, Jesse2026-01-01Transitive events involve an agent (source of the action) and a patient (recipient of the action), and the successful communication of such events requires conveying these roles. Languages employ various strategies for this, including word order and case marking. Differential Argument Marking (DAM), denoting systems in which case marking only occurs in certain contexts, has garnered considerable attention for its cross-linguistic prevalence. One account posits that DAM arises via efficiency: referents with properties atypical for their role (and therefore less predictable) create pressure for marking, while typical referents do not. This predicts similar numbers of languages with atypical agent-marking and atypical patient-marking. However, patient-marking is not only more common, but agent-marking systems often violate expected typicality patterns. To address this asymmetry, we develop a computational model showing that it emerges naturally from the interaction of typicality biases with production costs.LinguisticsLanguage ComprehensionLanguage ProductionBayesian modelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/47h3t605https://escholarship.org/content/qt47h3t605/qt47h3t605.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3rh489qr2026-07-31T16:16:15Zqt3rh489qrJoint Modeling of Choices and Response Times in Multi-stage Decisions via Likelihood ApproximationLi, JialinCorrea, Carlos G.Yu, DorisGodara, PrakharMattar, Marcelo G2026-01-01Planning involves a process of considering future states before acting. To understand this process, researchers typically infer planning algorithms by fitting computational models to choices. However, different planning models often predict the same choices, despite relying on different computations. Reaction time can help distinguish among models, since different computations produce different temporal signatures. However, incorporating reaction time into fitting is challenging because analytical likelihoods are typically unavailable. Here we propose a likelihood-free method to estimate the density for choices and reaction times in multi-stage decision making. We validate the method through comparisons with analytical solutions, parameter recovery, and showing robust estimates relative to distribution-free and summary statistic approaches. Through a new human experiment and fitting evidence accumulation models from Solway and Botvinick (2015), we demonstrate that modeling the full distribution is important to explain human behavior. Overall, our method is a valuable tool for modeling reaction times in multi-stage decision-making.PsychologyBehavioral ScienceDecision makingComputational ModelingSymbolic computational modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3rh489qrhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3rh489qr/qt3rh489qr.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3h75b5kv2026-07-31T16:16:13Zqt3h75b5kvA Heterogeneous Computational Model Reveals Temporal Hierarchy of BrainXu, YaruWei, JingDong, YanqingNiu, YanXue, JiayueGuo, HaoYang, YanliZhang, JieZhang, JieXiang, Jie2026-01-01Brain functional activity exhibits a distinct temporal hierarchy, characterized by the increase in intrinsic neural timescale (INT) from unimodal to transmodal cortices. However, existing large-scale brain network models struggle to accurately simulate this timescale hierarchy. This study developed a heterogeneous dynamic mean-field (hDMF) model by quantifying cortical microstructural differences using T1-weighted/T2-weighted (T1w/T2w) mapping. For model training, we proposed a novel multi-objective expectation maximization (MOEM) algorithm guided by bifurcation theory to achieve precise optimization in high-dimensional parameter spaces. Results demonstrated that the hDMF model significantly outperformed traditional models in fitting functional connectivity and metastable states, while successfully reproducing the gradient distribution of INT. Further application to ADNI clinical data revealed its ability to effectively simulate the abnormally elevated INT in Alzheimer's patients. In summary, this study provides a high-fidelity computational model for understanding the spatiotemporal brain dynamics and demonstrates potential clinical application value in biomarker exploration for neurodegenerative diseases.NeuroscienceComputational ModelingComputational neuroscienceDynamic Systems Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3h75b5kvhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3h75b5kv/qt3h75b5kv.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt49x6790w2026-07-31T16:15:54Zqt49x6790wRisk-Aware Metacognition: A Dual-Channel Model of Human Second-Order ConfidenceMa, QianhuiZhu, GuoqianFu, Deqian2026-01-01A pivotal advantage of human intelligence lies in metacognitive monitoring. This ability allows individuals to detect uncertainty in their judgments and adapt their behavior accordingly, such as deferring decision-making or seeking help. However, the computational mechanism underpinning metacognitive processing still remains incompletely characterized. We propose a risk-avoidance-based computational theory of metacognition, stating that second-order confidence is formed through an asymmetric strategy: individuals conservatively downweight potential gains while overestimating potential risks inherent in their decision outputs. We formalize this principle into a dual channel conservative confidence (DCCC) framework and instantiate it within a large language model (LLM). Evaluations across high-risk medical and legal judgment tasks demonstrate that the model's confidence signals closely align with human metacognitive profiles, including patterns in the distribution of confidence levels, patterns of error detection, and help-seeking propensities. These findings not only delineate a tractable pathway for implementing machine metacognition but also reveal a core risk-avoidance-oriented computational principle that governs human metacognition processing.Artificial IntelligenceCognitive architecturesConcepts and categoriesEvent cognitionComputer-based experimentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/49x6790whttps://escholarship.org/content/qt49x6790w/qt49x6790w.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9zc278352026-07-31T16:15:20Zqt9zc27835Coherence as a Norm of Evidence SharingJustin, MartinTrpin, Borut2026-01-01Human agents constantly exchange information, but deciding which evidence is worth transmitting is a fundamental cognitive challenge. This paper investigates "coherence" as a heuristic for regulating evidence sharing in groups. Extending previous models of individual coherence-based filtering, we employ computational simulations to analyze agents who selectively share evidence based on its coherence with their current beliefs. We find that coherence-based selective sharing is significantly more effective than individual evidence filtering. It helps preserve priors in overly noisy epistemic environments, while still allowing updating when evidence is noisy but truth-conducive. However, this strategy becomes a liability when misleading evidence forms a coherent alternative, steering group learning away from the truth. These results illuminate the conditions under which coherence-based heuristics improve or distort collective inquiry.PhilosophyGroup BehaviourReasoningSocial cognitionAgent-based Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9zc27835https://escholarship.org/content/qt9zc27835/qt9zc27835.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3pf7k1rc2026-07-31T16:15:18Zqt3pf7k1rc"There's the ball or the car in this cup", but look, the ball is over there: Preverbal logical inferences scaffold early comprehension of verbal disjunctionSaponaro, ChiaraFayyaz, MahhamPavalko, Grace MCesana-Arlotti, Nicolo2026-01-01The relation between logical reasoning and language development is debated. We addressed this issue by focusing on disjunctive reasoning (A V B; exclude A; therefore, B) and the acquisition of the connective "or" in 3-year-old children, comparing non-verbal and linguistic contexts. In Experiment 1, children completed first a non-verbal inferential task, and then succeeded in a linguistic inferential task, using "or" to define a set of alternatives (A V B) and visual information to exclude one and infer the other (exclude A; therefore, B). In Experiment 2, children instead completed a non-inferential control task followed by the same linguistic inferential task: although they succeeded in using visual information, they failed to use "or" to identify the relevant set of alternatives. Therefore, children who had previously engaged in non-verbal disjunctive reasoning showed a better comprehension of "or". These findings suggest that preverbal inferential abilities support the early acquisition of linguistic disjunction.PsychologyDevelopmentLanguage and thoughtReasoningapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3pf7k1rchttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3pf7k1rc/qt3pf7k1rc.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2733v7rp2026-07-31T16:15:18Zqt2733v7rpInferring Why Someone Asked 'Why': Foil Inference in Human and LLM Question InterpretationBesch, BrittGerstenberg, Tobias2026-01-01Explanations are inherently contrastive: E happened rather than E' because of C rather than C'. However, these contrasts, or "foils", are rarely mentioned explicitly but have to be inferred in context. Here, we investigate how people select the intended foil E' of a why-question. Participants read vignettes and judged, for each foil, their prior expectation (what will happen next), closeness (what is most similar to what happened), and hindsight expectation (what could have happened instead), as well as which foil they thought the question asker had in mind when they asked the why-question. We found that foil selections were best predicted by hindsight expectation judgments. This suggests that people infer the foil by considering what a question asker finds surprising after the outcome occurred. Since correct foil selection is relevant not only in human-human interaction but also increasingly in dialogues with large language models, we investigated their performance on the same task. The coupling between LLMs' explicit expectation judgments and their foil selections is inconsistent.PsychologyHuman-computer interactionSemantics of languageSocial cognitionBayesian modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2733v7rphttps://escholarship.org/content/qt2733v7rp/qt2733v7rp.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt62x0w74m2026-07-31T16:15:15Zqt62x0w74mA Resource-Rational Account of Rule-Based CoordinationGrinfeld, GuyCushman, Fiery2026-01-01People can coordinate by inferring a partner's intention, or by relying on a mutually recognized rule. We propose that this choice reflects adaptive allocation of cognitive effort. We tested this account in a coordination game where participants could win the most by inferring a signaled ad hoc coordination point, or less by coordinating on a consistent, mutually understood rule. We manipulated the recursive depth required for successful inference and the value of rule-based coordination. Greater demands for recursive depth, and higher rule value, drove increased rule use. Response times suggest rule-based choices arose from different processes: fast defaults when inference was less valuable, and slower retreats to the rule when inference was more valuable but too demanding. Individual-level analyses showed participants shifted toward deeper reasoning when inference was more valuable. These findings suggest that rules and intention inference are substitutable strategies governed by shared resource-rational logic.PsychologyPragmaticsSocial cognitionTheory of Mindapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/62x0w74mhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt62x0w74m/qt62x0w74m.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1tn4m22z2026-07-31T16:15:15Zqt1tn4m22zAssessing Alternative Models of Counterfactual ReasoningRehder, BobZheng, SelenaCao, AngelaBramley, Neil R.Quillien, Tadeg2026-01-01When reasoning about events that occur in the world, two key types of judgments are counterfactual inferences—judging how the event might have turned out differently under different conditions—and causal selection—identifying which of multiple potential causes is responsible for an effect of interest. We conducted a novel experimental test that asked subjects to make both types of judgments about a realistic situation involving probabilistic causal relations and both proximal and distal causes. We found that a new model— the Exogenous Sampler (EXS) performed as well as the leading models of these judgment types but also specified the cognitive processes via which such judgments are computed. Yet, that all models failed to predict the full range of subjects' judgments points to the need of a new generation of models accounting for how people reason about events that arise from complex probabilistic causal structures.PsychologyCausal reasoningReasoningRepresentationComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1tn4m22zhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1tn4m22z/qt1tn4m22z.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt341303jk2026-07-31T16:15:12Zqt341303jkAssessing Human-AI Teaming in Single-Pilot Operations: Effects of AI Support on Cognitive Workload and PerformanceFini, MichelleDaw, ZamiraWirzberger, Maria2026-01-01As AI-driven concepts like Single-Pilot Operations challenge traditional two-pilot operations, debates among manufacturers, pilot unions, and regulators highlight the need for empirical evidence on how AI uncertainty affects human cognition and performance. This research compares human-human and human-AI cockpit teams, focusing on workload and performance when the pilot monitoring role is assumed by AI. 34 pilots completed simulated takeoff scenarios under three conditions: a human co-pilot, a reliable AI co-pilot, and a faulty AI co-pilot. Results indicate that collaboration with reliable AI can sustain workload levels and team performance comparable to human crews, whereas faulty AI behavior corresponds to increased workload and degraded team performance. Further analyses suggest that performance degradation is linked to undetected AI errors and AI limitations. Although pilots were often able to compensate for AI shortcomings, team collaboration was adversely affected, underscoring the importance of AI reliability and transparency for safe human-AI teaming.Artificial IntelligencePsychologyBehavioral ScienceHuman FactorsIntelligent agentsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/341303jkhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt341303jk/qt341303jk.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9g61f3ss2026-07-31T16:14:58Zqt9g61f3ssEffective Explanations Support Planning Under UncertaintyZhou, HanqiBesch, BrittWu, Charley MGerstenberg, Tobias2026-01-01Explaining how to get from A to B can be challenging. It requires mentally simulating what the listener will do based on what they are told. To capture this process, we propose a computational model that converts utterances into action plans: a large language model translates an explanation into program-like guidance (a policy prior and value map), and a planning agent executes it under partial observability. We score explanations by the efficiency and reliability of the resulting paths, penalizing replanning. Across four preregistered experiments, we collect a corpus of 1,200 explanations over 24 maps, elicit helpfulness judgments, measure baseline navigation, and test behavior with explanations of differing quality. Higher-scored explanations are judged more helpful and improve navigation: participants with explanations outperform those without, and high-scoring explanations help more than low-scoring ones. Together, these results show procedural explanation as utility-guided communication shaped by how language can be grounded into action under uncertainty.PsychologyInstruction and teachingLanguage ProductionComputational ModelingSymbolic computational modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9g61f3sshttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9g61f3ss/qt9g61f3ss.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7gz1k15k2026-07-31T16:14:58Zqt7gz1k15kIt May or May Not Be Relevant: Testing the Relationship Between Relevance and InformativenessFeinmann, DiegoRamotowska, Sonia2026-01-01The dominant view in cognitive science and formal pragmatics is that relevance is a matter of informativeness: a sentence is relevant if it is informative, and irrelevant otherwise. We provide experimental evidence against this thesis. For polar questions (e.g. Is Mary coming to the party?), we constructed two kinds of uninformative replies: replies that clearly violate relevance (uninformative-off-topic condition; e.g. Mary lives in an old house) and replies that are equally uninformative yet do not intuitively incur a relevance violation, such as uncertainty or disagreement reports (target condition; e.g. Her parents disagree about that). In a within-subject study (__ = 100; 12 scenarios), participants judged both kinds of replies uninformative, but a forced-choice continuation diagnostic revealed a
sharp dissociation in perceived relevance: target replies were judged relevant 95%, versus 3% for the uninformative-off-topic condition. These results show that informativeness is not a necessary condition for relevance.LinguisticsPhilosophyPsychologyPragmaticsComputer-based experimentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7gz1k15khttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7gz1k15k/qt7gz1k15k.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9n7080t12026-07-31T16:14:56Zqt9n7080t1Learning to gesture like locals think: Spontaneous spatial gestures adapt to local norms of spatial thinkingNosrati, ShervinMarghetis, Tyler2026-01-01When thinking about space, people preferentially adopt a particular frame of reference, anchoring spatial relations either egocentrically (to their bodies) or allocentrically (to external landmarks). These preferences are often shared within a community, raising the question of how private norms for spatial thinking are made public and thus shareable. We tested whether spontaneous co-speech gesture might be one route by which these norms are expressed. Participants (N = 62) were exposed to an implicit norm to adopt a particular frame of reference when reasoning spatially. They then solved a spatial puzzle and described their solution. When participants conveyed spatial information in their gestures, they adopted either an egocentric or an allocentric frame of reference. Critically, these gestural frames of reference were congruent with the local norm. Gesture thus reflects socially learned conventions for adopting a spatial frame of reference. We discuss implications for the propagation and perpetuation of implicit cultural norms.LinguisticsLanguage and thoughtSocial cognitionSpatial cognitionGesture analysisapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9n7080t1https://escholarship.org/content/qt9n7080t1/qt9n7080t1.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt92k8z0nv2026-07-31T16:14:55Zqt92k8z0nvDevelopmental Analysis of Drawing Sequences: How Young Children and Adults Organize Object Parts in Line DrawingTian, ZijianKishiyama, TakeshiChen, Tzu-YinHirose, YukiMakuuchi, Michiru2026-01-01The drawing process (how we draw), together with its outcome (what we draw), provides valuable insights into the cognitive mechanisms and motor control underlying symbolic representation. To depict developmental changes in the drawing process, this study examined the drawing sequences of Thai-speaking adults and 4- to 5-year-olds during an object copying task. After segmenting the drawing process into discrete strokes and annotating each stroke with its corresponding object part, we extracted patterns distinguishing adults' and children's drawing sequences. Results indicated that when drawing a quadrangle part that forms the overall structure of an object (e.g., a chair's backrest), Thai adults complete it with multiple strokes, while children typically use one stroke. Moreover, when drawing objects with hierarchical structures (e.g., a tournament), most adults group parts of the same level, while young children tend to draw parts in physical proximity sequentially. This study proposes a method for analyzing developmental changes in drawing sequences and highlights key questions for future developmental research on drawing, object recognition, and symbolic representation.PsychologyActionCognitive developmentConcepts and categoriesDevelopmentLanguage and thoughtNatural Language ProcessingPerceptionRepresentationVisionDevelopmental analysisapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/92k8z0nvhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt92k8z0nv/qt92k8z0nv.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt355145mx2026-07-31T16:14:54Zqt355145mxPosting and Reposting: The Reputational Costs of Spreading False Content OnlineMarsili, NeriBlond, Rocío LanaKneer, Markus2026-01-01Reposting has been identified as a primary conduit for misinformation spread. We hypothesize that reposting is especially conducive to misinformation because it allows the sender to spread false content while incurring lower reputational costs compared to posting. Experiment 1 (N=293) tests this hypothesis by measuring how reposting falsehoods affects reputation. It compares the effects of posting, reposting, and verbally reporting the same false content. Sources that directly posted false content were judged significantly less reliable than sources that reposted or reported the same false content. Experiment 2 (N=256) tests robustness by replicating findings across platforms (Facebook and Twitter) and source types (private individuals rather than institutions). Original posters again suffered greater reputational damage than reposters. These results strongly support the idea that reposting comes with reduced accountability, suggesting that its reduced reputational costs might play an important role in facilitating misinformation spread on social media.LinguisticsPhilosophyPragmaticsSurveyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/355145mxhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt355145mx/qt355145mx.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8qb0p7j72026-07-31T16:04:55Zqt8qb0p7j7Distributed Acoustic Sensing Using Dark Fiber for Near-Surface Characterization and Broadband Seismic Event DetectionAjo-Franklin, Jonathan BDou, ShanLindsey, Nathaniel JMonga, InderTracy, ChrisRobertson, MichelleRodriguez Tribaldos, VeronicaUlrich, CraigFreifeld, BarryDaley, ThomasLi, Xiaoye2019-01-01We present one of the first case studies demonstrating the use of distributed acoustic sensing deployed on regional unlit fiber-optic telecommunication infrastructure (dark fiber) for broadband seismic monitoring of both near-surface soil properties and earthquake seismology. We recorded 7 months of passive seismic data on a 27 km section of dark fiber stretching from West Sacramento, CA to Woodland, CA, densely sampled at 2 m spacing. This dataset was processed to extract surface wave velocity information using ambient noise interferometry techniques; the resulting VS profiles were used to map both shallow structural profiles and groundwater depth, thus demonstrating that basin-scale variations in hydrological state could be resolved using this technique. The same array was utilized for detection of regional and teleseismic earthquakes and evaluated for long period response using records from the M8.1 Chiapas, Mexico 2017, Sep 8th event. The combination of these two sets of observations conclusively demonstrates that regionally extensive fiber-optic networks can effectively be utilized for a host of geoscience observation tasks at a combination of scale and resolution previously inaccessible.37 Earth Sciences (for-2020)46 Information and Computing Sciences (for-2020)3705 Geology (for-2020)3706 Geophysics (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8qb0p7j7https://escholarship.org/content/qt8qb0p7j7/qt8qb0p7j7.pdfinfo:doi/10.1038/s41598-018-36675-8articleScientific Reports, vol 9, iss 11328oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3384754r2026-07-31T16:04:55Zqt3384754rThe enduring effects of default focus in let alone ellipsis: Evidence from pupillometry.Harris, Jesse2023-01-27The study of clausal ellipsis in sentence processing has revealed that comprehenders are sensitive to multiple, sometimes conflicting, pressures when recovering elided content. This paper presents a pupillometry experiment investigating how the human language processing system responds to sentences in which the location of a pitch accent clashes with global preferences for local correlates. The results are discussed in light of existing literature, including the Enduring Focus Principle, in which locations for default pitch accent continue to influence focus-sensitive processes regardless of overt markers of focus.Ellipsissentence processingprosodypupillometryapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3384754rhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3384754r/qt3384754r.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5363articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2x92r26j2026-07-31T16:04:55Zqt2x92r26jThe investigation of quantity implicatures during typical development: a systematic reviewPorrini, Anna TeresaSurian, Luca2023-01-27The present work is a systematic review on the acquisition of quantity implicatures in typically developing children. The references were selected through the PRISMA method. The criteria for eligibility were that the articles should be peer-reviewed, published articles written in English, containing empirical data on the comprehension of quantity implicatures in first language acquisition during typical development. The aim of this review is three-fold. First, to provide a picture of what empirical data tells us about the acquisition of quantity implicatures, based on both lexical and ad-hoc scales, potentially contributing to theoretical accounts of the phenomenon. Second, to analyze the methodologies that have been used to test children and their adequacy. And lastly to evaluate whether or not systematic review is an accurate analysis method for this type of varied and often complicated data. The results suggest that children improve in implicature derivation with age, especially with lexical scales, and that action-based tasks not based on meta-linguistic evaluations might be better suited to test these inferences, especially as opposed to Truth Value Judgment tasks. The fact that the systematic analysis confirms previously individuated trends in the acquisition of implicatures confirms that this is in fact a useful methodology to analyze the data, even with its limitations.developmental pragmaticsimplicaturesquantity maximsystematic reviewapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2x92r26jhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt2x92r26j/qt2x92r26j.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5361articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6g42k90z2026-07-31T16:04:51Zqt6g42k90zSemantics of Non-Doxastic Attitude Ascriptions from Experimental PerspectiveRostworowski, WojciechKuś, KatarzynaMaƒákiewicz, Bartosz2023-01-27The paper presents novel experimental data regarding reports of non-doxastic attitudes (expressed by verbs such as "wants", "fear", "is glad", and etc.) As observed by some theorists, non-doxastic attitude ascriptions differ from the ascriptions of doxastic attitudes (e.g., "believes") in that they do not support simple entailments or presuppositions of their complement clause. In particular, an ascription may intuitively change its truth-value if we alter the informational structure of the embedded clause without modifying its truth conditions. We present two experiments whose results support this observation. Experiment 1 shows that the truth-value and acceptability judgements of non-doxastic attitude ascriptions in a context generally depend on the informational structure of the embedded clause. Experiment 2 reveals that the truth-value judgements vary if we manipulate not only the "presupposition-assertion" structure of embedded clause, but also the components related to non-presuppositional entailments of the clause. This conclusion suggests that the contents on which attitude verbs operate should be represented as structured entities.attitude ascriptionsentailmentsnon-doxastic attitudespresuppositionssemanticstruth-value judgementsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6g42k90zhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6g42k90z/qt6g42k90z.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5364articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5nv779j52026-07-31T16:04:50Zqt5nv779j5Detecting diversity: emerging methods to estimate species diversityIknayan, Kelly JTingley, Morgan WFurnas, Brett JBeissinger, Steven R2014-02-01Estimates of species richness and diversity are central to community and macroecology and are frequently used in conservation planning. Commonly used diversity metrics account for undetected species primarily by controlling for sampling effort. Yet the probability of detecting an individual can vary among species, observers, survey methods, and sites. We review emerging methods to estimate alpha, beta, gamma, and metacommunity diversity through hierarchical multispecies occupancy models (MSOMs) and multispecies abundance models (MSAMs) that explicitly incorporate observation error in the detection process for species or individuals. We examine advantages, limitations, and assumptions of these detection-based hierarchical models for estimating species diversity. Accounting for imperfect detection using these approaches has influenced conclusions of comparative community studies and creates new opportunities for testing theory.4101 Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation (for-2020)31 Biological Sciences (for-2020)3103 Ecology (for-2020)4104 Environmental Management (for-2020)41 Environmental Sciences (for-2020)14 Life Below Water (sdg)Biodiversity (mesh)Data Collection (mesh)Environmental Monitoring (mesh)ModelsBiological (mesh)Data Collection (mesh)Biodiversity (mesh)Environmental Monitoring (mesh)ModelsBiological (mesh)Biodiversity (mesh)Data Collection (mesh)Environmental Monitoring (mesh)ModelsBiological (mesh)05 Environmental Sciences (for)06 Biological Sciences (for)Evolutionary Biology (science-metrix)31 Biological sciences (for-2020)41 Environmental sciences (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5nv779j5https://escholarship.org/content/qt5nv779j5/qt5nv779j5.pdfinfo:doi/10.1016/j.tree.2013.10.012articleTrends in Ecology & Evolution, vol 29, iss 297 - 106oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3748m9mx2026-07-31T16:04:50Zqt3748m9mxCrosslinguistic differences on the Present Perfect Puzzle: An experimental approachFuchs, Martínvan der Klis, Martijn2023-01-27In this paper, we analyze how different temporal and referential properties of past-referring adverbials—specifically, hodiernality and deixis—are partially responsible for the crosslinguistic distribution of PAST and PERFECT markers across Dutch, Spanish, and English. To that end, we conducted an acceptability judgment task, where 160 subjects per language rated context-sentence pairs that display either a PAST or a PERFECT marker, and a temporal adverbial that is: (i) either temporally close to or temporally far from the speech time, and (ii), either deictic or not deictic. Results show that: (a) Dutch allows for its PERFECT marker to combine with any past-referring temporal adverbial, (b) Spanish only allows its PERFECT marker to combine with adverbials that locate the event temporally close to speech time, regardless of deixis, and (iii) that English prefers its PAST marker in all past-referring situations, but allows its PERFECT to combine with adverbials that are both deictic and temporally close to speech time, particularly when the adverb specifies an interval that is included in the day of utterance (e.g., this morning), as opposed to adverbs that describe an interval that includes it (e.g., this month).PerfectPastgrammatical aspecttemporal adverbialsdeixishodiernalityacceptability judgmentsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3748m9mxhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3748m9mx/qt3748m9mx.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5366articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7ss5r9mz2026-07-31T16:04:47Zqt7ss5r9mzFive degrees of (non)sense: Investigating the connection between bullshit receptivity and susceptibility to semantic illusionsPaape, Dario2023-01-27Individual differences in people's tendency to see bullshit statements such as Perceptual reality transcends subtle truth as meaningful and possibly profound have become an active topic of research in judgment and decision making in recent years. However, (psycho)linguistics has so far paid little attention to the topic, despite its obvious appeal for language processing research. I present an experiment that investigated possible shared traits contributing to individual bullshit receptivity and susceptibility to semantic illusions, which occur when compositionally incongruous sentences receive plausible but unlicensed interpretations (e.g., More people have been to Russia than I have). The results show relatively little indication of an individual-level tendency to both fall for bullshit and for linguistic illusions. Implications for future psycholinguistic research into bullshit processing are discussed.bullshitsemantic illusionexperimental semanticsindividual differencesapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7ss5r9mzhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7ss5r9mz/qt7ss5r9mz.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5369articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2tb5m7p62026-07-31T16:04:46Zqt2tb5m7p6When Transformer models are more compositional than humans: The case of the depth charge illusionPaape, Dario2023-01-27State-of-the-art Transformer-based language models like GPT-3 are very good at generating syntactically well-formed and semantically plausible text. However, it is unclear to what extent these models encode the compositional rules of human language and to what extent their impressive performance is due to the use of relatively shallow heuristics, which have also been argued to be a factor in human language processing. One example is the so-called depth charge illusion, which occurs when a semantically complex, incongruous sentence like No head injury is too trivial to be ignored is assigned a plausible but not compositionally licensed meaning (Don't ignore head injuries, even if they appear to be trivial). I present an experiment that investigated how depth charge sentences are processed by Transformer models, which are free of many human performance bottlenecks. The results are mixed: Transformers do show evidence of non-compositionality in depth charge contexts, but also appear to be more compositional than humans in some respects.Transformerlanguage modeldepth charge illusioncompositionalityapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2tb5m7p6https://escholarship.org/content/qt2tb5m7p6/qt2tb5m7p6.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5370articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6jx8c5k82026-07-31T16:04:43Zqt6jx8c5k8Tracking the activation of scalar alternatives with semantic primingRonai, EszterXiang, Ming2023-01-27From an utterance of Mary ate some of the deep dish, hearers frequently infer that Mary didn't eat all of the deep dish. Similarly, an utterance of The movie is good might lead hearers to conclude that the movie isn't excellent. These inferences are instances of scalar implicature (SI). The standard assumption is that SI arises via hearers' reasoning about alternative utterances that the speaker could have said, but did not. In particular, hearers are taken to consider stronger alternatives such as all (or Mary ate all of the deep dish) and excellent (or The movie is excellent) and derive their negation. In this study, we investigate the psycholinguistic reflexes of this inferential process. We use semantic priming with lexical decision to test whether lexical alternatives such as all and excellent are retrieved and activated in the processing of SI-triggering sentences. The results of our experiments indeed suggest that alternatives play a role in the processing of SI, though a number of empirical puzzles remain.pragmaticsscalar implicaturealternativessemantic primingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6jx8c5k8https://escholarship.org/content/qt6jx8c5k8/qt6jx8c5k8.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5371articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3317x44w2026-07-31T16:04:43Zqt3317x44wYou must worry! The interpretation of mustn't varies with context and verbal complementBleotu, Adina CameliaBenz, AntonPǎtrunjel, Roxana2023-01-27We investigate experimentally whether American English adult speakers are influenced in their interpretation of mustn't by pragmatic context (contexts favoring lack of necessity/necessity not to readings) and/or the semantic properties of the verbal complements of the modal (verbs denoting events in the physical realm vs. verbs expressing undesirable mental activities). In an experiment combining a forced choice task and a gradient acceptability task, participants saw sentences containing mustn't and physical events/negative mental activities in lack of necessity/necessity not to contexts (e.g., You mustn't worry. The woman will give you money) They had to choose the most suitable interpretation of mustn't ('it is necessary not to'/'it is not necessary' interpretations). They then had to rate the acceptability of the sentences containing mustn't in context on a Likert scale from 1 to 7. We find that participants split into two groups: an Interdiction Group, which always treated mustn't as expressing interdiction, and a Variation Group, which tended to interpret mustn't as lack of necessity when the context favored such a reading and when the verbal complement the modal combined with was a negative mental activity. We argue that the lack of necessity reading of mustn't is obtained via pragmatic weakening from its primary interdiction reading, and that this process is sensitive to context, as well as to the cognitive difficulty of imposing or forbidding mental (but not physical) activities to others.American Englishdeontic modalitydeontic necessitynegationinterdictioncontext-sensitivitymental activitiesapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3317x44whttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3317x44w/qt3317x44w.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5372articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4bs3p4k92026-07-31T16:04:40Zqt4bs3p4k9Search for Quantum Black Hole Production in High-Invariant-Mass Lepton+Jet Final States Using pp Collisions at s=8 TeV and the ATLAS DetectorAad, GAbajyan, TAbbott, BAbdallah, JKhalek, S AbdelAbdinov, OAben, RAbi, BAbolins, MAbouZeid, OSAbramowicz, HAbreu, HAbulaiti, YAcharya, BSAdamczyk, LAdams, DLAddy, TNAdelman, JAdomeit, SAdye, TAefsky, SAgatonovic-Jovin, TAguilar-Saavedra, JAAgustoni, MAhlen, SPAhmad, AAhmadov, FAielli, GÅkesson, TPAAkimoto, GAkimov, AVAlam, MAAlbert, JAlbrand, SVerzini, MJ AlconadaAleksa, MAleksandrov, INAlexa, CAlexander, GAlexandre, GAlexopoulos, TAlhroob, MAlimonti, GAlio, LAlison, JAllbrooke, BMMAllison, LJAllport, PPAllwood-Spiers, SEAlmond, JAloisio, AAlon, RAlonso, AAlonso, FAltheimer, AGonzalez, B AlvarezAlviggi, MGAmako, KCoutinho, Y AmaralAmelung, CAmmosov, VVDos Santos, SP AmorAmorim, AAmoroso, SAmram, NAmundsen, GAnastopoulos, CAncu, LSAndari, NAndeen, TAnders, CFAnders, GAnderson, KJAndreazza, AAndrei, VAnduaga, XSAngelidakis, SAnger, PAngerami, AAnghinolfi, FAnisenkov, AVAnjos, NAnnovi, AAntonaki, AAntonelli, MAntonov, AAntos, JAnulli, FAoki, MBella, L AperioApolle, RArabidze, GAracena, IArai, YArce, ATHArguin, J-FArgyropoulos, SArik, EArik, MArmbruster, AJ2014-03-07This Letter presents a search for quantum black-hole production using 20.3 fb-1 of data collected with the ATLAS detector in pp collisions at the LHC at √s = 8 TeV. The quantum black holes are assumed to decay into a final state characterized by a lepton (electron or muon) and a jet. In either channel, no event with a lepton-jet invariant mass of 3.5 TeV or more is observed, consistent with the expected background. Limits are set on the product of cross sections and branching fractions for the lepton+jet final states of quantum black holes produced in a search region for invariant masses above 1 TeV. The combined 95% confidence level upper limit on this product for quantum black holes with threshold mass above 3.5 TeV is 0.18 fb. This limit constrains the threshold quantum black-hole mass to be above 5.3 TeV in the model considered.5106 Nuclear and Plasma Physics (for-2020)5107 Particle and High Energy Physics (for-2020)4902 Mathematical Physics (for-2020)49 Mathematical Sciences (for-2020)51 Physical Sciences (for-2020)Electrons (mesh)Elementary Particles (mesh)Mesons (mesh)ModelsTheoretical (mesh)Quantum Theory (mesh)ATLAS CollaborationElementary Particles (mesh)Electrons (mesh)Mesons (mesh)Quantum Theory (mesh)ModelsTheoretical (mesh)Electrons (mesh)Elementary Particles (mesh)Mesons (mesh)ModelsTheoretical (mesh)Quantum Theory (mesh)hep-exhep-ex01 Mathematical Sciences (for)02 Physical Sciences (for)09 Engineering (for)General Physics (science-metrix)40 Engineering (for-2020)49 Mathematical sciences (for-2020)51 Physical sciences (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4bs3p4k9https://escholarship.org/content/qt4bs3p4k9/qt4bs3p4k9.pdfinfo:doi/10.1103/physrevlett.112.091804articlePhysical Review Letters, vol 112, iss 9091804oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8861z7sq2026-07-31T16:04:33Zqt8861z7sqCorpus evidence for the role of world knowledge in ambiguity reduction: Using high positive expectations to inform quantifier scopeAttali, NoaPearl, Lisa S.Scontras, Gregory2023-01-27Every-negation utterances (e.g., Every vote doesn't count) are ambiguous between a surface scope interpretation (e.g., No vote counts) and an inverse scope interpretation (e.g., Not all votes count). Investigations into the interpretation of these utterances have found variation: child and adult interpretations diverge (e.g., Musolino 1999) and adult interpretations of specific constructions show considerable disagreement (Carden 1973, Heringer 1970, Attali et al. 2021). Can we concretely identify factors to explain some of this variation and predict tendencies in individual interpretations? Here we show that a type of expectation about the world (which we call a high positive expectation), which can surface in the linguistic contexts of every-negation utterances, predicts experimental preferences for the inverse scope interpretation of different every-negation utterances. These findings suggest that (1) world knowledge, as set up in a linguistic context, helps to effectively reduce the ambiguity of potentiallyambiguous utterances for listeners, and (2) given that high positive expectations are a kind of affirmative context, negation use is felicitous in affirmative contexts (e.g., Wason 1961).scope ambiguityuniversal quantifiersnegationpragmaticscomputational modelscorpus linguisticspsycholinguisticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8861z7sqhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8861z7sq/qt8861z7sq.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5376articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt21m9840m2026-07-31T16:04:33Zqt21m9840mThe role of relevance, competence, and priors for scalar inferencesTsvilodub, Polinavan Tiel, BobFranke, Michael2023-01-27Although it is often assumed that the natural language expressions 'some' and 'or' are interpreted according to their first-order logic counterparts, in certain contexts, they receive a narrower interpretation: 'some' is strengthened to 'some, but not all', and 'or' to 'A or B, but not both'. This process is typically explained as an instance of scalar inference. To test this scalar implicature hypothesis, we collect experimental evidence for the effects and interactions of three factors that should affect the robustness of the scalar inferences of 'some' and 'or': the relevance of the stronger alternative, the speaker's competence about the alternative, and the prior probability that the alternative is true. We find that the interpretation of both triggers was affected by speaker competence, but only 'some' was also affected by prior probability, while relevance did not affect either trigger. Ultimately, our results suggest that the interdependence of the three factors is more complex than just the sum of their effects.scalar inferencerelevancecompetenceprior probabilitydisjunctionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/21m9840mhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt21m9840m/qt21m9840m.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5375articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt06h2z75k2026-07-31T16:04:31Zqt06h2z75kNonboolean ConditionalsSantorio, PaoloWellwood, Alexis2023-01-27On standard analyses, indicative conditionals behave in a Boolean fashion when interacting with and and or. We test this prediction by investigating probability judgments about sentences of the form "If A, then B {and, or} if C, then D". Our findings are incompatible with a Boolean picture. This is challenging for standard analyses of ICs, as well as for several nonclassical analyses. Some trivalent theories, conversely, may account for the data.Indicative conditionalsconnectivesprobabilitylikelihood estimationtrivalenceapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/06h2z75khttps://escholarship.org/content/qt06h2z75k/qt06h2z75k.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5377articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8s2657fm2026-07-31T16:04:28Zqt8s2657fmModeling the Role of Polysemy in Verb CategorizationSoper, ElizabethKoenig, Jean-Pierre2023-01-27Recent work has indicated that static word embeddings can predict human semantic categories (Majewska et al. 2021). In this paper, we consider the role of polysemy in semantic categorization, by comparing sense-level embeddings with previously studied static embeddings in their prediction of human-produced categories. We find that the polysemy is crucial for predicting human categories; sense-level embeddings dramatically outperform static embeddings in predicting semantic categories. Our findings highlight the role of polysemy in semantic categorization that is exclusively based on linguistic input.distributional semanticspolysemycategorizationnatural language processingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8s2657fmhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8s2657fm/qt8s2657fm.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5379articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt09c834sj2026-07-31T16:04:26Zqt09c834sjEffects of instruction on semantic and pragmatic judgment tasksZhu, ZilingAhn, Dorothy2023-01-27Sentence judgment tasks are used often in linguistics studies. However, there is no consensus on how significant the effect of instruction is in such tasks: some argue that instruction is trivial, while others argue that they affect the way participants respond. In this study, we investigate different keywords used in sentence judgment tasks and determine which keyword best teases apart speakers' response to semantically and pragmatically licit and illicit sentences. We test this in English and Mandarin, exploring the possibility of cross-linguistic variation on how speakers respond to different keywords. Our results show that the common keywords used in semantic and pragmatic judgment tasks such as 'natural' do distinguish semantic and pragmatic violations for English speakers, but that the common Mandarin translations of these words fail to distinguish between the two types of violations. Our results highlight the need for language- and study-specific norming procedures in sentence judgment tasks.sentence judgment tasksinstruction typesemanticspragmaticspsycholinguisticscross-linguistic variationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/09c834sjhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt09c834sj/qt09c834sj.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5380articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3qc5r3722026-07-31T16:04:17Zqt3qc5r372Accuracy of visual inspection with acetic acid to detect cervical cancer precursors among HIV‐infected women in KenyaHuchko, Megan JSneden, JenniferSawaya, GeorgeSmith-McCune, KarenMaloba, MayAbdulrahim, NailaBukusi, Elizabeth ACohen, Craig R2015-01-15Visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) is becoming a more widely recommended and implemented screening tool for cervical cancer prevention programs in low-resource settings. Many of these settings have a high prevalence of HIV-infected women. We carried out a cross-sectional validation study to define the sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of VIA among HIV-infected women. Women enrolled in HIV care at the Family AIDS Care and Education Services clinic in Kisumu, Kenya, were recruited for participation. All participants underwent VIA followed by colposcopy performed by a second blinded clinician. At colposcopy, lesions suspicious for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2 or greater (CIN2+) were biopsied. Disease status was determined by final histopathologic diagnosis in women who underwent biopsies. A satisfactory colposcopy with no lesions was considered a negative result. From October 2010 to June 2012, 1,432 women underwent VIA and colposcopy. A total of 514 (35.7%) women had a positive VIA, and 179 (12.2%) had CIN2+ confirmed by colposcopically directed biopsy. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of VIA for CIN2+ were 86.6, 71.6, 30.3 and 97.4%, respectively. Specificity, but not sensitivity, increased with older age. Among older women, sensitivity was affected by CD4+ count and use of antiretroviral therapy. Although they are impacted by age and immune status, test characteristics for VIA among HIV-infected women are similar to what has been reported for general populations. Recommendations to use VIA as a screening tool should not vary by HIV status.3215 Reproductive Medicine (for-2020)32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3202 Clinical Sciences (for-2020)Health Services (rcdc)Cervical Cancer (rcdc)Cancer (rcdc)Women's Health (rcdc)HIV/AIDS (rcdc)Clinical Research (rcdc)Infectious Diseases (rcdc)Prevention (rcdc)4.2 Evaluation of markers and technologies (hrcs-rac)Infection (hrcs-hc)Acetic Acid (mesh)Adult (mesh)Cervix Uteri (mesh)Colposcopy (mesh)Cross-Sectional Studies (mesh)Cytological Techniques (mesh)Early Detection of Cancer (mesh)Female (mesh)Follow-Up Studies (mesh)HIV (mesh)HIV Infections (mesh)Humans (mesh)Kenya (mesh)Precancerous Conditions (mesh)Predictive Value of Tests (mesh)Prevalence (mesh)Prognosis (mesh)Sensitivity and Specificity (mesh)Uterine Cervical Neoplasms (mesh)Uterine Cervical Dysplasia (mesh)visual inspection with acetic acidHIV infectionKenyacervical cancer screeningCervix Uteri (mesh)Humans (mesh)HIV (mesh)HIV Infections (mesh)Precancerous Conditions (mesh)Acetic Acid (mesh)Colposcopy (mesh)Prognosis (mesh)Cytological Techniques (mesh)Prevalence (mesh)Sensitivity and Specificity (mesh)Follow-Up Studies (mesh)Cross-Sectional Studies (mesh)Predictive Value of Tests (mesh)Adult (mesh)Kenya (mesh)Uterine Cervical Dysplasia (mesh)Uterine Cervical Neoplasms (mesh)Female (mesh)Early Detection of Cancer (mesh)HIV infectionKenyacervical cancer screeningvisual inspection with acetic acidAcetic Acid (mesh)Adult (mesh)Cervix Uteri (mesh)Colposcopy (mesh)Cross-Sectional Studies (mesh)Cytological Techniques (mesh)Early Detection of Cancer (mesh)Female (mesh)Follow-Up Studies (mesh)HIV (mesh)HIV Infections (mesh)Humans (mesh)Kenya (mesh)Precancerous Conditions (mesh)Predictive Value of Tests (mesh)Prevalence (mesh)Prognosis (mesh)Sensitivity and Specificity (mesh)Uterine Cervical Neoplasms (mesh)Uterine Cervical Dysplasia (mesh)1112 Oncology and Carcinogenesis (for)Oncology & Carcinogenesis (science-metrix)3211 Oncology and carcinogenesis (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3qc5r372https://escholarship.org/content/qt3qc5r372/qt3qc5r372.pdfinfo:doi/10.1002/ijc.28996articleInternational Journal of Cancer, vol 136, iss 2392 - 398oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1d80f78c2026-07-31T16:04:03Zqt1d80f78cDefault biases in the interpretation of English negation, conjunction, and disjunctionJasbi, MasoudBermudez, NataliaDavidson, Kathryn2023-01-27Previous research has hypothesized default interpretive biases for three types of ambiguities with English logical words and, or, and not. First, disjunction (A or B) is hypothesized to be biased towards an exclusive interpretation in upward-entailing environments and an inclusive interpretation in downward-entailing environments (Levinson 2000, Chierchia 2004, Breheny et al. 2005). A negated disjunction (not A or B) is claimed to be biased towards a "neither-nor" interpretation (i.e. wide scope negation: ¬[A ^ B]) and a negated conjunction is said to be biased towards an "either-not" interpretation (i.e. wide-scope negation: ¬[A ^ B]) (Szabolcsi 2002, Szabolcsi & Haddican 2004). We tested these hypotheses within the same experimental paradigm with 149 English-speaking participants and found disjunction to be biased towards an inclusive interpretation across three different entailment environments: episodic declaratives, questions, and conditional antecedents. Our results also confirmed that English negated disjunction is biased towards a "neither-nor" (wide scope negation) interpretation but the results did not show an "either-not" bias (wide scope negation) for negated conjunction.implicaturedisjunctionconjunctionnegationscopepsycholinguisticssemanticspragmaticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1d80f78chttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1d80f78c/qt1d80f78c.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5382articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9q25013b2026-07-31T16:01:27Zqt9q25013bCorrelation analysis of genetic admixture and social identification with body mass index in a Native American CommunityNorden-Krichmar, Trina MGizer, Ian RLibiger, OndrejWilhelmsen, Kirk CEhlers, Cindy LSchork, Nicholas J2014-05-01OBJECTIVES: Body mass index (BMI) is a well-known measure of obesity with a multitude of genetic and non-genetic determinants. Identifying the underlying factors associated with BMI is difficult because of its multifactorial etiology that varies as a function of geoethnic background and socioeconomic setting. Thus, we pursued a study exploring the influence of the degree of Native American admixture on BMI (as well as weight and height individually) in a community sample of Native Americans (n = 846) while accommodating a variety of socioeconomic and cultural factors.
METHODS: Participants' degree of Native American (NA) ancestry was estimated using a genome-wide panel of markers. The participants also completed an extensive survey of cultural and social identity measures: the Indian Culture Scale (ICS) and the Orthogonal Cultural Identification Scale (OCIS). Multiple linear regression was used to examine the relation between these measures and BMI.
RESULTS: Our results suggest that BMI is correlated positively with the proportion of NA ancestry. Age was also significantly associated with BMI, while gender and socioeconomic measures (education and income) were not. For the two cultural identity measures, the ICS showed a positive correlation with BMI, while OCIS was not associated with BMI.
CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these results suggest that genetic and cultural environmental factors, rather than socioeconomic factors, account for a substantial proportion of variation in BMI in this population. Further, significant correlations between degree of NA ancestry and BMI suggest that admixture mapping may be appropriate to identify loci associated with BMI in this population.4401 Anthropology (for-2020)32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3210 Nutrition and Dietetics (for-2020)44 Human Society (for-2020)Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)American Indian or Alaska Native (rcdc)Nutrition (rcdc)Human Genome (rcdc)Genetics (rcdc)Basic Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Obesity (rcdc)Prevention (rcdc)Adolescent (mesh)Adult (mesh)Age Factors (mesh)Aged (mesh)Aged80 and over (mesh)Body Height (mesh)Body Mass Index (mesh)Body Weight (mesh)Female (mesh)Genetic Markers (mesh)Genome-Wide Association Study (mesh)Humans (mesh)IndiansNorth American (mesh)Male (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)North America (mesh)Pedigree (mesh)Regression Analysis (mesh)Social Identification (mesh)Socioeconomic Factors (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)Humans (mesh)Body Weight (mesh)Genetic Markers (mesh)Body Mass Index (mesh)Body Height (mesh)Regression Analysis (mesh)Pedigree (mesh)Social Identification (mesh)Age Factors (mesh)Socioeconomic Factors (mesh)Adolescent (mesh)Adult (mesh)Aged (mesh)Aged80 and over (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)IndiansNorth American (mesh)North America (mesh)Female (mesh)Male (mesh)Genome-Wide Association Study (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)Adolescent (mesh)Adult (mesh)Age Factors (mesh)Aged (mesh)Aged80 and over (mesh)Body Height (mesh)Body Mass Index (mesh)Body Weight (mesh)Female (mesh)Genetic Markers (mesh)Genome-Wide Association Study (mesh)Humans (mesh)IndiansNorth American (mesh)Male (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)North America (mesh)Pedigree (mesh)Regression Analysis (mesh)Social Identification (mesh)Socioeconomic Factors (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)0603 Evolutionary Biology (for)1111 Nutrition and Dietetics (for)1601 Anthropology (for)Evolutionary Biology (science-metrix)3210 Nutrition and dietetics (for-2020)4401 Anthropology (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9q25013bhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9q25013b/qt9q25013b.pdfinfo:doi/10.1002/ajhb.22521articleAmerican Journal of Human Biology, vol 26, iss 3347 - 360oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5bf0v9242026-07-31T15:58:59Zqt5bf0v924Investigating a shared mechanism in the priming of manner and quantity implicatureCowan, JoeKatsos, Napoleon2023-01-27In the current paper, we investigate the existence of a shared derivation mechanism between manner and quantity implicature. As per the Gricean-inspired perspective, both manner and quantity implicature are derived in a substantially analogous fashion, relying on the consideration of alternative ways in which the speaker could have spoken, but didn't. In contrast, other accounts (e.g., grammatical accounts) of quantity implicature consider manner implicature and quantity implicature to be distinct in their derivational mechanisms.Previous studies have found that quantity implicature can prime the derivation of subsequent quantity implicature both within and between quantity implicature subtypes in a structural priming paradigm, suggesting that ad hoc, numeral and some quantity implicature are governed by the same derivational mechanism. We have applied a structural priming paradigm to the case of manner implicature to investigate 1) whether manner implicature can be primed, 2) whether manner implicature can prime manner implicature and 3) whether manner implicature can be primed by quantity implicature. Through manner-manner priming, the paper addresses the psycholinguistic reality of manner. While quantity-manner priming probes the existence of a shared derivational mechanism between the phenomena.We show that manner implicature can prime manner implicature under certain experimental circumstances and that ad hoc quantity, but not some quantity implicature can also prime manner implicature, whereas some quantity implicature cannot.Manner implicaturequantity implicaturescalar implicatureprimingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5bf0v924https://escholarship.org/content/qt5bf0v924/qt5bf0v924.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5383articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8dg4t8n32026-07-31T15:58:55Zqt8dg4t8n3Beyond Surprising: English Event Structure in the MazeLevinson, Lisa2023-01-27To what extent can we tease apart semantic representations and processes from other influences on processing such as probabilistic prediction? In this paper I detail two experiments testing the hypothesis that there are semantic complexity in the lexical representations of result verbs that influences reaction times above and beyond probabilistic distributions. This is done by replicating a self-paced reading study from Levinson & Brennan (2016) while also modelling lexical surprisal. Experiment 1 replicates the original result, but only in experiment 2 using the maze task does the effect emerge beyond surprisals. The more focal maze task results suggest that processing costs associated with bieventive result verbs should be accounted for by grammatical factors, in addition to probabilistic prediction.eventssemanticssurprisalevent structureverbsmaze taskself-paced readingpsycholinguisticspredictionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8dg4t8n3https://escholarship.org/content/qt8dg4t8n3/qt8dg4t8n3.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5384articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt86s8r1612026-07-31T15:58:52Zqt86s8r161Informational content vs. discourse orientation: experimental and computational perspectivesWinterstein, GrégoireCantin-Savoie, GhyslainLaperle, SamuelVan Dorpe, JosianeVilleneuve, Nora2023-01-27The aim of this study is to investigate how human speakers and computational language models process (i) the informational content and (ii) the discourse orientation of natural language sentences. These two dimensions of meaning have received little attention outside theoretical literature, especially in the computational linguistics domain. To help fill this void, we present the results of four experiments that exploit the specific semantics of two French adverbs, namely presque (≃ ’almost’) and à peine (≃ ’barely’), which put these two dimensions of meaning at odds. Each experiment focuses on one kind of population (humans or language models), and one kind of meaning (informational content or discourse orientation). Our results show that humans are indeed sensitive to informational content and discourse direction, as assumed in the theoretical literature. Language models exhibit a less transparent behavior. Their performances in dealing with the semantics of presque appear in line with predictions based on the way these models are trained, but this does not extend to à peine.semanticspragmaticslanguage modelspsycholinguisticsentailmentdiscourse semanticsnatural langue inferenceapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/86s8r161https://escholarship.org/content/qt86s8r161/qt86s8r161.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5389articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5r62k1cn2026-07-31T15:58:48Zqt5r62k1cnTransparency in the processing of temporal ambiguity: The case of embedded tenseArmenante, GiulianoHohaus, VeraStolterfoht, Britta2023-01-27We report the results of one acceptability rating study and two self-paced reading studies on the form-meaning mismatch in the interpretation of past-under-past in complement clauses in English. Across the three experiments, we find an off-line and on-line preference for the backward-shifted interpretation, in line with predictions of the structural approach to the ambiguity when assuming a processing preference for morphological transparent interpretation.tense semanticsconsecutio temporumsequence-of-tense parameterform-meaning mismatchesambiguityprocessing strategiescomprehensionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5r62k1cnhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5r62k1cn/qt5r62k1cn.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5390articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt49s7f73m2026-07-31T15:58:44Zqt49s7f73mRepresenting affect information in word embeddingsZhang, YuhanChen, WenqiZhang, RuihanZhang, Xiajie2023-01-27A growing body of research in natural language processing (NLP) and natural language understanding (NLU) is investigating human-like knowledge learned or encoded in the word embeddings from large language models. This is a step towards understanding what knowledge language models capture that resembles human understanding of language and communication. Here, we investigated whether and how the affect meaning of a word (i.e., valence, arousal, dominance) is encoded in word embeddings pre-trained in large neural networks. We used the human-labeled dataset (Mohammad 2018) as the ground truth and performed various correlational and classification tests on four types of word embeddings. The embeddings varied in being static or contextualized, and how much affect specific information was prioritized during the pre-training and fine-tuning phase. Our analyses show that word embedding from the vanilla BERT model (Devlin et al. 2019) did not saliently encode the affect information of English words. Only when the BERT model was fine-tuned on emotion related tasks or contained extra contextualized information from emotion-rich contexts could the corresponding embedding encode more relevant affect information.language modelsword embeddingsaffect meaninglexical semanticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/49s7f73mhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt49s7f73m/qt49s7f73m.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5391articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0wt5074g2026-07-31T15:58:41Zqt0wt5074gReading times show effects of contextual complexity and uncertainty in comprehension of German universal quantifiersSchlotterbeck, FabianAugurzky, Petra2023-01-27We report three experiments, in which we combined self-paced reading with picture-sentence verification to test how reading times are affected by meaning-related processes. In particular, we investigated German sentences containing the universal quantifier alle ("all") and examined how restrictive processes incrementally interact with other aspects of quantifier meaning, comparably to previous studies using other methods. Our results show that reading times were sensitive towards a match between context and sentence meaning and also towards an interaction between picture complexity and task demands. The results also point to the need for integrated processing models that combine refined notions of the relation between memory and expectations, on the one hand, with assumptions about adaptive processes and about representations involved in compositional interpretation, on the other.language comprehensioncompositional-semantic processingquantifier restrictionself-paced readingexpectation-based processingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0wt5074ghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0wt5074g/qt0wt5074g.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5392articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0rw2w8h02026-07-31T15:58:37Zqt0rw2w8h0Proportions vs. cardinalities: Comparative ambiguities and the COVID pandemicKaiser, Elsi2023-01-27This paper reports two psycholinguistic experiments on quantity comparatives and superlatives that are potentially ambiguous between cardinal and proportional readings. By using statements about COVID cases and vaccination numbers as a naturalistic context with real-world relevance, this work furthers our understanding of what happens in linguistic environments where multiple measure functions are available—what modulates the choice between them? The results provide new evidence that comparatives and superlatives can refer to scales ranging over degrees of proportion, in addition to degrees of cardinality. Furthermore, this experimental evidence points to a preference for cardinal interpretations, but also show that this is not rigid and can be weakened in favor of proportional readings by semantic factors—including considerations potentially related to stage- vs. individual-level differences—and by certain linguistic forms.comparativessuperlativesexperimental semanticsproportional quantifiersdegree semanticsCOVID-19stage-level and individual-level predicatesapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0rw2w8h0https://escholarship.org/content/qt0rw2w8h0/qt0rw2w8h0.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5394articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5w2343f02026-07-31T15:58:34Zqt5w2343f0On a concessive reading of the rise-fall-rise contour: contextual and semantic factorsGöbel, AlexanderWagner, Michael2023-01-27This paper presents three auditory rating experiments on the rise-fall-rise contour (RFR). Experiment 1 provides experimental evidence that the RFR makes disagreeing with a prior statement more natural than neutral intonation would. Additionally, the data show that the RFR exhibits a valence asymmetry, noted by G√∂bel (2019): the amelioration of a disagreement is greater when the RFR is used in a positive reply to a negative statement than in a negative reply to a positive statement. Experiments 2 and 3 investigate factors contributing to this asymmetry, showing that it disappears in replies to questions and is weakened when the reply contains an additive particle. Based on these results, we argue that the RFR has a scalar meaning, following G√∂bel (2019), with the relevant scale being contextually determined and resulting in an ambiguity resembling the Focus-particle at least.intonationfocus-particlesalternativesapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5w2343f0https://escholarship.org/content/qt5w2343f0/qt5w2343f0.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5395articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5bp0r0bn2026-07-31T15:58:30Zqt5bp0r0bnReal-time processing of indexical and generic expressions: Insights from, and implications for, COVID-related public health messagesKaiser, ElsiStorbeck, Jesse2023-01-27We used COVID-related health messages to investigate the incremental processing of expressions such as you, we and people in generic contexts, to further our understanding of how these kinds of expressions are processed in real-time and to explore whether the ease of comprehending public health messages related to the COVID pandemic is influenced by type of referring expression. Results from a self-paced reading study point to an increased processing load in messages with the non-indexical form people (relative to we and you), which we suggest is separable from effects of word length and frequency. We interpret this as preliminary support for the Indexicality Hypothesis, which posits that expressions which can in principle receive indexical interpretations are easier to process than non-indexicals, and also emphasize the need for further work on these kinds of questions.pronounsindexicalsgeneric referenceperspective-takingpublic health communicationself-paced readingCOVID-19 pandemiccoronavirusapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5bp0r0bnhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5bp0r0bn/qt5bp0r0bn.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5398articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt28k0g9fn2026-07-31T15:58:26Zqt28k0g9fnComparing Global and Local Accommodation: Rating and Response Time DataGöbel, AlexanderSchwarz, Florian2023-01-27This paper addresses the question to what extent global and local accommodation should be viewed as sharing the same underlying mechanism or whether they are distinct processes that only happen to share the same label. We present offline rating data and response times from a mouse-tracking experiment that directly compared global and local accommodation for five different triggers. The results show that globally accommodating a presupposition led to a larger decrease in acceptance than locally accommodating, and that response times for local accommodation were overall faster. While we take the results to be inconclusive with regard to the question about the underlying mechanism, we conjecture that the contexts tested here were more favorable for local accommodation, and that hence investigating how different contexts affect the relative ease of accommodation type is a promising avenue for future research.presuppositionaccommodationmouse-trackingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/28k0g9fnhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt28k0g9fn/qt28k0g9fn.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5400articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5vz773jw2026-07-31T15:58:22Zqt5vz773jwTesting the influence of QUDs on the occurrence of Conditional PerfectionGrusdt, BrittaLiu, MingyaFranke, Michael2023-01-27In natural language conversations, speakers often communicate 'if and only if' when they say 'if'. The reasons why in some circumstances, yet not all, conditionals receive a biconditional interpretation remain under investigation. Von Fintel (2001) proposed an account where the interpretation of a conditional ("if p, then q") is predicted to depend on the focus of the conversation which may either lie on the conditions that make the consequent, q, true or on the consequences following when the antecedent, p, is true. To test this account, we present two novel behavioral experiments with non-text based stimuli that take advantage of participants' intuitive understanding of physics. We find some supporting evidence for the tested account that is not conclusive but suggests that other aspects, like the nature of potential alternative causes for the consequent to become true (e.g., with or w/o the influence of an external variable), also play a role for the interpretation of the conditional.conditional perfectionindicative conditionalspragmaticsquestion under discussionexhaustivityexperimentalapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5vz773jwhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5vz773jw/qt5vz773jw.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5413articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3tq920v32026-07-31T15:58:16Zqt3tq920v3On the interpretation of German einige. The effect of tense and cardinalityCortez Espinoza, MayaFricke, Lea2023-01-27We present a study investigating the effect of tense (past vs. future) on the computation of scalar implicatures in connection with the German quantifier einige 'some' in an interactive experiment, which included a financial incentive for participants to consider whether another speaker would share their judgment. We tested the hypothesis that scalar implicatures are less frequently drawn in future tense than in past tense. In addition, we studied to what extent sets with various cardinalities are prototypical representatives of einige + N. We hypothesized that larger cardinalities are more prototypical representatives of the quantifier einige than smaller cardinalities (relative to the cardinality of the total set). We analyzed the experimental data with probabilistic Bayesian models with a linking hypothesis between participants' responses and readings based on utility maximization in simple decision problems. In line with the hypotheses, we found that less scalar implicatures are drawn in future tense than in past tense, which replicates the results of previous research on English some, and that with an increase in set size acceptance of statements involving einige also increases.scalar implicaturesGerman einigetensequantifier interpretationBayesian modelingexperimental pragmaticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3tq920v3https://escholarship.org/content/qt3tq920v3/qt3tq920v3.pdfinfo:doi/10.3765/elm.2.5414articleExperiments in Linguistic Meaning, vol 2, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt512678qp2026-07-31T15:52:42Zqt512678qpAuthor Correction: Study of 300,486 individuals identifies 148 independent genetic loci influencing general cognitive functionDavies, GailLam, MaxHarris, Sarah ETrampush, Joey WLuciano, MichelleHill, W DavidHagenaars, Saskia PRitchie, Stuart JMarioni, Riccardo EFawns-Ritchie, ChloeLiewald, David CMOkely, Judith AAhola-Olli, Ari VBarnes, Catriona LKBertram, LarsBis, Joshua CBurdick, Katherine EChristoforou, AndreaDeRosse, PamelaDjurovic, SrdjanEspeseth, ThomasGiakoumaki, StellaGiddaluru, SudheerGustavson, Daniel EHayward, CarolineHofer, EdithIkram, M ArfanKarlsson, RobertKnowles, EmmaLahti, JariLeber, MarkusLi, ShuoMather, Karen AMelle, IngridMorris, DerekOldmeadow, ChristopherPalviainen, TeemuPayton, AntonyPazoki, RahaPetrovic, KatjaReynolds, Chandra ASargurupremraj, MuralidharanScholz, MarkusSmith, Jennifer ASmith, Albert VTerzikhan, NatalieThalamuthu, AnbupalamTrompet, Stellavan der Lee, Sven JWare, Erin BWindham, B GwenWright, Margaret JYang, JingyunYu, JinAmes, DavidAmin, NajafAmouyel, PhilippeAndreassen, Ole AArmstrong, Nicola JAssareh, Amelia AAttia, John RAttix, DeborahAvramopoulos, DimitriosBennett, David ABöhmer, Anne CBoyle, Patricia ABrodaty, HenryCampbell, HarryCannon, Tyrone DCirulli, Elizabeth TCongdon, ElizaConley, Emily DrabantCorley, JanieCox, Simon RDale, Anders MDehghan, AbbasDick, DanielleDickinson, DwightEriksson, Johan GEvangelou, EvangelosFaul, Jessica DFord, IanFreimer, Nelson AGao, HeGiegling, InaGillespie, Nathan AGordon, Scott DGottesman, Rebecca FGriswold, Michael EGudnason, VilmundurHarris, Tamara BHartmann, Annette MHatzimanolis, AlexHeiss, GerardoHolliday, Elizabeth GJoshi, Peter KKähönen, MikaKardia, Sharon LRKarlsson, IdaKleineidam, Luca2019-01-01Christina M. Lill, who contributed to analysis of data, was inadvertently omitted from the author list in the originally published version of this article. This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the article.31 Biological Sciences (for-2020)32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3105 Genetics (for-2020)Genetics (rcdc)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/512678qphttps://escholarship.org/content/qt512678qp/qt512678qp.pdfinfo:doi/10.1038/s41467-019-10160-warticleNature Communications, vol 10, iss 12068oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt02r5b6t62026-07-31T15:51:54Zqt02r5b6t6Particle- γ coincidence spectroscopy of the N = 90 nucleus 154Gd by (p,tγ)Allmond, JMBeausang, CWRoss, TJHumby, PBasunia, MSBernstein, LABleuel, DLBrooks, WBrown, NBurke, JTDarakchieva, BKDudziak, KREvans, KEFallon, PJeppesen, HBLeBlanc, JDLesher, SRMcMahan, MAMeyer, DAPhair, LRasmussen, JOScielzo, NDStroberg, SRWiedeking, M2017-03-01Abstract.A segmented Si-telescope and HPGe array, STARS-LIBERACE, was used to study the 156Gd(p,tγ$$p,t\gamma$$)154Gd direct reaction by particle- γ$$ \gamma$$ coincidence spectroscopy. New cross sections with a 25MeV proton beam are reported and compared to previous (p,t) and (t,p) studies. Furthermore, additional evidence for coexisting Kπ=01+,21+$$ K^{\pi}=0_{1}^{+},2_{1}^{+}$$ and 02+$$0_{2}^{+}$$, 22+$$2_{2}^{+}$$ configurations at N = 90 is presented. Direct and indirect population patterns of the low-lying states are also explored. Review of the new and existing evidence favors an interpretation based on a configuration-dependent pairing interaction. The weakening of monopole pairing strength and an increase in quadrupole pairing strength could bring 2p-2h 0+$$0^{+}$$ states below 2Δ\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$2\Delta$\end{document}. This may account for a large number of the low-lying 0+$$0^{+}$$ states observed in two-nucleon transfer reactions. A hypothesis for the origin of the 02+$$0_{2}^{+}$$ and 03+$$ 0_{3}^{+}$$ states is provided.5106 Nuclear and Plasma Physics (for-2020)5110 Synchrotrons and Accelerators (for-2020)51 Physical Sciences (for-2020)NSD-Nuclear Data (c-lbnl-label)NSD-88-Inch Cyclotron (c-lbnl-label)NSD-Low Energy Nuclear Physics (c-lbnl-label)0202 AtomicMolecularNuclearParticle and Plasma Physics (for)Nuclear & Particles Physics (science-metrix)5106 Nuclear and plasma physics (for-2020)5107 Particle and high energy physics (for-2020)5110 Synchrotrons and accelerators (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/02r5b6t6https://escholarship.org/content/qt02r5b6t6/qt02r5b6t6.pdfinfo:doi/10.1140/epja/i2017-12253-2articleThe European Physical Journal A, vol 53, iss 362oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt30d5k0892026-07-31T15:45:31Zqt30d5k089Parameters Driving Concrete Carbonation at its End-of-Life for Direct Air Capture in Transportation ProjectsKnight, Kelli AnneMiller, Sabbie A.2024-09-01Recent California regulatory efforts, United States goals, and industry roadmaps all target net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the cement and concrete industries within a few decades. While changes in production of cement and concrete, including varying constituents, can greatly reduce GHG emissions, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) will be needed to meet this net-zero goal. Hydrated cement in concrete can carbonate (i.e., form carbon-based minerals with atmospheric CO2) and thus act as a CDR mechanism. This process occurs faster with a large surface area, such as crushed concrete at its end-of-life (EoL), which can be uniquely leveraged by transportation infrastructure projects. In this work, a literature review of key parameters that can facilitate desired CO2 uptake for transportation projects at their end of life is conducted and an initial meta-analyses of data from the literature to inform CO2 uptake for individual projects is performed. Initial considerations for what concomitant impacts may arise from this process are presented. Finally, experiments to fill a key gap in understanding how thin crushed concrete must be spread to maximize uptake reactions are conducted. Cumulatively, findings will inform whether carbonation can be implementedin a way that would support policies that include carbonation as a route for reducing emissions from cement-based materials in transportation applicationsView the NCST Project WebpageCarbon capture and storageCarbon dioxideCarbonationCementConcreteGreenhouse gasesapplication/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/30d5k089https://escholarship.org/content/qt30d5k089/qt30d5k089.pdfinfo:doi/10.7922/G23X850Narticleoai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt85n5c4rq2026-07-31T15:40:31Zqt85n5c4rqEight quick tips for data-model integration in ecologyBalstad, Laurinne JBrennan, JoeBaskett, Marissa LBerglund, Mattea KBlundell, Mei ZBolin, Jessica ABriggs, Amy AFisher, Mary CHeggerud, Christopher MJarvis-Cross, MadelineMossman, LaurenOdell, Andrea NPaige, JenniferPelletier, SophiaProvost, Mikaela MPalagi, Patricia M2026-07-2001 Mathematical Sciences (for)06 Biological Sciences (for)08 Information and Computing Sciences (for)Bioinformatics (science-metrix)CC-BY-NC-SAeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/85n5c4rqinfo:doi/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1014524articlePLOS Computational Biology, vol 22, iss 7e1014524oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt24v0b2sq2026-07-31T15:40:28Zqt24v0b2sqA Conceptual Foundation for the Development of a Lifelong Learning Measurement FrameworkDesjardins, RichardKalenda, Jan2026-07-28This report proposes a conceptual framework for measuring lifelong learning (LLL) aimed at improving policy design and evaluation. Lifelong learning is understood as learning across the life course and diverse contexts. The report identifies key limitations in current data systems, including narrow age coverage, lack of longitudinal tracking, overemphasis on labour-market outcomes, and insufficient measurement of informal learning. To address these gaps, the framework is structured around three interconnected pillars: demand, supply, and coordination. Demand captures learning needs at individual, organisational, and societal levels; supply maps opportunities across formal education, workplaces, welfare systems, and communities; and coordination focuses on mechanisms that align needs with provision. The framework also redefines learning by introducing a two dimensional model based on formalisation and digitalisation, better capturing hybrid and emerging forms. Finally, it outlines practical steps for implementation, including improved surveys, longitudinal data linkages, administrative data integration, skills passports, and advanced analytics to support more comprehensive and effective lifelong learning systems. The report will be of interest to education policy makers, whether interested in formal education or adult learning, to statisticians as well as other education stakeholders.CC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/24v0b2sqinfo:doi/10.1787/27e5a619-enarticleoai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt15v2798m2026-07-31T15:40:23Zqt15v2798mGlobal, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 333 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016Collaborators, GBD 2016 DALYs and HALEHay, Simon IAbajobir, Amanuel AlemuAbate, Kalkidan HassenAbbafati, CristianaAbbas, Kaja MAbd-Allah, FoadAbdulkader, Rizwan SuliankatchiAbdulle, Abdishakur MAbebo, Teshome AbukaAbera, Semaw FeredeAboyans, VictorAbu-Raddad, Laith JAckerman, Ilana NAdedeji, Isaac AAdetokunboh, OlatunjiAfshin, AshkanAggarwal, RakeshAgrawal, SutapaAgrawal, AnuragAhmed, Muktar BeshirAichour, Miloud Taki EddineAichour, Amani NidhalAichour, IbtihelAiyar, SnehaAkinyemiju, Tomi FAkseer, NadiaAl Lami, Faris HasanAlahdab, FaresAl-Aly, ZiyadAlam, KhurshidAlam, NooreAlam, TahiyaAlasfoor, DeenaAlene, Kefyalew AddisAli, RaghibAlizadeh-Navaei, RezaAlkaabi, Juma MAlkerwi, Ala'aAlla, FrançoisAllebeck, PeterAllen, ChristineAl-Maskari, FatmaAlMazroa, Mohammad AbdulAzizAl-Raddadi, RajaaAlsharif, UbaiAlsowaidi, ShirinaAlthouse, Benjamin MAltirkawi, Khalid AAlvis-Guzman, NelsonAmare, Azmeraw TAmini, ErfanAmmar, WalidAmoako, Yaw AmpemAnsha, Mustafa GeletoAntonio, Carl Abelardo TAnwari, PalwashaÄrnlöv, JohanArora, MeghaArtaman, AlAryal, Krishna KumarAsgedom, Solomon WAtey, Tesfay MehariAtnafu, Niguse TadeleAvila-Burgos, LeticiaAvokpaho, Euripide Frinel G ArthurAwasthi, AshishAwasthi, ShallyAzarpazhooh, Mahmoud RezaAzzopardi, PeterBabalola, Tesleem KayodeBacha, UmarBadawi, AlaaBalakrishnan, KalpanaBannick, Marlena SBarac, AleksandraBarker-Collo, Suzanne LBärnighausen, TillBarquera, SimonBarrero, Lope HBasu, SanjayBattista, RobertBattle, Katherine EBaune, Bernhard TBazargan-Hejazi, ShahrzadBeardsley, JustinBedi, NeerajBéjot, YannickBekele, Bayu BegashawBell, Michelle LBennett, Derrick ABennett, James RBensenor, Isabela MBenson, JenniferBerhane, AdugnawBerhe, Derbew FikaduBernabé, EduardoBetsu, Balem DemtsuBeuran, MirceaBeyene, Addisu Shunu2017-09-01BACKGROUND: Measurement of changes in health across locations is useful to compare and contrast changing epidemiological patterns against health system performance and identify specific needs for resource allocation in research, policy development, and programme decision making. Using the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016, we drew from two widely used summary measures to monitor such changes in population health: disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) and healthy life expectancy (HALE). We used these measures to track trends and benchmark progress compared with expected trends on the basis of the Socio-demographic Index (SDI).
METHODS: We used results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 for all-cause mortality, cause-specific mortality, and non-fatal disease burden to derive HALE and DALYs by sex for 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2016. We calculated DALYs by summing years of life lost and years of life lived with disability for each location, age group, sex, and year. We estimated HALE using age-specific death rates and years of life lived with disability per capita. We explored how DALYs and HALE differed from expected trends when compared with the SDI: the geometric mean of income per person, educational attainment in the population older than age 15 years, and total fertility rate.
FINDINGS: The highest globally observed HALE at birth for both women and men was in Singapore, at 75·2 years (95% uncertainty interval 71·9-78·6) for females and 72·0 years (68·8-75·1) for males. The lowest for females was in the Central African Republic (45·6 years [42·0-49·5]) and for males was in Lesotho (41·5 years [39·0-44·0]). From 1990 to 2016, global HALE increased by an average of 6·24 years (5·97-6·48) for both sexes combined. Global HALE increased by 6·04 years (5·74-6·27) for males and 6·49 years (6·08-6·77) for females, whereas HALE at age 65 years increased by 1·78 years (1·61-1·93) for males and 1·96 years (1·69-2·13) for females. Total global DALYs remained largely unchanged from 1990 to 2016 (-2·3% [-5·9 to 0·9]), with decreases in communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional (CMNN) disease DALYs offset by increased DALYs due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The exemplars, calculated as the five lowest ratios of observed to expected age-standardised DALY rates in 2016, were Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the Maldives, Peru, and Israel. The leading three causes of DALYs globally were ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and lower respiratory infections, comprising 16·1% of all DALYs. Total DALYs and age-standardised DALY rates due to most CMNN causes decreased from 1990 to 2016. Conversely, the total DALY burden rose for most NCDs; however, age-standardised DALY rates due to NCDs declined globally.
INTERPRETATION: At a global level, DALYs and HALE continue to show improvements. At the same time, we observe that many populations are facing growing functional health loss. Rising SDI was associated with increases in cumulative years of life lived with disability and decreases in CMNN DALYs offset by increased NCD DALYs. Relative compression of morbidity highlights the importance of continued health interventions, which has changed in most locations in pace with the gross domestic product per person, education, and family planning. The analysis of DALYs and HALE and their relationship to SDI represents a robust framework with which to benchmark location-specific health performance. Country-specific drivers of disease burden, particularly for causes with higher-than-expected DALYs, should inform health policies, health system improvement initiatives, targeted prevention efforts, and development assistance for health, including financial and research investments for all countries, regardless of their level of sociodemographic development. The presence of countries that substantially outperform others suggests the need for increased scrutiny for proven examples of best practices, which can help to extend gains, whereas the presence of underperforming countries suggests the need for devotion of extra attention to health systems that need more robust support.
FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.4202 Epidemiology (for-2020)4206 Public Health (for-2020)42 Health Sciences (for-2020)Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Clinical Research (rcdc)Aging (rcdc)Prevention (rcdc)Burden of Illness (rcdc)Health Disparities and Racial or Ethnic Minority Health Research (rcdc)Social Determinants of Health (rcdc)Women's Health (rcdc)Health Disparities (rcdc)2.4 Surveillance and distribution (hrcs-rac)3 Good Health and Well Being (sdg)Adult (mesh)Age Distribution (mesh)Aged (mesh)Aged80 and over (mesh)Cause of Death (mesh)Communicable Diseases (mesh)Persons with Disabilities (mesh)Female (mesh)Global Burden of Disease (mesh)Global Health (mesh)Humans (mesh)Life Expectancy (mesh)Male (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Noncommunicable Diseases (mesh)Quality-Adjusted Life Years (mesh)Residence Characteristics (mesh)Sex Distribution (mesh)Wounds and Injuries (mesh)GBD 2016 DALYs and HALE CollaboratorsHumans (mesh)Communicable Diseases (mesh)Wounds and Injuries (mesh)Life Expectancy (mesh)Cause of Death (mesh)Age Distribution (mesh)Residence Characteristics (mesh)Sex Distribution (mesh)Quality-Adjusted Life Years (mesh)Adult (mesh)Aged (mesh)Aged80 and over (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Female (mesh)Male (mesh)Global Health (mesh)Global Burden of Disease (mesh)Noncommunicable Diseases (mesh)Persons with Disabilities (mesh)Adult (mesh)Age Distribution (mesh)Aged (mesh)Aged80 and over (mesh)Cause of Death (mesh)Communicable Diseases (mesh)Persons with Disabilities (mesh)Female (mesh)Global Burden of Disease (mesh)Global Health (mesh)Humans (mesh)Life Expectancy (mesh)Male (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Noncommunicable Diseases (mesh)Quality-Adjusted Life Years (mesh)Residence Characteristics (mesh)Sex Distribution (mesh)Wounds and Injuries (mesh)11 Medical and Health Sciences (for)General & Internal Medicine (science-metrix)32 Biomedical and clinical sciences (for-2020)42 Health sciences (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/15v2798mhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt15v2798m/qt15v2798m.pdfinfo:doi/10.1016/s0140-6736(17)32130-xarticleThe Lancet, vol 390, iss 101001260 - 1344oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9042s7532026-07-31T15:36:57Zqt9042s753Attosecond response of molecules to impulsive ionizationDriver, TaranGuo, ZhaohengIsele, ErikGrell, GilbertRuberti, MarcoO’Neal, Jordan TAlexander, OliverBeauvarlet, SandraCesar, DavidDuris, JosephGarratt, DouglasLarsen, Kirk ALi, SiqiKolorenč, PřemyslMcCracken, Gregory ATuthill, DanielWang, ZifanBerrah, NoraBostedt, ChristophBorne, KurtisCheng, XinxinDiMauro, Louis FDoumy, GillesFranz, Paris LKamalov, AndreiLi, XiangLin, Ming-FuObaid, RazibPícon, AntonioRobles, River RRolles, DanielRudenko, ArtemShaikh, MoniruzzamanSlaughter, Daniel SSudar, Nicholas SThierstein, EmilyUeda, KiyoshiWang, EnliangWang, Anna LWeber, ThorstenWolf, Thomas JAYoung, LindaZhang, ZhenAverbukh, VitaliGessner, OliverBucksbaum, Philip HKling, Matthias FPalacios, AliciaMartín, FernandoMarangos, Jon PWalter, PeterMarinelli, AgostinoCryan, James P2026-07-20When matter interacts with energetic radiation it can undergo sudden, or impulsive, ionization. This process can drive chemical change and occurs widely in space and planetary atmospheres, yet its comprehensive description challenges our current theoretical and computational capabilities as it requires advanced treatment of electron correlation and nonadiabatic dynamics beyond the Born–Oppenheimer approximation. Here we measure the response of the para-aminophenol molecule to sudden ionization. Using attosecond X-ray absorption spectroscopy, we resolve the ultrafast dynamics of the ionized molecule with atomic precision. A subfemtosecond decay corresponds to states undergoing non-radiative decay, whereas few-femtosecond oscillatory signatures are associated with electronic wavepacket motion in stable cation states that later couple to nuclear motion. We compare our measurement with state-of-the-art computational modelling, qualitatively reproducing the observed response across multiple timescales. These results provide a benchmark for computational models of sudden ionization and ultrafast charge motion in matter.5102 AtomicMolecular and Optical Physics (for-2020)51 Physical Sciences (for-2020)01 Mathematical Sciences (for)02 Physical Sciences (for)Fluids & Plasmas (science-metrix)49 Mathematical sciences (for-2020)51 Physical sciences (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9042s753https://escholarship.org/content/qt9042s753/qt9042s753.pdfinfo:doi/10.1038/s41567-026-03360-xarticleNature Physics1 - 8oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6cr5b2fj2026-07-31T15:36:00Zqt6cr5b2fjExposure to perfluoroalkyl substances in a cohort of women firefighters and office workers in San FranciscoTrowbridge, JessicaGerona, RoyLin, ThomasRudel, Ruthann ABessonneau, VincentBuren, HeatherMorello-Frosch, Rachel2019-09-11Abstract Background Studies in male firefighters have demonstrated increased exposures to carcinogenic compounds and increased rates of certain cancers compared to the general population. Many chemicals related to these occupational exposures have been associated with breast tumor development in animal and human studies, yet, there have been no studies on women firefighters due to their low numbers in most fire departments. To address this data gap, the Women Firefighters Biomonitoring Collaborative (WFBC) created a biological sample archive and analyzed levels of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) among women firefighters and office workers in San Francisco. Methods Active duty women firefighters (n=86) and office workers (n=84) were recruited from the San Francisco Fire Department and the City and County of San Francisco, respectively. Serum samples were collected and analyzed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC MS/MS) to measure and compare PFAS levels between firefighters and office workers. For PFAS congeners detected in at least 70% of our study population, we examined differences in serum PFAS levels controlling for dietary, demographic and other confounders. Among firefighters, we assessed associations between occupational activities and PFAS levels. Results Eight of 12 PFAS congeners were detected at levels above the limit of detection and seven were detected in at least 70% of the study population. Four PFAS were detected in all study participants (PFNA, PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS). In regression models comparing PFAS levels by occupation and adjusting for potential confounders, firefighters had higher geometric mean (GM) concentrations of PFAS compared to office workers: 2.39 (95%CI = 1.64,3.48), 2.32 (95% CI = 1.17,4.62) and 1.26 (95% CI = 0.99, 1.59) times higher for PFHxS, PFUnDA and PFNA, respectively. In analyses limited to firefighters, PFAS levels varied by assigned position in the fire department—firefighters and officers had higher PFNA, PFOA, PFDA, and PFUnDA compared to drivers. Additionally, firefighters who reported having used firefighting foam had higher concentrations of PFOA compared firefighters who reported never having used foam. Conclusion Our study found ubiquitous exposures to PFAS among WFBC participants, with women firefighters exposed to higher levels of some PFAS compared to office workers, suggesting that some of these exposures may be occupationally related.3401 Analytical Chemistry (for-2020)34 Chemical Sciences (for-2020)Endocrine Disruptors (rcdc)Women's Health (rcdc)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6cr5b2fjhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6cr5b2fj/qt6cr5b2fj.pdfinfo:doi/10.1101/19005652articleoai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt45c8w9hr2026-07-31T15:35:55Zqt45c8w9hrIon Transport and Crystal Rotation in Plastic Crystal Electrolytes Under Applied Electric FieldsYap, Kyra MKAbdo, Emily EAramaki, HirokiSugisawa, HirokiHamamura, TomofumiMukunoki, KazunoriIm, JuliaCelik, HasanHesse, Sarah APaul, Partha PBalsara, Nitash P2026-07-14Organic ionic plastic crystal electrolytes, containing a plastic crystal and lithium salt, offer a potential balance between mechanical and electrochemical properties for solid state lithium-ion battery electrolytes. These electrolytes contain multiple mobile ionic species (three or four), resulting in complex transport mechanisms which have not yet been established. Plastic crystals are defined by long-range positional order and short-range rotational disorder. It is therefore necessary to quantify changes in the local crystal structure of the electrolyte as current flows through it. Herein, we examine the electrochemical properties of pyrrolidinium-based plastic crystal electrolytes containing lithium salt and zwitterion additives, including measurements of current fraction and limiting current. We obtain species-specific insight into electrolyte transport using pulsed-field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and find that, while the zwitterion additive increases ionic conductivity, it decreases lithium diffusivity with respect to other ionic components. With operando spatiotemporally resolved wide-angle X-ray scattering we observe location-specific crystal rotations due to the passage of ionic current. We posit that reducing energy dissipation due to rotation is essential for using plastic crystal electrolytes in practical applications.40 Engineering (for-2020)4016 Materials Engineering (for-2020)34 Chemical Sciences (for-2020)3406 Physical Chemistry (for-2020)7 Affordable and Clean Energy (sdg)03 Chemical Sciences (for)09 Engineering (for)Materials (science-metrix)34 Chemical sciences (for-2020)40 Engineering (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/45c8w9hrhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt45c8w9hr/qt45c8w9hr.pdfinfo:doi/10.1021/acs.chemmater.6c00803articleChemistry of Materials, vol 38, iss 136622 - 6635oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0dg4z35k2026-07-31T15:35:51Zqt0dg4z35kUniversal Relationship between Limiting Current and Electrochemical Transport Properties in Malonate-Based Polymer ElectrolytesJana, RounakGido, Lily APatel, VivaanAbdo, Emily EMakkar, ShreyaBowen, Michael SBalsara, Nitash P2026-07-07There is considerable interest in developing high-performance electrolytes for rechargeable lithium batteries. For practical applications, the electrolyte must support large dc currents. However, the parameters most often reported in the literature, conductivity, κ, and current fraction, ρ+, reflect ion transport in the limit of infinitesimal currents. In this limit, the efficacy of an electrolyte is given by the product κρ+. The limiting current density, i lim, is the maximum current density that can be applied across an electrolyte; the cell voltage diverges if the applied current density exceeds i lim. This parameter reflects ion transport in the limit of large dc currents and is therefore of practical interest. It would therefore be convenient if i lim could be predicted from measurements of κρ+. In order to explore this possibility, we studied six malonate-based polymers and PEO at a fixed salt concentration (r = 0.08) and temperature (90°C) using symmetric cells with planar electrodes. Unfortunately, there is no correlation between i lim and κρ+. When the applied current density, i, is less than i lim, the cell voltage approaches a stable plateau, ϕplateau. We found a linear dependence between i and thickness-normalized plateau potential, ϕplateau L –1, irrespective of the magnitude of the applied current. In all seven polymer electrolytes, we found a linear correlation between i lim and the slopes of these lines, σ. In other words, measurements of σ can be used to predict the limiting current.40 Engineering (for-2020)4016 Materials Engineering (for-2020)34 Chemical Sciences (for-2020)3406 Physical Chemistry (for-2020)03 Chemical Sciences (for)09 Engineering (for)Polymers (science-metrix)34 Chemical sciences (for-2020)40 Engineering (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0dg4z35khttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0dg4z35k/qt0dg4z35k.pdfinfo:doi/10.1021/acs.macromol.6c00686articleMacromoleculesoai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6kv5432w2026-07-31T15:32:28Zqt6kv5432wGBZ-base and GAF-base: Indexed pangenome file formatsSirén, JouniPaten, BenedictConsortium, the Human Pangenome Reference2026-07-11Motivation: Existing pangenome file formats are designed for batch processing. Graphs must be loaded into memory, and alignment files must be read sequentially. Indexed file formats that can be used directly from disk would be more appropriate for interactive applications.
Results: We propose GBZ-base and GAF-base - SQLite-backed file formats comparable to GBZ and GAF. GBZ-base supports efficient extraction of local subgraphs, and GAF-base lets us extract all alignments to the subgraph. Additionally, GAF-base is smaller than any other file format for sequence-to-graph alignments.
Availability and implementation: From https://github.com/jltsiren/gbz-base and https://crates.io/crates/gbz-base under the MIT license.46 Information and Computing Sciences (for-2020)31 Biological Sciences (for-2020)3102 Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (for-2020)CC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6kv5432winfo:doi/10.64898/2026.07.10.737775articlebioRxivoai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt998093wg2026-07-31T15:28:50Zqt998093wgEPOC Deep Dive Retrospective: A Brief Overview of 7 years of Science Engagement DiscussionsZurawski, JasonRobb, GeorgeEichelberger, CoreyMendoza, NathanielSchopf, JenniferSouthworth, Doug2026-07-26Understanding the appropriate ways cyberinfrastructure can be designed, implemented, and executed for scientific use cases requires a deep understanding of the way that researchers and educators interact with technology, and how it may be best implemented to suit their needs. The Engagement and Performance Operations Center (EPOC) has conducted a series of scientific “Deep Dives” of use cases at partner institutions to better understand the requirements for modern scientific innovation across the United States research complex. The results of these activities have revealed gaps in the way that technology has been used to foster research activities. This gap in cyberinfrastructure support has impacts for the overall productivity and innovation possibilities for scientific users.46 Information and Computing Sciences (for-2020)4610 Library and Information Studies (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BY-NC-NDeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/998093wghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt998093wg/qt998093wg.pdfinfo:doi/10.1145/3785462.3815864articleProceedings of the Practice and Experience in Advanced Research Computing 2026: Resilient Roots + Empowered Communities1 - 6oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5nv336xz2026-07-31T15:24:31Zqt5nv336xzAtmospheric River Tracking Method Intercomparison Project (ARTMIP): project goals and experimental designShields, Christine ARutz, Jonathan JLeung, Lai-YungRalph, F MartinWehner, MichaelKawzenuk, BrianLora, Juan MMcClenny, ElizabethOsborne, TashianaPayne, Ashley EUllrich, PaulGershunov, AlexanderGoldenson, NaomiGuan, BinQian, YunRamos, Alexandre MSarangi, ChandanSellars, ScottGorodetskaya, IrinaKashinath, KarthikKurlin, VitaliyMahoney, KellyMuszynski, GrzegorzPierce, RogerSubramanian, Aneesh CTome, RicardoWaliser, DuaneWalton, DanielWick, GaryWilson, AnnaLavers, DavidPrabhatCollow, AllisonKrishnan, HarinarayanMagnusdottir, GudrunNguyen, Phu2018-01-01Abstract. The Atmospheric River Tracking Method Intercomparison Project (ARTMIP) is an international collaborative effort to understand and quantify the uncertainties in atmospheric river (AR) science based on detection algorithm alone. Currently, there are many AR identification and tracking algorithms in the literature with a wide range of techniques and conclusions. ARTMIP strives to provide the community with information on different methodologies and provide guidance on the most appropriate algorithm for a given science question or region of interest. All ARTMIP participants will implement their detection algorithms on a specified common dataset for a defined period of time. The project is divided into two phases: Tier 1 will utilize the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2) reanalysis from January 1980 to June 2017 and will be used as a baseline for all subsequent comparisons. Participation in Tier 1 is required. Tier 2 will be optional and include sensitivity studies designed around specific science questions, such as reanalysis uncertainty and climate change. High-resolution reanalysis and/or model output will be used wherever possible. Proposed metrics include AR frequency, duration, intensity, and precipitation attributable to ARs. Here, we present the ARTMIP experimental design, timeline, project requirements, and a brief description of the variety of methodologies in the current literature. We also present results from our 1-month “proof-of-concept” trial run designed to illustrate the utility and feasibility of the ARTMIP project.37 Earth Sciences (for-2020)3701 Atmospheric Sciences (for-2020)13 Climate Action (sdg)04 Earth Sciences (for)37 Earth sciences (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5nv336xzhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5nv336xz/qt5nv336xz.pdfinfo:doi/10.5194/gmd-11-2455-2018articleGeoscientific Model Development, vol 11, iss 62455 - 2474oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt27g1q9pv2026-07-31T15:22:00Zqt27g1q9pvRapid Vapor-Driven Plasma Contamination and Suppressed Net Lithium Surface Loss in the HIDRA StellaratorRizkallah, RabelShone, AndrewO’Dea, DanielCurreli, DavideAndruczyk, Daniel2026-06-10Experiments in the HIDRA stellarator show that the inferred lithium net-loss suppression factor Reff, which absorbs effects from redeposition, recycling, and slow evaporation, remains between 0.91 and unity across hydrogen and helium plasmas. This implies a lithium lifetime far longer than would be expected from the evaporation rate alone. Lithium surface temperature locking appears only intermittently, and high-temperature operation consistently drives lithium release that overwhelms the available fueling. As a result, the plasma transitions quickly to a lithium-dominated regime, preventing sustained operation in vapor-shielding-relevant conditions. Despite HIDRA’s relatively low densities and particle fluxes, these findings highlight that unmitigated lithium vapor readily contaminates the confined plasma, underscoring the need for active capture or control to achieve stable lithium-based plasma–material interaction regimes.5106 Nuclear and Plasma Physics (for-2020)51 Physical Sciences (for-2020)Energy (science-metrix)5106 Nuclear and plasma physics (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/27g1q9pvhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt27g1q9pv/qt27g1q9pv.pdfinfo:doi/10.1007/s10894-026-00582-yarticleJournal of Fusion Energy, vol 45, iss 139oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3rp8p0072026-07-31T15:15:56Zqt3rp8p007Towards fully predictive gyrokinetic full-f simulations: validation and triangularity studies in TCVHoffmann, ACDBernard, TNFrancisquez, MHammett, GWHakim, ABoedo, JRizkallah, RTsui, CKTeam, The TCV2026-04-01Designing economical magnetic confinement fusion power plants motivates computational tools that can estimate plasma behavior from engineering parameters without direct reliance on experimental measurement of the plasma profiles. In this work, we present full-f global long-wavelength gyrokinetic simulations of edge and scrape-off layer turbulence in tokamaks that use only magnetic geometry, heating power, and particle inventory as inputs. Unlike many modeling approaches that employ free parameters fitted to experimental data, raising uncertainties when extrapolating to reactor scales. This approach directly simulates turbulence and resulting profiles through gyrokinetics without such empirical adjustments. This is achieved via an adaptive sourcing algorithm in Gkeyll that strictly controls energy injection and emulates particle sourcing due to neutral recycling. We show that the simulated kinetic profiles compare reasonably well with Thomson scattering and Langmuir probe data for Tokamak á Configuration Variable (TCV) discharge #65125, and that the simulations reproduce characteristic features such as blob transport and self-organized electric fields. Applying the same framework to study triangularity effects suggests mechanisms contributing to the improved confinement reported for negative triangularity (NT). Simulations of TCV discharges #65125 and #65130 indicate that NT increases the E×B flow shear (by about 20% in these cases), which correlates with reduced turbulent losses and a modest change in the distribution of power exhaust to the vessel wall. While the physical models contain approximations that can be refined in future work, the predictive capability demonstrated here, evolving multiple profile relaxation times with kinetic electron and ion models in hundreds of GPU hours, indicates the feasibility of using Gkeyll to support design studies of fusion devices.5106 Nuclear and Plasma Physics (for-2020)51 Physical Sciences (for-2020)Bioengineering (rcdc)gyrokineticsturbulencetokamaksimulationvalidationdiscontinuous Galerkingkeyll0202 AtomicMolecularNuclearParticle and Plasma Physics (for)Fluids & Plasmas (science-metrix)5106 Nuclear and plasma physics (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3rp8p007https://escholarship.org/content/qt3rp8p007/qt3rp8p007.pdfinfo:doi/10.1088/1741-4326/ae4effarticleNuclear Fusion, vol 66, iss 4046022oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1gn0d7gc2026-07-31T15:14:10Zqt1gn0d7gcEnhanced turbulent transport and drift reduction in divertors at the detachment onsetRizkallah, RabelBoedo, Jose ATsui, Cedric KPerillo, RenatoTeam, the TCV2026-04-01At the onset of detachment, measurements show that radial turbulent particle transport (Γ~r) increases by a factor of 2−4 above the dissipative region in the near scrape-off layer (SOL) of both single-null (SN) and snowflake (SF) divertors. This leads to a fourfold increase in the density decay length, with broadened density profiles and flattened electron temperature (Te) profiles along the divertor leg. These profiles are convected uniformly through the divertor by parallel flows, with parallel heat transport shifting from conduction- to convection-dominated. Within the dissipative divertor, the flattening and collapse of the plasma potential (Vp) profiles weaken electric field gradients, reducing the E × B drifts. Turbulent spreading upstream of the dissipative region thus emerges as the dominant mechanism for radial transport at the detachment onset. Radial and poloidal drifts are shown to move respectively ∼10%–20% and ∼15%–30% of the target-normal particle and heat flux delivered to the outer strike point in attached conditions, but their contribution drops to a few percent at the detachment onset.plasma turbulenceturbulent transportdivertor physicsdivertor detachmentExB flowsparallel transport0202 AtomicMolecularNuclearParticle and Plasma Physics (for)Fluids & Plasmas (science-metrix)5106 Nuclear and plasma physics (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1gn0d7gchttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1gn0d7gc/qt1gn0d7gc.pdfinfo:doi/10.1088/1741-4326/ae4fe0articleNuclear Fusion, vol 66, iss 4046028oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3896q4222026-07-31T15:13:01Zqt3896q422Progress and innovations in the TCV tokamak research programmeTheiler, CAdamek, JAgostini, MAlbert, CAlberti, SAlberti, GAleiferis, SAlessi, EAnastassiou, GAndrèbe, YAntonenas, YApruzzese, GMAucone, LAuriemma, FAyllon-Guerola, JAymerich, EBagnato, FBairaktaris, FBalestri, ABall, JBalugani, SBaquero-Ruiz, MBardsley, OBattey, AFBauer, TBechtle, SBernert, MBin, WBlanchard, PBoedo, JBolzonella, TBonalumi, LBonisolli, MBosman, TBouffet-Klein, RBoyer, MDBramucci, LBraunmüller, FBreizman, BNBrida, DBrown, BBrunner, SBuchli, JBuermans, JBusi, DCamenen, YCardinali, ACarli, SCarnevale, DCarpanese, FCarpita, MCasolari, ACastaldo, CCavedon, MCazabonne, JCerovsky, JChapman-Oplopoiou, BChellai, OChervonyi, YChlum, JChmielewski, PChomiczewska, ACicioni, RCiraolo, GClassen, IClod, ACoda, SColandrea, CContré, CECoosemans, RCordaro, LCornelissen, MCraciunescu, TZabala, DJ CruzCzarski, MDavies, IDawson, CDe Tommasi, GDe Vylder, BDecker, JDerks, GLDevlaminck, EDi Giannatale, Gdi Grazia, LEDing, RDonner, CDreval, MDritselis, CDubbioso, SDucker, RDunne, MDurr-Legoupil-Nicoud, GDuval, BPÉdes, LErnst, SFaitsch, MFan, CFasoli, AFedorczak, NFelici, F2026-11-01Research on the Tokamak à Configuration Variable addresses a wide range of key questions relevant to ITER and future fusion power plants. Over the past two years, highly productive experimental campaigns have led to major advances across several areas: the ITER baseline scenario; pedestal properties in low-collisionality, peeling-limited conditions; and the development of high- βN, non-inductive regimes. Alternative high-confinement scenarios have likewise received significant attention, with remarkable progress in quasi-continuous exhaust operation, X-point radiator plasmas, and negative triangularity configurations. Substantial achievements were also made in the mitigation or benign termination of runaway electron beams, in elucidating fast-ion loss mechanisms, and in improving exhaust behaviour in both conventional and alternative divertor geometries. These experimental results have been strongly supported by advances in modelling and their direct application to the experiment, ranging from gyrokinetic simulations of core and pedestal turbulence to fluid-based studies of scrape-off layer and divertor physics in diverse geometries. Plasma control has taken on an increasingly important role, with model-based and data-driven approaches now closely intertwined with physics studies. This article provides a overview of these recent activities, together with a brief outlook on forthcoming upgrades and next steps.5106 Nuclear and Plasma Physics (for-2020)51 Physical Sciences (for-2020)0202 AtomicMolecularNuclearParticle and Plasma Physics (for)Fluids & Plasmas (science-metrix)5106 Nuclear and plasma physics (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3896q422https://escholarship.org/content/qt3896q422/qt3896q422.pdfinfo:doi/10.1088/1741-4326/ae6d12articleNuclear Fusion, vol 66, iss 11116007oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3nr7d3d92026-07-31T15:12:57Zqt3nr7d3d9Dietary sources of cumulative phthalates exposure among the U.S. general population in NHANES 2005–2014Varshavsky, Julia RMorello-Frosch, RachelWoodruff, Tracey JZota, Ami R2018-06-01BACKGROUND: Anti-androgenic phthalates are reproductive toxicants that may have additive effects on male development. Diet is the primary exposure source for most phthalates, which contaminate the food supply through food contact materials and industrialized production.
OBJECTIVE: To compare dietary sources of cumulative phthalates exposure between "food at home" (e.g. food consumed from a grocery store) and "food away from home" (e.g. food consumed from fast food/restaurants and cafeterias) in the U.S. general population.
METHODS: We estimated cumulative phthalates exposure by calculating daily intake from metabolite concentrations in urinary spot samples for 10,253 participants (≥6 years old) using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2005-2014) data. We constructed a biologically relevant metric of phthalates daily intake (∑androgen-disruptor, μg/kg/day) by converting phthalates into anti-androgen equivalent terms prior to their summation. Particular foods and the percent of total energy intake (TEI) consumed from multiple dining out sources were ascertained from 24-h recall surveys. Associations with ∑androgen-disruptor levels were estimated for children, adolescents, and adults using multivariable linear regression.
RESULTS: We observed a consistent positive association between dining out and Σandrogen-disruptor levels across the study population (p-trend <0.0001). Among adolescents, high consumers of foods outside the home had 55% (95% CI: 35%, 78%) higher Σandrogen-disruptor levels compared to those who only consumed food at home. The contribution of specific dining out sources to Σandrogen-disruptor levels varied by age group. For example, cafeteria food was associated with 15% (95% CI: 4.0%, 28%) and 64% (95% CI: 40%, 92%) higher Σandrogen-disruptor levels in children and adults, respectively. Particular foods, especially sandwiches (i.e. cheeseburgers), were associated with increased Σandrogen-disruptor levels only if they were purchased away from home (p < 0.01).
CONCLUSION: Dining out may be an important source of biologically relevant cumulative phthalates exposure among the U.S.
POPULATION: Future studies should evaluate modifiable production practices that remove phthalates from the food supply in addition to the efficacy of interventions that promote eating fresh foods prepared at home.4206 Public Health (for-2020)32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3210 Nutrition and Dietetics (for-2020)42 Health Sciences (for-2020)Clinical Research (rcdc)Pediatric Research Initiative (rcdc)Nutrition (rcdc)Endocrine Disruptors (rcdc)2.3 Psychologicalsocial and economic factors (hrcs-rac)Cancer (hrcs-hc)Oral and gastrointestinal (hrcs-hc)Stroke (hrcs-hc)Cardiovascular (hrcs-hc)Metabolic and endocrine (hrcs-hc)2 Zero Hunger (sdg)Adolescent (mesh)Adult (mesh)Child (mesh)Cross-Sectional Studies (mesh)Diet (mesh)Environmental Exposure (mesh)Humans (mesh)Nutrition Surveys (mesh)Phthalic Acids (mesh)United States (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)Chemical mixturesEndocrine disruptionFast foodCumulative assessmentFood contact materialsConsumer product chemicalsHumans (mesh)Phthalic Acids (mesh)Diet (mesh)Nutrition Surveys (mesh)Cross-Sectional Studies (mesh)Environmental Exposure (mesh)Adolescent (mesh)Adult (mesh)Child (mesh)United States (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)Chemical mixturesConsumer product chemicalsCumulative assessmentEndocrine disruptionFast foodFood contact materialsAdolescent (mesh)Adult (mesh)Child (mesh)Cross-Sectional Studies (mesh)Diet (mesh)Environmental Exposure (mesh)Humans (mesh)Nutrition Surveys (mesh)Phthalic Acids (mesh)United States (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)Environmental Sciences (science-metrix)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3nr7d3d9https://escholarship.org/content/qt3nr7d3d9/qt3nr7d3d9.pdfinfo:doi/10.1016/j.envint.2018.02.029articleEnvironment International, vol 115417 - 429oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt46m297dc2026-07-31T15:12:19Zqt46m297dcInitial screening transferrin saturation values, serum ferritin concentrations, and HFE genotypes in Native Americans and whites in the Hemochromatosis and Iron Overload Screening StudyBarton, JCActonLovato, LSpeechleyMcLaren, CEHarris, ELReboussin, DMAdams, PCDawkins, FWGordeuk, VRWalker, APInvestigators, for the Hemochromatosis and Iron Overload Screening Study Research2006-01-01We compared initial screening transferrin saturation (TfSat) and serum ferritin (SF) phenotypes and HFE C282Y and H63D genotypes of 645 Native American and 43,453 white Hemochromatosis and Iron Overload Screening Study participants who did not report a previous diagnosis of hemochromatosis or iron overload. Elevated measurements were defined as TfSat >50% in men and >45% in women and SF >300 ng/ml in men and >200 ng/ml in women. Mean TfSat was 31% in Native American men and 32% in white men (p = 0.0337) and 25% in Native American women and 27% in white women (p < 0.0001). Mean SF was 153 microg/l in Native American and 151 microg/l in white men (p = 0.8256); mean SF was 55 microg/l in Native American women and 63 microg/l in white women (p = 0.0015). The C282Y allele frequency was 0.0340 in Native Americans and 0.0683 in whites (p < 0.0001). The H63D allele frequency was 0.1150 in Native Americans and 0.1532 in whites (p = 0.0001). We conclude that the screening TfSat and SF phenotypes of Native Americans are similar to those of whites. The allele frequencies of HFE C282Y and H63D are significantly lower in Native Americans than in whites.31 Biological Sciences (for-2020)32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3105 Genetics (for-2020)Genetics (rcdc)American Indian or Alaska Native (rcdc)Hematology (rcdc)Adult (mesh)Aged (mesh)Female (mesh)Ferritins (mesh)Gene Frequency (mesh)Genotype (mesh)Hemochromatosis (mesh)Hemochromatosis Protein (mesh)Histocompatibility Antigens Class I (mesh)Humans (mesh)IndiansNorth American (mesh)Iron Overload (mesh)Male (mesh)Membrane Proteins (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Phenotype (mesh)Transferrin (mesh)White People (mesh)ferritinhemochromatosisHFEiron overloadtransferrin saturationHemochromatosis and Iron Overload Screening Study Research InvestigatorsHumans (mesh)Hemochromatosis (mesh)Iron Overload (mesh)Transferrin (mesh)Membrane Proteins (mesh)Histocompatibility Antigens Class I (mesh)Gene Frequency (mesh)Genotype (mesh)Phenotype (mesh)Adult (mesh)Aged (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)IndiansNorth American (mesh)Female (mesh)Male (mesh)Ferritins (mesh)Hemochromatosis Protein (mesh)White People (mesh)Adult (mesh)Aged (mesh)Female (mesh)Ferritins (mesh)Gene Frequency (mesh)Genotype (mesh)Hemochromatosis (mesh)Hemochromatosis Protein (mesh)Histocompatibility Antigens Class I (mesh)Humans (mesh)IndiansNorth American (mesh)Iron Overload (mesh)Male (mesh)Membrane Proteins (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Phenotype (mesh)Transferrin (mesh)White People (mesh)0604 Genetics (for)1103 Clinical Sciences (for)Genetics & Heredity (science-metrix)3105 Genetics (for-2020)3202 Clinical sciences (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/46m297dchttps://escholarship.org/content/qt46m297dc/qt46m297dc.pdfinfo:doi/10.1111/j.1399-0004.2006.00553.xarticleClinical Genetics, vol 69, iss 148 - 57oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6ff8w98z2026-07-31T15:12:05Zqt6ff8w98zCaged luciferins enable rapid multicomponent bioluminescence imagingNavarro, Mariana XBrennan, Caroline KLove, Anna CPrescher, Jennifer A2024-01-01Bioluminescence is a sensitive technique for imaging biological features over time. Historically, though, the modality has been challenging to employ for multiplexed tracking due to a lack of resolvable luciferase-luciferin pairs. Recent years have seen the development of numerous orthogonal probes for multi-parameter imaging. While successful, generating such tools often requires complex syntheses and lengthy enzyme evolution campaigns. This work showcases an alternative strategy for multiplexed bioluminescence that takes advantage of already-orthogonal caged luciferins and established uncaging enzymes. These probes generate unique bioluminescent signals that can be distinguished via a linear unmixing algorithm. Caged luciferins enabled two- and three-component imaging on the minutes time scale. We further showed that the tools can be used in conjunction with endogenous enzymes for multiplexed studies. Collectively, this approach lowers the barrier to multicomponent bioluminescence imaging and can be readily adopted by the broader community.3401 Analytical Chemistry (for-2020)31 Biological Sciences (for-2020)34 Chemical Sciences (for-2020)Biomedical Imaging (rcdc)Luciferins (mesh)Luminescent Measurements (mesh)Luciferases (mesh)Firefly Luciferin (mesh)bioluminescenceimagingluciferaseluciferinsubstrate unmixingFirefly Luciferin (mesh)Luciferases (mesh)Luminescent Measurements (mesh)Luciferins (mesh)bioluminescenceimagingluciferaseluciferinsubstrate unmixingLuciferins (mesh)Luminescent Measurements (mesh)Luciferases (mesh)Firefly Luciferin (mesh)02 Physical Sciences (for)03 Chemical Sciences (for)06 Biological Sciences (for)Biophysics (science-metrix)31 Biological sciences (for-2020)34 Chemical sciences (for-2020)51 Physical sciences (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BY-NC-NDeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6ff8w98zhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6ff8w98z/qt6ff8w98z.pdfinfo:doi/10.1111/php.13814articlePhotochemistry and Photobiology, vol 100, iss 167 - 74oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3907d94k2026-07-31T15:12:02Zqt3907d94kRed-Shifted Coumarin Luciferins for Improved Bioluminescence ImagingLove, Anna CCaldwell, Donald RKolbaba-Kartchner, BethanyTownsend, Katherine MHalbers, Lila PYao, ZiBrennan, Caroline KIvanic, JosephHadjian, TanyaMills, Jeremy HSchnermann, Martin JPrescher, Jennifer A2023-02-15Multicomponent bioluminescence imaging in vivo requires an expanded collection of tissue-penetrant probes. Toward this end, we generated a new class of near-infrared (NIR) emitting coumarin luciferin analogues (CouLuc-3s). The scaffolds were easily accessed from commercially available dyes. Complementary mutant luciferases for the CouLuc-3 analogues were also identified. The brightest probes enabled sensitive imaging in vivo. The CouLuc-3 scaffolds are also orthogonal to popular bioluminescent reporters and can be used for multicomponent imaging applications. Collectively, this work showcases a new set of bioluminescent tools that can be readily implemented for multiplexed imaging in a variety of biological settings.40 Engineering (for-2020)34 Chemical Sciences (for-2020)4003 Biomedical Engineering (for-2020)Biomedical Imaging (rcdc)Generic health relevance (hrcs-hc)Luciferins (mesh)Firefly Luciferin (mesh)Luminescent Measurements (mesh)Luciferases (mesh)Coumarins (mesh)Firefly Luciferin (mesh)Coumarins (mesh)Luciferases (mesh)Luminescent Measurements (mesh)Luciferins (mesh)Luciferins (mesh)Firefly Luciferin (mesh)Luminescent Measurements (mesh)Luciferases (mesh)Coumarins (mesh)03 Chemical Sciences (for)General Chemistry (science-metrix)34 Chemical sciences (for-2020)40 Engineering (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3907d94khttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3907d94k/qt3907d94k.pdfinfo:doi/10.1021/jacs.2c07220articleJournal of the American Chemical Society, vol 145, iss 63335 - 3345oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7hn6t32j2026-07-31T15:11:59Zqt7hn6t32jFluorogenic Cyclopropenones for Multicomponent, Real-Time ImagingHeiss, Tyler KDorn, Robert SFerreira, Andrew JLove, Anna CPrescher, Jennifer A2022-05-04Fluorogenic bioorthogonal reactions enable biomolecule visualization in real time. These reactions comprise reporters that "light up" upon reaction with complementary partners. While the spectrum of fluorogenic chemistries is expanding, few transformations are compatible with live cells due to cross-reactivities or insufficient signal turn-on. To address the need for more suitable chemistries for cellular imaging, we developed a fluorogenic reaction featuring cyclopropenone reporters and phosphines. The transformation involves regioselective activation and cyclization of cyclopropenones to form coumarin products. With optimal probes, the reaction provides >1600-fold signal turn-on, one of the highest fluorescence enhancements reported to date. The bioorthogonal motifs were evaluated in vitro and in cells. The reaction was also found to be compatible with other common fluorogenic transformations, enabling multicomponent, real-time imaging. Collectively, these data suggest that the cyclopropenone-phosphine reaction will bolster efforts to track biomolecule targets in their native settings.3405 Organic Chemistry (for-2020)34 Chemical Sciences (for-2020)Biomedical Imaging (rcdc)Generic health relevance (hrcs-hc)Cyclopropanes (mesh)Fluorescent Dyes (mesh)Cyclopropanes (mesh)Fluorescent Dyes (mesh)Cyclopropanes (mesh)Fluorescent Dyes (mesh)03 Chemical Sciences (for)General Chemistry (science-metrix)34 Chemical sciences (for-2020)40 Engineering (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7hn6t32jhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7hn6t32j/qt7hn6t32j.pdfinfo:doi/10.1021/jacs.2c02058articleJournal of the American Chemical Society, vol 144, iss 177871 - 7880oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt22v240qs2026-07-31T15:11:55Zqt22v240qsCoumarin luciferins and mutant luciferases for robust multi-component bioluminescence imagingYao, ZiCaldwell, Donald RLove, Anna CKolbaba-Kartchner, BethanyMills, Jeremy HSchnermann, Martin JPrescher, Jennifer A2021-09-15Multi-component bioluminescence imaging requires an expanded collection of luciferase-luciferin pairs that emit far-red or near-infrared light. Toward this end, we prepared a new class of luciferins based on a red-shifted coumarin scaffold. These probes (CouLuc-1s) were accessed in a two-step sequence via direct modification of commercial dyes. The bioluminescent properties of the CouLuc-1 analogs were also characterized, and complementary luciferase enzymes were identified using a two-pronged screening strategy. The optimized enzyme-substrate pairs displayed robust photon outputs and emitted a significant portion of near-infrared light. The CouLuc-1 scaffolds are also structurally distinct from existing probes, enabling rapid multi-component imaging. Collectively, this work provides novel bioluminescent tools along with a blueprint for crafting additional fluorophore-derived probes for multiplexed imaging.34 Chemical Sciences (for-2020)Biomedical Imaging (rcdc)Generic health relevance (hrcs-hc)03 Chemical Sciences (for)34 Chemical sciences (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BY-NCeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/22v240qshttps://escholarship.org/content/qt22v240qs/qt22v240qs.pdfinfo:doi/10.1039/d1sc03114garticleChemical Science, vol 12, iss 3511684 - 11691oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt70h0p2wp2026-07-31T15:11:52Zqt70h0p2wpCaged Cumate Enables Proximity‐Dependent Control Over Gene ExpressionLove, Anna CTran, Sabrina HPrescher, Jennifer A2021-07-15Cell-cell interactions underlie diverse physiological processes yet remain challenging to examine with conventional imaging tools. Here we report a novel strategy to illuminate cell proximity using transcriptional activators. We repurposed cumate, a small molecule inducer of gene expression, by caging its key carboxylate group with a nitrile. Nitrilase-expressing activator cells released the cage, liberating cumate for consumption by reporter cells. Reporter cells comprising a cumate-responsive switch expressed a target gene when in close proximity to the activator cells. Overall, this strategy provides a versatile platform to image and potentially manipulate cellular interactions over time.3101 Biochemistry and Cell Biology (for-2020)31 Biological Sciences (for-2020)Biotechnology (rcdc)Genetics (rcdc)1.1 Normal biological development and functioning (hrcs-rac)Generic health relevance (hrcs-hc)Humans (mesh)Nitriles (mesh)Aminohydrolases (mesh)Gene Expression Regulation (mesh)Molecular Structure (mesh)caged probegene transcriptioncumatecellular contactimagingHumans (mesh)Nitriles (mesh)Aminohydrolases (mesh)Gene Expression Regulation (mesh)Molecular Structure (mesh)caged probecellular contactcumategene transcriptionimagingHumans (mesh)Nitriles (mesh)Aminohydrolases (mesh)Gene Expression Regulation (mesh)Molecular Structure (mesh)0304 Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry (for)0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology (for)Organic Chemistry (science-metrix)3101 Biochemistry and cell biology (for-2020)3404 Medicinal and biomolecular chemistry (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/70h0p2wphttps://escholarship.org/content/qt70h0p2wp/qt70h0p2wp.pdfinfo:doi/10.1002/cbic.202100158articleChemBioChem, vol 22, iss 142440 - 2448oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6347r9102026-07-31T15:11:49Zqt6347r910Seeing (and Using) the Light: Recent Developments in Bioluminescence TechnologyLove, Anna CPrescher, Jennifer A2020-08-01Bioluminescence has long been used to image biological processes in vivo. This technology features luciferase enzymes and luciferin small molecules that produce visible light. Bioluminescent photons can be detected in tissues and live organisms, enabling sensitive and noninvasive readouts on physiological function. Traditional applications have focused on tracking cells and gene expression patterns, but new probes are pushing the frontiers of what can be visualized. The past few years have also seen the merger of bioluminescence with optogenetic platforms. Luciferase-luciferin reactions can drive light-activatable proteins, ultimately triggering signal transduction and other downstream events. This review highlights these and other recent advances in bioluminescence technology, with an emphasis on tool development. We showcase how new luciferins and engineered luciferases are expanding the scope of optical imaging. We also highlight how bioluminescent systems are being leveraged not just for sensing-but also controlling-biological processes.3101 Biochemistry and Cell Biology (for-2020)31 Biological Sciences (for-2020)Biotechnology (rcdc)Biomedical Imaging (rcdc)Bioengineering (rcdc)1.3 Chemical and physical sciences (hrcs-rac)Generic health relevance (hrcs-hc)Animals (mesh)Channelrhodopsins (mesh)Firefly Luciferin (mesh)Imidazoles (mesh)Light (mesh)Luciferases (mesh)Luminescent Measurements (mesh)MicroscopyFluorescence (mesh)Neoplasms (mesh)Optical Imaging (mesh)Pyrazines (mesh)Animals (mesh)Neoplasms (mesh)Imidazoles (mesh)Pyrazines (mesh)Firefly Luciferin (mesh)Luciferases (mesh)MicroscopyFluorescence (mesh)Luminescent Measurements (mesh)Light (mesh)Optical Imaging (mesh)Channelrhodopsins (mesh)bioluminescenceimagingluciferaseluciferinoptogeneticsAnimals (mesh)Channelrhodopsins (mesh)Firefly Luciferin (mesh)Imidazoles (mesh)Light (mesh)Luciferases (mesh)Luminescent Measurements (mesh)MicroscopyFluorescence (mesh)Neoplasms (mesh)Optical Imaging (mesh)Pyrazines (mesh)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6347r910https://escholarship.org/content/qt6347r910/qt6347r910.pdfinfo:doi/10.1016/j.chembiol.2020.07.022articleCell Chemical Biology, vol 27, iss 8904 - 920oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3qj3j2wv2026-07-31T15:06:30Zqt3qj3j2wvShedding light on U.S. small and midsize data centers: Exploring insights from the CBECS surveyLei, NuoaGaneshalingam, MohanMasanet, EricSmith, SarahShehabi, Arman2025-07-01As demand for digital services accelerates, the energy and environmental footprint of data centers faces increasing scrutiny. While hyperscale cloud facilities have driven efficiency gains, small and midsize U.S. data centers remain a critical yet underexamined segment with significant untapped potential for energy savings. This study leverages data from the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) to analyze trends in server stocks, computing customers, cooling system adoption and efficiency, and geospatial distribution from 2012 to 2018. Findings reveal a sharp decline in small and midsize data centers, from 1.764 million to 1.398 million, with server counts dropping from 5.177 million to 4.262 million—aligning with the broader shift toward cloud computing. More than 40 % of servers in small data centers and 55 % in midsize data centers are housed in office buildings, and over half of all servers are concentrated in climate zones 5A (cold), 3A (mixed-humid), and 4A (mixed-humid), with the highest densities in metropolitan hubs. While direct expansion units remain the dominant cooling system, a clear transition toward more energy-efficient solutions, particularly air economizers, is evident. By integrating server and cooling system distributions, we estimate Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) for U.S. data centers by size and year. Results show that midsize data centers are more energy-efficient but more water-intensive due to the widespread use of water-cooled chillers. These findings highlight the trade-offs in cooling system selection and provide a critical foundation for policies aimed at enhancing efficiency in an evolving data center landscape.33 Built Environment and Design (for-2020)3301 Architecture (for-2020)7 Affordable and Clean Energy (sdg)Data CentersServersCoolingEnergy PolicyInformation and Communication Technology (ICT)09 Engineering (for)12 Built Environment and Design (for)Building & Construction (science-metrix)33 Built environment and design (for-2020)40 Engineering (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3qj3j2wvhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3qj3j2wv/qt3qj3j2wv.pdfinfo:doi/10.1016/j.enbuild.2025.115734articleEnergy and Buildings, vol 339115734oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7cd794mv2026-07-31T15:06:16Zqt7cd794mvPrenatal Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Childhood Autism-related OutcomesAmes, Jennifer LBurjak, MohamadAvalos, Lyndsay ABraun, Joseph MBulka, Catherine MCroen, Lisa ADunlop, Anne LFerrara, AssiamiraFry, Rebecca CHedderson, Monique MKaragas, Margaret RLiang, DonghaiLin, Pi-I DLyall, KristenMoore, BriannaMorello-Frosch, RachelO’Connor, Thomas GOh, JiwonPadula, Amy MWoodruff, Tracey JZhu, YeyiHamra, Ghassan BOutcomes, on behalf of program collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health2023-05-01BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic evidence linking prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) with altered neurodevelopment is inconclusive, and few large studies have focused on autism-related outcomes. We investigated whether blood concentrations of PFAS in pregnancy are associated with child autism-related outcomes.
METHODS: We included 10 cohorts from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program (n = 1,429). We measured 14 PFAS analytes in maternal blood collected during pregnancy; eight analytes met detection criteria for analysis. We assessed quantitative autism-related traits in children via parent report on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). In multivariable linear models, we examined relationships of each PFAS (natural log-transformed) with SRS scores. We further modeled PFAS as a complex mixture using Bayesian methods and examined modification of these relationships by child sex.
RESULTS: Most PFAS in maternal blood were not associated with child SRS T-scores. Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) showed the strongest and most consistent association: each 1-unit increase in ln-transformed PFNA was associated with greater autism-related traits (adjusted β [95% confidence interval (CI)] = 1.5 [-0.1, 3.0]). The summed mixture, which included six PFAS detected in >70% of participants, was not associated with SRS T-scores (adjusted β [95% highest posterior density interval] = 0.7 [-1.4, 3.0]). We did not observe consistent evidence of sex differences.
CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal blood concentrations of PFNA may be associated with modest increases in child autism-related traits. Future work should continue to examine the relationship between exposures to both legacy and emerging PFAS and additional dimensional, quantitative measures of childhood autism-related outcomes.4206 Public Health (for-2020)42 Health Sciences (for-2020)Pediatric Research Initiative (rcdc)Prevention (rcdc)Women's Health (rcdc)Social Determinants of Health (rcdc)Mental Health (rcdc)Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Brain Disorders (rcdc)Endocrine Disruptors (rcdc)Autism (rcdc)Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) (rcdc)Clinical Research (rcdc)2.1 Biological and endogenous factors (hrcs-rac)Reproductive health and childbirth (hrcs-hc)3 Good Health and Well Being (sdg)Child (mesh)Pregnancy (mesh)Humans (mesh)Male (mesh)Female (mesh)Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects (mesh)Environmental Pollutants (mesh)Autistic Disorder (mesh)Bayes Theorem (mesh)Fluorocarbons (mesh)Alkanesulfonic Acids (mesh)AutismFluorocarbonMixturesPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substancesPregnancyPrenatal exposureprogram collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health OutcomesHumans (mesh)Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects (mesh)Alkanesulfonic Acids (mesh)Fluorocarbons (mesh)Environmental Pollutants (mesh)Bayes Theorem (mesh)Autistic Disorder (mesh)Pregnancy (mesh)Child (mesh)Female (mesh)Male (mesh)Child (mesh)Pregnancy (mesh)Humans (mesh)Male (mesh)Female (mesh)Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects (mesh)Environmental Pollutants (mesh)Autistic Disorder (mesh)Bayes Theorem (mesh)Fluorocarbons (mesh)Alkanesulfonic Acids (mesh)0104 Statistics (for)1117 Public Health and Health Services (for)Epidemiology (science-metrix)4202 Epidemiology (for-2020)4206 Public health (for-2020)4905 Statistics (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7cd794mvhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7cd794mv/qt7cd794mv.pdfinfo:doi/10.1097/ede.0000000000001587articleEpidemiology, vol 34, iss 3450 - 459oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9tm176dz2026-07-31T14:54:29Zqt9tm176dzChamber Bioaerosol Study: Outdoor Air and Human Occupants as Sources of Indoor Airborne MicrobesAdams, Rachel IBhangar, SeemaPasut, WilmerArens, Edward ATaylor, John WLindow, Steven ENazaroff, William WBruns, Thomas DZhang, Yinping2015-01-01Human occupants are an important source of microbes in indoor environments. In this study, we used DNA sequencing of filter samples to assess the fungal and bacterial composition of air in an environmental chamber under different levels of occupancy, activity, and exposed or covered carpeting. In this office-like, mechanically ventilated environment, results showed a strong influence of outdoor-derived particles, with the indoor microbial composition tracking that of outdoor air for the 2-hour sampling periods. The number of occupants and their activity played a significant but smaller role influencing the composition of indoor bioaerosols. Human-associated taxa were observed but were not particularly abundant, except in the case of one fungus that appeared to be transported into the chamber on the clothing of a study participant. Overall, this study revealed a smaller signature of human body-associated taxa than had been expected based on recent studies of indoor microbiomes, suggesting that occupants may not exert a strong influence on bioaerosol microbial composition in a space that, like many offices, is well ventilated with air that is moderately filtered and moderately occupied.3107 Microbiology (for-2020)31 Biological Sciences (for-2020)Health Effects of Indoor Air Pollution (rcdc)Infectious Diseases (rcdc)Aerosols (mesh)Air (mesh)Air Microbiology (mesh)Air PollutionIndoor (mesh)Bacteria (mesh)Environmental Monitoring (mesh)Fungi (mesh)Humans (mesh)Microbial Consortia (mesh)Humans (mesh)Bacteria (mesh)Fungi (mesh)Aerosols (mesh)Air Microbiology (mesh)Air (mesh)Air PollutionIndoor (mesh)Environmental Monitoring (mesh)Microbial Consortia (mesh)Aerosols (mesh)Air (mesh)Air Microbiology (mesh)Air PollutionIndoor (mesh)Bacteria (mesh)Environmental Monitoring (mesh)Fungi (mesh)Humans (mesh)Microbial Consortia (mesh)General Science & Technology (science-metrix)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9tm176dzhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9tm176dz/qt9tm176dz.pdfinfo:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0128022articlePLOS ONE, vol 10, iss 5e0128022oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2834m2k72026-07-31T14:50:45Zqt2834m2k7Anion-exchange membrane water electrolysis: insights from round-robin testingKreider, Melissa EMendoza, B Milenia RojasBrusse, LukeSyar, DuhaKwak, MinkyoungYang, PatrickChang, Hung-Ming JosephHannagan, Ryan TAmador, Isabela RiosEkennia, Anthony COliveira, Nicholas JNielander, Adam CBoettcher, Shannon WZenyuk, Iryna VJaramillo, Thomas FAlia, Shaun MLakshmanan, Balasubramanian2026-06-12As research and industrial interest in anion-exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) grows, there is an increasing need for reliable baselines and cross-lab validation of results. The wide variety of material sets and operating conditions under consideration for AEMWE has thus far limited efforts for standardization. In this study, round-robin testing was conducted in deionized water and KOH-based supporting electrolyte by 5 institutions from academia, national laboratories, and industry to provide baseline performance data and identify sources of cross-lab variability. Baseline membrane electrode assemblies were fabricated with commercial catalysts, membranes, and transport layers using standard techniques and tested using reagent-grade electrolytes, aiming for accessibility rather than state-of-the-art performance. From all tests, the average voltage at 1 A/cm2 was 2.72 ± 0.17 V and 1.87 ± 0.03 V in deionized water and 0.1 M KOH, respectively. The maximum in-house and cross-lab variations at this current density were 118 mV and 476 mV in water and 60 and 88 mV in 0.1 M KOH. The KOH purity, station contamination, and temperature control were identified as possible factors affecting performance between labs, with in-house specific variation attributed to sample-to-sample differences in fabrication, cell assembly, and station contamination. This work provides a commercial baseline for the field and highlights the need for improved standardization and reproducibility in AEMWE research.4012 Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Engineering (for-2020)40 Engineering (for-2020)4012 Fluid mechanics and thermal engineering (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2834m2k7https://escholarship.org/content/qt2834m2k7/qt2834m2k7.pdfinfo:doi/10.3389/fenrg.2026.1794912articleFrontiers in Energy Research, vol 141794912oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6rw690bp2026-07-31T14:43:10Zqt6rw690bpStrain-Modulated Slater-Mott Crossover of Pseudospin-Half Square-Lattice in (SrIrO3)1/(SrTiO3)1 SuperlatticesYang, JunyiHao, LinMeyers, DerekDasa, TameneXu, LiubinHorak, LukasShafer, PadraicArenholz, ElkeFabbris, GilbertoChoi, YongseongHaskel, DanielKarapetrova, JeniaKim, Jong-WooRyan, Philip JXu, HaixuanBatista, Cristian DDean, Mark PMLiu, Jian2020-05-01We report on the epitaxial strain-driven electronic and antiferromagnetic modulations of a pseudospin-half square-lattice realized in superlattices of (SrIrO_{3})_{1}/(SrTiO_{3})_{1}. With increasing compressive strain, we find the low-temperature insulating behavior to be strongly suppressed with a corresponding systematic reduction of both the Néel temperature and the staggered moment. However, despite such a suppression, the system remains weakly insulating above the Néel transition. The emergence of metallicity is observed under large compressive strain but only at temperatures far above the Néel transition. These behaviors are characteristics of the Slater-Mott crossover regime, providing a unique experimental model system of the spin-half Hubbard Hamiltonian with a tunable intermediate coupling strength.51 Physical Sciences (for-2020)5104 Condensed Matter Physics (for-2020)01 Mathematical Sciences (for)02 Physical Sciences (for)09 Engineering (for)General Physics (science-metrix)40 Engineering (for-2020)49 Mathematical sciences (for-2020)51 Physical sciences (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6rw690bphttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6rw690bp/qt6rw690bp.pdfinfo:doi/10.1103/physrevlett.124.177601articlePhysical Review Letters, vol 124, iss 17177601oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3909p82f2026-07-31T14:42:36Zqt3909p82fReporting individual results for biomonitoring and environmental exposures: lessons learned from environmental communication case studiesBrody, Julia GreenDunagan, Sarah CMorello-Frosch, RachelBrown, PhilPatton, SharyleRudel, Ruthann A2014-12-01Measurement methods for chemicals in biological and personal environmental samples have expanded rapidly and become a cornerstone of health studies and public health surveillance. These measurements raise questions about whether and how to report individual results to study participants, particularly when health effects and exposure reduction strategies are uncertain. In an era of greater public participation and open disclosure in science, researchers and institutional review boards (IRBs) need new guidance on changing norms and best practices. Drawing on the experiences of researchers, IRBs, and study participants, we discuss ethical frameworks, effective methods, and outcomes in studies that have reported personal results for a wide range of environmental chemicals. Belmont Report principles and community-based participatory research ethics imply responsibilities to report individual results, and several recent biomonitoring guidance documents call for individual reports. Meaningful report-back includes contextual information about health implications and exposure reduction strategies. Both narrative and graphs are helpful. Graphs comparing an individual’s results with other participants in the study and benchmarks, such as the National Exposure Report, are helpful, but must be used carefully to avoid incorrect inferences that higher results are necessarily harmful or lower results are safe. Methods can be tailored for specific settings by involving participants and community members in planning. Participants and researchers who have participated in report-back identified benefits: increasing trust in science, retention in cohort studies, environmental health literacy, individual and community empowerment, and motivation to reduce exposures. Researchers as well as participants gained unexpected insights into the characteristics and sources of environmental contamination. Participants are almost universally eager to receive their results and do not regret getting them. Ethical considerations and empirical experience both support study participants’ right to know their own results if they choose, so report-back should become the norm in studies that measure personal exposures. Recent studies provide models that are compiled in a handbook to help research partnerships that are planning report-back. Thoughtful report-back can strengthen research experiences for investigators and participants and expand the translation of environmental health research in communities.4203 Health Services and Systems (for-2020)4206 Public Health (for-2020)42 Health Sciences (for-2020)Clinical Trials and Supportive Activities (rcdc)Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Clinical Research (rcdc)Social Determinants of Health (rcdc)Prevention (rcdc)2.2 Factors relating to the physical environment (hrcs-rac)3 Good Health and Well Being (sdg)Communication (mesh)Community Participation (mesh)Community-Based Participatory Research (mesh)Environmental Exposure (mesh)Environmental Health (mesh)Environmental Monitoring (mesh)Female (mesh)Humans (mesh)BioethicsBiomonitoringCommunity-based participatory researchExposure assessmentHealth literacyInformed consentResearch ethicsRisk communicationHumans (mesh)Communication (mesh)Environmental Health (mesh)Environmental Exposure (mesh)Environmental Monitoring (mesh)Female (mesh)Community-Based Participatory Research (mesh)Community Participation (mesh)Communication (mesh)Community Participation (mesh)Community-Based Participatory Research (mesh)Environmental Exposure (mesh)Environmental Health (mesh)Environmental Monitoring (mesh)Female (mesh)Humans (mesh)1117 Public Health and Health Services (for)Toxicology (science-metrix)4202 Epidemiology (for-2020)4206 Public health (for-2020)publiceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3909p82finfo:doi/10.1186/1476-069x-13-40articleEnvironmental Health, vol 13, iss 140oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1j50c5rh2026-07-31T14:31:05Zqt1j50c5rhPreventing Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Framework for Culturally Responsive Home Visitation.Ballard, JulianneAsiodu, Ifeyinwa VDawson-Rose, CarolLeutwyler, HeatherWaters, Catherine M2026-03-17INTRODUCTION: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with negative health and developmental outcomes, which can persist across generations. Home visitation is a key strategy to support families impacted by ACEs. Yet, evidence-based home visitation models may not fully capture the complexities, including culture, involved in preventing intergenerational ACEs.
METHODS: Using a critical narrative review approach, data were extracted from the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program and PubMed databases related to theoretical foundations and features of 13 evidence-based home visitation models.
RESULTS: Ten theories underpinned the models, predominantly focused on behavioral correction. Nurse-led models and ACEs measurement were rare. Cultural responsiveness varied widely.
DISCUSSION: The findings highlight a gap between home visitation frameworks and the factors that influence exposure to and prevention of ACEs. The proposed Culturally Responsive Home Visitation framework integrates equity, resilience, and service integration to guide research, practice, and policy aimed at preventing intergenerational ACEs.maternal/childACEscommunity healthlife coursesocial determinants of healthHumans (mesh)Child (mesh)House Calls (mesh)Female (mesh)Culturally Competent Care (mesh)Adverse Childhood Experiences (mesh)ACEscommunity healthlife coursematernal/childsocial determinants of healthHumans (mesh)House Calls (mesh)Adverse Childhood Experiences (mesh)Culturally Competent Care (mesh)Female (mesh)Child (mesh)1110 Nursing (for)1117 Public Health and Health Services (for)2002 Cultural Studies (for)Nursing (science-metrix)4204 Midwifery (for-2020)4205 Nursing (for-2020)4206 Public health (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1j50c5rhhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1j50c5rh/qt1j50c5rh.pdfinfo:doi/10.1177/10436596261430091articleJournal of Transcultural Nursing, vol 37, iss 410436596261430091oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5460301g2026-07-31T14:24:30Zqt5460301gA Procedural Faculty Development Course for Emergency Physicians Practicing in Community and Academic SettingsWalsh, RyanLei, CharlesWilliams, Saralyn R.Smith, KurtLesnick, JasonBoaglio, SeanSmith, AmandaOlushoga, MichaelAndereck, JonathanBoyd, Jeremy S.2026-07-31Introduction: Maintaining competence in high-acuity, low-occurrence (HALO) procedures poses a challenge for emergency physicians as they progress past residency training or practice in lower-acuity settings. Simulation-based deliberate practice offers a feasible method to sustain procedural competence. We developed and evaluated a blended, faculty development procedural curriculum designed to improve confidence and clinical application of HALO skills across a five-hospital emergency medicine (EM) network.
Methods: A faculty needs assessment and departmental quality data informed the creation of a 4-hour procedural curriculum course. The blended curriculum included asynchronous precourse procedural guides and videos followed by a 4-hour, in-person deliberate practice session led by peer EM faculty instructors. Year one procedures included cricothyroidotomy, transvenous pacing, catheter thoracostomy, neonatal resuscitation, and peritonsillar abscess drainage. Year two curriculum included fiberoptic nasotracheal intubation, pediatric airway management, ultrasound-guided pericardiocentesis, intraosseous access, lateral canthotomy, balloon tamponade of gastrointestinal hemorrhage, fascia iliaca nerve block, and orthopedic reduction/splinting. All stations used clinical equipment stocked across the enterprise. Anonymous pre- and post-course surveys measured self-reported procedural confidence and global course satisfaction. Procedure billing data and faculty self-report were used to evaluate clinical application.
Results: In year one, 62 of 90 (69%) participants completed surveys which demonstrated significant increases in confidence across all procedures (P < .01) with high satisfaction (median 5, IQR 5-5). Year two results were similar: 67 of 87 (77%) completed surveys, again showing significant confidence gains (P < .01) and high satisfaction (median 5, IQR 5–5). Seventy percent (47 of 67) of year two respondents were returning participants; among them, 68% reported performing at least one procedure reviewed in year one. All reported increased confidence during clinical performance. Peritonsillar abscess drainage increased from 14 procedures precourse to 133 in year one and 83 in year two, with 35% performed in regional hospitals. We observed no change in procedure-related quality incidents.
Conclusion: Our faculty procedural curriculum offers a framework that emergency departments can use to support faculty in increasing confidence in performing HALO and other low-frequency procedures. Future research should evaluate the durability of this educational approach, including how long the intervention preserves procedural confidence without decay. SimulationProcedural educationfaculty developmentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5460301ghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5460301g/qt5460301g.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.61860articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 0, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0wh0m50r2026-07-31T14:23:55Zqt0wh0m50rLarge Blooms of Bacillales (Firmicutes) Underlie the Response to Wetting of Cyanobacterial Biocrusts at Various Stages of MaturityKaraoz, UlasCouradeau, Estelleda Rocha, Ulisses NunesLim, Hsiao-ChienNorthen, TrentGarcia-Pichel, FerranBrodie, Eoin LBailey, Mark J2018-05-02Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) account for a substantial portion of primary production in dryland ecosystems. They successionally mature to deliver a suite of ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, water retention and nutrient cycling, and climate regulation. Biocrust assemblages are extremely well adapted to survive desiccation and to rapidly take advantage of the periodic precipitation events typical of arid ecosystems. Here we focus on the wetting response of incipient cyanobacterial crusts as they mature from "light" to "dark." We sampled a cyanobacterial biocrust chronosequence before (dry) and temporally following a controlled wetting event and used high-throughput 16S rRNA and rRNA gene sequencing to monitor the dynamics of microbial response. Overall, shorter-term changes in phylogenetic beta diversity attributable to periodic wetting were as large as those attributable to biocrust successional stage. Notably, more mature crusts showed significantly higher resistance to precipitation disturbance. A large bloom of a few taxa within the Firmicutes, primarily in the order Bacillales, emerged 18 h after wetting, while filamentous crust-forming cyanobacteria showed variable responses to wet-up across the successional gradient, with populations collapsing in less-developed light crusts but increasing in later-successional-stage dark crusts. Overall, the consistent Bacillales bloom accompanied by the variable collapse of pioneer cyanobacteria of the Oscillatoriales order across the successional gradient suggests that the strong response of few organisms to a hydration pulse with the mortality of the autotroph might have important implications for carbon (C) balance in semiarid ecosystems.IMPORTANCE Desert biological soil crusts are terrestrial topsoil microbial communities common to arid regions that comprise 40% of Earth's terrestrial surface. They successionally develop over years to decades to deliver a suite of ecosystem services of local and global significance. Ecosystem succession toward maturity has been associated with both resistance and resilience to disturbance. Recent work has shown that the impacts of both climate change and physical disturbance on biocrusts increase the potential for successional resetting. A larger proportion of biocrusts are expected to be at an early developmental stage, hence increasing susceptibility to changes in precipitation frequencies. Therefore, it is essential to characterize how biocrusts respond to wetting across early developmental stages. In this study, we document the wetting response of microbial communities from a biocrust chronosequence. Overall, our results suggest that the cumulative effects of altered precipitation frequencies on the stability of biocrusts will depend on biocrust maturity.3107 Microbiology (for-2020)31 Biological Sciences (for-2020)3103 Ecology (for-2020)15 Life on Land (sdg)Bacillales (mesh)Ecosystem (mesh)Bacillota (mesh)RNARibosomal16S (mesh)Soil Microbiology (mesh)Firmicutesbiological soil crustcarbon lossecological successionecosystem servicespulsed-activity eventresistancestabilityRNARibosomal16S (mesh)Soil Microbiology (mesh)Ecosystem (mesh)Bacillales (mesh)Bacillota (mesh)Firmicutesbiological soil crustcarbon lossecological successionecosystem servicespulsed-activity eventresistancestabilityBacillales (mesh)Ecosystem (mesh)Bacillota (mesh)RNARibosomal16S (mesh)Soil Microbiology (mesh)0605 Microbiology (for)3101 Biochemistry and cell biology (for-2020)3107 Microbiology (for-2020)3207 Medical microbiology (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0wh0m50rhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0wh0m50r/qt0wh0m50r.pdfinfo:doi/10.1128/mbio.01366-16articlemBio, vol 9, iss 210.1128/mbio.01366 - 10.1128/mbio.01316oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt58t9f6md2026-07-31T14:12:13Zqt58t9f6mdTrauma-Informed Lawyering Leads to Movement Lawyering in International Human Rights WorkSweetser, Catherine2026-05-01application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/58t9f6mdhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt58t9f6md/qt58t9f6md.pdfarticleUC Irvine Journal of International, Transnational, and Comparative Law , vol 10, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4c2186bf2026-07-31T14:03:12Zqt4c2186bfObservation of a cross-section enhancement near the tt¯ production threshold in s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detectorCollaboration, The ATLAS2026-05-01A measurement oftt¯production is presented in the invariant-mass region near the pair production threshold,mtt¯∼345 GeV, in final states with two charged leptons and multiple jets. The measurement is based on140fb-1of proton-proton collision data collected ats=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The data are compared to two models oftt¯production: a baseline model including only perturbative quantum chromodynamics (pQCD) predictions for the hard process at approximate next-to-next-to leading order accuracy in the strong coupling, and an extended model that, in addition, incorporates non-relativistic QCD simulations that also include the formation of colour-singlet quasi-bound-states near thett¯threshold. The agreement between the data and the models is quantified via a profile-likelihood fit to the reconstructedmtt¯distributions, in bins of two angular observables sensitive to spin-correlations in thett¯system. An excess of events is observed over the baseline pQCD prediction, with an observed significance over 8 standard deviations. This excess is consistent with the formation of colour-singlet and spin-singletS-wave quasi-boundtt¯states, as predicted by non-relativistic QCD, and corresponds to an observed cross-section of9.3-1.3+1.4 pb.5106 Nuclear and Plasma Physics (for-2020)5107 Particle and High Energy Physics (for-2020)51 Physical Sciences (for-2020)01 Mathematical Sciences (for)02 Physical Sciences (for)General Physics (science-metrix)49 Mathematical sciences (for-2020)51 Physical sciences (for-2020)CC-BY-NCeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4c2186bfinfo:doi/10.1088/1361-6633/ae60a0articleReports on Progress in Physics, vol 89, iss 5057801oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9pp3t17r2026-07-31T13:47:06Zqt9pp3t17rCombined BRAF and MEK Inhibition With Dabrafenib and Trametinib in BRAF V600–Mutant Colorectal CancerCorcoran, Ryan BAtreya, Chloe EFalchook, Gerald SKwak, Eunice LRyan, David PBendell, Johanna CHamid, OmidMessersmith, Wells ADaud, AdilKurzrock, RazellePierobon, MariaelenaSun, PengCunningham, ElizabethLittle, ShondaOrford, KeithMotwani, MonicaBai, YuchenPatel, KiranVenook, Alan PKopetz, Scott2015-12-01PURPOSE: To evaluate dabrafenib, a selective BRAF inhibitor, combined with trametinib, a selective MEK inhibitor, in patients with BRAF V600-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).
PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 43 patients with BRAF V600-mutant mCRC were treated with dabrafenib (150 mg twice daily) plus trametinib (2 mg daily), 17 of whom were enrolled onto a pharmacodynamic cohort undergoing mandatory biopsies before and during treatment. Archival tissues were analyzed for microsatellite instability, PTEN status, and 487-gene sequencing. Patient-derived xenografts were established from core biopsy samples.
RESULTS: Of 43 patients, five (12%) achieved a partial response or better, including one (2%) complete response, with duration of response > 36 months; 24 patients (56%) achieved stable disease as best confirmed response. Ten patients (23%) remained in the study > 6 months. All nine evaluable during-treatment biopsies had reduced levels of phosphorylated ERK relative to pretreatment biopsies (average decrease ± standard deviation, 47% ± 24%). Mutational analysis revealed that the patient achieving a complete response and two of three evaluable patients achieving a partial response had PIK3CA mutations. Neither PTEN loss nor microsatellite instability correlated with efficacy. Responses to dabrafenib plus trametinib were comparable in patient-derived xenograft-bearing mice and the biopsied lesions from each corresponding patient.
CONCLUSION: The combination of dabrafenib plus trametinib has activity in a subset of patients with BRAF V600-mutant mCRC. Mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling was inhibited in all patients evaluated, but to a lesser degree than observed in BRAF-mutant melanoma with dabrafenib alone. PIK3CA mutations were identified in responding patients and thus do not preclude response to this regimen. Additional studies targeting the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in this disease are warranted.32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3211 Oncology and Carcinogenesis (for-2020)Clinical Research (rcdc)Digestive Diseases (rcdc)Colo-Rectal Cancer (rcdc)Genetics (rcdc)Precision Medicine (rcdc)Biotechnology (rcdc)Cancer (rcdc)6.1 Pharmaceuticals (hrcs-rac)Cancer (hrcs-hc)Animals (mesh)Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols (mesh)Biopsy (mesh)Cohort Studies (mesh)Colorectal Neoplasms (mesh)Female (mesh)Follow-Up Studies (mesh)Humans (mesh)Imidazoles (mesh)MAP Kinase Kinase 1 (mesh)Male (mesh)Mice (mesh)Microsatellite Instability (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Mutation (mesh)Neoplasm Staging (mesh)Oximes (mesh)PTEN Phosphohydrolase (mesh)Prognosis (mesh)Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf (mesh)Pyridones (mesh)Pyrimidinones (mesh)Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays (mesh)Animals (mesh)Humans (mesh)Mice (mesh)Colorectal Neoplasms (mesh)Oximes (mesh)Imidazoles (mesh)Pyridones (mesh)Pyrimidinones (mesh)Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf (mesh)MAP Kinase Kinase 1 (mesh)Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols (mesh)Biopsy (mesh)Neoplasm Staging (mesh)Prognosis (mesh)Cohort Studies (mesh)Follow-Up Studies (mesh)Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays (mesh)Mutation (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Female (mesh)Male (mesh)PTEN Phosphohydrolase (mesh)Microsatellite Instability (mesh)Animals (mesh)Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols (mesh)Biopsy (mesh)Cohort Studies (mesh)Colorectal Neoplasms (mesh)Female (mesh)Follow-Up Studies (mesh)Humans (mesh)Imidazoles (mesh)MAP Kinase Kinase 1 (mesh)Male (mesh)Mice (mesh)Microsatellite Instability (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Mutation (mesh)Neoplasm Staging (mesh)Oximes (mesh)PTEN Phosphohydrolase (mesh)Prognosis (mesh)Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf (mesh)Pyridones (mesh)Pyrimidinones (mesh)Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays (mesh)1103 Clinical Sciences (for)1112 Oncology and Carcinogenesis (for)Oncology & Carcinogenesis (science-metrix)3211 Oncology and carcinogenesis (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9pp3t17rhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9pp3t17r/qt9pp3t17r.pdfinfo:doi/10.1200/jco.2015.63.2471articleJournal of Clinical Oncology, vol 33, iss 344023 - 4031oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3zm3r0442026-07-31T13:45:36Zqt3zm3r044Morphological Impairment Is Not Unitary: Evidence for Suffix-Selective Vulnerability in DyslexiaGuven, SelcukFriedmann, Naama2026-01-01Morphological processing is central to reading and spelling, yet its impairment in developmental dyslexia remains poorly specified. Dual-route accounts predict that morphological difficulties may arise from distinct mechanisms, including degraded stem–affix representations or impaired morphological assembly/conversion. We examined these possibilities in 33 Turkish-speaking individuals with developmental dyslexia, using error-based analyses of morphologically complex word production in a morphologically rich language. Participant-level measures captured overall morphological error severity and error localization, especially whether errors were concentrated in suffixes or stems. We combined exploratory subgroup discovery using PCA and k-means clustering with confirmatory statistical analyses and phonological control measures. Results revealed heterogeneous morphological profiles. One subgroup showed a clear suffix-biased error pattern above chance, elevated morphological error rates, and no corresponding phonological impairment. This dissociation is most consistent with impaired morphological assembly/conversion rather than generalized phonological difficulty. Findings support subgroup-sensitive, error-based approaches for refining cognitive models of morphological processing in dyslexia.Cognitive NeuroscienceLinguisticsPsychologyBehavioral ScienceCognitive architecturesCognitive developmentDevelopmentLanguage acquisitionLanguage ProductionMorphologyPhonologyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3zm3r044https://escholarship.org/content/qt3zm3r044/qt3zm3r044.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6qg020bk2026-07-31T13:45:35Zqt6qg020bkNeural tracking of pre-lexical, lexical and supra-lexical speech features during passive listeningLemes Coitinho, Lucia PaolaFló, EmiliaCruse, DamianCabana, Álvaro2026-01-01When humans listen to natural speech, their brain responses become time-locked to certain features of the auditory stimulus. The study of this phenomenon is typically limited to acoustic and linguistic representations of speech. This work examines the contributions of pre-lexical, lexical, and supra-lexical representations of speech as regressors in univariate and multivariate TRF models to predict EEG responses during passive listening of narrative stimuli. Pre-lexical features include acoustic properties and word segmentation. Lexical features incorporate emotive dimensions, sentiment analysis, and sensorimotor dimensions of words derived from both human ratings and transformer-based models. Finally, supra-lexical features include syntactic and semantic characteristics of words. The main finding of our work is that excluding acoustic representations, word surprisal remains the best tracked feature. Overall, our results suggest that LLMs capture multimodal aspects of word meaning and support a view of speech comprehension as an intrinsically predictive process.Cognitive NeuroscienceLanguage ComprehensionNatural Language ProcessingElectroencephalography (EEG)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6qg020bkhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6qg020bk/qt6qg020bk.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3zc063mh2026-07-31T13:45:34Zqt3zc063mhFormal Conceptual Blending as a Fundamental Tool for Artificial Mathematical Intelligence and for the Fine-Tuning of Large Language ModelsGomez-Ramirez, Danny A. J.Turner, Mark2026-01-01One of the foundational pillars of Artificial Mathematical Intelligence (AMI) is the taxonomy it has developed of Seminal Cognitive Operations (SMOs) underlying abstract mathematical cognition. Among these, conceptual blending is central. We survey formal approaches to conceptual blending and show how they generate and constrain mathematical reasoning across domains, enabling a quantum jump in building artificial co-creative mathematical agents. The AMI framework fills a longstanding gap in formal systems by integrating principled concept formation into formal reasoning. We additionally propose a regimen for fine-tuning LLMs with mathematical problems ranging from elementary to highly challenging, to bring formal conceptual blending into a constructive chain-of-thought process, resulting in sound final responses.Artificial IntelligenceCreativityIntelligent agentsReasoningComputational ModelingMathematical modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3zc063mhhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3zc063mh/qt3zc063mh.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt92j449vk2026-07-31T13:45:32Zqt92j449vkEcological Modulation of Facial Preferences and Social Information Use in Human Mate ChoiceKeçe, DoğaBowers, Robert Ian2026-01-01Human mate choice is shaped by both individual preferences and social and ecological context. Across three experiments, we test how cues of resource scarcity versus abundance shift (1) preferences for sexually dimorphic facial traits and (2) mate-choice copying (MCC), and whether any effects persist. In Experiment 1, women completed a rapid preference task before and after watching videos depicting harsh (resource-poor) or abundant (resource-rich) environments. Exposure to abundance increased preferences for masculine male faces relative to harsh cues. Experiment 2 asked whether the same environmental cues change MCC, whether this differs for sexually dimorphic versus more neutral faces, and how long any changes last across immediate and delayed tests. MCC was reliable overall, but its longer-lasting effects were observed only in the abundant condition, consistent with reduced reliance on social information under harshness. Experiment 3 repeats Experiment 1 in men using female stimuli to test generality across sexes.PsychologyDecision makingEvolutionFace ProcessingSocial cognitionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/92j449vkhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt92j449vk/qt92j449vk.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3cp7q9vx2026-07-31T13:45:32Zqt3cp7q9vxAutomatic morphosyntactic processing in Portuguese as evidenced by electrophysiological responsesCabral, LeonardoSoto, Marije2026-01-01Our event-related brain potentials experiment aimed to test whether we process morphosyntax as a reflex through combinatory mechanisms, based on abstract features. To ensure that brain responses were automatic and independent of attention, we conducted a multifeature paradigm with passive listening experiment. Participants listened to stimuli that were either grammatical ("eu adoto", I adopt), contained 1 violation ("eu *adota", I adopt.3p.sg) or contained 2 violations ("eu *adotam", I adopt.3p.pl). Results showed that, even though there may have been a contribution of the mismatch negativity response on the first interval we analyzed (150-250ms), there was a sustained, directly morphosyntactic effect on both violation conditions (150ms-450ms) and additional, cumulative negativity on the 2 violations condition. This cumulative effect excludes any interpretation of our data based on pure probabilistic processing as verbs in both violation conditions have zero probability of occurring after the pronoun. Henceforth, our data suggests that we process morphosyntax automatically.Cognitive NeuroscienceLinguisticsLanguage ComprehensionSyntaxElectroencephalography (EEG)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3cp7q9vxhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3cp7q9vx/qt3cp7q9vx.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7d67629b2026-07-31T13:45:26Zqt7d67629bIndividual Differences in Irony Processing in Hindi-English Bilingual ReadingShukla, UtkarshSingh, Dr. Niharika2026-01-01Bilingual readers show substantial variability in how non-literal language is processed, yet irony is often examined in terms of uniform processing costs. The present study investigated how individual differences shape irony–literal reading behavior in Hindi-English bilinguals using eye-tracking. Fifty-four participants read short texts containing ironic criticism or literal counterparts in either Hindi (L1) or English (L2) and completed measures of cognitive ability, language experience, and meta-representational skills. Aggregate analyses revealed no reliable reading-time differences between ironic and literal sentences. Primary analyses focused on within-participant irony-literal difference scores. Correlational and Bayesian regression analyses showed that the magnitude and timing of irony-literal divergence were systematically related to working memory, language-use patterns, proficiency, and Theory of Mind, with predictors across languages of testing. These findings indicate that irony-related reading differences are not categorical but emerge from structured individual variability, highlighting the value of individual-difference approaches for studying pragmatic processing in bilingual reading.Cognitive NeuroscienceLinguisticsPsychologyLanguage ComprehensionLanguage understandingPragmaticsTheory of MindEye trackingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7d67629bhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7d67629b/qt7d67629b.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt28f4721g2026-07-31T13:45:25Zqt28f4721gAI counsellors exaggerate linguistic qualities of human counsellors, and human clients align more with AI counsellorsHaslett, David A.Shi, JuneChan, Antoni B.Hsiao, Janet2026-01-01Many people treat large language models (LLMs) like counsellors, seeking advice on social and emotional issues. This could improve quality of life for people who lack access to mental healthcare, but it also comes with serious risks. We recently got the opportunity to analyze written Chinese conversations between hundreds of human–human client–counsellor pairs and thousands of human–AI client–counsellor pairs. By analyzing linguistic and semantic features of those conversations, we provide evidence that human and AI counsellors share many qualities, such as writing predictable messages and expressing positive sentiments, and that human clients align with AI counsellors more than with human counsellors, including when AI behaviour diverges from human counsellor behaviour. This study contributes sorely needed empirical descriptions of real-world counselling sessions with chatbots, which can help researchers at the intersection of AI and psychology understand whether and how LLMs should play a role in mental healthcare.Artificial IntelligenceHuman-computer interactionNatural Language ProcessingClinical methodsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/28f4721ghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt28f4721g/qt28f4721g.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7v28m9df2026-07-31T13:45:24Zqt7v28m9dfLearning Abstract Categories through Linguistic Feature ExplanationsXie, HaodongWang, XuenaMaharjan, Rahul SinghTavella, FedericoCangelosi, Angelo2026-01-01Abstract categories often lack a single, bounded perceptual referent, making them harder to learn than highly concrete categories. Explanations that identify properties shared across category members may support category learning by highlighting features that generalise beyond individual examples. This study investigates the role of explanatory concepts in category learning using a label-free Concept Bottleneck Model framework. We generate human-interpretable feature concepts for both basic-level and super-ordinate categories, then learn a projection from visual representations into this concept space. A classifier then predicts category labels from these concept activation to evaluate whether explanatory features support category learning. We evaluate the approach on CIFAR-100, CUB-200, and ImageNet, organising labels into basic-level and super-ordinate categories. Across datasets, concept-based models achieve accuracy comparable to standard classifiers while providing interpretable concepts. Visualisations reveal distinct category clusters in concept space, and evaluations on held-out subordinate classes suggest that explanatory concepts transfer effectively to previously unseen subclasses.Artificial IntelligenceCognitive NeuroscienceComputer ScienceLinguisticsLanguage acquisitionLanguage understandingMachine learningComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7v28m9dfhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7v28m9df/qt7v28m9df.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2b24k4352026-07-31T13:45:21Zqt2b24k435Are LLMs Biased Like Humans? Causal Reasoning as a Function of Prior Knowledge, Irrelevant Information, and Reasoning BudgetDettki, Hanna MWu, Charley MRehder, Bob2026-01-01Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used in domains where causal reasoning matters, yet it remains unclear whether their judgments reflect normative causal computation, human-like shortcuts, or brittle pattern matching.
We benchmark 20+ LLMs against a matched human baseline on 11 causal judgment tasks formalized by a collider structure ($C_1 \!\rightarrow\! E\! \leftarrow \!C_2$).
We find that a small interpretable model compresses LLMs' causal judgments well and that most LLMs exhibit more rule-like reasoning strategies than humans who seem to account for unmentioned latent factors in their probability judgments.
Furthermore, most LLMs do not mirror the characteristic human collider biases of weak explaining away and Markov violations.
We probe LLMs' causal judgment robustness under (i) semantic abstraction and (ii) prompt overloading (injecting noise), and find that chain-of-thought (CoT) increases robustness for many LLMs. Together, this divergence in reasoning style can augment human-reasoning when known human biases are undesired.Artificial IntelligenceComputer SciencePsychologyCausal reasoningBayesian modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2b24k435https://escholarship.org/content/qt2b24k435/qt2b24k435.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt35c3g3rc2026-07-31T13:45:20Zqt35c3g3rcMeta-Learning Captures Human-Like Geometric SensitivityGupta, MaxCampbell, Declan I.Griffiths, Tom2026-01-01Humans show systematic biases in geometric perception: shapes with higher regularity (symmetry, right angles, parallel sides) and simplicity (fewer elements) are easier to recognize. These biases have been difficult to replicate in neural networks, leading to the hypothesis that the human visual system uniquely employs a "geometric language of thought''---discrete symbolic machinery for representing shapes---that cannot be reproduced by neural networks. We show that neural networks trained via meta-learning can reproduce these biases without symbolic primitives or massive pretraining. Training on concepts with fixed complexity yields human-like regularity sensitivity, whereas training on concepts with varying complexity yields simplicity sensitivity. This dissociation suggests that meta-learning induces priors that exploit the most diagnostic dimension of variation in the training environment. More broadly, our results suggest that these perceptual biases can arise from the statistics of the training environment itself, rather than being innately endowed.PerceptionComputational ModelingNeural Networksapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/35c3g3rchttps://escholarship.org/content/qt35c3g3rc/qt35c3g3rc.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt616448sn2026-07-31T13:45:08Zqt616448snHaunting Images of Forgotten Films: Reddit Movie Threads Reveal Emotion–Memory InteractionsStocco, AndreaLi, XinyueZoellner, Lori2026-01-01Emotional events are subjectively vivid, but whether this vividness reflects superior objective memory remains debated. We distinguish three competing hypotheses: (1) Emotion does not enhance objective recall despite subjective vividness, (2) Emotion selectively enhances central sensory details while impairing peripheral contextual information, or (3) Emotion enhances all memory aspects, with benefits spreading from central to peripheral details. We tested these hypotheses using a naturalistic dataset from three Reddit discussion forums ("subreddits''), where users post remembered details of forgotten movies. Analyzing 1,509 posts from movie identification subreddits, we found that negative emotion strongly predicted which movies were remembered (supporting hypotheses 2 and 3 over hypothesis 1), with horror and thriller movies significantly overrepresented. Scene-level details were recalled more frequently and accurately than movie-level information, suggesting that emotion preferentially affects central, sensory details. However, both scene-level and movie-level details were enhanced by negative emotion without a significant interaction, supporting the third hypothesis that emotion broadly enhances memory while prioritizing central information. These findings suggest that negative emotion enhances both the selectivity and overall strength of long-term episodic memories, with implications for understanding emotional memory in naturalistic contexts.Cognitive NeurosciencePsychologyEmotionMemoryNatural Language ProcessingBig dataCorpus studiesSocial media analysisStatisticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/616448snhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt616448sn/qt616448sn.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4vz626pf2026-07-31T13:45:07Zqt4vz626pfCostly Communication Shapes Networked Social Learning: Accuracy–Utility Tradeoffs in an Agent-Based ModelQin, Qianyi2026-01-01Communication in social learning is often limited by time, attention, and explicit penalties, yet many models assume free or fixed exchange. We study how two bundled communication regimes shape networked inference in an agent-based model. Groups of agents on a ring network infer a binary hidden state over 10 rounds from noisy private signals and neighbors' probabilistic messages. The regimes jointly vary per-broadcast penalty, broadcast probability, per-round broadcast cap, and social-update weight. Simulations show that the high-cost, communication-constrained regime produces fewer outgoing broadcasts, slower reduction of logged-belief dispersion, and stronger dependence of final accuracy and score on private-signal reliability. Increasing signal strength therefore yields larger gains in the high-cost regime than in the low-cost regime. These results should be interpreted as regime-level differences rather than as the isolated causal effect of message penalty alone, and they generate testable predictions for human experiments.SociologyCognitive HumanitiesComplex systemsComputational ModelingComputer-based experimentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4vz626pfhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4vz626pf/qt4vz626pf.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2463q3vx2026-07-31T13:45:05Zqt2463q3vxCompression-Driven Abstraction Under Limited Inference: A Resource-Rational Account of Rules, Chunks, and SymmetriesZhang, Yuli2026-01-01Humans can show abrupt gains in learning and problem solving, e.g., discovering a rule or forming a chunk. We propose a process-level account in which an agent selects among representation families by minimizing a two-part minimum description length (MDL) objective augmented with an explicit inference-cost penalty. Bounded inference is modeled as budgeted search with sparse top-k routing (limited consideration), yielding a retained-mass diagnostic _k that predicts when truncation changes choices. The framework yields simple threshold conditions for when rules, macros, and symmetry codes become worthwhile, predicting step-like changes as experience accumulates under fixed resources. Minimal simulations reproduce key signatures, including compute–coverage tradeoffs and symmetry-threshold scaling with group size. Large language model (LLM) experiments further show a semantic–exact dissociation in symmetry learning and candidate-set bottlenecks consistent with limited consideration.Artificial IntelligenceProblem SolvingRepresentationSkill acquisition and learningMathematical modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2463q3vxhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt2463q3vx/qt2463q3vx.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0949r01q2026-07-31T13:45:02Zqt0949r01qAre Recognition Decisions in Visual Working Memory Different from Recognition Decisions in Long-Term Memory?Mizrak, EdaSingmann, Henrik2026-01-01What are the evidence distributions underlying recognition decisions in visual working memory, and how do they compare to those in long-term memory? A recent critical test shows that long-term recognition memory is best described by a Gumbel\textsubscript{min} signal-detection model. Our study applies this test to visual working memory. Participants studied shape-colour bindings and completed a recognition task with varying set size but an equal number of studied and non-studied items. Half of the participants had to select one studied item; half had to select one non-studied item. The Gumbel\textsubscript{min} model predicts that accuracy should improve with set size when selecting a studied item but remain unchanged when selecting a non-studied item. Our results are somewhat ambiguous but suggest that accuracy increased with set size in both task variants, which would provide evidence against the Gumbel\textsubscript{min} signal-detection model for visual working memory. Future research needs to replicate our results in a design without potential experimental confounds.PsychologyMemoryMathematical modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0949r01qhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0949r01q/qt0949r01q.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt09j052r02026-07-31T13:45:00Zqt09j052r0Strategic allocation of memory resources through the lens of dependency locality: Evidence from a controlled reading experimentXu, WeijieHao, HailinFutrell, Richard2026-01-01Human working memory resources are strategically allocated in sentence processing. Recent studies have argued that less predictable linguistic units are prioritized for memory resources to be encoded with higher precision in sentence processing, as a principled solution to minimize the overall memory error given noisy encoding and resource limitations. The investigation of this claim has been operationalized from the perspective of memory robustness, predicting that representations of unexpected linguistic units are more robust against memory interference since they are more precisely encoded. In this study, using a controlled reading experiment in the A-Maze paradigm, we examine this prediction through the lens of the dependency locality effect in comprehension, a classic sentence-processing effect arising from memory decay and interference. Focusing on the subject--verb dependency in English, we find that the locality effect only occurs when the retrieval target (i.e., left codependent) is of high predictability, suggesting that high-predictability linguistic units are less prioritized for memory resources, thus encoded with less robust representation against the interference from the intervening material between codependents. Interestingly, we also observe a mild anti-locality pattern for unexpected retrieval target, pointing to a potential competition between memory- and expectation-based sentence processing mechanisms under the impact of strategic allocation of memory resources.LinguisticsLanguage Comprehensionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/09j052r0https://escholarship.org/content/qt09j052r0/qt09j052r0.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4s6892gw2026-07-31T13:44:56Zqt4s6892gwOn the Ordinary Concept of Intelligencepavese, carlottaHenne, Paul2026-01-01Attributions of intelligence affect political discourse (Hartman
et al., 2023; Knöchelmann & Cohrs, 2024; Oktar & Lombrozo,
2026; Stanley et al., 2020), perceptions of animals' moral standing
(Piazza et al., 2014; Ruby & Heine, 2012; Sytsma & Machery,
2012), and perceptions of AI (Joo, 2024; Ladak et al.,
2024). Thus, it matters how people tend to attribute intelligence.
The folk psychology of intelligence, however, does not
figure prominently in discussions of folk psychology (Andrews,
2012; Fodor, 1987; Goldman, 2006; Nichols & Stich, 2003;
Stich, 1983), and researchers have yet to extensively investigate
this topic empirically. Here, we experimentally investigate
whether people attribute intelligence differently across different
types of activities and their practitioners, depending on whether
the activities are intellectual or embodied. In three experiments,
we find evidence for the Differential Use Hypothesis.LinguisticsPhilosophyPsychologyIntelligent agentsLanguage and thoughtReasoningSemantics of languageSocial cognitionTheory of MindSurveyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4s6892gwhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4s6892gw/qt4s6892gw.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5kg0z89r2026-07-31T13:44:55Zqt5kg0z89rMLDA-STG: A Multi-Level Domain Adaptation Spatio-Temporal Graph Network for Cross-Subject EEG Fatigue DetectionZhang, JiahuiChen, RongtaoHuang, ZhuoyiXie, ChuwenPan, JiahuiQiu, Lina2026-01-01Reliable decoding of cognitive fatigue from Electroencephalography (EEG) is essential for monitoring sustained attention but is hampered by significant inter-subject variability in neural dynamics. To address the resulting domain shift, we propose the Multi-Level Domain Adaptation Network with an Enhanced Spatio-Temporal Graph (MLDA-STG). Our approach uniquely models the evolving functional connectivity of the brain during cognitive decline through a dynamic graph fusion network, while a collaborative learning mechanism disentangles personalized neural traits from shared fatigue patterns. Crucially, we introduce a Multi-Level Alignment framework that goes beyond global adaptation to align conditional distributions, preserving the semantic structure of cognitive states across individuals.
Evaluations on the SEED-VIG and SADT datasets demonstrate that MLDA-STG achieves state-of-the-art performance, offering a robust solution for calibration-free cognitive state assessment. The source code is available at: https://github.com/zjh-sys/MLDA-STG.git.Artificial IntelligenceComputer ScienceComputational neuroscienceElectroencephalography (EEG)Neural Networksapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5kg0z89rhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5kg0z89r/qt5kg0z89r.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt34f005nb2026-07-31T13:44:55Zqt34f005nbMetacognitive Active Perception with Memory-Guided Hypothesis VerificationPeng, ChengyiPeng, YifeiWang, Zichen2026-01-01Current multimodal visual models continue to improve in perceptual performance, yet still rely on passive, dense processing, resulting in high computational overhead. From a cognitive perspective, existing methods incorporate limited prior memory and resource allocation during perception, making it difficult to construct perception as goal-directed sequential decision-making. This paper proposes an active metacognitive framework inspired by biological memory priors, organizing visual understanding as a memory-driven hypothesis–verification process. The model forms initial beliefs from low-resolution global information and internal memory, and selects local observations to reduce uncertainty. As evidence accumulates, the system adaptively terminates perception based on confidence, enabling on-demand allocation of computational resources. Experiments across visual complexity settings show that this approach matches or surpasses traditional models while reducing inference time and token usage by approximately 15–30%, and produces structured, interpretable observation sequences.Artificial IntelligenceCognitive NeuroscienceEmbodied CognitionBayesian modelingEye trackingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/34f005nbhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt34f005nb/qt34f005nb.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt685451n42026-07-31T13:44:52Zqt685451n4How the Teaching Style and Interpretation Type of State Interventions Shape Multi-Agent CoordinationZhong, ZhuolunCaspar, LucAusterweil, Joseph Larry2026-01-01How can an external teacher accelerate coordination among multiple learning agents? We investigate this question in a multi-agent foraging task where a simulated teacher can physically relocate agents—a direct but ambiguous pedagogical signal. We formalize a taxonomy of teaching styles (e.g., Undoing, Correcting) and agent interpretation rules. Our computational experiments reveal that the Undoing style is a uniquely powerful catalyst for spatial coordination, most effectively breaking behavioral symmetry between two agents by imposing spatial constraints that define "home regions." This catalytic effect scales, reinforcing niche specialization in three-agent systems. However, success is governed by a pedagogical matching principle: interventions fail when the agent's interpretation rule mismatches the teacher's intent (e.g., Correcting fails when interventions are interpreted as punitive). Our work provides a formal framework showing how structured guidance and agent interpretation jointly shape the emergence of collective organization.Computer ScienceInstruction and teachingIntelligent agentsAgent-based ModelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/685451n4https://escholarship.org/content/qt685451n4/qt685451n4.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2zb8m37s2026-07-31T13:44:50Zqt2zb8m37sThe disjunction effect does not violate the Law of Total ProbabilityGelastopoulos, AlexandrosLe Mens, Gael2026-01-01The disjunction effect (DE) refers to an empirical violation of the Sure-Thing Principle, which states that if a person is willing to take an action independently of the outcome of some event, then they must be willing to do so even when the outcome of the event is unknown. In practice, authors report a population-level version of this phenomenon, specifically that fewer people are willing to take the proposed action when the outcome of the event is unknown than for any possible known outcome. This latter condition has received a lot of attention, because it presumably violates the Law of Total Probability. Here we show that this assertion is false and, consequently, this population-level version cannot be interpreted as a DE. This calls for a reevaluation of experimental results that have been interpreted as showing a DE based on the above condition.PsychologyBehavioral ScienceDecision makingMathematical modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2zb8m37shttps://escholarship.org/content/qt2zb8m37s/qt2zb8m37s.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7mc1272p2026-07-31T13:40:16Zqt7mc1272pConniving with Continuations: Representing Goals in a Domain-Specific Language of ThoughtChandra, KartikSaxe, RebeccaRagan-Kelley, JonathanTenenbaum, Joshua B.2026-01-01Wanting composes flexibly with knowing: we can want to know, want to know what someone wants, and so on. This paper offers a goal representation that allows for this type of rich integration with theory-of-mind concepts. We extend the memo programming language (https://github.com/kach/memo), which is specialized for theory-of-mind reasoning, with a new syntactic construct called "wants" that represents goals. To implement "wants," we borrow an idea from programming language theory: the notion of a "continuation," which allows reasoning about possible future states of a program. We show that this construct can be used to represent a variety of interesting goals, and discuss what it can teach us about the concept of desire more broadly.PsychologySocial cognitionTheory of MindBayesian modelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7mc1272phttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7mc1272p/qt7mc1272p.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3kq8x6632026-07-31T13:40:15Zqt3kq8x663From Emotions to Virtues: Linking Anger to Justice and Empathic Pain to HumanityEbo, Regina N2026-01-01Emotions serve a host of informative functions, from revealing one's internal states to communicating their goals and intentions. However, little is known about whether emotions signal one's moral character. This work explores this outstanding question in the case of anger and empathic pain. Across two studies, we found that both facial (S1; N= 594) and vocal (S2; N= 572) expressions of anger and empathic pain signaled justice and humanity virtues, respectively. We additionally found perceivers' evaluations of these emotions to be dependent on context. Perceivers were more sympathetic towards empathic pain versus anger expressions in a harm context, but showed no difference in an unjust context. However, in both harm and unjust contexts, perceivers had less negative beliefs about empathic pain expressions. These findings suggest that emotions can serve as multimodal signals of moral virtues and point to the relevance of context in perceivers' evaluations of emotions.PsychologyEmotionEmotion PerceptionEmpathySocial cognitionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3kq8x663https://escholarship.org/content/qt3kq8x663/qt3kq8x663.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7sn2r2rh2026-07-31T13:40:05Zqt7sn2r2rhFinding Flaws: Using Small Group Discussions to Improve Understanding of Experimental DesignWiley, JenniferHildenbrand, LenaBritt, M. Anne2026-01-01Many students lack skills in comprehending summaries of scientific studies as well as thinking critically about experimental designs and evidence. This research explored whether group discussion activities may help support skills needed for understanding and evaluating research summaries, specifically when there is a lack of evidence for stated conclusions due to flaws in research designs. This study was conducted in undergraduate Research Methods in Psychology courses, using discussion activities where students were asked to read short reports of studies similar to popular media accounts of research findings. The study manipulated only discussion group size (twos, threes and fours) while holding all other aspects of instruction constant. Individual performance on tasks asking students to find flaws in new examples was better on average after working in groups of four compared to groups of two, and weaker students were more likely to benefit from interacting with peers after working in groups of four.EducationPsychologyGroup BehaviourInstruction and teachingLearningClassroom studiesapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7sn2r2rhhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7sn2r2rh/qt7sn2r2rh.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9pg8x0z92026-07-31T13:40:04Zqt9pg8x0z9Improve Auditory Perturbation RSVP EEG Signal Decoding By Dual-view Backbone Based Dual-Stream Knowledge Distillation NetworkFu, BoxunZhang, JiachenLi, FuZhang, XiLi, JunkaiCai, Xiaohui2026-01-01Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) is a critical cognitive paradigm for investigating visual attention dynamics and developing high-speed Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs). However, real-world deployment faces challenges from environmental noise, particularly cross-modal auditory perturbations that degrade neural decoding. This work proposes the Time-Frequency Dual-View Network (TFDV-Net), which fuses time-domain and frequency-domain features via a global-local interaction backbone to capture weak ERP signals. Furthermore, a Dual-Stream Knowledge Distillation strategy is introduced to enhance robustness, enforcing the model to reconstruct task-invariant cognitive patterns from noise-corrupted signals by learning from a "clean-state" teacher. The proposed method achieves a state-of-the-art balanced accuracy of 83.02% on a dataset containing ecological noise. Notably, we find that semantic conversational noise induces a significantly larger performance drop compared to non-semantic urban noise. This result quantitatively validates the hypothesis that high-level semantic processing imposes a greater cognitive load on the visual attention system than low-level acoustic interference.Artificial IntelligenceHuman-computer interactionMachine learningElectroencephalography (EEG)Neural Networksapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9pg8x0z9https://escholarship.org/content/qt9pg8x0z9/qt9pg8x0z9.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8646z0bm2026-07-31T13:40:02Zqt8646z0bmVisual Cognition Inspired Network for Few-Shot Fine-Grained Image ClassificationLiu, YongqiChen, YaoChen, ZhongpuWang, Zhi-Jie2026-01-01Few-shot fine-grained image classification (FSFGIC) is the task of developing computational models to recognize highly similar sub-categories from minimal training data. This task poses a core dilemma: over-emphasizing local details makes models vulnerable to noise and overfitting, while relying on global features often lacks the sensitivity required for fine-grained discrimination. Inspired by the human visual cognition strategy of dynamically balancing global and local information, we propose an Adaptive Global–Local Balance Network (AGLB-Net), a framework that computationally implements adaptive global– local integration for FSFGIC. AGLB-Net introduces two key modules: a Hierarchical Discriminative Feature Refinement (HDFR) module that progressively integrates representations from global semantics to fine-grained details, and an Adaptive Regional Re-Attention Module (ARRM) that automatically localizes and emphasizes discriminative regions without additional supervision. Extensive experiments on widely-used benchmarks demonstrate that AGLB-Net consistently achieves state-of-the-art performance across various few-shot settings, validating the effectiveness of human visual cognition-inspired adaptive global–local balancing in FSFGIC.Artificial IntelligenceCognitive NeuroscienceComputer ScienceNeuroscienceAnalogyMachine learningPattern recognitionPerceptionRepresentationVisionComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8646z0bmhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8646z0bm/qt8646z0bm.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5r16q39j2026-07-31T13:40:01Zqt5r16q39jAcoustic Representations Support Statistical Learning of Syllable Sequences: A Computational StudyJurov, NikaSchatz, Thomas2026-01-01The human ability to track sequential regularities in speech has been thoroughly studied through both human experiments and computational modeling. These two approaches usually complement each other, in a virtuous cycle between theory and experiment. Yet, they currently seem disconnected when it comes to taking into account the acoustic details of speech. Advances in AI technology now enable computational modeling of statistical learning directly from raw unlabeled continuous recordings. However, when designing and interpreting results from human experiments, speech typically remains modeled in terms of abstract categories -- like syllables -- without consideration of acoustic details. Here, we bridge this gap by showing that learning from low-level auditory speech representations, rather than from more abstract alternatives, better matches human behavior in statistical learning experiments. This calls into question common assumptions about human learners' representations and underlines the importance of controlling for low-level auditory confounds in the design of statistical learning experiments.Cognitive architecturesLanguage acquisitionPerceptionStatistical learningNeural Networksapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5r16q39jhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5r16q39j/qt5r16q39j.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4bh492mp2026-07-31T13:39:59Zqt4bh492mpExploring Visual Perception Through Eye Movements: Effects of Stimulus Structure and Task DemandsNasreen, ShaziaGuha, Rajlakshmi2026-01-01Eye movements offer a sensitive window into the cognitive mechanisms that underlie visual attention and perceptual processing. While existing research has largely focused on structured, semantically rich images, less is known about how eye parameters reflect the processing of ambiguous stimuli under varying task demands. This research addresses this gap through three complementary studies that examine eye movements during free viewing and task-based viewing of structured, ambiguous, and blank visual stimuli. Results indicate that during free viewing, Total Fixation Duration and Fixation Count most effectively differentiated stimulus type, with ambiguous stimuli eliciting greater exploratory behavior and a pronounced central fixation bias. In task-based viewing of concrete stimuli, Visit Count emerged as the most sensitive indicator. For ambiguous stimuli, increasing chromatic complexity selectively enhanced Fixation Count and Visit Duration. Overall, findings demonstrate parameter-specific sensitivity to cognitive processing and reveal distinct strategies, highlighting eye movements as robust markers of cognitive engagement.PsychologyBehavioral ScienceDecision makingPerceptionComparative AnalysisEye trackingStatisticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4bh492mphttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4bh492mp/qt4bh492mp.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8f65w2582026-07-31T13:39:54Zqt8f65w258Sycophantic Chatbots Cause Delusional Spiraling, Even in Ideal BayesiansChandra, KartikKleiman-Weiner, MaxRagan-Kelley, JonathanTenenbaum, Joshua B.2026-01-01"Delusional spiraling'' is a form of AI-induced psychosis, an emerging phenomenon where AI chatbot users find themselves dangerously confident in outlandish beliefs. This phenomenon is popularly attributed to "sycophancy,'' chatbots' well-documented bias towards validating users' claims. But an explanation of why sycophancy should cause delusional spirals---and why they occur only rarely, but seriously---has not been forthcoming. Here we take a theoretical and computational approach to probing the causal link between sycophancy and delusional spiraling. We propose a simple Bayesian model of a user conversing with a chatbot, and formalize notions of sycophancy and delusional spiraling in that model. We then show that in this model, even an ideal Bayesian user is vulnerable to delusional spiraling, and that sycophancy plays a causal role. Furthermore, this effect persists despite two candidate mitigations: preventing chatbots from hallucinating false claims, and informing users of AI sycophancy. The full paper is available at .Artificial IntelligenceSocial cognitionTheory of MindBayesian modelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8f65w258https://escholarship.org/content/qt8f65w258/qt8f65w258.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt66f7s9fj2026-07-31T13:39:53Zqt66f7s9fjStereotype Threat Favors Accuracy Over Speed: Dismantling the Influence of Gender Stereotypes on the Speed-Accuracy Tradeoff in Mathematical TasksKeller, Kim SophieVoss, Andreas2026-01-01Stereotype Threat describes the negative impact on cognitive performance caused by the activation of negative social stereotypes. This study investigates the underlying cognitive mechanisms of gender-specific Stereotype Threat effects. Four online experiments were conducted with 1,164 participants, randomly assigned to either a Stereotype Threat or a control condition. To model the underlying cognitive processes, parameters of the drift diffusion model were estimated and effects on accuracy and response times were reported. Results showed no differences in accuracy as an effect of Stereotype Threat. However, women in the Stereotype Threat condition consistently responded more slowly and, in one experiment, exhibited a higher threshold separation when completing the mathematical task, indicating more conservative response tendencies, compared to men and the control group. The study addresses the need for potential interventions such as stereotype awareness to mitigate these effects and calls for further research into cultural and social influencing factors.PsychologySocial cognitionBayesian modelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/66f7s9fjhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt66f7s9fj/qt66f7s9fj.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3bn5r9c72026-07-31T13:39:53Zqt3bn5r9c7Mind the Bind: Mapping Expertise in Semantic Schemata Using Network ScienceTameling, Jan-FilipWagner, ValentinJacobsen, Thomas2026-01-01Expertise shapes the organization of semantic knowledge, yet prior work using cognitive network science remains sparse and limited in methodological diversity. Study 1 used a free-listing task to identify the concepts constituting the visual art schema in experts and laypeople. Study 2 collected pairwise relatedness judgements of these concepts to construct individual semantic networks. Higher expertise was associated with richer and more diverse schemata, more individualized networks, higher clustering coefficients, shorter average shortest path lengths, and unchanged modularity. Node-level analyses showed that fluency enhanced the structure of basic concepts, while the full advantage of experts emerged through integration of advanced concepts. These findings link expertise to more efficient and differentiated semantic networks, suggesting a mechanism by which knowledge organization supports expert-level cognition.PsychologyArt and CognitionSemantic memoryKnowledge representationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3bn5r9c7https://escholarship.org/content/qt3bn5r9c7/qt3bn5r9c7.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4td0p2vq2026-07-31T13:39:28Zqt4td0p2vqDisparities in Drinking Water Manganese Concentrations in Domestic Wells and Community Water Systems in the Central Valley, CA, USAAiken, Miranda LPace, Clare ERamachandran, MaithiliSchwabe, Kurt AAjami, HooriLink, Bruce GYing, Samantha C2023-02-07Over 1.3 million Californians rely on unmonitored domestic wells. Existing probability estimates of groundwater Mn concentrations, population estimates, and sociodemographic data were integrated with spatial data delineating domestic well communities (DWCs) to predict the probability of high Mn concentrations in extracted groundwater within DWCs in California's Central Valley. Additional Mn concentration data of water delivered by community water systems (CWSs) were used to estimate Mn in public water supply. We estimate that 0.4% of the DWC population (2342 users) rely on groundwater with predicted Mn > 300 μg L-1. In CWSs, 2.4% of the population (904 users) served by small CWSs and 0.4% of the population (3072 users) served by medium CWS relied on drinking water with mean point-of-entry Mn concentration >300 μg L-1. Small CWSs were less likely to report Mn concentrations relative to large CWSs, yet a higher percentage of small CWSs exceed regulatory standards relative to larger systems. Modeled calculations do not reveal differences in estimated Mn concentration between groundwater from current regional domestic well depth and 33 m deeper. These analyses demonstrate the need for additional well-monitoring programs that evaluate Mn and increased access to point-of-use treatment for domestic well users disproportionately burdened by associated costs of water treatment.3707 Hydrology (for-2020)41 Environmental Sciences (for-2020)37 Earth Sciences (for-2020)Social Determinants of Health (rcdc)6 Clean Water and Sanitation (sdg)Drinking Water (mesh)Manganese (mesh)Water PollutantsChemical (mesh)Water Supply (mesh)Water Wells (mesh)Groundwater (mesh)Environmental Monitoring (mesh)human right to watersecondary datawell depthredox conditionscommunity water systemsdomestic well communitiesManganese (mesh)Water PollutantsChemical (mesh)Environmental Monitoring (mesh)Water Supply (mesh)Groundwater (mesh)Drinking Water (mesh)Water Wells (mesh)community water systemsdomestic well communitieshuman right to waterredox conditionssecondary datawell depthDrinking Water (mesh)Manganese (mesh)Water PollutantsChemical (mesh)Water Supply (mesh)Water Wells (mesh)Groundwater (mesh)Environmental Monitoring (mesh)Environmental Sciences (science-metrix)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4td0p2vqhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4td0p2vq/qt4td0p2vq.pdfinfo:doi/10.1021/acs.est.2c08548articleEnvironmental Science and Technology, vol 57, iss 51987 - 1996oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6xk941fr2026-07-31T13:39:12Zqt6xk941frAssessing Perceptual Metacognition in Vision-Language ModelsJi, RanWang, MaijunxianGao, QingyingLi, YijiangDeng, HokinLuo, Dezhi2026-01-01Vision-language models (VLMs) have demonstrated unprecedented capabilities in perception and reasoning, yet their perceptual metacognitive abilities remain unexamined, a gap with implications for reliable deployment and welfare considerations. We evaluated six open-source VLMs on perceptual decision-making tasks, comparing implicit (logit-based) and explicit (self-reported) metacognition. Models exhibited robust implicit calibration and sensitivity on high-performance tasks but unreliable explicit confidence reports with poor calibration and task-dependent sensitivity. Process modeling further revealed that both confidence measures converged on classic Signal Detection Theory, suggesting VLMs lack the metacognitive monitoring mechanisms that differentiate decision and confidence processes in humans. Together, we showed that current VLMs thus limited perceptual metacognition with notable dissociations between implicit and explicit confidence.Artificial IntelligencePsychologyPerceptionVisionPsychophysicsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6xk941frhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6xk941fr/qt6xk941fr.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9bd4r0z92026-07-31T13:39:10Zqt9bd4r0z9Assembly Instructions for the Modular MindChandra, KartikRagan-Kelley, JonathanTenenbaum, Joshua B.Saxe, Rebecca2026-01-01How do domain-specific cognitive systems interface with knowledge from beyond their respective domains? In this paper, we draw on the notion of domain-specificity in programming language theory to provide a computational account of how domain-specific systems might interface with domain-general world knowledge, as well as with other domain-specific systems.PsychologyCognitive architecturesSocial cognitionTheory of MindBayesian modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9bd4r0z9https://escholarship.org/content/qt9bd4r0z9/qt9bd4r0z9.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1vt4v5v22026-07-31T13:39:10Zqt1vt4v5v2Steering Risk Preferences in Large Language Models by Aligning Behavioral and Neural RepresentationsZhu, Jian-QiaoYan, HaijiangGriffiths, Tom2026-01-01Changing the behavior of large language models (LLMs) can be as straightforward as editing the Transformer's residual streams using appropriately constructed "steering vectors.'' These modifications to internal neural activations, a form of representation engineering, offer an effective and targeted means of influencing model behavior without retraining or fine-tuning the model. But how can such steering vectors be systematically identified? We propose a principled approach, which we call self-alignment, that uncovers steering vectors by aligning latent representations elicited through behavioral methods (specifically, Markov chain Monte Carlo with LLMs) with their neural counterparts. To evaluate this approach, we focus on extracting latent risk preferences from LLMs and steering their risk-related outputs using the aligned representations as steering vectors. We show that the resulting steering vectors successfully and reliably modulate LLM outputs in line with the targeted behavior.Artificial IntelligenceDecision makingMachine learningRepresentationComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1vt4v5v2https://escholarship.org/content/qt1vt4v5v2/qt1vt4v5v2.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0360831j2026-07-31T13:39:08Zqt0360831jAttentional Demand and Subliminal Affect Jointly Regulate Task Performance and Mind WanderingBiswas, Rajashreevan Boxtel, JeroenWindt, JenniferGupta, Rashmi2026-01-01Understanding how attention and emotion shape conscious experience remains a central challenge in cognitive science. The present study examined how perceptual load and subliminal emotional information influence task performance and mind wandering. Participants performed a letter search task under low and high perceptual load while being subliminally primed with task-irrelevant happy or angry faces. Thought probes assessed task-unrelated thought, including deliberate and unintentional forms, with block length varied to reduce predictability. High perceptual load slowed responses and reduced accuracy, consistent with load theory. Emotional valence showed limited modulation, with happy faces associated with interference across load conditions and angry faces showing some influence under low load. Mind wandering increased with block length and showed modest modulation by load and emotion, particularly for unintentional task-unrelated thought. Trait mind wandering and ADHD symptoms were associated with higher task-unrelated thought. Overall, the findings suggest that subliminal emotional signals and attentional demands jointly shape performance and conscious thought.Cognitive NeurosciencePhilosophyPsychologyBehavioral ScienceConsciousnessEmotionEmotion PerceptionFace ProcessingPerceptioncognitive neuropsychologyExperience samplingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0360831jhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0360831j/qt0360831j.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2v66g6mw2026-07-31T13:39:02Zqt2v66g6mwDecoding Latent Decision Strategies from Think-Aloud ProtocolsLi, JiaxuanTian, YufanLv, KangjuanHe, Lisheng2026-01-01Latent decision strategies are central to human behavior and cognition. They may differ across persons and fluctuate over time within a single person. This paper introduces a framework that extracts latent, trial-level decision strategies from think-aloud verbalizations, with the resulting strategy estimates mapped onto formal strategy identification via quantitative model selection. We validated this approach with two intertemporal choice experiments, in which participants verbalized their thoughts while making binary choices between smaller-sooner and larger-later options in free-choice (Experiment 1) or instructed (Experiment 2) conditions. We used three popular LLMs to rate participants' alternative-based versus attribute-based evaluations based on their think-aloud protocols at the trial level. Results suggest that think-aloud protocols effectively capture individual variations in decision strategies, as reflected in comparisons between computational models, and can detect strategy shifts due to instructions. Our framework offers a scalable, powerful tool for understanding latent cognitive processes underlying human choice behavior.PsychologyDecision makingNatural Language ProcessingComputational ModelingVerbal protocol studiesapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2v66g6mwhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt2v66g6mw/qt2v66g6mw.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3gx6c1q02026-07-31T13:38:59Zqt3gx6c1q0Eliciting Trustworthiness Priors of Large Language Models via Economic GamesYAN, SiyuZhu, Jian-QiaoZhu, Lusha2026-01-01One critical aspect of building human-centered, trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) systems is maintaining calibrated trust: appropriate reliance on AI systems outperforms both overtrust (e.g., automation bias) and undertrust (e.g., disuse). A fundamental challenge, however, is how to characterize the level of trust exhibited by an AI system itself. Here, we propose a novel elicitation method based on iterated in-context learning (Zhu & Griffiths, 2024a) and apply it to elicit trustworthiness priors using the Trust Game from behavioral game theory. The Trust Game is particularly well suited for this purpose because it operationalizes trust as voluntary exposure to risk based on beliefs about another agent, rather than self-reported attitudes. Using our method, we elicit trustworthiness priors from several leading large language models (LLMs) and find that GPT-4.1's trustworthiness priors closely track those observed in humans. Building on this result, we further examine how GPT-4.1 responds to different player personas in the Trust Game, providing an initial characterization of how such models differentiate trust across agent characteristics. Finally, we show that variation in elicited trustworthiness can be well predicted by a stereotype-based model grounded in perceived warmth and competence.Artificial IntelligenceBehavioral ScienceMachine learningSocial cognitionBayesian modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3gx6c1q0https://escholarship.org/content/qt3gx6c1q0/qt3gx6c1q0.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt91r851482026-07-31T13:38:50Zqt91r85148Beyond Compliance: Children's Perceived Agency and Agentic Interpretation of Parental Control in Family Decision-MakingFan, WeiweiChristie, Stella2026-01-01Abstract
Classic socialization frameworks often link parental control with reduced child agency, yet less is known about how children cognitively process external constraints. This study examines the control-agency model by investigating: (1) how maternal beliefs shape children's perceived agency within the Chinese Guan (governance) context, and (2) how children cognitively navigate situations of maximal constraint. Using a novel vignette-based family decision-making task with 82 mother–child dyads (Mage = 6.6) alongside parental belief questionnaires, we assessed maternal beliefs about Guan and child agency, maternal decision dominance, and children's perceived agency across everyday scenarios. Boundary cases of minimal perceived agency were further examined to probe children's interpretations of maternal control and their strategic responses. Results showed maternal beliefs significantly predicted children's perceived agency independently of decision dominance. In the learning scenario, agency beliefs positively predicted perceived agency (_ = .791, p = .043), whereas control-oriented Guan beliefs negatively predicted it (_ = -.510, p = .009; R_ = .151). Additionally, in boundary cases, children's perceived agency significantly informed their interpretations and strategies, yet these two outputs frequently diverged, indicating functional decoupling. These findings indicate that children's agency is not reducible to behavioral autonomy, but also involves internal interpretive processes even under high constraints.PsychologyCognitive developmentDecision makingSocial cognitionQualitative Analysisapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/91r85148https://escholarship.org/content/qt91r85148/qt91r85148.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2dj905c12026-07-31T13:38:50Zqt2dj905c1Debiasing Central Fixation Confounds Reveals a Peripheral "Sweet Spot" for Human-like Scanpaths in Hard-Attention VisionPan, PengchengYonekura, ShogoKuniyoshi, Yasuo2026-01-01Human eye movements in visual recognition reflect a balance between foveal sampling and peripheral context, but evaluating whether artificial scanpaths are "human-like" is difficult on object-centric datasets with strong center bias.
Using Gaze-CIFAR-10, we show that a trivial center-fixation baseline achieves surprisingly strong scores under common scanpath metrics, blurring the distinction between behavioral alignment and central tendency.
We introduce GCS (Gaze Consistency Score), a practical center-debiased and movement-aware score that normalizes against human and corner references, subtracts the center baseline, and adds a small movement-similarity term.
Applying GCS to a hard-attention classifier under varied fovea-periphery constraints identifies a restricted mid-range regime: a moderate foveal patch with peripheral context yields stronger center-debiased alignment than either narrower or broader alternatives.
This regime is not identified by accuracy alone; the highest-accuracy setting differs from the best-GCS setting.
These results highlight the need for bias-aware scanpath evaluation and suggest that, on Gaze-CIFAR-10 and under this hard-attention setting, perceptual constraints shape when task-trained policies appear relatively human-like.Artificial IntelligenceIntelligent agentsPerceptionVisionNeural Networksapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2dj905c1https://escholarship.org/content/qt2dj905c1/qt2dj905c1.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0xd836852026-07-31T13:38:49Zqt0xd83685Preserving Inter-Brain Coupling: A Constraint-Based Preprocessing Method for Collaborative Multi-brain Motor ImageryZhu, LiChen, XinleiTu, MengqiShi, YunqiCichocki, AndrzejKong, Wanzeng2026-01-01Traditional collaborative Brain Computer Interface (cBCI) pipelines treat participants as independent entities, inadvertently suppressing inter-brain neural dependencies critical for hyperscanning-based tasks. We propose an Inter-brain Coupling-Constrained Independent Component Analysis (ICC-ICA) method that incorporates a coupling gradient into the objective function to preserve shared neural signatures. Validated on a motor imagery (MI) dataset, our approach demonstrates that integrating inter-brain constraints does not compromise signal quality, yielding a stable 1.76% accuracy improvement. Crucially, functional network analysis reveals enhanced recovery of inter-brain links primarily localized in task-relevant motor regions. Furthermore, ICC-ICA shows superior retention of both intra-frequency and cross-frequency coupling across the entire task duration. These findings demonstrate that explicitly regularizing the ICA update rule with inter-participant constraints effectively safeguards social brain markers, providing a robust foundation for group-level neural decoding and more valid collaborative BCI systems.Cognitive NeuroscienceNeuroscienceDecision makingGroup BehaviourHuman-computer interactionSocial cognitionComputational ModelingElectroencephalography (EEG)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0xd83685https://escholarship.org/content/qt0xd83685/qt0xd83685.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0t8842vw2026-07-31T13:38:47Zqt0t8842vwDST-GN: Predicting Human Mobility via Disentangled Spatio-Temporal and Category Graph NetworksCui, JianqunZhang, JianingWang, MinChang, Yanan2026-01-01Predicting human mobility, specifically next Point-of-Interest (POI) suggestions, requires modeling how individuals integrate spatial, temporal and category cues during decision-making. However, existing computational models often conflate these heterogeneous signals or struggle with data sparsity. We propose the Disentangled Spatio-Temporal and Category Graph Network (DST-GN), a framework that reconstructs cognitive maps through representation learning. DST-GN models spatial, temporal and category contexts as independent graph views, employing Graph Attention Networks (GAT) to learn view-specific embeddings. To ensure coherence across these disentangled pathways, we introduce a cross-view contrastive learning mechanism that aligns signals into a unified semantic space. Furthermore, a global Collective Flow Enhancer is integrated to mitigate data sparsity by leveraging population-level heuristics. Experimental results on three real-world datasets show that our model outperforms state-of-the-art techniques, achieving average improvements of 22.84% in HR@10 and 18.55% in NDCG@10.Artificial IntelligenceDecision makingNeural NetworksSocial media analysisapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0t8842vwhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0t8842vw/qt0t8842vw.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7c51q9cg2026-07-31T13:38:44Zqt7c51q9cgAsymmetric Effects of Retrieval Practice on Temporal and Spatial Dimensions in Episodic MemoryPu, KecenShi, AikeLiu, Xiaonan L2026-01-01Episodic memories are structured by both temporal and spatial relations, yet how these dimensions shape retrieval remains unclear. We investigated how temporal and spatial dimensions differentially contribute to the benefits of retrieval practice using a behavioral paradigm in which participants encoded items in a structured spatiotemporal environment, followed by selective retrieval practice and a final free recall test (N = 54). Across analyses, we replicated contiguity effects in both domains, confirming that recall is influenced by when and where experiences occurred. Retrieval-induced benefits were selective: non-practiced items studied closer in time to retrieved items showed greater facilitation in final recall, following a graded, distance-dependent function. In contrast, spatial proximity predicted recall overall but did not exhibit comparable retrieval-induced spillover. Using continuous, item-level indices of retrieval influence, we demonstrate that retrieval practice selectively amplifies temporal structure rather than uniformly strengthening all organizational dimensions.PsychologyCognitive developmentLearningMemoryComputer-based experimentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7c51q9cghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7c51q9cg/qt7c51q9cg.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8cd208z92026-07-31T13:38:39Zqt8cd208z9A Computational Theory of DignityChandra, KartikTenenbaum, Joshua B.Saxe, Rebecca2026-01-01People seem to hold a variety of conflicting intuitions about the concept of dignity. Here, we seek to reverse-engineer the computational basis of these intuitions. We propose a Bayesian model that casts intuitions about dignity as computations about what agents' actions imply about their own and others' social rank. We show through two behavioral experiments that our model captures people's intuitions well, reconciling seemingly conflicting intuitions with a common computational framework.PsychologySocial cognitionTheory of MindBayesian modelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8cd208z9https://escholarship.org/content/qt8cd208z9/qt8cd208z9.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9nk1m5s22026-07-31T13:38:38Zqt9nk1m5s2Is Child-Directed Language Optimized for Word Learning? A Computational Study of Verb Meaning AcquisitionPadovani, FrancescaJumelet, JaapMatusevych, YevgenBisazza, Arianna2026-01-01Is child-directed language (CDL) optimized to support language learning, and which aspects of linguistic development does it facilitate? We investigate this question using neural language models trained on CDL versus adult-directed language (ADL). We selectively remove syntactic or lexical co-occurrence information from the model training data, and evaluate the impact of these manipulations on verb meaning acquisition.
While disrupting syntax impairs learning across all datasets, models trained on CDL and spoken ADL show significantly higher resilience than those trained on written input.
Tracking semantic and syntactic performance over training, we observe a "semantic-first" trajectory, with verb meanings emerging prior to robust syntactic proficiency, an asynchrony most pronounced in the spoken domain, especially CDL. These results suggest that the advantage for verb learning previously attributed to CDL may instead reflect broader properties of the spoken register, rather than a uniquely CDL-specific optimization.LinguisticsLanguage acquisitionLearningNatural Language ProcessingSemantics of languageSyntaxComputational ModelingNeural NetworksQuantitative Behaviorapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9nk1m5s2https://escholarship.org/content/qt9nk1m5s2/qt9nk1m5s2.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt49d0v00s2026-07-31T13:35:37Zqt49d0v00sCoupled Interfacial Kinetics and Transport Resistances Govern High-Current Behavior in Bipolar MembranesTorres, Claudio Adrian RuizZhu, YaguangVulpin, OliviaWu, YifanLi, ZhuoDrakopoulos, MichaelVo, Nghia TBoettcher, Shannon WHatzell, Marta CHatzell, Kelsey B2026-07-10Bipolar membranes (BPMs) enable electrochemical systems that operate across large pH gradients; however, high-current operation is often limited by voltage losses whose origins remain difficult to resolve in membrane−electrode assemblies. Here, we combine electrochemical impedance spectroscopy with distribution of relaxation times (EIS–DRT) analysis and operando synchrotron X-ray diffraction to examine interfacial polarization, membrane hydration, and transport in commercial and synthesized BPMs. EIS–DRT isolates the BPM-associated interfacial contribution and shows that the commercial BPM exhibits larger water-dissociation-associated overpotentials than the synthesized BPM. Operando hydration mapping shows that both membranes retain water at the bipolar junction during high-current operation, while anode-adjacent hydration gradients are more pronounced in the commercial membrane. These results indicate that high-current voltage losses are not governed by junction water starvation alone but by coupled interfacial polarization and transport resistances.40 Engineering (for-2020)34 Chemical Sciences (for-2020)3406 Physical Chemistry (for-2020)34 Chemical sciences (for-2020)40 Engineering (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/49d0v00shttps://escholarship.org/content/qt49d0v00s/qt49d0v00s.pdfinfo:doi/10.1021/acsenergylett.6c01540articleACS Energy Letters, vol 11, iss 75245 - 5252oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3zf4w0r72026-07-31T13:35:13Zqt3zf4w0r7Resting state alpha-band functional connectivity and recovery after strokeWestlake, Kelly PHinkley, Leighton BBucci, MonicaGuggisberg, Adrian GFindlay, Anne MHenry, Roland GNagarajan, Srikantan SByl, Nancy2012-09-01After cerebral ischemia, disruption and subsequent reorganization of functional connections occur both locally and remote to the lesion. However, the unpredictable timing and extent of sensorimotor recovery reflects a gap in understanding of these underlying neural mechanisms. We aimed to identify the plasticity of alpha-band functional neural connections within the perilesional area and the predictive value of functional connectivity with respect to motor recovery of the upper extremity after stroke. Our results show improvements in upper extremity motor recovery in relation to distributed changes in MEG-based alpha band functional connectivity, both in the perilesional area and contralesional cortex. Motor recovery was found to be predicted by increased connectivity at baseline in the ipsilesional somatosensory area, supplementary motor area, and cerebellum, contrasted with reduced connectivity of contralesional motor regions, after controlling for age, stroke onset-time and lesion size. These findings support plasticity within a widely distributed neural network and define brain regions in which the extent of network participation predicts post-stroke recovery potential.5202 Biological Psychology (for-2020)32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)52 Psychology (for-2020)Neurosciences (rcdc)Clinical Research (rcdc)Stroke (rcdc)Rehabilitation (rcdc)Physical Rehabilitation (rcdc)Aging (rcdc)Cerebrovascular (rcdc)Brain Disorders (rcdc)Biomedical Imaging (rcdc)1.1 Normal biological development and functioning (hrcs-rac)Stroke (hrcs-hc)Neurological (hrcs-hc)Adult (mesh)Aged (mesh)Alpha Rhythm (mesh)Female (mesh)Hand (mesh)Humans (mesh)Magnetoencephalography (mesh)Male (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Motor Cortex (mesh)Predictive Value of Tests (mesh)Recovery of Function (mesh)Resting PhaseCell Cycle (mesh)Spinal Cord (mesh)Stroke (mesh)StrokeMagnetoencephalographyPlasticityMotor recoveryBrain connectivityHand (mesh)Motor Cortex (mesh)Spinal Cord (mesh)Humans (mesh)Alpha Rhythm (mesh)Magnetoencephalography (mesh)Predictive Value of Tests (mesh)Recovery of Function (mesh)Adult (mesh)Aged (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Female (mesh)Male (mesh)Stroke (mesh)Resting PhaseCell Cycle (mesh)Adult (mesh)Aged (mesh)Alpha Rhythm (mesh)Female (mesh)Hand (mesh)Humans (mesh)Magnetoencephalography (mesh)Male (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Motor Cortex (mesh)Predictive Value of Tests (mesh)Recovery of Function (mesh)Resting PhaseCell Cycle (mesh)Spinal Cord (mesh)Stroke (mesh)1103 Clinical Sciences (for)1109 Neurosciences (for)1701 Psychology (for)Neurology & Neurosurgery (science-metrix)3209 Neurosciences (for-2020)5202 Biological psychology (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3zf4w0r7https://escholarship.org/content/qt3zf4w0r7/qt3zf4w0r7.pdfinfo:doi/10.1016/j.expneurol.2012.06.020articleExperimental Neurology, vol 237, iss 1160 - 169oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6183t8xg2026-07-31T13:35:10Zqt6183t8xgCorrelation of Clinical Neuromusculoskeletal and Central Somatosensory Performance: Variability in Controls and Patients With Severe and Mild Focal Hand DystoniaByl, Nancy NNagarajan, Srikantan SMerzenich, Michael MRoberts, TimMcKenzie, Alison2002-01-01Focal hand dystonia (FHd) is a recalcitrant, disabling movement disorder, characterized by involuntary co-contractions of agonists and antagonists, that can develop in patients who overuse or misuse their hands. The aim of this study was to document clinical neuromusculoskeletal performance and somatosensory responses (magnetoencephalography) in healthy controls and in FHd subjects with mild versus severe hand dystonia. The performance of healthy subjects (n = 17) was significantly better than that of FHd subjects (n =17) on all clinical parameters. Those with mild dystonia (n = 10) demonstrated better musculoskeletal skills, task-specific motor performance, and sensory discrimination, but the performance of sensory and fine motor tasks was slower than that of patients with severe dystonia. In terms of somatosensory evoked field responses (SEFs), FHd subjects demonstrated a significant difference in the location of the hand representation on the x and y axes, lower amplitude of SEFs integrated across latency, and a higher ratio of mean SEF amplitude to latency than the controls. Bilaterally, those with FHd (mild and severe) lacked progressive sequencing of the digits from inferior to superior. On the affected digits, subjects with severe dystonia had a significantly higher ratio of SEF amplitude to latency and a significantly smaller mean volume of the cortical hand representation than those with mild dystonia. Severity of dystonia positively correlated with the ratio of SEF mean amplitude to latency (0.9029 affected, 0.8477 unaffected; p < 0.01). The results of the present study strengthen the evidence that patients with FHd demonstrate signs of somatosensory degradation of the hand that correlates with clinical sensorimotor dysfunction, with characteristics of the de-differentiation varying by the severity of hand dystonia. If these findings represent aberrant learning, then effective rehabilitation must incorporate the principles of neuroplasticity. Training must be individualized to each patient to rebalance the sensorimotor feedback loop and to restore normal fine motor control.32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3202 Clinical Sciences (for-2020)Clinical Research (rcdc)Neurosciences (rcdc)Rehabilitation (rcdc)Neurodegenerative (rcdc)Rare Diseases (rcdc)Physical Rehabilitation (rcdc)Dystonia (rcdc)Adult (mesh)Case-Control Studies (mesh)Dystonia (mesh)Evoked PotentialsSomatosensory (mesh)Female (mesh)Hand (mesh)Humans (mesh)Magnetoencephalography (mesh)Male (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Motor Skills (mesh)Movement Disorders (mesh)Research Design (mesh)Somatosensory Cortex (mesh)Hand (mesh)Somatosensory Cortex (mesh)Humans (mesh)Movement Disorders (mesh)Dystonia (mesh)Magnetoencephalography (mesh)Case-Control Studies (mesh)Motor Skills (mesh)Evoked PotentialsSomatosensory (mesh)Research Design (mesh)Adult (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Female (mesh)Male (mesh)Adult (mesh)Case-Control Studies (mesh)Dystonia (mesh)Evoked PotentialsSomatosensory (mesh)Female (mesh)Hand (mesh)Humans (mesh)Magnetoencephalography (mesh)Male (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Motor Skills (mesh)Movement Disorders (mesh)Research Design (mesh)Somatosensory Cortex (mesh)1109 Neurosciences (for)1702 Cognitive Sciences (for)Neurology & Neurosurgery (science-metrix)3209 Neurosciences (for-2020)5202 Biological psychology (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6183t8xghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6183t8xg/qt6183t8xg.pdfinfo:doi/10.1155/np.2002.177articleNeural Plasticity, vol 9, iss 3177 - 203oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6wx3r9mx2026-07-31T13:34:05Zqt6wx3r9mxWord recognition selects for morphologically structured representations: The case of English -erGauthier, JonBreiss, Canaan2026-01-01What kinds of mental representations drive word recognition beyond surface phonetics?
We address this question by studying the representations of a speech foundation model at two stages: 1) after pretraining on raw speech audio, and 2) after fine-tuning for word recognition. We focus on English word-final -er, which has three surface-identical morphological sources—comparative (bigger), agentive (diver), and monomorphemic (bitter).
We find the model's representational space exhibits a linear geometric relationship between base and derived forms (big_bigger, dive_diver). This structure is specific to particular morphological sources, indicating that abstract morphology can be learned from unlabeled speech alone. However, the model overgeneralizes this pattern to false-friend pairs (bit_bitter).
Fine-tuning for word recognition significantly strengthens this structure for true morphological relations, while suppressing relations in monomorphemes and lexically irrelevant information (ex., speaker identity).
These results suggest abstract morpho-phonological structure is learnable from raw speech input, and plays a central role in word recognition.LinguisticsMorphologyPhonologySpeech recognitionNeural Networksapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6wx3r9mxhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6wx3r9mx/qt6wx3r9mx.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3bq0c5fw2026-07-31T13:34:05Zqt3bq0c5fwGeometric Artifacts or Semantic Bias? The Effect of Embedding Space Anisotropy on Implicit Bias MeasurementOno, SeitaroSaiki, Jun2026-01-01The Word Embedding Association Test (WEAT) was originally developed to assess implicit biases in language models and has since been widely employed as a tool for investigating implicit social biases in human cognition. However, recent research has revealed "anisotropy" in embedding spaces, a phenomenon whereby vectors concentrate in narrow regions, raising concerns that such geometric distortions may confound measurements of implicit social bias. This study examines whether WEAT scores reflect genuine semantic associations or geometric artifacts. We applied a whitening transformation to correct for spatial anisotropy and compared bias scores before and after correction across multiple WEAT categories. Results demonstrated that bias scores decreased substantially following geometric correction, with one racial bias category being eliminated. These findings suggest that standard bias measurements may conflict geometric distortions with semantic content, highlighting the necessity of spatial correction when using embedding-based methods to study human implicit cognition.Artificial IntelligenceComputer ScienceMachine learningNatural Language ProcessingNeural Networksapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3bq0c5fwhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3bq0c5fw/qt3bq0c5fw.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt30p7420x2026-07-31T13:34:05Zqt30p7420xCognitively Grounded Benchmark Generation for Robust Compositional Reasoning in Large Language ModelsGomez-Ramirez, Danny A. J.2026-01-01Large language models (LLMs) can write fluent mathematics, yet their reasoning collapses when proofs require verifiable composition across many dependent steps. We propose a cognitively grounded protocol for generating robust benchmark datasets in advanced mathematics by operationalizing seven human-inspired dimensions of expert practice: concept formation, dualization, negative knowledge, transfer, invariance control, lemma synthesis, and counterexample search. Rather than toy tasks, we construct meta-prompts from research-grade problem fragments and evaluate complete solution traces, auditing faithfulness and invariant preservation step by step. Under matched conditions, four state-of-the-art systems show a global breaking degree of nore than 90% on stress tests, with failures concentrated in long-horizon planning, premise selection, lemma construction, and counterexample discovery. We conclude with dataset design principles that maximize diagnostic power and reproducibility, and with training levers—rationale SFT, process supervision with reward models, and stepwise preference learning—that directly target step-level correctness.Artificial IntelligenceCreativityIntelligent agentsLanguage and thoughtReasoningapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/30p7420xhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt30p7420x/qt30p7420x.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4dd7430n2026-07-31T13:34:02Zqt4dd7430nAlgorithmic Foundations of Counting DevelopmentSommer, SarahMorales, GabriellaSanford, Emily MPiantadosi, Steven2026-01-01One surprising aspect of children's extended trajectory to mastery of the counting process is that, in other domains, children are remarkably adept at acquiring new lexical meanings. Mastery of counting, however, is a years-long process from first learning number words at age 2, to correctly counting around age 4. Previous research has posited that this extended trajectory is due to the difficulty of acquiring the concept of number, a years-long process involving conceptual restructuring. While children must acquire the concept of number, children also need to master the counting procedure. Specifically, counting requires tracking a set of objects, sequentially selecting and individuating each element, maintaining a representation of which items have already been counted, and synchronizing these operations with the verbal count list.The present studies are designed to isolate mastery of the counting procedure from acquisition of the number concept. By isolating non-numerical iterative processes that mirror the algorithmic structure of counting, we test whether procedural competence differs from concept mastery. We present results from a study demonstrating that children can successfully perform simple iterative list tasks before they show full mastery of counting. However, children are only able to perform more complex, theoretically analogous, iterative tasks once they have achieved counting mastery. Together, these findings support a theory in which the extended developmental trajectory of counting arises from the algorithmic demands of iterating through complex lists, as opposed to only conceptual restructuring.PsychologyCognitive developmentDevelopmentCross-cultural analysisapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4dd7430nhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4dd7430n/qt4dd7430n.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3h21938b2026-07-31T13:34:00Zqt3h21938bCan delta-band power index decompositional lexical access in Brazilian Portuguese?França, Aniela ImprotaSoto, MarijeSantos, Pedro2026-01-01Does phonological onset overlap in a prime-target pair (espada–esparadrapo / sword- adhesive tape) facilitate target recognition as strongly as morphological relatedness (globo–globaliza–åão / globe-globalization)? Brazilian Portuguese speakers perform an auditory–visual priming lexical-decision task while EEG is recorded and analyzed in the time–frequency domain. Prime–target pairs manipulate (i) relation type: onset phonological overlap vs shared morphological base, and (ii) target length (7, 9, 12 graphemes). Within each length, targets vary in morphological depth: simplex [root+category] (e.g., carangueijo / crab) versus derived forms with two to four additional layers (e.g., penaliza–åão / penalization). We test whether delta-band (–ï1–4 Hz) power indexes decompositional structure building: we predict greater delta power for morphologically complex targets, scaling with derivational depth, and weaker or absent scaling for purely phonological overlap. Data collection is ongoing; full analyses and results will be reported at the meeting.Cognitive NeuroscienceLinguisticsMorphologyPhonologyElectroencephalography (EEG)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3h21938bhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3h21938b/qt3h21938b.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5gw7m0772026-07-31T13:33:56Zqt5gw7m077Does attention to and interpretation of gesture predict speech-gesture integration?Gallo, LisaWakefield, Elizabeth M2026-01-01Co-speech gesture supports communication, but not everyone uses information from gesture to clarify meaning of spoken messages. Here, we ask whether variability in speech-gesture integration can be explained by visual attention to gesture and propensity to see movement as meaningful gesture. Adults (N=56) viewed videos of a speaker producing statements that were ambiguous or non-ambiguous with respect to a subsequent prompt, with or without meaningful gestures while visual attention was monitored. Presence of gesture significantly increased proportion of correct responses to prompts. However, accuracy was still significantly higher for prompts after non-ambiguous statements, suggesting not all participants used gesture to answer prompts. Explaining some of this variability, when speech was ambiguous, proportion of time spent fixating on gesture-related regions predicted accuracy, a proxy for successful speech-gesture integration. In contrast, although participants who interpreted movement as meaningful gesture were more likely to fixate to gesture, this measure did not predict integration.PsychologyLanguage and thoughtLanguage understandingEye trackingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5gw7m077https://escholarship.org/content/qt5gw7m077/qt5gw7m077.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt21j131q42026-07-31T13:33:53Zqt21j131q4Disentangling Social and Material Preferences from Emotional Expressions: A Bayesian Approach to Reverse AppraisalFuruya, KenseiSato, Motoakide Melo, Celso M. MGratch, JonathanTerada, Kazunori2026-01-01Emotional expressions signal how others evaluate outcomes, but a single expression can reflect multiple underlying preferences. We examine whether and under what constraints observers infer material preferences (what outcomes someone values) and social preferences (how they weigh self vs. other) from affective feedback. In a multi-issue ultimatum game, participants (N=323) observed agents' graded emotional reactions to resource allocations and inferred their preferences. Results revealed a functional asymmetry between the two domains. Material preference accuracy was constrained by signal identifiability, whereas social preference estimates showed weak correspondence with Bayesian model predictions and clustered near the center. This suggests that observers do not infer both preferences symmetrically; instead, social preference estimation appears more strongly shaped by robust priors and/or measurement constraints. These findings highlight structural limits on social inference and suggest that human observers may rely on strong prior assumptions when interpreting underdetermined signals.PsychologyDecision makingEmotionTheory of MindBayesian modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/21j131q4https://escholarship.org/content/qt21j131q4/qt21j131q4.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5wb967172026-07-31T13:33:35Zqt5wb96717What do moral rules mean?Kwon, JosephWong, LionelTenenbaum, Joshua B.Levine, Sydney2026-01-01People often communicate social and moral expectations to one another in terms of rules. While these rules often seem simple (e.g. "No walking on the grass'') people understand that much more is being communicated than it at first appears. In this paper we present a novel theory of how people understand moral rules and instantiate that theory in a computational cognitive model. We argue that moral rules are a special kind of speech act, directed at a group and expressing a summary of the agreement that rational actors would arrive at when navigating an interdependent choice problem. Rules, on this conception, are therefore closely tied to their reasons, which reflect the interests of the parties to the agreement. This structure is very powerful: it allows people to interpret and apply rules flexibly in novel situations and edge cases. Specifically, we argue that when judging whether an action violates a rule, people reflect on the reason for the rule and harness mental models of agreement (and their heuristic approximations) to determine whether the action upholds or undermines the reason. Put simply, people ask whether the purpose of the rule would still be upheld if the rule permitted everyone to act in this way.PsychologyLanguage and thoughtSocial cognitionComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5wb96717https://escholarship.org/content/qt5wb96717/qt5wb96717.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0nm427g52026-07-31T13:33:35Zqt0nm427g5Egocentric Bias in Vision-Language ModelsWang, MaijunxianLi, YijiangWang, BingyangZhao, TianweiJi, RanGao, QingyingLiu, EmmyDeng, HokinLuo, Dezhi2026-01-01Visual perspective taking--inferring how the world appears from another's viewpoint--is foundational to social cognition. We introduce FlipSet, a diagnostic benchmark for Level-2 visual perspective taking (L2 VPT) in vision-language models. The task requires simulating 180-degree rotations of 2D character strings from another agent's perspective, isolating spatial transformation from 3D scene complexity. Evaluating 103 VLMs reveals systematic egocentric bias: the vast majority perform below chance, with roughly three-quarters of errors reproducing the camera viewpoint. Control experiments expose a compositional deficit--models achieve high theory-of-mind accuracy and above-chance mental rotation in isolation, yet fail catastrophically when integration is required. This dissociation indicates that current VLMs lack the mechanisms needed to bind social awareness to spatial operations, suggesting fundamental limitations in model-based spatial reasoning. FlipSet provides a cognitively grounded testbed for diagnosing perspective-taking capabilities in multimodal systems.Artificial IntelligencePsychologySocial cognitionSpatial cognitionTheory of Mindapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0nm427g5https://escholarship.org/content/qt0nm427g5/qt0nm427g5.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6hj5p14q2026-07-31T13:33:33Zqt6hj5p14qClustering during Scene Description from MemoryTachihara, KarinaHorton, Justin PZhou, AdrianFerreira, Fernanda2026-01-01Language production requires speakers to resolve the problem of linearization, where they must choose what to talk about and in what order. Previous work has shown that scene descriptions while viewing the scene show evidence of clustering. Objects which are physically close together are mentioned close together and objects which are semantically similar are mentioned close together. Additionally, the transition time from one object to the next is longer when jumping across pre-defined physical and semantic clusters compared to when staying in the same cluster. We compared previous results with a new experiment where participants produced scene descriptions from memory. We find that descriptions from memory show evidence of clustering using physical and semantic relationships. Results also show that they rely more heavily on semantic relationships than descriptions generated while viewing the image. The work highlights the importance of task demands on linearization strategies in multiutterance production.LinguisticsPsychologyLanguage ProductionMemorySemantic memoryapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6hj5p14qhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6hj5p14q/qt6hj5p14q.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2pq6f1kw2026-07-31T13:33:30Zqt2pq6f1kwHuman-AI Synergy Supports Collective Creative SearchLi, ChenyiMarjieh, RajaHu, HaoyuSteyvers, MarkCollins, Katherine MSucholutsky, IliaJacoby, Nori2026-01-01The creation of new ideas and content increasingly relies on collectives: not just of multiple humans, but humans and AI agents together. We study collective generation of new ideas using a controlled word-guessing task that balances open-endedness with an objective measure of task performance. Participants attempt to infer a hidden target word, scored based on the semantic similarity of their guesses to the target, while also observing the best guess from previous players. We found that hybrid human–AI groups showed higher performance than both human-only and AI-only groups. Within hybrid groups, both humans and AI agents systematically adjust their strategies relative to single-agent conditions, suggesting higher-order interaction effects, whereby agents adapt to each other's presence. Although some performance benefits can be reproduced through collaboration between heterogeneous AI systems, human–AI collaboration remains superior, underscoring complementary roles in collective creativity. Together, these findings demonstrate the advantages of human–AI synergy in collective intelligence tasks.Artificial IntelligenceCreativityGroup BehaviourHuman-computer interactionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2pq6f1kwhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt2pq6f1kw/qt2pq6f1kw.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9f68x8vs2026-07-31T13:33:27Zqt9f68x8vsNegative strengthening and speaker adaptation with vague quantifiersPecsok, EmilyAparicio, Helena2026-01-01The interpretation of negated vague predicates, whose meanings depend on underspecified thresholds, is variable. Some positive relative adjectives exhibit asymmetric negative strengthening (not large implies small), whereas negative adjectives generally do not (not small does not imply large). However, the behavior of negated vague quantifiers (e.g., many, few) remains understudied. Previous work also shows that listeners adapt to speakers' thresholds for vague predicates through non-negated assertions, but it is unknown whether such adaptation extends to negated utterances. We investigate whether listeners adapt to speaker thresholds conveyed via negated assertions and whether negated vague quantifiers are interpreted as symmetrically weaker than their antonyms. We find that listeners track speaker thresholds despite negation and interpret negated quantifiers as symmetrically weaker than their antonyms, challenging asymmetric accounts of negative strengthening.LinguisticsDiscoursePragmaticsSemantics of languageComputer-based experimentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9f68x8vshttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9f68x8vs/qt9f68x8vs.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt17w2d48x2026-07-31T13:33:18Zqt17w2d48xTransformers perform adaptive partial poolingKapatsinski, Vsevolod2026-01-01Any language model must decide what to say in novel contexts based on information from similar contexts. But what about contexts that are not novel but merely infrequent? In hierarchical regression, the model's predictions for behavior in a context are affected by observations from similar contexts to the extent that 1) the current context is infrequent and 2) different contexts behave similarly. This is called adaptive partial pooling. This paper shows that next-word predictions of a transformer (GPT2) are affected by observations from outside the current context, but this pooling reduces with more training. Pooling is affected by context frequency, context number (type frequency) and context variability in a qualitatively similar way to hierarchical regression. However, there is a "sweet spot" in training at which the transformer best matches the behavior of hierarchical regression. This is the point at which the effect of context frequency on pooling is at maximum.Artificial IntelligenceLinguisticsLanguage acquisitionLanguage ProductionLearningMachine learningNatural Language ProcessingPredictive ProcessingComputational ModelingNeural Networksapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/17w2d48xhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt17w2d48x/qt17w2d48x.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6bc341pq2026-07-31T13:33:17Zqt6bc341pqIt doesn't matter how you ask: Many 4-year-olds don't quantify possibilitiesLeahy, BrianClose, Scarlett A. D.Carey, Susan2026-01-01Many 4-year-olds give adultlike responses to questions about what "can" happen and the same responses to questions about what "has to" happen. Why? We argue that children repeatedly apply minimal representations of possibility to answer "can" and "have to" questions. This algorithm (a) only requires evaluating the single possibility each question asks about; (b) generates correct responses to "can" questions and (c) generates the same responses to "have to" questions. We show that half of 4-year-olds answer "have to" questions as adults do, correctly say what all the possibilities are and what the only possibilities are, and show sensitivity to multiple possibilities in nonverbal behavior. The other half make mistakes on "have to" questions, fail to quantify possibilities using "all" and "only", and deploy minimal representations of possibility on the nonverbal task. They make their decisions by evaluating a single possibility.PsychologyCognitive developmentLanguage acquisitionLanguage ComprehensionDevelopmental analysisapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6bc341pqhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6bc341pq/qt6bc341pq.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9mh5s46x2026-07-31T13:33:16Zqt9mh5s46xRecovering Meaning from "Meaningless'' Texts: Semantic Ambiguity Reduction as Recovery of Distributional StructureBreeden, KiraLupyan, Gary2026-01-01What does "blalfed'' mean in "The fuite twouch blalfed on the splelve snaitch?" Although it may seem impossible to know, people can infer word meanings from such "nonsensical'' contexts. The correct word--"sat''--was guessed correctly by 25% of our participants. We investigate people's ability to infer word meanings in such Jabberwocky texts. Participants guessed the meaning of a target word and selectively unmasked Jabberwocky words, allowing us to study the links between ambiguity, sampling choices, and accuracy of identifying the meaning of a target "nonsense'' word. Ambiguity predicted how participants sampled the text and how successfully they recover meaning, with bidirectional entropy being more predictive than entropy that only considers information preceding the target word. Accuracy increased with early information gain. These results suggest that people combine structural expectations with strategic sampling, and that semantic information is often distributed across a passage rather than localized to a single cue.LinguisticsPsychologyConcepts and categoriesLanguage understandingSemantics of languageapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9mh5s46xhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9mh5s46x/qt9mh5s46x.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0cv9c8m62026-07-31T13:33:15Zqt0cv9c8m6Aging, Misinformation, and Eyewitness Memory: Accuracy and Confidence for Central and Peripheral ItemsKanero, Junkoİpekçi, İlkan CanBozkúr, Zeynep TunaÖzden, CansuVit, Simge MerveAydin, CaglaAsano, Michiko2026-01-01Eyewitness memory is susceptible to distortion, especially among aging populations. Although we know that memory deteriorates as an individual becomes older, research on the interaction between aging, misinformation, and eyewitness memory remains limited. In this study, 42 young adults (age = 18-30) and 50 older adults (age = 65-78) first watched a short video clip depicting various central and peripheral items and read a narrative text that described the video but included false information about the items. Participants were then tested for their memory accuracy about the items and rated their confidence in memory. While memory appeared to be less accurate in older adults than in younger adults, misinformation and item location (central vs. peripheral) affected memory accuracy similarly for young and older adults. In contrast, confidence judgments differed by age, whereby older adults reported higher overall confidence, with their confidence was less sensitive to the central vs. peripheral distinction.PsychologyMemoryapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0cv9c8m6https://escholarship.org/content/qt0cv9c8m6/qt0cv9c8m6.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7g5886322026-07-31T13:33:14Zqt7g588632Is a Cactus More Animate than a Wildfire? Insights from the Implicit Association TaskRissman, LiliaSmith, Hannah M Miriam2026-01-01Animacy is widely thought to be conceptualized as a gradient, with humans on one end and artifacts (e.g. towel, fork) on the other. Cognitive scientists lack a clear understanding of the linguistic/conceptual organization of entities in the middle of the continuum (e.g., trees, fire, a river). Progress in this domain is constrained by over-reliance on aliveness judgments (e.g., "is a river alive?") as a way of operationalizing animacy. We present a novel method for studying animacy, an adaptation of the Implicit Association Task (IAT). While plants are judged to be alive more often than natural abiotic entities such as fire, our IAT suggests that U.S. English speakers conceptualize plants and natural abiotic entities as having similar levels of animacy. These findings highlight the need for a more comprehensive theory of how concepts of animacy are reflected in different ways across linguistic contexts.PsychologyConcepts and categoriesLanguage and thoughtSemantics of languageapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7g588632https://escholarship.org/content/qt7g588632/qt7g588632.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9c63r7tv2026-07-31T13:31:11Zqt9c63r7tvFunction biomedical informatics research network recommendations for prospective multicenter functional MRI studiesGlover, Gary HMueller, Bryon ATurner, Jessica Avan Erp, Theo GMLiu, Thomas TGreve, Douglas NVoyvodic, James TRasmussen, JerodBrown, Gregory GKeator, David BCalhoun, Vince DLee, Hyo JongFord, Judith MMathalon, Daniel HDiaz, MicheleO’Leary, Daniel SGadde, SyamPreda, AdrianLim, Kelvin OWible, Cynthia GStern, Hal SBelger, AysenilMcCarthy, GregoryOzyurt, BurakPotkin, Steven GFBIRN2012-07-01This report provides practical recommendations for the design and execution of multicenter functional MRI (MC-fMRI) studies based on the collective experience of the Function Biomedical Informatics Research Network (FBIRN). The study was inspired by many requests from the fMRI community to FBIRN group members for advice on how to conduct MC-fMRI studies. The introduction briefly discusses the advantages and complexities of MC-fMRI studies. Prerequisites for MC-fMRI studies are addressed before delving into the practical aspects of carefully and efficiently setting up a MC-fMRI study. Practical multisite aspects include: (i) establishing and verifying scan parameters including scanner types and magnetic fields, (ii) establishing and monitoring of a scanner quality program, (iii) developing task paradigms and scan session documentation, (iv) establishing clinical and scanner training to ensure consistency over time, (v) developing means for uploading, storing, and monitoring of imaging and other data, (vi) the use of a traveling fMRI expert, and (vii) collectively analyzing imaging data and disseminating results. We conclude that when MC-fMRI studies are organized well with careful attention to unification of hardware, software and procedural aspects, the process can be a highly effective means for accessing a desired participant demographics while accelerating scientific discovery.32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3202 Clinical Sciences (for-2020)Biomedical Imaging (rcdc)Neurosciences (rcdc)Clinical Trials and Supportive Activities (rcdc)Clinical Research (rcdc)Bioengineering (rcdc)Mental Health (rcdc)Biomedical Research (mesh)Community Networks (mesh)DatabasesFactual (mesh)Humans (mesh)Information Storage and Retrieval (mesh)Magnetic Resonance Imaging (mesh)Medical Informatics (mesh)Prospective Studies (mesh)Radiology Information Systems (mesh)United States (mesh)functional magnetic resonance imagingfMRImulticentermultisiteFIRST Biomedical Informatics Research NetworkFBIRNHumans (mesh)Magnetic Resonance Imaging (mesh)Prospective Studies (mesh)Biomedical Research (mesh)Community Networks (mesh)Medical Informatics (mesh)Information Storage and Retrieval (mesh)DatabasesFactual (mesh)Radiology Information Systems (mesh)United States (mesh)Biomedical Research (mesh)Community Networks (mesh)DatabasesFactual (mesh)Humans (mesh)Information Storage and Retrieval (mesh)Magnetic Resonance Imaging (mesh)Medical Informatics (mesh)Prospective Studies (mesh)Radiology Information Systems (mesh)United States (mesh)02 Physical Sciences (for)09 Engineering (for)11 Medical and Health Sciences (for)Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging (science-metrix)3202 Clinical sciences (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9c63r7tvhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9c63r7tv/qt9c63r7tv.pdfinfo:doi/10.1002/jmri.23572articleJournal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, vol 36, iss 139 - 54oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt28x4g1j12026-07-31T13:27:28Zqt28x4g1j1Evaluating the SF-36 Health Survey (Version 2) in Older Vietnamese AmericansNgo-Metzger, QuyenSorkin, Dara HMangione, Carol MGandek, BarbaraHays, Ron D2008-06-01OBJECTIVE: The SF-36((R)) Health Survey (Version 2; SF-36) was evaluated among older Vietnamese Americans to determine whether underlying dimensions of physical and mental health were similar to those of other groups in the United States.
METHOD: Field testing of participants from senior centers.
RESULTS: The study provided support for the reliability and validity of the SF-36. Structural equation modeling provided confirmation of physical and mental health factors. However, the factor loadings for the SF-36 scales were more consistent with previous results from Asian countries than the typical pattern observed in the United States.
DISCUSSION: As the older populations in the United States become more diverse, it is important to have standardized health-related quality of life measures. However, the conceptualization of physical and mental health and associations among different scales may be different for Asian immigrants than for other groups. Thus, the interpretation of the SF-36 scores needs to account for cultural differences.4206 Public Health (for-2020)42 Health Sciences (for-2020)Mental Health (rcdc)Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Aging (rcdc)7.1 Individual care needs (hrcs-rac)3 Good Health and Well Being (sdg)Activities of Daily Living (mesh)Aged (mesh)Aged80 and over (mesh)Asian (mesh)Asian People (mesh)California (mesh)Culture (mesh)Depression (mesh)Female (mesh)Health Status (mesh)Health Status Indicators (mesh)Health Surveys (mesh)Humans (mesh)Male (mesh)Mental Health (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Quality of Life (mesh)Reproducibility of Results (mesh)Self-Assessment (mesh)Vietnam (mesh)agingVietnamesehealth-related quality of lifefunctional statusSF-36 Health SurveyHumans (mesh)Activities of Daily Living (mesh)Health Surveys (mesh)Health Status Indicators (mesh)Reproducibility of Results (mesh)Depression (mesh)Mental Health (mesh)Health Status (mesh)Culture (mesh)Quality of Life (mesh)Aged (mesh)Aged80 and over (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)California (mesh)Vietnam (mesh)Female (mesh)Male (mesh)Self-Assessment (mesh)Asian People (mesh)Asian (mesh)Activities of Daily Living (mesh)Aged (mesh)Aged80 and over (mesh)Asian (mesh)Asian People (mesh)California (mesh)Culture (mesh)Depression (mesh)Female (mesh)Health Status (mesh)Health Status Indicators (mesh)Health Surveys (mesh)Humans (mesh)Male (mesh)Mental Health (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Quality of Life (mesh)Reproducibility of Results (mesh)Self-Assessment (mesh)Vietnam (mesh)1117 Public Health and Health Services (for)Gerontology (science-metrix)3202 Clinical sciences (for-2020)4206 Public health (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/28x4g1j1https://escholarship.org/content/qt28x4g1j1/qt28x4g1j1.pdfinfo:doi/10.1177/0898264308315855articleJournal of Aging and Health, vol 20, iss 4420 - 436oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9ff0j7q92026-07-31T13:27:06Zqt9ff0j7q9Assessing Incremental Syntactic Processing in Spanish with Eye-Tracking GlassesTaboh, Analí R.D'Augè, CamillaShalom, Diego ESevilla, YamilaGattei, Carolina A2026-01-01Previous research shows children have difficulties comprehending non-canonical sentences. However, studies of incremental processing in Spanish-speaking children are scarce, and online processing of non-canonical sentences remains unexplored. Wearable eye-tracking technology provides an accessible and flexible alternative for studying language processing in children. Building on prior validation against a stationary system, this study examines whether Pupil Labs' Neon glasses capture incremental syntactic processing in Spanish-speaking adults, in preparation for future research with children. Participants completed an auditory sentence-picture matching task with the visual-world paradigm, with structures varying in canonicity and complexity. Gaze-to-target proportions were analyzed to determine when they diverged from chance. For structures with agents in canonical sentence-initial position, gaze diverged early, indicating rapid role assignment. In contrast, non-canonical and structurally complex sentences showed later divergence following additional cues. Results suggest inefficient processing of less salient morphology, promoting delayed role assignment. The findings support wearable eye-tracking for incremental syntactic processing.LinguisticsLanguage ComprehensionSyntaxEye trackingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9ff0j7q9https://escholarship.org/content/qt9ff0j7q9/qt9ff0j7q9.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1kh0v1b12026-07-31T13:27:06Zqt1kh0v1b1Layered Time: Circadian States Selectively Modulate Congruent vs. Incongruent Time-Space MappingsTourn Bacci, LucaAguirre, RobertoGrecco, JimenaSantiago, JulioEstevan, Ignacio2026-01-01Although the literature has differentiated various levels of time experience and their effects on human cognition, an individual's cognition occurs simultaneously across these levels. So, how are cognitive processes related to or determined by the interactions between these levels of time experience, if any? The aim of this study was to describe the relationships between chronotypes and the conceptualization of time. The study predicted that the latencies and accuracy of congruent (left-past-right-future) mappings would be similar in optimal and non-optimal schedules. It also predicted that in the asynchronous schedule, latencies would be longer and the accuracy of incongruent (left-future-right-past) mappings would be lower compared to their values in the synchronous schedule. The results partially supported the predictions: incongruent mappings showed longer latencies during non-optimal schedules, but congruent mappings did not perform similarly across schedules. The three-way interaction demonstrates that circadian states modulate time-space mappings, supporting multilevel temporal interactions in cognition.BiologyPsychologyCognition of TimeLanguage and thoughtPsychophysicsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1kh0v1b1https://escholarship.org/content/qt1kh0v1b1/qt1kh0v1b1.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7781v5n62026-07-31T13:27:05Zqt7781v5n6Atypical visual preference in children with ASD from Low-Income backgrounds: a case-control studyda Silva, Victor HugoBiazoli Jr., Claudinei EduardoLukasova, Katerina2026-01-01Early identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition, remains a challenge in developing countries due to structural barriers. This case-control study investigated visual attention preference between social and geometric stimuli using eye-tracking in children with ASD (n=29, 11 girls, Mage=50.3 months) and typical development (TD, n=29, 11 girls, Mage=51.9 months) from low-income families. A one-way ANOVA revealed a significant effect of diagnostic group on the proportion of fixation duration on non-social compared to social stimuli, F(1, 56) = 31.39, p < .001, __2 = .35. This visual preference metric correlated strongly with clinical severity (CARS: r = .53, p < .001) and social responsiveness (SRS-2: r = .55, p < .001). A logistic regression model achieved high discriminative power (AUC = .879). These findings suggest that eye-tracking metrics may serve as a potential adjunctive tool to support clinical screening and objective assessment in underserved populations.Cognitive NeurosciencePsychologyDevelopmentcognitive neuropsychologyEye trackingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7781v5n6https://escholarship.org/content/qt7781v5n6/qt7781v5n6.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7h69n4dq2026-07-31T13:27:03Zqt7h69n4dqUncovering predictors of dream report similarity: An NLP exploration with transformer embeddingsVignola, Mateus BatistelliCravo, Andre M.Tiba, Paula A2026-01-01Dreams are valuable in the study of cognition as unique internally generated experiences, yet a large-scale analysis via self-reports remains challenging. This study explores Large Language Models (LLMs) for the semantic analysis of dream reports. Using a Dream Bank dataset, we analyzed text similarity with Sentence-T5 Large and emotional content with RoBERTa, employing Representational Similarity Analysis (RSA) and Sentiment Analysis. Results show that dream similarity is best predicted by their characters' similarity, followed by the dreams' settings and evoked emotions, confirming the consistency of the model's numerical representations. While Sentiment Analysis captured general emotions, discrepancies occurred when external context influenced the dreamer's feelings. We conclude that LLMs are powerful tools for large-scale dream research; however, their limitations require expert oversight to validate outputs. This work highlights the potential of LLMs in cognitive science while emphasizing the necessity of a nuanced, human-in-the-loop approach to automated dream analysis.Artificial IntelligenceNeuroscienceConsciousnessDiscourseNatural Language Processingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7h69n4dqhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7h69n4dq/qt7h69n4dq.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8rn592rh2026-07-31T13:27:00Zqt8rn592rhThe iconicity-arbitrariness asymmetry: A gradient of perceived iconicity in Uruguayan Sign Language for nonsignersAguirre, RobertoDutra, MartínGrecco, Jimena2026-01-01The present study extends the interest in iconicity, a fundamental property of language, to the understudied Uruguayan Sign Language (LSU). We investigated iconicity judgments of LSU lexical items for 127 Uruguayan Spanish naïve nonsigners, testing predictions derived from a theoretical continuum of iconicity, classified with the assistance of IA tools – an approach supervised by experts. The large size of the sample compensated for the absence of a power calculation, as it yields robust estimates and allows for subgroup explorations if needed. Results revealed a graded pattern of transparency: feature-based and pantomimic iconicity elicited the highest rates of iconic judgments, followed by emblematic iconicity, with diagrammatic mappings showing markedly low transparency. These findings confirm that iconicity is a potent but selective predictor of perceived iconicity across language modalities, with its effectiveness contingent on the specific semiotic strategy and the perceptual accessibility of the form-meaning link to the uninitiated observer.LinguisticsPsychologyEmbodied CognitionLanguage understandingSemantics of languagePsychophysicsSurveyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8rn592rhhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8rn592rh/qt8rn592rh.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2cq7g1n02026-07-31T13:26:51Zqt2cq7g1n0Development of Supplementary Gestures with Speech in Mandarin-Speaking ChildrenChui, KawaiNg, Chan-TatTsao, Feng-MingLiu, Huei-Mei2026-01-01This study examined the developmental trajectory of supplementary gestures, which conveyed information distinct from speech, and their semantic relationships with accompanying speech in 16 Mandarin-speaking children. Children were observed during mother–child interactions between 12 and 21 months of age at three-month intervals, with minimal age variation within each time point. Findings showed a marked increase in supplementary gestures at 18 months, alongside the predominance of declarative pointing within gesture-speech acts and one-word utterances. This specific cross-modal pattern remained stable through 21 months. Most cross modal combinations conveyed entity ideas, with predicative ideas occurring infrequently and propositional ideas even less often. The common 'entity-related', 'what is done to what', and 'who initiates what and who/what is affected' knowledge was linguistically expressed only about three to six months later than in gesture-speech acts. Overall, the findings support the enduring role of supplementary gestures in enriching children's communicative expressiveness within a single act.LinguisticsPsychologyDevelopmentSemantics of languageGesture analysisKnowledge representationQuantitative BehaviorStatisticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2cq7g1n0https://escholarship.org/content/qt2cq7g1n0/qt2cq7g1n0.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt71k6s86w2026-07-31T13:26:50Zqt71k6s86wEye gaze reflects episodic memory sampling during decision makingNicholas, JonathanMattar, Marcelo G2026-01-01Episodic memory enables decision making by allowing choices to be guided by detailed past experiences. Yet, because this process unfolds covertly, the mechanisms governing how memories impact deliberation remain poorly understood. Here we use gaze reinstatement to reveal the hidden dynamics of episodic memory retrieval during value-based choice. We tracked participants' eye movements while they encoded episodes consisting of items with associated rewards at distinct spatial locations and subsequently made decisions based on these episodes. Critically, no visual information was provided to participants during their choices. Nonetheless, participants systematically directed their gaze toward the encoding locations of retrieved episodes during deliberation, and these gaze patterns predicted their choices. These findings demonstrate that eye movements provide a high-resolution window into moment-by-moment episodic sampling during decision making. By revealing which episodes are retrieved and when, this approach opens new directions for investigating how episodic memory guides adaptive behavior.Cognitive NeurosciencePsychologyDecision makingMemoryEye trackingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/71k6s86whttps://escholarship.org/content/qt71k6s86w/qt71k6s86w.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4rk666j12026-07-31T13:26:49Zqt4rk666j1Signatures of discrete action symbols emerge in a task-optimized neural modelCorrea, Carlos G.Tian, Lucas YananLiu, YueKumar, SreejanHanuska, Daniel J.Garzón Gupta, KedarWang, Xiao-JingFreiwald, Winrich A.Tenenbaum, Joshua B.Mattar, Marcelo G2026-01-01Key to intelligence is the ability to flexibly compose and combine atomic concepts into representations that guide behavior, making
"infinite use of finite means". However, modeling often assumes discrete concepts exist and focuses on their use, leaving it unclear how
they are learned from complex sensory inputs and mapped to motor outputs. To address this limitation, we build on a drawing-like task
and behavioral metrics that indicate discrete structure in motor behavior from Tian et al. (2025). Importantly, these discrete concepts
were encoded in neural recordings from non-human primates that exhibited these behavioral metrics, validating the metrics. Here, we
use this task and behavioral metrics as a modeling target, to quantify how discrete structure arises in a task-optimized neuro-symbolic
model (Liang et al., 2022). Our model recapitulates these behavioral metrics, offering a foundation to compare with neural data and
understand what drives the emergence of discrete conceptual structure.NeuroscienceAnimal cognitionConcepts and categoriesSkill acquisition and learningNeural Networksapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4rk666j1https://escholarship.org/content/qt4rk666j1/qt4rk666j1.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt92v7f02h2026-07-31T13:26:38Zqt92v7f02hLLMs Struggle With Negation, but so do Humans - a Two-step Simulation ApproachDöcker, Lenny TimErens, Kevin NickKaup, BarbaraCapuano, Francesca2026-01-01While substantial research has addressed the challenges of negation processing in humans, the parallels between human cognitive models and large language models (LLMs) in this regard remain less explored. This paper investigates how GPT-4o processes negation, drawing comparisons to human negation processing, particularly the two-step model of negation. In two experiments using image-sentence pairs, we assess the model's ability to handle affirmative and negated sentences. Our findings reveal that, like humans, GPT-4o struggles more with negation, exhibiting higher rates of incorrect inferences after negation, and a systematic bias toward completions associated with
the negated state of affairs. This study highlights the qualitative similarities between AI and human processing of negation, offering insights into the limitations of current LLMs and suggesting future directions for improving their cognitive alignment with more complex linguistic constructs.Artificial IntelligencePsychologyLanguage ComprehensionRepresentationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/92v7f02hhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt92v7f02h/qt92v7f02h.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7j53t6kt2026-07-31T13:26:35Zqt7j53t6ktComparing the Likelihood of Producing Distant Analogs Through Retrieval versus InventionGómez, AnaCeccacci Sawicki, LucianaMinervino, Ricardo A2026-01-01Research has long shown that retrieving semantically distant analogs from long-term memory is difficult, whereas retrieving near analogs is relatively easy, a limitation viewed as a major constraint on cross-domain transfer. An alternative route may lie in the invention of analogs. We report two experiments comparing the effects of surface similarity on analog retrieval and analog invention. In Experiment 1, using a production paradigm, participants were presented with simple events drawn from familiar schemas. In the retrieval condition, they recalled analogous events; in the invention condition, they generated them. Results showed that retrieving distant analogs was difficult, whereas inventing them was relatively easy. Experiment 2 replicated this pattern using materials with larger and more complex relational structures and a hybrid paradigm that controlled the availability of intra- and inter-domain analogs in memory, while enabling clearer discrimination between retrieved and invented analogs.PsychologyAnalogyCreativityMemoryReasoningapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7j53t6kthttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7j53t6kt/qt7j53t6kt.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0fp0t5df2026-07-31T13:26:35Zqt0fp0t5dfEvidence for Representational Shifts in the Learning of Chinese Characters: An Investigation using Machine Vision TechniquesZhou, ZhuqianCorter, James E.Liang, Yurong2026-01-01How does the visual representation of Chinese characters change with expertise? Fluent readers are known to perceive characters in terms of radicals and structural configurations, but the representational basis of perception before such knowledge is acquired remains unclear. We test whether novices' similarity judgments can be explained by generic shape computations from computer vision. Participants with three expertise levels rated pairwise visual similarity of Chinese characters. From pixelated character silhouettes, we computed 109 descriptors spanning multiple families of low-level shape statistics and derived pairwise distances. Using representational similarity analysis and Random Forest prediction, we compared descriptor distances with human judgments. Shape descriptors predicted novices' judgments strongly and learners' moderately but failed to predict fluent readers'. These findings establish a representational bridge between computer vision techniques and human visual cognition, suggesting that the generic shape geometry processing may form the starting point of visual similarity judgments before expertise introduces higher-level structure.Cognitive developmentPattern recognitionPerceptionVisionComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0fp0t5dfhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0fp0t5df/qt0fp0t5df.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt64f9r0c62026-07-31T13:26:25Zqt64f9r0c6Single-Neuron & LFP Representations of Fear Processing in the Human BrainJacob, GeorgePacheco-Estefan, DanielBouyeure, AntoineLehongre, KatiaFrazzini, ValerioNavarro, VincentAxmacher, Nikolai2026-01-01Fear extinction involves forming inhibitory safety memories that compete with the original fear traces. We recorded intracranial microelectrode data from 24 epilepsy patients to investigate how neuronal activity supports these representational shifts. During acquisition, amygdala neurons showed increased firing rates (475–525 ms) for aversive outcomes (n = 19). Oscillatory analyses (n = 24) revealed that the entorhinal cortex exhibited high-gamma enhancement (52–70 Hz and 74–88 Hz; both 0.80–1.10 s) following aversive outcome delivery during acquisition, while extinction was marked by low-frequency suppression (2–10 Hz, 1.15–1.50 s) following reinforcement. When combining acquisition and extinction phases, the hippocampus showed early high-gamma responses (76–98 Hz, 0.25–0.40 s) to aversive outcomes. Critically, hippocampal gamma power (38–62 Hz, 0.30–0.40 s) during extinction distinguished stimuli retaining threat value (CS++) from those undergoing extinction (CS+-), with the latter becoming indistinguishable from always-safe cues (CS--). Our results provide a cellular foundation for how the human mind adjudicates between competing memories and updates mental models through sensory evidence and threat evaluation.Cognitive NeuroscienceNeurosciencePsychologyMemorycognitive neuropsychologyElectroencephalography (EEG)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/64f9r0c6https://escholarship.org/content/qt64f9r0c6/qt64f9r0c6.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0hg7m15k2026-07-31T13:26:25Zqt0hg7m15kTraining Children's Understanding of Numbers Using Compositional CuesVilches, Lucia ASrinivasan, AkshitaLiu, JiaxinSpelke, Elizabeth2026-01-01Infants form exact representations of small quantities (1 to 4) but only approximate representations of larger quantities. How do children acquire exact large-number concepts? We tested whether training showing how sets of 5 or 6 can be decomposed into smaller sets increases children's understanding of five and six. We compared compositional training, using expressions such as "I have five pets: three dogs and two cats" paired with visual displays of the subsets, to training that drew attention to each object in succession, as in counting ("I have five pets, here's one, and another, and another, and another, and another."). Children who did not know the trained number word at the outset performed significantly better at test in the compositional condition. Thus, children can leverage their knowledge of small numbers to build representations of larger numbers.EducationPsychologyDevelopmentOtherapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0hg7m15khttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0hg7m15k/qt0hg7m15k.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8q27b3332026-07-31T13:26:24Zqt8q27b333Quantifier and implicature processing in contexts with full and partial information.Spychalska, MariaReimer, LudmilaWerning, Markus2026-01-01When evaluating the truth of a sentence, we do not always
have full information available. While there exists psycholinguistic
research on how an uncertain speaker influences a listener's
quantifier processing and interpretation, it remains difficult
to disentangle a listener's preferred utterances from ones
they merely tolerate as acceptable if uttered by someone else.
In the presented research, we investigate how readers process
assertable and non-assertable quantified statements in epistemically
uncertain situations. We focus on the weak and strong
scalar implicatures for the quantifier "some", which arise in
such contexts. We show differential ERP effects depending on
whether participants adopt the weak or strong pragmatic interpretation.
We also show that partial-information contexts
are associated with a late and sustained negativity effect, likely
signalling epistemic context monitoring.LinguisticsLanguage ComprehensionPragmaticsSemantics of languageElectroencephalography (EEG)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8q27b333https://escholarship.org/content/qt8q27b333/qt8q27b333.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2h60n3c72026-07-31T13:26:23Zqt2h60n3c7Visuospatial Perspective Taking in Multimodal Language ModelsPrunty, JonathanZhang, SeraphinaQuinn, PatrickLian, JianxunXie, XingCheke, Lucy G2026-01-01As multimodal language models (MLMs) are increasingly used in social and collaborative settings, it is crucial to evaluate their perspective-taking abilities. Existing benchmarks largely rely on text-based vignettes or static scene understanding, leaving visuospatial perspective-taking (VPT) underexplored. We procedurally generate large stimulus batteries for two evaluation tasks adapted from human studies: the Rotating Figure Task, probing perspective-taking across angular disparities, and the Director Task, assessing VPT in a referential communication paradigm. Across both tasks, MLMs show pronounced deficits in Level 2 VPT, with failure patterns indicating reliance on simple mirroring heuristics rather than genuine perspective transformations. These results expose critical limitations in current MLMs' ability to represent and reason about alternative perspectives, with implications for use in collaborative contexts.Artificial IntelligenceLanguage understandingSocial cognitionSpatial cognitionTheory of Mindapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2h60n3c7https://escholarship.org/content/qt2h60n3c7/qt2h60n3c7.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7kx585gt2026-07-31T13:24:41Zqt7kx585gtBelief Updating: Utilizing a New Paradigm to Separate Evidence Evaluation and Memory DynamicsOliver, GavinSchrater, Paul2026-01-01People often judge claims using cues like familiarity and source credibility, but later judgments may also be shaped by memory for what they previously believed. We used a three-phase task to separate these influences. Prolific participants (N = 130) completed 30 pairs of factual statements across five domains. In Section 1, they rated belief in an initial statement (S1) and their familiarity with it. In Section 2, they rated belief in a conceptually related evidence statement (S2) paired with a source and judged source credibility and statement familiarity; S2 either supported or refuted S1. In Section 3, they reported what they thought they answered for S1 earlier (belief-memory) and then re-rated S1. Mixed-effects models showed that credibility and S2 familiarity predicted Section-2 belief, while belief-memory and final belief about S1 were associated with both initial belief and the implications of S2 evaluation.PsychologyMemoryReasoningComputational ModelingKnowledge representationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7kx585gthttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7kx585gt/qt7kx585gt.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt15r8301v2026-07-31T13:24:41Zqt15r8301vModeling Context-Sensitive Effects of Inequity on Reinforcement LearningHam, HuangWang, Mu-ChenKable, JosephJenkins, Adrianna C.2026-01-01People are sensitive to unequal outcomes. Recent studies show that people's ability to learn action-reward mappings depends on the percentage of the reward amount they receive (compared to another person), even when such information does not change which actions are the most rewarding for the learner. However, questions remain about the degree to which this sensitivity to inequity depends on the broader inequity context. We report results from two additional experiments in which participants had the opportunity to learn action-reward mappings, with only part of the reward going to the participant. Crucially, we manipulated whether participants encountered both advantageous and disadvantageous inequity, or only one type of inequity, within the same learning block. We found that the effect of inequity differed between these two designs, suggesting that inequity affects learning in at least partly a context-dependent way. We formalized context-dependency into a new computational model which outperformed its context-independent counterpart.Cognitive NeuroscienceNeurosciencePsychologyBehavioral ScienceDecision makingLearningSocial cognitionBayesian modelingComputational ModelingPsychophysicsStatisticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/15r8301vhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt15r8301v/qt15r8301v.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6d91j03t2026-07-31T13:24:06Zqt6d91j03tSyntactic Reanalysis Across the Adult Lifespan: Evidence From Eye MovementsPolychronidou, MariaHartsuiker, RobertHendriks, PetraSprenger, Simone2026-01-01This study examines the influence of age-related cognitive
decline on the time course of syntactic reanalysis in Dutch
NP/S-coordination garden-path sentences using eye tracking.
110 native Dutch speakers (30-80 years) read ambiguous
sentences and comma-disambiguated controls. Garden-path
costs were strongest at the ambiguous noun and smaller at the
disambiguating verb, with no spillover effects. To further
investigate age-related variability, we related garden-path
effects to individual differences in cognitive abilities. Principal
Components Analysis identified two components reflecting
working memory and cognitive flexibility. Together with
reading experience and associative learning, we tested these
predictors of garden-path costs. Working memory, reading
experience and associative learning moderated early garden-path
effects, consistent with efficient encoding and rapid
updating upon encountering ambiguity. Cognitive flexibility
emerged as the most consistent predictor of late garden-path
costs, suggesting a role in flexibly managing competing parses
and supporting syntactic reanalysis.LinguisticsLanguage ComprehensionMemorySyntaxEye trackingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6d91j03thttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6d91j03t/qt6d91j03t.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0mn9g24b2026-07-31T13:24:06Zqt0mn9g24bComparing LLM and Human Responses to Human- and AI-labeled Partners During Naturalistic ConversationMetzgar, RachelGraziano, Michael2026-01-01Large language models (LLMs) increasingly interact with humans and other AI systems, raising questions about whether they adjust behavior based on partner identity. In a companion study, humans showed behavioral differences when conversing with partners labeled as human versus AI. Here, we extend this investigation to LLMs. We simulated 2,000 conversations where GPT-3.5-turbo "participants" (N = 50) engaged with partners labeled as either human or AI. All partners were actually identical LLMs, isolating label effects from actual differences. We analyzed transcripts using linguistic measures paralleling human data. LLMs showed robust label effects: more questions, politeness, interpersonal discourse markers, and mental state language with human-labeled partners; more words and positive sentiment with AI-labeled partners. Hedging showed category-specific patterns. Only the discourse marker "like" showed similar patterns across the LLM and human studies. These divergent patterns suggest LLMs have learned partner-type associations, but their social behavior differs fundamentally from humans.Artificial IntelligenceHuman-computer interactionNatural Language ProcessingSocial cognitionTheory of Mindapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0mn9g24bhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0mn9g24b/qt0mn9g24b.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt42g6z7mn2026-07-31T13:24:00Zqt42g6z7mnCommunity Violence, Socioeconomic Status, and Maternal Emotional Distress: Compensatory Parenting Practices in an Urban Latin American ContextNin, Veronica2026-01-01Territorial violence in Montevideo, Uruguay has increased in recent decades and, although concentrated in specific neighborhoods, may affect the broader urban territory and its population. Despite its growing salience, the psychological and family-level consequences of territorial violence in Montevideo remain largely unexplored. This study examines associations between perceived neighborhood violence, maternal negative affect, social support, and hostile parenting in a community sample of 301 mothers of school-aged children. Regression and mediation models controlling for sociodemographic covariates indicated that higher perceived violence was associated with greater maternal negative affect, which mediated associations with hostile parenting. In contrast to findings commonly reported in the Global North, higher perceived violence showed a direct negative association with hostile practices, suggesting a compensatory caregiving response under conditions of insecurity. Moderation analyses further indicated that social support buffered the association between perceived violence and maternal negative affect.PsychologySociologyBehavioral ScienceDevelopmentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/42g6z7mnhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt42g6z7mn/qt42g6z7mn.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt56d9941h2026-07-31T13:16:38Zqt56d9941hExploring Lay Theory of MindCappiello, LorenzoCatmur, CarolineHashmi, Salim2026-01-01Understanding observed actions (mentalisation) is thought to rely on latent causal models. However, computational approaches typically employ fixed, experimenter-defined structures tested in artificial tasks. In this study, participants provided probabilistic beliefs about player types, intentions, and actions, then categorised naturalistic gameplay videos by intention or player type, reporting their subjective causal theories. We compared direct versus latent-inverse inference, crossing individual versus aggregate priors, and selecting latent variables according to participants' theories. Latent models outperformed direct models when predicting player type. Intention aggregate priors improved accuracy across metrics. To contextualise the estimates, significant video features and respective weights were elicited from a subset of the sample. Although models weighting the inference-latent variable relation consistently outperformed alternative weighting schemes, supplementary feature-based weights did not significantly alter estimates. Together, these findings demonstrate that incorporating participants' subjective causal structures through cross-path weighting offers a novel, empirically grounded framework for understanding mentalisation in naturalistic settings.PsychologyCausal reasoningCognitive architecturesEvent cognitionSocial cognitionStatistical learningBayesian modelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/56d9941hhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt56d9941h/qt56d9941h.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2k1737pg2026-07-31T13:16:37Zqt2k1737pgGesturing Negation: Integrating Multimodal InformationSonntag, SamuelMackenzie, Ian GrantSchütt, EmanuelOguz, SaraWeicker, MerleDudschig, Carolin2026-01-01Human face-to-face communication encompasses more than just words and it has repeatedly been shown that the presence of multimodality (in the form of gesture-speech pairings) can facilitate comprehension under increased processing demands. Despite its frequent use in practically every language in the world, one instance of increased processing demands might be negation—which has repeatedly been shown to elicit processing difficulties. Thus, we investigated the multimodality for compensation account, which posits that negation would specifically benefit from the presence of multimodal information. In three preregistered experiments, we compared compatible pairings of gesture and speech to incompatible (Experiment 1) and unimodal ones (Experiments 2 and 3). Contrary to our initial hypothesis, affirmative information seemed to benefit more from the presence of multimodality than negative information. Two possible explanations for the results will be discussed; namely, the proportion of compatibility and the possible processing demands imposed by redundant information from emblematic gestures.PsychologyLanguage and thoughtLanguage ComprehensionComputer-based experimentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2k1737pghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt2k1737pg/qt2k1737pg.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt55c6v2392026-07-31T13:16:36Zqt55c6v239The cognitive cost of lying: using mouse dynamics and unexpected questions to detect false future intentionsBolcato, AliceZangrossi, AndreaMonaro, Merylin2026-01-01Detecting false future intentions is crucial for prevention and security. The aim of this study was to investigate whether mouse tracking could efficiently identify deception about the future. Grounded on the cognitive load approach to lie detection, we used the unexpected question technique to increase liars' mental effort. Thirty-four participants, randomly divided into two groups (liars vs truth tellers), answered honestly or deceptively a series of control, expected, and unexpected dichotomous questions about a future event. During the task, reaction times, errors and mouse trajectories were recorded. Results showed that unexpected questions significantly impaired liars' performance, leading to higher error rates and greater mouse trajectory irregularity compared to truth-tellers. These findings suggest that unexpected questions amplify the response conflict faced by liars during decision-making. Overall, mouse dynamics appear to be a real-time implicit measure of the cognitive effort associated with deception, offering a promising tool for identifying false intentions.PsychologyActionBehavioral ScienceDecision makingHuman-computer interactionInteractive behaviorPredictive ProcessingComputer-based experimentGesture analysisapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/55c6v239https://escholarship.org/content/qt55c6v239/qt55c6v239.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt73n746s62026-07-31T13:16:35Zqt73n746s6From Speech to Print: A Neurocomputational Model of the Predictors of Reading Based on Learned Speech RepresentationsDutra, MartínZangrando, DanielValle-Lisboa, Juan C2026-01-01We present a reading acquisition model including state of the art architectures that reduce to a minimum ad hoc assumptions. We apply this model to compare early reading acquisition between opaque and transparent orthographies. We use speech representations obtained from wav2vec 2.0 as the auditory part of our model and the pre-trained convolutional neural network CORnet, to represent visual processing. Both modules converge onto a Long-Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model that we train to recognize words. We train the LSTM to recognize auditory presented words, letter sounds and visually presented letters. In Spanish, further training the model to recognize a word from a sequence of visual letters and letter sounds is enough to reach appropriate levels of visual word recognition, generalizing to words it has not seen visually, whereas the same does not happen in French or English. The model explains the difference in relevant predictors in opaque and transparent orthographies.Artificial IntelligenceCognitive NeuroscienceLinguisticsNeurosciencePsychologyAuditionComplex systemsLearningNatural Language ProcessingPhonologyReadingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/73n746s6https://escholarship.org/content/qt73n746s6/qt73n746s6.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3wb789w12026-07-31T13:16:34Zqt3wb789w1Norming an Odd-Word-Out task for a language assessment tool in Brazilian Portuguese: effect of sensory qualia relations and implicit syntactic structure.Soto, MarijeFrança, Aniela ImprotaArevalo, AnaliaNovo Gomes, JulianaSantos, Giovanna OliveiraSilva de Camargo, PatriciaLepski, GuilhermeNunes, Márcia Terezinha2026-01-01The odd word out task is standard for assessing verbal semantic processing, yet normed stimuli for Brazilian Portuguese (BP) are lacking. This is problematic given linguistic differences between Brazilian and European Portuguese and the clinical relevance of semantic deficits following brain lesions or during awake neurosurgery. This study examined the influence of constitutive qualia, telic qualia, and implicit syntactic relations on performance in an odd word out task in BP. Healthy participants (n = 210) completed a task involving three-word sequences containing one unrelated target. Accuracy was high across relation types (mean = 94.6%), while reaction times differed, with fastest responses for syntactic relations, followed by constitutive and telic relations, suggesting an influence of implicit syntax on semantic processing. Targets were identified more quickly and accurately in the third position. These results provide normative data for BP speakers and underscore the importance of these factors when designing language assessment tools.Cognitive NeuroscienceLinguisticsNeurosciencePsychologyCognitive HumanitiesLanguage ComprehensionSemantic memorySemantics of languageSyntaxcognitive neuropsychologyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3wb789w1https://escholarship.org/content/qt3wb789w1/qt3wb789w1.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4cx2800n2026-07-31T13:16:28Zqt4cx2800nHuman-Like Means Emotionally Competent: How Framing an AI Shapes Task Assignment in Cognitive OffloadingWahn, BasilJerzembeck, UtzWiese, Eva2026-01-01As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into work and daily life, it is crucial to understand how people decide which tasks to delegate. We examined how AI descriptions influence delegation in arithmetic and social tasks. Participants either completed tasks themselves or offloaded them to one of two AIs. In Experiment 1, the AIs were described as human-like and machine-like, and participants were informed that both performed the tasks equally well. Social tasks were more often delegated to the human-like AI, and arithmetic tasks to the machine-like AI. Open-ended responses indicated that human-likeness was associated with emotional competence, and machine-likeness with logical competence. In Experiment 2, AIs were described as emotionally competent or logically competent, and the same task-specific delegation pattern emerged. These findings suggest that broad labels are spontaneously interpreted in terms of task-relevant competence.Artificial IntelligencePsychologyDistributed cognitionGroup BehaviourHuman-computer interactionPerceptionSocial cognitionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4cx2800nhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4cx2800n/qt4cx2800n.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6vc2z6cp2026-07-31T13:16:27Zqt6vc2z6cpGeeks are different: Exploring the relationship between engineering knowledge and categorization patterns.Yang, KunhaoFujisaki, ItsukiUeda, Kazuhiro2026-01-01Categorization is a fundamental cognitive process that shapes how people organize experience. Previous research has shown that industrialization can significantly affect categorization patterns across different cultures. However, one question remains unresolved: Does the amount of engineering knowledge affect individual categorization patterns, even within a culturally homogeneous population? This study addressed this question using data from two web-based surveys conducted in Japan, one focusing on the automobile (N = 600) and the other on audio device industries (N = 200). Our findings indicate that individuals with greater engineering knowledge are more inclined to employ taxonomic categorization, whereas those with less engineering knowledge tend to favor thematic categorization. Given the connection between industrialization and categorization demonstrated in previous studies, our findings suggest that individual differences in categorization are associated with exposure to technology-oriented social environments, illustrating one way in which industrialization may influence cognition.SociologyPerceptionBayesian modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6vc2z6cphttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6vc2z6cp/qt6vc2z6cp.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1zb6w30b2026-07-31T13:16:20Zqt1zb6w30bHow Do We Assess Executive Functions ? A Systematic Review of Tasks and Processes for Inhibition, Updating and ShiftingLaurent, CamilleErhel, SéverineGonthier, Corentin2026-01-01Executive functions are essential for adaptive behavior, but there is substantial variability in the way these functions are assessed. Unfortunately, the literature has mostly focused on tasks rather than the processes involved in those tasks. Adopting a process-based rather than a task-based approach could improve the assessment and conceptualization of executive functions. We systematically reviewed literature on how researchers assess executive functioning, including the tasks used and the processes involved in those tasks. We included studies measuring inhibition (n = 844), updating (n = 844) or shifting (n = 1048) among human participants with any performance-based measure. The results show that researchers have used many different tasks to measure the same concept, but tasks supposed to target the same executive function can actually engage very different processes. In addition, the participants' age or disorder has a significant effect on the type of tasks retained to assess the same executive function and the processes they involve, which means developmental literature does not necessarily assess the same "inhibition" as the adult neuropsychological literature. Our review underlines the importance of using multiple tasks to measure inhibition, updating or shifting, and the importance of clarifying and reporting on the processes supposed to be involved in these tasks, moving from a task-based approach to a more realistic process-based approach.PsychologyConcepts and categoriesProblem SolvingReasoningapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1zb6w30bhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1zb6w30b/qt1zb6w30b.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8q26s1bh2026-07-31T13:16:07Zqt8q26s1bhWhen Correlation means Causation: Pragmatic Factors modulate Causal Implicatures in Decision-Making ContextsWang, HeningLassiter, DanielFranke, Michael2026-01-01Correlational statements (e.g., "$X$ is associated with $Y$") can be interpreted as conveying a causal relationship.
Recent work suggests that such interpretations may be legitimate pragmatic inferences, especially in decision-relevant contexts.
Here, we investigate whether causal enrichment of correlational language affects memory recall and message passing, and how pragmatic features of the communicative context modulate it.
Our findings support a pragmatic account of causal enrichment of correlational language.LinguisticsPsychologyCausal reasoningPragmaticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8q26s1bhhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8q26s1bh/qt8q26s1bh.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8383t7zc2026-07-31T13:16:07Zqt8383t7zcMapping Verb Meaning in Space: Spatial Feature Norms for Rioplatense Spanish VerbsMacedo, María NoelAguirre, RobertoCabana, Álvaro2026-01-01Understanding how language recruits spatial cognition to represent events and actions is central to theories of embodied cognition and cognitive linguistics. This study presents a normative dataset of spatial feature ratings for 75 verbs in Rioplatense Spanish, examining the relationship between image-schematic representations and syntactic congruence. A total of 639 native speakers completed an online Spatial Features Questionnaire for Verbal Semantics. Participants judged whether trajectory-based image schemas matched each verb under congruent (subject–verb–object) and incongruent (object–verb–subject) conditions. Chi-square analyses and proportion tests revealed higher acceptance rates for congruent configurations, indicating that syntactic order constrains spatial representations. Item-level analyses showed that a subset of verbs elicited stable spatial trajectory preferences under congruent conditions. These results provide a normative resource that characterizes structured verb–space associations and documents the role of syntactic structure in shaping spatial judgments, offering stimuli for future experimental and cross-linguistic research on embodiment and spatial grounding in Spanish verb processing.LinguisticsPsychologyEmbodied CognitionSemantics of languageSpatial cognitionSurveyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8383t7zchttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8383t7zc/qt8383t7zc.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4nx7f7hc2026-07-31T13:16:07Zqt4nx7f7hcAbstraction Modulates Judgments of Intentional ActionCao, AngelaHo, MarkRehder, Bob2026-01-01This paper investigates how the different levels of hierarchical plans modulate judgments of intentional action. While previous research has focused on how moral valence influences intentionality judgments of side-effects (outcomes that were not a part of the agent's original plan), we focus on sub-events, which are candidate decompositions of higher-level goals that were a part of the agent's plan. We address two central questions: (1) does the impact of moral valence on intentionality judgments differ between sub-events and side-effects? and (2) does the level of abstraction at which a sub-event is defined affect judgments of its intentionality? Our results show that the effect of moral valence is largely neutralized for sub-events, which instead exhibit a decrease in perceived intentionality as they are decomposed into lower-level actions. This indicates that future models of intentional action should take into account the asymmetry in judgments between higher- and lower-level actions.PhilosophyPsychologyTheory of MindBayesian modelingComputer-based experimentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4nx7f7hchttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4nx7f7hc/qt4nx7f7hc.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8rh6z2wr2026-07-31T13:16:04Zqt8rh6z2wrFace Pareidolia and the Implicit Bystander Effect: A Drift-Diffusion Model Analysis with Individual Differences in Autistic TraitsLiang, Lian H.Stolle, Chris M.Ng, Tin YanHuang, Yi2026-01-01The bystander effect, reduced helping in the presence of others, has been linked to automatic neural processes that inhibit action preparation. Recent work using the Drift-Diffusion Model (DDM) showed that human faces slow evidence accumulation during emergency classification tasks. We examined whether face pareidolia stimuli (objects in which illusory faces are perceived) produce similar effects, and whether autistic traits predict decision-making parameters. Participants (N = 65) classified scenes as safe or dangerous while viewing human faces, face-like objects, or non-face-like objects. Human faces significantly slowed drift rate, replicating prior findings; face pareidolia showed a similar but non-significant trend. In this non-clinical sample, Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) scores predicted slower drift rates for both scene types, with modest effect sizes (r = .26 to .28), suggesting reduced excitatory efficiency with higher autistic traits. These findings extend the implicit bystander effect to individual differences and link autistic traits to evidence accumulation.PsychologyBehavioral ScienceDecision makingSocial cognitionBayesian modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8rh6z2wrhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8rh6z2wr/qt8rh6z2wr.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt11x259092026-07-31T13:16:02Zqt11x25909A Rational Account of Categorization Based on Information TheoryMacLellan, Christopher J.Singaravadivelan, KarthikLian, XinWang, ZekunLangley, Pat2026-01-01We present a new theory of categorization based on an information-theoretic rational analysis. To evaluate this theory, we investigate how well it can account for key findings from classic categorization experiments conducted by Hayes-Roth and Hayes-Roth (1977), Medin and Schaffer (1978), and Smith and Minda (1998). We find that it explains the human categorization behavior as well as (or better) than the independent cue and context models (Medin & Schaffer, 1978), the rational model of categorization (Anderson, 1991), and a hierarchical Dirichlet process model (Griffiths et al., 2007).Artificial IntelligenceConcepts and categoriesLearningMachine learningComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/11x25909https://escholarship.org/content/qt11x25909/qt11x25909.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt96j9d4db2026-07-31T13:16:01Zqt96j9d4dbEffects of linguistic context and reading abilities on processing of unknown wordsRyzhova, MargaritaEllsiepen, EmiliaDemberg, Vera2026-01-01Encountering unknown words disrupts reading and requires readers to rely on context to infer meaning. We investigate how contextual expectations (science-themed vs. daily-life narratives) and reader literacy modulate processing of unknown words. Using pseudowords as controlled proxies for unfamiliar lexical items, we conducted an eye-tracking experiment (Experiment 1) and a self-paced reading study (Experiment 2). To investigate how participants infer the meaning of pseudowords, each pseudoword was followed by a semantically associated word in the subsequent sentence. Across both methods, pseudowords elicited longer reading times. Crucially, eye-tracking results revealed that higher-literacy readers showed greater sensitivity to the semantically associated word, particularly in science-themed contexts. While both groups of readers showed attempts at reconstruct meaning in an offline task, higher-literacy readers mentioned unknown words themselves more frequently, which can be taken as evidence for incidental vocabulary learning. Together, these findings suggest that literacy supports strategic, context-sensitive processing of unknown words.LinguisticsDiscourseLanguage ComprehensionReadingEye trackingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/96j9d4dbhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt96j9d4db/qt96j9d4db.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5px9p1w02026-07-31T13:15:59Zqt5px9p1w0Age Cohort Variability in Conceptual Complexity and Concreteness: The Case of Ecological and Technological ConceptsFalcinelli, IleniaFini, ChiaraMazzuca, ClaudiaBorghi, Anna2026-01-01Concepts are flexible and vary depending on multiple factors. Here, we investigate age cohort conceptual variations using the two domains of ecology (e.g., "deforestation") and technology (e.g., "web") as case examples. 320 Italian older adults (>64 years) evaluated 50 concepts per domain across 39 semantic dimensions. Their ratings were compared with those of younger adults (18–35 years) reported in Falcinelli et al. (2024a). Results revealed clear generational differences: representations were more complex and concrete for ecological concepts in older adults, and for technological concepts in younger adults. Additionally, older adults showed greater personal experience with ecological topics, while younger adults reported higher familiarity with technology. Theoretically, our findings support evidence regarding differences in conceptualizations across age cohorts. Scientifically, the resulting O-TECo database provides the first semantic norms tailored to older adults. Societally, results highlight the importance of age tailored interventions in these two crucial fields.LinguisticsPsychologyConcepts and categoriesRepresentationSemantics of languageapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5px9p1w0https://escholarship.org/content/qt5px9p1w0/qt5px9p1w0.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8tw7d8bt2026-07-31T13:15:58Zqt8tw7d8btMathematical Cognition and its Neural Correlates During Development: A Scoping Review with Systematic SearchFernandes, Katarina DuarteSato, João RicardoLukasova, Katerina2026-01-01Mathematics learning begins in schooling and plays a role in children's cognitive development, predicting academic achievement and professional success. Its development is influenced by linguistic, metacognitive, emotional, and cognitive factors. Cross-sectional neuroimaging studies have highlighted the involvement of the intraparietal sulcus and prefrontal cortex in mathematical tasks. However, longitudinal studies capituring the neural correlates of mathematical development in school-aged children remain scarce and heterogeneous. To provide an overview of current evidence on longitudinal studies of mathematical cognition with neural correlates, we conducted a review with a systematic search strategy. Nineteen studies were identified, revealing mathematics as a dynamic, multi-component system that evolves from a structural foundation into a functionally specialized network. Findings emphasize the central role of parietal and frontal regions, with contributions from temporal, occipital, and subcortical areas, while also underscoring the lack of naturalistic studies and diverse sociocultural samples.Cognitive NeuroscienceEducationCognitive developmentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8tw7d8bthttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8tw7d8bt/qt8tw7d8bt.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt92d6q3zt2026-07-31T13:15:57Zqt92d6q3ztWhen is one confession better than two? Rational and observed belief updating under competing explanationsSanna, Greta AranciaYoung, David J.Madsen, Jens KoedLagnado, David2026-01-01A central challenge in belief updating is how individuals evaluate evidence when multiple competing hypotheses are plausible. Although prior work shows that belief updating can align with Bayesian principles, this evidence typically involves intuitively directional cases. It remains unclear whether similar rational trajectories are observed in counter-intuitive settings, where accumulating supportive evidence can increase the plausibility of an alternative explanation. In the present study, participants evaluated a scenario in which five sequentially presented confessions were diagnostic either of collective guilt or of coercive interrogation. Early confessions led to increases in belief in both guilt and force, indicating non-zero sum updating. However, contrary to a priori model predictions, participants did not exhibit the non-monotonic pattern whereby belief in force overtakes belief in guilt. Participant-specific Bayesian Network models showed closer alignment with observed trajectories, yet revealed systematic under-weighting of force and over-weighting of guilt. Overall, belief updating reflected sequential evidence integration rather than full Bayesian re-computation.PsychologyCausal reasoningReasoningBayesian modelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/92d6q3zthttps://escholarship.org/content/qt92d6q3zt/qt92d6q3zt.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt59j8r8z82026-07-31T13:15:56Zqt59j8r8z8Domain-Adaptive Transfer Learning with Recurrent Neural Networks for Cross-Subject P300 Speller ClassificationLuo, YunLu, WentaoHuang, XiGao, WeiPan, Jiahui2026-01-01Brain-computer interface (BCI) research has advanced significantly, yet cross-subject P300 decoding remains challenging due to highly variable EEG signals. To address this, we propose a novel domain adaptation framework integrating transfer learning and recurrent neural networks (RNNs). The framework incorporates a gated recurrent unit (GRU) layer to effectively capture temporal dependencies of EEG signals, thereby mitigating temporal misalignment issues. By calculating transfer loss and applying time-step weighting, the framework enhances classification. Furthermore, feature-space adaptive alignment is employed to reduce inter-subject variability, lowering subject dependency and enabling accurate cross-subject character recognition. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves an average character recognition accuracy of 92.38%, significantly surpassing traditional P300 recognition algorithms. This indicates that the method effectively mitigates the impact of temporal misalignment in EEG data as well as the high subject-dependence of BCI systems.Artificial IntelligenceConsciousnessHuman-computer interactionElectroencephalography (EEG)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/59j8r8z8https://escholarship.org/content/qt59j8r8z8/qt59j8r8z8.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2bq1d71z2026-07-31T13:15:30Zqt2bq1d71zWhat guides utterance choice in argumentative language use?Carcassi, FaustoWang, HeningCummins, ChrisFranke, Michael2026-01-01Theories of the pragmatic use of language in the Gricean tradition, and related formalizations such as the Rational Speech Act (RSA) modeling framework, have focused on information exchange between cooperative interlocutors. More recent work has emphasized the importance of other, potentially less-cooperative functions of language, such as persuasion, argumentation, and manipulation. In this work, we bridge these two traditions by developing a model of argumentative utterance choice in the RSA framework. We propose several formalizations of the argumentative strength of a signal. We then measure how well they capture behaviour in a simple utterance production task in which participants were assigned an explicit argumentative goal. We show that the most popular formalization of argumentative strength fails to capture some of the participants' utterance choices, and discuss some alternatives. Our models constitute a substantial improvement over a baseline model, and remaining unexplained patterns are discussed.LinguisticsPragmaticsBayesian modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2bq1d71zhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt2bq1d71z/qt2bq1d71z.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0190h56r2026-07-31T13:15:30Zqt0190h56rPrompted Generalizations Increase Cross-Domain Analogical RetrievalTrench, MaximoRivas, Leandro E.Minervino, Ricardo A2026-01-01Using a cued-recall paradigm, Experiment 1 had two conditions retrieve base situations in response to surface-dissimilar analogs: one in which participants were prompted to re-represent the base situations in general terms, and one in which they reproduced them verbatim. Although the prompted generalizations tended to be either too tied to the original situation or too broad so as to encompass disanalogous cases, they increased retrieval of the base analogs compared to the unprompted condition. Besides replicating the retrieval advantage of prompting one-shot generalizations, Experiment 2 addressed whether a self-administered training could aid participants in producing very general reformulations of base situations of the kind that, in Experiment 1, were associated with greater retrieval. Even though trained participants produced a greater proportion of highly abstract generalizations, the training yielded no retrieval advantage over and above the prompted abstraction condition. We discuss the implications of the present findings for transfer-oriented instruction.PsychologyAnalogyMemoryReasoningapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0190h56rhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0190h56r/qt0190h56r.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3bk196pd2026-07-31T13:15:28Zqt3bk196pdReasonable Forgetting: How Memory Shapes Belief Updating Over TimeSanna, Greta AranciaLagnado, DavidEcker, UllrichSwire-Thompson, Briony2026-01-01Individuals often continue to rely on information even after credible sources have deemed it untrue, a phenomenon called the continued influence effect. This effect is especially consequential in politicised contexts where misinformation and polarisation threaten informed decision making. Existing accounts disagree on whether such belief persistence reflects cognitive failure or motivated reasoning, or whether it can instead arise from rational belief updating under constraints. We investigate this question by introducing delays during which no new information is provided, allowing memory for prior evidence to be less readily available. Across conditions, belief updating tracked the availability of evidence in memory, with beliefs regressing as supporting information decreased in availability and showing no systematic effects of political alignment. Moreover, belief trajectories aligned with predictions from Bayesian Network models parameterised using participants' own judgements. These findings suggest belief updating tracks memory availability and remains consistent with rational, evidence-based principles.PsychologyMemoryReasoningSocial cognitionBayesian modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3bk196pdhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3bk196pd/qt3bk196pd.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt77k849q62026-07-31T13:15:27Zqt77k849q6Empty restrictor and empty scope effects in questions with quantifiersRamotowska, SoniaSchlotterbeck, FabianKlochowicz, TomaszSpychalska, MariaAloni, MariaBott, Oliver2026-01-01One striking divergence between logical modeling and language processing emerges when evaluating the empty set in the interpretation of quantifiers. It has been shown that empty restrictor scenarios lead to presupposition failure, while empty scope scenarios lead to logically incorrect judgments and a processing delay of downward-entailing quantifiers. In this study, we tested whether empty restrictor scenarios would be evaluated as true or false rather than rejected as odd in a question-answering task. We contrasted two weak downward-entailing quantifiers (fewer than n, at most n-1) with two weak upward-entailing quantifiers (more than m, at least m+1) in two complex question embeddings that made the evaluation possible to various degrees. We found that in these embeddings, empty restrictors are less often rejected as odd as well as that the empty restrictors of downward-entailing quantifiers are often evaluated as false.LinguisticsPsychologyLanguage ComprehensionLanguage understandingPragmaticsRepresentationSemantics of languageComputer-based experimentQuantitative BehaviorStatisticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/77k849q6https://escholarship.org/content/qt77k849q6/qt77k849q6.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7g96088v2026-07-31T13:10:46Zqt7g96088vThe Cognitive Science of AI AlignmentVoudouris, KonstantinosRoberts-Gaal, XavierBramley, Neil R.Sucholutsky, IliaSummerfield, Christopher2026-01-01Modern AI systems are increasingly, and perhaps alarmingly, exceeding human performance in domains such as competition mathematics and coding (UK AISI, 2025). AI agents can now independently implement software engineering artifacts requiring hours of complex reasoning effort from humans. As AI capability and agency increase, designing reliable mechanisms to align AI systems, ensuring they act consistently with human values even when unmonitored, grows ever more urgent. Yet AI alignment remains poorly understood.Artificial IntelligenceComputer SciencePhilosophyPsychologyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7g96088vhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7g96088v/qt7g96088v.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt08h2s1j32026-07-31T13:10:43Zqt08h2s1j3Uncertainty in word learning in 14-month-oldsLangus, AlanGafos, AdamantiosHoehle, Barbara2026-01-01Hearing words uttered by multiple speakers can help infants learn similar-sounding words. However, speaker variability can hinder learning when multiple cues jointly signal auditory label identity (e.g., speaker gender and voicing), even though they make the words acoustically more distinct. We hypothesize that learning in these contexts is harder because infants face uncertainty about which cues matter. To test this, we manipulated uncertainty in a word-learning task (eye-tracking) by varying how speaker gender and consonant voicing predicted visual referents, while keeping the number of auditory labels, referents, and speakers constant across participants. Consistent with the Hick–Hyman law from adult perceptuo-motor tasks, greater uncertainty delayed 14-month-old infants' (N=50) verification of the correct referent in preferential looking-time trials and linearly increased looking to incorrect competitors. Word-learning situations with more relevant stimulus dimensions—more possible label–referent mappings and consequently more uncertainty—are more difficult, even when the auditory labels become acoustically more distinct.LinguisticsPsychologyCognitive developmentLanguage acquisitionEye trackingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/08h2s1j3https://escholarship.org/content/qt08h2s1j3/qt08h2s1j3.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt01p710mv2026-07-31T13:10:43Zqt01p710mvAutomatically perceiving paths through a sceneAldegheri, GiacomoGüvensin, BașakFleming, Roland W.2026-01-01We effortlessly perceive not only what is present in a scene, but what actions and outcomes are possible—such as whether an agent can reach a door or an object might fall. How the visual system infers the paths to possible goal states, while respecting environmental dynamics and constraints, remains unclear. We tested this in simple maze-like scenes using a Go/No-Go task to probe which states are perceived as "leading up to" a goal. Participants pressed a button when an image showed an agent at the maze end next to a target, without being given this verbal description. Participants produced many more false alarms when the agent was closer to the goal along the maze path. By contrast, scenes matched in Euclidean distance but requiring crossing a wall did not elicit false alarms. These findings suggest scene constraints shape perceived similarity between states, motivating extensions to richer environments and domains.PerceptionRepresentationSpatial cognitionVisionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/01p710mvhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt01p710mv/qt01p710mv.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8779m95r2026-07-31T13:10:41Zqt8779m95rInteracting Minds: Gaze Synchronization and Representational Change in DialoguePoncelet-Romaneli, MiriamGlasman, ThibaudBašnáková, JanaGalantucci, BrunoToni, Ivan2026-01-01We know that communicating with others can lead to mutual adaptations in the signals adopted. It is less clear whether and how interlocutors converge in their cognitive representations of communicative referents. By tracking eye movements during dialogue and probing interlocutors' representations of a set of referents before and after interaction, we captured the interactional dynamics underpinning mutual representational adaptations. In this exploratory study focused on attention, we investigated the relationship between dyads' gaze dynamics during a communication game, the Tangram task, and interaction-related changes in their representation of a set of referents, measured using explicit and implicit similarity probes. A cross-recurrence analysis of participants' gaze showed, in replication of Dale, Kirkham, and Richardson (2011), that interlocutors' gaze became increasingly synchronized as the task progressed. We further operationalized events of mutual understanding using gaze coherence and investigated the semantic and pupillary dynamics leading to these moments of mutual understanding.Interactive behaviorPragmaticsRepresentationSocial cognitionEye trackingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8779m95rhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8779m95r/qt8779m95r.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0xm0m3sm2026-07-31T13:10:30Zqt0xm0m3smTrue Traitors and False Friends: A Survey of Negative Dual Character ConceptsProchownik, KarolinaAlmeida, Guilherme2026-01-01Dual character concepts received significant attention from experimental philosophers. They are defined as possessing two independent criteria for categorization, each associated with a distinct sense of the concept. One of these criteria is descriptive, the other is normative. Almost all examples discussed in the literature involve a positively valenced normative element. For instance: the normative criterion associated with the concept of scientist is the pursuit of empirical truth and knowledge. Presumably, pursuing empirical truth and knowledge is a good thing. But can dual character concepts also involve negatively valenced elements? For instance: there is a sense in which someone who betrays another's confidence without nurturing ill-will towards them is not a true traitor. In this paper, we report data suggesting that negatively-valenced concepts such as enemy and traitor behave very similarly, but not identically, to positively-valenced dual character concepts such as friend or a loyal person.PhilosophyPsychologyConcepts and categoriesLanguage and thoughtSocial cognitionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0xm0m3smhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0xm0m3sm/qt0xm0m3sm.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1rb0b5fh2026-07-31T13:10:29Zqt1rb0b5fhRetrieval of Analogous Events Belonging to the Same Schema-Governed Category: The Role of Critical DimensionsMinervino, Ricardo AFernández, ConstanzaCeccacci Sawicki, LucianaOlguín, Valeria2026-01-01Analogies comparing exemplars from the same schema-governed category have received limited attention. We examined whether schema-governed category membership and similarity along a category's critical dimensions influence the retrieval of analogous events. In Experiment 1, participants were presented with base–target pairs that either shared or did not share a schema-governed category and varied in their similarity on the category's critical dimensions. Participants preferentially retrieved bases from the target's schema-governed category and, within that category, favored bases that were more similar to the target along critical dimensions. Experiment 2 replicated the effect of dimensional similarity using the retrieval of previously encoded autobiographical events. Together, these findings indicate that analogical retrieval is jointly constrained: schema-governed category membership operates as a coarse structural filter, whereas similarity along critical dimensions of a shared category imposes a finer-grained selection among eligible candidates.PsychologyAnalogyConcepts and categoriesMemoryRepresentationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1rb0b5fhhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1rb0b5fh/qt1rb0b5fh.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt87z3n5622026-07-31T13:10:28Zqt87z3n562Simulating Cross-Linguistic Influence in Bilingual Reading - a Knowledge Distillation ApproachWinther, Irene ElisabethFrank, Stefan2026-01-01Cross-linguistic influence - the effect of between-language (dis)similarities on bilingual processing - affects both native (L1) and second-language (L2) processing, as well as L2 predictive processing, suggesting that expectations in one language can be shaped by the other. We compare bilingual language models where L1 (Dutch) affects L2 (English) only implicitly through mixed training data or pre-training, to models that explicitly import L1-specific next-word predictions during bilingual learning through knowledge distillation to test whether importing explicit L1 expectations into L2 learning improves a model's predictions of L2 reading times. On Dutch-English bilingual reading data, L2 reading is better accounted for by monolingual surprisal overall, but bilingual models with explicit L1 expectations outperform bilingual models without. Additionally, L1 reading is better predicted by bilingual than monolingual models. Our findings indicate that explicit L1 expectations improve bilingual models' account of L2 reading behaviour and that bilingual models capture aspects of bilingual L1 reading which monolingual models do not.Language acquisitionLanguage ComprehensionPredictive ProcessingReadingComputational ModelingNeural Networksapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/87z3n562https://escholarship.org/content/qt87z3n562/qt87z3n562.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5rq0s3xj2026-07-31T13:10:20Zqt5rq0s3xjCognitive Change Without Linguistic Change: The Rise of Egocentric Frames of Reference in the Hai||omKısa, Yağmur DenizStengelin, RomanMaurits, LukeHaun, Daniel Benjamin Moritz2026-01-01Human cultures differ in how they think about space: some primarily use egocentric frames of reference (FoR), thinking about space in relation to the body, while others privilege geocentric FoR, thinking about space in relation to the environment. The origins of this cognitive diversity remain largely unknown. Here, we provide evidence suggesting an ongoing shift in spatial thinking—but not language—within a culture, offering insight into these origins. Hai||om people, a rural forager community in Namibia, have traditionally preferred geocentric FoR in cognition and language. Comparing new to historical data from the same community, we found that contemporary Hai||om show a greater preference for egocentric FoR, suggesting an egocentric shift in their cognition. Strikingly, we document no such shift in their language, suggesting language alone cannot account for cognitive diversity in spatial frames. We propose material culture, rather than language, as a key driver of diversity in spatial thought.AnthropologyLinguisticsPsychologyConcepts and categoriesCultureLanguage and thoughtSpatial cognitionCross-cultural analysisCross-linguistic analysisField studiesapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5rq0s3xjhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5rq0s3xj/qt5rq0s3xj.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7qd5p8qg2026-07-31T13:10:18Zqt7qd5p8qgHybrid Cognition in the Era of Human-AI CollaborationRocca, RobertaStreet, WinnieKeeling, GeoffKim, JunsolKosmyna, NataliyaMoore, JaredSmart, Paul RichardWykowska, Agnieszka2026-01-01Unlike previous digital technologies, state-of-the-art large language models (LLMs) exhibit capabilities that span the full cognitive hierarchy, from low-level linguistic processing, to
high-level functions such as social reasoning and metacognitive monitoring (Coda-Forno et al., 2024; Didolkar et al., 2024; Street et al., 2024). For these reasons, humans are
increasingly collaborating with LLMs for complex cognitive tasks via conversational chat interfaces, and LLMs are increasingly studied as cognitive systems in their own right by
cognitive scientists, psychologists and philosophers of mind (Hagendorff et al., 2023). Yet, the dynamics of human-LLM collaborations remain understudied.Artificial IntelligenceDistributed cognitionHuman-computer interactionMachine learningSocial cognitionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7qd5p8qghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7qd5p8qg/qt7qd5p8qg.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt42b3r6ms2026-07-31T13:10:05Zqt42b3r6msFact or fiction? How repeated claims influence belief updatingSanna, Greta AranciaLagnado, DavidMercier, Hugo2026-01-01Individuals often encounter the same claims from multiple sources in complex informational environments. Whether such repetition is treated as independent evidence or as redundant testimony depends on assumptions about source dependence. The present study investigates how prior beliefs about the claims shape perceptions of source dependence and how these perceptions influence belief updating. Using a preregistered experimental design, participants evaluated repeated claims presented in vignettes about an online forum. Participants reported both belief change and perceived dependence among sources. We find that lower prior belief in a claim leads to stronger perceptions of source dependence, indicating that prior beliefs shape not only initial judgments but also inferences about the structure of the informational environment. Participants also tended to treat dependence as a global property applying to several sources in the environment. Together, these findings suggest that belief updating reflects rational simplification of informational structure, with important implications for the persistence of belief polarisation.PsychologyDecision makingReasoningSocial cognitionBayesian modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/42b3r6mshttps://escholarship.org/content/qt42b3r6ms/qt42b3r6ms.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1mj182782026-07-31T13:10:01Zqt1mj18278From Insight to Outsight: When Solutions Are Enacted before They Are RecognizedVallee-Tourangeau, FredericSoderberg, Christina2026-01-01Creative breakthroughs are typically described as sudden mental events, the "Aha!" moment.. Yet this formulation may fundamentally mischaracterize the process. Rather than solutions being discovered in the mind then implemented in the world, they may emerge through engagement with manipulable objects. We report an experiment comparing interactive and non-interactive conditions across two insight problems (Triangle of Coins, 10 Circles). Survival analyses confirmed that interactivity enhanced solution rates and reduced latencies for both problems. More critically, frame-by-frame multimodal coding of the video data (via ELAN) revealed the temporal coordination between speech, action, and evolving solution prototypes. Detailed analyses of two solution episodes demonstrate how restructuring can occur in the physical configuration of the problem rather than in the mind. These cases illustrate "outsight": solutions recognized after being enacted. By making the solution process visible, multimodal behavioural coding produces qualitative data that challenge cognitivist assumptions about how creative breakthroughs happen.PsychologyCreativityProblem SolvingQualitative Analysisapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1mj18278https://escholarship.org/content/qt1mj18278/qt1mj18278.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2g29s2vj2026-07-31T13:10:00Zqt2g29s2vjLLMs Electrified: Early and deep layers differentially correlate with the N400 and P600 in language comprehensionKrieger, BenedictCrocker, Matthew WBrouwer, Harm2026-01-01Recent research has examined the extent to which large language models (LLMs) can model the temporal dynamics of online language comprehension, as indexed by the N400 and P600 components of the event-related potential (ERP) signal.
To better understand whether the internal representations of LLMs are consistent with distinct stages of comprehension,
we employ representational similarity analysis (RSA) on a German ERP study, that found the N400 to be sensitive to association and expectancy, and the P600 to be sensitive to expectancy alone. We find that earlier layers show a stronger correlation with association, whereas deeper layers are more strongly correlated to expectancy. Similarly, correlations to the N400 are stronger at earlier and intermediate layers, consistent with its sensitivity to association, while correlations with both the N400 and P600 continue to increase in deeper layers, reflecting the influence of expectancy on both components. These results are consistent with independent stages of processing proposed by neurocognitive theories, such as Retrieval-Integration theory, suggesting that LLMs may contribute to our understanding of the temporal dynamics of language comprehension - as indexed by ERPs - at a more mechanistic level.LinguisticsPsychologyLanguage ComprehensionComputational ModelingElectroencephalography (EEG)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2g29s2vjhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt2g29s2vj/qt2g29s2vj.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5hf3h2b72026-07-31T13:09:58Zqt5hf3h2b7Acquisition of words and case markers in a novel language: Artificial language learning by Korean and English speakersNahm, SusieBundgaard-Nielsen, Rikke L.Wang, Yizhou2026-01-01The acquisition of second language morphosyntactic features, such as case systems, is particularly challenging for adult learners, and the extent to which these difficulties are shaped by learners' first language remains a core question in theories of language acquisition. The present study explores the acquisition of lexical semantics and morphosyntax of a case-marking artificial language, Katopu, in an artificial language learning task with Korean-speaking and English-speaking adults. The results showed that both groups were able to acquire Katopu through the exposure to input and feedback, regardless of L1–L2 (dis)similarities and in the absence of explicit instruction, exhibiting comparable learning trajectories in accuracy and response time. Response time data further suggested that the two groups shared a similar processing pattern that semantic and syntactic knowledge were processed using separate mechanisms. The study highlights that sufficient input and feedback can effectively support language acquisition regardless of learners' language background.LinguisticsDevelopmentLanguage acquisitionComputer-based experimentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5hf3h2b7https://escholarship.org/content/qt5hf3h2b7/qt5hf3h2b7.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9xv918pd2026-07-31T13:09:57Zqt9xv918pdCognitive Modeling of Shogi: Effects of Relative Representations and Resource ConstraintsMuramatasu, KimiyaMorita, Junya2026-01-01We model shogi move selection in ACT-R to test how expertise depends on representation and cognitive resource constraints. The model integrates visual exploration, a capacity-limited imaginal stack, and declarative memory retrieval. Beyond absolute board encoding, we implement king-centered relative representations (3$\times$3 local patterns) intended for endgame reasoning. Simulations crossed (i) relative representations on/off and (ii) imaginal capacity (9 vs. 18), while expertise was manipulated by storing expert vs. novice game records. Expert advantage was conditional: it was stable when relative representations were available, but collapsed (and sometimes reversed) when relative representations were absent under low capacity, accompanied by a sharp drop in retrieval use and earlier convergence of game states. Larger capacity partially compensated for missing relative representations. These results imply that expertise in this domain emerges from representation $\times$ resource coupling, not experience alone.Cognitive architecturesComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9xv918pdhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9xv918pd/qt9xv918pd.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt18t189gh2026-07-31T13:09:56Zqt18t189ghHán Dān Xué Bú (Mimicry) or Qīng Chū Yú Lán (Mastery)? A Cognitive Perspective on Reasoning Distillation in Large Language ModelsHu, YueqingPeng, XinyangPeng, ShutingWang, HanqiWang, Tianhong2026-01-01Recent Large Reasoning Models trained via reinforcement learning exhibit a "natural" alignment with human cognitive costs. However, we show that reasoning distillation via Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT) fails to transmit this cognitive logic, leading to a "Cargo Cult" where students only mimic length. Testing the Hán Dān Xué Bú (Superficial Mimicry) hypothesis across 14 models, we identify a "Functional Alignment Collapse": while teacher models mirror human difficulty scaling (r = 0.64), distilled students significantly degrade this alignment (r = 0.34). Crucially, they exhibit "Negative Transfer," dropping below their own pre-distillation baselines. Our analysis reveals a "Linear Inflation Law" where students apply a constant verbosity multiplier (≈ 2.44) regardless of complexity. Consequently, distillation decouples computational cost from cognitive demand, revealing that human-like cognition is an emergent property of active reinforcement, not passive imitation.Artificial IntelligencePsychologyLearningReasoningComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/18t189ghhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt18t189gh/qt18t189gh.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5zq8h8mc2026-07-31T13:09:55Zqt5zq8h8mcMeaning-Making as Symmetry-Breaking: Spectral Thermodynamics of Emergent CommunicationHallajian, Amir HomayunKoch, SaskiaBašnáková, JanaStolk, ArjenToni, Ivan2026-01-01How do interlocutors achieve mutual understanding when communicative mappings are not given in advance? We propose that meaning-making is a symmetry-breaking constructive process: through interaction, dyads compress an open space of communicative possibilities into a low-dimensional set of shared alternatives, namely dyad-specific signal-referent relations that enable coordination. We test this account in 69 dyads using a real-time semiotic game in which participants invent and stabilize dyad-specific communicative conventions, modeling signal–referent relations with spectral graph thermodynamics. Successful dyads exhibited dimensional compression of their signaling space: intrinsic dimensionality was reduced sixfold relative to random networks, reflecting the emergence of stabilized dyad-specific conventions. These dyads also showed lower thermodynamic efficiency, indicating that constructing shared signal–referent structure carries an entropy cost. Thermodynamic and geometric measures converged at a mesoscale diffusion regime, where relational constraints operate. These findings suggest that mutual understanding depends on actively constructing a shared, low-dimensional communicative structure through interaction.Computer SciencePsychologyComplex systemsDistributed cognitionGroup BehaviourInteractive behaviorRepresentationSituated cognitionSocial cognitionTheory of Mindapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5zq8h8mchttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5zq8h8mc/qt5zq8h8mc.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt75c0r9rx2026-07-31T13:09:53Zqt75c0r9rxEmergent social transmission of model-based representations without inferenceKeßler, SiljaBautista-Salinero, MiriamTennie, ClaudioWu, Charley M2026-01-01How do people acquire rich, flexible knowledge about their environment from others despite limited cognitive capacity? Humans are often thought to rely on computationally costly mentalizing, such as inferring others' beliefs. In contrast, cultural evolution emphasizes that behavioral transmission can be supported by simple social cues. Using reinforcement learning simulations, we show how minimal social learning can indirectly transmit higher-level representations. We simulate a naive agent searching for rewards in a reconfigurable environment, learning either alone or by observing an expert—crucially, without inferring mental states. Instead, the learner heuristically selects actions or boosts value representations based on observed actions. Our results demonstrate that these cues bias the learner's experience, causing its representation to converge toward the expert's. Model-based learners benefit most from social exposure, showing faster learning and more expert-like representations. These findings show how cultural transmission can arise from simple, non-mentalizing processes exploiting asocial learning mechanisms.Interactive behaviorSocial cognitionAgent-based ModelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/75c0r9rxhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt75c0r9rx/qt75c0r9rx.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt113553v62026-07-31T13:09:53Zqt113553v6Relating Online Word Predictions and Offline Probability Judgments: Partial Evidence for Shared Probabilistic ProcessesZhang, YutongHusband, Edward Matthew2026-01-01Probabilistic reasoning has been proposed to underlie both word prediction in language comprehension and probability judgment in decision-making, yet the connection between the two cognitive processes remains unclear. This study investigates whether word predictions and probability judgments rely on shared probabilistic processes by examining unpacking effects. An offline probability judgment task and an online self-paced reading task were used to test probability shifts in each task, and further analyses examined the relationship between measures across tasks. Results show that atypical unpacking reliably led to lower probability judgments and slower reading times, whereas typical unpacking didn't consistently lead to higher probability judgments or faster reading times. Interestingly, item-level changes in probability judgments were correlated with changes in reading times only for atypical unpackings. These findings provide partial evidence that word prediction and probability judgment draw on a shared foundation of probabilistic reasoning.LinguisticsDecision makingLanguage ComprehensionPredictive ProcessingReasoningapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/113553v6https://escholarship.org/content/qt113553v6/qt113553v6.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt82t271r02026-07-31T13:09:19Zqt82t271r0Unveiling Unwritten Curricula: Enhancing Junior Faculty Development in Academic Emergency MedicineBierowski, AbagayleMorrone, CaseyHoag, ErinGhei, RidhimaPasirstein, MichaelBlaszczak, JuliePapanagnou, Dimitrios2026-06-28Introduction: The transition from resident to junior faculty in academic emergency medicine (EM) may be shaped not only by formal training and institutional policies but also by the “unwritten curriculum,” a set of norms and expectations embedded in institutional culture. However, the unwritten curriculum and its potential to impact junior faculty development remains largely unexplored. Little is known about how junior faculty perceive, experience, and navigate these informal expectations, or the formal and informal structures that influence this process. In this study we aimed to explore junior faculty members’ experiences with the unwritten curriculum in academic EM, with a focus on how they interpret and navigate institutional norms and identify supports and barriers encountered during their early faculty development.
Methods: Within their first five years, EM faculty at academic institutions distinct from their residency training sites completed an anonymous, iteratively developed survey designed to explore experiences with the unwritten curriculum, informed by Schlossberg’s transition theory framework. The primary analytic focus was identification of themes describing how junior faculty perceive and navigate implicit institutional norms. Open-ended responses underwent thematic analysis using a structured codebook, applied by two independent reviewers with consensus-based coding and adjudication by a third when disagreements arose.
Results: A total of 35 junior faculty members completed the survey. All participants indicated influence of the unwritten curriculum on their professional development. Major themes identified include the unspoken importance of mentorship and peer guidance; implicit expectations and norms surrounding engagement, productivity, and visibility; work-life integration; cultural adjustment; scholarly output; and gaps in onboarding, feedback, and role clarity. Participants emphasized challenges in navigating departmental politics, understanding hierarchical nuances, and balancing unspoken expectations for committee involvement and informal social participation. Additionally, unclear feedback processes, inconsistent evaluation expectations, and cultural norms for active engagement were noted as barriers to integration and professional growth.
Conclusion: Junior faculty in academic EM described the unwritten curriculum as a meaningful influence on their early faculty experience. Within this sample, participants highlighted mentorship, feedback transparency, and structured faculty development as potential mechanisms to support navigation of implicit expectations during the transition to junior faculty. These findings reflect individual perceptions rather than program characteristics and should be interpreted within the context of the study’s scope.junior facultyjunior faculty developmentunwritten curriculumMentorshipCareer developmentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/82t271r0https://escholarship.org/content/qt82t271r0/qt82t271r0.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.50856articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5hb6f7ss2026-07-31T13:08:14Zqt5hb6f7ssAssociation of Pregnancy Documentation with Radiological Imaging in the Emergency DepartmentCampbell, Angela G.Knies, AustinMusey, PaulRyckman, Kelli K.Gharbi, SamiWiehe, Sarah2026-06-28Introduction: Emergency department (ED) encounters are common for pregnant individuals in the United States. Radiological imaging is frequently ordered for diagnostics in the ED but generally avoided during pregnancy. This study examines missed pregnancy documentation and the association of pregnancy documentation with radiological imaging among individuals who have an ED encounter while pregnant.
Methods: We used a retrospective cohort of pregnant individuals who had a live birth in an urban county in Indiana 2022–2023. We pulled all ED encounters occurring between 42-279 days of gestation (N = 4,597) that did not occur within five days of delivery. Our primary outcome measure was pregnancy documentation in the patient’s electronic health record and receipt of radiological imaging (radiograph and computed tomography) of the chest, abdomen or spine. We used descriptive statistics and logistic regressions for the analysis.
Results: Pregnancy was not documented in 273 of the 4,597 encounters (5.9%). A larger percentage of encounters with missed pregnancy documentation occurred with non-Hispanic Black patients (162/273, 59.3%) compared to non-Hispanic White patients (75/273, 27.5%); (odds ratio 1.70, 95% CI, 1.21-2.41) for non-Hispanic Blacks relative to non-Hispanic Whites. Radiological imaging occurred in 147 of the 4,324 encounters with a documented pregnancy (3.4%), compared with 30 of the 273 encounters where the pregnancy was not documented (11.0%). Missed pregnancy documentation was associated with 2.11 times (95%CI, 1.30-3.42) the odds of receiving radiological imaging when adjusted for confounders.
Conclusion: Missed pregnancy documentation occurred in 5.9% of emergency encounters with pregnant patients. While this is uncommon, it is still significantly associated with receipt of radiological imaging. Disparities in odds of pregnancy documentation in the ED may contribute to differences in maternal outcomes and highlights the necessity of ensuring equitable care for all pregnant individuals.application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5hb6f7sshttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5hb6f7ss/qt5hb6f7ss.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.50731articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6tq0s3zm2026-07-31T13:07:39Zqt6tq0s3zmTemporal Trends in Mortality from Gunshot Wounds for Emergency Medical Services Compared to Private Vehicle TransportMuller, GregoryMiller, KateMatheson, LorettaWang, XinhangGharahbaghian, LalehD'Souza, PeterGautreau, MarcYiadom, Maame Yaa A.B.2026-06-28Introduction: Despite expectations that emergency medical services (EMS) transport following a gunshot wound (GSW) would improve 30-day mortality compared to transport by private vehicle, the opposite has been found in several studies. In response, EMS has adopted interventions over the past decade to reduce patient mortality. We compared mortality of GSW patients transported by EMS versus private vehicle as these field practice advancements became widespread.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) from 2007–2021. We included adults (≥ 16 years of age) with GSW injuries transported solely by ground EMS (≤ 2 hours) or by personal vehicle to a Level I or Level II trauma center. The primary outcome was 30-day in-hospital mortality. We also aimed to describe demographic changes over time in these patient populations. A multivariable logistic regression model was developed to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of mortality, with demographic and clinical controls. To describe change over time, we performed the multivariable logistic regression model separately within three-year periods. To determine whether the change was significant, we performed the multivariable logistic regression model with the same controls and the addition of an interaction term for transport mode with year group.
Results: Of 355,913 patients, 83.7% were transported by EMS and 16.3% by private vehicle. Unadjusted mortality was consistently higher for EMS patients, ranging from 18.8% (vs 3.7% private vehicle) in 2007–2009 to 19.3% (vs 4.3% private vehicle) in 2019–2021. The aOR for mortality in the EMS cohort decreased from 2.2 (95% CI, 1.7–2.8) in 2007–2009 to 1.6 (95% CI, 1.3–1.8) in 2019–2021. However, this temporal trend was not statistically significant (P = .17).
Conclusion: Our analysis suggests EMS transport remains associated with higher odds of mortality compared to private vehicle transport for patients with gunshot wounds. This may suggest that improvements in EMS clinical and transport practices have not yet proved sufficient to reduce relative mortality, or that there may be differences in injury severity or type of injury that are not adequately accountable from the NTDB data.emergency medical servicesTraumatransportMortalityapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6tq0s3zmhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6tq0s3zm/qt6tq0s3zm.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.53151articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1kx2f9mh2026-07-31T13:07:05Zqt1kx2f9mhPotentially Avoidable Spine Transfers to a Level I Trauma Center: A Five-Year Retrospective AnalysisMarks, Clifford M.Burke, Ryan C.Rasner, CodyStippler, MartinaRosen, Carlo L.2026-06-28Background: Emergency physicians frequently transfer patients with spine pathology to tertiary- care centers, although research suggests many are discharged without requiring a procedure or specialized imaging. Such transfers consume resources and remove patients from their families and communities. Better understanding these transfers might help identify which patients can receive care without transfer.
Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of transfers for spine evaluation to an urban, tertiary-care, Level I trauma center from October 1, 2017–October 1, 2022. Transfers were defined as necessary if the patient a) went to the operating room (OR) within 12 hours of arrival, b) had a neurologic magnetic resonance image (MRI), c) was admitted to an intensive care unit from the emergency department (ED), or d) was admitted to either neurology or a surgical service (including neurosurgery and orthopedics, which share spine coverage in the study hospital).
Results: The study included 1,918 transfers with a spine evaluation, of which 617 (32.2%) were deemed potentially avoidable. Just 3.3% of all transfers went to the OR within 12 hours of receiving ED arrival, 45.7% had a neurologic MRI at the receiving hospital, and 36.6% were admitted to a neurology or a surgical service. For all transfers, 17.7% were discharged directly from the ED, 16.8% were placed in observation and then discharged, 6.8% were placed in observation and then admitted, and 58.7% were admitted to inpatient from the ED. The average ED length of stay for necessary spine transfers was 15.4 hours vs 16.6 hours for potentially avoidable transfers (P = .07). Compared to the overall rate of necessary transfers (67.8%), patients with the following conditions had a decreased incidence of necessary transfers: cervical spine fractures (62% necessary, P = .008), lumbar spine/sacrum/coccyx fractures (53.5% necessary, P < .001), and disc disorders (51.4% necessary, P = .003). Patients diagnosed with cervical spinal cord lesions (91.7% necessary, P = .01) had an increased incidence of necessary transfers.
Conclusion: Nearly one-third of spine evaluation transfers were potentially avoidable. Patients transferred for spine evaluation experienced prolonged ED stays, creating challenges for both receiving hospitals and patients. Further research is needed to prospectively identify patients who do not require tertiary care and to study methods for managing them in community settings.SpineTraumatransfersresource utilizationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1kx2f9mhhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1kx2f9mh/qt1kx2f9mh.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.47485articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7w98q4gh2026-07-31T13:05:27Zqt7w98q4ghDynamo States with Strikingly Different Symmetries Coexisting in Global Solar SimulationsMatilsky, Loren IToomre, Juri2020-01-01CC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7w98q4ghinfo:doi/10.1007/978-3-030-55336-4_27chapteroai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7xh9z9dj2026-07-31T13:04:30Zqt7xh9z9djSingle Question vs Ongoing Violence Assessment Tool for Intimate Partner Violence ScreeningNonawzki, GretchenZhou, ZhengqiuMohan, MaureenSlowey, SariaCarden, DonnaHoelle, Robyn2026-06-17Introduction: Intimate partner violence (IPV) represents a pervasive and costly public health issue. Many IPV victims seek care in the emergency department (ED) due to injuries or related medical complaints; yet a substantial number of cases remain undetected. The challenge lies in implementing effective screening tools within the demanding environment of an ED. In this study we aimed to assess the efficacy of two brief IPV screening tools— the single question, “Have you been hit, kicked, punched, or otherwise hurt by someone in the past year?” and the 4-item Ongoing Violence Assessment Tool—and to compare them to the more comprehensive Index of Spouse Abuse, a validated 30-item survey that is considered the gold standard for IPV assessment. Our objective was to identify improved strategies for IPV screening in the busy ED setting.
Methods: In this prospective study, every third English-speaking female patient 18-55 years of age presenting to our ED triage was invited to participate. Each participating patient was sequentially assigned to either the single question or the ongoing assessment screening group. Both groups completed feedback surveys about their experiences and the Index of Spouse Abuse survey. We used chi-square tests to compare categorical variables, and we used frequency tables to calculate the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of each IPV screening tool. We compared test characteristics between the Ongoing Violence Asessment Tool or the single question screening tool to the Index of Spouse Abuse using the Fisher exact test. Mean duration was compared using two-tailed Student t-tests. The primary outcome was the sensitivity and specificity of the single question assessment. and the 4-item Ongoing Violence Assessment Tool, using the Index of Spouse Abuse as the gold standard for IPV screening. Secondary outcomes were to record the length of time needed to screen with the single question assessment and the Ongoing Violence Assessment Tool and to collect participant feedback on the two screening tools.
Results: A total of 400 participants were enrolled in the study and completed the designated surveys. Screening time was significantly shorter in the single question group (median 6 seconds) compared to the ongoing assessment group (median13 seconds; P < .001). Feedback surveys did not reveal significant differences between the two groups. When compared to the Index of Spouse Abuse, the single question tool exhibited sensitivity of 53.3% and specificity of 94.1%, while the ongoing assessment demonstrated slightly higher sensitivity levels of 75.0% and lower specificity of 92.8%. For the single question assesssment, the positive predictive value was 42.1% and negative predictive value was 96.1%. For the Ongoing Violence Assessment Tool, the positive predictive value was 40.1% and the negative predictive value was 98.2%.
Conclusion: The 7-second reduction in overall IPV screening time for the single question compared to the 4-item Ongoing Violence Assessment Tool likely has little clinical benefit, especially with its low sensitivity. Further studies are needed to identify the optimal screening tool for intimate partner violence in the emergency department.intimate partner violenceintimate partner violence screeningemergency departmentongoing violence assessment toolsingle questionindex of spouse abuseapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7xh9z9djhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7xh9z9dj/qt7xh9z9dj.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.49021articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8xk386082026-07-31T13:00:49Zqt8xk38608Endovascular Biopsy: In Vivo Cerebral Aneurysm Endothelial Cell Sampling and Gene Expression AnalysisCooke, Daniel LMcCoy, David BHalbach, Van VHetts, Steven WAmans, Matthew RDowd, Christopher FHigashida, Randall TLawson, DevonNelson, JeffreyWang, Chih-YangKim, HelenWerb, ZenaMcCulloch, CharlesHashimoto, TomokiSu, HuaSun, Zhengda2018-02-01There is limited data describing endothelial cell (EC) gene expression between aneurysms and arteries partly because of risks associated with surgical tissue collection. Endovascular biopsy (EB) is a lower risk alternative to conventional surgical methods, though no such efforts have been attempted for aneurysms. We sought (1) to establish the feasibility of EB to isolate viable ECs by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), (2) to characterize the differences in gene expression by anatomic location and rupture status using single-cell qPCR, and (3) to demonstrate the utility of unsupervised clustering algorithms to identify cell subpopulations. EB was performed in 10 patients (5 ruptured, 5 non-ruptured). FACS was used to isolate the ECs and single-cell qPCR was used to quantify the expression of 48 genes. Linear mixed models and exploratory multilevel component analysis (MCA) and self-organizing maps (SOMs) were performed to identify possible subpopulations of cells. ECs were collected from all aneurysms and there were no adverse events. A total of 437 ECs was collected, 94 (22%) of which were aneurysmal cells and 319 (73%) demonstrated EC-specific gene expression. Ruptured aneurysm cells, relative controls, yielded a median p value of 0.40 with five genes (10%) with p values < 0.05. The five genes (TIE1, ENG, VEGFA, MMP2, and VWF) demonstrated uniformly reduced expression relative the remaining ECs. MCA and SOM analyses identified a population of outlying cells characterized by cell marker gene expression profiles different from endothelial cells. After removal of these cells, no cell clustering based on genetic co-expressivity was found to differentiate aneurysm cells from control cells. Endovascular sampling is a reliable method for cell collection for brain aneurysm gene analysis and may serve as a technique to further vascular molecular research. There is utility in combining mixed and clustering methods, despite no specific subpopulation identified in this trial.32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3209 Neurosciences (for-2020)3202 Clinical Sciences (for-2020)Brain Disorders (rcdc)Neurosciences (rcdc)Cerebrovascular (rcdc)Human Genome (rcdc)Genetics (rcdc)Stroke (rcdc)Biotechnology (rcdc)Cardiovascular (hrcs-hc)Biopsy (mesh)Endoglin (mesh)Endothelial Cells (mesh)EndotheliumVascular (mesh)Endovascular Procedures (mesh)Female (mesh)Flow Cytometry (mesh)Gene Expression (mesh)Humans (mesh)Intracranial Aneurysm (mesh)Male (mesh)Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 (mesh)ReceptorTIE-1 (mesh)Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (mesh)von Willebrand Factor (mesh)Cerebral aneurysmVascular biologyGene expressionCerebrovascular proceduresEndotheliumEndotheliumVascular (mesh)Endothelial Cells (mesh)Humans (mesh)Intracranial Aneurysm (mesh)ReceptorTIE-1 (mesh)Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (mesh)von Willebrand Factor (mesh)Biopsy (mesh)Flow Cytometry (mesh)Gene Expression (mesh)Female (mesh)Male (mesh)Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 (mesh)Endovascular Procedures (mesh)Endoglin (mesh)Cerebral aneurysmCerebrovascular proceduresEndotheliumGene expressionVascular biologyBiopsy (mesh)Endoglin (mesh)Endothelial Cells (mesh)EndotheliumVascular (mesh)Endovascular Procedures (mesh)Female (mesh)Flow Cytometry (mesh)Gene Expression (mesh)Humans (mesh)Intracranial Aneurysm (mesh)Male (mesh)Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 (mesh)ReceptorTIE-1 (mesh)Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (mesh)von Willebrand Factor (mesh)1103 Clinical Sciences (for)1109 Neurosciences (for)1117 Public Health and Health Services (for)3202 Clinical sciences (for-2020)3209 Neurosciences (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8xk38608https://escholarship.org/content/qt8xk38608/qt8xk38608.pdfinfo:doi/10.1007/s12975-017-0560-4articleTranslational Stroke Research, vol 9, iss 120 - 33oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8s90q6p82026-07-31T13:00:43Zqt8s90q6p8Endovascular biopsy: Strategy for analyzing gene expression profiles of individual endothelial cells obtained from human vesselsSun, ZhengdaLawson, Devon ASinclair, ElizabethWang, Chih-YangLai, Ming-DergHetts, Steven WHigashida, Randall TDowd, Christopher FHalbach, Van VWerb, ZenaSu, HuaCooke, Daniel L2015-09-01PURPOSE: To develop a strategy of achieving targeted collection of endothelial cells (ECs) by endovascular methods and analyzing the gene expression profiles of collected single ECs.
METHODS AND RESULTS: 134 ECs and 37 leukocytes were collected from four patients' intra-iliac artery endovascular guide wires by fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) and analyzed by single-cell quantitative RT-PCR for expression profile of 48 genes. Compared to CD45+ leukocytes, the ECs expressed higher levels (p < 0.05) of EC surface markers used on FACS and other EC related genes. The gene expression profile showed that these isolated ECs fell into two clusters, A and B, that differentially expressed 19 genes related to angiogenesis, inflammation and extracellular matrix remodeling, with cluster B ECs have demonstrating similarities to senescent or aging ECs.
CONCLUSION: Combination of endovascular device sampling, FACS and single-cell quantitative RT-PCR is a feasible method for analyzing EC gene expression profile in vascular lesions.30 AgriculturalVeterinary and Food Sciences (for-2020)31 Biological Sciences (for-2020)4103 Environmental Biotechnology (for-2020)3106 Industrial Biotechnology (for-2020)41 Environmental Sciences (for-2020)3001 Agricultural Biotechnology (for-2020)Biotechnology (rcdc)Genetics (rcdc)Cardiovascular (rcdc)2.1 Biological and endogenous factors (hrcs-rac)Cardiovascular (hrcs-hc)Gene expression of artery endothelial cellsSingle cell quantitative RT-PCRTargeted endothelial cell sampling3001 Agricultural biotechnology (for-2020)3106 Industrial biotechnology (for-2020)4103 Environmental biotechnology (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8s90q6p8https://escholarship.org/content/qt8s90q6p8/qt8s90q6p8.pdfinfo:doi/10.1016/j.btre.2015.07.001articleBiotechnology Reports, vol 7157 - 165oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt810916p72026-07-31T12:58:41Zqt810916p7Neural Processing of Sign Language: Increased Attention Without Enhanced Tracking in Adult Novice LearnersSvoboda, MichaelaFilip, MarošPůlpánová, Lucie SedláčkováCostello, BrendanChládková, Kateřina2026-01-01Neural tracking is a core mechanism supporting speech processing and language learning. It funnels the chunking of continuous speech into words and syllables, being shaped by bottom-up cues as well as top-down predictions and language proficiency. While neural tracking is well established in the domain of speech, current understanding of how the mechanism works for visual language, including sign languages, is limited. Here we test whether beginning learners of Czech Sign Language (CSL) differ from sign-naive controls in their neural processing and overt perception of CSL. Attention is quantified via alpha power suppression; neural tracking via backward mTRF reconstruction of the sign-language visual envelope. Compared to controls, sign-language learners exhibited increased alpha suppression and higher perceptual accuracy but did not show enhanced neural tracking of CSL. We conclude that limited prior exposure to sign language may not be enough to entrain the brain to the rhythms of sign language.LinguisticsNeuroscienceLanguage acquisitionLanguage ComprehensionElectroencephalography (EEG)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/810916p7https://escholarship.org/content/qt810916p7/qt810916p7.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3gc0w2mv2026-07-31T12:58:40Zqt3gc0w2mvHow Partner Schemas Shape the Emergence of Synchrony in Collaborative Action: A Time-Series Comparison of Human and AI InstructionsWatanabe, EmikaShimojo, ShigenKimura, AsakoHayashi, Yugo2026-01-01Beliefs or assumptions about a partner can either facilitate or hinder cooperation. Synchrony that promotes cooperation is influenced by impressions of the partner. Previous studies have suggested that this emerges with partners for whom relationship formation is expected. However, it remains unclear whether synchrony occurs without such expectations, or how schemas about others influence this process. This study compared interactions with a human partner, for whom both expectations of relationship formation and synchrony abilities were assumed, and with an AI partner, for whom neither was assumed, to examine whether expectations based on human or AI schemas facilitate synchrony. Although synchrony frequency did not differ between conditions, reaction times decreased across trials, with greater reductions in the human condition. These findings suggest that action model adjustment for synchrony occurs even without expectations of relationship formation, whereas expectations of relationship formation may facilitate synchrony more strongly than expectations of a partner's abilities.PsychologyHuman-computer interactionInteractive behaviorOtherQuantitative Behaviorapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3gc0w2mvhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3gc0w2mv/qt3gc0w2mv.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9m90489c2026-07-31T12:58:39Zqt9m90489cEstimating Empathy Using Head Motion Synchronization of the Presenter and Viewer While Viewing an Explanatory VideoEnomoto, MakotoSaito, KokiZenio, HaruhitoHoshino, TakayukiTakahashi, Eiji2026-01-01This study examines the relationship between head-motion synchronization and internal communication states. A total of 39 participants viewed a 3-minute explanatory video as a simulation of actual communication, and their empathy was measured through questionnaires. Participants' head motions were calculated using the coordinates of head postures captured by web cameras. We calculated the cross-correlation of head motion as synchronization and analyzed the relationship between the degree of synchronization and empathy. Consequently, we found that the head motion of the participants was synchronized with that of the presenter with a delay, and the yaw cross-correlation value of a high-empathy person was significantly higher than that of a low-empathy person. Furthermore, we confirmed that the degree of empathy can be estimated using the cross-correlation value and the viewer's sex. Our findings suggest that focusing on the synchronization of head movements contributes to the estimation of empathy in real communication.PsychologyEmpathyInteractive behaviorSensory ProcessingSocial cognitionMathematical modelingStatisticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9m90489chttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9m90489c/qt9m90489c.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt753715pj2026-07-31T12:58:32Zqt753715pjDiscovering and transmitting abstract knowledge over generationsPrystawski, BenFrank, Michael C.Goodman, Noah2026-01-01The complexity of human culture depends on people's ability to discover and transmit abstract knowledge. Studying this ability is crucial to understanding humans' distinctive place among species, but current experimental paradigms focus on the cultural transmission of specific, concrete facts rather than generalizable abstract knowledge. In this paper, we develop a crafting game paradigm to study how people discover abstract knowledge and transmit it via language. We compared individuals playing this game for 40 rounds to chains of four participants playing for 10 rounds each and passing messages to each other sequentially. The individuals performed significantly better over rounds, but the chains did not. Through simulations with language model agents and a follow-up experiment, we find substantial variation in the helpfulness of participants' messages, which may explain the lack of consistent improvement in chains. The ability to learn selectively from the good messages may be essential for improvement over generations.PsychologyCultureReasoningSocial cognitionComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/753715pjhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt753715pj/qt753715pj.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt58x1x8qz2026-07-31T12:58:31Zqt58x1x8qzAutomated Discovery of Psychological Representations using Language Model AgentsLima Braga, DanielMarjieh, RajaJagadish, Akshay KumarSucholutsky, IliaJacoby, NoriLake, BrendenGriffiths, Tom2026-01-01Similarity judgments provide a powerful behavioral signal for characterizing psychological representations. Computational techniques for translating similarity judgments into representations have been available since the early days of cognitive science. However, these algorithms typically focus on one particular kind of representation (e.g., spaces or trees), and identifying a satisfying representation often requires searching over a large space of possible structures and algorithms. Inspired by recent developments in AI, we propose an automated process for efficient representation discovery (AutoRep), in which large language model agents iteratively propose, refine, and critique code for fitting representational structures to similarity data. We show how this process can reliably recover psychological representations from both synthetic and human datasets, and how it can flexibly explore spatial, feature-based, graphical, or even neural representations. Our work demonstrates how modern agentic pipelines can substantially facilitate basic research workflows in cognitive science.Artificial IntelligencePhilosophyMachine learningRepresentationComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/58x1x8qzhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt58x1x8qz/qt58x1x8qz.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5gs1q0sm2026-07-31T12:58:28Zqt5gs1q0smHow Do People Quantify Naturally: Evidence from Mandarin Picture DescriptionZhang, YayunChen, GuanyiSame, FahimeMahamood, SaadHe, Tingting2026-01-01Quantification is a fundamental component of everyday language use, yet little is known about how speakers decide whether and how to quantify in naturalistic production. We investigate quantification in Mandarin Chinese using a picture-based elicited description task in which speakers freely described scenes containing multiple objects, without explicit instructions to count or quantify. Across both spoken and written modalities, we examine three aspects of quantification: whether speakers choose to quantify at all, how precise their quantification is, and which quantificational strategies they adopt. Results show that object numerosity, animacy, and production modality systematically shape quantificational behaviour. In particular, increasing numerosity reduces both the likelihood and the precision of quantification, while animate referents and modality selectively modulate strategy choice. This study demonstrates how quantification can be examined under unconstrained production conditions and provides a naturalistic dataset for further analyses of quantity expression in language production.LinguisticsPsychologyLanguage ProductionPragmaticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5gs1q0smhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5gs1q0sm/qt5gs1q0sm.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5kh0s6932026-07-31T12:58:27Zqt5kh0s693Do Large Language Models Show Negation Bias? A Replication of Beukeboom et al. (2010)Allar, Leonie-MarieBerg, Ann-SophieKaup, BarbaraCapuano, Francesca2026-01-01LLM bias research has largely focused on content-level associations, overlooking biases arising from linguistic form and pragmatic choice. One such phenomenon is the negation bias, where negated expressions are preferentially used for stereotype-inconsistent behavior and trigger systematic inferences. While LLMs' handling of negation in semantic tasks is well studied, it is unclear whether they reproduce these pragmatic inferences in social contexts. We replicate Beukeboom et al. (2010) with Mistral-7B-Instruct-v0.2, varying the valence and polarity of trait descriptions. The model inferred more negative expectations from negated negative traits (e.g. not stupid) and more positive expectations from negated positive traits (e.g. not smart), and showed stronger situational but weaker dispositional attributions. These results mirror human negation-bias patterns, suggesting that instruction-tuned models can produce pragmatic-like bias in judgment tasks. The findings underscore the need to extend LLM bias evaluation beyond content to linguistic form.Artificial IntelligenceLinguisticsPsychologyLanguage ComprehensionLanguage understandingNatural Language ProcessingPragmaticsComputer-based experimentQuantitative Behaviorapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5kh0s693https://escholarship.org/content/qt5kh0s693/qt5kh0s693.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6170f5m32026-07-31T12:57:44Zqt6170f5m3The effect of HIV on malaria in the context of the current standard of care for HIV-infected populations in AfricaKamya, Moses RByakika-Kibwika, PaulineGasasira, Anne FHavlir, DianeRosenthal, Philip JDorsey, GrantAchan, Jane2012-07-01HIV infection affects the clinical pattern of malaria. There is emerging evidence to suggest that previously documented interactions may be modified by recently scaled-up HIV and malaria interventions. Prophylaxis with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TS) in combination with use of insecticide-treated nets can markedly decrease the incidence of malaria in HIV-infected pregnant and nonpregnant adults and children even in the setting of antifolate resistance-conferring mutations that are currently common in Africa. Nonetheless, additional interventions are needed to protect HIV-infected people that reside in high-malaria-transmission areas. Artemether-lumefantrine and dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine are highly efficacious and safe for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in HIV-infected persons. Coadministration of antiretroviral and antimalarial drugs creates the potential for pharmacokinetic drug interactions that may increase (causing enhancement of malaria treatment efficacy and post-treatment prophylaxis and/or unanticipated toxicity) or reduce (creating risk for treatment failure) antimalarial drug exposure. Further studies are needed to elucidate potentially important pharmacokinetic interactions between commonly used antimalarials, antiretrovirals and TS and their clinical implications. Data on the benefits of long-term TS prophylaxis among HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy who have achieved immune-reconstitution are limited. Studies to address these questions are ongoing or planned, and the results should provide the evidence base required to guide the prevention and treatment of malaria in HIV-infected patients.3107 Microbiology (for-2020)31 Biological Sciences (for-2020)Prevention (rcdc)Malaria (rcdc)Orphan Drug (rcdc)Patient Safety (rcdc)HIV/AIDS (rcdc)Antimicrobial Resistance (rcdc)Clinical Research (rcdc)Pediatric Research Initiative (rcdc)Vector-Borne Diseases (rcdc)Infectious Diseases (rcdc)Rare Diseases (rcdc)6.1 Pharmaceuticals (hrcs-rac)2.2 Factors relating to the physical environment (hrcs-rac)5.1 Pharmaceuticals (hrcs-rac)Infection (hrcs-hc)3 Good Health and Well Being (sdg)antimalarial treatmentantiretroviral therapyHIV infectionmalariamalaria prevention0605 Microbiology (for)1108 Medical Microbiology (for)Virology (science-metrix)3107 Microbiology (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6170f5m3https://escholarship.org/content/qt6170f5m3/qt6170f5m3.pdfinfo:doi/10.2217/fvl.12.59articleFuture Virology, vol 7, iss 7699 - 708oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt906736952026-07-31T12:57:38Zqt90673695Pharmacokinetics of lopinavir/ritonavir and efavirenz in food insecure HIV‐infected pregnant and breastfeeding women in tororo, ugandaBartelink, Imke HSavic, Rada MMwesigwa, JuliaAchan, JaneClark, TamaraPlenty, AlbertCharlebois, EdwinKamya, MosesYoung, Sera LGandhi, MonicaHavlir, DianeCohan, DeborahAweeka, Francesca2014-02-01Pregnancy and food insecurity may impact antiretroviral (ART) pharmacokinetics (PK), adherence and response. We sought to quantify and characterize the PK of lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) and efavirenz (EFV) by pregnancy and nutritional status among HIV-infected women in Tororo, Uganda. In 2011, 62/225 ante-partum/post-partum single dried blood spot samples DBS and 43 post-partum hair samples for LPV/r were derived from 116 women, 51/194 ante-/post-partum DBS and 53 post-partum hair samples for EFV from 105 women. Eighty percent of Ugandan participants were severely food insecure, 26% lost weight ante-partum, and median BMI post-partum was only 20.2 kg/m(2) . Rich PK-data of normally nourished (pregnant) women and healthy Ugandans established prior information. Overall, drug exposure was reduced (LPV -33%, EFV -15%, ritonavir -17%) compared to well-nourished controls (P < 0.001), attributable to decreased bioavailability. Pregnancy increased LPV/r clearance 68% (P < 0.001), whereas EFV clearance remained unchanged. Hair concentrations correlated with plasma-exposure (P < 0.001), explaining 29% PK-variability. In conclusion, pregnancy and food insecurity were associated with lower ART exposures in this cohort of predominantly underweight women, compared to well-nourished women. Much variability in plasma-exposure was quantified using hair concentrations. Addressing malnutrition as well as ART-PK in this setting should be a priority.3215 Reproductive Medicine (for-2020)32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)HIV/AIDS (rcdc)Nutrition (rcdc)Clinical Research (rcdc)Women's Health (rcdc)Maternal Health (rcdc)Pediatric Research Initiative (rcdc)Infectious Diseases (rcdc)Pregnancy (rcdc)2 Zero Hunger (sdg)Adolescent (mesh)Adult (mesh)Alkynes (mesh)Anti-HIV Agents (mesh)Benzoxazines (mesh)Biological Availability (mesh)Breast Feeding (mesh)Cyclopropanes (mesh)Dried Blood Spot Testing (mesh)Drug Combinations (mesh)Drug TherapyCombination (mesh)Female (mesh)HIV Infections (mesh)Hair (mesh)Humans (mesh)Lopinavir (mesh)Malnutrition (mesh)Medication Adherence (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Nutritional Status (mesh)Postpartum Period (mesh)Pregnancy (mesh)Pregnancy ComplicationsInfectious (mesh)Ritonavir (mesh)Uganda (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)infectious diseases (INF)pharmacokinetics and drug metabolismpharmacodynamics (PDY)pharmacology (PHA)clinical research (CRE)Hair (mesh)Humans (mesh)Pregnancy ComplicationsInfectious (mesh)HIV Infections (mesh)Malnutrition (mesh)Alkynes (mesh)Cyclopropanes (mesh)Benzoxazines (mesh)Ritonavir (mesh)Drug Combinations (mesh)Anti-HIV Agents (mesh)Drug TherapyCombination (mesh)Biological Availability (mesh)Breast Feeding (mesh)Nutritional Status (mesh)Postpartum Period (mesh)Pregnancy (mesh)Adolescent (mesh)Adult (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Uganda (mesh)Female (mesh)Medication Adherence (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)Lopinavir (mesh)Dried Blood Spot Testing (mesh)clinical research (CRE)infectious diseases (INF)pharmacodynamics (PDY)pharmacokinetics and drug metabolismpharmacology (PHA)Adolescent (mesh)Adult (mesh)Alkynes (mesh)Anti-HIV Agents (mesh)Benzoxazines (mesh)Biological Availability (mesh)Breast Feeding (mesh)Cyclopropanes (mesh)Dried Blood Spot Testing (mesh)Drug Combinations (mesh)Drug TherapyCombination (mesh)Female (mesh)HIV Infections (mesh)Hair (mesh)Humans (mesh)Lopinavir (mesh)Malnutrition (mesh)Medication Adherence (mesh)Middle Aged (mesh)Nutritional Status (mesh)Postpartum Period (mesh)Pregnancy (mesh)Pregnancy ComplicationsInfectious (mesh)Ritonavir (mesh)Uganda (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)1115 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences (for)Pharmacology & Pharmacy (science-metrix)3214 Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/90673695https://escholarship.org/content/qt90673695/qt90673695.pdfinfo:doi/10.1002/jcph.167articleThe Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, vol 54, iss 2121 - 132oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5p07n6d82026-07-31T12:57:17Zqt5p07n6d8Referring Effectively to a Group of ObjectsEllsiepen, EmiliaMayn, AlexandraBila, NataliaDemberg, Vera2026-01-01In communication, we often need to refer to multiple objects. We have several possibilities: enumerating the objects one by one or referring to a shared feature. This is the first study to systematically compare different ways of referring to groups of objects in terms of response times, accuracy, and memory encoding. In a within-subjects design, participants listened to instructions which either used a shared feature or enumerated coordinates of individual objects. We find that there is no one way of referring that is universally more effective, but the optimal way of referring depends on the type of common feature and the number of objects. When the shared feature is prominent, such as color, and multiple objects need to be identified, referring to it results in shorter identification times and fewer errors. In contrast, when the shared feature is less salient, such as pattern, referring by location tends to be better.LinguisticsPsychologyLanguage ComprehensionLanguage understandingSituated cognitionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5p07n6d8https://escholarship.org/content/qt5p07n6d8/qt5p07n6d8.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4hz9j5f82026-07-31T12:57:17Zqt4hz9j5f8How communicatively optimal are exact numeral systems? Once more on lexicon size and morphosyntactic complexityCathcart, ChundraRubehn, ArneBocklage, KatjaCiucci, Lucavan Dam, Kellen ParkerKučerová, AlžbětaMažara, JekaterinaMeloni, Carlo Y.Snee, DavidList, Johann-mattis2026-01-01Recent research argues that exact recursive numeral systems optimize communicative efficiency by balancing a tradeoff between the size of the numeral lexicon and the average morphosyntactic complexity (roughly length in morphemes) of numeral terms. We argue that previous studies have not characterized the data in a fashion that accounts for the degree of complexity languages display. Using data from 52 genetically diverse languages and an annotation scheme distinguishing between predictable and unpredictable allomorphy (formal variation), we show that many of the world's languages are decisively less efficient than one would expect. We discuss the implications of our findings for the study of numeral systems and linguistic evolution more generally.LinguisticsEvolutionLanguage and thoughtMorphologyPhonologyBayesian modelingComputational ModelingCross-cultural analysisCross-linguistic analysisMathematical modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4hz9j5f8https://escholarship.org/content/qt4hz9j5f8/qt4hz9j5f8.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3fn0z7zb2026-07-31T12:57:17Zqt3fn0z7zbEffects of Egocentric and Exocentric Strategies on Reciprocity: Agent-Based Study Using Ultimatum GameOasa, KishinShimojo, ShigenHayashi, Yugo2026-01-01This study investigates the formation of reciprocal altruism in human-agent interactions using the ultimatum game, focusing on how people infer others' action-generation principles. We examine the effects of different agent strategies on human rejection behavior and agent impression. An experiment is conducted where two factors are manipulated in the agent's strategy: the presence of a selfish, egocentric strategy based on the agent's internal policy; and an altruistic, exocentric strategy that adjusts to the participant's feedback. The results show that participants rejected proposals less frequently when the agent adopted exocentric/non-egocentric strategies. Furthermore, the exocentric strategy increased the perception of safety toward the agent, whereas the egocentric strategy decreased the perception of intelligence. These findings suggest that cooperative behavior and social impressions are shaped not only by outcome distributions but also by inferences about latent policy parameters, such as responsiveness to social signals and rigidity of internal dynamics.PsychologyDecision makingIntelligent agentsInteractive behaviorQuantitative Behaviorapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3fn0z7zbhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3fn0z7zb/qt3fn0z7zb.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6gc832gh2026-07-31T12:57:14Zqt6gc832ghJoint Human-AI decision making and sense of agencyBerberian, BrunoPagliari, MarineChambon, Valerian2026-01-01In this study, we address shared Human-AI decision making through the lens of agency: what is the feeling of control experienced by an operator when making a decision that is shared with an AI-based artificial agent? Using an optimization trajectory task, we explored how the level of autonomy and the explainability of the decision support system impact the human operator's feelings of agency, responsibility and confidence. Results indicated that the level of automation modulate the sense of agency, but also the confidence and feeling of responsibility. More interestingly, our results also indicated that explanations could increase the number of mind change, but also the feelings of agency, confidence and responsibility during such mind change. These results are discussed in term of mechanisms underlying the development of a sense of agency and aims to provide tools and models to explore the notion of 'meaningful control' during our interactions with AI-enabled systems.PsychologyDecision makingHuman-computer interactionIntelligent agentsSocial cognitionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6gc832ghhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6gc832gh/qt6gc832gh.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5vs4590q2026-07-31T12:57:11Zqt5vs4590qFrom Neural Control to Cognitive Explanation: Closed-Loop Negative Feedback and Marr's Levels in YIN-CBEHASuomala, JyrkiSivén, Suvi2026-01-01Many cognitive theories explain behavior using linear input–output models grounded in normatively specified tasks. However, these approaches remain weakly grounded in biological organization and real-time organism–environment interaction. This theoretical analysis paper examines Yin's control-theoretic extension of Perceptual Control Theory (YIN-CBEHA) using Marr's levels of analysis as evaluative criteria. In YIN-CBEHA, behavior is not identified with motor output but with the hierarchical control of perceptual variables through closed-loop negative feedback. We show how this framework satisfies Marr's three-level demands within a single control architecture. Converging evidence from neurophysiology and robotic construction supports the functional sufficiency of hierarchical feedback control for posture, movement, and spatial regulation under real-world constraints. By constraining admissible computational problems through continuous-time feedback, YIN-CBEHA reduces explanatory underdetermination and improves biological plausibility. While its strongest empirical support currently lies at intermediate sensorimotor levels, the framework provides a tractable foundation for extending control-theoretic explanation toward higher cognition.BiologyPhilosophySituated cognitionTheory of MindQualitative Analysisapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5vs4590qhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5vs4590q/qt5vs4590q.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt72q5n5f82026-07-31T12:57:09Zqt72q5n5f8When to Think Deep? Resource-Rational Metacognitive Control for Adaptive Inference in LLM-Based Legal QASun, AoLiu, ShiyuanZhang, DongliangWang, XiaoyangZhang, Ying2026-01-01Legal question-answering systems based on large language models (LLMs) encounter reasoning demands that vary significantly across queries. Consequently, static retrieval-and-reasoning pipelines frequently result in inefficient resource allocation. In this paper, we introduce ALEX, a cost-aware adaptive inference architecture grounded in resource-rational accounts of metacognitive control. The proposed framework implements a metacognitive controller that monitors query complexity via multi-dimensional linguistic and confidence cues, and subsequently routes tasks to hierarchical workflows within an expected utility framework. Experimental results on legal benchmarks demonstrate that ALEX achieves superior accuracy while maintaining an efficient trade-off between accuracy and effort, consistent with the principles of bounded rationality. Furthermore, analyses of routing behavior and error correction driven by verification reveal how metacognitive monitoring can mitigate resource misallocation in LLM-based legal QA.Artificial IntelligenceDecision makingProblem SolvingReasoningComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/72q5n5f8https://escholarship.org/content/qt72q5n5f8/qt72q5n5f8.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt48t1m60p2026-07-31T12:57:07Zqt48t1m60pRecovering Event Probabilities from Large Language Model Embeddings via Axiomatic ConstraintsZhu, Jian-QiaoYan, HaijiangGriffiths, Tom2026-01-01Rational decision-making under uncertainty requires coherent degrees of belief in events. However, event probabilities generated by Large Language Models (LLMs) have been shown to exhibit incoherence, violating the axioms of probability theory. This raises the question of whether coherent event probabilities can be recovered from the embeddings used by the models. If so, those derived probabilities could be used as more accurate estimates in events involving uncertainty, and the embeddings would become more interpretable. To explore this question, we propose enforcing axiomatic constraints, such as the additive rule of probability theory, in the latent space learned by an extended variational autoencoder (VAE) applied to LLM embeddings. This approach enables event probabilities to naturally emerge in the latent space as the VAE learns to both reconstruct the original embeddings and predict the embeddings of semantically related events. We evaluate our method on complementary events (i.e., event A and its complement, event not-A), where the true probabilities of the two events must sum to 1. Experiment results on open-weight language models demonstrate that probabilities recovered from embeddings exhibit greater coherence than those directly generated by the models. Moreover, the recovered probabilities align closely with the true probabilities, while the latent space of the VAE provides interpretable structures.Artificial IntelligencePsychologyBehavioral ScienceDecision makingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/48t1m60phttps://escholarship.org/content/qt48t1m60p/qt48t1m60p.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0ms8w1mf2026-07-31T12:57:04Zqt0ms8w1mfToward Fair and Diverse Pedagogical Generations: Quantifying Educational Epistemic Bias in Text-to-Image ModelsShen, FangjianGao, YuhanZeng, YifanWen, Wushao2026-01-01Text-to-image (T2I) models are increasingly used to generate educational visuals, from textbook illustrations and lecture slides to classroom scenes and institutional marketing materials. However, these models do not neutrally depict education. They often encode stereotyped views of what education should look like, and such patterns can recur across generations and gradually solidify into taken-for-granted visual common sense. Building on cognitive theories, we introduce the notion of Educational Epistemic Bias to describe how T2I models narrow rich educational ideas into a small set of recurring visual patterns. We define this construct along four dimensions and design an education-specific benchmark of 60 prompts that span learning environments, activities, power relations, and roles. We apply this benchmark to nine mainstream T2I models, yielding 2,160 images. To quantify bias, we propose the Educational Epistemic Biases Quantifier (EEBQ), a VLM-based evaluation framework that includes two image-quality metrics and four metrics targeting DEI-related aspects of the images. Our analysis reveals systematic educational epistemic biases across all models. Together, the benchmark and EEBQ offer a concrete way to examine how generative models visually construct education and to inform more careful use of such systems in educational settings.Artificial IntelligenceEducationInstruction and teachingLearningComputer-based experimentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0ms8w1mfhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0ms8w1mf/qt0ms8w1mf.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt83g690r22026-07-31T12:57:03Zqt83g690r2Shallow by strategy: Heuristic parsing in Mandarin-Chinese-speaking learners' comprehension of Korean suffixal passivesMun, SeongminShin, Gyu-HoPark, Sun Hee2026-01-01This study examines how L1-Mandarin-Chinese L2-Korean learners comprehend constructions expressing transitivity within a good-enough processing framework. Using picture selection with webcam eye-tracking, we compare learners with native speakers in two studies. Study 1 crosses voice (active vs. passive), word order (canonical vs. scrambled), and verb position (verb-final vs. verb-initial). Learners are accurate for canonical actives, but perform below chance on passives and show reduced target looks in critical regions, consistent with a persistent agent-first bias and limited use of case-marking and passive morphology. Study 2 obscures case markers to isolate verbal morphology; learners favour agent-first interpretations and show only weak sensitivity to passive morphology. Across two studies, proficiency predicts more target-like performance, especially in non-canonical configurations. These findings highlight the role of cue alignment/(re)weighting in L2-acquisition pathways and a proficiency-mediated shift towards more algorithmic parsing, suggesting the dynamic and adaptive nature of L2 good-enough processing.LinguisticsLanguage ComprehensionMorphologySyntaxCross-linguistic analysisEye trackingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/83g690r2https://escholarship.org/content/qt83g690r2/qt83g690r2.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1g4687h72026-07-31T12:57:02Zqt1g4687h7Trust Issues: Social Learning Under Misaligned GoalsLee, LiangChirkov, ValeriiTian, ShenWu, Charley MWitt, Alexandra2026-01-01Computational models of social learning often assume learners and demonstrators share identical or at least positively correlated goals. Yet this assumption limits applications to real-world scenarios, where preferences may be misaligned or even opposed. We address this gap by extending the socially correlated bandit task to settings where agents need to learn when social information is positively correlated, uncorrelated, or negatively correlated, analogous to learning whom to trust or distrust. We introduce Social Correlation–Adjusted LEarning (SCALE), a multi-output Gaussian Process model that learns the covariance structure between agents' preferences. Using simulations, we characterize the model's performance across social environments and outline a path toward agents that can dynamically infer social correlations from experience. Our model allows us to reframe prior experimental observations, and lays the groundwork for future experimental work on the integration of preferences into individual decision-making.Decision makingSocial cognitionAgent-based ModelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1g4687h7https://escholarship.org/content/qt1g4687h7/qt1g4687h7.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2ct431002026-07-31T12:57:01Zqt2ct43100A Computational Model of Action Selection and Action Specification in the Basal GangliaSaha, PriyadarshiniBartlett, MadeleineOrchard, Jeff2026-01-01It has been proposed that the basal ganglia is involved in selecting which action is performed, while the motor cortex specifies how the selected action is carried out. However, recent electrophysiological evidence from a reach-to-pull task challenges this view by showing that the motor cortex and the dorsal striatum in the basal ganglia jointly specify continuous action movement parameters, such as reach angle and pull force. This finding implicates the basal ganglia in both action selection and action specification, creating a gap for a mechanistic model that unifies both functions in a single, grounded framework. We address this gap with a biologically plausible model of the basal ganglia that leverages dynamic neural fields applied to high-dimensional representations of action-salience distributions. The dynamic neural field converts high-entropy representations into low-entropy representations without altering the underlying action-salience distribution's peak---a property previously shown to support accurate readout of continuous action parameters (e.g., movement speed or force). Our model is an extension that applies the same dynamic neural field transformation across multiple actions so that we can simultaneously (i) resolve which action is chosen (e.g., lever pull vs. button press) and (ii) specify the continuous action parameter value with which the chosen action is to be executed (e.g., force or speed). In our simulations patterned on the reach-to-pull paradigm, the basal ganglia model performs both discrete action selection and action specification of a continuous action parameter in a single operation, offering a concise mechanism for how basal ganglia-cortex circuits decide what to do and how to do it.Cognitive NeuroscienceComputer ScienceNeuroscienceActionCognitive architecturesComputational ModelingNeural Networksapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2ct43100https://escholarship.org/content/qt2ct43100/qt2ct43100.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6sf7q92c2026-07-31T12:49:25Zqt6sf7q92cAn adaptive design to screen, treat, and retain people with opioid use disorders who use methamphetamine in methadone clinics (STAR-OM): study protocol of a clinical trialGiang, Le MinhTrang, Nguyen ThuDiep, Nguyen BichThuy, Dao Thi DieuThuy, Dinh ThanhHoe, Han DinhVan, Hoang Thi HaiTruc, Thai ThanhNguyen, Hoa HLai, Nguyen LyLinh, Pham Thi DanVi, Vu Thi TuongReback, Cathy JLeibowitz, ArleenLi, LiLin, ChunqingLi, MichaelDo Van DungShoptaw, Steve2022-12-01BackgroundMethamphetamine use could jeopardize the current efforts to address opioid use disorder and HIV infection. Evidence-based behavioral interventions (EBI) are effective in reducing methamphetamine use. However, evidence on optimal combinations of EBI is limited. This protocol presents a type-1 effectiveness-implementation hybrid design to evaluate the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness of adaptive methamphetamine use interventions, and their implementation barriers in Vietnam.MethodDesign: Participants will be first randomized into two frontline interventions for 12 weeks. They will then be placed or randomized to three adaptive strategies for another 12 weeks. An economic evaluation and an ethnographic evaluation will be conducted alongside the interventions.Participants: We will recruit 600 participants in 20 methadone clinics. Eligibility criteria: (1) age 16+; (2) Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) scores ≥ 10 for methamphetamine use or confirmed methamphetamine use with urine drug screening; (3) willing to provide three pieces of contact information; and (4) having a cell phone.Outcomes: Outcomes are measured at 13, 26, and 49 weeks and throughout the interventions. Primary outcomes include the (1) increase in HIV viral suppression, (2) reduction in HIV risk behaviors, and (3) reduction in methamphetamine use.COVID-19 response: We developed a response plan for interruptions caused by COVID-19 lockdowns to ensure data quality and intervention fidelity.DiscussionThis study will provide important evidence for scale-up of EBIs for methamphetamine use among methadone patients in limited-resource settings. As the EBIs will be delivered by methadone providers, they can be readily implemented if the trial demonstrates effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04706624. Registered on 13 January 2021. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT0470662432 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)4206 Public Health (for-2020)42 Health Sciences (for-2020)Opioid Misuse and Addiction (rcdc)Emerging Infectious Diseases (rcdc)Health Disparities and Racial or Ethnic Minority Health Research (rcdc)Brain Disorders (rcdc)Substance Misuse (rcdc)Social Determinants of Health (rcdc)Comparative Effectiveness Research (rcdc)Cost Effectiveness Research (rcdc)Opioids (rcdc)Dissemination and Implementation Research (rcdc)Health Services (rcdc)Methamphetamine (rcdc)Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Clinical Research (rcdc)Infectious Diseases (rcdc)Stimulant Use and Misuse (rcdc)Health Disparities (rcdc)Clinical Trials and Supportive Activities (rcdc)Drug Abuse (NIDA only) (rcdc)HIV/AIDS (rcdc)Prevention (rcdc)Coronaviruses (rcdc)6.1 Pharmaceuticals (hrcs-rac)3.1 Primary prevention interventions to modify behaviours or promote wellbeing (hrcs-rac)3 Good Health and Well Being (sdg)Adolescent (mesh)Amphetamine-Related Disorders (mesh)COVID-19 (mesh)HIV Infections (mesh)Humans (mesh)Methadone (mesh)Methamphetamine (mesh)Opioid-Related Disorders (mesh)Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic (mesh)MethamphetamineAmphetamine-type stimulantsMethadoneOpioid substitutionVietnamRandomized controlled trialHumans (mesh)HIV Infections (mesh)Amphetamine-Related Disorders (mesh)Opioid-Related Disorders (mesh)Methamphetamine (mesh)Methadone (mesh)Adolescent (mesh)Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic (mesh)COVID-19 (mesh)Amphetamine-type stimulantsMethadoneMethamphetamineOpioid substitutionRandomized controlled trialVietnamAdolescent (mesh)Amphetamine-Related Disorders (mesh)COVID-19 (mesh)HIV Infections (mesh)Humans (mesh)Methadone (mesh)Methamphetamine (mesh)Opioid-Related Disorders (mesh)Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic (mesh)1102 Cardiorespiratory Medicine and Haematology (for)1103 Clinical Sciences (for)Cardiovascular System & Hematology (science-metrix)General & Internal Medicine (science-metrix)3202 Clinical sciences (for-2020)4202 Epidemiology (for-2020)4203 Health services and systems (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6sf7q92chttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6sf7q92c/qt6sf7q92c.pdfinfo:doi/10.1186/s13063-022-06278-warticleTrials, vol 23, iss 1342oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8dj4n32z2026-07-31T12:45:22Zqt8dj4n32zInterrogating the validity of cumulative indices of environmental and genetic risk for negative developmental outcomesWidaman, Keith F2023-08-01Indices of cumulative risk (CR) have long been used in developmental research to encode the number of risk factors a child or adolescent experiences that may impede optimal developmental outcomes. Initial contributions concentrated on indices of cumulative environmental risk; more recently, indices of cumulative genetic risk have been employed. In this article, regression analytic methods are proposed for interrogating strongly the validity of risk indices by testing optimality of compositing weights, enabling more informative modeling of effects of CR indices. Reanalyses of data from two studies are reported. One study involved 10 environmental risk factors predicting Verbal IQ in 215 four-year-old children. The second study included an index of genetic CR in a G×E interaction investigation of 281 target participants assessed at age 15 years and then again at age 31 years for observed hostility during videotaped interactions with close family relations. Principles to guide evaluation of results of statistical modeling are presented, and implications of results for research and theory are discussed. The ultimate goals of this paper are to develop stronger tests of conjectures involving CR indices and to promote methods for improving replicability of results across studies.5202 Biological Psychology (for-2020)5203 Clinical and Health Psychology (for-2020)52 Psychology (for-2020)5201 Applied and Developmental Psychology (for-2020)Prevention (rcdc)Pediatric Research Initiative (rcdc)Genetic Testing (rcdc)Genetics (rcdc)Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Social Determinants of Health (rcdc)Child (mesh)Adolescent (mesh)Humans (mesh)Adult (mesh)Risk Factors (mesh)Hostility (mesh)environmental riskGxE interactiongenetic riskregression analysisrisk indicesenvironmental riskGxE interactiongenetic riskregression analysisrisk indicesHumans (mesh)Risk Factors (mesh)Hostility (mesh)Adolescent (mesh)Adult (mesh)Child (mesh)G×E interactionenvironmental riskgenetic riskregression analysisrisk indicesChild (mesh)Adolescent (mesh)Humans (mesh)Adult (mesh)Risk Factors (mesh)Hostility (mesh)1701 Psychology (for)1702 Cognitive Sciences (for)Developmental & Child Psychology (science-metrix)5201 Applied and developmental psychology (for-2020)5202 Biological psychology (for-2020)5203 Clinical and health psychology (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8dj4n32zhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8dj4n32z/qt8dj4n32z.pdfinfo:doi/10.1017/s0954579421001097articleDevelopment and Psychopathology, vol 35, iss 31171 - 1187oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1gv0r1132026-07-31T12:45:18Zqt1gv0r113Reduced Mural Cell Coverage and Impaired Vessel Integrity After Angiogenic Stimulation in the Alk1-deficient BrainChen, WanqiuGuo, YiWalker, Espen JShen, FanxiaJun, KristineOh, S PaulDegos, VincentLawton, Michael TTihan, TarikDavalos, DimitriosAkassoglou, KaterinaNelson, JeffreyPile-Spellman, JohnSu, HuaYoung, William L2013-02-01OBJECTIVE: Vessels in brain arteriovenous malformations are prone to rupture. The underlying pathogenesis is not clear. Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia type 2 patients with activin receptor-like kinase 1 (Alk1) mutation have a higher incidence of brain arteriovenous malformation than the general population. We tested the hypothesis that vascular endothelial growth factor impairs vascular integrity in the Alk1-deficient brain through reduction of mural cell coverage.
METHODS AND RESULTS: Adult Alk1(1f/2f) mice (loxP sites flanking exons 4-6) and wild-type mice were injected with 2×10(7) PFU adenovious-cre recombinase and 2×10(9) genome copies of adeno-associated virus-vascular endothelial growth factor to induce focal homozygous Alk1 deletion (in Alk1(1f/2f) mice) and angiogenesis. Brain vessels were analyzed 8 weeks later. Compared with wild-type mice, the Alk1-deficient brain had more fibrin (99±30×10(3) pixels/mm(2) versus 40±13×10(3); P=0.001), iron deposition (508±506 pixels/mm(2) versus 6±49; P=0.04), and Iba1(+) microglia/macrophage infiltration (888±420 Iba1(+) cells/mm(2) versus 240±104 Iba1(+); P=0.001) after vascular endothelial growth factor stimulation. In the angiogenic foci, the Alk1-deficient brain had more α-smooth muscle actin negative vessels (52±9% versus 12±7%, P<0.001), fewer vascular-associated pericytes (503±179/mm(2) versus 931±115, P<0.001), and reduced platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β expression.
CONCLUSIONS: Reduction of mural cell coverage in response to vascular endothelial growth factor stimulation is a potential mechanism for the impairment of vessel wall integrity in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia type 2-associated brain arteriovenous malformation.32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3202 Clinical Sciences (for-2020)Hematology (rcdc)Cerebrovascular (rcdc)Pediatric Research Initiative (rcdc)Rare Diseases (rcdc)Congenital Structural Anomalies (rcdc)Neurosciences (rcdc)Genetics (rcdc)2.1 Biological and endogenous factors (hrcs-rac)Actins (mesh)Activin ReceptorsType I (mesh)Activin ReceptorsType II (mesh)Animals (mesh)Becaplermin (mesh)Blood Vessels (mesh)Brain (mesh)Dependovirus (mesh)Disease ModelsAnimal (mesh)Fibrin (mesh)Gene Transfer Techniques (mesh)Genetic Vectors (mesh)Iron (mesh)Macrophages (mesh)Mice (mesh)MiceInbred C57BL (mesh)MiceKnockout (mesh)Microglia (mesh)NeovascularizationPathologic (mesh)Pericytes (mesh)Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis (mesh)ReceptorPlatelet-Derived Growth Factor beta (mesh)TelangiectasiaHereditary Hemorrhagic (mesh)Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (mesh)activin receptor-like kinase 1brain arteriovenous malformationiron depositionpericyteplatelet-derived growth factor receptor-betaBlood Vessels (mesh)Pericytes (mesh)Brain (mesh)Microglia (mesh)Macrophages (mesh)Animals (mesh)MiceInbred C57BL (mesh)MiceKnockout (mesh)Mice (mesh)Dependovirus (mesh)TelangiectasiaHereditary Hemorrhagic (mesh)Disease ModelsAnimal (mesh)NeovascularizationPathologic (mesh)Iron (mesh)Actins (mesh)Activin ReceptorsType I (mesh)Activin ReceptorsType II (mesh)ReceptorPlatelet-Derived Growth Factor beta (mesh)Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (mesh)Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis (mesh)Fibrin (mesh)Gene Transfer Techniques (mesh)Genetic Vectors (mesh)Becaplermin (mesh)Actins (mesh)Activin ReceptorsType I (mesh)Activin ReceptorsType II (mesh)Animals (mesh)Becaplermin (mesh)Blood Vessels (mesh)Brain (mesh)Dependovirus (mesh)Disease ModelsAnimal (mesh)Fibrin (mesh)Gene Transfer Techniques (mesh)Genetic Vectors (mesh)Iron (mesh)Macrophages (mesh)Mice (mesh)MiceInbred C57BL (mesh)MiceKnockout (mesh)Microglia (mesh)NeovascularizationPathologic (mesh)Pericytes (mesh)Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis (mesh)ReceptorPlatelet-Derived Growth Factor beta (mesh)TelangiectasiaHereditary Hemorrhagic (mesh)Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (mesh)1102 Cardiorespiratory Medicine and Haematology (for)1103 Clinical Sciences (for)Cardiovascular System & Hematology (science-metrix)3201 Cardiovascular medicine and haematology (for-2020)3202 Clinical sciences (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1gv0r113https://escholarship.org/content/qt1gv0r113/qt1gv0r113.pdfinfo:doi/10.1161/atvbaha.112.300485articleArteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, vol 33, iss 2305 - 310oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1m26r4hg2026-07-31T12:44:13Zqt1m26r4hgModeling individual differences in learning and memory using large language modelsJagadish, Akshay KumarRmus, MilenaMathony, MarvinSchulz, Eric2026-01-01Computational cognitive models allow formalizing theories of cognition and arbitration between competing accounts. Traditional cognitive modeling (1) entails carefully handcrafting cognitive models, which require substantial domain knowledge and programming expertise; (2) favors single shared model class for all participants, limiting its ability to capture the full range of individual differences. Recent advances in large language models (LLMs) offer a new route for addressing these challenges. In this work, we develop a pipeline for scalable generation of computational cognitive models that prompts an LLM to propose a bespoke cognitive model for each participant given task instructions, their full behavioral trajectory, and a code template, and iteratively refines its proposal based on its predictive performance. In the domains of planning and working memory, we find the resulting models contain participant-specific mechanisms that accurately capture individual differences in learning and memorization, leading to substantial improvement in predictive performance while passing all posterior-predictive checks.Artificial IntelligenceComputer SciencePsychologyBehavioral ScienceDecision makingLearningMachine learningMemoryNatural Language ProcessingComputational ModelingNeural Networksapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1m26r4hghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1m26r4hg/qt1m26r4hg.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8272934t2026-07-31T12:44:07Zqt8272934tIt could go one of two ways: Possible upcoming shifts in meaning shape predictive processingKraus, SheridanTroyer, Melissa2026-01-01During language comprehension, young adults routinely predict upcoming words, which is believed to facilitate processing. The cognitive operations involved in recovery from dis-confirmed predictions are not yet well understood. Here, we asked whether the degree to which a sentence meaning might change upon the encountering of an unexpected (plausible) word in strongly constraining contexts might impact the dynamics of predictive processing. We examined two ERP components believed to index aspects of prediction confirmation and disconfirmation, frontal negativities and late frontal positivities respectively. We collected behavioral ratings comparing sentences with the most expected continuation vs. an unexpected but plausible alternative. Surprisingly, these ratings modulated the amplitude of frontal negativities to expected continuations, but there was no evidence for a relationship between these ratings and LFPs . These findings add to research showing that individuals track aspects of the meaning of never-encountered but plausible alternatives as they understand language in real time.Cognitive NeuroscienceLanguage ComprehensionLanguage understandingPredictive ProcessingElectroencephalography (EEG)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8272934thttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8272934t/qt8272934t.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1p24m7tr2026-07-31T12:44:06Zqt1p24m7trDecoding Abstract Relations: Investigating the Neural Representation of Relational Categories in the Human BrainDunn, Anthony TylerAlfred, Katherine LIchien, NicholasAubrey, BriannaBaia, Sophia RoseBunge, SilviaKraemer, David J. M.2026-01-01Analogical reasoning requires representations of relations between concepts that generalize beyond their semantic meaning (e.g., "fruit:apple" and "car:sedan" both instantiate a "category:exemplar" relation). We asked whether abstract relations are encoded only during analogical reasoning or also arise implicitly during semantic processing. Across two tasks, we modeled abstract relations using representational similarity analysis. Relational categories were incidental to the first task (semantic relatedness judgments), allowing us to test for implicit activation, whereas the second required analogy judgments. RSA revealed regions that reflected relational categories across both tasks, with additional task-specific effects. To test whether representations supporting analogical reasoning generalize to those during semantic processing, we trained a classifier on data from analogy judgments to decode categories and tested it on data from semantic relatedness judgments, providing evidence for a shared format. These findings support a network that encodes abstract relations independent of analogical reasoning demands.Cognitive NeuroscienceConcepts and categoriesRepresentationfMRIKnowledge representationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1p24m7trhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1p24m7tr/qt1p24m7tr.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7jg3j9442026-07-31T12:44:05Zqt7jg3j944Source-Object Familiarity Inflates JOUs, Even for Inapt AnalogiesGriffin, Thomas DHildenbrand, LenaWiley, JenniferJaeger, AllisonLaDue, Nicole2026-01-01Analogies used in science instruction connect new, unfamiliar science concepts (the target) to common everyday objects or processes that the student is more familiar with (the source). However, that familiarity with the source-objects could inflate readers' judgments of understanding (JOUs) for the target science concepts, even when the analogies are too superficial or inapt to improve actual understanding. The first experiment showed that novice students without prior geoscience experience are particularly susceptible to JOU inflation in response to superficial geoscience analogies. The second experiment showed that JOUs are inflated even when the analogies are inapt, consisting of familiar source objects that are randomly paired with the target geoscience concepts. Additional results further support that analogies cause novice learners to ignore judgment cues related to geoscience knowledge in favor of prior familiarity with the source object, undermining evaluation of the target concept and its analogized relation to the source.EducationAnalogyInstruction and teachingLanguage ComprehensionReadingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7jg3j944https://escholarship.org/content/qt7jg3j944/qt7jg3j944.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8mx739q02026-07-31T12:44:04Zqt8mx739q0Analogical Reasoning about THINGSLudwig, TobiasHege, PaulRastelli, ClaraSiegel, Markus2026-01-01Analogical reasoning is a cornerstone of cognition, but how analogies are solved by human subjects is incompletely understood. Here, we present experiments using a new test set of common-sense analogies between concrete object categories drawn from the THINGS dataset, which can be presented verbally and pictorially, along with a set of parametrically generated analogies between abstract shapes. N=50 subjects completed these analogies with high accuracy, and performance was correlated across semantic and abstract tasks. We quantified semantic distance and parallelity of our analogies and find that these measures are significantly related to experimental results; in particular, analogies for which the geometry in semantic space is closer to a parallelogram are solved faster and more accurately. Our findings thus relate human and machine understanding of abstract and concrete analogies.Cognitive NeuroscienceAnalogyConcepts and categoriesLanguage and thoughtSemantics of languageapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8mx739q0https://escholarship.org/content/qt8mx739q0/qt8mx739q0.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8qf0v5p32026-07-31T12:43:54Zqt8qf0v5p3Visuospatial Encoding in Algebraic Processing: Evidence from a Dual-Task StudyZhou, QiQin, JikeRoberts, Daniel2026-01-01Algebraic competence is a critical foundation for advanced mathematical reasoning and success in STEM disciplines. However, whether algebraic processing relies on phonological or visuospatial encoding remains a central debate in cognitive psychology. We investigated the representational format of algebraic knowledge using a dual-task paradigm with 50 adult participants performing an algebra task concurrently with either a phonological or a visuospatial working memory (WM) task. While algebraic performance remained resilient under load, results revealed a selective interference effect on the secondary WM task: algebra significantly impaired visuospatial, but not phonological, WM performance. This impairment on visuospatial WM performance only suggests that algebra and visuospatial processing compete for a shared cognitive pathway, providing robust evidence for the visuospatial grounding of algebraic thinking.PsychologyLanguage and thoughtProblem SolvingRepresentationQuantitative Behaviorapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8qf0v5p3https://escholarship.org/content/qt8qf0v5p3/qt8qf0v5p3.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt24c4h6w22026-07-31T12:43:53Zqt24c4h6w2A Computational Model of Self-Signaling in ProcrastinationFriedman, YoniOkoroafor, Junior ChinomsoHung, Allison KateMishra, NilayTenenbaum, Joshua B.2026-01-01People often procrastinate on tasks that they are ostensibly motivated to complete. We argue that dominant formal accounts – particularly temporal discounting models – capture the impulsive nature of procrastination but struggle to provide comprehensive cognitive explanations of three central features: which tasks people procrastinate on, why procrastination often feels bad, and when people finally begin working after a period of procrastinating.
We propose a computational framework to explain the mechanisms of avoidance in procrastination. In our model, agents choose how much effort to exert by reasoning over a probabilistic generative model of task progress over time. This structure supports inferences about competence and task difficulty from noisy progress signals. Crucially, agents incur an additional cost for negative belief updates about their own competence, capturing an aversion to appearing incompetent that motivates self-handicapping. With this structure, the model reproduces key behavioral, affective and cognitive signatures of procrastination.PsychologyCausal reasoningDecision makingBayesian modelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/24c4h6w2https://escholarship.org/content/qt24c4h6w2/qt24c4h6w2.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt56p7k3g42026-07-31T12:43:48Zqt56p7k3g4Crosslinguistic patterns of phrasal word order support efficient predictionFutrell, Richard2026-01-01Across languages, word order within phrases shows robust
statistical regularities: dependents are typically ordered con-
sistently by type, word order tends to be harmonic with the
head near an edge, and more strongly associated dependents
tend to occur closer to the head. Existing accounts often derive
these properties from separate mechanisms or stipulations. I
propose a unified efficiency-based explanation grounded in in-
formation theory: the idea is that languages are organized so
that it is possible to make good predictions using only small
amounts of memory. Using simulations of nouns modified by
multiple adjectives differing in association strength to the noun,
I compare linguistically motivated ordering policies that vary
in consistency, harmony, and locality. Across sampled source
distributions, I find that memory requirements for prediction are
minimal in orders that are simultaneously harmonic, consistent,
and local. I analyze why these effects arise: consistency makes
upcoming category structure predictable from small amounts of
context, and harmony makes phrase boundaries easy to antici-
pate. The results suggest that diverse crosslinguistic patterns of
phrasal order may reflect a general pressure to make incremental
prediction simple.LinguisticsLanguage ComprehensionLanguage ProductionPredictive ProcessingSyntaxComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/56p7k3g4https://escholarship.org/content/qt56p7k3g4/qt56p7k3g4.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5668m34g2026-07-31T12:43:47Zqt5668m34gAbility vs Adaptability: What Dynamics RevealAlonso Diaz, SantiagoRamos-Mercado, Jorge D.Giraldo Huertas, Juan J2026-01-01Stable trait estimates from sequential task performance fail to separate ability from adaptability: the real-time recalibration of cognitive control parameters that improves execution without acquiring new knowledge. This conflation biases ability estimates. We develop a tractable framework measuring adaptability through trial-by-trial performance dynamics in mathematical cognition tasks. Across large datasets (N>10,000), adaptability strongly predicts math achievement and is uncorrelated with traditional ability measures, establishing it as an independent construct critical for understanding individual differences in cognitive performance.PsychologyBehavioral ScienceOtherPerceptionSensory ProcessingSkill acquisition and learningComputational ModelingMathematical modelingQuantitative BehaviorStatisticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5668m34ghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5668m34g/qt5668m34g.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2kb9d5rk2026-07-31T12:43:46Zqt2kb9d5rkFrom idiosyncratic narratives to social scripts: Mapping the semantic space of self-descriptions in children and adultsPerez, Karla EBergey, Claire AugustaHawkins, RobertGweon, Hyowon2026-01-01Self-description is a routine part of daily life, but choosing what to reveal about ourselves is a cognitively sophisticated communicative act. How do children talk about themselves, and how do they differ from adults? To characterize developmental changes in self-description, we asked 3- to 4-year-old children and adults to share 12 things about themselves. We analyzed over 3,000 self-descriptions using qualitative annotations and sentence embeddings to quantify their semantic structure. Children generated small, idiosyncratic "islands" of self-description, sampling narrowly from a specific topic, whereas adults' responses spanned a broader semantic range, reflecting a more "scripted" approach. While preliminary and descriptive in nature, our work demonstrates how advances in natural language processing can be leveraged to quantify and visualize developmental changes in self-description. The results are consistent with the possibility that self-description evolves from idiosyncratic narratives to a normative social act, raising new questions about the cognitive underpinnings of this development.PsychologyCognitive developmentNatural Language ProcessingPragmaticsSemantic memorySemantics of languageTheory of Mindapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2kb9d5rkhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt2kb9d5rk/qt2kb9d5rk.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4vh4407j2026-07-31T12:43:45Zqt4vh4407jTesting Temporal Binding and Memory Accounts: A Comparison of Interval and Line Length JudgmentsHemmer, PernilleMahdinia, FatemehDuffy, Seanvan der Wel, Robrecht2026-01-01Temporal binding (TB), the perceived compression in time between an action and its effect versus an observed action and its effect, has been viewed as an implicit measure of sense of agency (SoA). SoA refers to the feeling of control over our actions and their outcomes. Recent work has raised methodological and theoretical concerns about the TB paradigm. Most problematically, the TB effect may be explained by a regression-to-the mean pattern commonly observed as a memory bias, rather than as an effect related to SoA. We tested this possibility using two structurally equivalent tasks. Participants completed a standard TB task and a well-established memory task (line length estimation) that we equated on all aspects to allow for direct comparison. We did not replicate the TB effect; instead, both the time interval and line length conditions showed classic regression-to-the-mean memory effects, consistent with predictions from the Category Adjustment Model (Huttenlocher, 2000).PsychologyActionCognition of TimeEmbodied CognitionEvent cognitionMemoryMotor controlPredictive ProcessingSituated cognitionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4vh4407jhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt4vh4407j/qt4vh4407j.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6jj2p8fs2026-07-31T12:43:29Zqt6jj2p8fsHuman-Like Anaphor Resolution in Large Language ModelsZhang, KeaneChinta, VarshiniShah, Raj SanjayVarma, Sashank2026-01-01Anaphors are expressions that refer to other expressions, called antecedents. The process of connecting the two is called resolution. Cognitive science has identified multiple factors that affect the speed and success of anaphor resolution, including discourse structure, situation-model properties, and semantic factors. Here, we investigate whether these factors also affect anaphor resolution in five Large Language Models (LLMs) with open weights: GPT-2-XL, Llama-3.1-8B, Pythia-12B, Mistral-7B, and Mistral-24B. To model processing difficulty, we adopt the standard linking hypothesis that relates human reading times to model surprisal at the anaphor. As a second behavioral measure, we compare model accuracy to human accuracy on comprehension questions probing the antecedents of anaphors.The results show selective cognitive alignment: some LLMs exhibit human-like sensitivity to discourse prominence and distance-based factors in anaphor resolution, while showing weaker or absent sensitivity to semantic interference effects. These findings delimit the conditions under which LLMs approximate human anaphor resolution.Artificial IntelligencePsychologyLanguage ComprehensionNatural Language ProcessingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6jj2p8fshttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6jj2p8fs/qt6jj2p8fs.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1286f5bx2026-07-31T12:43:29Zqt1286f5bxSemantic centrality captures key aspects of knowledge construction: Behavioral and neural evidence of learning from a STEM video lectureLee, YeongjiKraemer, David J. M.2026-01-01When learning from educational content, we must simultaneously remember individual pieces of information and integrate them into a coherent conceptual framework. Previous work has shown that semantic network structure predicts what people remember from narratives, but whether these same principles extend to academic learning remains unknown. In this study, participants watched a 15-minute physics lecture and completed free recall during fMRI scanning. Using Sentence-BERT embeddings to quantify semantic centrality, we found that central information was better recalled and, critically, participants who recalled more units of central information demonstrated better conceptual understanding as rated by human raters (r = .73). In a voxel-wise encoding analysis, we modeled brain responses during lecture viewing using the same SBERT features, and this brain-model mapping predicted behavioral outcomes in selective cortical regions. These findings suggest that the embedding space of large language models reflects relevant aspects of how our minds organize newly learned conceptual information.LearningMemoryNatural Language ProcessingfMRIKnowledge representationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1286f5bxhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1286f5bx/qt1286f5bx.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8sr8n1bk2026-07-31T12:42:58Zqt8sr8n1bkElements of the Neurobiology of Language: A Neurostimulation ModelWilliamson, T. R.Hartwigsen, GesaKinsey, KristoferBarua, Neil U.Heffer, NaomiKuhnke, PhilippMariotti, SoniaMcKnight, EimearWiernik, LydiaSedgmond, JemmaVogt, AntoniaPiasecki, Anna E.2026-01-01Models of the neurobiology of language often rely on correlative neuroimaging techniques and ambiguous terminology derived from linguistic theory (e.g., 'semantics') rather than regions' functional profiles. The brain's cytoarchitecture and the capacity to functionally affect cognition via neurostimulation imply greater precision may be possible. We systematically reviewed 221 of tES, TMS, and DES papers modulating linguistic processes and qualitatively analysed by-paper outcomes to infer the specific subprocess actually modulated, which we term an element. We uncover 608 distinct elements of the neurobiology of language from 22 different languages and nearly 6,300 participants. These elements apply over a 7-level hierarchy of process specificity, help to redefine the operable terms of language neuroscience, and enable generalised functional characterisation of key nodes of the language network. The model is available for scientific use via an online database (https://www.language-elements.org/) and has clinical applications for planning awake craniotomies with neuro-oncology patients.Cognitive NeuroscienceLinguisticsNeuroscienceBig dataBrain Stimulationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8sr8n1bkhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8sr8n1bk/qt8sr8n1bk.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6vq9j1982026-07-31T12:42:56Zqt6vq9j198Less Talk, More Code: Practice-Based Instruction Improves Programming Skill AcquisitionGold, GillianTjaden, JacobCarvalho, Paulo F.2026-01-01Introductory computer science education often emphasizes watching experts write and explain code. We investigate whether practice-based instruction improves programming skills relative to traditional lectures and which features of practice make it effective. In this preregistered experiment (N = 250), we compared three approaches for an introductory programming lesson: watching a video, code tracing visualizations, and writing code with immediate, AI-generated feedback. Participants who engaged in practice-based instruction performed significantly better than those who watched the video on a novel code-generation test, with the highest performance among learners who practiced writing code. Practice-based instruction also resulted in reduced distraction and increased interest. Whereas video and code tracing conditions led to overconfidence about programming abilities, code writing led to underconfident self-assessments. These findings suggest that active practice, particularly generative practice with feedback, supports learning with advantages in cognitive processing, metacognition, and interest in programming.EducationBehavioral ScienceHuman-computer interactionSkill acquisition and learningQuantitative Behaviorapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6vq9j198https://escholarship.org/content/qt6vq9j198/qt6vq9j198.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3mg6r8tz2026-07-31T12:42:53Zqt3mg6r8tzEstimating Task Representations in a Multidimensional Bandit Task: A Method for Revealing Meta-level LearningTsukamura, YukiUeda, Kazuhiro2026-01-01Humans must learn not only which options pay off, but also which features are worth learning about. Yet such meta-level task representations are difficult to observe directly. We propose an inverse inference approach for estimating an individual's hypothesis space over feature dimensions in a multidimensional bandit task. Building on a model previously supported when the hypothesis space is known, we instantiate the model for each candidate hypothesis space and identify the space that best predicts each participant's choice sequence using hierarchical Bayesian estimation and WAIC-based model comparison. In an online experiment, participants' choice accuracy improved both within games and across games, suggesting adaptation at multiple timescales. Moreover, the inferred spaces shifted on average toward the true task structure. These results indicate that changes in task representations are associated with improvements in structured reward learning, and provide a measurement framework for developing process-level models of meta-level learning.PsychologyDecision makingLearningBayesian modelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3mg6r8tzhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3mg6r8tz/qt3mg6r8tz.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1jz0c1kn2026-07-31T12:42:53Zqt1jz0c1knFirst steps in simulating semantic and phonological impairments in aphasia with a computational model of speech processingMalharin, IhintzaSaavedra, BelenPeng, LinkaiMancini, SimonaMagnuson, James2026-01-01EARSHOT is a model of human speech processing that learns to map real speech to semantic representations (Magnuson et al., 2020). We report first steps towards simulating aspects of aphasia with EARSHOT by damaging increasing proportions of randomly selected weights in different model layers. Although the model is purely receptive, we simulated naming/identification tasks by presenting spoken words to damaged models and measuring the cosine similarity of the output to every word in the
lexicon, with the model's naming/identification response operationalized as the word with highest cosine similarity. For errors, we evaluated phonetic and semantic similarity of the response to the target vector. We were interested in how robust EARSHOT would be to damage, and whether we might observe systematic patterns of phonetic vs. semantic deficits following damage to different model components. As expected, lower-level damage impaired phonology most, and higher-level damage most affected semantics. Further development could turn EARSHOT into a valuable tool for enhancing understanding of aphasia.Cognitive NeurosciencePsychologyLanguage understandingcognitive neuropsychologyComputational neuroscienceapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1jz0c1knhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1jz0c1kn/qt1jz0c1kn.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt39n1g8g62026-07-31T12:42:41Zqt39n1g8g6Co-Overcooked: Cognitive Constraints on Partner Modeling in Human-AI Team CompositionKim, JunghwanHeo, DongseokKim, KyusikLee, JungSuh, Bongwon2026-01-01Effective collaboration requires accurate mental models of one's partners. Current AI agents, however, may not model humans the way humans model each other under real-time constraints, creating an asymmetry in human-AI teamwork.
Prior research has focused on one-human-one-AI settings, leaving open how coordination changes when multiple humans work with multiple AI agents simultaneously.
We developed Co-Overcooked, a four-player cooking game where teams of humans and LLM agents must coordinate in real time.
In a within-subjects experiment (N=40), participants experienced four team compositions varying in human-to-AI ratio: four humans (H4A0), three humans with one AI (H3A1), two humans with two AIs (H2A2), and one human with three AIs (H1A3).
Results revealed nonlinear patterns: H3A1 and H1A3 teams performed worse than pure AI teams, while H2A2 teams showed better performance through spontaneous one-human-one-AI pairing strategies.
We identified expectation conflict, where multiple humans hold divergent models of a shared AI partner, as a coordination difficulty specific to hybrid teams, and propose cognitive ownership as a design principle for human-AI team configuration.Artificial IntelligenceGroup BehaviourHuman-computer interactionSocial cognitionTheory of MindComputer-based experimentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/39n1g8g6https://escholarship.org/content/qt39n1g8g6/qt39n1g8g6.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt20n8w6bf2026-07-31T12:42:41Zqt20n8w6bfA rational cascade from teaching explains strategy discovery in development: The case of early additionGiles, MerrickPerfors, AndrewMollica, Francis2026-01-01Without being taught, children learning addition discover strategies that are faster and less error-prone than those in their repertoire. Leading explanations of strategy discovery propose metacognitive mechanisms where children iteratively rewrite their existing strategies. Departing from this tradition, we propose that children make discoveries through a combination of reconstructive imitation during teaching, followed by rational inference under basic performance pressures. We instantiate our proposal with a model of Bayesian program induction with a prior for algorithmic simplicity and a likelihood that first encodes a pressure of mimicry (teaching phase), and then a pressure for speed and/or accuracy (individual practice phase). Regardless of whether the pressure is to respond faster or more accurately, the model robustly captures the long-observed developmental trajectory of strategy discovery.PsychologyCognitive developmentStatistical learningBayesian modelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/20n8w6bfhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt20n8w6bf/qt20n8w6bf.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1t98h2852026-07-31T12:41:39Zqt1t98h285Using Photographs to Understand the Context of Health: A Novel Two-Step Systematic Process for Coding Visual DataJih, JaneNguyen, AntonyWoo, JasminLy, AlisonShim, Janet K2023-10-01In qualitative research, photographs and other visual data have been used with oral narratives in ethnography, interviews, and focus groups to convey and understand the perceptions, attitudes, and lived experiences of participants. Visual methodologies that incorporate photographic data include photo elicitation, which has varied approaches with the inclusion of photographs generated by researchers or participants, and Photovoice, which is a form of photo elicitation focused on participatory action research. Current literature provides insufficient guidance on a systematic coding process of visual data elements that could maximize capturing of visual data for qualitative analysis. We describe our rationale and process for developing a two-step systematic process for coding visual data, specifically photographs. The two-step systematic process for coding photographs involves coding the foreground (focal point) and then the background of the photograph, using separate codebooks. Application of this two-step coding approach resulted in surfacing additional rich data on the health-related contexts and environments in which participants lived. Incorporation of this methodology could enhance understanding of the context of health and generate ideas and new directions of inquiry.42 Health Sciences (for-2020)44 Human Society (for-2020)Eye Disease and Disorders of Vision (rcdc)Humans (mesh)Qualitative Research (mesh)Focus Groups (mesh)Photography (mesh)AnthropologyCultural (mesh)Health Services Research (mesh)photo elicitationvisual methodologyphoto codinghealth-related contextual factorsHumans (mesh)Photography (mesh)Focus Groups (mesh)Qualitative Research (mesh)AnthropologyCultural (mesh)Health Services Research (mesh)health-related contextual factorsphoto codingphoto elicitationvisual methodologyHumans (mesh)Qualitative Research (mesh)Focus Groups (mesh)Photography (mesh)AnthropologyCultural (mesh)Health Services Research (mesh)11 Medical and Health Sciences (for)16 Studies in Human Society (for)17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences (for)Nursing (science-metrix)42 Health sciences (for-2020)44 Human society (for-2020)CC-BY-NC-NDeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1t98h285info:doi/10.1177/10497323231198196articleQualitative Health Research, vol 33, iss 121049 - 1058oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6hj808rs2026-07-31T12:38:27Zqt6hj808rsWho benefits more from cognitive training? Analysis of improvement profiles in children using clustering methodsBoscolo, MartinaPaz, GabrielVladisauskas, MelinaShalom, Diego EHermida, Maria JuliaGoldin, Andrea Paula2026-01-01Executive functions (EF) are important cognitive functions for educational and life success that can be improved through cognitive training. For more than fifteen years, our team has implemented Mate Marote, a gaming software to train and assess EF in children. Interventions last 1 to 4 months and take place within schools, with successful results. We present a clustering analysis of an experiment where 66 6-year-olds' EF were evaluated before and after an intervention of about 27 sessions of 10-15 minutes each, distributed over 3 months. The aim was to determine how participants are grouped according to their improvement after cognitive training. The k-means method was used. In addition, groups were characterized and compared in terms of sociodemographic and academic variables. We discuss results and implications for the analysis of performance profiles in cognitive training, as well as the appropriateness of clustering analysis in the field.Cognitive NeuroscienceCognitive developmentSkill acquisition and learningBrain StimulationClassroom studiesapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6hj808rshttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6hj808rs/qt6hj808rs.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3158q5g62026-07-31T12:38:21Zqt3158q5g6Speaking of Decisions: Using Verbal Decision Protocols and Large Language Models to Uncover Psychological Mechanisms Involved in Decision MakingPantoja, MaueFischer, OliviaLob, Aaron BenjaminFrey, Renato2026-01-01Many theories of decision making have proposed that diverse psychological mechanisms (e.g., mechanisms related to affect, goals, or social factors) shape people's decisions under risk and uncertainty. How best to study such mechanisms during decision making? In a preregistered study (N = 699), we tested whether six experimentally induced mechanisms (incidental anger, cognitive load, lack of knowledge, goal pursuit, descriptive social norms, and time pressure) leave linguistic traces during decision making and can thus be identified with large language models (LLMs). To this end, participants completed four decision-making tasks while recording verbal decision protocols (VDPs). We then inferred the presence of psychological mechanisms in VDPs using "speech-to-psych", a newly developed analysis pipeline leveraging different LLM pipelines. Across analytic methods and decision contexts, psychological mechanisms as induced by experimental conditions could be identified at above-chance level (average area under the curve = .61). Feature importance scores revealed that this identification frequently relied on linguistic markers associated with the targeted psychological mechanism. These results indicate that at least some psychological mechanisms leave detectable linguistic traces and that LLM-based analyses could serve as a powerful measurement tool for advancing process-level understanding of decision making.PsychologyDecision makingMachine learningNatural Language ProcessingVerbal protocol studiesapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3158q5g6https://escholarship.org/content/qt3158q5g6/qt3158q5g6.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3066z00z2026-07-31T12:38:21Zqt3066z00zCultural Differences in the Effect of Mask Use on Cross-Race Face Perception: An Eye-Tracking StudyZheng, YueyuanChen, DanniPalermo, RominaHu, XiaoqingHsiao, Janet2026-01-01We recruited Asian and White adults to examine cultural differences in the effect of mask use on face scanning behavior and social categorization. Mask use impaired social categorization accuracy for White but not Asian faces, suggesting the diagnostic features for Asian faces were more in the eyes. Consistent with this finding, Asian adults showed a bias to categorize ambiguous faces as Asian regardless of the mask condition, whereas White adults exhibited a similar bias only for masked faces, resulting in a larger mask effect. In face scanning behavior, mask use made Asian adults look more towards the left as opposed to the right eye compared with White adults. A more right-eye-biased pattern due to mask was associated with an increased mask effect in ambiguous face categorization, suggesting a link between cultural differences in face scanning behavior and social categorization. These findings have important implications for social cognition with mask use.PsychologyCultureFace ProcessingPerceptionEye trackingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3066z00zhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3066z00z/qt3066z00z.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9hr3v3pq2026-07-31T12:37:33Zqt9hr3v3pqComputational Frameworks for Modeling Moral Cognition and CooperationLe Pargneux, ArthurKleiman-Weiner, MaxMaier, MaximilianLie-Panis, JulienTenenbaum, Joshua B.2026-01-01There is widespread agreement across disciplines that morality has evolved to facilitate cooperation among agents with conflicting interests. Traditional approaches to the study of morality and cooperation either abstain from formal models (e.g., moral psychology in social psychology) or model cooperation without much concern for underlying psychological processes (e.g., evolutionary models of reciprocity, kin selection etc.). Computational cognitive scientists are starting to enrich classic computational frameworks (Bayesian inference, reinforcement learning, game theory, expected utility) with psychological mechanisms, traits, and constraints (Theory of Mind, metacognition, trust, joint planning, resource rationality) to model behavior, learning and evolutionary processes, and develop a finer understanding of the cognitive underpinnings of morality and cooperation. This progress is accelerated by current advances in modeling (probabilistic programming languages specialized for social cognition, large-language models, multi-agent RL) and computational efficiency (GPUs, numerical computation). Building formal models of moral cognition and cooperation that are both computationally precise and psychologically rich opens the door for cumulative progress in our understanding of their principles, origins, and functioning, and for the engineering of cooperative and ethical capabilities in artificial systems.AnthropologyArtificial IntelligenceBiologyPhilosophyPsychologyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9hr3v3pqhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9hr3v3pq/qt9hr3v3pq.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7q6407kv2026-07-31T12:37:32Zqt7q6407kvCoherence and Bayesian Reasoning in Legal Judgment: How Verdicts Reshape Evidence EvaluationQiao, Mengxuan HelenKamper, David G.Lagnado, DavidHolyoak, Keith2026-01-01Coherence-based theories propose that decision-makers reinterpret evidence to align with emerging conclusions. Prior research on legal decision-making demonstrated coherence shifts in ratings of agreement, but it remains unclear whether similar effects can be found using normative measures. Across three studies, participants evaluated prosecution and defense arguments in a mock burglary case before and after rendering verdicts. In Study 1, participants exhibited clear coherence shifts: guilty verdicts associated with increased agreement with prosecution arguments and decreased agreement with defense arguments, whereas not-guilty verdicts produced the opposite pattern. In Studies 2a–b, the shift of likelihood-based measures of arguments strength across testing periods did not align with verdicts. A constraint satisfaction model predicted mean shifts from pre- to post-verdict evaluations, and a Bayesian network using participants' post-verdict probability estimates closely approximated empirical guilt judgments. It appears that verdicts and post-verdict evaluations of evidence are consistent with Bayesian inference while driven by coherence.PsychologyDecision makingReasoningBayesian modelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7q6407kvhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7q6407kv/qt7q6407kv.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7z0791h12026-07-31T12:37:30Zqt7z0791h1Self-Explaination Improves Multiple Document IntegrationMoe, Miranda2026-01-01Individuals are frequently presented with information that must be integrated across multiple sources. The current study ex- plores the role of self-explanation strategies in supporting across-text integration during multiple document comprehen- sion. Participants (n=139) read a multiple document text set, while either self-explaining or thinking aloud, then com- pleted verification questions (sentence and inference verifica- tion), a prior knowledge test, and an essay task. Results demonstrated that participants with higher prior knowledge outperformed those with lower knowledge across comprehen- sion assessments. Critically, self-explanation was associated with higher performance on across-text inference verification items, with no corresponding effect for within-text inferences. Computational linguistic analyses revealed that self-explanation was associated with increased cohesion in readers' constructed responses across lexical, semantic, and connective-based in- dices. Together, these findings suggest that self-explanation promotes integration during multiple-document comprehension by strengthening inferential coherence-building mechanisms, and that across-text integration represents a key challenge that benefits from strategic instructional support.PsychologyDiscourseLanguage and thoughtLanguage ComprehensionMemoryReadingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7z0791h1https://escholarship.org/content/qt7z0791h1/qt7z0791h1.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt57b407jm2026-07-31T12:37:29Zqt57b407jmThe Ratchet Effect in Silico: How Interaction Drives Cumulative Intelligence in Large Language ModelsZhuang, Ren2026-01-01Human intelligence scales through cumulative cultural evolution (CCE), a ratchet process in which innovations are retained against entropic drift. Large language model training, by contrast, still depends primarily on static corpora and parameter growth, leaving little room for endogenous accumulation through interaction. We present POLIS (Population Orchestrated Learning and Inference Society), a framework in which heterogeneous agents generate solutions, verify one another's outputs, retain validated artifacts in shared cultural memory, and internalize them through parameter updates. On mathematical reasoning benchmarks, populations of 1--4B-parameter models achieved average gains of 8.8--18.9 points over base models and narrowed the gap to 70B+ monoliths. Mechanistic ablations identify peer verification as the main ratchet operator and show that internalization sustains accumulation across rounds, providing computational evidence that epistemic vigilance organizes durable knowledge growth. These results position structured social interaction as a scaling lever orthogonal to parameter count.Artificial IntelligencePsychologyDistributed cognitionSocial cognitionAgent-based Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/57b407jmhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt57b407jm/qt57b407jm.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8876t64k2026-07-31T12:37:28Zqt8876t64kWhen giving more makes you look worse: paradoxical inferences in a Bayesian model of social evaluationHorner, MadeleineBtesh, VictorMoore, AdamQuillien, Tadeg2026-01-01People readily infer how much another agent cares about their
welfare, for example after observing this agent give them some of
what they have. However, these inferences become more difficult
when there is uncertainty over the resources someone has to share,
a common real-world scenario. We develop a Bayesian com-
putational model of how people infer the welfare trade-off ratio
(WTR) of another agent under resource uncertainty. This model
predicts that under uncertainty people should average over differ-
ent possible hypotheses about their partner's resources. In a be-
havioral study (N = 129), we found that across donation amounts
participants' WTR estimates closely tracked those made by our
Bayesian model. Notably, participants exhibited the following
paradoxical pattern predicted by our model: they sometimes saw
agents as less generous when they gave them more money, in
cases where a high donation revealed that the agent is rich and
is giving a comparatively small portion of their resources. These
findings demonstrate that people are able to make sophisticated
inferences consistent with rational Bayesian reasoning, updating
their beliefs about a partner's resources and adjusting their WTR
estimates accordingly.PsychologyEmotionSocial cognitionBayesian modelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8876t64khttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8876t64k/qt8876t64k.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6gt8k6qh2026-07-31T12:36:54Zqt6gt8k6qhWhat Do You Think I Think? Accounting for Human Beliefs Using Second-Order Theory of MindCallaghan, PatrickSimmons, ReidAdmoni, Henny2026-01-01Discrepancies between an agent's actual knowledge and what a person thinks the agent knows can hinder interactions. If an agent could detect such discrepancies, it could provide feedback to account for them and improve current and future interactions. Using the I-POMDP as a framework for a second-order Theory of Mind (ToM-2), this work endows an agent with the ability to model the evolution of a person's erroneous beliefs about an agent and the cognitive biases and heuristics (CBH) from which they arise. In doing so, the agent can detect when CBH might be at play during an interaction and adaptively generate feedback that accounts for them. An in-person user study shows how a ToM-2 learner can account for the effects of a teacher's CBH to significantly improve the informativeness of teacher actions, and subjective results suggest people find the ToM-2 learner's feedback more useful.Artificial IntelligenceHuman-computer interactionInteractive behaviorTheory of MindBayesian modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6gt8k6qhhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6gt8k6qh/qt6gt8k6qh.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3tb2f6sd2026-07-31T12:36:25Zqt3tb2f6sdModeling Sarcastic Speech: Semantic and Prosodic Cues in a Speech Synthesis FrameworkLi, ZhuZhang, YuqingGao, XiyuanNayak, ShekharColer, Matt2026-01-01Sarcasm is a pragmatic phenomenon in which speakers convey meanings that diverge from literal content, relying on an interaction between semantics and prosodic expression. However, how these cues jointly contribute to the recognition of sarcasm remains poorly understood. We propose a computational framework that models sarcasm as the integration of semantic interpretation and prosodic realization. Semantic cues are derived from an LLaMA 3 model fine-tuned to capture discourse-level markers of sarcastic intent, while prosodic cues are extracted through semantically aligned utterances drawn from a database of sarcastic speech, providing prosodic exemplars of sarcastic delivery. Using a speech synthesis testbed, perceptual evaluations show that semantic and prosodic cues enhance perceived sarcasm, with the combined system achieving the best downstream F1 while maintaining high subjective sarcasm ratings. These findings highlight the complementary roles of semantics and prosody in pragmatic interpretation and illustrate how modeling can shed light on the mechanisms underlying sarcastic communication.PerceptionPragmaticsSemantics of languageComputational ModelingNeural Networksapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3tb2f6sdhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3tb2f6sd/qt3tb2f6sd.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3xc356bq2026-07-31T12:36:23Zqt3xc356bqEffects of encouraging vs. reflective feedback on children's explore-exploit decisionsFang, YijinChang, ArielChristie, Stella2026-01-01Explore-exploit decisions are often made without accurate awareness of one's own behavioral tendencies, limiting effective metacognitive regulation. Feedback has the potential to improve metacognitive calibration, but its effectiveness depends on its informative value. This study examined how encouraging and reflective feedback--differing in informative value--influence children's explore-exploit decisions, while also considering the role of feedback frequency. Results showed that high-frequency reflective feedback reduced children's exploration but led to higher reward performance, suggesting the development of more adaptive search strategies. In contrast, children exhibited a more exploratory search pattern under low-frequent reflective feedback. Although encouraging feedback provided relatively low informative value, both low- and high-frequency delivery sustained high exploration, potentially by fostering emotional safety. Overall, these findings offer practical implications for education, highlighting the importance of strategically balancing affective reassurance and metacognitive control to support children's effective learning and exploration.EducationPsychologyBehavioral ScienceCognitive developmentDecision makingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3xc356bqhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3xc356bq/qt3xc356bq.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1vk876q32026-07-31T12:36:23Zqt1vk876q3A Study on the Predictors of Problem Difficulty for the Planning Serious Game Tik TikDimov, CvetomirBavelier, Daphne2026-01-01Tik Tik is a serious game designed to study the cognitive mechanisms of planning by combining ecologically valid navigational demands with a highly flexible problem structure. Drawing on data from three studies totaling 122 participants, we show that Tik Tik problem difficulty is primarily driven by a smart, non-exhaustive search of its problem space, in which character trajectories are represented. Furthermore, we find that working memory and visuo-motor skills contribute, highlighting the types of cognitive representations and skills Tik Tik also taps. Our four-parameter model incorporating these factors explains a large proportion of the variance in problem difficulty. Finally, we compare these cognitive demands to those of the most popular planning task, the Tower of London, highlighting commonalities and differences between these two tasks.PsychologyProblem SolvingComputational ModelingQuantitative BehaviorStatisticsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1vk876q3https://escholarship.org/content/qt1vk876q3/qt1vk876q3.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3b16q9j52026-07-31T12:36:20Zqt3b16q9j5AFSPP: Agent Framework for Shaping Preference and Personality with Large Language ModelsHe, ZihongZhang, ChangwangShen, JunxiaoLiang, ChenLiang, Hai-Ning2026-01-01The evolution of Large Language Models (LLMs) introduced a new paradigm for investigating human behavior emulation. Recent research employs LLM Agents in sociological environments, where they exhibit behavior based on unfiltered LLM characteristics. However, these studies overlook iterative development in human-like settings. Human preference and personality are complex, constantly shaped by environmental and subjective influences. We propose the Agent Framework for Shaping Preference and Personality (AFSPP), exploring the impact of social networks and subjective consciousness on Agents' preference and personality formation. AFSPP demonstrates trends consistent with key findings from human personality experiments. AFSPP-based results indicate that planning, perception, and subjective social networks have the most pronounced influence on preference shaping. AFSPP shows potential to enhance the efficiency of psychological experiments and provides insights into preventing undesirable preference and personality development for trustworthy AI.Artificial IntelligencePsychologySociologyComplex systemsIntelligent agentsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3b16q9j5https://escholarship.org/content/qt3b16q9j5/qt3b16q9j5.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7hv4f6wp2026-07-31T12:36:11Zqt7hv4f6wpCausal (In)efficiency: Breaking Markov Violations Through Structural Uncertainty in Causal ChainsMarchant, NicolasGarrido, Diego IgnacioChaigneau, Sergio E.2026-01-01One of the most persistent findings in causal cognition is that individuals frequently deviate from normative Bayesian reasoning, most notably through Markov violations, where they incorporate conditionally independent information into their judgments. Recent research has sought rational explanations for these deviations, ranging from structural uncertainty to memory sampling limitations. In this study, we evaluated four rational models using a novel experimental paradigm that introduced structural uncertainty into a causal chain by manipulating the functional properties of the causal links. We found that participants systematically violated the Markov assumption when causal links shared the same mechanism. Computational modeling identified the Bayesian Uncertainty Model (BUM) as the most plausible explanation for these results, with sampling-based methods like the Mutation Sampler appearing as close contenders. We discuss these findings in light of the need to rethink the definition of rationality in Bayesian causal reasoning.PsychologyCausal reasoningReasoningBayesian modelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7hv4f6wphttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7hv4f6wp/qt7hv4f6wp.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4sw2m8b92026-07-31T12:36:11Zqt4sw2m8b9From Thread to Number: Weaving as scaffold for mathematical thinkingMendoza Straffon, Larissa2026-01-01Mathematical cognition is often studied through formal systems or experimental tasks, leaving open how abstract numerical concepts emerge from everyday practices. This paper reviews ethnographic and ethnomathematical studies of weaving crafts, arguing that these practices minimally and systematically recruit a set of cognitive capacities that are central to quantification: grouping, ordering, pairing, memory, exhaustion detection, and cardinality. Across cultures and technologies, weaving stabilizes these capacities through material constraints, procedural regularity, and visual structure, affording the emergence of geometric and numerical knowledge. Therefore, weaving is put forward as a model system for studying the embodied and culturally scaffolded origins of mathematical abstraction, with implications for theories of numerical cognition and material engagement.AnthropologyHumanitiesPsychologyEmbodied CognitionCross-cultural analysisapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4sw2m8b9https://escholarship.org/content/qt4sw2m8b9/qt4sw2m8b9.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8bj2z4h92026-07-31T12:36:10Zqt8bj2z4h9Modeling Fairness Judgments of Splits Between Multiple PartiesLe Pargneux, ArthurLie-Panis, JulienCashman, MatthewCushman, Fiery2026-01-01Fair divisions are a fundamental problem for moral cognition. Past experimental work has provided evidence in support of three principles of fairness in divisions between two parties: proportional splits, equal splits, and splits that equalize net gains (the Nash bargaining solution). When the number of parties increases, so does the complexity of such decisions, potentially influencing people's cognitive strategies and their reliance on precise explicit heuristics vs intuitive approximations. We design a novel task in which participants can easily and intuitively sample and select among various distributions of resources between multiple people (2 to 18) by adjusting a continuous slider that updates divisions in real time. In two preregistered experiments (n = 378; 2,268 choices), we quantitatively model participants' fairness judgments at the individual level. We find that participants can be categorized into three main groups. Overall, around 50% are best fitted by proportionality, 40% by the Nash bargaining solution, and fewer than 10% by equality. At the aggregate level, proportionality and the Nash bargaining solution perform best. Fairness judgments remain stable as the number of involved parties increases. When they only have access to the slider (Experiment 1), participants best fitted by the Nash bargaining solution seem to intuitively approximate it, but in an imprecise way. By contrast, they tend to precisely select it when three buttons (one for each model, Experiment 2) are available to automatically adjust the slider. These results suggest that a substantial proportion of participants rely on intuitive approximations for the Nash bargaining solution, consistent with bargaining-based (contractualist) theories of fairness.PsychologyDecision makingReasoningSocial cognitionComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8bj2z4h9https://escholarship.org/content/qt8bj2z4h9/qt8bj2z4h9.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt71v0f96g2026-07-31T12:36:08Zqt71v0f96gDiversity and Interaction Structure Shape Performance and Search Dynamics in Joint Cognitive Search: An Agent-Based SimulationRocca, RobertaTylen, Kristian2026-01-01Cognitive search, conceptualized as information foraging through mental spaces, underpins many daily tasks and is frequently performed jointly. Yet, the mechanisms by which social interaction impacts search dynamics remain understudied. Through three agent-based simulations of a verbal fluency task, we investigated how cognitive diversity and interaction structure modulate collective performance in joint cognitive search. In Experiment 1, under strict turn-taking, moderate diversity benefited performance by inducing increased exploration, but high diversity levels proved detrimental. Experiment 2 revealed that flexible interaction protocols mitigated these costs by enabling distinct, more adaptive search strategies. Experiment 3 demonstrated that enhancing individual cognitive flexibility via working memory mitigated risks related to high diversity. Collectively, these results identify flexibility, whether situated in social interaction protocols or individual cognitive mechanisms, as a critical route for unlocking the benefits of diversity in collective search, and offer a novel computational paradigm to study the emergent mechanics of collective intelligence.Complex systemsDistributed cognitionInteractive behaviorSemantic memoryAgent-based Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/71v0f96ghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt71v0f96g/qt71v0f96g.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt94g131xm2026-07-31T12:36:06Zqt94g131xmRecent linguistic experience influences event role identificationÜnal, ErcenurFlecken, Monique2026-01-01While events can be identified based on both perceptual and higher-level information, the contribution of language-related factors remains unclear. Here, we examine whether recent linguistic experience modulates event role identification scenes by asking whether verbs with different argument and thematic structures cue abstract event representations that guide subsequent event cognition. Participants briefly viewed agent–patient events (for 300ms) preceded by a transitive verb, an intransitive verb, or a nonsense word control, and then completed a probe-based role identification task. Transitive verb primes facilitated recognition of event roles, yielding faster responses in role-matching trials relative to intransitive and control conditions. These findings show that linguistic cues influence event role identification, especially when their argument and thematic structure aligns with event structures.LinguisticsPsychologyEvent cognitionLanguage and thoughtComputer-based experimentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/94g131xmhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt94g131xm/qt94g131xm.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt40f0s5wx2026-07-31T12:35:53Zqt40f0s5wxBRAID-Color: Extending a probabilistic model of visual word recognition and reading with color processing to account for the Stroop effectMarques, BernardoCharrier, CamilleSteinhilber, AlexandraDiard, Julien2026-01-01The Stroop effect is a well-known phenomenon where participants take longer when they name the color of letters that spell the name of a different color. This effect has been extensively studied, with various proposed theories and computational models. However, most models do not integrate with existing frameworks for color processing or reading, limiting their generalizability. We introduce the BRAID-Color probabilistic model, an extension of BRAID, an existing model of reading and reading acquisition. BRAID-Color consists in adding to an orthographic information processing branch, able to recognize words spelled by a sequence of letters, a color processing branch, able to name colored visual stimuli. Information fusion at the lexical level combines both to simulate color naming with colored letters. With default parameters, simulations in the congruent, neutral and incongruent conditions illustrate that the model successfully and robustly accounts for the Stroop effect.Computer SciencePsychologyPerceptionReadingBayesian modelingComputational Modelingapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/40f0s5wxhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt40f0s5wx/qt40f0s5wx.pdfarticleProceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, vol 48, iss 0oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt64f7506v2026-07-31T12:30:23Zqt64f7506vPhysical Activity, Growth, and Inflammatory Mediators in BMI-Matched Female AdolescentsISCHANDER, MARIAMZALDIVAR, FRANKELIAKIM, ALONNUSSBAUM, ELIEZERDUNTON, GENEVIEVELEU, SZU-YUNCOOPER, DAN MICHAELSCHNEIDER, MARGARET2007-07-01PURPOSE: Physical inactivity is deleterious to health, but it has been difficult to determine the extent to which these effects are attributable to abnormal body composition or to factors related to physical activity alone. To begin to gauge independent effects of physical activity on health risk, we matched by BMI two groups of normal-weight adolescent females, one physically active (all participants in high school sports), and one sedentary.
METHODS: Thirty-seven sedentary and 37 physically active adolescent females (mean 15.5 yr) were matched for age and BMI percentile (mean = 58.8). Comparisons included fitness, body composition and bone mineralization (by DEXA), circulating inflammatory cytokines, growth factors, bone-turnover markers, leptin, and adiponectin.
RESULTS: Compared with the normal-weight sedentary girls, active girls had significantly (P < 0.05) higher fitness level (peak VO2 35.5 +/- 5.2 vs 24.4 +/- 4.1 mL.kg(-1).min(-1)), lean body mass (43.2 +/- 4.4 vs 38.7 +/- 3.6 kg), bone mineralization (spinal BMD z-scores 0.04 +/- 0.88 vs -0.41 +/- 0.85), and lower percent body fat (25.4 +/- 04.6 vs 29.7 +/- 03.7%). Additionally, active girls had lower inflammatory cytokines levels (e.g., TNF-alpha 1.7 +/- 1.3 vs 2.6 +/- 2.2 pg.mL(-1)), and leptin (17.4 +/- 11.2 vs 24.7 +/- 14.7 ng.mL(-1)), and higher bone-turnover markers (e.g. osteocalcin 12.6 +/- 7.6 vs 7.8 +/- 3.0 U.L(-1)), IGFBP-3 (6416 +/- 21280 vs 4247 +/- 1082 ng.mL(-1)), and adiponectin levels (11919 +/- 3935 vs 9305 +/- 2843 ng.mL(-1)).
CONCLUSION: The normal-weight, physically active group was fitter and had greater lean body mass, stronger bones, and lower levels of inflammatory markers than did the normal-weight, sedentary group. In adolescent girls, the choice of a lifestyle involving high school sports is characterized by a circulating mediator and body composition pattern that, if sustained, is associated with generally lower long-term risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)4206 Public Health (for-2020)3202 Clinical Sciences (for-2020)42 Health Sciences (for-2020)3213 Paediatrics (for-2020)Osteoporosis (rcdc)Prevention (rcdc)Nutrition (rcdc)Obesity (rcdc)Cardiovascular (rcdc)Pediatric Research Initiative (rcdc)Physical Activity (rcdc)Women's Health (rcdc)Childhood Obesity (rcdc)Clinical Research (rcdc)Stroke (hrcs-hc)Metabolic and endocrine (hrcs-hc)Cardiovascular (hrcs-hc)Adolescent (mesh)Anthropometry (mesh)Body Mass Index (mesh)Bone and Bones (mesh)California (mesh)Cardiovascular System (mesh)Exercise (mesh)Female (mesh)Humans (mesh)Inflammation Mediators (mesh)Physical Fitness (mesh)fitnessinflammationadolescencebone mineralizationbody compositiongrowth mediatorsBone and Bones (mesh)Cardiovascular System (mesh)Humans (mesh)Inflammation Mediators (mesh)Anthropometry (mesh)Body Mass Index (mesh)Exercise (mesh)Physical Fitness (mesh)Adolescent (mesh)California (mesh)Female (mesh)Adolescent (mesh)Anthropometry (mesh)Body Mass Index (mesh)Bone and Bones (mesh)California (mesh)Cardiovascular System (mesh)Exercise (mesh)Female (mesh)Humans (mesh)Inflammation Mediators (mesh)Physical Fitness (mesh)1106 Human Movement and Sports Sciences (for)1116 Medical Physiology (for)1117 Public Health and Health Services (for)Sport Sciences (science-metrix)3202 Clinical sciences (for-2020)3208 Medical physiology (for-2020)4207 Sports science and exercise (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/64f7506vhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt64f7506v/qt64f7506v.pdfinfo:doi/10.1249/mss.0b013e318053e7a2articleMedicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, vol 39, iss 71131 - 1138oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2db2p1k72026-07-31T12:25:49Zqt2db2p1k7The ENIGMA Consortium: large-scale collaborative analyses of neuroimaging and genetic dataThompson, Paul MStein, Jason LMedland, Sarah EHibar, Derrek PVasquez, Alejandro AriasRenteria, Miguel EToro, RobertoJahanshad, NedaSchumann, GunterFranke, BarbaraWright, Margaret JMartin, Nicholas GAgartz, IngridAlda, MartinAlhusaini, SaudAlmasy, LauraAlmeida, JorgeAlpert, KathrynAndreasen, Nancy CAndreassen, Ole AApostolova, Liana GAppel, KatjaArmstrong, Nicola JAribisala, BenjaminBastin, Mark EBauer, MichaelBearden, Carrie EBergmann, ØrjanBinder, Elisabeth BBlangero, JohnBockholt, Henry JBøen, ErlendBois, CatherineBoomsma, Dorret IBooth, TomBowman, Ian JBralten, JanitaBrouwer, Rachel MBrunner, Han GBrohawn, David GBuckner, Randy LBuitelaar, JanBulayeva, KazimaBustillo, Juan RCalhoun, Vince DCannon, Dara MCantor, Rita MCarless, Melanie ACaseras, XavierCavalleri, Gianpiero LChakravarty, M MallarChang, Kiki DChing, Christopher RKChristoforou, AndreaCichon, SvenClark, Vincent PConrod, PatriciaCoppola, GiovanniCrespo-Facorro, BenedictoCurran, Joanne ECzisch, MichaelDeary, Ian Jde Geus, Eco JCden Braber, AnoukDelvecchio, GiuseppeDepondt, Chantalde Haan, Lieuwede Zubicaray, Greig IDima, DanaiDimitrova, RaliDjurovic, SrdjanDong, HongweiDonohoe, GaryDuggirala, RavindranathDyer, Thomas DEhrlich, StefanEkman, Carl JohanElvsåshagen, TorbjørnEmsell, LouiseErk, SusanneEspeseth, ThomasFagerness, JesenFears, ScottFedko, IrynaFernández, GuillénFisher, Simon EForoud, TatianaFox, Peter TFrancks, ClydeFrangou, SophiaFrey, Eva MariaFrodl, ThomasFrouin, VincentGaravan, HughGiddaluru, SudheerGlahn, David CGodlewska, BeataGoldstein, Rita ZGollub, Randy LGrabe, Hans J2014-06-01The Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium is a collaborative network of researchers working together on a range of large-scale studies that integrate data from 70 institutions worldwide. Organized into Working Groups that tackle questions in neuroscience, genetics, and medicine, ENIGMA studies have analyzed neuroimaging data from over 12,826 subjects. In addition, data from 12,171 individuals were provided by the CHARGE consortium for replication of findings, in a total of 24,997 subjects. By meta-analyzing results from many sites, ENIGMA has detected factors that affect the brain that no individual site could detect on its own, and that require larger numbers of subjects than any individual neuroimaging study has currently collected. ENIGMA’s first project was a genome-wide association study identifying common variants in the genome associated with hippocampal volume or intracranial volume. Continuing work is exploring genetic associations with subcortical volumes (ENIGMA2) and white matter microstructure (ENIGMA-DTI). Working groups also focus on understanding how schizophrenia, bipolar illness, major depression and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affect the brain. We review the current progress of the ENIGMA Consortium, along with challenges and unexpected discoveries made on the way.5202 Biological Psychology (for-2020)42 Health Sciences (for-2020)52 Psychology (for-2020)Serious Mental Illness (rcdc)Schizophrenia (rcdc)Neurosciences (rcdc)Biomedical Imaging (rcdc)Genetics (rcdc)Depression (rcdc)Mental Health (rcdc)Mental Illness (rcdc)Brain Disorders (rcdc)Human Genome (rcdc)2.1 Biological and endogenous factors (hrcs-rac)Neurological (hrcs-hc)Mental health (hrcs-hc)3 Good Health and Well Being (sdg)Brain Mapping (mesh)Cooperative Behavior (mesh)Genome-Wide Association Study (mesh)Humans (mesh)Meta-Analysis as Topic (mesh)Neuroimaging (mesh)GeneticsMRIGWASConsortiumMeta-analysisMulti-siteAlzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging InitiativeEPIGEN ConsortiumIMAGEN ConsortiumSaguenay Youth Study (SYS) GroupHumans (mesh)Brain Mapping (mesh)Cooperative Behavior (mesh)Meta-Analysis as Topic (mesh)Genome-Wide Association Study (mesh)Neuroimaging (mesh)Brain Mapping (mesh)Cooperative Behavior (mesh)Genome-Wide Association Study (mesh)Humans (mesh)Meta-Analysis as Topic (mesh)Neuroimaging (mesh)11 Medical and Health Sciences (for)17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences (for)Experimental Psychology (science-metrix)32 Biomedical and clinical sciences (for-2020)42 Health sciences (for-2020)52 Psychology (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2db2p1k7https://escholarship.org/content/qt2db2p1k7/qt2db2p1k7.pdfinfo:doi/10.1007/s11682-013-9269-5articleBrain Imaging and Behavior, vol 8, iss 2153 - 182oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt09g699kp2026-07-31T12:18:38Zqt09g699kpNo “Golden Hour” in Alaska: Characteristics and Implications of Medevac-centered Emergency CareRice, BrianWilliams, ChelseaChang, Cindy YWood, JeremySaul, HenryPritchard, AngelicaDay, GretchenThomas, TimothyHao, DavidBritton, CarlaOnders, RobertHernandez-Boussard, Tina2026-06-17Introduction: Rural areas in the United States have higher mortality rates than urban regions, particularly from emergency care-sensitive conditions. Air medical ambulances (medevacs) are critical to emergency care access in the rural U.S., but limited data hinder the ability to study this critical system. In Alaska, medevac services often represent the sole method for connecting Alaska Native patients in remote clinics to physician emergency medical care. This study characterizes medevac use and timing between tribally administered village clinics and hospitals in Northwest Alaska. Our objective in this study was to describe the use and timing of medevacs and investigate how medevac decision-making impacts medevac transport times.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of medevac transfers between 2020–2024 from 11 Alaskan village clinics within the Maniilaq Association, which serves ~8,000 people over 35,862 square miles.We included 1,579 medevacs representing 1,119 unique patients flying from remote clinics to a central critical access hospital hub.. Our primary outcome measure was the association between short medevac decision times (< 60 minutes), and short total medevac times (< 180 minutes). We measured “flight time,” “decision time,” and “ground time” (time spent waiting for an aircraft to become available) as key components of total medevac time.
Results: A total of 1,579 medevacs were deployed for predominantly Alaska Native (96.8%) patients, of whom 22.2% had traumatic injuries. Between 4.1-7.9% of community members in the region are transported by medevac each year. Median medevac time was 262 minutes (interquartile range [IQR] 196–402 [101–4,142]) from activation call to arrival at the critical access hospital. No medevacs were < 100 minutes. “Ground time” was the longest phase of medevac encounters overall (median ground time 105 minutes (IQR 81–187]) vs median decision time 75 minutes (IQR 42–130) or median flight time 44 minutes (IQR 35–77). We found no association between short medevac decision times and short medevac response time (P = .93). Medevac decision-making was the longest phase in only 6% of the shortest total medevacs (< 190 minutes), but it was the longest phase in 40% of the longest total medevacs ( > 400 minutes).
Conclusion: We found four key themes: 1) no medevacs were < 100 minutes. Independent of human or system factors,atients cannot be transferred from a village clinic to a critical access hospital within the “golden hour” of emergency care; 2) short medevac decision times were not significantly associated with short overall medevac times; 3) the longest phase in a medevac transfer was “ground time”; and 4) in the subset of the longest total medevacs, medevac decision-making was much more likely to be the longest phase than in the shortest total medevacs. This emergency transfer system is not responsive to patient condition and suggests that medevac decision support may help for a subset of encounters.American Indian/Alaska Nativemedevacrural healthhealth service researchEpidemiologyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/09g699kphttps://escholarship.org/content/qt09g699kp/qt09g699kp.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.53174articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7wz4w7v42026-07-31T12:18:34Zqt7wz4w7v4Emergency Department Closures and Patient Outcomes: Scoping Review of Impacts on Care, Equity, and System PerformanceRidha, ZahraSteiner, AdamSon, HelenaUpadhye, SuneelStrobel, Stephenson2026-06-28Introduction: Emergency department (ED) closures have become increasingly common across health systems worldwide, reflecting mounting pressures from staffing shortages, resource constraints, and rising patient demand. Closures, whether temporary or permanent, pose potential risks to timely access to emergency care and may significantly impact patient outcomes and healthcare system performance. Despite growing attention from policymakers and the public, academic evidence on real-world impacts of ED closures remains fragmented. In this scoping review we compiled and summarized the current literature directly addressing the impacts of ED closures.
Methods: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews criteria, we conducted a search of PubMed.gov, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Web of Science databases for papers published in English after the year 2000 that directly addressed ED closures. We screened these papers by title and abstract. This search yielded 15 studies for which we then conducted a forward and backward citation search, ultimately producing 22 unique papers. Data from these papers were initially extracted into a spreadsheet and then organized into thematic tables based on the impacts they discussed.
Results: Our search yielded 1,725 papers, and we ultimately included 22 of these (1.3%). Most studies were observational or quasi-experimental, covering 147 unique ED closures, with some analyzing all United States closures (thousands). We found that we could organize the papers into four themes determined by the impact of ED closures had on the following: 1) patient outcomes (eg, mortality, likelihood of acute myocardial infarction treatment) (n = 14); 2) equity-deserving populations (n = 6); 3) alternate EDs that remain open (n = 10); and 4) on healthcare networks as a whole, including emergency medical services (n = 5). Most of the papers were observational or quasi-experimental in design and drew data from a wide scale of closures, from single-site to national ED closures (> 500 sites). The largest proportion (40%) of studies were based in the U.S.
Conclusion: The literature demonstrated mixed and context-dependent impacts of ED closures. The ED closures consistently adversely affected mortality rates of patients with time-sensitive conditions when travel times or distances exceeded certain thresholds. Closures also disproportionately affected equity-deserving populations. However, the negative impacts were often mitigated in the long term, and were less pronounced in well-resourced systems capable of adaptation. There are key gaps in the literature regarding impacts on conditions that are not time sensitive, on marginalized populations, and on broader system-level performance, which should guide future research.Emergency department closurepatient outcomesequity-deserving populationsalternate emergency departmenthealthcare networkstime-sensitive conditionsemergency department restructuringspillover effectapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7wz4w7v4https://escholarship.org/content/qt7wz4w7v4/qt7wz4w7v4.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.53973articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0fb6x7mh2026-07-31T12:18:29Zqt0fb6x7mhInitial Specimen Diversion Devices for Emergency Department Blood Cultures May Reduce Contamination Rates and Costs: Structured Literature ReviewAyres, Makayla D.Johnson, Maria C.Andersen, Megan E.Lewis, Alyson P.Farrow, Lucas S.Vopat, Amelia M.Spears, Kathleen M.2026-07-17Introduction: Emergency departments (ED) are a primary site of blood culture collection in the United States. High rates of blood culture contamination, commonly seen in EDs, are associated with diagnostic inaccuracy, unnecessary antibiotic use, and increased costs. In this structured literature review, we evaluated the effectiveness of initial specimen diversion devices (ISSDs), which are attached to the needle tip and discard the initial 0.15-1.5 mL of blood. We paid particular attention to their applicability in reducing blood culture contamination in adult ED patients in rural healthcare settings. The average cost of an ISDD is $15–$30, and this upfront cost creates a significant barrier in rural EDs, which face resource scarcity.
Methods: In this review of primary literature from 2021–2025, we evaluated the efficacy of ISDD in lowering blood culture contamination rates in adult patients in the ED. Our primary outcome was the change in contamination rates after introduction of the ISDD. Secondary outcomes included changes in vancomycin duration of therapy, hospital length of stay, and total hospital costs.
Results: We screened 460 records across PubMed, EBSCO, and Embase. Eight papers were selected for full review, from 10 hospital systems. All studies demonstrated a decrease in the rates of blood culture contamination with the ISDD. Contamination rates were reduced by an average of 2.89% across all 10 study locations. Only three of 10 hospitals (30%) achieved a blood culture contamination rate below 1%. One rural community hospital saw an absolute reduction of BCCs from 3.94% to 1.05%. Another study reported a decrease in total yearly hospital costs from $1,120,000 to $383,690, and another reported a 31.4% reduction in mean duration of vancomycin therapy.
Conclusion: This review shows the clinical value of ISDDs to reduce blood culture contamination, and highlights the need for further research into scalable implementation strategies, especially in resource-constrained systems, like rural hospitals.Blood culture contaminationrural medicineEmergency departmentEmergency medicineinitial specimen diversion devicesresource-limited settingscost-effectivenessbarriers to implementationdiagnostic stewardshipquality improvementpatient safetyscoping reviewpost-pandemicHealth equityBlood culture contamination rural medicineRural Medicineemergency departmentEmergency Medicineresource-limited regionbarrier to implementationPatient SafetyQuality Improvementapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0fb6x7mhhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0fb6x7mh/qt0fb6x7mh.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.50723articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt04b3j2cc2026-07-31T12:18:25Zqt04b3j2ccThe Impact of Urinalysis Turnaround Times on Patient Disposition in the Emergency DepartmentBaymon, DaMarcus E.Hernandez, PatriciaChen, PaulSanchez, Leon D.Im, DanaBukhman, AliceJoseph, Josh W.2026-07-17Introduction: Diagnostic efficiency in the emergency department (ED) is crucial for workflow. Among these, urinalysis (UA) is a key test for abdominopelvic complaints. Prolonged UA turnaround times can extend patient length of stay and reduce patient satisfaction, highlighting the need for improvement. In this study qw sought to measure the correlation between UA turnaround times and time to disposition.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of discharged ED patients with abdominopelvic complaints who had a UA ordered between January–August 2022. Electronic health records data included UA order-to-result time, urine human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), time to disposition, and complete blood count (CBC) turnaround time as a venipuncture comparator. Spearman correlation coefficients assessed associations between lab processing times and time to disposition.
Results: Among 6,708 discharged patients included in the study, 3,795 presented with abdominopelvic complaints. In this subgroup, 3,688 UAs, 1,285 urine hCG tests, and 2,966 CBCs were obtained. Median times from UA order-to-specimen receipt and result were 65 (IQR 29-138) and 92 (53-168) minutes, respectively. A modest positive correlation was observed between UA order-to-result time and time to disposition (ρ = 0.46), relative to CBC order-to-result time (ρ = 0.29). The relationship was slightly weaker for urine hCG (ρ = 0.35). Laboratory turnaround times showed minimal correlation with ED time to disposition (UA ρ = 0.04; urine hCG ρ = 0.03; CBC ρ = 0.09).
Conclusion: Urinalysis acquisition and processing times are modestly correlated with time to disposition in patients with abdominopelvic complaints. Reducing collection time for UA and urine hCG tests may improve throughput for this patient cohort.Emergency Department OperationsUrinalysis Turnaround TimeLaboratory Turnaround TimeLength of StayEmergency Department ThroughputDiagnostic Efficiencyabdominal painClinical Workflowoperational metricsQuality ImprovementSpecimen Collection Delayapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/04b3j2cchttps://escholarship.org/content/qt04b3j2cc/qt04b3j2cc.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.53952articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9d49k7bh2026-07-31T12:18:21Zqt9d49k7bhClinical Characteristics of an Emergency Department-led Asynchronous Care PlatformShah, ShivamSuri, IkaasaGordan, HelenSchwartz, NicoleHossain, RubayetApakama, DonaldKhakhkhar, RishiMarren, TaylorAbella, Benjamin S.Gavin, NicholasAbbott, Ethan E2026-06-28Background: Asynchronous care has emerged as a promising approach to improving healthcare accessibility while potentially reducing costs, particularly for low-acuity conditions. Our objective was to describe the use patterns, patient characteristics, and short-term clinical outcomes of an emergency department (ED)–led asynchronous care platform managing low-acuity conditions in a large, academic health system.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study evaluating the Mount Sinai Health System asynchronous care platform for managing urinary tract infections, conjunctivitis, cold sores, vaginal candidiasis, emergency contraception, and oral contraceptive prescriptions between December 2023–October 2024 during an initial rollout period. Individual charts were reviewed by two trained abstractors and two emergency physicians. The primary outcome was any subsequent ED or clinic visit within seven days. Secondary outcomes included change in diagnosis and medication at relevant follow-up visits. We used descriptive statistics to characterize the cohort and outcomes.
Results: During the study period, there were 19,204 ED encounters for conditions matching asynchronous care chief complaint categories, of which 343 encounters (1.8%) from 277 unique patients were managed via the asynchronous care platform. The median patient age was 32.6 years (interquartile range IQR 28.3–41.2), and 258 (93.1%) were female. Overall chief complaints included cystitis/urinary complaints in 157 (45.8%) encounters, conjunctivitis/eye complaints in 57 (16.6%), and vaginal/vulvar candidiasis in 96 (28.0%). At the encounter level, 18 (5.2%) were up-triaged from the asynchronous care platform to synchronous virtual urgent care or in-person evaluation after initial screening. We observed the primary outcome of a subsequent ED or clinic visit within seven days in 68 patients (24.5%). Five patients (1.5%; 95% CI, 0.5-3.5%) were identified with a change in diagnosis within the seven-day outcome window, with all diagnostic changes occurring within 1-3 days of the index asynchronous care encounter (median one day).
Conclusion: In this single-center study, an asynchronous care platform demonstrated a viable pathway for managing select low-acuity conditions in an urban academic health system. This structured platform, with appropriate triage pathways and low rates of diagnostic discordance, shows promise as a model to expand access to care for select low-acuity complaints.asynchronous careDigital healthEmergency Medicineapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9d49k7bhhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9d49k7bh/qt9d49k7bh.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.53265articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt835359hd2026-07-31T12:18:17Zqt835359hdDoes Skin Color Influence Differential Diagnosis Generation in a Simulated Cardiac Arrest?Miller, HannahTarrant, ClaudiaLamberson, MilesNicholas, CateDolbec, Katherine2026-06-28Introduction: It is not known whether skin color influences inclusion of substance use on medical students’ differential diagnoses for a simulated cardiac arrest. Our objective in this study was to investigate whether the presence of a dark-skinned or light-skinned manikin in the lab correlated with their decision to include substance use on the differential as a possible cause of cardiac arrest.
Methods: In this study at a single institution, all fourth-year medical students in an emergency medicine course participated in a manikin-based cardiac arrest simulation case. The simulation sessions alternated between the use of a light-skinned and a dark-skinned manikin. Both were adult sized. After the first shock was delivered, students individually documented their differential diagnosis for the cause of the cardiac arrest on deidentified, free-text research forms. We excluded forms if they were blank, had been completed by a non-medical student, or could not be associated with the skin color of the manikin used. The primary outcome measure was how often students included substance use as a cause of cardiac arrest anywhere in their differential diagnoses. We compared the relationship between manikin skin color and the students’ consideration of substance use as a cause of cardiac arrest, using the Fisher exact test.
Results: Of 270 eligible participants, 271 surveys were returned; 75 (27.7%) were excluded. Of the remaining 196 surveys, 96 were associated with the light-skinned and 100 with the dark-skinned manikin. Among the 100 respondents using the dark-skinned manikin, one student (1%) listed substance use as the leading diagnosis, while none (0%) of the students using the light-skinned manikin listed substance use as the leading diagnosis. In each group, only 20% of students (n = 39 total) listed substance use anywhere on the differential diagnosis (P = 1.00).
Conclusion: Among fourth-year medical students participating in a simulated cardiac arrest, we found no correlation between manikin skin color and the inclusion of substance use on their differential for cardiac arrest. Overall, their decision to include substance use in their differentials was low regardless of skin color, suggesting the need to improve their awareness of substance use as a potential cause of cardiac arrest.Simulationmedical studentsSkin colorapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/835359hdhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt835359hd/qt835359hd.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.53204articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6197w2hs2026-07-31T12:18:13Zqt6197w2hsImplementing a Multimodal Palliative Care Curriculum: Impact on Knowledge, Confidence, and SkillsHase, TravisNdiaye, CindyPutman, Margaret2026-06-28Introduction: Emergency physicians frequently care for patients with serious or terminal illnesses, yet they often lack formal palliative care training. Our primary objective was to develop a structured, multimodal palliative care curriculum for emergency medicine (EM) residents and evaluate whether this curriculum improved residents’ knowledge, comfort level, and perceived application of skills to care for patients with chronic or terminal illness in the emergency department (ED). Our secondary objective was to determine whether EM residents found palliative care education important and to identify which educational modalities are most effective for acquiring palliative care knowledge and skills.
Methods: We implemented an eight-hour multimodal curriculum for EM residents at a single, large Level I trauma center (four hours of didactics, a three-hour simulated patient communication skills lab, and one hour of high-fidelity simulation). Our primary outcome was pre- and post-intervention surveys (12 questions) that assessed perceived knowledge, comfort, and skill application on five-point Likert scales. We analyzed paired responses using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, with a P value of < .05 considered statistically significant. Effect size was calculated using Cohen d. Our secondary outcome measure was a post-intervention survey (six questions) that assessed participants’ opinions on the effectiveness of the different educational methods.
Results: There was a 100% response rate among 41 residents from all postgraduate years 1-3. Significant improvements (P < .001) were observed in residents’ self-reported abilities across all domains with large effect sizes. Median scores and interquartile ranges increased for conducting goals-of-care discussions (4 [3–4] vs 4 [4–5]), interpreting advance directives (3 [2–4] vs 4 [4–4]), managing end-of-life symptoms (3 [2–3] vs 4 [3–4]), communicating bad news (3 [2–4] vs 4 [4–4]), and coordinating with palliative or hospice teams (2 [2–3] v. 4 [4–4]). All educational modalities were rated effective, with simulation and small-group sessions preferred over lectures.
Conclusion: A structured, multimodal palliative care curriculum significantly enhanced EM residents’ perceived preparedness to manage patients with palliative care needs. Embedding didactic and simulation-based palliative training in EM residencies is both feasible and impactful, addressing critical gaps in palliative competencies and aligning with national best-practice guidelines.palliative careEmergency MedicineCurriculum InterventionSimulationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6197w2hshttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6197w2hs/qt6197w2hs.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.53884articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9067g1zz2026-07-31T12:18:09Zqt9067g1zz9-1-1 Call Data Modeling to Assess the Influence of a Mass Gathering on Host Community Metrics for Syndromic SurveillanceYancey, Arthur HRobinson, ElijahMcMahan, TimothyCotsonis, George A2026-06-17Introduction: Multi-day planned mass gatherings are prevalent in various forms of sports competitions, concerts, professional, political, and religious conferences. The largest, the World Cup competition, will be hosted by large cities of the United States, Canada, and Mexico in June and July, 2026. These can present risks to the health of spectators, participants, organizers, and host communities, which if discovered faster, facilitates more effective responses in preventing morbidity/mortality. This study demonstrates visually modeled 9-1-1 medical data that uniquely contributes to existing syndromic surveillance activities by its practicality and time sensitivity. Objectives: Using data from the nine-day period of 2019 Super Bowl LIII festivities, this retrospective, quantitative, descriptive, population-based study was conducted to demonstrate how 9-1-1 emergency medical dispatch (EMD) data could be practically modeled to more rapidly detect changes from baseline host community 9-1-1 data. Our ultimate objective is to illustrate these visual models in the attempt to improve syndromic surveillance.
Methods: All 9-1-1 medical calls from three host municipalities were processed and categorized at the Grady Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Communications Center during game day and eight preceding days of festivities (time frame-standardized to nine-day events period). This events period call volume was contrasted to that of the identical nine-day pre- and post-events periods. The mean 24 one-hour interval call volumes for each day of these three periods were analyzed. Data visualization techniques (a data table, bar graphs, geo-, and heat-mapping) were constructed to illustrate differences in 9-1-1 call volumes of three categories (hypothermia, traffic injury incidents, and violence-induced injuries), for the three periods. The most similar previous such studies were reviewed and related to our study.
Results: The events period call volume (3,267) was less than that in pre- (3,356) and post-(3,460) events totals. Directional (increasing versus decreasing) patterns in hourly call frequencies were similar among all three periods. Cold exposure calls decreased across the three periods (successive period were 9, 7, and 4 respectively). Changes in traffic incidents were minimal (36, 39, and 38, respectively). Violent act injury calls increased during the post-events period (151, 150, and 166, respectively).
Conclusion: Data from 9-1-1 calls could provide readily discoverable trends reflective of clinically significant syndromes threatening host community health status associated with planned mass gatherings. The study demonstrates practical data modeling to enhance syndromic surveillance. Recommendations are offered for enhancing 9-1-1 data analysis in conducting syndromic surveillance.Emergency Medical DispatchMass GatheringsSyndromic Surveillanceapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9067g1zzhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9067g1zz/qt9067g1zz.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.53142articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0nx0k83t2026-07-31T12:18:05Zqt0nx0k83tComparison of Emergency Department Boarders Managed by a Critical Care Consult Service versus Standard CareJohnson, MatthewBracey, AlexanderAta, AsharDaSilva, WilliamGeary, Sean PatrickAly, ImanHayashi, WarrenLeavitt, RachelMantas, JamesHanowitz, ChristopherDuncan, Luke JPauze, DenisWu, Gregory P2026-06-28Introduction: Emergency department (ED) boarding of critically ill patients awaiting intensive care unit (ICU) admission has been associated with delays in time-sensitive interventions, prolonged lengths of stay (LOS), increased crowding, and higher incidence of morbidity and mortality. To address this, our institution implemented an ED critical care consult team in 2020 and established a resuscitation and emergency critical care fellowship in 2022. The critical care consult team, staffed by emergency physicians with additional resuscitation or critical care training, provides consultative support for resuscitations and the management of boarding critically ill patients 10 hours per day, with the dual goals of improving clinical care and optimizing patient flow. The primary outcome of this study was to evaluate the rate of patients downgraded from their initial admission level of care (ICU, Intermediate care) to a lesser intensity of care (intermediate, ward, home). Secondary outcomes included ED, ICU, and hospital LOS.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of all patients ≥ 18 years old with ICU or intermediate care admission orders placed between November 1–30, 2024. Patients were sequentially identified via the electronic health record, and clinical and quality assurance data were collected in a REDCap database.
Results: During the study period, the ED critical care consult team was active on 73% of days, staffed primarily by resuscitation and emergency critical care fellows. Of 372 eligible patients, 18% (68/372) were managed by the critical care consult team after initial assessment by primary emergency physician staff, while 82% (304/372) served as controls and did not have involvement with the critical care consult team. Patients evaluated by the team had higher acuity, with 30.9% presenting with an Emergency Severity Index (ESI) score 1 compared to 4.6% in the control group. Despite this, the downgrade rate was significantly higher in the ED3CT cohort (29.4% vs 11.8%, p=0.001). No differences were observed in ED (0.62 days vs 0.60 days, P = .80), ICU (5.1 days vs. 5.2 days, P = .93), or hospital LOS (9.7 days vs 10.8 days, P = .68).
Conclusion: These findings suggest that ED-based critical care physicians, including fellows in training, may facilitate earlier identification of patients suitable for lower levels of care despite initially higher acuity. While there was no change in ED, ICU, and hospital length of stay, it is possible that this is related to systemic problems with hospital bed availability. The high rate of downgrades highlights the benefits of ED-based critical care physicians advancing care of critically ill patients boarding in the ED.Critical careboardingresuscitationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0nx0k83thttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0nx0k83t/qt0nx0k83t.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.53002articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6b5368302026-07-31T12:18:00Zqt6b536830Emergency Front-of-neck Access: Comparing Needle and Surgical Cricothyrotomy Using a Human Cadaver ModelBoccio, EricLevi, DanielBonz, JamesBelsky, JustinD'Amore, Jason2026-06-28Introduction: Emergency front-of-neck access may serve as a life-saving intervention when facing patients with difficult airways. Cricothyrotomy consists of needle and surgical techniques and is performed in approximately 0.2-0.5% of all airway management attempts. Our primary aim in this study was to compare procedural completion time and first-pass success of needle and surgical approaches to cricothyrotomy by civilian and military practitioners using a human cadaver model.
Methods: Emergency medicine (EM) attendings and residents and U.S. Air Force Pararescue specialists were randomized to perform either a needle or surgical cricothyrotomy on an unfixed human cadaver a single time following a 30-minute didactic session about both procedure types. We recorded procedural completion time, first-pass success, frequency and type of observed complications, and subject level of training. Our primary outcome measure was procedural completion time. Secondary outcome measures included first-pass success and complication rates. We used a Wilcoxon signed-rank test to compare the difference in median completion times between needle and surgical groups. We performed a Cox regression analysis to evaluate the relationship between technique and procedural completion time while adjusting for subject level of training. Chi-squared or Fisher exact tests were used to compare unadjusted first-pass success and complication frequencies between needle and surgical groups. Multivariable logistic regression analysis modeling the association between technique and first-pass success and complication events while adjusting for subject level of training was performed.
Results: A total of 99 subjects were enrolled, and 19 (19%), 68 (69%), and 12 (12%) were classified as EM attending, EM resident, and Pararescue specialist, respectively; 51 (52%) and 48 (48%) were randomized into the needle and surgical groups, respectively. The median time to procedural completion was shorter in the needle group than the surgical group (56.5 seconds [sec], 95% confidence interval, 54-66 sec vs 65 sec, 95% CI, 59-73 sec, respectively). The difference in median completion times was 8 sec (95% CI, -1.0 to 17 sec, P = .08). The hazard ratio comparing completion time of surgical to needle cricothyrotomy while adjusting for level of training was 1.41 (95% CI, 0.93-2.13, P = .11). First-pass success and complication rates were similar between the needle and surgical groups (94% vs 94%, P = .32, and 27% vs 33%, P = .52, respectively). The adjusted odds ratios comparing the likelihoods of first-pass success and complication between surgical and needle groups while adjusting for level of training were 1.06 (95% CI, 0.20-5.54, P = .95) and 1.40 (95% CI, 0.55-3.56, P = .48), respectively.
Conclusion: In this study using unfixed human cadavers, needle and surgical cricothyrotomy demonstrated comparable performance regarding procedural completion time, first-pass success, and complication rates. The 8-second difference in median completion time between groups was not found to be statistically significant and is unlikely to be clinically significant given the typical oxygen reserves in an apneic patient. These findings suggest that for practitioners in civilian and military settings, both needle and surgical cricothyrotomy remain viable options for emergency front-of-neck access, assuming adequate operator-level procedural proficiency and access to necessary equipment. emergency front of neck accessneedle cricothyrotomysurgical cricothyrotomyadvanced airway managementhigh acuity low occurrence procedurePararescue specialistunfixed human cadaverapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6b536830https://escholarship.org/content/qt6b536830/qt6b536830.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.52840articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6cv878352026-07-31T12:17:56Zqt6cv87835Patient Monitor Position and Operator Ability to Visualize a Desaturation Event During IntubationBoccio, EricPerkins, RachelleBonz, James2026-06-17Introduction: During endotracheal intubation, equipment setup typically includes the patient monitor fixed at the head of the bed behind the back of the operator. Inability to directly visualize the patient monitor may result in delayed recognition of desaturation. Our primary aim in this study was to measure the association between patient monitor position and the time to recognition of a desaturation event during endotracheal intubation.
Methods: We performed a randomized crossover trial of emergency medicine residents across two Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited programs. Subjects were asked to perform direct and video-assisted laryngoscopy once on a difficult airway trainer in a simulation. The sequence of laryngoscopy modality (direct vs video-assisted) and monitor position (head vs left vs right of bed) were randomized prior to each attempt. The simulated patient’s peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2 ) was programmed to begin at 100% and decrease at a rate of 1% per second 10 seconds after the start of the subject’s attempt. The primary outcome measure was time to operator recognition of hypoxia defined as the observed period during which the simulated SpO2 was < 90%. Secondary outcomes were operator failure to visualize a desaturation event. We rendered Kaplan-Meier curves illustrating the time to visualization of hypoxia and performed a Cox regression adjusting for laryngoscopy modality and total number of previous intubations performed. Using multivariable linear regression, we modeled the association between time to recognition of hypoxia in seconds and patient monitor position with similar adjustments. To assess differences in the number of observed failure events between study arms, we used chi-squared or Fisher exact tests. The threshold for statistical significance was a two-sided P < 0.05.
Results: We observed 68 attempts by 34 subjects. Twenty-two (32.5%), 22 (32.5%), and 24 (35%) intubations were performed with the monitor positioned at the head, left, and right, respectively. The median times to recognition of hypoxia were 37 seconds [sec] (95% CI, 25-86 sec) for the head, 32 sec (95% CI, 18-50 sec) for the left, and 23 sec (95% CI, 19-34 sec) for the right groups, respectively. Cox regression demonstrated hazard ratios of 2.7 and 3.2 for the left and right groups when compared to the head group, and these findings were statistically significant (P = .04 and P = 0.03, respectively). We found no statistically significant associations between time to recognition of hypoxia and laryngoscopy modality or total number of previous intubations (P = .82 and .21, respectively). Failure rates across head, left, and right groups were similar, at 36%, 59%, and 50%, respectively (P = .30).
Conclusion: Positioning of the patient monitor at the head of the bed results in delayed visualization of desaturation events during simulated direct and video-assisted laryngoscopy across different levels of experience. Ideally, the patient monitor should be positioned on the side of the bed and within the operator’s direct line of sight. Further research is warranted to assess how equipment setup may impact procedural performance, operator ergonomics, and patient safety.patient monitor positionendotracheal intubationadvanced airway managementdesaturation eventprocedural ergonomicsMedical Simulationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6cv87835https://escholarship.org/content/qt6cv87835/qt6cv87835.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.52933articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8z7577b82026-07-31T12:17:51Zqt8z7577b8Autologous Fat Transfer Procedure Complications in Four Emergency Departments in Miami, FloridaLee, Mary BridgetGoldstein, JoshuaHercz, DanielPyle, Matt2026-07-16Introduction: Our study objective was to share the experiences of four public emergency departments (ED) caring for patients with complications of gluteal autologous fat transfer (AFT), colloquially known as Brazilian butt lifts, to provide emergency physicians with a better understanding of these patients and potential complications associated with the procedure.
Methods: Jackson Health System in Miami, Florida, undertook an institutional initiative to prospectively collect data on patients presenting to any of the system’s EDs with gluteal AFT complications from October 2020–May 2023. We abstracted patient charts for demographics, disposition, lab values, diagnoses, and care-related charges to generate descriptive statistics. Our primary outcome measure was diagnostic code and diagnostic category. Secondary outcome measures were hemoglobin on presentation, units of blood transfused, admission level of care, hospital charge, length of stay, and mortality.
Results: Of 234 potentially relevant patient charts identified by our hospital protocol, 157 patients met our criteria. All were female, with an average age of 33. A total of 123 patients were from out of state, and one was international. The most common diagnoses were anemia/bleeding (81 patients), followed by pain (65), cardiac (36) and hypovolemia/dehydration (32). Our analysis revealed that 86 patients presenting to the ED required admission (54.8%), with 12 patients requiring intensive care unit care (7.6%). There was one death (0.6%). Total hospital charges for this cohort equaled $2,822,540, averaging $17,977 per patient.
Conclusion: Gluteal AFT procedures are associated with a wide range of complications, morbidity, and mortality. These patients have a high admission rate and the potential to be critically ill. Patients travel from around the country to have these procedures performed, and it is crucial that EDs nationally are prepared to care for them.Gluteal autologous fat transferCosmetic Surgeryplastic surgerySurgical complicationsWomen's Healthapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8z7577b8https://escholarship.org/content/qt8z7577b8/qt8z7577b8.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.54037articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt513277ct2026-07-31T12:17:47Zqt513277ctA Systems-based Emergency Department Intervention to Conserve Intravenous Fluids During a National ShortageJenkins, Phillip DXu, ObertDeVane, KennethHartenstein, MelindaManella, HaleyBurns, Beech2026-06-17Background: Intravenous (IV) fluids are commonly used in emergency departments (ED), but their supply can be vulnerable to national shortages. In September 2024, Tropical Storm Helene disrupted production at a major manufacturing facility, triggering a nationwide IV fluid shortage. In response, our ED implemented a multiphase intervention aimed at reducing non-essential fluid utilization. We aimed to reduce total IV fluid use in the ED by at least 25% through a staged, systems-based conservation strategy.
Methods: We conducted a single-center, retrospective, pre-post quality improvement initiative in a tertiary academic ED with approximately 57,000 annual visits. Interventions were deployed across three Plan–Do–Study–Act cycles: 1) clinician education on fluid stewardship (7 days); 2) protocol modifications to reduce routine IV placement (11 days); and 3) electronic health record (EHR) clinical decision support tools, including an interruptive alert and oral hydration order set (32 days). We analyzed daily fluid administration volumes, and ED census data from September 2024 (pre-intervention) and November 2024 (post-intervention). The primary outcome was total IV fluid usage per day; a secondary outcome was IV fluid volume per patient encounter. We compared mean daily utilization between periods using two-sample t-tests.
Results: Average daily IV fluid use declined from 56.3 to 24.8 liters, a 56.0% relative reduction (P < .001), while ED volume remained stable (155.4 vs 153.1 encounters/day pre- vs post-intervention). Normalized per-encounter IV fluid administration decreased from 0.36 to 0.16 liters per visit (P < .001), representing a 56% relative reduction. Assuming a pharmacy acquisition cost of approximately $2 per liter of crystalloid, the intervention was associated with an estimated reduction of $63 in IV fluid expenditures per day (31.5 liters), or $1,890 over the 30-day post-intervention period.
Conclusion: A structured intervention combining education, protocol changes, and EHR decision support significantly reduced IV fluid use in the ED without disrupting operations. This approach may serve as a scalable model for resource stewardship during future supply chain crises. The most substantial reductions occurred during the final intervention phase involving EHR-based decision support.Quality Improvementintravenous fluidsclinical decision supportResource StewardshipSupply Chain DisruptionFluid Managmentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/513277cthttps://escholarship.org/content/qt513277ct/qt513277ct.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.53894articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2dg4t2rn2026-07-31T12:17:43Zqt2dg4t2rnDe-Labeling of Penicillin Allergy in the Emergency Department at a Veterans Affairs HospitalChen, BrianNguyen, Phuong Khanh T.Pham, My-PhuongKoh, CynthiaGraber, Christopher J.2026-06-28Introduction: Penicillin allergy is one of the most reported drug allergies, but studies have shown that patients who report an allergy frequently do not have a significant reaction when challenged. Avoidance of penicillin or beta-lactam antibiotics in these patients results in increased hospitalization costs, suboptimal antibiotic therapy, and risk for subsequent infection with multidrug resistant organisms.
Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective chart review that included patients ≥ 18 years of age with documented penicillin allergy who presented to the emergency department (ED) over a one-year period. Clinical pharmacy specialists in the ED reviewed and stratified patient allergy risk. Patients with low-risk allergy histories who were to be admitted and gave formal consent were given an oral amoxicillin challenge and then observed in the ED for at least one hour. Patients who were eligible for challenge but were to be discharged from the ED were given the option to be seen in the allergy clinic. The primary outcome was the incidence of adverse reactions related to the oral amoxicillin challenge for patients. An exploratory secondary outcome was the average length of stay (LOS) in the ED for oral amoxicillin-challenged patients compared to the average LOS for non-oral amoxicillin-challenged patients. We performed descriptive statistics on all variables.
Results: A total of 144 patients received an allergy assessment in the ED, 20 who received an oral amoxicillin challenge and 124 who did not. Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. The average total LOS in the oral amoxicillin-challenged patients was a non-significant 36 minutes longer compared to the non-challenged patients (P = 0.4). Of 144 patients, 71 (49%) had their penicillin allergy removed as a result of the challenge.. One patient experienced a mild and self-limited reaction to the oral amoxicillin challenge (0.7%; 95% CI, 0.02-3.8%).
Conclusion: An ED pharmacist-led, penicillin de-labeling protocol was safe and feasible. A secondary exploratory analysis showed no significant difference in length of stay between patients who received the oral amoxicillin challenge in the ED vs those who did not. Performing a proper penicillin allergy evaluation in the ED can have lasting benefits for patients and antimicrobial stewardship.penicillinAllergyemergency departmentantibiotic stewardshipapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2dg4t2rnhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt2dg4t2rn/qt2dg4t2rn.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.48957articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6zd4j2tr2026-07-31T12:17:37Zqt6zd4j2trNeoplastic Incidentalomas in the Emergency Department: Incidence, Imaging Type, Location, and Clinical RelevanceNasta, CarmineMorelli, RomeoFacciuto, Antonia IdaPalumbo, FrancescaFinelli, MartinaBrunelli, VincenzoPuoti, MarioPalumbo, AlfredoVoza, AntonioPaolisso, GiuseppeGiordano, Mauro2026-06-28Background: Incidentalomas—unexpected neoplastic lesions discovered during imaging for unrelated complaints—represent a growing clinical and ethical challenge in emergency medicine. Their detection has increased due to widespread use of advanced imaging, particularly in patients who may otherwise escape thorough diagnostic evaluation.
Objective: We sought to determine the frequency, anatomical distribution, and clinical management gaps of neoplastic incidentalomas observed in patients presenting with non-specific, low-severity complaints at the emergency department (ED). (In this paper, neoplastic incidentalomas include both lesions discovered incidentally during imaging for unrelated conditions and newly diagnosed malignancies plausibly related to the patient’s presenting symptoms,)
Methods: Data collection covered the period January 1–December 31, 2023. We conducted a retrospective observational study of all adult patients presenting to the ED of P.O. Anastasia Guerriero University Hospital in Marcianise, Italy. Incidentalomas were identified through discharge summaries and classified by imaging modality, anatomical site, and triage code. We analyzed data using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results: Among 35,081 ED visits, 53 neoplastic incidentalomas were identified (1.52 per 1,000). The majority occurred in females (69%) and elderly (> 65 years) patients (61%), who often presented with minor complaints such as abdominal pain (38%) or anemia (15%). Most incidentalomas were gastrointestinal (31%) or pulmonary (23%) and primarily detected via computed tomography (51%). Notably, 100% of cases were triaged as non-urgent. Based on established guidelines, up to 20% of cases may represent potential overdiagnosis. The next most common modalities of detection were ultrasound (28%) and chest radiograph (22%).
Conclusion: Neoplastic incidentalomas are not rare in the ED setting, even among patients who present with low-severity symptoms. Our findings underscore the importance of structured follow-up protocols and integration of guideline-based reporting to avoid diagnostic delays, overdiagnosis, and unnecessary interventions. Emergency physicians should maintain diagnostic vigilance and consider incidental findings in clinical workflows.Incidentalomaemergency departmentNeoplastic FindingstriageCT scanCancer DiagnosisMinor Emergencyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6zd4j2trhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6zd4j2tr/qt6zd4j2tr.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.48928articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt91f8s8fd2026-07-31T12:17:33Zqt91f8s8fdSocial Deprivation Index Is Associated with 90-Day Emergency Department Revisits, but Not Admission, for Acute Heart FailureEhrman, Robert R.Harrison, Nicholas E.Haber, Brian D.Korzeniewski, Steven J.Favot, Mark J.Khait, LyudamilaLevy, Phillip D.2026-07-17Background: Prevalence of heart failure is increasing, with an associated rise in emergency department (ED)-related care. Social determinants of health (SDoH) are associated with adverse health outcomes, but the extent to which they influence ED use for heart failure care is poorly understood. We sought to describe the relationship between community-level social vulnerability and ED revisits and hospital admissions for heart failure within a single health system.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of Social Deprivation Index (SDI) scores (higher score = more deprivation) by ZIP code paired with administrative clinical data. Zero-hurdle regression was used to model the relationship between SDI and ED revisits within 90 days of a prior ED visit for heart failure (logistic model for > 0 revisits; Poisson model for count of revisits). We used a mixed-effects logistic model—accounting for repeat visits—to test the association of SDI with hospital admission at any given ED visit.
Results: From January 2022–December 2023, there were 3,569 ED visits from 2,406 patients. Each standard deviation increase in SDI (30.3) was associated with increased odds of at least one 90-day revisit (OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.08-2.16). Higher SDI was also associated with more 90-day revisits, with varying magnitude by hospital. After adjusting for characteristics of prior ED visit, SDI was not associated with hospital admission.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that area-level social vulnerability influences the decision to seek heart failure-related care in the ED. Patients from more deprived areas may not have more severe clinical presentations, however, as evidenced by lack of association of SDI with hospital admission. Heart Failureemergency departmentadmissionre-admissionSocial Vulnerabilitysocial determinants of healthhypertensionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/91f8s8fdhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt91f8s8fd/qt91f8s8fd.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.61392articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3x46t4322026-07-31T12:17:29Zqt3x46t432Oxygen Saturation Thresholds for Opioid-induced Respiratory Depression: A Systematic ReviewManes, AkashSran, JobanSamra, IvjotDhaliwal, BalkaranSoliman, AdamPuri, Nitasha2026-06-28Introduction: Hypoventilation and hypercapnia are the primary physiological indicators of opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD), while hypoxia is typically a later manifestation. However, use of pulse oximetry to measure oxygen saturation (SpO₂) level remains the most widely available and commonly used monitoring modality in both clinical and community settings, whereas capnography is not routinely accessible. Given this reality, it is important to evaluate hypoxia thresholds reported in the literature to inform practical detection and intervention strategies. Oxygen saturation monitoring may serve as a valuable support tool to help determine when individuals experiencing opioid toxicity require intervention; however, there is limited consensus on SpO₂ thresholds that indicate OIRD. Our objective in this study was to evaluate existing evidence on SpO₂ thresholds for OIRD as a physiological marker to incorporate with clinical assessment to potentially prevent opioid-related outcomes such as hypoxemia, hypoxic brain injury, cardiac arrhythmias, and mortality, and to inform monitoring and intervention strategies for future research.
Methods: We electronically searched Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, PubMed, and grey literature databases for qualitative and quantitative studies published from 2014–2024. We included studies published in English where participants with opioid use disorder (OUD) experienced opioid toxicity and continuous SpO₂ monitoring in medical settings. Quality was evaluated using the modified Downs and Black checklist. The primary outcome measure was the SpO₂ level used to quantify opioid-induced respiratory depression.
Results: Of the 2,864 articles screened, 37 underwent full-text review, and 16 were included in data extraction and analysis (total patients, N = 12,887). Reported SpO₂ thresholds ranged from 85–95% (median 92, interquartile range 90–95). In three studies where patients experienced opioid-induced respiratory depression, SpO₂ levels dropped to a median value of 80%.
Conclusion: Although hypoxia is a late indicator of opioid-induced respiratory depression, SpO₂ monitoring remains a widely deployed tool for detecting clinically significant deterioration. Reported SpO₂ thresholds for defining OIRD ranged from 90-95% across studies of “excellent” and “good” quality, underscoring the need for standardized, patient-centered thresholds to guide monitoring and intervention in future research.Keywords: Oxygen SaturationOpioid-Related DisordersRespiratory DepressionOxygen SaturationOpioid-related disordersapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3x46t432https://escholarship.org/content/qt3x46t432/qt3x46t432.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.54000articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8sm5h5h82026-07-31T12:17:24Zqt8sm5h5h8Impact of Substance Use Disorder Curriculum and X-Waiver Training on Emergency Medicine ResidentsChukwunyere, ChigozieHeil, JessicaSalzman, MatthewHaroz, Rachel2026-06-17Introduction: We incorporated an 8-hour standardized substance use disorder (SUD) curriculum and X-waiver training into our emergency medicine (EM) residency. We sought to assess whether the implementation of the standardized SUD curriculum and X-waiver training affected graduated EM residents’ comfort with treating SUD and prescribing practices, as well as their view of their future career paths.
Methods: Physicians who completed their EM residency at our hospital from 2016-2022 were invited to complete the survey in 2023. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of surveyed graduates who reported comfort and confidence in treating patients with SUD, measured by affirmative responses to survey items. The secondary outcome measure was the proportion of surveyed graduates reporting that participation in the SUD curriculum and X-waiver training during residency influenced their career plans, measured by affirmative responses to career-related survey items. For each outcome measure, we compared percentages of affirmative responses between physicians who completed residency prior to and after the implementation of the SUD curriculum and X-waiver training.
Results: Among 81 graduated EM residents invited to complete the survey, 63 (78.8%) responded. We grouped them based on whether they had completed residency prior to the addition of the standardized SUD curriculum (pre-curriculum, 2016–2017) or after (post-curriculum, 2018–2022). Of the 63 participants, 17 were pre- and 46 were post-curriculum residents. Of the pre-curriculum residents, 58.8% prescribed buprenorphine in their practice after residency, compared to 76.1% of the post-curriculum residents (Fisher exact test, P = .22, odds ratio [OR] 0.46, 95% confidence interval, 0.12-1.76). Of the post-curriculum graduates, 93.5% noted that they were better prepared to treat patients with SUDs than their peers compared to 88.2% of the pre-curriculum graduates (Fisher exact test, P = .605, OR .529, 95% CI, 0.055-6.909), and 69.6% believed the training impacted their careers professionally and increased their interest in helping patients with opioid use disorder.
Conclusion: Overall, a greater proportion of EM graduates who had been X waiver-trained in a substance use disorder curriculm during residency training at our institution prescribed buprenorphine to their patients than those who had not undergone specific training. Although the X-waiver is no longer a requirement, our SUD curriculum and training remain relevant for buprenorphine prescribing and may offer some opportunities for EM residents to develop their careers. Substance usecurriculumEmergency MedicineResidentsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8sm5h5h8https://escholarship.org/content/qt8sm5h5h8/qt8sm5h5h8.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.50864articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5rm2853t2026-07-31T12:17:20Zqt5rm2853tOpioid Overdose-Related Emergency Department Visits Pre- and Post-COVID-19Molina, Melanie F.Pimentel, Samuel D.Raven, Maria C.LeSaint, Kathy T.Dillon, David G.2026-06-10Introduction: Understanding changes in opioid overdose-related emergency department (ED) visits and ED-based opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic can inform ongoing efforts to address the opioid crisis. We aimed to examine trends in opioid overdose-related ED visits, ED-based medication for OUD (MOUD) treatment, and appendicitis-related ED visits (as a control) before and after the initial COVID-19 peak in April 2020.
Methods: We conducted an interrupted time series analysis of monthly ED visits from January 2017–December 2022 at three hospitals in California. We modeled pre- and post-COVID-19 visit trends and the change in trend from pre- to post-COVID-19 peak using linear regression controlling for study site. Our primary outcome included monthly rates of opioid overdose-related ED visits, with monthly rates of ED visits with MOUD treatment as a secondary outcome. Appendicitis-related visits served as a control for temporal trends.
Results: Of the 781,488 ED visits across the entire study period, there were 2,536 (0.32%) opioid overdose-related visits, 9,755 (1.25%) MOUD treatment visits, and 1,123 (0.14%) appendicitis-related visits. Pre-pandemic, monthly increases were observed in opioid overdose-related visits (6.7 visits/10,000 per month, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.6-10.8, P = .001), MOUD-positive visits (34.9 visits/10,000 per month, 95% CI, 26.0-43.7, P < .001), and appendicitis visits (2.5 visits/10,000 per month, 95% CI, 1.2-3.9, P < .001). After April 2020, only MOUD-positive visits showed an immediate (level change) increase (49 visits/10,000 or 34% of April 2020 projected pre-COVID-19 visit rates, 95% CI, 26.1-71.9, P < .001), with opioid overdose-related visits subsequently declining (-4.6 visits/10,000 per month or -11% of April 2020 projected pre-COVID-19 visit rates, 95% CI, -7.2 to -2.0, P = .001). Across the entire pre- to post-COVID-19 period, significant decreases in overall visit trends were observed across all visit types, greatest for MOUD-positive visits (-39.2 visits/10,000 per month, or -27% of April 2020 projected pre-COVID-19 visit rates, 95% CI, -51.5 to -26.8, P < .001), followed by opioid overdose visits (-11.3 visits/10,000 per month, or -27% of April 2020 projected pre-COVID-19 visit rates, 95% CI, -16.1 to -6.5, P < .001) and appendicitis visits (-4.2 visits/10,000 per month, or -23% of April 2020 projected pre-COVID-19 visit rates, 95% CI, -7.2 to -1.2, P = .01).
Conclusion: From pre- to post-initial COVID-19 peak, absolute ED-based MOUD treatment trends declined over three times faster than those of opioid overdose-related ED visits (although percentage changes relative to expected April 2020 rates were both -27%). These findings may reflect reduced perceived urgency as overdose presentations decreased and a shift away from crisis-driven implementation, underscoring the need for intentional integration of MOUD into routine ED practice to sustain treatment capacity.COVID-19opioid overdoseopioid use disorderMethadonebuprenorphineMOUDapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5rm2853thttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5rm2853t/qt5rm2853t.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.53227articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8r64f75j2026-07-31T12:17:14Zqt8r64f75jGenetic analysis of quantitative phenotypes in AD and MCI: imaging, cognition and biomarkersShen, LiThompson, Paul MPotkin, Steven GBertram, LarsFarrer, Lindsay AForoud, Tatiana MGreen, Robert CHu, XiaolanHuentelman, Matthew JKim, SungeunKauwe, John SKLi, QingqinLiu, EnchiMacciardi, FabioMoore, Jason HMunsie, LeanneNho, KwangsikRamanan, Vijay KRisacher, Shannon LStone, David JSwaminathan, ShankerToga, Arthur WWeiner, Michael WSaykin, Andrew Jfor the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative2014-06-01The Genetics Core of the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), formally established in 2009, aims to provide resources and facilitate research related to genetic predictors of multidimensional Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related phenotypes. Here, we provide a systematic review of genetic studies published between 2009 and 2012 where either ADNI APOE genotype or genome-wide association study (GWAS) data were used. We review and synthesize ADNI genetic associations with disease status or quantitative disease endophenotypes including structural and functional neuroimaging, fluid biomarker assays, and cognitive performance. We also discuss the diverse analytical strategies used in these studies, including univariate and multivariate analysis, meta-analysis, pathway analysis, and interaction and network analysis. Finally, we perform pathway and network enrichment analyses of these ADNI genetic associations to highlight key mechanisms that may drive disease onset and trajectory. Major ADNI findings included all the top 10 AD genes and several of these (e.g., APOE, BIN1, CLU, CR1, and PICALM) were corroborated by ADNI imaging, fluid and cognitive phenotypes. ADNI imaging genetics studies discovered novel findings (e.g., FRMD6) that were later replicated on different data sets. Several other genes (e.g., APOC1, FTO, GRIN2B, MAGI2, and TOMM40) were associated with multiple ADNI phenotypes, warranting further investigation on other data sets. The broad availability and wide scope of ADNI genetic and phenotypic data has advanced our understanding of the genetic basis of AD and has nominated novel targets for future studies employing next-generation sequencing and convergent multi-omics approaches, and for clinical drug and biomarker development.5202 Biological Psychology (for-2020)4202 Epidemiology (for-2020)42 Health Sciences (for-2020)52 Psychology (for-2020)Genetics (rcdc)Biomedical Imaging (rcdc)Acquired Cognitive Impairment (rcdc)Alzheimer's Disease (rcdc)Prevention (rcdc)Neurodegenerative (rcdc)Neurosciences (rcdc)Aging (rcdc)Human Genome (rcdc)Alzheimer's Disease including Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) (rcdc)Brain Disorders (rcdc)Dementia (rcdc)Biotechnology (rcdc)2.1 Biological and endogenous factors (hrcs-rac)4.1 Discovery and preclinical testing of markers and technologies (hrcs-rac)Neurological (hrcs-hc)Alzheimer Disease (mesh)Biomarkers (mesh)Cognition (mesh)Cognitive Dysfunction (mesh)Humans (mesh)Neuroimaging (mesh)Phenotype (mesh)Alzheimer's diseaseGenetic association studyQuantitative traitsNeuroimagingBiomarkerCognitionAlzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging InitiativeHumans (mesh)Alzheimer Disease (mesh)Cognition (mesh)Phenotype (mesh)Neuroimaging (mesh)Biomarkers (mesh)Cognitive Dysfunction (mesh)Alzheimer Disease (mesh)Biomarkers (mesh)Cognition (mesh)Cognitive Dysfunction (mesh)Humans (mesh)Neuroimaging (mesh)Phenotype (mesh)11 Medical and Health Sciences (for)17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences (for)Experimental Psychology (science-metrix)32 Biomedical and clinical sciences (for-2020)42 Health sciences (for-2020)52 Psychology (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8r64f75jhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8r64f75j/qt8r64f75j.pdfinfo:doi/10.1007/s11682-013-9262-zarticleBrain Imaging and Behavior, vol 8, iss 2183 - 207oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt29t582zg2026-07-31T12:17:14Zqt29t582zgEmergency Department-initiated Naltrexone for Alcohol Use Disorder: Association with RecidivismWarren, OtisGress, JeremiahLin, TimmyLippmann, MelanieBubly, Gary2026-07-16Introduction: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) contributes to significant healthcare costs, disease, emergency department (ED) crowding, and recidivism. Naltrexone is a treatment for AUD that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and holds promise as a pharmacologic intervention for ED patients with AUD. We hypothesized that subjects who received naltrexone in the ED would have associated reduced recidivism in the 30 days after treatment.
Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of an AUD quality program comparing ED visits in the 30 days before with 30 days after initiation of naltrexone in the ED. We performed this study at two academic hospitals (one a Level I trauma center) and one community hospital.
Results: A total of 297 subjects (median age 43 years, 69.5% male) made 331 naltrexone index visits during the study period. There was no difference in the number of ED visits before versus after the index visit among all subjects (0 median visits before [interquartile range 0-1] versus 0 median after [0-1]). Subjects who were frequent ED users (defined as ≥ 4 ED visits in the 90 days preceding (N=56 [16.9%]) had a significant reduction in ED visits after administration of naltrexone (median of 5 visits [3-8] before versus 3 [2,6] after), with 36 of these subjects (64.3%) having reduced ED visits in the 30 days after naltrexone administration.
Conclusion: Naltrexone administered in the emergency department had no associated change on the study population’s rates of recidivism for alcohol use disorder, but it was associated with reduced ED recidivism in subjects with high ED use. Naltrexonealcohol use disorderemergency departmentRecidivismapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/29t582zghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt29t582zg/qt29t582zg.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.52971articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3bt406672026-07-31T12:17:11Zqt3bt40667Reply: Regarding Racial Disparities in Door-to Clinician Time for Cardiac Chest PainAwad, Emad2026-07-18application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3bt40667https://escholarship.org/content/qt3bt40667/qt3bt40667.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.63979articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7gj9d33s2026-07-31T12:17:07Zqt7gj9d33sRegarding Racial Disparities in Door-to-Clinician Time for Cardiac Chest Pain in the Emergency DepartmentVentura, Christian Angelo I.Cabanilla, Ava D.Denton, Edward E.2026-06-28application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7gj9d33shttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7gj9d33s/qt7gj9d33s.pdfinfo:doi/10.5811/westjem.63931articleWestern Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, vol 27, iss 4oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1sj0862b2026-07-31T12:08:54Zqt1sj0862bContribution of dorsal horn CGRP-expressing interneurons to mechanical sensitivityLöken, Line SBraz, Joao MEtlin, AlexanderSadeghi, MahsaBernstein, MollieJewell, MadisonSteyert, MarilynKuhn, JuliaHamel, KatherineLlewellyn-Smith, Ida JBasbaum, Allan2021-01-01Primary sensory neurons are generally considered the only source of dorsal horn calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a neuropeptide critical to the transmission of pain messages. Using a tamoxifen-inducible CalcaCreER transgenic mouse, here we identified a distinct population of CGRP-expressing excitatory interneurons in lamina III of the spinal cord dorsal horn and trigeminal nucleus caudalis. These interneurons have spine-laden, dorsally directed, dendrites, and ventrally directed axons. As under resting conditions, CGRP interneurons are under tonic inhibitory control, neither innocuous nor noxious stimulation provoked significant Fos expression in these neurons. However, synchronous, electrical non-nociceptive Aβ primary afferent stimulation of dorsal roots depolarized the CGRP interneurons, consistent with their receipt of a VGLUT1 innervation. On the other hand, chemogenetic activation of the neurons produced a mechanical hypersensitivity in response to von Frey stimulation, whereas their caspase-mediated ablation led to mechanical hyposensitivity. Finally, after partial peripheral nerve injury, innocuous stimulation (brush) induced significant Fos expression in the CGRP interneurons. These findings suggest that CGRP interneurons become hyperexcitable and contribute either to ascending circuits originating in deep dorsal horn or to the reflex circuits in baseline conditions, but not in the setting of nerve injury.32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3209 Neurosciences (for-2020)3202 Clinical Sciences (for-2020)Pain Research (rcdc)Neurodegenerative (rcdc)Peripheral Neuropathy (rcdc)Chronic Pain (rcdc)Neurosciences (rcdc)1.1 Normal biological development and functioning (hrcs-rac)Neurological (hrcs-hc)Animals (mesh)BehaviorAnimal (mesh)Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (mesh)Disease ModelsAnimal (mesh)Hyperalgesia (mesh)Interneurons (mesh)MechanotransductionCellular (mesh)MiceInbred C57BL (mesh)MiceTransgenic (mesh)Neural Inhibition (mesh)Pain Threshold (mesh)Peripheral Nerve Injuries (mesh)Physical Stimulation (mesh)Posterior Horn Cells (mesh)Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos (mesh)Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 1 (mesh)Mice (mesh)Posterior Horn Cells (mesh)Interneurons (mesh)Animals (mesh)MiceInbred C57BL (mesh)MiceTransgenic (mesh)Mice (mesh)Hyperalgesia (mesh)Disease ModelsAnimal (mesh)Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (mesh)Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos (mesh)Physical Stimulation (mesh)BehaviorAnimal (mesh)Pain Threshold (mesh)MechanotransductionCellular (mesh)Neural Inhibition (mesh)Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 1 (mesh)Peripheral Nerve Injuries (mesh)CGRPinterneuronsmechanical sensitivitymouseneurosciencepainspinal cordtouchAnimals (mesh)BehaviorAnimal (mesh)Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (mesh)Disease ModelsAnimal (mesh)Hyperalgesia (mesh)Interneurons (mesh)MechanotransductionCellular (mesh)MiceInbred C57BL (mesh)MiceTransgenic (mesh)Neural Inhibition (mesh)Pain Threshold (mesh)Peripheral Nerve Injuries (mesh)Physical Stimulation (mesh)Posterior Horn Cells (mesh)Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos (mesh)Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 1 (mesh)Mice (mesh)0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology (for)31 Biological sciences (for-2020)32 Biomedical and clinical sciences (for-2020)42 Health sciences (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1sj0862bhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1sj0862b/qt1sj0862b.pdfinfo:doi/10.7554/elife.59751articleELIFE, vol 10e59751oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8778z9r62026-07-31T11:59:36Zqt8778z9r6Developmental associations between cognition and adaptive behavior in intellectual and developmental disabilityDakopolos, AndrewCondy, EmmaSmith, ElizabethHarvey, DanielleKaat, Aaron JColeman, JeanineRiley, KarenBerry-Kravis, ElizabethHessl, David2024-01-01BackgroundIntellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) are associated with both cognitive challenges and difficulties in conceptual, social, and practical areas of living, commonly referred to as adaptive behavior (DSM–5). Although cross-sectional associations between intelligence or cognition and adaptive behavior have been reported in IDD populations, no study to date has examined whether developmental changes in cognition contribute to or track with changes in adaptive behavior. The present study sought to examine associations of longitudinal developmental change in domains of cognition (NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery, NIHTB-CB) and adaptive behavior domains (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-3; VABS-3) including Socialization, Communication, and Daily Living Skills (DLS) over a two year period in a large sample of children, adolescents and young adults with IDD.MethodsThree groups were recruited, including those with fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, and other/idiopathic intellectual disability. Eligible participants (n = 263) included those who were between 6 and 26 years (mage = 15.52, sd = 5.17) at Visit 1, and who had a diagnosis of, or suspected intellectual disability (ID), including borderline ID, with a mental age of at least 3.0 years. Participants were given cognitive and adaptive behavior assessments at two time points over a two year period (m = 2.45 years, range = 1.27 to 5.56 years). In order to examine the association of developmental change between cognitive and adaptive behavior domains, bivariate latent change score (BLCS) models were fit to compare change in the three cognitive domains measured by the NIHTB-CB (Fluid Cognition, Crystallized Cognition, Total Cognition) and the three adaptive behavior domains measured by the VABS-3 (Communication, DLS, and Socialization).ResultsOver a two year period, change in cognition (both Crystallized and Total Composites) was significantly and positively associated with change in daily living skills. Also, baseline cognition level predicted growth in adaptive behavior, however baseline adaptive behavior did not predict growth in cognition in any model.ConclusionsThe present study demonstrated that developmental changes in cognition and adaptive behavior are associated in children and young adults with IDD, indicating the potential for cross-domain effects of intervention. Notably, improvements in DLS emerged as a primary area of adaptive behavior that positively related to improvements in cognition. This work provides evidence for the clinical, “real life” meaningfulness of changes in cognition detected by the NIHTB-CB in IDD, and provides empirical support for the NIHTB-CB as a fit-for-purpose performance-based outcome measure for this population.32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3209 Neurosciences (for-2020)Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) (rcdc)Mental Health (rcdc)Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Neurosciences (rcdc)Brain Disorders (rcdc)Basic Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Rare Diseases (rcdc)Clinical Research (rcdc)Pediatric Research Initiative (rcdc)Down Syndrome (rcdc)Mental health (hrcs-hc)4 Quality Education (sdg)Humans (mesh)Male (mesh)Child (mesh)Adolescent (mesh)Female (mesh)AdaptationPsychological (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)Adult (mesh)Intellectual Disability (mesh)Developmental Disabilities (mesh)Cognition (mesh)Longitudinal Studies (mesh)Activities of Daily Living (mesh)Socialization (mesh)Down Syndrome (mesh)Fragile X Syndrome (mesh)CognitionIntellectual and developmental disabilityNIH ToolboxFragile X syndromeDown syndromeAdaptive behaviorLatent changeStructural equation modelingLongitudinal studiesHumans (mesh)Down Syndrome (mesh)Fragile X Syndrome (mesh)Activities of Daily Living (mesh)Longitudinal Studies (mesh)AdaptationPsychological (mesh)Cognition (mesh)Developmental Disabilities (mesh)Socialization (mesh)Adolescent (mesh)Adult (mesh)Child (mesh)Female (mesh)Male (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)Intellectual Disability (mesh)Adaptive behaviorCognitionDown syndromeFragile X syndromeIntellectual and developmental disabilityLatent changeLongitudinal studiesNIH ToolboxStructural equation modelingHumans (mesh)Male (mesh)Child (mesh)Adolescent (mesh)Female (mesh)AdaptationPsychological (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)Adult (mesh)Intellectual Disability (mesh)Developmental Disabilities (mesh)Cognition (mesh)Longitudinal Studies (mesh)Activities of Daily Living (mesh)Socialization (mesh)Down Syndrome (mesh)Fragile X Syndrome (mesh)1109 Neurosciences (for)1701 Psychology (for)3209 Neurosciences (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8778z9r6https://escholarship.org/content/qt8778z9r6/qt8778z9r6.pdfinfo:doi/10.1186/s11689-024-09542-zarticleJournal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, vol 16, iss 131oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7k04d8q32026-07-31T11:59:32Zqt7k04d8q3Deviation scores: An innovative approach to interpreting cognitive test results for individuals with intellectual disabilitiesTalapatra, DevadritaSnider, LaurelColeman, JeanineThompson, TaliaReinhardt, Jessica SHessl, DavidRiley, Karen2023-11-01BACKGROUND: Students with Intellectual Disability undergo frequent cognitive testing. Testing with this population is limited by insensitivity to relative strengths and weaknesses due to floor effects.
AIM: The study explored the utility of deviation scores via four case studies as a supplement to educational decision-making.
METHODS: Four students with Intellectual Disability completed cognitive testing. Deviation scores were calculated using age dependent raw z-score transformations to determine deviation from the standardization sample norms.
RESULTS: The application of deviation scores highlighted true relative strengths and weaknesses for students with Intellectual Disability rather than documenting previously known deficits. The four cases studies illustrated where deviation scores could, or could not, add value above and beyond traditional scoring.
DISCUSSION: Deviation scores can supplement placement and service decisions for students. Practical and psychometric considerations are reviewed.
CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the usefulness of deviation scores in providing meaningful information to school- and clinic-based practitioners.5204 Cognitive and Computational Psychology (for-2020)52 Psychology (for-2020)Brain Disorders (rcdc)Mental Health (rcdc)Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) (rcdc)Mental health (hrcs-hc)4 Quality Education (sdg)Humans (mesh)Intellectual Disability (mesh)Neuropsychological Tests (mesh)Psychometrics (mesh)Schools (mesh)Students (mesh)cognitive testingdeviation scoreintellectual disabilityHumans (mesh)Neuropsychological Tests (mesh)Psychometrics (mesh)Schools (mesh)Students (mesh)Intellectual Disability (mesh)cognitive testingdeviation scoreintellectual disabilityHumans (mesh)Intellectual Disability (mesh)Neuropsychological Tests (mesh)Psychometrics (mesh)Schools (mesh)Students (mesh)1607 Social Work (for)1701 Psychology (for)1702 Cognitive Sciences (for)Rehabilitation (science-metrix)4203 Health services and systems (for-2020)5201 Applied and developmental psychology (for-2020)5203 Clinical and health psychology (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7k04d8q3https://escholarship.org/content/qt7k04d8q3/qt7k04d8q3.pdfinfo:doi/10.1111/jar.13137articleJournal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, vol 36, iss 61218 - 1228oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6b49w3pj2026-07-31T11:59:22Zqt6b49w3pjAssessing processing speed among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A match-to-sample paradigmKaat, Aaron JMcKenzie, Forrest JShields, Rebecca HLaForte, EricaColeman, JeanineMichalak, ClaireHessl, David R2022-01-02Speeded Matching (SpM) is a new processing speed match-to-sample test within the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery. It was designed to developmentally extend feasibility to younger children or individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). SpM reduces cognitive demands to tapping an identical match as opposed to judging and indicating whether two stimuli are identical. In this study, we piloted SpM among 148 participants with fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, or other intellectual disabilities (chronological age mean = 17.8 years, sd = 5.4; nonverbal mental age mean = 65 months, sd = 19.4). SpM had a high feasibility (96%) and internal consistency (rxx = 0.98). It converged well with other measures of processing speed, fluid cognition, and nonverbal mental age and diverged appropriately from crystallized cognitive skills. The correlation between nonverbal mental age and SpM in the IDD sample was not significantly different than the correlation between chronological age and SpM in a separate sample of 118 neurotypical children (age mean = 3.9 years sd = 0.8). This study provides initial evidence for the reliability and validity of the new SpM task, which may be appropriate as an outcome measure of processing speed for future clinical trials. It is more feasible than tasks designed for adults; it is brief, easy to administer, and engaging for young children and older individuals with lower mental ages associated with IDD.5202 Biological Psychology (for-2020)5204 Cognitive and Computational Psychology (for-2020)52 Psychology (for-2020)5201 Applied and Developmental Psychology (for-2020)Clinical Research (rcdc)Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) (rcdc)Brain Disorders (rcdc)Clinical Trials and Supportive Activities (rcdc)Mental Health (rcdc)Pediatric Research Initiative (rcdc)Rare Diseases (rcdc)Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Mental health (hrcs-hc)3 Good Health and Well Being (sdg)Adolescent (mesh)Adult (mesh)Aged80 and over (mesh)Child (mesh)ChildPreschool (mesh)Cognition (mesh)Developmental Disabilities (mesh)Humans (mesh)Intellectual Disability (mesh)Intelligence (mesh)Neuropsychological Tests (mesh)Reproducibility of Results (mesh)Processing speedfragile X syndromeDown syndromeNIH ToolboxcognitionHumans (mesh)Reproducibility of Results (mesh)Intelligence (mesh)Cognition (mesh)Developmental Disabilities (mesh)Neuropsychological Tests (mesh)Adolescent (mesh)Adult (mesh)Aged80 and over (mesh)Child (mesh)ChildPreschool (mesh)Intellectual Disability (mesh)Down syndromeNIH ToolboxProcessing speedcognitionfragile X syndromeAdolescent (mesh)Adult (mesh)Aged80 and over (mesh)Child (mesh)ChildPreschool (mesh)Cognition (mesh)Developmental Disabilities (mesh)Humans (mesh)Intellectual Disability (mesh)Intelligence (mesh)Neuropsychological Tests (mesh)Reproducibility of Results (mesh)11 Medical and Health Sciences (for)17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences (for)Operations Research (science-metrix)3213 Paediatrics (for-2020)5201 Applied and developmental psychology (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6b49w3pjhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6b49w3pj/qt6b49w3pj.pdfinfo:doi/10.1080/09297049.2021.1938987articleChild Neuropsychology, vol 28, iss 11 - 13oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt00k241wp2026-07-31T11:59:19Zqt00k241wpValidation of the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery in intellectual disabilityShields, Rebecca HKaat, Aaron JMcKenzie, Forrest JDrayton, AndreaSansone, Stephanie MColeman, JeanineMichalak, ClaireRiley, KarenBerry-Kravis, ElizabethGershon, Richard CWidaman, Keith FHessl, David2020-03-24OBJECTIVE: To advance the science of cognitive outcome measurement for individuals with intellectual disability (ID), we established administration guidelines and evaluated the psychometric properties of the NIH-Toolbox Cognitive Battery (NIHTB-CB) for use in clinical research.
METHODS: We assessed feasibility, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity of the NIHTB-CB (measuring executive function, processing speed, memory, and language) by assessing 242 individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS), Down syndrome (DS), and other ID, ages 6 through 25 years, with retesting completed after 1 month. To facilitate accessibility and measurement accuracy, we developed accommodations and standard assessment guidelines, documented in an e-manual. Finally, we assessed the sensitivity of the battery to expected syndrome-specific cognitive phenotypes.
RESULTS: Above a mental age of 5.0 years, all tests had excellent feasibility. More varied feasibility across tests was seen between mental ages of 3 and 4 years. Reliability and convergent validity ranged from moderate to strong. Each test and the Crystallized and Fluid Composite scores correlated moderately to strongly with IQ, and the Crystallized Composite had modest correlations with adaptive behavior. The NIHTB-CB showed known-groups validity by detecting expected executive function deficits in FXS and a receptive language deficit in DS.
CONCLUSION: The NIHTB-CB is a reliable and valid test battery for children and young adults with ID with a mental age of ≈5 years and above. Adaptations for very low-functioning or younger children with ID are needed for some subtests to expand the developmental range of the battery. Studies examining sensitivity to developmental and treatment changes are now warranted.32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3209 Neurosciences (for-2020)3202 Clinical Sciences (for-2020)Fragile X Syndrome (rcdc)Neurosciences (rcdc)Clinical Research (rcdc)Rare Diseases (rcdc)Pediatric Research Initiative (rcdc)Brain Disorders (rcdc)Mental Health (rcdc)Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) (rcdc)Basic Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Down Syndrome (rcdc)4.2 Evaluation of markers and technologies (hrcs-rac)Mental health (hrcs-hc)3 Good Health and Well Being (sdg)Adolescent (mesh)Adult (mesh)Child (mesh)ChildPreschool (mesh)Female (mesh)Humans (mesh)Intellectual Disability (mesh)Male (mesh)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (mesh)Neuropsychological Tests (mesh)Psychometrics (mesh)Reproducibility of Results (mesh)United States (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)Humans (mesh)Reproducibility of Results (mesh)Neuropsychological Tests (mesh)Psychometrics (mesh)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (mesh)Adolescent (mesh)Adult (mesh)Child (mesh)ChildPreschool (mesh)United States (mesh)Female (mesh)Male (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)Intellectual Disability (mesh)Adolescent (mesh)Adult (mesh)Child (mesh)ChildPreschool (mesh)Female (mesh)Humans (mesh)Intellectual Disability (mesh)Male (mesh)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (mesh)Neuropsychological Tests (mesh)Psychometrics (mesh)Reproducibility of Results (mesh)United States (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)1103 Clinical Sciences (for)1109 Neurosciences (for)1702 Cognitive Sciences (for)Neurology & Neurosurgery (science-metrix)3202 Clinical sciences (for-2020)3209 Neurosciences (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BY-NC-NDeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/00k241wphttps://escholarship.org/content/qt00k241wp/qt00k241wp.pdfinfo:doi/10.1212/wnl.0000000000009131articleNeurology, vol 94, iss 1210.1212/wnl.0000000000009131oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt2mk4m0jd2026-07-31T11:56:12Zqt2mk4m0jdSpecific domains of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) associated with improved adult health: A nationally representative studyLa Charite, JaimeKhan, MariamDudovitz, RebeccaNuckols, TerylSastry, NarayanHuang, CherLei, YvonneSchickedanz, Adam2023-12-01Background: Positive childhood experiences (PCEs) are supportive relationships and environments associated with improved health when aggregated into composite scores. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), a reciprocal measure to PCEs, are associated with worse health in aggregate scores and when disaggregated into measures of specific ACE types (hereafter domains). Understanding the associations between specific PCE domains and health, while accounting for ACEs, may direct investigations and intervention planning to foster PCE exposure.
Methods: We analyzed data from the nationally representative United States longitudinal Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Five PCE domains were examined: (i) peer support and healthy school climate, (ii) neighborhood safety, (iii) neighborhood support, and nurturing relationships with (iv) maternal and (v) paternal figures. Survey weighted logistic regression models tested associations between each PCE domain measure and adult general health rating, controlling for demographic covariates and nine ACE exposures: physical, emotional, or sexual abuse/assault; emotional neglect; witnessing intimate partner violence or household substance use; having a parent with mental illness; any parental separation or divorce; and/or having a deceased or estranged parent. Secondary outcomes included adult functional status and mental and physical health diagnoses. We also tested for statistical interactions between PCE domain and ACE score measures.
Results: The sample included 7105 adults. Higher scores for the "peer support and healthy school climate" and "neighborhood safety" domain measures showed the most protective relationships with the adverse health conditions tested, most notably for mental illness. The relationship between PCE domain measures and health outcomes was attenuated, but not statistically moderated by ACE exposure.
Conclusion: Experiencing childhood peer support, a healthy school climate, and neighborhood safety were especially protective against multiple adult health conditions, including for ACE exposed individuals. Interventions that promote PCEs may yield population health gains.4206 Public Health (for-2020)42 Health Sciences (for-2020)44 Human Society (for-2020)Basic Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Brain Disorders (rcdc)Social Determinants of Health (rcdc)Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Mental Illness (rcdc)Violence Research (rcdc)Pediatric Research Initiative (rcdc)Mental Health (rcdc)Mental health (hrcs-hc)3 Good Health and Well Being (sdg)Positive childhood experiencesAdverse childhood experiencesSelf-rated healthMental healthSchoolNeighborhoodAdverse childhood experiencesMental healthNeighborhoodPositive childhood experiencesSchoolSelf-rated health1117 Public Health and Health Services (for)4202 Epidemiology (for-2020)4206 Public health (for-2020)4410 Sociology (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BY-NC-NDeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/2mk4m0jdhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt2mk4m0jd/qt2mk4m0jd.pdfinfo:doi/10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101558articleSSM - Population Health, vol 24101558oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9qt8b8md2026-07-31T11:55:21Zqt9qt8b8mdComplementary biomolecular coassemblies direct energy transport for cardiac photostimulatorsYao, Ze-FanLim, SujeungKuang, YuyaoLundqvist, Emil MCelt, NatalieChung, Caleb OLee, Kathryn KNguyen, KrystalLe, LanieTang, Sheng WeiMilligan, Griffin MKohl, PhillipSudarshan, Tarunya RaoLi, YouliEguchi, AsukaParavastu, Anant KZaragoza, Michael VFishman, Dmitry AArdoña, Herdeline Ann M2025-09-09Charge and energy transport within living systems are fundamental processes that enable the autonomous function of excitable cells and tissues. To date, localized control of these transport processes has been enabled by genetic modification approaches to render light sensitivity to cells. Here, we present peptidic nanoassemblies as constituents of a cardiac biomaterial platform that leverages complementary sequence interactions to direct photoinduced energy transport at the cellular interface. Photophysical characterizations and conductivity measurements confirm the occurrence of energy/charge transfer and photocurrent generation upon optical excitation in both dry and electrolytic environments. Comparing an electrostatic sequence pair against a sequence-matched donor-acceptor coassembly, we demonstrate that the sequence design with charge complementarity shows more prominent photocurrent behavior. With the flanking bioadhesive units, the primary and stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes interfaced with covalently stabilized films of the optoelectronic nanostructures exhibited material-stimulated genotypic, structural, or functional cardiac features. Collectively, our findings introduce an optoelectronic cardiac biomaterial where coassembled peptide nanostructures are molecularly designed to induce light sensitivity in excitable cells without gene modification, influencing in vitro cardiac contractile behavior and expression of cardiac markers.3403 Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry (for-2020)40 Engineering (for-2020)34 Chemical Sciences (for-2020)Biotechnology (rcdc)Heart Disease (rcdc)Bioengineering (rcdc)Stem Cell Research (rcdc)Cardiovascular (rcdc)7 Affordable and Clean Energy (sdg)MyocytesCardiac (mesh)Animals (mesh)Nanostructures (mesh)Peptides (mesh)Energy Transfer (mesh)Biocompatible Materials (mesh)Light (mesh)photostimulationcardiac tissue engineeringself-assemblypeptide nanostructuresbiomaterialsMyocytesCardiac (mesh)Animals (mesh)Peptides (mesh)Biocompatible Materials (mesh)Energy Transfer (mesh)Light (mesh)Nanostructures (mesh)biomaterialscardiac tissue engineeringpeptide nanostructuresphotostimulationself-assemblyMyocytesCardiac (mesh)Animals (mesh)Nanostructures (mesh)Peptides (mesh)Energy Transfer (mesh)Biocompatible Materials (mesh)Light (mesh)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9qt8b8mdhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9qt8b8md/qt9qt8b8md.pdfinfo:doi/10.1073/pnas.2509467122articleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol 122, iss 36e2509467122oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt32t6k24n2026-07-31T11:43:20Zqt32t6k24n“Housing Is Health Care”: Treating Homelessness in Safety‐net HospitalsHanssmann, ChristophShim, Janet KYen, Irene HFleming, Mark DVan Natta, MeredithThompson‐Lastad, ArianaRasidjan, Maryani PalupyBurke, Nancy J2022-03-01As medicine integrates social and structural determinants into health care, some health workers redefine housing as medical treatment. This article discusses how health workers in two U.S. urban safety-net hospitals worked with patients without stable housing. We observed ethnographically how health workers helped patients seek housing in a sharply stratified housing economy. Analyzing in-depth interviews and observations, we show how health workers: (1) understood housing as health care and navigated limits of individual care in a structurally produced housing crisis; and (2) developed and enacted practices of biomedical and sociopolitical stabilization, including eligibilizing and data-tracking work. We discuss how health workers bridged individually focused techniques of clinical care with structural critiques of stratified housing economies despite contradictions in this approach. Finally, we analyze the implications of providers' extension of medical stabilization into social, economic, and political realms, even as they remained caught in the structural dynamics they sought to address.4406 Human Geography (for-2020)4407 Policy and Administration (for-2020)44 Human Society (for-2020)Social Determinants of Health (rcdc)Health Services (rcdc)Clinical Research (rcdc)8.1 Organisation and delivery of services (hrcs-rac)Generic health relevance (hrcs-hc)AnthropologyMedical (mesh)Health Personnel (mesh)Ill-Housed Persons (mesh)Housing (mesh)Humans (mesh)Safety-net Providers (mesh)homelessnesshousinghospitalsmarginalized populationsinequityHumans (mesh)Housing (mesh)Health Personnel (mesh)AnthropologyMedical (mesh)Safety-net Providers (mesh)Ill-Housed Persons (mesh)homelessnesshospitalshousinginequitymarginalized populationsAnthropologyMedical (mesh)Health Personnel (mesh)Ill-Housed Persons (mesh)Housing (mesh)Humans (mesh)Safety-net Providers (mesh)1601 Anthropology (for)Public Health (science-metrix)4401 Anthropology (for-2020)4410 Sociology (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/32t6k24nhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt32t6k24n/qt32t6k24n.pdfinfo:doi/10.1111/maq.12665articleMedical Anthropology Quarterly, vol 36, iss 144 - 63oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0569n02q2026-07-31T11:39:45Zqt0569n02qNoise limits for dc SQUID readout of high-Q resonators below 300 MHzAnkel, VBartram, CBegin, JBell, CBrouwer, LChaudhuri, SClarke, JohnCho, H-MCorbin, JCraddock, WCuadra, SDroster, ADurkin, MEchevers, JFry, JTHilton, GIrwin, KDKeller, AKolevatov, RKunder, ALi, DOtto, NPappas, KMWRapidis, NMSalemi, CPSchmidt, DSimanovskaia, MSingh, JStark, PTesche, CDUllom, JVale, Lvan Assendelft, ECvan Bibber, KVissers, MWells, KWiedemann, JWinslow, LWright, DYi, AKYoung, BA2025-09-07We present the limits on noise for the readout of cryogenic high-Q resonators using dc Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs) below 300 MHz. This analysis uses realized first-stage SQUIDs (previously published), whose performance is well described by Tesche–Clarke (TC) theory, coupled directly to the resonators. We also present data from a prototype second-stage dc SQUID array designed to couple to this first-stage SQUID as a follow-on amplifier with high system bandwidth. This analysis is the first full consideration of dc SQUID noise performance referred to a high-Q resonator over this frequency range and is presented relative to the standard quantum limit. We include imprecision, backaction, and backaction–imprecision noise correlations from TC theory, the noise contributed by the second-stage SQUIDs, wiring, and preamplifiers, and optimizations for both on-resonance measurements and off-resonance scan sensitivity. This architecture has modern relevance due to the increased interest in axion searches and the requirements of the DMRadio-m3 axion search, which uses dc SQUIDs in this frequency range.51 Physical Sciences (for-2020)5104 Condensed Matter Physics (for-2020)ATAP-GENERAL (c-lbnl-label)ATAP-2025 (c-lbnl-label)ATAP-SMP (c-lbnl-label)01 Mathematical Sciences (for)02 Physical Sciences (for)09 Engineering (for)Applied Physics (science-metrix)40 Engineering (for-2020)49 Mathematical sciences (for-2020)51 Physical sciences (for-2020)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0569n02qhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0569n02q/qt0569n02q.pdfinfo:doi/10.1063/5.0280831articleJournal of Applied Physics, vol 138, iss 9094505oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5fc2k9r22026-07-31T11:31:23Zqt5fc2k9r2Shapes and vorticities of superfluid helium nanodropletsGomez, Luis FFerguson, Ken RCryan, James PBacellar, CamilaTanyag, Rico Mayro PJones, CurtisSchorb, SebastianAnielski, DenisBelkacem, AliBernando, CharlesBoll, RebeccaBozek, JohnCarron, SebastianChen, GangDelmas, TjarkEnglert, LarsEpp, Sascha WErk, BenjaminFoucar, LutzHartmann, RobertHexemer, AlexanderHuth, MartinKwok, JustinLeone, Stephen RMa, Jonathan HSMaia, Filipe RNCMalmerberg, ErikMarchesini, StefanoNeumark, Daniel MPoon, BillyPrell, JamesRolles, DanielRudek, BenediktRudenko, ArtemSeifrid, MartinSiefermann, Katrin RSturm, Felix PSwiggers, MicheleUllrich, JoachimWeise, FabianZwart, PetrusBostedt, ChristophGessner, OliverVilesov, Andrey F2014-08-22Helium nanodroplets are considered ideal model systems to explore quantum hydrodynamics in self-contained, isolated superfluids. However, exploring the dynamic properties of individual droplets is experimentally challenging. In this work, we used single-shot femtosecond x-ray coherent diffractive imaging to investigate the rotation of single, isolated superfluid helium-4 droplets containing ~10(8) to 10(11) atoms. The formation of quantum vortex lattices inside the droplets is confirmed by observing characteristic Bragg patterns from xenon clusters trapped in the vortex cores. The vortex densities are up to five orders of magnitude larger than those observed in bulk liquid helium. The droplets exhibit large centrifugal deformations but retain axially symmetric shapes at angular velocities well beyond the stability range of viscous classical droplets.5108 Quantum Physics (for-2020)34 Chemical Sciences (for-2020)5102 AtomicMolecular and Optical Physics (for-2020)51 Physical Sciences (for-2020)General Science & Technology (science-metrix)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5fc2k9r2https://escholarship.org/content/qt5fc2k9r2/qt5fc2k9r2.pdfinfo:doi/10.1126/science.1252395articleScience, vol 345, iss 6199906 - 909oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1qs1c3nk2026-07-31T11:27:40Zqt1qs1c3nkPrestoCell: A persistence-based clustering approach for rapid and robust segmentation of cellular morphology in three-dimensional dataWu, YueBrust-Mascher, IngridGareau, Melanie GDe Loera, Jesus AReardon, ColinNeueder, Andreas2024-01-01Light microscopy methods have continued to advance allowing for unprecedented analysis of various cell types in tissues including the brain. Although the functional state of some cell types such as microglia can be determined by morphometric analysis, techniques to perform robust, quick, and accurate measurements have not kept pace with the amount of imaging data that can now be generated. Most of these image segmentation tools are further burdened by an inability to assess structures in three-dimensions. Despite the rise of machine learning techniques, the nature of some biological structures prevents the training of several current day implementations. Here we present PrestoCell, a novel use of persistence-based clustering to segment cells in light microscopy images, as a customized Python-based tool that leverages the free multidimensional image viewer Napari. In evaluating and comparing PrestoCell to several existing tools, including 3DMorph, Omipose, and Imaris, we demonstrate that PrestoCell produces image segmentations that rival these solutions. In particular, our use of cell nuclei information resulted in the ability to correctly segment individual cells that were interacting with one another to increase accuracy. These benefits are in addition to the simplified graphically based user refinement of cell masks that does not require expensive commercial software licenses. We further demonstrate that PrestoCell can complete image segmentation in large samples from light sheet microscopy, allowing quantitative analysis of these large datasets. As an open-source program that leverages freely available visualization software, with minimum computer requirements, we believe that PrestoCell can significantly increase the ability of users without data or computer science expertise to perform complex image analysis.46 Information and Computing Sciences (for-2020)31 Biological Sciences (for-2020)3102 Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (for-2020)Brain Disorders (rcdc)Neurosciences (rcdc)Bioengineering (rcdc)Biomedical Imaging (rcdc)Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (rcdc)Networking and Information Technology R&D (NITRD) (rcdc)Generic health relevance (hrcs-hc)Brain (mesh)Cell Nucleus (mesh)Cluster Analysis (mesh)Image ProcessingComputer-Assisted (mesh)Machine Learning (mesh)Brain (mesh)Cell Nucleus (mesh)Cluster Analysis (mesh)Image ProcessingComputer-Assisted (mesh)Machine Learning (mesh)Brain (mesh)Cell Nucleus (mesh)Cluster Analysis (mesh)Image ProcessingComputer-Assisted (mesh)Machine Learning (mesh)General Science & Technology (science-metrix)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1qs1c3nkhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt1qs1c3nk/qt1qs1c3nk.pdfinfo:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0299006articlePLOS ONE, vol 19, iss 2e0299006oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4dc9w9252026-07-31T11:27:28Zqt4dc9w925Drug development for neurodevelopmental disorders: lessons learned from fragile X syndromeBerry-Kravis, Elizabeth MLindemann, LotharJønch, Aia EApostol, GeorgeBear, Mark FCarpenter, Randall LCrawley, Jacqueline NCurie, AuroreDes Portes, VincentHossain, FarahGasparini, FabrizioGomez-Mancilla, BaltazarHessl, DavidLoth, EvaScharf, Sebastian HWang, Paul PVon Raison, FlorianHagerman, RandiSpooren, WillJacquemont, Sébastien2018-04-01Key PointsFragile X syndrome is a monogenic neurodevelopmental disorder associated with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders.Animal models have provided insights into the neurobiological mechanisms and enabled the identification of novel drug targets.Promising targets include metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5), GABA receptors and proteins that are regulated or regulate fragile X mental retardation protein 1 (FMRP).Many compounds have been extensively investigated in preclinical studies and are able to rescue altered levels of protein synthesis, synaptic plasticity and behaviour. Behavioural phenotypes in Fmr1-knockout mice are difficult to measure, and the rescue of these deficits has been inconsistent across these different drugs.Subsequent clinical trials in humans were unable to demonstrate any improvement using behavioural measures as primary end points.Objective measures of core phenotypes such as direct assessments of cognition and language rather than secondary behaviours need to be implemented in future trials.Very young patients have not yet been included in clinical trials, and this may be the only group in which effects of a disease-modifying agent targeting cognition and development can be seen. Efforts may need to be redirected towards the implementation of longer trials in younger children accompanied by learning interventions measuring cognitive and developmental outcomes.3214 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences (for-2020)32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)Fragile X Syndrome (rcdc)Rare Diseases (rcdc)Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Mental Health (rcdc)Orphan Drug (rcdc)Neurosciences (rcdc)Autism (rcdc)Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) (rcdc)Brain Disorders (rcdc)Pediatric Research Initiative (rcdc)2.1 Biological and endogenous factors (hrcs-rac)5.1 Pharmaceuticals (hrcs-rac)Mental health (hrcs-hc)Neurological (hrcs-hc)Animals (mesh)Clinical Trials as Topic (mesh)Drug Development (mesh)Drug EvaluationPreclinical (mesh)Fragile X Syndrome (mesh)Humans (mesh)Neurodevelopmental Disorders (mesh)Neurotransmitter Agents (mesh)Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic (mesh)Animals (mesh)Humans (mesh)Fragile X Syndrome (mesh)Neurotransmitter Agents (mesh)Drug EvaluationPreclinical (mesh)Clinical Trials as Topic (mesh)Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic (mesh)Neurodevelopmental Disorders (mesh)Drug Development (mesh)Animals (mesh)Clinical Trials as Topic (mesh)Drug Development (mesh)Drug EvaluationPreclinical (mesh)Fragile X Syndrome (mesh)Humans (mesh)Neurodevelopmental Disorders (mesh)Neurotransmitter Agents (mesh)Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic (mesh)06 Biological Sciences (for)11 Medical and Health Sciences (for)Pharmacology & Pharmacy (science-metrix)31 Biological sciences (for-2020)32 Biomedical and clinical sciences (for-2020)42 Health sciences (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4dc9w925https://escholarship.org/content/qt4dc9w925/qt4dc9w925.pdfinfo:doi/10.1038/nrd.2017.221articleNature Reviews Drug Discovery, vol 17, iss 4280 - 299oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt47z356dm2026-07-31T11:27:24Zqt47z356dmUsing the NIH Toolbox to Assess Cognition in Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum DisordersSolomon, MarjorieGordon, AndrewIosif, Ana‐MariaGeddert, RaphaelKrug, Marie KMundy, PeterHessl, David2021-03-01Despite the clinically significant impact of executive dysfunction on the outcomes of adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), we lack a clear understanding of its prevalence, profile, and development. To address this gap, we administered the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery to a cross-sectional Intelligence Quotient (IQ) case-matched cohort with ASD (n = 66) and typical development (TD; n = 66) ages 12-22. We used a general linear model framework to examine group differences in task performance and their associations with age. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify subgroups of individuals with similar cognitive profiles. Compared to IQ case-matched controls, ASD demonstrated poorer performance on inhibitory control (P < 0.001), cognitive flexibility (P < 0.001), episodic memory (P < 0.02), and processing speed (P < 0.001) (components of Fluid Cognition), but not on vocabulary or word reading (components of Crystallized Cognition). There was a significant positive association between age and Crystallized and Fluid Cognition in both groups. For Fluid (but not Crystallized) Cognition, ASD performed more poorly than TD at all ages. A four-group LPA model based on subtest scores best fit the data. Eighty percent of ASD belonged to two groups that exhibited relatively stronger Crystallized versus Fluid Cognition. Attention deficits were not associated with Toolbox subtest scores, but were lowest in the group with the lowest proportion of autistic participants. Adaptive functioning was poorer in the groups with the greatest proportion of autistic participants. Autistic persons are especially impaired on Fluid Cognition, and this more flexible form of thinking remains poorer in the ASD group through adolescence. LAY SUMMARY: A set of brief tests of cognitive functioning called the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery was administered to adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD; n = 66) and typical development (TD; n = 66) ages 12-22 years. Compared to TD, ASD showed poorer performance in inhibiting responses, acting flexibly, memorizing events, and processing information quickly (Fluid Cognition). Groups did not differ on vocabulary or word reading (Crystallized Cognition). Crystallized and Fluid Cognition increased with age in both groups, but the ASD group showed lower Fluid, but not Crystallized, Cognition than TD at all ages. A categorization analysis including all participants showed that most participants with ASD fell into one of two categories: a group characterized by poor performance across all tasks, or a group characterized by relatively stronger Crystallized compared to Fluid Cognition. Adaptive functioning was poorer for participants in these groups, which consisted of mostly individuals with ASD, while ADHD symptoms were lowest in the group with the greatest proportion of TD participants.5202 Biological Psychology (for-2020)32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)52 Psychology (for-2020)Autism (rcdc)Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) (rcdc)Basic Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Clinical Research (rcdc)Mental Health (rcdc)Behavioral and Social Science (rcdc)Pediatric Research Initiative (rcdc)Brain Disorders (rcdc)Neurosciences (rcdc)2.1 Biological and endogenous factors (hrcs-rac)2.3 Psychologicalsocial and economic factors (hrcs-rac)Mental health (hrcs-hc)Adolescent (mesh)Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity (mesh)Autism Spectrum Disorder (mesh)Child (mesh)Cognition (mesh)Cross-Sectional Studies (mesh)Female (mesh)Humans (mesh)Intelligence Tests (mesh)Male (mesh)Neuropsychological Tests (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)executive controlcognitive controlexecutive functionsadolescentsyoung adultsNIH Toolboxlatent profile analysisadultsphenotypessubtypes of ASDHumans (mesh)Cross-Sectional Studies (mesh)Cognition (mesh)Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity (mesh)Intelligence Tests (mesh)Neuropsychological Tests (mesh)Adolescent (mesh)Child (mesh)Female (mesh)Male (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)Autism Spectrum Disorder (mesh)NIH Toolboxadolescentsadultscognitive controlexecutive controlexecutive functionslatent profile analysisphenotypessubtypes of ASDyoung adultsAdolescent (mesh)Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity (mesh)Autism Spectrum Disorder (mesh)Child (mesh)Cognition (mesh)Cross-Sectional Studies (mesh)Female (mesh)Humans (mesh)Intelligence Tests (mesh)Male (mesh)Neuropsychological Tests (mesh)Young Adult (mesh)1103 Clinical Sciences (for)1109 Neurosciences (for)1701 Psychology (for)Developmental & Child Psychology (science-metrix)3209 Neurosciences (for-2020)5201 Applied and developmental psychology (for-2020)5203 Clinical and health psychology (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/47z356dmhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt47z356dm/qt47z356dm.pdfinfo:doi/10.1002/aur.2399articleAutism Research, vol 14, iss 3500 - 511oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0rn0623z2026-07-31T11:24:08Zqt0rn0623zDifferent paths, same destination: divergent action potential responses produce conserved cardiac fight‐or‐flight response in mouse and rabbit heartsWang, LianguoMorotti, StefanoTapa, SrinivasStuart, Samantha D FrancisJiang, YanyanWang, ZhenMyles, Rachel CBrack, Kieran ENg, G AndréBers, Donald MGrandi, EleonoraRipplinger, Crystal M2019-08-01KEY POINTS: Cardiac electrophysiology and Ca2+ handling change rapidly during the fight-or-flight response to meet physiological demands. Despite dramatic differences in cardiac electrophysiology, the cardiac fight-or-flight response is highly conserved across species. In this study, we performed physiological sympathetic nerve stimulation (SNS) while optically mapping cardiac action potentials and intracellular Ca2+ transients in innervated mouse and rabbit hearts. Despite similar heart rate and Ca2+ handling responses between mouse and rabbit hearts, we found notable species differences in spatio-temporal repolarization dynamics during SNS. Species-specific computational models revealed that these electrophysiological differences allowed for enhanced Ca2+ handling (i.e. enhanced inotropy) in each species, suggesting that electrophysiological responses are fine-tuned across species to produce optimal cardiac fight-or-flight responses.
ABSTRACT: Sympathetic activation of the heart results in positive chronotropy and inotropy, which together rapidly increase cardiac output. The precise mechanisms that produce the electrophysiological and Ca2+ handling changes underlying chronotropic and inotropic responses have been studied in detail in isolated cardiac myocytes. However, few studies have examined the dynamic effects of physiological sympathetic nerve activation on cardiac action potentials (APs) and intracellular Ca2+ transients (CaTs) in the intact heart. Here, we performed bilateral sympathetic nerve stimulation (SNS) in fully innervated, Langendorff-perfused rabbit and mouse hearts. Dual optical mapping with voltage- and Ca2+ -sensitive dyes allowed for analysis of spatio-temporal AP and CaT dynamics. The rabbit heart responded to SNS with a monotonic increase in heart rate (HR), monotonic decreases in AP and CaT duration (APD, CaTD), and a monotonic increase in CaT amplitude. The mouse heart had similar HR and CaT responses; however, a pronounced biphasic APD response occurred, with initial prolongation (50.9 ± 5.1 ms at t = 0 s vs. 60.6 ± 4.1 ms at t = 15 s, P < 0.05) followed by shortening (46.5 ± 9.1 ms at t = 60 s, P = NS vs. t = 0). We determined the biphasic APD response in mouse was partly due to dynamic changes in HR during SNS and was exacerbated by β-adrenergic activation. Simulations with species-specific cardiac models revealed that transient APD prolongation in mouse allowed for greater and more rapid CaT responses, suggesting more rapid increases in contractility; conversely, the rabbit heart requires APD shortening to produce optimal inotropic responses. Thus, while the cardiac fight-or-flight response is highly conserved between species, the underlying mechanisms orchestrating these effects differ significantly.3208 Medical Physiology (for-2020)32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)Heart Disease (rcdc)Neurosciences (rcdc)Cardiovascular (rcdc)Cardiovascular (hrcs-hc)Action Potentials (mesh)Animals (mesh)Calcium Signaling (mesh)Heart (mesh)Heart Rate (mesh)Male (mesh)Mice (mesh)MiceInbred C57BL (mesh)ModelsCardiovascular (mesh)Myocardial Contraction (mesh)Rabbits (mesh)StressPhysiological (mesh)Sympathetic Nervous System (mesh)Optical mappingsympathetic activationintracellular Ca2+action potentialmathematical modellingHeart (mesh)Sympathetic Nervous System (mesh)Animals (mesh)MiceInbred C57BL (mesh)Rabbits (mesh)Mice (mesh)Calcium Signaling (mesh)Action Potentials (mesh)Heart Rate (mesh)Myocardial Contraction (mesh)ModelsCardiovascular (mesh)Male (mesh)StressPhysiological (mesh)Optical mappingaction potentialintracellular Ca2+mathematical modellingsympathetic activationAction Potentials (mesh)Animals (mesh)Calcium Signaling (mesh)Heart (mesh)Heart Rate (mesh)Male (mesh)Mice (mesh)MiceInbred C57BL (mesh)ModelsCardiovascular (mesh)Myocardial Contraction (mesh)Rabbits (mesh)StressPhysiological (mesh)Sympathetic Nervous System (mesh)06 Biological Sciences (for)11 Medical and Health Sciences (for)Physiology (science-metrix)31 Biological sciences (for-2020)32 Biomedical and clinical sciences (for-2020)42 Health sciences (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0rn0623zhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt0rn0623z/qt0rn0623z.pdfinfo:doi/10.1113/jp278016articleThe Journal of Physiology, vol 597, iss 153867 - 3883oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5g96632f2026-07-31T11:10:08Zqt5g96632fA Case Report of a 36-year-old Male Diagnosed with a Spontaneous Coronary Artery DissectionDeWitt, StephenMcClinton, JacobJarrell, Daniel2026-01-31This case report discusses a 36-year-old male who presented to the emergency department with an atypical story for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Initially, the patient was felt to have a non-diagnostic electrocardiogram (ECG). Once the laboratory test results were obtained and the initial high-sensitivity troponin was noted to be elevated, the initial ECG was again reviewed. The patient was felt this time to have an abnormal ECG, demonstrating borderline ST elevation in leads I, aVL, and V2-V5. The interventional cardiologist on call was contacted, and the cardiac catheterization lab was activated. Upon left heart catheterization, the patient was found to have a spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) of the distal left anterior descending (LAD) artery. Post-catheterization, the patient was observed on cardiac telemetry and started on dual antiplatelet therapy. Echocardiogram revealed a preserved ejection fraction (EF), but hypokinesis of the apical anterior, anterolateral, inferior, and apical myocardium. The patient was discharged within 48 hours without any complications.electrocardiogramEKGcardiologyacute coronary syndromespontaneous coronary artery dissectionSCADapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5g96632fhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5g96632f/qt5g96632f.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52022articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3mv231np2026-07-31T11:10:03Zqt3mv231npOpen Chest Wound with Sternal Fracture in the Emergency Department, a Case ReportOrtego, AlexandraSharma, Vivek2026-01-31This case highlights a rare and complex occurrence of an open chest wound with a pathologic sternal fracture. This resulted from a combination of remote chest trauma, chronic chest wall infection, malignancy, and ultimately, sternal osteomyelitis. A 69-year-old male presented with a large, open anterior chest wound, chronic ulceration, and weight loss. Thirty years earlier, the patient had sustained trauma from a firecracker, which led to a chronic wound for which he did not seek medical attention. Physical exam revealed a large open chest wound with an open sternal fracture and exposed pericardium. The patient underwent surgical resection, followed by chest wall reconstruction using a rectus myocutaneous flap. Tissue pathology confirmed squamous cell carcinoma and osteomyelitis of the sternum.
The case demonstrates the complexity of managing a large chronic chest wound and pathologic sternal fracture secondary to malignancy and osteomyelitis. The key lesson is the importance of early medical evaluation and a multidisciplinary approach to improve outcomes in similar scenarios. The rarity of this case emphasizes the need for heightened awareness among clinicians who may encounter earlier presentations of this disease process in order to prevent complications, such as osteomyelitis, pathological fractures and structural instability of the chest wall.
open sternal fractureopen chest woundchest wall malignancysquamous cell carcinomaSternal osteomyelitischronic chest wall infectionapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3mv231nphttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3mv231np/qt3mv231np.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52202articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7425245k2026-07-31T11:09:58Zqt7425245kA Case Report of an Atypical Presentation of Fournier’s GangreneNoori, ElahaDavis, KonnorRigdon, TylerSpiegelman, Lindsey2026-01-31Fournier’s gangrene is a well-established surgical emergency as patients can decompensate rapidly, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. We describe a case in which a 54-year-old medically complex male presented to the emergency department (ED) with a primary complaint of abdominal pain after a therapeutic paracentesis was performed by interventional radiology just prior to arrival. Upon further questioning, the patient reported scrotal pain that had developed over three to four days. On exam, the patient was well-appearing although he did have scattered scrotal masses with chalky white purulence. Given the relatively quick development, an atypical presentation of Fournier’s gangrene was suspected, and the patient was started on antibiotics with urology immediately consulted. Imaging was concerning for subcutaneous gas. The patient was subsequently taken to the operating room (OR) for debridement, where Fournier’s gangrene was confirmed by surgical investigation and culture. Significant lessons from the case include the importance of early identification of Fournier’s gangrene and having a low threshold to start treatment in coordination with a surgical service for atypical presentations.Fournier’s gangreneBilateral Epididymitisscrotal painUrologic emergencyrenal transplantapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7425245khttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7425245k/qt7425245k.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52203articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0sw5g3k92026-07-31T11:09:54Zqt0sw5g3k9Effects of Volume Overload: A Case Report of an Edema BullaMorris, JaromSommer, MatthewBraun, FelixKlapthor, BrentBeaulieu, AllisonFix, Megan2026-01-31We present a case of a 75-year-old female with a history of congestive heart failure who developed a large edema bulla on her right shin after running out of her home medications. The patient presented with swelling and a rapidly enlarging bulla that reached the size of a grapefruit. Physical examination revealed bilateral pitting edema and a 10 x 10 cm bulla filled with serous fluid. Dermatology was consulted, confirming the diagnosis of edema bulla secondary to acute volume overload. The bulla was drained in the emergency department, and the patient was discharged with wound care instructions, including the application of petroleum jelly and vinegar compresses. Follow-up three months later showed significant healing. This case highlights the importance of recognizing edema bullae in patients and managing the underlying fluid overload. This case report specifically demonstrates that edema bullae can present at sizes larger than the 1-5 cm range described in existing literature.bullaVesicleDermatologyBlisterapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0sw5g3k9https://escholarship.org/content/qt0sw5g3k9/qt0sw5g3k9.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52206articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt86j473212026-07-31T11:09:50Zqt86j47321A Case Report of Carotid Cavernous Fistula: A Commonly Missed DiagnosisMa, Rosalind WuHarris, Dustin2026-01-31Orbital compartment syndrome (OCS) is an ophthalmologic emergency due to an acute rise in intra-orbital pressure and can result in permanent vision loss, oftentimes requiring emergent surgical decompression. Orbital compartment syndrome most commonly occurs due to recent trauma and is often easily diagnosed by history and physical exam. However, there are other causes of OCS where a more subacute/chronic rise in pressure can lead to an atypical presentation. This is a case report of a 48-year-old male who presented with left eye pain and swelling for the past 6 months. The patient had seen two ophthalmologists prior to his emergency department (ED) presentation who had prescribed him an antibiotic ointment, oral steroids, and steroid eye drops. The physical exam in the ED was concerning for increased intra-ocular pressure (IOP) and decreased vision. Ophthalmology was consulted and requested magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) to assess a vascular etiology given tortuous retinal vasculature. Emergent surgical decompression was deferred due to chronicity of symptoms, and patient was started on dorzolamide/timolol and brimonidine eye drops as well as intravenous (IV) acetazolamide with subsequent improvement in IOP. Imaging revealed a left carotid-cavernous sinus fistula (CCF), and the patient was admitted to neurosurgery. Patient successfully had an embolization with subsequent normalization of IOP and improvement of symptoms. This case is a good example of how non-traumatic causes of OCS can lead to misdiagnosis and how surgical decompression could potentially be deferred in subacute OCS.Ocular compartment syndromecarotid cavernous fistulaeye paineye swellingvision lossapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/86j47321https://escholarship.org/content/qt86j47321/qt86j47321.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52242articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8fg1s80w2026-07-31T11:09:44Zqt8fg1s80wA Multimodal Approach to Lateral Canthotomy and Cantholysis Training for Emergency Medicine Trainees: A Simulation Training PackageShoaib, HarisHussain, Yunus KShoaib, ShizaHussain, SulaimanChaudhary, Haider AAli, Muhammad SubedJennings, CaraSmith, Tara2026-01-31Audience: This simulation is intended for emergency medicine residents.
Background: Lateral canthotomy and cantholysis (LCC) is a sight-saving procedure for orbital compartment syndrome (OCS).1 Due to the rarity of OCS, emergency-medicine trainees often have limited exposure and low procedural confidence. In a questionnaire we found that trainees have low confidence levels in performing the procedure attributed to the low incidence of OCS and the scarcity of training opportunities. Existing literature describes LCC task trainers with creation of simulation models, but few provide a reproducible multimodal package adaptable for multiple training centres.2,3 Our innovation combines presentation, instructional video, gamified quiz, and hands-on practicer with low fidelity models. Unlike previous studies referencing the use of pre-made or cadaveric-based models, this design offers detailed guidance on model assembly using commonly available and low-cost materials.2,3 We designed and tested a multimodal training approach to optimize trainee confidence and competence in recognizing OSC and performing the LCC procedure. This aligns with recent calls in medical education for innovative, cost-effective simulation that maintains clear guidance and instructions while overcoming financial and/or logistical barriers.4,5
Educational Objectives: By the end of this session, learners should be able to: 1) recognize the clinical features of OCS, 2) describe the indications and steps of performing LCC, 3) perform a lateral canthotomy and cantholysis procedure on a low-fidelity model, and 4) demonstrate improved confidence in recognizing and managing OCS.
Educational Methods: The training uses a multimodal structure involving the following resources: 1) Instructor-led presentation on OCS and LCC with a step-by-step guide (Appendix A), 2) gamified quiz (Appendix B), 3) a procedural demonstration video, 4) a procedural handout containing a step-by-step guide (Appendix C), 5) a low-fidelity model of the orbit constructed from inexpensive materials, and 6) hands-on procedural practice with trainer feedback.
Research Methods: Trainees’ confidence and perceived competence in performing the procedure were assessed using a 10-point Likert scale before and after the training, in addition to collection of qualitative feedback via free-text comments. Trainees also rated all educational components of the course using a 10-point Likert scale. Statistical significance was calculated using paired t-tests.
Results: A total of thirty-four emergency medicine trainees participated in this multi-national training simulation package across three centers within the UK, completing pre- and post-intervention feedback. We observed a significant improvement in participants’ self-assessed confidence levels when comparing theoretical knowledge (5.0 ± 2.5 to 8.7 ± 1.7; p < 0.0001) and procedural competence (4.1 ± 2.8 to 8.9 ± 1.5; p < 0.0001). All educational components of the training package were rated highly, with mean scores ranging between 8.7 and 10 (measured on a 10-point Likert scale). All trainees involved supported the idea of annual delivery of the training package to emergency medicine trainees. Qualitative feedback further supported the value of practical simulation.
Discussion: Given the severe clinical consequences of OCS, there is a need for diagnostic and procedural competence. This training package demonstrated significant improvement in trainees’ confidence and competence for a rare but critical emergency department procedure. The low-fidelity model and simulation package is reproducible, cost-effective, and scalable across training centres.
SimulationCantholysisEmergency MedicineOrbital compartment syndromelateral canthotomyProcedural skillslow-fidelity modelapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8fg1s80whttps://escholarship.org/content/qt8fg1s80w/qt8fg1s80w.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52351articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt55h6110q2026-07-31T11:09:40Zqt55h6110qEnhancing Emergency Medicine Resident Education: A Weekly Education Series to Augment Electrocardiogram EducationWest, TylerAdam, JarrenWatkins, Kevin2026-01-31Audience and Type of Curriculum: This electrocardiogram (ECG) curriculum was designed for residents of all levels.
Length of Curriculum: The curriculum runs over 1.5 years and is repeated, so that there will be repetition during a resident’s training.
Introduction: Electrocardiogram interpretation is a vital skill for emergency physicians. Formal ECG education in emergency medicine (EM) often consists of a few conference lectures, with the majority of education relegated to the clinical environment. However, this often leaves significant gaps in education, as a full curriculum cannot be implemented within limited conference time.
Educational Goals: The goals of the curriculum were to establish an asynchronous ECG curriculum to help improve standardization of EM resident education, expose EM residents to a more comprehensive ECG curriculum, increase active learning in this arena, and decrease the administrative burden while not dedicating further conference time towards ECG education.
Educational Methods: The educational strategies used in this curriculum include weekly case emails with instructional content located on a Google Site. These were added to conference lectures that were standard ECG education prior to this initiative. The first year of the augmented curriculum added only the weekly ECG emails with a follow-up answer email, and the website was created for the second year of curriculum implementation.
Research Methods: The educational content was assessed by the learners via a survey to gauge resident satisfaction as well as level of engagement and barriers to use. Additionally, the content was assessed via resident testing at the end of their second year so that they had completed a complete cycle of the curriculum.
Results: The asynchronous curriculum improved resident test scores with the addition of the weekly emails from an average of 70% and pass rate of 58% to 82% and 92%, respectively (p=0.012). The addition of the informational website did not further improve scores, though it decreased variation in scores. The residents found the curriculum useful for their education.
Discussion: Curriculum implementation was successful to improve on resident ECG education, both in terms of objective testing as well as resident feedback. It is a sustainable curriculum with methodology that requires little faculty time after setup; the maintenance required for the curriculum mostly consists of updating resident contacts as classes graduate. However, the setup time was significant; despite this, the authors believe this is a time-effective method of educational programming given the little ongoing time requirements.
Topics: Electrocardiogram, curriculum development.
electrocardiogramcurriculum developmentapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/55h6110qhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt55h6110q/qt55h6110q.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52141articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5sx7440s2026-07-31T11:09:34Zqt5sx7440sPediatric Difficult Airway Simulation DayChen, SarahAthale, AbhaRunkle, Anne2026-01-31Audience: This small-group simulation workshop is designed for pediatric emergency medicine fellows but can also be offered to emergency medicine residents or faculty.
Introduction: Pediatric intubation is a high-acuity, low-frequency event. Specific patient scenarios that may lead to a difficult pediatric airway, such as airway edema, airway contamination (hemorrhage, emesis), prematurity, obesity, shock, and inhalational injuries, compound an already challenging and emergent situation. Previous studies have investigated simulation-based airway education for emergency medicine (EM), anesthesia, and critical care trainees. To our knowledge, there has been no study reporting the development and outcomes of a difficult airway course for pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellows covering emergency department (ED)-specific pediatric difficult airway content.
Educational Objectives: The objective of this one-day simulation workshop is to increase learner confidence and skills necessary to perform critical pediatric airway procedures. PEM fellows of all training levels at our institution completed a three-hour “PEM Difficult Airway Day,” which consisted of six 30-minute stations focusing on airway scenarios critical for PEM fellow training: five high- and low-fidelity simulations (premature neonate, inhalational injury, contaminated airway, obese patient, and failed airway) and one discussion-based station on the physiologically difficult intubation. By the end of this workshop, learners will be able to: 1) identify various clinical situations in which a pediatric patient may have a difficult airway, 2) successfully intubate mannequins with simulated difficult airways using direct laryngoscopy (DL), video laryngoscopy (VL), laryngeal mask airway (LMA) placement, bougie-assisted intubation, and a hyper-angulated VL blade, and 3) recognize and describe the management of physiologically difficult airways and failed airways.
Educational Methods: Small group activity combining procedural high- and low-fidelity simulations, as well as case-based learning.
Research Methods: The PEM fellows completed pre- and post-workshop surveys to assess their airway knowledge and confidence regarding intubation using DL, VL, LMA placement, bougie-assisted intubation, intubation using a hyper-angulated VL blade, managing the anatomically difficult airway, managing the physiologically difficult airway, and managing the failed airway. In addition, learners were asked to identify any areas with continued knowledge gaps and low procedural confidence that they wished to be addressed in a future “PEM Difficult Airway Day.”
Results: Our findings suggest that the “PEM Difficult Airway Day” significantly improved PEM fellow knowledge and confidence in infrequently performed critical pediatric EM scenarios, such as bougie-assisted intubation and use of a hyper-angulated VL blade, and knowledge of options and techniques for managing the anatomically difficult, physiologically difficult, and failed airway. There was no statistically significant improvement in confidence in DL and VL intubation and LMA placement. Additionally, fellows identified management of airway foreign bodies as an area with a continued knowledge gap and low procedural confidence.
Discussion: A workshop dedicated to increasing the confidence and procedural skills necessary to perform critical airway procedures can be successfully offered to PEM fellows as a single-day, focused, small-group simulation workshop.
Topics: Pediatric airway simulation, pediatric difficult airway, pediatric emergency medicine, simulation curriculum, medical education, workshop.Pediatric airway simulationpediatric difficult airwaypediatric emergency medicinesimulation curriculumMedical Educationworkshopapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5sx7440shttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5sx7440s/qt5sx7440s.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52208articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4d8476162026-07-31T11:09:30Zqt4d847616Cards Against PulmonologyLamparter, LaurenWray, Alisa2026-01-31Audience: This card game is designed to cultivate educational discussion among emergency medicine resident physicians about the assessment, treatment, and disposition of key pediatric and adult thoracic-respiratory diagnoses in a fun, casual environment. It could also be played by emergency medicine-bound medical students.
Introduction: Emergency department visits related to the thoracic-respiratory system are common complaints in both the pediatric and adult populations. In the United States, for several years prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, respiratory system diseases accounted for about 10.6% of ED visits.1 In children, respiratory complaints make up the largest percentage of their ED visits, particularly in the fall and winter seasons.2 This number appears to have only grown higher in both adults and pediatrics in the years following the Covid-19 pandemic.3 Thoracic-respiratory disorders also account for about 7% of the American Board of Emergency Medicine In-Training Exam and qualifying exam content.4 Therefore, it is paramount that resident physicians understand the presentation, management, and treatment of a wide range of both pediatric and adult thoracic-respiratory complaints and pathology that mimics these presentations. This game explores key topics in the thoracic-respiratory system in both the pediatric and adult populations allowing for fun discussion regarding management, treatment, and disposition of these complicated disease processes. Topics range from sick to not sick patients and include bronchiolitis, pulmonary edema, pulmonary embolism, COPD exacerbation, neonatal cyanosis, viral upper respiratory infections, and more.
Educational Objectives:
By the end of this card game, learners will 1) understand the methods of clinical assessment in thoracic-respiratory related diseases, 2) implement escalating levels of respiratory support for thoracic-respiratory pathology in pediatric and adult patients, 3) review and utilize important medications in the management of thoracic-respiratory diseases, and 4) choose appropriate dispositions of patients with various thoracic-respiratory related complaints.
Educational Methods: The goal of Cards Against Pulmonology is for learners to further understand the clinical assessment, management, and disposition of various thoracic-respiratory emergencies by providing the next best critical action in a given clinical situation. This game will equip residents to differentiate the sick from non-sick patients and collaboratively discuss the management and disposition of patients with a variety of thoracic-respiratory related complaints.
This card game is a cognitive artifact designed to stimulate small group discussion that will enhance the clinical reasoning skills of the medical students and resident physicians who play the game. The clinical content of thoracic-respiratoryconditions has been gamified through the strategy of play modeled after the popular card game, Cards Against Humanity. Discussion of key educational points during and after the game provides clarification of learner knowledge to solidify concepts.
Research Methods: The game was implemented in a weekly resident educational conference session where 19 resident physicians and several faculty physicians participated in gameplay and immediately following the game, evaluated the educational experience by survey using a Likert scale. They assessed their overall experience with the game, engagement with the game, the game’s ability to reinforce existing medical knowledge, and if game content was relevant to their clinical practice.
Results: The results were overwhelmingly positive with an average of strongly agreed on every Likert scale in every category and a request for the creation of other similar games covering more topics. Resident physicians stated they appreciated being able to laugh and learn, and that the inclusion of case discussion after a case concluded really emphasized the educational points regarding the medical care of patients with respiratory complaints. They encouraged increased discussion of the medicine after each round.
Discussion: Overall, this game was very effective in stimulating conversation regarding the care of patients with thoracic-respiratory related complaints. All medical students, residents, and attending physicians were very engaged and remained excited throughout gameplay. Implementation of the game showed the appropriate small group size is about five to six players to allow for robust discussion and engagement. It is also important for the facilitators to discuss expected outcomes for the patient at the conclusion of a set of case cards to encourage educational value alongside humorous game play.
Topics: Pulmonology, thoracic-respiratory system, shortness of breath, cough, viral respiratory infection, bronchiolitis, asthma, COPD, pulmonary edema, pediatric respiratory conditions.
Pulmonologythoracic-respiratory systemshortness of breathCoughviral respiratory infectionBronchiolitisasthmaCOPDpulmonary edemapediatric respiratory conditions.application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4d847616https://escholarship.org/content/qt4d847616/qt4d847616.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52358articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5zb9155n2026-07-31T11:09:26Zqt5zb9155nPre-Clinical Case Competition to Assess Confidence in Responding to Select Out-Of-Hospital Medical EmergenciesFillmore, HarrisonHeisler, ThomasNadeau, MarissaWorley, EmmageneTitone, Lauren M.Murano, TiffanyTruong, Jimmy2026-01-31Audience: This session is intended for first- and second-year medical students, or any pre-clinical medical students.
Introduction: Preclinical learners build skills and confidence when they practice first responder tasks early in training, and simulation helps them to perform basic procedures better.1,2 A small group case competition uses a game format to reinforce rapid assessment, clear team roles, and closed-loop communication.3,4
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest affects hundreds of thousands of people in the United States each year, and survival to discharge is low. Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and early use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) improve outcomes.5,6 Anaphylaxis is a time-sensitive emergency seen in the community and in the emergency department (ED). Epinephrine is the first-line treatment, and delay to administration worsens outcomes.7,8 Opioid overdose remains a major cause of preventable death. Early recognition, respiratory support, and Naloxone administration are key steps.9
Educational Objectives: By the end of this activity, learners will be able to: 1) demonstrate the application of skills in real-life first responder scenarios, including suspected opioid overdose, cardiac arrest, and anaphylaxis; 2) apply knowledge of scene safety and the role of the first responder in various situations; and 3) assess the challenges while applying the skills necessary for collaborative work within a medical team.
Educational Methods: A competition combining simulation-based and team-based learning reinforced first responder skills among first- and second-year medical students. Attending physicians evaluated simulated out-of-hospital emergency scenarios using a detailed rubric. This method was chosen to engage learners in a lower-stakes (but still simulated high-pressure) assessment of their skills where undifferentiated patients challenge recall and application in new, previously unknown scenarios.
This format was chosen to keep preclinical students active and focused while they practice time-critical first responder skills. Simulation allows decision-making, hands-on actions, and immediate feedback in a safe setting. Team-based learning mirrors ED teamwork by assigning clear roles, prompting closed-loop communication, and requiring shared problem-solving. Station design supports repeated practice and brief debriefs, which builds retention and confidence for early learners. Faculty-scored rubrics provide observable, standardized performance measures and make feedback specific and actionable.
Research Methods: Pre- and post-intervention surveys assessed the effectiveness of the case competition featuring three simulation scenarios in improving students' confidence in managing emergency situations.
Results: The competition increased participants' confidence in responding to various scenarios, particularly opioid overdoses. Most participants expressed high likelihood of participating in future competitions. Ten preclinical students completed pre- and post-session surveys. Confidence increased across the cohort. For the opioid overdose scenario, “complete confidence” rose from 1/10 (10%) pre- to 6/10 (60%) post. Confidence in cardiac arrest and anaphylaxis also trended upward. Likelihood to respond to a public emergency changed minimally. Interest in future events was high, with 6/10 (60%) extremely likely and 4/10 (40%) somewhat likely to participate again.
Discussion: The competition successfully increased confidence and fostered collaboration but faced recruitment challenges due to its optional nature and scheduling. Future implementations could include more advanced learners.
First Aidfirst responderCompetitionpre-clinicalapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/5zb9155nhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt5zb9155n/qt5zb9155n.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52198articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt6h14n4ts2026-07-31T11:09:21Zqt6h14n4tsDevelopment and Design of a Pediatric Case-Based Virtual Escape Room on Acute Iron ToxicityBoggs, KaitlynMadhok, ManuAhluwalia, Tania2026-01-31Audience: This virtual escape room (VER) serves as a didactic activity tailored for learners specializing in emergency medicine, pediatrics, and family medicine across all postgraduate years. The VER can be undertaken collaboratively in teams or individually, leveraging virtual platforms and adaptable to various educational settings.
Introduction: Iron tablets appeal to children due to their vibrant color and sugar coating, resembling candy. Nearly 11,000 cases of iron exposure in children under six are reported annually in the US.1 More severe incidents involve prenatal vitamins and iron preparations containing ferrous sulfate, which has a significantly higher concentration of elemental iron per tablet than other formulations.2 Virtual escape rooms (VERs) are an innovative educational tool for teaching about acute iron toxicity. By integrating gamification into medical education, VERs offer a unique approach asparticipants can join remotely and interact with a team of other learners in geographically distinct locations.
Educational Objectives:
By the end of the activity, learners should be able to: 1) recognize the history and clinical presentation of acute iron toxicity; 2) demonstrate knowledge of the necessary workup in suspected iron toxicity; 3) identify the stages of acute iron toxicity; 4) identify management of iron toxicity and its complications; 5) perform appropriate management in the setting of decompensated hemorrhagic shock and hypovolemia; and 6) demonstrate teamwork through communication and collaboration.
Educational Methods: The development process encompassed a seven-step approach: creating a scenario, defining learning objectives, and designing a suitable room.3 Clues and puzzles aligned with the specified learning objectives. The VER was hosted on Articulate 360 (Articulate Global Inc.) and complemented by a facilitator guide that provided content and technical support.
Research Methods: To replicate this activity, a team of facilitators should be present to organize the participants into small groups and distribute the VER link. During our implementation, this link was shared in real-time on Zoom Video Communications Inc. (Zoom), leveraging breakout rooms to assign participants to their respective rooms. Additionally, we conducted this in person with faculty and nursing, where participants were divided into groups accordingly. There was a structured format: pre-briefing, a timed escape room scenario, debriefing, and evaluation. Afterward, learners evaluated the VER and educational content with a survey hosted on Google Docs (Google LLC).
Results: A total of 55 respondents completed post-evaluation surveys. Despite limited experience with previous virtual escape rooms, both trainees and faculty agreed the design was easy to follow (78.2%), fostered teamwork (90.9%), and was a feasible method of education (85.5%).
Discussion: This activity was successfully implemented with trainees, faculty, and nursing professionals, demonstrating the ability of VER to be utilized in a wide variety of applications. We also successfully implemented this format in both in-person and online platforms. Limitations of this include a need for long-term outcome data. Future studies could further assess knowledge improvement and clinical management of acute iron toxicity.
Topics: Acute iron toxicity, emergency medicine, escape room, ingestion, gamification, pediatrics, toxicology, virtual escape rooms.
Acute iron toxicityEmergency MedicineEscape RoomingestionGamificationpediatricstoxicologyvirtual escape roomsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/6h14n4tshttps://escholarship.org/content/qt6h14n4ts/qt6h14n4ts.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52192articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt0tj2h2n72026-07-31T11:09:17Zqt0tj2h2n7Clinical Decision-Making Case: Febrile InfantMaupin, CarrieAnand, AmbikaHickam, GraceNesbit, Danielle2026-01-31Audience: This clinical decision-making (CDM) case is intended for emergency medicine residents of all levels, medical students, and fellows preparing for standardized oral board exams.
Introduction: Fever in a neonate (infant <28 days old) is a medical emergency due to the high risk of serious bacterial infections (SBIs) like meningitis, sepsis, or urinary tract infections (UTIs).1-3 Compared with older infants and children, neonates have immature immune responses, reduced ability to localize infection, and limited physiologic reserve, which contribute to rapid clinical deterioration and increased morbidity and mortality when invasive infection is present.1,3
Importantly, clinical presentation in this age group is often subtle and nonspecific. Neonates with life-threatening infections may appear well or only mildly ill on initial examination, with symptoms such as poor feeding, irritability, or decreased urine output serving as early but easily overlooked warning signs.¹,4 As a result, reliance on appearance or focal examination findings alone is insufficient to safely exclude SBI in febrile neonates.
Current evidence supports a standardized approach to the evaluation of neonatal fever. This includes a complete sepsis workup—consisting of blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid studies—along with early administration of empiric, age-appropriate intravenous antibiotics and hospital admission for close monitoring.¹-³
This clinical decision-making case is designed to reinforce these foundational principles within the context of an emergency department presentation. It emphasizes early recognition of neonatal fever as a high-risk condition, systematic diagnostic reasoning, timely initiation of empiric therapy, and appropriate disposition to a higher level of care. Learners are challenged to clearly articulate their clinical reasoning and management decisions in a high-stakes environment that mirrors real-world emergency medicine practice.
Educational Objectives: By the end of this CDM case, learners will be able to: 1) demonstrate familiarity with the CDM case format, 2) recognize the critical importance of fever in a neonate and initiate a thorough evaluation, 3) develop an appropriate differential diagnosis and understand the workup for febrile neonates, 4) identify and justify the appropriate diagnostic studies and interpret their findings in the context of a neonate with fever, 5) justify a treatment plan and understand the critical disposition of a neonate with fever.
Educational Methods: The case will be presented as a CDM case with questions posed by the examiner. Learners will be asked to list the history, physical exam findings, differential diagnosis, diagnostic studies, treatments, and final diagnosis in response to the examiner’s prompts.
Research Methods: Learners' performance will be evaluated using standardized oral board scoring guidelines. Efficacy will be assessed through feedback from both learners and faculty, focusing on knowledge acquisition and application in a high-stakes environment. Pre- and post-case surveys or performance scoring may be used for evaluation.
Results: Preliminary assessments from learners demonstrated improved confidence in managing febrile neonates after completing the case, with a focus on early recognition and appropriate escalation of care.
Discussion: Neonatal fever is a high-risk scenario requiring prompt, appropriate management. This case reinforced the importance of early sepsis recognition, comprehensive evaluation, and timely treatment. Learners benefited from exposure to the CDM Case format aiding in their exam preparation.
Neonatal feversepsismeningitispediatric emergency medicineAntibiotic managementCertifying ExamClinical Decision-Making Caseapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/0tj2h2n7https://escholarship.org/content/qt0tj2h2n7/qt0tj2h2n7.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52290articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 1oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3t3276w72026-07-31T11:09:13Zqt3t3276w7Caught in the Whirl: A Case Report of Midgut Volvulus in an Elderly PatientKhurana, SurinaLu, TienDangberg, CarsonLewis, Kristin2026-07-31Midgut volvulus is a rare finding in adults, especially those without a known history of congenital gastrointestinal abnormalities. This is a case of a 78-year-old man who presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with two weeks of intermittent, postprandial abdominal bloating and pain. His examination was notable for tachycardia and mild abdominal distention. On computed tomography angiography (CTA), he was found to have midgut volvulus and underwent emergent exploratory laparotomy with Emergency General Surgery (EGS) where his bowel was found to be twisted clockwise around the mesentery. This case report highlights the diagnosis and treatment of a patient with the relatively uncommon diagnosis of midgut volvulus. In this report, we describe the patient’s presentation, important imaging findings, and key management principles for midgut volvulus.
Volvulusmidgut volvulusabdominal painapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3t3276w7https://escholarship.org/content/qt3t3276w7/qt3t3276w7.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52361articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt72j3k9rs2026-07-31T11:09:10Zqt72j3k9rsA Case Report of Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis Presenting with Chronic ConjunctivitisMartin, Daniel2026-07-31An adult female presents for chronic eye complaints refractory to outpatient ophthalmology management, as well as purpuric rash, Reynaud’s symptoms, and reported nodules. She received ophthalmology and rheumatology consultations while in the emergency department (ED) and was subsequently admitted. Expedited rheumatologic workup revealed evidence of granulomatosis with polyangiitis, a rare and potentially debilitating autoimmune vasculitis. She was ultimately discharged after an eight-day hospital course on a long prednisone taper with plan for outpatient management and transition to long-term therapy. This report documents a case warranting high clinical suspicion for an undiagnosed condition in a patient with demonstrably poor access to longitudinal care and the subsequent, in-hospital diagnosis of a rare disease facilitated by ED clinician action.
Granulomatosis with polyangiitisVasculitisautoimmuneophthalmologyrashapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/72j3k9rshttps://escholarship.org/content/qt72j3k9rs/qt72j3k9rs.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52284articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7156c0pv2026-07-31T11:09:06Zqt7156c0pvA Lines below the Diaphragm – A Case Report of Occult PneumoperitoneumLee, YonghoonDalley, Michael2026-07-31This case report highlights the rapid and sensitive diagnostic capabilities of a right upper quadrant (RUQ) ultrasound to diagnose pneumoperitoneum secondary to a hollow viscus rupture. The patient was a 55-year-old male with sudden onset epigastric and right upper quadrant pain. Symptoms were concerning for either acute cholecystitis and gastric ulcer or perforation. Immediate point of care ultrasound (POCUS) of the RUQ showed no signs of acute cholecystitis but showed concerning findings of intraabdominal free air given the enhanced peritoneal stripe sign, reverberation, and ring down artifacts. The radiologist did not note any signs of free air on the interpretation of the formal ultrasound. Eventually, the chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis showed air under the right diaphragm, fluid in the porta hepatis, and multiple foci of pneumoperitoneum. Broad spectrum antibiotics and fluid resuscitation were given. General surgery performed an emergency diagnostic laparotomy with repair of duodenal ulcer perforation. Upper gastrointestinal (GI) study on post-operative day three showed no complications, and patient has been doing well in follow-up clinic visits. In this case report, immediate recognition of signs of pneumoperitoneum would have expedited the treatment and management of the duodenal perforation. Although our emergency department was able to perform a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis and have it read within two hours, this may not be possible in all emergency departments. Therefore, the use of POCUS in the evaluation of abdominal pain can identify potentially disastrous time-dependent pathology. It would be beneficial for emergency physicians to learn the signs of pneumoperitoneum on ultrasound since this requires emergent surgery.
Hollow viscus perforationultrasoundpneumoperitoneumpoint-of-care ultrasound (POCUS)application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7156c0pvhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7156c0pv/qt7156c0pv.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52389articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7h7028v92026-07-31T11:09:03Zqt7h7028v9Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury: A Visual Case Report with Computed Tomography Angiography Findings Revealing Carotid and Vertebral Artery DissectionHsu, EdmundKinoshita, Andrew TakahiroChu, EleanorMcCoy, Christopher Eric2026-07-31Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) is defined as blunt traumatic injury to the carotid or vertebral vessels. Although rare, understanding risk factors and management of possible complications is vital in the emergency department (ED) setting since BCVI is associated with ischemic stroke and potential for poor neurologic outcome or death. In this case, a 27-year-old female patient presented with headache following a motor vehicle collision. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) of the neck revealed a right internal carotid artery dissection. Despite the injury, the patient was largely asymptomatic besides headache and discharged on acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) 81 mg to prevent stroke. Follow-up CTA one week later revealed worsening of the carotid dissection and a new vertebral artery dissection. The patient was admitted and received a diagnostic cerebral angiogram that elucidated the extent of her vascular injuries. The patient was discharged on ASA 325 mg and was followed for 27 months with no further neurological symptoms. Blunt cerebrovascular injury is a potentially life-threatening, yet often underrecognized, injury that occurs in the carotid or vertebral arteries. It is most often associated with high-energy trauma. Up to 80% of patients with BCVI are initially asymptomatic, and effective screening is important for timely diagnosis. Computed tomography angiography is the preferred choice for initial screening and diagnosis of BCVI. Treatment may involve surgical repair, endovascular intervention, and antithrombotic therapy.
Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI)Carotid Artery Dissectionvertebral artery dissectionComputed tomography angiography (CTA)case reportapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7h7028v9https://escholarship.org/content/qt7h7028v9/qt7h7028v9.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52229articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt79j953js2026-07-31T11:08:42Zqt79j953jsA Case Report of Rare Bilateral Quadriceps Tendon Rupture Diagnosed by Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS)Hines, JoelBlanton, ChristopherJones, JodiMehta, Prayag2026-07-31A 49-year-old male presented to the emergency department (ED) with bilateral knee pain that began after a mechanical fall down several steps. He states that he fell in such a way that both knees were flexed while he was in the air, which he described as a “flying prayer” position, and he landed with all his weight onto his flexed knees. He did not immediately seek medical care but instead wore knee braces and used crutches to ambulate. This resulted in multiple other falls due to persistent pain and lack of mobility. He was seen at an outside facility prior to presenting to our ED and was reportedly diagnosed with severe arthritis based on x-ray imaging and told he may have a minor quadriceps tendon injury. No other imaging was performed at that time. Due to continued pain, he presented to our ED where we utilized point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) which revealed the presence of bilateral full-thickness quadricep muscle and tendon tears. He was treated with surgical repair of his quadriceps tendons and had an uncomplicated postoperative course. This case report highlights the importance of ultrasound in diagnosing musculoskeletal injuries and improving patient outcomes. We also summarize POCUS findings that emergency physicians can use to diagnose quadriceps muscle and tendon tears.
POCUSmusculoskeletal ultrasoundquadriceps tendon ruptureknee painfallapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/79j953jshttps://escholarship.org/content/qt79j953js/qt79j953js.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52334articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt85f3w3xz2026-07-31T11:08:02Zqt85f3w3xzA Case Report of a Coin Stack Masquerading as a Button BatteryWare, Peyton JacobsenWare, CarterBjornstad, AmandaKuntz, HeatherYoung, Tim2026-07-31Children presenting to emergency departments who are found to have flat, round esophageal foreign bodies (FB) are often transferred to sites capable of foreign body removal. Coins are the most common FBs ingested in pediatric patients. However, button battery (BB) ingestions are a high-risk esophageal FB that can lead to severe injury. It is imperative to distinguish between these two radiographically similar objects to ensure expedited removal of BBs. The halo sign and step-off sign are characteristic of BBs. The presented case demonstrates an exception, where a coin stack (CS) mimicked a BB. A six-year-old female arrived at a tertiary care center as a transfer from an outside hospital with concern for BB ingestion. Her presenting symptoms were vomiting, gagging, and drooling. Her chest x-ray showed a radio-opaque, esophageal FB with halo and step-off signs. The circular FB was urgently removed and proved to be a nickel overlying a quarter. Due to the relative rarity of CSs and the difficulty to radiologically distinguish from high-risk BBs, CSs should be treated as BB ingestions—the FB should be removed urgently, and the final object identification should be determined operatively.Button Batteryhalo signstep-off signcoin stackesophageal foreign bodyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/85f3w3xzhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt85f3w3xz/qt85f3w3xz.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.53886articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt43m5g3nm2026-07-31T11:08:00Zqt43m5g3nmPRIMER: Premedical Introduction to Mentored Emergency Research: Connecting Undergraduate Assistants and Emergency Medicine Residents in a Community Hospital SettingParks, M. KaitlinCupps, Justin LMeador, JessicaKashef, MelodyKirsch, Danielle RSettle, Sonja2026-07-29ABSTRACT:
Audience and type of curriculum: This curriculum is designed to prime pre-medical-field undergraduate students with medical research concepts and skills necessary to assist Emergency Medicine (EM) residents on clinical research projects in a community hospital setting.
Length of curriculum: The PRIMER lecture series should run two to three days with six hours of lecture content to be covered. Project completion and poster presentation should take 8-16 weeks depending on time constraints, resources, and project scope.
Introduction: Scholarly research has taken an increasingly prominent role in both undergraduate and graduate medical education. However, researchers and clinician-teachers can be limited in productivity due to lack of funding, time, and formalized infrastructure. This can result in siloed activities, incomplete or unrealized ideas, and often make research challenging for student and resident physicians alike.1 These barriers to participating in scholarly research are further exacerbated for those in community-hospital-based residencies and community- or rural-medicine educational tracks because these facilities have further reduced access to research personnel and resources.2, 3Simultaneously, research literacy and experience are becoming increasingly critical qualifications for admission to professional medical educational programs.4,5 Developing structured research training and mentorship for premedical students in community hospital settings can simultaneously enhance residents' research capacity and provide premedical students with critical experience and exposure needed for medical school admission.
Educational Goals: The purpose of this project is to design a didactic training to provide undergraduate research assistants the necessary training to enhance resident research projects in the emergency department.
Educational Methods: The educational strategies used in this curriculum include: 1) Blended learning of in-person lectures and online readings and resources implemented in a three-day workshop to provide foundational research knowledge, skills, and resources to research assistants before beginning projects, 2) Experiential learning implemented in workshops interspersed through the three-day intensive, allowing students to begin literature searches, compose IRB proposals, and develop data management and analysis plans that apply to their assigned research project, and 3) Group Learning where students develop action plans, communication, and presentation skills.
Research Methods: The educational outcomes were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed by administration of a pre- and post-test and self-evaluation using a 5-item Likert scale as well as the completion of project and presentation of poster. Average examination scores and self-evaluation scores were analyzed for trends. Learner feedback was collected concurrently with the final assessment.
Results: Average pre-test and self-evaluations scores were 3.29 ± 1.11 out of 7 and 11.0 ± 1.63 out of 20, respectively. Average post-test and self-evaluation scores increased dramatically to 5.71 ± 0.95 and 17.86 ± 1.77, demonstrating student acquisition of concepts and increased confidence in their knowledge of medical research. End-of-program scores were 6.43 ± 0.53 and 17 ± 1.15, respectively, and demonstrated good concept retention and retained confidence.
Discussion: The PRIMER model serves to both increase the capacity for resident-driven research in community hospital settings and provide pre-professional students with training and experience to help matriculate and succeed in medical programs. Resident physicians (PGY1-PGY4, n=15) indicated that the PRIMER program would be very helpful in designing (n=12), implementing (n=12), and completing (n=13) a research project. We were successful in implementing the program with three of four projects completed in the initial time frame planned. One project was not completed, and one contributing factor was resident vacation time. Future iterations in our program will consider the full resident schedule for the duration of the program. Research assistants feedback suggested improvements on coordinating resident schedules (vacation and graduation) with the program. We plan to implement the program two to three times each year to accommodate the overwhelming undergraduate interest and further enhance our residents' ability to ask clinically relevant research questions and explore those results in a community-based EM program.
Topics: Medical research, statistics, data analysis, mentorship, data management, research ethics.
Medical researchstatisticsdata analysismentorshipdata managementresearch ethicsapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/43m5g3nmhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt43m5g3nm/qt43m5g3nm.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52386articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7dg5d3hf2026-07-31T11:07:57Zqt7dg5d3hfHematoma, Hemarthrosis, and Hemotympanum: A Case Report of Acquired Hemophilia A Wolff, AndreaDahlen, IvySingavi, Arun2026-07-31A 75-year-old female with no prior history of bleeding disorders presented to the emergency department with spontaneous sublingual hematoma, hemarthrosis, hemotympanum, and cutaneous ecchymoses. She denied anticoagulant use, recent trauma, or underlying systemic disease. Initial laboratory findings revealed an isolated prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) that failed to correct with mixing studies. Factor VIII activity was markedly reduced, and the presence of factor VIII inhibitors was confirmed, leading to a diagnosis of acquired hemophilia A (AHA). Management included recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) for hemostatic control, corticosteroids for immunosuppression, and weekly rituximab for inhibitor eradication. During her hospital course, serial monitoring demonstrated a decreasing inhibitor titer and improving coagulation profile. She was discharged and completed four weeks of rituximab and a steroid taper, with complete normalization of coagulation profile and inhibitor eradication within four weeks. This case underscores the importance of recognizing AHA in patients with unexplained bleeding and prolonged aPTT. Prompt diagnosis and targeted therapy are critical in reducing morbidity and mortality associated with this rare but potentially life-threatening disorder.1,2Acquired hemophilia Aspontaneous bleedingfactor VIII inhibitorsprolonged aPTTBethesda assayrecombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa)immunosuppressive therapyapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7dg5d3hfhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7dg5d3hf/qt7dg5d3hf.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52344articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3m16q2tx2026-07-31T11:07:57Zqt3m16q2txPleiotropic genes for metabolic syndrome and inflammationKraja, Aldi TChasman, Daniel INorth, Kari EReiner, Alexander PYanek, Lisa RKilpeläinen, Tuomas OSmith, Jennifer ADehghan, AbbasDupuis, JoséeJohnson, Andrew DFeitosa, Mary FTekola-Ayele, FasilChu, Audrey YNolte, Ilja MDastani, ZariMorris, AndrewPendergrass, Sarah ASun, Yan VRitchie, Marylyn DVaez, AhmadLin, HonghuangLigthart, SymenMarullo, LetiziaRohde, RebeccaShao, YamingZiegler, Mark AIm, Hae KyungGroup, Cross Consortia PleiotropyHeart and, the Cohorts forEpidemiology, Aging Research in GeneticConsortium, the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric TraitsConsortium, the Global Lipids Geneticsthe Meta-Analyses of GlucoseConsortium, Insulin-related traitsConsortium, the Global BPgenConsortium, The ADIPOGenStudy, the Women's Genome HealthStudy, the Howard University FamilySchnabel, Renate BJørgensen, TorbenJørgensen, Marit EHansen, TorbenPedersen, OlufStolk, Ronald PSnieder, HaroldHofman, AlbertUitterlinden, Andre GFranco, Oscar HIkram, M ArfanRichards, J BrentRotimi, CharlesWilson, James GLange, LeslieGanesh, Santhi KNalls, MikeRasmussen-Torvik, Laura JPankow, James SCoresh, JosefTang, WeihongKao, WH LindaBoerwinkle, EricMorrison, Alanna CRidker, Paul MBecker, Diane MRotter, Jerome IKardia, Sharon LRLoos, Ruth JFLarson, Martin GHsu, Yi-HsiangProvince, Michael ATracy, RussellVoight, Benjamin FVaidya, DhananjayO'Donnell, Christopher JBenjamin, Emelia JAlizadeh, Behrooz ZProkopenko, IngaMeigs, James BBorecki, Ingrid B2014-08-01Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has become a health and financial burden worldwide. The MetS definition captures clustering of risk factors that predict higher risk for diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Our study hypothesis is that additional to genes influencing individual MetS risk factors, genetic variants exist that influence MetS and inflammatory markers forming a predisposing MetS genetic network. To test this hypothesis a staged approach was undertaken. (a) We analyzed 17 metabolic and inflammatory traits in more than 85,500 participants from 14 large epidemiological studies within the Cross Consortia Pleiotropy Group. Individuals classified with MetS (NCEP definition), versus those without, showed on average significantly different levels for most inflammatory markers studied. (b) Paired average correlations between 8 metabolic traits and 9 inflammatory markers from the same studies as above, estimated with two methods, and factor analyses on large simulated data, helped in identifying 8 combinations of traits for follow-up in meta-analyses, out of 130,305 possible combinations between metabolic traits and inflammatory markers studied. (c) We performed correlated meta-analyses for 8 metabolic traits and 6 inflammatory markers by using existing GWAS published genetic summary results, with about 2.5 million SNPs from twelve predominantly largest GWAS consortia. These analyses yielded 130 unique SNPs/genes with pleiotropic associations (a SNP/gene associating at least one metabolic trait and one inflammatory marker). Of them twenty-five variants (seven loci newly reported) are proposed as MetS candidates. They map to genes MACF1, KIAA0754, GCKR, GRB14, COBLL1, LOC646736-IRS1, SLC39A8, NELFE, SKIV2L, STK19, TFAP2B, BAZ1B, BCL7B, TBL2, MLXIPL, LPL, TRIB1, ATXN2, HECTD4, PTPN11, ZNF664, PDXDC1, FTO, MC4R and TOMM40. Based on large data evidence, we conclude that inflammation is a feature of MetS and several gene variants show pleiotropic genetic associations across phenotypes and might explain a part of MetS correlated genetic architecture. These findings warrant further functional investigation.31 Biological Sciences (for-2020)32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (for-2020)3105 Genetics (for-2020)Diabetes (rcdc)Prevention (rcdc)Human Genome (rcdc)Genetics (rcdc)Brain Disorders (rcdc)Cardiovascular (rcdc)Obesity (rcdc)Nutrition (rcdc)2.1 Biological and endogenous factors (hrcs-rac)Humans (mesh)Biomarkers (mesh)Computational Biology (mesh)Gene Regulatory Networks (mesh)Genetic Pleiotropy (mesh)Genetic Predisposition to Disease (mesh)Genome-Wide Association Study (mesh)Inflammation (mesh)Metabolic Syndrome (mesh)Phenotype (mesh)Quantitative TraitHeritable (mesh)Metabolic syndromeInflammatory markersPleiotropic associationsMeta-analysisRegulomeCross Consortia Pleiotropy GroupCohorts for Heart andAging Research in Genetic EpidemiologyGenetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits ConsortiumGlobal Lipids Genetics ConsortiumMeta-Analyses of GlucoseInsulin-related traits ConsortiumGlobal BPgen ConsortiumADIPOGen ConsortiumWomen's Genome Health StudyHoward University Family StudyHumans (mesh)Genetic Predisposition to Disease (mesh)Inflammation (mesh)Computational Biology (mesh)Quantitative TraitHeritable (mesh)Phenotype (mesh)Gene Regulatory Networks (mesh)Genome-Wide Association Study (mesh)Genetic Pleiotropy (mesh)Biomarkers (mesh)Metabolic Syndrome (mesh)Inflammatory markersMeta-analysisMetabolic syndromePleiotropic associationsRegulomeHumans (mesh)Biomarkers (mesh)Computational Biology (mesh)Gene Regulatory Networks (mesh)Genetic Pleiotropy (mesh)Genetic Predisposition to Disease (mesh)Genome-Wide Association Study (mesh)Inflammation (mesh)Metabolic Syndrome (mesh)Phenotype (mesh)Quantitative TraitHeritable (mesh)1103 Clinical Sciences (for)Genetics & Heredity (science-metrix)3105 Genetics (for-2020)3202 Clinical sciences (for-2020)application/pdfpubliceScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3m16q2txhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3m16q2tx/qt3m16q2tx.pdfinfo:doi/10.1016/j.ymgme.2014.04.007articleMolecular Genetics and Metabolism, vol 112, iss 4317 - 338oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt166572972026-07-31T11:07:39Zqt16657297Computed Tomography Findings of Cerebral Venous Thrombosis: A Case ReportKoo, Alex YShulimson, SamuelBorhart, Joelle2026-07-31Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is an uncommon occurrence, but it carries significant morbidity.1 CVT symptoms overlap with other common emergency department conditions, and it requires a specific neuroimaging for accurate detection, making this diagnosis a significant challenge for emergency clinicians. We present a case of a 20-year-old postpartum woman with a history of a post-dural puncture headache following a spinal block with worsening headache and disequilibrium. She was found to have a cerebral venous thrombosis on non-contrast head CT and CT venogram of the head. Her course was uncomplicated with appropriate symptom control while on anticoagulation. We review her CT imaging findings and provide a brief review of the current recommendations and literature on CVT.Cerebral venous thrombosisempty delta signCT venogramheadachedural sinus thrombosisapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/16657297https://escholarship.org/content/qt16657297/qt16657297.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52331articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8z82b3542026-07-31T11:07:36Zqt8z82b354Rapidly Progressive Painless Acute Aortic Dissection: A Case ReportYang, JustinRigdon, TylerLewis, Kristin2026-07-31Acute aortic dissection (AAD) typically presents with sudden, severe chest or back pain. This case highlights an atypical painless presentation that was rapidly progressive and lethal. A 55-year-old woman presented with generalized weakness, agitation, and shortness of breath, but without pain. Initial point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) was reassuring, but persistent agitation and emerging abdominal tenderness prompted reexamination and repeat POCUS, which revealed evidence of aortic dissection. Computed tomography angiogram (CTA) confirmed the diagnosis of a Stanford Type A dissection. Despite aggressive resuscitative efforts, the patient’s condition deteriorated rapidly. This case emphasizes the importance of observant reassessment and repeating POCUS in atypical presentations of AAD because subtle clinical changes can reveal life-threatening conditions such as aortic dissection.Acute Aortic DissectionAbdominal Aortic DissectionPainless Aortic Dissectionatypical presentationreassessment POCUSDiagnostic Ultrasoundapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/8z82b354https://escholarship.org/content/qt8z82b354/qt8z82b354.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52348articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1mf3k1552026-07-31T11:07:31Zqt1mf3k155Visual Case Report of a Prosthetic Joint Infection and Chronic Dehiscence following a Total Knee ArthroplastyChao, KevinMatonis, DanielleWray, Alisa2026-07-31 This case report highlights a unique presentation of a prosthetic joint infection. A 63-year-old female presented to the emergency department for right knee pain after falling three months earlier, shortly after a total knee arthroplasty. On exam, she was found to have a chronically dehisced wound with exposure of her femur, prosthetic, and overlying cellulitis. She was started on intravenous antibiotics and admitted to the orthopedic surgery service for an above-the-knee amputation. Her unusually delayed presentation and repeated refusal of operative management were heavily influenced by social determinants of health, including polysubstance use, lack of caregiver support, and housing instability.” This uncommon presentation of chronic dehiscence and prosthetic joint infection provides an opportunity to review the management of prosthetic joint infections compared to native joint septic arthritis, how socioeconomic factors drive patient outcomes, and a discussion on medical capacity. wound dehiscencechronic dehiscenceprosthetic joint infectionseptic jointtotal knee arthroplastysocial determinants of healthmedical capacityapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/1mf3k155https://escholarship.org/content/qt1mf3k155/qt1mf3k155.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52251articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4pb278172026-07-31T11:07:27Zqt4pb27817Simple Auricular Hematoma (“Cauliflower Ear”) Task TrainerBailey, LauraShaffer, WilliamThatcher, ByronBethel-Schmitz, Aubrey2026-07-31Audience: This auricular hematoma task trainer is designed to instruct emergency medicine (EM) residents, fellows, and medical students. Otolaryngology trainees may also benefit from this simulator.
Introduction: Auricular hematomas are relatively infrequent but require timely intervention to prevent complications such as infection, cartilage necrosis, or permanent ear deformity (“cauliflower ear”).1 Although these injuries make up only a small part of all otologic complaints in the emergency department, they are one of the most frequent ear injuries in contact sports, with wrestlers, boxers, and rugby players being the most at-risk.2 Not only can they occur in sports, one urban level I trauma review found 42% of auricular hematoma presentations were due to interpersonal violence or assault,3 making timely drainage a core skill now listed in the 2022 Model of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine.4 EM residents often have limited opportunities to gain hands-on experience with this procedure in a controlled learning environment, with a low reported baseline confidence level highlighting a persistent training gap.5 Traditional models are expensive and single-use, with each one costing up to $60-100.6 This innovation was developed to address a training gap by providing a simple, affordable, and reproducible task trainer that enables learners to practice landmark identification, drainage, and post-procedure care of auricular hematomas with confidence.
Educational Objectives: By the end of this session, learners will be able to: 1) identify the landmarks used to drain auricular hematomas, 2) demonstrate the ability to numb, incise, and drain an auricular hematoma, and 3) review methods for applying dressings to auricular hematomas.
Educational Methods: Residents were given a five-minute in-person demonstration of how an auricular hematoma is drained using one of the models. They were then able to walk through the steps of incising, draining, and dressing the ear themselves using material found in the emergency department. The EMRAP instructional video was reviewed by the attending conducting the demonstration prior to teaching.7
Research Methods: Eleven participants were instructed to incise and drain an auricular hematoma. The Michigan Standard Simulation Experience Scale (MiSSES) was used for anonymous feedback on the task trainer immediately after the simulation. Participants scored the simulator in five categories: Self-efficacy, fidelity, educational value, teaching quality, and the overall rating on a 5-point Likert scale, 1 = Strongly Disagree, 5 = Strongly Agree. The scale is a freely available, validated subjective-assessment tool created at the University of Michigan to standardize the evaluation of simulation-based education. In the scale, there are six domains for evaluation, and they demonstrated good internal consistency at initial psychometric testing.8 Variables were summarized using the mean and standard deviation.
Results: The eleven participants were composed of 7 PGY 1 EM residents and 4 EM attendings. They all completed the simulation and filled out the MiSSES form. Of the residents, none had any previous experience with auricular hematoma drainage. Of the attendings, all had done one previously, but none more than 3. Using the MiSSES, the model received an overall positive rating of 5.0. The highest rating was on teaching quality (5.0) and educational value (5.0). For fidelity, the trainer received a 4.9/5.
Discussion: Overall, the residents felt that this simulation was a good training tool for auricular hematoma, which is a lower occurrence but time-sensitive procedure. We created a reusable and cheap simulator model that scored high in a standard simulator’s assessment survey.
Topics: Auricular hematoma, incision and drainage, cauliflower ear.
Auricular hematomaincision and drainagecauliflower earapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/4pb27817https://escholarship.org/content/qt4pb27817/qt4pb27817.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52387articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt3pq0g7xw2026-07-31T11:06:52Zqt3pq0g7xwThe Three Breath Method: Teaching Coping Mechanisms for Processing Patient Death Petelinsek, SarahChristensen, GenaeFranke, AlexanderRaps, ChristineBeaulieu, AllisonFix, MeganLangmann, GabrielleHughes, Patrick G.2026-07-31Audience: The target audience for this video is any provider who is likely to experience patient death. We have demonstrated this method to medical students, residents, and faculty and across departments and disciplines of health care including physician assistants and nurses.
Introduction: Emergency medicine (EM) physicians frequently encounter patient death, requiring effective coping strategies. Brief mindfulness practices, including focused breathing, can promote emotional regulation and reduce perceived stress. These techniques are particularly relevant in acute care settings where rapid cognitive and emotional transitions are required.1 While techniques such as “The Pause”—a moment of silence after death—have been proposed, their impact remains understudied. 2-4 In addition to the Pause Method, many physicians at our institution utilize the “Three-Breath Guided Meditation” technique, a structured deep-breathing exercise designed to help reduce stress. This study aimed to assess EM physicians' perceived ability to process patient death, explore coping strategies, and evaluate the effectiveness of both “The Pause” and the “Three-Breath Method.”
Educational Objectives: After watching the video, proposed viewers should be able to: 1) describe the Three-Breath technique, and its potential impact on healthcare providers' ability to manage stress and process patient death, 2) evaluate the effectiveness of the Three-Breath guided meditation in improving emotional reconciliation and reducing stress for emergency medicine physicians, and 3) demonstrate the Three-Breath technique and implement it into their own practice
Educational Methods: Emergency medicine residents and faculty were invited via email to watch a 4-minute instructional video on the Three-Breath Technique. This video lecture was made available asynchronously, and participants were encouraged to watch the video at a time that was suitable to them.
Research Methods: Emergency medicine residents and attending physicians completed a mixed-methods questionnaire on their coping abilities after patient death. The survey included baseline experiences, coping practices, comfort levels, and the 4-minute instructional video. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman’s correlation for continuous variables, and thematic analysis of free-text data.
Results: Of 79 invited EM physicians, 49 responded (62%), including 39% attendings and 61% residents (median age 33.5 years, 53% male, 47% female). A weak correlation was found between training level and perceived ability to process death (r=0.27), with attending physicians reporting greater comfort (mean = 4.45) than residents (mean = 3.75). Perceived ability to process death moderately correlated with comfort returning to work (r=0.55). Overall, 59% used the Pause or Three-Breath techniques, and 94% reported comfort coping after patient death.
Discussion: Physicians’ comfort in processing patient death increases with training level, with attendings feeling more prepared than residents. Most providers use the Pause1-3 or Three-Breath Method and report comfort in coping. However, the study's single-institution scope, modest sample size, and reliance on self-reported data may limit generalizability. Future efforts should be expanded to additional specialties and emphasize flexibility and individualized strategies to support emotional well-being in clinical practice.
The Three-Breath guided meditation technique, as an extension of The Pause,2-4 is being widely adopted by physicians at one US academic institution and may enhance physicians’ ability to process patient death, promoting emotional reconciliation and stress reduction in high-pressure healthcare environments.
Physician coping with patient deathcoping strategiesnovel coping strategyPhysician coping with patient death coping strategiesnovel coping strategyCoping strategiespatient death copingphysician wellnessWellnesspatient deathemotional resilienceapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3pq0g7xwhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt3pq0g7xw/qt3pq0g7xw.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.53087articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt77q6p4492026-07-31T11:06:48Zqt77q6p449Managing Spontaneous Abortion Hemorrhage: An Adult Simulation Case for Emergency Medicine Residents Freeman, BrendanGudhe, RitikaKong, RodrigoLevy, EricSwaminathan, Anand2026-07-31Audience: This simulation is intended for emergency medicine residents, PGY 1-4.
Introduction: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is defined as cumulative blood loss ≥1000 mL or any postpartum bleeding with signs of hypovolemia within 24 hours of delivery. Post-abortion hemorrhage (PAH) has no single universally adopted numeric definition but clinically is defined as excessive bleeding following spontaneous or induced abortion that results in hemodynamic instability, need for transfusion, hospital admission, or procedural intervention. Due to its rarity, PAH may be underrecognized and thus is the target of this simulation. The emergency department is the country's reproductive health safety net. With the decline of labor and delivery units and on-call, in-house OB/GYN consultants, emergency clinicians must be equipped to recognize and manage these cases.1 Effective management of these cases includes uterotonic medications and uterine tamponade devices like the Bakri balloon.2 There is mixed evidence on the use of Bakri balloons for post-abortion hemorrhage, with some hospitals moving towards vacuum-assisted devices (e.g. JADA).3 However, they have remained relevant in non-OB settings and institutions with limited obstetrical support.4-6 This simulation aims to address a gap in training for PAH for emergency medicine residents, focusing on the placement of the Bakri balloon.
Educational Objectives: By the end of this simulation, learners should be able to: 1) recognize signs of post-abortion hemorrhage, 2) manage hemorrhage using appropriate physical maneuvers, uterotonic medications, and specialist consultation, 3) demonstrate proper placement of a Bakri balloon
Educational Methods: This single-center, high-fidelity simulation was conducted at a tertiary care academic center. Simulation was chosen as the best way to teach this topic because it allows a psychologically safe environment to practice a scenario which involves high-level critical thinking and fine-motor skills that would otherwise degrade under stress during a real patient encounter.
Research Methods: Pre- and post-simulation surveys were administered, including Likert-scale questions on comfort with the management and procedures included, and a multiple-choice knowledge assessment. Twenty-eight individuals completed the pre-simulation learner evaluation, and 31 completed the post-simulation learner evaluation. Likert-scale data was treated as ordinal (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) and analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U Test. The multiple-choice knowledge assessment was analyzed using a paired T-test.
Results: The simulation included 29 emergency medicine residents, four MS3 students, 4 MS4 students, and 3 junior EM PA fellows. This case was used eight times during the session. The simulation lasts approximately 20 minutes. There were statistically significant improvements across all measures. On a 5-point Likert scale, comfort in placing a Bakri balloon increased from 2.35 to 3.97 (U = 82, z = 5.34, P < 0.01); comfort in managing postpartum/abortion hemorrhage rose from 3.11 to 3.90 (U = 197, z = 3.59, P < 0.01), and recognition of hemorrhage signs increased from 3.96 to 4.39 (U = 278, z = 2.36, P = 0.02). Mean scores on the multiple-choice knowledge assessment improved from 55.79% to 90.52% (t(18) = -5.23, P < 0.001) pre- and post-intervention.
Discussion: This simulation successfully addressed the gap in the educational materials available to address the learning of the recognition and management of PPH/PAH, including the placement of intrauterine balloon devices. The simulation increased learners’ comfort in managing PAH and placing Bakri balloons. While effective for immediate skills/knowledge acquisition, this is a high-acuity, low-occurrence procedure that requires repetition and deliberate practice for more durable learning. Postpartum hemorrhagepost-abortion hemorrhageBakri balloonuterine tamponadesimulation training.application/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/77q6p449https://escholarship.org/content/qt77q6p449/qt77q6p449.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52263articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9289h1wb2026-07-31T11:06:43Zqt9289h1wbVP Shunt Malfunction Simulation Case for Emergency Medicine ResidentsKoda, AlexisVawter, Kyle Thomas2026-07-27Audience: This simulation was designed primarily for emergency medicine residents and pediatric emergency medicine residents. Additionally, off-service residents, neurosurgical residents, pediatric residents, faculty, and medical students may benefit.
Introduction: Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts are the treatment of choice for patients suffering from hydrocephalus.Hydrocephalus affects about 125,000 patients in the United States, and 33,000 VP shunts are implanted in patients every year.1 However, these devices can malfunction and can cause complications. It is important for the emergency department physician to recognize when these devices are not functioning correctly to prevent life-threatening complications. Training for VP shunt malfunction can be variable depending upon the patient population seen by residents. Therefore, we outline a simulation for mechanical VP shunt malfunction to provide learners with exposure to this topic.
Educational Objectives: The objective of this simulated case is to increase learner knowledge and develop the skills necessary to troubleshoot VP shunt malfunction. By the end of this simulation, learners should be able to: 1) review pertinent historical and physical exam points for a shunt patient, 2) recognize the signs and symptoms of VP shunt malfunction, 3) review an algorithm for diagnosing VP shunt malfunction, 4) discuss treatment for common complications of VP shunt dysfunction, and 5) recall the indications for an emergent VP shunt tap.
Educational Methods: In this study, a high-fidelity mannikin with a do-it-yourself (DIY) task trainer was used in a simulated case scenario. Learners were required to recognize the signs and symptoms of shunt dysfunction, administer the appropriate treatment, and appropriately disposition the simulated patient.
Research methods: Residents completed pre- and post- simulation surveys to assess their perceived knowledge and confidence regarding the diagnosis and management of VP shunt malfunction. To prevent priming or diagnostic cueing, the term “neurologic device” was used in the pre-simulation surveys. This wording may significantly limit direct comparison between pre- and post-simulation responses. Learners were also asked to provide feedback on the utility of the simulation for their future practice and usefulness of the topic.
Results: Learners reported high levels of confidence in recognizing signs and symptoms of shunt dysfunction and managing complications after the simulation. Residents also reported that the case was valuable for their future clinical practice and felt as though the simulation experience was positive.
Discussion: Overall, the educational content was effective. The simulation appears to be useful in addressing knowledge gaps in managing VP shunt dysfunction and may increase learner confidence.
Topics: Medical simulation, ventriculoperitoneal shunt dysfunction, hydrocephalus, pediatrics, increased intracranial pressure, shunt tap, neurologic emergencies.
Medical simulationventriculoperitoneal shunt dysfunctionhydrocephaluspediatricsincreased intracranial pressureshunt tapneurologic emergencies.Medical Simulationneurologic emergenciesapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9289h1wbhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9289h1wb/qt9289h1wb.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52255articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7bj7j26f2026-07-31T11:06:38Zqt7bj7j26fProcedurepalooza: A Reproducible Workshop to Teach Core Procedures to Preclinical LearnersRyan, Matthew2026-07-31Audience: This innovation is designed for first- and second-year medical students seeking early exposure to core procedural skills relevant to emergency medicine.
Introduction: Early procedural training opportunities are limited in preclinical medical education, leaving students underprepared and lacking confidence in essential clinical skills.1 Simulation-based procedural instruction has proven effective for residents and senior students, but preclinical learners often lack similar access.2 Procedurepalooza was developed to address this gap by providing a scalable, low-cost, hands-on workshop introducing foundational procedural techniques in a supportive, high-engagement environment. Prior studies demonstrate that early procedural exposure improves confidence and skill acquisition; however, structured opportunities for preclinical learners remain limited.3
Educational Objectives: By the end of the Procedurepalooza instructional session, learners will be able to: 1) recognize appropriate clinical indications for six foundational procedural skills commonly performed in emergency and acute care medicine, including intravenous (IV) placement, suturing, splinting, point-of-care ultrasound, airway management, and electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation, 2) demonstrate proper technique in each procedure under guided supervision, emphasizing safety and ergonomics, and 3) perform core procedural steps through repeated hands-on practice in a structured small-group environment.
Educational Methods: Procedurepalooza is a half-day, multi-station workshop teaching six essential procedural skills: intravenous (IV) placement, suturing, splinting, point-of-care ultrasound, airway management, and electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation. Learners rotate through small-group stations (6–10 students) in 20-minute intervals, guided by faculty or senior residents. The workshop is designed for adaptability across institutions, requiring only basic equipment and reusable materials. The session was conducted as a live, hands-on workshop within the preclinical curriculum using a standardized small-group rotation model.2
Research Methods: A pre- and post-event survey assessed self-reported procedural confidence across the six skills using a 5-point Likert scale. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. Quantitative analysis compared mean confidence ratings pre- and post-event.
Results: Procedurepalooza has been conducted annually since 2012, consistently attracting strong student participation and faculty engagement. In one representative implementation, 148 students participated, and 102 completed both pre- and post-event surveys (70% response rate). Statistically significant improvements were observed across all procedural domains (P < 0.001). The largest gains occurred in intravenous (IV) placement (+1.80) and suturing (+1.68). Qualitative feedback emphasized the event’s accessibility, supportive teaching environment, and value in preparing students for clinical rotations.
Discussion: Procedurepalooza significantly improved learner confidence in procedural skills through an engaging, reproducible, and low-cost format. While this event demonstrated improved procedural confidence, prior work shows that structured skills training enhances long-term procedural performance and that simulation-based education is associated with improved patient-related outcomes. Although we did not assess downstream proficiency, the combination of increased confidence and learner engagement suggests that early procedural exposure may support future clinical skill development.4, 5 Its design promotes scalability and sustainability, making it suitable for institutions seeking to enhance preclinical procedural training with limited resources. Because Procedurepalooza also introduces preclinical students to emergency medicine earlier in their training—an experience typically deferred until later clinical years—this may anecdotally increase student interest in pursuing the specialty.
Procedural skillsSimulationAirway Managementultrasoundmedical education innovationsuturingpreclinical studentsemergency medicineapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7bj7j26fhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7bj7j26f/qt7bj7j26f.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.53107articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9j90r4vz2026-07-31T11:06:31Zqt9j90r4vzEKG Bootcamp—A Novel Emergency Medicine Small Group SessionSokol, KimberlyLucero, Anthony DavidKemp, MelissaSingh, NayanaSprouse, Ian2026-07-31
Audience: The target audience for this small group session is post-graduate year (PGY) 1-4 emergency medicine (EM) residents and medical students.
Introduction: An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a crucial diagnostic tool in emergency medicine.1 Accurate ECG interpretation by emergency physicians is crucial for diagnosing life-threatening conditions, making it essential for EM residents' training. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) lists ECG interpretation as a vital patient care milestone for residency graduation.2 Despite this, research suggests that few EM programs have standardized ECG curricula or test for ECG interpretation competency.3 To address this gap, we created the “ECG Bootcamp,” which uses gamification to engage learners in key ECG concepts through group learning.
Educational Objectives: By the end of this group exercise, learners will be able to: 1) Recognize an emergent ECG that needs action immediately, 2) Demonstrate an understanding of normal vs abnormal pediatric ECGs, 3) Identify ECG manifestations of toxicologic conditions, 4) Describe the key characteristics of an ECG in a patient with a pacemaker and problems thereof, 5) Compare and contrast common ECG findings in patients with certain congenital/hereditary cardiac conditions, 6) Manage a patient presenting in extremis with torsades de pointes in the emergency department.
Educational Methods: The “ECG Bootcamp” uses gamification, which incorporates game-design elements into educational activities to enhance learner engagement and motivation. This method was chosen to address the challenge of standardized ECG training in emergency medicine and the increasing use of gamification in graduate medical education.4-6 EM residency programs have implemented gamified curricula using quizzes, hands-on games, competitions, and longitudinal point-based games.8-9 By shifting from a passive lecture-based learning to a competitive format, the curriculum uses interactive learning to improve knowledge retention and participant satisfaction.6-7 Small group sessions were selected to ensure an intimate learning environment with a high faculty to student ratio. This setting allows for tailored instruction and immediate feedback, which are important for mastering ECG interpretation. The bootcamp consists of six interactive stations, including competitive games and a simulation case. These stations are formulated to expose learners to important ECG concepts through different modalities, such as trivia and association games, while incorporating spaced learning to solidify understanding of cardiac pathology.
Research Methods: The participants were provided with an anonymous online survey providing feedback regarding the quality of the educational content and the efficacy of the delivery method. The feedback had both a quantitative and qualitative component. The participants gave a rating between 1–10 out of 10, 1/10 being not effective learning, 10/10 being the most effective learning. In addition, they were given the option to leave comments.
Results: A post-participation survey was provided to 46 participants, of which there were 18 respondents. We recognize that this is low and attribute this to the fact that the survey was sent out after the actual activity rather than included as part of the activity. One hundred percent of respondents rated both the small group game sessions and the simulation case a 10 out of 10 scale. Anonymous feedback comments from respondents were also provided.
Discussion: The ECG Bootcamp serves as an effective model that addresses the gap in standardized ECG interpretation within emergency medicine residency programs. By integrating gamification with spaced repetition,10-11 this curriculum enhances learner engagement and aids in the solidification of cardiac pathology that often proves challenging in a traditional lecture format. Survey results indicated that the interactive, gamified nature of the session successfully meets the educational needs for learners across all levels of training.
Overall, this session provides a reproducible blueprint for residency programs aiming to improve their cardiovascular curriculum. Beyond ECG interpretation, the framework of rotating through gamified stations and simulations can be adapted to other clinical topics to stimulate a more dynamic and retentive learning environment in post-graduate medical education. Small groupselectrocardiogram (EKG)gamificationmedical educationapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/9j90r4vzhttps://escholarship.org/content/qt9j90r4vz/qt9j90r4vz.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52155articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt7p05g12g2026-07-31T11:06:22Zqt7p05g12gDangerous Dysrhythmias in the ED: An Interactive EKG Workshop for Emergency Medicine Clerkship Learners Ancmon, JordanFeldman, Jacob2026-07-31Audience: This guided small group exercise is suitable for medical students who have completed basic lectures on electrocardiogram (EKG) interpretation. This activity was created for use within a third year required Emergency Medicine (EM) clerkship but can be implemented in other undergraduate medical education settings as well.
Introduction: Electrocardiogram (EKG) interpretation is poorly understood by medical students,1 and trainees display a concordant lack of confidence in their interpretation skills which can carry into fourth year of medical school and residency.2,3,4 Improving learner confidence and competence in identification of arrhythmias is of paramount importance to improve patient care.5,6 Our workshop targets the recognition and management of dangerous arrhythmias frequently seen in the Emergency Department
Educational Objectives: By the end of this session, learners will be able to: 1) identify common tachyarrhythmias and pulseless rhythms using EKGs, 2) differentiate stable from unstable tachyarrhythmias based on hemodynamics, symptoms, and EKG findings in acutely ill ED patients, 3) apply appropriate critical resuscitative actions to manage stable tachyarrhythmias, unstable tachyarrhythmias, and pulseless rhythms during emergency department resuscitations, in accordance with ACLS (Advanced Cardiopulmonary Life Support) principles, and 4) construct a rapid, ED-focused decision-making algorithm to guide the identification and management of tachyarrhythmias and pulseless rhythms.
Educational Methods: Learners participated in an interactive EKG workshop interspersed with lectures, EKG interpretation exercises, and case-based learning activities. During the workshop, students constructed a tachyarrhythmia and pulseless algorithm that will enable students in the future to identify and manage sinus tachycardia, supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), atrial fibrillation ( A fib ), atrial flutter, ventricular fibrillation (VF) and ventricular tachycardia (VT). Students collaborated in small groups, receiving real-time feedback from the facilitator on all activities.
Research Methods: Since this curriculum was designed for research purposes, learners completed a pre-test prior to starting this session and a post-test once the session concluded. This EKG pre/post-test was developed alongside the workshop curriculum to address the concerns identified in the needs assessment. The test was validated through testing on PGY1-3 EM residents. Confidence was assessed using Likert-scales of 1 (not at all confident) to 5 (extremely confident). Retention was assessed four weeks after completing the workshop using the same post-test. This study was Institutional Review Board (IRB) exempt.
Results: Pre and post-test results were analyzed for 69 students that were divided across four cohorts. Students averaged a pre-test score of 74% and post-test score of 87.75%. This post-test score was maintained at the four-week reassessment with an average score of 86% (24.6% response rate).
Confidence was measured by defining Likert scores of 1-3 as being “not confident” and 4-5 as “confident.” On the pre-test, student confidence in identifying ventricular tachycardia was 52%, identifying a shockable rhythm 38%, and identifying features of instability 16%. On the post-test, student’s confidence in identifying ventricular tachycardia rose to 96%, shockable rhythms to 93%, and features of instability to 90%.
Discussion: Active small-group EKG workshops enhance learners’ confidence and competence in recognizing and managing clinically significant arrhythmias in the emergency department. This learning exercise has become a staple of our required third-year EM clerkship and continues to show high learner satisfaction.
EKGarrythmiastachyarrhythmiaatrial fibrillationventricular tachycardiaPEAasystoleventricular fibrillationatrial fluttersupraventricular tachycardiaundergraduate medical education..learner confidencelearner competenceapplication/pdfCC-BYeScholarship, University of Californiahttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/7p05g12ghttps://escholarship.org/content/qt7p05g12g/qt7p05g12g.pdfinfo:doi/10.5070/M5.52195articleJournal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine, vol 11, iss 3oai_dc::500:560521:eyJmaXJzdCI6NTAwLCJiZWZvcmUiOiIyMDI2LTA4LTAxVDAwOjA0OjMwKzAwOjAwIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIyMDExLTAzLTE4VDE0OjMyOjQyKzAwOjAwIiwiaW5jbHVkZSI6WyJQVUJMSVNIRUQiLCJFTUJBUkdPRUQiXSwib3JkZXIiOiJVUERBVEVEX0RFU0MiLCJsYXN0SUQiOiJxdDdwMDVnMTJnIiwibGFzdERhdGUiOiIyMDI2LTA3LTMxVDExOjA2OjIyKzAwOjAwIn0