Two experiments are reported which suggest that a dynamic memory updating task, running memory, requires two independent mechanismsthe articulatory loop and a component of the central executive. Experiment 1 shows that irrelevant speech and articulatory suppression impair the serial recall component of the running memory task but not the updating component. Updating memory affects performance independently of the effects of irrelevant speech and suppression. The second experiment produced the same pattern of results with a close to span memory load. These results are interpreted in terms of the working memory model outlined by Baddeley (1986). It is concluded that the updating of working memory in real time is coordinated by a central executive component of the model. The working memory model proposed by Baddeley & Hitch (1974) consists of three components : an articulatoiy loop, holding speechlike representations, a vimo-spatial scratch pad, holding imaginal representations and a central execgtive, which acts as an overseer directing attention and coordinating the activities of the other components.

Performance on a test of serial memory for the spatial position of a sequence of dots showed similarities to typical results from the serial recall of verbal material: a marked increase in error with increasing list length, a modest rise in error as retention interval increased, and bow-shaped serial position curves. This task was susceptible to interference from both a spatial task (rote tapping) and a verbal task (mouthed articulatory suppression) and also from the presence of irrelevant speech. Effects were comparable to those found with a serial verbal task that was generally similar in demand characteristics to the spatial task. As a generalization, disruption of the serial recall of visuospatial material was more marked if the interference conditions involved a changing sequence of actions or materials, but not if a single event (tap, mouthed utterance, or sound) was repeated.

Research suggests that personality dictates specific Internet preferences. One area that remains relatively unexplored is the influence of personality on engagement with social networking sites (SNSs). The current study employs a 'Uses and Gratifications' framework to investigate whether personality, age, and sex predict motivations for using SNSs. The study explores both global and specific factors of personality using Eysenck's EPQ-R short form (extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism) and Beck's SAS (sociotropy and autonomy). Principal component analysis identified ten distinct motivational components, which were then successfully predicted by individual differences through regression analyses. It is therefore suggested that individuals with different profiles vary in their motivations for using SNSs. Results support theoretical assumptions based on previous literature and personality dispositions.Key words: Individual differences, Personality, Social Networking Sites doi:10.1111/jcc4.12068 Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are characterised by three distinctive features. First, they allow individuals to create a profile within a web-based system to define their visual presence. Second, members can then add connections with other members, creating a list of associations. Finally, users are able to navigate through such associations to access a wider network (boyd & Ellison, 2007). Offering a full range of features, SNSs incorporate aspects of the social, leisure, and informational services that Hamburger and Ben-Artzi (2000) once used to define the Internet, and have revolutionised the manner in which individuals communicate and maintain social networks. It is therefore important to explore the types of motivations that individuals may have for using these sites. In turn, this may explain the popularity of such sites in comparison to previous alternatives and explicate the benefits of membership.It would be remiss to examine motivations for using SNSs without taking inspiration from the 'Uses and Gratifications' (U&G) approach. U&G theory consists of a collaboration of theories and frameworks * Accepted by previous editor Maria Bakardjieva 388Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 19 (2014) 388-402 © 2014 International Communication Association used to explain media choice, and aims to explore individuals' motivations when actively choosing particular media options or features (Katz, Blumler & Gurevitch, 1974). The approach emphasises that media users are goal-directed in their usage, seeking out specific gratifications to fulfil their individual needs. These personal needs derive from individual psychological and sociological factors. Media choice is dependent on gratification fulfilment and satisfying these needs (Rubin, 2002). In recent years the approach has been revamped to explore gratifications derived from Internet usage. For instance, LaRose and Eastin (2004) propose a modification to the U&G approach to help explain Internet engagement. Specifically, they argue that instead of gratifications one...

Photo-related activities are noticeably prevalent among social media users. On Facebook, users predominantly communicate visually and manage their self-presentation. Such online behaviours tend to mimic what would be expected of individuals' offline personalities. This study sought to address the link between Facebook users' photo-related activities and the Big Five personality traits by encoding basic Facebook visual features. Content analysis on the actual profiles (n=115) and multiple regression analyses revealed many associations as a manifestation of users' characteristics. For instance, Neuroticism and Extraversion predicted more photo uploads, Conscientiousness was predictive of more selfgenerated albums and video uploads and Agreeableness predicted the average number of received 'likes' and 'comments' on profile pictures. Additionally, the Facebook experience in interaction with the personality factors was found to be influential on the type of photorelated activity and the level of photo participation of users. The findings provide evidence that Facebook users with various personality traits set up albums and upload photos differently. Given the Uses and Gratification model, users adapt the construction of their profiles and manage their interactions to gratify their psychological needs on Facebook.

Three studies investigated the importance of movement for the recognition of subtle and intense expressions of emotion. In the first experiment, 36 facial emotion displays were duplicated in three conditions either upright or inverted in orientation. A dynamic condition addressed the perception of motion by using four still frames run together to encapsulate a moving sequence to show the expression emerging from neutral to the subtle emotion. The multi-static condition contained the same four still presented in succession, but with a visual noise mask (200 ms) between each frame to disrupt the apparent motion, whilst in the single-static condition, only the last still image (subtle expression) was presented. Results showed a significant advantage for the dynamic condition, over the single- and multi-static conditions, suggesting that motion signals provide a more accurate and robust mental representation of the expression. A second experiment demonstrated that the advantage of movement was reduced with expressions of a higher intensity, and the results of the third experiment showed that the advantage for the dynamic condition for recognizing subtle emotions was due to the motion signal rather than additional static information contained in the sequence. It is concluded that motion signals associated with the emergence of facial expressions can be a useful cue in the recognition process, especially when the expressions are subtle.