Previous research shows that a large segment of the U.S. population has maintained factually inaccurate beliefs concerning Iraq for at least a decade after the start of the Iraq war. These beliefs were maintained despite the fact that significant press coverage challenged them, a bipartisan Senate committee denounced them, and no new convincing evidence has surfaced to support them. The authors believe that 2 ideological preferences, authoritarianism and social dominance orientation, provide the motivational mechanisms for individuals to adopt and maintain factually inaccurate beliefs because such beliefs are consistent with their preferences. The authors combine and extend previous research by examining the relationships between authoritarianism and social dominance, the holding of factual misperceptions years after the U.S. military entered Iraq in 2003, and support for the Iraq war and a broader foreign policy of preemption. Using a student sample, they found that those higher in authoritarianism and social dominance orientation held more misperceptions about the Iraq war, which, in turn, predicted support for military engagement in Iraq and for a broader preemptive military policy. The number of misperceptions held partially mediated the effect of authoritarianism and social dominance orientation on support for war. These factual misperceptions serve as justifications for individuals to express their preexisting preferences. This bias makes factually inaccurate perceptions regarding support for war relatively immutable once adopted.
Difficulties in face recognition contribute to social‐cognitive problems in autistic children. Evidence on behavioral interventions targeting this cognitive domain is limited. In non‐autistic individuals, a single exercise session is known to elicit temporary benefits for several cognitive functions. Our study investigates whether acute aerobic exercise influences face recognition in autistic children. In a randomized order, 29 participants completed a 20‐min moderately‐intense cycling bout on an ergometer and a control condition. Before and after each condition, participants categorized Mooney faces and instruments during a computerized cognitive task. Simultaneously, the N170 component of event‐related potentials and pupil size were recorded using electroencephalography and eyetracking, respectively. As indicated by a greater increase of reaction time in the exercise compared to the control condition, the results revealed impaired face recognition following aerobic exercise. This effect was accompanied by a lower decrease of the positive N170 amplitude and a trend towards a greater constriction of the pupil size in the exercise compared to the control condition. Our findings highlight the interplay of the physiological state and face recognition in autistic children. Exercise‐induced impairments in this social‐cognitive ability may be due to an interference with the learning effect that is typically seen for the structural encoding of faces.
The 21st century adds unique challenges to the juror experience. Jurors are now exposed to, and often expect, certain technologies during jury duty. This chapter addresses how advances in technology can exacerbate juror stress or increase juror satisfaction. A juror’s role has not changed drastically over time, but jurors are now exposed to more complex trials and evidence, have easy access to the Internet, and are exposed to crime television in popular culture; all of these can affect the juror experience. Often, technology can exacerbate stress. For instance, some jurors are exposed to advanced methods of presenting gruesome evidence. Alternatively, technology can enhance well-being. For instance, online information and check-in can reduce the uncertainty and inconvenience of serving. Empirical research on how 21st-century technology influences jurors’ stress and well-being is lacking. Therefore, this chapter issues a call to action for researchers to further investigate the juror experience.
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