The “Jay-Dar” Phenomenon: Individuals Discriminate Cannabis Users from Nonusers Based Upon a Photograph

Objective: With increasing legalization of medicinal and recreational cannabis, use is on the rise. Research suggests individuals may be able to guess cannabis user status based upon appearance; however, these findings utilized a small sample of photographs that was not balanced on user status or gender. Further, no studies examined whether raters with cannabis experience are better at judging others' cannabis use, or what physical features they use to make these judgments. This study explored these factors using a larger, balanced photograph database. Method: An American sample (n = 249, 48.6% female, mean age = 35.19 years) rated 36 photographs (18 cannabis users, 18 nonusers) balanced on gender and age on the likelihood that the photographed individuals use cannabis, producing 8964 ratings. Respondents also reported physical features considered in their ratings, as well as their own cannabis use history. Results: As hypothesized, photographs of users received higher ratings on the Marijuana Use Likelihood Index relative to nonusers. Further, results revealed a gender by rater user status interaction, indicating that raters with no previous cannabis experience rated males higher than females, while raters with cannabis experience did not demonstrate this rating discrepancy. Cannabis use explained over 9% of the variance in ratings across all photographs. Conclusions: Results suggest individuals do rate cannabis users as more likely to be users, relative to nonusers, based upon appearance alone. These findings have important implications, not only for research on chronic cannabis use effects, but also for social and achievement factors such as potential stigma.     

The impact of descriptive norms on motivation to participate in cancer screening – Evidence from online experiments

ObjectiveThe current study tested in two online experiments whether manipulating normative beliefs about cancer screening uptake increases intention to attend colorectal screening among previously disinclined individuals.Methods2461 men and women from an Internet panel (Experiment 1 N = 1032; Experiment 2, N = 1423) who initially stated that they did not intend to take up screening were asked to guess how many men and women they believe to get screened for colorectal cancer. Across participants, we varied the presence/absence of feedback on the participant’s estimate, as well as the stated proportion of men and women doing the screening test.ResultsAcross the two experiments, we found that receiving one of the experimental messages stating that uptake is higher than estimated significantly increased the proportion of disinclined men and women becoming intenders. While, we found a positive relationship between the communicated uptake and screening intentions, we did not find evidence that providing feedback on the estimate has an added benefit.ConclusionScreening intention can be effectively manipulated through a high uptake message.Practice implicationsCommunication of high screening uptake is an easy and effective way to motivate disinclined individuals to engage in colorectal cancer screening.     

Collection and local use of accident and emergency hospital data in England.

OBJECTIVE: To obtain information on the collection and local use of accident and emergency data. METHODS: A postal questionnaire was sent to 248 English accident and emergency (A&E) departments. Responses were obtained from 217 (88%). RESULTS: Only 87 (40%) of departments were fully computerised, with 109 (50%) using manual systems, and 21 (10%) a mixture of both. Significantly more computerised departments reported that they undertook studies (epidemiological, accident prevention, and resource management) than non-computerised departments. Only limited information on the types of injury studied was provided. The most common topics were childhood accidents, road traffic accidents, and poisonings. Staff in 45 departments (21%) reported membership of safety organisations. Around 90% of departments reported that they notified general practitioners and health visitors of their patients' attendance, usually within 3 d of the event. CONCLUSIONS: Computerisation appears to help the collection of A&E data for public health research. There is scope to increase the involvement of public health and other workers in epidemiological studies using A&E data. A&E departments should themselves become more involved with local safety organisations.     

A practical radiosynthesis of a tritium‐labelled fluorocombretastatin

Zybrestat (combretastatin A‐4 disodium diphosphate) is currently in clinical trials as an antivascular anticancer agent. A similar fluorinated agent has shown promise as an antivascular agent, and a radiolabelled version would enable further understanding of its biological activities. Herein is described the synthesis of a tritiated fluorinated analogue of Zybrestat. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reflections on Conversations and Memory

The study of memory and remembering has traditionally either stripped meaning away from acts of remembering to reveal the “raw material of memory” or explored how meaning guides the reconstruction of the past. In reflecting on the contributions to this topic, there appears to be an emerging “third‐way,” which holds that there is an inextricable relation between conversations and remembering. The articles in this volume exemplify how conversing is often an act of remembering and represent approaches to memory that might not otherwise be taken if one were to study memory as a within‐individual phenomenon. The implications of this approach are far‐ranging and present the opportunity to pose new questions about the nature of remembering as it unfolds in conversation. The contributing articles have expanded the scope of what memory researchers can study by adopting a relatively straightforward assumption about the sociality of remembering and the role of the conversation in the social process.