This article examines the impact of augmented reality (AR) visualizations on users’ sense of physical presence, knowledge gain, and perceptions of the authenticity of journalistic visuals. In a mixed experimental design, 79 participants were randomly assigned to view three The New York Times articles on a mobile phone featuring one of three viewing modalities: (1) AR visualizations, (2) interactive (non-AR) visualizations, or (3) non-interactive, static visualizations. AR induced a greater sense of physical presence compared to the other modalities. The findings suggest that immersive properties of AR can contribute to journalism’s goal of engaging the audience. However, AR was not a superior medium for informing the participants, and the viewing modality did not have an effect on the perceived authenticity of the visuals. The findings indicate a need for more efficient ways to relay information through journalistic AR visualizations while keeping the user engaged in an immersive experience.

Addressing loneliness is a key public health concern. However, few studies have examined risk factors for momentary fluctuations of loneliness, limiting our understanding of how social contexts and perceptions in daily life maintain loneliness. In the current ecological momentary assessment study, participants (N = 32; mean age = 25) reported on momentary loneliness and qualities of social interactions four times per day for seven days using a smartphone application. Our primary aim was to evaluate existing mechanistic models of loneliness in daily life. We found that hypervigilance to social threat (perceiving criticism/rejection, preferring to be alone when around others) was related to momentary loneliness. We also found that feeling connected to others when alone was related to more loneliness in-the-moment, but predicted less loneliness in the future. We did not find support that being alone was related to loneliness, or that loneliness predicted a lower likelihood of interacting with others in the future. These results suggest that specific factors related to hypervigilance to social threat may be unique predictors of momentary loneliness, making them a potential treatment target for just-in-time interventions.

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Background This study investigated the validity of self-reported concentration and memory problems (CMP) in residents environmentally exposed to manganese (Mn). Method Self-report of CMP from a health questionnaire (HQ) and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) was compared to neuropsychological assessment (Trails A&B; Digit Span; Digit Symbol; Similarities; Auditory Consonant Trigrams, ACT; NAB Memory; Rey–Osterrieth, Rey–O, Delayed). Participants included 146 residents from Ohio exposed to air-Mn, with a modeled average concentration of 0.55 μgm−3 (range = 0.01–4.58). Results Residents were primarily White (94.5%), aged 30–64 years (M = 51.24), with a minimum of 10 years of residence (range = 10–64). Ninety-four (65.3%) participants reported concentration problems, and 107 residents (73.3%) reported memory problems. More participants endorsed CMP on the SCL-90-R than on the HQ. The prevalence of self-reported CMP was higher for women than for men (88.4% vs. 68.3%). Point-biserial and Pearson's correlations between self-reported CMP and neuropsychological test scores were nonsignificant and weak for both the HQ (rpb = −.20 to rpb = .04) and the SCL-90-R (r = −.12 to r = .007). Greater levels of depression, anxiety, and female sex predicted having more self-reported CMP on both the HQ and the SCL-90-R. Air-Mn and blood-Mn were not associated with self-reported CMP. Residential distance from the Mn source accounted for a small proportion of variance (sr2 = .04), although depression remained the largest predictor (sr2 = .21). Conclusion These results indicate that self-report of CMP in Mn-exposed residents appear to be invalid when compared to neuropsychological test scores. The participants' misperception of having CMP is associated with less education and higher levels of depression. Neuropsychological assessment is recommended to attain valid results.

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