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Reassuringly (or otherwise), the above paragraph reads more like the contents of a junk mailbox than an accurate depiction of our first special issue of 2024. Even so, there are uncanny glimpses of plausibility – ‘in the era of’; ‘wield unprecedented influence’; ‘intricate role in shaping narratives, policies, and individual experiences’; ‘the evolving dynamics between’. These rest less on their content than on their lexical, performative familiarity: they look and sound like the sort of thing you would find in academic journals. Put differently, these phrases seem plausible not because of what they say, but because of how they are strung together, evaluated and recognised.

Humans are remarkably accurate at recognizing familiar faces, whereas their ability to recognize, or even match, unfamiliar faces is much poorer. However, previous research has failed to identify neural correlates of this striking behavioral difference. Here, we found a clear difference in brain potentials elicited by highly familiar faces versus unfamiliar faces. This effect starts 200 ms after stimulus onset and reaches its maximum at 400 to 600 ms. This sustained-familiarity effect was substantially larger than previous candidates for a neural familiarity marker and was detected in almost all participants, representing a reliable index of high familiarity. Whereas its scalp distribution was consistent with a generator in the ventral visual pathway, its modulation by repetition and degree of familiarity suggests an integration of affective and visual information.

[...]some other familiar characters are weaved into the plot, which gives it a touch of familiarity for avid fans.

Behavioral ecologists generally agree that animals derive benefits from familiarity with spaces that they inhabit or visit, yet site familiarity is rudimentary or lacking in most models of habitat selection. In this review, I examine evidence for the occurrence of site familiarity and its fitness benefits, describe the difficulty of measuring site familiarity, note its omission from the influential ideal free and ideal despotic models, and use a literature search to test an assumption of the ideal models that has become widespread in habitat selection theory: that animals behave without regard for site familiarity. I find little support for such \"familiarity blindness\" in vertebrates. Next I discuss how the study of public information has drawn attention away from site familiarity and point out that both kinds of information are likely to be important in habitat selection. I proceed to examine current models of initial settlement (exploration and settlement of prebreeders on first territories) and optional resettlement (site fidelity or dispersal by established breeders following a period of prospecting) and find that the latter include only basic forms of site familiarity. Hence, I develop the concept that an inhabited space holds a unique \"private value\" to an animal based on its familiarity with the space and offer a simple model for optional resettlement based on private value that generates several novel predictions, including site fidelity based on cumulative breeding site familiarity and high site fidelity among species with complex territories.

Focusing on the initial stage of foreign market selection (i.e., narrowing a set of potential countries from which to make a final choice), we theorize that manager’s country familiarity influences both the decision-making process and outcome. We hypothesize that with increasing country familiarity, (a) manager investment of cognitive effort (process) first increases and then decreases, and (b) the likelihood of a country being included for further consideration (outcome) also increases and then decreases. We further hypothesize that the effects of country familiarity are contingent on the managers’ international experience. Empirical evidence from verbal protocol analyses of managers provides strong support to our arguments. These findings contribute to the emergent literature on the critical role of cognition in decision making about foreign markets. Manager cognition potentially influences sequential/non-sequential entry decision making, possibly explaining some previously observed exceptions to internationalization process theory. The contingent role of international experience further stresses that the influence of cognition in internationalization decision making is both important and complex, involving, at least, innate cognitive processes, idiosyncratic knowledge, and international experience. We discuss the theoretical implications, along with practice implications, of country familiarity and intuitive decision making in foreign market selection.

People believe repeated information more than novel information; they show a repetition-induced truth effect. In a world of “alternative facts,” “fake news,” and strategic information management, understanding this effect is highly important. We first review explanations of the effect based on frequency, recognition, familiarity, and coherent references. On the basis of the latter explanation, we discuss the relations of these explanations. We then discuss implications of truth by repetition for the maintenance of false beliefs and ways to change potentially harmful false beliefs (e.g., “Vaccination causes autism”), illustrating that the truth-by-repetition phenomenon not only is of theoretical interest but also has immediate practical relevance.

IntroductionUGIB is common. By completion of clinical training, most gastroenterology trainees will be expected to be able to treat UGIB endoscopically. Training is variable and is often conducted on an opportunistic basis and many trainees desire additional training. Current demand for courses is very high and we aimed to develop a local course with low costs to help address it.MethodsWe have organised a half day, hands-on, consultant-run course for 3 years now, for trainees within the same trust. We made models using pig stomachs with simulated bleeding using expired overtubes, plastic storage boxes, and cable ties. The initial cost for equipment was 2755 pounds. Ongoing costs were kept under a 100 pounds yearly for fresh pig stomachs, as we prospectively saved expired equipment for the course. Expendables, such as clips, were provided as part of a sponsorship, and animal model stacks and scopes were loaned.Feedback was collected from each trainee using open ended questions. Trainees explained what they found most useful and what could be improved. Their responses were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsOver 3 years, we recorded 29 responses from trainees. Common themes emerged from what trainees found most useful. These were: hands-on experience, step-by-step use of techniques, using technical variations, building familiarity with equipment, and practicing communicating during endoscopy. Specific techniques which trainees found most helpful were gluing 79% (n=23), Danis stent insertion 69% (n=20), clipping 28% (n=8), and banding 24% (n=7). Common themes around improvement included: an expansion in the scope of the course to cover more techniques particularly foreign body removal, and more time per station.ConclusionsOur course represents a distinct approach to improving local endoscopy training. The use of a porcine model allows trainees to gain valuable hands-on experience, particularly in techniques that they may not encounter frequently and allows them to experiment with technical variations. Our model kept ongoing costs minimal, following some initial investment, and was easily expanded over subsequent years. It could be up scaled to cover more techniques and can be employed across multiple centres of varying sizes. Our thematic analysis demonstrates that trainees found our course helpful, particularly as it was hands on and covered a broad range of techniques.Current endotherapy training is variable. A course such as ours can serve as a template for a home-made, low cost, hands-on course which could help improve training, confidence, and technical ability in the use of certain endotherapy techniques.

Autistic individuals have varying levels of verbal fluency which can impact social outcomes. Although 70-75% of autistic individuals have functional language, findings regarding language patterns (syntax and semantics) in autistic adolescents remain inconclusive. Additionally, previous studies of language complexity use narrative samples, which do not capture autistic language in conversation. The current study examined language patterns in autistic (n = 20) and non-autistic (n = 17) youth aged 9-16 years during a conversation with a familiar versus unfamiliar adult. The study aimed to address gaps in the literature regarding autistic youth's language patterns, particularly in conversation, and the impact of speaking partners. Recordings of the conversation task were transcribed using SALT software conventions to yield measures of language production. Average length of communication units was higher among autistic compared to non-autistic youth, and among all youth when talking with familiar compared to unfamiliar partners. Youth speech also reflected greater linguistic diversity with familiar interlocutors, with no differences between autistic and non-autistic youth. Additionally, familiar interlocutors used more speech elicitation strategies (i.e., questions, prompts) than unfamiliar interlocutors across groups and interlocutors speaking with autistic youth used more speech elicitation strategies. These findings identify important similarities and differences between autistic and non-autistic youth and interlocutor speech that provide a better understanding of language patterns in autism. Importantly, this study can increase understanding and enhance support of autistic youth by highlighting that some aspects of autistic youth's language patterns in the context of conversation may be currently underestimated.

Health economic evaluations are comparative analyses of alternative courses of action in terms of their costs and consequences. The Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) statement, published in 2013, was created to ensure health economic evaluations are identifiable, interpretable, and useful for decision making. It was intended as guidance to help authors report accurately which health interventions were being compared and in what context, how the evaluation was undertaken, what the findings were, and other details that may aid readers and reviewers in interpretation and use of the study. The new CHEERS 2022 statement replaces previous CHEERS reporting guidance. It reflects the need for guidance that can be more easily applied to all types of health economic evaluation, new methods and developments in the field, as well as the increased role of stakeholder involvement including patients and the public. It is also broadly applicable to any form of intervention intended to improve the health of individuals or the population, whether simple or complex, and without regard to context (such as health care, public health, education, social care, etc). This summary article presents the new CHEERS 2022 28-item checklist and recommendations for each item. The CHEERS 2022 statement is primarily intended for researchers reporting economic evaluations for peer reviewed journals as well as the peer reviewers and editors assessing them for publication. However, we anticipate familiarity with reporting requirements will be useful for analysts when planning studies. It may also be useful for health technology assessment bodies seeking guidance on reporting, as there is an increasing emphasis on transparency in decision making.