Combatting Information Manipulation and Deception

Dopamine plays an important role in working memory. It has been hypothesized that D1 receptor signalling in the prefrontal cortex supports the stable maintenance of information in working memory, while D2 receptor signalling in the striatum facilitates the flexible updating and manipulation of new information in working memory. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that striatal dopamine is important for the manipulation of information in working memory in a pharmacological, event-related fMRI study. Twenty healthy human subjects were scanned twice, once after placebo and once after sulpiride 400mg, a selective D2 receptor antagonist, while performing a working memory task requiring different levels of manipulation. We observed a significant correlation between sulpiride plasma levels and BOLD signal related to manipulation bilaterally in the putamen, suggesting a dose-dependent effect of D2 antagonism on a striatally-based manipulation process. These effects on BOLD signal occurred in the context of a drug-induced improvement in performance on trials requiring the manipulation of information in working memory but not on simple retrieval trials. No significant drug effects were observed in the PFC. These results support models of dopamine function that posit a 'gating' function for dopamine D2 receptors in the striatum, which enables the flexible updating and manipulation of information in working memory.

The intraparietal sulcus (IPS) is recruited during tasks requiring attention, maintenance and manipulation of information in working memory (WM). While WM tasks often show broad bilateral engagement along the IPS, topographic maps of contralateral (CL) visual space have been identified along the IPS, similar to retinotopic maps in visual cortex. In the present study, we asked how these visuotopic IPS regions are differentially involved in the maintenance and manipulation of spatial information in WM. Visuotopic mapping was performed in 26 participants to define regions of interest along the IPS, corresponding to previously described IPS0-4. In a separate task, we showed that while maintaining the location of a briefly flashed target in WM preferentially engaged CL IPS, manipulation of spatial information by mentally rotating the target around a circle engaged bilateral IPS, peaking in IPS1 in most participants. Functional connectivity analyses showed increased interaction between the IPS and prefrontal regions during manipulation, as well as interhemispheric interactions. Two control tasks demonstrated that covert attention shifts, and nonspatial manipulation (arithmetic), engaged patterns of IPS activation and connectivity that were distinct from WM manipulation. These findings add to our understanding of the role of IPS in spatial WM maintenance and manipulation.

Reviewed by: Цензура в БССР: послевоенные годы, 1944–1956 гг by Л. Смиловицкий Arūnas Streikus (bio) Л. Смиловицкий. Цензура в БССР: послевоенные годы, 1944–1956 гг. Иерусалим, 2015. 360 c. ISBN: 978-965-92411-0-1. Soviet censorship is a wellestablished topic in Soviet studies. Its evolution and performance at different stages has received extensive treatment in several works based on rich archival material.1 Much less is known about the regional variations and specificities of the censorship apparatus. The few available articles on the topic discuss Soviet political control over the public sphere in Latvia and Estonia.2 This is why the book under review is a welcome contribution to the field that sheds new light on the functioning of the Soviet censorship under the particular circumstances of post–World War II Belarus. The book consists of seven chapters. Starting with a detailed description of the organization of censorship in the Belarus SSR (chapter 1), it goes on to examine the staff of the local Glavlit (the central censorship office) in chapter 2. Chapter 3 explores a special category of “state [End Page 488] and military secrets” as a pretext for censorship intervention in the most mundane spheres of life (including agriculture and health care) and the manipulation of public opinion and information. The system of comprehensive censorship of publishing is discussed in chapter 4, and the equally tight control over reading (including libraries and secondhand bookstores) in chapter 5. Of special concern in Belarus was the muting of all Jewish themes in the press and the restriction of access to foreign publications. More than one-third of the book is occupied by chapter 6, which is dedicated to censorship over different forms of cultural production: literature, theater, visual arts, galleries, and so on. The last chapter of the monograph (chapter 7) covers the transitional period after Stalin’s death. Changes in censorship were profound in Belarus, although ambivalent: some topics and books were released from the sway of censors, others remain under their control. New categories of banned information appeared – for example, everything that concerned Stalin’s fallen henchman, Lavrentiy Beria. The author does not confine his account to the history of various forms of state control and manipulation of information, but extends it to reconstruct a broader historical and social context of the epoch. In the book, the historical realities of postwar Belarus are juxtaposed to distorted images disseminated by the official propaganda of the time. The ensuing contrast highlights the importance of the ever-expanding catalog of information forbidden for public access that was listed by Glavlit censors in a register nicknamed “Talmud.” Most references to the actual state of affairs had to be kept secret in order to sustain a surrogate image of reality. Language was part of the censorship process, purged of meanings and words that threatened to compromise the normative discourse of reality. Smilovitskii’s discussion of postwar “Newspeak” resonates with the existing body of research that treats censorship as an instrument establishing and guarding the Soviet discursive order.3 It is all the more disappointing therefore to see that only two pages of the book are devoted to this important topic. The study is based on a rich assortment of primary sources from various archives in Belarus and the Russian Federation. The core is constituted by various documents of the Glavlitbel (the General Directorate for the Protection of Military and State Secrets in the Press of the [End Page 489] BSSR): its annual reports, notes on special topics, and correspondence with the Party and state authorities. They are complemented by a broad range of documents produced by other institutions of political control, including different departments of the Central Committee of the Belarus Communist Party and the Belarus branch of the political police (various predecessors of the KGB). There are also materials of local creative unions, arts museums, the state publishing house, and other organizations that had to comply with censorship in their everyday activities. Documents from Russian archives reveal policy considerations and the guidelines for their implementation by the central Soviet authorities. Unfortunately, the author misses the opportunity to use this diversity of sources to study center−periphery relationships in the process of implementing censorship by clarifying the mechanism of decision making and identifying the priorities of different...

PurposeThis study aims to examine the influence of ethical ideology (EID) toward the commission of information or measures manipulation (IMM), as it is a less salient ethical issue that has failed to attract the attention of researchers.Design/methodology/approachUsing stratified random sampling strategy, this study used survey questionnaire with 217 usable responses. It adopted a relatively new Ruler-Option (RO) scale. Both SPSS 21 and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) were used to analyze its data.FindingsFindings revealed surprising results where idealism and IMM was significantly positively related, while relativism and IMM was significantly negatively related, contradicting the generalized theory that relativists demonstrate higher propensity to behave unethically as compared to idealists.Research limitations/implicationsThis study only examined a direct relationship between EID and IMM when such relationship might be influenced by other mediating or moderating effects. It also exclusively focused on a single industry, hence limiting a meaningful comparison among multiple industries.Practical implicationsThe finding provides a proof that IMM does prevail in a highly regulated banking industry that efforts must be made to curb these practices. Notably, having relativists as decision-makers may give an advantage due to their ability to comprehensively appraise every ethical issue based on the situational context.Originality/valueDue to its contradictory findings, this study contributed essential insights to the existing body of knowledge by stimulating discussion on EID and unethical behavior. Additionally, it provides evidence for the suitability of RO scale and the PLS-SEM in statistical analysis.

Groups of Psychological Abuse (GPAs) are hierarchical groups made up of one or several leaders and members who persistently and systematically use manipulative and coercive strategies to subjugate other people. The general aims of this study were (1) to obtain evidence of psychological abuse through the analysis of five sectarian cases and (2) to provide support for the taxonomy proposed by Rodríguez-Carballeira et al. (2015). An abductive content analysis extracted indicators from five case studies using court transcripts as secondary data sources. Results revealed 26 psychological abuse strategies, with the most prevalent category being control of personal life (41.9%), followed by emotional abuse (14.9%), and control and manipulation of information (14.7%). The most frequently used strategies of abuse were control over sexual life and emotional relationships, control-weakening of the psychophysical state, and manipulation of information. These findings suggest implications for prevention and intervention in both the psychological and legal context.

Manipulation as a way of influencing a person has a negative connotation due to the techniques and methods of influence used, as well as instrumentalism in the manipulators relationship with the person subjected to manipulation. This also applies to the manipulation of information. Nevertheless, in terms of investigations and actions taken by law enforcement agencies, information manipulation gains a new dimension, as it often leads to the disclosure of the truth and detection of the perpetrator of the crime. In addition, the manipulation of information is used in the mass media and serves to calm the public and restore public order. The purpose of this article is to present information manipulation as one of the ways in which law enforcement agencies operate. The approach to the above topic requires first defining what manipulation is, and then characterizing the tasks and specificity of the activities of law enforcement agencies. The essence of the article includes a description of the use of information manipulation in the work of, inter alia, services such as the police and the prosecutors office, along with an analysis of the rightness of such actions and the presentation of the above case on selected examples. The research problem raised in the study concerned the use of information by law enforcement services to manipulate the message in order to obtain benefits related to the investigation. It was found that the deliberate manipulation of information by the Polish law enforcement authorities allows to obtain tangible benefits in the form of obtaining information about the perpetrators of crimes, the circumstances of their commission, as well as the detection of motives that led to the commission of the crime. An important aspect of information manipulation by Polish law enforcement agencies is the possibility of reassuring the public opinion by making available only such information that will not arouse panic and social unrest.

Regional brain activity during tasks devoted to the central executive of working memory

Working memory (WM) entails maintenance and manipulation of information in the absence of sensory input. This study investigated the trajectories and neural basis of these component processes of WM functions in aging. Longitudinal human functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data are presented from 136 older individuals (55–80 years) who were scanned at baseline and again 4 years later. We obtained evidence that age-related changes in parietal and frontal components of the WM core network are dissociable in terms of their role in maintenance of perceptual representations and further manipulation of this information, respectively. Individual difference analyses in performance subgroups showed that only prefrontal changes in fMRI activation were accompanied by changes in performance, but parietal brain activity was related to study dropout. We discuss the results in terms of possible neurobiological causes underlying separable aging-related declines in inferior parietal cortex and lateral prefrontal cortex that differentially affect WM functions.

This volume explains China’s foreign policy from the perspective of its historical recovery after 1949 and the country’s subsequent rise as a great power, including its transformation into a global power. It also illuminates how China has, in tandem with its rise, developed an increasing array of political, economic, ‘sharp power’ and military capabilities that is helping it to further its increasingly expansive foreign policy objectives. The volume examines two key questions: What have been the implications of China’s rise for its foreign policy? And how has an increasingly powerful and confident China used a range of foreign policy instruments to pursue its expanding national interests in Asia and beyond? The volume is divided into three parts, covering the conceptualization and drivers of China’s foreign policy, China’s relations with the world, and the instruments of China’s foreign policy, namely its economic power, military capabilities and its ‘sharp power’ manipulation of information and relationships. It will be of interest to academics, students and researchers interested in understanding China’s role in world politics.

ABSTRACTThe United Kingdom is currently examining far-reaching regulatory proposals designed to address the online transmission of harmful content, including disinformation. Of particular interest, therefore, is French Law no. 2018–1202 on the ‘fight against the manipulation of information’. The French Law establishes a fast-track civil procedure to tackle the transmission of false information prior to key elections and referenda; addresses foreign state-funded broadcast propaganda; and seeks to enhance transparency regarding the financing and distribution of online content. Restrictions on the transmission of information, particularly in the run-up to elections, are inherently suspect and the Conseil constitutionnel carefully reviewed the French proposals to ensure that any constraints on freedom of expression were both justified and necessary. French Law 2018–1202 thus offers an example of a rather ‘muscular’ form of intervention in the election field, but one which seeks to preserve democratic legitimacy without undermining the individual freedoms on which it rests.

Patients with schizophrenia exhibit impairments in working memory that often appear in attenuated form in persons at high risk for the illness. The authors hypothesized that deviations in task-related brain activation and deactivation would occur in persons with an at-risk mental state performing a working memory task that entailed the maintenance and manipulation of letters. Participants at ultra high risk for developing psychosis (N=60), identified using the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States, and healthy comparison subjects (N=38) 14 to 29 years of age underwent functional MRI while performing a verbal working memory task. Group differences in brain activation were identified using analysis of covariance. The two groups did not show significant differences in speed or accuracy of performance, even after accounting for differences in education. Irrespective of task condition, at-risk participants exhibited significantly less activation than healthy comparison subjects in the left anterior insula. During letter manipulation, at-risk persons exhibited greater task-related deactivation within the default-mode network than comparison subjects. Region-of-interest analysis in the at-risk group revealed significantly greater right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation during manipulation of letters. Despite comparable behavioral performance, at-risk participants performing a verbal working memory task exhibited altered brain activation compared with healthy subjects. These findings demonstrate an altered pattern of brain activation in at-risk persons that contains elements of reduced function as well as compensation.

The war unleashed following the Russian invasion of the Ukrainian territory has provided an avalanche of information regarding military and strategic events, information which has conditioned policy making as well as the development of the current world order. Like any armed conflict, war not only takes place in the trenches and on the battlefields, but the weaponization of elements of disinformation and propaganda towards the general population and nation states can influence the outcome of the conflict as well. These elements might become powerful weapons that partly condition future events. This field study and research, carried out across Ukrainian territory, explores the perception by the Ukrainian people of information manipulation, taking into consideration different population groups. It should be noted that Ukrainians suffer from a constant and daily misinformation bombardment that seeks to undermine the morale of its people, yet elements of resilience in the form of a ‘strong and clear criterion’ regarding balance and imbalance of forces can still be found. As a result, this research examines the fundamental sources used by the Ukrainian population to obtain information, the use and reception of informative propaganda via social media, its critical analysis, the participation and interaction of the population in today’s global communication spaces, and finally, the level of credibility of both foreign and national media in depth. The themes discussed were explored via qualitative research during a series of oral interviews conducted with subjects directly related with the defence of the country, women, and higher education professionals. Our conclusions highlight the challenges that disinformation poses upon the Ukrainian population and its national and international organizations in the fight against information manipulation.

This article investigates the transformations in power dynamics driven by the rise of digital media, with an emphasis on the emergence of informational capitalism and surveillance capitalism. Drawing on the contributions of authors such as Byung-Chul Han, Shoshana Zuboff, and Andrew Korybko, it analyzes how digital technologies, although often presented as neutral, operate within structures shaped by economic, political, and geopolitical interests. The role of Big Tech companies in controlling global digital infrastructures and in the massive capture of data is highlighted as a central mechanism of domination, reshaping sovereignty in the 21st century. The concept of "data sovereignty" is explored as a key category for understanding power in the digital age, within an international context marked by imperialist dynamics. In this scenario, so-called hybrid wars — covert conflicts that use social media and informational manipulation — reveal the vulnerability of national sovereignties. The article argues for the urgent need to formulate public policies capable of protecting countries’ informational sovereignty, recognizing data as a strategic resource of geopolitical relevance. By mapping the contemporary mechanisms of digital control and influence, the study seeks to contribute to the debate on technological autonomy.

PurposeWalking demands controlling body segments based on sensory information. Experimental manipulation of sensory information provides insight about how it interacts in situations of occlusion or perturbation of such information. This study examined the effect of manipulation of visual and vestibular information on spatial perception during gait.MethodsThirty-two participants aged between 19-34 years old walked straight ahead for 7 meters to reach the center point of the pathway. The authors measured the number of steps, movement time, and absolute error (deviation from the center of pathway end). They analyzed six experimental conditions: without spin with vision, without spin with visual occlusion, without spin with visual perturbation, with spin and vision, with spin and visual occlusion, and with spin and visual perturbation. Friedman's ANOVA test was used to compare the experimental conditions with a significance of 5% (<i>p</i> < 0.05).ResultsOcclusion and perturbation of visual information, and the perturbation of vestibular information, both affected the spatial orientation. The more sources of information that were occluded and/or perturbed; the greater was the decline of spatial perception. However, participants were able to perform the task of walking in all conditions with the manipulation of sensory information.ConclusionsThe authors suggest that there is a dynamic hierarchy in which the sensory sources can contribute in a particular way, due to the constraint imposed on the system.

Working memory is responsible for the short-term storage and online manipulation of information necessary for higher cognitive functions, such as language, planning and problem-solving. Traditionally, working memory has been divided into two types of processes: executive control (governing the encoding manipulation and retrieval of information in working memory) and active maintenance (keeping information available 'online'). It has also been proposed that these two types of processes may be subserved by distinct cortical structures, with the prefrontal cortex housing the executive control processes, and more posterior regions housing the content-specific buffers (for example verbal versus visuospatial) responsible for active maintenance. However, studies in non-human primates suggest that dorsolateral regions of the prefrontal cortex may also be involved in active maintenance. We have used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine brain activation in human subjects during performance of a working memory task. We used the temporal resolution of this technique to examine the dynamics of regional activation, and to show that prefrontal cortex along with parietal cortex appears to play a role in active maintenance.