Publications by authors named "G W BIRD"

Z boson events at the Large Hadron Collider can be selected with high purity and are sensitive to a diverse range of QCD phenomena. As a result, these events are often used to probe the nature of the strong force, improve Monte Carlo event generators, and search for deviations from standard model predictions. All previous measurements of Z boson production characterize the event properties using a small number of observables and present the results as differential cross sections in predetermined bins.

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The theory of mind (ToM) hypothesis of autism is the idea that difficulties inferring the mental states of others may explain social communication difficulties in autism. In the present article, we critically evaluate existing theoretical accounts, concluding that none provides a sufficient explanation of ToM in autism. We then evaluate existing tests of ToM, identifying problems that limit the validity of the conclusions that may be drawn from them.

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High-energy nuclear collisions create a quark-gluon plasma, whose initial condition and subsequent expansion vary from event to event, impacting the distribution of the eventwise average transverse momentum [P([p_{T}])]. Disentangling the contributions from fluctuations in the nuclear overlap size (geometrical component) and other sources at a fixed size (intrinsic component) remains a challenge. This problem is addressed by measuring the mean, variance, and skewness of P([p_{T}]) in ^{208}Pb+^{208}Pb and ^{129}Xe+^{129}Xe collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.

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In this article, I take a selective review of work undertaken by my colleagues and me in an attempt to show the enduring importance of the "fine cuts" approach to psychology. This approach highlights the importance of causal, specific, and falsifiable psychological models, and the rigorous experimental designs needed to test them. I hope the review shows that it is still necessary to consider cognition, despite the exciting advances in Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and computational modelling characterising our field.

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The ability to represent and infer accurately others' mental states, known as Theory of Mind (ToM), has been theorised to be associated with metacognitive ability. Here, we considered the role of metacognition in mental state inference through the lens of a recent theoretical approach to explaining ToM, the 'Mind-space' framework. The Mind-space framework posits that trait inference, representation of the qualities of the mind giving rise to the mental state, is important in forming accurate mental state inferences.

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