Research Methods: A Tool for Life
Abstract
Cambridge Core - Qualitative Research Methods - Research Methods - by Bernard C. Beins
... In sum, the distinction between positivism and social constructionism is a testament to the diversity of epistemological perspectives in research. Each stance has its strengths and weaknesses, and the choice between them often depends on the research question and context (Beins, 2019). Recognizing the differences helps researchers to understand the philosophies that guide different research designs, leading to more effective and informed research (Cassell, Cunliffe, & Grandy, 2018). ...
... This objective explores a complex phenomenon -online incivility -which is inherently subjective and context-dependent. What is considered civil or uncivil can vary dramatically based on cultural norms and individual perspectives (Beins, 2019). By applying social constructionism, this research can delve into the complexities of online incivility to understand how it is constructed and interpreted within the specific context of Islamic banking in Pakistan. ...
... Notably, these two designs are not mutually exclusive; they can complement each other in mixed-methods research, enabling researchers to capitalize on the strengths of both (Poth, 2018 (Beins, 2019). In conclusion, both designs are instrumental tools in the researcher's arsenal, facilitating nuanced inquiry and rigorous investigation into complex social phenomena (Walliman, 2022). ...
Background: Marketers are increasingly interested in the concept of brand engagement,
particularly during the current era of social media, which connects people in real time across
the world. Social media users (henceforth SMUs) create content when they interact online on
social media platforms. This content is called user generated content (henceforth, UGC) which
is not just about the personal lives of people. Rather, it involves SMUs talking about their
experiences, including. This brings brands into the scope of their discussions. When people
talk about the same brand, or create UGC about it, this leads to e-WOM as there are different
avenues available to SMUs on social media platforms to create UGC. This al has a significant
impact on other SMUs who are at the receiving end of this UGC. Consequently, this creates
social brand-, and consumer brand engagement. This necessitates some exploration of the role
of UGC in creating brand engagement.
Objective: The current research explores how different types of SMUs create, exchange, share
and consume UGC, and it examines the resultant social brand engagement and consumer brand
engagement that subsequently occurs. The context is Islamic banking.
Method: The research is intended to explore a social reality, which requires digging into a
social situation involving multiple layers, i.e., types of UGC, types of SMUs, and types of
brand engagement, and the interactions between these. the intention of the study is not to
evaluate variables, but to explore social realities. Hence, a social constructionist approach is
used. Primary data were collected from thirty-two participants through semi-structured
interviews. Since the aim is to gather thick, descriptive data, semi-structured interviews were
undertaken instead of structured interviews. Hence, the social constructionist approach is
justified. All other methodological choices are exercised accordingly.
Findings: The study finds that there are different motivational reasons why SMUs create,
share, consume and exchange UGC resulting in brand engagement. These include, but are not
limited to, Narrative Threads of Wisdoms with other SMUs, posting to demonstrate a sense of
responsibility, sharing rewards, and to enjoy their position as opinion leaders. The research
also identifies that UGC creators vary by type and there are creators, passive participants,
consumers/collectors, and criticizers. Several social exchange factors were also found which enhance the effectiveness of UGC. These factors comprise content expertise, social trust,
product usage, and relevance.
Originality: This research is the first to conceptualize UGC and consumer brand engagement
from the perspective of a social constructionism epistemological, and relativist ontological
position. It highlights two dimensions of brand engagement: social brand engagement and
consumer brand engagement in the context of Islamic banks. Moreover, the research also builds
on social exchange theory to conceptualize the process of social brand-, and consumer brand
engagement. It is the first study to apply this theory in the context of social media platforms as
a source of brand engagement by applying social exchange theory.
... Paper II employs the natural experiment setup of the EU-wide audit reform and uses a difference-in-difference estimator to investigate the effect of the reform on employment growth (Pischke & Angrist, 2009). Papers I and II take a "deductive approach" to investigate the central research question (Beins, 2017). The data used in Papers I and II are from a secondary source, the Retriever database. ...
... Such measures that can be replicated and applied to a large volume of unstructured text data are non-existent (Bellstam, et al., 2020;Park & Patterson, 2021). As such, an "inductive approach" was adopted to construct the generic measure to classify accountable information in environmental disclosures of firms' CS reporting (Beins, 2017). NLP tools, such as collocation analysis and text mining, were used to identify patterns in environmental disclosures of CS reporting (Lane, et al., 2019). ...
... Accountable information was classified using the measure constructed in the first part of the paper. A "deductive approach" was adopted in this section of the paper (Beins, 2017). ...
Regulations are argued to have the answer to solving various social and economic problems that society faces today (e.g., climate change, tax evasion, etc.). However, regulations may instead become the problem (e.g., overregulation). The central research question of this doctoral thesis is “are corporate disclosures regulations a social solution or a problem?”
To answer the central research question, Papers I and II examine the economic effects of an EU-wide audit reform, the Annual Accounts Directive: 2013/34/EU, on firms and the society. Papers III, IV, and V examine firm behavior to assess the need for public regulation of nonfinancial reporting in the light of an EU-wide reform, the Nonfinancial Reporting Directive: 2014/95/EU, commonly known as the NFRD.
The thesis posits that the current implementations of these reforms in some settings are imperfect and thus costly for the firms and society. It recommends deregulation of the monitoring of financial disclosure, i.e., to allow more small firms the option of deciding if an audit is beneficial for them or not. On the other hand, recommends a different approach for regulating nonfinancial reporting, e.g., sustainability reporting. For instance, regulations that can influence firms’ governance structure, e.g., board diversity. A firm with a diverse board is more likely to adopt a sustainability agenda which is better aligned with the expectations of the EU regulators.
Stakeholders use firms’ disclosures to evaluate its performance and behavior for various decision making. For example, shareholders, in their investing or divesting decisions; analysts, in making various forecasts and recommendations; or governments, in assessing the need for reforms. Historically, stakeholders commonly used financial information for these types of decision making. Hence, there are well established generic measures to evaluate firms’ financial information (e.g., earnings quality measures and financial-statement ratios). Nowadays, stakeholders are increasingly using firms’ sustainability related information in their decision-making process as well. However, replicable and scalable generic measures to evaluate such information are missing. This thesis develops objective approaches and a generic measure, to evaluate firms’ sustainability related disclosures. The developed approaches for analyzing unstructured text data may be applied to other fields that can benefit from the use of natural language processing tools.
... Uma pesquisa científica possui como finalidade solucionar problemas e questionamentos com base em processos científicos (KOTHARI, 2004). Além disso, ela é um estudo planejado, onde o método de abordagem do problema indica o aspecto científico da investigação (BEINS, 2017). Assim, existem vários tipos de pesquisas e métodos de pesquisas que proporcionam a coleta de dados sobre o que se deseja investigar (PRODANOV e FREITAS, 2013). ...
... Com relação ao estudo, este se classifica como aplicado, visto que gera conhecimento para a aplicação prática dirigida à solução de problemas específicos (BEINS, 2017). Além disso, este utiliza como procedimento técnico a pesquisa bibliográfica e estudo de campo. ...
O surgimento da urbanização tem provocado alterações das condições ambientais devido ao aumento no número de veículos, substituição do solo original por superfícies impermeáveis, redução da circulação do ar devido às edificações, canalização de rios, corte das árvores, entre outros. Neste sentido, a troca de vegetação natural pelas cidades gerou um aumento nas temperaturas nos centros urbanos. Assim, o presente estudo objetivou analisar a influência da cobertura vegetal na temperatura da superfície terrestre no limite urbano da cidade de Rio Paranaíba – MG. A temperatura da superfície terrestre foi determinada a partir da banda 10 e o índice de vegetação (NDVI) foi calculado a partir das bandas do infravermelho próximo (NIR) e vermelho (RED) do satélite Landsat 8. Após isso, realizou-se a fusão com a imagem da banda pancromática do mesmo satélite. Os resultados evidenciaram que as imagens fusionadas apresentam melhor definição para temperatura e NDVI. Este estudo demonstrou a possibilidade de identificar áreas com maiores e menores temperatura e quantidade de vegetação, bem como a dependência entre eles. Neste sentido, observou-se que ao aumentar o índice de vegetação diminui-se a temperatura, fazendo com que a utilização conjunta da espacialização da temperatura e cobertura vegetal apresenta resultados significantes para o planejamento urbano. Assim, as áreas centrais da cidade, a qual possui valor de NDVI menores, apresentaram temperaturas maiores do que as áreas mais extremas, onde o NDVI é maior, reduzindo aproximadamente 0,71°C, proporcionando à região melhor sensação térmica e mais conforto.
... Research philosophy is the foundation of the research methodology which indicates the set of beliefs on which the researcher decides how the data would be collected (Beins, 2017). Research philosophies are generally of three types, positivism, interpretivism and pragmatism. ...
... On the contrary, the other kinds of research strategies, such as the case study is focused on analysing a reallife situation, experiment strategy is done on a controlled environment to test certain results, action strategy is where the data are collected based on the actions of other on a given environment etc. (Beins, 2017). As the researcher is willing to understand for this study that how the employees of an MNC from different cultures manages to maintain a good relationship, how it benefits the organisation, what steps are taken to ensure it etc. ...
The study has evaluated the importance of a good relationship between local and international employees in an MNC which is based in Samsung, UK. The aim of the study is to find out the importance of a good relationship between local and international employees in an MNC: a case study on Samsung, London, UK. The study has evaluated the factors that affect employees' morale, conflicting factors between local and international employees, find out ways to settle cross-cultural issues in the organization and identify the benefits of conflict management in the organization. The study has chosen positivism research philosophy, deductive reasoning, survey strategy, and qualitative research approaches using the research onion model. The main finding of the study is that there is a moderate impact on the relationships among local and international employees with 50.6% on the productivity of the employees of Samsung. The researchers also provide recommendations for future studies.
... It is stated that a sample size of between 100 and 200, or 1x10 for each item will be sufficient for factor analysis to be used in scale applications (Beins, 2017;De Vallis, 2017;Field, 2018). A total of 150 people, at least 75 for each group, made up the sample within the scope of the inclusion criteria. ...
... Total correlation coefficients were calculated to ensure internal consistency. The t-test was performed for the discriminating power of the items, and findings regarding the values and significance levels were determined (Beins, 2017). ...
The mental health and well-being of a population are determined by measuring the psychological distress levels of individuals in society. As psychological distress is quite common, especially in families caring for cancer patients, it is important to determine the level of stress. The effective strategy may need to target all members of the primary patient's family. In order to achieve this, there is a need for practical, reliable, useful and multifunctional scanning tools. This study was carried out to test the comparatively validity and reliability of the Turkish form of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) and to reveal its explanatory power. The study used a methodological design. The study consist of total 150 people of which 75 relatives of cancer patients treated in a University Hospital Chemotherapy Unit and 75 healthy individuals from general population who did not have family members with cancer. The 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale is a short measurement tool for anxiety and mood disorders. Cronbach’s alpha values were calculated to determine the reliability of the scale, factor and fit analyses were done to reveal its validity, and correlation and upper-lower 27% values were calculated to reveal its discriminating power. Cronbach’s alpha value of the scale was 0.91. The p-value for standardized factor loads, t values, and the explanatory values of the items were less than 0.001. The goodness of fit indices was within an acceptable range. Total scores showed significant differences according to the lower 27%-upper 27% groups. The Turkish version of the K10 scale is a valid, reliable and practical tool that can be used both in the healthy population and in groups with high stress risk to determine the level of distress.
... Yordama deseninde bağımsız ve bağımlı değişkenler eşzamanlı olarak ortaya çıkmazlar. Bunun yerine, bir neden sonuç ilişkisine dayalı olarak bağımsız değişkenler genellikle bağımlı değişkenden önce gerçekleşmektedir (Beins, 2017). ...
... In prediction design, independent and dependent variables usually do not emerge synchronically. Instead, independent variables come before a dependent variable based on a cause-and-effect relationship (Beins, 2017). Moreover, this research does not require an ethics committee decision as it was conducted before 01.01.2020. ...
... Analyzing Yazır's writings or educational resources (artifact), his concepts (mentifact), and his role in creating Islamic education (sociofact). This study employs historical texts and instructional materials as part of this library-based research project, which strongly focuses on textual analysis (Beins, 2018;Haven & Grootel, 2019). ...
The transition from the Ottoman Empire to the secular Republic of Turkey significantly impacted Islamic education, as madrasahs were closed and a secular education system was adopted. This study analyzes the intellectual contribution of Muhammad Hamdi Yazır, who played a pivotal role in reconciling Islamic philosophy with modern secularism in moderating traditional Islamic education with the secularism orders through his work, Hak Dini Kur'an Dili. Yazır's approach integrated rational knowledge (ulum al-aqliyah) and religious knowledge (ulum al-naqliyah) to maintain Islamic teachings within the secular framework. This study uses the lens of cultural anthropology to analyze Yazır's contribution as mentifacts (intellectual heritage), sociofacts (social structures), and artifacts (educational materials). Unlike previous studies that focused more on theological and philosophical aspects, this study reveals how Yazır's ideas are not only in the form of ideas but are also influenced by social structures and manifested in educational materials. The analysis demonstrates how Yazır's intellectual efforts adapt Islamic education to modernity without negating its essence, ensuring its relevance in contemporary Turkish society. This study provides new insights into the transformation and sustainability of Islamic values in the secular education system and recommends further comparative studies to explore similar dynamics in other Islamic contexts.
... The data analysis for this case study was conducted using a structured and transparent approach, in line with the research objectives. It was essential to document the analytical process in detail to maintain the study's rigor and ensure it could be replicated (Beins, 2018). The analysis consisted of several stages, each contributing to a deeper understanding of the collected data. ...
The integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become a crucial aspect of language education, significantly influencing the field. This study investigates students' and teachers' views on using podcasts in the teaching-learning process. It focuses on students' attitudes towards podcasts in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes and their insights into the benefits and limitations of podcasts for developing language skills. Involving 40 students and 2 teachers from the Islamic University of Kalimantan Muhammad Arsyad Al-Banjari, data was gathered through questionnaires and interviews. Results showed that 80.2% of respondents enjoyed podcasts, with 69.9% agreeing they are enjoyable. Both students and teachers had positive attitudes towards podcast integration, believing it could improve listening and speaking skills while fostering collaboration and creativity. However, challenges in effectively using podcasts were identified, indicating a need for further exploration of best practices.
... The first section has inquiries about the biographical and educational backgrounds of the participants. It serves as an icebreaker as well as establishes rapport between the researcher and the participants (Dörnyei, 2007;Beins, 2018). The second section contains questions about the experiences of participants in thesis writing (e.g., the guidance of their supervisors and departmental requirements), thus providing an understanding of the thesis composition process. ...
In genre studies, most researchers have focused on examining various sections of the MA thesis genre by conducting a textual analysis; thus, this research aims to identify the features of successful MA thesis introductions in the EFL setting based on text writers' perceptions. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from six Hungarian and six Arabic L1 students. The findings showed that in their view successful MA introductions should be brief, general, clear, supported by references, organized, structured, catchy, and the opening chapter of the thesis. Both groups reported that mentioning the background, definitions, rationale, problem, aims, research design, questions, expectations, and thesis outline contribute to the quality of the introduction. The differences in their insights appeared in the inclusion of the thesis statement, context, research gaps, theoretical position, scope of the research, findings summary, limitations, and chapter structure. The two groups reported the application of different strategies to compose the section. Further investigation is needed to uncover the reasons behind the students' perceptions.
... The first section has inquiries about the biographical and educational backgrounds of the participants. It serves as an icebreaker as well as establishes rapport between the researcher and the participants (Dörnyei, 2007;Beins, 2018). The second section contains questions about the experiences of participants in thesis writing (e.g., the guidance of their supervisors and departmental requirements), thus providing an understanding of the thesis composition process. ...
In genre studies, most researchers have focused on examining various sections of the MA thesis genre by conducting a textual analysis; thus, this research aims to identify the features of successful MA thesis introductions in the EFL setting based on text writers' perceptions. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from six Hungarian and six Arabic L1 students. The findings showed that in their view successful MA introductions should be brief, general, clear, supported by references, organized, structured, catchy, and the opening chapter of the thesis. Both groups reported that mentioning the background, definitions, rationale, problem, aims, research design, questions, expectations, and thesis outline contribute to the quality of the introduction. The differences in their insights appeared in the inclusion of the thesis statement, context, research gaps, theoretical position, scope of the research, findings summary, limitations, and chapter structure. The two groups reported the application of different strategies to compose the section. Further investigation is needed to uncover the reasons behind the students' perceptions.
... This study is a causality study, which intends to investigate whether a condition can influence the other situation (Beins, 2017) This study use primary data that is collected using structured questionnaires. There are 44 questions in the questionnaires that each measure financial distress, coping strategy, leadership skill and self-efficacy . ...
This research intends to examine the effect of financial distress, self-efficacy, and leadership skills on coping strategy in time of COVID-19 pandemic. This study focuses on the coping strategy implementation of MSMEs in Indonesia during economic downturn due to the pandemic. We examine 125 MSMEs in Indonesia as our respondents. We employ multinomial logistics regression technique to test the hypotheses. Our findings show that financial distress negatively affects the choice of coping strategy. On the other hand, self-efficacy and leadership skills have a positive impact on coping strategy. Financial distress, self-efficacy, and leadership skills are empirically proven as the determinant factors that influence the coping strategy selection process during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research uses a new perspective of financial distress scales and leadership skills aspects as a new insight in coping strategy decision making process. This study contributes to the development literature on coping strategy and its determinant factors during crisis conditions. practically, this research has implications to the development of coping strategy models and its influenced factors for business practitioners, especially on how to develop coping models during crisis condition.
... Carol Scheffner Hammer (2011) advocated that the demographic profile for respondents helps to reveal to whom research findings generalize and allows for comparisons to be made across replications of studies in addition to the provision of information desirable for research blends and secondary data analyses Beins (2017). The researchers also highlighted that the analysis results would find gaps in the existing research bodies in addition to the variations, and universals, occurring within the population set. ...
The elemental persistence of the research paper is to support the analytic design of IGen middle adolescent getting influenced by social media influencers alongside antecedents with respect to family consumer behavior. The techniques such as Structure equation modelling (SEM) is used to verify and validate the conceptual model generated through this research. The advantage of using SEM approach was to manifest construct validity based on the key measures. The results from the study imply that iGen Middle Adolescents in Pune city have a significant influence on families buying products and/or services which is indirectly the reason for social media usage and following what social media influencers are suggesting. From the findings, it is evident that the level paster power, level of influence are major predictors for purchase intentions within family buying behaviour. The research study undertaken is sizable, with scholastic significance and is part of the contemporary research. This research aims to determine the role of social media influencers on IGen middle adolescents, and the factors considered for studying the correlation of these attributes impacting purchase decisions. The research study has also addressed the challenges of construct validity using critical and key measures, sporadically overlooked in the past research conducted by various researchers.
... As stated, this study aimed to explore social workers' views on the implementation of section 137 of the Children's Amendment Act, 41 of 2007(RSA, 2007 to address the challenges facing CHHs. This study was qualitative (Beins, 2009;Creswell, 2013), a form of research which focuses on describing and understanding phenomena within their naturally occurring context to develop an understanding of the meaning attributed by participants (Grinell & Unrau, 2011;Maree, 2007). In addition, this research study followed an explorative and descriptive design, which gives insight into a situation, phenomenon, community or individual (Fouche & Schurink, 2021). ...
The National Plan of Action (Department of Social Development, 2021) identified child-headed households (CHHs) as an increasing social problem in South Africa. Section 150 of the Children’s Act, 38 of 2005 (Republic of South Africa [RSA], 2005), and the Children’s Amendment Act, 41 of 2007 (RSA, 2007), consider children living in CHHs as children in need of care and protection, and give guidelines on services to these households. Currently, there is no certainty about the successful implementation of these guidelines to address the needs of this target group. This study, therefore, used a qualitative research approach with semi-structured interviews with social workers to investigate their views on applying section 137 of Children’s Amendment Act, 41 of 2007 (RSA, 2007). This study found that there were gaps to address in the social work services provided to CHHs and the implementation of the Act. Some of the main recommendations included continued training and research on the implementation of the Act. Keywords: child-headed households, guidelines, legislation, service delivery, social workers
... Research methodologies are designed to frame the key components of an investigation, explain how data is to be collected, analysed, and interpreted, thereby answering the research questions which in turn meet the objectives of the study. Outcomes of the research are then discussed (Beins, 2018;Hultman & Taguchi, 2010). Practice-based research adheres to such principles. ...
Practice-based research has gained increasing prominence in the field of creative arts enquiry. Its engagement has fueled disruptive discourse on its nature, methodology and application in music research. Textbooks and journal publications on practice in arts-based research and a host of eminent practitioner-scholars have contributed to this nascent field of study. Several of these publications focus on the creative arts industry with fewer discourse on practice-based research approaches in the subdomains of music. This article deliberates on the multi-facets of practice-based approaches in performance, composition, and interdisciplinary music research. It shares the process of crafting methodological designs that encapsulate research in and of practice. Keywords that frame practice-based techniques include terms such as praxis, divergent and multi-methodological processes, design thinking, and research about/through/for practice as represented by performative-compositional artefacts and their accompanying discourse. Two exemplars are discussed. It argues that practice-oriented research transcends discipline borders encompassing interdisciplinary domains within multidisciplinary co-creational practice. In the author’s music-health studies, she views the interdisciplinarity of science-arts research as interpolated dimensions of collaborative scientific knowledge within an embodied cultural space that yields transformative creativities of translational research to reach its targeted community of users. Practice-centred research in music therefore embraces spheres of investigations with research-informed practice as its focus and its artefacts and discourse as inputs of and outputs from that research, incorporating the overarching paradigms of practice-led research, practice-based research, and creative research in the performing arts.
... Rather, the researchers allow the participants to describe and express their experiences and thought. In a research interview, the researcher refrained from expressing opinions on the questions covered during the interview session 34 . ...
Background: Sudden stroke had caused the caregivers minimal time to prepare for their role as carers. Some stroke caregivers were overwhelmed to adjust and accept new responsibilities. They need to reorganise their functions and establish new daily life routines in response to the chronic illness that happens with stroke survivors. Objective: This study aimed to determine and explore coping strategies employed by stroke caregivers. Methods: This mixed-method study involved 32 stroke caregivers from a community-based stroke rehabilitation centre in Kuching, Sarawak. Results: From quantitative analysis, most stroke caregivers employed problem-focused coping strategies (mean=56.66, SD=10.79), followed by emotion-focused coping strategies (mean=55.63, SD=10.29) in confronting the challenges of caring for stroke survivors. Data from qualitative findings revealed eight themes of coping strategies: adjustment to daily life, selfmotivation, sharing with other people, acceptance, avoiding thinking about the problem, hoping stroke survivors will get better, emotion suppression and self-blame. Conclusion: This study’s outcomes provide crucial information about the burdens held by stroke caregivers when taking care of stroke survivors. Stroke caregivers need to adapt better and suitable coping strategies. This will prevent them from becoming overwhelmed by the accumulated stress from caring burdens. The long-term effect of coping strategies should positively assist stroke caregivers in managing the burdens effectively and fostering satisfaction in their life. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol. 23 No. 01 January’24 Page : 130-140
... Including participants' demography in this study helped the researcher avoid the risk of taking an absolutist stance, which suggests that the phenomenon of interest is universal regardless of race, belief, custom, and traditions (Hammer, 2011). Also, the information on participants' demography enabled the researcher to appreciate that universal psychological processes manifest differently depending on the respondents' tradition, custom, race, culture, and beliefs (Beins, 2009). Similarly, a systematic explanation of respondents permitted the researcher to decide to whom the research results generalise; this enabled and provided an avenue for comparisons to be made across replications of studies. ...
... 23). The demographic variables for this study were discrete data (nominal and ordinal); therefore, descriptive statistics were utilized to run for frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation (Beins, 2004;Heiman, 2001;Sekaran, 2003). A series of independent samples t-tests were employed to explore (a) whether there were significant differences between male prospective EFL teachers and female prospective EFL teachers in relation to their efficacy and (b) whether there were significant differences between prospective EFL teachers with practicum experience and prospective EFL teachers without practicum experience in relation to their efficacy. ...
... The data analysis process in the case study adhered to a systematic and transparent approach, meticulously aligned with the research objectives. It was of utmost importance to maintain comprehensive documentation of the entire analytical process, ensuring the study's rigor and replicability (Beins, 2018). The technique employed for data analysis encompassed several distinct steps, each contributing to the overall comprehension and interpretation of the collected data. ...
Integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has emerged as a significant factor in the realm of language education, yielding notable impacts. To shed light on this phenomenon, a case study was conducted to delve into the perceptions of students and attitudes of teachers regarding the utilization of podcasts in the teaching-learning process. The research problem addressed in this study aimed to explore students' perceptions toward the incorporation of podcasts in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom, as well as their understanding of the limitations and impact of podcasts on their language skill development. The study recruited 40 students and 2 teachers from the National University of Uzbekistan as participants. Data collection involved the distribution of questionnaires to students and conducting interviews with teachers. The questionnaires comprised 17 statements to gauge the participants' viewpoints. The findings revealed that a majority of respondents expressed their fondness for podcasts (80.2%), strongly agreeing that the use of podcasts is enjoyable (69.9%). Moreover, the researcher observed positive attitudes from both students and teachers toward the integration of podcasts in the EFL classroom. Students believed that podcasts had the potential to enhance their listening and speaking skills. Teachers, on the other hand, perceived podcasts as an effective tool for fostering students' collaborative and cooperative work skills, as well as their creative thinking strategies. However, challenges associated with the effective utilization of podcasts in the classroom also surfaced, prompting further exploration into optimal implementation strategies.
... In medical and social science research, exhaustive descriptions of demographic information are usually provided to ensure adequate data to replicate any given study and to enable readers to ascertain the generalizability of the findings. Furthermore, solid descriptions of demographic information also allow for data synthesis across studies and for secondary analysis, such as metaanalysis [100], to be conducted. This "code of conduct" does not appear to be fully integrated in the research included in the present review. ...
Anthropomorphism represents a central theoretical term in social robotics and human robot interaction (HRI) research. However, the research into anthropomorphism displays several conceptual problems that translate into methodological shortcomings. Here we report the results of a scoping review, which we conducted in order to explore (i) how the notion of ‘anthropomorphism’ is understood in HRI and social robotics research, and (ii) which assessment tools are used to assess anthropomorphism. Three electronic databases were searched; two independent reviewers were involved in the screening and data extraction process; a total of 57 studies were included in the final review which encompassed 43 different robots and 2947 participants. Across studies, researchers used seven different definitions of anthropomorphism and most commonly assessed the phenomenon by use of amended versions of existing questionnaires (n = 26 studies). Alternatively, idiosyncratic questionnaires were developed (n = 17 studies) which, as a qualitative thematic analysis of the individual questionnaire items revealed, addressed nine distinct themes (such as attribution of shared intentionality, attribution of personality etc.). We discuss these results relative to common standards of methodological maturity and arrive at the conclusion that the scope and heterogeneity of definitions and assessment tools of anthropomorphism in HRI hinders cross-study comparisons, while the lack of validated assessment tools might also affect the quality of results. To nurture reflection on these methodological challenges and increase comparability within the field we conclude by offering a set of reporting guidelines for research on anthropomorphism, as a first constructive effort to facilitate a coherent theory of anthropomorphism.
... The effectiveness is analysed in the context of the manufacturing sector of Saudi Arabia. It is evaluated that credibility and reliability of data can be ensured by using data from valid sources (Beins, 2017). The data is collected by Thomson Reuters. ...
The aim of the study is to determine the effectiveness of corporate governance on corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance and financial reporting quality in Saudi Arabia's manufacturing sector. The data is collected through the database of Thomson Reuters from 30 manufacturing companies of Saudi Arabia over the period 2014-2020. Descriptive statistics and the generalized least square (GLS) model were applied. The dependent variable was calculated through residuals and was found as discretionary accruals (DA). The findings reveal that there was a positive influence of corporate governance on CSR performance and financial reporting quality. It was found that sample size was one of the biggest limitations because only data from 2014 to 2020 were collected and to make the study more reliable and authentic, larger data is required.
... Again, we describe the procedure for carrying out this study where we first try to understand the core problem of this study (Scheurich, 2014). As mentioned at the outset, this work aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the various pieces of evidence of previous scientific studies to see how creativity leads to government innovation in carrying out the function of serving the public, especially the financial sector, by using technology (Beins, 2017). The data we get is based on scientific studies, previously from various literature sources both at home and abroad that discuss how financial governance in accounting cells involves digital technology. ...
This work is expected to gain a top-down understanding of various
evidence of past logical investigations to understand how
imagination drives government development in completing the
capacity to serve the general public, especially the monetary
sector, by utilizing innovation. The information we obtain relies on
logical examination, beforehand from various sources of literature
both at home and abroad that discuss how financial administration
in the bookkeeping technology includes the use of the latest
innovations. In addressing this question, of course, we directed the
first informational review through a top-down assessment of the
coding framework, evaluation data and completed it after the point
of responding to legitimate and valid questions. This review
depends on the data examined from different correspondence
publications, and we report it as a qualitative report that describes
utilizing investigation of inside and outside publication journals to
deal with answering problems. In this review, we get results,
including information through electronic investigations, that
government creativity using digital applications for public
financial services has turned to transparent and modern prime
service innovations. Thus, this result becomes an essential input
for improving public services in the country.
... Research methods are associated with the processes, techniques, and strategies in the data collection or data evidence to uncover new data or to develop a better comprehension of the topic. Selecting a research method is crucial for research that enables the research to conduct systematically and benefits in collecting data in a particular selected method which makes the data collection more appropriate (Beins, 2017). In this particular research, the data collection has been done via secondary sources. ...
Sustainability is all about saving the planet for future generations, and technology has become an integral part of its assistance. For the researchers, the use of legitimate secondary sources has reduced the study time and allowed them to analyze data from many authentic secondary sources. The researcher in this study has decided to employ qualitative data to perform the investigation and reached the conclusion that the world needs both scientific know-how and creative thinking to combat today’s global challenges. For example, textiles’ future growth and use will be profoundly impacted by nanotechnology. Ideas and information must be disseminated by using social media. Nursing education and practice should make use of this potential. Blockchain technology may be used to improve the internet’s centralization, transparency, egalitarianism, and accountability. Future emissions and energy usage may be reduced by using electric vehicles in the transportation industry. There are many more dangers and risks linked with artificial intelligence than there are with our existing conveniences. Data transparency may be improved by using the blockchain in an area where sharing information is required. Thus, technological sustainability is not merely a phrase but a purpose to improve the economy, society, and the environment.KeywordsTechnological SustainabilityArtificial IntelligenceNanotechnology
... There are hundreds of research papers every year; students must identify the gaps or problems. The identified topic is yet to be attempted, needful and significant for benefiting business society, and community (Beins, 2017). In any research, the first thing a novice or a new researcher must do is to secure a research problem. ...
Many aspirants in business school find it challenging to write research articles, and few receive a specific course in presenting their research work in a written layout. Nevertheless, the publication is often crucial for career and research advancement to achieve grants, academic qualifications, or all these drives. This article stimulates research motivation and satisfy research urge among business school students. The primary roles of business students in conducting research are to increase knowledge in the discipline and provide evidence for informing and advancing business styles, policies, and implications to develop economic outcomes for society. The business research process may generate fear and apathy towards students. Simultaneously, they may have confusion and misunderstanding in research preparation-what it is, and how to do it? To achieve business leadership in the future, business school students should at the very least understand evidence-based research and the research process. Thus, this paper finds a rationale to explain the business research process step by step by demonstrating possible examples and has been deliberately practical rather than theoretically focused. The paper outlines the main sections that an average article should cover,
... The study was built on a prediction design approach that used a correlation study with dependent and independent variables based on a cause-and-effect relationship (Beins, 2017). Spearman's correlation tool was used as the variables were of rank-ordered using a 5-point Likert scale. ...
Educational institutions, especially the higher education institutions in Asian countries such as Bangladesh and Thailand, have had to stop face-to-face educational activities during the period of COVID-19 pandemic. Online classes have been the only alternative to carry on academic activities. Teachers were suddenly compelled to transition their teaching and learning methodology from a face-to-face to an online model. Employing a quantitative research method, this study identifies factors in teacher’s effective transition for successful online teaching. A total of 68 teachers experienced in higher education in Bangladesh, Thailand, India and Indonesia were interviewed by a structured questionnaire. The instrument was scrutinized and approved by a panel of 5 expert educators in higher educational institutes in both Bangladesh and Thailand. The statistical analysis indicated that professional training, students’ performance evaluation, cheating concerns in exam perceived by teachers, infrastructure difficulties, lack of students’ technological knowhow and difficult online classroom management influenced success in online teaching. A set of inspectional recommendations has been made that might be utilized in policy making by the educational policy makers, institutional authorities and by the practising teachers for designing effective procedures of online teaching and learning.
... Moreover, they are not narrowly focused on economic stakeholders but on a more balanced approach towards important non-economic stakeholders (e.g., artistic, educational, political, religious, or scientific stakeholders), depending on situational demands (Roth, et al., 2020). It may be extremely rare that firms will adopt the holistic ambition-level of CS in their business culture in the largely capitalistic economic environment that is presently prevalent (Hofman, et al., 2017;Roth, et al., 2020;Schumpeter, 2010 There is also a risk that the respondents, for some reason, may fail to give information that is of importance for the research (Beins, 2017). To counteract this, in theme one, we also included five structured questions (presented in Appendix A1) to lead to a better had pre-determined options to choose from. ...
The purpose of this paper is to provide insights on the views of firms regarding corporate sustainability (CS). We surveyed the CEOs, CFOs, and Environment Officers of about 850 Swedish firms (response rate 21%) affected by mandatory sustainability reporting after the implementation of the EU Directive 2014/95/EU. The six-transcending ambition levels (namely: pre-CS, compliance-driven, profit-driven, caring, synergistic, and holistic) of corporate sustainability proposed by van Marrewijk & Werre (2003) were used to classify the views of key officers on the sustainability agenda of their respective firms. We find that the typical firm’s CS ambition levels are profit-driven and that the drive by firms for higher CS ambition levels is positively influenced by a diverse board (i.e., representation of female board members), and the effect is more pronounced if the board is constituted with a female top executive. Moreover, younger top executives are more likely to have a higher CS ambition level. On the other hand, external CEOs, external board members, and forceful disclosure of sustainability activity (e.g., EU Directive 2014/95/EU) do not significantly influence CS ambition levels, whereas firm size and industry affiliation do. Our findings are useful for top managers and regulators interested in corporate governance issues and influencing the sustainability efforts of their firms. Methodologically, the use of a survey method is an extension to an otherwise high reliance on archival research in the field of CS. Furthermore, the dataset is unique, and the results are robust to various sensitivity analyses.
... The study was built on a prediction design approach that used a correlation study with dependent and independent variables based on a cause-and-effect relationship (Beins, 2017). Spearman's correlation tool was used as the variables were of rank-ordered using a 5-point Likert scale. ...
Educational institutions, especially the higher education institutions in Asian countries such as Bangladesh and Thailand, have had to stop face-to-face educational activities during the period of COVID-19 pandemic. Online classes have been the only alternative to carry on academic activities. Teachers were suddenly compelled to transition their teaching and learning methodology from a face-to-face to an online model. Employing a quantitative research method, this study identifies factors in teacher's effective transition. A total of 68 teachers experienced in higher education in Bangladesh, Thailand, India and Indonesia were interviewed by a structured questionnaire. The instrument was scrutinised and approved by a panel of 5 expert educators in higher educational institutes in both Bangladesh and Thailand. The statistical analysis indicated that previous training on eLearning or effective teaching, research experience or other self-paced education activities significantly influenced effective teachers' transition in teaching methods and students' evaluation. Other significant associations include the students' motivation, teachers' concerns about cheating, online class management and teachers' perceptions of teaching and learning. A set of inspectional remarks has been made that might be used in policy making by the educational institutions and by the practising teachers for designing effective procedures for online teaching and learning.
... Without the inclusion of demographics, researchers risk assuming absolutism, which implies that the phenomena of interest are the same irrespective of variables such as one's age, position or measure of performance. Participant characteristics permit researchers to move towards universalism, which acknowledges the existence of psychological processes manifesting differently (Beins 2017) depending on the race, nationality, socioeconomic status or other such defining variable of participants. ...
Orientation: Research on managerial political competencies has progressed well in other organisational setups; but not so much in entrepreneurial ventures, yet literature documents the pivotal role played by political competencies in the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Research Purpose: This study intended to find the impact of managerial political competencies on the performance of SMEs as measured by both innovation and return on investment (ROI) in SMEs in the Gauteng Province of South Africa.
Motivation for the study: Regardless of the contribution done by SMEs in contemporary economies, and the fundamental role managerial political competencies play in sustaining these enterprises, no known study has been done among SMEs in South Africa.
Research design, approach and method: The study employed an ex post facto correlational design that adopted a purely quantitative approach. The sample comprised of 211 owner/managers in Gauteng Province. Descriptive statistics and Spearman’s correlation were used for data analysis.
Main findings: Owner/managers were found to be politically competent in the dimensions of social astuteness and networking abilities, but fared not so well on the apparent sincerity and interpersonal influence dimensions. It was also established that SMEs performed relatively better in terms of innovation compared to ROI, although ROI had greater potential to respond to improvements in the quality of managerial political competencies when compared to innovation . There was a statistically significant relationship between managerial political competencies and SME performance as measured by innovation and ROI.
Practical/managerial implications: It is recommended that managerial political competencies be augmented internally through deliberate human resource development initiatives in order to leverage on them. It is also recommended that support structures and agencies that assist owner/managers in competency development be augmented at both provincial and government levels.
Contribution/Value-add: The study attempts to fill the gap between research and practice regarding managerial political competencies in SMEs in South Africa.
... It will also help me to confine and comprehend individual definitions, descriptions, and meanings of events (Burns, 2000:388). Analysis of behaviour in my research involves discussion of how people experience and feel events in their lives (Beins, 2004), individually and with the NGOs' activities. This kind of sense gives me a good means of generating hypotheses and theories of what happens in organisational settings (Spector, 2005). ...
This chapter is a PhD research proposal of the first author based on qualitative research design. The study aims at exploring some community-based rehabilitation interventions for the acid victims (women) in Bangladesh. The proposal was submitted by the first author to pursue her PhD studies at the Department of Social Administration and Justice, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya, Malaysia. It contains major components of a research proposal that includes the background of the study, problem statement, research questions and objectives, literature review: conceptual and theoretical framework, the scope and significance of the study, and research methodology. This proposal also includes the work plan of the study. The proposal will be helpful to the students and readers who are interested in conducting research in this field.
... The independent and dependent variables do not occur simultaneously in prediction design. Instead, independent variables usually precede a dependent variable, based on a cause-and-effect relationship (Beins, 2017). ...
This study examines the relationship between high school teachers' political skill
and career satisfaction, and the mediating role of personal reputation in this relationship.
This study used prediction design. The Political Skill Scale, Career Satisfaction Scale
and Personal Reputation Scale were administered to the participants. The findings
indicated that all dimensions of political skill were significant predictors of personal
reputation. Furthermore, social astuteness, interpersonal influence and networking were
significant predictors of career satisfaction, whereas apparent sincerity was not. Personal
reputation was found to mediate the relationship between social astuteness, interpersonal
influence, networking and career satisfaction. Based on these findings, providing
trainings about the positive and negative effects of political skill to administrators and
teachers, especially to novice teachers, is recommended.
... Population means the entire data, full set of elements or group of people that the researcher is interested in and from which a sample is selected (Beins, 2009;Christensen et al., 2011, Hammond andWellington, 2013). In the case of this study, the population is all Mosul speaking people (excluding children) of Mosul from which the researcher will make a sample. ...
The nature of this study is to investigate the different address
forms used by Mosuli speakers and the socio-cultural rules that
govern address usage in daily conversation in Mosuli Arabic. A
socio-pragmatic approach is adopted in this study and by using
semi-structured interviews to collect data from 80 participants in
English Department, College of Education for Humanities,
University of Mosul. The selection of the participants is done
through four variables namely: age, gender, educational status and
marital status. In this study, two theoretical frameworks are
selected as a model of analysis namely: the communication
accommodation theory and the power and solidarity theory of
Brown and Gilman (1968). The study finds that Mosuli speakers
use different address forms and the most predominant forms are
the kinship terms or its varieties. The age and status are the most
effecting determiners of address choice in Mosul society.
In addition, the study finds that speakers use the different forms to
accommodate their addressees and politeness is found greatly
embodied in many address forms that are used by Mosuli
speakers.
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to investigate the role of social media in supporting the psychological well-being of young expatriates.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a qualitative research design based on semi-structured interviews with Gen Z expatriates who are active social media users.
Findings
This study reveals social media’s pivotal role in enhancing Gen Z expatriates’ psychological well-being. It fosters virtual connections to their home country, validating their distinctive international experiences, facilitating integration into the host culture and challenging stereotypes. By developing bonding and bridging social capital, social media mitigates cultural distance, strengthens social support and ultimately contributes to positive expatriate well-being.
Originality/value
This research responds to the growing call for studies on the intersection of digitalization and expatriation, offering insights into how digital tools can enhance the well-being of expatriates. By developing a conceptual model grounded in social media and expatriate support literature, this research highlights the specific mechanisms through which social media impacts the psychological well-being of Gen Z expatriates, a previously under-researched area. While physical support is limited by geographical proximity and shared experiences, digital support can transcend these boundaries, providing access to a wider range of resources and perspectives. By focusing on Gen Z, a generation known for its digital fluency and reliance on social media, we provide insights that can inform targeted interventions and support strategies specifically tailored to this demographic.
A paradigm shift toward workforce development is essential to ensure that the future workforce meets the expectations of
the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. Both industry and academic communities play different, but essential
and complementary roles, which suggests a need for stronger industry–academia collaborations. These could be achieved by connecting
instructors with practitioners through web-based collaborative platforms. However, user requirements for facilitating such collaborations on
web-based platforms are yet to be formalized. As a precursor, this study investigates the factors which instructors in AEC-related academic
programs would consider when collaborating with AEC practitioners to complement their pedagogical efforts. Understanding these factors
could aid the development of web-based networking platforms that could facilitate greater interactions between industry and academia in
preparing students for the workplace. To ensure triangulation, a mixed method approach was adopted, and data analysis was conducted from
individual differences perspective based on demographic characteristics. Instructors’ considerations are influenced by students’ preferences
and bias, students’ career and development, ease of organizing course-support activities, student learning outcomes, curriculum structure, and
ethnic and gender diversity. The results showed both demographic similarities and differences in the considerations of instructors. The results
of this study could serve as inputs for the design of a web-based collaborative network of instructors and practitioners. This study contributes
to expanding literature on collaborations between industry and academia for future workforce development. The study also offers insights that
could enhance these collaborations for maximal benefits to students.
This study investigates the motivations behind TikTok content creation among Vietnamese Gen Z expatriates by exploring the interplay of the social comparison theory and the Uses and Gratifications Theory in shaping their engagement with the platform. Through qualitative interviews, we uncover the dual role of TikTok in their lives: a tool for fostering social connection and personal expression and a platform for social comparison and validation. These findings illuminate the complex interplay between digital media use and the experience of digital migration, highlighting how Gen Z expatriates navigate transnational identities and seek belonging in an increasingly interconnected world. The study contributes to the ongoing discourse on digitalization and expatriation, emphasizing the multifaceted role of social media in shaping the experiences of young migrants in the digital age.
This study aims to reveal the impact of using the digital game Minecraft: Education Edition in teaching geographical features in social studies on the achievement and spatial perception skills of 5th grade students. The research adopts a sequential explanatory mixed-method design. Quantitative data was collected using self-assessment and teacher assessment forms on spatial perception skills, and an achievement test developed by the researchers. Qualitative data was gathered through interviews. The study found that using Minecraft led to an increase in students' achievement and their skills in examining space. This study provides valuable insights for educators and curriculum developers, offering a potential pathway to enhance students' understanding of geographical concepts and spatial perception skills through interactive digital tools such as Minecraft: Education Edition in the future.
Amaç: Çalışma COVID-19 pandemi döneminde gebe kadınlarda COVID-19 korkusu ve prenatal distres düzeylerinin COVID-19 aşı kabulüne karşı tutumlarını incelemek amacı ile Türkiye’de yapılmıştır. Metot: Tanımlayıcı çalışma, Ankara ilinde Ocak-Mayıs 2022 tarihleri arasında bir üniversite hastanesinde 363 gebe ile yapılmıştır. Veriler bireysel bilgi formu, Prenatal Distres Ölçeği, COVID-19 Korku Ölçeği, Pandemilerde Aşı Tereddüt Ölçeği ile toplanmıştır. Bulgular: Katılımcıların COVID-19 korkusu (mean 19.39 ±6.90) ve pandemilerde aşı tereddüdü ölçek puanı (mean 27.01 ± 6.27) orta düzeyde olduğu belirlendi. Pandemi döneminde çalışmaya katılan gebelerin prenatal distres düzeyi orta düzeyde olduğu belirlendi (mean PDQ: 22.21 ±3.83) (p
Translation is important for people who don't know a foreign language. Translators face challenges, but use of techniques like translation shifts can make translations sound more natural and effectively communicate the original meaning to the target audience. This research aims to identify the types of translation shifts used in the Indonesian subtitle of Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant movie and to identify the possible reasons the translators used translation shifts in this movie. The research applied the theory of translation shift proposed by Catford to analyze the data. It used descriptive qualitative methods and the data is from the movie subtitle of Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant. The researcher used the Oxford Dictionary and Big Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI) applications as instruments for analyzing the data, and to ensure the analysis results. The analysis found that the Indonesian subtitles for Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant movie included all types of shifts as proposed by Catford's theory. The shifts identified in the Indonesian subtitles included level shifts and category shifts (including structure shift, unit shift, class shift, and intra-system shift). However, among these shifts, category shifts especially unit shifts, were the most dominant. The translator probably used these translation shifts due to cultural and linguistic differences, time constraints, and creative translation choices.
Purpose: The paper investigates if board composition affects corporate sustainability (CS)ambitions in private firms. We also study a possible interplay between CS-ambitions and CS-reporting regulations.
Design/methodology/approach: We surveyed the CEOs, CFOs, and Environment Officers ofSwedish private firms and received 160 valid responses (response rate 27%). The respondentsqualitatively explained CS-ambitions of their firms. We coded using categories proposed by vanMarrewijk and Werre (2003), namely: law-abiding, compliance-driven, profit-driven, caring, synergistic, and holistic. We explained the CS ambition-level with board characteristics.
Findings: While on average our sample firms have a profit-driven CS ambition-level, we findthat CS ambition-level is positively driven by female Chair, female CEO and external CEO.Early voluntary reporting before EU Directive 2014/95/EU (NFRD) doesn’t explain CSambition-level. On adoption, mandatory reporters increased resources spent on CS-activitiesand CS-reporting more than early voluntary-reporters. Still, many of our sample firms reportedno significant impact of NFRD.
Originality: We focus on private firms, embraced by Swedish regulations already followingNFRD. Methodologically, the use of a survey is an extension of previous reliance on archivalresearch.
Practical implications: Our findings are useful for stakeholders interested in corporategovernance and firms’ CS-ambitions. Also, our findings support further regulation, such as EUDirective 2022/2464 (CSRD).Social implications: Female gender seems to play an important role in increasing CS-ambitionsin private firms.
Karmaşık yapıya sahip olan günümüz örgütleri, yönetim bilimciler tarafından çok farklı boyutlarda ele alınarak daha ahenkli ve verimli hale getirilmeye çalışılmaktadır. Yürütülen bu araştırmanın amacı, iş ahlâkı ile kurumsal itibar arasındaki ilişkide örgütsel özdeşleşmenin nasıl bir aracı rol oynadığını ortaya koymaktır. Önerilen modelin test edilmesinden önce üç değişen arasındaki ilişkinin tespit edilmesi amacıyla ilişkisel tarama modeli kullanılmıştır. Değişenler arasındaki ilişki, önerilen aracılık modeli kullanılarak test edilmiştir. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu, 2021 yılında Niğde ili ve ilçelerinde görev yapan 345 öğretmen ve okul yöneticisi oluşturmaktadır. Araştırma bulgularına göre eğitim işgörenlerinin iş ahlâkı özellikleri okulların kurumsal itibarını olumlu yönde etkilediği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Ayrıca aracılık analizleri, örgütsel özdeşleşmenin iş ahlâkı özellikleri ile kurumsal itibar arasında kısmi aracılık rolü olduğunu göstermiştir. Bulgular ışığında iş ahlâkı, kurumsal itibar ve örgütsel özdeşleşme ile ilgili çıkarımlar tartışılmış, gelecekte yapılacak araştırmalara öneriler getirilmiştir.
The research aimed to analyze the risk assessment and management processes in the supply chain of aviation fuel businesses, focusing on the Kano aircraft fueling company. The study used positivism and a quantitative research technique, surveying 260 respondents from the industry. The results showed that supply chain integration significantly improves the distribution and growth of aviation fuel. However, the study identified factors contributing to Nigeria's poor supply networks, such as capacity constraints, duplication of regulation, and government efforts. The research recommends improving supply chain management by committing more resources to adopting best practices and keeping them current.
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) has been reported to be related to psychological distress. The COVID-19 pandemic has globally caused heightened levels of stress, anxiety, and fear. There is no sufficient evidence regarding the impact of the fear of COVID-19 on PMS and related symptoms. Therefore, this study examined the association of the fear of COVID-19 with PMS among Turkish university students. The sample of this cross-sectional study consisted of 829 Turkish university students. Data were collected online using the Questionnaire Form, the Premenstrual Syndrome Scale (PMSS), and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCoV-19S). The prevalence of PMS was 73 percent. The most common symptoms were fatigue, irritability, appetite changes, and depression. Participants had a moderate fear of COVID-19 (mean FCoV-19S: 20.48 ± 5.96). Most participants stated that the pandemic did not affect the menstrual cycle length (72.5 percent) and bleeding (79.6 percent). Participants who noted that the pandemic impacted the length of their menstrual cycles and bleeding had a significantly higher mean FCoV-19S score than those who did not (p = .000). Moreover, FCoV-19S scores were positively correlated with PMS scores, PMS-related discomfort, and dysmenorrhea VAS scores (p < .001). This study revealed that the fear of COVID-19 affected PMS and menstrual cycle-related symptoms in Turkish university students.
Social media have afforded many young gay men the opportunity to explore their identities and practice coming out. The ease of use and the anonymity that can be assumed online has enabled young gay men to come up with different strategies of self-disclosure in social media. The present study seeks to examine these strategies among young gay men in Malaysia, given the limited data on the social media experiences of gay men in the country. In-depth interviews were conducted with six young, gay-identified men to find out the strategies they employed in disclosing their sexual identity online. The analysis of the interview data revealed that the coming-out strategies among the participants mostly resembled those employed by gay men in Western societies, including being out and proud, being out and discreet, and being closeted on social media. The analysis also revealed that the participants held different views regarding the role of social media in the coming out process for gay men in Malaysia. These findings have implications that are relevant to the issues of identity formation among gay men in contexts where homosexuality is still subject to social, legal, and religious condemnation.
Master's theses and doctoral dissertations that emerge in the research process at these stages are among the most important scientific documents in any country. Describing and analyzing the data of these documents together, on their own, as well as in comparison with data from other sources, can provide new information that is very valuable. However, there is no unified and comprehensive model for such a description and analysis. Accordingly, in this article, research results are presented to develop a model for analyzing the information of dissertations and dissertations, and as a result, descriptive items can be described and analyzed from the information of dissertations and dissertations and related information.
Theses and dissertations as the main products of the process of
research at graduate and post-graduate levels are among the
most important scientific documents of any country. By
themselves, in combination, or in comparison with data from
other sources of information, the set of data from such
documents can provide a new source of information which is
highly valuable from scientific and managerial points of view.
However, a review of the related literature indicates that there
is no uniform model which can incorporate all the various
dimensions of these documents. The present article reports on
the results of a study carried out to construct a comprehensive
model to describe and analyze the information on theses and
dissertations. To this end, the research problem is initially
defined, followed by a literature review. The article continues
with a description of the research method which involves the
Delphi Method and a feasibility test. The study resulted in the
identification of a total of 184 describable and analyzable items
of information on theses and dissertations and their relevant
information. The information items were classified into three
categories including information on theses and dissertations,
information related to them, and mixed information, all of
which are discussed in terms of 12 different aspects.
İç kontrol sistemi, yeni kamu yönetimi anlayışının etkisiyle kamu sektöründe yer bulmuş olan ve esasen özel sektör kaynaklı bir uygulamadır. Bu çalışmada iç kontrol bileşenleri ile iç kontrol sisteminin etkililiği ilişkisi ile bu ilişkide durumsal etkenlerin farklılaştırıcı etkisi sınanmıştır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre bilgi ve iletişim dışındaki iç kontrol bileşenlerinin iç kontrol hedefleri üzerinde anlamlı etkilerinin bulunmadığı, durumsal etkenlerin de iç kontrol bileşenleri ile hedefler arasındaki ilişkiyi farklılaştırmadığı görülmüştür. Araştırma sonucunda, denetimlerde kontrol listesi yaklaşımının yanında iç kontrol hedefleriyle ilgili testlerin yapılması ve iç kontrolsistemi tasarlanırken yalnızca birim yöneticilerinin değil bütün çalışanların tasarım sürecine dâhil edilmesi önerilmiştir.
Aim:
This study investigated the association between quality of life and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum in Turkey.
Methods:
This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between October 2017 and July 2018 in Turkey. The sample consisted of 240 pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum. Data were collected using a Demographic Information Form, the Index of Nausea, Vomiting, Retching, and the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey.
Results:
The majority (84.2%) of participants stated that they used CAM, mostly "biologically based therapies" (97.5%). They were most satisfied with the "mental and physical treatments" (3.71 ± 1.74). Participants who did not use CAM had a higher quality of life "emotional role" than those who used CAM (p = 0.038). However, there were no statistically significant differences in the other quality of life subscale scores between the two groups.
Conclusion:
There is limited evidence for the association between quality of life and CAM use in pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum in Turkey. Therefore, more evidence-based research is warranted to evaluate the association between CAM use and quality of life in pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum.
Research is characterized as an exploration thought of study with respect to a specific concern or an issue utilizing logical strategies. The research approach is the particular strategies or procedures used to recognize, select, process, and break down data about a subject. In an exploration paper, the philosophy segment enables the reader to basically assess an examination's of the main research problem general legitimacy and unwavering quality. This investigation has evaluated the fundamental kinds of research strategies and information accumulation techniques by pushing ahead to answers the principle three research questions from the electronic database. This study has limited the gathered data (conference papers, journals, books, etc.) from 2011 to 2019 to make light of observational fact about the new documented researchers related to the research study.
The stream outline demonstrates that the examination procedure comprises of various firmly related exercises, as appeared in figure.1.1. through I to VII. Be that as it may, such exercises cover ceaselessly as opposed to following a carefully endorsed succession. Now and again, the initial step decides the idea of the last advance be embraced. In the event that consequent methods have not been considered in the beginning times, genuine troubles may emerge which may even keep the fruition of the examination. One ought to recall that the diverse advances engaged with an examination procedure are not totally unrelated; nor they are isolated and unmistakable. They don't really pursue each other in a particular request and the scientist must be always foreseeing at each progression in the exploration procedure the prerequisites of the resulting steps. In any case, the accompanying request concerning diverse advances gives a helpful procedural rule in regards to the exploration procedure, for instance, defining the examination issue, broad writing review, building up the theory, setting up the examination configuration, deciding example configuration, gathering the information, execution of the task, investigation of information, speculation testing, speculations and elucidation, and arrangement of the report or introduction of the outcomes, i.e., formal review of ends came to (Kothari, 2004).
Background:
Returning to work (RTW) is an essential goal for many stroke survivors. Currently, the prevalence of RTW post stroke in developing countries such as Jordan is unknown. Additionally, more research is required to identify factors that contribute to RTW post stroke.
Objectives:
This study aims to (1) determine the prevalence of RTW among stroke survivors in Jordan, and (2) determine the predictors of RTW from a holistic perspective using the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF) 3rd edition.
Methods:
Recruitment was carried out from different Jordanian hospitals and rehabilitation centers. A complete battery of outcome measures was used to reflect OTPF domains. These included outcome measures of occupations, client factors, performance skills, and context and environment. Logistic regression was used to determine factors that predicted RTW.
Results:
69 participants were enrolled; 45 Males, 24 females; mean age±SD, 52.2±11.07 years. Only 29% succeeded in RTW during the first year after stroke onset. The highest percentage of RTW was among craft workers (40% ), and those who were self-employed (60% ). Of those who resumed work, 35% returned to their previous work, while 65% needed to make work modifications, or change positions or jobs. Factors that predicted higher rates of RTW were walking speed (Odds ratio (OR)=0.004, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.00-0.55, P < 0.02), as well as absence of environmental restrictions (OR = 21.16, 95% CI = 1.91-233.5, P < 0.013).
Conclusions:
The alarming low prevalence of RTW among stroke survivors in Jordan emphasizes the essential need to develop vocational rehabilitation programs. Clinicians should pay attention to enhancing walking abilities and reducing environmental restrictions post stroke, in order to improve the occurrence of RTW.
Research is characterized as an exploration thought of study with respect to a specific concern or an issue utilizing logical strategies. The research approach is the particular strategies or procedures used to recognize, select, process, and break down data about a subject. In an exploration paper, the philosophy segment enables the reader to basically assess an examination of the main research problem general legitimacy and unwavering quality. This investigation has evaluated the fundamental kinds of research strategies and information accumulation techniques by pushing ahead to answers the principle three research questions from the electronic database. This study has limited the gathered data (conference papers, journals, books, etc.) from 2011 to 2019 to make light of observational facts about the newly documented researchers related to the research study.
The influence of the developmental process of individuation, family conflict and cohesion, and ethnicity on adolescent alcohol use was examined in a 3-year longitudinal study. Participants included non-Hispanic White, Mexican American, and African American adolescents (n = 6,522) from 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. They were surveyed annually for 3 years. Depending on which aspect of individuation was measured, hierarchical linear modeling indicated that changes in adolescent individuation were related to either increases or decreases in alcohol use over the 3-year period. Separation and family conflict were related to increases in alcohol use, and intergenerational individuation and family cohesion were related to decreases in alcohol use. White and Mexican American adolescents had a faster rate of increase in alcohol use than did African American youth. Separation and family process similarly influenced adolescent alcohol use from different ethnic groups. Implications for prevention and intervention programs are discussed.
Past research has demonstrated the powerful influence other people have on the thoughts and behaviors of individuals. However, the study of intergroup attitudes has focused primarily on the influence of direct exposure to out-group members as determinants of stereotypes and prejudice. Two experiments tested the hypothesis that learning that others share one's intergroup beliefs influences intergroup attitudes and behavior as well as stereotype representation. Experiment 1 demonstrated that learning that one's beliefs are shared or not shared with others influences attitudes, behavior, and the strength of the attitude-behavior relationship. Experiment 2 demonstrated a potential mechanism for such effects by showing that learning about whether others share one's stereotypes influences the accessibility of those stereotypes and related stereotypes.
Alcohol is one of the most consumed psychoactive substances in the world, and the negative impact related to alcohol use has become a worldwide public health issue. Alcohol is able to affect diffusely several areas of the Central Nervous System, which could impair visual functions, including eye movements, and cognitive processes. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of moderate alcohol intake in eyes movements, as an indicator of cognitive processing underlying the visual search in a the Maze task. We investigated the concentration of 0.08% blood alcohol concentration (BAC), using an intra-subject, double-blind, and placebo-controlled experimental design with a sample size of 20 young adults (11 men and nine women). All volunteers participated in both conditions, i.e., alcohol (0.08%) and placebo (0.00%), in a counterbalanced order. We use the Tobii TX300 eye tracker to evaluate eye movements during completion of Visual Maze Test. The results showed significant differences in the following eye movement patterns: the first fixation latency, number and duration of fixations (mean and total), the number and duration of saccades (mean and total), and the total execution time in the test. In addition, we investigate the areas of interest (AOI), decision points in which the participant must decide which course to follow. We verified that the participants in the alcohol condition had a significantly greater number of fixations in both AOI, in comparison to the placebo condition. Overall, our findings confirm that moderate doses of alcohol can change the eye movements of young adults. These alterations may evidence the influence of alcohol in cognitive processes, such as flexibility, attention, and planning, which are required during resolution of Maze Task.
Objective:
This study aimed to: (a) provide population-based estimates for the prevalence of mental disorders, including substance use, among undocumented Mexican immigrants; (b) assess for relevant comorbidities; and (c) identify sociodemographic, immigration and contextual vulnerabilities associated with meeting criteria for a disorder.
Method:
This cross-sectional study used Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) to collect and analyze data from clinical interviews with 248 undocumented Mexican immigrants residing near the California-Mexico border. The M.I.N.I. Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used as the primary outcome of interest. For all analyses, inferential statistics accounted for design effects and sample weights to produce weighted estimates. Logistic regression was used in multivariate analyses.
Results:
Overall, 23% of participants met criteria for a disorder (95% CI = 17.1; 29.0). The most prevalent disorders were Major Depressive Disorder (14%, 95% CI = 10.2; 18.6), Panic Disorder (8%, 95% CI = 5.0; 11.9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (7%, 95% CI = 3.4; 9.8). Approximately 4% of participants met criteria for a substance use disorder (95% CI = 1.2; 6.1). After controlling for covariates, being 18 to 25 years and experiencing distress from postmigration living difficulties were significantly associated with meeting criteria for a disorder.
Conclusion:
Undocumented Mexican immigrants are an at-risk population for mental disorders, particularly depression and anxiety disorders. Given that distress from postmigration living difficulties is associated with meeting criteria for a disorder, revisiting policies and developing new alternatives to facilitate access and provision of context-sensitive mental health services for this population is necessary to protect the human rights of these immigrants and that of their U.S. families. (PsycINFO Database Record
The placebo effect is usually studied in clinical settings for decreasing negative symptoms such as pain, depression and anxiety. There is interest in exploring the placebo effect also outside the clinic, for enhancing positive aspects of performance or cognition. Several studies indicate that placebo can enhance cognitive abilities including memory, implicit learning and general knowledge. Here, we ask whether placebo can enhance creativity, an important aspect of human cognition.Subjects were randomly assigned to a control group who smelled and rated an odorant (n = 45), and a placebo group who were treated identically but were also told that the odorant increases creativity and reduces inhibitions (n = 45). Subjects completed a recently developed automated test for creativity, the creative foraging game (CFG), and a randomly chosen subset (n = 57) also completed two manual standardized creativity tests, the alternate uses test (AUT) and the Torrance test (TTCT). In all three tests, participants were asked to create as many original solutions and were scored for originality, flexibility and fluency.The placebo group showed higher originality than the control group both in the CFG (p
Inaccurate eyewitness identifications are the leading cause of known false convictions in the United States. Moreover, improving eyewitness memory is difficult and often unsuccessful. Sleep consistently strengthens and protects memory from interference, particularly when a recall test is used. However, the effect of sleep on recognition memory is more equivocal. Eyewitness identification tests are often recognition based, thus leaving open the question of how sleep affects recognition performance in an eyewitness context. In the current study, we investigated the effect of sleep on eyewitness memory. Participants watched a video of a mock-crime and attempted to identify the perpetrator from a simultaneous lineup after a 12-hour retention interval that either spanned a waking day or night of sleep. In Experiment 1, we used a target-present lineup and, in Experiment 2, we used a target-absent lineup in order to investigate correct and false identifications, respectively. Sleep reduced false identifications in the target-absent lineup (Experiment 2) but had no effect on correct identifications in the target-present lineup (Experiment 1). These results are discussed with respect to memory strength and decision making strategies.
The aim of the present study was to examine whether fostering positive activating affect during multimedia learning enhances learning outcome. University students were randomly assigned to either a multimedia learning environment designed to induce positive activating affect through the use of “warm” colours and rounded shapes ( n=61 ) or an affectively neutral environment that used achromatic colours and sharp edges ( n=50 ). Participants learned about the topic of functional neuroanatomy for 20 minutes and had to answer several questions for comprehension and transfer afterwards. Affective states as well as achievement goal orientations were investigated before and after the learning phase using questionnaires. The results show that participants in the affectively positive environment were superior in comprehension as well as transfer when initial affect was strong. Preexperimental positive affect was therefore a predictor of comprehension and a moderator for transfer. Goal orientations did not influence these effects. The findings support the idea that positive affect, induced through the design of the particular multimedia learning environment, can facilitate performance if initial affective states are taken into account.
Are recent cohorts of college students more narcissistic than their predecessors? To address
debates about the so-called “narcissism epidemic,” we used data from three cohorts of
students (N1990s = 1,166; N2000s = 33,647; N2010s = 25,412) to test whether narcissism levels
(overall and specific facets) have increased across generations. We also tested whether our
measure, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), showed measurement equivalence
across the three cohorts, a critical analysis that had been overlooked in prior research. We
found that several NPI items were not equivalent across cohorts. Models accounting for nonequivalence
of these items indicated a small decline in overall narcissism levels from the
1990s to the 2010s (d = −0.27). At the facet-level, leadership (d = −0.20), vanity (d = –0.16),
and entitlement (d = –0.28) all showed decreases. Our results contradict the claim that recent
cohorts of college students are more narcissistic than earlier generations of college students.
Individual reactions to danger in humans are often characterized as antisocial and self-preservative. Yet, more than 50 years of research have showed that humans often seek social partners and behave pro-socially when confronted by danger. This research has relied on post hoc verbal reports, which fall short of capturing the more spontaneous reactions to danger and determine their social nature. Real-world responses to danger are difficult to observe, due to their evanescent nature. Here, we took advantage of a series of photographs freely accessible online and provided by a haunted house attraction, which enabled us to examine the more immediate reactions to mild threat. Regarding the nature and structure of affiliative behaviour and their motivational correlates, we were able to analyse the distribution of gripping, a behaviour that could either be linked to self- or otheroriented protection. We found that gripping, an affiliative behaviour, was common, suggestive of the social nature of human immediate reactions to danger. We also found that, while gripping behaviour is quite stable across group sizes, mutual gripping dropped dramatically as group size increases. The fact that mutual gripping disappears when the number of available partners increases suggests that gripping behaviour most probably reflects a self-preservative motivation. We also found age class differences, with younger individuals showing more gripping but receiving little reciprocation. Also, the most exposed individuals received little mutual gripping. Altogether, these results suggest that primary reactions to threat in humans are driven by affiliative tendencies serving self-preservative motives.
Background:
To eliminate health disparities, research will depend on our ability to reach select groups of people (eg, samples of a particular racial or ethnic group with a particular disease); unfortunately, researchers often experience difficulty obtaining high-quality data from samples of sufficient size.
Objective:
Past studies utilizing MTurk applaud its diversity, so our initial objective was to capitalize on MTurk's diversity to investigate psychosocial factors related to diabetes self-care.
Methods:
In Study 1, a "Health Survey" was posted on MTurk to examine diabetes-relevant psychosocial factors. The survey was restricted to individuals who were 18 years of age or older with diabetes. Detection of irregularities in the data, however, prompted an evaluation of the quality of MTurk health-relevant data. This ultimately led to Study 2, which utilized an alert statement to improve conscientious behavior, or the likelihood that participants would be thorough and diligent in their responses. Trap questions were also embedded to assess conscientious behavior.
Results:
In Study 1, of 4165 responses, 1246 were generated from 533 unique IP addresses completing the survey multiple times within close temporal proximity. Ultimately, only 252 responses were found to be acceptable. Further analyses indicated additional quality concerns with this subsample. In Study 2, as compared with the MTurk sample (N=316), the undergraduate sample (N=300) included more females, and fewer individuals who were married. The samples did not differ with respect to race. Although the presence of an alert resulted in fewer trap failures (mean=0.07) than when no alert was present (mean=0.11), this difference failed to reach significance: F1,604=2.5, P=.11, ƞ²=.004, power=.35. The modal trap failure response was zero, while the mean was 0.092 (SD=0.32). There were a total of 60 trap failures in a context where the potential could have exceeded 16,000.
Conclusions:
Published studies that utilize MTurk participants are rapidly appearing in the health domain. While MTurk may have the potential to be more diverse than an undergraduate sample, our efforts did not meet the criteria for what would constitute a diverse sample in and of itself. Because some researchers have experienced successful data collection on MTurk, while others report disastrous results, Kees et al recently identified that one essential area of research is of the types and magnitude of cheating behavior occurring on Web-based platforms. The present studies can contribute to this dialogue, and alternately provide evidence of disaster and success. Moving forward, it is recommended that researchers employ best practices in survey design and deliberately embed trap questions to assess participant behavior. We would strongly suggest that standards be in place for publishing the results of Web-based surveys-standards that protect against publication unless there are suitable quality assurance tests built into the survey design, distribution, and analysis.
This article begins with a brief summary of the problems with null hypothesis significance testing (NHST), followed by a short, nontechnical description of perhaps the most useful NHST alternative, Bayesian methods. Simple R commands and output for Bayesian correlations, regressions, and ANOVA are provided. This is followed by examples of how to describe Bayesian analyses in the Methods and Results sections of articles. The focus is on taking the cautious first steps in a transition away from NHST.
Assimilation theory typically conceptualizes native whites in metropolitan areas as the mainstream reference group to which immigrants’ adaptation is compared. Yet the majority of the U.S. population will soon be made up of ethnoracial minorities. The rise of new immigrant destinations has contributed to this demographic change in rural areas, in addition to already-diverse cities. In this article, we argue that assimilation is experienced in reference to the demographic populations within urban and rural destinations as well as the physical geography of these places. We analyze and compare the experiences of rural Mexicans who immigrated to urban Southern California and rural Montana, demonstrating the ways in which documentation status in the United States and the rurality of immigrants’ communities of origin in Mexico shape assimilation in these two destinations.
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States; nearly all tobacco use begins during youth and young adulthood (1,2). Among youths, use of tobacco products in any form is unsafe (1,3). CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) analyzed data from the 2011-2016 National Youth Tobacco Surveys (NYTS) to determine recent patterns of current (past 30-day) use of seven tobacco product types among U.S. middle (grades 6-8) and high (grades 9-12) school students. In 2016, 20.2% of surveyed high school students and 7.2% of middle school students reported current tobacco product use. In 2016, among current tobacco product users, 47.2% of high school students and 42.4% of middle school students used ≥2 tobacco products, and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) were the most commonly used tobacco product among high (11.3%) and middle (4.3%) school students. Current use of any tobacco product did not change significantly during 2011-2016 among high or middle school students, although combustible tobacco product use declined. However, during 2015-2016, among high school students, decreases were observed in current use of any tobacco product, any combustible product, ≥2 tobacco products, e-cigarettes, and hookahs. Among middle school students, current use of e-cigarettes decreased. Comprehensive and sustained strategies can help prevent and reduce the use of all forms of tobacco products among U.S. youths (1-3).
Leadership is considered critical to virtual community success. Leaders engage in important community activities such as encouraging members and building social structure. These potential benefits, however, have rarely been empirically tested. We were presented with an opportunity to explore this issue while studying an online board-and-card-game community. During our study, the community experienced a major change in leadership when the founder – and formal leader – decided to substantially reduce his involvement in the site. This provided us with the rare opportunity to carry out a case study of leadership reduction in a real-world community. To look at the effects of leadership on community behaviour, we analysed 16 months of activity logs, supported by interviews, to compare the community before, during, and after the founder’s withdrawal. We observed strong variability in the effects of a leadership reduction – some results were in line with the Bleadership hypothesis,^ but others were unexpected. In some cases, we found evidence that reducing formal leadership can have negative effects on the success of the community; but in other cases, we found surprising sources of resilience to the reduction in leadership activities. Our study is the first to look at the details of how leadership (and a reduction in this role) affects several types of sub-community within a board-and-card game site, and the first to consider some of the factors that lead to differences in the effects of leadership reduction. Overall, we found that negative effects on sub-communities were closely tied to the specific activities that the leader provided, and the degree to which he was the only person able to provide those roles. The broad strokes of this finding agree with the leadership hypothesis, but there are several unexpected elements within the main story: the negative effects were less drastic than we anticipated, and all of the sub- communities (even the most dependent) survived the transition. The strong resilience of some of the sub- communities seems to be connected to their ability to Bfall back^ to a foundation of shared activity (i.e., game play) – an idea that has been introduced in earlier work but never studied empirically. This research helps designers to understand the complexities of leadership in online communities, providing an important foundation for developing and supporting online groups.
Background:
Feelings of loneliness are common among young adults, and are hypothesized to impair the quality of sleep. In the present study, we tested associations between loneliness and sleep quality in a nationally representative sample of young adults. Further, based on the hypothesis that sleep problems in lonely individuals are driven by increased vigilance for threat, we tested whether past exposure to violence exacerbated this association.
Method:
Data were drawn from the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, a birth cohort of 2232 twins born in England and Wales in 1994 and 1995. We measured loneliness using items from the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. We controlled for covariates including social isolation, psychopathology, employment status and being a parent of an infant. We examined twin differences to control for unmeasured genetic and family environment factors.
Results:
Feelings of loneliness were associated with worse overall sleep quality. Loneliness was associated specifically with subjective sleep quality and daytime dysfunction. These associations were robust to controls for covariates. Among monozygotic twins, within-twin pair differences in loneliness were significantly associated with within-pair differences in sleep quality, indicating an association independent of unmeasured familial influences. The association between loneliness and sleep quality was exacerbated among individuals exposed to violence victimization in adolescence or maltreatment in childhood.
Conclusions:
Loneliness is robustly associated with poorer sleep quality in young people, underscoring the importance of early interventions to mitigate the long-term outcomes of loneliness. Special care should be directed towards individuals who have experienced victimization.
Background:
Labral repair and biceps tenodesis are routine operations for superior labrum anterior posterior (SLAP) lesion of the shoulder, but evidence of their efficacy is lacking. We evaluated the effect of labral repair, biceps tenodesis and sham surgery on SLAP lesions.
Methods:
A double-blind, sham-controlled trial was conducted with 118 surgical candidates (mean age 40 years), with patient history, clinical symptoms and MRI arthrography indicating an isolated type II SLAP lesion. Patients were randomly assigned to either labral repair (n=40), biceps tenodesis (n=39) or sham surgery (n=39) if arthroscopy revealed an isolated SLAP II lesion. Primary outcomes at 6 and 24 months were clinical Rowe score ranging from 0 to 100 (best possible) and Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI) ranging from 0 (best possible) to 2100. Secondary outcomes were Oxford Instability Shoulder Score, change in main symptoms, EuroQol (EQ-5D and EQ-VAS), patient satisfaction and complications.
Results:
There were no significant between-group differences at any follow-up in any outcome. Between-group differences in Rowe scores at 2 years were: biceps tenodesis versus labral repair: 1.0 (95% CI -5.4 to 7.4), p=0.76; biceps tenodesis versus sham surgery: 1.6 (95% CI -5.0 to 8.1), p=0.64; and labral repair versus sham surgery: 0.6 (95% CI -5.9 to 7.0), p=0.86. Similar results-no differences between groups-were found for WOSI scores. Postoperative stiffness occurred in five patients after labral repair and in four patients after tenodesis.
Conclusion:
Neither labral repair nor biceps tenodesis had any significant clinical benefit over sham surgery for patients with SLAP II lesions in the population studied.
Trial registration number:
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00586742.
Purpose
Previous cross-sectional research has examined the effect of loneliness on mental health. The purpose of this paper is to examine longitudinal relationships in students.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 454 British undergraduate students completed measures of loneliness and mental health at four time points.
Findings
After controlling for demographics and baseline mental health, greater loneliness predicted greater anxiety, stress, depression and general mental health over time. There was no evidence that mental health problems increased loneliness over time. There was no relationship with alcohol problems. Baseline loneliness predicted greater eating disorder risk at follow-up and vice versa.
Research limitations/implications
This study is limited by a relatively small and heavily female sample.
Practical implications
Social and psychological interventions to reduce loneliness in university settings may improve mental health.
Social implications
Universities should consider organising social activities to mitigate feelings of loneliness in students.
Originality/value
This study adds to the literature as a longitudinal analysis showing that loneliness exacerbates poor mental health over time. This also adds to the literature for students specifically, and suggests a possible bi-directional relationship between eating disorders and loneliness for the first time.
The success of Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) as an online research platform has come at a price: MTurk has suffered from slowing rates of population replenishment, and growing participant non-naivety. Recently, a number of alternative platforms have emerged, offering capabilities similar to MTurk but providing access to new and more naïve populations. After surveying several options, we empirically examined two such platforms, CrowdFlower (CF) and Prolific Academic (ProA). In two studies, we found that participants on both platforms were more naïve and less dishonest compared to MTurk participants. Across the three platforms, CF provided the best response rate, but CF participants failed more attention-check questions and did not reproduce known effects replicated on ProA and MTurk. Moreover, ProA participants produced data quality that was higher than CF's and comparable to MTurk's. ProA and CF participants were also much more diverse than participants from MTurk.
In the last decade, educational neuroscience has become increasingly important in the context of instruction, and its applications have been transformed into new teaching methods. Although teachers are interested in educational neuroscience, communication between scientists and teachers is not always straightforward. Thus, misunderstandings of neuroscientific research results can evolve into so-called neuromyths. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of such music-related neuromyths among music teachers and music students. Based on an extensive literature research, 26 theses were compiled and subsequently evaluated by four experts. Fourteen theses were selected, of which seven were designated as scientifically substantiated and seven as scientifically unsubstantiated (hereafter labeled as “neuromyths”). One group of adult music teachers (n = 91) and one group of music education students (n = 125) evaluated the theses (forced-choice discrimination task) in two separate online surveys. Additionally, in both surveys person-characteristic variables were gathered to determine possible predictors for the discrimination performance. As a result, identification rates of the seven scientifically substantiated theses were similar for teachers (76%) and students (78%). Teachers and students correctly rejected 60 and 59%, respectively, of the seven neuromyths as scientifically unsubstantiated statements. Sensitivity analysis by signal detection theory revealed a discrimination performance of d' = 1.25 (SD = 1.12) for the group of teachers and d' = 1.48 (SD = 1.22) for the students. Both groups showed a general tendency to evaluate the theses as scientifically substantiated (teachers: c = −0.35, students: c = −0.41). Specifically, buzz words such as “brain hemisphere” or “cognitive enhancement” were often classified as correct. For the group of teachers, the best predictor of discrimination performance was having read a large number of media about educational neuroscience and related topics (R² = 0.06). For the group of students, the best predictors for discrimination performance were a high number of read media and the hitherto completed number of semesters (R² = 0.14). Our findings make clear that both teachers and students are far from being experts on topics related to educational neuroscience in music and would therefore benefit from current education-related research in psychology and neuroscience.
Research on peer-related loneliness in adolescence has paid insufficient attention to the distinction between intimate loneliness (i.e., in a dyadic relationship with a friend) and relational loneliness (i.e., in the broader peer group). This study examined the correlations among a broad set of loneliness scales. A sample of adolescents from Belgium (n = 282; 60% female) completed 8 subscales of 6 established loneliness measures. Results revealed high correlations among these measures. At the same time, confirmatory factor analysis revealed the two expected factors, reflecting intimate and relational loneliness. Furthermore, it was found that boys experienced on average more intimate loneliness than girls, and girls experienced on average more relational loneliness than boys. As different types of loneliness are related to problems in different domains, and adolescents may experience one type of loneliness but not the other, it is essential to know which loneliness measure taps into which type of loneliness. The present study not only provides evidence for the distinction between intimate and relational loneliness, but also shows which type is covered by which of six commonly used loneliness measures. Based on these findings, researchers can now make a more deliberate selection of scales for future research, and can better interpret and integrate findings from previous studies that used different loneliness measures.
Objectives
Response rates to health‐related surveys are declining. This study tested two strategies to improve the response rate to a health psychology survey mailed through English general practices: (1) sending a shortened questionnaire and (2) offering a monetary incentive to return a completed questionnaire.
Design
Randomized controlled trial.
Methods
Adults (n = 4,241) aged 45–59 years, from four General Practices in South‐East England, were mailed a survey on attitudes towards bowel cancer screening. Using a 2 × 4 factorial design, participants were randomized to receive a ‘short’ (four A4 pages) or a ‘long’ (seven A4 pages) questionnaire, and one of four monetary incentives to return a completed questionnaire – (1) no monetary incentive, (2) £2.50 shop voucher, (3) £5.00 shop voucher, and (4) inclusion in a £250 shop voucher prize draw. Age, gender, and area‐level deprivation were obtained from the General Practices.
Results
The overall response rate was 41% (n = 1,589). Response to the ‘short’ questionnaire (42%) was not significantly different from the ‘long’ questionnaire (40%). The £2.50 incentive (43%) significantly improved response rates in univariate analyses, and remained significant after controlling for age, gender, area‐level deprivation, and questionnaire length. The £5.00 (42%) and £250 prize draw (41%) incentives had no significant impact on response rates compared to no incentive (38%).
Conclusions
A small monetary incentive (£2.50) may slightly increase response to a mailed health psychology survey. The length of the questionnaire (four pages vs. seven pages) did not influence response. Although frequently used, entry into a prize draw did not increase response. Achieving representative samples remains a challenge for health psychology.
Statement of contribution
What is already known on this subject
Response rates to mailed questionnaires continue to decline, threatening the representativeness of data.
Prize draw incentives are frequently used but there is little evidence to support their efficacy.
Research on interactions between incentives, questionnaire length, and demographics is lacking.
What does this study add
Contrary to previous findings, questionnaire length did not influence response rate.
A £2.50 incentive increased response, while incentives of £5.00 and a £250 prize draw did not.
Achieving representative samples to questionnaires remains a challenge for health psychology.
Mood has been shown to influence cognitive performance. However, little is known about the influence of mood on sensory processing, specifically in the auditory domain. With the current study, we sought to investigate how auditory processing of neutral sounds is affected by the mood state of the listener. This was tested in two experiments by measuring masked-auditory detection thresholds before and after a standard mood-induction procedure. In the first experiment (N = 76), mood was induced by imagining a mood-appropriate event combined with listening to mood inducing music. In the second experiment (N = 80), imagining was combined with affective picture viewing to exclude any possibility of confounding the results by acoustic properties of the music. In both experiments, the thresholds were determined by means of an adaptive staircase tracking method in a two-interval forced-choice task. Masked detection thresholds were compared between participants in four different moods (calm, happy, sad, and anxious), which enabled differentiation of mood effects along the dimensions arousal and pleasure. Results of the two experiments were analyzed both in separate analyses and in a combined analysis. The first experiment showed that, while there was no impact of pleasure level on the masked threshold, lower arousal was associated with lower threshold (higher masked sensitivity). However, as indicated by an interaction effect between experiment and arousal, arousal did have a different effect on the threshold in Experiment 2. Experiment 2 showed a trend of arousal in opposite direction. These results show that the effect of arousal on auditory-masked sensitivity may depend on the modality of the mood-inducing stimuli. As clear conclusions regarding the genuineness of the arousal effect on the masked threshold cannot be drawn, suggestions for further research that could clarify this issue are provided.
The U.S. legal system increasingly accepts the idea that the confidence expressed by an eyewitness who identified a suspect from a lineup provides little information as to the accuracy of that identification. There was a time when this pessimistic assessment was entirely reasonable because of the questionable eyewitness-identification procedures that police commonly employed. However, after more than 30 years of eyewitness-identification research, our understanding of how to properly conduct a lineup has evolved considerably, and the time seems ripe to ask how eyewitness confidence informs accuracy under more pristine testing conditions (e.g., initial, uncontaminated memory tests using fair lineups, with no lineup administrator influence, and with an immediate confidence statement). Under those conditions, mock-crime studies and police department field studies have consistently shown that, for adults, (a) confidence and accuracy are strongly related and (b) high-confidence suspect identifications are remarkably accurate. However, when certain non-pristine testing conditions prevail (e.g., when unfair lineups are used), the accuracy of even a high-confidence suspect ID is seriously compromised. Unfortunately, some jurisdictions have not yet made reforms that would create pristine testing conditions and, hence, our conclusions about the reliability of high-confidence identifications cannot yet be applied to those jurisdictions. However, understanding the information value of eyewitness confidence under pristine testing conditions can help the criminal justice system to simultaneously achieve both of its main objectives: to exonerate the innocent (by better appreciating that initial, low-confidence suspect identifications are error prone) and to convict the guilty (by better appreciating that initial, high-confidence suspect identifications are surprisingly accurate under proper testing conditions).
The current research tested if explicit anti-conspiracy arguments could be an effective method of addressing the potentially harmful effects of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. In two studies, participants were presented with anti-conspiracy arguments either before, or after reading arguments in favor of popular conspiracy theories concerning vaccination. In both studies, anti-conspiracy arguments increased intentions to vaccinate a fictional child but only when presented prior to conspiracy theories. This effect was mediated by belief in anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and the perception that vaccines are dangerous. These findings suggest that people can be inoculated against the potentially harmful effects of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, but that once they are established, the conspiracy theories may be difficult to correct.
U.S. American cultures and psyches reflect and promote independence. Devos and Banaji (2005) asked, does American equal White? This article asks, does American equal independent? The answer is that when compared to people in East Asian or South Asian contexts, people in American contexts tend to show an independent psychological signature—a sense of self as individual, separate, influencing others and the world, free from influence, and equal to, if not better than, others (Markus & Conner, 2013). Independence is a reasonable description of the selves of people in the White, middle-class American mainstream. Yet it is a less good characterization of the selves of the majority of Americans who are working-class and/or people of color. A cultural psychological approach reveals that much of North American psychology is still grounded in an independent model of the self and, as such, neglects social contexts and the psychologies of a majority of Americans. Given the prominence of independence in American ideas and institutions, the interdependent tendencies that arise from intersections of national culture with social class, race, and ethnicity go unrecognized and are often misunderstood and stigmatized. This unseen clash of independence and interdependence is a significant factor in many challenges, including those of education, employment, health, immigration, criminal justice, and political polarization.
This article argues that the relationships between culture and development are differential and systematic. Therefore the presentation of the Western middle-class developmental pathway in textbooks as universal is grossly neglecting the reality and the psychologies of the majority of the world’ s population. First, the conception of culture as the representation of environmental conditions is presented. The level of formal education acts as organizer of social milieus that define different learning environments for children. Mainly two developmental pathways are portrayed: the Western middle-class trajectory and the traditional farmer childhood. Different developmental principles are highlighted, demonstrating systematic cultural differences in the development of a conception of the self: developmental dynamics as exemplified in early mother infant interactions, the timing of developmental milestones emphasizing cultural precocities in motor development and self-recognition, developmental gestalts in different attachment relationships and precursors and consequences demonstrating that different, sometimes contradictory behavioral patterns have the same developmental consequences with the examples of empathy development and autobiographical memory. It is argued that evaluating the development in one pathway with the principles and standards of the other is unscientific and unethical. The recognition of different developmental pathways is a necessity for basic science and a moral obligation for the applied fields.
Cultural comparison has challenged people’s assumptions of universality in psychology. It has also revealed that many questions and approaches in psychology are not culture-free, but reflect a distinctively Western analytic framework. In this framework, the world is assumed to operate by discernible and stable rules, contradiction is a problem to be resolved, and entities are viewed as relatively independent agents. Context and relationships between people and objects are relatively downplayed—or, when they are examined, are assumed to operate under parsimonious rules. Dialectical or holistic thinking, a framework more prevalent in East Asian societies, involves greater attention to context and relationships, assumptions of change rather than stasis, and acceptance of contradiction. Analytic thinking is useful for science and daily life. But sometimes dialectical thinking results in more accurate conclusions or pragmatically useful decisions than analytic thinking. Therefore, we propose that both dialectical and analytic thinking should be consciously adopted as tools in the “cognitive toolbox” of researchers and laypeople alike. In the present article, we review the cross-cultural work demonstrating the psychological differences that analytic versus dialectical thinking produce. We then consider the strengths of each type of thinking and how they may serve complementary functions for problem solving.
Insufficient exploration of multicultural social justice competence in research methodology and procedures may contribute to lingering clinical problems for diverse populations. Using transcultural theory to evaluate the effectiveness of cross-national research, the authors examined the various cross-national methodological challenges during the research design, analysis, and interpretation stages. Recommendations focus on expanding the Multicultural Social Justice Counseling Competencies (Ratts, Singh, Nassar-McMillan, Butler, & McCullough, 2015) to prepare researchers with enhanced skills to explore issues involving diverse populations.
Psychological scientists draw inferences about populations based on samples—of people, situations, and stimuli—from those populations. Yet, few papers identify their target populations, and even fewer justify how or why the tested samples are representative of broader populations. A cumulative science depends on accurately characterizing the generality of findings, but current publishing standards do not require authors to constrain their inferences, leaving readers to assume the broadest possible generalizations. We propose that the discussion section of all primary research articles specify Constraints on Generality (i.e., a “COG” statement) that identify and justify target populations for the reported findings. Explicitly defining the target populations will help other researchers to sample from the same populations when conducting a direct replication, and it could encourage follow-up studies that test the boundary conditions of the original finding. Universal adoption of COG statements would change publishing incentives to favor a more cumulative science.
This study examined the 2013 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey (NM-YRRS) to determine whether cultural connectedness and positive relationships with adults protected against suicide attempts among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth and whether these relationships differed by gender. The sample included 2,794 AI/AN students in grades 9 to 12 who answered the question about past-year suicide attempts. Protective factor variables tested included relationships with adults at home, school, and the community. The language spoken at home was used as a proxy measure for cultural connectedness. Positive relationships with adults were negatively associated with the prevalence of past-year suicide attempts in bivariate analysis. However, language spoken at home was not associated with the prevalence of suicide attempts. Multivariate analysis showed that among girls, relationships with adults at home, at school, and in the community were independently associated with lower suicide-attempt prevalence. Among boys, only relationships with adults at home showed such an association. These results have important implications for the direction of future research about protective factors associated with AI/AN youth suicide risk as well as in the design of suicide intervention and prevention programs. © Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health Colorado School of Public Health/University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Mixed results have been found regarding the relationship between social media use and depressive symptoms. This study aims to explore the moderating roles of neuroticism, envy and Facebook social comparison in the relationship between Facebook usage and depressive symptoms. A sample of 282 participants were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk. They completed a battery of online questionnaires including measures of neuroticism, Facebook use, Facebook social comparison, envy and depressive symptoms. In the present study, the correlation between Facebook use and depressive symptoms was not statistically significant. Nevertheless, we found a significant interactive effect between time spent on Facebook and neuroticism. The positive association between time spent on Facebook and depressive symptoms was only found among those high in neuroticism but not among those low in neuroticism. Facebook social comparison and envy did not significantly moderate the effect of time spent on Facebook on depressive symptoms. Potential explanations and implications of the results were discussed.
In this study, we examined loneliness and family support as predictors of suicide risk (viz., depressive symptoms and suicide ideation) in college students. The sample was comprised of 456 Hungarian college students. Results of conducting hierarchical regression analyses, controlling for sex and age, indicated that the inclusion of family support provided further incremental validity in predicting both depressive symptoms and suicide ideation, beyond the variance accounted for by loneliness. Moreover, consistent with the notion that family support might buffer the negative effects of loneliness on suicide risk, evidence for a significant Loneliness × Family Support interaction effect in predicting both indices of suicide risk was found. Thus, beyond the role of loneliness in predicting suicide risk in college students, the present findings are the first to show how family support both additively and interactively represents a positive psychological resource that should be considered in understanding suicide risk among students.
When aiming to improve another person's long-term well-being, people may choose to induce a negative emotion in that person in the short term. We labeled this form of agent-target interpersonal emotion regulation altruistic affect worsening and hypothesized that it may happen when three conditions are met: (a) The agent experiences empathic concern for the target of the affect-worsening process, (b) the negative emotion to be induced helps the target achieve a goal (e.g., anger for confrontation or fear for avoidance), and (c) there is no benefit for the agent. This hypothesis was tested by manipulating perspective-taking instructions and the goal to be achieved while participants ( N = 140) played a computer-based video game. Participants following other-oriented perspective-taking instructions, compared with those following objective perspective-taking instructions, decided to induce more anger in a supposed fellow participant who was working to achieve a confrontation goal and to induce more fear in a supposed fellow participant who was working to achieve an avoidance goal.
The purpose of study was to test an extended model of Ajzen's theory of planned behavior (TPB) to understand the usage of social networking websites (SNWs) particularly the Facebook in Pakistan. The extended model consisted of variables that were past behavior of using Facebook, its manifest and latent functions. A sample of 480 students, between 16-24 years of age, was randomly selected from four universities located in Lahore, Pakistan using multistage sampling method. Descriptive statistics of demographic variables were generated to see patterns of Facebook usage. Simple linear regression and multivariate regression analysis was carried out to see the association between independent and dependent variables. The findings of the present study validated the efficacy of standard as well as extended model of TPB by identifying tendencies that can help explain an individual's usage of SNWs in societies like Pakistan. The analysis suggest that an individual's positive attitude towards Facebook, the approval of its usage by significant others' and perceived control over the usage increases the intention to use it. Additionally, higher the intentions to use Facebook, higher will be the actual usage. The intention to continue using Facebook was further strengthened by perceived manifest and latent functions of Facebook.
High reward sensitivity and wanting of rewarding stimuli help to identify and motivate repetition of pleasant activities. This behavioral activation is thought to increase positive emotions. Therefore, both mechanisms are highly relevant for resilience against depressive symptoms. Yet, these mechanisms have not been targeted by psychotherapeutic interventions. In the present study, we tested a mental imagery training comprising eight 10-minute sessions every second day and delivered via the Internet to healthy volunteers (N = 30, 21 female, mean age of 23.8 years, caucasian) who were pre-selected for low reward sensitivity. Participants were paired according to age, sex, reward sensitivity, and mental imagery ability. Then, members of each pair were randomly assigned to either the intervention or wait condition. Ratings of wanting and response bias toward probabilistic reward cues (Probabilistic Reward Task) served as primary outcomes. We further tested whether training effects extended to approach behavior (Approach Avoidance Task) and depressive symptoms (Becks Depression Inventory). The intervention led to an increase in wanting (p < .001, η²p= .45) and reward sensitivity (p = .004, η²p= .27). Further, the training group displayed faster approach toward positive edibles and activities (p = .025, η²p= .18) and reductions in depressive symptoms (p = .028, η²p= .16). Results extend existing literature by showing that mental imagery training can increase wanting of rewarding stimuli and reward sensitivity. Further, the training appears to reduce depressive symptoms and thus may foster the successful implementation of exsiting treatments for depression such as behavioral activation and could also increase resilience against depressive symptoms.
This tutorial provides evidence that character misrepresentation in survey screeners by Amazon Mechanical Turk Workers (“Turkers”) can substantially and significantly distort research findings. Using five studies, we demonstrate that a large proportion of respondents in paid MTurk studies claim a false identity, ownership, or activity in order to qualify for a study. The extent of misrepresentation can be unacceptably high, and the responses to subsequent questions can have little correspondence to responses from appropriately identified participants. We recommend a number of remedies to deal with the problem, largely involving strategies to take away the economic motive to misrepresent and to make it difficult for Turkers to recognize that a particular response will gain them access to a study. The major short-run solution involves a two-survey process that first asks respondents to identify their characteristics when there is no motive to deceive, and then limits the second survey to those who have passed this screen. The long-run recommendation involves building an ongoing MTurk participant pool (“panel”) that (1) continuously collects information that could be used to classify respondents, and (2) eliminates from the panel those who misrepresent themselves.
Decades of research have shown that violent media exposure is one risk factor for aggression. This review presents findings from recent cross-sectional, experimental, and longitudinal studies, demonstrating the triangulation of evidence within the field. Importantly, this review also illustrates how media violence research has started to move away from merely establishing the existence of media effects and instead has begun to investigate the mechanisms underlying these effects and their limitations. Such studies range from investigations into cross-cultural differences to neurophysiological effects, and the interplay between media, individual, and contextual factors. Although violent media effects have been well-established for some time, they are not monolithic, and recent findings continue to shed light on the nuances and complexities of such effects.
Traditional approaches to the prediction of suicide attempts have limited the accuracy and scale of risk detection for these dangerous behaviors. We sought to overcome these limitations by applying machine learning to electronic health records within a large medical database. Participants were 5,167 adult patients with a claim code for self-injury (i.e., ICD-9, E95x); expert review of records determined that 3,250 patients made a suicide attempt (i.e., cases), and 1,917 patients engaged in self-injury that was nonsuicidal, accidental, or nonverifiable (i.e., controls). We developed machine learning algorithms that accurately predicted future suicide attempts (AUC = 0.84, precision = 0.79, recall = 0.95, Brier score = 0.14). Moreover, accuracy improved from 720 days to 7 days before the suicide attempt, and predictor importance shifted across time. These findings represent a step toward accurate and scalable risk detection and provide insight into how suicide attempt risk shifts over time.
Aims:
To explore the utility of first-person viewpoint cameras at home, for recording mother and infant behaviour, and for reducing problems associated with participant reactivity, which represent a fundamental bias in observational research.
Methods:
We compared footage recording the same play interactions from a traditional third-person point of view (3rd PC) and using cameras worn on headbands (first-person cameras [1st PCs]) to record first-person points of view of mother and infant simultaneously. In addition, we left the dyads alone with the 1st PCs for a number of days to record natural mother-child behaviour at home. Fifteen mothers with infants (3-12 months of age) provided a total of 14h of footage at home alone with the 1st PCs.
Results:
Codings of maternal behaviour from footage of the same scenario captured from 1st PCs and 3rd PCs showed high concordance (kappa >0.8). Footage captured by the 1st PCs also showed strong inter-rater reliability (kappa=0.9). Data from 1st PCs during sessions recorded alone at home captured more 'negative' maternal behaviours per min than observations using 1st PCs whilst a researcher was present (mean difference=0.90 (95% CI 0.5-1.2, p<0.001 representing 1.5 SDs).
Conclusion:
1st PCs offer a number of practical advantages and can reliably record maternal and infant behaviour. This approach can also record a higher frequency of less socially desirable maternal behaviours. It is unclear whether this difference is due to lack of need of the presence of researcher or the increased duration of recordings. This finding is potentially important for research questions aiming to capture more ecologically valid behaviours and reduce demand characteristics.
Studies of homogamy in personality in heterosexual couples have arrived at inconsistent results and research of this issue in same-sex couples is almost non-existent. Moreover, homogamy in actual couples can differ from preferred homogamy in ideal partners. In Study 1, preferences for personality homogamy and perceived homogamy in actual relationships as measured by a Ten-Item Personality Inventory were assessed in heterosexual and homosexual men from Brazil and the Czech Republic. In men of both sexual orientations, we found preferences for homogamy in all personality characteristics except for Emotional Stability, while perceived homogamy in actual couples was limited to Extraversion in heterosexual couples. The results were nearly identical for both studied populations.
In the wake of the Great Recession, rising inequality has increased social-class disparities between people in society. In this research, we examine how differences in social class shape unique patterns of cultural expression, and how these cultural expressions affirm ingroup beliefs. In Study 1 (N = 113), we provide evidence that cultural expressions of social class on an online social network can signal the social class of targets: by simply viewing the cultural practices of individuals captured in uploaded Facebook photographs, individuals express their social class in ways that allow it to be perceived by strangers at levels that are above chance accuracy. In Study 2 (N = 78), we provide evidence that individuals express their own ingroup space differently based on social class: Class-specific cultural practices (including interests in education, arts, newspapers, TV, and shopping) have implications for ingroup-related beliefs and political organizing. Individuals who reported being lower in subjective social class, relative to those reporting higher subjective social class, show cultural practices that relate to recognizing the ingroup's relative lack of control (lower group efficacy) and, in turn, a tendency to remain politically inactive when faced with an ingroup-related social disadvantage. In sum, our research provides evidence suggesting that expressions of culture derived from one's social class have the capacity to create and maintain social-class boundaries between individuals. Practical and political implications are discussed.
The present study examined the predictability of school achievement with variables from biosocial, cognitive, and psychological domains: gender, chronotype, intelligence, and conscientiousness. Results showed a positive relationship between GPA and chronotype (r = 0.13), GPA and intelligence (r = 0.34), and between chronotype and conscientiousness (r = 0.22). The predictors together explained about 14% of variance in GPA. The variance in school achievement was explained the most by intelligence followed by gender and chronotype. Chronotype was significantly correlated with school achievement even when controlled for the effects of intelligence and gender. These findings add to our knowledge about the nature of school achievement and also about the particular role of chronotype in learning.
This study used an observational research method to examine affective counselor–client exchanges during the initial session of counseling for clients who dropped out of counseling and clients who remained in counseling. Results confirmed significant differences in the affect codes of clients and counselors between the 2 groups. Discriminant function analyses classified 77% of counselors and clients in the correct groups and correctly classified over 94% of clients who returned for 4 or more sessions.
Fifty percent of adolescents have tried an illicit drug and 70% have tried alcohol by the end of high school, with even higher rates among multiracial youth. Ethnic identity is a protective factor against substance use for minority groups. However, little is known about the mechanisms that facilitate its protective effects, and even less is known about this relationship for multiracial youth. The purpose of the present study was to examine the protective effect of ethnic identity on substance use and to determine whether this relationship operated indirectly through self-esteem, a strong predictor of substance use for among adolescent populations. Participants included 468 multiracial youth in grades six through 12 (53% female). The results found that ethnic identity was indeed related to substance use, partially through changes in self-esteem. Findings from this study contribute to our understanding and development of models of risk and protection for an understudied population.
The role of stereotype threat in performance of Palestinian citizens of Israel (PCI) on the psychometric exam (parallel to the SAT in the United States) was investigated. Two experiments, conducted in field settings, examined the role of stereotype threat in performance of PCI students in psychometric-like tests. Experiment 1, conducted on 135 Arab high school students, indicated that activation of the stereotype pertaining to the lower academic ability of PCI lowered participants’ performance relative to a control group. Experiment 2, which included 115 Arab students who participated in preparatory courses for the psychometric tests, showed that a direct manipulation of the stereotype led to stereotype reactance and increased performance, whereas an indirect manipulation activated the stereotype and resulted in lowered performance. These findings suggest that activating a stereotype threat or a stereotype reactance is contingent on the manipulation employed. Practical implications of these results are discussed.
Internet addiction is a new form of dependence on equipment connected to the network. This type of addiction has many negative consequences, particularly in the area of social relations. Although a variety of methods have been presented for the treatment of this problem, they are in their beginning stages and studies are in progress in this field and secondly, they commonly ignore the effects of positive interventions in the treatment. Positive psychology interventions (PIs) refer to individual/group-based treatment methods that increase positive emotions and can enhance social relationships of individual(s). The aim of the current study is to evaluate the efficacy of a group-based PI in treating Internet addiction (IA). For this purpose, PI-based treatment sessions are designed and forty-eight internet-addicted university students are randomly assigned to an experiment group (n = 24)/control groups (n = 24). Measures of the severity of Internet use (SI), quality of relationships inventory (QRI), Bell's adjustment inventory (BI) and IA rate are assessed at baseline and after intervention. The results indicate that SI and IA rate in the experiment group are lower than those in the control group, while social adjustment and quality of relationships in the experiment group revealed an increase compared to the control group. According to the results, PI is an effective method for treating IA, specifically in mitigating Internet use and improving the quality of social relationships.