Attitudinal Parameters Research Articles

Consumer interest and willingness to pay for in-bulk products with reusable packaging options

Consumers are looking for solutions to reduce waste at source, especially plastic waste from single-use packaging. Simply recycling packaging will not be enough and reduction at the source must be emphasized as part of a sustainable circular economy. Selling products in bulk using reusable containers is one of the emerging paths of the zero waste movement. To achieve this, it is necessary to change consumption patterns and behaviors. Our goal is to better understand how source reduction of plastic packaging can be an asset in a zero waste objective. Using a contingent valuation method, we conducted a large pan-Canadian survey on the purchasing preferences of 2002 Canadian households to analyze the willingness to pay (WTP) for different food and household products. Results indicate that most consumers do not appear to be willing to pay more for bulk products with reusable packaging even if they are interested in buying more bulk products. Different socio-demographic and attitudinal parameters, such as age, gender, sense of convenience, and pro-environmental behaviors, influence willingness to buy and pay. The originality of this work is to provide an economic perspective on the reduction of single-use containers and changes in consumption practices in the context of the zero waste movement and the circular economy.

Drivers’ willingness to shift towards electronic toll collection system in india

Electronic toll collection (ETC), locally known as the FASTag system in India, has been made compulsory for payment of tolls on all National Highways (NHs) from January 2020. The users are thus adopting the newly developed FASTag system for toll payment, but the penetration rates are very low. The present research aims at studying the factors affecting road users’ willingness or unwillingness to use the FASTag. The nationwide survey data are collected from the different vehicle users using an online survey and personal interview methods. Various trip-related parameters like vehicle type, trip purpose, etc.; attitudinal parameters like awareness of toll roads, and current toll rates; FASTag-related parameters like awareness of FASTag, and having or not having the FASTag, and socioeconomic and demographic parameters like age, gender, monthly income, etc., are considered in developing the questionnaire. Analysis of these survey data showed that drivers of big cars, Bus, multi axel vehicle (MAV) and Truck Trailers are more willing to use the FASTag facility to pay toll. A willingness to adopt the FASTag model is developed using the binary choice model. The results showed that trip-related attributes such as vehicle class, trip purpose and trip frequency significantly impact willingness to own FASTag. Further, awareness about FASTag is one of the important factors for shifting towards the FASTag system. Moreover, frequent users passing during peak hours are more likely to use FASTag. Also, the users who are in service, either Government or Private, have shown more willingness to adopt FASTag than those who are unemployed. Further, the stated preference analysis is also carried out for framing possible policy measures to increase the FASTag share. The outcome of the present study is expected to provide essential inputs to the policymakers for enhancing the adoption of FASTag among toll road users.

The Impact of Multisensory Instruction on Geosciences Learning and Students’ Motivation

We live in a multisensory world. However, in classrooms, unisensory approaches are preferred, although they are unnatural and usually demotivating for youngsters. We conducted this mix-method study to investigate the possible effects of a multisensory approach on geosciences learning among students at a primary school in Porto, Portugal. The cognitive outcome was assessed using a pre/post-test design, while motivation and other attitudinal parameters were studied using an anonymous questionnaire. The results revealed a higher mean score in post-tests for students attending multisensory classes and high levels of motivation. Therefore, we consider that multisensory instruction has a positive impact on geosciences learning and motivation, and proper measures should be adopted to propel its full and optimal application in schools.

Evaluation of a basic educational program for patients with rheumatoid arthritis

HintergrundEin neues Rahmenkonzept hat die flexible Ableitung und Nutzung von rheumatologischen Schulungsprogrammen für unterschiedliche Versorgungsbereiche ermöglicht. Auf dieser Grundlage wurde eine 5‑stündige Basisschulung für Patienten mit rheumatoider Arthritis (RA) entwickelt, es wurden rheumatologische Fachärzte und Psychologen trainiert, und dann wurde die Wirksamkeit nach dem Wirkmodell der Patientenschulung evaluiert.MethodenMit dem Studiendesign einer extern randomisierten Wartekontrollgruppenstudie mit 3 Messzeitpunkten wurde geprüft, wie sich die 5‑stündige Basisschulung auf das Erkrankungs- und Behandlungswissen sowie auf die Gesundheitskompetenz von RA-Patienten (n = 249) auswirkt. Weitere Fragen betrafen Einstellungsparameter, Kommunikationskompetenz, Erkrankungsauswirkungen und die Zufriedenheit mit der Schulung. Die Auswertungen erfolgten auf Intention-to-treat-Basis mit Kovarianzanalysen für die Hauptzielgrößen unter Berücksichtigung des Ausgangswertes.ErgebnisseDie Analysen zeigen, dass die Basisschulung RA wirksam ist. Noch 3 Monate nach der Schulung verfügten die Schulungsteilnehmer über mehr Wissen und Gesundheitskompetenz als die Wartekontrollgruppe mit kleinem bis mittelgroßem Effekt (d = 0,37 bzw. 0,38). In den Nebenzielgrößen zeigten sich mit Ausnahme der Krankheitskommunikation keine weiteren Schulungseffekte.DiskussionDie Basisschulung bietet eine gute Grundlage, auf der weitere Interventionen zur Verbesserung von Einstellungs- und Erkrankungsparametern aufbauen können. Sie eignet sich damit als zentraler Baustein für die rheumatologische Versorgung auf verschiedenen Ebenen.Zusatzmaterial onlineDie Online-Version dieses Beitrags (10.1007/s00393-020-00769-4) enthält weitere Tabellen. Beitrag und Zusatzmaterial stehen Ihnen auf www.springermedizin.de zur Verfügung. Bitte geben Sie dort den Beitragstitel in die Suche ein, das Zusatzmaterial finden Sie beim Beitrag unter „Ergänzende Inhalte“.

Attitudinal Parameters Influencing Treatment Seeking Behavior during Child Diarrhea in India

Not seeking timely, correct and comprehensive treatment during childhood diarrheal episodes can potentially increase the risk of child morbidity and mortality. Treatment seeking behavior of parents/primary care givers (P/PCG) is very critical to reduce such risks among children below 5 years of age. However, P/PCG's behavior to seek timely, correct and complete treatment, during child diarrhea episodes, is significantly impacted by many factors which include attitudinal parameters and demographic factors like the education and working status of the P/PCG and gender of the child, among others. This study is an attempt to specifically understand the attitudinal parameters in health seeking behavior, among P/PCG of children below 5 years, in case of childhood diarrhea

An attitudinal consensus degree to control the feedback mechanism in group decision making with different adjustment cost

This article aims to study the influence of the group attitude on the consensus reaching process in group decision making (GDM). To do that, the attitudinal consensus index (ACI) is defined to aggregate individual consensus levels to form a collective one. This approach allows for the implementation of the group attitude in a continuous state ranging from a pessimistic attitude to an optimistic attitude. Then, ACI is used to build a stop policy to control feedback for consensus, which can be regarded as a generation of the traditional polices: ‘minimum disagreement policy’ and ‘indifferent disagreement policy’. A sensitivity analysis method with visual simulation is proposed to check the adjustment cost and consensus level with different attitudinal parameters. The main conclusion from this analysis is that the bigger the attitudinal parameter implemented is, the bigger the adjustment cost and consensus level are. The visual information facilitates the inconsistent expert keeping a balance between the attitudinal parameter to implement and the adjustment cost and consensus level, which in practice translates into full control of such implementation based on the decision maker’s willingness.

Visita estimulada e empoderamento: por um museu menos excludente

O presente estudo discute as percepções que o público de visitação estimulada, oriundo de comunidades de baixo poder aquisitivo e/ou baixo capital cultural, desenvolve a partir da visita ao Museu de Astronomia e Ciências Afins. Descreve também o seu perfil sociodemográfico, cultural e econômico. Toma como referência os conceitos de inclusão social, experiência e empoderamento, bem como uma tipologia de público de museus, que envolve o aspecto de autonomia sociocultural do indivíduo em relação ao evento ao qual ele se expõe. O instrumento de pesquisa foi um questionário autoadministrado a 1.258 visitantes, contendo questões sobre o perfil e parâmetros atitudinais de interesse e de motivação, relacionados ao conceito de empoderamento. Conclui-se que o empoderamento se dá pela associação entre as percepções de ganhos cognitivos e de aplicabilidade destes ao mundo social do visitante no nível de suas relações pessoais e de suas relações com as esferas sociais mais externas. As ações de inclusão social em museus devem se materializar como uma política institucional.

Incorporating attitudinal aspects in roadway pricing analysis

The impacts of behavioral attitudes are rarely explored when it comes to roadway pricing strategies. The existing literature mainly focuses on observed traveler or trip characteristics and is less likely to capture latent preferences or heterogeneity of roadway users. Motivated to address this knowledge gap, the study herein puts an effort to examine how underlying behavioral attitudes will affect drivers’ choices in utilizing managed lane facilities. Based on the data from the South Florida Expressway Stated Preference Survey, factor analysis was conducted based on ten attitudinal statements, and four latent attitudinal factors were identified: willingness to pay, willingness to shift travel schedule, utility (cost/time) sensitivity, and congestion tolerance. In order to assess managed lane’s utility for drivers, two sets of multinomial logit (MNL) models were developed using combined revealed preference (RP) and stated preference (SP) data, with and without these attitudinal factors. Results indicated significant contribution of attitudinal parameters in the model, both in terms of coefficients and model performance. The factors were further used in a cluster analysis which identified major segments of roadway users. Such market segmentation is expected to provide valuable insights in capturing travelers’ behavior while accounting for attitudinal aspects, which could enhance transportation planning efforts and policy making procedures.

Разработка прибора по контролю установочных параметров опоры контактной сети

Разработка прибора по контролю установочных параметров опоры контактной сети

Bayesian Estimation and Clustering of Latent Attitudinal Parameters Using Cross-Sectional Survey Data: Application to an Online Banking Survey

Firms routinely collect cross-sectional survey data on attitudinal constructs such as satisfaction, brand awareness, behavioral intentions etc. from current and prospective customers. The single observation per individual in such survey data offers limited scope for estimation and inference of heterogeneous response parameters, and consequently, for downstream analyses that presuppose a heterogeneous response. We present a Bayesian treatment to this problem. We estimate these individual-specific latent attitudinal parameters, segment the respondents on the basis of these parameters, and finally, empirically validate our clustering solutions. Our approach considers both finite and infinite mixtures of component densities and enables exact finite sample inference on both individual level parameters and cluster level parameters. We examine the performance of the latent class, the mixture of normals and the semiparametric Bayesian estimators under varying conditions of latent data structure, cluster separation and individual-level idiosyncratic variance.

Addressing the attitudinal gap towards improving the environment: a case study from a primary school in Slovenia

Abstract It is widely acknowledged that environmental literacy, in the early stages of education, can provide a strong foundation for future environmental behaviours, as well as help in the transition towards more sustainable societies. This paper is based upon an evaluation of the environmental attitudes of students in a primary school in rural Slovenia. The attitudes were assessed according to the students’ behaviours in their family (primary) and school (secondary) and family contexts. The results show that traditional teaching, in this school, accounts for only one-third of the recognised factors that influence the students’ environmental behaviours. The other factors that foster environmental behaviours include the primary and secondary social environments, the structural and infrastructural condition in the school, and gender, where emotional attitudes play a key role. The authors suggest that, in order to more adequately address the gap between learning and acting, school administrators, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders should integrate an array of sustainability issues throughout formal and informal efforts so as to more effectively encourage the development of positive environmental attitudes, and behaviours among their youth and among themselves as role models. Additionally, school principals are urged to improve infrastructural and structural, attitudinal and procedural parameters at the schools, and to change the curricula in order to foster pro-environmental behaviours.

Social and economic considerations in conserving wetlands of indo-gangetic plains: A case study of Kabartal wetland, India

The Kabartal wetland situated in the upper Indo-Gangetic flood plains in northern India is significant because of its hydrological and ecological services, and the socio-economic and cultural values that it represents. Despite being designated as a wildlife sanctuary, this wetland is under threat from anthropogenic pressures. As in the case of most wetlands, the reason is incomplete information on its ecological services and functions, breakdown of traditional management structures and the lack of appropriate and recognized property rights. Our study assesses the economic linkages between the Kabartal wetland and the local people living around it, through socio-economic surveys and Contingent Valuation Method (CVM). The major objective of the study was to determine the importance of this wetland to the local people and to give an indication of the distribution of the benefits among various stakeholders. The people in the region are poor, have low literacy levels and high dependence on Kabartal and more than 50% want that the wetland should be drained and the land used for agriculture. However, they are willing to participate in collaborative management initiatives with the state. The willingness of people to accept compensation, as an alternative to access to Kabartal wetland, regressed on various socio-economic and attitudinal parameters, gave an estimated mean value of US $27,500 per household over a period of 60 years. This value is a pointer of the total value of access to Kabartal wetland to the surrounding villagers and would be useful when decisions to compensate people for lost access to Kabartal are made.

The nature and extent of body-image disturbances in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: A meta-analysis

Although body-image disturbance is among the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, the nature and extent of this disturbance have not been precisely identified. This is the purpose of this first meta-analysis of extant research on body image and eating disorders. Using contemporary techniques, the meta-analysis systematically examined 66 studies (from 1974 to 1993) of perceptual and attitudinal parameters of body image among anorexics and bulimics relative to control groups. Attitudinal body dissatisfaction, both questionnaire and self-ideal discrepancy measures, produced substantially larger effect sizes than did perceptual size-estimation inaccuracy. Body dissatisfaction measures, whether global or weight/shape related, differentiated bulimic and anorexic groups (with bulimics having more dissatisfaction), whereas perceptual distortion indices did not. Somewhat larger effects occurred with whole-body than with body-part size-estimation assessments. Size distortion among patients with eating disorders appears unlikely to reflect a more generalized sensory/perceptual deficit. Scientific, conceptual, and clinical implications of these findings are delineated.

Development and construct validation of a self-report measure of Binge eating tendencies

Bulimia is an eating disorder purported to comprise binge eating episodes with subsequent depressive moods and self-deprecating thoughts. This study reports the development and preliminary construct validation of a Binge Scale intended to provide more descriptive, quantifiable information about the behavioral and attitudinal parameters of bulimia. Over two-thirds of the females and nearly one-half of the males in the samples reported binge eating occurences. The severity of binge eating was associated with degree of dieting concern (“restraint”) and inversely related to self-image acceptance, particularly among females. Maintaining body weight below “set point” through restrained eating efforts may increase the susceptibility to periodic binge episodes.