Best Predictor Of Attitudes Research Articles

Using theory to better communicate to different audiences about Whooping Crane conservation

ABSTRACT Effective outreach for an endangered species often requires an understanding of human dimensions information to guide pro-conservation behavior. To provide a foundation for outreach communication strategies regarding Whooping Crane conservation in Alabama, we administered surveys to local residents, waterfowl hunters, and birders. We tested a theoretical framework using constructs from the cognitive hierarchy, value-belief-norm theory, emotional dispositions, and knowledge about the species to identify the best predictors of attitudes and behavioral intentions toward the conservation of Whooping Cranes. Regression analyzes revealed that a combination of constructs from these frameworks directly predicted attitudes and behavioral intentions toward Whooping Cranes. Findings demonstrated that the best predictors were different across audiences and different for predicting attitudes and behavioral intentions. Each of the predictor variables from the multiple theories provided explanatory power for both attitudes and behavioral intentions and across all audiences. Outreach can use this information to develop content and audience-specific messaging.

Plagiarism of Chinese Secondary School Students in Hong Kong

The predictors of attitudes regarding academic plagiarism were investigated in Hong Kong secondary school students. The participants were 257 Grade 10 and 11 students who were taking liberal studies. Quantitative analysis showed that the students were unfamiliar with what actions constituted plagiarism. The best predictor of attitudes was the perceived descriptive norm regarding plagiarism (i.e., perception of the frequency of plagiarism in one’s environment). We explain this finding by applying the cultural-self perspective and present our recommendations for teachers.

Students' Involvement in Academic Dishonesty and Their Attitudes towards Copying in Exams and Academic Papers

Cheating in academia is described in the literature like an epidemic, and one which crosses geographic and cultural boundaries. Academic dishonesty hurts the reputations of institutes of higher education, and carries implications for the job market as well. Some studies have attributed the spread of this phenomenon to technological advancements, which have made it much easier to locate academic content and to copy it. Our study examined students' attitudes to various forms of academic dishonesty, and the connection between demographic, personal and situational variables and the attitudes and behaviors associated with academic dishonesty. Seven hundred and seventy-nine students of business management, psychology and education completed questionnaires regarding their attitudes towards academic dishonesty and their personal involvement in academically dishonest behavior. The results showed that the infractions that were perceived as most severe were cheating on exams and in final term papers. Other acts were viewed with less severity, like letting a friend copy a paper, and referencing sources in a paper that the student has not actually read. Education and psychology students perceived cheating as more severe than did students of business management. The latter were more likely to justify copying in certain situations, like when a course is not taught clearly or an exam is hard. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that the best predictors of attitudes and behaviors are the situational factors (i.e. the characteristics of the student's academic environment). Classroom norms and the severity with which the institute treats dishonesty were found to be the factors that most strongly influenced students' attitudes and behavior. Demographic and personal variables proved less reliable as predictors.

Changing Values: Attitudes about Intimate Partner Violence in Immigrants and Natives in Five Western Countries

ABSTRACTThis article explores attitudes about Intimate Partner Violence Against Women (IPVAW) amongt immigrant (first and second generation) and native populations in five post-industrial societies (Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, and USA). Using the sixth wave of World Values Survey, we conclude that there are significant differences, after controlling for demographic factors, between all three sub-populations in attitudes about IPVAW, with first generation immigrants more supportive of IPVAW than either natives or second generation immigrants. We also show that, for the three sub-populations, interactions of attitudes regarding interpersonal violence, gender equality and sexual tolerance are good predictors of attitudes about IPVAW.

Investigating interest and knowledge as predictors of students' attitudes towards socio-scientific issues

The present study investigated the extent to which topic interest and topic knowledge, independently and interactively, predicted attitudes towards two socio-scientific issues: the potential risk associated with nuclear power plants and human-induced climate change. In a sample of 153 Norwegian upper-secondary school students, topic knowledge was found to be a better predictor of attitudes towards nuclear power plants than was topic interest, whereas topic interest was found to be a better predictor of attitudes towards climate change than was topic knowledge. Thus, more knowledgeable students seemed less likely to be concerned about the potential risk of nuclear power plants than were less knowledgeable students, and more interested and engaged students seemed more likely to judge climate change to be human-induced than were less interested students. Moreover, for both issues, students' interest in the topic and their topic knowledge interacted, with the relationship between interest and attitude depending on students' level of topic knowledge. This interaction differed between the two issues, with a stronger relationship between interest and attitudes observed at lower than at higher levels of knowledge for the nuclear power issue and a stronger relationship between interest and attitudes observed at higher than at lower levels of knowledge for the climate change issue. Theoretical and educational implications of the findings are discussed.

Attitudes Toward Humanities and Social Sciences and Their Relationship With English Competence

Humanities and social sciences are mostly regarded as ''soft sciences''. Females have greater interest in them compared to males. Because linguistic (in this paper, English language studies) belongs to both humanities and social sciences, the present study aims to examine the relationship of students' estimates of English competence and their attitudes toward humanities and social sciences. The sample consists of 157 participants (88 females and 69 males).Who are at tertiarry level in Turkey. The obtained results reflect no gender differences in students' attitudes toward English and Turkish language; however, significant gender differences were found in their attitudes toward literature, psychology, sociology and pedagogy. Participants' attitudes toward humanities and socal aciences were in significant relationships with all aspects of self-reported English competence. In addition, self-reported grammar skills were the best predictor of attitudes towards the English language. Keywords: English competence, humanities, social sciences, gender differences.

Moral Foundations and Attitudes Towards the Poor

Why does the public have such polarizing views on the poor? This paper attempts to understand this issue by examining and exploring what predicts attitudes towards the poor. The exploration of this issue begins with a reference to the Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) and how this particular framework has been used to explain polarizing issues such as abortion, gay marriage and stem cell research, among others. This paper argues that the MFT can provide a similar insight on attitudes towards the poor. With the MFT as a backdrop, the current study tested out the hypothesis using hierarchical multiple regression and explored the results further by using dominance analysis. Results showed that the Moral Foundations were good predictors of attitudes towards the poor. While Harm emerged as the only significant predictor, dominance analysis revealed the importance of each foundation as predictors. Harm is the strongest predictor followed by Fairness, Authority, Ingroup, and Purity. All five foundations appear to be better predictors as compared to one’s political affiliation.

Posthumous gamete retrieval and reproduction: Would the deceased spouse consent?

Policy and medical decision-making has been hindered by the absence of reliable data on attitudes toward having one's own gametes retrieved posthumously and used to produce a child in the event of an untimely death. The purpose of this study is to directly and empirically examine whether the presumption against consent is justified in the case of posthumous gamete retrieval following sudden death. Respondents (N = 2064) were contacted using a random-digit dialing method that gave every household telephone in the continental United States an equal probability of being contacted, and were asked: “Suppose you were to experience an early death and your spouse wanted to have a biological child with you. Would you or would you not want your spouse to be able to use your sperm/eggs following your death to have a child with you?” Among reproductive age respondents (18–44 years), 70% of males and 58% of females wanted their spouse to be able to use their gametes and, for the most part, attitudes were fairly consistent across demographic characteristics. Religiosity was the best predictor of attitudes—those who described themselves as more religious were less likely to desire posthumous gamete retrieval—but the majority (58%) of respondents who were very religious approved of retrieval. Overall, these data indicate that abandoning the prevailing presumption against consent in favor of a presumption of consent on the part of the deceased will result in the deceased's wishes being honored two and three times more often for females and males, respectively. Three main arguments against a presumption of consent in this context are discussed: autonomy of the deceased, conflict of interest, and the decision-making capacity of a grieving spouse.

Personal and Social Factors Influencing Students’ Attitudes Towards Peers with Special Needs

Within inclusive education, it is crucial to consider how students with special needs are valued as members of school community and may fully and actively take part in school-life. The present study aims: 1) to assess students’ attitudes towards peers with special needs; 2) to understand how personal factors (age, gender, school achievement and social competence) and social factors (contacting with persons or family member with SN) predict students’ attitudes variation.Participants were 200 Portuguese students from 6th to 12th grade. Instruments were administered during class: (i) CATCH (Rosenbaum, Armstrong & King, 1986), comprising a cognitive and an affective-behavior subscale (ii) Social goals Scale (Wentzel, 1993), comprising a social responsibility and a prosocial subscale.We conducted exploratory factor analysis on CATCH and stepwise regression analysis using attitudes as dependent variable. Affective-behavior attitudes were higher in girls and in students with contact with special needs peers and showed moderate correlations with social competence; Cognitive attitudes were higher in older students and were not related with social competence. Prosocial goals were the best predictor of attitudes towards peers with special needs. Resultsshowed that attitudes towards peers with special needs may be influenced by personal and contextual factors. Confirming other findings girls showed more positive attitudes. Also students who have contact with peers with special needs have more positive attitudes, evidencing the potential impact of inclusive settings. The relation found between attitudes and social motivation (mainly prosocial goals) has implications for educational intervention.

Attitudes towards same-sex marriage in Portugal: predictors and scale validation.

The goal of the present research was to validate a Portuguese version of Pearl and Galupo's (2007) Attitudes toward Same-Sex Marriage Scale (ATSM). Participants were 1,402 heterosexual men and women that completed an on-line questionnaire. The final 15-item scale formed a single factor showing high internal consistency (α = .95). This one factor structure was backed-up by a confirmatory factorial analysis. In a general way, the results indicate a clearly positive attitude toward same-sex marriage (overall mean was 63.79, SD = 12.66, above the scale mid-point, t(1401) = 55.55, p < .001). Furthermore, analysis of the scale's predictors demonstrates how a left-wing orientation (β = .22, p < .001) and the level of denial of deservingness for lesbian/gay discrimination (β = .30, p < .001) prove to be the best predictors of attitudes towards same-sex marriage. On the whole, these results indicate that the Portuguese ATSM version is a reliable instrument for carrying out scientific research and measuring and monitoring public opinion on this subject.

Lay Knowledge of Dyslexia

This study looks at the extent to which lay people believe many myths associated with dyslexia. It examined attitudes and beliefs about the causes, manifestations and treatments for dyslexia in a British population sample. A community sample of 380 participants (158 Male; 212 Female) completed a 62-item questionnaire on their attitudes to, and beliefs about, dyslexia. The statements were derived from various “dyslexia facts and myths” websites set up to help people understand dyslexia; academic research papers; and in-depth exploratory interviews with non-specialist people regarding their understanding of dyslexia. Item analysis showed participants were poorly informed about many aspects of dyslexia. Factor analysis returned a structure of latent attitudes in five factors (Characteristics, Biological and Social Causes, Treatment and Prevention). Regression analysis revealed that participant political orientation and education (formal and informal acquaintances with dyslexia sufferers) were the best predictors of attitudes concerning the behavioural manifestations, aetiology and treatments of dyslexia. Limitations and implications of this research were considered.

Sex education and cultural values: experiences and attitudes of Latina immigrant women

The paper aims to further explore the role that culture plays in the provision and assimilation of sex education among Latina immigrants in the USA. To accomplish this, researchers conducted focus groups and interviews with 30 women from Central and South America who have lived in the USA for at least five years. Participants were asked to reflect on their experience with sex education in their home country and in the USA, and to assess how their attitudes towards sex education may impact their behavioural choices as parents and as sexually-active women. The findings demonstrate a wide range of views that did not follow patterns by common demographical proxy variables, suggesting that such variables are not enough to predict adoption of new cultural values that are different from their family's traditional norms. Instead, adherence to traditional cultural beliefs appeared to be a better predictor of attitudes and behaviours.

Academic Related Variables and Attitudes toward Substance Abuse among Secondary School Adolescents in Barbados

This study investigated the relationships between some academic related variables (interest in school, psychological resilience, study habit) and attitudes toward substance abuse among 220 (M=15.1, SD=1.10) secondary school adolescents in Barbados. Results revealed that interest in school, psychological resilience and study habits negatively correlated with adolescents&rsquo; attitudes toward substance abuse. The academic related variables also jointly contributed 45% (R Square=0.445) of the variance being accounted for in attitudes to substance abuse and this was found to be statistically significant (F(3,216)=57.63, p&lt;.0005). Additionally, it was found that interest in school was the best predictor of attitudes to substance abuse and that psychological resilience and study habit were other significant predictors. These results were discussed in the light of the importance of these academic variables preventing adolescents&rsquo; substance abuse.

Heterosexual Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage

Negative attitudes of heterosexual people toward same-sex marriage relate to the degree to which they are homophobic. However, it has been understudied whether there exists a gender difference in this association. Our results indicated that homophobia was the best predictor of attitudes toward gay male and lesbian marriage, and this was equally true for both heterosexual men and women. However, the attitudinal difference between gay male and lesbian marriage was related to homophobia in men but not in women. That is, for men only, being less homophobic toward lesbians than toward gay men was associated with favoring lesbian over gay men marriage. Considering these results, the role of gender in attitudes toward same-sex marriage seems to be as an important moderator of homophobia.

Once a Criminal, Always a Criminal?: ‘Redeemability’ and the Psychology of Punitive Public Attitudes

Several studies have sought to link punitive public attitudes to attribution style and/or lay theories of crime. This research finds that those who believe criminal acts are the result of freely chosen and willful behavior are more likely to be punitive than those who feel crime is the result of external circumstances and constraints. These analyses focus on only one dimension of attributions: locus of control (internal/external). In this analysis, we include a second dimension, thought to be a better predictor of attitudes in social psychological research: stability/instability. In addition to measuring lay theories of crime causation, we also test for “belief in redeemability” (or beliefs about the ability of deviants to change their ways). Our hypothesis is that this other dimension of personal attributions (stability/instability) may be as critical in explaining support for highly punitive criminal justice policies as beliefs about criminal responsibility. We find evidence supportive of this model in an analysis of data from postal survey of residents of six areas in England.

Social Determinants of Attitudes towards Women’s Premarital Sexuality among Female Turkish University Students

This paper explores the effects of demographic and attitudinal variables on attitudes toward women’s premarital sexuality in a sample of 277 undergraduate female students at Istanbul University, Turkey. The results of the research demonstrated that sexual attitudes best predicted the dependent variable in regression analysis. Once the variable sexual attitudes was excluded from the equation, mother’s education and personal religiosity were the best predictors of attitudes toward women’s premarital sexuality.

Prediction of attitudes towards child sexual abuse among three different Norwegian samples

The aim of the current study was to reveal attitudes towards child sexual abuse and investigate predictors of such attitudes. A random sample of the Norwegian adult population (n = 296), active Christians (n = 125) and prisoners convicted of child sexual abuse (n = 36) were included in the study. The results show that women were more negative towards child sexual abuse than men, and the prisoners had more accepting attitudes than the other samples. Predictors of attitudes differed across the samples. Empathy and normlessness were the best predictors of attitudes among the random sample of adults and the active Christians. The largest predictor of attitudes among the prisoners was their view of women. The implications of the results for prevention strategies are discussed.

Do Sex, Sex-Role Orientation, and Exposure to Gender-Congruent Therapy Models Influence Receptivity to Psychotherapy?

This study had two objectives. The first objective was to evaluate how well sex and sex-role orientation predicted receptivity to psychotherapy. The second objective was to evaluate whether exposure to gender-congruent therapy videos influenced participants' receptivity to psychotherapy. Participants were randomly assigned to three conditions: (1) exposure to a more masculine form of therapy, (2) exposure to a more feminine form of therapy, or (3) a control condition. Although both sex and sex-role orientation were significant predictors, sex-role orientation (femininity) emerged as the best predictor of attitudes toward psychotherapy. However, only participant sex (female) predicted willingness to refer oneself to therapy. Contrary to our expectations, neither sex nor femininity interacted with the experimental manipulations in influencing receptivity to psychotherapy. Implications of these findings for clinicians employed in university counseling centers are presented.

Public perceptions of natural disturbance in Canada’s national parks: The case of the mountain pine beetle ( Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins)

Since the 1990s, the mountain pine beetle (MPB) population has exploded in western Canada. In national parks, MPB has the potential to impact visual quality and safety of visitors, and to spread beyond park boundaries to the industrial forest landbase. Control measures have been initiated in some parks to lessen these impacts. A study was undertaken to examine public attitudes, knowledge, issue salience, and management preferences for MPB in Banff and Kootenay national parks. Data were collected by mail survey in 2003 from 1385 residents living in or near the parks. MPB was an important issue for the majority of respondents and they had low knowledge of MPB, expressed negative attitudes towards it, and supported measures to control it. Preferred control measures included those directed at the current infestation. Proactive approaches in uninfested forests were generally not supported. Issue salience and knowledge were the best predictors of attitudes toward the MPB. Attitudes were the best predictors of support for no intervention in beetle infestations in national parks. Management implications include the lack of knowledge and support for natural disturbance and ecological integrity policies in national parks.

Public Opinion and the Politics of Obesity in America

Health policy experts have recently sounded the warning about the severe health and economic consequences of America's growing rates of obesity. Despite this fact, obesity has only begun to enter America's political consciousness and we have little information about what average Americans think of obesity or whether they support obesity-related policies. Using unique survey data collected by the authors, this essay examines public attitudes toward obesity and obesity policy. We find that, contrary to the views of health experts, most Americans are not seriously concerned with obesity, express relatively low support for obesity-targeted policies, and still view obesity as resulting from individual failure rather than environmental or genetic sources. Given the absence of elite discourse on this problem, we also find that typical determinants of policy preferences, such as ideology or partisanship, are not good predictors of attitudes on obesity policy. Rather, with a low-valence issue such as obesity, the public utilizes other attitudinal frameworks such as their opinions on smoking policy and the environmental culpability for obesity. The implications of these findings for obesity policy and research on health-related public opinion are discussed.