Broader Beliefs Research Articles

Beliefs about emotion usefulness are nuanced: degree of personal reference and emotional valence predict affective distress

ABSTRACT The beliefs people hold about emotions are implicated in a variety of outcomes including emotion regulation success and overall well-being. However, research on the dimensions of such beliefs is limited, typically addressing broad beliefs about all emotions and focusing only on their controllability. This study investigated emotion usefulness beliefs, specifically, and further parsed dimensions of personal reference (general vs. personal emotions) and valence (positive vs. negative). Study 1 (N = 343), applying a 2 × 2 factorial ANOVA, revealed that participants believed negative emotions in general to be more useful than their own negative emotions, with no such difference emerging for positive emotions. Multiple regression analyses indicated that personal beliefs about emotions better predicted affective distress than general beliefs. Study 2 (N = 531) replicated these findings and employed confirmatory factor analyses to psychometrically assess the distinctiveness of these emotion belief dimensions. Evaluating a two-factor model, four-factor model, and three-factor bifactor model, results showed that both the four-factor and bifactor models fit the data well, whereas the two-factor model did not. These findings suggest that beliefs about emotion in general and beliefs about one’s own emotions may not be fundamentally distinct, but rather different dimensions of the same underlying emotion usefulness belief.

Evaluation of post-operative surveillance strategies and surgeon perceptions and beliefs of surveillance for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in the UK

BackgroundDespite high rates of recurrence after surgery for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) there is lack of standardised surveillance practices. We aimed to identify UK surveillance practice and interrogate surgeon beliefs around surveillance. MethodsA web-based survey was sent to all UK pancreatic units to assess surveillance practice for resected PDAC, factors influencing surveillance protocols, and perceptions and beliefs surrounding on current postoperative surveillance. ResultsThere was wide variation in reported practice between 40 consultant surgeons from 28 pancreatic units (100% unit response rate). 26% had standardised surveillance compared to 18% with no standardised practice. 16% individualised surveillance to the patient, and 40% reported differing practices between surgeons within units despite local surveillance protocols. 66% felt surveillance should be tailored to patient factors, and 58% to patient preference. There was a broad belief regarding a lack of robust evidence supporting surveillance making a trial necessary. Thematic analysis identified surveillance barriers, considerations for trial design, necessity for patient engagement and potential benefits of surveillance. DiscussionWide variation in surveillance practice exists within and between units. A surveillance trial was deemed beneficial, however identified barriers potentially preclude a trial. Future work should assess acceptability for patients including impact on anxiety and quality-of-life.

Connection fault diagnosis for lithium-ion battery packs in electric vehicles based on mechanical vibration signals and broad belief network

The connection faults between the cells of a battery pack can increase contact resistance and thus result in abnormal heating at the connections, which can seriously damage or even fail the battery pack. This work therefore proposes a novel connection fault diagnosis method based on mechanical vibration signals rather than voltage and current measurements. Firstly, this work simulates the vibration environment, which resembles that of the actual operation of a lithium-ion battery pack in electric vehicles. The optimal sensor placement is achieved via a sparse-learning algorithm, and the vibration signals are collected on this basis. Following that, this work proposes a broad belief network (BBN) for detecting and locating connection faults in lithium-ion battery packs based on the vibration signals. Since fault diagnosis needs to adapt to new data as they become progressively available in real-time, two incremental-learning algorithms are paired with the BBN, such that the network can achieve fast reconstruction and expansion without re-training from scratch. Empirical evidence suggests that the diagnostic accuracy of the proposed method is 93.25%, which demonstrates the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method.

On the Role of Beliefs and Trust for the Intention to Use Service Robots: An Integrated Trustworthiness Beliefs Model for Robot Acceptance

With the increasing abilities of robots, the prediction of user decisions needs to go beyond the usability perspective, for example, by integrating distinctive beliefs and trust. In an online study (N = 400), first, the relationship between general trust in service robots and trust in a specific robot was investigated, supporting the role of general trust as a starting point for trust formation. On this basis, it was explored—both for general acceptance of service robots and acceptance of a specific robot—if technology acceptance models can be meaningfully complemented by specific beliefs from the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and trust literature to enhance understanding of robot adoption. First, models integrating all belief groups were fitted, providing essential variance predictions at both levels (general and specific) and a mediation of beliefs via trust to the intention to use. The omission of the performance expectancy and reliability belief was compensated for by more distinctive beliefs. In the final model (TB-RAM), effort expectancy and competence predicted trust at the general level. For a specific robot, competence and social influence predicted trust. Moreover, the effect of social influence on trust was moderated by the robot's application area (public > private), supporting situation-specific belief relevance in robot adoption. Taken together, in line with the TPB, these findings support a mediation cascade from beliefs via trust to the intention to use. Furthermore, an incorporation of distinctive instead of broad beliefs is promising for increasing the explanatory and practical value of acceptance modeling.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in inflammatory arthritis patients: serial surveys from a large longitudinal national Australian cohort.

ObjectivesTo determine COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy rates in inflammatory arthritis patients and identify factors associated with changing vaccine hesitancy over time.MethodsProspective cohort study of inflammatory arthritis patients from community and public hospital outpatient rheumatology clinics enrolled in the Australian Rheumatology Association Database (ARAD). Two surveys were conducted, one immediately prior to (pre-pandemic) and then approximately one year after the start of the pandemic (follow-up). COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was measured at follow-up and general vaccine hesitancy was inferred pre-pandemic; these were used to identify factors associated with fixed and changing vaccine beliefs, including sources of information and broader beliefs about medication.ResultsOf the 594 participants who completed both surveys, 74 (12%) were COVID-19 vaccine hesitant. This was associated with pre-pandemic beliefs about medications being harmful (p< 0.001) and overused (p= 0.002), with stronger beliefs resulting in vaccine hesitancy persistent over two time points (p= 0.008, p= 0.005). For those not vaccine hesitant pre-pandemic, the development of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was associated with a lower likelihood of seeking out vaccine information from healthcare professionals (p< 0.001). COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was not associated with new influenza vaccine hesitancy (p= 0.138).ConclusionIn this study of vaccine beliefs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in inflammatory arthritis patients varied, depending on vaccine attitudes immediately prior to the start of the pandemic. Fixed beliefs reflected broader views about medications, while fluid beliefs were highly influenced by whether they sought out information from healthcare professionals, including rheumatologists.

Abstract 5859: Impact of adverse SDOH on cancer knowledge and beliefs: Analysis of a NCI-designated cancer center’s catchment area survey

Abstract Background: Social determinants of health (SDOH) are social barriers that stratify health status. Specifically, socioeconomic status, education level, minority and immigration status correlate with higher risk of onset and severity of chronic disease. We sought to understand how SDOH affect a patient’s belief regarding autonomy over cancer risk and outcomes. Methods: Data from the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center catchment area including Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania; Camden and Burlington Counties in New Jersey were queried and analyzed. The survey included six cancer belief statements. Demographic characteristics of survey participants, as well as data related to cancer risk factors and beliefs were all calculated using unweighted data. Results: 1,557 adults responded to this survey. Survey participants ranged in age from 18 to 88 years old, with 49.6% of participants 40 years old and younger. 64% of respondents identified as female vs 36% male. Poverty classification was based on ASPE 2020 Poverty Guidelines given family size and income information. Based on these parameters, 21.3% of respondents were considered impoverished. Additional demographics included housing security, food security, and health literacy. Results demonstrated, impoverished respondents were more likely to disagree that behavior/lifestyle causes cancer (63.3% vs 53.3%, p&amp;lt;0.001). Housing insecure respondents were more likely to disagree that behavior/lifestyle causes cancer (62.8% vs 54.8% p&amp;lt;0.001). Respondents who are more food insecure were more likely to disagree that behavior/lifestyle causes cancer than those who are food secure (food last: 57.9% vs 54.5%, p&amp;lt;0.001). Respondents who are more food insecure were more likely to agree that everything causes cancer (food last: 67.8% vs 59.2%, p&amp;lt;0.001). Discussion: Adverse SDOH such as poverty, food insecurity, housing insecurity, and health literacy affect cancer beliefs. Overall, results demonstrated that respondents with adverse SDOH were more likely to disagree that behavior/lifestyle can cause cancer and more likely to agree that everything causes cancer. Patients with adverse SDOH may be less likely to actively engage in preventive health measures and screenings, clinical trials, and other factors known to positively impact cancer outcomes. SDOH should be evaluated on patient intake and patients should be provided with appropriate support and targeted education with broad cancer beliefs in mind. Citation Format: Alexandria P. Smith, Ayesha Ali, Ayako Shimada, Brittany C. Smith, Samantha Okere, Kamryn Hines, Amy Leader, Nicole L. Simone. Impact of adverse SDOH on cancer knowledge and beliefs: Analysis of a NCI-designated cancer center’s catchment area survey [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 5859.

A 360 degree mixed-methods evaluation of a specialized COVID-19 outpatient clinic and remote patient monitoring program

BackgroundOur goals are to quantify the impact on acute care utilization of a specialized COVID-19 clinic with an integrated remote patient monitoring program in an academic medical center and further examine these data with stakeholder perceptions of clinic effectiveness and acceptability.MethodsA retrospective cohort was drawn from enrolled and unenrolled ambulatory patients who tested positive in May through September 2020 matched on age, presence of comorbidities and other factors. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with patients, frontline clinician, and administrators were analyzed in an inductive-deductive approach to identify key themes.ResultsEnrolled patients were more likely to be hospitalized than unenrolled patients (N = 11/137 in enrolled vs 2/126 unenrolled, p = .02), reflecting a higher admittance rate following emergency department (ED) events among the enrolled vs unenrolled, though this was not a significant difference (46% vs 25%, respectively, p = .32). Thirty-eight qualitative interviews conducted June to October 2020 revealed broad stakeholder belief in the clinic’s support of appropriate care escalation. Contrary to beliefs the clinic reduced inappropriate care utilization, no difference was seen between enrolled and unenrolled patients who presented to the ED and were not admitted (N = 10/137 in enrolled vs 8/126 unenrolled, p = .76). Administrators and providers described the clinic’s integral role in allowing health services to resume in other areas of the health system following an initial lockdown.ConclusionsAcute care utilization and multi-stakeholder interviews suggest heightened outpatient observation through a specialized COVID-19 clinic and remote patient monitoring program may have contributed to an increase in appropriate acute care utilization. The clinic’s role securing safe reopening of health services systemwide was endorsed as a primary, if unmeasured, benefit.

Does broadening one's concept of trauma undermine resilience?

Objective: The term "trauma" seems to have expanded from a narrow usage (referring exclusively to extreme events such as rape and warfare) to a broad usage (encompassing almost any event that results in emotional distress). Today, individuals vary widely in the extent to which their personal "trauma concept" is relatively narrow or broad. In this study, we explore whether this variation is important to individuals' actual experience when facing a stressful event. Method: Participants were randomized to a set of "Narrow" or "Broad" belief induction tasks. They then watched a short film clip involving a mutilated corpse and completed self-report response measures. Days following the task, participants reported event-related symptoms. Results: Individuals with broader beliefs about trauma experienced more intense negative emotions and were more likely to report viewing the film clip as a personal trauma. Moreover, those who saw the film clip as a personal trauma reported more event-related distress (e.g., intrusions, nightmares) in the days after they watched it. We found limited support for causality, with the experimental manipulation showing a significant direct effect on personal trauma concepts but only indirect effects on other outcomes. Conclusion: Broader personal trauma concepts were related to increased vulnerability in a trauma film paradigm. While some evidence suggests causality, it remains possible that at least part of the effect is explained by a third variable causing both broad concepts and vulnerability (e.g., high trait anxiety). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Moving Beyond Capitalism: Human Development and Protagonistic Planned Socialism

Major transformations of existing social orders require a broad belief: it is possible to build a viable alternative that addresses the major problems of the existing society. Social discussions involving a multitude of “mid-level concrete” models, or “previsions,” of such a viable alternative combine with the existing social discontent to create such social beliefs. The broad concept of “socialism” designates an organization of society and its production that does not involve some group of people living off their appropriation of part of the production of the rest of society. This paper presents some of the elements of a prefigurative conceptualization called Protagonistic Planned Socialism, which belongs to the Democratic Planned Socialism family of models. Its central elements are protagonistic collective self-determination of the operation of all the institutions of society by its members, consciously socially planned social production, and social labor processes that support and promote human development.

Neomedievalism, Popular Culture, and the Academy: From Tolkien to Game of Thrones

Neomedievalism, Popular Culture, and the Academy: From Tolkien to Game of Thrones

Knowledge and Perceptions about COVID-19 among Health Care Workers: Evidence from COVID-19 Hospitals during the Second Pandemic Wave.

Health care workers (HCWs) face a higher risk of infection, since they work at the front line of COVID-19 patients’ management. Misinterpretations of current scientific evidence among HCWs may impact the delivery of appropriate care to COVID-19 patients and increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the hospital setting. Moreover, knowledge may affect HCWs perceptions depending on their broad beliefs and past experiences. The aim of this study was to explore the knowledge and perceptions of HCWs regarding COVID-19 issues during the second wave of the pandemic. A cross-sectional survey, involving a printed questionnaire, was conducted from 21 October 2020 to 31 January 2021 in four tertiary care hospitals located at four distant geographical regions in Greece. In total, 294 HCWs participated in this study. The majority of HCWs provided precise responses regarding general knowledge, perceptions, and practices concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. However, responses on hand hygiene and antimicrobial use in HCWs with COVID-19 were mistaken. This study reveals a certain degree of misconceptions and knowledge gaps in HCWs everyday practice, especially regarding hand hygiene and antimicrobial use in COVID-19 patients.

Butchers' and deli workers' psychological adaptation to meat.

In many societies today, the average consumer is largely removed from the earlier stages of meat production wherein meat, in many ways, resembles an animal. The present study examined the emotional and psychological consequences of recurrent meat handling. Fifty-six individuals with commercial experience handling meat (butchers and deli workers) were contrasted with 103 individuals without such experience. Participants were presented images of meat from 3 animals-cows, sheep, and fish-that were experimentally manipulated in their degree of animal resemblance. Participants rated the images on measures of disgust, empathy for the animal, and meat-animal association. Broader beliefs and attitudes about meat and animals were also assessed. We used mixed-effect linear modeling to examine the role of time spent handling meat in participants' psychological adaptation to it. We observed significant reductions in disgust, empathy, and meat-animal association within the first year or 2 of meat handling for all types of meat. Time spent handling meat also predicted the degree to which a person defended and rationalized meat consumption and production, independent of a participant's gender and age. The findings have implications for understanding how people adapt to potentially aversive contexts such as handling animal parts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

A DESIGNER IN THE INTERSECTION OF ISLAMIC-OTTOMAN ARCHITECTURE: THE ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT OF TURGUT CANSEVER (1920-2009)

Architects in the history of architecture try to be understood by their ideas that their designs need to be present on earth. Turgut Cansever (1920-2009) is an important opponent architect who was prized by Aga Khan Awards for architecture three times in his professional life and established his architectural understanding of the architecture of Ottoman and Islamic culture. This study aims to describe the life and work of the architect and his opinion about Islamic-Ottoman Architecture. Setting his architectural conception on a broader belief, Cansever strengthens his apprehension of architecture with his practice and literature studies. This unique approach in his works is shaped by a point of view that criticizes modernity but aims to validate it by reinterpreting in line with Islamic architecture. The references in the background of the structures of Cansever is thought to be too complex to read at a time. The understanding of Cansever's original designer perspective will be possible through the discussion of his synthesis resulted from the thoughts of Islamic architecture, Ottoman Architecture and modern architecture, and their reflections on his structures.

Militant internationalism and dogmatism among foreign policy elites: evidence from Russia, 1995–2016

ABSTRACTAre foreign policy attitudes among Russian elites structured around broader beliefs about the nature of world politics? Are these attitudes consistently related to individual cognitive styles? I address these questions using survey data on the Russian foreign policy elite spanning most of the post-Soviet period. In my analysis, I focus on militant internationalism – a hawkish foreign policy orientation – and its relationship to the dogmatic cognitive style. The internal structure of militant internationalism among Russian elites reveals two constituent dimensions: perception of threat from the United States (anti-Americanism) and acceptance of using armed force abroad (militarism). I also demonstrate that militarism is positively related to dogmatism, whereas anti-Americanism appears to be more volatile. This analysis represents the first attempt to study elites’ views on foreign policy within the motivated cognition framework using survey data from outside of the United States.

The Nature and Origins of Sectarian Animosity

What drives the sectarian antipathy underlying so much conflict across the Middle East? We argue that sectarian animosity stems from a national politicization of sectarian identities. We offer the first systematic, large-scale evaluation of prominent hypotheses about the nature, origins, and content of sectarian antipathy at the individual level. This analysis is based on a broad and geographically representative survey of over 4,000 devout Shi'a from Iraq and Iran, integrated with numerous additional data sources. Our findings suggest tempting parallels between sectarian animosity and ethnonationalism, disillusionment, and lack of out-group contact foster antipathy, nuanced by the uniquely religious aspects of sectarianism. While religious adherence can strongly inflame doctrinal schisms in some social contexts, it moderates tensions in others. We argue that this variation stems from religious socialization, or belief transmission within a religious context to individuals who would otherwise be excluded from the social sphere-a concept that undoubtedly in influences not only sectarianism but broader beliefs.

Broad properties of beliefs

Abstract Yli-Vakkuri (2018) argues that content externalism can be established without thought experiments, as the deductive consequence of a pair of uncontroversial principles about beliefs, contents and truth. I argue that the most dialectically plausible motivation for the first principle, that truth is a broad property or beliefs, undermines the second principle, that the truth-value of a belief goes hand-in-hand with that of its content, and that other motivations are likely to depend on externalist thought experiments the argument was meant to avoid. As it stands, the argument for externalism therefore fails.

Extending Efforts to Move Cigarette and e-Cigarette Beliefs: Message Exposure and Belief Structures

This study examines message exposure and belief structures in the context of tobacco prevention and education efforts. Though it is imperative that researchers identify and test messaging strategies that move beliefs in the desired direction, these efforts must take care to consider the existing belief structures of the target audience. A pretest-posttest design was employed in order to extend an existing tobacco-free initiative. The study examined how participants structured their beliefs about tobacco and the initiative at the first time point (T1: N = 404) and tested the impact of persuasive messages at a second time point (T2: N = 192). The findings indicated that while one message produced change in a targeted norms-oriented belief, a constellation of messages hold promise for modifying a broader belief structure. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for message design and tobacco-free initiatives.

Is research in social psychology politically biased? Systematic empirical tests and a forecasting survey to address the controversy

The present investigation provides the first systematic empirical tests for the role of politics in academic research. In a large sample of scientific abstracts from the field of social psychology, we find both evaluative differences, such that conservatives are described more negatively than liberals, and explanatory differences, such that conservatism is more likely to be the focus of explanation than liberalism. In light of the ongoing debate about politicized science, a forecasting survey permitted scientists to state a priori empirical predictions about the results, and then change their beliefs in light of the evidence. Participating scientists accurately predicted the direction of both the evaluative and explanatory differences, but at the same time significantly overestimated both effect sizes. Scientists also updated their broader beliefs about political bias in response to the empirical results, providing a model for addressing divisive scientific controversies across fields.

Pension Funds and the Politics of Ownership in Britain, c. 1970–86

The growth of occupational pensions in the post-war era transformed the pattern of capital ownership in Britain, as workers' collective retirement savings purchased a substantial share of the national economy. This article examines the response of the Labour and Conservative parties to this significant material change, and considers how it shaped their respective politics of ownership at the end of the post-war settlement. It demonstrates that Labour and the trade union movement recognized occupational pension funds as a new form of social ownership but had to reconcile their desire to give pension scheme-members direct control over their investments with a broader belief that the funds needed be used for a state-coordinated revitalization of the industrial economy. Meanwhile, the Conservative Party's initial enthusiasm for occupational pensions, which it championed for helping to create a 'property-owning democracy', was challenged by a radical neoliberal critique in the early 1980s that sought to dismantle pension funds and to individualize investment. The findings in the article assert the need for historians to situate the politics of the tumultuous 1970s and 1980s in the context of the substantial economic and social changes that had taken place during the post-war decades. These changes often created opportunities to formulate new policies and political agendas, but they also served to highlight deeper tensions within the ideologies of the main political parties.

Katangale or kuba?: development assistance and the experiences and perceptions of local corruption in Malawi

ABSTRACTThere is lively debate concerning the influence of development assistance (‘aid’) on corruption in recipient countries; however, to date, few studies have systematically examined the subject sub-nationally. This study estimates the association between sub-national aid levels and citizens’ perceptions and experiences of local corruption in Malawi. Overall, we find that individuals in districts receiving high amounts of aid are no more likely to view local leaders as corrupt than those in districts receiving lower amounts of aid. However, higher levels of aid are associated with more experiences of bribe solicitation. We also find evidence that aid channeled through NGOs may have different effects than government-implemented aid, as it is associated with better perceptions of local corruption and reduced bribe solicitation. The findings suggest that, in aggregate, corruption resulting from receiving aid may not be of sufficient magnitude or visibility to change citizens’ broader beliefs about government performance or legitimacy.