Categories Of Beliefs Research Articles

Self-Injury and the Treatment Gap: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Beliefs About Causal Variables and Treatment Goals Among Caregivers, Researchers, and Clinicians

ABSTRACT Introduction There is a gap between individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who need treatment for self-injurious behavior (SIB) and those who receive it. One contributing factor may be a multiplicity of beliefs about the nature of SIB and its treatment. Methods Using reflexive thematic analysis, we interviewed and integrated two knowledge sources: the perspectives of family caregivers for individuals with SIB and IDD and the perspectives of clinicians and researchers who treat and study self-injury. Results We present results from two primary belief categories: perceptions of causal variables and treatment goals. Conclusion By contextualizing the current paradigms of research and practice in self-injury as siloed depending on whether an individual does or does not have IDD, we discuss ways to deepen our understanding of the process of treatment provision for self-injurious behavior to inform efforts to close the treatment gap.

The Role of Diagnostic Models in Prejudice Toward People With Borderline Personality Disorder: An Experimental Investigation.

We tested whether dimensional personality disorder models such as the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) cause less prejudice toward people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) than categorical models, and we sought to identify the mechanisms underpinning this reduction in prejudice. Undergraduate psychology students (n = 183) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (AMPD, categorical, control) and given descriptive information about BPD. Participants in the AMPD and categorical conditions also received a presentation about their respective BPD diagnostic criteria. Students in all conditions then completed a survey assessing their prejudice toward people with BPD. There was no difference between conditions on overall prejudice toward people with BPD. However, the AMPD increased continuum beliefs and decreased categorical beliefs, and these, in turn, affected perceptions of people with BPD as ingroup members, which indirectly reduced prejudice. We have identified pathways through which the AMPD indirectly reduces prejudice toward people with BPD.

Beliefs of Undergraduate Mathematics Education Students in a Teacher Education Program about Visual Programming in Mathematics Classes

AbstractIn the digital age, the range of digital technologies used in mathematics education grows. Since beliefs are affective-cognitive elements that significantly determine teachers' behavior in the classroom, they are an interesting field of research in mathematics education. A review of previous research has identified different groups of beliefs about the use of digital technologies in mathematics classes. These studies are not focused on specific digital technologies. In an empirical case study that is presented in this paper, the aim was to figure out how beliefs that can be described specifically about the use of visual programming relate to general beliefs about the use of digital technologies in mathematics education. A qualitative content analysis of the reflection journals of seven undergraduate mathematics education students on their work with Scratch, a visual programming environment, in a university seminar led to the formation of ten belief categories about the use of visual programming in mathematics classes. Most of the beliefs are associated with a positive attitude towards visual programming in mathematics education. However, some beliefs could also be identified that refer to the limits and challenges of using visual programming and thus demonstrate rather negative associations. Only a few of the categories identified match the list of belief groups about digital technologies in mathematics education identified in previous research. Some possible reasons for these results are discussed and further research interests in the field of beliefs about the use of digital technologies are suggested.

Vulnerability of Gen-Z to E-Commerce Deception on Consumer's Belief Categories in Online Product Recommendations Systems

Purpose: Despite the convenience of the Online Product Recommendation (OPR) system, concerns persist regarding deception practices in online shopping, especially among consumers from the Generation Z demographic cohort, for which less attention has been given in the previous literature. Methodology/Approach: The impact of independent variables, namely Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Enjoyment, and Perceived Risk, on Susceptibility to e-commerce fraud among Gen Z consumers has been studied. By conducting a mall intercept survey in four major metropolitan cities in India with a usable sample of 488 responses, the study empirically tested the data using SmartPLS 4.0. Findings: The study concludes that Perceived Usefulness and Enjoyment positively influence continuous usage intention, while Perceived Deception and Perceived Risk are negatively connected with continuous usage intention. It depicts that the Gen Z consumer's belief categories formed during their early years as digital natives sharpen their alertness to deception practices. Research Limitation/Implication: The study may not be generalised to represent Gen Z consumers as it collected data only from those who visited malls in the metropolitan cities of India. Originality/Value of paper: This paper exclusively investigates the interrelation of belief categories to continuous usage intention. Further, the intersection of perceived Deception is proved in light of the E-commerce practices.

The (Mal)Functionality of Vernacular

Abstract Continuing a dialogue with Ülo Valk on the value of the etic term vernacular in folk-loristic scholarship, this essay responds to his claim that despite the stigma of the word’s past usage and its rejection by other fields it holds promise for folkloristics because of its conceptual flexibility, which he finds is especially conducive to the study of belief and religious practices. Pointing out that flexibility – or “fuzziness” to quote other critics – suggests imprecision, residualism, hierarchy, and lack of analytical instrumentality, this essay contends that use of vernacular reveals more about its users than the groups and practices it purports to describe. Recounting the intellectual history of the term and its adoption in folkloristic circles as well as the author’s own scholarship, this essay maintains that the term has limited, if any, use in folkloristics and ethnology because of its negative assumptions and “fuzzy” logic. It can be reflexively analyzed, however, to understand scholars’ perceptions of cultural phenomena and their conflicts with cognitive categories of practice and belief enacted by cultural participants.

An assessment of beliefs about mental health care among community-based adults with severe, untreated alcohol use disorder.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is among the most prevalent substance use disorders in the USA. Despite availability of effective interventions, treatment initiation and engagement remain low. Existing interventions target motivation and practical barriers to accessing treatment among individuals established within treatment systems. In contrast, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Treatment-Seeking (CBT-TS) aims to elicit and modify treatment-seeking beliefs to increase treatment-seeking behaviors among treatment-naïve samples. We aim to understand which beliefs were endorsed by those who did/did not initiate treatment, including changes in number of drinking days. We examined treatment seeking beliefs elicited during CBT-TS among community-based adults with moderate-severe AUD with no treatment history. In this study, we discuss which beliefs were modifiable (i.e. those discussed during the intervention among individuals who subsequently attended treatment and may be associated with treatment-seeking behaviors). Of the 194 participants who received the intervention, 16 categories of beliefs were endorsed. Of the 38 participants (19.6%) who attended treatment, the most frequently endorsed belief was 'Not wanting specific types of substance use treatment or supports' (50%), a belief that may inhibit treatment seeking. The idea 'Treatment is positive' (47%) was also frequently cited, a belief that may facilitate treatment seeking. This study describes the beliefs that were more frequently endorsed among adults with moderate-severe, but untreated AUD who reported attending treatment following CBT-TS. Findings point to the potential of discussing and modifying treatment-seeking beliefs among treatment-naïve adults with severe AUD to increase treatment-seeking behaviors.

What you think you know shapes what you see: How epistemology shapes curriculum, teaching, and learning

AbstractThis article describes the need for health professions educators to consider their and others’ epistemologies in their work. It introduces four categories of epistemic beliefs and discusses common topics and their relationships to epistemological traditions, including how they can conflict with one another. It also suggests a mechanism for surfacing and managing epistemological tensions.

Latent Profile Analysis of Medication Beliefs in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in the Hospital-Home Transition and Comparison with Medication Adherence.

The treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a protracted and arduous process. Medication, being a universally crucial therapeutic measure, underscores the significance of medication adherence in managing the disease effectively. Medication beliefs have emerged as a significant predictor of adherence, attracting considerable scholarly attention in recent years. However, there remains a paucity of research utilizing individual-centered approaches to explore medication beliefs among the T2DM population during the hospital-home transition, leaving the relationship between these beliefs and medication adherence unclear. To investigate latent categories of medication beliefs among patients with T2DM during the transition from hospital to home, and to analyze variations in medication adherence across these categories of patients. Between August 2022 and September 2023, this study selected 304 patients with a pre-discharge diagnosis of T2DM as study subjects from a tertiary hospital in Dongguan City. The patients' profiles were assessed comprehensively via the Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics Questionnaire, alongside the Chinese version of Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire-Specific and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8. The present study conducted latent profile analysis using Mplus 7.4 software and analyzed the influencing factors of different medication belief categories and their differences in medication adherence using SPSS 26.0 software. The medication beliefs of 304 patients were rated at 3.36±5.24 points, while medication adherence scored 6.23±1.56 points. The medication beliefs were classified into four categories: moderate necessity - low to moderate concern group (40.13%), high necessity - low concern group (9.54%), moderate necessity - moderate to high concern group (19.08%), and moderate necessity - high concern group (31.25%). Age, monthly per capita household income, and place of residence emerged as influential factors for the four categories. Moreover, the disparity in medication adherence among these categories demonstrated statistical significance (P < 0.001). The medication beliefs of patients were classified into four distinct categories, and variations in medication adherence were evident across these categories. The high necessity - low concern group demonstrated the highest medication adherence scores, while the moderate necessity - high concern group exhibited the lowest scores. Healthcare providers are advised to tailor personalized medication belief enhancement programs based on patients' homogeneous beliefs, addressing specific issues encountered by each category. This approach aims to ensure optimal medication adherence across diverse medical and social environments, effectively improving patient prognosis and enhancing quality of life.

A social inference model of idealization and devaluation.

People often form polarized beliefs, imbuing objects (e.g., themselves or others) with unambiguously positive or negative qualities. In clinical settings, this is referred to as dichotomous thinking or "splitting" and is a feature of several psychiatric disorders. Here, we introduce a Bayesian model of splitting that parameterizes a tendency to rigidly categorize objects as either entirely "Bad" or "Good," rather than to flexibly learn dispositions along a continuous scale. Distinct from the previous descriptive theories, the model makes quantitative predictions about how dichotomous beliefs emerge and are updated in light of new information. Specifically, the model addresses how splitting is context-dependent, yet exhibits stability across time. A key model feature is that phases of devaluation and/or idealization are consolidated by rationally attributing counter-evidence to external factors. For example, when another person is idealized, their less-than-perfect behavior is attributed to unfavorable external circumstances. However, sufficient counter-evidence can trigger switches of polarity, producing bistable dynamics. We show that the model can be fitted to empirical data, to measure individual susceptibility to relational instability. For example, we find that a latent categorical belief that others are "Good" accounts for less changeable, and more certain, character impressions of benevolent as opposed to malevolent others among healthy participants. By comparison, character impressions made by participants with borderline personality disorder reveal significantly higher and more symmetric splitting. The generative framework proposed invites applications for modeling oscillatory relational and affective dynamics in psychotherapeutic contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

제주도 당신앙 속 여산신(女山神)의 흔적과 변주

In this Thesis, we looked back on the traces of the “female mountain god” that were rarely dealt with in the category of community beliefs on Jeju Island. In particular, the discussion aimed to concretely reconstruct the traces of the “sequence of female mountain gods” Jeju Island's Belief in Dang. which has a close relationship with “Mt. Halla” and can be assumed as a “specific type” and “the sequencing of Belief in Dang” It is a common academic belief to regard the Seonma-Seonpa(Seon-Mago) in Jang Han-cheol'’s “Pyo-Hae-rok” as the same existence. but there were not a few discussions refuting this. As a result, based on the existence of the “Madame of Seonnyeo-guk” of Guayangdang, a person most similar to the Seonma-Seonpa(Seon-Mago), Jeju Island, which has been handed down, and the place of Gongju Mt.Mudeung, it was heard that similar gods can be found in several villages related to the god's faith in the middle of Jeju Island. These female mountain gods were closely related to the west direction as “female mountain gods with a history of overseas,” which had been differentiated and expanded as spouses of male gods of Mt. Halla descent. In addition, based on this assumption, the correlation between these female mountain gods and the goddess se-myung-ju was solved in relation to the goddess Beck-ju-to served by Songdang-Bonhyangdang and Sehwa-Bonhyangdang.

Taking It Not at Face Value

One of the central questions in the epistemology of conversational AIs is how to classify the beliefs acquired from them. Two promising candidates are instrument-based and testimony-based beliefs. However, the category of instrument-based beliefs faces an intrinsic problem, and a challenge arises in its application. On the other hand, relying solely on the category of testimony-based beliefs does not encompass the totality of our practice of using conversational AIs. To address these limitations, I propose a novel classification of beliefs that shifts the focus from the properties of the conversational AIs themselves to how recipients perceive AI output, specifically whether they take the output at face value. The proposed categories are beliefs by regarding as instruments and beliefs by regarding as testifiers. By using these complementary categories, a more comprehensive understanding of beliefs acquired from conversational AIs can be achieved while avoiding the problems associated with the traditional classification.

Weight stigma among dental professionals and in the dental setting: a scoping review

AbstractBackground Weight stigma refers to discriminatory acts and ideologies targeted towards individuals because of their body weight and/or size. Weight stigma in healthcare settings generates major health disparities. To date, there have been no previous reviews exploring the issue of weight stigma among dental professionals (DPs) and in the dental setting.Aims To synthesise current evidence on weight stigma among DPs and in dental care settings via a scoping review.Methods A comprehensive search was carried out across four relevant electronic databases (Medline, Scopus, Psychinfo and Cinahl). A total of 25 full-text papers were included in the scoping review.Results Most papers addressed the subject of weight stigma as a secondary finding (20 papers). Both quantitative and qualitative study methods were used to explore weight stigma across the broad categories of attitudes and beliefs about obesity, weight-based discussions, obesity education and training and service implications of obesity. Recommendations regarding weight stigma among DPs and in the dental setting were proposed but have not been formally assessed.Conclusion Further studies addressing weight stigma in dental settings, including causes and consequences among DPs, are required to better inform and address this issue.

Promoting Clinical and Cultural Competence in the Nursing Care of Transgender Patients: An Educational Module for Postoperative Nurses Caring for Patients After Vulvovaginoplasty.

Transgender women and transfeminine nonbinary individuals may pursue a vulvovaginoplasty to improve their gender dysphoria. The goal of this study was to design, implement, and evaluate an educational module to increase acute care nurses' clinical and cultural skills in the care of the transgender population after vulvovaginoplasty. All nursing staff and patient care technicians working on a hospital unit caring for patients after vulvovaginoplasty attended a 4-hour educational module. Participants completed an anonymous pre- and postsurvey. Survey data were analyzed for significant change in the categories of knowledge, perceived competence, sexuality and gender beliefs, interpersonal comfort, and human value. Significant improvement was noted in the categories of knowledge and perceived competence. Improvements were also noted in the categories of sexuality and gender beliefs and interpersonal comfort, but were not statistically significant. An insignificant decline in scores was noted in the category of human value. Increased knowledge about vulvovaginoplasty and informed, culturally safe care may improve the patient outcome and experience, and nurses may be more confident and comfortable delivering care for this population. This intervention may serve as an exemplar to other institutions that hope to offer gender care surgeries. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(11):509-515.].

The audience impact of an ethnodrama based on the lived experiences of family caregivers of loved ones with a mental illness

There is paucity of research on the issues concerning family caregivers of loved ones with mental illness despite an increasing awareness of the importance of caregiving as an essential component of care. In this study, we examine the impact of an ethnodrama to (1) authentically reflect the experience of caregivers for people diagnosed with a mental illness and (2) impact audience beliefs and feelings about mental health and caregiver realities. Two focus group sessions were held with 21 family caregivers from a community support group from which an ethnodrama was developed and then presented across four performances to a total of 110 audience members. Audience members completed pre- and post-performance questionnaires containing items related to stigma, respect, caregiving attitudes and self-evaluation. Results indicated that audience members reported the play to realistically reflect the reality of caregiving for a loved one with mental illness, and statistical analyses revealed significant pre-post changes in the four categories of beliefs and feelings examined. The results indicate that witnessing the performance was a valuable educational experience and that ethnodrama has a place in mental health and mental illness education.

How diverse beliefs shape the experience of transcendent gratitude

ABSTRACT As a novel contribution, this study considers transcendent gratitude (e.g. gratitude towards non-human benefactors such as God, Science, or Karma) across diverse belief systems. The sample included 619 participants (M age 37.5, 52.6% female) across the U.S. with beliefs across three distinct categories: a) Theistic; 38.4%), b) Spiritual but not theistic; 26.4%, and c) Non-theistic/Non-spiritual (Other); 35.2%. Across the three belief systems, we tested the associations between gratitude and theistic predictors (e.g. feeling comfort or anger towards God, fidelity, interaction with God, attachment to God, and transcendent indebtedness) and non-theistic predictors (e.g. life comprehension, primal beliefs, prosocial behavioral intentions, and interpersonal attachment). Interestingly, we found that participants from all belief categories experienced transcendent gratitude. Comfort, anger, transcendent indebtedness, life comprehension, and prosocial intentions were robust predictors of transcendent gratitude across belief categories. We conclude with recommendations for more nuanced models of transcendent gratitude.

Undergraduate students' espoused beliefs about different approaches to engineering design decisions

AbstractBackgroundEngineers are socialized to value rational approaches to problem solving. A lack of awareness of how engineers use different decision‐making approaches is problematic because it perpetuates the ongoing development of inequitable engineering designs and contributes to a lack of inclusion in the field. Although researchers have explored how engineering students are socialized, further work is needed to understand students' beliefs about different decision‐making approaches.Purpose/HypothesisWe explored the espoused beliefs of undergraduate students about technical, empathic, experience‐based, and guess‐based approaches to engineering design decisions.Design/MethodWe conducted semistructured one‐on‐one interviews with 20 senior engineering students at the conclusion of their capstone design experience. We used a combination of deductive and inductive data condensation approaches to generate categories of beliefs.ResultsWe identified a total of nine categories of beliefs, organized by approach. Although students' espoused beliefs did reflect the emphasis on technical approaches present in their socialization, they also described technical approaches as limited and overvalued.ConclusionThe landscape of beliefs presented make explicit both the challenges and the opportunities that students' beliefs play as the backdrop for any efforts of engineering educators to develop engineers as effective and equitable engineering designers.

Exploring English language teachers’ beliefs about future readiness: Developing pedagogical practices for the 21st century

Cognitions, and specifically beliefs, play a critical role in the practices teachers are willing to implement. Beliefs become particularly impactful when teachers are called upon to adapt, adjust and innovate, as is characteristic of language teaching in the 21st century and teaching during a health crisis such as a pandemic. Anchored in the field of language teacher cognition, this article presents a qualitatively driven mixed methods study of English language teachers’ beliefs about language teaching and learning in the 21st century. We explored the beliefs of 74 secondary-level English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in an attempt to better understand beliefs that were shared among study participants. These teachers had all elected to take part in a new English language program in Israel that seeks to promote 21st century practices. Three categories of beliefs were identified. These include: (1) employing multiple and varied teaching methods; (2) demonstrating adaptability alongside digital literacy; and (3) collaborating and employing interdisciplinary practices. We have defined these categories as ‘precursor beliefs to willingness’. We present their manifestation in the collected data and discuss suggestions for how they can be cultivated at the initial teacher education level and through ongoing professional development.

Effects of continuum and categorical beliefs on attitudes related to eating disorder stigma.

Effects of continuum and categorical beliefs on attitudes related to eating disorder stigma.

Designing a conceptual model for dynamic empowerment of medical science education managers.

Educational managers at universities of medical sciences are the suppliers of human resources to the healthcare system. Thus, attention to their professional empowerment can play a prominent role in improving the quality of medical science education. The present study was implemented through the method of modeling and in the three stages of conceptual, modeling, and validation. The research environment was the medical science universities of Iran and the sampling method was purposive. The two qualitative approaches of literature review and semi-structured interview were used to develop the components of the model. The results were then integrated, the relationships between the components were investigated, and the model was eventually finalized. The resulting scores were analyzed using MicMac software. Twelve categories and 20 subcategories were identified in the first micro-study (desk research). Qualitative analysis of the interviews in the second stage led to the identification of 21 subcategories and seven categories. Components of the conceptual model were extracted from the results of the two first stages, both of which were aimed at the extraction of concepts relevant to dynamic empowerment of medical science educational managers, and the conceptual model for dynamic empowerment of medical science education managers was designed in the six categories of education, decision-making, organization, belief, dynamic capabilities, and environment after the interactions between the components were studied. Results of the present study revealed that dynamic empowerment of the managers is a multifaceted and multidimensional concept, and all of the factors incorporated in the conceptual model for dynamic empowerment of managers must receive special attention.

Comparing the ideological correlates of anti-government and anti-Roma conspiracy beliefs in Romania

Conspiracy theories are often viewed as the manifestation of a “conspiracy mentality” grounded in power-challenging attitudes. Contrary to this approach, it has been proposed that conspiracy theories targeting relatively powerful groups (i.e., upward conspiracy theories) may be ideologically distinct from conspiracy theories targeting relatively powerless groups (i.e., downward conspiracy theories). We tested this contention in the Romanian context ( n = 723, preregistered) and compared the ideological and socioeconomic correlates of anti-government (i.e., a relatively powerful group) and anti-Roma (i.e., a relatively powerless group) conspiracy beliefs. Using Principal Components Analysis, we showed that both categories of conspiracy beliefs are statistically distinct. Right-wing authoritarianism was significantly more related to anti-Roma conspiracy beliefs than to anti-government conspiracy beliefs. However, against our expectations, both types of conspiracy beliefs did not relate differently to subjective socioeconomic status. Overall, the ideological discrepancies between upward and downward conspiracy beliefs were less marked in the Romanian context. Finally, conspiracy mentality was more related to anti-government conspiracy beliefs than anti-Roma conspiracy beliefs. This corroborates the notion that generic measurements of conspiracist ideation may be mostly a measurement of upward conspiracy beliefs, and emphasizes the relevance of distinguishing conspiracy theories based on the types of groups they target.