Close Peers Research Articles

How to counteract biased self-assessments? An experimental investigation of reactions to social information

In a lab experiment, we investigate whether social information can improve the accuracy of self-assessments of relative performance. In particular, we compare the effectiveness of different types of social information: subjects either learn their close peers' (i) average absolute performance, (ii) average self-assessment or (iii) average bias of selfassessments. Additionally, we explore the demand for the different types of social information. Our results suggest that social information can help debiasing subjects' selfassessments, but not all types of information are equally effective. Only learning about the average bias of peers' self-assessments improves own self-assessments. Subjects are, in general, willing to pay for social information but mostly prefer information about their peers' absolute performance, which is the least helpful type of social information. Consequently, endogenous choice of social information does not further improve self-assessments.

Targets of comparison and body image in women’s everyday lives: The role of perceived attainability

Appearance comparisons can negatively influence women’s body image, but little is known about the potential impact of comparison targets. We conducted an ecological momentary assessment study in which female undergraduate students (N = 146) completed a brief online survey at five random times every day for five days. In this survey, participants were asked if they had made an appearance comparison. If so, they were asked who they compared themselves to (i.e., close peer, acquaintance, stranger, celebrity/model), how they rated compared to that person (i.e., more attractive, just as attractive, less attractive), and how attainable that person’s appearance is to them. All participants then completed state measures of mood, appearance satisfaction, and intention to diet and exercise. Upward comparisons (i.e., to more attractive others) to all targets were associated with less appearance satisfaction, lower positive mood, and more thoughts of dieting and exercising than when no comparisons were made. There were indirect relationships between comparisons to celebrities/models versus all other targets and appearance satisfaction via perceived attainability of the target’s appearance. These findings suggest that celebrities may be particularly harmful appearance comparison targets in women’s everyday lives because their attractive appearance is perceived to be less personally attainable than other targets.

Agency, communion, and pubertal status: Separating between- and within-person associations to examine social goals development.

Agentic (status/independence) and communal (acceptance/connectedness) social goals are thought to shape how adolescents transact with their social environments. Despite their theoretical importance, little work has focused on the development of these higher order personality dimensions. Informed by developmental neuroscience and evolutionary psychology theoretical frameworks, the current study examined associations between pubertal status, a person's level of pubertal development at a single point in time, and agentic and communal social goals across early to middle adolescence. This longitudinal study consisted of 387 (55% female) adolescents (Wave 1M age=12.1) who were assessed annually across three waves. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine growth in pubertal status and agentic and communal goals and to distinguish between- and within-person associations between pubertal status and social goals. Within-person pubertal status was concurrently associated with higher levels of agentic and communal goals. In the cross-sectional and longitudinal models, between-person pubertal status was associated with higher levels of agentic social goals. No support was found for social goals prospectively predicting pubertal status. These findings provide support for the hypothesis that puberty, in part, may drive developmental shifts in the value adolescents place on close peer relationships and obtaining status and independence.

幼児期の親密な仲間間の「おもしろい」・「楽しい」の感情言及機能：その関係構築に果たす役割に着目した発達的検討

幼児期の親密な仲間間の「おもしろい」・「楽しい」の感情言及機能：その関係構築に果たす役割に着目した発達的検討

O Brother, Where Start Thou? Sibling Spillovers on College and Major Choice in Four Countries

AbstractFamily and social networks are widely believed to influence important life decisions, but causal identification of those effects is notoriously challenging. Using data from Chile, Croatia, Sweden, and the United States, we study within-family spillovers in college and major choice across a variety of national contexts. Exploiting college-specific admissions thresholds that directly affect older but not younger siblings’ college options, we show that in all four countries a meaningful portion of younger siblings follow their older sibling to the same college or college-major combination. Older siblings are followed regardless of whether their target and counterfactual options have large, small, or even negative differences in quality. Spillover effects disappear, however, if the older sibling drops out of college, suggesting that older siblings’ college experiences matter. That siblings influence important human capital investment decisions across such varied contexts suggests that our findings are not an artifact of particular institutional detail but a more generalizable description of human behavior. Causal links between the postsecondary paths of close peers may partly explain persistent college enrollment inequalities between social groups, and this suggests that interventions to improve college access may have multiplier effects.

Examining proximity exposure in a social network as a mechanism driving peer influence of adolescent smoking

BackgroundAdolescent peers’ influence on tobacco smoking is a dynamic process affected by close friends and other network peers. Although research has examined the influence of immediate friends on smoking behavior (i.e., by cohesion exposure), the influence of all peers according to closeness (i.e., proximity exposure) remains unknown. This study introduces proximity exposure as a potential driver of peer influence. MethodsUsing the Teenage Friends and Lifestyle Study dataset, we examined 160 adolescents followed for 3 years and assessed their friendship ties and health behavior. Proximity exposure was calculated as the proportion of an individual’s network peers who smoked, considering their distance from the individual. Path analysis was conducted with cross-lagged models testing the effect of proximity exposure on smoking frequency over time. ResultsAmong nonsmokers without cohesion exposure (n = 80), proximity exposure at year 1 was significantly associated with smoking initiation by year 3. Path analysis (n = 160) indicated that smoking at year 1 predicted cohesion exposure by year 3. When proximity exposure was included, the effect of smoking on cohesion exposure was lost. Early smoking predicted future proximity exposure. However, the predictive value of early proximity toward future smoking was stronger. ConclusionThese results suggest that proximity exposure can predict smoking even among nonsmokers without direct ties to friends who smoke. In support of a peer selection hypothesis, early smoking predicted friendship formation with smokers through cohesion. Conversely, in support of a peer influence hypothesis, proximity exposure predicted smoking. Researchers may consider developing interventions that decrease proximity exposure among adolescents.

Developing a Simulated Online Model That Integrates GNSS, Accelerometer and Weather Data to Detect Parturition Events in Grazing Sheep: A Machine Learning Approach.

Simple SummaryNear-real-time monitoring of livestock using on-animal sensor technology has the potential to improve animal welfare and productivity through increased surveillance and improved decision-making capabilities. One potentially valuable application is for monitoring of lambing events in sheep. This research reports on the development of a machine learning classification algorithm for autonomous detection of lambing events. The algorithm uses data from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) tracking collars, accelerometer ear tags and local weather data. Overall, four features of sheep behaviour were identified as having the greatest importance for lambing detection, including various measures of social distancing and frequency of posture change. Using these four features, the final algorithm was able to detect up to 91% of lambing events. This knowledge is intended to contribute to the development of commercially feasible lambing detection systems for improved surveillance of animals, ultimately improving methods of monitoring during critical welfare periods.In the current study, a simulated online parturition detection model is developed and reported. Using a machine learning (ML)-based approach, the model incorporates data from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) tracking collars, accelerometer ear tags and local weather data, with the aim of detecting parturition events in pasture-based sheep. The specific objectives were two-fold: (i) determine which sensor systems and features provide the most useful information for lambing detection; (ii) evaluate how these data might be integrated using ML classification to alert to a parturition event as it occurs. Two independent field trials were conducted during the 2017 and 2018 lambing seasons in New Zealand, with the data from each used for ML training and independent validation, respectively. Based on objective (i), four features were identified as exerting the greatest importance for lambing detection: mean distance to peers (MDP), MDP compared to the flock mean (MDP.Mean), closest peer (CP) and posture change (PC). Using these four features, the final ML was able to detect 27% and 55% of lambing events within ±3 h of birth with no prior false positives. If the model sensitivity was manipulated such that earlier false positives were permissible, this detection increased to 91% and 82% depending on the requirement for a single alert, or two consecutive alerts occurring. To identify the potential causes of model failure, the data of three animals were investigated further. Lambing detection appeared to rely on increased social isolation behaviour in addition to increased PC behaviour. The results of the study support the use of integrated sensor data for ML-based detection of parturition events in grazing sheep. This is the first known application of ML classification for the detection of lambing in pasture-based sheep. Application of this knowledge could have significant impacts on the ability to remotely monitor animals in commercial situations, with a logical extension of the information for remote monitoring of animal welfare.

Celebrating and advancing the scholarship of David P. Lepak (1971–2017): special issue introduction

This special issue is devoted to Professor David P. Lepak, who passed away on December 7, 2017. The special issue is meant to honor Professor Lepak’s (or affectionately called Dave among his close friends and peers) intellectual contribution to the field of human resource management (HRM) and his academic influence on many of us who study HRM-related topics. We first introduce the special issue by highlighting three research topics that were central to Dave’s work: (1) strategic management of human capital resources; (2) strategic HRM; and (3) multilevel HRM. We then introduce nine articles in the special issue and discuss how each of them contributes to one or more of the three topics of Dave’s interest. We also provide a general discussion of all the articles and offer directions for future research.

Knowledge, attitude and perception on cervical cancer screening among women attending ante-natal clinic in Owerri west L.G.A, South-Eastern Nigeria: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundCancer of the cervix is the second most common cancer in women globally, and it is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among women in developing countries such as Nigeria. The study assessed the knowledge, attitude and perception on cervical cancer screening among women attending ante-natal clinic in Owerri West, south eastern Nigeria. MethodThis cross-sectional study was conducted using a random sampling technique among 231 respondents attending ante-natal clinic in a cluster of 4 selected public primary healthcare centres. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection, and data obtained was analysed using a descriptive technique, while the chi-square test was used to test for the influence of age and education level on cervical cancer screening. ResultsThe result showed that there was a high level of awareness (68.8%) of cervical cancer screening. The majority of women (122 (52.8%)) received this information from friends. Although the majority of the participants had heard about the screening, few of them had basic information on the cause of the disease 44 (19%), prevention 32 (13.9%), risk factors 48 (20.8%) and treatment (23.4%) of the disease. Of the 231 women, 59 (25.5%) strongly agreed they were too young to have cervical cancer and hence there was no need for the screening, while a greater proportion (53 (22.9%)) agreed that the screening is only meant for older women (30–45 years). Expensive cost of screening (68 (29.4%)) and invasion of privacy by male doctors (34.6%) were also strong reasons for avoiding screening. The study revealed strong influence of age (χ2 = 104.37; DF = 10; P<0.001) and level of education (χ2=31.63; DF = 6; P<0.001) on awareness of cervical cancer screening. Moreover, educational status had a significant positive influence (χ2= 54.71; P<0.001) on the cause of cervical cancer, with a higher proportion of participants with post-secondary education. ConclusionAwareness of cervical cancer is high, but the perception that it can be treated is quite low, along with fear of the screening outcome. Age and level of education are significant factors of screening for cervical cancer. Educational programmes encouraging participation in cervical cancer screening should consider involving the use of close peers and friends to educate the women on the importance of screening program.

Information Complementarities and the Dynamics of Transparency Shock Spillovers

We show that information complementarities play an important role in the spillover of transparency shocks. We exploit staggered revelation of financial misconduct by S&P500 firms and find that the implied cost of capital increases for “close” industry peers relative to “distant” peers. Disclosure also increases. The effects are particularly strong when the close peers share common analysts and institutional ownership with the fraudulent firm. While disclosure remains high for the next four years, with sustained disclosure, the cost of equity starts to decrease. Firms’ financing patterns tilt more towards debt financing initially at the expense of equity, but eventually revert.

A dyadic perspective on aggressive behavior between friends.

Youth are sometimes victimized by their friends, but we know little about the nature of these relationships. Taking a dyadic approach, we studied relationships characterized by both friendship and aggression. Participants (952 middle schoolers; 50% female; 44% Latinx) nominated friends and aggressive perpetrators and victims. Using two analytic samples of friend dyads (N = 6971) and aggressive dyads (N = 4662), results indicated that aggression by a friend was somewhat common. Compared with friend dyads without aggression, aggressive friend dyads were stronger (i.e., reciprocal) and longer lasting, though victimized youth were less satisfied with the friendship. Aggressive dyads who were friends more often had reciprocal aggression than aggressive dyads who were not friends. Results provide insight into the dynamics of aggression in close peer relationships.

The Influence Of Parents On Adolescent Sexual Behavior : Systematic Review

Background: adolescence is a period of sexual health development, including the development of sexual identity, self-esteem, sexual responsibility. For some teens, it is also a period of sexual initiation, the pressure to begin the sexual activity and sexual experimentation. The result of research in North-Western Ethiopia stated that almost 1/5 from 157 (19%) of a teenager has reported that they already have premarital sexual relation, where 91 (22,7%) are male, and 66 (15,5%) are female. The average age in the first sexual relation is 16,48 (1,59) for male and 15,89 (1,68) for female. Based on data, it can be explained that more than ¾ teenagers who are active sexually have involved in premarital sexual relation before having their 18th birthday. Lack of parental supervision is one of the factors that adolescents engage in risky sexual behaviour so that adolescents spend more time with close friends and peers compared to parents Method : Appraisal studies program using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) and methods of synthesis using a modification PICO data sources obtained from PubMed with year period of 2009 – 2019. Results: Parents are one of the factors most related to adolescent behaviour. This is due to the lack of attention, communication and monitoring by parents in adolescents causing teenagers to spend more life with their peers, such as at school or other activities outside of school. More teenage time is spent with peers than with parents resulting in more adolescents being exposed to the environment outside their parents and family. Conclusion : High-quality relationships with parents can reduce the likelihood of intention to have sexual relations in adolescence and good communication with parents about sex also reduces the influence and pressure from peers who are sexually related. Lacking religion and lack of closeness with parents are also triggers for adolescents having early sexual relations.

Peer to peer communication about hepatitis C treatment amongst people who inject drugs: A longitudinal qualitative study

BackgroundLittle is known about how information on direct-acting antiviral treatment for hepatitis C circulates through peer networks of people who inject drugs. In this study we aimed to explore what and how treatment-related information is shared between people undergoing treatment and their peers. MethodsParticipants were recruited from two general practice clinics and the community-based hepatitis C Treatment and Prevention Study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant (N = 20) before, during and following treatment. Interviews explored hepatitis C treatment experiences, key sources of DAA information and the impact of receiving and sharing knowledge. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted. Time sequential matrices were generated to understand thematic change over time. ResultsFifty-four interviews were conducted with 20 participants across seven field-sites in Melbourne, Australia. Key themes were: ‘peers as a source treatment information’, ‘do it together’ and ‘becoming a treatment advocate’. Peers were a crucial trusted source of information. Positive treatment anecdotes were important for building confidence in and motivation to initiate treatment. Many participants adopted a ‘treatment advocate’ role in their close peer networks, which was described as empowering. Some participants described benefits of undertaking treatment alongside members of their close network. ConclusionFindings illustrate the importance of close peers in shaping treatment perceptions and engagement. This will be important in designing health promotion messaging and interventions to increase treatment uptake.

An Undergraduate Student-Led Neuroscience Outreach Program Shows Promise in Shifting Teen Attitudes About Drugs.

ABSTRACTDrug Outreach, Promoting Awareness (DOPA) is an undergraduate outreach program for local high school students designed to convey the neurobiological basis, risks, and addictive potential of commonly abused drugs. Here we describe DOPA and evaluate the program, including its impact on high school student attitudes about drug harm risk and addiction. Undergraduate neuroscience students versed in the neurobiology, physiology, and policy of drugs are trained in active learning methods, enabling them to create engaging and interactive classroom‐based educational materials. Survey results showed that participation in DOPA increased high school student perceptions of the addictive potential and harm risk of drugs, which studies have shown to be inversely correlated with drug‐taking. High school students also responded positively to the interactive nature of the program. These findings demonstrate how extensively trained undergraduates who are close peers to high school students can effectively lead science outreach initiatives and shift adolescent attitudes about drugs.

Impact of Perceived Peer Attitudes and Social Network Diversity on Violent Extremist Intentions

ABSTRACT Perceived peer attitudes (PPA) often influence young men’s violent attitudes and behaviors, although people with higher social network diversity (SND) are less likely to adopt their close peers’ attitudes. There is currently limited research examining this role of peer networks in the development of violent extremism (VE). Consequently, the current study sought to answer the following questions: (1) How are PPA, personal attitudes, and VE intentions related to each other? (2) Does the relationship between PPA and VE intentions differ based on SND? The study sample consisted of 340 men (eighteen to twenty-nine years old) recruited via Amazon MTurk. Participants first indicated their most salient social group and listed their five closest male peers. Next, they reported their VE attitudes, intentions, and their peers’ attitudes. Overall, PPA were positively associated with VE intentions through the partial mediating effect of personal attitudes. SND moderated the relationship between PPA and VE attitudes: participants with more diverse networks were less likely to hold beliefs similar to their PPA. The study highlights the potential role of SND as a protective factor against the harmful effects of PPA. Notably, it underscores the need for social-ecological approaches to counter VE, offering community involvement and growth of social ties.

The Relationship between Women’s Peer and Social Networking Site Thinness Discrepancies and Body Dissatisfaction

ABSTRACT We explored the link between adult women’s peer and social networking site (SNS) thinness discrepancies on body satisfaction. We assessed discrepancies between women’s perceived actual thinness and the thinness ideal of close female and male peers, and the female thinness ideal of women and men on social networking sites (SNSs). A total of 253 women (M age = 37; SD = 11.41) completed a cross-sectional survey online. Discrepancies from SNS groups were significantly greater than peer groups. Also, all discrepancies were linked to body dissatisfaction. Finally, the discrepancy with SNS women was the most significant predictor of body dissatisfaction. Our findings also expand the use of self-discrepancy theory by examining SNS-specific discrepancies and do so alongside peer discrepancies to assess their relative effects on body satisfaction.

Family-based social capital of emerging adults with and without mild intellectual disability.

BackgroundFamily is recognised as an important context for the self‐development of young adults in emerging adulthood, although very little research has addressed the perspective of young people with intellectual disability about their families by using self‐report. This study examined how emerging adults with mild intellectual disability define their family support networks, compared with definitions of students without intellectual disability, within a social capital theoretical framework.MethodsFifty‐three participants with mild intellectual disability and 53 students without intellectual disability were interviewed individually using the Family Network Method – Intellectual Disability (FNM‐ID). Data from the FNM‐ID relate to key social network measures on how individuals define their family groups, and how they perceive existing supportive relationships within their families. Participants with mild intellectual disability and students were compared on the FNM‐ID social network measures.ResultsParticipants with mild intellectual disability reported fewer family members who they considered significant to them than students without intellectual disability. They were less likely to include peers (i.e. friends and partners) and siblings in their significant family networks, had fewer relationships with family members in which they received or gave support, had fewer reciprocal support relationships and had a less central position in their family network.DiscussionThe family‐based social capital of emerging adults with mild intellectual disability differed from that of students without intellectual disability. They may remain more dependent on their natural family for emotional support as their supportive networks have not necessarily made the transition to networks with emotionally close peer relationships.

Public perceptions towards MOOCs on social media: an alternative perspective to understand personal learning experiences of MOOCs

ABSTRACT This study attempted to assess public perceptions of and interest in MOOCs by examining how Weibo increases public discussion of MOOCs as well as by interpreting how individual learners talk about their learning experiences. Over 4,000 microblog posts were collected and analysed between 2013 and 2018. The findings showed that Weibo is used as a public service medium to augment the publicity of the MOOC movement and increase the accessibility of MOOC portals. The results also demonstrated that Weibo acts as a space for learners to share their personal learning experiences, which reflect aspects of autonomous, self-regulated, interactive and cooperative learning. By posting on Weibo, close peer connections and learning groups were established to encourage MOOC learning. This study’s findings further the scholarly understanding of how MOOCs are discussed on social media and address an important gap around what is known in one of the largest and most under-researched sites of informal online learning.

Smoking behavior prevalence in one's personal social network and peer's popularity: A population-based study of middle-aged adults in Japan.

Although previous social network studies have consistently shown the social influence of peers' smoking on one's (ego's) smoking, few studies have examined how the influence differs according to peers' structural positions in the network. Investigations are also lacking on whether vulnerability to the influence varies by ego's socioeconomic position. Thus, the present study aimed to examine how the association between peers' smoking and ego's smoking differs by peers' popularity in ego's personal network and ego's educational attainment. We used data from the third-wave Japanese Study on Stratification, Health, Income, and Neighborhood (J-SHINE) conducted in 2017, which targeted middle-aged (32-58-year-old) residents in four municipalities within Japanese metropolitan areas. Information on four close peers' characteristics and behaviors and their mutual relationships was collected by the name generator and name interpreter methods. Data on 1989 respondents and 7956 peers were evaluated. Peers' eigenvector centrality was used as their popularity index in ego's personal network. We set ego's smoking as an outcome, regressed on each peer's smoking, each peer's popularity, and ego's educational attainment adjusting for ego's age, sex, working status, marital status, spouse's/partner's smoking status, as well as similarity in socioeconomic backgrounds between peer and ego, using a logistic regression model with robust standard errors. We then added a three-way interaction term for these three explanatory variables to the model. Results showed that peer's smoking status was related to ego's smoking even more strongly when the peer was popular but only in the case of ego with lower educational attainment. The results suggested that the disparity in smoking behavior across socioeconomic positions may be partly explained by susceptibility to social influence from one's personal network among the socioeconomically vulnerable. This study proposes a plausible method for pinpointing the peer influencer in one's personal social network to close the socioeconomic gap in smoking.

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Trading Behavior Under Ambiguity

We provide new empirical evidence on investors' firm-level trading behavior in response to daily changes in stock ambiguity-Knightian uncertainty. The effect of ambiguity is distinct from and contrasts with the well-documented effect of risk, and shares a similar economic significance. An increase in ambiguity is associated with a subsequent reduction in stock and option trading and holdings, and is consistent with limited participation. A similar response is triggered by closest peers' ambiguity, suggesting information spillovers. Interestingly, an increase in ambiguity is associated with a subsequent increase in book-depth and a lower price impact, consistent with information inertia.