Desire For Social Interaction Research Articles

Give us something to chauffeur it: Exploring user needs in traditional and fully autonomous ridesharing for people who are blind or visually impaired

As self-driving technology advances, there is enormous potential to optimize fully autonomous vehicles (FAVs) for use by people who are blind and visually impaired (BVI). Today, BVI users often rely on ridesharing services for daily travel, which present both challenges and opportunities for researchers interested in the accessible design of FAVs. The parallels between current BVI travel experiences in rideshares and predictions that FAV services will adopt rideshared models presents an enticing opportunity to use ridesharing as a proxy for understanding BVI needs in future FAV transportation. However, a key challenge is identifying the extent to which FAVs should be designed to provide the same assistance that human drivers currently provide for BVI travelers in rideshares. To address this issue, ridesharing users with visual impairment (n = 187) within the United States completed a survey instrument designed to assess and compare desires for interactions, information, and assistance between human operated and fully autonomous rideshare vehicles, as well as the modality of information delivery (auditory and/or haptic). Results indicate strong support for access to environmental information (e.g., spatial information about the destination) and contextual information (e.g., progress along the route) across the trip with automated vehicles via natural language interactions. Although results suggest significantly less desire for social interaction with the AI “at the wheel” of FAVs when compared to human drivers, findings indicate that participants desire some social collaboration and human-in-the-loop control during autonomous driving. By empirically comparing human and autonomous ridesharing and exploring both the information needs and modality preferences across information category, the study provides much-needed guidance for future design of humanlike, anthropomorphized, FAV AIs with important implications for social autonomous agents more generally. This study also speaks to the ways in which inclusive and accessible user interfaces should best support user needs across the range of vision loss in future transportation networks.

‘I like the “buzz”, but I also suffer from it’: Mitigating interaction and distraction in collective workplaces

Collective workplaces – such as coworking spaces, open workplan offices, maker spaces, or fab labs – are founded on one central premise: working alongside others leads to interactions, collaborations and access to ‘buzzing’ knowledge. Yet, at the same time, users of these places go there to do their (often freelance) work, requiring a productive, and therefore usually quiet, work environment. Drawing on interviews and ethnographic fieldwork in the Netherlands, this research explores how users of collective workplaces navigate the coworking paradox: the need for quiet workplaces and the desire for social interaction. It shows how interactions emerge through rituals and especially routines, and describes the spatio-temporal conditions under which these interactions may lead to successful forms of social exchange and community formation.

Telehealth experiences of vulnerable clients living in Tasmania.

ObjectiveTo understand the experiences of vulnerable clients who used telehealth during the Coronavirus pandemic.DesignThe study employed a qualitative enquiry, utilising semi‐structured interviews lasting 30‐60 minutes with a thematic analysis approach to explore factors influencing client experience with telehealth.SettingA wide range of locations across Tasmania, Australia.ParticipantsTwelve participants who were considered to be vulnerable on a number of domains, including: health and human wellbeing factors, social risk factors, functional limitations, and individual behavioural factors.InterventionsThe provision of telehealth consultations to vulnerable clients.Main outcome measuresFour global themes were discovered: i) Telehealth saves time, money and energy; ii) User friendly technology facilitates care; iii) Rapport and confidentiality helps clients to feel safe; and iv) Fit for purpose telehealth provides a quality service.ResultsThe discovered themes entailed the major finding that most participants were satisfied with the overall quality of the telehealth service they received and the convenience of this service. Concerns were raised regarding the limitations around social interaction, physical examination, and access to fit‐for‐purpose telehealth devices.ConclusionThis research with vulnerable clients, from Tasmania, supports the evidence that the utilisation of telehealth allows more convenient access to care. To optimise the service, however, concerns regarding the desire for social interaction, appropriate physical examination, and access to fit‐for‐purpose telehealth devices will need to be addressed.

Physical attractiveness of service employees and customer engagement in tourism industry

As the importance of customer engagement gains more and more recognition, it is critical to study customer engagement strategy in the intensely competitive tourism industry. Answering the call for research on antecedents of tourists' customer engagement in the tourism industry, we consider the role of employees' physical attractiveness. We adopt a mixed-methods approach; using interviews and three scenario-based experiments, we explore, hypothesize, and test the relationship between employees' physical attractiveness and customer engagement of tourists. The results show that (1) physical attractiveness of employees affects tourists' customer engagement, that (2) the main effect of physical attractiveness is mediated by the desire for social interaction, and that (3) the main effect is moderated by tourism service characteristics (i.e., tourism service expertise).

'Sustainable' Rather Than 'Subsistence' Food Assistance Solutions to Food Insecurity: South Australian Recipients' Perspectives on Traditional and Social Enterprise Models.

South Australian (SA) food charity recipients’ perspectives were sought on existing services and ideas for improvement of food assistance models to address food insecurity. Seven focus groups were conducted between October and November 2017 with 54 adults. Thematically analysed data revealed five themes: (1) Emotional cost and consequences of seeking food relief; (2) Dissatisfaction with inaccessible services and inappropriate food; (3) Returning the favour—a desire for reciprocity; (4) Desiring help beyond food; and, (5) “It’s a social thing”, the desire for social interaction and connection. Findings revealed that some aspects of the SA food assistance services were disempowering for recipients. Recipients desired more empowering forms of food assistance that humanise their experience and shift the locus of control and place power back into their hands. Some traditional models, such as provision of supermarket vouchers, empower individuals by fostering autonomy and enabling food choice in socially acceptable ways. Improvement in the quality of existing food assistance models, should focus on recipient informed models which re-dress existing power relations. Services which are more strongly aligned with typical features of social enterprise models were generally favoured over traditional models. Services which are recipient-centred, strive to empower recipients and provide opportunities for active involvement, social connection and broader support were preferred.

Social Strategy to Gain Knowledge for Innovation

AbstractTaking the knowledge‐based view of the firm as its starting point, and acknowledging that knowledge can lie outside the firm, this research extends our understanding of how the growing social media trend can contribute to open innovation. It focuses specifically on small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), which tend to be resource constrained and might benefit particularly from leveraging social media platforms. The authors bring forward the notion that people flock to social media because they are motivated by a desire for social interaction. Indeed, the findings suggest that SMEs that put effort into connecting customers on social media – which the authors refer to as having a ‘social strategy’ – are likely to reap both customers’ involvement in innovation on social media and new knowledge of value for innovation. Examining differences between social media platforms used primarily for personal purposes and those used primarily for professional purposes, the authors find that a social strategy is more effective in the first category than in the second. This probably reflects differences in the social identities that people adopt on these two types of social media platforms.

Effects of muscle dysmorphia, social comparisons and body schema priming on desire for social interaction: an experimental approach

BackgroundMuscle dysmorphia (MD) is a relatively young diagnosis referring to the desire for a high degree in lean muscle mass, while simultaneously believing that one is insufficiently muscular, mostly found in men. It goes along with a risk for social withdrawal to maintain rigid exercise and dietary regimen. The aim of the current study was thus, to explore differences in men with and without a risk for muscle dysmorphia regarding their desire for social interaction. Furthermore, we investigated potential effects of individual social comparison tendencies (the tendency to compare oneself with persons who are perceived to be superior or inferior to oneself on a certain dimension) and of one’s own body schema on the desire for social interaction.MethodsOne hundred physically active, college aged Austrian men were recruited via social media and flyers at fitness centers and the sports department of the University of Vienna. Participants were randomly assigned to a priming condition evoking their own body schema or a control condition and had to state their desire for social interaction with male or female stimulus persons of high or average attractiveness. We conducted a 2 (group of participant; men with vs. without a risk for MD) × 2 (priming condition; priming vs. non-priming) × 2 (attractiveness of stimulus person; highly attractive vs. less attractive) experimental design with different social comparison tendencies as covariates.ResultsMen with a risk for muscle dysmorphia showed lesser desire for social interaction than men without this risk, which can be seen as a risk factor for psychopathological outcomes. Generally, men with and without a risk for muscle dysmorphia did not differ with regard to their preferences for attractive stimulus persons as subjects for social interaction. We confirmed the notion that a tendency for downward social comparisons goes along with a diminished desire for social interaction.ConclusionsThis study showed that men with a risk for muscle dysmorphia appeared to be at higher risk for social withdrawal and that this is associated with social comparison tendencies. Future investigations on clinical populations are needed, for this population is highly prone to social isolation and negative outcomes related to it.

Travelling for Umrah: destination attributes, destination image, and post-travel intentions

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the links between cosmopolitanism, self-identity, and a desire for social interaction on perceived destination image and behavioural intentions. A model was tested using a sample of 538 Iranian visitors to Mecca for the purpose of Umrah. The result from the structural model suggests that destination attributes influence perceived destination image. Further, such tourists are likely to revisit or recommend Islamic destinations if their experience matches their perceived image of the destination. This implies that, while the religious characteristics of the destination remain important, destination managers cannot disregard the tangential, non-religious attributes of a destination which are crucial in order to satisfy more conventional tourist desires. As such, this study suggests that those managing religious travel destinations should endeavour to foster a welcoming image, where experience, interaction, and tolerance are at the forefront of the destination’s offering.

Small-scale civil society and social policy: the importance of experiential learning, insider knowledge and diverse motivations in shaping community action

Interest in the formal voluntary sector and wider civil society organisations (CSOs) has grown in recent years and now CSOs are viewed as key to delivering government policy agendas of social action, open public services and localism. This article uses data from 29 interviews with community activists, policy makers and voluntary sector experts to explore the role, function and workings of small-scale civil society organisations (SCSOs). It finds that small-scale activity often emerges as an emotional response to local need, shared interest or the desire for social interaction rather than in response to policy initiatives. SCSOs call on a wide range of resources garnered within their community of geography or of interest. They thrive in unregulated environments providing flexible and holistic services for people in need. The article argues that the co-option of such activities into the delivery of political agendas is unlikely to achieve policy goals.

Adjusting to New Places: International Student Adjustment and Place Attachment

Using data obtained from in-depth semistructured interviews, we examined international students’ attachments to place in the local American Midwestern community where they have attended college for at least 2 years. The results of this study suggest that participants engage in a process of renegotiation of meanings attached to new places in ways that fulfill specific needs, such as a desire for social interaction, an opportunity for self-expression, and the expression of their emotional experience. The implications of the study results contribute to understanding the role of place attachments in the process of adjustment to another culture, as places seem to be evaluated and redefined so that they are experienced in congruence with the self.

Rumination and perceived impairment associated with depressive symptoms in a verbal adolescent-adult ASD sample.

The aim of this study was to examine the association between depressive symptoms and several psychosocial constructs (insight into autism symptoms, rumination, desire for social interaction, and satisfaction with social support) that may play a role in the development or maintenance of depression in verbally fluent adolescents and adults with ASD. Participants included 50 individuals with ASD and verbal IQ ≥ 70, aged 16-35 (sample size varied by measure). Elevated depressive symptoms on the Beck Depression Inventory, 2nd edition (BDI-II), were associated with greater self-perceived, autism-related impairments (n = 48), greater rumination (n = 21), and lower perceived social support (n = 37). Rumination tended to moderate the association between self-perceived autism symptoms and BDI-II scores (n = 21), and was significantly associated with ASD-related insistence on sameness behaviors (n = 18). An unexpected relationship between depressive features and social participation and motivation will need to be clarified by longitudinal research. These and similar findings contribute to our understanding of the phenomenology of depression in ASD, which is critical to the development of practical prevention and treatment.

The Causal Attributions of Nursing Students Toward Adolescent Survivors of Brain Injury

The hidden nature of brain injury means that it is often difficult for people to understand the sometimes challenging behaviors that individuals exhibit. The misattribution of these behaviors may lead to a lack of consideration and public censure if the individual is seen as simply misbehaving. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of visual cues indicating the presence or absence of brain injury on prejudice, desire for social interaction, and causal attributions of nursing and computing science students. An independent-groups design was employed in this research, which recruited 190 first-year nursing students and 194 first-year computing science students from a major university in Belfast, UK. A short passage describing an adolescent's behavior after a brain injury, together with one of three images portraying a young adolescent with a scar, a head dressing, or neither of these, was given to participants. They were then asked to answer questions relating to prejudice, social interaction, locus of control, and causal attributions. The attributional statements suggested that the character's behavior could be the result of brain injury or adolescence. Analysis of variance demonstrated a statistically significant difference between the student groups, where nursing students (M = 45.17, SD = 4.69) desired more social interaction with the fictional adolescent than their computer science peers (M = 38.64, SD = 7.69). Further, analysis of variance showed a main effect of image on the attributional statement that described adolescence as a suitable explanation for the character's lack of self-confidence. Attributions of brain injury were influenced by the presence of a visible but potentially specious indicator of injury. This suggests that survivors of brain injury who do not display any outward indicator may receive less care and face expectations to behave in a manner consistent with the norms of society. If their injury does not allow them to meet with these expectations, they may face public censure and discrimination.

Navigating aged care options: A multi-framing approach

This article addresses an increasingly common decision problem of navigating through the confusing options for elder care, via a case study relating to an elderly person, who lives alone, and whose physical and emotional/social health are of concern to her children. However, the thought of navigating the many care options, together with the emotions inextricably connected with the situation, makes this a tense situation for the family. This article describes the application of a multi-framing approach to simplify the decision problem to a manageable task, to facilitate the generation and comparison of alternative modes of care for the elderly person, to meet the objective of keeping her ‘happy and healthy in the future’. The frames chosen are drawn from Goldratt's Theory of Constraints, and in particular, the Prerequisite Tree (PRT), together with Multi-criteria Decision Analysis using Belton's Visual Interactive Sensitivity Analysis software. Building the PRT highlighted many obstacles, for example, the elderly person's desire for social interaction with peers, and her trouble hearing in group situations. The obstacles provided the basis for identifying the evaluative criteria for the multi-criteria decision-making phase. Five alternatives were identified, ranging from the status quo to a retirement village, which were evaluated using these criteria. The various alternatives were analysed for their strengths and weaknesses and overall performance before a recommendation was made for the family to consider further. The article also discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the two methodologies and how their comparative strengths are used to advantage in this multi-framing exercise. Finally we discuss the wider benefits of the process, as distinct from the ‘solution’.

Motive für den Konsum psychoaktiver Substanzen am Beispiel des Ayahuasca-Gebrauchs in der Santo-Daime-Gemeinschaft

Objectives: The Santo Daime Church is a religious community originally founded in Brazil which has increasingly attracted followers in Europe and worldwide. An important element of the religious ceremonies is the ingestion of a psychoactive substance known as ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is a psychoactive or visionary-state-inducing concoction of plants, which contains, amongst other substances, dimethyltryptamine and MAO-inhibitors like harmaline. Methods: Within the framework of a longitudinal research project (2003 ‐ 2012) Ayahuasca-consumers have been interviewed in Holland. Conclusions were drawn from interviews of 21 participants, done in three of totally fourteen measure points, on the basis of content analyses. Results: The most important motives for the use of ayahuasca are predominantly religious or spiritual. Users also showed the inten tion of medicinalpsychotherapeutical self-treatment. 20 of the 21 persons interviewed clearly demonstrated these motives. Further important motives were the desire for social interaction (n = 16) and the search for new or extraordinary experiences (n = 17) brought about by the use of a psychoactive substance. Hedonistic motives, an intention to improve performance or motives based on underlying pathologies or disorders were negligible. Conclusion: Based on the interviews of the members of the Santo Daime Church it becomes obvious that the reasons for the use of this psychoactive are manifold and should not be limited to pathologies like addiction. Through the chosen approach it was possible to analyze a target-oriented consumption of psychoactive substances and to get insight into the desired effects of drug consumption.

MySpace Politics: Uses and Gratifications of Befriending Candidates

This study examines the uses and gratifications (U&G) of accessing political candidate profiles on social network Web sites. An online survey of visitors to the MySpace profiles of 2008 primary candidates revealed that voters are drawn to this source of political information mainly by the desire for social interaction with other like-minded supporters, followed by information-seeking, and entertainment. While information seeking and entertainment are common U&G of consuming online political content, they were weaker factors compared to the social interaction factor that seems to distinguish MySpace, possibly SNSs in general, from other online sources of political content.

Success Attributions and More: Multidimensional Extensions of the Sexual Attribution Bias to Failure Attributions, Social Emotions, and the Desire for Social Interaction

According to the recently discovered sexual attribution bias (SAB), young adults attribute the success of same-aged, same-sex attractive stimulus persons in a more derogative way than the success of less attractive same-sex persons, whereas this pattern is reversed for members of the opposite sex. Because this bias has so far only been investigated with respect to attributions in success scenarios, two studies examined its potential transferability to other psychological variables and settings: Study 1 (N = 419) demonstrated analogous biases for emotions and the desire for social interaction, and Study 2 (N = 509) revealed that the SAB can also be extended to failure scenarios.

Mothering young children: Child care, stress and social life

This study focuses on mothers’ and young children’s everyday social experience by analyzing their social relationships, social support in child care, mother-child interaction, and mothers’ evaluations of all these aspects. Three hundred and eighty-four mothers with a child aged between I and 3 years, living in a city in Central Italy, were interviewed. A Principal Components Analysis was performed on items concerning mothers’ and children’s social experience and mothers’ evaluations. Four PCA generated factors were regressed on the mother’s and Four PCA generated factors were regressed on the mother’s and child’s characteristics. Results show that, even in a context characterized by social conditions supportive to mothering, there is a comparatively widespread desire for social interaction with other mothers and children. A stress related to intensive mothering was found in a minority of the mothers and was predicted by the mothers’ continuous commitment in child care during the whole day. Results are discussed in relation to the hypothesis that social contacts with other mothers may have a mitigating effect on mothers’ stress. One implication is that early educational services that provide the opportunity for social intercourse among parents can be an important resource for them.

Depression, anxiety and quality of life: outcome 9 months after facial cosmetic surgery

Objective: The request for cosmetic surgery is of a psychological nature. Very few studies have quantitatively assessed whether or not this psychological need was actually satisfied, and more precisely, which psychic components were satisfied. Material & Methods: This is a multicentric, prospective cohort study. One hundred and three patients scheduled for facial cosmetic surgery from three different hospitals were examined before and after surgery using four assessment scales validated using European populations. The Montgomery and Asberg depression rating scale (MADRS) measured the existence and intensity of depression, the self-assessment test of thoughts in social interaction (SISST) measured the positive or inhibitory thoughts in the context of social relationships, and the European quality of life 5 dimensions (EQ-5D) (generic test) measured the quality of life. In addition, a semi-directive interview was specially created by our team. For statistical analysis, ANOVA and Student's t test were applied. Results: Twenty-four patients were lost to follow-up. Although the initial MADRS index was high ( p<0.05), it did not change after surgery ( p>0.1). SISST+ (positive thoughts): the social anxiety of the individual examined was significantly greater than that of the control group ( p<0.005) and improved after surgery ( p<0.01). The SISST- (inhibitory thoughts) did not change ( p>0.1). The EQ-5D visual analogue scale (VAS) did not reveal any difference ( p>0.1) while the descriptive EQ-5D demonstrated over-representation of anxiety/depression ( p<0.01), and an improvement of this ( p<0.05) postoperatively. The mean subjective satisfaction index was 8.1 (scale of 1–10) without sharing any influence of the complications suffered (65% of the patients made self-assessments). Conclusion: The best indications for facial cosmetic surgery seem to be a lack of self-confidence associated with a desire for social interaction, and a request focused on a specific physical feature. The results presented add documentary confirmation to the impression shared by the majority of cosmetic surgeons. However, it was also confirmed that cosmetic surgery is not limited to its technical components, but remains a medical act which must consider the overall effect on the whole patient.

The effects of crowding on hostility, anxiety, and desire for social interaction.

Abstract The effects of crowding were investigated with 22 undergraduate students who participated in an experiment conducted as part of a required field experience in a Disaster and Civil Defense course. The field experience required that students remain in a shelter area continuously from 6 p.m. on a Friday evening until noon the next day. Sixteen students were randomly assigned to a 12′ by 18′ space in the crowded condition, while six were assigned to the same-sized space in the uncrowded condition. Hostility and anxiety were measured at five separate times. Crowded students were significantly more hostile than uncrowded students. Hostility and anxiety were both significantly affected by time, with Ss being more hostile and more anxious on the last three administrations than on the first two.

Effect upon Desire for Social Interaction with a Physically Disabled Person of Mentioning the Disability in Different Contexts

An experiment investigated the effectiveness of strategies that could be used by a physically disabled person to reduce the social handicap of being avoided in first encounters. Female college students indicated their preference for social interaction before and after learning the other person was a male in a wheelchair or nondisabled. When the disabled person made a general comment mentioning his disability after a request for help or after a miscue, change in preference for social interaction was more positive than when he did not mention his disability, providing evidence for the effectiveness of mentioning the disability following an incident involving the disability. Mention of the disability in the absence of an incident involving the disability was not found to be effective. The different ways of mentioning the disability did not affect the favorability of impressions of the disabled person, as measured by ratings of his characteristics. Impressions were generally more favorable for the disabled person than the person not in a wheelchair.