Distinct Theories Research Articles

The technological reserve hypothesis: A meta‐analysis

AbstractBackgroundOlder adults are increasingly crossing the digital divide, regularly engaging with technologies such as the internet, smartphones, and personal computers. Two distinct theories of the cognitive impact of this digital engagement have been raised. According to the digital distraction hypothesis, regular engagement with technology acutely negatively effects cognition by increasing distractions and decreases cognitive skills over the long‐term by regularly offloading tasks such as recall of facts, directions, and other daily memory tasks into digital technologies. By contrast, according to the technological reserve hypothesis, regular engagement with technology acutely benefits functioning via use of assistive technologies and can reduce long‐term risk for cognitive disorders with age by promoting complex cognitive engagement, sustained connection, and acquisition of digital based compensatory skills.MethodRandom effects meta‐analysis was used to pool effect sizes, with primary effect sizes reported as odds ratios (odds of developing a cognitive diagnosis or odds of having lower cognitive scores as appropriate to each study). We conducted systematic evaluations of study quality and to determine the influence of socioeconomic, education, age, and type of technology.ResultOf 6,183 records identified, 26 studies met inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. Engagement with smartphones, computers, and/or the internet was associated with decreased risk of cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia (pooled OR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.318‐0.637, p<.0001; I2 = 99.2%; Figure 1). Potential confounding variables, such as adjustment for socioeconomic factors and education or type of technology measured did not moderate this relationship (Figure 2). Study quality was generally good (Figure 3), though all studies assessed technology use by self‐report and few measured intraindividual changes in technology use over time.ConclusionEngagement with everyday digital technologies is associated with decreased risk of cognitive decline and dementia, consistent with the technological reserve hypothesis. While these studies do not prove causality of this relationship, they do highlight the potential for digital health approaches to promote cognitive health and well being with age. Limitations, particularly with regard to understanding digital disparities and incorporating objective digital use metrics in future studies are discussed in detail.

The same or different? How optimal distinctiveness in corporate social responsibility affects organizational resilience during COVID‐19

AbstractThis study explores how firms build organizational resilience (OR) through constructing their corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. Based on the optimal distinctiveness theory, we propose that a firm may be able to simultaneously conform in scope and differentiate in emphasis in its CSR practices to meet the institutional and strategic needs of CSR, thus building OR. Using data collected from 574 Chinese listed firms during the unique setting of the COVID‐19 pandemic, we provide evidence that CSR scope conformity enhances organizational stability, whereas CSR emphasis differentiation enhances organizational flexibility during a transboundary pandemic period. Furthermore, firm competitive position strengthens the positive relationship between CSR scope conformity and organizational stability. Market concentration strengthens the positive relationship between CSR emphasis differentiation and organizational flexibility. This study contributes to the CSR and organizational resilience literature by highlighting the influence of CSR optimal distinctiveness on OR.

Research- vs. government-driven physical activity policy monitoring: a systematic review across different levels of government

BackgroundEven though the importance of physical activity policy monitoring has increased in the last decade, there is a lack of understanding what different approaches exist and which methodology they employ. In order to address this research gap, this review attempts to map existing approaches of physical activity policy monitoring and to analyse methodological aspects, especially with regards to the roles of governments and researchers.MethodsA systematic search was conducted in five scientific databases (PubMed, Scopus, SportDiscus, Psycinfo, Web of Knowledge) in July 2021, and the identified records were screened independently by two reviewers. Records were included if they (a) focused on the monitoring of public policies to promote PA, (b) allowed to compare policies across time, across nations/regions or across policy sectors, and (c) were written in English, German or Russian. During full text analysis, information on methodological aspects was extracted and studies were categorized based on the level of government involvement.ResultsThe search yielded in a total of 112 studies. 86 of these studies (76.8%) followed a research-driven approach (little or no government involvement) while only two studies (1.8%) were based on a government-driven approach (led by governments). The remaining 24 studies (21.4%) were based on a co-production approach (strong collaboration between researchers and governments). All in all, 18 different tools for physical activity policy monitoring were identified; key examples are the Report Cards on Physical Activity for Children and Youth (research-driven approach), the HEPA Monitoring Framework (government-driven approach) and the HEPA Policy Audit Tool (co-production approach).ConclusionsThe level of government involvement in policy monitoring differs significantly, and research-driven, government-driven and co-production approaches can be distinguished. These approaches have different strengths and weaknesses, and can be linked to distinct theories of change and models on research-policy relations. Increasing awareness on the implications of these approaches is key to improve the understanding and further development of physical activity policy monitoring.

Fifty-years of theory-driven research in HCR: prominence, progress, and opportunities

Abstract We reviewed Human Communication Research (HCR) articles that included named theories in the: (a) abstract, (b) keywords, or (c) section headers to determine theory trends, identifying 592 instances of named theories in 447 articles. We conducted a follow-up analysis of 76 articles to illustrate how HCR researchers have contributed to theory development. Our review demonstrated systematic growth in theory use; the number of named theories in our sample doubled from the first 10 years to the last. There remains the propensity for theory shopping in the discipline with over 50% of theories in each decade cited only once. We also analyzed theory development strategies. There was evidence of theorizing that: (a) extended the range of theories and (b) explored effects. There was less theory synthesis that might provide frameworks for organizing related but distinct theories. We concluded by offering recommendations for how researchers can contribute to future theoretical development.

Effective School District Policies and Practices: Synthesizing Theoretical Frameworks and Empirical Findings across Disciplines

What guidance does research provide about how to improve school district performance in the United States? Despite over 30 years of inquiry on the topic of effective districts, existing frameworks are relatively narrow in terms of disciplinary focus (primarily educational leadership perspectives) and research design (primarily qualitative case studies). To bridge this gap for researchers, we first review the theoretical literatures on how districts are thought to affect educational outcomes, arguing that an expanded set of disciplinary perspectives—organizational behavior, political science, economics—have distinct theories about the types of district-level policies that might improve district-wide performance. Using these frameworks as a guide, we next conduct a review of quantitative studies that estimate the relationship between district-level inputs and educational outcomes, finding benefits of policies that cross disciplinary perspectives: higher teacher salaries, data use, and school autonomy and parental choice in the context of district-wide turnarounds. Our review also reveals the need for significant additional causal evidence and provides an inter-disciplinary map of theorized pathways through which district-level policies could influence student outcomes that are ripe for rigorous testing.

Online misinformation and everyday ontological narratives of social distinction

Most research into online misinformation has investigated its direct effects—the impact it may have on citizens’ beliefs and behavior. Much less attention has been paid to how citizens themselves make sense of misinformation as a broader social problem. We integrate theories of narrative, identity, cultural capital, and social distinction to examine how people construct the problem of misinformation and their orientation to it. We show how people engage in everyday ontological narratives of social distinction. These involve making a variety of discursive moves to position one’s “taste” in information consumption as superior to others constructed as lower in a social hierarchy. This serves to enhance social status by separating oneself from misinformation, which is presented as “other people’s problem.” We argue that these narratives have significant implications not only for citizens’ vigilance toward misinformation but also their receptiveness to interventions by policymakers, fact-checkers, news organizations, and media educators.

Inclusive Leadership and Workplace Bullying: A Model of Psychological Safety, Self-Esteem, and Embeddedness

Bullying is an adverse workplace phenomenon that requires serious attention by leaders and managers. Drawing upon Social Identity Theory, Optimal Distinctiveness Theory, and Victim Precipitation Theory, this study investigates how inclusive leadership is associated with workplace bullying (WB). It also examines the mediating role of psychological safety and self-esteem as serial mediators in this relationship. Additionally, the moderating role of embeddedness on the link between inclusive leadership and WB is explored. The study used a two-wave time-lagged survey completed by 226 full-time employees. The survey captured employees’ perceptions about themselves, their work environment, and their line managers. Study hypotheses were tested through structural equation modeling. Study findings revealed that inclusive leadership is negatively related to WB. We also found support for the serial mediation of psychological safety and self-esteem in the link between inclusive leadership and WB. Our study also demonstrates that the negative relationship between inclusive leadership and WB is weaker for employees with high embeddedness, thereby uncovering the less explored dark side of embeddedness.

Teori-Teori Simbolisme Seni Bina Darihal Masjid Tradisional: Satu Pengelasan Awal

The productive scholarship on the architectural symbolism of the traditional mosque expounded by the Traditionalist School at the end of the second millennium, which continued well into the third millennium by scholars exhibiting a strong Traditionalist influence or otherwise, is a testament to the subject’s importance to the development of Islāmic architecture. Despite its prolificity and agency, most studies on the subject remain theoretically arbitrary, if not deficient, rudimentary at best, and disjointed. To fill this theoretical gap, this article, for the first time, identifies, outlines and synthesises the many disparate theories of the architectural symbolism of the traditional mosque to establish a preliminary classification. It employs a hermeneutic reading of 32 significant theoretical and empirical studies on the architectural symbolism of the traditional mosque sourced from books, journals, conference proceedings, and periodicals available to the authors. By capitalising on the textual and comparative analyses, it is found that as many as 28 distinct theories of the architectural symbolism of the traditional mosque with their attendant symbolic dimensions and parameters were posited in all 32 studies, all of which can be consolidated into three broad theoretical frameworks. These findings present an original systematisation of theories of the architectural symbolism of the traditional mosque, which is instrumental in two ways: it encourages scholars to develop existing theories or establish new ones, and it assists Muslims in recognising and acknowledging the spiritual agency of their built forms while offering foreign readers another expansive and inspiring lens to view them.

Cognitive Metascience: A New Approach to the Study of Theories

In light of the recent credibility crisis in psychology, this paper argues for a greater emphasis on theorizing in scientific research. Although reliable experimental evidence, preregistration, methodological rigor, and new computational frameworks for modeling are important, scientific progress also relies on properly functioning theories. However, the current understanding of the role of theorizing in psychology is lacking, which may lead to future crises. Theories should not be viewed as mere speculations or simple inductive generalizations. To address this issue, the author introduces a framework called “cognitive metascience,” which studies the processes and results of evaluating scientific practice. This study should proceed both qualitatively, as in traditional science and technology studies and cognitive science, and quantitatively, by analyzing scientific discourse using language technology. By analyzing theories as cognitive artifacts that support cognitive tasks, this paper aims to shed more light on their nature. This perspective reveals that multiple distinct theories serve entirely different roles, and studying these roles, along with their epistemic vices and virtues, can provide insight into how theorizing should proceed. The author urges a change in research culture to appreciate the variety of distinct theories and to systematically advance scientific progress.

Ciceronian Jurisprudence and the Law of Nations

AbstractAt the turn of the seventeenth century, jurists such as Alberico Gentili (1552–1608) and Hugo Grotius (1583–1645), began to advance a novel account of the law of nations (ius gentium) as a law that binds a world of sovereign states. That they would produce such a theory is surprising, however, considering that sovereign states were neither the dominant form of political organization at the time, nor did conventional medieval jurisprudence treat them as the normative standard. This article traces this evolution to a broader transformation in legal interpretation. In an effort to put Roman law on a more rational foundation, jurists such as François Connan (1508–51) and Hugues Doneau (1527–91) connected the origin of law to the unfolding of a certain account of human sociability, with the result that a conception of the state as an autonomous body acquired a normative status within their version of the global legal order. It then argues that we should see Gentili’s work on the ius gentium as part of this tradition. In so doing, the article demonstrates how the innovations of a particular school of legal interpretation, by combining Roman law with a distinctive social theory, contributed to making the sovereign state the legal norm.

The effect of psychotic proneness and psychopathy on theory of mind.

This study aimed to investigate the interaction between positive psychotic experiences and psychopathic traits on the theory of mind in a non-clinical sample. The results showed that distinct constructs of psychopathy can lead to distinct theory of mind profiles when interacting with psychotic proneness.

Executive coalition building

AbstractWhy do executive agencies form coalitions? Legislative coalitions are widely theorized and studied, but less attention has been paid to executive coalitions. Executive agencies’ dependence on the political branches calls for a distinctive theory of coalition building. This article presents such a theory, arguing that agencies form coalitions to optimize their autonomy given their subordinate position in a separation of powers system by signaling to overseers that their policies are efficient and should be maintained. Bureaucrats form coalitions actively to advance their policy goals in the face of political opposition. Using data on dozens of agencies over seventeen years, I find that agencies are most likely to form coalitions when their preferences are misaligned with the president but aligned with each other. I also find evidence that coalitions send credible signals that bureaucratic policies are efficient since Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs is less likely to request regulatory revisions of policies produced by coalitions.

Cities and destroying ‘the other’

The aim of this article is to show that cities are very often attacked because of their characteristic of ‘otherness’. ‘The other’ may be understood as other religion, other ethnicity, other culture, other political views or other people which is closely related to the idea of diversity, heterogeneity, pluralism and density as essential features of contemporary cities. The author examines theories explaining motives for destroying cities like the latter being a part of genocide or a distinct theory of urbicide. Finally the author proposes looking at the destruction of cities through the lens of destroying ‘the other’ and the possibility of a community. The research methods used include desk research and formal-legal analysis. Formal-legal analysis focuses on the jurisprudence of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the desk research on the relevant literature at the intersection of urban studies and international studies.

Minimal supergeometric quantum field theories

We formulate minimal SuperGeometric Quantum Field Theories (SG-QFTs) that allow for scalar-fermion field transformations in a manifestly reparameterisation covariant manner. First, we discuss the issue of uniqueness in defining the field-space supermetric of the underlying supermanifold, and clarify the fact that different supermetric definitions can lead to distinct theories in the off-shell kinematic region. By adopting natural choices for the field-space supermetric, we then show that scalar fields alone cannot induce a non-trivial field-space Riemannian curvature in the fermionic sector, beyond the one originating from the scalar part of the theory. We present for the first time minimal SG-QFT models that feature non-zero fermionic curvature both in two and four spacetime dimensions. Physical applications of SG-QFTs are discussed.

Green human resource management and sustainable development performance: organizational ambidexterity and the role of responsible leadership

Enterprise green human resource management (GHRM) strives to foster harmonious development among employees and the environment and among employees and the organization, as well as between employees and stakeholders, by stimulating individuals' green behavior, thereby enhancing the sustainable development performance of the enterprise. Based on the questionnaire data of 452 large enterprises in Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan, China, from September 2021 to July 2022, and based on the optimal distinctiveness theory and stakeholder theory, this article examined the mediation mechanism and boundary conditions between GHRM and sustainable development performance of enterprises from the perspective of organizational ambidexterity. The results showed that 1) GHRM positively affected organizational ambidexterity and sustainable development performance; 2) organizational ambidexterity mediated the relationship between GHRM and sustainable development performance; 3) responsible leadership moderated the direct effect of GHRM on organizational ambidexterity; and 4) responsible leadership moderated the indirect effect of GHRM on sustainable development performance through organizational ambidexterity. At the organizational level, this study reveals the impact mechanism of GHRM on sustainable development performance and determines the boundary conditions of the impact.

Unifying pairwise interactions in complex dynamics.

Scientists have developed hundreds of techniques to measure the interactions between pairs of processes in complex systems, but these computational methods-from contemporaneous correlation coefficients to causal inference methods-define and formulate interactions differently, using distinct quantitative theories that remain largely disconnected. Here we introduce a large assembled library of 237 statistics of pairwise interactions, and assess their behavior on 1,053 multivariate time series from a wide range of real-world and model-generated systems. Our analysis highlights commonalities between disparate mathematical formulations of interactions, providing a unified picture of a rich interdisciplinary literature. Using three real-world case studies, we then show that simultaneously leveraging diverse methods can uncover those most suitable for addressing a given problem, facilitating interpretable understanding of the quantitative formulation of pairwise dependencies that drive successful performance. Our results and accompanying software enable comprehensive analysis of time-series interactions by drawing on decades of diverse methodological contributions.

Self-efficacy, motivation, and habits: psychological correlates of exercise among women with breast cancer

PurposeThe purpose of this analysis was to explore associations between exercise behaviour among breast cancer survivors and three behavioural constructs from distinct theories: self-efficacy from social cognitive theory, motivation from self-determination theory, and habits from habit theory.MethodsBreast cancer survivors (n = 204) completed a cross-sectional survey that collected demographic and disease characteristics, exercise levels, and self-efficacy, motivation, and habits. Multivariable linear regression models were used to identify constructs associated with total activity and resistance training.ResultsParticipants were a mean (SD) age of 57.3 (10.8) years and most were diagnosed with early-stage disease (72%) and engaged in sufficient levels of total activity (94%), though only 45% completed ≥ 2 resistance training sessions/week. Identified motivation (ꞵ[95% CI] = 7.6 [3.9–11.3]) and habits (ꞵ[95% CI] = 4.4 [1.4–7.4]) were significantly associated with total activity (as were body mass index and disease stage), whilst identified motivation (ꞵ[95% CI] = 0.6 [0.3–0.9]) and coping self-efficacy (ꞵ[95% CI] = 0.02 [< 0.01–0.03]) were significantly associated with resistance training. The models explained 27% and 16% of variance in total activity and resistance training behaviour, respectively.ConclusionResults suggest that incorporating strategies that support identified motivation, habits, and coping self-efficacy in future interventions could promote increased exercise behaviour among breast cancer populations. Future longitudinal research should examine associations with exercise in a more representative, population-based sample.

Belonging and Uniqueness as Essential Elements for Inclusive Workplaces

Despite efforts spanning two decades, the LIS field struggles to diversify its workforce. This literature review examines research focussed on the ways belonging and uniqueness work together to create genuinely inclusive workplaces. The review attempts to answer the question, “From the perspective of people working in libraries in Canada, how have efforts to create diverse and inclusive library workplaces affected their sense of belonging and uniqueness?”. The question is one way to translate the lived experience of people working in Canadian libraries into an evaluative measure of organizational diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work, provided it is positioned within a foundational understanding of the relationship between DEI, belonging and uniqueness. Optimal Distinctiveness Theory (ODT) forms the foundation for much of the research and is identified as a key element of inclusivity. Models of belonging and uniqueness research are included as well as a discussion of the gaps in and future directions for research in the LIS field.

Circuit-level theories for sensory dysfunction in autism: convergence across mouse models.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit a diverse range of behavioral features and genetic backgrounds, but whether different genetic forms of autism involve convergent pathophysiology of brain function is unknown. Here, we analyze evidence for convergent deficits in neural circuit function across multiple transgenic mouse models of ASD. We focus on sensory areas of neocortex, where circuit differences may underlie atypical sensory processing, a central feature of autism. Many distinct circuit-level theories for ASD have been proposed, including increased excitation-inhibition (E-I) ratio and hyperexcitability, hypofunction of parvalbumin (PV) interneuron circuits, impaired homeostatic plasticity, degraded sensory coding, and others. We review these theories and assess the degree of convergence across ASD mouse models for each. Behaviorally, our analysis reveals that innate sensory detection behavior is heightened and sensory discrimination behavior is impaired across many ASD models. Neurophysiologically, PV hypofunction and increased E-I ratio are prevalent but only rarely generate hyperexcitability and excess spiking. Instead, sensory tuning and other aspects of neural coding are commonly degraded and may explain impaired discrimination behavior. Two distinct phenotypic clusters with opposing neural circuit signatures are evident across mouse models. Such clustering could suggest physiological subtypes of autism, which may facilitate the development of tailored therapeutic approaches.

From distinctiveness to optimal distinctiveness: External endorsements, innovativeness and new venture funding

We examine how external endorsements help new ventures with varying degrees of innovativeness to attract funding. According to optimal distinctiveness theory, new ventures should be as different from competitors as legitimately possible. However, initial research suggests that new ventures can also buffer their legitimacy through external endorsements. We clarify that effects of such legitimacy buffers depend critically on an audience's unique legitimacy-distinctiveness relationship. Specifically, external endorsements lead to different predictions about shifts in optimal distinctiveness for return-seeking audiences compared to novelty-seeking audiences as relevant new venture funders. For return-seeking audiences, new ventures are perceived as less legitimate when they are non-innovative or radically innovative so that incrementally innovative new ventures are most attractive without endorsements. External endorsements can thus buffer the legitimacy of non-innovative and radically innovative new ventures, but they lead to different performance implications for a return-seeking audience. While non-innovative new ventures increase their attractiveness, only radically innovative new ventures can become optimally distinctive and outperform other distinctiveness configurations. In contrast, novelty-seeking audiences already have a higher tolerance for radically innovative new ventures, so the effects of external endorsements are less pronounced. Four empirical studies, using observational data and experiments in equity and reward-based crowdfunding, provide strong support for this theory and account for alternative explanations such as risk perceptions. In turn, we shed new light on the crucial, audience-specific function of external endorsements, namely, as a means to alter optimal distinctiveness levels.