Context Effects Research Articles

Contextual effects of color on food choices: Red ambient color induces indulgence

AbstractThis research examines how red ambient color in restaurants/cafeterias influences food choices. Prior research shows that red directly related to a food product (such as on nutrition labels or plates/cups) leads to avoidance of unhealthy foods. Yet, many successful fast‐food restaurants (e.g., McDonald's and Dairy Queen) use red in their ambiance, suggesting that in the context of food/eating, ambient red may have a different meaning than product‐related red. Indeed, the current research shows that consumers associate ambient red (e.g., wall color) with unhealthy restaurants. The presence of ambient red (vs. blue, gray, or white) leads to greater preference for unhealthy (i.e., high calorie, high fat, and indulgent) food options because consumers draw on ambient factors to make inferences about products sold in a retail establishment and then choose contextually appropriate products. The effect is moderated by the extent to which a consumer associates red with unhealthy restaurants. This research highlights how, in the context of food/eating, the placement of red influences its meaning and ultimately whether consumers approach or avoid unhealthy foods.

Contextual factors in selecting added versus naturally occurring sugars on fruit and vegetable beverages: emphasising the role of social context

PurposeThis study examines the consumption of fruit and vegetable (FV) beverages, distinguishing between sugar content, whether from added sugar (AS) or naturally occurring sugar (NOS). While FV beverages are widely perceived as a healthier alternative to other beverages, concerns about their sugar content persist, particularly for AS-sweetened beverages. This study examines the situational contexts (e.g. physical context, social context and temporal conditions) and food pairing contexts (vice versus virtue foods) that influence the selection of AS- over NOS-sweetened FV beverages. Furthermore, it also examines how situational factors and food pairing contexts interact to shape individuals’ FV beverage selection behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThis study used food diary data from March 2019 to May 2022 in South Korea, concentrating on the consumption of ready-to-drink FV beverages with food.FindingsThe results reveal specific situational contexts that increase the likelihood of choosing AS-sweetened FV beverages. In addition, AS-sweetened ones are more likely to be paired with vice foods, whereas NOS-sweetened ones are more likely to be paired with virtue foods. Furthermore, the study shows a significant interaction effect of the social context with paired food menus on FV beverage selection behaviour.Originality/valueThe consumer-centred approach of the study provides valuable insights into the decision-making processes behind FV beverage consumption. It validates that AS- and NOS-sweetened FV beverages are consumed in different situational contexts and with distinct food menus, enabling individuals to make healthier choices in their own consumption context.

Perturbation context in paced finger tapping tunes the error-correction mechanism

Sensorimotor synchronization (SMS) is the mainly specifically human ability to move in sync with a periodic external stimulus, as in keeping pace with music. The most common experimental paradigm to study its largely unknown underlying mechanism is the paced finger-tapping task, where a participant taps to a periodic sequence of brief stimuli. Contrary to reaction time, this task involves temporal prediction because the participant needs to trigger the motor action in advance for the tap and the stimulus to occur simultaneously, then an error-correction mechanism takes past performance as input to adjust the following prediction. In a different, simpler task, it has been shown that exposure to a distribution of individual temporal intervals creates a “temporal context” that can bias the estimation/production of a single target interval. As temporal estimation and production are also involved in SMS, we asked whether a paced finger-tapping task with period perturbations would show any time-related context effect. In this work we show that a perturbation context can indeed be generated by exposure to period perturbations during paced finger tapping, affecting the shape and size of the resynchronization curve. Response asymmetry is also affected, thus evidencing an interplay between context and intrinsic nonlinearities of the correction mechanism. We conclude that perturbation context calibrates the underlying error-correction mechanism in SMS.

The Effects of Cognitive Self-Consciousness, Cultural Values, and Socioeconomic Context on Anxiety in Youth: A Meta-Analysis

Youth mental health is a global health priority due to its increasing prevalence and adverse outcomes. Although the relationship between metacognitions and anxiety is well-documented in adults, further research is needed for the younger populations. This research examines two questions: (a) What is the correlation between cognitive self-consciousness and anxiety in children and adolescents? (b) Is this correlation moderated by cultural and socioeconomic differences? Based on 22 effect sizes from 8,459 participants in 11 countries, a meta-analysis was performed to find the overall effect size, heterogeneity, publication bias, and the moderating effect of Hofstede’s four cultural dimensions and United Nation Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human Development Index (HDI). Using the random-effects model, the results revealed that cognitive self-consciousness ( r = .312, p < .0001, 95% confidence interval: [.257, .365]) showing moderate effect size in association with anxiety in children and adolescents. Meta-regressions indicated that power distance, masculinity, and HDI were important moderators. The findings show a significant correlation between cognitive self-consciousness and mental wellness in youth. The results have important implications for understanding the influence of cultural beliefs and national-level context on the associations between cognition and psychopathology. This article provides consistent evidence that there is a lack of mental health research resources in the Global South.

The gender congruency effect in sentence context depends on gender transparency and L2 proficiency: A self-paced reading study with Polish–German bilinguals

Aims and objectives: The gender congruency effect, and so the facilitated retrieval of grammatical gender for translation equivalents of the same gender, has been documented in the recognition of isolated words in L2. Our study investigates whether this effect extends to word recognition in sentence context and whether it is modulated by gender transparency and L2 proficiency. Design/methodology/approach: Sixty late unbalanced Polish–German bilinguals completed a self-paced reading task with noun phrases manipulated for lexical gender congruency with L1 (congruent, incongruent) and noun-internal gender transparency in L2 (transparent, non-transparent). L2 proficiency was assessed through the Dialang test. Data and analysis: Reading times on the noun were analysed by means of linear mixed-effects modelling. Findings/conclusion: Results showed a gender congruency effect that was limited to transparent nouns and which was greater at lower L2 proficiency levels. Originality: The study is the first to investigate the gender congruency effect in the recognition of nouns embedded in grammatical sentences. Significance/implications: The study shows that the presence of a contextualising sentence does not eliminate the cross-language effects of grammatical gender. Furthermore, it provides first evidence that individual noun-internal gender cues modulate the gender congruency effect. The findings are discussed in terms of the relationship between gender transparency at the micro-level and the degree of activation of gender values.

Diagnostic potential of salivary IL-1β, IL-8, SAT, S100P, and OAZ1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma, oral submucous fibrosis, and oral lichen planus based on findings from a Sri Lankan cohort

The research examined the salivary concentrations of various biomarkers, such as OAZ1, SAT, S100P, IL-1β, and IL-8 aiming to detect early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). These biomarkers show potential as indicators for detecting both pre-cancerous and cancerous states within the oral cavity. Analyzing these specific molecules in saliva could help clinicians enhance diagnostic accuracy and refine early detection methods for OSCC. The research encompassed a cohort of nine OSCC patients, ten with oral submucous fibrosis (OSF), eleven individuals with oral lichen planus (OLP), and ten healthy controls. The study focused on assessing the expression levels of key biomarkers—IL-1β, IL-8, SAT, S100P, and OAZ1 mRNA—in extracellular RNA extracted from saliva samples. This evaluation was conducted using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) with sequence-specific primers. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) curve analysis was employed to gauge the efficacy of these biomarkers in detecting OSCC. Based on the results we observe, when these five biomarkers are used together, they give a 90% predictive probability for patients with OLP, an 80% predictive probability for OSF, and an impressive 100% predictive probability for patients with OSCC (AUC = 1.000, p = 0.000). This study demonstrates the efficacy of salivary transcriptome diagnostics in detecting OSCC. This novel clinical technique has the potential to be a powerful, efficient, and reliable tool for early detection of cancer. Salivary transcriptomes can be further analyzed to evaluate their effectiveness in other important illness contexts and for regular health monitoring.

Perceived Meaningfulness of Semantically Noncongruent Stimuli Increases in Art Context

Abstract The media occasionally report instances where people mistake ordinary objects for art. This often happens in art galleries or museums and might suggest that people attribute meaning differently depending on whether the context is artistic or rooted in everyday life. In this manuscript, we investigate how people attribute meaning to seemingly nonsensical sentences and images when they believe they are made by poets or artists. We used a collection of sentences that conclude with semantically congruent and noncongruent words, and a collection of images where the object is either congruent or noncongruent with the background. We randomly assigned participants to the baseline and experimental (art) conditions, telling participants in the art condition that the sentences/images were created by artists. Studies 1 and 2 found that the art context increases the perceived meaningfulness of noncongruent sentences (‘Most cats see well at court’), but not the congruent ones (‘Most cats see well at night’), while Study 3 found a similar effect regarding noncongruent images (a lion in an office) and congruent images (a lion in a field). Additionally, we discuss how individual differences in aberrant salience and religiosity moderate the main effects of the art context on meaning-making. These results advance our theoretical understanding of how art contexts affect the interpretation of meaning and the importance of semantic noncongruency.

The effect of calculus and kinematics contexts on students’ understanding of graphs

In this study, we compare students’ understanding of the derivative as slope and the antiderivative as the area under the curve using isomorphic graph-based problems in both calculus and kinematics contexts. Drawing from previous research, we designed two isomorphic tests, each with 12 items, and administered them to 543 university students. Our findings show that students performed significantly better on the kinematics test, with a higher rate of correct answers in some items. We also identified the most frequent errors and general trends in students’ selection of incorrect answers across both contexts. Based on these results, we provide specific recommendations for improving the instruction of these concepts. The analyses, recommendations, and tests included in the study can serve as valuable resources for mathematics and science education researchers and instructors teaching these topics. This study offers insights into how context influences students’ conceptual understanding, with implications for enhancing calculus and physics education.

Do fear-of-COVID-19 and regional identity matter for the linkage between perceived CSR and brand evangelism? A comparative analysis in South Asia

PurposeThere is a dearth of evidence on how and when perceived corporate social responsibility (PCSR) contributes to brand evangelism in the consumer behavioural literature, especially during a pandemic situation. In an attempt to examine this phenomenon, this study investigates the effect of fear-of-COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) and regional identity on PCSR and brand evangelism effect in the South Asian retail context. It theorises linkages mainly from behavioural inhabitation system theory and social identity theory.Design/methodology/approachA survey was administered to a representative sample of 2,242 retail consumers representing Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.FindingsThe results revealed a positive impact of PCSR on brand evangelism, but interestingly varying levels of strength of the key relationships based on country-wise fear-of-COVID-19 and regional identity during the pandemic.Practical implicationsFor the first time, the results of this research shed light on incorporating consumers’ regional identity as well as consumer fear as cultural predictors for better explaining the PCSR and brand evangelism link of nations within a region. This has implications for both theory and practice in the domain of consumer behaviour.Originality/valueThe study reflects its originality by revealing the relevance of country level social identity and negative emotions of nations that can manipulate the business results of corporate ethical responsiveness from a consumer culture theory perspective, especially during and just after a crisis. These results underlie what is active inside consumer black box by explaining as to what external stimuli drive consumer collective and moral mind set in a given culture. This adds to the body of knowledge on ethical consumption behaviour more specific to consumer–brand interaction in market crises.

EXPRESS: Does Location Familiarity Increase Response to Mobile Ads?

Targeting ads based on consumers’ real-time locations has evolved into a practice worth billions of dollars in the advertising industry. Yet, the implications of repeated mobile ad exposure are poorly understood, primarily due to the confounding effects of locational context. This paper seeks to bridge this gap. Using two large datasets comprising more than three million observations from a major European mobile telecommunication company, we investigate how ad repetition and location revisits (i.e., returning to a previously visited location) jointly determine consumer response to mobile display advertising. Our empirical strategy leverages coarsened exact matching combined with a logit model with fixed effects at the consumer-location level. We find that the click rate through ads is more than 26 percent higher at revisited locations compared to locations visited for the first time. However, mobile ad repetition decreases click rates, and this effect is amplified at revisited locations. Our results contribute to the theory and practice of mobile advertising.

V1 neurons are tuned to perceptual borders in natural scenes

The visual system needs to identify perceptually relevant borders to segment complex natural scenes. The primary visual cortex (V1) is thought to extract local borders, and higher visual areas are thought to identify the perceptually relevant borders between objects and the background. To test this conjecture, we used natural images that had been annotated by human observers who marked the perceptually relevant borders. We assessed the effect of perceptual relevance on V1 responses using human neuroimaging, macaque electrophysiology, and computational modeling. We report that perceptually relevant borders elicit stronger responses in the early visual cortex than irrelevant ones, even if simple features, such as contrast and the energy of oriented filters, are matched. Moreover, V1 neurons discriminate perceptually relevant borders surprisingly fast, during the early feedforward-driven activity at a latency of ~50 ms, indicating that they are tuned to the features that characterize them. We also revealed a delayed, contextual effect that enhances the V1 responses that are elicited by perceptually relevant borders at a longer latency. Our results reveal multiple mechanisms that allow V1 neurons to infer the layout of objects in natural images.

The effect of tokenized rewards on customer loyalty programs

This work investigates customer responses to the tokenization of hotel loyalty programs. Drawing on self-enhancement theory, Study 1 investigates the effect of reward type (i.e. control vs tokenized reward) on customers' perceptions of the reward (i.e. economic value, program attractiveness) and their behavioral intentions towards the hotel (i.e. switching intentions, recommendation intentions). Findings highlight reward novelty and psychological ownership as two mediators of the above relationships. Study 2 replicates these effects in a cryptocurrency owner context. Study 3 examines the effect of the hotel's type (i.e. luxury vs budget) on the reward type-customer responses relationship. We showcase that tokenized rewards generate a more favourable attitude towards loyalty programs and that they remain an effective customer acquisition strategy for high-end hotels.

The Role of Multiple Mediation with Contextual Neighborhood Measures in Ovarian Cancer Survival..

BackgroundMediation by multiple agents can affect the relation between neighborhood deprivation and segregation indices and ovarian cancer survival. In this paper, we examine a variety of potential clinical mediators in the association between deprivation indices (DIs) and segregation indices (SIs) with all-cause survival among women with ovarian cancer in the African American Cancer Epidemiology Study (AACES). MethodsWe use novel Bayesian multiple mediation structural models to assess the joint role of mediators (stage at diagnosis, histology, diagnostic delay) combined with the DIs and SIs (Yost, ADI, Kolak’s URB, ICE-income) and a set of confounders with survival. The confounder set is selected in a preliminary step, and each DI or SI is included in separate model fits. ResultsWhen multiple mediators are included, the total impact of DIs and SIs on survival is much reduced. Unlike the single mediator examples previously reported, the Yost, ADI and ICE-income indices do not display significant direct effects. This suggests that when important clinical mediators are included, the impact of neighborhood SES indices is significantly attenuated. It is also clear that certain behavioral and demographic measures such as physical activity, smoking, or adjusted family income do not have a significant role in survival when mediated by clinical factors. ConclusionMultiple mediation via clinical and diagnostic-related measures reduces the contextual effects of neighborhood measures on ovarian cancer survival. The robust association of the Kolak URB index on survival may be due to its relevance to access to care, unlike SES-based indices whose impact was significantly reduced when important clinical mediators were included.

Alternative substrate kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 Nsp15 endonuclease reveals a specificity landscape dominated by RNA structure.

Coronavirus endoribonuclease Nsp15 contributes to the evasion of host innate immunity by suppressing levels of viral dsRNA. Nsp15 cleaves both ssRNA and dsRNA in vitro with a strong preference for unpaired or bulged U residues, and its activity is stimulated by divalent ions. Here, we systematically quantified effects of RNA sequence and structure context that define its specificity. The results show that sequence preference for U↓A/G, observed previously, contributes only ca. 2-fold to kcat/Km. In contrast, dsRNA structure flanking a bulged U residue increases kcat/Km by an order of magnitude compared to ssRNA while base pairing in dsRNA essentially blocks cleavage. Despite enormous differences in multiple turnover kinetics, the effect of RNA structure on the cleavage step is minimal. Surprisingly, although divalent ion activation of Nsp15 is widely considered to be important for its biological function, the effect on kcat/Km is only ∼2-fold and independent of RNA structure. These results reveal a specificity landscape dominated by RNA structure and provide a quantitative framework for identifying interactions that underlie specificity, determining mechanisms of inhibition and resistance and defining targets important for coronavirus biology.

Fatty acid amide hydrolase gene inactivation induces hetero-cellular potentiation of microglial function in the 5xFAD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Neuroinflammation has recently emerged as a crucial factor in Alzheimer's disease (AD) etiopathogenesis. Microglial cells play an important function in the inflammatory response; specifically, the emergence of disease-associated microglia (DAM) has offered new insights into the conflicting perspectives on the detrimental or beneficial roles of microglia. We previously showed that modulating the endocannabinoid tone by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inactivation renders beneficial effects in an amyloidosis context, paradoxically accompanied by an exacerbated neuroinflammatory response and the enrichment of DAM population. Here, we aim to elucidate the role of microglial cells in FAAH-lacking mice in the 5xFAD mouse model of AD by using RNA-sequencing analysis, molecular determinations, and morphological studies by using in vivo multiphoton microscopy. FAAH-lacking AD mice displayed upregulated inflammatory genes and exhibited a DAM genetic profile. Conversely, genes linked to AD were downregulated. Depleting microglia using PLX5622 revealed that plaque-associated microglia in FAAH-deficient AD mice had a more stable, ramified morphology and increased Aβ uptake, leading to reduced plaque growth compared to control mice. Importantly, FAAH expression was negligible in microglial cells, thus suggesting a role for FAAH in the cellular interplay in the central nervous system. Our findings show that Faah gene inactivation triggers a hetero-cellular enhancement of microglial function that was paradoxically paralleled by an exacerbated inflammatory response. Taken together, the present data highlight FAAH as a potential therapeutic target in AD.

The nexus between economic, demographic, policy and human development in South Africa: An econometric analysis

The Human Development Index, which accounts for both net foreign income and the total value of goods and services generated domestically, illustrates how income becomes less significant as Gross National Income (GNI) rises by using the logarithm of income. South Africa ranks 109th out of 189 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI) within the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) economic bloc, raising long-term sustainability concerns. The study explores the relationship between economic, demography, policy indicators and human development in South Africa. South Africa’s unique status as a developing country within the BRICS economic group, alongside its lengthy history of racial discrimination, calls for a sophisticated approach to understanding Human Development. Existing research considered economic, demography, policy indicators independently; the gap of understanding their interconnection and long-term effects in the South African contexts exists. The study addresses the gap by using Autoregressive-Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach to investigate the short-term and the long-term relationship between economic, demography, policy indicators and human development in South Africa. By discovering these links, the study hopes to provide useful insights for policymakers seeking to promote sustainable human development in South Africa. The findings indicate that growth in GDP is a key factor in the HDI since it shows that there are more financial resources available for human development. By discovering these links, the study hopes to provide useful insights for policymakers seeking to promote sustainable human development in South Africa.

Adult intergenerational proximity and parents’ depressive symptoms: A bidirectional approach

To date, only a few studies have investigated the bidirectional relationship in the intergenerational proximity-health nexus, specifically how geographic proximity affects older parents' depressive symptoms and vice versa. Drawing on eight waves (2004–2018) of the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (n = 17,671), we examine several mechanisms (‘mobilization’, ‘social support’, and ‘social breakdown’) that drive the complex relationship between intergenerational proximity and parental depressive symptoms. Dynamic panel models with fixed effects in a structural equation modeling context provided some weak evidence of a ‘mobilization effect’ (that is, parents', especially fathers', depression triggering greater proximity, including coresidence) and somewhat clearer evidence for a ‘social breakdown effect’ of coresidential transitions on parents' depressive symptoms (particularly among ‘Whites’ and fathers). We found no evidence to support the notion of a ‘social support mechanism’ (predicting that greater proximity or the transition to coresidence would decrease the number of parents' depressive symptoms).

Challenges and Techniques in Multilingual Fake News Detection

The spread of false information across language and cultural barriers poses a significant threat to global societies. This study investigates the obstacles in detecting misinformation in various languages, including linguistic diversity, limited datasets, cultural nuances, and the ever- changing strategies of disinformation propagators. These complex issues require advanced methods to effectively identify and combat false information across multiple languages. The research evaluates several prominent machine learning approaches, such as Support Vector Machines (SVM), Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Logistic Regression, Decision Trees, and Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques. By examining their effectiveness in multilingual contexts, this study sheds light on the advantages and drawbacks of each method. It underscores the need for continuous innovation and collaborative efforts in developing robust detection systems that can adapt to the ever-changing landscape of misinformation. These initiatives aim to promote informed public discourse and improve information integrity across diverse cultural contexts. Key Words: Multilingual Fake News Detection, Machine Learning, Machine Learning algorithms, Natural Language Processing, Misinformation.

Examining the Moderating Role of Big Data Analytics Capabilities on the Organizational Culture-Administrative Effectiveness Nexus in Sichuan Higher Education

This conceptual paper explores the moderating role of big data analytics (BDA) capabilities in the relationship between organizational culture and administrative effectiveness within higher education institutions in Sichuan, China. The study proposes a theoretical model in which BDA enhances the alignment of organizational culture with effective administration, particularly in decision-making and operational efficiency. The paper highlights the potential of BDA to transform administrative processes, while also addressing challenges such as technological integration and data privacy concerns. Future research directions include empirical studies that assess the impact of BDA on administrative effectiveness in different educational contexts, comparative studies between institutions with varying levels of BDA integration, and interdisciplinary research combining organizational culture, data analytics, and educational management. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of how higher education institutions can leverage BDA to optimize their administrative functions.

Children’s Multilectal Repertoires: Diglossic Style-Shifting by Palestinian Children and Adolescents in Syria

Arabic diglossia, whereby Standard Arabic (SA) exists alongside numerous vernaculars, often leads to diglossic style-shifting based on context or topic changes and is marked in the vernacular by shifting to standard linguistic features. While this phenomenon has been widely studied in the speech of educated adults, research on diglossic style-shifting by children and adolescents has been rather limited. This paper investigates how it operates amongst 3–17-year-olds from a Bedouin speech community of Palestinian refugees in Syria. It examines context effects on realizations of the variables (θ) and (ð), which overlap with local realizations and (q), which has a standard realization ([q]) that is independent of dialectal variation in the community. Participants were recorded during sociolinguistic interviews and a picture-naming task, the latter being expected to evoke a school setting and prompt the use of more standard realizations, signaling diglossic style-shifting in their speech. Style-shifting was influenced by age, context, and the linguistic variables under examination. While picture-naming prompted greater use of standard realizations of all variables, shifting to [q] also appeared during the interview in lexical borrowings from SA, revealing topic effects on diglossic style-shifting. Children aged 6–14 exhibited more style-shifting in picture-naming, likely reflecting the central role of school in their lives, while the speech of 15–17-year-olds contained more lexical borrowing with [q]. This likely reflects their larger linguistic repertoires and longer exposure to SA than their younger peers. These findings indicate that SA plays a key role in participants’ linguistic practices and reflect their awareness of how to employ it appropriately in their speech.