Evolutionary Theoretic Approach Research Articles

Encouragement of cervical cancer screening via an evolutionary theoretical approach: A randomized controlled study in Japan

The introduction of an evolutionary perspective into public health research has received attention in recent years. We aimed to examine the effects of messages that target the fundamental human motive of kin care (i.e., childbirth and parenting) on cervical cancer screening recommendations, based on an evolutionary theoretical approach. A randomized controlled study was conducted in Japan. Female participants (n = 969) were randomly assigned either to a group that received an intervention message that targeted the fundamental motive of kin care (recommending cervical cancer screening for future childbearing), or that targeted the fundamental motive of disease avoidance, or a control message. Intention to obtain cervical cancer screening was assessed both before and after reading the messages. A one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s or Games–Howell test was conducted. Each of the intervention message targeting the fundamental motive of kin care and of the message targeting disease avoidance significantly increased intention to obtain cervical cancer screening versus a control message (M = 0.76 vs. M = 0.17, p < 0.001; M = 0.74 vs. M = 0.17, p < 0.001, respectively). A message that targeted the fundamental motive of kin care was as effective as one targeting the fundamental motive of disease avoidance. Health professionals should add messages that target the fundamental motive of kin care to their repertoire to encourage cervical cancer screening among women who wish future childbirth and parenting (e.g., “Delayed detection of cervical cancer may prevent your future childbirth and parenting. So let’s obtain cervical cancer screening regularly for your future childbirth and parenting.”)

Encouraging HPV Vaccination via an Evolutionary Theoretical Approach: A Randomized Controlled Study in Japan.

In recent years, researchers have discussed the introduction of an evolutionary perspective into public health and health behavior research. We aimed to examine the effects of messages that target the fundamental human motive of kin care on HPV vaccination recommendations among mothers with daughters, based on an evolutionary theoretical approach. This study consisted of a three-arm parallel-group single-blinded randomized controlled study. A web-based survey was conducted from 7 to 8 October 2021 in Japan. Mothers with daughters (n = 969) were randomly assigned either to a group that received an intervention message that targeted the fundamental motive of kin care, or that targeted the fundamental motive of disease avoidance, or a control message. Intention to have daughter(s) receive HPV vaccination was assessed both before and right after reading the messages. A one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s or Games–Howell test was conducted. An intervention message targeting the fundamental motive of kin care and disease avoidance significantly increased intention of vaccination versus a control message (p < 0.001, respectively). There was no significant difference between the two intervention groups. The evolutionary theoretical approach that focuses on fundamental human motives may have the potential to extend the communication strategy for HPV vaccination recommendations. Health professionals may be recommended to deliver messages that target the fundamental motive of kin care as well as messages about the susceptibility and severity of cervical cancer and vaccine efficacy (e.g., “Getting cervical cancer can prevent childbirth. To protect your daughter and your future grandchildren, get your daughter vaccinated against HPV”). However, the present study only evaluated HPV vaccination intentions in Japanese mothers with daughters. Future studies should evaluate vaccination behavior in a wider range of subjects to confirm that the evolutionary theoretical approach promotes HPV vaccination.

Encouraging COVID-19 vaccination via an evolutionary theoretical approach: A randomized controlled study in Japan

ObjectiveWe aimed to examine the effect of a message that target the fundamental human motive of kin care on COVID-19 vaccination recommendations among participants with young children, based on an evolutionary theoretical approach. MethodsParticipants with young children (n = 969) were randomly assigned either to a group that received an intervention message that targeted the fundamental motive of kin care, or that targeted the fundamental motive of disease avoidance, or a control message. Intention to receive COVID-19 vaccination was assessed both before and after reading the messages. A one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s or Games–Howell test was conducted. ResultsAn intervention message targeting the fundamental motive of kin care and disease avoidance significantly increased intention of vaccination versus a control message (p < 0.001, respectively). ConclusionThe evolutionary theoretical approach that focuses on fundamental human motives has the potential to extend the communication strategy for COVID-19 vaccination recommendations. Practice implicationsHealth professionals should deliver messages that target the fundamental motive of kin care as well as messages about the susceptibility and severity of COVID-19 and vaccine efficacy (e.g., “Get vaccinated against COVID-19 for your child’s sake, because if you are infected, you will be unable to care for your child.”)

Diversity and Social Network Structure in Collective Decision Making: Evolutionary Perspectives with Agent‐Based Simulations

Collective, especially group‐based, managerial decision making is crucial in organizations. Using an evolutionary theoretic approach to collective decision making, agent‐based simulations were conducted to investigate how human collective decision making would be affected by the agents’ diversity in problem understanding and/or behavior in discussion, as well as by their social network structure. Simulation results indicated that groups with consistent problem understanding tended to produce higher utility values of ideas and displayed better decision convergence, but only if there was no group‐level bias in collective problem understanding. Simulation results also indicated the importance of balance between selection‐oriented (i.e., exploitative) and variation‐oriented (i.e., explorative) behaviors in discussion to achieve quality final decisions. Expanding the group size and introducing nontrivial social network structure generally improved the quality of ideas at the cost of decision convergence. Simulations with different social network topologies revealed collective decision making on small‐world networks with high local clustering tended to achieve highest decision quality more often than on random or scale‐free networks. Implications of this evolutionary theory and simulation approach for future managerial research on collective, group, and multilevel decision making are discussed.

Evolution and consumer psychology

AbstractAn evolutionary theoretical approach considers the adaptive function of behavior. Here we discuss what it means to use an evolutionary approach to generate predictions about consumer behavior and the value of applying an evolutionary lens to the study of consumer psychology. We begin with a discussion of the core insights of evolutionary theory and the common misperceptions associated with an evolutionary approach to the study of behavior. We then detail how specific evolutionarily informed theories can be applied to four core areas of consumer research: risk preference, competition and luxury consumption, self‐control and temporal preferences, and the consumer behavior of women and families. We also discuss the strengths and limitations of an evolutionarily informed research program.

Fear and Loving in Las Vegas: Evolution, Emotion, and Persuasion.

How do arousal-inducing contexts, such as frightening or romantic television programs, influence the effectiveness of basic persuasion heuristics? Different predictions are made by three theoretical models: A general arousal model predicts that arousal should increase effectiveness of heuristics; an affective valence model predicts that effectiveness should depend on whether the context elicits positive or negative affect; an evolutionary model predicts that persuasiveness should depend on both the specific emotion that is elicited and the content of the particular heuristic. Three experiments examined how fear-inducing versus romantic contexts influenced the effectiveness of two widely used heuristics-social proof (e.g., "most popular") and scarcity (e.g., "limited edition"). Results supported predictions from an evolutionary model, showing that fear can lead scarcity appeals to be counter-persuasive, and that romantic desire can lead social proof appeals to be counter-persuasive. The findings highlight how an evolutionary theoretical approach can lead to novel theoretical and practical marketing insights.

An evolutionary theoretic approach to electoral politics

This comment adapts Darwin's theory of evolution and applies it to electoral politics. The extent of the analogy between the two is outlined. Attention is then directed to the role of the electoral system as an agent of natural selection in politics, and its impact on adaptation in political parties. Some consequences for the politics of electoral reform in the UK are identified, limitations of the theory are considered, and brief conclusions drawn.