Experiences Shape Research Articles

Feminist Lens on Gender Roles in Entrepreneurial Intention and Implementation

ABSTRACTBased on social feminist theory, post‐structural feminism and gender‐role orientation (GRO) (masculinity, femininity and androgyny), the aim of this research is to study the entrepreneurial process through the lenses of both biological sex and socially constructed gender, in order to disentangle their effects and to shed new light on the process. Secondly, we aim to push forward the research on the early‐stage entrepreneurial process by going beyond entrepreneurial intention. We achieve this by including the entrepreneurial implementation intention construct as an important intermediate step between intention and actual action, thus filling the intention–action gap. We propose a model of the entrepreneurial process consisting of four ordered elements, namely: general risk propensity, entrepreneurial self‐efficacy, entrepreneurial intention, and entrepreneurial implementation intention. In order to verify the model and to investigate the influence of gender‐role orientations on each of the model's constituents, we employ structural equation modeling. Additionally, we use multigroup analysis to compare males and females. This is done on a group of more than 670 students from Polish and Latvian technical universities. Our research empirically confirms the proposed model of the entrepreneurial process. Biological sex influences risk propensity and entrepreneurial intention while having no impact on entrepreneurial self‐efficacy and entrepreneurial implementation intention. Using GRO provides more insight as we observe that among all individuals masculine GRO reinforces all elements of the entrepreneurial process, whereas feminine GRO does not, with the exception of perceived risk propensity, but only among females. Finally, androgynous GRO has the most varied effect out of all three GROs. Both theoretical approaches explain the lower entrepreneurial intentions of women, which are due to early socialization and experiences shaping social gender, as well as the attribution of entrepreneurship to the male sphere of activity. Finally, our study shows that using both biological sex and social gender concurrently provides more insights.

Cigarette filter ventilation, product appeal and regulatory options: a review of the influence of ventilation on consumers’ sensory and risk perceptions

ObjectiveCigarette filter ventilation may enhance product appeal, support initiation and sustained smoking, and increase smoking prevalence. We reviewed recent evidence on how filter ventilation affects consumers’ perceptions of product appeal...

Does relying on "close to home" information sources increase voter confidence? Evidence from the 2022 midterm elections.

Research shows that positive voter experiences shape public views about election integrity, especially confidence that votes are counted accurately. Local election officials (LEOs) play a key role in shaping these experiences. They run elections in voters' local jurisdictions, and are the authoritative sources of official, accurate, and timely information. Despite enjoying "close to home" status however, election officials may not be every voter's top information source for information about how to vote. In this paper, we argue that relying on "close to home" sources - local election offices, local or regional TV stations, and print publications - increases the chances voters are exposed to accurate information about how to vote, which translates into higher confidence in ballot accuracy. Drawing on a nationally representative survey of registered voters before the 2022 U.S. midterm elections, we find a positive relationship between these sources and voter confidence at personal, community, and state levels. This relationship holds even for integrity skeptics, such as Trump voters. While opting into "close to home" information ecosystems improves trust in elections, we note a key caveat: voters who rely on state election offices consistently report lower confidence. This suggests important nuances in how election officials are perceived by the public as trusted messengers in matters of election process and integrity.

Teaching without boundaries: How global experiences shape future English language educators

Teaching without boundaries: How global experiences shape future English language educators

Empowering the shift: Understanding influential factors in electric vehicle switching behavior

With rising concerns over environmental pollution and energy scarcity, electric vehicles (EVs) have attracted increasing attention as an eco-friendly alternative. Yet, despite societal and governmental support, EVs still face lower market acceptance compared to traditional fuel vehicles. This research examines the primary determinants influencing consumers’ propensity to switch to electric vehicles, drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and customer experience concepts. Based on a survey of 425 participants, we explore how factors such as perceived behavioral control, attitude, and driving experience shape consumers’ intention to switch to EVs. Findings indicate that policy support indirectly shapes consumer attitudes, while EV-related services and product innovations influence the switching decision through enhanced driving experiences. Notably, subjective norms show no significant effect on consumer willingness to switch. These results offer essential direction for policymakers and marketers to foster electric vehicle uptake and contribute to sustainable transportation research.

Towards a relational understanding of youth lifestyles and wellbeing in climate resilient urban development: insights from a seven-city study of young people

ABSTRACT Supporting youth wellbeing in low carbon ways is a crucial challenge in cities. Seventy percent of youth will live in urban areas by 2050 and urban sites account for 67–72% of the global share of carbon emissions. Young people’s consumption behaviour including energy use is increasingly identified as a key driver of urban emissions. This paper expands beyond dominant individualised approaches to examining urban youth wellbeing and consumption to interrogate the relational contexts in which young people live, their wellbeing aspirations, and the conditions that enable or lock-in lifestyle emissions. Applying a relational lens and thematic analysis to focus group data collected from 332 youth aged 12–24 years in seven cities of the global South and North, the paper examines experiences shaping youth wellbeing in the context of urban consumption activities. Findings emphasised the complexities of “linked lives”, foregrounding family, peer and community relationships as critical in shaping youth wellbeing and consumption. Home was highlighted as a significant relational context, where family relationships impact wellbeing and energy use, through connection, comfort, conflict and compromise. Public space was also valued, but findings highlighted issues of identity and inequality that impact access. Findings also underscored the significance of beyond-human relationships. This cross-cultural research highlights underacknowledged complexities in youth wellbeing and consumption activities. Discussion proposes ways local government can adopt relational perspectives to advance climate resilient urban development, including cultivating meaningful relationships with youth and prioritising secure housing, access to green space, and care and integration of nature within urban landscapes.

The mediating role of mental health in the relationship between childhood experiences and social media use disorder among university students: a mixed-methods study

Abstract This mixed-methods study examines the impact of childhood trauma and family dynamics on mental health and the development of social media use disorder (SMUD) among university students. Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, this research offers a comprehensive investigation into how early life experiences influence social media addiction and the mediating role of mental health. The independent variable is childhood experiences, the dependent variable is social media use disorder, and mental health serves as the mediating variable. The study, conducted in 2024 with a sample of 330 university students, employs correlation analysis and mediation testing, with bootstrapping used to evaluate the significance of indirect effects. The results demonstrate that mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and stress, mediate the relationship between childhood experiences and social media use disorder. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) further reveals that adverse childhood experiences contribute to mental health challenges in adulthood, which in turn exacerbate social media addiction. Qualitative findings offer rich insights into how social media affects daily routines, family interactions, and psychological well-being, revealing its central role in the participants’ lives. Moreover, this study highlights how childhood experiences shape social media use patterns. These findings significantly advance the understanding of the complex interplay between early life trauma, mental health, and social media use, addressing critical gaps in the literature on digital addiction.

The Influence of Higher Education Learning Experience During Covid 19 on the Academic Behavior of Today's Students

Purpose of the Study: This study aims to analyze the correlation between students’ experiences of learning during the COVID-19 health protocol period and their academic behavior at Islamic Religious Colleges. The research seeks to identify contributing and inhibiting factors shaping students' academic attitudes under pandemic-induced learning conditions. Methodology: The study employs a mixed-method sequential exploratory design. Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed with Pearson’s product-moment correlation, while qualitative data were gathered through interviews, observations, and documentation, followed by thematic analysis to identify key influencing factors. The integration of both approaches provides a comprehensive understanding of the research problem. Main Findings: The study reveals a significant correlation between students’ learning experiences during COVID-19 and their academic behavior. Key contributing factors include personal motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic), social support (from peers, family, and educators), an optimized study environment (free from distractions), and tailored learning methods that align with individual preferences. Conversely, inhibiting factors such as environmental disturbances (noise or instability at home) and lack of motivation negatively impacted learning outcomes. A unique finding is that the stressful and uncertain conditions during the pandemic fostered a resilient mindset among students, positively influencing their academic attitudes. Novelty/Originality of the Study: This study uniquely highlights how the challenging learning environment created by the pandemic cultivated adaptive academic behaviors in students. By combining quantitative and qualitative insights, the study offers a detailed understanding of how crisis-driven experiences shape student behavior, providing valuable implications for post-pandemic educational strategies.

Intergenerational transmission of emotionally responsive parenting via parenting-related emotion and cognition.

Childhood experiences shape later parenting behaviors; however, few studies have examined the mechanisms that explain how parenting is transmitted across generations. The present study examined direct and indirect effects of mothers' remembered emotionally responsive parenting in childhood on maternal sensitivity to infant distress via parenting-related emotion, physiology, and cognition. Participants included 299 mothers (Mage = 29.71, SD = 5.48; 47.5% non-Hispanic White) and their infants (48.8% female). Mothers self-reported their emotionally responsive parenting in childhood, and measures of emotional, physiological, and cognitive responses to video clips of crying infants were assessed prenatally. Maternal sensitivity was observed during distress-eliciting tasks when infants were 2 and 6 months old. Covariates included maternal age, education, race, and concurrent observed infant distress. Results from the structural equation model demonstrated women's emotionally responsive parenting in childhood was significantly associated with lower negative emotion in response to infant crying but not with physiological arousal, regulation, or negative cognition about infant crying. Lower negative emotion in response to infant crying was significantly associated with lower negative cognition about infant crying, which was then significantly associated with higher maternal sensitivity to distress. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant serial indirect effect of mothers' emotionally responsive parenting in childhood on maternal sensitivity to distress via negative emotions and negative cognitions about infant crying. The findings suggest that screening pregnant women based on recalled parenting in childhood and targeting how they emotionally and cognitively respond to infant cry cues may be an effective approach to promote positive parenting during early infancy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Does language experience and bilingualism shape empathy and emotional intelligence?

Aims and objectives: Previous research has reported that varied language experiences and language use can play a role in the development of empathy and emotional intelligence (EI). The present study aimed to investigate the association between language experience, bilingualism and personality. Methodology: One hundred and forty-two participants completed a language background questionnaire along with a series of measures to assess empathy and both trait and ability EI. Data and analysis: Measures included the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire short form (TEIQue), the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ), and the Situational Test of Emotional Understanding Brief (STEU-B). Hierarchical regression models, analyses of variance (ANOVAs), and Structural Equation Modelling were used to examine the relationships between language experience, bilingualism, and measures of empathy and EI. Findings: Findings reveal that bilingualism and language experiences did not contribute to empathy and EI. These results question the role that linguistic experience has in shaping empathy and EI. However, a significant difference in empathy and EI scores emerged when comparing participants who processed information in their first (or native) language to those who did not, suggesting that empathy and EI are stronger when processed in the first language. Originality: This study provides a new understanding of the influence of language background on empathy and EI as well as the impact of processing information in a first language. Significance: This study highlights the importance of considering the role that language has in future cross-cultural and cross-linguistic studies. Implications for the use of culturally appropriate measures and future research are discussed.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Black Women in the US

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Black women is a critical public health concern, potentially exacerbating existing health disparities and impacting community-wide vaccination efforts. To explore the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Black women in the US and identify the specific concerns and experiences shaping hesitant attitudes toward vaccination. Qualitative study using in-depth, semistructured interviews conducted virtually between June and November 2021. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes from the interview data. Participants were recruited through social media platforms and word-of-mouth referrals from various regions of the US. Interviews were conducted remotely via Zoom. Data were analyzed from June to October 2023. Identification of key themes associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, identified through thematic analysis of interview data. Fifty-four Black women aged 21 to 66 years participated in the study. Most participants (41 [75.9%]) resided in the South. The sample was predominantly well-educated, with 41 (75.9%) holding a bachelor's degree or higher. Income levels varied, with 16 (29.6%) earning between $40 000 and $59 999 annually. Regarding family structure, 32 participants (59.3%) reported having no children, while 22 (40.7%) had 1 or more children. Three primary themes emerged as being associated with vaccine hesitancy: (1) mistrust in health care and government, rooted in past medical exploitation; (2) concerns over vaccine safety and long-term effects, particularly regarding reproductive health; and (3) ineffective and coercive vaccine communication and promotion. Participants expressed deep-rooted skepticism about being treated as "expendable" in medical research, fears about the rapid vaccine development process, and frustration with coercive vaccine advertisements. Many women desired more comprehensive education about vaccine mechanisms and criticized the use of coercive financial incentives and celebrity endorsements in vaccine promotion. Addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Black women requires a multifaceted approach that acknowledges historical traumas, provides clear and transparent safety information, and avoids coercive vaccine promotion strategies. These findings emphasize the need for health care practitioners and public health officials to prioritize trust-building, engage community leaders, and tailor interventions to address the unique concerns of Black women to improve vaccine confidence and uptake.

Do high school experiences shape midlife body weight?

This study investigates how the high school experiences of a nationally representative cohort of 1980 United States' high school sophomores and seniors are associated with midlife weight. Drawing from theory and previous research led us to expect that family and high school SES, school type, and curricular tracks could be key dimensions of people's high school lives that had salience for midlife weight, possibly in gendered ways. This premise was largely supported in bivariate analyses. In fully adjusted models, family and high school SES were related to women's midlife weight as measured by BMI and having obesity above and beyond a wide range of control variables including academic attainment and high school weight. Among men, high school SES and private school attendance retained significant associations with having obesity in fully adjusted models. Study findings identify important features of individuals' high school lives that are related to later life weight, and they provide evidence that attainment is not the only dimension of people's educational careers that has implications for weight.

Neural correlates of phonetic categorization under auditory (phoneme) and visual (grapheme) modalities

This study assessed the neural mechanisms and relative saliency of categorization for speech sounds and comparable graphemes (i.e., visual letters) of the same phonetic label. Given that linguistic experience shapes categorical processing, and letter-speech sound matching plays a crucial role during early reading acquisition, we hypothesized sound phoneme and visual grapheme tokens representing the same linguistic identity might recruit common neural substrates, despite originating from different sensory modalities. Behavioral and neuroelectric brain responses (ERPs) were acquired as participants categorized stimuli from sound (phoneme) and homologous letter (grapheme) continua each spanning a /da/−/ga/ gradient. Behaviorally, listeners were faster and showed stronger categorization of phoneme compared to graphemes. At the neural level, multidimensional scaling of the EEG revealed responses self-organized in a categorial fashion such that tokens clustered within their respective modality beginning ∼150–250 ms after stimulus onset. Source-resolved ERPs further revealed modality-specific and overlapping brain regions supporting phonetic categorization. Left inferior frontal gyrus and auditory cortex showed stronger responses for sound category members compared to phonetically ambiguous tokens, whereas early visual cortices paralleled this categorical organization for graphemes. Auditory and visual categorization also recruited common visual association areas in extrastriate cortex but in opposite hemispheres (auditory = left; visual = right). Our findings reveal both auditory and visual sensory cortex supports categorical organization for phonetic labels within their respective modalities. However, a partial overlap in phoneme and grapheme processing among occipital brain areas implies the presence of an isomorphic, domain-general mapping for phonetic categories in dorsal visual system

Understanding Student Attitudes toward GenAI Tools: A Comparative Study of Serbia and Austria

This study explores university students’ attitudes toward generative AI technology and tools in two European countries. Driven by the increasing integration of AI in education and the limited research on student perceptions, particularly in European contexts, this study aimed to understand how students view GenAI and its implications for higher education. The study employed a quantitative approach, using surveys to collect data on student attitudes toward AI across different fields of study, genders, and countries. A key innovation of this research is the development of a novel “Attitude toward AI” scale, designed to provide a robust and theoretically grounded instrument for measuring student perceptions of GenAI. The scale offers a valuable tool for evaluating the effectiveness of AI integration in education. The results showed that students’ attitudes toward AI differed significantly based on their field of study and gender. Male students in technical sciences had the most positive attitudes toward AI adoption, indicating their potential to drive positive changes in AI implementation. While the effect size was small, this finding underscores the importance of considering individual factors when designing interventions to promote AI acceptance. The study underscored how prior experience shapes positive attitudes, highlighting the need for resources to familiarize students with GenAI and its ethics. The “Attitude toward AI” scale is a significant contribution addressing the lack of reliable instruments for assessing student perceptions of GenAI, enabling deeper understanding of factors influencing students’ adoption, informing targeted interventions for different student groups. Further research is needed on GenAI’s long-term impact.

Moving On? The Act of Remembering Humanitarian Aid and the Shaping of Normative Experiences

Abstract This essay draws on the experience of ‘get-togethers’ among veteran field workers recorded in 2016 who recalled work experience from the 1980s–often stressing in their account their memories and the part this period played in their lives. This source can now help us analyse the formation of meaningful experience of the concept of experience. Using further archives of normative processes which drew from ‘lessons learnt’ and ‘experience’ to shape the rulebooks of the 1990s’ humanitarian aid industry, and using interviews and oral history as well as new archives and diaries, this essay will consider how humanitarians have reflected on normative experiences. The first section of the essay will be devoted to the experiences arising from work in the great refugee camps of the 1980s, where many humanitarians developed their skills. The second section develops from this and considers how camps became the site of norm-setting for many actors and organisations of the humanitarian sector in the 1990s. The third section of the article reflects on the legitimacy arising from field work and humanitarian experience, focusing on the sociability of experience and how this cultural capital was then instrumentalised. The final section ends on the itinerant humanitarian exhibition which was deployed at the end of the presence (2020–21) of one of the largest medical NGOs in Cambodia. Through this Médecins sans Frontières exhibition the essay will reflect on how experience and legitimacy were constructed and finally historicised and memorialized.

Transgenerational Trauma and Psychological Resilience: A Multidimensional Approach

Transgenerational trauma, the transmission of psychological and emotional wounds across generations, remains a profound area of inquiry in understanding individual and collective well-being. This research investigates the multidimensional nature of transgenerational trauma, integrating insights from psychology, sociology, and neuroscience to unravel the mechanisms of trauma transmission and the development of resilience. By examining epigenetic processes, familial dynamics, and socio-historical contexts, the study highlights how traumatic experiences shape behaviors, beliefs, and coping strategies over time. It further explores resilience-building mechanisms, such as cultural practices, collective memory, and therapeutic interventions, that mitigate the effects of inherited trauma. Employing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including case studies and longitudinal surveys, this research presents a comprehensive framework for addressing transgenerational trauma and fostering intergenerational healing. The findings underscore the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in developing effective intervention strategies, emphasizing the role of community, storytelling, and systemic support in promoting psychological resilience. This work contributes to the growing discourse on trauma and resilience, offering actionable insights for clinicians, policymakers, and researchers dedicated to advancing mental health and societal healing.

“It Will Feel Empty, but I Am Not Sure Why”: Belonging and Future Change in Children’s Engagement with Decommissioning Nuclear Energy Infrastructures

ABSTRACT Worldwide, hundreds of the first generation of commercial nuclear reactors are currently entering into decommissioning. In parallel, new nuclear energy is promoted to mitigate climate change. Such energy transitions are global but take place in local landscapes, affecting the everyday lives of the elderly, adults, and children. A nuclear plant often dominates the skyline and the local identity, and its existence, disappearance, or replacement, contributes to the shaping of experiences of the past, imaginations in the present, and expectations for the future. Previous research shows a significant lack of attention to especially children’s experiences of changing energy infrastructures, and to children as active heritage producers in societal meaning-making of energy futures. This study explores children’s engagement with a decommissioning local nuclear facility through drawing workshops and conversations. Data were collected in 2023 in a school close to the Swedish nuclear power plant Barsebäck. The study highlights a particular form of heritage spatiality. A paradoxical situation of closeness and remoteness implies the industry is both a marker of one’s home and a distant façade. It is argued that children’s articulations of meaning provide a richer understanding of what constitutes local heritage, and that “decommissioning generations” is a productive lens through which a complex set of temporally diverse and heritage-relevant experiences may be discerned, enriching adult-dominated narration of changing energy landscapes.

Client characteristics and early working alliance development: A person-centered research approach

Objective Certain client characteristics are associated with early working alliance difficulties in psychotherapy. However, there is limited quantitative evidence on whether combinations of these characteristics (e.g., intersectional identities, prior treatment experiences) are related to alliance development. The present study leveraged a person-centered research approach to examine profiles of early alliance development and differences in the latent class structure of client characteristics among alliance development profiles. Method Individual psychotherapy clients (N = 2,579) rated the working alliance for their first four sessions and self-reported demographics, treatment history, and psychological distress. Therapists provided their assessment of clients’ primary presenting concerns at baseline. Results Latent profile analysis revealed three profiles of working alliance development: high and stable, moderate and increasing, and low and stable. Follow-up person-centered analyses (multigroup confirmatory latent class analysis) indicated that clients in the alliance profiles differed in their combinations of clinical and demographic characteristics. For example, women of color with high baseline distress and a history of prior psychotherapy were over-represented in the low and stable alliance profile. Conclusion These results are consistent with recommendations to holistically consider how clients’ characteristics and experiences shape psychotherapy processes. Results also highlight the utility of person-centered quantitative methods in psychotherapy research.

Meaning in life across the adult lifespan: age differences in levels and correlates of purpose, significance, and coherence in a broad US sample

ABSTRACT While research into meaning in life (MIL) recognizes its developmental nature, there is little empirical evidence into age differences in MIL, especially in terms of its constituent components purpose, coherence, and significance. Using Local Structural Equation Modeling, we examined cross-sectional mean-level and structural age differences in MIL and its subcomponents in a sample of 782 US adults (19–85 years). We found a general increase in overall MIL, purpose, coherence, and significance across the lifespan. In contrast, exploratory analyses using subjective rather than chronological age showed a decrease from around midlife. Correlations between MIL and its components remained stable across ages, as did correlations with subjective well-being and depressive symptoms. In contrast, overall MIL became more strongly correlated with purpose, coherence, and depressive symptoms with increasing subjective age. These findings contribute fundamentally to a lifespan understanding of MIL, paving the way for future research into how aging experiences shape personal meaning.

Experiential fairness and power dynamics: an experimental study of labor dispatch in China

ABSTRACT This paper introduces the novel concept of ‘experiential fairness’ to investigate how cultural contexts and personal experiences shape individuals’ perceptions of fairness, moving beyond abstract theoretical principles. Utilizing an experimental design and in-depth interviews with temporary workers in Chinese government departments, the research examines the interplay between self-interest, power dynamics, and fairness perceptions in resource allocation decisions. The findings reveal that individuals often prioritize personal gain over systemic fairness or justice. The persistent issue of unequal pay for equal work underscores underlying labor market tensions and limitations within the civil service system, rather than mere injustice. Additionally, while temporary workers experience unfair treatment, their coping strategies are influenced by personal circumstances rather than universal appeals to fairness. This study advocates for recognizing diverse individual motivations in addressing labor systemic inequities and offers nuanced insights to inform fairer labor policymaking.