Feelings Of Certainty Research Articles

The role of consensus messaging in teaching evolution

ABSTRACT Evolutionary theory is considered the unifying theory of modern biosciences, but the public continues to misperceive the prevailing scientific consensus. Science communication studies emphasise the influence of perceived scientific and social consensus on personal beliefs, which can be manipulated through communication strategies. This study investigates the impact of consensus messaging on (1) perceptions of scientific and social consensus, (2) students’ feelings of certainty about these perceptions, and (3) acceptance of evolutionary theory. Employing a 2 × 2 factorial design (Factor 1: scientific consensus messaging versus consensus uncertainty; Factor 2: social consensus messaging), we randomly assigned 218 German upper secondary school students to one of four text variants to complete a close-ended pre – post questionnaire. We found positive correlations of evolutionary theory acceptance with perceived scientific and social consensus, and with feeling of certainty regarding perceived scientific consensus. Scientific consensus messaging positively affected perceived scientific consensus and feeling of certainty. Assessed with all items of MATE 2.0, acceptance decreased in the consensus uncertainty condition. When measured with two items, acceptance increased with scientific consensus messaging. The role of consensus messaging in teaching evolution and its use as a component of teaching strategies in evolutionary education and other fields are discussed.

How did female survivors of abuse use the arts to support their mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic? A qualitative exploration of their views

BackgroundGender-based violence is an important public health issue that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Survivors often face barriers when seeking support for mental health and wellbeing and some find therapeutic value in creative arts. We aimed to explore how women with experiences of abuse used art during the pandemic to support mental health and wellbeing. MethodsIn two small, exploratory, qualitative studies, we conducted semi-structured online interviews with women aged 18 years or older, who had experienced gender-based violence, were currently safe from abuse, and were not living with someone who had been abusive. Women who were unable to speak, read, and understand study documentation in English were excluded. We recruited participants through our networks, third-sector services, and via social media. Interview questions asked participants about interest in the arts as a support tool for mental health after abuse and strategies used during the pandemic to support mental health or wellbeing. ARM analysed the dataset using reflexive thematic analysis using Nvivo. FindingsWe enrolled 20 women aged 24–61 years; 17 participants (85%) identified as White British. Interviews were conducted between April 16, 2021, and March 1, 2022. Participants reported using drawing, writing, singing, music, painting, and online art or craft groups to support their mental health and wellbeing during the pandemic. Participants said they were motivated at the start of the first UK lockdown to engage with creative arts as a way of practising mindfulness and self-reflection; providing calmness, escapism, and distraction; reducing boredom; and combating loneliness and social isolation. Although self-isolating, the social element of online art groups provided valuable opportunities for chat with others who shared similar lived experiences. InterpretationCreative arts provided a valuable resource for participants to self-manage their mental health and wellbeing during the pandemic. Connecting with others who had similar experiences of abuse supported coping and feelings of certainty. We conclude with a working example of how online platforms could provide avenues of support and community. FundingWellcome Trust.

How do women experience a false-positive test result from breast screening? A systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies

BackgroundThis is the first review to identify, appraise and synthesise women’s experiences of having a false-positive breast screening test result.MethodsWe systematically searched eight databases for qualitative research reporting women’s experiences of receiving a false-positive screening test result. Two reviewers independently screened articles. Eight papers reporting seven studies were included. Study quality was appraised. Data were thematically synthesised.ResultsWomen passively attended screening in order to prove their perceived good health. Consequently, being recalled was unexpected, shocking and disempowering: women felt without options. They endured great uncertainty and stress and sought clarity about their health (e.g. by scrutinising the wording of recall letters and conversations with healthcare professionals). Their result was accompanied by relief and welcome feelings of certainty about their health, but some received unclear explanations of their result, contributing to lasting breast cancer-related worry and an ongoing need for further reassurance.ConclusionThe organisation of breast screening programmes may constrain choice for women: they became passive recipients. The way healthcare professionals verbally communicate results to women may contribute to lasting breast cancer-related worry. Women need more reassurance, emotional support and answers to their questions before and during screening assessment, and after receiving their result.

Attitude certainty: Antecedents, consequences, and new directions

AbstractPsychological certainty has been the subject of a great deal of research across a number of different literatures. This review focuses on prior and ongoing research on attitude certainty—the subjective sense of confidence of conviction a person has about an attitude—to provide a general overview of the role of certainty in attitudes and persuasion. First, we describe the antecedents, or origins, of attitude certainty, with particular attention to the metacognitive appraisals that drive people's feelings of certainty or uncertainty about their own attitudes. Second, we review the known consequences of attitude certainty, emphasizing the role of certainty in shaping information processing, attitude strength, and attitudinal advocacy. Third, we discuss recent developments that point to an upside for uncertainty in persuasion, whereby uncertainty experienced during message processing can increase message engagement and, thus, enhance message impact. Finally, we highlight several promising directions for future research. Our hope is that this review helps organize classic and contemporary research on attitude certainty and, in so doing, sparks new interest and continuing progress in the years to come.

Is Sexual Activity During Adolescence Good for Future Romantic Relationships?

Past research has consistently shown that romantic experiences during adolescence affect the nature and quality of romantic relationships during emerging adulthood. However, less is known about the role of adolescent sexual experiences in future sexual and romantic relationships. The current study examined the impact of different forms of sexual activity at age 16 (within a romantic relationship or casual encounters) on the nature and quality of sexual experiences in romantic relationships at age 23. One hundred and forty four (59.7% females) 16 year olds reported on their sexual activity within a romantic relationship or sexual encounters. In addition they reported on the quality of relationships they were involved in and their tendency to suppress emotions (included as an aspect of personality). At age 23 they reported on their romantic and sexual experiences during the past 2 years (number of short lived relationships, numbers of friends with benefits, casual sex encounters) and the quality of their romantic relationships (the duration of their longest relationship, partner support and feelings of certainty in the relationships). Findings showed that the tendency to suppress emotions was associated with lower likelihood to engage in casual sex at age 23. However, greater sexual experience in casual encounters during adolescence was consistently longitudinally associated with different forms of casual sexual encounters and short romantic involvements above and beyond the contribution of personality. In contrast, sexual activity within a romantic relationship predicted only a few indices of the quality of romantic involvement at age 23. The distinctive role of casual sexual activity and sexual activity within a romantic relationship for future sexual and romantic activities is discussed.

Certainty and Uncertainty: The Two Faces of the Hindsight Bias

“Hindsight Bias” is a person's tendency, after learning about the actual outcome of a situation or the correct answer to a question, to distort a previous judgment in the direction of this new information. In the literature, hindsight bias has been mostly discussed as an inevitable result of a “judgment under uncertainty.” We think that the hindsight bias is due to memorial as well as inferential processes: Whereas certainty about the recollection is memorial and concerns the recollective experience, certainty at the time of the judgment is inferential and concerns the individual's metaknowledge (“I know that I knew that”). In two experiments participants' feelings of certainty were measured indirectly (Koriat & Goldsmith, 1996) by giving participants the option of leaving those questions unanswered about which they felt uncertain. This free-report option was offered to half of the participants in the first estimate phase (concerning time of judgment) and to the second half in the memory phase (concerning the recollective experience). At the end of the session, participants were presented again with the questions they had skipped and were now required to answer them. This procedure allowed us to compare the amount of hindsight bias for the skipped, uncertain items to the spontaneously answered, certain ones. Both experiments demonstrated that the hindsight bias is a result of the interaction of both uncertainty and certainty.

Cognitive feelings and metacognitive judgments

AbstractIn two studies, subjects read and rated how well they understood a poem. Beforehand, however, they had participated under hypnosis in an exercise designed to induce feelings of being uncertain about something. For half of the subjects hypnosis was made salient as a cause for the feelings; for the other half the feelings remained unexplained. The results showed that when left unexplained, the feelings of uncertainty were interpreted by subjects as indications that they did not understand the poem. When attributed to the hypnosis, however, the feelings had no effect on ratings of comprehension. In one experiment, subjects were also studied who were not susceptible to hypnosis, and who, therefore, did not feel uncertain in the first place. The results suggest that just as positive and negative affective feelings serve as information for making evaluative judgments, feelings of certainty and uncertainty serve as information for making cognitive judgments (t. e. judgments of knowing).

The Relative/Absolute Nature of Knowledge and Economic Analysis

Central to economic analysis are assumptions and hypotheses concerning the extent and nature of the knowledge held by individuals. In this respect it is a noticeable feature of realist' accounts that they tend to focus upon the pervasiveness of uncertainty as an undeniable fact of economic life. (Nonrealist, or instrumentalist accounts, in contrast, tend to assume that agents have perfect information, correct foresight, rational expectations, and so on.) It is also apparent that this realist focus upon uncertainty tends to give rise to a concentration of attention upon those situations in which (possibly numerically measurable) probabilistic knowledge is thought to be available. Clearly such accounts are important. Nevertheless, I wish to suggest that such a restricted choice of focus for the realist is not entirely satisfactory, since, in particular, it tends to lead to a neglect of the widespread observation that feelings of certainty and claims to truth are also pervasive in human society. I want to suggest, moreover, that if we are to account for the latter observation (and economists concerned with realism of analysis surely need to) then various arguments and conclusions have to be taken on board which, in turn, appear to bear consequentially upon the nature and conduct of economic analysis in general. Section I below discusses such possible limitations of existing realist accounts of agent knowledge in some detail. The suggested route for responding to, and resolving, apparent problems which involves the argument that aspects of knowledge can have a relative as well as an absolute character is described in sections II and III; and the various analytical consequences of the account there set out are discussed in section IV. Section V contains concluding comments and touches upon ways in which the proposed account might be appraised and rnade operational.

Using Databases

Through a relatively simple computer technique known as online searching, practitioners can use computers to "reach out" beyond their practice walls to expand their knowledge base. By bringing information sources closer to veterinarians, feelings of isolation, frustration, and ineptitude can be replaced with feelings of certainty, confidence, and knowledge. This article explores the equipment and the software needed, and by giving examples of a few of the veterinary databases, illustrates some techniques employed in signing up and signing on to the power of online searching.

Plausibility assessments in hypothesis generation

Our principle goal was to examine one aspect of predicisional behavior: how decision makers evaluate their feelings of certainty toward specified and unspecified hypotheses. Our experimental task permitted a comparison of subjective to veridical values. Subjects generally were overconfident for specified hypotheses and conservative for unspecified hypotheses. Subjects also expressed more confidence with specified hypotheses when evaluating them individually than as an aggregate. An explanation for our results may be that subjects underestimated the importance of unspecified hypotheses because they had difficulty recalling them.