Hold Beliefs Research Articles

‘Where is the Justice?’ Unauthorized Migrants’ Perceptions of the Legitimacy of the Dutch Immigration System

Abstract The legitimacy of immigration systems in a globalized world is questioned since individuals without legal status are excluded from states’ liberal political projects and presumed to hold beliefs different from those of the state. Drawing on ethnographic research with 105 unauthorized migrants in the Netherlands, this contribution demonstrates that these migrants may consider immigration systems to be legitimate if states lawfully enact them and provide access to their human rights. Yet, they believe that the Dutch authorities currently neglect these obligations, resulting in perceived legitimacy deficits. While some scholars advocate for new vocabulary to better understand these systems, I argue that the focus should be on changing these systems to ensure legitimacy and uphold the liberal principles of democracy.

How men view stigma, shame, and blame in #MeToo

AbstractObjectiveThis study examined how men respond to #MeToo scenarios alongside perceptions of rape myths and gender equity. It examined social media post reactions of stigma, shame, fear repercussions, victim blaming, truth telling, and real assault belief.MethodsThe sample of 407 male survey participants responded to closed‐ and open‐ended questions in MTurk. Men responded to three #MeToo posts copied from Twitter, which included statements of sexual harassment and assault, to measure perceptions of stigmatization, shame, and victim blame. Variables also measured rape myth acceptance, gender equity ideals, and demographic variables such as race, ethnicity, employment, and relationship status.ResultsThe study demonstrated most men ascribed to rape myths and rape culture in their beliefs, but these beliefs usually did not lead directly to their written responses. The quantitative data showed men who accept rape myths also perceive victims as earning outcomes of shame, stigma, and blame. The qualitative data demonstrated most men supported victims’ posts sharing their #MeToo stories with few harmful, stigmatizing responses.ConclusionMen hold beliefs that might not lead to direct behaviors in responding to #MeToo posts. Additional research must be completed using other survey platforms to gain the male response to victim story sharing.

Diagnosis concealment behaviors and disclosure beliefs are associated with health and quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis

BackgroundPeople with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) struggle with whether, how, and how much to disclose their diagnosis. They often expend resources to conceal their diagnosis, and hold beliefs that it may negatively affect their personal relationships and/or professional opportunities. To better understand these effects, we developed a measure to quantify concealment behaviors and disclosure beliefs. Our main objective is to evaluate relationships of DISCO-MS responses to health and quality of life in a multinational cohort. MethodsSurvey responses were obtained for DISCO-MS and PROMIS-MS scales: global health, communication, social roles participation, anxiety, depression, emotional / behavioral dyscontrol, fatigue, lower extremity function, positive affect / well-being, social roles satisfaction, sleep, stigma, upper extremity function, cognitive function, bladder control, bowel control, visual function. Simple linear regression assessed associations. Results263 pwMS were include. Higher concealment was associated with higher anxiety (beta= 0.15 [0.07, 0.23]), depression (beta = 0.13 [0.05, 0.21]), emotional dyscontrol (beta = 0.12 [0.04, 0.20]), lower affect / well-being (beta = -0.13 [-0.21, - 0.05]). Higher anticipation of negative consequences of disclosure was associated with lower self-reported physical (beta = -0.15) and mental health (beta = -0.14), lower positive affect / well-being, social roles satisfaction, higher anxiety, depression, emotional dyscontrol, sleep disturbance, and higher perceived stigma. DiscussionThese results reveal potential consequences of diagnosis concealment for physical and mental health and quality of life. Raising awareness and implementing interventions may mitigate negative repercussions of concealment.

The farmer and the fates: Locus of control and investment in rainfed agriculture

AbstractVulnerable households, often the target for efforts to increase resilience, likely hold beliefs about their ability to control outcomes that make them less likely to invest in new technologies. Locus of control provides one way to elicit these beliefs and can help identify populations requiring additional support prior to widespread adoption of new technologies. This paper presents evidence from a large sample of maize‐producing households in Mozambique and Tanzania. A more external locus of control is strongly associated with lower expected returns to improved maize varieties and a reduced probability of their adoption.

People underestimate the influence of repetition on truth judgments (and more so for themselves than for others)

People judge repeated statements as more truthful than new statements: a truth effect. In three pre-registered experiments (N = 463), we examined whether people expect repetition to influence truth judgments more for others than for themselves: a bias blind spot in the truth effect. In Experiments 1 and 2, using moderately plausible and implausible statements, respectively, the test for the bias blind spot did not pass the significance threshold set for a two-step sequential analysis. Experiment 3 considered moderately plausible statements but with a larger sample of participants. Additionally, it compared actual performance after a two-day delay with participants' predictions for themselves and others. This time, we found clear evidence for a bias blind spot in the truth effect. Experiment 3 also showed that participants underestimated the magnitude of the truth effect, especially so for themselves, and that predictions and actual truth effect scores were not significantly related. Finally, an integrative analysis focusing on a more conservative between-participant approach found clear frequentist and Bayesian evidence for a bias blind spot. Overall, the results indicate that people (1) hold beliefs about the effect of repetition on truth judgments, (2) believe that this effect is larger for others than for themselves, (3) and underestimate the effect's magnitude, and (4) particularly so for themselves.

Item development and pre-testing of an Osteoarthritis Conceptualisation Questionnaire to assess knowledge and beliefs in people with knee pain.

Many people with osteoarthritis hold beliefs that physical activity is unhelpful or dangerous for their joints, despite high-level evidence suggesting otherwise. Recent advances in scientific understanding of osteoarthritis have led to new treatments that target an individual's understanding both of their condition and the importance of best-practice management strategies, such as physical activity. Conceptual change has been proposed as an important mechanism by which cognitive interventions, such as pain science education, may reduce pain and improve function. There are currently no specific assessments of osteoarthritis conceptualisation to determine the effectiveness of cognitive interventions in effecting conceptual change in people with knee osteoarthritis. Therefore, we aimed to develop an item bank, as the first phase of developing a questionnaire to assess people's conceptualisations about their knee osteoarthritis and the role of physical activity in managing their osteoarthritis. Using a guideline-informed mixed method design, a panel of experts identified domains relevant to conceptualisation about knee osteoarthritis and physical activity (knowledge, beliefs, understanding) based upon available evidence. The panel created 33 provisional items. Qualitative and quantitative pretesting were used to explore how people with knee osteoarthritis understood the provisional items. Eighteen people with knee osteoarthritis completed cognitive interviews about their comprehension of the wording/grammar of each provisional item. The provisional item bank was field tested with 100 people with knee osteoarthritis. Readability was adequate with a Flesch reading ease score of 57.7. Although 14.7% used the 'Strongly agree' response option, only 3.4% of responses used the 'Strongly disagree' option, suggesting possible response bias. Predictive quality testing identified relevant modifications to the questionnaire instructions. The panel of experts appraised the qualitative data to assess whether and how items should be modified to address the problems identified, resulting in a final item bank of 45 items that can be evaluated for psychometric properties in future research.

The effects of implicit firm theory on customer engagement and firm-related judgments

Purpose This paper aims to introduce the implicit firm theory, distinguishing between the belief that firms can (incremental firm theory) or cannot (entity firm theory) readily change in response to marketplace demands. It is proposed and shown, that firm theory beliefs influence customer-engagement attitudes and intentions. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 tests the relationship between firm theory, self-theory and knowledge-sharing attitudes. Study 2a tests differences between incremental and entity firm theorists in response to firm failure. Study 2b examines the relationship between firm theory and blame attributions on post-failure loyalty. Study 3 explores the effect of firm theory on perceptions of control and blame attributions following repeated firm failures. Findings Study 1 shows firm theory influences consumer knowledge-sharing attitudes beyond the effect of self-theory. Study 2a shows incremental firm theorists are more likely to remain loyal to a firm following failure and less likely to share negative word-of-mouth. Study 2b shows that blame attributions mediate the relationship between firm theory and loyalty intentions, with incremental theorists ascribing less blame. Study 3 shows incremental firm theorists significantly increase blame following multiple failures, while entity firm theorists do not. Research limitations/implications Results are based on scenario-based surveys and experimental methods; their applicability in more complex real-world customer-firm relationships warrants additional study. Practical implications Firms should account for a customer’s firm theory in their communications, emphasizing situational factors to reduce post-failure blame among incremental firm theorists. Originality/value Establishes that consumers hold beliefs regarding the malleability of firm traits, which influence their firm engagement intentions.

Exploring how physician educators approach politically charged topics with learners.

Medical educators hold and encounter different beliefs and values on politically charged health-related topics such as reproductive rights and immigration. Their views on these topics have implications for how they approach them with learners, yet little work has explored medical educators' views and pedagogical approaches. In this study, we used Hess's approaches to controversial topics (avoidance, denial, privilege, balance) as a guiding conceptual framework to explore physician educators' views on and approaches to politically charged topics. We used this understanding to provide guidance on how best to address politically charged issues within medical education. We used a constructivist qualitative approach to explore medical educators' approaches to politically charged topics. We interviewed 37 physician educators from two medical schools in different regions of the United States. In these semi-structured interviews, we presented participants with vignettes depicting politically charged topics arising in an educational setting. Participants described and explained their response to each vignette. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using constructivist-oriented thematic analysis. Participants were thoughtful about preparing learners for participation in a professional community that holds certain responsibilities to a politically and culturally diverse society. Although some adopted clear approaches on politically charged topics and declared their stance on the topic to learners, others took a balanced approach, focused only on the medical aspects and withheld their views. The context and location of practice played a role in the approaches participants adopted. Additionally, they had varied views on which topics had a place in medical education. Our findings provide insights that can help guide medical educators and training programmes in decisions about their role in facilitating conversations about politically charged, health-related topics and helping learners form their own perspectives and approaches to such topics.

Attitudes toward bone health among rural-dwelling veterans identified as at risk of fracture: a qualitative analysis.

ABSTRACTAlthough much is known about system‐level barriers to prevention and treatment of bone health problems, little is known about patient‐level barriers. The objective of this study was to identify factors limiting engagement in bone health care from the perspective of rural‐dwelling patients with known untreated risk. Over 6 months, 39 patients completed a qualitative interview. Interview questions focused on the patient's experience of care, their decision to not accept care, as well as their knowledge of osteoporosis and the impact it has had on their lives. Participants were well‐informed and could adequately describe osteoporosis and its deleterious effects, and their decision making around accepting or declining a dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan and treatment was both cautious and intentional. Decisions about how to engage in treatment were tempered by expectations for quality of life. Our findings suggest that people hold beliefs about bone health treatment that we can build on. Work to improve care of this population needs to recognize that bone health providers are not adding a behavior of medication taking to patients, they are changing a behavior or belief. Published 2021. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Understanding the management of osteoarthritis in Australia: a qualitative study of gps and orthopaedic surgeons

Purpose: Evidence suggests that current management of osteoarthritis (OA) often falls short of best practice. Previous studies show that health professionals demonstrate a poor understanding of OA and hold unhelpful attitudes and beliefs about the disease. The aims of this study were to explore the attitudes towards and understanding of OA held by Australian general practitioners (GPs) and orthopaedic surgeons, gain a deeper understanding of conservative and surgical management of OA in Australia and identify key barriers and challenges to management.

Plastic Pollution in the Ocean: The Impacts of Visual Information and Text on Beliefs, Attitudes, and Expected Behaviours

An experiment is conducted using an internet-based survey about the problem of plastic pollution in oceans. Treatment groups consist of respondents viewing an underwater photograph illustrating plastic pollution in oceans and/or reading a one-sentence description of the magnitude of the problem. Treatment effects are estimated for a variety of attitude and belief measures as well as for respondents’ expectations about how their own and others’ behaviours will be affected. Results support the external validity of previous estimates as well as providing new insights. For the sample as a whole, estimated effects on expected behaviours are more significant than estimated effects on underlying beliefs and attitudes. Though there are few statistically significant effects on belief and attitude measures, each treatment does result in some statistically significant effects, however. Estimated effects on beliefs and attitudes for those who didn’t hold strong pre-existing pro-environmental attitudes and beliefs were large, suggesting that visual and/or textual information can have large impacts on that group. There are almost no differences across treatments, whether for the sample as a whole or for the subsamples. A large majority of respondents reported that the experimental treatment made them want to learn more about this important environmental problem.

Canadian identity attenuates the negative impact of familial rejection on psychological distress

Bicultural individuals generally maintain their heritage cultures and live in accordance with mainstream culture with relative ease. However, when the two cultures hold incompatible values, beliefs, and social norms over what is considered appropriate, bicultural individuals may face unique challenges. One such challenge is potentially experiencing rejection from their families for transgressing their heritage cultural norms, which can cause psychological distress. The present study explored the association of familial rejection for transgressing heritage cultural norms and psychological distress in situations where those norms are incompatible with mainstream Canadian norms, and the role that Canadian group identification plays. Results revealed that familial rejection for transgressing heritage cultural norms may be associated with psychological distress; however, that association can be attenuated for those who strongly identify as Canadian. Results of the present study provide empirical support for the widely held but untested assumption that bicultural individuals’ experiences of familial rejection for transgressing heritage cultural norms is associated with psychological distress. Additionally, results of the present study suggest that Canadian group identification can assist bicultural Canadians to better cope when their familial relationships are threatened as a result of their heritage cultural norm transgressions.

Understanding the needs of rural preceptors from groups underrepresented in medicine

Abstract
 Introduction
 Community preceptors are essential in providing sufficient training opportunities for health professional students. Recently, focus has been given to the recruitment of community preceptors from groups underrepresented in medicine (UiM) for their contibutions in training a diverse and culturally competent workforce. The overall goal of this study is to review data collected from UiM preceptors and potential preceptors for unique beliefs or values that reveal their motivation for teaching. We hypothesize that community preceptors from groups underrepresented in medicine hold beliefs reflective of high levels of altruism and service.
 Methods
 This is a retrospective study of interview data collected from UiM community preceptors for developing clinical education experiences. We sought to uniquely understand the needs of these preceptors in order to develop our recruitment strategy. Each participant agreed to a structured interview and gave or denied permission to have the interview recorded. In the structured interview, community physicians were asked to answer questions about their motivation to precept medical and physician assistant students. They were further asked about their desired compensation, reservations about teaching, and interest in participating in curricular development.
 Results
 We interviewed 12 community providers- 11 physicians and one advanced practice nurse. Participants were from a broad range of specialties: Obstetrics/Gynecology (3), Surgery (3), Psychiatry (3), Family Medicine (1), Pediatrics (1), Emergency Medicine (1). Of the providers interviewed, 10 were from groups underrepresented in medicine. All 10 of the UiM participants were physicians. All participants completed the structured interview. The answers provided in the interview were able to be grouped into themes reflecting a recurring set of beliefs and motivations.
 Conclusions
 UiM preceptors hold values reflective of altruism and a willingness to serve in the creation of the future workforce. We have found UiM preceptors possess a strong desire for training as educators. Further, UiM preceptors are incentivized by financial compensation and willing to commit their personal time to advising the medical school.

Managing stress during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and beyond: Reappraisal and mindset approaches.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic is a global public health crisis of a scale not previously experienced in modern times (Kickbusch et al., 2020). Governmental ‘lockdown’ measures aimed at minimizing virus transmission including ‘stay at home’ orders, closure of businesses and places of congregation, and travel restrictions have had a substantive societal impact that permeates almost every facet of daily life (Gostin & Wiley, 2020; Shanafelt, Ripp, & Trockel, 2020). These widespread changes represent considerable sources of stress in the population and will have deleterious effects on mental and physical health going forward. As nations begin to emerge from ‘lockdown’, the collateral damage to human health caused by these restrictions has taken centre stage, and mental health issues, particularly stress‐related conditions and outcomes, are prominent among them. The imperative for strategies to assist in managing stress and minimizing concomitant health problems has become a priority. In this commentary, we outline how stress reappraisal interventions, which have come to the fore in recent years, may be a potentially efficacious, cost‐effective way to manage stress during and post‐pandemic, and minimize the health consequences.

Perceptions of Harmfulness of Heated Tobacco Products Compared to Combustible Cigarettes among Adult Smokers in Japan: Findings from the 2018 ITC Japan Survey.

In Japan, the tobacco industry promotes heated tobacco products (HTPs) as a reduced-risk tobacco product. This study examines: (1) smokers’ harm perceptions of HTPs relative to combustible cigarettes; (2) differences in relative harm perceptions between exclusive smokers and smokers who use HTPs (concurrent users) and between concurrent users based on frequency of product use; and (3) if smokers who were exposed to HTP advertising hold beliefs that are consistent with marketing messages of lower harmfulness. This cross-sectional study included 2614 adult exclusive cigarette smokers and 986 concurrent users who reported their perceptions of harmfulness of HTPs compared to cigarettes, as well as their exposure to HTP advertising in the last six months. Among all smokers, 47.5% perceive that HTPs are less harmful than cigarettes, 24.6% perceive HTPs to be equally as harmful, 1.8% perceive HTPs as more harmful, and 26.1% did not know. Concurrent users are more likely than exclusive smokers to believe that HTPs are less harmful (62.1% versus 43.8%, p < 0.0001) and less likely to report that they did not know (14.3% versus 29.4%, p < 0.0001). Frequent HTP users are more likely than infrequent users to believe that HTPs are less harmful (71.7% versus 57.1%, p ≤ 0.001). Believing that HTPs are less harmful than cigarettes was associated with noticing HTP advertising on TV (p = 0.0005), in newspapers/magazines (p = 0.0001), on posters/billboards (p < 0.0001), in stores where tobacco (p < 0.0001) or where HTPs (p < 0.0001) are sold, on social media (p < 0.0001), or in bars/pubs (p = 0.04). HTP users were significantly more likely than non-HTP users to believe that HTPs are less harmful than cigarettes, with this belief being more prominent among frequent users. Smokers who have been exposed to HTP advertising were more likely to perceive HTPs as less harmful than cigarettes.

Exploring veterinary medical students' mindset about intelligence, personality, attitude, and skills and abilities

Background: In recent decades, the topic of mindset has gained considerable attention in the education arena. According to Dweck, people hold beliefs about their personal traits that can be classified into one of the two beliefs: fixed and growth mindsets. Individuals with a fixed mindset believe that their traits cannot be changed. Individuals with a growth mindset believe that their traits can be cultivated over time and enhanced through effort. The purpose of this study was to explore the mindset of veterinary medical students as it pertains to traits such as intelligence, personality, attitude, and skills and abilities. Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey design, 298 veterinary medical students were enrolled in the study. Results: The overwhelming majority of the students believed that skills and abilities could be cultivated and improved over time. However, a considerable proportion of students believed that attitude, intelligence, and personality were largely fixed traits. Conclusions: Implications for mindset have far-reaching effects, including resilience, grit, motivations, and more.

Sense or non-sense? a critical discussion of a recent evolutionary–cognitive approach to “folk-economic beliefs”

Laypeople hold beliefs about economics and policy issues—so-called folk-economic beliefs (FEBs)—that are often wrong or misleading according to professional economists. Here, I critically discuss a recent evolutionary–cognitive approach to understanding folk-economic beliefs. According to this approach (Boyer &amp; Petersen 2018a), some economic beliefs are more prevalent than others, because such beliefs (i.e., folk-economic beliefs) resonate with evolved features of the human mind. I refer to this as the “FEB hypothesis”. A central challenge to the FEB hypothesis, with its heavy reliance on universal cognitive features, is to explain individual and cultural differences in economic beliefs and behavior. This challenge is the starting point for the discussion. Overall, the conclusion of this paper is that the FEB hypothesis relies on unnecessarily strong and controversial theoretical assumptions (e.g., “massive modularity” and the “Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness”), and that it overlooks important findings from adjacent fields, but that the FEB hypothesis, following some modifications inspired by Dual Inheritance Theory, can be integrated with robust findings from the rest of the evolutionary, cognitive, and anthropological sciences, as well as standard political psychology. Based on this discussion, the paper ends with brief reflections on how to correct inaccurate folk-economic beliefs.

Narcissistic Leaders and Their Victims: Followers Low on Self-Esteem and Low on Core Self-Evaluations Suffer Most

Narcissistic leaders are self-absorbed and hold beliefs of entitlement and superiority. Their aggressive tendencies in the face of criticism and inclinations to validate their self-worth by derogating others may lead others to perceive them as being abusive. Here, we test the relationship between leader narcissism and followers’ perceptions of abusive supervision. Drawing upon research related to the behavioral plasticity hypothesis, we propose that followers with low self-esteem will perceive narcissistic leaders as more abusive than those with high self-esteem. Followers low on self-esteem are more insecure, more in need of approval from their supervisor and are more likely to interpret the haughty, derogatory attitude of narcissistic leaders as abusive. Such followers also make for ‘easier targets’ and thus may actually suffer more abusive behavior from their narcissistic leaders. In a first multi-source study of 85 leaders and 128 followers, we found support for the moderating role of follower self-esteem in the relationship between leader narcissism and perceived abusive supervision: Narcissistic leaders were rated as more abusive by followers who were low on self-esteem, but not those higher on self-esteem. In a second multi-source field study among 177 leader-follower dyads, we tested a moderated mediation model and showed that this finding also holds for the broader concept of follower core self-evaluations as a moderator. Abusive supervision, in turn, was related to lower follower performance and followers experiencing more burnout symptoms. Thus, followers low on self-esteem or low on core self-evaluations seem to suffer most from narcissistic leaders as they perceive them to be abusive and, in turn, these followers show reduced performance and more burnout symptoms when working for such leaders. This research thus identifies an important moderator that might help reconcile previous inconsistent findings regarding perceptions of narcissistic leaders.

Standards and assessment: coherence from the teacher’s perspective

We sought to understand how teachers’ perspectives on standards-based instructional practices, classroom assessment, and external testing do or do not show coherence and alignment. Based on survey methods (n = 155) and interviews with a sample of secondary school teachers (n = 9) in a large urban district in the USA, we explored general trends and individual teachers’ viewpoints. Our results suggest that the teachers’ instructional use of standards, classroom assessment preferences, and beliefs about the test-driven system are moderately correlated. Interview data provide insight into reasons teachers hold beliefs that do or do not fit well into a coherent assessment system.

Social Origins of Scientific Deviance: Examining Creationism and Global Warming Skepticism

Scientific communities maintain respected authority on matters related to the natural world; however, there are instances where significant portions of the population hold beliefs contrary to the scientific consensus. These beliefs have generally been studied as the product of scientific illiteracy. This project reframes the issue as one of social deviance from the consensus of scientific communities. Using young-earth creationism and global warming skepticism as case studies, I suggest that consensus perception in light of public scientific deviance is a valuable dialectical framework, and demonstrate its utility using logistic regression analyses of the 2006 Pew Religion and Public Life Survey. Believing there is no scientific consensus is one of the most important factors in predicting scientifically deviant beliefs, along with political and religious effects, eclipsing education. The inability of consensus perception to explain all variation in scientific deviance lends further credence to the framework, suggesting future directions in the study of this phenomenon.