Group Members Research Articles

Political Polarization, Ingroup Bias, and Helping Behavior: Do We Help Others Who Are “on the Other Political Team?”

Abstract The American social and political climate has become increasingly polarized. To explore the effects of politically based ingroup biases as they relate to intended helping of others, we designed a study in which we hypothesized that people who are extreme on the political spectrum will intend to help in-group members more so than out-group members. Using an experimental manipulation, we asked participants to choose if extremely progressive (N = 212; mean age = 22.9; 69% female), extremely conservative (N = 47; mean age = 32.8; 55% male), or neither represented their political beliefs. Participants were randomized to one of two vignettes, each depicting either a pro-blue lives matter or pro-black lives matter scenario. Results showed that, controlling for both age and gender, progressives were less likely to help out-group members compared with individuals in any other condition. Dispositional variables were also measured with dark and light triad traits. Light triad traits tended to positively predict helping intentions across conditions. Implications for understanding the psychology of helping are discussed.

From fetchers to decision-makers: exploring the gender dynamics of water access and governance in resource-poor communities of Mbala, Zambia

ABSTRACT Research on African women often emphasizes their traditional roles as water fetchers and caregivers, but their potential role in water governance is frequently overlooked. Here, this research gap is explored with a focus on the sustainability of water access points (WAPs). The latest mWater tool version 3.0. was used to conduct household surveys concerning gender roles in water access in rural Mbala of northern Zambia. Purposive sampling, a non-probability methodological approach, was used to choose respondents. The Empowerment in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) Index (EWI) was adopted to quantify empowerment levels. The analysis revealed significant contributors to disempowerment, such as group membership, control over household goods, work balance, and leadership in WAP implementation. The study also highlighted the critical role of Water Point Committees (WPCs) in sustaining WAPs. An unexpected finding emerges as the data contests the prevalent notion that women, who are primarily responsible for water fetching, are marginalized from decision-making processes. Instead, the results suggest that women's disempowerment is not the primary factor contributing to the lack of sustainability of WAPs. Rather, a general lack of financial commitment within communities is at play. The study highlights the critical, yet previously overlooked, role of community meetings in ensuring the sustainability of WAPs.

Modeling Group Exercise Members Continuation

This research presents a conceptual model that investigates group exercise program continuation, influenced by membership price, service quality, and group cohesion. A random sample of members from recreation fitness centers completed a group exercise questionnaire (three locations, n= 200). The study measured members’ perceptions of class social cohesion, group exercise service quality, price satisfaction, and continuation. Results show that Price Satisfaction, Group Exercise Service Quality (GXSQ) and Group Integration Task (GI-T) have a direct significant relationship with Intent to Repurchase. GXSQ and Price mediate the relationship of GI-T and Continuation. Price mediating the relationship of GXSQ and intent to repurchase. GI-S does not contribute to the model. The results emphasize the importance of the quality of the program (instructor and operations) and the price point when deciding to repurchase classes. The collective task and how participants perceived satisfaction are influenced by these factors, and a positive experience leads to program continuation.

Trajectories of antidepressant use after tamoxifen initiation among young and middle-aged women with breast cancer.

Antidepressant treatment patterns may change after women with breast cancer (BC) initiate tamoxifen, potentially impacting health outcomes. We characterized trajectories of antidepressant use after initiating tamoxifen among young and middle-aged women with BC, identifying risk factors for trajectory group membership. A retrospective cohort included women 18-64years-old with BC and antidepressant treatment history who received a new tamoxifen dispensing (index date). We measured longitudinal antidepressant use post-index date as 12, monthly, proportion of days covered (PDC) measurements in a 25% random sample of IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus for Academics US claims, 2006-2022. Group-based trajectory models identified latent subgroups of antidepressant use by testing 2-6-group representations; the best model fit determined by the lowest Bayesian Information Criterion, clinical interpretability, and each subgroup comprising ≥ 5% of the cohort. Using multinomial logistic regression, baseline covariates including demographics, depression status and the CYP2D6-inhibitory strength of antidepressants were evaluated as risk factors for the trajectory of antidepressant use after tamoxifen initiation. Our sample of 851 women followed four distinct antidepressant adherence trajectories after tamoxifen initiation: 12% exhibited immediately decreasing use [mean PDC (sd) 8% (± 7)]; 7% exhibited delayed decreasing use [41% (± 14)]; 20% exhibited dynamic-moderate use [54% (± 15)]; and 60% exhibited consistently high use [91% (+ 7)]. Age, depression, and treatment with non CYP2D6-inhibiting antidepressants were associated with women's trajectory of antidepressant use after initiating tamoxifen. Nearly 40% of women were nonadherent to antidepressants after tamoxifen initiation. Future research should explore cancer-related and mental health implications of this nonadherence.

Group information enhances recognition of both learned and unlearned face appearances.

Are people better at recognizing individuals of more relevant groups, such as ingroup compared to outgroup members or high-status compared to low-status individuals? Previous studies that associated faces with group information found a robust effect of group on face recognition but only tested it using the same images presented during the learning phase. They therefore cannot tell whether group information enhances encoding of the specific image presented during learning or encoding of the person who appears in it, which should generalize to other images of that person. In addition, the measures used in these studies do not sufficiently distinguish between sensitivity and response bias. In this article, we addressed these limitations and examined in three experiments the effect of group membership (Experiments 1 and 2) and social status (Experiment 3) on face recognition. In all experiments, we assessed recognition of both learned and unlearned views of the learned faces. Our results show improved recognition of ingroup members compared to outgroup members and of individuals of high-status groups compared to low-status groups for both learned and unlearned views. These effects emerged also when we used measures of memory accuracy that adequately control for response bias. These findings highlight the importance of group and status information in person recognition. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Technical efficiency, combination of innovation strategies and group membership

PurposeThis research aims to study the impact that the interaction between internal R&D and R&D cooperation has on the technical efficiency of firms, as well as to analyse whether firms belonging to a group achieve any additional level of technical efficiency.Design/methodology/approachWe employ the stochastic frontier version of a knowledge production function, particularly the inefficiency model, and we combine the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and the complementarity approach.FindingsThe interaction between internal R&D and R&D cooperation has a positive and significant impact on technical efficiency when the complementarity test is applied between companies belonging to a group, and there is no interaction when they do not belong to a group.Practical implicationsKnowing this type of information in advance is critical for managers and policymakers, as it allows them to avoid undesirable combinations of innovation strategies or contexts not favourable for their implementation, as well as the formulation of policies leading to an efficient allocation of public resources.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper contributes an original approach in evaluating the complementarity of internal R&D and R&D cooperation from the perspective of technical efficiency and group membership, combining the SFA and the complementarity approach.

Empirical perspectives on legal obligation and group membership: “We are ruling over you, but you are part of this we…”

Empirical perspectives on legal obligation and group membership: “We are ruling over you, but you are part of this we…”

Resilience factors affecting long-term trajectories of depressive symptoms in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami among older adults.

We examined long-term trajectories of depressive symptoms among older adults following exposure to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. We further characterized the pre- and post-disaster social relationship factors that predicted membership in each trajectory group. Data from four time points (including pre-disaster data) were used to analyze the depression trajectories of 2,033 survivors through a group-based trajectory model. Multinomial logistic analysis was used to investigate the social relationship factors (i.e., social interactions with neighbors, social support, social participation, and social cohesion) that predicted membership to each trajectory group. Five distinct trajectories of depressive symptoms were identified; stably not depressed (12.4%), increased after the disaster (14.2%), decreased after the disaster (8.8%), persistent mild depressive symptoms (28.1%) and persistent severe depressive symptoms (36.5%). Compared to those who were stably not depressed, those who experienced an increase in symptoms were more likely to experience housing damage and not to participate in social activities. Compared to those who were stably mildly depressed, those who experienced a decrease in symptoms had higher pre-disaster social interactions with neighbors as well as higher post-disaster social support. Adults with persistent severe symptoms were physically, psychologically, and socially vulnerable preceding the disaster. The study revealed the heterogeneity of older adults experiencing depressive symptoms in the wake of major disaster. Those who experienced increased symptoms after the disaster showed a chronic rather than temporary rise, while those with pre-disaster depressive symptoms showed sustained symptoms regardless of disaster-related trauma.

A case-control study of reaction time deficits in a 3D virtual reality in patients with Post-COVID syndrome

Following the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a large number of people continue to report Post-COVID symptoms (PCS). A wide variety of symptoms are described, including fatigue, post-exertional malaise and cognitive impairment. However, adequate objective diagnostic tests for PCS are not yet available. Since the neurotropism of SARS-CoV-2 could be a possible factor for cognitive impairment, the aim of this study was to clarify whether visual reaction time (RT) in a stereoscopic setting can be a marker in PCS diagnostics. The Virtual-Reality-Oculomotor-Test-System (VR-OTS) was used testing binocular vision in 9 gaze directions via stereoscopic stimuli displayed in a virtual reality (VR)-environment (disparity: 275″, 550″, 1100″) in 179 individuals: 130 patients with PCS and 49 healthy controls. The results from the generalized linear models indicated that both group membership (PCS vs. control) and covariates (age and sex) yielded statistically significant different RT across the models. Accounting for the effect of covariates a statistically significant difference of RT was observed between patients with PCS and controls (disparity 275″ p-value = 0.001; 550″ p-value = 0.001; 1100″ p-value = 0.003). Patients with PCS performed worse in RT in all gaze directions, respectively. Adjusting for the influence of covariates, correct responses (CR) differed significantly between patients with PCS and controls (disparity 275″ p-value < 0.001; 550″ p-value = 0.003; 1100″ p-value = 0.019). Statistically significant effects of covariates on RT were observed for sex (disparity 275″ p-value = 0.047; 550″ p-value = 0.012; 1100″ p-value = 0.005) and age (disparity 275″ p-value < 0.001; 550″ p-value < 0.001; 1100″ p-value < 0.001). However, regarding covariates, no significant effects were found for CR, except for age at disparity 275″ (p-value = 0.035). The present data suggested that the mentioned variables uniquely contributed to explain the variation of the response variable (RT, CR). RT and CR detecting 3D-stimuli in a virtual 3D- environment might offer novel functional diagnostic approaches in PCS.

Island colonization in flowering plants is determined by the interplay of breeding system, lifespan, floral symmetry, and arrival opportunity.

Among flowering plants, self-compatibility, longer lifespan, and generalized pollination syndrome are each thought to increase the lifetime odds of finding a mate, particularly in isolated locales. An accumulated body of evidence supports the role of breeding system in island colonization, but less is known about the impact of other traits and their interactions during establishment. We employ a global dataset of 3222 flowering plant species from 169 families to estimate the effects of traits on the probability of island occurrence. Our analyses additionally account for taxonomic group membership and assess the role of island arrival opportunity. Self-compatibility is strongly associated with island colonization. A longer lifespan and generalized pollination syndrome are also associated with increased island colonization, although this is influenced by their interaction with breeding system. The probability of island colonization is highly dependent on taxonomically conserved unmeasured traits and arrival opportunity. As expected, mate limitation appears to increase with dispersal distance, although many other factors are at play. We find that arrival opportunity and breeding system are the primary drivers of island colonization relative to other life-history traits we account for here, lending additional support for the positive role of uniparental reproduction in establishment following long-distance dispersal.

Evaluating factors influencing youth participation in agricultural enterprises: Implications for food security and agribusiness

Background: Agriculture is crucial for economic growth, yet youth engagement in agricultural enterprises is declining due to concerns related to perceived profitability, resource access, and social stigmas. Understanding these determinants is vital for fostering youth interest in agriculture and promoting sustainable rural development and food security.Aim: This study examines the factors affecting youth engagement in agricultural enterprises in Umzimvubu Local Municipality, South Africa, and their implications for food security and agribusiness.Setting: Addressing youth unemployment and enhancing agriculture’s contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) require understanding barriers to youth participation. This study was conducted in Umzimvubu Local Municipality, South Africa.Methods: A structured questionnaire was administered to 210 youths through stratified random sampling. Descriptive statistics and a univariate probit regression model were used for analysis.Results: Findings indicate male dominance in agriculture, with educational background positively correlating with participation. Single youths showed greater interest than married counterparts. Challenges like land availability and a lack of financial support hinder engagement. Significant determinants include age, education, farming skills, social group membership, and household revenue, while factors like household size, gender, and limited access to credit negatively impact willingness to participate.Conclusion: Addressing financial barriers through improved access to loans is essential to enhance youth involvement. Policies should cater to youth-specific traits and environmental challenges to build a resilient agricultural sector driven by young innovators.Contribution: The study emphasises the need for a comprehensive policy framework collaboratively developed by the government, the Department of Agriculture, and non-governmental organisations.

New Groups and Post-Traumatic Growth: Experimental Evidence That Gaining Group Memberships Supports Recovery From Natural Disaster

This paper provides the first experimental test of whether two social identity model of traumatic identity change processes—(i) group membership gain, and (ii) group membership continuity—predict post-traumatic growth (PTG) and post-traumatic stress (PTS) via social identity revitalization. Participants ( N = 210, Mage = 49.59 years) were adult flood survivors who were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: group membership gain, group membership continuity, or a weather control. Participants then completed measures of PTG, PTS, and social identity revitalization. Participants in the group membership gain condition reported greater social identity revitalization, compared to the group membership continuity and control conditions. Social identity revitalization, in turn, predicted PTG, and the indirect effect of group membership gain on PTG was significant. We concluded that gaining new group memberships play a role in supporting natural disaster recovery by fostering positive reappraisals of the disaster via social identity revitalization.

Meta-Analysis on Farmers’ Adoption of Agricultural Technologies in East Africa: Evidence from Chinese Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centers

Farmers’ low agricultural productivity in East African countries is attributed to among other factors, the low application of modern agricultural technologies. Using meta-analysis this study intended to examine the determinants of adoption of agricultural technologies in East African countries recipients of Chinese Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centers (ATDCs). A comprehensive review employed to gather 22 studies addressing the determinants of adoption of agricultural technologies such as improved varieties, agricultural mechanization, soil conservation, and animal breeding from Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda. The collected data were analyzed using STATA 17 software. The study used a random-effect model to estimate the determinants of agricultural technologies adoption. The findings demonstrated that access to credit, age, education, farming experience, farmer group membership, household size, and off-farm income have a significant influence on farmers ‘adoption of improved varieties. Age, farm size, and education have a significant influence on the adoption of agricultural mechanization. Soil conservation practices are influenced by age, household size, and sex. Moreover, age, education, extension services, and farming experience have a significant impact on the adoption of animal breeding. It is recommended that East African governments, policymakers, and agricultural practitioners to focus on these common variables when planning for the intervention of new agricultural technologies.

Forming Shared Interest Pods: Barriers to Self-Assembly of Interest-Based Small Groups, and Dynamics of Retaining and Giving up Control to Find Collective Fit

We explore the challenges individuals face when seeking like-minded partners to pursue shared interests in small groups, specifically outside the workplace, classroom, or other externally organized contexts. Conducting nine 90-minute semi-structured interviews involving a hypothetical small group formation process, we found four compounding challenges that make it difficult to form and maintain stable groups. In contrast to other kinds of small groups discussed in the literature, the unique "combination" of these challenges bring into focus a class of interest-based small groups we term " shared interest pods ": self-assembled small groups united by shared interests, whose members derive benefits from sustained, synchronous interactions that hinge on the level of fit among them. The need to discover and maintain collective fit, the considerable commitment required for regular interactions, their small size, and the lack of external enforcement, makes shared interest pods fragile and unstable, and an information-rich site for studying dynamics of self-organized consensus-seeking in underexplored areas of Lee and Paine's Model of Coordinated Action, and for considering the tension between supporting personal agency through organic group formation and optimizing stability through algorithmic assignments. A central finding is how dynamics of maintaining and giving up control co-exist in shared interest pods in their search for collective fit. People seek to maintain control over certain aspects of finding fit (e.g. in determining group membership), but are simultaneously willing to give up control to organizers or algorithms under certain conditions (e.g. when balancing desired quality with social and ethical considerations). We discuss design implications for supporting the formation of shared interest pods, and more broadly, for exploring self-organized consensus-seeking in other societal collective decision-making contexts.

Non-Participation in a Digital Health Intervention Study Among Older Adults: Uneven Involvement, Biased Outcomes and the Effect of Weighting.

The involvement of older adults in research on digital health is uneven with respect to e.g. age, gender, health status, and digital skills. However, little is known regarding the impact of the uneven involvement of older adults in digital health research on researched outcomes. This study helps to fill this knowledge gap and identifies the effects of uneven involvement of older adults in digital health research on researched outcomes, and also develops a correction for this. Data are retrieved from a digital health intervention for postoperative monitoring of people who underwent day surgery in Sweden. Based on field information on the recruitment process and researched outcomes for the intervention, this study (1) tested intervention effects by using two standard unweighted procedures in a sample of 281 individuals aged 50 years or older, and then (2) used the information on participants, non-participants and their respective probabilities to be involved in the intervention study to perform a weighting of the intervention effects for each step of selection and for the study group membership. The intervention effects were found to be overestimated due to overrepresentation of groups which gained from receiving the intervention. No intervention effects were found after adjustment for participation bias. Selective participation of older adults in digital health research biases research outcomes and can lead to overestimation of intervention effects. Weighting allows researchers to correct and describe the impact of selective participation on researched outcomes.

Welfare effect of rice outgrower scheme participation: empirical evidence from northern Ghana

Outgrower schemes can improve farmers’ welfare by boosting farm productivity and increasing market participation. In this context, we examined the effect of participating in outgrower schemes on household welfare indicators while controlling for potential observed and unobserved biases that could influence the outcomes. To address this objective, we employed an endogenous switching regression model to analyze primary data from 555 rice farmers in northern Ghana who use irrigation. The results revealed significant effect of sex of household’s head, age, marital status, education, dependency ratio, non-farm work, extension contact, access to credit, membership of farmer group, proximity to commercial markets, distance to outgrower schemes, familiarity with scheme operations, and the geographical location of the farmer on the propensity to participate in outgrower schemes. Importantly, participation in outgrower schemes resulted in a 57.6%, 23.6%, and 48.1% increase in household consumption expenditure per capita, income per capita, and asset ownership, respectively, exceeding what participants could have gained if they had not participated. Similarly, the non-participants, would have experienced a 21.2%, 34.0%, and 26.1% increase in household consumption expenditure per capita, income per capita, and assets, respectively, if they had joined the scheme Therefore, strategies to improve farmer groups and extension services are required as they are critical channels for encouraging more farmers to participate in the schemes and thereby improving their welfare.

Negative media representations of young people during COVID related national lockdown increases young people's perceived stress

AbstractSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus is a destructive respiratory disease that has affected the lives of billions of people around the world. Researchers argue that a group‐based approach drawing on our membership of specific social groups, rather than appealing to our individual self‐interest, is necessary to combat the disease. Social groups who are perceived to be not adhering to national mitigation measures aimed at reducing the spread of the virus, are often portrayed negatively by the media. The current study examines the impact of negative media constructions of young peoples’ behavior during the COVID‐19 pandemic, specifically focusing on when these constructions have been contested by young people involved. A total of 789 young people were randomly assigned to read either a positive or negative description of young people's behavior during COVID‐19 restrictions. Results indicate that the type of article had no impact on behavioral outcomes or perceived stress. However, an interaction effect was noted where reading a negative article and disagreeing with the content increased individuals’ levels of perceived stress. Findings indicate that negative group‐based media constructions of behavior do not increase behavioral conformity but does undermine the mental health of those involved.

Dynamics trajectory of patient-reported quality of life and its associated risk factors among hepatocellular carcinoma patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors: a prospective cohort study

ObjectiveWe aimed to characterize quality of life (QOL) trajectories among patients with intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with immunotherapy.MethodsBarcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage B-C HCC patients receiving immunotherapy at Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital were included. Trajectories of QOL, assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Hepatobiliary (FACT-Hep) questionnaire, were identified through iterative estimations of group-based trajectory models. Associations with trajectory group membership were analyzed using multivariable multinomial logistic regression.ResultsThree trajectory groups were identified (n=156): excellent (35.3%), poor (43.6%), and deteriorating (21.1%) QOL. The deteriorating trajectory group reported a mean QOL score of 124.79 (95% CI, 116.58–133.00), but then declined significantly at month-2 (estimated QOL score 98.67 [95% CI, 84.33–113.00]), and the lowest mean score is reached at month-6 (estimated QOL score 16.58 [95% CI, 0–46.07]). Factors associated with membership to the deteriorating group included no drinking (odds ratio [OR] vs yes [95% CI], 3.70 [1.28–11.11]), no received radiotherapy (OR vs yes [95% CI], 8.33 [1.41–50.00]), diabetes (OR vs no [95% CI], 6.83 [1.57–29.73]), and extrahepatic metastasis (OR vs no [95% CI], 3.08 [1.07–8.87]). Factors associated with membership to the poor group also included body mass index ≤24.0 kg/m2 (OR vs no [95% CI], 4.49 [1.65–12.22]).ConclusionsThis latent-class analysis identified a high-risk cluster of patients with severe, persistent post-immunotherapy QOL deterioration. Screening relevant patient-level characteristics may inform tailored interventions to mitigate the detrimental impact of immunotherapy and preserve QOL.

Exploring Personality Profiles as a Source of Phenotypic Diversity in Autistic Children and Adolescents.

This study adopts a person-centered approach to evaluate personality diversity as a source of interpersonal variability in autistic children and adolescents, and how personality subgroup membership relates to variability in autistic characteristics, social-emotional presentations, and parenting outcomes. Latent Profile Analysis was used to analyze 569 parent reports on a child-based Five-Factor-Model personality measure (aged 6-18 years; Mage = 11.8 years, SD = 3.1; 70% boys). Four distinct personality profile groups were identified, showing varying levels in the low to average range of all five personality domains. All groups scored lowest on Extraversion and Emotional Stability. They differed the most in Imagination and the least in Emotional Stability. Group 1 (n = 72) exhibited the lowest mean-level scores on all five domains, whereas Group 4 (n = 90) had the highest domain scores. Group 2 (n = 307) and Group 3 (n = 100) showed more diverse patterns. Group membership was meaningfully associated with variation in characteristics of social interaction and communication, internalizing, externalizing, and attentional problems, psychosocial strengths, and positive parenting strategies. Only modest group differences were found in parenting stress. All groups had similar scores on repetitive and restrictive behaviors. These findings help to better understand and support natural subgroups within the autism phenotype by exploring shared personality attributes.

The Influence of Group Categorization and Common Ingroup Identity on Malevolent Creativity, Benevolent Creativity, and Neutral Creativity

Group categorization creates intergroup bias. However, the influence of group categorization on malevolent creativity (MC), benevolent creativity (BC), and neutral creativity (NC) remains unclear. First two studies explored this influence. In Study 1 (N = 79), participants generated lower MC and higher BC toward in-group members than out-group members. In Study 2 (N = 102), lower MC and higher BC were generated when participants were primed by in-group identity than by out-group identity. Furthermore, group composition is not static but rather a dynamic process. Individuals may establish a common ingroup identity with out-group members while altering their groups, which can mitigate intergroup bias and promote harmonious intergroup relationships, potentially influencing individuals’ MC, BC, and NC. Therefore, last two studies explored this influence. Study 3 (N = 134) first validated the findings of Study 1. Then, by recategorizing existing groups to establish a common ingroup identity among different groups’ members, finding a common ingroup identity could reduce MC and enhance BC towards out-group members. Study 4 (N = 123) further extended this influence to the priming effect and found even when individuals were primed by different group identities, priming a common ingroup identity can reduce MC and enhance BC toward others. In all studies, NC remained consistently unaffected. In conclusion, group categorization and common ingroup identity can affect MC and BC, but not NC. The AMORAL model, intergroup bias, and common ingroup identity model were used to explain our findings, while limitations and future research directions were discussed in detail.