Instrumental Goals Research Articles

Unveiling citizens’ perspective on citizen assemblies among participants and non-participants of a citizen assembly on energy

Abstract Governments all over Europe are commissioning citizen assemblies (CAs), which could be one possible way to assist the representative democracy in developing more socially acceptable sustainability policies. Yet, little is known about how citizens themselves think about CAs in general, l et al one the actual real-life procedures, which perceived aspects of CAs and how influence these opinions, and whether opinions differ between those who participate in CAs and the population at large. We investigated citizens’ perceptions and acceptability of CAs, both among the participants of the Dutch Citizen Assembly on Energy (DCAE) and the general Dutch population. First, we studied to what extent both groups thought that CAs, in general, could reach the broader goals of public participation: normative (better democracy), substantive (improved decisions), and instrumental (enhanced public support) goals. Second, we studied citizens’ perceptions of the DCAE in particular, focusing on the 4Ds of public participation: dialogue, diversity, decision-making power, and deliberation. Citizens were generally positive about the potential of CAs to reach broader participation goals, except for some scepticism about their capacity to bring in new knowledge and accelerate the energy transition. Compared to the general population, citizens who join CAs may be more accepting of CAs at the start and evaluate the process more positively at the end. In contrast to conventional wisdom, decision-making power was not the key driver of public acceptability of the DCAE—engaging in dialogue and deliberation might be more important to citizens than having more power per se.

Watched or not: Overimitation in dogs under different attentional states.

Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) have been documented to 'overimitate' humans - a form of social learning - by copying their causally-irrelevant actions. It is suggested that this behaviour results from social, affiliative motivations. Dogs have also been known to behave differently when they are being watched (or not) by humans, such as by following commands better (or worse). In this study, we tested whether dogs' copying behaviour would also be sensitive to their caregiver's attentional states. The subject's caregiver demonstrated irrelevant and relevant actions in the dot-touching overimitation task, then during trials the caregiver was either watching their dog or turned away. Our results revealed no difference in dogs' irrelevant-action copying; however, we found that dogs approached the dots less per trial when their caregiver was watching them. Dogs also copied their caregiver's leftward sliding of a door (to obtain a food reward) more accurately when they were being watched by their caregiver. Finally, dogs who copied the irrelevant action did so more often after obtaining their food reward, which supports that these dogs may have had two separate goals: a primary instrumental goal and a secondary social goal.

Watching for a snake in the grass: Objectification increases conspiracy beliefs.

Objectification, being treated as a tool to achieve someone's instrumental goals, is a common phenomenon. A workplace supervisor may view employees solely in terms of their output; likewise, friends may be seen only for their potential for personal and social advancement. We conducted five studies (N = 1209) to test whether objectification increases conspiracy beliefs through thwarted trust and whether postobjectification increases in conspiracy beliefs carry behavioural implications. While conspiracy beliefs may have evolved as a strategy for survival, they may be considered maladaptive in the modern world. Therefore, understanding the antecedents, underlying mechanisms, and implications of conspiracy beliefs is essential. We measured (Study 1) and manipulated objectification (Studies 2-5), consistently finding that objectification decreased trust, thereby increasing conspiracy beliefs (Studies 1-5). This effect remained after considering negative emotions (Study 2). Increased conspiracy beliefs following objectification positively predicted unethical tendencies, and the effect of objectification on unethical tendencies was serially mediated by trust and conspiracy beliefs (Study 4). Restoring objectified people's trust weakened their conspiracy beliefs and unethical tendencies (Study 5). We discussed the implications of our findings, proposing directions for researchers, practitioners, managers, and policymakers for theoretical advancement, healthier coping, and promotion of well-being.

An Interpretive Case Study of Chinese New Zealanders’ Participation in Non-elected Representation

This paper adopts Michael Saward’s representative claims theory to analyze Chinese New Zealanders’ participation in non-elected representation. It explores how they made representative claims and examines the democratic legitimacy of their claims. Based on an interpretive analysis of in-depth interviews with 38 Chinese New Zealanders, I found age-based and educational-level-based patterns of how they participate in non-elected representation. Individuals and Chinese associations made representative claims based on various grounds. However, the democratic legitimacy of individual-made claims and association-made claims varied. When interviewees made representative claims, they cherished the claims’ instrumental goals and intrinsic values. These findings expand our knowledge of Chinese New Zealanders’ political participation and representation. This paper also analyzes the difference between making representative claims and political advocacy. It deepens our understanding of non-elected representation.

Research on Training Model of English Talents under the Background of New Liberal Arts

Under the background of the construction of the new liberal arts, local application-oriented universities should explore the inter-disciplinarity of foreign language courses and application-oriented professional courses in combination with school-based characteristics and talent training objectives, and establish interdisciplinary curriculum groups. The model proposed in this paper combines the instrumental goal of improving students' language foundation and cross-cultural ability with the humanistic goal of cultivating students' independent learning ability, critical thinking ability and cultural accomplishment, so as to enable regional economic and social development.

Comparative evaluations on the canal-centering ability of novel heat-treated retreatment file system using nano-computed tomography

Abstract Introduction: The main goal of instrumentation during retreatment is to maintain the original curvature of the canal during retrieval of gutta-percha. The present study evaluates the canal-centering ability of two different retreatment file systems. Materials and Methods: Forty extracted single-rooted teeth were decoronated and obturated at the standardized root length of 16 mm. Samples were divided into two groups of each 20 single root teeth and they were instrumented using Solite RS3 Retreatment and ProTaper Retreatment files, respectively. Both pre- and postoperative nano-computed tomography scans were taken, and three-dimensional reconstruction was done for analysis. Sections of both the pre- and postoperative samples were taken at 7 mm, 5 mm, and 3 mm from the apex to calculate the canal-centering ratio. Independent t-test was used for statistical analysis between the two groups. Results: Solite RS3 retreatment files showed a significant difference at the 3 levels (P < 0.000) compared to ProTaper retreatment files. Conclusion: From the above results, we can conclude that Solite RS3 caused minimal canal transportation and produced a relatively centered preparation in comparison to the ProTaper Retreatment system.

Exploring Language Learning Motivation and Strategies in Viet-namese High School Students: A Case Study in Ho Chi Minh City

This study investigates the motivation and learning strategies of high school students in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and explores the relationship between these two factors. The research involved 76 students from Dang Khoa private high school who completed adapted questionnaires to assess their types of motivation (intrinsic or extrinsic) and language learning strategies. Instruments were modified from established scales - Chang's (2005) and Vaezi's (2008) for motivation, and the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning, Version 7.0 (Oxford, 1989) for strategies. The findings indicate that the extrinsic motivation (e.g., external pressures, instrumental goals) was more prevalent than intrinsic motivation (e.g., personal interest, enjoyment) among the participants. In addition, a positive correlation was found between motivation level and strategised learning. Students with stronger motivation tended to employ a wider range of learning strategies. Based on these results, the study concludes with recommendations for educators to enhance student motivation and support their strategic use of learning practices for effective English language acquisition.

Online Decision Support Infrastructures for Integrating Spatial Planning and Flood Risk Management Policies

Accessible geospatial data are crucial for informed decision making and policy development in urban planning, environmental governance, and hazard mitigation. Spatial data infrastructures (SDIs) have been implemented to facilitate such data access. However, with the rapid advancements in geospatial software and modelling tools, it is important to re-visit the theoretical discussion about the different roles of data-focused SDIs and decision support and modelling tools, particularly in relation to their different impacts on policy making and policy integration. This research focuses on addressing this issue within the specific context of policy integration in spatial planning and flood risk management. To investigate this, an experiment was conducted comparing a data-focused SDI, the Myplan Viewer, with a prototype Internet-based Spatially Integrated Policy Infrastructure (SIPI). The findings reveal that the SIPI, which provides access to both data and decision support and modelling tools, significantly enhances policy integration compared to the Myplan Viewer. Moreover, drawing upon communicative action theory, this study underscores that while data-focused SDIs support instrumental goals, they possess limitations in facilitating trade-offs and balancing diverse interests in the policy-making process, particularly in supporting strategic and communicative actions.

Why do people go to college? The institutional environment and the educational dispositions of community college students

Empirical educational research nearly universally tacitly assumes that people attend college only in order to improve their likely earnings. Thus, it ignores the immense cultural importance ascribed to education (and particularly higher education) in modern culture, or at least proceeds as if this cultural valorization is irrelevant to individuals’ educational decision-making. I first review how an economistic model of action informs all dominant theories of educational decision-making, and then suggest how institutional theory can provide a richer account of the college transition. Drawing on in-depth interviews with first-time, first-year community college students, I illustrate this approach through a ‘thick description’ of individuals’ emerging educational orientations. I find that attending college reflects both instrumental goals and moralized conceptions of educational attainment. The decision to attend community college was informed by conceptions of college costs, a limited understanding of grant aid, and loan aversion. And I identify three educational dispositions among entering community college students which map onto institutionalized organizational pathways through the community college itself.

Imitation fidelity increases with age in boys, but not in girls: An intriguing finding in a cohort of children aged 3 to 6 years

Imitation that entails faithful reproduction of demonstrated behavior by reenacting a sequence of actions accurately is a fast and efficient way to acquire new skills as well as to conform to social norms. Previous studies reported that both culture and gender might impinge on young children’s fidelity of imitation. We analyzed the imitative behavior of 87 children whose ages ranged from 3 to 6 years. An instrumental task was administered that offered partial (opaque apparatus) or total (transparent apparatus) information about causal connection between the demonstrated actions and their effect in achieving a desired reward. Imitative fidelity (imitating the actions that were demonstrated by an adult model yet were unnecessary for achieving the instrumental goal) increased as a function of age in boys, whereas no differences were found in girls. This lack of increase in girls can be ascribed to their displaying higher degrees of imitation fidelity at an earlier age.

Sharing results with participants (and community) in malaria related research: Perspectives and experience from researchers.

Results-sharing with participants or their communities after the completion of research is an essential element of ethical research. The main objective of this study was to identify and document current practice of trial result dissemination, to explore attitudes among trialists towards result dissemination and to better understand previous experiences and barriers to returning results to participants. This mixed-methods study used a sequential exploratory design with two phases: i) an initial qualitative phase to explore the topic and to inform the quantitative data collection, ii) a quantitative survey. Findings from the survey and interviews were triangulated and presented to a network of clinical malaria researchers for validation. A total of 11 semi-structured interviews (SSIs) were conducted using an interview guide. The quantitative survey had a response rate of 19.9% (42/211). Disseminating results to participants after clinical trials was deemed critical for ethical malaria related research, with 38.1% indicating it as extremely important and 45.2% rating it as mostly important. Most respondents referred to the dissemination of results to policymakers and wider stakeholders as important aspects of research translation. The practice of patient or community engagement was prioritized in the pre-trial period and during the trial for obvious instrumental goals of improving retention, coverage and adherence, but much less priority was given to the post-trial period. The main reason for poor dissemination practice was the notion that the time lag between study participation and the availability of results was too long (42.4%). Other reasons included the assumption that the community was not interested (36.4%), and financial restraints (9.1%). The rich qualitative data revealed detailed accounts of operational, cultural, educational and economic aspects that pose further barriers to results-sharing, including limited knowledge about best practice. Better planning which includes adequate financial resourcing is required for meaningful dissemination of results to study participants. Improved institutional guidance and more stringent requirements by funders could support researchers who are generally interested and willing to complete the process. Best practice methods to conduct such dissemination remains to be explored.

Haptic realism for neuroscience

Recent work in philosophy of science has shown how the challenges posed by extremely complex systems require that scientists employ a range of modelling strategies, leading to partial perspectives that make apparently conflicting claims about the target (Mitchell 2009b, Longino 2013). The brain is of course extremely complex, and the same arguments apply here. In this paper I present a variety of perspectivism called haptic realism. This account foregrounds the process by which the instrumental goals of neuroscience shape the way that objects of investigation are probed experimentally and conceptualised through modelling. Because such models do not aim to represent their targets exactly as they are, but in ways that are most useful for the investigators, the models should not be interpreted as literal descriptions of neural systems. Scientific realism traditionally involves a semantic commitment to interpreting theories and models as literal descriptions of human-independent nature. Haptic realism makes a significant departure from this tradition. Haptic realism also calls us to reassess the ontological commitments and knowledge claims of neuroscientific models and theories.

Instrumental goals shape EU citizens' attitudes to the Russia-Ukraine war over time.

The European Union (EU) legislation suggests that EU member states progressively adopt and implement policies that are primarily in line with the broader European interests, and secondarily with specific national interests. Yet, citizens from various EU member-states often oppose these EU directives and adopt attitudes that favour national interests. The current study investigates whether EU citizens progressively comply with-or digress from-the directives of the superordinate EU group during the Russia-Ukraine war. In a two-wave study we investigated the role of instrumental reasons (i.e., maximisation of material gain) to cooperate with an EU outgroup, namely Russia, in Greeks' (an EU member state) compliance with the EU directives over time during the Russia-Ukraine war. We hypothesised and found that instrumental reasons to cooperate with Russia: (a) encourage EU citizens to support digressing from EU directives and (b) predict decreased identification with the superordinate identity of EU over time. Moreover, since NATO's approach to the Russian invasion closely mirrors that of the EU, we further investigated the effects of instrumental reasons to cooperate with Russia on Greeks' identification with a different superordinate group, namely NATO. Results were largely similar to those we obtained when focusing on EU as a superordinate group.

Professional Identity Construction in Becoming an NNEST

This study investigated the professional identity construction of NNESTs (Non-native English-speaking teachers) in Taiwan. The research paradigm was rooted in poststructuralism, which emphasizes subjectivity and exhibits the multiple, unstable, and non-linear properties of identity inquiry. Participants comprised two male and two female in-service English teachers from public and private senior high schools, whose teaching experience ranged from 10 to 15 years. The findings were as follows: in constructing their professional identity, NNESTs resorted to the integration of multiple selves, interpretation and reinterpretation, social negotiation, and agency operation. Moreover, various factors were found to influence the development of NNESTs’ professional identity. The internal factors were personal belief, prior experience, emotion and disposition, teaching efficacy, instrumental goal, non-native status, and motivation, whereas the external factors were student attitude, professional community, subject attributes, educational policies, and perceived expectation. The study not only illuminates NNESTs’ professional identity development but also contributes with theoretical and pedagogical implications.

Instrumental goal activation increases online petition support across languages.

Research on processing fluency and instrumental goal activation suggests people often perceive complex information positively when effort in a task is valued. The current article evaluates this idea in five online petition samples (total N = 1,047,655 petitions and over 200 million words), assessing how the linguistic fluency of a petition associates with support. Consistent with prior work, petitions with lower rates of lexical fluency (fewer common words) associated with more signatures and an increased probability of petitions making a concrete change than those with higher rates of lexical fluency (more common words). Exploratory results suggest other forms of linguistic complexity also associated with petition support: petitions with more analytic writing (e.g., more formal and complex writing patterns) and with less structural fluency (less readable writing) received more signatures than those with less analytic writing and more structural fluency. Controlling for the political leaning of the petition writers as inferred by their language patterns revealed consistent effects. Crucially, the lexical fluency results were maintained across eight languages as well. Various types of linguistic complexity are therefore instrumental to get people to support online causes. Contributions to fluency theory and the psychology of giving are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The Virtually Intelligent Negotiator: Building Trust and Maximizing Economic Gain in E-Negotiations

Virtual intelligence is “the ability to communicate and navigate relationships and achieve business goals when engaging with others who are not physically co-present.” Virtual intelligence is particularly critical in e-negotiations because negotiators compete to achieve economic goals but must cooperate to reach mutual agreement and maintain social relationships. I review key research findings on the advantages and disadvantages of virtual and in vivo negotiations. I make the point that in vivo negotiation does not always result in more trust and mutually beneficial outcomes than virtual negotiations. I use insights from research on e-negotiations and virtual communication to identify skills that facilitate trust and information sharing and lead to more desirable negotiation outcomes. I organize my discussion of virtual intelligence in terms of four key challenges that confront negotiators: relational concerns (building trust), conveyance (transmitting and receiving information), convergence (reaching a shared understanding of the situation), and achieving instrumental goals (negotiating a favorable outcome).

Efficacy of 5.25% Sodium hypochlorite and 810 diode laser in reduction of microbial count in root canals of primary teeth- An in vivo Study

Aim: Root canal treatment is often carried out in deciduous teeth to relieve pain and make the tooth functional.The main goal of instrumentation in a root canal treatment is to facilitate effective irrigation, disinfection, and filling. Sodium hypochlorite is a widely used irrigant and has been demonstrated to be an effective agent against broad spectrum of bacteria. However its toxic effects on vital tissues can result in haemolysis, skin ulceration and necrosis. The use of diode laser for endodontic applications has been investigated and proven for its efficacy in root canal sterilization. Therefore, this clinical study was conducted to evaluate and compare the efficacies of 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and 810nm diode laser as disinfectants in root canals of primary teeth. This study evaluated the microbial count and the clinical success of the treatment. Materials and Methods: In 40 subjects selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, Pulp tissue was extirpated from the canals and samples collected using sterile absorbent paper points . Then they were randomly divided into two groups. In Group 1, canals were prepared and irrigated with 5.25% of sodium hypochlorite, and in group 2 canals were prepared and disinfected with 810nm of diode laser. The contents of canals were collected again with a sterile paper point .Samples taken before and after procedures were cultured, and the colony-forming units (CFUs) were counted. The data was evaluated using independent sample test and paired sample test. Patients were recalled for clinical and radiographic evaluation after 3 and 6 months. Results: There was a significant difference between the mean CFU of laser and sodium Hypochlorite ( p<.001). Clinical evaluation after 3 and 6 months showed no pain, swelling, sinus tract or mobility .Radiographically too there was absence of premature exfoliation, periodontal widening, internal/external resorption and periapical or furcal radiolucency. Conclusion: Both 810nm diode laser and 5.25% sodium hypochlorite were effective in reducing bacterial count in root canals of primary teeth. However 810nm diode laser reduced microbial count of root canals more as compared to 5.25% NaOCl.

Diverse views on supervision: Insights from interviews with EAL supervisors in Sweden and Indonesia

Literature on thesis supervision emphasises collaborative approaches with strong and supportive relationships. Despite an increasing research interest in supervisory relationships, little cross-cultural research has been conducted on supervisory roles and relationships in expanding circle countries. This study explores how thesis supervisors negotiate different roles and relationships in supervision in English as an Additional Language (EAL) contexts. A multi-case study was employed in three contexts: a Swedish university, two Indonesian private universities, and an Indonesian public university. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen thesis supervisors. Thematic analysis and systemic-functional appraisal theory were used to analyse the discourse. Our findings revealed that supervisors expressed dealing with (a)symmetrical relationships with students and colleagues, dealing with different supervision roles, and managing priorities relating to intellectual development and instrumental goals. However, these dimensions of supervision were described differently in the three contexts. The Swedish supervisors expressed concerns about having weak authority; meanwhile, the Indonesian private supervisors described frustrated attempts to form a closer relationship with the students, whereas the Indonesian public supervisors reacted to students trying to become too familiar. Furthermore, supervisors in the three contexts had to take different unwanted roles in supervision. The article concludes with implications for understanding situated aspects of supervision.

How should communities be meaningfully engaged (if at all) when setting priorities for biomedical research? Perspectives from the biomedical research community

BackgroundThere is now rising consensus that community engagement is ethically and scientifically essential for all types of health research. Yet debate continues about the moral aims, methods and appropriate timing in the research cycle for community engagement to occur, and whether the answer should vary between different types of health research. Co-design and collaborative partnership approaches that involve engagement during priority-setting, for example, are common in many forms of applied health research but are not regular practice in biomedical research. In this study, we empirically examine the normative question: should communities be engaged when setting priorities for biomedical research projects, and, if so, how and for what purpose?MethodsWe conducted in-depth interviews with 31 members of the biomedical research community from the UK, Australia, and African countries who had engaged communities in their work. Interview data were thematically analysed.ResultsOur study shows that biomedical researchers and community engagement experts strongly support engagement in biomedical research priority-setting, except under certain circumstances where it may be harmful to communities. However, they gave two distinct responses on what ethical purpose it should serve—either empowerment or instrumental goals—and their perspectives on how it should achieve those goals also varied. Three engagement approaches were suggested: community-initiated, synergistic, and consultative. Pre-engagement essentials and barriers to meaningful engagement in biomedical research priority-setting are also reported.ConclusionsThis study offers initial evidence that meaningful engagement in priority-setting should potentially be defined slightly differently for biomedical research relative to certain types of applied health research and that engagement practice in biomedical research should not be dominated by instrumental goals and approaches, as is presently the case.

Words for Sale: Linguistic Complexity Associates with Higher Housing Prices in Online Realty Advertisements

Prior work suggests when instrumental goals are salient, linguistic complexity associates with positive behavioral outcomes compared to linguistic simplicity. The current work tested this idea using descriptions from over 1,000 online realty advertisements to associate with housing prices. The evidence suggested linguistic complexity (e.g., fewer common words, more analytic writing, and less readable writing) indeed associated with higher housing prices. These data explicated the contingent-on-effort hypothesis: linguistic complexity is favored when people value effort in a particular setting.