Online Study Research Articles

Fraudulent Participation in Online Qualitative Studies: Practical Recommendations on an Emerging Phenomenon.

Fraudulent participation is defined in the following as participation in research by individuals who, for one reason or another, intentionally provide false responses. Qualitative studies are at an increased risk of fraudulent participation when online recruitment and participation are used, and monetary incentives offered. Fraudulent participation threatens data quality and subsequent evidence-based practice, yet validated guidance on how to tackle it is lacking. This paper offers a critical reflection thereon by three separate qualitative research groups that experienced fraudulent participation in collaboration with a patient representative, a bioethicist, a legal expert, a journal deputy editor, and a chief executive of a national charity. The Prevent FRaudulent Online STudy participation (P-FROST) recommendations provide advice on (1) Study set-up (including team members and study design), (2) Monetary incentives and recruitment, (3) Data collection (screening and interview considerations), and (4) Analysis, reporting, and support. The reflection which balances the diverse perspectives of patients, researchers, funders, ethics boards, and legal teams puts forward the P-FROST recommendations to identify and prevent fraudulent participation throughout the design, ethical approval, and implementation of online qualitative research.

Explaining the Rich Entertainment Appeal of Nature Documentaries and its Conflicting Motivational Consequences

ABSTRACT Nature documentaries are among the most popular media formats but are understudied in communication research. However, due to the format’s multifaceted potential to simultaneously inform, entertain, and persuade, nature documentaries seem particularly worthy of investigation. The present contribution has two aims: (1) to explain how nature documentaries facilitate entertainment responses in their viewers and (2) to investigate how entertainment experiences resulting from watching nature documentaries are linked with viewers’ pro-environmental behavior intentions and travel intentions. To establish a firm theoretical base, we integrated conceptual foundations from entertainment research and environmental psychology. To test our hypotheses, we analyzed data from two preregistered experiments: a paper-pencil study (N = 179) and an online study that aimed to replicate the findings of our first study (N = 308). Our findings provide initial evidence for the dual (i.e. hedonic and eudaimonic) entertainment qualities of nature documentaries and the mediating roles of suspense and awe. Furthermore, the results suggest that viewers’ hedonic entertainment experience is a relevant underpinning of their intention to travel to the depicted destination, whereas their eudaimonic experience inspires them to take action to protect the environment.

Influence of the Behavior of a Para-Operated Social Robot on the Impression Interlocutors Have of the Operator: an Online Study

Influence of the Behavior of a Para-Operated Social Robot on the Impression Interlocutors Have of the Operator: an Online Study

Autistic adults exhibit a typical search advantage for facing dyads.

Recent findings obtained with non-autistic participants indicate that pairs of facing individuals (face-to-face dyadic targets) are found faster than pairs of non-facing individuals (back-to-back dyadic targets) when hidden among distractor pairings (e.g., pairs of individuals arranged face-to-back) in visual search displays. These results suggest that facing dyads may compete for observers' attention more effectively than non-facing dyads. In principle, such an advantage might aid the detection of social interactions and facilitate social learning. Autistic individuals are known to exhibit differences in visual processing that impede their perception of other individuals. At present, however, little is known about multi-actor visual processing in autism. Here, we sought to determine whether autistic individuals show a typical search advantage for facing dyads. In an online study, autistic and non-autistic participants were tasked with finding target dyads (pairs of faces arranged face-to-face or back-to-back) embedded among distractor dyads (pairs of faces arranged face-to-back). Relative to the non-autistic controls, the autistic participants took slightly longer to locate target dyads. However, a clear and comparable search advantage for facing dyads was seen in both participant groups. This preliminary evidence suggests that multi-actor processing of autistic participants exhibits typical sensitivity to dyadic arrangement.

Quality of information on fertility clinic websites accredited by the Latin American Network of Assisted Reproduction.

To access to reproductive health information on the Internet helps patients understand their infertility journey and make decisions about their treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of fertility clinic websites accredited by the Latin American Network for Assisted Reproduction (REDLARA) using the QUality Evaluation Scoring Tool (QUEST). This observational, cross-sectional, and online study evaluated the clinic websites registered as accredited centers on the REDLARA website. The QUEST was used for the quality assessment of the websites. Data were collected from the available websites of all accredited fertility clinics between September 2023 and January 2024. A total of 173 websites from fertility clinics accredited by REDLARA were evaluated, and 152 (87.8%) clinics had functioning websites. The majority of analyzed websites were from Brazilian fertility clinics (n=58; 38.1%), followed by Mexican (n=23; 15.1%) and Argentine (n=21; 13.8%). No indication of authorship or username was observed on most websites. Some form of support for the patient-physician relationship was reported by 86.8% of websites. The mean (standard deviation±SD) of the total score obtained by all fertility clinics was 12.73±4.7 (range: 1-26). Brazil had the highest total score (mean±SD=16.03±4.6), whereas Peru had the lowest (6.42±1.7). Statistical analysis revealed a difference in the quality of websites among Latin American countries. The health information disseminated by fertility clinic websites in Latin America is of poor quality. Therefore, REDLARA should implement rules for building good-quality websites.

Investigating visual perspective taking and belief reasoning in autistic adults: A pre-registered online study.

Many autistic individuals report difficulties in social situations, where they are required to think about what goes on in others' minds. These states of the mind can include how others perceive the world around them, their beliefs, or their desires. While research has shown that autistic children could be delayed in developing their full capacity in this regard, less is known about how adults process others' experiences and beliefs. Here we used a novel task and asked adults to participate online. Participants self-reported whether they had been diagnosed with autism or not and we split them into two groups depending on their response. We also asked participants to fill in a self-report questionnaire about social preferences and habits and we also asked them to conduct a test of their nonverbal reasoning ability. Importantly, the autistic and the non-autistic groups did not differ in their nonverbal reasoning abilities, and on our task, we observed that the autistic group committed fewer mistakes than the non-autistic group. Autistic participants were particularly fast and made fewer mistakes on those responses that overlapped with their own view and belief of reality. In conclusion, our findings do not support a simple view of autism in terms of deficits in either social or more general thinking abilities. Instead, autistic adults might favour slightly different ways of thinking about other's experiences and beliefs that is more firmly linked to their own experience and knowledge.

Decline of student engagement in online studies

This research in progress examines student engagement in online synchronous learning sessions, focusing on trends from extended lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic to the present day within a higher education pathways subject. While our longitudinal data provides insights into declining student engagement trends, the reliance on chat messages within online synchronous sessions as the primary measure of engagement may only partially capture the multifaceted nature of student engagement. By re-examining the student engagement model by Kahu, we identified a possible direct link with student structural factors as influences on student engagement. As a result, we propose a model representation that further emphasises the interrelated influences of multiple dimensions of student engagement. The next phase of this study is to develop a broader range of engagement metrics, including direct feedback from students, which is expected to provide a better understanding of student engagement trends.

Combining self-reported and clickstream data to understand university students’ learning experiences and outcomes in flipped classrooms

This study examined the relationships between students’ self-reported perceptions of learning environment, students’ course marks, learning strategy and online study duration measured by clickstream data in an undergraduate flipped classroom course amongst a cohort of Australian first-year university students. The clickstream data identified two groups of students using two distinct learning strategies focusing either on completing the assessments in the course or on the learning activities preparing for the face-to-face learning. Students’ perceptions of learning environment were measured by a self-reported questionnaire. Using cluster analysis, students were grouped as either having positive or negative perceptions. Of the students who adopted a learning strategy focusing on assessments, a significantly higher proportion of them hold negative perceptions of learning environment. In contrast, amongst students who used a learning strategy focusing on completing the preparation activities, a significantly lower proportion of them had negative perceptions. Furthermore, students who hold negative perceptions were also found to study less hours than their classmates who had positive perceptions. The multiple regression analyses showed that self-reported perceptions could explain only 4.8% of variance in students’ course marks, whereas learning strategy and online study duration measured by clickstream data predicted around 17.2% of variance in students’ course marks.

Human Perception of Robot Failure and Explanation During a Pick-and-Place Task

In recent years, researchers have extensively used non-verbal gestures, such as head and arm movements, to express a robot's intentions and capabilities to humans. Inspired by past research, we investigated how different explanation modalities can aid human understanding and perception of how robots communicate failures and provide explanations during block pick-and-place tasks. Through an in-person, within-subjects experiment with 24 participants, we studied four modes of explanations across four types of failures. Some of these were chosen to mimic combinations from prior work in order to both extend and replicate past findings by the community. We found that speech explanations were preferred to non-verbal and visual cues in terms of similarity to humans. Additionally, projected images had a comparable effect on explanation as other non-verbal modules. We also found consistent results with a prior online study.

Dementia and Its Profound Impact on Family Members and Partners: A Large UK Cross-Sectional Study.

Dementia can adversely affect the quality of life (QoL) of family members/partners of those affected. Measuring this often-neglected burden is critical to planning and providing appropriate support services. This study measures this impact using the Family-Reported Outcome Measure (FROM-16). A large UK cross-sectional online study through patient research platforms, recruited family members/partners of people with dementia, to complete the FROM-16. Totally, 711 family members/partners (mean age=58.7y, SD=12.5; females=81.3%) of patients (mean age=81.6, SD=9.6; females=66.9) with dementia completed the FROM-16. The FROM-16 mean total score was 17.5 (SD=6.8), meaning "a very large effect" on QoL of family members, with females being more adversely impacted. Dementia profoundly impacts the QoL of family members/partners of patients. Routine use of FROM-16 could signpost provision of care support, reducing family members' burnout. Such routine data could be used in economic analysis of the burden of dementia as well as in predicting institutionalization.

Navigating Modern Threats: The Imperative of Strengthening Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity has become crucial in today's changing world to protect data and promote technological advancements, according to a recent online study. In a world where networks and IoT devices are increasingly interconnected and vulnerable, to attacks cyber threats have become a concern as discussed in the research paper I came across. The study delves into issues related to cybersecurity risks. Emphasizes the importance of implementing strong security measures to prevent unauthorized access and cyber breaches. The research explores studies by areas that need more attention while stressing the value of modern approaches, like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in boosting threat identification and reaction capabilities. This article discusses the importance of cybersecurity, in maintaining stability and security through analysis. It emphasizes the need for companies to adopt technologies in their security measures for managing risks. The results of this article have implications, for fostering cooperation to tackle cybersecurity issues and contribute to securing a digital future. Keywords Cyber Security, Cyber Attacks, Challenges, Threats, Vulnerabilities

Seeing Personhood in Machines: Conceptualizing Anthropomorphism of Social Robots

This study conceptualizes and develops a multi-dimensional Scale of Social Robot Anthropomorphism (SSRA). Through a rigorous scale development procedure that consists of a battery of qualitative (interviews and focus group) and quantitative approaches (online and field studies), four dimensions of social robot anthropomorphism are identified, namely, human-like appearance, social intelligence, emotional capacity, and self-understanding. The scale is found to be valid and reliable by testing its convergent, discriminant, and nomological validities, utilizing data collected from over 1,000 participants. The theoretical and managerial contributions are discussed, and future research recommendations are provided.

Reflections on timing of motherhood - a qualitative online study with women of reproductive age

BackgroundThe age of Danish women giving birth to their first child has risen throughout the last 50 years, and the number of women and men who are having their first child when they are at advanced maternal or paternal age is increasing worldwide. Postponing parenthood is not unique to Denmark, as the same pattern is seen especially in other European and Western countries. The aim of this study was in a social media setting to explore reflections on the timing of motherhood among Danish women of reproductive age who not yet had children.MethodThis study was a qualitative study based on three online focus groups on Facebook. Twenty-six women of reproductive age discussed the timing of motherhood for three days in January 2020. Data were analyzed using Systematic Text Condensation.ResultsThree main themes were identified: ‘Life before parenthood’, ‘To plan for a child’ and ‘A life without children’. Several external and internal conditions influence whether and if so when women consider becoming mothers. Regarding the biological capacity for having children, women compare themselves with their female relatives and friends and colleagues regarding the social norms surrounding motherhood. Women with no children often experience either positive or negative pressure from family, friends, and colleagues regarding when to have children.ConclusionSeveral internal and external considerations influence when and if women become mothers. Social surroundings such as family, friends, and colleagues have an impact on women’s reproductive considerations in terms of pressure to have children in the future. Danish women tend to compare their reproductive capacity to their female relatives and compare the social norms surrounding motherhood to their female friends. Women in this study were positive towards discussing the timing of motherhood with other women of reproductive age on social media.

Relationship status-mental health concerns association: An examination of attachment and attention

IntroductionPast studies have revealed an advantage of marriage over singlehood, but the role of relationship status in mental health concerns needs further investigation. ObjectiveThis paper examined the connection between relationship status and mental health concerns and explored the cognitive and affective mechanisms explaining it, using a multi-method approach. MethodStudy 1 was an online study with equal groups of married (n=125) or single individuals (n=125), whereas Study 2 was a probabilistic laboratory study with two natural groups of individuals that were either single (n=21) or in a relationship (n=89). ResultsPath analyses showed that attachment avoidance and attentional control could act as mediators explaining the role of relationship status in mental health concerns. ConclusionWe showed that being in a relationship or being married was associated with better mental health and that the benefits of marriage and couple life on mental health were explained by attachment and attention.

Can evaluative pairings of others’ bodies improve body dissatisfaction indirectly? A randomized-controlled online study with adult women

ObjectiveBody dissatisfaction is an important risk factor for developing eating disorders. This study investigated whether pairing images of normatively “healthy” weight bodies of women with positive stimuli, and images of bodies outside the healthy range (e.g., underweight) with neutral stimuli, could improve body dissatisfaction. MethodsWe compared behavioral and rating data from 121 adult women who participated in an online study and were randomly assigned to an intervention condition (in which healthy body mass predicted positive stimuli) or a control condition (with no contingency between body mass and stimulus valence). ResultsBehavioral data showed that women in the intervention condition, compared to the control condition, learned to associate healthy bodies with positive valence. Having learned to associate healthy bodies with positive valence, in turn, predicted reductions in body dissatisfaction. The intervention and control conditions were not directly associated with changes in body dissatisfaction. ConclusionLearning to associate healthy bodies with any positive stimuli could be a relevant mechanism for understanding and predicting improvements in women's body dissatisfaction. Further research is required regarding the impact of contingency learning on the evaluation of other bodies, and the selection of other bodies for body-related social comparison processes.

Limited carry-over effects of socioemotional manipulations on subsequent unrelated memory tasks.

Although age is typically associated with significant impairments in memory performance, several domains exist in which these impairments are reduced or even eliminated. These "pockets of preservation" in older adults' memory can be seen in tasks involving socioemotional processing and may be supported by distinct encoding or retrieval modes relative to neutral content. The current study examines whether engaging in socioemotional tasks prior to encoding or retrieval allows older adults to enter an encoding or retrieval mode that better supports memory performance. In two online studies, adults across the lifespan were asked to complete a memory task where they incidentally encoded and retrieved neutral (Experiment 1, N = 1621) or emotional (Experiment 2, N = 409) word-image pairs. Participants were randomly assigned to a control (i.e., no manipulation), pre-encoding, or pre-retrieval socioemotional manipulation condition. There were no main effects of manipulation condition, suggesting that such manipulations may not reliably enhance memory. However, future research is needed to follow up on exploratory analyses that highlighted particular conditions under which these manipulations may convey benefits. There were also no age-by-manipulation interactions. While these null effects may suggest that these manipulations are not better suited to older adults, this may also be a result of the unexpected age-related increases (Experiment 1) and age invariance (Experiment 2) in overall memory accuracy in the current study. Socioemotional manipulations should also be examined in older adults who underperform younger adults.

Creating online, inclusive spaces for learning: ‘Study Together’ with the personal learning advice service

There is a wealth of scholarship on the benefits of synchronous writing sessions for staff and students in higher education (Kornhaber et al., 2016; Eardley et al., 2021; Morley and Aston, 2023). In the Personal Learning Advice (PLA) Service at the Open University UK (OU), we developed bespoke, online study spaces for students from groups currently underrepresented in higher education – known as ‘Study Together’ sessions. The sessions prioritise students from minoritised ethnic groups, students with disabilities, and students with mental health needs who are at risk of poorer study outcomes. This presentation charted the development of Study Together in response to student feedback and evaluation and sought to show the value of ‘targeted’ invitations to engage students with spaces for learning development. Our presentation began by outlining the rationale for a 2022-23 Study Together pilot and its impact on community and belonging for students with mental health declarations (Lavery et al., 2023). We shared our approach to hosting Study Together and the techniques used to create an inclusive, productive study space; we showed how these approaches allowed us to incorporate timed study bursts and reflective practice, building positive study habits among students. Finally, we presented findings from the evaluation of Study Together in 2023-24 and situated this within the wider literature on the benefits of virtual communities of practice for learning. Our presentation spoke directly to the ALDcon24 theme ‘Building inclusive learning development spaces’ and invited delegates to consider the place of virtual, guided study spaces in their own practice.

Body image facets as predictors of muscularity-oriented disordered eating in women: Findings from a prospective study

Muscularity-oriented disordered eating (MODE) is becoming increasingly common among women and is characterized by dietary alterations (e.g., blending meals into liquid form to increase caloric intake) aimed towards gaining lean muscle. In light of the mental health risks associated with these pathological eating behaviors, understanding factors that influence women’s engagement in MODE is essential for preventative efforts and for informing etiological models. Body image is a possible factor that may influence MODE in light of evidence of cross-sectional associations and its importance as a key risk factor for thinness-oriented disordered eating. However, research is yet to test for prospective relationships between the various components of body image (i.e., body dissatisfaction, body appreciation) and MODE, which was the aim of this study. Adult women completed the online study measures at baseline (Time 1 [T1]; n = 1760) and three-month follow-up (Time 2 [T2]; n = 1208). A series of univariate regressions revealed that all body image facets (i.e., preoccupation, overvaluation, dissatisfaction, body image appreciation and feeling fat) at T1 significantly predicted MODE at T2. However, multivariable models revealed that only preoccupation and body appreciation uniquely predicted MODE at T2, with a positive relationship observed for preoccupation and a negative one for body appreciation. This is the first study to establish temporal relationships between distinct body image facets and MODE. Pending replication, findings highlight possible targets for addressing MODE in women.

Subtle Biases Towards a New Colleague Depend on Sexual Orientation and Relationship Status

Abstract Background Allonormative beliefs entail the idea that all people desire sexual activity with other people. Single and/or asexual individuals may face social disapproval or discrimination for not being in line with allonormative beliefs. The present study investigated whether individuals offered help or were likely to befriend a new co-worker differently depending on the co-worker’s sexual orientation (i.e., heterosexual vs. asexual) and relationship status (i.e., in a relationship vs. single). Methods The online study included 1,028 participants (50.0% women and 50.0% men; Mage = 29.2, SD = 8.8) from German-speaking countries. Each participant read one of twelve short descriptions of a working situation in which they got to know a new co-worker. The description of the new colleague’s gender, sexual orientation, and relationship status varied. Participants had to indicate how likely they would share information with, befriend, gossip about, or have other-interests in the new colleague. A multivariate analysis of co-variance was calculated. Results Female participants had lower intentions to share knowledge with persons who were singles by circumstance than with persons in a relationship and male participants were more likely to befriend a single gay man by choice than a gay man in a relationship. Conclusions Bias against single persons or prejudice resulting from heteronormative beliefs might lead to subtle differences in behavior towards a co-worker. Such subtle “micro-practices” can be harmful because micro-practices accumulate over time and situations. Interventions at organizations need to help employees realize their own biases that might be based on prejudices against people with different sexual orientations and relationship statuses. Key messages • Overall women are more pressured by allonormative ideas and might therefore have lower intentions to share knowledge with persons who were singles by circumstance than with persons in a relationship. • The differing treatment of single gay men by choice and gay men in relationships may not be solely due to adherence to allonormativity, but rather could stem from heterosexist beliefs.

Self-perceived attitudes of Italian oncology nurses towards clinical trial involvement: A cohort observational study.

Literature is lacking when it comes to oncology nursing attitudes in clinical trial involvement. To assess how Italian oncology nurses perceived their attitudes in clinical trials involvement. An on-line cohort observational study was carried out. Data collected included: sex, years of work experience in oncology field and 10 items assessing participants' self-perceptions of their attitudes in clinical trials. Linear regression was used to assess associations between work experience and self-perceived preparedness. A total of 338 Italian oncology nurses were enrolled. Most nurses declared not receiving any specific training in oncology clinical trials (23.1%). No significant associations were reported between self- perceived attitudes in clinical trial involvement in the oncology setting and both work experience and clinical trial involvement. Cancer centers are improving cancer nursing research in supplying clinical care. But very few centers are involved in training oncology nurses. This gap seems to be very deep in taking into consideration the oncology nursing research in clinical trials, too.