Perceptions Of Norms Research Articles

A Scoping Review of Learners' Perceptions on What Influences Teachers' Approaches to Teaching Comprehensive Sexuality Education in South African Schools

Recent arguments regarding the South African comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) curriculum indicate that the existing programme neglects to incorporate factors that influence the behaviour of school learners in South Africa such as learners' and teachers' perceptions of cultural, social, and gender norms. Based on a literature search, it is evident that there is a paucity of research that reflects the voices of learners regarding their experience of how the CSE subject is taught as compared to what they want to learn. Therefore, this article aimed to conduct a scoping review to map learners' perceptions of what influences their teachers' approach to teaching CSE subject matter in South Africa. The Cochrane, EBSCOhost, Scopus, ProQuest, JSTOR, and Google Scholar databases were searched for studies (a) published from January 2010 till May 2021, (b) with an explicit focus on learner feedback on their perceptions of influences to teachers teaching CSE, (c) that were qualitative studies, and (d) were published in English in peer-reviewed journals. Four studies were identified that reported on data collected from learners aged 14-18 years using in-depth interviews (N = 1), focus group discussions (N = 2), and an ethnographic study (N = 1). A qualitative analysis of the findings identified three major themes: (1) an inherent bias towards heterosexuality as normal and natural, (2) the belief that learners need to be taught to uphold culturally dictated normative gender roles, and (3) an avoidance of subject matter relating to the LGBTQI+ community, influenced by beliefs that limited interactions would lead to limited gender and sexual fluidity. Findings conclude that transformative communication needs to take place to update the curriculum to create a space for all learners to learn about healthy life choices.

The Politics of Nordsploitation: History, Industry, Audiences

The Politics of Nordsploitation: History, Industry, Audiences

Why People Adopt Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction Behaviors: Integrated Model of Risk Communication and Results from Hurricanes, Floods, and Wildfires

Abstract With climate change, weather and climate disaster risks are increasing. At-risk individuals can take climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction behaviors to mitigate and prepare for disaster risks, reduce costs from damage, and save their lives. However, previous fragmented studies have not provided an integrated model to directly compare the factors and identify factors that are most influential in at-risk community members’ behaviors. I present the Integrated Model of Risk Communication by consolidating major theories. This study uses structural equation modeling of quantitative surveys to simultaneously test the impacts of 15 factors on 15 adaptation behaviors for the two most common federally declared disasters (wildfires, hurricanes with floods) in three disaster-prone U.S. states (California, Florida, and Texas) (N = 3,468). Specifically, this study examines 15 behaviors including preparedness, non-structural mitigation, structural mitigation, insurance purchase, and adaptation policy support. Social norms perceptions, self-efficacy, response efficacy, and resource constraints strongly affect behaviors. Response efficacy strongly affects policy support. Risk perception, knowledge, and climate change perception—commonly argued to be key drivers—are insignificant or weak. The model explains 55%-86% of the variance in adaptation behaviors. Results suggest that the focus of adaptation efforts may need to shift from risk perception to efficacy and social norms.

Are You "Nudgeable"? Factors Affecting the Acceptance of Healthy Eating Nudges in a Cafeteria Setting.

Research has identified nudging as a promising and effective tool to improve healthy eating behavior in a cafeteria setting. However, it remains unclear who is and who is not “nudgeable” (susceptible to nudges). An important influencing factor at the individual level is nudge acceptance. While some progress has been made in determining influences on the acceptance of healthy eating nudges, research on how personal characteristics (such as the perception of social norms) affect nudge acceptance remains scarce. We conducted a survey on 1032 university students to assess the acceptance of nine different types of healthy eating nudges in a cafeteria setting with four influential factors (social norms, health-promoting collaboration, responsibility to promote healthy eating, and procrastination). These factors are likely to play a role within a university and a cafeteria setting. The present study showed that key influential factors of nudge acceptance were the perceived responsibility to promote healthy eating and health-promoting collaboration. We also identified three different student clusters with respect to nudge acceptance, demonstrating that not all nudges were accepted equally. In particular, default, salience, and priming nudges were at least moderately accepted regardless of the degree of nudgeability. Our findings provide useful policy implications for nudge development by university, cafeteria, and public health officials. Recommendations are formulated for strengthening the theoretical background of nudge acceptance and the susceptibility to nudges.

New Role of Bioethics in Emergency Situations on the Example of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed existing norm perception both in medical practice and in society. In the context of limited resources and absence of a known treatment protocol, this change particularly affected healthcare system, doctors, and the distribution of a life-support therapy. One of the main bioethical dilemmas presented by coronavirus epidemic is the discrepancy between public health ethics, characterized by the fair distribution of limited resources and public safety orientation, and patient-specific clinical ethics. The COVID-19 pandemic forced health workers into tragic situations that they had never previously experienced, when lack of available health care workers, ventilators, or hospital beds creates a necessity to classify and prioritize patients to determine who will get (or will not get) what type of care and where. Another important issue is the digital control of citizens who must reduce their freedom for the sake of the health of other citizens. This caused great concern among many people, who fear that the current situation will lead to their manipulation in the future. There is also a question of responsibility among politicians and authorized organizations for the health of not only the population of their country, but also the entire planet. These and other current issues require bioethical expertise.

On the Discrepancy of Descriptive Facts and Normative Values in Perceptions of Occupational Prestige

Previous research has argued that occupational prestige is a social fact founded in the collective conscience and prestige perceptions morally grounded. Ideas of strong consensus in perceptions rest on comparisons of compressed mean values, and the similarity between what prestige an occupation has and what it ought to have has not previously been empirically explored. Drawing on survey data and a discrepancy index, the present study explores the resemblance between descriptive facts and normative values in perceptions of occupational prestige and consensus and discrepancies in prestige perceptions. The analysis showed discrepancies in descriptive and normative prestige perceptions for welfare and cultural occupations. The differences in perceptions can be explained by sex, beliefs about what factors give prestige to an occupation, and the prestige of one’s occupation.

Not all norm information is the same: Effects of normative content in the media on young people's perceptions of e-cigarette and tobacco use norms.

Norm information in media can predict individuals' norm perceptions and, ultimately, their behavior. Little research has examined how descriptive norm information manifests in media and impacts beliefs in the real world. Previously, using automated content analysis, we measured and examined longitudinal trends in two types of descriptive norm information, individual use depictions and population norms, pertaining to tobacco and e-cigarette use across six media sources from 2014-2017. Here, we assess how this norm information affected norm perceptions over time by pairing these data with a rolling cross-sectional survey of young people's beliefs and intentions related to these behaviors. We found that individual use depictions predicted some norm perceptions, although the direction of effects varied depending on the source, behavior, and type of perceptions considered. Population norm content did not affect perceptions. These findings highlight that real-world media norm information has real-world effects, and moderators of these effects should be studied.

Correlates of Bystander Intervention Attitudes and Intentions Among Young Adult Active Duty Male Soldiers.

Sexual assault is a significant problem within the United States military. Bystander intervention skills training is recognized as a promising strategy for sexual assault prevention within both civilian and military populations. Sexual assault prevention programs which include training in bystander intervention teach individuals to notice situations that may pose a risk for harm and safely act to positively influence the outcome. This study examines correlates of bystander intervention attitudes and intentions among young adult active duty male soldiers (N = 282) between the ages of 18 and 24. Positive bystander intervention attitudes and intentions were associated with lower levels of rape myth acceptance, greater discomfort with sexism, lower likelihood of continuing an unwanted sexual advance after verbal resistance from a partner, greater likelihood of gaining verbal consent from a partner, and greater perceived peer approval for bystander intervention. In a multiple regression, perceived peer approval for bystander intervention and self-reported lower likelihood of continuing a sexual advance after verbal resistance from a partner emerged as significant predictors of positive bystander intervention attitudes and intentions (R2 = .41). Given that perceptions of peer norms are modifiable, these findings highlight the importance of addressing peer norms in bystander intervention training programs for military personnel.

Perceptions of behaviour efficacy, not perceptions of threat, are drivers of COVID-19 protective behaviour in Germany

In the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, non-pharmaceutical protective measures taken by individuals remain pivotal. This study aims to explore what motivates individuals to engage in such measures. Based on existing empirical findings as well as prominent behavioural theories, a partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) of predictors for pandemic protective behaviour was estimated using a representative German sample (n = 437). The study was preregistered at OSF. The model explains 69% of the variance for behavioural intention, which is strongly correlated with behaviour (ρ = 0.84). The most influential predictor for protective behaviour is its perceived efficacy, followed by normative beliefs and perceptions about costs for protective behaviour. Distrusting beliefs in science and scientists negatively predicted response perceptions and were also strongly and negatively correlated with behaviour. Knowledge about COVID-19 was weakly linked with perceived response efficacy, as well as with behaviour. These findings suggest that communication strategies surrounding COVID-19 should emphasise the efficacy of responses and foster a sense of responsibility.

Evaluating the Impact of a Youth-Led Sexual Violence Prevention Program: Youth Leadership Retreat Outcomes.

Involving youth in developing and implementing prevention programs to reduce sexual violence (SV) has the potential to improve prevention outcomes. However, there has been little focus on youth-led SV prevention programs, and limited evaluation research to help guide efforts. The current study examined the effectiveness of Youth Voices in Prevention (Youth VIP) leadership retreats on SV victimization and perpetration, forms of violence related to SV (e.g., bullying), SV bystander behaviors and readiness, and perceptions of norms related to SV prevention. Results identified mixed findings for program impact, with variations in outcomes that can help guide future youth-led prevention program initiatives. Youth attending a large "kick-off" leadership retreat (that was less youth-led that subsequent smaller retreats) later reported more bystander behaviors, but also reported increased perpetration and victimization, compared to non-attending youth. However, youth attending smaller, more focused leadership retreats held during the school year, reported reductions in sexual harassment perpetration and improved bystander behaviors and attitudes compared to non-attending youth. Evaluation of moderator variables suggests that program impact was generally stronger for younger participants, sexual minority youth, and non-White youth (which were largely Native American youth in this sample). Findings suggest promise for youth-led prevention work but also highlight the need for testing the impact of different training structures and modalities. Clinical trials number: NCT03207386.

Enabling Morally Sensitive Robotic Clarification Requests

The design of current natural language-oriented robot architectures enables certain architectural components to circumvent moral reasoning capabilities. One example of this is reflexive generation of clarification requests as soon as referential ambiguity is detected in a human utterance. As shown in previous research, this can lead robots to (1) miscommunicate their moral dispositions and (2) weaken human perception or application of moral norms within their current context. We present a solution to these problems by performing moral reasoning on each potential disambiguation of an ambiguous human utterance and responding accordingly, rather than immediately and naively requesting clarification. We implement our solution in the Distributed Integrated Cognition Affect and Reflection robot architecture, which, to our knowledge, is the only current robot architecture with both moral reasoning and clarification request generation capabilities. We then evaluate our method with a human subjects experiment, the results of which indicate that our approach successfully ameliorates the two identified concerns.

Normative misperception in third-party punishment: An explanation from the perspective of belief in a just world

<p id=C2>Punishment decisions might be guided by the norm of punishment, that is, people will implement their own punishment according to perceived prevalence of punishment in a similar social midst. However, there may be differences between an individual’s perception of norms and actual norms, which is called normative misperception. This article uses four experiments to explore the existence, the direction, and the cause of the normative misperception in third-party punishment, as well as its influence on people’s own punitive behaviors. <break/>In Experiment 1, 449 participants were randomized in a four group factorial design (punishing before estimating, estimating before punishing, punishing only, and estimating only). Experiment 1 consisted of 6 rounds of dictator game, in which participants made punishment decisions for 6 offers and/or estimated the average punishment level of other participants in each offer. Experiment 2 aimed to establish the causal relationship between the normative misperception and the punishment by directly manipulating the normative misperception. Specifically, 134 participants were randomly divided into the overestimation group and underestimation group. After receiving the feedback, participants made punishment decision for an unfair offer and estimated the level of punishment of others in this offer. The purpose of Experiment 3 was to test the model of belief in a just world (BJW)-normative misperception-punishment, as well as the moderating effect of perceived social distance (PSD), with a within-participants design involving 164 participants. The procedure was similar to that of Experiment 1, except that we measured participants’ BJW and PSD before and after the game, respectively. In Experiment 4, we manipulated participants’ BJW through reading materials to test the causal relationship between BJW and the normative misperception. <break/>The results of Experiment 1 showed that there is an underestimated normative misperception in third-party punishment, which leads to a lower level of punishment. Experiment 2 proved that there exists a causal relationship between the normative misperception and punishment by directly manipulating the independent variables. Experiment 3 demonstrated that BJW might be an underlying cause of the normative misperception, while PSD moderates the effect of BJW on the normative misperception. Finally, Experiment 4 showed the causal relationship between BJW and the normative misperception, providing additional evidence to the results of Experiment 3. <break/>To sum up, we have found evidence of normative misperception in third-party punishment through 4 experiments. This underestimated misperception might be affected by dual reference points: BJW (internal) and PSD (external). It also shows to a certain extent that third-party punishment is a norm-maintaining behavior rather than a gain-based strategic behavior.

Men missing from the HIV care continuum in sub-Saharan Africa: a meta-analysis and meta-synthesis.

IntroductionMen are missing along the HIV care continuum. However, the estimated proportions of men in sub‐Saharan Africa meeting the UNAIDS 95‐95‐95 goals vary substantially between studies. We sought to estimate proportions of men meeting each of the 95‐95‐95 goals across studies in sub‐Saharan Africa, describe heterogeneity, and summarize qualitative evidence on factors influencing care engagement.MethodsWe systematically searched PubMed and Embase for peer‐reviewed articles published between 1 January 2014 and 16 October 2020. We included studies involving men ≥15 years old, with data from 2009 onward, reporting on at least one 95‐95‐95 goal in sub‐Saharan Africa. We estimated pooled proportions of men meeting these goals using DerSimonion‐Laird random effects models, stratifying by study population (e.g. studies focusing exclusively on men who have sex with men vs. studies that did not), facility setting (healthcare vs. community site), region (eastern/southern Africa vs. western/central Africa), outcome measurement (e.g. threshold for viral load suppression), median year of data collection (before vs. during or after 2017) and quality criteria. Data from qualitative studies exploring barriers to men's HIV care engagement were summarized using meta‐synthesis.Results and discussionWe screened 14,896 studies and included 129 studies in the meta‐analysis, compiling data over the data collection period. Forty‐seven studies reported data on knowledge of serostatus, 43 studies reported on antiretroviral therapy use and 74 studies reported on viral suppression. Approximately half of men with HIV reported not knowing their status (0.49 [95% CI, 0.41–0.58; range, 0.09–0.97]) or not being on treatment (0.58 [95% CI, 0.51–0.65; range, 0.07–0.97]), while over three‐quarters of men achieved viral suppression on treatment (0.79 [95% CI, 0.77–0.81; range, 0.39–0.97]. Heterogeneity was high, with variation in estimates across study populations, settings and outcomes. The meta‐synthesis of 40 studies identified three primary domains in which men described risks associated with engagement in HIV care: perceived social norms, health system challenges and poverty.ConclusionsPsychosocial and systems‐level interventions that change men's perceptions of social norms, improve trust in and accessibility of the health system, and address costs of accessing care are needed to better engage men, especially in HIV testing and treatment.

Role Of 0% PPnBM Incentive Policy as Moderating Taxpayer Perceptions and Subjective Norms on Taxpayer Awareness

This study aims to place the PPnBM 0% incentive policy as a moderating variable on the perception of taxpayers and subjective norms on taxpayer awareness. The 0% PPnBM incentive policy came into effect in 2020 as an effort to help taxpayers keep paying taxes. The results showed that there was a significant effect between the perception of taxpayers and the 0% PPnBM incentive policy on taxpayer awareness, while subjective norms had no effect on taxpayer awareness. However, the 0% PPnBM incentive policy cannot strengthen the influence on taxpayer perceptions and subjective norms on taxpayer awareness.

The Relationship of Race and Ethnicity to the Perception of Visual Images of Breastfeeding Mothers.

Introduction: Breastfeeding biases, both implicit and explicit, can impact perceived norms of breastfeeding appropriateness in a variety of contexts and influence breastfeeding behaviors. The purpose of this research was to uncover breastfeeding biases, norms, patterns, and perceptions that potentially affect the decision to initiate or sustain breastfeeding and investigate how a diverse group of women perceive images of racially/ethnically similar and different women breastfeeding. Materials and Methods: Using a panel of nationally representative respondents (oversampling key racial/ethnic subpopulations), an online mixed-methods survey was completed by a sample of women who were primary caregivers of children under 3 in November 2020. The survey included diverse images of individuals breastfeeding in various settings and respondents were asked to generate word associations and indicate perceived appropriateness and ease of breastfeeding for each image in direct, timed comparisons. Results: Respondents (N = 144) racial/ethnic identity influenced perceptions of breastfeeding ease and norms surrounding breastfeeding in public settings or in front of others. Furthermore, respondents perceived breastfeeding to be more or less appropriate based on racial identity, in particular, respondents of color seeing breastfeeding as less appropriate among racially and ethnically similar others. Conclusions: While respondents readily acknowledged the health benefits of breastfeeding and were generally supportive of images of others breastfeeding, biases about breastfeeding in public or in front of others and by race/ethnicity were apparent. Community, policy, and societal interventions are necessary to dismantle breastfeeding biases that may inequitably impact mothers' and infants' health.

Youth perceptions of prevention norms and peer violence perpetration and victimization: A prospective analysis.

The purpose of the current study is to prospectively examine the extent to which social norms perceptions regarding commitment to ending sexual violence are associated with subsequent peer victimization and perpetration experiences. Two types of social norms perceptions were examined: 1) peer norms (perceptions of norms among other students in their city), and 2) adult norms (perceptions of norms among adults in their city). Participants were 1259 middleand high school youth from a single school district (three high schools and five middle schools) who completed online surveys at two-time points, 6 months apart. Adolescents for whom perceptions of peer norms were one standard deviation or more above and below the mean of actual norms were "over-perceivers" and "under-perceivers,"respectively. Overperceivers overestimated their peers' commitment to ending sexual violence, whereas underperceivers underestimated their peers' commitment to ending sexual violence. Other adolescents were "accurate perceivers"; these adolescents were accurate in their estimation of their peers' commitment to ending sexual violence. In general, underperceivers (22.2% of the sample) were more likely than accurate perceivers (77.8% of the sample) to subsequently experience peer-to-peer perpetration and victimization. Adolescents who perceived adults to have a higher commitment to ending sexual violence were less likely to report subsequent perpetration and victimization for some forms of peer-to-peer violence. These findings highlight the potential promise of the social norms approaches to preventpeer-to-peer violence among youth which aligns with increasing calls in the field to integrate these approaches into comprehensive sexual violence prevention.

Don’t think before you speak: on the gradual formation of thoughts during speech

ABSTRACT The common reproach: ‘think before you speak!’, epitomises an educational paradigm in which speech is only the act of transmission finalised ideas. In his inspiring short essay ‘On the Gradual Formation of Thoughts During Speech’ from 1805, the German writer Heinrich von Kleist challenged this approach when he described his habit of talking in order to think. Leaning on cognitive and philosophical theories that support Kleist’s intuitive insights, this study reads his essay as a practical guide in the learning paradigm that I call ‘speak-to-think’. While pedagogical theories have emphasised the importance of interpersonal dialogues and speech in the classroom for thinking and learning, I suggest that self-talk is a paradigmatic manifestation of speak-to-think, and a privileged learning method. Self-talk creates an internal dialogue that can promote meta-cognitive skills and critical thinking, while also challenging the normative perception of speech as a mere conduit for effective communication.

Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Schools’ Democratic Character

ABSTRACT This study investigates teachers' perceptions of school democracy within a low-stakes accountability context. While previous studies have focused on teachers' perceptions of school climate and citizenship norms, we know less about factors associated with their perceptions of democracy in their schools. Through a multiple regression analysis of survey data, we investigated possible predictors of teachers' perceptions regarding their schools' democratic character within Norway's low-stakes accountability system. In this study, theories on professionalism and educational and democratic leadership serve as an overarching framework. Results suggest a positive relationship between teachers' experience of trust, support, and an inclusive relationship with their principal/leadership team and perceptions of democratic features in their school. Moreover, the higher the importance teachers place on teaching skills and values related to democracy, the more democratic they perceive their schools to be. Finally, findings indicate that education for democracy is embedded in collaboration structures at the school level.

Space Norms for Constructing Quality Reviews on Online Consumer Review Sites

As consumer-generated online reviews are recognized as an essential component of many e-commerce websites, practitioners and digital platforms strive to elicit high-quality reviews. Yet research so far mainly focuses on what drives consumers to submit reviews, whereas little has been done to help understand why review writers construct high-quality reviews versus post poor review content. This paper demonstrates that the behavior of writing quality reviews is largely directed by space norms, a distinct instantiation of social norms inferred from locally observing how others write reviews in the digital space (i.e., the review site). The perception of the space norm begets a sense that one should write reviews in accordance with the norm and induces the corresponding behavior on the given site. Our work lends insights to practitioners and digital platforms: managers looking to elicit quality reviewing behavior should devise the local website environment to foster the space norms for the desired behavior. We offer several cost-effective methods to foster space norms, including a machine learning approach.

Interpersonal conflicts motivated by jealousy or revenge as a condition for committing violent crimes

The subject of the study is violent interpersonal conflicts motivated by emotional states of jealousy and revenge or their combination. The research used a methodology based on the principles of dialectical cognition and including generally recognized scientific methods used in conflictology and jurisprudence. The author refers to moral norms in their relationship with the law, as well as in their perception by a person committing a violent crime motivated by jealousy or revenge. On this basis, recommendations have been developed that have scientific value for the further development of the theory of interpersonal conflicts and practical significance for use in the process of establishing the circumstances of the commission of violent crimes related to their subjective side. Author established the features of the intellectual element of the intent of a person committing a violent crime motivated by jealousy or revenge. Due to a distorted perception of moral norms, such a person has a tolerant attitude to violence, which in his mind is considered permissible out of jealousy, revenge or in the presence of a combination of these motives. The scope of application of the research results is practical conflictology and prevention of violent crimes. The scientific novelty of the study is due to the author's approach to establishing the peculiarities of the subject's perception of violent crime of moral norms, the distorted interpretation of which allows him to show aggression out of jealousy or revenge. It is substantiated that a subject who commits a crime out of jealousy or revenge violates generally recognized norms of morality, and his behavior in the event of an interpersonal conflict has an increased public danger equivalent to the public danger of hooligan motives. Taking into account these circumstances both in the development of methods for resolving interpersonal conflicts and in the prevention of violent crimes seems necessary.