People's Perceptions Research Articles

Current trends in bee conservation and habitat restoration in different types of anthropogenic habitats

Recent declines in bee populations and ranges have been cause for concern due to the valuable pollination service that they provide. Several factors have been proposed to contribute to these declines, including habitat loss, pathogen spread, and pesticide usage, so many pollinator conservation schemes have involved the addition of pollinator-friendly habitat through wildflower plantings and artificial nesting sites. Because of this, many efforts have been made to enhance bee populations across different landscape types, including natural, agricultural, urban, and industrial areas. Many of these schemes have focused on providing habitat for bees and other animal pollinators in agricultural landscapes, but other managed areas, such as cities, suburbs, and industrialized areas may have untapped potential for pollinator conservation. Available green space can be enhanced to provide healthy forage and safe nesting sites for pollinators. As these areas are also often frequented by human residents, the needs and perceptions of people, as well as the potential benefits for pollinators, must be considered to ensure the success of pollinator conservation on anthropogenic habitats.

Does Sense of Presence Affect People's Politeness? Comparing VRChat and Soul App

Mobile social activities are among the most popular forms of socialization today, and has become an integral part of people's daily lives. With advances in technology and the rise of affordable virtual reality devices, VR social interaction through avatar creation and support for advanced body tracking capabilities has the potential to lead the next revolution in the digitization of social activities. However, whether in VR or on mobile phones, user politeness and friendliness are always crucial factors influencing the user experience of social applications. While past research has examined online politeness, less attention has been paid to comparing politeness perceptions between social VR and mobile applications. In the meantime, given that the core characteristics of VR socializing is its heightened sense of presence, research by many scholars in the relevant field also indicates that presence often positively correlates with positive emotions. Therefore, this study will explore how people perceive and express verbal and non-verbal politeness behaviors in different social applications (VR chat, Soul app), as well as investigate how the sense of presence provided by the devices influences people's expression of politeness. The study's results identified the polite and impolite behaviors that people had perceived in VR and the mobile App. Lastly, the study also reported that VR applications that offer a heightened sense of presence can better facilitate politeness.

Perceptions of and beliefs about stuttering in the Hispanic/Latino community

PurposeThe aim of this exploratory study was to investigate perceptions of people who stutter and beliefs about the causes and cures of stuttering within the Hispanic/Latino community. MethodsRespondents who were 18 or older and of Hispanic/Latino origin were invited to respond to a 24-question online survey. Questions involved exploring familiarity with and beliefs regarding etiologies, treatment approaches, treatment providers, stereotypes, and perceptions of people who stutter. Data from 151 respondents were analyzed using descriptive statistics. ResultsResults revealed that the most commonly held beliefs regarding the causes of stuttering were being “born with it”, an “emotional disturbance or trauma”, a “brain disorder”, and/ or a “sensory impairment”. The most frequently cited beliefs regarding treating stuttering were “therapy”, “rehabilitation”, and “tell them to slow down”. Over 75 % of respondents believed that “speech therapists” can cure or treat stuttering. Respondents' perceptions of people who stutter are that they are generally “nervous” and “shy”. ConclusionsCommon beliefs and perceptions relative to stuttering were identified in the Hispanic/Latino community. The beliefs one holds about the cause of stuttering as well as their negative perceptions of stutterers may contribute to the continued stigmatization of people who stutter. Implications are discussed regarding the need for culturally appropriate education for individuals who stutter, their families, and the general public.

A scoping review exploring people's perceptions of healthcare uniforms.

Healthcare staff uniforms are a subject of debate in the UK, and this is particularly true in the case of less understood roles such as advanced nurse practitioners. Aim: This review explores what is known about people's perceptions of health professionals' uniforms. A mixed methods scoping review following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. Five databases (CINAHL, ASSIA, PsycINFO, and EMBASE) and several search engines were searched. Eligible reports were peer-reviewed English-language studies using any methodology to explore people's perceptions of different uniforms for health professionals. Forty-six studies (mainly from North America) were included, presenting a variety of perspectives on the uniforms worn by doctors, nurses and other health professionals. Culture and context likely influence how uniforms are understood. Practitioners should consider how this may affect communication with both patients and colleagues. What health professionals wear matters, particularly in relation to less well understood roles.

Rarest of the rare: People's awareness and perceptions about the woolly flying squirrel in Uttarakhand Himalaya, Northern India

AbstractThe Western woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus) was rediscovered after seven decades of presumed extinction and remains one of the least studied mammalian species. This study was conducted in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, India, and aimed to assess local communities' awareness of the species and their potential role in its conservation. From August 2023 to January 2024, we conducted surveys in four villages, interviewing 65 individuals from Pahadi and Nepali communities. Results revealed limited familiarity with the squirrel, highlighting the need for targeted conservation education. Despite extensive camera trap surveys, conclusive evidence of the species' presence was not found, prompting concerns about its population status in the study area. Our findings show the importance of further research and community engagement for effective conservation. This study emphasises the need to align conservation efforts with community involvement for sustainable outcomes.

Socio-economic Impact of Reducing Water Availability of Springs in Kandi Village, Devprayag, Uttarakhand: A People Perception Approach

Water is necessary for sustainable development, which includes safeguarding the environment and the reduction in hunger and poverty. Demand is rising quickly, which is posing issues for many countries due to population growth and economic expansion. The goal of the current study is to examine the state of spring and water resources in Kandi Village, Devprayag, Uttarakhand, India, and how they affect farmers’ agricultural productivity from a socioeconomic standpoint. The key data used in the study were gathered from farmers using questionnaires. Using a stratified random sampling technique, a sample of 100 farmers was chosen for the data collection. The conclusion of the study is that there is currently very little spring, and ground water available. It has been discovered that spring is sparse to fulfil the need of annual irrigation requirements for economic purposes like farming. Lack of springs resulted in a reduction in the amount of land used for farming, a decrease in farmer revenue, livestock losses, etc. According to the findings, some ways to lessen the strain on the water resources available to farmers include building new dams, rejuvenating springs, teaching them how to use highly efficient irrigation systems, and educating them about modern production techniques.

Emerging technologies in urban design pedagogy: augmented reality applications

In the contemporary era of urban design, the advent of big data and digital technologies has ushered in innovative approaches to exploring urban spaces. This study focuses on the application of Augmented Reality (AR) and Extended Reality (XR) technologies in the metropolitan areas of Houston and Amsterdam. These technologies create immersive 'Phygital Installations' that blend physical and digital elements, effectively capturing people's perceptions and enhancing urban design proposals. By fostering human-centered planning, AR and XR technologies make urban design more interactive and accessible to the public. Houston, with its rapid industrial growth and diverse socio-economic landscape, provides a unique setting to examine the impacts of these technologies on urban form and socio-environmental dynamics. In contrast, Amsterdam, with its rich historical layers and socio-cultural diversity, offers insights into the integration of AR/XR technologies in urban planning, particularly in the realm of historical preservation and contemporary urban development. This research contributes to the emerging field of AR/XR in urban design by highlighting the transformative potential of these technologies in enhancing the understanding and engagement in urban design and spatial planning.

Disease as a Medium: Exploring the Metaphorical Turn and Discourse Changes in Chinese AIDS Films (1988–2023)

ABSTRACT Interpreting the visual and narrative discourse of AIDS in popular culture is pivotal in communication and cultural studies. However, there is a notable research gap concerning the narrative evolution in Chinese AIDS films. This study investigates the shifts in narrative perspectives and visual representations of people living with HIV in Chinese cinema, using conceptual metaphor theory and textual analysis. It identifies a metaphorical transition in societal perceptions of people living with HIV—evolving from “abjection politics” representing them as “criminals” through “compassionate politics” depicting them as “vulnerable” to “touching politics” celebrating them as “heroes.” This transition is intertwined with China's modernisation, mirroring changes in social structures and power relations. The research highlights the relationship between historical context and narrative truth in disease representation by using critical discourse analysis and drawing on Foucauldian power-knowledge concepts. The study reveals how AIDS narratives in film reflect broader socio-political shifts within China's modernising landscape, emphasising the intricate connection between power, knowledge, and disease portrayal. By tracing the discursive evolution in Chinese AIDS films, the research illuminates the dynamics of China's socio-political environment and underscores the multifaceted complexities inherent in disease narratives amidst societal modernisation.

Landscape structure influences the spatial distribution of urban bird attractiveness

ContextLandscape change affects biological diversity and the distribution of species traits related to spiritual, educational, and recreational benefits people derive from nature. These traits are associated with color, song and behavioral characteristics that influence people's perceptions of how attractive an assemblage is. However, the environmental variables that affect the spatial distribution of traits related to the attractiveness of biological diversity remain unexplored.ObjectivesWe tested how landscape structure influences patterns of perceived bird attractiveness (trait diversity associated with colorfulness, behavioral and song categories) across an urbanization gradient.MethodsWe used data from standardized surveys of birds and landscapes within 42 landscape units of 1km2 across the city of Brisbane in eastern Australia. We used structural equation modeling to test effects of landscape composition (built infrastructure, percentage of tree cover) and landscape configuration (fragmentation of tree cover) on mean bird community attractiveness. Relationships between individual traits and landscape structure were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression models.ResultsOur analysis across 82 bird species shows that the relative amount of built infrastructure in a landscape interacts with fragmentation to reduce the overall attractiveness of the landscape’s bird assemblage. However, built areas can exhibit high overall bird attractiveness where there is (1) reduced fragmentation and (2) increased diversity of vegetation structure that provides key habitats for many colorful species with a high diversity of calls. Relationships between bird attractiveness and landscape structure change when they are analyzed at the guild level (insectivores vs frugivores/nectarivores). In addition, body size moderates the effects of landscape structure on song complexity, personality, and color.ConclusionsSmall bodied, colorful and melodious species are negatively affected by built infrastructure and fragmentation. By learning how habitat loss and fragmentation affect the distribution of species-rich, attractive bird assemblages, our findings can inform how urban landscapes might be structured to increase people’s connection with nature.

Unveiling the ecological alarm: People's perception towards exploring the impact of invasive plants on biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Western Himalaya

This paper presents the insights from both an ecological and people's perception study, aimed at understanding the ecological status of selected two common Invasive Alien Plants species (IAPs), i.e., Ageratina adenophora (Sprengel) King & Robinson and Lantana camara L., and the perspectives of local communities towards their use, status, and influence on biodiversity and ecosystem services as well as controlling measures of these species. For the examination of the distribution and spread of these invasive species in the forests, a quadrat-based phytosociological assessment was conducted in the three dominant forest types [Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn f.), Chir-pine (Pinus roxburghii Sarg.), and Banj-oak (Quercus leucotrichophora A. Camus)] of Uttarakhand State. However, to assess the perception and awareness of local communities towards these IAPs and their impacts on local biodiversity, ecosystem services, and processes, a questionnaire-based study was conducted in seven villages of the Nainital district, spanning three different vegetation zones: Sal, Chir-pine, and Banj-oak forests. Perception data were gathered from 112 households through questionnaire surveys and interviews with key informants such as teachers, elders, community leaders, and researchers. The results of the ecological assessment indicate that the mid-elevation zone, particularly the Chir-pine forest, is highly prone to species invasion. However, findings from the perception study reveal that the people are aware of these invasive species, and their negative impacts on human and animal health, native biodiversity, ecosystem services, and ecological processes. Interestingly, over the past decade, invasive alien plant species (IAPs) have interfered with forests in the study area, leading to a decline in native species. According to local perceptions, factors such as deforestation, forest fires, climate change, increased transportation, no use of species in daily life, and grazing have contributed significantly to the spread of these IAPs. However, some people use these species as fencing wood, firewood, and for composting, etc. The results of this study indicate that awareness and educational initiatives could play a crucial role in mitigating and managing invasion in the Himalayan region.

Perceived Penalties for Sharing Patient Beliefs with Health Care Providers.

Health care interactions may require patients to share with a physician information they believe but is incorrect. While a key piece of physicians' work is educating their patients, people's concerns of being seen as uninformed or incompetent by physicians may lead them to think that sharing incorrect health beliefs comes with a penalty. We tested people's perceptions of patients who share incorrect information and how these perceptions vary by the reasonableness of the belief and its centrality to the patient's disease. We recruited 399 United States Prolific.co workers (357 retained after exclusions), 200 Prolific.co workers who reported having diabetes (139 after exclusions), and 244 primary care physicians (207 after exclusions). Participants read vignettes describing patients with type 2 diabetes sharing health beliefs that were central or peripheral to the management of diabetes. Beliefs included true and incorrect statements that were reasonable or unreasonable to believe. Participants rated how a doctor would perceive the patient, the patient's ability to manage their disease, and the patient's trust in doctors. Participants rated patients who shared more unreasonable beliefs more negatively. There was an extra penalty for incorrect statements central to the patient's diabetes management (sample 1). These results replicated for participants with type 2 diabetes (sample 2) and physician participants (sample 3). Participants believed that patients who share incorrect information with their physicians will be penalized for their honesty. Physicians need to be educated on patients' concerns so they can help patients disclose what may be most important for education. Understanding how people think they will be perceived in a health care setting can help us understand what they may be wary to share with their physicians.People think that patients who share incorrect beliefs will be viewed negatively.Helping patients share incorrect beliefs can improve care.

Livestock Depredation by Large Carnivores in Kargil, Indian Trans-Himalaya: Patterns and People's Perceptions

Livestock Depredation by Large Carnivores in Kargil, Indian Trans-Himalaya: Patterns and People's Perceptions

Emotional Intelligence as the Heart of the Workplace: Navigating Social Cues and People Perceptions

Emotional Intelligence as the Heart of the Workplace: Navigating Social Cues and People Perceptions

Analysis of Gout Remission Definitions in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Colchicine Prophylaxis for People With Gout Initiating Allopurinol.

To investigate (1) the effect of colchicine prophylaxis on gout remission when commencing urate-lowering therapy (ULT), and (2) illness perceptions of people in remission using 2 definitions of gout remission. Data from a 12-month double-blind placebo-controlled trial of 200 people with gout commencing allopurinol were analyzed. Participants were randomly assigned to prophylaxis with 0.5 mg daily colchicine or placebo for 6 months, followed by 6 months of additional follow-up. Gout remission was assessed using the 2016 preliminary definition or simplified definition without patient-reported outcomes. Illness perceptions were assessed using a gout-specific version of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire. In the first 6 months, few participants were in remission according to either the 2016 preliminary definition (3% for colchicine and 4% for placebo) or the simplified definition (7% for colchicine and 12% for placebo). In the second 6 months, after study drug (colchicine or placebo) discontinuation, fewer participants in the colchicine group than in the placebo group were in remission according to the 2016 preliminary definition (4% vs 14%, P = 0.03), and the simplified definition (14% vs 28%, P = 0.02). Participants fulfilling remission using either definition had more favorable perceptions about their gout symptoms and illness concerns, as well as consequences, when using the simplified definition. Using either definition, 6 months of colchicine prophylaxis when initiating ULT does not provide an advantage in the fulfillment of gout remission. People fulfilling either definition report fewer symptoms, less concern about their gout, and, when using the simplified definition, are less affected by gout.

Impact of Long COVID on Occupational Performance: Perceptions of Survivors

Abstract Date Presented 03/23/24 This phenomenological study examined the perceptions of people living with post-COVID and their perceptions of loss of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) function and reduced health care access after discharge from the hospital. Primary Author and Speaker: Amber B. Armstead Contributing Authors: Diane Collins, Mi Jung Lee, Jose Rojas, Khamron Micheals, Lima Ghulmi, Carole Tucker

Lost in time and space? Multisensory processing of peripersonal space and time perception in people with frequent experiences of depersonalisation.

Perception of one's own body in time and space is a fundamental aspect of self-consciousness. It scaffolds our subjective experience of being present, in the here and now, a vital condition for our survival and well-being. Depersonalisation (DP) is characterised by a distressing feeling of being "spaced out," detached from one's self, as well as atypical "flat" time perception. Using an audio-tactile paradigm, we conducted a study looking at the effect of DP experiences on peripersonal space (PPS)-the space close to the body-and time perception. Strikingly, we found no difference in PPS perception in people with higher DP experiences (High DPe) versus low occurrences of DP experiences (Low DPe). To assess time perception, we used the mental time travel (MTT) task measuring the individuals' capacity to take one's present as a reference point for situating personal versus general events in the past and the future. We found an overall poorer performance in locating events in time relative to their present reference point in High DPe. By contrast, Low DPe showed significant variation in performance when answering to relative past events, while High DPe did not. Our study sheds light on the close link between altered sense of self and egocentric spatiotemporal perception in individuals with DP experiences, the third most common psychological symptom in the general population.

IMPACTS OF THE TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL (TAM) ON THE USE OF THE TIKTOK E-COMMERCE APPLICATION AMONG INDONESIAN STUDENTS

The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) explains how people's cognitive perceptions and behavior are formed when they use and accept technology. This study focuses on three main components that influence the acceptance and use of TikTok Shop. These factors are Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), and Attitude towards Using (ATU). This study aims to investigate how the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) impacts university students' use of the TikTok Shop feature in Indonesia. Data was collected through a questionnaire sent via Google Forms and included 102 students from various universities throughout Indonesia who had previously used TikTok Shop every day. SmartPLS checks the hypothesis using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The research findings indicated that students' perceptions of the utility of the TikTok Shop are significantly and positively influenced by their perceptions of the shop. Ease of use of the platform substantially influences the usefulness of the platform and students' attitudes towards it. In addition, ease of use of the platform indirectly influences students' perspectives through the influence of perceived benefits. Students' evaluations of the usability and convenience of TikTok Shop significantly influence their attitudes and willingness to use the website. This study also provides insight into the critical components that determine the acceptance and use of e-commerce platforms based on social media. The practical implications of this research relate to suggestions for improving the creation of e-commerce platforms, encouraging a more favorable disposition for their users.

The silicon service spectrum: warmth and competence explain people's preferences for AI assistants

IntroductionThe past year has seen the rise of many variants of large language model chatbots that all attempt to carry out verbal tasks requested by users. These chatbots perform various collaborative tasks, such as brainstorming, question and answering, summarization, and holding other forms of conversations, embedding them within our daily society. As these AI assistants become increasingly integrated into societal structures, understanding people's perceptions toward them offers insights into how to better facilitate that integration, and how different our current understanding of human-human interactions parallels human-AI interactions. This project explores people's preferences toward responses generated by various chatbots.MethodsLeveraging a comprehensive dataset composed of thousands of pairwise comparisons of responses from 17 popular chatbots, we applied multidimensional scaling (MDS) and property fitting (PROFIT) methodologies to uncover the dimensionality of why some models are similarly or dissimilarly preferred on average by people.ResultsIn line with previous research on universal dimensions of social cognition, interactions with chatbots are predominantly perceived along two dimensions: warmth and competence. Also similar to social cognition applied to humans, the dimensions displayed a curvilinear trend where the highest levels of default warmth are found in models with moderate levels of competence. Models at extremely high and extremely low levels of competence tended to have lower levels of default warmth.DiscussionThis research advances our understanding of the interface between technology and social psychology. As chatbots and AI become increasingly prevalent within societal interactions, we see that many of the same principles found in perceptions between humans can also apply to AI.

Farmer regeneration crisis in villages: Case study of youth in Sragen, Indonesia

Background: The rice fields in Sumberlawang District are 1,902 hectares, which are dominated by food crops, therefore the community's main livelihood is as farmers. Farming work has received a poor response from some village youths, young people tend to choose jobs in urban areas by means of urbanization in the hope of earning a high income. The aim of this research is to determine the factors and perceptions of young people in Sumberlawang District following in the footsteps of their parents to become farmers or work in the non-agricultural sector, by analyzing the internal and external factors that influence this. Methods: The method used to obtain and analyze data is a quantitative method supported by qualitative data. Finding: The results of the research show that factors that have a significant relationship with youth regarding farmer work are access to information. Conclusion: Factors that are significantly related to young people's perceptions of farmer work are: formal education and personal experience, while those that are not significantly related are non-formal education, cosmopolitan, and socio-cultural. Novelty/Originality of this Study: Its focus is on understanding the perceptions of rural youth in Sumberlawang District towards agricultural work, with a detailed analysis of the internal and external factors influencing these perceptions. This research provides a comprehensive examination of the significant relationships between formal education, personal experience, and access to information, and how these factors shape youth attitudes towards farming. The study aims to address the declining interest among youth in agricultural professions.

What I Can Do with the Right Version of You: The Impact of Narrative Perspective on Reader Immersion, and How (in)Formal Address Pronouns Influence Immersion Reports

Previous research has shown that readers experience stronger immersion while reading first-person narratives than third-person narratives, but whether this difference in processing is time-sensitive remains unclear. We report on a self-paced reading experiment in which French participants read short stories in first and in third person. Additionally, participants were directly addressed with either formal or informal second-person pronouns in the final sentence of the narrative, as well as in a subsequent (off-line) questionnaire soliciting post-story immersion reports. The suitability of a particular pronoun of address depends on the social context, and misplaced use can impact the way in which people perceive and assess a particular situation. We did not find significant differences between reading times with first- or third-person pronouns, but participants reported higher immersion and emotional engagement after reading first-person stories than third-person stories. Moreover, the effect of story perspective on reported immersion only occurred when participants were addressed with formal second-person pronouns. We take these findings as evidence for an effect of first- versus third-person pronouns on immersion via perspective shifts. Moreover, we argue that the effect of being addressed with an unexpected (in this case, informal) pronoun can overrule such an effect, while being addressed with an expected (in this case, formal) pronoun can be conducive of it. This finding highlights the importance of research into the impact of pronouns of address.