Implicit social cognition, also known as implicit bias, may impact social work practice. Because social workers commonly work with people with disabilities, it is important to understand more about social service professionals' attitudes about physical disability. By using descriptive and inferential statistical tests to quantitatively analyze secondary 2023 data from social service professionals, including social workers and counselors (n = 5,167), this study found that 70.3 percent of respondents reported having no explicit preference for people with or without physical disabilities, 23.7 percent reported preferring people without physical disabilities explicitly, and 6.0 percent reported preferring people with physical disabilities explicitly. For implicit attitudes, most participants had implicit preference for people without physical disabilities (77.8 percent), 13.7 percent had no implicit preference for people with or without physical disabilities, and 8.5 percent implicitly preferred people with physical disabilities. There was a statistically significant relationship between explicit and implicit attitudes, with most people having discordant explicit and implicit attitudes, often with low levels of explicit bias and high levels of implicit bias. This study also found age, gender, disability, having friends/family with disabilities, education, and political orientation correlated with explicit and implicit disability attitudes. The article ends with a discussion of educational interventions to reduce disability-related implicit bias.

ABSTRACT What do you want to do with your property when you die? This paper presents the results of a survey in which we asked this question to a nationally representative sample of 9000 American adults. We gathered data on respondents' families and then asked them how they would like to divide their property among those they leave behind. We find that people are more ambivalent about gifts to spouses and more generous to nonmarital partners than the law of intestacy generally assumes. People also give less to parents and more to siblings, extended relatives, and friends than expected and much more to stepchildren than expected. We find some significant differences by race, class, and gender, with women, African Americans, and people of less income and education preferring to give less to their spouses. Our findings improve upon empirical studies of probated wills by providing an unbiased sample, by including data on demographic characteristics, and by observing the preferences of people in unconventional families. We suggest that although intestacy law is often said to implement majoritarian preferences, it may be more consistent with a mix of majoritarianism, paternalism, and administrative efficiency.

Preferences between treatment characteristics can be understood and quantified by combining discrete choice experiment (DCE) and time trade-off (TTO) (DCETTO) methods. The goal is to elicit preferences for people with hemophiliaA (PWHA) and quantify impacts of treatment attribute changes on patient health utility with DCETTO. A total of 119 PWHA from a hemophilia treatment center and the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation Community Voices in Research were recruited. Their sociodemographics, clinical characteristics, and EQ-5D-5L scores were gathered. Treatment attributes for the DCE survey were based on the core outcome set for hemophilia gene therapy (coreHEM). For DCETTO, 10-, 15-, and 20-year life durations were used. In total 115 PWHA completed 12 DCE and DCETTO tasks, which were analyzed using conditional logistic models. Moderately burdensome treatment (24% treat > once/week) was reported by 67%. Mean EQ-5D-5L visual analogue score was 75; mean utility score was 0.684. All DCE attributes were significant; treatment administration was most important (2-3 intravenous [IV] infusions/week vs. a single IV infusion with 10-year durability, regression coefficient [RC], - 1.99), followed by mental health (always vs. no concern, RC, - 1.37), annual bleeding frequency (≥ 5 vs. none, RC, - 0.73), and chronic pain (yes vs. no, RC, - 0.36). For DCETTO, multiple IV infusions weekly and multiple monthly subcutaneous (SQ) injections were associated with annualized utility decrements (0.046 vs. 10-year durability, 0.044 vs. 5-year; 0.037 vs. 10-year, 0.030 vs. 5-year, respectively). All coreHEM outcomes are important for treatment choices of PWHA. One-time IV infusion with 5- to 10-year durability can provide important patient utility gains over lifelong repeated SQ injections or IV infusions.

Acute inpatient care does not always align with the known palliative care needs and preferences of people with deteriorating health. The LEAHP (Listen, Empower and Act to improve Hospital Palliative care) bundle is a novel intervention combining collection and feedback of patient reported experience measures (PREMs), an understanding of context, co-design of a shared vision and facilitated clinician-led improvements in quality of care, for inpatients with palliative care needs. We describe the resource requirements for pilot implementation of the LEAHP bundle, and potential cost considerations for sustaining and spreading this initiative. A prospective costing analysis was conducted alongside a pre-post implementation study between May 2022 and Nov 2023 across three wards in a large hospital in Australia. A health service perspective was taken, with costs collected during the study period and valued in 2023 Australian dollars. Costs included Project Team and Clinical Team labour, as well as non-labour resources. Time-driven, activity-based costing methods were adopted, with implementation activities categorised using a modified Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) Framework headings. A scenario analysis explored cost reductions that would support sustaining and spreading of the initiative. The total average cost of implementing the LEAHP bundle for each ward over approximately 12 months was $37,019; consisting of $26,289 (71%) Project Team, $8,870 (24%) Clinical Team, and $2,053 (5%) non-labour average costs. The greatest percentage of costs was attributed to the Facilitator (average $13,488 per ward, 36% overall) and the Research Nurse (average of $10,868 per ward, 29%). In a scenario analysis testing sustainment and spread, the total average cost of implementing the LEAHP bundle was an average of $25,251 per ward ($15,212 [60%] Project Team, $8,373 [33%] Clinical Team, and $1,667 [7%] non-labour costs) – 32% less than the base case. Pilot implementation of the LEAHP bundle required investment from both the Project Team and Clinical Team to enable facilitation, collection of PREMs, an understanding of context, and engagement of clinicians to implement improvements for inpatients with palliative care needs. Sustainment would be contingent on the resources required for facilitation in a changing clinical context and on mechanisms for collecting and processing the PREM data. Future research is warranted to explore sustainable and widescale implementation of this promising intervention.

This study investigates the profound and often overlooked impact of bounded rationality on strategic decision-making, using the prisoner’s dilemma as a foundational model. A questionnaire issued by the author reports that over 70% of people prefer to cooperate rather than betray, which is completely different from what is predicted in theory. This stark empirical discrepancy not only challenges the core assumption of perfect rationality in classical game theory but also underscores the critical need to incorporate behavioral elements for accurate prediction of real-world outcomes. Bounded rationality is an important part that is always ignored by game theorists when analyzing cases. Although an increasing number of papers are describing the causes of bounded rationality, there is still a gap about how to optimize bounded rationality and prevent possible loss from being irrational. To bridge this gap, this study first analyzes the core causes and dualistic effects (both positive and negative) of bounded rationality, supported by real-world case studies. It then proposes and evaluates a series of practical optimization strategies—including a hybrid stochastic approach and a minimax regret framework—designed to leverage the cooperative potential of bounded rationality while insulating decision-makers from its associated risks.

What emotions do people prefer in their leaders, and do these emotional preferences vary depending on how their organizations are performing? In three studies conducted between 2018 and 2023 with European American, East Asian American, and Hong Kong Chinese participants, we predicted that people would choose leaders whose emotional expressions matched their culture's ideal affect (the affective states they value) more during growth, when conditions are favorable and people default to cultural ideals, than during decline, when conditions are unfavorable, and people are more open to other options. In Study 1 (N = 304), participants imagined that their own organizations were undergoing growth or decline and rated the emotions they would ideally like their leaders to have. In Studies 2 (N = 449) and 3 (N = 558), participants read hypothetical scenarios of student organizations undergoing growth and decline, and chose a leader among excited, calm, and neutral candidates. Across the studies, during growth, European Americans and East Asian Americans chose excited candidates more and calm candidates less than did Hong Kong Chinese, consistent with cultural differences in the valuation of high arousal positive affect. During decline, however, these cultural differences disappeared. Moreover, in Study 3, participants' ideal high arousal positive affect predicted their positive judgments of the excited candidate when conditions were favorable but not when they were unfavorable, suggesting one mechanism underlying these cultural differences in leader choice. Together, these studies suggest that people prefer leaders who express culturally ideal emotions more during organizational growth than decline. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Effectively managing human-wildlife interactions is crucial for fostering coexistence on shared landscapes. Management options are most effective when aligned with the preferences of people directly affected by wildlife, yet little is known about how socioecological factors influence these preferences. Integrating responses from 680 rural residents of northern Tanzania and remotely sensed data, we parameterized a Bayesian hierarchical model to test predictions of the hazard-acceptance model. We estimated how perceived costs and benefits, distance to protected areas, and the human footprint index mediate preferences for managing (preventing damage, compensating damage, reducing populations, and doing nothing) interactions with herbivore (elephant, giraffe, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and impala) and carnivore (lion, hyena, leopard, cheetah, honey badger, and jackal) species. Most respondents preferred management options that supported coexistence: prevention (41.9%), no management (38.0%), and compensation (11.1%). In contrast, population reduction (9.0%) was least preferred but more frequently selected for carnivores (13.4%) than herbivores (5.3%). Perceived costs strongly influenced management preferences. Respondents perceiving tangible costs were more likely to prefer prevention (posterior mean: 0.57 [95% credible interval 0.00 to 0.99]) over compensation (0.07 [0.00 to 0.66]) or population reduction (0.16 [0.00 to 0.87]), whereas those not perceiving costs leaned toward no management (0.40 [-0.74 to 1.78]). Though perceived benefits were less influential than costs, respondents associating species with intangible (0.10 [0.00 to 0.74]) or tourism benefits (0.06 [0.00 to 0.63]) were less likely to support population reduction than those perceiving no benefits (0.12 [0.00 to 0.82]). Distance to protected areas and the human footprint index had weaker, inconsistent effects, but random intercepts indicated substantial village-village variation in preferred management options. Our results suggest that conservation strategies should primarily address wildlife-related costs and foster coexistence by more equitably distributing benefits. A possible strategy could include investing tourism revenues into comanaged, locally tailored damage prevention measures.

Evidence-informed guidelines provide a basis for optimal clinical and public health decisions. Rigorous methodological standards have been developed for producing guidelines, and the purpose of this article is to consolidate and elaborate on these methods. The body of evidence addressing methodological aspects for developing the first version of a guideline in the context of living evidence-informed clinical and public health guidelines was included. The latest version of methodological handbooks and articles presenting guideline methodology were selected. Guideline panels develop guideline questions and prioritize outcomes for decision making. Evidence syntheses provide summaries of the best available evidence to answer these questions. This evidence includes the benefits and harms of interventions, the certainty in this evidence, and people's values and preferences, among others. The guideline panel assesses this evidence and makes judgments when formulating recommendations. Guideline recommendations are disseminated and repackaged into implementation tools for the target users. Guideline recommendations developed following the rigorous and transparent methods outlined here equip clinicians and other target users with trustworthy information that can support better decision making and improve patient outcomes.

Language plays a central role in how neurodivergent individuals express identity and belonging. Although terminology such as neurodivergent and neurodiverse has become increasingly common, little empirical research has examined how these and related terms are perceived within and across neurodivergent communities. This exploratory study surveyed 740 adults with a diagnosis of autism ( n = 189), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) ( n = 190), dyslexia ( n = 179), or co-occurring autism and ADHD ( n = 182) from the United Kingdom and United States to assess preferences, offensiveness, acceptability, and self-use of six neurodiversity-related terms. Participants rated neurodivergent and neurodiverse as the most preferred, least offensive, and most acceptable, whereas neurominority and neurospicy were least endorsed. The overall order of preferences was largely consistent across diagnostic groups, gender identities, and countries, though group-level differences emerged for specific terms. Dyslexic participants rated neurodivergent and neurodiverse less positively than other groups, while the Autistic + ADHD group expressed the strongest endorsement of neurodivergent . Participants reported infrequent use of any of these labels to describe themselves, suggesting that while certain terms are broadly acceptable, they may not yet serve as primary identity markers. Overall, findings indicate strong agreement, with neurodivergent emerging as the most accepted term. Lay Abstract Language is important to how neurodivergent people express who they are and how they connect with others. Although words like neurodivergent and neurodiverse are now common in education, workplaces, and policy, we still know little about how people in these communities feel about them. This study explored the views of 740 adults with lived experience of autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, or both autism and ADHD. Participants were asked which terms they preferred, which they found offensive, and how acceptable they found six commonly used terms describing neurodiversity: neurodiverse , neurodivergent , neurodistinct , neuroatypical , neurospicy , and neurominority . Overall, neurodivergent was rated as the most positive, least offensive, and most acceptable term, followed by neurodiverse . In contrast, neurominority and neurospicy were viewed less favourably. Participants were also asked how often they use neurodiversity terms to describe themselves. These terms were generally used infrequently, with people identifying as both Autistic and ADHD more likely to use them, and people with dyslexia less likely to do so. Most participants agreed that neurodivergent was the most acceptable term overall. However, more work is needed to understand why people prefer certain words and what influences whether they use them in daily life. This study provides useful guidance for choosing respectful and inclusive language when describing neurodivergent people in policy, education, and practice.

People prefer novices for advice generated from direct experience and experts for advice generated from data synthesis and extrapolation

Despite the growing interest in collaborative AI, designing systems that seamlessly integrate human input remains a major challenge. In this study, we developed a task to systematically examine human preferences for collaborative agents. We created and evaluated five collaborative AI agents with strategies that differ in the manner and degree they adapt to human actions. Participants interacted with a subset of these agents, evaluated their perceived traits, and selected their preferred agent. We used a Bayesian model to understand how agents' strategies influence the human-AI team performance, AI's perceived traits, and the factors shaping human preferences in pairwise agent comparisons. Our results show that agents who are more considerate of human actions are preferred over purely performance-maximizing agents. Moreover, we show that such human-centric design can improve the likability of AI collaborators without reducing performance. We find evidence for inequality-aversion effects being a driver of human choices, suggesting that people prefer collaborative agents which allow them to meaningfully contribute to the team. Taken together, these findings demonstrate how collaboration with AI can benefit from development efforts, which include both subjective and objective metrics.

Generation Z, shaped by digitalization and social media, has become one of the most important groups in the global fast-fashion industry. The study focuses on the social, technological, behavioural, and economic factors and the relationships that affect fast fashion consumption among the Iraqi Gen Z. A mixed-method design was utilized in this research study. The qualitative portion consisted of a systematic literature review, semi-structured interviews with Iraqi Gen Z consumers, and the identification of themes of interest in fashion consumption. The quantitative portion employed Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) on data from 384 participants, with the sample size calculated from Cochran's formula. The research found that social media usage and online advertising play a significant role in fast-fashion orientation by influencing people's preferences and purchase intent. Access to new trends through digital technologies and platforms, coupled with people's behavioural and lifestyle-driven decision-making, significantly influences fast fashion consumption. In the Iraqi context, economic factors, particularly the ease of online shopping and the low prices of fast fashion, promote fast fashion consumption. In addition to the qualitative findings, the quantitative analysis revealed that the integrated model explained 35% of the variance in fast-fashion orientation among Iraqi Gen Z consumers, with economic factors and consumer behavior exerting the most significant influence. The study makes a theoretical contribution by proposing an integrated framework that combines the social, technological, behavioural, and economic aspects. Almost all the results should also assist fashion brands, marketers, and policymakers in understanding the values of Generation Z in developing and transitional economies, and in developing models that reflect the needs and desires of that cohort.

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is the most common anxiety disorder in older people and is characterised by excessive anxiety and worry that is experienced as being difficult to control. Current recommended first-line treatments for GAD include pharmacotherapy and psychological therapy, but some people experience GAD that does not respond to these treatments. Such treatment-resistant GAD (TR-GAD) is associated with numerous negative outcomes in older people. However, evidence-based guidance on how to manage TR-GAD in older people is lacking. Previous research suggests that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), tailored to the needs and preferences of older people with TR-GAD, may help reduce anxiety in this population. To determine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of tailored ACT plus usual care (UC) in comparison to UC alone for reducing anxiety in older people with TR-GAD. The CONTACT-GAD trial is an international, multi-centre, parallel, two-arm RCT with a 9-month internal pilot phase. 296 individuals aged ≥ 60 years with TR-GAD will be recruited from primary and secondary care services (and their equivalent in Australia) and via self-referral at approximately 11 UK sites and 4 Australian sites. TR-GAD will be defined as GAD that has failed to respond adequately to pharmacotherapy and/or psychotherapy, as described in step 3 of the UK's stepped care model for GAD (and its equivalent in Australia). Participants will be randomly allocated to receive up to 14 one-to-one sessions of ACT with a booster session at approximately 3-months post-intervention plus UC or UC alone by an online randomisation system. Participants will complete outcome measures at baseline and 6- and 12-months post-randomisation. The primary outcome will be anxiety at six months. Secondary outcomes will include quality of life, depression, psychological flexibility, resource use, health-related quality of life, capability, adverse events, satisfaction with therapy, personally meaningful behaviour change and engagement in activities. Outcome assessors will be blind to treatment allocation. Primary analyses will be by intention-to-treat, with data being analysed using multi-level modelling. The CONTACT-GAD trial will provide much needed evidence on the management of TR-GAD in older people. ISRCTN Registry, https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN85462326, registered 04/01/2023. 3.0 (09/05/2025).

Despite its recognized importance in dementia care, advance care planning is frequently postponed. Understanding factors that support and hinder readiness (i.e., an individual’s willingness and ability to engage in advance care planning discussions) is essential, to ensure that people with dementia and their family caregivers can participate effectively in planning for future care. This study aimed to identify factors influencing readiness from the perspectives of people with dementia, family caregivers, and healthcare professionals. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with people with dementia, family caregivers, and healthcare professionals across multiple care settings in the Netherlands. Inductive qualitative content analysis was used to identify key factors influencing readiness. For people with dementia (n = 6), readiness was facilitated by a desire for autonomy. Readiness was hindered by focusing on the present, surrendering to a perceived lack of control over the future, avoiding sensitive topics, and relying on healthcare professionals to initiate discussions. For both people with dementia and family caregivers (n = 5 family caregivers), readiness was facilitated by a desire to prepare for the future, and hindered by the complexity of advance care planning. (Lack of) collaboration and social support, previous personal experiences, and the relationship with the healthcare professional either facilitated or hindered readiness. No distinct factors were identified solely for family caregivers. Healthcare professionals (n = 13) reported factors related to individual healthcare professionals: difficulty addressing sensitive topics as hindering readiness for advance care planning, while (lack of) personal priority, (limited) education and training, and (lack of) experience either facilitated or hindered it. They also reported factors related to healthcare organizations: interprofessional cooperation and communication facilitated readiness, while (lack of) implementation leadership, (limited) time to implement advance care planning, and (limited) procedural support either facilitated or hindered readiness. Readiness for advance care planning in dementia is dynamic and shaped by personal, relational, and systemic factors. Addressing these factors may facilitate timely and meaningful implementation of advance care planning, ensuring future care aligns with the values and preferences of people with dementia and their families.

Abstract Policy acceptance is one of the biggest hurdles to climate action and is heavily driven by people’s perceptions of fairness. Here we investigate which distributive justice principles people prefer and whether these distributive preferences are linked to policy preferences along three policy characteristics: stringency, redistribution, and instrument type. Using an online survey experiment ( N = 2, 230), we assess agreement with four justice principles relevant to the decarbonisation context - equal outcomes, sufficientarianism, limitarianism, and utilitarianism - and identify groups with distinct justice orientations. Using data from two choice experiments, we show that climate justice orientation is associated with distinct policy preferences, with most individuals supporting a combination of principles and being sensitive to redistribution in policy design. This study provides further evidence on the widely noted observation that justice is a key aspect in the public’s policy assessment. We suggest this justice orientation should be considered in both policymaking and policy-driven research.

Purpose Researchers in many countries have long argued that a harmful culture of long work hours and working weeks has become normalized in the construction industry. This has many negative impacts of workers' work-life balance, health and wellbeing, relationships and organizational outcomes. A shorter working week has been promoted by many researchers as one part of the solution to this problem. The purpose of this paper is to critique this debate and present the results of a large-scale empirical study into the pros and cons of a shorter working week in the Australian construction industry. Design/methodology/approach This paper investigates the individual and organizational pros and cons of a shorter working week based on the results of a survey (N = 1,475) and interviews (N = 111) with a representative sample of people and firms from across the Australian construction industry. Findings The findings show that widespread claims about the work-life balance benefits of a shorter working week should be treated with caution. The pros and cons of a shorter working week are highly contingent and vary over time, from project-to-project and person-to-person depending on a wide range of factors such as the shorter working week model employed, people's personal circumstances and life preferences, age, gender, job, marital status, wider economic conditions and the culture, nature and types of organizations they work for and projects they work on. Originality/value This research addresses the paucity of large-scale multi-method empirical research into the pros and cons of a shorter working week. It questions the overwhelmingly positive nature of this debate and highlights several methodological limitations with existing research. Contrary to most existing research, it concludes that the jury is still out on the pros and cons of a shorter working week and that the development of effective evidence-based policy in this area requires much more research across a variety of shorter week scenarios and contexts.

Quantifying the basal insulin treatment preferences of people living in Canada with type 2 diabetes when glycemic control and cost are held constant: A discrete choice experiment.

Fildom, a personalized and innovative device for enhanced support for seniors at home

The adoption of electric vehicles is increasing rapidly due to concerns about the environment, rising fuel costs, and government policies. In India, Coimbatore is emerging as an important region for the adoption of electric vehicles, particularly two-wheelers and electric rickshaws. This paper examines the preferences of people in Coimbatore regarding electric vehicles, particularly with regard to costs, usability, awareness about the environment, and government incentives. The findings of this paper are expected to aid in the promotion of electric vehicles in Coimbatore.

High fertility preferences and strong socio-cultural norms around gender and family slow fertility transitions in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We examine how gender attitudes shape fertility preferences among youth aged 15-24 using Demographic and Health Survey data from 10 high-fertility SSA countries (total fertility rate ≥5 in 2015-20). We conduct pooled and country-specific negative binomial regressions separately for men and women, relating attitudes towards wife beating and gender preferences for children to the ideal number of children. Tolerance of wife beating is associated with 7% higher desired fertility for both men and women (IRR=1.07, p<0.001), with substantial cross-country variation in magnitude and direction, particularly among women. Gender preferences (son, daughter, or none versus balanced) show clear differences between men and women; these associations are generally positive for men and mixed for women, although modest in magnitude. This study finds marked variation across and within countries, highlighting context- and gender-specific patterns in how gender attitudes relate to young people's fertility preferences in high-fertility SSA.