Prior Experience Research Articles

Subjective benefits from wearing self-fitting over-the-counter hearing aids in the real world.

In 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration enacted final regulations to establish the category of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids aimed at reducing barriers to access hearing health care for individuals with self-perceived mild to moderate hearing loss. However, given the infancy of this device category, the effectiveness of OTC hearing aids in real-world environments is not yet well understood. To gain insights into the perceived benefit of self-fitting OTC hearing aids, a two-pronged investigation was conducted. In the primary investigation, 255 active users of a self-fitting OTC hearing aid were surveyed on their perceived benefit using an abridged form of the Satisfaction with Amplification in Daily Living (SADL) scale. The mean global (4.9) and subscale scores (Positive Effect (PE): 4.3; Negative Features (NF): 4.3; Personal Image (PI): 6.1) were within the range of those previously reported for users of prescription hearing aids. In the secondary investigation, 29 individuals with self-reported hearing impairment but no prior experience with the investigational self-fitting OTC hearing aids used the devices and reported their perceived benefit and satisfaction following short-term usage. For this prospective group, the global SADL (5.4) and subscale scores (PE: 4.8; NF: 4.9; PI: 6.5) following a minimum of 10 weeks of real-world use were also within the range of those previously reported for traditional hearing aid users. In addition, this prospective group was also asked quality of life questions which assessed psychological benefits of hearing aid use. Responses to these items suggest hearing aid related improvements in several areas spanning emotional health, relationships at home and at work, social life, participation in group activities, confidence and feelings about one's self, ability to communicate effectively, and romance. Converging data from these investigations suggest that self-fitting OTC hearing aids can potentially provide their intended users with a level of subjective benefit comparable to what prescription hearing aid users might experience.

Prior acupuncture experience among elderly participants enrolled in a clinical trial of acupuncture for chronic low back pain: Implications for future trials

BackgroundThe effectiveness of acupuncture for chronic low back pain (cLBP) has not been studied specifically in the 65-and-older population. To inform the validity and generalizability of future acupuncture studies among older adults, we characterized elderly participants’ prior experience with and views toward acupuncture and tested for clinical and sociodemographic differences between acupuncture-naïve and non-naïve participants. MethodsData for this study were collected during the baseline telephone interview from the participants enrolled in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California site of an NIH-funded, multicenter clinical trial of acupuncture for cLBP in older adults. ResultsNearly two-thirds (65.6 %) of participants surveyed reported they had previously received acupuncture treatment with the vast majority seeking acupuncture treatment for pain-related issues (84.8 %). The majority of these participants reported relatively modest levels of exposure to acupuncture with most participants (63.1 %) reporting fewer than 10 treatment sessions over their lifetimes. There were no significant differences in age, sex, race, ethnicity, disability scores, income levels, or pain levels between the acupuncture-naïve and non-naïve groups. ConclusionContextual consideration for prior acupuncture utilization rates is warranted and may be higher than expected or previously reported. We found few differences in baseline characteristics between participants who were acupuncture-naïve and those with prior acupuncture experience; thus, future pragmatic clinical trials might relax previous acupuncture-use considerations in their recruitment criteria. For trials focused on acupuncture-naive patients, it may be more feasible to expand the definition of "acupuncture-naive" based on lifetime acupuncture visits or time since last treatment. Trial registrationThe protocol was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (#NCT04982315).

Health data social licence: An inclusive process to learn more about the perspectives of experienced public and patient advisors

The term "social licence" has been used to describe which uses and users of health data the public supports - and under what conditions. From November 2022 to January 2023, Health Data Research Network Canada was funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada to explore whether there was consensus among experienced public and patient advisors on: (i) uses of health data that all members supported or opposed and (ii) what constitutes an essential requirement for a health data use or user to be within social licence. The project was conducted in English and French in collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Research Group in Health Informatics (GRIIS) at the University of Sherbrooke. It involved 20 public/patient advisor "participants" and an additional 13 public/patient advisors who served as peer-reviewers, all of whom had prior experience working in a health-related field and/or with health data. The process followed inclusive design principles in that it captured views held by the majority and minority of participants, including views expressed by only one or two participants. After two 2-hour facilitated sessions, participants agreed that it is within social licence for health data to be used (i) by healthcare practitioners to improve patient care, (ii) by governments and administrators to improve the health system, and (iii) by university-based researchers to understand disease and well-being. There was consensus opposition to (i) an individual or organisation selling someone else's identified health data and (ii) health data being used for a purpose that has no public or societal benefit. There was no consensus about what constitutes an essential requirement for a use or users of health data to be with social licence. The results of the process have been published in a non-peer-reviewed report co-authored with participants. This paper has been co-authored with a subset of the participants and peer-reviewers to present a high-level summary of the findings, methodological details, and templates to enable other groups to adapt the process to their own settings. It also presents the results of an anonymous evaluation of the process using the Public and Patient Engagement Evaluation Tool (PPEET), which were mostly positive and identified some areas for improvement.

Factors affecting Chinese undergraduate medical students’ behavioural intention and actual use of intelligent tutoring systems

This study examined Chinese undergraduate medical students’ acceptance and adoption of intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) using the general extended technology acceptance model for e-learning via a Likert-scale questionnaire. Specifically, it examined the relations between the five antecedents and the four core components in the model (i.e., perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), behavioural intention and actual use of ITSs). The results of PLS-SEM showed that perceived enjoyment was the most influential antecedent as it significantly impacted both PU and PEOU. Both self-efficacy and prior experience only significantly contributed to PEOU but not PU. Both PU and PEOU significantly and positively predicted behavioural intention, which in turn had a significant and positive path to actual use. The results provide some practical implications to teachers as to how to encourage Chinese undergraduate medical students’ adoption of ITSs: by integrating some gamification elements into the learning activities in ITSs to foster students’ enjoyable feelings or familiarising students with using ITSs so that they can quickly adapt to learning through them. This could be achieved by providing guidance in using ITSs via videos, websites or booklets, or at the beginning of the course, inviting senior students to share their perceived advantages and usefulness of using ITSs. Implications for practice or policy: Because of the importance of perceived enjoyment, teachers may integrate some gamification into the learning activities in ITSs to nurture students’ enjoyable feelings. To enable students to quickly accommodate learning via ITSs, institutions may provide students with information on common features of ITSs or how to navigate a specific ITS. Teachers may explicitly explain how learning objectives can be better achieved through using an ITSs so that students will appreciate its usefulness.

A Completely New and Sudden Reality: English Language Teacher’s Voices on Emergency Remote Teaching in Indonesian Pesantren Schools

Unexpected shift to emergency remote teaching (ERT) engendered a complex situation for all schools around the globe, in particular those with inadequate prior experience of this distant online learning mode. Whilst the bulk of research has dealt with ERT practices in various school contexts, this issue in Indonesian pesantren – a type of Islamic boarding school which provides full-time comprehensive religious educational activities but have considerably lack of practice in distance online learning – remains underexplored. This qualitative study addressed this gap by unpacking English language teachers’ voices and experiences in ERT in pesantren school contexts. The study was conducted during school closure in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its data were generated through open ended questionnaires and analyzed using six-phase thematic analysis. The findings show that the teachers indicated positive attitude toward ERT. Despite several challenges, they expressed opportunities that might potentially contribute to the better enactment of ERT in pesantren learning process. Pedagogical implications and recommendations for further research are discussed. Keywords: Emergency Remote Teaching, ELT, Pesantren School

Statistical analysis of international labour migration strategy from India to the Gulf countries

This study investigates the economic implications of migration, specifically focusing on the monetary expenses incurred during the migration process and the fundraising methods employed by the Gulf migrant workers from Bihar. The research involved a sample of 400 participants obtained using a three-stage cluster sampling method. The participants were Gulf migrant labourers originating from the Siwan and Gopalganj districts of Bihar. The findings of the chi-square test indicate that both technical education and prior job experience have a significant impact on reducing migration expenses. However, it is worth noting that the process of getting visas through agents is costly, even though the majority of migrant workers rely on the services of agents. The average overall expense for Gulf migration exceeds three times the earnings acquired in the destination country. The regression analysis revealed that several factors, such as the age of migrant workers, technical education, source of visa, level of education, and prior job experience, had a statistically significant influence on the cost of migration. For the fund-raising strategy, migrant labourers rely largely on their parents and social networks. The practice of obtaining funds from moneylenders is still prevalent among migrants. The study sheds light on the key determinants of migration costs for workers and emphasizes the crucial role of social networks and family support in facilitating migration. Additionally, this study offers policy recommendations aimed at reducing the financial burden associated with migration and it proposes that the government should engage in partnerships with financial institutions to establish dedicated lending initiatives for migrant workers, referred to as migration loans.

Production benefits on encoding are modulated by language experience: Less experience may help.

Several lines of research have shown that performing movements while learning new information aids later retention of that information, compared to learning by perception alone. For instance, articulated words are more accurately remembered than words that are silently read (the production effect). A candidate mechanism for this movement-enhanced encoding, sensorimotor prediction, assumes that acquired sensorimotor associations enable movements to prime associated percepts and hence improve encoding. Yet it is still unknown how the extent of prior sensorimotor experience influences the benefits of movement on encoding. The current study addressed this question by examining whether the production effect is modified by prior language experience. Does the production effect reduce or persist in a second language (L2) compared to a first language (L1)? Two groups of unbalanced bilinguals, German (L1) - English (L2) bilinguals (Experiment 1) and English (L1) - German (L2) bilinguals (Experiment 2), learned lists of German and English words by reading the words silently or reading the words aloud, and they subsequently performed recognition tests. Both groups showed a pronounced production effect (higher recognition accuracy for spoken compared to silently read words) in the first and second languages. Surprisingly, the production effect was greater in thesecond languages compared to the first languages, across both bilingual groups. We discuss interpretations based on increased phonological encoding, increased effort or attention, or both, when reading aloud in a second language.

Domesticating technology: Learning from the use of mobile phone of small women rural entrepreneurs in India during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide lockdowns that followed the same have led to drastic changes in our lifestyles. While the lockdowns marked a global transition to a world of online services and products, the change was neither easy nor smooth for many. From lack of access to technology to the absence of skills to use it, the act of “going digital” was littered with challenges for people across the world. In the South-Asian country of India, this lack of access was further amplified by the presence of a gender digital divide. Among the women from various factions of the society, one such category affected by it was female entrepreneurs from small rural areas in India. These entrepreneurs were cut off from their clientele owing to a nationwide lockdown in the country imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19. Most of these women had no prior experience with technology (which is mobile phones in their case) but they not only negotiated access but used it to sustain and grow their entrepreneurial endeavors in a short duration of time. This study, through in-depth qualitative interviews with female entrepreneurs from small rural areas in India maps their usage patterns and their negotiations for domesticating mobile phones. The research found that the first two stages of domestication theory (appropriation and objectification) were easier to navigate for the women entrepreneurs, but gender expectations from them made the last two stages of incorporation and conversion challenging.

A Strategic Human Resource Management Approach to Facilitating Volunteer Legacies From Mega-Sport Events: The Moderating Impact of Gender and Experience in the Case of Rio 2016

Volunteers are crucial for successful event delivery, from community to mega-events. Mega-sport events (MSE) are sold on their generative potential for social legacies for host communities like volunteering to support future community and tourism activity. With the lens of the temporal extension of the socioecological framework (TESEF), we propose that strategic human resource management (SHRM) across the volunteer journey will facilitate post-MSE legacy. A previously used online questionnaire and then structural equation modeling (SEM) are used to test 10 hypotheses with 4,824 Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games volunteers. Analysis revealed four predictors (SHRM: recruitment, job allocation, and supervision; and Motivational: variety) have significant positive effects on overall satisfaction. However, volunteer training and overall satisfaction had a highly negative influence on legacy potential. SEM revealed the moderating effect of volunteers??? gender and prior experience. Gender moderated five relationship paths and experience moderated six relational paths. MSE management implications are explored.

The Influence of Pre-Trip Medical Spanish Education on a US-Based, Medical Student Service Trip: A Cohort Study

Background: International service trips are increasingly common in medical school curricula. Medical Spanish is an essential tool in healthcare interactions with Spanish-speaking patients globally. Medical Spanish classes are offered at many medical schools, but it is not known whether they increase confidence for medical students on Spanish-speaking service trips. Methods: A prospective cohort study of medical students attending one of two sister campuses who completed pre- and post-international medical service trip questionnaires. Data collected includes demographics, confidence, and perceived experiences. Data analyses involved a multivariable regression assuming an ordered multinomial response, FREQ procedure, and the GLIMMIX procedure on SAS STAT v.9.4. Results: Demographics significantly associated with confidence categories are female sex, length of Spanish education, previously having lived in a Spanish country, and experience speaking Spanish with patients. Confidence communicating in Spanish shows the highest gain in significant categories post-trip while confidence working with interpreters and feeling adequately trained to treat Hispanics showed the lowest. Participants having taken Medical Spanish before did not improve their confidence. However, participants with prior Medical Spanish experience reported significantly higher benefit from this education in that it gave them an advantage and helped them connect better with patients. Conclusion: Our findings reinforce the importance of language-concordance and confidence in patient interactions while demonstrating that prior Medical Spanish experience may not significantly improve confidence on a Spanish-speaking international trip, especially among non-fluent students. Spanish experience and proficiency should not be a deterring factor for students looking to go on a medical trip.

Hunter risk sensitivity to ticks and tick-borne disease in Illinois

ABSTRACT Tick-borne disease (TBD) is a public health issue, especially for hunters. Data were obtained from a mailed survey (n = 2,948, response rate = 59%) of Illinois adult resident hunters. Consistent with earlier work, hunter perception of vector-borne diseases could be categorized into an overall risk sensitivity index consisting of three clusters of respondents: no risk (40%), slight risk (45%), and moderate risk (15%). As predicted, individuals in the no-risk cluster consistently reported the lowest mean scores for the awareness of ticks, prior experience with ticks, perceived risks with ticks, and protective behavior indices. People in the moderate risk cluster reported the highest means on these indices. In contrast, means for those in the slight risk cluster were consistently between individuals in the no-risk and moderate risk clusters. Results underscore the need for identifying strategies to improve personal protective adoption measures by hunters with low-risk perception.

Which horticultural activities are more effective for children's recovery from stress and mental fatigue? A quasi-experimental study.

Studies have established the benefits of horticultural therapy and activities for human health and well-being. Nonetheless, limited research has been conducted on the potential restorative advantages and distinctions between different types of horticultural activities in terms of stress reduction. This study employed a quantitative research method to investigate the stress recovery benefits of five horticultural activities (flower arrangement, sowing and transplanting seeds, kokedama crafting, pressed flower card making, and decorative bottle painting with dried flowers) and one reference activity (short composition writing) for children. The experiment was conducted in a children's activity center's multi-purpose classroom with 48 elementary students aged 9-12 years. The subjects first took a stress test to induce stress and then engaged in horticultural activities for 20 min. Physiological stress was assessed using electrocardiograms and electroencephalograms as feedback indicators. Psychological and emotional changes were determined using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children and Self-Assessment Manikin scales. The results demonstrated that horticultural activities greatly reduced physiological fatigue, and their recovery benefits were significantly greater than those of the reference activity. The recovery effects from different horticultural activities were similar across physiological indicators, although flower arrangement and sowing and transplanting seeds exhibited relatively robust recovery benefits. The heart rate and α-EEG-based generalized estimating equation revealed that horticultural activities offered significantly better relative recovery at each time phase of operation than the reference activity, with girls showing a 3.68% higher relative recovery value than boys. Flower arrangement and kokedama crafting offered better physiological recovery for students with prior horticultural experience, and these two activities received the highest scores in terms of positive effects and the "pleasure" dimension. Students believed that participating in horticultural activities resulted in a noteworthy increase in personal confidence and a greater sense of achievement. The study suggests that horticultural activities that involve real and vibrant plants or natural materials and are more attractive have more stress-relieving benefits. We conclude that horticultural activities are beneficial leisure activities that aid in stress relief for children and that it is important to consider the attributes of activities when developing horticultural programs for elementary students.

Content validity of the electronic faces thermometer scale for pain in children: is a picture worth more than a thousand words?

Early recognition of pain in children is crucial, and their self-report is the primary source of information. However, communication about pain in healthcare settings can be challenging. For non-verbal communication regarding different symptoms, children prefer digital tools. The electronic Faces Thermometer Scale (eFTS) utilizes a universal design with colors, face emojis, and numbers on an 11-point scale (0-10) for pain assessment. The aim of this study was to establish content validity of the eFTS for pain assessments in children. A mixed methods design was used. The study took place at a university hospital in eastern Sweden, involving 102 children aged 8-17 years who visited outpatient clinics. Participants were presented with 17 pictures representing varying pain levels and asked to assess hypothetical pain using the eFTS. A think-aloud approach was employed, prompting children to verbalize their thoughts about assessments and the eFTS. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and comparative statistics, together with a qualitative approach for analysis of think-aloud conversations. A total of 1,734 assessments of hypothetical pain using the eFTS were conducted. The eFTS differentiated between no pain (level 0-1) and pain (level 2-10). However, no clear agreement was found in the differentiation between hypothetical pain intensity levels (level 2-10). The analysis revealed that children utilized the entire scale, ranging from no pain to high pain, incorporating numbers, colors, and face emojis in their assessments. The variability in assessments was influenced by prior experiences, which had an impact on the statistical outcome in our study. However, employing the think-aloud method enhances our understanding of how children utilize the scale and perceive its design, including the incorporation of emotion-laden anchors. Children express a preference for using the eFTS to assess their pain during hospital visits.

Patient Satisfaction and Willingness to Continue with Telemental Health Care During and After the Early Period of SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: A User Survey.

Objective: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and related lockdown periods generated an increase in the use of virtual care for mental health (MH). This study aimed to assess patient satisfaction with Telemental Health services (TMH) during first lockdown and factors related to their willingness to continue using this service. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 364 MH outpatients from 9 centers in the Barcelona region (Spain), who received TMH between April 20 and May 22, 2020. We assessed sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, prior experience, and familiarity with technologies and satisfaction with TMH. Willingness to receive TMH after the lockdown was measured separately for telephone and videoconferencing. We performed descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariate regression models to predict TMH willingness. Results: From 450 patients contacted, 364 were interviewed. Satisfaction with TMH was high (mean 9.24, standard deviation 0.07); 2.47% preferred only TMH visits after lockdown, 23.08% preferred mostly TMH visits, 50.82% accepted some TMH visits, and 23.63% would prefer in-person consultations. Female patients and those having received TMH during lockdown showed higher odds of willingness to receive TMH in the future, while patients unfamiliar with technologies showed lower odds. Concerning TMH through telephone, willingness was more likely in patients living with more persons. Videoconferencing willingness was more likely for people living with depression. Conclusions: TMH was well accepted during the first lockdown and patients were willing to maintain it after lockdown. Low familiarity with new technologies is an important barrier to TMH willingness, which needs to be addressed for appropriate implementation going forward.

Bridging Gaps: Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers’ Handling the Difficulties in Posing Real-World Mathematical Problems

Real-world mathematical problem (RWMP) solving and posing are important aspects of teaching and learning mathematical modelling, as well as developing a mathematization disposition for both teachers and students. Several researchers have explored blockages or difficulties in such modelling processes and in problem posing. However, prior research has identified difficulties that the pre-service mathematics teachers (PSMTs) encountered when they tried to pose a modelling problem by choosing the general topic themselves, as there is little known about possible obstacles that PSMTs can encounter when trying to pose a real-world problem relevant to a given mathematical topic. The current study explored the difficulties encountered by PSMTs in a RWMP-posing activity. The target group was 23 PSMTs with prior experience in mathematical modelling and mathematical problem posing. The findings showed that the PSMTs struggled with: (a) task organization, which involved selecting and understanding mathematical knowledge; (b) specialized content knowledge, which included a lack of real-world knowledge and difficulty in connecting mathematical concepts to real-world contexts; and (c) individual considerations of aptness, which encompassed authenticity, interest, complexity, language, and relevance to task organization. The PSMTs applied various strategies to complete the posing task, such as using problem-posing and solving heuristics, adapting existing problems, sharing and discussing with friends, and considering the perspective of a typical student. The implications of these findings should help in developing preparatory instructional practices for mathematics teachers.

Investigating the impact of remote neuroanatomy education during the COVID-19 pandemic using online examination performance in a National Undergraduate Neuroanatomy Competition.

Neuroanatomy is a notoriously challenging subject for medical students to learn. Due to the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, anatomical education transitioned to an online format. We assessed student performance in, and attitudes toward, an online neuroanatomy assessment compared to an in-person equivalent, as a marker of the efficacy of remote neuroanatomy education. Participants in the National Undergraduate Neuroanatomy Competition (NUNC) 2021 undertook two online examinations: a neuroanatomically themed multiple-choice question paper and anatomy spotter. Students completed pre- and post-examination questionnaires to gauge their attitudes toward the online competition and prior experience of online anatomical teaching/assessment. To evaluate performance, we compared scores of students who sat the online (2021) and in-person (2017) examinations, using 12 identical neuroradiology questions present in both years. Forty-six percent of NUNC 2021 participants had taken an online anatomy examination in the previous 12 months, but this did not impact examination performance significantly (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in examination scores between in-person and online examinations using the 12 neuroradiology questions (p = 0.69). Fifty percent of participants found the online format less enjoyable, with 63% citing significantly fewer networking opportunities. The online competition was less stressful for 55% of participants. This study provides some evidence to suggest that student performance is not affected when undertaking online examinations and proposes that online neuroanatomy teaching methods, particularly for neuroradiology, may be equally as effective as in-person approaches within this context. Participants perceived online examinations as less stressful but raised concerns surrounding the networking potential and enjoyment of online events.

Willingness to work with older adults and related factors in nursing students: a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT Given the increased demand for health professionals to work with older adults, research on the factors that influence students’ career choices is critical in order to increase the popularity of gerontology. The purpose of this study was to investigate willingness and related factors of undergraduate nursing students to work with older adults. A descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 579 undergraduate nursing students in Turkiye. The data were collected using the descriptive characteristics form, the 12-item expectations regarding aging scale (ERA-12), Kogan’s attitudes toward old people scale (KAOP), and willingness to work with elderly people scale (WEPS). Descriptive statistics and multiple regression were used for data analysis. The WEPS, ERA-12, and KAOP mean score of the students were 68.57 ± 11.54 (range: 20–120), 59.83 ± 15.09 (range: 0–100), and 142.98 ± 18.63 (range: 34–238), respectively. Expectations regarding aging, attitudes toward older adults, prior experience caring for older adults, and completing an elective geriatric nursing course positively predicted the total score of WEPS. These variables accounted for 14% of total variance of WEPS (R2: 0.137, F: 12.995, p < .001). Age, sex, and academic year also positively predicted the total score of WEPS, but it was not statistically significant. The willingness of nursing students to work with older adults was moderate. To enhance nursing students’ willingness to work with older adults, nursing programs should foster a positive attitude toward older adults and expectations regarding aging. Greater willingness of nursing students to care for older adults will eventually improve the quality of care for the geriatric population.

The Bayesian Range: Simple Methods for Incorporating Bayesian Reasoning into Psychological Research for Psychologists and Psychology Students Unfamiliar with Bayes' Theorem

Bayes' theorem is used to calculate posterior probabilities of an event occurring given that a second event occurs. Advanced Bayesian statistics are now commonly used in psychology, but simpler versions can be adopted by social psychologists and psychology students who have little or no prior experience with Bayes’ Theorem using commonly obtained values. Using the post-hoc statistical power of a study, the selected alpha level for determining significance, and a subjective personal probability for the probability that a null hypothesis is false, it is possible to create a version of Bayes’ Theorem that calculates the probability that a null hypothesis is false given the null hypothesis is rejected. Because the subjective personal probability of the null being false is an estimate, the paper recommends that for novel empirical findings, researchers take one of two approaches to incorporating Bayes’ Theorem. The first is to calculate the posterior probability for a range of probabilities that the null is false. The second is to treat a novel finding as though it is unlikely to be true and give the probability that the null is false a low starting probability. With each replication, the posterior probability can be updated. Such a practice would encourage multiple replications of a novel finding before it can be reported with confidence. The emphasis of the paper is on the ready application of Bayes’ Theorem for non-experts in Bayesian statistics who are more comfortable with traditional significance testing.

Frames as pre-signal context: using a semiotic framing approach to explain how prior experiences shape present interpretations of control signals

Abstract Innes’s “control signals” provides a semiotic perspective for explaining how acts of social control send “signals” about the effectiveness of security mechanisms. A cross-cutting theme infers that “culture and situation matter” in the reception of signals. However, the control signals concept does not explicitly consider the influence that prior experiences may have on present interpretations. Drawing on qualitative research into how members of a residential community perceived control measures within their everyday environment for Glasgow’s 2014 Commonwealth Games, this article outlines the importance of the “pre-signalling” context in influencing how control signals are received. Goffman’s “frame analysis” is used as part of a semiotic framing approach to demonstrate that control signals are framed (or pre-signalled) by the history of relations between sender and receiver of the signal (for example, police and residents).

Existential anxiety about artificial intelligence (AI)- is it the end of humanity era or a new chapter in the human revolution: questionnaire-based observational study.

Existential anxiety can profoundly affect an individual, influencing their perceptions, behaviours, sense of well-being, academic performance, and decisions. Integrating artificial intelligence into society has elicited complex public reactions, marked by appreciation and concern, with its acceptance varying across demographics and influenced by factors such as age, gender, and prior AI experiences. This study aimed to investigate the existential anxiety about artificial intelligence (AI) in public in Saudi Arabia. The present questionnaire-based observational, analytical cross-sectional study with a structured, self-administered survey was conducted via Google Forms, using a scale to assess the existential anxiety levels induced by the recent development of AI. The study encompassed a diverse population with a sample size of 300 participants. This study's findings revealed a high prevalence of existential anxieties related to the rapid advancements in AI. Key concerns included the fear of death (96% of participants), fate's unpredictability (86.3%), a sense of emptiness (79%), anxiety about meaninglessness (92.7%), guilt over potential AI-related catastrophes (87.7%), and fear of condemnation due to ethical dilemmas in AI (93%), highlighting widespread apprehensions about humanity's future in an AI-dominated era. The public has concerns including unpredictability, a sense of emptiness, anxiety, guilt over potential AI-related catastrophes, and fear of condemnation due to ethical dilemmas in AI, highlighting widespread apprehensions about humanity's future in an AI-dominated era. The results indicate that there is a need for a multidisciplinary strategy to address the existential anxieties in the AI era. The strategic approach must blend technological advancements with psychological, philosophical, and ethical insights, underscoring the significance of human values in an increasingly technology-driven world.