Relevant Beliefs Research Articles

Subjunctive biscuit and stand-off conditionals

Conventional wisdom has it that many intriguing features of indicative conditionals aren’t shared by subjunctive conditionals. Subjunctive morphology is common in discussions of wishes and wants, however, and conditionals are commonly used in such discussions as well. As a result such discussions are a good place to look for subjunctive conditionals that exhibit features usually associated with indicatives alone. Here I offer subjunctive versions of J. L. Austin’s ‘biscuit’ conditionals—e.g., “There are biscuits on the sideboard if you want them”—and subjunctive versions of Allan Gibbard’s ‘stand-off’ or ‘Sly Pete’ conditionals, in which speakers with no relevant false beliefs can in the same context felicitously assert conditionals with the same antecedents and contradictory consequents. My cases undercut views according to which the indicative/subjunctive divide marks a great difference in the meaning of conditionals. They also make trouble for treatments of indicative conditionals that cannot readily be generalized to subjunctives.

Prime implicates and relevant belief revision

This article discusses Parikh's axiom of relevance in belief revision, and recalls some results from Kourousias and Makinson (2007, J. Symbolic Logic, 72, 994–1002) in this context. The crucial distinction is emphasized between the uniqueness of the finest splitting of K and the fact that K has several normal forms associated with that finest splitting. The main new result of this article is a new proof for the theorem that the set of prime implicates of K is a normal form for the finest splitting of K. It is explained how this proof avoids a mistake in an earlier proof from Wu and Zhang (2010, Knowledge-Based Syst., 23, 70–76). As a corollary, relevance can be re-defined without reference to the finest splitting, using the notion of path-relevance from Makinson (2009, J. Appl. Logic, 7, 377–387). Finally, a weak yet sufficient condition for irrelevance is presented.

Neural correlates of the processing of self-referent emotional information in bulimia nervosa

There is increasing interest in understanding the roles of distorted beliefs about the self, ostensibly unrelated to eating, weight and shape, in eating disorders (EDs), but little is known about their neural correlates. We therefore used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the neural correlates of self-referent emotional processing in EDs. During the scan, unmedicated patients with bulimia nervosa (n=11) and healthy controls (n=16) responded to personality words previously found to be related to negative self beliefs in EDs and depression. Rating of the negative personality descriptors resulted in reduced activation in patients compared to controls in parietal, occipital and limbic areas including the amygdala. There was no evidence that reduced activity in patients was secondary to increased cognitive control. Different patterns of neural activation between patients and controls may be the result of either habituation to personally relevant negative self beliefs or of emotional blunting in patients.

The role of beliefs in lexical alignment: Evidence from dialogs with humans and computers

Five experiments examined the extent to which speakers’ alignment (i.e., convergence) on words in dialog is mediated by beliefs about their interlocutor. To do this, we told participants that they were interacting with another person or a computer in a task in which they alternated between selecting pictures that matched their ‘partner’s’ descriptions and naming pictures themselves (though in reality all responses were scripted). In both text- and speech-based dialog, participants tended to repeat their partner’s choice of referring expression. However, they showed a stronger tendency to align with ‘computer’ than with ‘human’ partners, and with computers that were presented as less capable than with computers that were presented as more capable. The tendency to align therefore appears to be mediated by beliefs, with the relevant beliefs relating to an interlocutor’s perceived communicative capacity.

Assessing Attitudes Toward and Beliefs About Pain Among Chinese Patients with Chronic Pain: Validity and Reliability of the Chinese Version of the Pain Beliefs and Perceptions Inventory (ChPBPI)

Research consistently has evidenced the reliability and validity of the Pain Beliefs and Perceptions Inventory (PBPI). The instrument, however, has not been tested for its applicability and validity in non-Western populations. To translate the English language version of the PBPI into Chinese (ChPBPI) and to evaluate its reliability, validity, and factor structure. A total of 208 Chinese patients with mixed origin chronic pain were recruited from an orthopedic specialist outpatient clinic associated with a public hospital in Hong Kong. In addition to the ChPBPI, patients were administered the Chronic Pain Grade (CPG) questionnaire, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), and questions assessing sociodemographic characteristics. Using the original factor structure of the PBPI as a model, confirmatory factor analyses revealed that all four ChPBPI scales demonstrated good data-model fit (CFI≥0.92) and adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's αs: 0.60-0.76). The four ChPBPI scales showed significant positive correlations with CES-D, PCS, pain intensity, and disability. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that the ChPBPI scales predicted concurrent depression (F(4, 187)=6.01, P<0.001), pain intensity (F(4, 186)=4.61, P<0.01), and pain disability (F(4, 190)=3.54, P<0.05) scores. These findings support the factorial validity of the scales of the ChPBPI, and its reliability and construct validity. Now clinically relevant beliefs about pain can be assessed among Chinese patients with chronic pain.

Pragmatist Doubt, Dogmatism and Bullshit

Pragmatist Doubt, Dogmatism and Bullshit

Impact of a tailored patient preference intervention in adherence to 5-aminosalicylic acid medication in ulcerative colitis: Results from an exploratory randomized controlled trial

Up to 40% of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) fail to comply with 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) therapy. This study aimed to evaluate multifaceted adherence-enhancing interventions for oral 5-ASA therapy in UC and consider changes in health beliefs and satisfaction with information. Adults attending a UK gastroenterology outpatient clinic were recruited to an exploratory randomized controlled trial. The tailored intervention included educational and motivational components, plus options including simplified dosing regimes and practical reminders such as pill dispensers. Adherence was assessed objectively at baseline and after 1 year based on levels of urinary 5-ASA and N-acetly-5-ASA concentration. Changes in relevant beliefs and satisfaction with information were measured using validated questionnaires. Seventy-one people completed the study. Adherence levels in the study population were relatively high at baseline (76%) but a decline in adherence levels over the study period was noted. However, at follow-up adherence in the intervention group was 44% greater than in the control group. Intervention group status had a significant positive impact on maintaining adherence levels after adjusting for potential confounders including baseline adherence (P = 0.001). This finding was supported by the results of a sensitivity analysis including patients who withdrew from the study. Changes in questionnaire scores suggested a positive effect of the intervention on satisfaction with information (P < 0.001). The multifaceted approach studied has potential for implementation in routine care for enhancing persistence with 5-ASA and thus improving patient outcomes.

What Determines Interest in an IS Career? An Application of the Theory of Reasoned Action

This study posits an IS specific career choice model that provides good predictive power and elucidates the nuances of factors underlying attraction to an IS career. IS is a relatively new career option, which many students may be unaware of or may misconstrue; this suggests the need for discipline-specific understanding. In this study, we used the Theory of Reasoned Action, which is a well-developed and widely applied theoretical model, but it has only recently begun to be applied to understanding occupational intentions. We argue that the TRA is an especially useful model for developing an IS-specific model of career attraction because, unlike other theories of career choice, it specifies the effect of social environment and allows for a more nuanced understanding of the factors underlying attraction to IS. Undergraduate students in an introductory IS course at a large public university were surveyed to test the study’s model, providing empirical validation of a career choice model comprising IS-career relevant beliefs and values. Overall, findings reveal that intentions significantly influence actual behavior—completion of an IS degree. IS career attitudes and social beliefs, in turn, collectively form intentions about pursuing IS careers. More specifically, attitudinal beliefs such as software/programming skill self-efficacy and technical, income, leadership, and job-variety-related work values have significant influence on favorable attitudes. The normative beliefs derived from one’s referent others, i.e., family members, friends, teachers, and significant others, significantly impact IS attitudes and intentions. The research contribution and practical implications of this work are discussed.

Evaluation of a Web-based Intervention Providing Tailored Advice for Self-management of Minor Respiratory Symptoms: Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial

Background There has been relatively little research on the role of web-based support for self-care in the management of minor, acute symptoms, in contrast to the wealth of recent research into Internet interventions to support self-management of long-term conditions.Objective This study was designed as an evaluation of the usage and effects of the “Internet Doctor” website providing tailored advice on self-management of minor respiratory symptoms (eg, cough, sore throat, fever, runny nose), in preparation for a definitive trial of clinical effectiveness. The first aim was to evaluate the effects of using the Internet Doctor webpages on patient enablement and use of health services, to test whether the tailored, theory-based advice provided by the Internet Doctor was superior to providing a static webpage providing the best existing patient information (the control condition). The second aim was to gain an understanding of the processes that might mediate any change in intentions to consult the doctor, by comparing changes in relevant beliefs and illness perceptions in the intervention and control groups, and by analyzing usage of the Internet Doctor webpages and predictors of intention change.Methods Participants (N = 714) completed baseline measures of beliefs about their symptoms and self-care online, and were then automatically randomized to the Internet Doctor or control group. These measures were completed again by 332 participants after 48 hours. Four weeks later, 214 participants completed measures of enablement and health service use.Results The Internet Doctor resulted in higher levels of satisfaction than the control information (mean 6.58 and 5.86, respectively; P = .002) and resulted in higher levels of enablement a month later (median 3 and 2, respectively; P = .03). Understanding of illness improved in the 48 hours following use of the Internet Doctor webpages, whereas it did not improve in the control group (mean change from baseline 0.21 and -0.06, respectively, P = .05). Decline in intentions to consult the doctor between baseline and follow-up was predicted by age (beta = .10, P= .003), believing before accessing the website that consultation was necessary for recovery (beta = .19, P < .001), poor understanding of illness (beta = .11, P = .004), emotional reactions to illness (beta = .15, P <.001), and use of the Diagnostic section of the Internet Doctor website (beta = .09, P = .007).Conclusions Our findings provide initial evidence that tailored web-based advice could help patients self-manage minor symptoms to a greater extent. These findings constitute a sound foundation and rationale for future research. In particular, our study provides the evidence required to justify carrying out much larger trials in representative population samples comparing tailored web-based advice with routine care, to obtain a definitive evaluation of the impact on self-management and health service use.

Religion, Suffering, and Self-rated Health Among Older Mexican Americans

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between religiously based beliefs about suffering and health among older Mexicans. A nationwide survey of older Mexican Americans was conducted (N=1,005). Questions were administered to assess beliefs about finding positive outcomes in suffering, the benefits of suffering in silence, other dimensions of religion, and health. The findings suggest that older Mexican Americans who use their faith to find something positive in the face of suffering tend to rate their health more favorably. In contrast, older Mexican Americans who believe that it is important to suffer in silence tend to rate their health less favorably. Moving beyond measures of church attendance to explore culturally relevant beliefs about suffering provides important insight into the relationship between religion and health among older Mexican Americans.

Race and Lung Cancer Surgery—A Qualitative Analysis of Relevant Beliefs and Management Preferences

To gain a better understanding of beliefs about the utility of lung cancer resection surgery and preferences for lung cancer management among African American and Caucasian adults. Qualitative. The Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center. 21 participants (9 African Americans and 12 Caucasians; 11 with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 10 with lung cancer). Three focus groups were conducted. Transcripts and field notes were coded, grouped into thematic categories, and explored in later focus groups. Beliefs about lung cancer resection surgery and management preferences. African Americans doubted that surgery was needed, questioned its efficacy, and preferred complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). African Americans and Caucasians believed that exposure to air during surgery could cause tumor spread and were skeptical that smoking caused lung cancer. Therefore, they had a sense of treatment futility. Conversely, Caucasians were impatient with forced waiting for surgery. Both groups believed that surgery would be better accepted if current patients met past surgical patients, obtained second opinions, and had trusting patient-provider relationships. Suspicion about surgeons' motives and perceived ineffectiveness of surgery, as well as support for CAM among African Americans, may contribute to key racial disparities in lung cancer care. If providers understand more clearly the beliefs and preferences that impede acceptance of surgical resection, then they can formulate educational interventions directed at overcoming patient resistance. The clinical utility of such individualized interventions could be evaluated in future studies.

Darwin's Doubt, Non-deterministic Darwinism and the Cognitive Science of Religion

AbstractAlvin Plantinga, echoing a worry of Charles Darwin which he calls ‘Darwin's doubt’, argues that given Darwinian evolutionary theory our beliefs are unreliable, since they are determined to be what they are by evolutionary pressures and could have had no other content. This papers surveys in turn deterministic and non-deterministic interpretations of Darwinism, and concludes that Plantinga's argument poses a problem for the former alone and not for the latter. Some parallel problems arise for the Cognitive Science of Religion, and in particular for the hypothesis that many of our beliefs, including religious beliefs, are due to a Hypersensitive Agency-Detection Device, at least if this hypothesis is held in a deterministic form. In a non-deterministic form, however, its operation need not cast doubt on the rationality or reliability of the relevant beliefs.

Biases in emotional processing are associated with vulnerability to eating disorders over time

Biases in emotional processing are thought to play a role in the maintenance of eating disorders (EDs). In a previous study (Pringle et al., 2010), we were able to demonstrate that biases in the processing of negative self beliefs (a self‐schema processing task), facial expressions of emotion (a facial expression recognition task) and information relating to eating, shape and weight (an emotional Stroop) were all predictive of the level of subclinical ED symptoms (used here as a measure of risk) cross‐sectionally in a vulnerable sample of dieters. The present study was a 12 ‐month follow up of the participants from Pringle et al. (2010). Longitudinally, greater endorsement of ED relevant and depression relevant negative self beliefs in the self‐schema processing task at time 1 was related to subclinical ED systems (level of risk) 12 months later at time 2. Compared to the cross‐sectional study, there was no clear relationship between performance on the facial expression recognition task, emotional Stroop task and level of risk 12 months later. Although these findings are preliminary, one tentative interpretation may be that whilst biases in the processing of ED specific stimuli are predictive of level of risk at a given moment, over time less specific stimuli relating to beliefs about the self, including mood related variables, are more closely related to level of risk.

Dog Obesity: Can Dog Caregivers' (Owners') Feeding and Exercise Intentions and Behaviors Be Predicted From Attitudes?

Dog obesity is a common nutritional disorder affecting up to 40% of the companion animal (pet) dog population in Australia and other developed nations. A clear understanding of factors determining relevant caregiver (owner) behaviors underpins effective treatment for this disorder. The theory of planned behavior can be used to understand factors contributing to human behavior. This article describes research informed by this theory. The research examined relationships between owners' behavioral beliefs and barriers, normative beliefs and perceptions of control, owners' feeding and exercise behaviors toward their dogs, and the body condition scores (BCSs) of dogs. The study recruited a sample of 182 dog and owner dyads. The researcher independently assessed BCSs. Owners completed a questionnaire measuring relevant feeding and exercise beliefs and behaviors. This revealed significant correlations between many psychological variables and BCSs and between psychological variables and specific owner behaviors: for example, the relationship of low levels of intentions to feed appropriately to ambivalent beliefs toward feeding appropriately and low perceived control. Careful consideration of the specific variables identified will permit the development of more effective interventions.

Barriers to Swiss guideline-recommended cholesterol management in general practice.

Standard guidelines for the management of dyslipidaemia are often not followed in general practice. The reasons for guideline non-adherence are not known. Charts of 1000 consecutive unselected patients of 20 general practitioners in northwestern Switzerland were reviewed. An independent committee of experienced study physicians checked the data and assessed the reasons for not measuring plasma cholesterol and for not treating dyslipidaemia as recommended by guidelines. Complete data of 866 patients were studied. 29% of all patients qualified for secondary prevention. 6% had no additional cardiovascular risk factors (apart from cholesterol values), 24% had one and 41% had 2 or more additional cardio- vascular risk factors. Guidelines were followed in 44% of all cases and were not followed in 56%. In 37.5% of all cases we found diagnostic guideline non-adherence, and in 10% only treatment guideline non-adherence. 8.5% of all patients had both diagnostic and treatment non-adherence. The main reasons for diagnostic non-adherence were relevant comorbidity (45%) and GPs' belief that the risk did not require screening (42%). The main reasons for treatment non-adherence were GPs' belief that the risk did not require treatment (42%) and relevant comorbidity (38%). More than half of all patients aged 35-80 years are not screened or treated according to current guidelines. The reasons are to an equal extent patient-related (relevant comorbidity) and physician-related (acceptance and knowledge of guidelines). These reasons should be considered when programmes to improve the quality of GPs' adherence to guidelines are implemented.

God and other minds

AbstractI reconsider the idea that there is an analogy between belief in other minds and belief in God, and examine two approaches to the relevant beliefs. The ‘explanatory inductive’ approach raises difficulties in both contexts, and involves questionable assumptions. The ‘expressivist’ approach is more promising, and presupposes a more satisfactory metaphysical framework in the first context. Its application to God is similarly insightful, and offers an intellectually respectable, albeit resistible, version of the doctrine that nature is a book of lessons.

Toward improved education about methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: A Mental Models Approach to identify the Dutch general public’s beliefs

To identify the relevant beliefs and knowledge (‘mental models’) present among the Dutch general public concerning methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), 17 interviews were conducted followed by a confirmatory questionnaire (n=239). 62% of the public heard of MRSA before via the media. Although the public recognizes well-known risk factors and consequences of MRSA, the public is only slightly aware of its threat to society. Misconceptions exist regarding origin and spread (e.g., that MRSA is caused by overburdened muscles). Besides, knowledge gaps were found concerning prevention, reservoir, and origin (importance of hygiene measures, presence on the skin, MRSA among cattle). These beliefs must be considered by those designing risk communication and guidelines about MRSA for the public.

Advances in pediatric asthma in 2009: Gaining control of childhood asthma

This year's summary will focus on recent advances in pediatric asthma as reported in Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology publications in 2009. New National Asthma Education and Prevention Program asthma guidelines were released in 2007, with a particular emphasis on asthma control. Now that we have worked with the principals of the guidelines for 2 years, new insights are reported on how to implement the guidelines into clinical practice. This year's report will focus on gaps in management that need to be addressed, including health disparities, methods to improve asthma management through opportunities available in school-based asthma programs, and more information on the development of asthma in childhood. This information brings us closer to the point of managing children with controllable asthma and understanding reasons why asthma is not controlled in the remaining children. If we can close these gaps through better communication, improvements in the health care system, and new insights into treatment, we will move closer to better methods to intervene early in the course of the disease and induce clinical remission as quickly as possible in most children.

A Community-Specific Approach to Cancer Research in Indian Country

Health care leaders in a small, rural, American Indian community and university partners used the community-based participatory research (CBPR) method to survey cancer survivors. We sought to provide support for the use of CBPR to generate ideas for how to improve the detection and treatment of cancer in American Indian communities. Partners worked together to develop a mail-out survey and send it to the Indian health clinic's patients who had cancer in the past 5 years. The survey sought information on their experiences with cancer screenings, cancer diagnoses, and accessing and receiving cancer treatment. Community leaders identified three priority areas for intervention: (1) high incidence of breast cancer; (2) lack of culturally appropriate cancer education; and (3) need for a more in-depth assessment. CBPR's partnership principle allowed for results to be viewed within the community's context, availability of community resources, and relevant cultural beliefs and traditions.

Doxastische en epistemische vrijheid

This paper offers a new view of doxastic voluntarism, epistemic agency and doxastic responsibility. It assumes the perspective of political freedom and uses the stit-theoretic framework from modal logic to investigate the obstacles that other individuals could place in the way of the adoption of beliefs and the formation of knowledge. Interference with someone adopting a belief takes the form of physical and chemical influence on a person's brain, either directly by medication or transcranial magnetic stimulation, or indirectly by sleep deprivation, induced stress, etc. Interference with someone forming knowledge about a proposition takes place at the levels of (i) investigative actions (I bar your access to the library), (ii) adoption of relevant belief, and (iii) the connection between the investigative actions and belief adoption (framing effects ensure systematic biases in ways that individuals use information from news shows). Institutional conclusions are discussed, especially with respect to epistemic paternalism.