Ambiguous Situations Research Articles

Adaptation of The Career Decision Ambiguity Tolerance Scale

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to various changes that increased a possibility for university students to experience career ambiguity. Those with a high tolerance for career ambiguity perceive ambiguous situations as advantageous and do not reject the complexity of the discrepancy. This study aimed to yield the Indonesian version of the Career Decision Ambiguity Tolerance Scale and examine the construct validity and concurrent validity of the adapted version. This study involved 1256 first-year students (58.7% female, mean age = 18.23 years, SD age = .66) from a public university in Central Java, Indonesia. Data were collected using measures of ambiguity tolerance in choosing a career, career decision-making self-efficacy, and vocational identity. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to examine the structure of the factor of the final scale, showing good fit indices (CMIN/df = 2.93, CFI = .97, TLI = .96, RMSEA = .04). Reliability coefficients of each the three subscales were satisfactory. Concurrent validity was shown by expected associations with measures of career decision-making self-efficacy and vocational identity.

Effects of Social Anxiety Level on Negative Interpretation Bias in Ambiguous Social Situations: Focused on Relational Intimacy

Background: This study aimed to examine the differences in negative interpretation bias in ambiguous social situations according to social anxiety level and then confirm the degree of negative interpretation bias according to the relational intimacy with the interacting partner.Methods: A total of 405 adults in their 20s completed the surveys that measured the levels of social interaction anxiety, and the highest 10% (n=30) and lowest 10% (n=30) scorers finally participated in the study. This study used a 2 (high/low social anxiety)×3 (relational intimacy: a stranger/a moderately intimate person/a very intimate person) factorial design. The study provided participants with 15 randomized scenarios with the same social context but different interacting partners and confirmed the degree of agreement with the negative interpretation presented in each situation.Results: The high social anxiety group showed more negative interpretation bias in ambiguous social situations compared to the low social anxiety group. Regarding the negative interpretation biases according to relational intimacy, the high social anxiety group showed the most negative interpretation bias in social interactions with a moderately intimate person than they did with a stranger or very intimate person.Conclusions: Social anxiety may have different effects on the degree of negative interpretation bias depending on intimacy in social interactions, suggesting that differentiated therapeutic interventions are needed.

The use of AI in legal systems: determining independent contractor vs. employee status.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) to aid legal decision making has become prominent. This paper investigates the use of AI in a critical issue in employment law, the determination of a worker's status-employee vs. independent contractor-in two common law countries (the U.S. and Canada). This legal question has been a contentious labor issue insofar as independent contractors are not eligible for the same benefits as employees. It has become an important societal issue due to the ubiquity of the gig economy and the recent disruptions in employment arrangements. To address this problem, we collected, annotated, and structured the data for all Canadian and Californian court cases related to this legal question between 2002 and 2021, resulting in 538 Canadian cases and 217 U.S. cases. In contrast to legal literature focusing on complex and correlated characteristics of the employment relationship, our statistical analyses of the data show very strong correlations between the worker's status and a small subset of quantifiable characteristics of the employment relationship. In fact, despite the variety of situations in the case law, we show that simple, off-the-shelf AI models classify the cases with an out-of-sample accuracy of more than 90%. Interestingly, the analysis of misclassified cases reveals consistent misclassification patterns by most algorithms. Legal analyses of these cases led us to identify how equity is ensured by judges in ambiguous situations. Finally, our findings have practical implications for access to legal advice and justice. We deployed our AI model via the open-access platform, https://MyOpenCourt.org/, to help users answer employment legal questions. This platform has already assisted many Canadian users, and we hope it will help democratize access to legal advice to large crowds.

PROPAGANDA AND AGITATION WORK IN CHUVASHIA DURING THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR

The purpose of this study is the organization and implementation of political and mass agitation work among the population of the Chuvash Republic during the Great Patriotic War. The study of this problem is relevant due to the need to rethink the daily life and public consciousness of the population during the war years, the introduction of new sources into scientific circulation, has a popular character at the present stage and practical significance. This topic has not been widely covered in regional historical work. Materials and methods. The work was carried out using the method of historical analysis, which allows us to comprehensively consider the situation and show the features and difficulties of carrying out ideological work during the war years on the territory of Chuvashia. The research is based on archival sources, as well as memoirs and publications in the media. The results of the study. The article examines the activities of the party and Soviet bodies of Chuvashia to establish propaganda and agitation work during the Great Patriotic War, forms and methods of work with the population, the role of the mass media in patriotic education and mobilization of the population. The main thesis of the restructuring of ideological work was its translation into a military way. A brief analysis of the work of lecturers, agitators is given, the sources on which mass political work was based are indicated. A common, and one of the new forms of ideological work, was the exchange of letters between the front and the rear. At the same time, attention was paid to methods of persuasion, taking into account national traditions: friendship of peoples, mutual assistance and the use of native languages. Conclusions. The main tasks facing the party and state authorities, agitators and propagandists, the formation and maintenance of the patriotic and spiritual impulse of the population of the republic have been achieved. Despite the complex and ambiguous socio-political situation, a lot of organizational work to implement the basic forms and methods of political and mass work in the harsh war years in the republic have become effective mechanisms of persuasion and mobilization of the population. The research materials can be used in scientific and teaching activities, patriotic education of young people.

Applications of nth Power Root Fuzzy Sets in Multicriteria Decision Making

An nth power root fuzzy set is a useful extension of a fuzzy set for expressing uncertain data. Because of their wider range of showing membership grades, nth power root fuzzy sets can cover more ambiguous situations than intuitionistic fuzzy sets. In this article, we present several novel operations on nth power root fuzzy sets, as well as their various features. Besides, we develop a new weighted aggregated operator, namely, nth power root fuzzy weighted power average (nPR-FWPA) over nth power root fuzzy sets to deal with choice information and show some of their basic properties. In addition, we define a scoring function for nth power root fuzzy sets ranking. Furthermore, we use this operator to determine the optimal location for constructing a home and demonstrate how we may choose the best alternative by comparing aggregate outputs using score values. Finally, we compare the nPR-FWPA operator outcomes to those of other well-known operators.

Analysis of the readiness of Russian regions for the COVID-19 pandemic based on demographic sustainability and development of the healthcare system

Assessment of the readiness of regions for the occurrence of critical situations is atopical area of research in modern conditions. The problem of high mortality in Russia determines the importance of studying the factors that shape the current state of the socio-demographic system of the population and the prerequisites for its change in the future or in the present under the influence of negative processes. To form an objective picture of the current situation, two areas are identified: potential (the state of the region's healthcare system) and demographic stability (risks of population decline), on the basis of which complex integral indices are calculated and regions are ranked. The specificity of the author's approach to the analysis consists in the complex use of demographic indicators, morbidity indicators and the functioning of the healthcare system. As a result of the analysis, it was found out that an ambiguous situation has developed in the regions. According to the assessment of demographic sustainability, the republics of the North Caucasus have become the best, but there is also the lowest level of development of the healthcare system. The opposite situation is observed in remote and sparsely populated regions of the Far East — Sakhalin Oblast, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug — with high indicators of the potential of the healthcare system there are high demographic risks. The depth of the consequences of the pandemic was reflected in the form of excess mortality. In the first year, the regions of the North Caucasus became leaders in terms of mortality growth — Chechnya (by 44%), Dagestan (by 32%) and Ingushetia (by 27%).The most stable were Adygea, Sevastopol and Buryatia — excess mortality did not exceed 6%. In the second year, actively increasing mortality has already affected all regions, with the exception of the Republic of Tyva and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug having the lowest proportion of the population over working age. The proposed concept of a two-way study of regions will make it possible to trace the main problem areas in dynamics and give an opportunity to prevent the consequences of other possible force majeure.

Developing a real-world scenario to foster learning and working 4.0 – on using a digital twin of a jet pump experiment in process engineering laboratory education

ABSTRACT A newly-developed online laboratory experiment in immersive virtual reality (VR) is used for process engineering students. A digital twin (DT) of a jet pump was realised using the game engine Unreal Engine 4. The chance was taken for an instructional redesign deviating from the conventional cookbook-experiment to better integrate the changing competence demands of the working world 4.0 (W4.0). A real-world scenario (RWS) is used to address the sometimes-vague problem-solving assignments of W4.0: the students found themselves in an ambiguous situation which must be cleared and resolved constructively and autonomously by them. The RWS was evaluated by triangulating qualitative and quantitative methods. Firstly, its Constructive Alignment was evaluated, i.e. whether the intended learning outcomes to be achieved through the novel teaching and learning activities were reflected in the assessment tasks, too. Secondly, students were surveyed regarding their attitudes towards such new forms of laboratory learning. The results show that even if the students initially seem overwhelmed by the unfamiliar type of assignment, they are nevertheless able to solve the work-related engineering problem – at least with varying degrees of assistance from a fictional immediate superior. The students appreciate the opportunity to think creatively and independently develop solutions to the assignment.

Le rôle de l’alexithymie dans les comportements violents : Une révision des études disponibles à la lumière du modèle de traitement de l’information sociale

ObjectivesThe literature highlights the prevalence of shortcomings in processing emotional information, especially the identification of emotions in the context of violent behavior. Alexithymia is the inability to recognize and describe emotional states and external oriented thinking. The social information processing approach offers a theoretical framework to understand how alexithymia deficiencies are linked to violence. Furthermore, this approach allows us to determine which stages of processing are associated with specific kinds of deficiencies in order to adapt treatment programs targeting violent behavior. The primary goal of this narrative review is to define and present the relationship between alexithymia and violent behavior. In addition, this review will attempt to illustrate that deficiencies caused by alexithymia are related to different stages of social information processing. MethodsThis review presents an explanation of the links between violent behavior and alexithymia according to the social information processing theory as a theoretical framework. ResultsThere are numerous studies that demonstrate the relationship between violent behavior and alexithymia in different populations (general, psychiatric, or incarcerated) and for different kinds of violence (physical, homicidal or sexual). In particular, the deficiencies caused by alexithymia primarily involved the (in)ability to identify emotional states. Indeed, the more people have difficulties in identifying their own internal emotional states, the higher the probability that they will engage in dysfunctional behavior such as violence. According to the social information processing model, these shortcomings are present in the initial stages of processing. Errors in detection and perception of social cues could produce a misinterpretation of other's intentions and could lead to a hostile attribution bias. This bias exhibits itself as a tendency to interpret the actions of others as hostile, particularly in ambiguous situations and is often linked to impulsive and reactive aggression. Due to these links between alexithymia, misinterpretation, and violent behavior, it seems essential to develop treatment programs designed to reduce the effects of alexithymia. One study demonstrated that a specific treatment program reduced alexithymic related deficiencies among individuals who had committed sexual offences. This program was based on developing the capacity to identify emotions and to use emotive language to verbalize emotional states. These results suggest that it is possible to improve emotional competence and reduce the effects of alexithymia, which could lead to a reduction in errors in social information processing and could be a major protective factor with respect to violent behavior. ConclusionsThe social information processing model allows us to understand the relationship between violent behavior and alexithymia based on the deficiencies in specific processing stages. In other words, this is an approach which examines the varying stages of social information processing which are dysfunctional and their relationship to the various dimensions of alexithymia. Importantly, it seems that the two explanatory hypotheses of alexithymia may be more complementary rather than diametrically opposed. Indeed, these two hypotheses allow us to explain particular kinds of deficiencies based on different stages of social information processing. This heuristic framework promises the possibility of understanding the study of alexithymia depending on both the nature of the shortcomings and on which social information processing steps are involved. Accordingly, it could become easier to accurately understand which processes are involved in order to adapt the treatment of these deficiencies, particularly in relation to violent behavior.

Emotional Expectancies and Hostile Attributions as Predictors of Adolescents’ Expressions of Emotion with Parents

The present study examined associations between adolescents’ Emotional Expectancies (EE), Hostile Attributions of Intent (HAI), and emotions expressed during interactions with their mother and father. Data were collected from 96 14- to 16-year-olds (27 African Americans, 38 European Americans, and 31 Latinos; a total of 51 girls and 45 boys) and their parents over a period of 2 years. Questionnaires completed by adolescents were used to assess emotional expectancies and hostile attributions of parents’ behavior. In both year one and year two, adolescent emotional expressiveness with parents was observed in a laboratory interaction session. Data revealed that both adolescents’ EE and HAI in reaction to ambiguous situations predicted their expression of positive emotion with their mother and father 1 year later. EE of happiness were positively related and EE of anger were negatively related to the expression of positive emotion with their mother and father. HAI were negatively related to the expression of positive emotion. Only HAI were related to a higher expression of anger with their mother and father. The findings indicate that HAI and EE represent distinct cognitive-emotional processes that contribute to individual differences in adolescents’ expressions of emotion with parents.

Bidirectional relationships between interpretation biases, safety behaviors, and social anxiety

Theoretical models of social anxiety (SA) propose bidirectional relationships between SA, interpretation biases, and safety behaviors (Safe-B). However, longitudinal studies evaluating these bidirectional relationships are scarce. The main objective of this study was to analyze the bidirectional relationships between interpretation biases (from ambiguous situations and ambiguous faces), Safe-B, and SA. A two-time longitudinal study was carried out with the participation of 575 vocational training students (M = 19.49, SD = 2.41). Both the interpretation biases measured through ambiguous situations and ambiguous faces and the Safe-B predicted higher levels of SA in the second time. In turn, a bidirectional relationship was found between SA and Safe-B. However, no bidirectional relationships were found between interpretation biases and Safe-B and between biases and SA. Among others, the limitations of the study include the high attrition rate (30.4%) and the high proportion of male students (62.1%). The findings highlight the role of interpretation bias and Safe-B in SA. In turn, as a new initiative, the study supports the bidirectional relationship between Safe-B and SA. Implications are discussed throughout the manuscript.

Matrix games involving interval-valued hesitant fuzzy linguistic sets and its application to electric vehicles

Game theory has been successfully applied in a variety of domains to deal with competitive environments between individuals or groups. The matrix games involving fuzzy, interval fuzzy, and intuitionistic fuzzy numbers exclusively examine the numeric components of an issue. However, several researchers have also examined various extensions of conventional game theory, considering the ambiguous situations for payoffs and goals. In many real-life scenarios, qualitative information is often critical in expressing the payoffs of a matrix game. Thus, the present work contributes to the field of matrix games where the payoffs have been quantified via qualitative variables, termed interval-valued hesitant fuzzy linguistic sets. The mathematical formulation and solution concept for matrix games involving interval-valued hesitant fuzzy linguistic numbers is designed by utilizing an aggregation operator supported by linguistic scale function and solving them by employing score function. Finally, the proposed approach is validated by applying it to electric vehicle sales.

Rethinking affective publics as media rituals through temporality, performativity and liminality

This article calls for a rethinking of the formation of affective publics as a ritual process. Given the particularities of networked media, I suggest that media rituals extend into the formation of affective publics celebrating imagined collectivities in a fashion of collaborative storytelling. This is a transitional process in which a collectivity is validated, affirmed and reinforced through ritual actions. To illustrate this dynamic, I suggest drawing upon three key concepts (namely temporality, performativity and liminality), which are derivatives of media rituals theory, but also shed light on the dynamics of affective publics. To specify, first, ritual temporality refers to ambient concentrations that create a breach in the ordinary flow of media texts. Second, performativity implicates the affect-driven rhythms of digital storytelling feeding algorithmic curations that form an embodied harmony between participants and a sense of collectivity. Third, liminality entails ambiguous situations that enable the formation of affective publics by means of voluntary commitment, anonymity and the uniformity of participants. These concepts are the key entry points in capturing the ritual aspects of affective publics. Viewed through this lens, scrutiny for the ritual dynamics of networked publics helps us to grasp the affective formations of networked media.

Modern aspects of foreign trade policy of the Russian Federation and its export potential in the grain market

The article assesses the importance of the Russian Federation for global agricultural markets, describes relevant risks associated with the conflict in Ukraine and proposes ways to address the challenges of exporting Russian products to international markets in order to prevent famine and social problems in the world. The study includes an overview of Russian and foreign specialised literature, which allowed to systematize the ways to achieve the goal set that had already been proposed and develop new ones. Logical, economic and statistical methods as well as the methods of synthesis, system and SWOT analysis served as a basis for the study. Using the methods of theoretical analysis, the authors identified specific features of the Russian and global markets’ advancement. Economic and statistical methods provided an opportunity to describe trends and factors that determine the direction of the grain market’s development. Fundamental food security problems as well risks associated with the dependency of various states on the imports of feed and fertilizers from Ukraine and the Russian Federation were examined. A conclusion according to which the ambiguous geopolitical situation can hinder food exporting to many countries was made. The importance of restructuring the logistics system of grain supplies at the current stage was proved, and measures aimed at countering critical challenges of and threats to exporting agricultural products from the Russian Federation were proposed.

Repetitive negative thinking during ambiguous situations: Interactive roles of looming cognitive style and intolerance of uncertainty

Background and objectivesLooming cognitive style (LCS) and intolerance of uncertainty (IUC) are both cognitive risk factors that play an important role in development of anxiety disorders. Even though both are known to be triggered by ambiguous situations, there is inadequate research on how they predict anxiety and repetitive negative thinking (RNT) patterns in response to ambiguity. The current study aimed to examine the interactive association of IUC and LCS with state anxiety and intensity of RNT following exposure to a stressor that involves ambiguity. MethodsData were collected from 292 (153 women) individuals aged between 18 and 63 (M = 20.82, SD = 5.20) who were administered self-report measures of LCS, IUC, and anxiety followed by a vignette describing an ambiguous situation. State RNT and anxiety were assessed following exposure to the vignette. ResultsThe results indicated that IUC moderated the association of physical looming with state RNT. Individuals who have elevated levels of both physical looming and IUC reported experiencing more higher frequency of RNT when compared with other individuals. LimitationsAlthough the manipulation check has shown that the scenario is effective it was not pilot tested. Also, since the manipulation was conducted online, the manipulation may not have been presented in a standardized way to all the participants. ConclusionsOverall, the study shows that the two risk factors enhance each other's effect and lead to more intense levels of repetitive, uncontrollable, and distressing thoughts following exposure to ambiguity.

Emotional descriptions increase accidental harm punishment and its cortico-limbic signatures during moral judgment in autism

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present difficulties in integrating mental state information in complex moral tasks. Yet, ASD research has not examined whether this process is influenced by emotions, let alone while capturing its neural bases. We investigated how language-induced emotions modulate intent-based moral judgment in ASD. In a fMRI task, 30 adults with ASD and 27 neurotypical controls read vignettes whose protagonists commit harm either accidentally or intentionally, and then decided how much punishment the protagonist deserved. Emotional content was manipulated across scenarios through the use of graphic language (designed to trigger arousing negative responses) vs. plain (just-the-facts, emotionless) language. Off-line functional connectivity correlates of task performance were also analyzed. In ASD, emotional (graphic) descriptions amplified punishment ratings of accidental harms, associated with increased activity in fronto-temporo-limbic, precentral, and postcentral/supramarginal regions (critical for emotional and empathic processes), and reduced connectivity among the orbitofrontal cortex and the angular gyrus (involved in mentalizing). Language manipulation did not influence intentional harm processing in ASD. In conclusion, in arousing and ambiguous social situations that lack intentionality clues (i.e. graphic accidental harm scenarios), individuals with ASD would misuse their emotional responses as the main source of information to guide their moral decisions. Conversely, in face of explicit harmful intentions, they would be able to compensate their socioemotional alterations and assign punishment through non-emotional pathways. Despite limitations, such as the small sample size and low ecological validity of the task, results of the present study proved reliable and have relevant theoretical and translational implications.

Can we challenge attention and interpretation threat biases in rescued child labourers with a history of physical abuse using a computerised cognitive training task? Data on feasibility, acceptability and target engagement

Child labourers are more likely to have experienced physical victimisation, which may increase risk for anxiety/depression, by shaping threat biases in information-processing. To target threat biases and vulnerability for anxiety/depression, we evaluated whether Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) training could be feasibly and acceptably delivered to rescued youth labourers. Seventy-six physically abused rescued labourers aged 14–17 (40 from Nepal, 36 from India) in out-of-home care institutions received either multi-session computerised CBM or control training. Training targeted attention away from threat to positive cues and the endorsement of benign over threat interpretations. Feasibility and acceptability data were gathered along with pre and post intervention measures of attention and interpretation bias and emotional and behavioural symptoms. In terms of feasibility, uptake (proportion of those who completed the pre-intervention assessment from those who consented) and retention (proportion of those who completed the post-intervention assessment from those who completed the pre-intervention assessment) were above 75% in both countries. Average acceptability ratings were mostly ‘moderate’ on most indices for both countries, and none of the participants reported experiencing serious adverse events or reactions in response to or during the trial. Secondarily, CBM participants showed increased attention to positive and decreased attention to threatening stimuli, as well as increased endorsement of benign interpretation and decreased endorsement in negative interpretations of ambiguous social situations. Symptom changes were less clear. Delivering CBM to former child labourers in out-of-home care institutions has interventive potential.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03625206, Date of registration: August 10, 2018.

Effects of a Smartphone-Based, Multisession Interpretation-Bias Modification for Anxiety: Positive Intervention Effects and Low Attrition.

While interpretation-bias modification (IBM) is an effective intervention for treating anxiety, it is not broadly used in clinical or daily practice. To this end, this study developed and tested a smartphone-based IBM application. We adopted the ambiguous situation paradigm as an intervention task in conjunction with robust training materials that broadly covered situations encountered in daily life. We recruited participants with high-trait anxiety and divided them into three groups: (1) positive training; (2) 50% positive-50% negative training; and (3) no-training control. The first two groups completed 28 days of smartphone-based training (IBM in positive cases), and all groups completed six rounds of assessments. The smartphone-based IBM training changed positive and negative endorsements and more specific measures of interpretation bias, thus reducing anxiety. The results also showed that changes in the number of negative interpretations played a mediating role in anxiety reduction. It is notable that the attrition rate was extremely low across the experiment. Our follow-up showed that positive gains persisted throughout the intervening period. Smartphone-based IBM can help individuals with anxiety shift negative biases, broaden their thoughts, enhance their information processing, and effectively target the clinical features of anxiety.

HPV Molecular Genotyping as a Differential Diagnosis Tool in Cervical Cancer Metastasis

Differentiating metastatic cervical cancer from another primary tumor can be difficult in patients with a history of cervical cancer and a distant lesion. The use of routine HPV molecular detection and genotyping tests could help in these cases. The objective of this study was to identify if an easy-to-use HPV molecular genotyping assay would allow differentiating between HPV tumor metastasis and a new independent primary non-HPV-induced tumor. Between 2010 and 2020, we identified patients with a primary cervical carcinoma who also had another secondary lesion. This identification included a clinical and histologic differential diagnosis of metastatic cervical cancer versus a new primary cancer or metastatic cancer from another site. We used a routine multiplex real-time PCR (rt-PCR) AnyplexTM II HPV28 (Seegene, Seoul, Republic of Korea) to detect the high-risk (HR)-HPV genome in the distant lesions in these patients. Eight cases of cervical cancer with a new secondary lesion were identified. In seven, HR-HPV DNA was detected in the biopsy of the distant lesion, which confirmed the diagnosis of cervical cancer metastasis. In the remaining case, no HPV was detected in the secondary lung biopsy, confirming the diagnosis of new primary lung cancer. Our results pave the way for HPV molecular genotyping use in cases of newly diagnosed distant lesions in patients with a history of HPV cervical neoplasia by using a routine diagnosis process to complete the clinical and histologic differential diagnosis when confronted with ambiguous situations.

The Importance of Occupational Health Service in the Era of VUCA and the Dissemination of Related Research Results

Worldwide have been facing the era of dynamic life with the rapidly changing global situation for decades. This era is colored by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) situation that is aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have all experienced the VUCA situation with the COVID-19 Pandemic that has lasted over 2 years. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)1 report should be a common reference for dealing with situations that are not just uncertain but also called “uncertainty complexes”. So-called because its dimensions take on a new form that has never been seen before in human history. The complexity of such uncertainties includes global instability and Anthropocene inequality, the acceleration of social transformation to cope with global pressures, and widespread and intensive polarization1.

Pragmatics aid referent disambiguation and word learning in young children and adults.

How do children succeed in learning a word? Research has shown robustly that, in ambiguous labeling situations, young children assume novel labels to refer to unfamiliar rather than familiar objects. However, ongoing debates center on the underlying mechanism: Is this behavior based on lexical constraints, guided by pragmatic reasoning, or simply driven by children's attraction to novelty? Additionally, recent research has questioned whether children's disambiguation leads to long-term learning or rather indicates an attentional shift in the moment of the conversation. Thus, we conducted a pre-registered online study with 2- and 3-year-olds and adults. Participants were presented with unknown objects as potential referents for a novel word. Across conditions, we manipulated whether the only difference between both objects was their relative novelty to the participant or whether, in addition, participants were provided with pragmatic information that indicated which object the speaker referred to. We tested participants' immediate referent selection and their retention after 5min. Results revealed that when given common ground information both age groups inferred the correct referent with high success and enhanced behavioral certainty. Without this information, object novelty alone did not guide their selection. After 5min, adults remembered their previous selections above chance in both conditions, while children only showed reliable learning in the pragmatic condition. The pattern of results indicates how pragmatics may aid referent disambiguation and learning in both adults and young children. From early ontogeny on, children's social-cognitive understanding may guide their communicative interactions and support their language acquisition. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: We tested how 2-3-year-olds and adults resolve referential ambiguity without any lexical cues. In the pragmatic context both age groups disambiguated novel word-object-mappings, while object novelty alone did not guide their referent selection. In the pragmatic context, children also showed increased certainty in disambiguation and retained new word-object-mappings over time. These findings contribute to the ongoing debate on whether children learn words on the basis of domain-specific constraints, lower-level associative mechanisms, or pragmatic inferences.