Social-cognitive Characteristics Research Articles

Normative, expressive, and personal factors associated with cooperation with police: Findings from a longitudinal cohort study

PurposeWhile there has been extensive research on the normative, instrumental, and social explanations for cooperation with police, fewer studies have examined how personal, social-cognitive characteristics might influence willingness to cooperate. This paper integrates models of cooperation with the social information processing framework to understand when individuals are more willing to cooperate with the police. MethodsWe use two waves of data from the Zurich Project on Social Development from Childhood to Adulthood, an ongoing longitudinal study of an ethnically diverse sample of young people from Zurich, Switzerland. ResultsThe results show that, aside from perceptions of police legitimacy, moral neutralization and empathy were directly associated with willingness to cooperate. Police legitimacy moderated the relationship between moral neutralization and cooperation, however this effect was not robust across models. In addition, we found that those who have engaged in serious criminal behavior were less likely to cooperate. ConclusionsWe argue that our findings demonstrate the need for cooperation with police research to adopt a decision-making framework in explaining the decision to indirectly intervene and cooperate. Namely, individuals must first recognize and acknowledge the harm or illegal behavior done when deciding to take action to cooperate with the police.

The Effect of Culture and Social-Cognitive Characteristics on App Preference and Willingness to Use a Fitness App

Fitness apps are persuasive tools developed to motivate physical activity. Despite their popularity, there is little work on how social-cognitive characteristics such as culture, household size, physical activity level, perceived self-efficacy and social support influence users’ willingness to use them and preference (personal vs. social). Knowing these relationships can help developers tailor fitness apps to different socio-cultural groups. Hence, we conducted two studies to address the research gap. In the first study (n = 194) aimed at recruiting participants for the second study, we asked participants about their app preference (personal vs. social), physical activity level and key demographic variables. In the second study (n = 49), we asked participants about their social-cognitive beliefs about exercise and their willingness to use a fitness app (presented as a screenshot). The results of the first study showed that, in the collectivist group (Nigerians), people in large households were more likely to be active and use the social version of a fitness app than those in small households. However, in the individualist group (Canadians/Americans), neither the preference for the social or personal version of a fitness app nor the physical activity level depended on the household size. Moreover, in the second study, in the individualist model, perceived self-efficacy and perceived self-regulation have a significant total effect on willingness to use a fitness app. However, in the collectivist model, perceived social support and outcome expectation have a significant total effect on the target construct. Finally, we found that females in individualist cultures had higher overall social-cognitive beliefs about exercise than males in individualist cultures and females in collectivist cultures. The implications of the findings are discussed.

Empathy, Kindness, and Moderation are not Just Formalities in Science

Science is a systematic approach to building and organizing knowledge through testable explanations and predictions. However, since scientists are human beings, they are fallible and subject to various systematic and random biases. The COVID-19 pandemic has definitively unmasked the humanity of scientists, who committed severe communication mistakes or even adhered to conspiracy hypotheses. Indeed, emotionality and rationality (if not epistemic) can foster intellectual dishonesty and compromise the effectiveness of critical thinking. This highlights the importance of the context in which a scientist works, as politeness and respect are essential to maintain lucidity, credibility, and transparency. However, outside of the academic context, many scientists do not behave with the same level of courtesy and carefulness required in scientific publishing. This happens despite communication – which is crucial for scientific investigation, dissemination, and debunking campaigns – being scientifically based on compassion. Specifically, an effective communication plan should be tailored to a specific audience, taking into account their emotional state, cultural and social background, and cognitive and psychological characteristics. The sole purpose must be to help and not to manipulate. Therefore, empathy, kindness, and moderation are essential tools for the success of science, from research to communication and education, and awareness campaigns and training courses should be instituted to promote such a message.

Cognitive-attentional mechanisms of cooperation-with implications for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and cognitive neuroscience.

People's cooperativeness depends on many factors, such as their motives, cognition, experiences, and the situation they are in. To date, it is unclear how these factors interact and shape the decision to cooperate. We present a computational account of cooperation that not only provides insights for the design of effective incentive structures but also redefines neglected social-cognitive characteristics associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Leveraging game theory, we demonstrate that the source and magnitude of conflict between different motives affected the speed and frequency of cooperation. Integrating eye-tracking to measure motivation-based information processing during decision-making shows that participants' visual fixations on the gains of cooperation rather than its costs and risks predicted their cooperativeness on a trial-by-trial basis. Using Bayesian hierarchical modeling, we find that a situation's prosociality and participants' past experience each bias the decision-making process distinctively. ADHD characteristics explain individual differences in responsiveness across contexts, highlighting the clinical importance of experimentally studying reactivity in social interactions. We demonstrate how the use of eye-tracking and computational modeling can be used to experimentally investigate social-cognitive characteristics in clinical populations. We also discuss possible underlying neural mechanisms to be investigated in future studies.

Типологические различия общих и специальных способностей студентов при подготовке к социономическим профессиям

Background. Identification of typological differences in abilities of students studying in various areas of specializations at university allows us to predict the trajectory of their development in professional preparation. Objective. The purpose of the study is to identify and analyze typological differences in the general and special abilities of bachelors in preparation for socionomic professions. Sample. The study has been conducted in 2021–2022 academic years for 98 1–4 courses’ students studying in the area of specialty 39.03.02 Social work. Methods. The methods used included tapping test in M.K. Kabardov’s modification, a questionnaire of professional preferences by J. Holland, M. O’Sullivan and J. Guilford test, SMRP (SMIL), R. Kettell’s questionnaire, the techniques by L.P. Kalininsky (COAP), and T. Leary’s technique. Results. The general and special abilities are established. The natural basis of the general abilities (motor indicators), cognitive (social intelligence), and personal characteristics (optimism, extraversion and responsiveness) of students, characteristic of all courses, are found. Differences in special abilities are revealed: in the 1st year, sensitivity and pessimism prevail; in the second year dependence (there is no independence) and responsiveness are observed; in the 3rd efficiency, focus of consciousness on the social goals of activity, dominance and self-confidence are identified; in the 4th research and conventional professionally oriented personality types’ abilities and traits such as social responsibility, ability to analyze and structure activities, independence are developed (0.01 < p < 0.05). A common type for all courses is “social”, characterized by cooperativeness, the ability to interact with people, psychological tact. From the 1st to the 4th year, there is a clear identification of the social worker’s profile and an increase in readiness for socionomic professions (p < 0.05). Conclusion. It is shown that when preparing for socionomic professions, the most significant signs of the development of general and special abilities are four factors: natural prerequisites (primary-signal or second-signal type of higher nervous activity (HNA)) and social (cognitive and professional) characteristics of the individuals. Typological differences in component combinations of general and special abilities, determined by the orientation of the activity of the individual and the learning conditions, are revealed among students of different courses studying in the specialty "Social Work".

A Model for Predicting Entrepreneurship Intentions based on Social Cognitive Theory and Entrepreneurship Characteristics

A Model for Predicting Entrepreneurship Intentions based on Social Cognitive Theory and Entrepreneurship Characteristics

The social cognitive ability in Han Chinese euthymic patients with bipolar I and bipolar II disorder

Although social cognitive deficits were found in euthymic patients of bipolar disorder (BD), the characteristics of social cognition in Han Chinese euthymic BD patients remain obscure. This study aimed to examine social cognition in Han Chinese euthymic BD patients relative to healthy controls (HC). Moreover, we explore the differences in social cognition between euthymic BD I and BD II patients. 43 Han Chinese BD patients (BD-I:25, BD-II:18) and 28 HC were recruited. All patients were euthymic (Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)≤7 and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS)≤7). Social cognitive ability was measured using Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), including 4 branches: perceiving emotions, facilitating emotions, understanding emotions, and managing emotions. Continuous performance Test (CPT) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) were used to examine attention and executive function. Significant difference in understanding emotions branch of MSCEIT was found between BD patients and HCs (Mann-Whitney U test, p=0.005). Besides, BD patients had significantly worse performance in WCST and CPT. However, the differences in WCST, CPT, MSCEIT total scores and its subscales were not significant between BD I and BD II patients. Euthymic Han Chinese BD patients exhibit significant social cognitive deficits in understanding emotion and cognitive dysfunction in attention and executive function. Furthermore, Han Chinese BD I patients showed similar social cognitive and general cognitive ability as compared with BD II patients. Social cognitive rehabilitation on both euthymic BD I and II patients should be considered.

Characteristics of successful foster families according to Flemish foster care workers

Concept mapping was used to identify characteristics of successful foster families in Flanders (Dutch speaking part of Belgium). A sample of 97 (out of 505) foster care workers from all foster care agencies were asked to answer in writing the question: “What characteristics does a successful foster family have?” Sixty unique characteristics were identified by three researchers. In a second phase, 50 foster care workers individually grouped together the statements that according to them covered the same topic. Furthermore, they were asked to indicate the degree of importance of each response on a seven-point scale. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchic cluster analyses identified eight clusters of successful foster family characteristics: willingness to cooperate with all stakeholders (foster care worker and birth parents), emotional-affective characteristics, characteristics that are conditions for stability, a child-oriented motivation supported by the whole family, adaptability, social-cognitive characteristics, social and material circumstances that are conditions for foster care, and good parenthood. Although sometimes differently grouped or named, the characteristics mentioned by foster care workers were almost entirely in line with findings from other research. Identification of these characteristics can contribute to the development of a foster family profile. Such a profile increases the chance of screening of quality foster families, enables training of families that don’t meet certain conditions, and contributes to standardized decision-making.

Associating of mother’s health literacy with sunlight protective behaviors of teenage children: application of social cognitive theory

ABSTRACTThe relative contributions of health literacy to promote health-related behaviors and characteristics of social cognition are still equivocal, and relevant information is limited. We aimed to examine the effect of the mother’s health literacy level on their teenage children’s sun protective behaviors based on social cognitive theory. This was a cross-sectional study of 202 women who had children between 12 and 18 year-old and they live in Sabzevar, Iran. The Test of Functional Health Literacy in adults (TOFHLA) questionnaire and sun protective behavior questionnaire based on structures of the social cognitive theory were used to collect data. Multiple statistical tests (correlation and the regression analysis) were analyses to examine whether the health literacy level of mothers associated with sun protective behaviors of their children. The results showed health literacy level of mother was positively significantly (p < 0.01) correlated with all constructs of social cognitive theory and teens’ performance to avoid sunlight (r = 0.242, P < 0.01). Likewise, the self-efficacy showed the strongest correlation with a health literacy level of the mother (r = 0.360, p < 0.01), and with the performance of the teenagers (r = 0.282, p < 0.01). Linear regression showed that all constructs of social cognitive theory and health literacy level of mothers predicted 34.9% of teenage children’s sunlight protective behaviors. Health literacy level of mother and constructs from social cognitive theory are significantly supported determinants of sun protective behaviors and could be considered in developing and designing educational interventions program to facilitate a healthy active lifestyle.

Social and Humanitarian Knowledge: Peculiarites, Interactions, Meaning

Particular characteristics of social and humanitarian cognition, its generic peculiarities are considered. The most popular approaches in the social and humanitarian subjects of the 19th-20th century are stated. The idea of consistency of the knowledge evolution and appearance of its social and humanitarian version is substantiated. Historical cognition and critical principles of primary sources are characterized. The role of works of art in the historical cognition is described.

Why do young people use fitness apps? Cognitive characteristics and app quality

This study examined the effects of young adults’ social-cognitive characteristics and fitness apps’ quality-related characteristics on users’ intention to continue using apps. This study used a self-report questionnaire to collect data from 201 participants between November 29 and December 16, 2016. PASW/WIN 20.0 was used to perform Pearson’s correlation analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression. Results showed that users’ social-cognitive characteristics and the app’ quality-related characteristics accounted for 39.3 and 1.6% of users’ intention to continue using fitness apps, respectively. Social-cognitive characteristics included quality-related app characteristics, which explained 40.9% of users’ intention to continue using the apps. Self-efficacy, innovative propensity, outcome expectations, and engagement were key variables affecting the intention to continue using apps. Therefore, it is suggested that researchers or healthcare providers who want to utilize fitness apps for young adults could invest time and effort in the selection of existing high-quality apps and design intervention programs to stimulate users’ social-cognitive factors.

With whom do researchers collaborate and why?

Although research collaboration has been studied extensively, we still lack understanding regarding the factors stimulating researchers to collaborate with different kinds of research partners including members of the same research center or group, researchers from the same organization, researchers from other academic and non-academic organizations as well as international partners. Here, we provide an explanation of the emergence of diverse collaborative ties. The theoretical framework used for understanding research collaboration couples scientific and technical human capital embodied in the individual with the social organization and cognitive characteristics of the research field. We analyze survey data collected from Slovenian scientists in four scientific disciplines: mathematics; physics; biotechnology; and sociology. The results show that while individual characteristics and resources are among the strongest predictors of collaboration, very different mechanisms underlie collaboration with different kinds of partners. International collaboration is particularly important for the researchers in small national science systems. Collaboration with colleagues from various domestic organizations presents a vehicle for resource mobilization. Within organizations collaboration reflects the elaborated division of labor in the laboratories and high level of competition between different research groups. These results hold practical implications for policymakers interested in promoting quality research.

СПЕЦИФИКА ИНТЕГРАЦИИ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИК СОЦИАЛЬНОГО ПОЗНАНИЯ В ПРОСТРАНСТВЕ ДИХОТОМИИ «ДОМИНИРОВАНИЕ–ПОДЧИНЕНИЕ» У СТУДЕНТОВ

СПЕЦИФИКА ИНТЕГРАЦИИ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИК СОЦИАЛЬНОГО ПОЗНАНИЯ В ПРОСТРАНСТВЕ ДИХОТОМИИ «ДОМИНИРОВАНИЕ–ПОДЧИНЕНИЕ» У СТУДЕНТОВ

Impaired social cognition in anorexia nervosa patients.

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of social cognition in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN).MethodsEighteen female patients with AN (mean age =35.4±8.6 years) and 18 female healthy controls (HC) (mean age =32.8±9.4 years) participated in the study. Their social cognition was assessed with the Social Cognition Screening Questionnaire (SCSQ).ResultsThe results showed that total score of the SCSQ and scores of theory of mind and metacognition were significantly lower in AN group than those in HC group. Moreover, significant differences in theory of mind, metacognition, and total score of the SCSQ remained when the effects of depression, anxiety, and starvation were eliminated statistically.ConclusionThese results suggest that patients with AN may have difficulty inferring other people’s intention and also monitoring and evaluating their own cognitive activities. Therefore, these features may explain some aspects of the pathology of AN.

Disentangling contributions of bar attendance, drinking, and other factors to elevated acute alcohol problems on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Levels of drinking are unusually elevated among young adults on the U.S.-Mexico border, and this elevation can be largely explained by young border residents' unusually high frequency of bar attendance. However, this explanation complicates interpretation of high alcohol problem rates that have also been observed in this group. Because bar environments can lower the threshold for many types of problems, the extent to which elevated alcohol problems among young border residents can be attributed to drinking per se-versus this common drinking context-is not clear. Data were collected from multistage cluster samples of adult Mexican Americans on and off the U.S.-Mexico border (current drinker N = 1,351). After developing structural models of acute alcohol problems, estimates were subjected to path decompositions to disentangle the common and distinct contributions of drinking and bar attendance to problem disparities on and off the border. Additionally, models were estimated under varying degrees of adjustment to gauge the sensitivity of the results to sociodemographic, social-cognitive, and environmental sources of confounding. Consistent with previous findings for both drinking and other problem measures, acute alcohol problems were particularly elevated among young adults on the border. This elevation was entirely explained by a single common pathway involving bar attendance frequency and drinking. Bar attendance did not predict acute alcohol problems independently of drinking, and its effect was not moderated by border proximity or age. The common indirect effect and its component effects (of border youth on bar attendance, of bar attendance on drinking, and of drinking on problems) were surprisingly robust to adjustment for confounding in all parts of the model (e.g., fully adjusted indirect effect: b = 0.11, SE = 0.04, p < 0.01). Bar attendance and associated increases in drinking play a key, unique role in the high levels of acute alcohol problems among the border's young adult population that cannot be entirely explained by sociodemographic or social-cognitive characteristics of young border residents, by contextual effects of bars on problems, or by broader neighborhood factors. Bar attendance in particular may represent an early modifiable risk factor that can be targeted to reduce alcohol problem disparities in the region.

Neurocognitive and social cognitive predictors of cannabis use in first-episode psychosis

BackgroundFindings are unclear as to whether cannabis use is associated with better cognitive functioning in individuals with psychosis. ObjectivesTo elucidate the association between cannabis use, neurocognition and social cognition in first-episode psychosis (FEP). MethodsSecondary data analysis was conducted on data from 133 FEP participants who had enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of a vocational intervention. Participants completed a neurocognitive and social cognitive battery and characteristics of cannabis use were documented (disorder, recency, frequency and dose). Principal axis factor analysis was used to determine the underlying structure of the cognitive batteries. Regression techniques were used to examine cognitive predictors of current cannabis use disorder (CUD), and recency and frequency of cannabis use. Bivariate correlations were used to examine associations between cognition and dose of cannabis consumption. ResultsMale gender (p=.037) was the only significant predictor of having a current CUD. Better processing speed (p=.022) and social cognition (p=.039), male gender (p<.001), and fewer negative symptoms (p=.036) predicted recency of cannabis use. Faster processing speed (p=.007) and male gender (p=.006) also predicted frequency of cannabis use. No variables were significantly associated with dose of cannabis consumption. ConclusionsBetter social cognition and processing speed abilities predicting recency and frequency of cannabis use are consistent with cannabis users having higher cognitive abilities. A positive relationship between cannabis use and cognition may be the result of more drug taking opportunities in less cognitively impaired individuals with psychosis.

A call for policy guidance on psychometric testing in doping control in sport

One of the fundamental challenges in anti-doping is identifying athletes who use, or are at risk of using, prohibited performance enhancing substances. The growing trend to employ a forensic approach to doping control aims to integrate information from social sciences (e.g., psychology of doping) into organised intelligence to protect clean sport. Beyond the foreseeable consequences of a positive identification as a doping user, this task is further complicated by the discrepancy between what constitutes a doping offence in the World Anti-Doping Code and operationalized in doping research. Whilst psychology plays an important role in developing our understanding of doping behaviour in order to inform intervention and prevention, its contribution to the array of doping diagnostic tools is still in its infancy. In both research and forensic settings, we must acknowledge that (1) socially desirable responding confounds self-reported psychometric test results and (2) that the cognitive complexity surrounding test performance means that the response–time based measures and the lie detector tests for revealing concealed life-events (e.g., doping use) are prone to produce false or non-interpretable outcomes in field settings. Differences in social-cognitive characteristics of doping behaviour that are tested at group level (doping users vs. non-users) cannot be extrapolated to individuals; nor these psychometric measures used for individual diagnostics. In this paper, we present a position statement calling for policy guidance on appropriate use of psychometric assessments in the pursuit of clean sport. We argue that, to date, both self-reported and response-time based psychometric tests for doping have been designed, tested and validated to explore how athletes feel and think about doping in order to develop a better understanding of doping behaviour, not to establish evidence for doping. A false ‘positive’ psychological profile for doping affects not only the individual ‘clean’ athlete but also their entourage, their organisation and sport itself. The proposed policy guidance aims to protect the global athletic community against social, ethical and legal consequences from potential misuse of psychological tests, including erroneous or incompetent applications as forensic diagnostic tools in both practice and research.

Maladaptive social information processing in childhood predicts young men's atypical amygdala reactivity to threat.

Maladaptive social information processing, such as hostile attributional bias and aggressive response generation, is associated with childhood maladjustment. Although social information processing problems are correlated with heightened physiological responses to social threat, few studies have examined their associations with neural threat circuitry, specifically amygdala activation to social threat. A cohort of 310 boys participated in an ongoing longitudinal study and completed questionnaires and laboratory tasks assessing their social and cognitive characteristics the boys were between 10 and 12 years of age. At age 20, 178 of these young men underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging and a social threat task. At age 22, adult criminal arrest records and self-reports of impulsiveness were obtained. Path models indicated that maladaptive social information-processing at ages 10 and 11 predicted increased left amygdala reactivity to fear faces, an ambiguous threat, at age 20 while accounting for childhood antisocial behavior, empathy, IQ, and socioeconomic status. Exploratory analyses indicated that aggressive response generation - the tendency to respond to threat with reactive aggression - predicted left amygdala reactivity to fear faces and was concurrently associated with empathy, antisocial behavior, and hostile attributional bias, whereas hostile attributional bias correlated with IQ. Although unrelated to social information-processing problems, bilateral amygdala reactivity to anger faces at age 20 was unexpectedly predicted by low IQ at age 11. Amygdala activation did not mediate associations between social information processing and number of criminal arrests, but both impulsiveness at age 22 and arrests were correlated with right amygdala reactivity to anger facial expressions at age 20. Childhood social information processing and IQ predicted young men's amygdala response to threat a decade later, which suggests that childhood social-cognitive characteristics are associated with the development of neural threat processing and adult adjustment.

The Forthcoming Generational Workforce Transition and Rethinking Organizational Knowledge Transfer

Organizational leaders currently face a multitude of workforce succession challenges. In order to prepare for the imminent withdrawal of experienced personnel, workforce planning strategies should direct resources toward successful tacit knowledge transfer outcomes to avoid a potential knowledge vacuum while viewing the implementation process through an intergenerational lens. Effective knowledge transfer strategies remain elusive in many organizations, and it may be due to a lack of understanding the complex social-cognitive nature of the intergenerational workforce. This article will highlight the need to rethink tacit knowledge transfer through understanding the characteristics of social cognition within the intergenerational workforce.

What do we know about who does and does not attend general health checks? Findings from a narrative scoping review.

BackgroundGeneral and preventive health checks are a key feature of contemporary policies of anticipatory care. Ensuring high and equitable uptake of such general health checks is essential to ensuring health gain and preventing health inequalities. This literature review explores the socio-demographic, clinical and social cognitive characteristics of those who do and do not engage with general health checks or preventive health checks for cardiovascular disease.MethodsAn exploratory scoping study approach was employed. Databases searched included the British Nursing Index and Archive, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) and Database of s of Reviews of Effects (DARE), EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI). Titles and abstracts of 17463 papers were screened; 1171 papers were then independently assessed by two researchers. A review of full text was carried out by two of the authors resulting in 39 being included in the final review.ResultsThose least likely to attend health checks were men on low incomes, low socio-economic status, unemployed or less well educated. In general, attenders were older than non-attenders. An individual’s marital status was found to affect attendance rates with non-attenders more likely to be single. In general, white individuals were more likely to engage with services than individuals from other ethnic backgrounds. Non-attenders had a greater proportion of cardiovascular risk factors than attenders, and smokers were less likely to attend than non-smokers. The relationship between health beliefs and health behaviours appeared complex. Non-attenders were shown to value health less strongly, have low self-efficacy, feel less in control of their health and be less likely to believe in the efficacy of health checks.ConclusionRoutine health check-ups appear to be taken up inequitably, with gender, age, socio-demographic status and ethnicity all associated with differential service use. Furthermore, non-attenders appeared to have greater clinical need or risk factors suggesting that differential uptake may lead to sub-optimal health gain and contribute to inequalities via the inverse care law. Appropriate service redesign and interventions to encourage increased uptake among these groups is required.