Members Of Social Groups Research Articles

(In)Convenient Trash Bins: Constructs on Waste Disposal

Trash bins could tell us numerous things about human everyday activities like untold situations, practices, attitudes, and relationships with the wastes we generate. Waste disposals in many areas like in a university dormitory have been and remain a challenge. This qualitative research seeks to surface the constructs on waste disposal and communicative acts of throwing garbage in the color-coded trash bins of Lower ACCI dorm residents in UPLB. Breaching demonstration, a method for revealing, or exposing the common work that is performed by members of particular social groups was employed. Trash bins in the dormitory were deliberately removed for days to derive local experiences. Participant observation, in-depth individual and group interviews were employed to elicit rich talks, interactions, and discourses which allowed the revealing of multiple ways of viewing and interpreting the phenomenon. The presence and accessibility of trash bins make the participants feel the “sense of convenience”, losing it otherwise, creates a disturbance on the day-to-day rituals, causing them physical and emotional distress. In that context, it was understood and interpreted that trash bins are an extension of one’s sense of comfort and convenience. Themes such as adherence to policy and values also emerged.

Genetic, social and maternal contributions to Mycobacterium bovis infection status in European badgers (Meles meles).

Within host populations, individuals can vary in their susceptibility to infections and in the severity and progression of disease once infected. Though mediated through differences in behaviour, resistance or tolerance, variation in disease outcomes ultimately stems from genetic and environmental (including social) factors. Despite obvious implications for the evolutionary, ecological and epidemiological dynamics of disease traits, the relative importance of these factors has rarely been quantified in naturally infected wild animal hosts. Here, we use a long-term capture-mark-recapture study of group-living European badgers (Meles meles) to characterize genetic and environmental sources of variation in host infection status by Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (bTB). We find that genetic factors contribute to M. bovis infection status, whether measured over a lifetime or across repeated captures. In the latter case, the heritability (h2 ) of infection status is close to zero in cubs and yearlings but increases in adulthood. Overall, environmental influences arising from a combination of social group membership (defined in time and space) and maternal effects appear to be more important than genetic factors. Thus, while genes do contribute to among-individual variation, they play a comparatively minor role, meaning that rapid evolution of host defences under parasite-mediated selection is unlikely (especially if selection is on young animals where h2 is lowest). Conversely, our results lend further support to the view that social and early-life environments are important drivers of the dynamics of bTB infection in badger populations specifically, and of disease traits in wild hosts more generally.

20-month-olds Use Social Categories to Make Inductive Inferences about Agents’ Preferences

ABSTRACT Adults use social-group membership to make inductive inferences about the properties of novel individuals, and this tendency is well established by the preschool years. Recent evidence suggests that infants attend to features associated with social groups and use social-group membership to interpret an agents’ actions. The current study sought to replicate and extend these findings by clarifying whether infants’ responses in prior studies reflected “in the moment” influences of social-group membership or inductive inferences about agents’ properties and behaviors. Specifically, we investigated whether 20-month-old infants expect members of a social group to share characteristics, even when the target agent acts alone in the absence of other group members. Our results demonstrated that infants expected two individuals to share food preferences when they belonged to the same social group, but they had no expectations about whether members of two different social groups would share food preferences. These results suggest that by 20 months of age, infants use social-group membership to make inductive inferences about the properties of novel individuals, even when that individual is acting in the absence of its group members.

All immigrants are not alike: Intersectionality matters in views of immigrant groups

In two studies, we investigated how intersecting social categories shape views of immigrants in the United States. In Study 1, we analyzed 310 attributes generated by 92 participants for the category of immigrant and 30 additional immigrant groups with intersecting social categories (e.g. “undocumented immigrant”) reflecting various levels of social status. Using the Meaning Extraction Method (MEM) and factor analysis to examine shared meanings, we identified five factors; further comparative analyses of immigrant groups focused on the first two factors (Vulnerable vs. Hardworking, Drain vs. Asset). The importance of legal status for judgments on these two factors was evident in comparisons of the generic immigrant with four specific legal intersections. An examination of all 31 groups of immigrants showed that higher status groups were perceived as Hardworking (less Vulnerable) and high national Assets (low Drain), while lower status groups varied in Vulnerability perceptions but were generally thought to be Drains on the nation rather than Assets. In Study 2, 270 participants evaluated intersectional immigrant social categories that differed in combinations of higher status (privileged) and lower status (marginalized) social group memberships, using scales based on the terms identified by the factors in Study 1. Participants rated immigrant groups with two privileged statuses as less vulnerable and more likely to be an asset to the nation than immigrant groups with two marginalized or mixed statuses. The utility of a bottom-up intersectional approach to assess stereotype content of immigrant groups is discussed.

Potential adaptation strategies for climate change impact among flood-prone fish farmers in climate hotspot Uganda

Climate-induced floods are increasing in Africa. The need to evolve framework for adaptation to climate change impact (CCI) among flood-prone fish farmers necessitated this study. Based on availability, 60 farming active flood-experienced fish farmers were purposively selected from flood-prone (Gulu and Kibuku) regions in climate hotspot Uganda. These were assessed for CCI adaptation tendencies in their socioeconomics and farming operation/techniques (FOI) indices, CCI awareness, CCI adaptation strategies, and perceived required interventions (RIs) using structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed through descriptive and multivariate regression tools. Respondents were mostly male, adults, educated, Christian, married, medium-sized family, social group members, 1–5 years’ experience, medium-sized farms, and government trained. Income was 1.0–6.0 million Ugx/year. In FOI, semi-intensive culture system, use of rainwater plus groundwater, small-sized (< 0.5 ha) ponds, ponds possession of inlets and outlets, seasonal farming and mixed culture/farming dominated. Most respondents were aware of CCI, while erratic rainfall with floods and prolonged drought mostly impacted farming. AS-Adaptation Strategy were changed stocking time and livelihood diversification. Communication technology and social group’s membership enhanced adaptation, while inadequate awareness constrains adaptation. Respondents’ RI(s) were tree planting, irrigation and pond perimeter trenching. Gender, government training, farm size, water sources and presence of inlet and outlets in ponds (FOI) predicted adaptation (R = 0.802, R2 = 0.64, P < 0.05). Some socioeconomic, technical and awareness indices could assist CCI flexibility. However, the statistically significant predictors of adaptation, identified adaptive strategies, constraints to adaptation and required interventions could be integrated into a framework for effective CCI adaptation for sustainable fish farming in flood-prone scenarios.

Twelve tips for teaching implicit bias recognition and management

Implicit biases describe mental associations that affect our actions in an unconscious manner. We can hold certain implicit biases regarding members of certain social groups. Such biases can perpetuate health disparities by widening inequity and decreasing trust in both healthcare and medical education. Despite the widespread discourse about bias in medical education, teaching and learning about the topic should be informed by empirical research and best practice. In this paper, the authors provide a series of twelve tips for teaching implicit bias recognition and management in medical education. Each tip provides a specific and practical strategy that is theoretically and empirically developed through research and evaluation. Ultimately, these twelve tips can assist educators to incorporate implicit bias instruction across the continuum of medical education to improve inequity and advance justice.

Social group membership does not modulate automatic imitation in a contrastive multi-agent paradigm

A key prediction of motivational theories of automatic imitation is that people imitate in-group over out-group members. However, research on this topic has provided mixed results. Here, we investigate the possibility that social group modulations emerge only when people can directly compare in- and out-group. To this end, we conducted three experiments in which we measured automatic imitation of two simultaneously shown hands: one in-group and one out-group hand. Our general hypothesis was that the in-group hand would be imitated more than the out-group hand. However, even though both explicit and implicit manipulation checks showed that we succeeded in manipulating participants’ feelings of group membership, we did not find support for the predicted influence of group membership on automatic imitation. In contrast to motivational theories, this suggests that group membership does not influence who we do or do not imitate, not even in a contrastive multi-agent paradigm.

Membership, Neighborhood Social Identification, Well-Being, and Health for the Elderly in Chile.

The world’s elderly population is growing, and in Chile they represent 16.2% of the total population. In Chile, old age is marked by retirement, with a dramatic decrease in income that brings precariousness. Older adults are economically, socially, and psychologically vulnerable populations. This condition increases their likelihood of disengaging from their usual social environment, facilitating their isolation, sadness, and discomfort. From the perspective of social identity, well-being (WB) can be explained by two principles: social groups’ importance for health and people’s psychological identification with those groups. This study analyzes the relationships between belonging to the neighborhood and extra-neighborhood groups and neighborhood social identification with WB. Urban or rural location and gender are measured, and the sample is 1,475 older Chilean adults of both sexes. The results show that the majority are not members of social groups (52%), and the remaining 48% are members of one or two groups or organizations (42.65%). Only 4.47% belong to three groups or organizations. Those who belong to groups obtain higher scores, emotional–mental WB, and positive emotions than older adults who do not belong to any organization. Urban and rural older adults have the same level of WB. Membership in close social organizations (neighborhood councils) or distant ones (clubs for the elderly and religious groups) causes different WB associations. Membership in neighborhood councils reduces gender differences in self-assessment of health. This result supports the idea that participation in heterogeneous groups with a shared sense of belonging to the neighborhood is associated with higher WB and lower perceived loneliness. Social identification with the neighborhood, rather than belonging to the group, had the most widespread impact on WB and health indicators. The variable social identification with the neighborhood was consistently associated with indicators of hedonic WB.

Effects of social structure and management on risk of disease establishment in wild pigs.

Contact heterogeneity among hosts determines invasion and spreading dynamics of infectious disease, thus its characterization is essential for identifying effective disease control strategies. Yet, little is known about the factors shaping contact networks in many wildlife species and how wildlife management actions might affect contact networks. Wild pigs in North America are an invasive, socially structured species that pose a health concern for domestic swine given their ability to transmit numerous devastating diseases such as African swine fever (ASF). Using proximity loggers and GPS data from 48 wild pigs in Florida and South Carolina, USA, we employed a probabilistic framework to estimate weighted contact networks. We determined the effects of sex, social group and spatial distribution (monthly home-range overlap and distance) on wild pig contact. We also estimated the impacts of management-induced perturbations on contact and inferred their effects on ASF establishment in wild pigs with simulation. Social group membership was the primary factor influencing contacts. Between-group contacts depended primarily on space use characteristics, with fewer contacts among groups separated by >2km and no contacts among groups >4km apart within a month. Modelling ASF dynamics on the contact network demonstrated that indirect contacts resulting from baiting (a typical method of attracting wild pigs or game species to a site to enhance recreational hunting) increased the risk of disease establishment by ~33% relative to direct contact. Low-intensity population reduction (<5.9% of the population) had no detectable impact on contact structure but reduced predicted ASF establishment risk relative to no population reduction. We demonstrate an approach for understanding the relative role of spatial, social and individual-level characteristics in shaping contact networks and predicting their effects on disease establishment risk, thus providing insight for optimizing disease control in spatially and socially structured wildlife species.

Social group memberships, physical activity, and physical health following retirement: A six-year follow-up from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

To investigate whether belonging to more social groups supports people to be physically active following retirement and confers physical health benefits as a result. A longitudinal design was used, drawing on data spanning an eight-year period from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. In a population sample of retirees (N=243), mediation models were used to examine relationships between number of post-retirement group memberships, subsequent post-retirement physical activity, and subsequent physical health. Belonging to a greater number of social groups predicted greater physical activity following retirement. More group memberships also consistently predicted both subjective and objective indicators of greater physical health via greater physical activity. Supporting people to maintain - and ideally increase - their group memberships in retirement may have benefits for their engagement in physical activity and long-term physical health.

Medijske stereotipizacije vulnerabilnih grupa u Srbiji

The paper discusses the contemporary features of stereotypes in media content, with special emphasis on practice and the consequences of stereotyping vulnerable social groups. Particular attention is paid to reviewing the prevalence and modalities of gender, racial, and ethnic stereotypes in Serbian mass media, as well as the consequences of social stereotyping affecting women, minority ethnic groups, people with mental disorders, and members of other vulnerable social groups, including their increased exposure to social marginalization, discrimination, violence, and secondary victimization. The content analysis of electronic editions of three dailies in Serbia of different newspaper format and editorial approach (Politika, Blic, and Kurir), published within the period from January 10 to February 7, 2021, was conducted to gain a closer insight into current representation, forms and other features of media stereotyping of various vulnerable social groups. The obtained findings confirm the initial assumption that stereotypes, especially gender, as well as those directed at minority ethnic groups, are expressed and routinely represented in electronic media content available to the general public, in which these groupsare continuously presented in a very narrow repertoire of social roles, primarily by tabloid dailies Additional content analysis of electronic editions of dailies in Serbia over the past five years features stereotypical portrayal of Roma, and persons with mental health disorders as categories of citizens who are predominantly represented in negative content in the media, with the absence of analytical texts and content dealing with the social background of the circumstances in which they find themselves. Furthermore, no attention is paid to their social needs, which contributes to the strengthening of stereotypes, intolerance, insensitivity, or irrational fear of members of certain vulnerable social groups. In conclusion, the importance of the role of today's mass media in maintaining, but also in deconstructing negative social stereotypes, that is, humanization of modern cultural and social space and denormalization of violence directed at vulnerable groups based on prejudice,isemphasized.

Who Am I: Considerations for Adolescent Development During A Pandemic

Adolescence is a unique time in which cognitive, affective, and social abilities are at critical periods of development. The result is the discovery of “Who Am I?” or adolescent identity development. Identity development during adolescence includes determining one’s values and creating meaning in life, as well as integrating how one is viewed by others and identifying contradictions among these perspectives. By developing an identity that integrates various features of their sense of self, adolescents can better interpret their life experiences, therefore improving their general well-being and health [1]. There are several aspects of adolescent identity development, including participation in sociocultural contexts such as home, school, or work, internal and psychological processes of exploring aspects of identity, and social group membership [2].

Telling the Story: Capacity-Building in the Asylum Network

In the midst of an overwhelming immigration crisis at the Southern Border of the United States, the specific needs of asylum seekers are at risk of being overshadowed. Asylum is a form of humanitarian protection granted to foreign nationals arriving at the border, or already within the United States, who meet the international law definition of “refugee” as defined by the United Nations 1951 Convention and the 1967 United Nations Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees.1 A refugee or an asylum seeker is a person who, as a result of previous persecution, or fear of future persecution, is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin. The applicant must further establish that the persecution occurred on account of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. As a signatory to the 1967 UN protocol, and through the Refugee Act of 1980, the United States has legal obligations to provide protection to those seeking asylum.1

The social lens of choice of hairstyle among Ghanaian female youth

In this article, we review research on social factors with the main focus being on how self, social factors and fashion consciousness interact with the choice of hairstyles. By highlighting the situations of 397 Ghanaian female youth, we show how their perspectives define beautiful hairstyles and how social factors interact with the choice of hairstyle with fashion consciousness as a mediator. Using social actual-concept and social factors on behaviours as theoretical frameworks, we show the influence of religious influence, views of social group members, attractiveness and uniqueness on choice of hairstyle. Mediator analyses indicate that fashion consciousness explains the interactions among views of social group members and attractiveness with the choice of hairstyle. Implications for marketing and future directions for research on choice of hairstyle are suggested.

Implementasi Standar Pengelolaan Pendidikan Dalam Mencapai Tujuan Pendidikan Islam

Abstract. Islamic education is tasked with guiding and directing the development of students from one stage to another until it reaches optimal levels. Islamic education aims to create a perfect human (al-insanul kamil) and a good human being (al-insan al-shalih). Other tasks are in accordance with the vision and mission of the Prophet, namely perfecting human morals. A good education is certainly well managed. Therefore it is necessary to manage according to Islamic teachings. By using a qualitative descriptive research method, this study will try to dig deeper into the extent to which the achievement of education management standards in accordance with Islamic teachings and solutions to solve problems faced. The management of education in achieving the goals of Islamic education is education that is capable of making people who are faithful and devout, educating pious individuals by paying attention to spiritual, emotional, social, intellectual, physical development, educating members of pious social groups, both in the Muslim family and community.

As representações sociais e o programa de residência pedagógica para licenciandos em letras no sertão de Pernambuco

O objetivo desse trabalho é analisar as representações sociais sobre o Programa de Residência Pedagógica da CAPES presentes nos relatórios finais dos bolsistas vinculados à Licenciatura em Letras de uma universidade pública no sertão de Pernambuco. As representações sociais são construções coletivas compartilhadas por membros de grupos sociais que organizam e categorizam os elementos e os eventos do mundo empírico. Com base nos estudos de Moscovici (2000, 2003), Abric (1994), Jodelet (2001) e Py (2000, 2004), investigamos as representações sociais que discentes ligados ao PRP, nossa análise identificou como representações centrais do PRP a formação docente e a definição institucional do programa articuladas em função de: presença em sala de aula, interação entre teoria e prática, por um lado, e o programa como experiência e qualificação positiva. As representações periféricas dizem respeito aos estágios supervisionados e críticas a parceiros do programa.

Women’s Perception of the Effects of Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) on their Livelihood Activities in Ondo State, Nigeria

The study was carried out to investigate the women’s perception of the effects of Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) on their livelihood activities in Ondo State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to randomly select 120 respondents from three benefitting Local Government Areas in the state. Primary data were collected with the aid of interview schedule and analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, mean as well as Chi square. The mean age of the respondents was 42 years. Most (70.8%) of the respondents were married with mean household size of 6 persons, were ordinary members of social groups (73.3%) and were farmers (46.7%) with and a mean monthly income of ₦18,000.00. Most (60.2%) of the respondents had agricultural value chain activities as their livelihood activities. The study revealed that the respondents had positive perception of CSDP projects such as construction of; potable water supply project (4.01), road/bridge (4.04), health and maternity centre (4.01), community hall/viewing centre (4.06), skill acquisition centre (4.21), market (4.10). There was a significant association between CSDP micro-projects and selected livelihood activities such as crop production (χ2Cal =13.2), livestock production (χ2 Cal =39.8), farm produce processing (χ2Cal =4.3), gathering of wood (χ2Cal =5.4), petty trade (χ2Cal =21.0) and gathering of non-timber products (χ2Cal =4.6). Women’s perception of effects of CSDP projects on their livelihood activities was favourable. Therefore, the study recommends that development strategies and plan should be well structured by the government to improve the livelihood activities of women especially agriculture for improved income and livelihoods.

Ageing well in a foreign land: group memberships protect older immigrants’ wellbeing through enabling social support and integration

AbstractDespite the numerous challenges of ageing in a foreign land, many older immigrants are fairly resilient and report experiencing good wellbeing. The key question that the present paper addresses is how this is achieved. Drawing on frameworks from cross-cultural and social identity literatures, the present study proposes and tests a model of serial multiple mediation that identifies possible mechanisms supporting the wellbeing of older immigrants who have resided in the host country for some time. In this model, it is predicted that new group memberships acquired post-migration enable access to social support that in turn provides the basis for perceived integration, which enhances wellbeing. This model was tested in a survey study with 102 older people, whose mean age was 80.3 years and who had migrated to Australia from Asian, European, and Central and South American countries on average 36 years previously. The survey assessed cultural identity, social group memberships acquired post-migration, perceived social support, perceived integration and wellbeing. Results supported the hypothesised model, indicating that joining new heritage culture and wider groups in Australia post-migration provided a platform for social support and integration, which enhanced life satisfaction and reduced loneliness. The implications of these findings for theory and adapting successfully to both migration and ageing are discussed.

Generic and Respiratory-Specific Quality of Life in Non-Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19.

The impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on quality of life appears to be highly underestimated, especially in patients who have not been admitted to the hospital. Therefore, our aim was to assess respiratory-specific quality of life in addition to generic quality of life in former patients with confirmed/suspected COVID-19 who have never been admitted to the hospital. Members of an online Belgian social support group for patients with confirmed/suspected COVID-19 with persistent complaints, completed an online survey. The five-level EQ-5D (EQ-5D-5L) and the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ) were used to assess generic and respiratory-specific quality of life, respectively. Data of 210 non-hospitalized patients (88% women, 45 ± 11 years, 79 ± 17 days after symptom onset) were included in the analyses. Mean EQ-5D index and visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) score was 0.62 ± 0.19 and 50.71 ± 18.87, respectively, with 40% of the patients demonstrating an EQ-5D index that was below the fifth percentile of normative values, indicating poor generic quality of life. The mean CCQ score was 2.01 ± 0.98 points, while 123 respondents (59%) had a total score ≥1.9 points, indicating poor respiratory-specific quality of life. The correlation between EQ-5D index score/EQ-VAS score and CCQ total score was moderate (r = −0.524 and r = −0.374; both p < 0.001). In conclusion, both generic and respiratory-specific quality of life are affected in non-hospitalized patients with COVID-19, approximately three months after the onset of symptoms. The combined use of the EQ-5D and the CCQ could identify the broad impact of COVID-19 on quality of life.

The neuropeptide Pth2 dynamically senses others via mechanosensation.

Species that depend on membership in social groups for survival exhibit changes in neuronal gene expression and behaviour when they face restricted social interactions or isolation1-3. Here we show that, across the lifespan of zebrafish (Danio rerio), social isolation specifically decreased the level of transcription of pth2, the gene that encodes the vertebrate-specific neuropeptide Pth2. However, 30minutes of exposure to conspecifics was sufficient to initiate a significant rescue of pth2 transcript levels in previously isolated zebrafish. Transcription of pth2 exhibited bidirectional dynamics; following the acute isolation of socially reared fish, a rapid reduction in the levels of pth2 was observed. The expression of pth2 tracked not only the presence of other fish but also the density of the group. The sensory modality that controls the expression of pth2 was neither visual nor chemosensory in origin but instead was mechanical, induced by the movements of neighbouring fish. Chemical ablation of the mechanosensitive neuromast cells within the lateral line of fish prevented the rescue of pth2 levels that was induced by the social environment. In addition, mechanical perturbation of the water at frequencies similar to the movements of the zebrafish tail was sufficient to rescue the levels of pth2 in previously isolated fish. These data indicate a previously underappreciated role for the relatively unexplored neuropeptide Pth2 in both tracking and responding to the population density of the social environment of an animal.