Social Consequences Research Articles

Neural bases of social facilitation and inhibition: how peer presence affects elementary eye movements.

Social Facilitation/Inhibition (SFI) refers to how others' presence influences task performance positively or negatively. Our previous study revealed that peer presence modulated saccadic eye movements, a fundamental sensorimotor activity. Pro- and anti-saccades were either facilitated or inhibited depending on trial block complexity (Tricoche et al., 2020). In the present fMRI study, we adapted our paradigm to investigate the neural basis of SFI on saccades. Considering inter- and intra-individual variabilities, we evaluated the shared and distinct neural patterns between social facilitation and inhibition. We predicted an involvement of the saccade-related and attention networks, alongside the Theory-of-Mind (ToM) network, with opposite activity changes between facilitation and inhibition. Results confirmed peer presence modulation in fronto-parietal areas related to saccades and attention, in opposite directions for facilitation and inhibition. Additionally, the ventral attention network was modulated during inhibition. Default mode regions, including ToM areas, were also modulated. Finally, pupil size, often linked to arousal, increased with peers and correlated with dorsal attention regions and anterior insula activities. These results suggest that SFI engages task-specific and domain-general networks, modulated differently based on observed social effect. Attention network seemed to play a central role at both basic (linked to arousal or vigilance) and cognitive control levels.

Traffic Accidents: A Historical and Socio-Legal Analysis of Road Safety Challenges

Abstract This article examines the socio-legal aspects of the formation of the concept of a traffic accident, exploring its evolution from the late 19th century to the present day. The rapid growth of motor vehicles and the increasing complexity of road systems have necessitated the development of legal frameworks and safety regulations to address the risks posed by traffic accidents. The study highlights key legal milestones, such as the official introduction of the term “traffic accident” at the 1949 Geneva Conference, and analyzes the role of societal attitudes toward road safety and personal responsibility. It also delves into the cultural factors influencing traffic behavior, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive safety culture that involves drivers, pedestrians, and state regulation. By assessing the socio-legal dynamics, the article provides insights into the challenges of ensuring road safety and reducing the social and economic consequences of traffic accidents.

Daily Life Experiences of Working Women in Existential Threat

The pandemic has profoundly impacted daily life, resources, and gender roles, resulting in significant changes. This study examines how the gender roles of working women transform in the face of existential threats. We investigate their experiences, reactions, and defense mechanisms during the pandemic. The sample consists of 17 women, revealing increased inequalities and responsibilities faced in both domestic and professional settings. Participants expressed uncertainty, anxiety, and fear for their loved ones, sharing experiences with the disease, preventive measures, and psychological and social consequences. Understanding the defense mechanisms used by women will bring short-term individual benefits. This research sheds light on women's experiences during the pandemic, highlighting the urgency of addressing gender disparities in COVID-19.

The Ongwen Judgments

Abstract The Ongwen trial and appeal judgments are an affront to child soldiers everywhere and to international criminal justice. The judgments fail to treat Mr Dominic Ongwen as an individual within his own social context, in which culture and race are significant factors. The Chambers invisibilized the victimization of Mr Ongwen within the cruel and ruthless conditions of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) as a child and young adult. Seeking justice for Mr Ongwen and ensuring he had a fair trial has been a Sisyphean struggle for the defence counsel, who have tried to humanize the lived experience of our client within the courtroom of the Hague. The Chambers acknowledged the brutality and bestiality of the LRA, led by Joseph Kony, yet created an ‘Ongwen Exception’ that dehumanized him as detached from the Court’s previous rulings on the long-term social and psychological effects of being forcibly recruited as a child soldier. In these observations, the Defence discusses Mr Ongwen’s social context, emphasizing the importance of culture and race within it, and the dangers of the Chambers’ rote and narrow interpretation of Article 26 ICC Statute, which underlies Mr Ongwen’s convictions.

The Impact of Socialization on Political Participation in Jordan (1989-2015)

Objectives: The study aimed to show the reality and influence of socialization on political participation from the point view of Political party leaders in Jordan. Methods: The study in order to measuring the level of influence of socialization and find the degree of participation, used the descriptive analytical method to analyze the data collected through a refereed scientific questionnaire targeted the active party leaders and party figures in Jordan, consisting of (297) selected as a random sample Results: The study findings were, a medium degree of approval among party leaders and figures on the reality of socialization, a medium degree of approval on the reality of political participation and the presence of a statistically significant effect of socialization on political participation explains a percentage of (57.6%). And from the variation in political participation indicates that the extent of the clear impact of socialization on the process of political participation in Jordan. Conclusions: The study concluded that there is a need to work to raise the level of political awareness among young people in society, and the political parties must work on formulating and preparing integrated programs with clear goals and vision in order to attract the target group and participation within it in political future work in Jordan. That can be achieved only by moving to actual work, and activating the role of various governmental institutions, agencies and community organizations in spreading awareness of political culture among young people through educational, media, cultural and partisan institutions.

Prioritizing equitable social outcomes with and for diverse readers: A conceptual framework for the development and use of justice-based reading assessment

Scholarship on the science of reading (SoR) has, in some instances, taken up more narrow views of reading in discussions and instantiations of reading assessment that do not center equity and justice, especially in schools. This can lead to less valid and even harmful reading assessment, especially for students from historically marginalized communities with diverse language, cultural, and neurological differences. Here, we draw on critically-minded reading research, as well as on work in equity-oriented educational assessment, to inform a justice-based reading assessment framework that can guide research, theory, policy, and practice. Using an equity-oriented and justice-based lens, the framework outlines three interwoven components: (1) relational and humanizing assessment practices; (2) justice-based products and outcomes; and, (3) a critical construct of reading. The framework compels designers, developers, and users to center the needs of rights-holders, and especially those from historically marginalized communities, throughout the assessment process. To do so, the framework outlines five principles that include orienting to equity and justice; prioritizing humanizing and critical assessment practices; grounding assessment in a complex, dynamic, and critical construct of reading for diverse populations; designing for justice-based social consequences, and engaging in critical debrief throughout. These principles guide eight phases of assessment, which we outline in detail. Finally, we discuss conceptual contributions as well as practical implications.

Disease and Expansion: A Review of Medical, Ecological and Social Consequences of the Columbian Exchange

The exploratory voyage of Christopher Columbus and his arrival in the Bahamas on October 12th, 1492 marked an innovative discovery of the New World. Since then, a series of interactions, including trade, flora, livestock, diseases, technology and ideas, have been extensively exchanged between Europe and the Americas. This massive exchange involved not only economic gains and political domination, but also profound medical, ecological and social impacts: it has transferred viruses and bacteria that carried lethal diseases from Europe to indigenous peoples who lacked immunity. Likewise, the Americas also transmitted fatal diseases through its conquistadors, which eventually resulted in numerous victims in Europe. This paper discusses several notable issues during the Columbian Exchange of diseases, including European medical settlements in the New World, the discovery of new remedies, and main diseases that spread to both the New World and the Old World. Based on the colonial context, this paper will explain the subsequent effects that ultimately changed the world. Overall, it is difficult to imagine how different the world would be without this exchange, in which diseases played an important role in contributing to European prosperity.

Seeing it in others versus doing it yourself: Social desirability judgements and conversation production data from autistic and non-autistic children.

During a conversation, on average, autistic individuals are often more likely than non-autistic people to provide an off-topic comment and/or to pause for longer before providing a response. One possible explanation for this is that autistic individuals prefer, or are more tolerant of, unconventional communication styles. To explore this possibility, we investigated whether autistic and non-autistic 9-13-year-olds find off-topic or delayed responding a deterrent to friendship or interaction. Participants listened to scripted conversations and then rated social desirability statements, such as 'I would enjoy chatting to the [target speaker]'. We also examined the prevalence of these behaviours in children's own conversational responses. We found that autistic children were just as likely as non-autistic children to dis-prefer unconventional conversational responding. Both groups indicated that they were less likely to want to be friends with the speaker, or to chat with them, when they provided off-topic or delayed responses. However, despite their judgements of others, the same autistic children were more likely to provide off-topic responses themselves than their non-autistic peers, as well as giving fewer on-topic responses which facilitate back-and-forth conversation. Overall, this is problematic for autistic children, as our findings suggest that the tendency to exhibit unconventional conversational behaviours will have negative social consequences, even when interacting with other autistic peers.

Zooming Out: Circular Economy Development in the European Union and its Implications on the Economy and Society

The concept of the circular economy has emerged as a response to the challenges posed by resource constraints, waste accumulation, and pollution, threatening both social welfare and business profitability. The circular economy aims for sustainable development, encompassing environmental quality, economic prosperity, and social equity across current and future generations. Despite its recognition as a pivotal solution, there needs to be more comprehensive understanding regarding its development and its economic and social impacts. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to investigate the progress of circular economy sectors in the European Union to get an overview of the circular economy advancements and discuss geographical economic and social effects. The focus is on the indicators of gross value added, private investments, and full-time employment within recycling, repair, and reuse sectors because these sectors provide good proxies for the circular economy activities in the European economy. Results suggest a linear growth of circular economy sectors across the European Union, albeit with variations among member states. The paper discusses the implications of circular economy transition on the economy and society, particularly on the labour market, skill demands, and technology integration, emphasising the need for a critical academic discourse. It questions assumptions about job creation and local employment, especially considering technological advancements that may reduce manual labour in recycling plants. Future research is invited to focus on these macro-level implications and critically reflect on the societal implications of a circular economy transition to shape a more fair and socially inclusive economy.

Electronic screening and brief interventions promoting healthy diet and physical activity among adult patients in medical settings: A systematic review

Background & AimsElectronic screening and brief interventions (eSBIs) are promising health promoting approaches but their utilization towards nutrition outcomes has been little documented so far. The aim of this systematic review is to examine the nature and findings of eSBIs targeting diet and/or physical activity (PA) among adult patients in healthcare settings since smartphone technologies emerged. MethodsThree systematic searches in PubMed, ScienceDirect and PsycINFO were conducted from January 2010 to May 2023. We include all studies assessing eSBI towards lifestyle habits (dietary habits and/or PA at least), implemented in healthcare settings and targeting adult participants. ResultsOf 1981 articles identified, 15 studies met inclusion criteria. Most of them documented eSBIs implemented in primary care (n=11), targeting PA (n=11) and diet (n=9) alone or combined (n=5). Some eSBIs targeted additional behaviors (e.g. smoking, drinking). Delivery modes included computer (n=8), printed documents (n=8) or phone (n=2) but only four eSBIs were interactive (or partially automated). In addition to personalized feedback, most common behavior change techniques were “information about social and environmental consequences” (n=9), “goal setting” (n=7), and “information about health consequences” (n=7). Most studies assessing behavior change had a control group (8 in 10), and eight studies found positive changes in behavior. ConclusionsAlthough implementing eSBIs towards PA/diet among adult patients in medical settings seems promising for primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, common conceptual framework, intervention and outcomes are severely lacking, and the extent to which they follow existing SBI guidelines remains unclear. Demonstrating their effectiveness requires fixing these issues before conducting prospective assessment studies in medical settings.

An Overview on Antifilarial Efficacy of Heterocyclic Motifs Encompassing Synthetic Strategies, SAR, and Commercialized Medications.

Filariasis is one of the oldest, most dangerous, debilitating, disfiguring diseases and often ignores tropical disorders. It presents with a range of clinical symptoms, a low death rate, and a high morbidity rate, which contributes to social discrimination. This condition has major effects on people's socioeconomic circumstances. This illness is carried by mosquitoes that have spread malaria. Lymphatic filariasis, caused by Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori, is a crippling illness with serious social and economic consequences. The infection persisted despite therapy with conventional antifilarial medications such as diethylcarbamazine (DEC), albendazole, and ivermectin, which are mostly microfilaricides. Current treatments (ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine, and albendazole) have limited effectiveness against adult parasites and produce side effects; therefore, innovative antifilarial medications are urgently required. Hence, macrofilaricides, embryostatic agents, and improved microfilaricides are required. The following article discusses the typical synthetic methodologies established for antifilarial activity as well as their marketed pharmaceuticals, which will help researchers, medicinal chemists, and pharmaceutical scientists to develop new and effective antifilarial therapies. This review can help to identify new lead compounds and optimize existing commercial medications to improve their therapeutic efficacy. The majority of the studies addressed in this review concern the forms of filariasis, parasite life cycle, symptoms, medications used to treat filariasis, synthetic schemes, SAR, and results from the reported research.

The Effects of Phishing Attacks on Mobile Phone Users in Tanzania: A Case of Kariakoo Market, Dar es Salaam

This study aimed at understanding phishing attacks targeting mobile phone users in Tanzania, focusing on the investigation of effects of these attacks on the mobile phone users. The study used technology threat avoidance theory as its theoretical framework. Respondents were selected using a purposive stratified sampling method to ensure diverse representation across various demographics and business sectors. A descriptive research design was employed and traders in Kariakoo market, Dar es Salaam were the target population. A sample size of 394 respondents was chosen and data obtained through structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS, while qualitative data were examined with Deedose. The study revealed social, economic, and psychological effects of phishing attacks to mobile phone users in Tanzania. Socially, there was a noticeable decline in trust toward digital communications, leading to altered online behaviors and interactions. Economically, the effects included substantial financial losses and disruptions to business operations, impacting both individuals and organizations. Psychologically, the study found that victims experienced emotional distress, anxiety, and a heightened sense of vulnerability, prompting an increased awareness and caution regarding cyber security practices. The study concluded that phishing attacks posed significant social, economic, and psychological challenges for mobile phone users in Tanzania, with effects varying across different demographic groups. It also revealed that users' age, gender, education, and business sector influenced their susceptibility to phishing attacks, leading to diverse experiences and vulnerabilities within the population. The study recommends implementation of targeted awareness campaigns through popular communication channels, such as social media ads and television, to maximize reach and engagement, especially among younger users who are frequently online.

A meta-analysis of corporate social responsibility effects: The role of stakeholder type and country factors

A meta-analysis of corporate social responsibility effects: The role of stakeholder type and country factors

НАПРАВЛЕНИЯ ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ ЭФФЕКТИВНОЙ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ СЕМЕЙНЫХ ФОРМ АГРАРНОГО ПРОИЗВОДСТВА

In modern conditions, the issues of ensuring the effective functioning of small forms of economic activity are of great importance for the effective functioning of rural areas in social and economic and administrative aspects. In this regard, there is a need to substantiate effective models of economic activity for family forms of agricultural production. These issues are especially relevant for new regions of the Russian Federation. In the course of the study, it was established that peasant farms of Zaporozhye region, included in the cooperative, are differentiated by commodity. Representatives of the commodity group are the least numerous, but they use more than 50% of the total area of agricultural land. In order to improve the efficiency of using the resource potential, increase the number of commodity-type farms and improve the level of well-being of their members, it was proposed to optimize the structure of land use. The proposed land use structure is as follows: cherries - 48%, apricots - 15%, other fruits - 7%, potatoes - 21%, tomatoes - 5%, other crops - 4% of the total volume of agricultural land. Practical implementation of the proposed recommendations will reduce labor costs by 32.7%, but at the same time financial costs increase by 71.4%. Reducing the labor intensity of agricultural production increases the attractiveness of this model for family forms of farming. According to the research results, an increase in the conditional level of profitability by 269 points, as well as the level of family income by 16.2% is noted, which proves the social effect of the implementation of this project for residents of rural areas. A scientifically substantiated model of mutually beneficial cooperation of family forms of agricultural production is an incentive for their participation in the activities of cooperative integration entities.

The Financial Inclusion Question in Zimbabwe’s Post-COVID -19, New Normal: Implications for Adoption of Financial Technology (FinTech) on Service Providers

Financial inclusion will be accelerated by the technological opportunities for online financial transactions brought forth by the COVID-19 outbreak. As a result, because there were fewer digital financial transactions, the threats to COVID-19 that were present previously are now more substantial. The aim of this article is to assess the dangers, challenges, and opportunities for financial inclusion brought forth by the use of technology by COVID-19. According to the article, the inherent characteristics of financial technology (FinTech) in connection to financial inclusion allow it to reduce the negative economic and social effects of the ongoing COVID-19 situation. Under COVID-19, the introduction of digital financial transactions has sped up corporate operations and cut expense on doing business. As a result, women now have greater access to transactions involving financial technology (FinTech). The growth of digital financial transactions has made contactless and cashless purchases possible throughout the COVID-19 crisis. The expansion of digital financial inclusion makes it easier to swiftly and effectively implement public assistance programs, such as those for epidemic-affected women. Financial inclusion is being boosted by digital finance, which may eventually replace or improve traditional banking institutions. Working from home has undergone a "revolution" in a number of industries during COVID-19, including banking. Businesses should identify the optimal operating model mix for the future and make sure they have the infrastructure to support widespread, mass flexible working. This calls for reevaluating the function and application of corporate real estate. Since the labor force is likely to become more automated at the same time, resilience is essential. Conceptual Framework of this study is based on the financial inclusion and FinTech concepts which are the main variables guiding the study and it is underpinned by the theories of diffusion of innovation and the Financial Intermediation.

Does enterprise digital transformation contribute to green innovation? Micro-level evidence from China

The synergy of digitalization and greening has emerged as a prominent means to achieve the goal of “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality”. Given its significant contribution to carbon emissions, the impact of digital transformation on green innovation in manufacturing enterprises remains a longstanding research hotspot. Therefore, based on the data from China A-share listed manufacturing companies spanning from 2007 to 2022, this paper empirically analyzes the influence and mechanism of digital transformation on green innovation. Our findings reveal that digital transformation can significantly promote green innovation in manufacturing enterprises, with a particularly pronounced effect on substantive green innovation. These conclusions withstand rigorous robustness tests. Mechanism analysis shows that digital transformation can facilitate green innovation by improving internal control quality and fostering industry-university-research cooperation. Moreover, our moderation analysis reveals that both equity incentives and compensation incentives strengthen the positive relationship between digital transformation and green innovation in manufacturing enterprises. Heterogeneity analysis proves that digital transformation exerts a more pronounced impact on green innovation of state-owned manufacturing enterprises, non-heavily polluted manufacturing enterprises, and enterprises located in regions with strong intellectual property protection. Furthermore, the transformation of digital underlying technologies is more conducive to fostering green innovation compared to practical application transformation. Subsequent investigation into the economic and social effects of green innovation indicates that it effectively reduces pollution emissions from manufacturing enterprises without compromising their development. Additionally, the emission reduction and income-generating effect resulting from digital transformation primarily manifest through substantive green innovation. This research expands upon the theory regarding the impact of digital transformation on green innovation in micro-manufacturing enterprises, providing empirical support for facilitating low-carbon transformations among manufacturing enterprises under the goal of “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality”.

Exploring Family Financial Socialisation Activities in Malaysia

Parents play a pivotal role as the first financial educators for children through family financial socialisation. The positive effects of family financial socialisation on young adults’ financial capabilities are well established in many studies. Given the importance of family financial socialisation, less is known about the factors that shape and determine the ways and the extent family financial socialisation is carried out in various families. The main purpose of this article is to explore the association of various factors such as parents’ characteristics, family demographics, and parents’ financial experience on the types and extent of family financial socialisation activities that take place in Malaysian families. Financial experiential learning, financial discussion, and demonstration of financial activities are the three-family financial socialisation activities explored in this study. Using a sample study from Pulau Pinang, it is found that parents’ socioeconomic status, age, family demographics, parents’ financial sophistication and parents’ financialmarital strain have significant associations and effects on types of family financial socialisation activities that take place in Malaysian homes.

Early developmental insights into the social construction of race.

The way that societies assign people to racial categories has far-reaching social, economic, and political consequences. One framework for establishing racial boundaries is based on ancestry, which historically has been leveraged to create rigid racial categories, particularly with respect to being categorized as white. A second framework is based on skin tone, which can vary within families and across the lifespan, and is thus more likely to blur racial boundaries. The persistence of these distinct cultural beliefs about race requires that they be transmitted to each new generation, but there have been few cross-cultural studies on their development during childhood. Participants (5- to 12-year-old children, N = 123) were from the United States, in which the ancestry model has been more prevalent, or from Brazil, in which the skin tone model has been more prevalent. In both countries, 5- to 7-year-olds endorsed the belief that skin tone determines race, for example, by assigning biological siblings with differing skin tones to different racial categories. However, racial concepts diverged among the 10- to 12-year-olds, with children from the United States shifting toward a classification based on ancestry and children in Brazil endorsing a classification based on skin tone even more strongly with age. These differing conceptions were especially evident with reference to white racial categorization: Older children from Brazil persisted in classifying lighter skinned people as white when they had African ancestry, unlike older children from the United States. These findings provide important insights into the developmental and cultural influences on racial classification systems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Intention to adherence to social distancing for prevention of Covid-19 in the urban areas of southern Iran: a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis of theory of planned behavior

BackgroundSocial distancing is a key behavior to minimize and controlling COVID-19 infections. The current study applied an integrated Theory of Planned Behavior to identify the determinants of social distancing behavior, and the processes involved, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.Methodsa cross-sectional study was conducted in Southern Iran among 1000 people from Shiraz by employing a convenience sampling technique. Data were collected using a pre-tested and structured questionnaire based on the main constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior. Statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS software version 22 and Amos version 24. Level of statistical significance was declared at a P-value of less than 0.05.Resultsaccording to the results, the subjective norms (F = 2.696, effect size = 0.139) and attitude (F = 3.582, effect size = 0.155) play an important role in the samples’ PBC (P ≤ 0.05). Final adjusted structural equation model of the effects of independent variables (Gender, subjective norms, attitude) on samples’ intention to adherence social distancing for prevention of Covid-19 with the mediating role of one main variable of PBC. The PBC alone can be an important factor in creating intensive behavior in the samples (F = 3.560, effect size = 0.18).Conclusioncurrent findings highlight the importance of “attitude, subjective norms and PBC” as determinants of social distancing intention. Future research on long-range predictors of social distancing behavior and reciprocal effects in the integrated model is warranted. This evidence is relevant to public and private organizations in the process of developing strategies to promote and engage the population in adopting the behavior of “Adherence to Social Distancing” in Iran.

Profiles Based on Support Relationships and the Role of Resources in Compliance to Precautions: Lessons from the COVID-19 Crisis

Despite the crucial role that social support relationships play in coping with crises, there is limited knowledge on how social capital-based resources function in compliance with measures during the COVID-19 crisis, given the complex effects created by the conditions of the support relationship. Synthesizing the capital perspective with the protection motivation approach, this study addresses the negative and positive capital effects in the capital-preventive behavior relationship by examining the role of individual and social resource-based factors in the adaptation of profiles based on support relationships. Results revealed five profiles based on social support relationship conditions. In particular, low compliance commitment was seen in the family-intensive profile, where the support relationship was reciprocal and characterized by strong family ties, similar to the profile without a support relationship. The fact that factors based on social resources are common risk factors in profiles with support relationships with more groups implies that these groups may be more open to social capital effects. The results emphasize that factors related to individual or social resources should be taken into account according to capital potential in the management of crises that require collective action.