Numbers Ain't Neutral:A QuantCrit Analysis of the Relationship Among Stereotype Threat, Threat Mitigation, and Identity Safety

Purpose Stereotype threat (fear of fulfilling negative stereotypes about one's group) hinders performance through mechanisms such as overwhelming working memory and forcing conscious attention to normally automated cognitive or physical processes. Efforts to combat stereotype threat may include threat mitigation (reactive responses to identity threats) and identity safety (proactively empowering individuals to be their authentic selves). The authors assessed the relationship among stereotype threat, threat mitigation, identity safety, and participant demographics. Method In this cross-sectional study, all U.S. nephrology fellows were invited to complete a survey after the 2024 national in-training examination. The study was anchored in QuantCrit, a research paradigm that applies critical race theory to quantitative methods, and included 8 items using a 5-point Likert scale. The authors performed confirmatory factor analysis to explore statistical validity for the proposed model. Exploring stereotype threat as the dependent variable, the authors compared non-QuantCrit with QuantCrit analysis. Results Overall, 646 of 962 fellows responded (66.9% response rate). With confirmatory factor analysis, a 3-factor model achieved best fit. Participants endorsed low stereotype threat (mean [SD], 1.47 [0.87]), moderate threat mitigation (mean [SD], 3.02 [1.25]), and high identity safety (mean [SD], 4.34 [0.81]). In non-QuantCrit and QuantCrit regressions, threat mitigation was positively associated with stereotype threat, whereas identity safety was inversely associated with stereotype threat. Non-QuantCrit analysis showed no identity-based differences in stereotype threat. QuantCrit analysis with disaggregated identity categories showed that Southeast Asian and Black fellows and international medical graduates (IMGs) from Asia and the Middle East had higher stereotype threat. Asian and Black fellows who were IMGs had less stereotype threat than their racial counterparts from U.S. allopathic schools. Conclusions Fellows who experienced more identity safety reported less stereotype threat, whereas fellows who experienced more threat mitigation reported more stereotype threat. QuantCrit analysis demonstrated intergroup differences not apparent in non-QuantCrit analysis

Facts Over Partisanship:Evidence-Based Updating of Trust in Partisan Sources

A prominent explanation for the proliferation of political misinformation and the growing belief polarization is that people engage in motivated reasoning to affirm their ideology and to protect their political identities. An alternative explanation is that people seek the truth but use partisanship as a heuristic to discern credible from dubious sources of political information. In three experiments, we test these competing explanations in a dynamic setting where participants are repeatedly exposed to messages from ingroup or outgroup partisan sources and can learn which source is reliable based on external feedback. Participants initially showed a partisan bias as they incorporated information from ingroup sources more than from outgroup sources. This pattern was stronger among partisans that displayed high affective polarization. With experience, this partisan bias declined or even changed direction, as supporters of both groups gradually incorporated information from reliable sources more than unreliable sources irrespective of the source's partisanship. Importantly, the content of the shared information (i.e., neutral vs. political), the presence of partisan sources as opposed to neutral sources and the presence of external monetary accuracy incentives did not affect the learning process indicating the presence of strong internal accuracy motives. In contrast, increased uncertainty regarding source reliability undermined the learning process. These findings demonstrate that partisans follow Bayesian learning dynamics. Although participants initially display a partisan bias in the incorporation of information, they overcome this bias in the presence of external feedback and learn to trust credible sources irrespective of partisanship

Achter gesloten deuren:Over de vergoedbaarheid van gemist voordeel bij een niet-aangevangen exploitatie

In de planschade- en nadeelcompensatiepraktijk rijst regelmatig de vraag of gemist voordeel uit een op de peildatum nog niet-aangevangen exploitatie – zogenaamde fictieve exploitatieschade – voor vergoeding in aanmerking komt. De bestuursrechter hanteert als hoofdregel dat dit niet wordt vergoed, maar erkent inmiddels enkele uitzonderingen. Dit artikel brengt het juridisch kader omtrent fictieve exploitatieschade in kaart

To teach or not to teach? Preferences for working conditions and the alternative career opportunities of pre-service teachers

In response to the critical shortage of teachers, this study examines the determinants of pre-service teachers' career preferences. We answer the call for more theoretical diversity by employing expected utility theory to identify gaps in earlier literature. Subsequently, we design discrete choice experiments to rigorously quantify Flemish pre-service teachers' preferences and measure beliefs concerning various working conditions in the teaching field compared to alternative careers. Our findings reveal that salary, workload and career opportunities are at least as important to the average pre-service teachers as being able to work with children. Additionally, the best-performing pre-service teachers particularly value career advancement opportunities and curricular autonomy. Accountability policies that reduce teachers' curricular autonomy could therefore harm educational quality by reducing the supply of high-quality teachers. Finally, pre-service teachers' perceptions of working conditions as a teacher are highly heterogeneous, and this heterogeneity plays a decisive role in their career preferences

Weighing Parenthood Wishes:A Conjoint Analysis of Criteria to Prioritize Infertile Couples for Publicly Funded Fertility Treatment

Background: Parenthood is a key life goal for many, but infertility affects about 1 in 6 globally. While fertility treatments offer solutions, their high costs limit access. Many health systems provide public funding, yet budget constraints prevent fully funded access, often leaving patients with significant out-of-pocket costs. Policy makers face the challenge of prioritizing individuals for publicly funded treatments, but how to do this remains unclear and underresearched. Worldwide, funding policies vary widely, often adopting controversial access criteria. Methods: We investigated Belgian population preferences for prioritizing in vitro fertilization (IVF) funding through a discrete-choice experiment with a representative sample of 3,000 Belgians. Attributes included maternal and partner age, infertility cause, civil status, prior biological children, and treatment cost. Using a Bayesian D-optimal design and panel mixed logit model, we assessed criteria relevance. The resulting multiattribute utility function created a priority ranking of couples, which we compared to the ranking under the current Belgian policy, which focuses only on maternal age (&amp;lt;43 y). Results: Analysis of 29,670 prioritization choices identified maternal age, infertility cause, and prior biological children as key criteria. Maternal age of 35 y was prioritized highest, age 25 y as high as 40 y, followed by declining priority until 55 y. Biomedical malfunctions were prioritized over same-sex relationships or unhealthy lifestyles, with the latter prioritized lowest. Having no prior biological children was prioritized categorically higher than having 1, 2, or 3 children, all prioritized equally. Preferences were homogeneous across sociodemographic groups. Conclusions: How to set IVF funding priorities remains a matter of debate. Our study shows that the Belgian population considers multiple criteria beyond maternal age to prioritize couples, calling for further discussion on ethical justifiability and access implications. Highlights: Parenthood is a key life goal to many, but about 1 in 6 are affected by infertility. However, in most countries, public funding for fertility treatment is not provided to everyone who could benefit, and hard choices are inevitable. This study used a discrete-choice experiment in a representative sample of the Belgian population to investigate which criteria should be used for prioritization. Results indicated that maternal age, cause of infertility, and the number of prior biological children were the most significant factors in determining public support for IVF funding. Partner age, civil status of the couple, and cost of IVF treatment were not important. People use multiple criteria to set IVF funding priorities, beyond maternal age (the only criterion used in the current Belgian funding policy). Future research should explore the ethical justifiability and practical implications of using cause of infertility and number of prior children as additional criteria.</p

Heart failure and left ventricular ejection fraction:a necessary but imperfect partnership

The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is the most commonly used index to assess left ventricular systolic function and guide management in patients with heart failure (HF). This is largely due to the widespread availability of echocardiography, its practicality, rapid scan time, ease of measuring left ventricular (LV) volumes, and its extensive application in both clinical practice and research. Accordingly, a recent joint clinical consensus statement from the Heart Failure Association (HFA) and the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) recommends that LVEF be evaluated longitudinally to assess disease trajectory, natural history, and response to treatment in patients with heart failure (6). However, there is little, if any, evidence that serial LVEF assessment improves risk stratification or guides management in HF. Notably, LVEF may not accurately reflect overall cardiac function. While it is commonly used as a measure of systolic function, LVEF does not fully capture the status of the heart. Other parameters-such as diastolic function, ventricular size, valvular function, and right ventricular function-also play important roles in determining patient risk. This paper proposes an alternative strategy, shifting from serial LVEF evaluation to a more comprehensive approach that includes assessment of congestion, right ventricular function, and structural myocardial damage to provide more robust diagnostic and prognostic information

To teach or not to teach? Preferences for working conditions and the alternative career opportunities of pre-service teachers

In response to the critical shortage of teachers, this study examines the determinants of pre-service teachers' career preferences. We answer the call for more theoretical diversity by employing expected utility theory to identify gaps in earlier literature. Subsequently, we design discrete choice experiments to rigorously quantify Flemish pre-service teachers' preferences and measure beliefs concerning various working conditions in the teaching field compared to alternative careers. Our findings reveal that salary, workload and career opportunities are at least as important to the average pre-service teachers as being able to work with children. Additionally, the best-performing pre-service teachers particularly value career advancement opportunities and curricular autonomy. Accountability policies that reduce teachers' curricular autonomy could therefore harm educational quality by reducing the supply of high-quality teachers. Finally, pre-service teachers' perceptions of working conditions as a teacher are highly heterogeneous, and this heterogeneity plays a decisive role in their career preferences

Investigating shared cognitive traits of autism spectrum disorder and picky eating

Objective: Picky eating is common among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and can lead to nutritional deficiencies with negative health consequences. Because ASD traits and picky eating often co-occur, it remains unclear whether similar cognitive mechanisms underlie picky eating in typically developing children. This study examined whether cognitive traits associated with ASD are also linked to picky eating in typically developing children. It was hypothesized that higher levels of picky eating would be associated with lower cognitive flexibility, less developed theory of mind (ToM), a local processing bias, and higher parent-reported ASD traits. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 198 children aged 4-6. The children completed three tasks to measure cognitive flexibility (Dimensional Change Card Sort), ToM, and global-local processing preferences. Receptive vocabulary was measured to control for general cognitive ability. Parents completed the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ-10) and Child Food Rejection Scale (CFRS) to assess ASD traits and picky eating, respectively. Results: Contrary to expectations, no significant relationship was found between picky eating and the cognitive traits studied. However, a small negative correlation was found between ToM and the picky eating subscale, suggesting that higher picky eating levels may be related to lower ToM abilities. Conclusion: These findings suggest that in typically developing children, ASD-related traits are probably not strongly associated with picky eating, with the exception of ToM. Future research is needed to examine if social factors appear to play a more crucial role in picky eating