1,113 research outputs found

    A synthesis of evidence for policy from behavioural science during COVID-19

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    Scientific evidence regularly guides policy decisions 1, with behavioural science increasingly part of this process 2. In April 2020, an influential paper 3 proposed 19 policy recommendations (‘claims’) detailing how evidence from behavioural science could contribute to efforts to reduce impacts and end the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we assess 747 pandemic-related research articles that empirically investigated those claims. We report the scale of evidence and whether evidence supports them to indicate applicability for policymaking. Two independent teams, involving 72 reviewers, found evidence for 18 of 19 claims, with both teams finding evidence supporting 16 (89%) of those 18 claims. The strongest evidence supported claims that anticipated culture, polarization and misinformation would be associated with policy effectiveness. Claims suggesting trusted leaders and positive social norms increased adherence to behavioural interventions also had strong empirical support, as did appealing to social consensus or bipartisan agreement. Targeted language in messaging yielded mixed effects and there were no effects for highlighting individual benefits or protecting others. No available evidence existed to assess any distinct differences in effects between using the terms ‘physical distancing’ and ‘social distancing’. Analysis of 463 papers containing data showed generally large samples; 418 involved human participants with a mean of 16,848 (median of 1,699). That statistical power underscored improved suitability of behavioural science research for informing policy decisions. Furthermore, by implementing a standardized approach to evidence selection and synthesis, we amplify broader implications for advancing scientific evidence in policy formulation and prioritization

    A synthesis of evidence for policy from behavioural science during COVID-19

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    DATA AVAILABILITY : All data and study material are provided either in the Supplementary information or through the two online repositories (OSF and Tableau Public, both accessible via https://psyarxiv.com/58udn). No code was used for analyses in this work.Scientific evidence regularly guides policy decisions, with behavioural science increasingly part of this process. In April 2020, an influential paper proposed 19 policy recommendations (‘claims’) detailing how evidence from behavioural science could contribute to efforts to reduce impacts and end the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we assess 747 pandemic-related research articles that empirically investigated those claims. We report the scale of evidence and whether evidence supports them to indicate applicability for policymaking. Two independent teams, involving 72 reviewers, found evidence for 18 of 19 claims, with both teams finding evidence supporting 16 (89%) of those 18 claims. The strongest evidence supported claims that anticipated culture, polarization and misinformation would be associated with policy effectiveness. Claims suggesting trusted leaders and positive social norms increased adherence to behavioural interventions also had strong empirical support, as did appealing to social consensus or bipartisan agreement. Targeted language in messaging yielded mixed effects and there were no effects for highlighting individual benefits or protecting others. No available evidence existed to assess any distinct differences in effects between using the terms ‘physical distancing’ and ‘social distancing’. Analysis of 463 papers containing data showed generally large samples; 418 involved human participants with a mean of 16,848 (median of 1,699). That statistical power underscored improved suitability of behavioural science research for informing policy decisions. Furthermore, by implementing a standardized approach to evidence selection and synthesis, we amplify broader implications for advancing scientific evidence in policy formulation and prioritization.The National Science Foundation; Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Brazilian Federal Agency for the Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education); Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Brazilian Federal Agency for the Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education); the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation | Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development); National Science Foundation grants; the European Research Council; the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.http://www.nature.com/naturehj2024Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)Non

    An examination of the verbal behaviour of intergroup discrimination

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    This thesis examined relationships between psychological flexibility, psychological inflexibility, prejudicial attitudes, and dehumanization across three cross-sectional studies with an additional proposed experimental study. Psychological flexibility refers to mindful attention to the present moment, willing acceptance of private experiences, and engaging in behaviours congruent with one’s freely chosen values. Inflexibility, on the other hand, indicates a tendency to suppress unwanted thoughts and emotions, entanglement with one’s thoughts, and rigid behavioural patterns. Study 1 found limited correlations between inflexibility and sexism, racism, homonegativity, and dehumanization. Study 2 demonstrated more consistent positive associations between inflexibility and prejudice. And Study 3 controlled for right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation, finding inflexibility predicted hostile sexism and racism beyond these factors. While showing some relationships, particularly with sexism and racism, psychological inflexibility did not consistently correlate with varied prejudices across studies. The proposed randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention to reduce sexism through enhanced psychological flexibility. Overall, findings provide mixed support for the utility of flexibility-based skills in addressing complex societal prejudices. Research should continue examining flexibility integrated with socio-cultural approaches to promote equity

    Conversations on Empathy

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    In the aftermath of a global pandemic, amidst new and ongoing wars, genocide, inequality, and staggering ecological collapse, some in the public and political arena have argued that we are in desperate need of greater empathy — be this with our neighbours, refugees, war victims, the vulnerable or disappearing animal and plant species. This interdisciplinary volume asks the crucial questions: How does a better understanding of empathy contribute, if at all, to our understanding of others? How is it implicated in the ways we perceive, understand and constitute others as subjects? Conversations on Empathy examines how empathy might be enacted and experienced either as a way to highlight forms of otherness or, instead, to overcome what might otherwise appear to be irreducible differences. It explores the ways in which empathy enables us to understand, imagine and create sameness and otherness in our everyday intersubjective encounters focusing on a varied range of "radical others" – others who are perceived as being dramatically different from oneself. With a focus on the importance of empathy to understand difference, the book contends that the role of empathy is critical, now more than ever, for thinking about local and global challenges of interconnectedness, care and justice

    Talking about personal recovery in bipolar disorder: Integrating health research, natural language processing, and corpus linguistics to analyse peer online support forum posts

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    Background: Personal recovery, ‘living a satisfying, hopeful and contributing lifeeven with the limitations caused by the illness’ (Anthony, 1993) is of particular value in bipolar disorder where symptoms often persist despite treatment. So far, personal recovery has only been studied in researcher-constructed environments (interviews, focus groups). Support forum posts can serve as a complementary naturalistic data source. Objective: The overarching aim of this thesis was to study personal recovery experiences that people living with bipolar disorder have shared in online support forums through integrating health research, NLP, and corpus linguistics in a mixed methods approach within a pragmatic research paradigm, while considering ethical issues and involving people with lived experience. Methods: This mixed-methods study analysed: 1) previous qualitative evidence on personal recovery in bipolar disorder from interviews and focus groups 2) who self-reports a bipolar disorder diagnosis on the online discussion platform Reddit 3) the relationship of mood and posting in mental health-specific Reddit forums (subreddits) 4) discussions of personal recovery in bipolar disorder subreddits. Results: A systematic review of qualitative evidence resulted in the first framework for personal recovery in bipolar disorder, POETIC (Purpose & meaning, Optimism & hope, Empowerment, Tensions, Identity, Connectedness). Mainly young or middle-aged US-based adults self-report a bipolar disorder diagnosis on Reddit. Of these, those experiencing more intense emotions appear to be more likely to post in mental health support subreddits. Their personal recovery-related discussions in bipolar disorder subreddits primarily focussed on three domains: Purpose & meaning (particularly reproductive decisions, work), Connectedness (romantic relationships, social support), Empowerment (self-management, personal responsibility). Support forum data highlighted personal recovery issues that exclusively or more frequently came up online compared to previous evidence from interviews and focus groups. Conclusion: This project is the first to analyse non-reactive data on personal recovery in bipolar disorder. Indicating the key areas that people focus on in personal recovery when posting freely and the language they use provides a helpful starting point for formal and informal carers to understand the concerns of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder and to consider how best to offer support

    Understanding The Role of a Regional Magnet School in Creative Identity Development of Ethnically and Culturally Diverse Adolescents: A Case Study

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    The purpose of this dissertation exploratory case study was to examine the creativity-supportive practices at an innovative regional magnet school shaping Ethnically & Culturally Diverse (ECD) students’ creative identity development as perceived by different stakeholders including ECD students enrolled in the first three cohorts, teachers, and school administrators of RichTech Regional Magnet High School [RRMHS] (pseudonym). This single qualitative case study employed a small component of a quantitative survey, the results of which guided in part the design of interview protocols and sampling procedures for recruiting qualitative participants. Using a pragmatic research lens, I obtained and analyzed the diverse qualitative data including interviews with ECD students, teachers, and school administrators, open-ended qualitative survey responses, my field notes, and reflective memos. The findings of this dissertation study demonstrated that the creative identity development of ECD students can be supported in the context of an innovative regional magnet high school in three ways: (a) through facilitation of creative learning opportunities encompassing open-endedness and flexibility, non-linear synergy, student-centered future orientation as well as productive interactions of diverse perspectives; (b) through augmenting unique strengths of an innovative regional magnet school entailing limited size of student enrollment, intentional design of integrated diverse learning environment, as well as formulation of an innovative curricular and pedagogical model; and (c) through the promotion of teacher autonomy, the sustainable rapport between teachers and school administrators, development of sound beliefs by teachers and school administrators about student creativity as well as through leveraging teachers’ prior practical experiences of teaching ECD adolescent students. These key findings, recommendations, and implications for practice and future research are discussed in light of the limitations of the present study. With the limited research on the role of unique learning environments such as an innovative magnet school in promoting ECD adolescents\u27 creativity, this study is a small first attempt to better understand the magnet school-based salient opportunities for and experiences of ECD students’ creative identity development

    A Process Model for Continuous Public Service Improvement: Demonstrated in Local Government Context for Smart Cities.

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    The new era of the smart city is accompanied by Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and many other technologies to improve the quality of life for the citizen of the modern city, that in turn, has brought immense opportunities as well as challenges for government and organizations. Local authorities of the cities provide multiple services across different domains to the citizens (e.g. transport, health, environment, housing, etc.). Citizens are involved during different stages of smart city services and provide their feedback across those domains. Existing smart city initiatives provide various technological platforms for gathering citizens’ feedback to provide improved quality of services to them. Even though technological developments have resulted in a higher degree of digitalization, there is a need for improvement in the services provided by municipalities. There are multiple engagement platforms to obtain citizens’ feedback for the improvement of smart city services and to transform public services. However, limited studies consider the challenges faced by practitioners at the local level during the incorporation of those feedback for further service improvement. As a result, city services fail to fulfil the need of citizens and do not meet the goals set by existing engagement platforms. Technology-oriented solutions in the public sector domain require a logical and structured approach for the transformation of public services and digitalization. Enterprise Architecture (EA) can provide this structured approach to transform public services by providing a medium to manage change, and to respond to the need of multiple stakeholders including citizens. Thus, this research proposes a process model based on the guidelines of EA and the collaboration with practitioners that would assist local authorities to provide improved services to the citizens and fulfil their needs

    Comparing the Performance of Initial Coin Offerings to Crowdfunded Equity Ventures

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    Uncertainty in markets increases the likelihood of market failure due to volatility and suboptimal functioning. While initial coin offerings (ICOs) and crowdfunded equity (CFE) offerings may improve functioning in growing markets, there is a lack of knowledge and understanding pertaining to the relative efficiency and behavior of ICO markets compared to CFE markets, potentially perpetuating and thwarting the various communities they are intended to serve. The purpose of this correlational study was to compare a group of ICOs with a group of CFE offerings to identify predictive factors of funding outcomes related to both capital offering types. Efficient market hypothesis was the study’s theoretical foundation, and analysis of variance was used to answer the research question, which examined whether capital offering type predicted the amount of funds raised while controlling for access to the offering companies’ secondary control factors: historical financial data, pro forma financial projections, detailed product descriptions, video of product demonstrations, company website, company history, company leadership, and company investors. Relying on a random sample of 115 campaigns (84 ICOs and 31 CFE) from websites ICOdrops.com, localstake.com, fundable.com, and mainvest.com, results showed differences in mean funds raised between CFEs and ICOs (346,075comparedto346,075 compared to 4,756,464, respectively). ANOVA results showed no single secondary control factors and only one two-factor interaction (company leadership and company investors) influenced mean funds raised. This study may contribute to positive social change by informing best practices among market participants including entrepreneurs, regulators, scholars, and investors

    An empirical evaluation of m-health service users’ behaviours: A case of Bangladesh

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    A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.Mobile health (m-health) services are revolutionising healthcare in the developing world by improving accessibility, affordability, and availability. Although these services are revolutionising healthcare in various ways, there are growing concerns regarding users' service quality perceptions and overall influence on satisfaction and usage behaviours. In developing countries, access to healthcare and low healthcare costs are insufficient if users lack confidence in healthcare service quality. Bangladesh's Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) provides the only government-sponsored m-health service available to the entire population. DGHS's m-health service, available since 2009, is yet to be evaluated in terms of users' perceptions of the quality of service and its impact on satisfaction and usage. Hence, this study developed a conceptual model for evaluating the associations between overall DGHS m-health service quality, satisfaction, and usage behaviours. This study operationalised overall m-health service quality as a higher-order construct with three dimensions- platform quality, information quality, and outcome quality, and nine corresponding subdimensions-privacy, systems availability, systems reliability, systems efficiency, responsiveness, empathy, assurance, emotional benefit, and functional benefit. Moreover, researchers in various service domains, including- healthcare, marketing, environmental protection, and information systems, evaluated and confirmed the influence of social and personal norms on satisfaction and behavioural outcomes like- intention to use. Despite this, no research has been conducted to determine whether these normative components affect m-health users' service satisfaction and usage behaviours. As a result, this study included social and personal norms along with overall service quality into the conceptual model to assess the influence of these variables on users' satisfaction and m-health service usage behaviours. Data was collected from two districts in Bangladesh- Dhaka and Rajshahi, utilising the online survey approach. A total of 417 usable questionnaires were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling to investigate the relationships between the constructs in Warp PLS. The study confirms that all three dimensions of service quality and their corresponding subdimensions influence users' overall perceptions of DGHS m-health service quality. Moreover, overall DGHS m-health service quality has a significant direct association with satisfaction and an indirect association with usage behaviours through satisfaction. While social norms do not influence satisfaction and usage behaviours within the DGHS m-health context, personal norms directly influence users' satisfaction and indirectly influence usage behaviours through satisfaction. Theoretically, the study contributes by framing the influence of users' overall m-health service quality perceptions, social and personal norms on their actual usage behaviours rather than the intention to use. It also extends the existing knowledge by assessing and comparing m-health users' continuous and discontinuous behaviours. Methodologically this study confirms the usefulness of partial least squares structural equational modelling to analyse a complex model including a higher order construct (i.e., overall perceived service quality). Practically, the study demonstrates the importance of users' satisfaction in addition to service quality, as service quality only affects usage behaviours through satisfaction in the current study context. Additionally, knowing that personal norms significantly influence service satisfaction motivates providers of m-health services to strive to enhance users' personal norms toward m-health service to enhance service satisfaction and usage. Overall, the study will help enhance patient outcomes and m-health service usage

    The Influence of the Structural Pillars of Digital Academic Entrepreneurship on University Students’ Entrepreneurial Intention

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    In the dynamic, complex and emerging environment which characterises the phenomenon of digital academic entrepreneurship, accelerating in the post Covid-19 period, digital technology has become essential in educational processes. Setting out from the general lines of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Sociotechnical Theory, this research aimed to analyse the influence of digital academic entrepreneurship on university students’ entrepreneurial intention. Specifically, four studies were carried out from the following research question: What are the influences of the pillars of digital academic entrepreneurship on university students’ entrepreneurial intention? The four specific studies aimed to: (1) Map studies on digital entrepreneurship, digital technology and digital transformation, and propose a structural model of analysis for digital academic entrepreneurship; (2) Propose a conceptual model of analysis to allow assessment of the Soft Skills dimension; (3) Propose a conceptual model of analysis to allow assessment of the Hard Skills dimension, and (4) Analyse the influence of the pillars (Hard Skills and Soft Skills-.) of digital academic entrepreneurship on university students’ entrepreneurial intention and how that relation can be mediated by the theory of planned behaviour. The methodological strategy adopted here was based on an exploratory study, as this type of study aims to explain the reasons, ideas and motivations underlying the phenomenon of digital academic entrepreneurship and its influence on university students’ entrepreneurial intention. To validate the structural model proposed in this research, a quantitative approach was also adopted, using a final sample of 761 Portuguese (51%) and Brazilian (49%) university students. The systematic literature review (SLR) method was also used to understand the extent and depth of the existing body of work. Data analysis was carried out through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation models. The results allow the conclusion that the pillars of digital academic entrepreneurship (Hard and Soft Skills) have a direct and indirect positive influence on university students’ entrepreneurial intention. The empirical evidence also suggests that the direct effects of Hard Skills (Management tools, Digital processes and Digital products) and Soft Skills (Individual characteristics; Cultural characteristics and Knowledge sharing) are slightly less than the total indirect effects between these pillars and entrepreneurial intention, when considering the mediations of Entrepreneurial Attitude and Perceived Behavioural Control, and even when inserting Subjective Norms as a mediator with these dimensions. These results raise a number of pertinent questions that warrant deeper reflection, not just in the scientific and academic community, but also among political and government entities. This research also provides important evidence to expand digital entrepreneurial education in higher education institutions (HEI), as it contributes to greater understanding of intention and the factors leading to formation of that intention among higher education students. Other implications for theory and practice are also presented.Face ao ambiente dinâmico, complexo e emergente que caracteriza o fenómeno do empreendedorismo académico digital, acelerado após a Covid-19, as tecnologias digitais tornaram-se indispensáveis nos processos educacionais. A partir das linhas gerais das teorias do Comportamento Planeado e Sociotécnica, o objetivo desta investigação foi analisar a influência do empreendedorismo académico digital na intenção empreendedora em estudantes universitários. De uma forma específica, foram realizados quatro estudos, a partir da seguinte questão de investigação: Quais as influências dos pilares do empreendedorismo académico digital na intenção empreendedora dos estudantes universitários? Os quatro estudos específicos tiveram por objetivos: (1) Mapear os estudos sobre o empreendedorismo digital, tecnologias digitais e transformação digital, e propor um modelo estrutural de análise para o empreendedorismo académico digital; (2) Propor um modelo conceptual de análise que permita avaliar a dimensão Soft Skills; (3) Propor um modelo conceptual de análise que permita avaliar a dimensão Hard Skills e (4) Analisar a influência dos pilares (Hard Skills e Soft Skills) do empreendedorismo académico digital na intenção empreendedora dos estudantes universitários e de que forma esta relação pode ser mediada pela teoria do comportamento planeado. A estratégia metodológica adotada na presente investigação foi baseada num estudo exploratório, pois este tipo de estudo visa explicar as razões, ideias e motivações subjacentes ao fenómeno do “empreendedorismo académico digital e sua influência na intenção empreendedora de estudantes universitários. Para validar o modelo estrutural proposto nesta investigação, adotou-se ainda uma abordagem quantitativa, realizada numa amostra final de 761 estudantes universitários portugueses (51%) e brasileiros (49%); também foi utilizado o método de revisão sistemática da literatura, para compreender a amplitude e profundidade do corpo de trabalho existente. A análise dos dados foi realizada através de análises fatoriais, exploratória e confirmatória, com o uso de modelos de equações estruturais. Os resultados permitem concluir que os pilares do empreendedorismo académico digital Hard Skills (Ferramentas de Gestão, Processos Digitais e Produtos Digitais) e Soft Skills (Características Individuais, Características Culturais e Partilha de Conhecimento), têm uma influência positiva direta e indireta na intenção empreendedora dos estudantes universitários. As evidências empíricas também sugerem que os efeitos diretos das Hard Skills e Soft Skills são ligeiramente inferiores aos efeitos indiretos totais entre estes pilares e a intenção empreendedora, ao considerar as mediações da Atitude Empreendedora e Controlo Comportamental Percebido, e mesmo ao inserir as Normas Subjetivas como mediador com estas dimensões. Estes resultados levantam uma série de questões pertinentes que merecem a uma reflexão mais profunda e não apenas entre a comunidade científica e académica, mas também entre entidades políticas e governamentais. Esta investigação fornece ainda evidências importantes para expandir a educação empreendedora digital nas instituições de ensino superior, pois contribui para uma melhor compreensão da intenção e dos fatores que antecedem a formação desta intencionalidade entre os estudantes do ensino superior. Outras implicações para a teoria e prática são também apresentadas
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