The Psychological Science Accelerator's COVID-19 rapid-response dataset

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Science Accelerator coordinated three large-scale psychological studies to examine the effects of loss-gain framing, cognitive reappraisals, and autonomy framing manipulations on behavioral intentions and affective measures. The data collected (April to October 2020) included specific measures for each experimental study, a general questionnaire examining health prevention behaviors and COVID-19 experience, geographical and cultural context characterization, and demographic information for each participant. Each participant started the study with the same general questions and then was randomized to complete either one longer experiment or two shorter experiments. Data were provided by 73,223 participants with varying completion rates. Participants completed the survey from 111 geopolitical regions in 44 unique languages/dialects. The anonymized dataset described here is provided in both raw and processed formats to facilitate re-use and further analyses. The dataset offers secondary analytic opportunities to explore coping, framing, and self-determination across a diverse, global sample obtained at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be merged with other time-sampled or geographic data

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Significance Communicating in ways that motivate engagement in social distancing remains a critical global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study tested motivational qualities of messages about social distancing (those that promoted choice and agency vs. those that were forceful and shaming) in 25,718 people in 89 countries. The autonomy-supportive message decreased feelings of defying social distancing recommendations relative to the controlling message, and the controlling message increased controlled motivation, a less effective form of motivation, relative to no message. Message type did not impact intentions to socially distance, but people’s existing motivations were related to intentions. Findings were generalizable across a geographically diverse sample and may inform public health communication strategies in this and future global health emergencies. Abstract Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

Einfluss etablierter Wachstumsfaktoren auf Proliferation und Apoptose von primären humanen Osteoblastenzellkulturen

Einleitung: Tissue Engineering von Knochen gilt bei der funtkionell-ästhetischen Rekonstruktion ossärer Defekte als vielversprechende Alternative zum autologen Gewebsersatz. Das Regenerationspotential von Osteoblasten wird durch Wachstumsfaktoren beeinflusst. Neben dem Proliferationsverhalten stellt auch die Beurteilung des apoptotischen Ausmaßes bei der Etablierung intakter Zellkulturen eine wichtige Voraussetzung für das klinisch orientierte Tissue Engineering in der rekonstruktiven Kopf-Hals-Chirurgie dar. Material und Methoden: Primäre Zellkulturen von humanen Osteoblasten (hOB) wurden mit IGF-1, -2 und TNFalpha angesetzt. Durch immunhistochemische Färbung gegen Osteokalzin wurde der Reinheitsgrad verifiziert. Eine Proliferationsanalyse erfolgte mittels alamarBlue(TM)-Assay nach 1, 5, 10 und 15 Tagen. Die Apoptoseanalyse fand immunhistochemisch (Labelled-Streptavidin-Biotin-Methode) gegen die Regulator-Proteine BAX und BCL-2, den Death Receptor Fas sowie die zentrale Apoptose-Protease Caspase3 statt. Ergebnisse: Es bildeten sich lückenhafte Zellrasen in Monolayer mit typischer polygonaler Zellform. Das Proliferationsverhalten wies keine signifikanten Unterschiede zwischen den verschiedenen Wachstumsfaktoren in unterschiedlichen Konzentrationen nach Herstellerempfehlungen auf. Im zeitlichen Verlauf konnte eine Veränderung der BCL-2/BAX-Ratio zugunsten des proapoptotischen Regulator-Proteins BAX und eine Zunahme der Caspase 3-Expression beobachtet werden. Schlussfolgerung: Der Einsatz dieser Wachstumsfaktoren nach den Herstellerangaben zeigte keinen Einfluss auf Proliferation und Apoptose. Gemäß dem Kosten-Nutzen-Effekt liegen Untersuchungen mit erhöhten Konzentrationen außerhalb des Interessenfeldes, so dass sich diese Faktoren zum Einsatz an hOB nicht zu eignen scheinen