Guided group discussion and attitude change: the roles of normative and informational influence

ManuscriptGroup discussion has effectively changed attitudes and behaviors compared to individually-targeted messages (Lewin, 1952; Werner, 2003). This study examines the roles of normative and informational social influence in this effect. High school students heard a message about replacing toxic products with nontoxic alternatives; classes were randomly assigned to hear the message delivered as a lecture or via guided group discussion. For female students (N = 250 in 26 classes), HLM mediation analyses suggested normative influence predominated: Discussion was more effective than lecture and this effect was fully mediated by students' perceptions that other students endorsed nontoxics. Content analyses of students' comments indicated that three kinds of remarks led female students to this perception: 1) sharing knowledge about nontoxics; 2) asking questions about nontoxics; and 3) little praise for toxic products. For male students in separate HLM analyses (N = 107 in 19 of the same classes), informational influence was most apparent: Post-meeting attitudes were higher after discussion than lecture, and this effect was partially mediated by cognitive elaboration about the message (but not perceptions others endorsed the message). In addition, males' quiz grades were higher after discussion, and students' comments fully mediated the discussion to quiz grades relationship. Results support the importance of hearing others' promessage comments for changing socially motivated behaviors, although the routes of influence appear to differ for these samples of male and female students

Service-learning "rules" that encourage or discourage long-term service: implications for practice and research

Journal ArticleWe use research and theory on intrinsic motivation to suggest that some service-learning practices may be counter-productive. Although these practices may encourage student involvement in the short-term, they may reduce interest over the long-term. We pose seven questions about service requirements and suggest answers that would be least likely to undermine long-term service

Teaching the concept of precycling: a campaign and evaluation

Journal ArticleABSTRACT: Precycling, or purchasing wisely to reduce waste, is the EPA-preferred way to conserve resources and extend landfill life. A 3-month campaign of radio, television, and in-store advertising was effective at teaching the concept of precycling. After the campaign, telephone interviews indicated that 16% of the sample could correctly define the term, a 9% increase over the first survey. The survey results indicate that at least 65,000 citizens of Salt Lake County had probably learned the concept from the ad campaign. Given that the term had not come into popular use at the time of the advertising, it is unlikely that individuals had learned the term from another source. Furthermore, there was a significant association between seeing the ads and correctly defining precycling

Physical activity mediates the relationship between perceived crime safety and obesity

pre-printObjective. The current cross-sectional study tests whether low perceived crime safety is associated with body mass index (BMI) and obesity risk and whether less moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) accounts for part of this relationship. Method. Adults (n=864) from a relatively low-income and ethnically mixed neighborhood in Salt Lake City UT (2012) were assessed for perceived crime safety, objective physical activity, and BMI measures. Results. This neighborhood had lower perceived safety than for other published studies utilizing this safety measure. In a mediation test, lower perceived crime safety was significantly associated with higher BMI and greater risk of obesity, net of control variables. Residents with lower perceived safety had less MVPA. Lower MVPA partially explained the relationship between less safety and both elevated BMI and higher obesity risk, suggesting that perceiving less crime safety limits MVPA which, in turn, increases weight. Conclusion. In this neighborhood, with relatively low perceived safety from crime, residents' low perceived safety related to more obesity and higher BMI; lower MVPA among residents explained part of this relationship. If residents are to become more active in their neighborhood it may be important to address perceived crime safety as part of broader efforts to enhance active living

Using accelerometer feedback to identify walking destinations, activity overestimates, and stealth exercise in obese and nonobese individuals

Journal ArticleAccelerometer output feedback might enable assessment of recall biases for moderate bouts by obese and nonobese individuals; accelerometry might also help residents recall destinations for moderate-intensity walking bouts. Methods: Adult residents' 1-week accelerometer-measured physical activity and obesity status were measured before and after a new rail stop opened (n = 51 Time 1; n = 47 Time 2). Participants recalled the week's walking bouts, described them as brisk (moderate) or not, and reported a rail stop destination or not

Vaccination-based immunotherapy to target profibrotic cells in liver and lung

Fibrosis is the final path of nearly every form of chronic disease, regardless of the pathogenesis. Upon chronic injury, activated, fibrogenic fibroblasts deposit excess extracellular matrix, and severe tissue fibrosis can occur in virtually any organ. However, antifibrotic therapies that target fibrogenic cells, while sparing homeostatic fibroblasts in healthy tissues, are limited. We tested whether specific immunization against endogenous proteins, strongly expressed in fibrogenic cells but highly restricted in quiescent fibroblasts, can elicit an antigen-specific cytotoxic T cell response to ameliorate organ fibrosis. In silico epitope prediction revealed that activation of the genes Adam12 and Gli1 in profibrotic cells and the resulting “self-peptides” can be exploited for T cell vaccines to ablate fibrogenic cells. We demonstrate the efficacy of a vaccination approach to mount CD8+ T cell responses that reduce fibroblasts and fibrosis in the liver and lungs in mice. These results provide proof of principle for vaccination-based immunotherapies to treat fibrosis

The \u3cem\u3eChlamydomonas\u3c/em\u3e Genome Reveals the Evolution of Key Animal and Plant Functions

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a unicellular green alga whose lineage diverged from land plants over 1 billion years ago. It is a model system for studying chloroplast-based photosynthesis, as well as the structure, assembly, and function of eukaryotic flagella (cilia), which were inherited from the common ancestor of plants and animals, but lost in land plants. We sequenced the ∼120-megabase nuclear genome of Chlamydomonas and performed comparative phylogenomic analyses, identifying genes encoding uncharacterized proteins that are likely associated with the function and biogenesis of chloroplasts or eukaryotic flagella. Analyses of the Chlamydomonas genome advance our understanding of the ancestral eukaryotic cell, reveal previously unknown genes associated with photosynthetic and flagellar functions, and establish links between ciliopathy and the composition and function of flagella

Social science in a water observing system

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95008/1/wrcr12336.pd

Reporting Guidelines for Survey Research: An Analysis of Published Guidance and Reporting Practices

Carol Bennett and colleagues review the evidence and find that there is limited guidance and no consensus on the optimal reporting of survey research