[Review of] Thompson III, J. Phillip. Double Trouble: Black Mayors, Black Communities, and the Call for a Deep Democracy

In Double Trouble, Thompson wrestles with the conflict of the viability of Black elected officials successfully leading major U.S. cities and remaining accountable to the Black poor. Thompson asserts the strategy of deep pluralism... how marginal groups are to achieve power in competitive struggles with other groups while still striving for a politics of common good. 1 The work provides a wealth of knowledge concerning inner city politics since the civil rights movement and deftly outlines the problems, such as white flight, federal dispersion of funds, and the depoliticizing of grassroots organizing, that have developed for Black mayors and working class communities. Double Trouble, however, raises essential questions which are never adequately addressed by the auth

Anxious attachment and belief in conspiracy theories

This research examined the link between attachment styles and belief in conspiracy theories. It was hypothesized, due to the tendency to exaggerate the intensity of threats, that higher anxiously attached individuals would be more likely to hold conspiracy beliefs, even when accounting for other variables such as right-wing authoritarianism, interpersonal trust, and demographic factors that have been found to predict conspiracy belief in previous research. In Study 1 (N = 246 Amazon Mechanical Turk workers), participants higher in anxious attachment style showed a greater tendency to believe in conspiracy theories. Further, this relationship remained significant when accounting for other known predictors of conspiracy belief. Study 2 (N = 230 Prolific Academic workers) revealed that anxious attachment again predicted the general tendency to believe conspiracy theories, but also belief in specific conspiracy theories and conspiracy theories about groups. These relationships held when controlling for demographic factors. The current studies add to the body of research investigating the individual differences predictors of conspiracy belief, demonstrating that conspiracy belief may, to some degree, have roots in early childhood experiences

Experimental Investigation of Image Distortion in a Mach 6 Hypersonic Flow

The image distortion that is inherently present when imaging through a flow field at hypersonic speeds was investigated. The original problem involves observation of the outside world from the inside an aircraft moving at hypersonic speeds. For this work, a Mach 6 hypersonic wind tunnel at Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) was used and optical patterns were imaged with and without flow field characteristics. Two test campaigns were scheduled to conduct experiments that would provide answers to the proposed problem of the effect on observable aberrations through flow fields. During the first test campaign, October 2017, optical patterns were laser etched on anodized aluminum inserts that would couple to a 15°-degree wedge probe that had been operated with the Mach 6 tunnel previously. During this test phase, lessons learned were extremely acknowledged for preparing for the second campaign in February-March 2019. A primary effect observed was due to tunnel vibrations that created apparent optical distortion by “smearing” the optical patterns over the acquisition time of the camera. During the second test campaign there were 2 primary test models that would be mounted in the tunnel for optical analysis. Newly manufactured steel plates were coupled to the already investigated 15°-degree wedge probe for verification of what was observed previously. Also, a 7° half angle cone was manufactured as a replica of a cone that was already in operation at WPAFB. Characterization of optical distortion was done by using a quantity known as a Strehl Ratio. The Strehl Ratio is defined as the ratio of the peak intensity of a point source from an aberrated image, which has been affected due to distortion, to the corresponding point source from a diffraction limited system. Line Distribution Functions (LDFs) were identified to expand the definition from a ratio of maximums to a ratio of the shapes of the line widths. Measured vibrational influences were extracted in both the axial and vertical directions of flow to account for any artificial distortion mechanisms. These lines in both directions created our optical patterns simultaneously giving information of vibrational influences in either direction as well as the measured distortion over the test targets. Lastly, there was an attempt to relate the experimental findings to real world applications. Considerations from the first test campaign using the wedge probe are presented for this using what is known from the General Image Quality Equation (GIQE). This was developed as an analytical solution for determining image quality parameters within the National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scale (NIIRS)

Cultural orientation, powerlessness, belief in conspiracy theories, and intentions to reduce the spread of COVID-19

The current study investigated cultural and psychological factors associated with intentions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Participants (n = 704) completed measures of individualism–collectivism, belief in conspiracy theories about COVID-19, feelings of powerlessness, and intentions to engage in behaviours that reduce the spread of COVID-19. Results revealed that vertical individualism negatively predicted intentions to engage in social distancing, directly and indirectly through both belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories and feelings of powerlessness. Vertical collectivism positively predicted social distancing intentions directly. Horizontal collectivism positively predicted social distancing intentions indirectly through feelings of powerlessness. Finally, horizontal collectivism positively predicted hygiene-related intentions both directly and indirectly through lower feelings of powerlessness. These findings suggest that promoting collectivism may be a way to increase engagement with efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19. They also highlight the importance of examining the interplay between culture and both personal feelings (powerlessness) and information consumption (conspiracy theories) during times of crisis

Catastrophizing life's problems: On the relationship between attachment anxiety and belief in conspiracy theories

Research has shown that attachment anxiety predicts higher agreement with conspiracy theories. In this research, we aimed to examine this relationship further. Specifically, we investigated the importance of catastrophizing-viewing situations as considerably worse than they are-in explaining the relationship between attachment anxiety and belief in conspiracy theories. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the literature on the psychology of conspiracy theories and adult attachment theory. Then, across six studies (Chapter 2), we found that catastrophizing (regarding pain, stress, and social situations) explained the relationship between attachment anxiety and conspiracy beliefs. In two further studies (Chapter 3), we found that attachment anxiety and conspiracy beliefs were associated with communal orientation (the desire that one's needs should be met by others versus the desire to meet the needs of others), which was moderated by catastrophizing, across two studies. Finally, in two studies (Chapter 4), we found attachment anxiety to be partially associated with COVID-19 powerlessness and COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, whereas attachment avoidance was shown to be consistently associated with them. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed (Chapter 5), including the need for more experimental or longitudinal designs, and interventions that reduce catastrophic thinking with the aim of reducing the appeal of conspiracy theories

Self-affirmation improves self-control over snacking among participants low in eating self-efficacy

bjective: Individuals low in eating self-efficacy are at particular risk of engaging in unhealthy eating behaviours, including the consumption of high calorie snacks. The elevated levels of snacking displayed by these individuals can largely be attributed to their experiencing low self-control over the avoidance of such foods (Hankonen, Kinnunen, Absetz, & Jallinoja, 2014). Interventions are thus required to boost self-control over snacking among those low in eating self-efficacy. Self-affirmation has been shown to boost self-control among individuals with depleted resources in other domains (Schmeichel & Vohs, 2009). The purpose of the current study was to test the hypothesis that a self-affirmation manipulation would similarly increase self-control over snacking for individuals low in eating self-efficacy. Methods: At baseline, participants (N = 70) completed measures of dietary restraint and eating self-efficacy. In the main study, participants completed either a self-affirmation or a control task immediately before undertaking a joystick category judgment task that assessed self-control over snacking. Results: Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed the predicted significant interaction between eating self-efficacy and self-affirmation, demonstrating that self-affirmation moderated the association between eating self-efficacy and self-control over snacking. Johnson-Neyman regions of significance confirmed that for participants low in eating self-efficacy the self-affirmation manipulation resulted in higher levels of self-control. Unexpectedly, however, for participants high in eating self-efficacy the self-affirmation manipulation was found to be associated with lower levels of self-control. Conclusions: Findings supported the hypothesis that a self-affirmation manipulation would boost self-control over snacking among individuals low in eating self-efficacy. Self-affirmation may thus provide a useful technique for strengthening self-control in relation to the avoidance of unhealthy foods among individuals who find it difficult to manage challenging dietary situations

A call for caution regarding infection-acquired COVID-19 immunity: The potentially unintended effects of “immunity passports” and how to mitigate them

Background: Research suggests that emerging information about infection-acquired COVID-19 immunity should be interpreted with caution. The introduction of “immunity passports” that would enable people who have recovered from COVID-19 to travel freely and return to work may therefore have detrimental consequences if not managed carefully. Methods: In two studies, we examined how perceived (suspected or imagined) recovery from COVID-19, and the concept of immunity passports, influence people’s intentions to engage in behaviors aimed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. We also consider ways to lessen potential negative effects. Results: In Study 1 (N = 1604), participants asked to imagine that they had recovered from COVID-19 reported lower social distancing intentions compared to a control condition. Participants who suspected (vs. imagined) that they had recovered from past infection did not report lower preventative intentions compared to the control condition, even at high levels of certainty of past infection. In Study 2 (N = 1732), introducing the idea of immunity passports also reduced social distancing intentions compared to a control condition. The latter effect was, however, attenuated when cautious information about the equivocal science on COVID-19 was also presented to participants. Participants who suspected that they had COVID-19 in the past (compared to the control condition) revealed a similar pattern of results, but only at higher levels of certainty of past infection. Conclusions: Caution regarding infection-acquired COVID-19 immunity and immunity passports will be crucial in the COVID-19 response. Implications for premature pandemic announcements, as well as their potential remedies, are discussed

Impressions of science and healthcare professionals who share anti-science conspiracy theories

Background: The majority of science and healthcare professionals agree with the scientific consensus on issues such as anthropogenic climate change and the safety and efficacy of vaccines. However, a small number of professionals diverge from this consensus and espouse conspiracy theories arguing, for example, that climate change is a hoax and that the dangers of vaccines are being hidden by greedy pharmaceutical companies. What impressions do people make of conspiracy-sharing professionals and, importantly, would people follow their advice? We aimed to answer these questions in a brief report comprising of two preregistered experiments. Methods: In Experiment 1 (N = 296) participants rated their impressions of a scientist who endorsed (vs. refuted) climate change conspiracy theories, and indicated their willingness to follow the scientist’s advice. Experiment 2 (N = 280) followed a similar method but focused on a healthcare professional who endorsed (vs. refuted) mRNA vaccine conspiracy theories. In a control condition, the professional provided neutral information. Results: In both experiments, people formed negative impressions of the conspiracy-sharing professional, perceiving them to be less trustworthy, honest, brave (Experiment 1 only), credible, intelligent, less able to effect change, and more of an outsider and a fraud. They also showed less willingness to follow the professionals’ advice. However, participants’ own conspiracy beliefs shaped these impressions, with stronger negative impressions found among participants with weaker conspiracy beliefs. Notably, higher conspiracy believers perceived the conspiracy-sharing professionals as braver. Conclusions: These findings suggest that scientific and healthcare professionals who share conspiracy theories are perceived negatively, and people are less willing to follow advice. However, this is moderated by participants’ own conspiracy beliefs

Getting the message straight: effects of a brief hepatitis prevention intervention among injection drug users

To redress gaps in injection drug users' (IDUs) knowledge about hepatitis risk and prevention, we developed a brief intervention to be delivered to IDUs at syringe exchange programs (SEPs) in three US cities. Following a month-long campaign in which intervention packets containing novel injection hygiene supplies and written materials were distributed to every client at each visit, intervention effectiveness was evaluated by comparing exposed and unexposed participants' self-reported injection practices. Over one-quarter of the exposed group began using the novel hygiene supplies which included an absorbent pad ("Safety Square") to stanch blood flow post-injection. Compared to those unexposed to the intervention, a smaller but still substantial number of exposed participants continued to inappropriately use alcohol pads post-injection despite exposure to written messages to the contrary (22.8% vs. 30.0%). It should also be noted that for those exposed to the intervention, 8% may have misused Safety Squares as part of pre-injection preparation of their injection site; attention should be paid to providing explicit and accurate instruction on the use of any health promotion materials being distributed. While this study indicates that passive introduction of risk reduction materials in injection drug users through syringe exchange programs can be an economical and relatively simple method of changing behaviors, discussions with SEP clients regarding explicit instructions about injection hygiene and appropriate use of novel risk reduction materials is also needed in order to optimize the potential for adoption of health promotion behaviors. The study results suggest that SEP staff should provide their clients with brief, frequent verbal reminders about the appropriate use when distributing risk reduction materials. Issues related to format and language of written materials are discussed

Conspiracy theories: Their propagation and links to political violence

Conspiracy theories can exploit societal insecurities, be propagated relatively easily, and incite political violence. Proactive strategies are essential for mitigating their influence and preventing their potential consequences