Effectiveness of strategies for solving everyday problems during early and later adulthood: A reexamination of the Everyday Problem Solving Inventory

Within the everyday problem-solving literature, a small number of studies have examined effectiveness as a problem-solving outcome measure. Effectiveness is a method of determining the quality of strategies used to solve ill-defined problems. Knowing the effectiveness of a problem-solving strategy can help determine whether an age differences in the use of that strategy also indicates better everyday outcomes for one age group. Of the few studies that have examined age differences in effective problem solving, none have systematically assessed the dimensions that make some strategies effective and others ineffective for various problem situations. In addition, a variety of methodological considerations in determining problem-solving effectiveness have yet to be addressed within problem-solving research, leaving many questions about the validity of extant findings unanswered. Finally, it is not clear why age differences in effectiveness may vary across specific problem domains. The present study adapted Cornelius and Caspi\u27s (1987) Everyday Problem Solving Inventory (EPSI) in order to examine problem-solving strategy endorsements and problem-solving effectiveness for younger and older adults. The EPSI consisted of problem-solving vignettes occurring within six problem domains (i.e., conflicts with friends, consumer issues, family conflicts, home management, information use, and work-related issues). The revised EPSI (REPSI) used in the present study included two additional everyday domains that are relevant for both younger and older adults: health care issues and technology issues. Participants were 69 younger and 61 older adults who rated the likelihood that they would use (strategy endorsement) each of four problem-specific strategies to solve four problem situations for each domain; the strategies were classified as avoidant thinking and denial (AD), cognitive problem analysis (CA), passive-dependent behavior (PD), and problem-focused action (PF). Participants and experts assessed strategy quality on three dimensions: the degree to which the strategy solved the problem, prevented or minimized future occurrences of the problem, and managed emotional reactions to the problem. Self and expert ratings were each combined with participants\u27 endorsements of the strategy types in order to determine effectiveness. For each dependent variable, a 2 (Age) x 4 (Strategy) x 8 (Problem Domain) ANOVA was performed to examine group differences. The three-way interaction was significant within each analysis: strategy endorsement ratings, F(21, 2583) = 3.79, p \u3c .001, eta p2 = .03; expert-based effectiveness scores, F(21, 2583) = 2.28, p = .001, eta p2 = .02; and self-based effectiveness scores, F(21, 2520) = 1.74, p \u3c .05, eta p2 = .01. Follow-up tests revealed that age differences in strategy endorsements and effectiveness varied according to the domain of the problem. For solving information use problems, younger adults endorsed AD higher than older adults, but older adults endorsed AD higher than younger adults for consumer, work, and family problems. Younger adults endorsed CA higher than older adults for solving technology and information use problems. Younger adults endorsed PD higher than older adults for consumer, information use, health care, and technology problems. Younger adults also endorsed PF higher than older adults for solving home and family problems, but older adults endorsed PF higher than younger adults for solving consumer problems. Expert-based effectiveness scores indicated that younger adults had higher effectiveness scores than older adults for solving friend and information problems. Younger adults also had higher AD effectiveness for solving family problems than did older adults. However, self-based effectiveness scores indicated that older adults had higher effectiveness scores for solving work and technology problems than younger adults. Potential mediators of age differences in problem-solving effectiveness were assessed within the various domains. Participants\u27 accumulated prior success with solving friend problems mediated age differences in expert-based effectiveness for solving friend problems (Sobel test statistic = -2.18, SE = .01). Taken together, these findings suggest that everyday problem-solving effectiveness is highly contextual. Problem domain effects were consistently larger than strategy effects, which were generally larger than age effects. Prior investigations of problem-solving effectiveness may have simplified our understanding of the nature of age differences in effective problem solving across problem domains

Examining the effectiveness of older and younger adults\u27 strategies for solving interpersonal and individual everyday problems

Individual difference characteristics (i.e., age, gender, self-efficacy beliefs, exposure to problems) and contextual characteristics (i.e., problem domain) of the everyday problem-solving process were considered in an examination of individuals\u27 strategy effectiveness. Although prior research has examined problem-solving strategy effectiveness according to independent judges or experts (Allaire & Marsiske, 2002; Blanchard-Fields, Mienaltowski, & Baldi, 2007; Cornelius & Caspi, 1987; Galambos, MacDonald, Naphtali, Cohen, & de Frias, 2005; Marsiske & Willis, 1995), methodological weaknesses in determining the effectiveness of the strategies may have invalidated the findings. A group of seven highly reliable expert raters were recruited to provide effectiveness ratings of strategies generated and chosen as most effective by younger (N = 74) and older (N = 74) adults in Strough\u27s (2004) study on collaboration and everyday problem solving. Repeated-measures ANOVA on adults\u27 strategy effectiveness scores revealed significant two-way interactions between gender and problem domain and age and problem domain. Men and women had higher effectiveness scores on the finance problem than on the gossip problem, but the difference was more pronounced for men than for women. Younger adult men performed worse than older adult men, younger adult women, and older adult women on the gossip problem. These findings were consistent with previous literature on age and domain difference in problem-solving effectiveness, specifically that older adults outperform younger adults and individuals are more effective for solving instrumental domain problems than interpersonal domain problems (Blanchard-Fields et al., 2007). Mediation models were assessed via path analysis to explain the age effect found in the present study. Exposure to gossip problems was a significant mediator of the age differences in strategy effectiveness. Greater exposure to gossip problems was associated with lower strategy effectiveness scores. Younger adults, who reported greater exposure, used strategies that were less likely to solve the problem or prevent/minimize future occurrences of the problem, which reduced the strategy effectiveness scores. Previous research has shown that younger adults report greater general familiarity with everyday problems than do older adults (Blanchard-Fields, Chen, & Norris, 1997). The present study suggested that younger adults may report this greater experience because they also reported more present exposure to problematic situations and used less effective strategies. Limitations of the present study include the cross-sectional nature of the design, the limited number of problems examined, and limits on ecological validity when using hypothetical problem vignettes to measure everyday problem solving

Emerging Adulthood Measured at Multiple Institutions 2: The Data

Collaborators from 32 academic institutions primarily in the United States collected data from emerging adults (N'raw''' = 4220, N'processed' = 3134). Participants completed self-report measures assessing markers of adulthood, IDEA inventory of dimensions of emerging adulthood, subjective well-being, mindfulness, belonging, self-efficacy, disability identity, somatic health, perceived stress, perceived social support, social media use, political affiliation, beliefs about the American dream, interpersonal transgressions, narcissism, interpersonal exploitativeness, beliefs about marriage, and demographics. The data are available at (https://osf.io/qtqpb/) with details about the study and contributors at our main EAMMi2 page (https://osf.io/te54b/). These data may be used to examine new research questions, provide authentic research experiences for students, and provide demonstrations for research and statistics courses

An investigation of fingerstick blood collection for point-of-care HIV-1 viral load monitoring in South Africa

Background. Viral load (VL) quantification is an important tool in determining newly developed drug resistance or problems with adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in HIV-positive patients. VL monitoring is becoming the standard of care in many resource-limited settings. Testing in resource-limited settings may require sampling by fingerstick because of general shortages of skilled phlebotomists and the expense of venepuncture supplies and problems with their distribution.Objective. To assess the feasibility and ease of collecting 150 µL capillary blood needed for the use of a novel collection device following a classic fingerstick puncture.Methods. Patients were recruited by the study nurse upon arrival for routine ART monitoring at the Themba Lethu Clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa. Each step of the fingerstick and blood collection protocol was observed, and their completion or omission was recorded.Results. One hundred and three patients consented to the study, of whom three were excluded owing to the presence of callouses. From a total of 100 patients who consented and were enrolled, 98% of collection attempts were successful and 86% of participants required only one fingerstick to successfully collect 150 µL capillary blood. Study nurse adherence to the fingerstick protocol revealed omissions in several steps that may lower the success rate of capillary blood collection and reduce the performance of a subsequent VL assay.Conclusion. The findings of this study support the feasibility of collecting 150 µL of capillary blood via fingerstick for point-of-care HIV-1 VL testing in a resource-limited setting

Structural and Functional Features of a Developmentally Regulated Lipopolysaccharide-Binding Protein

ABSTRACT Mammalian lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding proteins (LBPs) occur mainly in extracellular fluids and promote LPS delivery to specific host cell receptors. The function of LBPs has been studied principally in the context of host defense; the possible role of LBPs in nonpathogenic host-microbe interactions has not been well characterized. Using the Euprymna scolopes-Vibrio fischeri model, we analyzed the structure and function of an LBP family protein, E. scolopes LBP1 (EsLBP1), and provide evidence for its role in triggering a symbiont-induced host developmental program. Previous studies showed that, during initial host colonization, the LPS of V. fischeri synergizes with peptidoglycan (PGN) monomer to induce morphogenesis of epithelial tissues of the host animal. Computationally modeled EsLBP1 shares some but not all structural features of mammalian LBPs that are thought important for LPS binding. Similar to human LBP, recombinant EsLBP1 expressed in insect cells bound V. fischeri LPS and Neisseria meningitidis lipooligosaccharide (LOS) with nanomolar or greater affinity but bound Francisella tularensis LPS only weakly and did not bind PGN monomer. Unlike human LBP, EsLBP1 did not bind N. meningitidis LOS:CD14 complexes. The eslbp1 transcript was upregulated ~22-fold by V. fischeri at 24 h postinoculation. Surprisingly, this upregulation was not induced by exposure to LPS but, rather, to the PGN monomer alone. Hybridization chain reaction-fluorescent in situ hybridization (HCR-FISH) and immunocytochemistry (ICC) localized eslbp1 transcript and protein in crypt epithelia, where V. fischeri induces morphogenesis. The data presented here provide a window into the evolution of LBPs and the scope of their roles in animal symbioses. IMPORTANCE Mammalian lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein (LBP) is implicated in conveying LPS to host cells and potentiating its signaling activity. In certain disease states, such as obesity, the overproduction of this protein has been a reliable biomarker of chronic inflammation. Here, we describe a symbiosis-induced invertebrate LBP whose tertiary structure and LPS-binding characteristics are similar to those of mammalian LBPs; however, the primary structure of this distantly related squid protein (EsLBP1) differs in key residues previously believed to be essential for LPS binding, suggesting that an alternative strategy exists. Surprisingly, symbiotic expression of eslbp1 is induced by peptidoglycan derivatives, not LPS, a pattern converse to that of RegIIIγ, an important mammalian immunity protein that binds peptidoglycan but whose gene expression is induced by LPS. Finally, EsLBP1 occurs along the apical surfaces of all the host’s epithelia, suggesting that it was recruited from a general defensive role to one that mediates specific interactions with its symbiont

Ras Inhibition Induces Insulin Sensitivity and Glucose Uptake

BACKGROUND: Reduced glucose uptake due to insulin resistance is a pivotal mechanism in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. It is also associated with increased inflammation. Ras inhibition downregulates inflammation in various experimental models. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of Ras inhibition on insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake, as well as its influence on type 2 diabetes development. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The effect of Ras inhibition on glucose uptake was examined both in vitro and in vivo. Ras was inhibited in cells transfected with a dominant-negative form of Ras or by 5-fluoro-farnesylthiosalicylic acid (F-FTS), a small-molecule Ras inhibitor. The involvement of IκB and NF-κB in Ras-inhibited glucose uptake was investigated by immunoblotting. High fat (HF)-induced diabetic mice were treated with F-FTS to test the effect of Ras inhibition on induction of hyperglycemia. Each of the Ras-inhibitory modes resulted in increased glucose uptake, whether in insulin-resistant C2C12 myotubes in vitro or in HF-induced diabetic mice in vivo. Ras inhibition also caused increased IκB expression accompanied by decreased expression of NF-κB . In fat-induced diabetic mice treated daily with F-FTS, both the incidence of hyperglycemia and the levels of serum insulin were significantly decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Inhibition of Ras apparently induces a state of heightened insulin sensitization both in vitro and in vivo. Ras inhibition should therefore be considered as an approach worth testing for the treatment of type 2 diabetes

Size Doesn't Matter: Towards a More Inclusive Philosophy of Biology

notes: As the primary author, O’Malley drafted the paper, and gathered and analysed data (scientific papers and talks). Conceptual analysis was conducted by both authors.publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticlePhilosophers of biology, along with everyone else, generally perceive life to fall into two broad categories, the microbes and macrobes, and then pay most of their attention to the latter. ‘Macrobe’ is the word we propose for larger life forms, and we use it as part of an argument for microbial equality. We suggest that taking more notice of microbes – the dominant life form on the planet, both now and throughout evolutionary history – will transform some of the philosophy of biology’s standard ideas on ontology, evolution, taxonomy and biodiversity. We set out a number of recent developments in microbiology – including biofilm formation, chemotaxis, quorum sensing and gene transfer – that highlight microbial capacities for cooperation and communication and break down conventional thinking that microbes are solely or primarily single-celled organisms. These insights also bring new perspectives to the levels of selection debate, as well as to discussions of the evolution and nature of multicellularity, and to neo-Darwinian understandings of evolutionary mechanisms. We show how these revisions lead to further complications for microbial classification and the philosophies of systematics and biodiversity. Incorporating microbial insights into the philosophy of biology will challenge many of its assumptions, but also give greater scope and depth to its investigations

Predictors of Enhancing Human Physical Attractiveness: Data from 93 Countries

People across the world and throughout history have gone to great lengths to enhance their physical appearance. Evolutionary psychologists and ethologists have largely attempted to explain this phenomenon via mating preferences and strategies. Here, we test one of the most popular evolutionary hypotheses for beauty-enhancing behaviors, drawn from mating market and parasite stress perspectives, in a large cross-cultural sample. We also test hypotheses drawn from other influential and non-mutually exclusive theoretical frameworks, from biosocial role theory to a cultural media perspective. Survey data from 93,158 human participants across 93 countries provide evidence that behaviors such as applying makeup or using other cosmetics, hair grooming, clothing style, caring for body hygiene, and exercising or following a specific diet for the specific purpose of improving ones physical attractiveness, are universal. Indeed, 99% of participants reported spending \u3e10 min a day performing beauty-enhancing behaviors. The results largely support evolutionary hypotheses: more time was spent enhancing beauty by women (almost 4 h a day, on average) than by men (3.6 h a day), by the youngest participants (and contrary to predictions, also the oldest), by those with a relatively more severe history of infectious diseases, and by participants currently dating compared to those in established relationships. The strongest predictor of attractiveness-enhancing behaviors was social media usage. Other predictors, in order of effect size, included adhering to traditional gender roles, residing in countries with less gender equality, considering oneself as highly attractive or, conversely, highly unattractive, TV watching time, higher socioeconomic status, right-wing political beliefs, a lower level of education, and personal individualistic attitudes. This study provides novel insight into universal beauty-enhancing behaviors by unifying evolutionary theory with several other complementary perspectives

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