The Barriers That People with Lower Social Class Background Face in Attaining Prestige: The Case of Volubility

Prestige hierarchies appear to exist universally across all human groups, contexts, and cultures, from friendship groups on the playground to boardrooms in the office. Although the demonstration of skills, abilities, and competencies are typically the fundamental drivers of relative prestige standing within a group, evidence indicates that demographic traits and characteristics—such as gender, race, ethnicity, personality traits—can also have non-negligible effects on prestige conferral independently of actual abilities. Social class—an individual’s income, wealth, or material possession—is yet another demographic variable that can contribute to within-group prestige asymmetries. Here, we examine how an individual’s social class is associated with the degree of actual (rather than presumed) prestige (i.e., respect and admiration) they acquire in the context of a given team or group (rather than society at large). Across two studies of 4-person zero-acquaintance groups (Ns = 336 & 512 in Studies 1 & 2, respectively), we demonstrate that people higher in social class acquire greater prestige (even when their social class is not readily apparent), and that volubility—the amount of time that one spends speaking, which is a key behavioral cue of power and agency—acts as a mediating mechanism that accounts for the emergence of these class-based prestige disparities. Discussion focuses on the theoretical and practical implications of these class-based barriers on fairness and meritocracy in how individuals are advanced to prestige and social success

Practical Recommendations for Considering Culture, Race, and Ethnicity in Personality Psychology

Personality science is the study of the individual. It aims to understand what makes people similar to others, different from some, and unique to themselves. However, there is room for research in personality to more thoughtfully consider culture, race, and ethnicity in order to better understand individual differences in people’s patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. High impact personality journals rarely include such factors into the interpretation of results, and cross-cultural and ethnic minority publications are limited within the discipline. This paper offers a brief, non-exhaustive overview of how culture, race, and ethnicity are examined in relation to personality, showing that: 1) social structures continue to be neglected in the research, 2) we can learn from research being conducted in neighboring areas, and 3) valuable work is already being done within personality psychology. We offer recommendations that emphasize community based participatory research methods, combined etic-emic approaches, and contextualizing research findings to improve the consideration of culture, race, and ethnicity in personality research

Water exposure and other risk behaviours in contact lens wearers

This thesis aimed to assess risk factors for contact lens-related disease with contemporary lens types, investigate associations between water exposure during contact lens wear and storage case contamination, and evaluate the impact of education in the form of a no water sticker on changing water contact behaviour. A prospective case-control study found that poor lens hygiene and water exposure during lens wear were independent risk factors for contact lens-related disease including infiltrative and infectious events (p<0.05). Higher storage case contamination carried 2.12x (95% CI 1.34-3.36) increased risk of contact lens-related disease. To determine associations between water exposure and storage case contamination, a reliable, efficient and cost-effective alternative method for standard plate count was required. The ATP assay was found to be a rapid and scalable storage case quantification technique, based on its lowest detection limit and maximum repeatability, compared with the MTT and Resazurin reduction assays. The LAL assay for endotoxin was used as a surrogate for Gram-negative bacterial contamination of cases. Water exposure during contact lens wear such as showering with lenses was independently associated with increased overall storage case contamination (p<0.001), while swimming with lenses and using wet hands to handle lenses were independently associated with high endotoxin levels, as a surrogate for Gram-negative bacterial contamination (p<0.05). A randomised controlled trial to investigate behaviour changes when a no water sticker was added to the contact lens storage cases found that after 6 weeks, participants assigned to receive the no water sticker had an overall reduced water exposure score and a greater proportion had low endotoxin levels in their storage case, compared to those who did not receive the sticker (p<0.05). However, no significant impact was observed on the individual water contact behaviours and overall storage case contamination. In conclusion, water contact behaviours including showering and swimming while wearing lenses are associated with increased risk of contact lens-related disease and increased storage case contamination. By educating contact lens wearers using the no water stickers, the overall water exposure behaviour was reduced. However, further research on no water stickers to determine the long-term behaviour change and to refine the messaging about avoiding individual water contact behaviours is required

فکر اقبال کے چند زوایے اور معاصر عہد

Allama Iqbal's poetry and his thoughts present a perfect cure for the present-day unfortunate cultural and social environment predominant at both the national and international level. If we want to progress like the forward-looking countries and live according to our Islamic identity and cultural values as a respectable nation, we will have to make Allama Iqbal's message a part of our national character. In the following research paper, the author has tried to emphasize this central theme

Exer-Gaming reduces fall risk and improves mobility after stroke

Objective: Major goal concealed behind conducting current study was to evaluate the effect of balance training via virtual reality in patients with chronic stroke having history of reduced global strength, reduced anticipatory balance and having history of fall. Methodology: A randomized control trial in which 30 chronic stroke survivors were recruited via purposive sampling technique was conducted. Sealed envelope method was used to randomly allocate patients into two groups that were Exer-gaming group (EGG) (n=15) and traditional training (TBT) group (n=15). Those patients having age above 50 were included using Modified Rankin Scale (MRS). Patients having cognitive deficits, severe contractures, unable to perform task, severe orthopedic condition of joint or those having fracture were not included in the study. The tools used to collect data included Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up & Go Test (TUG). The data was analyzed before starting the intervention and after every Continuous..