Anti-immigrant prejudice: understanding the roles of (perceived) values and value dissimilarity

Although human values and value dissimilarity play pivotal roles in the prejudice literature, there remain important gaps in our understanding. To address these gaps, we recruited three British samples (N = 350) and presented Muslim immigrants, refugees, and economic migrants as target groups. Using polynomial regression analyses, we simultaneously tested effects of individuals’ own values, their perceptions of immigrant values, and self-immigrant value dissimilarities on prejudice. Results indicated that favorability toward immigrants is higher when individuals hold higher self-transcendence values (e.g., equality) and lower self-enhancement values (e.g., power), and when they perceive immigrants to hold higher self-transcendence values and lower self-enhancement values. In addition, prejudice toward immigrants is higher when individuals who hold higher conservation values (e.g., security) perceive immigrants to value openness (e.g., freedom) more, suggesting a value dissimilarity effect. No value dissimilarity effects emerged when immigrants were perceived to be higher in conservation, self-transcendence, or self-enhancement values. Overall, these results showed that effects of values and value dissimilarity differ depending on which value dimension is considered. Additionally, the results revealed support for a novel mechanism with the motivation to be nonprejudiced underpinning the links between individuals’ values and prejudice. Our discussion highlights the multifaceted manner in which values are linked to prejudic

Comparison of Intravitreal Bevacizumab Upload Followed by a Dexamethasone Implant versus Dexamethasone Implant Monotherapy for Retinal Vein Occlusion with Macular Edema

Purpose: To compare the efficacy and safety of three intravitreal bevacizumab upload injections followed by a dexamethasone implant versus dexamethasone implant monotherapy in eyes with macular edema due to retinal vein occlusion. Methods: Sixty-four eyes of 64 patients were included in this prospective, consecutive, nonrandomized case series: group 1 consisted of 38 patients (22 with central retinal vein occlusion, CRVO, 16 with branch retinal vein occlusion, BRVO) treated using a dexamethasone implant (Ozurdex) alone; group 2 consisted of 26 patients (14 CRVO, 12 BRVO) treated with three consecutive intravitreal bevacizumab injections at monthly intervals followed by a dexamethasone implant. In case of recurrence, both cohorts received further dexamethasone implants. Preoperatively and monthly best corrected visual acuity (BCVA, ETDRS), central retinal thickness (Spectralis-OCT), intraocular pressure, and wide-angle fundus photodocumentation (Optomap) were performed. The primary clinical endpoint was BCVA at 6 months after initiation of therapy. Secondary endpoints were central retinal thickness and safety of the therapy applied. Results: In group 1, an increase in BCVA of 2.5 (+/- 1.6) letters in the CRVO and of 13.0 (+/- 3.2) letters in BRVO patients was seen after 6 months, in group 2 of 5.9 (+/- 0.4) letters (CRVO) and 3.8 (+/- 2.4) letters (BRVO), which was not statistically significant. When comparing the two treatment groups with respect to the type of vein occlusion, there was a significant advantage for BRVO patients for the dexamethasone implant monotherapy (BRVO patients in group 1, p = 0.005). Central retinal thickness showed a significant reduction after 6 months only in patients of group 1, both for CRVO (p = 0.01) and BRVO (p = 0.003). First recurrence after the first dexamethasone implant injection occurred after 3.8 months (mean) in CRVO and 3.5 months in BRVO patients (group 1), versus 3.2 and 3.7 months, respectively, in group 2. In group 1, 63.6% with CRVO and 50% with BRVO showed an increased intraocular pressure after treatment; in group 2, 57.1% with CRVO and 50.0% with BRVO, respectively. Conclusion: In CRVO, there was no difference between the two treatment strategies investigated. However, in BRVO, dexamethasone implant monotherapy was associated with better functional outcome. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

The Very Efficient Assessment of Need for Cognition: Developing a Six-Item Version

The need for cognition refers to people’s tendency to engage in and enjoy thinking and has become influential across social and medical sciences. Using three samples from the United States and the United Kingdom (N = 1,596), we introduce a six-item short version of the Need for Cognition Scale (NCS-18). First, we reduced the number of items from 18 to 6 based on the items’ discrimination values, threshold levels, measurement precision (item information curve), item–total correlations, and factor loadings. Second, we confirmed the one-factor structure and established measurement invariance across countries and gender. Finally, we demonstrated that while the NCS-6 provides significant time savings, it comes at a minimal cost in terms of its construct validity with external variables such as openness, cognitive reflection test, and need for affect. Overall, our findings indicate that the NCS-6 is a parsimonious, reliable, and valid measure of need for cognition

Valuing water : a global survey of the values that underpin water decisions

Valuing water is gaining popularity among policymakers and academics as a new water management paradigm. However, there is a lack of clarity about how to translate this paradigm into practice. We propose a multifaceted approach to valuing water that considers not just the values that people assign to water, such as its uses and benefits, but also broader personal guiding principles (e.g., security) and governance-related values (e.g., social justice) that underpin decision-making about water. Using an interdisciplinary conceptual framework and data from a global survey among water professionals (N = 293), we provide the first empirical evidence showing how preferences among three archetypical perspectives on water management – (1) controlling water flows through engineering solutions; (2) managing water through market-based mechanisms; (3) working with natural water ecosystems – can be explained by different types of values held by respondents, despite the enormous diversity among water management contexts around the world. The valuing water paradigm thus has an expressly political dimension to it; applying it makes explicit how water management decisions are informed by and may reinforce some values and weaken others. As such, it can be a useful diagnostic in the context of water conflicts, to help understand how decisions about water are linked to different stakeholder groups’ values. Valuing water may thus involve balancing conceptually contrasting values and preferences. It also requires the development and application of mechanisms and institutions for effective stakeholder participation in decision-making, especially in the context of significant power differentials between relevant stakeholders.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Affective and cognitive orientations in group perception

Three studies examined the role of Need for Affect (NFA) and Need for Cognition (NFC) in intergroup perception. We hypothesized that NFA predicts a preference for stereotypically warm groups over stereotypically cold groups, whereas NFC predicts a preference for stereotypically competent groups over stereotypically incompetent groups. Study 1 supported these hypotheses for attitudes toward stereotypically ambivalent groups, which are stereotyped as high on one of the trait dimensions (e.g., high warmth) and low on the other (e.g., low competence), but not for stereotypically univalent groups, which are seen as high or low on both dimensions. Studies 2 and 3 replicated this pattern for stereotypically ambivalent groups, and yielded provocative evidence regarding several putative mechanisms underlying these associations. Together, these findings help integrate and extend past evidence on attitude-relevant individual differences with research on intergroup perception

Visual acuity and central retinal thickness: fulfilment of retreatment criteria for recurrent neovascular AMD in routine clinical care

Background: To evaluate the fulfilment of retreatment criteria in recurrent neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) for a pro-re-nata treatment regime with ranibizumab in routine clinical care. Methods: Data from patients with treatment-naive nAMD were analysed retrospectively. As an `upload', all patients had received three-monthly intravitreal ranibizumab injections in a university eye hospital and were then seen by ophthalmologists in private practice who referred them back in case of recurrence. Recurrence was defined as a decrease of visual acuity (VA) of one line or more (functional retreatment criteria), a central retinal thickness (CRT) increase of at least 100 mm upon Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) examination (morphological retreatment criteria) or a new macular haemorrhage (clinical retreatment criteria). Results: We included 92 patients (36 men and 56 women). The mean VA before retreatment of a recurrence was -0.63 +/- 0.33 logMAR and improved significantly (p<0.001) by 0.10 +/- 0.16 logMAR to -0.53 +/- 0.28 logMAR thereafter. Mean CRT before retreatment was 278.07 +/- 87.56 mu m and decreased significantly (p<0.001) by 71.22 +/- 106.93 to 206.85 +/- 60.30 mu m. Evaluation of the fulfilment of retreatment criteria revealed functional retreatment criteria in 82.6% of patients. However, upon re-evaluation of VA using Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) charts in the treatment centre, mean decrease of VA was 10 letters as compared with the end of upload therapy. All patients presented an increased CRT when treated for recurrence of nAMD (mean increase 69.47 mu m), but the morphological retreatment criteria (CRT increase of 100 mu m or more) were fulfilled in only 44.4% of patients upon Spectral Domain OCT (SD-OCT) evaluation in the treatment centre. Conclusions: In a routine clinical care, evaluation of VA using ETDRS charts seems to be more sensitive than Snellen VA testing. Quantitative OCT-based retreatment criteria (eg, increase of CRT of 100 mm or more) appear to be not sensitive enough in a clinical setting with referring ophthalmologists

Visual acuity and central retinal thickness: fulfilment of retreatment criteria for recurrent neovascular AMD in routine clinical care

Background: To evaluate the fulfilment of retreatment criteria in recurrent neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) for a pro-re-nata treatment regime with ranibizumab in routine clinical care. Methods: Data from patients with treatment-naive nAMD were analysed retrospectively. As an `upload', all patients had received three-monthly intravitreal ranibizumab injections in a university eye hospital and were then seen by ophthalmologists in private practice who referred them back in case of recurrence. Recurrence was defined as a decrease of visual acuity (VA) of one line or more (functional retreatment criteria), a central retinal thickness (CRT) increase of at least 100 mm upon Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) examination (morphological retreatment criteria) or a new macular haemorrhage (clinical retreatment criteria). Results: We included 92 patients (36 men and 56 women). The mean VA before retreatment of a recurrence was -0.63 +/- 0.33 logMAR and improved significantly (p<0.001) by 0.10 +/- 0.16 logMAR to -0.53 +/- 0.28 logMAR thereafter. Mean CRT before retreatment was 278.07 +/- 87.56 mu m and decreased significantly (p<0.001) by 71.22 +/- 106.93 to 206.85 +/- 60.30 mu m. Evaluation of the fulfilment of retreatment criteria revealed functional retreatment criteria in 82.6% of patients. However, upon re-evaluation of VA using Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) charts in the treatment centre, mean decrease of VA was 10 letters as compared with the end of upload therapy. All patients presented an increased CRT when treated for recurrence of nAMD (mean increase 69.47 mu m), but the morphological retreatment criteria (CRT increase of 100 mu m or more) were fulfilled in only 44.4% of patients upon Spectral Domain OCT (SD-OCT) evaluation in the treatment centre. Conclusions: In a routine clinical care, evaluation of VA using ETDRS charts seems to be more sensitive than Snellen VA testing. Quantitative OCT-based retreatment criteria (eg, increase of CRT of 100 mm or more) appear to be not sensitive enough in a clinical setting with referring ophthalmologists