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Treffer: 184
  • 2020

  • Scaglia, Lara (2020): Kant's notion of a transcendental schema. The constitution of objective cognition between epistemology and psychology. Berlin: Peter Lang AG (Studia philosophica et historica)
  • 2018

  • Otterbring, Tobias; Lu, Chaoren (2018): Clothes, condoms, and customer satisfaction. The effect of employee mere presence on customer satisfaction depends on the shopping situation. In: Psychology & Marketing 35 (6), S. 454-462. DOI: 10.1002/mar.21098

    Abstract: Few studies have examined how customers respond to the mere presence of others in the shopping environment, and only one article (Soderlund, ) has investigated the unique impact that employee presence has on key customer outcomes. Soderlund () found that customers entering a store with an employee present (vs. absent) reported significantly higher levels of customer satisfaction, with their increased levels of pleasurable feelings mediating this effect. However, similar to the majority of theorizing on customer satisfaction, that article was restricted to data collected in a Western society. Given the rapid economic growth in many Asian regions, there is a need to examine the applicability of such Western-based findings from an Asian perspective, and hence include participants from Eastern societies. Accordingly, the present research investigated whether Soderlund's () results could be replicated among Asian customers. The current work also sought to extend prior findings beyond pleasure and customer satisfaction while simultaneously documenting a boundary condition for the hitherto positive employee mere presence effects. To this end, two between-subjects experiments with a total sample of 498 Chinese customers were conducted. Study 1, which involved a shopping situation in a clothing store, replicated Soderlund's () main results and further found that employee mere presence (vs. absence) had a significant positive impact on customers' loyalty intentions. These results were reversed in Study 2, in which the shopping situation involved the purchase of an embarrassing product. Under such circumstances, employee presence (vs. absence) consistently produced negative effects on customers' levels of pleasure, satisfaction, and loyalty intentions.

  • Whitaker, Lydia; Brown, Stephen L.; Young, Bridget; Fereday, Richard; Coyne, Sarah M.; Qualter, Pamela (2018): Pervasive, hard-wired and male. Qualitative study of how UK adolescents view alcohol-related aggression. In: PLoS one 13 (2). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191269

    DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29408910 

    Abstract: Laboratory studies of alcohol-inexperienced adolescents show that aggression can be primed by alcohol-related stimuli, suggesting that alcohol-related aggression is partly socially learned. Script theory proposes that alcohol-related aggression 'scripts' for social behaviors are culturally-available and learned by individuals. The purpose of the study was to understand the content and origins of alcohol-related aggression scripts learned by adolescents. This qualitative focus group study of 40 adolescents (ages 14-16 years) examined alcohol-related aggression scripts. Participants believed aggression and severe injury to be pervasive when young people drink. Viewed through a biological lens, participants described aggression as an 'instinctive' and 'hard-wired' male trait facilitated by intoxication. As such, alcohol-related aggression was not seen as intended or personally controllable and participants did not see it in moral terms. Females were largely viewed as either bystanders of inter-male aggression or potential victims of male sexual aggression. Participants attributed their views on the frequency and nature of alcohol-related aggression to current affairs and reality television, which they felt portrayed a reality of which they had little experience. The origins of the explicitly biological frameworks that participants used seemed to lie in pre-existing beliefs about the nature of gender differences. Perceptions of the pervasiveness of male alcohol-related aggression, and the consequent failure to view alcohol-related aggression in moral terms, could dispose some young people to alcohol-related aggression. Interventions could target (1) the beliefs that alcohol-related aggression is pervasive and uncontrollable in males, and (2) participants' dysfunctional views of masculinity that underpin those beliefs.

  • 2017

  • Batres, Carlota; Kannan, Mallini; Perrett, David I. (2017): Familiarity with Own Population's Appearance Influences Facial Preferences. In: Human nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.) 28 (3), S. 344-354. DOI: 10.1007/s12110-017-9289-8

    DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28516361 

    Abstract: Previous studies have found that individuals from rural areas in Malaysia and in El Salvador prefer heavier women than individuals from urban areas. Several explanations have been proposed to explain these differences in weight preferences but no study has explored familiarity as a possible explanation. We therefore sought to investigate participants' face preferences while also examining the facial characteristics of the actual participants. Our results showed that participants from rural areas preferred heavier-looking female faces than participants from urban areas. We also found that the female faces from the rural areas were rated as looking heavier than the female faces from the urban areas. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that familiarity may be contributing to the differences found in face preferences between rural and urban areas given that people from rural and urban areas are exposed to different faces.

  • Baum, William M. (2017): Understanding behaviorism. Behavior, culture, and evolution. Third Edition. Hoboken: Wiley. Online verfügbar unter http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&AN=1446528

     

    Abstract: What is behaviorism? -- Behaviorism : definition and history -- Behaviorism as philosophy of science -- Public, private, natural, and fictional -- A scientific model of behavior -- Evolutionary theory and reinforcement -- Purpose and reinforcement -- Stimulus control and knowledge -- Verbal behavior and language -- Rule-governed behavior and thinking -- Freedom -- Responsibility, credit, and blame -- Relationships, management, and government -- Values : religion and science -- The evolution of culture -- Design of culture : experimenting for survival

  • Clement, Sarah; Bollinger, Richard (2017): Accelerating Progress. A New Era of Research on Character Development. In: Journal of youth and adolescence 46 (6), S. 1240-1245. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-017-0681-9

    DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28470439 

    Abstract: Adolescent character development is a high priority for educators, policymakers, and front-line youth workers. To meet this growing demand, and as exemplified in the five articles in this special section, character development scholars are drawing from a range of academic disciplines to push beyond the traditional boundaries of the science of character development. These articles highlight important trends in character research, including the co-development of a subset of character strengths, the articulation of developmental trajectories of character, the use of advanced methodological approaches, and the implications for education. Studies such as these are critically important for establishing the research base that will be used to design the character development programs of tomorrow. Adolescent character development is a high priority for educators, policymakers, and front-line youth workers. To meet this growing demand, and as exemplified in the five articles in this special section, character development scholars are drawing from a range of academic disciplines to push beyond the traditional boundaries of the science of character development. These articles highlight important trends in character research, including the co-development of a subset of character strengths, the articulation of developmental trajectories of character, the use of advanced methodological approaches, and the implications for education. Studies such as these are critically important for establishing the research base that will be used to design the character development programs of tomorrow.

  • Ellemers, Naomi (2017): Morality and the regulation of social behavior. Groups as moral anchors. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge (European monographs in social psychology)

    Abstract: Morality indicates what is the ‘right’ and what is the ‘wrong’ way to behave. It is one of the most popular areas of research in contemporary social psychology, driven in part by recent political-economic crises and the behavioral patterns they exposed. In the past, work on morality tended to highlight individual concerns and moral principles, but more recently researchers have started to address the group context of moral behavior. In Morality and the Regulation of Social Behavior: Groups as Moral Anchors, Naomi Ellemers builds on her extensive research experience to draw together a wide range of insights and findings on morality. She offers an essential integrative summary of the social functions of moral phenomena, examines how social groups contribute to moral values, and explains how groups act as ‘moral anchors’.

  • Freedman, Gili; Flanagan, Mary (2017): From dictators to avatars. Furthering social and personality psychology through game methods. In: Social and Personality Psychology Compass 11 (12). DOI: 10.1111/spc3.12368

    Abstract: From football to the ultimatum game to chess to World of Warcraft, games have been used in social and personality psychology research for decades. Games are a unique and powerful method: They are engaging and have the potential to both manipulate and measure psychological constructs. In fact, researchers have used physical games, board games, behavioral economics games, and digital games to study a range of individual differences, interpersonal processes, and social cognitive processes. Furthermore, researchers have the opportunity to create their own games that can be targeted directly toward their topic of interest. Our review provides a primer for social and personality psychologists interested in using existing games or creating new games for their research as a method for understanding attitudes, behaviors, emotions, cognitions, and perceptions.

  • Gangopadhyay, Nivedita (2017): The future of social cognition. Paradigms, concepts and experiments. In: Synthese 194 (3), S. 655-672. DOI: 10.1007/s11229-016-1162-5

    Abstract: Since the publication of Premack and Woodruff's classic paper introducing the notion of a 'theory of mind' (Premack and Woodruff in Behav Brain Sci 1(4):515-526, 1978), interdisciplinary research in social cognition has witnessed the development of theory-theory, simulation theory, hybrid approaches, and most recently interactionist and perceptual accounts of other minds. The challenges that these various approaches present for each other and for research in social cognition range from adequately defining central concepts to designing experimental paradigms for testing empirical hypotheses. But is there any approach that promises to dominate future interdisciplinary research in social cognition? Is social cognition witnessing a gradual paradigm shift where hitherto grounding notions such as theory of mind are no longer viewed as explanatorily necessary? Or have we simply lost our way in attempting to devise adequate experimental setups that could sway the debate in favour of one of the contending accounts? This special issue addresses these questions in an attempt to discover what the future holds for interdisciplinary research in social cognition.

  • Goertz-Dorten, Anja; Benesch, Christina; Hautmann, Christopher; Berk-Pawlitzek, Emel; Faber, Martin; Lindenschmidt, Timo; Stadermann, Rahel; Schuh, Lioba; Doepfner, Manfred (2017): Efficacy of an individualized social competence training for children with Oppositional Defiant Disorders/Conduct Disorders. In: Psychotherapy research : journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research 27 (3), S. 326-337. DOI: 10.1080/10503307.2015.1094587

    DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26522864 

    Abstract: OBJECTIVES Group-based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy of children with aggressive behavior has resulted in significant reductions of behavior problems with small to medium effect sizes. We report the efficacy of an individualized Treatment Program for Children with Aggressive Behavior. METHOD A within-subject design with two phases (waiting, treatment) was chosen. Sixty boys aged 6-12 years with peer-related aggressive behavior were included. The course of the outcome measures (growth rates) during a 6-week waiting phase was compared with those in the subsequent treatment phase (24 weekly child sessions together with an average of 8 parent contacts) by multilevel modeling. Primary outcome was peer-related aggressive behavior rated by parents. Further outcome measures included parent ratings and patient self-reports of aggressive and prosocial behavior. RESULTS During the treatment, growth rates for all parent-rated outcome measures were significant (p < .001) and comparison with the waiting phase indicated a stronger decrease in aggressive behavior and a stronger increase in prosocial behavior. For all self-rated outcome measures, growth rates during the treatment were significant (p < .01), but comparison with the waiting phase indicated a stronger decrease only for disturbance of social interaction. CONCLUSIONS The treatment program is an effective intervention for children with peer-related aggressive behavior.

  • Mariia, Kazanzhy (2017): THE IMPORTANCE OF FACILITATION IN SUCCESSFUL ADAPTATION. In: Science and Education 23 (7), S. 142-146. DOI: 10.24195/2414-4665-2017-7-23

    Abstract: This paper presents the data concerning the connectedness of the facilitative potential components, its manifestation in different fields of vital activity, basic senses of helping behaviour and socio-psychological adaptability. Based on the results of multiple regressive analysis, there has been established the importance of all facilitation aspects in order to predict personality adaptability. It has been proved that persons with developed facilitation have a higher degree of adaptability (on the sample of socionomic professions). The study of the peculiarities of adaptation directly in a complex life situation which is the process of accommodation to a foreign environment that can be combined with the beginning of family relations and is a rather tense and difficult period in subjects' lives has shown the importance of the facilitative ability in the success of its course. The obtained data provide valuable information on possible ways to increase the individual adaptivity through the development, formation of their facilitative potential, as well as the facilitative qualities of the social environment.

  • McHugh, Cillian; McGann, Marek; Igou, Eric R.; Kinsella, Elaine L. (2017): Searching for Moral Dumbfounding. Identifying Measurable Indicators of Moral Dumbfounding. In: Collabra: Psychology 3 (1). DOI: 10.1525/collabra.79

    Abstract: Moral dumbfounding is defined as maintaining a moral judgement, without supporting reasons. The most cited demonstration of dumbfounding does not identify a specific measure of dumbfounding and has not been published in peer-review form, or directly replicated. Despite limited empirical examination, dumbfounding has been widely discussed in moral psychology. The present research examines the reliability with which dumbfounding can be elicited, and aims to identify measureable indicators of dumbfounding. Study 1 aimed at establishing the effect that is reported in the literature. Participants read four scenarios and judged the actions described. An Interviewer challenged participants’ stated reasons for judgements. Dumbfounding was evoked, as measured by two indicators, admissions of not having reasons (17%), unsupported declarations (9%) with differences between scenarios. Study 2 measured dumbfounding as the selecting of an unsupported declaration as part of a computerised task. We observed high rates of dumbfounding across all scenarios. Studies 3a (college sample) and 3b (MTurk sample), addressing limitations in Study 2, replaced the unsupported declaration with an admission of having no reason, and included open-ended responses that were coded for unsupported declarations. As predicted, lower rates of dumbfounding were observed (3a 20%; 3b 16%; or 3a 32%; 3b 24% including unsupported declarations in open-ended responses). Two measures provided evidence for dumbfounding across three studies; rates varied with task type (interview/computer task), and with the particular measure being employed (admissions of not having reasons/unsupported declarations). Possible cognitive processes underlying dumbfounding and limitations of methodologies used are discussed as a means to account for this variability.

  • Nesterko, Yuriy; Kaiser, Marie; Glaesmer, Heide (2017): Kultursensible Aspekte während der Diagnostik von psychischen Belastungen bei Flüchtlingen – Zwei kommentierte Fallberichte. In: Psychotherapie, Psychosomatik, medizinische Psychologie 67 (3-04), S. 109-118. DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-107802

    DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27706544 

    Abstract: High levels of mental disorders, especially PTSD, are commonly known among groups of people forced to leave their homeland as a consequence of war-related experiences (e. g. armed conflict, torture or persecution). Depending on the cultural background the perceptions of illnesses vary, different symptom presentation and thereupon different coping strategies respectively expectations towards health care services exist. To minimize the danger of misdiagnosis by different experts working with refugees in the host countries, a culture-sensitive diagnostic approach is needed from the beginning. This article describes important aspects of culture-sensitive diagnostics by means of 2 commented case reports. Special focus is set on the aspect of linguistic and in a broader sense cultural comprehension between therapist, client and if necessary language mediator.

  • Patrzyk, Piotr Mateusz; Takáč, Martin (2017): Cooperation Via Intimidation. An Emergent System of Mutual Threats can Maintain Social Order. In: Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation 20 (4). DOI: 10.18564/jasss.3336

    Abstract: Can human aggressiveness promote peaceful cooperation? Despite the seeming contradiction of these phenomena, our study suggests the answer is yes. We develop two agent-based models of cooperative interactions among aggressive agents threatening each other. In Model 1, we show that aggressive displays performed by dominance-seeking individuals create a system of mutual threats that effectively enforces cooperation and inhibits agents from escalating conflicts. This happens because agents observe each other fighting, which deters them from attacking each other due to aggressive reputations. In Model 2 we extend this effect to third-party interventions showing that forming alliances makes attacks more efficient and promotes the emergence of common rules determining whom to fight against. In such a state, social order is maintained by the existence of moral alliances - groups of agents willing to fight against norm violators. In summary, we argue that reputation for toughness and the aggressive predisposition of humans could have played an important role in the evolution of cooperation and moral systems.

  • Thomson, Rebecca N. (2017): A Pilot Study of a Self-Administered Parent Training Intervention for Building Preschoolers’ Social-Emotional Competence. In: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION JOURNAL 45 (3), S. 419-426

    Abstract: Social-emotional skills are equally as crucial for school success as cognitive and academic skills (WebsterStratton and Reid in Infants Young Child 17: 96-113, 2004), yet many young children lack these skills (Lavigne et al. in J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 35:204-214, 1996). Therefore, it is essential to invest in the development of social-emotional competence at an early age-a task that necessitates active parent involvement (WebsterStratton and Reid 2004). This pilot study explored the effectiveness, integrity, and acceptability of a self-administered parent training intervention [Devereux Early Childhood Assessment-Second Edition (DECA-P2) family guide (Mackrain and Cairone in Promoting resilience for now and forever: a family guide for supporting the social and emotional development of preschool children, 2nd edn. Kaplan Early Learning Company, Lewisville, 2013)] targeting the promotion of social-emotional competence in young children (N = 12). Pre-and post-test parent reports revealed that children's social-emotional competence increased and behavior problems decreased following program completion. Parent ratings indicated the intervention was carried out as intended (i.e., integrity) and that it was helpful (i.e., acceptability). These exploratory findings suggest that this self-administered parent intervention shows promise as an alternative to face-to-face early childhood prevention services.

  • Yomogida, Yukihito; Matsumoto, Madoka; Aoki, Ryuta; Sugiura, Ayaka; Phillips, Adam N.; Matsumoto, Kenji (2017): The Neural Basis of Changing Social Norms through Persuasion. In: Scientific reports 7 (1). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-16572-2

    DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29176682 

    Abstract: Social norms regulate behavior, and changes in norms have a great impact on society. In most modern societies, norms change through interpersonal communication and persuasive messages found in media. Here, we examined the neural basis of persuasion-induced changes in attitude toward and away from norms using fMRI. We measured brain activity while human participants were exposed to persuasive messages directed toward specific norms. Persuasion directed toward social norms specifically activated a set of brain regions including temporal poles, temporo-parietal junction, and medial prefrontal cortex. Beyond these regions, when successful, persuasion away from an accepted norm specifically recruited the left middle temporal and supramarginal gyri. Furthermore, in combination with data from a separate attitude-rating task, we found that left supramarginal gyrus activity represented participant attitude toward norms and tracked the persuasion-induced attitude changes that were away from agreement.

  • Zhang, Wei; He, Xianyou; Lai, Siyan; Wan, Juan; Lai, Shuxian; Zhao, Xueru; Li, Darong (2017): Neural substrates of embodied natural beauty and social endowed beauty. An fMRI study. In: Scientific reports 7 (1). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-07608-8

    DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28769082 

    Abstract: What are the neural mechanisms underlying beauty based on objective parameters and beauty based on subjective social construction? This study scanned participants with fMRI while they performed aesthetic judgments on concrete pictographs and abstract oracle bone scripts. Behavioral results showed both pictographs and oracle bone scripts were judged to be more beautiful when they referred to beautiful objects and positive social meanings, respectively. Imaging results revealed regions associated with perceptual, cognitive, emotional and reward processing were commonly activated both in beautiful judgments of pictographs and oracle bone scripts. Moreover, stronger activations of orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and motor-related areas were found in beautiful judgments of pictographs, whereas beautiful judgments of oracle bone scripts were associated with putamen activity, implying stronger aesthetic experience and embodied approaching for beauty were elicited by the pictographs. In contrast, only visual processing areas were activated in the judgments of ugly pictographs and negative oracle bone scripts. Results provide evidence that the sense of beauty is triggered by two processes: one based on the objective parameters of stimuli (embodied natural beauty) and the other based on the subjective social construction (social endowed beauty).

  • Zhao, Kun; Ferguson, Eamonn; Smillie, Luke D. (2017): Individual Differences in Good Manners Rather Than Compassion Predict Fair Allocations of Wealth in the Dictator Game. In: Journal of personality 85 (2), S. 244-256. DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12237

    DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26691600 

    Abstract: One of the most common tools for studying pro-sociality is the dictator game, in which allocations to one's partner are often described in terms of altruism. However, the motivations driving these allocations may represent either emotional concern for others (compassion), adherence to social norms regarding fairness (politeness), or both. In this article, we apply personality psychology to the study of behavior in the dictator game, in which we examine the discriminant validity of distinct pro-social constructs from the Big Five and HEXACO models in relation to allocations of wealth. Across four studies (Study 1: N = 192; Study 2: N = 212; Study 3: N = 304; Study 4: N = 90) utilizing both hypothetical and incentivized designs, we found that the politeness-but not compassion-aspect of Big Five Agreeableness, as well as HEXACO Honesty-Humility, uniquely predicted dictator allocations within their respective personality models. These findings contribute to a growing literature indicating that the standard dictator game measures "good manners" or adherence to norms concerning fairness, rather than pure emotional concern or compassionate motives, and have important implications for how this paradigm is used and interpreted in psychological research.

  • Zhao, Kun; Ferguson, Eamonn; Smillie, Luke D. (2017): Politeness and Compassion Differentially Predict Adherence to Fairness Norms and Interventions to Norm Violations in Economic Games. In: Scientific reports 7 (1). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02952-1

    DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28611410 

    Abstract: Adherence to norms and interventions to norm violations are two important forms of social behaviour modelled in economic games. While both appear to serve a prosocial function, they may represent separate mechanisms corresponding with distinct emotional and psychological antecedents, and thus may be predicted by different personality traits. In this study, we compared adherence to fairness norms in the dictator game with responses to violations of the same norms in third-party punishment and recompensation games with respect to prosocial traits from the Big Five and HEXACO models of personality. The results revealed a pattern of differential relations between prosocial traits and game behaviours. While norm adherence in the dictator game was driven by traits reflecting good manners and non-aggression (the politeness aspect of Big Five agreeableness and HEXACO honesty-humility), third-party recompensation of victims-and to a lesser extent, punishment of offenders-was uniquely driven by traits reflecting emotional concern for others (the compassion aspect of Big Five agreeableness). These findings demonstrate the discriminant validity between similar prosocial constructs and highlight the different prosocial motivations underlying economic game behaviours.

  • Zhao, Kun; Ferguson, Eamonn; Smillie, Luke D. (2017): When Fair Is Not Equal. In: Social Psychological and Personality Science 8 (8), S. 847-857. DOI: 10.1177/1948550616683018

    Abstract: Growing evidence has highlighted the importance of social norms in promoting prosocial behaviors in economic games. Specifically, individual differences in norm adherence—captured by the politeness aspect of Big Five agreeableness—have been found to predict fair allocations of wealth to one’s partner in the dictator game. Yet, most studies have used neutrally framed paradigms, where players may default to norms of equality in the absence of contextual cues. In this study (N = 707), we examined prosocial personality traits and dictator allocations under salient real-world norms of equity and need. Extending on the previous research, we found that—in addition to politeness—the compassion aspect of agreeableness predicted greater allocations of wealth when they were embedded in real-world norms. These results represent an important step in understanding the real-world implications of laboratory-based research, demonstrating the importance of both normative context and prosocial traits.

  • 2016

  • Fiebich, Anika (2016): Pluralism, social cognition, and interaction in autism. In: Philosophical Psychology 30 (1-2), S. 161-184. DOI: 10.1080/09515089.2016.1261394

    Abstract: In this paper, I investigate social cognition and its relation to interaction in autism from the perspective of a pluralist account of social understanding by considering behavioral as well as neuroscientific findings. Traditionally, researchers have focused on mental state reasoning in autism, which is uncontroversially impaired. A pluralist account of social cognition aims to explore the varieties of social understanding that are acquired throughout ontogeny and may play a role in everyday life. The analysis shows that children with autism are well able to understand other people's behavior by considering social rules and norms, scripts, and stereotypes. Moreover, some individuals with autism succeed in understanding other people's behavior in terms of mental states by employing explicit behavioral rules as a compensatory strategy. The paper ends with a discussion of the social cognitive (dys)functions in autism and their relation to the motivation of individuals with autism to engage in social interaction.

  • Hölzel, Lars P.; Ries, Zivile; Kriston, Levente; Dirmaier, Jörg; Zill, Jördis M.; Rummel-Kluge, Christine; Niebling, Wilhelm; Bermejo, Isaac; Härter, Martin (2016): Effects of culture-sensitive adaptation of patient information material on usefulness in migrants. A multicentre, blinded randomised controlled trial. In: BMJ open 6 (11). DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012008

    DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27881523 

    Abstract: OBJECTIVES To evaluate the usefulness of culture-sensitive patient information material compared with standard translated material. DESIGN Multicentre, double-blind randomised controlled trial. SETTING 37 primary care practices. PARTICIPANTS 435 adult primary care patients with a migration background with unipolar depressive disorder or non-specific chronic low back pain were randomised. Patients who were unable to read in the language of their respective migration background were excluded. Sufficient data were obtained from 203 women and 106 men. The largest group was of Russian origin (202 patients), followed by those of Turkish (52), Polish (30) and Italian (25) origin. INTERVENTIONS Intervention group: provision of culture-sensitive adapted material. CONTROL GROUP provision of standard translated material. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Primary outcome: patient-rated usefulness (USE) assessed immediately after patients received the material. SECONDARY OUTCOMES patient-rated usefulness after 8 weeks and 6 months, symptoms of depression (PHQ-9), back pain (Back Pain Core Set) and quality of life (WHO-5) assessed at all time points. RESULTS Usefulness was found to be significantly higher (t=1.708, one-sided p=0.04) in the intervention group (USE-score=65.08, SE=1.43), compared with the control group (61.43, SE=1.63), immediately after patients received the material, in the intention-to-treat analysis, with a mean difference of 3.65 (one-sided 95% lower confidence limit=0.13). No significant differences were found for usefulness at follow-up (p=0.16, p=0.71). No significant effect was found for symptom severity in depression (p=0.95, p=0.66, p=0.58), back pain (p=0.40, p=0.45, p=0.32) or quality of life (p=0.76, p=0.86, p=0.21), either immediately after receiving the material, or at follow-up (8 weeks; 6 months). Patients with a lower level of dominant society immersion benefited substantially and significantly more from the intervention than patients with a high level of immersion (p=0.005). CONCLUSION Cultural adaptation of patient information material provides benefits over high quality translations. Clinicians are encouraged to use culture-sensitive material in their consultations, particularly with low-acculturated patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER German Register for Clinical Trials: DRKS00004241, Universal Trial Number: U1111-1135-8043, Results.

  • Lauckner, Mathis (2016): Human-robot spatial interaction in a hallway Technische Universität Berlin, Dietrich Manzey und Rainer Hoeger

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.14279/DEPOSITONCE-5084 

    Abstract: In general, previous research in human-robot interaction has provided evidence for the relevance of robotic motion behavior on positive impressions towards robots. In particular, a socially appropriate designed robotic distance behavior, avoiding personal space violations, has been reported to be essential for a comfortable human-robot spatial interaction. Unfortunately, human-robot proxemics lacks systematic explorations of accepted frontal approach and lateral passing distances in a hallway, and existing studies are complicated to relate to each other due to the application of many different robots and a high variance of further incomparable study details. Thus, the primary research goal of this dissertation was to explore accepted frontal approach and lateral passing distances for an autonomously moving robot toward a standing human in a hallway, and supplementary, the relation of these distance preferences to the robot’s level of speed and human likeness. In addition, the present work intends to explore the relevance of a robot’s proxemic behavior for its overall motion acceptance, and people’s underlying psychological motives guiding their preferences. Towards an exploration of these research objectives, a method comprising a series of three studies was conceptualized and conducted in comparable hallway-like settings. In a first study, participants were instructed to actively control a robot’s frontal approach and its lateral passing distance according to their arousing feelings of discomfort. In two successive studies, the analyzed thresholds of comfort were validated for two diverse robots, autonomously maintaining frontal approach and lateral passing distances in a hallway. In addition, potential influences of a robot’s level of speed (0.6m/s, 0.8m/s) and human likeness (machine-, human-like) on subjects’ distance preferences were explored. In these studies, participants’ sensations were captured by using a set of questionnaires. Obtained results uncovered that accepted frontal approach (approximate 0.8m) and lateral passing mean distances (approximate 0.4m) towards autonomously moving robots in a hallway exist, and that these distances were not significantly affected by the simulated autonomy of the robots. However, a faster robot speed (0.8m/s) significantly increased subjects’ distance preferences. The different outward robot designs of the employed robots had no significant influence on subjects’ frontal distance preferences. In contrast, the manipulated level of human likeness showed that a more human-like robot design had only significant influences on subjects’ lateral distance preferences when a real human face was projected on a robot’s screen (decrease in lateral distances by more than 0.1m). Essentially, in line with previous research, the present work shows that a socially acceptable moving robot should consider people’s distance preferences in order to avoid feelings of discomfort, and to increase the perceived safety and the overall motion acceptance. In consensus with prevailing psychological motives in human-human spatial interactions, the present work suggests similar mechanisms in a human-robot spatial interaction guiding subjects’ preferences. Ultimately, beyond the attained mean distances, frontal approach distances of 1.1m and lateral passing distances of 0.6m were suggested for designing a socially appropriate first contact for a large majority of individuals, which in turn supports a facilitated societal integration. Limitations of this research project are discussed and suggestions for future investigations are presented. Insgesamt hat die bisherige Forschung in human-robot interaction gezeigt, dass das Bewegungsverhalten eines Roboters für positive Eindrücke gegenüber Robotern von Relevanz ist. Ein sozial angemessen gestaltetes Abstandsverhalten von Robotern, dass Verletzungen des personal space vermeidet, wird vor allem als ein essentielles Kriterium für eine komfortable räumliche Interaktion zwischen Mensch und Roboter postuliert. Leider mangelt es der human-robot proxemics bisher an systematischen Untersuchungen zu akzeptierten frontalen Annäherungsdistanzen und seitlichen Passierdistanzen im Gang, und weiterhin ist es schwierig, aufgrund von vielen unterschiedlich verwendeten Robotern sowie einer hohen Varianz von zahlreichen anderen unvergleichbaren Studienmerkmalen, bereits durchgeführte Studien aufeinander zu beziehen.\tDemzufolge war das primäre Forschungsziel dieser Dissertation akzeptierte frontale Annäherungs- und seitliche Passierdistanzen von einem autonom fahrenden Roboter gegenüber einem im Gang stehenden Menschen zu explorieren, und darauf aufbauend, die Beziehung von Distanzpräferenzen zu der Geschwindigkeit und Menschenähnlichkeit des Roboters zu erforschen. Außerdem beabsichtigt die vorliegende Arbeit die Relevanz des proxemischen Verhaltens eines Roboters für dessen gesamte Bewegungsakzeptanz zu ergründen sowie Einblicke auf die zugrunde liegenden psychologischen Motive der Distanzpräferenzen zu erhalten. Die Grundlage für die Erforschung dieser Ziele bildet eine Serie von drei Studien, die in vergleichbaren gangähnlichen Versuchsumgebungen durchgeführt wurden. In der ersten Studie mussten die Probanden die frontale Annäherungsdistanz und die seitliche Passierdistanz des Roboters in Abhängigkeit ihrer räumlichen Behaglichkeit selbst kontrollieren. In zwei nachfolgenden Studien wurden die analysierten Komfortschwellen mit zwei unterschiedlichen Robotern validiert, die frontale Annäherungs- und seitliche Passierdistanzen im Gang autonom einhielten. Desweiteren wurden potentielle Einflüsse der Robotergeschwindigkeit (0.6m/s, 0.8m/s) und der Menschenähnlichkeit (maschinenähnlich/menschenähnlich) des Roboters auf die Distanzpräferenzen der Probanden untersucht. Hierfür wurden die Empfindungen der Probanden mit Hilfe von Fragebögen gemessen. Die gewonnenen Ergebnisse zeigten, dass eine durchschnittlich akzeptierte frontale Annäherungs- (ungefähr 0.8m) und eine durchschnittlich akzeptierte seitliche Passierdistanz (ungefähr 0.4m) gegenüber autonom fahrender Roboter im Gang existiert, und das diese Distanzen nicht signifikant durch die simulierte Autonomie der Roboter beeinflusst wurden. Allerdings führte eine höhere Robotergeschwindigkeit (0.8m/s) zu einer signifikanten Vergrößerung der Distanzpräferenzen. Der unterschiedliche äußere Erscheinungscharakter der beiden verwendeten Roboter hatte keinen signifikanten Einfluss auf die frontalen Distanzpräferenzen der Probanden. Im Gegensatz dazu zeigte die Manipulation der Menschenähnlichkeit, dass ein eher menschenähnlich anmutender Roboter zu einer signifikanten Verringerung der seitlichen Distanzpräferenzen führt, wenn ein reales menschliches Gesicht auf dem Bildschirm des Roboters projeziert wurde (Verringerung der seitlichen Distanz um mehr also 0.1m). Im Wesentlichen bestätigt die vorliegende Arbeit vorherige Forschungsaktivitäten, denn sie zeigt, dass menschliche Distanzpräferenzen berücksichtigt werden müssen, um ein sozial akzeptiertes Bewegungsverhalten eines Roboters zu bewirken, und damit Unbehaglichkeit zu vermeiden und die wahrgenommene Sicherheit sowie die gesamte Bewegungsakzeptanz zu erhöhen. Weiterhin lassen die erzielten Ergebnisse vermuten, dass die präferenzbestimmenden Mechanismen in der räumlichen Interaktion zwischen Mensch und Roboter sich sehr mit den vorherrschenden psychologischen Motiven aus der räumlichen Interaktion zwischen Menschen ähneln. Abschließend, und unabhängig von den berichteten Durchschnittsdistanzen, verdeutlichten die gewonnenen Ergebnisse, dass eine frontale Annäherungsdistanz von 1.1m und eine seitliche Passierdistanz von 0.6m wesentlich geeigneter sind, um einen sozial angemessenen Erstkontakt für eine große Mehrheit von Individuen zu gewährleisten, was wiederum zu einer erleichterten sozialen Integration führt. Die Limitationen dieses Forschungsprojekts sind diskutiert und Vorschläge für weiterführende Forschungsaktivitäten sind präsentiert.

  • Lee, Raymond L. M. (2016): Diagnosing the Selfie. Pathology or Parody?: Networking the Spectacle in Late Capitalism. In: THIRD TEXT 30 (3-4), S. 264-273

    Abstract: Social networking sites are now reportedly flooded with millions of selfies, the purportedly narcissistic tendency to reproduce with webcams and smartphones self-images intended for widespread online dissemination. Like the chain-letter craze of yesteryears, selfies have become fast reduplicating memes targeted at no single destination and orbited in digital space as self-identities transformed into virtual signs. Psychological interpretations cast them as pathological manifestations of low self-esteem and attention-seeking behaviour, perhaps even a form of psychosis. However, defenders attempt to demonstrate selfie circulation as a reality sui generis with its own codes of communication and decorum that may even suggest the formation of new digital communities. However, this defence neglects the question of selfies as spectacles in network culture coinciding with the growth of surveillance practices. Intensification of spectacles aided by the spread of new media technologies may be seen as favouring an interpretation of selfies as reflecting the power of network memes rather than a pathological manifestation of narcissism.

  • Midgette, Allegra; Noh, Jee Young; Lee, In Jae; Nucci, Larry (2016): The Development of Korean Children’s and Adolescents’ Concepts of Social Convention. In: Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 47 (7), S. 918-928. DOI: 10.1177/0022022116655775

    Abstract: Previous research in the United States has revealed that children's and adolescents' understandings of social convention go through a developmental trajectory that includes an early adolescent phase negating the importance of convention. This study examined whether this developmental pattern would generalize to children and adolescents from the more traditional East Asian culture of Korea. Specifically, among U.S. samples, children in middle childhood have an understanding of conventions based on a concrete understanding of social hierarchy; early adolescents negate their prior understandings and view conventions as merely the dictates of authority; and in middle adolescence, U.S. samples establish an affirmation of convention as constituent elements of a social system structured by shared norms. Our hypotheses were that Korean children would not exhibit the negation phase associated with early adolescence and might develop an understanding of the societal function of convention earlier than U.S. samples. To examine this, interviews were conducted using culturally appropriate situations with 64 Korean children and adolescents in three age groups of 10 to 11 years (M-age = 10.1 years), 12 to 13 years (M-age = 13.2 years), and 15 to 16 years (M-age = 15.8 years). Findings revealed that, contrary to our expectations, Korean children go through the same developmental sequence of concepts about convention as observed with children in the United States. This implies that the developmental trajectories of understandings of the functions of social convention can be generalized to children in traditional East Asian cultural settings.