Search Results (19)

Background: Oral health misinformation has increasingly proliferated across social media platforms in China, prompting rising concerns about the accuracy of health-related content. Fact-checking intent has been identified as a key strategy for mitigating the spread of such misinformation. However, empirical research on the psychological factors shaping engagement in fact-checking behaviors remains limited. Objectives: This study aims to examine the association between misinformation recognition and fact-checking intent among Chinese young adults (aged 18–36). Methods: Guided by status quo bias theory, this study integrates psychological constructs into its theoretical framework. A stimulus-based online survey was conducted, yielding 452 valid responses. Direct, mediated, and serial mediation hypotheses were tested using SPSS 26.0 and Jamovi 2.6.24. Results: The findings indicate a significant positive relationship between misinformation recognition and fact-checking intent. A parallel mediation model involving need for cognition and perceived seriousness was supported, clarifying the psychological mechanisms underlying this relationship. Conclusions: This study contributes valuable empirical evidence to the understanding of fact-checking intent among Chinese young adults in the context of oral health misinformation. The findings offer practical implications for developing targeted interventions to increase misinformation awareness and promote active engagement in fact-checking behaviors. Full article

Our cross-sectional study, conducted from October 2022 to January 2023, aims to assess post-COVID job satisfaction, crucial work dimensions, and self-reported factors influencing nursing retention. Using an online survey, we surveyed 2572 nurses in different working fields in Bavaria, Germany. We employed a quantitative analysis, including a multivariable regression, to assess key influence factors on nursing retention. In addition, we evaluated open-ended questions via a template analysis to use in a joint display. In the status quo, 43.2% of nurses were not committed to staying in the profession over the next 12 months. A total of 66.7% of our surveyed nurses were found to be dissatisfied with the (i) time for direct patient care. Sources of dissatisfaction above 50% include (ii) service organization, (iii) documentation, (iv) codetermination, and (v) payment. The qualitative data underline necessary improvements in these areas. Regarding retention factors, we identified that nurses with (i) older age, (ii) living alone, (iii) not working in elder care, (iv) satisfactory working hours, (v) satisfactory career choice, (vi) career opportunities, (vii) satisfactory payment, and (viii) adequate working and rest times are more likely to remain in the profession. Conversely, dissatisfaction in (ix) supporting people makes nurses more likely to leave their profession and show emotional constraints. We uncovered a dichotomy where nurses have strong empathy for their profession but yearn for improvements due to unmet expectations. Policy implications should include measures for younger nurses and those in elderly care. Nevertheless, there is a need for further research, because our research is limited by potential bias from convenience sampling, and digitalization will soon show up as a potential solution to improve, e.g., documentation and enhanced time for direct patient time. Full article

A number of recent studies have examined the impact of advanced technologies on organizations. However, many (particularly those in developing countries) still face challenges when it comes to the adoption of mature technologies and have also continued to repeat many of the mistakes of early adopters, primarily in relation to automated workflow systems. The current paper analyses a case study of a public organization in the developing country of Saudi Arabia, with the aim of understanding its resistance to change brought about by the implementation of a mature technology, i.e., automated workflow systems. The study undertook semi-structured interviews with employees to establish the nature of this resistance, identifying their preference for familiar processes and systems, alongside their unwillingness to embrace the new system. Furthermore, the study highlighted a number of issues experienced during the implementation of automated workflow systems, including job security; changes in laws and rules; an inability to understand, and/or trust, the technology; the perceived risks and costs associated with change; and the transformation of business processes. It also cited factors related to organizational structure and power, and the discomfort involved in making difficult decisions. This study, therefore, aims to assist organizations to create a sound foundation for change prior to the adoption of more advanced technologies. Full article

Performance bottlenecks in the optimization of JND modeling based on low-level manual visual feature metrics have emerged. High-level semantics bear a considerable impact on perceptual attention and subjective video quality, yet most existing JND models do not adequately account for this impact. This indicates that there is still much room and potential for performance optimization in semantic feature-based JND models. To address this status quo, this paper investigates the response of visual attention induced by heterogeneous semantic features with an eye on three aspects, i.e., object, context, and cross-object, to further improve the efficiency of JND models. On the object side, this paper first focuses on the main semantic features that affect visual attention, including semantic sensitivity, objective area and shape, and central bias. Following that, the coupling role of heterogeneous visual features with HVS perceptual properties are analyzed and quantified. Second, based on the reciprocity of objects and contexts, the contextual complexity is measured to gauge the inhibitory effect of contexts on visual attention. Third, cross-object interactions are dissected using the principle of bias competition, and a semantic attention model is constructed in conjunction with a model of attentional competition. Finally, to build an improved transform domain JND model, a weighting factor is used by fusing the semantic attention model with the basic spatial attention model. Extensive simulation results validate that the proposed JND profile is highly consistent with HVS and highly competitive among state-of-the-art models. Full article

Revealed preference is one of the most influential ideas in economics. It is, however, not clear how it can be generally applied in cases where agents’ choices depend on arbitrary changes in the decision environment. In this paper, we propose a generalization of the classic rational choice theory that allows for such framing effects. Frames are modeled as different presentations (e.g., visual or conceptual) of the alternatives that may affect choice. Our main premise is that framing effects are neutral (i.e., independent of labeling the alternatives). An agent exhibiting these neutral framing effects who is otherwise rational, is called impressionable rational. We show that our theory encompasses many familiar behavioral models such as status-quo bias, satisficing, present bias, framing effects resulting from indecisiveness, certain forms of limited attention, categorization bias, and the salience theory of choice, as well as hybrid models. Moreover, in all these models, sufficiently rich choice data allow our theory to identify the “correct” underlying preferences without invoking each specific cognitive process. Additionally, we introduce a falsifiable axiom that completely characterizes the behavior of agents who are impressionable rational. Full article

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of this century. To contain its effects, the way we act would have to change significantly. Especially in the building sector, much progress can be made. Attempts have been made to stimulate sustainable behavior in the industry, for example, by implementing sustainable building measures in construction designs. However, adoption rates of these measures are low and behavioral change among building professionals is needed. Knowing why building professionals hold back in their use of these measures could support this behavioral change. This knowledge could, for example, inform energy policies or organizational strategies. That is why this study utilized the technology acceptance model and presents psychological factors as barriers to innovative sustainable building measure adoption in an organizational context. A survey among building professionals involved in real estate development (n = 109) was used to explore how conservatism within the building industry hinders adopting the building measures. To represent conservatism, we selected two cognitive biases that can be interpreted as a manifestation of status quo bias and confirmation bias, both fueled by information hassle (a micro-stressor caused by complex information). The effects of these variables on the adoption of sustainable building measures were tested using structural equation modeling, a methodology suitable for testing complex models and commonly used in behavioral research. Survey data indicate that conservatism is an essential barrier for building professionals to adopt sustainable building measures and that it increases when knowledge is low and information is complex. Based on these findings, we argue that policies and organizational strategies that attack these psychological barriers could promote the adoption of innovative sustainable building measures within the building sector. Full article

Multiracial organizing since the 1980s has centered around the need to define and make visible the term multiracial (e.g., U.S. Census). In the contemporary era when multiple race populations are a growing and institutionally recognized demographic, how do multiracial organizations characterize and seek to combat collective experiences of racial marginalization? Here, we draw on in-depth interviews with officers from diverse multiracial organizations in the U.S. and Canada (N = 19) collected from 2017 through 2018 to examine this question. The findings revealed that multiracial individuals experience distinct forms of exclusion, which we call categorical invisibility, that target individuals who do not “fit” into established monoracial categories, and mixture as pathology, a less common frame but representing more overt forms of bias targeting those of mixed backgrounds. The lived impacts of these experiences prompt the expressed need for “safe” spaces from the psychosocial costs of categorical invisibility. Multiracial organizations, located mostly in the United States with one in Canada, engage in diverse community building and advocacy efforts to address these needs and, thus, represent critical sites of resistance to the trauma of racial (in)visibility. This work amplifies the need to center Critical Multiracial Theory to expose how monoracial paradigms as a central feature of White supremacy continue to shape the lives of multiracial people and expand our knowledge on how multiracial organizations shape the (re)negotiation of racial categories that challenge the racial status quo. Full article

Higher education is in a moment of pause, facing an opportunity to transform or continue to perpetuate the status quo. The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the recognition of racial violence, has created an opportunity for institutions to question their own policies and practices. The purpose of this inquiry is to question the science behind established statistical practices. Specifically, the question guiding this investigation is: How can higher education quantitative scholars (students and faculty) identify and be critical of statistical practices that perpetuate inequity, forms of oppression, and White supremacy? Using a QuantCrit framework, five examples are presented that illustrate multiple forms of oppression, subjectivity, and bias including: (a) comparing across groups, (b) eliminating outliers, (c) addressing non-response bias, (d) small sample sizes, and (e) theory development. Two recommendations are discussed that could help transform higher educational quantitative research and training into a more inclusive, equitable, and anti-racist educational environment. Full article

A basic assumption of many scientific theories on the topic of decision making is rational behaviour. However, previous authors assume the existence of behavioural biases in freight transport which impede rational decision making. Hardly any research exists on behavioural biases in freight transport. To address this gap, we carry out a systematic literature review on the influencing factors of freight mode choice and provide empirical evidence for the occurrence of behavioural biases in the logistics sector. Fifteen logistics service providers and six shippers are involved in interviews and a focus group to understand their mode choice process and derive information on the existence of behavioural biases. Several biases showed to exist in the practical decision-making process. For example, decision makers tend to avoid complex options (principle of least effort), they stick to already tried and tested options (status quo bias, zero-risk bias) and they tend to make decisions based on immediate and easily accessible information (availability bias). These biases distort the demand for sustainable freight transport. We therefore conclude with several motivational, cognitive and technological debiasing strategies to reduce the negative impact of behavioural biases in freight transport. Full article

Immunity passports have the potential to allow large-scale international traveling to resume. However, they can only become an effective tool if they are widely supported by the general public. We carry out a double blind randomized online experiment with a sample of $N=4000$ Americans to study (i) whether two nudges can increase the level of support for a COVID pass for international traveling, (ii) the relationship between the effects of the nudges, and (iii) if these nudges have a negative spillover on the intention to get vaccinated. We find that both nudges increase the support for the COVID pass and that their impact is stronger when they are used together. Moreover, we find that the two nudges do not negatively affect intentions to get vaccinated. Our findings have important implications for policymakers and for the nascent literature on the interaction between multiple nudges. Full article

The article explores the mechanisms that affect consumers’ interest in luxury clothing innovations. The actual research aims to investigate the effect of status quo and clothing involvement on consumer brand loyalty. More, it was intended to quantify the influence of the level of engagement concerning clothing acquisition and the status quo tendency on the consumers’ level of interest toward innovative luxury fashion products. The models were analyzed through the partial-least square-path modeling method. The results revealed that status quo bias and consumers’ involvement in fashion influence their loyalty to brands and level of innovativeness. The novelty of the present research comes from the analysis of the impact of the status quo manifest variables on consumers’ innovative tendencies. Moreover, it was found that status consumption fully mediates the relationships among the investigated predictors and considered outcome variables. The mediator manifests the highest effect size of all investigated predictors. The actual paper advances research in a direction that was not sufficiently addressed in the past, introducing the status quo construct as the main predictor of peoples’ inclination to be loyal to a brand or to manifest a tendency toward innovativeness. Moreover, the article emphasizes the essential role manifested by social status in foreseeing a behavioral response. Full article

Background and objectives: Exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) has increased immensely over the past years, owing to diagnostic and therapeutic reasons. However, certain radiosensitive individuals show toxic enhanced reaction to IR, and it is necessary to specifically protect them from unwanted exposure. Although predicting radiosensitivity is the way forward in the field of personalised medicine, there is limited information on the potential biomarkers. The aim of this systematic review is to identify evidence from a range of literature in order to present the status quo of our knowledge of IR-induced changes in protein expression in normal tissues, which can be correlated to radiosensitivity. Methods: Studies were searched in NCBI Pubmed and in ISI Web of Science databases and field experts were consulted for relevant studies. Primary peer-reviewed studies in English language within the time-frame of 2011 to 2020 were considered. Human non-tumour tissues and human-derived non-tumour model systems that have been exposed to IR were considered if they reported changes in protein levels, which could be correlated to radiosensitivity. At least two reviewers screened the titles, keywords, and abstracts of the studies against the eligibility criteria at the first phase and full texts of potential studies at the second phase. Similarly, at least two reviewers manually extracted the data and accessed the risk of bias (National Toxicology Program/Office for Health Assessment and Translation—NTP/OHAT) for the included studies. Finally, the data were synthesised narratively in accordance to synthesis without meta analyses (SWiM) method. Results: In total, 28 studies were included in this review. Most of the records (16) demonstrated increased residual DNA damage in radiosensitive individuals compared to normo-sensitive individuals based on γH2AX and TP53BP1. Overall, 15 studies included proteins other than DNA repair foci, of which five proteins were selected, Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Caspase 3, p16^INK4A (Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A, CDKN2A), Interleukin-6, and Interleukin-1β, that were connected to radiosensitivity in normal tissue and were reported at least in two independent studies. Conclusions and implication of key findings: A majority of studies used repair foci as a tool to predict radiosensitivity. However, its correlation to outcome parameters such as repair deficient cell lines and patients, as well as an association to moderate and severe clinical radiation reactions, still remain contradictory. When IR-induced proteins reported in at least two studies were considered, a protein network was discovered, which provides a direction for further studies to elucidate the mechanisms of radiosensitivity. Although the identification of only a few of the commonly reported proteins might raise a concern, this could be because (i) our eligibility criteria were strict and (ii) radiosensitivity is influenced by multiple factors. Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42020220064). Full article

To gain competitive advantages and sustainable service innovation, hotels are considering artificial intelligence technologies (AI), including robots, kiosks for service automation and chatbots. However, due to the change of the service process and unfamiliar communication interface, hotel customers may have difficulties in adopting the new change. In this paper, we tried to find out if the failure of AI-based services would affect customers’ perception. For this, we designed the experiment by separating AI (i.e., chatbot) services and self-service technology (SST, i.e., pad) services and service failures and successful cases, respectively. As a result, SST showed more positive perceptions and revisit intention in the successful service situation. The service failure situation showed no differences between chatbot and SST. In addition, novelty and the need for interaction characteristics of customers showed significant differences between groups in terms of service success and failure, respectively. Additionally, we explored negative word-of-mouth (WOM) to learn further effects by service failures and successes. Full article

This study investigates whether cognitive biases such as the endowment effect and status quo bias occur in emissions trading. Such cognitive biases can serve as a barrier to trade. This study’s survey-based experiments, which include hypothetical emissions trading scenarios, show that the endowment effect does occur in emissions trading. The status quo bias occurs in only one of the three experiments. This study also investigates whether accumulation of experience can reduce cognitive bias as discovered preference hypothesis expects. The results indicate that practitioners who are supposed to have more experience show no evidence of having less cognitive bias. Contrary to the conventional expectation, the practitioners show significantly higher level of endowment effect than students and only the practitioners show a significant status quo bias. A consignment auction situation, which is used in California’s cap-and-trade program, is also tested; no significant difference between general permission trading and consignment auctions is found. Full article

Under the paradigm shift toward smart tourism, the exhibition industry is making efforts to introduce innovative technologies that can provide more diverse and valuable experiences to attendees. However, various new information technologies have failed in a market in practice due to the user’s resistance against it. Since innovative technology, such as booth recommender systems (BRS), is changing, creating uncertainty among consumers, consumer’s resistance to innovative technology can be considered a normal reaction. Therefore, it is important for a company to understand the psychological aspect of the consumer’s resistance and make measures to overcome the resistance. Accordingly, based on the model of Kim and Kankanhalli (2009), by applying the perceived value, the technology acceptance model, and the status quo bias theory, this study focused on the importance of self-efficacy and technical support in the context of using BRS. To do this purpose, a total of 455 survey data that was collected from “Korea franchise exhibition” attendees were used to analyze the proposed model. Structural equation modeling was applied for data analysis. The result shows that perceived value was affected by relative advantage and switching cost, also switching cost reduced the perceived value. However, self-efficacy reduced the switching cost, thereby decreasing the resistance of exhibition attendees. In addition, technical support increased the relative advantage switching cost and the perceived value. Exhibition attendee’s resistance was significantly negatively affected by perceived value, and positively affected by switching cost. The results will provide balanced viewpoints between the relative advantage and switching cost for exhibition marketers, helping to strengthen the competitiveness in terms of sustainable tourism of exhibition. Full article