Search

Childhood obesity is a major problem worldwide and a key contributor to adult obesity. This research explores caregivers' lay beliefs and food parenting practices, and their long-term, intergenerational effects on their children's food consumption and physiology. First, a cross-cultural survey reveals the link between parents' belief that tasty food is unhealthy and the use of extrinsic rewards to encourage their children to eat healthily, with adverse downstream consequences for the children's body mass indices. Next, two studies demonstrate the mechanism by which this strategy backfires, as providing extrinsic rewards ironically increases children's unhealthy food consumption, which in turn leads to an increase in their body mass indices. The final two studies demonstrate potential solutions for public policy and health practitioners, either by manipulating "unhealthy = tasty" beliefs directly or by breaking the association between these food beliefs and the use of extrinsic rewards through an intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From time, to money, to energy, many consumers are feeling more constrained than ever before. One potential solution to the pervasive feeling of constraint is self-gifting , which is the process of invoking a hedonic consumption experience with the a priori intention of boosting one's emotional well-being. But despite being a potentially powerful tool for mood repair, are consumers effectively coping with constraint by engaging in self-gifting? And if not, what is stopping them? A correlational pilot and six studies examine the relationship between the feeling of constraint and self-gifting consumption. When consumers feel constrained, they are less (rather than more) interested in self-gifting, and this is driven by a belief that feeling constrained will hamper their ability to derive the emotional well-being benefits of self-gifting. Importantly, though, this belief is miscalibrated: resource-constrained consumers can derive substantial well-being benefits from self-gifting, relative to those feeling less constrained. The effects generalize across several sources of constraint, do not occur for non-self-gifts, and cannot be explained by feelings of deservingness or justifiability. This research advances understanding of self-gifting, affective forecasting, and consumer decision-making, yields practical recommendations to marketers of self-gifting consumption, and has important consumer implications for people seeking to boost their well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nankai Business Review is the property of Nankai Business Review Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Society changes, but the degree to which it has changed can be difficult to evaluate. We propose that people possess beliefs that society has made, and will make, progress in a linear fashion toward social justice. Five sets of studies (13 studies in total) demonstrate that American participants consistently estimated that over time, society has made positive, linear progress toward social issues, such as gender equality, racial diversity, and environmental protection. These estimates were often not aligned with reality, where much progress has been made in a nonlinear fashion. We also ruled out some potential alternative explanations (Study 3) and explored the potential correlates of linear progress beliefs (Study 4). We further showed that these beliefs reduced the perceived urgency and effort needed to make further progress on social issues (Study 5), which may ultimately inhibit people's willingness to act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many have pondered whether happiness is chiefly made of positive feelings and joy (hedonism) or by acquiring meaning via self-actualization (eudaimonism). Drawing on life history theory, we examined if individuals’ early-life experience (i.e., childhood socioeconomic status; SES) colors their notions of well-being. A consistent pattern was found in two studies (Study 1, N = 183; Study 2, N = 168) using MTurk samples; wealthier childhood upbringing predicted stronger endorsement of eudaimonic happiness. This pattern, supporting claims of life history theory, emerged only when perceptions of (economic) instability was salient (chronic, Study 1; experimentally primed, Study 2). Also, only childhood SES, but not current SES, mattered. This research finds novel evidence that childhood experience and current threat perception may interact to shape people’s ideals of happiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The COVID-19 vaccine has faced increased hesitancy in Ghana and the Volta region in particular since its rollout. Acceptance of the vaccine among intercity commercial drivers is crucial, especially in the Volta region, as they transport people within and outside the country and could fuel the transmission of the virus if not vaccinated. Objective We therefore established lay beliefs surrounding COVID-19 vaccine refusal among intercity commercial drivers in the Volta region of Ghana, as well as their recommendations for improved vaccine uptake. Methods We purposively interviewed twenty-five (25) intercity commercial drivers who had not been vaccinated for COVID-19 in the Volta region of Ghana using a semi-structured interview guide and analysed their responses thematically using the ATLAS.ti software. Results Various (ten) beliefs surrounding COVID-19 vaccine refusal were identified. These include the nonexistence of COVID-19, being immune to COVID-19, and the belief in the nonexistence of vaccines and vaccines being meant for the sick. Other beliefs identified were the belief that the COVID-19 vaccine is meant to reduce Africa’s population, that the vaccine triggers other health complications leading to death, the belief that vaccination could cause financial loss, political mistrust, that the COVID-19 vaccine is not permitted by God, and the belief that prayer prevents COVID-19 infection. They also suggested that the adoption of persuasive communication techniques, the publication of information on those who died of COVID-19, providing evidence of tests conducted on the vaccine, testing people before vaccination, provision of care to those who may experience side effects from the vaccine, and being able to explain why varied vaccines are used for the same virus could help improve vaccine uptake. Conclusion Our findings show that there is a general lack of understanding and mistrust surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine among intercity commercial drivers in the Volta region. Hence, health promotion officers and communicators in the region need to be knowledgeable on the vaccine as well as on the conspiracy theories thwarting its uptake to provide comprehensive education to the public and intercity commercial drivers to improve its uptake.

Health campaigns often emphasise the association between excess weight and poor health. Past research suggests that whether an individual's excess weight is viewed as harmful is partially explained by the quantity of excess weight. The present research explored whether the purported cause of excess weight also influences its perceived harmfulness. Across two studies (total N = 577), participants read information about target individuals whose excess weight was caused by different factors (unhealthy lifestyle vs. medical condition). Participants rated the extent to which the target's weight was harmful and also recommended health‐related behaviours to the target. For the target with overweight, when her weight was described as being caused by unhealthy behaviours as opposed to a medical condition, her weight was rated as more harmful, and she was recommended to engage in more healthy behaviours. For the target with obesity, her weight was viewed as harmful irrespective of its described cause. Compared with the target with overweight, the weight of the target with obesity was rated as more harmful and she was recommended to diet more. Perceptions of the harmfulness of 'overweight' are influenced by the purported cause of that overweight, whereas obesity itself is viewed as harmful, regardless of the cause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tested mechanisms that explain why and how relationship quality between parents might impact on later romantic relationship quality of adult children. In both the pilot (N = 119) and the main (N = 684) study, a model fit the data well whereby perceived "parental relationship quality" predicted "positive lay theories" about romantic love. This, in turn, predicted "secure attachment" to the romantic partner, which in turn predicted "relationship satisfaction" with the romantic relationship. Findings suggest that lay theories about finding enduring love are an important mediator of effects of parental relationships on later adult relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 vaccine has faced increased hesitancy in Ghana and the Volta region in particular since its rollout. Acceptance of the vaccine among intercity commercial drivers is crucial, especially in the Volta region, as they transport people within and outside the country and could fuel the transmission of the virus if not vaccinated. Objective: We therefore established lay beliefs surrounding COVID-19 vaccine refusal among intercity commercial drivers in the Volta region of Ghana, as well as their recommendations for improved vaccine uptake. Methods: We purposively interviewed twenty-five (25) intercity commercial drivers who had not been vaccinated for COVID-19 in the Volta region of Ghana using a semi-structured interview guide and analysed their responses thematically using the ATLAS.ti software. Results: Various (ten) beliefs surrounding COVID-19 vaccine refusal were identified. These include the nonexistence of COVID-19, being immune to COVID-19, and the belief in the nonexistence of vaccines and vaccines being meant for the sick. Other beliefs identified were the belief that the COVID-19 vaccine is meant to reduce Africa's population, that the vaccine triggers other health complications leading to death, the belief that vaccination could cause financial loss, political mistrust, that the COVID-19 vaccine is not permitted by God, and the belief that prayer prevents COVID-19 infection. They also suggested that the adoption of persuasive communication techniques, the publication of information on those who died of COVID-19, providing evidence of tests conducted on the vaccine, testing people before vaccination, provision of care to those who may experience side effects from the vaccine, and being able to explain why varied vaccines are used for the same virus could help improve vaccine uptake. Conclusion: Our findings show that there is a general lack of understanding and mistrust surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine among intercity commercial drivers in the Volta region. Hence, health promotion officers and communicators in the region need to be knowledgeable on the vaccine as well as on the conspiracy theories thwarting its uptake to provide comprehensive education to the public and intercity commercial drivers to improve its uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Racial inequality has been a persistent component of American society since its inception. The present research investigates how lay beliefs about the nature of racism—as primarily caused by prejudiced individuals or, rather, to structural factors (i.e., policies, institutional practices) that disadvantage members of marginalized racial groups—predict reactions to evidence of racial inequality in the criminal legal system (Studies 1–3). Specifically, the current research suggests that holding a more structural (vs. interpersonal) view of racism predicts a greater tendency to perceive racial inequality in criminal legal outcomes. Moreover, White Americans' lay beliefs regarding racism, coupled with their general degree of preference for societal hierarchy, predict support for policies that would impact disparities in the U.S. prison population. Together, this work suggests that an appreciation of structural racism plays an important role in how people perceive and respond to racial inequality.

This article introduces a novel distinction between foods as a function of the frequency with which consumers eat them, and investigates how this distinction influences dietary beliefs and decisions. It compares food types perceived to be consumed relatively infrequently (i.e. infrequent foods) to those perceived to be consumed relatively frequently (i.e. frequent foods). Across an analysis of archival data from a popular calorie tracking app and five experiments examining hypothetical consumption decisions, findings support the conclusion that infrequent foods provide unique challenges for consumers. All else equal, consumers select larger portions of infrequent (vs. frequent) foods. Further, consumers are less likely to compensate (i.e. eat less) after consuming equal amounts of infrequent versus frequent foods. This pattern of results arises because consumers erroneously believe that infrequent foods have a smaller impact on their weight than frequent foods do, even in the presence of caloric information. Optimistically, participants can be taught to overcome this bias through a brief informational intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors argue that appreciation of the biological underpinnings of human behavior can alter the beliefs and actions of multiple marketing stakeholders in ways that have immense welfare implications. However, a biological perspective often deviates from the lay perspective. The realization of improved welfare depends in part on narrowing this gap. The authors review biological evidence on self-control and report ten empirical studies that examine lay response to biological characterizations of self-control. The authors contrast lay response with scientific understanding and then offer implications of biology—as well as the gap between the scientific and lay perspectives—for policy makers, firms, consumers, marketing educators, and scholars. The authors also identify opportunities for future research. They conclude that marketing scholars can and should play an active role in narrowing the gap between the scientific and lay perspectives in the service of both theory development and human welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being a basic food property, food temperature has been largely neglected by consumer research thus far. This research proposes that consumers spontaneously infer that warm foods contain more calories, an unexplored lay belief we named the "warm is calorie-rich" intuition. Eight studies reveal that this deep-seated intuition has powerful implications in terms of guiding (and often biasing) product judgments and consumption decisions. Temperature-induced calorie inferences are rooted in perceptions that warm foods are more filling and tastier than cold ones, which enhance warm foods' desirability and affect consumer choices. The preference for warm products is mitigated when food energy does not provide utility to consumers though, such as when consumers have a health goal active, and it reverses when consumers purposefully aim to reduce their calorie intake. The "warm is calorie-rich" intuition is important for marketers and managers because warm food temperatures can increase willingness to pay (by 25%) and amount served (+27%), as well as influence consumer preferences. This intuition also has important public policy implications: consumers tend to underestimate the nutritional value of cold foods, resulting in increased consumption of calories (+31%) and fat (+37%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At work, at school, at the gym club, or even at home, consumers often face challenging situations in which they are motivated to perform their best. This research demonstrates that activating performance goals, whether in cognitive or physical domains, leads to an increase in the consumption of high-calorie foods at the expense of good nutrition. This effect derives from beliefs that the function of food is to provide energy for the body (food as fuel) coupled with poor nutrition literacy, leading consumers to overgeneralize the instrumental role of calories for performance. Indeed, nutrition experts choose very different foods (lower in calorie, higher in nutritional value) than lay consumers in response to performance goals. Also, performance goals no longer increase calorie intake when emphasizing the hedonic function of food (food for pleasure). Hence, while consumer research often interprets the overconsumption of pleasurable and unhealthy high-calorie foods as a consequence of hedonic goals and self-control failures, our research suggests that this overconsumption may also be explained by a maladaptive motivation to manage energy intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Beliefs about mental health are shaped by the sociocultural context. Prisons have unique environmental and social features, and the prevalence of mental health problems in incarcerated populations is exceptionally high. These features make prisons especially interesting settings for exploring health beliefs. The aim of this study was to explore the conceptualizations of mental health and coping preferences in a prison environment. Methods: Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with fifteen incarcerated males from three prisons in Northern Norway. The design draws on central elements from Grounded Theory. Results: Mental health was perceived as distinct from mental illness by many of the participants. They coped with the prison environment by focusing on the things that gave them a sense of meaning and autonomy – this also formed their conceptualization of mental health. Furthermore, social interaction and activities were perceived as important to enhance and maintain mental wellbeing, however there were institutional barriers to using these coping strategies. The prison environment was integrated in the participants conceptualizations of mental health problems, and psychosocial stressors were emphasized in causal attributions. Biological and dispositional factors were less frequently mentioned. The participants preferred non-medical management for mental health problems and most displayed a reserved attitude towards psychotropic medications. The exception was attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, for which they held neurobiological causal beliefs, together with a corresponding preference for medication as treatment. Conclusion: The main finding was a firm integration of the prison context in in the participants’ beliefs about mental health. We theorize that fusion of prison conditions and mental health beliefs were brought on by the processes of prisonization, observing mental distress in peers and attempts to protect selfesteem by externalizing the causes for mental health problems. Access to activities, social time, and “someone to talk to” were perceived to be crucial for improving and preserving mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cynicism -- the belief that people are driven primarily by self-interest -- has been predominantly associated with detrimental consequences for individuals and organizations. Less is known about its potentially positive implications. We investigated whether lay people consider cynicism helpful in preventing antisocial behavior and therefore see value in cynical leaders. We found that people viewed cynical (vs. trusting) leaders as better at detecting antisocial behavior and more punitive, and therefore, as better at preventing employees' antisocial behavior (Study 1). Despite this, cynical (vs. trusting) leaders were less likely to be hired, were offered lower salaries, and were seen as less effective (Study 2). This aversion to cynical leaders was attenuated for jobs that emphasized the importance of preventing antisocial behavior (Study 3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionBeliefs about mental health are shaped by the sociocultural context. Prisons have unique environmental and social features, and the prevalence of mental health problems in incarcerated populations is exceptionally high. These features make prisons especially interesting settings for exploring health beliefs. The aim of this study was to explore the conceptualizations of mental health and coping preferences in a prison environment.MethodsIndividual in-depth interviews were conducted with fifteen incarcerated males from three prisons in Northern Norway. The design draws on central elements from Grounded Theory.ResultsMental health was perceived as distinct from mental illness by many of the participants. They coped with the prison environment by focusing on the things that gave them a sense of meaning and autonomy – this also formed their conceptualization of mental health. Furthermore, social interaction and activities were perceived as important to enhance and maintain mental well-being, however there were institutional barriers to using these coping strategies. The prison environment was integrated in the participants conceptualizations of mental health problems, and psychosocial stressors were emphasized in causal attributions. Biological and dispositional factors were less frequently mentioned. The participants preferred non-medical management for mental health problems and most displayed a reserved attitude towards psychotropic medications. The exception was attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, for which they held neurobiological causal beliefs, together with a corresponding preference for medication as treatment.ConclusionThe main finding was a firm integration of the prison context in in the participants’ beliefs about mental health. We theorize that fusion of prison conditions and mental health beliefs were brought on by the processes of prisonization, observing mental distress in peers and attempts to protect self-esteem by externalizing the causes for mental health problems. Access to activities, social time, and “someone to talk to” were perceived to be crucial for improving and preserving mental health.

Consumers' judgments of the magnitude of benefit that a product provides increase their likelihood of purchasing it, and their judgments of the magnitude of harm that accrues from purchasing a product decrease their likelihood of purchasing it. When assessing the magnitude of a product's potential outcome, consumers often encounter information about its probability of occurring. Ten studies demonstrate that this information biases consumers' product decisions. Consumers both expect and perceive larger-probability outcomes to be larger in magnitude—even when they receive identical and objective information about the outcome's actual magnitude. This bias emerges because people believe that larger probabilities emanate from more powerful causal antecedents, and in turn expect more powerful antecedents to produce larger outcomes. Moreover, this bias shapes consumers' product decisions. Of course, it is rational for people to prefer products that promise high-probability benefits and to avoid products that produce high-probability harms. But consumers irrationally over weight this probability information because it distorts their judgments of the magnitude of products' benefits and harms, and this distortion biases their purchase decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health experts and consumer protection agencies have been expressing concerns about the nutritional quality and marketing of child-oriented food products for years, and political debates on child-targeted food marketing are currently happening around the world. At the same time, systematic research on laypeople's views on the topic is still scarce. However, knowing what these consumers think is highly important, as lay beliefs can affect food decision-making and consumption. We address this gap with two online studies. In Study 1 (N = 444 parents and non-parents), we develop an instrument measuring lay beliefs about child-oriented food products consisting of three scales: Nutrition-Related Concerns, Convenience, and Healthiness. We find small effects of socio-demographic factors on beliefs and observe meaningful relationships between beliefs and (i) thinking style and (ii) food purchase motives (e.g., visual appeal and convenience). In Study 2 (N = 571 parents), we validate the factor structure of the instrument by means of CFA and find that lay beliefs about Healthiness and Convenience predict self-reported purchase of child-oriented food products. With our research, we extend current knowledge on laypeople's perceptions of child-oriented food products and provide an instrument with good psychometric properties that can be applied in future studies. Our research offers valuable insights for policymakers and producers who wish to meet the actual demands of consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background In the Middle East region, the incidence of breast cancer (BC) has substantially increased in the last years. Despite a considerable body of research about BC in Arab countries, how illness perceptions of healthy women about BC may influence risk perception is unknown. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a sample of 298 young Emirati women. The measures included demographic information, illness perceptions, and risk perception. Descriptive and correlational analyses were performed to assess illness perceptions about BC, perceived individual risk and comparative risk. A structural equation modelling (S.E.M.) was built to investigate the relationship between illness perceptions and perceived individual risk. Results Participants reported negative illness perceptions about BC The individual risk perception and the compared risk perception for BC were low. Participants with a family history of BC reported more negative illness and higher risk perceptions. The relationship between illness perceptions and perceived individual risk was significant and mediated by compared risk. The S.E.M. explained 55.9% of the variance in predicting perceived individual risk for BC. Conclusion Women's views of BC are important factors in risk perception and may provide culturally sensitive clues to promote early screening for BC in Arab countries. This may be important for policymakers to design intervention strategies to lower health risks, considering the different ways in which women perceive their risks for BC.

Although lay beliefs about hope have been studied extensively in college student populations, little is known about how working professionals understand hope. Accordingly, the present study examined lay beliefs about hope among healthcare workers through the prism of two prominent models of hope. A directed content analysis of healthcare professionals' qualitative responses indicated that the top seven most prevalent lay beliefs about hope were: cognition, implicit goal, agency thoughts, future orientation, likely, affect, and pathway thoughts. Consistent with the dominant perspective in the hope literature, Snyder's Hope Theory, the three key ingredients of hope—agency thoughts, pathway thoughts, and goals—were all present, albeit to varying degrees. Aspects of Herth's hope model, another prominent conceptualization, were less supported by our findings. When examining whether agency thoughts or pathway thoughts were more prevalent, there were no significant differences. When examining whether cognition or affect were more prevalent, there was a significant difference such that lay theories of hope typically reflected cognitive rather than affective processes. We discuss implications for existing hope models, implications for healthcare professionals, and future research avenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is increasingly recognized that successful self-control is not only determined by sheer willpower, but also by people's beliefs about self-control. While early research has provided evidence that people's implicit theories can moderate their subsequent self-control performance, recent research considers the role of metacognition in self-control more comprehensively. In this review, we present an overview of recent advances in the field, emphasizing self-control beliefs and their potential impact on self-control outcomes. We also stress lay beliefs about self-control as an overlooked topic and promising avenue for future research., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Using results from two treatment arms of a larger nationwide survey experiment in the United States, we add evidence on how Americans perceive social mobility. In one arm, respondents estimate both upward and downward relative economic mobility, while in the other, respondents estimate the absolute economic mobility (that is, do children out-earn their parents?) for each quintile of the parental income distribution. This latter question has been overlooked in the literature. We find respondentsʻ average estimates of relative downward mobility to be remarkably close to reality. The average estimate of relative upward mobility is also close, though both estimates underestimate relative mobility. There are small partisan differences in accuracy on relative mobility, with Republican-leaning respondents providing the most accurate estimates, but respondentsʻ perception of absolute mobility significantly underestimate (overestimate) mobility for the poorest (highest-income) children irrespective of partisan affiliation. Our results provide important insights on the implementation of redistribution policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we recruited a large sample (N = 595) of highly educated participants to assess which causal variables they considered as more important in the etiology of two diagnostically unlabeled cases of psychiatric disorders. The first clinical case described a patient with early schizophrenia whereas the second clinical case described a patient with conversion disorder. We aimed at ascertaining if participants’ gender, field of study (scientific vs. humanistic), and personality traits influenced their causal beliefs. Based on the scores assigned to both the clinical cases, participants believed that current life stressors were the most important etiological variable and that adverse early experiences were not an important causal factor in anyone of the two clinical cases. Regardless of their field of study, women perceived the loss of a loved one as a relevant variable in the etiology of conversion disorder. Participants’ beliefs about the etiology of early schizophrenia varied with their field of study. Compared to participants studying humanities, those studying scientific disciplines attributed more importance to organic causes and less importance to unconscious conflict and early traumatic experiences. Overall, the role of personality traits in influencing causal beliefs was negligible. Public education about the causes of psychopathology is necessary to optimize actual usage of mental health services and treatment choice for psychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the Middle East region, the incidence of breast cancer (BC) has substantially increased in the last years. Despite a considerable body of research about BC in Arab countries, how illness perceptions of healthy women about BC may influence risk perception is unknown. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a sample of 298 young Emirati women. The measures included demographic information, illness perceptions, and risk perception. Descriptive and correlational analyses were performed to assess illness perceptions about BC, perceived individual risk and comparative risk. A structural equation modelling (S.E.M.) was built to investigate the relationship between illness perceptions and perceived individual risk. Results: Participants reported negative illness perceptions about BC The individual risk perception and the compared risk perception for BC were low. Participants with a family history of BC reported more negative illness and higher risk perceptions. The relationship between illness perceptions and perceived individual risk was significant and mediated by compared risk. The S.E.M. explained 55.9% of the variance in predicting perceived individual risk for BC. Conclusion: Women's views of BC are important factors in risk perception and may provide culturally sensitive clues to promote early screening for BC in Arab countries. This may be important for policymakers to design intervention strategies to lower health risks, considering the different ways in which women perceive their risks for BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What do people know about racial disparities in "The American Dream"? Across six studies (N = 1,761), we find that American participants consistently underestimate the Black-White disparity in economic mobility, believing that poor Black Americans are significantly more likely to move up the economic ladder than they actually are. We find that misperceptions about economic mobility are common among both White and Black respondents, and that this undue optimism about the prospect of mobility for Black Americans results from a narrow focus on the progress toward equality that has already been made. Consequently, making economic racial disparities salient, or merely reflecting on the unique hardships that Black Americans face in the United States, calibrates beliefs about economic mobility. We discuss the importance of these findings for understanding lay beliefs about the socioeconomic system, the denial of systemic racism in society, and support for policies aimed at reducing racial economic disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In intergroup contexts, people may fear being judged negatively because of an identity they hold. For some, the prospect of concealment offers an opportunity to attenuate this fear. Therefore, believing an identity is concealable may minimize people's fears of identity-based judgment. Here, we explore the construct of subjective identity concealability: the belief that an identity one holds is concealable from others. Across four pre-registered studies and a set of internal meta-analyses, we develop and validate a scale to measure individual differences in subjective identity concealability and provide evidence that it is associated with lower levels of the psychological costs of fearing judgment in intergroup contexts. Open materials, data, and code for all studies, pre-registrations for Studies 1–4, and online supplementary materials can be found at the following link: https://osf.io/pzcf9/. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturers increasingly adopt health symbols, which translate overall product healthiness into a single symbol, to communicate about the overall healthiness of their grocery products. This study examines how the performance implications of adding a front-of-pack health symbol to a product vary across products. We study the sales impact of a government-supported health symbol program in 29 packaged categories, using over four years of scanner data. The results indicate that health symbols are most impactful when they positively disconfirm pre-existing beliefs that a product is not among the healthiest products within the category. More specifically, we find that health symbols are more effective for (i) products with a front-of-pack taste claim, (ii) lower priced products, and (iii) private label products. Furthermore, these results are more pronounced in healthier categories than in unhealthier categories. Our findings imply that health symbols can help overcome lay beliefs among consumers regarding a product's overall healthiness. As such, adding a health symbol provides easy-to-process information about product healthiness for the consumer and can increase product sales for the manufacturer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tested why people differ with regard to whether they believe it is possible to find enduring love. Variations were assumed to be due to differences in people's experiences. Those who experienced dysfunction in their family of origin and who did not have positive relationships role-modelled to them were expected to be less likely to have positive lay beliefs about romantic relationships. Positive lay beliefs, in turn, were hypothesised to impact on dysfunction in own romantic relationships later on in life, which were in turn expected to affect relationship satisfaction. In other words, positive lay beliefs were tested as one potential mechanism through which family dysfunction whilst growing up impacts on relationship dysfunction in later adult life. This paper presents a pilot study (N = 176) which introduces a measure for 'positive lay beliefs about romantic relationships', and finds this measure to be associated, as expected, with dysfunction in the family of origin. The main study (N = 435) then tested the full hypothesised model (family-of-origin dysfunction → positive lay beliefs → romantic relationship dysfunction → relationship satisfaction) with structural equation modelling, and found that the model fitted the data very well, confirming the hypotheses. It was concluded that lay beliefs about whether or not it is possible to find enduring love are an important mediator of the effects of family-of-origin dysfunction on later romantic relationship satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with obesity are often recommended weight loss for their health; however, the amount of weight loss that is recommended varies. Lay people's beliefs about weight loss could influence the types of behaviours they view as necessary for people with obesity. The present study explored lay beliefs regarding the health benefits of varying degrees of weight loss. Participants (379 community members and 235 students) read information about an obese target who lost varying amounts of weight (none vs. modest vs. substantial) following behaviour changes. Participants evaluated the target's health and recommended health-related behaviours to the target. The substantial weight-loss target, but not the modest weight-loss target, was perceived as being healthier than the no weight-loss target. There were no differences in behaviour recommendations made to the no weight-loss and modest weight-loss targets, with most participants recommending further weight loss to both targets. Lay people appear to view substantial, but not modest, weight loss as beneficial to health, and they recommend further, more unrealistic amounts of weight loss to obese individuals who have already achieved modest weight loss. A failure to recognise the health benefits of modest weight loss may contribute to unrealistic weight loss goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous theory and research on bounded rationality has emphasized how limited cognitive resources constrain people from making utility maximizing choices. This paper expands the concept of bounded rationality to consider how people's rationality may be constrained by their internalization of a qualitatively distinct standard for sound judgment, which is commonly labeled reasonableness. In contrast to rationality, the standard of reasonableness provides guidance for making choices in situations that involve balancing incommensurable values and interests or reconciling conflicting points-of-view. We review recent evidence showing that laypeople readily recognize the distinctions between rationality and reasonableness and thus are able to utilize these as distinct standards to inform their everyday decision-making. The fact that people appear to have internalized rationality and reasonableness as distinct standards of sound judgment supports the notion that people's pursuit of rationality may be bounded by their determination to also be reasonable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Only recently research in social psychology has started to systematically investigate intergroup attitudes among members of stigmatized minority groups. In particular, the study of the way people with mental health problems perceive the social groups around them is so far very scarce. In this work, we focused on people with schizophrenia, analyzing their attitudes toward another stigmatized group, namely Black individuals. In Study 1, the attitudes toward White and Black people were assessed in a sample of respondents with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and in a sample of non-clinical individuals. Results showed the presence of less negative attitudes toward the minority outgroup (i.e., Black people) among the clinical sample. In Study 2, we aimed at investigating what members belonging to the majority group (i.e., White non-clinical people) believe about the attitudes toward Black people held by individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. In general, results suggested a general awareness in lay persons that people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, as compared to people with no history of mental disorders, hold reduced negative attitudes toward Black individuals. Overall, these results may help to enrich our knowledge about social cognition among members of stigmatized groups in general and, more specifically, among individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Only recently research in social psychology has started to systematically investigate intergroup attitudes among members of stigmatized minority groups. In particular, the study of the way people with mental health problems perceive the social groups around them is so far very scarce. In this work, we focused on people with schizophrenia, analyzing their attitudes toward another stigmatized group, namely Black individuals. In Study 1, the attitudes toward White and Black people were assessed in a sample of respondents with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and in a sample of non-clinical individuals. Results showed the presence of less negative attitudes toward the minority outgroup (i.e., Black people) among the clinical sample. In Study 2, we aimed at investigating what members belonging to the majority group (i.e., White non-clinical people) believe about the attitudes toward Black people held by individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. In general, results suggested a general awareness in lay persons that people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, as compared to people with no history of mental disorders, hold reduced negative attitudes toward Black individuals. Overall, these results may help to enrich our knowledge about social cognition among members of stigmatized groups in general and, more specifically, among individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do you believe you can tell if people are sick with infectious diseases by looking at, listening to, or smelling them? Research on pathogen detection and avoidance suggests that perceivers respond with caution both to true signs of infection and to cues only heuristically associated with infection threat. But what do perceivers actually believe about the effectiveness and use of specific sensory modalities for infection detection? In several studies, U.S. participants reported perceptions of effectiveness and likelihood of using each of the major senses to identify infection threat in two types of targets: people and food. Results revealed prioritization of sight and sound with person targets and prioritization of sight and smell with food targets. These patterns appear consistent with the use of “safe senses” (avoidance of cues involving high perceived transmission risk). Beliefs about sensory use also varied depending on the specific feature being examined, with different patterns of sensory beliefs associated with evaluation of pathogenic danger than with evaluation of desirability and fit with normative standards. We discuss these lay beliefs in the context of recent calls for descriptive research in psychology as well as their implications for current and future work on the behavioral immune system.

Recent evidence suggests that Americans’ beliefs about upward mobility are overly optimistic. Davidai & Gilovich (2015a), Kraus & Tan (2015), and Kraus (2015) all found that people overestimate the likelihood that a person might rise up the economic ladder, and underestimate the likelihood that they might fail to do so. However, using a different methodology, Chambers, Swan and Heesacker (2015) reported that Americans’ beliefs about mobility are much more pessimistic. Swan, Chambers, Heesacker and Nero (2017) provide a much-needed summary of these conflicting findings and question the utility of measuring population-level biases in judgments of inequality and mobility. We value their summary but argue that their conclusion is premature. By focusing on measures that best tap how laypeople naturally think about the distribution of income, we believe that researchers can draw meaningful conclusions about the public’s perceptions of economic mobility. When more ecologically representative measures are used, the consistent finding is that Americans overestimate the extent of upward mobility in the United States. To explain the divergent findings in the literature, we provide evidence that the methods used by Chambers et al. (2015) inadvertently primed participants to think about immobility rather than mobility. Finally, using a novel method to examine beliefs about economic mobility, we show that Americans indeed overestimate the degree of mobility in the United States.

Davidai and Gilovich (2018) contend that (a) Americans tend to think about their nation’s income distribution in terms of quintiles (fifths), and (b) when Americans’ perceptions of socio-economic mobility rates are measured properly (e.g., by asking online survey respondents to guess upward-mobility rates across quintiles), a trend of overestimation (too much optimism concerning the number of people who manage to transcend poverty) will emerge. In this reply, we hail Davidai and Gilovich’s new data as novel, important, and relevant to the former (a), but we doubt that they can support the latter (b) claim about population-level (in)accuracy. Namely, we note that even if mobility-rate perceptions could be measured perfectly, inferences about the accuracy of those perceptions still depend on a particular comparator—a point-estimate of the "true" rate of upward social mobility in the U.S. against which survey respondents’ guesses are evaluated—that is itself an error-prone estimate. Applying different established comparators to survey respondents’ guesses changes both the direction and magnitude of previously observed overestimation effects. We conclude with a challenge: researchers who wish to compute the average distance between socio-economic perceptions and socio-economic reality must first select and justify a fair comparator.

Parents play a critical role in the early identification of ASD because of their experiential knowledge and frequent observations of their children. Being knowledgeable about ASD may help parents recognize early signs and symptoms, know to which professionals to express their concerns, and better navigate systems of care. An appropriate measure of ASD knowledge for parents is essential to further understand the importance of ASD knowledge in this population. This study sought to validate the Autism Spectrum Knowledge Scale—General Population Version (ASKSG) with a sample of parents with children under the age of 18 years in the United States. Results indicate that the ASKSG is a valid and reliable measure for use with parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted an experiment to assess whether targeting multiple beliefs about sexual orientation (SO) may be more effective in reducing homonegativity than focusing only on beliefs about its biogenetic origins. Participants (116 women, 85 men) were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions or a control condition. Those in the treatment conditions read essays summarizing: (1) research suggesting SO has biogenetic origins, (2) research suggesting SO is socially constructed and refuting beliefs about the discreteness, homogeneity, and informativeness of SO categories; or (3) research suggesting SO is biogenetic and research suggesting SO categories are socially constructed and not necessarily discrete, homogenous, or informative. We predicted participants in the conditions that targeted multiple beliefs related to the social construction of SO, not just its biogenetic origins, would exhibit the strongest reductions in beliefs about the discreteness, homogeneity, and informativeness of SO categories, and in homonegativity. We also predicted these participants would exhibit the greatest increases in support for gay and lesbian civil rights. We observed hypothesized shifts in SO beliefs across all experimental conditions. While there was a small main effect of time on homonegative prejudice, there was no main effect of condition and no changes in support for gay and lesbian civil rights. However, post hoc analyses suggested the two conditions addressing social constructionist beliefs accounted for most of the observed prejudice reduction. Implications for more comprehensive educational and social interventions designed to promote social justice for sexual minorities are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two studies investigated subjective conceptualizations of energy for goal pursuit across adulthood. Study 1 (N = 276, 20-92 years of age) explored age-related differences in the (a) endorsement of a limited versus nonlimited account of energy for goal pursuit, (b) amount of energy available for physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally demanding activities, and (c) extent to which spending energy on a demanding activity inhibits or facilitates energy expenditure for subsequent activities, both within and across functional domains. Study 2 (N = 147, 18-86 years of age) experimentally induced energy loss through a 20-min physical exercise and examined age-related differences in the increase of subjective exhaustion and opportunity costs as a motivational cue for goal disengagement. With increasing age, adults more strongly endorsed a nonlimited account of energy and perceived having more energy available for personally relevant social activities. However, older adults also reported higher negative cross-domain energy spillover after physical exertion. Multilevel growth curve models further revealed that, compared with younger adults, older adults reported a steeper initial increase in exhaustion and opportunity costs during physical exercise, but converged with the younger age groups again at the close of the exercise session. The discussion centers around the importance of selectivity in older adulthood and motivational accounts of effort and exhaustion. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last 20 years, the consensus about memory being essentially reliable has been neglected in favor of an emphasis on the malleability and unreliability of memory and on the public's supposed unawareness of this. Three claims in particular have underpinned this popular perspective: that the confidence people have in their memory is weakly related to its accuracy, that false memories of fictitious childhood events can be easily implanted, and that the public wrongly sees memory as being like a video camera. New research has clarified that all three claims rest on shaky foundations, suggesting there is no reason to abandon the old consensus about memory being malleable but essentially reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]