Color at the point of sale: Psychological and communicative implications

The environment that surrounds a consumer when they are at a point of sale can influence them both psychologically and communicatively. In this sense, the study arises from the need to discover the capacity of influence that colors of the components of the commercial establishment (wall, floor, ceiling, and furniture) have. The aim is to determine whether these factors influence the psychological level (feeling of pleasantness, calmness, etc.) and the communicative experience received in stores. The quasi-experimental methodology made it possible to study the impact of the independent variables (colors of the different components) on the dependent variables (psychological and communicative). For this purpose, two methods of measurement were constructed: a tool for the analysis of commercial establishments which allowed to establish patterns and a reception protocol capable of measuring both levels of influence of components and colors, by means of a reception test comprising of Level I (psychological) and Level II (communicative). This survey was applied to a total sample of 315 subjects. Overall, the study makes it possible to define which architectural components and colors stores should have in order to exert a certain perceptual influence on the subject. In general terms, this study reflects how the color of the different components of the space can influence the subject's primary perception of the establishment, with respect to the feeling of pleasantness, comfort, stimulation, calmness, security, spaciousness, formality, and warmth, as well as the perception of the quantity and quality of the information received and overall satisfaction and confidence.     

A socio-epistemological program for the philosophy of regulatory science

This paper presents a program of action for the philosophy of regulatory science, based on a general theory of social epistemology. Two candidates are considered. The first one, offered by Alvin Goldman, is not fit for our purposes because it is focused on a veritism incompatible with non-epistemic aims of regulatory science. The second, championed by Steve Fuller, sociologically investigates the existing means of producing knowledge, to modify them with the goal of obtaining democratic aims through action on a legislative meta-level. The program has been built upon this procedure, instantiated by the identification, characterization, and modification of epistemic policies.     

El enigma de los «Big five»: ¿realidad o representación?

Resumen

A partir de la revisión de Sánchez Bernardos sobre el enfoque léxico y los cinco grandes factores de personalidad se hacen algunos comentarios y especulaciones. Se aborda la polémica cuestión de si los cinco grandes son estructuras cognitivo-semánticas o reflejan realidades empíricas.     

Integrating Value Considerations in the Decision Making for the Design of Biorefineries

Science and Engineering Ethics - Biobased production has been promoted as a sustainable alternative to fossil resources. However, controversies over its impact on sustainability highlight societal...     

Religious governance in the Spanish city: hands-on versus hands-off approaches to accommodating religious diversity in Barcelona and Madrid

ABSTRACT

This contribution examines divergent trajectories of religious governance in Madrid and Barcelona, two cities that have pursued distinct approaches to accommodating religious diversity despite being located in the same national context. Whereas Madrid has dealt with religious diversity under the broader rubric of immigration and culture, and has been largely passive and ‘hands-off’ in its approach to governance, Barcelona has demarcated religion from other cultural issues and developed a more proactive and ‘hands-on’ approach to governing religious diversity. In explaining this difference, our study builds on recent work highlighting the relative autonomy of cities vis-à-vis states in the definition and implementation of diversity policies. We trace the divergent patterns of religious governance in Madrid and Barcelona to differences in their respective political and territorial positioning. These differences have given rise to contrasting objectives, relations with national agencies, and local structures of opportunity for religious actors to enter into the governance process.     

Social cognitive predictors of peer acceptance at age 5 and the moderating effects of gender

In this study we examined the effects of social intelligence, empathy, verbal ability and appearance‐reality distinction on the level of peer acceptance, as well as the moderating role of gender. Participants were 98 five‐year‐old children (43 boys and 55 girls; mean age 5 years 3 months for boys and girls). Our results showed a main effect of social intelligence on peer acceptance, as well as several other effects that were moderated by gender: a significant and positive effect of verbal ability on social acceptance was found for boys; appearance‐reality distinction was found to have a positive effect on social acceptance in the case of girls; and although empathy had a significant positive effect on social acceptance for both boys and girls, this effect was more pronounced among boys. Our results suggest that abilities promoting peer acceptance are different for boys and girls.     

A stress and coping model of medication adherence and viral load in HIV-positive men and women on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

The authors tested a structural model that incorporated age, time since diagnosis, social support, coping, and negative mood as predictors of medication adherence and HIV viral load on 188 men and 134 women on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The authors used psychosocial latent factors formed from baseline measures to predict latent factors of adherence, as assessed by electronic monitoring and self-report, and viral load defined by indicators assessed over a 15-month period. Results from the model indicate that greater negative mood and lower social support are related to greater use of avoidance-oriented coping strategies. Use of these coping strategies by patients on HAART is related to poorer medication adherence and, subsequently, higher viral load. This model advances researchers' understanding of the contribution of psychosocial variables in predicting treatment adherence and disease progression in HIV-positive men and women.