Experts and laymen grossly underestimate the benefits of argumentation for reasoning

Many fields of study have shown that group discussion generally improves reasoning performance for a wide range of tasks. This article shows that most of the population, including specialists, does not expect group discussion to be as beneficial as it is. Six studies asked participants to solve a standard reasoning problem—the Wason selection task—and to estimate the performance of individuals working alone and in groups. We tested samples of U.S., Indian, and Japanese participants, European managers, and psychologists of reasoning. Every sample underestimated the improvement yielded by group discussion. They did so even after they had been explained the correct answer, or after they had had to solve the problem in groups. These mistaken intuitions could prevent individuals from making the best of institutions that rely on group discussion, from collaborative learning and work teams to deliberative assemblies.     

Dispositional mindfulness,insomnia, sleep quality and dysfunctional sleep beliefs in post-treatment cancer patients

Dispositional mindfulness, or the tendency to be more mindful in daily life, has been associated with better psychological functioning and reduced overall distress. This study investigated the degree to which dispositional mindfulness was associated with sleep disturbances in cancer patients with insomnia. Further, we examined whether levels of mindfulness moderated the relationship between stress levels, mood disturbance, insomnia severity, sleep quality and dysfunctional sleep beliefs. Participants (N = 111) were adults who had been previously treated for cancer and currently met diagnostic criteria for insomnia. Higher levels of acting with awareness, non-judging and non-reacting were associated with better sleep and psychological outcomes. Despite these significant associations, mindfulness facets did not significantly moderate the relationship between stress, mood and sleep outcomes. This negative finding raises the possibility that increased mindfulness may not act directly to improve psychological outcomes, but rather through a series of other cognitive and affective changes. Our results emphasize the importance of addressing mood symptoms and stress appraisals as predictors of sleep disturbance in cancer patients.     

Changing people’s attitudes and beliefs toward driving through floodwaters: Evaluation of a video infographic

Despite awareness of campaigns such as ‘Turn Around, Don’t Drown’ and the Australian state of Queensland’s ‘If It’s Flooded, Forget It’, people continue to drive through floodwaters, causing loss of life, risk to rescuers, and damage to vehicles. The aim of this study was to develop a video infographic that highlights the dangers of driving through floodwaters and provide safety tips to reduce the risk, and to evaluate its effectiveness in changing the beliefs and intentions of Australian adults toward this risky driving behaviour. This study adopted an online three-wave non-controlled pretest–posttest design. Australian licensed drivers (N = 201, male = 41, female = 160; M_age = 34.10) self-reported their demographic and psychological variables (intention, attitude, subjective norm, barrier self-efficacy, risk perception, anticipated regret, perceived susceptibility, and perceived severity) at baseline (T1), immediately post-intervention (T2), and at a one-month follow-up (T3). Messages in the video infographic were developed based on psychological theory and empirical evidence, using data on causal factors derived from coronial records and the findings of behavioural research. Results indicated that men had significantly higher intentions and attitudes and significantly lower barrier self-efficacy, risk perception, anticipated regret, perceived susceptibility, and perceived severity with respect to driving through floodwater than women. Statistically significant time x gender interaction effects were also found; attitude and subjective norm were significantly lower between T1 and T2 for both men and women but scores between T2 and T3 remained significantly lower for women only. In addition, perceived susceptibility and perceived severity scores were significantly higher in women across T1 and T2, with the difference maintained at T3. In contrast, there were no differences in scores across the three-time points for men. The implications of these findings for road safety and drowning prevention messages targeting drivers during floods are discussed.     

Beliefs about riding a bicycle when mildly alcohol intoxicated

Alcohol intoxication appears to be a contributing factor to many bicycle crashes with serious consequences. Despite this, there is no specific limit on the blood alcohol concentration permissible when cycling in Sweden, and there is very little knowledge of the perception of sobriety associated with cycling. The aim of this study is therefore to identify the behavioural, normative, and control beliefs underpinning cyclists’ attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control associated with riding a bicycle when mildly alcohol intoxicated. A total of 34 participants answered questions based on the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1991). The results indicate that the participants saw great advantages (practical, free, safe, nice, and better than taking the car), but also disadvantages (impaired ability, danger to oneself, and danger to others) from cycling when mildly alcohol intoxicated. Furthermore, they identified both factors making it easier (small amounts of alcohol, bicycle-friendly infrastructure/conditions, poor alternatives, group pressure, and emergency situations) and more difficult (large amounts of alcohol, aggravating circumstances, bicycle-unfriendly infrastructure/conditions, good alternatives, social censure, group resistance, parenthood, and experience) to opt to cycle when mildly alcohol intoxicated. Finally, some participants believed that certain people (e.g. students, people with poor finances, and nearly everyone) think that it is acceptable to cycle when mildly alcohol intoxicated, while others (e.g. parents, responsible people, and nearly no group) think that it is unacceptable. These results support the use of information dissemination/campaigns to reduce the incidence of cycling when alcohol intoxicated and/or the amount of alcohol consumed in connection with cycling. At the same time, they do not support the introduction of a specific limit on the blood alcohol concentration permissible when cycling, and the potential of improved public transport to reduce the number of inebriated cyclists is uncertain.     

Computer-supported learning tools: A bi-circular bi-directional framework

The paper proposes a psychological framework aimed at integrating software developers’ and teachers’ opinions about computer-supported learning tools (CSLT) with learners’ beliefs. The framework highlights how a mental model of CSLT modulates the needs and goals that motivate the use of technical instructional devices, the ways in which they are used, and the expected outcomes. The framework goes beyond a simplistic conception of the relationships between the CSLT and their effects. It stresses the importance of subjective representations and describes the network of causal relationships connecting the features of the CSLT, the user's beliefs, and the user's behaviours. The framework shows that the implementation of the CSLT is influenced by the user's mental model and that representations can change as a consequence of the use of the CSLT. The framework has implications for applied issues, suggesting a possible way to respond to a request to intervene and support an institution's attempt to introduce CSLT in training activities. In fact, the framework invites educators to clarify their tacit assumptions about CSLT and to consider trainees’ opinions; it encourages tool developers, teachers, and students to exchange their opinions in order to reach a shared conception of why and how to employ the CSLT.     

The phenomenology of propositional attitudes

Propositional attitudes are often classified as non-phenomenal mental states. I argue that there is no good reason for doing so. The unwillingness to view propositional attitudes as being essentially phenomenal stems from a biased notion of phenomenality, from not paying sufficient attention to the idioms in which propositional attitudes are usually reported, from overlooking the considerable degree to which different intentional modes can be said to be phenomenologically continuous, and from not considering the possibility that propositional attitudes may be transparent, just like sensations and emotions are commonly held to be: there may be no appropriate way of describing their phenomenal character apart from describing the properties and objects they represent.     

Cultural predictors of future intention to drive under the influence of cannabis (DUIC)

This study examines the influence that traffic safety culture has on the intention to drive under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) in the next six months. Here, traffic safety culture is defined as “the values and beliefs shared among groups of road users and stakeholders that influence their decisions to behave in ways that improve traffic safety.” To operationalize this definition, a 14-item survey was developed with a binary response format (yes, no) based on a behavioral model predicting intentional DUIC. The sampling plan collected data from drivers at the roadside with the goal of obtaining a Friday daytime and weekend nighttime sample representative of drivers across Washington State (n = 416).The results showed only a small percentage of randomly surveyed drivers in Washington State reported future intention to DUIC (45/416 = 11%). The intention of this small group could be reliably predicted based on certain aspects of their shared culture. Notably, drivers who shared the attitude that DUIC is enjoyable were 3.5 times more likely to report the intention to DUIC in the next six months. Conversely, drivers who shared the belief that cannabis impairs performance and the injunctive norm that people important to them would be disappointed were more than twice as likely not to report future intention to DUIC. Interestingly, the possession of a medical card for cannabis treatment influenced the effects of culture on DUIC intention. The results of this study suggest that strategies that can change DUIC culture amongst at-risk drivers may be effective in reducing such behaviors.     

儿童早期亲子间情绪谈话的影响因素

作为父母情绪社会化的一种重要途径,亲子间有关情绪的谈话对儿童个性和社会性的发展意义重大。研究发现,包括文化、种族、社会经济地位在内的外部社会环境,儿童的年龄、性别和依恋等特点,以及父母的依恋、养育观念和心理健康状况等因素,都会对父母与儿童之间有关情绪的谈话产生影响。未来亲子间有关情绪的谈话研究应更多考虑儿童长远发展的社会文化适应性视角,加强对非言语信息、亲子间交互回应行为的分析,拓展儿童中期和青春期的探讨,并进一步细化各项研究指标的差异水平、考虑中介因素的作用。