Sexual willingness with same- and other-sex prospective partners: Experimental evidence from the bar scene

Sex is ubiquitous in the media, but only a fraction depicts sexual interactions between same-sex partners. This field study, conducted outside of bars in the Midwestern United States, examined 83 heterosexuals’ sexual willingness with a same- or other-sex partner. Participants viewed a randomly assigned video vignette of a same- or other-sex partner. Alcohol intake, partner attractiveness, and sexual willingness were measured. Using moderated regression analysis, we found that alcohol intake predicted sexual willingness with the male target for both men and women, but not with the female target. The attractiveness of same-sex partners was related to sexual willingness. Sexual willingness was only influenced by alcohol intake and perceived attractiveness of a same-sex prospective partner. Most notably, alcohol intake was related to increased sexual willingness of men with a same-sex partner, suggesting a potential shift in normative casual sexual behavior among heterosexual men.     

Implications for Wellness‐Based Supervision and Professional Quality of Life

This study evaluated the efficacy of the wellness model of supervision (WELMS; Lenz & Smith, 2010 ) for promoting changes across the perceptions of counselors‐in‐training (CITs) regarding professional quality of life. Three female participants (1 Caucasian, 2 Hispanic) were enrolled in a program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. Results of a single‐case research design with multiple baselines indicated that the WELMS was efficacious across client–CIT interactions on professional quality of life.     

DARWIN AND CHRISTIANITY: TRUTH AND MYTH

In recent years many historical myths about the relations between science and religion have been corrected but not always with sensitivity to different types and functions of “myth.” Correcting caricatures of Darwin's religious views and of the religious reaction to his theory have featured prominently in this myth‐busting. With the appearance in 2017 of A. N. Wilson's depiction of Darwin himself as a “mythmaker,” it is appropriate to reconsider where the myths lie in discourse concerning Darwin and Christianity. Problems with Wilson's account are identified and his provocative demeaning of Darwin is contrasted with an image gleaned from Darwin's friend and colleague George Romanes. The article concludes with a brief reference to the problem of suffering and to the work of Christopher Southgate.     

L’influence longitudinale de la justice organisationnelle sur le bien-être psychologique au travail : quels types de justice sont déterminants ?

Regarding the relationship between perceived organizational justice and psychological well-being at work, few studies compare the influence of the four organizational justice facets, and even fewer do so longitudinally. The objective of this study is to evaluate the longitudinal relationships between these facets and psychological well-being at work. Social exchange theory suggests that distributive, interpersonal, and informational justices are better predictors of well-being than procedural justice. A sample of 192 Canadian workers from a diversity of occupations completed two self-reported questionnaires at a six-month interval. Results support the importance of rewards allocation (distributive justice) and information given on this allocation (informational justice) to promote workers’ well-being.     

Exploration evoked by the environment is balanced by the need to perform in cricket spin bowling.

In the theory of ecological dynamics, adaptive responses emerge through exploration when an individual interacts with their environment. This study investigates how when competing, the environment guides perceptual-motor exploration that is balanced by the need to meet performance requirements. To understand this, eight emerging expert cricket spin bowlers aged 21 ± 3 years competed in three small-sided simulated practice matches where pitch conditions were manipulated to present familiar and unfamiliar environmental pitch constraints. It was hypothesized that bowlers would explore the unfamiliar pitch by searching for an action mode that allowed them to best exploit the conditions to achieve a successful outcome (e.g., take a wicket) while simultaneously attempting to satisfy the immediate performance requirements (e.g., limit runs per over). A mixed methodology was used to first identify the perceptions and intentions of the bowlers (dimensions, themes, and action modes), followed by analysis of the resultant action characteristics (delivery speed, spin rate, and pitching position) and performance outcomes (economy rate, strike rate, and bowling average). Overall, when competing on the familiar pitch, the bowlers reported primarily attuning to task constraints (75%). In contrast, when bowling on the unfamiliar pitch, all bowlers reported that their attention was more focused upon picking up key affordances related to environmental pitch constraints (100%). The majority of bowlers indicated that they bowled differently on the unfamiliar pitch by using more “side-spin” and less “over-spin”. Interestingly, it was not until the second performance on this pitch that execution variables significantly changed. Despite these changes, bowlers continued to pay attention to the opposing batters’ strategies throughout all three practice matches. The consistency of this response can be explained by an overarching strategy for all types of bowling in cricket that is more closely linked to the ongoing individual-opponent interaction. That is, the bowlers must perform and ‘stay in the game’ whilst simultaneously adapting to any environmental changes. Therefore, demonstrating the need to continually satisfy the immediate performance requirements to afford the opportunity to explore new affordances in the environment that may offer exploitation.     

自动驾驶车中的人机信任

自动驾驶是当前智能汽车发展的重要方向。在实现完全自动化驾驶前, 驾驶员和自动驾驶系统共享车辆控制权, 协同完成驾驶任务。在该人-机共驾阶段, 人对自动驾驶系统的信任是影响自动驾驶中人机协同效率与驾驶安全的关键要素; 驾驶员对自动驾驶车辆保持适当的信任水平对驾驶安全至关重要。本研究结合信任的发展阶段与影响因素提出了动态信任框架。该框架将信任发展分为倾向性信任、初始信任、实时信任和事后信任四个发展阶段, 并结合操作者特征(人)、系统特征(自动驾驶车系统)、情境特征(环境)三个关键因素分析不同阶段的核心影响因素以及彼此间的内在关联。根据该框架, 信任校准可从监测矫正、驾驶员训练、优化HMI设计三类途径展开。未来研究应更多关注驾驶员和人机系统设计特征对信任的影响, 考察信任的实时测量和功能特异性, 探讨驾驶员和系统的相互信任机制, 以及提升信任研究的外部效度。     

Ergonomic Design Improves Cross-Cultural Road Sign Comprehension

BackgroundTraffic sign design can have a substantial impact on road safety and traffic flow. The current study had three objectives: 1) Cross-validate the importance of ergonomic sign design; 2) Evaluate the ability of ergonomics experts to predict sign comprehension by the average driver; 3) Offer improved sign designs for poorly designed road signs. In a previous study (Ben Bassat et al., 2019), human factors and ergonomics experts evaluated several alternative designs for 31 different road signs, based on three ergonomics criteria – familiarity, standardization, and message/symbol compatibility. Some of these signs were tested in the current study and the correlation between the results of the two studies was analyzed.MethodIn this study, 805 licensed drivers from five countries were tested on their comprehension of 24 conventional signs and 32 alternative signs. Signs were individually presented on a screen and as soon as the participant decided on the meaning, the sign disappeared, and an experimenter wrote the stated meaning. The verbal responses were coded as correct (perfectly or partially), wrong, or opposite of the true meaning. Sign identification response time was also recorded.ResultsIn all countries across all signs, more drivers comprehended the alternative ergonomically superior signs, and the identification response times were shorter for these sign designs. Furthermore, the correlation between ergonomics experts' ratings as found in previous study and the percent of comprehension for each sign design was statistically significant and positive with r = 0.61.ConclusionsRoad signs should be designed according to ergonomics-based criteria. Human factors experts' opinions can be a useful tool in improving the design of poorly comprehended signs (or icons) and in designing new signs (or icons).     

Car-following behavioural adaptation when driving next to automated vehicles on a dedicated lane on motorways: A driving simulator study in the Netherlands

Automated vehicles (AVs) are expected to improve traffic flow efficiency and safety. The deployment of AVs on motorways is expected to be the first step in their implementation. One of the main concerns is how human drivers will interact with AVs. Dedicating specific lanes to AVs have been suggested as a possible solution. However, there is still a lack of evidence-based research on the consequence of dedicated lanes for AVs on human drivers’ behavior. To bridge this research gap, a driving simulator experiment was conducted to investigate the behavior of human drivers exposed to different road design configurations of dedicated lanes on motorways. The experiment sample consisted of 34 (13 female) licensed drivers in the age range of 20–30. A repeated measures ANOVA was applied, which revealed that the type of separation between the dedicated lane and the other lanes has a significant influence on the behavior of human drivers driving in the proximity of AV platoons. Human drivers maintained a significantly lower time headway (THW) when driving in the proximity of a continuous access dedicated lane as compared to a limited-access dedicated lane with a guardrail separation for AV platoons. A similar result was found for the limited-access dedicated lane in comparison to the limited-access dedicated lane with guardrail separation. Moreover, the results regarding the empirical relationships between THW and sociodemographic variables indicate a significant THW difference between males and females as well as a significant inverse relationship between THW and the years of driving experience.     

How do familiarity and fatal accidents affect acceptance of self-driving vehicles?

Expected benefits of disruptive technologies such as self-driving vehicles may only materialize if they are publicly accepted. Acceptance increases when implementation is experienced as initial concerns become unfounded and individuals become familiar with the new technology. Fatal accidents, however, negatively affect acceptance. This paper examines citizens' acceptance of self-driving vehicles by contrasting pre- and post-implementation of a self-driving shuttle in Switzerland and before and after the first fatal accident involving a self-driving vehicle in Arizona (USA) in 2018 gaining high media attention. To gauge acceptance, a panel survey using a random sample of 1408 Swiss residents was used. The results indicate that news about the fatal accident abroad exerts a stronger effect on acceptance than experiencing a self-driving bus trial. Latent scepticism causes acceptance to decrease in the event of an accident but only lasts short term. However, acceptance levels are stable and at high levels, which also explains the comparably low familiarity effects. As public acceptance is necessary for technology transitions, this article provides policymakers practical insights on how citizens form preferences towards traffic automation and related policy regulations. More specifically, results show how attitudes change over time while residents experience a trial and the first fatal accident with the technology at hand.