There are higher levels of conspiracy beliefs in more corrupt countries

In four studies, I found evidence that people living in countries with higher levels of corruption have a greater tendency for conspiracy ideation. In Study 1 (21 countries, N = 20,207), participants living in more corrupt countries reported having higher COVID-19 and generic conspiracy beliefs. Study 2 (25 countries, N = 4935), Study 3 (25 countries, N = 24,424), and Study 4 (24 countries, N = 5973) replicated the same finding. Internal meta-analysis suggested that this association remained significant after adjusting for other relevant cross-country differences. Studies 1 and 2, but not 3 and 4, also showed that corruption moderated the association between individuals’ gullibility (i.e., lack of education) and their conspiracy beliefs, and this association was significant only in low-corruption countries. The findings suggest that country-level corruption breeds conspiracy beliefs and moderates the effect of individuals’ gullibility on conspiracy beliefs.     

Early childhood educator outcomes from online professional development for physical literacy: A randomised controlled trial

IntroductionEarly childhood is recognised as a critical window of opportunity for physical literacy development, however early childhood educators typically lack the training required to effectively provide appropriate physical literacy opportunities for children. We examined the effects of an online physical literacy professional development program—relative to continuing with ‘standard’ practice—on early childhood educators’ physical literacy knowledge and application.MethodsWe conducted a parallel two-arm randomised controlled trial, in which 88 early childhood educators were randomly assigned to an online professional development program designed to support educators’ physical literacy instructional skills (intervention arm; n = 37), or a ‘standard practice’ control condition (n = 51). Data were collected prior to and after the four-week intervention period. We measured educators’ physical literacy knowledge and application (our primary outcome) through independent coding of open-ended survey responses, and educators’ self-reported perceptions of values, confidence, behaviours, and barriers (secondary outcomes). Between-group differences were assessed through analysis of covariance.ResultsOne intervention arm participant withdrew from the study, resulting in 87 participants included in analysis. Educators in the intervention arm scored significantly higher on post-intervention physical literacy knowledge (d = 0.62) and application (d = 0.33) than those in the control arm. Educators in the intervention arm also scored significantly higher than controls on confidence in teaching physical activity (d = 0.42) and significantly lower than controls on perceived personal barriers to physical activity (d = 0.53). Thirteen participants in the intervention arm (36%) did not begin the online professional development program.ConclusionImprovements in physical literacy instructional outcomes indicate the potential for further investigation into broader implementation of online professional development programs of this nature in the future.     

Do you believe what you have been told? Morality and scientific literacy as predictors of pseudoscience susceptibility

The aim of the current study was to examine the antecedents of susceptibility to pseudoscientific information. Participants were asked to assess their perceived probability of and familiarity with statements containing popular science misconceptions and pseudoscientific claims, which were fabricated for the study. Measures of scientific literacy, moral inclinations, need for closure, and a set of additional variables were collected. Analysis of the results showed that susceptibility to known pseudoscientific theories predicted falling for novel unwarranted claims. Scientific literacy strongly predicted lower pseudoscience susceptibility of all types. Finally, participants' moral inclinations were found to be a strong predictor of different types of pseudoscientific statements.     

Mental Health Literacy and Peer-to-Peer Counseling Referrals Among Community College Students

Mental health literacy (MHL) has utility for promoting peer-to-peer referrals to mental health support services among university students. However, there is a gap in the extant literature about the potential usefulness of MHL for supporting the mental health of community college students, a population facing a number of mental health conditions. The authors examined the construct validity and the utility of 3 dimensions of MHL as predictors of peer-to-peer referrals to the counseling center among community college students. Results of confirmatory factor analyses supported the dimensionality of the instrumentation and a hierarchical logistic regression analysis revealed that MHL was a significant positive predictor of peer-to-peer referrals to the counseling center. Implications for counseling practice and future research are discussed.     

心理健康素养：内涵、测量与新概念框架

本文概述了国内外心理健康素养概念的研究及其测量的演进。在此基础上尝试提出国民心理健康素养的新概念框架。新概念将心理健康素养定义为个体在促进自身及他人心理健康,应对自身及他人心理疾病方面所养成的知识、态度和行为习惯。新概念框架包含“心理疾病应对——心理健康促进”和“自我——他人”两个维度;在内容上包含知识、态度和行为习惯三个方面。文章还探讨了未来的研究方向。     

Truthfulness,Beneficence, and Vulnerability as Key Concepts in Communication Ethics

This article presents the major stages of the approaches to the ethics of communication and the respective ethical principle of each one. The first stage, centred on the principle of truthfulness, was born at the beginning of the 20th century, at the same time as the first great development of the press and journalism. The second stage, which began at the end of the 20th century, centred on the principle of beneficence and developed from the growing influence of the mass media on all fields and aspects of social life. There is also the need for a further principle for communication ethics: the principle of vulnerability: to give voice to those affected by a situation, especially to those in a situation of vulnerability. The article then considers whether the huge impact of the Internet and social media at the beginning of the 21st century implies a new stage in the ethics of communication or rather the need to extend the scope and effectiveness of existing ethical principles and norms. The article tends toward the second option, insisting on the role of self-regulation and media literacy in tackling the current challenges in media and social media communications.     

象征之镜的生产和生产之镜的象征,或马克思和鲍德里亚

鲍德里亚批评马克思的逻辑有一个递进过程,从最初借助于马克思的拜物教理论发展出一种以符号(或形式)分析为核心的消费社会观,到对马克思主义“生产力”理论批评,最后以“象征交换”理论替代马克思的“生产”理论。在这一过程中,他把西方马克思主义哲学逻辑的失败原因追溯到马克思主义起点上,并借助于结构主义、精神分析和相关人类学成果构建了一种从象征关系入手对当代资本主义文化和意识形态的批判话语,但是在根本上“象征之镜”却是资本主义“生产之镜”话语之外的另一种非历史话语,批判本身成为与历史生成具体情境无关的一种话语反对另一种话语的斗争。在直接的意义上,鲍德里亚式的批评是当代左派激进文化批判的困境表现。     

Toward a Culturally Responsive Model of Mental Health Literacy: Facilitating Help‐Seeking Among East Asian Immigrants to North America

Studies have consistently found that East Asian immigrants in North America are less likely to use mental health services even when they experience levels of distress comparable to Euro‐Americans. Although cultural factors that may prevent East Asian immigrants from seeking mental health care have been identified, few studies have explored ways to foster appropriate help‐seeking and use of mental health services. Recent work on mental health literacy provides a potential framework for strategies to increase appropriate help‐seeking and use of services. This paper reviews the literature on help‐seeking for mental health problems among East Asian immigrants living in Western countries to critically assess the relevance of the mental health literacy approach as a framework for interventions to improve appropriate use of services. Modifications needed to develop a culturally responsive framework for mental health literacy are identified.     

Body–Mind Integrality: Remarks on the Nature and Origin of Universe and Life

This article summarizes scientific knowledge in the fields of quantum physics and medical science regarding the origin and the nature of the universe and life. The recent discoveries in the fields of biophysics, genetics, epigenetics, neuroscience, and psychosomatics describe the universe and life as highly coherent systems where information is a key factor. In this concept living systems are cognitive networks in a dynamic relationship with their environment. Health in this context is a dynamic balance in a subject in which the information flows functionally. Disease is identified as a pathology of information that can be classified in a new way, considering two different codes of meaning—the semiotic and the symbolic.