Impacts of delayed feedback on eco-driving behavior and resulting environmental performance changes

Several ways have been developed and applied to improve the environmental footprint of road transportation while contributing to a better road efficiency and safety. However, independently of these measures, the individual’s behavior as a commuter and/or as a driver is also a major issue that cannot be ignored. As a result, the aim of this paper was to assess the impacts of delayed feedback on driving performance considering indicators such as average speed, excess speeding, extreme braking and acceleration; fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions, among others. Data on driving behavior was collected over a period of 6 months through the use of an on-board device installed in 40 light-duty vehicles in the region of Lisbon, Portugal. Two driving monitoring periods of 3 months each were considered: without feedback (Phase 1) and with feedback (Phase 2). Additionally, the short-term (weekly and bi-weekly) impact of feedback on performance was also assessed.The major findings indicate that both experimental and control groups increased fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions over 5%. Both male and female drivers presented increases in these indicators with female drivers presenting higher values (up to 8%, as opposed to the 4% presented by male drivers). These results are related with increases in the number of accelerations, idling and number of small trips (below 2 km) between monitoring periods. Regarding the immediate impact of feedback on driving behavior, results indicate that when receiving negative feedback (revealing a performance decline), behavior would improve the following week. The opposite was found for positive feedback, with drivers worsening performance after being informed they had improved the previous week. Such findings might give an indication that people react differently to the feedback provided, and might depreciate the information provided when negative results are reached.     

Prevalence and behavioural risk factors of light or moderate and heavy cigarette smoking in 32 countries

The aim of this study was to predict the prevalence of light or moderate and heavy smoking from lifestyle behavioural risk factors among South African adults compared to others from 31 countries around the world. Secondary data from 53 391 adults who completed the International Social Survey Program (ISSP), 2011–2013, Health and Health Care Module were accessed for this study (South Africans, N = 3 004). Findings from multinomial logistic regression with adjustment for personal factors (e.g. physical and psychological well-being variables) were used to explain a significant proportion of both light or moderate smoking and heavy smoking among South African adults as well as adults from the other countries. Specifically, lifestyle factors of being underweight and overweight or obese were negatively associated with light or moderate smoking, but body mass index (BMI) weight status was not associated with heavy smoking. Smoking interventions should target modifiable lifestyle factors to prevent risk for light or moderate smoking and heavy smoking.     

An adaptive network model for pain and pleasure through spicy food and its desensitization

This paper aims to map out the adaptive causal pathways of processes underlying capsaicin consumption and the desensitization process of the TRPV1 receptor as a feedback loop together with pain and pleasure perception. In order to map out these causal capsaicin pathways, adaptive causal network modeling was applied, which is a way of modeling biological, neural, mental and social processes from an adaptive causal modeling perspective.     

童年环境、生命史策略对消费行为的影响——传统价值观“团结和谐”维度的调节作用

从进化心理学生命史理论视角探究童年环境和典型消费行为的关系。通过专项问卷调查收集1028个有效样本进行实证研究,证实童年环境的核心变量——童年社会经济地位显著影响成年后的绿色消费和炫耀性消费行为,生命史策略和"团结和谐"的传统价值观维度在其中分别起显著的中介和调节作用。研究有助于理解炫耀攀比、奢侈浪费等非理性消费的深层原因,并从生命史和价值观角度提供可能的解决思路,为大众培养健康理性消费提供借鉴。     

品牌消费旅程中消费者的认知心理过程——神经营销学视角

品牌消费旅程通常指的是对于品牌消费服务的多维度(包括认知, 情绪, 感觉, 行为和品牌关系)响应。揭示品牌消费旅程的认知心理过程是目前营销学领域之中研究的重点与热点。在梳理当前神经营销领域内有关功能性核磁共振(fMRI)、事件相关电位(ERP)、事件相关震荡(ERO)的相关研究成果后, 将消费者在品牌消费旅程之中的认知心理进程划分为注意吸引、决策形成、消费体验和品牌忠诚四个阶段, 并系统阐述了每个阶段之中消费者心理进程的神经机制与脑区活动, 进而全面立体地揭示消费心理的全貌。未来研究可以进一步探索不同神经指标在具体营销情境下的表征意义, 并结合超扫描技术进一步解析多个被试间的神经耦合情况。     

Making Nature,Making Energy,Making Humans: Two Exhibitions at the Wellcome Trust

This article reviews the Wellcome Collection exhibitions ‘Making Nature: How We See Animals’ and ‘Electricity: The Spark of Life’. While the two exhibitions appear to have disparate topics—one exhibition speaks about our co-existence with animals, the other about energy futures—they speak to each other in thought-provoking ways around the questions: how are we human in these times, and what possible trajectories are available to us?     

Frightfully funny: combining threat and humour in health messages for men and women

Objective: It is imperative for public health to investigate what factors may reduce defensive responses and increase the effectiveness of health information. The present research investigated gender differences in responses to threatening health-promoting information communicated with humour.

Design: Male and female participants were exposed to a health message stressing the negative consequences of binge drinking (Experiment 1; N = 209) or caffeine consumption (Experiment 2; N = 242), that did or did not contain a funny visual metaphor (Experiment 1) or a slapstick cartoon (Experiment 2).

Main Outcome Measures: Message evaluation, message attention, and attitudes and intentions towards the behaviour were measured.

Results: Results showed that health messages were more persuasive when communicated with humour, although humour played a different role for men and women. Whereas men responded more in line with message goals when the message combined high threat with humour, women preferred the low threat humour messages.

Conclusion: By uncovering the moderating role of gender as a key audience characteristic, this research contributes to designing effective future health campaigns and provides important insights for future studies investigating the underlying mechanisms responsible for the different effects of threat and humour appeals for men and women.     

不同促销方式对产品购买决策的影响—— 基于解释水平理论视角的研究

赠品促销与价格促销对消费者购买决策的影响研究结果尚存在分歧。根据解释水平理论, 通过三个实验探究了赠品促销产品组合与价格促销产品组合在不同任务类型、不同时间距离条件下的促销效果差异。结果表明：(1)不同时间距离下, 消费者对促销产品决策存在差异。赠品促销方式在近期将来购物场景下的促销效果比在远期将来购物场景下的促销效果更好; 价格促销方式在远期将来购物场景下的促销效果比在近期将来购物场景下的促销效果更好。价格支付意愿任务下, 消费者对远期将来场景下促销产品的感知价值比近期将来购物场景下促销产品的感知价值高; 购买可行性任务下, 消费者对近期将来购物场景下促销产品的感知价值比远期将来购物场景下促销产品的感知价值高。(2)时间距离对促销方式与任务类型的表征水平匹配关系有增强、扩大作用。购买可行性任务下, 与远期将来时间相比, 消费者更倾向于在近期将来时间条件下选择赠品促销产品组合。价格支付意愿任务下, 与近期将来时间相比, 消费者更倾向于在远期将来时间条件下选择价格促销产品组合。     

sleep complaints,behavioral characteristics and vital exhaustion in myocardial infarction cases

Abstract

Prodromal symptoms of vital exhaustion and sleep complaints are increasingly being recognized as important risk indicators for myocardial infarction (MI). In this study, the relationships between vital exhaustion, behavioral characteristics, and MI, and between several sleep complaints and MI were investigated. The subjects were 133 male cases with first MI, 192 male hospital controls, and 133 male neighborhood controls. The instruments used were the Maastricht Questionnaire (vital exhaustion), the Life Styles Questionnaire (sleep complaints, coffee consumption, and current smoking), and the Structured Interview (Type A behavior). All sleep complaints, vital exhaustion, Type A behavior, excessive coffee consumption, and current smoking occurred significantly more often in MI-cases. After controlling for these potential confounders, and age, most sleep complaints retained significant associations with MI, in particular often taking naps during the day and waking up in the morning feeling tired and exhausted.     

Endless Qualifications,Restless Consumption: The Governance of Novel Foods in Europe

Functional foods and foods derived from genetically modified organisms represent two forms of intervention in the design of foodstuffs that have given rise to distinct political and regulatory dynamics. In Europe, regulatory agencies have tried, unsuccessfully, to affix a definitive legal meaning to these categories of food artificiality. This incomplete process of legal disambiguation has gone hand in hand with the delegation of the responsibility for overseeing new products to consumers, who are asked to continuously consider and assess the qualities of foods when making their choices in the marketplace. In the case of genetically modified foods, we have witnessed strategies of avoidance premised on the consideration of genetic modification as a blemish on the conventional character of foodstuffs. Functional foods, on the other hand, are increasingly mobilized in practices of naturalistic enhancement. What both examples have in common is the open-ended character of their respective regulatory regimes, and the continuous prodding of consumers to involve themselves more intensely in the weighing of their food choices. The result is a particular mode of market activism that we describe as restless consumption.