United we stand, divided we fall: The limitations of between-group comparisons for fostering within-group cooperation

We review literature from several fields to describe common experimental tasks used to measure human cooperation as well as the theoretical models that have been used to characterize cooperative decision-making, as well as brain regions implicated in cooperation. Building on work in neuroeconomics, we suggest a value-based account may provide the most powerful understanding the psychology and neuroscience of group cooperation. We also review the role of individual differences and social context in shaping the mental processes that underlie cooperation and consider gaps in the literature and potential directions for future research on the social neuroscience of cooperation. We suggest that this multi-level approach provides a more comprehensive understanding of the mental and neural processes that underlie the decision to cooperate with others.

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A Sovereign Debt Example as an Instance of Inter-Group Cooperation

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3153117 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Yanling Guo

Keyword(s):

Sovereign Debt ◽

Group Cooperation

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Factors influencing adherence among youth with Type-1-Diabetes Mellitus - the Hungarian case

Current Diabetes Reviews ◽

10.2174/1573399816666200120123719 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

Author(s):

Beáta Erika Nagy ◽

Brigitta Munkácsi ◽

Karolina Eszter Kovács

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Type 1 Diabetes ◽

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Birth Order ◽

Insulin Pump ◽

Demographic Variables ◽

Insulin Pump Therapy ◽

Factors Influencing ◽

Group Comparisons

Background & Introduction: Due to the increasing prevalence of type-1-diabetes an increasing number of studies draws investigation draws attention to its psychological effects and long-term consequences. As Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic, non-curable, yet maintanable condition, with the affected children and their families facing a lifelong challenge. Our research focuses on the factors influencing adherence. Methods & Results: The adherence of youth was examined in a sample involving 114 patients treated in the Medical and Health Science Centre at the University of Debrecen by employing a new adherence questionnaire (DAQ abbreviated version, Munkácsi et al, 2019) (DAF 2017; N=114). The influence of socio-demographic variables and those related to the disease (age at the diagnosis, time elapsed since diagnosis, method of treatment, the time elapsed since the use of the pump) were measured by linear regression. Furthermore, the between-group comparisons were made by independent sample t-tests and variance analysis. The investigation was carried out between September 2017 and May 2018. The effect of using insulin pump as therapy is significant and positive (0.36. p=0.045). The adherence of the patients using insulin pump is higher while the effect of the age at the diagnosis has a significantly negative effect (-.247, p=0.035). Thus, earlier detection of the disease may lead to a higher level of adherence. The effects of the socio-demographic variables (gender, family structure, educational level, type of the settlement, owning sibling and birth order) were not significant (p>0.05). Regarding the between-group comparisons, a significant difference could be pointed out concerning the siblings and birth-order as the adherence of the those with siblings was higher (p=0.044). Moreover, concerning insulin pump therapy, the adherence of patients using pump was significantly better (p=0.048). Also, regarding the age of the diagnosis, the adherence of those diagnosed before 12 was seemingly higher (p=0.039). Concerning the other socio-demographical and disease-related variables, no significant differences could be detected. Conclusions: The results suggest that the treatment has an outstanding role in the adherence of the disease. Moreover, the role of the appropriate treatment, living conditions as well as the early diagnosis is relevant.

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Assessment of automated clinical trial recruitment and enrolment using patient-facing technology

BMJ Health & Care Informatics ◽

10.1136/bmjhci-2019-100076 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. e100076

Author(s):

Naomi S Bardach ◽

Regina Lam ◽

Carolyn B Jasik

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trial ◽

Patient Characteristics ◽

Electronic Signature ◽

Study Materials ◽

Study Staff ◽

Surgical Units ◽

Study Implementation ◽

Registration Number ◽

Care Systems ◽

Group Comparisons

ObjectiveInteractive patient care systems (IPCS) at the bedside are becoming increasingly common, but evidence is limited as to their potential for innovative clinical trial implementation. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that the IPCS could feasibly be used to automate recruitment and enrolment for a clinical trial.MethodsIn medical-surgical units, we used the IPCS to randomise, recruit and consent eligible subjects. For participants not interacting with IPCS study materials within 48 hours, study staff-initiated recruitment in-person. Eligible study population included all caregivers and any patients >6 years old admitted to medical-surgical units and oncology units September 2015 to January 2016. Outcomes: randomisation assessed using between-group comparisons of patient characteristics; recruitment success assessed by rates of consent; paperless implementation using successful acquisition of electronic signature and email address. We used χ2 analysis to assess success of randomisation and recruitment.ResultsRandomisation was successful (n=1012 randomised, p>0.05 for all between-group comparisons). For the subset of eligible, randomised patients who were recruited, IPCS-only recruitment (consented: 2.4% of n=213) was less successful than in-person recruitment (61.4% of n=87 eligible recruited, p<0.001). For those consenting (n=61), 96.7% provided an electronic signature and 68.9% provided email addresses.ConclusionsOur results suggest that as a tool at the bedside, the IPCS offers key efficiencies for study implementation, including randomisation and collecting e-consent and contact information, but does not offer recruitment efficiencies. Further research could assess the value that interactive technologies bring to recruitment when paired with in-person efforts, potentially focusing on more intensive user-interface testing for recruitment materials.Trial registration numberNCT02491190.

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Speech in a consecutive series of children born with cleft lip and palate with and without syndromes and/or additional malformations

BMC Pediatrics ◽

10.1186/s12887-021-02783-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kristina Klintö ◽

Maria Sporre ◽

Magnus Becker

Keyword(s):

Cleft Palate ◽

Cleft Lip ◽

Cleft Lip And Palate ◽

Consecutive Series ◽

Total Group ◽

One Stage ◽

Audio Recordings ◽

Bilateral Cleft Lip ◽

Palatal Surgery ◽

Group Comparisons

Abstract Background When evaluating speech in children with cleft palate with or without cleft lip (CP/L), children with known syndromes and/or additional malformations (CP/L+) are usually excluded. The aim of this study was to present speech outcome of a consecutive series of 5-year-olds born with CP/L, and to compare speech results of children with CP/L + and children with CP/L without known syndromes and/or additional malformations (CP/L-). Methods One hundred 5-year-olds (20 with CP/L+; 80 with CP/L-) participated. All children were treated with primary palatal surgery in one stage with the same procedure for muscle reconstruction. Three independent judges performed phonetic transcriptions and rated perceived velopharyngeal competence from audio recordings. Based on phonetic transcriptions, percent consonants correct (PCC) and percent non-oral errors were investigated. Group comparisons were performed. Results In the total group, mean PCC was 88.2 and mean percent non-oral errors 1.5. The group with bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP) had poorer results on both measures compared to groups with other cleft types. The average results of PCC and percent non-oral errors in the CP/L + group indicated somewhat poorer speech, but no significant differences were observed. In the CP/L + group, 25 % were judged as having incompetent velopharyngeal competence, compared to 15 % in the CP/L- group. Conclusions The results indicated relatively good speech compared to speech of children with CP/L in previous studies. Speech was poorer in many children with more extensive clefts. No significant differences in speech outcomes were observed between CP/L + and CP/L- groups.

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Tibetan Macaques with Higher Social Centrality and More Relatives Emit More Frequent Visual Communication in Collective Decision-Making

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11030876 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 876

Author(s):

Zifei Tang ◽

Xi Wang ◽

Mingyang Wu ◽

Shiwang Chen ◽

Jinhua Li

Keyword(s):

Visual Communication ◽

Visual Signals ◽

Communication Process ◽

Tobit Regression ◽

Communication Behaviors ◽

Group Cooperation ◽

Group Members ◽

Group Sex ◽

Free Ranging ◽

Social Centrality

Animals on the move often communicate with each other through some specific postures. Previous studies have shown that social interaction plays a role in communication process. However, it is not clear whether the affinity of group members can affect visual communication. We studied a group of free-ranging Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) at Huangshan Mountain, China, and answered whether and how social centrality or relatives matter in visual signals during group movement using Tobit regression modeling. All individuals emitted the signals of back-glances and pauses in collective movement. The emission of two signals decreased with the number of participants increased. The back-glance and pause signals emitted by the participating individuals were stronger as the position moved backward in the group. Sex, age, and rank had no significant influence on back-glance and pause signals. Individuals with higher social centrality would emit more pause signals, but social centrality had no effect on the back-glance signal. Individuals with more relatives in the group had more back-glance signals, but this had no effect on the pause signal. This study verifies that social centrality and the number of relatives have effects on visual signals in Tibetan macaques. We provide insights into the relationship between communication behaviors and group cooperation in social animals.

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