Seeking Alternatives: How Task Instruction Affects Comprehension of Texts with Conflicting Information

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Lin Guo
2017 ◽  
Vol 225 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivar Bråten ◽  
Andreas Lien ◽  
John Nietfeld

Abstract. In two experiments with Norwegian undergraduates and one experiment with US undergraduates, we examined the potential effects of brief task instructions aligned with incremental and entity views of intelligence on students’ performance on a rational thinking task. The research demonstrated that even brief one-shot task instructions that deliver a mindset about intelligence intervention can be powerful enough to affect students’ performance on such a task. This was only true for Norwegian male students, however. Moreover, it was the task instruction aligned with an entity theory of intelligence that positively affected Norwegian male students’ performance on the rational thinking task, with this unanticipated finding speaking to the context- and culture-specificity of implicit theories of intelligence interventions.


Author(s):  
Martin Gustavsson

A dilemma for market organizers is created by the fact that sellers want to know as much about buyers as possible, whereas buyers rarely want the seller to have that information—not least for privacy reasons. This dilemma is affected by market organization, and market organization may also be used to try to change imbalances in the conflicting information interests. In the market for personal insurance, insurance sellers require in-depth information about the buyer’s health conditions, in order to make an accurate categorization. As this information is sensitive to buyers, however, and can potentially exclude them from the market, many buyers are concerned about sharing it. This chapter demonstrates how sellers have spent considerable resources trying to organize buyers. However, the considerable imbalance in favour of the sellers’ interests triggered buyers and their advocates to call for market reorganizations. Eventually the state reacted and reorganized the market, but only modestly so.


Author(s):  
Alison G. Vredenburgh ◽  
Rodrigo J. Daly Guris ◽  
Kevin G. Welner ◽  
Sreekanth R. Cheruku

By October, we will have learned a great deal about responding to an epidemic or pandemic that has proved to have a level of transmission unprecedented in the modern era. The possible and likely responses include many unknowns. Coordinated and collaborative implementation has been complicated by conflicting information from multiple governments and organizations in several languages. What will we learn about how the United States can improve its ability to respond? How do we develop consistent and accurate warnings and messaging to the public in order to increase compliance regarding a new, and not well understood, epidemic? What factors increase or decrease compliance? How are US education policymakers deciding about face-to-face instruction? How have physicians and hospitals adapted their workflows in the face of uncertainty and supply chain inconsistencies? This panel will include a warnings expert, an expert on education law and policy, and two physicians.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Beena Koshy ◽  
Manikandan Srinivasan ◽  
Timiri Palani Murugan ◽  
Anuradha Bose ◽  
Pamela Christudoss ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Head circumference (HC) measurement is routinely not performed in early childhood and there is conflicting information about its utility in literature. The current study analyses the association between HC at two years of age and cognition at two and five years of age. Methods A community based birth-cohort recruited between 2010 and 2012 was followed up till five years of age in an urban slum in Vellore, India. Children were recruited at birth after informed parental consent by consecutive sampling using eligibility criteria of healthy new-born, singleton pregnancy and family’s availability in the study area during follow-up. HC measured at two years of age was used as the exposure variable to calculate association with cognition at both two and five years of age. Cognitive domain of Bayley scale of infant development was used at two years of age and Wechsler Preschool Primary Scales of Intelligence at five years. Results Of the 251 enrolled children, 138 (55%) were girls and 71 (30%) belonged to lower socioeconomic status. At 2 years, 8.81% of children had HC < − 3SD. Compared to children with HC z-scores ≥ − 2 SD, those with measurements < − 3 SD had a lower cognition scores by − 2.21 [95% CI: − 3.87 - -0.56] at 2 years. Also, children with HC < − 3 SD at two years scored significantly lower scores in cognitive domains of verbal, − 7.35 [95% CI: − 11.78 - -2.92] and performance, − 7.07 [95% CI: − 11.77 - -2.36] intelligence at five years. Conclusions This study showed that smaller HC at 2 years of age was negatively associated with cognition at both 2 and 5 years of age. Early childhood HC measurements can be utilised as a cheaper screening tool to identify children at risk in LMIC settings. Further studies can confirm these findings in diverse settings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (11) ◽  
pp. 928-936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sigall K Bell ◽  
Stephanie D Roche ◽  
Ariel Mueller ◽  
Erica Dente ◽  
Kristin O’Reilly ◽  
...  

BackgroundLittle is known about patient/family comfort voicing care concerns in real time, especially in the intensive care unit (ICU) where stakes are high and time is compressed. Experts advocate patient and family engagement in safety, which will require that patients/families be able to voice concerns. Data on patient/family attitudes and experiences regarding speaking up are sparse, and mostly include reporting events retrospectively, rather than pre-emptively, to try to prevent harm. We aimed to (1) assess patient/family comfort speaking up about common ICU concerns; (2) identify patient/family-perceived barriers to speaking up; and (3) explore factors associated with patient/family comfort speaking up.MethodsIn collaboration with patients/families, we developed a survey to evaluate speaking up attitudes and behaviours. We surveyed current ICU families in person at an urban US academic medical centre, supplemented with a larger national internet sample of individuals with prior ICU experience.Results105/125 (84%) of current families and 1050 internet panel participants with ICU history completed the surveys. Among the current ICU families, 50%–70% expressed hesitancy to voice concerns about possible mistakes, mismatched care goals, confusing/conflicting information and inadequate hand hygiene. Results among prior ICU participants were similar. Half of all respondents reported at least one barrier to voicing concerns, most commonly not wanting to be a ‘troublemaker’, ‘team is too busy’ or ‘I don’t know how’. Older, female participants and those with personal or family employment in healthcare were more likely to report comfort speaking up.ConclusionSpeaking up may be challenging for ICU patients/families. Patient/family education about how to speak up and assurance that raising concerns will not create ‘trouble’ may help promote open discussions about care concerns and possible errors in the ICU.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Worsfold ◽  
L Marriott ◽  
S Johnson ◽  
J Harper

Abstract Study question Are period trackers giving women accurate information about their periods and ovulation? Summary answer The top 10 period trackers gave conflicting information on period dates, ovulation day and the fertile window. What is known already Period tracking applications allow women to track their menstrual cycles and receive a prediction for their periods. The majority of applications also provide predictions of day of ovulation and the fertile window. Previous research indicates applications are basing predictions on assuming women undergo a textbook 28-day cycle with ovulation occurring on day 14 and a fertile window between days 10 and 17. Study design, size, duration An audit of menstrual cycle apps was conducted on the Apple app store using menstrual cycle tracker/period tracker as the search terms. The top ten apps that followed the inclusion and exclusion criteria were analysed and used for this study. All apps had the ability to allow retrospective data entry giving future cycle predictions and fertile window, and nine of the apps predicted a day of ovulation. Participants/materials, setting, methods Five women’s profiles for 6 menstrual cycles were created and entered into each app. Cycle length (CL) and ovulation day (OD) for the 6th cycle were; Woman 1 – Constant 28 day CL, 0D 16, Woman 2 – Average 23 day CL, OD 13, Woman 3 – Average 28 day CL, OD 17, Woman 4 – Average 33 day CL, OD 20 and Woman 5 – Irregular, average 31 day CL, OD 14. Main results and the role of chance For cycle length, the apps all predicted woman 1’s cycles correctly but for women 2–5, the apps predicted 0 to 8 days shorter or longer than expected. For day of ovulation; for woman 1, no apps predicted this correctly; the apps ranged from day 13–15. For woman 2, 1 app was correct and overall the apps showed a lot of variation from day 8 to 13. For woman 3, no apps got it right, with a range of day 13–16. For woman 4, 2 apps got it right, but the apps ranged from day 13–20. For woman 5, no apps got right; the apps ranged from day 13–21. Irrespective of cycle length, 7 apps predicted a fertile window of 7 days in almost all cases; except 1 app that predicted 6 days for woman 2 and a different app which predicted 8 days for woman 4. For the remaining 3 apps, one always predicted a 10 day fertile window. One app predicted an 11 day fertile window in 4/5 women. One app predicted a 12 day fertile window in 4/5 women. Limitations, reasons for caution The five profiles created spanned a range of observed cycle characteristics, but many permutations are possible. A Monte Carlo type analysis could be conducted to examine these possibilities to provide more precise assessment of app performance, but as data had to be added manually into apps, this was not possible. Wider implications of the findings: The apps do not use the same algorithm and show variation. The information given by these apps is not 100% accurate, especially for the day of ovulation and the fertile window which can only be predicted if using a marker of ovulation, such as basal body temperature or ovulation sticks. Trial registration number Not applicable


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chyun-Fung Shi ◽  
Matthew C So ◽  
Sophie Stelmach ◽  
Arielle Earn ◽  
David J D Earn ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic is the first pandemic where social media platforms relayed information on a large scale, enabling an “infodemic” of conflicting information which undermined the global response to the pandemic. Understanding how the information circulated and evolved on social media platforms is essential for planning future public health campaigns. OBJECTIVE This study investigated what types of themes about COVID-19 were most viewed on YouTube during the first 8 months of the pandemic, and how COVID-19 themes progressed over this period. METHODS We analyzed top-viewed YouTube COVID-19 related videos in English from from December 1, 2019 to August 16, 2020 with an open inductive content analysis. We coded 536 videos associated with 1.1 billion views across the study period. East Asian countries were the first to report the virus, while most of the top-viewed videos in English were from the US. Videos from straight news outlets dominated the top-viewed videos throughout the outbreak, and public health authorities contributed the fewest. Although straight news was the dominant COVID-19 video source with various types of themes, its viewership per video was similar to that for entertainment news and YouTubers after March. RESULTS We found, first, that collective public attention to the COVID-19 pandemic on YouTube peaked around March 2020, before the outbreak peaked, and flattened afterwards despite a spike in worldwide cases. Second, more videos focused on prevention early on, but videos with political themes increased through time. Third, regarding prevention and control measures, masking received much less attention than lockdown and social distancing in the study period. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that a transition of focus from science to politics on social media intensified the COVID-19 infodemic and may have weakened mitigation measures during the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is recommended that authorities should consider co-operating with reputable social media influencers to promote health campaigns and improve health literacy. In addition, given high levels of globalization of social platforms and polarization of users, tailoring communication towards different digital communities is likely to be essential.


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