Causal Mechanisms

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel G. B. Johnson ◽  
Woo-kyoung Ahn
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Inductive Inference ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structural Constraints ◽  
Markov Condition ◽  
Causal Mechanisms ◽  
Temporal Cues ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Statistical Induction ◽  
Theoretical Results

This chapter reviews empirical and theoretical results concerning knowledge of causal mechanisms—beliefs about how and why events are causally linked. First, it reviews the effects of mechanism knowledge, showing that mechanism knowledge can override other cues to causality (including covariation evidence and temporal cues) and structural constraints (the Markov condition), and that mechanisms play a key role in various forms of inductive inference. Second, it examines several theories of how mechanisms are mentally represented—as associations, forces or powers, icons, abstract placeholders, networks, or schemas—and the empirical evidence bearing on each theory. Finally, it describes ways that people acquire mechanism knowledge, discussing the contributions from statistical induction, testimony, reasoning, and perception. For each of these topics, it highlights key open questions for future research.

The Market, the Firm, and Behavioral Antitrust

2014 ◽  
pp. 538-567
Author(s):  
Avishalom Tor
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Law And Economics ◽  
Individual Behavior ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Antitrust Law ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Enforcement Policy ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Behavioral Evidence

This Handbook chapter examines the main distinct concerns facing the application of empirical behavioral evidence to antitrust law and economics—also known as “behavioral antitrust.” More than many (though not all) other legal fields, antitrust law is primarily concerned with the conduct of firms in markets rather than in individual behavior per se. Yet much of the empirical evidence that behavioral antitrust draws on concerns individual behavior outside the firm, often in nonmarket settings. Hence besides adducing additional, direct empirical evidence on behavioral phenomena within firms and markets, there is a need to determine when and how the behavioral evidence on human judgment and decision behavior more generally is informative for antitrust. To this end, the chapter considers the ways in which markets and firms shape behavior. Direct evidence and theoretical analysis both reveal these institutions variously to facilitate rationality and deviations from it. After illustrating the implications of the complex interaction among markets, firms, and the rationality of antitrust actors across different areas of the law and enforcement policy, the chapter concludes by sketching some important open questions and future research directions in behavioral antitrust.

Three Outcomes of Contentious Elections

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard W Frank
Keyword(s):  
Review Essay ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structural Constraints ◽  
Election Cycle ◽  
Causal Mechanisms ◽  
International Stability ◽  
Election Violence ◽  
Money In Politics

Abstract Elections are contentious by design, but contentious election outcomes—from democratic backsliding to widespread protests and violence—occur regularly and represent significant challenges to both domestic and international stability. This review essay explores three specific outcomes of contentious elections (i.e., failed democratization, democracy protests, and election violence) using three recent, influential books on these topics. It highlights several, overlapping causal mechanisms, including those focusing on structural characteristics, actor behavior, and election cycle dynamics. It also explores four cross-cutting themes (i.e., democratization, electoral history, structural constraints, and money in politics), as well as three areas for future research (i.e., overlooked actors, election integrity, and international factors).

Autobiographical Memory Impairments as a Transdiagnostic Feature of Mental Illness: A meta-analysis of autobiographical memory specificity and overgenerality amongst people with psychiatric diagnoses

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Joseph Barry ◽  
David John Hallford ◽  
Keisuke Takano
Keyword(s):  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Keyword Search ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Psychiatric Diagnoses ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Memory Impairments ◽  
Memory Specificity ◽  
Causal Mechanisms

Decades of research has examined the difficulty that people with psychiatric diagnoses, such as Major Depressive Disorder, Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, have in recalling specific autobiographical memories from events that lasted less than a day. Instead, they seem to retrieve general events that have occurred many times or which occurred over longer periods of time, termed overgeneral memory. We present the first transdiagnostic meta-analysis of memory specificity/overgenerality, and the first meta-regression of proposed causal mechanisms. A keyword search of Embase, PsycARTICLES and PsycINFO databases yielded 74 studies that compared people with and without psychiatric diagnoses on the retrieval of specific (k = 85) or general memories (k = 56). Multi-level meta-analysis confirmed that people with psychiatric diagnoses typically recall fewer specific (g = -0.864, 95% CI[-1.030, -0.698]) and more general (g = .712, 95% CI[0.524, 0.900]) memories than diagnoses-free people. The size of these effects did not differ between diagnostic groups. There were no consistent moderators; effect sizes were not explained by methodological factors such as cue valence, or demographic variables such as participants’ age. There was also no support for the contribution of underlying processes that are thought to be involved in specific/general memory retrieval (e.g., rumination). Our findings confirm that deficits in autobiographical memory retrieval are a transdiagnostic factor associated with a broad range of psychiatric problems, but future research should explore novel causal mechanisms such as encoding deficits and the social processes involved in memory sharing and rehearsal.

Further investigations on Fujimoto type strong uniqueness polynomials

Filomat ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (16) ◽  
pp. 5203-5216
Author(s):  
Abhijit Banerjee ◽  
Bikash Chakraborty ◽  
Sanjay Mallick
Keyword(s):  
Meromorphic Functions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Strong Uniqueness ◽  
Open Questions

Taking the question posed by the first author in [1] into background, we further exhaust-ably investigate existing Fujimoto type Strong Uniqueness Polynomial for Meromorphic functions (SUPM). We also introduce a new kind of SUPM named Restricted SUPM and exhibit some results which will give us a new direction to discuss the characteristics of a SUPM. Moreover, throughout the paper, we pose a number of open questions for future research.

scholarly journals Hepatic stellate cells: current state and open questions

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claus Kordes ◽  
Hans H. Bock ◽  
Doreen Reichert ◽  
Petra May ◽  
Dieter Häussinger
Keyword(s):  
Hepatic Stellate Cells ◽  
Stellate Cells ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Heinrich Heine ◽  
Current State ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Sinusoidal Endothelium ◽  
Cell Niche ◽  
Space Of Disse

Abstract This review article summarizes 20 years of our research on hepatic stellate cells within the framework of two collaborative research centers CRC575 and CRC974 at the Heinrich Heine University. Over this period, stellate cells were identified for the first time as mesenchymal stem cells of the liver, and important functions of these cells in the context of liver regeneration were discovered. Furthermore, it was determined that the space of Disse – bounded by the sinusoidal endothelium and hepatocytes – functions as a stem cell niche for stellate cells. Essential elements of this niche that control the maintenance of hepatic stellate cells have been identified alongside their impairment with age. This article aims to highlight previous studies on stellate cells and critically examine and identify open questions and future research directions.

The DEAH helicase DHX36 and its role in G-quadruplex-dependent processes

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Schult ◽  
Katrin Paeschke
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Transcriptional Level ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Multiple Functions ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
G Quadruplex ◽  
Cellular Pathways ◽  
Nucleic Acid Structures ◽  
Dependent Processes

AbstractDHX36 is a member of the DExD/H box helicase family, which comprises a large number of proteins involved in various cellular functions. Recently, the function of DHX36 in the regulation of G-quadruplexes (G4s) was demonstrated. G4s are alternative nucleic acid structures, which influence many cellular pathways on a transcriptional and post-transcriptional level. In this review we provide an overview of the current knowledge about DHX36 structure, substrate specificity, and mechanism of action based on the available models and crystal structures. Moreover, we outline its multiple functions in cellular homeostasis, immunity, and disease. Finally, we discuss the open questions and provide potential directions for future research.

Small-Scale Deliberation and Mass Democracy: A Systematic Review of the Spillover Effects of Deliberative Minipublics

2021 ◽  
pp. 003232172110072
Author(s):  
Ramon van der Does ◽  
Vincent Jacquet
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Mass Democracy

Deliberative minipublics are popular tools to address the current crisis in democracy. However, it remains ambiguous to what degree these small-scale forums matter for mass democracy. In this study, we ask the question to what extent minipublics have “spillover effects” on lay citizens—that is, long-term effects on participating citizens and effects on non-participating citizens. We answer this question by means of a systematic review of the empirical research on minipublics’ spillover effects published before 2019. We identify 60 eligible studies published between 1999 and 2018 and provide a synthesis of the empirical results. We show that the evidence for most spillover effects remains tentative because the relevant body of empirical evidence is still small. Based on the review, we discuss the implications for democratic theory and outline several trajectories for future research.

scholarly journals Predicting Consumer Intention to Use Mobile Payment Services: Empirical Evidence from Vietnam

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 117 ◽  
Author(s):  
The Ninh Nguyen ◽  
Tuan Khanh Cao ◽  
Phuong Linh Dang ◽  
Hien Anh Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Mobile Payment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Perceived Ease Of Use ◽  
Payment Services ◽  
The Impact

<p>Mobile payment has relative advantages compared to other payment methods, thus providing benefits for both consumers and the society. This study attempts to examine factors influencing consumer intention to use mobile payment services. Survey data are used to investigate the impact of consumers’ perceptions of mobile payment services and social influence on use intention. Empirical evidence from 489 Vietnamese consumers confirms a significant relationship between the factors and behavioral intention, and reveals that perceived trust is the strongest predictor of intention to use mobile payment services followed by perceived ease of use, perceived enjoyment, perceived behavioral control, perceived usefulness and subjective norm, respectively. The results contribute to the evolving literature, and suggest that mobile payment service providers should particularly focus on building up consumer trust, and making their services clear, understandable and easy to use. Future research directions for extending this study are also discussed.</p>

Second language structural priming: A critical review and directions for future research

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie N. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structural Priming ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Current State ◽  
Current Review ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
State Of Research

The last 15 years has seen a tremendous growth in research on structural priming among second language (L2) speakers. Structural priming is the phenomenon whereby speakers are more likely to repeat a structure they have recently heard or produced. Research on L2 structural priming speaks to key issues regarding the underlying linguistic and cognitive mechanisms that support L2 acquisition and use, and the extent to which lexical and grammatical information are shared across an L2 speaker’s languages. As the number of researchers investigating L2 priming and its implications for L2 learning continues to grow, it is important to assess the current state of research in this area and establish directions for continued inquiry. The goal of the current review is to provide an overview of recent research on within-language L2 structural priming, with an eye towards the open questions that remain.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document