scholarly journals Disease Salience Effects on Desire for Affiliation With In-Group and Out-Group Members: Cognitive and Affective Mediators

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 147470492093070
Author(s):  
Murray Millar ◽  
Andrea Fink-Armold ◽  
Aileen Lovitt
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Infection Risk ◽  
Target Person ◽  
Cognitive Responses ◽  
European Descent ◽  
Group Members

This study tested the hypothesis that threats related to infectious diseases would make persons less willing to affiliate with out-groups and that feelings of disgust and beliefs about the out-group members would mediate this effect. To test this hypothesis, American participants of European descent were presented with either a disease threat or control threat. Then they were shown a photograph of someone of the same race or different race. Participants were asked to indicate whether they would avoid the target person and to state their emotional and cognitive responses to the person. As predicted, disease salience decreased the desire to affiliate with out-group members, and both feelings of disgust and beliefs about the infection risk posed by the target person mediated this relationship.

scholarly journals Gossip about Coronavirus: Infection status and norm adherence shape social responses

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 658-679
Author(s):  
Terence D. Dores Cruz ◽  
Romy van der Lee ◽  
Bianca Beersma
Keyword(s):  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Behavioral Intentions ◽  
Infection Risk ◽  
Infection Status ◽  
Social Responses ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Important Pathway ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Coronavirus Infection

To stop the spread of the Coronavirus, people must avoid infection risk. Given widespread skepticism regarding information concerning the Coronavirus received from authorities, one potentially important pathway to estimate the infectiousness of one’s group members could be through gossip (i.e., information about an absent target). Infection risk is reflected by both infection status and adherence to social distancing norms. In hypothetical scenarios ( N = 837), participants received gossip that we manipulated to describe a group member’s infection status and/or norm adherence. Results showed people tended to believe gossip and that gossip influenced behavioral intentions to avoid and punish targets of gossip as well as the perception of targets. We conclude that gossip, while potentially unreliable, could affect how people treat group members. We discuss how gossip could alleviate the Coronavirus crisis by contributing to slowing the Coronavirus’s spread, as well as exacerbate it through increased social exclusion based on unverified information.

Tick-Borne Infections

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Wilson ◽  
Lynn L. Estes
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Geographic Distribution ◽  
Infection Risk ◽  
Human Diseases ◽  
Numerous Species ◽  
Hard Ticks ◽  
Protozoan Infection

Numerous species of ticks have been associated with transmission of infectious diseases to humans. Recognizing the type of tick and its geographic distribution can aid identification of select bacterial, viral, and protozoan infection risk assessment.• Consists of the hard ticks that transmit nearly all tick-borne human diseases; 2–30 mm...

CHOICE OF ROOMING-IN OR NEWBORN NURSERY

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1950 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 878-889
Author(s):  
ETHELYN H. KLATSKIN ◽  
ANTON N. LETHIN ◽  
EDITH B. JACKSON
Keyword(s):  
Breast Feeding ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Feeding Preference ◽  
Bottle Feeding ◽  
European Descent ◽  
White Mothers ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Student Classification ◽  
The University

From July 1, 1947 to July 1, 1949, 1251 mothers attending the obstetric clinic of the University Service of the Grace-New Haven Community Hospital were "screened" through interview to determine their preference in hospital accommodation and to obtain basic identification data. Patients were grouped according to preference for Rooming-In, preference for Nursery, and Undecided. The significance of the relationship between accommodation preference and patient's feeding preference, parity, age, education, descent, religion, race and occupation of patient's husband was then statistically determined. It was found that inclusion of the Undecided group with the Nursery group did not alter the statistical significance of any of the obtained relationships, and[SEE CHART 2 IN SOURCE PDF] consequently only the Rooming-In and Nursery groups will be contrasted in the following summary: 1. A highly significant relationship was found between accommodation preference and feeding preference. The majority of the Rooming-In group preferred breast feeding, the majority of the Nursery group preferred bottle feeding. 2. A highly significant relationship was found between accommodation preference and patient's parity. On the whole, the Rooming-In group members have lower parities than the Nursery group members. 3. No relationship was found between accommodation preference and patient's age. 4. A highly significant relationship was found between accommodation preference and occupation of patient's husband. The preponderance of patients in upper occupational classifications (student, professional, small business) occurred in the Rooming-In group. If the student classification is not included, the groups approach similarity. 5. A highly significant relationship was found between accommodation preference and patient's education. The preponderance of patients in higher educational classifications (college and above) occurred in the Rooming-In group. 6. No statistically significant relationship was found between accommodation preference and patient's descent, though a trend approaching significance was noted for the Rooming-In group to be chosen more often by patients of United States, British Isles, and Northwest European descent, and Nursery by patients of Southern European descent. 7. No relationship was found between accommodation preference and patient's religion. 8. A highly significant relationship was found between accommodation preference and patient's race. The Rooming-In group contained fewer Negro mothers in proportion to white mothers than did the Nursery group. During the two year period, screening interviews were obtained on 280 private patients. As this group was a biased sample, the data were not analyzed statistically. Compared with clinic patients preferring rooming-in, the private patients more consistently preferred breast feeding, represented a different cultural and economic group, but were similar to the clinic group in age and parity.

scholarly journals COVID-19禍の日本社会と心理──2020年3月下旬実施調査に基づく検討──

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei Yamagata ◽  
Tsukasa Teraguchi ◽  
Asako Miura
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Cognitive Responses ◽  
Japanese People ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
The Social ◽  
Academic Researchers ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Pathogen Avoidance

The purpose of this study was to investigate the cognitions, behaviors, attitudes, and living conditions of Japanese people during the severe novel coronavirus pandemic that reached the country in January 2020 and to publish the data related to the study. Using experiential data gathered from 612 Japanese nationals in late March 2020, we conducted an exploratory analysis of the associations between the variables measured in order to capture an authentic portrait of a society grappling with an infectious disease. We found that infection preventive behaviors and exclusionary attitudes toward foreigners were associated with individual differences in the cognitive responses specific to infectious diseases and pathogen avoidance. In variables directly related to the pandemic, there were some differences by gender, but not by generation or area of residence. This study provides practical, essential information that could give academic researchers, policymakers, and social support agencies valuable insights into the social pathologies specific to infectious diseases, managing public health, and improving lives.

scholarly journals Negative Excess Mortality in Pneumonia Death caused by COVID-19 in Japan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junko Kurita ◽  
Tamie Sugawara ◽  
Yoshiyuki Sugishita ◽  
Yasushi Ohkusa
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
Excess Mortality ◽  
Pneumococcal Vaccination ◽  
Infection Risk ◽  
Estimation Model

AbstractBackgroundSince the emergence of COVID-19, cases of excess mortality from all causes have been very few in Japan.ObjectTo evaluate COVID-19 effects precisely, we specifically examine deaths caused by pneumonia and examine excess mortality attributable to pneumonia in Japan.MethodWe applied the NIID model to pneumonia deaths from 2005 up through September, 2020 for the whole of Japan. Introduction of routine pneumococcal vaccination for elderly people and revision in ICD10 were incorporated into the estimation model.ResultsNo excess mortality was found for 2020. However, negative excess mortality was observed as 178 in May, 314 in June, and 75 in July.Discussion and ConclusionSignificantly negative excess mortality might reflect precautions taken by people including wearing masks, washing hands with alcohol, and maintaining social distance. They reduced the infection risk not only of for COVID-19 but also of other infectious diseases causing pneumonia.

scholarly journals Ants avoid superinfections by performing risk-adjusted sanitary care

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (11) ◽  
pp. 2782-2787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Konrad ◽  
Christopher D. Pull ◽  
Sina Metzler ◽  
Katharina Seif ◽  
Elisabeth Naderlinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
High Mortality ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Disease Susceptibility ◽  
Model System ◽  
Host Immunity ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Care Behavior

Being cared for when sick is a benefit of sociality that can reduce disease and improve survival of group members. However, individuals providing care risk contracting infectious diseases themselves. If they contract a low pathogen dose, they may develop low-level infections that do not cause disease but still affect host immunity by either decreasing or increasing the host’s vulnerability to subsequent infections. Caring for contagious individuals can thus significantly alter the future disease susceptibility of caregivers. Using ants and their fungal pathogens as a model system, we tested if the altered disease susceptibility of experienced caregivers, in turn, affects their expression of sanitary care behavior. We found that low-level infections contracted during sanitary care had protective or neutral effects on secondary exposure to the same (homologous) pathogen but consistently caused high mortality on superinfection with a different (heterologous) pathogen. In response to this risk, the ants selectively adjusted the expression of their sanitary care. Specifically, the ants performed less grooming and more antimicrobial disinfection when caring for nestmates contaminated with heterologous pathogens compared with homologous ones. By modulating the components of sanitary care in this way the ants acquired less infectious particles of the heterologous pathogens, resulting in reduced superinfection. The performance of risk-adjusted sanitary care reveals the remarkable capacity of ants to react to changes in their disease susceptibility, according to their own infection history and to flexibly adjust collective care to individual risk.

scholarly journals Pregnancy and Susceptibility to Infectious Diseases

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Sappenfield ◽  
Denise J. Jamieson ◽  
Athena P. Kourtis
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Disease Severity ◽  
Infection Prevention ◽  
Hepatitis E ◽  
Infection Risk ◽  
Maternal Outcomes ◽  
Pubmed Search ◽  
Infection Risk Factors ◽  
Simplex Virus

To summarize the literature regarding susceptibility of pregnant women to infectious diseases and severity of resulting disease, we conducted a review using a PubMed search and other strategies. Studies were included if they reported information on infection risk or disease outcome in pregnant women. In all, 1454 abstracts were reviewed, and a total of 85 studies were included. Data were extracted regarding number of cases in pregnant women, rates of infection, risk factors for disease severity or complications, and maternal outcomes. The evidence indicates that pregnancy is associated with increased severity of some infectious diseases, such as influenza, malaria, hepatitis E, and herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection (risk for dissemination/hepatitis); there is also some evidence for increased severity of measles and smallpox. Disease severity seems higher with advanced pregnancy. Pregnant women may be more susceptible to acquisition of malaria, HIV infection, and listeriosis, although the evidence is limited. These results reinforce the importance of infection prevention as well as of early identification and treatment of suspected influenza, malaria, hepatitis E, and HSV disease during pregnancy.

scholarly journals Ants express risk-adjusted sanitary care

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Konrad ◽  
Christopher D. Pull ◽  
Katharina Seif ◽  
Sina Metzler ◽  
Anna V. Grasse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
High Mortality ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Disease Susceptibility ◽  
Model System ◽  
Host Immunity ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Secondary Exposure ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Super Infection

AbstractBeing cared for when sick is a benefit of sociality that can reduce disease and improve survival of group members. However, individuals providing care risk contracting infectious diseases themselves. If they contract a low pathogen dose, they may develop micro-infections that do not cause disease, but still affect host immunity by either decreasing or increasing the host’s vulnerability to subsequent pathogen infections. Caring for contagious individuals can thus significantly alter the future disease susceptibility of caregivers. Using ants and their fungal pathogens as a model system, we here tested if the altered disease susceptibility of experienced caregivers, in turn, affects their expression of sanitary care behaviour. We found that micro-infections contracted during sanitary care had protective or neutral effects upon secondary exposure to the same (homologous) pathogen, but consistently induced high mortality upon super-infection with a different (heterologous) pathogen. In response to this risk, the ants selectively adjusted the expression of their sanitary care. Specifically, the ants performed less grooming yet more antimicrobial disinfection, when caring for nestmates contaminated with heterologous pathogens as compared to homologous ones. By modulating the components of sanitary care in this way, the ants reduced their probability of contracting super-infections of the harmful heterologous pathogens. The performance of risk-adjusted sanitary care reveals the remarkable capacity of ants to react to changes in their disease susceptibility, according to their own infection history, and to flexibly adjust collective care to individual risk.

Sharing Is Believing

2019 ◽  
pp. 9-28
Author(s):  
E. Tory Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Group Communication ◽  
Target Person ◽  
Shared Reality ◽  
Target Behaviors ◽  
Objective Truth ◽  
Physical Evidence ◽  
Shared Beliefs ◽  
Ulterior Motive ◽  
Group Members

We all know that “seeing is believing.” Only physical evidence is truly convincing to us. But consider the following. When constructing a message for their audience, communicators tailor the information they have about something, like another person’s behaviors, so that their message matches the attitude of their audience toward that target person—message tuning. They produce more positive descriptions of the target’s behaviors for an audience who likes the target and more negative descriptions of the same target behaviors for an audience who dislikes the target. But here’s the thing: Their own subsequent memory of the target’s behaviors does not match the behaviors that they saw but, instead, matches what they said about the behaviors. Rather than “seeing is believing,” it is “saying is believing.” But that’s not all. This “saying-is-believing” effect depends on the goal of the message tuning. If the message is tuned toward the audience’s attitude to obtain a favor from the audience or some other ulterior motive, then the “saying-is-believing” effect is eliminated. The goal of the message tuning needs to be to create a shared reality with the audience. Rather than “saying is believing,” it is “sharing is believing.” Sharing is believing strengthens our connections and enhances our trust with in-group members. But, by building separate “bubbles” of in-group communication, it can also create distrust and conflicts with out-group members. Moreover, although people experience their shared beliefs as being the objective truth, they can be distortions like those in the tuned messages and subsequent memory.

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