Moral Grandstanding in Public Discourse: Status-seeking Motives as a Potential Explanatory Mechanism in Predicting Conflict

Public discourse is often caustic and conflict-filled. This trend seems to be particularly evident when the content of such discourse is around moral issues (broadly defined) and when the discourse occurs on social media. Several explanatory mechanisms for such conflict have been explored in recent psychological and social-science literatures. The present work sought to examine a potentially novel explanatory mechanism defined in philosophical literature: Moral Grandstanding. According to philosophical accounts, Moral Grandstanding is the use of moral talk to seek social status. For the present work, we conducted six studies, using two undergraduate samples (Study 1, N = 361; Study 2, N = 356); a sample matched to U.S. norms for age, gender, race, income, Census region (Study 3, N = 1,063); a YouGov sample matched to U.S. demographic norms (Study 4, N = 2,000); and a brief, one-month longitudinal study of Mechanical Turk workers in the U.S. (Study 5 , Baseline N = 499, follow-up n = 296), and a large, one-week YouGov sample matched to U.S. demographic norms (Baseline N = 2,519, follow-up n = 1,776). Across studies, we found initial support for the validity of Moral Grandstanding as a construct. Specifically, moral grandstanding motivation was associated with status-seeking personality traits, as well as greater political and moral conflict in daily life.

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Moral grandstanding in public discourse: Status-seeking motives as a potential explanatory mechanism in predicting conflict

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0223749 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (10) ◽

pp. e0223749 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Joshua B. Grubbs ◽

Brandon Warmke ◽

Justin Tosi ◽

A. Shanti James ◽

W. Keith Campbell

Keyword(s):

Public Discourse ◽

Status Seeking ◽

Explanatory Mechanism

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An Evaluation of the U.S. Air Force's Detailed Follow-Up Audiometric Examination Program

Military Medicine ◽

10.1093/milmed/158.9.603 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 158 (9) ◽

pp. 603-605 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Gary D. Meyer ◽

David B. Wirth

Keyword(s):

The U.S

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Incidence and follow-up of inflammatory cardiac complications after smallpox vaccination11The views expressed in this study are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. government.

Journal of the American College of Cardiology ◽

10.1016/j.jacc.2004.05.004 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 201-205 ◽

Cited By ~ 100

Author(s):

Robert E Eckart ◽

Suzanne S Love ◽

J.Edwin Atwood ◽

Mark K Arness ◽

Dimitri C Cassimatis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Complications ◽

Official Policy ◽

The U.S

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Prognosis of Mental Illness in Old Age: A Four Year Follow-up Study

The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/070674377902400712 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 24 (7) ◽

pp. 674-682 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

G.S. Duckworth ◽

H.B. Kedward ◽

W.F. Bailey

Keyword(s):

Senile Dementia ◽

Discharge Rate ◽

National Study ◽

Functional Disorders ◽

Present Sample ◽

Need For Treatment ◽

Follow Up Study ◽

Treatment Facilities ◽

The U.S

Summary This paper describes a four year follow-up study of psychogeriatric patients in Toronto, arising from collaboration with the U.S.-U.K. cross-national study of psychogeriatric disorders. The findings of the study are threefold: First, compared to Roth's study two decades ago, the present sample shows a decline in mortality of patients suffering from senile dementia with a corresponding increase in the need for treatment facilities for this group. Paraphrenic patients on the other hand were discharged earlier and in greater numbers, indicating an improvement in the treatment of this condition. There was no change in the discharge rate of patients with mood disorders despite the much touted use of antidepressant medications. The second finding was that patients with functional disorders were more rapidly discharged in Canada and the U.S. compared to the U.K., possibly indicating a greater pressure to discharge patients early in North America compared to Britain. Finally, the diagnostic categories had a very significant validity in predicting outcome, with organically demented patients being dead or in hospital at follow-up. The best prognosis was displayed by patients with affective disorders, two-thirds of whom were discharged to the community by 90 days. An intermediate prognosis was demonstrated by patients suffering from schizophrenia and miscellaneous functional disorders, nearly half of whom were discharged to the community in 90 days. The implications for management are discussed.

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Identifying Computer-Generated Portraits: The Importance of Training and Incentives

Perception ◽

10.1177/0301006617713633 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 46 (9) ◽

pp. 1062-1076 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Brandon Mader ◽

Martin S. Banks ◽

Hany Farid

Keyword(s):

Observer Performance ◽

Mechanical Turk ◽

General Interest ◽

Realistic Rendering ◽

Photographic Images ◽

The Past ◽

Psychophysical Studies

The past two decades have seen remarkable advances in photo-realistic rendering of everything from inanimate objects to landscapes, animals, and humans. We previously showed that despite these tremendous advances, human observers remain fairly good at distinguishing computer-generated from photographic images. Building on these results, we describe a series of follow-up experiments that reveal how to improve observer performance. Of general interest to anyone performing psychophysical studies on Mechanical Turk or similar platforms, we find that observer performance can be significantly improved with the proper incentives.

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Religious Overclaiming and Support for Religious Aggression

Social Psychological and Personality Science ◽

10.1177/1948550620912880 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 1011-1021

Author(s):

Daniel N. Jones ◽

Adon L. Neria ◽

Farzad A. Helm ◽

Reza N. Sahlan ◽

Jessica R. Carré

Keyword(s):

The United States ◽

The Self ◽

Border Region ◽

Mechanical Turk ◽

Self Concept ◽

Religious Knowledge ◽

Three Samples ◽

Mexico Border ◽

Different Cultures ◽

The U.S

Agentic self-enhancement consists of self-protective and self-advancing tendencies that can lead to aggression, especially when challenged. Because self-enhancers often endorse aggression to defend or enhance the self-concept, religious self-enhancement should lead to endorsing aggression to defend or enhance one’s religion. We recruited three samples ( N = 969) from Mechanical Turk ( n = 409), Iran ( n = 351), and the U.S.–Mexico border region ( n = 209). We found that religious (but not secular) self-enhancement in the form of religious overclaiming predicted support for, and willingness to engage in, religious aggression. In contrast, accuracy in religious knowledge had mostly negative associations with aggression-relevant outcomes. These results emerged across two separate religions (Christianity and Islam) and across three different cultures (the United States, Iran, and the U.S.–Mexico border region). Thus, religious overclaiming is a promising new direction for studying support for religious aggression and identifying those who may become aggressive in the name of God.

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Examining the Association and Directionality between Mental Health Disorders and Substance Use among Adolescents and Young Adults in the U.S. and Canada—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm7120543 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (12) ◽

pp. 543 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Sarvenaz Esmaeelzadeh ◽

John Moraros ◽

Lilian Thorpe ◽

Yelena Bird

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Substance Use ◽

Young Adults ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Mental Health Disorders ◽

Adolescents And Young Adults ◽

Health Disorders ◽

The U.S

Background: The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the association and directionality between mental health disorders and substance use among adolescents and young adults in the U.S. and Canada. Methods: The following databases were used: Medline, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library. Meta-analysis used odds ratios as the pooled measure of effect. Results: A total of 3656 studies were screened and 36 were selected. Pooled results showed a positive association between depression and use of alcohol (odds ratio (OR) = 1.50, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.24–1.83), cannabis (OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.10–1.51), and tobacco (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.43–1.92). Significant associations were also found between anxiety and use of alcohol (OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.19–2.00), cannabis (OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.02–1.81), and tobacco (OR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.54–3.17). A bidirectional relationship was observed with tobacco use at baseline leading to depression at follow-up (OR = 1.87, CI = 1.23–2.85) and depression at baseline leading to tobacco use at follow-up (OR = 1.22, CI = 1.09–1.37). A unidirectional relationship was also observed with cannabis use leading to depression (OR = 1.33, CI = 1.19–1.49). Conclusion: This study offers insights into the association and directionality between mental health disorders and substance use among adolescents and young adults. Our findings can help guide key stakeholders in making recommendations for interventions, policy and programming.

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Long-term medical imaging use in children with central nervous system tumors

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0248643 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. e0248643

Author(s):

Erin J. A. Bowles ◽

Diana L. Miglioretti ◽

Marilyn L. Kwan ◽

Ute Bartels ◽

Adam Furst ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Medical Imaging ◽

Tumor Grade ◽

Tumor Diagnosis ◽

Cns Tumors ◽

Cns Tumor ◽

Longitudinal Imaging ◽

The U.S

Background Children with central nervous system (CNS) tumors undergo frequent imaging for diagnosis and follow-up, but few studies have characterized longitudinal imaging patterns. We described medical imaging in children before and after malignant CNS tumor diagnosis. Procedure We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children aged 0–20 years diagnosed with CNS tumors between 1996–2016 at six U.S. integrated healthcare systems and Ontario, Canada. We collected computed topography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), radiography, ultrasound, nuclear medicine examinations from 12 months before through 10 years after CNS diagnosis censoring six months before death or a subsequent cancer diagnosis, disenrollment from the health system, age 21 years, or December 31, 2016. We calculated imaging rates per child per month stratified by modality, country, diagnosis age, calendar year, time since diagnosis, and tumor grade. Results We observed 1,879 children with median four years follow-up post-diagnosis in the U.S. and seven years in Ontario, Canada. During the diagnosis period (±15 days of diagnosis), children averaged 1.10 CTs (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09–1.13) and 2.14 MRIs (95%CI 2.12–2.16) in the U.S., and 1.67 CTs (95%CI 1.65–1.68) and 1.86 MRIs (95%CI 1.85–1.88) in Ontario. Within one year after diagnosis, 19% of children had ≥5 CTs and 45% had ≥5 MRIs. By nine years after diagnosis, children averaged one MRI and one radiograph per year with little use of other imaging modalities. Conclusions MRI and CT are commonly used for CNS tumor diagnosis, whereas MRI is the primary modality used during surveillance of children with CNS tumors.

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