Person- and situation-specific factors in discounting science via scientific impotence excuses

Munro (2010, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2010.00588.x) found that individuals, when confronted with belief-disconfirming scientific evidence, resist this information by concluding that the topic at hand is not amenable to scientific investigation—a scientific impotence excuse. We strived to replicate this finding and to extend this work by analyzing other factors that might lead to scientific impotence excuses. As a person-specific factor, we analyzed the role of epistemic beliefs, and as a situational factor, we focused on the contradictoriness of the evidence at hand. Three sets of hypotheses were preregistered. In an experimental 2 × 3 online study drawing on a general population sample of N = 901 participants, we first assessed our participants’ prior beliefs on the effects of acupuncture versus massaging (pro acupuncture vs. no opinion). One experimental group then read fictitious empirical evidence claiming superiority of acupuncture, another group read evidence speaking against acupuncture, and a third group read conflicting evidence (i.e., a mix of pro- and contra-findings). Scientific impotence excuses were measured by a newly developed questionnaire. Our first hypothesis, which suggested that participants believing in the superiority of acupuncture would make stronger scientific impotence excuses when confronted with belief-disconfirming findings, was confirmed. A second hypothesis suggested that scientific impotence excuses would be stronger when individuals were confronted with evidence exhibiting a “nature” that contradicts their topic-specific epistemic beliefs. This hypothesis was partially supported. A third hypothesis suggested that individuals confronted with conflicting evidence would make stronger scientific impotence excuses, and this was again confirmed. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

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Teacher’s Reasons for Trust and Distrust in Scientific Evidence: Reflecting a “Smart But Evil” Stereotype?

AERA Open ◽

10.1177/23328584211028599 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. 233285842110285

Author(s):

Tom Rosman ◽

Samuel Merk

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

General Population ◽

Educational Research ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Population Sample ◽

Empirical Support ◽

Evaluation Framework ◽

General Population Sample ◽

Online Study ◽

Hypothesis Evaluation

We investigate in-service teachers’ reasons for trust and distrust in educational research compared to research in general. Building on previous research on a so-called “smart but evil” stereotype regarding educational researchers, three sets of confirmatory hypotheses were preregistered. First, we expected that teachers would emphasize expertise—as compared with benevolence and integrity—as a stronger reason for trust in educational researchers. Moreover, we expected that this pattern would not only apply to educational researchers, but that it would generalize to researchers in general. Furthermore, we hypothesized that the pattern could also be found in the general population. Following a pilot study aiming to establish the validity of our measures (German general population sample; N = 504), hypotheses were tested in an online study with N = 414 randomly sampled German in-service teachers. Using the Bayesian informative hypothesis evaluation framework, we found empirical support for five of our six preregistered hypotheses.

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Do we form or deform? Qualitative Investigation in Public Hospitals of Madrid

10.31124/advance.8236670 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

María Jesús Gómez Camuñas ◽

Purificación González Villanueva

Keyword(s):

Participant Observation ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Public Hospitals ◽

The Other ◽

The Novel ◽

Business Growth ◽

Small Hospital ◽

Student Learn ◽

Depth Interviews

<div>Background: the creative capacities and the knowledge of the employees are components of the intellectual capital of the company; hence, their training is a key activity to achieve the objectives and business growth. Objective: To understand the meaning of learning in the hospital from the experiences of its participants through the inquiry of meanings. Method: Qualitative design with an ethnographic approach, which forms part of a wider research, on organizational culture; carried out mainly in 2 public hospitals of the Community of Madrid. The data has been collected for thirteen months. A total of 23 in-depth interviews and 69 field sessions have been conducted through the participant observation technique. Results: the worker and the student learn from what they see and hear. The great hospital offers an unregulated education, dependent on the professional, emphasizing that they learn everything. Some transmit the best and others, even the humiliating ones, use them for dirty jobs, focusing on the task and nullifying the possibility of thinking. They show a reluctant attitude to teach the newcomer, even if they do, they do not have to oppose their practice. In short, a learning in the variability, which produces a rupture between theory and practice; staying with what most convinces them, including negligence, which affects the patient's safety. In the small hospital, it is a teaching based on a practice based on scientific evidence and personalized attention, on knowing the other. Clearly taught from the reception, to treat with caring patience and co-responsibility in the care. The protagonists of both scenarios agree that teaching and helping new people establish lasting and important personal relationships to feel happy and want to be in that service or hospital. Conclusion: There are substantial differences related to the size of the center, as to what and how the student and the novel professional are formed. At the same time that the meaning of value that these health organizations transmit to their workers is inferred through the training, one orienting to the task and the other to the person, either patient, professional or pupil and therefore seeking the common benefit.</div>

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Conflicting Health-Related Scientific Evidence in News Reports: Effects of Hedging and Presentation Format on Perceived Issue Uncertainty and Scientists’ and Journalists’ Credibility

10.35831/sor.healthcom.hz.10172019 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Hui Zhang

Keyword(s):

Health Communication ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

The Other ◽

Presentation Format ◽

News Article ◽

Online Experiment ◽

News Reports ◽

Conflicting Evidence ◽

Health Related

Introduction: This study examined effects of two journalistic practices in reporting conflicting scientific evidence, hedging and presentation format, on scientists’ and journalists’ credibility and issue uncertainty. Methods: An online experiment was conducted using students from a western U.S. university. Hedging was manipulated as reporting methodological limitations versus not reporting the limitations in news articles covering the conflict. Presentation format was manipulated as using a single news article to report both sides of the conflict versus using double articles with one side of the conflict in one article and the other side in the other article. Results: The study found that perceived issue uncertainty was higher in hedged news articles than that in non-hedged articles; presentation format did not affect people’s perceived issue uncertainty. For scientists’ credibility (both competence and trustworthiness), this study found that it was lower in the single-article format than that in the double-article format; for journalists’ credibility, this study found that journalists’ trustworthiness in the two formats did not vary, but their competence was lower in the double-article format than that in the single-article format. Conclusion: This study contributes to the field of science and health communication by examining effects of presentation format used in communicating conflicting health-related scientific evidence and by examining effects of communicating scientific limitations in a context where conflicting evidence exists. Keywords: conflicting scientific evidence, hedging, presentation format, scientists’ credibility, journalists’ credibility

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Smart but Evil? Student-Teachers’ Perception of Educational Researchers’ Epistemic Trustworthiness

AERA Open ◽

10.1177/2332858419868158 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 233285841986815

Author(s):

Samuel Merk ◽

Tom Rosman

Keyword(s):

Preservice Teachers ◽

Student Teachers ◽

Exploratory Study ◽

Classroom Practice ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Experimental Studies ◽

Epistemic Beliefs ◽

Research Results ◽

Research Findings ◽

Integrate Research

In-service and preservice teachers are increasingly required to integrate research results into their classroom practice. However, due to their limited methodological background knowledge, they often cannot evaluate scientific evidence firsthand and instead must trust the sources on which they rely. In two experimental studies, we investigated the amount of this so-called epistemic trustworthiness (dimensions expertise, integrity, and benevolence) that student-teachers ascribe to the authors of texts who present classical research findings (e.g., learning with worked-out examples) that allegedly were written by a practitioner, an expert, or a scientist. Results from the first exploratory study suggest that student-teachers view scientists as “smart but evil,” since they rate them as having substantially more expertise than practitioners, while also being less benevolent and lacking in integrity. Moreover, results from the exploratory study suggest that evaluativistic epistemic beliefs (beliefs about the nature of knowledge) predict epistemic trustworthiness. A preregistered conceptual replication study (Study 2) provided more evidence for the “smart but evil” stereotype. Further directions of research as well as implications for practice are discussed.

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Ethical Decision Making

Encyclopedia of Decision Making and Decision Support Technologies ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-843-7.ch036 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 313-319

Author(s):

Norizah Mustamil ◽

Mohammed Quaddus

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Ethical Decision ◽

Ethical Decision Making ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Situational Factor ◽

Scholarly Journals ◽

Ethical Practices ◽

Unethical Practices ◽

Decision Making Model

Studies have shown that organizations are putting more effort in enforcing the ethical practices in their decision making activities (Janet, Armen, & Ted, 2001). An increasing number of models have also been proposed that have attempted to explore and explain various philosophical approaches to ethical decision making behaviour. In addition, many empirical studies have been presented in various scholarly journals focusing on this subject with the aim of putting theory into practice (O’Fallon & Butterfield, 2005). Nevertheless, unethical practices including fraud, corruption, and bribery continue to be reported (Trevino & Victor, 1992). Bartlett (2003) claims that there is a large gap between theory and practice in ethical decision making research, as existing models are trapped either in undersocialized view (focus on individual factors only) or oversocialized view (focus on situational factor only). Development of a theoretical framework in the ethical decision making area has proven to be very challenging due to the multitude of complex and varied factors that contribute to ethical behaviour. This article attempts to contribute in this challenging area by reviewing and examining the major existing models and presenting an integrated model of ethical decision making model.

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Allodynia is associated with a higher prevalence of depression in migraine patients

Cephalalgia ◽

10.1177/0333102414532554 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 34 (14) ◽

pp. 1187-1192 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

MA Louter ◽

KJ Wardenaar ◽

G Veen ◽

WPJ van Oosterhout ◽

FG Zitman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Migraine Attack ◽

Strong Association ◽

Female Gender ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Specific Factor ◽

Attack Frequency ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Prevalence Of Depression ◽

Specific Factors

Introduction There is a strong association between migraine and depression. The aim of this study is to identify migraine-specific factors involved in this association. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in a large, well-defined cohort of migraine patients ( n = 2533). We assessed lifetime depression using validated questionnaires, and diagnosed migraine based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders III-beta criteria. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted. Results Of the 2533 migraineurs that were eligible, 1137 (45%) suffered from lifetime depression. The following independent factors were associated with an increased depression prevalence: i) migraine-specific risk factors: high migraine attack frequency and the presence of allodynia, ii) general factors: being a bad sleeper, female gender, high BMI, being single, smoking, and a low alcohol consumption. Conclusion This study identified allodynia, in addition to high migraine attack frequency, as a new migraine-specific factor associated with depression.

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What Doesn’t Get Measured Does Exist: Improving the Accuracy of Computer-Aided Text Analysis

Journal of Management ◽

10.1177/0149206316657594 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 44 (7) ◽

pp. 2909-2933 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Aaron F. McKenny ◽

Herman Aguinis ◽

Jeremy C. Short ◽

Aaron H. Anglin

Keyword(s):

Measurement Error ◽

Text Analysis ◽

Best Practice ◽

Error Variance ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Future Research ◽

Specific Factor ◽

Computer Aided ◽

Measurement Error Variance ◽

Reduce Measurement Error

Computer-aided text analysis (CATA) is a form of content analysis that enables the measurement of constructs by processing text into quantitative data based on the frequency of words. CATA has been proposed as a useful measurement approach with the potential to lead to important theoretical advancements. Ironically, while CATA has been offered to overcome some of the known deficiencies in existing measurement approaches, we have lagged behind in regard to assessing the technique’s measurement rigor. Our article addresses this knowledge gap and describes important implications for past as well as future research using CATA. First, we describe three sources of measurement error variance that are particularly relevant to studies using CATA: transient error, specific factor error, and algorithm error. Second, we describe and demonstrate how to calculate measurement error variance with the entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation, and organizational ambidexterity constructs, offering evidence that past substantive conclusions have been underestimated. Third, we offer best-practice recommendations and demonstrate how to reduce measurement error variance by refining existing CATA measures. In short, we demonstrate that although measurement error variance in CATA has not been measured thus far, it does exist and it affects substantive conclusions. Consequently, our article has implications for theory and practice, as well as how to assess and minimize measurement error in future CATA research with the goal of improving the accuracy of substantive conclusions.

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How Data Analysis Can Dominate Interpretations of Dominant General Factors

Industrial and Organizational Psychology ◽

10.1017/iop.2015.60 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 438-445 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Brenton M. Wiernik ◽

Michael P. Wilmot ◽

Jack W. Kostal

Keyword(s):

Data Analysis ◽

Substantial Proportion ◽

Specific Factor ◽

General Factor ◽

Data Sets ◽

Single Factor ◽

Traditional Methods ◽

External Variables ◽

Specific Factors ◽

Data Analytic

A dominant general factor (DGF) is present when a single factor accounts for the majority of reliable variance across a set of measures (Ree, Carretta, & Teachout, 2015). In the presence of a DGF, dimension scores necessarily reflect a blend of both general and specific factors. For some constructs, specific factors contain little unique reliable variance after controlling for the general factor (Reise, 2012), whereas for others, specific factors contribute a more substantial proportion of variance (e.g., Kinicki, McKee-Ryan, Schriesheim, & Carson, 2002). We agree with Ree et al. that the presence of a DGF has implications for interpreting scores. However, we argue that the conflation of general and specific factor variances has the strongest implications for understanding how constructs relate to external variables. When dimension scales contain substantial general and specific factor variance, traditional methods of data analysis will produce ambiguous or even misleading results. In this commentary, we show how several common data analytic methods, when used with data sets containing a DGF, will substantively alter conclusions.

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Research-based Teacher Education for Multicultural Contexts

10.32920/14636724.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Judith K. Bernhard ◽

Carlos F. Diaz ◽

Ilene Allgood

Keyword(s):

English Language Learners ◽

English Language ◽

Graduate Program ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Master's Program ◽

Ell Students ◽

Speakers Of Other Languages ◽

Research In Education

Graduate programs in education face the challenge of preparing teachers and specialists in education to work with English Language Learners (ELLs). Programs must be culturally responsive, while at the same time respecting state and federal standards for scientifically based practice according to best evidence. The focus of the present study is a graduate program in education that sought to prepare graduate students to address the needs of ELL students. Among the articulated goals of the program grant were that teachers enrolled would be able to: (1) use effective English for Speakers of Other Languages and bilingual educational strategies and methods; (2) use findings from testing, assessment and research functionally; and (3) promote multilingualism, and, in a broader sense, respect and equitable treatment of the heritages of home languages. The extent to which graduates of the master’s program who were working as teachers and administrators at the time of the study were able to make culturally competent connections with ELL students and to establish a repertoire of scientific evidence, based on research findings that they could then use to support their teaching theory and practice, is discussed. Findings reflecting the responses of 57 graduates of the program were as follows: (a) the training provided by the master’s program was rated as more useful than the in-service provided by the state because its emphasis on research allowed graduates to judge the merits of proposed educational reforms and to clarify their own pedagogy; (b) the ability to cite research reports enabled graduates to be heard by colleagues and to depoliticize discussions regarding curricular reforms; (c) in developing their ‘communities of practice’, graduates made connections with others who had been trained in the use of scientific research in education. The study illustrates how a graduate education program focused on transformation and the encouragement of home language use can prepare teachers to work effectively in a political context of ‘evidence-based practice’.

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How Bank Managers Anticipate Non-Performing Loans Evidence from Europe, US, Asia and Africa

Applied Finance and Accounting ◽

10.11114/afa.v1i2.880 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 73 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

P. K. Ozili

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Balance Sheet ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Specific Factor ◽

Credit Risk Management ◽

Loan Loss ◽

Bank Managers ◽

Show Evidence ◽

Specific Factors ◽

Loan Growth

This study extends the literature on the determinants of NPL. I investigate whether banks anticipate non-performing loans by making balance sheet adjustments. This study draws insight into the actions taken by credit risk management teams and bank managers to minimize the size of non-performing loans. After examining 82 banks from US, Europe, Asia and Africa, the result indicate that banks adjust the level of loan loss reserves and loan growth to minimize the size of NPLs. Our results do not show evidence that loan diversification minimizes NPLs. Further, I find that banks in developing countries reduce loan growth when they expect high NPL while banks in developed countries do not anticipate the level of NPL by adjusting loan growth. Further, I find that post-crisis Basel regulation did not lead to a decrease in the size of NPLs among banks in developed countries but appear to minimize NPLs in some developing countries. Overall, the significance and predictive power of each bank-specific factor (excluding loan diversification), regulatory variable and macroeconomic indicator in explaining NPLs depends on regional factors (less significantly) and country-specific factors (more significantly).

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