Unintentional Inception: When a Premium Is Offered to Unintentional Creations

Creations can be fundamentally intended or unintended from their outset. Past work has focused on intentional creations, finding that people place a premium on effort. We examine the role of unintentionality in the inception of creations in six studies using a variety of stimuli ( N = 1,965), finding that people offer a premium to unintentional creations versus otherwise identical intentional creations. We demonstrate that the unintentionality involved in the inception of a creation results in greater downward counterfactual thought about how the unintentional creation may have never been created at all, and this in turn heightens perceptions that the creation was a product of fate, causing people to place a premium on such creations. We provide evidence for this causal pathway using a combination of mediation and moderation approaches. Further, we illuminate that this premium is not offered when a negative outcome is ascribed to an unintentional creation.

Regret and Other Emotions Related to Decision-Making: Antecedents, Appraisals, and Phenomenological Aspects

Objectives: The mainstream position on regret in psychological literature is that its necessary conditions are agency and responsibility, that is, to choose freely but badly. Without free choice, other emotions, such as disappointment, are deemed to be elicited when the outcome is worse than expected. In two experiments, we tested the opposite hypothesis that being forced by external circumstances to choose an option inconsistent with one’s own intentions is an important source of regret and a core component of its phenomenology, regardless of the positivity/negativity of the post-decision outcome. Along with regret, four post-decision emotions – anger toward oneself, disappointment, anger toward circumstances, and satisfaction – were investigated to examine their analogies and differences to regret with regard to antecedents, appraisals, and phenomenological aspects.Methods: Through the scenario methodology, we manipulated three variables: choice (free/forced), outcome (positive/negative), and time (short/long time after decision-making). Moreover, we investigated whether responsibility, decision justifiability, and some phenomenological aspects (self-attribution, other attribution, and contentment) mediated the effect exerted by choice, singularly or in interaction with outcome and time, on the five emotions. Each study was conducted with 336 participants, aged 18–60.Results: The results of both studies were similar and supported our hypothesis. In particular, regret elicited by forced choice was always high, regardless of the valence of outcome, whereas free choice elicited regret was high only with a negative outcome. Moreover, regret was unaffected by responsibility and decision justifiability, whereas it was affected by the three phenomenological dimensions.Conclusion: Our results suggest that (1) the prevailing theory of regret is too binding, since it posits as necessary some requirements which are not; (2) the antecedents and phenomenology of regret are broader than it is generally believed; (3) decision-making produces a complex emotional constellation, where the different emotions, singularly and/or in combination, constitute the affective responses to the different aspects of decision-making.

The effects of sex and outcome expectancies on perceptions of sexual harassment

Using an outcome expectancy framework, this research sought to understand sex differences in the underlying beliefs that influence harassment perception. One hundred and ninety-six participants (52% women) read a series of vignettes depicting common examples of digital male-on-female sexual harassment. They were asked to what extent they thought each scenario constituted sexual harassment, and how likely the perpetrator would experience positive and negative outcomes. Consistent with predictions, women were more likely to consider the behaviours as harassment than men were. Both sexes harassment perceptions had significant relationships with their outcome expectancies, but we also found evidence of a sex specific moderation; the link between men’s negative outcome expectancies was moderated by their positive ones. The results suggest that perceptions of harassment may have sexually asymmetrical underpinnings. Measuring the interplay between positive and negative outcome expectancies in relation to sexual harassment perception is a novel approach, that may have implications for the development of anti-sexual harassment interventions. Implications for theory and future research directions are discussed.

COVID-19 Patients Symptoms: Gastrointestinal Presentations, Comorbidities and Outcome in a Canadian Hospital setting

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant global impact and Canada has seen significant morbidity and mortality nationwide. While public health interventions and provincially regulated health insurance coverage have been credited with minimizing transmission rates in Canada relative to neighboring countries, disease presentation has been presumed to be the same. Aim: We sought to determine factors associated with differences in gastrointestinal outcomes in COVID-19 patients at a Canadian hospital. Methods: We collected data from 192 hospital records of COVID-19 patients across seven Hamilton Health Sciences hospitals, a network of academic health centers located in Hamilton, Ontario serving one of the largest metropolitan areas in Canada. Statistical and correlative analysis of symptoms, comorbidities, and mortality were performed. Results: There were 192 patients. The mean age was 57.6 years (SD=21.0). For patients who died (n=27, 14%), mean age was 79.2 years old (SD=10.6) versus 54 years for survivors (SD=20.1). There was a higher mortality among patients with older age (p=0.000), long hospital stay (p=0.004), male patients (p=0.032), and patients in nursing homes (p=0.000). Patients with dyspnea (p=0.028) and hypertension (p=0.004) were more likely to have a poor outcome. Laboratory test values that were significant in determining outcomes were an elevated INR (p=0.007) and elevated creatinine (p=0.000). Cough and hypertension were the most common symptom and comorbidity, respectively. Diarrhea was the most prevalent (14.5%) gastrointestinal symptom. Impaired liver function was related to negative outcome (LR 5.6; p=0.018). Conclusion: In a Canadian cohort, elevated liver enzymes, prolonged INR and elevated creatinine were associated with poor prognosis. Hypertension was also linked to a higher likelihood of negative outcome.

Background Uncertainty Can Increase Risk Aversion in Decision Making

Here, we aim to investigate the effect of background uncertainty on decision making systematically. After reviewing the existing empirical studies, we argue that two types of uncertainty should be distinguished: a) ambiguity, i.e., uncertain outcomes without probability information, and b) risk, i.e., uncertainties involving probabilities regarding a negative outcome. We test the hypothesis that the type of uncertainty moderates the effect of background uncertainty on risk preferences. To test our hypothesis, we conducted four experimental studies. In this project we host all analyses scripts, data and linked preregistration of Study 3 and Study 4.

Atrial Fibrillation during Septic Shock

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is an early and common occurrence during septic shock, accounting for 25–30% of admissions. Conventional cardiovascular risk factors do not generally increase its incidence, especially in cases of new-onset AF. Inflammation during the sepsis process has been postulated as a possible trigger. Detrimental effects of AF result in prognosis worsening, even when the probability for a negative outcome has been adjusted for severity of illness. New-onset AF (NOAF) has been associated with greater mortality rate than preexisting chronic AF. Early cardioversion has not uniformly improved hospital outcomes. In this review, the incidence, prognosis and management of AF in septic shock patients are summarized.

Characteristics and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 and liver injury: a retrospective analysis and a multicenter experience

Background and aims: Patients with COVID-19 frequently present abnormal elevated liver function tests of unknown clinical significance. We aimed to investigate the characteristics and factors influencing outcome in patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and liver injury on admission. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of patients hospitalized in two COVID units in Romania. Relevant data on clinical and laboratory parameters and medication administered during the admission were analyzed to identify predictors of a negative outcome. Patients with confirmed COVID-19 and liver function tests (LFTs) above the upper limit of normal were included in the analysis. Results: From 1,207 patients, we identified 134 patients (11%) with abnormal LFTs during hospitalization. The majority of patients had mildly elevated levels and a predominantly cholestatic pattern of liver injury. Patients who received lopinavir/ritonavir were more likely to have increased ALAT levels (p<0.0001). Sixteen patients had pre-existing chronic liver disease, and they were more likely to suffer from severe COVID-19 (p=0.009) and have a negative outcome (p<0.001), but on multivariate analysis, only the severity of COVID-19 was predictive of death (OR 69.9; 95% CI 6.4-761.4). Conclusions: Mild liver injury is relatively common in COVID-19 and possibly influenced by medication. Patients with chronic liver disease are at high risk for negative outcome, but the severity of the infection is the only predictor of death.

Excess Body Weight and Pancreatic Disease

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Excess body weight (EBW) is a risk factor for various acute and chronic conditions. Conversely, the “obesity paradox” suggests a protective effect of higher body weight on some disease outcomes. This article discusses the role of EBW along the disease continuum of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer (PC) in terms of incidence and outcome. <b><i>Summary:</i></b> Comparison of findings is hampered by the use of different methods to assess EBW. Nevertheless, in acute pancreatitis (AP) and PC, EBW, especially visceral obesity, presents a distinct risk factor and predictor of a negative outcome. Findings of a protective effect likely result from nonconsideration of fat distribution or other confounders. Regarding chronic pancreatitis (CP), few studies indicate lower incidence and a better outcome with higher body mass. However, there is insufficient evidence to confirm the existence of an obesity paradox. The precise mechanisms of how EBW affects the disease continuum require further elucidation but both common and disease-specific effects seem involved. <b><i>Key Messages:</i></b> EBW is associated with higher incidence and a negative outcome in AP and PC. The association with CP is less conclusive. Thus, maintaining normal weight is advisable at any stage of the disease continuum.

The French society and the referendum of the «constitution of Europe» in 2005

This article is focused on studying the preparation and conduct of the referendum of «the Constitution for Europe» in France. Particular attention is paid to analysis of the evolution of the attitude of the French electorate toward the idea of a “referendum” and a “Constitution for Europe” from the moment the president’s announcement about his intention to hold a referendum, and its results that led to the rejection of «the Constitution». Besides, the internal factors that contributed to the negative outcome of the referendum are discussed.