Human-robot cooperation in economic games: People show strong reciprocity but conditional prosociality toward robots

Understanding human social interactions with robots is important for designing robots for social tasks. Here, we investigate undergraduate participants’ situational cooperation tendencies towards a robot opponent using prisoner’s dilemma games. With two conditions where incentives for cooperative decisions were manipulated to be high or low, we predicted that people would cooperate more often with the robot in high-incentive conditions. Our results showed incentive structure did not predict human cooperation overall, but did influence cooperation in early rounds, where participants cooperated significantly more in the high-incentive condition. Exploratory analyses revealed other two behavioural tendencies: (1) participants played a tit-for-tat strategy against the robot (whose decisions were random); and (2) participants only behaved prosocially toward the robot when they had achieved high scores themselves. Our findings highlight ways in which social behaviour toward robots might differ from social behaviour toward humans, and inform future work on human–robot interactions in collaborative contexts.

Event-related brain-oscillatory and ex-Gaussian markers of remission and persistence of ADHD

Background Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often persists into adolescence and adulthood, but the processes underlying persistence and remission remain poorly understood. We previously found that reaction time variability and event-related potentials of preparation-vigilance processes were impaired in ADHD persisters and represented markers of remission, as ADHD remitters were indistinguishable from controls but differed from persisters. Here, we aimed to further clarify the nature of the cognitive-neurophysiological impairments in ADHD and of markers of remission by examining the finer-grained ex-Gaussian reaction-time distribution and electroencephalographic (EEG) brain-oscillatory measures in ADHD persisters, remitters and controls. Methods A total of 110 adolescents and young adults with childhood ADHD (87 persisters, 23 remitters) and 169 age-matched controls were compared on ex-Gaussian (mu, sigma, tau) indices and time-frequency EEG measures of power and phase consistency from a reaction-time task with slow-unrewarded baseline and fast-incentive conditions (‘Fast task’). Results Compared to controls, ADHD persisters showed significantly greater mu, sigma, tau, and lower theta power and phase consistency across conditions. Relative to ADHD persisters, remitters showed significantly lower tau and theta power and phase consistency across conditions, as well as lower mu in the fast-incentive condition, with no difference in the baseline condition. Remitters did not significantly differ from controls on any measure. Conclusions We found widespread impairments in ADHD persisters in reaction-time distribution and brain-oscillatory measures. Event-related theta power, theta phase consistency and tau across conditions, as well as mu in the more engaging fast-incentive condition, emerged as novel markers of ADHD remission, potentially representing compensatory mechanisms in individuals with remitted ADHD.

Lateralization of attention in adults with ADHD: Evidence of pseudoneglect

Background. We investigated whether adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show pseudoneglect—preferential allocation of attention to the left visual field (LVF) and a resulting slowing of mean reaction times (MRTs) in the right visual field (RVF), characteristic of neurotypical (NT) individuals —and whether lateralization of attention is modulated by presentation speed and incentives. Method. Fast Task, a four-choice reaction-time task where stimuli were presented in LVF or RVF, was used to investigate differences in MRT and reaction time variability (RTV) in adults with ADHD (n = 43) and NT adults (n = 46) between a slow/no-incentive and fast/incentive condition. In the lateralization analyses, pseudoneglect was assessed based on MRT, which was calculated separately for the LVF and RVF for each condition and each study participant. Results. Adults with ADHD had overall slower MRT and increased RTV relative to NT. MRT and RTV improved under the fast/incentive condition. Both groups showed RVF-slowing with no between-group or between-conditions differences in RVF-slowing. Conclusion. Adults with ADHD exhibited pseudoneglect, a NT pattern of lateralization of attention, which was not attenuated by presentation speed and incentives.

Stress and number of servings of fruit and vegetables consumed: Buffering effects of monetary incentives

Diet is a key factor of human health, and additional research is needed in order to understand the psychological causes, consequences, and moderators of dietary behavior. Participants in two studies in the United States completed a 21-day intervention that involved either self-monitoring their fruit and vegetable consumption or self-monitoring combined with earning monetary incentives for behavior. Each day, participants reported their stress, affect, and consumption of fruits and vegetables. Hierarchical linear mixed effects model results suggest that on average, daily reports of higher stress were associated with fewer fruits and vegetables consumed on that day. This effect was moderated by incentive condition, such that the relationship between stress and fruit and vegetable consumption was reduced among incented participants. There was also a marginal negative effect of time on consumption of fruits and vegetables, but this was also significantly moderated by condition, such that those participants who did not receive incentives decreased their daily servings, while incented participants did not decrease over the course of the intervention. These studies suggest that incentives may be a novel method for buffering against the negative effect of daily stress on eating a healthy diet.

Connectedness Based on Shared Engagement Predicts Remote Biochemically Verified Quit Status Within Smoking Cessation Treatment Groups on Facebook

Introduction Engagement with online content and online social network integration are associated with smoking behavior change, but less is known about social dynamics of shared engagement between participants in group-based social media interventions. Methods Participants were 251 young adult smokers aged 18 to 25 assigned to one of 29 secret Facebook groups tailored to their readiness to quit smoking (“pre-contemplation,” “contemplation,” and “preparation”). Groups varied in size and were randomly assigned to receive monetary incentives for engagement. All groups received daily posts for 90 days and were assessed for remote biochemically verified smoking abstinence at the end of the intervention. Across 29 groups, we examined associations between group features (group size, incentive condition, readiness to quit) with how connected members were within the group based on shared engagement with the same content (measured by density). At the individual level, we examined associations between 7-day biochemically verified smoking abstinence and how connected an individual was within the group (measured by degree centrality). Results After adjusting for comment volume, being in a contemplation group (vs. pre-contemplation group) was associated with a decrease in comment-based density. Individual degree centrality was significantly associated with biochemically verified smoking abstinence for both comments and likes. Conclusions Future group-based social media interventions for smoking cessation may want to focus on promoting connected engagement between participants, rather than simply quantity of engagement. Implications Participants in a smoking cessation intervention delivered through Facebook groups were more likely to have biochemically verified smoking abstinence if they were more connected to the rest of the group via shared engagement. Promoting shared engagement between participants may be more likely to promote behavior change than volume of engagement alone.

Job satisfaction of project managers in green construction projects

Purpose Green building is a promising approach to improve resource efficiency and achieving sustainable development. The success of green construction projects is closely associated with the performance of project managers (PMs), while job satisfaction plays a major role in the performance of PMs. However, the emphasis placed on the job satisfaction of PMs in green construction projects remains minimal. The purpose of this paper is to identify the relationships between the job satisfaction of PMs and its key influencing factors in green construction projects, and to propose feasible strategies to improve the job satisfaction of PMs. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey is conducted, data collected from 105 construction PMs are analysed using structural equation modelling. Interviews with five industry experts are further conducted to substantiate the results. Findings The results identified four major components of job satisfaction, namely, “job content”, “resource adequacy”, “work context” and “the personality and competence of jobholders”. The analysis also found that “technical requirement” and “split incentive” condition of green construction projects, “the expertise and awareness of PMs” and “demand and support from stakeholders” has significant impacts on PMs’ job satisfaction. Furthermore, this study developed eight strategies to improve PMs’ job satisfaction, including “increase recognition opportunities for PMs”, “government incentives and financial support” and “introductory and training courses on green construction legislation and processes”. Originality/value The findings assist construction companies in formulating measures to improve the job satisfaction and performance of PMs in green construction projects.

Material Incentives and Other Potential Factors Associated With Response Rates to Internet Surveys of American Evaluation Association Members: Findings From a Randomized Experiment

Internet surveys of American Evaluation Association (AEA) members are a common method for studying evaluation practice. Response rates obtained from Internet surveys of AEA members are, however, frequently very small. To investigate whether or not material incentives increase response rates to Internet surveys of AEA members, a between-subjects three-treatment and one control randomized experiment in which a randomly selected sample of AEA members were randomly assigned to a no-incentive control condition, lottery condition, token incentive condition, or philanthropic donation incentive condition was utilized. The overall response rate to the survey was 39.66% and the response rates for each of the four conditions were control = 36.24%, lottery = 44.39%, token incentive = 43.28%, and philanthropic donation = 34.67%, respectively. The cost-effectiveness of each of the four conditions also was examined, demonstrating that the lottery was the most cost-effective. Other factors potentially influencing response or nonresponse decisions also are discussed.

Investigating Intervention Components and Exploring States of Receptivity for a Smartphone App to Promote Physical Activity: Protocol of a Microrandomized Trial (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Smartphones enable the implementation of just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs) that tailor the delivery of health interventions over time to user- and time-varying context characteristics. Ideally, JITAIs include effective intervention components, and delivery tailoring is based on effective moderators of intervention effects. Using machine learning techniques to infer each user’s context from smartphone sensor data is a promising approach to further enhance tailoring. OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this study is to quantify main effects, interactions, and moderators of 3 intervention components of a smartphone-based intervention for physical activity. The secondary objective is the exploration of participants’ states of receptivity, that is, situations in which participants are more likely to react to intervention notifications through collection of smartphone sensor data. METHODS In 2017, we developed the Assistant to Lift your Level of activitY (Ally), a chatbot-based mobile health intervention for increasing physical activity that utilizes incentives, planning, and self-monitoring prompts to help participants meet personalized step goals. We used a microrandomized trial design to meet the study objectives. Insurees of a large Swiss insurance company were invited to use the Ally app over a 12-day baseline and a 6-week intervention period. Upon enrollment, participants were randomly allocated to either a financial incentive, a charity incentive, or a no incentive condition. Over the course of the intervention period, participants were repeatedly randomized on a daily basis to either receive prompts that support self-monitoring or not and on a weekly basis to receive 1 of 2 planning interventions or no planning. Participants completed a Web-based questionnaire at baseline and postintervention follow-up. RESULTS Data collection was completed in January 2018. In total, 274 insurees (mean age 41.73 years; 57.7% [158/274] female) enrolled in the study and installed the Ally app on their smartphones. Main reasons for declining participation were having an incompatible smartphone (37/191, 19.4%) and collection of sensor data (35/191, 18.3%). Step data are available for 227 (82.8%, 227/274) participants, and smartphone sensor data are available for 247 (90.1%, 247/274) participants. CONCLUSIONS This study describes the evidence-based development of a JITAI for increasing physical activity. If components prove to be efficacious, they will be included in a revised version of the app that offers scalable promotion of physical activity at low cost. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03384550; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03384550 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/74IgCiK3d) INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPOR DERR1-10.2196/11540

Conversation Within a Facebook Smoking Cessation Intervention Trial For Young Adults (Tobacco Status Project): Qualitative Analysis (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Smoking cessation interventions delivered through social media have the potential to engage young people in behavior change. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to describe participant-posted messages in a Facebook smoking cessation intervention for young adults to discern support for behavior change. METHODS We qualitatively analyzed data from the treatment arm of a randomized trial testing the efficacy of the Tobacco Status Project Facebook intervention. Young adults (N=138) aged 18-25 years (female: 81/138, 58.7%; white: 101/138, 73.2%; mean age 21 years) were recruited using Facebook and placed into one of the 15 secret Facebook groups based on readiness-to-quit smoking. Messages posted to groups for 90 consecutive days were tailored to readiness-to-quit: Not Ready (46/138, 33.3%), Thinking (66/138, 47.8%), and Getting Ready (26/138, 18.8%). Groups were randomized to receive up to US $90 for posting or no incentive. Two independent coders conducted open coding of user posts. We considered content by readiness-to-quit group and incentive condition. RESULTS There were 4 dominant themes across all groups: coping skills, friends and family, motivation to quit, and benefits of quitting. The dominant themes in Not Ready groups were friends and family (incentive) and motivation to quit (no incentive), whereas coping skills was the dominant theme in Thinking and Getting Ready groups. The expression of themes varied by readiness-to-quit group but not by incentive condition. CONCLUSIONS Intervention messages tailored to readiness-to-quit appear useful in eliciting the desired responses from young adult smokers, with limited influence by monetary incentive. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02207036; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02207036 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/722XAEAAz)