Observed Mass-Scale Call-Response Dynamics Between Public Health Officials and the American Public in the Surging COVID-19 Pandemic Summer 2020

By any objective measure, the United States has mishandled its response to the SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 outbreak, with 177,394 deaths and 5,745,721 cases. In the world, there have been some 796,330 deaths and 22,848,030 validated coronavirus cases (with 15,500,447 recovered). The real rates are thought to be 3x – 10x higher given the low access to tests. In this moment, there are multiple epidemics ongoing in the U.S., resulting in massive government and private industry expenditures, disrupted markets, and social roiling. In journalistic coverage and social image sets, the interactive call-response between public health officials and the general American public may be seen in the Summer of 2020 (in a time of phased shutdowns and re-openings and re-closings). This work offers an original content analysis of over 2,431 journalistic articles and 2,224 social images captured July 3, 2020 to understand where the call-response communications broke down and the message got lost at enormous social and personal cost. A sidebar offers an analysis of COVID-19 social memes.

Factors influencing workplace accommodations requests among employees with visual impairments

People with visual impairments experience various challenges in the workplace such as under-employment, structural, and attitudinal barriers. Workplace accommodations are instrumental in assisting individuals to complete essential functions of their jobs and to increase job tenure and satisfaction. However, workplace accommodations are under-utilized. The current study examined influences of psychosocial and demographic factors on decisions to request accommodations amongst people with visual impairments. Participants included 116 people with visual impairments (e.g., female = 63.9%, Caucasian = 81%) from agencies and organizations serving people with visual impairments within United States. The results following logistic regression show that increased levels of psychosocial factors (i.e., self-efficacy in requesting accommodations and goal setting, non-personal cost related to accommodation, knowledge related to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and accommodation policies and procedures) predicted participants’ decision to request accommodations. In addition, participants aged 55 or more and those with a high school degree or lower were less likely to request accommodations. Rehabilitation interventions for enhancing work participation self-efficacy in employees with visual impairment, as well as knowledge on ADA and accommodation policies and procedures, would create a more inclusive and accepting work environment for employees with visual impairment.

Communication Breakdown: Differing Relationship Wellbeing Effects of Positive and Negative Spin in Communication Behaviour

<p>Romantic couples must regularly navigate interactions to maintain satisfying relationships, but it is unclear how people’s variability in communication behaviour is linked to relationship wellbeing. Varying communication behaviours may display responsiveness to a partner’s needs by adjusting behaviour appropriately. Or else, inconsistent behaviour may undermine partner trust by fuelling uncertainties about commitment. Across two studies, we investigated how a person’s variability of communication behaviour was associated with their own wellbeing and their partner’s wellbeing. Specifically, we assessed spin, a measure of how often a person switches between communication behaviours. We predicted that switching between positive behaviours would be linked with higher relationship wellbeing but, conversely, switching between negative communication behaviours would be linked with lower wellbeing. We assessed spin in positive and negative forms of relationship behaviour over three weeks (Study 1; 78 couples) and over a single interaction (Study 2; 112 couples). Effects for spin in positivity emerged only in Study 1. For women, switching daily positive behaviour over three weeks was associated with higher partner relationship wellbeing but unexpectedly lower wellbeing for women (controlling for mean-level positivity). This suggests that, for women, being responsive to partners in diverse ways is beneficial for the partner but comes at a personal cost. Effects for spin in negativity emerged in both studies. Switching negative behaviour was linked with lower partner wellbeing in both studies, indicating that use of different negative behaviours is more dysfunctional than the sum of individual relationship behaviours. Across both studies, additional tests illustrated that these effects were independent and not due to variability in the magnitude of behaviours. Our findings show variable behaviour may benefit partner wellbeing when behaviour is positive, but inconsistent negativity interrupts intimacy processes to undermine wellbeing. Our research highlights the importance of considering behavioural variability when studying relationship maintenance processes over time.</p>

Communication Breakdown: Differing Relationship Wellbeing Effects of Positive and Negative Spin in Communication Behaviour

<p>Romantic couples must regularly navigate interactions to maintain satisfying relationships, but it is unclear how people’s variability in communication behaviour is linked to relationship wellbeing. Varying communication behaviours may display responsiveness to a partner’s needs by adjusting behaviour appropriately. Or else, inconsistent behaviour may undermine partner trust by fuelling uncertainties about commitment. Across two studies, we investigated how a person’s variability of communication behaviour was associated with their own wellbeing and their partner’s wellbeing. Specifically, we assessed spin, a measure of how often a person switches between communication behaviours. We predicted that switching between positive behaviours would be linked with higher relationship wellbeing but, conversely, switching between negative communication behaviours would be linked with lower wellbeing. We assessed spin in positive and negative forms of relationship behaviour over three weeks (Study 1; 78 couples) and over a single interaction (Study 2; 112 couples). Effects for spin in positivity emerged only in Study 1. For women, switching daily positive behaviour over three weeks was associated with higher partner relationship wellbeing but unexpectedly lower wellbeing for women (controlling for mean-level positivity). This suggests that, for women, being responsive to partners in diverse ways is beneficial for the partner but comes at a personal cost. Effects for spin in negativity emerged in both studies. Switching negative behaviour was linked with lower partner wellbeing in both studies, indicating that use of different negative behaviours is more dysfunctional than the sum of individual relationship behaviours. Across both studies, additional tests illustrated that these effects were independent and not due to variability in the magnitude of behaviours. Our findings show variable behaviour may benefit partner wellbeing when behaviour is positive, but inconsistent negativity interrupts intimacy processes to undermine wellbeing. Our research highlights the importance of considering behavioural variability when studying relationship maintenance processes over time.</p>

Does third-party punishment in children aim at equality?

Third-party punishment has been regarded as an important mechanism to promote fairness.While previous research has shown that children aged 6 and older punish unfair behaviors at a personal cost, it is unknown whether they actually intend to establish equality or whether equality is a mere byproduct of punishment. In this pre-registered study, N = 60 5-to-9-year-olds witnessed that an agent made unfair resource allocations to a peer. Children could then decide not only whether to punish but also how much to punish. We found that with age, children’s intervention is more likely to equalize outcomes between third parties (e.g., turning 3:1 into 1:1). In conclusion, the egalitarian motive to reduce differences in payoffs could underlie children’s punishment over development.

Differential attainment: how can we close the gap in paediatrics?

Differential attainment is the gap in attainment between different demographic groups undertaking the same assessment. Across the UK, we see differences in outcome in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education on the basis of gender, age, ethnicity and country of primary medical qualification which cannot be explained by a difference in ability. The largest gaps appear when we look at the variation in outcome between UK and international medical graduates (IMGs) and between white British and black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) doctors in postgraduate medical education. If we look to postgraduate medical examinations, the differences in attainment are stark and occur across all medical specialties, with paediatrics being no exception. The differences are also seen in the rates of relative success in recruitment to training posts and in a trainee’s likelihood of getting a satisfactory outcome at the Annual Review of Competence Progression. Ensuring all doctors reach their full potential is undoubtedly an issue of fairness that is of particular significance to paediatrics as IMGs make up 47% of our medical workforce and 36% of the paediatric workforce identifies as being from a BAME group. It is clear that if we fail to close the gap in differential attainment, there will be both a personal cost to affected individuals, but also a cost to the wider paediatric profession and the children they serve. This paper hopes to summarise the background and causes to differential attainment and look towards possible interventions that might tackle this issue.

Brain drain out of the blue: pollution-induced migration in a developing country

Due to perceived risks of air pollution in urban areas, inhabitants may develop intentions of migrating to another place with better air quality. The brain drain phenomenon occurs when talented workforces leave their current living places, causing serious loss of valuable human resources. The complex interactions among demographic factors that may influence migration intention require deeper investigation. Based on the theoretical foundation of the Mindsponge framework of information processing, we employ Bayesian analysis on a dataset of 475 citizens in Hanoi, Vietnam. We found the existence of the brain drain effect for both domestic and international migration intentions induced by air pollution concerns. Regarding intentions to migrate domestically, the probability is higher for young people and males than their counterparts. Our findings suggest environmental stressors can induce changes in citizen displacement on a large scale through the psychological mechanism of personal cost-benefit evaluation. Furthermore, policymakers need to consider the long-term negative effects of air pollution on human resources and strive to build an ‘eco-surplus culture’ for improving environmental sustainability and socio-economic resilience.

QOLP-24. COMBATING EMOTIONAL DISTRESS AND SOCIAL ISOLATION IN PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR FAMILIES: A CASE STUDY OF A NATIONAL NONPROFIT’S IMPLEMENTATION OF A PEER INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE

Interpersonal and emotional support issues present some of the deepest and most pervasive challenges for patients and families. In the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s 2018 Community Health Needs Assessment report (n=900), family survey respondents cited patient anxiety and depression as the greatest challenge patients face in nearly one in three cases, with isolation lagging not far behind. Beyond patients, interpersonal and emotional issues represent the dominant category of challenges for families as well. Many parents stated they felt guilty thinking about their problems, as the patient’s suffering far exceeded their own, and nearly half reported often neglecting their own well-being at considerable personal cost. To combat these interpersonal and emotional support issues, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation launched a national intervention in 2020 titled the Peer to Peer Mentoring Program. The program matches patients or family members with trained mentor volunteers who have experience facing the challenges that come with a pediatric brain tumor diagnosis. The theoretical framework used to design the intervention is the Social Support theory. This theory is based on the work of House (1981) who defines social support as the functional content of relationships and categorizes four broad types of supportive behaviors: emotional support, instrumental support, informational support and appraisal support (Glanz, Rimer & Viswanath, 2008). The case study explores the technology platform employed to track matches; how matches are made; how mentors are recruited and trained; how mentees are recruited; and how mental health support is provided to mentors. Analysis of peer meeting logs elucidates key themes that emerge in peer encounters as well as key program challenges and how they are being overcome. This theoretical and practical presentation will define the interpersonal and emotional support issues families face, describe the peer intervention’s goals and objectives, and report on insights gained and outcomes achieved.

Bilateral costly expulsions resolve the public goods dilemma

Expulsion has been found to promote cooperation in social dilemmas, but only if it does not incur costs or is applied unilaterally. Here, we show that removing both conditions leads to a spontaneous resolution of the costly expulsion problem. Namely, by studying the public goods game where cooperators and defectors can expel others at a personal cost, we find that public cooperation thrives as expulsion costs increase. This is counterintuitive, as the cost of other-regarding behaviour typically places an additional burden on cooperation, which is in itself costly. Such scenarios are referred to as second-order free-rider problems, and they typically require an additional mechanism, such as network reciprocity, to be resolved. We perform a mean field analysis of the public goods game with bilateral costly expulsion, showing analytically that the expected payoff difference between cooperators and defectors increases with expulsion costs as long as players with the same strategy have, on average, a higher frequency to interact with each other. As the latter condition is often satisfied in social networks, our results thus reveal a fascinating new path to public cooperation, and they show that the costs of well-intended actions need not be low for them to be effective.