Royally represented or royally shafted? Effect of positive and negative captions and ideological beliefs on readers’ evaluations of Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle

We conducted a randomized controlled experiment to investigate the role of descriptive captions (positively and negatively worded) and ideological beliefs (Right Wing Authoritarianism and Social Dominance Orientation) on viewers’ evaluations of two popular British Royal family members namely Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton. Participants included 300 undergraduate students from Dunedin, New Zealand who were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions: (1) Pro-Kate, (2) Anti-Kate, (3) Pro-Meghan or (4) AntiMeghan captions accompanying the parallel images of these Royal members. We also included several distractor variables about other Royal family members and traditions. Outcomes were recorded as evaluations of six royal members (Charles, Diana, William, Harry, Kate, and Meghan). We found no significant effect of caption manipulation on outcome evaluations of Meghan and Kate. However, social dominance negatively correlated with Meghan and Harry whereas authoritarianism positively correlated with ratings of Charles. Our results indicate that a one-off exposure to biased media regarding celebrities may not significantly alter audience’s evaluations of them, but ideological beliefs may influence this process, nonetheless.

Effectiveness of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Neurodermatitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Review question / Objective: Effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of neurodermatitis: a systematic review and Meta-Analysis. Condition being studied: Neurodermatitis is a skin disease with severe itching and recurring episodes. This study explores the clinical efficacy of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of neurodermatitisNeurodermatitis is a severe itching and recurring skin disease. Eligibility criteria: Inclusion criteria: (1) Participants: The subject is a clinically diagnosed neurodermatitis patient. There are no restrictions on language, age, gender, country, or race. (2) Research type: randomized controlled experiment. (3) Intervention: mainly acupuncture and moxibustion. And compared with the control group. (4) Control group: with drug treatment or no treatment. (5) Results: No itching, the symptoms disappeared, and the skin lesions returned to normal. Exclusion criteria: (1) Other traditional Chinese methods. (2) Exclude duplicate publications and research with incomplete data. (3) Use acupuncture plus other drugs. (4) Discussion on the exclusion theory.

Impact of front-of-pack labels on the perceived healthfulness of a sweetened fruit drink: a randomized experiment in 5 countries

Objective: Front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labeling is a globally-recommended strategy to encourage healthier food choices. We evaluated the effect of FOP labels on the perceived healthfulness of a sweetened fruit drink in an international sample of adult consumers. Design: Six-arm randomized controlled experiment to examine the impact of FOP labels (No label control, Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA), Multiple Traffic Lights (MTLs), the Health Star Ratings (HSR), Health Warning Labels (HWLs), and ‘High-in’ Warning Labels (HIWLs)) on the perceived healthfulness of the drink. Linear regression models by country examined healthfulness perceptions on FOP nutrition labels, testing for interactions by demographic characteristics. Setting: Online survey in 2018 among participants from Australia, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom (UK), and United States (US). Participants: Adults (18 years, n=22,140) Results: Compared to control, HIWLs had the greatest impact in lowering perceived healthfulness (Betas from -0.62 to -1.71) across all countries. The HIWL and the HSR had a similar effect in Australia. Other labels were effective in decreasing the perceived healthfulness of the drink within some countries only, but to a lower extent. The GDAs did not reduce perceived healthfulness in most countries. In the UK, the effect of HIWL differed by age group, with greater impact among older participants (>40y). There were no other variations across key demographic characteristics. Conclusions: HIWLs, which communicates clear, non-quantitative messages about high levels of nutrient of concern, demonstrated the greatest efficacy to decrease the perceived healthfulness of a sweetened fruit drink across countries. This effect was similar across demographic characteristics.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Changes the Nudging Effect of Social Information on Individuals' Blood Donation Intention

The positive effect of social information on nudging prosocial behavior is context dependent. Understanding how sensitive intervention outcomes are to changes in the choice context is essential for policy design, especially in times of great uncertainty, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. The present paper explores the effectiveness of social information in changing voluntary blood donation intention in two contexts: before and after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. In addition to the dimension of context, information content and its source are also important. Using a survey administered to 1,116 participants, we conducted an intertemporal randomized-controlled experiment to systematically analyze how information can effectively nudge the intention to donate blood. Compared with content featuring blood donors' commendation information, blood users' demand information is found to have a stronger nudging effect. An official information source has a greater influence on participants' donation intention than an unofficial source. Furthermore, our analysis of two waves of experimental data (i.e., before and after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic) shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has further enhanced the nudging effect of blood users' demand information and official information sources. These findings provide a theoretical basis and policy recommendations for relevant institutions to develop effective blood donation campaign strategies.

Immersion Experiences in a Tablet-Based Markerless Augmented Reality Working Memory Game: Randomized Controlled Trial and User Experience Study

Background In recent years, augmented reality (AR), especially markerless augmented reality (MAR), has been used more prevalently to create training games in an attempt to improve humans' cognitive functions. This has been driven by studies claiming that MAR provides users with more immersive experiences that are situated in the real world. Currently, no studies have scientifically investigated the immersion experience of users in a MAR cognitive training game. Moreover, there is an observed lack of instruments on measuring immersion in MAR cognitive training games. Objective This study, using two existing immersion questionnaires, investigates students’ immersion experiences in a novel MAR n-back game. Methods The n-back task is a continuous performance task that taps working memory (WM) capacity. We compared two versions of n-back training. One was presented in a traditional 2D format, while the second version used MAR. There were 2 experiments conducted in this study that coordinated with 2 types of immersion questionnaires: the modified Immersive Experiences Questionnaire (IEQ) and the Augmented Reality Immersion (ARI) questionnaire. Two groups of students from two universities in China joined the study, with 60 participants for the first experiment (a randomized controlled experiment) and 51 participants for the second. Results Both groups of students experienced immersion in the MAR n-back game. However, the MAR n-back training group did not experience stronger immersion than the traditional (2D) n-back control group in the first experiment. The results of the second experiment showed that males felt deeply involved with the AR environment, which resulted in obtaining higher levels of immersion than females in the MAR n-back game. Conclusions Both groups of students experienced immersion in the MAR n-back game. Moreover, both the modified IEQ and ARI have the potential to be used as instruments to measure immersion in MAR game settings. Trial Registration UMIN Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000045314; https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000051725

Handwashing Results in Incomplete Nicotine Removal from Fingers of Individuals who Smoke: A Randomized Controlled Experiment

Objective: Tobacco residue, also known as third-hand smoke (THS), contains toxicants and lingers in dust and on surfaces and clothes. THS also remains on hands of individuals who smoke, with potential transfer to infants during visitation while infants are hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), raising concerns (e.g., hindered respiratory development) for vulnerable infants. Previously unexplored, this study tested handwashing (HW) and sanitization efficacy for finger-nicotine removal in a sample of adults who smoked and were visiting infants in an NICU. Study Design: A cross-sectional sample was recruited to complete an interview, carbon monoxide breath samples, and three nicotine wipes of separate fingers (thumb, index, and middle). Eligible participants (n = 14) reported current smoking (verified with breath samples) and were randomly assigned to 30 seconds of HW (n = 7) or alcohol-based sanitization (n = 7), with the order of finger wipes both counterbalanced and randomly assigned. After randomization, the first finger was wiped for nicotine. Participants then washed or sanitized their hands and finger two was wiped 5 minutes later. An interview assessing tobacco/nicotine use and exposure was then administered, followed by a second breath sample and the final finger wipe (40–60 minutes after washing/sanitizing). Results: Generalized linear mixed models found that HW was more effective than sanitizer for nicotine removal but failed to completely remove nicotine. Conclusions: Without proper protections (e.g., wearing gloves and gowns), NICU visitors who smoke may inadvertently expose infants to THS. Research on cleaning protocols are needed to protect vulnerable medical populations from THS and associated risks. Key Points

Learning to Call Bullsh*t via Induction: Categorization Training Improves Critical Thinking Performance

Participants performed a categorization training task, where each trial presented an example scenario in which an individual makes a claim based on an observation, and participants marked which fallacy or bias, if any, the individual in the scenario was committing. In two studies, we measure the effect of this training task on critical thinking, measured using an open-ended critical thinking assessment, both pre- and post-training. In Study 1, we pilot these materials in an online college course across a full academic semester and observe credible improvements in critical thinking performance. In Study 2, we conduct a pre-registered randomized controlled experiment using online research participants and observe credible improvements in critical thinking relative to no training, and relative to comparable learning activities focused on conventional curricular content. We infer that the categorization training task facilitated inductive learning of patterns of biased and flawed reasoning, which improved participants’ ability to detect and identify such patterns in the delayed open-ended critical thinking assessment. Such categorization training shows promise as an effective and practical method for improving learners’ resistance to online disinformation.