Neuroticism and attitudes toward action in 19 countries

A context-sensitive collectivism during the COVID-19 pandemic: Effect on the adoption of containment measures in China and the US

This study investigates individuals' adoption of containment measures (e.g., wearing masks) from the perspectives of cultural values and trust in two countries-China and the US. Distinguished from previous definitions that characterise cultural values as rigid and fixed concepts, this study reconceptualizes collectivism to be a context-sensitive construct. With survey data from a collectivism-prevalent culture (China, n = 1578) and an individualism-prevalent culture (the US, n = 1510), it unfolds the underlying mechanism by which collectivism influences people's adoption of containment measures in both countries. Results indicate that institutional trust serves as a significant mediator in this relationship. In both countries, individuals who hold a collectivistic value on the pandemic are more likely to endorse the adoption of containment measures. This endorsement is driven by their trust in public institutions, which stems from their collectivistic values. Additionally, slight distinctions emerge, revealing that collectivistic values directly predict the behaviours among Chinese individuals, whereas such a direct effect is not observed in the US. Practical implications will be offered.

Cultural collectivism, intimate partner violence, and women's mental health: An analysis of data from 151 countries

Culture, defined as the distinctive, learned beliefs and patterns of behavior that are particular to a given group or community, is a key determinant of mental health. The cultural dimension of individualism-collectivism, which measures the extent to which a given society accords importance to individuals as opposed to larger groups, has been associated with cross-national variations in mental health outcomes such as depression and suicide. However, this cultural dimension is also associated with variations in the frequency of intimate partner violence (IPV), which has a significant and sustained adverse impact on women's mental health. This study examines the relationships between individualism-collectivism, the frequency of IPV, and rates of depression and suicide in women, based on data from 151 countries. In this data set, IPV was significantly associated with age-standardized rates of depression and suicide in women, even after adjusting for demographic variables. Cultural collectivism was positively correlated with IPV, but this relationship was significantly influenced by national income and women's educational attainment. In multivariate analyses, IPV, but not cultural collectivism, remained significantly associated with depression in women. These results highlight the importance of screening for and addressing IPV in women seeking mental health care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where cultural and economic factors may both increase the risk of IPV and delay or impede its reporting.

Prevalence and risk factors for depression among training physicians in China and the United States

During their first year of medical residency (internship), 35% of training physicians in the United States suffer at least one depression episode. We assessed whether there is a similar increase of depression among first year residents in China, and identified predictors of depression in the two systems. 1006 residents across three cohorts (2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019) at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Peking Union Medical College were assessed in parallel with three cohorts of 7028 residents at 100 + US institutions. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) depressive symptoms were measured at baseline and quarterly. Demographic, personal and residency factors were assessed as potential predictors of PHQ-9 depression scores. Similar to training interns in the US, the proportion of participants in China who met depression criteria at least once during the first year of residency increased substantially, from 9.1 to 35.1%. History of depression and symptoms at baseline were common factors significantly associated with depression during residency. By contrast, neuroticism, early family environment, female gender and not being coupled were associated with depression risk only in the US, while young age was a predictor of depression only in China. Fear of workplace violence also was a predictor in China. Long duty hours and reduced sleep duration emerged as training predictors of depression in both countries. The magnitude of depression increase and work-related drivers of depression were similar between China and the US, suggesting a need for effective system reforms in both systems.

Action and Inaction in Moral Judgments and Decisions: Meta-Analysis of Omission Bias Omission-Commission Asymmetries

Omission bias is people's tendency to evaluate harm done through omission as less morally wrong and less blameworthy than commission when there is harm. However, findings are inconsistent. We conducted a preregistered meta-analysis, with 21 samples (13 articles, 49 effects) on omission-commission asymmetries in judgments and decisions. We found an overall effect of g = 0.45, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [0.14, 0.77], with stronger effects for morality and blame than for decisions. Publication bias tests produced mixed results with some indication for publication bias, though effects persisted even after most publication bias adjustments. The small sample of studies included limited our ability to draw definite conclusions regarding moderators, with inconclusive findings when applying different models. After compensating for low power, we found indication for moderation by role responsibility, perspective (self vs. others), outcome type, and study design. We hope this meta-analysis will inspire research on this phenomenon and applications to real-life, especially given the raging pandemic. Materials, data, and code are available on https://osf.io/9fcqm/.

The Backup Planning Scale (BUPS): A Brief, Self-Reported Measure of a Person's Tendency to Develop, Reserve, and Use Backup Plans

To mitigate uncertainty in their goal pursuits, people use backup plans, i.e., alternative means that are developed to potentially replace "Plan A." Several studies have demonstrated that backup plans can introduce unexpected costs into goal pursuits that decrease a person's motivation to continue using their "Plan A," and reduce their chances for achieving their goal. These existing studies used time-intensive experimental and/or observational approaches to assess the effects of backup planning. The present research examines the newly-developed Backup Planning Scale (BUPS) for its measurement invariance, reliability, validity, and other psychometric characteristics across three independent samples with more than 1,500 participants. Consistent with prior theorizing, we found support for a nine-item, three factor structure for the BUPS, indexing latent factors for a person's tendency to develop, reserve, and replace with (or use) backup plans. Furthermore, a novel "IRTree" based statistical technique provided evidence for the validity of the measure, as participants' responses to the BUPS were associated with their actual developing, reserving, and replacing backup planning behaviors in a logic task. We conclude that the freely-available BUPS is a simple, brief, reliable, and valid self-reported instrument for assessing backup planning behaviors across adulthood.

The Role of Meditation in College Students' Neuroticism and Mental Health

A large number of empirical studies have found evidence that neuroticism is related to personality traits, but no one has integrated the relationship between neuroticism and mental health through meta-analysis. As a personality trait, neuroticism reflects the stable tendency of how individuals experience, feel, evaluate negative emotions and make corresponding behavioural responses. By means of meta-analysis, a preliminary dimension of neuroticism is constructed through an open questionnaire and literature review. On this basis, a preliminary neuroticism questionnaire for college students is compiled. The structural model of College Students' neuroticism questionnaire fits well, and has a high correlation with the neuroticism subscale of the simple version of Big Five Personality Questionnaire, which shows that it has a good structural validity. The positive orientation indicators of subjective well-being, life satisfaction and other mental health indicators were also selected. In addition, self-assessment indicators of physical health were selected. It was found that neuroticism was highly correlated with appeal indicators, indicating that the questionnaire of College Students' neuroticism had good validity.

Factors influencing health practitioners' cognitive processing and decision-making style

Successful interventions, healthcare planning, and patient-centered care require explanation, justification, and collaboration through interprofessional clinical decision-making (CDM). Understanding health practitioners' decision-making styles and influencing factors can enhance CDM capabilities. Health professionals and students (N = 229) completed an online survey on their decision-making styles, interprofessional education, interprofessional practice, discipline education, clinical experience, processing styles, personality, interpersonal motivational factors, and age. To assess the influence of task structure, participants answered CDM questions on a high- and a low-structured case study. Age demonstrated an effect on the level of clinical experience, while clinical experience also mediated the effect of age on rational processing styles. While personality results were mixed, consistent with previous findings, conscientiousness predicted rational processing style. Effects of interpersonal motivation on personality were also mixed, insofar as results indicated an association between conscientiousness and both experiential and rational processing styles. Interpersonal motivation also predicted rational processing styles. The complexity of CDM and factors influencing healthcare practitioners' processing and decision-making styles was highlighted. To optimize CDM processes by addressing errors and biases, CDM, and practice complexity, healthcare practitioner education should include theory-driven CDM orientation frameworks.

Action Dominance: The Performance Effects of Multiple Action Demands and the Benefits of an Inaction Focus

Four experiments uncovered an action dominance error by which people's natural focus on actions hinders appropriate responses to social and nonsocial stimuli. This surprising error comprises higher rates of both omission (misses) and commission (false alarms) when, in responding to action and inaction demands, people have higher numbers of action targets. The action dominance error was verified over four experiments using an analog that required responses to words and to target individuals. Experiments 1 and 2 tested our hypotheses and distinguished the action error effect from the effects of practicing action or inaction responses. Experiment 3 linked the error to the greater cognitive load imposed by the higher proportion of action over inaction targets. Furthermore, Experiment 4 demonstrated that (a) there is a default tendency to pay more attention to action (vs. inaction) targets and (b) shifting focus to inaction targets reduces the action dominance error.

Liking for Action and the Vertical/Horizontal Dimension of Culture in Nineteen Nations: Valuing Equality over Hierarchy Promotes Positivity Towards Action

The question of who should act, and how often, is critical for cultures and the regulation of social behavior. The vertical/horizontal dimension of culture describes the relative valuing of hierarchy versus equality. In a horizontal culture valuing equality, responsibility for action is more widely distributed than in a vertical culture valuing hierarchy. The relation between this cultural dimension and general attitudes towards action and inaction was tested with a large-scale survey of respondents from 19 nations. A multi-level model indicated that liking for action was especially associated with horizontality--the valuing of equality. Although values can generally be expressed through various compatible actions, horizontality (valuing equality) entails endorsing distributed responsibility for action and its outcomes, promoting general favorability towards action. In contrast, verticality includes countervailing components that discourage action by promoting norms that constrain who should act in accordance to status.

When Action-Inaction Framing Leads to Higher Escalation of Commitment: A New Inaction-Effect Perspective on the Sunk-Cost Fallacy

Escalation of commitment to a failing course of action occurs in the presence of (a) sunk costs, (b) negative feedback that things are deviating from expectations, and (c) a decision between escalation and de-escalation. Most of the literature to date has focused on sunk costs, yet we offer a new perspective on the classic escalation-of-commitment phenomenon by focusing on the impact of negative feedback. On the basis of the inaction-effect bias, we theorized that negative feedback results in the tendency to take action, regardless of what that action may be. In four experiments, we demonstrated that people facing escalation-decision situations were indeed action oriented and that framing escalation as action and de-escalation as inaction resulted in a stronger tendency to escalate than framing de-escalation as action and escalation as inaction (mini-meta-analysis effect d = 0.37, 95% confidence interval = [0.21, 0.53]).

Higher USA State Resident Neuroticism Is Associated With Lower State Volunteering Rates

Highly neurotic persons have dispositional characteristics that tend to precipitate social anxiety that discourages formal volunteering. With the 50 American states as analytical units, Study 1 found that state resident neuroticism correlated highly ( r = -.55) with state volunteering rates and accounted for another 26.8% of the volunteering rate variance with selected state demographics controlled. Study 2 replicated Study 1 during another period and extended the association to college student, senior, secular, and religious volunteering rates. Study 3 showed state resident percentages engaged in other social behaviors involving more familiarity and fewer demands than formal volunteering related to state volunteering rates but not to neuroticism. In Study 4, state resident neuroticism largely accounted statistically for relations between state volunteering rates and state population density, collectivism, social capital, Republican preference, and well-being. This research is the first to show that state resident neuroticism is a potent predictor of state volunteering rates.

Norm theory and the action-effect: The role of social norms in regret following action and inaction

The action-effect (Kahneman & Tversky, 1982) is one of the most widely cited and replicated effects in the regret literature, showing that negative outcomes are regretted more when they are a result of action compared to inaction. Building on theoretical arguments by norm theory (Kahneman & Miller, 1986) and the concept of normality, we examine the role of social norms for action and inaction in affecting regret. In four experiments we manipulated social norms and action-effect scenarios and found that social norms matter. For decisions resulting in negative outcomes, action is regretted more than inaction when social norms are for inaction, but when social norms are for action the effect is significantly weakened (Experiments 1 and 4) or reversed (Experiments 2 and 3).

Action Tweets Linked to Reduced County-Level HIV Prevalence in the United States: Online Messages and Structural Determinants

HIV is uncommon in most US counties but travels quickly through vulnerable communities when it strikes. Tracking behavior through social media may provide an unobtrusive, naturalistic means of predicting HIV outbreaks and understanding the behavioral and psychological factors that increase communities' risk. General action goals, or the motivation to engage in cognitive and motor activity, may support protective health behavior (e.g., using condoms) or encourage activity indiscriminately (e.g., risky sex), resulting in mixed health effects. We explored these opposing hypotheses by regressing county-level HIV prevalence on action language (e.g., work, plan) in over 150 million tweets mapped to US counties. Controlling for demographic and structural predictors of HIV, more active language was associated with lower HIV rates. By leveraging language used on social media to improve existing predictive models of geographic variation in HIV, future targeted HIV-prevention interventions may have a better chance of reaching high-risk communities before outbreaks occur.