Food essentialism: Implications for expectations and perceptions of the properties of processed foods.

Despite the impact of processed foods on health, sustainability, and food security, consumers vary greatly in expectations about and preferences for processed foods. Essentialism is the lay belief that items in a category share a fundamental and immutable essence that generates the category's defining characteristics. Although essentialism may be an important determinant of consumers' cognitions about processed foods, there has been limited investigation of essentialism's role in food-related perceptions. Across two studies (n=598 total), we used a novel measure of food essentialism to examine whether individual differences in beliefs about foods as having essences (food essentialism) are related to perceptions of foods retaining more of their natural characteristics (sensory and nutritive properties) despite their level of processing. Across diverse food categories (meats, vegetables, fruits, legumes, dairy), higher levels of perceived food processing were associated with lower perceived retention of naturalness, nutritiousness, natural taste, functional post-ingestive benefits, and acceptability (liking). However, participants endorsing greater (vs. lower) food essentialism beliefs exhibited weaker relationships between perceived processing and these characteristics. We also observed variations across food categories in relationships between perceived level of processing and food properties, suggesting that some foods (i.e., milk-based products) are perceived to possess essences that are more robust despite undergoing higher levels of processing. These findings demonstrate that food-specific essentialism beliefs may be a fundamental determinant of consumers' expectations of how human intervention, such as processing, affects natural properties of foods. These beliefs may be a promising target for future research to shift consumer acceptance of processed foods.

Study protocol: How does cognitive flexibility relate to other executive functions and learning in healthy young adults?

BACKGROUND: Cognitive flexibility (CF) enables individuals to readily shift from one concept or mode of practice/thoughts to another in response to changes in the environment and feedback, making CF vital to optimise success in obtaining goals. However, how CF relates to other executive functions (e.g., working memory, response inhibition), mental abilities (e.g., creativity, literacy, numeracy, intelligence, structure learning), and social factors (e.g., multilingualism, tolerance of uncertainty, perceived social support, social decision-making) is less well understood. The current study aims to (1) establish the construct validity of CF in relation to other executive function skills and intelligence, and (2) elucidate specific relationships between CF, structure learning, creativity, career decision making and planning, and other life skills. METHODS: This study will recruit up to 400 healthy Singaporean young adults (age 18-30) to complete a wide range of cognitive tasks and social questionnaires/tasks. The richness of the task/questionnaire battery and within-participant administration enables us to use computational modelling and structural equation modelling to examine connections between the latent constructs of interest. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT: The current study is the first systematic investigation into the construct validity of CF and its interrelationship with other important cognitive skills such as learning and creativity, within an Asian context. The study will further explore the concept of CF as a non-unitary construct, a novel theoretical proposition in the field. The inclusion of a structure learning paradigm is intended to inform future development of a novel intervention paradigm to enhance CF. Finally, the results of the study will be useful for informing classroom pedagogy and the design of lifelong learning policies and curricula, as part of the wider remit of the Cambridge-NTU Centre for Lifelong Learning and Individualised Cognition (CLIC).

[Analysis of prognosis assessment with acute physiology and chronic health evaluation III, multiple organ dysfunction score and sequential organ failure assessment for the postoperative patients in cardiovascular surgery].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical significance of the prognosis assessment with acute physiology and chronic health evaluation III (APACHEIII), multiple organ dysfunction score (MODS) and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) for postoperative patients in cardiovascular surgery. METHODS: Prognosis of 68 patients undergoing cardiovascular operation from February 2004 to June 2004 in our ward was assessed by APACHE III, MODS and SOFA. Then the scores were calculated and compared everyday while they stayed in Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit (CSICU). RESULTS: The scores of three methods showed no significant difference from one another in the first three postoperative days, but were significantly higher than all the scores calculated just after the entrance to the CSICU (A0, M0, S0; all P<0.01). There were no differences in the changes of APACHE III, MODS and SOFA(DeltaA, DeltaM and DeltaS) in the first three postoperative days respectively, although they all showed a decreasing tendency. APACHE III scores were positively correlated with MODS although the correlation were diminishing (P<0.01 at first day but P<0.05 at third day), while they were positively correlated with SOFA only in the first two days (both P<0.01). The MODS was positively correlated with SOFA at various time points (P<0.001). The length of stay in CSICU was positive correlated with A0 and maximum of APACHEIII (Amax, P<0.05), and M0, maximum of MODS (Mmax) as well as S0, maximum of SOFA (Smax, P<0.001), respectively. CONCLUSION: For the patients who have undergone cardiovascular operation, A0 could assess the prognosis fairly precisely, but MODS and SOFA assessment seem to be better than APACHE III. Individual Smax and kinetic DeltaS might be the most suitable indexes for cardiovascular surgery.