More than meets the gut: a prototype analysis of the lay conceptions of intuition and analysis.

Using a prototype approach, we assessed people's lay conceptions of intuition and analysis. Open-ended descriptions of intuition and analysis were generated by participants (Study 1) and resulting exemplars were sorted into features subsequently rated in centrality by independent participants (Study 2). Feature centrality was validated by showing that participants were quicker and more accurate in classifying central (as compared to peripheral) features (Study 3). Centrality ratings suggested a single-factor structure describing analysis but revealed that participants held lay conceptions of intuition as involving two different types of processes: (1) as an automatic, affective, and non-logical processing, and (2) as a holistic processing that can assist in problem-solving. Additional analyses showed that the centrality ratings of intuition's facets were predicted by participants' self-reported intuitive style, suggesting intuition is differently perceived by intuitive and non-intuitive people. We discuss the implications of these results for the study of intuition and analysis.

Uncertainty limits the use of power analysis.

The calculation of statistical power has been taken up as a simple yet informative tool to assist in designing an experiment, particularly in justifying sample size. A difficulty with using power for this purpose is that the classical power formula does not incorporate sources of uncertainty (e.g., sampling variability) that can impact the computed power value, leading to a false sense of precision and confidence in design choices. We use simulations to demonstrate the consequences of adding two common sources of uncertainty to the calculation of power. Sampling variability in the estimated effect size (Cohen's d) can introduce a large amount of uncertainty (e.g., sometimes producing rather flat distributions) in power and sample-size determination. The addition of random fluctuations in the population effect size can cause values of its estimates to take on a sign opposite the population value, making calculated power values meaningless. These results suggest that calculated power values or use of such values to justify sample size add little to planning a study. As a result, researchers should put little confidence in power-based choices when planning future studies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Belief-consistent information is most shared despite being the least surprising.

In the classical information theoretic framework, information "value" is proportional to how novel/surprising the information is. Recent work building on such notions claimed that false news spreads faster than truth online because false news is more novel and therefore surprising. However, another determinant of surprise, semantic meaning (e.g., information's consistency or inconsistency with prior beliefs), should also influence value and sharing. Examining sharing behavior on Twitter, we observed separate relations of novelty and belief consistency with sharing. Though surprise could not be assessed in those studies, belief consistency should relate to less surprise, suggesting the relevance of semantic meaning beyond novelty. In two controlled experiments, belief-consistent (vs. belief-inconsistent) information was shared more despite consistent information being the least surprising. Manipulated novelty did not predict sharing or surprise. Thus, classical information theoretic predictions regarding perceived value and sharing would benefit from considering semantic meaning in contexts where people hold pre-existing beliefs.

Effects of Message-Sidedness on Perceived Source Bias: When Presenting Two Sides Does Versus Does Not Alleviate Concerns About Bias.

Communicators commonly present two-sided messages to avoid being perceived as biased. This approach equates bias with one-sidedness rather than divergence from the position supported by available data. Messages often concern topics with mixed qualities: a product is exceptional but expensive; a politician is inexperienced but ethical. For these topics, providing a two-sided message should reduce perceived bias according to both views of bias as one-sidedness and divergence from available data. However, if perceived bias follows divergence from available data, for topics viewed as one-sided (univalent), a two-sided message should not reduce perceived bias. Across five studies, acknowledging two sides reduced perceived bias for novel topics. In two of the studies, two-sidedness no longer reduced perceived bias for topics viewed as univalent. This work clarifies that people conceptualize bias as a divergence from available data, not simply one-sidedness. It also clarifies when and how to leverage message-sidedness to reduce perceived bias.

A Pilot Goal-Oriented Episodic Future Thinking Weight Loss Intervention for Low-Income Overweight or Obese Young Mothers.

BACKGROUND: Episodic future thinking (EFT) has shown efficacy in laboratory settings. We conducted a pilot goal-oriented EFT (GoEFT) intervention in a real-world setting to help low-income overweight or obese mothers lose weight. This paper presents intervention acceptability and efficacy. METHODS: The study used a single-group, before-after design. During the 3-week intervention, participants (N = 15) completed weekly web-based lessons and online health coaching sessions to manage stress and emotion, eat healthier, and be more physically active. Participants completed online surveys at baseline and immediately after the intervention. They also completed an interview to evaluate intervention acceptability. We applied paired t-tests to evaluate efficacy and used content analysis to discover interview themes. RESULTS: Participants consistently identified the intervention as acceptable, noting the usefulness of pre-written goals, GoEFT strategies, and goal progress evaluations. The intervention effectively promoted weight loss (d = -0.69), fruit and vegetable intake (d = 0.45-0.49), and emotion control (d = 0.71). It also reduced fat (d = -0.51) and added sugar intake (d = -0.48) and alleviated stress (d = -0.52). Moreover, the intervention increased autonomous motivation (d = 0.75-0.88) and self-efficacy (d = 0.46-0.61). CONCLUSION: The GoEFT intervention was acceptable to participants, showing strong preliminary efficacy.

How research on persuasion can inform dual-process models of judgment.

De Neys makes some useful points regarding dual-process models, but his critique ignores highly relevant theories of judgment from the persuasion literature. These persuasion models predate and often circumvent many of the criticisms he makes of the dual-process approaches he covers. Furthermore, the persuasion models anticipated some of the correctives to dual-process models that he proposes.

Mechanisms in continued influence: The impact of misinformation corrections on source perceptions.

Research on the continued influence effect (CIE) of misinformation has demonstrated that misinformation continues to influence people's beliefs and judgments even after it has been corrected. Although most theorizing about the CIE attempts to explain why corrections do not eliminate belief in and influences of the misinformation, the present research takes a different approach and focuses instead on why corrections do reduce belief in misinformation (even if not entirely). We examined how a correction can change perceptions of the original source of the misinformation and how these changes in perceptions can mediate continued influence effects. We also examined causal evidence linking manipulations of misinformation source perceptions to continued belief and misinformation-relevant inferential reasoning. Study 1 demonstrated that an external correction (i.e., a new source labeling misinformation as false) influences perceptions of the misinformation source, and these perceptions of the misinformation source then correlated with belief in the misinformation. Study 2 replicated the results of Study 1 and used source derogation to manipulate misinformation source perceptions and further lessen continued belief. Study 3 was a preregistered replication of previous results using new methodology. These studies suggest that perceptions of the misinformation source is one mechanism that can cause changes in belief in misinformation, and changes in the perception of a source can be achieved simply by correcting the source or through other means. This approach can be used to find other mechanisms responsible for reducing belief in misinformation.

Psychosocial Factors Associated With Physical Activity Among Low-Income Overweight or Obese Mothers with Young Children.

PURPOSE: Investigate the associations between psychosocial factors and physical activity. DESIGN: Secondary data analysis utilizing baseline data of a large-scale community-based randomized controlled lifestyle behavior intervention. SETTING: The Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children in Michigan, USA. SUBJECTS: Low-income overweight or obese mothers with young children (N = 740, 65% response rate). MEASURES: Survey data were collected via phone interview. Predictors included self-efficacy, autonomous motivation, emotional coping, and social support. Self-reported leisure physical activity was the outcome variable. Covariates were age, race, smoking, employment, education, body mass index, and postpartum status. ANALYSIS: A multiple linear regression model was applied. RESULTS: Self-efficacy (ß = .32, 95% CI = .11, .52, P = .003) and autonomous motivation (ß = .10, 95% CI = .03, .17, P = .005) were positively associated with physical activity. However, emotional coping and social support were not associated with physical activity. CONCLUSION: Future research should examine the longitudinal association of key psychosocial factors with physical activity.

How Attitudes Impact the Continued Influence Effect of Misinformation: The Mediating Role of Discomfort.

Past research suggests that people continue believing retracted misinformation more when it is consistent versus inconsistent with their attitudes. However, the psychological mechanism responsible for this phenomenon remains unclear. We predicted that retractions of attitude-consistent misinformation produce greater feelings of discomfort than retractions of attitude-inconsistent misinformation and that this discomfort predicts continued belief in and use of the misinformation. We report combined analyses across 10 studies testing these predictions. Seven studies (total N = 1,323) used a mediational framework and found that the more consistent misinformation was with participants' attitudes, the more discomfort was elicited by a retraction of the misinformation. Greater discomfort then predicted greater continued belief in the misinformation, which, in turn, predicted greater use of the misinformation when participants made relevant inferences. Three additional studies (total N = 574) utilized misattribution paradigms to demonstrate that the relation between discomfort and belief in misinformation is causal in nature.

The independent effects of source expertise and trustworthiness on retraction believability: The moderating role of vested interest.

Past research suggests that the trustworthiness of a source issuing a retraction of misinformation impacts retraction effectiveness, whereas source expertise does not. However, this prior research largely used expert sources who had a vested interest in issuing the retraction, which might have reduced the impact of those expert sources. We predicted that source expertise can impact a retraction's believability independent of trustworthiness, but that this is most likely when the source does not have a vested interest in issuing a retraction. Study 1 demonstrated that retractions from an expert source are believed more and lead to less continued belief in misinformation than retractions from an inexpert source while controlling for perceptions of trustworthiness. Additionally, Study 1 demonstrated that this only occurs when the source had no vested interest in issuing the retraction. Study 2 found similar effects using a design containing manipulations of both expertise and trustworthiness. These results suggest that source expertise can impact retraction effectiveness and that vested interest is a variable that is critical to consider when determining when this will occur.

Pilot Lifestyle Intervention Effect on Lifestyle Behaviors, Psychosocial Factors, and Affect.

Background: This paper presents results of a pilot intervention effect on lifestyle behaviors, psychosocial factors, and affect among overweight or obese pregnant women. Methods: 70 participants were randomized to the intervention or usual care group. During the 20-week intervention, participants completed a weekly online intervention module and joined individual online health coaching. Data were collected at baseline (<17 weeks gestation), 24-27 weeks gestation (T2), and 35-37 weeks gestation (T3). Lifestyle behaviors included dietary intake (caloric, fat, added sugar, fruit, and vegetable) and physical activity (PA). Psychosocial factors were autonomous motivation, self-efficacy, executive functions, and consideration of future consequences (CFC). Affect comprised stress and emotional control. Two-sample t-tests and Cohen's d effect sizes were used to compare between group mean differences in the change from baseline to T2 and T3. Results: At T2, intervention positively influenced fruit intake (d = 0.47), autonomous motivation for healthy eating (d = 0.36), self-efficacy for healthy eating (d = 0.25) and PA (d = 0.24), executive functions (behavior regulation, d = -0.21; metacognition, d = -0.69), and emotional control (d = 0.79). At T3, the intervention improved PA (d = 0.19), autonomous motivation for healthy eating (d = 0.33), self-efficacy for healthy eating (d = 0.50) and stress management (d = 0.62), executive functions (metacognition, d = -0.46), CFC (d = 0.25), stress (d = -0.45), and emotional control (d = 0.72). Conclusion: The pilot intervention has positive effects on most psychosocial variables and affect in both the short and long terms.

A Pilot Lifestyle Behavior Intervention for Overweight or Obese Pregnant Women: Results and Process Evaluation.

Introduction: This paper presents a pilot lifestyle behavior intervention effect on gestational weight gain and maternal and neonatal outcomes and intervention acceptability. Materials and Methods: Overweight or obese pregnant participants (N = 70) were randomized to the intervention or usual care group. The 20-week intervention integrated Hope theory and goal-oriented episodic future thinking (GoEFT) to prevent excessive gestational weight gain through stress and emotion management, healthy eating, and physical activity. Intervention participants completed a weekly web intervention module with 2 parts (I and II) and joined individual health coaching sessions (10 sessions). The primary outcome was gestational weight gain (GWG). Secondary outcomes included maternal and neonatal outcomes. Data were collected at 3 time points: baseline (< 17 weeks gestation, T1), 24-27 weeks gestation (T2), and 35-37 weeks gestation (T3). Intervention participants completed a semi-structured interview to evaluate the intervention. We compared GWG at T2 and T3 with T1 for intervention and usual care groups using t-tests and conducted content analysis to identify common themes for intervention acceptability. Results: There were no significant group differences in GWG at T2 and T3. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were similar between groups. Common themes for intervention acceptability were disked web Part I intervention presented in text, the need for choosing a weekly intervention topic, raising awareness through GoEFT and self-evaluation, increased motivation through GoEFT, and usefulness of pre-written goals and goal progress evaluation. Conclusions: Results of process evaluation are helpful for researchers to design a lifestyle intervention to prevent excessive gestational weight gain.

Dietary Intake of Micronutrients and Essential Fatty Acids among Overweight or Obese Pregnant Women during Early Pregnancy.

Background: Dietary intake of micronutrients and essential fatty acids in overweight or obese pregnant women during early pregnancy is unknown. We investigated the proportion of pregnant women meeting recommendations for dietary intake of micronutrients and essential fatty acids and compared stress and depressive symptoms between those meeting and below recommendations. Methods: Participants (N = 70) were overweight or obese pregnant women ≤16 weeks gestation. They completed two 24-hour dietary recalls and online surveys measuring stress and depressive symptoms. Micronutrients of interest included B vitamins, choline, and trace minerals (calcium, magnesium, selenium, and zinc). Essential fatty acids were docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Results: Low proportions of participants met recommendations for choline (21.4%) and folate (24.3%). Yet, the proportion of women meeting recommendations for other B vitamins and trace minerals were much better. Less than 9.0% of participants met recommendations for essential fatty acids. Compared with those below recommendations for B3 and selenium, participants meeting recommendations had significantly fewer depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Low proportions of overweight or obese pregnant participants met dietary intake recommendations for micronutrients and essential fatty acids.

Factors Associated with Beverage Intake in Low-Income, Overweight, or Obese Pregnant Women.

This study examined consumption proportions and factors associated with sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs), and 100% fruit juice (FJ) consumption. We recruited Non-Hispanic Black (n = 136) and White (n = 192) low-income overweight or obese pregnant women aged 18 to 46 years (mean = 25.7 years) from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children clinics in Michigan, USA. Independent variables included weight status, trimester, smoking, stress, education, employment, race, and age. Dependent variables were high (consuming ≥ 1 serving/day) versus low consumptions of SSB, ASB, and 100% FJ. Multivariate logistic regression modeling was performed to examine factors associated with beverage consumption. Out of the sample, 48.2%, 6.7%, and 31.3% reported high SSB, ASB, and 100% FJ consumption, respectively. SSB consumption was associated with smoking (OR: 3.77, p < 0.001), education (OR: 0.57, p = 0.03), and race (OR: 1.69, p = 0.03). Artificially sweetened beverage consumption was not associated with any factors examined. One hundred percent FJ consumption was associated with stress (OR: 0.90, p = 0.03) and race (OR: 4.48, p < 0.001). Clinicians may advocate for reductions in SSB and 100% FJ consumption tailored to client consumption characteristics.

Factors Associated with Home Food Environment in Low-Income Overweight or Obese Pregnant Women.

Limited research has examined factors associated with home food availability. This study investigated the associations among demographics, body mass index category, stress, and home food availability among low-income overweight or obese pregnant women. This cross-sectional study enrolled 332 participants who were non-Hispanic black or white. We performed logistic regression modeling for unprocessed food, processed food, overall ultra-processed food, and three subcategories of ultra-processed food (salty snacks, sweet snacks and candies, and soda). Black women were less likely than white women to have large amounts of processed foods (OR = 0.56), salty snacks (OR = 0.61), and soda (OR = 0.49) available at home. Women with at least some college education or at least a college education were more likely to have large amounts of unprocessed food (OR = 2.58, OR = 4.38 respectively) but less likely to have large amounts of soda (OR = 0.44; OR = 0.22 respectively) available at home than their counterparts. Women with higher stress were less likely to have large amounts of unprocessed food available at home (OR = 0.58) than those with lower stress. Home food availability varied by race, education, and levels of stress in low-income overweight or obese pregnant women.

Changes in COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Black and White Individuals in the US.

Importance: COVID-19 has disproportionately affected Black individuals in the US; however, vaccination rates among Black individuals trail those among other racial groups. This disparity is often attributed to a high level of vaccine hesitancy among Black individuals, but few studies have examined changes in vaccine hesitancy over time. Objectives: To compare changes in vaccine hesitancy between Black and White individuals in the US and to examine mechanisms that might help explain the observed differences. Design, Setting, and Participants: This survey study used 7 waves of data collected using a panel design. A total of 1200 English-speaking adults in the US were recruited from a nonprobability online panel to construct a census-matched sample. Participants were contacted monthly between December 9, 2020, and June 16, 2021. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome of interest was self-reported vaccination intention, measured on a 6-point scale (where 1 indicates extremely unlikely and 6 indicates extremely likely). Beliefs about the safety, effectiveness, and necessity of COVID-19 vaccines were measured on a 5-point Likert scale, with higher scores denoting greater agreement. Results: The baseline data included 1200 participants (693 women [52.0%; weighted]; 921 White individuals [64.0%; weighted], 107 Black individuals [12.2%; weighted]; weighted mean [SD] age, 49.5 [17.6] years). The survey participation rate was 57.0% (1264 of 2218). Black and White individuals had comparable vaccination intentions in December 2020, but Black individuals experienced larger increases in vaccination intention than White individuals relative to baseline in March 2021 (b = 0.666; P < .001), April 2021 (b = 0.890; P < .001), May 2021 (b = 0.695; P < .001), and June 2021 (b = 0.709; P < .001). The belief that the vaccines are necessary for protection also increased more among Black than White individuals in March 2021 (b = 0.221; P = .01) and April 2021 (b = 0.187; P = .04). Beliefs that the vaccines are safe and effective (b = 0.125; P < .001) and necessary (b = 0.405; P < .001) were positively associated with vaccination intention. There was no evidence that these associations varied by race. Conclusions and Relevance: This survey study suggests that the intention of Black individuals to be vaccinated was initially comparable to that of White individuals but increased more rapidly. There is some evidence that this increase is associated with changes in beliefs about the vaccine. Vaccination rates continue to be lower among Black individuals than White individuals, but these results suggest that this might be less likely the result of vaccine hesitancy than other factors.

The role of discomfort in the continued influence effect of misinformation.

Research examining the continued influence effect (CIE) of misinformation has reliably found that belief in misinformation persists even after the misinformation has been retracted. However, much remains to be learned about the psychological mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon. Most theorizing in this domain has focused on cognitive mechanisms. Yet some proposed cognitive explanations provide reason to believe that motivational mechanisms might also play a role. The present research tested the prediction that retractions of misinformation produce feelings of psychological discomfort that motivate one to disregard the retraction to reduce this discomfort. Studies 1 and 2 found that retractions of misinformation elicit psychological discomfort, and this discomfort predicts continued belief in and use of misinformation. Study 3 showed that the relations between discomfort and continued belief in and use of misinformation are causal in nature by manipulating how participants appraised the meaning of discomfort. These findings suggest that discomfort could play a key mechanistic role in the CIE, and that changing how people interpret this discomfort can make retractions more effective at reducing continued belief in misinformation.

Evaluating Research in Personality and Social Psychology: Considerations of Statistical Power and Concerns About False Findings.

Traditionally, statistical power was viewed as relevant to research planning but not evaluation of completed research. However, following discussions of high false finding rates (FFRs) associated with low statistical power, the assumed level of statistical power has become a key criterion for research acceptability. Yet, the links between power and false findings are not as straightforward as described. Assumptions underlying FFR calculations do not reflect research realities in personality and social psychology. Even granting the assumptions, the FFR calculations identify important limitations to any general influences of statistical power. Limits for statistical power in inflating false findings can also be illustrated through the use of FFR calculations to (a) update beliefs about the null or alternative hypothesis and (b) assess the relative support for the null versus alternative hypothesis when evaluating a set of studies. Taken together, statistical power should be de-emphasized in comparison to current uses in research evaluation.

Mediation by Executive Functions in the Associations Between Perceived Stress, Prenatal Distress, Emotional Control, and Dietary Intake in Overweight or Obese Pregnant Women.

Background: The study explored potential mediation by executive functions (behavioral regulation index [BRI] and metacognition index [MI]) in association between perceived stress, prenatal distress, emotional control, and dietary intake (total calorie, total fat, added sugar, fruits, and vegetables). Methods: 70 overweight or obese pregnant women completed validated online surveys and two 24-hour dietary recalls. Path analyses were performed. Results: Increased perceived stress was associated with increased BRI both directly (p < 0.001) and indirectly through increased MI (perceived stress to MI: p < 0.001, MI to BRI: p < 0.001). Subsequently, increased BRI was associated with increased total fat intake (p = 0.01). Two-stage mediation was found in the association of prenatal distress with total fat intake. Increased prenatal distress was associated with increased MI (p < 0.001). Higher MI was associated with higher BRI (p < 0.001), and higher BRI was associated with increased total fat intake (p = 0.01). Conclusions: Future intervention studies for overweight or obese pregnant women might focus on stress management to alleviate perceived stress and prenatal distress or on strategies to boost executive functions, each of which might ultimately help to reduce total fat intake.

Perceived stress linking psychosocial factors and depressive symptoms in low-income mothers.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about associations between perceived stress, psychosocial factors (social support, emotional coping, coping self-efficacy, and autonomous motivation), and depressive symptoms in low-income overweight or obese mothers of young children. Using baseline data of a lifestyle intervention study, this secondary analysis investigates whether perceived stress might mediate the associations between the psychosocial factors and depressive symptoms. METHODS: Convenience sampling was applied. Low-income overweight or obese mothers of young children were recruited from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children in Michigan, US. Survey data were collected through phone interviews. Participants (N = 740) responded to valid surveys measuring perceived stress, social support, emotional coping, coping self-efficacy, autonomous motivation, and depressive symptoms. Composite indicator structural equation modeling was performed to test for potential mediation. RESULTS: When investigating the potential role of perceived stress as a mediator, the indirect effects of social support (b = - 2.10, p < 0.01), emotion coping (b = - 3.81, p < 0.05), and coping self-efficacy (b = - 7.53, p < 0.01) on depressive symptoms through perceived stress were significant, but the indirect effect of autonomous motivation was not. CONCLUSION: Future intervention studies aiming to alleviate depressive symptoms in low-income overweight or obese mothers of young children might consider including practical strategies to promote social support, emotional coping, and coping self-efficacy to reduce perceived stress, which might potentially decrease depressive symptoms. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials NCT01839708 ; registered February 28, 2013.