Crisis communication research in Israel: A meta-analysis

This study presents a meta-analysis of crisis research in Israel. It highlights achievements and lacunas, as well as significant gaps in theory, methodology and practice. Moreover, the study reveals trends in applications to specific areas and topics. The paper statistically examines crisis research via crisis type, discipline, and research focus. The results finally showcase a viable need to apply crisis communication theory to research regarding crises in Israel.     

Mapping agenda-setting research in China: a meta-analysis study

Since the 1968 Chapel Hill study by McCombs and Shaw (1972), agenda-setting theory has become a main perspective of research on media effects, and it has been tested in many other countries outside the United States. The thematic meta-analysis of Chinese agenda-setting articles performed in this study identifies some important trends of agenda-setting research in mainland China, including an increase of interest in agenda-setting theory, a dominance of the original agenda-setting approach and focus, a diversity of topical domains, an atheoretical and non-empirical research tradition, and an increasing concern about the Internet. Challenges and future directions of Chinese agenda-setting research are also discussed in this study.     

Demographic research on infant mortality

I present an overview of the current status and recent trends in social-demographic research on infant mortality in the United States. Following from a fundamental interest in social differentials, recent research has come to emphasize the diverse linkages between social inequality and mortality. Research increasingly uses multilevel perspectives, combining background as well as proximate variables. Coupled with the availability of new individual-level data sets linking information from diverse sources, researchers are able to give increasing attention to the study of cause of death from interdisciplinary perspectives. The analysis of racial/ethnic infant mortality differentials is an example of these trends.This is a revised version of a paper presented in the session, U.S. Infant Mortality from Different Perspectives, of the 1987 annual meetings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, February 11–15, Boston, MA.     

Diversity and representation in infant research: Barriers and bridges toward a globalized science of infant development

Psychological researchers have become increasingly concerned with generalized accounts of human behavior based on narrow participant representation. This concern is particularly germane to infant research as findings from infant studies are often invoked to theorize broadly about the origins of human behavior. In this article, we examined participant diversity and representation in research published on infant development in four journals over the past decade. Sociodemographic data were coded for all articles reporting infant data published in Child Development, Developmental Science, Developmental Psychology, and Infancy between 2011 and 2022. Analyses of 1682 empirical articles, sampling approximately 1 million participants, revealed consistent under-reporting of sociodemographic information. For studies that reported sociodemographic characteristics, there was an unwavering skew toward White infants from North America/Western Europe. To address a lack of diversity in infant studies and its scientific impact, a set of principles and practices are proposed to advance toward a more globally representative science.     

Trust games: A meta-analysis

We collect data from 162 replications of the Berg, Dickhaut, and McCabe Investment game (the “trust” game) involving more than 23,000 participants. We conduct a meta-analysis of these games in order to identify the effect of experimental protocols and geographic variation on this popular behavioral measure of trust and trustworthiness. Our findings indicate that the amount sent in the game is significantly affected by whether payment is random, and whether play is with a simulated counterpart. Trustworthiness is significantly affected by the amount by which the experimenter multiplies the amount sent, whether subjects play both roles in the experiment, and whether the subjects are students. We find robust evidence that subjects send less in trust games conducted in Africa than those in North America.     

LEAVING IN DROVES: Exit Chains in Network Attrition

The article examines the emergence of “exit chains”—temporal clusters in attrition, which are expected but rarely documented. Studying attrition in an industry peer network (IPN), we compare the three modes of leaving: as an initial exit in a chain (“leader”), a subsequent exit in a chain (“follower”), and a stand‐alone exit (“loner”). Combining regression and simulation techniques, the analysis affirms the role interdependence between leader and followers, whose rationales for leaving are distinct but complementary, one internal based on exchange imbalances, the other external based on exposure to peer influence. Exit chains are depicted as a by‐product of social embeddedness and the inherently high costs of relationship termination.     

Gratitude and gratuity: a meta-analysis of research on the service-tipping relationship

The relationship between tip size and evaluations of the service was assessed in a meta-analysis of seven published and six unpublished studies involving 2547 dining parties at 20 different restaurants. Consistent with theories about equity motivation and the economic functions of tipping, there was a positive and statistically significant relationship between tip size and service evaluations. However, that relationship was much smaller than is generally supposed. The confounding effects of customer mood and patronage frequency as well as the reverse-causality effects of server favoritism toward big tippers were all examined and shown to be insufficient explanations for the correlation between tipping and service evaluations. These findings suggest that tippers are concerned about equitable economic relationships with servers, but that equity effects may be too weak for tip size to serve as a valid measure of server performance or for tipping to serve as an effective incentive for delivering good service.     

The importance of using multiple outcome measures in infant research

Collecting data with infants is notoriously difficult. As a result, many of our studies consist of small samples, with only a single measure, in a single age group, at a single time point. With renewed calls for greater academic rigor in data collection practices, using multiple outcome measures in infant research is one way to increase rigor, and, at the same time, enable us to more accurately interpret our data. Here, we illustrate the importance of using multiple measures in psychological research with examples from our own work on rapid threat detection and from the broader infancy literature. First, we describe our initial studies using a single outcome measure, and how this strategy caused us to nearly miss a rich and complex story about attention biases for threat and their development. We demonstrate how using converging measures can help researchers make inferences about infant behavior, and how using additional measures allows us to more deeply examine the mechanisms that drive developmental change. Finally, we provide practical and statistical recommendations for how researchers can use multiple measures in future work.     

Effects of attributed responsibility and response strategies on organizational reputation: A meta-analysis of situational crisis communication theory research

Scholars utilizing situational crisis communication theory (SCCT) mainly examine how attributed responsibility affects organizational reputation and how response strategies matched with the amount of attributed responsibility protect reputation. The findings on these 2 important questions have been mixed. A meta-analysis of 35 investigations from 24 studies published between January 1990 and March 2015 was conducted to explain the mixed findings and reveal average correlations. Attributed responsibility was strongly associated with reputation at –.54, and response strategies were only weakly associated with reputation at .23. Equally important, crisis vignette choice moderated the responsibility-reputation association. Crisis clusters, reputation measurements, sample choice, and crisis vignette choice moderated the match-reputation association. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications were discussed.     

Personality predictors of career exploration: A meta-analysis

In this meta-analysis, correlations of personality traits and career decision-making self-efficacy with self and environmental career exploration were estimated across 71 samples and a pairwise sample of 19,846. Traits included the Big Five personality traits, shyness, locus of control, vocational decision styles, and stress. Many measures of career exploration were based on scores of self and environmental exploration on the Career Exploration Survey. Results varied by characteristics with the largest effects for locus of control, vocational decision style: thinking-feeling and self-efficacy. Environmental exploration and self-exploration were moderately correlated and demonstrated different relations with traits that were consistent with theory. Self-exploration was related to openness to experience and unrelated to extraversion, while environmental exploration was correlated with extraversion. Both were similarly correlated with conscientiousness such that conscientious individuals were more likely to engage in career exploration.     

Effectiveness of anti-bullying school programs: A meta-analysis

The large number of studies published in recent years aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of school-based anti-bullying programs recommends research to focus on synthesizing the evidence found in this regard.This study presents a meta-analysis of random clinical trials that assess the efficacy of 14 anti-bullying school programs. Sample size was of 30,934 adolescents aged between 7 and 16 years of whom 16,243 made up the Intervention Groups and 14,691 made up the Control Groups. Meta-analysis was conducted for each outcome measure, as well as heterogeneity analysis. Analysis of subgroups was performed when necessary, as well as analysis of publication bias.Results show moderate effect sizes for the outcome measures Bullying Frequency and Victimization Frequency, Attitudes and School Climate. Greater impact was observed in interventions of less than one school year duration, as well as those targeting children younger than 10 years. Subgroup analysis confirmed greater heterogeneity in studies evaluating complex interventions.In general, our results indicate that bullying and violence prevention programs in school settings are obtaining beneficial, albeit discrete, results in the outcome measures evaluated.     

Are larger cities more central in urban networks: A meta-analysis

As cities develop more and longer-range external relations, some have challenged the long-standing notion that population size indicates a city's power in its urban system. But are population size and network centrality really independent properties in practice, or do larger cities tend to be more central in urban networks? To answer this question, we conducted a systematic literature search and meta-analysed 41 reported correlations between city size and degree centrality. The results show that population size and degree centrality are significantly and positively correlated for cities across various urban systems (r = 0.77), but the correlation varies by network scale and type. The size-centrality association is weaker for global economic and transportation networks (r = 0.43), and stronger for non-global social and communication networks (r = 0.91). This clarifies seemingly contradictory predictions in the literature regarding the association betweensize and centrality for cities.     

Motivational Factors Affecting Patient Attrition in a Weight Reduction Program

Abstract

The study hypothesizes that the greater the satisfaction of a patient's basic motivational needs, the greater the likelihood that the patient will complete the program. Patients were given a self-report questionnaire to assess the strength of their basic motivational needs as they entered the program; and a Likert-type questionnaire concerning satisfaction of needs as they left the program. The results show that those who completed the program experienced greater satisfaction of needs than those who did not complete the program. Analysis of covariance of completion of the program and need satisfaction was significant (p < .01) thus supporting the hypothesis.

“Long-term Oral Contraceptive Use and the Risk of Breast Cancer,” THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL CANCER AND STEROID HORMONE STUDY. Using oral contraceptives for long periods or using them when one has other risk factors has been hypothesized to increase the risk of breast cancer. To study these issues, we analyzed data from a multicenter, case-control investigation—the Centers for Disease Control's Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study. All women 20 to 54 years old with a first diagnosis of breast cancer ascertained by eight population-based cancer registries are study subjects; controls are selected at random from the general population of these eight areas. Analysis of the first 689 cases and 1,077 controls studied showed that women who had used oral contraceptives at some time in their lives had a relative risk of 0.9 compared with never-users (95% confidence interval, 0.8 to 1.2). Neither duration of oral contraceptive use nor time since first use altered a user's risk of breast cancer; women whose first use was more than 15 years ago and who used oral contraceptives for 11 years or more had a relative risk of 0.8 (0.5 to 1.4). Oral contraceptive use did not increase the risk of breast cancer among women with benign breast disease or a family history of breast cancer. Oral contraceptive use before a woman's first pregnancy did not increase her risk of breast cancer significantly more than other methods of delaying first pregnancy. This study provides no support to the hypothesis that oral contraceptive use increases a woman's risk of breast cancer. (Journal of the American Medical Association 1983;249:1591–1595.)

“Oral Contraceptive Use and the Risk of Ovarian Cancer,” THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL CANCER AND STEROID HORMONE STUDY. Since oral contraceptives have been used by more than 40 million American women, an association between oral contraceptives and ovarian cancer could have a substantial public health impact. The Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, is studying this relationship as part of a multicenter, case-control study—the Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study. During the first ten months of the study, we enrolled 179 women aged 20 to 54 years who had been ascertained to have newly diagnosed ovarian cancer by eight population-based cancer registries. From the general population of those eight areas, we selected as controls 1,642 women with intact ovaries. Users of oral contraceptives had an age-adjusted risk of ovarian cancer developing of 0.6 relative to those who had never used them (95% confidence interval, 0.4 to 0.9). The risk of ovarian cancer decreased with increasing duration of oral contraceptive use and remained low long after cessation of use. These results were not accounted for by parity, infertility, or other potentially confounding factors. We estimate that more than 1,700 cases of ovarian cancer are averted each year by past and current oral contraceptive use among women in the United States. (Journal of the American Medical Association 1983;249:1596–1599.)     

Robust data and power in infant research: A case study of the effect of number of infants and number of trials in visual preference procedures

As in many areas of science, infant research suffers from low power. The problem is further compounded in infant research because of the difficulty in recruiting and testing large numbers of infant participants. Researchers have been searching for a solution and, as illustrated by this special section, have been focused on getting the most out of infant data. We illustrate one solution by showing how we can increase power in visual preference tasks by increasing the amount of data obtained from each infant. We discuss issues of power and present work examining how, under some circumstances, power is increased by increasing the precision of measurement. We report the results of a series of simulations based on a sample of visual preference task data collected from three infant laboratories showing how more powerful research designs can be achieved by including more trials per infant. Implications for infant procedures in general are discussed.     

The Big Five personality traits and earnings: A meta-analysis

The past two decades have witnessed increased interest in the relationship between personality and labor market outcomes, as well as the emergence of the Five-Factor Model as the key reference framework for the study of personality. In this paper, we provide the first meta-analytical review of the empirical literature on the association between personal earnings and the Big Five personality traits. The analysis combines the results of 62 peer-reviewed articles published from 2001–2020, from which we retrieved 896 partial effect sizes. Overall, the primary literature provides robust support for a positive association between personal earnings and the traits of Openness, Conscientiousness, and Extraversion, while simultaneously revealing a negative and significant association between earnings and the traits of Agreeableness and Neuroticism. We find no evidence of a substantial publication bias. Meta-regression estimates suggest that Openness and Conscientiousness are positively associated with earnings even when primary researchers control for individual cognitive abilities and educational attainments. Similarly, the studies that include labor market control variables exhibit weaker associations between earnings and Extraversion and Agreeableness. The results of the primary studies seem unaffected by the time at which the Big Five are measured, as well as by the scale and number of inventory items. Meta-regression estimates suggest that the results of the primary literature are not stable across cultures and gender, and that the ranking and academic field of the journal matter.     

Unemployment and general cognitive ability: A review and meta-analysis

Evidence suggests an association between unemployment and general cognitive ability. Factors such as changes in environmental stimulation and the effects of stress may act as mediators in this relationship. We conduct a qualitative review and meta-analysis to determine whether an association between unemployment and general cognitive ability exists. Eighteen studies were included in the qualitative review, and six in the meta-analysis. Results of the review indicated a significant association between unemployment and lower cognitive ability. The meta–analysis supports this association, displaying a medium effect size which increased when age was included as a covariate. Both analyses point towards the existence of a relationship between unemployment and low cognition, moderated by age and promoted by the loss of stimulation obtained through employment, as well as by the stress experienced during unemployment. Based on these results, a series of suggestions are made to improve future studies in this emerging area.     

Father-mother infant interaction in traditional and nontraditional Swedish families: A longtitudinal study

The effects of parental gender and caretaking role on parental attitudes, parent-infant interaction, infant-parent attachment, infants' sociability with strangers and their parental preferences were examined in a longitudinal study of fifty-one Swedish couples. Fathers who later spent more than a month out of the first nine as primary caretakers were considered involved or nontraditional. The parents were interviewed separately, prenatally, and five months postnatally. Parent-infant interaction was observed, security of attachment and sociability with strangers were assessed, and the infants' parental preferences were determined. Many parental attitudes were stable from the pre-to postnatal interview. Parenthood and work were more highly valued by nontraditional than traditional parents. Regardless of relative involvement in child care, infants directed more affiliative and attachment behaviors to their mothers than to their fathers. No relationship was found between relative parental involvement and the security of infant attachment. There was also no relationship between the security of infant-mother and infant-father attachments.     

Preregistration in infant research—A primer

Preregistration, the act of specifying a research plan in advance, is becoming more common in scientific research. Infant researchers contend with unique problems that might make preregistration particularly challenging. Infants are a hard‐to‐reach population, usually yielding small sample sizes, they can only complete a limited number of trials, and they can be excluded based on hard‐to‐predict complications (e.g., parental interference, fussiness). In addition, as effects themselves potentially change with age and population, it is hard to calculate an a priori effect size. At the same time, these very factors make preregistration in infant studies a valuable tool. A priori examination of the planned study, including the hypotheses, sample size, and resulting statistical power, increases the credibility of single studies and adds value to the field. Preregistration might also improve explicit decision making to create better studies. We present an in‐depth discussion of the issues uniquely relevant to infant researchers, and ways to contend with them in preregistration and study planning. We provide recommendations to researchers interested in following current best practices.     

Alcohol in the workplace: A research note

Drinking in the workplace is a serious concern for both unions and managements. The typical response to this problem is increased monitoring of blood-alcohol levels, a practice unions find offensive and managements find expensive. This note analyzes the advantages of controlling drinking in the workplace by substituting lower blood-alcohol limits for monitoring blood-alcohol levels.