pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Placebo effects in health and disease : how expectations shape treatment outcomes

The context in which a medical treatment is administrated influences treatment outcomes. As of today, the health care system has little knowledge about the non-specific components that contribute to the positive effect of a given therapy, often referred to as the placebo component, and how this may be harnessed in order to maximize treatment effects. The overreaching aim of this doctoral thesis is to investigate the impact of non-specific treatment components on clinical outcomes, in particular the role of expectations. More specifically, this thesis focuses on two clinically relevant, yet poorly investigated, topics: 1) Are placebo effects dependent on higher order cognitions? This was investigated among patients with intellectual disability (ID) and in an experimental setting in healthy individuals. 2) Are placebo effects affected by the duration of a chronic disease? In order to study this, outcomes from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) among fibromyalgia (FM) patients were analyzed.



Study I investigated the influence of non-conscious expectations on placebo analgesia, using an implicit priming task called Scrambled Sentence Test (SST). Healthy participants were randomized to receive positive or neutral expectations via the SST, followed by a placebo manipulation with a sham analgesic device. Results demonstrated no effect of implicit priming on placebo analgesia, yet the study indicates that placebo analgesia is largely explained by prior experience of pain relief, and that the social interaction with a trustworthy clinician may have competed with the possible effect of implicit priming.



Study II examined the relationship between placebo analgesia and the time (months, years) a person has been exposed to chronic disease, by assessing placebo responses in a pharmacological trial in patients with FM. Results revealed that FM duration was associated with baseline pain levels as well as placebo analgesia. These results point to the importance of early FM interventions, as the chance to harness endogenous pain regulation and to avoid chronification may be higher early in the disease course.



Study III investigated how treatment expectations may shape outcomes in pharmacological clinical trials among patients with ID. The placebo component in ID clinical trials was examined by performing a meta-analysis comparing drug responses in open-label trials (with 100% certainty of getting the real drug) with drug responses in placebo-controlled trials (with 50% chance of getting the real drug). The results demonstrated placebo effects among patients with ID, as the effect of the real drug in open-label context was associated with better treatment outcomes than the same drug in a placebo-controlled context. Our study validates the notion that patients with ID are influenced by contextual factors in clinical trials in spite of severe cognitive deficits
European Pain Federation position paper on appropriate opioid use in chronic pain management

Poorly controlled pain is a global public health issue. The personal, familial and societal costs are immeasurable. Only a minority of European patients have access to a comprehensive specialist pain clinic. More commonly the responsibility for chronic pain management and initiating opioid therapy rests with the primary care physician and other non-specialist opioid prescribers. There is much confusing and conflicting information available to non-specialist prescribers regarding opioid therapy and a great deal of unjustified fear is generated. Opioid therapy should only be initiated by competent clinicians as part of a multi-faceted treatment programme in circumstances where more simple measures have failed. Throughout, all patients must be kept under close clinical surveillance. As with any other medical therapy, if the treatment fails to yield the desired results and/or the patient is additionally burdened by an unacceptable level of adverse effects, the overall management strategy must be reviewed and revised. No responsible clinician will wish to pursue a failed treatment strategy or persist with an ineffective and burdensome treatment. In a considered attempt to empower and inform non-specialist opioid prescribers, EFIC convened a European group of experts, drawn from a diverse range of basic science and relevant clinical disciplines, to prepare a position paper on appropriate opioid use in chronic pain. The expert panel reviewed the available literature and harnessed the experience of many years of clinical practice to produce these series of recommendations. Its success will be judged on the extent to which it contributes to an improved pain management experience for chronic pain patients across Europe. Significance: This position paper provides expert recommendations for primary care physicians and other non-specialist healthcare professionals in Europe, particularly those who do not have ready access to specialists in pain medicine, on the safe and appropriate use of opioid medications as part of a multi-faceted approach to pain management, in properly selected and supervised patients
Meaning in music: deviations from expectations in music prompt outgroup derogation

peer-reviewedEncountering stimuli that violate expectations can elicit compensatory behavior. One notable result of such compensatory responses is the derogation of outgroups. The present research investigated for the first time if music that defies expectations fosters the derogation of outgroups. In Study 1, exposure to unconventional relative to conventional music increased wagers placed in favor of an ingroup winning a hypothetical rugby match against an outgroup. In extension of this finding, Study 2 revealed that unconventional music led to lower allocated budgets for support of a minority. Study 3 confirmed that music led to harsher punishments of a hypothetical outgroup offender after being exposed to an unconventional edit of a music piece relative to its regular version. The consequences of these findings are discussed in relation to intergroup relations and theories of meaning maintenance
On the relationship between personal experience, affect and risk perception: the case of climate change

Examining the conceptual relationship between personal experience, affect, and risk perception is crucial in improving our understanding of how emotional and cognitive process mechanisms shape public perceptions of climate change. This study is the first to investigate the interrelated nature of these variables by contrasting three prominent social-psychological theories. In the first model, affect is viewed as a fast and associative information processing heuristic that guides perceptions of risk. In the second model, affect is seen as flowing from cognitive appraisals (i.e., affect is thought of as a post-cognitive process). Lastly, a third, dual-process model is advanced that integrates aspects from both theoretical perspectives. Four structural equation models were tested on a national sample (N = 808) of British respondents. Results initially provide support for the “cognitive” model, where personal experience with extreme weather is best conceptualized as a predictor of climate change risk perception and, in turn, risk perception a predictor of affect. Yet, closer examination strongly indicates that at the same time, risk perception and affect reciprocally influence each other in a stable feedback system. It is therefore concluded that both theoretical claims are valid and that a dual-process perspective provides a superior fit to the data. Implications for theory and risk communication are discussed
Where diversity comes from and why it matters?

In this essay, I describe some of the benefits of cognitive diversity in a complex world as well as the origins of that diversity. The essay has two main parts sandwiched between a brief description of what I mean by diversity and complexity, as well as a brief discussion of whether social systems produce sufficient diversity. In the first part, I describe models that provide insight into why we see the levels of diversity that we do. These models rest on social psychological foundations but borrow ideas from economics as well as population genetics. In the second part, I describe the functional benefits of diversity. I show how diverse predictive models can make a collection of people better able to make accurate predictions, how diverse perspectives and heuristics can enable groups of problem solvers to find innovative new solutions to problems, and how diverse behaviors and representations of the world can make a society more robust. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Happy but unhealthy: The relationship between social ties and health in an emerging network

Social connections are essential to health and wellbeing. However, when pursing social acceptance, people may sometimes engage in behavior that is detrimental to their health. Using a multi-time point design, we examined whether the structure of an emerging network of students in an academic summer school program correlated with their physical health and mental wellbeing. Participants who were more central in the network typically experienced greater symptoms of illness (e.g., cold/flu symptoms), engaged in riskier health behaviors (e.g., binge drinking), and had higher physiological reactivity to a stressor. At the same time, they were happier, felt more efficacious, and perceived less stress in response to a strenuous math task. These outcomes suggest that social ties in an emerging network are associated with better mental wellbeing but also with poorer physical health and health behaviors.status: publishe
Ingroup and outgroup support for upward mobility: Divergent responses to ingroup identification in low status groups

Members of groups with low societal status can pursue individual upward mobility to improve their status. We examine the conditions under which ingroup and outgroup members are most inclined to support such upward mobility attempts. Whereas both ingroup and outgroup supports are important, there may be tension: dissociation from the low status group may lower ingroup support, whereas association with the low status group may lower outgroup support. Ingroup association can be expressed by communicating one's affective involvement or by behaving in line with typical ingroup practices. As predicted, studies 1 and 2 show that support from the low status ingroup depends more on affective involvement than on behavioral identity expression (BIE). In contrast, studies 3–5 show that support from the high status group is more driven by the upwardly mobile individual's BIE. Mediational analyses show that these opposite patterns are driven by differential processes, prompted by the group's respective positions in the social hierarchy. The findings provide insight into how members of low status groups negotiate the competing demands of the high and low status groups as they pursue upward mobility. Moreover, they show how affective involvement and BIE differentially affect ingroup support and outgroup opposition.status: publishe
Efficacy and well-being in rural north India : the role of social identification with a large-scale community identity

ESRC research grant. Grant Number: RES-062-23-1449Identifying with a group can contribute to a sense of well-being. The mechanisms involved are diverse: social identification with a group can impact individuals' beliefs about issues such as their connections with others, the availability of social support, the meaningfulness of existence, and the continuity of their identity. Yet, there seems to be a common theme to these mechanisms: identification with a group encourages the belief that one can cope with the stressors one faces (which is associated with better well-being). Our research investigated the relationship between identification, beliefs about coping, and well-being in a survey (N = 792) administered in rural North India. Using structural equation modelling, we found that social identification as a Hindu had positive and indirect associations with three measures of well-being through the belief that one can cope with everyday stressors. We also found residual associations between participants' social identification as a Hindu and two measures of well-being in which higher identification was associated with poorer well-being. We discuss these findings and their implication for understanding the relationship between social identification (especially with large-scale group memberships) and well-being. We also discuss the application of social psychological theory developed in the urban West to rural north India.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
Human values, legal regulation, and approval of homosexuality in Europe: A cross-country comparison

Although research has revealed a trend toward liberalization of ttitudes toward homosexuality in Western countries, acceptance of homosexuality differs remarkably among individuals and across countries. We examine the roles of individual value priorities and of national laws regarding homosexuality and the interaction between them in explaining approval of homosexuality. Data are drawn from the European Social Survey (ESS) and include representative national samples of 27 European countries in 2010. As hypothesized, individuals who prioritized openness to change and universalism values approved of homosexuality more whereas those who prioritized conservation and power values exhibited more disapproval. Approval was greater in countries whose laws regarding homosexuality were more progressive. In addition, legal regulation of homosexuality moderated the associations of individual value priorities. In countries with more progressive laws, both the positive effect of openness to change values and the negative effect of conservation values on approval of homosexuality were weaker. However, the positive effect of universalism values\ud
and the negative effect of power values did not vary as a function of national laws regarding homosexuality
Self-regulation of time management: mental contrasting with implementation intentions

Mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII) has been found to improve self-regulation across many life domains. The present research investigates whether MCII can benefit time management. In Study 1, we asked students to apply MCII to a pressing academic problem and assessed how they scheduled their time for the upcoming week. MCII participants scheduled more time than control participants who in their thoughts either reflected on similar contents using different cognitive procedures (content-control group) or applied the same cognitive procedures on different contents (format-control group). In Study 2, students were taught MCII as a metacognitive strategy to be used on any upcoming concerns of the subsequent week. As compared with the week prior to the training, students in the MCII (vs. format control) condition improved in self-reported time management. In Study 3, MCII (vs. format control) helped working mothers who enrolled in a vocational business program to attend classes more regularly. The findings suggest that performing MCII on one's everyday concerns improves time management
The phenomenology of protest atmosphere: A demonstrator perspective

This paper aims to improve our understanding of demonstrators’ atmosphereperceptions, that is, demonstrators’ affective state, which is induced by theprotest environment. We examined how demonstrators perceive protestatmosphere,why they do so, and whether atmosphere perceptions influencedemonstrators’ future collective action preparedness. We hypothesized thatdemonstrators’ atmosphere perceptions diverge on a dimension of pleasure,and relate to their grievance (i.e. perceived societal intolerance), group identification,empowerment, and perceived police aggression. A pleasant atmosphereperception was expected to stimulate a demonstrator’s future actionpreparedness. We tested these hypotheses with a mixed-methods dataset oftwo Dutch protests, staged by Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgendersand anti-monarchists. Our analyses revealed that demonstrators’ atmosphereperceptions diverge on a dimension of pleasure, and relate to group identification,empowerment, and, for anti-monarchists, perceived societal intolerance.A pleasant atmosphere perception deters a demonstrator’s futureaction preparedness and also stimulates his or her group identificationand empowerment, which, then, stimulate his or her action preparedness
‘I don’t think racism is that bad any more’: exploring the ‘end of racism’ discourse among students in English schools

In this paper we present findings on lay constructions of racism from a focus group study (11 groups, n= 72) with a mixed sample of secondary school students in England. We show that racism was, on the whole, ‘othered’: it was located in other times, places, people, or was denied altogether. We show that this way of talking about racism had different uses depending on the identity stakes involved in different interactional contexts. Even in the cases where racism was constructed as common, participants worked hard to make an ‘irrefutable’ argument, which suggests that they were anticipating reputational damage by making a claim for the persistence of racism. We discuss these findings with regards to the different levels of analysis involved in constructions of racism (micro/interactional, local, and broader normative context) and with regards to an ‘end of racism’ discourse that appeared to provide the normative framework for participants’ accounts
Predicting aggressive collective action based on the efficacy of peaceful and aggressive actions

We examine whether aggressive forms of collective action are predicted by their perceived efficacy and the perceived efficacy of peaceful collective action, and whether the two predictors interact. We present data from surveys examining support for and tendencies toward aggressive collective action among university students opposed to increases in tuition fees in Britain (Study 1), and support for suicide bombings against Israeli civilians among Palestinians during the second Intifada (Study 2). Our results reveal an interaction between the efficacy of peaceful and aggressive collective actions: the more efficacious aggression is perceived to be, the greater its appeal and the less it is assuaged by the efficacy of peaceful action. This implies that 1) people may consider aggressive action whenever it works, even if peaceful action is efficacious, and 2) people may consider aggressive action even when it seems unpromising, if peaceful action is not efficacious, in an apparent nothing-to-lose strategy.PostprintPeer reviewe
Faking revisited : exerting strategic control over performance on the implicit relational assessment procedure

Across four studies, we demonstrate that effects obtained from the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure, like those obtained from other indirect procedures, are not impervious to strategic manipulation. In experiment 1, we found that merely informing participants to "fake" their performance without providing a concrete strategy to do so did not eliminate, reverse, or in any way alter the obtained outcomes. However, when those same instructions orientated attention toward the core parameters of the task, participants spontaneously derived a strategy that allowed them to eliminate their effects (experiment 2). When the participants were provided with a viable response strategy, they successfully reversed the direction of their overall Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure effect (experiment 3). By refining the nature of those instructions, we managed to target and alter individual trial-type effects in isolation with some success (experiment 4)
Making sense of positive self-evaluations in China : the role of sociocultural change.

Recent research points to Chinese people's elevated tendency to make positive self-evaluations, despite the general claim that East Asians do not self-enhance. We present three studies in support of a novel prediction that sociocultural change in China plays an important role in augmenting self-enhancement. We operationalized self-enhancement primarily in terms of the better-than-average effect (BTAE) and accounted for trait desirability or importance. We found that: (i) compared with Chinese Canadians, Chinese showed a stronger BTAE; (ii) within the Chinese, identification with contemporary Chinese culture uniquely predicted a stronger BTAE; and (iii) priming contemporary (vs. traditional) Chinese culture led to a stronger BTAE. Finally, we provided further evidence that motivation, in part, underlies the rising Chinese BTAE. We conclude by discussing the importance of both socioeconomic and cultural perspectives for understanding how and when of self-enhancement in contemporary China and other societies undergoing social change
Exploring cooperation and competition in the Centipede game through verbal protocol analysis

The file associated with this record is under a 12-month embargo from publication in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. The full text may be available through the publisher links provided above.The Centipede game is an abstract model of reciprocal relationships where two individuals alternate in helping each other at relatively small personal cost. Whereas mutual cooperation can benefit both individuals in the long run, a paradoxical but logically compelling backward induction argument shows that cooperation is irrational. Empirical studies have reported reliable deviations from the non-cooperative backward induction solution, but their exclusively quantitative methods allow only a limited range of predefined motives to be explored. Our study uses verbal (‘think aloud’) protocols and qualitative data analysis to identify motives for cooperation in the Centipede game. The results provide little evidence for sophisticated backward induction reasoning. Instead, a wide range of motives emerged, their relative saliences varying according to the stage of the game. Activity bias affected decisions mainly at the beginning of the game, whereas cooperative and altruistic social value orientations most frequently accounted for cooperation towards its natural end.Peer-reviewedPost-prin
A century of victimhood: Antecedents and current impacts of perceived suffering in World War I across Europe

The present study addresses antecedents and consequences of collective vic-timhood in the context of World War I (WWI) across 15 European nations (N = 2423 social science students). Using multilevel analysis, we find evidence that collective victimhood is still present a hundred years after the onset of the war and can be predicted by WWI-related objective indicators of victimization at national and family levels. This suggests that collective vic- timhood is partly grounded in the actual experience of WWI. In addition, we show that sense of collective victimhood positively predicts acknowledgment of the suffering inflicted by one's nation on other countries during WWI. This is consistent with a social representation of WWI as involving a vast massacre in which nations were both victim and perpetrator. Finally, we find that objective indicators of victimization predict pacifism in divergent ways, with an indicator at the national level associated with more pacifist attitudes and an indicator at the family level being associated with less pacifist attitudes. This finding suggests that war-torn societies may have developed social represen¬tations favouring peaceful coexistence whereas, at the family level, victimiza¬tion may still foster retaliatory tendencies