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Scientific Reports Dec 2022Due to diffusion of responsibility, majority voting may induce immoral and selfish behavior because voters are rarely solely responsible for the outcome. Across three... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Due to diffusion of responsibility, majority voting may induce immoral and selfish behavior because voters are rarely solely responsible for the outcome. Across three behavioral experiments (two preregistered; n = 1983), we test this hypothesis in situations where there is a conflict between morality and material self-interest. Participants were randomly assigned to make decisions about extracting money from a charity either in an experimental referendum or individually. We find no evidence that voting induces immoral behavior. Neither do we find that people self-servingly distort their beliefs about their responsibility for the outcome when they vote. If anything, the results suggest that voting makes people less immoral.
Topics: Humans; Morals; Social Behavior; Politics
PubMed: 36587028
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24360-w -
Health Expectations : An International... Aug 2022Patient and public involvement in research is anchored in moral and epistemological rationales. Moral rationales relate to the public having a right to influence how...
INTRODUCTION
Patient and public involvement in research is anchored in moral and epistemological rationales. Moral rationales relate to the public having a right to influence how knowledge about them is generated. Epistemological rationales relate to how research design and implementation can improve when informed by experiential, as well as technical, knowledge. In other words, public involvement can increase the epistemological resources of researchers, and contribute to research that is fit for purpose and has high external validity.
METHODS
This article presents an analysis of 3 meetings and 11 interviews with public collaborators and researchers in three UK-based health research studies. Data comprised transcripts of audio-recorded research meetings and interviews with public collaborators and researchers. Data were first analysed to develop a data-informed definition of experiential knowledge, then thematically to investigate how this experiential knowledge was considered and received within the research space.
RESULTS
At meetings, public collaborators shared their experiential knowledge as stories, comments, questions, answers and when referring to their own roles. They were aware of crossing a boundary from everyday life, and some adapted their contributions to fit within the research space. Although researchers and public collaborators made efforts to create an inclusive climate, obstacles to impact were identified.
CONCLUSIONS
Considering experiential knowledge as a boundary object highlights that this knowledge has a different form to other kinds of knowledge that contribute to research. To enable impact from experiential knowledge, researchers need to create a space where public collaborators experience epistemic justice.
PATIENT AND PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION
The Peninsula Public Engagement Group (PenPEG) was involved in the planning and conceptualization of the study, including the development of the ethics application and the interview schedules. One member of this group (Richard Fitzgerald) and one from outside the group (Leon Farmer), were full members of the author team and were involved in the data analysis. Leon Farmer has since become a member of PenPEG. Richard Fitzgerald and Leon Farmer were not involved in the three research studies sampled for this study. Sadly Richard Fitzgerald died during the course of this study.
Topics: Humans; Knowledge; Morals; Research Personnel; Social Justice
PubMed: 35774005
DOI: 10.1111/hex.13553 -
The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine Sep 2022The principle of beneficence in health research implies the effort of researchers to minimize risk to participants and maximize benefits to participants and society,... (Review)
Review
The principle of beneficence in health research implies the effort of researchers to minimize risk to participants and maximize benefits to participants and society, which could be considered an abstract definition. Therefore, the benefits are not easily conceived by researchers who fail to achieve their goal, which is to privilege the well-being of participants. The purpose of this work was to describe and discuss the theoretical elements that support the principle of beneficence so that their knowledge allows designing and granting adequate benefits to participants. The present document defines the principle of beneficence. It also analyzes the maximization of benefits, the distinctions between different classifications of benefits, and the differentiation from compensations or incentives. With all this information, researchers must do a critical deliberation to select adequate benefits for participants of their studies, considering the type of study, potential participants, probability of risk, among others. These benefits should not be understood as a charity that researchers grant to the participant; they should be conceived as any form of action in favor of the well-being of participants. Participants must always be considered as moral agents, responsible for deciding whether the benefits would outweigh the possible negative unintended consequences of a particular study. Finally, no risk should be taken if it is not commensurate or proportional to the benefit of the research study.
Topics: Ethics Committees; Humans; Morals
PubMed: 36187414
DOI: No ID Found -
American Journal of Infection Control Jul 2023Staff actions to prevent infection introduction and transmission in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) were key to reducing morbidity and mortality from COVID-19....
BACKGROUND
Staff actions to prevent infection introduction and transmission in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) were key to reducing morbidity and mortality from COVID-19. Implementing infection control measures (ICMs) requires training, adherence and complex decision making while trying to deliver high quality care. We surveyed LTCF staff in England about their preparedness and morale at 3 timepoints during the COVID-19 epidemic.
METHODS
Online structured survey targeted at LTCF workers (any role) administered at 3 timepoints (November 2020-January 2021; August-November 2021; March-May 2022). Narrative summary of answers, narrative and statistical summary (proportionality with Pearson's chi-square or Fisher's Exact Test) of possible differences in answers between waves.
RESULTS
Across all 3 survey waves, 387 responses were received. Morale, attitudes towards working environment and perception about colleague collaboration were mostly positive at all survey points. Infection control training was perceived as adequate. Staff felt mostly positive emotions at work. The working environment remained challenging. Masks were the single form of PPE most consistently used; eye protection the least used. Mask-wearing was linked to poorer communication and resident discomfort as well as mild negative health impacts on many staff, such as dehydration and adverse skin reactions. Hand sanitizer caused skin irritation.
CONCUSIONS
Staff morale and working practices were generally good even though the working environment provided many new challenges that did not exist pre-pandemic.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Pandemics; Infection Control; Health Facilities; Morale
PubMed: 36332725
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2022.10.009 -
BMC Oral Health May 2023Under dentistry's social contract with the public, dental professionals have a social responsibility to address the oral health needs of the population at large....
BACKGROUND
Under dentistry's social contract with the public, dental professionals have a social responsibility to address the oral health needs of the population at large. However, dental education places little emphasis on such moral commitments. By ascertaining dental students' stance regarding these notions, we may be able to inform changes in dental education. This paper thus explores dental students' comprehension of dentistry's social contract using the concepts of moral inclusion, moral community and empathy.
METHODS
A cross-sectional online survey collected information from undergraduate dental students at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto (N = 430). Moral inclusion was assessed through the breadth of students' moral community by computing a "moral inclusion score" (MIS) from Likert scale responses to statements that asked students about their duty of care for different population groups, wherein a higher MIS indicated a broader moral community and in turn greater moral inclusiveness. Empathy was assessed using Likert scale responses to statements that gauged the extent to which students understood the effect of social determinants on people's health. Association of the MIS with environmental, institutional and student-related factors was also investigated using non-parametric tests and linear regression.
RESULTS
The survey yielded a response rate of 51.4% (n = 221). Overall, students in this sample were morally inclusive and displayed empathy. Regression results showed that the MIS was most strongly associated with choosing a small town/rural area as a future practice location (β = 4.76, 95% CI: 0.52, 9.01) and viewing patients as consumers (β = -3.71, 95%CI: -7.13, -0.29).
CONCLUSION
Students in this sample made morally inclusive choices, which implied that they had a basic understanding of the obligations under dentistry's social contract. Improving knowledge and experience with regards to addressing the social and economic determinants of oral health and access to oral health care may positively influence students' perceptions of their professional duties under the social contract.
Topics: Humans; Students, Dental; Cross-Sectional Studies; Morals; Faculty; Dentistry
PubMed: 37165354
DOI: 10.1186/s12903-023-02994-0 -
Cognitive Science May 2021Seminal work by Knobe, Prasada, and Newman (2013) distinguished a set of concepts, which they named "dual-character concepts." Unlike traditional concepts, they require...
Seminal work by Knobe, Prasada, and Newman (2013) distinguished a set of concepts, which they named "dual-character concepts." Unlike traditional concepts, they require two distinct criteria for determining category membership. For example, the prototypical dual-character concept "artist" has both a concrete dimension of artistic skills, and an abstract dimension of aesthetic sensibility and values. Therefore, someone can be a good artist on the concrete dimension but not truly an artist on the abstract dimension. Does this analysis capture people's understanding of cornerstone social categories, such as gender, around which society and everyday life have traditionally been organized? Gender, too, may be conceived as having not only a concrete dimension but also a distinct dimension of abstract norms and values. As with dual-character concepts, violations of abstract norms and values may result in someone being judged as not truly a man/woman. Here, we provide the first empirical assessment of applying the dual-character framework to people's conception of gender. We found that, on some measures that primarily relied on metalinguistic cues, gender concepts did indeed resemble dual-character concepts. However, on other measures that depicted transgressions of traditional gender norms, neither "man" nor "woman" appeared dual-character-like, in that participants did not disqualify people from being truly a man or truly a woman. In a series of follow-up studies, we examined whether moral norms have come to replace gender role norms for the abstract dimension. Implications for the evolution of concepts and categories are explored.
Topics: Concept Formation; Cues; Female; Humans; Male; Morals
PubMed: 34018232
DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12954 -
International Journal of Environmental... Aug 2021The present study investigated predictors of psychological coping with adversity responses during the COVID-19 pandemic and an armed conflict. Two paired samples that...
The present study investigated predictors of psychological coping with adversity responses during the COVID-19 pandemic and an armed conflict. Two paired samples that represented the Israeli population that was exposed to both adversities were compared. Respondents rated five different psychological coping responses associated with the two adversities, such as anxiety or individual resilience. Perceived security, pandemic, economic, and political risks, as well as level of morale, were rated. Two major findings were disclosed by two path analyses. Morale improved the predictions of the varied coping responses in both the pandemic and conflict and was the best predictor of four out of five responses and the second-best predictor of the fifth response. Contrary to previous studies, our findings revealed that the concept of a single major predictor of coping responses under distress is an overgeneralization. In both cases, the coping responses were better explained by other perceived risks rather than by the risk of the investigated adversity. Rather than assume that a perceived security threat accounts for low levels of public moods, it is vital to study the antecedents of coping responses and to empirically examine additional potential predictors.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Armed Conflicts; COVID-19; Humans; Morale; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Stress, Psychological
PubMed: 34444505
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18168759 -
European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology,... Jan 2023
Topics: Humans; Demoralization; Anxiety; Depression; Hospitals; Physicians; Neoplasms
PubMed: 36253319
DOI: 10.1016/j.anorl.2022.09.003 -
Journal of Religion and Health Apr 2022The aim of this research was to describe the evidence examining the approaches taken by mental health providers (MHPs) and chaplains to address symptoms related to moral... (Review)
Review
The aim of this research was to describe the evidence examining the approaches taken by mental health providers (MHPs) and chaplains to address symptoms related to moral injury (MI) or exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs). This research also considers the implications for a holistic approach to address symptoms related to MI that combines mental health and chaplaincy work. A scoping review of literature was conducted using Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, Central Register of Controlled Trials, Proquest, Philosphers Index, CINAHL, SocINDEX, Academic Search Complete, Web of Science and Scopus databases using search terms related to MI and chaplaincy approaches or psychological approaches to MI. The search identified 35 eligible studies: 26 quantitative studies and nine qualitative studies. Most quantitative studies (n = 33) were conducted in military samples. The studies examined interventions delivered by chaplains (n = 5), MHPs (n = 23) and combined approaches (n = 7). Most studies used symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or depression as primary outcomes. Various approaches to addressing MI have been reported in the literature, including MHP, chaplaincy and combined approaches, however, there is currently limited evidence to support the effectiveness of any approach. There is a need for high quality empirical studies assessing the effectiveness of interventions designed to address MI-related symptoms. Outcome measures should include the breadth of psychosocial and spiritual impacts of MI if we are to establish the benefits of MHP and chaplaincy approaches and the potential incremental value of combining both approaches into a holistic model of care.
Topics: Clergy; Humans; Mental Health; Military Personnel; Morals; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
PubMed: 35290554
DOI: 10.1007/s10943-022-01534-4 -
Journal of Translational Medicine Jan 2023We consider scientific integrity to constitute a new theory of morality of science, in a very specific deontological sense. Indeed, at least in practice, scientific...
We consider scientific integrity to constitute a new theory of morality of science, in a very specific deontological sense. Indeed, at least in practice, scientific integrity extends beyond scientific concerns, seeking to develop specific moral duties and/or procedures based on general moral values and/or standards, leading to common moral frameworks for usual scientific practices. This is, of course, necessary. Contemporary history has shown us only too well that usual scientific practices need common moral frameworks, especially in medicine and biology. However, like scientific practices, and medical and biological practices in particular, the persistence of certain moral values and/or standards and the priority attributed to them, can change significantly, due to changes in society, people, the times and/or environments, and they may be under strong tension. We therefore believe that a new theory of ethics of science, in a very specific teleological sense, may be required in this case, particularly in medicine and biology, in addition to scientific integrity. This ethical theory, through research, professionals and structures in ethics of science also called medical ethics, research ethics or bioethics in the fields of medicine and biology, should seek to identify and find specific ethical solutions to these tensions, applicable at a particular place and time, based on common ethical purposes and/or consequences. As a result, these specific ethical solutions may, or may not, lead to an evolution of common moral frameworks, which may, or may not, be developed on the basis of scientific integrity. In the fields of medicine and biology, this ethical theory is closely related to another theory, global bioethics, but with a number of new conceptual and methodological developments.
Topics: Humans; Bioethics; Ethics, Medical; Morals; Ethical Theory; Biology
PubMed: 36670486
DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03847-0