American Behavioral Scientist

MacDougall, Robert C.

doi: 10.1177/00027642251403314pmid: N/A

‘Smart’ mobile communication technologies have ushered in new patterns of human-machine enmeshment that fundamentally alter the way people perceive, remember, think, communicate, act, and play. Over the past 2 decades, especially, these algorithmically enabled devices have diffused into human culture at an unprecedented pace and scale. Any so-equipped person can attest to the powerful effects such technological relation entails. However, tweens and teens today are particularly susceptible to these alterations given the largely unconscious nature of their enmeshment. The article begins with an important piece of techno-cultural history that frames the current state of affairs, then details a thematic sampling of data drawn from a multi-year ethnographic inquiry into the relationships these young people develop with their favorite machines. The article concludes with some practical suggestions, including structured interventions that can help address various cognitive and corporeal imbalances incurred through a smartphone-mediated life as the 2026 mid-terms and 2028 general election come into view for this consequential segment of the population.

Wang, Chee Keng John; Burns, Stephen Francis; Teo, Wei Peng; Chian, Lit Khoon; Sumarta, Tin Tin

doi: 10.1177/00027642261421294pmid: N/A

High school student-athletes are at risk of sleep disturbances due to a shift in circadian rhythms that delay their bedtimes and wake up times. The present study aimed to investigate sleep patterns, sleep loss, social jetlag, sleep quality, sleep disturbance and time spent on electronic devices (E-devices) at bedtime in high school student-athletes of different chronotypes. A total of 158 high school athletes (M = 17.4 years old, standard deviation [SD] = 0.64) from five schools in Singapore completed the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire, and additional questions on use of bedtime electronic devices, chronotype, sleep quality and frequency of staying up late. Multiple two-way multivariate analysis of variances and a two-way analysis of variance were conducted to examine the differences between chronotype (Morning, Intermediate and Evening) and gender. School student-athletes reported (mean [SD]) 5:36 (1:07) hr of sleep on school days and 7:58 (1:33) hr on free days. No student-athletes slept >8 hr and 23% slept <5 hr during school days. Student-athletes with an evening chronotype had later bedtime, sleep onset during school days and free days, as well as higher sleep loss, social jetlag, frequency of staying up late and use of bedtime E-devices. No gender differences were found. The findings highlight the need for schools to prioritise the implementation of sleep hygiene awareness programmes specifically tailored for high school student-athletes. By addressing these issues, schools can help improve the overall well-being and performance of their student-athletes.

Schimpfössl, Elisabeth

doi: 10.1177/00027642251397158pmid: N/A

This article inspects the changing relations towards Russian oligarchs in the West. The focus is on how those with vested interests in Russian oligarch money handled the first turbulent weeks of Putin’s war in Ukraine and the major developments since. The analysis builds upon data gathered in real time. The initial responses to the war were chaotic and panic-driven. Russian oligarchs were dropped overnight. Art museums dispensed with their long-term trustees, Western governments passed targeted sanctions, and eventually the corporate world joined in too. These various processes were spontaneous and out of sync with one another. Yet this article argues that certain patterns nevertheless crystalized. Oligarch-washing served as an analytical frame to make sense of these dynamics. The concept it evolved into is put forward for discussion here.

Hinck, Robert S.

doi: 10.1177/00027642251403291pmid: N/A

Despite research showing their importance, vice-presidential debates receive significantly less scholarly attention than presidential or primary debates. Building upon previous research into candidate image and politeness argumentation in U.S. political debates, this study examined the argumentative style of the 2024 vice-presidential debate, compared it to the 2024 presidential debates, and explored vice-presidential argumentation trends from the 2012 to 2024 campaigns. Results showed differences between vice-presidential and presidential candidates’ argumentative image making strategies, strategic differences between Republican and Democratic vice-presidential candidates’ usage of politeness claims, and differences between incumbent and challenger’s usage of politeness claims. Results also found candidates’ usage of face-supportive messages increasing post-debate favorability ratings while usage of direct face threats predicted increases in candidates’ unfavorability ratings. Furthermore, face threats based on topics of policy were found to have positive effects on candidates’ images while face threats based on ridicule and disagreement over factual data had negative effects. Taken together, the results indicated that, contrary to conventional wisdom, vice-presidential debates were less aggressive than presidential debates; however, vice-presidential candidates still appeared to have more argumentative leeway than presidential candidates, enabling them to offer more civil and deliberative arguments compared to their presidential counterparts. These findings contribute to our understanding of vice-presidential debate discourse, U.S. perceptions of political leadership, and the strategic nature of vice-presidential argumentation within the context of increasing political polarization and rising incivility in American political discourse.

Philip, Stephanie Fitswemila

doi: 10.1177/00027642251394641pmid: N/A

Empirical evidence shows that both illegitimate and legitimate sources of political parties’ funding can undermine democracy, skew electoral outcomes, and enable state capture. While illegitimate financing is often the focus, this article argues that legal sources of funding equally pose significant risks by promoting elite dominance, limiting citizens’ participation, and weakening institutional capacity for reform. The lack of transparency and accountability surrounding financing sources, value, and expenditure obscures the extent of the influence and reflects the weakness of reform enforcement, such as campaign finance laws. This study investigates how legal political party funding contributes to state capture and affects the implementation of anti-corruption reforms in four West African democracies: Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. To unravel the complex relationship, it explores two central questions. First, what vulnerabilities exist around legal financing that enable state capture? Second, what impact does this have on reform implementation? The article adopts a mixed-methods approach of literature review, a public opinion survey carried out in Nigeria, and the T Index for a cross-country analysis. Through the theoretical lens of Particularism versus Universalism, the study finds that public funds are frequently diverted to fund elections. A means of securing access to power, control, and resources by a few elites. It further reveals that a lack of transparency and regulatory compliance with campaign finance regulations enables state capture, manifesting through defective laws, ineffective institutions, and unequal distribution of resources. Ultimately, the study concludes that, similar to illegal financing, legal financing practices equally diminish democratic quality, erode accountability, and hinder socioeconomic development across the region, and recommends technological integration backed with citizen engagement, among others, to strengthen accountability.

Bagni, Guilherme; Machado, Afonso Antonio; Morão, Kauan Galvão; Filho, Edson

doi: 10.1177/00027642261421292pmid: N/A

We used the Individual Affective Probabilistic Zones methodology to explore optimal and suboptimal profiles of three professional players performing an exergaming basketball task and a real-world basketball task. The players performed 10 series of 10 three-point shots for each task. Heart rate was continuously monitored throughout the task. Prior to each shot, the participants reported their levels of arousal, pleasantness, and self-efficacy. Participants also reported their perceptions of flow and rates of perceived exertion (RPE) after each series of shots. We observed that all participants exhibited different curves of optimal performance (intra-subject analysis) for the two different tasks, and that their responses were highly idiosyncratic (inter-subject analysis). Perceptions of flow and RPE also differed by task. These findings suggest that psychobiosocial states underpinning optimal performance in exergaming and real-world sport scenarios can vary greatly. Sport psychologists and videogame designers should consider these findings when developing psychological interventions and advancing exergaming applications.

Stewart, Patrick; Eubanks, Austin D.; Zingerman, Megan; Brooks, Annabel

doi: 10.1177/00027642261441134pmid: N/A

Smiles are not monolithic behaviors; they function in multiple ways by signaling affiliative intent, in turn lubricating the social interactions that provide the basis for group formation and maintenance. While smiles may be characterized by the muscles involved, how strongly they are contracted, and their timing, context influences both the likelihood of specific types of smiles occurring and how they are interpreted while serving the social functions of broadening-and-building coalitions and maintaining-and-managing hierarchies. To better understand the relationship between political followers and their leaders in the United States, we consider the relationship between presidential vote intent, political identity, and political ideology and the expected rationale for smiles (enhancing social bonding or managing social hierarchies) using a nationally representative survey of 1,385 U.S. residents. Findings suggest there are distinct differences in candidate voter preferences regarding smiles based upon political identity.

Johnson, Royel M.; Haynes, Mya; Strayhorn, Terrell L.

doi: 10.1177/00027642261431470pmid: N/A

This study examines how identity safety cues—features of an environment or social context that signal to members of marginalized groups that they are valued and less likely to face discrimination—shape institutional belonging among graduate students of color. Drawing on data from the 2023 administration of the National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climates Graduate Student Survey at a large research-intensive university, we examine how relational cues from faculty and curricular signals relate to students’ overall sense of belonging. Using multiple linear regression with a sample restricted to students of color (N = 1,309), we find that all three identity-safety cue variables—relational cues from White faculty, relational cues from faculty of color, and curricular cues—significantly predict institutional belonging. Relational cues from White faculty emerged as the strongest predictor. Our findings underscore the importance of identity-affirming interactions and inclusive pedagogy in fostering a sense of belonging among graduate students of color. Implications for graduate education, faculty development, and institutional policy are discussed.

Palomo, Jesús; Villoria, Manuel; Ramos, Luis

doi: 10.1177/00027642251407771pmid: N/A

When corruption spreads, it tends to block collective action, consequently, institutional reforms to combat it are not adequately defined or implemented. What variables can contribute to the success of reforms in high-corruption environments? To answer this question, we have used complexity theory, particularly the need to identify leverage points that allow, in each system, positive and verifiable progress. We have built a model that would identify which could be the most useful leverage points in the design and implementation phase of corruption prevention policies. This model was tested in case studies from local and regional governments in Brazil and Spain, finding successful outcomes in one case from each country, using for Spain regionally representative surveys and a system of structural equations to test the assumed causal relationships. The joint results show that, unlike other cases where no substantial progress has been made, in the two cases studied, it has been possible to find leverage points for the initiation of positive changes in the short, medium, and long term. These lessons can be useful for other municipalities and regions in other democratic countries, being aware that each system, in its context, should find its own leverage points to be successful.

Akter, Mst. Safia; Talukder, Md.Ishtiaq Ahmed

doi: 10.1177/00027642261423338pmid: N/A

The number of female police officers in the nation is steadily rising, and it is widely considered that they face higher levels of occupational stress compared to their male colleagues. Given the constraints of the research on stress among female police officers in Bangladesh, the purpose is to examine predominance of occupational stress experienced by these officers and find out some factors that contribute to this stress concerning organizational and operational stress. The study follows a cross-sectional quantitative research design where convenience sampling was used among 76 female police officers during the period December 2023 to March 2024 in Dhaka Metropolitan. Two structured and validated questionnaires are used for measuring occupational stress “The Operational Police Stress Questionnaire” and “The Organizational Police Stress Questionnaire.” The prevalence of operational stress among the respondent was 83% (moderate 53% and high 30%) and organizational stress was 82% (moderate 61% and high 21%). Operational and organizational mean were 56.7 and 52.8 respectively. The major stressor reported for operational stress was risk of being injured on the job (74%) and for organizational stress was lack of resources (83%) and staff shortage (82%) respectively. There is need for immediate action to reduce the high prevalence of occupational stress.