Observational learning enables us to make decisions by watching others' behaviors. The quality of such learning depends on the abilities of those we observe, but also on our beliefs about those abilities. We have previously demonstrated that observers learned better from demonstrators described as high vs. low in ability, regardless of their…

Curiosity is a fundamental impulse which propels human beings to seek, and discover satisfying answers to life's deep questions. Capturing small but memorable moments of personal discovery, I highlight an element of curiosity within everyone's control: one's choices to be open. I provide a series of personal anecdotes and analogies, to illustrate…

Democracies expect citizens to engage actively in public life by making decisions about political issues that are frequently ambiguous, with strong moral and emotional implications, and often subject to misinformation and manipulation. Strong critical thinking (CT) appears therefore as a crucial component of a reflective democratic citizenship.…

Aphasia therapy should address communication in everyday contexts. One type of social interaction that occurs frequently in the daily lives of spouses is joint decision-making. Currently, no known study has investigated how spouses collaboratively make decisions when one of the spouses has aphasia and the other one does not. The purpose of this…

Intractable shortages of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers have prompted international policy efforts to recruit career changers to the profession. This research determines the significant influences on career changers' decisions to pursue or pass on STEM teaching careers. Surveys completed by 91 career changers…

Previous research has identified contradictory patterns in autism upon probabilistic reasoning tasks, and high levels of self-report paranoia symptoms have also been reported. To explore this relationship, the present study assessed 64 non-autistic and 39 autistic adults on two variants of a probabilistic reasoning task which examined the amount…

The role of a school district superintendent demands a balance of professional leadership and political astuteness. Individuals in this role possess distinct skills, values, and beliefs essential for navigating its complexities. This mixed-method phenomenological study employs self-reported values, decision-making styles, and interviews to explore…

As they become more common, automated systems are also becoming increasingly opaque, challenging their users' abilities to explain and interpret their outputs. In this study, we test the predictions of fuzzy-trace theory--a leading theory of how people interpret quantitative information--on user decision making after interacting with an online…

Background: School is not only a place for acquiring academic skills but also a social environment where students develop emotional abilities and awareness. Prioritizing well-being in schools can foster confidence, satisfaction, and emotional awareness among students, contributing to their lifelong success and mental health. Objective: This…

In this ever-changing era, the innovativeness of teachers as a collective is increasingly vital to the success of educational change. The study examined the relationship between distributed leadership and collective teacher innovativeness in the context of mainland China. Anchored in social exchange theory and social cognitive theory, the study…

Background: In Australia, several formats of written information are made for people with intellectual disability and/or low literacy, such as Easy Read, Easy English and Plain Language. More understanding is however required about the decision-making behind their features, as it is not always clear which formats use which features or for what…

Third- and fourth-year U.S. medical students applying to residency were surveyed between August 6 and October 22, 2022, to assess the impact of "Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (Dobbs)" on medical student residency application location choices. Across all medical specialties, most respondents were unlikely or very unlikely…

U.S. colleges and universities are frequently characterized as inefficient and slow to change, with shared governance models and expectations often blamed. During COVID-19, however, the nation witnessed campuses rapidly adjust practices and policies to continue operating in the 'new normal' of a global pandemic. This study aimed to explore the…

International students in Australia risk financial insecurity and as a result, may make suboptimal health decisions. Limited research has explored the experiences of international students' health-related financial decision making. In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 international students to explore how financial situation influences their…

The paper presents an alternative conceptualization of participation in order to offer legitimation and guidance for (new) scholars, policymakers and citizens, and to prepare them for the "work" that needs to be done to develop genuine participation practices that bring about positive change. Metaphors like the participation ladder not…