971 research outputs found
Spider Perception - Dror Ben-Baruch, Leibovich-Raveh, Cohen
No full textThe link between emotion regulation and size estimation among women with fear of spiders
Spider Perception - Dror Ben-Baruch, Leibovich-Raveh, Cohen
No full textThe link between emotion regulation and size estimation among women with fear of spiders
Does Insect Aversion Lead to Increased Household Pesticide Use?
No full textSIMPLE SUMMARY: Domestic pesticides are commonly used for killing insect pests such as cockroaches and ants, despite the potential health risks associated with pesticide exposure, especially for young children. If feelings of fear and disgust toward insect pests are motivators that can encourage people to use more pesticides than they should, it may be worthwhile to try and mitigate such feelings in both children and adults, in order to lower current and future unnecessary exposure to domestic pesticides. Since there are no studies on the possible link between the common aversion to insects and domestic pesticide use, we tested the level of aversion and recorded pesticide use among volunteers. Surprisingly, we did not find such a connection, possibly due to other, more dominant factors that affect peoples’ decisions. We did, however, identify several other attributes such as fear of toxic chemicals, vegetarianism and infestation levels, which clearly affected pesticide use patterns. Our findings may be culture-specific and relevant to the population we sampled, but future studies that should be conducted in other societies may identify different motivations for using pesticides. Such insights may improve the efforts of public health authorities to lower the non-dietary exposure to pesticides in the home environment. ABSTRACT: In many human societies, domestic insect pests often evoke feelings of disgust, fear and aversion. These common feelings may translate to increased use of household pesticides. No study has ever explored this possibility and consequently, efforts to mitigate public exposure to domestic pesticides typically focus on addressing knowledge gaps. We tested the hypothesis that negative emotions toward insects may motivate people to use pesticides, by interviewing 70 participants and assessing their insect aversion levels using a computerized test. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found no effect of insect aversion on pesticide use. However, we did find that personal attributes and preferences such as wishing to avoid exposure to toxic chemicals, being vegetarian and taking frequent nature walks reduced pesticide use, in addition to low infestation levels and physical attributes of the housing unit. We emphasize the importance of conducting future studies in various societies, where insect aversion and other factors may have different effects on household pesticide use. Such studies may provide culture-specific insights that could foster the development of next-generation urban IPM (Integrated Pest Management) public education programs, which will address not only knowledge gaps, but also emotional aspects and personal attributes that lead to unnecessary or excessive use of household pesticides
Reimagining classroom assessment purposes and practices: Lessons learned from middle grades mathematics teachers response to the pandemic
No full textPreliminary evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has created new opportunities for assessment as teachers reconsidered instructional goals in technology-intensive and hybridized learning conditions. However, our understanding of how formative assessment (FA) was affected by the pandemic is very limited. This study aims to explore middle-high school mathematics teachers’ use of FA practices before and during the COVID-19 period and, going forward, to identify what we can learn from teachers who successfully applied FA practices in their classrooms. Using a mixed-methods approach we will study FA shifts in Israel. First, we will survey teachers regarding shifts in FA instruments and processes most frequently used in classroom practice. Second, we will interview teachers to understand these shifts and investigate FA strategies teachers considered most effective. Third, we will summarize the FA strategies that show the most promise for wider use. Findings will indicate promising, productive, and equitable FA strategies and will be of significant practical value for mathematics education by identifying potentially effective strategies together with factors that aid implementation
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