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Ecological invasions, where non-native species spread to new areas, grow to high densities and have large, negative impacts on ecological communities, are a major worldwide problem. Recent studies suggest that one of the key mechanisms influencing invasion dynamics is personality-dependent dispersal: the tendency for dispersers to have a different personality type than the average from a source population. We examined this possibility in the invasive mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis). We measured individual tendencies to disperse in experimental streams and several personality traits: sociability, boldness, activity and exploration tendency before and three weeks after dispersal. We found that mosquitofish display consistent behavioural tendencies over time, and significant positive correlations between all personality traits. Most notably, sociability was an important indicator of dispersal distance, with more asocial individuals dispersing further, suggesting personality-biased dispersal on an invasion front. These results could have important ecological implications, as invasion by a biased subset of individuals is likely to have different ecological impacts than invasion by a random group of colonists.

Sociality relies on motivational and cognitive components that may have evolved independently, or may have been linked by phenotypic correlations driven by a shared selective pressure for increased social competence. Furthermore, these components may be domain‐specific or of general‐domain across social and non‐social contexts. Here, we used zebrafish to test if the motivational and cognitive components of social behavior are phenotypically linked and if they are domain specific or of general domain. The behavioral phenotyping of zebrafish in social and equivalent non‐social tests shows that the motivational (preference) and cognitive (memory) components of sociality: (1) are independent from each other, hence not supporting the occurrence of a sociality syndrome; and (2) are phenotypically linked to non‐social traits, forming two general behavioral modules, suggesting that sociality traits have been co‐opted from general‐domain motivational and cognitive traits. Moreover, the study of the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and each behavioral module further supports this view, since several SNPs from a list of candidate “social” genes, are statistically associated with the motivational, but not with the cognitive, behavioral module. Together, these results support the occurrence of general‐domain motivational and cognitive behavioral modules in zebrafish, which have been co‐opted for the social domain. Zebrafish social behavior is organized into a motivational (preference) and a cognitive (memory) modules that are independent from each other, and are phenotypically linked to non‐social traits, indicating the occurrence of general‐domain motivational and cognitive traits. Several genetic polymorphisms from a list of candidate “social” genes are associated with the general‐domain motivational module but not with the cognitive one.

Understanding/predicting ecological invasions is an important challenge in modern ecology because of their immense economical and ecological costs. Recent studies have revealed that within-species variation in behaviour (i.e. animal personality) can shed light on the invasion process. The general hypothesis is that individuals' personality type may affect their colonization success, suggesting that some individuals might be better invaders than others. We have recently shown that, in the invasive mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis), social personality trait was an important indicator of dispersal distance, with more asocial individuals dispersing further. Here, we tested how mean personality within a population, in addition to individual personality type, affect dispersal and settlement decisions in the mosquitofish. We found that individual dispersal tendencies were influenced by the population's mean boldness and sociability score. For example, individuals from populations with more asocial individuals or with more bold individuals are more likely to disperse regardless of their own personality type. We suggest that identifying behavioural traits facilitating invasions, even at the group level, can thus have direct applications in pest management.

The present study aimed to identify predictors and effects of problem gambling and examine the moderating role of family dysfunction between problem gambling and its effects. A sample of 104 gamblers (all were men, Mean = 26.2, SD = 6.8), was recruited from gambling venues in an urban area of Musanze district, Northern Province of Rwanda. Participants were aged above the legal age of 16 years. Data were collected using the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), the Brief Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (Brief MAST), Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10), the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), the Big Five Inventory (BFI), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and the Family Dysfunction Test. SPSS (version22) was used to carry out all statistical analyses. Results showed that personality traits predicted problem gambling. Additionally, problem gambling was associated with alcohol use, drug abuse, sleep deprivation, antisocial tendency and family dysfunction. Family dysfunction moderated the effects of problem gambling on drug abuse, alcohol use and sleep deprivation. Gambling is a complex but assessable phenomenon and future studies may explore further its correlates.

Background Inconsistent provision of subcutaneous depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-SC) for self-injection (SI) undermines efforts to improve women’s reproductive health agency and access to self-care. In Nigeria, providers feel pro-social responsibility as frontline health workers to support their clients’ wellbeing. However, their pronatalist beliefs censure premarital sexual activity and inhibit access to contraceptives for young, unmarried women. How pro-social tendencies and provider biases interact to affect service delivery is a critical but underexplored question. Methods We conducted a mixed-methods study comparing stated pro-social tendencies and intentions to dispense DMPA-SC for SI ( N  = 81 in-depth interviews (IDIs)) with actual dispensing behavior during mystery client (MC) visits ( N  = 162 post-interaction surveys) across private and public facilities in Lagos, Enugu and Plateau. Qualitative analysis of providers’ pro-social tendencies, biases, and reasons for not offering DMPA-SC for SI complemented quantitative analysis exploring the associations between pro-social tendencies and dispensing behavior. Results Providers showed substantial levels of both pro-social tendencies and bias against young, unmarried women. High levels of stated intentions to dispense in IDIs (91% to older, married women vs 78% to young, unmarried women) did not translate to actual willingness to dispense in MC visits (30% to older, married women vs 27% to young, unmarried women). Young, unmarried actors were twice as likely to perceive differential treatment from providers (33%) relative to older, married women actors (17%). From IDIs, providers expressed biases about the appropriateness of family planning and SI specifically based on a client’s age, marital status, parity, and covert use. In some cases, pro-social tendencies reinforced bias when providers sought to uphold social norms as a gatekeeper; in other cases, pro-social tendencies on self-defined client needs helped overcome bias. Providers described other factors that deterred them from dispensing DMPA-SC for SI, including elements of self-care that posed risks to their practice or business. Conclusions Provider biases may limit provision of DMPA-SC for SI, which could affect contraceptive equity and women’s control over their own fertility, especially for younger, unmarried women. Targeted interventions that effectively address provider biases against young, unmarried women, potentially leveraging providers’ underlying pro-social tendencies, may help ensure equity in client access to contraceptive self-care.

Invasive species represent a select subset of organisms that have successfully transitioned through each stage of the introduction process (transportation, establishment, and spread). Although there is a growing realization that behavior plays a critical role in invasion success, few studies have focused on the initial stages of introduction. We examined whether differences in the grouping tendencies and exploratory behavior of two sympatric lizard species could contribute to their divergent invasion success. While the nondirected activity of the two species did not differ, the invasive delicate skink (Lampropholis delicata) was found to be more exploratory than the congeneric noninvasive garden skink (L. guichenoti), which enabled it to more effectively locate novel environments and basking site resources. The delicate skink also exhibited a greater tendency to hide, which may act to enhance its probability of ensnarement in freight and cargo and decrease its likelihood of detection during transit. The grouping tendencies of the two species did not differ. Together, our results suggest that while the two species have an equivalent “opportunity” for unintentional human‐assisted transportation, several pre‐existing behavioral traits may enhance the success of the delicate skink in negotiating the initial stages of the introduction process, and subsequent post‐establishment spread. Invasive species represent a select subset of organisms that have successfully transitioned through each stage of the introduction process (transportation, establishment, and spread). Although there is a growing realization that behavior plays a critical role in invasion success, few studies have focused on the initial stages of introduction. We examined whether differences in the grouping tendencies and exploratory behavior of two sympatric lizard species could contribute to their divergent invasion success.

We examined the influence of internet addiction on academic procrastination among college students, with self-control and learning engagement as mediators and social comparison tendency as a moderator. Using data from 328 questionnaires completed by college students, this study revealed that internet addiction was positively related to academic procrastination, and self-control and learning engagement had mediating effects on this relationship. Further, social comparison tendency played a moderating role, such that the effect of internet addiction on academic procrastination was stronger when college students' social comparison tendency was low (vs. high). Implications of the findings are discussed.

This study investigated how the God locus of financial control influences impulsive purchase behavior with buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) services and affects financial well-being. The mediating and moderating roles of impulsive BNPL usage and social comparison tendencies, respectively, were explored in the relationships between the God locus of financial control and impulsive BNPL usage behavior and financial well-being. A time-lagged cross-sectional survey was conducted with data collected using a self-report questionnaire. The participants were 473 accounting undergraduate students from Indonesia selected using purposive sampling. The moderating and mediating procedure (MODMED) was conducted with PROCESS Macro version 4 to evaluate the hypotheses. This study found that the God locus of financial control is negatively associated with impulsive BNPL usage but positively associated with financial well-being. Furthermore, the findings suggest that impulsive BNPL use is negatively related to financial well-being and mediates the association between the God locus of financial control and well-being. As expected, social comparison tendencies are a boundary condition in the relationships between the God locus of financial control and both impulsive BNPL usage and financial well-being.

In this paper, the roles of upward counterfactual thinking and their perception of COVID-19 risk in the influence of social comparison tendency on travel satisfaction was investigated. The study follows the design of 3 (social comparison tendency: high, low and medium) by 2 (perceived risk degree of COVID-19: high and low). The findings are as follows: (1) There are significant differences in the tourism satisfaction of individuals with different social comparison tendencies: the tourism satisfaction of individuals with low social comparison tendencies is significantly higher than that of the other two groups, and the tourism satisfaction of individuals with high social comparison tendencies is higher than that of individuals with medium social comparison tendencies; (2) The influence of social comparison tendency on tourism satisfaction is mediated by upward counterfactual thinking and moderated by the perception of COVID-19 risk. These findings help the tourism industry to better understand consumers' psychological needs and behavior patterns, so as to design tourism products and marketing strategies that better meet consumers' expectations. Especially after the epidemic, understanding consumers' risk perception and its impact on satisfaction can help the tourism industry to cope with the potential health crisis more effectively, improving the quality of tourism services and enhance consumers' confidence.

PurposeThe economy of China has developed rapidly, and its international status has quickly risen in the past 30 years. China is shifting from a major exporter into a major consumer, becoming an essential part of the international market. However, some global brands make wrong market decisions because of a lack of understanding of Eastern consumer culture.Design/methodology/approachBased on consumer xenocentrism, this paper helps global enterprises better understand Chinese consumers' psychology in foreign goods, which is conducive to the development of transnational trade. This study proposes a hypothesis model based on previous literature. The authors collected 300 questionnaires from China and tested the model by SPSS24 and AMOS24.FindingsThe findings show that curiosity and country of origin positively affect consumer xenocentrism, consumer xenocentrism has a positive impact on word-of-mouth and purchase intention, word-of-mouth plays a mediating role in xenocentrism and purchase intention and social comparison tendency plays a moderating role in consumer xenocentrism and purchase intention. Simultaneously, this paper develops a scale measuring consumer xenocentrism to provide some quantitative support for this research.Originality/valueThe authors propose some suggestions basing on the research of consumer xenocentrism and provide some further directions.