COVID-19 Attitudes, Cognitions, and Behaviors 1
Article Critique: COVID-19 Attitudes, Cognitions, and Behaviors in Association with Personal
Ideology and Social Media Exposure: Findings from Emerging Adults in the Southern United
States
Shaneil A. Guidry
School of Psychology, Liberty University
COVID-19 Attitudes, Cognitions, and Behaviors
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States exposed a magnitude of attitudes,
cognitions, and behaviors the nation did not know existed or believed to be deeply suppressed.
Social cognitive attitudes towards health, race, morals, and a sense of self were facing a
negative challenge that the country had not experienced in nearly a decade. The presentation of
misinformation regarding this deathly respiratory infection encouraged negative attitudes,
cognitions, and behavior to break through even the most politically reserved individuals. "In the
COVID-19 Attitudes, Cognitions, and Behaviors 2
U.S., the COVID-19 pandemic has been highly politicized and has been the subject of large-scale
media misinformation” (Bennett-Brown et al., pg. 1, 2023).
While the entire United States was affected by this pandemic, the researchers of the
selected study decided to focus on the southern part of the country. With extremely
conservative perspectives on politics, religion, and the American way of life, Bennett-Brown et
al. thought it best to observe how the southern part of the United States’ social cognitive
perspective was impacted, if at all. The researchers decided to present the research questions in
three parts.
The researchers were interested in knowing if southerners' political, religious, and
increase in social media was impacted by: 1) The COVID-19 anxiety, misinformation about
COVID-19, and the concerns regarding the damage the respiratory infection could cause. 2) How
many felt compelled to get the vaccination? 3) How many felt compelled to get the booster shot
?A total of (N=361) diverse participants (both genders) were selected for a university in
Lubbock, Texas. Each participant was presented with a questionnaire about politics, religion,
anxiety, and obtaining the COVID-19 vaccination. The results concluded that those more
conservative in their beliefs were less likely to waiver from the attitude, cognition, and
behaviors. In contrast, those who had a more liberal perspective were heavily influenced.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Utilizing a very conservative population for the selected study exhibited the strength of
the dissonance effects. Selecting individuals deeply rooted in their attitude, cognitive thought
process, and instilled behaviors shows how selective exposure, attention, and interpretation
play a significant part in individuals' social cognitive attitudes. The study presented a great
example of generalization and individualization. However, the weakness identified was that the
study was limited to more than just one region of the United States. Limiting to one region
indicates that only one part of the United States values politics, religion, and mental health
more than the others.
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While the university offers a population of individuals from all over the globe, social
cognition has indicated that like-minded individuals tend to stick together. The likelihood of the
student participants selecting that university can be due to a high probability of each agreeing
with the school's mission statement, approach to academia, sports team, etc. Nonetheless,
selecting from one population pool can present biased data. In addition, despite a diverse
population, the races, ethnicities, and genders that participated were not equally represented.
The study participants consisted of Whites (67.6), Hispanics (28.3), Blacks (8.3), Asians (5.5),
Multiracial (3.8), and Native Americans (2.2). Of the listed participants, 85% were females, and
15% were males.
Research Questions
The researchers focused on aspects of their lives that would have the most significant
impact. The data collected was set out to confirm whether COVID-19 anxiety and
misinformation impacted the participants' political views, religious beliefs, and increased social
media activity. Furthermore, did the pandemic encourage the participants to agree to receive
the
COVID-19 vaccination and the booster shot that was to follow?
Methodology
The study obtains approval from the university investigational review board. After the
IRB approval, each selected participant was provided with an informed consent document that
provided the details of the study and their requirements. In addition, the participants were told
that their participation was completely voluntary and that they were able to withdraw from the
trial at any time. Those who adequately consented were presented with an online questionnaire
containing specific questions regarding their demographics, social media utilization, thoughts on
COVID-19, the vaccination, and past vaccinations.
COVID-19 Attitudes, Cognitions, and Behaviors 4
The participants consisted of a diverse population and included both males and females.
There were no specific requirements or inclusion/exclusion criteria that had to be met by the
volunteers other than being a student at the participating university. The validity was firm as the
participants were randomly selected. However, the reliability is questioned, as gender, race, and
ethnicity were not equally represented.
Results
The overall data concluded that those with more conservative attitudes, cognitions, and
behaviors were less influenced by COVID-19 anxiety and misinformation. The more conservative
participants showed very little to no change in their political ideologies and religiosity and no
significant change in social media interaction. In addition, very few agreed to the COVID-19
vaccination and booster. However, the participants considered to leaned more toward having
liberal attitudes, cognitions, and behaviors showed the opposite via the tables presented. The
collected data entered within the graphs showed that the more liberal participants succumbed
to COVID-19 anxiety and misinformation. The data demonstrated an increase in social media
utilization shifts in attitudes and behaviors.
Discussion
The researchers expected to see very little change in the attitudes, cognitions, and
behaviors of those who participated. The ultimate goal was to show how the southern region of
the United States holds firmly to the social cognitive perception despite forced influences.
However, the researcher did not consider that the participants were not all from Southern
conservative backgrounds. With a diverse population, the data showed social cognitive
perceptions that mirror those of southern upbringing in participants born within a different
region of the United States or with different cultural backgrounds. The researchers concluded
that future studies that seek to obtain data on matters that affect the entire nation should
consist of an extensive age range, as social media had the greatest impact and was used by all
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ages during the pandemic. “Our results extend prior findings, demonstrating that social media
affects topicspecific anxiety as well” (Bennett-Brown et al., pg. 7, 2023).
Conclusion
Overall, the researchers collected data that was identified to be beneficial whenever
faced with another national crisis that mirrors the COVID-19 pandemic. Conducting more trials
within various parts of the United States would provide tremendous information that will
enable better preparation, healthcare management, internet quality due to high utilization, and
national awareness. While the research findings have shown conservative attitudes, cognitions,
and behaviors are less likely to be impacted during such a crisis, other intensifying behaviors
may lead to different social cognitive issues.
Bennett-Brown et al. proposed and conducted a study that requires a nation such as the
United States to zero in on the aftermath of one of the country's darkest times. The nation's
division, the loss of faith and hope, and the struggles to define ourselves independently and
communally became our narrative. However, substantial research such as the one conducted
encourages understanding and motivates preparation, which is the key to building a stronger
country. “For lack of guidance, a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers” (New
International Version, 2024, Provb. 11:14).
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References
Bennett Brown, M., Gesselman, A. N., & Edmund, E. (2023). Covid 19 Attitudes, Cognitions, and ‐ ‐
Behaviors in Association with Personal Ideology and Social Media Exposure: Findings from
Emerging Adults in the Southern United States. Social and Personality Psychology
Compass, 17(8). https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12772
New Living Translation Bible. (2024). NLT Online. https://biblegateway.com/
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