PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Barack Obama good for Israel; Barack Hussein Obama less so

Use of President Barack Obama's middle name makes Israelis suppose he favors Palestinians over Israelis, reveals a new study from the University of Haifa and the University of Texas

2012-09-19
(Press-News.org) President Obama's middle name, Hussein, makes Israelis – both Jewish and Arab – perceive him as less pro-Israeli, reveals a new study conducted by the University of Haifa and the University of Texas. The study has just been published in the journal Political Behavior. "Even though the Israeli public has extensive information about the American President and his positions, their opinions can still be swayed by cultural cues, such as a name that in this case is perceived as Arabic," says Dr. Israel Waismel-Manor of the University of Haifa who co-authored the study. Similar cases in the past have shown that public figures' names, particularly those carrying cultural significance, can affect how the public perceives their public role. The current study, conducted by Dr. Waismel-Manor and Dr. Natalie Jomini Stroud of the University of Texas, set out to examine if and how Obama's middle name affects Jewish Israeli, Arab Israeli, and American perceptions, and whether there are differences in how the name affects them due to cultural associations. Participating in the study were Israeli Jewish students; Israeli Arab students; American students who sympathize with Israel; and American students who sympathize with Palestinians. Each group was asked to watch a 3:40-min. news clip of Obama speaking at an official meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President of the Palestinian Authority Abu Mazen about the peace talks between the sides. A random half of each group was shown the clip with a reference caption that read "President Barack Obama" and the other half saw the clip with the caption "President Barack Hussein Obama". The caption appeared four times during the clip for a total of 20 seconds. Following the clip, the participants were asked whether Obama favors Israelis or Palestinians, what their opinions are of the American President's proposals for the Middle East, and their overall opinion of Obama (in terms of trustworthiness, competence, honesty, warmth, intelligence, and fairness).

The results reveal that the group of Israeli Jews who saw the "Barack Hussein Obama" reference perceived him as less pro-Israeli; they considered his approaches to the peace process less fair or feasible; and felt that he is a less positive person overall – in comparison to the other half of this group who saw the "Barack Obama" reference.

For the Israeli Arabs "Barack Hussein Obama" also favored Israelis less, compared to those who saw "Barack Obama". (Nevertheless, and in contrast to the study's predictions, the study found that for Israeli Arabs "Barack Hussein Obama" is a less positive individual than "Barack Obama".)

An interesting finding unrelated to the President's middle name is that overall Israeli Jews perceived the American President as more pro-Palestinian and less pro-Israeli than the Israeli Arabs perceived him; but he also was perceived by this Jewish group as a more positive person and as one whose positions are more fair and feasible than the Israeli Arabs did.

According to the researchers, the President's middle name makes Israelis – Jews and Arabs – perceive him as less pro-Israel, ultimately effecting an opinion amongst the Jews that he is less fair and amongst the Arabs that he is more fair.

It appeared that amongst the American participants of the study, their President's middle name had no effect, and no major differences were noted between the groups that saw "Barack Hussein Obama" and "Barack Obama". However, the study observed overall differences between the Israeli sympathizers and the Palestinian sympathizers in that the former perceived Obama as more pro-Palestinian and less pro-Israeli than the others.

In an attempt to understand the cultural impact of the name "Hussein", the researchers took another sample group of Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs, and Americans and asked them to rank associations with the names "Mike", "Diego", "Hussein", and "Jean-Pierre". The name "Hussein" was the only name that aroused negative associations among the Jewish Israelis and Americans, while the name aroused positive associations among the Arabs.

"In a world of global media, a seemingly irrelevant detail such as a middle name can affect particular audiences to develop an affinity or aversion to a person," concludes Dr. Natalie Jomini Stroud. "It seems that a politician's decision to use a middle name or omit it – as Obama did in his Cairo speech – can have an impact on certain members of the public."

### For more details contact Rachel Feldman • rfeldman@univ.haifa.ac.il
+972-54-3933092
Communications and Media
University of Haifa END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

NEIKER and INRA discover that BDA symptoms in grapevine leaves are a sign of esca

2012-09-19
This press release is available in Spanish.Scientists at the Basque Institute of Agricultural Research and Development, NEIKER-Tecnalia, and the National Institute of Agricultural Research in Bordeaux (INRA) have come to the conclusion that alleged symptoms of 'black dead arm' (BDA) on grapevine leaves are, in fact, those of esca disease in its initial phase. Esca and BDA are diseases that affect the trunk of vines and cause serious losses to the wine-making and grape-growing sectors every year. The symptoms produced by esca and BDA in vine leaves are reminiscent of ...

Preemies' brains reap long-term benefits from Kangaroo Mother Care

2012-09-19
This press release is available in French.Quebec City, September 19, 2012—Kangaroo Mother Care -- a technique in which a breastfed premature infant remains in skin-to-skin contact with the parent's chest rather than being placed in an incubator -- has lasting positive impact on brain development, revealed Université Laval researchers in the October issue of Acta Paediatrica. Very premature infants who benefited from this technique had better brain functioning in adolescence -- comparable to that of adolescents born at term -- than did premature infants placed in incubators. Earlier ...

Stop diabetes with insulin tablets

2012-09-19
Type 1 diabetes is the autoimmune form of diabetes, in which the patients' insulin-producing beta cells are destroyed by their own immune system. "We know that if a person has two autoantibodies and one of them is against insulin, there is a 50 per cent risk that they will develop type 1 diabetes within five years. It doesn't matter how old you are", says Åke Lernmark, Professor of Experimental Diabetes Research at Lund University in Sweden. "There are indications that oral insulin may prevent or delay the clinical onset of type 1 diabetes among individuals with autoantibodies ...

Fighting melanoma's attraction to the brain

Fighting melanomas attraction to the brain
2012-09-19
The process of metastasis, by which cancer cells travel from a tumor site and proliferate at other sites in the body, is a serious threat to cancer patients. According to the National Cancer Institute, most recurrences of cancer are metastases rather than "new" cancers. Virtually all types of cancer can spread to other parts of the body, including the brain. Once metastatic melanoma cells are entrenched in the brain, patients typically have only a few months to live. Now Prof. Isaac Witz and his team at Tel Aviv University's Department of Cell Research and Immunology ...

Carbon dioxide from water pollution, as well as air pollution, may adversely impact oceans

2012-09-19
Carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the oceans as a result of water pollution by nutrients — a major source of this greenhouse gas that gets little public attention — is enhancing the unwanted changes in ocean acidity due to atmospheric increases in CO2. The changes may already be impacting commercial fish and shellfish populations, according to new data and model predictions published today in ACS's journal, Environmental Science & Technology. William G. Sunda and Wei-Jun Cai point out that atmospheric levels of CO2, the main greenhouse gas, have increased by about 40 ...

A TECNALIA study reveals the loss of nanomaterials in surface treatments caused by water

A TECNALIA study reveals the loss of nanomaterials in surface treatments caused by water
2012-09-19
This press release is available in Spanish.Researchers at TECNALIA recently published a study in the prestigious science magazine, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, which reveals the emission of nanomaterials caused by water runoff on surfaces containing nanomaterials. These surface treatments are employed in numerous consumption and construction products, so evidences of the presence of engineered nanomaterials are beginning to appear in the environment. Concerns about their toxicity for human or the environment rose in the last years, so further studies are required. The ...

Revolutionary ultrathin, flat lens: Smartphones as thin as a credit card?

2012-09-19
Scientists are reporting development of a revolutionary new lens — flat, distortion-free, so small that more than 1,500 would fit across the width of a human hair — capable in the future of replacing lenses in applications ranging from cell phones to cameras to fiber-optic communication systems. The advance, which could lead to smart phones as thin as a credit card, appears in ACS' journal Nano Letters. Federico Capasso and colleagues explain that the lenses used to focus light in eyeglasses, microscopes and other products use the same basic technology dating to the late ...

Toward a better material for hip replacement and other joint implants

2012-09-19
In an advance toward a new generation of improved hip and other joint replacements, scientists are describing development of a potential implant material that flexes more like natural bone, fosters the growth of bone that keeps implants firmly in place and is less likely to fail and require repeat surgery. Their study on these so-called tantalum nanotube materials appears in ACS Applied Material & Interfaces. Hongyi Li, Jinshu Wang and Zhenting Zhang explain that the metal tantalum has advantages over titanium, stainless steel and other metals used in the current generation ...

Selective grazing and aversion to olive and grape leaves achieved in goats and sheep

Selective grazing and aversion to olive and grape leaves achieved in goats and sheep
2012-09-19
Researchers from the Research Group on Ruminants led by Elena Albanell, lecturer in Animal and Food Science at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, have successfully achieved to prevent sheep and goats from chewing on the young leaves of olive trees and grapevines when grazing. By using the natural mechanism of conditioned taste aversion, researchers redirected the food preferences of ruminants, making them more willing to eliminate undesirable plants from these types of pastures, and thereby reducing the use of pesticides and farming equipment. The cultivation of woody ...

Children with autism experience interrelated health issues, says MU expert

Children with autism experience interrelated health issues, says MU expert
2012-09-19
COLUMBIA, Mo. – One in 88 children has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A new study by a University of Missouri researcher found that many children with ASD also experience anxiety, chronic gastrointestinal (GI) problems and atypical sensory responses, which are heightened reactions to light, sound or particular textures. These problems appear to be highly related and can have significant effects on children's daily lives, including their functioning at home and in school. Micah ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Study identifies global upswing in photosynthesis driven by land, offset by oceans

Study reports final clinical trial data for advanced kidney cancer treatment

Antibiotic resistant bacteria found in malnourished children under five years old

Study: Most US homes can save money and affordably weather blackouts with solar plus storage

The human touch of doctors will still be needed in the AI healthcare revolution, technology expert suggests

Helping me, inhibiting you: Analysis of interactions between intestinal microbiota

Hearing loss lowers prospects of employment and higher income for young Americans

Dramatically lower temperature, same high performance!

Trigger warnings fall flat, but safe spaces build trust in the classroom

Searching for a lethal needle in a haystack: synthetic opioid 1000 times more potent than morphine

Smart wound monitor poised to improve chronic infection care

Study reveals spinning could reduce NHS waiting lists for physiotherapy treatments

New AI tool illuminates “dark side” of the human genome

CCNY team discovers potential chemo-induced cognitive changes in cancer survivors

New mRNA-based therapy that shows promise in heart regeneration after heart attack

Extremists use gaming platforms to recruit - study

Nearly 70% of U.S. children in car crashes with a fatality were not using proper child passenger restraints, study finds

Understanding what makes some bladder cancers resistant to chemotherapy

Protecting your beating heart

The key to lowering your water bill may already be at your door

Saliva testing may reveal early signs of diabetes and obesity

4D images show heat shield damage goes below the surface

Hibernator “superpowers” may lie hidden in human DNA

Changes in diet drove physical evolution in early humans

Experts call for science- and evidence-based AI policy

Challenges in governing rapidly emerging marine-climate interventions

Slowdown in protein translation drives aging in the killifish brain

Behavior drives morphological change during primate evolution

Climate interventions to save our oceans need stronger governance, experts warn

Do you want to freeze a cloud? Desert dust might help

[Press-News.org] Barack Obama good for Israel; Barack Hussein Obama less so
Use of President Barack Obama's middle name makes Israelis suppose he favors Palestinians over Israelis, reveals a new study from the University of Haifa and the University of Texas