How do university students view the role of generative AI in career development? Does cannabis use really cause cognitive impairment? In addition to these topics, our monthly article recommendations also feature a selection of research on the effects of exercise programs for older adults and the dilemmas of measuring academic performance.
Contents
Student opinions on the role of generative AI in learning and careers
How does the choice of database affect the measurement of scientific impact?
Different cognitive profiles of recreational and problematic cannabis use
Student opinions on the role of generative AI in learning and careers
This study examines the presence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in higher education across the Visegrád Four countries. While previous research has primarily taken a quantitative approach to the topic, this study explored student experiences using qualitative methods through 24 focus group interviews. The study identified seven thematic categories, including the usefulness of AI, reliability concerns, ethical dilemmas, and impacts on future careers. The results highlighted that the traditional model of technology acceptance (UTAUT2) needs to be expanded. The authors propose four critical conceptual extensions: conditional performance trust, epistemic vigilance, identity negotiation, and institutional legitimacy. Students treat GenAI as mandatory “career capital,” while fearing that overuse may lead to a loss of their own skills. The research also highlights that the university environment has defined the interpretive frameworks, creating a sort of “ethical vacuum.”
In light of this, the study urges institutions to support students through active measures—such as developing prompt-writing skills and implementing process-oriented assessment—rather than relying on passive bans.
What hinders and what drives environmental awareness?
Identifying the psychological barriers that hinder environmentally conscious behavior is key to developing effective environmental protection programs. Although the “Dragons of Inaction” scale is widely used for this purpose, evidence of its impact on actual and planned actions—especially across different cultures—remains limited. The study validated the Hungarian version of the questionnaire using a representative sample of 1,000 adults.
The results indicate that the scale’s original five-factor structure holds true in the Hungarian context as well. Two barriers—the Perceived Unnecessity of Change and Conflicting Goals and Aspirations—were negatively associated with current environmentally conscious behavior and future intentions, either directly or through the mediation of eco-emotions. In contrast, positive correlations emerged for Interpersonal Relationships, Lack of Knowledge, and Cosmeticism/Cosmetic Measures, which were mediated by negative eco-emotions. This suggests that certain barriers, when emotionally charged, can also motivate commitment.
The study confirms the international validity of the scale, highlighting the role of psychological barriers and eco-emotions. Interventions aimed at promoting environmentally conscious behavior should therefore focus on perceived unnecessary change and conflicts with personal goals.
How does the choice of database affect the measurement of scientific impact?
The study examines how structural differences between various citation databases (Web of Science and Scopus) influence one of the most important metrics in scientometrics, the Normalized Citation Score (NCS), which is often referred to as the “crown” indicator. Although normalized metrics are playing an increasingly important role in the evaluation of researchers and institutions, few have analyzed the effects arising from the specific characteristics of the databases.
One of the study’s main findings is the identification of the “benchmark effect,” according to which structural differences between databases have a complex impact on the global averages used as a reference point. The authors also developed a new metric (CBDR – Citation-Benchmark Differentials Ratio), which allows for the measurement of these differences between WoS and Scopus. The methodology was tested on Hungary’s total publication output over a five-year period, and the results were analyzed by discipline, higher education institution, journal quartile, and publication year. Based on the findings, the benchmark effect affects a large portion of domestic publication performance, but no significant differences were observed among the institutions or disciplines examined. The research confirms that database-specific citation counts and journal coverage alone only partially explain the differences between WoS- and Scopus-based citation values.
Different cognitive profiles of recreational and problematic cannabis use
The literature contains conflicting findings regarding cognitive function associated with cannabis use. According to a recent study, one reason for this may be that most studies refer to cannabis use in general terms and do not distinguish between recreational use and addiction. The researchers therefore created comprehensive cognitive profiles for both patterns of use and compared them with those of non-users. The results showed that recreational use alone is not associated with impaired cognitive function, whereas problematic use is specifically associated with poorer performance on complex working memory tasks. This suggests that cannabis dependence cannot be described by general cognitive abnormalities, but rather by a well-defined deficit, while other functions remain largely intact. Additionally, a key finding is that the cognitive functioning of recreational users is similar to that of non-users. All of this highlights that, from a cognitive perspective, it is primarily the development of dependence that poses a risk.
The paradoxical effects of bullying
The study examined the so-called "healthy context paradox," which posits that victims of bullying exhibit worse psychological characteristics in classes where bullying is less prevalent than in those where it is more prevalent. Analyzing the emergence of this paradox in terms of social relationships revealed that victims have more friendships, experience less rejection, and enjoy greater acceptance in classes where bullying is more prevalent. The study is closely linked to this currently highly researched field, and its significant innovation lies in examining the phenomenon not through well-being variables but through the lens of social relationships. The fact that the paradox appears here as well has both theoretical and practical significance: on the one hand, it confirms the existence of this phenomenon in a new area, and on the other hand, it draws attention to the importance of long-term monitoring following successful anti-bullying programs.
Can exam anxiety lead to dropping out?
Exam anxiety can be much more than just simple nervousness before a test: it affects a large number of students and can impact not only their performance or mental well-being, but even whether they ultimately graduate from college. The study examined students at Eötvös Loránd University to determine which aspects of exam anxiety are most strongly linked to dropping out. Based on the results, it was not overall exam anxiety itself that best predicted dropping out, but rather avoidance-related patterns, such as procrastination, distraction, or avoiding tasks. In other words, it was not the degree of nervousness that mattered most, but rather the extent to which anxiety caused students to distance themselves from their academic responsibilities. These correlations persisted even when controlling for general anxiety and depressive symptoms. Anxiety often tries to convince us: “I’m not ready,” “it won’t work out anyway,” or “I’d rather not even start.”
The results suggest that the key is not eliminating anxiety, but addressing avoidance patterns. While these may reduce tension in the short term, they can increase dropout rates in the long term.