If affect control theory (ACT) can accurately predict affective impressions of technology, it can be expanded to human-computer interaction. We compared ACT's predicted impressions to actual collected impressions in three studies. Predicted impressions were 5-20% less accurate for technology actors than human actors (Study 1), similarly accurate in evaluation and activity for technological actors and objects after communication behavior (Study 2a), and 17-28% more accurate for technological actors than objects after physical behaviors (Study 2b). Overall predictions were accurate for technology two-thirds to three-fourths of the time, suggesting ACT's utility for modeling human-computer interaction, though there is room for improvement.
Defensive Attribution Theory posits that observers will be biased in their ascription of responsibility toward the perpetrator of a violent act if they feel personally similar to the perpetrator. Considerable support for the DAT has been found based on broad demographic characteristics, such as ethnicity. However, few studies have examined the DAT using less dominant characteristics. We examined the influence of age and dog ownership on participants' judgements of the attribution of responsibility toward a perpetrator of an act of intimate partner violence. Although the results were mixed, as predicted, identification with the perpetrator was negatively correlated with measures of attribution of responsibility and severity of the incident.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted societal values and beliefs, with U.S. news media playing a key role in shaping public attitudes. Our research, based on Moral Foundations Theory and analyzing 53,358 Facebook posts from U.S. news outlets, reveals distinct moral frameworks in media coverage. Liberal outlets focus on care, fairness, and liberty, while conservative outlets emphasize authority and loyalty. Audience engagement reflects these divides, indicating the significant impact of moral values in public communication and responses to science issues like COVID-19.
This paper explores the hypothesis that an individual who becomes part of a well-evaluated new social group forms a positive social identity due to psychological mechanisms such as attitudes towards group membership, subjective norms, and perceived similarities with the group. The results of the study support these hypotheses. A factor analysis confirmed three factors of the social identity scale explaining 81.02% of the variance. The correlation between the social identity scale used in the current research and existing scales confirms the reliability of the present research instruments.
Using racially tagged names is widely utilized across several literatures to explore and document pervasive racial inequality. In two experimental studies, we find evidence that solely using a racially tagged name may not be sufficient. Specifically, we find that using racially tagged names, coupled with the specific racial category, increased the accuracy of participants' recall of racial identification. However, while the accuracy of racial identification increased, almost 20% of participants still did not accurately recall race.
The increasing role played by social networks in the lives of young people has been accompanied by negative and positive effects on mental health over the last two decades. While active use of these sites has been linked to positive outcomes, passive social network usage (PSNU) has conversely been linked to negative outcomes. The current study investigated the mediating role of self-esteem and the moderating role of sense of self (SOS) in the indirect and direct relationships between PSNU and hedonic well-being. Respondents (499 Vietnamese university students) completed surveys on PSNU, self-esteem, SOS, life satisfaction, and positive emotions. PSNU was found to negatively impact hedonic well-being, with self-esteem acting as a partial mediator between these variables. The findings also indicated that PSNU is associated with reduced self-esteem; according to social comparison theory, this reduction is also linked to diminished hedonic well-being. Additionally, SOS was found to moderate the direct relationship between PSNU and hedonic well-being, but not the indirect components of this relationship (i.e., the link between PSNU and self-esteem or between self-esteem and hedonic well-being). Grounding our interpretation in Schachter and Singer's two-factor theory, we propose that PSNU (considered as an environmental stimulus) may interact with SOS (considered as a cognitive factor) in terms of the impact of these variables on hedonic well-being. The limitations and implications of the current study are also discussed.
This qualitative study seeks to establish whether dissonance theory provides a meaningful avenue to add insights into the experience of depression. Semi-structured interviews were used (n=30) in which fifteen participants with a diagnosis of depression (DD) were compared with an equal size group with no experience of depression (ND). Responses to a depression scale (CESD-10) confirmed a significant difference in depression scores between groups. The interviews were analyzed using template analysis. Findings showed that in comparison with the non-depressed group, participants with depression reported more incisive dissonance inducing life events, more prolonged unresolved dissonance, less variation in cognitive efforts to reduce dissonance, and more rumination. It was concluded that dissonance theory provides an explanatory model for depression experiences and could inform further development of interventions. With little research reported to date, both quantitative and qualitative research are needed.
This research investigates whether the effect of an observer's gender in support for collective punishment-that is, the punishment of all the group members as a response to a misdeed perpetrated by only one or a few group members-is moderated by the belief that groups are capable of change (i.e., a malleability mindset). We hypothesize that men would support collective punishment more than women when a fixed mindset is salient but not when a malleable mindset is salient. The results of two studies using different samples and scenarios in which we either assessed (Study 1) or experimentally manipulated (Study 2) the mindset support this hypothesis.
Most research on relationship quality addresses ongoing involvements. Research on past relationships is rare. As a first step, Athenstaedt and colleagues (2020) explored attitudes toward former romantic partners in an Austrian sample of heterosexual respondents. They found that men held less negative attitudes than women. In two studies conducted in Germany and the USA, we replicate this gender difference and explore the role of three psychological predictors. Like Athenstaedt et al., we find that the degree of perceived social support before the breakup and continued friendly relations after the breakup have a positive association with ex-partner attitude. Critically, we introduce and corroborate the hypothesis that regret over having started the relationship has a negative association. However, regret also fails to mediate the association between gender and ex-partner attitude. We discuss the practical implications of these findings and note directions for future research.
To date, no study has compared gradations of make-a-difference metric actual control to perceptions of control. The present study juxtaposed the two, with dependent measures taken before or after participants selected an option to obtain a desired goal (short time period). Almost 500 undergraduates were given one of 10 scenarios, divided by same vs. different options (AA vs. AB, where different letters represent different but unknown time periods), and 2-option vs. 3-, 4-, or 5-option arrangements. Results supported the hypothesis that participants who made a choice between different options (regardless of the number of options) reported higher perceived control than participants who made a choice between identical options (regardless of when they made their choice).
Past research has indicated that an abstract mindset activation leads to higher prosocial behaviour than a concrete mindset activation. In addition to exploring this relationship, we further examined the role of perceived cost as a mediator of the mindset-prosocial behaviour link. Participants completed mindset activation tasks and rated their perceived cost and prosocial behaviour. Results reconfirmed that an abstract mindset increased prosocial behaviour and further revealed that while the perceived cost was negatively correlated to prosocial behaviour, it did not emerge as a mediator of the mindset-prosocial behaviour link.
The present study examined whether people with high SDO modify their conception of laicite (French secularism) when judging public expressions of religious beliefs (street prayers) by France's majority (Catholics) or minority (Muslims) religious group. Participants with high SDO saw street prayer as deviating more from French values when the people praying were Muslims but were more likely to view public expressions of religious beliefs as compatible with laicite when those praying were Catholics. SDO and religion also had indirect effects, via compatibility of public expressions of beliefs with laicite, on perceptions of deviation from laicite and normative pressure.
We examined differences in competitiveness and relative predictive abilities of competitiveness across two levels of motivation and across two separate contexts. Three competitiveness measures were utilized: general, academic, and athletic. We tested relationships between competitiveness and performance on verbal reasoning, math, and handgrip endurance. Perceptions about the pros and cons of competition and past competitive goal setting were also examined. Results revealed level, contextual, and sex differences in competitiveness. Only one measure was a significant predictor of task performance, the academic measure. Content analysis of the open-ended questions about academic and athletic goals revealed a unique competitive goal, sub-win. Methodological, conceptual, and applied implications are discussed, including concerns about the cognitive validity the global measure of competitiveness and the positive potentiality of sub-win goals.
Previous research shows that men overall, in contrast to women, do not show a typical implicit in-group preference. One proposed explanation is greater interest in sex among males. If so, then gay males should show an implicit preference for males whereas straight males should prefer females. We tested this hypothesis using a modified version of the Brief Implicit Association Test on 38 gay and 65 straight males. The hypothesis was supported. As the majority of participants in previous studies on implicit gender attitudes are expected to be straight, this could contribute to the low implicit in-group bias among males.
Understanding what influences peer attachments is vitally important. Consistent with organizational/transactional theory, we examined the roles of emotional dysregulation and cognitive bias, in the relationship between parental rejection and peer acceptance. Early adult participants reported their perception of parental acceptance/rejection in childhood and current levels of emotional, cognitive, and social wellbeing. Results replicate findings that the quality of a parent-child relationship relates to psychological functioning, including one's ability to regulate emotions, understand others' emotions and intentions, and form quality relationships. However, maladaptive cognitions mediate the relationship between parental and peer acceptance.
Psychological priming could benefit from more parsimonious manipulation checks that apply to a variety of priming methods. The present study applies the framework of Affect Control Theory-Self to measure changes in self-evaluation, potency, and activity from self-affirmation and self-uncertainty primes. The results demonstrate that self-evaluation significantly captures self-sentiment change between self-affirmation and self-uncertainty whereas the traditional self-integrity scale did not. Self-sentiment measures offer an alternative for capturing the effects of psychological priming and their intersection generates avenues for future research.
The current work argues that expressing out-group ambivalence based on cognitive information is a strategy to justify one's one's prejudice, which may ultimately "cover" the discriminatory nature of out-group-directed negative action tendencies, depending on individuals' in-group 'attachment' and 'glorification' levels. As expected, after expressing prejudice in a normative context inducing prejudice suppression (a) high-glorification participants were more prone to out-group-directed aggression, and (b) high-attachment participants were more prone to out-group-directed avoidance, when such action tendencies were self-reported after the expression of ambivalent beliefs but not emotions concerning the out-group.
In this study we analyze the effects of post disaster personal networks in the provision of social support among victims of natural disasters. We developed a multiple regression analysis based on survey data collected from ninety-four flood victims in Colombia. Three forms of social support (emotional, instrumental, informative) were used as response variables, while the structure and composition of post-disaster personal networks, operated as predictor variables. Results revealed that density and betweenness affect the provision of emotional and informative support in disaster contexts.
This experimental study tested competency expectations and perceptions of leadership ability for United States military veterans compared to non-veterans. Military veterans in the United States are recruited into MBA and leadership programs but may face additional challenges seeking employment. Individuals may not expect veterans to perform better in work situations than others but may view their military service as linked to leadership ability. Surprisingly, results show significantly lower influence over participants for veterans on a cognitive ability task. As predicted, veterans’ influence increased significantly when instructions tied performance to leadership ability.
Attraction is associated with a number of attributional processes including the Fundamental Attribution Error. Dateability, a construct defined within the present study as the likelihood of a heterosexual individual choosing to go on a date with an individual of the opposite sex, has received less attention. This study examines the associations between attraction, dateability, and an individual's willingness to overlook a negative trait. We hypothesized that negative traits would be more likely to be overlooked as the level of attractiveness increased, and that "dateability" would be a predictor of willingness to overlook negative traits over and above perceived physical attractiveness. Results suggest that negative signals were more concerning in more "dateable" targets, but the effect was eliminated by a tendency to overlook negative signals from those who scored higher on dateability. Our findings suggest that perceived character flaws will be overlooked more often in dateable individuals.
