This study had a correlational design and aimed to develop and validate a database of dual-perspective (entire face and 3/4 face) face-focused photographs depicting pets (dogs, cats, miniature rabbits) and livestock animals (pigs and cattle). Participants (n = 268, 82% women, Mage = 28.2, SD = 8.5) viewed 72 pairs of photographs and evaluated each animal's similarity across two photographs, as well as their valence, typicality, familiarity, cuteness, and dangerousness. The results confirmed that livestock animals received lower ratings in terms of similarity across the two photographs and were perceived as less positively valenced, less typical, less familiar, less cute, and more dangerous compared with pets. Furthermore, individual characteristics were found to be related to the perception of animals. Compared with non-owners, pet owners rated both livestock and pets more positively valenced and cuter. Additionally, the frequency of meat consumption was associated with perceiving livestock animals as less positively valenced, less cute, and more dangerous. The database provides realistic and valid stimuli, which have the potential to facilitate investigations into animal perception and recognition within the context of human-animal relationships.

According to cognitive-dissonance theory, performing counterattitudinal behavior produces a state of dissonance that people are motivated to resolve, usually by changing their attitude to be in line with their behavior. One of the most popular experimental paradigms used to produce such attitude change is the induced-compliance paradigm. Despite its popularity, the replication crisis in social psychology and other fields, as well as methodological limitations associated with the paradigm, raise concerns about the robustness of classic studies in this literature. We therefore conducted a multilab constructive replication of the induced-compliance paradigm based on Croyle and Cooper (Experiment 1). In a total of 39 labs from 19 countries and 14 languages, participants (N = 4,898) were assigned to one of three conditions: writing a counterattitudinal essay under high choice, writing a counterattitudinal essay under low choice, or writing a neutral essay under high choice. The primary analyses failed to support the core hypothesis: No significant difference in attitude was observed after writing a counterattitudinal essay under high choice compared with low choice. However, we did observe a significant difference in attitude after writing a counterattitudinal essay compared with writing a neutral essay. Secondary analyses revealed the pattern of results to be robust to data exclusions, lab variability, and attitude assessment. Additional exploratory analyses were conducted to test predictions from cognitive-dissonance theory. Overall, the results call into question whether the induced-compliance paradigm provides robust evidence for cognitive dissonance.

This research aimed to provide experimental evidence on whether identifying an edible animal by a name and specific preferences encourages children to perceive the animal as more similar to humans, increases their willingness to befriend the animal, and makes them less willing to consume it. In two pre-registered studies involving 208 preschool children, participants were presented with pictures of pigs (Study 1) and chickens (Study 2). In the identifiability condition, one animal was depicted with individual qualities such as a name and personal preferences, while in the non-identifiability condition, animals were portrayed with characteristics representative of the entire species. The children then rated their desire to befriend and consume the animal, while in Study 2, they also rated the animal’s similarity to humans. The results revealed that animal identifiability led to higher perceived similarity to humans, increased the desire to befriend it, and reduced inclination to consume the animal. These findings highlight animal identifiability’s powerful and robust effect on children’s attitudes toward edible animals.

Religious and conspiracy beliefs are based on the assumption that a potent force exists which is capable of affecting people’s destinies. According to compensatory control theory, the belief in such a potent external agent may serve to alleviate feelings of uncertainty and help restore a sense of control. This is of particular relevance and importance to attitudes and behaviour of religious individuals towards vaccinations during the Covid-19 pandemic, where a belief in such a potent external force controlling events and destinies may have lowered the sense of threat posed by Covid-19 and in turn reduced vaccination uptake. To test this, we conducted a cross-sectional study of highly religious adults in Poland (N = 213) and found that the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses taken was negatively predicted by conspiracy beliefs, perceived closeness to God, and frequency of church attendance, and positively predicted by the perceived COVID-19 threat. Furthermore, mediation analysis revealed that both conspiracy beliefs and perceived closeness to God were related to a decreased perception of the COVID-19 threat, which in turn led to a decreased number of vaccine doses received. Our study offers important insights for public health professionals and identifies further research pathways on conspiracy and religious beliefs in relation to health-related behaviours.

OBJECTIVE AND BACKGROUND:The need for control is a fundamental human motivation, that when deprived can lead to broad and substantial changes in human behavior. We aimed to assess the consequences of control deprivation in a real-life situation that poses a severe threat to personal control: a prolonged unemployment. METHOD:Using a sample N = 1055 of unemployed (n = 748) versus working (n = 307) individuals, we examined predictions derived from two models of reactions to control deprivation: control-regaining and disengagement/withdrawal. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:We found that length unemployment is correlated with a psychological state strongly interfering with psychological as well as social functioning. While control-regaining models of responding to lack of control have received virtually no support from our findings, our results provide evidence that long-term unemployed individuals are more disengaged than working individuals. They are more apathetic, less likely to engage in control-regaining efforts and in active forms of construing one's own future.

Abstract: People tend to perceive atheists as being immoral. We tested whether this perception also applies to moral transgressions against animals. Study 1 ( N = 288) and Study 2 ( N = 306, pre-registered) utilized a conjunction fallacy paradigm to show that people attributed harming animals most frequently to criminals, then to God-believers, and least often to nonbelievers. Study 3 ( N = 248, pre-registered) used a job-choice paradigm and found that people choose a God-believer over an atheist for a job involving animal harm because the God-believer was supposed to hold a more hierarchical view of the relationship between humans and animals than the atheist. Consequently, we discuss the limits of antiatheist prejudice in the domain of human–animal interactions.

Introduction. Developing breast cancer affects the functioning of the patient at all stages of treatment. The sense of control over one’s health contributes to coping with stress, the sense of empowerment, and the doctor-patient relationship. Objective. The aim of the study was to determine the sociopsychological and demographic factors that protect patients with breast cancer from losing the sense of control and those that foster such loss. Materials and methods. The research was conducted on 132 female patients of the oncology clinic in Poland at various stages of treatment. Three stages were distinguished: Women during chemotherapy (n = 41), patients of the physical therapy ward after the completion of oncological treatment (n = 40), and the group of “Amazons” (n = 50) who have experienced at least five years of remission after the end of treatment. The research was conducted with the use of demographic data, the Fatalist Loss of Control Scale, the Religious Problem Solving scale, and the scale of perceiving God. Results and conclusions. There was a negative correlation between the loss of control and the number of planned tasks (life projects) and the faith in the realisation of such projects. The results demonstrated that the sense of losing control increased along with the duration of the illness and decreased with faith in an active, powerful God. The results have been interpreted according to the compensation control theory. They demonstrate that the sense of control over one’s health is closely linked to the dynamics of the treatment process and the quality of life. The presented results may constitute a basis for developing support programmes based on a model of the sense of control over health, which may translate into an ability to better cope with the disease and into patients’ involvement in the treatment process.