Manqi Chen

Bio: Manqi Chen is an academic researcher from Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The author has contributed to research in topics: Social cognitive theory of morality & Harm. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 4 publications receiving 22 citations.

Effects of boundary‐permeated self and patriotism on social participation in the Beijing Olympic Games

Abstract: Indigenous theories proposed that the self boundary of Chinese has permeability. The present study examines the moderating effect of the boundary-permeated self on Beijing residents' support and participation in the Beijing Olympic Games (BOG). In a survey after BOG, data about the boundary-permeated self, patriotism, BOG focus, and BOG participation were collected. The results indicate that the boundary-permeated self moderated the relationship between patriotism and participation in BOG. For respondents with a high permeability of the self boundary, their national focus and participation became more positive as their patriotism increased; for respondents with low permeability, their participation was high regardless of their patriotism level.

Descriptive norms influence reactions to anger‐related moral events

Abstract: Based on recent theories of normative influence, we hypothesize that knowing how most people in the community view a certain moral event would shift individuals’ emotional reactions to the event in the direction of the descriptive norms. We conducted two studies to test this hypothesis. The participants in these studies were asked to indicate their moral judgement or emotional reactions to ambiguous events that could be construed as violations of justice-/harm-related morality, loyalty-/authority-related morality or purity-related morality. In Study 1, after the participants had indicated their emotional reactions, they received bogus feedback on how most people reacted to the event, and the normative emotional reaction was either the same as or different from the participants’ choice. The results show that bogus feedback weakened the intensity of anger reaction when the participant's response was an unpopular one. In Study 2, participants received bogus feedback on other people's moral concerns for morally ambiguous events. As expected from moral foundation theory, perceived violation of justice- or harm-related morality evoked anger. More important, participants who were concerned about injustice or harm in an event reported more (less) anger when they learned that most (few) people also viewed the events as justice- or harm-related. These results contribute to our understanding of the role of descriptive norms in shaping individuals’ anger reactions to the justice- or harm-related events.

Do Chinese distinguish between ethics of community, autonomy and divinity?*

Abstract: The CAD model has identified three major domains of ethics: the ethics of autonomy, the ethics of community and the ethics of divinity. Moral foundation theory (MFT) further postulates that justice- and harm-related morality are moral foundations of autonomous ethics, and violations of these foundations would elicit anger. Ingroup loyalty and authority are the moral foundations of the ethics of community, and violations of these foundations would evoke contempt. Finally, purity is the moral foundation of the ethics of divinity, and violations of this foundation would elicit disgust. The present study was carried out to evaluate the applicability of the CAD model and MFT in China. We measured Chinese participants' moral concerns in and emotional reactions to a representative sample of 156 culturally relevant immoral events. Based on pretest results, each event was categorized into events that are relevant to one of five moral foundations. The participants were presented with descriptions of the events sequentially and reported their emotions to each event using one of the three response formats (Western emotional faces, emotional words, Asian emotional faces). The results provide consistent support for the applicability of the CAD model and MFT in China.

Priming modernity and work experiences strengthens the association between fairness/harm concerns and anger in China

Abstract: According to the CAD model of emotional responses to immorality, if an event violates the moral foundations of justice and harm, people will feel angry. However, the model is silent on whether the strength of association between anger and perceived injustice/harm is context-dependent. Using a contextual priming paradigm, the current research shows that in China, the association between anger and perceived injustice/harm is stronger when work (vs family) and modern (vs traditional) contexts are primed. Specifically, we primed modernity versus traditionality (Experiment 1) and work experiences (Experiment 2) and measured the strength of association between justice/harm concerns and anger. The results show that: (i) the linkage between justice/harm concern and anger was stronger in the modernity priming condition than in the tradition priming or control conditions; and (ii) the linkage between justice/harm concern and anger was stronger in the work experience priming condition than in the control condition. In short, priming modern and work contexts strengthens the association between justice/harm concerns and anger, suggesting the strength of the morality–emotion link is context-dependent.

The Psychology of Morality: A Review and Analysis of Empirical Studies Published From 1940 Through 2017:

Abstract: We review empirical research on (social) psychology of morality to identify which issues and relations are well documented by existing data and which areas of inquiry are in need of further empirical evidence. An electronic literature search yielded a total of 1,278 relevant research articles published from 1940 through 2017. These were subjected to expert content analysis and standardized bibliometric analysis to classify research questions and relate these to (trends in) empirical approaches that characterize research on morality. We categorize the research questions addressed in this literature into five different themes and consider how empirical approaches within each of these themes have addressed psychological antecedents and implications of moral behavior. We conclude that some key features of theoretical questions relating to human morality are not systematically captured in empirical research and are in need of further investigation.

Collectivism, individualism, and pragmatism in China: implications for perceptions of mental health.

Abstract: This study aimed to better understand how minor mental health problems (MMPs) are perceived by well-educated urban dwellers in China who are influenced by Western values Urban China is a rapidly changing society in which traditional Chinese culture and Western thought coexist As a result, the established processes of interdependent self-appraisal have been challenged and a sense of a bicultural self has developed among a growing proportion of the population The fieldwork for this study included interviews and observations The results are derived mainly from interviews with professional practitioners, students, and lay people from three urban sites One of the main findings was that respondents who referred to traditional and collectivistic Chinese values tended not to label MMPs as psychiatric disorders or illnesses but as challenges in daily life and relationships strain While the Western medical model of MMPs considers them a form of illness, they were not viewed in this way in traditional collectivistic China in the past, even among educated urban dwellers However, the urban and educated Chinese who have developed a stronger sense of a bicultural self are now more likely to perceive and deal with MMPs from a Western viewpoint

Worldview conflict and prejudice

Abstract: People are motivated to protect their worldviews. One way to protect one's worldviews is through prejudice toward worldview-dissimilar groups and individuals. The traditional hypothesis predicts that people with more traditional and conservative worldviews will be more likely to protect their worldviews with prejudice than people with more liberal and progressive worldviews, whereas the worldview conflict hypothesis predicts that people with both traditional and liberal worldviews will be protect their worldviews through prejudice. We review evidence across both political and religious domains, as well as evidence using disgust sensitivity, Big Five personality traits, and cognitive ability as measures of individual differences historically associated with prejudice. We discuss four core findings that are consistent with the worldview conflict hypothesis: (1) The link between worldview conflict and prejudice is consistent across worldviews. (2) The link between worldview conflict and prejudice is found across various expressions of prejudice. (3) The link between worldview conflict and prejudice is found in multiple countries. (4) Openness, low disgust sensitivity, and cognitive ability—traits and individual differences historically associated with less prejudice—may in fact also show evidence of worldview conflict. We discuss how worldview conflict may be rooted in value dissimilarity, identity, and uncertainty management, as well as potential routes for reducing worldview conflict.

Intergroup Emotions Theory: Production, Regulation, and Modification of Group-Based Emotions

Abstract: Emotions are a ubiquitous aspect of interaction between groups. As described in Intergroup Emotions Theory (IET; Mackie, Devos, & Smith, 2000 ; Smith, 1993 ), intergroup emotions are emotions people feel on account of their membership in a group to which they belong and with which they identify. In this chapter, we first describe the foundational assumption of IET: that the experience of intergroup emotions depends upon group membership and the pervasive normative processes that group membership entails. We then review the voluminous literature that documents the intragroup and intergroup cognitive and behavioral outcomes driven by such emotions. We next review the theoretically and practically crucial notion of how such emotions are regulated, a topic that has been an increasing research focus in the last 5 years. The chapter ends with a description and discussion of intergroup emotion-relevant interventions that have been or could be designed to improve intergroup relations.