Showing papers in "European Journal of Social Psychology in 2018"
TL;DR: This introduction to the EJSP Special Issue on conspiracy theories as a social psychological phenomenon is described and four basic principles that characterize belief in conspiracy theories are distill.
Abstract: In this introduction to the EJSP Special Issue on conspiracy theories as a social psychological phenomenon, we describe how this emerging research domain has developed over the past decade and distill four basic principles that characterize belief in conspiracy theories. Specifically, conspiracy theories are consequential as they have a real impact on people's health, relationships, and safety; they are universal in that belief in them is widespread across times, cultures, and social settings; they are emotional given that negative emotions and not rational deliberations cause conspiracy beliefs; and they are social as conspiracy beliefs are closely associated with psychological motivations underlying intergroup conflict. We then discuss future research and possible policy interventions in this growing area of enquiry.
213 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that illusory pattern perception is a central cognitive mechanism accounting for conspiracy theories and supernatural beliefs.
Abstract: A common assumption is that belief in conspiracy theories and supernatural phenomena are grounded in illusory pattern perception. In the present research we systematically tested this assumption. Study 1 revealed that such irrational beliefs are related to perceiving patterns in randomly generated coin toss outcomes. In Study 2, pattern search instructions exerted an indirect effect on irrational beliefs through pattern perception. Study 3 revealed that perceiving patterns in chaotic but not in structured paintings predicted irrational beliefs. In Study 4, we found that agreement with texts supporting paranormal phenomena or conspiracy theories predicted pattern perception. In Study 5, we manipulated belief in a specific conspiracy theory. This manipulation influenced the extent to which people perceive patterns in world events, which in turn predicted unrelated irrational beliefs. We conclude that illusory pattern perception is a central cognitive mechanism accounting for conspiracy theories and supernatural beliefs.
150 citations
TL;DR: This article found that people high in cognitive closure seek explanations for uncertain events when such explanations are situationally accessible, and that cognitive closure should foster conspiracy beliefs about events that lack clear official explanations.
Abstract: Conspiracy theories offer simple answers to complex problems by providing explanations for uncertain situations. Thus, they should be attractive to individuals who are intolerant of uncertainty and seek cognitive closure. We hypothesized that need for cognitive closure (NFCC) should foster conspiracy beliefs about events that lack clear official explanations, especially when conspiracy theories are temporarily salient. In Experiment 1 NFCC positively predicted the endorsement of a conspiracy theory behind the refugee crisis, especially when conspiratorial explanations were made salient. Experiment 2 showed that when conspiratorial explanations were made salient, NFCC positively predicted beliefs in conspiracies behind a mysterious plane crash. However, the link between NFCC and beliefs in conspiratorial explanations was reversed in the case of a plane crash with an official, non-conspiratorial, explanation for the accident. In conclusion, people high (vs. low) in NFCC seize on conspiratorial explanations for uncertain events when such explanations are situationally accessible.
139 citations
121 citations
TL;DR: The authors demonstrate a common psychology of outgroup hostility driven by perceived intergroup threat among three groups and seven cultural contexts: non-Muslim Westerners, Muslims in Western cultures, and non-Islamists in Western countries.
Abstract: This research demonstrates a common psychology of outgroup hostility driven by perceived intergroup threat among three groups and seven cultural contexts: non-Muslim Westerners, Muslims in Western ...
80 citations
TL;DR: This article found that nostalgia increased meaning in life, which galvanized intentions to pursue one's most important goal and to pursue the most important, but not least important, goal, independently of positive affect.
Abstract: This research focused on existential and motivational implications of the emotion of nostalgia. Nostalgia (relative to control) increased meaning in life, which, in turn, galvanised intentions to pursue one’s most important goal (Experiment 1) and to pursue one’s most important, but not least important, goal (Experiment 2). The basic pattern held in two cultures (British and Danish) independently of positive affect. This is first evidence that nostalgia has specific motivational consequences (i.e., pursuit of more, but not less, important goals) and transmits these consequences via meaning in life. Also, this is first evidence that meaning is associated with specific motivational consequences. Discussion considers the relevance of the findings for the emotion and motivation literatures.
73 citations
TL;DR: This paper examined the hypothesis that American collective narcissism would uniquely predict increases in conspiracy thinking during the 2016 U.S. presidential election and found that collective narcissisms (but not in-group identification) predicted growth in general conspiracy thinking.
Abstract: Using data from a longitudinal study of American adults collected between July and November 2016, we examine the hypothesis that American collective narcissism would uniquely predict increases in conspiracy thinking during the 2016 presidential campaign. Going beyond previous findings, our results indicate that collective narcissism (but not in-group identification) predicted growth in general conspiracy thinking—i.e., a tendency to view political events in terms of group-based conspiracies—over the course of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. This relationship is found even after accounting for other predictors such as demographics, political knowledge, social trust, authoritarianism, and need for cognitive closure.
73 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the unique effects of blatant dehumanization on attitudes and behavior towards Muslim refugees during the European 'Refugee Crisis' across four countries are discussed, including the UK, Ireland, Greece and Italy.
Abstract: been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1002/ejsp.2357 This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. The unique effects of blatant dehumanization on attitudes and behavior towards Muslim refugees during the European ‘Refugee Crisis’ across four countries
71 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a comparative study of positive and negative direct and extended intergroup contact on intergroup orientations was conducted in Iceland, showing that the positive effects of positive contact were mostly as strong as the detrimental effects of negative contact.
Abstract: This research reports a novel investigation into the comparative effects of positive and negative direct and extended intergroup contact on intergroup orientations. It tested the generality of the positive-negative asymmetry effect among majority (N = 357) and minority (N = 101) group members in Iceland. Little evidence of asymmetry was observed: the beneficial effects of positive contact were mostly as strong as the detrimental effects of negative contact, for both direct and extended contact. However, evidence was found for alternative interaction models in which positive contact buffers the negative effects of negative contact, and negative contact enhances the benefits of positive contact. These interaction effects were found only for direct contact and principally in the majority group, but were also found for the minority group, though more weakly. No interaction was observed for extended contact. It appeared that differential group salience elicited by positive and negative contact could partly contribute to the explanation of the observed effects, at least in the majority sample.
59 citations
TL;DR: The authors found evidence for confabulation as a downstream consequence of non-consciously steered eating behavior (Study 1) or food choice (Study 2) and showed that confabulated reasons can spill over to next occasions.
Abstract: In recent years, psychologists have started to investigate the downstream consequences of nonconsciously activated behaviour (acting in an ‘explanatory vacuum’). Results have shown that when such behaviour is norm-violating, people experience a need to confabulate reasons for this behaviour. The present paper aims to add more convincing evidence for this assumption. Study 1 addresses this question by replicating Study 2 of Adriaanse et al. (2014) while adding a condition in which people are post-hoc provided with an explanation for their behaviour. Study 2 addresses this question by explicitly demanding an explanation for a nonconsciously steered choice. Both studies were conducted in the context of eating behaviour. Results of both studies were indicative of confabulation as a downstream consequence of nonconsciously steered eating behaviour (Study 1) or food choice (Study 2). Future research should address the potential of confabulated reasons spilling over to next occasions.
55 citations
TL;DR: The authors found that people may expect to be socially excluded when they express endorsement of conspiracy theories about the Charlie Hebdo shooting in front of an audience, leading them to anticipate fear of social exclusion.
Abstract: Can conspiracy theories be a source of social stigma? If it is true, it would
follow that people may expect to be socially excluded when they express
endorsement of conspiracy theories. This effect should be partially
explained by the knowledge of the negative perceptions associated with
conspiracy theories. In Study 1, inducing French internet users to write a
text endorsing (vs. criticizing) conspiracy theories about the Charlie Hebdo
shooting, led them to anticipate fear of social exclusion. This effect was
mediated by anticipated negative evaluation of the self. In Study 2, inducing
French internet users to imagine defending (vs. criticizing) conspiracy
theories about the Charlie Hebdo shooting in front of an audience led them
to anticipate fear of social exclusion. The effect was again mediated by
anticipated negative evaluation of the self. To conclude, our findings
demonstrate that conspiracy theories can be viewed as a source of social
stigma.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the links between gaming motivations, the daily frustration of basic psychological needs, and reports of problematic video gaming (PVG) and found positive associations between gaming motivation and PVG.
Abstract: Motivation is often used as a predictor of a problematic style of video game engagement, implying that individuals’ gaming undermines optimal functioning. Drawing from recent advances in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the present study explores the links between gaming motivations, the daily frustration of basic psychological needs, and reports of problematic video gaming (PVG). A sample of 1,029 participants (72.8% male; M = 22.96 years; SD = 4.13 years) completed items regarding their gaming engagement and gaming motivation as well as their experience of needs frustration and PVG symptoms. Results revealed positive associations between gaming motivations and PVG, and between daily needs frustration and PVG. Finally, after comparing several competing models, a mediational model whereby needs frustration explained the association between individuals’ gaming motivation and PVG emerged as best fitting the data. The discussion addresses the theoretical and practical implications of these findings in the context of recent research.
TL;DR: The authors found that system identity threat is a strong predictor of a general tendency toward conspiracy thinking and endorsement of both ideological and non-ideological CTs, even after accounting for numerous covariates.
Abstract: Conspiracy theories (CTs) about government officials and the institutions they represent are widespread, and span the ideological spectrum. In this study, we test hypotheses suggesting that system identity threat, or a perception that society’s fundamental, defining values are under siege due to social change, will predict conspiracy thinking. Across two samples (N = 870, N = 2,702), we found that system identity threat is a strong predictor of a general tendency toward conspiracy thinking and endorsement of both ideological and non-ideological CTs, even after accounting for numerous covariates. We also found that the relationship between systemidentity threat and conspiracy-theory endorsement is mediated by conspiracy thinking. These results suggest that conspiracy-theory endorsement may be a compensatory reaction to perceptions that society’s essential character is changing.
TL;DR: This paper examined the role of the illusion of explanatory depth (IOED) in politics and found that it was associated with increased support for general and election-specific conspiracy beliefs, particularly among political novices and supporters of the losing candidate.
Abstract: The average person possesses superficial understanding of complex causal relations and, consequently, tends to overestimate the quality and depth of their explanatory knowledge. In this study, we examined the role of this illusion of explanatory depth (IOED) in politics—inflated confidence in one’s causal understanding of political phenomena—for endorsement of conspiracy beliefs. Utilizing a pre-/post-election panel design and a large sample of U.S. Citizens (N = 394) recruited in the context of the 2016 presidential election, we provide evidence that political IOED, but not a nonpolitical IOED, was associated with increased support for general and election-specific conspiracy beliefs, particularly among political novices and supporters of the losing candidate. We find this pattern of results net the influence of a broad range of variables known to covary with conspiracy beliefs. Implications for theory and the need for future research are discussed.
TL;DR: Four studies indicate that conspiracy belief is driven by readiness to draw implausible causal connections even when events are not random, but instead conform to an objective pattern, and that conspiracy explanations for human tragedies were favored when they comprised part of a cluster of similar events.
Abstract: Previous research indicates that conspiracy thinking is informed by the psychological imposition of order and meaning on the environment, including the perception of causal relations between random events. Four studies indicate that conspiracy belief is driven by readiness to draw implausible causal connections even when events are not random, but instead conform to an objective pattern. Study 1 (N = 195) showed that conspiracy belief was related to the causal interpretation of real?life, spurious correlations (e.g., between chocolate consumption and Nobel prizes). In Study 2 (N = 216), this effect held adjusting for correlates including magical and non?analytical thinking. Study 3 (N = 214) showed that preference for conspiracy explanations was associated with the perception that a focal event (e.g., the death of a journalist) was causally connected to similar, recent events. Study 4 (N = 211) showed that conspiracy explanations for human tragedies were favoured when they comprised part of a cluster of similar events (vs. occurring in isolation); crucially, they were independently increased by a manipulation of causal perception. We discuss the implications of these findings for previous, mixed findings in the literature and for the relation between conspiracy thinking and other cognitive processes.
TL;DR: The question of how normative form changes during a riot, and thus how collective behaviour spreads to different targets and locations, has been neglected in previous research, despite its theoretical and practical importance.
Abstract: The question of how normative form changes during a riot, and thus how collective behaviour spreads to different targets and locations, has been neglected in previous research, despite its theoretical and practical importance We begin to address this limitation through a detailed analysis of the rioting in the London borough of Haringey in 2011 A triangulated analysis of multiple sources of data (including police reports, media accounts, and videos) finds a pattern of behaviour shifting from collective attacks on police targets to looting A thematic analysis of 41 interview accounts with participants gathered shortly after the events suggests that a shared anti-police identity allowed local postcode rivalries to be overcome, forming the basis of empowered action not only against the police but to address more long-standing grievances and desires It is argued that collective psychological empowerment operated in a “positive feedback loop”, whereby one form of collective self-objectification (and perceived inability of police to respond) formed the basis of further action This analysis of the development of new targets in an empowered crowd both confirms and extends the elaborated social identity model as an explanation for conflictual intergroup dynamics
TL;DR: This paper found that the uncivil actions of a high-ranking perpetrator were deemed more acceptable than the low-ranking perpetrators in large power-distance cultural settings, but not in a small power distance cultural setting.
Abstract: The present research sought to establish how cultural settings create a normative context that determines individuals’ reactions to subtle forms of mistreatment. Two experimental studies (n = 449) examined individuals’ perceptions of high- and low-ranking individuals’ incivility in two national (Study 1) and two organizational (Study 2) cultural settings that varied in power distance. Consistent across studies, the uncivil actions of a high-ranking perpetrator were deemed more acceptable than the uncivil actions of a low-ranking perpetrator in the large power distance cultural settings, but not in a small power distance cultural setting. Differing injunctive norms (acceptability), but not descriptive norms (perceived likelihood of occurrence), contributed to cultural variations in the level of discomfort caused by incivility. In addition, perceptions of descriptive and injunctive norms coincided, but differed markedly in their associations with discomfort. We discuss the practical and theoretical implications of these findings.
TL;DR: This paper assessed the role of distinctiveness threat, group-based emotions (angst, fear and anger), and prejudice on people's willingness to engage in collective action against immigrant groups.
Abstract: In two studies we assessed the role of distinctiveness threat, group-based emotions (angst, fear and anger), and prejudice on people's willingness to engage in collective action against immigrant groups. In Study 1 (N = 222) White British participants were either informed that in the next 40 years the proportion of immigrants in the UK is unlikely to change (control condition) or that there will be more immigrants than White British people living in Britain (threat condition). We obtained support for a sequential multiple mediator model in which threat predicted British people's willingness to engage in collective action via the emotions first and then prejudice. This finding was replicated in Study 2 with an Italian sample (N = 283). These results enhance understanding of when and why advantaged groups undertake collective action against disadvantaged groups by demonstrating that distinctiveness threats and emotions promote such actions.
TL;DR: This article found evidence for their prediction that experimentally increasing feelings of physical safety increases conservatives' socially progressive attitudes Specifically, Republican and conservative participants who imagined being endowed with a superpower that made them invulnerable to physical harm (vs the ability to fly) were more socially (but not economically) liberal (Study 1) and less resistant to social change (Study 2).
Abstract: Across two studies, we find evidence for our prediction that experimentally increasing feelings of physical safety increases conservatives' socially progressive attitudes Specifically, Republican and conservative participants who imagined being endowed with a superpower that made them invulnerable to physical harm (vs the ability to fly) were more socially (but not economically) liberal (Study 1) and less resistant to social change (Study 2) Results suggest that socially (but not economically) conservative attitudes are driven, at least in part, by needs for safety and security
TL;DR: In this paper, a content analysis of 1400 Grindr profiles showed that profile pictures with objectifying content were related to searching for sexual encounters, while body focused profile content was more related to sexual orientation disclosure (not being ‘out’) than to objectification.
Abstract: Grindr is a smartphone application for men who have sex with men (MSM). Despite its reputation as a ‘hook-up app’, little is known about its users’ self-presentation strategies and how this relates to objectification - this paper explores objectification on Grindr. The results of Study 1 showed that Grindr users objectified other men more than non-Grindr users. A content analysis of 1400 Grindr profiles in Study 2 showed that profile pictures with objectifying content were related to searching for sexual encounters. Finally, a survey of Grindr users in Study 3 revealed that objectification processes and sexualized profile pictures were related to some objectification-relevant online behaviors (e.g., increased use of Grindr, discussion of HIV status). Interestingly, the presence of body focused profile content was more related to sexual orientation disclosure (not being ‘out’) than to objectification. This paper presents evidence that Grindr usage and online presentation are related to objectification processes.
TL;DR: This paper argued that studying the continuing world-wide migration and the resulting cultural diversity has specific benefits for social psychology: it raises new questions for the field, introduces new topics of research, and challenges conventional ways of thinking.
Abstract: This Agenda article argues that studying the continuing world-wide migration and the resulting cultural diversity has specific benefits for social psychology: it raises new questions for the field, introduces new topics of research, and challenges conventional ways of thinking. The argument is developed in relation to four issues. The first one relates to the literature on ethnic and civic nationhood and the importance for social psychology to study citizenship and lay understandings of genetics. The second issue relates to the social psychological literature on threat and prejudice and the relative lack of interest in prosocial behavior and intergroup toleration. Third, the limiting implications of the majority–minority schematic framework that dominates in social psychology are discussed. Finally, the relevance of studying immigration for the evidentiary value movement that has developed in response to the current ‘crisis’ in (social) psychology is discussed.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors conducted a longitudinal study to test whether intergroup contact is longitudinally associated with personality traits and found that quality of contact was associated with greater agreeableness and openness to experience.
Abstract: We conducted a longitudinal study to test whether, in addition to being predicted by personality, intergroup contact is longitudinally associated with personality traits. Participants were 388 majority (Italian) and 109 minority (immigrant) first-year high school students. Results revealed a bidirectional relationship between contact and personality: Quality of contact was longitudinally associated with greater agreeableness and openness to experience, whereas agreeableness and openness to experience were longitudinal predictors of contact quality. An unexpected negative longitudinal association also emerged between quantity of contact and agreeableness. These effects were not moderated by group of belonging (majority vs. minority). Our findings highlight the importance of integrating research on intergroup contact with research on personality.
TL;DR: In this article, four studies were carried out to examine how identity fusion, self-expansion, and group efficacy are related and what role selfexpansion plays in these relationships.
Abstract: Four studies were carried out to examine how identity fusion, self- and group efficacy, and collective action are related and what role self-expansion plays in these relationships. In the pilot study, participants recalled their experience of participating in mass gatherings. The three other studies were conducted during mass gatherings organized for collective purposes: a music concert (study 1), a bicycle activist event (study 2), and Equality Days (study 3). The results showed (a) a significant positive relationship between personal and group identity fusion, self-expansion, and self-efficacy (study 1); (b) a significant mediating effect of self-expansion on the relationship between personal and group identity fusion and group efficacy (studies 1 and 2); and (c) a significant mediating effect of self- expansion and group efficacy on the relationship between identity fusion and collective action tendency (studies 2 and 3).
TL;DR: This article examined when, and for whom, American collective nostalgia can relieve feelings of collective guilt and found that collective nostalgia was associated with lower collective guilt especially after reminders of America's harm-doing.
Abstract: This research examined when, and for whom, American collective nostalgia can relieve feelings of collective guilt. In the Pilot Study, path analyses revealed that national glorification is associated with collective nostalgia, and collective nostalgia is associated with lower collective guilt. Our experimental studies test the role of these variables in determining responses to the elevated salience of past ingroup harm doing. Collective nostalgia was associated with lower collective guilt especially after reminders of America's harm doing in Study 1. In Study 2 we predicted and showed that reminders of American harm doing would evoke spontaneous collective nostalgia for participants high in national glorification. The remaining studies tested the hypothesis that collective nostalgia serves to buffer collective guilt. Collective guilt was lower after reminders of past harm doing for participants who engaged in in collective nostalgia (Study 3), and this was especially pronounced for participants high in national glorification (Study 4).
TL;DR: For instance, this paper found that women who intensely need relationship security are more attracted to men who endorse benevolent sexism, and reported greater preferences for partners to hold benevolently sexist attitudes.
Abstract: Benevolent sexism prescribes that men should cherish and protect women in intimate relationships. Despite the romantic tone of these attitudes, prior research indicates that benevolent sexism undermines women's competence, ambition and independence. Ambivalent sexism theory proposes that benevolent sexism is able to incur these costs because the promise of a chivalrous protective partner offers women security in their intimate relationships. We tested this key proposition by examining whether women who intensely need relationship security—women higher in attachment anxiety—are more attracted to men who endorse benevolent sexism. Highly anxious women (N = 632) rated men described as endorsing benevolent sexism as relatively more attractive, and reported greater preferences for partners to hold benevolently sexist attitudes. These results advance understanding regarding the underlying reasons women find benevolent sexism appealing and identify who will be most vulnerable to the potential costs of benevolent sexism.
TL;DR: The authors found that younger adults who recall a nostalgic (vs. ordinary) encounter with an older adult showed a more positive attitude toward older adults, mediated by greater inclusion of older adults in the self (IOGS).
Abstract: Two experiments tested whether nostalgia a resource for fighting ageism. In Experiment 1, younger adults who recalled a nostalgic (vs. ordinary) encounter with an older adult showed a more positive attitude toward older adults, mediated by greater inclusion of older adults in the self (IOGS). In Experiment 2, these findings were replicated and extended with a subtle nostalgia manipulation. Younger adults identified an older, familiar adult, before writing about an encounter with this person that was characterised by either central (e.g., “keepsakes,” “childhood”) or peripheral (e.g., “wishing,” “daydreaming”) features of the construct of nostalgia (i.e., prototype). Participants who recalled a central (vs. peripheral) nostalgic encounter reported greater social connectedness, which predicted increased IOGS. In turn, increased IOGS was associated with lower desire to avoid older adults. Several alternative explanations for the intergroup benefits of nostalgia were ruled out. The research established that nostalgia qualifies as a resource for combatting ageism.
TL;DR: The authors found that a higher belief in school meritocracy (but not meritocracy endorsement) predicted lower engagement in the implementation of an equalizing method, while sustaining the role of descriptive school meritocratic in the perpetuation of social inequalities within education.
Abstract: In the educational system, social inequalities are reproduced and legitimated. As a consequence, the implementation of interventions that reduce the SES achievement gap in education may face important ideological barriers. The purpose of the present paper is to test the belief in school meritocracy as one of these barriers. In three studies, participants' willingness to see an equalizing pedagogical intervention implemented in one's own university (Study 1) or in one's own children's school (Studies 2 and 3) and their intention to engage in this implementation were measured. Results indicated that a higher belief in school meritocracy (but not meritocracy endorsement, study 1) predicted lower engagement in the implementation of an equalizing method. This is not observed for inequality-maintaining interventions (Studies 2 and 3), sustaining the role of descriptive school meritocracy in the perpetuation of social inequalities within education.
TL;DR: The authors showed negative biases with conceptual IATs, targeting the general concepts of accent versus native speech, on the dimensions affect, trust, and competence, but not on sociability.
Abstract: Nonnative accents are prevalent in our globalized world and constitute highly salient cues in social perception. Whereas previous literature has commonly assumed that they cue specific social group stereotypes, we propose that nonnative accents generally trigger spontaneous negatively biased associations (due to a general nonnative accent category and perceptual influences). Accordingly, Study 1 demonstrates negative biases with conceptual IATs, targeting the general concepts of accent versus native speech, on the dimensions affect, trust, and competence, but not on sociability. Study 2 attests to negative, largely enhanced biases on all dimensions with auditory IATs comprising matched native-nonnative speaker pairs for four accent types. Biases emerged irrespective of the accent types that differed in attractiveness, recognizability of origin, and origin-linked national associations. Study 3 replicates general IAT biases with an affect IAT and a conventional evaluative IAT. These findings corroborate our hypotheses and assist in understanding general negativity toward nonnative accents.