Journal of Theoretical Social Psychology最新文献

In a globalizing world, intercultural competence has become increasingly important for university graduates. Using a sample of 177 students participating in study abroad programs organized by a Swiss university and a Chinese university, we investigate antecedents and mediators to multicultural team (MCT) effectiveness. Based on social identity and self-categorization theories, our findings show that cultural intelligence is positively related to common ingroup identity and MCT effectiveness, and common ingroup identity is positively related to communication and MCT effectiveness. Specifically, common ingroup identity and communication quality play a significant full-chain mediating role in the relationship between cultural intelligence and MCT effectiveness. From an international education perspective, these results provide knowledge of strategies and actions necessary to ensure MCT effectiveness in intercultural collaboration. The latter is relevant for international business collaborations with employees, customers, and external stakeholders.

Dehumanization is often explored in the context of inhumane acts of intergroup and interpersonal violence, and is considered a precursor to extreme atrocities. However, research suggests that we may all engage dehumanized perceptions, at least occasionally, if the social context or goals encourage dehumanization. This implies an individual difference nature of dehumanization propensity. Across four online studies (cross-sectional Studies 1, 3, 4, and longitudinal Study 2), we develop and validate the Humanity Inventory (HumIn), a self-report measure of individual differences in the propensity to engage dehumanization. Study 1 (N = 86) entailed item selection. Study 2 (N = 235) examined the validity of the scale and investigated its test–retest reliability. Study 3 (N = 259) compared the HumIn with pre-existing scales measuring related constructs. Study 4 (N = 98) examined the scale's performance in a situational example of dehumanization. Across all studies, the HumIn performs admirably, showing excellent reliability and validity. This novel instrument and broader conceptualization of dehumanization propensity should allow researchers to tackle questions related to dehumanization from a novel perspective, and will aid future research by providing a tool for assessment.

People often say one thing while doing another, and are therefore criticized as hypocrites. Despite the widespread criticism of hypocrites, relatively less is known about factors that influence moral judgment of hypocrisy. In particular, why are some word-deed inconsistencies condemned more harshly than others? The current research focuses on word-deed inconsistency as a common manifestation of hypocrisy, and examines targets' competence as one important factor that influences moral judgment of hypocrisy. We propose and test a Calculating Hypocrites Effect that people perceive hypocrites as less moral than non-hypocrites (i.e., who transgress with vs. without inconsistent claims), particularly when the targets are high rather than low on competence. Across four studies where competence was either measured (Study 1) or manipulated as expertise (Study 2), occupational status (Study 3) and skills (Study 4), we found support for the presumed Calculating Hypocrites Effect. When the targets were high (vs. low) on competence, people interpreted their misaligned words with deeds as more intentional (Study 2) and self-interested (Study 4), which in turn accounted for their severity of moral judgment. Moreover, the Calculating Hypocrites Effect applied even when the targets were competent in domains unrelated to their hypocritical deeds (Study 3). We conclude that perception of competence is an important factor that determines when, and for whom, hypocrisy incurs moral outrage.

Financial scarcity, or having insufficient financial resources to meet needs, directly impairs multiple aspects of executive function (EF). Financial scarcity is also stressful and stress impairs EF, however, whether stress mediates the effect of scarcity on EF, and whether these associations vary by either the aspect of EF being measured, or self-reported developmental history of poverty, is not known. Data were collected from a cross-sectional sample of 249 female Amazon Mechanical Turk workers who self-reported their stress using Cohen's perceived stress scale and their EF using the 75-item Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function. They also reported their history of poverty during childhood at ages 0–6, 6–12, and 12–18 years. We measured current financial scarcity using questions that assess five aspects of perceived inability to meet one's basic needs. We used path analysis to test our primary hypothesis that higher financial scarcity is associated with higher stress and more challenges with components of EF overall. Specifically, we tested whether there are indirect effects from scarcity to three specific aspects of EF (behavioral regulation, emotion regulation, and meta-cognition) through stress. Second, we tested whether the model fit and magnitude of direct effects varied by childhood poverty history. Results supported hypotheses that stress would be negatively associated with multiple EF aspects (behavioral regulation and emotional regulation); and associations were stronger for women reporting early poverty-related experiences. Interventions designed to alleviate financial scarcity, and address stress management, may be considered as potential ways to support EF for people with scarce financial resources.

Ethical leadership has emerged as a crucial topic for understanding the effectiveness of team leadership. However, empirical evidence regarding the role of ethical leadership in cultivating team processes and proactive team outcomes is scarce. Employing the integrated social identity and the uncertainty management theories, this study tested a moderated-mediation model in which environmental dynamism was expected to increase the indirect effect of ethical leadership on team initiative through team identification. To test the proposed hypotheses, the study drew cross-sectional data from 68 team leaders and 254 of their respective team members demonstrated strong support for the moderated mediation model. The conditional indirect effect of ethical leadership on team initiative via team identification was stronger in team contexts characterized by highly dynamic work environments. The findings of this study contribute to the emerging literature on ethical team leadership and have implications for organizations that are seeking to strengthen team initiative under highly dynamic work environments.

Left-wing authoritarianism (LWA) has a controversial history in psychology. Some researchers have expressed skepticism about the existence of LWA, whereas others have argued that LWA is a valid construct. In the present article, we offer a framework to reconcile these two perspectives by proposing that ideologically based authoritarian norms are sometimes in conflict with the processes that create authoritarian individuals. In Western political contexts, authoritarian norms are more likely to occur on the conservative side of the political spectrum; but authoritarian attributes can occur in both conservatives and liberals. In our model, left-wing authoritarians thus often occupy the space where forces influencing authoritarianism are in conflict. We review existing evidence related to the model, present novel evidence related to the model, derive four hypotheses from the model, and discuss criteria for falsifying the model. We conclude by considering the model's place in current research on the complexities of ideology.

The present study sought to investigate perspective taking as a means to decrease harmful affective conflict within teams. Previous research has demonstrated that teams often experience unhealthy affective conflict along with the healthy debate that is encouraged in team discussions, when team members misinterpret such debate as personal attacks. By utilizing Olsen and Kenny's dyadic SEM approach (2016) to simultaneously explore all hypothesized actor and partner effects, the present study identified perspective taking and team member schema accuracy as mechanisms that can prevent such misinterpretations and thereby decrease harmful affective conflict among team members. Perspective taking was assessed using a novel higher-order factor approach to capture the complexity of the cognitive process, rather than the traditional single measure self report scale. Results indicated an actor effect such that increased perspective taking led to greater team member schema accuracy. Team member schema accuracy had a negative actor effect and a negative partner effect on affective conflict, which in turn had a negative actor effect on team effectiveness. Additionally, training team members to engage in perspective taking behaviors led to increased team member schema accuracy compared with teams that did not receive training, providing an effective practical solution for the reduction of affective conflict in work teams.

The investment model is a widely used theoretical framework in the study of close relationships. The model asserts that commitment is the outcome of relationship satisfaction, perceived investments, and perceived quality of alternatives. The current study sought to expand the scope of the investment model by including social network-based variables (specifically, network overlap and network uncertainty) as potential mediating entities. Results indicated that, when controlling for satisfaction, investment, and quality of alternatives, both network overlap and network uncertainty significantly and negatively relate to commitment. Tests of mediation revealed that both network uncertainty and network overlap partially mediated the associations shared by relationship satisfaction and investment with commitment, such that the positive relationships were significantly weakened. Results are discussed in theoretical and heuristic contexts.

Understanding how and why stress-related mindsets result in various outcomes is important for understanding how stress mindset interventions can promote well-being. Recent research suggested that mindsets about stress might work together with self-connection to predict well-being. However, the nature of those relationships remains unclear. Across two studies, we tested two models regarding how stress mindset, self-connection, and perceived stress related to various aspects of one's well-being. We surveyed both students (n = 188) and employed adults (n = 355) regarding their stress mindset, self-connection, stress, personal burnout, role-related burnout, life satisfaction, and psychological flourishing. Consistent with past research, self-connection buffered the negative effects of holding a maladaptive stress mindset on life satisfaction and psychological flourishing. However, this only emerged among college students and did not generalize to other aspects of well-being. In contrast, both college students and employed adults demonstrated indirect effects of perceived stress and self-connection on relationships between stress mindset and various measures of well-being. This is consistent with the idea that one's mindset about stress cultivates a recursive cycle that promotes self-connection and, in turn, well-being. Additional research is necessary to extend this research and understand how to promote self-connection and use it to facilitate greater well-being.