Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology最新文献

We investigate the effects on the public of government and companies acting responsibly to a threat of an emerging pandemic by use of an adaptation of the theory of dyadic morality. The effects of positive actions by government and companies are mediated by gratitude, a positive moral emotion, en route to its impact on felt benefits. Benefits then influence positive word of mouth, a kind of action tendency, but the effects are moderated by the degree of political ideology of the public. For the government, as benefit perceptions increase, positive word of mouth is higher for liberals than conservatives. For companies, positive word of mouth is greater for conservatives than liberals when benefits are perceived as low. These nuanced moderated effects reflect differences between conservatives and liberals, where liberals value social responsibility more than conservatives, whereas conservatives value company profitability more than liberals. Hypotheses are tested experimentally on two random samples of US adults (N₁ = 177, N₂ = 156). Results are discussed in the light of their implications for the theory of dyadic morality and responses to a new pandemic by government and company organisations as regulated by political ideology.

Exposure to diversity initiatives can foster positive attitudes among dominant group members in some cases but spark unintended backlash in others. We aim to clarify these mixed effects from the perspective of normative influences on individuals' motivation. We hypothesised that students' perceptions of peer and university norms have distinct motivational pathways that drive pro-diversity attitudes and behaviours. In this experiment, White students at a Canadian university (N = 270; M_age = 21.68) were exposed to either posters featuring campus-wide diversity initiatives or non-diversity-related posters. We found that exposure to diversity posters (vs. control) heightened students' perceptions of both peer and institutional diversity norms, but with contrasting mediating effects. Specifically, students who perceived strong peer norms were more internally motivated to avoid prejudice and showed greater support for various diversity initiatives, policies and ideologies. In contrast, students who perceived strong institutional norms were more motivated by external rather than internal reasons, leading to a decreased appreciation for diversity. These findings underscore the motivational impacts of different social norms in diversity initiatives. Understanding individuals' motivations and their normative influences can provide better insights into fostering more internalised diversity attitudes.

This study investigates the role of some psychological variables associated with populist attitudes, specifically focusing on Conspiracy Mentality (CM) and Uncertainty Avoidance (UA). This approach allows for the examination of both belief-system orientations and cognitive predispositions in explaining the psychological underpinnings of populism. Although CM has been previously linked to populism, our research reveals new insights into the interaction between UA and political orientation. Using data from a representative sample of 1000 Italians, we show that CM is consistently associated with populist attitudes across the political spectrum. Whereas, UA's impact is moderated by political orientation, influencing populist attitudes primarily among right-leaning individuals. These findings highlight the complex interplay of psychological factors and ideological leanings, contributing to the growing understanding of how epistemic and existential motivations might shape populist beliefs. This study advances the field by highlighting differentiated psychological patterns in populist attitudes, with UA emerging as especially salient among conservatives.

Asylum seekers face higher mental health risks than quota and other refugee groups. In Finland, reception centres organise health and social services for asylum seekers. This study examines how asylum seekers make sense of mental health and mental health support to help improve the services. This qualitative study involved ten semi-structured interviews. Asylum seekers were interviewed in person in four reception centres across Finland between November 2023 and March 2024. Interviews focused on mental health, mental health support, and reception centre environment. Thematic analysis was applied to the transcribed interviews. Asylum seekers viewed mental health through a holistic mind–body connection. Uncertainty about past, present, and future negatively impacted their mental health. Trust in two-way conversational support from professionals was crucial. Asylum seekers employed self-supportive strategies defined by collectivistic viewpoints. Meaningful activities served as distractions, though accessibility was influenced by reception centre locations. Reception centre professionals can support asylum seekers by providing personalised assistance and information about activities tailored to individual needs. Open communication, built on honest, consistent, and equal treatment, is essential. Educating professionals about asylum seekers' perceptions of mental health helps build cultural sensitivity and awareness. Providing psychoeducation to asylum seekers can foster a shared understanding and enhance the availability and effectiveness of mental health support.

Positive intergroup contact promotes positive outgroup attitudes (primary transfer effect; PTE), and these primary outgroup attitudes can generalise to other outgroups (the secondary transfer effect; STE). However, experimental evidence demonstrating the STE is rare. We collected data from 116 White South African female participants using a pretest-posttest-delayed-posttest design with randomised allocation across three conditions (direct contact, vicarious contact, control), in the first simultaneous laboratory experimental test of the STE of both direct and vicarious contact. Participants in the vicarious contact condition observed another White South African female (an ingroup friend) in the direct contact condition completing a Relationship Closeness Induction Task with a female Black (African) South African (primary outgroup) confederate. We found: (1) a PTE for outgroup attitudes (but not trust) at immediate- and delayed-posttest; (2) an STE (for attitudes, but not trust) at immediate- and delayed-posttest: direct and vicarious contact with the primary outgroup improved attitudes towards Coloured South Africans (secondary outgroup) via changes in primary outgroup attitudes; and (3) an STE for a more demanding version of the STE, namely attitude-to-trust generalisation: changes in primary outgroup attitudes promoted changes in secondary outgroup trust at immediate- and delayed-posttest. We discuss the contrasting results we observed for the generalisation of outgroup attitudes versus the generalisation of outgroup trust and offer suggestions for future research. These encouraging results should support future interventions designed to reduce prejudice across multiple outgroups.

This paper explores community members' perspectives on the developmental value of classical music ensemble participation for children and young people based in the North-West of England. Drawing on 16 in-depth individual interviews and one focus group (N = 5), the study discusses how parents, school teachers, music tutors and charity board members (N = 21; age range from 25 to 60 years; 13 females, 8 males) interpret the benefits and challenges associated with learning and performing in an ensemble. Using reflexive thematic analysis supported by NVivo, five interconnected themes were generated, illustrating how community members make sense of ensemble participation as a catalyst for holistic development. Participants described young people's engagement in ensembles as fostering cognitive and academic skills while simultaneously nurturing emotional skills and passion for music. Community members also emphasised the relational and social value of ensemble practice, highlighting the formation of inclusive, ‘family-like communities’ characterised by belonging and reciprocity. Overall, the findings suggest that ensemble programmes provide a powerful context for life-skills development, calling for educational institutions and community organisations to ensure equitable access to high-quality, community-embedded music initiatives and to foreground the holistic potential of ensemble participation. Policymakers are encouraged to recognise the wider developmental and social significance of music education and to strengthen long-term, inclusive funding for ensemble-based provision.

Sport for development (SFD) is a field that leverages sport to advance social development goals. Participatory and sport-didactical approaches, such as football3, prioritise social outcomes over competitive success. However, evidence of their effectiveness remains limited. This study presents results from a field experiment in Bulgaria, comparing schoolchildren engaged in the participatory football3 method to peers playing traditional football. We assess both on-pitch and off-pitch outcomes relevant to SFD, including life skills, social awareness, and school adaptation. Findings show that football3 encourages values like respect over excellence but also increases on-pitch conflict. Off the pitch, we observe mixed results: modest improvements in school adaptation, declines in some life skills, and mostly no effects on social awareness. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's community and social impact statement.

Media representations of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people have become more frequent and have the potential to influence how readers feel and think about them. Across two experimental studies, we tested how news articles featuring positive, negative, and neutral representations of TGD people and issues influence the attitudes of cisgender people toward TGD people. Study 1 (N = 730; between-participants) revealed an indirect effect of the articles' valence on cognitive attitudes through the mediation of feelings: an article with positive valence increased positive feelings, which in turn increased positive cognitive attitudes toward TGD people. Study 2 (N = 387; mixed between- and within-participants) showed that an article with negative valence directly worsened cognitive and affective attitudes toward TGD people compared to baseline attitudes (measured 1 week before). Stronger positive feelings were linked to more positive cognitive, behavioural, and affective attitudes, while stronger negative feelings were linked to more negative affective attitudes. However, emotional responses varied according to participants' pre-existing attitudes. These results highlight the importance of valence in news media representations of TGD people by documenting how feelings elicited upon reading articles can influence attitudes toward them.

This paper reports on an exploratory design-led case study on how to achieve a stronger coupling of human wellbeing and material resource flow as a strategy to contribute to reducing textile consumption for the Circular Economy. The significance of wellbeing and sustainability for consumer experiences is discussed. The Wellbeing Framework for Consumer Experiences in the Circular Economy of the Textile Industry is introduced, this engages with both hedonic short-term pleasure-seeking—usually associated with fashion consumption and eudaimonic dimensions of wellbeing. The study methodology consists of a novel ‘living lab’ in the form of a speculative retail environment consisting of alternative circular consumer experiences, products and prototype services in the context of circular textile consumption. The study participants' experiences and the meanings of wellbeing to them in the context of sustainable consumption are presented and discussed. These findings flesh out, validate and refine the Wellbeing Framework elements and dimensions and demonstrate its operationalisation as a design strategy to facilitate meaningful sustainable consumer experiences. The paper concludes that designing consumer experiences to amplify human wellbeing is a viable circular strategy and that the Wellbeing Framework can contribute to this design process.