Journal of Social Psychology最新文献

The current study sought to extend an understanding of how individual differences related to hedonic (pleasure-oriented) purchase goals affect persuasion and ad liking. Specifically, we investigated the effect of differences in consumers' hedonic versus utilitarian goals and the desire to engage in purchase-related conversations (conversational tendencies) on responses to advertisements with either a hedonic or utilitarian focus. We also examined feelings of missing out as a factor that leads to a preference for hedonic messaging. Our experiment (N = 286) measured consumer goals and conversational tendencies and then randomly assigned participants to see either a hedonic or utilitarian ad. Hedonic goal seekers and those with a greater fear of missing out showed a higher preference for hedonic advertisements, but conversational tendencies (the tendency to talk about the purchase category) did not create a difference in ad preference.

Latinx Americans are often stereotyped as perpetual foreigners, perceived as low in both ethnic nationalism (shared heritage and language) and civic nationalism (commitment to national ideals). We examine whether displaying national symbols on clothing affects perceptions of their nationalism. In Study 1 (N = 302), participants rated images of a White or Latinx man wearing a U.S. Army symbol or no symbol. The Latinx man was rated lower in both types of nationalism compared to the White man. However, displaying a national symbol increased perceptions of civic nationalism for both, and ethnic nationalism specifically for the Latinx man. Study 2 (N = 301) replicated these results, showing that a Latinx man wearing an American flag was perceived as higher in ethnic and civic nationalism than without a symbol. These findings demonstrate that trait-related symbols can influence the traits and behaviors attributed to members of groups stereotypically perceived as lacking them.

The purpose of this research was to examine people's fear and perception of threat toward artificial intelligence (AI) as a function of various psychological features attributed to it. To investigate this, participants (Exp. 1, N = 206) read descriptions of AI with high or low cognitive and emotional capabilities. They were most (least) averse to AI described as having the strongest (weakest) of these capabilities (Exp. 1). Similarly, in Experiment 2, a representative U.S. sample (N = 686) was more afraid of and threatened by AI described as having equally strong cognitive and emotional capabilities than AI described as with weaker capabilities (weak cognition, strong emotion), but that pattern was reversed when the faculties were attributed to pharmacologically altered humans. These findings provide evidence for competing predictions about the configuration of these faculties to evoke negateve responses. Furthermore, they provide a novel test of these competing predictions applied to AI.

To understand how laypeople define empathy, Hall, Schwartz, and Duong (2021) asked U.S. participants to rate how well items from various empathy measures matched their own definitions. The current paper (N = 549) is a replication of Hall, Schwartz, and Duong (2021, Study 2) using a highly similar study procedure, with a small extension consisting of items from an emotional contagion scale. We conducted a multi-group CFA to test the replicability of Hall et al.'s model, but the factor structure was not replicated. As an extension, we conducted an exploratory graph analysis (EGA), that revealed a similar factor structure, though some items were discarded due to poor fit. Additionally, the ranking of the items (i.e. what the participants saw as closest to their definition of empathy) shows the same pattern as in the original study. We consider this to be a successful partial replication of Hall et al.'s (2021) findings.

Two experiments examined online information sharing. Specifically, we explored a situation in which a proximate secondhand source repeated information of an obscure factual nature that was derived from an originating source with a discrepant or similar credibility level. Secondhand information did not always increase or decrease the perceived validity of information. Rather, the perceived validity of secondhand information depended on the relationship between the credibility level of the secondhand source and its originating source. We used a weighted averaging model as an overarching account of our results. We also discuss differences between information sharing and research findings in the attitude, rumor, and truth effect literatures as well as future research directions and implications for social media and online information sharing.

Empathy is susceptible to contextual cues that alter empathic reactions. When empathy is associated with unbearable discomfort, anticipated emotional pain, or financial burden, people tend to downregulate it. Reduced empathy has destructive consequences, but to date, the contextual antecedents of reduced empathy in close relationships due to perceived costs remain unexplored. In three studies (N = 733), we examined how the perceived cost of empathy influenced empathic responses toward close friends. When empathizing with a friend involved sharing negative emotions or where the friend hindered a valuable opportunity, participants consistently showed reduced empathy for friends. Moreover, they allocated less time to spend with their friends. These findings suggest that the perceived cost undermines empathic experiences in friendship. When people perceive a downside of empathy, their close friends may no longer be within the sphere of empathic concern.

Numerous terms are frequently used to refer to poor people (i.e. "needy," "impoverished"). Despite ostensibly used to refer to the same social category, little research has investigated how different labels impact perceptions of the poor. Three studies investigated how different labels for poor people differentially predicted dehumanization of the poor and, in turn, opposition to welfare. Study 1 identified (from 20) labels that participants indicated similar familiarity and referred to the same social category but differed in valence. Studies 2 and 3 had participants indicate their dehumanizing perceptions of poor people varying in label and indicate their support for welfare programs. Results indicated that "Broke" people were dehumanized more than "In Need" people despite referring to the same social category. In turn, greater dehumanization predicted less support for welfare policies designed to benefit the poor. Discussion surrounds the importance of understanding the language surrounding discussions of the poor and welfare.

This study examined the predictive effect of day-to-day variations in sleep on self-reported social motivation and social activity in 126 parents of young children with sleep problems. Controlling for other sleep factors, worse subjective sleep quality predicted less morning sociability and social motivation throughout the day. Unexpectedly, longer sleep duration predicted less social activity the following day. Sleepiness at wakeup predicted morning sociability, but not social motivation or activity throughout the day. This highlights the importance of good sleep quality for motivation to socialize, but also the complexity of investigating the relationship between sleep and social measures in daily life.

Although previous research has explored how social comparison influences types of consumer behaviors, little attention has been paid to the impact on variety-seeking. This study investigates how variety-seeking behavior serves as a compensatory tool for consumers to cope with the threats posed by upward comparison. Through four experimental studies, we find that upward comparison (vs. downward comparison) motivates consumers to restore their sense of control by engaging in more variety-seeking (Studies 1, 2, and 3). However, this effect is contingent on the type of relationship orientation. In competitive relationships, receiving information about someone else's excellence diminishes self-development, reduces the sense of control, and leads to an increase in variety-seeking. Conversely, in cooperative relationships, information about someone else's excellence helps achieve a desired goal, thereby weakening the impact of upward comparison on the sense of control (Study 4). The findings significantly contribute to the understanding of consumer behavior in the context of social comparison and have important implications for marketing strategy.

In this paper, we use data from a longitudinal online study to examine how characteristics of prosocial behaviors influence the level of positive affect they produce. Although much work has found that prosocial behaviors benefit those who enact them, the question remains if and how these effects vary based on characteristics of those acts. Using models that adjust for co-occurrence among act characteristics, we find that positive affect produced by prosocial acts is greater for those acts that: involve giving money or items, are seen as unusually kind, elicit positive feedback, and are varied over time. However, we find that the actor's relationship to the beneficiary, reaping benefits from prosocial acts, and the number of successive acts made no difference in terms of resultant positive affect. We conclude with a discussion of potential mechanisms explaining these differing effects and explore practical implications for kindness interventions.