Journal of Social Psychology最新文献

There is a Chinese proverb saying that "when the debts are paid, the body feels light." From the perspective of embodied cognition, there may be a connection between indebtedness and the sensation of physical burden. However, the relationship between the two aspects has not been fully examined. The present research investigated the bidirectionality between indebtedness and physical burden through two studies. In Study 1, we examined the effect of the manipulation of indebtedness on the judgment of a hill slant, which varies by physical burden. Results revealed that participants in the indebted condition judged the hill as steeper than those in the control condition, while repaying the debt eliminated this effect. In Study 2, we found that physical burden enhanced the participants' perception of debt. Consistent with an embodied perspective on cognition, findings suggested the bidirectionality between indebtedness and physical burden and supported embodied simulation theory.

Drawing from social cognitive theory, we hypothesize that leader learning goal orientation is associated with follower learning goal orientation, which in turn is associated with follower adaptive performance. Additionally, we investigate whether a dark-side personality characteristic - follower narcissism - has the potential to disrupt the leader-to-follower learning goal orientation social cognitive process. Our findings support our hypotheses such that follower learning goal orientation mediates the effect of leader learning goal orientation on follower adaptive performance, and that follower narcissism diminishes the indirect effect of leader learning goal orientation on follower adaptive performance via follower learning goal orientation. Theoretical and practical implications specific to follower social cognitive processes, narcissism, and adaptive performance are discussed.

This study extends the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model by incorporating regulatory focus (promotion vs. prevention) as a moderator, examining its impact on job engagement among public sector employees (n = 306). The results show that employees with a promotion focus are more likely to experience increased engagement when facing challenge stressors, as they perceive such stressors as growth opportunities. Conversely, employees with a prevention focus show reduced negative effects from hindrance stressors, as they seek stability and are more focused on avoiding risks. The findings highlight the importance of regulatory fit in job design, suggesting that aligning job demands with individual motivational tendencies can improve engagement. Promotion-focused employees benefit from opportunities for leadership and innovation, while prevention-focused employees thrive in structured environments prioritizing risk management. Tailored training programs in areas like stress management and communication can further support these employees, enhancing engagement and overall organizational performance.

Prior research has shown that U.S. cultures of honor have higher rates of depression and suicide. While links between honor endorsement and suicide have been established in the literature, a direct test of the primary mechanism underlying this association (reputation damage leading to depression) has not yet been tested. The current study sought to address whether shifts in perceived reputation might be associated with higher levels of depression for honor endorsing individuals. An online sample of 305 participants were tracked across two time points, assessing perceived individual reputation and perceived family reputation, as well as depressive symptoms. Analyses revealed that higher levels of honor concern at Time 1 were linked with higher levels of depressive symptoms at Time 2, but only for those with low perceived reputation - these relationships held while controlling for the stability in reputation and depression across time points, as well as controlling for participants' gender. Findings provide the first empirical evidence that reputation damage may contribute to detriments in mental health in honor endorsers.

The present study explored how knowledge (Study 1) and inferences (Study 2) about religiosity influence impressions of morality depending on whether effort is exerted to reach a morally controversial decision. In Study 1, undergraduates judged a [religious/nonreligious] doctor who exerted [little/great] effort into their decision to euthanize a patient. Results indicated that when the doctor was nonreligious or exerted low effort, they were considered less moral compared to when they were religious or exerted high effort. In Study 2, Turk Prime participants evaluated a doctor who decided in favor or against euthanizing a patient, with the same effort manipulation as Study 1. Results indicated that the doctor who favored euthanasia was considered less religious than the doctor who did not. As in Study 1, greater morality was associated with the doctor who exerted greater effort, particularly when they favored euthanasia. When the doctor favored euthanasia, they were rated as more moral when their background was inferred to be more religious; however, the opposite pattern of results emerged when the doctor decided against euthanasia.

Perceptions of trustworthiness foster feelings of swift trust and, in turn, yield positive outcomes in virtual teams. However, limited research has investigated the effects of trustworthiness on trust formation and online risk-taking in unfamiliar dyads. We manipulated the trustworthiness of a pseudo-player (untrustworthy vs trustworthy) in the first of two interactive online games and recorded the participant's risk-taking behaviour (number of high-risk decisions and investment size) in the second game. We expected a direct and a trust-mediated effect of untrustworthiness on risk-taking. Although our preregistered hypotheses were not supported, exploratory analyses revealed that participants playing with the untrustworthy player were less willing to trust them and, in turn, took significantly fewer high-risk decisions during the first phase of the second game than participants playing with the trustworthy player. No effect was found for investment size. Our results suggest that perceptions of trustworthiness indirectly influence online risk-taking behaviour by informing trust.

The present study examined the thematic composition and temporal evolution of social psychology through a co-citation network analysis of 80,350 articles published from 1970 through 2022. Six primary thematic clusters were identified: a broad "Classic Social Psychology" cluster most prominent in the 1970s and 1980s; "Traits & Affect" and "Social Cognition" clusters most influential in the 1990s; and "The Self," "Intergroup Relations," and "Big Five" clusters emerging after 2000. A small seventh cluster dedicated to COVID-19 and conspiracy theories emerged around 2021. These trends fit a narrative of generational shifts within distinct social and personality psychology traditions.

This study determined the relation of Implicit Age Bias among respondents aged 20-59 years of age to the 2020 Alzheimer's disease (AD) prevalence among residents 65 years and over with the 48 contiguous American states as analytic units. This implicit measure of state ambient ageism correlated .69 with state AD prevalence and persisted in multiple regression equations considering several controls including older adult poverty rate, high school graduation, bachelor's degree attainment, and multiple chronic conditions. Based on stereotype embodiment theory, the assumption is that the influence of external state-level age bias combined with the personal experiences of state residents leads to the general internalization of negative age stereotypes and ultimately to higher state AD prevalence. The speculation is that such internalization at the individual level leads to adoption of unhealthy behaviors and stress accumulation that eventually produces immunological deficiencies, infections, and inflammation conducive to AD onset and progression.

To determine whether relationship status moderates sexual prejudice, we compared heterosexual men and women's self-reported social distancing toward gay and lesbian targets who varied in relationship status (coupled, single, no information). Relationship status of gay male targets did not affect responses (Study 1): heterosexual men reported increased social distancing toward gay compared to heterosexual male targets, whereas women did not. Similarly, in Study 2, heterosexual men reported increased social distancing toward lesbian compared to heterosexual female targets, but women did not, and men reported decreased social distancing toward single lesbian women. Working from an affordance management approach, Study 3 replicated Studies 1 and 2, testing potential mediators of effects. In particular, heterosexual men reported increased social distancing toward gay male targets, compared to responses from heterosexual women. Moreover, heterosexual women reported increased social distancing toward single, compared to coupled, lesbian targets, mediated through perceptions of undesired sexual interest from the target. This work demonstrates the nuanced nature of sexual prejudice and provides further evidence of the role of perceptions of undesired sexual interest in prejudiced responses toward lesbian and gay individuals.

Empathy, whether state or trait, is an individual's ability to adopt another's perspective, feel another's feelings, or identify with another's situation (Campbell & Babrow, 2004; Davis, 1983; Nezlek etal., 2007). Research reliably shows relationships between empathy and parasocial interactions (e.g. psychological engagements with fictional characters; Giles, 2002; Tsao, 1996; Zillmann, 1994). The current study sought to identify the relationship between the type of parasocial interactions and subsequent changes in state-level empathy via an experimental design. Results indicate state-level empathy changes are contingent upon valence (i.e. Favorite vs. Least Favorite) and status (i.e. Real vs. Parasocial) of the imagined interaction.