European Journal of Social Psychology最新文献

Progressive taxation is an effective way of redistributing wealth and reducing economic inequality, as such its promotion through efficient communication strategies is a key goal. Drawing on construal level theory, we test in five studies whether attitudes towards progressive taxation are improved by high (vs. low) construal communication focusing on generic (vs. specific) taxes that are temporally distant (vs. close). In two experiments (Studies 1 and 2, N​​_total = 522), we orthogonally manipulated the specificity and temporal distance of a tax proposal to disentangle the two sources of construal. Generic tax proposals obtained more consensus than specific ones, while no effect of the temporal distance was found. In Studies 3 (N = 373) and 4 (N = 353), the effect of generic tax proposals was mediated by their enhanced perceived importance. Moreover, we found that specific descriptions of taxes were also functional in promoting support, but only when containing multiple (vs. single) taxes. Study 5 (N = 499, pre-registered) provides compelling results for the central role of perceived importance, which proved as a consistent mediator, resistant to counter-argumentation. Together, our studies suggest that progressive taxation is supported when a radical change in the system is envisioned: A single progressive tax is not enough. Practical implications for tax communication are discussed.

Humans are hardwired to seek out social connections, as well as monitor for warning signs that their belonging may be at risk. Social identities provide a mechanism through which to monitor belonging, shaping how people understand and see themselves, as well as how they are perceived by others. This large qualitative study (n = 203) presents a dual-pathway model of masculinity threats for self-identified gay and straight men, integrating theoretical models of the psychological need to belong, role congruity theory and social identity theory. Using reflexive thematic analysis to code descriptions of masculinity-threatening experiences, we identified two contexts in which threats were experienced: (1) through private and public experiences of role incongruity and (2) through public experiences with social rejection. Furthermore, the content of threats experienced spanned six themes: (a) perceived femininity; (b) deviation from heteronormativity; (c) competency; (d) physical prototypicality; (e) social prototypicality and (f) sociometer. Notably, the few men who felt they had never experienced a masculinity threat before were more likely to believe this was due to the positive regard and self-esteem they derive from their connections with others. The findings complement and extend the existing research on masculinity threats in meaningful ways: First, they show that gender-role incongruity can lead to masculinity threats for both straight and gay men. Second, they highlight that social inclusion also plays a significant role in both gay and straight men's experiences with masculinity. Furthermore, the findings have important implications for understanding when, and for whom, masculinity threats may lead to antisocial behaviours.

Virtual communication on digital-meeting platforms is increasingly common in work, educational and other settings. One contentious issue concerns camera use. Some suggest keeping the camera off to mitigate ‘Zoom fatigue’, whereas others argue that keeping the camera on is a sign of dedication and engagement. Here, we conducted an experiment to examine the effects of camera use from two perspectives: the perspective of actors and observers. Participants were randomly assigned to have their camera on or off while working in small groups over Zoom; we further varied whether everyone in the group had the camera on or off or whether the camera use was mixed. Following the virtual interactions, participants reported their experiences of the interaction and their perceptions of others in a round-robin design. Turning the camera off (vs. on) resulted in being perceived as less engaged, less moral and less suitable for a leadership role by other group members, but had minimal impact on the actors' experiences (self-reported engagement, fatigue or well-being). One exception was higher self-reported fatigue levels in participants who had a natural preference to be off camera but were assigned to switch the camera on. A comparison of self and observer reports showed that people underestimated the engagement of off-camera targets. Our findings inform the social psychological research on the differences in self and other perceptions and the research on digital communication and well-being.

Social class profoundly affects people in a wide range of ways, leaving its mark on individuals’ behaviour, cognition, experiences and outcomes. Social class also plays a role in social perception, and, in this review, I provide a snapshot of the current body of knowledge related to the social perception of social class. Specifically, I review research examining accuracy and bias in social-class perceptions from nonverbal cues, in addition to the consequences of these perceptions. Altogether, perceivers show some accuracy in judging individuals’ social class from various nonverbal cues, indicating that nonverbal behaviour provides signal to individuals’ social class and that perceivers can detect this. A large body of evidence simultaneously highlights substantial bias in social-class perceptions, with social-class stereotypes meaningfully affecting impressions. Finally, research illustrates the broad range of consequences of social-class perceptions, perhaps most importantly in the domain of competence and hiring judgments, which can serve to perpetuate inequality.

The special issue focuses on the social–psychological mechanisms behind corruption, emphasizing the role of social norms, power dynamics, cultural perspectives and gender in shaping corrupt behaviours. The special issue highlights the importance of understanding how shared expectations, cultural influences and organizational structures sustain or mitigate unethical conduct. By integrating interdisciplinary approaches, the collection presents new insights into corruption that go beyond traditional explanations. Studies in the special issue explore interventions targeting social norms to reduce bribery, examine moral judgements of corruption across different cultural contexts, investigate how power asymmetries within organizations perpetuate corruption and show how gendered dynamics, particularly in cases of sextortion, shape responses to corruption. The special issue underscores the significance of using diverse methodologies, including qualitative research, to better understand corruption and inform more effective anti-corruption policies.

Individuals form impressions of others’ social-class standing from nonverbal information, including facial appearance. Whether the facial cues relating to (perceptions of) social class generalize across different contexts and class measures (e.g., income and subjective status) remains unknown. We tested which facial cues relate to actual and perceived social class using multiple social-class measures in two contexts: Canada (using contemporary lab-based photos) and Iceland (using mid-20th-century yearbook photos). Results show that facial appearance reveals and predicts impressions of social class broadly (vs. only for specific measures). Greater facial Attractiveness (attractiveness/competence/health) and Positivity (affect/warmth) related to higher social-class standing in both contexts, suggesting that social class influences facial appearance similarly in different environments. Attractiveness also primarily explained social-class perceptions. Validity and utilization of other cues, however, differed between contexts, and we observed perception accuracy only for Canadian targets. These findings provide a more complete understanding of accuracy and bias in perceiving social class.