symposium: understanding aggression in intimate...
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Symposium:UNDERSTANDINGAGGRESSIONININTIMATECONTEXTS:EXAMININGTHEIMPORTANTROLEOFSEXISTATTITUDES,POWER,ANDMASCULINITY.
Chair:EmilyJ.Cross,UniversityofAuckland
Aggressionwithinintimatecontextsroutinelypredictsdestructiveoutcomes,yetresearchisjustbeginningtounderstandthecomplexnatureofthisbehaviour.Weexamineseveralimportanttheoreticalandsituationalvariables(e.g.sexistattitudes,biasedperceptionsofpower,situationalpower,andmasculinity)todeterminewhenandwhyaggressionemergesinromanticrelationships.
ROMANTICDEPENDENCEASABATTLEFORPOWER:MEN’SHOSTILESEXISMPREDICTSRELATIONSHIPNEGATIVITYVIABIASEDPERCEPTIONSOFSUPPORT1MatthewD.Hammond,2NickolaC.Overall
1VictoriaUniversityofWellington,2UniversityofAuckland
Menwhoendorsehostilesexismaggressivelycompetewithwomenincareerandpoliticaldomains.Weconsideredanewcontextrelevanttothepowerconcernsofhostilesexism—needingsupportfromaromanticpartner.Menwhoendorsehostilesexismshouldunder-perceivesupport,andduetothesenegativelybiasedperceptions,evaluatetheirpartnersmorenegatively.Weassessedonehundredromanticcouples’supportbehaviorsandrelationshipevaluations(1)astheydiscussedapersonallyimportantgoaland(2)inmonthlyquestionnairesoversixmonths.Menwhomorestronglyendorsedhostilesexismunderestimatedthesupporttheyreceivedinthediscussionandovertime,usingtheirfemalepartner’sreportsandobjectivecodersasbenchmarks.Men’shostilesexism,vianegativelybiasedperceptionsofsupport,predictedmorenegativeevaluationsofpartnersafterthediscussionandovertime.Thesefindingsunderscoretheimportanceofconsideringsupportanddependenceinunderstandingthepowerconcernsandnegativityofhostilesexism.
ANINTERDEPENDENCEACCOUNTOFSEXISMANDPOWER:MEN’SHOSTILESEXISMBIASEDPERCEPTIONSOFLOWPOWER,ANDRELATIONSHIPAGGRESSION
1EmilyJ.Cross,2NickolaC.Overall,3RachelS.T.Low,4JamesK.McNulty
1,2,3UniversityofAuckland,4FloridaStateUniversity
Protectingmen’spowerisfundamentaltotheoriginandexpressionofhostilesexism(HS),yetnopriortheoreticalorempiricalworkhasspecifiedhowhostilesexismshapesexperiencesofpower.Contrastinganintergroupversusinterdependenceperspective,fourstudiesshowthatmenwhoendorseHSperceivedthemselvestohavelowerpowerintheirrelationships,whichinturnpredictedgreateraggressiontowardpartnersasreportedoverthelastyear(Studies1-2),reportedbybothpartnersduringcouples’dailyinteractions(Study3),andobservedduringcouples’video-recordedconflictdiscussions(Study4).ThelinksbetweenHS,power,andaggressionwerespecifictomenperceivinglowerrelationshippowerratherthandesiringgreaterrelationshippower(Studies1-2).Moreover,theselowerperceptionswerebiased;menwhoendorsedHSunderestimatedthepowertheyhadintheirrelationships(Studies3-4).Theseresultsillustratethatmen’sHSproducesbiasedperceptionsthattheylackrelationshippower,whichfostersaggressiontowardpartners.
WHENPOWERPREDICTAGGRESSION:THEIMPORTANTROLESOFSITUATIONALPOWERANDMASCULINITY
1NickolaC.Overall,2MatthewD.Hammond,3JamesK.McNulty,4EliJ.Finkel
1UniversityofAuckland,2VictoriaUniversityofWellington,3FloridaStateUniversity,4NorthwesternUniversity
Researchexaminingwhetherpowerpromotesaggressioninintimaterelationshipshasproducedcontradictoryevidence.Fivestudiesdemonstratethatlowrelationshippowerpredictsgreateraggressiontowardintimatepartners,but(1)onlywhensituationalpowerislow,and(2)particularlybymenbecausemasculinityinvolvesthepossessionanddemonstrationofpower.Menlowerinrelationshippowerweremoreaggressiveduringcouples’conflictdiscussions,supportdiscussionsanddailyinteractions,butonlywhentheycouldnotinfluencetheirpartner(Studies1-3)orwerehighlydependentontheirpartnerforsupport(Studies3-4)andthushadlowsituationalpower.Afinalstudydemonstratedthatmenlowinrelationshippowerbehavedaggressivelywhentheyfacedlowsituationalpowerbecausetheyfeltlessmanly(Study5).Theseresultsdemonstratethatfullyunderstandingwhenandwhypowerisassociatedwithaggressionrequiresdifferentiatingbetweenrelationshipandsituationalpower,andidentifyingthepower-relevantsituationsthatreliablyproducegenderdifferences.
WHENMASCULINITYPREDICTSAGGRESSION:THEIMPORTANTMODERATINGROLEOFMASCULINEGENDERROLESTRESS
1AugusteHarrington,2NickolaC.Overall,3MatthewD.Hammond,4EmilyJCross
1,2,4UniversityofAuckland,3VictoriaUniversityofWellingtonPriorresearchsuggeststhatmencomparedtowomenaremorelikelytoreactaggressivelytolowrelationshippowerwithaggressionbecauselowpowerthreatensmasculinity.Wetestedthishypothesisbyexaminingwhethermenhighinmasculinegenderrolestress,whofindthreatstomasculinityparticularlystressful,reportgreateraggressiontowardintimatepartnerswhentheypossesslowrelationshippower.Intwohighlypoweredstudies(Study1,N=463;Study2,N=452),menandwomenreportedontheirperceivedrelationshippower,physicalaggressiontowardstheirpartneracrossthepastyear,andmasculinegenderrolestress.Lowerrelationshippowerwasassociatedwithgreateraggression,butthislowpower-aggressionassociationwasonlyevidentformenhigh(andnotlow)inmasculinegenderrolestress.Theseresultsprovideevidencethatlowrelationshippowerthreatensmasculinity,butonlymenwhofindmasculinitythreatsstressfulrespondwithaggressiontorestoretheirpowerandmasculinity.
Symposium
FROM COMPETITION TO COOPERATION: IMPROVING SOCIAL RELATIONS THROUGH COLLECTIVEACTION,PERSPECTIVETAKINGANDPARADOXICALTHINKING
Chair:EmmaF.Thomas,FlindersUniversity
There are lots of differentmethods for improving social relations: people can challenge injusticethrough(conventionalor radical)collectiveactions;perspectivetakingmaydecreasetheprejudiceof majority group members; and entrenched hostility can be challenged through paradoxicalthinking.Thissymposiumexaminescurrentresearchinvolvingthesedifferentmethods.
ABSTRACTS
WHEN DO THE ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS? THE ROLE OF MORALIZING TALK IN PROMOTINGCONVENTIONALANDRADICALCOLLECTIVEACTION
EmmaF.Thomas1,WinnifredR.Louis2,CraigMcGarty3,AlisonJClark41FlindersUniversity,2TheUniversityofQueensland,3WesternSydneyUniversity,4MurdochUniversity
Moralizationhasbeenshowntobeanantecedentofbothconventionalcollectiveaction(‘politicalengagement’), as well as radical actions (‘political extremism’). Two studies, conducted in thecontext of animal welfare and environmental management, show that moral positioning has thegreatest force on political engagement and uniquely promotes extremism when those moralpositions come to be seen as validated aspects of social relations through talk. Study 1 (N=297)employs an online chat paradigm, comparing the effects of social validation (present/absent) andthe (measured) moral content of an online interaction. As the tone of the interaction becameincreasingly moralized, the relationship between shared grievance and commitment to bothconventional and radical forms of action to support animal welfare increased. Study 2 (N=133)extendstheeffecttodecisionsaboutenvironmentalmanagement/mining.Resultssuggestthatitisthecombinationofsocialvalidationandmoralissueframingthatcreatestheconditionsforpoliticalextremism.
TRAJECTORIES OF RADICALISATION AFTER THE FAILURE OF PRO-LIFE AND IMMIGRATIONPROTESTS
WinnifredR.Louis1,EmmaF.Thomas2,CraigMcGarty3,CatherineE.Amiot4,FathaliM.Moghaddam5
ZoeMcMaster1,SyasyaGoh11 The University of Queensland,2 Flinders University, 3 Western Sydney University,4 Université duQuébecaMontréal,5GeorgetownUniversity
Twoexperimentsexaminedsupport forconventional,normative formsofcollectiveactionand forextreme or radical forms, as a function of the outcomes of past action. In Experiment 1, amongAmericanwomenwhoidentifiedaspro-choice(N=266),maineffectswerefoundsuchthatfailureled to stronger intentions to engage in conventional and radical action,mediated by disgust, andunexpectedly initial radical action also led to greater intentions to act in both conventional andradicalaction.InExperiment2,forAmericanswhoself-identifiedasopponentsofPresidentTrump’simmigration policies (N=324), the effects of the manipulations were qualified by participants’neuroticism:more neurotic peoplewere significantly less likely to take action after the failure ofinitialaction.Athree-wayinteractionwasalsoobserved,suchthatparticipantslowinneuroticismreportedgreaterintentionstoengageinradicalactionafterthefailureofconventionalaction.
COMPARINGRELIGIOUSANDNATIONALIDENTIFICATIONINTHESUPPORTFORDIFFERENTFORMSOFCOLLECTIVEACTIONAMONSTINDONESIANMUSLIMS
SusiloWibisono1,WinnifredRLouis1,JolandaJetten11TheUniversityofQueensland
Using a Social Identity Theory (SIT) analysis ofmotivators for collective action, we compared thepredictive power of different identities relating to protesters’ religious identity, their nationalidentity, and ethnic identity in predicting different protest intentions. This study evaluatedresponsestotwoexamplesofcollectiveactionby359IndonesianMuslims(78%female,Mage=20.3,SDage=4.5). When predicting collective action in the context of a protest against controversialreligious blasphemy, religious identification had a direct effect on willingness to participate incollective action as well as an indirect effect mediated by efficacy (but not injustice, althoughinjustice was a predictor independently). When predicting protest in favour of free nationaleducation,nationalidentificationdidnotinfluencewillingness,eitherdirectlyorindirectly(althoughefficacy predicted independently). Our results only partially supported the SIMCAmodel and theimplicationofthesefindingsforunderstandingdifferentformsofprotestwillbediscussed.
RESISTINGPERSPECTIVE-TAKING:GLORIFICATIONELICITSTHREATANDPREJUDICEUNDERCONDITIONSOFPERSPECTIVE-TAKING
MariëtteBerndsen1,EmmaF.Thomas1,AnnePedersen2
1FlindersUniversity,2CurtinUniversity
Perspective-takingisoftenusedtoimproveattitudestowardsgroups.Wetestedtheideathattheinstructiontotakeperspectivemayparadoxicallypromoteprejudiceamongstthosewhoglorifytheirnationalingroup.Study1showedthat,amongstAustralianglorifiers,themereinstructiontotaketheperspectiveofanasylumseekerheightenedprejudice.Glorifiersperceiveasylumseekersasarealisticthreat,directlypromotingprejudicebutalsoindirectlythroughdecreasedcompliancewiththetaskinstruction.Study2indicatedthat,wheninstructedtotaketheperspectiveofanasylumseeker,psychologicalreactanceagainsttheinstructionledglorifierstorespondfromtheirownperspective,indirectlyenhancingprejudice.However,whennoperspective-takinginstructionswereprovided,about40%oftheglorifiersdidengageinperspective-taking.Thefindingshighlight(1)thatinvitingperspective-takingcanincreaseprejudiceamongstthosewhoglorifytheirnationalgroupand(2)theroleofidentificationmodeinunderstandingthedivisioninpublicattitudestowardsrefugees.
PARADOXICALTHINKINGASACONFLICTRESOLUTIONINTERVENTION:COMPARISONTOALTERNATIVEINTERVENTIONSANDEXAMINATIONOFPSYCHOLOGICALMECHANISMS
BoazHameiri1,EdenNabet1,DanielBar-Tal1,EranHalperin1
1Tel-AvivUniversity
Conflict-resolution interventions based on paradoxical thinking principles, that is, expressingamplified, exaggerated,or evenabsurd ideas that are congruentwith theheld conflict-supportingsocietal beliefs, have been shown to be an effective avenue of intervention, especially amongindividualswhoare adamant in their views.However, thequestion as towhy these interventionshavebeeneffectivehasremainedunanswered.Inthepresentresearch,wehaveexaminedpossibleunderlying psychological mechanisms, focusing on identity threat, surprise, and generaldisagreement. In a small-scale lab study and a large-scale longitudinal study, we comparedparadoxical thinking interventions with traditional interventions based on providing inconsistentinformation. The paradoxical thinking interventions led rightists to showmore unfreezing of heldconflict-supporting beliefs and openness to alternative information, whereas the inconsistency-basedinterventionstendedtobemoreeffectivewiththecentristparticipants.Bothstudiesprovideevidencethattheeffectsweredrivenbyidentitythreat,surprise,andlowerlevelsofdisagreement.
ANALYSINGTHEWICKEDPROBLEMSOFGENDERINEQUITY
Chair:AnnRogerson,SchoolofPsychology,MasseyUniversity,ManawatūCampus,NewZealand
Ourresearchcollaborationanalyseswickedproblemsofgendermanifestinintimateviolence,exploitation,abuse,exclusionandmarginalisation.Inthissymposiumwedemonstratethescopeofourworkwithexamplesfromcareethics,mediadiscrimination,youthsuicide,intimatepartnerviolence,andgenderandmundanehumourintheworkplace.
ABSTRACTS
GETTINGTOKNOWPARO:CARINGTECHNOLOGIESANDANETHICSOFCARE
AnnRogerson1
1SchoolofPsychology,MasseyUniversity,ManawatūCampus,PalmerstonNorth,NewZealand
ThispresentationexplorestheplaceofPARO,atherapeuticandsocialcompanionrobotwithinwesterncaresettings.CuriousaboutthedifferencesofethicalpositioningofroboticcarerswithinwesternandJapanesecultures,IembarkonajourneytogettoknowJapaneseproducedPAROandtoexplorehowthelittlerobot‘fits’withinethicalconceptsofwhatitmeanstobesubject/artifactamidstwesternsystemsofcontemporarycommodifiedinstitutionalisedcare.Asthejourneyunfolds,IconsiderhowknowingPAROmayopenupdifferentandmoreinclusiveethicalspacestohelpguidehowweperceiveandrespondtootherswithinacaringsituation.
THEPOLITICALASSASSINATIONOFMETIRIATUREA:TENSIONSBETWEENCORPORATEMEDIACOVERAGEANDSOCIALMEDIARESPONSES
AhnyaMartin1,PitaKing1,DarrinHodgetts1,MohiRua2andOttilieStolte2
1SchoolofPsychology,MasseyUniversity,AlbanyCampus,Auckland,NewZealand;2SchoolofPsychology,UniversityofWaikato
Thehistoryofdiscriminatoryimagesofsinglewomenraisingfamilieswithwelfaresupportislengthyandcomplex.Internationally,womeninthesesituationsarecaricaturedas‘welfarequeens’or‘chavmums’.PublicdeliberationsaroundwelfaredependencyinNewZealandoftenpresentcaricaturesofsinglemonthsaccesswelfaresupportasimmoralinwaysthatdemonstrateintersectionsbetweengender,raceandsocialclass.TheseissuesareparticularpointedforMāori.ThispresentationexploresthecaseoftheformerGreenPartyco-Leader(MetiriaTurea)whodisclosedthatasasingle,wahineMāorimotherdecadesagocommittedbenefitfraud.Wewillpresentananalysisofthemediacoverageofthiscasedrawingexamplesfrom350television,radioandnewspaperarticlesandsocialmediaresponses.Theadmissionfromahigh-profilewahineMāorirupturedhegemonicsilencesaroundthehardshipsanddilemmasfacedbywomentryingtosurvivewithinadequatewelfaresupports.Keyresponsesfromconservativeandwealthymediacommentatorsworkedtoclosethisrupturebydiscrediting,denigratingandsilencingMetiriaTurea.TheireffortsfeedintoanonlinestormandheateddebatesthroughwhichotherwahineMāoriwithsimilarexperiencestoMetiria(see#Iammetiria)cameoutineffortstoinformthedebateandtochallengethedenigrationofwomenlivinginpovertybyinvokingthestructuralcausesofpoverty.
DOMESTICVIOLENCE:WHATABOUTTHECHILDREN?
LeighCoombes1
1SchoolofPsychology,MasseyUniversity,ManawatūCampus,PalmerstonNorth,NewZealand
Thereisampleempiricalevidencethatchildrenlivingwithdomesticviolenceisapublichealthproblemofgraveproportions.Andyet,theneedsofchildrenwheredomesticviolenceispresentismostlyunexamined.Thispaperexplorestherelationshipbetweenknowncasesofdomesticviolenceandtherequirementtoprotectchildrenandyoungpeoplefromtheharmscausedtochildrenlivingwithdomesticviolence.Iusecasestudiesofrangitahitomakesenseofthesystemicfactorsthatlinkdomesticviolenceandsuicidesothatitispossibletoputpoliciesandproceduresintoplacetoreducesuicideasanoutcome.
INTIMATEPARTNERVIOLENCE:UNDERREPORTING,GENDERNORMSANDSTEREOTYPES
MandyMorgan1
1SchoolofPsychology,MasseyUniversity,ManawatūCampus,PalmerstonNorth,NewZealand
ThemostrecentNewZealandCrimeandSafetySurvey(2014)estimatesthat76%ofincidentsofintimatepartnerviolenceareunreported.Underreportingisawell-recognisedissueandachallengewithinintheFamilyViolenceInterventionsector.Inthispaper,IdrawonstudiesconductedwithintheDomesticViolenceInterventionsandServicesResearchprogrammetoaddresstheproblemofunderreportinginrelationtotwointersectingissues:Divergentunderstandingsofhowgenderisinvolvedinintimatepartnerviolenceandtheimpactofstereotypesaboutviolenceinthehome.Examininghowparticipantsinourstudiesengagedwithandrespondedtostereotypesandgenderedsocialnormsprovidesinsightsintounderreportinganddirectionsforfutureresearchtobetterunderstandhowshiftinggendernormsandchangingstereotypescouldcontributetoincreasedengagementwithinterventionservicesforpreventingintimatepartnerviolence.
OPENINGACONVERSATION;HUMOURPERFORMINGNORMATIVEGENDEREDVIOLENCE1MelissaRangiwananga1SchoolofPsychology,MasseyUniversity,ManawatūCampus,PalmerstonNorth,NewZealand
ResearchintotheproblemofgenderedviolenceinUniversitieshastendedtofocusonindividualexperiencesofsexualharassmentandsexualassault.Rightlyso.Herethough,wewouldliketotakeastepintothemundanetoopenaconversationaboutaformofgenderedviolencethatresistsrecognitionassuch.Nestledinthedomainsofordinaryhumouritiseasilydismissedas‘justajoke’,leavingthecomplainantwithnothing,notevenasenseofhumour.DrawingonAhmed’s(2010)figureofthefeministkilljoyandBillig'sunderstandingofunlaughter,thispaperquestionspossibilitiesforagencyandresistancebyasking,howdowespeakintohumorousspaceswhenthekilljoyisalreadyascribedwithmeanings?ThisprojectcontributestoawidersocialmovementthatseekstodisplaceanddisrupttheflowofpowerthatnormalisesgenderedviolenceinUniversities;werefuse“tolookawayfromwhathasalreadybeenlookedover”(Ahmed,2010b);#timesup.
SymposiumREDUCINGANGERANDAGGRESSION:NEURALCORRELATESANDPSYCHOLOGICALMECHANISMSChair:JoanneBeames,UniversityofNewSouthWales,AustraliaUncheckedangerandaggressionarewidespreadproblems.Ourunderstandingofthemechanismsunderlyingangerandaggression,aswellaseffectivemethodstoreducetheiroccurrence,remainslimited.Weshedlightonhowalcoholandself-controltrainingchangeneuralresponsesfollowingprovocation,anddiscussthepsychologicalimpactofmindfulnessandhumility.ALCOHOL-INDUCEDPREFRONTALDYSREGULATION:THENEURALCORRELATESOFALCOHOL-RELATEDAGGRESSIONThomasF.Denson11UniversityofNewSouthWales,AustraliaAlcoholintoxicationisimplicatedinapproximatelyhalfofallviolentcrimes.Numeroustheorieshavebeenproposedtoaccountfortheinfluenceofalcoholonaggression.Nearlyallofthesetheoriesimplythatalteredfunctioningintheprefrontalcortexisaproximalcause.Inthepresentfunctionalmagneticresonanceimaging(fMRI)experiment,50healthyyoungmenconsumedeitheralowdoseofalcoholoraplaceboandcompletedanaggressionparadigmagainstprovocativeandnon-provocativeopponents.Provocationdidnotaffectneuralresponses.Relativetosoberparticipants,duringactsofaggression,intoxicatedparticipantsshoweddecreasedactivityintheprefrontalcortex,caudate,andventralstriatum,butheightenedactivationinthehippocampus.Amongintoxicatedparticipantsonly,aggressivebehaviorpositivelycorrelatedwithactivationinthemedialanddorsolateralprefrontalcortex.Theseresultssupporttheoriesthatpositaroleforprefrontalcorticaldysfunctionasanimportantfactorinintoxicatedaggression.NEURALCORRELATESOFPRACTICINGSELF-CONTROL:THEDOMAINOFANGERPROVOCATIONJoanneR.Beames11UniversityofNewSouthWales,AustraliaSelf-controlisfundamentaltoadaptivefunctioning.Althoughself-controlcanbeincreasedthroughtraining(self-controltraining;SCT),theunderlyingmechanismshaveremainedelusive.OurfMRIstudyexaminedwhetherSCTchangesactivityinneuralnetworksrelatedtoself-controlfollowingangerprovocation.Forty-fivehealthyyoungmenandwomencompletedtwo-weeksofSCToractivemonitoringandweretheninsultedduringscanning.Activationinthemiddlefrontalgyrus(MFG),insula,andhippocampusincreasedfrompre-topost-provocationinthecontrol.Traitaggressionpositivelycorrelatedwithprefrontalandsubcorticalregionsrelevanttoangerinbothconditions,whereasnegativelycorrelatedwiththeMFGinthecontrol.Amygdala-prefrontalfunctionalconnectivitywasstrongerintheSCTconditionfollowingprovocation.OurresultssuggestthatSCTreducesthecognitiveeffortneededtoexertcontroloverangryimpulses,andhasbeneficialeffectsforanger-proneindividuals.Theyalsosupportneurologicalandpsychologicaltheoriessuggestingthatangerisaproductofpoorself-control.
MINDFULNESSMAYIMPROVECONFLICTCOMMUNICATIONBETWEENINTIMATEPARTNERSSiobhanO’Dean1
1UniversityofNewSouthWales,AustraliaPeopleinviolentanddistressedintimaterelationshipstendtohavenegativeandhostileconflictdiscussions.Mindfulnessmaybeapotentialstrategytoreducehostilityandincreasepositivecommunicationincouples.Thepresentstudytestedwhether7daysofmindfulnessmeditationpracticecouldhelpcoupleshavemorepositiveandeffectiveconflictdiscussions.Coupleseitherunderwentoneweekofmindfulnesstrainingorlistenedtoaneutralaudio-book.Subsequently,couplesattendedalaboratorysessionwheretheydiscussedanimportantsourceofconflict.Mindfulnessreducednegativityandconflict,andincreasedpositivecommunicationduringtheconflictdiscussion.Mindfulnessdidnotinfluenceaggressivecommunicationtactics.Thepresentfindingsindicatethatmindfulnessmayprovideanovelstrategyforcouplesdealingwithcommunicationdeficitsduringconflict.Significantfindingsarediscussedintermsoftwopotentialmechanismsbehindmindfulness:emotionregulationandempathy.USINGHUMILITYTODOWN-REGULATEANGERANDAGGRESSIONElizabethSummerell1,CindyHarmon-Jones1,ThomasF.Denson1,EddieHarmon-Jones11UniversityofNewSouthWales,AustraliaThistalkpresentsevidencethathumilitymaybeaneffectivemethodofreducingangerandaggression.Angerisanegativeaffectivestateassociatedwithanurgetoinjureatarget,whereasaggressionisthebehaviourintendedtocauseharm(Berkowitz&Harmon-Jones,2004).Incontrast,humilityisapositiveaffectivestatecharacterisedbylowself-focus,genuineappreciationofothers,anaccurateperspectiveofone’splaceintheworld,andopennesstonewideas(Tangney,2000).Wefoundthattraithumilityisinverselyrelatedtotraitanger,andmakesauniquecontributiontopredictingtraitanger,aggression,anddominance.Wealsomanipulatedstatehumilityusinganautobiographicalrecalltask,andfoundthathumilityreducesthemotivationtoaggress.Ourresultswillbediscussedintermsofthepotentialmechanismsunderlyingthiseffect.
Symposium
Culturalresiliencetonature’schallenges:howsocialpsychologycanbeusedtoincreasepreparednessfordisasters
Chair:JohnMcClure1,RonaldFischer1(Email:[email protected])
1VictoriaUniversityofWellington
Naturaldisasterssuchasearthquakesandfloodscausehugeharmandloss.Socialpsychologycanbeengagedtoencourageactionsthatgreatlyreducetheriskfromthesehazards.Thissymposiumpresentsrecentstudiesapplyingnorms,placeattachmentandvaluestoenhanceresilienceandreducetheriskfromthesehazards.
ABSTRACTS
Placeattachmentandhazardresilience:theroleofplaceindisasterpreparedness
AmandaWallis1,RonaldFischer1,WokjeAbrahamse1
1VictoriaUniversityofWellington
NewZealandisexposedtomanynaturalhazards,includingearthquakes,tsunamis,volcaniceruptions,andflooding.Preparednessforthesehazardsiscrucialtoensuringresilienceinthefaceofenvironmentalthreats,yetpreparationratesintheWellingtonregionarelowoverall.SurveyresponsesfromWellington-basedrespondents(N=291)suggestthatpeople’sbondstotheirmeaningfulplaces(placeattachment)areassociatedwiththeirpersonalpreparednessforarangeofhazards.Further,linearregressionmodellingindicatesthat(1)attachmenttodifferentplaces(house,neighbourhood,city,country)differentiallypredictpreparedness,and(2)differenttypesofpreparedness(survival,mitigation,andhelping)arepredictedbydifferentsetsofvariables.Thesefindingshighlightthatamoretargetedapproachtobuildingpreparednessisnecessary.Futureresearchwilltesttheutilityofplaceattachmentasatooltoincreasepreparednessbehaviours,withthegoalofinformingscience-basedinterventionstohelpbuildamoreresilientNewZealand.
Usingsocialnormstoincreasesupportforearthquakelegislation
LaurenVinnell1,TacianoMilfont1,JohnMcClure1
1VictoriaUniversityofWellington
Animportantpartofdisasterpreparednessismitigation:actionstakenbeforeadisastertolimitthedamagecaused.InWellington,NZ,mitigationincludesincreasingthecapabilityofbuildingstowithstandearthquakes.Recentresearchwithalargecommunitysample(N=690)usedsocialnormstoincreasesupportforearthquake-strengtheninglegislation.Aninjunctivenormconveyingamajorityapprovalrateincreasedsupportcomparedtoacontrolcondition.Further,adescriptivenormconveyingtherateatwhichbuildingsarebeingstrengthenedincreasedjudgmentsthattheworkwaspossibletoachievewithinthegiventimeframecomparedtothecontrol.Thetwonormtypeshaddifferingeffectsonjudgmentsrelatingtothelegislation,inlinewithpreviousresearchdemonstratingdiscreteeffects.Further,thesefindingssuggestthatsocialnormscanbeusedto
changejudgmentsaboutabehaviour,notjustthebehaviouritself,andthattheyhavepotentialapplicationswithinthedomainofdisasterpreparedness.
DomitigationactionsinWellingtonsuggestanemergingnormofpreparedness?
JohnMcClure1,LivHenrich1,CaitlinMcCrae1,CaspianLeah1
1VictoriaUniversityofWellington
Despitelegislationrequiringstrengtheningofearthquakepronebuildings,therearesignificantobstaclestoretrofittingthesebuildings.Thisresearchexaminesmitigationactionsfollowingrecentearthquakes.ThestudyobtaineddataoncommercialandpublicbuildingsremovedfromtheWellingtonCityCouncilEarthquake-proneBuildingsListfrom2012to2016duetomitigationactions(e.g.,strengthening).Italsoexaminedvoluntaryhomeassessments.ResultsshowremovalofsignificantnumbersofbuildingsfromtheEQPBList,withstrengtheningbeingthemostfrequentaction.Thisfindingsuggeststhatvariousincentivesareenhancingearthquakepreparation,oftenbeforethelegislativedeadline,suggestinganemergingnorm.Incontrast,thehomeassessmentsdatashowasharpbriefspikeaftertheCookStraitearthquakes.Thisspikesuggeststhatintheabsenceoflegislationorinsuranceincentives,citizens’actionsareonlybrieflyinfluencedbyexperiencingearthquakes.Thesecontrastingfindingssuggestthevalueoflegislationandnormstodrivemitigationactionsforallbuildings.
Values,environmentalactionsandnaturalhazardexposure:Whendovaluesmotivateaction?
RonaldFischer1
1VictoriaUniversityofWellington
Valuesareoftenseenascrucialdriversofbehavior,especiallyinareassuchasenvironmentalprotectionandriskmanagement.Asecondargumentthatisoftenmadeisthatvaluesmotivateactions,butonlywhentheactionsbecomeimportant(e.g.,whenbeingexposedtoenvironmentalthreats)orwhensufficientresourcesareavailableforpeopletoactontheirvalues.Inthecurrentstudy,Iamusingglobaldatafrom59countriesandover59,000participantstoexaminewhethervaluesareindeedcorrelatedwithenvironmentalactionsandriskprotectionandwhethernaturalhazardsexposureaswellasavailableresourcesdoinfluencethelevelofbehaviouralaction.IwillspecificallyfocusondatainthePacificregionandcomparethetrendsfromourlocalregionwithworldwidetrendstohighlightboththecommunalitiesanddifferencesthatneedtobeadoptedinaNZandPacificcontext.
Understandingandbuildingcommunityresiliencetodisasters
D.Paton1,J.SBecker2,D.M.Johnston2
1CharlesDarwinUniversityandMasseyUniversity
2JointCentreforDisasterResearch,GNSScienceandMasseyUniversity
Somepeopleandcommunitiescopewith,adaptto,andrecoverfromdisastersbetterthanothers.Thatis,somepeopleandgroupsaremoreresilientthanothers.Resilienceresearchacrossarangeof
hazardsandindifferentcountriesshowsthatarangeofindividual,communityandsocietal/institutionalfactorsplayinterdependentrolesininfluencingresilience,asdescribedbyCommunityEngagementTheory(CET).Thesefactorsneedtobeconsideredandaccountedforwhendevelopingeffectiveriskcommunicationandcommunityempowermentstrategies.Suchstrategiesshouldincludeavarietyofactivities(e.g.,effectivemessaging,communitymeetings,scenario-building,schoolandworkactivities,drillsandexercises,training,etc.)totargetandbuildondifferentresiliencefactorsandtoaccountforthedifferingstagesofreadinessofpeople.Thefactorsinfluencingresiliencecanalsobeusedasmeasurableindicators,andcanbeusedtoevaluatetheeffectivenessofresilience-buildingactivities.Wewilldiscussthefactorsofresilienceinanearthquakecontext,includingcasestudiesfromWellington.
SymposiumINTERGROUPBENEVOLENCEChairs:CassandraChapman&WinnifredLouis,TheUniversityofQueenslandIntergroupbenevolence—orhelpingacrossgroupboundaries—isanemergingbodyofresearchinsocialpsychologythatdrawsoncontact,solidarity,charitablegiving,volunteering,andmoralityliteratures,amongothers.Fivetalkswillcriticallyexaminethevariousmotives,strategies,outcomes,andpotentialpitfallsofcaringforthoseoutsideourowngroups.ABSTRACTSMAKINGADVANTAGEDRACIALGROUPSCAREABOUTINEQUALITY:INTERGROUPCONTACTASAROUTETOPSYCHOLOGICALINVESTMENTFionaKateBarlow1andLindaR.Tropp21TheUniversityofQueensland,2UMassAmherstWehavewell-developedtheoriestoexplainwhyadvantagedracialgroupswouldbemotivatedtodenyorminimiseinequality,howeveratpresent,weknowrelativelylittleaboutwhyWhitesandotheradvantagedracialgroupsmightbewillingtoacknowledgeorcareaboutracialinequality.Inthistalkweproposethatcontactbetweenracialgroupsoffersoneofthemostpromisingpathwaystoadvancetheseoutcomes.Wereviewestablishedandemergingresearchliteraturesuggestingthatcontactcontributestotheseoutcomesbyencouragingmembersofadvantagedracialgroupstobecomepsychologicallyinvestedintheperspectives,experiences,andwelfareofmembersofdisadvantagedracialgroups.Weproposethatpsychologicalprocessessuchasbuildingempathy,enhancingpersonalrelevance,andhumanisingotherscanfacilitatetheextenttowhichcontactleadstogreaterpsychologicalinvestmentinotherracialgroups.Barrierstobothcontactandcollectiveactionarealsohighlighted.MINORITYSOLIDARITYASACONSEQUENCEOFPERCEIVEDDISCRIMINATIONZahraMirnajafi1,WinnifredLouis1,JolandaJetten1
1TheUniversityofQueenslandInthefaceofperceiveddiscrimination,whathappenstotherelationshipsbetweenvariousdisadvantagedgroups?Doweseesolidaritybuiltamongstgroups,oristhereariseincompetitionbetweengroupsintermsofwhosestruggledeservesmoreconsideration?WeexploredthesequestionsbyexaminingacommunitysampleofMuslimAmericans(N=185).WefoundthatperceiveddiscriminationagainstMuslimspredictsidentificationwithaminorityidentitywhichthenpredictscollectiveactionintentionsforotherminoritygroups.Humanisationofotherminoritygroupsmediatesthelinkbetweenminorityidentityandcollectiveactionintentions.Implicationsforintergroupprocessesandsolidarityresearchwillbediscussed.GIVINGTOBENEFITTHE“SELF”ORHELPING“OTHERS”?IDENTITIESSHAPECHARITYPREFERENCESCassandraM.Chapman1,BarbaraM.Masser1,andWinnifredR.Louis11TheUniversityofQueenslandCharitablegivingisanimportantformofbenevolentorprosocialaction.Oneessential,thoughunderstudied,aspectofgivingishow(andwhy)peoplechoosetosupportcertaincharitiesandneglectothers.SocialIdentityTheory(Tajfel,1981)proposesthatwhenpeoplethinkofthemselvesintermsofgroups,theymayactinlinewithgroupvaluesandfavourotherswhoshareacommon
identity.Informedbythisintergroupapproach,wepresentresultsofathematicanalysisofdonors’ownexplanationsofwhytheysupporttheirfavouritecharity(N=1,852from103differentcountries).DatarevealsaSelf/Otherdichotomyatplayincharitablegiving.Donorstohealthandreligiouscharitiesexplaintheirsupportinrelationto“self”andimportantingroups,suchasthefamilyorchurch.Incontrast,donorstointernational,animal,andsocialwelfarecharitiesfocusmoreonthe“other”,orbeneficiaryidentities.Practicalconsequencesofthesemotivesareconsidered.DOESRELIGIOSITYPROMOTEVOLUNTEERINGFORSECULARORGANISATIONS?KatjaPetrovic1,ArthurStukas1,andMathewMarques11LaTrobeUniversityAlthoughreligiousindividualsvolunteermore,researchhasnoteffectivelyaddressedthequestionofwhetherreligiouslyinspiredprosocialityextendsequallytoallgroups,orislimitedtocertainreligiouslysanctionedothers.Thecurrentstudytestedthesecompetinghypothesesinacommunitysampleof772Australians(67.7%female)agedbetween18and92years(M=45.2,SD=17.7).Consistentwithalimitedprosocialityhypothesis,logisticregressionanalysesshowedthatreligiosity(bothprivatebeliefandserviceattendance)negativelypredictedvolunteeringforsecularcauses.Furtherbreakdownofthedatabyorganisationtypesuggeststhatwhereasreligiousserviceattendancemaypromotevolunteeringforsocialservice-typecauses,religiousbeliefisnegativelyrelatedtovolunteeringforanimal/environmentalandlaw/politics/humanrightscauses.Ourdataareconsistentwiththetheorythatreligiositypromotesvolunteeringforreligiouslysanctionedcausesandgroups,butmayinhibitvolunteeringfordistantorout-grouptargets.FROMCASHTOCRICKETS:THEMORALSIGNIFICANCEOFARESOURCEPROMOTESHUMANCOOPERATIONBrockBastian11TheUniversityofMelbourneEnhancinghumancooperationisofcentralconcerntoenvironmentalmanagementandhumanwelfare.Behaviouralmodelsofcooperationhave,todate,focusedoninter-partydynamicssuchasreciprocity,punishment,orreputationinthedistributionofresourcesgenerallyindexedbypoints,money,oreffort.Thesemodelsfailtoaccountforakeydriverofcooperativebehavior–themoralsignificanceattachedtoresources.Acrosstwobehavioralexperiments(N=253)wefoundthatwhenplayerswereledtobelievethatexhaustingaresourcewouldleadtotheimmediatedeathoflivecricketstheyreducedpersonalconsumption.Thisequatedtoincreasedcooperationandgreaterbenefittocollectiveoutcomes.Furthermore,thisincreasedcooperationwasnotinfluencedbyconcernforfinancialgainorotherplayer’sbehaviourandwasindependentofindividualdifferencefactorsrelatedtocooperation.Ourfindingsprovideinsightintoalargelyuntappedvariable–themoralsignificanceattachedtoresources–throughwhichtoleveragecooperativebehavior.
SYMPOSIUM
EMOTIONSINEVERYDAYLIFE
Chairs:EliseK.Kalokerinos,TheUniversityofNewcastle;KatharineH.Greenaway,UniversityofMelbourne(Email:[email protected]@unimelb.edu.au)
Emotionsplayacentralroleinmanydiverseareasofourdailylives.Inthissymposium,weexplorethisdiversity,investigatingtheconsequencesofemotionexpression,regulation,andexperienceforgoalpursuit,copingwithfeedback,andbodyimage.
ABSTRACTS
THEINTERSECTIONOFGOALSTOEXPERIENCEANDEXPRESSEMOTION
KatharineH.Greenaway1,EliseK.Kalokerinos2
1UniversityofMelbourne,2TheUniversityofNewcastle
Experienceandexpressionareorthogonaldimensionsofemotion:wedonotalwaysshowwhatwefeel,nordowealwaysfeelwhatweshow.However,theexperienceandexpressiondimensionsofemotionarerarelyconsideredsimultaneously.Iproposeamodeloutliningtheintersectionofgoalsforemotionexperienceandexpression.Themodelsuggeststhatgoalstoexperienceandexpressemotionmaybealigned(e.g.,feelingandshowing)ororthogonaltooneanother(e.g.,feelingbutnotshowing).Thismodeldistinguishesemotiongoalsto1)experienceandexpress,2)experiencebutnotexpress,3)expressbutnotexperience,or4)neitherexperiencenorexpresspositiveandnegativeemotion.Threeexperiments(N=600)testtheimplicationsofholdingeachofthesefouremotiongoalsforemotionregulationchoiceandeffectiveness.Consideringintersectionsbetweendifferentemotiongoalswilladvanceunderstandingofemotionregulationchoice,success,andprevalence.
SHOULDYOUBEREADYFORTHEWORST?NEGATIVEEMOTIONALANTICIPATIONANDREACTIVITYANDRECOVERYFROMANEGATIVEEVENT
EliseK.Kalokerinos1,KoenRummens2,KristofMeers3,PeterKuppens3
1TheUniversityofNewcastle,2UniversityofBern,3KULeuven
Whenanticipatingimportantnews,peopleoftenexperiencenegativeemotion.Inthisresearch,weinvestigatetheconsequencesofthisanticipation.Ontheonehand,peoplereport“bracingfortheworst”toavoiddisappointment,suggestingthatanticipationmightserveanemotion-regulatoryfunction.Ontheotherhand,emotionstronglypredictsitselfovertime,andup-regulatingnegativeemotionisoftenmaladaptive,suggestingthatnegativeanticipationmightbeproblematic.Wetestedthesecompetinghypotheseswithanexperience-samplingstudy(N=101).Studentscompleted10surveysadayfor2daysbeforeand7daysaftertheyreceivedtheirexamresults,anda6-monthfollow-up.Controllingforbaselineemotion,wefoundthathighernegativeanticipationwasassociatedwithgreaternegativeemotionalreactivityamongthosewhoreceivedbadnews,butdidnotaffectthosereceivinggoodnews.Anticipationwasalsoassociatedwithmorenegativeemotionaboutexamresultssixmonthslater,demonstratingthatexpectingtheworsthaslong-termconsequences.
MEN’SVALUEFORALARGEPENISRELATESTOANGER,DOMINANCE,ANDTHREATTOMASCULINITY
CindyHarmon-Jones1,ElizabethSummerell1,EddieHarmon-Jones1
1TheUniversityofNewSouthWales
Althoughthemajorityofwomenaresatisfiedwiththesizeoftheirmalepartner’spenis,themajorityofmenwouldprefertohavealargerpenis.Thissuggeststhatmen’svalueforalargepenisisdrivenbyconcernsotherthanfemalepreference.Toexplainthisdiscrepancy,weproposethatalargepenismayserveasasymbolofmasculinityandmaybeimportantinintrasexualdominancecompetitionbetweenmen.Followingsymbolicself-completiontheory,wehypothesizethatmenwhoarehighintraitanger,dominance,andhostility,andwhoexperiencethreatregardingtheirabilitytofulfillthemasculinerole,wouldhaveagreatervalueforalargepeniscomparedtomenwhoarelowinanger,dominancemotivation,andmasculinerolethreat.Resultssupportthesehypotheses.Discussioncoverstheimplicationsoftheseresultsforsymbolicself-completiontheoryandforunderstandingmalebodyimage.
SymposiumHOWANDWHYEMOTIONSSPILLOVERACROSSTIME,PEOPLEANDSOCIALINTERACTIONSChair:NickolaOverall,UniversityofAuckland.Email:n.overall@auckland.ac.nz.Newresearchrevealsnumerouswaysemotionsspilloveracrosstime,peopleandcontext.Emotionsandemotionregulationdifficultiesspillovertobiasmemoriesofthepast,underminesupportandforgiveness,exacerbateconflict,anddamagesubsequentsocialinteractions.Theseprocessesharmwellbeing,butareattenuatedbyperspectivetaking,commitmentandpartnerremorse.ABSTRACTSEMOTIONSPILLOVERACROSSTIME:EXPRESSIVESUPPRESSION,BIASINMEMORYOFNEGATIVEEMOTIONS,ANDWELLBEINGValerieT.Chang,1NickolaC.Overall,1HelenMadden,1RachelS.T.Low,11UniversityofAucklandNegativeemotionsarecommonindailylife,butattemptstosuppressnegativeemotionsundermineswellbeing.Thecurrentresearchexaminedtheroleofmemorybiasesintheseprocessesbyinvestigatingwhether:(1)naturallyoccurringnegativeemotionsduringroutinelifepredictmorenegativelybiasedmemoriesofprioremotionalexperiences—abiascalledprojection;(2)expressivesuppressionisassociatedwithgreaterprojectionbiasinmemoryofnegativeemotions;and(3)greaterprojectionbiasinmemorypredictspoorerwell-beingacrosstime.Participants(N=308)completedscalesassessingtheirhabitualuseofexpressivesuppression,andoversevenweeksparticipantsreportedontheirnegativeemotionsthecurrentweek,theirmemoryofnegativeemotionsthepriorweek,andtheirwellbeing.Thenovelfindingsindicatethatcurrentnegativeemotionsspillovertobiasmemoryofpastemotions,thismemorybiasisgreaterforthosewhohabituallyuseexpressivesuppression,andthisgreatermemorybiasundermineswellbeingovertime.EMOTIONALSPILLOVERWHENOTHERSNEEDSUPPORT:DEPRESSIVESYMPTOMS,STRESSWHENNEEDED,ANDPOORSUPPORTPROVISIONShanukiD.Jayamaha,1NickolaC.Overall,1MatthewD.Hammond,2YuthikaU.Girme,3&GarthJ.O.Fletcher21UniversityofAuckland,2UniversityofVictoria,3SimonFraserUniversity
Emotionaldifficultiesmayleavepeopleunabletohandletheemotionalneedsofothers.Thecurrentstudiestestedwhether:(1)chronicemotionaldifficulties(indexedbygreaterdepressivesymptoms)leadpeopletoexperienceothers’needforsupportasstressful,and(2)theresultingstressreducespeople’sabilitytoprovidesupporttocloseothers.InStudies1and2,peoplehigherin
depressivesymptomsexperiencedgreaterstressduringcouples’discussionsaboutthepartner’scurrentgoalsandchallenges.Greaterstress,inturn,predictedlowersupportprovisiontothepartner.InStudy3,peoplehigherindepressivesymptomsexperiencedgreaterdailylevelsofstressondayswhentheirpartners’neededsupport.Greaterstress,inturn,predictedlowersupportprovisiontothepartnerthatday.Theseresultsindicatethatdepressivesymptomsspillovertoincreasestresswhenothersneedemotionalcomfortandthusunderminethedegreetowhichpeoplecancareforandsupportothers.EMOTIONREGULATIONSPILLOVER:EMOTIONREGULATIONDURINGMARITALCONFLICTANDPARENTALRESPONSIVENESSDURINGSUBSEQUENTFAMILYINTERACTIONSRachelS.T.Low,1NickolaC.Overall,1EmilyJ.Cross,1&AnnetteM.E.Henderson1
1UniversityofAucklandHowdoesemotionregulationspilloverbeyondthecontextinitiallyenacted?Weexaminedthisimportantquestionbyassessinghowthreecategoriesofemotionregulationimpactsconflictresolutionand,inturn,subsequentfamilyinteractions.Couples(N=101)werevideo-recordeddiscussingmajorconflictsandreportedontheiremotionregulationduringthediscussion.Couplesthenparticipatedinafamilyactivitywiththeirfive-year-oldchildandreportedontheirresponsivenesstowardtheirchildduringtheactivity.Observationalcodersratedparticipants'displaysofemotionregulationduringtheconflictdiscussion.Greaterdisengagement(e.g.,suppression)andaversivecognitiveperseveration(e.g.,rumination)predictedlowerconflictresolution,andinturn,lowerparentalresponsivenessinthefamilyactivity.Thesedetrimentalspillovereffectswereindependentofeachother,replicatedacrossself-reportandobservationalmeasures,andweremorerobustthanadaptiveemotionregulation(e.g.,cognitivereappraisal).Theseresultsrevealthattheeffectsofemotionregulationextendbeyondtheimmediatecontexttoaffectsubsequentinteractions.LIMITINGNEGATIVESPILLOVER:PERSPECTIVETAKINGREDUCESNEGATIVERECIPROCITYINRELATIONSHIPINTERACTIONSCamilleJ.Reid1andNickolaC.Overall11UniversityofAucklandPeopletendtorespondtohurtfulandcriticalpartnerbehaviorwithmorehurtfulandcriticalbehaviorinkind.Twostudiestestedwhetherperspectivetakinghelpedreducethispatternofnegativereciprocity.Individuals(Study1)orcouples(Study2)incommittedrelationshipscompleteddailyrecordsacross14or21daysreportingontheirownandpartners’hurtful/criticalbehaviorandtheireffortsatperspectivetakingthatday.Individualstendedtoreporttheirpartners’behaviorasmorenegativethanwarrantedbasedontheirpartners’reports(Study2),butgreaterdailyperspectivetakingreducedthesenegativelybiasedperceptions(Studies1and2).Moreover,themorepartners’behavedinhurtfulandcriticalways,themoreindividualsreciprocatedwithgreaterhurtfulandcriticalbehaviorinkind.However,greaterdailyperspectivetakingreducedthisnegativereciprocity(Studies1and2).Theseresultsrevealtheimportanceofperspectivetakinginlimitingnegativespilloveracrosspartnersinrelationships.
REDUCINGSPILLOVEROFNEGATIVEEMOTIONS:EXPLORINGTHEFEATURESOFINCOMPLETEANDCOMPLETEFORGIVENESSSophieDeck1andJulieFitness11MacquarieUniversity,Sydney,AustraliaTheaimofthisstudywastoexploretheemotionalandrelationalfeaturesunderlyingincompleteandcompleteforgivenessinromanticrelationships.Onehundredandseventyonerespondents(125female,46male)describedahurtfultransgressioncommittedbytheirromanticpartner.Theythencompletedmeasuresofcompleteandincompleteforgiveness,relationshipcommitment,relationshipquality,traitcompassion,traitforgiveness,andemotionregulationability,andansweredquestionsabouttheirforgivenessmotivations(love,control,morality,externalfactors,andpartnerremorse).Overall,incompleteforgivenesswasassociatedwithlowerrelationshipcommitment,pooreremotionregulationability,strongercontrolandexternalmotivationstoforgive,andlowerpartnerremorse.Incontrast,completeforgivenesswasassociatedwithhigherrelationshipcommitment,weakercontrolandexternalmotivationstoforgive,andstrongerpartnerremorse.Thesefindingsrevealthefeaturesthatcanreducethespilloverofnegativeemotionswhenhurtfultransgressionsoccursinromanticrelationships,andhighlighttheemotionalandrelationalcomplexitiesofforgiveness.
Symposium
THEPSYCHOLOGICALIMPACTSOFSOCIOECONOMICINEQUALITY
Chair:OliviaEvans,UniversityofNewcastleAustralia,(Email:[email protected])
Increasinglevelsofeconomicdisparityanddivisionbetweensocialclassesmakethestudyofsocio-economicinequalityanessentialresearchfocus.Inthissymposium,wediscussresearchonthepsychologicalimpactsofsocio-economicinequalityacrossmanydomainsincludingsocialsupport/trust,leadershippreferences,prosocialbehaviour,sleep,health,anddesireforwealth/status.
ABSTRACTS
TRUSTISFORTHEUPPER-CRUST:THEROLEOFSOCIALTRUSTANDSOCIALSUPPORTINTHERELATIONSHIPBETWEENSOCIALCLASSANDMENTALHEALTH
OliviaEvans1,MarkRubin1,RossWilkinson1
1UniversityofNewcastle
Researchhasdemonstratedthatworking-classindividuals(a)havehigherratesofmentalhealthissuesand(b)havelesstrustinothersandlesssupportivenetworks.Despitethelargebodyofresearchlinkingsocialtrustandsupporttomentalhealth,noresearchhasdirectlytestedthesevariablesasanexplanatoryvariableofthesocialclassmentalhealthgradient.ThecurrentresearchtestedthemediatingpropertiesofsocialtrustandsupportintherelationshipbetweensocialclassandmentalhealthusingdatafromtheAustralianSurveyofSocialAttitudes(N=1,946).Resultsindicatedthatsocialtrustandsocialsupportbothmediatedtherelationshipbetweensocialclassandmentalhealth,whilesocialtrustalsomoderatedthisrelationship.Thepotentialmeaningsofsocialtrust’sdualroleasmediatorandmoderatorwillbediscussed.Thefindingswillalsobediscussedintermsofinformingpolicyandthecontextofrisinglevelsofinequality.
THEIMPACTOFECONOMICINEQUALITYONYOUNGCHILDREN’SPROSOCIALDECISIONMAKING
KellyKirkland1,MarkNielsen1,JolandaJetten1
1UniversityofQueensland
Higheconomicinequalityhasbeenlinkedwithdecreasedprosocialbehaviourinadults.However,littleresearchhasuncoveredtheimplicationsofwealthdiscrepanciesonchildren’sprosocialbehaviour.Thecurrentstudyutilizedanoveldevelopmentalparadigmwherepreschool-agedchildren(N=65,averageage:54.7months)engagedinacompetitionagainstsixpuppets.Eachindividualaccruedtokensovertimeandchildrenwerepresentedwitheitherhighorlowinequalityofoutcomesamongstthepuppetcompetitors.Severaldependentvariableswerethenadministeredincluding:analtruisticdonationtask,resourcedivisiontaskandchildren’sperceptionoffairness.Consistentwithpredictions,childrenwerelessaltruisticwhenexposedtohighinequalitycomparedtolowinequality.However,therewasnodifferenceinfairnessperceptionsorresourcedivisionbehaviour.Thisisthefirststudytodemonstratethatenvironmentalinequalitycaninfluenceyoungchildren’sprosocialdecisionmaking.
INCOMEINEQUALITYANDTHEQUESTFORASTRONGLEADER
JolandaJetten1,StephanieSprong2,ZhechenWang1,KimPeters1,FrankMols1,&MaykelVerkuijten2
1UniversityofQueensland
2UniversityofUtrecht
Societalinequalityhasbeenfoundtohaveperniciouseffectsreducingmentalandphysicalhealthanddecreasingsocietalcohesion.Here,weexaminewhetherinequalityalsoaffectspoliticalbehaviourbyexaminingwhetherhigherlevelofinequalityareassociatedwithastrongerwishforastrongleader.Weexaminethishypothesisinacross-culturalstudyconductedin28countriesfrom5continents(Study1,N=6112),inanAustraliancommunitysample(Study2,N=515)andexperimentally(Study3,N=102).Wefindcorrelational(Studies1and2)andexperimental(Study3)evidenceforourpredictionthatinequalityisassociatedwithawishforastrongleader.Wealsofindthatthisrelationshipismediatedbyperceptionsofanomie.Thissuggeststhatsocietalinequalityenhancestheperceptionthatone’ssocietyisbreakingdown(anomie),andthatitthereforeneedsastrongleadertorestoreorder(evenwhenthischallengesdemocraticvalues,Study3).
SLEEPTIGHTANDDON’TLETTHESOCIOECONOMICINEQUALITYBITE:THERELATIONSBETWEENSOCIALCLASS,SLEEPANDMENTALANDPHYSICALHEALTHRomanyMcGuffog1,MarkRubin1,StefaniaPaolini1
1UniversityofNewcastle
Asubstantialbodyofresearchindicatesthatpeoplefromlowersocialclassestendtohavepoorerhealththanpeoplefromhigherclasses.Severaldifferentexplanationsofthisrelationshiphavebeenexplored.However,oneexplanationthathasnotbeenthoroughlyinvestigatedrelatestosocialclassdifferencesinsleep.Thepresentstudiesfillthisgapbyinvestigatingsleepasamediatoroftheassociationbetweensocialclassandhealth.Study1(n=376)andStudy2(n=628)consistedofcross-sectionalquantitativeonlineself-reportsurveysconductedwithundergraduateuniversitystudentsandHunterTAFE.Theresultsrevealedthatsleepquantity,sleepquality,sleepdisturbances,presleepworries,andsleepvariabilitymediatedtherelationshipbetweensocialclassandphysicalandmentalhealth.Theseresultsimplythatsleepmayhelptoexplaintherelationshipbetweensocialclassandhealth,andtheyhighlighttheimportanceofaddressingsleepissuesinlowerclassindividuals.
ECONOMICINEQUALITYANDTHEDESIREFORWEALTHANDSTATUS
ZhechenWang1,JolandaJetten1,NiklasSteffens1
1UniversityofQueensland
Economicinequalitynegativelyaffectspeople’swell-beingandtheirinteractionswithothers.Thepresentresearchexaminedhoweconomicinequalityinfluencespeople’sattitudestowardswealthandstatus.Inacross-culturalsample(Study1,N=147,503),wefoundthatcountry-leveleconomicinequalitywasassociatedwithagreaterdesireforbothwealthandstatus.TheninasurveyamongAustraliancommunitymembers,resultsshowedthatthemoreunequalpeopleperceivedwealthdistributionwas,themoreimportancetheyattachedtowealthandstatusasguidingvaluesinlife(Study2,N=603).Moreover,whenperceivinghigherinequality,bothupper-andlower-class
individualsexpressedagreaterdesireforwealthandstatusinanAmericansample(Study3,N=396).Weexplainthesefindingsthatinequalityenhancesself-categorizationintermsofwealthandstatus,andbecausewealthandstatusbecomeamoreimportantpartofselfinmoreunequalsocieties,wantingmoreofthemisawaytoreaffirmidentity.
Symposium
RISK,MENTALHEALTHANDSOCIALIDENTITY:NEWEVIDENCEFROMTHELABTOTHEFIELD
Chair:LauraJ.Ferris,UniversityofQueensland(Email:[email protected])
Thissymposiumpresentsnewevidenceonrisk,mentalhealthandsocialidentity–understandingwhygroupmembershipcanincreaserisk-taking,howmentalillnessstigmacouldfacilitatehelp-seeking;growingresilienceinat-riskadolescents,andenhancingfirstresponsestosuicidecrisis.Together,weidentifynewopportunitiesforresearchinthesocialidentitytradition.
ABSTRACTS
WHAT’STHERISK?ANEXPERIMENTEXAMININGTHEEFFECTOFGROUPMEMBERSHIPONTRUSTANDRISKPERCEPTION
JoanneRathbone1,TeganCruwys1
1UniversityofQueensland
Collegestudentsaremorelikelytoengageinheavyalcoholconsumptionandexperiencealcohol-relatednegativeconsequencesthantheirpeers.Incontrasttotraditionalnormativeapproachestothisissue,thecurrentstudyinvestigatedtheSocialIdentityModelofSocialRisk-taking.Themodelproposesthatsharedgroupmembershipincreasesin-grouptrustanddecreasesperceptionsofrisk,ultimatelyleadingtorisk-takingbehaviour.Collegestudents(N=118)reportedtheirperceptionsoftrustworthinessandriskrelatingtotwelvetargets,whosefaceswerepre-validatedontrustworthiness.Eachtargetwasrandomlyassignedtobeeitheranin-groupmember(i.e.,fellowcollegestudent)oranout-groupmember.Theresultsfoundthatsharedgroupmembershipwasassociatedwithhigherperceivedtrustworthiness,especiallyfortargetswithlowpre-validatedtrustworthinessscores.Targetswhowereperceivedtobetrustworthywerealsoperceivedtobelessrisky.Resultsarediscussedintermsofimplicationsforhealthriskbehaviour,suchasexcessivedrinking.
THESOCIALIDENTITYMODELOFSOCIALRISKTAKING:EVIDENCEFROM4STUDIES
TeganCruwys1,LauraJ.Ferris1,JoanneRathbone1,NicholasCroft1,WilliamBailey1,StaceyParker1
1UniversityofQueensland
Risktakingbehaviourhastypicallybeenconceptualizedthroughalensofindividualdeficits(e.g.,impulsivity)ornormativeinfluence(i.e.,peerpressure).Whathasnotreceivedresearchattentionpreviouslyissharedgroupmembership,thetrustthatfollowsfromit,andtherolethishasinreducingriskperception.Experiment1(N=120)foundthatpeoplewerelessconcernedaboutcatchingacontagiousdiseasefromasickingroupmembercomparedtoasickoutgroupmember.Experiment2(N=108)foundthatemployeesweremorelikelytobreachconfidentialitypoliciesinordertohelpanin-groupmember.Studies3and4(N=449andN=151)werefieldstudiesattheSchooliesandDarkMofofestivals,wheresocialrisktakingwasfoundtobeanoutcomeofsharedidentitywithfellowattendees.Studies3and4alsoprovidedevidenceforthemediatingroleofgrouptrust.
TOWARDUNDERSTANDINGMENTALILLNESSSTIGMAANDHELP-SEEKING:ASOCIALIDENTITYPERSPECTIVE
KathleenA.Klik1andKatherineJ.Reynolds1
1AustralianNationalUniversity
Stigmahasbeenidentifiedasabarriertohelp-seeking,yetthereislittleinformationaboutfactorsthatrelatetostigmathatmayfacilitatehelp-seeking.Researchsuggeststhatthesocialidentityperspectivemayprovideinsightsastohowpeoplewhoexperiencestigmanavigatethehelp-seekingprocess.Ninetyparticipantswererecruitedwhoreportedbeingdiagnosedwithamentalillnessandwerenotactivelyseekingtreatment.Controllingforsymptomseverity,stigmawasbothpositivelyassociatedwiththehelp-seekingprocessandsocialidentificationasapersonwithamentalillness.Further,socialidentificationindirectlymediatedtherelationshipbetweenstigmaandthehelp-seekingprocessandthisindirectrelationshipwasmoderatedbyperceptionsaboutthementalillnessgroup.Findingssuggestthatsocialidentificationasapersonwithamentalillnessmaybeanimportantandnecessarystepthatfacilitateshelp-seeking,particularlyamongthosewhoexperiencestigmaandhaveanegativeviewoftheirmentalillness.
INCREASINGPSYCHOLOGICALRESILIENCEINMĀORIANDNEWZEALANDEUROPEANADOLESCENTS
DamianScarf1,HitauaArahanga-Doyle1,SalehMoradi1,JohnA.Hunter1
1DepartmentofPsychology,UniversityofOtago
Sail-training increases psychological resilience in adolescents and recent work has demonstratedthatthesocialidentityadolescentsformwiththeirvoyagegroupmakesasignificantcontributiontothisincrease.Anopenquestion,however,iswhetherthisrelationshipholdsforat-riskadolescents.Toanswerthisquestion,inthecurrentstudy,54Māoriand37NewZealandEuropeanadolescentscompleted a 7-day voyage on the R. Tucker Thompson. All adolescentswere from theNorthlandTaitokerauregion,anareawithsignificantrisksandhighlevelsofsocialdeprivation.ForbothMāoriandNewZealandEuropeanadolescents,psychologicalresilienceincreasedfromthefirstday(Time1)tothelastday(Time2)ofthevoyageandvoyagegroupidentitymadeasignificantcontributiontothis increase. Inaddition, the relationshipbetweenvoyagegroup identityandresilienceatTime2wasstrongerforparticipantslowinresilienceatTime1.
UNDERSTANDINGANDENHANCINGFIRSTRESPONSESTOSUICIDECRISES:FORDECISION-MAKERS,WHATCANSOCIALPSYCHOLOGYOFFER?
LauraJ.Ferris1,2,3,CarlaMeurk2,3,ElissaWaterson2,3,EdHeffernan2,3
1UniversityofQueensland,2QueenslandCentreforMentalHealthResearch,3PartnersinPrevention,QueenslandForensicMentalHealthService,QueenslandHealth
Suicideisaglobalhealthconcern.Insuicidecrisisincidents,policeandambulanceworkersareoftenthefirstserviceproviderstorespondtoassistancerequests.However,frontlinepoliceandambulanceworkersmayreceiveminimaltraininginhowtoassesssuicideriskorsupportpeopleaffectedbysuicidecrisis,ormaynotviewsuchactivitiesasappropriatetotheirrole.This
presentationwillreportpreliminaryfindingsfromPartnersinPrevention,amulti-stakeholdergovernmentresearchagendaintosuicideprevention,withparticularfocusonenhancingfirstresponsestosuicidecrisis.Webrieflyreportfindingsfromasystematicreviewonoptimalcarepathwaysfollowingemergencyservicescontact,andastatewidecollaborativemappingof‘touchpoints’betweenpolice-ambulance-mentalhealth;thenoutlineanupcomingmixed-methodsinvestigationintofirstresponders’knowledge,attitudesandconfidenceinsuicidecrisisresponses.Overall,therearemajoropportunitiesforsocialpsychologicalapproachestocontributeatthiscomplexintersectionbetweenresearch,policyandpractice.
SymposiumSOLIDARITY,NOW?THEPARADOXICALEFFECTSANDPROCESSESINSUPPORTINGCAMPAIGNSOFCOLLECTIVEACTIONChair:CraigMcGarty,WesternSydneyUniversity[50words]ABSTRACTSTHEROLEOFSUPPORTIVEONLINECOMMUNITIESINRECOVERYFROMADDICTION:SOCIALIDENTIFICATIONASAPREDICTOROFPROGRAMRETENTIONAna-MariaBliuc1,1WesternSydneyUniversityHowdoesparticipationinanonlinecommunityofsupportcontributetopersonaljourneysofrecovery?Thepresentresearchinvestigateswhetherindicatorsofidentificationwithanonlinerecoverycommunitypredictretentioninarecoveryprogramforpeopleinearlystageofrecovery.Tomaphowtheparticipantsinteractonline,socialnetworkanalysis(SNA)basedonnaturallyoccurringonlinedata(N=609)ontheFacebookpageofarecoverycommunitywasconducted.Computerisedlinguisticanalysiswasusedtoconductasentimentanalysisofthetextualdata(capturingsocialidentitymarkers).Linearregressionanalysiswasusedtotestwhetherindicatorsofrecoverycapitalpredictprogramretention.Wefoundthatprogramretentionwasdeterminedbya)thenumberofcomment'likes'andall‘likes'receivedontheFacebookpage;b)positioninthesocialnetwork(degreeofcentrality);andc)linguisticcontentaroundgroupidentityandachievement.Inconclusion,wearguethatpositiveonlineinteractionsbetweenmembersofrecoverycommunitiessupporttherecoveryprocessthroughhelpingparticipantstodeveloprecoverycapitalthatbindsthemtogroupssupportiveofpositivechange.SUPPORTING#METOOBASEDONMORALANDPOWERRELATEDNEEDSOFMENANDWOMENAnnaKende1,BoglárkaNyúl1,NóraAnnaLantos1,NuritShnabel2
1EötvösLorándUniversity,Budapest;2TelAvivUniversityShortlyafterHarveyWeinsteinwasaccusedofsexualabuse,arelatedscandalbrokeoutinHungary,makingtheglobal#MeToocampaignalocallyrelevantphenomenon.Weconductedanonlinesurvey(N=10293)torevealwhymenandwomensupportorcriticizethecampaignfollowingtheneeds-basedmodelofreconciliation(Shnabel&Nadler,2008).Ourresultsindicatedlargegenderdifferencesinthesupportofthecampaign.Perceivingsexualharassmentasagenderissuewasakeypredictorandsourceofgenderdifferences.Thisconnectionwasmediatedbyfulfillingpower,butnotmoralneedsforwomen,asmembersofthevictimgroup.Men’ssupportwasmediatedbothbymoralandpowerneeds,suggestingthatmen’ssupportasaperpetratorgroupishamperedbyperceivingthecampaignasthreateningtotheirpositioninsociety.Ourfindingspointoutthelimitsofattractingmentothecampaignagainstsexualharassment.RAISINGAWARENESSORFUELINGXENOPHOBIATHROUGHMEDIAREPORTSStefanieHechler1,JuttaProch1,&ThomasKessler1
1UniversityofJenaNewspapersarticleson“increasingviolencetowardsrefugees”or“Germanspoliticalcentreisright-wing”seemtobecomeincreasinglypopular.Journalistsfrequentlyreportproblematicbehaviororattitudesofthemajority,supposedlytoincreaseawarenessofsocietalissues.However,peopletendtoadapttodescriptivenormswithintheirgroups.Eventheexpressionofprejudicedependsonsocialnorms.AseriesofstudiesinGermanyshowsthat(real)newspaperreportsaboutthemajorities’xenophobiaanddiscriminatorybehaviorincreasetheexpressionofprejudiceagainstforeigners.Incontrast,reportsongenerallypositiveattitudestowardsforeignersdecreasesuch
prejudice.Thiseffectwasmoderatedbypoliticalorientation.Whenfocusingontheminoritymembers,thedescriptionofastrugglingunfamiliarminorityraisedawarenessonlyamongliberals,whereasreadingabouttheirpositiveintegrationincreasedprejudiceamongconservatives.Thus,unbalancedinformationabout‘shocking’socialphenomenacanfacilitatesocietalproblems,andmayactuallydecreasesolidaritywithsuchgroups.THEROLEOFPITYONDONATIONANDALLYCOLLECTIVEACTIONINTENTIONSONBEHALFOFMARGINALIZEDGROUPSNoraAnnaLantos,1AnnaKende1&JuliaBecker2
1EötvösLorándUniversity,Budapest2UniversitätOsnabrück,Germany
Pityisacontroversialemotionfromtheperspectiveofmobilizationonbehalfofdisadvantagedoutgroups.Previousresearchconnectedittocharityanddonations,butnottocollectiveactionbecausepityentailedalackofinjusticeawareness.However,whenintergroupstatusdifferencesarelarge,pitycanbeanadequateintergroupemotionthatmotivatesbothdonationandcollectiveaction.Wetestedthisconnectionintwoonlinesurveys(N=1198).InStudy1,pitytowardtheRomainHungarywasconnectedtoinjusticeawarenessandbothdonationandcollectiveactionintentions.InStudy2,wereplicatedthesefindingsinconnectionwithrefugeesinGermany.Pitymobilizedadvantagedgroupmembersfordifferentintergroupbehaviorsthatwerebothadequateinthespecificintergroupcontext.ONLINECONTESTATIONONTWITTER:THEPSYCHOLOGYOFTROLLINGANDHASHTAGACTIVISMABOUTREFUGEES.CraigMcGarty11WesternSydneyUniversityInthispaperIexploretheprospectofdifferentiatingbetweenconflictingopinion-basedgroupsintheglobaldebateaboutrefugees.InananalysisofusersexpressinghostileandsupportiveattitudestowardsrefugeesonTwitteritispossibletoidentifystarklycontrastingusagesoflanguagebysupportersandopponentsofacceptingrefugees.Intriguingly,opponentsofrefugeesaremorelikelytoexpresslanguagethatisconsistentwiththatusedbypeoplewhoscorehighlyontheso-calledDarkTriadattributesofpsychopathyandMacchiavellianism(butnotnarcissism),apatterntheysharewithso-called"Twittertrolls".