symposium: understanding aggression in intimate...

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


Thereisampleempiricalevidencethatchildrenlivingwithdomesticviolenceisapublichealthproblemofgraveproportions.Andyet,theneedsofchildrenwheredomesticviolenceispresentismostlyunexamined.Thispaperexplorestherelationshipbetweenknowncasesofdomesticviolenceandtherequirementtoprotectchildrenandyoungpeoplefromtheharmscausedtochildrenlivingwithdomesticviolence.Iusecasestudiesofrangitahitomakesenseofthesystemicfactorsthatlinkdomesticviolenceandsuicidesothatitispossibletoputpoliciesandproceduresintoplacetoreducesuicideasanoutcome.

INTIMATEPARTNERVIOLENCE:UNDERREPORTING,GENDERNORMSANDSTEREOTYPES

MandyMorgan1


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


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


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


Despitelegislationrequiringstrengtheningofearthquakepronebuildings,therearesignificantobstaclestoretrofittingthesebuildings.Thisresearchexaminesmitigationactionsfollowingrecentearthquakes.ThestudyobtaineddataoncommercialandpublicbuildingsremovedfromtheWellingtonCityCouncilEarthquake-proneBuildingsListfrom2012to2016duetomitigationactions(e.g.,strengthening).Italsoexaminedvoluntaryhomeassessments.ResultsshowremovalofsignificantnumbersofbuildingsfromtheEQPBList,withstrengtheningbeingthemostfrequentaction.Thisfindingsuggeststhatvariousincentivesareenhancingearthquakepreparation,oftenbeforethelegislativedeadline,suggestinganemergingnorm.Incontrast,thehomeassessmentsdatashowasharpbriefspikeaftertheCookStraitearthquakes.Thisspikesuggeststhatintheabsenceoflegislationorinsuranceincentives,citizens’actionsareonlybrieflyinfluencedbyexperiencingearthquakes.Thesecontrastingfindingssuggestthevalueoflegislationandnormstodrivemitigationactionsforallbuildings.

Values,environmentalactionsandnaturalhazardexposure:Whendovaluesmotivateaction?

RonaldFischer1


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


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


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


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


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".

symposium: understanding aggression in intimate...

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