Europe’s Journal of Psychology (PsychOpen)
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Who Cares If Not Supposed To? Moral Foundations, Consideration of Immediate Consequences, and Mask-Wearing Intentions After Revocation of the Legal Obligation To Do So
No full textAfter two years of obligation to wear masks during the pandemic, in March 2022, the legal requirement was revoked for public spaces (except for medical facilities) in Poland. The aim of the study was to find out how individualizing moral foundations (focused on avoiding harm to others and concern for justice) shaped the intention to wear masks despite the revocation and how binding moral foundations (concentrated on respect for authorities, loyalty to the ingroup, and purity) and consideration of immediate consequences modify this relationship. For exploratory purposes, the same model was also tested for a retrospective declaration about the refusal to wear protective masks when legally required to do so. In both models, gender was controlled. N = 557 people from the general population participated in the online survey. Results showed that in the case of intention to wear masks after the obligation was revoked, individualizing moral foundations and female gender were positive predictors.The lower the binding moral foundations and consideration of immediate consequences, the higher the effect of individualizing moral foundations. No interaction effects were found for a retrospective declaration of participants refusing to wear masks during the pandemic. However, positive predictors were male gender, binding moral foundations, and consideration of immediate consequences, whereas individualizing moral foundations were a negative predictor. The results suggest morality plays a role in forming health-related communication. Men should be targeted in order to enhance their acceptance of preventive measures
Influence of Mind Wandering and Increased Attentional Demands on Multitasking and Implicit Learning
No full textThe goal of the current study was to replicate resent findings that suggest mind wandering is associated with impaired explicit learning but not implicit learning, and to extend those finding by investigating whether explicit learning is impaired under attentional load, but implicit learning is not. We used a sequential learning task, specifically a serial reaction task (SRT), to determine if mind wandering would interfere with learning a task that does not require attentional resources (implicit learning). Participants completed the serial reaction time task while watching a 13-minute video lecture. At the end of the video participants answered 10 multiple-choice questions regarding the content presented in the video. At specific intervals during the task, participants responded to mind wandering probes. The probes required participants to report where their attention was in the moments before the probe appeared. Implicit learning was measured by decreased reaction time over the course of several blocks of trials of the SRT. In two experiments, it was observed that participants implicitly learned a sequence of 12 items, regardless of their performance on the multiple-choice item regarding the concurrent video content. Even those who appeared to actively engage with the video and performed well on the multiple-choice questions showed improved performance on the implicit learning task (SRT). These results suggest implicit learning can occur when one is engaged in a concurrent explicit learning task
Exploring Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Relationship Quality as Protective Factors of Mental Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full textCOVID-19’s global impact on mental health has been profound. To better understand factors that mitigate effects of stress, particularly during quarantine periods, this study examined roles of basic psychological need satisfaction and relationship quality in mental well-being in the context of COVID-19-related stress. Conducted from March to May 2020, this online questionnaire research involved 805 individuals in romantic relationships (mean age = 37.88 ± 12.50 years; 70.19% female). Path analysis revealed that higher mental well-being was associated with satisfaction of basic psychological needs, positive relationship quality, and lower COVID-19-related stress. Higher autonomy satisfaction was linked to lower COVID-19-related stress, whereas increased relatedness satisfaction and better relationship quality predicted higher COVID-19-related stress. The findings implicate complex associations among basic psychological need satisfaction, relationship quality, and mental well-being. While better relationship experiences might even heighten perceived stress during a global crisis, they simultaneously function as protective factors for overall mental health
Voters’ Attributions of Psychopathic Traits to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton After the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election and the 2020 Trump Impeachment Trial
No full textWe sought to determine if voters’ personological characteristics influence perceptions of psychopathic traits in political candidates and predict vote choice. Our first dataset was collected soon after the 2016 U.S. presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The sample, 159 Trump voters and 154 Clinton voters, rated their own authoritarian beliefs and their perceptions of psychopathic tendencies in both candidates, and reported their vote. As predicted, Clinton voters perceived low levels of psychopathic tendencies in Clinton and high levels of psychopathic tendencies in Trump, and Trump voters displayed the opposite pattern. A concurrent mediation analysis found that highly authoritarian voters perceived Trump to be low on psychopathic tendencies, and they tended to vote for Trump. These results were replicated from a different sample of 300 voters about three years later, soon after Trump’s first impeachment. The results suggest that authoritarian beliefs profoundly color perceptions of psychopathy in political candidates
The Effects of Social Comparison and Subjective Financial Well-Being on Subjective Well-Being
No full textExisting research on the antecedents of subjective well-being (SWB), which comprises life satisfaction and happiness, remains inconclusive. Some studies suggest that increasing income enhances SWB, while others emphasize the role of income comparison within reference groups in influencing SWB. The role of subjective financial well-being in enhancing subjective well-being is also inconclusive. On the one hand, financial well-being may contribute to increasing SWB; on the other, subjective financial well-being is a characteristic compared to reference groups, and this comparison is what influences SWB. This study, therefore, sets out to answer the question: How does social comparison and subjective financial well-being influence SWB? We predict that social comparison influences SWB (life satisfaction and happiness) through the mediation of subjective financial well-being. Data from 3,591 respondents (1,750 females, 1,841 males, aged 21 – 60 years; M = 30.81, SD = 7.51) in the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS 5) were analyzed using path analysis. The measures in this study include financial well-being, life satisfaction, happiness, and social comparison taken from IFLS-5 Book III A. The research findings indicate that social comparison does not directly influence life satisfaction and happiness. However, the influence of social comparison on both is mediated by subjective financial well-being. The practical implications of this research suggest that individuals who are happy and satisfied with their lives need to have at least one satisfying life domain, such as financial well-being, and focus on subjective self-evaluation rather than constantly comparing themselves with reference groups
Unchartered Territory: Understanding Public Compliance During the Covid-19 Pandemic and the Effectiveness of UK Government Communications
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic presented unpresented challenges to societies and the way in which we live, everyday behaviours became prohibited and various parts of the economy were completely shut down in the United Kingdom. Such draconian and radical changes to everyday life are indeed important to study and the present paper captures a representative response of the compliance to social distancing measures implemented in the United Kingdom. This paper explores the effectiveness of the UK Government’s messaging aimed at inducing conformity, whilst considering alternative experimental messages designed to influence conformity by targeting demographics using the principles of NUDGE theory (Thaler & Sunstein, 2008). An online cross-sectional survey was administered in May/June 2020 to 1028 residents of the UK. A cluster analysis was performed to identify different demographic profiles associated with rule breaking. The findings of the present paper outlined clearly that the UK public struggled to adhere to the social distancing rules implemented with relatively low rates of complete compliance and identified two groups of individuals who although only represent a small percentage of the sample (< 20%) were accountable for the majority of rule breaking behaviour. The findings provide an indication of which measures were viewed as more serious and as such less likely to broken, alongside which demographic groups were the least compliant. Regarding the Government’s messaging used during the pandemic, this was demonstrated to be more effective than the hypothetical communications used in the present study. The present paper offers, important insights into specific aspects of non-conformity, including contact with the Police during this time. The present paper offers important learning lessons to improve adherence to social distancing in the future by providing a breakdown of the areas where social distancing is most likely to breached and an indication of who is likely to do this
Unveiling the Dark: Exploring the Nomological Consistency of the Short Dark Triad and Dirty Dozen Scales
No full textWe examined the consistency of the Short Dark Triad (SD3) and the Dirty Dozen (DD) scales, which are widely used for assessing Dark Triad traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy), in a community Italian sample of 504 individuals aged 18 to 89 years. The findings revealed strong convergence for Machiavellianism and psychopathy across the two scales. In contrast, narcissism demonstrated weaker convergence, with moderate correlations between the SD3 and DD scales. Nomological consistency, the degree to which different indicators of a construct share similar associations with external criteria, was assessed using four sets of criteria: psychopathy or empathy, the Five-Factor Model of personality, mental health (psychological well-being, anxiety, and depression), and social disinhibition. Both scales showed moderate consistency with empathy, the Big Five, and social disinhibition criteria but displayed inconsistency concerning mental health criteria. Psychopathy and Machiavellianism exhibited distinct patterns in relation to social disinhibition. Narcissism demonstrated the most divergence from other traits and the highest inconsistency between SD3 and DD. The SD3 appeared to focus predominantly on grandiose narcissism, whereas the DD scale likely encompasses both grandiose and vulnerable aspects of narcissism. Consequently, SD3 and DD cannot be considered fully equivalent measures of Dark Triad traits
Alexithymia and Internet Addiction: Mediating Role of Social Connectedness, Impulsivity, and Moderation by Depression
No full textInternet addiction is a mounting concern in current times. Recent studies indicate a link between alexithymia and Internet addiction, but the underlying mechanisms of this association require more investigation. The present study explores the relationship between alexithymia and Internet addiction, with the mediating effect of Impulsivity and social connectedness, and the moderating effect of depression. A convenience sample of 362 participants between the ages of 18 and 25 years participated in this study and completed the Young’s Internet Addiction Test, Toronto-Alexithymia Scale, The Social Connectedness Scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale 15, and The Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale Revised. The results indicate that the direct effect of alexithymia on Internet addiction is partially mediated through impulsivity and social connectedness. Further, the moderating effect of depression is found to be non-significant. The results revealed two possible pathways through which alexithymia influences Internet addiction. Future research and interventions on Internet addiction can use these findings to mitigate the adverse outcomes of Internet addiction
In Search of the Lost Interaction: A Theoretical and Methodological Framework for Researching Interactions
No full textWe suggest that psychological research into interaction effects might benefit from analyzing potential interactions from the perspective of the Positive Predictive Value (PPV). The PPV denotes the post-study probability that a claimed effect is true, based on the pre-study probability that said effect exists, the power of the respective test and the significance level used for testing. We use the PPV in order to propose a framework structuring potential interaction effects based on their (theoretical) plausibility and their shape. Specifically, the position of a hypothesized interaction in the proposed framework may inform sample-size planning and the choice of alpha levels prior to a study; and it may inform confidence into results after a study. Finally, we present a heuristic approach for planning research on interactions based on R (the pre-study probability that an effect exists), the PPV (the post-study probability that a claimed effect is true) and α (the significance level used for significance testing). In doing so, we aim to provide a nuanced view on the feasibility of investigating into interactional hypotheses, a view that is critical where needed but that at the same time does not discourage research on interactions
“We Grind Each Other as Stones and Get Rid of Sharp Edges”: Young People’s Reported Positive Change, Learnings, and Growth Through Romantic Relationships
No full textRomantic and intimate experiences serve as a crucial learning ground for individual and relational development, yet many aspects of this learning process remain underexplored. The present qualitative study explores romantic relationship-induced learning among 104 participants between 18 and 35, which may foster better navigation of their future relational interactions. Data, i.e., 37 in-depth and 67 written interviews, were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, applying an inductive, semantic, and experiential approach. The report of themes created in the analysis describes how romantic experience positively affected the participants in: (i) identity (self-knowledge, personal growth, and self-evaluation), (ii) relational competence (communication, socio-emotional skills, and problem-solving), and (iii) partner decisions (relationship expectations, relationship boundaries)