1,720,990 research outputs found
The trials of women leaders in the workforce. How a need for cognitive closure can influence acceptance of harmful gender stereotypes
No full textWomen leaders in the workforce are adversely affected by two sets of stereotypes: women are warm and communal but leaders are assertive and competent. This mismatch of stereotypes can lead to negative attitudes toward women leaders, however, not all individuals will be equally sensitive to these stereotypes. Men and women characterized by a need for cognitive closure (the desire for stable and certain knowledge) should be particularly sensitive to these stereotypes because they can be stable knowledge sources. We hypothesized that (a) negative attitudes toward women leaders in the workforce would vary with individuals’ need for closure, independent of their gender, and that (b) binding moral foundations (a concern for the larger group and its norms and standards) would mediate this association. In two studies, MTurk workers completed measures of negative attitudes toward women managers (Study 1, n = 149), stereotyped beliefs of women as not wanting or deserving high status positions in the workforce (Study 2, n = 207), as well as need for cognitive closure, moral foundations, social desirability, gender, and political orientation. Our results were consistent with our hypotheses and suggest that attitudes toward woman managers can reflect acceptance of pre-existent norms. If these norms can be changed, then changes in attitudes could follo
Extracting empathy from related constructs: Historical, theoretical, and empirical support
No full textCorrelational and exploratory factor analyses (EFA) of commonly used empathy questionnaires. New insights
No full textEmpathy is a concept whose history has been marred by conceptual inconsistencies. Dispositional measures of empathy have varied in constituent subscales and have been suggested to conflate with other related constructs. The current investigation consists of correlational and exploratory factor analyses with self-report empathy measures to assess the commonalities between these measures. Four hundred ninety-seven university undergraduates completed a battery of self-report dispositional empathy measures, along with situational and dispositional sympathy measures. The novel findings include moderate correlations between scales purporting to measure empathy, an interpretable six-factor structure which represent subcomponents of these empathy scales, and the modest ability of existing questionnaires to contribute to these factor structures. The retained factor structure is not consistent with previous definitions of empathy, and it appears that self-report empathy measures do not adequately measure a uniform, consistent construct
"Moving" to a job. The role of locomotion in job search and (Re)employment
No full textThis research examined the relationship between individual differences in the tendency towards locomotion (i.e., the aspect of self-regulation concerned with movement from state to state), job search behaviors, and positive employment outcomes (i.e., number of interviews, number of job offers, employment status). Data from two studies with unemployed Italian job seekers found support for a chain reaction towards employment that is initiated by locomotion orientation: individuals who are characterized by high locomotion show more intense job search behavior, as a result, they receive more interviews and job offers, and are more likely to attain employment. These findings are consistent with the literatures on locomotion orientation (Kruglanski, Thompson, Higgins, Atash, Pierro, Shah, & Spiegel, 2000) and job search success (Saks, 2006). Implications for the effect of locomotion orientation on job search success and employment status are discussed
An investigation into the effects of pro-immigrant and Muslim attitudes on sympathetic reactions towards Syrian immigrants during the Syrian Civil War
Full text linkSyria has been the scene of a bruta l civil war since 2011 and there has been increased media attention on the fate of Syrian refugees who seek to immigrate to more peaceful countries. Sympathy, as a desire to help others in need, could be a powerful motivation to accept and support Syrian immigrants. However, not all individuals will feel sympathy towards these immigrants. Consistent with recent research on attitudes and desires, we hypothesized that positive attitudes towards (1) immigrants and (2) Muslims would predict sympathetic reactions towards a specific Syrian Immigrant family residing in the United States. We found significant main effects for both types of attitude, controlling for personal distress (i.e., a selffocused force that can co-occur with sympathy),political orientation, participants’ immigrant status, and demographic variables. A bias against immigrants, Muslims, or both can explain why individuals can react to the plight of Syrian immigrants without sympath
Men and women who want epistemic certainty are at-risk for hostility towards women leaders
No full textResearchers have spent the past five decades asking why women leaders face disproportionally more disapproval than their men colleagues. We extend recent research by investigating the need for cognitive closure (NCC), or the desire for stable and certain knowledge, to help answer this question. Consistent with Role Congruity Theory, we propose that individuals with this need are more likely to disapprove of women who break traditional gender roles as well as women leaders, a subcategory of nontraditional woman. We studied the NCC effect relative to the effects of gender and political orientation (i.e., women and political liberals are less likely to disapprove of women leaders). In four studies, including state and dispositional treatments of NCC and a brief meta-analyses, we argue that NCC has an indirect effect on negative attitudes toward women leaders through hostile sexism, among both men and women and from both sides of the political spectrum
Omertà in intragroup cheating: the role of ingroup identity in dishonesty and whistleblowing
No full textWhy are people willing to denounce or, contrarily, to keep silent on others' misconduct? We hypothesized that people would be more likely to cheat, and consequently less likely to blow the whistle, when among an ingroup (vs. outgroup). In two experiments, participants witnessed a same nationality or a different nationality group member cheating during a group task. Participants either had the opportunity to cheat themselves before witnessing this cheating act (Experiments 1 and 2) or did not have this opportunity (Experiment 2). In the ingroup condition, participants cheated more and denounced others' cheating less than in the outgroup condition (Experiments 1 and 2). However, when participants were not allowed to cheat themselves, they equally denounced ingroup and outgroup cheaters (Experiment 2). This provides evidence that cheating mediates the group effect on whistleblowing and is reminiscent of omerta, that is, the code of silence among criminals. We provide suggestions for future research
A “bridge” over troubled water: implications of the effect of locomotion mode on hopelessness
No full textPast research has shown that hopelessness drastically reduces the quality of life. It follows that it could be particularly useful to improve our knowledge of the potential correlates of feelings of hopelessness. We propose a negative association between locomotion mode, or the self-regulation dimension concerned with movement from current state to future states, and hopelessness. We suggest, in two studies that higher locomotion is related to less hopelessness and results in higher levels of psychological well-being. In Study 1, we showed that locomotion was significantly and negatively related to hopelessness. In Study 2, we confirmed this result and also observed that the hopelessness experienced by locomotors partially mediated the positive relationship between locomotion orientation and psychological well-being. Implications for future research are discussed
The relative roles of drive and empathy in self- and other-focused financial decision making
No full textCan poor financial decisions be traced back to individual differences, and will individuals risk their own resources in the same manner as others’ resources? To help answer these questions, we assessed the relationship between other-focused financial risk, self-focused financial risk, and individual difference variables. 952 participants at a large university in the southeast U.S. completed questionnaires on the Behavioral Activation System Drive subscale (i.e., Drive) and dispositional Empathy. They were then presented with eight financial risk scenarios in a two-by-four within-subjects design. We found that individuals’ Drive – which is associated with facets of impulsivity – predicted increased likelihood of other-focused risk investment in scenarios with higher levels of risk and reward, above the effect of empathy. There was also some evidence that dispositional empathy also increased other-focused risk investment in scenarios with lower levels of risk and reward. We concluded that there is some evidence that empathy is an important factor for other-focused behavior in low-risk scenarios, but that drive is more important in higher-risk other-focused scenarios. Additionally, other-focused risk could be seen as more aversive than an equivalent amount of self-focused risk
When and Why Do Liberals and Conservatives Think Alike?: An Investigation into Need for Cognitive Closure, the Binding Moral Foundations, and Political Perception
No full textResearch on moral foundations theory has found that liberals typically favor the individualizing foundations (i.e., concern for the individual) but typically oppose the binding foundations (i.e., concern for the group). We propose that need for cognitive closure (NFC) can explain when liberals will favor the binding foundations. In two studies, we found that liberals in Italy and the United States were more likely to endorse the binding foundations when they had high NFC. Overall, these results suggest that researchers should strive to understand the interaction between individuals' epistemic goals and their political orientations in order to accurately predict how they will perceive political issues
- …
