ABSTRACT We tested two counter-propaganda strategies for boosting peoples’ resistance to extremist propaganda, one based on Self-Determination Theory and one based on Psychological Reactance theory. Caucasian mTurk worker participants (N = 387) were told they would read extremist messages and were randomly assigned to either a neutral control condition, an autonomy-supportive inoculation condition

ABSTRACT Theory and research in political psychology, most of which is based on self-report studies of ordinary citizens, suggests that liberals and conservatives differ in terms of personality traits, value priorities, cognitive styles, and motivational tendencies. These psychological characteristics may be studied unobtrusively through the use of text analysis, which is especially valuable when it

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to explore perception of social discrimination among ordinary people and health-care workers toward individuals with COVID-19 in Jordan. A cross-sectional descriptive-comparative design was used to collect data from a convenience sample of 272 ordinary people and 109 HCWs utilizing an online survey format. HCWs reported low to medium social discrimination (SDS)

ABSTRACT Studies assigning impression goals to achieve in the laboratory typically assume their results translate to social success outside. To test this, 156 participants interacted with a confederate, first with no goal (baseline) and then with a goal (post-goal). Goals were to appear likeable, intelligent, likeable and intelligent, or no goal (Control). Up to 10 friends provided ratings of participants

(2020). Editorial. Social Influence: Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 1-3.

ABSTRACT Based on dissonance theory, we predicted that individuals who supported a political figure (Donald Trump), were exposed to information about his wrongdoings, and believed the veracity of this information would be most likely to share social media that points to incidents in which opponents also engaged in wrongdoing. Participants (N = 409) varying in their support for Trump were exposed to

ABSTRACT We investigate the temporal course of meta-cognition and resistance processes following exposure to counter-attitudinal information in the 2012 Presidential election. Using a unique 3-wave survey panel design, we tracked eligible voters during the last months of the 2012 campaign and experimentally manipulated exposure to negative political messages targeting Barack Obama and Mitt Romney on

ABSTRACT In a landmark study in 2006, Bartlett and DeSteno found that receiving help promoted reciprocal behavior and that this effect was mediated by gratitude. Recent research, however, suggested that indebtedness is more closely associated with reciprocation than gratitude. Therefore, we examined whether reciprocal behavior could (also) be attributed to indebtedness. Specifically, we attempted to

ABSTRACT Matland and Murray (2019) reanalyze three of their previous field experiments and fail to reproduce the finding reported in Panagopoulos and van der Linden (2016) that political identity moderates the watchful eye effect on voter mobilization in elections. We highlight several concerns with their empirical approach, including lack of power and between-study differences, that lead us to conclude

ABSTRACT This rejoinder addresses concerns raised by Panagopoulos and van der Linden about replication studies of their work conducted by Matland and Murray and published in this journal.Specifically, it offers counterarguments grounded in a broader view of the evidence to the assertion and findings that watching eyes stimuli more effectively mobilize Republican/conservative identifiers to vote than

ABSTRACT The effect of information sentiment on popularity is meaningful to understand the information content on social media. The present research examined whether emotion values of information could predict the potential of popularity in two psychoinformatic experiments. A prime task was used with popular/unpopular information as prime and high/low sentiment stimuli as targets. In Experiment 1,

ABSTRACT The emotional seesaw phenomenon (ESP) is a social-influence technique in which a person experiences a certain emotion, where the external stimulus that evoked the emotion suddenly disappears. Large effects on compliance and impaired cognitive functioning were reported after ESPs. The present research (total N = 163) tests a generalization of this phenomenon: whether mere cognitive busyness

(2019). Ethical defaults: which transparency components can increase the effectiveness of default nudges? Social Influence: Vol. 14, No. 3-4, pp. 104-116.

ABSTRACT Using the lens of Deindividuation Theory, Leon Mann explored the formation of baiting crowds in a small sample of public suicides/suicide attempts. Instead of attempting to prevent the suicide, baiting crowds encourage the victim to jump. Our aim was to replicate Mann's study with a larger more diverse sample of suicide attempts and a broadened theoretical lens (Frustration-Aggression). Using

ABSTRACT According to terror management theory, in a first study (N = 80), we tested the hypothesis that heroic perceptions of historic heroes would become more positive under mortality salience. Results, however, showed the opposite effect – heroic perceptions were less positive. To explain this unexpected finding, we referred to a social comparison perspective, assuming comparisons with a hero are

ABSTRACT This study examined the impact of presenting scientific and social consensus information together on people’s scientific beliefs when the two types of consensus information contradict each other. Japanese adults (N = 1,518) received information about high scientific consensus and low social consensus on the safety of genetically modified (GM) foods, information only about high scientific consensus

ABSTRACT Third-party punishment is a form of peer-to-peer sanctioning that is influenced by descriptive norms. The present study aims to investigate how aggregate peer punishment and the presence of a free rider who never punishes influences the formation of third-party punishment norms. Participants were exposed to social feedback indicating either low, high, or high & free rider peer punishment.

ABSTRACT During social interactions, people look into each other’s eyes to grasp emotional signals. Accordingly, prior research has shown that the eyes reveal social messages that influence interpersonal communication. Here, we tested whether variations in a subtle eye signal – pupil size – influence people’s conforming behavior. Participants performed an estimation task in light of the estimation

ABSTRACT The that’s-not-all (TNA) compliance-gaining technique offers a product at an initial price and then improves the deal by either lowering the price or adding an extra product before the target responds to the final and adjusted offer. A meta-analysis with 18 comparisons examining the effectiveness of the TNA strategy found that the technique is a reliable method for increasing compliance (r

ABSTRACT The present study reassessed the effectiveness of the Integrated Model of Advice-giving with participants of varying levels of need for cognition (NFC) and different communication styles (high- and low-context communication styles). Participants (N = 828) were randomly assigned to read one of 33 versions of conversation in which they received advice from a friend. Results showed that NFC moderated

ABSTRACT Social pressure can exert a powerful, but sometimes counterproductive, influence on compliance with the social norm of voting. Scholars have tested several implicit social pressure techniques to reduce negative reactions to these methods. Among the most innovative is the use of ‘watching eyes’ in voter mobilization messages. Using three large randomized field experiments, this study attempts

ABSTRACT We explored a novel phenomenon where people in certain social contexts voluntarily consume high-calorie foods with the altruistic motive of making other people feel comfortable and pleasant. We hypothesized that people are likely to choose a high-calorie food, especially around others with whom they have communal relationships (e.g., friends), because of the desire to induce in others feelings

ABSTRACT Two studies show that being socially mindful only requires a minimal social context: The presence of a specific other is enough to bring out greater social mindfulness in a one-shot social decision-making task that focuses participants’ decisions on leaving or limiting other people’s choice. Study 1 contrasts a control condition (with no second chooser) with two conditions in which a confederate

ABSTRACT There is widespread segregation between workplaces along ethnic lines. We expand upon previous research on segregation and social influence by testing the effect of the latter on personal diversity preferences, specifically in employees’ selection into hypothetical workplaces. In a survey study with 364 European American respondents in three waves, participants complied with social consensus

ABSTRACT The current research examines how political identity shapes preferences for objects and messages that highlight either equality or hierarchy. We find that liberals show a greater preference for an object associated with less as opposed to more hierarchy, whereas conservatives do not exhibit such a preference (Study 1). We also find that liberals are more persuaded by persuasive appeals that

ABSTRACT We all occasionally need the help of others whom we do not know well. In four studies, we studied the influence of the facial appearance of both the potential helper and the help seeker on such a decision. In three studies (1a-1c), across different help domains, participants rated a person with submissive facial appearance as more likely to help. This was mediated via the perception of the

ABSTRACT Attitude correctness and attitude clarity define the broader concept, attitude certainty. Repeating one’s attitude to oneself causes attitude clarity, while learning that the majority of others agree with you causes attitude correctness. The current research tests how attitude correctness influences emotions and behavioral intentions toward individuals with opposing attitudes. We predicted

Abstract Nonverbally-expressed emotions are not always linked to people’s true emotions. We investigated whether observers’ ability to distinguish trues from lies differs for positive and negative emotional expressions. Participants judged targets either simulating or truly experiencing positive or negative emotions. Deception detection was measured by participants’ inference of the targets’ emotions

Abstract Research in the field of Resistance to Persuasion (RP) has demonstrated that inoculating individuals with counter arguments is effective for lowering their levels of adherence to conspiracist beliefs (CB). Yet, this strategy is limited because it requires specific arguments tailored against targeted conspiracist narratives. Therefore, we investigated whether priming Resistance to Persuasion

Abstract Spending money on time saving purchases improves happiness. Yet, people often fail to spend their money in this way. Because most people believe that the future will be less busy than the present, they may underweight the value of these purchases. We examine the impact of debiasing this previously unexplored barrier of consumer decisions to ‘buy time’ in a field experiment with a US-based

Abstract Members of the same household share similar social attitudes, but the source of the similarity in attitudes may be attributed to many processes. This study uses data from a randomized field experiment to identify contagion in attitude change about anti-transgender prejudice. During a face-to-face canvassing experiment, registered voters who answered the door were exposed to either a message

Abstract This study investigates the effects of mainstream media coverage on public perception of an organizational program in crisis. A survey was administered via Qualtrics using a web-based network sampling approach. The survey contained two mainstream media clips, one slanted negatively and the other slanted positively regarding an incident within the organizational program. Participants viewed

Abstract Based on studies linking positive outcomes to subsequent helping, it was hypothesized that when individuals receive their choice of items when supply is constrained they will show heightened prosocial behavior. Participants either received a choice of candy when it was plentiful, a choice of candy under scarce conditions, or no option to choose between candies under scarce conditions. All

Abstract The present work explores whether self-objectification triggered by doing peculiar work activities would increase people’s conforming behavior. We conducted an experimental study in which participants (N = 140) were asked to perform a high objectifying activity (vs. low objectifying activity vs. baseline condition) simulating a real computer job. Afterwards, their levels of self-objectification

Abstract In this paper, we re-analyze data from a large-scale field experiment (N = 344,084) on voter turnout in order to determine whether men and women respond differently to social pressure aimed at voter mobilization. To date, there have been mixed results regarding the interaction between a person’s gender and receptivity to social influence. On the whole, our analyses confirm prior findings that

Abstract Social influence, in Asch’s famous analysis, depends on recipients’ interpretations of what issues mean. Building on this view, we showed that influence is a two-step process in which recipients first infer the meaning of a message based on the ideology of the source group. In the second step, recipients agree more with messages that support their own group ideologies. Supporting the causal

Abstract Research has found that teaching people about psychological biases can help counteract biased behavior. On the other hand, due to the innate need for preservation of a positive self-image, it is likely that teaching people about biases they hold, may cause a boomerang effect in cases where being associated with a specific bias implies negative social connotations. In the three studies below

Abstract The present paper describes an agent-based model of indirect minority influence. It examines whether indirect minority influence can lead to social change as a function of cognitive rebalancing, a process whereby related attitudes are affected when one attitude is changed. An attitude updating algorithm was modelled with minimal assumptions drawing on social psychology theories of indirect

Abstract A field experiment on the discrimination of Roma migrants from Eastern Europe was conducted in two stations of the Paris metro to explore the behaviors that may communicate misrecognition in everyday encounters. An actress asked for help to randomly chosen passengers on a metro platform, wearing a glaringly Romani skirt in the treatment condition but an unconspicuous middle-class style in

(2017). Corrigendum. Social Influence: Vol. 12, No. 2-3, pp. 115-115.

Abstract The current investigation examined our prediction that sexual objectification decreases women’s experiential consumption but not material consumption. Three experiments provided converging support for this prediction. In particular, female participants reported lower tendency to engage in experiential consumption after recalling a past experience of objectification (Studies 1 and 3) and chose

Abstract Ostracism is a painful experience, to the point that even observing ostracism hurts. We extend research on vicarious ostracism by investigating how observers subsequently behave and whether this is driven by intrapersonal feelings (need satisfaction) and/or interpersonal impressions. Sixty-six participants observed either ostracism or inclusion in Cyberball. They reported their global impression

Abstract In explicit persuasion, the communicator states explicitly a desire to persuade the consumer. By referring to an attributional approach, social engagement was simultaneously explored as a beneficial communicator attribute, while cause-related marketing (CRM) was addressed as a boundary condition. In an experiment, we varied the persuasion strategy (explicit vs. implicit), the communicator’s

Abstract Being in a social context influences risk-taking behavior. This study aims to identify the effect of an audience’s presence on risk-taking while gambling. One hundred and thirty-two university students played a computer roulette game. They were randomly allocated to one of our three conditions: (i) either they played alone; or (ii) in the presence of the experimenter; or (iii) in the presence

Abstract The present study investigated associations between personality and conformity. Early work on this subject employed impactful, experimentally realistic procedures to induce conformity, yet lacked valid personality assessment. Conversely, contemporary work used valid personality assessment but measured conformity in low-impact settings. The present study combined the strengths of these research

Abstract Compliance-gaining research focuses mainly on how message variations differentially affect compliance; however, few studies have examined how framing the compliance-gaining goal (i.e., promotion/prevention) and providing a means to achieve the goal function concurrently to influence compliance. The current study uses regulatory fit theory to examine how a fit between goals and means of compliance-gaining

Abstract To convince people to reduce their energy consumption, two types of persuasive appeals often are used by environmental organizations: Monetary appeals (i.e., ‘conserving energy will save you money’) and environmental appeals (i.e., ‘conserving energy will protect the environment’). In this field study we aimed to compare the effects of monetary and environmental appeals on showering habits

Abstract Over the last decade, social media has increasingly been used as a platform for political and moral discourse. We investigate whether conformity, specifically concerning moral attitudes, occurs in these virtual environments apart from face-to-face interactions. Participants took an online survey and saw either statistical information about the frequency of certain responses, as one might see

Abstract In his obedience studies, Milgram noticed that some participants, while remaining fully obedient, attempted to help the victim of painful electric shocks by vocally signaling the correct answer. However, there is still no systematic description of these more subtle forms of noncompliance. We analyzed this phenomenon by the systematic coding of the indirect noncompliant behaviors recorded in

Abstract The key premise of the social identity theory of leadership, that group prototypical leaders are more favorably evaluated than less prototypical leaders, is supported by twenty years of research. To establish overall how much variance in leader evaluation is attributable to leader prototypicality we conducted a meta-analysis of 35 independent studies (N = 6678). Prototypicality accounted for

Abstract Excluded people vary in their coping with social pain. The menstrual cycle has shown to moderate experiences related to pain. We therefore investigated the influence of the menstrual cycle on aggressive intentions in response to social exclusion. Results revealed no effect of the menstrual cycle alone. However when exploratory taking dispositional social anxiety into account, we found women

Abstract A random-effects meta-analysis was undertaken to examine the effectiveness of the pique technique of compliance-gaining. Results indicated an overall significant effect of the pique technique on increased compliance rate across 17 comparisons (r = .27). Moderator analyses showed the technique worked significantly better than controls in gaining compliance when a smaller amount was requested

(2016). Editorial Board. Social Influence: Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. (ebi)-(ebi).

Abstract Studies concerning sign effectiveness highlight the use of justifications and information about consequences of non-compliance. Assuming that the most persuasive messages contain both types of information, we compared the effectiveness of eight different signs (that encouraged supermarket shoppers to hygienically handle bread). The independent variables were (a) sign content (justification

Abstract What political social media messages resonate and get shared? We analyzed the first three months of tweets from Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump since winning their respective nominations and found that messages containing #hashtags, @usermentions, or http://www.websitelinks.com decreased likes and retweets. While these features are intended to increase audience exposure, their presence concurrently

Abstract The influence of competition level on referees’ decision-making was investigated. Referees’ decisions in 90 handball games (30 games X 3 competition levels) were observed in different situations related to the advantage rule, and 100 referees from two different levels of expertise were subsequently asked to offer explanations for the competition-level effects from the first part of the study

Abstract Two studies examine a possible consequence – namely, unwanted reactions to psychological research on wrongdoing – if laypeople perceive psychologists to have liberal tendencies. Study 1 replicated previous research by showing that when psychologists presented findings demonstrating situational (compared to dispositional or interactionist) influences on wrongdoing, they were perceived as assigning

Abstract Two studies investigated the delay discounting effect in charitable giving situations, and whether construal level moderates this effect. In both studies, construal level was manipulated by inducing a concrete vs. an abstract mindset. Participants were asked how much time (Experiment 1) or how much money (Experiment 2) they would be willing to volunteer or donate, respectively, to a self-

Abstract Although studies have shown that implicit social cues, such as images of watchful eyes, can elicit prosocial behavior, little research to date has examined individual differences in people’s susceptibility to such subtle social cues. For example, individuals with a conservative ideology typically value social conformity, obedience, and adherence to social norms more than liberals. To examine

Abstract Previous research has shown that ingroup norms influence intentions to engage in pro-environmental behavior, most notably for individuals highly identified with a group. However, intriguingly, identification may itself lead people to exaggerate descriptive pro-environmental ingroup norms to enhance positive distinctiveness of their ingroup. We investigated this possibility in two studies together