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Full-Text Articles in Psychology

Covid-19, Coronavirus, Wuhan Virus, Or China Virus? Understanding How To “Do No Harm" When Naming An Infectious Disease, Theodore C. Masters-Waage, Nilotpal Jha, Jochen Reb Dec 2020

Covid-19, Coronavirus, Wuhan Virus, Or China Virus? Understanding How To “Do No Harm" When Naming An Infectious Disease, Theodore C. Masters-Waage, Nilotpal Jha, Jochen Reb

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

When labeling an infectious disease, officially sanctioned scientific names, e.g., “H1N1 virus,” are recommended over place-specific names, e.g., “Spanish flu.” This is due to concerns from policymakers and the WHO that the latter might lead to unintended stigmatization. However, with little empirical support for such negative consequences, authorities might be focusing on limited resources on an overstated issue. This paper empirically investigates the impact of naming against the current backdrop of the 2019-2020 pandemic.


The Association Between Objective And Subjective Socioeconomic Standing And Subjective Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis, Jacinth J. X. Tan, Michael W. Kraus, Nichelle C. Carpenter, Nancy E. Adler Nov 2020

The Association Between Objective And Subjective Socioeconomic Standing And Subjective Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis, Jacinth J. X. Tan, Michael W. Kraus, Nichelle C. Carpenter, Nancy E. Adler

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This meta-analysis tested if the links between socioeconomic status (SES) and subjective well-being (SWB) differ by whether SES is assessed objectively or subjectively. The associations between measures of objective SES (i.e., income and educational attainment), subjective SES (i.e., the MacArthur ladder SES and perceived SES), and SWB (i.e., happiness and life satisfaction) were synthesized across 357 studies, totaling 2,352,095 participants. Overall, the objective SES and subjective SES measures were moderately associated (r = .32). The subjective SES-SWB association (r = .22) was larger than the objective SES-SWB association (r = .16). The income-SWB association (r = .23) was comparable with …


Creative Destruction In Science, Warren Tierney, Jay H. Iii Hardy, Charles R. Ebersole, Keith Leavitt, D. Viganola, Andree Hartanto, Christilene Du Plessis, Nilotpal Jha, Theodore C. Masters-Waage, Michael Schaerer Nov 2020

Creative Destruction In Science, Warren Tierney, Jay H. Iii Hardy, Charles R. Ebersole, Keith Leavitt, D. Viganola, Andree Hartanto, Christilene Du Plessis, Nilotpal Jha, Theodore C. Masters-Waage, Michael Schaerer

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Drawing on the concept of a gale of creative destruction in a capitalistic economy, we argue that initiatives to assess the robustness of findings in the organizational literature should aim to simultaneously test competing ideas operating in the same theoretical space. In other words, replication efforts should seek not just to support or question the original findings, but also to replace them with revised, stronger theories with greater explanatory power. Achieving this will typically require adding new measures, conditions, and subject populations to research designs, in order to carry out conceptual tests of multiple theories in addition to directly replicating …


Dealing With Covid-19 And Emerging Stronger From It, David Chan Nov 2020

Dealing With Covid-19 And Emerging Stronger From It, David Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Whether it is reacting to news on COVID-19 cases, following safe management rules, adapting to changes at work, assessing leadership and public responses to the coronavirus crisis, or navigating post-pandemic realities, it is all part of understanding how humans think, feel, and behave, says SMU Professor David Chan.


The Attractiveness Advantage At Work: A Cross-Disciplinary Integrative Review, Kelly A Nault, Marko Pitesa, Stefan Thau Oct 2020

The Attractiveness Advantage At Work: A Cross-Disciplinary Integrative Review, Kelly A Nault, Marko Pitesa, Stefan Thau

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Compared with people of average attractiveness, the highly attractive earn roughly 20 percent more and are recommended for promotion more frequently. The dominant view of this “attractiveness advantage” is one of taste-based discrimination, whereby attractive individuals are preferred without justification in economic productivity. We conduct a comprehensive review of research on attractiveness discrimination, finding relatively more evidence that this phenomenon constitutes, to some extent, statistical (as opposed to solely taste-based) discrimination, in which decision makers assume that attractive people are more competent and discriminate based on instrumental motives. We then review research that speaks to whether decision makers might be …


Social Media Use Improves Executive Functions In Middle-Aged And Older Adults: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis, Shi Ann Shuna Khoo, Hwajin Yang Oct 2020

Social Media Use Improves Executive Functions In Middle-Aged And Older Adults: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis, Shi Ann Shuna Khoo, Hwajin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Given the paucity of research on the cognitive implications of social media use in middle and late adulthood, we sought to understand the relations between middle-aged and older adults' social media use and their executive functions (EF)—a set of domain-general cognitive control processes—and the underlying mechanism. By analyzing a nationally representative cohort ranging from ages 40s–70s from the MIDUS Refresher Survey and Cognitive Project, we tested a serial mediation model with perception of social support and sense of control (i.e., personal mastery and perceived constraints) as sequential mediators in a structural equation modeling analysis. We found that perceived social support …


Evolutionary Psychology’S Next Challenge: Solving Modern Problems Using A Mismatch Perspective, Norman P. Li, Jose C. Yong, Mark Van Vugt Oct 2020

Evolutionary Psychology’S Next Challenge: Solving Modern Problems Using A Mismatch Perspective, Norman P. Li, Jose C. Yong, Mark Van Vugt

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

As acceptance of evolutionary perspectives in mainstream psychology grows, it becomes increasingly pertinent to ask what evolutionary psychology can do to solve real-world problems and better our lives. Answers to this important question will more than likely require an understanding and application of the evolutionary mismatch framework. This powerful framework suggests that many of our contemporary problems—ranging from diabetes and depression to low fertility and sustainability—stem from a mismatch between our evolved psychological mechanisms, which are designed to be adaptive in ancestral contexts, and modern environments, which present novel stimuli that these mechanisms are not well suited to handle. By …


How Much Money Can Buy You Happiness, And Can Happiness Be Engineered?, Chandran Kukathas Oct 2020

How Much Money Can Buy You Happiness, And Can Happiness Be Engineered?, Chandran Kukathas

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

There may be a lot of misery in the world, opines Chandran Kukathas, but for many, ‘there’s gold in them thar hills’. But can happiness be engineered?


Effects Of Social Media And Smartphone Use On Body Esteem In Female Adolescents: Testing A Cognitive And Affective Model, Hwajin Yang, Jiaqi Joy Wang, Yue Qi Germaine Tng, Sujin Yang Sep 2020

Effects Of Social Media And Smartphone Use On Body Esteem In Female Adolescents: Testing A Cognitive And Affective Model, Hwajin Yang, Jiaqi Joy Wang, Yue Qi Germaine Tng, Sujin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

We examined the predictive relations of social media and smartphone use to body esteem in female adolescents and the mechanism that underlies these relations. As a result of frequent social media and smartphone use, adolescents are continually exposed to appearance-related media content. This likely reinforces a thin ideal and fosters appearance-based comparison and increases fear of external evaluation. Hence, we investigated a cognitive-affective framework in which the associations of social media and smartphone use with body esteem are serially mediated by cognitive internalization of an ideal body image, appearance comparisons, and social appearance anxiety. By testing female adolescents (N = …


Changes In Prenatal Testosterone And Sexual Desire In Expectant Couples, Wei Xiang Sim, William J. Chopik, Britney M. Wardecker, Robin S. Edelstein Aug 2020

Changes In Prenatal Testosterone And Sexual Desire In Expectant Couples, Wei Xiang Sim, William J. Chopik, Britney M. Wardecker, Robin S. Edelstein

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

During the transition to parenthood (TTP), both women and men report declines in sexual desire, which are thought to reflect an evolutionarily adaptive focus on parenting over mating. New parents also show changes in testosterone, a steroid hormone implicated in both parenting and mating, suggesting that changes in sexual desire may be associated with changes in testosterone. To test these associations, we followed a sample of heterosexual couples expecting their first child across the prenatal period. We examined prenatal changes in testosterone and two forms of sexual desire (solitary, dyadic). Expectant mothers showed prenatal increases in testosterone, and women's higher …


Foster Positivity Amid Covid-19 Challenges, David Chan Aug 2020

Foster Positivity Amid Covid-19 Challenges, David Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Many behaviours have encouraged positivity during the pandemic. More can be done to create communities that nurture positive attitudes and experiences


How To Make Critical Decisions Amid Covid-19 Pressures, David Chan Jul 2020

How To Make Critical Decisions Amid Covid-19 Pressures, David Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Time pressure and ambivalence are common when people make decisions in a crisis. Understanding the psychological dynamics helps us slow down to make better decisions.


Confidence Is Sexy And It Can Be Trained: Examining Male Social Confidence In Initial, Opposite-Sex Interactions, Norman P. Li, Jose C. Yong, Ming-Hong Tsai, Mark H. C. Lai, Amy J. Y. Lim, Joshua M. Ackerman Jul 2020

Confidence Is Sexy And It Can Be Trained: Examining Male Social Confidence In Initial, Opposite-Sex Interactions, Norman P. Li, Jose C. Yong, Ming-Hong Tsai, Mark H. C. Lai, Amy J. Y. Lim, Joshua M. Ackerman

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Objective: We investigated whether men's social confidence in an initial, opposite-sex chatting context can be improved through a video tutorial and the extent to which being perceived as socially confident results in being seen as more romantically desirable and worthy of future contact. Method: Women chatted with men who had received or not received a tutorial on how to handle speed-dating chats (Study 1: N = 129; Study 2: N = 60) or with male targets selected for having high versus moderate confidence in handling initial, opposite-sex encounters (Study 3: N = 46). Results: Tutorial-trained men felt more confident going …


Mate Preference Priorities In The East And West: A Cross-Cultural Test Of The Mate Preference Priority Model, Andrew G. Thomas, Peter K. Jonason, Jesse D. Blackburn, Leif E. O. Kennair, Rob Lowe, John Malouff, Steve Stewart-Williams, Danielle Sulikowski, Norman P. Li Jun 2020

Mate Preference Priorities In The East And West: A Cross-Cultural Test Of The Mate Preference Priority Model, Andrew G. Thomas, Peter K. Jonason, Jesse D. Blackburn, Leif E. O. Kennair, Rob Lowe, John Malouff, Steve Stewart-Williams, Danielle Sulikowski, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Objective: Mate choice involves trading-off several preferences. Research on this process tends to examine mate preference prioritization in homogenous samples using a small number of traits and thus provide little insight into whether prioritization patterns reflect a universal human nature. This study examined whether prioritization patterns, and their accompanying sex differences, are consistent across Eastern and Western cultures. Method: In the largest test of the mate preference priority model to date, we asked an international sample of participants (N = 2,477) to design an ideal long-term partner by allocating mate dollars to eight traits using three budgets. Unlike previous versions …


Depletion Manipulations Decrease Openness To Dissent Via Increased Anger, Ming-Hong Tsai, Norman P. Li May 2020

Depletion Manipulations Decrease Openness To Dissent Via Increased Anger, Ming-Hong Tsai, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

We investigated a potential outcome of ego depletion manipulations and an importantfactor behind cooperative failure: a lack of openness to others’ dissenting opinions.Across five studies in a variety of task settings, we examined the effect of depletionmanipulations on openness to dissent and investigated two negative emotions as potentialmediators of this process: fatigue and anger. The results demonstrated a negative effect ofdepletion manipulations on openness to dissent through increased anger rather thanfatigue (Studies 1–5). In Studies 3 and 4, we also eliminated perceived trust towards a taskcounterpart as a significant mediator of the relationship between depletion manipulationsand openness to dissent. These …


Crisis Communications: Facing Covid-19 Together Could Lead To Positive Psychological Growth, Lowri Dowthwaite Apr 2020

Crisis Communications: Facing Covid-19 Together Could Lead To Positive Psychological Growth, Lowri Dowthwaite

Social Space

Although news reports of hoarding, and panic-buying might make it hard to believe, research shows that natural disasters, like the COVID-19 pandemic, can actually bring out the best in people. Although times of significant threat or crisis can cause post-traumatic stress, research shows that so-called “adversarial growth” is just as common as a response. This is our capacity to not only overcome a crisis, but to actually grow stronger, wiser and more resilient.


Why Do Cosmopolitan Individuals Tend To Be More Pro-Environmentally Committed? The Mediating Pathways Via Knowledge Acquisition And Emotional Affinity Toward Nature, Kenichi Ito, Angela K. Y. Leung, Tengjiao Huang Apr 2020

Why Do Cosmopolitan Individuals Tend To Be More Pro-Environmentally Committed? The Mediating Pathways Via Knowledge Acquisition And Emotional Affinity Toward Nature, Kenichi Ito, Angela K. Y. Leung, Tengjiao Huang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Past research offered evidence that cosmopolitan individuals behave more pro-environmentally. The current study systematically examined two mechanisms explaining why. One the one hand, cosmopolitan individuals acquire knowledge about global challenges concerning environmental crises and become aware of mitigating strategies. On the other hand, cosmopolitan individuals extend their prosociality beyond humankind and develop an emotional affinity toward the natural environment. We set out to provide the first empirical support for these cognitive and emotive pathways accounting for why cosmopolitan individuals tend to be more environmentally friendly. We recruited a total of 1,159 participants to systematically investigate the simultaneous mediation of cognitive …


A Toolkit To Deal With Negative Reactions In The Covid-19 Crisis, David Chan Apr 2020

A Toolkit To Deal With Negative Reactions In The Covid-19 Crisis, David Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Understanding our own and others’ biases helps us respond better to difficult situations. Adopt what I call the 3Rs approach - refrain, reflect and resolve, to deal with negative events and manage our negative gut emotions and reactions.


Mood-Creativity Relationship In Groups: The Role Of Equality In Idea Contribution In Temporal Mood Effects, Angela K. Y. Leung, Shynan Liou, Ming-Hong Tsai, Brandon Koh Mar 2020

Mood-Creativity Relationship In Groups: The Role Of Equality In Idea Contribution In Temporal Mood Effects, Angela K. Y. Leung, Shynan Liou, Ming-Hong Tsai, Brandon Koh

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

As people working in groups might fare better in solving complex problems than those working alone (e.g., Laughlin, Hatch, Silver, & Boh, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 2006 and 644), organizations have increasingly assigned creative projects to groups. Group members contribute their collective efforts over time until the creative project has come to fruition. Although mood is identified as an important antecedent to creativity, little is known about the temporal pattern of how group mood enhances or inhibits group creativity, as well as the underpinning group process that explains the mood—creativity link in groups. We set out to …


Similar But Not Quite The Same: Differential Unique Associations Of Trait Fear And Trait Anxiety With Inhibitory Control, Wei Xing Toh, Hwajin Yang Mar 2020

Similar But Not Quite The Same: Differential Unique Associations Of Trait Fear And Trait Anxiety With Inhibitory Control, Wei Xing Toh, Hwajin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Given the dearth of research regarding the relations of trait fear and trait anxiety to cognitive control processes, we sought to investigate how trait fear and trait anxiety are uniquely related to inhibitory control, which is a crucial component of the regulatory processes that inhibit inappropriate responses that interfere with goal achievement. Given that inhibitory control tasks are often plagued by task-impurity issues, we employed a latent variable approach based on multiple measures of inhibitory control. We found that trait fear and trait anxiety are related but separable constructs that, when their shared variance was controlled for, predicted inhibitory control …


Solving Mate Shortages: Lowering Standards, Searching Farther, And Abstaining, Peter K. Jonason, Simone L. Betes, Norman P. Li Feb 2020

Solving Mate Shortages: Lowering Standards, Searching Farther, And Abstaining, Peter K. Jonason, Simone L. Betes, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Although much work on mating psychology has focused on mate preferences and responses to desirable sexual and romantic offers, less is known about what happens when individuals face a lack of mating options. We present 2 studies on (hypothetical) compensatory mating tactics. In Study 1 (N = 299), participants were asked to imagine they were struggling to find long-term and short-term mates and we revealed sex differences and context-specific effects consistent with parental investment theory. In Study 2 (N = 282), participants were asked to imagine they had been incapable of finding a short-term and long-term mate for 6 months …


Cultural Variability In The Association Between Age And Well-Being: The Role Of Uncertainty Avoidance, Smaranda Lawrie, Kimin Eom, Daniela Moza, Alin Gavreliuc, Heejung S. Kim Jan 2020

Cultural Variability In The Association Between Age And Well-Being: The Role Of Uncertainty Avoidance, Smaranda Lawrie, Kimin Eom, Daniela Moza, Alin Gavreliuc, Heejung S. Kim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Past research has found a mixed relationship between age and subjective well-being. The current research advances the understanding of these findings by incorporating a cultural perspective. We tested whether the relationship between age and well-being is moderated by uncertainty avoidance, a cultural dimension dealing with society’s tolerance for ambiguity. In Study 1 (N = 64,228), using a multilevel approach with an international database, we found that older age was associated with lower well-being in countries higher in uncertainty avoidance but not in countries lower in uncertainty avoidance. Further, this cultural variation was mediated by a sense of control. In Study …


Partner Commitment In Close Relationships Mitigates Social-Class Differences In Subjective Well-Being, Jacinth J. X. Tan, Michael W. Kraus, Emily A. Impett, Dacher Keltner Jan 2020

Partner Commitment In Close Relationships Mitigates Social-Class Differences In Subjective Well-Being, Jacinth J. X. Tan, Michael W. Kraus, Emily A. Impett, Dacher Keltner

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The present exploratory research examined the possibility that commitment in close relationships among lower class individuals, despite greater strains on those relationships, buffers them from poorer subjective well-being (SWB). In two samples of close relationship dyads, we found that when partners reported high commitment to the relationship, the typical deficits in relatively lower class individuals’ well-being compared to their upper-class counterparts, assessed as life satisfaction among romantic couples (Study 1) and negative affect linked to depression among ethnically diverse close friendships (Study 2), were mitigated. Conversely, when partners reported low commitment to the relationship, relatively lower class individuals reported poorer …


Putting Adversity In Perspective: Purpose In Life Moderates The Link Between Childhood Emotional Abuse And Neglect And Adulthood Depressive Symptoms, Andree Hartanto, Jose C. Yong, Sean T. H. Lee, Wee Qin Ng, Eddie M. W. Tong Jan 2020

Putting Adversity In Perspective: Purpose In Life Moderates The Link Between Childhood Emotional Abuse And Neglect And Adulthood Depressive Symptoms, Andree Hartanto, Jose C. Yong, Sean T. H. Lee, Wee Qin Ng, Eddie M. W. Tong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Background: Childhood emotional abuse and neglect is linked with a host of adverse outcomes later in life, including depression. However, potential psychological resources that may mitigate the adverse outcomes of childhood emotional abuse and neglect are not well-understood. Aims: Drawing from the insight that having a sense of purpose can help individuals deal with setbacks and difficulties better, we propose that purpose in life can also help sufferers of childhood maltreatment cope more effectively and reduce the onset of depressive symptoms. Methods: Participants were drawn from two large, nationally representative studies comprising a total of 3664 respondents. Purpose in life, …


Nudging Evolutionary Mismatched Behaviors: Implications For Social Psychology And Public Policy, Mark Van Vugt, Lianne P. De Vries, Norman P. Li Jan 2020

Nudging Evolutionary Mismatched Behaviors: Implications For Social Psychology And Public Policy, Mark Van Vugt, Lianne P. De Vries, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Evolutionary mismatch is an important concept in evolutionary social psychology and may play a significant role in accounting for numerous maladaptive choice preferences of humans living in evolutionary novel environments. Here we review evidence in support of mismatched preferences in the context of romantic relationships, work settings, politics, and healthy and sustainable lifestyles. In developing interventions to change mismatched preferences (e.g., via nudges or incentives), it is crucial to consider the constraints and opportunities of our evolved psychology.