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Full-Text Articles in Psychology

Development And Validation Of A Lifestyle Behavior Tool In Overweight And Obese Women Through Qualitative And Quantitative Approaches, Chee Wai Ku, Loo Rachel, Cheryl Lim, Jacinth Jia Xin Tan, Joey Ho, Wee Meng Han, Xiang Wen Ng, Jerry Chan, See Ling Loy Dec 2021

Development And Validation Of A Lifestyle Behavior Tool In Overweight And Obese Women Through Qualitative And Quantitative Approaches, Chee Wai Ku, Loo Rachel, Cheryl Lim, Jacinth Jia Xin Tan, Joey Ho, Wee Meng Han, Xiang Wen Ng, Jerry Chan, See Ling Loy

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

There is a paucity of effective intervention tools for overweight/obese women to assess, guide and monitor their eating behavior. This study aimed to develop a lifestyle intervention tool, assess its acceptability and usefulness, and verify its construct validity in overweight/obese women. The 6P tool (Portion, Proportion, Pleasure, Phase, Physicality, Psychology) was developed and 15 women with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2 were interviewed to assess its perceived acceptability and usefulness. Subsequently, the revised 6P tool was tested in 46 women with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. The Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ), International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short (IPAQ), and …


Does Bedtime Music Listening Improve Subjective Sleep Quality And Next-Morning Well-Being In Young Adults? A Randomized Cross-Over Trial, Nadyana M. Majeed, Verity Y. Q. Lua, Jun Sen Chong, Zoey Lew, Andree Hartanto Dec 2021

Does Bedtime Music Listening Improve Subjective Sleep Quality And Next-Morning Well-Being In Young Adults? A Randomized Cross-Over Trial, Nadyana M. Majeed, Verity Y. Q. Lua, Jun Sen Chong, Zoey Lew, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Previous research has found that young adults exhibit patterns of poor sleep and that poor sleep is associated with a host of negative psychological consequences. One potential intervention to improve sleep quality is listening to music at bedtime. Although there exist previous works investigating the efficacy of listening to music as a form of sleep aid, these works have been hindered by statistically weak designs, a lack of systematic investigation of critical characteristics of music that may affect its efficacy, and limited generalizability. In light of the limitations in the existing literature, a 15-day randomized cross-over trial was carried out …


Smartphone Addiction And Checking Behavior Predict Aggression: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach, Shuna Shiann Khoo, Hwajin Yang Dec 2021

Smartphone Addiction And Checking Behavior Predict Aggression: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach, Shuna Shiann Khoo, Hwajin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Despite the potential risks of excessive smartphone use for maladaptive outcomes, the link between smartphone use and aggression remains less understood. Furthermore, prior findings are inconclusive due to a narrow focus on limited aspects of smartphone use (e.g., screen time) and reliance on self-reported assessments of smartphone use. Therefore, using objective measures of smartphone use, we sought to examine the associations between several key indices of smartphone use—screen time, checking behaviors, and addictive tendency—and multifaceted aggression (i.e., confrontation, anger, and hostility). In a cross-sectional study, we administered a series of questionnaires assessing aggressive tendencies (i.e., The Aggression Questionnaire) and various …


Religion, Environmental Guilt, And Pro-Environmental Support: The Opposing Pathways Of Stewardship Belief And Belief In A Controlling God, Kimin Eom, Tricia Qian Hui Tok, Carmel S. Saad, Heejung S. Kim Dec 2021

Religion, Environmental Guilt, And Pro-Environmental Support: The Opposing Pathways Of Stewardship Belief And Belief In A Controlling God, Kimin Eom, Tricia Qian Hui Tok, Carmel S. Saad, Heejung S. Kim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Religion exerts significant influence on how individuals respond to social issues. The present research investigates the implications of religious beliefs on emotions and behaviors regarding environmental issues. In three studies conducted with Christians in the U.S. (N = 1970), we test the model in which stewardship belief and belief in a controlling god are oppositely (i.e., positively for stewardship belief and negatively for belief in a controlling god) associated with environmental guilt, which in turn leads to greater pro-environmental support. We do so by employing both correlational (Studies 1 and 2) and experimental data (Study 3) with diverse measures of …


Infodemic: The Effect Of Death-Related Thoughts On News-Sharing, Amy J. Lim, Edison Tan, Tania Lim Dec 2021

Infodemic: The Effect Of Death-Related Thoughts On News-Sharing, Amy J. Lim, Edison Tan, Tania Lim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Research on the sharing of fake news has primarily focused on the manner in which fake news spreads and the literary style of fake news. These studies, however, do not explain how characteristics of fake news could affect people’s inclination toward sharing these news articles. Drawing on the Terror Management Theory, we proposed that fake news is more likely to elicit death-related thoughts than real news. Consequently, to manage the existential anxiety that had been produced, people share the news articles to feel connected to close others as a way of resolving the existential anxiety. Across three experimental studies (total …


Older Adult Employment Status And Well‐Being: A Longitudinal Bidirectional Analysis, Jonathan Louis Jie Sheng Chia, Andree Hartanto Dec 2021

Older Adult Employment Status And Well‐Being: A Longitudinal Bidirectional Analysis, Jonathan Louis Jie Sheng Chia, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Mixed findings in the literature on the effects of older adult employment on well-being and the reciprocal influence of well-being on employment suggest the need for more careful methodology in teasing out this relationship. Moreover, as previous research has shown that different domains of well-being relate to constructs differently, more nuanced definitions of well-being may be appropriate. The present study examined the longitudinal bidirectional associations of employment and different domains of well-being, controlling for stable within-person variables. The present study sampled older adults from the Midlife Development in the US study at three timepoints on employment status and well-being, specifically …


Older Adult Employment Status And Well-Being: A Longitudinal Bidirectional Analysis, Jonathan L. Chia, Andree Hartanto Nov 2021

Older Adult Employment Status And Well-Being: A Longitudinal Bidirectional Analysis, Jonathan L. Chia, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Mixed findings in the literature on the effects of older adult employment on well-being and the reciprocal influence of well-being on employment suggest the need for more careful methodology in teasing out this relationship. Moreover, as previous research has shown that different domains of well-being relate to constructs differently, more nuanced definitions of well-being may be appropriate. The present study examined the longitudinal bidirectional associations of employment and different domains of well-being, controlling for stable within-person variables. The present study sampled older adults from the Midlife Development in the US study at three timepoints on employment status and well-being, specifically …


Loosening The Definition Of Culture: An Investigation Of Gender And Cultural Tightness, Alexandra S. Wormley, Matthew Scott, Kevin Grimm, Norman P. Li, Bryan K. C. Choy, Adam B. Cohen Nov 2021

Loosening The Definition Of Culture: An Investigation Of Gender And Cultural Tightness, Alexandra S. Wormley, Matthew Scott, Kevin Grimm, Norman P. Li, Bryan K. C. Choy, Adam B. Cohen

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

To date, the study of cultural tightness has been largely limited to exploring the strictness of social norms and the severity of punishments at the level of nations or regions. However, cultural psychologists concur that humans gather cultural information from more than just their nationality. Gender is a cultural identity that confers its own social norms. Across three studies using multi-method designs, we find that American women feel the culture surrounding their gender is “tighter” than that for men, and that this relationship is mediated by perceived gender-related threats to the self. However, in a follow-up study in Singapore, we …


Burnout Isn’T Just Exhaustion: Workers Can Also Feel Cynical Or Inadequate, Tina Li Yi Ng, Andree Hartanto Nov 2021

Burnout Isn’T Just Exhaustion: Workers Can Also Feel Cynical Or Inadequate, Tina Li Yi Ng, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Employers, take note: There’s more to burnout which corporate wellness initiatives alone cannot solve, say SMU researchers. The huge wave of resignations spurred by the pandemic has forced companies to confront burnout, implementing “burnout breaks” to curb the loss of productivity that comes with working too much. Though initiatives like “mental health weeks” are widely appreciated, they merely scratch the surface and do not solve the issue. To truly put out the flames of burnout, a precise diagnosis of the problem is critical. This is especially true in Singapore, the world’s most fatigued country where one in two workers feels …


Development And Psychometric Evaluation Of The Anticipated Food Scarcity Scale (Afss), Michal Folwarczny, Norman P. Li, Valdimar Sigurdsson, Lynn K. L. Tan, Tobias Otterbring Nov 2021

Development And Psychometric Evaluation Of The Anticipated Food Scarcity Scale (Afss), Michal Folwarczny, Norman P. Li, Valdimar Sigurdsson, Lynn K. L. Tan, Tobias Otterbring

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Mass media extensively inform societies about events threatening the global food supply (e.g., pandemics or Brexit). Consumers exposed to such communication may perceive food resources as becoming scarcer. In line with an evolutionary account, these perceptions can shift decision-making in domains such as food preferences or prosociality. However, existing literature has solely focused on actual and past food insecurity experiences threatening mostly low-income families, thus neglecting the future-oriented perceptions among the general population. This paper broadens the food insecurity research scope by developing a new construct-anticipated food scarcity (AFS)-which is defined as the perception that food resources are becoming less …


The Challenges Faced By University Educators In Singapore When Referring Students To Counsellors: An Instrumental Case Study, Poh Yaip, Steven Ng, Yee Lin Chung Nov 2021

The Challenges Faced By University Educators In Singapore When Referring Students To Counsellors: An Instrumental Case Study, Poh Yaip, Steven Ng, Yee Lin Chung

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This study examines the difficulties faced by two university professors working in a public, autonomous university in Singapore, when referring students to counselling services. Educators typically observe how students interact and behave in class, and may refer students to counselling services. However, there is little research into how educators experience and view this role, particularly in higher education in Asia. Two university professors who had referred students to their university’s counselling centre took part in semi-structured interviews for the study. From these interviews, the study revealed educators can face a range of challenges in their referral role, such as lack …


Code-Switching Patterns Differentially Shape Cognitive Control: Testing The Predictions Of The Adaptive Control Hypothesis, Giliaine Ng, Hwajin Yang Nov 2021

Code-Switching Patterns Differentially Shape Cognitive Control: Testing The Predictions Of The Adaptive Control Hypothesis, Giliaine Ng, Hwajin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Bilinguals engage in qualitatively different code-switching patterns (alternation, insertion, and congruent lexicalization) to different degrees, according to their engagement in different types of interactional contexts (single-language context, dual-language context, and dense code-switching context). Drawing on the adaptive control hypothesis, we examined whether bilinguals’ code-switching patterns would differentially shape multiple aspects of cognitive control (interference control, salient cue detection, and opportunistic planning). We found that a dense code-switching context, which predominantly involves insertion and congruent lexicalization, was positively associated with verbal opportunistic planning but negatively associated with interference control and salient cue detection. In contrast, a dual-language context, which predominantly involves …


Cognitive Barriers To Covid-19 Vaccine Uptake Among Older Adults, Jonathan L. Chia, Andree Hartanto Oct 2021

Cognitive Barriers To Covid-19 Vaccine Uptake Among Older Adults, Jonathan L. Chia, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in tremendous loss of life. As of late-July 2021, there have been more than 191 million confirmed cases and over 4.1 million deaths recorded (1). Although most nations have developed some competency in COVID-19 containment (2–4), there are new challenges. The continual spread of COVID-19 has resulted in new variants (5–7). These new variants are posited to have a significantly higher transmissibility (8–10), with higher fatality rates (11, 12).


Interactional Effects Of Multidimensional Perfectionism And Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies On Eating Disorder Symptoms In Female College Students, Germaine Y. Q. Tng, Hwajin Yang Oct 2021

Interactional Effects Of Multidimensional Perfectionism And Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies On Eating Disorder Symptoms In Female College Students, Germaine Y. Q. Tng, Hwajin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Given the inconclusive findings regarding the relation between perfectionism and eating disorder symptoms, it is important that we determine whether this relation is modulated by emotion dysregulation, which is a prominent risk factor for eating disorders. We sought to identify specific cognitive emotion regulatory strategies—rumination, self-blame, and catastrophizing—that interact with multidimensional perfectionism to shape eating disorder symptoms (i.e., shape, weight, eating concerns, and dietary restraint). Using latent moderated structural equation modeling, we analyzed data from 167 healthy young female adults. We found that only rumination significantly moderated the relation between socially prescribed perfectionism and eating disorder symptoms. However, this was …


Closeness-Inducing Discussions With A Romantic Partner Increase Cortisol And Testosterone, Kristi Chin, Zachary A. Reese, Esra Ascigil, Lester Sim, Robin S. Edelstein Oct 2021

Closeness-Inducing Discussions With A Romantic Partner Increase Cortisol And Testosterone, Kristi Chin, Zachary A. Reese, Esra Ascigil, Lester Sim, Robin S. Edelstein

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Despite progress in understanding the social neuroendocrinology of close relationship processes, most work has focused on negative experiences, such as relationship conflict or stress. As a result, much less is known about the neuroendocrine implications of positive, emotionally intimate relationship experiences. In the current study, we randomly assigned 105 dating or married couples to a 30-minute semi-structured discussion task that was designed to elicit either high or low levels of closeness. Participants provided pre- and post-task saliva samples (to assess cortisol and testosterone) and post-task reports of self-disclosure, closeness, attraction, positive and negative affect, and stress. Participants found the discussion …


Factors That Promote Or Predict Infidelity, Bryan Kwok Cheng Choy, Norman P. Li Oct 2021

Factors That Promote Or Predict Infidelity, Bryan Kwok Cheng Choy, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Depending on the theoretical perspective taken (e.g., biological, evolutionary, relationships science, individual differences), different factors can promote or predict infidelity. While each factor may independently contribute to infidelity, it is likely that the occurrence of infidelity is contingent on a multitude of factors.


Teachers Who Complain About Burnout Are Not Bad Teachers, Bek Wuay Tang, Jacinth Jia Xin Tan Oct 2021

Teachers Who Complain About Burnout Are Not Bad Teachers, Bek Wuay Tang, Jacinth Jia Xin Tan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Psychology tells us it’s natural but wrong to assume teachers aren’t coping well with stress due to their own inability to manage time or be tough, say SMU’s Tang Bek Wuay and Jacinth Tan. A worrying spotlight was recently shone on burnout among teachers. In a Ministry of Education (MOE) engagement survey conducted in June, three in 10 teachers said they could not cope with stress at work.


Common Executive Function Predicts Reappraisal Ability But Not Frequency, Wei Xing Toh, Hwajin Yang Sep 2021

Common Executive Function Predicts Reappraisal Ability But Not Frequency, Wei Xing Toh, Hwajin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Cognitive reappraisal is an emotion-regulation strategy that positively impacts various facets of adaptive functioning (e.g., interpersonal relations, subjective well-being). Although reappraisal implicates cognitive processing, no clear consensus has been reached regarding its cognitive correlates. Therefore, we examined how executive function (EF)-i. e., a group of general-purpose control abilities comprising working memory, inhibition, and shifting-would be associated with task-based reappraisal ability and self-reported reappraisal frequency. Using a latent-variable approach, we found that the shared variance among EF facets (i.e., common EF)-a general goal-management ability that facilitates the activation and maintenance of task-relevant goals-was positively related to reappraisal ability but not reappraisal …


Cultural Adaptation Congruence In Immigrant Spouses Is Associated With Marital Quality, Lester Sim, Shanting Chen, Minyu Zhang, Robin S. Edelstein, Su Yeong Kim Sep 2021

Cultural Adaptation Congruence In Immigrant Spouses Is Associated With Marital Quality, Lester Sim, Shanting Chen, Minyu Zhang, Robin S. Edelstein, Su Yeong Kim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Objective and background: Previous research suggests that cultural adaptation is associated with Mexican-origin couples' marital outcomes, including marital distress and rates of dissolution. However, research on the marital implications of different types of spousal differences in cultural adaptation often omits important dyadic dynamics (i.e., incongruence between couples and with their partners); this, coupled with existing methodological issues, might contribute to the pattern of mixed findings in the literature. Method: Using data from 273 Mexican-origin couples, we conducted response surface analyses to examine how spousal congruence in four adaptation domains (acculturation, enculturation, English proficiency, Spanish proficiency) is associated with wives' and …


Estimating The Associations Between Big Five Personality Traits, Testosterone, And Cortisol, Zachary Sundin, Lester Sim Sep 2021

Estimating The Associations Between Big Five Personality Traits, Testosterone, And Cortisol, Zachary Sundin, Lester Sim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Objective: Hormones are often conceptualized as biological markers of individual differences and have been associated with a variety of behavioral indicators and characteristics, such as mating behavior or acquiring and maintaining dominance. However, before researchers create strong theoretical models for how hormones modulate individual and social behavior, information on how hormones are associated with dominant models of personality is needed. Although there have been some studies attempting to quantify the associations between personality traits, testosterone, and cortisol, there are many inconsistencies across these studies. Methods: In this registered report, we examined associations between testosterone, cortisol, and Big Five personality traits. …


The Moderating Role Of Social Network Size On Social Media Use And Self-Esteem: An Evolutionary Mismatch Perspective, Amy J. Lim, Clement Yong Hao Lau, Norman P. Li Sep 2021

The Moderating Role Of Social Network Size On Social Media Use And Self-Esteem: An Evolutionary Mismatch Perspective, Amy J. Lim, Clement Yong Hao Lau, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Existing meta-analyses have shown that the relationship between social media use and self-esteem is negative, but at very small effect sizes, suggesting the presence of moderators that change the relationship between social media use and self-esteem. Employing principles from social comparison and evolutionary mismatch theories, we propose that the social network sizes one has on social media play a key role in the relationship between social media use and self-esteem. In our study (N = 123), we showed that social media use was negatively related to self-esteem, but only when their social network size was within an evolutionarily familiar level. …


Subjective Age And Inflammation Risk In Midlife Adults: Findings From The Midlife In The United States (Midus) Studies, Andree Hartanto, Nadyanna M. Majeed, Wee Qin Ng, Colin Kai Ning Chai, Verity Yu Qing Lua Aug 2021

Subjective Age And Inflammation Risk In Midlife Adults: Findings From The Midlife In The United States (Midus) Studies, Andree Hartanto, Nadyanna M. Majeed, Wee Qin Ng, Colin Kai Ning Chai, Verity Yu Qing Lua

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Recent studies have suggested that subjective age—a subjective evaluation of one's own age—is a promising construct in gerontology that may contribute our understanding of risk for immune dysfunction. Nevertheless, studies documenting the association between subjective age and inflammatory biomarkers remain limited and provide mixed findings. In the present study, we revisited the relation between subjective age and systemic inflammation by utilizing a range of well-established inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, fibrinogen, E-selectin, and intercellular adhesion molecule 1) through the collection of fasting blood samples before breakfast. In a large-scale dataset of midlife adults (N = 1800), we found some evidence …


The Psychology Behind Procrastination And How To Beat The Urge, Tina Li Yi Ng, Andree Hartanto Aug 2021

The Psychology Behind Procrastination And How To Beat The Urge, Tina Li Yi Ng, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Work-from-home arrangements that came about because of the pandemic offer many opportunities to procrastinate


A Critical Review On The Moderating Role Of Contextual Factors In The Associations Between Video Gaming And Well-Being, Andree Hartanto, Verity Yu Qing Lua, Frosch Yi Xuan Quek, Jose C. Yong, Matthew H. S. Ng Aug 2021

A Critical Review On The Moderating Role Of Contextual Factors In The Associations Between Video Gaming And Well-Being, Andree Hartanto, Verity Yu Qing Lua, Frosch Yi Xuan Quek, Jose C. Yong, Matthew H. S. Ng

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The appeal of video gaming has undoubtedly withstood the test of time. In view of its increasing popularity, lay people and researchers alike have taken an interest in the psychological consequences of video gaming. However, there seems to be a paradox associated with the effect of video gaming on gamers' well-being—namely, while most video game players cite “fun” as their motivation to play video games, video games continue to hold a notorious reputation among some researchers for being detrimental to mental health and emotional well-being as measured by indicators such as happiness, perceived stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. We suggest …


How To Stop Procrastinating When Working From Home, Tina Li Yi Ng, Andree Hartanto Aug 2021

How To Stop Procrastinating When Working From Home, Tina Li Yi Ng, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Work-from-home arrangements that came about because of the pandemic offer many opportunities to procrastinate


Social Mindfulness And Prosociality Vary Across The Globe, Niels J. Van Doesum, Ryan O. Murphy, Marcello Gallucci, E. Aharonov-Majar, U. Athenstaedt, Wing Tung Au, Liying Bai, R. Bohm, I. Bovina, N.R. Buchan, Xiao-Ping Chen, K.B. Dumont, J.B. Englemann, ..., Li, Norman P. Aug 2021

Social Mindfulness And Prosociality Vary Across The Globe, Niels J. Van Doesum, Ryan O. Murphy, Marcello Gallucci, E. Aharonov-Majar, U. Athenstaedt, Wing Tung Au, Liying Bai, R. Bohm, I. Bovina, N.R. Buchan, Xiao-Ping Chen, K.B. Dumont, J.B. Englemann, ..., Li, Norman P.

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Humans are social animals, but not everyone will be mindful of others to the same extent. Individual differences have been found, but would social mindfulness also be shaped by one's location in the world? Expecting cross-national differences to exist, we examined if and how social mindfulness differs across countries. At little to no material cost, social mindfulness typically entails small acts of attention or kindness. Even though fairly common, such low-cost cooperation has received little empirical attention. Measuring social mindfulness across 31 samples from industrialized countries and regions (n = 8,354), we found considerable variation. Among selected country-level variables, greater …


Distracted: Why Students Cannot Focus By James M. Lang, Joax Wong, Andree Hartanto Aug 2021

Distracted: Why Students Cannot Focus By James M. Lang, Joax Wong, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Humans are easily distracted creatures. Our attention seems to constantly waver, shifting every second to different objects, sounds or stimuli. As we transition into adolescence, we start to hear the all-too familiar phrase that technology – smartphones, laptops, televisions and gaming devices – is an obstacle preventing us from reaching full productivity and sapping our attention. In Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It, James Lang describes the oftentimes complicated and false conceptions about distraction and the part that technology plays in it. Currently, society places extremely high demands on students and expects them to …


A Multi-Country Test Of Brief Reappraisal Interventions On Emotions During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ka Wang, Amit Goldenberg, Charles Dorison, Et Al., Nadyanna Mohamed Majeed, Andree Hartanto Aug 2021

A Multi-Country Test Of Brief Reappraisal Interventions On Emotions During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ka Wang, Amit Goldenberg, Charles Dorison, Et Al., Nadyanna Mohamed Majeed, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across …


Too Cynical To Reconnect: Cynicism Moderates The Effect Of Social Exclusion On Prosociality Through Empathy, Bryan K. C. Choy, Kimin Eom, Norman P. Li Aug 2021

Too Cynical To Reconnect: Cynicism Moderates The Effect Of Social Exclusion On Prosociality Through Empathy, Bryan K. C. Choy, Kimin Eom, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Extant findings are mixed on whether social exclusion impacts prosociality. We propose one factor that may underlie the mixed results: Cynicism. Specifically, cynicism may moderate the exclusion-prosociality link by influencing interpersonal empathy. Compared to less cynical individuals, we expected highly cynical individuals who were excluded to experience less empathy and, consequently, less prosocial behavior. Using an online ball-tossing game, participants were randomly assigned to an exclusion or inclusion condition. Consistent with our predictions, the effect of social exclusion on prosociality through empathy was contingent on cynicism, such that only less-cynical individuals responded to exclusion with greater empathy, which, in turn, …


Psychology And The Threat Of Contagion: Feeling Vulnerable To A Disease Moderates The Link Between Xenophobic Thoughts And Support For Ingroup-Protective Actions, Heejung S. Kim, Kimin Eom, Roxie Chuang, David K. Sherman Aug 2021

Psychology And The Threat Of Contagion: Feeling Vulnerable To A Disease Moderates The Link Between Xenophobic Thoughts And Support For Ingroup-Protective Actions, Heejung S. Kim, Kimin Eom, Roxie Chuang, David K. Sherman

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The widespread threat of contagious disease disrupts not only everyday life but also psychological experience. Building on findings regarding xenophobic responses to contagious diseases, this research investigates how perceived vulnerability to a disease moderates the psychological link between people’s xenophobic thoughts and support for ingroup-protective actions. Three datasets collected during the time of Ebola (N = 867) and COVID-19 (Ns = 992 and 926) measured perceived disease risk, group-serving biases (i.e., xenophobic thoughts), and support for restrictive travel policies (i.e., ingroup-protective actions). Using correlational and quasi-experimental analyses, results indicated that for people who perceive greater disease risk, the association between …