Emotion is for doing: the action tendency component

We explain the operationalization of the Action tendency component based on Frijda's action readiness theory. The action tendencies of approach, avoidance, being-with, attending, rejection, indifference, antagonism, interruption, dominance, submission, apathy, excitement, exuberance, passivity, inhibition, and helplessness were represented in the GRID instrument. Structural analyses on these action tendencies revealed a three-factor structure with a strong first factor representing defensive vs appetitive action tendencies, and two subsidiary factors representing disengagement vs intervention and submit vs attack action tendencies. The first action tendency factor was strongly related to the overall valence factor. The two subsidiary factors were both associated with the overall power factor. It was possible to correctly classify 46.1% of the emotion terms in the 34 samples on the basis of the three action tendency factors. The analyses confirm that action tendencies form a constitutive part of the meaning of emotion terms

Measuring prosocial action tendencies for caretaking emotions

Honors (Bachelor's)Biopsychology, Cognition, and NeuroscienceSocial PsychologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107735/1/badhwara.pd

Testing the limits of tolerance: How inter-group anxiety amplifies negative and offensive responses to out-group-initiated contact

Three studies examine the amplifying effects of intergroup anxiety on individuals ’ negative and offensive responses to out-group-initiated contact. Because intergroup anxiety typically results in avoidance of the initiation of intergroup contact, we explored how intergroup anxiety affected individuals ’ interpretation of and responses to out-group-initiated contact. We hypothesized that intergroup anxiety amplifies individuals ’ threat appraisal of out-group-initiated contact as well as their feelings of anger and offensive action tendencies toward the out-group. Results showed consistent support for these hypotheses by demonstrating that intergroup anxiety amplified individuals ’ threat appraisal (Studies 2 and 3), anger (Studies 1-3), and offensive action tendencies toward the out-group (Study 2). Anger consistently predicte

Will work for belongingness: prototypicality, uncertainty, threat and collective action tendencies

Collective action has a powerful role in shaping societies and is therefore important to examine and understand. This study examines the effects of peripheral group membership vs. prototypical group membership, uncertainty about one’s self concept, and perceived realistic threat from an outgroup on people’s willingness to engage in collective action. To assess these relationships, an online sample of Republicans and Democrats (N = 356) were recruited from Mturk. This work adapted methods from work on intergroup threat theory and uncertainty-identity theory to hypothesize that under low threat, peripheral group members would be more willing to engage in collective action under high uncertainty than low uncertainty, but prototypical group members will not differ based on uncertainty level. Additionally, it predicted that under high threat, prototypical participants would be more willing to engage in collective action under high uncertainty than low uncertainty, but that the opposite would be true for peripherals. Results were partially consistent with these hypotheses. Additionally, collective action tendencies were predicted to be generally higher when threat is higher. Results were mixed with respect to this hypothesis. This work has implications for current world events (e.g., BLM protests, capitol riots) and when and why people engage on behalf of the group

Admiration regulates social hierarchy:Antecedents, dispositions, and effects on intergroup behavior

In four studies, we report evidence that admiration affects intergroup behaviors that regulate social hierarchy. We demonstrate that manipulating the legitimacy of status relations affects admiration for the dominant and that this emotion negatively predicts political action tendencies aimed at social change. In addition, we show that greater warmth and competence lead to greater admiration for an outgroup, which in turn positively predicts deferential behavior and intergroup learning. We also demonstrate that, for those with a disposition to feel admiration, increasing admiration for an outgroup decreases willingness to take political action against that outgroup. Finally, we show that when the object of admiration is a subversive “martyr,” admiration positively predicts political action tendencies and behavior aimed at challenging the status quo. These findings provide the first evidence for the important role of admiration in regulating social hierarchy

Exploring psychological mechanisms of collective action: Does relevance of group identity influence how people cope with collective disadvantage?

Two studies examined how the relevance of group identity influences two psychological mechanisms of collective action: Emotion- and problem-focused coping with collective disadvantage. Extending Van Zomeren, Spears, Fischer, and Leach's (2004) integrative theoretical model of coping with collective disadvantage, we predicted that when group identity is more relevant to disadvantaged group members, it increases their collective action tendencies through their feelings of group-based anger about their group's disadvantage. When group identity is less relevant and hence emotion-focused coping processes are less likely, group-efficacy beliefs become more predictive of disadvantaged group members' collective action tendencies because people focus more instrumentally on whether collective action will be effective (and benefit them) or not. A field study and a follow-up experiment both showed that the relevance of group identity facilitated emotion-focused coping and moderated problem-focused coping with collective disadvantage. We discuss these results in terms of two distinct psychological mechanisms of collective action

Effects of Threat and Sleep Deprivation on Action Tendencies and Response Inhibition

The ability to control action is crucial for adaptive responding, but may be compromised in situations involving strong emotions (e.g., threat) or when people are deprived of resources (e.g., sleep). As compromised action control can have large consequences in threatening situations, for example when police officers face a potentially armed suspect, we experimentally investigated how acute threat and partial sleep deprivation affect the ability to control impulsive responses, in 52 healthy young adults performing a simulated shooting task. The results showed that acute threat increased the tendency to act quickly (i.e., reduced response times; Coef = 9.46, 95% CI [3.49, 15.29], p = .001) and impaired response inhibition (i.e., increased stop signal reaction times; Coef = -4.91, 95% CI [-9.47, -0.44], p = .035). In addition, three nights of partial sleep deprivation (five hours [n = 28] vs. eight hours [n = 24] of sleep), led to a significant decrease in overall response accuracy (Coef = -0.22, 95% CI [- 0.40, -0.05], p = .025). Contrary to expectations, our results did not show increased threat sensitivity in sleep-deprived individuals (all p > .13). Nevertheless, they may have important implications for professionals who are required to maintain behavioral control under high levels of threat and who experience disturbed sleep due to e.g. shift work, as both factors negatively affected performanc

Attitude toward protest uniquely predicts (normative and nonnormative) political action by (advantaged and disadvantaged) group members

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available on open access via the DOI in this recordOpen Practices: All data and materials for Studies 1-5 have been made publicly available via Open Science Framework and can be accessed at https://osf.io/emk5j. The plan for Study 4 was preregistered at Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/emk5j). This article has received badges for Open Data, Open Materials, and Preregistration. More information about the Open Practices badges can be found at https://osf.io/tvyxz/wiki/home/.We find evidence that explicit (but not implicit) measures of general attitude towards protest uniquely predict normative and nonnormative political action tendencies, and behavior, over and above extant models of political action. Protest attitude uniquely predicts both the political action tendencies of members of disadvantaged groups and willingness to engage in solidarity-based action on behalf of such groups. Furthermore, we find some evidence that protest attitude is able to account for the effects of mobilization messages over a political issue; these messages increase political action tendencies by making attitude towards protest more positive. The results indicate that overall attitude toward protest reflects a wide array of affective, cognitive, and behavioral factors associated with protest that more specific, established predictors of collective political action do not tap. As such, general protest attitude offers an important addition to extant models of collective political action and efforts to examine the psychological processes underpinning political cognition and action.Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC

The role of stimulus-driven versus goal-directed processes in fight and flight tendencies measured with motor evoked potentials induced by Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

This study examines two contrasting explanations for early tendencies to fight and flee. According to a stimulus-driven explanation, goal-incompatible stimuli that are easy/difficult to control lead to the tendency to fight/flee. According to a goal-directed explanation, on the other hand, the tendency to fight/flee occurs when the expected utility of fighting/fleeing is the highest. Participants did a computer task in which they were confronted with goal-incompatible stimuli that were (a) easy to control and fighting had the highest expected utility, (b) easy to control and fleeing had the highest expected utility, and (c) difficult to control and fleeing and fighting had zero expected utility. After participants were trained to use one hand to fight and another hand to flee, they either had to choose a response or merely observe the stimuli. During the observation trials, single-pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) was applied to the primary motor cortex 450 ms post-stimulus onset and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were measured from the hand muscles. Results showed that participants chose to fight/flee when the expected utility of fighting/fleeing was the highest, and that they responded late when the expected utility of both responses was low. They also showed larger MEPs for the right/left hand when the expected utility of fighting/fleeing was the highest. This result can be interpreted as support for the goal-directed account, but only if it is assumed that we were unable to override the presumed natural mapping between hand (right/left) and response (fight/flight)