Reexamining the use of tentative language in emails: The effects of gender salience and gender typicality

Drawing on self-categorization theory, the current study examines the effects of gender salience and interlocutor gender typicality on men and women’s use of tentative language in emails. We conducted an experiment manipulating identity salience using gender-stereotypic conversation topics, and typicality using biographies of the fictitious female interlocutor. The results were consistent with self-categorization theory and previous research on gender-based language use: Men were more tentative when discussing a conversation topic in which their gender group was not considered experts. More important, interlocutor gender typicality influenced participants’ tentative language, such that when the interlocutor was a typical woman, men and women became more tentative discussing a conversation topic in which they were not considered experts. This study has implications for future research on the contextual factors that may influence the use of language in both intragroup and intergroup communication

The effects of prototypicality and gender salience on liking and friendship potential of a female interlocutor

Drawing on self-categorization theory, this article examines the indirect effects of gender salience and prototypicality on friendship potential through increasing liking of a female interlocutor. We manipulated biographies of the fictitious interlocutor to change perceptions of prototypicality. For women, gender salience interacted with prototypicality to directly predict liking and the desire to become friends with the interlocutor indirectly through liking. Specifically, there was an interaction between prototypicality and gender salience, such that as gender salience increased, the prototypical interlocutor was liked significantly more and had higher friendship potential. For men, the same relationships did not appear. We discuss the implications of our study as well as directions for future research on intragroup communication and intergroup contexts with regard to power asymmetry

Cultivating intergroup emotions: An intergroup threat theory approach

The current study tests whether media consumption is associated with negative intergroup emotions toward Blacks, Latinos, and Asians and whether media use indirectly influences intergroup emotions via threat perceptions. We do so using a two-study survey design. Results from Study 1 indicated that media consumption is associated with anger toward Latinos and Asians but not anger toward Blacks. We also found that media use was associated with anxiety toward Blacks, Latinos, and Asians. Results from Study 2 indicated that media use indirectly influences anger and anxiety toward Blacks and Latinos through perceptions of threat. Media consumption did not indirectly influence anger and anxiety toward Asians, though perceptions of threat did directly influence intergroup emotions toward this group. The discussion highlights the important, but negative, role of media in intergroup processes

Help a fan out? Effects of fandom type and task type on people’s behavioral intentions toward different types of fans in a collaborative effort

There is mounting evidence that fans of science fiction/fantasy media texts are more likely to be socially stigmatized than sports fans, but the implications of this stigma for social interaction have not been established. To examine the roles of fandom community membership and social context in causing social perceptions of, and behavioral intentions toward, popular media culture fandom community members, we conducted a 2 (partner fandom type: science fiction/fantasy vs. sports) × 2 (task type: social task vs. technical task) between-subjects experiment. Results reveal that the science fiction/fantasy fan was perceived as less physically attractive and more task attractive compared to the sports fan. Participants’ own science fiction/fantasy fandom interacted with partner fandom type in predicting social attraction, such that for those who were told they would be partnered with the science fiction/fantasy fan, there was a positive linear association between the participant’s own fandom and social attraction. This finding did not hold for the sports fan condition. Social and task attraction, but not physical attraction, predicted behavioral intentions toward the fans

“This is who we are!” National identity construction and the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Drawing on the literature on American nationalism and the social identity perspective, this study examines the effects of mediasport on nationalized attitudes, using both rhetorical and experimental approaches. First, a rhetorical analysis examined the nationalistic themes featured in the game promotional ad of the United States versus Ghana soccer match in World Cup 2014, linking these themes to the republicanism/liberalism paradox in American political thought. Using the social identity perspective, we predicted the effects of these themes on U.S. participants’ nationalized attitudes and tested our hypotheses using an experiment. Experimental findings indicate that exposure to nationalistic rhetoric indirectly increases uncritical patriotism, critical patriotism, and support of militarism attitudes via self-enhancement gratifications. Additionally, exposure to nationalistic rhetoric also indirectly influences uncritical patriotism via social uncertainty reduction gratifications. Our study demonstrates the utility of a mixed-method approach and points out directions for future research on the (re)construction of social identities through mediasport

The Evolving Weather Service: Relationship Dimensions that Drive Strong Partnerships

Since the tragic tornado outbreaks in Central Alabama and Joplin, Missouri in 2011, the National Weather Service (NWS) has increasingly emphasized the importance of supporting community partners who help protect public safety. Through impact-based decision support services (IDSS), NWS forecasters develop relationships with their core partners to meet their partners’ decision-making needs. These core partners include broadcast meteorologists, emergency managers, and trained storm spotters. As part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency’s VORTEX-SE program, we conducted a survey in 2019 to examine how NWS forecasters and managers assess their relationships with core partners. Here we present the survey instrument from this project, which can be used by forecasters and others to assess the strength of their relationships with core partners.National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Award No. NA17OAR4590194

How Forecasters Decide to Warn about Tornadoes: Multi-Sited Rapid Ethnography Training Guide

This guide was developed before multi-sited rapid ethnography data collection to provide a consistent, rigorous approach while in the field. The guide may assist others who conduct similar research.Social scientists are prolific in their recommendations on how to better warn about tornadoes. However, social scientists rarely work in partnership with operational forecasters, begging the question of how applicable their recommendations are to the “real world.” As part of a two-year project funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with the goal of better understanding how forecasters decide to warn about tornadoes, we conducted a multi-sited rapid ethnography (along with telephone interviews and a cross-sectional survey of forecasters and managers). Here we archive our ethnography training guide should other researchers conduct similar research.This research was supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration VORTEX-SE program through Award Number NA17OAR4590194. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Are you prepared for the next storm? Developing social normsmessages to motivate community members to perform disasterrisk mitigation behaviors

Preparing for natural disasters and adapting to climate change can save lives. Yet, minimal research has examined how governments can motivate community members to prepare for disasters (e.g., purchasing flood insurance or installing water barriers in homes for floods and hurricanes). Instead, studies have focused on how to communicate actions individuals should take during disasters, rather than before disasters. This study develops messages targeting social norms, which are promising approaches to motivate community members to adopt disaster risk preparedness and mitigation behaviors. Specifically, we developed a variety of messages integrating descriptive norms (i.e., what others do), injunctive norms (i.e., what others believe should be done), and a social norms-based fear appeal, or social disapproval rationale (i.e., a negative social result of [not] taking behaviors). Then, we tested these messages through two between-subject factorial online experiments in flood- and hurricane-prone U.S. states with adult samples (N = 2,286). In experiment 1 (i.e., purchasing flood insurance), the injunctive norms message using weather forecasters and the social disapproval rationale message significantly increased social norms perceptions, which in turn influenced behavioral intentions. In experiment 2 (i.e., installing water barriers), the injunctive norms message using weather forecasters, the injunctive norms message using neighbors, and the social disapproval rationale message significantly increased social norms perceptions, which in turn influenced mitigation intentions. However, the descriptive social norms message was not effective in increasing social norms perceptions. We provide some of the first empirical evidence on how organizations’ risk communication can empower community members to prepare and mitigate the impact of disasters.https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.1395