The links among relative financial scarcity, thinking style, fatalism, and well-being

In the present research, we examined the links among relative financial scarcity, thinking style, fatalism, and well-being and their roles in predicting protective behaviors against COVID-19. Study 1 (N = 120) revealed that after an experimental manipulation to induce the perception of relative financial scarcity (versus financial abundance), people who perceived higher relative financial scarcity changed their thinking style to a more concrete mindset. In Study 2 (N = 873), the relative financial abundance–scarcity situation was measured, and the results showed that the greater the perceived relative financial scarcity was, the more concrete the mindset and the lower the sense of well-being. Importantly, we found that individuals who felt poorer but maintained an abstract thinking style reported higher well-being. Study 3 (N = 501) examined the influence of a concrete thinking style in people who perceived that their economic situation had worsened with the pandemic. The results showed that when this vulnerable population presented a more concrete mindset, they reported lower well-being, higher fatalism, and lower protective behavior against COVID-19. Thus, maintaining an abstract mindset promotes higher well-being, lower fatalism, and greater protective behaviors against COVID-19, even under economic difficulties. Because thinking style can be modified, our results encourage the development of new social intervention programs to promote an abstract mindset when people face important challengesMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación, Grant/Award Number: PGC2018-093821-B-I00, FEDER, MICIN

Breaking self-focused orientation in people who perceive economic scarcity: The influence of transcendent motivation to promote an abstract mindset and prosocial behavioral intentions

Previous research shows that being in a situation of economic scarcity promotes a more concrete mindset that motivates behavioral decisions based on action difficulty and their short-term outcomes, which frequently entails negative consequences. However, a concrete mindset can be counteracted by inducing an abstract mindset to help people focus on final broad goals. We explored how focusing on transcendent motives (vs. self-oriented) promotes a more abstract mindset facilitating prosocial behavioral intentions. Study 1 (pre-post design) explored whether focusing on transcendent motives for engaging in activities promoted a more abstract mindset compared to focusing on self-oriented motives. Using a 2 × 2 design with two consecutive opposing primes, Study 2 tested how inducing a transcendent orientation could reverse the effect caused by perceiving economic scarcity, promoting greater orientation toward others and prosocial behavioral intentions. In Study 1 participants who generated transcendent motives for behaviors presented a greater increase in the abstraction of construal level, compared to those who only generated self-oriented motives for the same behaviors. Study 2 demonstrated that, when participants who perceived economic scarcity were focused on transcendent motives (vs. self-oriented) to promote a more abstract mindset, their orientation toward others increased. Interestingly, for people perceiving economic scarcity, whose own difficulties could reduce prosocial behaviors, the greater orientation toward others promoted a greater intention to engage in demanding prosocial behaviors. We provide evidence of new strategies to promote abstraction in individuals and increase their involvement in prosocial behavioral intentions, especially for those perceiving economic scarcityPGC2018-093821-B-I0, PID2022-137614NB-I0

The link between abstract thinking style and subjective well-being: its impact when people are in (real or perceived) financial scarcity

Across three studies, we explored the link between an abstract mindset and subjective well-being (SWB) in participants with real and/or perceived financial scarcity. In Studies 1 and 2, samples presented real objective financial vulnerability: Adolescents from lower-middle income districts (Study 1; N = 256), and adults without higher education and with very low incomes (Study 2; N = 210). In Studies 1 and 2 participants completed a survey including measures of thinking style and SWB. In Studies 2 and 3 perception of financial difficulty and SWB were also measured. Study 3 (N = 161) used a sample of university students and employed an experimental design manipulating participants' thinking style (i.e., concrete versus abstract mindset conditions); additionally, all participants were induced to perceive financial scarcity. Correlations revealed a significant and positive relationship between an abstract thinking style and SWB (Studies 1 and 2). Thus, these results showed that a relatively more abstract thinking style was associated with greater life satisfaction. In Studies 2 and 3 mediation analyses indicated that adults who presented a more abstract thinking style, perceived lower financial difficulties and then reported greater SWB. Overall, given that an abstract thinking style can be induced, these results offer a new intervention approach for improving the SWB of people living in situations of financial scarcityThis work was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación e Universidades (PGC2018–093821–B–I00; Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional [FEDER], MICINN & PID2022–137614NB–I00; MCIN, Agencia Estatal de la Investigación [AEI], 10.13039/501100011033; FEDER, UE

Using abstractness to confront challenges: How the abstract construal level increases people´s willingness to perform desirable but demanding actions

Previous research has shown that while considering future behavioral intentions, desirability is more salient in making decisions in an abstract mindset than in a concrete one. Based on this premise, we test whether behavioral intentions to engage in desirable but difficult actions are more likely in an abstract mindset than a concrete mindset. We experimentally manipulated (Studies 1 through 4 using cognitive primes) and measured as a personal disposition (Study 5 using the Behavioral Identification Form) the construal level to evaluate its influence on the willingness to perform challenges. The behaviors tested focused on self-benefits (Studies 4 and 5) and benefits to others (Studies 1 through 3 and 5). Studies 1 and 2 included only demanding behaviors, whereas Studies 3 through 5 included both difficult and easy conditions. In Studies 1 and 2, the participants were more motivated to attempt a difficult task when they were in an abstract mindset. In Studies 3 through 5, the participants in the abstract (compared to concrete) mindset reported a greater willingness and commitment to attempt desirable but demanding behaviors. Finally, in Study 5, the influence of the construal level on the global behavioral plan index (three behaviors) was moderated by feasibilityThis study was funded by FEDER , MINECO, MUNCYT (grants: PSI 2014-53321-P and PGC2018-093821-B-I00

A culturally targeted video to promote genetic counseling in a community sample of at‐risk US Latina women: the role of the concrete mindset

Latina women, who are at increased risk of hereditarybreast and ovarian cancer (HBOC), have lower use of ge-netic counseling and testing (GCT) than non‐HispanicWhite women. In a recent study, culturally targeted videoimproved psychosocial outcomes related to GCT. Addi-tional analyses examine whether the culturally targetedvideo improved positive reactions in women who focus ondifficulties (concrete mindset) versus women who focus onthe final goals (abstract mindset). Participants (N= 32)completed surveys before and immediately after watchingthe video. The surveys measured attitudes, emotions, andwomen's mindset. Before watching the video, women witha concrete mindset reported more negative attitudes andnegative emotions about GCT than women with an abstractmindset. After watching the video, women with a concretemindset reported negative attitudes and feelings at levelscomparable to those of women with an abstract mindset,reflecting a reduction in their negative attitudes and emo-tions. The sample size limits the power to find statisticallysignificant differences. Results support the relevance ofconsidering the audience's mindset in the development and testing of public health messages to promote the useof GCTFEDER/ MUNCYT, Grant/Award Number: PGC2018‐093821‐B‐I00; Center forStrategic Scientific Initiatives, NationalCancer Institute, Grant/Award Number: R03CA191543; National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Grant/Award Number: KL2TR00143

Applying the theory of planned behavior to examine adjuvant endocrine therapy adherence intentions

Objective:Adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) in breast cancersurvivors is suboptimal. Using the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study aimedto identify the strongest predictors from theTPB of AET intentions and past behaviorand assessed whether ambivalence and anticipatory emotions increased thepredictive capacity of TPB.Methods:Two hundred eighty women diagnosed with hormone positive (HR+)breast cancer who filled at least one prescription of AET responded to a surveymeasuring TPB constructs, attitudinal ambivalence, and anticipatory emotions. Theoutcomes were intentions to adhere to AET and past medication adherence (previous2 weeks).Results:TheTPB explained 66% of intentions to adhere to AET (P< 0.001). Ambiva-lence did not improve theTPB model's predictive value. When emotions were includedwithTPB, the model explained 70% of adherence intentionsF11,226= 52.84,P< 0.001(R2c= .70). This increase of 4% in predictability was statistically significant (ΔR2= 0.04),F6, 226= 7.90,P< 0.001. Women who self‐reported nonadherence in the past 2 weeksdiffered significantly in theTPB variables, ambivalence, and anticipatory emotions fromadherent women. Nonadherent participants reported lower‐future intentions toadhereF1, 236= 5.63,P= 0.018.Conclusions:Results suggest key concepts, such as anticipatory positive emotionsthat should be addressed in future interventions to enhance AET adherenceand survivorshipNational Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (KL2TR001432) National Cancer Institute (R01CA154848

Relaciones entre expresion facial y contexto Una perspectiva situacional

Centro de Informacion y Documentacion Cientifica (CINDOC). C/Joaquin Costa, 22. 28002 Madrid. SPAIN / CINDOC - Centro de Informaciòn y Documentaciòn CientìficaSIGLEESSpai

El desarrollo de la comprensión del contexto de la expresión emocional

Uno de los problemas más interesantes en la investigación actual sobre reconocimiento de emociones se centra en el trabajo con niños. En concreto, los investigadores obtienen resultados contradictorios a la hora de establecer un patrón de desarrollo en la utilización de indicios expresivos e indicios contextuales para reconocer una emoción. La solución se halla, probablemente, en una mejor caracterización de los contextos que acompañan a la expresión. El propósito de este trabajo es lograr un primer acercamiento a dicha caracterizaciónThe recognition of emotion in children poses one of the most interesting problems for researches in this field. Current results provide a contradictory pattern on the development of the use of expressive and contextual cues to recognize emotions. The solution probably lies on a better charaterization of the contexts in which the expression takes place. The aim of this study was to attempt such an analysi

Consumo de medios para obtener información sobre la Covid-19 durante el confinamiento en España: influencia de variables demográficas, de alerta-focalización y emocionales

This research analyses how sex, age, focus-alertness and emotional responses to the pandemic influenced media consumption for information about Covid-19 during lockdown in Spain. A sample of 1,981 participants were surveyed during the first two months of lockdown, specifically from 13 March to 12 May 2020. The sample was composed of 71.3% females and was aged between 18 and 72 (M = 35.37; SD = 12.71). The results showed that older people chose conventional media (e.g., radio) to find information about coronavirus, while younger people preferred social media (e.g., Instagram). More females than males chose written social media such as WhatsApp, as well as ‘face-to-face’ interaction. The results showed that the best predictors of media consumption for information about the pandemic were focus-alertness and negative emotional reactions to Covid-19; the greater the alertness and negative emotional reaction, the greater media consumption. Age and time in lockdown were also relevant variables, but to a lesser degree, such that the older the person and the longer in lockdown, the less media consume

Indicadores aislados versus patrón general expresivo en la detección de la mentira

The classic theoretical models on the detection of deceit report that the presence of isolated non-verbal cues facilitate the detection of deception. The present experiment concludes that a general configuration pattern exists which is qualitatively different between true and false messages. The experimental conditions designed for this study (presentation of false messages preceded by either true or false messages) facilitates recognition of these differences, by those who used these conditions most accurately.Frente a planteamientos teóricos clásicos, en relación con el fenómeno de la detección de la mentira, que postulan que la existencia de indicadores no verbales aislados facilitan el reconocimiento de mensajes falsos, este trabajo plantea la existencia de un patrón general de configuración que varía cualitativamente para mensajes verdaderos y falsos. Las condiciones experimentales ideadas para este trabajo (presentación de mensajes falsos, precedidos o no de mensajes verdaderos) permitieron a los sujetos experimentales contrastar las diferencias entre estos patrones, facilitando el reconocimiento de mensajes fraudulentos, siendo las mujeres las que mejor aprovecharon las condiciones facilitadoras