From the IBPP Research Associates. Turkey Zeynep Cemalcilar

The author -Zeynep Cemalcilar -discusses his current educational studies in psychology at Purdue University and its impact on his home country of Turkey

Socioeconomic Status, Crowding, COVID-19 Perceptions, and Protective Behavior

Crowding, a key factor that catalyzes the transmission of infectious diseases, disproportionately affects individuals from lower socioeconomic groups. The purpose of the current study was to assess whether socioeconomic status (SES) and crowding are related to differences in COVID-19 risk and efficacy perceptions and whether these perceptions explain protective behaviors. We specifically focused on household income and education as indicators of SES, and household crowding and public transportation use as indicators of crowding. Results from an online survey of 387 working adults, collected during the second peak of the pandemic in Turkey, showed that SES and public transportation use were negatively related to COVID-19 risk perceptions. On the other hand, SES, household crowding, and COVID-19 risk and efficacy perceptions were positively related to hygiene-related protective behavior and physical distancing. Moreover, the association between COVID-19 perceived protective norms and physical distancing was moderated by household crowding such that the positive relationship between protective norms and physical distancing was stronger at higher levels of domestic crowding. Yet, robustness checks suggest that further evidence is needed before to make any definitive conclusions about the interaction effect

Examining Cross-Cultural Relationships Between Meaning in Life and Psychological Well-Being in Turkey and the United States

This study explored the extent to which meaning in life (i.e., presence and search) relates to different aspects of psychological well-being in American and Turkish students. It also assessed whether presence of meaning moderated the relationship between search for meaning and psychological well-being. American (N =377) and Turkish (N =225) undergraduates completed demographics and self-report measures. Simple and moderated moderation analyses were conducted. In both samples, presence and search were negatively associated. In addition, presence of meaning was positively associated with measures of psychological well-being, while search was negatively associated. Presence of meaning buffered the relationship between search for meaning and psychological well-being, but only in the Turkish sample. American and Turkish undergraduates may typically search for meaning when presence of meaning is low. Presence of meaning appears to be adaptive across these two cultures, whereas search for meaning appears to be culturally-specific and may produce differential effects on psychological well-being

Correction to: Perceived economic self-sufficiency: a country- and generation-comparative approach

After online first publication of the article, it was noticed that the family name of author Panos Tsakloglou was erroneously misspelt as Tsakoglou

Perceived economic self‑sufficiency: a countryand generation‑comparative approach

We thank Michael Camasso and Radha Jagannathan as well as Asimina Christoforou, Gerbert Kraaykamp, Fay Makantasi, Tiziana Nazio, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Jacqueline O’Reilly and Jan van Deth for their contribution to the CUPESSE project (Seventh Framework Programme; Grant Agreement No. 61325). CUPESSE received additional funding from the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES) and the Field of Focus 4 “Self-Regulation and Regulation: Individuals and Organisations” at Heidelberg University. We further acknowledge helpful comments on this article by two anonymous reviewers. Julian Rossello provided valuable research assistance.Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https ://doi.org/10.1057/ s4130 4-018-0186-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.Existing datasets provided by statistical agencies (e.g. Eurostat) show that the economic and financial crisis that unfolded in 2008 significantly impacted the lives and livelihoods of young people across Europe. Taking these official statistics as a starting point, the collaborative research project “Cultural Pathways to Economic Self-Sufficiency and Entrepreneurship in Europe” (CUPESSE) generated new survey data on the economic and social situation of young Europeans (18–35 years). The CUPESSE dataset allows for country-comparative assessments of young people’s perceptions about their socio-economic situation. Furthermore, the dataset includes a variety of indicators examining the socio-economic situation of both young adults and their parents. In this data article, we introduce the CUPESSE dataset to political and social scientists in an attempt to spark a debate on the measurements, patterns and mechanisms of intergenerational transmission of economic self-sufficiency as well as its political implications.CUPESSE project (Seventh Framework Programme; Grant Agreement No. 61325

Investigating variation in replicability

Although replication is a central tenet of science, direct replications are rare in psychology. This research tested variation in the replicability of 13 classic and contemporary effects across 36 independent samples totaling 6,344 participants. In the aggregate, 10 effects replicated consistently. One effect – imagined contact reducing prejudice – showed weak support for replicability. And two effects – flag priming influencing conservatism and currency priming influencing system justification – did not replicate. We compared whether the conditions such as lab versus online or US versus international sample predicted effect magnitudes. By and large they did not. The results of this small sample of effects suggest that replicability is more dependent on the effect itself than on the sample and setting used to investigate the effect

Role of computer-mediated communication technologies in international students' cross-cultural transition

textThe present study investigates the role of CMC in international students’ adjustment to the U.S. It is divided into two parts. The first part tests a structural equation model (SEM) in which international students’ adaptation to the new culture during is predicted by CMC use, home and host national identification, and perceived social support. Psychological, socio-cultural, and academic adaptations are measured as the outcomes of acculturation. Two-hundred-eighty first year international students attending the University of Texas at Austin responded to a web survey after they had moved to the U.S. The results of the SEM analysis confirm that the model developed and tested in this study is plausible in explaining adaptation of the international students. The findings suggested that international students frequently use computers as tools for sustaining contact with family and friends at home as well as the native social and culture life. Continuous contact with home affects the sojourning individuals’ maintenance of home identity and the acquisition of host identity, and their perceptions of available social support. All of these factors combine to affect the students’ adaptation to the new culture. Further comparisons of high and low CMC users indicated that CMC use has diverse effects on the adaptation of the international students. Likewise, the acculturation strategy adopted by students influences the three adaptation processes differently. Biculturalism and integration emerged to be more effective acculturation strategies than separationalism and marginalism. The second part of the study makes comparisons between prearrival and post-arrival measures to detect the changes students go through during the initial phase of cross-cultural transition. Ninety international students from the same population responded to a series of questionnaires first before their move and again two months after their arrival to the U.S. Results of repeated measures of analyses of variance tests supported the notion that cross-cultural transitions result in behavioral and psychological changes in international students. In the post arrival phase, international students’ frequency of CMC use significantly increases whereas their psychological well-being significantly diminishes relative to the pre-arrival phase. The findings of this study are also supported by the qualitative data collected from another group of international students of the University of Texas at Austin in a pilot study.Educational Psycholog