Social Reconciliation as a Strategy for Transforming Socio-Political Conflicts, Associated Variables and Measurement Instruments

La reconciliación social ha sido propuesta como una de las estrategias que permite la transformación de los conflictos y el restablecimiento de las relaciones intergrupales pacíficas. El objetivo de este trabajo es hacer una revisión sistemática de la reconciliación, las variables con las que se asocia y los instrumentos para medirla. La búsqueda se hizo en Psycinfo y en la Web of Science, y los resultados indican que el mayor porcentaje de artículos surge en los años 90, las publicaciones abordan conflictos que se desarrollan a lo largo de todo el planeta: América, Europa, Oriente medio y África. Las variables con las cuales se relaciona estadística y teóricamente a la reconciliación se agrupan en cinco categorias: recuperación psicosocial, acercamiento de las partes confrontadas, resignificación endo y exogrupal, emociones y gestión del conflicto. Se registran 12 instrumentos con una fiabilidad adecuada para evaluar la reconciliación. Se concluye que con las cinco categorías de variables se podrían diseñar modelos explicativos y de diagnóstico que contribuyan a la promoción de los procesos de reconciliación social temprana, particularmente para aquellos paises que requieren transformar las dinámicas de confrontación violentaSocial reconciliation has been posed as one of the strategies that allows for conflict transformation and re-establishment of peaceful intergroup relationships. The aim of this work is to carry out a systematic review of reconciliation, its associated variables and its measurement instruments. The search process was carried out using PsychInfo and Web of Science databases. Results show that the largest proportion of articles arised during the 90's, publications discuss conflicts developed all over the world: America, Europe, Middle East and Africa. The variables with which reconciliation is statistically and theoretically associated group within five categories: psychoscial recovery, rapprochement of confronted parties, ingroup and outgroup re-signification, emotions and conflict management. Twelve adequately reliable measurements of reconciliation are registered. It is concluded that the five categories mentioned could be used to design explanatory and diagnostic models which could contribute to the promotion of early social reconciliation processes, specifically within those countries that require the transformation of violent confrontation dynamicsFinanciado por la Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria de la Xunta de Galicia. Referencia: ED431B 2016/017S

Predicting collective action in a secessionist context: different motives for twoopposed stances

Engagement in collective action is essential in the scenario of a secessionist struggle. In this scenario, two groups contend for an incompatible goal and one of them is favoured by the current status quo. Therefore, this context represents an excellent opportunity to compare the motives for participation among two groups whose situation and objectives differ drastically. We examined the motivations to participate in collective action of Catalan participants in the days leading to the independence referendum held in Catalonia (Spain) on the first of October 2017 (n = 719). As hypothesized, participation predicted by different motivations for each group. Regarding participation in the referendum, Catalan identity was the only predictor among pro-independence ranks, while those against independence showed a solidarity-based motivation. This work contributes to the literature by adapting previously researched collective action motivations to the context of a secessionist contention and providing evidence of their effect. Crucially, the motivations are different between supporters and opponents of independence, highlighting the need for examining the status and the stance on the system of groups when studying collective actionThe authors belong to the Galician Competitive Research Group GRC/GPC2016-017-GI-1456, COSOYPA, and to the CRETUS Strategic Partnership (AGRUP2015/02). These programmes are co-funded by FEDER (UE) and the Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria of the Xunta de Galicia (Spain)S

Desarrollo y validación de la Escala de Monopolio de la Verdad. Una medida de extremismo político

Background: Extreme political attitudes have been on the rise since the economic and political crisis of 2008. This surge of extremism constitutes a real threat, as attitudes like these are dangerous for the peaceful, democratic functioning of society. A new cognitive style, Monopoly on Truth has been proposed, based mainly on the concept of naïve realism. Method: The development and validation of a scale for this new construct is the main objective of this study. A pilot study (N=209) was performed in order to gather the items that make up the fi nal scale; and a main study (N=369) was conducted to test the validity and predictive power of the scale. Results: The validation is successful as the scale shows good reliability scores, while also proving to be linked to extremism-related constructs. Additionally, the scale shows signs of not being ideologically biased. Conclusion: Results show the scale to be a very useful tool for studying extremism and other political trends. Future directions and other implications of the Monopoly on Truth are also discussedDesarrollo y validación de la Escala de Monopolio de la Verdad. Una medida de extremismo político. Antecedentes: las actitudes políticas extremas han experimentado un crecimiento constante desde la crisis político-económica de 2008. Esta oleada de extremismo constituye una amenaza real, debido el peligro que supone para el funcionamiento pacífico y democrático de la sociedad. Se propone un nuevo estilo cognitivo, el Monopolio de la Verdad, basado principalmente en el concepto de realismo ingenuo. Método: el desarrollo y validación de una escala para este nuevo constructo es el objetivo principal del presente trabajo, para ello se llevó a cabo un estudio piloto (N=209) con la finalidad de desarrollar la escala, así como un estudio principal (N=369) cuyo propósito fue la validación de la misma. Resultados: el proceso de construcción y validación fue satisfactorio ya que la escala muestra una buena fiabilidad y está vinculada con constructos relacionados con extremismo. Adicionalmente, la escala no muestra sesgos ideológicos. Conclusiones: la Escala de Monopolio de la Verdad es una herramienta de gran interés para el estudio del extremismo y otras tendencias políticas. Se discuten también direcciones futuras y otras implicaciones del Monopolio de la VerdadThis research is partly funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Social Fund (2016 grant for predoctoral contracts BDNS:316231 and Grants for Excellence Projects 2015. PSI2015-66608-P). Research is also partly funded by the Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria, Xunta de Galicia (ED431B 2016/017)S

The Importance of Protesters’ Morals: Moral Obligation as a Key Variable to Understand Collective Action

Collective action and protest have become a normalized political behavior that in many cases defines the political agenda. The reasons why people take to the streets constitute a central subject within the study of social psychology. In the literature, three precedents of protest that have been established as central to the study of this phenomenon are: injustice, efficacy, and identity. But political action is also deeply related to moral values. This explains why in recent years some moral constructs have also been pointed out as predictors of collective action. Moral variables have been introduced into the literature with little consideration to how they relate to each other. Thus, work in this direction is needed. The general aim of this research is to differentiate moral obligation from moral norms and moral conviction, as well as to compare their ability to predict collective action. In order to do so, the research objectives are: (a) conceptualize and operationalize moral obligation (Study 1, N = 171); (b) test its predictive power for intention to participate in protests (Study 2, N = 622); and (c) test moral obligation in a real context (Study 3, N = 407). Results are encouraging, showing not only that moral obligation is different to moral conviction and moral norm, but also that it is a more effective predictor working both for intention and real participation. This work therefore presents moral obligation as a key precedent of protest participation, prompting its future use as a variable that can enhance existing predictive models of collective action. Results regarding other variables are also discussedThis research was partly funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Social Fund (grants for excellence projects 2015: PSI2015-66608-P) and by the Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria, Xunta de Galicia (grant no. ED431B 2016/017). The research was also funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Social Fund through the 2016 grants for predoctoral contracts (BDNS: 316231)S

Axiological-Identitary Collective Action Model (AICAM): A new integrative perspective in the analysis of protest

Current predictive models of collective action have devoted little attention to personal values, such as morals or ideology. The present research addresses this issue by incorporating a new axiological path in a novel predictive model of collective action, named AICAM. The axiological path is formed by two constructs: ideology and moral obligation. The model has been tested for real normative participation (Study 1) and intentional non-normative participation (Study 2). The sample for Study 1 included 531 randomly selected demonstrators and non-demonstrators at the time of a protest that took place in Madrid, May 2017. Study 2 comprised 607 randomly selected participants who filled out an online questionnaire. Structural equation modelling analysis was performed in order to examine the fit and predictive power of the model. Results show that the model is a good fit in both studies. It has also been observed that the new model entails a significant addition of overall effect size when compared with alternative models, including SIMCA. The present research contributes to the literature of collective action by unearthing a new, independent path towards collective action that is nonetheless compatible with previous motives. Implications for future research are discussed, mainly stressing the need to include moral and ideological motives in the study of collective action engagement.This research was jointly funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (grants for excellence projects 2015: PSI2015-66608-P) and by the Board of Culture, Education and University Regulation of the Galician Government (grant no. ED431B 2016/017). The research was also funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the European Social Fund through grants in 2016 for predoctoral contracts (BDNS: 316231) awarded to MD. The article was also co-authored within the framework of the Basic Research Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) and supported within the framework of a subsidy by the Russian Academic Excellence Project 5-100 awarded to DGS

Testing Common Knowledge: Are Northern Europeans and Millennials More Concerned about the Environment?

This study explores whether there are differences in several environmental dimensions, when the European Region and Generation cohort are considered. In doing so, this study compares millennials in North and South Europe with members of Generation X in three environmental dimensions: attitudes, personal norms, and behavior. Using data from the European Social Survey (n = 6.216), the researchers tested the hypothesis that Northern Europeans and millennials have more pro-environmental standing than southerners and Generation Xers. The findings challenge the common belief that millennials are more committed to being environmentally conscious, showing that many millennials do not feel responsible for their climate footprint, nor do they behave in a way that shows more concern than previous generations to improve their environmental performance. Furthermore, contrary to expectations, Northern European participants are not the most committed, in all environmental dimensions, compared to Southern EuropeansThe authors belong to the Galician Competitive Research Group GRC/GPC2016-017- GI-1456, COSOYPA, and to the CRETUS Strategic Partnership (AGRUP2015/02). All these programs are co-funded by FEDER (UE). The first author also wants to acknowledge the financial support of the Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria, and the Consellería de Economía, Emprego e Industria of the Xunta de GaliciaS

Axiological Factors as Motives for Political Action

The present thesis considers what motivates people to participate in political action. Specifically, it seeks to explain how moral concerns shape the intentions to participate in a) collective action and b) extremism. The former is thought to be explained by moral obligation, understood as the motivation to act accordingly with moral values. The latter is anticipated to be motivated by monopoly on truth (MoT), the belief that ones own ideas are objectively better for everyone. The results corroborate that moral obligation and MoT predict collective action and extremist engagement, respectively. This confirms the contribution of the thesis to the literature by adding an axiological path to political action

Only my truth can save us all: impact of socioeconomic threat and its emotional appraisals on monopoly on truth and political extremism

Accepted for publication in Psicothema (ISSN 0214 – 9915), expected publication in journal Feb. 2024Background: Political extremism is one of the main threats to democratic societies and it has been related to socioeconomic threats like COVID-19. We argue that socioeconomic threat perceptions increase Monopoly on Truth (MoT), a tendency to conceive personal values as undeniable truths worthy to be imposed. MoT will then prompt extremist intentions to rise. Method: These hypotheses were tested in two experimental designs (N = 274 & 484). Study 1 manipulated socioeconomic threat, while Study 2 added a manipulation of the emotional appraisal of that threat. Results: In Study 1, MoT scores were significantly different and higher in the high-threat condition. In Study 2 it was observed that threat levels did not cause statistically significant differences when emotional appraisal of such threat was manipulated, with anger causing MoT to increase. Study 2 also showed that MoT works as an antecedent of extremist intentions Conclusions: Socioeconomic threats and their emotional appraisals cause MoT and, indirectly, extremism to rise. Beyond deepening our understanding of the causes of MoT, the current findings highlight the implications of different narratives framing socioeconomic crises, that may become a facilitating factor of extremism.Xunta de Galicia (2019-PG005; Ref.ED431B 2019/07)S

Psicothema

Resumen tomado de la publicaciónDesarrollo y validación de la Escala de Monopolio de la Verdad. Una medida de extremismo político. Antecedentes: las actitudes políticas extremas han experimentado un crecimiento constante desde la crisis político-económica de 2008. Esta oleada de extremismo constituye una amenaza real, debido el peligro que supone para el funcionamiento pacífico y democrático de la sociedad. Se propone un nuevo estilo cognitivo, el Monopolio de la Verdad, basado principalmente en el concepto de realismo ingenuo. Método: el desarrollo y validación de una escala para este nuevo constructo es el objetivo principal del presente trabajo, para ello se llevó a cabo un estudio piloto (N=209) con la finalidad de desarrollar la escala, así como un estudio principal (N=369) cuyo propósito fue la validación de la misma. Resultados: el proceso de construcción y validación fue satisfactorio ya que la escala muestra una buena fiabilidad y está vinculada con constructos relacionados con extremismo. Adicionalmente, la escala no muestra sesgos ideológicos. Conclusiones: la Escala de Monopolio de la Verdad es una herramienta de gran interés para el estudio del extremismo y otras tendencias políticas. Se discuten también direcciones futuras y otras implicaciones del Monopolio de la Verdad.Universidad de Oviedo. Biblioteca de Psicología; Plaza Feijoo, s/n.; 33003 Oviedo; Tel. +34985104146; Fax +34985104126; [email protected]

Large expert-curated database for benchmarking document similarity detection in biomedical literature search

Document recommendation systems for locating relevant literature have mostly relied on methods developed a decade ago. This is largely due to the lack of a large offline gold-standard benchmark of relevant documents that cover a variety of research fields such that newly developed literature search techniques can be compared, improved and translated into practice. To overcome this bottleneck, we have established the RElevant LIterature SearcH consortium consisting of more than 1500 scientists from 84 countries, who have collectively annotated the relevance of over 180 000 PubMed-listed articles with regard to their respective seed (input) article/s. The majority of annotations were contributed by highly experienced, original authors of the seed articles. The collected data cover 76% of all unique PubMed Medical Subject Headings descriptors. No systematic biases were observed across different experience levels, research fields or time spent on annotations. More importantly, annotations of the same document pairs contributed by different scientists were highly concordant. We further show that the three representative baseline methods used to generate recommended articles for evaluation (Okapi Best Matching 25, Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency and PubMed Related Articles) had similar overall performances. Additionally, we found that these methods each tend to produce distinct collections of recommended articles, suggesting that a hybrid method may be required to completely capture all relevant articles. The established database server located at https://relishdb.ict.griffith.edu.au is freely available for the downloading of annotation data and the blind testing of new methods. We expect that this benchmark will be useful for stimulating the development of new powerful techniques for title and title/abstract-based search engines for relevant articles in biomedical science. © The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press