Attachment orientations and humanity attributions to individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

In this contribution, we explored whether secure attachment - operationalized as an individual difference variable - is positively associated with humanizing perceptions of individuals with IDD (intellectual and developmental disabilities). A cross-sectional study was performed. University students filled out a questionnaire including: a self-report scale of attachment orientations (secure, avoidant, and anxious); items assessing emotions toward individuals with IDD (anxiety, empathy, and trust); items measuring the attribution of uniquely human (e.g., reasoning, self-control) and non-uniquely human (e.g., instinct, impulsiveness) characteristics. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and the PROCESS macro to test mediation. Replicating previous research, findings highlighted that a lower human status was generally ascribed to people with disabilities. However, secure attachment was associated with both lower feelings of anxiety and higher attributions of uniquely human traits. No mediation effects of emotions were observed. Practical implications of findings were discussed. Interventions based on security priming should lead people to endorse humanizing evaluations of individuals with IDD, and to help them

Leaders\u2019 competence and warmth: Their relationships with employees\u2019 well-being and organizational effectiveness

The aim of this work was to investigate competence and warmth \u2014 the two basic dimensions of social judgment \u2014 as dimensions employees use to evaluate their supervisors. A mediation model was tested in which supervisor\u2019s perceived competence and warmth were associated with relevant outcomes (lower burnout, weaker turnover intentions, more frequent citizenship behaviors) through the mediation of affective organizational commitment (AOC). In Study 1, data were collected from employees of a company in the water service sector. In Study 2, participants were financial promoters. In Study 3, the sample included employees from different organizations. As hypothesized, the perception of one\u2019s supervisor as competent (Studies 1-3) and warm (Study 3) was related to employees\u2019 lower burnout, weaker turnover intentions, more frequent prosocial behaviors through the mediation of AOC. Theoretical and practical implications of findings are discussed

Intergroup contact and outgroup humanization: Is the causal relationship uni- or bidirectional?

The attribution of uniquely human characteristics to the outgroup may favor the search for contact with outgroup members and, vice versa, contact experiences may improve humanity attributions to the outgroup. To explore this bidirectional relationship, two studies were performed. In Study 1, humanity perceptions were manipulated using subliminal conditioning. Two experimental conditions were created. In the humanization condition, the unconditioned stimuli (US) were uniquely human words; in the dehumanization condition, the US were nonuniquely human and animal words. In both conditions, conditioned stimuli were typical outgroup faces. An approach/avoidance technique (the manikin task) was used to measure the willingness to have contact with outgroup members. Findings showed that in the humanization condition participants were faster in approaching than in avoiding outgroup members: closeness to the outgroup was preferred to distance. Latencies of approach and avoidance movements were not different in the dehumanization condition. In Study 2, contact was manipulated using the manikin task. One approach (contact) condition and two control conditions were created. The attribution of uniquely human traits to the outgroup was stronger in the contact than in the no-contact conditions. Furthermore, the effect of contact on humanity attributions was mediated by increased trust toward the outgroup. Thus, findings demonstrate the bidirectionality of the relationship between contact and humanity attributions. Practical implications of findings are discussed

Tecniche di priming subliminale nella rilevazione di pregiudizio e stereotipi impliciti

Sommario: I processi cognitivi automatici e controllati e la tecnica del priming semantico - il priming subliminale nello studio di stereotipi e pregiudizio - problemi teorici - conclusioni - bibliografia

Gruppo e identit\ue0\ua0sociale come fattori di adattamento

In questo lavoro saranno analizzate alcune teorie dell\u2019identificazione con il proprio gruppo (ingroup), in cui \ue8 implicito il significato adattivo dell\u2019appartenenza; sar\ue0 considerata una prospettiva recente nella psicologia evoluzionistica; saranno riportati dati che verificano la validit\ue0 delle teorie analizzate

Verifica di teorie motivazionali dell'identificazione con il proprio gruppo tramite modelli di equazioni strutturali.

In this work we tested the validity of three theories of identification with the ingroup: social identity theory, subjective uncertainty reduction theory, optimal distinctiveness theory. The study was carried out in a factory; participants were workers and clerical stuff, and the instrument was a questionnaire. The effects of the motivations, that the three theories consider, respectively: the need for self-esteem, the need for reduction of subjective uncertainty, the need for perceiving one-self included but, at the same time, defined by distinct attributes, were tested using structural equation models. It was found that identification only depends on the degree to which belonging satisfies the need for self-esteem. This variable totally absorbs the effects of the other motivations. Identification, in its turn, positively influences ingroup evaluations and fosters intragroup prosocial behaviors

Intentions of reducing or eliminating one's own alcohol consumption in adolescents

The aim of this study was to identify the processes and beliefs leading to intentions of reducing or eliminating one\u2019s own alcohol consumption. Participants were male and female students attending senior high school (N = 192) with a mean age of 17.70. In order to assess intention formation processes, three theories were tested: the theory of reasoned action, the theory of planned behavior, the model of goal-directed behavior (MGB). Results revealed that the theory with the greatest explanatory and predictive power is the MGB. On the basis of the identified processes, suggestions were proposed regarding content and sources of persuasive messages as possible ways of changing behavior

Scientific communication and stereotype change

The aim of this experiment is to examine whether communicating the results of social psychological research improves out-group stereotypes and diminishes in-group bias. The experimental material consisted of 2 communications: one described Hamilton and Gifford's (1 976) experiment on illusory correlation (Experiment 1); the other described Sherif's (1 966) studies on summer camps. The results of the present experiment show that knowledge of Sherif's findings had no effect on evaluations, whereas an awareness of the experiment on illusory correlation produced a boomerang effect, accentuating, rather than diminishing, in-group bias. A second experiment revealed that the persuasive power of a scientific message on stereotypes depends on whether in-groups and out-groups are cognitively present in the message acquisition phase

Neuroscienze sociali: Un nuovo settore di ricerca.

Sommario: Introduzione - l'influenza dell'amigdala nelle valutazioni sociali - l'influenza dell'amigdala e delle strutture corticali nelle valutazioni socieli - studi realizzati considerando i potenziali evocati - conclusioni e prospettive future - note - bibliografia