Novelty seeking is linked to openness and extraversion, and can lead to greater creative performance

Objective: Novelty seeking (the tendency to explore things novel and unfamiliar) has been extensively researched in the clinical and health domains, but its effects on creative performance are largely unknown. We examined whether creativity-related personality traits (openness to experience and extraversion) are associated with novelty seeking, and whether novelty seeking is linked to, and facilitates, creativity. Method: In Study 1a (Nn=n230; Magen=n20; 64% females) and Study 1b (Nn=n421; Magen=n19; 65% females), we measured extraversion, openness to experience, novelty seeking, and divergent thinking. To provide causal evidence for the relation between novelty seeking and creativity, in Study 2 (Nn=n147; Magen=n27; 75% females), we manipulated people's motivation to seek novelty and then measured subsequent divergent thinking. Results: In Studies 1a and 1b, we demonstrated that trait novelty seeking is associated with openness and extraversion, on the one hand, and divergent thinking on the other. In Study 2, the novelty seeking manipulation led to greater divergent thinking. Conclusions: We conclude that novelty seeking is linked to openness to experience and extraversion, and that it can lead to greater divergent thinking

Leadership Diversity: Effects of Counterstereotypical Thinking on the Support for Women Leaders under Uncertainty

Despite societal shifts, women are still underrepresented in leadership positions. Previous research has found that women are often placed in risky and precarious leadership positions. This is likely to be the case when the context (economic, social, political) is uncertain. This article investigates (1) the support given to women leaders with leadership styles that are congruent or not with gender stereotypes, under uncertainty (Study 1) and (2) the role of counterstereotypical thinking in strengthening the support for women leaders who are role congruent (vs. incongruent) under uncertainty (Study 2). Study 1 found a preference for strong, role incongruent women leaders in times of uncertainty (vs. certainty). Study 2 found that this preference can be attenuated and role congruent women leaders perceived as more effective following a counterstereotypical thinking intervention that challenge participants’ social cognitive processing styles. We discuss applied implications regarding how to effectively promote diversity in leadership

Awe Arises in Reaction to Exceeded Rather Than Disconfirmed Expectancies

Awe is a fascinating emotion, associated with positive consequences such as greater prosociality, generosity, and epistemic openness. Unfortunately, in spite of the weighty consequences of awe, the exact way in which it arises, and what it entails, is still a puzzle. Particularly puzzling is the question of whether awe is the result of expectancy violation. While awe is thought to arise in reaction to expectancy-objects or events, classical expectancy violations (e.g., a red queen of spades playing violations—those that disconfirm and those that exceed one’s expectancies—and we investigated arise in reaction to one versus the other. We also looked at what appraisals important to the awe experience and how they structurally interact. To this, we utilized network analysis and mapped out the network structure of appraisals linked to awe and violations. Across two experimental studies (N = 823), we demonstrated that awe arises in reaction to exceeded (rather than disconfirmed) expectancies and that appraisals linked to exceeded expectancies (uncertainty and inconsistency) are peripheral to the awe experience. Taken together, our on psychologists’ understanding of expectancy violations and reveals entails.</p

Linking social interdependence preferences to achievement goal adoption

Social interdependence theory and the 2 × 2 achievement goal framework represent two important literatures that are often studied independently. The present research examined general social interdependence attitudes in school (cooperative, competitive, and individualistic) as antecedents of individuals' situation-specific (semester- or class-focused) achievement goal adoption. All three studies consistently found that a cooperative attitude positively predicted mastery-approach goals, a competitive attitude positively predicted performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals, and an individualistic attitude positively predicted mastery-approach goals. The only anticipated relation that did not emerge consistently was that of an individualistic attitude as a positive predictor of mastery-avoidance goals. Implications of the present work for future empirical and theoretical development both in the social interdependence and the achievement goal literature are discussed