Proximal and distal honor fit and subjective well-being in the mediterranean region

Introduction People's psychological tendencies are attuned to their sociocultural context and culture-specific ways of being, feeling, and thinking are believed to assist individuals in successfully navigating their environment. Supporting this idea, stronger “fit” with one's cultural environment has often been linked to positive psychological outcomes. The current research expands the cultural, conceptual, and methodological space of cultural fit research by exploring the link between well-being and honor, a central driver of social behavior in the Mediterranean region. Method Drawing on a multi-national sample from eight countries circum-Mediterranean (N = 2,257), we examined the relationship between cultural fit in honor and well-being at the distal level (fit with one's perceived society) using response surface analysis (RSA) and at the proximal level (fit with one's university gender group) using profile analysis. Results We found positive links between fit and well-being in both distal (for some, but not all, honor facets) and proximal fit analyses (across all honor facets). Furthermore, most fit effects in the RSA were complemented with positive level effects of the predictors, with higher average honor levels predicting higher well-being. Conclusion Our findings highlight the interplay between individual and environmental factors in honor as well as the important role honor plays in well-being in the Mediterranean region

Warmth and competence perceptions of key protagonists are associated with containment measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from 35 countries

It is crucial to understand why people comply with measures to contain viruses and their effects during pandemics. We provide evidence from 35 countries (Ntotal = 12,553) from 6 continents during the COVID-19 pandemic (between 2021 and 2022) obtained via cross-sectional surveys that the social perception of key protagonists on two basic dimensions—warmth and competence—plays a crucial role in shaping pandemic-related behaviors. Firstly, when asked in an open question format, heads of state, physicians, and protest movements were universally identified as key protagonists across countries. Secondly, multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses revealed that warmth and competence perceptions of these and other protagonists differed significantly within and between countries. Thirdly, internal meta-analyses showed that warmth and competence perceptions of heads of state, physicians, and protest movements were associated with support and opposition intentions, containment and prevention behaviors, as well as vaccination uptake. Our results have important implications for designing effective interventions to motivate desirable health outcomes and coping with future health crises and other global challenges.publishedVersio

Perspective-taking mediates the imagined contact effect.

We investigated the potential for mental imagery to reduce intergroup bias in Cyprus, an island that has suffered from interethnic tension for over 40 years. Seventy-three Turkish Cypriots were asked to imagine a scenario in which they interacted with Greek Cypriots, compared to those imagining an outdoor scene. Subsequently, participants in the imagined contact condition reported more positive outgroup evaluations. Mediational analysis showed this relationship was explained by increased levels of perspective-taking. The findings highlight theoretical and practical possibilities for future imagined contact research

Attributional processes underlying imagined contact effects

Recent research has demonstrated that mentally simulating positive intergroup encounters can promote tolerance and more positive intergroup attitudes. We explored the attributional processes underlying these effects. In our study participants who imagined intergroup contact subsequently reported greater intentions to engage in future contact, a relationship that was mediated by participants’ attribution, to themselves, of a more positive attitudinal orientation towards outgroup contact. Consistent with this attributional account, the perspective taken when imagining the encounter qualified this effect. Participants who imagined the encounter from a third-person perspective reported heightened intentions to engage in future contact relative to control participants, while this was not the case when the encounter was imagined from a first-person perspective. These findings suggest that attributional processes are key to observing the benefits that accrue from imagining intergroup contact. We speculate that these attributions may distinguish the approach from extended and actual forms of contact and help researchers to further capitalize on the benefits of mental imagery for improving intergroup relations. </jats:p

Imagined contact works in high-prejudice contexts: Investigating imagined contact’s effects on anti-gay prejudice in Cyprus and Jamaica

A growing body of evidence demonstrates that imagined contact can reduce prejudice in a variety of ways, against numerous groups, and in varied social contexts. Imagined contact has thus been suggested as an option for prejudice reduction where direct contact strategies may not be easy or practical. However, no research to date has tested imagined contact in high-prejudice contexts where direct contact is not a feasible option. In two experiments (N = 42, N = 100) we investigated whether imagined contact could be successfully applied as an intervention to reduce prejudice against gay men in two societies where direct contact would be particularly difficult or rare – Cyprus and Jamaica. Despite the relatively high prejudice against gay men reported in both societies, we found that imagined contact successfully improved attitudes, behavioural intentions and social acceptance. We discuss the implications for imagined contact’s use as a real-world intervention when direct contact strategies might not be plausible

Intergroup contact and contact norms as predictors of postconflict forgiveness

The aim of this research was to examine the pathway to intergroup forgiveness in postconflict contexts from the framework of improved intergroup relations and with an emphasis on identifying context-specific variables. Two studies investigated the relationship between intergroup contact and ingroup contact norms, and postconflict forgiveness. In the context of Anglo-German post-WWII relations, Study 1 provided evidence that intergroup anxiety and common ingroup identity were significantly predicted by positive intergroup contact and ingroup norms, which then predicted forgiveness of the German outgroup for wartime actions. Accordingly, focusing on Greek and Turkish Cypriot relations in Cyprus the results of Study 2 showed that positive contact with Greek Cypriots and ingroup contact norms were related to decreased intergroup anxiety and dehumanization, which in turn were associated with increased forgiveness. The results are discussed in the context of intergroup relations and postconflict resolution

Support for the Replicability of Imagined Contact Effects.

As part of their Many Labs project Klein et al. (2014) replicated the effects of an imagined contact study carried out by Husnu and Crisp (2010). In their report the authors argue the data provides weak support for replicability. However, the effect observed was both significant and comparable to that obtained from a recent meta-analysis for the relevant outgroup. This suggests that the Many Labs project may provide stronger support for the existence of imagined contact effects than currently thought. We discuss the value in interpreting replications within the context of the existing literature