Cross-Validation of Representational Structures Using the Attribute-Challenge Technique and the Test of Context Independence: The Social Representation of Health

In connection with the structural approach of social representations, Lo Monaco, Lheureux, and Halimi-Falkowicz (2008) showed that the Test of Context Independence (TCI) allows to find the same central core components as those retrieved with the Attribute-Challenge Technique (ACT, Moliner, 1989, 2002). As this study was carried out on two ‘unavoidable’ objects of study of the structural approach (higher education and the ideal group), we aimed to carry out a cross-validation of the representational structure of an object of representation that had never been studied from a structural perspective (i.e., health). An initial study ('N' = 223) was conducted in order to compare structural diagnoses highlighted by the ACT ('N' = 105) and the TCI ('N' = 118). Contrary to Lo Monaco et al. (2008), no element emerged as central using the ACT while the TCI uncovered five central elements (i.e., healthy lifestyle, food, essentiality, prevention, and equilibrium). To ensure that results weren’t due to a methodological artefact (misunderstanding of items and phrasing effect), a second study was conducted ('N' = 123). Fifty-two participants completed the ACT and 71 participants to the TCI. In spite of the methodological changes, as in Study 1, no central elements were highlighted by the ACT, whereas three elements (i.e., healthy lifestyle, food, and equilibrium) were found to form the central core by using the TCI. These results were discussed by focusing on the link between the characteristics of the methods used to study the social representations and the characteristics of the objects studied

From local social mindfulness to global sustainability efforts?

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Greedy Elites and Poor Lambs : How Young Europeans Remember the Great War

The present study examines current social representations associated with the origins of the Great War, a major event that has profoundly affected Europe. A survey conducted in 20 European countries (N = 1906 students in social sciences) shows a high consensus: The outbreak of the war is attributed to the warring nations' leaders while the responsibility of the populations is minimized. Building on the concept of social representation of history (Liu & Hilton, 2005), we suggest that the social representations of the Great War fulfill social psychological functions in contemporary Europe. We suggest that WWI may function as a charter for European integration. Their content also suggests a desire to distinguish a positively valued ingroup ("the people") from powerful elites, construed as an outgroup.Peer reviewe

100 years after: What is the relation between pacifist attitudes and social representations of the Great War?

In this article we use a social representational perspective on a large sample of European students to consider the interplay between pacifist attitudes and representations of World War I (WWI). WWI gave rise to pacifist movements across the globe. Across 10 European countries (NSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Reply to Nielsen et al. social mindfulness is associated with countries’ environmental performance and individual environmental concern

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Perceptions of the appropriate response to norm violation in 57 societies

An Author Correction to this article: DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22955-x.Norm enforcement may be important for resolving conflicts and promoting cooperation. However, little is known about how preferred responses to norm violations vary across cultures and across domains. In a preregistered study of 57 countries (using convenience samples of 22,863 students and non-students), we measured perceptions of the appropriateness of various responses to a violation of a cooperative norm and to atypical social behaviors. Our findings highlight both cultural universals and cultural variation. We find a universal negative relation between appropriateness ratings of norm violations and appropriateness ratings of responses in the form of confrontation, social ostracism and gossip. Moreover, we find the country variation in the appropriateness of sanctions to be consistent across different norm violations but not across different sanctions. Specifically, in those countries where use of physical confrontation and social ostracism is rated as less appropriate, gossip is rated as more appropriate.Peer reviewe

Social mindfulness and prosociality vary across the globe

Humans are social animals, but not everyone will be mindful of others to the same extent. Individual differences have been found, but would social mindfulness also be shaped by one’s location in the world? Expecting cross-national differences to exist, we examined if and how social mindfulness differs across countries. At little to no material cost, social mindfulness typically entails small acts of attention or kindness. Even though fairly common, such low-cost cooperation has received little empirical attention. Measuring social mindfulness across 31 samples from industrialized countries and regions (n = 8,354), we found considerable variation. Among selected country-level variables, greater social mindfulness was most strongly associated with countries’ better general performance on environmental protection. Together, our findings contribute to the literature on prosociality by targeting the kind of everyday cooperation that is more focused on communicating benevolence than on providing material benefits

Anger and disgust shape judgments of social sanctions across cultures, especially in high individual autonomy societies

When someone violates a social norm, others may think that some sanction would be appropriate. We examine how the experience of emotions like anger and disgust relate to the judged appropriateness of sanctions, in a pre-registered analysis of data from a large-scale study in 56 societies. Across the world, we find that individuals who experience anger and disgust over a norm violation are more likely to endorse confrontation, ostracism and, to a smaller extent, gossip. Moreover, we find that the experience of anger is consistently the strongest predictor of judgments of confrontation, compared to other emotions. Although the link between state-based emotions and judgments may seem universal, its strength varies across countries. Aligned with theoretical predictions, this link is stronger in societies, and among individuals, that place higher value on individual autonomy. Thus, autonomy values may increase the role that emotions play in guiding judgments of social sanctions