Leadership Efficacy and Women Leaders' Responses to Stereotype Activation

The role of leadership efficacy in women's reactance responses to stereotype-based leadership role expectations was examined in two laboratory studies. Participants, selected on the basis of leadership efficacy scores, served as leaders of ostensible three-person groups. Half were primed with the gender leadership stereotype. An immersive virtual environment designed for this research served as the leadership setting. Results indicated that the effects of stereotype activation on women leaders were moderated by leadership efficacy such that high efficacy leaders exhibited more positive, reactance responses (increased perceived performance, increased rated performance, greater domain identification, and higher well-being) than low efficacy leaders. Additionally, perceived performance mediated the domain identification and well-being effects of stereotype activation on high and low efficacy leaders

How Attributional Ambiguity Shapes Physiological and Emotional Responses to Social Rejection and Acceptance

The authors examined White and Black participants' emotional, physiological, and behavioral responses to same-race or different-race evaluators, following rejecting social feedback or accepting social feedback. As expected, in ingroup interactions, the authors observed deleterious responses to social rejection and benign responses to social acceptance. Deleterious responses included cardiovascular (CV) reactivity consistent with threat states and poorer performance, whereas benign responses included CV reactivity consistent with challenge states and better performance. In intergroup interactions, however, a more complex pattern of responses emerged. Social rejection from different-race evaluators engendered more anger and activational responses, regardless of participants' race. In contrast, social acceptance produced an asymmetrical race pattern-White participants responded more positively than did Black participants. The latter appeared vigilant and exhibited threat responses. Discussion centers on implications for attributional ambiguity theory and potential pathways from discrimination to health outcomes.Psycholog

The robust nature of the biopsychosocial model challenge and threat: A reply to Wright and Kirby

This article responds to Wright and Kirby's (this issue) critique of our biopsychosocial (BPS) analysis of challenge and threat motivation. We counter their arguments by re- Wright and Kirby (this issue) critiqued our challenge and threat theory and its supporting empirical data. We disagree with their assessment and believe their criticisms (a) are based on a misunderstanding and selective presentation of elements of our current theory and data; (b) are based on a rational-economic perspective entailing only objective comparison of the amount of effort individuals are willing and able to expend to the amount required by the situation, which fails to integrate contextual elements involved in social behavior, in general, and subjectivity and automatic processing, in particular; and (c) provide some interesting challenges for our theory that should be construed as research questions within an ongoing, evolving theoretical framework rather than fatal flaws. Here, we first provide a brief summary of our current challenge and threat theory and research. We then respond to Wright and Kirby's criticisms and finally provide our conclusions regarding their critique. Challenge and Threat: Is the Model Coherent and the Evidence Compelling? Our theory and research address how people evaluate, react to, and behave in goal-relevant performanc

Virtual reality genres: Comparing preferences in immersive experiences and games

5 pagesEven though virtual reality (VR) shares features with video games, it offers a wider range of experiences. There is currently no cohesive classification for commercial VR offerings. As a first step to account for this deficiency, the work in progress considers the relationship between game genres and users’ ratings and downloads of VR experiences. We found Action, Shooter, and Simulation to be the most frequently downloaded genres; Action and Music/Rhythm the most highly rated; and Simulation and Music/Rhythm to occur at a statistically higher rate in VR compared to non-VR. Finally, we learned that VR experiences are less likely to receive positive ratings than 2D games. The findings can inform developers’ marketing decisions based on demand

Physiological Responses to Virtual Exergame Feedback for Individuals with Different Levels of Exercise Self-Efficacy

International audienceOBJECTIVE: Exercisevideogames are increasingly popular asindividuals seek to increase their activity.This study assessed the interaction ofexercise self-efficacy (ESE) levels andperceived task demands of a virtual gameon exercise and physiological reactions.Perceived task demands were manipulatedby changing parameters of theparticipant’s avatar in the exergame.METHODOLOGY: An experimentaldesign was used with 89 femaleundergraduate students (Meanage=18.74+1.05, 18 to 21 years) who wererandomly assigned to the high taskdemand condition (avatar weightremaining constant) or low task demandcondition (avatar losing weight). Prior tothe biking task, the Exercise Self-Efficacyscale was used to measure ESE.Participants biked on a stationary bikewhile immersed in a virtual environmentwith an avatar and were told the avatarwould slim if they cycled fast enough. Onlyhalf of participants’ avatars actuallyslimmed (high task demandmanipulation). During biking,cardiovascular measures were assessedusing a Biopac MP150 system with anImpedance Cardiograph and CNAPMonitor 500. One week after completion ofthe study, participants reported amount ofexercise completed in the last week (in 15minute increments) via the PhysicalActivity Questionnaire. Moderatedregressions and moderated mediationmodels were used to examine theinteraction of ESE levels, experimentalcondition and cardiovascular reactivity onamount of strenuous physical activity.RESULTS: Individuals with high ESEshowed similar results in both taskdemand conditions with physiologicalreactivity patterns indicative of threat.Individuals with low ESE with a staticavatar completed less exercise than thosewith low ESE with a slimming avatar.CONCLUSION: Results confirm thatindividuals with low ESE are particularlyvulnerable to exercise demands

Leadership Efficacy and Women Leaders' Responses to Stereotype Activation

International audienceThe role of leadership efficacy in women's reactance responses to stereotype-based leadership role expectations was examined in two laboratory studies. Participants, selected on the basis of leadership efficacy scores, served as leaders of ostensible three-person groups. Half were primed with the gender leadership stereotype. An immersive virtual environment designed for this research served as the leadership setting. Results indicated that the effects of stereotype activation on women leaders were moderated by leadership efficacy such that high efficacy leaders exhibited more positive, reactance responses (increased perceived performance, increased rated performance, greater domain identification, and higher well-being) than low efficacy leaders. Additionally, perceived performance mediated the domain identification and well-being effects of stereotype activation on high and low efficacy leaders