28 research outputs found
Measuring Perceived Realistic Physical Threat Imposed by Migrants: Scale Development and Validation
Individuals differ in the extent to which they perceive threat imposed by out-groups like migrants. An established distinction in intergroup threat research is between symbolic and realistic threat. While symbolic threats concern a perceived menace against societal values, realistic threats jeopardize in-group membersâ well-being more directly. Typically applied realistic threat conceptions explicitly include the aspect of physical integrity, but most empirical research captures only realistic economic threats, arguably also due to a lack of appropriate measures. Therefore, we have developed the Perceived Realistic Physical Threat scale (PRPT) with samples from Germany and the UK (total N = 1,391). Moreover, we conducted follow-up analyses with data from a subsample (N = 473) of the initial UK sample. Factor analyses indicated an 8-item one-factorial solution for the PRPT scale. We further identified measurement invariance across samples and over time and stability across 21 months. We found convincing evidence for its convergent and divergent validity and for its predictive and, importantly, incremental validity, above and beyond the prediction of relevant criteria by other threat types. The PRPT scale appears to be a distinct, comprehensive, and psychometrically sound measure of perceived realistic physical threat, complementing the existing body of available measures
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Ugandan and British individuals' views of refugees in their countries: An exploratory <scp>mixedâmethods</scp> comparison
Abstract: Using an exploratory mixedâmethods approach, we examined thoughts concerning refugees reported by participants from a nonâWestern country, Uganda, and the United Kingdom (total N = 113). We explored whether, due to various sociocultural, political and geographic differences, critical features of refugee migration (e.g., migration forcedness and migrationârelated perils) would be viewed differently by Ugandan and UK participants. An inductive qualitative content analysis of responses in an online survey yielded 11 categories with 40 subcategories revealing several similarities between Ugandan and UK participants. For instance, similar proportions of participants from both countries acknowledged refugees' suffering before their migration and the forced nature of refugees' migration. However, we also found that more British than Ugandan participants referred to perils refugees suffer during their journeys, possibly resulting from differences in refugees' migration routes (e.g., crossing other countries, travelling by dilapidated boats, migration duration). Furthermore, Ugandan but not British participants took pride in international praise their country received for its forthcoming treatment of refugees. There were no differences regarding the extent to which Ugandan and British individuals exhibited prejudice towards refugees or experienced threats from refugees. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings for refugee integration
I belong but I'm still sad: Reminders of Facebook increase feelings of belonging but do not facilitate coping with sadness.
One way in which people may cope with sadness is to seek positive social contact. We examined whether subtle reminders of Facebook increase positive mood and thus attenuate the interest in social activities that is typically enhanced by sad mood induction. Participants watched either a loss-related sad or neutral video and were afterwards presented with either a Facebook, positive (sun) or neutral (Word) icon. We then examined their mood and their desire to engage in social activities as well as their feeling of belonging. The presentation of the Facebook icon increased feelings of belonging, but it did not influence participants' other responses to the sad video. Participants reported more negative mood and a greater desire to engage in social activities after the sad (vs. control) video regardless of the icon condition. The results suggest that the activation of thoughts about Facebook can enhance users' feeling of belonging; however, this effect might not be sufficient to facilitate coping with loss-related sadness
I belong but Iâm still sad: Reminders of Facebook increase feelings of belonging but do not facilitate coping with sadness
One way in which people may cope with sadness is to seek positive social contact. We examined whether subtle reminders of Facebook increase positive mood and thus attenuate the interest in social activities that is typically enhanced by sad mood induction. Participants watched either a loss-related sad or neutral video and were afterwards presented with either a Facebook, positive (sun) or neutral (Word) icon. We then examined their mood and their desire to engage in social activities as well as their feeling of belonging. The presentation of the Facebook icon increased feelings of belonging, but it did not influence participantsâ other responses to the sad video. Participants reported more negative mood and a greater desire to engage in social activities after the sad (vs. control) video regardless of the icon condition. The results suggest that the activation of thoughts about Facebook can enhance usersâ feeling of belonging; however, this effect might not be sufficient to facilitate coping with loss-related sadness
The Joint Action Effect on Memory as a Social Phenomenon: The Role of Cued Attention and Psychological Distance
In contrast to individual tasks, a specific social setting is created when two partners work together on a task. How does such a social setting affect memory for task-related information? We addressed this issue in a distributed joint-action paradigm, where two team partners respond to different types of information within the same task. Previous work has shown that joint action in such a task enhances memory for items that are relevant to the partnerâs task but not to the own task. By removing critical, non-social confounds, we wanted to pinpoint the social nature of this selective memory advantage. Specifically, we created joint task conditions in which participants were aware of the shared nature of the concurrent task but could not perceive sensory cues to the otherâs responses. For a differentiated analysis of the social parameters, we also varied the distance between partners. We found that the joint action effect emerged even without sensory cues from the partner, and it declined with increasing distance between partners. These results support the notion that the joint-action effect on memory is in its core driven by the experience of social co-presence, and does not simply emerge as a by-product of partner-generated sensory cues
Refugees' and nonârefugee migrants' regret about migration and confidence in integration: The role of forcedness and perils before and during migration
Knausenberger J, Arian M, Hellmann J, Echterhoff G. Refugees' and nonârefugee migrants' regret about migration and confidence in integration: The role of forcedness and perils before and during migration. International Journal of Psychology. 2022
Helping in the context of refugee immigration
Echterhoff G, Becker JC, Knausenberger J, Hellmann J. Helping in the context of refugee immigration. Current Opinion in Psychology. 2022;44:106-111