Going along versus getting it right: The role of self-integrity in political conformity

People often conform to the opinions of ingroup members, even when available evidence suggests that the group is misinformed. Following insights from the social identity approach and self-affirmation theory, it was hypothesized that people conform to salient opinions in an effort to maintain global self-integrity. In a series of experiments examining Americans' approval of President Obama and his policies, approval was consistently swayed by normative information (national polling data) but not by evidentiary information (indicators of national economic health), except under theory-predicted conditions. When participants had satisfied their sense of self-integrity with a self-affirmation exercise (Democrats in Study 1, Republicans in Study 2), or when they had low levels of American identification and thus were less concerned with national norms (Democrats and Republicans in Study 3), they showed the opposite pattern and were swayed by evidence in spite of contradicting normative information. The extent to which people are influenced by norms versus evidence in political judgment is shaped by social identity, one aspect of self-integrity. The results highlight a social psychological means to attenuate and potentially reverse conformity in the face of contradicting evidence, a finding with both practical and theoretical implications

Bolstering trust and reducing discipline incidents at a diverse middle school: How self-affirmation affects behavioral conduct during the transition to adolescence

A three-year field experiment at an ethnically diverse middle school (N = 163) tested the hypothesis that periodic self-affirmation exercises delivered by classroom teachers bolsters students' school trust and improves their behavioral conduct. Students were randomly assigned to either a self-affirmation condition, where they wrote a series of in-class essays about personally important values, or a control condition, where they wrote essays about personally unimportant values. There were no behavioral effects of affirmation at the end of 6th grade, after students had completed four writing exercises. However, after four additional exercises in 7th grade, affirmed students had a significantly lower rate of discipline incidents than students in the control condition. The effect continued to grow and did not differ across ethnic groups, such that during 8th grade students in the affirmation condition on average received discipline at a 69% lower rate than students in the control condition. Analyses of student climate surveys revealed that affirmation was associated with higher school trust over time, a tendency that held across ethnic groups and partially mediated the affirmation effect on discipline. Repeated self-affirmation can bolster students' school trust and reduce the incidence of discipline in middle school, findings with both theoretical and practical implications

Changing Social Norms to Foster the Benefits of Collaboration in Diverse Workgroups

Although collaboration is essential for advancing science and maximizing human performance, collaboration in demographically diverse groups has often proven ineffective and sometimes harmful for negatively stereotyped group members. Here we report the results of a two randomized field experiments that sought to change social norms in an effort to realize the benefits of demographic diversity in collaborative workgroups. Separate experiments were conducted in undergraduate Biology (N=1215) and Physics (N=607) courses that were already employing small-group collaboration (3-4 students) during weekly study sections. At the beginning of the semester, study sections were assigned to receive either the intervention or business-as-usual control activities. The 30-minute intervention used narrative writing, peer testimonials, and small group discussion to establish a local norm that social and academic struggles are normal, anxiety about belonging is common, and most students eventually overcome these challenges. At the end of the semester, students who worked in diverse groups reported more positive social experiences in the intervention compared to control condition. Behaviorally, average attendance was higher in study sections that received the intervention, as was persistence in college after one year. Finally, students in each context theorized to be high in belonging uncertainty showed performance benefits, as the intervention closed the ethnic group performance gap in Biology classrooms and the gender performance gap in Physics classrooms. The results illustrate how social experiences in collaborative groups can be engineered to help realize the benefits of diversity

Promoting social engagement and well-being in diverse groups: The role of respect

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Psychology Press via the link in this recordWe present theory and research that examine how individuals’ perceptions of the quality of their social relationships in self-relevant groups affect the functioning of ethnically diverse institutions (e.g., workplace, schools). Research on intragroup processes suggests that individuals are motivated to seek information about their value to the groups they identify with (personal respect). In diverse institutions, the extent to which key social identities, such as one’s ethnic group, is valued by other group members matters as well (subgroup respect). Moreover, for minority group members, the ethnic ingroup, itself, is a source of important evaluative feedback (ethnic intragroup respect). We review evidence that demonstrates how and when each of these three aspects of social evaluation (personal respect, subgroup respect, and ethnic intragroup respect) shape outcomes central to group functioning, including individuals’ level of engagement in the group and their subjective well-being. We discuss how insights from this research can inform the challenges faced by work organizations and other diverse institutions

Behavioural effects of the common brain-infecting parasite Pseudoloma neurophilia in laboratory zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Research conducted on model organisms may be biased due to undetected pathogen infections. Recently, screening studies discovered high prevalence of the microsporidium Pseudoloma neurophilia in zebrafish (Danio rerio) facilities. This spore-forming unicellular parasite aggregates in brain regions associated with motor function and anxiety, and despite its high occurrence little is known about how sub-clinical infection affects behaviour. Here, we assessed how P. neurophilia infection alters the zebrafish´s response to four commonly used neurobehavioral tests, namely: mirror biting, open field, light/dark preference and social preference, used to quantify aggression, exploration, anxiety, and sociability. Although sociability and aggression remained unaltered, infected hosts exhibited reduced activity, elevated rates of freezing behaviour, and sex-specific effects on exploration. These results indicate that caution is warranted in the interpretation of zebrafish behaviour, particularly since in most cases infection status is unknown. This highlights the importance of comprehensive monitoring procedures to detect sub-clinical infections in laboratory animals