Does poverty promote a different and harmful way of thinking? The links between economic scarcity, concrete construal level and risk behaviors

We tested the relationships between economic scarcity, concrete construal level and risk behaviors. We manipulated the lack of economic resources using a priming task in Studies 1 and 2, and participants reported their real income and completed the BIF scale to measure their construal level in Study 3. Studies 1–3 supported the link between perceived economic scarcity and the concrete construal level. Study 4 demonstrated the mediating role played by the concrete construal level in the influence of economic scarcity on risk behaviors using two opposite priming procedures (scarcity plus abstraction). Study 5, in a real context of economic vulnerability, supported the link between concrete mindset and risk behavioral intentions, while abstraction was associated with fewer risk intentions. Concrete thinking implies focusing on the immediate situation, which might facilitate adaptation to the demanding conditions that characterize scarcity contexts but leaves people without a broad perspective of the future to make safe decisions in situations that involve self-control, such as health-risk behaviors. Because an abstract construal level can be induced, these findings open up challenging ways to improve the conditions in which people in scarcity contexts make some behavioral decisions while we continue working to reduce situations of economic scarcityThis research was funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation in Spain (PGC2018–093821-B-I00, FEDER, MICINN, Carrera and Caballero PIs

The relationships between economic scarcity, concrete mindset and risk behavior: A study of nicaraguan adolescents

Background: Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in Latin America, with an extremely low human development index (HDI). Fifty-two percent of the Nicaraguan population are children and adolescents under 18 years of age. Nicaraguan adolescents present several risk behaviors (such as teenage pregnancies, consumption of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis). Our study examines the links between risk behaviors, fatalism, real economic scarcity, and concrete construal level for adolescents with low and middle-low socioeconomic status in Nicaragua. Methods: Nicaraguan adolescents (N = 834) from schools located in especially vulnerable areas (low economic status) or in neighborhoods with middle-low social class completed several scales and questions to evaluate fatalism (SFC—social fatalism scale), construal level (BIF) and their past and future risk behaviors (smoking cigarettes, smoking cannabis, unsafe sex, and alcohol consumption). Results: We identified that the poorest individuals who maintained a concrete style of thinking had the highest rates of past and future risk behaviors. This vulnerable group also reported the highest levels of fatalism, i.e., negative attitudes and feelings of helplessness. Encouragingly, the adolescents who were able to maintain an abstract mindset reported healthier past and future habits and lower fatalism, even when they belonged to the lowest social status. In the middle-low economic group, the construal level was not as relevant to maintaining healthy habits, as adolescents reported similar rates of past and future risk behavior at both construal levels. Conclusions: All these results support the importance of considering construal level when studying vulnerable populations and designing risk prevention programs.This research was funded by: FEDER/MUNCYT-MIC (grant number: PGC2018-093821-B-I00) and Andalusian Agency for International Cooperation and Development Project (0DH025/2016). And the APC was funded by PGC2018-093821-B-I0

Cambios evolutivos (14–21 años) en los patrones de ingesta puntual de alcohol en exceso y en sus factores explicativos

In order to design prevention programs, it is important to understand the evolution of drinking behaviour patterns among adolescents and young people. The aim of this paper is to analyse the changes in these patterns based on age and their role in explaining this behaviour in the Theory of Planned Behaviour framework. We used 273 participants divided into three sub-samples (3rd and 4th ESO [Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, ‘Compulsory Secondary Education’] students and university students). For older ages, the frequency of binge drinking is higher and the attitudes were also more positive towards alcohol consumption. Structural equation analyses show that drinking behaviour is explained by a different model in each agegroup: in older groups, the role played by positive attitude and perceived control is more important than in the younger; by contrast, the influence of reference groups decreases with age. Results show significant differences between age groups regarding the reasons that young people report for engaging or not engaging in this behaviourConocer la evolución de los patrones de consumo de alcohol en adolescentes y jóvenes constituye una información relevante para el diseño de programas de prevención. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la evolución de dichos patrones en función de la edad y su papel para explicar dicho comportamiento en el marco de la Teoría de la Conducta Planeada. Trabajando con 273 participantes divididos en tres grupos (estudiantes de 3º de ESO, estudiantes de 4º de ESO y estudiantes universitarios), se constata un aumento con la edad de la frecuencia personal de consumo puntual de alcohol en exceso y una actitud más positiva hacia dicho consumo. Así mismo, los resultados obtenidos al aplicar análisis de ecuaciones estructurales muestran que este comportamiento es explicado por un modelo distinto en cada grupo de edad, de forma que a medida que aumenta la edad de los jóvenes, aumenta el papel de la actitud positiva hacia el comportamiento y del control percibido en la explicación del consumo, disminuyendo el peso de los grupos de referencia. Los resultados también muestran importantes diferencias entre los distintos grupos de edad respecto a los motivos que los jóvenes atribuyen a la realización y no realización de esta conductaEsta investigación ha sido financiada con el proyecto PSI2011-28720 del Ministerio español de Economía y Competitivida

Abstractness leads people to base their behavioral intentions on desired attitudes

People sometimes want attitudes that differ from the ones they currently possess. These desired attitudes appear to be psychologically meaningful, but little is known about the properties of these evaluations. Because desired attitudes are hypothetical constructs (i.e., attitudes that one does not yet possess) and are distant in time (i.e., attitudes one could have in the future), we argued, based on construal level theory, that they should be represented in a relatively abstract manner, and consequently, we examined the implications of this abstractness for the characteristics and impact of desired attitudes. Consistent with this, we demonstrate that people perceive desired attitudes as more invariant across time and context, that desired attitudes are less impacted by changes in low-level features related to the attitude object (Study 1a and 1b) and that desired attitudes have a greater impact on behavioral intentions when people are in an abstract rather than concrete mindset (Studies 2–3). Although we did not make specific predictions regarding actual attitudes, they better predicted behavioral intentions in the concrete mindset (Studies 2–3). This last result should be taken with caution, considering that the level of abstraction shown by actual attitudes in Study 1a was at or slightly above the midpoint of our abstraction indexThis work was supported by MINECO (PSI 2014-53321-P

Cómo el tiempo verbal afecta a la interpretación de las acciones: el pasado simple conduce a las personas a un nivel de representación abstracto

Two experiments examined the influence of verb tense on how abstractly people construe action representations. Experiment 1 revealed that written descriptions of several daily events using the simple past tense (vs. simple present tense) resulted in actions and the action’s target being seen as less likely and less familiar, respectively. In Experiment 2 participants wrote about a personal episode of binge drinking (using the simple past tense vs. simple present tense), and the resulting narratives were coded using the Linguistic Category Model (see Semin & Fiedler, 1991). Results revealed that events were described at a more abstract level when texts were written using the simple past tense (vs. simple present tense). The results are discussed in the context of other effects of verb form and in relation to construal level of eventsDos experimentos examinan la influencia del tiempo verbal en el nivel de abstracción con el que las personas representan las acciones. El Experimento 1 mostró que descripciones escritas de eventos cotidianos utilizando el pasado simple indefinido (vs. presente simple) daba lugar a que las acciones descritas y los protagonistas de las mismas fueran evaluados como menos probables y menos familiares respectivamente. En el Experimento 2 los participantes escribieron sobre un episodio personal de borrachera (usando el tiempo verbal pasado simple vs. el tiempo verbal presente simple) y esas narraciones fueron analizadas utilizando el Modelo de Categorización Lingüística (LCM) (ver Semin & Fiedler, 1991). Los resultados mostraron que el episodio era descrito con mayor nivel de abstracción cuando las narraciones habían sido escritas utilizando el pasado simple indefinido (vs. presente simple). Los resultados son discutidos en el contexto de la influencia de otras formas verbales y en relación al nivel de constructo con el que se representan las accionesThis research was supported by grants from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (PSI 2011-28720) and by grants from the National Institutes of Health (K02-MH01861 and R01-NR08325

Sentimiento nacionalista y organización territorial del Estado.

En el presente trabajo se pretende estudiar y comparar el sentimiento nacionalista de los españoles y sus preferencias con respecto a la organización del territorio en España, así como sus posibles antecedentes, prestando especial atención a lo que sucede en la Comunidad Autónoma de Cataluña. Para alcanzar el objetivo se analizan dos estudios postelectorales realizados por el Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas, concretamente el 3113 (elecciones autonómicas de Cataluña del 27 de septiembre de 2015) y el 3145 (elecciones generales del 26 de junio de 2016). Por lo que, el ejercicio empírico se articula en torno al análisis de las posibles diferencias entre dichos dos colectivos, en lo que respecta a su configuración sociodemográfica, sus preferencias por las distintas formas de organización territorial y por sus sentimientos nacionalistas. Paralelamente, se considera el componente temporal, esto es, se dispone de información referente a dos momentos en el tiempo, 2015 y 2016. De esta manera se pretende proporcionar evidencia empírica que permita valorar si bajo el nacionalismo se encuentran o no raíces económicas o de índole social. Entre otros sobresalen los siguientes resultados: la diferencia existente entre las muestras de Cataluña y resto de España respecto a estudios y clase social; los nacionalistas periféricos se autodefinen más de izquierdas en promedio; se aprecian vínculos entre autodefinirse como de derechas, preferir un Estado centralizado y sentirse únicamente español frente a considerarse de izquierdas, sentirse únicamente de la Comunidad Autónoma y querer la posibilidad de convertirse en Estado independiente

Can the life-history strategy explain the success of the exotic trees Ailanthus altissima and Robinia pseudoacacia in Iberian floodplain forests?

Ailanthus altissima and Robina pseudoacacia are two successful invasive species of floodplains in central Spain. We aim to explain their success as invaders in this habitat by exploring their phenological pattern, vegetative and sexual reproductive growth, and allometric relations, comparing them with those of the dominant native tree Populus alba. During a full annual cycle we follow the timing of vegetative growth, flowering, fruit set, leaf abscission and fruit dispersal. Growth was assessed by harvesting two-year old branches at the peaks of vegetative, flower and fruit production and expressing the mass of\ud current-year leaves, stems, inflorescences and infrutescences per unit of previous-year stem mass. Secondary growth was\ud assessed as the increment of trunk basal area per previous-year basal area. A. altissima and R. pseudoacacia showed\ud reproductive traits (late flowering phenology, insect pollination, late and long fruit set period, larger seeds) different from P. alba and other native trees, which may help them to occupy an empty reproductive niche and benefit from a reduced competition for the resources required by reproductive growth. The larger seeds of the invaders may make them less dependent on gaps for seedling establishment. If so, these invaders may benefit from the reduced gap formation rate of flood-regulated rivers of the study region. The two invasive species showed higher gross production than the native, due to the higher size of pre-existing stems rather than to a faster relative growth rate. The latter was only higher in A. altissima for stems, and in R. pseudoacacia for reproductive organs. A. altissima and R. pseudoacacia showed the lowest and highest reproductive/vegetative mass ratio, respectively. Therefore, A. altissima may outcompete native P. alba trees thanks to a high potential to overtop coexisting plants whereas R. pseudoacacia may do so by means of a higher investment in sexual reproduction

The bright side of abstraction: Abstractness promoted more empathic concern, a more positive emotional climate, and more humanity-esteem after the Paris terrorist attacks in 2015

Antecedents: Previous research on citizens’ reactions after terrorist events has shown that positive reactions can also emerge alongside pain and horror. Positive emotions have been widely associated with an abstract style of thinking. In the context of the Paris terrorist attacks in 2015, we explored Spanish citizens’ positive reactions – empathic concern, positive emotional climate, and esteem for humanity – and examined the relationships of these responses with an abstract (vs. concrete) style of thinking. Method: A longitudinal study was designed involving an online questionnaire that was administered 10 days, 3 weeks, and 2 months after the attacks (N = 253). Results: Empathic concern and personal distress toward Parisians decreased from the weeks following the attacks to 2 months later, with empathic concern always being more intense than personal distress. Emotional climate was perceived as more hostile than positive, although positive feelings persisted. People reported moderately positive esteem for humanity. Individuals with a more abstract style of thinking reported greater empathic concern, a more positive emotional climate, and more esteem for humanity. Conclusions: Our results support and extend previous research showing that abstraction enhances people’s resilience, even under traumatic circumstances such as those surrounding a terrorist attack.This study was funded by FEDER/MUNCYT (Grant Number: PGC2018-093821-B-I00

The present projects past behavior into the future while the past projects attitudes into the future: how verb tense moderates predictors of drinking intentions

Three studies examined how the use of the present versus the past tense in recalling a past experience influences behavioral intentions. Experiment 1 revealed a stronger influence of past behaviors on drinking intentionswhen participants self-reported an episode of excessive drinking using the present tense. Correspondingly, therewas a stronger influence of attitudes towards excessive drinking when participants self-reported the episode in the past tense. Experiments 2 and 3 liked this effect to changes in construal level (Liberman, Trope, & Stephan, 2007; Trope & Liberman, 2003), with the present tense being similar to a concrete construal level and the past tense being similar to an abstract construal level.This research was supported by grants from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación PSI2008-04849 and Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad PSI2011-28720 and by grants from the National Institutes of Health (K02-MH01861 and R01-NR08325)