From aesthetics to ethics: Testing the link between an emotional experience of awe and the motive of quixoteism on (un)ethical behavior

According to the awe-quixoteism hypothesis, one experience of awe may lead to the engagement in challenging actions aimed at increasing the welfare of the world. However, what if the action involves damaging one individual? Across four experiments (N = 876), half participants were induced to feel either awe or a different (pleasant, activating, or neutral-control) emotion, and then decided whether achieving a prosocial goal (local vs. global). In the first three experiments this decision was assessed through a dilemma that involved to sacrifice one individual’s life, additionally in Experiments 2 and 3 we varied the quality of the action (ordinary vs. challenging). In Experiment 4, participants decided whether performing a real helping action. Overall, in line with the awe-quixoteism hypothesis, the results showed that previously inducing awe enhanced the willingness to sacrifice someone (Experiments 1, 2 and 3) or the acceptance to help (Experiment 4) when the decision involved engaging in challenges aimed at improving the welfare of the world

Why do we comply with law?: an exploration of the apparaisal foundations of normative behavior

El presente artículo estudia dos características de todo sistema normativo, legitimidad y eficacia, así como su percepción a través de distintas culturas. Hemos confirmado empíricamente la importancia de la legitimidad en la valoración de las normas, pero también hemos hallado interesantes diferencias entre las valoraciones de eficacia según la cultura y el género sexualThis paper examines two features of the whole normative system –rightfulness and efficiency– and how it is perceived in different cultures. The importance of rightfulness is proved vis-á-vis the appraisal of norms. Interesting differences were also found between appraisals of efficiency depending on the culture and on the gende

Dissecting the dimension of protection: Caligae and Scutum in the evaluative model of normative appeals

A normative appeal indicates that one should (or should not) do a certain action in a concrete situation. According to the Evaluative Model of Normative Appeals (EMNA), willingness to comply with these messages depends on an appraisal formed by two dimensions: formality and protection. In this work we center on the dimension of protection, proposing that it can be divided into two components: avoiding physical or psychological damage (scutum) and affording the performance of the main intended action (caligae). We conducted two studies to test this twofold meaning of protection. In Study 1 (N = 525), we manipulated the coherence of regulatory focus (promotion vs. control vs. prevention) with salience of the components of protection (caligae vs. control vs. scutum). In Study 2 (N = 513), we separately measured the perception of each component referred to an actual normative appeal (i.e., “To get into a class punctually”). The results showed that the manipulated salience and the measured perception of caligae and scutum elicits (Study 1) and predicts (Study 2) higher willingness to comply with normative appeals. Theoretical and applied implications of the results are discussedThis research received financial support from a Spanish Education Ministry grant (PSI2014–53321-P) and the Programa CONICYT, FONDECYT Iniciación 11130710 (Chile

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

Towards a model of normative diagnosis in the organizational context: The evaluative model of normative appeals

Purpose: The aim of the present work is to advance in a topic that has received little attention in the literature: normative diagnosis; contributing new empirical evidence to a recently proposed model: The Evaluative Model of Normative Appeals (EMNA). Design/methodology/approach: Two field studies were carried out. In Study 1 we tested the EMNA premises by appraising a normative appeal in a university organizational context (N = 304). In Study 2, we contributed to the predictive validity of the model by analyzing the perception and adherence with two normative appeals in the context of labor organizations (N = 296). Findings: The results of both studies supported the premises of the EMNA and its potential as a normative diagnostic tool for the organizational context. Research limitations/implications: The EMNA should be analyzed in relation to other models in order to complement its explanatory and diagnostic value. The results obtained and the validity of the scales should be tested in new samples from different countries. Practical implications: From an applied point of view, the EMNA represents a tool to support the diagnosis and management of organizational normative appeals in at least two situations: in establishing predictions regarding levels of adherence or willingness to comply, and in monitoring the effectiveness of the measures that have been adopted to modify the perception of certain regulations. Social implications: The transgression of the rules generates large direct (e.g., money laundering, corruption) and indirect losses (e.g., loss of prestige, dysfunctional behavior), so achieving more efficient regulatory management is a constant challenge, both socially and organizationally. The present work represents an advance in the challenge of reducing the levels of transgression and its associated costs. Originality/value: The present work provides complementary evidence that supports the utility of a recently proposed model, as a tool for normative diagnosis in the organizational field

Sympathy and Tenderness as Components of Dispositional Empathic Concern: Predicting Helping and Caring Behaviors

Recently, empathic concern was separated into the components of sympathy and tenderness (Lishner, Batson, & Huss, 2011). So far, these two emotional experiences have been assessed as episodic emotional responses, as the existent dispositional measures remain blind to such distinction. The aim of the present research is to develop and validate a dispositional measure that captures the personal disposition to feel sympathy, tenderness, and personal distress. This new scale is called Sympathy, Tenderness and Distress Dispositional Scale (SyTeD). In Study 1, we developed and tested the internal consistency and factor structure of the English version of the scale in the United States. In Study 2, we translated the scale into Spanish and tested its content and criterion validity in Spain. In Study 3, we tested the predictive validity of the sympathy-tenderness distinction within a helping vs. a care-based scenario in the United Kingdom (SyTeD-English version). In Study 4, we tested the predictive validity of the sympathy-tenderness distinction in a real helping situation in Spain (SyTeD-Spanish version). The results across these four studies suggest that the SyTeD is a useful measure of dispositional sympathy and tenderness that allows studying further different types of prosocial behavior (i.e., help vs. care)

Revisiting the difference between instrumental and terminal values to predict (stimulating) prosocial behaviours: The transcendental-change profile

Past research suggests that the connection between values and people's behaviour may not be as straightforward and robust as has been claimed. We propose that a more holistic and discriminative view that acknowledges the influence of a specific combination of values on specific kinds of behaviour is needed. In the current project, we test two hypotheses regarding the transcendental-change profile (TCP). First, that TCP is characterized by a combination of the readiness to engage in those challenges (instrumental) that can make the world a better place (terminal). Second, the centrality of the TCP facilitates performance of those prosocial actions that are perceived as stimulating and global. The results of five studies support the reliability and validity of this conceptualization of TCP (Studies 1 and 2), and show that when the prosocial initiative is perceived as either global (Study 3) or stimulating (Studies 4 and 5), the TCP is the strongest predictor of the willingness and commitment to engage in such prosocial action.Fil: Oceja, Luis. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; EspañaFil: Stocks, Eric. University of Texas; Estados UnidosFil: Heerdink, Marc. University of Amsterdam; Países BajosFil: Villar, Sergio. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; EspañaFil: Salgado, Sergio. Universidad de La Frontera; ChileFil: Carrera, Pilar. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; EspañaFil: Arribas, María. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; EspañaFil: Bargsted, Mariana. Universidad Adolfo Ibañez; ChileFil: Beramendi, Maite Regina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Psicología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Caballero, Amparo. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; EspañaFil: Espinosa, Agustín. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Perú; PerúFil: Escanés, Gabriel Adrián. Universidad Empresarial Siglo XXI; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lima, Luisa. Instituto Universitario de Lisboa; PortugalFil: Muñoz, Dolores. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; EspañaFil: Nájera, Pablo. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; EspañaFil: Pereira, Sabina. Instituto Universitario de Lisboa; PortugalFil: Villegas, Marisol. Universidad Central de Venezuela; VenezuelaFil: Zubieta, Elena Mercedes. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Psicología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin