Three Decades of Research on Induced Hypocrisy: A Meta-Analysis

International audienceInduced hypocrisy is a sequential, two-step, cognitive dissonance procedure that prompts individuals to adopt a proattitudinal behavior. The present meta-analysis of 29 published and nine unpublished induced-hypocrisy studies enabled us to test three key dissonance-related issues. First, is hypocrisy effective in promoting change in behavioral intention and behavior? Our analyses supported the idea that hypocrisy (vs. control) increased both behavioral intention and behavior. Second, does hypocrisy generate psychological discomfort? Results pertaining to this issue were inconclusive due to the small number of studies measuring psychological discomfort. Third, are both steps necessary to generate change? Effect sizes conform to the idea that the transgressions-only condition can increase both behavior and intention. Our meta-analysis raises a number of theoretical issues concerning the psychological processes underlying induced hypocrisy and highlights implications for practitioners

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study

: High throughput screening (HTS) is routinely used to identify bioactive small molecules. This requires physical compounds, which limits coverage of accessible chemical space. Computational approaches combined with vast on-demand chemical libraries can access far greater chemical space, provided that the predictive accuracy is sufficient to identify useful molecules. Through the largest and most diverse virtual HTS campaign reported to date, comprising 318 individual projects, we demonstrate that our AtomNet® convolutional neural network successfully finds novel hits across every major therapeutic area and protein class. We address historical limitations of computational screening by demonstrating success for target proteins without known binders, high-quality X-ray crystal structures, or manual cherry-picking of compounds. We show that the molecules selected by the AtomNet® model are novel drug-like scaffolds rather than minor modifications to known bioactive compounds. Our empirical results suggest that computational methods can substantially replace HTS as the first step of small-molecule drug discovery

Why? How? Prosocial behavior nature in the induced hypocrisy : a food waste case study

L’objectif de cette thèse est de concevoir une démarche d’intervention pour promouvoir la réduction du gaspillage alimentaire reposant sur l’hypocrisie induite semble. Cette procédure d’induction de dissonance articule une phase de saillance normative et une phase de rappel des transgressions. Si l’hypocrisie induite est interprétée à la lumière de la théorie de la consistance de Soi, nous reprenons à notre compte les propos de Vallacher (1992), selon lesquelles la nature de l’action, c’est-à-dire les significations qu’un individu attribue à ces comportements, est susceptible d’influencer le processus de dissonance. La théorie des niveaux de construit, incluant l’identification de l’action, a été mobilisée pour appréhender les significations accordées à des conduites pro-sociales. Plus précisément, nous avons examiné l’influence des niveaux de construit, sur les comportements de soumission obtenus, selon que la phase de saillance normative sera suivie ou non d’un rappel des transgressions. Dans une première expérience, nous avons testé l’applicabilité de l’hypocrisie induite pour promouvoir la réduction du gaspillage alimentaire. Les deux expériences suivantes examinent l’influence des niveaux de construits dans l’hypocrisie induite. Enfin, une recherche-action reposant sur des interventions de type face-à-face auprès des ménages a été mise en œuvre et integre des mesures comportementales effectives. Nos résultats suggèrent que l’hypocrisie induite est à même de promouvoir des changements de comportements effectifs de réduction du gaspillage, mais que ces changements dépendent des significations accordées à cette conduite pro-socialeOur research aims at conceiving an intervention process to promote food waste reduction in households. Considering the characteristics of food waste, induced hypocrisy appeared adapted to lead to behavioural changes. This sequential procedure of dissonance induction articulates two steps: preaching publicly a socially desirable behaviour (normative salience) and remembering one’s counter-normative behaviours (mindfulness). Though induced hyprocrisy is interpreted in the light of self-consistency theory, we make ours Vallacher’s propositions (1992), according to which the nature of the action, that is the meanings attributed to these behaviours by an individual, is likely to influence arousal and dissonance reduction. This research relies on construal level theory, including action identification, to understand the meanings given to pro-social behaviours. More specifically, we tested the influence of construal levels, manipulated during the stage of normative salience, on the compliance behaviours thus obtained, whether the normative salience stage be or not followed by mindfulness. In a first study, we applied induced hypocrisy to a previously unstudied behavioural area: the encouragement of food waste reduction. The next two experiments, conducted in a laboratory, examined the influence of construal levels in induced hypocrisy. Relying on these studies, we conducted a field experiment, which used effective behavioural measures, based on face-to-face interventions in the households. Our results suggest that induced hypocrisy may encourage individuals to actually reduce food waste, but that these changes depend on the meanings they grant to this pro-social behaviou

Pourquoi ? Comment faire ? De la nature du comportement prosocial dans l’hypocrisie induite : le cas du gaspillage alimentaire

Our research aims at conceiving an intervention process to promote food waste reduction in households. Considering the characteristics of food waste, induced hypocrisy appeared adapted to lead to behavioural changes. This sequential procedure of dissonance induction articulates two steps: preaching publicly a socially desirable behaviour (normative salience) and remembering one’s counter-normative behaviours (mindfulness). Though induced hyprocrisy is interpreted in the light of self-consistency theory, we make ours Vallacher’s propositions (1992), according to which the nature of the action, that is the meanings attributed to these behaviours by an individual, is likely to influence arousal and dissonance reduction. This research relies on construal level theory, including action identification, to understand the meanings given to pro-social behaviours. More specifically, we tested the influence of construal levels, manipulated during the stage of normative salience, on the compliance behaviours thus obtained, whether the normative salience stage be or not followed by mindfulness. In a first study, we applied induced hypocrisy to a previously unstudied behavioural area: the encouragement of food waste reduction. The next two experiments, conducted in a laboratory, examined the influence of construal levels in induced hypocrisy. Relying on these studies, we conducted a field experiment, which used effective behavioural measures, based on face-to-face interventions in the households. Our results suggest that induced hypocrisy may encourage individuals to actually reduce food waste, but that these changes depend on the meanings they grant to this pro-social behaviourL’objectif de cette thèse est de concevoir une démarche d’intervention pour promouvoir la réduction du gaspillage alimentaire reposant sur l’hypocrisie induite semble. Cette procédure d’induction de dissonance articule une phase de saillance normative et une phase de rappel des transgressions. Si l’hypocrisie induite est interprétée à la lumière de la théorie de la consistance de Soi, nous reprenons à notre compte les propos de Vallacher (1992), selon lesquelles la nature de l’action, c’est-à-dire les significations qu’un individu attribue à ces comportements, est susceptible d’influencer le processus de dissonance. La théorie des niveaux de construit, incluant l’identification de l’action, a été mobilisée pour appréhender les significations accordées à des conduites pro-sociales. Plus précisément, nous avons examiné l’influence des niveaux de construit, sur les comportements de soumission obtenus, selon que la phase de saillance normative sera suivie ou non d’un rappel des transgressions. Dans une première expérience, nous avons testé l’applicabilité de l’hypocrisie induite pour promouvoir la réduction du gaspillage alimentaire. Les deux expériences suivantes examinent l’influence des niveaux de construits dans l’hypocrisie induite. Enfin, une recherche-action reposant sur des interventions de type face-à-face auprès des ménages a été mise en œuvre et integre des mesures comportementales effectives. Nos résultats suggèrent que l’hypocrisie induite est à même de promouvoir des changements de comportements effectifs de réduction du gaspillage, mais que ces changements dépendent des significations accordées à cette conduite pro-social

Self-Consciousness or Misattribution Effect in the Induced Hypocrisy Paradigm? Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…

International audienceIn a forced compliance situation, Scheier and Carver have shown that making high private self-consciousness salient through exposure to a mirror inhibits the arousal of dissonance and the subsequent attitude change. Based on these results, the aim of our study is to examine an alternate theoretical interpretation of the absence of attitude change. From our point of view, the mirror could have the status of a misattribution cue, thus maintaining the arousal. To test this hypothesis within the induced hypocrisy paradigm, participants first completed the private self-consciousness scale. Then they took part in one of the following conditions: (1) no mirror/no hypocrisy, (2) no mirror/hypocrisy, and (3) mirror/hypocrisy. Behavioral change and psychological discomfort were measured. Results indicated that participants in the mirror/hypocrisy condition were the most inclined to change and reported the greatest psychological discomfort. These results revealed that participants experienced dissonance when exposed to the mirror and support the hypothesis of misattribution

Psychosocial Dimensions of Recycling in Small Island: Psycho-Environmental Diagnostic and Evidence-Based Intervention in Martinique

International audienceRecycling is socially responsible behavior. Moreover, it is also a complex behavior. It benefits society in the long term but involves a personal cost and does not benefit the individual directly. In the specific context of small island, we conducted a two-step research action to promote recycling among households located in the north of Martinique, a west indies French island. Based on the psychosocial engineering model, the first step was to identify the determinants of recycling in this specific island context. In a psycho-environmental diagnostic, we included variables already identified to predict waste sorting, such as the TPB variables, as well as other context-specific variables, such as group identification, environmental identity, place identity, sense of community, perceived efficacy of one’s action, as predictors of the intention to recycle. Based on psychological distance and its temporal dimension, we also distinguished between the intention to recycle today (proximal intention) and the intention to recycle in 1 month (distal intention). The results show that the predictors of recycling differ according to the temporal distance. The proximal intention was predicted by personal variables whereas distal intention was predicted by social variables. The second step was to design and to implement an evidence-based intervention to increase the quality of recycling. At Time 1, the garbage cans of 193 households were collected and characterized. At Time 2, the households were visited at home by an officer, who used one of the four communication scripts built on the basis of the results of the psycho-environmental diagnostic. At Time 3, the garbage cans were collected and characterized again. We observe an improvement in sorting in the condition where the TBP dimensions are activated: attitude, social norm, and controllability. Our results highlight the importance of taking into account the temporality of change, especially when the behavior to be changed is complex. They also show an interest in relying on a psycho-environmental diagnosis, taking into account the context of insertion of the target behavior

Do I Know What I'm Doing? Cognitive Dissonance and Action Identification Theory

International audienceOur main purpose was to explore hypotheses derived from the Identification of Action Theory in a particular situation that is, a dissonant situation. Thus, we varied the identification (low versus high-level) of a problematic behavior (to stop speaking for 24 hours) in the forced compliance paradigm. Two modes of dissonance reduction were presented: cognitive rationalization (classical attitude-change) and behavioral rationalization (target behavior: to stop speaking for 48 hours). As predicted, the results showed that high-level identity of action leads to cognitive rationalization whereas low-level identity leads to behavioural rationalization. Thus, participants identifying the problematic behavior at a low-level were more inclined to accept the target behavior, compared with participants identifying their problematic behavior at a higher-level. These results are of particular interest for understanding the extent to which the understanding of the discrepant act interferes with the cognitive processes of dissonance reduction

Improving quality of recycling: Action research in Martinique, a French Carribean island

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Expressive Dissonance: When Emotional Inconsistency Arouses Dissonance

International audienceThe aim of the two studies was to explore a new dissonance paradigm–expressive dissonance–based on the inconsistency between what people feel and what people express behaviorally. Expressive dissonance was aroused by asking participants to watch a film with a high emotional content, either positive (joy) or negative (sadness). In the no-dissonance condition, they received the instruction to naturally watch the film. In the expressive dissonance condition, they received the instruction to facially express emotions that were the opposite of what they felt. We expected that the expressive dissonance situation would: 1) require cognitive resources leading to a decrease in cognitive performance (studies 1 and 2); 2) be accompanied by emotional regulation strategies (study 1); 3) be accompanied by an increase in dissonance-related affects (study 2). Although our results (studies 1 and 2) corroborated those obtained previously in terms of performance, they also showed that participants in the expressive dissonance situation use emotional regulation strategies: exaggeration and suppression (study 1), and that they felt self-directed negative affects (study 2), just like the participants in a cognitive dissonance situation. These first results allowed us to establish a theoretical bridge between the theories of emotions–particularly those related to the emotional regulation processes–and to widen the scope of relevance of the dissonance theory