Individualism and the extended-self: cross-cultural differences in the valuation of authentic objects

The current studies examine how valuation of authentic items varies as a function of culture. We find that U.S. respondents value authentic items associated with individual persons (a sweater or an artwork) more than Indian respondents, but that both cultures value authentic objects not associated with persons (a dinosaur bone or a moon rock) equally. These differences cannot be attributed to more general cultural differences in the value assigned to authenticity. Rather, the results support the hypothesis that individualistic cultures place a greater value on objects associated with unique persons and in so doing, offer the first evidence for how valuation of certain authentic items may vary cross-culturally

Talking to the dead in the classroom. How a supposedly psychic event impacts beliefs and feelings

Paranormal beliefs (PBs) are common in adults. There are numerous psychological correlates of PBs and associated theories, yet, we do not know whether such correlates reinforce or result from PBs. To understand causality, we developed an experimental design in which participants experience supposedly paranormal events. Thus, we can test an event’s impact on PBs and PB-associated correlates (Mohr, Lesaffre, & Kuhn, 2018). Here, 419 naïve students saw a performer making contact with a confederate’s deceased kin. We tested participants’ opinions and feelings about this performance, and whether these predicted how participants explain the performance. We assessed participants’ PBs and repetition avoidance (PB related cognitive correlate) before and after the performance. Afterwards, participants rated explanations of the event and described their opinions and feelings (open-ended question). Overall, 65% of participants reported having witnessed a genuine paranormal event. The open-ended question revealed distinct opinion and affect groups, with reactions commonly characterized by doubt and mixed feelings. Importantly, paranormal explanations were more likely when participants reported their feelings than when not reported. Beyond these results, we replicated that 1) higher pre-existing PBs were associated with more psychic explanations (confirmation bias), and 2) PBs and repetition avoidance did not change from before to after the performance. Yet, PBs reminiscent of the actual performance (spiritualism) increased

The formation of independent behaviour in preschoolers : an experimental analysis of conformity and independence.

This research tested the motivational structure of conformity and independent behaviour in children aged from 3 to 7 years of age. The experimental group consisted of the child, an adult confederate, and the experimenter. The child and the partner sat facing each other at a table, with the experimenter to one side. The child and his or her partner were asked to fulfil a certain programme that was known to them, but the confederate partner alternated correct actions with incorrect actions in random order. Variations of the experimental conditions ("screening" vs. "no-screening") of the partner indicated that imitation of the adult's incorrect actions by the child (conformity) was caused by the child's belief in the infallibility of the adult rather than by fear of the adult's disapproval (Experiment 1). Children who did not imitate the adult's incorrect actions (independence) in the presence of the experimenter, continued to behave in the same manner even after the experimenter had been isolated behind a cardboard screen (Experiment 2). Therefore, the child's independent behaviour in this situation is not a "reversed imitation" of the experimenter's signals, but rather is based on the child's self-esteem. Finally, independent behaviour could be substantially increased if during lessons in a preschool class one adult occupied a position of "child" while another behaved in traditional teacher-like ways (Experiment 3). Moreover, the independent behaviour the children exhibited toward the first adult was transferred to the second. The study showed that independent behaviour in preschool children can be enhanced in a classroom if children's traditional submissive position in their interaction with adults is replaced by a position of equal partners