The virus of distrust: How one victim-sensitive group member can affect the entire group's outcomes

Victim sensitivity (VS) is a personality trait conceptualized as the expectation of being exploited by others. Previous research has shown that one highly victim-sensitive group member can negatively impact the entire group's outcomes. In the present research, we investigate boundary conditions and mechanisms underlying this effect. Study 1 (N = 134 individuals, 40 groups) shows that the VS score of the most victim-sensitive group member negatively predicts a group's performance, particularly when the group's collective conscientiousness is high. Study 2 (N = 135 individuals, 45 groups) shows that groups that include one (compared to no) victim-sensitive group member perform worse, especially when the task is perceived as requiring mutual trust. Study 3 (N = 234) confirms that expressing VS explicitly reduces cooperation within the group. These findings suggest that the virus of distrust can spread quickly and may have detrimental consequences on group performance and intragroup cooperation

Victim sensitivity in groups

Victim sensitivity (VS)—a personality trait reflecting the anxious expectation of being exploited—reliably predicts egoistic behavior in interpersonal situations. Here, we look at intragroup situations and investigate whether even one highly victim-sensitive individual can have a detrimental effect of solidarity and cooperativeness on the entire group. Two studies—one field study with community residents from Philippine villages who played a solidarity game (N urn:x-wiley:24750387:media:jts576:jts576-math-0001 800 individuals, 30 villages) and one lab study with participants in a small-group setting (N = 144 individuals, 48 groups) who played a public goods game—show that the highest VS score in a group negatively predicts solidarity and cooperation in the group, especially when external stressors (e.g., a natural disaster and a climate of distrust) are present and group-level resilience factors (e.g., in-group identification and task enjoyment) are absent. These results are relevant for research on the intragroup processes both from a basic as well as from an applied perspective

Taking Back Control: Findings on the Cognitive, Behavioral, and Motivational Consequences of Victim Sensitivity

Being duped is an aversive experience which people are motivated to avoid. For this reason, especially people with a high fear of exploitation (i.e., people high in victim sensitivity; VS) often behave pre-emptively selfish and defensive in socially uncertain situations. Because the cognitive and motivational processes underlying such defensiveness have received little attention so far, we conducted two studies aiming to close this research gap. In Study 1 (n = 84), we used virtual reality technology to examine whether social distancing, hostile interpretations of an interaction partner’s intentions and behavior, and legitimizing cognitions regarding own selfish reactions (as elements of a suspicious mindset) mediate the effect of VS on uncooperativeness. Results did not show the expected mediation, but VS was still related to hostile information processing and fear of exploitation. In Study 2 (n = 273), we extended these findings by showing that defensive reactions of people high in VS can be attenuated if a sense of control is reinforced. Together, the two studies crucially expand our knowledge of the defensive motivational system in victim-sensitive individuals

Victim sensitivity in groups: When is one a detriment to all?

Gollwitzer, M., Magraw-Mickelson, Z., Vollan, B., & Süssenbach, P. (2021). Victim sensitivity in groups: When is one a detriment to all? Journal of Theoretical Social Psychology, 5, 3-13. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts5.7

Why Similarity Predicts Attraction: Contrasting Models

在多達幾十億人口的世界當中，究竟我們是如何挑選出朋友的? 一般人認為相似性是引導友誼的關鍵，許多研究也發現的確是如此。本篇論文近一步探討為何相似性會有此效果。目前有許多理論可用來說明為何相似性會引發吸引力；有些理論從認知面來說明，亦即人們對於那些與自己相似的特性會產生正面評價；而其他理論則從情感面來說明，即人們對於類似的特性會有正面的情感反應。然而，在跨文化的友誼情境中，不確定性減低理論(Berger & Calabrese, 1975) 卻認為人們會比較喜歡那些吻合互動常規的外國友人，而不是那些與自己相似的外國友人。本論文在美國和台灣均採用實驗法來檢驗相似性吸引論與不確定性減低理論孰較能解釋跨文化友誼的心理機制。受試者被要求評估實驗中陌生人的種族背景以及評估陌生人的溝通模式與受試者自己是否相似。依據相似性吸引理論，由於人們對自己會有較佳的評價，因此那些與自己享有相似種族背景或溝通模式的陌生人較讓人喜歡。是故，相似性感受會中介真實相似性與吸引力感受之間的關係。相反地，依據不確定性減低理論的看法，相較於在陌生人的溝通模式不吻合其種族刻版印象之情境 (即帶給受試者高不確定感) ，在陌生人的溝通模式吻合其種族刻版印象的情境下 (即帶給受試者低不確定感)，則後面情境中的陌生人會較具有吸引力。因此，不確定性感受會中介刻版印象一致性與吸引力感受的關係。本實驗結果支持相似性吸引論的假設。當受試者與實驗中的目標人物 (國際學子)都屬於採用逃避型溝通模式者時，受試者會覺得目標人物較具吸引力。真實相似性對於吸引力感受的作用會完全被相似性感受所中介。本研究將探討在多元文化互動之中能引發吸引力產生之因素所蘊藏的實務意涵。With billions of people in the world, what determines who we select as friends? Similarity leading to friendship is not only a commonly held lay belief but also a phenomenon found in decades of research. This thesis further investigates why this is true. Many theories have been proposed to account for similarity attraction; some offer primarily cognitive explanations, that we evaluate others with similar traits positively, while others offer affective explanations, that we would have positive emotional reactions to common attributes. However, in cross-cultural friendship, uncertainty reduction theory (Berger & Calabrese, 1975) predicts that we prefer those who provide us with clear interaction norms over those who are similar to us. In this thesis, experimental studies were conducted in the U.S. and in Taiwan to test similarity attraction and uncertainty reduction explanations for cross-cultural friendship. Participants were asked to evaluate strangers whose racial background and communication style are similar to or different from them. According to similarity attraction explanations, strangers who share a similar racial background or a similar communication style are expected to produce greater liking due to the favorable evaluations of ourselves. Furthermore, feelings of similarity should mediate the relationship between actual similarity and perceived attraction. Conversely, according to uncertainty explanations, a stranger who has a communication style consistent with racial stereotypes (i.e., low uncertainty) is considered more attractive than a stranger whose communication style is inconsistent with racial stereotypes (i.e., high uncertainty). Accordingly, perceived uncertainty should mediate the relationship between stereotypical consistency and perceived attraction. Supporting evidence was found for the similarity attraction hypothesis. When participants and the target international students shared avoidant communication style, they found the target students to be more attractive. The effect of actual similarity on perceived attraction was completely mediated by perceived similarity. The implications of factors leading to attraction in multi-cultural interactions were further discussed

Survey Mode and Data Quality: Careless Responding Across Three Modes in Cross-Cultural Contexts

Much psychological research depends on participants’ diligence in filling out materials such as tests or surveys. However, not all participants are motivated to respond attentively, which leads to unintended issues with the quality of the data. Our question is: how do different modes of data collection - paper/pencil, computer/web-based, and smartphone - affect participants’ diligence vs. “careless responding” tendencies and, thus, the data quality? Results from prior studies suggest that different modes of data collection produce a comparable prevalence of careless responding tendencies. However, as technology develops and data are collected with increasingly diverse populations, this question needs to be readdressed and taken further by looking at different cultural contexts. The present research examined the effect of survey mode on careless responding across three waves in a repeated-measures design. Following recommendations in the literature, we computed a careless responding index as a composite of eight indicators that capture aspects of a participant’s inattentiveness. First, in a sample of working adults from China, we found that participants were significantly more careless when completing computer/web-based survey materials than in paper/pencil mode. Next, in a sample of German students, participants were significantly more careless when completing the paper/pencil mode compared to the smartphone mode. Finally, in a sample of Chinese-speaking students, we found no difference between the modes. Theoretical and practical implication were also discussed

Taking back control: Findings on the cognitive, behavioral, and motivational consequences of victim sensitivity

This project refers to the following paper: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11211-023-00407-9.pd