Individuality and the prejudiced personality

Many researchers maintain that individual psychological processes related to our human evolutionary inheritance, a person's particular genetic make-up, and/or childhood learning and socialisation patterns are a root cause of prejudice. The effects of collective processes on the individual are considered to be largely in the past, producing individual personalities and social attitudes that are relatively fixed and enduring. There is, however, an alternative perspective on the impact of the collective embodied in self-categorization theory (SCT). From the SCT perspective, the self is both personal and collective, and shifts in the nature of self-categorisation produce qualitative shifts in judgements of oneself and others. Through one's identity as a group member, contemporary social forces can shape the psychology of the person. This analysis not only has direct implications for how we understand the relationship between personality and prejudice, but also offers an alternative way of thinking about personality itself. What emerges from our own and related research on prejudice is a more complex analysis of individuality, one that is ineluctably embedded in contemporary intragroup and intergroup identities and the societal and ideological realities that define group life as well as in past learning and maturation.     

Reducing prejudice via direct and extended cross-group friendship

One of the most exciting developments in intergroup contact theory is the idea that a certain type of contact, cross-group friendship, might be particularly effective at reducing prejudice. In this chapter we review research on two types of cross-group friendship. Direct cross-group friendship refers to friendships that develop between members of different groups. Extended cross-group friendship, on the other hand, refers to vicarious experience of cross-group friendship, the mere knowledge that other ingroup members have cross-group friends. We consider the relationship between both types of cross-group friendship and prejudice and the processes that mediate and moderate these relationships. The research highlights the respective strengths and weaknesses of direct and extended cross-group friendship and illustrates how they might be practically combined in efforts to improve intergroup relations.     

Academic attitudes and their antecedents

In today's competitive workplace, individuals who are best prepared will have the greatest chance of obtaining and retaining jobs. Students can better prepare by developing the maximum possible knowledge and skills during their college educations. Research has shown that attitudes and perceptual variables have significant effects on development activity in organizations. We extend that research by using structural equations modeling to examine influences on attitudes toward one's college education. We posited that Big Five personality factors influence personal growth, readiness to change, and the perceived instrumentality of a university education and that these factors influence attitudes toward education. Results supported the posited model. A better understanding of antecedents of attitudes can enhance educational intervention effectiveness.     

The power of print: Children’s trust in unexpected printed suggestions

How do children evaluate the veracity of printed text? We examined children’s handling of unexpected suggestions conveyed via print versus orally. In Experiment 1 (N = 131), 3- to 6-year-olds witnessed a speaker either read aloud an unexpected but not completely implausible printed label (e.g., fish for a bird-like animal with some fish features) or speak the label without accompanying text. Pre-readers accepted labels in both conditions. Early readers often rejected spoken labels yet accepted them in the print condition, and in Experiment 2 (N = 55) 3- to 6-year-olds continued to apply them even after the print was obscured. Early readers accept printed testimony that they reject if only spoken, and the influence of text endures even when it is no longer visible.     

Clinicians’ Attitudes Toward Therapeutic Alliance in E-Therapy

Although therapeutic alliance is a crucial factor in face-to-face therapies, no data exist on clinicians’ attitudes towards alliance in E-therapy. The study explored clinicians’ perceived importance of alliance in E-therapy, clinicians’ confidence in their skills to develop alliance in E-therapy, and whether attitudes towards alliance in E-therapy are associated with intended E-therapy practice. Clinicians (n = 106) responded to an online survey. The majority of clinicians considered alliance to be extremely important in both face-to-face therapy and E-therapy. However, clinicians’ ratings of the importance of alliance in face-to-face therapies were significantly higher than their ratings of the importance of alliance in E-therapy. Clinicians reported less confidence in their skills to develop alliance in E-therapy than in face-to-face therapy. Intended E-therapy practice correlated with confidence in one's ability to develop alliance in E-therapy and with previous E-therapy practice.     

Trust Development: Testing a New Model in Undergraduate Roommate Relationships

Interpersonal trust is a vital component of social relationships. In this study the roles of parental attachment, perceived similarity of trustee to self, and social exchange processes in trust development were investigated longitudinally with randomly assigned, same-sex undergraduate roommates during emerging adulthood. A total of 214 first-year students completed weekly self-report measures during the first 5 weeks of the fall semester. Perceived similarity measured the second week and social exchange with roommates across the 5 weeks predicted participants’ trust in their roommate, with social exchange mediating the relation between perceived similarity and trust. Results highlight interrelations of social exchange and trust in established relationships.