Brexit or Bremain? A person and social analysis of voting decisions in the EU referendum

The period following UK's European Union referendum in 2016 foreshadows significant social and political change in the UK. The current research draws on social psychological theories to empirically examine the drivers of voting decisions during the referendum. We report the results of a prospective study using structural equation modelling with data (N = 244) collected just before, and self‐reported voting behaviour immediately following (N = 197), the European Union referendum. We employ a person and social approach to examine the additive roles of worldview, conservatism, social identity, and intergroup threat as predictors of voting intentions and behaviour. Results showed that person factors (worldview and conservatism) predicted voting intentions through social factors (European identity and realistic threat) and that intentions predicted behaviour. The results highlight the importance of addressing threat‐based intergroup rhetoric and the potential of common in‐group identity to mitigate psychological threat.     

The role of self-compassion during difficult economic times

Background and objectives: The negative effects of the financial crisis of 2007/2008 are still being felt today as seen in the relatively high levels of youth unemployment in many countries. As a result, many young people experience high stress levels when facing an uncertain and precarious job market.

Methods: Participants were 178 undergraduate students (79% female; M_age?=?20.00, SD?=?4.29) who were randomly assigned to read a news article that documented an uncertain financial future with limited job opportunities (the economic stress group), or an article that documented a tour of the Royal Canadian Mint (the control group). The role of self-compassion was explored in its relation to distress.

Results: Correlational and hierarchical regression analyses indicated that, in the economic stress group, self-compassion negatively predicted anxiety above and beyond self-esteem and familial support. In the control group, however, self-compassion did not negatively predict anxiety above and beyond self-esteem and familial support. Additionally, structural equation modeling indicated that self-compassion was directly associated with lower anxiety and indirectly related to anxiety through perceptions of financial threat.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that self-compassion may be an important resource that is associated with less distress during times of economic threat.     

Supervisor ostracism and defensive silence: a differential needs approach

This study investigates the sequential mediating effects of threats to efficacy needs and defensive silence between supervisor ostracism and emotional exhaustion, explained through need-threat/need-fortification framework. We collect time-lagged data at two measurement points from 300 employees working in service sector organizations in Pakistan. We find that supervisor ostracism threatens employees’ efficacy needs which results in reduced evaluation of resources. Consequently, employees seek to fortify these endangered needs through defensive silence, a proactive and self-protective behaviour. However, defensive silence affects employees’ trust, morale, motivation and eventually elicits emotional exhaustion. Our results show that supervisor ostracism, threat to efficacy needs and defensive silence contribute towards emotional exhaustion, and we offer several corrective options. We believe that one direct path involves actions that discourage supervisor ostracism through training and role plays. Another indirect step highlights competence of firm to create a perception of high status and influence. It may even involve managers to improve employees’ perception of work control through job redesign. Finally, we propose that supervisors may anticipate motives for defensive silence and plan targeted strategies to facilitate employees’ psychological safety.     

Self-compassion and verbal performance: Evidence for threat-buffering and implicit self-related thoughts

ABSTRACT

Threats to self-esteem can impair well-being directly, e.g., via negative affect, but also indirectly, by impacting performance in valued domains. The present study examined whether self-compassion buffered individuals’ academic task performance from the effects of a self-esteem threat. In addition, this study tested possible effects of self-compassion on implicitly measured self-related thoughts. Participants (N = 333) were randomly assigned to self-esteem threat or neutral conditions, and then either a self-compassion manipulation or an expressive writing (control) condition before completing a set of GRE analogy items. Threat impaired GRE performance in the expressive writing control condition, but not in the self-compassion condition. Moreover, self-compassion appeared to marginally impact implicit non-evaluative self-thoughts, but did not affect evaluative thoughts or implicit self-esteem. The results of this study suggest that self-compassion has benefits for performance and thereby well-being. Future research should further explore the effects of self-compassion on performance and refine understanding of implicit thoughts as possible mechanisms.     

Early Childhood Teachers' Perspectives on Social-Emotional Competence and Learning in Urban Classrooms

The promotion of social-emotional competence and implementation of social-emotional learning programs have increased substantially in schools; however, little is known about teachers' perceptions of such programs. This qualitative study explored early childhood (3 to 8 years old) teachers' perceptions of classroom-based social-emotional learning programs for young, urban-dwelling children. A focus of the study included learning what teachers believe were the critical components and challenges of such programs. Five themes emerged from the content analysis: responsibility, curricula/program design, contextual relevance, support, and barriers. The findings from this study are discussed with regard to educational policy implications about social-emotional learning curricula and programs, especially those implemented in urban schools.     

Anticipation-specific reliability and trial-to-trial carryover of anticipatory attentional bias for threat

ABSTRACT

Concerns have been raised about the reliability of dot-probe tasks. The cued Visual Probe Task (cVPT) uses cues predicting locations of emotional stimuli, which appears to improve reliability. However, cVPT reliability could be affected by individual differences involving cue features. Here, we assessed specifically anticipatory reliability. Further, trial-to-trial carryover effects, previously found for stimulus-evoked biases, were tested. 82 participants were analysed, who performed an online procedure including a reversal of the cue mapping. Predicted stimulus categories were neutral and angry faces. Cue-Stimulus Intervals of 400 and 1000?ms were used. An overall anticipatory attentional bias, in terms of RT difference scores, towards threat was found. Reliability was around .4, similar to previous results despite the mapping reversal procedure. Carryover effects were found with a similar pattern as for non-cued threat-evoked bias. The results confirm a reasonably reliable outcome-focused bias towards threat, showing similar carryover effects as found for stimulus-evoked bias.     

Relationships of Functional Flexibility with Individual and Work Factors

To investigate how functional flexibility is related to demographics, personality traits, and work perceptions, 250 employees of a large Dutch passenger transport firm filled out a written questionnaire. Two dimensions of functional flexibility were discerned: willingness and ability to be flexible. Analysis of variance showed the support staff and managers were higher on willingness and ability to be flexible than workers. Hierarchic regression analysis showed that willingness to be flexible was positively related to initiative and trust in management, and was negatively related to age and task formalization. Ability to be flexible was positively related to general self-efficacy and initiative, and was negatively related to task formalization. It was concluded that willingness to be flexible depends on fair treatment and freedom provided by their organization and that ability to be flexible is part of the development of general self-efficacy.     

Stereotype Threat in Men on a Test of Social Sensitivity

This study provides evidence of stereotype threat in men on a test of a feminine ability called social sensitivity, that is, the ability to decode nonverbal cues. Men who were told that the test assessed social sensitivity and produced better scores for women than men performed worse on the test than did men who were told that the test assessed information processing. Because social sensitivity can be an automatic skill and stereotype threat uses mental capacity, this effect was moderated by self-reported strategy usage. Mens performance worsened in the threat condition only when they reported more deliberative and less intuitive strategies for decoding nonverbal cues.     

Academic Achievement of African American Preadolescents: The Influence of Teacher Perceptions

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors associated with the academic success of predominantly, middle-class African American preadolescent students. This study proposed an ecological model that considered the interaction of family environment, teacher perceptions of social skills, and student characteristics. The estimated model explained 58% of the variance in grade point average. Path analysis revealed three direct effects on grade point average, (a) grade level (negative), (b) teacher perceptions of social skills, and (c) academic ability. Findings revealed that teacher perceptions of social skills was a stronger predictor of grade point average than academic ability. Two indirect effects on grade point average were found. The first indirect effect was negative: gender predicted academic ability, which predicted teacher perceptions of social skills, which predicted grade point average. The second indirect effect was positive and it was from ability to teacher perceptions to grade point average. Implications for policy and practice are made that suggest a collaborative model of school counseling designed to promote the social and academic competence of African American students. Interventions that enhance teacher practices are also suggested.