Intolerance of uncertainty and novelty facilitated extinction: The impact of reinforcement schedule

Individuals who score high in intolerance of uncertainty (IU) display reduced threat extinction. Recently, it was shown that replacing threat associations with novel associations during extinction learning (i.e., presenting a novel tone 100% of the time) can promote threat extinction retention in individuals with high IU. This novelty facilitated extinction (NFE) effect could be driven by the tone's novelty or reliability. Here, we sought to address this question by adjusting the reliability of the novel tone (i.e., the reinforcement rate) during NFE. We measured skin conductance response during an associative learning task in which participants (n = 92) were assigned to one of three experimental groups: standard extinction, NFE 100% reinforcement, or NFE 50% reinforcement. For standard extinction, compared to NFE 100% and 50% reinforcement groups, we observed a trend for greater recovery of the conditioned response during extinction retention. Individuals with high IU relative to low IU in the standard extinction group demonstrated a larger recovery of the conditioned response during extinction retention. These findings tentatively suggest that NFE effects are driven by the novelty rather than the reliability of the new stimulus. The implications of these findings for translational and clinical research in anxiety disorder pathology are discussed.     

“美男诱惑”真的奏效吗:男性代言女性产品对女性消费者产品评价的影响

男性代言女性产品的广告策略真的奏效吗?本文旨在探讨女性产品代言人性别与女性消费者对该产品评价之间的关系。4个实验的结果显示,与女性代言女性产品相比,男性代言时女性消费者对该产品的评价会显著降低。该影响是通过身份威胁感的中介实现的。此外,身份肯定对该效应存在调节作用。具体来讲,当被试受到女性身份肯定操控时,主效应会加强。本文实证研究了男性代言女性产品可能带来的负面效应,基于性别认同一致性理论拓展了产品性别属性的下游结果。     

“美男诱惑”真的奏效吗：男性代言女性产品对女性消费者产品评价的影响

男性代言女性产品的广告策略真的奏效吗?本文旨在探讨女性产品代言人性别与女性消费者对该产品评价之间的关系。4个实验的结果显示, 与女性代言女性产品相比, 男性代言时女性消费者对该产品的评价会显著降低。该影响是通过身份威胁感的中介实现的。此外, 身份肯定对该效应存在调节作用。具体来讲, 当被试受到女性身份肯定操控时, 主效应会加强。本文实证研究了男性代言女性产品可能带来的负面效应, 基于性别认同一致性理论拓展了产品性别属性的下游结果。     

元刻板印象的效价与效应相回馈吗?

元刻板印象的效价有积极和消极之分, 其效应也存在积极和消极之别。然而, 目前关于元刻板印象效价与效应的关系还存在争议。元刻板印象的威胁效应和促进效应遵从回馈原则, 而阻抗效应和窒息效应不遵从回馈原则。不同效应产生的条件包括元刻板印象检索难度、元刻板印象个体化程度、个体内部资源、印象管理动机以及群体社会地位等。未来研究可在不同元刻板印象效应的适用范围及边界条件, 干预方法, 激活方式的比较等方面进行拓展。     

Leadership laissez-faire,menace identitaire et engagement organisationnel

Research on the impact of supervisors’ laissez-faire leadership, a frequent form of passive leadership, is still in its infancy. In the present study, we explore the possibility that laissez-faire leadership by supervisors engenders a feeling of threat among employees regarding their organizational identity. In other words, the lack of attention given to employees by supervisors would create the feeling among employees that their identity as members of the organization is devalued. This perceived identity threat would result in reduced affective, normative, and continuance commitment. We examined these hypotheses in a study using three measurement times, with a time interval of three months. Based on a final sample of 300 participants and latent variable structural equation modeling analyses, the results indicate that supervisors’ laissez-faire leadership engenders a perceived identity threat among employees, which then contributes to reduce affective, normative, and continuance commitment. Finally, laissez-faire leadership was also directly and negatively related to continuance commitment. We discuss how these findings contribute to enhance our understanding of the effects of laissez-faire practices by supervisors.     

Not in My Backyard! Authoritarianism,Social Dominance Orientation,and Support for Strict Immigration Policies at Home and Abroad

Many controversial immigration policies have recently emerged across the United States and abroad. We explore the role of national context in shaping support for such policies. Specifically, we examine whether the extent to which ideological attitudes—Right‐Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO)—predict policy support is moderated by the national context of the policy. Across three studies, United States citizens read about a controversial immigration policy affecting either their own country (United States) or a foreign country (Israel or Singapore) and indicated their support for the policy. Results reveal that SDO predicts policy support, regardless of its national context; this effect is mediated by perceived competition. Conversely, RWA predicts policy support only if the policy affects domestic immigration; this effect is mediated by perceptions of cultural threat. Consistent with prior research, the present findings highlight the role of perceived cultural threat to one's ingroup and perceived competition in shaping attitudes toward immigration and shed light on some of the motivations underlying the recent rise in popularity of strict immigration policies.     

When love is not blind: Rumination impairs implicit affect regulation in response to romantic relationship threat

The present research examined how rumination influences implicit affect regulation in response to romantic relationship threat. In three studies, the disposition to ruminate impaired the ability to maintain positive feelings about the romantic partner in the face of explicit or implicit reminders of relationship threatening events. In Study 1, a high disposition to ruminate was correlated with impaired down-regulation of negative feelings toward the partner in response to a hurtful relationship incident. Two follow-up studies manipulated relationship threat explicitly through an experiential recall procedure (Study 2) or implicitly through a subliminal evaluative-conditioning procedure (Study 3). In both studies only individuals with low disposition to ruminate were able to ward off negative feelings and maintain positive feelings toward the partner. These findings illuminate the role of implicit affect regulation in the context of relationship threat—and how it is inextricably connected with the processes underlying rumination.     

When threat to society becomes a threat to oneself: Implications for right‐wing attitudes and ethnic prejudice

The relationships between threat on one hand and right‐wing attitudes and ethnic prejudice on the other were investigated in a heterogeneous sample (N = 588). Specifically, we considered the perception of economic and terroristic threats in terms of their consequences at the societal and personal levels. Previous studies revealed that societal consequences of threat, rather than personal consequences, are related to right‐wing attitudes. However, the present results challenge these findings. More specifically, three important results emerged. First, items probing the distinct threat levels loaded on separate dimensions for economic and terroristic threat, validating the distinction between societal and personal threat consequences. Second, consistent with previous research, this study revealed that perceived societal consequences of threat yield strong and robust relationships with all target variables. However, personal consequences of threat were also associated with higher levels of right‐wing authoritarianism (RWA), social dominance orientation (SDO), and ethnic prejudice in particular. Third, societal and personal consequences of threat interacted in explaining the target variables. More specifically, feeling personally threatened by terrorism was only related to higher levels of RWA in the presence of low levels of threat to society, whereas experiencing personal economic threat was only related to higher levels of SDO and ethnic prejudice when high societal economic threat was experienced. In sum, although the perception of societal consequences of threat plays a prominent role in explaining right‐wing attitudes and ethnic prejudice, the perception of being personally affected by threat is also associated with higher levels of RWA and SDO, and especially ethnic prejudice.     

Understanding responses to predictive genetic testing: A grounded theory approach

Abstract

In view of the absence of data concerning the understanding and experience of families in which one or more members have undergone predictive genetic testing, a pilot study using a qualitative methodology was conducted with members of families at risk for the late-onset genetic disease, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Semistructured interviews were conducted to elicit illness representations, with responses tape-recorded and analysed using a grounded theory approach. Several themes emerged. The most striking was that when genetic testing indicated an extremely low risk of developing the disease, there was a desire to continue regular bowel screening, even though it was experienced as extremely aversive. Possible explanations draw upon both other themes of the interviews, and psychological models. The role of “functional pessimism” and “uncertain wellness” in maintaining a high threat from the disease, and the role of reinforcement and the nature of tests in providing bowel screening with a high value are discussed.