bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Consumption Effort: The Mental Cost of Generating Utility and the Role of Consumer Energy Level in Ambitious Consumption
Authors: Gibbs Brian J. , Drolet Aimee
Published: January 2004

We propose that the essence of consumption is the mental process of generating utility from products, that this process expends consumption effort, and that consumers take consumption effort into account in their decision making. In 2 studies, we tested the hypothesis that consumption preferences become more ambitious—individuals become more inclined to choose challenging‐to‐consume products—when consumer energy levels are elevated. In Study 1, energy induced by ingesting caffeine increased participants’ tendency to choose subtitled foreign movies rather than domestic remakes of those same movies. Study 2 demonstrated the same effect with naturally occurring energy levels and with consumption experiences whose effortfulness and quality were varied independently. In choosing among sets of poems to read, participants with higher levels of energy exhibited less effort aversion but neither more nor less quality seeking. A reanalysis of Study 1 showed that the energy effect is not simply a case of consumers using more energy when they have more energy, because the energy effect disappeared when participants were made aware of the energy source, suggesting that a preference‐correction process occurred. The energy dependence of consumer preferences affords tactical opportunities for marketers, but the welfare implications for consumers are intriguingly unclear, because in both studies we found that energy increased participants’ choice of challenging consumption experiences without increasing their liking of those experiences.
Overestimating the Importance of the Given Information in Multiattribute Consumer Judgment
Authors: Sanbonmatsu David M. , Kardes Frank R. , Houghton David C. , Ho Edward A. , Posavac Steven S.
Published: January 2004

Consumer judgment often is based on incomplete or limited knowledge of the relevant attributes. We performed 3 experiments to investigate why these judgments are often insensitive to set size and why evaluations based on limited information tend to be stronger (more extreme and confident) than is warranted. The findings indicate that the importance of the given or known attributes is often overestimated, leading to evaluations that are overly extreme. The experiments also revealed important factors moderating this insensitivity to limited information. The overweighing of the given evidence was attenuated when participants were knowledgeable of the target domain. Overweighing and the formation of extreme judgments based on limited information was also diminished when participants considered their judgmental criteria prior to evaluating a target or when a comparison target described by different attributes was present.
Corporate Sponsorships of Philanthropic Activities: When Do They Impact Perception of Sponsor Brand?
Authors: Menon Satya , Kahn Barbara E.
Published: January 2004

We examined the benefits to a corporate sponsor of two types of philanthropic activities — cause promotions and advocacy advertising. Results from 4 laboratory studies indicate that perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) are affected by consumers’ elaboration levels. Consumer perceptions of CSR are more favorable for cause promotions, which do not receive much elaboration, than they are for advocacy advertising, which prompts more elaboration. In addition, perceived congruence between the sponsor and the social issue is shown to moderate these effects: Higher congruence between the sponsor and social issue increases favorable ratings of CSR for cause promotions but only if elaboration on the sponsorship activity is facilitated. On the other hand, lower congruence increases favorable ratings of CSR for advocacy advertising as long as elaboration on the sponsorship is not constrained. We also found that higher congruence enhances CSR ratings if participants are primed to focus their attention on the sponsor brand, whereas lower congruence enhances CSR if participants are primed to focus their attention on the social issue.
Fairness and Discounts: The Subjective Value of a Bargain
Authors: Darke Peter R. , Dahl Darren W.
Published: January 2004

In this work, we examined the surprising value consumers attach to getting a bargain. Past research has largely understood this phenomenon in terms of the impact discounts have on perceptions of fairness. However, the evidence for this explanation is inconclusive due to a number of viable alternatives as well as issues relating to construct and external validity. The experiments we report here provide clearer evidence for the basic assertion that discounts increase purchase satisfaction due to the nonfinancial rewards that are associated with perceptions of fairness. Furthermore, current notions of fairness in the promotion literature are extended by showing that social cues such as the relative size of the discount received by another customer and the loyalty status of that customer can also have an important impact on fairness and purchase satisfaction. We suggest an integration of transaction utility theory (Thaler, 1985) and equity theory (Bagozzi, 1975) to account for these findin
You Are What They Eat: The Influence of Reference Groups on Consumers’ Connections to Brands
Authors: Escalas Jennifer Edson , Bettman James R.
Published: January 2004

The set of associations consumers have about a brand is an important component of brand equity. In this article, we focus on reference groups as a source of brand associations, which can be linked to one's mental representation of self to meet self‐verification or self‐enhancement goals. We conceptualize this linkage at an aggregate level in terms of self‐brand connections, that is, the extent to which individuals have incorporated a brand into their self‐concept. In 2 studies, we show that brands used by member groups and aspiration groups can become connected to consumers’ mental representation of self as they use these brands to define and create their self‐concepts. Results from Experiment 1 show that the degree to which member group and aspiration group usage influences individual self‐brand connections is contingent on the degree to which the individual belongs to a member group or wishes to belong to an aspiration group. In Experiment 2, we found that for individuals with self‐enhancement goals, aspiration group brand use has a greater impact on self‐brand connections; for individuals with self‐verification goals, on the other hand, member group use has a greater impact.
On Avoiding the Fate of the League of Semi‐Superheroes: Consumer Psychology and Heroic Research
Authors: Herr Paul M.
Published: January 2004

Consumer psychologists should strive for superhero status. This entails not simply “doing good work,” but doing good work that matters and disseminating the results of that work to those who need it most. Throughout the evidence‐gathering and dissemination process, the members of our league face the peril of becoming semi‐superheroes. Heroic avoidance of this peril is recommended.
Consumer Socialization and Parental Style Across Cultures: Findings from Australia, Greece, and India
Authors: Rose Gregory M. , Dalakas Vassilis , Kropp Fredric
Published: January 2004

This study examines the link between consumer socialization and general parental socialization tendencies among Australian, Indian, and Greek parents. Five basic patterns of socialization were found and the specific consumer socialization practices of each are discussed. Together these 5 parental styles provide a theoretically based typology of parental tendencies in collectivist as well as individualist nations.
The Moderated Influence of Internal Control: An Examination Across Health‐Related Behaviors
Authors: Kidwell Blair , Jewell Robert D.
Published: January 2004

An extension of the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991) was used to identify whether moderated relationships exist between perceived behavioral control and theoretical constructs within the model. Study 1 examined influences of perceived internal control relative to behavioral category; for a utilitarian behavior (e.g., using sunscreen, donating blood), the moderating relation was of a cognitive nature (i.e., attitude, subjective norm), whereas for hedonic behaviors (e.g., drinking and driving, fast food consumption), the moderating relation was of a noncognitive nature (i.e., affect, past behavior). These relations were manipulated in Study 2 via the framing of neutral behaviors (i.e., chocolate and fat consumption) to explicate the hypothesized patterns of interactions. Theoretical implications of findings are discussed.
The Behavioral Score Approach to Dependent Variables
Authors: Calder Bobby J. , Malthouse Edward C.
Published: January 2004

Theoretical explanation is most often confined to the independent or predictor variables in most consumer research. Consumer behavior itself is either not measured or measured as a single manifest variable, usually of the form, How/will you buy/use product––in a period of time? Dependent variables should be considered from a more theoretical point of view. To this end we develop an approach to dependent variables using behavior scores that span the theoretical domain of a behavior. We apply this approach to develop a specific measure of newspaper readership using data from a national sample of 37,000 consumers.
The Role of Virtual Experience in Consumer Learning
Authors: Li Hairong , Daugherty Terry , Biocca Frank
Published: January 2004

Through a series of studies designed to explore important aspects of virtual experience, a new type of product affordances—virtual affordances—is proposed and tested empirically. In addition, the existing geometric and material product taxonomy is extended to include mechanical products within the classification structure. Utilizing these new concepts, 3‐D product visualization is compared with traditional 2‐D product representations and television advertising. The results largely support the proposition that 3‐D product visualization is capable of influencing brand attitude and purchase intention for geometric and mechanical products within e‐commerce environments.
The Influence of Spokesperson Trustworthiness on Message Elaboration, Attitude Strength, and Advertising Effectiveness
Authors: Priester Joseph R. , Petty Richard E.
Published: January 2004

Recent research has shown that information presented by untrustworthy endorsers is likely to be thoughtfully elaborated, whereas information presented by trustworthy endorsers is likely to be unthinkingly accepted (Priester & Petty, 1995). Study 1 manipulated argument quality and assessed cognitive responses to demonstrate that this influence of trustworthiness on persuasion holds for familiar endorsers likely to be used in actual advertisements. Study 2 demonstrated that trustworthiness can be influenced by individuals endorsing too many products, with similar persuasion consequences (i.e., untrustworthy endorsers prompt greater scrutiny of product‐related attributes than trustworthy endorsers). Study 2 also found that the attitudes that resulted from an untrustworthy endorser came to mind faster, even when those attitudes were equivalently positive—thus demonstrating that elaboration can influence attitude accessibility. This research provides evidence that attitude extremity may not be a sufficient indicator of advertising effectiveness, in that equally extreme attitudes can vary as to the bases by which they were formed, their underlying strength, and their effectiveness. Further, this research provides theoretical and strategic insight into the use of trustworthy and untrustworthy endorsers.
The Effect of Examining Actual Products or Product Descriptions on Consumer Preference
Authors: McCabe Deborah Brown , Nowlis Stephen M.
Published: January 2004

Many consumers purchase products in stores, where they can physically examine and touch the items. In addition, consumers shop for products online or through direct mail, where they cannot physically examine and touch the merchandise. Building on an analysis of perceptual mechanisms involved in the sense of touch, we find that products with primarily material properties, such as clothing or carpeting, are more likely to be preferred in shopping environments that allow physical inspection than in those environments that do not. We also find that there is no difference in preference across the two environments for products with primarily geometric properties, such as packaged goods, for which vision is highly diagnostic. Furthermore, when the touch properties of a material product are verbally described, this reduces the difference in preference between the two environments.
Avoiding Anxiety, Being in Denial, or Simply Stroking Self‐Esteem: Why Self‐Positivity?
Authors: Lin Ying‐Ching , Lin Chien‐Huang , Raghubir Priya
Published: January 2004

This article studies the presence, resilience, and direction of the self‐positivity bias under various conditions to examine the role of self‐esteem maintenance as an important antecedent for the bias. Experiment 1 manipulates the perceptions of the uncontrollability of cancer and presence of base‐rate information as independent variables that together eliminate the self‐positivity bias in perceptions of the risk of cancer. Experiment 2 shows the same effects using 4 life events that differ in terms of valence and perceived controllability; that is, base‐rate information affects self‐estimates for uncontrollable life events, reducing the self‐positivity bias, but does not affect self‐estimates for controllable events. Experiment 3 shows that these effects only apply to optimistic individuals who fail to incorporate base‐rate information into their self‐perceptions for controllable events. In contrast, pessimists use base rates to update their self‐estimates irrespective of the controllability of the event. Overall, the pattern suggests that self‐positivity is attenuated in conditions that implicate self‐esteem. Implications for health care marketing are discussed.
Psychobiology and Social Psychology: Past, Present, and Future
Authors: Berntson Gary G. , Cacioppo John T.
Published: January 2004

Social psychology and psychobiology have a rich historicalconnection, although over the last half century these two disciplineshave seemingly become estranged. To a significant extent, that alienation arose from an archaic and nonviable model of behavioral biology that retarded the development of both disciplines. With the emergence of modern biological perspectives, this impediment no longer limits fruitful collaborations among social psychologists and psychobiologists. Indeed, some of the most exciting contemporary developments are emerging from the areas of social neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, and behavioral neuroscience. We review the history of links between social psychology and psychobiology, the factors that led to the segregation of these subdisciplines, and the modern biological perspectives that provide the basis for reintegration of these disciplines.
Interpersonal Flourishing: A Positive Health Agenda for the New Millennium
Authors: Ryff Carol D. , Singer Burton
Published: January 2004

Quality ties to others are universally endorsed as central to optimal living. Social scientists have extensively studied the relational world, but in somewhat separate literatures (e.g., attachment, close relationships, marital and family ties, social support). Studies of intimacy and close connection are infrequently connected to health, whereas studies of health and social support rarely intersect with literatures on relational flourishing. Efforts to probe underlying physiological processes have been disproportionately concerned with the negative (e.g., adverse effects of relational conflict). A worthy goal for the new millennium is promoting greater cross talk between these realms via a focus on the positive health implications of interpersonal flourishing. Vital venues for the future include mapping the emotional configurations of quality social relationships and elaborating their physiological substrates.
Personal Memory Telling and Personality Development
Authors: Thorne Avril
Published: January 2004

Although personal memories have been appreciated bypsychologists for nearly a century, their significance for personality development has tended to be relegated to internalized representations of early childhood experiences. Recent research, however, suggests that adolescence and early adulthood are the most memorable parts of the life span and perhaps the broadest period of memory telling. This article integrates recent work in cognitive and developmental psychology into a framework for studying how and why tellers proffer and make sense of momentous emotional events, and how families and friends collude in self-making. Promising areas for future research include individual differences in readiness for memory telling, gendered ecologies of memory telling, the developmental significance of parents' stories, and reconciling personal memories and personality traits. Personal memory telling is not just for fun and entertainment, but, more important, drives social and emotional development in concrete moments of social life.
The Study of Groups: Past, Present, and Future
Authors: McGrath Joseph E. , Arrow Holly , Berdahl Jennifer L.
Published: January 2004

A century of research on small groups has yielded bountiful findings about many specific features and processes in groups. Much of that work, in line with a positivist epistemology that emphasizes control and precision and favors the laboratory experiment over other data collection strategies, has also tended to treat groups as though they were simple, isolated, static entities. Recent research trends that treat groups as complex, adaptive, dynamic systems open up new approaches to studying groups. In line with those trends, a theory of groups as complex systems is offered and some methodological and conceptual issues raised by this theory are identified. A 3-pronged research strategy based on theory development, computational modeling, and empirical research that holds promise for illuminating the dynamic processes underlying the emergence of complexity and the ongoing balance of continuity and change in groups is proposed.
Dual-Process Models in Social and Cognitive Psychology: Conceptual Integration and Links to Underlying Memory Systems
Authors: Smith Eliot R. , DeCoster Jamie
Published: January 2004

Models postulating 2 distinct processing modes have been proposed in several topic areas within social and cognitive psychology. We advance a new conceptual model of the 2 processing modes. The structural basis of the new model is the idea, supported by psychological and neuropsychological evidence, that humans possess 2 memory systems. One system slowly learns general regularities, whereas the other can quickly form representations of unique or novel events. Associative retrieval or pattern completion in the slow-learning system elicited by a salient cue constitutes the effortless processing mode. The second processing mode is more conscious and effortful; it involves the intentional retrieval of explicit, symbolically represented rulesfrom either memory system and their use to guide processing. After presenting our model, we review existing dual-process models in several areas, emphasizing their similar assumptions of a quick, effortless processing mode that rests on well-learned prior associations and a second, more effortful processing mode that involves rule-based inferences and is employed only when people have both cognitive capacity and motivation. New insights and implications of the model for several topic areas are outlined.
A Disclosure Decision Model: Determining How and When Individuals Will Self-Disclose
Authors: Omarzu Julia
Published: January 2004

Different lines of research have explored many aspects of self-disclosure, yet there are few broad, connecting principles that can be used to describe this behavior. A Disclosure Decision model is introduced that specifies a cognitive process resulting in decisions that affect the content, depth, breadth, and duration of self-disclosure. One of 5 possible disclosure goals must be made accessible. Disclosure must be selected as a strategy for reaching that goal, and a disclosure target must be selected. Potential disclosers then evaluate the subjective utility and the subjective risk of disclosing. The subjective utility of disclosing is hypothesized to decrease breadth and increase duration of disclosure. Subjective risk is hypothesized to decrease depth of disclosure. The Disclosure Decision model is designed to provide a framework for studying and predicting self-disclosure across situations.
Do Reciprocal Strategies Work in Social Dilemmas?
Authors: de Heus Peter
Published: January 2004

According to computer simulations by Parks and Komorita (1997), group-based reciprocal strategies (GBRS; i.e., strategies in which players cooperate only when a sufficient number of others do) are more effective than the strategy of unconditional defection (ALL-D) in 100-person social dilemmas. In this article, theoretical arguments and a replication of the Parks and Komorita simulations are presented, which demonstrate that when strategies are analyzed at the individual level (at which they were defined), GBRS are actually less effective than ALL-D. The divergence of this conclusion from that of Parks and Komorita is attributed to specific selection factors in design and analysis of the original simulations. However, when the strategies are analyzed as strategies for subgroups rather than individuals, the claim that GBRS are more effcetive than ALL-D finds more support, most notably because players using these and other conditionally cooperative strategies tend to defect when single or in small subgroups but to cooperate when in large subgroups.
On the Confluence of Self-Esteem Maintenance Mechanisms
Authors: Tesser Abraham
Published: January 2004

A case is made for the substitutability of self-esteem regulation mechanisms such as cognitive dissonance reduction, self-affirmation, and social comparison. For example, a threat to self via cognitive dissonance might be reduced by a favorable social comparison outcome. To explain substitution, it is suggested that self-esteem regulation mechanisms inevitably produce affect and that affect mediates the completion of various self-esteem regulation processes. Substitution can be understood in terms of the transfer of affect from the initial mechanism to the substitute mechanism. To be effective, this transfer must take place without awareness. Also discussed is the substitution of self-esteem regulation mechanisms across different self-domains versus within a single self-domain. Current theory suggests that substitution might be more effective within domain; that is, it is better to bolster the aspect of self that has been threatened. It is suggested here, however, that substitution across self-domain might be relatively resilient and easier to accomplish.
A Reconceptualization of How We Study Issues of Racial Prejudice
Authors: Shelton J. Nicole
Published: January 2004

This article shows that when confronted with a problem as complex as racial prejudice, researchers cannot afford to limit themselves to studying prejudice from the perspective of Whites. Many argue that in the research that does focus on Blacks and prejudice, Blacks are studied primarily in terms of their reactions to prejudice. This article challenges researchers to examine how Blacks' racial attitudes and behaviors influence intergroup dynamics between Whites and Blacks. Four areas of research in the prejudice and stereotyping literature that could be used to study Blacks' role in understanding racial prejudice are discussed. Moreover, the implications of studying Blacks in these 4 areas are explored.
Social Psychology and Science: Some Lessons From Solomon Asch
Authors: Rozin Paul
Published: January 2004

This article presents a methodological critique of the predominant research paradigms in modern social psychology, particularly social cognition, taking the approach of Solomon Asch as a more appropriate model. The critique has 2 parts. First, the dominant model of science in the field is appropriate only for a well-developed science, in which basic, real-world phenomena have been identified, important invariances in these phenomena have been documented, and appropriate model systems that capture the essence of these phenomena have been developed. These requirements are not met for most of the phenomena under study in social psychology. Second, the model of science in use is a caricature of the actual scientific process in well-developed sciences such as biology. Such research is often not model or even hypothesis driven, but rather relies on “informed curiosity” to motivate research. Descriptive studies are considered important and make up a substantial part of the literature, and there is less exclusive reliance on experiment. The two parts of the critique are documented by analysis of articles in appropriate psychology and biology journals. The author acknowledges that important and high quality work is currently being done in social psychology, but believes that the field has maladaptively narrowed the range of the phenomena and methodological approaches that it deems acceptable or optimal.
Excuses and Character: Personal and Social Implications of Excuses
Authors: Schlenker Barry R. , Pontari Beth A. , Christopher Andrew N.
Published: January 2004

Recent research has emphasized the effectiveness of excuses in protecting the self from the implications of failures and transgressions. The disadvantages of excuses have been relatively neglected. The triangle model of responsibility provides a conceptual framework to analyze how excuses disengage the self from events and the conditions under which advantages and disadvantages accrue. On the disadvantage side, excuse-makers risk being seen as deceptive, self-absorbed, and ineffectual; they are viewed as unreliable social participants with flawed character These undesired consequences result when excuses are used in ways that lower credibility (e.g., fail to receive corroboration), lower goodwill (e.g., blamefailures on team members), and produce long-term disengagement (e.g., lead to failures to correct personal deficiencies). It is proposed that excuses are effective in the long run only if they balance short-term disengagement of the self and long-term engagement. Excuses are especially problematic when used to disengage the self from important, recurring tasks.
Do Moderators of the Optimistic Bias Affect Personal or Target Risk Estimates? A Review of the Literature
Authors: Helweg-Larsen Marie , Shepperd James A.
Published: January 2004

The optimistic bias is defined as judging one's own risk as less than the risk of others. Researchers have identified numerous personal and situational factors that moderate the extent to which people display the bias. It is unclear, however, whether these moderators affect the bias by influencing people's personal risk estimates or their risk estimates for a target. A review of moderators of the optimistic bias reveals evidence for both influences. Moderators associated with negative affect (negative mood, dysphoria, trait and state anxiety, event severity, and proximity of feedback) and control related moderators (perceived control and prior experience) appear primarily to affect personal risk estimates. Positive mood affects target risk estimates. Finally, moderators that surround the comparison process appear to have different effects. Specifically, the type of comparison target appears to affect target risk estimates, whereas attention to personal risk-related behaviors affects personal risk estimates.
The Contribution of the Lay Theories Approach to the Study of Groups
Authors: Hong Ying-yi , Levy Sheri R. , Chiu Chi-yue
Published: January 2004

This special issue highlights the contribution of the lay theories approach to the study of groups. Six articles address the nature, development, and consequences of a variety of lay theories for group perception and behavior. First, these articles illuminate the structural, functional, and dynamic properties of lay theories as well as their scope. Second, the articles address the development of lay theories from diverse theoretical perspectives, including evolutionary, cognitive, developmental, and sociocultural learning. Third, each article documents the consequences of different lay theories for understanding group inferences and judgments. Taken together, these articles propose theoretical extensions of the lay theories approach and suggest practical implications of the lay theories approach for reducing prejudice.
Elements of a Lay Theory of Groups: Types of Groups, Relational Styles, and the Perception of Group Entitativity
Authors: Lickel Brian , Hamilton David L. , Sherman Steven J.
Published: January 2004

Discussion in this article is on the elements of perceiver's intuitive theory of groups. The first element of the theory concerns perceiver's intuitive taxonomy of different types of groups. We discuss research examining this intuitive taxonomy, as well as the group properties that define different types of groups within the taxonomy. A second important element in the lay theory concerns perceiver's beliefs about how people within different types of groups regulate social interactions with one another. We discuss research examining the relation between perceiver's beliefs about different types of groups and how people within those groups are expected to relate to each other. Finally, we discuss how people use their intuitive theory of groups when making social judgments pertaining to groups.
The Interplay of Subjective Essentialism and Entitativity in the Formation of Stereotypes
Authors: Yzerbyt Vincent , Corneille Olivier , Estrada Claudia
Published: January 2004

In line with our subjective essentialist view of stereotypes (Yzerbyt, Rocher, & Schadron, 1997), we propose that two classes of factors that mutually reinforce each other influence the perception of groups. The perception of a strong level of similarity and organization among group members (i.e., group entitativity) suggests the existence of a deep essence that would account for the detected regularities. Conversely, the existence of naïve theories regarding the presence of an underlying core encourages the search for resemblances and connections within the group. After a short presentation of the recent literature dealing with the concepts of entitativity and essentialism, we review a series of studies from our laboratory showing the impact of entitativity on essentialism as well as the influence of essentialism on entitativity. We also provide empirical evidence for this bidirectional process from both the outsider and the insider perspective. Finally, we examine the potential role of cultural differences both in the ascription of a fundamental nature to an entitative assembly of people and in the use of a priori naïve theories to create surface similarity among group members. As a set, these efforts point to the importance of taking into account the constant dialogue between perceiver's theory-based explanations and group member's perceptual characteristics if one wishes to understand group stereotypes.
Static Versus Dynamic Theories and the Perception of Groups: Different Routes to Different Destinations
Authors: Levy Sheri R. , Plaks Jason E. , Hong Ying-yi , Chiu Chi-yue , Dweck Carol S.
Published: January 2004

Research on lay theories suggests that people who begin the task of social perception with different starting assumptions follow different cognitive paths and reach different social endpoints. In this article, we show how laypeople's fixed (entity) versus dynamic (incremental) theories of human nature foster different meaning systems for interpreting and respondingto the same group information. Using research with adults and children, in the United States and East Asia, and concerning familiar and novel groups, wedocument how these theories influence susceptibility to stereotyping, perceptions of group homogeneity, the ultimate attribution error, intergroup bias,and discriminatory behavior. Further, we discuss social-cultural factors that produce and perpetuate these theories as well as why and when these theories are maintained and changed. The implications of this work for reducing stereotyping and intergroup conflict are considered.
Culturally Conferred Conceptions of Agency: A Key to Social Perception of Persons, Groups, and Other Actors
Authors: Morris Michael W. , Menon Tanya , Ames Daniel R.
Published: January 2004

Many tendencies in social perceivers' judgments about individuals and groups can be integrated in terms of the premise that perceivers rely on implicit theories of agency acquired from cultural traditions. Whereas American culture primarily conceptualizes agency as a property of individual persons, other cultures conceptualize agency primarily in terms of collectives such as groups or nonhuman actors such as deities or fate. Cultural conceptions of agency exist in public forms (discourses, texts, and institutions) and private forms (perceivers' knowledge structures), and the more prominent the public representations of a specific conception in a society, the more chronically accessible it will be in perceivers' minds. We review evidence for these claims by contrasting North American and Chinese cultures. From this integrative model of social perception as mediated by agency conceptions, we draw insights for research on implicit theories and research on culture. What implicit theory research gains is a better grasp on the content, origins, and variation of the knowledge structures central to social perception. What cultural psychology gains is a middle-range model of the mechanism underlying cultural influence on dispositional attribution, which yields precise predictions about the domain specificity and dynamics of cultural differences.
A Social Identity Theory of Leadership
Authors: Hogg Michael A.
Published: January 2004

A social identity theory of leadership is described that views leadership as a group process generated by social categorization and prototype-based depersonalization processes associated with social identity. Group identification, as self-categorization, constructs an intragroup prototypicality gradient that invests the most prototypical member with the appearance of having influence; the appearance arises because members cognitively and behaviorally conform to the prototype. The appearance of influence becomes a reality through depersonalized social attraction processes that make followers agree and comply with the leader's ideas and suggestions. Consensual social attraction also imbues the leader with apparent status and creates a status-based structural differentiation within the group into leader(s) and followers, which has characteristics of unequal status intergroup relations. In addition, a fundamental attribution process constructs a charismatic leadership personality for the leader, which further empowers the leader and sharpens the leader-follower status differential. Empirical support for the theory is reviewed and a range of implications discussed, including intergroup dimensions, uncertainty reduction and extremism, power, and pitfalls of prototype-based leadership.
Computer Simulation as a Method of Further Developing a Theory: Simulating the Elaboration Likelihood Model
Authors: Mosler Hans-Joachim , Schwarz Karsten , Ammann Florin , Gutscher Heinz
Published: January 2004

Implemented specifically as a method of theory development, computer simulation allows clarification of a theory and investigation of its implications. Using Petty and Cacioppo's (1986a, 1986b) Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), the use of simulation in formalizing a theory, testing the simulation model, and conducting simulation experiments is demonstrated. With formalization of the theory in the form of a block diagram, the entire pattern of causal effects in the ELM core statements becomes visible at a glance. The simulation model was tested through comparing simulated individuals' reactions to stimuli with the experimental and statistical observed reactions of real participants in experiments. The simulation experiments revealed a dynamic attitude shift in dependency on the development of processing intensity.
Objective Self-Awareness Theory: Recent Progress and Enduring Problems
Authors: Silvia Paul J. , Duval T. Shelley
Published: January 2004

Objective self-awareness theory has undergone fundamental changes in the 3 decades since Duval and Wicklund's (1972) original formulation. We review new evidence that bears on the basic tenets of the theory. Many of the assumptions of self-awareness theory require revision, particularly how expectancies influence approach and avoidance of self-standard discrepancies; the nature of standards, especially when they are changed; and the role of causal attribution in directing discrepancy reduction. However, several unresolved conceptual issues remain; future theoretical and empirical directions are discussed.
Negativity Bias, Negativity Dominance, and Contagion
Authors: Rozin Paul , Royzman Edward B.
Published: January 2004

We hypothesize that there is a general bias, based on both innatepredispositions and experience, in animals and humans, to give greater weight to negative entities (e.g., events, objects, personal traits). This is manifested in 4 ways: (a) negative potency (negative entities are stronger than the equivalent positive entities), (b) steeper negative gradients (the negativity of negative events grows more rapidly with approach to them in space or time than does the positivity of positive events, (c) negativity dominance (combinations of negative and positive entities yield evaluations that are more negative than the algebraic sum of individual subjective valences would predict), and (d) negative differentiation (negative entities are more varied, yield more complex conceptual representations, and engage a wider response repertoire). We review evidence for this taxonomy, with emphasis on negativity dominance, including literary, historical, religious, and cultural sources, as well as the psychological literatures on learning, attention, impression formation, contagion, moral judgment, development, and memory. We then consider a variety of theoretical accounts for negativity bias. We suggest that 1 feature of negative events that make them dominant is that negative entities are more contagious than positive entities.
Affect and the Functional Bases of Behavior: On the Dimensional Structure of Affective Experience
Authors: Carver Charles S.
Published: January 2004

Discussions of the dimensional structure of affect usually are based on results of factor analyses. Disagreements focus largely on issues of measurement and measurement error. I argue that the structure of affect is not discussed meaningfully without considering functional implications of affects. A functional analysis is outlined in which approach and incentive-related affects (both positive and negative) are managed by 1 self-regulatory system, and avoidance and threat-related affects (positive and negative) are managed by another self-regulatory system. In both cases, positive and negative affects are posited to convey information about whether the behavior being engaged in is going well or poorly. This view argues for the existence of 2 bipolar affective dimensions, the properties of which are informed by an understanding of both behavior and feelings.
Self-Complexity and Well-Being: A Review and Research Synthesis
Authors: Rafaeli-Mor Eshkol , Steinberg Jennifer
Published: January 2004

We reviewed the extant literature examining Linville's (1985, 1987) self-complexity (SC) model. SC is a structural feature of people's self-knowledge. Linville (1987) proposed that SC serves as a cognitive buffer against extreme affective reactions to life events. We report results of two procedures: a classic meta-analysis and a more primitive vote-counting procedure. Overall, SC was negatively, but weakly, related to well-being, a relationship qualified by strong heterogeneity among studies. We found little support for SC as a stress buffer, but more support as a moderator of uplifting events. Several methodological and substantive variables (e.g., the type of well-being studied, the valence of SC, and characteristics of the samples and designs used) were associated with effect magnitude. We discuss implications for competing theories of self-structure and comment on the use of information theory in studying the self.
Attachment Stability From Infancy to Adulthood: Meta-Analysis and Dynamic Modeling of Developmental Mechanisms
Authors: Chris Fraley R.
Published: January 2004

A central tenet of attachment theory is that a person's attachment pattern in adulthood is a reflection of his or her attachment history—-beginning with the person's earliest attachment relationships. However, the precise way in which early representations might shape adult attachment patterns is ambiguous, and different perspectives on this issue have evolved in the literature. According to the prototype perspective, representations of early experiences are retained over time and continue to play an influential role in attachment behavior throughout the life course. In contrast, the revisionist perspective holds that early representations are subject to modification on the basis of new experiences and therefore may or may not reflect patterns of attachment later in life. In this article, I explore and test mathematical models of each of these theoretical processes on the basis of longitudinal data obtained from meta-analysis. Results indicate that attachment security is moderately stable across the first 19 years of life and that patterns of stability are best accounted for by prototype dynamics.
The Estrangement of Social Constructionism and Experimental Social Psychology: History of the Rift and Prospects for Reconciliation
Authors: Jost John T. , Kruglanski Arie W.
Published: January 2004

Social constructionism and experimental social psychology represent two complementary paradigms for understanding human social behavior, but over the last quarter century they have remained oddly and unnecessarily estranged from one another In this article, we trace the history of social constructionist thought and find that the intellectual lineage and guiding assumptions of these two subcultures of social psychology are essentially the same. Next, we clarify the philosophical and ideological bases of their divide to determine how wide the rift really is. Although the differences may appear to be unbridgeable, we argue that a rapprochement is both possible and desirable. At the level of metatheory, Donald Campbell and William J. McGuire have demonstrated that constructionist and empirical insights can be usefully integrated in social psychology. At the level of empirical research, studies of the situated self-concept, social identity, collective representation, attitudes as temporary constructions, communication and shared reality, and cultural psychology have progressed through the incorporation of constructionist themes. Similar opportunities await researchers who explore the contextual bases of history, ideology, and other shared systems of meaning and their implications for social psychology. Finally, we identify some substantive and stylistic complementarities of social constructionism and experimental social psychology and analyze their joint potential for contributing to a well-balanced discipline of social psychology that is worthy of both parts of its name.
Experimenting with Reconciliation: A Comment on Jost and Kruglanski
Authors: Potter Jonathan
Published: January 2004

Constructionism, and specifically discursive psychology, has an enriched view of science rather than being against science. Whatever the political merits of experimentation, discursive psychologists have made specific criticisms with respect to the difficulty of capturing central features of social action and interaction using experiments. They have developed rigorous analytic techniques for the study of records of natural action. These avoid a number of the problems with experimental research and have the advantage of directly studying action located in its home settings. Social psychology would benefit if such work were both represented in, and engaged with, in APA journals.
Any Theory Can Be Useful Theory, Even If It Gets On Our Nerves
Authors: Schaller Mark
Published: January 2004

The science of social psychology would benefit from a renewed commitment to big brash theory. Jost and Kruglanski (this issue) suggest that social constructionist themes and attitudes may be useful in this regard. I elaborate further on the ways in which social constructionist theory can indeed inspire conceptual boldness but warn that constructionist approaches can also be conceptually constraining. Social psychology will benefit most if social psychologists emulate social constructionists' willingness to engage in “unnecessary” speculation but rebel against constructionists' unwillingness to seek universally applicable theories. Social constructionism challenges us to confront big questions, and the science of social psychology will best be spurred forward if we respond to that challenge by seeking big bold answers.
The Dynamical Perspective in Personality and Social Psychology
Authors: Vallacher Robin R. , Read Stephen J. , Nowak Andrzej
Published: January 2004

Human experience reflects the interplay of multiple forces operating on various time scales to promote constantly evolving patterns of thought, emotion, and action. The complexity and dynamism of personal and social phenomena have long been recognized, but capturing these features of psychological process represents a serious challenge for traditional research methods. In this article, we introduce basic concepts and methods from the study of nonlinear dynamical systems, and we outline the relevance of these ideas and approaches for investigating phenomena at different levels of psychological reality. We suggest that the dynamical perspective is ideally suited to capture the emergence and maintenance of global properties in a psychological system, and for investigating the time-dependent relation between external influences and a system's internally generated forces. Although fairly new to personality and social psychology, the dynamical perspective has been implemented with respect to a wide variety of phenomena, utilizing both empirical methods and computer simulations. This diversity of topics and methods is reflected in the articles comprising the special issue.
Structural Dynamics of Cognition: From Consistency Theories to Constraint Satisfaction
Authors: Simon Dan , Holyoak Keith J.
Published: January 2004

We first offer a brief review of the history of cognitive consistency theories in social psychology. After promising beginnings as an outgrowth of Gestalt theory, early consistency theories failed to yield a general account of the mechanisms by which attitudes are formed and decisions are made. However over the past decade the principles underlying consistency theories have been revived in the form of connectionist models of constraint satisfaction. We then review experimental work on complex legal decision making that illustrates how constraint satisfaction mechanisms can cause coherence shifts, thereby transforming ambiguous inputs into coherent decisions.