Irrational beliefs are often used as an umbrella term that comprises a variety of psychological c... more Irrational beliefs are often used as an umbrella term that comprises a variety of psychological constructs: from specific cognitive biases to a wider class of epistemologically suspect beliefs (superstitions, paranormal and pseudoscientific beliefs, conspiracy theories etc.) or cognitive styles (analytical versus intuitive thinking), but also unsubstantiated self-related beliefs. This collection of papers illustrates this diversity well. Apart from the descriptive portion of the data, which has merit on its own, the authors provide important methodological innovations in the way these beliefs are measured, but also look deeper in their functionality and consequences.
ABSTRACT Based on research conducted in the course of the FOCUS-BALKANS project Explains the main... more ABSTRACT Based on research conducted in the course of the FOCUS-BALKANS project Explains the main methods, models, and approaches of food consumer science in a concise and simple way Illustrates each method, using a concrete case study Shows that food consumer science is an ever-more important discipline in the light of growing challenges in public health This book explores the main methods, models, and approaches of food consumer science applied to six countries of the Western Balkans, illustrating each of these methods with concrete case studies. Research conducted between 2008 and 2011 in the course of the FOCUS-BALKANS project forms an excellent database for exploring recent changes and trends in food consumption. Each chapter of Food Consumer Science: Theories, Methods and Application to the Western Balkans includes an introduction, an explanation of the methodology applied and illustrations with a case study. Coverage includes such topics as theories of food choice; segmenting consumers using cluster analysis; the emerging market for health claim products; the use of focus groups for assessing fruit perceptions; methods for analyzing consumer interest in organic and traditional foods and more. A final chapter offers conclusions concerning the major evolving markets for health claim products, fruits, organic products and traditional food and presents findings on food choices of Western Balkan consumers. The book declares an urgent need for development of consumer rights and of public health policies, which must be supported by a Europe-wide network of scientists and public health officials. Content Level » Upper undergraduate Keywords » Focus group discussions - Food choice questionnaire - Food consumer science - Public health policies - Western Balkan countries
People who are more avoidant of pathogens are more politically conservative, as are nations with ... more People who are more avoidant of pathogens are more politically conservative, as are nations with greater parasite stress. In the current research, we test two prominent hypotheses that have been proposed as explanations for these relationships. The first, which is an intragroup account, holds that these relationships between pathogens and politics are based on motivations to adhere to local norms, which are sometimes shaped by cultural evolution to have pathogen-neutralizing properties. The second, which is an intergroup account, holds that these same relationships are based on motivations to avoid contact with outgroups, who might pose greater infectious disease threats than ingroup members. Results from a study surveying 11,501 participants across 30 nations are more consistent with the intragroup account than with the intergroup account. National parasite stress relates to traditionalism (an aspect of conservatism especially related to adherence to group norms) but not to social dominance orientation (SDO; an aspect of conservatism especially related to endorsements of intergroup barriers and negativity toward ethnic and racial outgroups). Further, individual differences in pathogen-avoidance motives (i.e., disgust sensitivity) relate more strongly to traditionalism than to SDO within the 30 nations. political ideology | pathogens | disgust | culture | evolutionary psychology
As we belong to a host of groups, we have a multitude of social identities that are interdependen... more As we belong to a host of groups, we have a multitude of social identities that are interdependent. Social identity complexity refers to the degree of overlap between cross-cutting group memberships while social identity inclusiveness to the range of people a person identifies with through shared group membership. In this paper, we explored the relationship between the complexity and inclusiveness of social identity, and feelings toward ethnic/religious in-groups, as well as feelings toward out-group members. The research was conducted in two cities in Serbia: Belgrade and Novi Pazar (N = 178; average age 23), allowing for comparisons between young Serbs and Bosniaks, who belonged to the groups with a recent history of conflict. We found that social identity complexity was unrelated, whilst social identity inclusiveness was systematically and positively related to more positive feelings toward religious and ethnic out-groups. This effect was significant across different ethnic groups (Serbs and Bosniaks) and local contexts (Belgrade and Novi Pazar). Both social identity complexity and inclusiveness were unrelated to emotions toward members of the own group. We related these results with the existing data on the social identity structure and intergroup relations, and discussed the importance of inclusive identities for building tolerant societies.
Apstrakt Autobiografska sećanja često ne predstavljaju veran zapis prošlih dogaĎaja, već njihovu ... more Apstrakt Autobiografska sećanja često ne predstavljaju veran zapis prošlih dogaĎaja, već njihovu rekonstrukciju. U tom procesu, dogaĎaji bivaju modifikovani tako da se uklapaju u sliku o sebi; to uglavnom znači da se sistematski pozitivno menjaju. Ovaj fenomen zovemo egotizmom pamćenja. Serija od šest ogleda osmišljena je da se proveri a. da li ljudi sistematski precenjuju sopstvena postignuća i postignuća grupa kojima pripadaju i b. koji faktori podstiču ovu vrstu precenjivanja. Pored toga, istraţivali smo da li postoje psihički korelati sklonosti ka precenjivanju prošlih postignuća, pošavši od pretpostavke da su tome skloni bolje adaptirani pojedinci. U istraţivanju je ukupno učestvovalo 558 ispitanika, prosečnog uzrasta 20 godina, slučajnim izborom rasporeĎenih u eksperimentalne grupe. Ispitanici su izveštavali o svojim prošlim postignućima: o uspehu u srednjoj školi ili na prijemnom ispitu za fakultet (Eksperiment 1), o percentilnom rangu koji im je saopšten nakon što su elektro...
U ovom radu opisana je primjena i ispitane su metrijske karakteristike modificiranog Testa implic... more U ovom radu opisana je primjena i ispitane su metrijske karakteristike modificiranog Testa implicitnih asocijacija (Child IAT) u mjerenju implicitnih etničkih predrasuda prema Romima kod desetogodišnjaka. Na uzorku od osamdesetero...
Odeljenje za psihologiju, Filozofski fakultet u Beogradu U ovom članku izloženi su rezultati eksp... more Odeljenje za psihologiju, Filozofski fakultet u Beogradu U ovom članku izloženi su rezultati eksperimentalnog istraživanja strategija sticanja otpornosti na ubеđivanje. Cilj istraživanja bio je da se ispita efikasnost dve konkretne strategije kontraargumentovanja i obezvređivanja izvora i eventualna zavisnost efekata ovih strategija od kanala prijema poruke. Istraživanje se oslanja na modifikovanu eksperimentalnu paradigmu korišćenu u istraživanju Kameronove i saradnika , sa namerom da se provere njihovi nalazi i to u situaciji prezentovanja poruke putem video, audio-zapisa ili pismenim putem. Ubeđujuća poruka proizvela je statistički značajne efekte -stav ispitanika prema prekidu trudnoće značajno je promenjen; ni jedna od strategija građenja otpornosti, međutim, nije se pokazala efikasnom, kao što ni efekat promene stava nije zavisio od kanala prijema poruke.
Objectives The rise of the Internet in recent years substantially expands the forms of potential ... more Objectives The rise of the Internet in recent years substantially expands the forms of potential civic participation. The Internet offers the opportunity to users to share their opinion, form virtual groups and pressure the authorities without sharing physical space or direct interpersonal contact. As different set of skills seems to be required for online and offline activism, it was hypothesized that the socio-demographic profile of the two, may at least be partially different. Design The first aim of this study was to find out to what extend people in Serbia participate in offline and online actions and which actions they are more likely to take part in. The second aim was to investigate and compare socio-demographic predictors of traditional (offline) and online forms of actions. Methods Online and offline civic participation were assessed by parallel versions of activism scale, in which participants are asked to mark in which activities they took part. It was followed by a set ...
The popularity of social networking sites (SNS) changed to a great extent not only media environm... more The popularity of social networking sites (SNS) changed to a great extent not only media environment, but also everyday life activities of modern humans. Despite their obvious benefits in terms of communication, there is evidence of addictive tendencies in SNS use. The study examined psychological and sociodemographic predictors of these addictive tendencies in Serbian SNS users drawn from a representative sample (N = 2014), having in mind that Serbia has Facebook penetration rate over European average. Results indicate a low incidence of self-reported addictive tendencies, with some individual differences worth addressing. We developed and tested exhaustive model that included three sets of predictors (socio-demographic, psychological and exposure to traditional media), as well as restrictive models that systematically excluded group by group. Path analysis revealed that psychological traits were stronger predictors than socio-demographic ones: people with lower self-esteem, lower general self-efficacy and higher introversion were more likely to report addictive SNS use. Although our results in general support the so called ''social compensation hypothesis'', it can be due to the focus on addictive tendencies instead of other indicators of SNS use.
In two replication attempts, procedural priming of a high construal mindset ("why" cond... more In two replication attempts, procedural priming of a high construal mindset ("why" condition) unexpectedly led to less harsh judgment of moral transgressions compared to priming of a low construal mindset ("how" condition). Eyal, Liberman, and Trope (EL&T, 2014) proposed the mechanism that explained these findings, and obtained some supporting data. We expand on it by testing the mechanism on virtuous acts instead of on moral transgressions. We conclude by discussing the need to re-evaluate the procedures in the context of specific studies.
In two studies, the authors examined the effects of intergroup contact in inclusive and non-inclu... more In two studies, the authors examined the effects of intergroup contact in inclusive and non-inclusive environments on children's explicit and implicit prejudices. In both studies, supervised contact with Roma peers, instructed by inclusive program, led to a more positive explicit evaluation of Roma and less social distance, while it had no significant impact on implicit attitudes. In contrast, implicit attitudes were related to mere exposure to Roma (Study 2). Intergroup anxiety and self-disclosure mediated the effect of inclusiveness level on explicit, but not on implicit attitudes. The results indicate that two types of attitudes might be formed via different routes, and that mere exposure and supervised contact influence them differently. This information could help tailor future prejudice reduction programs.
established that people judged moral transgressions more harshly and virtuous acts more positivel... more established that people judged moral transgressions more harshly and virtuous acts more positively when the acts were psychologically distant than close. In a series of conceptual and direct replications, Gong and Medin (2012) came to the opposite conclusion. Attempting to resolve these inconsistencies, we conducted four high-powered replication studies in which we varied temporal distance (Studies 1 and 3), social distance (Study 2) or construal level (Study 4), and registered their impact on moral judgment. We found no systematic effect of temporal distance, the effect of social distance consistent with Eyal et al., and the reversed effect of direct construal level manipulation, consistent with Gong and Medin. Possible explanations for the incompatible results are discussed.
Man's deep-rooted tendency to maintain and reinforce a positive self-image makes man inclined to ... more Man's deep-rooted tendency to maintain and reinforce a positive self-image makes man inclined to uncritically accept desirable information (the confirmation bias) as well as to criticize and reject undesirable information (the disconfirmation bias). Since disconfirmation strategy leads to a logically correct solution to the four-card Wason selection task, we predicted that ego-involvement manipulation would have a significant effect on the success rate of the task. Specifically, we hypothesized that subjects who were exposed to personally threatening information would try to reject it and thus be more successful on Wason task than those who were exposed to non-threatening information, as established in previously published study by . Furthermore, we wanted to examine if manipulating valence framing of the Wason task rule would result in a higher success rate for the group exposed to the threatening and negatively framed rule (that implied their own early death) than the group exposed to the threatening but positively framed rule (that category of people other than the one they belong to live longer). One hundred ninety five high school students from Kragujevac, Serbia participated in the experiment. The results confirmed the expected effect of involvement, while the main effect of framing did not occur. However, there was a marginally significant involvement by framing interaction: unexpectedly, non involved participants were more likely to solve the task correctly when it was positively framed than when in was negatively framed, whilst in the involved group there was no difference in correct responding depending on framing. The findings suggest that the success rate in Wason task can be sensitive to the valence framing of the rule, but only when respondents are not highly personally threatened. Potential methodological interventions in ego-involvement manipulation and content of the rules are discussed.
The paper addresses the question of whether matching a persuasive message to a recipient's self-c... more The paper addresses the question of whether matching a persuasive message to a recipient's self-concept can enhance message processing. A large body of experiments within the Elaboration likelihood model proved that framing a message so as to be perceived as selfrelevant led to more careful argument scrutiny. In this research, we matched the messages with previously assessed need for cognition -tendency to engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive tasks. Two possible sources of motivation to process a persuasive message were hereby confronted: dispositional (cognitive style) and situational (matching). Results showed a significant attitude change, but the main hypothesis was not confirmed: matched messages did not produce more argument processing activity than the mismatched. Manipulations did not have any significant effects on message processing of the high need for cognition participants. Contrary to expectations, participants low in their need for cognition elaborated the message more carefully when it was mismatched, that is when the message addressed them as persons inclined to careful thinking. Results can be explained within the framework of self-affirmation theory, which argues that providing people with an opportunity to affirm their sense of selfworth makes them more open to persuasion attempts, as well as more objective. Results are discussed from a wider theoretical and empirical perspective of motivation.
In the hope to resolve the two sets of opposing results concerning the effects of psychological d... more In the hope to resolve the two sets of opposing results concerning the effects of psychological distance and construal levels on moral judgment, Ž eželj and Jokić (2014) conducted a series of four direct replications, which yielded divergent patterns of results. In our commentary, we first revisit the consistent findings that lower-level construals induced by How/Why manipulation lead to harsher moral condemnation than higher-level construals. We then speculate on the puzzling patterns of results regarding the role of temporal distance in shaping moral judgment. And we conclude by discussing the complexity of morality and propose that it may be important to incorporate cultural systems into the study of moral cognition.
Odeljenje za psihologiju, Filozofski fakultet u Beogradu U ovom članku izloženi su rezultati eksp... more Odeljenje za psihologiju, Filozofski fakultet u Beogradu U ovom članku izloženi su rezultati eksperimentalnog istraživanja strategija sticanja otpornosti na ubеđivanje. Cilj istraživanja bio je da se ispita efikasnost dve konkretne strategije kontraargumentovanja i obezvređivanja izvora i eventualna zavisnost efekata ovih strategija od kanala prijema poruke. Istraživanje se oslanja na modifikovanu eksperimentalnu paradigmu korišćenu u istraživanju Kameronove i saradnika , sa namerom da se provere njihovi nalazi i to u situaciji prezentovanja poruke putem video, audio-zapisa ili pismenim putem. Ubeđujuća poruka proizvela je statistički značajne efekte -stav ispitanika prema prekidu trudnoće značajno je promenjen; ni jedna od strategija građenja otpornosti, međutim, nije se pokazala efikasnom, kao što ni efekat promene stava nije zavisio od kanala prijema poruke.
The popularity of social networking sites (SNS) changed to a great extent not only media environm... more The popularity of social networking sites (SNS) changed to a great extent not only media environment, but also everyday life activities of modern humans. Despite their obvious benefits in terms of communication, there is evidence of addictive tendencies in SNS use. The study examined psychological and sociodemographic predictors of these addictive tendencies in Serbian SNS users drawn from a representative sample (N = 2014), having in mind that Serbia has Facebook penetration rate over European average. Results indicate a low incidence of self-reported addictive tendencies, with some individual differences worth addressing. We developed and tested exhaustive model that included three sets of predictors (socio-demographic, psychological and exposure to traditional media), as well as restrictive models that systematically excluded group by group. Path analysis revealed that psychological traits were stronger predictors than socio-demographic ones: people with lower self-esteem, lower general self-efficacy and higher introversion were more likely to report addictive SNS use. Although our results in general support the so called ''social compensation hypothesis'', it can be due to the focus on addictive tendencies instead of other indicators of SNS use.
Prior research has demonstrated the valence-framing effect, in which leading people to frame a pr... more Prior research has demonstrated the valence-framing effect, in which leading people to frame a preference negatively (e.g., 'I oppose Romney') yields stronger attitudes than does leading people to frame that same preference positively (e.g., 'I support Obama'). Three studies tested whether or not depth of processing (as operationalized by manipulations of motivation and ability to cognitively process) moderate the effect. The valence-framing effect was replicated, such that opposers manifested stronger attitudes than did supporters, but only when attitudes were relevant to the participants (Experiments 1 and 3), and when participants were not under cognitive load (Experiment 2). Our results thus identify depth of processing as an important moderator of the valence-framing effect and provide potential insight into the effect's mechanism.
Irrational beliefs are often used as an umbrella term that comprises a variety of psychological c... more Irrational beliefs are often used as an umbrella term that comprises a variety of psychological constructs: from specific cognitive biases to a wider class of epistemologically suspect beliefs (superstitions, paranormal and pseudoscientific beliefs, conspiracy theories etc.) or cognitive styles (analytical versus intuitive thinking), but also unsubstantiated self-related beliefs. This collection of papers illustrates this diversity well. Apart from the descriptive portion of the data, which has merit on its own, the authors provide important methodological innovations in the way these beliefs are measured, but also look deeper in their functionality and consequences.
ABSTRACT Based on research conducted in the course of the FOCUS-BALKANS project Explains the main... more ABSTRACT Based on research conducted in the course of the FOCUS-BALKANS project Explains the main methods, models, and approaches of food consumer science in a concise and simple way Illustrates each method, using a concrete case study Shows that food consumer science is an ever-more important discipline in the light of growing challenges in public health This book explores the main methods, models, and approaches of food consumer science applied to six countries of the Western Balkans, illustrating each of these methods with concrete case studies. Research conducted between 2008 and 2011 in the course of the FOCUS-BALKANS project forms an excellent database for exploring recent changes and trends in food consumption. Each chapter of Food Consumer Science: Theories, Methods and Application to the Western Balkans includes an introduction, an explanation of the methodology applied and illustrations with a case study. Coverage includes such topics as theories of food choice; segmenting consumers using cluster analysis; the emerging market for health claim products; the use of focus groups for assessing fruit perceptions; methods for analyzing consumer interest in organic and traditional foods and more. A final chapter offers conclusions concerning the major evolving markets for health claim products, fruits, organic products and traditional food and presents findings on food choices of Western Balkan consumers. The book declares an urgent need for development of consumer rights and of public health policies, which must be supported by a Europe-wide network of scientists and public health officials. Content Level » Upper undergraduate Keywords » Focus group discussions - Food choice questionnaire - Food consumer science - Public health policies - Western Balkan countries
People who are more avoidant of pathogens are more politically conservative, as are nations with ... more People who are more avoidant of pathogens are more politically conservative, as are nations with greater parasite stress. In the current research, we test two prominent hypotheses that have been proposed as explanations for these relationships. The first, which is an intragroup account, holds that these relationships between pathogens and politics are based on motivations to adhere to local norms, which are sometimes shaped by cultural evolution to have pathogen-neutralizing properties. The second, which is an intergroup account, holds that these same relationships are based on motivations to avoid contact with outgroups, who might pose greater infectious disease threats than ingroup members. Results from a study surveying 11,501 participants across 30 nations are more consistent with the intragroup account than with the intergroup account. National parasite stress relates to traditionalism (an aspect of conservatism especially related to adherence to group norms) but not to social dominance orientation (SDO; an aspect of conservatism especially related to endorsements of intergroup barriers and negativity toward ethnic and racial outgroups). Further, individual differences in pathogen-avoidance motives (i.e., disgust sensitivity) relate more strongly to traditionalism than to SDO within the 30 nations. political ideology | pathogens | disgust | culture | evolutionary psychology
As we belong to a host of groups, we have a multitude of social identities that are interdependen... more As we belong to a host of groups, we have a multitude of social identities that are interdependent. Social identity complexity refers to the degree of overlap between cross-cutting group memberships while social identity inclusiveness to the range of people a person identifies with through shared group membership. In this paper, we explored the relationship between the complexity and inclusiveness of social identity, and feelings toward ethnic/religious in-groups, as well as feelings toward out-group members. The research was conducted in two cities in Serbia: Belgrade and Novi Pazar (N = 178; average age 23), allowing for comparisons between young Serbs and Bosniaks, who belonged to the groups with a recent history of conflict. We found that social identity complexity was unrelated, whilst social identity inclusiveness was systematically and positively related to more positive feelings toward religious and ethnic out-groups. This effect was significant across different ethnic groups (Serbs and Bosniaks) and local contexts (Belgrade and Novi Pazar). Both social identity complexity and inclusiveness were unrelated to emotions toward members of the own group. We related these results with the existing data on the social identity structure and intergroup relations, and discussed the importance of inclusive identities for building tolerant societies.
Apstrakt Autobiografska sećanja često ne predstavljaju veran zapis prošlih dogaĎaja, već njihovu ... more Apstrakt Autobiografska sećanja često ne predstavljaju veran zapis prošlih dogaĎaja, već njihovu rekonstrukciju. U tom procesu, dogaĎaji bivaju modifikovani tako da se uklapaju u sliku o sebi; to uglavnom znači da se sistematski pozitivno menjaju. Ovaj fenomen zovemo egotizmom pamćenja. Serija od šest ogleda osmišljena je da se proveri a. da li ljudi sistematski precenjuju sopstvena postignuća i postignuća grupa kojima pripadaju i b. koji faktori podstiču ovu vrstu precenjivanja. Pored toga, istraţivali smo da li postoje psihički korelati sklonosti ka precenjivanju prošlih postignuća, pošavši od pretpostavke da su tome skloni bolje adaptirani pojedinci. U istraţivanju je ukupno učestvovalo 558 ispitanika, prosečnog uzrasta 20 godina, slučajnim izborom rasporeĎenih u eksperimentalne grupe. Ispitanici su izveštavali o svojim prošlim postignućima: o uspehu u srednjoj školi ili na prijemnom ispitu za fakultet (Eksperiment 1), o percentilnom rangu koji im je saopšten nakon što su elektro...
U ovom radu opisana je primjena i ispitane su metrijske karakteristike modificiranog Testa implic... more U ovom radu opisana je primjena i ispitane su metrijske karakteristike modificiranog Testa implicitnih asocijacija (Child IAT) u mjerenju implicitnih etničkih predrasuda prema Romima kod desetogodišnjaka. Na uzorku od osamdesetero...
Odeljenje za psihologiju, Filozofski fakultet u Beogradu U ovom članku izloženi su rezultati eksp... more Odeljenje za psihologiju, Filozofski fakultet u Beogradu U ovom članku izloženi su rezultati eksperimentalnog istraživanja strategija sticanja otpornosti na ubеđivanje. Cilj istraživanja bio je da se ispita efikasnost dve konkretne strategije kontraargumentovanja i obezvređivanja izvora i eventualna zavisnost efekata ovih strategija od kanala prijema poruke. Istraživanje se oslanja na modifikovanu eksperimentalnu paradigmu korišćenu u istraživanju Kameronove i saradnika , sa namerom da se provere njihovi nalazi i to u situaciji prezentovanja poruke putem video, audio-zapisa ili pismenim putem. Ubeđujuća poruka proizvela je statistički značajne efekte -stav ispitanika prema prekidu trudnoće značajno je promenjen; ni jedna od strategija građenja otpornosti, međutim, nije se pokazala efikasnom, kao što ni efekat promene stava nije zavisio od kanala prijema poruke.
Objectives The rise of the Internet in recent years substantially expands the forms of potential ... more Objectives The rise of the Internet in recent years substantially expands the forms of potential civic participation. The Internet offers the opportunity to users to share their opinion, form virtual groups and pressure the authorities without sharing physical space or direct interpersonal contact. As different set of skills seems to be required for online and offline activism, it was hypothesized that the socio-demographic profile of the two, may at least be partially different. Design The first aim of this study was to find out to what extend people in Serbia participate in offline and online actions and which actions they are more likely to take part in. The second aim was to investigate and compare socio-demographic predictors of traditional (offline) and online forms of actions. Methods Online and offline civic participation were assessed by parallel versions of activism scale, in which participants are asked to mark in which activities they took part. It was followed by a set ...
The popularity of social networking sites (SNS) changed to a great extent not only media environm... more The popularity of social networking sites (SNS) changed to a great extent not only media environment, but also everyday life activities of modern humans. Despite their obvious benefits in terms of communication, there is evidence of addictive tendencies in SNS use. The study examined psychological and sociodemographic predictors of these addictive tendencies in Serbian SNS users drawn from a representative sample (N = 2014), having in mind that Serbia has Facebook penetration rate over European average. Results indicate a low incidence of self-reported addictive tendencies, with some individual differences worth addressing. We developed and tested exhaustive model that included three sets of predictors (socio-demographic, psychological and exposure to traditional media), as well as restrictive models that systematically excluded group by group. Path analysis revealed that psychological traits were stronger predictors than socio-demographic ones: people with lower self-esteem, lower general self-efficacy and higher introversion were more likely to report addictive SNS use. Although our results in general support the so called ''social compensation hypothesis'', it can be due to the focus on addictive tendencies instead of other indicators of SNS use.
In two replication attempts, procedural priming of a high construal mindset ("why" cond... more In two replication attempts, procedural priming of a high construal mindset ("why" condition) unexpectedly led to less harsh judgment of moral transgressions compared to priming of a low construal mindset ("how" condition). Eyal, Liberman, and Trope (EL&T, 2014) proposed the mechanism that explained these findings, and obtained some supporting data. We expand on it by testing the mechanism on virtuous acts instead of on moral transgressions. We conclude by discussing the need to re-evaluate the procedures in the context of specific studies.
In two studies, the authors examined the effects of intergroup contact in inclusive and non-inclu... more In two studies, the authors examined the effects of intergroup contact in inclusive and non-inclusive environments on children's explicit and implicit prejudices. In both studies, supervised contact with Roma peers, instructed by inclusive program, led to a more positive explicit evaluation of Roma and less social distance, while it had no significant impact on implicit attitudes. In contrast, implicit attitudes were related to mere exposure to Roma (Study 2). Intergroup anxiety and self-disclosure mediated the effect of inclusiveness level on explicit, but not on implicit attitudes. The results indicate that two types of attitudes might be formed via different routes, and that mere exposure and supervised contact influence them differently. This information could help tailor future prejudice reduction programs.
established that people judged moral transgressions more harshly and virtuous acts more positivel... more established that people judged moral transgressions more harshly and virtuous acts more positively when the acts were psychologically distant than close. In a series of conceptual and direct replications, Gong and Medin (2012) came to the opposite conclusion. Attempting to resolve these inconsistencies, we conducted four high-powered replication studies in which we varied temporal distance (Studies 1 and 3), social distance (Study 2) or construal level (Study 4), and registered their impact on moral judgment. We found no systematic effect of temporal distance, the effect of social distance consistent with Eyal et al., and the reversed effect of direct construal level manipulation, consistent with Gong and Medin. Possible explanations for the incompatible results are discussed.
Man's deep-rooted tendency to maintain and reinforce a positive self-image makes man inclined to ... more Man's deep-rooted tendency to maintain and reinforce a positive self-image makes man inclined to uncritically accept desirable information (the confirmation bias) as well as to criticize and reject undesirable information (the disconfirmation bias). Since disconfirmation strategy leads to a logically correct solution to the four-card Wason selection task, we predicted that ego-involvement manipulation would have a significant effect on the success rate of the task. Specifically, we hypothesized that subjects who were exposed to personally threatening information would try to reject it and thus be more successful on Wason task than those who were exposed to non-threatening information, as established in previously published study by . Furthermore, we wanted to examine if manipulating valence framing of the Wason task rule would result in a higher success rate for the group exposed to the threatening and negatively framed rule (that implied their own early death) than the group exposed to the threatening but positively framed rule (that category of people other than the one they belong to live longer). One hundred ninety five high school students from Kragujevac, Serbia participated in the experiment. The results confirmed the expected effect of involvement, while the main effect of framing did not occur. However, there was a marginally significant involvement by framing interaction: unexpectedly, non involved participants were more likely to solve the task correctly when it was positively framed than when in was negatively framed, whilst in the involved group there was no difference in correct responding depending on framing. The findings suggest that the success rate in Wason task can be sensitive to the valence framing of the rule, but only when respondents are not highly personally threatened. Potential methodological interventions in ego-involvement manipulation and content of the rules are discussed.
The paper addresses the question of whether matching a persuasive message to a recipient's self-c... more The paper addresses the question of whether matching a persuasive message to a recipient's self-concept can enhance message processing. A large body of experiments within the Elaboration likelihood model proved that framing a message so as to be perceived as selfrelevant led to more careful argument scrutiny. In this research, we matched the messages with previously assessed need for cognition -tendency to engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive tasks. Two possible sources of motivation to process a persuasive message were hereby confronted: dispositional (cognitive style) and situational (matching). Results showed a significant attitude change, but the main hypothesis was not confirmed: matched messages did not produce more argument processing activity than the mismatched. Manipulations did not have any significant effects on message processing of the high need for cognition participants. Contrary to expectations, participants low in their need for cognition elaborated the message more carefully when it was mismatched, that is when the message addressed them as persons inclined to careful thinking. Results can be explained within the framework of self-affirmation theory, which argues that providing people with an opportunity to affirm their sense of selfworth makes them more open to persuasion attempts, as well as more objective. Results are discussed from a wider theoretical and empirical perspective of motivation.
In the hope to resolve the two sets of opposing results concerning the effects of psychological d... more In the hope to resolve the two sets of opposing results concerning the effects of psychological distance and construal levels on moral judgment, Ž eželj and Jokić (2014) conducted a series of four direct replications, which yielded divergent patterns of results. In our commentary, we first revisit the consistent findings that lower-level construals induced by How/Why manipulation lead to harsher moral condemnation than higher-level construals. We then speculate on the puzzling patterns of results regarding the role of temporal distance in shaping moral judgment. And we conclude by discussing the complexity of morality and propose that it may be important to incorporate cultural systems into the study of moral cognition.
Odeljenje za psihologiju, Filozofski fakultet u Beogradu U ovom članku izloženi su rezultati eksp... more Odeljenje za psihologiju, Filozofski fakultet u Beogradu U ovom članku izloženi su rezultati eksperimentalnog istraživanja strategija sticanja otpornosti na ubеđivanje. Cilj istraživanja bio je da se ispita efikasnost dve konkretne strategije kontraargumentovanja i obezvređivanja izvora i eventualna zavisnost efekata ovih strategija od kanala prijema poruke. Istraživanje se oslanja na modifikovanu eksperimentalnu paradigmu korišćenu u istraživanju Kameronove i saradnika , sa namerom da se provere njihovi nalazi i to u situaciji prezentovanja poruke putem video, audio-zapisa ili pismenim putem. Ubeđujuća poruka proizvela je statistički značajne efekte -stav ispitanika prema prekidu trudnoće značajno je promenjen; ni jedna od strategija građenja otpornosti, međutim, nije se pokazala efikasnom, kao što ni efekat promene stava nije zavisio od kanala prijema poruke.
The popularity of social networking sites (SNS) changed to a great extent not only media environm... more The popularity of social networking sites (SNS) changed to a great extent not only media environment, but also everyday life activities of modern humans. Despite their obvious benefits in terms of communication, there is evidence of addictive tendencies in SNS use. The study examined psychological and sociodemographic predictors of these addictive tendencies in Serbian SNS users drawn from a representative sample (N = 2014), having in mind that Serbia has Facebook penetration rate over European average. Results indicate a low incidence of self-reported addictive tendencies, with some individual differences worth addressing. We developed and tested exhaustive model that included three sets of predictors (socio-demographic, psychological and exposure to traditional media), as well as restrictive models that systematically excluded group by group. Path analysis revealed that psychological traits were stronger predictors than socio-demographic ones: people with lower self-esteem, lower general self-efficacy and higher introversion were more likely to report addictive SNS use. Although our results in general support the so called ''social compensation hypothesis'', it can be due to the focus on addictive tendencies instead of other indicators of SNS use.
Prior research has demonstrated the valence-framing effect, in which leading people to frame a pr... more Prior research has demonstrated the valence-framing effect, in which leading people to frame a preference negatively (e.g., 'I oppose Romney') yields stronger attitudes than does leading people to frame that same preference positively (e.g., 'I support Obama'). Three studies tested whether or not depth of processing (as operationalized by manipulations of motivation and ability to cognitively process) moderate the effect. The valence-framing effect was replicated, such that opposers manifested stronger attitudes than did supporters, but only when attitudes were relevant to the participants (Experiments 1 and 3), and when participants were not under cognitive load (Experiment 2). Our results thus identify depth of processing as an important moderator of the valence-framing effect and provide potential insight into the effect's mechanism.
This research explored the effects of food choice motives, nutritional knowledge, and the use of ... more This research explored the effects of food choice motives, nutritional knowledge, and the use of food labels, on attitude toward food with health claims. Food with health claims was chosen as a relatively novel category of products designed to be beneficial for health. We identified eight motives served by food in general, and tested if they serve as motivations to positively evaluate functional food. Questionnaire was administered on nationally representative samples of 3085 respondents from six Western Balkan countries. We proposed two structural models relating an extensive list of eight and, alternatively, restricted list of three food-choice motives (health, mood and sensory appeal) to attitude toward functional food. We also expected the indirect association between the health motive and attitude, through nutritional knowledge and use of food labels. The results revealed highly positive, although undifferentiated attitude toward functional food, with no significant differences between the countries. The restricted model provided a better fit then the exhaustive model; the health motive was proven to have indirect influence on attitude through knowledge and label use. The implications of these findings for functional approach to attitudes, understanding the demand for functional food and overcoming barriers to dietary change are discussed.
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Papers by Iris Žeželj