Papers by Jasper Van Assche
Subtle and blatant dehumanization exacerbates negative intergroup relations while intergroup cont... more Subtle and blatant dehumanization exacerbates negative intergroup relations while intergroup contact ameliorates them. An emerging body of research has started to examine the link between intergroup contact and dehumanization as a potential method for promoting harmony and social cohesion between different social groups. In this article, we examine how direct and indirect contact strategies can reduce both subtle and blatant dehumanization and how humanization can increase willingness for contact with outgroup members. This suggests a range of ways in which exploring contact and dehumanization might contribute to improved intergroup relations. Last, we explore how enhanced empathy, trust, prejudice, and inclusive norms toward outgroups, along with lower anxiety, explain the link between contact and dehumanization.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Oct 28, 2022
Social and Personality Psychology Compass, Jun 29, 2023
We present a global experience-sampling method (ESM) study aimed at describing, predicting, and u... more We present a global experience-sampling method (ESM) study aimed at describing, predicting, and understanding individual differences in well-being during times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This international ESM study is a collaborative effort of over 60 interdisciplinary researchers from around the world in the “Coping with Corona” (CoCo) project. The study comprises trait-, state-, and daily-level data of 7,490 participants from over 20 countries (total ESM measurements = 207,263; total daily measurements = 73,295) collected between October 2021 and August 2022. We provide a brief overview of the theoretical background and aims of the study, present the applied methods (including a description of the study design, data collection procedures, data cleaning, and final sample), and discuss exemplary research questions to which these data can be applied. We end by inviting collaborations on the CoCo dataset.
Psychologica Belgica, 2019
Previous studies have obtained divergent findings for the association between ethnic diversity an... more Previous studies have obtained divergent findings for the association between ethnic diversity and majority members' attitudes towards immigrants, suggesting that this relationship is moderated by individual or contextual difference variables. In a community sample of Dutch citizens (N = 399), we investigated the role of two potential moderators: right-wing authoritarianism and social threat in the local neighborhood. Moreover, we assessed diversity and social threat in the neighborhood with both subjective and objective measures. The results indicated that diversity was negatively related to positive attitudes towards immigrants among high authoritarians and among people experiencing their immediate environment as threatening. Conversely, diversity was positively related to outgroup attitudes among low authoritarian individuals and among people residing in more secure neighborhoods. The theoretical and practical implications of these personenvironment and environment-environment interactions are discussed.
share first authorship. Markus Bühner, Maarten van Zalk, and Mitja D. Back share senior authorshi... more share first authorship. Markus Bühner, Maarten van Zalk, and Mitja D. Back share senior authorship. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Current opinion in behavioral sciences, Apr 1, 2023
Current Psychology, Jun 13, 2023
Prosociality is often considered as quintessential in coping with the threats of health emergenci... more Prosociality is often considered as quintessential in coping with the threats of health emergencies. As previous research has suggested, prosocial behaviors are shaped by both dispositional factors and situational cues about the helping situation. In the present research, we investigated whether "bonding" types of prosociality, helping directed towards close others within one's social network, and "bridging" types of prosociality, helping directed towards vulnerable people across group boundaries, are predicted by basic individual values and threat appraisals concerning COVID-19. During the pandemic, we conducted a cross-sectional study in the US and India (N total = 954), using the Schwartz value inventory and a multifaceted measure of threat assessment to predict prosocial helping intentions. After controlling for other value and threat facets, self-transcendence values and threat for vulnerable groups uniquely predicted both bonding and bridging types of prosociality. Furthermore, threat for vulnerable groups partially mediated the effect of self-transcendence on prosocial helping intentions: People who endorsed self-transcendent values were particularly concerned by the effect of the pandemic on vulnerable groups, and thus willing to engage in prosocial behaviours to help those in need. Our findings support the idea that prosociality is stimulated by empathic concerns towards others in need and underline the importance for future research to consider the broad spectrum of threats appraised by people during health emergencies.
Mass Communication and Society, Dec 19, 2022
Routledge eBooks, Mar 20, 2021
Scientific Reports, Aug 7, 2020
Psychologica Belgica, Nov 21, 2017
Testifying to the gap in fundamental research on positive intergroup outcomes, we investigated re... more Testifying to the gap in fundamental research on positive intergroup outcomes, we investigated reconciliation attitudes in a non-violent intergroup context (i.e., the linguistic conflict in Belgium). By incorporating both important predictors of negative outgroup attitudes (i.e., individual differences in rigid cognitive styles and authoritarian ideologies), and important predictors of reconciliation (i.e., intergroup emotions), we aimed to contribute to a more comprehensive theoretical framework for the analysis of intergroup relations. We recruited one Flemish (N = 310) and one Walloon (N = 365) undergraduate students sample to test the proposed model. Structural equation analyses with maximum likelihood estimation were conducted using the Lavaan package. In both samples, similar patterns were found. More in particular, the need for cognitive closure appeared to be the basic predictor of right-wing attitudes (i.e., right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation) and essentialist thinking, which were then associated with less outgroup empathy and trust, and more outgroup anger. Furthermore, outgroup trust and empathy were positively related to reconciliation. Interestingly, some differences between the Flemish and Walloon sample were found, such as the direct effects of need for closure and social dominance orientation in the first sample, and the non-significant effects of essentialism in the latter sample. Considering the ongoing public and political debate about the linguistic conflict in Belgium, these findings shed a new light on how individual differences relate to specific outgroup emotions, and how these are associated with important intergroup outcomes in the face of intergroup conflict.
Current Directions in Psychological Science, Jul 3, 2019
Issues related to ethnic-cultural diversity often make the news headlines in popular media and ha... more Issues related to ethnic-cultural diversity often make the news headlines in popular media and have attracted extensive attention in the political arena as well as in academic research in psychology, political sciences, and sociology. Political scientist Robert Putnam reported that increased diversity is associated with a range of negative outcomes, including less trust, a decreased sense of community, more prejudice, and more cynicism and mistrust towards politics and politicians. Yet, given that follow-up studies often revealed mixed results, a novel approach to understand the effects of diversity is needed. We address the impact of diversity from a person x context interaction perspective, demonstrating that diversity aggravates the negative attitudes that already exist among certain individuals. Specifically, we review the accumulated evidence showing that particularly those high in authoritarian attitudes are sensitive to diversity, and prone to react with increased negativity to outgroups, politicians, the political system, and democracy.
Political Psychology, Sep 11, 2016
The mobilizing effect of right-wing ideological climates: Cross-level interaction effects on diff... more The mobilizing effect of right-wing ideological climates: Cross-level interaction effects on different types of outgroup attitudes.
American Psychologist, Mar 9, 2023
Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, Oct 28, 2021
Using data from Turkey and Belgium, this study investigated the relationships of right-wing autho... more Using data from Turkey and Belgium, this study investigated the relationships of right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation with ambivalent sexism, homophobia, and subtle racism. First, we predicted that men are more prejudiced than women. This hypothesis was confirmed in the Turkish but not in the Belgian sample. Second, Muslims were higher in authoritarianism and homophobia than people belonging to other (or no) religious groups. Third, Muslims also showed more hostile sexism toward both men and women. Fourth, negative associations of education with authoritarianism, sexism, and homophobia were expected and found. Fifth, in both countries, authoritarianism was positively related to homophobia and sexism, and social dominance orientation was positively associated with racism. Finally, groups comparing both samples, we found that Turks' authoritarianism and prejudice was higher than Belgians'. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Social Psychological and Personality Science, Jun 10, 2020
The present set of studies investigated the role of being religious in the prediction of various ... more The present set of studies investigated the role of being religious in the prediction of various forms of prejudice. Following the Threat-Constraint Model, we predicted that contexts characterized by high threat attenuate-or constrain-the relationship between individual differences in being religious on the one hand, and anti-gay prejudice and sexism on the other. A worldwide investigation of these regional constraints was conducted in the Americas Barometer (125,984 individuals nested in 20 countries; Study 1), the World Value Survey (69,798 individuals nested in 45 countries; Study 2), and the European Social Survey (44,386 individuals nested in 274 NUTS-regions; Study 3). Results identify a key moderating role of Hofstede's cultural dimensions, revealing strong associations between religion and prejudice in regions low in power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity and collectivism, whereas the religion-prejudice association is constrained (i.e., weaker and often absent) in regions high on those cultural dimensions.
Judgment and Decision Making, Sep 1, 2019
Surprisingly little research has investigated the particular motives that underlie choice behavio... more Surprisingly little research has investigated the particular motives that underlie choice behavior in social dilemma situations. The main aim of the present research was to ask whether behavior in take-some games (such as the multiple-person Commons Dilemma Game and the two-person Bandit Game) and give-some games (such as the multiple-person Public Goods Dilemma Game and the two-person Dictator Game) is differently affected by proself and prosocial motives. Two experimental studies were conducted. Our first experiment used a trait-based assessment of the motives, whereas in our second experiment the motives were measured as state variables. The results of both experiments revealed that proself and prosocial motives did not explain much difference between taking and giving when comparing the Commons Dilemma Game and the Public Goods Dilemma Game. Yet, our second experiment revealed that these motives did differentiate choices in the Bandit Game and the Dictator Game. More specifically, prosocial motives are more strongly related to giving behavior in the Dictator Game than to taking behavior in the Bandit Game. As such, it can be concluded that in dyadic games (but not in multiple-person games) prosocial motives (but not proself motives) predict choice behavior in a game-specific way.
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Papers by Jasper Van Assche