Small Research Grant Program

Spring 2019

• Kayla Burd, Iowa State University: Does a Reasoning Requirement Reduce Racial and Ethnic Biases in Jury Decision-Making?
  Abstract: This research will test whether requiring jurors to provide reasons for their decisions reduces bias and arbitrary decision-making compared to general verdicts. Community and student participants will take part in a civil mock trial. Following the presentation of case evidence and deliberation, jurors will render a verdict. To examine whether a reasoning requirement reduces jury bias, the plaintiff's ethnicity will be manipulated and juries will utilize either reasoned or general verdicts. This research will advance my current program of research and help to secure future grants.

• Mariela Jaffé, University of Basel: Secretive and Close? How Sharing Secrets may Impact Perceptions of Psychological Distance
  Abstract: Having secrets is very common, and individuals sometimes decide to share a secret with another person. In our research project, we focus on consequences of this disclosure on individuals' relationships. Building on Construal Level Theory, we aim at investigating whether and how sharing secretive information impacts perceptions of psychological distance between the secret-sharer and receiver. Results will contribute to the understanding of how disclosing secrets affects the way individuals think about each other, how close they feel toward each other, and how they will interact in the future.

• Miranda McIntyre, California State University, San Bernardino Liking Guides Learning: The Role of Interests in Memory for STEM Topics
  Abstract: Interests are known to guide information processing and learning, but little research has examined the role of individual differences. The proposed research tests whether trait-level interests promote memory for STEM topics. People higher in the trait of thing orientation are more likely to pursue STEM careers, and initial studies indicate that they learn STEM-related information more readily. The current study extends these findings to a non-student population to determine whether interests predict memory in a more representative sample.

• Devin Mills, Center for Gambling Studies, Rutgers University: Does Impulsivity Explain Crypto Trading Behaviors?  A Two-Wave Prospective Study
  Abstract: Cryptocurrencies or "cryptos" are emerging digital currencies.  Unlike other currencies, most cryptos are reportedly treated as investments; however, the volatility of these markets has alluded to the perception that crypto trading is a risky investment.  Similar to problem stock trading and gambling, heightened impulsivity may explain traders' level of involvement in cryptos as well as their endorsement of problem trading behaviors.  Therefore, the proposed study examines the prospective relation between impulsivity and both crypto trading involvement and problem crypto trading behaviors.

• Matthew Weeks, Rhodes College: Race-based shifts in compensation decisions:  Applying the shifting standards model to explain continuing racial disparities
  Abstract: We are investigating the Shifting Standards Model of (SSM) stereotypic judgments as it impacts race-related workplace compensation decisions.  Our goal is to illustrate the SSM as one mechanism to explain continued racial disparities in the workplace.  Two studies will examine the selection and compensation decisions of White and Black job applicants.  Based on the SSM, we predict that the White job applicants will be assigned higher objective salaries, even as Black applicants' objectively lower salaries are perceived as subjectively better than the Whites.

• Erin Westgate, University of Florida: Meaning-making, coherence, and categorization: Is the mere act of categorization inherently meaningful?
  Abstract: Do people find the act of categorization meaningful? The prevalence of common pastimes such as birdwatching, beachcombing, and mushroom hunting suggest they do. If categorization helps make sense of the world around us, it may act as a chronic source of meaning, organizing people's experience from the most basic levels (e.g., vision) all the way up through higher-order cognition (e.g., stereotyping and prejudice). We experimentally test whether people find the act of categorizing novel stimuli to be more meaningful (and enjoyable) than simply viewing or memorizing the same stimuli.

• Jiawei Zhang, University of Memphis: A 'wise' self-compassion intervention improves academic performance in African American students via increased growth-mindset and resilience
  Abstract: Growth-mindset beliefs entail believing that one's abilities are malleable with effort. Research has shown that growth-mindset beliefs have numerous benefits and encourage the development of resilience. We argue that self-compassion can enhance growth-mindset beliefs, resilience, and in turn, academic performance. We will conduct a simple intervention that tests whether a simple practice of self-compassion can sustainably enhance growth-mindset beliefs over an academic year and engender a pre-to-post increase in resilience and academic performance among African American college students.

Fall 2018

• Pelin Gul, Iowa State University: The Two Faces of Cultures of Honor: Aggressive Vengeance against Competitors and Prosocial Reciprocity toward Cooperators
  Abstract: The importance of reciprocating bad deeds (e.g., insults, threats) through aggressive retaliation in honor cultures is well-known. However, much less is known about the importance of reciprocating good deeds (e.g., helping) in honor cultures. The proposed research will examine whether members of honor cultures have stronger prosocial reciprocity norms manifested by being more attuned to moral values based on ingroup loyalty, feeling of obligation to help co-operators and ingroup members, and negative judgments of people who reject reciprocating help compared to members of dignity cultures.

• Amy Houlihan, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi: Patient prototypes: Perceptions of others who have behavior-related illnesses
  Abstract: People's perceptions of others who have a specific illness (patient prototypes) may influence their health cognitions and behaviors.  Results of two previous studies indicated that patient prototypes for three illnesses were distinct.  Patient prototypes were generally unrelated to illness representation dimensions but were positively associated with constructs in the prototype/willingness model. These studies were limited by the use of college student samples. The proposed study will replicate this work with an older, more diverse sample to examine the role of prior illness experience.

• Ryan Lei, New York University: Causal Beliefs and the Mental Representation of Status
  Abstract: The proposed research hypothesizes that status stereotypes are organized in terms of intuitive theories about the causes of status differences. In previous work, we have demonstrated that participants are better able to judge the compatibility of trait–status pairings when they are presented in line with the dominant cultural theory (that effort determines status) rather than vice versa. The proposed experiments will replicate these findings, and extend them to explore participant culture as a moderator.

• Sarah Myruski, Research Foundation, CUNY; Hunter College, CUNY: Social Regulation of Emotion in Adolescents: The Role of Technology-Mediated Peer Presence
  Abstract: Emotion regulation (ER) promotes positive adjustment across the lifespan, yet little is known about how social context influences biological processes underlying ER, particularly during adolescence, a critical period for ER development. This study employs a neurocognitive index of ER sensitive to social context, the late positive potential. Since adolescence is characterized by growing reliance on peers for social support, and pervasive use of mobile digital technology for communication, this study tests whether technology-mediated peer presence positively impacts adolescent neurocognitive ER.

• Janin Roessel, University of Mannheim: Success as a Burden versus Independence of Achievements  – Self-Compassion as a Coping Resource for Impostor Feelings
  Abstract: Feelings of being an impostor (IP) despite high achievements is prevalent in achievement contexts ranging from higher education to management. The impostor phenomenon poses a burden on individuals' well-being and career-progress, and, ultimately, on society at large—but research on resilience and interventions is lacking. The present project investigates self-compassion (SC) as a coping resource for IP feelings. Study 1 investigates this correlatively on a trait level in work contexts. Study 2 is experimental and tests effects of a low-threshold SC intervention on IP symptoms among students.

• Ozden Melis Ulug, University of Massachusetts Amherst: Turning non-allies into allies: The role of inclusive victimhood narratives in achieving justice and peace
  Abstract: We will test whether reading an inclusive victimhood narrative (e.g., both ingroup and outgroup suffering) instead of an exclusive narrative (e.g., only ingroup suffering) can lower non-allies' competitive victimhood, thereby decreasing their support for retributive justice and increasing their support for restorative justice and peace. We have piloted this project in the Kurdish conflict context. We plan to compare/contrast our preliminary findings with two different conflict contexts: (1) Israel (similar context); (2) Poland (historically concluded, yet currently tense, context).

• Rebecca Weil, University of Hull:  At the boundaries of misattribution: Exploring boundary conditions of the positivity-familiarity effect
  Abstract: The positivity-familiarity effect demonstrates that positive affect can serve as a cue to answer the question of whether a stimulus has been encountered before. The assumed underlying mechanism is misattribution of positivity to judgments of familiarity. Recent research suggested that this effect is not ubiquitous. The aim of the present research is to investigate source-target fit and informative value of primes as two boundary conditions for positivity-familiarity effects. Results from this line of research will provide novel insights into the misattribution mechanism.

Summer 2018

• Jessica A. Maxwell, Florida State University: Improving Romantic Partners' Implicit Feelings of Sexual Satisfaction
  Abstract: Sexual satisfaction is critical to relationship and personal well-being. Yet, couples' self-reported sexual satisfaction may be less diagnostic than their more automatic, implicit feelings of satisfaction. The present research will be the first to adapt well-established implicit methods to (a) assess and (b) increase peoples' sexual satisfaction, improving upon past self-report methods. 500 participants will complete our developed implicit measure of sexual satisfaction followed by an evaluative conditioning procedure designed to increase their implicit sexual satisfaction.

• Greta Valenti, Birmingham-Southern College: Visual Perspective in Mental Imagery of Regretted Events Influences Feelings of Regret and Perception of Consequences
  Abstract: Existing work suggests that mentally picturing regretted events from different visual perspectives affects intensity of regret (Valenti et al., 2011). The current work will extend that work and offer evidence of downstream consequences. The current research will measure, in addition to feelings of regret, participants' perceptions of how many life areas the regretted event influenced. The current research will also use a sample with different demographics, will draw regretted events from a different time period, and will use a validated and different dependent measure than the original work.

• Sasha Kimel, Harvard University: Biological Essentialism & Conflict: How Learning about Genetic Roots Impacts Intergroup Relations
  Abstract: Despite rapidly increasing interest in DNA ancestry tests like 23andMe, research examining their consequences for intergroup relations is minimal. In this study, I mimic DNA ancestry testing and use an experimental design in order to examine the specific conditions in which these tests might impact intergroup relations. These funds would not only support work that is critical to a postdoctoral scholar's larger program of research on biological essentialism and intergroup relations, but they would also allow for exploration of these ideas in order to secure a larger grant in the near future.

• Luca Pancani, Università degli Studi di Milano - Bicocca: What's behind smartphone usage? Studying the antecedents and consequences of smartphone actual usage
  Abstract: Pervasiveness and overuse of smartphone have raised concerns about its potential addictive role. To date, the cross-sectional design and the lack of objective measures of smartphone actual usage that characterize most research have led to inconclusive evidence on smartphone use and overuse. Using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) in combination with a mobile App that collects smartphone's log data, the present study aims at investigating the psychosocial antecedents and consequences of smartphone usage, overcoming the limitations of the existing studies (e.g., self-report smartphone use).

• Curtis Phills, University of North Florida: The impact of evaluative- and self-conditioning procedures on internal mental representations of the self and others
  Abstract: Strategies to reduce prejudice against and increase identification with racial outgroups are effective at reducing prejudice and increasing identification with those groups. However, little is known about the potential impact of these types of interventions on the internal mental representations of outgroups and the self. The proposed research will investigate the impact of training to associate positive concepts with outgroups versus training to associate the self with outgroups on internal mental representations of the self and others measured via a reverse correlation technique.

• Jennifer Tomlinson, Colgate University: Understanding the Benefits of Shared Activities in Retirement
  Abstract: The goal of this investigation is to identify the types of shared activities that are most beneficial to retired couples. Previous research finds that shared participation in exciting activities (compared to pleasant activities) has benefits for relationships. However, the majority of research in this area has been done with younger couples. I predict that participation in activities that provide opportunities for self-expansion (compared to pleasant or no activities) will have the greatest benefits for relationship satisfaction, individual self-efficacy, and life satisfaction.

• Jacqueline Thompson, University of Oxford:  For richer or poorer: Building a model of how warmth and competence perceptions vary across levels of wealth
  Abstract: In an increasingly unequal world, wealth is a source of vital social signals that activate stereotypes about warmth and competence. We previously found that wealthy individuals were perceived as more competent, although not warmer, than poor individuals. Our paradigm has yielded strong effects in pilots between extreme levels of wealth, but to fill in the gaps from our initial (sometimes surprising) findings, we require further funding to test across intermediate values. These will both provide ecological validity and allow us to build a model of wealth effects on stereotype content.

Spring 2018

• Christine Anderl, University of British Columbia: Measuring everyday social media use -- validating a smartphone sensing application for psychological research
  Abstract: Smartphones have become our constant companions and are changing how we interact and navigate through the world. To date, most studies investigating how smartphone use relates to important psychological variables (e.g., personality and mental health) rely on self-reported use. To overcome this limitation, I plan to validate a self-developed smartphone sensing application for its ability to unobtrusively assess activities on social media apps against objectively assessed behavior. If successful, this research represents a new and highly scalable approach to studying everyday phone use.

• Christopher Chartier, Ashland University: The Psychological Science Accelerator's First Study: Extending the Valence-Dominance Model around the World
  Abstract: The Psychological Science Accelerator is a 175 laboratory network, comprised mostly of social, personality, and cognitive psychologists, with the mission of accelerating the pace of reliable and generalizable evidence accumulation in psychological science. I initiated the project and serve as director. We recently selected our first study for data collection in 2018, to test if Oosterhof and Todorov's (2008) valence-dominance model of social perception generalizes across world regions. We seek "bridge" funding to support our first project, before we secure large scale grant funding.

• Erin Cooley, Colgate University: Accusations of Being "White-Washed:" The Role of Feeling like a Numerical Minority on Perception of Racial Ingroup Members who Form Cross-Race Friendships
  Abstract: Qualitative data suggests that People of Color who befriend White people can experience accusations of being "White-washed" or "breaking the racial code"—accusations that primarily stem from members of their own racial group (Bell-Jordan, 2008). In the present proposal, we propose that racial minorities who befriend White people will be perceived as inauthentic and disloyal by their own racial group (i.e., ingroup bias). Moreover, we expect that this backlash for befriending White people is driven by the perception that one is "selling out" to the more powerful racial group. Thus, we further expect that this ingroup bias will be most pronounced when White people are perceived as a powerful numerical majority in America, but not when shifting racial demographics (i.e., a decreasing White majority) are made salient. Together this work will illuminate sources of racial bias that stem from one's own racial group and establish the conditions under which this bias is likely to emerge.

• Erika Koch, St. Francis Xavier University: Treating Oneself Kindly When Others Are Cruel: The Role of Self-Compassion in Responses to Interpersonal Rejection
  Abstract: Does self-compassion, which involves treating oneself with kindness rather than criticism, predict—or even influence—responses to interpersonal rejection? The proposed research will test this question in two studies. Study 1 (correlational) will test whether self-compassion moderates the relationship between perceptions of rejection and potential outcomes of rejecting experiences—namely, self-esteem, positive and negative affect, and depression. Study 2 (experimental) will test whether induced self-compassion fosters relatively adaptive responses to rejection.

• Zoi Manesi, Singapore Management University: Too selfish to get married and have children? The role of prosociality in affecting attitudes toward relationship commitment, marriage and reproduction
  Abstract: It is believed that prosociality can signal good partnership skills and parenting abilities. However, it is unclear whether there is a link between prosociality and the inclination to engage in a long-term committed relationship that will involve child-rearing. Correlational evidence suggests that prosocial individuals (as compared to self-interested ones) tend to hold more positive attitudes toward marriage and family. The proposed study builds on this finding by experimentally testing whether acting prosocially can enhance attitudes toward relationship commitment, marriage and reproduction.

• Yuji Ogihara, Kyoto University: Temporal changes in individualism in Japan: An analysis of Japanese newspapers
  Abstract: Previous research has shown that Japanese culture has become more individualistic after World War II. However, it is unclear whether this shift was also found before World War II. It is important to reveal cultural changes for a longer period like studies in the U.S. Therefore, we will examine temporal changes in individualism in Japan between 1880s and 2015 by investigating historical changes in relative frequencies of individualistic words in three Japanese national newspapers.

• David Reinhard, University of Massachusetts Amherst: De-escalating Conflict in International Rivalries
  Abstract: Why do tensions between rival nations violently escalate and what can be done to de-escalate these tensions? Three proposed studies examine the relationship between rivalry, perceived meaning of conflicts, and conflict (de)escalation. We hypothesize that rival (vs. non-rival) competitions can provide people with a source of meaning and, as a consequence, escalate conflict. If true, providing people with a different source of meaning might de-escalate conflict. Thus, we hypothesize that focusing on meaningful life domains unrelated to the rivalry can facilitate conflict de-escalation.

• Randall Renstrom, Central College: The Blue Line and the Red, White, and Blue: Effects of Patriotic Symbols on Attitudes toward the Police
  Abstract: Past research suggests exposure to patriotic iconography like the American flag can subtly increase support for Republican candidates and policies, because Republicans are more associated with patriotism. However, police and first-responders are also closely associated with the flag, yet no corresponding research has investigated the effect of patriotic imagery on police attitudes. The present research examines whether exposure to patriotic images like the flag leads to more positive views of the police and greater acceptance of aggressive police tactics such as the use of force on civilians.

• Allison Louise Skinner, Northwestern University: Examining the Role of Exposure to Nonverbal Signals in Prejudice Creation
  Abstract: In a set of experiments, I propose to test the hypothesis that exposure to biased nonverbal signals can result in group prejudice. Previous research indicates that exposure to biased nonverbal signals can exacerbate existing racial prejudices. The proposed experiments will test whether exposure to biased nonverbal signals, favoring one novel individual over another, can create prejudice in the context of novel groups (i.e., against the target of negative nonverbal signals' group). This work has important implications for understanding how prejudice is formed and spread through social groups.

• Jennifer Willard, Kennesaw State University: True Denials and False Confessions among Strangers and Friends
  Abstract: One reason people falsely confess is because of a desire to protect the perpetrator of the offense – in such cases, there is usually a relationship between the false confessor and the perpetrator. However, in most behavioral studies of false confessions the perpetrator is a stranger. The purpose of the proposed research is to examine differences in innocent people's responses to an accusation of guilt for an offense committed by a stranger versus a friend. Pilot testing of the paradigm has already begun with pairs of strangers, but funding is needed to recruit pairs of friends.

Fall 2017

• Jessica Boyette-Davis, St. Edward's University: Words Hurt! An Investigation of the Ability of Mindfulness Meditation to Protect Against the Nocebo Effect
  Abstract: The nocebo effect occurs when an individual interprets pain as more intense than they might otherwise simply because another suggested it would be. This phenomenon can negatively impact daily behavior and be especially harmful in clinical settings, such as leading to poorer health outcomes following a procedure. The proposed study tests whether meditation just prior to a painful event can significantly protect against the nocebo effect. Further, it tests whether the performance of this practice can lower concentrations of cholecystokinin, a hormone previously implicated in the nocebo effect.

• Regine Debrosse, Northwestern University: Daily Experiences and Social Class of College Students
  Abstract: Students from working class backgrounds have more interdependent tendencies than students from middle and upper class backgrounds. As such, they are likely to have many transactive goals (i.e. goals that they have for close others, share with close others, or help close others pursue). I aim to conduct an experience sampling study examining whether transactive goals lead to goal conflicts in the daily lives of working class students, which may impede their academic achievement.

• Janina Steinmetz, Utrecht University: Impression (Mis)management: How People can Improve Their Self-presentation
  Abstract: Although successful self-presenters reap interpersonal benefits, people are often braggarts who focus on their success and competence but neglect seeming likable. I investigate situations that invite suboptimal self-presentation (e.g., dates or job interviews) in which people have the goal to impress and to be liked, but might mistakenly prioritize to impress. I measure individual differences in perspective-taking as a moderator, and test whether actively taking the perspective of the audience helps to prevent suboptimal self-presentation.

• Katherine White, Kennesaw State University: Validating the Conservative Resistance to Change (CRC) Scale
  Abstract: There continues to be significant interest in conservative ideology, but no measures exist to directly measure one of its primary facets – resistance to change. The purpose of the proposed research is to validate a scale designed to capture this feature – the Conservative Resistance to Change Scale. Data from two previous samples provide initial evidence of the validity and reliability of this scale, but funds are needed to gather additional data from community members. Results from this research will be presented at the SPSP conference and submitted for publication to Political Psychology.

• Matthew Wice, The New School: Why Conforming is Bad but Showing Solidarity is Good: The Effect of Perceived Motives on Evaluations of Group-Accommodating Behavior
  Abstract: Why do people so often rail against conformity yet simultaneously urge people to show solidarity to their compatriots? We propose that evaluations of group-accommodating behavior vary depending on the type of motives attributed to the behavior. We hypothesize that conformity is viewed as more desirable than non-conformity when the behavior is seen as motivated by group interests but less desirable when it is viewed as motivated by self-interest.

• Katherine Wolsiefer, University of Arizona: Altering Implicit Evaluations: Are All Manipulations Created Equal?
  Abstract: Although implicit bias interventions have been offered as one route to behavior change, little evidence exists that manipulations of implicit attitudes have downstream consequences for behavior. One reason for this may be because such manipulations could alter implicit attitudes in different ways. These differences in process may also have different consequences for behavior. The proposed research will systematically examine two routes to implicit attitude change and, in a follow-up study, examine the effect of these different processes on behavior.

• Connor Wood, Center for Mind and Culture: Does Social Connectedness Moderate the Relationship between Low Openness and Populist Authoritarianism?
  Abstract: The growth of right-wing populism raises questions about the personality and social foundations of ideology. Perceived cultural threat may explain some of right-wing populism's rise, but it is not clear how personality and social factors affect this dynamic. People with low Openness to Experience may be particularly vulnerable to authoritarian appeals when they perceive societal or economic threats. However, social connectedness may weaken this relationship. A battery of online surveys tests the hypothesis that social connectedness mitigates the effect of personality on authoritarian populism.

Summer 2017

• Marco Brambilla, University of Milano-Bicocca: The Social Perception of Supererogatory Behavior
  Abstract: Research revealed that the more moral a behavior is, the more the person enacting the behavior is liked. Research, however, blurs the distinction between two classes of moral behavior: the ought and the good. Extraordinary (i.e., supererogatory) actions are treated as an extreme case along the continuum of good, moral actions. We propose that supererogatory actions are qualitatively different from other moral actions and that actors performing supererogatory actions are not simply perceived as positive.

• Pascal Burgmer, University of Cologne: Anxious and Egocentric ... yet Empathic? The Differential Effects of Anxiety on Cognitive and Affective Mentalizing
  Abstract: Does being scared influence how we think and feel about the minds of others? Only few studies have addressed the impact of anxiety on cognitive perspective taking, and even fewer studies have looked at affective empathy. To our knowledge, no study has explored whether and how anxiety might differentially influence cognitive versus affective facets of mentalizing. We propose four studies that test whether anxiety decreases cognitive mentalizing while it increases affective mentalizing.

• Andrew Geers, University of Toledo: Patient-Provider Interactions: Does Practitioner Race Matter?
  Abstract: Positive patient-provider interactions significantly benefit both patients and physicians. Little is known, however, regarding the obstacles for achieving such positive encounters. We will use the Stereotype Content Model to examine the novel hypothesis that provider race and ethnicity alter patient's perceptions of providers' warmth and competence, emotions, and subsequent behavioral tendencies. Results will advance scientific knowledge on the daily interactions of a rapidly diversifying health care workforce and will have timely intervention implications.

• India Johnson, Elon University: An Ally You Say? Framing Role Models as Allies to Promote Belonging Among Women of Color in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
  Abstract: Women of color (WOC) are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Consequently, developing effective techniques attracting WOC to STEM is critical. We examine if framing a White male scientist as an ally can potentially increase WOC's belonging in STEM environments. In addition, we propose whether a White male ally increases WOC's belonging will depend on the type of allyship (e.g. supports women, racial minorities, or WOC).

• Bradley Mattan, University of Chicago: Interplay of Perceiver Status, Target Status, and Status Dimension in Visual Perspective-Taking Bias
  Abstract: In many species, high status is valued and attracts attention.  However, humans (most of whom are low/middle status) frequently value and attend to our ingroups.  I will examine how perceiver and target status guide attention to competing visual perspectives under three operationalizations of status: SES, dominance, or prestige (Experiments 1–3).   If likeability drives effects, participants should prefer high-SES/prestige and low-dominance perspectives.  If ingroups drive effects, then perspective taking should be sensitive to self-reported status.

• Liad Uziel, Bar-Ilan University: Utilizing a Desire for More Self-Control into an Effective Facilitator of Self-Control
  Abstract: Self-control is highly adaptive. Notwithstanding, research shows that having a desire for more self-control leads to impaired self-control ability by reducing self-efficacy. The present 3-month field-experiment (N=300) will test two intervention procedures that seek to affect participants' perceptions of their capacities and motivations, thus making self-control challenges appear more attainable. Following the interventions, having a desire for more self-control is expected to facilitate—rather than impair—self-regulation, to be tested in real life settings.

• Joseph Vitriol, Lehigh University: The First Step is to Admit There's a Problem:  Identifying Factors that Reduce Defensive Dismissal of Implicit Racial Bias Feedback
  Abstract: Self-awareness is of central importance to anti-bias interventions and prejudice-regulation. The current research will evaluate strategies designed to reduce defensive responding to implicit racial bias feedback—an area largely neglected by scholars. Some preliminary work indicates that activating egalitarian goals and increasing the perceived controllability of bias expression can reduce defensive responding. The proposed study builds on these findings by experimentally testing each feature of this intervention separately to evaluate their relative impacts and longitudinal effects.

Spring 2017

• Nida Bikmen, Denison University: White Americans' Smiles in Same-race and Interracial Interactions
  Abstract: Do White Americans display more genuine (Duchenne) smiles or more deliberate (non-Duchenne) smiles during interracial interactions as opposed to same-race interactions? White undergraduates will be randomly assigned to interact with either same-race (White American) or different-race (African or Latina American) partners.  Their smiles will be coded by investigators certified in Facial Action Coding System.  It is predicted that Whites will display more non-Duchenne smiles in interracial versus same-race interactions in order to mask interracial anxiety.

• Shai Davidai, The New School for Social Research: Perceptions of economic inequality and upward social mobility
  Abstract: Recent research has shown that Americans systematically overestimate the degree of economic mobility in the United States. I propose to examine the relationship between perceptions of economic inequality and perceptions of upward mobility. Specifically, I will examine two opposing hypotheses: that people overestimate upward mobility as a defense mechanism against the threat of economic inequality (an inequality-mobility link), and that people overestimate mobility due to an underestimation of true levels of inequality (an equality-mobility link).

• Lisa Hoplock, University of Manitoba: Improving Empathic Accuracy Through an In-Class Intervention Provided via Videoconferencing
  Abstract: Empathic accuracy- the ability to accurately detect what someone is thinking or feeling- is an important skill, especially for nurses in providing client-centred care. We aim to test an adapted intervention delivered via teleconference that will help student nurses engage in empathic discussions with family caregivers. We predict that students' empathic accuracy will be greater in the intervention condition compared to the control condition. Results will elucidate the feasibility of conducting the intervention via videoconferencing.

• Simon Howard, Marquette University: The Message: Conscious Hip-Hop Lyrics Reduce Stereotype Threat for Black Americans
  Abstract: The present study will be the first to investigate whether the detrimental effects of stereotype threat on Blacks' academic performance can be mitigated through exposure to hip-hop lyrics that affirm Black identify. Black participants will be put in a situation that induces stereotype threat. Next, they will be exposed to different genres of music before taking a challenging test. It is hypothesized that conscious hip-hop will act as a buffer to stereotype threat for Blacks.

• Bryan Koenig, Washington University in St. Louis: Moral punishment: How much is enough?
  Abstract: People want wrongdoers to be punished, but how severe a punishment do they want—and why that amount? In the proposed research, a series of experiments compare people's preferred punishment fines for a thief with that thief's gain and his victim's losses, all in US dollars. We will use these comparisons to evaluate among punishment calibration points predicted by traditional deterrence theory, traditional retribution theory (just deserts), welfare tradeoff theory, and fitness differential theory.

• Ioana Latu, Queen's University Belfast, UK: Psychological well-being and coping with blatant homophobia in a sample of Romanian gay men
  Abstract: Social biases are becoming more explicit, one example being a new wave of blatant homophobia in Romania, inspired by conservative political action. In the current study I plan to investigate how Romanian gay men cope with such increasingly explicit and aggressive homophobia, and how these coping responses predict their psychological well-being. I will investigate both explicit and implicit coping responses and predict that personality factors may also moderate the coping – well-being relationship.

• Andrew Luttrell, College of Wooster: Using Moral Arguments to Persuade People With Moral Conviction: A Test of Matching Effects vs. Attitude Strength
  Abstract: Moral beliefs and convictions play a critical role in the formation and change of people's attitudes toward a variety of topics. Thus far, however, little research has tested the efficacy of morally framed persuasive appeals, and no research has considered how an audience's initial moral conviction determines the efficacy of morally driven counter-attitudinal persuasive messages. Two studies are proposed to clarify this important gap and shed light on the role of morality in persuasion processes.

• Angela Pirlott, Saint Xavier University: Perceived Threats to the Religious Ingroup Engage Moral Disgust toward, Aggression against, and Expulsion of LGB Individuals to Prevent Religious Ingroup Contamination
  Abstract: Although large body of literature has forged the connection between religiosity and anti-LGB prejudices, the current work extends the previous literature by arguing that religion operates like an ingroup, and accordingly, perceived threats from LGB individuals to religious ingroup values, norms, and cohesion should predict moral disgust, attempts to prevent LGB individuals from spreading their norm-violating behavior, and expulsion from the group if the behavior fails to cease.

Fall 2016

• Bettina Casad, University of Missouri-St. Louis: Social Media as Structural Racism: Effects on Immune and Endocrine Activity
  Abstract: We examine effects of racism via social media on Black adolescents' immune and endocrine reactivity (interleukin-6 [IL-6], dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA], and cortisol). We predict that exposure to negative media will trigger a stress response seen in studies of chronic stress such that IL-6 and cortisol will increase from baseline, but DHEA will decrease, and this reactivity will produce impaired attention and working memory. Chronic immune and endocrine activity is associated with health risks and system dysregulation.

• Brittany Christian, Seattle Pacific University: The Effect of Perspective on Judgments of Intentionality and Responsibility for Same-race and Other-race Targets
  Abstract: Without direct access to the minds of other individuals, we must infer the mental states and intentions of those around us. The extent to which we conclude, then, that a person acted intentionally and is thus responsible for the outcome of a situation can have profound consequences. The proposed experiments will investigate how perspective (visual and written) influences perceptions of intentionality and responsibility for same-race and other-race targets.

• Corey Cook, University of Washington Tacoma: Existential Threat and Climate Change
  Abstract: Terror management theory proposes that awareness of death gives rise to existential terror that is assuaged by embracing worldviews that provide a sense of participation in a meaningful universe. We propose that pervasive denial of evidence of global climate change stems, in part, from the existential threat posed by uncontrollable global warming. We will test the effects of mortality salience on denial of evidence of global warming, framed either positively or as a dire warning.

• Nilanjana Dasgupta, University of Massachusetts: Liberty or Security? Americans' reactions to criticism about U.S. national security policies when under threat
  Abstract: Openness to dissent and criticism is important for democracy. Our research investigates circumstances that make Americans open to, versus defensive about, criticism directed at their nation by testing how (1) the critic's social identity and (2) presence or absence of national threat influences reactions to group-directed criticism. Because critical opinions can elicit defensiveness, the broader goal of this work is to uncover how to open people's mind to different opinions even if they initially disagree.

• Katherine Goldey, St. Edward's University: The Mental Winner Effect: Effects of Imagined Victory and Defeat on Testosterone
  Abstract: The "winner effect" is a phenomenon in which winning a competition increases testosterone relative to losing, and this testosterone surge in winners facilitates future victories. The current study tests whether imagining oneself winning or losing can change testosterone and thus simulate the winner effect. Further, we test whether effects differ when imagining a high-investment competition (i.e., an activity of personal importance such as athletics or music) compared to a low-investment competition (i.e., entering a raffle).

• William Jimenez Leal, Universidad de los Andes: Does maximizing good make people look bad? Reputational concerns in effective donations
  Abstract: People often do not make cost-effective charitable decisions, even when they are given clear information about the effectiveness of charities. While previous studies have explained this result based on individual factors, we propose that this explanation is incomplete. In this project we examine whether people's tendency to allocate donations ineffectively can be explained by reputational concerns. These studies may have important implications for our understanding of the social considerations that enter into consequentialist decisions.

• Janelle Jones, Queen Mary, University of London: Can "We" energize "Me"? Investigating whether energization explains how multiple social groups promote resilient responses to challenges
  Abstract: New research applying social identity theory to health and well-being suggests that just thinking about multiple social groups can promote resilient responses (e.g., persistence, cardiovascular recovery) to challenges. Integrating these findings with existing work on social resources and facilitation, we test whether a novel motivational resource, energization (i.e., psychological tension and/or energetic arousal, physiological arousal assessed by blood pressure and heart rate, and/or neuroendocrine arousal indicated by cortisol and alpha-amylase) mediates this effect.

• Victor Karandashev, Aquinas College: Quadrangular Love Scale: Psychometric Investigation
  Abstract: Quadrangular Love Theory (QLT) proposes four main dimensions: compassion, affection, closeness, and commitment. Quadrangular Love Scale (QLS) was developed in two small sample studies in order to better understand which love feelings people experience within romantic relationships. Reliability and validity was confirmed for all dimensions of the QLS. The aim of the proposed project is to administer QLS with a larger sample for the purpose of comprehensive psychometric analysis with a representative sample of participants.

• Frank Martela, University of Helsinki: Working for personal gains and antisocial outcomes: The effect on motivation and well-being
  Abstract: Research has consistently shown that humans are generally motivated to pursue prosocial goals, and prosocial behavior increases well-being. However, much less research has examined the negative effect on motivation and well-being of advancing antisocial outcomes. This study offers a new paradigm that allows one to test on the street how willing participants are to pursue personal monetary gains when these gains also have antisocial outcomes (money retracted from a charity).

• Randy McCarthy, Northern Illinois University: Using Cognitive Priming to Examine Spontaneously-Formed Hostile Attributions
  Abstract: The proposed study will examine the effects of cognitive priming on hostile attributions and aggressive behavior. Participants will be assigned to one of three conditions: A "hostile" or "kindness" priming condition, or neutral condition. Participants will then complete a task from which hostile attributions can be inferred and will have an opportunity to aggress against another individual. This study will examine the reliability of cognitive priming effects and test whether cognitive priming can reduce aggression.

• Adam Pazda, University of South Carolina Aiken: Investigating the degree to which clothing color increases sexual harassment and victim blaming
  Abstract: Recent research has shown that clothing color can influence social perceptions. For example, men interpret red clothing on a woman as a signal of sexual interest and availability, regardless of the woman's actual sexual intentions. The present research investigates whether clothing color can influence perceptions of culpability for victims and perpetrators of sexual harassment. We also examine the degree to which men report the likelihood of sexually harassing women in red, relative to other colors.

• Jason Rose, University of Toledo: "To Hope was to Expect": Moderators and Consequences of Wishful Thinking in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election
  Abstract: We will examine wishful thinking—believing desired outcomes are likely—in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. We will assess whether wishful thinking: 1) can be debiased via perspective taking, 2) emerges more for affective or cognitive forecasts, and 3) has consequences. Voters will complete an online pre-election survey about their political preferences and outcome expectations, and post-election survey on emotional reactions, counterfactual thinking, and voting behavior. Results will advance scientific knowledge and have intervention applications.

• Julia Vogt, University of Reading, UK: A New Look at Good Samaritans: Investigating the Impact of Prosocial Mind-Set and Traits on Attention Allocation to People in Need
  Abstract: Noticing other people in need is a prerequisite for helping. According to Darley and Batson's seminal 'Good Samaritan' study prosocial mind-sets or traits do not facilitate attention to emergencies. The present study aims to replicate this study using a more suitable attention measure and sample size. To this end, I will investigate the impact of prosocial traits and of activating a prosocial mind-set on automatic attention towards images of emergencies in a spatial cueing paradigm.

Summer 2016

• Elaine Cheung: The Role of Emodiversity in Cultivating Empathy in the Context of Stress
  Abstract: We seek to understand the factors that promote empathy in the context of stress. Although stress tends to disrupt the capacity for empathy, certain professions are both high in stress and also require empathy (e.g., physicians). In three studies examining medical students and individuals from the general population, we seek to examine whether individuals who maintain a rich and diverse emotional life, termed emodiversity, are better able to empathize with others when confronted with stress.
   

• Sarah Gomillion: Online Dating Decisions: An Eye-Tracking Study
  Abstract: Choosing a romantic partner is one of the most important tasks humans face, and people are increasingly using online dating to help them find a match. Yet, people often have little insight into how they make dating choices– online or offline. Using eye tracking, this study will compare relatively objective information about participants' visual attention to their subjective accounts of how they choose partners, illuminating partner selection processes in an ecologically valid context.
   

• Jamie Hughes: Meta-Perception of the Police: An Investigation of the Influence of Meta-Dehumanization on Police Cooperation and Support
  Abstract: Police use of deadly force disproportionately affects minorities. Marginalized Americans may consequently feel dehumanized by the police and dehumanize police in return, leading to profound mistrust between police and communities. In Study 1, meta-dehumanization and dehumanization are measured alongside procedural justice, police legitimacy, support for collective action, and social dominance orientation. In follow-up studies, meta-dehumanization is manipulated and dehumanization measured. Meta-dehumanization and dehumanization are expected to uniquely predict attitudes and behaviors toward the police.
   

• Kymberlee O'Brien: Assessing Chronic Stress Pathways to Health Disparities: Biological, Cognitive, and Psychosocial Factors in a Community Sample
  Abstract: The present research investigates acute and chronic stress in a community of adults and students (ages 18-30, N=104, 50% female) living in the diverse neighborhoods of Worcester, MA and surrounding areas. We use both objective and subjective indicators of stress, including hair cortisol concentrations, cardiovascular parameters, perceived discrimination, subjective social status, and anthropometric measures that may be associated with the development of allostatic load.
   

• Petra Schmid: Social Power and Cognitive Efficiency: How People Who Feel Powerful Get Better Results
  Abstract: Powerful people are more goal-focused and pursue their goals more effectively than powerless people. But how exactly do the powerful manage to pursue their goals so well, and what are the obstacles for the powerless? Using electroencephalography (EEG) methods, it will be tested whether individuals who feel powerful pursue their goals more efficiently and achieve good results with less cognitive resources or alternatively mobilize greater cognitive resources and, as a result, perform better.
   

• H. Colleen Sinclair: Swipe White: Examining Sexual Racism in Online Dating
  Abstract: Over the past 10 years, finding partners online has become increasingly common.  Recent studies have revealed a same-race preference in online dating partner selection. The role of racism in influencing these choices has been under-examined. The present study thus examines whether racial biases influence partner selection by testing whether implicit and explicit racial attitudes correspond to tolerance of "sexual racism" and preferences for same-race dating profiles.
   

• Kimberly Quinn: Physical Self–Environment Connectedness and Wellbeing
  Abstract: Self–other connectedness promotes a variety of positive outcomes—but what happens when the "other" is the physical environment? The proposed experiment will test the hypothesis that while walking and listening to music (to promote self-expansion), participants who attend to the physical environment will show greater sense of place and higher wellbeing than participants in baseline self-focus or baseline conditions, and that this relationship will be mediated by a sense of physical self–environment connectedness.