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The relationship between just world belief and wellbeing, cheating behaviors, and academic work behaviors during COVID 19 among university students. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14328. [PMID: 35995907 PMCID: PMC9395426 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18045-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Is the belief in a just world among students also stable under COVID-19? To answer this question, a study was conducted with university students from Germany (n = 291). The aim of the study was to analyze the predictive performance of the personal belief in a just world (PBJW) on students' life satisfaction and academic cheating and to take into account important mediators from the university context such as fellow student justice, lecturer justice, and procrastination. Derived from existing research, university students with a stronger PBJW should be more satisfied with their lives and cheat less than those with a weaker PBJW. The results support the hypothesized direct effects of PBJW on life satisfaction. Procrastination additionally mediated the effect of PBJW on life satisfaction. The level of PBJW predicted academic cheating only indirectly. The mediators procrastination and lecturer justice were crucial here. The results persisted when gender, learning, time to exam, socially desirable responding, general BJW, and self-efficacy were controlled. The findings were discussed in relation to the stressful situation caused by COVID-19. A reflection on the adaptive function of PBJW as a resource and relevant situation-specific mediators for university research and practice followed.
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Challenges in detecting proximal effects of existential threat on lie detection accuracy. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03237-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe present work documents our investigation of proximal (i.e., immediate) effects of existential threat on the process of lie detection. Specifically, we hypothesized that lie detection accuracy will be higher in a mortality salience (MS) condition compared with the control condition. In two lab-based studies (N = 120; N = 109) and one internet study (N = 1294), we did not find any evidence for this hypothesis, that is, MS effects on lie detection accuracy were constantly not significant. However, these null findings should not be overstated. Instead, the present contribution aims to reveal the theoretical and methodological challenges in properly testing proximal MS effects on lie detection accuracy. First, we make transparent that our theoretical assumptions regarding the underlying mechanisms changed during the research process from MS-induced vigilance (Studies 1 and 2) to MS-induced negative affect (Study 3) and remain speculative. Moreover, we show how and why we adapted the operationalization from study to study to optimize adequate testing of the idea. In sum, this work aims to be informative for conducting future research rather than to provide conclusive evidence against or in favor of the investigated idea.
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Willis E, Mah K, Shapiro GK, Hales S, Li M, An E, Zimmermann C, Schultebraucks K, Rodin G. Testing terror management theory in advanced cancer. DEATH STUDIES 2021; 47:1-10. [PMID: 34957923 DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2021.2019145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Death anxiety is common in advanced cancer due to heightened mortality salience. We tested terror management theory (TMT) in this population (N = 305) by evaluating the buffering effect of the distal defenses (attachment security, meaning, self-esteem) on the impact of physical impairment (a proxy for mortality salience) on death anxiety. Patients with greater numbers of strong distal defenses reported lower death anxiety than those with no strong defenses or one strong defense. These findings support the relevance of TMT in individuals facing the actual threat of death and the need for further TMT research in such populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsy Willis
- Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kenneth Mah
- Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gilla K Shapiro
- Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Global Institute of Psychosocial, Palliative and End-of-Life Care (GIPPEC), University of Toronto and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sarah Hales
- Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Madeline Li
- Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ekaterina An
- Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Camilla Zimmermann
- Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Global Institute of Psychosocial, Palliative and End-of-Life Care (GIPPEC), University of Toronto and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Katharina Schultebraucks
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Data Science Institute, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Gary Rodin
- Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Global Institute of Psychosocial, Palliative and End-of-Life Care (GIPPEC), University of Toronto and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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The relation of mindfulness and prosocial behavior: What do we (not) know? Curr Opin Psychol 2021; 44:151-156. [PMID: 34662774 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Mindfulness is a hot topic in psychological research and the popular media. One central claim in the literature is that enhanced mindfulness fosters prosocial behavior. This article recapitulates what is currently known about this widespread claim. We first review theoretical perspectives on why enhanced mindfulness should foster prosocial behavior and discuss relevant empirical evidence. Two meta-analyses provide preliminary support for this claim. However, limitations call for caution when interpreting the evidence and studies investigating effects that persist over sustained periods of time are missing. In addition, theoretical assumptions about the underlying mechanisms need stronger empirical support. We discuss theoretical predicaments, identify potential downsides of mindfulness, and suggest ways forward for future research.
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Zhang M. Assessing Two Dimensions of Interpersonal Trust: Other-Focused Trust and Propensity to Trust. Front Psychol 2021; 12:654735. [PMID: 34385946 PMCID: PMC8353080 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.654735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
One’s propensity to trust others and others’ trustworthiness are two important aspects of interpersonal trust. Both theory and research suggest that it is possible to distinguish between an individual’s propensity to trust (one’s “trustingness” or the extent to which one feels able to trust others) and their other-focused trust (the extent to which one feels that others are worthy of our trust). However, there is as yet no measure that distinguishes between these two components of trust. In three studies, we examined the psychometrics of a proposed two-dimensional measure of trust that encompasses propensity to trust and other-focused trust components. To test discriminant validity, we also administered measures of personality, personal self-esteem, social capital, propensity to like people, perceived social support, as well as general and personal beliefs in a just world. Factor analyses supported the proposed two-factor model for the new trust measure. Further analyses supported the difference between these measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
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Nudelman G, Otto K. Personal Belief in a Just World and Conscientiousness: A meta-analysis, facet-level examination, and mediation model. Br J Psychol 2019; 112:92-119. [PMID: 31872871 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 10/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Extensive research efforts have been devoted to understanding the nature of Conscientiousness, the only Big Five personality trait that has been robustly linked to professional achievement and longevity. We proposed that Conscientiousness is associated with Personal Belief in a Just World (PBJW), that is, the extent to which an individual believes that her or his efforts will be rewarded. To investigate this proposition, we undertook a meta-analysis synthesizing past findings regarding the relationship between PBJW and Conscientiousness; we confirmed a positive relationship between the two constructs (r = .16) based on 17 samples and 5,810 individuals. We further proposed a theoretical framework linking PBJW to specific facets of Conscientiousness. A survey of a representative sample of the US population (n = 311) confirmed that PBJW is positively correlated with the specific facets of Self-efficacy, Achievement-striving, and Self-discipline. Internal Locus of Control mediated these associations, elucidating the underlying processes linking PBJW and Conscientiousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Nudelman
- Psychology Department, Academic College of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Tel Aviv-Yaffo, Israel
| | - Kathleen Otto
- Faculty of Psychology, Philipps University of Marburg, Germany
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8
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Justice and foresight: The effect of belief in a just world and sense of control on delay discounting. JOURNAL OF PACIFIC RIM PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1017/prp.2019.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Discounting rate refers to people’s tendency to reduce the rate of subjective value from delayed benefit over time. The current study investigates the relationship among belief in a just world (BJW), sense of control, and discounting rate, especially the mediating effect of sense of control between BJW and discounting rate. The study recruited 412 undergraduates to complete a BJW scale, Sense of Control scale, and the Monetary Choice Questionnaire. The results show that (1) BJW positively predicted sense of control, (2) BJW and sense of control were negatively correlated with discounting rate, and (3) sense of control completely mediated the associations between BJW and discounting rate. These findings extend those of prior studies and indicate that a sense of control underlies the association between BJW and discounting rate.
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Schindler S, Reinhard MA, Dobiosch S, Steffan-Fauseweh I, Özdemir G, Greenberg J. The attenuating effect of mortality salience on dishonest behavior. MOTIVATION AND EMOTION 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s11031-018-9734-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Jiang R, Liu RD, Ding Y, Zhen R, Sun Y, Fu X. Teacher Justice and Students' Class Identification: Belief in a Just World and Teacher-Student Relationship as Mediators. Front Psychol 2018; 9:802. [PMID: 29875726 PMCID: PMC5974199 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 05/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
For school-age adolescents, teacher justice plays an important role in their learning and social outcomes. The present study examined the relation between teacher justice and students' class identification in 1735 Chinese school-age adolescents by considering belief in a just world (BJW) and teacher-student relationship as mediators. Structure equation modeling (SEM) was used to reveal the direct and indirect effects. The analyses showed that all the direct and indirect effects were significant. These findings indicated that teacher justice had a positive effect on students' class identification. In addition, teacher justice impacted students' class identification through students' just-world belief and teacher-student relationships. These results suggested that for adolescents, teacher justice played an important role in shaping their just-world belief system and their interpersonal relationships with teachers, which in turn affected their sense of belonging and values in relation to their class. Thus, it is important for teachers to be aware that their injustice may negatively impact their relationships with students, students' belief systems, and their psychological engagement at school. There is a need to develop teacher-training programs to help teachers to establish classroom reward-punishment systems with the consideration of social justice, to communicate with students through an unbiased approach, and to increase student participation in the important decision making of the whole class.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronghuan Jiang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Institute of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Ru-De Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Institute of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Ding
- Graduate School of Education, Fordham University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Rui Zhen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Institute of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Sun
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Institute of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xinchen Fu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Institute of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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Wenzel K, Schindler S, Reinhard MA. General Belief in a Just World Is Positively Associated with Dishonest Behavior. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1770. [PMID: 29066995 PMCID: PMC5641360 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
According to the just-world theory, people need to - or rather want to - believe that they live in a just world where they will receive what they earn and consequently earn what they receive. In the present work, we examined the influence of people's general and personal beliefs in a just world (BJW) on their (dis)honest behavior. Given that general BJW was found to be linked to antisocial tendencies, we expected stronger general BJW to be linked to more dishonesty. Given that personal BJW was found to be correlated with trust and justice striving, a negative link with dishonesty could be assumed. In one study (N = 501), we applied a common coin-toss paradigm to assess dishonesty. General BJW significantly predicted the probability of tossing the target outcome, that is, higher general BJW was linked to more dishonest behavior. This effect was found to be independent from personal BJW and self-reported importance of religion. Unexpectedly, there was no significant relationship between personal BJW and levels of dishonesty. These findings imply that although BJW normally serves an adaptive function, at least the facet general BJW has maladaptive side-effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Wenzel
- Department of Psychology, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany
| | - Simon Schindler
- Department of Psychology, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany
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Tian X. Negative life events and life satisfaction in university students: Belief in a just world as a mediator and moderator. J Health Psychol 2016; 24:526-534. [PMID: 27852884 DOI: 10.1177/1359105316678054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
A cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the role of belief in a just world between negative life events and life satisfaction. The results revealed that two dimensions of belief in a just world played partial mediating roles between negative life events and life satisfaction. Moreover, belief in a just world was also a moderator between negative life events and life satisfaction that mitigates the adverse effects of negative life events. In conclusion, these results suggest that belief in a just world could be both a mediator and a moderator between negative life events and life satisfaction.
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ten Brinke L, Vohs KD, Carney DR. Can Ordinary People Detect Deception After All? Trends Cogn Sci 2016; 20:579-588. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2016.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2016] [Revised: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Abstract
Abstract. Research on terror management theory has found evidence that people under mortality salience strive to live up to activated social norms and values. Recently, research has shown that mortality salience also increases adherence to the norm of reciprocity. Based on this, in the current paper we investigated the idea that mortality salience influences persuasion strategies that are based on the norm of reciprocity. We therefore assume that mortality salience should enhance compliance for a request when using the door-in-the-face technique – a persuasion strategy grounded in the norm of reciprocity. In a hypothetical scenario (Study 1), and in a field experiment (Study 2), applying the door-in-the-face technique enhanced compliance in the mortality salience condition compared to a control group.
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Schindler S, Reinhard MA. Increasing skepticism toward potential liars: effects of existential threat on veracity judgments and the moderating role of honesty norm activation. Front Psychol 2015; 6:1312. [PMID: 26388815 PMCID: PMC4555659 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 08/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
With the present research, we investigated effects of existential threat on veracity judgments. According to several meta-analyses, people judge potentially deceptive messages of other people as true rather than as false (so-called truth bias). This judgmental bias has been shown to depend on how people weigh the error of judging a true message as a lie (error 1) and the error of judging a lie as a true message (error 2). The weight of these errors has been further shown to be affected by situational variables. Given that research on terror management theory has found evidence that mortality salience (MS) increases the sensitivity toward the compliance of cultural norms, especially when they are of focal attention, we assumed that when the honesty norm is activated, MS affects judgmental error weighing and, consequently, judgmental biases. Specifically, activating the norm of honesty should decrease the weight of error 1 (the error of judging a true message as a lie) and increase the weight of error 2 (the error of judging a lie as a true message) when mortality is salient. In a first study, we found initial evidence for this assumption. Furthermore, the change in error weighing should reduce the truth bias, automatically resulting in better detection accuracy of actual lies and worse accuracy of actual true statements. In two further studies, we manipulated MS and honesty norm activation before participants judged several videos containing actual truths or lies. Results revealed evidence for our prediction. Moreover, in Study 3, the truth bias was increased after MS when group solidarity was previously emphasized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Schindler
- Department of Psychology, University of Kassel Kassel, Germany
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