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Neerdaels J, Tröster C, Van Quaquebeke N. It's (a) Shame: Why Poverty Leads to Support for Authoritarianism. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN 2024; 50:942-956. [PMID: 36575968 DOI: 10.1177/01461672221141509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The literature has widely discussed and supported the relationship between poverty and support for authoritarian leaders and regimes. However, there are different claims about the mediating mechanism and a lack of empirical tests. We hypothesize that the effect of poverty on support for authoritarianism is mediated by shame: People living in poverty frequently experience social exclusion and devaluation, which is reflected in feelings of shame. Such shame, in turn, is likely to increase support for authoritarianism, mainly due to the promise of social re-inclusion. We support our hypothesis in two controlled experiments and a large-scale field study while empirically ruling out the two main alternative explanations offered in the literature: stress and anxiety. Finally, we discuss how the present findings can support policymakers in efficiently addressing the negative political consequences of poverty.
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Ruffman T, Kong Q, Lim HM, Du K, Tiainen E. Recognition of facial emotions across the lifespan: 8-year-olds resemble older adults. BRITISH JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 41:128-139. [PMID: 36773033 DOI: 10.1111/bjdp.12442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
On standard emotion recognition tasks with relatively long or unlimited stimuli durations, recognition improves as children grow older, whereas older adults are worse than young adults. Crucially, it was unknown (a) how older adults compare to age groups below young adulthood and (b) whether children can recognize emotions at shorter durations, with short durations likely common in real life. We compared emotion recognition in 5-year-olds, 8-year-olds, young adults and older adults at very brief durations (50 ms, 250 ms) as well as standard unlimited durations. Eight-year-olds were better than 5-year-olds, young adults than all groups, and there was a striking similarity between 8-year-olds and older adults, providing the first clear indication that older adults' recognition abilities are equivalent to that of an 8-year-old at all durations. Emotion recognition was above chance on all emotions and durations among the three older age groups and on most stimuli for 5-year-olds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ted Ruffman
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Qiuyi Kong
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Hui Mei Lim
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Kangning Du
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Emilia Tiainen
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Henry JD, Grainger SA, von Hippel W. Determinants of Social Cognitive Aging: Predicting Resilience and Risk. Annu Rev Psychol 2023; 74:167-192. [PMID: 35973407 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-033020-121832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
This review focuses on conceptual and empirical research on determinants of social cognitive aging. We present an integrated model [the social cognitive resource (SCoRe) framework] to organize the literature and describe how social cognitive resilience is determined jointly by capacity and motivational resources. We discuss how neurobiological aging, driven by genetic and environmental influences, is associated with broader sensory, neural, and physiological changes that are direct determinants of capacity as well as indirect determinants of motivation via their influence on expectation of loss versus reward and cognitive effort valuation. Research is reviewed that shows how contextual factors, such as relationship status, familiarity, and practice, are fundamental to understanding the availability of both types of resource. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of social cognitive change in late adulthood for everyday social functioning and with recommendations for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie D Henry
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia; , ,
| | - Sarah A Grainger
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia; , ,
| | - William von Hippel
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia; , ,
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Sumner C, Scofield JE, Buchanan EM, Evans MR, Shearing M. The role of personality, authoritarianism and cognition in the United Kingdom's 2016 referendum on European Union membership. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1077354. [PMID: 37034948 PMCID: PMC10075083 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1077354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The results of the United Kingdom's 2016 referendum on European Union (EU) membership have highlighted deep societal divides. In six studies, we examined the role of personality traits, cognition and cognitive biases in relation to referendum voters' choices. Methods A total of 11,225 participants completed questionnaires and controlled experiments, which assessed differences in personality traits, levels of authoritarianism, numeracy, thinking styles, and susceptibility to cognitive biases including ideologically motivated numeracy and reasoning, framing, and the Dunning-Kruger effect. Results Participants expressing an intent to vote to leave the EU reported significantly higher levels of authoritarianism and conscientiousness, and lower levels of openness and neuroticism than voters expressing an intent to vote to remain in the EU. When compared with Remain voters, Leave voters displayed significantly lower levels of numeracy and appeared more reliant on impulsive System 1 thinking. In the experimental studies, voters on both sides were found to be susceptible to the cognitive biases tested, with a general trend for Leave voters to show more bias than Remain voters. Discussion These results raise important questions regarding the use and framing of numerical and non-numerical data for public consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Sumner
- The Online Privacy Foundation, London, United Kingdom
| | - John E. Scofield
- Department of Psychology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Erin M. Buchanan
- Department of Analytics, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, Harrisburg, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Erin M. Buchanan,
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Henry JD, Coundouris SP, Mead J, Thompson B, Hubbard RE, Grainger SA. Social Frailty in Late Adulthood: Social Cognitive and Psychological Well-Being Correlates. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2022; 78:87-96. [PMID: 36190802 PMCID: PMC9890915 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbac157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Social frailty poses a major threat to successful aging, but its social cognitive and psychological well-being correlates remain poorly understood. This cross-sectional study provides initial insights into whether social cognitive difficulties in older age are associated with social frailty, as well as how social frailty is linked to psychological characteristics known to be important for health and well-being. METHOD Ninety community-dwelling older adults completed measures of social frailty and social cognition (social perception, theory of mind, affective empathy, and informant-rated social behavior) as well as measures of psychological function known to be important for health and well-being, both positively (resilience and life satisfaction) and negatively (demoralization, social anxiety, and apathy). Measures of cognitive frailty, physical frailty, and depression were also administered to test the specificity of any observed relationships with social frailty. RESULTS Both affective empathy and social behavior were predictive of increased social frailty, but social behavior emerged as the only unique predictor after controlling for covariates. Social frailty also predicted unique variance in all five measures of psychological well-being, and for three of these measures (demoralization, resilience, and life satisfaction), the effects remained significant even after adjusting for covariates. DISCUSSION Findings are discussed in relation to models of socioemotional aging and frailty. Potential mechanisms linking social behavior to social capital in older age are identified, as well as how loss of social resources might both directly and indirectly impact well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie D Henry
- Address correspondence to: Julie D. Henry, PhD, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. E-mail:
| | - Sarah P Coundouris
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jessica Mead
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Brielle Thompson
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Ruth E Hubbard
- Centre for Health Services Research, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sarah A Grainger
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Heller A, Decker O, Clemens V, Fegert JM, Heiner S, Brähler E, Schmidt P. Changes in authoritarianism before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Comparisons of latent means across East and West Germany, gender, age, and education. Front Psychol 2022; 13:941466. [PMID: 35959026 PMCID: PMC9358451 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.941466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern theories of authoritarianism have stressed the importance of threat to the expression of authoritarian attitudes and intolerance. Arguably, authoritarian tendencies may have increased during COVID-19 pandemic, a major threat to life and security. One issue arising when comparing mean scores is that of measurement invariance. Meaningful comparisons are only possible, if latent constructs are similar between groups and/or across time. This prerequisite is rarely ever tested in research on authoritarianism. In this study, we aim to analyze the short scale for authoritarianism KSA-3 by investigating its measurement invariance on two levels (three first-order and one second-order factors) and latent mean changes using two German representative samples (N = 4,905). Specifically, we look at differences before and during the pandemic (2017 vs. 2020). While measurement invariance holds across both levels in all conditions, we find a decrease in latent means in 2020, contrary to expectations and established theories. Moreover, latent means differ with regard to gender, education, and east–west Germany. We conclude that analyses of latent means and measurement invariance instead of mean comparisons with composites should become the standard. Future studies should focus on threat as a moderator between authoritarianism and intolerance, and on possible interactions with context variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayline Heller
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- *Correspondence: Ayline Heller,
| | - Oliver Decker
- Else-Frenkel-Brunswik-Institut, Leipzig University, Leipzig and Sigmund-Freud-University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Vera Clemens
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Jörg M. Fegert
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Scarlett Heiner
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Elmar Brähler
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Leipzig University Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Peter Schmidt
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Centre for International Development and Environment (ZEU), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
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Kong Q, Currie N, Du K, Ruffman T. General cognitive decline does not account for older adults' worse emotion recognition and theory of mind. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6808. [PMID: 35473952 PMCID: PMC9043191 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10716-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Older adults have both worse general cognition and worse social cognition. A frequent suggestion is that worse social cognition is due to worse general cognition. However, previous studies have often provided contradictory evidence. The current study examined this issue with a more extensive battery of tasks for both forms of cognition. We gave 47 young and 40 older adults three tasks to assess general cognition (processing speed, working memory, fluid intelligence) and three tasks to assess their social cognition (emotion and theory-of-mind). Older adults did worse on all tasks and there were correlations between general and social cognition. Although working memory and fluid intelligence were unique predictors of performance on the Emotion Photos task and the Eyes task, Age Group was a unique predictor on all three social cognition tasks. Thus, there were relations between the two forms of cognition but older adults continued to do worse than young adults even after accounting for general cognition. We argue that this pattern of results is due to some overlap in brain areas mediating general and social cognition, but also independence, and with a differential rate of decline in brain areas dedicated to general cognition versus social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuyi Kong
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
| | - Nicholas Currie
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Kangning Du
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Ted Ruffman
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
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Schneider LJ, Molitor J, Neumann R. Looks like power: Automatic processing of power cues from briefly presented primes. Br J Psychol 2022; 113:875-893. [DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Roland Neumann
- Department of Psychology University of Trier Trier Germany
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The dark authoritarians: Profiling the personality, emotional style, and authoritarian attitudes of the major American parties. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.111298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Barnett MD, De La Garza JD. Attitude toward death, not religious commitment mediates the relationship between political ideology and attitudes toward life extension. DEATH STUDIES 2021; 46:2376-2383. [PMID: 34197275 DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2021.1944402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Previous research has linked political ideology - right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation - with more positive attitudes toward life extension. The purpose of this study was to investigate death attitudes and religious commitment as mediators of the relationship between political ideology and attitudes toward life extension. College students (N = 406) completed an online survey. One death attitude - neutral acceptance - and not religious commitment mediated the relationship between political ideology and attitudes toward life extension. Individuals with more intolerant political ideology may see death as aberrant and thus be more likely to embrace life extension technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Barnett
- Department of Psychology and Counseling, The University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
| | - Jay D De La Garza
- Department of Counseling Psychology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
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Ruffman T, Halberstadt J, Murray J, Jack F, Vater T. Empathic Accuracy: Worse Recognition by Older Adults and Less Transparency in Older Adult Expressions Compared With Young Adults. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2020; 75:1658-1667. [PMID: 30698814 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbz008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We examined empathic accuracy, comparing young versus older perceivers, and young versus older emoters. Empathic accuracy is related to but distinct from emotion recognition because perceiver judgments of emotion are based, not on what an emoter looks to be feeling, but on what an emoter says s/he is actually feeling. METHOD Young (≤30 years) and older (≥60 years) adults ("emoters") were unobtrusively videotaped while watching movie clips designed to elicit specific emotional states. The emoter videos were then presented to young and older "perceivers," who were instructed to infer what the emoters were feeling. RESULTS As predicted, older perceivers' empathic accuracy was less accurate relative to young perceivers. In addition, the emotions of young emoters were considerably easier to read than those of older emoters. There was also some evidence of an own-age advantage in emotion recognition in that older adults had particular difficulty assessing emotion in young faces. DISCUSSION These findings have important implications for real-world social adjustment, with older adults experiencing a combination of less emotional transparency and worse understanding of emotional experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ted Ruffman
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | | | - Janice Murray
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Fiona Jack
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Tina Vater
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Fasce A, Avendaño D. Opening the can of worms: A comprehensive examination of authoritarianism. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Barnett MD, De La Garza JM. Clinging to power, clinging to life: Rightwing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and attitudes toward life extension. DEATH STUDIES 2019; 46:307-313. [PMID: 31838957 DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2019.1699204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between political ideology and attitudes toward life extension among college students (N = 484). Older age and male gender were associated with more positive attitudes toward life extension, while religious commitment was not. Authoritarian aggression/submission and social dominance orientation were associated with more positive attitudes toward life extension. The results suggest older people, men, and individuals higher in authoritarian traits and social dominance orientation may be more likely to use life-extending biomedical technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Barnett
- Department of Psychology and Counseling, The University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, Texas, USA
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Motivation and social-cognitive abilities in older adults: Convergent evidence from self-report measures and cardiovascular reactivity. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0218785. [PMID: 31291276 PMCID: PMC6619662 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, some authors have suggested that age-related impairments in social-cognitive abilities-emotion recognition (ER) and theory of mind (ToM)-may be explained in terms of reduced motivation and effort mobilization in older adults. We examined performance on ER and ToM tasks, as well as corresponding control tasks, experimentally manipulating self-involvement. Sixty-one older adults and 57 young adults were randomly assigned to either a High or Low self-involvement condition. In the first condition, self-involvement was raised by telling participants were told that good task performance was associated with a number of positive, personally relevant social outcomes. Motivation was measured with both subjective (self-report questionnaire) and objective (systolic blood pressure reactivity-SBP-R) indices. Results showed that the self-involvement manipulation did not increase self-reported motivation, SBP-R, or task performance. Further correlation analyses focusing on individual differences in motivation did not reveal any association with performance, in either young or older adults. Notably, we found age-related decline in both ER and ToM, despite older adults having higher motivation than young adults. Overall, the present results were not consistent with previous claims that motivation affects older adults' social-cognitive performance, opening the route to potential alternative explanations.
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Adams AG, Schweitzer D, Molenberghs P, Henry JD. A meta-analytic review of social cognitive function following stroke. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 102:400-416. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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