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University of Toronto Scarborough


Seeing brands as people

New research reveals that brands perceived as partners elicit cooperative behavior, while those viewed as servants prompt competitive actions. Participants' responses were influenced by automatic social behaviors, revealing a complex relationship between cognition and consumer culture.

SourceUniversity of Toronto Scarborough·JournalJournal of Consumer Research·DateDec 1, 2011

Collectivism and bribery

Researchers found that people in collectivist cultures are more likely to offer bribes, as they feel less individually responsible for their actions. In a laboratory experiment, students primed with collectivist words were more likely to offer bribes than those primed with individualist words.

SourceUniversity of Toronto Scarborough·JournalPsychological Science·DateOct 5, 2011

Fighting prejudice through imitation

A study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that watching a person from a different race perform actions reduces implicit prejudice. By mimicking these movements, individuals can activate brain mechanisms contributing to empathy and lower their levels of prejudice.

SourceUniversity of Toronto Scarborough·JournalJournal of Experimental Psychology·DateOct 3, 2011