Articles tagged with Psychological Theory
New research found that positive intergroup contact reduces the development of conspiracy theories about other groups. Experts from the University of Nottingham discovered that among British participants, positive contact interfered with the development of conspiracy beliefs about immigrants and Jewish people.
A new study from UEA found that friendly interactions with people from diverse groups can significantly reduce the endorsement and tolerance of conspiracy theories. Positive intergroup contact has been shown to decrease prejudice towards targeted groups, including Jewish people and immigrants.
Researchers found that people with strong mind reading abilities are more successful in cooperating to complete tasks, especially when paired with others having similar abilities. This quality, called theory of mind, can be improved through training programs.
A new study by VCU researcher David Chester found that aggression is not always the product of poor self-control, but rather can be the result of successful self-control to inflict greater retribution. The study argues for a more nuanced view of aggression and challenges common interventions aimed at reducing violence.
Researchers have developed a simulation of how people behave on roads based on cognitive theories, accurately reproducing pedestrian and driver behaviors in common scenarios. The model predicts complex underlying cognitive mechanisms that contribute to the difficulty in creating self-driving vehicles.
A computational psychological model predicts subtle behaviors in real traffic, such as hesitating before crossing and speeding up to deny pedestrians a crossing opportunity. The model accurately simulates 32 pairs of participants interacting as driver and pedestrian in a driver-pedestrian simulator.
A new study developed a mathematical innovation model grounded in psychology to predict adoption trends for new products. The model divides people into four categories: innovator, early adopter, majority, and laggard, and suggests that each group looks for specific properties of adoption trends to inform their purchasing decisions.
A new study by Dartmouth College researchers found that biased prior beliefs played a significant role in how people from both political parties updated their fraud beliefs after the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The study used a probability-based computational model to analyze survey data and found that Democrats and Republicans te...
Researchers at NTNU developed a new test to measure flow state, which can be useful for teachers to adapt instruction. The General Flow Proneness Scale has been shown to be reliable and valid, with good results from 228 participants.
A new study by University of Houston psychologist Adam Fetterman found that neighborhood apps are associated with inaccurate perceptions of higher local crime rates. The frequent use of such services by a large portion of the population suggests important implications for perceptions and behaviors related to people's neighborhoods.
A team of Illinois Tech associate professors and an alumnus surveyed over 1,400 British police officers and found that autonomy-supportive communication practices reduced antagonism towards diversity initiatives. The study's lead researcher hopes that this approach will increase cooperation in professions where prejudice is high.
A new method offers hope for struggling readers, focusing on giving children the right challenges. The approach resulted in outstanding reading results, including improved well-being and motivation.
A new study by University of Kent researchers identifies 'distrustful complacency' as a key factor behind vaccine resistance, highlighting the importance of both public concern and political trust in driving vaccination uptake.
Researchers link loot box purchasing to problem gambling, with 28% of adults who bought loot boxes reporting past-year gambling. The study suggests that loot boxes may prime people to gamble and increase susceptibility to problem gambling.
A recent study found that individuals who strongly believed in COVID-19 conspiracy theories were more likely to develop an increased tendency to believe in conspiracy theories in general. The study also showed that these individuals were more likely to believe in other conspiracy theories, such as voter fraud.
New research finds that believing COVID-19 is a hoax can lead to increased belief in conspiracy theories and even suspect the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump. The study proposes the 'gateway conspiracy' hypothesis, suggesting that one conspiracy theory triggers distrust in institutions.
A new study by the University of Nottingham reveals that people who experience workplace bullying are more likely to engage in conspiracy theorizing. The research found that both bullying and conspiracy theories share similar psychological factors, such as feelings of paranoia. This can lead to a vicious cycle where victims of bullying...
A new theory by UMass Amherst sleep scientist Rebecca Spencer suggests that young children's brain development, not age, determines when and why they stop napping. The hippocampus, a memory area of the brain, plays a critical role in nap transitions.
Researchers Dr. Fabian Pels and Prof. Jens Kleinert developed an integrative group flow theory that explains the conditions for optimal group performance. The IGFT highlights the importance of interpersonal coordination, positive relationship quality, and continuous maintenance of primary and secondary fits to achieve group flow.
Researchers at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business found no evidence to support the theory of depressive realism, which suggests that depressed individuals are more realistic in their judgments. The study replicated a 1979 experiment and found that depressed participants overestimated their control, contradicting the original results.
A new study across 67 countries reveals that people who believe in COVID-19 conspiracy theories are less likely to support public health efforts, but a strong sense of morality can weaken this effect. The study suggests that appeals to moral foundations could be an effective strategy to reduce such beliefs.
A new study suggests that our brains weigh up factors including personal experience, media influence, and expected cost when deciding whether to believe a conspiracy theory. The Computational Model of Conspiracy Theories (CMCT) considers these factors and finds that perceived risks, prior views, and lack of plausible non-conspiratorial...
A study by University of Cambridge researchers found that short animations can help people recognize and resist misinformation. The experiment, conducted on YouTube with over 30,000 participants, suggests a potential solution for fighting disinformation.
Researchers found no statistically significant evidence that beliefs in conspiracy theories have increased over time, despite popular claims. The study suggests that some conspiracy theories are gaining popularity while others recede into history.
A study by University of Florida researchers found that gardening lowered stress, anxiety, and depression in healthy women attending twice-weekly gardening classes. The participants experienced similar improvements in mental health as those in art-making sessions, with gardeners reporting slightly less anxiety.
Researchers argue that people with dyslexia have specific strengths in exploring the unknown, which has contributed to their successful adaptation and survival as a species. This 'explorative bias' plays a crucial role in our ability to adapt to changing environments.
Researchers from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg found that people with the Impostor Phenomenon devalue their objectively measured performance and attribute positive results to external causes. The study showed no relation between actual intelligence or performance and self-reported degree of Impostor Phenomenon.
Researchers developed a new model to understand how delusions emerge and are shaped by different contexts, revealing common themes across patient accounts. Clinicians must go beyond 'correcting' dysfunction to devise treatment that is relevant to the individual's emotions, life experiences, and socio-cultural contexts.
Yale University psychologists have developed a mathematical theory of flow that can be used to enhance immersion and engagement in almost any task. The theory is based on the concept of mutual information between desired end states and means of attaining them, and suggests that more informative means lead to greater flow experience.
A study found that older people are more positively reactive to emotional stimuli and better at reframing negative experiences into positives. Despite a decline in basal negative affect with age, participants were able to extract more positivity from given negative situations.
Couples who pool their finances exhibit better connections and more positive interactions, according to Cornell University research. Low-income couples tend to benefit most from combining bank accounts, aligning financial interests and goals.
A new study published in Social Psychological Bulletin found that people infer dominance from the utterance of challenging and offensive statements, regardless of audience reaction. This suggests that individuals who seek status through dominance are more likely to engage in such behavior.
Researchers reexamined hundreds of experiments on neural activity and consciousness, finding that experiment parameters determine results. The study used artificial intelligence to predict which theory would be supported by each experiment with 80% success.
Analytical and intelligence professionals in police forces reported feeling anxious and exhausted while working with traumatic material during the pandemic. Additional support is needed to manage working from home or commuting into work, according to new research.
Researchers used a haunted-house experience to study participants' physiological and subjective responses to perceived threats in a safe environment. The study found that friend-related emotional contagion, threat predictability, and subjective feelings of fear were relevant factors in the body's response.
A Hebrew University study found that parents' religiosity level impacts their child's behavior. In secular Jewish families, psychological control was linked to reduced helpfulness, while in religious Jewish and Muslim families, it showed the opposite effect. The research suggests that parenting style is culturally context-dependent.
A new study by Orygen has shown that early psychosis programs delivered in Australian headspace centres significantly improved the clinical and functional outcomes of young people. At six months, both groups experienced considerable improvement in psychological distress and psychosis symptoms.
A study found that Republicans who consumed and trusted Fox News less had more faith in the electoral process, while Democrats grew more confident as evidence of Biden's win accumulated. Cognitive dissonance theory explains how Fox News rationalized the outcome for Republicans, leading to decreased confidence in vote legitimacy.
Researchers from HSE School of Linguistics and Centre for Language and Brain conducted an experiment to understand how language speakers perceive polysemous words. The proximity of figurative senses to the literal sense affects perception as semantically different.
Researchers at the Missouri School of Journalism explored how people value digital news, finding that print newspapers moved to digital platforms without understanding the differences between mediums. The study identified eight affordances of digital news readers, including the importance of design elements like color and hyperlinks.
Researchers at Mount Sinai found that people used forward thinking when trying to influence others, regardless of controllability. This neural activity was linked to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, a decision-making center involved in strategic thinking.
Children do not understand theory of mind until age 6 or 7, according to Arizona State University researchers. They rely on perceptual access reasoning, which involves using visual cues to make decisions, rather than understanding others' mental states.
A study by the University of Missouri found that people are more likely to praise someone for good deeds if they know the person has also faced suffering earlier in life. This discovery sheds light on how humans process and react to positive behaviors, such as giving praise.
Researchers at Tokyo University of Science discover that vicarious social defeat can cause psychological stress in mice, leading to depression and decreased neurogenesis. The study sheds light on the pathophysiology of depression and may lead to the development of novel antidepressants.
A new study found that over 40% of older Australians with chronic diseases would be unlikely to seek mental health help even if needed. Internal beliefs about speaking with a doctor were the strongest predictor of seeking support.
A new study suggests that emotional expression plays a significant role in leadership effectiveness. Women are seen as more effective leaders when they express calm and happy emotions, whereas men are viewed negatively when expressing negative emotions. The study's findings have implications for leaders to manage their emotions to maxi...
Researchers used machine learning to test and improve long-stagnant theories of human decision-making by analyzing a large dataset of risky choices. The study found that deep neural networks could mimic human decisions with high accuracy, revealing underlying psychological properties of established behavioral theories.
A study by University of Missouri researchers reveals that physical layout and structure of print newspapers can improve readers' understanding of news on digital platforms. The team identified 10 affordances, or contextual clues, that help readers make sense of news, including physical, perceived, and relational affordances.
A recent study published in Social Influence found that when people are explicitly told they are free to accept or reject propagandistic claims, their likelihood of choosing a moderate view increases. This approach, based on self-determination theory and psychological reactance theory, aims to disrupt the radicalization process among v...
A study of 1,600 people found that 1 in 10 agreed strongly with COVID-19 conspiracy theories, with younger, stressed individuals more likely to hold extreme views. Cognitive biases were also identified, with those who believed in conspiracies being less critical of contradictory information.
A new psychological model developed by researchers predicts which factors contribute to panic buying during times of crisis. The model, based on animal-foraging theory, suggests that households with higher income, children, and greater psychological distress are more likely to engage in over-purchasing behaviors.
Researchers tracked brain activity and pupil dilation of basketball fans watching March Madness games to understand how the brain processes surprise. They found that shifts in brain activity only occurred when the outcome contradicted the fan's current beliefs.
Researchers found that attributing a mind to an android and then 'dehumanizing' it leads to the uncanny valley phenomenon. The study suggests that at first sight humans anthropomorphize an android, but within milliseconds they detect deviations and dehumanize it.
Researchers found that mountainous residents exhibit traits of low agreeableness, introverted self-reliance, and high openness to experience, reflecting the 'Wild West' ethos. This effect persists even among those born and raised outside these regions.
Researchers found that abstract paintings elicit more distant times and places in viewers than representational paintings. The study suggests that abstract art can evoke more abstract mental states, making it a unique catalyst for psychological exploration.
Research from the University of Kent found that collectivist individuals are more likely to comply with social distancing and hygiene practices to reduce COVID-19 transmission. Individuals with a more individualist mindset are less likely to engage, partly due to conspiracy theories and feelings of powerlessness.
A study found that believers in conspiracies are more likely to engage in politics, but also resort to violent means when believing the government is controlled by secret societies. The researchers suggest this could lead to an acceptance of extreme options.
A recent experiment published in Frontiers in Psychology found that following a motivational Instagram account increased participants' enjoyment of exercise. The researchers tested how social media can help with training and found that targeted motivation via Instagram postings had a significant positive effect, relying on scientific p...
Denise M. Rousseau has been honored with the Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award from SIOP for her impressive body of work, with over 70,000 citations, across three areas of I-O psychology: psychological contract, idiosyncratic deals, and evidence-based management.
A team of social scientists from rival institutions came together to reach a scientific consensus on stereotype formation. They developed a joint theory that combined perceived competence and warmth as key factors, but with nuances depending on the situation.