Cognitive Social Psychology Research Articles

Special issue on “Cultural and cognitive dimensions of innovation” edited by Petra Ahrweiler and Riccardo Viale

The reasons that drive individuals to develop new technologies and to disseminate them in new products and processes, and the capacity to develop original solutions to technological problems, can be analysed with the concepts typical of individual and social cognitive psychology. Various aspects of cognitive activity address innovation. In particular, the capacity to grasp the latent questions and needs of the market that lies behind the possibility to identify opportunities for new products or services; the means of generating solutions that can respond effectively to the realisation of these new opportunities; problem solving processes in the identification of new procedures that underpin process inventions and new manufacturing techniques; the risk of innovative behaviour and the contexts that can favour a greater or lesser propensity to develop innovative solutions. The best historical example of the two stages of the identification of the problem/opportunity and the generation of a solution is that of Jozsef Biro, the inventor of the ballpoint pen. As a journalist, he considered the fountain pens of the early twentieth century inadequate for his work. As he watched some children in Buenos Aires playing with marbles on the wet tarmac, he noticed that these left a trail on the ground as they rolled. Reasoning by analogy, he had the idea of a sphere that could guide the ink inside a pen. He patented the idea, which was developed and led to the creation of the ballpoint pen. Individual and social cognitive psychology is able to study the various stages of an innovative process. Creativity and problem solving are not the only possible subjects of cognitive analysis, so is the more socio-economic dimension, like the reasons that make a new product an innovation, because they manage to satisfy latent needs; the cognitive mechanisms of comprehension, acceptance and choice of a new product; the propensity to innovate, seen in the light of the representation of the risk and the decision-making activity of the innovating agent, etc. The dynamics of innovation can be explained through the reasoning,

Microfoundations for Strategy: A Goal-Framing Perspective on the Drivers of Value Creation

Scholars increasingly seek to proffer microfoundations for macro management theory, notably strategic management theory. These microfoundations naturally revolve around human resources. We argue that proper microfoundations for strategic management theory must recognize that the management of motivation is first and foremost a matter of the management of cognitions of organizational members, an insight we found in goal-framing theory, an emerging perspective based on cognitive science, behavioral economics, and social psychology. Building on this insight, we argue that a key reason why strategic goals matter to firm performance—that is, firm-level value creation and value capture and sustained competitive heterogeneity—is that such goals influence value creation rooted in employee motivations. Unfolding this idea allows us to generate new insight into the relations among value creation, strategic leadership, and strategic goals.

A 21st-Century Framework for Character Formation in Sports

The value of athletics in character development has been anecdotally touted for centuries, but the reality is that sporting environments have regularly failed to achieve the potentials of moral education. The shared physical and mental demands of sports combined with the intensity with which much of society approaches competition makes the playing field a unique venue for both the observation and teaching of dynamic, virtuous behavior. Considering modern findings in the fields of cognitive science, social psychology, and behavioral neuroscience in conjunction with rich philosophical thinking of the past provides insights to drive sports-based character education into this century. In this article we present a framework for character education in sports that examines the sociocultural influences, emotional and cognitive responses, and self-regulation skills throughout the moral decision-making process on the playing field. Each level of this model provides insights for athletic educators navigating both prosocial and antisocial behaviors in sport. Beyond considering sport as a venue for character development it is also valuable to acknowledge the potential for character to improve athletic performance. This interacting relationship not only adds value to character education initiatives but also provides additional opportunities for creating a strong community belief system around character. Creating impactful student-athlete character education environments is challenging, yet sport educational environments that are consciously shaped and consistently supportive can succeed.

Imaging volition: what the brain can tell us about the will

The question of how we can voluntarily control our behaviour dates back to the beginnings of scientific psychology. Currently, there are two empirical research disciplines tackling human volition: cognitive neuroscience and social psychology. To date, there is little interaction between the two disciplines in terms of the investigation of human volition. The aim of the current article is to highlight recent brain imaging work on human volition and to relate social psychological concepts of volition to the functional neuroanatomy of intentional action. A host of studies indicate that the medial prefrontal cortex plays a crucial role in voluntary action. Accordingly, we postulate that social psychological concepts of volition can be investigated using neuroimaging techniques, and propose that by developing a social cognitive neuroscience of human volition, we may gain a deeper understanding of this fascinating and complex aspect of the human mind.

Productive Dialogue and Creativity Performance

Previous scholar uses the term productive dialogue to refer to a person's exchanging one's insights into a problem with related others. Based on arguments from the dialogical theory of new knowledge creation and the theory of creativity, we propose that a person¡¦s involving into productive dialogues with colleagues can enhance one's creativity performance in a work team. Then, drawing on the literature about social psychology and cognitive psychology, we argue that the person's cognitive empathy and need for cognition can amplify the positive effect of productive dialogue with one's creativity performance in a work team. With time-lagged data surveyed from different sources in Taiwanese electronic product manufacturers, we show that productive dialogue is positively related to creativity performance and that need for cognition positively moderates the relationship between productive dialogue and creativity. The significance and limitations of our study are discussed.

Micro-Foundations for Strategy: A Goal-Framing Perspective on the Drivers of Value Creation

Scholars increasingly seek to proffer microfoundations for macro management theory, notably strategic management theory. These microfoundations naturally revolve around human resources. We argue that proper microfoundations for strategic management theory must recognize that the management of motivation is first and foremost a matter of the management of cognitions of organizational members, an insight that we found in goal-framing theory, an emerging perspective based on cognitive science, behavioral economics, and social psychology. Building on this insight, we argue that a key reason why strategic goals matter to firm performance - that is, firm-level value creation and value capture and sustained competitive heterogeneity - is that such goals influence value creation rooted in employee motivations. Unfolding this idea allows us to generate new insight in the relations between value creation, strategic leadership and strategic goals.

Power is Everywhere: Social Inequality from Discursive Formations to Patterns of Activation

According to Foucault, discourse is centrally important for the formation and maintenance of power relations and for the construction of identities. That is to say, the language that we use to make sense of the world both reflects the contemporary power relations and affects the kind of selves we become. This element of Foucauldian theory has been generally accepted by contemporary political theorists. However, as Judith Butler notes, Foucault’s own theorizing cannot explain the way in which socially constructed subjectivity functions. As a result, Foucauldian theorizing leaves open the question of the way in which the social construction of the self affects how people perceive and think about the world. In this paper, I offer a theoretical model of the way in which socially constructed subjectivity functions. Drawing upon both Foucauldian theory and research from social cognitive psychology, I present a model of the functioning of subjectivity that illustrates the way in which power relations shape who we are at the most fundamental, cognitive level. I conclude the paper by considering the political implications of the model for social justice activists and theorists concerned with creating more just, equitable, and humane power relations.

Developing Leaders in Anesthesiology

Developing Leaders in Anesthesiology

Capability Beliefs Regarding Evidence‐Based Practice are Associated with Application of EBP and Research Use: Validation of a New Measure

Beliefs about capabilities, or self-efficacy, is a construct originating in social cognitive psychology. Capability beliefs have been found to be positively associated with intention and healthcare practice behaviour. A measure of an individual's beliefs about his/her capability to apply the components of evidence-based practice (EBP) has potential to be useful in implementation research. To evaluate the concurrent validity and internal structure of a new scale measuring nurses' capability beliefs regarding EBP. Data were taken from a prospective longitudinal study in Sweden (the Longitudinal Analyses of Nursing Education and Entry in Worklife [LANE]). A cohort of nursing students who graduated in the autumn of 2004 that was followed up 2 years after their graduation was used (n= 1,256). Concurrent validity was tested relating different levels of capability beliefs to extent of research use and application of EBP. An item-response approach was applied in the evaluation of internal structure of the proposed scale (six items). The psychometric analyses indicated that the six items could be summed to reflect a one-dimensional scale. Nurses with the highest level of capability beliefs reported that they used research findings in clinical practice more than twice as often as those with lower levels of capability beliefs. They also participated in the implementation of evidence seven times more often. There is a need for further studies of the construct and predictive validity of the scale. It should also be validated in other groups of health professionals. Learning including mastery experiences, role modelling, social persuasion, and manageable stress could be used in undergraduate education as well as practice development to increase beliefs about capabilities which might open the way to increased application of EBP in healthcare practice. This new measure is well grounded in social cognitive theory, functions as a one-dimensional scale and possesses promising properties of concurrent validity.

Getting Scientists and Ethnomusicologists to Work Together: Some Thoughts and Recommendations

Iam grateful to Francesca Sborgi Lawson for her contribution to the flowering discussion about whether there really is a role for scientific empiricism in eth nomusicological thought and research, and also for sharing with me an earlier paper on acoustic ecology (Lawson 2007). In this current study, Lawson explores the interaction between aural paradigms and orthography in the genre of shulaibao and its descendent, kuaibarshu, in pre- and post-revolutionary China. In both articles, she pursues the goal of collaboration, perhaps even integration, of contemporary scientific research domains with approaches in humanistic studies such as historiography. She wishes to align with Becker’s (2009) focus on “enabling” models and attitudes, Titon’s (2009) hope for an integrationist and better-theorized applied ethnomusicology, and Bakan’s (2008, 2009) appeal to a situationist-oriented approach to the empirical study of musical activity. One way Lawson signals this goal is her borrowing of E. O. Wilson’s (1998:64–65) term consilience to signify a rapprochement between humanis tic and scientific modes of study. Wilson employed the term to mean “global synthesis,” but in Lawson’s discussion “areas of consilience” seems clearly to indicate something rather like “agreement” or “concord.” This becomes the springboard for constructing a theoretical and partly empirical case for applying insights in social science, cognitive psychology, and evolution ary biology to the study of musical behavior. Perhaps a global synthesis of ethnomusicology and science is possible, or perhaps there are only limited areas of concord. The path is likely to be difficult and fraught with difficul ties, but I certainly believe it can be enlightening, and that we—scientists and humanists—can walk it together. Lawson singles out the work of Patel (2008), which offers us a detailed picture of the neural interconnectedness of language and music in the brain.

PC-FACS

PC-FACS (Fast Article Critical Summaries for Clinicians in Palliative Care), an electronic publication of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, provides palliative care clinicians with concise summaries of the most important findings from more than 50 medical and scientific journals. Each month, structured summaries and insightful commentaries on 6-10 articles help palliative care clinicians stay on top of the research that is critical to contemporary practice. PC-FACS is free to AAHPM members and members can earn up to 3 CME credits quarterly. Following are excerpts from recent issues, and comments from readers are welcomed at resources@aahpm.org.

Rated pleasantness and relevance of Brazilian-Portuguese adjectives for future assessment instruments.

In the present study we present Brazilian normative ratings of pleasantness and relevance for a sample of German adjectives, with the aim of contributing to the development of psychosocial and neuropsychological instruments, among other related fields. Three judges validated a preliminary list of 186 German adjectives translated to Brazilian Portuguese. A coefficient of content validity (CCV) was obtained to evaluate the degree of agreement among the judges in two dimensions: equivalence and clearness. The final list contained 136 items. The CCV for the aggregate of the 136 adjectives was .90 for equivalence and .91 for clearness. These adjectives were subsequently rated for pleasantness and relevance by 385 Brazilian participants aged 17 to 68 years. The Brazilian ratings were compatible with the original German ratings. Agreement frequency was 73-99% for pleasantness and 44-96% for relevance. These norms may be useful for both national and cross-cultural studies between Germany and Brazil and can be used in a wide range of fields including social cognition, cognitive psychology, and clinical neuropsychology. Importantly, items from this list of adjectives can be used to develop instruments to assess memory, language, and mental representations, among other cognitive processes.

Old Age Research

Introduction The Myers Lecture for 1987 is reported in The Psychologist of Decelnber 1988, by Patrick Rabbitt, in which the conclusion is drawn that a which has nothing to say about what being old feels like, how elderly people see thell1selves in relation to the world, and how they attelnpt to understand their lives and to Inanage their interactions without elnbarrassnlent and pain will be a paltry, pseudo-acadenlic exercise (p. 506). It will, Rabbitt continues, Iniss entirely how elderly people's social interactions Inaintain the everyday efficiency of their cognitive processes. Research in social psychology, the neurosciences, and cognitive psychology had failed to provide such essential knowledge, and gerontology was in sore need of all three disciplines. I anl to propose that it needs none of the three, and that already, in 1950, an opportunity was Inissed to develop gerontology on lines so egregiously lacking in these and other disciplines since then. It was a proposal originally published in nliIneographed fornl in Harold E. Jones (Ed.), Research on Aging: Proceedings of a Conference held on August 710/ 1950/ at the University of California/ Berkeley (Pacific Coast Conlnlittee on Old Age Research, Social Science Research Council). It involved Q-Inethodology, and I was its author (Stephenson 1950). Background

Measuring Empathy in the 21st Century: Development of an Empathy Index Rooted in Social Cognitive Neuroscience and Social Justice

Instruments currently being used to measure empathy do not reflect the recent neuroscientific scholarship on mirror neurons and the importance of self-awareness and emotion regulation in experiencing the fullest extent of empathy. The authors describe a theoretical framework for the initial development and pilot application of an empathy self-report instrument, the Empathy Assessment Index (EAI). The EAI is based on a comprehensive definition of empathy that is rooted in social cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, and social work's commitment to social justice. The authors present reliability, concurrent validity, and data reduction and refinement results from the first administration of the index. Four of the five EAI subscales had excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Three subscales were tested for concurrent validity. The exploratory factor analysis identified six factors that explained over 43% of the variance. KEY WORDS: affective response; emotion regulation; empathic attitudes; empathy; self-awareness ********** Recent breakthroughs in neuroscience, particularly social cognitive neuroscience, have given social scientists unprecedented opportunities to observe and attempt to measure various aspects of human thought, feeling, and behavior (Doidge, 2007). Among these psychological phenomena is empathy. The importance of empathy for effective social work practice is commonly accepted within the profession (Hepworth, Rooney, Rooney, Strom-Gottfried, & Larsen, 2006; Shulman, 2009) .Twenty-first century technology has allowed neuroscientists to demonstrate that empathy can be empirically observed and quantified (Jackson, Brunet, Meltzoff, & Decety, 2006; Lamm, Batson, & Decety, 2007; Schulte-Ruther, Markowitsch, Shah, Fink, & Piefke, 2008). Zaki, Weber, Bolger, and Ochsner (2009) conducted one of the first studies to cross-check and validate the correlation between three different empathy-related phenomena: (1) the subjective experience of people telling an emotional autobiographical story, (2) the empathic response of people watching the storytellers, and (3) the brain activity of the story viewers. This study suggests that brain activity can be used as an empirical measure of affective sharing and cognitive processing and that accurate empathy may be physically differentiated from projection or other emotional reactions. Such research can enrich our ability to cultivate greater empathy in social workers and their clients. As all the social sciences reorient themselves to accommodate the mounting empirical evidence of the brain's neuroplasticity (Rakio, 2002) and the interpersonal neurobiology of empathy, we would like to help open social work research to a richer, more multifaceted examination of empathy. Most social workers do not have access to technologies like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machines, nor do they have sufficient funds for expensive and labor-intensive neurological workups of themselves or their clients. In an ideal world, social workers would have a reasonably accurate, affordable, and user-friendly way of quantifying empathy that incorporates new findings from social cognitive neuroscience. We believe the best initial approach is the development of a self-report index that can be tested and validated by ongoing correlation of phenomenological observation, self-report responses, and specific brain activity. The findings reported in this article represent a first step toward that end. We describe a theoretical framework for the initial development and pilot application of an empathy self-report instrument, the Empathy Assessment Index (EAI). The EAI is based on a comprehensive definition of empathy that is rooted in social cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, and social work's commitment to social justice. Finally, we present reliability, concurrent validity, and data reduction and refinement results from the first administration of the index. …

Towards A Better Understanding of Cognitive Polyphasia

Despite its intuitive appeal and the empirical evidence for it, the hypothesis of cognitive polyphasia (Moscovici, 1961/1976/2008) remains largely unexplored. This article attempts to clarify some of the ideas behind this concept by examining its operations at the level of individuals and by proposing a conceptual model that includes some elements of social cognition. Indeed, calls for a rapprochement between the theory of social representations and cognitive psychology have been made by Moscovici, in particular, in his 1984 paper on The myth of the lonely paradigm and in his paper on La nouvelle pensée magique (1992) in which he argues that the theory of social representations provides an explanatory framework for the descriptions offered by cognitive psychology and that their combining could translate into a finer understanding of contemporary social phenomena. Building on the results of an empirical examination of the controversy that surrounded the MMR vaccination programme in the UK between 1998 and 2005, different ways of engaging into cognitive polyphasia are proposed, including what can be described as cognitive “monophasia”, that is, the exclusive use of one type of knowledge, at least at the level of the individual. A brief discussion about the implications of the proposed conceptual model for our understanding of cognitive polyphasia and of the different ways of making sense of the world around us concludes this article.

The Internalisation of Group Identities in Childhood

This paper provides an account of key findings from a decade-long programme of research on children’s internalisation of social group identities. Our starting point is to note a pervasive failure of previous work to differentiate between categorisation of the self in group terms and subjective identification with a social group. Thus, previous research had sought to cast light on identification with groups but, owing to methodological weaknesses, typically examined only categorisation of the self in group terms. Following a review of relevant literature, we report the findings of our own research which has adapted methods drawn from cognitive social psychology. We conclude that even by the age of 5 years children are capable of subjectively identifying with collectivities. Directions for future research are discussed.

An Analysis of Extendibility and Early Termination Provisions: The Importance of Framing Duration Safeguards

We augment transaction cost economics with social cognitive psychology to show that contract framing is an important element in minimizing issues in focal exchanges and managing buyer-supplier rela...

Teams, Team Motivation, and the Theory of the Firm

A concern with teams was central to early attempts to grasp the nature of the firm, but fell out of favor in later work. We encourage a return to the emphasis on teams, but argue that the idea of teams as central to the nature of the firm needs to be grounded in an appreciation of the importance of We frames and group agency. We use converging insights from evolutionary anthropology, cognitive social psychology and work on team agency to develop such a grounding, and link it to the issues of the existence and boundaries of firms.

A testable theory of problem solving courts: Avoiding past empirical and legal failures

Recent years have seen a proliferation of problem solving courts designed to rehabilitate certain classes of offenders and thereby resolve the underlying problems that led to their court involvement in the first place. Some commentators have reacted positively to these courts, considering them an extension of the philosophy and logic of Therapeutic Jurisprudence, but others show concern that the discourse surrounding these specialty courts has not examined their process or outcomes critically enough. This paper examines that criticism from historical and social scientific perspectives. The analysis culminates in a model that describes how offenders are likely to respond to the process as they engage in problem solving court programs and the ways in which those courts might impact subsequent offender conduct. This Therapeutic Jurisprudence model of problem solving courts draws heavily on social cognitive psychology and more specifically on theories of procedural justice, motivation, and anticipated emotion to offer an explanation of how offenders respond to these programs. We offer this model as a lens through which social scientists can begin to address the concern that there is not enough critical analysis of the process and outcome of these courts. Applying this model to specialty courts constitutes an important step in critically examining the contribution of problem solving courts.

Bodies of Knowledge for Research in Behavioral Operations

Whenever intrepid researchers venture into new terrain, they find that they require knowledge outside of their formal training. This paper reviews bodies of knowledge for operations management (OM) researchers interested in the new area of Behavioral Operations. We highlight theoretical constructs and empirical phenomena from cognitive psychology, social psychology, group dynamics, and system dynamics. We also provide a guide for where to go to learn more about each body of knowledge. Our overall goal is to lower the startup costs for new researchers in Behavioral Operations.