Entity Theory Research Articles

The relationship between implicit theories of intelligence, attainment and socio‐demographic factors in a UK sample of primary school children

Research emerging from the USA suggests that holding an incremental theory of intelligence (growth mindset) has a positive impact on academic success. However, limited empirical work has explored this relationship in a UK sample, and there has been a lack of research into the antecedents which might influence the development of certain intelligence beliefs. This study aimed to explore these gaps in the existing literature. Data was collected from 710 9‐year‐old pupils (UK Year 5). Participants completed attainment tests in Maths and English, and a questionnaire to assess their implicit theories of intelligence (mindset). Socio‐demographic information—including gender, ethnicity, free school meal (FSM) status and special educational needs (SEN) status—was also collected. Results showed that pupils eligible for FSM or SEN endorsed more of an entity theory of intelligence than pupils not eligible for either. Analysis of the whole sample showed that attainment significantly correlated with implicit theories of intelligence, however, this relationship did not exist for children with FSM or SEN status. These findings help to elucidate the relationship between implicit theories of intelligence and attainment in the UK, but also suggest the importance of external support in potentially facilitating pupils’ belief systems. Results are discussed in relation to avenues for targeted intervention.

중학생의 방어행동에 대한 자기효능감, 집단효능감, 또래괴롭힘 방어행동 간 관계에서 고정신념의 역할

중학생의 방어행동에 대한 자기효능감, 집단효능감, 또래괴롭힘 방어행동 간 관계에서 고정신념의 역할

Test anxiety in physical education: The predictive role of gender, age, and implicit theories of athletic ability

Test anxiety is experienced by a substantial number of students in many school subjects, including physical education, and it may be deleterious for their school performance and their well-being. The aim of our study was to explore through multiple regression and mediation analyses the relationships between test anxiety in physical education, implicit theories, gender, and age. Five hundred and twenty-six French students ( Mage = 15.82, SD = 1.19) voluntarily participated in the study. The results mainly highlighted the following: Gender was a significant predictor of all the components of physical education test anxiety, evidencing that girls scored higher than boys on the four negative components (worry, self-focus, bodily symptoms, somatic tension), and lower on the positive component (perceived control). Age negatively predicted the self-focus component only. Entity theory was a significant predictor of the five components of test anxiety, whereas incremental theory only positively predicted perceived control. Entity theory partially mediated the relationships between gender and perceived control. A better understanding by physical education teachers of the characteristics of their students (e.g. gender differences, age, implicit theories of athletic ability) may contribute to decreasing test anxiety in physical education.

It takes two to self-disclose: Incremental theorists facilitate others' self-disclosure more than do entity theorists.

We tested the prediction that incremental theorists are more likely to facilitate others' self-disclosure than are entity theorists. We conducted three studies: (a) a field study that examined client's self-disclosure (N=122; Mage =41.9, 67.8% woman; Israelis) during an intake interview with a professional therapist (N=38; Mage =46.2, 84.20% woman; Israelis), (b) a survey of adults (N=120; Mage =37.14, 57.6% female) who reported self-perceptions and behaviors during conversations and their perceptions of others' self-disclosure. In both studies participants reported their implicit theories, and (c) an experiment (N=250; Mage =28.27, 56.6% female) in which participants whose implicit theories were manipulated reported their opening behaviors during a conversation and their perceptions of others' self-disclosure. Ones' incremental theory of personality was positively related to another's self-disclosure, to one's opening and disclosure-encouraging behaviors, and was negatively related to one's perceptions of others' self-protection tendency. Furthermore, one's opening behaviors and perceptions of others' self-protection tendencies mediated the effect of one's incremental theory on others' self-disclosure. Those who believe people can grow and change, can influence others to trust their personal information with them, even when the information is negative.

Do consumers react differently to sweatshop allegations on luxury and non-luxury brands? A brand entitativity-based account

Purpose Perceived brand entitativity, or the extent to which a collection of brands signifies a group to consumers, differentiates luxury vs non-luxury brands such that luxury brands are perceived to be more entitative than non-luxury brands. Framed by the concept of brand entitativity and the implicit theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether this difference in the perceived brand entitativity of luxury and non-luxury brands impacts how consumers respond to sweatshop allegations in context to these brands. Design/methodology/approach Two separate experimental studies employing between-subjects designs were conducted among a total of 162 and 276 student consumers from a Southern university of the USA. The authors operationalized sweatshop allegations at two levels, brand-specific allegations (the stimulus brand itself is accused) and industry-specific allegations (other brands of the same industry are accused) to examine the role that brand entitativity plays in these two types of allegations. Findings Experiment 1 demonstrated that industry-specific allegations hurt consumer attitudes for luxury brands to a greater extent than non-luxury brands, whereas brand-specific allegations hurt non-luxury brands more so than luxury ones. In experiment 2, the authors find that the above results hold true only for consumers who are more prone to social perceptions of entitativity (entity theorists), but not those who represent an incremental mindset (incremental theorists). Practical implications The results can help brand managers understand the negative downstream consequences of brand- and industry-specific allegations for their brand type (luxury vs non-luxury). Originality/value This study fills an important gap in understanding consumer reaction to brands’ sweatshop allegations by addressing the role of consumers’ perceived brand entitativity and how it differs for consumers holding different implicit beliefs.

Ostracism and aggression among adolescents: Implicit theories of personality moderated the mediating effect of self-esteem

Substantial research has found that ostracism is associated with aggression. However, little is known about mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relation. Drawing from the social control theory, sociometer model of self-esteem, and organism-environment interaction model, the present study examined a moderated mediation model that included ostracism (predictor variable), self-esteem (mediator), implicit theories of personality (moderator), and aggression (outcome variable) simultaneously. A total of 383 Chinese adolescents completed the Ostracism Experience Scale for Adolescents, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, Aggression Questionnaire, and Implicit Theories Scale. After controlling for adolescent gender, results revealed that ostracism was significantly and positively associated with adolescent aggression. Mediation analysis showed that self-esteem completely mediated the association between ostracism and aggression. Moreover, moderated mediation analysis further indicated that implicit theories of personality moderated the second part of the mediation process. Specifically, the path from self-esteem to aggression was significant for adolescents with entity theories, while for adolescents with incremental theories, the path became non-significant. These findings suggest that interventions that target adolescents' self-esteem and implicit theories of personality may be effective means to decrease aggression.

Akuntansi Sosial Spiritual Antara “Innaa Lillaahi wa Innaa Ilaihi Raaji’uun” dan “lakum Diinukum wa Liya Diin”

This study aims to explain socio-spiritual accounting from the point of view of entity theory and shariah enterprise theory and to analyze the difference between both. The indicator of analysis in this study is the three dimensions offered by Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) with several combinations offered by Islamic Social Reporting (ISR): economic, social and environmental dimension with additional spiritual dimension. The main source in this research is referenced through literature study from scientific journals and books. The results show that if entity theory is reflected for social activities, it will be tendence to emphasize the need of shareholders and only report for pseudo sustainability reports. While shariah enterprise theory that is reflected for social activities will complement the enterprise theory and will account for it vertically and horizontally and will report for humanism sustainability report. GRI that is created on the basic of human ethics and reason seems to be paired with the ISR, so that tauhid values can be realized by each party either themselves, individuals or entities

The impact of implicit self-theories and loss salience on financial risk

The current research explores the influence of implicit self-theories on decisions involving financial risk. Building from research on self-signaling, we explore how loss salience impacts the relationship between an individual's self-theory and financial risk choice. We show that entity theorists are less risk-seeking under conditions in which a possible monetary loss is more salient (i.e. presented less ambiguously, Studies 1a and 1b). We demonstrate a reversal of this effect by showing that entity theorists are more risk-seeking when a possible loss is less salient (i.e. presented more ambiguously, Studies 2a and 2b). Study 3 introduces tolerance of ambiguity as a mediating factor in the relationship between implicit self-theory and financial risk-taking, such that entity theorists are more tolerant of ambiguity, leading them to accept more risk under conditions where loss is ambiguous. We conclude with discussion for self-theory research, transformative services research, managerial decision-making, and consumer well-being.

The effect of implicit theories of pain on pain and disability in people with chronic low back pain

BackgroundImplicit theories of pain represent a socio-cognitive mechanism linked to important coping, emotional, and expressive reactions to chronic pain. Evidence suggests that chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients who hold an incremental theory of pain (i.e., view pain as a malleable) use more active coping strategies, display less pain behavior, and report lower levels of depression than those with an entity theory of pain (i.e., view pain as a fixed). However, a link between implicit theories of pain and symptoms of pain and disability in people with CLBP has not been established. ObjectivesThis study investigated the relationship between implicit theories of pain and the level of pain and disability reported by people with CLBP. DesignCross-sectional observational study. MethodsOne hundred and two participants with CLBP completed an online survey distributed through social media channels. The online survey assessed pain intensity and pain-related disability (Chronic Pain Grade Scale), implicit theories of pain (Implicit Theory of Pain Scale), and perceived control over pain (Survey of Pain Attitudes control scale). ResultsParticipants with an incremental theory of pain reported significantly less pain and disability compared to those with an entity theory of pain (p < 0.001). ConclusionsThese findings suggest that implicit theories of pain may guide self-reported symptoms of pain and disability in a CLBP population. Prospective studies are required to confirm the relevance of these findings for risk of future low back pain, and to confirm whether this relationship changes with and without treatment.

Exploring Factors Related to Taiwanese Adolescent Students’ Academic Attributes and Engagement

Exploring Factors Related to Taiwanese Adolescent Students’ Academic Attributes and Engagement Shu-Shen Shih Abstract The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships among Taiwanese adolescent students „perceptions of parental expectations along with parental criticism, satisfaction of the needs for autonomy and competence, implicit theories of intelligence, perfectionist tendencies, and academic procrastination in order to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms related to students‟ academic attributes and engagement. Four hundred and five eighth grade Taiwanese students completed a self-reported survey assessing the variables described above. Findings of hierarchical regression analyses suggested that parental expectations, parental criticism, and competence need satisfaction significantly predicted implicit theories of intelligence. In terms of perfectionistic tendencies, parental expectations and competence need satisfaction positively predicted positive striving (i.e., personal standards and organization), whereas parental criticism emerged as a negative predictor of positive striving. Further, parental expectations, parental criticism, and an entity theory of intelligence positively predicted evaluative concerns (i.e., concerns over mistakes and doubts about actions). With respect to academic procrastination, results of hierarchical regressions revealed that parental influences, satisfaction of the needs for competence, and perfectionistic tendencies all functioned as determinants of academic procrastination. Implications for educational practices and future research are discussed. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jehd.v8n3a13

Lay Beliefs About Attention to and Awareness of the Present: Implicit Mindfulness Theory (IMT) and Its Workplace Implications

While mindfulness (attention to and awareness of the present) has received growing attention from scholars and practitioners, little is known regarding how employees’ lay beliefs about the fixedness versus malleability nature of mindfulness can guide their work behaviors. To address this issue, we proposed the concept of implicit mindfulness theory (IMT) and developed and validated a new measure tapping this construct (with three items in the final scale). Across six studies, we found that the new measure had satisfactory reliabilities, validities, and other psychometric properties and also proved useful in predicting individuals’ voice, production deviance, and in-role behaviors in the workplace. Some individuals in our studies were inclined to view mindfulness as a relatively fixed quality rather than as an attribute developable through time and effort investments. We also found that while IMT had a direct relationship with voice (study 4), IMT modified the relationship between feedback from others at work and production deviance (study 5) or in-role behaviors (study 6); feedback from others at work was significantly related to production deviance or in-role behaviors only among IMT entity theorists. Notably, IMT had predictive validity above and beyond a measure of dispositional mindfulness. The insights provided by our studies highlight the need to better understand the individual difference of IMT and its workplace implications.

Implicit beliefs of ability and maladaptive learning: does self-efficacy matter?

This study investigated the interaction between self-efficacy and implicit beliefs of ability in their association with maladaptive learning in mathematics. The analysis was based on a large sample of 2538 Singapore Secondary 2 students (Mage = 13.75), who took measures of entity beliefs of ability, self-efficacy, and three maladaptive learning variables in mathematics: novelty avoidance, cheating, and anxiety. We conducted latent interaction analysis with gender and previous mathematics achievement controlled and found that higher self-efficacy did not buffer, but enhanced the positive association between entity beliefs of ability and the three maladaptive learning variables. When entity beliefs of ability were higher, the increase in the three maladaptive learning was larger for those with higher self-efficacy than those with lower self-efficacy. Findings suggest a revision of the moderation hypothesis in the literature: higher self-efficacy is more helpful in preventing maladaptive learning for incremental theorists than for entity theorists.

Reforming accounting to support the shift towards a sustainable financial system

PurposeConsidering the growing importance of finance in shaping corporate and human activities, the purpose of this paper is to focus on the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Inquiry into the Design of a Sustainable Financial System that aims to align the financial system with sustainable development, with a focus on environmental aspects. Following the inquiry call for better disclosure approaches of material information on the “sustainability impacts” of the financial system as one of the areas of improvement to move toward a sustainable financial system, the author argues for a reform of the accounting model to better reflect the compliance of businesses with “quality of growth” imperatives.Design/methodology/approachThe paper rests on the entity theory of Littleton (1934).FindingsThe new accounting model requires creating a new equity capital account for the entity that is separate from the shareholders equity account. Valuation as well as other related issues on the functioning of this account is briefly explored in the paper. The reform also requires entrusting the responsibility of answering questions related to valuation, capital maintenance and income distribution to the board of directors that should be composed of representatives of the different capitals which have accrued, temporarily or indefinitely, to the business firm.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper calls researchers to explore the theoretical avenues proposed in the paper to develop the model in practice.Practical implicationsThe implementation of this reform requires a regulatory reform and the redesign of the economic coordination mechanisms which could be challenging in practice.Social implicationsThe accounting model proposed in the paper contributes to a new quality of growth, which is a growth based on well-being and inclusiveness.Originality/valueThe paper draws on the UNEP framework, which has not been investigated in other research studies.

Social exclusion and depression among college students: A moderated mediation model of psychological capital and implicit theories

Although social exclusion has been shown to play an important role in depression, little is known about mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relation among college students. Based on conservation of resources theory and hopelessness theory of depression, the current study investigated the mediating role of psychological capital and the moderating role of implicit theories in the relation between social exclusion and depression. Five hundred and fifty-three Chinese college students filled out questionnaires regarding social exclusion, depression, psychological capital and implicit theories. After gender and age were controlled, social exclusion was significantly and positively associated with depression. Mediation analysis revealed that psychological capital partially mediated the association between social exclusion and depression. Moderated mediation analysis further indicated that the indirect effect of social exclusion on depression was moderated by implicit theories. The indirect path was only significant for entity theorists but not for incremental theorists. These findings may help to design effective psychological interventions for college students with higher level of depression.

Are your emotions under your control or not? Implicit theories of emotion predict well-being via cognitive reappraisal

Much of the research on implicit theories has focused on theories of intelligence. The aim of the present study was to examine how implicit theories of emotion were associated with positive and negative indicators of well-being via cognitive reappraisal. College students (n = 355) answered relevant questionnaires. Results indicated that entity theory of emotion (thinking that emotions are uncontrollable) was detrimental to well-being. Entity theory of emotion negatively predicted the use of reappraisal. Entity theory of emotion was positively associated with negative emotions, anxiety, and depression, while at the same time being negatively associated with life satisfaction and positive emotions. The effects of entity theory of emotion were partially mediated by cognitive reappraisal. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The Influence of Implicit Self-Theories on Causal Inferences about Superstitions and Consequences on Subsequent Tasks

When people succeed in a challenging task after using a product associated with a good luck superstition cue, will they infer that their superstitious consumption is a key reason for their success? We found that entity theorists (but not incremental theorists) tend to attribute their success to their superstitious consumption (studies 1, 2, and 3). Moreover, we found that such causal inferences create negative consequences on subsequent tasks, which vary depending on whether people can continue to engage in superstitious consumption. Specifically, entity theorists tend to feel a weaker sense of self-efficacy toward a subsequent task if they cannot engage in the same superstitious consumption as in the prior task (study 2). Moreover, if they continue to engage in the same superstitious consumption as in the prior task, entity theorists reduce their effort on the subsequent task (study 3).

The State’s Invisible Hand: Chinese SOEs Facing EU Antitrust Law

We argue that the European Commission (EC) case law on mergers involving Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) suffers from several flaws. First, it is inconsistent with the set of criteria initially set out in the EC case law for SOEs. Secondly, the EC’s assessment is based on an ownership bias that ignores the institutional environment in which Chinese SOEs operate. Third, it violates the basic legal rationale to maintain and ensure competitive neutrality between private and public companies in merger review. We argue in favour of a more systematic application of the single entity theory to restore the consistency of the case law. This appears a necessity in the case of Chinese investments in the EU. Indeed, due to its broad influence over its economy and its financial system, Chinese SOEs may enjoy an exorbitant privilege that could jeopardize the principle of competitive neutrality at the core of EU competition law. One should recognize that the antitrust law is a point of tension between the Western understanding of corporate law and the Chinese state capitalism based on a radically different institutional environment. A more consequential implementation of the principle of competitive neutrality is necessary to take into account this institutional environment.

The influence of implicit self-theories on consumer financial decision making

This research investigates the influence of implicit self-theories of personality on consumers' financial decisions. We show that consumers who believe that personality traits are malleable (i.e., incremental theorists) prefer riskier investments because they are promotion-focused. However, consumers who believe that personality traits are fixed (i.e., entity theorists) prefer risk-averse investments because they are prevention-focused. Furthermore, we demonstrate the mediating role of a regulatory focus by both measuring and manipulating this construct. The theoretical and managerial implications of our research are discussed.

Loneliness and inducing incremental theories of social interactions to produce adaptive change

College students (n = 388) participated in a two‐part online study (a survey and an experiment) examining the role of implicit theories in the experience of loneliness. Survey results revealed that lonely people tend to endorse entity theories of social competence and friendship. Experimental results showed that inducing an incremental theory of social competence reduced communication apprehension and increased social engagement among individuals regardless of their levels of loneliness. Inducing an incremental theory of friendship increased social engagement but did not influence the level of communication apprehension or social avoidance. Overall, the results suggest that an incremental theory of social interactions can reduce thoughts that are not conducive to fostering social connections among people in general, including lonely ones.

THE EFFECT OF ANTHROPOMORPHIC BRAND ROLES AND IMPLICIT THEORIES ON CONSUMER RESPONSES

Recently, brand managers have widely adopted brand anthropomorphism as positioning strategies to differentiate from other competitors. Aggarwal and McGill (2012) anthropomorphized brand as two specific roles. Brand-as-partner refers its role as “the co-producer of benefits”, a relationship in which the brand and consumers work together to co-create the benefits as equals. However, brand-as-servant represents its role as “the outsourced provider of benefits”, a hierarchical relationship in which the brand works for consumers to create benefits. Our research extends prior literature by investigating how a brand can improve consumers’ responses with the anthropomorphization of being either a collaborative partner or a supportive servant, depending on consumer’s mind-set  aptly termed implicit theories. Implicit theories are the beliefs that people have about the nature of human characteristics. In specific, entity theorists believe human traits are relatively fixed and stable; and incremental theorists believe human traits are substantially changeable (Dweck & Leggett, 1988). These two implicit theories trigger many distinctive cognitive and behavioral patterns. For example, entity theorists prefer effortless success and receiving assurances to signal their abilities. In contrast, incremental theories emphasize on self-improvement through high effort to realize their self-enhancement and intentions (Park & John, 2014). We generalize this theory to anthropomorphic brand positioning and adopt consumer’s efficacy (confidence) to explain the underlying mechanism. We hypothesize a servant brand is more appealing to entity theorists, because they prefer situations in which they are guaranteed of being satisfied effortlessly (Dweck & Leggett, 1988). Therefore, they are more confident about their abilities when a servant brand acts as an assurance for providing benefits. In contrast, a partner brand may be more attractive to incremental theorists, because they believe their abilities can be improved through working with the partner brand. Thus, they should be more self-assured about their abilities, and increase their perceived efficacy to realize their intentions. Three studies were conducted to test the hypotheses by both manipulating and measuring implicit theories. The consistent results revealed the significant interactions between brand roles and implicit theories on brand evaluation as well as the mediation effect of consumer efficacy. In sum, this research contributes to brand managers by advising them to cultivate appropriate brand role position in accordance with the target and potential consumer’s distinct mind-set.