Experimental Vignette Study Research Articles

Generating Social Good in Generation Z

Generation (Gen) Z, or individuals born between the period 1995 – 2010, are popularly typified as entitled and self-aware with a strong will to make a positive social impact, both off and on the job. Although this generation has started to enter the workforce and is set to constitute a large portion of it in the near future, research on Gen Z is still surprisingly lacking. In this study, we investigate to what extent servant leadership is a suitable approach for fostering this generation’s desire to make a positive social impact. Specifically, we use social learning theory to develop and test, through two studies, a framework whereby servant leadership promotes Gen Z’s engagement in socially responsible behaviors (SRB), through its effects on prosocial motivation. We further adopt a more nuanced approach by testing the boundary condition of psychological entitlement in this mediational process. Findings from both an experimental vignette study and a multi-source field survey study provide support for our hypotheses and highlight the role of psychological entitlement in attenuating the otherwise positive effects of servant leadership on SRB through prosocial motivation, among Gen Z. Implications for theory and practice, as well as avenues for future research are discussed.

Increase in Potential Low-value Magnetic Resonance Imaging Utilization Due to Out-of-pocket Payment Reduction Across Income Groups in Korea: An Experimental Vignette Study.

ObjectivesThis study examined the effect of out-of-pocket (OOP) payment reduction on the potential utilization of low-value magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) across income groups.MethodsWe conducted an experimental vignette survey using a proportional quota-based sample of individuals in Korea (n=1229). In two hypothetical vignettes, participants were asked whether they would be willing to use MRI if they had uncomplicated headache and non-specific low back pain, each before and after OOP payment reduction. To account for the possible role of physician inducement, half of the participants were initially presented with vignettes that included a physician recommendation for low-value care. The predicted probability, slope index of inequality (SII), and relative index of inequality (RII) were calculated using logistic regression.ResultsBefore OOP payment reduction, the lowest income quintile was least likely to use low-value MRI regardless of physician inducement (36.7–49.6% for low back pain; 30.5–39.3% for headache). After OOP payment reduction, almost all individuals in each income quintile were willing to use low-value MRI (89.8–98.0% for low back pain; 78.1–90.3% for headache). Absolute and relative inequalities concerning potential low-value MRI utilization decreased after OOP payments were reduced, even without physician inducement (SII: from 8.15 to 5.37%, RII: from 1.20 to 1.06 for low back pain; SII: from 6.99 to 0.83%, RII: from 1.20 to 1.01 for headache).ConclusionsOOP payment reduction for MRI has the potential to increase low-value care utilization among all income groups while decreasing inequality in low-value care utilization.

Experimental Vignette Studies in Migration Research: Methodological Issues from Design to Implementation

Vignette studies have been increasingly popular in an array of social sciences. The vignette technique involves hypothetical descriptions or scenarios to investigate judgments or decision-making processes in various social topics. Currently, with the increase in migration studies, the need to discuss ethical methods and techniques in the field occured, and that brings about the widespread use of the vignette technique in migration studies. Despite the considerable interest that the vignette studies have received, the articles on the vignette technique have been scant in Turkish literature. The aim of this review is to explain the steps followed by researchers in experimental vignette studies and to discuss methodological issues that researchers should consider in each step. This study consists of three parts. In the first section, the vignette technique is described, and its general characteristics are explained. In the second section, the experimental vignette studies’ steps from designing to implementation are explained and the methodological issues in each step are discussed. Lastly, considering the critiques surrounding vignette studies, we conclude with methodological recommendations for further research. This study aims to guide researchers who plan to conduct vignette studies, shedding light into important methodological issues in experimental vignette studies in migration research.

Supplemental Material for Does Race Matter? An Experimental Vignette Study on Harm Severity, College Student Discipline, and Restorative Justice

Supplemental Material for Does Race Matter? An Experimental Vignette Study on Harm Severity, College Student Discipline, and Restorative Justice

Statistical modelling of vignette data in psychology.

Vignette methods are widely used in psychology and the social sciences to obtain responses to multi-dimensional scenarios or situations. Where quantitative data are collected this presents challenges to the selection of an appropriate statistical model. This depends on subtle details of the design and allocation of vignettes to participants. A key distinction is between factorial survey experiments where each participant receives a different allocation of vignettes from the full universe of possible vignettes and experimental vignette studies where this restriction is relaxed. The former leads to nested designs with a single random factor and the latter to designs with two crossed random factors. In addition, the allocation of vignettes to participants may lead to fractional or unbalanced designs and a consequent loss of efficiency or aliasing of the effects of interest. Many vignette studies (including some factorial survey experiments) include unmodeled heterogeneity between vignettes leading to potentially serious problems if traditional regression approaches are adopted. These issues are reviewed and recommendations are made for the efficient design of vignette studies including the allocation of vignettes to participants. Multilevel models are proposed as a general approach to handling nested and crossed designs including unbalanced and fractional designs. This is illustrated with a small vignette data set looking at judgements of online and offline bullying and harassment.

Is a Match Better Than No Match? On the Interaction of Demands and Support During Technological Change.

Progressing digitalization and technological changes triggered by COVID-19 lockdowns means for organizations that new technologies need to be implemented in shorter time periods. The implementation of new technologies in the workplace poses various change demands on employees. Organizations try to counteract these effects by providing change support in the form of for example training or participation options. However, to date, it is unclear how change demands develop a detrimental effect and whether change support can buffer this relation due to which working mechanisms, and whether the effectiveness of support measures can be increased by matching them to specific change demands. Based on the integrative framework of social support theory, which draws on the job demands-resources model and self-determination theory, we hypothesize that change demands can be most effectively addressed through matching change support. In three consecutive experimental vignette studies (N1 = 89, N2 = 134, N3 = 138) of dependently employed samples, we analyzed the interaction of change demands and change support on attitude to change, satisfaction with the change process, and behavioral intention to use by manipulating the degree of demand (high vs. low) and provided support (high vs. low) and by conducting moderated mediation analyses, and integrated the results meta-analytically. The results show that change demands have a detrimental effect on technology implementation outcomes. In one of the three studies we confirmed a moderating effect of change support. The relation was mediated by perceived frustration, but the mediating effect of psychological need satisfaction was inconclusive. Based on our results, we discuss that the research on matching support requires the evaluation of the personal relevance of the support receiver to increase the chance of achieving a match.

The Dark Side of Leader Narcissism: The Relationship Between Leaders’ Narcissistic Rivalry and Abusive Supervision

Narcissists often attain leadership positions, but at the same time do not care for others and often engage in unethical behaviors. We therefore explored the role of leader narcissism as an antecedent of abusive supervision, a form of unethical leadership. We based our study on the narcissistic admiration and rivalry concept (NARC) and proposed a direct positive effect of leaders’ narcissistic rivalry—the maladaptive narcissism dimension—on abusive supervision. In line with trait activation and threatened egotism theory, we also proposed a moderated mediation assuming that leaders high in narcissistic rivalry would be particularly prone to showing abusive supervision in reaction to followers’ supervisor-directed deviance, as this form of follower behavior would threaten their self-esteem. We conducted a field study with leader–follower dyads (Study 1) and an experimental vignette study with leaders (Study 2). Leaders’ narcissistic rivalry was positively related to abusive supervision (intentions) in both studies. This effect was independent of followers’ supervisor-directed deviance and leaders’ perceived self-esteem threat. We discuss our findings in light of the NARC, as well as threatened egotism theory, and offer directions for future research. Finally, we make practical recommendations for organizations.

Depression and suicidality as evolved credible signals of need in social conflicts

Mental health professionals generally view major depression and suicidality as pathological responses to stress that elicit aversive responses from others. An alternative hypothesis grounded in evolutionary theory contends that depression and suicidality are honest signals of need in response to adversity that can increase support from reluctant others when there are conflicts of interest. To test this hypothesis, we examined responses to emotional signals in a preregistered experimental vignette study involving claims of substantial need in the presence of conflicts of interest and private information about the signaler's true level of need. In a sample of 1240 participants recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk, costlier signals like depression and suicidality increased perceptions of need, reduced perceptions of manipulativeness, and increased likelihood of support compared to simple verbal requests and crying without further symptoms. The effect of signaling on likelihood of support was largely mediated by the effect of signaling on participants' belief that the signaler was genuinely in need. Our results support the hypothesis that depression and suicidality, apparent human universals, are credible signals of need that elicit more support than verbal requests, sad expressions, and crying when there are conflicts of interest.

Medical AI and human dignity: Contrasting perceptions of human and artificially intelligent (AI) decision making in diagnostic and medical resource allocation contexts

Forms of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are already being deployed into clinical settings and research into its future healthcare uses is accelerating. Despite this trajectory, more research is needed regarding the impacts on patients of increasing AI decision making. In particular, the impersonal nature of AI means that its deployment in highly sensitive contexts-of-use, such as in healthcare, raises issues associated with patients' perceptions of (un)dignified treatment. We explore this issue through an experimental vignette study comparing individuals’ perceptions of being treated in a dignified and respectful way in various healthcare decision contexts. Participants were subject to a 2 (human or AI decision maker) x 2 (positive or negative decision outcome) x 2 (diagnostic or resource allocation healthcare scenario) factorial design. We found evidence of a “human bias” (i.e., a preference for human over AI decision makers) and an “outcome bias” (i.e., a preference for positive over negative outcomes). However, we found that for perceptions of respectful and dignified interpersonal treatment, it matters more who makes the decisions in diagnostic cases and it matters more what the outcomes are for resource allocation cases. We also found that humans were consistently viewed as appropriate decision makers and AI was viewed as dehumanizing, and that participants perceived they were treated better when subject to diagnostic as opposed to resource allocation decisions. Thematic coding of open-ended text responses supported these results. We also outline the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

Keeping the Kids Home

Abstract. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social consequences in day-to-day decisions might not have been salient to the decider and thus egoistic. How can prosocial intentions be increased? In an experimental vignette study with N = 206, we compared the likelihood that parents send sick children to kindergarten after four interventions (general information about COVID-19, empathy, reflection of consequences via mental simulation, and control group). Independent of the intervention, empathic concern with individuals who were affected by COVID-19 and the salience of social consequences were high. The reported likelihood of sending a sick child to kindergarten was somewhat reduced in the control group and even more reduced in the reflection and empathy group, but not in the information group.

The Role of Workplace Goal Orientation for Occupational Self-Efficacy and Negative Affect

Abstract. Due to their suggested importance for achievement processes, we experimentally tested which workplace goal orientations (employees’ perception of goal characteristics at work) affect proximal outcomes. In detail, we investigated in an experimental vignette study ( N = 250) how workplace learning, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance goals influence occupational self-efficacy and negative affect. Furthermore, we examined the potential of workplace goals to act as moderators for the effect of dispositional goals on these outcomes. We found a learning goal-oriented environment leading to higher occupational self-efficacy and less negative affect compared to performance goal-oriented work environments. We found limited evidence for person–situation interactions. Our results extend goal orientation theory by integrating environmental goals at work and provide implications that foster desirable and prevent undesirable outcomes.

Source-Target Misalignment in Employees’ Destructive Voice Responses to Perceived Organizational and Supervisor Unfairness

Working people differentiate between their relationships with their organizations and their relationships with their supervisors. To better understand how these simultaneous relationships influence each other, we examined the effects of organizational unfairness on subordinates’ supervisor-directed destructive voice behaviors, as well as the effects of supervisor unfairness on subordinates’ organization-directed destructive voice behaviors. We examined supervisor organizational embodiment as a boundary condition and perceived obstruction as a mediating mechanism within these relationships. We tested the hypothesized model with an online survey study and an experimental vignette study. Study 1 indicated that organizational unfairness was positively and indirectly related to supervisor-directed destructive voice through perceived supervisor obstruction when supervisor organizational embodiment was higher rather than lower. Study 2 indicated that supervisor unfairness was positively and indirectly related to organization-directed destructive voice through perceived organizational obstruction when supervisor organizational embodiment was higher rather than lower. Although study results differed in the observed significance of organization-to-supervisor and supervisor-to-organization effects, together they demonstrate the importance of controlling for source-target aligned relationships when examining source-target misaligned effects, and extend source-target misalignment research by examining the effect of supervisor organizational embodiment as a moderator of misaligned supervisor- and organization-directed workplace unfairness perceptions and destructive voice behaviors.

Legitimacy of Group-Specific Support for College Access – Results of an Experimental Vignette Study

AbstractIn an experimental vignette study, the respondents were asked to decide whether college applicants should be credited with a bonus or malus on the admission grade, for example due to their migration background, social origin, or effort. The results show that dimensions of social educational inequality tend to be considered in the direction of compensation. Hence, there is evidence of a certain legitimacy of measures in the sense of positive discrimination in university access.

Confronting sexism: Identifying dimensions and exploring impact

AbstractAlthough the effects of confronting sexism have been examined in the past, no research to date has demonstrated the most common dimensions along which confrontations of workplace sexism differ. Furthermore, previous research has not fully examined how different forms of sexism confrontations differentially impact the workplace experiences of targets experiencing these sexist actions. Thus, these two studies examine how confrontations of workplace sexism commonly differ and the workplace implications of these differences. In Study 1, data were collected from individuals who had witnessed a sexist encounter in the workplace that was subsequently confronted. Using a content analysis approach, we found that the most common differences in confrontations of workplace sexism included the identity of the confronter, the tone of the confrontation, the location of the confrontation, the number of confronters, and the timing of the confrontation. In Studies 2 and 3, we examined how these differences impacted job stress, turnover intentions, perceived organizational support, job satisfaction, and workplace diversity climate of women targets. In Study 2, analysis of survey data from women employees determined that workplace confrontations of workplace sexism of any form are equally beneficial for women targets. Study 3, an experimental vignette study, provided support for the Study 2 findings. This study aids researchers in understanding the dimensionality of sexism confrontations as well as the relationships between these dimensions and important workplace outcomes. This study will also prove useful for practitioners intent on educating allies and targets on when and how they should confront sexism at work.

Conceptualizations of suicide and suicide-related stigma in Latino communities in the United States.

Suicide continues to be a significant public health concern impacting all cultural and ethnic groups in the United States. Although prior studies indicate that Latino individuals die by suicide at lower rates than their non-Hispanic White or Asian peers, recent data in this area indicate that suicide rates for Latino individuals are rising. Currently, little is known about how Latino individuals perceive those who are experiencing suicidal ideation and the factors that are associated with stigma toward people contemplating self-harm. To address this gap, a convenience sample of 248 adults in the United States identifying as Latino participated in an experimental vignette study investigating their perceptions of persons experiencing suicidal ideation. Results show that generation of immigration significantly predicted various domains of stigma toward individuals with suicidal ideation. Older participants and participants with more children were associated with higher levels of stigma. The gender or age of the person experiencing suicidal ideation did not impact the levels of stigma across domains. Results indicate a need to increase the overall health literacy in relation to suicide within Latino communities, particularly in relation to early identification of suicidal ideation. Implications for future research and practice with Latino communities are offered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Family‐supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB) and work‐family conflict: The role of stereotype content, supervisor gender, and gender role beliefs

Existing research consistently shows that informal workplace support, such as family‐supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB), are more effective at reducing work–family conflict than formal organizational supports. The purpose of this study is to integrate propositions from the stereotype content model and social role theory to understand how family‐supportive supervision is related to social evaluations of supervisors (i.e., perceptions of supervisor warmth and competence) and identify boundary conditions (i.e., supervisor gender and employee gender role beliefs) to help researchers and practitioners understand how these relationships affect work–family conflict. We test our hypotheses using two studies, one an experimental vignette study and the other a two‐wave survey study of working individuals with family or caregiving responsibilities. Our results suggest that FSSB are importantly related to how employees socially evaluate their supervisors along the dimensions of warmth and competence; supervisor gender moderates the relationship between FSSB and perceived competence (but not warmth); employee gender role beliefs moderates both these relationship (but in a counterintuitive way for supervisor competence); and we find evidence that warmth and competence mediate the effects that FSSB have on work–family conflict. Implications for theory, future research, and practice are discussed.Practitioner points Supervisors and organizations should consider how employee perceptions of supervisor competence and warmth impact employee perceptions of family supportiveness. When enacting family supportive behavior, it is important for supervisors to demonstrate warmth, such as through nonverbal communication and body language. Family‐supportive supervisor behavior (FSSB) interventions should consider manipulating not only dimensions of FSSB, but also behaviors tied to perceptions of competence and warmth.

The effects of forensic mental health reports on decisions about guilt in the Netherlands: An experimental approach

In the Netherlands, in approximately 30% of the more serious criminal cases, a pretrial forensic mental health report (FMHR) is requested to inform the court whether a mental disorder was present at the time of alleged crime, whether this disorder affected behavior and decision-making at the time of the offense and how this disorder may affect future (criminal) behavior. While informative for sentencing decisions, information about mental disorders or risk is irrelevant for the question whether the defendant committed the alleged crime. Yet based on cognitive psychological theory of evidence evaluation and integration, we hypothesized that information in an FMHR would affect the evaluation of evidence as well as the ultimate decision about guilt. Using an experimental vignette study among 200 law and criminology students with manipulation of the presence and content of an FMHR, we found a main effect of the presence of an FMHR report on decisions about guilt. The proportion of guilty verdicts increased with almost 20% when an FMHR was present compared to when this report was absent, irrespective of the type of disorder (schizophrenia or personality disorder) or level of recidivism risk (low or high) present in the report. We did not find support for our hypothesis that this effect could be explained by assimilation of other available evidence. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.

The effects of conflict type and conflict expression intensity on conflict management

PurposeThis paper aims to add to the current knowledge about conflict management by examining the relationships between conflict type, conflict expression intensity and the use of the conflict management approach.Design/methodology/approachThe authors test theory-based hypotheses using a field study of new product development teams in an interdisciplinary Masters program (Study 1) and an experimental vignette study (Study 2).FindingsResults show that people are more likely to respond to task conflict and conflicts expressed with less intensity using collectivistic conflict management approaches (i.e. problem-solving, compromising and yielding), and to relationship conflicts and conflicts expressed with higher intensity through forcing, an individualistic conflict management approach. Information acquisition and negative emotions experienced by team members mediate these relationships.Practical implicationsKnowing how the characteristics of the conflict (type and expression intensity) affect conflict management, managers can counteract the tendency to use dysfunctional, forcing conflict management approaches in response to high intensity conflicts, as well as to relationship conflicts and support the tendency to use collectivistic conflict management approaches in response to low intensity conflict, as well as task conflicts.Originality/valueThe authors examine an alternative to the prevailing view that conflict management serves as a moderator of the relationship between conflict and team outcomes. The research shows that conflict type and intensity of conflict expression influence the conflict management approach as a result of the information and emotion they evoke. The authors open avenues for future research on the complex and intriguing relationships between conflict characteristics and the conflict management approach.

The Role of Criticism in Expressed Emotion Among Psychoactive Substance Users: an Experimental Vignette Study

Expressed emotion (EE) is a rating of criticism, hostility, and emotional over-involvement from a carer towards a person experiencing mental distress. High EE denotes family stress and is associated with greater severity of substance use. Little is known about how EE is perceived by patients with a history of substance use disorder (SUD). The aim of the present study was to investigate perceived EE among substance users and its association with substance use, schizotypy, and depression. Ratings of arousal and relevance of auditory criticism and praise depicting EE, and self-report measures of schizotypy and depression were measured in patients with a recent history of SUD, patients with a recent history of SUD co-occurring with mental disorders (SUD + CMD), and non-clinical healthy control subjects. Group differences in ratings of criticism and praise were tested. The ratings were correlated against schizotypy and depression. Prediction of sensitivity to criticisms by a history of substance use was explored in the SUD groups. Compared to control subjects, individuals with a history of SUD rated criticism as less arousing and those with SUD + CMD rated criticism as more self-relevant. The rating of criticism was positively correlated with schizotypy and depression in the SUD group. Age of onset of substance use was a significant predictor of the arousal of criticism. History of SUD may affect perception of negative audio comments depicting family stress. This effect may be enhanced by high schizotypy traits and negative mental health status, and early age of onset of substance use.

Applicant Reactions to Digital Selection Methods: A Signaling Perspective on Innovativeness and Procedural Justice

Research has shown that the use of digital technologies in the personnel selection process can have both positive and negative effects on applicants’ attraction to an organization. We explain this contradiction by specifying its underlying mechanisms. Drawing on signaling theory, we build a conceptual model that applies two different theoretical lenses (instrumental-symbolic framework and justice theory) to suggest that perceptions of innovativeness and procedural justice explain the relationship between an organization’s use of digital selection methods and employer attractiveness perceptions. We test our model by utilizing two studies, namely one experimental vignette study among potential applicants (N = 475) and one retrospective field study among actual job applicants (N = 335). With the exception of the assessment stage in Study 1, the positive indirect effects found in both studies indicated that applicants perceive digital selection methods to be more innovative. While Study 1 also revealed a negative indirect effect, with potential applicants further perceiving digital selection methods as less fair than less digitalized methods in the interview stage, this effect was not significant for actual job applicants in Study 2. We discuss theoretical implications for the applicant reactions literature and offer recommendations for human resource managers to make use of positive signaling effects while reducing potential negative signaling effects linked to the use of digital selection methods.