Negative Explicit Attitudes Research Articles

Backlash towards male versus female leaders' interpersonal emotion management strategy use: The role of followers' gender‐based leadership stereotypes

AbstractResearch on the backlash effect predominantly investigated penalties men and women incurred when they violate gender norms in the domain of achievement‐oriented aggressiveness. We investigated backlash reactions towards female versus male leaders' attempts to manage follower emotions using one of two gender‐stereotypic interpersonal emotion management strategies, cognitive change or expression suppression, in a 2×2 vignette experiment in which undergraduate students as participants acted as followers (N = 206). We hypothesized that followers high in explicit or implicit prejudice towards female leadership would be motivated to show backlash in the form of negative attitudes and anger when female leaders use an expression suppression strategy and when male leaders use a cognitive change strategy, violating gender norms. We also explored the role of followers' gender as a boundary condition of backlash reactions towards leaders of the same versus opposite sex. Male participants with negative explicit attitudes towards women leaders in general expressed higher levels of anger towards a female leader who utilized a suppression strategy. Female participants holding implicit stereotypes reported negative attitudes for both female and male leaders who utilized a gender‐incongruent emotion management strategy. We discuss the implications of our findings for theory and research on the backlash effect.

Ageist Attitudes, Stereotypes and Behavior of Youth Towards the Elderly Within Georgia: How Significant are Intergenerational Contact and Perceived Distance?

Georgia has an aging society, with a high percentage of senior citizens in the general population. However, only small number of research studies in the Georgian context have been conducted to ascertain young people's attitudes towards older adults. The study of age-related phenomena is important both from a scientific point of view and for developing awareness-raising interventions and social policy. The current study investigates young people's explicit and implicit ageist attitudes, stereotypes and behaviors towards the elderly. We consider whether perceived distance from older people and intergenerational contact exert an influence on these variables. The research instruments were first translated from English into Georgian and adapted to the local context using 150 young people as initial respondents. The survey research was then carried out with 450 respondents, employing convenience sampling in Tbilisi. Research has shown that young people express more positive than negative explicit attitudes toward the elderly while implicit measures also reveal ingrained negative attitudes. Most stereotypes about older people feature lower expectations regarding physical and mental health, but especially concerning cognitive function. Young people stereotypically perceive older people as warm and kind, but with limited cognitive capacity. These stereotypes are more relevant to the “pity’ category identified in the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) representing a ‘pseudo-positive’ attitude toward older people and they tend to result in infantilizing behavior, i.e., not letting aged people take responsibility for their own lives. With increased perceived distance from older people, the frequency of intergenerational contact decreases. Similarly, younger people who harbor more robust explicit ageist attitudes toward older people frequently seek to increase perceived distance and minimize their contact with the elderly. More ageist attitudes are related to more ageist behaviours. Regression analysis shows that explicit attitudes have the strongest influence on ageist behavior followed by perceived distance, intergenerational contact and stereotypes. The current study can provide a basis for further research on this concept.

Implicit and explicit attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women among heterosexual undergraduate and graduate psychology and nursing students.

ObjectivesTo examine implicit and explicit attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women among heterosexual undergraduate and graduate psychology and nursing students.MethodsImplicit attitudes were measured via the Implicit Association Test and explicit attitudes via the Attitudes Toward Lesbian Women and Gay questionnaire.Main resultsAll groups held negative implicit attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women. Among undergraduates, nursing students reported holding more negative explicit attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women than psychology students.ConclusionThe curricula in both nursing and psychology studies need to address the medical and paramedical needs and issues of sexual minorities.

A Checklist to Address Implicit Bias in Healthcare Settings During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The PLACE Strategy.

A Checklist to Address Implicit Bias in Healthcare Settings During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The PLACE Strategy.

Young children form generalized attitudes based on a single encounter with an outgroup member.

The goal of the present research was to assess whether children's first interaction with a single outgroup member can significantly impact their general attitudes toward the outgroup as a whole. In two preregistered studies, 5- to 6-year-old Chinese children (total N=147) encountered a Black adult from another country for the very first time, and they played a game together. General attitudes toward the outgroup were assessed using both implicit and explicit measures. In both studies, the interaction resulted in less negative explicit attitudes toward Black people, but more negative implicit attitudes. The results demonstrate for the first time that one encounter with a single outgroup member can impact children's general attitudes toward that group, and that it can have differential effects on implicit and explicit attitudes.

Confronted with Bullying when You Believe in a Just World

Bullying has been recognized as a phenomenon that detrimentally affects the lives of many, and researchers continue to explore its various influences and correlates. We examined the relationship between the global belief in a just world (BJW; a person’s tendency to believe that life is fair and people get what they deserve) and reactions to bullying. Although BJW is undergirded by a justice motive, and although previous research found that global BJW is associated with more negative explicit attitudes toward bullying in the abstract, we hypothesized that strong global BJW beliefs would instead predict more tolerance and less condemnation when participants were presented with specific behaviors that could be construed as bullying. In two vignette-based experiments, global BJW (but not personal BJW), predicted less negative reactions to bullying, and did so regardless of whether the behavior was explicitly labeled as being a case of bullying. Implications of these results are discussed.

Self-Affirmation Does Not Change Smokers’ Explicit or Implicit Attitudes Toward Smoking Following Exposure to Graphic Cigarette Warning Labels

ABSTRACT Self-affirmation has shown promise in promoting prohealth attitudes following exposure to threatening health messages by reducing defensive processing of such messages. We examine the impact of self-affirmation prior to viewing graphic cigarette warning labels on implicit and explicit attitudes toward smoking in a sample of African American smokers (N = 151). Participants held negative explicit and implicit attitudes toward smoking. We found no direct effect of self-affirmation on either implicit or explicit attitudes. Self-affirmation and risk level did not interact to predict either attitude type. We discuss findings in terms of self-affirmation theory, attitude measurement, and the meta-cognitive model of attitude change.

Assessment of Sesame Street online autism resources: Impacts on parental implicit and explicit attitudes toward children with autism.

The current study sought to characterize implicit bias toward children with autism and examine whether viewing educational materials about autism would change attitudes toward children with autism. A website developed by Sesame Street containing information about autism and resources for families was distributed to parents of children with autism (n = 473) and parents of children without autism (n = 707). Pre- and post-test measures of implicit bias toward children with autism; explicit attitudes and knowledge about autism; and parenting confidence, strain, and stigma were completed before and after the website was presented. Results indicated that parents of children with autism showed less implicit bias compared with those of non-autistic children during the pre-test, but the groups did not differ at the post-test. Parents without autistic children and those with more negative explicit attitudes showed a greater reduction in implicit bias from the pre- to the post-test. In addition, for parents of children with autism, a more positive change in explicit attitudes and increased knowledge from the pre- to the post-test was associated with more empowerment at the post-test. Together, our findings suggest that the online educational resources can reduce implicit bias against children with autism and help mitigate some of the psychological issues associated with parenting children with autism.

My God, why have you abandoned me? Sexual abuse and attitudes towards God among Orthodox Jews

ABSTRACT Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) correlates with disruptions in core beliefs, which within Orthodox Judaism may be linked to God. We hypothesise that CSA may negatively alter attitudes towards God for some, while remaining unchanged or even activating this domain for others. This was tested in a sample of 136 individuals and results indicated that positive explicit beliefs about God differed between those who remained Orthodox and those who disaffiliate regardless of CSA and that negative explicit attitudes differed between those with CSA and those without regardless of religious identity. Participants with CSA who remained Orthodox reported more positive implicit attitudes compared to all other groups, while participants with CSA who disaffiliated reported the least positive attitudes. Divergence between explicit and implicit beliefs suggests that attitudes towards God are multifactorial reflecting both conscious theology and unconscious experiences, and that CSA may have particular influence over these unconscious dimensions.

Awe and Stereotypes: Examining Awe as an Intervention against Stereotypical Media Portrayals of African Americans

ABSTRACT Previous research has shown the harmful effects of stereotypical messages on viewers, including increased negative attitudes toward outgroup members. In contrast, positive or counter-stereotypical portrayals can lead to less prejudiced attitudes toward outgroup members; however, these kinds of portrayals are not always easy to come by. As a result, alternative methods for combating the effects of stereotypical messages are necessary. The current study examined the ability of self-transcendent emotions, specifically awe, to reduce the negative effects of stereotypical portrayals of African American men. Contrary to expectations, results showed that participants who watched an awe-inducing video before a stereotypical video reported more negative explicit attitudes toward African Americans compared to those in control conditions.

SEX DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ATTITUDES TOWARD MEDICATIONS AND POOR ANTIHYPERTENSIVE MEDICATION ADHERENCE IN ELDERLY

Despite its importance for blood pressure control, antihypertensive medication adherence remains a challenge in older adults. Explicit and implicit attitudinal ambivalence toward medications (holding both positive and negative explicit attitudes, and discrepant explicit and implicit attitudes, respectively) may underlie low adherence. We examined whether race, age, or sex affect the associations between attitudes, ambivalence, and adherence. A questionnaire and implicit association test captured medication attitudes from hypertensive adults aged ≥55 (n=199). Adherence was measured with the Krousel-Wood Medication Adherence Scale (K-Wood-MAS-4). Higher scores on the attitudes and adherence scales indicate more positive attitudes and worse adherence, respectively. Associations and effect modification by sex, race (white vs. nonwhite), and age (<65 vs. ≥65) were tested in separate ordinary least squares regressions. The sample was 51.0% female, 43.7% nonwhite, 35.5% aged ≥65, with mean K-Wood-MAS-4 0.64 (SD=0.88). Better adherence was associated with more positive net explicit attitudes (β=-0.18, 95% CI -0.30, -0.06, p=0.003), and worse adherence with higher explicit ambivalence (β=-0.05, 95% CI 0.01, 0.09, p=0.028). The associations with explicit attitudes and explicit ambivalence were significant for men (β=-0.30, 95% CI -0.48, -0.11, p=0.002 and β=0.09, 95% CI 0.03, 0.15, p=0.005, respectively) but not for women (β=-0.07, 95% CI -0.423, 0.09, p=0.378 and β=-0.00, 95% CI -0.06, 0.05, p=0.982, respectively) (p-values for interaction=0.062 and 0.031, respectively). No race or age differences were identified. Adherence was not associated with implicit attitudes or implicit ambivalence. In conclusion, explicit attitudes and explicit attitudinal ambivalence may underlie low adherence to antihypertensive medications, particularly for older men.

Women in power-themed tasks: Need for power predicts task enjoyment and power stress

The implicit power motive predicts individuals’ involvement in activities that allow them to have impact and influence on other people. Moreover, substantial evidence indicates that thwarting individuals’ implicit power motive relates to so-called power stress. The present series of studies addresses both topics among female participants. In study 1, findings indicate that the strength of the implicit power motive moderates the relationship between women’s self-reported dominance and their evaluations of a power-related task: A significant link between self-reported dominance and both motivation for task participation and task enjoyment could be verified only when the implicit power motive was well-pronounced. In the subsequent studies, actual and anticipated thwarting of the satisfaction of a strong implicit power motive was associated with different psychological and behavioral indicators of power stress. Participants with a high implicit power motive felt more negative affect (study 2), reported more negative explicit (study 3) and implicit (study 4) attitudes towards a dominant target person, and were coded more often for visible frown reactions (study 5) when the satisfaction of their implicit power motive was (potentially) thwarted compared to participants with a low implicit power motive and participants with a high implicit power motive that was, however, not at risk of being thwarted.

Reexamining the Link Between Economic Downturns and Racial Antipathy: Evidence That Prejudice Against Blacks Rises During Recessions

Scholars have long argued that economic downturns intensify racial discord. However, empirical support for this relationship has been mixed, with most recent studies finding no evidence that downturns provoke greater racial animosity. Yet most past research has focused on hate crimes, a particularly violent and relatively infrequent manifestation of racial antipathy. In this article, we reexamine the relationship between economic downturns and racial acrimony using more subtle indicators of racial animosity. We found that during economic downturns, Whites felt less warmly about Blacks (Studies 1 and 2), held more negative explicit and implicit attitudes about Blacks, were more likely to condone the use of stereotypes, and were more willing to regard inequality between groups as natural and acceptable (Study 2). Moreover, during downturns, Black musicians (Study 3) and Black politicians (Study 4) were less likely to secure a musical hit or win a congressional election.

Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Towards Asylum Seekers in Australia: Demographic and Ideological Correlates

ObjectiveAttitudes toward asylum seekers that have been reported in Australia are negative and pervasive. To date, this body of literature has explored only measured explicit responses. This article is the first to explore their implicit counterpart.MethodTwo cross‐sectional studies measured explicit and implicit attitudes towards asylum seekers. The first study used a community sample (N = 183, Mage = 24.98-years, 115 females), and the second used a sample of students (N = 106, Mage = 22.75-years, 87 female). The sample in Study 2 also responded to scales measuring levels of ideological orientations toward social dominance orientation (SDO), right‐wing authoritarianism (RWA), and principle of social justice.ResultsIn Study 1, an exploration of demographic variables revealed that gender predicted explicit attitudes, but gender and religious affiliation predicted implicit attitudes. In Study 2, an exploration of ideological variables revealed that higher levels of SDO and RWA predict negative explicit attitudes, and macrojustice principles predict positive explicit attitudes, but only SDO predicts (negative) implicit attitudes.ConclusionsThe evidence presented reveals some discrepancies between factors that predict explicit and implicit attitudes toward this socially vulnerable group, and the findings are interpreted as evidence for a dual‐construct model of attitudes toward asylum seekers.

“Weak, Sad, and Lazy Fatties”: Adolescents’ Explicit and Implicit Weight Bias Following Exposure to Weight Loss Reality TV Shows

ABSTRACTWeight loss reality TV shows, which portray obese individuals and their struggle to lose weight, are highly popular. However, the shows often contain negative and stereotypical portrayals of obese individuals that can contribute to the formation of weight bias among viewers. In particular, adolescents might be highly susceptible to such portrayals, since physical appearance and body image play an important role during adolescence. In our experimental study, we investigated the priming effects of exposure to weight loss reality TV shows on implicit and explicit attitudes toward obese individuals among 353 adolescents. We exposed a treatment group (n = 173) to video clips of a weight loss reality TV show and a control group (n = 180) to video clips of an information-based TV magazine. Results indicated that for individuals who expressed a fear of being obese, exposure to the weight loss reality TV show reinforced negative explicit attitudes toward obese individuals by activating a perception of weight controllability. Exposure to the weight loss reality TV show also enhanced negative implicit attitudes toward obese individuals among all adolescents, irrespective of their fear of being obese. Altogether, our findings underscore the role of media in perpetuating weight bias.

Learning to Dislike Chocolate: Conditioning Negative Attitudes toward Chocolate and Its Effect on Chocolate Consumption.

Evaluative conditioning (EC) procedures can be used to form and change attitudes toward a wide variety of objects. The current study examined the effects of a negative EC procedure on attitudes toward chocolate, and whether it influenced chocolate evaluation and consumption. Participants were randomly assigned to the experimental condition in which chocolate images were paired with negative stimuli, or the control condition in which chocolate images were randomly paired with positive stimuli (50%) and negative stimuli (50%). Explicit and implicit attitudes toward chocolate images were collected. During an ostensible taste test, chocolate evaluation and consumption were assessed. Results revealed that compared to participants in the control condition, participants in the experimental condition showed more negative explicit and implicit attitudes toward chocolate images and evaluated chocolate more negatively during the taste test. However, chocolate consumption did not differ between experimental and control conditions. These findings suggest that pairing chocolate with negative stimuli can influence attitudes toward chocolate, though behavioral effects are absent. Intervention applications of EC provide avenues for future research and practices.

The moderating role of socially desirable responding in implicit-explicit attitudes toward asylum seekers.

Implicit and explicit attitudes correlate under certain conditions and researchers are interested in the moderating factors of this relationship. This paper explored the role of socially desirable responding in this relationship by testing the hypothesis that impression management (IM; i.e., deliberate response modification) and self-deceptive enhancement (SDE; i.e., positive self-bias) play moderating roles in the relationship of implicit-explicit attitudes toward asylum seekers in Australia. Seventy-four students responded to a battery of measures and the results revealed that IM (but not SDE) moderated this relationship to the extent that higher IM scores weakened the correspondence between implicit and explicit attitude scores. This suggests that attitudes toward asylum seekers might be susceptible to socially desirable response tendencies and in combination with the finding that IM was negatively related to explicit attitudes, it is argued that self-presentation concerns result in the deliberate attenuation of reported negative explicit attitudes.

Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Toward Sex and Romance in Asexuals

Despite the recent surge of interest in sexuality, asexuality has remained relatively underresearched. Distinct from abstinence or chastity, asexuality refers to a lack of sexual attraction toward others. Past research suggests asexuals have negative attitudes toward sex, though no research has examined implicit attitudes. While preliminary evidence suggests that many asexuals are interested in engaging in romantic relationships, these attitudes have yet to be examined thoroughly, implicitly, or compared with a control group. This study investigated explicit and implicit attitudes toward sex and romance in a group of asexuals (N = 18, age M = 21.11) and a group of controls (N = 27, age M = 21.81), using the Asexuality Identification Scale (AIS), the Triangular Love Scale (TLS), semantic differentials, an Implicit Association Task (IAT), and two Single Category IATs. It was found that asexuals exhibited more negative explicit and implicit attitudes toward sex, as well as more negative explicit attitudes toward romance, relative to controls. There was no significant difference between groups on implicit romantic attitudes. Moreover, aromantic asexuals demonstrated significantly more negative explicit attitudes toward romance than romantic asexuals, though there was no significant difference between groups on implicit measures. Explanations and implications of these findings are discussed.

Implicit attitudes to organ donor registration: altruism and distaste

ABSTRACTOrgan transplantation offers patients cost-efficient quality-of-life improvements and life-saving opportunities. In England, the majority of transplants emanate from cadaver donation in a system where would-be-donors register their agreement to donation. Despite the majority of the population stating approval of organ donation, only a minority register as a donor. Research has traditionally examined explicit attitudes, typically demonstrating how distaste limits the translation of altruism into behaviour. In contrast, this study explored the relationship of implicit as well as explicit altruistic and distaste attitudes to donor register status. A cross-sectional study employed a novel approach to the measurement of implicit attitudes as participants (N = 166, mean age 22 years) completed a Single-Category Implicit Association Test (SC-IAT) on organ donation with two separate components – one examining implicit altruistic attitudes and another examining implicit distaste attitudes. Explicit altruistic and explicit distaste attitudes were measured via a questionnaire, as was organ donor register status. Multinomial logistic regression investigated the relationship of register position to altruistic and distaste explicit and implicit attitudes, gender and age, and established that those intending to register (33%) and those who did not intend to register (30%) were differentiated from those already registered (37%) in a number of ways (LRx2 = 84.22, df 12, p < .001). Explicit altruistic attitudes were very positive among all three groups. Negative explicit distaste attitudes were especially characteristic of those who did not intend to register. Implicit distaste attitudes did not vary by register status, but negative altruistic implicit attitudes were more commonly found among those intending to register than among the registered. Men were under-represented on the register, and over-represented among those intending to register. The results are relevant for donation propaganda indicating the possibility that among intenders, registration may be limited more by ambivalent altruism than by distaste.

Australian diagnostic radiographers' attitudes and perceptions of imaging obese patients: A study of self, peers and students

Introduction and ObjectiveImaging obese patients poses a number of challenges for diagnostic radiographers through positioning, radiation exposure, communication and care. Furthermore, the increasing prevalence of obesity in Australian society ensures these imaging challenges are more frequent however little is known about this area. This study aims to explore the attitudes and perceptions of diagnostic radiographers toward imaging obese patients through a mixed methods study. MethodsEthics approval was granted to interview and survey diagnostic radiographers about their attitudes and perceptions of imaging obese patients. Twelve diagnostic radiographers who are designated clinical educators (DR CEs) took part in a 30–45 min semi-structured interview as well as a 20 min computer-based Weight Implicit Association Test (Weight-IAT) and self-report questionnaire of explicit attitudes. An additional 25 experienced Diagnostic Radiographers who were associate supervisors completed the Weight-IAT/explicit questionnaire only. ResultsThematic analysis of the interviews revealed that DR CEs adopted an image-focussed or patient-focussed approach to obese patients. Key themes with a negative bias included blame, tolerance and insecurity of skill. Positively associated key themes were empathy and experience in radiography. The sample overall showed a significant negative implicit weight bias (P = 0.016) as measured by the Weight-IAT and there was no evidence of negative explicit attitudes. ConclusionAustralian diagnostic radiographers in this study exhibited significant negative implicit weight bias, with interview results highlighting attitudes of blame and frustration towards obese patients. DR CEs were more likely to be focussed on image acquisition rather than patient considerations, with fewer responses related to empathy and equity.