Social Identity Threat Research Articles

Use of service robots in an event setting: Understanding the role of social presence, eeriness, and identity threat

With the increased use of robots in the event industry, most of the literature centers on factors that influence robot adoption, with less attention being paid to the understanding of how customers interact and connect with anthropomorphic robots. With the growing research in this field, questions remain about the event attendees' perceptions and evaluations of humanoid service robots (HSRs) and the interactive effects that shape customers' thinking and behavior towards the use of this technology. This study proposes a conceptual model to examine the role of social presence, while explaining the moderating roles of eeriness and identity threat through two experimental studies, using photo scenarios as stimuli in an online survey, with closed-ended questions. Study 1 was a single-factor between-subject experiment that manipulated a conference registration task in an event setting. Results revealed that event attendees were more satisfied with service employees (SE) than with HSR; and social presence mediated the relationship between type of service provider (HSR vs. SE) and satisfaction. Study 2 examined eeriness and identity threat as moderators and results indicated that eeriness and identity threat significantly moderate the indirect effect of the type of service provider (HSR vs. SE) on satisfaction through social presence. The study provides valuable insight about the evaluation of humanoid service robots by event attendees by deepening our understanding of how event attendees engage with service robots to form stronger connections with such a technology. Taken together, the findings of this study offer managerial implications by balancing event industry employees’ affinity for and the acceptance of the service robots.

The Unprescence of China’s COVID-19 Trauma and Its Impact on Social Identity

In the psychology and literary fields, the theoretical study of trauma has received increasing attention. It is widely applied by experts and scholars across various aspects, such as war, gender and so on. To give it more practical significance, the main object of this study is to investigate the modern use of trauma by connecting it to the topic of a nation. China, the country first plagued by COVID-19—a representative modern trauma—has suffered not only physically but also mentally. This paper will analyze how trauma affects a nation by using classical theories on trauma, such as those from Sigmund Freud and Cathy Caruth. In terms of national collective trauma, new theories from Roger Luckhurst and Jeffrey C. Alexander would also be adopted. To achieve the sophisticated link between trauma and nation, the unprescence of trauma and its social identity threat to China are further discussed as main parts of this essay. This research will encourage a more rational treatment of collective trauma sufferers and calls for the realistic and practical use of the literary trauma theory.

Women\u2019s career confidence in a fixed, sexist STEM environment

BackgroundInnovation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields in the U.S. is threatened by a lack of diversity. Social identity threat research finds messages in the academic environment devalue women and underrepresented groups in STEM, creating a chilly and hostile environment. Research has focused on the mechanisms that contribute to STEM engagement and interest at the K-12 and undergraduate level, but the mechanisms that predict sustained engagement at the graduate level have not been studied.ResultsIn a longitudinal study of doctoral students in STEM disciplines, we demonstrate that students’ beliefs that their STEM colleagues believe intelligence is a fixed (vs. malleable) trait undermine women’s engagement in STEM. Specifically, perceiving a fixed ability environment predicts greater perceptions of sexism, which erode women’s self-efficacy and sense of belongingness and lead women to consider dropping out of their STEM career.ConclusionThese findings identify one potential pathway by which women leave their STEM fields, perpetuating gender disparities in STEM.

I am afraid, so I buy it! The effects of anxiety on consumer assimilation and differentiation needs amongst individuals primed with independent and interdependent self-construal.

Individuals tend to satisfy their assimilation needs by purchasing products that bear a specific group identity. Such products might be preferred when an individual is threatened because anxiety increases affiliative needs. In contrast, individuals might be more attracted to unique-design products when they feel less anxious. We examined the impact of anxiety on assimilation and differentiation needs amongst consumers primed with independent and interdependent self-construal. We expected that anxiety would produce stronger assimilation needs and show a weaker preference for unique products. In Study 1 (N = 110), we found that individuals in the anxiety-inducing condition decreased their evaluation of unique products and exhibited stronger assimilation needs. Independents who felt anxiety reacted with a reduced preference for group-linked products. Study 2 (N = 102) found that introducing an anxiety-decreasing agent (vanilla scent) after a social identity threat reduced differentiation needs and preference for unique products. Physiological data showed that the social identity threat increased sympathetic arousal, but the vanilla scent did not have a soothing effect on physiological reactivity. Overall, this work showed that both anxiety and vanilla scent reduced consumer need for differentiation. Furthermore, for independents, anxiety reduced assimilation needs. We found novel determinants of assimilation/differentiation needs with implications for advertising and retailing products with a unique design.

Detrimental Effects of the “Business Case for Diversity” for Underrepresented Groups’ Belonging

Many organizations provide explanations for why diversity matters. How do these affect underrepresented groups? We investigated the content, prevalence, and consequences of two organizational justifications: the “business case” (BC), which claims diversity is valuable for its performance benefits, and the “fairness case” (FC), which justifies diversity based on morality. Using an algorithmic classification, Study 1 (N=410) found the BC is more prevalent (80%) than the FC (1%) among the Fortune 500. Extending social identity threat theories, we theorized that the BC undermines underrepresented groups’ anticipated belonging to, and thus interest in joining, organizations – an effect driven by threat. Study 2 (N=151) found that LGBTQ+ professionals randomly assigned to read an organization’s BC (vs. FC) anticipated lower belonging, and in turn, less attraction to it. Study 3 (N=371) showed that the same effects emerge among women (but not men) STEM job seekers. Study 4 (N=509) documented the process of social identity threat (over and above alternative mechanisms) among STEM women. Study 5 (N=480) found that the BC (vs. FC and control) thwarts African Americans’ anticipated belonging through similar processes. These findings suggest that the most prevalent organizational justification for diversity functions as a threatening cue that paradoxically hinders organizations’ diversity goals.

Lucky Lady: Antecedents & Consequences of the Exceptional Woman Mindset

Male-dominated organizations are settings that not only devalue women but also misvalue women in ways that are likewise detrimental. What happens when a woman in a male-dominated organization is told that only the strongest of women can survive in that environment, and she is one of the chosen few lucky enough to be working there? Based on theories of resource scarcity, social dominance, and social identity, we propose that a factor of benevolent sexism known as protective paternalism can manifest as expressions of gender scarcity as opposed to gender abundance in organizations. We outline a model by which female numerical minorities in male-dominated organizations are indoctrinated into a “gender mindset,” internalizing the subtyped social identity of being an “Exceptional Woman” valued due to her rarity as a female numerical exception. We reason that a prospective female entrant will trigger a social identity threat to the “Exceptional Woman” who will constitute less of a numerical exception upon her entry, inducing competitive as opposed to cooperative interdependence as a threat response. Rather than competition originating from numerical minorities themselves, our theoretical model sheds light on the institutional inductions of competition that serve to divide and undermine them. By introducing the concept of gender mindset, we provide a theoretical model for developing interventions that foster cooperation, facilitating movement toward gender neutrality in male-dominated organizational settings.

The affective consequences of threats to masculinity

Three experiments (N = 1083) explored whether masculinity threats (vs. assurances) led to emotions that have been linked to well-being, social connection, and the expression of aggression, including (a) increases in feelings of shame and guilt (Experiment 1) and (b) decreases in perspective-taking and empathy (Experiment 2). In addition, we explored whether masculinity assurances (vs. threats) had a positive effect on men's feelings of pride. To determine whether the affective responses to masculinity threats were unique to gender identity, we replicated the findings in comparison to a second social identity threat (Experiment 3). Consistent with predictions, and replicating prior work, men but not women expressed more public discomfort and anger following a gender threat (vs. assurance), as well as more shame and guilt when their masculinity was threatened than when their masculinity was assured (Experiment 2). Importantly, these affective responses were unique to men experiencing gender threats (Experiment 3). Interestingly, consistent with empathy avoidance predictions, when threatened, men reported lower dispositional levels of other focused empathy (Experiment 2), but these effects were not specific to gender threats (Experiment 3). Findings revealed empathy reductions, but not diminished reports of perspective taking, in threat conditions. No consistent evidence of effects of gender feedback on men's pride (authentic or hubristic) emerged. The implications of findings are discussed.

Fight or flight: Can marketing tools help consumers cope with self‐discrepancies and social identity threat?

AbstractSelf‐discrepancy between the actual and ought self‐concept is harmful to individuals, causing them to experience psychological discomfort. Previous consumer research has repeatedly demonstrated that self‐discrepancies motivate consumers to cope with their negative psychological consequences. However, despite the potential of marketing tools to influence consumers' affective reactions, consumer research remains silent on how firms can help consumers cope with psychological discomfort caused by self‐discrepancies. We apply the “approach–avoidance” coping classification to the firm context and suggest two marketing tools—cause‐related marketing (CRM) and a spacious store layout—as moderators of the relationships between experienced self‐discrepancy and a threat to a consumer's social identity and between social identity threat and store loyalty/store attitude. In a scenario‐based experimental study, we collect data and apply structural equation modeling for data analysis. The results confirm that both suggested marketing tools can effectively mitigate the negative effects of social identity threat on store loyalty and attitude. Furthermore, a spacious store layout exerts a stronger moderating effect than CRM.

A Social Identity Threat Perspective on Why Partisans May Engage in Greater Victim Blaming and Sexual Assault Myth Acceptance in the #MeToo Era.

This study examined how U.S. partisans (N = 1,154) may engage in greater victim blaming and sexual assault myth acceptance to defend their political identities in the #MeToo era. The more Republicans and Democrats identified with being a member of their political party and reported feeling defensive when members from their political party are criticized, the more accepting they were of common sexual assault myths and thus the less likely they were to perceive sexual assault as a serious issue in need of addressing and the #MeToo movement as having a positive impact in the United States.

Learning from Problem-Based Projects in Cross-Disciplinary Student Teams

This paper explores how Engineering students and Work and Welfare students reflect upon their own engagement in a one-week cross-disciplinary project. To develop a better understanding of what unfolds during these activities we collected data through anonymous surveys two consecutive years. Data from these 141 respondents were analysed using a learning history approach and are presented as narratives. Results show major disruptions and conflicts driving the student projects, exposing inviting confrontations, social identity threats, managing diversity, and friction of ideas. Whereas this in many cases led to new and better project solutions, these real-world experiences raise awareness of the need for tools and methods for training students. The aim of the paper is to learn from students’ experiences through narrative distance, and fill a gap in the literature between problem-based learning (PBL) and the learning history method. Discussing different experiences of cross-disciplinary teamwork through the explanations of these theories, we also lay out potential questions for future research on the topic.

Misremembering Brexit: partisan bias and individual predictors of false memories for fake news stories among Brexit voters

ABSTRACT Exposure to fake news stories can result in false memories for the events portrayed, and this effect can be enhanced if the stories conform to the reader's ideological position. We exposed 1299 UK residents to fabricated news stories about Brexit. 44% of participants reported a false memory for at least one fabricated story, with a higher rate of false memories for stories that reflected poorly on the opposing side. This effect of ideological congruency was somewhat greater among participants who were exposed to a threat to their social identity as a Leave or Remain supporter; however, this moderating effect was only statistically significant in exploratory analyses using a more conservative definition of false memory. Participants with higher cognitive ability and analytical reasoning scores were less susceptible to false memories. Individuals with better knowledge about Brexit showed better discrimination between true and false stories, while self-reported engagement with the Brexit debate was associated with an increased tendency to “remember” any story, regardless of its truth. These results implicate a combination of social and individual factors in the development of false memories from fake news, and suggest that exposure to social identity threats may enhance the polarising effects of fake news.

What if I Tell You E-Cigarette Users are Inferior? An Investigation of Social Identity Threat in Health Messaging

ABSTRACT Drawing on the literature on social identity threat, this study examined how threatening ecigarette users’ identities in a narrative impacts their perceived behavioral control regarding ecigarette use, and how this effect can be moderated by de-emphasizing the story character’s user identity. In an experiment, current e-cigarette users (N = 395) read a conversation between the main character (an e-cigarette user) and their friend. Identity threat was manipulated using negative descriptions of e-cigarette users, and identity emphasis was manipulated through the main character’s self-description. Results showed identity threat in a message could influence perceived behavioral control to reduce e-cigarette use through two routes. First, attacking ecigarette users’ identity led to perceived threat, which predicted lower perceived behavioral control. Furthermore, character identity emphasis moderated the effect of identity threat: For a character with low identity emphasis, attacking (vs. not attacking) e-cigarette users’ identity led to stronger perceived behavioral control; for a character with high identity emphasis, attacking (vs. not attacking) users’ identity led to weaker perceived behavioral control. The findings extend the social identity perspective and contribute to health communication research by examining a health behavior-specific social identity and demonstrating the utility of social identity threat as a persuasion strategy.

Understanding Whites' perceptions of multicultural policies: A (non)zero-sum framework?

Non-Hispanic Whites can perceive multicultural diversity policies as excluding their group and threatening their identity. However, increasing demographic diversity and the proliferation of organizational diversity efforts may have led Whites to view multicultural policies in more nonzero-sum ways. Reanalyzing nationally representative data, Study 1 showed that over the past 10 years, White Americans have become more supportive of diversity policies that explicitly recognize group memberships and have become less likely to view these policies as harmful to their group. Five experiments further showed that a multicultural (vs. colorblind) policy did not increase Whites' experiences of social identity threat (Studies 2-6) or their perceived exclusion from a company's diversity efforts (Studies 4-6). While a multicultural policy increased how much Whites believed an organization generally valued diversity and specifically valued the group differences of racial minorities, it did not decrease how much Whites believed their own group differences were valued (Studies 4-5). A multicultural policy only threatened Whites when group differences were narrowly defined to exclude their group (Study 6). An internal meta-analysis (N = 1,998) supported these conclusions and found they did not depend on need to belong, ethnic identification, political ideology, or the imagined presence of an outgroup coworker. These findings indicate that non-Hispanic White Americans generally conceptualize multicultural policies in nonzero-sum terms and suggest that (non)zero-sum beliefs may be key to understanding when diversity efforts are likely to elicit backlash from majority group members. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Stereotype Threat in High School Classrooms: How It Links to Teacher Mindset Climate, Mathematics Anxiety, and Achievement.

As stereotype threat was initially examined in experimental settings, the effects of such threats have often been tested by temporarily manipulating social identity threats. This study expands the literature by examining 9th-grade adolescents' naturalistic stereotype threat, using data from the National Study of Learning Mindsets in the United States (n ~= 6040, age: 13-17, Mage = 14.31, 6.9% Black boys, 6.5% Black girls, 13.1% Latinos, 12.3% Latinas, 31.5% White boys, 29.7% White girls). The results indicate that Black and Latinx students experience higher levels of stereotype threat in high school mathematics classrooms than do their White peers. When students perceive that their teachers have created fixed mindset climates, they experience greater stereotype threat. Stereotype threat, in turn, negatively predicts Black and Latino boys and White girls' later achievement via anxiety. These findings highlight the importance of creating mathematics classrooms that cultivate a growth mindset and minimize social identity threat.

(Un)masking threat: Racial minorities experience race-based social identity threat wearing face masks during COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, racial minorities in the United States were left in a double bind when deciding to wear face masks to prevent the spread of the virus: risk being racially profiled or risk COVID-19. Two studies examine Black and Asian individuals’ experiences of race-related social identity threat wearing face masks during COVID-19, and its impact on safety and health behaviors. Black, Asian, and White participants in the United States responded to surveys (S1: N = 776; S2: N = 534) on their experiences wearing masks early in the pandemic (May 2020) and 3 months later (August 2020). Across both studies, results indicated that, compared to White individuals, Black and Asian participants reported experiencing mask-related, race-based social identity threat from both the public and police, with Black individuals particularly concerned about mask-related threat in police interactions. Mediational analyses demonstrated that mask-related social identity threat led to avoidance of police when help was needed at both time points, and decreased face mask usage early in the pandemic for both Black and Asian people. Results highlight these unique social identity concerns faced by racial minorities and have implications for protecting racial minorities’ health and safety during the pandemic.

The academic success of boys and girls as an identity issue in gender relations: when the most threatened is not the one expected

ABSTRACT The present research aims to determine whether girls’ higher academic achievement, which should grant them a higher academic status than boys, could prevent them from experiencing social-identity threat on this dimension. Because they fear situations questioning their superiority, we argue that an unfavorable intergroup comparison would be more threatening for the high-status, rather than low-status, group on the dimension of academic achievement. Two studies were conducted, respectively, in high school, where girls should represent the high-status group (Study 1), and middle school, where students might perceive their own group as the high-status group (Study 2). Although both middle-school and high-school students perceived girls as the high-status group, they appraised the outgroup superiority differently. Indeed, it had more impact on girls’ perceived threat and boys’ perceived challenge in high school (Study 1), but not in middle school (Study 2). The results, however, did not show significant impact of context on performance.

Learning goals mitigate identity threat for Black individuals in threatening interracial interactions.

Interactions between members of different racial and ethnic groups are often stressful. These interactions are stressful, in part, because they contribute to social identity threat-the fear of being judged or treated negatively based on one's social group membership. Previous work separately suggests that the diversity of an interaction partner's friendship network and the goals that people set for themselves influence social identity threat. Bringing these two bodies of work together, the present research examines whether adopting a learning (vs. performance) goal mitigates identity threat for Black people anticipating an interaction with a White partner who had a racially homogenous (vs. diverse) friendship network (a context previously shown to arouse identity threat). Two experimental studies (N = 310) were conducted. Black adults (Mage = 29.66, 64% women) primed with either a performance or learning goal anticipated an interaction with a White partner who had either a racially diverse (Study 1) or racially homogenous (Studies 1 and 2) friendship network. After, we assessed participants' social identity threat and anticipated interaction experiences. Black adults primed with learning (vs. performance) goals expected to be perceived more positively by their interaction partner and expected to have more positive interaction experiences when they anticipated an interaction with a White partner who had a racially homogenous network of friends. These findings suggest that learning goals can mitigate threat among Black individuals within an otherwise identity-threatening interaction context, thus opening the door for positive interracial contact in the future even in the context of challenging interracial interactions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Assessing Trust and Risk Perceptions in the Sharing Economy: An Empirical Study

AbstractThe sharing economy requires intensive interactions among multiple stakeholders, such as consumers, service providers, communities, and third‐party platforms. Undoubtedly, trust and risk perceptions could become the key for the success and sustainable development of this collaborative business. This study addresses the critical issue of the customers’ trust and risk perceptions in the sharing economy. With a sample size of 1,336 respondents, the study adopted a structural equation modelling technique to test a proposed structural model of this issue. The moderating role of social identity threats was included in the proposed model to further examine the relationships among sharing economy security factors and risk and trust perceptions. The findings identified four factors – rapport among stakeholders (customers, providers, communities), reliability of the transaction platform, facility quality, and share of value – that significantly influence the customers’ trust and risk perceptions and partially confirmed a moderating effect of social identity threats in the relationships. The study also provided empirical support for the link between trust and risk perceptions and positive outcomes (customer satisfaction, revisits, and positive word‐of‐mouth). Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

A meta‐analysis of the effect of values affirmation on academic achievement

AbstractThis meta‐analysis assessed the impact of values affirmation on the academic achievement of students under social identity threats in actual classrooms. After a systematic search yielded 58 relevant studies, multilevel analyses identified an overall affirmation effect for identity‐threatened students (Hedges’ g = .15), not for identity‐nonthreatened students (Hedges’ g = .01). Heterogeneity in the affirmation effect was moderate to high for identity‐threatened students, with effect sizes associated with (1) a larger covariate‐controlled achievement gap between nonthreatened and threatened students in the control condition, suggestive of psychological underperformance, (2) the availability of financial resources in school, (3) more distal performance outcomes, and (4) the presentation of values affirmation as a normal classroom activity rather than a research study or a nonnormal classroom activity. Affirmation appears to work best when it is delivered as a normal classroom activity and where identity threat co‐occurs with resources for improvement and time to await cumulative benefits.

Do Temporary Workers Always Lower Workgroup Effectiveness? The Moderating Effect of Job Similarity in Blended Workgroups

Workgroups containing both permanent and temporary workers are often referred to as being ‘blended’. There exists a general view in the literature that workgroups blended in this way function less well with greater rather than fewer temporary workers. However, this notion has received little direct testing. Drawing on social identity theory and the input‐process‐output model of group effectiveness, this study examines the performance of 131 workgroups containing varying proportions of temporary agency workers, along with the proposed group processes: distributive justice climates reported by permanent and temporary workers and altruistic behaviors from permanent to temporary workers and vice versa. We find that blended workgroups with a greater proportion of temporary workers do not exhibit poorer justice climates, altruism, or performance; the hypothesized negative effects only emerge when jobs performed by temporary and permanent workers within the workgroup are highly similar. Counter to expectations, a positive indirect effect between proportion of temporary workers to workgroup performance via altruism from permanent to temporary workers was found when job similarity is low. Theoretical and practical implications are considered, focusing on the importance of managing social identity threat in blended workgroups.