Social Information Processing Research Articles

Exploring the Impact of Leader Bottom-Line Mentality on Subordinate Learning from Work Failures: A Social Information Processing Perspective.

Learning from work failures is not only beneficial for individual development but also crucial for improving organizational performance and achieving sustainable development. We hypothesize that leader bottom-line mentality, which is commonly used by leaders to prevent profit and performance losses, may reduce subordinates learning from work failures. Drawing on social information processing theory, this paper examines how and when leader bottom-line mentality negatively affects subordinates learning from work failures. We tested our hypotheses through a three-wave survey of 245 employees from several high-tech companies in China. For data analysis, we used SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 8.0 to test the theoretical model and research hypotheses. The results indicated that leader bottom-line mentality has a negative indirect effect on subordinates learning from work failures through the mediating role of subordinates' psychological availability. In addition, subordinate self-compassion can mitigate this negative mediating mechanism. The present study has several theoretical and practical implications for the current literature.

Impacts of leader anger expressions on newcomer proactive career behavior and work alienation in the construction industry

PurposeDespite the growing body of empirical research on leader anger expressions, the issue of how and when leader anger expressions shape newcomers’ proactive career behavior and work alienation in the construction industry has been largely overlooked. Building upon social information processing theory, this research identifies newcomers’ organization-based self-esteem as a mediator, and suggests that newcomers’ performance goal orientation could moderate the relationship.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire study was conducted on the construction industry in China, and the PROCESS program developed by Hayes was used to test the hypothetical model with 215 valid cases.FindingsThe results suggest that leader anger expressions are negatively associated with newcomers’ organization-based self-esteem, and organization-based self-esteem mediated the link between leader anger expressions and newcomers’ proactive career behavior and work alienation. Furthermore, the newcomers’ performance goal orientation moderates the negative impact of leader anger expressions on newcomers’ organization-based self-esteem.Research limitations/implicationsDue to the cross-sectional nature of this study, causal implications are difficult to draw. Moreover, all data we received was based on participant self-reports, which may raise concerns about common method variance.Originality/valueIn this paper, we contribute to a deeper understanding of the mediating mechanisms and boundary conditions by which leader anger expressions influence newcomers’ proactive career behavior and work alienation from social information processing perspective, in addition to providing valuable insights for management of newcomers in the construction industry.

The effects of personal-organizational fit on employee’s positive work attitudes: An entrepreneurial orientation perspective

Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has become a critical characteristic for individual career advancement and the development of corporate entrepreneurship. Nevertheless, the connection between personal-organizational fit regarding EO and the working attitudes of employees remains underexplored in the existing literature. This paper explores the impact of alignment between organizational entrepreneurial orientation (OEO) and individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) on employee’s positive work attitudes, focusing on affective commitment (AC) and organizational identity (OI). The foundation of research resides in the personal-organization fit theory, as well as social information processing theory. To rigorously evaluate our proposed hypotheses, we implemented a research design that incorporates polynomial regression with surface response analysis, sourcing our data from 292 valid survey replies gathered from personnel employed by private sector organizations in China. Results reveal a positive correlation between entrepreneurial orientation and positive work attitudes, but also a “too-much-of-a-good-thing” effect, where excessive alignment between IEO and OEO can lead to diminished positive work attitudes. These findings highlight the need for a balanced approach to aligning entrepreneurial values during recruitment and underscore the importance of supporting entrepreneurial employees in highly entrepreneurial organizations.

Lark: As a Medium of Interpersonal Communication for TNS Employees to Manage Work Stress Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic

Working from home (WFH) during the community activity restrictions period (PPKM), such as those imposed by Indonesia’s government, leaves employees with little choice in dealing with work stress. Lark is a collaborative working media tool, during work from home all communication in TNS department took place in Lark. This study's importance is to see how Lark basically a formal working media tool can form an interpersonal communication between woman employees that help them to manage work stress during WFH and PPKM period. Since the trend of working from home is likely to continue even after pandemic, this research provides contribution and information related to communication tools and work from home consequences.The theory for this research is Computer-mediated Communication and Social Information Processing Theory (SIPT). This research method employs a qualitative approach through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and library study. This study finds that implementing WFH during the Covid-19 period resulted in heightened work stress among female employees in TNS Department. It was observed that sharing work-related burdens with coworkers proved to be effective in reducing work stress. Interestingly, sharing witha coworker was considered more beneficial than sharing with a spouse or family. Lark application which serves as a working media tool turns out can facilitate interpersonal communication among female employees. The application's instant messenger, phone call, and expressive emoji make it convenient for employees to share their concerns and stress, as compared to using video conferences.

Working remotely and feeling lonely? – Knowledge hiding and the role of work characteristics

ABSTRACT As remote work has become prevalent in recent years, it has brought to light several concerning challenges, such as the issue of knowledge hiding. This study uses social information processing theory to investigate knowledge hiding in remote work. It investigates the antecedents, i.e., job characteristics and consequence, i.e., workplace loneliness of perceived knowledge hiding among knowledge workers. The study investigates the phenomenon from the lens of knowledge seekers. Using PROCESS MACRO, a survey-based field study of 500 mid-level executives was conducted in two phases to test the hypothesised model. The results support the hypothesised framework and reveal a positive relationship between work characteristics, i.e., role and task conflict with knowledge hiding. It further confirms the mediating effect of knowledge hiding between work characteristics and workplace loneliness. This study highlights the challenges knowledge workers face in remote setups and offers implications for future research and practice.

Autistic Traits and Aggressive Behavior in Chinese College Students: A Serial Mediation Model and the Gender Difference.

The existence of aggressive behavior in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) raises questions about whether cognitive and emotional factors in social information processing play a role between autistic traits (ATs) and aggressive behavior in the general population, especially in the context of Chinese culture. Moreover, given a possible gender difference in these variables, the study aimed to examine the effect of ATs on aggressive behavior, and the potential mediating role of hostile attribution bias and alexithymia on this association, as well as gender difference. 850 Chinese college students participated in the assessment, including their ATs, hostile attribution bias, alexithymia, and aggressive behavior. Pearson correlation, mediation effects analyses, and multiple-group comparison were conducted. The results indicated that ATs indirectly predicted increased aggressive behavior through attribution bias and alexithymia. Gender difference in mediating effects was revealed: ATs indirectly predicted increased aggressive behavior through the serial mediating effect only in males. Hostile attribution bias and alexithymia completely mediated the association between ATs and aggressive behavior, which contained the separate mediating effects of (a) hostile attribution bias and (b) alexithymia and the serial mediating effect of (c) hostile attribution bias and alexithymia. Gender differences in mediating effects were found only in the serial mediating effect, which was significant in males but not in females. The findings revealed the internal mechanism of ATs affecting aggressive behavior and gender difference, which have implications for the intervention of aggressive behavior of individuals with autism and those with high levels of ATs.

How a defensive mindset develops from early adverse experiences and guides antisocial outcomes.

Dante Cicchetti has had a lasting impact on our understanding of the development of externalizing psychopathology through at least two seminal contributions, including establishment of the field of developmental psychopathology and assertion of the hypothesis that early physical abuse and neglect trigger a cascade of maladaptive outcomes across the life course. These ideas have guided a program of research on children's deviant social information processing and defensive mindset as the psychological mechanisms through which early physical abuse leads to long-term psychopathology. Longitudinal studies following children from early life through mid-adulthood show that physical abuse in the first five years of life leads children to adopt a defensive mindset that, in turn, cascades into long-term outcomes of externalizing psychopathology, incarceration, and dysfunction. Cicchetti's ideas have also guided the development of preventive interventions to interrupt this life course.

Socio-psychological prerequisites for constructive patriotism of adolescents and youth: A systematic review of empirical research

Introduction. The problem of constructive patriotism is studied within the framework social psychology. Constructive patriotism is based on positive national identification and attachment to one’s motherland, expressed in readiness to implement prosocial behavior, considered as a contribution to the well-being of the country. The purpose of the study is to summarize the data on socio-psychological prerequisites for the formation of adolescents and youth’s constructive patriotic attitudes. Materials and Methods. A systematic review of empirical studies devoted to the analysis of socio-psychological prerequisites of constructive patriotism, published in the period between 2000 and 2023 was conducted. The review was carried out in 2023 using the electronic bibliographic databases Google Scholar and RSCI. The analysis included articles with full-text Russian-language or English-language abstracts containing the results of original empirical studies on socio-psychological correlates and predictors of constructive patriotism. Out of 2047 analyzed sources, 30 articles were recognized as meeting the selection criteria, which made up the corpus of analyzed publications. Results. The study has revealed five groups of socio-psychological prerequisites for constructive patriotism in adolescent and youth environments: national identity (positive perception of one's own nation based on symbolic attachment and understanding of the prospects for the development of one's country); other components of social identity (global and civic identity); values (first of all, growth values characterized by both individualistic and social orientation); social attitudes (orientation towards social justice and altruism); features of processing social information (reflexivity, rationality as opposed to intuitiveness, critical thinking). The indirect contribution to constructive patriotism of such socio-demographic variables as education and place of residence is taken into account. Conclusions. The results of the systematic review indicate that constructive patriotism is a multi-determined phenomenon and reveal main research directions within constructive patriotism of Russian adolescents and youth, which are significant for the formation of scientifically based programs to promote the formation of patriotic attitudes. The prospects of the research are the development and implementation of an empirical research program aimed at verifying the contribution of the described prerequisites to the constructive patriotic attitudes of adolescents and youth in the conditions of modern Russia.

Kindergarten children’s academic engagement: A dual-pathway model including social information processing, social behavior in class, and teacher–child relationship quality

Education researchers and practitioners have been exploring for years the key factors impacting children’s academic engagement. Still, relatively little is known about the role of children’s social cognition in their academic engagement. Accordingly, the current study focuses on the potential indirect associations between young children’s social information processing patterns (SIP) and their academic engagement through their social behaviors in class, specifically their prosocial and problem behaviors, and following by the quality of their relationship with their main kindergarten teacher. The study examines these indirect effects in one dual-pathway model which includes both a pathway from children’s competent SIP patterns to higher levels of academic engagement and from children’s aggressive SIP patterns to lower levels of academic engagement. The sample included 300 kindergarten children (151 girls; Mage = 68.76 months). Results showed that competent SIP patterns were positively linked to children’s academic engagement, which encompasses both their academic self-perceptions and their attitudes toward learning, via children’s prosocial behaviors in class and subsequently teacher–child relational closeness. In addition, aggressive SIP patterns were negatively linked to the kindergarteners’ attitudes toward learning via the children’s problem behaviors in class and subsequently teacher–child relational conflict. Results have implications for both research and practice in the understanding of the influence of social cognition, behavior, and social relationships on academic engagement for young learners.

Peers’ unethical behavior and employees' discretionary behavior: Role of employees’ duty orientation

As unethical behavior is of significant concern for organizations, this study examines the effect of peers’ unethical behavior (PUB) in the hospitality sector. Though earlier research suggests the impact of PUB on employees’ ethical intentions, the influence of PUB on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and interpersonal deviance (ID) is unexplored. To address this gap, this study uses social learning theory and social information process theory to examine the effect of PUB on OCB and ID through psychological safety as a mediating mechanism and duty orientation as a moderating variable. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling on a three-wave (time lag) survey of a sample of 316 frontline employees in the hotel industry, findings suggest PUB reduces employees’ perception of psychological safety and subsequently reduces OCB and enhances ID. However, high-duty orientation helps to mitigate the negative effect of PUB on employees’ OCB and IDs. The paper concludes with suggestions to reduce unethical behavior and create a positive work context.

Impact of Leader’s Goal Framing on Followership Behavior: The Role of Work Meaning and Power Dependence

While there is growing interest in leader–follower relationships in the leadership literature, little is known about how a leader’s framing effect triggers employees’ proactive behaviors. This research aims to extend previous knowledge about the effects of leaders’ goal framing and uncover their potential impacts on followership behaviors. Drawing on social information processing theory, this study proposes that both types of goal framing (gaining and losing) indirectly influence employees’ followership behaviors by mobilizing their sense of work meaning, especially when they have a power dependence on their leaders, using the method of questionnaire measurement, CFA analysis, hierarchical regression analysis, and the bootstrap tested hypotheses. The results show that gain framing indirectly contributes to employees’ followership behaviors by enhancing work meaning. Furthermore, this positive indirect relationship is stronger for employees with high power dependence. Yet another finding reveals that loss framing negatively impacts followership behavior by reducing employees’ sense of work meaning, which is unaffected by power dependence. From the perspective of the framing effect, this study verifies the influence of goal framing on employees’ behaviors and illustrates the effect of work meaning as a mechanism of goal framing on followership behavior.

Fostering resilience and well-being in emerging adults with adverse childhood experiences: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the FACE self-help app

BackgroundAdverse childhood experiences (ACE) are linked to an increased risk of psychological disorders and lower psychosocial functioning throughout life. This study aims to evaluate the FACE self-help app, designed to promote resilience and well-being in emerging adults with a history of ACE. The app is based on cognitive-behavioural principles and consists of two thematic components: (1) self- and emotion regulation (SER) and (2) social skills and biases in social information processing (SSIP).MethodsThe efficacy of the app will be tested through a single-centre, two-arm randomized controlled trial, comparing an active intervention group against a waiting list control group. The active group is divided into two subgroups, in which the two components are delivered in a different order to investigate differential effects in a crossover design. Up to 250 emerging adults aged 18 to 25 years with a history of ACE from a general population cohort study will be recruited. The primary objective is to test the efficacy of the app in improving resilience (primary outcome) and well-being (co-primary outcome) compared to a waiting list control group and to examine the stability of these effects. The secondary objectives include testing the efficacy of the app in improving the secondary outcomes, i.e., self-efficacy in managing emotions, problem solving, fear of evaluation, social avoidance, and self-esteem; examining the differential effects of the two components; and assessing the effect of the app on real-life data on resilience, affective states, distress in social interactions and coping strategies. Furthermore, the study will investigate potential moderators (e.g. ACE severity) and mediators of intervention outcomes (e.g. self-efficacy in managing emotions).DiscussionThe results will provide insights into the efficacy of the self-help intervention as well as mediators and moderators of outcomes. Furthermore, results will extend the existing knowledge by testing the differential effects of the SER and SSIP component on the outcomes. Findings can inform improvements to the FACE app and the development of other interventions for this target group and assess its potential as a scalable, low-threshold intervention to support emerging adults with a history of ACE in their transition to adulthood. Trial registration number: NCT05824182.

Do good relationships contribute to innovative behaviour? A study of relationship conflict affecting team innovative behaviour

AbstractThis study examines the relationship between relationship conflict and cross‐functional team innovative behaviour with transactive memory system (TMS) as a mediator and team‐oriented leadership as a moderator. Adopting a two‐wave data collection procedure, 584 team members and 113 team leaders from 20 organizations participated in this study. The PROCESS macro for SPSS was used to test the hypothesized relationships. The results indicate that the TMS mediates the relationship between relationship conflict and cross‐functional team innovative behaviour. Moreover, team‐oriented leadership moderates the relationship between relationship conflict and cross‐functional team innovative behaviour as well as between relationship conflict and the transactive memory system. Additionally, it moderates the indirect effect of relationship conflict and cross‐functional team innovative behaviour via the TMS. In particular, all three relationships become weaker when team‐oriented leadership is high. Based on social information processing theory, this study makes an additional contribution to the current conflict management literature by providing empirical evidence on the mediating role of the TMS and the moderating role of team‐oriented leadership in how relationship conflict affects cross‐functional team innovative behaviour.

How to inspire green creativity among Gen Z hotel employees: an investigation of the cross-level effect of green organizational climate

Green creativity (GC) serves as the cornerstone in driving green innovation. However, GC is the result of individual ideas, so motivating Gen Z employees, who are the primary employees to propose novel and practical environmental protection solutions, will in large part determine the future of hotel management. Drawing from social information processing theory and the componential model of creativity, this paper incorporates the variables of prosocial motivation, impression management motivation (IMM) and ecological reflexivity to develop a cross-level model of the impact of green organizational climate (GOC) on the GC of Gen Z employees. A total of 260 Gen Z employees from 37 four- and five-star hotels in China are empirically analyzed using HLM software. We demonstrate that GOC enhances the GC of Gen Z employees through prosocial motivation and IMM. We also find that prosocial motivation is more likely to stimulate Gen Z employees’ GC under high ecological reflexivity, but that ecological reflexivity does not moderate the relationship between IMM and GC. Our study enriches the cross-level mechanism of the impact of GOC on GC from the perspectives of “green for others” and “green for myself”. These results provide practical and cost-effective insights for sustainable hotel green development.

A distinct cortical code for socially learned threat.

Animals can learn about sources of danger while minimizing their own risk by observing how others respond to threats. However, the distinct neural mechanisms by which threats are learned through social observation (known as observational fear learning1-4 (OFL)) to generate behavioural responses specific to such threats remain poorly understood. The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) performs several key functions that may underlie OFL, including processing of social information and disambiguation of threat cues5-11. Here we show that dmPFC is recruited and required for OFL in mice. Using cellular-resolution microendoscopic calcium imaging, we demonstrate that dmPFC neurons code for observational fear and do so in a manner that is distinct from direct experience. We find that dmPFC neuronal activity predicts upcoming switches between freezing and moving state elicited by threat. By combining neuronal circuit mapping, calcium imaging, electrophysiological recordings and optogenetics, we show that dmPFC projections to the midbrain periaqueductal grey (PAG)constrain observer freezing, and that amygdalar and hippocampal inputs to dmPFC opposingly modulate observer freezing. Together our findings reveal that dmPFC neurons compute a distinct code for observational fear and coordinate long-range neural circuits to select behavioural responses.

A prefrontal-thalamic circuit encodes social information for social recognition.

Social recognition encompasses encoding social information and distinguishing unfamiliar from familiar individuals to form social relationships. Although the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is known to play a role in social behavior, how identity information is processed and by which route it is communicated in the brain remains unclear. Here we report that a ventral midline thalamic area, nucleus reuniens (Re) that has reciprocal connections with the mPFC, is critical for social recognition in male mice. In vivo single-unit recordings and decoding analysis reveal that neural populations in both mPFC and Re represent different social stimuli, however, mPFC coding capacity is stronger. We demonstrate that chemogenetic inhibitions of Re impair the mPFC-Re neural synchronization and the mPFC social coding. Projection pathway-specific inhibitions by optogenetics reveal that the reciprocal connectivity between the mPFC and the Re is necessary for social recognition. These results reveal an mPFC-thalamic circuit for social information processing.

The influence of bootleg innovation on individual innovation performance: The mediating effect of cognitive flexibility and the moderating effect of leadership's emotional intelligence.

Based Correctly handling the creativity of employees who have not been adopted is not only conducive to continuously stimulating employees' creativity and improving individual innovation performance, but also conducive to making the best use of organizational resources. This study integrates conservation of resource theory (COR) and social information processing theory to explore the influence of bootleg innovation behavior in organizations on individual innovation performance, as well as the mediating role of cognitive flexibility and the moderating role of leadership emotional intelligence. A three-stage time-lagged research design is used to obtain a valid sample of 327 employees from China. The PROCESS macro for SPSS was applied to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings demonstrated that bootleg innovation is positively related to individual innovation performance; cognitive flexibility mediates the relationship between bootleg innovation and individual innovation performance. Moreover, leadership emotional intelligence moderates the relationship between bootleg innovation and individual innovation performance and between bootleg innovation and cognitive flexibility and between cognitive flexibility and individual innovation performance respectively. The conclusion of the study not only provides a theoretical basis for individuals and leaders to deal with employees' creative abortion, but also provides a new thinking mode for how to maximize the effectiveness of unaccepted ideas and promote individual innovation performance.

Exploration of the Integrated Training Model for Information Technology Teachers

With the acceleration of the social information process, information awareness and information skills have become the basic qualities of every citizen. The establishment of the training mechanism for scientific and technological innovation talents from the beginning of higher education is insufficient to meet the needs of the development of the times. It is imperative to improve the training of information technology innovation talents and explore a new training model. This paper describes the general situation of the development of education in the field of information technology from a domestic and international perspective. It then analyzes the existing problems, explores new exploration models and implementation suggestions, and puts forward prospects at the end of the paper.

Theoretical-Methodological Foundations for the Global Integration Method (Método de Integração Global-MIG) in the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Currently, there is no intervention model for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that addresses all levels and factors of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF, WHO). The most researched programs focus on naturalistic, developmental and behavioral approaches to socio-communication. Less attention has been paid to motor and environmental reactivity aspects (behavior/interest restriction and sensory reactivity). The evidence rationale for the Global Integration Method (MIG, "Método de Integração Global"), a model addressing sensorimotor reactivity in addition to socio-communication, is presented. MIG is an integrative, interdisciplinary, family-oriented intervention and naturalistic program that addresses all levels and moderating factors of ASD's impact. MIG's theoretical rationale is based on the predictive coding impairment and embodied cognition hypotheses. MIG incorporates both bottom-up (flexible therapeutic suit, social-motor synchronization) and top-down (schematic social information processing, narratives, imagery) strategies to promote the building and use of accurate, flexible and context-sensitive internal predictive models. MIG is based on the premises that predictive coding improves both socio-communication and environmental reactivity, and that the postural stabilization provided by the flexible therapeutic suit frees information processing resources for socio-cognitive learning. MIG builds on interdisciplinary, professionally and parentally mediated work based on behavioral principles of intensive training in a situated environment.

Differential effects of attachment security on visual fixation to facial expressions of emotion in 14-month-old infants: an eye-tracking study.

Models of attachment and information processing suggest that the attention infants allocate to social information might occur in a schema-driven processing manner according to their attachment pattern. A major source of social information for infants consists of facial expressions of emotion. We tested for differences in attention to facial expressions and emotional discrimination between infants classified as securely attached (B), insecure-avoidant (A), and insecure-resistant (C). Sixty-one 14-month-old infants participated in the Strange Situation Procedure and an experimental task of Visual Habituation and Visual Paired-Comparison Task (VPC). In the Habituation phase, a Low-Arousal Happy face (habituation face) was presented followed by a VPC task of 6 trials composed of two contrasting emotional faces always involving the same actress: the one used in habituation (trial old face) and a new one (trial new face) portraying changes in valence (Low-Arousal Angry face), arousal (High-Arousal Happy face), or valence + arousal (High-Arousal Angry face). Measures of fixation time (FT) and number of fixations (FC) were obtained for the habituation face, the trial old face, the trial new face, and the difference between the trial old face and the trial new face using an eye-tracking system. We found a higher FT and FC for the trial new face when compared with the trial old face, regardless of the emotional condition (valence, arousal, valence + arousal contrasts), suggesting that 14-month-old infants were able to discriminate different emotional faces. However, this effect differed according to attachment pattern: resistant-attached infants (C) had significantly higher FT and FC for the new face than patterns B and A, indicating they may remain hypervigilant toward emotional change. On the contrary, avoidant infants (A) revealed significantly longer looking times to the trial old face, suggesting overall avoidance of novel expressions and thus less sensitivity to emotional change. Overall, these findings corroborate that attachment is associated with infants' social information processing.