Studies 1a Research Articles

Using salience and availability to promote sustainable and healthy food choices in hospital cafeterias

Sustainable diets can achieve considerable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and improvements in human health, but changing dietary behavior remains a challenge. We assessed the impacts of two behavioral insights strategies on bridging the intention-action gap related to sustainable and healthy food choices amongst hospital cafeteria patrons. In a pilot survey of hospital staff (N = 1,165), 56% identified limited awareness and availability of sustainable food as barriers to purchasing, although 46% were extremely willing to try sustainable dishes. We examined increasing salience (Study 1), varying availability (Study 2a), and decreasing availability (Study 2b) on sustainable and healthy dish purchases in three hospital cafeterias. Each study ran for seven weeks from March to April, 2023. In total, 10,616 dishes were purchased. In Study 1, increasing salience was associated with significant uptake of sustainable and healthy dishes, but the effect disappeared once the salience intervention was removed. In Study 2a, increasing availability of sustainable dishes corresponded to a significant increase in purchases of sustainable dishes, while decreasing availability in Study 2b followed a downward trend in purchases, suggesting that availability drove dietary choices. We recommend hospitals consider these choice architecture interventions to support the adoption of sustainable and healthy diets.

They don’t really care about us: the impact of perceived vertical pay disparity on employee well-being

ABSTRACT The gap in pay between those at the top of organizations and other organizational members continues to grow. In this paper, we tested the link between the perception of this vertical pay gap and people’s well-being at work. Specifically, we tested whether greater perceptions that pay is unequally distributed couples with people’s feelings that they are not valued (Lind & Tyler, 1988), eroding their sense of identification and well-being. In two cross-sectional surveys, Study 1a and 1b (N = 1335), we found that the more US and Italian workers perceived that there was a large vertical pay gap at work, the greater their tendency to feel that their organization was not concerned about their welfare. They were also less satisfied in their jobs and less likely to identify with their organization. In two pre-registered experiments, Study 2a and 2b (N total = 785), we manipulated the vertical pay gap in hypothetical organizations and found that when the pay gap was large (versus small) participants felt that the organization was less concerned about their welfare. They also expected to be less satisfied in their jobs, to identify less with the organization, and to experience greater work-life interference.

Liberal versus conservative distrust: A construal-level approach to dissimilarity in the workplace.

The dramatic rise in political polarization and aggravation of race relations are prominent in the United States. While dissimilarity to others is thought to undermine trust, I challenge the assumption that dissimilarity does so uniformly in the workplace where cross-party and cross-race interactions are structurally induced. Leveraging construal-level theory, I theorize that deep- versus surface-level differences with a coworker interact with ideology to activate higher versus lower construals of trustworthiness, prompting liberals and conservatives to distrust their coworkers in different ways. For liberals, I argue that perceived political dissimilarity undermines perceived person trustworthiness (a higher level/abstract construal, capturing one's trustworthiness generally as a person in the world) and disclosure. For conservatives, I argue that perceived racial dissimilarity undermines perceived role trustworthiness (a lower level/concrete construal, capturing one's trustworthiness specifically in their job) and reliance. Study 1 (a proof of concept) and Study 2 (a longitudinal, dyadic field study) utilize inductive theory-building and exploratory analyses. Studies 3a, 3b(i), and 3b(ii) (three preregistered experiments) support my hypotheses: Liberals tend to view politically dissimilar coworkers as less trustworthy people in the world and refrain from disclosures, while conservatives tend to view racial outgroup coworkers as less trustworthy in their jobs and refrain from reliance. Given liberal and conservative employees' roles in the calcification of political and racial group cleavages, respectively, organizations must determine whether both forms of bias should be addressed-indeed, racial bias is socially unacceptable, whereas political bias is widely tolerated-and, if so, whether interventions should target employees based on ideology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

How influencers can enhance consumer responses by value co-creation

Purpose This paper aims to explore whether, how and when influencers’ value co-creation behavior in a post – influencers investing operant resources to enhance the value gained from using the product – shapes consumers’ responses toward an influencer’s recommendation. Based on value co-creation theory and consumer inference, this paper proposes that consumers infer influencers have more expertise with and more favorable attitude toward the product from value co-creation. Consequently, such behavior can foster consumer engagement and favorable attitude toward the recommended product. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected real-world data and conducted four sets of experimental studies. In the experimental studies, the presence of an influencer’s value co-creation behavior (i.e. co-creation vs. control) was manipulated to test the causal effect and mechanisms of co-creation on engagement and product attitude. Findings Results show that influencers’ value co-creation behavior positively affects consumers’ engagement and attitudes toward the product. These effects are driven by perceived influencer’s expertise with and favorability toward the product (Studies 1 and 2). Co-creating utilitarian value is more effective than co-creating hedonic value (Studies 3A and 3B). In addition, influencers with a larger number of followers benefit more from co-creation behavior than those with fewer followers (Study 4). Research limitations/implications This research adds to the literature on value co-creation by investigating how, why and when influencers’ value co-creation enhances consumer responses to the post. Our investigation concretizes value co-creation behavior in the context of influencer marketing and demonstrates its signaling effect with nuanced role of value type in shaping the effect. The findings provide a novel cue that influencers can use to enhance consumer responses to their posts. Practical implications Brands should encourage influencers to focus on value-in-use co-creation when promoting their products. While emphasizing value co-creation in influencer partnership, brands should also carefully consider the type and size of influencers they collaborate with based on the nature of their products and target audience. The research findings also provide practical implications for influencers, offering guidance on how they can optimize their content creation strategies and enhance their effectiveness in influencer marketing collaborations. Originality/value This research enriches understanding of value co-creation in the context of influencer marketing and the role of content specifics in influencers’ posts. The findings provide a novel cue that influencers can use to enhance consumer responses to their posts.

EXPRESS: The Effect of Game Ad Outcome on Subsequent Mobile Gaming Experience: the Mediating Role of Inferred Difficulty

This study investigates the effect of game advertisement outcomes on a player’s subsequent gaming experience. Research on vicarious experience shows that individuals infer game difficulty to be higher when watching game advertisements where players lose (vs. win) the game. Building on the effort–paradox paradigm, the first of this three-part study shows that such higher inferred difficulty enhances enjoyment and engagement during subsequent gaming experiences, especially for advertisements featuring easy game levels. Solely manipulating the difficulty level, Study 2 confirms the underlying mechanism of inferred difficulty for the observed effect of game advertisement outcomes. Study 3a finds that the main positive effect of losing (vs. winning) ads does not hold for advertisements featuring difficult game levels. Study 3b further explores this by focusing only on advertisements with difficult game levels, investigating how variations in players’ self-efficacy might influence their response to losing advertisements depicting difficult game levels. The findings across four studies suggest that, when promoting easy game levels, marketers can use advertisements with losing outcomes to extend gaming sessions, thereby increasing revenue from in-game advertisements. However, for difficult game levels, advertisements with losing outcomes are effective only for those with high self-efficacy.

The impact of pandemic threats on intertemporal choices in Chinese and Americans

Intertemporal decisions are crucial to survival, especially when humans are exposed to ecological threats. However, it remains unclear whether and how pandemic threats impact intertemporal choices across cultures. We conducted two studies in two cultural contexts (N = 1180). Study 1a found that Chinese who perceived more pandemic threats showed higher temporal discounting rates (i.e., preferred immediate smaller over delayed larger rewards), and this relationship was mediated by negative emotions. Study 1b, using threat priming, revealed that Chinese participants primed with a high-threat condition (depicting a pandemic threat) showed higher temporal discounting rates compared to those primed with a low-threat condition (describing the flu). Differently, Study 2a revealed that perceived pandemic threat levels of Americans did not directly predict temporal discounting rates. Using similar threat priming, Study 2b further confirmed that Americans in the high-threat priming condition showed no significant differences in temporal discounting rates compared to those in the low-threat priming condition. The current research deepens the understanding of the cultural difference in the impact of pandemic threats on intertemporal decision-making and further informs the development of interventions that promote individual future-oriented thinking in the face of pandemics.

AI trust divide: How recruiter-candidate roles shape tourism personnel decision-making

The artificial intelligence revolution has prompted tourism organizations to consider whether and how to use AI to improve efficiency and create value, particularly in areas such as personnel selection. Through five experimental studies (N = 2199), this paper first reveals that a trust divide exists between job candidates and recruiters in travel agencies. We then investigate how the consideration focus of personnel attributes mediates the impact of roles on trust through thought-listing (Study 1), mediation-by-moderation (Studies 2a & 2b), and self-reported measures (Study 3). To mitigate this misalignment, we examine the AI–human assemblage design and offer an optimal way to bridge the trust divide (Study 4). The current research extends motivated reasoning theory and provides novel insights into practice.

Consumer preferences for the visual presentation of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) of luxury products: The role of perceived authenticity

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are increasingly used to safeguard luxury products from counterfeits. Despite their increasing adoption, limited research has investigated how brands should communicate the use of NFTs—a novel and complex concept for consumers to comprehend—to maximize their benefits. This research aims to examine this gap by highlighting that the ease of visualization is critical for effective communication. Study 1A demonstrated that consumers prefer a visualized NFT to a non-visualized one for authenticating a luxury product. Study 1B further demonstrated that consumers place greater trust in a visualized NFT and are willing to pay higher prices for luxury products that utilize it. Study 2 demonstrated that consumers have more favorable attitudes toward a luxury product that features an easy-to-visualize NFT than those with a difficult-to-visualize NFT and that perceived authenticity mediates this effect. Finally, Study 3 demonstrated that the positive impacts of easy-to-visualize NFT cues were more significant for luxury than non-luxury products. Subsequently, this study suggests an effective communication strategy for NFT use and provides managerial implications for luxury brands aiming to maximize the benefits of using NFTs.

Fear of appearance discrimination and its influence on well‐being across cultures

AbstractLookism encompasses discrimination based on a person's physical appearance. In a society where lookism is prevalent, the question arises concerning the impact of the fear of lookism on one's well‐being. To address this issue, we assessed the fear of anticipated appearance discrimination by constructing a new Fear of Lookism Scale (FLS). By testing 400 Japanese participants, we developed a three‐factor seven‐item scale and confirmed its convergent validity by establishing significantly positive correlations among its subscales (exclusion/devaluation, romantic rejection and insult) and related measures (physical appearance perfectionism and social appearance anxiety) in Study 1. In Study 2a, we gathered data from 312 Japanese participants to assess the scale's test–retest reliability. In Study 2b, combining data from 401 American participants with data from Study 2a, we verified FLS measurement invariance in the United States and Japan. Japanese participants scored higher on the FLS than Americans, particularly for exclusion/devaluation and insult. Across cultures, romantic rejection and insult were positively associated with physical appearance perfectionism, which, in turn, decreased subjective happiness through impacting self‐esteem (or increased loneliness) and increased subjective happiness through impacting self‐esteem (or decreased loneliness) respectively.

Unpacking leader critical thinking in employee voice quality and silence frequency

AbstractPrevious research has predominantly examined either voice quantity or quality. We know little about the potential tradeoff between voice quantity and quality and the role of leaders in this tradeoff. This study focused on the dual aspects of voice, examining how and when the same leader attribute facilitates (inhibits) one aspect of voice, but does not facilitate (inhibit) or even hamper (facilitate) the other aspect. Specifically, we proposed that leader critical thinking stimulates the formation of employees' implicit voice theory of the need for solid data or solutions (IVT‐SDS) before one speaks up. This belief boosts the quality of employee voice especially when voice efficacy is high, but increases the frequency of employee silence especially when voice efficacy is low. In Study 1a, we experimentally tested the relationship between leader critical thinking and employees' IVT‐SDS. In Study 1b, we experimentally examined the interactive effect of employees' IVT‐SDS and their voice efficacy on both their voice quality and silence frequency. In Study 2, a multilevel, multi‐wave and multi‐source field study, we tested the entire research model. The results supported our hypotheses. We extend the research on leadership and voice by revealing a potential tradeoff between voice quality and quantity.

Ecology stereotypes exist across societies and override race and family structure stereotypes.

Perceivers hold ecology stereotypes-beliefs about how the environments others live in shape their behavior. Drawing upon a life history perspective, we examine the stereotypes people hold about those who live in relatively harsh and unpredictable ecologies. First, across diverse demographic groups and societies (the United States, India, Japan, Romania, the United Kingdom), people believe that individuals who live in harsh and unpredictable environments engage in "faster" behaviors (n = 2,078; ds from .80 to 2.14)-that they are more impulsive, sexually unrestricted, opportunistic, and invest less in education and their own children (Studies 1, 2, and 3). Second, these ecology stereotypes seem to underlie certain Black/White race stereotypes held by White perceivers in the United States (Study 1) and family structure stereotypes (i.e., growing up in a single-mother home) held by perceivers in both Japan and the United States (Studies 4a and 5a). Supporting this, the application of these race and family structure stereotypes is overridden or attenuated when perceivers are presented with direct information about a specific person's ecology (Studies 1, 4A, and 5B). Third, beliefs that there is high ecological mobility within a society reduce the magnitude of ecology stereotypes (Study 3), as one would expect if ecology stereotypes function to help perceivers better predict others' behavior. Last, ecology stereotypes do not seem to be just general valence biases or to simply reflect social class stereotypes. In sum, ecology stereotypes may be an influential but relatively unexamined type of stereotype, with broad implications for thinking about other group stereotypes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

National identification weakens, and territorial identification strengthens, the relationship between masculine honor values and the justification of practices of connivance with the mafia

AbstractOrganized crime's governance raises questions about mechanisms facilitating the exercise of illegal authority in society. The present research tested the association between masculine honor ideology and the justification of connivance practices facilitating criminal groups' activities. We examined the novel idea that national identification would attenuate and territorial identification would strengthen such a relationship, reflecting different sources of authority at the national and territorial levels. In Studies 1a and b (N = 398 and N = 399), we measured individuals' endorsement of masculine honor, justification of connivance practices, and national and territorial identifications. In Study 2 (N = 390), we experimentally manipulated the salience of these identities. Results supported the hypotheses that the link between masculine honor and justification of connivance was weaker at higher levels of national identification and stronger at higher levels of territorial identification. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Threats to personal control fuel similarity attraction

We propose that experiencing a lack of personal control will increase people's preferences for self-similar others and that this effect would be explained by a greater need for structure. Our hypotheses received support across 11 longitudinal, experimental, and archival studies composed of data from 60 countries (5 preregistered studies, N = 90,216). In an analysis of cross-country archival data, we found that respondents who indicated a lower sense of personal control were less likely to prefer to live with neighbors who had a different religion, race, or spoke a different language (Study 1). Study 2 found that participants who perceived lower (vs. higher) personal control indicated greater liking for coworkers who they perceived to be more self-similar across a wide range of characteristics (e.g., gender, personality). Studies 3a and 3b, two live-interaction experiments conducted in the United States and China, provided additional causal evidence for control-motivated similarity attraction. A causal experimental chain (Studies 4a to 4c) and a manipulation-of-mediation-as-a-moderator study (Study 5) provided evidence for the mediating effects of the need for structure. Study 6, a longitudinal study with Chinese employees, found that workers who reported perceiving a lower (vs. higher) sense of personal control preferred more self-similar coworkers, and this effect was mediated by a greater desire for structure. Finally, exploring downstream consequences, Studies 7a and 7b found that control-motivated similarity attraction was associated with a greater preference for homogenous (vs. diverse) groups. These findings highlight how the fundamental motive for personal control shapes the structure of social life.

Creativity in sports: The crucial role of motor skills

What enables athletes to perform creative actions in their sports? In the last two decades, sports studies have predominantly assumed that divergent thinking (DT) is the key ingredient and have developed sport-specific DT tests to assess players’ creativity. However, a fundamental question remains: Do players who score high on sport-specific DT tests perform more creative actions on the field? The DT approach in sports has recently been challenged by the hypothesis that creative actions are primarily enabled (or limited) by players’ motor skill repertoires. Here, predictions based on the DT and motor skill approach are tested in the domain of soccer. Studies 1a and b tested male under-12 players, and Study 2 tested female under-19 players of a professional soccer club. All three studies indicated no correlation between the creativity of actions performed on the field (rated with the Consensual Assessment Technique) and players’ soccer-specific DT. In contrast, moderate to high correlations between on-field creativity and motor skills were found. These results challenge the DT approach in sports and the validity of sport-specific DT tests, highlighting the crucial role of sensorimotor skills in performing creative actions in sports or other domains in which creative performance is embodied through motor actions.

Disentangling three valence-related dimensions of emotion valuation: The good, the pleasant, and the desirable.

People place value on emotion categories that inform which emotions to cultivate and which to regulate in life. Here, we examined how people's beliefs about emotion categories varied along three valence-related dimensions: evaluation (good, bad), hedonic feeling (pleasure, displeasure), and desirability (want to feel, do not want to feel). In Studies 1A and 1B, we found that evaluative (good/bad) and hedonic (pleasant/unpleasant) ratings were distinct for certain emotions including lust, anger, shame, fear, and guilt. In Study 2, we found that emotion valuation depended on cultural background in a sample of Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans. Overall, Asian American participants evaluated certain emotions (including, but not limited to, anger, sadness, guilt, and shame) more positively than Caucasian American participants, and this difference was more pronounced on the evaluative rating dimension. Finally, in Study 3, we examined how evaluative and hedonic dimensions further relate with the desire to experience certain emotions and the emotions that people believe they feel in everyday life. Our findings support a model in which evaluative and hedonic dimensions of emotion valuation predict desired emotional states, which in turn predicts beliefs about the reported frequency of emotions experienced in everyday life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Men (but not women) prefer to live in economically equal societies when it comes to mating: A five-study investigation

It is generally believed that people prefer societies with economic equality. No studies thus far have systematically examined sex differences in this preference specifically concerning mating—an important life stage. Building upon theoretical frameworks of mating strategies (i.e., hypergyny), we hypothesized that men, in comparison to women, are less inclined to prefer and reside in a highly unequal society when it comes to mating. This could be because economically unequal environments lead men to expect poorer life quality after marriage than women. These hypotheses were confirmed across five studies using a mixed-method approach. In particular, we first provided evidence by focusing on fertile age populations and employing the panel data across 50 states of the USA from 2006 to 2019 (Study 1A), the most recent cross-sectional data at the county level of the USA (Study 1B), and a large-scale survey data on the individual migration records of American residents (N = 4,746,718, Study 2). In addition, we conducted two controlled experiments by manipulating mating motivation (Study 3) and economic inequality level (high versus low, Studies 3 and 4, N = 812, N = 418). Our studies, employing both archival data high in ecological validity and experimental evidence allowing causal inferences, show that men exhibit a stronger aversion than women toward economic inequality. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how evolutionary mating strategies and sex differences jointly influence the economic inequality preference.

Romantic Relationships as a Source of Significance

ABSTRACTDrawing on significance quest theory and its derived model of romantic relationships, we demonstrated that perceiving romantic partners as having socially valued qualities (partners’ merit) and as admiring and caring (partners’ appreciation) enhanced actors’ significance gained through the romantic relationship which, in turn, increased the likelihood to enter (Studies 1A and 1B) and maintain (Study 2) romantic relationships. Further, Study 3 demonstrated that significance gained through romantic relationships and inclusion of the other in the self were independently associated with romantic partners’ merit and appreciation and the likelihood of maintaining romantic relationships. Finally, Study 4 showed that people experiencing feelings of significance loss were more sensitive to their partners’ merit and appreciation features. Findings are compared with the rich social psychological literature on romantic relationships and future directions are outlined.

Cross‐cultural dynamics of narcissism and prosocial behavior: Unveiling the role of social status pursuit and collectivism

AbstractThis paper explores the relationship between narcissism and prosocial behavior, challenging the mainstream view that narcissism typically undermines prosocial actions. We argue that in collectivist cultures, where social harmony and interdependence are central, narcissistic traits can manifest as prosocial behavior, driven by the pursuit of social status. This dynamic is moderated by interdependent self‐construal, which ties personal identity to group relationships. To substantiate our claim, we conducted four comprehensive studies. Study 1 (N = 425) analyzed the cross‐cultural variance in the relationship between narcissism and prosocial behavior. Studies 2A (N = 244) and 2B (N = 295) accessed and manipulated the interdependent self‐construal individuals in both Eastern and Western cultural settings to explore the moderating role of cultural tendencies. Study 3 (N = 605) explored a moderated mediation model to explore the mechanisms underpinning the facilitated effect of narcissism on prosocial behavior through the social status pursuit. Our research shows that in collectivist settings, narcissism can fuel prosocial behaviors, moderated by interdependent self‐construal, which connects narcissism to prosocial behavior through the desire for social status. This breakthrough deepens our understanding of narcissism within cultural contexts, highlighting the importance of considering cultural factors in psychological research and offering new insights into the diverse expressions of personality traits across societies.

Sequential Decision Making in Beach Volleyball-A Mixed-Method Approach.

Which opponent player to sequentially serve to in beach volleyball is crucial given the advantage of the attacking team. The sequential choice theory was tested in three studies by analyzing allocation strategies based on the hot hand belief. Study 1 showed strong belief in the hot hand of national coaches. In Study 2, we analyzed Tokyo Olympics data to explore how base rates and sequential selection rates varied in an elite sample. When base rates of players differed by 0.25, low-performing players were frequently selected. In an experiment with elite athletes, Study 3A demonstrated accurate base-rate-difference recognition but low base-rate-change recognition. Study 3B found that the hot hand is believed to be important but is not often detected. We conclude that players and coaches follow predictions of the sequential choice theory and believe in the hot hand, but do not have a shared understanding of how to use it.

Increasing recycling with charitable incentives

Many businesses have moved toward a circular economy, collecting their packaging material from customers to be reintroduced into their remanufacturing processes. For these programs to be successful, individuals must voluntarily, and often effortfully, dispose of their used materials in specific ways. The goal of the present research is to evaluate the effectiveness of charitable incentives in promoting effortful recycling. We explore whether the type of charitable recipient – human or non-human – differently promotes effortful recycling, and examine how people's environmental values may moderate these effects. Five studies (N = 3572) utilizing real disposal decisions and consequential disposal intentions demonstrate that when individuals are informed that by recycling an item a donation will be made to a non-profit organization, effortful recycling increases—an effect that is observed for both environmental and youth recipients (Studies 1–4b). However, an environmental charitable recipient was less motivating for people who had less concern for the environment (Studies 3 and 4b). We find that an environmental charitable recipient increases effortful recycling because of an enhanced perception of making an impact, while a youth charitable recipient increases effortful recycling through greater empathy (Studies 4a and 4b). We conclude that efforts to increase material recovery using charitable incentives can be effective, and should carefully consider the values of their intended audience along with charitable recipient type.