Two-study Investigation Research Articles

Chronic stress and hair cortisol concentration in mothers: A two-study investigation.

Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is one mechanism through which chronic stress during pregnancy and parenthood may affect parental, child, and family health. Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) may be well-suited to elucidate associations between chronic stress and HPA axis regulation because HCC reflects cortisol output over several months. However, most previous studies that examine chronic stress in conjunction with cortisol in pregnant individuals or mothers use measures that reflect HPA axis output over a relatively limited time. We report findings from two longitudinal studies that tested associations between chronic stress and HCC in women during the perinatal period (Study 1; n=144) and mothers of young children (Study 2; n=102). Both studies measured chronic stress with a measure developed to comprehensively assess chronic stressors in community samples. Hair samples were collected three times in Study 1 (mid-pregnancy, one month postpartum, and 12months postpartum) and twice in Study 2, approximately one year apart. Chronic stress was associated with higher HCC in both studies. Exploratory analyses indicated that the strength of associations between chronic stress and HCC differed as a function of the life domain of chronic stress. Chronic work and family demands were associated with higher postpartum HCC in Study 1 whereas neighbourhood/housing and discrimination chronic stress were associated with higher HCC in Study 2. These findings provide evidence of a biological pathway through which chronic stress may influence health in mothers and support the utility of hair cortisol as a neuroendocrine measure of chronic stress during pregnancy and parenthood.

Gastric myoelectrical associations with autonomic and central nervous system activity during state negative emotionality and perseverative negative thinking: A two-study investigation

BackgroundDistress is known to set off a variety of physiological dysfunctions. There have been previous investigations of central and peripheral (e.g., cardiac) correlates of distress and a burgeoning field examining immunological and inflammatory relationships to distress. However, despite a connection between gastrointestinal symptoms and distress at the clinical level, little research has connected this activity to other biological correlates of distress. Heightened negative emotions and dysregulation of emotions in the form of perseverative negative thinking (PNT, e.g., worry, rumination) are two components that underlie distress. Investigating the effect that these components have on gastric and related biological measures is crucial to better understanding the relationship between distress and health outcomes. We present results from two studies, which examined the impact of experimentally induced negative emotionality and PNT on gastric, autonomic nervous system, central nervous system, and inflammatory processes. MethodIn Study 1 (N = 95), we examined changes in electrogastrogram (EGG), respiratory sinus arrythmia (RSA), and alpha- and beta-band electroencephalogram (EEG) power at baseline and during experimental inductions of fear and sadness in a diverse sample of undergraduate students. In Study 2 (N = 30), we examined changes in EGG, RSA, and EEG at baseline and during worry and rumination inductions. We also collected inflammatory markers post-inductions in Study 2. ResultsIn Study 1, normal gastric activity, vagal tone, and alpha- and beta-band power decreased, whereas EGG cycle length and variability increased during fear and sadness compared to baseline. We also observed significant relationships among EGG, RSA, and EEG during fear and sadness. In Study 2, normal gastric activity and RSA decreased, whereas EGG cycle length and variability increased during rumination compared to baseline. We also observed increases in frontal alpha-band power during worry and rumination compared to baseline. Regarding relationships among EGG, RSA, EEG, and inflammation, greater EGG cycle variability was associated with higher vagal tone during worry; additionally, EGG cycle length and variability during rumination were positively related to CRP and TNF-α inflammation composite scores post-inductions. ConclusionsThese findings offer insight into how negative emotionality and PNT might relate to gastric, ANS, CNS, and inflammatory processes.

Examining the relationship between dysmorphia symptoms and suicidality through the lens of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide.

Using the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS) as a framework, this two-study investigation tested whether burdensomeness and low belongingness explained the association between body and muscle dysmorphia symptoms and suicidal ideation (tested in Study 1 and Study 2), and if fearlessness about death and pain tolerance explained the association between dysmorphia symptoms and previous suicide attempt frequency (tested in Study 2). Study 1 used a community sample (n = 273) and Study 2 used an at-risk population sample (n = 261). Participants completed cross-sectional questionnaires online. In Study 1, both types of dysmorphic symptoms related to suicidal ideation through burdensomeness, but only body dysmorphic symptoms related to suicidal ideation through low belongingness. In Study 2, results were replicated as both types of dysmorphic symptoms related to suicidal ideation through burdensomeness. While both types of symptoms related to low belonging, low belonging did not relate to suicidal ideation. Neither dysmorphic symptoms nor capability for suicide related to frequency of suicide attempts. Results suggest that improving interpersonal needs, such as feeling more effective, may be important treatment targets for individuals with dysmorphic symptoms who also experience suicidal ideation. Future work should continue to identify mediators for suicide attempts among individuals with dysmorphia symptoms.

Increases in shame following binge eating among women: Laboratory and longitudinal findings

This multi-method, two-study investigation tested the hypothesis that, controlling for guilt and negative affect, shame increases following binge eating. Support for this hypothesis constitutes the first step in testing the theory that shame mediates the link between binge eating and comorbid psychopathology. Study 1 employed a laboratory binge-eating paradigm in n = 51 women [21 with bulimia nervosa, 30 controls]. Study 2 employed a naturalistic test of prospective relationships among binge eating, shame, guilt, and negative affect in n = 302 college women over three months. In Study 1, women with bulimia nervosa reported increases in shame that were not explained by changes in guilt or negative affect, following laboratory binge eating, compared with controls. In Study 2, baseline binge eating predicted increased shame at follow-up independently of guilt and negative affect. Should shame prove to mediate the link between binge eating and comorbid disorders, interventions to reduce shame may be useful for those who binge.

Workplace spirituality and employee incivility: Exploring the role of ethical climate and narcissism

This study aimed to examine how and when the practice of workplace spirituality fosters a civil work atmosphere in the Indian hotel industry. Grounded in social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986) and theory of threatened egotism and aggression (Baumeister et al., 1996), ethical climate was proposed to mediate the relationship of workplace spirituality with instigated and experienced incivility, and narcissism was hypothesized to moderate this mediated linkage. The hypotheses were tested on a sample of hotel employees in India using a time-lagged two-study investigation. The findings revealed that workplace spirituality relates negatively with instigated as well as experienced incivility and this relationship is mediated by ethical climate. Nevertheless, the relationship between workplace spirituality and incivility via ethical climate was not the same for all employees. The indirect effect of workplace spirituality on instigated and experienced incivility was stronger for employees with high narcissistic characteristics. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are discussed.

Providing Context to the Engagement-Behavior Linkage: A Facet-Level Examination

ABSTRACT This two-study investigation utilized two popular engagement measures, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and the Shirom-Melamed Vigor Measure (SMVM), to explore how facets of state-affective experience related to discrete behavioral outcomes by distinguishing proactive from contextual and in-role behavior. Two independent samples of working adults were used to test various structural models across Study 1 and Study 2, with Study 2 examining behaviors at different time lags (i.e., one-week and one-month). The findings indicated that aspects of engagement signifying a cognitive immersion in work may have unique associations with proactive behaviors such as taking charge. We concluded that these findings provide a deeper understanding of how facets of engagement relate to distinct performance outcomes, as well as how these relationships hold across time.

Flexible emotion regulatory selection when coping with COVID-19-related threats during quarantine

The COVID-19 pandemic poses significant emotional challenges that individuals need to select how to regulate. The present study directly examined how during the pandemic, healthy individuals select between regulatory strategies to cope with varying COVID-19-related threats, and whether an adaptive flexible regulatory selection pattern will emerge in this unique threatening global context. Accordingly, this two-study investigation tested how healthy individuals during a strict state issued quarantine, behaviorally select to regulate COVID-19-related threats varying in their intensity. Study 1 created and validated an ecologically relevant set of low and high intensity sentences covering major COVID-19 facets that include experiencing physical symptoms, infection threats, and social and economic consequences. Study 2 examined the influence of the intensity of these COVID-19-related threats, on behavioral regulatory selection choices between disengagement via attentional distraction and engagement via reappraisal. Confirming a flexible regulatory selection conception, healthy individuals showed strong choice preference for engagement reappraisal when regulating low intensity COVID-19-related threats, but showed strong choice preference for disengagement distraction when regulating high intensity COVID-19-related threats. These findings support the importance of regulatory selection flexibility for psychological resilience during a major global crisis.

Influencers’ Disclosures of Advertising and Responses from Youth with Varying Levels of Theory of Mind

Influencer advertising has become a multibillion-dollar industry, with young people playing a large role. While there are ethical concerns regarding targeting an audience too young to comprehend this subtle form of advertising, clear disclosures can help trigger children’s persuasion knowledge. Some influencers and sponsors have expressed concern that prominent disclosures will negatively affect their ability to persuade, but the persuasion knowledge model (PKM) suggests that when audiences perceive advertising to be informative and/or entertaining, the positive aspects can trump resistance to persuasion. The current two-study investigation therefore examines the intersection of the PKM and developmental theory (theory of mind) to determine how children (ages five to twelve years) and adolescents (ages thirteen to seventeen years) perceive influencers’ YouTube videos in the presence of varying types of disclosures. Results suggest that influencers can and should fully disclose advertising content to youth, helping to activate persuasion knowledge without harming the influencer–follower relationship. However, theory of mind emerged as much more strongly associated with activation of persuasion knowledge than any other variables, suggesting that disclosures may not be sufficient for the least mature audiences. Interestingly, aspects of persuasion knowledge were activated even without identifying the video as a form of advertising. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Interacting effects of transformational and instrumental leadership on employees' change reactions

The aim of the two-study investigation was to examine the theoretical assumption, that transformational behaviors are reinforced by instrumental behaviors in the change context. For this purpose, a field study and an experimental vignette study were carried out, in which the interaction between transformational and instrumental leadership on employees` change reactions was tested. In the field study, 405 employees were surveyed and the results revealed a significant interaction under control of laissez-faire and transactional leadership: Only when instrumental leadership was highly developed, transformational leadership was positively related to change support. In the vignette study, instrumental and transformational leadership behavior was manipulated within fictitious change scenarios. 772 participants took part in the investigation. 2x2 ANCOVAs showed that instrumental leadership influences the mean values of employees` change reactions more strongly than transformational leadership. However, the interaction was not significant for the manipulated leadership styles. Implications for leadership and change literature are discussed.

How do inoculation messages work? A two-study mixed-method investigation into inoculation mechanisms

ABSTRACT The central principle of inoculation theory is that when individuals are presented with a weakened form of a persuasive attack against an existing attitude, they become inoculated against future attacks to that attitude. To address a gap in the literature regarding inoculation mechanisms, we used focus groups (Study 1) to allow participants to describe resistance processes following inoculation. Guided by processing pathways that mirror those in established persuasion frameworks, participants described some of the variables that influence, occur during, and result from, their processing of inoculation material. We applied these findings by presenting a separate group of participants (Study 2) with a healthy nutrition inoculation message and studying their processing responses on the basis of variables identified in Study 1 and through related research. Analyses revealed that participants varied in their elaborative processing of the message and that elaboration was positively associated with desirable resistance processes (e.g. post-inoculation planning, talk, and information searching). By advancing our understanding of the ways through which inoculation messages prepare individuals for attitudinal attacks, these findings provide important future research directions and may inform effective inoculation message design.

Attachment and attitudes toward children: effects of security priming in parents and non-parents

ABSTRACT The present two-study investigation is the first to examine whether experimentally boosting attachment security (security priming) affects attitudes in the parenting domain for both parents and non-parents. Mothers (n = 72) and childless undergraduates (n = 82) were randomly assigned to a neutral or a secure prime condition and then completed measures of implicit attitudes (a child-focused version of the Go/No-Go Association Task) and explicit attitudes (self-reported) toward children. Following the priming manipulation, mothers in the secure prime condition had more positive implicit attitudes toward their child compared to mothers in the neutral prime condition. Security priming also increased mothers’ positive explicit attitudes toward their children, but only among mothers who scored high on self-reported attachment-related avoidance. No priming effects emerged among non-parents. These results provide the first evidence for a causal link between parental attachment security and parental attitudes toward children.

Selling your network: how political skill builds social capital and enhances salesperson performance

Research suggests that political skill affects how salespeople build and leverage social capital. However, there are important questions left unanswered in this relationship. First, although it is linked to specific structural characteristics of networks, it is unclear how political skill affects the overall quality of one’s social network. Similarly, it is unclear if objective and subjective social network quality measurement approaches produce comparable results. Third, although theory positions political skill and social network quality as desirable personal and structural resources, it is unknown how these resources affect dyadic relationships between salespeople and clients. Finally, there is a need to assess how the dimensions of political skill differentially affect social network quality. To address these questions, we propose a new model of social network quality, examining how political skill influences social network quality and salesperson performance in a two-study investigation. We begin by predictively testing the unique contributions of objective and subjective social network quality in the relationship between political skill and sales magnitude one year later. We then extend these findings using dyadic salesperson and customer data to explore how political skill and social network quality predictively impact sales magnitude, sales frequency, and relationship performance.

Seeing is Believing

Images are frequently used in online reviews, yet little research explores the effects that images have on online consumer behavior. This two-study investigation examines the effects of images in electronic word of mouth (eWOM) for both hedonic and utilitarian products. Results show that images affect the relationship between review text and purchase intention as well as trust for both product categories. However, images were shown to be more effective for hedonic than utilitarian products. Interestingly, it was found that congruence between the image and text is not a significant predictor of trust or purchase intention in some conditions (i.e., the images may not have to perfectly reflect the text to facilitate these outcomes for utilitarian products).

Work engagement, emotional exhaustion, and counterproductive work behavior

How might work engagement help predict emotional exhaustion? Incorporating the notion that work engagement and emotional exhaustion represent two ends of a continuum, we drew on the conservation of resources (COR) theory—which examines them as two distinct constructs—to conduct a multicontext, two-study investigation in the U.S. and China. We proposed that work engagement would increase emotional exhaustion for individuals who rated lower in the conscientiousness personality trait. Furthermore, we found a three-way interaction, whereby work engagement increased emotional exhaustion for less conscientious individuals who were also neurotic or emotionally unstable, while conversely decreasing emotional exhaustion for more conscientious individuals who are emotionally stable. Our results also support a moderated-mediation model, revealing that work engagement decreased counterproductive work behavior as a result of reduced emotional exhaustion when both conscientiousness and emotional stability were high. Implications for future work engagement and counterproductive work behavior research are offered.

Insecure about how to Rate your Job Insecurity? A Two-Study Investigation into Time Frames Applied to Job Insecurity Measures

Job insecurity is typically assessed via self-reports, with items usually being generic and non-contextualized (e.g., “I am sure I can keep my job”). Yet, such items may leave substantial room for interpretation, thus potentially individually biasing construct measurement. To test this, we added a time marker as a frame of reference to job insecurity items in Study 1. In a between-subjects design, participants completed a job insecurity measure under three conditions: near future-focused (i.e., job insecurity was rated with regard to the next sixth months), far future-focused (i.e., next five years), and unframed (i.e., no time reference). In the unframed condition we also asked participants which time frame they had in mind while completing the survey. Results showed that individuals’ job insecurity increased with longer time frames. In Study 2, we assessed common correlates of job insecurity and asked individuals about the time frame they had in mind when thinking about job insecurity as well as their reasons for this choice. Employees who chose longer time frames reported higher commitment, lower turnover intentions, lower psychological health complaints, and higher tenure. Qualitatively analyzing respondents’ reasons for selecting a particular time frame indicated that they either referred to time frames that were determined by their organization or politics, time frames that were determined by their position, individually predictable time frames, or individual time frames regarding professional development. Thus, giving items a frame can impact people’s stressor ratings, which implies that future job insecurity research should employ clear time frames.

When a proximate starts to gossip

PurposeBased on revenge theory and the three objectives of social interaction theory of aggression, the purpose of this paper is to develop a framework to answer why and when a subordinate’s own behaviour instigates abuse at the workplace. In particular, the authors argue that subordinate gossip behaviour instils in supervisors a thought of revenge towards that subordinate, which, in turn, leads to abusive supervision. Specifically, this hypothesised relationship is augmented when the supervisor feels close to the gossiper (i.e. psychological proximity).Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted two independent studies to test the moderated mediation model, which collectively investigate why and when subordinate gossip behaviour provokes abusive supervision in the workplace. A lagged study (i.e. Study 1: 422 supervisors and subordinates) in a large retail company and an experience sampling study (i.e. Study 2: 96 supervisors and subordinates with 480 daily surveys) in multiple organisations provide support for the moderated mediation model.FindingsThe two-study (i.e. a lagged study and an experience sampling study) findings support the integrated model, which has mainly focussed on instrumental consideration of abusive supervision that influences the supervisor–subordinate relationship.Originality/valueThe two-study investigation has important and meaningful implications for abusive supervision research because it determines that subordinate gossip behaviour is more threating to a supervisor when the subordinate and the supervisor are psychological close to each other than when they are not. That is because when they are close, the supervisor is not expecting gossip behaviour from the subordinate, thus giving rise to an abusive workplace.

Examining sexual motivation profiles and their correlates using latent profile analysis

According to self-determination theory, sexual motivations are cardinal in relation to sexual well-being and functioning. Despite that motivations are thought to occur in combination instead of separately, this proposition has not been explicitly tested in relation to sexual motivations. To address this issue, the present two-study investigation examined the simultaneous cooccurrence of multiple sexual motivations on distinct samples of young adults (N1 = 679, N2 = 632) using the novel latent profile analysis. To document the validity of the profiles and the positive and negative aspects of sexuality, theoretically-relevant correlates were also included from inside (sexual passion, sexual satisfaction, positive and negative emotions during sex) and outside (problematic pornography use and life satisfaction) the realm of partnered sexuality. Four highly similar profiles were identified across the two studies: (1) highly self-determined, (2) moderately self-determined, (3) moderately non-self-determined, and (4) highly non-self-determined. These profiles differed from one another on most, but not all, correlates with the more self-determined profiles being associated with more positive correlates. These results contribute to a better understanding of one's underlying sexual motivations by highlighting the importance of simultaneously considering these motivations in regard to sexual well-being.

Meta-analytic and primary investigations of the role of followers in ratings of leadership behavior in organizations.

Leader-centric views of leadership tend to regard followers as passive recipients of leaders' influences. As such, researchers often control for follower characteristics (e.g., age, gender, organizational tenure) when examining relations between leadership behaviors and other variables. However, reversing-the-lens theory suggests that followers' characteristics represent substantive factors that may affect how they perceive their leaders or how leaders behave toward different followers. We conducted two studies to investigate this possibility. In Study 1, we meta-analyzed data from 479 primary studies (N = 172,494) and found meaningful relations between follower individual differences (e.g., gender, personality) and ratings of their leaders' behaviors (e.g., transformational leadership, abusive supervision). In Study 2, we conducted a primary study to estimate the extent to which actual leader behaviors or differences in follower perceptions of those behaviors account for these relations. Results suggest that follower perceptions and measurement error explain almost the same or more variance in follower ratings than do actual leader behaviors. In addition, other findings imply that relations between some follower characteristics (e.g., gender, neuroticism) and leadership ratings are likely to be due to perceptual differences associated with these follower characteristics. However, actual leader behaviors also appear to play a role, such that leaders tend to behave differently toward followers who possess high or low levels of certain characteristics (e.g., agreeableness). Taken together, this two-study investigation provides evidence that follower individual differences are related to ratings of leader behaviors and, thus, deserve more attention within leadership theory and research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Examining the effects of news coverage linking undocumented immigrants with criminality: Policy and punitive implications

ABSTRACTAlthough research suggests that there is no meaningful real-world connection between crime rates and undocumented immigrants, media coverage of this group almost exclusively portrays them as criminals. The present two-study investigation experimentally tests the effects of exposure to crime news depicting undocumented immigrant suspects on White viewers’ social judgments. To this end, assumptions from social identity theory were applied to research and theorizing on mediated intergroup threat and compound penalties for immigrant criminality. Results from Study 1 and Study 2 indicate that when White viewers are exposed to threatening crime news featuring undocumented immigrants, out-group bias emerges in the form of harsher sentencing. In Study 1, when exposed to highly threatening coverage, attitudes toward immigration and in-group identification partially mediated and moderated this relationship, respectively.

Problematic alcohol use and suicidal ideation among firefighters: A multi-study investigation of the explanatory roles of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness

BackgroundFirefighters are at increased risk for both problematic alcohol use and suicidality. Research has found that problematic alcohol use is related to suicidality among this population; however, limited data exist regarding what might account for this association. The present two-study investigation (1) examined the association between suicidality and problematic alcohol use among two large samples of firefighters and (2) tested whether interpersonal theory of suicide constructs—perceived burdensomeness (PB) and thwarted belongingness (TB)—serve as indirect indicators of this relationship. MethodsParticipants in Study 1 were 944 U.S. firefighters (12.5% female); participants in Study 2 were 241 U.S. women firefighters. Participants completed the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, and the Depressive Symptom Inventory-Suicidality Subscale (Study 1) or the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview-Short Form (Study 2). Bias-corrected bootstrap indirect effects path analyses were utilized. ResultsIn Study 1, more problematic alcohol use was significantly associated with more severe career suicidal ideation via PB but not TB. In Study 2, problematic alcohol use was associated with career suicidal ideation via both PB and TB. PB seems to account for the relationship between problematic alcohol use and career suicidal ideation among male and female firefighters. LimitationsLimitations include use of a cross-sectional design, use of retrospective measures of suicidal ideation, and our findings derived from subsamples of two existing datasets. ConclusionsFindings suggest that PB and TB may explain the relationship between problematic alcohol use and suicidal ideation, but that this effect is discrepant based on gender.