Complementary gender stereotypes and system justification: the moderating role of essentialist lay theories for group differences / Estereotipos de género complementarios y justificación del sistema: el papel moderador de las teorías populares esencialistas sobre las diferencias grupales

Past research has established that complementary stereotypes of men and women serve to justify the gendered division of labour as well as the division of labour in society at large. This paper is concerned with the essentialist lay theories for the origin of group differences (i.e. belief in genetic determinism vs. belief in social determinism) which may moderate the justificatory effect of complementary gender stereotypes. We present data from an experimental study conducted in Greece, in which genetic vs. social deterministic lay theories for group differences and complementary vs. non-complementary accounts of gender differences were crossed. In these data, complementary accounts of gender increased participants’ justificatory responses only when a genetic deterministic context was made salient; on the contrary, the social deterministic context appeared to buffer the justificatory function of complementary accounts of gender. The results extend the literatures on the justificatory effects of complementary stereotypes as well as on essentialism, and point to the importance of the historical context in which particular ideas and lay theories for intergroup differences are embedded.     

Revealing stereotype threat effects and women’s maths performance: the moderating role of mathematical anxiety / Análisis de los efectos de la amenaza del estereotipo y el rendimiento matemático de las mujeres: el rol moderador de la ansiedad matemática

Stereotype threat is a phenomenon by which members of a stereotyped group have their performance impaired when their group identity is made salient. Previous research has found that telling women about stereotype threat prevents impaired performance in mathematical tasks. Moreover, the effect of stereotype threat seems to be moderated by mathematical anxiety. The present work seeks (1) to test the effect of stereotype threat on women’s maths performance taking into account a previous maths score, (2) to replicate in a Spanish sample the protective effect of teaching intervention and (3) to test the moderator role of maths anxiety in the relationship between stereotype threat and impaired performance. Participants (110 undergraduate students) were randomly assigned to either stereotype threat or teaching intervention condition and the decrement in their performance was used as a dependent variable. Stereotype threat only impairs the performance of women with higher maths anxiety scores, and teaching intervention is effective to ameliorate this decrement in performance. We recommend the development of programmes that teach girls about stereotype threat and reduce mathematical anxiety.     

Effect of regulatory modes on work performance: the moderating role of job familiarity and job complexity / El efecto del modo de regulación en el rendimiento laboral: el rol moderador de la familiaridad con el trabajo y la complejidad de la tarea

Prior research has shown that the combination of assessment and locomotion regulatory modes leads to the best performance-related outcomes. The aim of the current study was to analyse how familiarity and complexity moderate this relationship between the two regulatory modes and job performance. Participants’ locomotion and assessment tendencies were measured, and they were asked to rate the familiarity and complexity of their daily work tasks, as well as their job performance over the last year. Results showed that when job tasks were unfamiliar and more complex, high locomotion and high assessment were both needed for optimal performance. However, when both familiarity and job complexity were low, high locomotion alone led to the best performance. A similar result was obtained when task familiarity was high: regardless of task complexity, the best performance was shown by employees high in locomotion, no matter the assessment. In conclusion, the present study furnishes useful suggestions for employers who wish to maximize employees’ performance.     

Workgroup interdependence and satisfaction from a developmental perspective: the moderating role of the group’s life cycle stage / Interdependencia y satisfacción en el grupo de trabajo desde la perspectiva del desarrollo: el rol moderador de la fase del ciclo de vida grupal

From a developmental perspective, workgroups adjust and modify the way they function over time. The present study aims to test, at the group level, the moderating role of the group’s life phase in the relationship between workgroup interdependence ties in terms of task, outcome and functions, assessed by social network density and group satisfaction. A sample of 84 teams from various companies participated in this research. The results showed that the group’s development phase determines the way that outcome interdependence density in teams is associated with satisfaction and reveal the existence of differences between the second and fourth development stages. Therefore, the group’s life cycle stage should be considered as a relevant variable in research and intervention with groups in the workplace.     

Predicting attitudes and behavioural intentions towards social entrepreneurship: the role of servant leadership in young people / Predicción de las actitudes y las intenciones conductuales hacia el emprendimiento social: el papel del liderazgo de servicio en los jóvenes

: Social entrepreneurship (SE) refers to the development of innovative projects whose main aim is not individual profit but the transformation of society. The issue is particularly important for promoting youth development and participation. This research offers insights from two studies designed from a multi-dimensional perspective analysing attitudes and behavioural intentions towards social ventures built upon the constructs of servant leadership and lifestyles. Results of Study 1 indicated that servant leadership is a key predictor of attitudes and behavioural intentions towards social entrepreneurship, while having a violent lifestyle is negatively associated with these attitudes and intentions. Study 2 showed that servant leadership style predicted attitudes towards social entrepreneurship over and above other types of leadership (i.e., transformational, transactional and laissez-faire). These studies demonstrate the importance of considering servant leadership and relational styles as key factors in predicting attitudes and behavioural intentions regarding social and active participation of young people. Limitations of the study and applications to designing interventions aimed at improving attitudes and behavioural intentions towards social entrepreneurship are discussed.     

I love chips and (h)ate them too: the role of ambivalence and contextual cues on attitudinally based eating behaviour / Me encantan las patatas fritas,las como y (también) las odio: el papel de la ambivalencia y de las claves contextuales en el comportamiento alimentario basado en la actitud

Although past work proposed ambivalence as moderating the consistency between attitudes and behaviours, empirical evidence is mixed. We address this matter by taking into account social influence processes and observing actual eating behaviour. We predicted that less ambivalent attitudes are more consistent with behaviours independently of context cues. In two studies, we first evaluated participants’ ambivalence towards the target food. A week later we observed their eating behaviour (Study 1), and analysed the influence of context cues on it (Study 2). Results showed that only less ambivalent attitudes are good predictors of actual behaviour. Importantly, context cues only influenced behaviour among individuals with ambivalent attitudes.     

Satisfaction with the country and well-being: future expectations / Satisfacción con el país y bienestar: expectativas acerca del futuro

The role of expected personal well-being in the perception of the improvement (or deterioration) in living conditions and country satisfaction is analysed, as well as the relationship between the latter and life satisfaction and personal happiness. A national sample of N = 10,654 participants was used, collected through probabilistic, stratified, two-stage and cluster sampling. They responded to the Mexican Encuesta Nacional de Gastos de los Hogares (National Household Spending Survey, ENGASTO), which measures the spending on goods and services, aspects related to satisfaction with life and the country, and expectations of future personal well-being. Correlational analyses show positive associations between perceptions of the country and its expected development on the one hand and participants’ well-being on the other. Expectations of future personal well-being show indirect effects for both the relationship between the perception of improvement (or deterioration) of living conditions and country satisfaction, and the relation between the latter, happiness and life satisfaction.     

The power of ‘feeling one’ with a group: identity fusion and extreme pro-group behaviours / El poder de ‘sentirse uno’ con un grupo: fusión de la identidad y conductas progrupales extremas

Abstract

Why do some people make extreme sacrifices for their group? We propose that the identity fusion theory helps to understand extreme pro-group behaviour. Identity fusion entails a visceral feeling of oneness with the group. Since the borders between the personal and social self are highly permeable for fused persons, they care about the outcomes of the group as much as their own outcomes. In this article we start by introducing what identity fusion is and the four principles that conceptually capture its essence. After presenting the three alternative methods for measuring identity fusion, we review empirical evidence demonstrating what identity fusion predicts, and the underlying mechanisms that moderate and mediate its consequences. The next sections focus on the possible causes of identity fusion, and we introduce suggestions for diminishing undesirable extreme behaviours by decreasing fusion (i.e., ‘de-fusion’). In a final section, we briefly discuss alternative theories of the causes of extreme behaviours and their relation to identity fusion theory.     

Transformational leadership and job satisfaction of police officers (carabineros) in Chile: the mediating effects of group identification and work engagement / Liderazgo transformacional y satisfacción laboral en carabineros de Chile: los efectos mediadores de la identificación con el grupo y el work engagement

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between transformational leadership and work satisfaction, as well as to analyse the mediating role of group identification and work engagement in a police training process at a Chilean professional military institution. The sample was made up of 985 candidates representing all the candidates that joined the units of the country in the different locations. Officers and non-commissioned officers acting as instructors were considered ‘leaders’, while their ‘followers’ were the young candidates in the training period. It was found that all the relevant variables were positively and significantly interrelated, and a model of structural equations revealed that both work engagement and group identification played a mediating role in the relationship between transformational leadership and work satisfaction.     

‘Believing is adapting’: Belief in a just world and emigrants’ identification and satisfaction with the host country / ‘Creer es adaptarse’: Creer en un mundo justo y la identificación y satisfacción de los emigrantes con el país de acogida

In an era in which Europe is experiencing a new wave of emigration as a result of the economic crisis, it seems socially relevant to study the processes that underlie emigrants’ adjustment to their new place of living. Research has thoroughly supported the assumption that believing in a just world is an adaptive mechanism that helps people to deal with uncertainty and harsh realities in life. We propose that the endorsement of such beliefs might also contribute to a positive identification with the host country. Using a sample of Portuguese emigrants (N = 144), we demonstrate in a cross-sectional design that belief in a just world predicts a positive identification with the host country. In addition, positive levels of identification with the host country predicted higher levels of satisfaction with emigrant life. Theoretical and applied implications are discussed.     

The role of psychological detachment and empathy in the relationship between target and perpetrator in workplace bullying situations / El papel del distanciamiento psicológico y la empatía en la relación entre víctima y agresor en situaciones de acoso en el trabajo

Although previous research has shown a clear association between being a target and a perpetrator of bullying, there are no available studies exploring possible moderators of this relationship. The aim of this study is to examine the moderating role of psychological detachment and empathy on the relationship between target and perpetrator in workplace bullying situations. The sample was made up of 392 employees from a variety of organizations in the private security sector located in Madrid. Results revealed that psychological detachment and empathic concern moderated the relationship between the target and perpetrator of bullying, such that subjects with high levels of detachment and empathic concern reported lower rates of bullying as a perpetrator. These results are in line with the affect-regulation strategies model.     

University environment and entrepreneurial intention: the mediating role of the components of the theory of planned behaviour / El entorno universitario y la intención emprendedora: el papel mediador de los componentes de la teoría de la acción planificada

Entrepreneurship contributes to job creation and economic development. Thus, it is important to promote entrepreneurial initiatives; universities play a key role in this regard. The psychosocial perspective can contribute a great deal to studying the antecedents that lead a person to become an entrepreneur, with the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) being the theoretical framework used the most to predict entrepreneurial intention. Based on the data collected in Spain as part of the international GUESSS project (Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey) with a sample of 9,753 students, the influence of the university environment, the entrepreneurial environment and the perceived risk of entrepreneurship on entrepreneurial intention are analysed, both directly and as mediated by the three components of the TPB (attitudes towards entrepreneurship, subjective norms and entrepreneurial self-efficacy). The results show that the university environment is the antecedent with the greatest effect on entrepreneurial intention; therefore, it is recommended that entrepreneurship be promoted through initiatives and educational programmes in the university environment.     

Setting aside mood-biased thoughts and judgements: theory-based bias correction / Apartar las opiniones y los pensamientos sesgados por el estado de ánimo: la corrección del sesgo basada en teoría

Abstract

When people perceive their thoughts and judgements as unduly affected by some biasing factor (in themselves or in the judgement setting), they often attempt to avoid or remove those biases. Theories describe different psychological mechanisms guiding these efforts. We review the primary theories of bias correction and focus on the use of naive theories of bias in attempts to form accurate assessments of judgement targets. One distinguishing feature of the theory-based correction approach is its ability to deal with corrections for contrastive biases (i.e., biases that lead judgements in a direction opposite to the meaning of the biasing factor). Another is that any perceived biasing factor can result in corrections, even when those factors are not easily mapped into the kinds of mental representation mechanisms that form the heart of alternative approaches. We use corrections for mood-based biases to illustrate the utility of the theory-based correction approach, even though many mood-based biases can be conceptualized in ways that fit alternative approaches to bias correction. Implications for correction of many potential types of biases are discussed.     

Determinants of approval of the work of truth commissions in the southern cone: a comparative study / Determinantes de la aprobación del trabajo realizado por las Comisiones de Verdad y Reconciliación en el cono sur: un estudio comparativo

The socio-demographic and psychosocial approval determinants of the work conducted by the truth and reconciliation commissions (TRC) are analysed based on original survey data from Chilean, Argentinian and Peruvian samples (N = 2,947). A linear multiple regression analysis was carried out (R² between .28 and .44; f² between .45 and .78) which reveals the positive effect of commission functions perceived achievement, mainly the knowledge of truth (β = .28), justice (β = .15) and the contribution in creating a common history (β = .15). An analysis by country reveals in Chile salient variables such as institutional trust, political ideas, institutional apologies and hope and sadness emotions. In Argentina, together with TRC functions, the degree of information about the work of the commission and the perception of a negative social climate appear as relevant predictors. As regards Peru, the degree of exposure to violence appears as a good predictor of TRC’s work support. The results show the relevance of TRC functions’ fulfillment, as well as the role of institutional variables in the approval of the work they have done.     

From social representations to action: proximity and the relation between social representations of the development of intelligence and authoritative parenting style / De las representaciones sociales a la acción: proximidad y relación entre las representaciones sociales del desarrollo de la inteligencia y un estilo parental democrático

A well-established body of literature holds that the construction of social representations of intelligence is guided by the subjective inexplicability about the target-topic and by the social identities of subjects. Within the general framework of the sociogenesis of social representations, this article aims to explore the role of social positions in organizing an individual’s reported action towards the object of representation. A theoretical model which examines the relations between social representations of the development of intelligence, parental goals and the authoritative parenting style was tested in sub-samples of educators, which included 227 mothers, 117 fathers and 122 mother-teachers. Structural equation modeling procedures indicated, as hypothesized, that specific socio-cognitive dynamics are relevant in shaping the patterns of relations with the object of representation, suggesting that these dynamics are a result of the organization of multiple discourses where content, social positions and behavioural interaction are strongly intertwined. Theoretical contributions of findings are discussed.     

Rational-experiential thinking style and rational intergroup cooperation: the moderating role of intergroup conflict / Estilos de pensamiento racional-experiencial y la cooperación intergrupal racional: el rol modulador del conflicto intergrupal

Cooperative relationships between groups are difficult because of the high human capability to differentiate between in-group vs. out-group members. This obstacle exists even when the groups can obtain benefits for themselves from cooperation with other groups (rational cooperation). Based on an interactionist approach, the authors propose that personal (individual differences) and situational (conflicts) factors contribute to rational intergroup cooperation. The authors conducted a preliminary correlational study (Study 1) and an experimental investigation (Study 2). In Study 1, the authors examined, with 105 participants, the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Rational–Experiential Inventory (REI), measuring individual differences in information processing. In Study 2, the authors conducted an experimental investigation with 141 participants, testing the role of individual differences and conflict in intergroup rational cooperation. Findings of Study 1 showed that the scale has adequate psychometric properties. Results of Study 2 confirmed that the existence of both manipulated and perceived intergroup conflict reduces the magnitudes of the relationships between rational ability and rational cooperation. In addition, perceived intergroup conflict increased the magnitude of the links from experiential ability and experimental engagement to rational cooperation. Both individual differences and previous conflict have a role in predicting rational intergroup cooperation. According to the interactionist approach, personal and situational factors should be considered in the understanding of intergroup relationships.     

The relation of sensitivity to provocation and frustration to direct aggression: the mediating role of beliefs about aggression / La relación entre la sensibilidad a la provocación y a la frustración y la agresión directa: el papel mediador de las creencias sobre la agresión

Previous research has suggested that sensitivity to provocation and frustration differently predict aggressive behaviour. In the study reported in this paper, two potential mediators of the relationships among both sensitivities and self-reported aggression were examined, namely instrumental and expressive beliefs about aggression. A sample of 318 participants (52% men) took part in the study. Structural Equation Modeling demonstrated that sensitivity to provocation was related to both types of beliefs about aggression, whereas sensitivity to frustration was associated with expressive beliefs. However, only instrumental beliefs mediated the relationship between sensitivity to provocation and both physical and verbal aggression. Analysed variables predicted 46% of the variance in physical aggression and 11% of the variance in verbal aggression. Additionally, men reported higher physical aggression and endorsed more instrumental beliefs than women. Implications for understanding emotional and cognitive mechanisms involved in regulation of aggression are discussed.     

From interpersonal to extended fusion: relationships between fusion with siblings and fusion with the country / Desde la fusión interpersonal a la fusión extendida: Relaciones entre la fusión con los hermanos y la fusión con el país

Abstract

Identity fusion is a visceral feeling of oneness with a group. Although research on identity fusion focuses on the alignment of individuals with groups, we propose that fusion can develop between two individuals. In particular, we explore for the first time identity fusion between siblings and its relation with endorsement of extreme behaviour to protect the sibling. In a study conducted with 761 couples of siblings we found that fusion with the sibling is positively associated with willingness to fight and die for the sibling. Additionally, we address the relation between interpersonal and extended fusion. Specifically, a positive association between fusion with the sibling and fusion with the country emerged. The hypothesis that extended fusion might require the projection of interpersonal ties to a large category is discussed.     

Authentic leadership and its influence on group cohesion and organizational identification: the role of organizational justice as a mediating variable / El liderazgo auténtico y su influencia sobre la cohesión grupal y la identificación organizacional: el papel de la justicia organizacional como variable mediadora

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyse the relationship between authentic leadership, group cohesion, organizational identification and the potential effect of organizational justice as a mediating variable. Partial Least Squares (PLS) modelling was used to analyse the data from 210 employees at several Spanish companies. The results showed that organizational justice as a mediator in the proposed model and positive relationships among the variables studied. These findings are discussed taking into account the importance of the authentic leadership model in the study of group processes in organizations and the development of policies and behaviours that promote ethics, transparency and justice in companies.