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Accents are an important differentiator between groups which influence social perception and interaction, especially in a diverse country like Singapore. Social identity theory suggests that individuals would exhibit favoritism towards their own accents. However, the accent prestige theory demonstrates instances whereby foreign accents are perceived as more prestigious than one's own accent and are associated with more positive characteristics. This paper sought to explore which of these two theories is more prevalent in Singapore by comparing the perceptions of American English accents and local Singaporean English accents along the competence‐warmth paradigm of the Stereotype Content Model. Further, the current research also sought to examine the mediating effect of competence/warmth on the relationship between accents and social influence. Study 1 showed that Singaporeans perceived American‐accented speakers as significantly more competent (but not warmer) than local accented speakers. Furthermore, increased perceived competence significantly mediated the relationship between American accents and social influence. Study 2 further investigated perceived threat as a potential moderator in this mediating relationship. The findings replicated the accent‐competence‐social influence relations in Study 1 but found no effect of perceived threat. Taken together, the findings supported accent prestige towards American accents within Singapore. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we argue that one of the variables that may influence perceived inequality in everyday life is cultural differences in relational mobility. We examined this research question across two cross‐cultural studies in Japan (Study 1, N = 196; Study 2, N = 214) and Spain (Study 1, N = 199; Study 2, 199), two countries that differ in their relational mobility levels. In Study 1, we contrasted two competing hypotheses: On the one hand, it could be predicted that individuals in countries with high relational mobility perceive greater inequality due to increased exposure to diverse social networks. On the other hand, it is also plausible that in contexts of high relational mobility, people perceive less inequality as they selectively choose to interact with individuals who share similar social backgrounds. Results supported the former hypotheses and showed that people in a country high in relational mobility (i.e. Spain) tend to perceive more economic inequality (vs. Japan, a country low in relational mobility). Moreover, we found an indirect effect of this cross‐cultural difference through the cultural affordances for meeting new people (i.e. one of the dimensions of relational mobility). In Study 2, we preregistered and replicated these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of authoritarianism has a long history in the field of psychology; however, much of this research focuses on Western countries, especially the United States. In effort to better understand authoritarianism cross‐culturally, we explore the current state of authoritarianism in an important cultural context: Russia. Thus, the current paper reports on large‐scale research of right‐wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation in the modern Russian context. Six studies (total N = 1,358) included personality traits, basic human values, social beliefs, and intergroup attitudes that allowed us to comprehensively consider authoritarian attitudes in Russia. The results showed that personological profile and pattern of reaction to threat among Russian authoritarians is similar to Western authoritarians. However, economic views inherited from Soviet ideology make Russians differ in their view of economic conservatism from that supported by Western authoritarians. These data provide insight into the psychology of authoritarianism as well as explore novel aspects of Russian culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaysia is a multi-ethnic country with Malay, Chinese and Indian being the dominant ethnic groups. This paper investigates the three ethnic cultures in Malaysia by examining the individual-level values of managers and professionals. Based on 528 responses to a Schwartz Value Survey ( SVS) questionnaire, the paper identifies partial convergence of the value systems of Malay, Chinese and Indian people. It was found that the three ethnic groups do not differ significantly in the individualistic value dimensions of Self-enhancement and Openness-to-change. However, Malays are found to be more conservative and less self-transcendent than Chinese or Indians, while Chinese and Indians attribute the same importance to these two sets of values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the spillover and crossover effects of emotional exhaustion on marital satisfaction for both employees and partners as well as on employee work-family conflict and partner family-work conflict. It investigates how the transmission of psychological strain from the workplace to the family domain mediates these relationships. In a sample of 226 employee-partner dyads from manufacturing, electronics, banking, service industries and public organizations, the results support the notion that employees' emotional exhaustion spawns negative strain in the home. More specifically, the results of spillover mediation analyses show the relationships between emotional exhaustion and employee marital satisfaction/work-family conflict in the home. In a crossover model, the results indicate that employee psychological strain mediates the relationships between emotional exhaustion and the marital satisfaction of partners/family-work conflict in partners. These findings provide supports for spillover and crossover models to investigate a direction for the effectiveness of emotional exhaustion on family issues. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed, and directions for future research are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of the Big Five personality traits on cognitions regarding problematic Internet use ( PIU) have not been studied. The present paper aims to evaluate the effects of personality traits on cognitions regarding PIU that are classified as loneliness/depression, diminished impulse control, distraction and social control. Additionally, the mediator effect of the Big Five personality traits on the relationship between time spent online and cognitions regarding PIU was tested in a sample of 494 Turkish university students. Hierarchical regression analysis results reveal that controlling the effects of socio-demographic variables and time spent online, higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness were related to cognitions regarding PIU. Moreover, results of structural equation modelling indicate that the relationship between time spent online and cognitions regarding PIU was independently mediated by extraversion, openness and agreeableness. Examining the role of all of the Big Five personality traits (especially neuroticism and conscientiousness) on PIU will increase understanding in further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We administered a paper-and-pencil questionnaire to 133 female and 99 male Japanese high school students 13-18 years old ( M = 15.9, SD = 1.57) from the Kansai area to examine cultural influences on their body image and body change behaviours. Our aim was to ascertain the independent and combined influences from traditional Japanese, modern Japanese, and Western values. Cluster analyses identified four 'acculturative' groups: 'anti-modern', 'traditional', 'pro-modern/anti-traditional', and 'pro- Western/anti- Japanese'. Pro-modern and pro- Western adolescents were most dissatisfied with their bodies, and pro-Western adolescents were also most likely to attempt weight loss. The results demonstrate the value of assessing cultural interactions in Japan along three dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though many people loathe celebrities and their lifestyles, celebrities can also be perceived as being available to provide community support. The purpose of this study was to establish the psychometric properties of the Perceived Celebrity Support Inventory. The scale was developed to capture three aspects of perceived celebrity support to the community: instrumental (i.e., providing tangible and concrete assistance), informational (i.e., advice, explanation, and information), and emotional (i.e., empathizing, encouraging, listening, and comforting) support. Factor and item analyses have revealed robust psychometric properties in samples drawn from the United States (US) and Iran. The US sample perceived higher community support from celebrities than the Iranian sample. In the Iranian sample, perceived celebrity support for the community was associated with more positive attitudes and less hatred of celebrity culture. In the US, perceived celebrity support was associated with negative attitudes and elevated hatred towards celebrities. The findings advance the literature by providing an instrument with which to measure positive aspects of celebrity influence across cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the introduction of commercial video games in the 1970s, video game players have attracted the perhaps undeserving but negative stereotype of being unpopular and socially dysfunctional. However, with gamers increasing in numbers that now reach billions worldwide, the contents of gamer stereotypes may be in flux. The current study investigated the content of gamer stereotypes along the dimensions of physical/social attractiveness, warmth, competence, and morality as a function of genre violence level and gamer identity. Male and female participants (656 U.S. and 428 Indian) completed an online survey on the MTurk platform, rating social stereotypes of gamers in high‐violence and low‐violence genres on 22 adjective pairs and answering questions about gamer identity. Results revealed positive gamer stereotypes, especially in the low‐violence genres in both the United States and India. Low‐identifiers' stereotypes were less favourable in the high‐violence than in the low‐violence genres; this tendency diminished among high‐identifiers. This study suggests that, whereas once gamers were seen negatively, they are now seen remarkably positively. The implications of such positive views of those engaging in violent gaming are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People in different social statuses have different perceptions due to differences in cognition. Combined with the characteristics of public behaviour and cognition, this study examined the impact of the widespread cognitive biases in social status on performance perception. This study used the ordinary least squares model to verify that the cognitive bias in social status has a significant positive impact on the perception of social governance performance. At the same time, a moderated mediation model was constructed to verify that social trust plays a partial mediating role in the influence mechanism of cognitive bias in social status on the perception of social governance performance. The use of the Internet significantly inhibited the influence of cognitive bias in social status on the perception of social governance performance. Although it also weakened the influence of cognitive bias in social status on social trust, the moderating effect on the mediating effect is not obvious. This study verifies and analyses the internal relationship and mechanism of social status cognition deviation and perception of social governance performance from multidisciplinary dimensions, which enriches the social cognition theory of social status, and expands the research on the perception of social governance performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The status‐legitimacy hypothesis proposes that those who are most disadvantaged by unequal social systems are even more likely than members of more advantaged groups to provide ideological support for the very social system that is responsible for their disadvantages. Li, Yang, Wu, and Kou (2020, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin) sought to expand the generalizability of this hypothesis by testing it in China, addressing inconsistencies surrounding the empirical support for this hypothesis by postulating that the construct of status should be separated into an objective and subjective status marker. They reported that objective socioeconomic status (SES; income and education) negatively predicted system justification, while subjective SES positively predicted system justification. In the present study we attempt to replicate and extend the work of Li et al. in a cross‐cultural comparison of demographic stratified quota online samples in China and the United States. We test the status‐legitimacy hypothesis using objective and subjective SES to predict system justification using cross‐sectional and cross‐lagged regression analyses. We received partial support for Li et al.'s findings. Specifically, subjective SES positively predicted system justification for both societies during cross‐sectional and cross‐lagged longitudinal analyses. However, we failed to replicate Li et al.'s findings surrounding objective SES in China during cross‐sectional and cross‐lagged analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two cross‐sectional studies were conducted with undergraduate and graduate students (mean age = 22 years) in two university campuses in different regions of Turkey to investigate confrontations between conservative religious people and secular‐liberal people and the roles of fundamentalism and authoritarianism for these groups. Study 1 investigated the connections between traditional religiosity and liberties and the impact of religious fundamentalism with a sample of 482 participants. Using hierarchical multiple linear regression and bootstrapping analysis, religiosity was seen as negatively connected to three components of liberties. It was shown that religious fundamentalism had an indirect effect on this connection. In Study 2, with a sample of 260 participants, the negative connection between traditional religiosity with liberties was confirmed. Further, it was found that particularly the conservatism dimension of right‐wing authoritarianism played an explanatory role in this connection. In addition, as an extension of the two studies, it was observed that secular‐liberal participants supported civil liberties in general, but they expressed opposition to freedom of religion in particular, indicating that the antagonism between religious and secular people may also stem from secular‐liberal people. It was found that dimension of aggression of left‐wing authoritarianism played an explanatory role in connection to this aspect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does COVID‐19 affect people of all classes equally? In the current research, we focus on the social issue of risk inequality during the early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Using a nationwide survey conducted in China (N = 1,137), we predicted and found that compared to higher‐class individuals, lower‐class participants reported a stronger decline in self‐rated health as well as economic well‐being due to the COVID‐19 outbreak. At the same time, we examined participants' beliefs regarding the distribution of risks. The results demonstrated that although lower‐class individuals were facing higher risks, they expressed lesser belief in such a risk inequality than their higher‐class counterparts. This tendency was partly mediated by their stronger endorsement of system‐justifying beliefs. The findings provide novel evidence of the misperception of risk inequality among the disadvantaged in the context of COVID‐19. Implications for science and policy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millions of people leave their religion every year. Such defection often results in religious persecution, ostracism, and heightened intergroup conflict. Yet little is known about the underlying perceptions of religious defectors and what intergroup processes predict hostility toward them. In two pre‐registered studies (N = 512), we investigated how religious group members' thoughts and feelings about defectors may lead to ostracism and a lack of dialogue. In both studies, group members rated defectors as unlikeable and irrational. Further, the strength of group members' religious group identification (but not religious belief conviction) predicted dislike and unwillingness to relate wisely with defectors (Study 2). Implications for intergroup research and improving the experience of religious defectors are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social anxiety or the fear of being evaluated by others in social settings has been shown to contribute to impairments in interpersonal functioning. One way in which such impairments may arise is through biased perceptions of others during social interactions. The present study examined how social anxiety relates to the perception of interpersonal warmth from others within a relationship initiation context, and whether this relationship differs in men and women. Participants were 69 men and 69 women, aged 20.62 years on average (SD = 1.97), who identified as heterosexual. After completing a questionnaire pack online, participants engaged in a laboratory‐based interaction with a previously unacquainted participant of the other sex. After the interaction, participants reported their perception of their partner's warmth. Results revealed a negative association between men's degree of social anxiety and their perception of their partner's warmth. This association was not found in women. The moderation of sex on the role of social anxiety in interpersonal perceptions may reflect sex differences in social cognitive abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coming out of the closet refers to the self‐disclosure of one's sexual orientation to other people. A majority of gay men in mainland China are hesitant about coming out. Considerable research in Western contexts has demonstrated that coming out can alleviate gay men's psychological distress. The current study thus aims to understand the psychological impacts of coming out for gay men in mainland China. We employed a serial mediation model to examine the relationship between overall outness and psychological distress, with internalized homonegativity as the first‐order mediator and perceived discrimination based on same‐sex sexual orientation (hereafter "perceived discrimination") as the second‐order mediator. An online sample of 251 Chinese adult gay men (Mage = 25.25 years, SD = 5.28 years) completed self‐report measures of outness, internalized homonegativity, perceived discrimination, and psychological distress. Results showed that the negative association between overall outness and psychological distress was partially mediated by internalized homonegativity (indirect effect = −0.057, bias‐corrected 95% confidence interval [−0.153, −0.011]), and serially mediated by internalized homonegativity and then perceived discrimination (indirect effect = −0.019, bias‐corrected 95% confidence interval [−0.048, −0.007]), controlling for age. Additionally, we did not find the simple mediating effect of perceived discrimination between overall outness and psychological distress, which may be because coming out reduced oversensitivity and perception bias but increased the probability of actual discriminatory experiences. These results contribute to our understanding of how coming out affects psychological distress among Chinese gay men. Furthermore, this study may illuminate the design of psychological crisis intervention focusing on this group in mainland China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present studies examined whether and how individuals from the East and West would express themselves differently in their drawings of personal success and failure. Across two studies, Euro‐Canadian and Chinese participants drew a picture depicting their personal success versus failure in the past (Study 1) or future (Study 2). Compared to the Chinese, Euro‐Canadians were more likely to express high‐arousal positive and negative affect in their drawings of personal success and failure, respectively. Replicating previous research, Euro‐Canadians also depicted a bigger "self" and were more likely to draw a face on their "self" in their drawings. Together, these findings not only demonstrated cultural differences in Euro‐Canadian and Chinese representations of their self and affective responses to personal success and failure but also suggested that pictorial representations of emotionally rich personal events can be an indirect, informative, and engaging tool for assessing cultural influences on one's self and feelings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does power increase a person's tendency to punish or forgive norm violators? Given that existing studies report mixed findings, we examined whether power contributes to both, as a function of person and situation. In four studies employing various designs, we tested the prediction that power facilitates the circumstantially dominant response, either punishment or forgiveness, determined by the person's dispositional trait or a contextual cue (e.g., apology). In Study 1, high chronic power predicted stronger punitive attitudes toward a criminal perpetrator, especially if one is unforgiving by nature, while it also predicted forgiveness when people envisioned the perpetrator being repentant. Study 2 further confirmed the pattern with a simulated workplace scenario where we manipulated people's experience of power and the absence/presence of an apology. In Studies 3 and 4, we tested the prediction using different indicators of aggressive behaviour. People primed with high power exhibited greater aggression toward an unapologetic target and lesser aggression toward an apologetic target, and this effect was especially salient among people who held a strong belief about justice. Reconciling mixed findings of existing literature, the results highlight how an interplay of power and other factors systematically determines people's decisions and actions in cases of conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has examined the multiple meanings of hijab among Muslim women, but a quantitative scale to examine such meanings has yet to be developed. The present study was designed to develop and validate a new scale, Meanings Of The Hijab (MOTH), for measuring multiple meanings associated with wearing a headscarf for Muslim women living in countries where the majority of the population is non‐Muslim. The initial 64‐item scale was employed to 442 Canadian Muslim women, along with the Social Axiom Survey and the Cultural Identity Scale. An exploratory factor analysis led to the development of the MOTH scale with 35 items and five factors. The factors reflect meanings of the hijab in terms of: Expression of Faith Without Hijab, Expression of Modesty and Religiosity, Expression of Personal Identity, Challenges of Wearing Hijab, and Negative Symbolism of the Hijab in the West. The MOTH scale was found to have high internal validity and discriminant validity. In addition, convergent and discriminant validity of MOTH subscales were established by examining their relations with social axioms, ethnic identity, and national identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine educational equity status in China through exploring the relationships between students' language performance and family socioeconomic status (SES) at the individual, school, and district levels. Furthermore, the current study mainly investigated how the interaction among SES at three levels influenced students' language performance. The sample included 26,997 pupils from 994 schools situated in 79 districts. The three‐level multilevel analysis found that language performance was positively associated with SES at all three levels, and that there were three kinds of significant interactive effects. Specifically, the relationship between individual‐level SES and language performance became stronger in schools with higher SES. Moreover, in districts with higher SES, the interactive effect of school‐level SES and individual‐level SES on language performance grew weaker. In addition, the relationship between school‐level SES and average language performance became weaker in districts with higher levels of SES. These findings uncovered the full picture of the intra‐school and intra‐district educational equity and revealed that high school‐level SES worsened the intra‐school individual equity while high district‐level SES enhanced the intra‐school and intra‐district equity. Implications for educational equity and quality in China are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In everyday life, we often face a "volunteer's dilemma (VoD)"—a group situation in which one member has to incur the cost of providing a public good. In the VoD, members of a group may wait for each other to volunteer, and thus, the group may fail to achieve the public good. Previous research has examined the probability of this failure and found that it was lower than theoretically expected. This discrepancy may have been because only material (e.g., money) and not social rewards (e.g., favourable evaluations) were considered in the theoretical expectations. To investigate whether and how people gain social rewards or are evaluated favourably by others in the VoD in everyday life (specifically in workplace contexts), we conducted a scenario‐based experiment (N = 582). The results showed that people were evaluated as more moral and competent when they volunteered than when they did not. Furthermore, this was the case especially when all the other group members shirked and when the evaluator was also willing to volunteer. These findings contribute to our current understanding of the way people perceive volunteers and shirkers in the VoD. They also have an implication on people's motivation to incur a cost for their group in such a situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of perceived economic differences in everyday life is relevant to deepening knowledge of how inequality shapes psychological processes. In the current research, Spanish undergraduates (N = 547) were asked what their friends with the most and least money could do with their resources. Using a qualitative and quantitative approach, we performed a content analysis of the 1,085 open‐ended responses given, ran latent class analyses with the coded material to identify groups of participants, and explored whether class membership was associated with their awareness of inequality and support for redistribution. Participants perceived inequality among their friends through daily indicators such as consumption, opportunities, leisure, and mental health; some participants used compensatory strategies to mitigate perceived inequality. Latent class analyses suggested that participants differed mostly in the attention paid to consumption and in the use of compensatory strategies. Exploratory analyses suggested that perceiving inequality in everyday life in terms of consumption, negative attributes towards the wealthy, or positive attributes towards low socioeconomic groups was related to acknowledging economic differences among individuals and support for redistribution. The study of perceived economic inequality in everyday life continues a new line of research with the potential to obtain results more consistent with people's experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research explored the selfishness of power and status as well as the mechanism in Chinese work situations. By using experimental and survey methods, two studies were designed to investigate the relationships among power, status, and self‐interested behaviour (SIB) as well as the mediating effect of perspective‐taking (PT). Results of the two studies consistently indicated that power increases whereas status reduces SIB. These opposing behavioural effects are partially attributed to the fact that power reduces whereas status increases PT. In addition, our results showed an interaction between power and status on SIB in Study 1 (interaction as a mental function), and a positive correlation between perceived power and status in Study 2 (correlation as a mental perception). Through the discussion from the perspective of the self/other‐orientation trait, as well as the stable effects of power and status on SIB in the two studies, we conclude that power is selfish and status is unselfish in Chinese work situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has indicated that social exclusion can result in people becoming more focused on themselves than on others, and this may reduce their likelihood of engaging in prosocial behaviour. However, the question of how to promote prosocial behaviour in people who have experienced social exclusion remains. This study comprised two experiments that address this question in the context of donation advertising. Experiment 1 examined participants' donation intentions after experiencing social exclusion in a ball‐passing game. Experiment 2 followed the same design as Experiment 1, except that real‐life donation behaviour was measured. Consistent with prior findings, our results indicated that those who experienced social exclusion displayed lower donation intentions (Experiment 1) and donated less (Experiment 2) than did those who did not experience social exclusion. However, when those who experienced social exclusion watched advertisements that only portrayed alienated people, they showed as much donation intent as those who did not experience social exclusion (Experiment 1) and ultimately donated more (Experiment 2). These findings indicate that social exclusion may increase an individual's tendency to help others who also are alienated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research on superstitious belief, a subset of paranormal belief (Irwin, 1993), has suggested that people tend to invoke luck-related superstitions in stressful situations as an attempt to gain an illusion of control over outcomes. Based on this, the current study examined whether luck-related superstition, in the form of a "lucky" pen, could influence the psychological response to a psychosocial stressor. Participants (N = 114), aged between 17 and 59 years (M = 22.98, SD = 4.57) from James Cook University Singapore, were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: (a) no-stress with no lucky pen; (b) no-stress with a lucky pen; (c) stress with no lucky pen or; (d) stress with a lucky pen. The results revealed that participants provided with a lucky pen experienced lower state anxiety when exposed to the stressor. Further, participants provided with a lucky pen perceived their performance to be better than those without it. However, superstitious belief did not significantly change following exposure to stress. Taken together, the present findings add some support to the suggestion that belief in transferable luck may facilitate coping with a stressor. However, further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms behind the potential benefits of superstitious belief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the backdrop of critical clinical blood shortage in China in recent years, the present research extends the theory of planned behaviour by incorporating two constructs potentially of importance in influencing non-remunerated blood donation behaviour, namely perceived risk and individual trust in blood collection agencies to predict Chinese people's non-remunerated blood donation intention and behaviour. A survey was conducted to measure variables of the theory of planned behaviour, and other variables such as experience of non-remunerated blood donation, perceived risk and individual trust in blood collection agencies. Data to assess non-remunerated blood donation behaviour were collected via phone interviews. Results of the path analysis are as follows. Subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and individual trust in blood collection agencies are all positively associated with attitudes toward non-remunerated blood donation, explaining 46.9% of the variance in this variable. Perceived risk is negatively associated with blood donation intention, while subjective norm and attitudes toward non-remunerated blood donation are both positively associated with blood donation intention. Together, the three variables account for 28.4% of the variance in donation intention. Both having a positive association with non-remunerated blood donation behaviour, the combination of blood donation intention and donation experience explains 42.8% of its variance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people develop a sense of personal identity during the transition to adulthood, a time when individuals choose and adhere to a specific set of goals, values, and beliefs. In addition, in many contemporary Asian societies, youth are expected to acquire and balance traditional and Western cultural views of the self - that is, independent and interdependent self-construal. To understand the relationships between the personal and cultural facets of the transition to adulthood, this study examined (a) associations between personal identity and well-being and (b) the possible moderating role of cultural self-construal (independence and interdependence) in this link. These hypotheses were tested in a sample of 520 Japanese university students (52.6% female). The results indicated that personal identity predicted each dimension of well-being, suggesting that the importance of personal identity in promoting youth's well-being can be understood as a universal phenomenon. Moreover, because the moderating role of self-construal in the links between identity and well-being was found to be limited, personal identity can be viewed as operating separately from self-construal in well-being to a large extent. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have found that narcissism is negatively related to agreeableness in Western samples. Four experiments explored this relationship in a Chinese population. In Study 1, 228 junior high school students reported their narcissism and Five Factor Personality traits. In Study 2, participants recruited through the internet completed the measures of narcissism and agreeableness. In Study 3, 145 college students completed the measures of narcissism and agreeableness, as well as self-esteem and social desirability. In Study 4, 204 senior high school adolescents reported their own narcissistic and agreeableness personality traits. They also received peer-ratings of agreeableness. We found that narcissism was positively related with self-reported agreeableness (Study 1, 2 and 4), but not with other ratings of agreeableness (Study 4). Chinese narcissists perceived themselves as agreeable, and their self-perceptions of agreeableness were more positive than their peers rated them. We discuss the current findings in relation to the Chinese cultural context and underscore cultural roots of narcissism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine how the uses and gratifications of microblogs (i.e. Sina Weibo) can influence interpersonal relationships, especially in affinity-seeking and perceived social capital. Data were gathered through an online questionnaire with a sample of 431 Weibo users surveyed throughout mainland China. Results show that (i) narcissism, content-, and social-gratification were positively related to intensity of Weibo use, (ii) intensity of Weibo use and process-gratification were positively related to strategic performance, whereas only content-gratification positively predicted affinity competence. (iii) content- and social-gratification positively predicted bridging social capital, whereas convenience-gratification and affinity-seeking predicted bonding social capital, and (iv) intensity of Weibo use was positively related to both types of social capital only when Weibo gratifications were not included in the regression equations. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Belief in the benevolence and moral legitimacy of leaders in central government is theorized as a form of cultural capital consistent with the hierarchical relationalism of East Asian societies with Confucian roots. A reliable measure of benevolent authority beliefs ( BAB) is introduced, and its convergent and discriminant validity relative to established measures of institutional trust are established. Its socialization as part of the political culture of Taiwan was examined among high school adolescents aged 13-16. Significant gender differences were found inconsistent with traditional patriarchy. Regression analyses showed that within the relationship with mothers but not fathers, adolescents associated higher reciprocal filial piety, authoritative parenting, and authentic (positive) affect with higher BAB. For daughters but not sons, reciprocal filial piety, authoritative parenting style, and authentic (positive) affect in the relationship with their father were positively associated with BAB. Affect-based transfer from parent-child relationships rather than authoritarian obligations based on rote learning was a key socializing factor in a contemporary Chinese society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has contrasted patterns of cautious or prevention-oriented relationality in various West African settings with patterns of growth or promotion-oriented relationality in many North American settings. The present research draws upon the concept of relational mobility to test the hypothesis that different patterns of relationality have their source in respective affordances for embedded interdependence or abstracted independence. Study 1 investigated the relationship between cautious intimacy and perception of relational mobility among a sample of Hong Kong students. Study 2 compared students in Hong Kong and North American settings to test whether differences in perception of relational mobility mediated the hypothesized differences in caution about friends. Study 3 used an experimental manipulation among a sample of Hong Kong students to test the hypothesis that increased perception of relational mobility reduces caution about friends. Results reveal broad support for the hypotheses. Whether as a measured variable or as an experimental treatment, the perception of relational mobility was negatively related to caution about friends. Moreover, this relationship mediated hypothesized cross-national differences in caution about friendship. A discussion of the results considers intersections of cultural and ecological approaches to psychology and implications for theoretical conceptions of interdependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We predicted and supported the prediction that a 'preference-expectation reversal' would occur among Japanese but not among Americans. American and Japanese participants evaluated ideal-typical independent and interdependent persons on the negative-positive dimension, and estimated how others would evaluate these persons. They also indicated their preference for acting like each of the target persons; that is, which of the two target persons they would prefer to act like. Both the American and Japanese participants wanted to act like the typical independent person rather than the typical interdependent person. However, the Japanese participants expected that others would evaluate the interdependent person more positively than the independent person. This preference-expectation reversal was not observed among the American participants. Further analysis demonstrated that the American participants' personal evaluations of the two targets were consistent with their preferences. The Japanese participants' personal evaluation represented a compromise between their preferences and the expected responses of others. These results suggest that the culturally shared belief in Japan that interdependent persons would receive more positive evaluations than independent persons created an incentive for them to behave interdependently despite their preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stern's value-belief-norm ( VBN) theory of environmentalism suggests that perceiving adverse effects from global warming could promote mitigation behaviour. The VBN theory of environmentalism postulates a causal chain of five variables: values, the New Environmental (or Ecological) Paradigm ( NEP), awareness of consequences ( AC), ascription of responsibility ( AR) to self-beliefs, and personal norms ( PN). Given a limited number of studies with East Asian participants, this study examines the applicability of the VBN theory model in predicting pro-environmental behaviour in Taiwan to enhance the intercultural validation. A questionnaire study was conducted among 757 Taiwanese respondents. The results of structural equation modelling analysis and Sobel tests confirm the direct and mediatory effects of the causal sequence of the variables in the VBN theory of pro-environmental behaviour, with NEP, AC beliefs, AR beliefs, and PN all bearing a mediating relationship between their antecedent and outcome variables in the causal chain. We elucidate the research results of the intercultural validation of the VBN theory model in this empirical study to clarify pro-environmental behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine an integrated model of the work-family interface ( WFI) linking work-family demands (workload and family conflict), resources (supervisory support and family support) and role satisfaction in a Chinese context. The four-factor structure of WFI comprises direction of influence (work to family vs family to work) and types of effect (work-family conflict vs work-family enrichment). A longitudinal design was used to collect data from 409 Chinese employees at three time points, separating measures of antecedents ( T1), WFI ( T2) and outcomes ( T3) in time. The results based on structural equation modelling ( SEM) reveal that: (1) the direction and types of effect were two underlying dimensions of the WFI, supporting the four-factor structure; (2) demands were more strongly related to conflict, while resources were more strongly related to enrichment; (3) work-family conflict and enrichment were related to role satisfaction, regardless of the direction of influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the mediating effect of authenticity on the ability of power and communion to predict feelings of satisfaction in work, romantic and friendship roles in a Chinese sample. That authenticity mediates the effect of power on satisfaction in specific roles has been previously demonstrated in studies with Western participants, and this study sought to replicate these findings in an East Asian context. Furthermore, given the importance of communion in maintaining Chinese satisfaction, our second aim was to extend previous studies by testing whether authenticity mediates the effects of communion on Chinese satisfaction. One hundred and fifty Chinese participants completed the surveys addressing work, romantic relationships and friendships. The results reveal that both power and communion are significant predictors of Chinese satisfaction but their impact differed according to relationship type. Power and communion significantly predicted satisfaction in an interactive manner in business roles, but did so in an additive manner in close roles. More importantly, authenticity mediated the effects of both power and communion on Chinese satisfaction. These results show that authenticity is one of the common essences in the prediction of power and communion to Chinese satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group buying is a relatively new online consumption practice. Consumers negotiate product or service prices with businesses to obtain low prices or an increased number of products. This study investigates factors influencing online group-buying intention from a conformity perspective. An online survey is used to sample 650 online group buyers in Taiwan. Structural Equation Modelling ( SEM) is applied to examine the hypotheses within the theoretical framework. Analytical results indicate that social factors (online recommendations, media recommendations, and personal recommendations) positively affect social influence and online group-buying intention. Individual factors (compliance and attention-to-social-comparison-information) positively affect social influence and conformity. Psychological factors (financial risk, performance risk, and social risk) negatively affect online group-buying intention, and are positively correlated with social influence and conformity. Furthermore, social influence (informational influence and normative influence) are positively correlated with conformity and online group-buying intention. Social influence and conformity are positively correlated with online group-buying intention. Finally, implications of analytical findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This survey study tested the effects of exposure to ethnopolitical conflict and violence and social group identification on psychosocial well-being among a sample of Nagas ( n = 280). Nagaland is located in North east India, and for decades has suffered from armed conflict and political instability. It was predicted that reported exposure to conflict would be positively associated with reported levels of fear, which in turn would decrease psychosocial well-being (assessed with the indices life satisfaction, self-esteem and general health). It was also expected that strongly identifying with being Naga would be positively related to perceived levels of social support, which in turn were predicted to be positively related to well-being. Last but not least, it was hypothesized that conflict and fear would also directly and negatively impact on levels of identification with being Naga: increased conflict-induced fear was expected to reduce the strength of the group identification. These predictions were confirmed by structural equation modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationship between leader political skill and team performance, as well as the mediating (team cohesion) and moderating (power distance) variables of the relationship. Our theoretical model was tested using data collected from employees in a food service company. Analyses of multisource and lagged data from 59 teams and 276 members indicated that leader political skill was positively related to team performance via team cohesion. Further, both the relationship between leader political skill and team cohesion and the indirect relationship between leader political skill and team performance were stronger when teams exhibited lower power distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Omission bias occurs when people are more reluctant to accept negative consequences caused by their actions than by their inaction. Recent research on omission bias in decision-making has found evidence for individual differences, thus indicating that some people are more likely to show omission inclination than others. The present research aims to explore the role of regulatory focus as individual difference variables in omission bias. Moreover, we examine whether anticipated regret mediates the relationship between regulatory focus and moral judgement. Moral judgement tasks utilized include: (i) moral dilemma scenarios (Study 1); and (ii) ethical scenarios embracing apparent legal rule violations (Study 2). The results of both studies show that only prevention focus is significantly related to omission bias in moral judgement. Specifically, this relationship holds regardless of the nature of the 'omission' (whether they are deontological or utilitarian). In addition, anticipated regret/guilt for action was found to mediate the relationship between prevention focus and omission bias. Implications and limitations are discussed based on the results of the current study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet use has increased rapidly in recent years, and has inevitably led to some negative outcomes, notably cyber bullying and cyber victimization. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of cyber victimization and parent-adolescent communication on self-esteem, and the moderating role of parent-adolescent communication in the relationship between cyber victimization and self-esteem among Turkish adolescents. The participants were 337 adolescents with a mean age of 16.37, ( SD = 0.89). The results of hierarchical regression analysis reveal that self-esteem was predicted negatively by cyber victimization, but positively by mother-adolescent communication. Results also indicate the moderating roles of parent-adolescent communication in the links between cyber victimization and self-esteem. The findings indicate a need to consider the parent-adolescent relationship while working with victimized youth, and the implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines the linguistic representations of emotion terms in relation to educational attainment and self-construal through a two-part narration task. Eighty Turkish adults recounted four events that they experienced in the last five years of their lives (event-description task) and then described what they felt during these events (emotion-elicited narration task). The results show that higher levels of educational attainment and autonomous-related self-construal predicted higher levels of linguistic abstractness in emotion terms, whereas higher levels of related self-construal predicted lower levels of linguistic abstractness in emotion terms. Comparisons of the level of abstractness of emotion terms in event-descriptions and emotion-elicited narrations indicate that while the linguistic abstractness of emotion terms was similar across the two tasks in the lower-educated group, it increased in the emotion-elicited narration task in the higher-educated group. The role of formal education and self-construal in emotional language use were discussed as sources of within-culture variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of studies reveal that self-control is an important preventative factor for aggression. However, the involvement of potential explanatory variables has received less research attention. Drawing upon the feedback-loop model of self-control, the current research assumed that the preventing effect of trait self-control on aggression may be moderated by moral disengagement. Self-reported measures of trait self-control, moral disengagement and aggression were administered to 946 Chinese university students. Results show that trait self-control had a negative effect on physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger and hostility, whereas moral disengagement positively predicted each of these constructs. Of particular importance was a significant interaction between trait self-control and moral disengagement for verbal aggression and hostility. Specifically, the preventing effect of trait self-control on these two types of aggression was more pronounced in individuals with low rather than high moral disengagement. In conclusion, low conditional endorsement of transgressive acts and having high trait self-control are both important individual-difference variables that explain reduced aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experimental investigation explores differences in reciprocal norms between friends and strangers and the effects of culture on reciprocity. Based on altruistic and strong reciprocity theories, a hybrid trust-dictator game tested the influence of relationship (i.e. friends vs. strangers), treatment (i.e. positive vs. negative) and culture (i.e. collectivistic vs. individualistic) on reciprocation. The results show that participants reciprocated more positively when treated positively in general. However, the results demonstrate intercultural differences in reciprocal norms, specifically in the negative treatment condition. Participants from the individualistic culture provided stronger punishment to the norm violator, compared to participants from the collectivistic culture. We discuss implications of the impact of relationship and culture on reciprocation with respect to the olive branch response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guided by the theory of motivated information management, this study investigated the extent to which Singaporean college students' sexual health information-seeking behaviour could be accounted for by their anxiety of uncertainty discrepancy, their perceived outcomes of information seeking and their perceived confidence in seeking and coping with sexual health information acquired from their best friends. Taking into account that issue relevance may play a role in individuals' health decision-making, this study also examined the effect of perceived vulnerability on respondents' sexual health information-seeking behaviour. An online survey was conducted with 202 undergraduate students at a university in Singapore. Respondents were asked to report the frequency with which they sought four types of sexual health information from their best friends: unwanted pregnancy, abortion, HIV/ AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections. Survey data showed that respondents' uncertainty discrepancy was positively associated with their anxiety. Anxiety had negative effects on efficacy and outcome expectancy. Outcome expectancy was positively associated with efficacy. Both efficacy and perceived vulnerability accounted for a significant amount of variance in respondents' sexual health information-seeking behaviour. Findings from this study contribute to a better understanding of young adults' sexual health information behaviour in a Singapore context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collective action has been studied by social psychologists for over a century. Social network sites such as Facebook have further extended the ability of individuals to instigate social, political and organizational change, and provide a new context in which to study collective action. Drawing on social identity theory ( SIT), self-categorization theory ( SCT) and uses and gratifications theory ( UGT), this study explores the role of individuals' group identification, social identity gratifications ( SIG) and Facebook group use intensity on their willingness to participate in collective actions instigated through a Facebook group. Members of a Facebook group representing a cause against management completed an online survey ( N = 406). Factor analyses reveal that motivations based on psychological affiliation with the group explained the most variance for Facebook group use. Moreover, compared to Facebook group use intensity, SIG were the stronger mediator between group identification and willingness to participate in collective action. The study demonstrates the utility of blending concepts from SIT, SCT and UGT to explore how socially motivated uses of the media can predict collective actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the role of self-construal in student learning by testing a mediation model: through math achievement goals, self-construal predicts math self-concept and anxiety, which further predict math achievement. A sample of 1196 students from 104 secondary classes in Singapore took a survey and a math achievement test. The results from multi-group structural equation modelling support measurement invariance and equal path coefficients in the mediation model between boys and girls. Interdependent self-construal positively predicted mastery approach and avoidance goals, through which interdependent self-construal had a positive total indirect effect on math anxiety. Independent self-construal positively predicted mastery approach, performance approach and performance avoidance goals, and through the two approach goals, high independent self-construal was associated with high math self-concept. Overall, self-construal was not associated with math achievement. The findings enhance our understanding of achievement motivation from a sociocultural perspective and help explain East Asian students' relatively higher anxiety and lower self-concept in comparison with their Western counterparts as reported in international studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined children's borderline personality features and their association with developmentally appropriate factors, including friendship exclusivity, forms of aggression and peer maltreatment with a non-Western urban sample. The participants consisted of 234 Japanese preadolescents who were in the fourth and fifth grade (50% girls; ages: 9-11). Results of correlational analyses show that borderline personality features were stable during a six-month period ( r = 0.55). Moreover, results of mixed linear models indicate that friendship exclusivity was associated with elevated borderline personality features concurrently and longitudinally, after controlling for the effects of physical and relational aggression. Physical aggression (not relational aggression) and physical victimization (not relational victimization) also predicted relative increases in borderline personality features. These findings are discussed from a cultural-developmental perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the pursuit of well-being at work, work stress is always an inescapable challenge. However, existing research shows that the relationships between work stress and employee outcomes are inconsistent, which indicates that the concept of work stress needs further investigation. Moreover, Zhong- Yong serves as a cognitive strategy to coping with stress as well as being a pivotal life wisdom and practical rationality. Using a questionnaire survey, this study explores the relationship between work stress, employee well-being, and Zhong- Yong beliefs. The work stress was classified into challenge- and hindrance-related stress while emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction were used as well-being indicators. Using a sample of 394 employees from private enterprises in Taiwan as subjects, the results show that (1) hindrance-related stress is destructive to employee well-being; (2) challenge-related stress is positively associated with emotional exhaustion but has no significant relation with job satisfaction; (3) Zhong- Yong beliefs mitigate the harm from hindrance-related stress on employee well-being; and (4) Zhong- Yong beliefs weaken the negative effects of challenge-related stress on emotional exhaustion, and transform challenge-related stress into eustress for job satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has indicated that the effects of in-group social value on mental health are mediated by the extent to which individuals identify with their in-group. Other research has shown that in-group identification leads to positive mental health because it provides in-group members with a psychological basis for social support. We examine how the individual's perception of the social value of the in-group leads to positive mental health, integrating the effects of identification with and support from the in-group. As predicted, the relationship between higher social value and decreased mental health (e.g. depression, perceived stressful events) is mediated by higher in-group identification, which in turn leads the members to expect support from the in-group but not the out-group. An integrated model of the effects of perceived in-group social value, identification, and support on mental health is proposed, and the implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the practice of forgiveness among participants from China ( N = 172) and New Zealand ( N = 91). We tested a theoretical model describing the relationships between collectivism, individualism, and forgiveness. Participants from China were more collectivistic and less individualistic than were participants from New Zealand. Overall, participants from New Zealand were more forgiving than were participants from China. Collectivism was positively related to decisional forgiveness in Chinese participants. Decisional forgiveness independently predicted conciliatory behaviour among participants from China, but this was not the case for participants from New Zealand. Thus, the hypothesized model received qualified support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]