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Introduces a series of articles about emotions. Framework for analyzing emotion; Emotional creativity; Eastern conceptualizations of emotion; Structural analysis of the trigrams of the Chinese I Ching divination; Emotion taxonomies of different languages.

In contemporary urbanised society, people are increasingly disconnected from nature. Environmental identity, as a promoter of various pro‐environmental outcomes, may bridge the human‒nature gap. However, it is less clear how environmental identity helps people to navigate sustainably within the urban environment. In three studies, we investigate how environmental identity relates to evaluations of the functions of two different types of items that populate the human‐made environment: signs that communicate environmentally appropriate behaviours (e.g., recycling signs) and objects that are instrumentally used in everyday life (e.g., plastic bags). We also examine how environmental identity differs from other related environmental constructs (i.e., environmental attitudes and behaviours) in terms of their relationship with evaluations of signs and objects. Heider's balance theory helps us clarify this conceptual distinction; in line with this analysis, we find that explicit environmental identity was associated with more positive evaluations of environmental signs' communicative functions, but not objects' instrumental functions. In contrast, pro‐environmental attitudes are associated with judgements of environmentally harmful objects as a greater hindrance to sustainability. Thus, environmental identity and environmental attitudes help people to respond more pro‐environmentally in the urbanised environment by informing them of the environmental implications of signs and objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employees who hold collectivistic values care more about the interests of their group or collective than do their individualistic counterparts. We examined the potential effects of the combination of individual values, nations, and job satisfaction on organizational citizenship behaviours among 308 public school teachers in China, Kuwait, and the United States. Collectivist values of employees predicted their organizational citizenship behaviours (OCBs). Both collectivistic values and country moderated the relationship between job satisfaction and OCB. Job satisfaction was more positively related to OCB directed at the organization for employees in China and Kuwait than for employees in the United States, but job satisfaction was more positively related to OCB directed toward individuals for employees who were lower in collectivism. This study is one of the few that has tested the potential role of individuals' collectivism values in their performance of helping behaviours at work across multiple countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restorative experience refers to an experience of psychophysical restoration from stress and mental fatigue during people‒environment interactions. Previous research has documented the influence of neighbourhood physical environment on restorative experiences; however, it is still unclear whether neighbourhood social environment can affect restorative experiences. Applying a socioecological perspective, the current study aims to explore the effect of neighbourhood social cohesion on restorative experience and to examine whether people's need for restoration would moderate this effect. After manipulating the need for restoration in terms of antecedent attentional state, participants (N = 244) with and without the need for restoration read one of three experimental scenarios describing a neighbourhood with high, neutral, or low social cohesion. Participants reported their restorative experience pre‐ and post‐exposure to neighbourhood social cohesion scenarios. Results showed that participants in the high social cohesion neighbourhood condition perceived more post‐exposure restorative experience than did those in the neutral or low cohesion conditions. Restorative experience increased from pre‐ to post‐exposure in the high social cohesion condition; the increase was greater for participants with the need for restoration. On the other hand, restorative experience decreased from pre‐ to post‐exposure in the low social cohesion condition for participants without the need for restoration. These findings suggested that a socially cohesive neighbourhood could enhance individuals' restorative experiences and that the strength of this restorative benefit might depend on the need for restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What types of studies test the question of pancultural self-enhancement? Sedikides, Gaertner, and Vevea (2007) have identified inclusion criteria that largely limit the question to studies of the better-than-average effect (i.e. 27 out of 29 effects that they include as ‘validated’ and ‘relevant’). In contrast, other effects which they labelled as ‘unvalidated’ or ‘irrelevant’ used methods other than the better-than-average effect (i.e. 24 out of 24 effects). Because Sedikides et al. are drawing conclusions about pancultural self-enhancement and not the pancultural better-than-average effect, these excluded studies are relevant to the hypothesis under question. Ignoring the findings from other methods is highly problematic, in particular because these other methods yield results that conflict with those from the better-than-average effect. An analysis of effects from all studies reveals no support for pancultural self-enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To what extent does religious identification promote collective efficacy and perceived injustice that contribute to explain support for interreligious violence in Indonesia? This overarching research question is inspired by theoretical insights starting from social identity theory, and noticeably enriched by collective action theories. We use high‐quality data of 1,995 randomly selected individuals (Muslims and Christians) from across the Indonesian archipelago to investigate the mediating effects of perceived injustice and collective efficacy on the relationship between religiosity and support for interreligious violence. We also improve upon previous research with an elaborate measure of religiosity (beliefs, practice, and salience). Our structural equation modelling analysis reveals that collective efficacy significantly mediates the relationship between the religiosity dimensions and support for interreligious violence. Moreover, on average, the Muslim community has a higher level of collective efficacy, as compared to the Christian community, which positively affects the relationship between most religiosity dimensions and support for interreligious violence. An interesting finding is that in the Christian community, salience is overall negatively related to collective efficacy, which then negatively affects support for interreligious violence. These results provide novel empirical insights on the role of religious identity in interreligious conflicts in the South Asian context, especially Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates individual's support for social provisions and rights of Syrian refugees in Turkey. Support is examined in relation to perceived threat of Syrian refugees and negative emotions in combination with the perception of family and friends considering Syrian refugees a threat (negative descriptive social norm) and whether these significant others morally support these refugees (positive injunctive norms). A questionnaire study was conducted among Turkish participants (N = 565), and the results show that perception of threat was associated with negative emotions which, in turn, were related to less support to Syrian refugees. Additionally, perception of threat was associated with less support through negative emotions when perceived descriptive norms were strong. Further, perceived injunctive norms were associated with more support to Syrian refugees, but less so when people had stronger negative emotions. These findings suggest that with negative descriptive norms, threat‐based negative emotions are associated with less support to Syrian refugees, and that stronger negative emotions make the association between positive injunctive norms and support weaker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue presents the theory of sociocultural models (TSCM) and its applications in diverse areas of psychology, including education, health care, clinical practice, gender relations, and general research. As many theories already exist in the social sciences, some readers may ask: "Why do cross‐cultural, cultural, and indigenous psychologists need another theory?" This question is comprised of two aspects: culture/cultural and theory/theoretical. Therefore, to answer it, it is important to clarify both issues. The first relates to cultural and its relation to psychological. The second, theory, considers its relation to cultural and psychological. These issues have long‐range implications for all culture and psychology disciplines as they pose many questions: What role does culture play in the mental functioning of people? How is culture constituted? Is cultural related to social? Does people's mental functioning exert reciprocal influences on their cultural and social functioning? While working toward answering these questions, researchers quickly determine that more questions arise: What role should theories play in answering these questions? What constitutes theory in culture and psychology disciplines? How should such a theory (or such theories) address the triad of cultural, social, and mental? Consequently, in an effort to provide an overview of the TSCM and to begin to answer these questions, this introduction consists of two parts. The first part addresses the sociocultural turn in modern psychology; this part discusses its implications for research in culture and psychology disciplines. The second segment examines the topic of the theoretical backgrounds of cultural and cross‐cultural research and connects the philosophical paradigms of interpretivism and realism with the theory of sociocultural models. This introduction concludes with a brief overview of the articles included in this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dominant model in cross‐cultural psychology largely disregards culture (Boski, 2018). An alternative theory of sociocultural models (SCMs) has been proposed in this volume. SCMs mould cognitive, affective, and behavioural processes of individual persons, as well as their corrective measures should such processes be sidetracked. Because SCMs are culture‐bound, intercultural contacts are likely to be fraught in misconceptions and conflicts, but they may also give rise to attraction and to culture change. This article compares Polish script of gender roles and its transformations between the ingroup and English (outgroup) contexts. Framed in a {Request → Compliance} format, a cultural experiment was conducted with university students in England and Poland. It was based on four video‐recorded enactments of that script, controlling for gender expressions on the request and on actor‐compliance sides. It was hypothesised that compared to foreign observers from England, Polish participants should provide confirmatory evidence to video installations, reflecting the script and should resist its transformation attempts. Results largely confirmed these expectations. The {Male addressed request → Male compliance} was of the Polish normative and behavioural prototype, but not appealing for English participants, for whom gender neutrality was the preferred cultural arrangement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We review Li's research and theory of cultural learning models in light of Chirkov's (2019) theory of sociocultural models that draw on previous theories and research across social sciences. We recast Li's models as sociocultural learning models (SCLMs) by incorporating Chirkov's three emphases: (a) the inseparability between the social and the cultural, (b) the public versus individuals' internalization of SCLMs and their mutual enforcement, and (c) collective intentionality and intersubjectivity as embedded in the enactment of SCLMs. As an initial attempt to document how public SCLMs become internalized, we further examine the role of joint intentionality and intersubjectivity at the person‐to‐person level. We use discourse analysis to look at two mother–child conversations about learning from our current European American and Chinese immigrant research data. We show evidence that both joint intentionality and intersubjectivity are prevalently and deeply present in the process of parental socialization (transmitting SCLMs to their young). We conclude that intentionality and intersubjectivity are indispensable to enable SCLMs to exist and to continue by enabling the public to become internalized. The internalization is then enacted and repeated by members across the culture, who in turn function to uphold and renew SCLMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces the theory of sociocultural models (TSCM) along with its propositions, historical and conceptual foundations, ontology, and the methodology for its applications in sociocultural research. Sociocultural models (SCMs) are a structured set of prescriptions for people to interpret the world, communities, other people, and themselves; they are a set of scripts for acting in accord with these interpretations. These models are developed by people's cultural communities, and they are learned and internalized by their members as validated recipes for their lives and actions. Members of communities continuously co‐construct their SCMs by enacting them through their everyday interactions. Culture is described as a distributed network of specialized SCMs that guides community members' lives in different domains. According to the TSCM, to fully understand the nature of people' actions and experiences, researchers first must examine the system of SCMs that these people were born into—the public aspects of SCMs. Subsequently, researchers must investigate how these people act, experience, and live through these models—the internalized aspects of SCMs—and determine what roles their autonomous agency and self‐determination play in their existence. To study SCMs, researchers use methods such as person‐centered ethnography, interviews, and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review of the organisational psychology literature suggests that researchers have examined at least four job attitude constructs: job satisfaction, work/task satisfaction, job involvement, and organisational commitment. Less, however, is known about why the four different job attitudes vary in magnitude as predictors of vital organisational outcomes. In this systematic review, I propose that positive affect is central in explaining the differential effects of these job attitudes on organisational outcomes. The review then explicates patterns of results underlying prior studies on these job attitudes and presents an overarching proposition: Accurate conceptualisation and measurement of the affective component underlying each job attitude will help illustrate how, and to what extent, each job attitude leads to desirable organisational outcomes. Finally, four key suggestions for further job attitudes research are presented: (a) enhancing conceptualisation and measurement of positive affect in job attitudes, (b) developing an overarching theory of positive affect, (c) focusing on discrete positive emotions, and (d) looking beyond existing current job attitude constructs. This work complements the current affective epoch of job attitudes research, uncovering the trail of positive affect as it has informed the job attitudes literature historically and suggesting its theoretical and practical developments for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates whether cultural differences exist between the ways U.S. and Taiwanese college students perceive peer victimization using both an experimental vignette method and an open‐ended question format. A total of 1,125 college students (53% female) from the United States (n = 535) and Taiwan (n = 590) read and responded to vignettes which depicted peer interactions in the college context. The peer interactions varied along three factors expected to be associated with differentiating victimization from affiliative teasing: hostility, playfulness, and relationship closeness. Controlling for individual factors of sex, prior victimization, prior teasing, and emphasis on interpersonal harmony, students perceived more victimization when both hostility and a lack of playfulness were present. Culture interacted with the situational factors such that both hostility and lack of playfulness were stronger predictors of perceived victimization for Taiwanese than for U.S. college students. In open‐ended responses about sensitive topics, "Ability and academic performance" and "Self/thoughts/characters/habits" were more indicative of victimization for Taiwanese college students. "Health and disability" was more salient as indicative of victimization for U.S. college students. Findings from this study are among the first to evaluate signals of peer victimization with a cultural comparison; they can be used to inform victimization intervention programs or socioemotional curriculums in late adolescence to be culturally relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discussions that are based on religious understanding and aimed at reducing terrorists' hostility have been used as a central part of terrorist deradicalization programs in many countries where acts of Islamic terrorism are prevalent. Currently, various psychological approaches such as presenting social support and providing counseling sessions are being applied alongside religious discussions. Observers of these programs have reported benefits and positive responses to the psychological approaches, but there is still a lack of empirical evidence confirming this. In the current study, we examine the effects of two psychological interventions—emotional expression training and cognitive flexibility training—in predicting detainees' acceptance of the idea of democratic life. We investigated the observational records taken during the psychological interventions and religious discussions. Results showed no main effect of emotional expression and cognitive flexibility in predicting one's acceptance of democratic civil life, but there was a significant interaction between the two predictors. Among those who scored high in cognitive flexibility, detainees who scored also high in emotional expression were significantly more agreeable towards the state's sovereignty over belief in an Islamic caliphate during religious discussions. Our findings suggest that psychological interventions do indeed offer benefits for detainees' deradicalization programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have shed light on factors that contribute to radicalization. However, fewer studies have addressed the factors that contribute to deradicalization, especially with terrorist detainees as participants. The present study investigates the role of attitudes toward rehabilitation in deradicalization programs, and its role in predicting the outcome for these programs. We hypothesized that when terrorist detainees adopt alternative identities (identities alternative to their jihadist identity), their support for jihad as war will be lessened, even when they still hold jihadist ideology as their source of significance. To test this hypothesis, we obtained 89 interview profiles of actual terrorist detainees across 35 Indonesian prisons. We found that lesser support for jihad as war was predicted by a more positive attitude toward the deradicalization program, and this was mediated by the adoption of alternative identities. Further, the effect of the mediator on support for jihad as war was neither weakened nor strengthened by perceived significance of jihadist ideology. These findings suggest that even when a person possesses a strong ideological commitment to jihad, this may not manifest into violence when they adopt alternative identities and goals. These results were interpreted and discussed through goal systems theory and the multifinality account of radical behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there have been many empirical studies of terrorism within the psychology literature, relatively few studies have theorized terrorism from the perspective of collective action theory. The present study aimed to understand factors that predict support for Islamist terrorism by using the Encapsulate Model of Social Identity in Collective Action (EMSICA) perspective. To extend previous studies, we added perception of threat and intergroup contact to the model. A correlational study using 66 terrorism detainees in Indonesia as participants found solid support for our expanded EMSICA. The models extending EMSICA with perception of threat and quantity of contact as predictors had improved fit indices and explained more variance in the dependent variable support for Islamist terrorism, as compared to the standard model. Social identity had a significant direct effect on support for Islamist terrorism and mediated the effect of intergroup contact, perception of threat, perceived injustice, and group efficacy on support for Islamist terrorism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on traditional Chinese conscience theory, we defined the concept of conscience after reviewing the relevant literature. We constructed a preliminary theoretical model of the conscience structure through in‐depth interviews conducted with a sample of 127 Chinese adolescents and an open‐ended questionnaire conducted with 374 volunteers based on the consensual qualitative research (CQR) method. Then, we developed a preliminary conscience scale questionnaire and surveyed 702 people to obtain data for the development of the final questionnaire. The analysis indicated that the self‐developed questionnaire had good reliability and validity. The revised structure model of conscience in Chinese adolescents includes five dimensions: (a) compassion, (b) honesty and credibility, (c) a sense of right and wrong, (d) filial piety and fraternal duty, and (e) gratitude. Using this scale, we surveyed 1,009 adolescents in China. We have discussed the characteristic differences in scale scores among different age cohorts, genders, subject disciplines, and places of residence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on nominations for the journal's Asian Association of Social Psychology next Editor-in-Chief starting from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020 and mentions the requirements for the role of editor-in-chief; along with the aim and scope.

The article offers information on several papers related to parent-child relationships, social change and values of children to be published in the journal in 2008.

Perfectionistic self‐presentation (PSP), which describes an expressive aspect of perfectionism in the interpersonal domain, is a defensive form of perfectionism that has been relatively understudied. Although existing evidence obtained from Western societies has consistently shown maladaptive functions of PSP, the question of whether these patterns are universal remains unanswered. The current research explored the potential moderating effect of culture by evaluating whether the negative influence of PSP is weaker in Asian societies that encourage the use of defensive interpersonal strategies than in Western societies. Two studies recruiting Chinese and North American participants were conducted. In Study 1 (n = 302), the results showed that the relation between PSP and personal mastery was positive among Chinese participants and was negative among North American participants. In contrast, a positive relation between PSP and perceived constraints was observed in both cultures. Study 2 (n = 295) replicated the findings obtained in Study 1. In addition, the findings showed that the relation between PSP and self‐esteem, but not that between PSP and depression, was moderated by participants' cultural backgrounds. Taken together, these results indicate both universal and culturally specific patterns regarding the influence of PSP, suggesting that PSP is a complex construct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moral foundations theory provides a framework for understanding the traditional liberal–conservative dichotomy in political factions. Typically, factions on the liberal side are more concerned with individualizing foundations—including care/harm and fairness/cheating—for the protection of individual rights and welfare whereas factions on the conservative side are concerned with both individualizing and binding foundations—including loyalty/betrayal, authority/subversion, and sanctity/degradation—for the maintenance of existing social ethics. Our research extended this framework to the analysis of Taiwanese political factions, which are not distributed conspicuously along the liberal–conservative line but instead on whether Taiwan should become a legally independent state or unify with the People's Republic of China (Mainland China). Our results indicate that despite the scarce use of the terms liberal or left and conservative or right in common communication, a liberal–conservative dimension underlies the Taiwanese political spectrum. Specifically, supporters of Taiwan independence exhibit liberal‐like moral concerns whereas supporters of China unification and the status quo demonstrate conservative‐like moral concerns. Moreover, indirect effects exist through moral foundations from political factions to stances on social issues; this is especially prevalent in the case of Taiwan independence camp's clear support for the legalization of same‐sex marriage, a stance resulting from anti‐authoritarian moral and political characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about how climatic differences may psychologically impact individuals who migrate from one geographical area to another. A climatic demand theory perspective suggests that migration from more demanding climatic areas to less demanding climatic areas would lead to better psychological outcomes while predicting the opposite for migration from less demanding to more demanding climates. In contrast, a climatic‐fit perspective would predict that moving to areas that climatically are similar to one's home would lead to the best psychological outcomes whereas any major deviation would lead to worse outcomes. To test these competing perspectives, a longitudinal, multisite study was conducted with over 1,000 student migrants who moved from various areas in China to 12 cities. Participants' life satisfaction and perceived stress were assessed upon arrival and at the end of the semester together with their sociocultural adaptation. Supporting the climatic‐fit perspective, multilevel analyses showed that participants reported the least stress and highest sociocultural adaptation when they migrated to host sites that were climatically similar to their homes. Conversely, individuals who migrated from very demanding to less demanding climatic regions and vice versa reported an increase in stress and lower sociocultural adaptation. [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 studies have shown that the prosocial behavior of individuals may be promoted or inhibited by the presence of others. This study hypothesizes that prosocial behavior relates to the relationships among present individuals, beyond their number. This study examines whether there is a significant difference in an individual's prosocial behavior in the presence of different types of others (strangers or friends) and whether this effect is mediated by the perception of face. Two studies that used different methods of data collection were conducted. It was found that the presence of friends promotes prosocial behavior more than does the presence of strangers. In addition, perceived face plays a mediating role between the presence of different types of people and prosocial behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transitional object use is psychologically beneficial for young children, but research has suggested that maintaining transitional object use into middle childhood may be associated with negative behaviour. Little is known about the continuation of transitional object use into adolescence, and few studies have been conducted with non‐Western populations. To examine differences in attachment and attitudes to help seeking in adolescents who did and did not use a transitional object, 723 adolescents from Taiwan (M age = 14 years) were asked about their current and past use of transitional objects. Measures of attachment were obtained using the Revised Adult Attachment Scale, and attitude toward help was measured using the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale. In total, 37% of the sample continued transitional object use in adolescence. Current use of a transitional object differentiated the sample on the measures of attachment and help seeking. Transitional object users were less likely to have secure attachments and less likely to express positive attitudes toward seeking help. Transitional object use is prevalent in Taiwanese adolescents, and we suggest that continued use of a transitional object acts as an indicator of potential withdrawal from support offered in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mandala Model of Self (MMS) refers to the well‐functioning self leading to ultimate happiness in various cultures. This research provides the first empirical examination of the role of MMS in mental health in Confucian societies. The MMS Scale (MMSS) was developed, and its psychometric properties are described. A correlational study demonstrated that the MMSS, along with its two factors—socialized reflexivity and self‐exertion—validly measures certain mental health constructs. A quasi‐experimental study reliably distinguished persons engaged in the cultivation of the Mandala self from those who had not. Finally, a study with adolescents demonstrated that the scores of the MMSS are a better predictor of resilience than is extroversion or neuroticism. The present research provides empirical support for the theory underlying the MMS and its key contribution to mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Y. Takano and E. Osaka (2018, this issue) provide strong and irrefutable empirical evidence that the "common view"—that Japanese are typically collectivists whereas Americans are typically individualists—is not supported by data. Given other reviews in the past that have led to the same conclusion, in this commentary, I argue that now is the time for the field to take stock and reconsider this common view. This commentary briefly describes conceptual, empirical, and practical problems concerning the common view and offers suggestions to move beyond it. By moving beyond the common view, and other similar explanations of cross‐cultural differences, cross‐cultural researchers in particular can lead the way in facilitating a further evolution of research and theory about the link between cultures and individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Are the Japanese more collectivistic than are individualistic Americans?" Y. Takano and E. Osaka () concluded that the answer to this question is "No." We think this conclusion is misguided. The methodology employed in Takano and Osaka's literature review lacks rigor, and the research question appears to stem from a biased survey of the contemporary research literature. We also question who holds the "common view" in the first place. The common view may continue to pervade the public's understanding of psychological differences between Americans and the Japanese, but such a view is no longer embraced by researchers in the field. The field of cultural psychology has evolved greatly in the past 20 years, examining cultural influence dynamically and at more fine‐grained levels. Dissemination of this knowledge to dispel the public's common view is an issue that requires greater attention from the community of Japanese and Asian Social Psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "common view" is that the Japanese are more collectivist than are Americans, and that American are more individualist than are the Japanese. This commentary briefly summarises Y. Takano and E. Osaka (1999, Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 2, pp. 311–341; 2018, Asian Journal of Social Psychology pp. 301‐316) Literature reviews have shown that research does not support this common view. There is no reliable difference on individualism/collectivism (I/C). Further, there are several reasons to question the coherence of I/C itself. There also are multiple difficulties with the utility of global dispositions. The conditional nature of global dispositions such as I/C is illustrated by the author's published and unpublished attempts to create yet another I/C scale. Possible reasons for the persistence of the erroneous common view that the Japanese are more collectivistic than are Americans are discussed in terms of Western perceivers' stereotypes and the alternative of perceivers individuating/categorising (I/C) other people. Last, research on cultural differences in spontaneous social inferences, which has been framed in I/C terms, is reviewed and recast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been long believed that the Japanese are typical collectivists whereas Americans are typical individualists. To examine the validity of this common view, we formerly reviewed 15 empirical studies that compared Japanese and Americans regarding individualism/collectivism (I/C), and found that the overwhelming majority of those studies had not supported the common view (Takano & Osaka,). In this follow‐up, we reviewed 20 additional empirical studies (7 behavioral studies, 13 questionnaire studies), most of which had been published after the former review. When combined with the formerly reviewed 15 studies, 19 studies reported no clear difference, and 11 studies reported that Japanese were more individualistic than Americans. These 30 studies are inconsistent with the common view. Only 5 studies supported the common view, even when we included 3 studies whose validity was questionable. After it was formerly found that the common view was not supported empirically, a variety of alternative accounts were presented regarding the reason for this finding. We examined three major accounts in light of the reviewed studies and found that none of them was congruent with the empirical data. Thus, it seems to be reasonable to conclude that the common view is not valid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have demonstrated that power induces sexual overperception by activating mating motivation. This study examined the impact of power on sexual attraction to the opposite sex among heterosexual men and women. We manipulated power by instructing participants to recall an incident in their lives where they possessed power over someone else (high power) or someone else possessed power over them (low power). We controlled for individual variations in sex drive, sexual sensation seeking, and sociosexual orientation. We asked participants to record their sexual attraction to images of the opposite sex in swimsuits. Our results showed that high‐power individuals, both men and women, recorded significantly greater sexual attraction to the images than did low‐power individuals, demonstrating that power heightens sexual attraction to the opposite sex among heterosexual men and women. The findings highlight power's activation of the mating motivation and have implications for the effect of power on sexualized behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An obituary for social psychologist Kwok Leung is presented.

In this paper, I critically evaluate the logic underlying Markus and Kitayama's (1991) theory of independent and interdependent self-construals, and examine the evidence that directly tests its major assumptions. On the basis of my review of the studies they cite, and literature from three other sources, I conclude that the evidence severely challenges the validity of their theoretical framework for explaining observed national differences in psychological phenomena. I offer some ideas about alternative methodologies for research in this important area of psychology that may aid in developing and testing theories of culture and self in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-regulation, the ability to regulate one's emotions and behavior with respect to important goals, is an important function. While a number of different self-regulatory models exist, self-discrepancy theory (SDT: Higgins, 1987, 1989a, 1989b) is the only model which proposes that there are distinct self-guides, the ideal and the ought self. Discrepancies or congruencies between the actual self and each type of self-guide is proposed to result in unique emotional and behavioral consequences. Some recent research findings have failed to demonstrate these unique consequences, causing the proposed distinction between the self-guides to be questioned in the literature. This paper suggests that this conclusion is based on the assumption that these effects must occur in every case. We argue that SDT does not propose that unique relationships between discrepancies and either emotions or behavior always occur; rather, it specifies moderators of these relationships. A review of recent research examining the effects of these moderators highlights not only that, indeed, such moderating effects are found, but also in some cases the moderating effect is different for relationships between emotions and the two types of discrepancies. It is concluded that these two different types of evidence, namely, the existence of moderator variables and their differential effects on ideal and ought self-regulation, provide compelling support for the distinct nature of the ideal and the ought self-guides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of social division associated with the emergent "race debate" in Australia (and the so-called "Hanson phenomenon") on the consensus of Australian students' stereotypes of their national ingroup. It compares the stereotypes held by a sample of students in 1997 ( N = 20) with those revealed in studies conducted from 1992 onwards ( N = 102). Results provide strong evidence that stereotype consensus was reduced in the current phase of research and post-testing also indicates that participants themselves interpreted this as being the product of political change in Australian society. The findings are consistent with the argument that stereotypes are sensitive to changes in intergroup and intragroup relations, and that they respond to the reality of social division rather than to the rhetoric of unity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social cognition provides a metatheoretical approach to understanding the mental underpinnings of human social behavior. This paper reviews some of the major themes in social cognition research, tracing its progression from a methodological hybrid between cognitive and social psychology to a major foundation of social psychology. We stress the most recent trend in social cognition research - the motivated tactician theme - which focuses on the roles of motives and goals in people's mental processes and social behavior; examples from our laboratory illustrate this theme. Our brief historical overview emphasizes diversity within the social cognition approach; its applicability to multiple psychological and social issues; and directions for collaboration with other notable research traditions, particularly cross-cultural perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper gives an overview of social representation theory, definitions of the key terms and of the social processes leading to a representation and to social identity. Six empirical studies are presented and details of their methods and findings are given to illustrate this social psychological approach. These studies are about the ontogenesis of gender, the public sphere in Brazil, madness on British television, images of androgyny in Switzerland, individualism and democracy in post-communist Europe and metaphorical thinking about conception. The methods are ethnography, interviews, focus-groups, content analysis of media, statistical analysis of word associations, questionnaires and experiments. Finally, social representation theory is compared to theories of attitudes, schemata and social cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]