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IntroductionThe human capacity to engage with fictional worlds raises important psychological questions about the mechanisms that make this possible. Of particular interest is whether people respond differently to fictional stories compared to factual ones in terms of how immersed they become and how they view the characters involved and their actions. It has been suggested that fiction provides us with a ‘fictive pass’ that allows us to evaluate in a more balanced, detached way the morality of a character’s behaviour.MethodsWe use a randomised controlled experimental design to test this.Results and discussionWe show that, although knowing whether a substantial film clip is fact or fiction does not affect how engaged with (‘transported’ by) a troubling story an observer becomes, it does grant them a ‘fictive pass’ to empathise with a moral transgressor. However, a fictive pass does not override the capacity to judge the causes of a character’s moral transgression (at least as indexed by a causal attribution task).

The purpose of this research is to explore how individuals with high socioeconomic status (SES) perceive their personal engagement in addressing the issue of climate change. In doing so, this project aims to highlight the attitudes and experiences of individuals with high socioeconomic status and how they may regard their position to take action against climate change within the wider society. By means of an online qualitative survey, we intend to capture in-depth participant responses to direct attention to the attitudes of individuals who not only disproportionally contribute to the climate crisis, but who are also in a prime position in society to incite more long-term and meaningful change.

This study aims to explore vegans' perceptions of their dietary group. In particular, whether vegans hold certain beliefs about what omnivores think of them (ie: meta-stereotypes). This will be explored in relation to dietary identity and attitudes toward the out-group.