Holism and Causal Responsibility: The Role of Number and Valence of Event Consequences.

The present research examines the effect of holistic-analytic thinking style on causal responsibility. Across seven studies (N = 4,103), participants' thinking style was either measured or manipulated. Then, the valence or number of consequences varied in several scenarios involving a cause-consequence relationship. As a dependent measure, participants indicated the degree of responsibility attributed to the cause mentioned in each scenario. The results revealed that holistic (vs. analytic) participants assigned more responsibility to the cause when the consequences presented were a combination of positive and negative outcomes (vs. univalent), and when multiple (vs. single) consequences were triggered in the scenario. To explore the explanatory factor for these results, a final study manipulated the complexity of the consequences, along with the number. The results of this research suggested that holistic (vs. analytic) individuals consider the degree of complexity of consequences to establish causal attribution.

Individual differences in thinking style and dealing with contradiction: The mediating role of mixed emotions.

The present research examined how individuals' thinking style (holistic vs. analytic) is associated with the way they deal with contradictory information and whether experiencing mixed emotions can mediate this relationship. Participants first completed the thinking style measure and then were exposed to two contradictory pieces of information (Studies 1 and 2). In study 2, we also measured the experience of mixed emotions to test the mediating role of this variable. Across two studies, we found that individuals with a holistic thinking style were more able to reconcile contradictory information compared to individuals with an analytic thinking style. Study 2 showed that the relationship between thinking style and dealing with contradiction was mediated by the experience of mixed emotions. This research extends previous findings on confrontation of contradiction and mixed emotions by using an individual-differences rather than a cultural-differences approach, and establishes mixed emotions as a plausible mediating variable.

Promoting healthy eating by enhancing the correspondence between attitudes and behavioral intentions / Promocionando la alimentación saludable a través de la mejora en la relación entre actitudes e intenciones conductuales

BACKGROUND: Healthy eating campaigns are not always successful in changing food-related attitudes. Even when interventions produce the desired outcomes in attitudes, it is often challenging to translate those psychological changes into subsequent behaviors. Previous research has shown that elaboration (amount of thinking) is a critical construct for understanding the ability of attitudes to guide behavior. Instead of looking directly at objective elaboration, this study examined attitude-behavior correspondence as a function of subjective elaboration. METHOD: Participants were first randomly assigned to generate positive or negative arguments with regard to taxing junk food. After this experimental manipulation, participants reported their subjective elaboration (as an additional predictor), and their attitudes and behavioral intentions regarding the proposal (as dependent measures). RESULTS: As hypothesized, the results showed that the greater perceived elaboration, the larger the ability of attitudes to guide behavioral intentions. That is, attitudes were more predictive of behavioral intentions in participants with higher levels of perceived elaboration compared to those with relatively lower levels of subjective thinking. CONCLUSION: Health initiatives can benefit from considering the extent to which participants perceive thinking about persuasive proposals

ANTECEDENTES: las campañas que promocionan una alimentación saludable no siempre consiguen cambiar las actitudes de las personas. Incluso cuando se cambian las actitudes, a menudo esos cambios no se traducen en los correspondientes comportamientos saludables. La investigación llevada a cabo hasta este momento demuestra que la cantidad de elaboración sobre una propuesta persuasiva constituye un constructo esencial a la hora de entender la relación entre actitudes e intenciones conductuales. En la presente investigación se estudia el papel de la elaboración subjetiva en la relación entre actitudes e intenciones conductuales dentro del contexto de la evaluación de la comida saludable. MÉTODO: los participantes del estudio fueron asignados aleatoriamente a generar pensamientos positivos o negativos sobre la posibilidad de aumentar los impuestos a la comida basura. Después de esta manipulación experimental, se midió la elaboración subjetiva (predictor) y las actitudes e intenciones conductuales con respecto a la propuesta persuasiva (medidas dependientes). RESULTADOS: se encontró que cuanto mayor fue la elaboración percibida, mayor resultó la capacidad de las actitudes para guiar las intenciones conductuales. CONCLUSIÓN: las iniciativas de salud pueden beneficiarse de forma significativa al incluir una medida sencilla de la elaboración percibida

Promoting healthy eating by enhancing the correspondence between attitudes and behavioral intentions.

BACKGROUND: Healthy eating campaigns are not always successful in changing food-related attitudes. Even when interventions produce the desired outcomes in attitudes, it is often challenging to translate those psychological changes into subsequent behaviors. Previous research has shown that elaboration (amount of thinking) is a critical construct for understanding the ability of attitudes to guide behavior. Instead of looking directly at objective elaboration, this study examined attitude-behavior correspondence as a function of subjective elaboration. METHOD: Participants were first randomly assigned to generate positive or negative arguments with regard to taxing junk food. After this experimental manipulation, participants reported their subjective elaboration (as an additional predictor), and their attitudes and behavioral intentions regarding the proposal (as dependent measures). RESULTS: As hypothesized, the results showed that the greater perceived elaboration, the larger the ability of attitudes to guide behavioral intentions. That is, attitudes were more predictive of behavioral intentions in participants with higher levels of perceived elaboration compared to those with relatively lower levels of subjective thinking. CONCLUSION: Health initiatives can benefit from considering the extent to which participants perceive thinking about persuasive proposals.

Post-traumatic cognitions and quality of life in terrorism victims: the role of well-being in indirect versus direct exposure.

BACKGROUND: The effect of indirect (versus direct) exposure to a traumatic event on the quality of life of terrorist attack victims has received considerable attention in the literature. However, more research is required to examine whether the symptoms and underlying processes caused by both types of exposure are equivalent. Our main hypothesis is that well-being plays a different role depending on indirect vs. direct trauma exposure. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, eighty direct victims of 11-M terrorist attacks (people who were traveling in trains where bombs were placed) and two-hundred indirect victims (individuals highly exposed to the 11-M terrorist attacks through communications media) voluntarily participated without compensation. To test our hypothesis regarding the mediating role of indirect exposure, we conducted a biased corrected bootstrapping procedure. To test our hypothesis regarding the moderating role of direct exposure, data were subjected to a hierarchical regression analysis. RESULTS: As predicted, for indirect trauma exposure, well-being mediated the relationship between post-traumatic dysfunctional cognitions and trauma symptoms. However, for direct trauma exposure, well-being moderated the relationship between post-traumatic dysfunctional cognitions and trauma symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study indicate that the different role of well-being found between indirect (causal factor) and direct exposure (protective factor) should be taken into consideration in interventions designed to improve victims' health.

The evaluation of green companies changes after remembering tip of the tongue experiences / La evaluación de empresas verdes cambia a partir del recuerdo de experiencias de la punta de la lengua

Background: This research explores the extent to which attitudes towards an environmentally-friendly topic (a green company) are affected by a "tip of the tongue" (TOT) experience. Method: In this experiment, participants were first exposed to a description of a green company that elicited mostly positive or negative thoughts. As part of an apparently unrelated study, participants were then asked to describe an experience of TOT that either was or was not successfully resolved. The recalling task was independent from the thoughts about the company. Finally, participants reported their attitudes toward the green company for which they initially listed thoughts. Results: Participants who recalled resolving a TOT experience relied on their thoughts about the initial (unrelated) green company more in forming their evaluations than did participants who recalled an unresolved TOT experience. Conclusion: Attitudes can be affected by thinking about an unrelated past meta-cognitive experience (AU)

Antecedentes: la presente investigación explora en qué medida las actitudes hacia un tema relativo al medioambiente (una empresa verde) están afectadas por el recuerdo de una experiencia pasada del fenómeno de la "punta de la lengua" (tip of the tongue; TOT). Método: los participantes leyeron una descripción de una empresa ecológica diseñada para producir pensamientos positivos o pensamientos negativos hacia la misma. A continuación se pidió a los participantes que pensaran sobre situaciones pasadas en las que habían experimentado una experiencia de TOT que fueron capaces de resolver resuelta o que no pudieron resolver. Finalmente, todos los participantes indicaron sus actitudes hacia la empresa verde sobre la que habían listado pensamientos inicialmente. Resultados: los participantes que recordaron haber resuelto la experiencia pasada de TOT usaron más los pensamientos que tenían en ese momento hacia la empresa comparado con aquellos que recordaron una experiencia TOT que no fueron capaces de resolver. Conclusión: las actitudes pueden variar en función del recuerdo de experiencias meta-cognitivas pasadas, aunque sean sobre temas no relacionados (AU)

The evaluation of green companies changes after remembering tip of the tongue experiences.

BACKGROUND: This research explores the extent to which attitudes towards an environmentally-friendly topic (a green company) are affected by a “tip of the tongue” (TOT) experience. METHOD: In this experiment, participants were first exposed to a description of a green company that elicited mostly positive or negative thoughts. As part of an apparently unrelated study, participants were then asked to describe an experience of TOT that either was or was not successfully resolved. The recalling task was independent from the thoughts about the company. Finally, participants reported their attitudes toward the green company for which they initially listed thoughts. RESULTS: Participants who recalled resolving a TOT experience relied on their thoughts about the initial (unrelated) green company more in forming their evaluations than did participants who recalled an unresolved TOT experience. CONCLUSION: Attitudes can be affected by thinking about an unrelated past meta-cognitive experience.

Feelings of ease and attitudes toward healthy foods.

BACKGROUND: The successful impact of health campaigns often depends on the extent to which interventions are effective in changing attitudes. The goal of the present research was to examine to what extent the ease adolescents experience in generating thoughts can influence persuasion in the domain of a health-relevant topic. METHOD: Participants were asked to generate either positive or negative thoughts about the Mediterranean diet. The spontaneous feeling of ease with which participants generated those thoughts was assessed for each participant. The impact of these two independent variables on attitudes toward the Mediterranean diet was examined. RESULTS: Participants who reported relatively higher (vs. lower) subjective ease experiences in the thought-listing task showed a greater effect of thought direction on attitudes toward the diet. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the importance of considering not only the thoughts people have with regard to health but also the subjective experiences and metacognitive feelings associated with those thoughts.

Feelings of ease and attitudes toward healthy food / Experiencia de facilidad y actitudes hacia la alimentación saludable

BACKGROUND: The successful impact of health campaigns often depends on the extent to which interventions are effective in changing attitudes. The goal of the present research was to examine to what extent the ease adolescents experience in generating thoughts can influence persuasion in the domain of a health-relevant topic. METHOD: Participants were asked to generate either positive or negative thoughts about the Mediterranean diet. The spontaneous feeling of ease with which participants generated those thoughts was assessed for each participant. The impact of these two independent variables on attitudes toward the Mediterranean diet was examined. RESULTS: Participants who reported relatively higher (vs. lower) subjective ease experiences in the thought-listing task showed a greater effect of thought direction on attitudes toward the diet. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the importance of considering not only the thoughts people have with regard to health but also the subjective experiences and metacognitive feelings associated with those thoughts

ANTECEDENTES: el éxito de las campañas sobre salud depende en parte del grado en que son efectivas cambiando las actitudes de las personas. El objetivo del presente estudio fue examinar en qué medida la facilidad con la que los adolescentes generan sus pensamientos puede influir sobre la persuasión en el dominio de las campañas de promoción de hábitos saludables. MÉTODO: se pidió a los participantes que generaran argumentos positivos o negativos acerca de la dieta mediterránea. Se midió la facilidad con la que los participantes percibieron generar esos pensamientos. El impacto de estas dos variables independientes fue examinado en relación con sus actitudes hacia la dieta mediterránea. RESULTADOS: los participantes que informaron una mayor (vs. menor) facilidad subjetiva a la hora de generar los pensamientos mostraron un mayor efecto de la dirección de los mismos sobre las actitudes hacia la dieta. CONCLUSIONES: este estudio muestra la importancia de considerar no solo los pensamientos que las personas generan en relación con la salud, sino también las experiencias meta-cognitivas asociadas a esos pensamientos

El efecto de la responsabilidad organizacional sobre las actitudes hacia la contratación de personas con discapacidad / The Effect of Organizational Responsibility in Attitudes toward Hiring Individuals with Disadvantages

La presente investigación estudia el cambio de actitudes en el contexto laboral hacia la contratación de personas con discapacidad. Fueron seleccionados aleatoriamente 80 trabajadores de distintas empresas para participar de forma voluntaria y anónima en esta investigación. Se examinó el efecto de la responsabilidad organizacional de los participantes sobre el procesamiento de mensajes persuasivos y las actitudes hacia la incorporación de trabajadores de este colectivo minoritario. Mediante un análisis de varianza, se encontró que los participantes que informaron tener (vs. no tener) responsabilidad sobre otras personas en sus empresas discriminaron en mayor medida entre los argumentos fuertes y débiles de la propuesta persuasiva. En línea con la investigación previa sobre responsabilidad personal y persuasión, estos resultados sugieren que la responsabilidad organizacional influye sobre la cantidad de procesamiento o sobre la validez de los pensamientos generados en respuesta a la propuesta.

The present research studies how to promote attitudes toward hiring more people with disabilities in the job market. Eighty workers of different companies were selected randomly to take part voluntarily and anonymously in this study. We examined the effect of organizational responsibility on the processing of persuasive messages and attitudes toward incorporating more workers pertaining to this minority group. By means of an analysis of variance, we found that the participants who reported to have (vs. not to have) responsibility over other employees in their organizations were more likely to discriminate between the strong and weak arguments of the persuasive proposal. In line with previous research on personal responsibility and persuasion, these results suggest that organizational responsibility can influence the amount of processing or the perceived validity of the thoughts generated in response to the proposal.

Cambio de actitudes hacia la diversidad afectivo-sexual: la reducción del intento persuasivo / Mudança de atitudes ante a diversidade afetiva-sexual: a redução da percepção da tentativa persuasiva / Attitudes change with respect to sexual-affective diversity: Reduction of the perception of persuasive intent

El objetivo del estudio fue examinar si el impacto conjunto de los paradigmas de auto-persuasión y de cambio indirecto sobre el cambio de las actitudes hacia la diversidad sexual es mayor que cuando se emplea el de auto-persuasión por separado. Los resultados mostraron que los participantes que generaban argumentos en contra de una determinada propuesta presentaron un mayor cambio de actitud, aunque su objetivo no era convencerse a sí mismos sino a otros. Este cambio fue mayor para aquellos que habían generado argumentos de acuerdo con el paradigma de cambio indirecto. Por último, se discute la importancia que pueden tener estos paradigmas en el deterioro de las actitudes hacia la diversidad sexual...

The objective of the study was to analyze whether the joint impact of the paradigms of self-persuasion and indirect change on attitude changes with respect to sexual diversity was greater than when the self-persuasion paradigm is used alone. The results showed that participants who argued against a certain proposal showed greater attitude changes, though their objective was not to convince themselves but others. This change was greater for those who had argued according to the indirect change paradigm. Finally, the study discusses the importance that these paradigms can have in the deterioration of attitudes toward sexual diversity...

O objetivo do estudo foi examinar se o impacto conjunto dos paradigmas de autopersuasão e de mudança indireta sobre a mudança das atitudes ante a diversidade sexual é maior que quando se emprega o de autopersuasão separadamente. Os resultados mostraram que os participantes que geravam argumentos contra uma determinada proposta apresentaram uma maior mudança de atitude, embora seu objetivo não tivesse sido convencerem-se a si mesmos, mas sim a outros. Essa mudança foi maior para aqueles que tinham gerado argumentos de acordo com o paradigma de mudança indireta. Por último, discute-se a importância que podem ter esses paradigmas na deterioração das atitudes ante a diversidade sexual...