ABSTRACT
Despite research on intergroup relations showing that prejudice influences the effect of intergroup help on outgroup empathy, less is known about the interplay of prejudice and intergroup help on outgroup emotions, trust, and perceptions in postconflict societies, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, we examined whether outgroup prejudice moderates the effect of outgroup help with fighting COVID-19 on intergroup affect and intergroup perception. In two studies (Ntotal = 811), participants with low prejudice exhibited more negative intergroup emotions and perceptions (i.e., perceived outgroup dominance) and less outgroup trust when the outgroup's country (i.e., a former opponent) had supported their country in fighting the pandemic than when it had supported another country or when support had been exchanged between other countries. In addition, participants with high prejudice exhibited more negative intergroup emotions and perceptions and less outgroup trust in all experimental conditions and perceived outgroup dominance explained the observed effects for participants with low prejudice. This article discusses what these results imply for theory and practice concerning postconflict intergroup relations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement This research clarifies how people in postconflict societies react to receiving help from former opponents. In two studies, individuals with low prejudice had less trust and more negative emotions and perceptions regarding the outgroup after receiving outgroup help than in two control conditions. In addition, individuals with high prejudice had those same emotions, perceptions, and levels of trust whether the outgroup had offered help or not, which indicates their largely fixed negative views on the outgroup. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
The lockdown situation caused by COVID-19 has increased the use of social networks, which could, in turn, increase social networks addiction. This research consists of two integrated studies aimed at (1) developing and validating the Social Networks Motives Scale (SN-MotiveS) and (2) examining the relationships between the frequency of use of social networks and the motives for why individuals use social networks with social networks addiction, as well as the evolution of these variables over time before (through a retrospective assessment), during, and after lockdown. During lockdown, an online questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 482 participants (Study 1). After lockdown, 114 participants from Study 1 completed a second online questionnaire, forming a longitudinal study (Study 2). Study 1 showed a robust fit for the multifactorial structure of the SN-MotiveS with four factors (socialization, escapism, prosocial behavior, and self-presentation), supporting the external validity of the scale, and the expected correlation patterns were found with social networks frequency of use, abuse, and addiction. Study 2 showed that all the motives increased during lockdown except for self-presentation, whereas after lockdown only prosocial behavior and employment (added in Study 2) decreased significantly. Moreover, the self-presentation and escapism motives acted as mediators in the relationship between social networks frequency of use and social networks addiction. This research provides a reliable instrument to measure the motives for using social networks both during a pandemic and in normal times. In addition, it highlights the importance of paying special attention to escapism motives for predicting social networks addiction in periods of lockdown. [ FROM AUTHOR]
ABSTRACT
Despite research on intergroup relations showing that prejudice influences the effect of intergroup help on outgroup empathy, less is known about the interplay of prejudice and intergroup help on outgroup emotions, trust, and perceptions in postconflict societies, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, we examined whether outgroup prejudice moderates the effect of outgroup help with fighting COVID-19 on intergroup affect and intergroup perception. In two studies (N-total = 811), participants with low prejudice exhibited more negative intergroup emotions and perceptions (i.e., perceived outgroup dominance) and less outgroup trust when the outgroup' s country (i.e., a former opponent) had supported their country in fighting the pandemic than when it had supported another country or when support had been exchanged between other countries. In addition, participants with high prejudice exhibited more negative intergroup emotions and perceptions and less outgroup trust in all experimental conditions and perceived outgroup dominance explained the observed effects for participants with low prejudice. This article discusses what these results imply for theory and practice concerning postconflict intergroup relations.