Priming congruence and COVID-19 vaccination intention: a mediation analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study took place at the height of the fifth wave of COVID-19 in France, coinciding with stigmatizing communication toward the unvaccinated. We hypothesized that adherence to this communication would facilitate or inhibit the effects of priming on vaccination intention, depending on whether the priming included a dimension of connection to others. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: In a convenience online French sample (N = 1800, M age = 26.30), vaccination intention was asked after love priming, no love/prejudice priming, materialism priming, or a control condition. Participants also reported their adherence to restrictive measures, i.e., media control, vaccination pass, and mandatory vaccination. RESULTS: Vaccination intention was higher in the no love/prejudice and materialism conditions than in the love and control conditions. Adherence to restrictive measures mediated the effect of prejudice or materialism priming on intention to get vaccinated. CONCLUSIONS: Implications of these results are discussed in light of the socially situated cognition perspective and the congruence of (a) a societal context of communication toward the vaccine and the unvaccinated, (b) the participant's degree of adherence to that communication, (c) the theme of priming, whether or not related to feeling connected to others. Implications of materialism priming are discussed, and the effect of commitment on intention to get vaccinated.

Being vaccinated for love or despite fear of vaccination? The influence of priming on vaccination intention among young French people.

BACKGROUND: In France, despite fear-based communication by the authorities and the media, vaccination against COVID-19 has received little support from the population. For a young population often convinced that severe forms of the disease affect older people, we hypothesized that communication based on the idea of love would be more effective than communication based on fear of vaccination. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: In a convenience online French sample (N = 480, Mage = 19.4), vaccination intention was asked after fear priming, love priming, no love/prejudice priming, or a control condition. Participants also reported their fear of vaccination against COVID-19, and the recommendation they would make regarding vaccination of a loved/unloved person. RESULTS: Vaccination intention was higher in the love condition than in the fear and no love/prejudice conditions. Surprisingly, fear of vaccination was lower in participants who were presented with fear-inducing questions. CONCLUSIONS: Implications of these results are discussed in relation to the fear of vaccination and the transpersonal value of the idea of love. The results suggest that COVID-19 is experienced as a threat both to oneself and to those one loves most. Therefore, calls for fear in the media and on social networks seem less likely to motivate a young population to vaccinate than the reminder of intense emotional ties to loved ones.

Retraction Note to: High Heels Increase Women's Attractiveness.

Retraction Note to Arch Sex Behav.

Door-in-the-Face and But-You-Are-Free: Testing the Effect of Combining Two No-Pressure Compliance Paradigms.

According to Howard's proposal of chaining compliance techniques and based on the proximity of interpretation of their effects, this study aimed to test a combination of two paradigms: a door-in-the-face request that makes a high-cost request before the target request and the but-you-are-free request that adds an evocation of freedom to the request. Two experiments were conducted (N = 120 and 1,292) to promote donations to non-profit organizations. There were four conditions. Participants were approached according to the door-in-the-face procedure, to the but-you-are-free procedure, to a combination of both of them, or directly in a control condition. There was an increase of compliance rates in experimental conditions compared to the control condition and an increase in the average amount donated in the combination condition compared to the control condition in the second study. Results are discussed in terms of responsibility and guilt mechanisms, and future developments are proposed.

Effects of Active Listening, Reformulation, and Imitation on Mediator Success: Preliminary Results.

An experiment with 212 students (100 men, 112 women; M age = 18.3 years, SD = 0.9) was carried out to compare the effect of four techniques used by mediators on the number of agreements contracted by negotiators. Under experimental conditions, mediators were asked either to rephrase (reformulate) negotiators' words or to imitate them or to show active listening behavior, or finally, to use a free technique. More agreements were reached in the active listening condition than in both free and rephrase conditions. Furthermore, mediators in the active listening condition were perceived, by the negotiators, as more efficient than mediators using other techniques, although there was no significant difference observed between the active listening and imitation conditions.

A pedestrian's smile and drivers' behavior: When a smile increases careful driving.

INTRODUCTION: Research has reported that smiles facilitate social relationships. However, the effect of a smile on driving behavior has received less interest. METHOD: This study attempts to evaluate how a pedestrian's smile influences an oncoming driver's behavior. In the first part of our study, male and female research assistants waiting at several pedestrian crossings were asked to smile or not at oncoming drivers. RESULTS: It was found that a smile increases the number of drivers who stop. The same effect was observed when the pedestrian tries to cross outside the pedestrian crossing. Finally, this study shows that motorists drive slower after they see a pedestrian smile, suggesting that a smile can induce a positive mood. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This leads to motorists stopping more readily and driving more carefully. These results also suggest that pedestrians may increase their own safety by using appropriate nonverbal signals toward drivers.

The effect of the two feet-in-the-door technique on tobacco deprivation.

The 'Foot-in-the-door' (FITD) is a well-known compliance technique that increases compliance with a request. Many investigations on this paradigm have generally used prosocial requests to test the effect of the technique. A new evaluation of the effect of the FITD technique was carried out on tobacco deprivation. A two feet-in-the-door technique in which the target request was preceded by two small target requests was used to encourage students to stop smoking for 24 h. The results were compared with two single foot-in-the- door procedures in which the final request was only preceded by one small request, as well as with a control condition using only a 24 h stop-smoking request. Results showed that the single FITD and the two feet-in-the-door procedures were effective to increase verbal compliance (accepting to stop smoking) but only the two feet-in-the-door technique significantly increased behavioural compliance (not smoking for 24 h) with the request.

Promising reciprocity: When proposing a favor for a request increases compliance even if the favor is not accepted.

Research has reported that reciprocity is an important social norm in relationships. In previous studies on reciprocity, participants' behavior was examined after receiving a favor from someone. In a series of field studies, we examined the effect of a statement that proved that a solicitor was someone who respected this principle. Confederates solicited participants for money or a cigarette in exchange for stamps or money, respectively. It was found that the participants complied more readily with the request in the promised favor condition, but most of them refused to take the promised favor. We conclude that individuals were led to help those who respected the putative norm of reciprocity in their social interaction.

Women's hairstyle and men's behavior: A field experiment.

Little research has examined the effect of women's hairstyles on people's behavior. In a field study, male and female passersby, walking alone in the street, were observed while walking behind a female-confederate who dropped a glove and apparently was unaware of her loss. The confederate had long dark hair arranged in three different hairstyles: one with her hair falling naturally on her shoulders and her back, one with her hair tied in a ponytail, and one with her hair twisted in a bun. Results reported that the hairstyle had no effect on female passersby's helping behavior. However, it was found that the hairstyle influenced male passersby with men helping the confederate more readily when her hair fell naturally on her neck, shoulders and upper back.

Helping With All Your Heart: Realistic Heart Stimulus and Compliance With an Organ Donation Request.

Pictures and images are important aspects in fundraising advertising and could generate more donations. In two experimental studies, we examined the effect of various pictures of hearts on compliance with a request for organ donations. The solicitor wore a white tee shirt where various forms of hearts were printed: symbolic versus realistic (first experiment), none versus symbolic versus realistic (second experiment). Results showed that more compliance was found in the realistic heart experimental condition whereas the symbolic heart form had no significant effect.

EFFECT OF SOLICITOR'S SUNTANNED FACE ON COMPLIANCE WITH A FACE-TO-FACE HELPING REQUEST: A BRIEF EXAMINATION IN A FIELD SETTING.

Psychologists have investigated why people want to have a tanned skin and how to prevent people's exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation. However, the effect of suntan on social behavior has not been investigated. In this experiment, conducted in France, a female confederate wearing, or not wearing, a self-tanning cream on her face asked 104 male and 111 female passersby (approximate ages 30 to 60 yr.) to participate in a survey. It was found that more passersby agreed with the request when the interviewer had a suntanned face (52%) than in the control condition (39%). Theoretical and practical interests are discussed.

THE EFFECT OF THE "EVOKING FREEDOM" TECHNIQUE ON AN UNUSUAL AND DISTURBING REQUEST.

The "evoking freedom" technique consists in soliciting someone to comply with a request by simply saying that she is free to accept or to refuse the request. However, previous studies used low cost requests. The present study examined the magnitude of this technique associated with a more disturbing and costly request. Sixty men and 60 women aged approximately 20-25 years walking in the street were asked by a male confederate to hold a closed transparent box containing a live trap-door spider while he went into the post office to pick up a package. In the evoking freedom condition, the confederate added in his request that the participant was "free to accept or to refuse." More compliance occurred in the "evoking freedom" condition (53.3%) than in the control condition (36.7%). These results confirm the robustness and the magnitude of the evoking freedom technique on compliance and show that this technique remained effective even when the request was psychologically costly to perform and was associated with fear.

When Legitimizing a Request Increases Compliance: The Legitimizing Object Technique.

Earlier research reported that using pictures in a fundraising request increases donations by legitimizing the solicitation. The present study tested the effectiveness of a solicitation for money made in the street when an object that legitimated the request was present or not. Male confederates asked passersby for money to buy a stamp while either holding or not holding an envelope in one hand. With a high effect-size, it was reported that the presence of the envelope increased compliance with the request. The legitimation of the request associated with the presence of the envelope is used to explain the results.

Places for help: micro-level variation in helping behavior toward a stranger.

A field experiment was conducted to explore whether certain urban places have an influence on helpfulness. Places semantically associated with the idea of love may act as primes and trigger increased helpfulness. Passersby (96 men, 96 women) happened upon a female confederate with a "leg injury" who inadvertently dropped personal items. The experiment took place in a common street or near a hospital entrance, a Catholic church, or a flower shop. Results indicated that helpfulness increased near a hospital or flower shop. These results are explained in light of automatic activation of normative behavior.

High Heels Increase Women's Attractiveness.

Research has found that the appearance of women's apparel helps increase their attractiveness as rated by men and that men care more about physical features in potential opposite-sex mates. However, the effect of sartorial appearance has received little interest from scientists. In a series of studies, the length of women's shoe heels was examined. A woman confederate wearing black shoes with 0, 5, or 9 cm heels asked men for help in various circumstances. In Study 1, she asked men to respond to a short survey on gender equality. In Study 2, the confederate asked men and women to participate in a survey on local food habit consumption. In Study 3, men and women in the street were observed while walking in back of the female confederate who dropped a glove apparently unaware of her loss. It was found that men's helping behavior increased as soon as heel length increased. However, heel length had no effect on women's helping behavior. It was also found that men spontaneously approached women more quickly when they wore high-heeled shoes (Study 4). Change in gait, foot-size judgment, and misattribution of sexiness and sexual intent were used as possible explanations.

The lure technique: replication and refinement in a field setting.

Many techniques designed to gain compliance to a request are presented in the social psychological literature. However, the lure technique has received little attention from scientists. This technique, also called bait-and-switch, is used to influence people's choices and involves three stages: (1) individuals are led to make a rewarding decision to carry out a given behavior; (2) they are informed of the impossibility of carrying out this behavior; (3) a new but less rewarding decision is proposed. Only one formal study has been published on this technique, which failed to control two key methodological factors: the status of the participants and the solicitor, and the delay between the initial decision and the target request. These two factors were controlled in this study. Outside a French campus, 40 female students in the 18-22 age range were solicited by a student to participate in a pleasant experiment for which they would be remunerated. One minute after accepting, they were informed that the number of participants was reached, and they were no longer needed. The solicitor then proposed a different task that was less interesting and not remunerated. Greater compliance with the final request was found in the lure condition (70%) than in the control condition (35%) in which the final request was addressed immediately. The results confirm the effectiveness of the lure technique to increase compliance and show that its effectiveness is not dependent on the solicitor's status.

Inducing the concept of love among men and their compliance to a donation request for an association against domestic violence toward women.

Previous research found that exposition to the concept of love appeared effective to increase men's helping behavior toward women. However, only direct solicitation was examined. In this study, 40 men were first induced with the idea of love with the help of a dummy survey about love and romantic behavior, and one minute later they were asked to help an association against domestic violence toward women. In the control condition, 40 men were induced using a neutral dummy survey on odd jobs. More men (35.7%) donated to the association in the love-inducing condition than in the control condition (17.5%). No statistical difference was found in the amount of money left in the two conditions: 1.40€ in the love-inducing condition and 1.12€ in the control condition. The results suggest that the love-inducing method does not only activate motivation for romantic relationships with women but also influences men's concerns about a women's cause.

Door-in-the-face technique and delay to fulfill the final request: an evaluation with a request to give blood.

We tested the Door-in-the-Face technique (DITF) on blood donation with a delay between the acceptance of the request and the real possibility of complying with it. University students were solicited to give blood during a special one-day drive. After the refusal to participate in a long-term donor program, participants were asked for a one unit blood donation. In the control condition, only the latter request was addressed. The participants were either solicited two or three hours before the blood drive (delay) or during the blood drive (no delay). Results showed the DITF technique to be associated with greater verbal compliance with the request. However, the DITF technique with no delay was associated with greater behavioral compliance than were both of the control conditions and the DITF with a delay condition.

Commitment and the responsive bystander: a field evaluation with a less problematic request.

Prior research on the effect of commitment on bystander intervention has focused on situations involving crime (e.g., robbery). However, the effect of commitment on less problematic situations has never been examined. In this field study, a female confederate asked (commitment condition) or did not ask (no-commitment condition) a customer to keep an eye on her grocery cart on the pretext that she had forgotten something in the store. Several seconds later, a male confederate arrived behind the first confederate's cart and began to move it in order to take her place. It was found that participants (N = 40) intervened to stop the second confederate more frequently in the commitment condition. The results support the assumption that bystander commitment influences behavior even in a non-crime situation.

Effect of hair ornamentation on helping.

Previous research has found that restaurant waitresses wearing flowers in their hair received higher tips. Here, the effect of hair ornamentation on responses to an explicit request for help was assessed. Two female confederates wearing a barrette with or without a flower asked 240 passersby (120 men, 120 women; apparently 30 to 40 years of age) in the street for bus fare change. The uccess rate was 76.7% when they wore the ornamentation and only 50.8% without the ornamentation. Both men and women more readily helped those with the hair ornamentation.