This study (N = 313) aimed to investigates the influence of (moral) emotional frames in an online discussion on moralization and attitude polarization. It is hypothesized that anger and disgust...Show moreThis study (N = 313) aimed to investigates the influence of (moral) emotional frames in an online discussion on moralization and attitude polarization. It is hypothesized that anger and disgust frames result in more attitude polarization than neutral frames, while anxiety frames are hypothesized to do the opposite. Felt emotions and moralization are hypothesised to mediate the effect, because experiencing moral emotions should makes people moralize an issue, which in turn can cause attitude polarization. However, the results did not support the hypotheses, as the frames did not impact attitude polarization, neither by mediation through moralization and felt emotions.. However, when conveyed emotions were used instead of the frames, anger, disgust and even fear and anxiety predicted attitude polarization through mediation by moralization and felt emotions. The results also indicate that moralization predicts attitude polarization. The study provides opportunities for future research that are elaborated on in the discussion.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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As the negative consequences of debts are substantial, it is important that indebted people seek and accept help. However, people in debt are often reluctant to contact the creditor and identify...Show moreAs the negative consequences of debts are substantial, it is important that indebted people seek and accept help. However, people in debt are often reluctant to contact the creditor and identify shame as a barrier. Moreover, they experience a lack of acknowledgement when communicating with creditors. Given the human need for acknowledgement and the suggestion that acknowledgement can reduce shame, the current study examined the effect of acknowledgement on indebted people’s willingness to contact the creditor and explored the role of financial shame. To this end, 206 native English-speaking people with current or past debts completed an online experiment in which they read either a standard creditor letter or a creditor letter in which the creditor acknowledged the situation of the person in debt. Willingness to contact the creditor and financial shame did not differ between participants who read a creditor letter in which their situations were acknowledged and those whose read a standard creditor letter. However, higher financial shame was associated with lower willingness to contact. We conclude that acknowledging indebted people’s situations is not enough to increase their willingness to contact the creditor. Future research could test other ways to address and reduce the financial shame.Show less
Creating value is a fundamental skill during dyadic negotiations. Negotiators who ask themselves the question: ‘how can we expand the pie instead of sharing it’ reach better agreements. This...Show moreCreating value is a fundamental skill during dyadic negotiations. Negotiators who ask themselves the question: ‘how can we expand the pie instead of sharing it’ reach better agreements. This research was affected by the measurements resulting of COVID-19 and therefore partly executed the way it was intended. The experiment (N = 74) tested value creation amongst negotiations with unequal power distribution. Negotiators participated in a role playing game where they had to negotiate about four issues and had the possibility to add 3 more optional issues. The challenge to expand the pie for both players was found in the mandatory-optional paradigm, a payoff schedule specially designed for this research. Participants were divided into two benefit conditions (powerful could add more value or the powerless could add more value). Results were analyzed out of our two control conditions and showed that the powerful players reached higher outcomes than the powerless players and thus seemed better in adding more value. This however, was not found. The difference in adding more value to the agreement between the two players was not significant. Reasons, limitations and implications are discussed and suggestions for further research are proposed.Show less
Since the use of social media networks has strongly increased, people have the opportunity to easily discuss their opinions (Kim et al., 2013). Discussions on moral issues, such as abortion and...Show moreSince the use of social media networks has strongly increased, people have the opportunity to easily discuss their opinions (Kim et al., 2013). Discussions on moral issues, such as abortion and meat consumption, often take place online. In the current research (N = 310), the effect of moral emotional framing on attitude polarization was examined. It was predicted that moral emotional frames would lead to more attitude polarization compared to nonmoral frames and that this effect was mediated by moralization of the issue. Additionally, it was investigated whether a higher moral identity centrality would lead to a stronger effect of moral emotional frames on moralization. The results only partly supported these expectations. The results showed that the higher someone’s moral identity centrality, the stronger that person tends to moralize issues. Also, moralization was directly and positively related to attitude polarization. This study may serve as a solid basis for future research.Show less
