In order to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change (e.g. increase in the global average temperature), it is important to transition to renewable energy sources, such as onshore wind energy...Show moreIn order to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change (e.g. increase in the global average temperature), it is important to transition to renewable energy sources, such as onshore wind energy, that contribute to the reduction of one of the main cause of climate change, namely global CO2 emissions. The successful implementation of wind farms largely depends on the community acceptance of the wind project. Previous studies have shown that providing citizens with a voice opportunity results in higher levels of wind farms project acceptance via increase in the perception of fair decision making and trust in the project developer. The current study was conducted on a sample of UK citizens (N = 450). It used an experimental scenario to replicate these findings and additionally to examine whether the effects of voice opportunity on project acceptance depend on expectations regarding receiving voice opportunity. We manipulated voice expectations and voice opportunity, and found support that voice opportunity has positive effects on community acceptance of wind farm projects. Additionally, we found support for our prediction that these effects are mediated by perceived procedural fairness and trust in the project developer. We did not find support about the moderating role of voice expectations on the effects of voice opportunity on project acceptance. We discussed the implications of these findings for research and practice.Show less
In an educational setting, every individual may not have equal access to opportunities (such as educational or financial resources) or outcomes (such as grades or evaluations), which could create a...Show moreIn an educational setting, every individual may not have equal access to opportunities (such as educational or financial resources) or outcomes (such as grades or evaluations), which could create a sense of inequality in the individual. Individuals may then attribute these inequalities to their personal efforts and abilities or to their circumstances. Past studies have focused on associations between inequalities (such as social or gender inequality) and educational aspirations (e.g., Guyon & Huillery, 2017; Chen et al., 2022). The present study assesses the main effects of perceived inequality and the attribution of outcomes to internal or external factors (also known as locus of control) on educational aspirations. The study also assesses whether the academic locus of control significantly moderates the impact of perceived inequality on educational aspirations. Utilizing a 1 (continuous measure of academic locus of control) x 3 (inequality: control vs. perception of inequality of outcome vs perception of inequality of opportunity) study design, participants’ aspiration scores were assessed. The participants included N= 190 students enrolled in an undergraduate program. The results from a moderated multiple regression analysis indicated that perceived inequality did not significantly affect educational aspirations. Academic locus of control significantly positively affected aspirations. Academic locus of control also has a significant moderating effect on the impact of inequality. Specifically simple effects analysis indicated that perceived inequality has a significant positive effect on educational aspirations when there is an external locus of control. The study provides an understanding that inequality in an educational context may not impact every individual in the same manner and may differ according to specific factors (such as locus of control).Show less
Many problems in the world are social dilemmas wherein uncertainty whether collective efforts are effective is a threat to cooperation. This experiment investigates whether productivity uncertainty...Show moreMany problems in the world are social dilemmas wherein uncertainty whether collective efforts are effective is a threat to cooperation. This experiment investigates whether productivity uncertainty undermines cooperation because people who distrust institutions and are overconfident estimate a public good to be unproductive. We did this by presenting people with two public good games. Productivity uncertainty was manipulated by telling respondents in one of the games that all contributions could be wasted. Although the results show that productivity uncertainty undermines cooperation, no support was found for the before mentioned underlying mechanisms. Future research with different methodology could encounter other results.Show less
A negotiation between two parties can result in different outcomes, leading to either integrative or distributive outcomes. What’s more, individual aspects such as emotions and personality...Show moreA negotiation between two parties can result in different outcomes, leading to either integrative or distributive outcomes. What’s more, individual aspects such as emotions and personality characteristics can determine one’s negotiation style. In this study, dyads were divided into three conditions and took part in a negotiation task to measure whether the timing of introducing new issues influence the integrative outcomes. Emotions as measured by the PANAS-SF, and personality characteristics as measured by the Big Five Personality Trait Test tested the influence of these variables on the individual outcome. No effect of the order on the integrative outcome was found, and emotions and personality characteristics did not seem to influence the individual outcome. Future research could explore the role of being acquainted with the other negotiator and time pressure on the negotiation outcomes.Show less
Gender differences in negotiation behaviours have been widely studied, yet results on the impact of gender on negotiation outcomes remain inconclusive. This thesis investigates the effects of...Show moreGender differences in negotiation behaviours have been widely studied, yet results on the impact of gender on negotiation outcomes remain inconclusive. This thesis investigates the effects of social motives, supervisor gender, and negotiation context on the negotiation behaviours of female negotiators. We propose that alignment among these factors enhances negotiation performance and amplifies gender-stereotypical behaviours. Contrary to expectations, the gender of the experimenter did not significantly influence negotiation behaviours directly; instead, it moderated the effects of social motives on concession patterns. Our findings also reveal that when supervised by a female experimenter under pro-social motives, women place a greater emphasis on maintaining relationships compared to when under male supervision. Additionally, women were less likely to actively engage in negotiations when supervised by men compared to women. These results indicate that gender stereotypes and social expectations significantly influence negotiation behaviours, and contextual factors critically mediate these effects.Show less
The lack of contact between a debtor and creditor has been identified as a big problem in overcoming financial stress and debt. This study aimed to investigate whether inducing control results in...Show moreThe lack of contact between a debtor and creditor has been identified as a big problem in overcoming financial stress and debt. This study aimed to investigate whether inducing control results in greater willingness to contact creditors. Furthermore, financial self-efficacy was investigated as a moderator of this relationship. A total of 134 participants were assigned to either an induced control group or a baseline group. The participants were asked to recall a negative financial experience and were then presented with a fictional letter from an imaginary creditor, urging them to contact the creditor as soon as possible. The creditor letter was left unchanged from a standard creditor letter in the baseline group, while in the control group, the letter offered two possibilities to help repay outstanding debt. After reading the letter, participants were asked if they would be willing to contact the creditor. The study found that there was a significant difference in the participants' willingness to contact creditors. However, financial self-efficacy was not found to be a significant moderator. The present study provides additional support to previous findings that increasing perceived control led to a higher willingness to contact in the context of financial hardship.Show less
The present study experimentally investigated how perceptions of educational inequality impact students' aspirations and the moderating role of locus of control in the relationship between the two....Show moreThe present study experimentally investigated how perceptions of educational inequality impact students' aspirations and the moderating role of locus of control in the relationship between the two. Drawing on prior research, we hypothesised that educational aspirations would be negatively affected by educational inequality of both outcomes and opportunities, whereas it would be positively influenced by internal locus of control. Moreover, we expected locus of control to play a moderating role in the relationship between perceived inequality and aspirations, mitigating the adverse impact of inequality on the latter. Finally, based on previous findings, we expected the impact of perceived inequality of opportunities on aspirations to be comparatively weaker for students with internal academic locus of control when contrasted with perceived inequality of outcomes. A sample of 190 U.S. college students were randomly assigned to watch one of three educational inequality manipulation videos (i.e. opportunities, outcomes, and control). They were then given a questionnaire which assessed their perceptions of inequality, their academic locus of control and their educational aspirations. Only one of our hypotheses was supported by our results. While our findings align with existing evidence that internal locus of control positively affects educational aspirations, there was no main effect of perceived inequality on students’ goals. Notably, our study suggests that higher perceptions of inequality may have motivating effects, which, however, appear exclusive to students with an external locus of control. Given these unexpected findings, further research is warranted for a deeper understanding of the psychological dynamics behind students’ goal-setting processes.Show less
The lack of contact between a debtor and creditor has been identified as a big problem in overcoming financial stress and debt. This study aimed to investigate whether inducing control results in...Show moreThe lack of contact between a debtor and creditor has been identified as a big problem in overcoming financial stress and debt. This study aimed to investigate whether inducing control results in greater willingness to contact creditors. Furthermore, financial self-efficacy was investigated as a moderator of this relationship. A total of 134 participants were assigned to either an induced control group or a baseline group. The participants were asked to recall a negative financial experience and were then presented with a fictional letter from an imaginary creditor, urging them to contact the creditor as soon as possible. The creditor letter was left unchanged from a standard creditor letter in the baseline group, while in the control group, the letter offered two possibilities to help repay outstanding debt. After reading the letter, participants were asked if they would be willing to contact the creditor. The study found that there was a significant difference in the participants' willingness to contact creditors. However, financial self-efficacy was not found to be a significant moderator. The present study provides additional support to previous findings that increasing perceived control led to a higher willingness to contact in the context of financial hardship.Show less
As urbanization rises, increasing studies have been focusing on the restorative effects of nature and the benefits nature has on physical health and well-being. Exposure to nature is interlinked...Show moreAs urbanization rises, increasing studies have been focusing on the restorative effects of nature and the benefits nature has on physical health and well-being. Exposure to nature is interlinked with prosocial tendencies such as helping behaviour and generosity. However, little is known about the relationship between nature and other prosocial behaviour. The current research studied the link between exposure to nature and social mindfulness, a specific and effortless form of prosocial behaviour. Additionally, we tested how restoration and dispositional awe relate to it. We hypothesized that a walk in nature would make people more socially mindful. Our sample (N=16) did not show a significant difference. We expected restoration and dispositional awe to relate positively with social mindfulness after the walk. A marginal effect was found that restoration increased social mindfulness. No evidence was found that dispositional awe affected the relationship between nature and social mindfulness. Findings and limitations are discussed.Show less
Disadvantaged groups can use collective action to improve their conditions. The present research targets the motivation to participate in collective action among individuals with a migration...Show moreDisadvantaged groups can use collective action to improve their conditions. The present research targets the motivation to participate in collective action among individuals with a migration background and how this is influenced by the presence of a social norm of equality and by an individualistic or collectivistic cultural background. This study had an experimental factorial 2x2 design and participants were Dutch residents with a migration background (N = 297). I predicted that the presence of an ingroup social norm of equality would increase the collective action intentions and that this effect would be stronger among people with a collectivistic cultural background than among those with an individualistic cultural background. I did not find evidence for the first hypothesis that an ingroup norm of equality (vs. control) increases the collective action intentions of people with a migration background. Furthermore, I did not find evidence that an individualistic or collectivistic culture of the country of origin of the parent would strengthen the collective action intentions. The findings, their implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
closed access
The present research investigated the association between Machiavellianism and different behavioural responses in a novel economic game. The main purpose of the research was to reveal the patterns...Show moreThe present research investigated the association between Machiavellianism and different behavioural responses in a novel economic game. The main purpose of the research was to reveal the patterns of behaviours associated with the Machiavellian personality in a setting in which acting in a cooperative and competitive manner are both feasible options.The results of the research suggest that there is a negative association between Machiavellianism and cooperation. Individuals with higher level of Machiavellianism tended to invest more resources to competition, relative to cooperation. No association was found between Machiavellianism and choosing peace in the economic game. Lastly, performance in the game could, also, not be predicted by one’s Machiavellian inclinations. We can conclude that, even when given the possibility to compete and cooperate at the same time, Machiavellians still tend to exhibit a higher propensity towards non-cooperative responses and a slightly higher propensity towards competitive behaviours compared to low Machiavellians.Show less
The social dilemma called the anticommons dilemma represents a context in which a scarce resource has multiple owners who can exclude one another from harvesting from that resource. Not much...Show moreThe social dilemma called the anticommons dilemma represents a context in which a scarce resource has multiple owners who can exclude one another from harvesting from that resource. Not much attention has been paid to factors that lead to non-cooperative decisions in this context. Consequently, the present study investigates how the salience of collective consequences (externalities awareness) influences (non-)cooperative choice behavior in people differing in social value orientations (SVO). After SVO was measured and one of the two externalities awareness conditions was presented, the participants (N = 168) had to indicate a minimum price to give a co-owner access to the resource (WTA) in a modified anticommons paradigm. It was expected that when externalities were made salient individuals would display higher levels of cooperation, by indicating lower WTA’s, compared to when externalities were not made salient. Moreover, it was expected that when externalities were not made salient prosocials would display higher levels of cooperation than proselfs, whereas when externalities were made salient this difference would be smaller. Although the effect of externalities awareness and the interaction effect of this factor with SVO was non-significant, exploratory analyses indicated severe underuse of the common resource. The limitations of this study and suggestions for future research are discussed.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
closed access
Rules regulate society as they help to predict social interactions. Groups, however, do not always abide by rules. Instead, they break them when the conditions are right. Here we hypothesized that...Show moreRules regulate society as they help to predict social interactions. Groups, however, do not always abide by rules. Instead, they break them when the conditions are right. Here we hypothesized that rule abidance behavior is determined by a) an individual choosing another for mutual benefit based on their reputation and b) the social-environmental incentives like fairness and dishonesty. We had three participants building a reputation for their willingness to abide by or break rules. A fourth participant used that information to choose one to three participants, then played several rounds of a dictator game and a die-roll task. Participants were chosen more often when their reputation was in line with environmental incentives, where merely transitioning from one environment to another strengthened that effect. Regulators should therefore ensure the consistency and kinds of environmental incentives that individuals in power positions face across environments for controlling resulting rule abidance behavior.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
closed access
Previous research investigating the factors that shape a person’s degree of intergroup prejudice has focused primarily on relatively high level ideological and personality traits. In a largely...Show morePrevious research investigating the factors that shape a person’s degree of intergroup prejudice has focused primarily on relatively high level ideological and personality traits. In a largely separate body of work, psychophysiological predispositions towards threat sensitivity have been linked to ideological constructs. The current work integrates these two bodies of work by introducing a novel approach to measure implicit threat sensitivity and (theoretically) linking it to intergroup prejudice. Specifically, it was investigated whether individual differences in cognitively assessed sensitivity to threatening information were associated with a greater degree of implicit bias and explicit prejudice towards a stereotypically threatening minority-group (i.e., Muslims). While results did not support a relationship between threat sensitivity and intergroup prejudice, exploratory data, as well as limitations and implications of the current work, encourage future research.Show less
Previous research suggests that both observability and dependence (having a reliant other subgroup in a collective) are influential factors, in promoting prosocial behaviour in social dilemmas....Show morePrevious research suggests that both observability and dependence (having a reliant other subgroup in a collective) are influential factors, in promoting prosocial behaviour in social dilemmas. This study explores the influence of observability, dependence and a combination of both, on volunteering within the Volunteer’s Dilemma (VoD). It was hypothesized that observation and dependence would increase volunteering, with the combination of both factors being the most effective in increasing volunteering. For the dependence conditions, it was further hypothesized, based on previous research, that participants would identify more with a superordinate identity, and that this would correlate with increased volunteering. However, both the observability and dependence conditions did not significantly increase volunteering behaviour, when compared to a control, whilst the observability & dependence condition had a negative correlation with volunteering. Participants also identified more with the subordinate identity, which was found to be significantly negatively correlated to volunteeringShow less
‘Perceived psychological contract violation’ refers to the idea of members of organizations that the organization does not meet their expectations, and is predicted to have negative consequences...Show more‘Perceived psychological contract violation’ refers to the idea of members of organizations that the organization does not meet their expectations, and is predicted to have negative consequences for organizations. Accordingly, this study examined among financial donors of charitable organizations a) whether violation of the psychological contract undermines the willingness to donate money to the charitable organization, and b) the psychological processes that may make financial donors perceive a violation of the psychological contract. The research participants were members of the Amazon Mechanical Turk online platform who adopted the role of financial donor (n = 91). The research had a consecutive 1X2 experimental design. Specifically, the participants were first randomly allocated across the experimental condition about investment of the organization in helping its clientele and sustaining the relationship with donors (high/low). Thereafter, those participants who had been assigned to the ‘low investment condition’ were randomly allocated across an experimental condition about justification for the low investment (yes/no). As predicted, ANOVAs showed that financial donors who were presented information about low investment of the organization in helping its clientele and sustaining the relationship with donors reported the least perceived organizational reciprocity, integrity, and transparency. A second ANOVA indicated that for the participants allocated to the ‘low direct investment’-condition, the justification for the low investment did not influence perceived organizational reciprocity, integrity or transparency. Further, moderation regression analysis showed that the trust of financial donors in the charity does not weaken the negative effects of low investment on perceived organizational reciprocity, integrity or transparency. Finally, regression analyses showed that among financial donors, perceived non-reciprocity and non-integrity of the organization instill perceived psychological contract violation as a predictor of willingness to donate, negative word-of-mouth, and perceived organizational prestige. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and suggestions for new research are discussed.Show less
If we know what contributes to a better relationship quality, we have the opportunity to improve our relationships. The aim of this study was to find an effect of listening technique on...Show moreIf we know what contributes to a better relationship quality, we have the opportunity to improve our relationships. The aim of this study was to find an effect of listening technique on relationship quality and to uncover if this relationship is moderated by confidence. The 60 participants were randomly assigned to listening technique conditions. Either an active, neutral, or argumentative listening technique was applied. Discussions within each condition were held by a confederate via Skype. Unexpectedly, confidence had no effect on the effect of listening technique on relationship quality. Excitingly, in this study active- and argumentative listening led to better relationship quality in comparison to neutral listening. If implemented properly, listening techniques could have a positive effect on how you are perceived by othersShow less
