Cícero Roberto Pereira

From infra-humanization to discrimination: The mediation of symbolic threat needs egalitarian norms

This set of studies tests the link between infra-humanization, symbolic threat, and discrimination within normative contexts. In two experiments, manipulating the degree of humanity of a disliked outgroup has an effect upon the discrimination towards it. The infra-humanized outgroup is more discriminated than the humanized one. Also, the perception of symbolic threat plays the role of a justifying factor for discrimination, and mediates the relationship between degrees of humanity and discrimination. Study 2 further shows that this mediation occurs only when an egalitarian norm is activated, and not when meritocracy is made salient. The discussion focuses on factors likely to prevent infra-humanization of outgroups. It also considers how norms may change the role of threat.

Um estudo do preconceito na perspectiva das representações sociais: análise da influência de um discurso justificador da discriminação no preconceito racial

This paper analyses the influence, from a social representations view, of a justifying discourse about racial prejudice. In an experiment (N = 120), it was presented to participants a scenario where a shop manager hires a white girl discriminating a black one. Half of participants also received a discourse justifying the managers decision. The results show that the representation of that decision is organized in two principles: professional evaluation and justice perception. The participants who had access to the justifying discourse considered the managers decision as been more professional and less unfair than the participants who did not see that discourse. The former group was also more tended to hire the white girl, while the other group did not show a racial preference. The discussion presents modern prejudice as a result of ideological discourses produced by majority groups to justify their social position.

Sistemas de valores e atitudes democráticas de estudantes universitários de João Pessoa

Este artigo apresenta duas pesquisas empiricas que analisam a relacao entre sistemas de valores e atitudes democraticas de estudantes universitarios. No primeiro estudo (n= 350), investigam-se as dimensoes subjacentes a estrutura e ao conteudo do sistema de valores de estudantes de uma universidade publica. Na interpretacao das dimensoes obtidas considera-se a teoria de Schwartz sobre os tipos motivacionais e a teoria de Inglehart sobre os valores materialistas e pos-materialistas. Os resultados mostram que os valores se organizam em funcao de tres sistemas: o religioso; o materialista; o pos-materialista. No segundo estudo (n= 200), repetem-se os resultados do Estudo 1 numa amostra de estudantes de uma universidade privada, e relaciona-se a estrutura de valores obtida com as atitudes democraticas. Constata-se que a adesao ao sistema de valores religiosos associa-se com a atitude negativa em relacao a democracia, enquanto que esta atitude se relaciona positivamente com os valores pos-materialistas. A discussao girou em torno do significado da democracia para estes estudantes.

Análise fatorial confirmatória do Questionário de Valores Psicossociais - QVP24

Abstract Confirmatory factorial analysis of the Psychosocial Values Questionnaire – QVP24. This study shows thatthe Psychosocial Values Questionnaire is an adequate instrument to measure value systems of universitystudents. The results of a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (N = 300) show the conceptual validity of thestructure and content that organizes students’ value systems: materialist, religious, hedonist and post-materialist. The results also confirm that these value systems are positively correlated. The discussionemphasizes the societal nature of the values systems and the validity of the Psychosocial Values Questionnaireto measure these systems. Keywords: values; values systems; psychosocial values survey conteudos dos sistemas de valores dos grupos sociais. Con-tudo, os estudos sobre a validade desse instrumento utilizamtecnicas estatisticas que nao permitem testar o modelo teori-co subjacente ao QVP , o que, em tese, poderia comprometer asua validade teorica. Portanto, este artigo apresenta uma in-vestigacao que testa empiricamente a adequacao do

Um estudo sobre a integração dos níveis de análise dos sistemas de valores

This work is a study on the articulation of the analysis levels of university students’ value systems. The results (N=406) show 4 systems underlying the organization of the students’ value systems: materialist; hedonist; religious; post-materialist. The analyses of the convergences between values systems and motivacional types of Schwartz’s theory showed that there are correlations between materialist and self-enhancement values, between hedonist system and opening to change values types, between religious and conservation values, and between post-materialism and self-transcendence motivational value type. The discussion emphasizes the societal nature of the values system connecting their sources to social ideologies.

Preconceito contra homossexuais e representações sociais da homossexualidade em seminaristas católicos e evangélicos

This study analyzes the relationship between prejudice against homosexuals and social representations about homosexuality. Participants were 374 theology students (167 catholic and 207 evangelic) who individually answered a questionnaire about beliefs and attitudes toward homosexuals. Results allowed to identify two forms of prejudice: Subtle and blatant. The subtle prejudice is related to biological and psychosocial representations about homosexuality and to the disbelief in an ethical and moral nature of homosexuality. The blatant prejudice is related with the disbelief in a biological and psychosocial nature as well as with ethical and moral representations about homosexuality. In the discussion it is argued that social representations about the nature of minority groups can form the basis of prejudice and discrimination.

Predicting couple satisfaction: the role of differentiation of self, sexual desire and intimacy in heterosexual individuals

Differentiation of self – the ability to emotionally self-regulate and to maintain a sense of autonomy within a deep intimate relationship – has been proposed as a relevant factor in couple satisfaction, but the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. Sexual desire and intimacy have recently drawn increased attention due to the proposal that some of the relational benefits of long-term intimacy (e.g., predictability) might be detrimental to desire and satisfaction. This study aimed to test a model illustrating the role played by differentiation of self in couple satisfaction through the underlying mechanisms of sexual desire and intimacy, in a survey of 428 heterosexual individuals. The findings supported the proposed model, suggesting that differentiation of self is a predictor of desire, intimacy and couple satisfaction. Desire mediated the association between differentiation and couple satisfaction, and also the association between differentiation and intimacy. Intimacy mediated the association between desire and satisfaction. The model was sustained for women, but a different mechanism was found for men. The results provide support for the close association between intimacy, sexual desire and satisfaction, while suggesting that differentiation of self has a fundamental role in sexual desire, intimacy and couple satisfaction.

The Role of Personality Traits, Attachment Style, and Satisfaction With Relationships in the Subjective Well-Being of Americans, Portuguese, and Mozambicans

Personality traits, attachment security, and satisfaction with relationships are each important predictors of subjective well-being (SWB). However, no studies have included these predictors together to analyze the unique contribution of each to SWB. Furthermore, most studies are empirically based in Western/industrialized societies, and few studies include African countries. This article addresses the unique contribution of extroversion, neuroticism, attachment security, and satisfaction with relationships to SWB across three samples of 1,574 university students: 497 from North Carolina (United States of America), 544 from Maputo (Mozambique), and 533 from Lisbon (Portugal). Structural equation modeling analysis showed that in the American sample, emotional stability was a more important predictor of global SWB than satisfaction with relationships. In the Mozambican sample, satisfaction with relationships was far more important as a predictor of SWB than emotional stability. In the Portuguese sample, emotional stability and satisfaction with relationships were equally important predictors of SWB. The main difference between the three samples was the contribution of satisfaction with relationships to SWB. Similarities between the three samples include the low or nonsignificant contributions of extroversion and attachment to SWB, above and beyond the contribution of satisfaction with relationships and neuroticism, suggesting they may be sharing variance in the prediction of SWB.

A multilevel perspective to explain recycling behaviour in communities

Previous research on the motivation for environmentally responsible behaviour has focused mainly on individual variables, rather than organizational or collective variables. Therefore, the results of those studies are hardly applicable to environmental management. This study considers individual, collective, and organizational variables together that contribute to the management of environmental waste. The main aim is to identify, through the development of a multilevel model, those predictive variables of recycling behaviour that help organizations to increase the recycling rates in their communities. Individual (age, gender, educational level, self-efficacy with respect to residential recycling, individual recycling behaviour), organizational (satisfaction with the quality of the service provided by a recycling company), and collective (community recycling rates, number of inhabitants, community efficacy beliefs) motivational factors relevant to recycling behaviour were analysed. A sample of 1501 residents from 55 localities was surveyed. The results of multilevel analyses indicated that there was significant variability within and between localities. Interactions between variables at the level of the individual (e.g. satisfaction with service quality) and variables at the level of the collective (e.g. community efficacy) predicted recycling behaviour in localities with low and high community recycling rates and large and small populations. The interactions showed that the relationship between self-efficacy and recycling is stronger in localities with weak community efficacy beliefs than in communities with strong beliefs. The findings show that the relationship between satisfaction with service quality and recycling behaviour is stronger in localities with strong community efficacy beliefs than in communities with weaker beliefs and a smaller population. The results are discussed accordingly in relation to theory and possible contribution to waste management. Those findings may be incorporated in national and international environmental policies in order to promote environmentally responsible behaviour in citizenship.

O papel de representações sociais sobre a natureza da homossexualidade na oposição ao casamento civil e à adoção por famílias homoafetivas

In this study the relationship between prejudice, support of discriminating policies against homosexuals and peoples social representations about the nature of homosexuality was analyzed. Participants were 297 final year psychology, social work, and law students. Results showed that the representations about homosexuality based on religious, moralist, and psychological beliefs are positively related to the support of discriminating policies against homosexuals, specifically the opposition to civil union and to childrens adoption by homosexuals. Beliefs about the cultural nature of homosexuality predicted lower support of these policies. These relations were mediated by blatant prejudice against homosexuals. These results show the role played by social representations about the nature of social groups in the maintenance of prejudices and discriminatory practices against minority groups.