Kumar Yogeeswaran

Will the “Real” American Please Stand Up? The Effect of Implicit National Prototypes on Discriminatory Behavior and Judgments

Three studies tested whether implicit prototypes about who is authentically American predict discriminatory behavior and judgments against Americans of non-European descent. These studies identified specific contexts in which discrimination is more versus less likely to occur, the underlying mechanism driving it, and moderators of such discrimination. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated that the more participants held implicit beliefs that the prototypical American is White, the less willing they were to hire qualified Asian Americans in national security jobs; however, this relation did not hold in identical corporate jobs where national security was irrelevant. The implicit belief—behavior link was mediated by doubts about Asian Americans’ national loyalty. Study 3 demonstrated a similar effect in a different domain: The more participants harbored race-based national prototypes, the more negatively they evaluated an immigration policy proposed by an Asian American but not a White policy writer. Political conservatism magnified this effect because of greater concerns about the national loyalty of Asian Americans.

Anthropomorphism: Opportunities and Challenges in Human-Robot Interaction

Anthropomorphism is a phenomenon that describes the human tendency to see human-like shapes in the environment. It has considerable consequences for people’s choices and beliefs. With the increased presence of robots, it is important to investigate the optimal design for this technology. In this paper we discuss the potential benefits and challenges of building anthropomorphic robots, from both a philosophical perspective and from the viewpoint of empirical research in the fields of human–robot interaction and social psychology. We believe that this broad investigation of anthropomorphism will not only help us to understand the phenomenon better, but can also indicate solutions for facilitating the integration of human-like machines in the real world.

Conceptions of national identity in a globalised world: Antecedents and consequences

The emergence of nation states is a relatively recent phenomenon in human history. Yet its impact on everyday life is ubiquitous. The purpose of the present article is to synthesise research from several social science disciplines to identify similarities and differences between legal and structural definitions of nation states studied by political scientists and historians and psychological conceptions of nation states studied by social psychologists. Using a social psychological lens, we investigate how nation states as political institutions influence psychological conceptions of national identity and how these construals have unique effects on perceivers’ attitudes, behaviour, and inclusion of diverse ethnic groups within the nation. Four research questions guide this article. First, how do modern nation states define citizenship legally and to what extent do these definitions fit psychological conceptions of nationality that individuals report explicitly or implicitly? Second, to what extent do these implicit and explicit conceptions of national identity influence majority group members’ actions and decisions in both positive and negative directions? Third, what types of perceiver characteristics (e.g., national identification, political ideology, status, social dominance) influence attitudes, behaviour, and inclusion of ethnic minorities and immigrants? And finally, in what ways do conceptions of nationality impact the self-concept and well-being of ethnic minorities and immigrants within a nation? We summarise extant research that addresses each question and conclude by identifying unanswered questions and avenues for future work.

The Social Psychology of Intergroup Toleration: A Roadmap for Theory and Research

The global increase in cultural and religious diversity has led to calls for toleration of group differences to achieve intergroup harmony. Although much social-psychological research has examined the nature of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination, and its impact on targets of these biases, little research has examined the nature and impact of toleration for intergroup relations. Toleration does not require that people give up their objections to out-group norms and practices but rather mutual accommodation. Integrating research from various social sciences, we explore the nature of intergroup tolerance including its three components—objection, acceptance, and rejection—while drawing out its implications for future social-psychological research. We then explore some psychological consequences to social groups that are the object of toleration. By doing so, we consider the complex ways in which intergroup tolerance impacts both majority and minority groups and the dynamic interplay of both in pluralistic societies.

Culture-specific ideologies undermine collective action support: Examining the legitimizing effects of postcolonial belief systems

Ideologies can legitimate inequality and undermine collective action. Yet research overlooks the effects culture-specific ideologies—ideologies that develop within a specific sociohistorical context—have on collective action support. We address this oversight by arguing that two culture-specific ideologies that deny the contemporary relevance of past injustices (historical negation) and reject Indigenous culture from the nation’s identity (symbolic exclusion) undermine support for collective action on behalf of the disadvantaged (namely, Māori—New Zealand’s Indigenous population). As predicted, historical negation and symbolic exclusion had independent negative cross-lagged effects on collective action support amongst Māori (N = 561) and New Zealand European (N = 4,104) participants. The cross-lagged effects of collective action support on historical negation and symbolic exclusion, however, were nonsignificant. Thus, the relationships these culture-specific ideologies have with collective action support are unidirectional. Our results highlight the need to incorporate culture-specific ideologies into models of collective action.

Can we control it? Autonomous robots threaten human identity, uniqueness, safety, and resources

Abstract Emergence of autonomous machines is a hotly debated topic in mass-media. However, previous research has not empirically investigated whether the perceived autonomy of robots affects their social acceptance. In this study we examined the impact of perceived robot autonomy on realistic threats (threats to human jobs, resources and safety) and identity threats (threats to human identity and distinctiveness), attitude toward robots, and support for robotics research. US based participants watched a video of robots performing various tasks – these robots were presented as either autonomous and capable of disregarding human commands or non-autonomous and only capable of following human commands. Participants who watched videos of supposedly autonomous robots perceived robots in general to be significantly more threatening to humans (both realistic and identity threats) than those who watched a video of non-autonomous robots. Furthermore, exposure to autonomous robots evoked stronger negative attitude towards robots in general and more opposition to robotics research than exposure to non-autonomous robots. Both realistic and identity threats mediated the increase in negative attitudes toward robots and opposition to robotics research, although realistic threats were often the stronger mediator of the two. Our findings have practical implications for research on AI and open new questions on the relationship between robot autonomy and their social impact.

The bionic blues

Humans can fulfill their social needs with fictional and non-living entities that act as social surrogates. Though recent research demonstrates that social surrogates have beneficial effects on the individual similar to human relations, it is unclear whether surrogates can also cause similar harm to humans through social rejection. After playing a game of connect-4 with a human-sized robot, participants were informed by the robot that it would like to see them again (acceptance), would not like to see them again (rejection), or told nothing regarding a future interaction (control). Data revealed that social rejection from a robot significantly reduced self-esteem relative to receiving no-feedback and social acceptance (the latter two did not differ from each other). However, robot rejection had no impact on negative attitudes and opposition to the use of robots in everyday life. These findings demonstrate that social surrogates have the potential to cause psychological harm. Examines influence of robot rejection and acceptance on human self-esteem.Robot rejection decreased self-esteem, while acceptance had no effect on self-esteem.Demonstrates that robot rejection can cause psychological harm.

Intergroup Toleration and Its Implications for Culturally Diverse Societies: Intergroup Toleration

Abstract In recent decades, tolerance has been proposed as a necessary response to the global rise in cultural and religious diversity. Tolerance is widely embraced in community, national, and international policies, in relation to many types of differences between people and groups. However, in both public and academic discourse, the notion of tolerance appears to have various meanings, which limits our ability to create, evaluate, and implement effective policies. To discuss various policy implications of toleration, we first consider the concept of toleration and its difference from prejudice. We then discuss existing research on intergroup tolerance, the importance of perspective taking, the asymmetry of tolerance, and the boundaries of toleration. Subsequently, we discuss research that indicates that the discourse of tolerance can function as a dimension of intergroup comparison that leads to acceptance or rejection of cultural and religious minority groups. Furthermore, we consider the depoliticized effects that tolerance discourse might have and the possible negative psychological consequences for groups that are tolerated in society. Gaps in existing knowledge are considered and policy implications are explored throughout.

If They Say “Yes,” We Say “No”: Partisan Cues Increase Polarization Over National Symbols:

Real-world tests of the impact of partisan cues on voters are scarce because they require assessing how citizens’ attitudes changed toward an issue from before to after it became politically divisive. During the 2015–2016 New Zealand flag referendums, the leader of the (center-right) National Party and then–Prime Minister, John Key, championed changing the flag—a move strongly contested by the (center-left) Labour Party. Accordingly, we measured New Zealanders’ attitudes toward changing the flag using national longitudinal panel data collected in 2013, before the change was proposed, and again in 2016 at the height of the debate (Ns = 6,793–6,806). Registered voters who supported the National Party were more likely to shift from opposing to supporting the flag change, whereas those who supported the Labour Party were more likely to shift from supporting to opposing the change. These data demonstrate the powerful impact of partisan cues on political attitudes in a real-world setting.

The activation of shame following dissociation in the context of relationships: A vignette study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Studies show experiences of negative affective states, such as shame, elevate dissociation. Using vignettes, this study aimed to investigate the reverse, whether experiences of dissociation in the context of varied interpersonal relationships elevate shame. METHODS 269 adults completed online questionnaires (Dissociative Experiences Scale; Experiences of Shame Scale) and were randomly allocated to vignettes describing either dissociation or sadness in three different relationship contexts: (1) with an acquaintance, (2) with a close friend, or (3) when alone. Participants then completed six single-item questions assessing discrete emotions, a five-item adaptation of the State Shame and Guilt Scale, and 8 items measuring behavioural responses to shame. RESULTS Elevations of shame were evident when dissociation occurred in the presence of a close friend, but not in other contexts. Participants reported a greater inclination to stay with a close friend and discuss their experience of dissociation and sadness. LIMITATIONS Limitations of this study are that a non-clinical sample was used and that dissociative experiences were not induced experientially. CONCLUSION Results did not suggest that shame is a generic reaction to experiences of dissociation or to specific relationship contexts. Rather, shame was uniquely evoked when dissociation occurred with a close friend. These findings suggest there is a contextualized bi-directional relationship between dissociation and shame, whereby shame appears to activate dissociation, and dissociation in the context of a close other seems to evoke shame. Knowledge about the activation of shame in response to dissociation may assist therapists in educating their clients about this connection.