Lynne M. Jackson

Of Scripture and Ascription: The Relation between Religious Fundamentalism and Intergroup Helping

Two studies examined the role of religion and perceived value threat in determining peoples approaches to solving problems faced by social groups. Individuals high in religious fundamentalism held the target groups homosexuals and single mothers responsible for an ostensible unemployment problem, and this relation was mediated by the perception that homosexuals and single mothers threatened their values. In contrast, individuals high in religious fundamentalism did not hold the nonthreatening target groups Native Canadians and students responsible for the same problem. Moreover, high attributions of responsibility for the problem predicted endorsement of the view that members of the target group should change themselves to solve the problem and rejection of involved forms of helping.

Contemporary Sexism and Discrimination: The Importance of Respect for Men and Women

Three studies supported the proposal that one important aspect of contemporary sexism is greater respect for men than for women and that this differential respect has a unique role to play in mediating hiring discrimination, distinct from gender stereotypes. In Studies 1 and 2, participants in a hiring paradigm evidenced bias favoring men on both respect ratings and hiring recommendations. Moreover, higher respect for male than for female applicants accounted for hiring discrimination. Some evidence that gender stereotypes contributed to hiring discrimination also emerged but it was weaker and less consistent. In Study 3, respect was shown to have a causal effect on hiring recommendations for a high-status job. It is suggested that a focus on respect for men and women could complement currently popular stereotyping perspectives on sexism and discrimination.

Artifact in the hypnosis-creativity relationship.

Subjects who pretested high or low in hypnotic suggestibility took a creativity test either under hypnosis or in a waking state. All subjects made a global estimate of their general degree of creativity. Greater figural-spatial creativity was exhibited in the hypnosis condition than in the waking condition by both high and low suggestibles. Creativity self-reports were not corroborated by actual creative performance.

Review of The Sons of Pigs and Apes: Muslim Anti-Semitism and the Conspiracy of Silence

Forthright and disturbing, The Sons of Pigs and Apes documents the existence of vitriolic antiSemitism in some Muslim populations and argues that such attitudes are pervasive. Kressel, a professor of psychology at William Paterson University, challenges Westerners to recognize this problem in the name of human rights. His analysis is grounded in social psychology, yet the book will be accessible and relevant to diverse readers who have a concern for issues of religion, prejudice, conflict, and peace. The author takes a strong stance on issues that are—and should be—a current focus of discussion and debate. As such, it is an important resource for generating dialogue, and I recommend it for that purpose. The central argument of the book is that anti-Semitism in countries with a majority Muslim population is strong and on the rise. Evidence cited includes numerous examples of undeniable bigotry by political and religious leaders in their speeches and writings; strong sales in Muslimmajority contexts of Hitler’s Mein Kampf as well as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a longdiscredited document about a Jewish conspiracy for global dominance; and reports by individual Muslims and former Muslims of their experiences of anti-Semitism as being normative. Despite the existence of many examples of anti-Semitism, its actual prevalence in the general public in Muslim-majority countries is unclear. The author argues that prejudicial attitudes among people in positions of power are likely to be widely socialized. Supporting this position is the recently discovered Saudi school-text that references the Quranic story about the transformation of Jews into pigs and apes and describes Jews as having “repugnant characteristics” (p. 28). Kressel also cites Pew Foundation studies reporting that between 60% and 90% of Muslims surveyed expressed negative attitudes toward Jews. Unfortunately, these findings are not placed in the context of religious intergroup attitudes more generally, which surveys find are often negative among many religious groups. Kressel’s interpretation of the problem is theoretically grounded in realistic group conflict theory, social identity theory, and dissonance theory in conjunction with an analysis of religious teachings in Islam. Kressel argues that anti-Semitism already extant in Islam exacerbated the hostile prejudice against Jews in both early and contemporary political conflicts. In his review of religious writings that support this claim, Kressel gives special attention to the nature and origin