Phillip J. Ehret

Modeling the Dynamics of Evaluation: A Multilevel Neural Network Implementation of the Iterative Reprocessing Model

We present a neural network implementation of central components of the iterative reprocessing (IR) model. The IR model argues that the evaluation of social stimuli (attitudes, stereotypes) is the result of the IR of stimuli in a hierarchy of neural systems: The evaluation of social stimuli develops and changes over processing. The network has a multilevel, bidirectional feedback evaluation system that integrates initial perceptual processing and later developing semantic processing. The network processes stimuli (e.g., an individual’s appearance) over repeated iterations, with increasingly higher levels of semantic processing over time. As a result, the network’s evaluations of stimuli evolve. We discuss the implications of the network for a number of different issues involved in attitudes and social evaluation. The success of the network supports the IR model framework and provides new insights into attitude theory.

Support for environmental protection: an integration of ideological-consistency and information-deficit models

ABSTRACT The divergent roles of education in predicting environmental support among liberals, conservatives, and moderates in the United States are explained by integrating ideological-consistency and information-deficit models. Increased political polarization among elites has led to divergent environmental positions advocated by liberal and conservative political and media leaders; it was predicted that education would increase public attention to these elite cues and, consistent with the ideological-consistency model, increased education would lead to attitudes in line with consensual positions endorsed by party elites. Across two nationally representative data sets, higher levels of education were associated with stronger environmental support among liberals and weaker environmental support among conservatives. Moderates were predicted to have fewer elite cues on which to base their attitudes; consistent with the information-deficit model, higher levels of education among moderates were associated with strengthened environmental support. A moderated-mediation model supported the differential application of these two theories.

Impact of Cultural Exposure and Message Framing on Oral Health Behavior Exploring the Role of Message Memory

Background. Health messages are more effective when framed to be congruent with recipient characteristics, and health practitioners can strategically choose message features to promote adherence to recommended behaviors. We present exposure to US culture as a moderator of the impact of gain-frame versus loss-frame messages. Since US culture emphasizes individualism and approach orientation, greater cultural exposure was expected to predict improved patient choices and memory for gain-framed messages, whereas individuals with less exposure to US culture would show these advantages for loss-framed messages. Methods. 223 participants viewed a written oral health message in 1 of 3 randomized conditions—gain-frame, loss-frame, or no-message control—and were given 10 flosses. Cultural exposure was measured with the proportions of life spent and parents born in the US. At baseline and 1 week later, participants completed recall tests and reported recent flossing behavior. Results. Message frame and cultural exposure interacted to predict improved patient decisions (increased flossing) and memory maintenance for the health message over 1 week; for example, those with low cultural exposure who saw a loss-frame message flossed more. Incongruent messages led to the same flossing rates as no message. Memory retention did not explain the effect of message congruency on flossing. Limitations. Flossing behavior was self-reported. Cultural exposure may only have practical application in either highly individualistic or collectivistic countries. Conclusions. In health care settings where patients are urged to follow a behavior, asking basic demographic questions could allow medical practitioners to intentionally communicate in terms of gains or losses to improve patient decision making and treatment adherence.

Self-affirmation and motivational interviewing: integrating perspectives to reduce resistance and increase efficacy of alcohol interventions

To promote efforts at reducing problematic alcohol use and improving health outcomes, the present review proposes an integration of a social psychological approach – self-affirmation theory – with a clinical psychology intervention – motivational interviewing. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a popular empirically-designed treatment approach that has shown moderate success at reducing drinking and improving health, especially with resistant drinkers. Experiments informed by self-affirmation theory have found that people exhibit reduced defensiveness to threatening health messages and increased intentions to reduce alcohol consumption when affirmed. This review focuses on the mechanisms by which self-affirmation reduces resistance and how these mechanisms are complementary to the MI approach. Further, the review outlines suggestions for conducting and integrating self-affirmation into a MI intervention and provides recommendations for future empirical research.

Public Policy and Health A Self-Affirmation Perspective

Public policies designed to improve health and well-being are challenged by people’s resistance. A social psychological perspective reveals how health policies can pose a psychological threat to individuals and result in resistance to following health recommendations. Self-affirmation, a brief psychological intervention that has individuals focus on important personal values, can help reduce resistance to behavior change and help promote health and well-being in four health-policy domains: graphic cigarette warning labels designed to get people to quit smoking, community health programs targeted at high-risk populations, alcohol intervention and prevention programs targeted at problem drinkers, and adherence to medical recommendations and treatment regimens among people coping with disease. Using self-affirmation has important strengths and limitations as a tool to help policymakers and practitioners encourage better health choices.

Partisan Barriers to Bipartisanship: Understanding Climate Policy Polarization

Everyday partisans evaluate policies partly by following partisan cues, fomenting polarization. However, there is debate over the influence of partisan cues in “real-world,” nonlaboratory contexts. An experiment with a real climate change initiative in the 2016 Washington State election tested whether partisan cues influenced climate policy polarization. In a primary study, 504 prospective voters were randomly assigned to view veridical policy endorsements by partisan elites; this study was followed by a preregistered conceptual replication (N = 1,178). Democrats supported the climate policy more than Republicans. But this difference was greater when Democrats endorsed the policy (with Republican opposition) than when Republicans endorsed the policy (with Democratic opposition). Neither knowledge nor belief in climate change reduced these polarizing effects, and greater policy knowledge was associated with increased polarization. Further, the effect of partisan cues on normative perceptions mediated the effect of partisan cues on policy support.

Psychological Barriers to Bipartisan Public Support for Climate Policy

Psychological scientists have the expertise—and arguably an obligation—to help understand the political polarization that impedes enactment of climate policy. Many explanations emphasize Republican skepticism about climate change. Yet results from national panel studies in 2014 and 2016 indicate that most Republicans believe in climate change, if not as strongly as Democrats. Political polarization over climate policy does not simply reflect that Democrats and Republicans disagree about climate change but that Democrats and Republicans disagree with each other. The results of a national panel experiment and of in-depth interviews with four former members of Congress suggest that Democrats and Republicans—both ordinary citizens and policymakers—support policies from their own party and reactively devalue policies from the opposing party. These partisan evaluations occur both for policies historically associated with liberal principles and politicians (cap-and-trade) and for policies associated with conservative principles and politicians (revenue-neutral carbon tax). People also exaggerate how much other Democrats and Republicans are swayed by partisanship. This foments false norms of partisan opposition that, in turn, influence people’s personal policy support. Correcting misperceived norms of opposition and decoupling policy evaluation from identity concerns would help overcome these seemingly insurmountable barriers to bipartisan support for climate policy.

Integrating Self-Affirmation and Implementation Intentions: Effects on College Student Drinking

Background High levels of alcohol consumption are an enduring health risk among college students. Integrating multiple, complementary behavior change theories may offer a promising approach to promote reductions in alcohol consumption. Purpose The current study tested if integrating self-affirmation and implementation intentions would be more effective than a self-affirmation only, implementation intentions only, or control condition at reducing alcohol consumption in college students over a 2-week period. Method Two hundred and ninety-three college students who reported drinking in the past month were randomly assigned to a condition in a 2 (self-affirmation: values vs. control writing task) × 2 (implementation intentions: formed vs. not formed) between-subjects factorial design. Participants first completed a self-affirmation or control writing task, then read an article describing the risks of drinking. Next, all participants reported their common drinking behaviors and contexts, and then selected two harm-reduction strategies forming (or not forming) implementation intentions to use the strategies. Alcohol consumption was measured 1 and 2 weeks after the experiment. Results Participants in the integrated self-affirmation and implementation intention condition were most likely to abstain from drinking 1 week later. Affirmed participants continued to be more likely to abstain from drinking 2 weeks later. Conclusions The findings support the efficacy of integrating self-affirmation and implementation intentions to reduce college student drinking (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT02926794).

Toward Surmounting the Psychological Barriers to Climate Policy—Appreciating Contexts and Acknowledging Challenges: A Reply to Weber (2018):

The authors acknowledge and respond to three concerns raised by Weber (2018) about oversimplifying psychological barriers to climate policy. First, skepticism about climate change remains a major barrier to climate policy, along with political partisanship. Second, recognizing multifaceted barriers to climate policy calls for multiple targeted interventions to be implemented at critical junctures. Finally, translating pro-environmental attitudes into action requires an appreciation of proximate sociopolitical contexts and cultures. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, psychological scientists are well equipped to understand and address the complex barriers to climate policy within the natural flow of everyday social life.