scholarly journals Malicious Mind Readers? A Meta-Analysis on Machiavellianism and Cognitive and Affective Empathy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Blötner ◽  
Ricarda Steinmayr ◽  
Sebastian Bergold

This meta-analysis investigated how the antagonistic personality trait Machiavellianism (Mach) relates to cognitive and affective empathy. Due to the role of manipulation in Mach, previous research argued that Mach should go along with higher empathic ability but found negative effects very consistently. Thus, some scholars argued that individuals with high scores in Mach had empathic deficits. The current meta-analysis (70 studies, 76 samples, and 232 effect sizes) challenged both perspectives by investigating bivariate and multivariate relations between Mach, self-reported cognitive empathy, cognitive empathic skills, and affective empathy. Further, we tested if gender distributions, student samples, and different utilized Mach scales accounted for differences across studies (i.e., moderated those). Bivariate analyses revealed inverse correlations of Mach with all facets of empathy (ρs from -.10 to -.36). The relations with self-reported and performance-based cognitive empathy almost dissolved when controlling for affective empathy. Neither of the proposed moderators significantly explained differences across studies. In general, studies with a high percentage of men and those comprising non-students revealed more diverse correlations than studies with a large proportion of women and studies that exclusively recruited students. The results suggest low affective empathy in Mach but contradict both the empathic deficits- and the “skilled mind reader”-perspectives.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettina Moltrecht ◽  
Jessica Deighton ◽  
Praveetha Patalay ◽  
Julian Childs

Background: Research investigating the role of emotion regulation (ER) in the development and treatment of psychopathology has increased in recent years. Evidence suggests that an increased focus on ER in treatment can improve existing interventions. Most ER research has neglected young people, therefore the present meta-analysis summarizes the evidence for existing psychosocial intervention and their effectiveness to improve ER in youth. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Twenty-one randomized-control-trials (RCTs) assessed changes in ER following a psychological intervention in youth exhibiting various psychopathological symptoms.Results: We found moderate effect sizes for current interventions to decrease emotion dysregulation in youth (g=-.46) and small effect sizes to improve emotion regulation (g=0.36). Significant differences between studies including intervention components, ER measures and populations studied resulted in large heterogeneity. Conclusion: This is the first meta-analysis that summarizes the effectiveness for existing interventions to improve ER in youth. The results suggest that interventions can enhance ER in youth, and that these improvements correlate with improvements in psychopathology. More RCTs including larger sample sizes, different age groups and psychopathologies are needed to increase our understanding of what works for who and when.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 387-400
Author(s):  
Faisal M Ahsan ◽  
Ajay Singal

The rapidly growing and gradual emergence of multinational firms from the Indian sub-continent now calls for thorough re-understandings of extant theories and existing ideologies of the ‘internationalization’ process. We would initially assess the three-stage model of internationalization in the context of mid-size Indian firms and intend to investigate the relationship between performance and degree of internationalization. Based on the longitudinal dataset (2005-12) of publicly listed firms, our findings suggested that mid-size firms remained stuck up in the first stage of internationalization and accordingly exhibit a downward-sloping relationship between internationalization’s degree and performance. Most of the mid-size firms continued to show a predominantly family-controlled stance, and the impact of family ownership shows negative effects on the degree of internationalization. By examining the performance heterogeneity in family-owned firms towards internationalization, this paper enriches the existing body of research and assume it to be a prolific addition in the literature on international expansion.


Author(s):  
Sergeja Slapničar ◽  
Mina Ličen ◽  
Frank G. H. Hartmann ◽  
Anka Slana Ozimič ◽  
Grega Repovš

Research shows that management accountants’ role to support business unit managers’ decision-making may cause them to succumb to managers’ pressures to misreport. Using electroencephalographic (EEG) evidence, Eskenazi, Hartmann and Rietdijk (2016) demonstrate the role of automatic emotional mimicry, which drives misreporting when managers’ personal interest is at stake, but not when BU interest is at stake. In this study, we aim to replicate this finding using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which enables us to separate affective from cognitive empathy. Thirty accounting professionals completed an emotion observation task during which empathy-related brain activity was recorded. We then explored accountants’ inclination to misreport using empathy-invoking accounting scenarios. We find that the inclination to misreport correlates with activation of cognitive empathy regions, but only for scenarios in which accountants misreport to serve business unit’s interests, rather than managers’ personal interests. We find no evidence for a role of affective empathy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 444-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Paul Lefebvre ◽  
Tobias Krettenauer

This meta-analysis examined the relationship between moral identity and moral emotions drawing on 57 independent studies. Moral identity was significantly associated with moral emotions, r = .32, p < .01, 95% confidence interval [CI: .27, .36]. Effect sizes were moderated by the type of moral emotion. Studies reporting other-regarding emotions (sympathy, empathy, and compassion) had the largest effect sizes ( r = .41), while negative other-evaluative emotions (moral anger, contempt, and disgust) had the smallest ( r = .16). Self-evaluative and other-evaluative positive emotions had intermediate effect sizes ( r values between .29 and .32). The type of emotion measure also was a significant moderator, with trait measures of emotion ( r = .38) correlating more strongly with moral identity than state measures ( r = .24). Effect sizes did not differ for the type of moral identity measure being used, publication status, or cultural origin of the study sample. The results of this meta-analysis demonstrate a robust empirical connection between moral identity and moral emotions, which confirms the multifaceted role of moral identity in moral functioning.


2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 441-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Charles Lebeau ◽  
Sicong Liu ◽  
Camilo Sáenz-Moncaleano ◽  
Susana Sanduvete-Chaves ◽  
Salvador Chacón-Moscoso ◽  
...  

Research linking the “quiet eye” (QE) period to subsequent performance has not been systematically synthesized. In this paper we review the literature on the link between the two through nonintervention (Synthesis 1) and intervention (Synthesis 2) studies. In the first synthesis, 27 studies with 38 effect sizes resulted in a large mean effect (d = 1.04) reflecting differences between experts’ and novices’ QE periods, and a moderate effect size (d = 0.58) comparing QE periods for successful and unsuccessful performances within individuals. Studies reporting QE duration as a percentage of the total time revealed a larger mean effect size than studies reporting an absolute duration (in milliseconds). The second synthesis of 9 articles revealed very large effect sizes for both the quiet-eye period (d = 1.53) and performance (d = 0.84). QE also showed some ability to predict performance effects across studies.


2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 480-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiharu S. Allen ◽  
Qi Chen ◽  
Victor L. Willson ◽  
Jan N. Hughes

The present meta-analysis examines the effect of grade retention on academic outcomes and investigates systemic sources of variability in effect sizes. Using multilevel modeling (MLM), the authors investigate characteristics of 207 effect sizes across 22 studies published between 1990 and 2007 at two levels: the study (between) and individual (within) levels. Design quality is a study-level variable. Individual-level variables are median grade retained and median number of years postretention. Quality of design is associated with less negative effects. Years postretention is negatively associated with retention effects, and this effect is stronger for studies using grade comparisons versus age comparisons. The results challenge the widely held view that retention has a negative impact on achievement. Suggestions for future research are discussed.


2002 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert V. Carron ◽  
Michelle M. Colman ◽  
Jennifer Wheeler ◽  
Diane Stevens

The main purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analytic summary of the cohesion-performance relationship in sport. A secondary purpose was to examine the influence of a number of potential moderator variables. Another secondary purpose was to examine the cohesion–performance relationship reported in studies using the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ). Standard literature searches produced 46 studies containing a total of 164 effect sizes. Overall, a significant moderate to large relationship was found between cohesion and performance. A moderate effect was found in studies that used the GEQ. A larger cohesion–performance effect was found in refereed publications (vs. nonpublished sources) and for female teams. These results have implications for practitioners in terms of the importance of team building to enhance team cohesion, the nature of those team-building programs (e.g., both task- or social-oriented programs should be beneficial), and their target group (e.g., both interdependent and coactive sport teams should profit).


SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824402110615
Author(s):  
Viktoria Maria Baumeister ◽  
Leonie Petra Kuen ◽  
Maike Bruckes ◽  
Gerhard Schewe

An understanding of the overall relationship between the work-related use of information and communication technology (ICT) and employees’ well-being is lacking as the rising number of studies has produced mixed results. We meta-analytically synthesize and integrate existing literature on the consequences of ICT use based on the job demands-resources model. By using meta-analytical structural equation modeling based on 63 independent studies ( N = 26,295), we shed light on the relationship between ICT use and employees’ well-being (operationalized as burnout and engagement) in a model that incorporates the mediating role of ICT-related resources and demands. Results show that ICT use is opposingly related to burnout and engagement through autonomy, availability, and work-life conflict. Our study brings clarity into the contradictory results and highlights the importance of a simultaneous consideration of both positive and negative effects for a comprehensive understanding of the relationship. We further show that the time of use and managerial position, and methodological moderators can clarify heterogeneity in previous results.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo Verver ◽  
Marino van Zelst ◽  
Gerardus Johannes Maria Lucas ◽  
Marius Meeus

Organizational performance feedback theory (PFT), which is derived from the Behavioral Theory of the Firm, has emerged as a key perspective guiding studies investigating how performance relative to aspiration levels (i.e., performance feedback) influences organizational responsiveness. While the PFT literature refers to a core prediction - performance below aspirations induces more responsiveness than performance above aspirations does - empirical evidence reveals considerable conflicting findings. In line with contested issues in the current PFT literature, we propose a series of research questions and more refined predictions, which we elated to specific dimensions of performance feedback (valence, type of aspiration level and performance indicator), type of responsiveness (search versus change), and organizational characteristics (age, form of ownership, and industry). We test these refinements with various meta-analytic approaches, based on 263 effect sizes extracted from 156 studies. Our results demonstrate that the way in which performance feedback influences organizational responsiveness is sensitive to the factors we based our predictions on, with meta-analyzed effect sizes ranging from -0.106 to 0.055. Our findings help to systematically distinguish patterns in the heterogeneity associated with the performance feedback-responsiveness relationship. These results support our contention that more refined explanations, measures, and models of organizational performance feedback are needed.


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