scholarly journals Lead Us (Not) into Temptation: Testing the Motivational Mechanisms Linking Honesty–Humility to Cooperation

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin E. Hilbig ◽  
Pascal J. Kieslich ◽  
Felix Henninger ◽  
Isabel Thielmann ◽  
Ingo Zettler
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
European Association ◽  
Rank Order ◽  
Cooperative Behaviour ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Economic Games ◽  
The Past ◽  
Person Game ◽  
Hexaco Model ◽  
Shed Light

Over the past decades, there has been considerable interest in individual differences in cooperative behaviour and how these can be explained. Whereas the Honesty–Humility dimension from the HEXACO model of personality has been identified as a consistent predictor of cooperation, the underlying motivational mechanisms of this association have remained unclear—especially given the confound between the temptation to exploit others and the fear of being exploited as motivational drivers of defection in social dilemmas. In a reanalysis and a new experiment, we tease apart these mechanisms by manipulating the rank order of pay–offs in a symmetric two–person game paradigm, essentially implementing the classic prisoner's dilemma, stag hunt, and chicken games. Results revealed that Honesty–Humility predicted cooperation specifically in the games in which temptation was a potential motivator of defection, whereas it did not account for cooperation in those games in which only fear implied defection. Our findings thereby shed light on the underlying motivational mechanisms of the Honesty–Humility–cooperation link and, more generally, demonstrate how economic games can be used to disentangle such mechanisms. Copyright © 2018 European Association of Personality Psychology

Solidarity and Social Justice: Effect of Individual Differences in Justice Sensitivity on Solidarity Behaviour

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Stavrova ◽  
Thomas Schlösser
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
European Association ◽  
Antisocial Behaviour ◽  
The Other ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Psychological Mechanisms ◽  
Justice Sensitivity ◽  
Random Draw ◽  
Hexaco Model

We investigate the effect of individual differences in justice sensitivity (JS) on giving behaviour in a solidarity game, its potential moderators and the underlying psychological mechanisms. In a solidarity game, subjects are asked to make decisions about transferring money to other players in a case in which they win a random draw and the other players lose. The results of four studies showed the following: (1) JS explains a unique portion of variance in the solidarity behaviour, above and beyond other basic personality dimensions (e.g. HEXACO model); (2) its effect does not depend on contextual factors, such as the degree of moral entitlement not to share and the possibility to attribute the recipients’ disadvantage to their own responsibility; and (3) individual differences in the emotions anticipated in response to different outcomes of a random draw and the cognitive interpretation of the allocation situation partially mediate the effect of JS on solidarity behaviour. We also provided the first evidence that JS predicts individual differences in the propensity to take away others’ earnings (antisocial behaviour). The results are discussed with respect to the research on personality as a predictor of prosocial and antisocial behaviour. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Personality Psychology

scholarly journals Does Cooperation in the Laboratory Reflect the Operation of A Broad Trait?

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H.B. McAuliffe ◽  
Daniel E. Forster ◽  
Eric J. Pedersen ◽  
Michael E. McCullough
Keyword(s):  
European Association ◽  
Dictator Game ◽  
Bifactor Model ◽  
Trust Game ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Valid Measure ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Economic Games ◽  
Social Settings ◽  
Self Assessments

The Dictator Game, a face valid measure of altruism, and the Trust Game, a face valid measure of trust and trustworthiness, are among the most widely used behavioural measures in human cooperation research. Researchers have observed considerable covariation among these and other economic games, leading them to assert that there exists a general human propensity to cooperate that varies in strength across individuals and manifests itself across a variety of social settings. To formalize this hypothesis, we created an S–1 bifactor model using 276 participants’ Dictator Game and Trust Game decisions. The general factor had significant, moderate associations with self–reported and peer–reported altruism, trust, and trustworthiness. Thus, the positive covariation among economic games is not reducible to the games’ shared situational features. Two hundred participants returned for a second session. The general factor based on Dictator Game and Trust Game decisions from this session did not significantly predict self–reported and peer–reported cooperation, suggesting that experience with economic games causes them to measure different traits from those that are reflected in self–assessments and peer–assessments of cooperativeness. © 2018 European Association of Personality Psychology

Objections to the HEXACO Model of Personality Structure—and why those Objections Fail

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 492-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C. Ashton ◽  
Kibeom Lee
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
European Association ◽  
Personality Structure ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Personality Research ◽  
Target Article ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Dimensional Models ◽  
Hexaco Model

The six–dimensional HEXACO model of personality structure and its associated inventory have increasingly been used in personality research. But in spite of the evidence supporting this structure and demonstrating its advantages over five–dimensional models, some researchers continue to use and promote the latter. Although there has been little overt, organized argument against the adoption of the HEXACO model, we do hear sporadic offerings of reasons for retaining the five–dimensional systems, usually in informal conversations, in manuscript reviews, on social media platforms, and occasionally in published works. In this target article, we list all of the objections to the HEXACO model that we have heard of, and we then explain why each objection fails. © 2020 European Association of Personality Psychology

scholarly journals Situational Affordances for Prosocial Behaviour: On the Interaction between Honesty–Humility and (Perceived) Interdependence

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 655-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Columbus ◽  
Isabel Thielmann ◽  
Daniel Balliet
Keyword(s):  
European Association ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Prosocial Behaviour ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Economic Games ◽  
Sampling Studies ◽  
Subjective Perceptions ◽  
High Conflict ◽  
Situational Affordances

Individual differences in prosocial behaviour are well–documented. Increasingly, there has been a focus on the specific situations in which particular personality traits predict prosocial behaviour. HEXACO Honesty–Humility—the basic trait most consistently linked to prosocial behaviour in prior studies—has been found to predict prosociality most strongly in situations that afford the exploitation of others. Importantly, though, it may be the subjectively perceived situation that affords the behavioural expression of a trait. Following this reasoning, we tested the proposition that Honesty–Humility would predict prosocial behaviour more strongly in situations characterised by, and perceived to contain, two dimensions of interdependence that can afford exploitation: high conflict and high power. However, across a series of incentivised economic games and two large experience sampling studies, we only found inconsistent evidence for the association between Honesty–Humility and prosocial behaviour. Furthermore, the link between Honesty–Humility and prosociality was neither conditional on objective interdependence nor on subjective perceptions of interdependence. Nonetheless, perceptions of conflict and power tracked objective properties of economic games and were related to prosocial behaviour in the lab and field. Future research should take individuals’ subjective understanding of situations into account, which may also help understand the (generalisability of the) effect of Honesty–Humility on prosocial behaviour. © 2019 The Authors. European Journal of Personality published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Association of Personality Psychology

Different Games for Different Motives: Comment on Haesevoets, Folmer, and Van Hiel (2015)

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 506-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Thielmann ◽  
Robert Böhm ◽  
Benjamin E. Hilbig
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
European Association ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Economic Games ◽  
Game Theoretic

Recently, Haesevoets, Folmer, and Van Hiel (2015) strongly questioned the comparability and equivalence of different mixed–motive situations as modelled in economic games. Particularly, the authors found that different game correlated only weakly on average and loaded on two separate factors. In turn, personality traits failed to consistently account for behavioural tendencies across games. Contrary to the conclusions of Haesevoets et al., these findings are actually perfectly in line with the game–theoretic understanding of the different economic games. If one considers the variety of specific motives underlying decisions in different games, Haesevoets et al.'s findings actually support the validity of different games rather than questioning it. This, in turn, emphasizes the necessity for the plethora of different games that have been developed over decades in economics and psychology. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Personality Psychology

Individual Differences in Testosterone Predict Persistence in Men

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith M. Welker ◽  
Justin M. Carré
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
European Association ◽  
Competitive Interaction ◽  
Important Predictor ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Neuroendocrine Function ◽  
Maximum Time ◽  
The Relationship

Persistence is an important predictor of future successes. The present research addresses the relationship between testosterone and persistence in men. One hundred eighteen men were randomly assigned to win or lose a competitive number tracing task against a confederate or complete the task alone in a non–competitive control condition. Saliva samples were collected prior to and after the competition or control conditions. Participants were then given a maximum time of 30 min to spend attempting to solve unsolvable puzzles, with the option to quit at any time. In contrast to our prediction, changes in testosterone concentrations in response to the competitive interaction did not predict persistence behaviour. However, individual differences in testosterone concentrations (pre–competition/non–competition) were positively correlated with persistence. These findings are the first to examine associations between neuroendocrine function and persistence behaviour in people and suggest that testosterone should also be considered when predicting persistence–related outcomes. Copyright © 2014 European Association of Personality Psychology

scholarly journals Individual Differences in the Resistance to Social Change and Acceptance of Inequality Predict System Legitimacy Differently Depending on the Social Structure

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 266-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. Brandt ◽  
Christine Reyna
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Social Structure ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
European Association ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Total N ◽  
The Social

We propose that individual differences in the resistance to social change and the acceptance of inequality can have divergent effects on legitimacy depending on the context. This possibility was tested in a sample of 27 European countries ( N = 144 367) and across four experiments (total N = 475). Individual differences in the resistance to social change were related to higher levels of perceived legitimacy no matter the level of inequality of the society. Conversely, individual differences in the acceptance of inequality were related to higher levels of perceived legitimacy in unequal societies, but either a relationship near zero or the opposite relationship was found in more equal societies. These studies highlight the importance of distinguishing between individual differences that make up political ideology, especially when making predictions in diverse settings. © 2017 The Authors. European Journal of Personality published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Association of Personality Psychology

scholarly journals Does Neuroticism Disrupt the Psychological Benefits of Nostalgia? A Meta–analytic Test

2020 ◽  
pp. per.2276
Author(s):  
Julius Frankenbach ◽  
Tim Wildschut ◽  
Jacob Juhl ◽  
Constantine Sedikides
Keyword(s):  
European Association ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
The Self ◽  
Social Benefits ◽  
Individual Participant Data ◽  
Psychological Benefits ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
The Past ◽  
Trait Level ◽  
Individual Participant

Nostalgia, a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, confers self–oriented, existential, and social benefits. We examined whether nostalgic engagement is less beneficial for individuals who are high in neuroticism (i.e. emotionally unstable and prone to negative affect). Specifically, we tested whether the benefits of experimentally induced nostalgia are moderated by trait–level neuroticism. To address this issue, we conducted a high–powered individual participant data meta–analysis ( N = 3556, k = 19). We found that the benefits of nostalgia were not significantly moderated by neuroticism, as they emerged for both high and low neurotics. This finding upheld when the self–oriented, existential, and social benefits of nostalgia were analysed jointly and when they were analysed separately. Taken together, individuals high and low in neuroticism are equally likely to benefit psychologically from engagement in nostalgic reverie. © 2020 The Authors. European Journal of Personality published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Association of Personality Psychology

scholarly journals Personality Maturation during the Transition to Working Life: Associations with Commitment as A Possible Indicator of Social Investment

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 456-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liselotte den Boer ◽  
Theo A. Klimstra ◽  
Susan J.T. Branje ◽  
Wim H.J. Meeus ◽  
Jaap J.A. Denissen
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Multiple Testing ◽  
European Association ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Student Life ◽  
Social Investment ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Investment Theory ◽  
The Social ◽  
Psychological Commitment

The social investment theory (SIT) proposes that personality maturation is triggered by transitions into age–graded roles and psychological commitment to these roles. The present study examines the predictions of SIT by focusing on the transition from student life to working life. We analysed three–wave longitudinal data and compared participants who made the transition into working life ( N = 226), participants who combined education with work ( N = 387), and participants who did not make the transition at all ( N = 287). In contrast to the predictions of SIT, we found no differences in personality maturation between individuals who made the transition into working life and those who did this only partly or not at all. Psychological commitment to work did not explain individual differences in personality maturation for those who made the transition (partly) into working life after controlling for multiple testing. Therefore, the present study did not support the predictions of SIT. © 2019 The Authors European Journal of Personality published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Association of Personality Psychology

scholarly journals Truth and Wishful Thinking: How Interindividual Differences in Communal Motives Manifest in Momentary Partner Perceptions

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Pusch ◽  
Felix D. Schönbrodt ◽  
Caroline Zygar–Hoffmann ◽  
Birk Hagemeyer
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Signal Detection ◽  
European Association ◽  
Experience Sampling ◽  
Wishful Thinking ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Interindividual Differences ◽  
Everyday Lives ◽  
Partner Perceptions ◽  
Implicit And Explicit

Although rooted in reality, partner perceptions often reflect wishful thinking due to perceivers’ needs. Dispositional needs, or motives, can differ between persons; however, little is known about their differential associations with everyday partner perception. The present study used data from a 4–week experience sampling study ( N = up to 60942 surveys from 510 individuals nested in 259 couples) to examine the effects of perceivers’ partner–related implicit and explicit communal motives on the perception of (i) global communal partner behaviour and (ii) specific communal and uncommunal partner behaviours. The results of truth and bias models of judgement and quasi–signal detection analyses indicate that strong implicit communal approach motives and strong explicit communal motives are associated with the tendency to overestimate the partner's communal behaviour. Additionally, strong implicit communal approach motives were associated with the tendency to avoid perceptions of uncommunal partner behaviour. Neither implicit nor explicit communal motives had an effect on accuracy in the perception of particularly communal partner behaviour. The results highlight the relevance of both implicit and explicit communal motives for momentary partner perceptions and emphasise the benefits of dyadic microlongitudinal designs for a better understanding of the mechanisms through which individual differences manifest in couples’ everyday lives. © 2019 The Authors. European Journal of Personality published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Association of Personality Psychology

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