scholarly journals Behavioral Immune System Responses to Coronavirus: A Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory Explanation of Conformity, Warmth Toward Others and Attitudes Toward Lockdown

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison M. Bacon ◽  
Philip J. Corr
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
Sensitivity Theory ◽  
Reinforcement Sensitivity ◽  
Approach Behaviors ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability To Disease

Behavioral immune system (BIS) describes psychological mechanisms that detect cues to infectious pathogens in the immediate environment, trigger disease-relevant responses and facilitate behavioral avoidance/escape. BIS activation elicits a perceived vulnerability to disease (PVD) which can result in conformity with social norms. However, a response to superficial cues can result in aversive responses to people that pose no actual threat, leading to an aversion to unfamiliar others, and likelihood of prejudice. Pathogen-neutralizing behaviors, therefore, have implications for social interaction as well as illness behaviors and responses to health communications. In this study, we investigate how PVD influences conformity, attitudes to other people and to lockdown regulations through the lens of the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST). RST describes personality in terms of biologically-driven approach and avoidance motivations which support personal goals. Participants from the United Kingdom public (N = 605) completed an RST personality questionnaire and then read either (a) coronavirus morbidity-mortality statistics and current United Kingdom government lifestyle regulations, (b) just the regulations (as presented in most government publicity materials), or (c) no information at all. They all completed the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease scale to assess BIS-relevant Germ Aversion and Perceived Infectability, followed by questions measuring social conformity, warmth toward others and attitudes toward lockdown measures. Significantly lower PVD scores were observed in the no-information condition, with the other conditions showing no difference. In terms of RST, approach behaviors related to goal-drive persistence work alongside fear in explaining conformity to social norms. Reward related approach behaviors partially explained warmth toward others, indicating that social rewards gained through interaction continue to be strong drivers of behavior. We found no role for RST traits in attitudes toward lockdown. Overall, coronavirus-related behavior is not driven purely by fear, but also by social and/or protection goals regulated by approach motivation. This study presents new insights into public perceptions of coronavirus and government regulated lifestyle restrictions, helping to explain social behaviors in terms of biologically driven mechanisms. Such understanding is vital if we are to successfully motivate public behavior to constrain spread of the virus.

UNPUBLISHED, REJECTED MANUSCRIPT NOT TO BE RESUBMITTED: Infection and ideology- Perceived vulnerability to disease predicts political conservatism

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph A Vitriol
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
The Political ◽  
World Values Survey ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
The World ◽  
Political Conservatism ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability To Disease ◽  
Political Right

Recent research on the behavioral immune system suggests that perceived vulnerability to disease is associated with greater ingroup preference, conformity, and support for established cultural practices. However, little of this research has looked at the implications of perceived vulnerability to disease for an orientation linked to many of the above outcomes: ideology. In two studies, we test the hypothesis that perceived vulnerability to disease should be associated with greater political conservatism. In Study 1, we find a relationship between perceived vulnerability to disease and increases in conservatism over time. In Study 2, we use data from the World Values Survey to demonstrate that perceived vulnerability to disease predicts a stronger preference for the political right in a large sample of respondents from a wide variety of nations. Together, these results suggest that the consequences of the behavioral immune system may extend to abstract identifications like ideology.

scholarly journals The Role of Age and Gender in Perceived Vulnerability to Infectious Diseases

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amelia Díaz ◽  
Ángela Beleña ◽  
Jesús Zueco
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
Biological Immune System ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability To Disease ◽  
System Variables

Background: The study of the immune system has been approached using two separate paths, the biological immune system and the behavioral immune system. Recently, Gangestad and Grebe proposed a unique integrated compensatory immune system, where both systems work together and one of them could compensate for the other when necessary. However, few studies have confirmed the existence of this integrated compensatory immune system. Our study represents an attempt to explore the existence of this unique immune system, investigating if the behavioral immune system variables increase when the biological immune system weakens with age. Material and Methods. The cross-sectional design study was made up of a final sample of 1108 participants (45.2% men and 54.2 women) aged 18–64 years. The younger group (18–21 years) was made up of students, whilst the older groups (22 to 64 years) were composed by their relatives and acquaintances, following the snow ball process. The participants completed the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Questionnaire that assesses perceived infectability and germ aversion. Correlations, analyses of variance (ANOVAs), and independent group comparisons were performed. These analyses showed the relationships between the variables studied, the effects of age and gender in perceived infectability and germ aversion, and the differences that perceived infectability and germ aversion presented in different age-groups separated by gender. Results: A pattern emerged where germ aversion increases as both men and women get older, but perceived infectability decreases up to the age of 50, and then it increases in women from that age onward. Gender differences are only significant in younger participants, with women having higher scores than men in both variables. Conclusion: The results partially support the existence of a unique integrated compensatory biological/behavioral immune system.

scholarly journals Testing the Disgust-Based Mechanism of Homonegative Attitudes in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Szymkow ◽  
Natalia Frankowska ◽  
Katarzyna Galasinska
Keyword(s):  
System Theory ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
Functional Flexibility ◽  
Sexual Disgust ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability To Disease

Negative attitudes and stigmatization can originate from the perception of a disease-related threat. Following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is often suggested that incidents of discriminatory behavior are the result of defense mechanisms aimed at avoiding pathogens. According to the behavioral immune system theory, people are motivated to distance themselves from individuals who show signs of infection, or who are only heuristically associated with a disease, primarily because of the disgust they evoke. In this paper we focus on negative attitudes toward gay men and lesbians who are among social groups that have been persistently framed as “unclean.” In our correlational study (N = 500 heterosexual participants; Polish sample data collected during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Poland, in March/April 2020) we tested moderation models derived from the behavioral immune system theory. Specifically, we investigated whether perceived vulnerability to disease and perceived threat of contracting COVID-19 moderate the relation between disgust and homonegativity. We found that sexual disgust (but not pathogen nor moral disgust) predicted homonegative attitudes. This effect was stronger for participants expressing higher levels of perceived vulnerability to disease but was not dependent on the perception of the COVID-19 threat. The results reaffirm previous evidence indicating a pivotal role of disgust in disease-avoidance mechanisms. They also point to functional flexibility of the behavioral immune system by demonstrating the moderating role of perceived vulnerability to disease in shaping homonegative attitudes. Finally, they show that the threat of COVID-19 does not strengthen the relationship between disgust and homonegativity.

scholarly journals Behavioral immune system linked to responses to the threat of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Makhanova ◽  
Melissa A. Shepherd
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Grocery Shopping ◽  
Psychological Processes ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability To Disease ◽  
Pathogen Avoidance ◽  
Big 5 Personality

People possess psychological processes that help them avoid pathogens, which is particularly important when novel infectious diseases (e.g., COVID-19) spread through the population. Across two studies we examined whether trait pathogen avoidance (operationalized as perceived vulnerability to disease; PVD) was linked with responses to COVID-19 and preventative behaviors. In Study 1, PVD was positively associated with stronger reactions to the threat of COVID-19, including increased anxiety, perceptions that people should alter their typical behavior, as well as reported importance of engaging in proactive and social distancing behaviors. In Study 2, PVD was again associated with increased anxiety, as well as more vigilant behavior when grocery shopping, fewer trips to the store, and fewer face-to-face interactions. These associations remained significant when controlling for the Big-5 personality traits. Although the two subscales of PVD (germ aversion and perceived infectability) were often parallel predictors, several differences between the subscales emerged. Germ aversion may be more associated with behaviors whereas perceived infectability with vigilance.

Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of Personality Questionnaire--Dutch Version

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serafine Dierickx ◽  
Dirk Smits ◽  
Philip J. Corr ◽  
Penelope Hasking ◽  
Laurence Claes
Keyword(s):  
Personality Questionnaire ◽  
Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory ◽  
Dutch Version ◽  
Sensitivity Theory ◽  
Reinforcement Sensitivity

The Effects of Profit-Sharing Plans, Client Importance, and Reinforcement Sensitivity on Audit Quality

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herman van Brenk ◽  
Barbara Majoor ◽  
Arnold M. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Agency Theory ◽  
Detrimental Effect ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Profit Sharing ◽  
Economic Incentives ◽  
Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory ◽  
Sensitivity Theory ◽  
Reinforcement Sensitivity ◽  
Reporting Decisions ◽  
Auditor Reporting

Despite concerns that profit-sharing plans might have a detrimental effect on audit quality, there is little empirical evidence on this issue. We examine the effects of the type of profit-sharing plan, level of client importance, and auditor reinforcement sensitivity (joint sensitivity to rewards and punishments) on auditor reporting decisions. By relying on agency theory and reinforcement sensitivity theory, we posit that the joint effects of profit sharing and client importance on auditors' decisions are contingent on reinforcement sensitivity. In an experiment with 450 audit partners and managers, we manipulate type of profit-sharing plan and client importance, and measure extroversion and neuroticism. We find the highest audit quality when profit sharing is based on firm performance, client importance is low, and reinforcement sensitivity is high. Thus, instead of just modifying the type of profit-sharing plans, it is the mix of economic incentives and personality traits that affect audit quality.

The New Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory: Implications for Personality Measurement

2006 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 320-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke D. Smillie ◽  
Alan D. Pickering ◽  
Chris J. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Formal Models ◽  
Personality Measurement ◽  
Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory ◽  
Sensitivity Theory ◽  
Interdependent System ◽  
Reinforcement Sensitivity ◽  
Psychometric Measures ◽  
Trait Impulsivity ◽  
Psychometric Measurement ◽  
Future Work

In this article, we review recent modifications to Jeffrey Gray's (1973, 1991) reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST), and attempt to draw implications for psychometric measurement of personality traits. First, we consider Gray and McNaughton's (2000) functional revisions to the biobehavioral systems of RST. Second, we evaluate recent clarifications relating to interdependent effects that these systems may have on behavior, in addition to or in place of separable effects (e.g., Corr, 2001; Pickering, 1997). Finally, we consider ambiguities regarding the exact trait dimension to which Gray's “reward system” corresponds. From this review, we suggest that future work is needed to distinguish psychometric measures of (a) fear from anxiety and (b) reward-reactivity from trait impulsivity. We also suggest, on the basis of interdependent system views of RST and associated exploration using formal models, that traits that are based upon RST are likely to have substantial intercorrelations. Finally, we advise that more substantive work is required to define relevant constructs and behaviors in RST before we can be confident in our psychometric measures of them.

scholarly journals The conceptualisation, measurement and scope of reinforcement sensitivity in the context of a neuroscience of personality

2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 411-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke D. Smillie
Keyword(s):  
Differential Sensitivity ◽  
Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory ◽  
Sensitivity Theory ◽  
Process Theories ◽  
Reinforcement Sensitivity ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
Target Paper ◽  
Approach Avoidance ◽  
Reinforcing Stimuli

Reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST) is complex, and there are subtle differences between RST and other approach‐avoidance process theories of personality. However, most such theories posit a common biobehavioural mechanism underlying personality which we must therefore strive to understand: differential sensitivity to reinforcing stimuli. Reinforcement sensitivity is widely assessed using questionnaires, but should we treat such measures as (a) a proxy for reinforcement sensitivity itself (i.e. the underlying causes of personality) or (b) trait constructs potentially manifesting out of reinforcement sensitivity (i.e. the ‘surface’ of personality)? Might neuroscience paradigms, such as those I have reviewed in my target paper, provide an advantage over questionnaires in allowing us to move closer to (a), thereby improving both the measurement and our understanding of reinforcement sensitivity? Assuming we can achieve this, how useful is reinforcement sensitivity—and biological perspectives more generally—for explaining personality? These are the major questions raised in the discussion of my target paper, and among the most pertinent issues in this field today. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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