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  • Research

    © Markus Richter / Faculty of Sociology

News

06.07.2023 - New paper by Sebastian Sattler and colleagues in the European Journal of Social Psychology about sleep-deprived or cognitively enhanced colleagues and effects on group performance

Sattler, S., Faber, N. Häusser, J. (2023, online first): Working with a sleep-deprived or a cognitively enhanced team member compromises motivation to contribute to group performance How Enhanced and Impaired Colleagues Affect Performance Norms and Work Motivation. European Journal of Social Psychology. ►LINK

Abstract

How does knowing another team member is cognitively impaired or enhanced affect people's motivation to contribute to the team's performance? Building on the Effects of Grouping on Impairments and Enhancements (GIE) framework, we conducted two between-subjects experiments (Ntotal = 2,352) with participants from a representative, nationwide sample of the working population in Germany. We found that another group member's impairment (sleep deprivation) and enhancement (taking enhancement drugs) lowered participants’ intentions to contribute to the team's performance. These effects were mediated by lowered perceived competence (enhancement and impairment) and warmth (only enhancement) of the other group member. The reason for being impaired or enhanced (altruistic vs. egoistic reason) moderated the indirect effect of the impairment on intended effort via warmth. Our results illustrate that people's work motivation is influenced by the psychophysiological states of other group members. Hence, the enhancement of one group member can have the paradoxical effect of impairing the performance of another.

16.05.2023 - Stellenausschreibung Hilfskraftstelle (mit BA-Abschluss) DFG-Projekt "ENHANCE"

Zum 15.7.2023 ist eine wiss. Hilfskraftstelle (BA-Abschluss) mit bis zu 20 Stunden/Woche im DFG-Projekt "ENHANCE" für zunächst 6 Monate zu besetzen (Verlängerung möglich). Weitere Informationen zur Ausschreibung finden Sie hier.

24.04.2023 - New Scale to Measure Sleep Problems and Impaired Daytime Functioning by Sebastian Sattler Published in ZIS – Open Access Repository for Measurment Instruments

Sattler, S., Seddig, D., Zerbini, G. (2023). Die Messung von Schlafproblemen und der Beeinträchtigung der Tagesform mittels der Athens Insomnia Scale for Non-Clinical Application (AIS-NCA) in deutscher und englischer Sprache. Zusammenstellung sozialwissenschaftlicher Items und Skalen (ZIS). https://doi.org/10.6102/zis329. ►LINK

ABSTRACT: The “Athens Insomnia Scale for Non-Clinical Application (AIS-NCA)” assesses problems with sleep (4 items) and with daytime functioning (3 items). It is also possible to use all seven items for a total score. The AIS-NCA has been developed for non-clinical applications and is available in both German (AIS-NCA-G) and English (AIS-NCA-E).

20.03.2023 - New Paper on Stigmatization in the Context of COVID-19 by Sebastian Sattler Published in BMC Public Health

Sattler, S., Maskileyson, D., Racine, E., Davidov, E., Escande, A. (2023). Stigmatization in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey Experiment Using Attribution Theory and the Familiarity Hypothesis. BMC Public Health 23: 521. ►LINK

 

Abstract

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a global health crisis, leading to stigmatization and discriminatory behaviors against people who have contracted or are suspected of having contracted the virus. Yet the causes of stigmatization in the context of COVID-19 remain only partially understood. Using attribution theory, we examine to what extent attributes of a fictitious person affect the formation of stigmatizing attitudes towards this person, and whether suspected COVID-19 infection (vs. flu) intensifies such attitudes. We also use the familiarity hypothesis to explore whether familiarity with COVID-19 reduces stigma and whether it moderates the effect of a COVID-19 infection on stigmatization.

Methods

We conducted a multifactorial vignette survey experiment (28-design, i.e., NVignettes = 256) in Germany (NRespondents = 4,059) in which we experimentally varied signals and signaling events (i.e., information that may trigger stigma) concerning a fictitious person in the context of COVID-19. We assessed respondents’ cognitive (e.g., blameworthiness) and affective (e.g., anger) responses as well as their discriminatory inclinations (e.g., avoidance) towards the character. Furthermore, we measured different indicators of respondents’ familiarity with COVID-19.

Results

Results revealed higher levels of stigma towards people who were diagnosed with COVID-19 versus a regular flu. In addition, stigma was higher towards those who were considered responsible for their infection due to irresponsible behavior. Knowing someone who died from a COVID infection increased stigma. While higher self-reported knowledge about COVID-19 was associated with more stigma, higher factual knowledge was associated with less.

Conclusion

Attribution theory and to a lesser extent the familiarity hypothesis can help better understand stigma in the context of COVID-19. This study provides insights about who is at risk of stigmatization and stigmatizing others in this context. It thereby allows identifying the groups that require more support in accessing healthcare services and suggests that basic, factually oriented public health interventions would be promising for reducing stigma.

16.01.2023 - New Study by Sebastian Sattler on Stigma in the Context of Disability published in Public Understanding of Science

Sample, M., Sattler, S., Racine, E., Boehlen, W. (2023): Brain-Computer Interfaces, Disability, and the Stigma of Refusal: A Factorial Vignette Study. Public Understanding of Science. (shared 1st authorship). doi.org/10.1177/09636625221141663s. ►LINK

Abstract

As brain-computer interfaces are promoted as assistive devices, some researchers worry that this promise to “restore” individuals worsens stigma toward disabled people and fosters unrealistic expectations. In three web-based survey experiments with vignettes, we tested how refusing a brain-computer interface in the context of disability affects cognitive (blame), emotional (anger), and behavioral (coercion) stigmatizing attitudes (Experiment 1, N = 222) and whether the effect of a refusal is affected by the level of brain-computer interface functioning (Experiment 2, N = 620) or the risk of malfunctioning (Experiment 3, N = 620). We found that refusing a brain-computer interface increased blame and anger, while brain-computer interface functioning did change the effect of a refusal. Higher risks of device malfunctioning partially reduced stigmatizing attitudes and moderated the effect of refusal. This suggests that information about disabled people who refuse a technology can increase stigma toward them. This finding has serious implications for brain-computer interface regulation, media coverage, and the prevention of ableism.

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