Tolerance, Dissenting Beliefs, and Cultural Diversity

Exploring the Out-Group Homogeneity Effect Among Arab Children in Israel: The Roles of Religion, Contact, and Group Identification

The out-group homogeneity effect has been found to contribute to adults' inter-group biases. Three studies examined whether 5- and 8-year-old Arab (i.e., minority) children in Israel also manifest this effect (March 2017-January 2020). Arab children from different religious affiliations and social environments (N = 272, 54% females) were asked to choose either a homogeneous or a heterogeneous sample of group members to infer if a given property (biological or psychological) was true of a whole group: either the participant's in-group (Arabs) or out-group (Jews). Overall, differently from Jewish (i.e., majority) Israeli children, Arab children did not exhibit the out-group homogeneity effect. Nevertheless, there were indications that religious affiliation, social environment, and group identification affected children's responses.

Cultural sustainability through social networks: a moderated mediation model exploring the psychological dimensions of cultural dissemination

Introduction

The present study examines the role of social network diversity in fostering cultural sustainability among Chinese social media users.

Methods

Utilizing a quantitative methodological approach, data was gathered from a sample of 1,200 active users across various Chinese social media platforms. Participants completed surveys assessing the diversity of their cultural interactions on these platforms, their levels of cultural empathy, cultural adaptability, and the sustainability of cultural practices.

Results

The findings indicate that greater diversity in social media interactions is significantly associated with higher levels of cultural empathy, which in turn enhances both cultural adaptability and sustainability. Furthermore, psychological flexibility was found to moderate these relationships, suggesting that individuals with higher flexibility are better able to leverage diverse interactions into sustainable cultural practices.

Discussion

These results emphasize the potential of social media as a tool for cultural preservation and adaptation in the face of globalization. Implications for policy makers and social media platforms center on fostering environments that support diverse cultural exchanges to enhance cultural sustainability. This research contributes to the understanding of how digital interactions can influence the long-term maintenance and adaptation of cultural heritage in a rapidly changing world.

Father trait anger and associations with father-infant bonding and caregiving: The mediating role of mentalizing

Trait anger reflects a tendency to feel irritation, annoyance, and rage, and involves a narrowing of cognition and attention. This narrowed scope may impact the capacity to understand the mental states of oneself and others (mentalizing), which for fathers of infants may compromise bonding and caregiving involvement. Here, we investigated the extent to which mentalizing mediated the relationship between father trait anger and both father-infant bonding and father involvement in infant caregiving. Data were from 168 fathers (M = 30.04 years of age, SD = 1.36) of 190 infants (M = 7.58 months of age, SD = 5.06) in the longitudinal Men and Parenting Pathways (MAPP) study. We assessed fathers' preconception trait anger at Wave 1 and their mentalizing 2 years later at Wave 3. At Waves 3, 4, and/or 5, we assessed father-infant bonding and father involvement in infant caregiving when men had an infant younger than 18 months of age. Associations were examined using path analysis. Poorer mentalizing fully mediated the relationship between preconception trait anger and father-infant bonding (total score), but not involvement in infant caregiving. Further, poorer mentalizing fully mediated the relationships between trait anger and each component of the father-infant bond (i.e., patience and tolerance, affection and pride, and pleasure in interactions). Findings suggest that for men high on trait anger, targeted interventions that facilitate mentalizing capacities may help to develop a foundation for a strong father-infant bond. Interventions may be offered on becoming a father (perinatal), or prior to becoming a father (preconception) to prevent future bonding problems.