Description: Do people who witness acts of aggression or violence against other in their town or cities typically intervene to stop or diffuse the situation? When attacks against Indigenous, Asian, or other identifiable member of minority groups occur as they have recently, how likely is it that you, when hearing of the incidents, wondered why… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Altruism Prosocial Behaviour
Psychology of Covid-19: How to Wait in Lines
Description: How good are you at waiting in line? Would your answer be different if you were thinking of waiting in line to pay for your groceries as compared to waiting in what, these days, passes for an ill-defined virtual line that will determine when you get your vaccination for Covid-19? Culturally, the British are… Read more »
Psychology of Covid: The Vaccine Dilemma Game
Description: Social psychology often involves examining the social give and take between individuals and at some of the ways that individuals may bias their perceptions or out and out act in their own interest at the expense of other’s outcomes. This work includes things like the Just World Hypothesis (e.g., maybe people who flaunt social… Read more »
Psychological Entitlement and Covid-19 Restriction Compliance
Description: What sorts of people resist Covid-19 related health guidelines such as mask wearing, the use of hand sanitizer when entering public spaces and limits of social gatherings? Ok, Ok, I suspect you may have a few choice words to use in your response to that question but hang on a moment. Understanding more about… Read more »
Psychology of Covid-19: COVID Messaging – Time for Behavioral Science
Description: As we isolate and socially distance (more or less) out way into the holiday season it is a good time to think about others. Yes, that might involve giving something to your local food bank (good idea!), but what about the sort of “thinking of others” that is behind the pleas from health officials… Read more »
The Psychological Science of Gift Giving
Description: Ok so, no pressure, but as we struggle into winter with coronavirus spikes and flares popping up and the prospect of more restrictions, closures, and lockdowns looming, we are also approaching the holiday, gifting season. Yes, I know, we do NOT need any more stress, do we? But, think of it this way, we… Read more »
Psychology of Covid-19: Cultural Variation in Reactions to Social Restrictions
Description: We know a LOT about social distancing at this point in time (Fall 2020) don’t we? Well, we might think we do but as we need to consider increasingly comprehensive restrictions on social engagement as the pandemic surges into the winter months it is helpful to see that quite a bit of Psychological research… Read more »
The Psychology of Covid-19: Your Behavioral-Immune System
Description: You are wearing a mask when you need to right? Its has become clear that mask wearing is perhaps the most important thing we can do to limit exposure to Covid-19 until a vaccine become readily available. What is also clear is that there are many factors involved in determining when people feel more… Read more »
Psychology and Covid-19: Impacts of Isolation
Description: The requests and demands for social distancing in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic are new and novel for almost everyone. In addition, the novelty of this experience and the serious uncertainty about how long it will last and what it will involve is adding to our anxiety and potentially eroding our wellbeing. While… Read more »
Psychology of COVID-19 Part 1: Some Psychological Facts
Description: As of today (March 15, 2020) the COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and there is a LOT going on at the international, national, community and individual level. The university where I am currently teaching a couple of courses has decided to finish this term with all our courses… Read more »