ORCID Profile
0000-0002-8286-8940
Current Organisations
University of Sydney
,
Australian National University
,
University of Dundee
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Psychology | Political Science | International Relations | Social Change | Citizenship | Political Theory and Political Philosophy | Sociology | Applied Sociology, Program Evaluation and Social Impact Assessment | Comparative Government and Politics | Race and Ethnic Relations | International relations | Comparative government and politics | Political science | Social and Community Psychology
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Political Systems | Expanding Knowledge through Studies of Human Society | Ethnicity, Multiculturalism and Migrant Development and Welfare | Civics and Citizenship | Electoral Systems | Expanding Knowledge in Psychology and Cognitive Sciences | Communication Across Languages and Culture |
Related Links
Publications
The role of social identification as university student in learning: Relationships between students' social identity, approaches to learning, and academic achievement
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-2011
Challenges in assessing the nature of effective collaboration in blended university courses
Publisher: Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education
Date: 26-10-2020
DOI: 10.14742/AJET.5576
Abstract: The ability to collaborate effectively face-to-face and online represents a critical skill for university graduates. However, there are still challenges regarding how to accurately assess this skill through traditional student learning measures. To better understand the nature of effective collaboration of university students in blended courses, the current study drew on the student approaches to learning framework and social network analysis techniques. We examined how student approaches to inquiry, approaches to online learning technologies, perceptions of the blended learning environment, different learning outcomes and configurations of collaboration are related. The methodologies commonly used in student approaches to learning research identified deep and surface approaches to inquiry and technologies, positive and negative perceptions of the integration of the learning environment, and of online workload, which also showed logical alignment with relatively better and poorer academic achievement in the course. Based on approaches, perceptions, and learning outcomes, students were ided into groups orientated towards understanding versus reproducing learning. The social network analysis techniques revealed features of different configurations of collaborations by different groups of students and their choices as to whether and with whom to collaborate during the learning process. Nuanced differences were found amongst different configurations of collaborations. Implications for practice or policy: When assessing student experience of collaboration, social network analysis techniques may be able to describe nuanced differences amongst different collaborative configurations. To encourage students’ collaboration, assessment tasks involving a large proportion of mandatory collaborative activities should be considered. To help student improve experience of collaboration, teachers may consider pairing students with a reproducing learning orientation with those having a deep disciplinary understanding.
New Technologies, New Identities, and the Growth of Mass Opposition in the Arab Spring
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-08-2014
DOI: 10.1111/POPS.12060
Understanding cyberhate: Social competition and social creativity in online white supremacist groups
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 02-2005
Abstract: This study investigated the self-enhancement strategies used by online White supremacist groups. In accordance with social identity theory, we proposed that White supremacist groups, in perceiving themselves as members of a high-status, impermeable group under threat from out-groups, should advocate more social conflict than social creativity strategies. We also expected levels of advocated violence to be lower than levels of social conflict and social creativity due to legal constraints on content. As expected, an analysis of 43 White supremacist web sites revealed that levels of social creativity and social conflict were significantly greater than were levels of advocated violence. However, contrary to predictions, the web sites exhibited social creativity to a greater extent than they exhibited social conflict. The difference between social creativity and social competition strategieswas not moderated by identifiability. Results are discussed with reference to legal impediments to overt hostility in online groups and the purpose of socially creative communication.
The social contract revisited
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-03-2020
The Effect of Influencers on Societal Polarization
Publisher: IEEE
Date: 11-12-2022
Accessing addiction recovery capital via online and offline channels: The role of peer-support and shared experiences of addiction
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2020
Collective action as the material expression of opinion-based group membership
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2009
Understanding student learning in context: Relationships between university students' social identity, approaches to learning, and academic performance
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-07-2011
Where There Is a (Collective) Will, There Are (Effective) Ways
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 23-10-2016
Abstract: The 21st century has borne witness to catastrophic natural and human-induced tragedies. These disasters necessitate humanitarian responses however, the in idual and collective bases of support are not well understood. Drawing on Duncan’s motivational model of collective action, we focus on how in idual differences position a person to adopt group memberships and develop a “group consciousness” that provides the basis for humanitarian action. Longitudinal mediation analyses involving supporters of international humanitarian action ( N = 384) s led annually for 3 years provided support for the hypothesized model, with some twists. The results revealed that within time point, a set of in idual differences (together, the “pro-social orientation”) promoted a humanitarian group consciousness that, in turn, facilitated collective action. However, longitudinally, there was evidence that a more general pro-social orientation undermined subsequent identification with, and engagement in, the humanitarian cause. Results are discussed in terms of understanding the interplay between in idual and group in collective actions.
Integrating Computerized Linguistic and Social Network Analyses to Capture Addiction Recovery Capital in an Online Community
Publisher: MyJove Corporation
Date: 31-05-2019
DOI: 10.3791/58851
Abstract: The article describes a new methodology designed with the aim of finding a comprehensive, unobtrusive, and accurate way of capturing social recovery capital development in online communities of recovery from alcohol and drug (AOD) addiction. Recovery capital was conceptualised as both engagement in the online recovery community and identification with the community. To measure recovery capital development, naturally occurring data were extracted from the social media page of a specific recovery program, with the page being set up as a resource for a face-to-face recovery program. To map engagement with the online community, social network analysis (SNA) capturing online social interaction was performed. Social interaction was measured through the linkages between the online contributors/members of the online community as represented by program clients, staff, and supporters from the broader community. To capture markers of social identification with the online community, computerised linguistic analysis of the textual data (content from posts and comments) was conducted. Recovery capital captured in this way was analysed against retention data (a proxy outcome indicator), as days spent in the (face-to-face) recovery program. The online data extracted was linked to participant data in regards to program retention to test prediction of a key recovery outcome. This approach allowed the examination of the role of online support communities and assessment of the association between recovery capital (developed via the online community of recovery) and recovery outcomes.
Applying the social identity approach in clinical and health domains: Key principles and insights
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 10-11-2016
Research focus and methodological choices in studies into students' experiences of blended learning in higher education
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2007
Western Individualism and the Psychological Wellbeing of Young People: A Systematic Review of Their Associations
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 22-12-2021
DOI: 10.3390/YOUTH2010001
Abstract: An increasing body of research suggests that young people living in Western societies are becoming increasingly in idualistic in the way they orientate themselves socially, with further findings suggestive that such orientations may be associated with reduced wellbeing outcomes. Through a systematic review of past research, this paper examines the findings on in idualism and the wellbeing of young people living within Western contexts. Findings from our review indicate that whilst in idualistic cultures may be associated with higher wellbeing outcomes when compared with collectivistic cultures, such associations tend to disappear when explored at the personal level. Additionally, we find that distinguishing how in idualism is measured provides important insight into specific traits associated with in idualism that can lead to poorer wellbeing outcomes. Based on the studies reviewed, we propose that whilst the freedom and autonomy embedded within in idualistic social orientations can have positive associations, there is an emerging understanding of some of the darker traits that can be associated with these values. These synthesized findings increase our understanding of the connection between in idualism, its associated behaviours, and the mental health of young people.
The Language of New Terrorism: Differences in Psychological Dimensions of Communication in Dabiq and Inspire
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 11-12-2017
Abstract: We investigate differences in the psychological aspects underpinning Western mobilisation of two terrorist groups by analysing their English-language propaganda. Based on a computerized analysis of the language used in two English-language online magazines circulated by ISIS and al-Qaeda (i.e., Dabiq and Inspire), we found significant differences in their language - the ISIS’ language being higher in authoritarianism and its level of religiousness. In a follow-up experimental study, we found that being high in religiousness and authoritarianism predicts more positive attitudes towards the language used by ISIS, but not towards the language used by al-Qaeda. The results suggest that ISIS’ propaganda may be more effective in mobilising in iduals who are more authoritarian and more focused on religion than that of al-Qaeda. These findings are consistent with the behaviour observed in recent homegrown terrorist attacks in the USA and Europe.
Enacting collective support for the European integration: Participation in pro-integration action and preference for specific transnational acculturation strategies
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-09-2018
DOI: 10.1002/CASP.2337
‘It’s okay to be racist’: moral disengagement in online discussions of racist incidents in Australia
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 15-04-2016
Collective Identity Changes in Far-right Online Communities: The Role of Offline Intergroup Conflict
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 29-01-2019
Abstract: The role of online communities in shaping behaviours ‘in real life’ (IRL) is well-established, however, less is known about how such communities are affected by offline events. Thus, we investigate here the ways in which the collective identity of a far-right online community is affected by offline intergroup conflict. That is, we examine over 14 years of online communication between members of a national ision of the global white supremacist community Stormfront.org. We analyse members’ language use and discourse before and after significant intergroup conflict in 2015, that is, local racist riots in Sydney, Australia. We found that the riots were associated with significant changes in the collective beliefs of the community (as captured by members’ most salient concerns and group norms), emotions and consensus within the community. Overall, the effects of the local riots were manifest in a reinvigorated sense of purpose for the far-right community with a stronger anti-Muslim agenda.
Ana-Maria Bliuc
Publisher: No publisher found
Date: 2023
Public division about climate change rooted in conflicting socio-political identities
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-02-2015
DOI: 10.1038/NCLIMATE2507
Glorifying national identification increases schadenfreude about asylum seekers when they are a threat, not entitled to seek asylum, and blamed for their adversity
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 23-08-2017
Breaking down the language of racism: a computerised linguistic analysis of racist groups’ self-defining online statements
Publisher: California Digital Library (CDL)
Date: 11-2017
Abstract: The Internet represents a powerful tool for racist groups to achieve their collective goals – i.e., disseminating racist ideologies, increasing their support base, and enhancing their transnational influence. Their online presence is carefully and strategically crafted as it often constitutes their first point of contact with potential supporters. To identify linguistic markers or racist (online) communication and key presentational strategies of racist groups, we examine the language they use when describing their self-defining beliefs on their websites. A dataset of group online statements of racist self-defining beliefs (N = 102) was analysed using a computerised linguistic analysis software we compared this dataset with a baseline of neutral texts (N = 12,173). We found that online self-defining statements of racist groups were characterised by greater use of isive language and a stronger focus on collective identity. We identified an increased use of religion and anger words, and reduced use of sadness and cognitive complexity words. We conclude by discussing implications of these findings for designing policies aiming to counteract the harmful societal effects of racist groups.
“You wouldn’t celebrate September 11” - Testing Online Polarisation Between Opposing Ideological Camps on YouTube
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 24-06-2020
Abstract: Online communication is increasingly associated with growing polarisation in society. In this research, we test a dual-pathway model of online polarisation via intergroup and intragroup interaction of supporters of opposing ideological c s on YouTube. The interaction occurs over a video parody promoting a c aign to change the date of Australia Day celebrations, a isive issue entailing contrasting narratives about Australian identity, meanings of the Australia Day, and interpretations of colonial history. To capture ideological polarisation, we conducted computerised linguistic analysis of polarised talk in the form of comments and replies (N=1,027) from supporters and opponents of the c aign. The indicators used to capture polarisation are social identification, position certainty, and psychological distance (as reflected by increased anxiety and hostility). Our results show that most polarisation (in the form of increased hostility) occurs in conditions of expression of outgroup dissent (the intergroup interaction pathway) and the most debated content on the online forum revolves around themes relevant to group identity. In addition to contributing to the understanding of group process in an online context, another key contribution of this research is providing a theory-driven method and blueprint to detect polarisation in social media data.
From cooperation to conflict
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-05-2022
DOI: 10.1111/SPC3.12670
Abstract: In this paper, we review the concept of collective narratives and their role in shaping group behaviour. We see collective narratives as ‘meta‐stories’ embraced by groups that incorporate values and beliefs about social reality, therefore providing a blueprint for group norms which, in turn, inform group members' behaviour. Our aim is to both describe the psychological processes underpinning the relation between collective narratives and group behaviours and develop an integrative typology of the functions of collective narratives (as they connect to various collective behaviours). We start by discussing definitions in the recent literature and propose an integrative conceptualisation which positions collective narratives in the context of collective action research. Next, we focus on the process by which collective narratives provide the bases for identity formation, development, and change, thus shaping group behaviour. We see collective narratives as central in understanding group behaviour, as they function as ‘meta‐stories’ that incorporate moral codes and values, and beliefs about the ingroups and outgroups—providing a blueprint for group norms which, in turn, inform group members' behaviour. In the second part of the article, we describe a typology of collective narratives according to their functions, structured around two core dimensions: the context/s in which collective narratives develop and are shared (i.e., intragroup vs. intergroup) and their effects within these contexts (i.e., driving consensus vs. driving dissent). We identify four distinctive types of collective narrative functions and review research showing how each of them shapes specific social identity content, including behaviour prescribing norms. We then show how these specific norms shape behaviours ranging from cooperation and pro‐social action to hostile intergroup conflict. The implications of this contribution are twofold. First, by providing a systematic account and categorisation of how collective narratives function in society and of their connections to social identities (and their content), we can more accurately deduct group norms and predict behaviours in specific circumstances, including in relation to political violence. Second, by better understanding the narratives that provide the bases of identity formation, development, and change, we can improve attempts to create alternative narratives that unify rather than ide people, so that pathways to co‐operation might be chosen over conflict.
Innovations in university student learning research into blended course designs: incorporating self-report and observational data
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2023
Cyber Racism and Community Resilience
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2017
When and how social movements mobilize action within and across nations to promote solidarity with refugees
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-05-2018
DOI: 10.1002/EJSP.2380
The influences of social identity and perceptions of injustice on support to violent extremism
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 16-03-2021
The Language of New Terrorism: Differences in Psychological Dimensions of Communication in Dabiq and Inspire
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 10-01-2018
Abstract: We investigate differences in the psychological aspects underpinning Western mobilisation of two terrorist groups by analysing their English-language propaganda. Based on a computerised analysis of the language used in two English-language online magazines circulated by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and al-Qaeda (i.e., Dabiq and Inspire), we found significant differences in their language—the ISIS’ language being higher in authoritarianism and its level of religiousness. In a follow-up experimental study, we found that being high in religiousness and authoritarianism predicts more positive attitudes towards the language used by ISIS, but not towards the language used by al-Qaeda. The results suggest that ISIS’ propaganda may be more effective in mobilising in iduals who are more authoritarian and more focused on religion than that of al-Qaeda. These findings are consistent with the behaviour observed in recent homegrown terrorist attacks in the United States and Europe.
A Call for Australian Clinical Practice Guidelines for Paediatric Hypertension
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2023
Depersonalization
Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Date: 2010
Learning through face-to-face and online discussions: Associations between students' conceptions, approaches and academic performance in political science
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-2010
Categorization
Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Date: 2010
Mapping social identity change in online networks of addiction recovery
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 27-07-2018
Rasch analysis of the Personal Wellbeing Index
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-04-2016
DOI: 10.1007/S11136-016-1302-X
Abstract: The Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) is used internationally to measure subjective well-being. While numerous studies have reported on the psychometric properties of the PWI using classic test theory, the current paper provides additional psychometric evaluation using the Rasch measurement model. The responses to the PWI items of 593 healthy adults living in Australia or Canada were analysed using Rasch analysis. Assessed were overall model fit was assessed, in idual person fit and item fit, reliability, differential item functioning (DIF), unidimensionality, targeting, and response format. Results indicate excellent psychometric properties of the PWI, provided the religion/spirituality item is excluded. The seven-item PWI showed good model fit (overall item-trait interaction χ (2) = 70.59, df = 63, p = 0.24), excellent person separation (PSI = .89), no item or person misfit, and no DIF for country or gender, and unidimensionality was supported. In addition, only very mild disordered thresholds were observed for the 'safety' item, indicating that overall, the 11-point response format was suitable for this population. It is recommended that the religion/spirituality item not be included in the aggregated or averaged total score in Western context and that caution should be used in comparison across different groups where the eight-item version has been used.
“I Just want to be Happy”
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 18-11-2022
DOI: 10.1177/21676968221138638
Abstract: Western cultural environments present an increasingly challenging landscape for young people’s mental health. To better understand how this cultural environment may be influencing the lives of young people, we conducted 50 semi-structured interviews with young Australians, discussing participants’ values, life goals, social attitudes and behaviours, and life stressors. We find that while participants tended to see factors such as maintaining strong relationships and personal growth as important to them, their ambitions, attitudes, and social behaviours were often driven by self-centred and materialistic aims. Participants also perceived outcomes specific to these drivers, including poor social support, feelings of competitiveness, and uncertainties around their future, as significant contributors to the stress they experienced in their lives. These findings help us better understand how prevailing Western cultural norms, including in idualistic and materialistic practices, may influence young people’s psychological wellbeing.
Toward integrated historical climate research: the example of Atmospheric Circulation Reconstructions over the Earth
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-01-2016
DOI: 10.1002/WCC.379
Abstract: Climate change has become a key environmental narrative of the 21st century. However, emphasis on the science of climate change has overshadowed studies focusing on human interpretations of climate history, of adaptation and resilience, and of explorations of the institutions and cultural coping strategies that may have helped people adapt to climate changes in the past. Moreover, although the idea of climate change has been subject to considerable scrutiny by the physical sciences, recent climate scholarship has highlighted the need for a re‐examination of the cultural and spatial dimensions of climate, with contributions from the humanities and social sciences. Establishing a multidisciplinary dialogue and approach to climate research past, present, and future has arguably never been more important. This article outlines developments in historical climatology research and considers ex les of integrated multidisciplinary approaches to climate, climatic variability, and climate change research, conducted across the physical sciences, social sciences, humanities, and the arts. We highlight the international Atmospheric Circulation Reconstructions over the Earth ( ACRE ) initiative as one ex le of such an integrated approach. Initially, ACRE began as a response from climate science to the needs of the agricultural sector in Queensland, Australia for a longer, more spatially, and temporally‐complete database of the weather. ACRE has now evolved to embrace an international group of researchers working together across disciplines to integrate their efforts into a four‐dimensional ( 4D ) dynamical global historical climate‐quality reanalysis (reconstruction). WIREs Clim Change 2016, 7:164–174. doi: 10.1002/wcc.379 This article is categorized under: Climate, History, Society, Culture Disciplinary Perspectives Paleoclimates and Current Trends Modern Climate Change
Refining the Meaning of the “Collective” in Collective Guilt: Harm, Guilt, and Apology in Australia
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date: 06-09-2004
Student experiences of engaged enquiry in pharmacy education: Digital natives or something else?
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-03-2012
Volunteering and civic participation in the vietnamese-Australian community
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan US
Date: 2016
United in Diversity, Divided in Adversity? Support for Right-Wing Eurosceptic Parties in the Face of Threat Differs Across Nations
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 14-08-2019
Toward integrated historical climate research: the example of Atmospheric Circulation Reconstructions over the Earth
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-06-2016
DOI: 10.1002/WCC.408
Online networks of racial hate: A systematic review of 10 years of research on cyber-racism
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2018
The Relationship between Existential Anxiety, Political Efficacy, Extrinsic Religiosity and Support for Violent Extremism in Indonesia
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 20-02-2022
Student Approaches to Inquiry Questionnaire
Publisher: No publisher found
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1037/T65141-000
Blended learning in vocational education: Teachers' conceptions of blended learning and their approaches to teaching and design
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-01-2012
Breaking Down the Language of Online Racism: A Comparison of the Psychological Dimensions of Communication in Racist, Anti‐Racist, and Non‐Activist Groups
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-05-2018
DOI: 10.1111/ASAP.12159
Abstract: The Internet represents a powerful tool for racist groups to build a sense of group consciousness and promote their cause. In the current study, we examined the language used by racist ( n = 87), anti‐racist ( n = 50), and nonactivist ( n = 1379) groups when describing their self‐defining beliefs online. We used computerized linguistic analysis software to measure psychological indicators and antecedents of group consciousness and to examine the persuasive techniques used in online group communication. Racist and anti‐racist groups were similar on some linguistic indicators of group consciousness (e.g., use of words reflecting perceived injustice), but differed on others (e.g., use of words reflecting group identification). Linguistic indicators of antecedents of group consciousness (moral foundations and focus on religion) differed across groups, with racist groups focused more on purity, respect for authority, and religion, and less on fairness than anti‐racist groups. Racist groups also used less cognitively complex language than nonactivist groups (but similar levels to anti‐racist groups). Our results contribute to understanding how racist groups promote their self‐defining beliefs online, and identify several key factors that should be considered when designing policies to reduce racist groups’ growth and impact.
Young Muslim Australians’ experiences of intergroup contact and its implications for intercultural relations
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 22-12-2021
High school students' experiences of learning through research on the internet
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-04-2011
A blended learning Approach to teaching foreign policy: Student experiences of learning through face-to-face and online discussion and their relationship to academic performance
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2011
“You wouldn’t celebrate September 11”: Testing online polarisation between opposing ideological camps on YouTube
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 09-2020
Abstract: Online communication is increasingly associated with growing polarisation in society. In this research, we test a dual-pathway model of online polarisation via intergroup and intragroup interaction of supporters of opposing ideological c s on YouTube. The interaction occurs over a video parody promoting a c aign to change the date of Australia Day celebrations, a isive issue entailing contrasting narratives about Australian identity, meanings of Australia Day, and interpretations of colonial history. To capture ideological polarisation, we conducted computerised linguistic analysis of polarised talk in the form of comments and replies ( N = 1,027) from supporters and opponents of the c aign. The indicators used to capture polarisation are social identification, position certainty, and psychological distance (as reflected by increased anxiety and hostility). Our results show that most polarisation (in the form of increased hostility) occurs in conditions of expression of outgroup dissent (the intergroup interaction pathway) and the most debated content on the online forum revolves around themes relevant to group identity. In addition to contributing to the understanding of group process in an online context, another key contribution of this research is providing a theory-driven method and blueprint to detect polarisation in social media data.
Emotion expression and intergroup bias reduction between Muslims and Christians: Long-term Internet contact
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2015
Group-based guilt as a predictor of commitment to apology
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2005
Uncertainty in transition: The influence of group cohesion on learning
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 24-02-2017
Manipulating national identity: The strategic use of rhetoric by supporters and opponents of the 'Cronulla riots' in Australia
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-2012
An exploration into first-year university students' approaches to inquiry and online learning technologies in blended environments
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-11-2016
DOI: 10.1111/BJET.12385
Online Intergroup Polarization Across Political Fault Lines: An Integrative Review
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 18-10-2021
DOI: 10.3389/FPSYG.2021.641215
Abstract: We revisit the construct of political polarization and current distinctions between issue-driven and affective polarization. Based on our review of recent research on polarization from psychology, political science, and communication, we propose to treat polarization as a process that integrates the concepts of social identification (collective self-definition) with ideologically opposed c s - that is, psychological groups based on support or opposition to specific socio-political issues and policies (related to issue-driven polarization), and that of ideological and psychological distancing between groups (related to affective polarization). Furthermore, we discuss the foundations of polarizing groups – and more specifically, the role of conflicting collective narratives about social reality in providing an initial platform for polarization in a technologically networked world. In particular, we highlight the importance of online media in facilitating and enhancing polarization between ideologically opposed c s. As a theoretical contribution, the review provides a more functional conceptualization of polarization that can explain how polarization may occur across partisan fault lines and in domains outside of politics. We conclude with a discussion of new pathways to the study of polarization which this integrative conceptualization opens.
Evidence that frame of reference effects can reduce socially prescribed perfectionism
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 09-01-2019
Land and housing as crucibles of racist nationalism: Asian Australians' experiences
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-2018
From cooperation to conflict: The role of collective narratives in shaping group behaviour
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 26-04-2022
Abstract: In this paper, we review the concept of collective narratives and their role in shaping group behaviour. We see collective narratives as ‘meta-stories’ embraced by groups that incorporate values and beliefs about social reality, therefore providing a blueprint for group norms which, in turn, inform group members’ behaviour. Our aim is to both describe the psychological processes underpinning the relation between collective narratives and group behaviours and develop an integrative typology of the functions of collective narratives (as they connect to various collective behaviours). We start by discussing definitions in the recent literature and propose an integrative conceptualisation which positions collective narratives in the context of collective action research. Next, we focus on the process by which collective narratives provide the bases for identity formation, development, and change, thus shaping group behaviour. We see collective narratives as central in understanding group behaviour, as they function as ‘meta-stories’ that incorporate moral codes and values, and beliefs about the ingroups and outgroups - providing a blueprint for group norms which, in turn, inform group members’ behaviour. In the second part of the article, we describe a typology of collective narratives according to their functions, structured around two core dimensions: the context/s in which collective narratives develop and are shared (i.e., intragroup versus intergroup) and their effects within these contexts (i.e., driving consensus versus driving dissent). We identify four distinctive types of collective narrative functions and review research showing how each of them shapes specific social identity content, including behaviour prescribing norms. We then show how these specific norms shape behaviours ranging from cooperation and pro-social action to hostile intergroup conflict. The implications of this contribution are twofold. First, by providing a systematic account and categorisation of how collective narratives function in society and of their connections to social identities (and their content), we can more accurately deduct group norms and predict behaviours in specific circumstances, including in relation to political violence. Second, by better understanding the narratives that provide the bases of identity formation, development, and change, we can improve attempts to create alternative narratives that unify rather than ide people, so that pathways to co-operation might be chosen over conflict.
I won't listen if I think we're losing our way
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 17-01-2023
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0280557
Abstract: Prejudice reduction messages have been shown to be effective through changing norms. Previous research suggests that Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) moderates the reaction to these messages, but it is unclear whether in iduals high in RWA are more or less sensitive to prejudice-reduction c aigns. This research used the social identity approach to investigate the role of RWA in moderating the reactions to messages that look to reduce support for prejudicial policies and associated prejudice against an ethnoreligious group (Muslims). Americans (N = 388) were presented with statements on a real, proposed ban on Muslim immigration into the US from an in-group member (i.e., an American freight worker who disapproves of the Muslim ban), outgroup member (an Iraqi refugee who is in favour if the Muslim ban), or both, or control message. Those high in RWA showed consistently high levels of prejudice against Muslims in all conditions, but those low in RWA showed lower prejudice when presented with the anti-prejudice message from an in-group member (compared to control). This suggests that anti-prejudice messages primarily affect those with low RWA, clarifying that RWA likely leads to resistance to anti-prejudice messages regardless of the source. Future research aiming to reduce prejudice should examine how messages can be tailored to reduce prejudice in those with high RWA.
Integrating Computerized Linguistic and Social Network Analyses to Capture Addiction Recovery Capital in an Online Community
Publisher: MyJove Corporation
Date: 31-05-2019
DOI: 10.3791/58851-V
Building addiction recovery capital through online participation in a recovery community
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.SOCSCIMED.2017.09.050
Abstract: This study examines how online participation in a community of recovery contributes to personal journeys of recovery. It investigates whether recovery capital building - as indicated by increased levels and quality of online social interactions - and markers of positive identity development predict retention in a recovery program designed around fostering community involvement for early stage recovery addicts. It was predicted that online participation on the group's Facebook page and positive identity development are associated to retention in the program. To map how participants interact online, social network analysis (SNA) based on naturally occurring online data (N = 609) on the Facebook page of a recovery community was conducted. Computerised linguistic analyses evaluated sentiment of the textual data (capturing social identity markers). Linear regression analyses evaluated whether indicators of recovery capital predict program retention. To illustrate the findings in the context of the specific recovery community, presented are two case studies of key participants who moved from the periphery to the centre of the social network. By conducting in-depth interviews with these participants, personal experiences of engagement in the online community of group members who have undergone the most significant changes since joining the community are explored. Retention in the program was determined by a) the number of comment 'likes' and all 'likes' received on the Facebook page b) position in the social network (degree of centrality) and c) linguistic content around group identity and achievement. Positive online interactions between members of recovery communities support the recovery process through helping participants to develop recovery capital that binds them to groups supportive of positive change.
Racist Narratives Online
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2017
Inquiry-based learning in higher education: Principal forms, educational objectives, and disciplinary variations
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-2013
The effects of local socio-political events on group cohesion in online far-right communities
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 30-03-2020
Collective identity changes in far-right online communities: The role of offline intergroup conflict
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 03-03-2019
Abstract: Despite the increasing citizen engagement with socio-political online communities, little is known about how such communities are affected by significant offline events. Thus, we investigate here the ways in which the collective identity of a far-right online community is affected by offline intergroup conflict. We examine over 14 years of online communication between members of Stormfront Downunder, the Australian sub-forum of the global white supremacist community Stormfront.org . We analyse members’ language use and discourse before and after significant intergroup conflict in 2015, culminating in local racist riots in Sydney, Australia. We found that the riots were associated with significant changes in the collective beliefs of the community (as captured by members’ most salient concerns and group norms), emotions and consensus within the community. Overall, the effects of the local riots were manifest in a reinvigorated sense of purpose for the far-right community with a stronger anti-Muslim agenda.
Targets
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2017
Racism and the Affordances of the Internet
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2017
How Cyber Users Experience and Respond to Racism: Evidence from an Online Survey
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2017
Opinion-based group membership as a predictor of commitment to political action
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2007
DOI: 10.1002/EJSP.334
Measuring recovery capital for people recovering from alcohol and drug addiction: a systematic review
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 18-08-2023
Exploring new elements of the student approaches to learning framework: The role of online learning technologies in student learning
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 03-08-2017
Abstract: As online learning technologies are becoming an integral part of the learning experience at university, the quality of student learning is increasingly shaped by their experience of using these new artefacts. In many cases, the research frameworks investigating the contribution of online learning technologies to quality outcomes are yet to have explicitly identified their role and contribution. Adopting a Student Approaches to Learning perspective, the study described in this article analyses how online learning technologies are qualitatively situated in relation to inquiry by investigating associations among approaches to online learning technologies, perceptions of the learning context, and academic achievement. The findings indicate that there are consistent and distinct patterns of associations between the different aspects of the learning experience that reveal the role of online learning technologies in the student experience of learning. The findings suggest that qualitative differences in how students use online learning technologies and differences in how they perceive online learning technologies are logically related to the quality of outcomes. The discussion highlights an appropriate role and location of online learning technologies in the Student Approaches to Learning framework in order to help researchers, students, teachers and university leaders better understand their contribution to qualitatively different experiences of learning. It suggests principles for a more effective design of learning tasks based on the results which indicated deeper engagement both online and in-class.
Conclusion: Future Directions in Building Community Resilience
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2017
Promoting Resilience Through Regulation
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2017
Building
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2017
Sober social networks: The role of online support groups in recovery from alcohol addiction
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-11-2018
DOI: 10.1002/CASP.2388
Antecedents of Vaccine Hesitancy in WEIRD and East Asian Contexts
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 16-12-2021
DOI: 10.3389/FPSYG.2021.747721
Abstract: Following decreasing vaccination rates over the last two decades, understanding the roots of vaccine hesitancy has become a public health priority. Vaccine hesitancy is linked to scientifically unfounded fears around the MMR vaccine and autism which are often fuelled by misinformation spread on social media. To counteract the effects of misinformation about vaccines and in particular the falling vaccination rates, much research has focused on identifying the antecedents of vaccine hesitancy. As antecedents of vaccine hesitancy are contextually dependent, a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to be successful in non-WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, and Democratic) populations, and even in certain (non-typical) WEIRD sub-populations. Successful interventions to reduce vaccine hesitancy must be based on understanding of the specific context. To identify potential contextual differences in the antecedents of vaccine hesitancy, we review research from three non-WEIRD populations in East Asia, and three WEIRD sub-populations. We find that regardless of the context, mistrust seems to be the key factor leading to vaccine hesitancy. However, the object of mistrust varies across WEIRD and non-WEIRD populations, and across WEIRD subgroups suggesting that effective science communication must be mindful of these differences.
Vocational Education in the Netherlands
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2017
The Link Between Personal Self-Control and Dieting Intent is not accounted for by Body Dissatisfaction or Dieting Success Perceptions.
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 15-02-2020
Abstract: Dietary restraint is associated with a number of health risks, especially in young women. Research has shown that dispositional self-control negatively predicts dieting behaviour. However, it is possible that empirical findings regarding this relationship have been confounded by a number of related variables, such as prior dieting success and body dissatisfaction. This study, therefore, aimed to clarify the relationship between self-control and dieting intent by controlling for these pertinent variables. We also investigated how in iduals’ self-control might relate to expectations of dieting success, in an online s le of female dieters from the USA and the UK (N = 381, Mage = 26.00 years, SD = 5.20) who completed self-report measures online. Even when controlling for all forms of body dissatisfaction and dieting success perceptions, self-control related to dieting intentions. These findings provide further evidence that self-control is a key variable that predicts dieting intent, regardless of body dissatisfaction and dieting success beliefs.
What the recovery movement tells us about prefigurative politics
Publisher: Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID)
Date: 24-05-2016
Abstract: The concept of prefigurative politics has re-emerged following recent worldwide uprisings, such as the Occupy movement, to which this concept has been applied. In applying a contemporary analysis to prefigurative politics, we explore the contribution of community-based recovery groups to the recovery movement, a socio-political movement in the fields of mental health and addiction treatment. We argue that collective action in recovery groups is derived from the formation of an opinion-based social identity and results in alternative approaches to unmet needs, creatively addressing these identified needs through the utilisation of personal, social and collective resources within an emerging recovery community. To illustrate our argument, we provide ex les of community-based recovery groups and the approaches they use in addressing the identified needs of their recovery community. We conclude with an analysis of what community-based recovery groups and the wider recovery movement can contribute to a contemporary understanding of prefigurative politics.
The Role of Students’ Social Identities in Fostering High-Quality Learning in Higher Education
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 24-02-2017
Researching Cyber Racism: Methodologies and Methods Across Disciplines
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2017
Context: “Cyberspace,” “Race” and Community Resilience
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2017
Death Reminders Increase Agreement With Extremist Views but Not Violent Extremist Action in Indonesian Muslims
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 26-04-2016
Abstract: Using terror management theory, we examined whether mortality salience (MS death-related cognitions) increased support for religious and political extremism and/or violent extremism in young Indonesian Muslims. Muslim and non-Muslim Indonesian students studying in Australia were randomized to an MS or control condition. Following completion of a distracter task, participants were asked to rate their agreement/disagreement with another Indonesian Muslim student’s (bogus) statements toward extremist views and violent extremist actions. After controlling for alienation, Muslim students in the MS condition reported significantly higher levels of support for extremist views than did non-Muslims. There was no significant effect of MS on violent extremist action in either Muslims or non-Muslims. The results suggest that reminders of death (MS) may lead young Muslims to be more supportive of politically and religiously extreme views, but not violent action. Our findings lend partial support to previous research in Iranian Muslim students however, further research is needed to establish factors that can result in increased support for violent extremism.
Related Organisations
University Of Dundee
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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