Impact of perceived interpersonal similarity on attention to the eyes of same-race and other-race faces

One reason for the persistence of racial discrimination may be anticipated dissimilarity with racial outgroup members that prevent meaningful interactions. In the present research, we investigated whether perceived similarity would impact the processing of same-race and other-race faces. Specifically, in two experiments, we varied the extent to which White participants were ostensibly similar to targets via bogus feedback on a personality test. With an eye tracker, we measured the effect of this manipulation on attention to the eyes, a critical region for person perception and face memory. In Experiment 1, we monitored the impact of perceived interpersonal similarity on White participants’ attention to the eyes of same-race White targets. In Experiment 2, we replicated this procedure, but White participants were presented with either same-race White targets or other-race Black targets in a between-subjects design. The pattern of results in both experiments indicated a positive linear effect of similarity—greater perceived similarity between participants and targets predicted more attention to the eyes of White and Black faces. The implications of these findings related to top-down effects of perceived similarity for our understanding of basic processes in face perception, as well as intergroup relations, are discussed.

Interpersonal similarity of autistic traits predicts friendship quality

Autistic traits are known to be associated with social interaction difficulties. Yet, somewhat paradoxically, relevant research has been typically restricted to studying individuals. In line with the ‘dialectical misattunement hypothesis’ and clinical insights of intact social interactions among autistic individuals, we hypothesized that friendship quality varies as a function of interpersonal similarity and more concretely the difference value of autistic traits in a dyad, above and beyond autistic traits per se. Therefore, in this study, we used self-report questionnaires to investigate these measures in a sample of 67 neurotypical dyads across a broad range of autistic traits. Our results demonstrate that the more similar two persons are in autistic traits, the higher is the perceived quality of their friendship, irrespective of friendship duration, age, sex and, importantly, the (average of) autistic traits in a given dyad. More specifically, higher interpersonal similarity of autistic traits was associated with higher measures of closeness, acceptance and help. These results, therefore, lend support to the idea of an interactive turn in the study of social abilities across the autism spectrum and pave the way for future studies on the multiscale dynamics of social interactions.

Standing up or standing by: Bystander intervention in cyberbullying on social media

Cyberbullying often happens in the presence of bystanders whose behaviors play a key role in changing dynamics of the situation. To examine the factors influencing cyberbystander likelihood of intervening in cyberbullying on social media, a 2 (degree of cyberbullying severity: high vs low) × 2 (level of interpersonal similarity: high vs low) between-subjects experiment was conducted ( N = 132). Results indicated that cyberbystanders’ empathic responses depended on the severity of cyberbullying. The more empathy bystanders felt, the more likely they were to publicly and privately intervene. Moreover, the indirect effect of cyberbullying severity on willingness to intervene through empathy was more pronounced when the interpersonal similarity between victim and cyberbystander was low, rather than it was high.

Structural equation modelling assessment of personal and social factors on hajj crowding among african pilgrims in Mina

African pilgrimage to the Mecca date back to the early years of Islam through the Sahara desert. The perception of this group of pilgrims as they embark on the sacred Mina prayer rituals directly translates to how they perceived crowding in Mina. Hajj rituals are carried out at Mina for a minimum of three days. The optimum provision and continuous improvements of the facilities for pilgrims determines how this group reacts to the crowded environment which invariably affects their psychology. This paper assesses the impacts of personal factors (control, expectation, mood and sociability) and social factors (interpersonal similarity, provision of information and activities) on crowding levels perception among pilgrim groups from African origins. A self-administered survey instrument was used in the collection of data from the African origin Hajj group totaling 156 in number. Data analysis was carried out utilizing SPSS on the descriptive data and AMOS for multivariate Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The survey instruments internal consistency, sample adequacy Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) found that the validity was within acceptable thresholds. The pilgrim groups from African origins measurement model revealed that sociability and interpersonal similarity had the highest correlation while level of perceived crowing and activities had the lowest correlation. Furthermore, for personal factors, sociability had the highest inverse impact and for social factors, interpersonal similarity. The authorities formulating policies to managing crowd levels and perception will invariably be affected by adapting these research findings to improve the Hajj experience. Subsequently, assessing several other factors, which effect Hajj pilgrims such as physical factors, provides an avenue for future research.