Current research in ecological and social psychology最新文献

{"title":"Don’t let MI be misunderstood: A causal view on measurement invariance","authors":"Philipp Sterner ,&nbsp;Florian Pargent ,&nbsp;David Goretzko","doi":"10.1016/j.cresp.2025.100261","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cresp.2025.100261","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Measurement invariance (MI) is often treated as a statistical prerequisite for meaningful comparisons of constructs across groups or time points. However, this perspective overlooks the substantive implications (a lack of) MI can have for psychological theories of constructs. In this paper, we frame MI as a causal concept with theoretical significance. We present a causal framework based on directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) that allows researchers to reason about potential causes of non-invariance and include them in their modeling strategy. We argue that non-invariance should not be seen as prohibitive for further exploration and analyses but as an opportunity to generate new insights about constructs and their measurement. That is, under non-invariance, data need a different treatment than simply comparing means between groups and causal reasoning can guide researchers in this regard. We demonstrate the opportunities of the causal framework through an application to the cross-sectional study of acquiescent response style. We further discuss an extension of the causal framework to longitudinal designs. When investigating the invariance of measurements over time, the framework can help to take into account expected or desired non-invariance; for example, when constructs evolve over time or when interventions change measurement models. By showing that MI has substantive theoretical implications, we bridge the gap between methodological rigor and applied research reality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72748,"journal":{"name":"Current research in ecological and social psychology","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100261"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Latitudinal psychology of intimate partner violence across 157 countries","authors":"Evert Van de Vliert ,&nbsp;Evy C. de Koning","doi":"10.1016/j.cresp.2026.100274","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cresp.2026.100274","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite its global prevalence, intimate partner violence is often framed narrowly as an individual or dyadic issue. This reflects a proximal bias that emphasizes immediate causes while overlooking the broader cultural, economic, and natural contexts in which the violence occurs. The present study adopts a socio-ecological perspective, examining how societal culture, national wealth, and the biotic and abiotic features of natural habitats relate to intimate partner violence against women in a supplementary manner. Using the most recent World Health Organization data, we analyzed the geographical patterns and contextual predictors of intimate partner violence across 157 countries. Our geographical analysis reveals a striking latitudinal gradient: physical and sexual violence against women by intimate partners is highest near the Equator, declines toward the poles, and varies minimally along the east-west axis. This gradient reflects a statistical pathway, beginning with natural fluctuations in daylength, temperature, and daily precipitation (habitat variability). Greater habitat variability predicts greater variability in pathogen prevalence and increased societal flexibility, reflected in greater structural flexibility, higher national wealth, weaker cultural collectivism, reduced male supremacy, and ultimately, lower rates of intimate partner violence. These results highlight the potential importance of cultural, economic, and natural factors for strategies to mitigate violence against women. To advance progress toward the United Nations goal of eliminating intimate partner violence by 2030, we illustrate our findings with nine contextual domains, organized across nested layers of context, that may inform efforts to foster safety in intimate partnerships worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72748,"journal":{"name":"Current research in ecological and social psychology","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100274"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147991523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Examining biases and contextualization issues in research: A critical reflection on Pratto et al.'s (2023) study on empathy, counter-dominance, and support for intergroup violence","authors":"Yasin Koc","doi":"10.1016/j.cresp.2026.100265","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cresp.2026.100265","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72748,"journal":{"name":"Current research in ecological and social psychology","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100265"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147396220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Radical greens? how environmental influencers shape young social media users’ perceived environmental polarization, hopelessness, and collective action intentions","authors":"Ariadne Neureiter ,&nbsp;Alice Binder ,&nbsp;Meda Mucundorfeanu ,&nbsp;Delia C. Balaban ,&nbsp;Jörg Matthes","doi":"10.1016/j.cresp.2026.100269","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cresp.2026.100269","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As climate change progresses, environmental movements become more radical. Environmental social media influencers increasingly support radical environmental measures such as blocking traffic or destroying art on social media. Yet, it is unclear what effects radical environmental influencers on social media have on young adults’ perceptions of environmental polarization within society. Moreover, based on the theory of identity in intractable conflict and the Elaboration Likelihood Model, hate comments against environmental influencers, and young adults’ environmental knowledge might play a role in perceived environmental polarization triggered by radical environmental influencers. Results of a 2×2 experimental study with a quota-based sample of <em>N</em> = 776 young adults in Germany indicated that radical environmental influencers increased perceived environmental polarization and decreased collective environmental action intentions. Independent of radical environmental influencers, hate comments, and environmental knowledge heightened perceptions of environmental polarization, which was associated with feelings of environmental hopelessness. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72748,"journal":{"name":"Current research in ecological and social psychology","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100269"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147537977","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring generalizability from the bottom up: Applying DTS to demonstrate an item-level approach to personality assessment","authors":"Kendall Mather ,&nbsp;Sara J. Weston ,&nbsp;David M. Condon","doi":"10.1016/j.cresp.2025.100256","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cresp.2025.100256","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Evidence for measurement invariance across groups is regarded as a prerequisite for administering a personality measure in diverse samples and an important criterion for generalizability. However, popular statistical techniques for establishing measurement invariance focus predominantly on broad, scale-level constructs, and there is growing recognition among personality psychologists of the value of item-level assessment. This poses a challenge: while the higher degree of precision offered by more narrowly defined constructs can be beneficial for advancing our scientific understanding of topics studied in personality psychology, it can come at the expense of conducting culturally diverse and inclusive studies. This paper explores the role of measurement invariance evidence in studies that focus on narrower personality constructs––particularly at the item-level––using a sample from the Synthetic Aperture Personality Assessment (SAPA) project consisting of participants (<em>N</em> = 1025,954) residing in 13 culturally and geographically diverse nations. We address the overall lack of available statistical techniques for addressing invariance-related questions at the item-level and demonstrate an approach that compares the item-level empirical cumulative distribution functions (ECDFs) of two groups using 2623 items from the International Personality item Pool (IPIP). Findings point to nations and items with the most significant differences in ECDFs, which may reflect true cultural differences or potential psychometric challenges. ECDF-based tests capture distribution-wide differences that similar, more standard tests cannot detect, making them potentially useful for addressing a variety of research questions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72748,"journal":{"name":"Current research in ecological and social psychology","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100256"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145712156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hoarding is associated with anthropomorphism, sense of control, and materialism across cultures and time","authors":"Keiko Ishii,&nbsp;Hyewon Choi,&nbsp;Shigehiro Oishi","doi":"10.1016/j.cresp.2026.100289","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cresp.2026.100289","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Emotional attachment to objects has been found to be a major factor associated with hoarding. In the present work, we investigated whether anthropomorphism, materialism, and sense of control, which are tied to emotional attachment to objects, predict hoarding. We tested this with Japanese (Study 1a) and American (Study 1b) participants and used a longitudinal design to compare the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods (Study 2). Results showed that greater anthropomorphism, greater materialism, and lower sense of control increased hoarding in both Japanese and Americans. In Study 2, we confirmed the cross-temporal stability of hoarding and these predictors, the increase of hoarding, and the temporal link between sense of control and hoarding. Further cross-cultural longitudinal work could uncover important implications for resolving issues of hoarding.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72748,"journal":{"name":"Current research in ecological and social psychology","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100289"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149153507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Repairing clothes and feeling good: Do positive emotions influence sustainable clothing behaviors?","authors":"Linli Zhou,&nbsp;Anna Bosshard,&nbsp;Disa Sauter,&nbsp;Cameron Brick","doi":"10.1016/j.cresp.2026.100264","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cresp.2026.100264","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There is growing interest in the possibility of harnessing positive emotional experiences associated with acting sustainably in order to reinforce pro-environmental behaviors. However, most research to date has been based on cross-sectional data or hypothetical scenarios. We conducted a pre-registered longitudinal intervention study relating positive emotions (feeling happy, satisfied, and good) to real-life clothing-related behaviors (repair, acquisition, and disposal). We also measured boredom and frustration, as they may reduce sustainable clothing-related behaviors. 62 participants attended a hands-on clothing repair workshop; 51 others in a control group did not. Across both groups, individuals who anticipated more positive emotions from repairing clothes reported higher repair intentions after the intervention period and four weeks later. In the workshop group, anticipated positive emotions also predicted more repair behaviors four weeks later. In addition, people who experienced more positive emotions from participating in the workshop reported higher repair intentions immediately afterwards and four weeks later. Regarding negative emotions, anticipated boredom reduced repair intentions over time in both groups, and experienced boredom was associated with fewer repairs four weeks later in the workshop group. No significant effects were observed for frustration. Overall, repair intentions increased over time, but several behavioral outcomes did not change (e.g., clothing acquisition). This finding emphasizes the need to measure real-life behaviors rather than only intentions. These data demonstrate that positive emotions are associated with sustainable clothing behaviors over time. Such skilled-based group interventions could potentially help combat the negative impact of the fast fashion industry on climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72748,"journal":{"name":"Current research in ecological and social psychology","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100264"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using invariance testing to study job crafting: a cross-cultural comparison of the well-documented relation between job crafting and work engagement","authors":"Rawan Ghazzawi ,&nbsp;Michael Bender ,&nbsp;Anna Wiegand ,&nbsp;Maina Miletich","doi":"10.1016/j.cresp.2026.100270","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cresp.2026.100270","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We test one of the classic job crafting scales in Russia (<em>N</em> = 285), Germany (<em>N</em> = 200), and Croatia (<em>N</em> = 192). Job crafting describes work behaviors employees engage in to create a better fit between their preferences and their jobs, typically by modifying existing norms, rules, and practices. We set out to highlight the importance of different invariance testing methods by using the example of job crafting and its well-documented relationship with work engagement. We use (a) strict invariance testing (MGCFA), assessing metric, configural, and scalar invariance, (b) more flexible invariance testing via the alignment methodology, and (c) Bayesian approximate measurement invariance testing (BAMI). The three investigated contexts differ systematically in features related to job crafting (e.g., hierarchy sensitivity), but we did not find that this moderated relations at the individual level. MGCFA indicated that only the job crafting subdimensions (increasing challenging job demands and increasing structural job resources) achieved metric invariance. The other two dimensions (increasing social job resources and decreasing hindering job demands) failed to reach even configural invariance. This questions the cross-cultural equivalence of the full four-factor structure. Alignment optimization further supported this conclusion. The results indicated that nearly half of the items within each non-invariant job crafting dimension displayed non-invariance. In contrast, the remaining two dimensions demonstrated stable factor loadings and an acceptable proportion of non-invariant parameters, including factor loadings and intercepts/thresholds. The different analytic approaches converged in showing that increasing challenging job demands and increasing structural job resources achieved scalar invariance in MGCFA, whereas decreasing hindering job demands and increasing social job resources failed to establish configural invariance. The consistency of this pattern across MGCFA, alignment optimization, and BAMI provide complementary evidence for the cross-cultural robustness of the former two dimensions only. On this basis, we discuss problematic items of job crafting as well as items that can be considered workable across cultural groups. We conclude that at its cross-cultural core, job crafting may be fundamentally about proactive, growth-oriented self-development (more than social negotiation or demand reduction), and highlight the benefits of multiple invariance testing methods to advance the theorizing on job crafting.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72748,"journal":{"name":"Current research in ecological and social psychology","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100270"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147599893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Honor culture and deaths of despair: State- and individual-level associations in the U.S. among non-hispanic white and non-white males and females","authors":"Jarrod E. Bock ,&nbsp;Stephen D. Foster ,&nbsp;Raymond P. Tucker ,&nbsp;Benjamin M. Wilkowski ,&nbsp;Katy Jones ,&nbsp;Caroline R. Scherzer ,&nbsp;Ryan P. Brown ,&nbsp;Anita Raj","doi":"10.1016/j.cresp.2026.100278","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cresp.2026.100278","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Deaths of despair (DoD; i.e., suicide, drug overdoses, and alcohol-related deaths) have drastically increased among non-Hispanic Whites since 1999. Beyond the established honor–suicide association, there are several reasons to suspect that U.S. honor cultures also exhibit higher DoD rates given similarities in the socioecological factors underlying both outcomes and that substance use increases risk for suicide. We examined this possibility at both the state and individual levels. Using two indices of honor culture, Study 1 examined statewide differences in DoD rates among non-Hispanic Whites and non-Whites between 1999–2019 by age group and sex. Among non-Hispanic Whites, we found honor- (v. dignity-) oriented states exhibited significantly higher overall DoD rates, suicide rates, drug overdose rates (only among females), and alcohol-related death rates, and that rates typically peaked in middle-age. The collective pattern of evidence indicated that honor culture is not related to DoD among non-Whites. Using a large sample of non-Hispanic Whites (paralleling the target population from Study 1), Study 2 (<em>N</em> = 1686) examined associations between individual-level endorsement of gendered honor norms and thoughts and behaviors that might precipitate despair-related deaths. Results indicated that honor endorsement significantly predicted suicidal ideation, but not binge drinking or illicit drug use. However, the effect of honor endorsement on these latter two outcomes was significant among men but not women. Collectively, this work extends prior research on the honor–suicide association by showing that the cultural ideology of honor affects a wider range of death outcomes. We discuss theoretical, health, and policy implications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72748,"journal":{"name":"Current research in ecological and social psychology","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100278"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148184359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Authoritarian reactive climate anger displacement effect (ARCADE) and its consequences for climate obstruction and authoritarianism","authors":"Viktoria Spaiser,&nbsp;Kris Dunn","doi":"10.1016/j.cresp.2026.100279","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cresp.2026.100279","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The impacts of climate change become increasingly tangible. Yet, political parties and leaders opposing climate change mitigation measures gain traction across countries, while polarization around climate policies increases. In this study, we conducted a YouGov-administered survey experiment (N = 1967) to investigate how exposure to climate change threat could result in maladaptive responses, with a focus on individuals with authoritarian predispositions. We confirm a previous finding that climate change threat exposure can lead to affect displacement in people with authoritarian predispositions, where climate anger (directed at those in power) is redirected at non-conforming groups rather than mobilizing climate action. We extend these results, showing that not only does climate anger displacement result in lack of climate action and boosted authoritarian attitudes, it can also lead to the reactive response of climate obstruction. Based on these outcomes we propose the Authoritarian Reactive Climate Anger Displacement Effect (ARCADE) theoretical model.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72748,"journal":{"name":"Current research in ecological and social psychology","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100279"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148184360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}