Fatih Uenal, Jim Sidanius, Jon Roozenbeek, and Sander van der Linden. Submitted. “
Climate change threats increase modern racism as a function of social dominance orientation”.
Pre-print VersionAbstract
Processing information on the negative consequences of climate change can have unrelated side-effects such as increased outgroup derogation. Previous research suggests differing theoretical explanations for these “spill-over” effects such as buffering existential anxiety. Here, we test and compare two alternative explanations based on social dominance theory and the group-based control model. Across two pre-registered experiments (N = 1031; USA & UK), we examine whether social dominance orientation (SDO) and/or ingroup identification moderate the relationship between experimentally induced collective threats (i.e., climate change and intergroup threat) and subjective threat perceptions, modern racism, and pro-environmental collective action support. In Study 1, SDO and ingroup identification were measured 2 years prior to our experiment as antecedents of threat perceptions. Our results suggest that informing individuals about negative consequences of climate change (e.g., wildfires, floods, resource scarcity, health etc.), leads to higher intergroup threat perceptions and modern racism. These spill-over effects, in turn, are moderated by SDO but not by ingroup identification. In Study 2, we successfully replicate our findings, measuring SDO and ingroup identification directly after the threat manipulation. Moreover, we use a behavioral measure of pro-environmental collective action to assess more direct stimuli-responses. In Study 2, again, we show that SDO moderates the spill-over effects. In contrast, ingroup identification showed only marginally significant spill-over effect moderation and did not increase in response to experimental threat-cues. Notably, we also find that intergroup threat-cues generalize onto higher climate change threat perceptions. No effects on behavioral collective action support were found.
Fatih Uenal. Submitted. “
Die geheime Islamisierung des Abendlandes: Großgruppenverschwörungstheorien als Nährboden von Fremdgruppendiskriminierung und Rechtspopulismus.”.
Pre-print VersionAbstractThe aim of this study is to analyze the effects of specific Islamophobic beliefs, namely, anti-Muslim prejudice, anti-Islam sentiment, and Islamophobic conspiracy theories on outgroup discrimination. Moreover, further intergroup and interindividual difference variables are included into the analyses. The results suggest of the online survey (N = 450) suggest that outgroup discrimination is best predicted by Islamophobic conspiracy theories, while simultaneously controlling for the effects of social dominance orientation, in-group identification, political conservatism and the two additional dimensions of Islamophobia. As expected, intergroup contact showed negative associations with outgroup discrimination.
Fatih Uenal, Jim Sidanius, and Sander van der Linden. Submitted. “
The roots of ecological dominance orientation: Assessing individual preferences for an anthropocentric worldview.”.
Pre-print VersionAbstractEcological dominance is a central concept in the study of interspecies and species- environment relations. Yet, although theoretical and empirical work on ecological dominance has progressed in many scientific disciplines, the psychology of ecological dominance remains understudied. The present research attempts to advance theoretical and empirical inquiry on ecological dominance as a psychological predisposition, examining how and why it influences humans’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors across different relational domains (i.e., intraspecies, interspecies, human-environment). To this end, we validate a novel measure, the Ecological Dominance Orientation (EDO) scale, based on the popular iconic depiction of eco-centric vs. anthropocentric arrangements of the relationship between humans, non-human animals, and the natural environment. In two pre-registered studies conducted across 2 countries (N = 1,312), we demonstrate that EDO a) shapes attitudes in a similar fashion both within and between different relational domains (i.e., intergroup, interspecies, human-environment relations), b) is uniquely predictive of numerous socially consequential attitudes across relational domains (i.e., modern sexism, modern racism, speciesism, anthropocentrism) over and above established measures of personal ideology and beliefs, and c) is reliable over time. This research extends classical Social Dominance Theory (Sidanius and Pratto, 1999) by theorizing about the socio-ecological roots of intergroup, interspecies, and human-environment relations as hierarchically structured power relations. Theoretical and practical implications of social and ecological dominance orientations are discussed.
Fatih Uenal, Jim Sidanius, and Sander van der Linden. Submitted. “
Social and ecological dominance orientations: Two sides of the same coin?”.
Pre-print VersionAbstractPrevious research highlights the role of climate change risk and threat perceptions as psychological mechanisms driving support for mitigation efforts. In this paper, we examine the role of social dominance orientation (SDO) as an antecedent of risk and threat perceptions and associated pro-environmental attitudes. Across three pre-registered studies (N = 988; USA, UK, and Germany) our results indicate that individuals high in SDO showed decreased support for climate change mitigation policies benefitting humans, non-human animals, and the natural environment alike. This relationship in turn is mediated by decreased climate change risk and threat perceptions and increased ecological dominance orientation, a general preference for an anthropocentric, hierarchical arrangement between humans, non-human animals, and the natural environment. We successfully replicate our findings using a behavioural measure. Theoretical implications for the role of social and ecological dominance orientations in shaping climate change risk and threat perceptions and pro-environmental behaviour are discussed.