SWPS University
  • Warsaw, Poland
Recent publications
The present study examined relationships between social value orientation and personal values. Participants, n = 1655, were university students (Mage = 18.9 years, 60% women) who completed the Triple Dominance Measure, a measure of social value orientation, and the PVQ-21, a measure of Schwartz’s personal values. Two items were added to the PVQ-21 to measure benevolence toward people in general. The analyses found that pro-socials had significantly higher scores than pro-selfs (Competitors and Individualists) for Benevolence, Universalism, and Conformity values, whereas pro-selfs had significantly higher scores than pro-socials on Hedonic, Achievement, and Power values. These differences reflected the fact that Benevolence, Universalism, and Conformity values concern the feelings and well-being of others, concerns that are consistent with a pro-social orientation. In contrast, Hedonic, Achievement, and Power values concern self-enhancement, concerns that are consistent with a self-focused orientation. There were no significant differences between individualists and competitors for any value, nor were there differences of any kind for Tradition, Security, Self-direction, and Stimulation values. These results complement and expand previous research by demonstrating how individual differences in social value orientation are related to individual differences in fundamental, personal human values.
We examined relationships between restrained eating and personality and self-esteem in a sample of 4382 undergraduates attending a university in the US, Mage = 18.9, SD = 1.42. Restrained eating was measured using the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire, personality was measured using the BFI-44, and self-esteem was measured using the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. Restrained eating scores were regressed onto the five personality traits of the BFI-44 using ordinary least squares multiple linear regression. These analyses found that restrained eating was significantly and positively related to extraversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. Restrained eating was not significantly related to agreeableness and openness. Moderation analyses suggested that restrained eating was not related to neuroticism for women with obesity, but it was related for women without obesity. Restrained eating was negatively correlated with self-esteem, and this relationship was stronger for women than it was for men. These findings contribute to our understanding about the personality factors associated with restrained eating, which may help us better understand individual differences in dietary behaviors.
In this article we focus on the politician’s brand and how it develops in the voter’s mind. Specifically, we examine how priming a candidate’s image or issue traits influences how individuals update their beliefs about a candidate, and in what way the consistency of image traits and issue traits affects this evaluation. The results from a two-factor design (message: consistent vs. inconsistent) × (information order: image first vs. issue first) suggest that sequential dissemination of information about the candidate’s issue positions, followed by image information (consistent with the program or not) results in a more positive evaluation of the candidate.
The issues of access to free legal aid, exemption from court fees and ex officio legal aid have been so far the subject of several sociological and legal studies and analyses, as well as the subject of several systemic projects financed either by the European Union or by grant-giving organisations but all these activities dealt only with apart of these problems and no attempt has been made so far to propose acomprehensive reform of access to law in Poland. After many years of research and analysis of these issues, it seems necessary to draw conclu- sions and attempt to comprehensively regulate all issues related to access to justice or, more broadly, access to law. The article discusses the diagnosis of the legal and formal situation related to access to law in Poland. All the assessed issues indicate that some of the statutory solutions do not match each other, the regulations do not comply with the criteria (or even lack thereof), and the free legal aid does not reach all those in need. In a state governed by the rule of law, it becomes urgent and necessary to sort out fundamental issues such as citizens’ access to the law. Hence, the proposed solutions aim to unify the rules of access to the law while simplifying this access and making better use of the system resources.
Self-regulation is a critical component of adaptive functioning, and individual differences in traits like metacognitive self-awareness (MCS), general self-efficacy (GSE), and hope play significant roles in influencing this ability. Self-awareness of cognitive biases is particularly relevant as it may enhance one’s capacity to manage challenges and pursue goals effectively. Prior research suggests that higher levels of MCS are associated with improved self-regulation, greater self-efficacy, and stronger hope for success. This longitudinal study sought to explore the development of self-regulation across 3 years of college education, with a specific focus on the role of MCS in shaping the trajectories of GSE and hope. Over 400 undergraduates were assessed five times throughout this period. Growth curve and causal mediation analyses were employed to examine the extent to which MCS contributed to changes in GSE and hope. Our findings indicate that self-awareness of cognitive biases (MCS) significantly influences the development of self-efficacy. Participants with higher levels of MCS exhibited a slightly faster increase in coping skills than those with lower levels. Additionally, MCS moderated the development of hope: individuals with above-median MCS scores showed a faster increase in hope, whereas those with below-median scores experienced an irregular decrease. In conclusion, MCS serves as a valuable resource for developing self-efficacy and hope. However, the influence of real-life challenges on hope appears to depend on an individual’s metacognitive skills, with better outcomes observed among those with higher MCS.
Introduction A preventive approach to occupational health and safety management (OHSM) can improve working conditions, but more knowledge is needed on how this should be organised in practice. Here, we describe the development, validity and reliability of a questionnaire used to examine employers’ preventive OHSM within the Swedish welfare sector. Furthermore, employers’ knowledge of preventive OHSM was explored using the survey data. Material and methods A questionnaire was developed based on interviews with key actors (n = 7), experts (n = 6) and intended respondents (n = 5). Using the final questionnaire, 197 responses were collected from employer (n = 126) and employee representatives (n = 71) and used to assess the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of open-ended and multi-choice items were used to assess the response distribution, content validity and interrater reliability (i.e. employer-employee correspondence from 32 matched pairs from the same workplace). Quantitative and qualitative analyses of survey responses from employer representatives were performed to assess their knowledge of preventive OHSM. Results The final questionnaire included 91 items covering employers’ working routines, resources and work environment economics. Qualitative analyses indicated a high content validity in the questionnaire, with a satisfactory response distribution and very small proportion of missing data on individual survey items. Overall, the interrater reliability was high (>60%), but the employer representatives generally gave more examples within different areas of the OHSM compared to the employee representatives. Most of the employer representatives (74%, n = 90) assessed that their organisation had sufficient knowledge regarding preventive OHSM but that the knowledge of work environment economics was lower. Conclusions By combining work environment research with questionnaire design research, high validity and reliability was achieved for this questionnaire. Furthermore, the employers generally perceived that they have high knowledge of preventive OHSM but that more knowledge is needed on work environment economics.
Background : The social environment is important to consider for effective promotion of movement behaviors like increased physical activity (PA) and reduced sedentary behavior (SB); yet, it is less often considered than individual and built environments. One way to advance social environment research is to develop system maps, an innovative, participatory, action-oriented research process that actively engages stakeholders to visualize system structures and explore how systems “work.” The purpose of this research was to develop PA and SB system maps of the social environment embedded within the core/nuclear family system. Methods : The development process began with a 2-day multicountry, 16-researcher, in-person participatory workshop in August 2023, followed by multiple online follow-up consultations. Attendees contributed to the creation of the maps through shared development of critical determinants and their causal pathways. The structure of the final maps was analyzed using network analysis methods to identify indicators of centrality, and key feedback loops and areas for potential intervention were explored. Results : Key central determinants that were likely critical targets for systems intervention to produce changes in PA and SB and featured prominently in most of the reinforcing and balancing feedback loops included shared family interests, values and priorities, family logistical support, family cohesion/organization, and shared experiences. The maps also highlighted key determinants of the broader social environment external to the family. Conclusions : These system maps support current evidence on movement behaviors in family systems and socioecological theories and have the utility to galvanize future research and policy to promote PA and reduce SB.
Three studies (N = 860) examined whether pleasure of revenge predicts both vengeful and benevolent motivations toward the provocateur. Across all studies, self-reported positive affect was higher, whereas self-reported negative affect was lower after an instance of revenge. Furthermore, the revenge-related positive affect predicted greater subsequent vengeful and benevolent motivations toward the provocateur (but more consistently the former). These findings replicate and extend previous research on affect-improving qualities of revenge. They allow for a more nuanced understanding of the reinforcing nature of vengeful pleasure. Moreover, they suggest that the pleasure of revenge might be harnessed to promote forgiveness.
Previous research on the so-called Chameleon effect and other studies on more general mimicry indicate that mimicking another person’s gestures, mannerisms, and speech (whether intentionally or not) leads to several profound social consequences without awareness that mimicry took place (Chartrand and Bargh, J Personality Soc Psychol 76:893–910, 1999). This chapter reviews research on mimicry as a nonconsciously employed mechanism by focusing on the consequences of mimicry. Thereby, we will review positive as well as negative consequences that take place within and beyond the mimicry dyad.
Fraud and sexual harassment have been haunting academia for years. While the scientific community proposed strategies to overcome misconduct in research, the problem of sexual harassment seems unresolved. One reason for this might be a difference between men and women in the perception of the moral character and competence of sexual harassers. Across four studies (N = 3776), in the UK and the US, men judged the sexual harasser as less immoral than women (Studies 1, 2, and 3a), even though sexual harassment was considered more harmful than fraud (Study 2). Consequently, men demanded less punishment for sexual harassers than women (Studies 1 and 2). This gender difference was not explained by moral rationalization (Study 3a). Further, a sexual harasser was judged as more competent than a fraudster but in an academic, not business, context (Studies 1 and 2). This effect was driven by the moral decoupling process, which participants used to separate competence judgments from moral judgments (Study 3b). Overall, these results suggest that in the academic context, gender interests most likely shape moral and punishment judgments towards sexual harassers, while the decoupling process allows both genders to perceive them as competent and immoral at the same time.
Background: Research on the prevalence of ICD-11-based complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) in nationally representative samples is lacking, with no such studies conducted considering national Polish samples until now. Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to explore profiles of study participants in terms of either PTSD or CPTSD symptoms regarding to ICD-11 diagnosis with the aid of latent profile analysis. We also investigated the relationship between the types and cumulative number of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with the probability of CPTSD rate in a national sample of Poles. Methods: A representative sample of Polish adults (n = 3,557) participated in this study. ACEs were assessed using the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire, while the core features of PTSD and CPTSD were measured using the International Trauma Questionnaire. Results: The findings showed a 11% prevalence rate of probable CPTSD in the studied sample of Poles. Sexual abuse, emotional neglect, physical neglect and having the experience of a mentally ill household member were the most significant predictors of potential diagnosis. Furthermore, significant differences concerning lifestyle data were observed in the group of participants with CPTSD. Conclusions: The current rate of probable CPTSD in Poland is substantially higher than the respective data reported for other countries. We also noted that the ICD-11 diagnosis of CPTSD may not apply to all cultural environments. Finally, it was observed that the ACEs-CPTSD association may depend both on the ACEs types as well as on their overall cumulative character.
This article examines different theoretical explanations for rioting and crowd violence drawing on psychological, sociological and political perspectives. Varied ideas and research that have sought to better understand why people are motivated to riot are discussed whilst considering the history of past riots. The role of the law and in particular, police practices in tackling, and in many cases exacerbating crowd violence are also explored with a critical eye on the latest police science research. Both individual psychological motivations and deeper intersectional social inequalities are drawn together in this piece to comprehensively account for the reasons why people choose to riot. Alongside considering Willmott’s typology for differentiating rioters, recommendations are made for police practitioners and state authorities tasked with de-escalating the impact of riots when they occur. The efficacy of recommendations and theoretical explanations are considered directly in relation to the August 2011 and August 2024 English riots.
Current research on memory indicates that learning is most effective when it involves spaced retrieval practice of study materials. Here, we investigated whether the ben- efits of both retrieval practice and spacing can be further boosted when variability is introduced across practice sessions. Across six experiments, participants learned translations of foreign vocabulary, with foreign words embedded in contextual sen- tences hinting at the meaning of these words. These sentences were then either kept constant or varied from one learning cycle to another. Whenever repeated practice took the form of retrieval from long-term memory with contextual sentences serving as cues (with or without feedback after retrieval attempts), variable sentences led to better learning of the meanings of the embedded foreign words than constant sentences. The benefits of variable retrieval were observed both immediately after study and after a 24-h delay, and they were larger when retrieval practice was spaced rather than massed. However, these benefits were not appreciated by the learners who judged learning to be more effective with constant rather than variable cues. This metacognitive illusion, misaligning the effectiveness of learning and its appraisal by learners, was confirmed in the seventh experiment which focused on learning lecture content. Thus, while spaced retrieval practice employing variable cues clearly produces robust benefits for memory performance, such benefits may be severely underappreciated by the learners.
The involvement of peer researchers has recently gained popularity insocial research, and the incentives for using participatory methodologies are well recognised. However, as we argue, the sole presence of peer researchers does not equate to their immediate empowerment, and more attention should be given to the roles they play in the research and the ways in which they can tangibly benefit from such collaborations. We explore the seemingly mundane aspects of work such as recruitment, training, conducting research, dissemination and the afterlife of the project, to suggest that meaningful engagement of peer researchers demands a tailored approach that is receptive to their particular needs and motivations, and is supportive of their individual growth. Our critical reflection stems from a two-year-long collaboration with peer researchers in Poland undertaken as part of a Horizon 2020 project, which explored the lives of young migrants and refugees in Europe.
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Aneta Brzezicka
  • Faculty of Psychology
Jakub Traczyk
  • Faculty in Wroklaw
Bronislaw Sitek
  • FAculty of Law
Piotr Majewski
  • Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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