Robert C Sinclair

Laurentian University · MA Program in Psychology

Primacy effects and variations in mood affect impression formation. These biases should also affect performance appraisal. The present study investigated the effects of order of information acquisition and mood state on performance appraisal decisions. Recent theoretical research suggests that subjects in depressed moods should display less halo an...

Happy people often fail to elaborate on persuasive arguments, while people in sad moods tend to scrutinise messages in greater detail. According to some motivational accounts, however, happy people will elaborate a message if they believe it might maintain their positive mood. The present research extends this reasoning by demonstrating that happy...

Under commonly observed conditions, happy subjects appear to process information in a relatively passive or nonsystematic, less detailed manner and rely on peripheral cues and heuristics in judgement, whereas sad subjects appear to process in a more active or systematic, more detailed manner. Happy subjects should therefore display less accuracy on...

Previous research has shown that respondents in sad moods are likely to elaborate persuasive messages and to be highly persuaded by strong but not weak arguments. In contrast, respondents in happy moods are less likely to elaborate persuasive messages and hence show equal, moderate, persuasion by both strong and weak arguments. To examine how mood-...

Under commonly observed conditions, happy subjects appear to process information in a relatively passive or nonsystematic, less detailed manner and rely on peripheral cues and heuristics in judgement, whereas sad subjects appear to process in a more active or systematic, more detailed manner. Happy subjects should therefore display less accuracy on...

Enormous cross-national differences exist in COVID-19 infection and death rates. Collectivist cultures are characterized by greater concern for ingroup members than self-interest, whereas the reverse is true for individualistic cultures. In light of evidence suggesting that collectivist countries are more likely than individualistic countries to ha...

Collectivist cultures are characterized by greater concern for ingroup members than self-interest, whereas the reverse is true for individualistic cultures. In light of evidence suggesting that collectivist countries are more likely than individualistic countries to have near-universal compliance with infection-preventive behaviors such as public m...

Efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccines was assessed by comparing infection and death rates in the eight most-and eight least-fully-vaccinated German states. Infection and death rates were measured on three dates in fall 2021. Less-vaccinated states had substantially higher infection and death rates than more-vaccinated states. These effects occ...

We argue that conservative political ideology is associated with poorer handling of COVID-19. In Study 1, Canadian provinces and territories were categorized in terms of whether there was a conservative majority in power. Infection and death rates in conservative provinces were higher and rose faster. Conservative provinces had higher infection and...

Efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccines was assessed by comparing infection and death rates in the eight most- and eight least-fully-vaccinated German states. Infection and death rates were measured on three dates in fall 2021. Less-vaccinated states had substantially higher infection and death rates than more-vaccinated states. These effects oc...

Efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccines was assessed by comparing infection and death rates in the eight most- and eight least-fully-vaccinated German states. Infection and death rates were measured on three dates in fall 2021. Less-vaccinated states had substantially higher infection and death rates than more-vaccinated states. These effects oc...

Efficacy of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines was assessed by comparing infection and death rates in the eight most- and eight least-vaccinated states in Germany. Infection and death rates were measured on October 18, November 18, and December 1, 2021. States with lower rates of full vaccination had substantially higher infection and death rates than...

Subramanian and Kumar found that COVID-19 vaccination rates were unrelated to infection rates across 68 countries and 2947 U.S. counties. We argue that their null effects resulted from 1) failure to attend to other variables related to infection rates that could obscure the ability to detect relationships between vaccination and infection rates and...

COVID-19 Infection Rates Are Related to Population Rates of Vaccination: A Response to Subramanian and Kumar (Corrected) Subramanian and Kumar (2021) found that COVID-19 vaccination rates were unrelated to infection rates across 68 countries and 2947 U.S. counties. We argue that their null effects resulted from 1) failure to attend to other varia...

Subramanian and Kumar (2021) found that COVID-19 vaccination rates were unrelated to infection rates across 68 countries and 2947 U.S. counties. We argue that their null effects resulted from 1) failure to attend to other variables related to infection rates that could obscure the ability to detect relationships between vaccination and infection ra...

Enormous cross-national differences exist in COVID-19 infection and death rates. Collectivist cultures are characterized by greater concern for ingroup members than for self-interest, whereas the reverse is true for individualistic cultures. In light of evidence suggesting that countries with collectivist cultures are more likely than countries wit...

Enormous cross-national differences exist in COVID-19 infection and death rates. Collectivist cultures are characterized by greater concern for ingroup members than for self-interest, whereas the reverse is true for individualistic cultures. In light of evidence suggesting that countries with collectivist cultures are more likely than countries wit...

Enormous cross-national differences exist in COVID-19 death rates. Collectivist cultures are characterized by greater concern for ingroup members than for self-interest, whereas the reverse is true for individualistic cultures. In light of evidence suggesting that countries with collectivist cultures are more likely than countries with individualis...

Enormous cross-national differences exist in COVID-19 death rates. Collectivist cultures are characterized by greater concern for ingroup members than for self-interest, whereas the reverse is true for individualistic cultures. In light of evidence suggesting that countries with collectivist cultures are more likely than countries with individualis...

Enormous cross-national differences exist in COVID-19 death rates. Collectivist cultures are characterized by greater concern for ingroup members than for self-interest, whereas the reverse is true for individualistic cultures. In light of evidence suggesting that countries with collectivist cultures are more likely than countries with individualis...

A study addressed the differences between conservative versus nonconservative governments in the ten provinces and three territories in Canada on COVID-19 infection per million and death per million rates. The results showed higher rates for conservative governments and both variables. The magnitude of these effects was relatively unaffected by pop...

We computed the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths per million people for the 50 states and Washington, DC and categorized them as supporting Biden versus Trump in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. There were significantly fewer infections per million, but not deaths per million, in states in which Biden won the majority of the vote than i...

A study addressed the relationship between the degree of conservativism of the governments of the ten provinces and three territories in Canada and infection per million (IPM) and death per million (DPM) rates. The results showed a positive relationship between degree of conservatism and both IPM and DPM rates. The magnitude of these relationships...

We computed the number of COVID-19 infection rates per million people for the 50 states and Washington, DC and categorized them as supporting Biden versus Trump in the 2020 presidential election in The United States of America. There were significantly lower infection rates in states that supported Biden. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) controll...

Enormous cross-national differences exist in COVID-19 death rates. Collectivist cultures are characterized by greater concern for ingroup members than for self-interest, whereas the reverse is true for individualistic cultures and countries. In light of this cultural difference, and evidence suggesting that cultures known for their collectivist ori...

Enormous differences exist in rates of death from COVID-19 in countries around the world. Collectivist cultures and countries are characterized by concern for culture and country to a greater extent than for self-interest, whereas the reverse is true for individualistic cultures and countries. In light of this cultural difference, and suggestive ev...

As is the case in any organization, valid performance appraisals are necessary when making tenure and promotion decisions in academia. Indeed, the more objective and, thus, less potentially biased these data, the more valid will be the performance appraisals. Unfortunately, when someone presents valid opposing a promotion, they are acting as a whis...

Published by American Journals Publishing Center, USA (Website: https://www.american-journals.com/americanjournals). As is the case in any organization, valid performance appraisals are necessary when making tenure and promotion decisions in academia. Indeed, the more objective and, thus, less potentially biased these data, the more valid will be t...

I address issues related to the current models being used to address the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. I address the shortcomings of the epidemiological models and suggest that the “curve” is a nebulous fairy tale. Furthermore, I argue that these models are based on invalid data and flawed assumptions. For example, epidemiologists are using number...

The study addresses issues related to the current epidemiological models being used to address the COVID-19 pandemic, and suggests the "curve" is a nebulous fairy tale. Furthermore, I argue that these models are based on invalid data and flawed assumptions. For example, epidemiologists are using a number of positive cases, identified in systematic...

As is the case in any organization, valid performance appraisals are necessary when making tenure and promotion decisions in academia. Indeed, the more objective and, thus, less potentially biased these data, the more valid will be the performance appraisals. Unfortunately, when someone presents valid opposing a promotion, they are acting as a whis...

I argue that the current climate of Political Correctness (i.e., the avoidance, often considered as taken to extremes, of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize, or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against; Google, 2018), bullying/harassment, and respectful workplace policies...

I argue that the current climate of Political Correctness (e.g., the avoidance, often considered as taken to extremes, of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize, or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against; Google, 2018), bullying/harassment, and respectful workplace policies...

I argue that the current climate of Political Correctness (i.e., the avoidance, often considered as taken to extremes, of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize, or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against; Google, 2018), bullying/harassment, and respectful workplace policies...

The conflict between Academic Freedom and Political Correctness

I argue that the current climate of Political Correctness (i.e., the avoidance, often considered as taken to extremes, of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize, or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against; Google, 2018) and Respectful Workplace Policies in Academia can be at...

The two surveys summarized in this chapter provide evidence consistent with two accounts of the partner discrepancy – the well-established finding that men report more opposite-sex sexual partners (SPs) than women (Laumann et al., 1994). Consistent with the strategies differences account (Brown & Sinclair, 1999), we found that: (a) people used a va...

This study investigated the effects of mood state, issue involvement, and argument strength on responses to persuasive appeals. Through an unrelated second study paradigm, 144 introductory psychology students were randomly assigned to High or Low Issue Involvement, Happy or Sad Mood Inductions, and Strong or Weak Argument conditions. Attitudes, mea...

This study examined the influence of source credibility and message framing on promoting physical exercise in university students. Participants were randomly assigned to reading a positively or negatively framed communication that was attributed to either a credible or a noncredible source. Exercise intentions and attitudes were measured immediatel...

A study assessed the effects of social-comparison cues and filmed violence on aggression toward women. Under the auspices of validating some film clips for use in future research, males viewed either erotic, violent sexual, or violent nonsexual films. A male confederate provided social comparison feedback by indicating (or not indicating) that the...

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a theoretical integrated persuasive message on exercise motivation in college students. Four hundred and fifty introductory psychology students (M age = 20.02 years; SD = 3.94) were randomly assigned to reading positively or negatively framed strong messages advocating exercise. The mess...

In Tonga as elsewhere, consumption of inexpensive, high calorie, fatty foods are associated with increases in diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Programs have been designed to educate people about dangers associated with these foods, but if consumption has increased for economic reasons (e.g., price or availability), such programs may h...

An essential element of the "health transition" is the emergence of disease patterns associated with changes in dietary regimes. The consumption of nutritionally poor (imported) foods in the Pacific is associated with increasing rates of diet related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). An oft-made assumption is that changes in consumption patterns ar...

The increased flow of goods, people, and ideas associated with globalization have contributed to an increase in noncommunicable diseases in much of the world. One response has been to encourage lifestyle changes with educational programmes, thus controlling the lifestyle-related disease. Key assumptions with this approach are that people's food pre...

Part of the controversy surrounding this year's presidential election in the United States concerns the potential for systematic bias in the ballot-card format — could the butterfly ballot used in Palm Beach County, Florida, have led to confusion and caused people who had intended to vote for Al Gore to vote for Pat Buchanan by mistake? Here we sho...

On surveys, men report two to four times as many lifetime opposite‐sex sexual partners (SPs) as women. However, these estimates should be equivalent because each new sexual partner for a man is also a new sexual partner for a woman. The source of this discrepancy was investigated in this study. Participants reported number of lifetime and past‐year...

We argue that external cues provide affective information that influences processing strategy and, therefore, examination performance. Participants completed 2 supposedly different forms of a midterm examination; in fact, randomly assigned participants completed identical midterm examinations printed on either red or blue paper. Blue paper led to s...

Great interest has been shown in the effects of both naturally occurring and induced affective states on self-perception and judgment. However, mood inductions often underrepresent the construct mood and often contain confounds because inductions do not map onto orthogonal Valence Arousal dimensions. It also is important that researchers in the are...

We argue that environmental cues provide affective information that directly influences processing strategy, with positively valenced (i.e., happy) cues leading to nonsystematic processing and negatively valenced (i.e., sad) cues leading to systematic processing. Two studies addressed this issue. In Study 1, participants were exposed to a set of pr...

Two methodological issues involving the Velten (1968) mood induction technique are examined. The first issue concerns threats to statistical conclusion validity that result from the use of some group mood induction techniques: In research on the effects of mood, groups of subjects are often assigned to mood conditions, whereas individuals are treat...

Schachter and Singer (1962) showed that people search the immediate environment for emotionally relevant cues to label and interpret unexplained physiological arousal We investigated how unobtrusively activated cognitions and physiological arousal interact to produce emotional experience when the immediate environment is devoid of relevant cues Sub...

Age-related cognitive deficits in both humans and experimental animals appear to relate to dysfunction of basal forebrain cholinergic neuron systems. The present study assessed spatial learning performance in a water maze task as a function of choline acetyltransferase and high-affinity choline uptake specific activity (the two phenotypic markers f...

It was hypothesized that completion of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) would influence self-reported mood, through subjects' comparison of their own state with the affectively negative content of the BDI. In Study 1, college students completed the BDI, Snyder's Self-Monitoring scale, or no initial questionnaire before completing a 20-item mood...

Prior research has shown that mood state affects liking for others, categorization breadth, and processing strategy. Proceeding from such work, it was hypothesized that mood state would affect the relative endorsement of egalitarian macrojustice and equity based microjustice principles. Male and female subjects were assigned to one of three mood in...

The present study was conducted in order to assess the effect of distraction on the proof-reading performance of obese restrained and unrestrained eaters. Chronically obese subjects were categorized as restrained or unrestrained and assigned to conditions of distraction and no distraction. Results support the notion that restrained vs unrestrained...

Recent investigations of the structure of psychological distress have indicated that hierarchical models can accommodate both unitary and multifaceted conceptions of distress. The present study tested the hierarchical framework suggested by Zuckerman, Lubin, and Rinck (1983) for the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List (MAACL), a commonly used meas...

A study of the effects of construct accessibility on impression formation was conducted to assess the generalizability of priming effects across categories of social judgments. Subjects were primed with positive or negative target-relevant trait terms and were later, in a supposedly unrelated second study, asked to rate a target individual immediat...

It is argued that, in assessing attitudes about policy issues, the policy area can be conceptualized as a “domain of content,” and standards of content validity applied. The role of content validity in policy-relevant research is illustrated in a study that contrasts the findings of two surveys concerning public opinion toward gun control. Attitude...