Yasin Koc

University of Groningen | RUG · Department of Psychology

Globalisation provides novel contexts for individuals to express and transform their identities in ways that may not be available in their local cultures. For gay men living in cultures where traditional masculinity norms prescribe heterosexuality and the rejection of homosexuality, gay-male identity is inherently threatened. However, adopting an i...

The number of asylum seekers and refugees across the world is rapidly increasing. Negative attitudes towards these groups are globally prevalent and typically hostile because most receiving country citizens perceive them to be a security threat and an economic burden. This paper aims to understand the antecedents of negative attitudes toward a larg...

Belonging to multiple identities that are incompatible has been linked to poor psychological wellbeing outcomes, including feelings of guilt and shame. Individuals who experience such conflict can use a range of strategies to reconcile seemingly incompatible identities. The current study aimed to explore the strategy of identity integration as a pr...

We examined the mechanisms by which ingroup identification impacts well‐being in stigmatized groups. Studies 1‐3a were conducted among gay people in Europe and North America. Among gay people, the results suggest identification with homosexuals protected well‐being via a decrease in self‐group distancing (Studies 1‐3a, N=1055). Other coping strateg...

Masculinity contest culture encourages fierce competition and race for status at all costs. Across three experiments (Ntotal = 554), we investigated how masculinity contest culture affects discretionary performance at work (i.e., organizational citizenship behaviors). Compared to an alternative culture (i.e., feminine nurturing culture), participan...

Some public officials have expressed concern that policies mandating collective public health behaviors (e.g., national/regional "lockdown") may result in behavioral fatigue that ultimately renders such policies ineffective. Boredom, specifically, has been singled out as one potential risk factor for noncompliance. We examined whether there was emp...

The extent to which culture moderates the effects of need for approval from others on a person's handling of interpersonal conflict was investigated. Students from 24 nations rated how they handled a recent interpersonal conflict, using measures derived from face‐negotiation theory. Samples varied in the extent to which they were perceived as chara...

Identity Salience is a core aspect in theories of social identification. Yet, this construct is poorly defined, has conflicting operationalisations, and is inconsistently measured. We argue that identity salience comprises two elements: chronic salience (i.e., perpetually thinking about the identity) and contextual salience (i.e., only thinking abo...

A lot of popular comedians are known for their transgressive humor towards social groups, but disparagement humor is not just restricted to stages or media performances. We encounter it everywhere or perhaps use it ourselves. In this paper, we were interested in how people react to disparaging jokes (i.e., homophobic jokes) across different relatio...

Political elections can set the scene for strong political identifications and increased motivation for collective action especially in the context of contentious post-election politics. Driving from a large literature on collective action and social identities, we focus on collective action intentions following the repetitive 2015 parliamentary el...

Anxiety associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and home confinement has been associated with adverse health behaviors, such as unhealthy eating, smoking, and drinking. However, most studies have been limited by regional sampling, which precludes the examination of behavioral consequences associated with the pandemic at a global level. Further, few s...

This paper investigates the content and the consequences of the prototypes of people with depression in a multi-method fashion. Fourteen preregistered studies (total N = 5023, with U.S. American, British, and French adult participants) show that laypeople consider people with depression as having specific psychological, social, and physical feature...

Over the past decades, LGBTQ+ issues have been at the centre of politics, social movements, and human rights discussions across the world. Consistent with these developments, there is a growing interest in social psychological research into sexual orientation and gender identities. The emerging research not only taps recent societal developments an...

Background: First responders (i.e. police and ambulance staff) have increasingly become part of the mental health care system, often being the first port of call for those experiencing a crisis. Despite their frequent involvement in supporting those with mental health problems, there is evidence that mental health stigma is high amongst first resp...

The present paper examines longitudinally how subjective perceptions about COVID-19, one’s community, and the government predict adherence to public health measures to reduce the spread of the virus. Using an international survey ( N = 3040), we test how infection risk perception, trust in the governmental response and communications about COVID-19...

Before vaccines for COVID-19 became available, a set of infection prevention behaviors constituted the primary means to mitigate the virus spread. Our study aimed to identify important predictors of this set of behaviors. Whereas social and health psychological theories suggest a limited set of predictors, machine learning analyses can identify cor...

Anxiety associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and home confinement has been associated with adverse health behaviors, such as unhealthy eating, smoking, and drinking. However, most studies have been limited by regional sampling, which precludes the examination of behavioral consequences associated with the pandemic at a global level. Further, few s...

Collective nostalgia is a group-based emotion that refers to the longing for the ‘good old days’ of one’s ingroup. Research shows that collective nostalgia usually benefits relationships with other in-group members, while hampering intergroup relations. However, this depends on the past remembered. Moreover, global identification predicts positive...

Understanding the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine uptake is important to inform policy decisions and plan vaccination campaigns. The aims of this research were to: (1) explore the individual- and country-level determinants of intentions to be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, and (2) examine worldwide variation in vaccination intentions. This cross-s...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256740.].

Since February 2020, the world has faced a health emergency due to the rapid spread of COVID-19. Two of the first measures adopted by most countries to ensure social distancing were the closure of schools and childcare services, and the mandate to work from home. Millions of parents, while facing the threat of the virus infection, suddenly found th...

Tightening social norms is thought to be adaptive for dealing with collective threat yet it may have negative consequences for increasing prejudice. The present research investigated the role of desire for cultural tightness, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, in increasing negative attitudes towards immigrants. We used participant-level data from...

Since February 2020, the world has faced a health emergency due to the rapid spread of COVID-19. Two of the first measures adopted by most countries to ensure social distancing were the closure of schools and childcare services, and the mandate to work from home. Millions of parents, while facing the threat of the virus infection, suddenly found th...

Having a satisfying romantic relationship has positive consequences for health and well-being, meeting the needs for emotional support, care and sexual gratification. However, for some people leading a romantic life according to their own needs and values can be problematic, due to the lack of social acceptance of non-traditional relationship prefe...

During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. conservative politicians and the media downplayed the risk of both contracting COVID-19 and the effectiveness of recommended health behaviors. Health behavior theories suggest perceived vulnerability to a health threat and perceived effectiveness of recommended health-protective behaviors dete...

During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. conservative politicians and the media downplayed the risk of both contracting COVID-19 and the effectiveness of recommended health behaviors. Health behavior theories suggest perceived vulnerability to a health threat and perceived effectiveness of recommended health-protective behaviors dete...

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a global health crisis. Consequently, many countries have adopted restrictive measures that caused a substantial change in society. Within this framework, it is reasonable to suppose that a sentiment of societal discontent, defined as generalized concern about the precarious state of socie...

Research on identity development and wellbeing of gay men often focuses on the negative impacts of prejudice and discrimination, and how the negative societal stigma is internalised. However, sexual minority members also do not grow up being exposed to any proper representations of their identities, and they often lack certain ‘ordinary privileges’...

The degree to which an identity is an important aspect of one’s self-concept (i.e., identity centrality) relates to both health and prejudice experiences of minority groups. Individuals with greater levels of identity centrality view their world through the lens of that identity. This allows them to engage in more positive identity-relevant experie...

We examine how social contacts and feelings of solidarity shape experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020. From the PsyCorona database, we obtained longitudinal data from 23 countries, collected between March and May 2020. The results demonstrated that although online contacts help to reduce feelings of loneliness, people...

Currently, Europe is dealing with a large number of asylum seekers. A recent report show that attitudes toward asylum seekers are not that negative in the Netherlands, and yet Dutch citizens living close to asylum seeker centers barely have contact with them. Because contact is vital for a multicultural society, we investigated the facilitators and...

This paper examines whether compliance with COVID-19 mitigation measures is motivated by wanting to save lives or save the economy (or both), and which implications this carries to fight the pandemic. National representative samples were collected from 24 countries (N = 25,435). The main predictors were (1) perceived risk to contract coronavirus, (...

Reconciling religious beliefs with a sexual minority identity can be challenging. After coming out, many gay men report to have renounced their religious identity or experienced increased identity conflict between their religious and sexual identities. Giving up one’s own identity or identity conflict are known to predict negative wellbeing outcome...

Background The number of mental health-related 999 calls to emergency services has increased in recent years. However, emergency services staff have an unfavourable reputation when it comes to supporting people experiencing mental health problems. Aims To assess the levels of explicit and implicit mental health stigma among accident and emergency,...

Since the Stonewall uprisings, there has been greater social acceptance of homosexuality within Western contexts. Nevertheless, those who are at the intersection of more than one minority identity continue to face prejudice and discrimination, including homophobia and racism. Though there has been increasing work regarding the experiences of sexual...

This study compares the individual-level and sample-level predictive utility of a measure of the cultural logics of dignity, honor, and face. University students in 29 samples from 24 nations used a simple measure to rate their perceptions of the interpersonal cultural logic characterizing their local culture. The nomological net of these measures...

The Coronavirus is highly infectious and potentially deadly. In the absence of a cure or a vaccine, the infection prevention behaviors recommended by the World Health Organization constitute the only measure that is presently available to combat the pandemic. The unprecedented impact of this pandemic calls for swift identification of factors most i...

In this work, we study how social contacts and feelings of solidarity shape experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020. We draw on cross-national data, collected across four time points between mid-March until early May 2020. We situate our work within the public debate on these issues and discuss to what extent the public...

According to health behavior theories, perceived vulnerability to a health threat and perceived effectiveness of recommended health-protective behaviors determine motivation to follow these recommendations. Because the U.S. President Trump and U.S. conservative politicians downplayed the risk and seriousness of contracting COVID-19 and the effectiv...

The PsyCorona collaboration is a research project to examine processes involved in the COVID-19 pandemic, such as behavior that curbs virus transmission, which may implicate social norms, cooperation, and self-regulation. The study also examines psychosocial consequences of physical distancing strategies and societal lockdown, such as frustration o...

The purpose of this data visualization tool is twofold. First, it serves as a resource for researchers, analysts, and practitioners to understand people’s thoughts, feelings, and responses to the coronavirus as well as the extraordinary societal measures taken against it. Such knowledge could provide pilot data for researchers, inform current polic...

Mapping the Moods of COVID-19: Global Study Uses Data Visualization to Track Psychological Responses, Identify Targets for Intervention

Sex differences in aspects of independent versus interdependent self-construal and depressive symptoms were surveyed among 5,320 students from 24 nations. Men were found to perceive themselves as more self-contained whereas women perceived themselves as more connected to others. No significant sex differences were found on two further dimensions of...

This paper examines whether compliance with COVID-19 mitigation measures is motivated by wanting to save lives or save the economy (or both), and which implications this carries to fight the pandemic. National representative samples were collected from 24 countries (N=25,435). The main predictors were (i) perceived risk to contract coronavirus, (ii...

In 2017, the Australian Government announced that a voluntary postal survey would be used to quantify the views of the Australian public on marriage equality. This non‐binding, voluntary postal survey—and the associated public debate—can be viewed as a discriminatory event for same‐sex attracted Australians. The exacerbation of minority stress like...

LINK: https://www.easp.eu/news/itm/call_for_papers_special_issue_of-1153.html We are happy to announce a forthcoming special issue for the European Journal of Social Psychology (EJSP) on The Social Psychology of Sexual Orientations and Gender Identities: Social Processes and Contexts. This special issue will be edited by Marco Salvati (Sapienza Un...

Previous studies suggested that public trust in government is vital for implementations of social policies that rely on public's behavioural responses. This study examined associations of trust in government regarding COVID-19 control with recommended health behaviours and prosocial behaviours. Data from an international survey with representative...

We investigated whether and how the experience of being tolerated and of being discriminated against are associated with psychological well‐being in three correlational studies among three stigmatized groups in Turkey (LGBTI group members, people with disabilities, and ethnic Kurds, total N = 862). Perceived threat to social identity needs (esteem,...

Consonant with a functional view of moral emotions, we argue that morality is best analyzed within relationships rather than in individuals, and use Fiske's (1992) theory of relational models (RMs: communal sharing [CS], authority ranking [AR], equality matching [EM], and market pricing [MP]) to predict that violations in different RMs will arouse...

The world currently has the highest documented level of displaced people in recorded history. This includes a large number of individuals who are spending their youth as asylum seekers or refugees, which often impedes their access to and engagement with educational pursuits. Given that education has been shown to be a fundamental factor to facilita...

Although attitudes towards gay men are becoming increasingly inclusive, negative attitudes are still experienced by this socially marginalised group. Prejudice research often uses the Dual Process Model of Prejudice (DPM: comprised of right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation) to understand negative social attitudes, and recently...

Responding effectively to humanitarian emergencies such as “Syrian refugee crisis” often requires the commitment of large groups of people. However, this may not always be possible when there are social or political constraints preventing people from mobilizing themselves and others in order to target the unfair systems or the authorities. In this...

Today, an increasing number of Muslim women identify themselves as both Muslim and feminist at the same time. However, Muslim and feminist identities are often seen incompatible by both Muslim and non-Muslim groups, and Muslim feminist women might hence experience conflict endorsing these identities. Accordingly, we were interested in examining the...

The present set of studies investigated the role of both religiosity and social-ideological attitudes in the prediction of various forms of sexist and gender-related attitudes. Hierarchical regression analyses on data collected in three countries (i.e., two heterogeneous adult samples from Turkey and the Netherlands, and two student samples from Be...

Stereotypes typically have negative impacts on stigmatized minority groups, especially when endorsed by members of that group. This paper examines the prevalence and consequences of stereotype endorsement on well-being within the gay community. Specifically, we explored how gay men’s self-stereotype (i.e., personal beliefs about the stereotypes per...

The present study reports the psychometric properties of the English version of the short form of the Attitudes TowardHomosexuality Scale (ATHS; Falomir-Pichastor & Mugny, 2009). Workers from Amazon's MTurk™ (n = 235 for validation, n = 60 for test-retest) completed the short form of the ATHS, translated from French, and the Attitudes Toward Lesbia...

Grindr is a smartphone application for men who have sex with men (MSM). Despite its reputation as a 'hook-up app', little is known about its users' self-presentation strategies and how this relates to objectification. This article explores objectification on Grindr. The results of Study 1 showed that Grindr users objectified other men more than non...

When are collective action (CA) intentions driven by collective efficacy feelings or group-based anger? In the context of ever-increasing polarization between conservative (pro-government) and secular-liberal groups (anti-government) in Turkey, we focused on anti-government voters and tested a dual path model of CA following the two parliamentary e...

Researchers are making increasing use of the distinction between cultural logics emphasizing dignity, face, and honor. Students from eight nations including two from Latin America rated items tapping the extent to which they believed that most persons in their nation endorsed these types of mindset. Their ratings did not accord with prior beliefs a...

Grindr is a location-based online dating application for men who have sex with men (MSM) that has recently been used as a participant recruitment tool in quantitative and qualitative research. This article reviews research studies that used Grindr to recruit participants and focuses on the mode of contact, the nature of research, its benefits and l...

In most parts of the world, hegemonic masculinity requires men to endorse traditional masculine ideals, one of which is rejection of homosexuality. Wherever hegemonic masculinity favours heterosexuality over homosexuality, gay males may feel under pressure to negotiate their conflicting male gender and gay sexual identities to maintain positive sel...

This paper examines expressions and experiences of internalised sexual stigma with respect to definitions of masculinity and identity conflicts through a thematic analysis of life-history narratives of 14 self-identified gay men living in Turkey. The analysis reveals that internalised sexual prejudice emerges when widely accepted hegemonic masculin...

Research into the relationship between religion and anti-gay attitudes frequently focuses on Christianity. We explored the role of religiosity dimensions, previous contact, and factors in the dual-process motivation model as predictors of explicit and implicit anti-gay attitudes in samples of Muslims and Atheists. The explicit and implicit attitude...

Atheism is an emerging social category experiencing rapid growth, with estimates of up to 850 million non-religious individuals worldwide. There is some evidence that suggests atheism is not inherently present in people, and instead it extensively relies on culture. In this project, we pose three challenges to the field of psychology and culture, a...

Kurds are the largest indigenous ethnic minority in Turkey, comprising nearly 15% of Turkey’s population. Kurds have long been the target of state-enacted assimilation policies, and this has created critical inequalities between Kurds and Turks manifesting as Kurds having limited access to educational resources, lower levels of literacy, and higher...

The relationship between religion and homophobia is well established. However, this relationship frequently focuses on a Christian sample and has only recently begun to consider the role of implicit cognition. The current study explores the explicit and implicit attitudes of practicing Muslims and Atheists in a Turkish sample. As expected, explicit...

Masculinity studies often focus on the experiences and perceptions of men in the construction of masculinities; however, masculinities are social constructions and women actively contribute to this construction with their perceptions of and in their interactions with men. In the context of Turkey, previous research on masculinities has so far focus...

The present study explored effects of language on explicit and implicit identity experiences as a function of identity relevant threat. Measures of explicit and implicit cognition of Kurdish individuals in Turkey (i.e., threatened) and in the United Kingdom (i.e., non-threatened) were contrasted against each other and against a control group of Tur...