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Article Citation - WoS: 1Liking Low-Status? Contextual and Individual Differences in Attributional Biases of Low-Status Outgroup Members(Psychopen, 2019) Besta, Tomasz; Akbas, Gulcin; Renstrom, Emma A.; Kosakowska-Berezecka, Natasza; Vazquez, AlexandraPrevious studies on biased intergroup perceptions of outgroups' irrationality mostly treated the target groups as opponents and rivals. In three studies, we extended this line of research and tested the hypothesis that individuals who challenge the existing social hierarchy exhibit more positive biases toward low-status outgroup members. We also hypothesized that when irrational thinking is framed as an important human trait, this bias is reduced among low social dominance orientation (SDO) individuals. In three studies (N = 169, N = 450, and N = 161), conducted in countries that vary in power distance levels (Poland, Spain, Sweden and Turkey), we examined under which conditions low-status outgroups are perceived as more rational than ingroup members. The results show that in a condition without irrationality framed as a human trait, psychology students (Study 1 and Study 2) and nonstudents low in group-based dominance orientation (Study 3) perceive outgroup members as less irrational than ingroup members. However, when participants were reminded that irrationality is a human trait, the perceived differences between in- and outgroup members were reduced. This effect was observed in all four countries (Study 1 and Study 2) and held when variables related to the tendency to behave in a socially desirable way were controlled for (Study 3).Article Citation - WoS: 12Citation - Scopus: 13Are Gender-Neutral Pronouns Really Neutral? Testing a Male Bias in the Grammatical Genderless Languages Turkish and Finnish(Sage Publications inc, 2023) Renstrom, Emma A.; Lindqvist, Anna; Akbas, Gulcin; Hekanaho, Laura; Senden, Marie GustafssonLanguages differ in how grammatically salient gender is. We explored if grammatically gender-neutral pronouns in Finnish and Turkish, two grammatically genderless languages, are gender neutral or male biased, thereby activating male, rather than female, exemplars. We also tested whether differences in national level gender equality influence the male bias. Results indicated a male bias in both languages, whereas national level gender equality had no influence. Implications for gender-fair language reforms in grammatically genderless languages are discussed.Article Citation - WoS: 3Citation - Scopus: 3The Role of Honor Concerns in Disclosing (vs. Hiding) COVID-19 Diagnosis: Insights from Turkiye(Springer/plenum Publishers, 2023) Ceylan-Batur, Suzan; Dogulu, Canay; Akbas, Gulcin; Yet, Barbaros; Uskul, Ayse K. K.Members of honor cultures value engaging in moral behaviors and managing their social image to maintain their honor. These two goals reflect reputation and integrity concerns, which also have bearing on gender roles. In the current study, we examined a) evaluations of women and men described as diagnosed with COVID-19 and as either hiding or disclosing their diagnosis, b) the moderating role of honor concerns (reputation and integrity) and the gender of the infected person in these evaluations, and c) the relationship between honor concerns and individuals' own disclosure preferences among participants living in Turkiye, a country that exemplifies an honor culture. Findings revealed that participants with stronger reputation concerns evaluated a woman's hiding behavior more favorably than that of a man's. Moreover, higher integrity concerns were associated with lower levels of participants' own preference to hide a diagnosis for both men and women, whereas reputation concerns were positively associated with a preference for hiding a diagnosis among men only. Furthermore, a content analysis of participants' open-ended explanations of their views on women's and men's motivation to hide a diagnosis revealed further evidence for the gendered nature of reputation concerns. Our findings point to the importance of prioritizing integrity concerns (and downplaying reputation concerns) in public health campaigns in honor cultures.Article Citation - WoS: 2Anti-Immigration Conspiracy Beliefs Are Associated With Endorsement of Conventional and Violent Actions Opposing Immigration and Attitudes Towards Democracy Across 21 Countries(SpringerNature, 2025) Thomas, Emma F.; Stothard, Christina; Besta, Tomasz; Akbas, Gulcin; Becker, Julia C.; Becker, Maja; van Zomeren, MartijnDespite widespread speculation that conspiracy beliefs foster anti-democratic outcomes, the empirical picture is inconsistent. To clarify this literature, we examine the relationships that conspiracy beliefs have with commitment to reactionary action and criticism of democracy, focusing on a global issue: immigration. We expected that people who believe that their government uses immigration to diversify the population against citizens' wishes (anti-migration conspiracy beliefs) would be more committed to conventional and violent action to oppose immigration, and more critical of democracy. However, societal-level factors - economic performance and democratic functioning - were expected to influence (strengthen, weaken) these links. As hypothesized, multi-level analyses (N = 4353) from 21 countries revealed that economic prosperity attenuated the positive link between anti-migration conspiracy beliefs and commitment to reactionary action. Paradoxically, more democratic societies evidenced stronger links between conspiracy beliefs and conventional (but not violent) action to oppose immigration. Thus, more democratic societies appear to invite conventional forms of action to oppose immigration which may, in turn, weaken democratic norms of inclusion. Results highlight the interplay of individual- and societal-level factors underlying illiberal movements.
