School of Psychology

Experience Excellence Studying People


Dr Robbie Sutton

Reader in Psychology

 Robbie Sutton

 

Research interests

I am interested in the human need for justice.  In particular, I research beliefs in the justice or otherwise of situations, social systems, and the world as a whole.  These beliefs serve important psychological functions, especially hedonic (promoting health and happiness), motivational (encouraging people to pursue their goals, and to follow and in some circumstances break moral rules), and epistemic (making life seem simple and orderly).  I am also very interested in the social functions of these beliefs (e.g., in promoting social cohesion).

On the flipside, I am interested in what happens when the human need for justice is threatened or thwarted - as when individuals live in fear of crime and disorder, experience unjust outcomes, and witness violations of social rules.

I am also interested in how people communicate about justice and injustice.  For example, one strand of my research shows how the stereotype that men are less fearful of crime than women appears to perpetuate itself by causing men to deny and downplay their fears.  I am also interested in justice and the appearance of justice as a "fundamental collusion".  In order for collectives to run smoothly, individuals within those collectives need to convince each other, and not just themselves, that the social system is basically just.

More generally, I am interested in the social psychology of human communication, including how people manipulate subtle features of their language in order to achieve social goals, how they examine other people's language to learn about them, and how they formulate and respond to criticism.

Finally, I am interested in applications of these principles to the psychology of climate change.

Key Publications

Sutton, R. M., Douglas, K. M.  Wilkin, K., Elder, T. J., Cole, J. M., & Stathi, S.  (2008). Justice for whom, exactly?  Beliefs in justice for the self and various others.  Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 528-541.

Sutton, R. M., Elder, T. J., & Douglas, K. M. (2006).  Reactions to internal and external criticism of outgroups: Social convention in the intergroup sensitivity effect. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 563-575. 

Douglas, K. M., & Sutton, R. M. (2003). Effects of communication goals and expectancies on language abstraction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 682-696.

Sutton, R. M., & McClure, J. L. (2001). Covariational influences on goal-based explanation: An integrative model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 222-236.

 

 

Also view these in the Kent Academic Repository
Books
Articles

    Wood, Michael and Douglas, K.M. and Sutton, R.M. (2012) Dead and alive: Belief in contradictory conspiracy theories. Social Psychology and Personality Science. ISSN 1948-5506. (in press)

    Abstract

    Conspiracy theories can form a monological belief system: a self-sustaining worldview comprised of a network of mutually supportive beliefs. The present research shows that even endorsement of mutually incompatible conspiracy theories are positively correlated. In Study 1 (n = 137), the more participants believed that Princess Diana faked her own death, the more they believed that she was murdered. In Study 2 (n = 102), the more participants believed that Osama Bin Laden was already dead when U.S. special forces raided his compound in Pakistan, the more they believed he is still alive. Hierarchical regression models showed that mutually incompatible conspiracy theories are positively associated because both are associated with the view that the authorities are engaged in a cover-up (Study 2). The monological nature of conspiracy belief appears to be driven not by conspiracy theories directly supporting one another, but by broader beliefs supporting conspiracy theories in general.

    Jeffries, Carla and Hornsey, M.J. and Sutton, R.M. et al. (2012) The David and Goliath principle: Cultural, ideological and attitudinal underpinnings of the normative protection of low status groups from criticism. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. ISSN 0146-1672. (in press)

    Abstract

    Two studies documented the “David and Goliath” rule – the tendency for people to perceive criticism of “David” groups (groups with low power and status) as less normatively permissible than criticism of “Goliath” groups (groups with high power and status). We confirmed the existence of the David and Goliath rule across five national samples (Study 1). However the rule was endorsed more strongly in Western than in Chinese cultures, an effect mediated by cultural differences in power distance. Study 2 identified the psychological underpinnings of this rule in an Australian sample. Lower social dominance orientation (SDO) was associated with greater endorsement of the rule, an effect mediated through the differential attribution of stereotypes. Specifically, those low in SDO were more likely to attribute traits of warmth and incompetence to David versus Goliath groups, a pattern of stereotypes that was related to the protection of David groups from criticism.

    Douglas, K.M. and Sutton, R.M. (2011) Does it take one to know one? Endorsement of conspiracy theories is influenced by personal willingness to conspire. British Journal of Social Psychology, 50 (3). pp. 544-552. ISSN 0144-6665.

    Abstract

    We advance a new account of why people endorse conspiracy theories, arguing that individuals use the social-cognitive tool of projection when making social judgments about others. In two studies, we found that individuals were more likely to endorse conspiracy theories if they thought they would be willing, personally, to participate in the alleged conspiracies. Study 1 established an association between conspiracy beliefs and personal willingness to conspire, that fully mediated a relationship between Machiavellianism and conspiracy beliefs. In Study 2, participants primed with their own morality were less inclined than controls to endorse conspiracy theories – a finding fully mediated by personal willingness to conspire. These results suggest that some people think “they conspired” because they think “I would conspire”.

    Murphy, Amy O. and Sutton, R.M. and Douglas, K.M. et al. (2011) Ambivalent sexism and the “do”s and “don’t”s of pregnancy: Examining attitudes toward proscriptions and the women who flout them. Personality and Individual Differences, 51 (7). pp. 812-816. ISSN 0191-8869.

    Abstract

    Pregnant women are subjected to popular and official advice to restrict their behaviour in ways that may not always be warranted by medical evidence. The present paper investigates the role of sexism in the proscriptive stance toward pregnancy. Consistent with expectations, both hostile and benevolent sexism were associated with endorsement of proscriptive rules such as “pregnant women should not take strenuous exercise” (Study 1, n =148). Also as predicted, hostile but not benevolent sexism was associated with punitive attitudes to pregnant women who flout proscriptions (Study 2, n = 124). In tandem with recent findings, the present results show that hostile as well as benevolent sexism is associated with proscriptive attitudes surrounding pregnancy.

    pdf
    Sutton, R.M. and Douglas, K.M. and McClellan, L.M. (2011) Benevolent sexism, perceived health risks, and the inclination to restrict pregnant women’s freedoms. Sex Roles, 65 (7). pp. 596-605. ISSN 0360-0025.

    Abstract

    The present study investigated the role of sexist ideology in perceptions of health risks during pregnancy and willingness to intervene on pregnant women’s behavior. Initially, 160 female psychology undergraduates at a university in the South East of England completed the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (Glick & Fiske, 1996). Two months later, in an apparently unrelated study, they rated the safety of 45 behaviours during pregnancy (e.g., drinking alcohol, exercising, drinking tap water, and oral sex), and indicated their willingness to restrict pregnant women’s choices (e.g., by refusing to serve soft cheese or alcohol). As predicted, benevolent (but not hostile) sexism was related to willingness to restrict pregnant women’s choices. This effect was partially mediated by the perceived danger attributed to behaviours.

    Sutton, R.M. and Robinson, B. and Farrall, S. (2011) Gender, fear of crime, and self-presentation: An experimental investigation. Psychology, Crime and Law, 17 (5). pp. 421-433. ISSN 1068-316X.

    Abstract

    The authors investigate gendered norms associated with the fear of crime. A sample of 100 men and women in a British market town completed a fear of crime survey having been instructed either to be 'totally honest and accurate', or to respond in a way that portrays them 'in the best possible light' ('fake good'). Men asked to 'fake good' reported less fear than men asked to respond honestly. This result is consistent with theories of masculinity that emphasize the importance of emotional invulnerability and self-sufficiency. In contrast, women asked to 'fake good' tended to report more fear than those asked to respond honestly. This result extends theories of how fear of crime curtails women's freedoms. Specifically, the fear of crime may be a prescriptive gendered norm in its own right, causing women (and men) to feel that their expressed fear is a yardstick by which they might be judged.

    Douglas, K.M. and Sutton, R.M. (2011) Constructive or cruel? Positive or patronizing? Reactions to expressions of positive and negative stereotypes of the mentally ill. British Journal of Psychology, 102. pp. 97-107. ISSN 0007-1269.

    Abstract

    Previous research has shown that people respond with greater sensitivity to negative stereotypical comments about a group that are made from someone outside the group in question than from someone who belongs to the group. In this paper, we investigated if the same effect occurs in response to comments made about stigmatized groups. Specifically, we examined how people react to comments made about the mentally ill. The conditions under which people accept or reject stereotypes of the mentally ill may shed light on the conditions necessary for effective anti-discrimination campaigns. In the current study, participants responded to positive or negative stereotypes of the mentally ill voiced by either someone who has, or has not, suffered from a mental illness. Participants were more sensitive, agreed less, and evaluated the speaker less favourably when comments came from the out-group rather than the in-group source. The effects were strongest for negative comments, however contrary to previous research participants also responded less favourably to positive comments from the out-group source. These reactions were mediated by the perceived constructiveness of the speaker's motives. Implications for the effectiveness of anti-discrimination campaigns are discussed.

    Strelan, P. and Sutton, R.M. (2011) When just-world beliefs promote and when they inhibit forgiveness. Personality and Individual Differences, 50 (2). pp. 163-168. ISSN 0191-8869.

    Abstract

    The present study provides further evidence that justice and forgiveness are not necessarily competitive responses. Among 157 undergraduates instructed to recall either serious or benign transgressions, just-world beliefs for the self (BJW-self) was associated with forgiveness as inhibition of negative responding but not forgiveness as positive responding. Each of these relations was significantly moderated by transgression severity: the more benign the transgression, the stronger the relationship. Just-world beliefs for others (BJW-others) was negatively associated with inhibition of negative responding and unrelated to positive responding. These relations held over and above well-established predictors of transgression-specific forgiveness (relationship closeness and post-transgression offender effort), and an individual difference variable, justice sensitivity. In practical terms, BJW-self may enable people to better deal with minor stressors. An important theoretical implication is that modelling the relationship between just-world beliefs and forgiveness requires a bidimensional conception of both constructs.

    Douglas, K.M. and Sutton, R.M. and Stathi, Sofia (2010) Why I am less persuaded than you: People's intuitive understanding of the psychology of persuasion. Social Influence, 5 (2). pp. 133-148.

    Abstract

    People generally assume that others are more influenced than the self (the third person perception or TPP). To further understand this perception we investigated people’s intuitive understanding of how persuasion works. Participants rated themselves or others on traits reflecting risk and immunity from persuasion (e.g., weak- and strong-mindedness) and need for cognition (NFC). They then rated how much they or others would be influenced by some advertisements. Results showed that participants associated perceived low NFC and high levels of weak-mindedness with influence. Perceived self–other differences in these variables mediated the TPP. Also, perceived NFC explained the role of self-enhancement in the TPP. People’s intuitive understanding of persuasion therefore resembles the elaboration likelihood model on the role it grants to NFC.

    Douglas, K.M. and Sutton, R.M. (2010) By their words ye shall know them: Language abstraction and the likeability of describers. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40 (2). pp. 366-374. ISSN 0046-2772.

    Abstract

    According to the linguistic category model (LCM), behaviour can be described at concrete (e.g. ‘Kath hit Kim’) and abstract (e.g. ‘Kath is aggressive’) levels. Variations in these levels convey information about the person being described and the relationship between that person and the describer. In the current research, we examined the power of language abstraction to create impressions of describers themselves. Results show that describers are seen as less likeable when they use abstract (vs. concrete) language to describe the negative actions of others. Conversely, impressions of describers are more favourable when they opt for abstract descriptions of others' positive behaviours. This effect is partially mediated by the attribution of a communicative agenda to describers. By virtue of these attributional implications, language abstraction is an impression formation device that can impact on the reputation of describers.

    Callan, Mitch J. and Sutton, R.M. (2010) When deserving translates into causing: The effect of cognitive load on immanent justice reasoning. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46 (6). pp. 1097-1100. ISSN 0022-1031.

    Abstract

    In immanent justice reasoning, negative events are attributed to some prior moral failing, even in the absence of a physically plausible causal link between them. Drawing on just-world theory, we examined immanent justice reasoning as an intuitive, deservingness-guided form of causal judgment. Participants were exposed to a story about a man who either did or did not cheat on his wife and who was subsequently injured in a car accident. Under either high or low cognitive load, participants rated the extent to which they believed the accident was the result of the man's prior moral failings. The results showed that participants causally attributed the man's accident to his prior conduct when he was immoral (vs. not immoral) more strongly under high cognitive load. Further, moderated mediation analyses showed that perceived deservingness of the accident mediated the effect of the man's prior immoral behavior on immanent justice attributions more strongly under high cognitive load. These results offer support for the notion that immanent justice attributions reflect an automatic tendency to assume that people get what they deserve.

    Hilton, D.J. and McClure, J. and Sutton, R.M. (2010) Selecting explanations from causal chains: Do statistical principles explain preferences for voluntary causes? European Journal of Social Psychology, 40 (3). pp. 383-400. ISSN 1099-0992.

    Abstract

    We investigate whether people prefer voluntary causes to physical causes in unfolding causal chains and whether statistical (covariation, sufficiency) principles can predict how people select explanations. Experiment 1 shows that while people tend to prefer a proximal (more recent) cause in chains of unfolding physical events, causality is traced through the proximal cause to an underlying distal (less recent) cause when that cause is a human action. Experiment 2 shows that causal preference is more strongly correlated with judgements of sufficiency and conditionalised sufficiency than with covariation or conditionalised covariation. In addition, sufficiency judgements are partial mediators of the effect of type of distal cause (voluntary or physical) on causal preference. The preference for voluntary causes to physical causes corroborates findings from social psychology, cognitive neuroscience and jurisprudence that emphasise the primacy of intentions in causal attribution processes.

    Calogero, R.M. and Bardi, A. and Sutton, R.M. (2009) A need basis for values: Associations between the need for cognitive closure and value priorities. Personality and Individual Differences, 46 (2). pp. 154-159. ISSN 0191-8869.

    Abstract

    Values are viewed as partly based on needs, but little research has been devoted to testing this relationship. The need to attain or avoid cognitive closure may be an important cognitive-motivational factor underlying the endorsement and pursuit of particular values. The present research provided an empirical test of the relations between individual differences in the need for cognitive Closure (NFCC) and Schwartz's ten values. One hundred men and women from a southeastern British university completed measures of NFCC and basic Values. Consistent with hypotheses, the results indicated that NFCC was positively associated with valuing security, conformity, and tradition and negatively associated with valuing stimulation and self-direction. In addition, NFCC was unrelated to valuing hedonism, power, universalism, and benevolence, but negatively related to Valuing achievement. Consistent with theories of epistemic closure, this research supports the idea that individual differences in NFCC give rise to Values which match and satisfy individual needs to attain or avoid cognitive closure.

    Douglas, K.M. and Sutton, R.M. and Wilkin, K. (2008) Could you mind your language? An investigation of communicators’ ability to inhibit linguistic bias. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 27 (2). pp. 123-139. ISSN 0261-927X.

    Abstract

    Three experiments that examine communicators' ability to inhibit linguistic bias are reported. Research has shown that communicators use more abstract language ( e. g., "Jamie is affectionate" vs. "Jamie kisses Rose") to describe more expected behavior. Recent research has shown that this bias may be overwhelmed by goals to put a "spin" on actions or to manipulate audiences' impressions of actors. Similarly, the present experiments show that people who wish to communicate without bias may often be able to do so. Inhibition occurred when participants selected descriptions from a list of alternatives and when they freely described both expected and unexpected behaviors. However, inhibition failed when participants were asked to freely describe either expected or unexpected behaviors alone.

    Sutton, R.M. and Douglas, K.M. (2008) Celebrating two decades of linguistic bias research: An introduction. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 27 (2). pp. 105-109. ISSN 0261-927X.

    Abstract

    The authors introduce a special issue of the Journal of Language and Social Psychology on linguistic bias, celebrating two decades of research since G. R. Semin and K. Fiedler (1988) first published the linguistic category model (LCM). The LCM has been highly cited and generative and provides a parsimonious framework for investigations of the role of language in social-psychological phenomena. Indeed, the articles in this issue are notable for addressing a wide range of such phenomena, underscoring both the success of the LCM so far and its further potential.

    Hornsey, M.J and Robson, E. and Smith, J. et al. (2008) Sugaring the pill: Assessing rhetorical strategies designed to minimize defensive reactions to group criticism. Human Communication Research, 34 (1). pp. 70-U119. ISSN 0360-3989.

    Abstract

    People are considerably more defensive in the face of group criticism when the criticism comes from an out-group rather than an in-group member (the intergroup sensitivity effect). We tested three strategies that out-group critics can use to reduce this heightened defensiveness. In all studies, Australians received criticism of their country either from another Australian or from a foreigner. In Experiment 1, critics who attached praise to the criticism were liked more and agreed with more than were those who did not. In Experiment 2, out-group critics were liked more and aroused less negativity when they acknowledged that the problems they identified in the target group were shared also by their own in-group. In both experiments, the ameliorative effects of praise and acknowledgment were fully mediated by attributions of constructiveness. Experiment 3 tested the strategy of spotlighting; that is, of putting on the record that you intend your comments to apply to just a portion of the group rather than to the whole group. This strategy-which did not directly address the attributional issues that are presumed to underpin the intergroup sensitivity effect-proved ineffective. Practical and theoretical implications for intergroup communication are discussed.

    Sutton, R.M. and Douglas, K.M. and Wilkin, K.J. et al. (2008) Justice for whom, exactly? Beliefs in justice for the self and various others. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34 (4). pp. 528-541. ISSN 0146-1672.

    Abstract

    The present studies examine why people think the world is more just to themselves than to others generally. Beliefs in justice for the self were uniquely associated with psychological adjustment, consistent with the theoretical motive to believe in justice for the self ( Studies 1 and 2). However, this "justice motive" did not appear to affect the relative strength of justice beliefs. Instead, self-other differences in justice beliefs appeared to reflect objective assessments of the justice received by various demographics. Undergraduates believed the world to be more just to themselves than to others but not their undergraduate peers specifically ( Study 1). Participants of both genders believed the world to be more just to men, and to themselves, than to women ( Study 2). Women did not exempt themselves individually from injustice but believed, similar to men, that undergraduate women receive as much justice as men ( Study 3).

    Douglas, K.M. and Sutton, R.M. (2008) The hidden impact of conspiracy theories: Perceived and actual impact of theories surrounding the death of Princess Diana. Journal of Social Psychology, 148 (2). pp. 210-221. ISSN 0022-4545.

    Abstract

    The authors examined the perceived and actual impact of exposure to conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. One group of undergraduate students rated their agreement and their classmates' perceived agreement with several statements about Diana's death. A second group of students from the same undergraduate population read material containing popular conspiracy theories about Diana's death before rating their own and others' agreement with the same statements and perceived retrospective attitudes (i.e., what they thought their own and others' attitudes were before reading the material). Results revealed that whereas participants in the second group accurately estimated others' attitude changes, they underestimated the extent to which their own attitudes were influenced.

    McClure, J. and Hilton, D.J. and Sutton, R.M. (2007) Judgments of voluntary and physical causes in causal chains: Probabilistic and social functionalist criteria for attributions. European Journal of Social Psychology, 37 (5). pp. 879-901. ISSN 0046-2772.

    Abstract

    Four experiments investigated judgments about voluntary human actions and physical causes that were embedded in causal chains ending in negative outcomes (e.g., a forest fire). Causes were judged for their explanatory quality, their effect on the probability of the outcome, and the extent to which they could be socially controlled. Results supported legal theorists' claim that voluntary actions are judged better explanations than physical causes. Indices derived from theories of probability change generally failed to predict the preference for voluntary actions. In contrast, this preference was mediated by the perceived extent to which voluntary versus physical causes may be brought under social control. These results suggest that causal explanation, at least within causal chains, is not driven solely by changes in the probability of an outcome when a cause is added, and that observers recognize the potential social function of explanations in drawing attention to socially controllable causes.

    McClure, J. and Sutton, R.M. and Sibley, C.G. (2007) Listening to reporters or engineers? How instance-based messages about building design affect earthquake fatalism. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 37 (9). pp. 1956-1973. ISSN 0021-9029.

    Abstract

    Attributions are shaped by information about the causal mechanisms that produce outcomes. Two studies examined the effect of mechanism information on attributions for earthquake damage and judgments that the damage could be prevented. Scenarios based on actual reports of earthquakes compared 2 messages about the building design of damaged buildings. Accurate rate-based messages stated that well-designed buildings were resilient, whereas fatalistic, instance-based messages stated that well-designed buildings were damaged. In Study 2, to vary source credibility, the message source was either an engineer or a reporter. Participants made less fatalistic inferences and attributions with rate-based messages than with instance-based messages, regardless of the source. These findings show that rate-based messages are likely to reduce fatalism about earthquakes and other risks.

    Sutton, R.M. and Winnard, E.J. (2007) Looking ahead through lenses of justice: The relevance of just-world beliefs to intentions and confidence in the future. British Journal of Social Psychology, 46 (3). pp. 649-666. ISSN 0144-6665.

    Abstract

    Recent research distinguishes the belief in a just-world for the self (BJW-self) from that for others (BJW-others), showing BJW-self to be associated with subjective well-being and BJW-others to be associated with harsh social attitudes. The present research examines the implications of these two types of just-world belief for aspects of motivation and ideation about the future. A sample of 100 young British adults living in assisted accommodation completed measures of BJW-self, BJW-others, life satisfaction and intention to engage in delinquent behaviour. They also listed their personal goals and indicated their confidence that they would attain them. In partial correlation and hierarchical regression analyses, BJW-self predicted confidence in the realization of goals, but was inversely related to delinquent intentions. In contrast, BJW-others was directly related to delinquent intentions but inversely related to confidence in achieving socially legitimate personal goals. These results were not attributable to variations in life satisfaction or in the achievability of participants' goals

    McClure, J. and Sutton, R.M. and Wilson, M. (2007) How information about building design influences causal attributions for earthquake damage. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 10 (4). pp. 233-242. ISSN 1367-2223.

    Abstract

    Causal attributions for events are shaped by information about causal mechanisms that contribute to the events. In the case of damage from earthquakes, these mechanisms include the design of buildings. Three studies presented scenarios drawn from actual reports of recent earthquakes (Kobe, Japan and Northridge, California, USA), including statements by engineers about the quality of the design of damaged and undamaged buildings. Studies examined whether this design information affected attributions for earthquake damage. Participants attributed damage to building design more strongly and rated damage more preventable when scenarios referred to the poor building design of damaged buildings than when scenarios gave no design information. Information about the excellent design of undamaged buildings had less consistent effects. This effect was most consistent with scenarios about the design of damaged buildings. These findings show that mechanism (design) information does influence judgments about damage in earthquakes and, by implication, other hazards

    Douglas, K.M. and Sutton, R.M. (2006) When what you say about others says something about you: Language abstraction and inferences about describers' attitudes and goals. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 42 (4). pp. 500-508. ISSN 0022-1031.

    Abstract

    According to the linguistic category model (Semin & Fiedler, 1988, 1991), a person's behavior can be described at varying levels of abstraction from concrete (e.g., "Lisa slaps Ann") to abstract (e.g., "Lisa is aggressive"). Research has shown that language abstraction conveys information about the person whose behavior is described (Wigboldus, Semin, & Spears, 2000). However to date, little research has examined the information that language abstraction may convey about describers themselves. In this paper, we report three experiments demonstrating that describers who use relatively abstract language to describe others' behaviors are perceived to have biased attitudes and motives compared with those describers who use more concrete language

    Sutton, R.M. and Elder, T.J. and Douglas, K.M. (2006) Reactions to internal and external criticism of outgroups: Social convention in the intergroup sensitivity effect. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32 (5). pp. 563-575. ISSN 0146-1672.

    Abstract

    Recent research has documented the intergroup sensitivity effect (ISE) whereby people respond more favorably to internal versus external criticism of their group. The present studies examine the reactions of bystanders who do not belong to the criticized group and whose reactions are therefore more likely to be informed by social conventions than by defensiveness. Studies I and 2 presented British participants with criticisms of Australians, manipulating their ostensible source. These British bystanders exhibited the ISE, responding more favorably to the speaker and comments when the critic was Australian rather than non-Australian. These responses were driven by the perceived motives of speakers rather than their level of experience with the group (Study 2). Study 3 provides direct evidence that internal criticism is more conventionally acceptable than is external criticism.

    Elder, T.J. and Douglas, K.M. and Sutton, R.M. (2006) Perceptions of Social Influence When Messages Favour 'Us' Versus 'Them': A Closer Look at the Social Distance Effect. European Journal of Social Psychology, 36 (3). pp. 353-365. ISSN 0046-2772.

    Abstract

    The third-person effect (TPE) is the tendency for individuals to assume that persuasive communications have a stronger effect on other people than on themselves. In turn the social distance effect (SDE) is the tendency for this TPE to increase with the psychological distance between self and comparator. Two experiments showed that the SDE is moderated by whether the message favours the ingroup or the outgroup, holding all other content constant. In Study 1, male and female participants read a message arguing that either women were better drivers than men or vice versa, and then indicated how much they thought themselves, ingroup members, outgroup members and society would be influenced. The results indicate that for the pro-outgroup message the SDE was found. However, for the pro-ingroup message the SDE was reversed with ingroup members perceived as more influenced than all other targets, including the self. Study 2 replicated this finding using minimal groups, which eliminated the effects of prior stereotypes about male and female drivers. Across both studies the self was perceived as relatively invulnerable to influence regardless of message bias.

    Boonzaier, A. and McClure, J. and Sutton, R.M. (2005) Distinguishing the effects of beliefs and preconditions: the folk psychology of goals and actions. European Journal of Social Psychology, 35 (6). pp. 725 - 740. ISSN 0046-2772.

    Abstract

    Two studies examined lay people's understanding of goals and intentional actions, which are key concepts in folk psychology. The studies show how predictions of goals and actions are affected by actors' beliefs about their abilities and their actual possession of the preconditions required for the actions. In some conditions, the beliefs and the preconditions were contradictory Actors' beliefs about their abilities shaped observers' goal ascriptions, whereas actual preconditions dominated predictions about action accomplishment. Participants judged the relationship between goals and actions to be stronger when preconditions were present. Participants judged that neither beliefs nor preconditions were necessary for the actor to have action fantasies. These studies clarify how folk psychological concepts of desires, beliefs, and preconditions relate to each other and how they relate to attributions of goals and actions.

    Elder, T.J. and Sutton, R.M. and Douglas, K.M. (2005) Keeping it to ourselves: Effects of audience size and composition on reactions to criticisms of the ingroup. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 8 (3). pp. 231-244. ISSN 1368-4302.

    Abstract

    Criticism is an important aspect of communication within and between groups, but reactions to criticism of groups have been little studied. Past research has shown that criticism elicits greater sensitivity when made by an outgroup member, compared to an ingroup member. Two experiments were conducted to examine how this intergroup sensitivity effect (ISE) is affected by the context of the criticism. Experiment I showed that the ISE occurs in a private context, but disappears when it is clear that the criticism is made to a large public audience. Experiment 2 investigated intragroup criticism and manipulated both audience size and audience composition. Results showed that ingroup, criticism elicited greater sensitivity and less favorable evaluations of the speaker when made to an outgroup rather than an ingroup audience. The results highlight strategic considerations and tacit protocols governing the criticism of groups.

    Sutton, R.M. and Farrall, S. (2005) Gender, socially desirable responding and the fear of crime: Are women really more anxious about crime? British Journal of Criminology, 45 (2). pp. 212-224. ISSN 0007-0955.

    Abstract

    In this article, the authors use survey data to explore relationships between gender, fear of crime and socially desirable responding. The data show that for men, but not women, reported fear levels are inversely related to scores on a so-called 'lie scale', which measures the tendency to provide socially desirable rather than totally candid responses. This pattern holds irrespective of age and suggests that the genders are affected differently by social pressure to downplay fears about crime. Statistical analyses suggest that this tendency is likely to be responsible for the observed inclination for males to report lower levels of crime-related anxieties. In fact, males may actually be more afraid of crime than women when this tendency is quantified and corrected for. The results raise concerns about apparent gender differences in fear of crime, and about the use of fear of crime measures more generally. The present findings may also go some way to resolving the victimization-fear and fear-risk paradoxes which for so long have mystified criminologists. The article ends with some recommendations for research into the fear of crime.

    Sutton, R.M. and Douglas, K.M. (2005) Justice for all, or just for me? More support for self-other differences in just world beliefs. Personality and individual differences, 9 (3). pp. 637-645. ISSN 0191-8869.

    Abstract

    Recent research shows that the belief that the world is fair to the self (BJW-self) is associated with indices of psychological health, whereas the belief that the world is fair to others (BJW-others) is associated with harsh social attitudes (Begue and Bastounis, 2003). However research has not ruled out the possibility that third factors are responsible for these patterns of correlation. In the present research, 233 psychology undergraduates completed measures of BJW-self, BJW-others, attitudes to the poor, life satisfaction, locus of control, self esteem, and socially desirable responding. Results showed that BJW-self is uniquely related to psychological health, BJW-others is uniquely related to harsh attitudes to the poor, and that these relationships are not attributable to the influence of third causes. Results provide strong support for the distinction between perceived justice for the self and for others, and suggest that perceptions of justice are indeed the "active ingredient" responsible for their ability to predict psychological and social outcomes. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

    Douglas, K.M. and Sutton, R.M. (2004) Right about others, wrong about ourselves? Actual and perceived self-other differences in resistance to persuasion. British Journal of Social Psychology, 43 (4). pp. 585-603. ISSN 0144-6665.

    Abstract

    The third-person effect (TPE) is the tendency for people to perceive the media as more influential on others than on themselves. This study introduced a new methodological paradigm for measuring the TPE and examined whether the effect stems from an overestimation of the persuasibility of others, an underestimation of the persuasibility of the self, both, or neither. In three studies, we compared ratings of (a) current self attitudes (both baseline and post-persuasion), (b) current others' attitudes (both baseline and post-persuasion), (c) retrospective self attitudes, and (d) retrospective others' attitudes. We also measured traditional third-person perception ratings of perceived influence. Rather than overestimating others' attitude change, we found evidence that people underestimated the extent to which their own attitudes had, or would have, changed.

    Douglas, K.M. and Sutton, R.M. (2003) Effects of communication goals and expectancies on language abstraction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84 (4). pp. 692-696. ISSN 0022-3514.

    Abstract

    Language abstraction is an important aspect of the description of behavioral events (G.R. Semin & K. Fiedler, 1988) that is typically viewed as a medium by which describers transmit beliefs without conscious awareness or control. Complementary to this view, the authors propose that language abstraction may also be influenced by explicit communication goals such as aggrandizement or derogation, allowing describers to express beliefs that they do not themselves possess. Five studies are reported that support this proposal, showing that explicit communication goals have strong effects on language abstraction that are independent of effects of describers' beliefs or expectancies. Language abstraction is therefore both a medium for the transmission of existing beliefs and a tool by which communicators can create new beliefs

    Sutton, R.M. and McClure, J.L. (2001) Covariational influences on goal-based explanation: An integrative model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80 (2). pp. 222 - 236. ISSN 0022-3514.

Book Sections

    Sutton, R.M. and Hornsey, M.J. and Douglas, K.M. (2012) Feedback for theory, research and practice. In: Sutton, R.M. and Hornsey, M.J. and Douglas, K.M. Feedback: The communication of praise, criticism and advice. Peter Lang Publishers. (in press)

    Sutton, R.M. and Hornsey, M.J. and Douglas, K.M. (2012) Feedback: Defining and surveying the field. In: Sutton, R.M. and Hornsey, M.J. and Douglas, K.M. Feedback: The communication of praise, criticism and advice. Peter Lang Publishers. (in press)

    pdf
    Sutton, R.M. (2010) The creative power of language in social cognition and intergroup relations. In: Giles, H. and Reid, S. and Harwood, J. Dynamics of intergroup communication. Language as Social Action, 8. Peter Lang, New York, pp. 105-115. ISBN 9781433103971.

    Abstract

    This book chapter reviews the relation of language to thought and its implications for intergroup relations. Following recent advances in social psychology, the chapter argues that language, far from merely being a medium for the transmission of stereotypes and prejudices, has the power to create, augment, and transform them. In particular, I examine the implications of the ability of language to contain thought (like a vessel), to focus thought (like a lens), and to reveal thought (like a barometer).

    Sutton, R.M. (2010) Emergent norm theory. In: Levine, J. and Hogg, M.A. Encyclopedia of group processes and intergroup relations. Sage, New York, pp. 235-238. ISBN 9781412942089.

    Sutton, R.M. (2010) Status. In: Levine, J. and Hogg, M.A. Encyclopedia of group processes and intergroup relations. Sage, New York, pp. 839-844. ISBN 9781412942089.

    Sutton, R.M. and Farrall, S. (2008) Untangling the web: deceptive responding in fear of crime research. In: Farrall, S. and Lee, M. Fear of crime: Critical voices in an age of anxiety. Taylor & Francis, London, pp. 108-124. ISBN 9780415436915.

    Sutton, R.M. and Douglas, K.M. and Elder, T.J. et al. (2007) Social identity and social convention in responses to criticisms of groups. In: Kashima, Y. and Fiedler, K. and Freytag, P. Stereotype Dynamics: Language-based Approaches to the Formation, Maintenance, and Transformation of Stereotypes. Laurence Erlbaum, New York, pp. 339-366. ISBN 9780805856774.

    Douglas, K.M. and Sutton, R.M. and McGarty, C. (2007) Strategic language use in interpersonal and intergroup communication. In: Kashima, Y. and Fiedler, K. and Freytag, P. Stereotype dynamics: Language-based Approaches to the Formation, Maintenance, and Transformation. Laurence Erlbaum, pp. 189-212. ISBN 9780805856774(hdbk),9780805856781(pbk).

    McClure, J.L. and Sutton, R.M. and Hilton, D.J. (2003) Implicit and Explicit Processes in Social Judgments and Decisions: The Role of Goal-Based Explanations. In: Forgas, J. and Williams, K.D. and Hippel, W.Von Social Judgments: Implicit and Explicit Processes. Sydney Symposium of Social Psychology (Series 5). Cambridge University Press, United States, pp. 306-324. ISBN 9780521822480.

Edited Books
Conference Items
Total publications in KAR: 64 [See all in KAR]
Information obtained from the Kent Academic Repository. The University of Kent official repository of academic activity.
More information about the Kent Academic Repository

 

Current Research Students

Bonny Hartley: Will boys become boys? Investigating the self-fulfilling potential of gender stereotypes among children

Amy-Jo Lynch: Fear of crime, gender, and social control: Experimental tests of radical feminist notions. (1+3 ESRC studentship, commenced 2007)

Amy Murphy: TBA

Katherine Wilson: TBA

Past Research Students

Dr Tadios Chisango: Understanding 'infrahumanisation' of the outgroup in terms of the linguistic Intergroup Bias.

Dr Jennifer Cole: From speech acts to dispositions: How impressions of persons are shaped by their descriptions of others. Graduated 2007.

Date Award Details Amount
Mar 2008 M. Hornsey, R. Sutton, and K. Douglas
Australian Research Council (ARC)
"Negotiating the minefield: Social conventions surrounding group criticism and their role in explaining defensiveness". Grant awarded under bilateral "Linkage International Social Sciences Collaboration" between the ARC and ESRC		 AUS$72,129
Mar 2008 R. Sutton and K. Douglas
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
"Making a difference? Understanding the impacts of group criticism". Grant awarded under bilateral "Linkage International Social Sciences Collaboration" between the ARC and ESRC		 £101,145
Feb 2007 K. Douglas and R. Sutton
Economic and Social Research Council
"Understanding and altering perceptions of personal 'invulnerability' to persuasive advertising".		 £87,591
May 2006 R. Sutton
Social Sciences Faculty Award (University of Kent)
"Reactions to group criticism" (seedcorn grant to fund pilot studies for the ESRC and ARC grants that were awarded in March 2008)		 £504
Feb 2006 R. Sutton and K. Douglas
Promising Researchers Award (University of Kent)
"Kent Workshop on Linguistic Bias".		 £6,005
Feb 2005 R. Sutton and K. Douglas
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
"Us" versus "them": Reactions to speakers' use of language concerning groups.		 £46,566
Jan 2004 K. Douglas and R. Sutton
Economic and Social Research Council
"Inhibiting the linguistic expression of biases and stereotypes".		 £48,505
Oct 2003 K. Douglas and R. Sutton
British Academy
"Linguistic biases"		 £2,000

 

Conference Organisation

The Kent Workshop on Linguistic Bias

School of Psychology
Keynes College
University of Kent
Canterbury, Kent
CT2 7NP
United Kingdom

Tel. +44 (0)1227 823939 
Fax. +44 (0)1227 827030
Email: Robbie Sutton

Office: Keynes E2.11

Office Hours: Wednesday 11am-12 noon, 3.30-4.30pm

 

School of Psychology - Keynes College, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NP

Tel: +44 (0)1227 824775; Fax: +44 (0)1227 827030 or Email the School

Last Updated: 19/12/2011