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Abstract: Need for Cognition (NFC) describes the relatively stable intrinsic motivation to engage in cognitive endeavors. Recent research has revealed the importance of NFC for affective adjustment, especially in combination with self-control. We followed up on those findings by addressing methodological issues as well as processes that may underlie relations of NFC to self-control. Study 1 ( N = 102) examined whether NFC is associated with self-control independently of the measure or facet considered. Implicit willpower theories, that is, subjective beliefs concerning the limitation of self-control resources, were examined as a mediator for NFC predicting self-control. Higher NFC was associated with increased trait self-control but also with believing in unlimited self-control resources. The relation of NFC to willpower theories also mediated the prediction of trait self-control. Study 2 ( N = 188) replicated relations of NFC to self-control. We further pursued the explanatory approach from Study 1 and experimentally manipulated willpower theories to provide insight into their association with NFC. Willpower theories were related to NFC but had no mediating role in predicting self-control. The experimental manipulation had no impact on situation-specific NFC. Altogether, both studies provided first evidence that relations of NFC to self-control depend on the self-control measure and that willpower theories may be crucial for explaining the association with self-control.

Social perception of Embodied Digital Technologies (EDTs) governs their successful adoption. However, prior findings on processes governing the social perception of EDTs and corresponding attributions are inconclusive. With the present study, we investigate social perception and trustworthiness of robots and Telepresence Systems (TPS). 293 Participants rated five different EDTs after watching a short video sequence of a space sharing conflict between the EDT and a human in terms of anthropomorphism, sociability/morality, activity/cooperation, competence, and trustworthiness. We found differences between the robots for all four social dimensions. TPS were perceived differently only in terms of anthropomorphism. Trustworthiness was not attributed differently to the EDTs. We found associations between social perception of EDTs and personality traits. With our findings, we add to the growing body of research on social perception of EDTs and show that EDTs are indeed perceived differently in dependence of their design.

Background. Previous research, especially in educational and clinical contexts, suggests cognitive motivation (COM) in combination with self-regulation (SR) to be associated with a broad range of positive mental health, coping, and well-being indicators. Surprisingly, the interplay of these variables has rarely been considered in the occupational context. We hypothesize COM and SR to be valuable resources for counteracting health-risking stressors, which can be explained conceptually by these traits’ link to hardiness. Method. To thoroughly investigate this assumption, we analyzed data from two cross-sectional studies in Germany: a sample of 1022 psychosomatic rehabilitation in-patients (67% female) and a healthy sample of 298 employees (57% female) from various occupational sectors. Bootstrapping was used in correlation analyses and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results. In both samples, COM and SR were associated with stronger health-promoting coping with occupational demands, especially regarding an active, meaningful, and persistent coping style (.31 ≤ r ≤ .57). Analyses via SEM found COM cross-sectionally predicting occupational coping via SR in both samples. Employee’s job satisfaction was predicted via SR and stress reactions. SR predicted job performance. Exploratory analyses revealed specific aspects of job satisfaction (higher standards, problem-solving) to be especially relevant to COM and SR. Conclusion. In two independent samples, both COM and SR proofed to be personal resources closely linked to adaptive coping with everyday stressors and demands of working life. Ideas for promoting these variables in patients and employees to regain or maintain working and coping abilities will be discussed with respect to Conservation of Resources Theory.

The relation between Need for Cognition (NFC) and subjective well-being (SWB) receives increasing interest from personality research. We report two online studies linking NFC to different facets of SWB in a population-representative sample of N = 200 participants and two further subsamples comprising students (n = 256) and working adults (n = 198). Higher NFC was strongly associated with increased positive affect and lower burnout symptoms. High-NFC-students were more satisfied with the content of their studies, working individuals reported increased job satisfaction. Our results support the notion of NFC’s associations with general SWB but point to the necessity to distinguish between facets of SWB and burnout. They indicate that NFC should be considered a resource for SWB.

Authentic leadership is widely considered a positive form of moral leadership that emphasizes a leader’s self-awareness, self-concordance, and modeling of self-regulatory behaviors. It is expected that authentic leaders foster moral employee behavior. However, empirical evidence for this assumption with a clear focus on the moral domain is still rather scarce. Furthermore, little is known about mediating mechanisms, especially pertaining to self-regulation of followers. Our research focused on two important facets of moral employee behavior: voice and silence. We (a) examined relationships between authentic leadership, moral voice, and two major forms of moral silence (quiescent and acquiescent) and (b) tested follower constructive cognition and moral efficacy as self-regulatory mechanisms in a serial mediation model. We conducted a cross-sectional study with employees from different organizations ( n = 295). As expected, analyses indicated that authentic leadership is positively related to self-reported voice and negatively to self-reported silence on moral issues. Pertaining to the outcomes quiescent moral silence and moral voice, results revealed a serial mediation effect via constructive cognition and moral efficacy. Furthermore, unique indirect effects of each mediator were found. Thus, authentic leadership can enhance moral behavior mediated by follower constructive cognition and moral efficacy. Based on these insights, new interventions for overcoming silence and promoting voice in organizations can be designed.

ZusammenfassungDieser Beitrag der Zeitschrift „Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO)“ beschäftigt sich mit der Prüfung und Validierung der Selbsteinschätzungsform des Deutschen Inventars Authentischer Führung.Authentische Führung hat sich in den letzten Jahren als ein zentrales positives Führungskonzept herausgebildet. Allerdings liegt im deutschsprachigen Raum bisher nur ein Instrument zur Fremdeinschätzung vor: Das Deutsche Inventar authentischer Führung (DIAF-F). In diesem Beitrag wird ein Instrument zur Selbsteinschätzung authentischer Führung (DIAF-S) mit den Komponenten Selbstbewusstheit, Transparenz in Beziehungen, ausgewogene Informationsverarbeitung und verinnerlichte moralische Perspektive vorgestellt und erprobt. Zur ersten Validierung des neuen Verfahrens wurden Daten vonN = 91 Führungskräften undN = 259 Mitarbeitenden erfasst. Für die Gesamtskala und drei der vier Komponenten ergaben sich interne Konsistenzen im befriedigenden bis guten Bereich. Das DIAF‑S wies bedeutsame Zusammenhänge mit organisationalen Außenkriterien (durch Führungskraft eingeschätzte Arbeitsleistung der Mitarbeitenden, Voice-Verhalten und Moral Courage) auf. Zudem zeigte sich für einen Großteil der Komponenten die erwartete moderate Übereinstimmung zwischen selbst- und fremdeingeschätzter authentischer Führung. Mittels konfirmatorischer Faktorenanalysen ließ sich eine Verwendung der vierfaktoriellen Struktur analog zur Fremdbeurteilung rechtfertigen. Eine explorative Faktorenanalyse legte eher eine dreifaktorielle Struktur der selbsteingeschätzten authentischen Führung nahe. Vor diesem Hintergrund werden alternative Modelle authentischer Führung diskutiert. Insgesamt betrachtet stellt das DIAF‑S ein weitgehend reliables und valides Instrument für die Selbsteinschätzung authentischer Führung und damit eine wichtige Ergänzung zum DIAF‑F dar.

Burnout has become more prevalent, mainly in social jobs, but little is known about the personality traits that promote or protect against burnout. One of these traits is Need for Cognition (NFC), the stable intrinsic motivation to seek out and enjoy effortful cognitive activities. We analyzed data of N = 180 teachers to replicate results by Grass et al. (2018), who reported a mediation of NFC and the burnout subscale reduced personal efficacy by habitual reappraisal, but not by habitual suppression or self-control. With our data, self-control became a significant mediator when taking teaching experience into account, but neither reappraisal nor suppression did. We also investigated whether NFC and burnout were associated via different ratios of demands and resources, and included other variables in an exploratory approach. The results indicated that teachers with higher NFC and self-control have lower burnout because they experience their resources as fitting to the demands.

Zusammenfassung. Die vorliegende Studie prüft, inwieweit Klauersche Trainings zur Förderung des (induktiven) Denkens und ihre Wirkung auf kognitive Fähigkeiten mit Need for Cognition (NFC; die Motivation und Freude, kognitive Anstrengungen zu erbringen) zusammenhängen. Es wurde bei 145 (121 final) Vorschul- und Erstklassenkindern (Alter 6 bis 7 Jahre) für das Klauersche Denktraining Keiner ist so schlau wie ich (KISSWI) untersucht, welcher Zusammenhang zwischen NFC sowie dem nachfolgenden kognitiven Trainingseffekt besteht und inwieweit sich die NFC-Ausprägung während des Trainings ändert. Insgesamt fand sich ein Zusammenhang von r = .22 zwischen der Prätestausprägung von NFC und kognitiver Fähigkeitssteigerung während des Trainings sowie ein kleiner positiver Effekt des Denktrainings auf die NFC-Entwicklung von Prä- zu Posttest ( d = 0.21). Auf Intelligenz (CFT-1) zeigte das Denktraining einen kleinen Effekt (Prä- zu Posttest d = 0.39). Die Ergebnisse liefern erste Hinweise auf Wechselwirkungen von NFC mit Klauerschen Denktrainings und damit auch auf die Bedeutung interindividueller Unterschiede von Trainierten für die Wirksamkeit kognitiver Trainings. >Σ: 150 Wörter.

To support road safety and user acceptance, the interaction capabilities of automated vehicles (AVs) need to be intuitive and transparent. Therefore, established interaction capabilities of manual drivers need to be implemented in AVs. In manual driving, accepted time gaps (gap acceptance, GA) are frequently applied to coordinate interactions between traffic participants. Various driver characteristics, such as age, were shown to influence GA. However, little research considered the influence of driver personality traits on GA. Therefore, the current online study investigated the effect of drivers’ sensation seeking and big five personality traits (i.e., agreeableness, extraversion, conscientiousness, openness, and neuroticism) on GA. The applied video material displayed an intersection scenario with approaching interaction partners encountering from the left of the drivers’ perspective. A total of 121 participants contributed to the study. The findings showed a significant effect for participants’ sensation seeking on GA. Participants scoring higher in sensation seeking accepted smaller time gaps resulting in riskier decisions for the turning maneuvers than participants scoring lower in sensation seeking. Moreover, the results revealed a significant difference in GA regarding participants’ agreeableness. Participants scoring higher in agreeableness indicated larger time gaps to initiate turning maneuvers (i.e., more cooperative interactions) than participants scoring lower in agreeableness. There was no effect for extraversion, conscientiousness, openness, and neuroticism on GA. To support the user acceptance of automated driving functions, differences in driving style preferences related to personal characteristics should be considered in AVs (e.g., by offering selectable driving style profiles).

With increased digitalization and new technologies, societies are expected to no longer only include human actors, but artificial actors as well. Such a future of societies raises new questions concerning the coexistence, tasks and responsibilities of different actors. Manifold disciplines are involved in the creation of these future societies. This requires a common understanding of responsibility, and of definitions of actors in Hybrid Societies. This review aims at clarifying aforementioned terms from a legal and psychological perspective. Building from this common ground, we identified seven capacities in total which need to be met by actors in societies to be considered fully responsible, in both a legal and moral sense. From a legal perspective, actors need to be autonomous, have capacity to act, legal capacity, and the ability to be held liable. From a psychological perspective, actors need to possess moral agency and can be trusted. Both disciplines agree that explainability is a pivotal capacity to be considered fully responsible. As of now, human beings are the only actors who can, with regard to these capacities, be considered morally and legally responsible. It is unclear whether and to which extent artificial entities will have these capacities, and subsequently, whether they can be responsible in the same sense as human beings are. However, on the basis of the conceptual clarification, further steps can now be taken to develop a concept of responsibility in Hybrid Societies.

New bionic technologies and robots are becoming increasingly common in workspaces and private spheres. It is thus crucial to understand concerns regarding their use in social and legal terms and the qualities they should possess to be accepted as ‘co-workers’. Previous research in these areas used the Stereotype Content Model to investigate, for example, attributions of Warmth and Competence towards people who use bionic prostheses, cyborgs, and robots. In the present study, we propose to differentiate the Warmth dimension into the dimensions of Sociability and Morality to gain deeper insight into how people with or without bionic prostheses are perceived. In addition, we extend our research to the perception of robots. Since legal aspects need to be considered if robots are expected to be ‘co-workers’, for the first time, we also evaluated current perceptions of robots in terms of legal aspects. We conducted two studies: In Study 1, participants rated visual stimuli of individuals with or without disabilities and low- or high-tech prostheses, and robots of different levels of Anthropomorphism in terms of perceived Competence, Sociability, and Morality. In Study 2, participants rated robots of different levels of Anthropomorphism in terms of perceived Competence, Sociability, and Morality, and additionally, Legal Personality, and Decision-Making Authority. We also controlled for participants’ personality. Results showed that attributions of Competence and Morality varied as a function of the technical sophistication of the prostheses. For robots, Competence attributions were negatively related to Anthropomorphism. Perception of Sociability, Morality, Legal Personality, and Decision-Making Authority varied as functions of Anthropomorphism. Overall, this study contributes to technological design, which aims to ensure high acceptance and minimal undesirable side effects, both with regard to the application of bionic instruments and robotics. Additionally, first insights into whether more anthropomorphized robots will need to be considered differently in terms of legal practice are given.

Abstract. Need for Cognition (NFC) is increasingly investigated in educational research. In contrast to other noncognitive constructs in this area, such as academic self-concept and interest, NFC has consistently been conceptualized as domain-general. We employed structural equation modeling to address the question of whether NFC can be meaningfully and gainfully conceptualized as domain-specific. To this end, we developed a domain-specific 20-item NFC scale with parallel items for Science, Mathematics, German, and French. Additionally, domain-general NFC was assessed with five domain-general items. Using a cross-sectional sample of more than 4,500 Luxembourgish 9th graders, we found that a nested-factor model incorporating both a general factor and domain-specific factors better accounted for the data than a single-factor or a correlated-factor model. However, the influence of the general factor was markedly stronger than in corresponding models for academic self-concept and interest. When controlling for the domain-specific factors, only Mathematics achievement was significantly predicted by the domain-general factor, while all achievement measures (Mathematics, French, and German) were predicted by the corresponding domain-specific factor. The nested domain-specific NFC factors were clearly empirically distinguishable from first-order domain-specific interest factors.

Intelligence and Need for Cognition (NFC) have repeatedly been shown to be directly related to better academic performance, but no study so far has investigated their combined predictive validity or possible interactive effects in their relation to academic success. We examined their predictive value and a possible moderating role of NFC in the relationship between intelligence and school performance. 290 students completed the NFC scale, worked on the Intelligence Structure Test 2000 R (reasoning module), and reported their Grade Point Average (GPA) of the university entrance diploma (Abitur). To control for broader personality traits, the Big Five Factors were assessed as well. Analyses revealed that intelligence and NFC each significantly predicted higher GPA. Furthermore, NFC moderated the relation between intelligence and GPA: at higher NFC scores, the relation of reasoning ability on GPA was diminished, pointing to a compensating effect of NFC. Bayesian analyses comparing the likelihood of a moderation versus an additive model in the complete sample supported the moderation hypotheses, while in a sample without outliers, both models were equivocally likely. The results highlight the relevance of considering NFC in the prediction of school success and point to the necessity of further clarifying its moderating role.

Abstract. Need for Cognition (NFC) signifies “the tendency for an individual to engage in and enjoy thinking” ( Cacioppo & Petty, 1982, p. 116 ). Up to now, no scale of sufficient psychometric quality existed to assess NFC in children. Using data from three independent, diverse cross-sectional samples from Germany, Luxembourg, and Finland, we examined the psychometric properties of a new NFC scale intended to fill in this gap. In all samples, across grade levels ranging from 1 to 9, confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the hypothesized nested factor structure based on Mussel’s (2013) Intellect model, with one general factor Think influencing all items and two specific factors Seek and Conquer each influencing a subset of items. At least partial scalar measurement invariance with regard to grade level and sex could be demonstrated. The scale exhibited good psychometric properties and showed convergent and discriminant validity with an established NFC scale and other noncognitive traits such as academic self-concept and interests. It incrementally predicted mostly statistically significant but relatively small portions of academic achievement variance over and above academic self-concept and interest. Implications for research on the development of NFC and its role as an investment trait in intellectual development are discussed.

Need for Cognition (NFC) describes one’s inclination towards and enjoyment of effortful cognitive activities and has been associated with favourable academic outcomes. Yet, recent evidence also points to beneficial outcomes regarding well-being. This review gives an overview of the literature on the role of NFC in well-being in healthy adults by combining random-effects meta-analyses and a qualitative integration of evidence. Studies investigating NFC and facets of well-being were acquired via database searches and a call for unpublished results. Higher NFC was found to be associated with lower neuroticism, anxiety, negative affect, burnout, public self-consciousness, and depression and with higher positive affect, private self-consciousness, and satisfaction (|𝜌| ~ .20 with 95% confidence intervals excluding zero for all examined outcomes). While tests for publication and selection bias in the meta-analyses were negative, heterogeneity was often observed. NFC was further associated with aspects of a more stable identity and higher social confidence, while associations with addictive behaviours and physical health were inconsistent. One mechanism driving these patterns seems to be a higher perceived control in individuals with higher NFC that increases active coping, but also reduces the effectiveness of health interventions by fostering a sense of overconfidence in own resources. Thus, this review provides a leverage point for future research on NFC and well-being to improve prevention and intervention.

Emotion regulation is an indispensable part of mental health and adaptive behavior. Research into emotion regulation processes has largely focused on the concurrent effects of volitional emotion regulation. However, there is scarce evidence considering post-regulatory effects with regard to neural mechanisms and emotional experiences. Therefore, we compared concurrent effects of cognitive emotion regulation with effects at different (immediate, short- and long-term) time intervals. In an fMRI study with N=46 (N=30 at re-exposure) young healthy adults, we compared neuronal responses to negative and neutral pictures while participants had to distance themselves from or to actively permit emotions in response to these pictures. We investigated the temporal dynamics of activation changes related to regulation in cognitive control brain networks as well as in the amygdala during stimulation (concurrent effects, timepoint 1) and post-stimulation (immediate, timepoint 2), as well as during re-exposure with the same pictures after short (10 minutes, timepoint 3) and long (1 week, timepoint 4) time intervals. At timepoint 1, negative pictures (versus neutral pictures) elicited a strong response in regions of affective processing, including the amygdala. Distancing (as compared to permit) led to a decrease of this response, and to an increase of activation in the right middle frontal and inferior parietal cortex. We observed an interaction effect of time (stimulation vs. post-stimulation) and regulation (distance vs. permit), indicating a partial reversal of regulation effects during the post-stimulation phase (timepoint 2). Similarly, after 10 minutes (timepoint 3) and after 1 week (timepoint 4), activation in the amygdala was higher during pictures that participants were previously instructed to distance from as compared to permit. These results show that the temporal dynamics are highly variable both within experimental trials and across brain regions. This can even take the form of paradoxical aftereffects at immediate and persistent effects at prolonged time scales.

Zusammenfassung.Need for Cognition (NFC) beschreibt interindividuelle Unterschiede in der Freude an und der Beschäftigung mit anspruchsvollen kognitiven Aufgaben. Bisherige Forschung im akademischen Kontext untersuchte NFC vorrangig im Zusammenhang mit kognitiven und leistungsbezogenen Variablen. In dieser Studie wurde hingegen die Bedeutung von NFC für Erfolg im Studium insbesondere für subjektives Erleben untersucht. Für ein besseres Verständnis wurde die vermittelnde Rolle der regulativen Merkmale Selbstkontrollkapazität, Strategien der Emotionsregulation und Copingverhalten geprüft. Untersucht wurden Lehramtsstudierende (N = 167) als Gruppe, die bereits im Studium eine erhöhte Beanspruchung zeigt. Erwartungskonform hing NFC mit fast allen regulativen Merkmalen zusammen. Bezogen auf Studienerfolg wurden die Annahmen nur teilweise bestätigt: NFC war mit besseren Studienleistungen und einer höheren subjektiven Leistungsfähigkeit assoziiert. Dabei wurde die Vorhersage wahrgenommener Leistungsfähigkeit über regulative Merkmale vermittelt. Zukünftige Studien sollten untersuchen, weshalb in dieser Stichprobe nur ein Teil der Erlebensaspekte mit NFC zusammenhingen und die Ergebnisse für Studierende anderer Fächer prüfen.

With the aim of broadening the understanding of the nomological network of Complex Problem Solving (CPS), we investigated the link between CPS and Need for Cognition (NFC) while controlling for reasoning ability. Further, we explored whether the relation between NFC and CPS was mediated by test-taking behavior (i.e., exploration time). Using structural equation modeling, we analyzed data from 474 German seventh graders. We found (a) that NFC and CPS were positively related, (b) that this link was partially mediated by CPS exploration time, and (c) that the link between NFC and CPS that was partially mediated by exploration time remained substantial even after we controlled for reasoning. Altogether, these results provide new insights into how CPS and NFC are linked.

Abstract. Need for Cognition (NFC) as the intrinsic motivation to engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive endeavors has been a useful predictor of dispositional differences in information processing and task performance in experimental settings. In order to explore the role of NFC in everyday life behavior and to further validate the NFC-IAT, we examined the effects of directly and indirectly assessed NFC on self-reported behavior in a broad variety of situations in daily life where the engagement and joy of thinking could play a role. Accordingly, 95 participants were interviewed with a structured interview about everyday life situations, and direct and indirect measures of NFC were obtained. Both, directly and indirectly assessed NFC independently predicted NFC-related behavior, indicating that the combination of both measures results in a more comprehensive prediction of self-reported behavior. Our results show that NFC can be a helpful predictor of behavior not only concerning academic performance or in experimental paradigms, but also in everyday life.

Inspired by the increased scientific interest in ethical concerns together with limited previous research on linkages to cognitive motivation, we aimed at clarifying the relation between Need for Cognition (NFC) and self-reported moral behavior. As individuals high in NFC have a propensity to deeper information processing and more elaborated decision-making, we assumed that NFC is associated with higher levels of moral cognition processes and more moral behavior. In two cross-sectional studies, variables of interest were assessed by online surveys with 303 (39% male, 29.26 ± 11.09 years) and 204 participants (26% male, 27.8 ± 1.3 years), respectively. In both studies, NFC predicted self-reported moral behavior and did so incrementally over and above variables clearly referring to morality like moral identity (Study 1) or empathy (Study 2) as well as cognitive reflection. These results highlight the importance to consider NFC in research on moral behavior. Based on our current findings, we introduce a comprehensive approach on dispositions that promote moral behavior and suggest NFC as moral maturation capacity impacting on moral behavior.

Experiencing the moral emotions of gratitude and moral elevation are responses to witnessing virtuous deeds of others. Both emotions have been found to share similar features and behavioral consequences, including the stimulation of personal development. The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions indicates that gratitude and elevation prompt the long-term development of lasting resources. Moral identity has been found to be a personal resource in the moral domain since it is associated with higher levels of moral functioning. Therefore, using a two-wave cross-lagged panel design, the current study investigated the causal role of trait gratitude and trait elevation as antecedents of short-term moral identity development. At two points of time (time interval 17 months), a heterogeneous sample of n = 129 adults with a broad range of age completed measures of trait gratitude, trait moral elevation (engagement with moral beauty), and moral identity (internalization and symbolization of the Aquino–Reed framework). In line with our hypotheses, trait moral elevation predicted increases in moral identity internalization. In contrast to our hypotheses, the development of trait gratitude was predicted by moral identity internalization, and not the other way around. Exploratory analyses showed that no cross-lagged effects could be found for the symbolization dimension. In addition, a multi-group analysis explored which of the cross-lagged effects could be generalized across age groups. The results are discussed in the context of the moral emotion research.

The investment trait need for cognition (NFC) is conceptualized as the intrinsic motivation to engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive endeavors. Higher NFC levels have been shown to be related to a deeper elaboration of information, better performance on cognitive exercises, and more effective complex problem solving, moreover NFC has shown only a moderate relation to (fluid) aspects of intelligence. Surprisingly, NFC has rarely been investigated in school contexts even though all of the aspects listed above are highly relevant for learning and school performance. Here, we present empirical results from a comprehensive collaborative study of 4279 Finnish students (from the 3rd, 6th and 9th grade; 10 to 16 years of age) assessed with an NFC scale for children. We observed moderate positive correlations between NFC and behavioral correlates related to learning (ability self-concept, control motivation, learning orientation) for all three grade levels. Furthermore, the analyses revealed no relations between NFC and academic achievement or potential in Grade 3, but positive relations in Grades 6 and 9. The findings accentuate the importance of NFC in educational contexts and suggest a growing influence of NFC over the school-years.

Killing people is universally considered reprehensible and evokes in observers a need to punish perpetrators. To investigate how observers’ personality influences their cognitive, emotional, and punishing reactions towards perpetrators, we analyzed data from 1,004 participants who responded to three scenarios describing deliberate killings from a third-party perspective. Utilitarian motive of killing and inevitability of harm varied systematically between scenarios. Participants’ moral appropriateness judgments, emotions towards perpetrators, and assigned punishments revealed complex scenario-personality interactions. Trait psychopathy led to more understanding emotions but harsher punishments in all scenarios. Regarding utilitarian killings, need for cognition led to milder punishments, whereas intuitive/authority-obedient thinking led to stronger negative emotions and harsher punishments. Other-oriented empathy, trait anxiety, and justice sensitivity did not account for differences in third-party punishments. Our findings highlight the importance of interindividual differences on moral decision making and sense of justice.

Moral elevation is the prototypical emotional response when witnessing virtuous deeds of others. Yet, little is known about the role of individual differences that moderate the susceptibility to experiencing this self-transcendent emotion. The present experiment investigated the role of personality traits as moderators of elevation and its behavioral effects using economic games as a measure for prosocial behavior. One aim was to replicate prior findings on trait Engagement with Moral Beauty as moderator for experimentally induced state elevation. A second aim was to explore new potential moderators that were found to be connected to the moral realm: Honesty-Humility, Agreeableness vs. Anger, and Need for Cognition. Third, the present study is among the few investigating the effects of elevation on different prosocial actions and intentions. A sample of US American college students (N = 144) was randomly assigned to either watch a morally uplifting or a humorous video clip. Afterwards, all participants played a dictator game and an ultimatum game, and were asked to volunteer in another time-consuming experiment. In line with our hypotheses, experimentally induced state elevation promoted prosocial behavior, however, only within the dictator game. Also in line with our hypotheses, higher levels of Need for Cognition and higher levels of Engagement with Moral Beauty (but not higher levels of Honesty-Humility and Agreeableness vs. Anger) increased prosocial behavior within the experimental group. In contrast to our hypotheses, none of the investigated personality traits moderated the proneness to experience the state of elevation after seeing an elevating video clip; only the behavioral consequences of elevation were moderated. Our results replicate and extend prior findings on moderators for elevation and exemplify the importance of investigating the role of personality traits in the context of the moral elevation phenomenon.

Need for Cognition describes relatively stable interindividual differences in cognitive motivation. Previous research has shown relations of Need for Cognition to Self-Control-a capacity that can be broadly defined as resistance to temptation-yet, the processes underlying this relation remain unclear. One explanation for the prediction of Self-Control by Need for Cognition can be an increased motivation to invest cognitive effort with higher levels of Need for Cognition. Another possible link could be that individual differences in the implementation of Self-Control intentions may play a moderating or mediating role for the predictive value of Need for Cognition. Such individual differences in the self-motivated initiation and maintenance of intentions are described by dispositional Action Orientation. Therefore, in the present study, Action Orientation was examined with regard to its possible role in explaining the relation of Need for Cognition to Self-Control. In a sample of 1209 young adults, Self-Control was assessed with two different self-report instruments and moderation and mediation models of the relationship between Need for Cognition, Action Orientation, and Self-Control were tested. While there was no evidence for a moderating role of Action Orientation in explaining the relation of Need for Cognition and Self-Control, Action Orientation was found to partly mediate this relation with a remaining direct effect of Need for Cognition on Self-Control. These results add to the conceptual understanding of Need for Cognition and demonstrate the relevance of trait variables to predict Self-Control.

Need for Cognition (NFC), the tendency to engage in and enjoy thinking, is usually directly measured via self-report. In order to validate an indirect NFC Implicit Association Test, we followed up on evidence suggesting NFC to be related to electrocortical indicators of bottom-up and top-down attention allocation in an oddball paradigm. In 99 participants, we did not find effects of directly and indirectly measured NFC on the processing of task-irrelevant stimuli, but found a main effect of explicit NFC on bottom-up target processing and an interactive effect of explicit and implicit NFC on top-down target processing. These findings further implicate NFC in the modulation of attention allocation and highlight the usefulness of direct and indirect measures in individual differences research.

Das dritte Kapitel ist dem Eignungsinterview sowie dem Gesprach mit Dritten, z.B. Referenzgeber/-innen, gewidmet. Wir erlautern, wie solche Gesprache systematisch und strukturiert vorbereitet, durchgefuhrt und ausgewertet werden mussen, um Fairness zu gewahrleisten und moglichst zuverlassige und gultige Eignungsaussagen abzuleiten. Dabei gehen wir sowohl auf konkrete Techniken, wie die Verwendung gunstiger Frageformen (z.B. biografiebezogene und/oder situative Fragen) und die Nutzung von Interviewleitfaden sowie Protokollbogen, als auch auf die regelgeleitete Auswertung der Interviews ein. Zudem thematisieren wir mogliche Verzerrungen in mundlichen Befragungen (z.B. durch Selbstdarstellung). Informationen zu grundlegenden rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen schliesen das Kapitel ab, wobei wir insbesondere auf die Zulassigkeit und Unzulassigkeit von Interviewfragen eingehen und erlautern, welche Rechtsfolgen unzulassige Fragen nach sich ziehen.