Search

The present research examined the effect of personal control on bribery intention and the mediating role of reciprocity beliefs in this relationship. In Study 1, we used questionnaires to investigate the correlational relationships among personal control, reciprocity beliefs, and bribery intention, and the results provided primary evidence for the mediated model. In Study 2, using a measurement-of-mediation design, we manipulated personal control to explore its effects on reciprocity beliefs and bribery intention. In Study 3, by adopting a moderation-of-process design, we examined whether increased levels of reciprocity beliefs weakened the relationship between personal control and bribery intention. Overall, these three studies showed that a decreased level of personal control resulted in stronger reciprocity beliefs, in turn promoting bribery intention. The results indicated that enhancing the sense of personal control and weakening reciprocal beliefs might be potential approaches to decrease bribery., Author(s): Qian Su [sup.1] [sup.2] , Li Liu [sup.1] [sup.2] , Jianning Dang [sup.1] [sup.2] , Zibei Gu [sup.1] [sup.2] , Yuan Liang [sup.1] [sup.2] , Cong Wei [sup.1] [sup.2] [...]

It is a widespread belief that greed keeps corruption alive. We tried to testify this belief and further proposed that this pattern would fade under conditions of low descriptive corruption norms. Therefore, two studies were conducted to examine the effect of greed on corruption and the buffering role of descriptive corruption norms. In Study 1, we strengthened support for the causal effect of greed on corruption. In Study 2, we further illustrated that greed positively predicted corrupt intent when descriptive corruption norms were high; by contrast, the relationship disappeared when descriptive corruption norms were low. The present research refines the belief that greed leads to corruption absolutely, and suggests feasible ways to reduce the negative influence of greed on corruption., Author(s): Xiaoxiao Li [sup.1] , Jianning Dang [sup.1] , Li Liu [sup.1] , Yuan Liang [sup.1] , Cong Wei [sup.1] , Zibei Gu [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.20513.35, 0000 0004 [...]

Group members often adopt various identity enhancement strategies to improve their unfavorable situations and achieve a positive image. Research on identity enhancement strategy determinants has been conducted mainly from an intergroup perspective, overlooking the role of fundamental group characteristics. To fill this gap, three studies (two preregistered) examined the effects of entitativity on individual mobility and social competition strategies. Across these studies, we manipulated ingroup entitativity and measured self-reported intentions (Studies 1 and 2) and behavioral choices (Study 3) relating to individual mobility and social competition. Results indicated that high (vs. low) entitativity group members were less likely to adopt individual mobility strategies and more likely to adopt social competition strategies. Importantly, these effects were observed in both intergroup comparison (Studies 1 and 3) and nonintergroup comparison contexts (Studies 2 and 3). These findings advance research on identity enhancement strategies and offer practical implications for group improvement and intergroup relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economists and political scientists have long debated the relations between economic inequality and corruption at the societal level. Extending this literature, we proposed and tested that economic inequality breeds the corrupt behaviour of individuals. Analyses of 45‐year archival data from the United States found that official corruption crimes were more prevalent in years and states with greater economic inequality. Three subsequent experiments (N = 776) using economic games showed that individuals exposed to greater economic inequality exhibited more corrupt behaviour in both Chinese and American cultures. Furthermore, the increased desire for wealth and the perception of reduced fairness accounted for this effect. These findings highlight that excessive economic inequality creates a competitive environment in which people give priority to themselves over others and suggest a vicious cycle between economic inequality and corruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Findings on the effect of social status on corruption perception are mixed. To make sense of the mixed results, three studies were conducted to examine whether meritocracy moderates this effect. In Study 1, we measured all variables using a questionnaire‐based correlational design. In the preregistered Study 2, we adopted an experimental design in which we manipulated social status using a false feedback paradigm and measured corruption perception and meritocracy. In Study 3, we manipulated meritocracy using a scrambled sentence task and measured its effect on the relationship between social status and corruption perception. The results consistently demonstrated that meritocracy could moderate the influence of social status on corruption perception. Specifically, social status was negatively associated with corruption perception when meritocracy was weak, whereas the association was not significant when meritocracy was strong. Our results suggest that meritocracy critically affects acknowledgment of the pervasiveness of social injustice and even deters the disadvantaged from fighting against corruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Findings on the effect of power on corruption are mixed. To make sense of these mixed results, three studies were conducted to examine the moderating role of status on this effect. In Study 1, corrupt intent was measured using a corruption scenario that contained manipulations of power and status. In Study 2, corrupt behaviour was measured in a corruption game that contained manipulations of power and status. Study 3 was conducted in real organisational settings, and aimed to expand the external validity of Studies 1 and 2. The results of all three studies consistently indicated that the effect of power was moderated by status. Specifically, power increased corruption when status was low, whereas this effect disappeared when status was high. The implications of reducing the facilitating effect of power on corruption by considering status from the perspective of social hierarchy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies obtained mixed results regarding the association between unethical behavior and self-esteem. To make sense of these results, the current research examined the moderating role of general system justification on the relationship between unethical behavior and self-esteem. Study 1 and Study 2, using a bribery scenario and an actual cheating behavior respectively, indicated that unethical behavior was positively related to self-esteem when general system justification was low, and the opposite was true when general system justification was high. Study 3 and Study 4, using a recall and a real behavior paradigms respectively, confirmed that the causal effect of unethical behavior on self-esteem was contingent upon general system justification. Our results imply that it is vital to increase the general system justification by promoting the process of social equity and justice to highlight the psychological cost of wrongdoing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research investigated the moderating role of diversity beliefs with the aim of reconciling inconsistent findings regarding the impact of group boundary permeability on attitudes toward outgroup. In Study 1, all variables were measured with self‐report scales completed by Chinese participants. In Study 2, diversity beliefs were manipulated by randomly assigning Chinese participants to a high or low diversity belief condition. In Study 3, we replicated the moderating model with American participants. Results of all three studies indicated that diversity beliefs moderated the relationship between group boundary permeability and attitudes toward outgroup. Individuals with high diversity beliefs held more positive attitudes toward the outgroup when the group boundary was permeable (vs. impermeable). Conversely, individuals with low diversity beliefs held more negative attitudes toward the outgroup when the group boundary was permeable (vs. impermeable). These findings suggest that when the inflow of the outgroup members is inevitable, attitudes toward the outgroup may be effectively improved by increasing diversity beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]