Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《心理科学进展》
Abstract： The stigma of mental disorders indicates the prejudice or discrimination against patients with mental disorders due to their illness. The stigma of mental disorders not only seriously affects the recovery of patients with mental disorders but also seriously impedes their integration into society and harms their social functioning. Nowadays, due to the large number of people suffering from mental illnesses worldwide, the stigma of patients with mental disorders has led to a wide range of social impacts. Therefore, previous studies have proposed many theories to interpret the generation of the stigma of mental disorders and propose many intervention programs to eliminate the stigma. However, these theories hold the view that the generation of the stigma of mental disorders is mainly due to the lack of public social knowledge about mental disorders, unreasonable attribution, or lower moral level. Moreover, these theories had drastic debates. For example, the effects of these intervention programs based on these theories were not always stable. To reduce such debates, the present study interprets the stigma of mental disorders from the underlying cognitive system of the stigma. To this end, the present study proposes a new theoretical explanation of stigma from the perspective of social categorization and proposes corresponding intervention programs. Specifically, the present study believes that people’s stigma of mental disorders is derived from social classification. People spontaneously categorize patients with mental disorders as out-group members, which results in out-group bias and prevents people from maintaining objective and rational perceptions of patients with mental disorders, and eventually generates stigma. Based on the innovational theories above, the present study also extends the theoretical perspective of continuum beliefs and proposes an innovational stigma intervention system. The continuum beliefs intervention is a potential intervention method to eliminate the stigma of mental disorders, which has been tested widely. The continuum beliefs intervention attempts to blur the boundaries between people and patients with mental disorders. This approach intends to affect the instinct categorization processing of human beings to minimize stigma. The continuum beliefs intervention holds that there is no absolute difference between typical people and patients with mental disorders, which suggests that they are similar and cannot be separated. Therefore, continuum beliefs intervention focuses on the core mechanism of the stigma of mental disorders, i.e., social categorization. This approach helps people believe patients with mental disorders are similar to themselves, which will significantly reduce the stigma of mental disorders. The present study further extended the continuum beliefs intervention by proposing a social classification-based continuum beliefs intervention program, which highlights the role of social classification in the continuum beliefs intervention program. Furthermore, the present study constructs a social classification-based continuum beliefs intervention model. The social classification-based continuum beliefs intervention model holds that: (1) the intervention aim is reducing incorrect social categorization; (2) the contents of the intervention are used to eradicate incorrect social classification; (3) the one’s level of incorrect social categorization can be used as the indicator to measure the intervention effect. In addition, the effect of the classification-based continuum beliefs intervention depends on three factors: perceived threats, disease attribution, and personal traits. The present paper also interpreted how these factors improve or decrease the intervention effects of the classification-based continuum beliefs intervention. Furthermore, the present paper also interpreted how the classification-based continuum beliefs intervention changed social categorization and then influenced the generation of the stigma of mental disorders. Future studies should examine the theoretical model of the classification-based continuum beliefs intervention in cross-cultural situations. Meanwhile, future studies may develop online continuum beliefs intervention methods to extend the application of the continuum beliefs intervention. Furthermore, future studies may also develop individualized continuum beliefs intervention programs to improve the intervention effect.
Subjects: Psychology >> Clinical and Counseling Psychology submitted time 2022-08-13
Abstract： Many studies have investigated the mechanisms of the stigma of people with mental disorders. These studies also proposed corresponding intervention methods. However, the intervention effect of these intervention methods is unsatisfactory, which also induces many theoretical debates. The key to dealing with these debates is to reveal the core cognitive mechanism of stigma generation, i.e., the stigma of mental disorders arises from the spontaneous processing of social classification. Revealing the core cognitive mechanism of stigma generation will inspire an innovative intervention approach that is based on the continuum beliefs. This intervention approach may integrate the theoretical debates on the elimination of the stigma of mental disorders and then propose a theoretical model and practical schema of continuous belief intervention.
Peer Review Status:
Awaiting Review
Subjects: Psychology >> Developmental Psychology submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《心理科学进展》
Abstract： Social categorization is a subjective process in which an individual classifies others into groups based on perceived similarities. Social categories are often automatic, flexible and multifaceted, including dimensions of both natural cues (such as gender, age and race) and social cues (such as language, occupation and social status). In such multidimensional social categories (e.g., “rich old celibate bachelor”), some of the constituent categorical dimensions contribute disproportionately to the traits attributed to the category overall. This is termed the “dominant dimension effect,” and is influenced by the valence of the dimensions. Different dimensions will also interact with each other, resulting in a cross-categorization effect. We review these effects in the context of social categorization, and highly important questions that remain for social psychologists interested in processing mechanism of social categorization from the perspective of observer, actor and social situation.
Subjects: Other Disciplines >> Synthetic discipline submitted time 2023-10-09 Cooperative journals: 《心理学报》
Abstract：基于社会分类的直觉理论和群体实体性的观点, 本研究建构了物质性和社会性线索类型。两个子研究结合量化和质化方法, 从社会分类视角探索了3~8岁儿童对群体认知线索的偏好及其发展。研究发现, 3~8岁儿童总体上存在社会性线索偏好, 但其稳定性受到了研究选取的线索样例影响。儿童的社会性线索偏好随年龄增长而提升, 自5~6岁开始更为突出和稳定。上述结果既说明了物质性和社会性线索框架的有效性, 又在引导儿童的积极社会互动方面具有实践价值。
Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology Subjects: Psychology >> Developmental Psychology submitted time 2023-05-17
Abstract： Perception of groups develops from an early age. Previous studies focused on groups with perceptual-salient cues like gender and race. As highlighted in the intuitive theories of social categorization, children perceive social groups as natural kinds or serving functional roles of social obligation. However, the priority ofthese two aspects affecting children’s group perception is yet to be explored. Our current research summarized these two aspects into physical-type and societal-type cues. Physical-type cues are identified by perceptual-salient attributes related to people like color, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES). Societal-type cues reflect shared attitudes, beliefs, and values among group members, such as common interests, group belongings, and norms. It has previously been found that children start to endorse prescriptive norms around age five. Therefore, we assume that children’s preferences for societal-type cues will increase across ages 3 to 8, with a critical period of 5 to 6 years of age. Study 1 was tested online. A total of 215 children (108 males) ages 3 to 8 were recruited. Three physical-type and three societal-type cues were paired under nine experimental conditions. Two tasks were conducted in random order between the participants: The Triad ClassificationTask and the Exclusion Task. Both tasksrequired participantsto categorize targets based on one of the two given cues (each represented by one cue-type). In the Triad Classification Task, children needed to select one target from two peers, and in the Exclusion Task, they needed to exclude one target. Study 2 tested 3- to 8-year-old children offline (3- to 4-year-olds: 32 children; 5- to 6-year-olds: 21 children; 7- to 8-year-olds: 20 children). Six cues were combined into two experimental conditions(gender × color × norm vs. SES × common interest × belonging). Children were tested using the Opening Social Categorization Task, in which they categorized eight targets into two groups, and reported the reasons for categorization. Results of the two studies demonstrated that 3-to 8-year-olds could apply physical-type and societal-type cuesto group perception. Specifically, childrenrely more on societal-type cues than physical-type cues as they grow up. The 3- to 4-year-olds preferred societal-type cues in social categorization tasks with two choices (Study 1), and physical-type cues in tasks offering three choices(Study 2). Children aged 5 to 8 displayed preferencesforsocietal-type cuesin the tasks of Study 1, whereasshowed no cue preferences in Study 2. Therefore, for young children (3- to 6- year-olds), their preferencesforsocietal-type cues were sensitive to the number of cues provided in the social categorization tasks, and offline versus online measurements. Moreover, children’s cue-type preferences differed significantly between 3- to 4-year-olds (preferred physical-type cues) and 7- to 8-year-olds(preferredsocietal-type cues). Thus, the critical period for developing a preference for societal cues was 5 to 6 years of age. Thisstudy constructs a new framework of physical-type and societal-type cues to understand children’ssocial categorization and group perception. These two types of cues reflect children’s perceptual and conceptual foundation in theirsocial categorization. Across ages, children’s ability to apply physical-type and societal-type cuessupportsthe intuitive theory of social categorization that children are naturally perceived as groups from two aspects. Physical and societal aspects may be the basic dimensions of group perception. Future research could extend the present findingsto othersocial categories, and more importantly, provide more neurobiological evidence for children’s biases toward societal-type cues.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
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