News by Subject Social & Behavior

Social psychologists uncover important mechanisms of social comparison, showing that it depends on specific, universal social settings and situations.

A recently published study shows that unless they speak in a confident tone of voice, you're less likely to believe someone who speaks with an accent. And, interestingly, as you make this decision different parts of your brain are activated, depending on whether you perceive the speaker to be from your own 'in-group' or from some type of 'out-group' (e.g., someone with a different linguistic or cultural background).

Northwestern University researchers have sifted through data from more than 1.5 million questionnaire respondents and found at least four distinct clusters of personality types exist: average, reserved, self-centered and role model. They are based on the five widely accepted basic personality traits: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness. The findings challenge existing paradigms in psychology and potentially could be of interest to hiring managers and mental health care providers.

The brain's orbitofrontal cortex deals with social interactions, including regret, and has been much studied with fMRI and EEG. Using ECoG, which provides more detailed information about brain activity on millisecond timescales and with better resolution, researchers were able to follow the thoughts that swirl through this brain area during a simple betting game. Surprisingly, after placing a bet, gamblers dwell mostly on regret over previous bets, whether won or lost, essentially second-guessing previous decisions.

Comparing the spending habits and personality traits of over 2,100 people over the Christmas season, personality psychology researchers found significant relationships between spending amounts over the holiday season and specific personality traits.