Anton Gollwitzer
Biographic Data
| ID | 127715 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Anton Gollwitzer |
| GIVEN NAMES | Anton |
| FAMILY NAME | Gollwitzer |
| SIGNATURE | GOLLWITZER A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Yale University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0067-0018 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 82 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Deviancy Aversion and Social Norms
We propose that deviancy aversion—people’s domain-general discomfort toward the distortion of patterns (repeated forms or models)—contributes to the strength and prevalence of social norms in society. Five studies ( N = 2,390) supported this hypothesis. In Study 1, individuals’ deviancy aversion, for instance, their aversion toward broken patterns of simple geometric shapes, predicted negative affect toward norm violations (affect), greater self-…
Parent and community political orientation predicts children's health behaviours
Does political partisanship extend to childhood? To what degree are children, a largely non‐political population, impacted by parents’ and communities’ political orientations? We examined children's behaviours and attitudes during a politically divisive event – the COVID‐19 pandemic. Children (4‐ to 12‐year‐olds; N = 313) of liberal (vs. conservative) parents reported greater preventive COVID‐19 behaviours, such as mask wearing and physical dista…
Insights into the accuracy of social scientists' forecasts of societal change
Linking Self-Reported Social Distancing to Real-World Behavior During the Covid-19 Pandemic
In an effort to combat COVID-19 and future pandemics, researchers have attempted to identify the factors underlying social distancing. Yet, much of this research relies on self-report measures. In two studies, we examine whether self-reported social distancing predicts objective distancing behavior. In Study 1, individuals’ self-reported social distancing predicted decreased mobility (assessed via smartphone step counts) during the COVID-19 pande…
Why do children and adults think other people punish
Past research has demonstrated that both consequentialist motives (such as deterrence) and deontological motives (such as "just deserts") underlie children's and adults' punitive behavior. But what motives do we ascribe to others who pursue punishment? The present work explores this question by assessing which punitive motives children (6- and 7-year-olds, n = 100; 67% White; 55% female) and adults ( n = 100; 76% White; 35% female) attribute to i…
Partisan differences in physical distancing are linked to health outcomes during the Covid-19 pandemic
The Best Words: Linguistic Indicators of Grandiose Narcissism in Politics
At a 2015 campaign event, Donald Trump claimed, "I have the best words." While remarks like these have inspired extensive commentary on grandiosity in politics, few studies have investigated how grandiosity manifests in political speech. This research finds that grandiose U.S. presidents ( n = 35) use words differently than their humbler presidential counterparts, and differently than other grandiose individuals, including by using more "we-talk.…
Paradoxical Knowing: A Shortcut to Knowledge and Its Antisocial Correlates
To avoid uncertainty, people may take a shortcut to knowledge. They recognize something as unknowable, but claim to know it nonetheless (e.g., whether I will find true love is unknowable, but I know I will). In Study-set 1, such paradoxical knowledge was common and spanned across valence and content. Study-set 2 revealed an antecedent of paradoxical knowing. High (vs. low) goal-incentives incited paradoxical knowledge – participants felt certain …
Anxious attachment as an antecedent of people's aversion towards pattern deviancy
Research suggests that people's aversion towards pattern deviancy—distortions of repeated forms or models—contributes to social phenomena, such as prejudice. Yet, the factors motivating pattern deviancy aversion remain unclear. Potentially, anxious attachment, as it entails hypervigilant detection of and reactivity to social inconsistency and unreliability, heightens pattern deviancy aversion. In Studies 1 ( N = 137) and 2 ( N = 102), anxious but…
Social Psychological Skill and Its Correlates
In six studies (N = 1,143), we investigated social psychological skill – lay individuals’ skill at predicting social psychological phenomena (e.g., social loafing, attribution effects). Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated reliable individual differences in social psychological skill. In Studies 2, 3, and 4, attributes associated with decreased cognitive and motivational bias – cognitive ability, cognitive curiosity, and melancholy and introversion – pre…
Relating pattern deviancy aversion to stigma and prejudice
Up and down regulation of a highly automatic process: Implementation intentions can both increase and decrease social projection
From Fantasy to Action: Mental Contrasting With Implementation Intentions (MCII) Improves Academic Performance in Children
The current intervention tested whether a metacognitive self-regulatory strategy of goal pursuit can help economically disadvantaged children convert positive thoughts and images about their future into effective action. Mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII) entails mental contrasting a desired future with relevant obstacles of reality and forming implementation intentions (if–then plans) specifying when and where to overcome t…
Partisan differences in physical distancing are linked to health outcomes during the Covid-19 pandemic
Relating pattern deviancy aversion to stigma and prejudice
Insights into the accuracy of social scientists' forecasts of societal change
The Best Words: Linguistic Indicators of Grandiose Narcissism in Politics
At a 2015 campaign event, Donald Trump claimed, "I have the best words." While remarks like these have inspired extensive commentary on grandiosity in politics, few studies have investigated how grandiosity manifests in political speech. This research finds that grandiose U.S. presidents ( n = 35) use words differently than their humbler presidential counterparts, and differently than other grandiose individuals, including by using more "we-talk.…
Why do children and adults think other people punish
Past research has demonstrated that both consequentialist motives (such as deterrence) and deontological motives (such as "just deserts") underlie children's and adults' punitive behavior. But what motives do we ascribe to others who pursue punishment? The present work explores this question by assessing which punitive motives children (6- and 7-year-olds, n = 100; 67% White; 55% female) and adults ( n = 100; 76% White; 35% female) attribute to i…
Anxious attachment as an antecedent of people's aversion towards pattern deviancy
Research suggests that people's aversion towards pattern deviancy—distortions of repeated forms or models—contributes to social phenomena, such as prejudice. Yet, the factors motivating pattern deviancy aversion remain unclear. Potentially, anxious attachment, as it entails hypervigilant detection of and reactivity to social inconsistency and unreliability, heightens pattern deviancy aversion. In Studies 1 ( N = 137) and 2 ( N = 102), anxious but…
Up and down regulation of a highly automatic process: Implementation intentions can both increase and decrease social projection
From Fantasy to Action: Mental Contrasting With Implementation Intentions (MCII) Improves Academic Performance in Children
The current intervention tested whether a metacognitive self-regulatory strategy of goal pursuit can help economically disadvantaged children convert positive thoughts and images about their future into effective action. Mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII) entails mental contrasting a desired future with relevant obstacles of reality and forming implementation intentions (if–then plans) specifying when and where to overcome t…
Up and down regulation of a highly automatic process: Implementation intentions can both increase and decrease social projection
Relating pattern deviancy aversion to stigma and prejudice
Social Psychological Skill and Its Correlates
In six studies (N = 1,143), we investigated social psychological skill – lay individuals’ skill at predicting social psychological phenomena (e.g., social loafing, attribution effects). Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated reliable individual differences in social psychological skill. In Studies 2, 3, and 4, attributes associated with decreased cognitive and motivational bias – cognitive ability, cognitive curiosity, and melancholy and introversion – pre…
Paradoxical Knowing: A Shortcut to Knowledge and Its Antisocial Correlates
To avoid uncertainty, people may take a shortcut to knowledge. They recognize something as unknowable, but claim to know it nonetheless (e.g., whether I will find true love is unknowable, but I know I will). In Study-set 1, such paradoxical knowledge was common and spanned across valence and content. Study-set 2 revealed an antecedent of paradoxical knowing. High (vs. low) goal-incentives incited paradoxical knowledge – participants felt certain …
Anxious attachment as an antecedent of people's aversion towards pattern deviancy
Research suggests that people's aversion towards pattern deviancy—distortions of repeated forms or models—contributes to social phenomena, such as prejudice. Yet, the factors motivating pattern deviancy aversion remain unclear. Potentially, anxious attachment, as it entails hypervigilant detection of and reactivity to social inconsistency and unreliability, heightens pattern deviancy aversion. In Studies 1 ( N = 137) and 2 ( N = 102), anxious but…
Partisan differences in physical distancing are linked to health outcomes during the Covid-19 pandemic
The Best Words: Linguistic Indicators of Grandiose Narcissism in Politics
At a 2015 campaign event, Donald Trump claimed, "I have the best words." While remarks like these have inspired extensive commentary on grandiosity in politics, few studies have investigated how grandiosity manifests in political speech. This research finds that grandiose U.S. presidents ( n = 35) use words differently than their humbler presidential counterparts, and differently than other grandiose individuals, including by using more "we-talk.…
Linking Self-Reported Social Distancing to Real-World Behavior During the Covid-19 Pandemic
In an effort to combat COVID-19 and future pandemics, researchers have attempted to identify the factors underlying social distancing. Yet, much of this research relies on self-report measures. In two studies, we examine whether self-reported social distancing predicts objective distancing behavior. In Study 1, individuals’ self-reported social distancing predicted decreased mobility (assessed via smartphone step counts) during the COVID-19 pande…
Why do children and adults think other people punish
Past research has demonstrated that both consequentialist motives (such as deterrence) and deontological motives (such as "just deserts") underlie children's and adults' punitive behavior. But what motives do we ascribe to others who pursue punishment? The present work explores this question by assessing which punitive motives children (6- and 7-year-olds, n = 100; 67% White; 55% female) and adults ( n = 100; 76% White; 35% female) attribute to i…
Insights into the accuracy of social scientists' forecasts of societal change
Deviancy Aversion and Social Norms
We propose that deviancy aversion—people’s domain-general discomfort toward the distortion of patterns (repeated forms or models)—contributes to the strength and prevalence of social norms in society. Five studies ( N = 2,390) supported this hypothesis. In Study 1, individuals’ deviancy aversion, for instance, their aversion toward broken patterns of simple geometric shapes, predicted negative affect toward norm violations (affect), greater self-…
Parent and community political orientation predicts children's health behaviours
Does political partisanship extend to childhood? To what degree are children, a largely non‐political population, impacted by parents’ and communities’ political orientations? We examined children's behaviours and attitudes during a politically divisive event – the COVID‐19 pandemic. Children (4‐ to 12‐year‐olds; N = 313) of liberal (vs. conservative) parents reported greater preventive COVID‐19 behaviours, such as mask wearing and physical dista…
Psychology (12 works) · Social Psychology (9 works) · Developmental psychology (7 works) · Social and Intergroup Psychology (6 works) · Political science (4 works) · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment (4 works) · Social Psychology (4 works) · Sociology (4 works) · Behavioral Health and Interventions (3 works) · Computer Science (3 works)