Matthew Baldwin
Biographic Data
| ID | 3596571 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Matthew Baldwin |
| GIVEN NAMES | Matthew |
| FAMILY NAME | Baldwin |
| SIGNATURE | BALDWIN M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Cologne |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7355-478X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 32 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 122 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 32 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
Fluency as a Cue to Authenticity
The quest for authenticity is a potent existential striving. Commonly defined as knowing and living in accordance with one’s perceived “true self,” we propose that authenticity may also be inferred from ambient feelings of fluency, or the subjective feeling of ease that corresponds to one’s immediate experience, mental processing, or physical action. We report four studies ( N = 1,465) supporting this idea. Study 1 shows that fluency during a rec…
When longing goes wrong: Nostalgia can cause a preference for harmful aspects of the past
Nostalgia has many benefits for individuals; it can increase meaning, well‐being, and belongingness. In contrast, we show in six studies the harmful policy implications of nostalgia. We propose that nostalgia can lead people to appreciate negative aspects of the past and oppose modern measures to reduce them, with negative implications for health, safety, and well‐being. Four correlational studies ( N total = 3081) show that nostalgia proneness c…
Computer-mediated collaborative writing and individual scientific writing proficiency
Collaborative writing is a common practice in EFL classrooms and widely considered a beneficial instructional approach. However, there is a lack of research investigating whether collaborative writing affects students' subsequent individual writing proficiency. The present study investigates the effects of online collaborative writing on the individual writing performance of postgraduate students (n = 591) enrolled in a scientific writing course …
Temporal comparisons shape system justification processes
A central aspect of political conservatism is the notion that the system is fair. Political conservatives tend to defend the system more than do liberals. Here we test whether the link between political orientation and this system justification tendency depends on the comparisons people make across time. Across five studies, we found that the typically observed link between conservative (vs. liberal) political orientation and system justification…
Aarse Conversations about the Challenges of the Small Religious Studies Program
The Conference presents scholarly dialogue pertinent to the field of Religious Studies. The piece in this issue of the Bulletin is taken from the March 2023 American Academy of Religions South East Conference at Mercer University in Atlanta, GA. Presiding over the discussion is Vaia Touna Associate Professor and Graduate Studies Director at the University of Alabama. Members of the panel include Matthew Baldwin, Professor Emeritus of Religion and…
The moderating effects of total comments on the relationship between comment implementation and online peer-supported writing performance
Prior research has suggested that participation in peer feedback activities, specifically the giving and receiving of comments, and the implementation of suggested ideas helps to improve writing quality. However, it is not always the case that received feedback is implemented. Currently, there is uncertainty regarding how the total number of comments received during a peer feedback activity interacts with the number of implemented comments and su…
A socioecological look at authenticity: Rootedness underlies both personal and place authenticity
Can places feel authentic? Understanding the authenticity of place remains understudied compared to personal authenticity. Across three studies, we explore how place authenticity emerges and its impact on personal authenticity. We discover that while they are related (r = .52), they are distinct constructs associated with feelings of rootedness and uniqueness (Study 1). Experimentally, different types of rootedness have varying effects: connectio…
Highlighting the Old in the “New Normal”: Appealing to Conservatives’ Focus on the Past Decreases Opposition to Covid-19 Measures
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a wide ideological gap frustrated an effective response to the health crisis. Whereas most liberals supported protective measures, many conservatives opposed them. Five studies ( N total = 3,090) demonstrate that American and German conservatives’ opposition to COVID-19 measures arose partially from nostalgic emotions. We show that framing COVID-19 measures as a return to the past reduces conservatives’ opposition to…
A cognitive–ecological approach to temporal self-appraisals
1,796) and an integrative data analysis confirmed the cognitive-ecological model's predictions for temporal self-appraisals. However, we found no evidence for motivated self-perception across time. We discuss the implications of these findings for temporal self-appraisal theory and other aspects of self and identity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Does framing climate change policies to fit with epistemic needs for predictability reduce conservatives’ opposition
A short‐term obstacle to united political action to fight climate change in various countries is opposition to pro‐environmental policies among conservatives. Three preregistered studies test the hypothesis that because conservatives have a higher need for closure than liberals (Hypothesis 1), framing pro‐environmental policies in a way that appeals to the need for closure, reduces conservatives’ opposition to these policies (Hypothesis 2). Study…
How collaboration influences the effect of note-taking on writing performance and recall of contents
Note-taking is a commonly applied pedagogical strategy across all areas of education. In higher education specifically, there has been an increasing push to get students involved in collaborative note-taking in order to increase their engagement with the contents and to inspire deeper and more meaningful learning. However, there is a lack of clarity as to whether collaborative note-taking positively influences student performance. For this reason…
Knowing who I am depends on who I’ve become: Linking self-concept clarity and temporal self-comparison
The current research examined how temporal self-comparisons influence self-concept clarity. In Studies 1 and 2, we updated and validated self-report and indirect measures of state self-concept clarity, including specific components identified in prior research. In both studies, participants' confidence in their self-judgments, as well as the consistency of those judgments, were associated with the self-reported state self-concept clarity. Using t…
Relativity in Social Cognition: Basic processes and novel applications of social comparisons
A key challenge for social psychology is to identify unifying principles that account for the complex dynamics of social behaviour. We propose psychological relativity and its core mechanism of comparison as one such unifying principle. To support our proposal, we review recent evidence investigating basic processes underlying and novel applications of social comparisons. Specifically, we clarify determinants of assimilation and contrast, evaluat…
Individual versus collaborative note-taking: Results of a quasi-experimental study on student note completeness, test performance, and academic writing
There is research showing benefits to both collaboration and note-taking, but a lack of research into how they may both work together in an online context. More specifically, there is a gap in the research looking at how collaborative note-taking and individual note-taking can be compared when considering the quality of the notes taken, and how note-quality can impact student performance. The present study looks at the online note-taking behavior…
Differential effects of abstract and concrete processing on the reactivity of basic and self-conscious emotions
The present research examines the influence of different processing modes (abstract vs. concrete) on the intensity of negative basic emotions (anger, fear) and self-conscious emotions (guilt, shame). We suggest that the cognitive appraisals underlying self-conscious emotions are relatively more abstract and less concrete than the appraisals underlying basic emotions. Consequently, we predicted that abstract processing would increase the intensity…
Moving beyond Inhibition: Capturing a Broader Scope of the Self-Control Construct with the Self-Control Strategy Scale (SCSS)
The purpose of the present research was to develop a more comprehensive measure of self-control that reflects recent theoretical advancements that extend beyond inhibition. Across six samples (N = 1,946, 48.95% males, Ages 18-76, US-MTurkers/Israelis), we sought to develop and validate the Self-Control Strategies Scale (SCSS), as well as examine its predictive validity across important life domains (e.g., weight, physical activity, savings). The …
A Cognitive-Ecological Approach to Temporal Self-Appraisal
According to the evaluative information ecology model of social-comparison, people are more similar on their positive traits and tend to differ on their negative traits. This means that comparisons based on differences will naturally produce negative evaluations, whereas those based on similarities will produce positive evaluations. In this research we apply and extend this model to theorize about the outcomes of temporal self-comparisons. We pre…
Toward Successful Implementation of Introductory Integrated Content and Language Classes for EFL Science and Engineering Students
What this research was about and why it is important Integrating content and language (ICL) has been a widely applied methodology of language learning and teaching in the last 20 years. However, ICL studies for first‐year undergraduate students of science and engineering are scarce. This study examined perceptions of incoming students and professors who participated in ICL classes at a Korean science and engineering school. Most of the participan…
Being a kid again: Playing Pokémon Go contributes to wellbeing through nostalgia
This research investigates the augmented-reality smartphone game Pokémon Go and proposes that nostalgia is one particular reason for the game’s popularity and success. We propose that nostalgia acts as both a precursor to individuals’ desire to play the game, and a variable that predicts entertainment experiences and well-being while using the game. Two studies investigate these predictions. Study 1 was conducted in Germany before the game’s rele…
Make America gracious again: Collective nostalgia can increase and decrease support for right‐wing populist rhetoric
Democracies across the globe are shaken by a new class of populist right‐wing politicians. A defining element of right‐wing populism is a preference for antagonistic rhetoric to describe opponents. Three studies connect support for right‐wing populist rhetoric to collective nostalgia for the past. Importantly, the results show that collective nostalgia can both increase and decrease support for right‐wing populist antagonistic rhetoric, depending…
Mobilize for Our Lives? School Shootings and Democratic Accountability in U.S. Elections
Gun violence is a large and growing problem in the United States. Many reformers look towards elections to spur policy change in this area. In this paper, we explore the effects of school shootings on electoral mobilization and election outcomes. We pair data from several sources that measure validated voter registration; validated voter turnout; and the electoral performance of officials at the local, state, and federal levels with regression di…
Family ties: Exploring the influence of family legacy on self and identity
In three studies we introduce the idea of the family legacy – shared practices, beliefs, and other psychological materials within a family that are passed on from one generation to another – and examine its role in shaping individuals’ self and identity. In three quasi-experimental studies, we compare students who have had family attend the university (legacy) to those who have not (non-legacy) on identity-relevant variables. In Study 1a, legacy …
Nostalgia for America's past can buffer collective guilt
This research examined when, and for whom, American collective nostalgia can relieve feelings of collective guilt. In the Pilot Study, path analyses revealed that national glorification is associated with collective nostalgia, and collective nostalgia is associated with lower collective guilt. Our experimental studies test the role of these variables in determining responses to the elevated salience of past ingroup harm doing. Collective nostalgi…
Past-focused temporal communication overcomes conservatives’ resistance to liberal political ideas
Nine studies and a meta-analysis test the role of past-focused temporal communication in reducing conservatives' disagreement with liberal political ideas. We propose that conservatives are more prone to warm, affectionate, and nostalgic feelings for past society. Therefore, they are more likely to support political ideas-including those expressing liberal values-that can be linked to a desirable past state (past focus), rather than a desirable f…
Metaphors can give life meaning
Conceptual metaphor theory offers a perspective on how and when people find meaning in life. Whereas life’s meaning can be difficult to grasp, metaphor compares life to a relatively more concrete and structured concept. Supporting this account, American adults (Study 1) and German undergraduates (Study 2) who framed life as a journey reported more meaning in life. The journey metaphor was particularly beneficial for individuals with low levels of…
EU trade politics — heaven or hell
The analysis begins by examining a paradigm of successful EU trade politics ('heaven'), and what it might constitute. It argues that both the EU trade policy process and the dynamics of EU trade politics are essentially positive factors. However, while this 'heaven' might exist in theory (and did in reality, to an extent, in the latter years of the last century), a series of largely external factors, notably those relating to development and glob…
Make America gracious again: Collective nostalgia can increase and decrease support for right‐wing populist rhetoric
Democracies across the globe are shaken by a new class of populist right‐wing politicians. A defining element of right‐wing populism is a preference for antagonistic rhetoric to describe opponents. Three studies connect support for right‐wing populist rhetoric to collective nostalgia for the past. Importantly, the results show that collective nostalgia can both increase and decrease support for right‐wing populist antagonistic rhetoric, depending…
Remembering the real me: Nostalgia offers a window to the intrinsic self
Seven studies reveal that nostalgia, a sentimental affection for the past, offers a window to the intrinsic self-concept-who people think they truly are. In Study 1, state nostalgia was associated with higher authenticity and lower extrinsic self-focus (concern with meeting extrinsic value standards). In Study 2, experimentally primed nostalgia increased perceived authenticity of the past self, which in turn predicted reduced current extrinsic se…
Mobilize for Our Lives? School Shootings and Democratic Accountability in U.S. Elections
Gun violence is a large and growing problem in the United States. Many reformers look towards elections to spur policy change in this area. In this paper, we explore the effects of school shootings on electoral mobilization and election outcomes. We pair data from several sources that measure validated voter registration; validated voter turnout; and the electoral performance of officials at the local, state, and federal levels with regression di…
Past-focused temporal communication overcomes conservatives’ resistance to liberal political ideas
Nine studies and a meta-analysis test the role of past-focused temporal communication in reducing conservatives' disagreement with liberal political ideas. We propose that conservatives are more prone to warm, affectionate, and nostalgic feelings for past society. Therefore, they are more likely to support political ideas-including those expressing liberal values-that can be linked to a desirable past state (past focus), rather than a desirable f…
The company you keep: Fear of rejection in intergroup interaction
Nostalgia for America's past can buffer collective guilt
This research examined when, and for whom, American collective nostalgia can relieve feelings of collective guilt. In the Pilot Study, path analyses revealed that national glorification is associated with collective nostalgia, and collective nostalgia is associated with lower collective guilt. Our experimental studies test the role of these variables in determining responses to the elevated salience of past ingroup harm doing. Collective nostalgi…
The impact of power and powerlessness on blaming the victim of sexual assault
Sexual assault is often described as motivated by power, yet there is relatively little experimental research investigating the effect of power (and powerlessness) on interpretations of a sexual assault. Two studies manipulated participants’ feelings of power prior to a thought-listing task about sexual assault victims (Study 1) or an evaluation of a case of sexual assault (Study 2). Among men, feelings of powerlessness led to reduced victim blam…
Perceived importance of cross-race targets facilitates recall: Support for a motivated account of face memory
The cross-race effect (CRE) is the tendency to remember same-race (SR) faces better than cross-race (CR) faces. While there has been debate about the causes of the CRE, recent perspectives suggest that a lack of motivation to remember CR faces causes this effect. We provide direct support for this model across two studies manipulating the perceived importance of target faces. In Study 1 participants were outcome-dependent on a Black or White rese…
Being a kid again: Playing Pokémon Go contributes to wellbeing through nostalgia
This research investigates the augmented-reality smartphone game Pokémon Go and proposes that nostalgia is one particular reason for the game’s popularity and success. We propose that nostalgia acts as both a precursor to individuals’ desire to play the game, and a variable that predicts entertainment experiences and well-being while using the game. Two studies investigate these predictions. Study 1 was conducted in Germany before the game’s rele…
A cognitive–ecological approach to temporal self-appraisals
1,796) and an integrative data analysis confirmed the cognitive-ecological model's predictions for temporal self-appraisals. However, we found no evidence for motivated self-perception across time. We discuss the implications of these findings for temporal self-appraisal theory and other aspects of self and identity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Toward Successful Implementation of Introductory Integrated Content and Language Classes for EFL Science and Engineering Students
What this research was about and why it is important Integrating content and language (ICL) has been a widely applied methodology of language learning and teaching in the last 20 years. However, ICL studies for first‐year undergraduate students of science and engineering are scarce. This study examined perceptions of incoming students and professors who participated in ICL classes at a Korean science and engineering school. Most of the participan…
EU trade politics — heaven or hell
The analysis begins by examining a paradigm of successful EU trade politics ('heaven'), and what it might constitute. It argues that both the EU trade policy process and the dynamics of EU trade politics are essentially positive factors. However, while this 'heaven' might exist in theory (and did in reality, to an extent, in the latter years of the last century), a series of largely external factors, notably those relating to development and glob…
The company you keep: Fear of rejection in intergroup interaction
Perceived importance of cross-race targets facilitates recall: Support for a motivated account of face memory
The cross-race effect (CRE) is the tendency to remember same-race (SR) faces better than cross-race (CR) faces. While there has been debate about the causes of the CRE, recent perspectives suggest that a lack of motivation to remember CR faces causes this effect. We provide direct support for this model across two studies manipulating the perceived importance of target faces. In Study 1 participants were outcome-dependent on a Black or White rese…
Exploring Nostalgia's Influence on Psychological Growth
Prior research shows that the experience of nostalgia—a sentimental longing for the past—serves to buffer self-threat. Complementing this work, the current research assessed the possibility that nostalgia promotes psychological growth—that is, the potential to cultivate inner potentialities, seek out optimal challenges, and integrate new experiences into the self-concept. Two studies tested the effect of experimentally induced nostalgia on growth…
Remembering the real me: Nostalgia offers a window to the intrinsic self
Seven studies reveal that nostalgia, a sentimental affection for the past, offers a window to the intrinsic self-concept-who people think they truly are. In Study 1, state nostalgia was associated with higher authenticity and lower extrinsic self-focus (concern with meeting extrinsic value standards). In Study 2, experimentally primed nostalgia increased perceived authenticity of the past self, which in turn predicted reduced current extrinsic se…
The Path Television. Created by Jessica Goldberg. Hulu, 2016
Metaphors can give life meaning
Conceptual metaphor theory offers a perspective on how and when people find meaning in life. Whereas life’s meaning can be difficult to grasp, metaphor compares life to a relatively more concrete and structured concept. Supporting this account, American adults (Study 1) and German undergraduates (Study 2) who framed life as a journey reported more meaning in life. The journey metaphor was particularly beneficial for individuals with low levels of…
The impact of power and powerlessness on blaming the victim of sexual assault
Sexual assault is often described as motivated by power, yet there is relatively little experimental research investigating the effect of power (and powerlessness) on interpretations of a sexual assault. Two studies manipulated participants’ feelings of power prior to a thought-listing task about sexual assault victims (Study 1) or an evaluation of a case of sexual assault (Study 2). Among men, feelings of powerlessness led to reduced victim blam…
Family ties: Exploring the influence of family legacy on self and identity
In three studies we introduce the idea of the family legacy – shared practices, beliefs, and other psychological materials within a family that are passed on from one generation to another – and examine its role in shaping individuals’ self and identity. In three quasi-experimental studies, we compare students who have had family attend the university (legacy) to those who have not (non-legacy) on identity-relevant variables. In Study 1a, legacy …
Nostalgia for America's past can buffer collective guilt
This research examined when, and for whom, American collective nostalgia can relieve feelings of collective guilt. In the Pilot Study, path analyses revealed that national glorification is associated with collective nostalgia, and collective nostalgia is associated with lower collective guilt. Our experimental studies test the role of these variables in determining responses to the elevated salience of past ingroup harm doing. Collective nostalgi…
Past-focused temporal communication overcomes conservatives’ resistance to liberal political ideas
Nine studies and a meta-analysis test the role of past-focused temporal communication in reducing conservatives' disagreement with liberal political ideas. We propose that conservatives are more prone to warm, affectionate, and nostalgic feelings for past society. Therefore, they are more likely to support political ideas-including those expressing liberal values-that can be linked to a desirable past state (past focus), rather than a desirable f…
Being a kid again: Playing Pokémon Go contributes to wellbeing through nostalgia
This research investigates the augmented-reality smartphone game Pokémon Go and proposes that nostalgia is one particular reason for the game’s popularity and success. We propose that nostalgia acts as both a precursor to individuals’ desire to play the game, and a variable that predicts entertainment experiences and well-being while using the game. Two studies investigate these predictions. Study 1 was conducted in Germany before the game’s rele…
Make America gracious again: Collective nostalgia can increase and decrease support for right‐wing populist rhetoric
Democracies across the globe are shaken by a new class of populist right‐wing politicians. A defining element of right‐wing populism is a preference for antagonistic rhetoric to describe opponents. Three studies connect support for right‐wing populist rhetoric to collective nostalgia for the past. Importantly, the results show that collective nostalgia can both increase and decrease support for right‐wing populist antagonistic rhetoric, depending…
Mobilize for Our Lives? School Shootings and Democratic Accountability in U.S. Elections
Gun violence is a large and growing problem in the United States. Many reformers look towards elections to spur policy change in this area. In this paper, we explore the effects of school shootings on electoral mobilization and election outcomes. We pair data from several sources that measure validated voter registration; validated voter turnout; and the electoral performance of officials at the local, state, and federal levels with regression di…
Differential effects of abstract and concrete processing on the reactivity of basic and self-conscious emotions
The present research examines the influence of different processing modes (abstract vs. concrete) on the intensity of negative basic emotions (anger, fear) and self-conscious emotions (guilt, shame). We suggest that the cognitive appraisals underlying self-conscious emotions are relatively more abstract and less concrete than the appraisals underlying basic emotions. Consequently, we predicted that abstract processing would increase the intensity…
Moving beyond Inhibition: Capturing a Broader Scope of the Self-Control Construct with the Self-Control Strategy Scale (SCSS)
The purpose of the present research was to develop a more comprehensive measure of self-control that reflects recent theoretical advancements that extend beyond inhibition. Across six samples (N = 1,946, 48.95% males, Ages 18-76, US-MTurkers/Israelis), we sought to develop and validate the Self-Control Strategies Scale (SCSS), as well as examine its predictive validity across important life domains (e.g., weight, physical activity, savings). The …
A Cognitive-Ecological Approach to Temporal Self-Appraisal
According to the evaluative information ecology model of social-comparison, people are more similar on their positive traits and tend to differ on their negative traits. This means that comparisons based on differences will naturally produce negative evaluations, whereas those based on similarities will produce positive evaluations. In this research we apply and extend this model to theorize about the outcomes of temporal self-comparisons. We pre…
Toward Successful Implementation of Introductory Integrated Content and Language Classes for EFL Science and Engineering Students
What this research was about and why it is important Integrating content and language (ICL) has been a widely applied methodology of language learning and teaching in the last 20 years. However, ICL studies for first‐year undergraduate students of science and engineering are scarce. This study examined perceptions of incoming students and professors who participated in ICL classes at a Korean science and engineering school. Most of the participan…
Individual versus collaborative note-taking: Results of a quasi-experimental study on student note completeness, test performance, and academic writing
There is research showing benefits to both collaboration and note-taking, but a lack of research into how they may both work together in an online context. More specifically, there is a gap in the research looking at how collaborative note-taking and individual note-taking can be compared when considering the quality of the notes taken, and how note-quality can impact student performance. The present study looks at the online note-taking behavior…
Does framing climate change policies to fit with epistemic needs for predictability reduce conservatives’ opposition
A short‐term obstacle to united political action to fight climate change in various countries is opposition to pro‐environmental policies among conservatives. Three preregistered studies test the hypothesis that because conservatives have a higher need for closure than liberals (Hypothesis 1), framing pro‐environmental policies in a way that appeals to the need for closure, reduces conservatives’ opposition to these policies (Hypothesis 2). Study…
How collaboration influences the effect of note-taking on writing performance and recall of contents
Note-taking is a commonly applied pedagogical strategy across all areas of education. In higher education specifically, there has been an increasing push to get students involved in collaborative note-taking in order to increase their engagement with the contents and to inspire deeper and more meaningful learning. However, there is a lack of clarity as to whether collaborative note-taking positively influences student performance. For this reason…
Knowing who I am depends on who I’ve become: Linking self-concept clarity and temporal self-comparison
The current research examined how temporal self-comparisons influence self-concept clarity. In Studies 1 and 2, we updated and validated self-report and indirect measures of state self-concept clarity, including specific components identified in prior research. In both studies, participants' confidence in their self-judgments, as well as the consistency of those judgments, were associated with the self-reported state self-concept clarity. Using t…
Relativity in Social Cognition: Basic processes and novel applications of social comparisons
A key challenge for social psychology is to identify unifying principles that account for the complex dynamics of social behaviour. We propose psychological relativity and its core mechanism of comparison as one such unifying principle. To support our proposal, we review recent evidence investigating basic processes underlying and novel applications of social comparisons. Specifically, we clarify determinants of assimilation and contrast, evaluat…
Aarse Conversations about the Challenges of the Small Religious Studies Program
The Conference presents scholarly dialogue pertinent to the field of Religious Studies. The piece in this issue of the Bulletin is taken from the March 2023 American Academy of Religions South East Conference at Mercer University in Atlanta, GA. Presiding over the discussion is Vaia Touna Associate Professor and Graduate Studies Director at the University of Alabama. Members of the panel include Matthew Baldwin, Professor Emeritus of Religion and…
The moderating effects of total comments on the relationship between comment implementation and online peer-supported writing performance
Prior research has suggested that participation in peer feedback activities, specifically the giving and receiving of comments, and the implementation of suggested ideas helps to improve writing quality. However, it is not always the case that received feedback is implemented. Currently, there is uncertainty regarding how the total number of comments received during a peer feedback activity interacts with the number of implemented comments and su…
Psychology (28 works) · Social Psychology (20 works) · Cognitive psychology (11 works) · Computer Science (11 works) · Social Psychology (11 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Nostalgia and Consumer Behavior (7 works) · Cognition (6 works) · Law (6 works) · Philosophy (6 works)