Marc Wilson
Biographic Data
| ID | 3739619 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Marc Wilson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Marc |
| FAMILY NAME | Wilson |
| SIGNATURE | WILSON M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Victoria University of Wellington |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3009-5229 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 45 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 356 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 45 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1988 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 11 |
When early childhood teachers read books about bullying to preschool aged children; Are the bystanders discussed
The reasons why most young children do not typically engage in defending behavior when they witness their peers being victimized are unclear. However, early socialization practices, such as how teachers read books depicting bullying incidents may be a contributing factor. This study involved structured video-recorded observations of 76 early childhood teachers (70 female) from 42 centers, reading two adapted books about bullying to small groups o…
Does Lower Psychological Need Satisfaction Foster Conspiracy Belief? Longitudinal Effects Over 3 Years in New Zealand
Although conspiracy belief may arise from a frustration of psychological needs, research has yet to investigate these relationships over time. Using four annual waves of longitudinal panel data in New Zealand (2019–2022; N = 55,269), we examined the relationship between four psychological needs (namely belonging, control, meaning in life, and self-esteem) and conspiracy belief. Results from four random-intercept cross-lagged panel models reveal s…
Symbolic Action Motivates Further Collective Action by Increasing Identification With the Common Cause
Publicly broadcasting one's support for a social cause is often maligned as ‘slacktivism’. We investigate whether such symbolic action by advantaged group members in support of the cause of a disadvantaged group can motivate more concrete collective action when it solidifies a sense of belonging to a common cause. Across four preregistered studies (total N = 1204), voluntary (Studies 2 and 3), but not involuntary (Studies 1 and 4) symbolic action…
An Observational Study of Parents Reading a Storybook About Bullying to Their Young Child: Are Bystander Responses Discussed
In the context of bullying the developmental progression of how and why most children remain as passive bystanders is unclear. Early socialization practices such as how parents read storybooks that depict bullying to their young children may be a contributing factor. Structured video‐recorded observations of 97 parent–child dyads (85 mothers) (M age of children = 37.9 m) were conducted in participants’ own homes. Participants were instructed to r…
Predicting the side effects of influenza vaccination
BACKGROUND: Side effects following vaccination intensify vaccine hesitancy, which remains a significant challenge to public health. Research suggests that a proportion of side effects are not caused by the vaccine but are instead associated with psychological factors that influence nocebo responding. PURPOSE: This study investigates the psychological and demographic factors associated with symptom reporting postvaccination, the attribution of the…
Right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation predict rejection of science and scientists
Previous research has highlighted how ideological factors such as political self-identification, religiosity and conspiracy thinking influence our beliefs about scientific issues such as climate change and vaccination. Across three studies (combined N = 9,022) we expand on this line of inquiry to show for the first time that the ideological attitudes relating to authoritarianism and group-based dominance predict disagreement with the scientific c…
Social dominance as an ideological barrier to environmental engagement: Qualitative and quantitative insights
The Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale: Development and validation of a multidimensional scale
To meat, or not to meat: A longitudinal investigation of transitioning to and from plant-based diets
Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown on trust, attitudes toward government, and well-being
The contagiousness and deadliness of COVID-19 have necessitated drastic social management to halt transmission. The immediate effects of a nationwide lockdown were investigated by comparing matched samples of New Zealanders assessed before (N prelockdown = 1,003) and during the first 18 days of lockdown (N lockdown = 1,003). Two categories of outcomes were examined: (a) institutional trust and attitudes toward the nation and government and (b) he…
The influence of politics and labelling on New Zealanders’ attitudes towards animal agriculture emissions policy
New Zealand’s primary strategy for tackling greenhouse gas emissions is the emissions trading scheme, which puts a price on emissions from all major industries – except animal agriculture. In the decade since the scheme was introduced, conversations about including emissions from animal agriculture have been shrouded in controversy, with a levy on such emissions dubbed a ‘fart tax’. Across two independent samples of New Zealanders, we examined wh…
New Zealand Pet Owners' Demographic Characteristics, Personality, and Health and Wellbeing: More Than Just a Fluff Piece
Although the relationship between pet ownership and health and wellbeing has received considerable attention in popular media, research on the topic shows inconsistent findings. We addressed the methodological weaknesses of previous studies by using data from a national probability survey (the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study; n = 13,347). We describe the demographic characteristics and personality of pet owners in New Zealand, examine whet…
On setting up straw gods
He moana pukepuke: Navigating gender and ethnic inequality in early career academics’ conference attendance
Drawing on data collected in a cross-disciplinary survey of early-career academics (ECAs) in New Zealand, this article explores the factors influencing ECA conference attendance. Our conceptual framework uses conference attendance as the dependent variable and measures gender, ethnicity, family responsibilities and workload. Three key features affect conference attendance: demographic characteristics (background features and prior experiences tha…
A dual‐process motivational model of attitudes towards vegetarians and vegans
Vegetarians and vegans comprise a minority of most western populations. However, relatively little research has investigated the psychological foundations of attitudes towards this minority group. The following study employs a dual process model of intergroup attitudes to explore the motivational basis of non‐vegetarians' attitudes towards vegetarians and vegans. Participants were 1,326 individuals recruited through advertisements in a national n…
Coding Responses to an Open-ended Gender Measure in a New Zealand National Sample
In light of the methodological and ethical issues associated with using a male/female tick box to collect gender data, researchers are increasingly questioning how to measure gender inclusively in survey research. Open-ended measures afford the greatest flexibility, though whether they are practical for large-scale surveys has yet to be tested. Here, we systematically assess the feasibility of open-ended gender measures drawing on a New Zealand n…
Prefrontal brain lesions reveal magical ideation arises from enhanced religious experiences
Magical ideation refers to beliefs about causality that lack empirical bases. Few studies have investigated the neural correlates of magical thinking and religious beliefs. Here, we investigate the association between magical ideation and religious experience in a sample of Vietnam veterans who sustained penetrating traumatic brain injury (pTBI) and matched healthy controls (HCs). Scores on the Magical Ideation Scale were positively correlated wi…
Middle leadership roles in universities: Holy Grail or poisoned chalice
Middle leadership roles in higher education have been identified as important for institutional effectiveness yet fraught with tensions, and those in middle leadership roles often feel unprepared and unsupported. This study of the responsibilities, skills and competencies, and support required for heads of school in a New Zealand university, drew on a survey and interviews with heads and focus groups or interviews with a range of stakeholders. Th…
Age differences in right-wing authoritarianism and their relation to emotion recognition
This study examined the correlates of right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) in older adults. Participants were given tasks measuring emotion recognition, executive functions and fluid IQ and questionnaires measuring RWA, perceived threat and social dominance orientation. Study 1 established higher age-related RWA across the age span in more than 2,600 New Zealanders. Studies 2 to 4 found that threat, education, social dominance and age all predicted …
Aggression and Hunting Attitudes
Hunting has a long history, and contentious recent past. We examined the relationship between aggression and hunting attitudes, investigating the moderating role of sex. Two studies are presented—a psychometric evaluation of a unidimensional instrument for assessing hunting attitudes, which was then administered to a sample of general population participants to assess the relationship between aggression and hunting attitudes. Finally, university …
Vegetarian Utopias: Visions of dietary patterns in future societies and support for social change
Differences and similarities in religious and paranormal beliefs: A typology of distinct faith signatures
We applied latent class analysis (LCA) to derive a statistically reliable typology of religious and paranormal beliefs in a large, diverse sample of New Zealanders (N=4422). We identified five patterns of belief, which we call faith signatures, reflecting distinct combinations of high or low belief in different religious teachings and paranormal phenomena. Although conventional wisdom pits agnostics against religious believers, we found that undi…
Thin and Thinner: Hypothesis-driven Research and the Study of Humans
Some say that researchers who study humans are locked in to frameworks of epistemic assumptions from which there can be no escape. We explain, on the contrary, how researchers who disagree may nevertheless reconcile their differences. Freedom from the epistemic dungeon is made possible by practices that convert beliefs into testable hypotheses, which are then tested. Such practices are the engines of scientific progress. To clarify misunderstandi…
Right-Wing Authoritarianism and Social Dominance Orientation Predict Different Moral Signatures
Environmental Consequences of the Desire to Dominate and Be Superior
A belief in human dominance over nature lies at the heart of current environmental problems. In this article, we extend the theoretical scope of social dominance theory by arguing that social dominance orientation (SDO) is an important variable in understanding person–environment relations. We argue that individuals high in SDO are more willing to exploit the environment in unsustainable ways because SDO promotes human hierarchical dominance over…
Differentiating Hostile and Benevolent Sexist Attitudes Toward Positive and Negative Sexual Female Subtypes
Effects of Dangerous and Competitive Worldviews on Right‐Wing Authoritarianism and Social Dominance Orientation over a Five‐Month Period
The cross‐lagged effects of dangerous and competitive social worldviews on Right‐Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) were examined over a five‐month period (N = 165). Analyses indicated that the motivational goal for group‐based dominance and superiority indexed by SDO changed as a function of the degree to which the social world was perceived as a competitive place characterized by inequality and resource scarcity.…
Social Dominance Orientation and Right-Wing Authoritarianism: Additive and Interactive Effects
The additive and interactive effects of Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) and Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) were examined using 16 independent samples of New Zealand European participants (N = 2,164). Consistent with Duckitt's (2001) Dual Process Model, SDO and RWA displayed strong additive effects across various domains of intergroup-related attitude, including measures of racism, sexism, homosexual prejudice, and ethnic and religious ingro…
Social Dominance Orientation and Right‐Wing Authoritarianism: Additive and Interactive Effects on Political Conservatism
It is commonly accepted that social dominance orientation (SDO) and right‐wing authoritarianism (RWA) are potent unique predictors of a variety of prejudice and prejudice‐related constructs. However, contrary to some predictions, there has been little evidence that these constructs interact to produce this outcome—they appear to be additive but not interactive in their prediction of prejudice. We extend the interaction hypothesis to consideration…
A Dual Process Model of Attitudes towards Immigration: Person × Residential Area Effects in a National Sample
This research took a person × situation approach to predicting prejudice by looking at how social worldviews interact with real‐world environmental factors to predict how people respond to immigrants within their local area. Taking a Dual Process Motivational approach, we hypothesized that a higher proportion of immigrants in the local community would be associated with negative attitudes toward immigration for respondents high in dangerous world…
To meat, or not to meat: A longitudinal investigation of transitioning to and from plant-based diets
The Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale: Development and validation of a multidimensional scale
Coding Responses to an Open-ended Gender Measure in a New Zealand National Sample
In light of the methodological and ethical issues associated with using a male/female tick box to collect gender data, researchers are increasingly questioning how to measure gender inclusively in survey research. Open-ended measures afford the greatest flexibility, though whether they are practical for large-scale surveys has yet to be tested. Here, we systematically assess the feasibility of open-ended gender measures drawing on a New Zealand n…
A dual‐process motivational model of attitudes towards vegetarians and vegans
Vegetarians and vegans comprise a minority of most western populations. However, relatively little research has investigated the psychological foundations of attitudes towards this minority group. The following study employs a dual process model of intergroup attitudes to explore the motivational basis of non‐vegetarians' attitudes towards vegetarians and vegans. Participants were 1,326 individuals recruited through advertisements in a national n…
A Rhetorical Approach to Discussions about Health and Vegetarianism
Typically, research on vegetarianism has sought to identify the psychological characteristics that distinguish vegetarians from meat-eaters. Health concerns have been identified as a motivation for meat abstention. In this article, rhetorical analysis of Internet discussions about health and vegetarianism highlights the argumentative orientation of explanations for meat consumption, with the various constructions of health serving a rhetorical fu…
Middle leadership roles in universities: Holy Grail or poisoned chalice
Middle leadership roles in higher education have been identified as important for institutional effectiveness yet fraught with tensions, and those in middle leadership roles often feel unprepared and unsupported. This study of the responsibilities, skills and competencies, and support required for heads of school in a New Zealand university, drew on a survey and interviews with heads and focus groups or interviews with a range of stakeholders. Th…
Interpersonal Environment Effects on Political Preferences: The “Middle Path” for Conceptualizing Social Structure in New Zealand and Japan
Right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation predict rejection of science and scientists
Previous research has highlighted how ideological factors such as political self-identification, religiosity and conspiracy thinking influence our beliefs about scientific issues such as climate change and vaccination. Across three studies (combined N = 9,022) we expand on this line of inquiry to show for the first time that the ideological attitudes relating to authoritarianism and group-based dominance predict disagreement with the scientific c…
The history of the United States cent revealed through copper isotope fractionation
New Zealand Pet Owners' Demographic Characteristics, Personality, and Health and Wellbeing: More Than Just a Fluff Piece
Although the relationship between pet ownership and health and wellbeing has received considerable attention in popular media, research on the topic shows inconsistent findings. We addressed the methodological weaknesses of previous studies by using data from a national probability survey (the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study; n = 13,347). We describe the demographic characteristics and personality of pet owners in New Zealand, examine whet…
Vegetarian Utopias: Visions of dietary patterns in future societies and support for social change
Right-Wing Authoritarianism and Social Dominance Orientation Predict Different Moral Signatures
Two Decades of Change in Cultural Values and Economic Development in Eight East Asian and Pacific Island Nations
In a 1982 publication, Ng et al. surveyed the cultural values of select East Asian and Pacific Island nations. In 2002, this study repeated their work, using the same sampling frame, questionnaire, and collaborators, where possible. The authors also reclassified the 1982 and 2002 survey results using Schwartz's cultural-level value dimensions. Submission versus Dionysian values that differentiated the nations in 1982 continued to do so in 2002. F…
Social dominance as an ideological barrier to environmental engagement: Qualitative and quantitative insights
He moana pukepuke: Navigating gender and ethnic inequality in early career academics’ conference attendance
Drawing on data collected in a cross-disciplinary survey of early-career academics (ECAs) in New Zealand, this article explores the factors influencing ECA conference attendance. Our conceptual framework uses conference attendance as the dependent variable and measures gender, ethnicity, family responsibilities and workload. Three key features affect conference attendance: demographic characteristics (background features and prior experiences tha…
Individual and cultural variations in direct communication style
Dynamics of Interpersonal Political Environment and Party Identification: Longitudinal Studies of Voting in Japan and New Zealand
The dynamical systems theory of groups claims that interpersonal political environment and party identification are dynamically interrelated to provide heuristics under uncertainty. Panel data over the course of a year examined the longitudinal dynamics between social networks, social identifications, and voting behavior among a national sample of registered voters in Japan and a regional sample in Wellington, New Zealand. Respondents with more s…
Materialism and food security
The effects of hazard zone information on judgements about earthquake damage
This study investigates the extent to which people's views on the causes and preventability of earthquake damage might be influenced by their degree of exposure to hazard as well as what information they have been given about the hazard. The results show that the provision of hazard zoning information influences judgements on preventability and causes of damage, but this effect depends on the degree of hazard faced by residents. In low hazard zon…
When People Explain Difficult Actions, is the Causal Question How or Why
Recent research shows that the framing of causal questions influences the choice of goals and preconditions as explanations of actions. However, research has not examined participants’ judgments as to which causal questions are most relevant to explain actions. Study 1 examined which question (“why” or “how”) participants would use to gain information to help them explain actions that required substantial preconditions. As a measure of difficulty…
Sex Roles and Social Patterns
Interpersonal Environment Effects on Political Preferences: The “Middle Path” for Conceptualizing Social Structure in New Zealand and Japan
Social identity and the perception of history: Cultural representations of Aotearoa/New Zealand
The context of intergroup relations in Aotearoa/New Zealand was investigated using perceptions of history by Maori (Polynesian-descended) and Pakeha (European-descended) samples from university and the general public. There was strong consensus that the Treaty of Waitangi was the most important event in New Zealand's history, but only Maori, the subordinate ethnic group, showed in-group favouritism in their judgments regarding the Treaty. Pakeha,…
Values and Beliefs of Vegetarians and Omnivores
Following the claim by some anthropologists and sociologists that 1 symbolic meaning of meat is a preference for hierarchical domination (C. J. Adams, 1990; N. Fiddes, 1989; D. D. Heisley, 1990; J. Twigg, 1983), the authors compared the values and beliefs of vegetarians and omnivores in 2 studies conducted in New Zealand. They compared the full range of vegetarians and omnivores on right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, human …
When People Explain Difficult Actions, is the Causal Question How or Why
Recent research shows that the framing of causal questions influences the choice of goals and preconditions as explanations of actions. However, research has not examined participants’ judgments as to which causal questions are most relevant to explain actions. Study 1 examined which question (“why” or “how”) participants would use to gain information to help them explain actions that required substantial preconditions. As a measure of difficulty…
Differentiating Hostile and Benevolent Sexist Attitudes Toward Positive and Negative Sexual Female Subtypes
A Rhetorical Approach to Discussions about Health and Vegetarianism
Typically, research on vegetarianism has sought to identify the psychological characteristics that distinguish vegetarians from meat-eaters. Health concerns have been identified as a motivation for meat abstention. In this article, rhetorical analysis of Internet discussions about health and vegetarianism highlights the argumentative orientation of explanations for meat consumption, with the various constructions of health serving a rhetorical fu…
Materialism and food security
Dynamics of Interpersonal Political Environment and Party Identification: Longitudinal Studies of Voting in Japan and New Zealand
The dynamical systems theory of groups claims that interpersonal political environment and party identification are dynamically interrelated to provide heuristics under uncertainty. Panel data over the course of a year examined the longitudinal dynamics between social networks, social identifications, and voting behavior among a national sample of registered voters in Japan and a regional sample in Wellington, New Zealand. Respondents with more s…
Cultural associations and food choice: Examining the causal relationship between human values and dietary choice
The effects of hazard zone information on judgements about earthquake damage
This study investigates the extent to which people's views on the causes and preventability of earthquake damage might be influenced by their degree of exposure to hazard as well as what information they have been given about the hazard. The results show that the provision of hazard zoning information influences judgements on preventability and causes of damage, but this effect depends on the degree of hazard faced by residents. In low hazard zon…
Social Dominance Orientation and Right-Wing Authoritarianism: Additive and Interactive Effects
The additive and interactive effects of Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) and Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) were examined using 16 independent samples of New Zealand European participants (N = 2,164). Consistent with Duckitt's (2001) Dual Process Model, SDO and RWA displayed strong additive effects across various domains of intergroup-related attitude, including measures of racism, sexism, homosexual prejudice, and ethnic and religious ingro…
Antecedents of Men’s Hostile and Benevolent Sexism: The Dual Roles of Social Dominance Orientation and Right-Wing Authoritarianism
The authors argue that individual differences in men’s Benevolent Sexism (BS) stem from a threat-driven security-cohesion motivation, indexed by Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA), whereas Hostile Sexism (HS) stems from a competitively driven motivation for intergroup dominance, indexed by Social Dominance Orientation (SDO). In Study 1, meta-analysis indicated that men’s SDO (controlling for RWA) was moderately positively associated with HS (r = .…
Effects of Dangerous and Competitive Worldviews on Right‐Wing Authoritarianism and Social Dominance Orientation over a Five‐Month Period
The cross‐lagged effects of dangerous and competitive social worldviews on Right‐Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) were examined over a five‐month period (N = 165). Analyses indicated that the motivational goal for group‐based dominance and superiority indexed by SDO changed as a function of the degree to which the social world was perceived as a competitive place characterized by inequality and resource scarcity.…
Two Decades of Change in Cultural Values and Economic Development in Eight East Asian and Pacific Island Nations
In a 1982 publication, Ng et al. surveyed the cultural values of select East Asian and Pacific Island nations. In 2002, this study repeated their work, using the same sampling frame, questionnaire, and collaborators, where possible. The authors also reclassified the 1982 and 2002 survey results using Schwartz's cultural-level value dimensions. Submission versus Dionysian values that differentiated the nations in 1982 continued to do so in 2002. F…
The history of the United States cent revealed through copper isotope fractionation
Identity Issues and Challenges Faced by Russian Immigrants in New Zealand
Among the processes cosmopolitan societies undergo at the present moment, is the unprecedented increase in mass migration across cultures. What challenges are faced by both immigrants, who have to settle in novel socio-cultural environments, and by the host populations accepting them? The current qualitative study investigates the nature of identity construction among Russian-speaking immigrants in New Zealand, applying thematic analysis for the …
Individual and cultural variations in direct communication style
Environmental Consequences of the Desire to Dominate and Be Superior
A belief in human dominance over nature lies at the heart of current environmental problems. In this article, we extend the theoretical scope of social dominance theory by arguing that social dominance orientation (SDO) is an important variable in understanding person–environment relations. We argue that individuals high in SDO are more willing to exploit the environment in unsustainable ways because SDO promotes human hierarchical dominance over…
A Dual Process Model of Attitudes towards Immigration: Person × Residential Area Effects in a National Sample
This research took a person × situation approach to predicting prejudice by looking at how social worldviews interact with real‐world environmental factors to predict how people respond to immigrants within their local area. Taking a Dual Process Motivational approach, we hypothesized that a higher proportion of immigrants in the local community would be associated with negative attitudes toward immigration for respondents high in dangerous world…
Social Dominance Orientation and Right‐Wing Authoritarianism: Additive and Interactive Effects on Political Conservatism
It is commonly accepted that social dominance orientation (SDO) and right‐wing authoritarianism (RWA) are potent unique predictors of a variety of prejudice and prejudice‐related constructs. However, contrary to some predictions, there has been little evidence that these constructs interact to produce this outcome—they appear to be additive but not interactive in their prediction of prejudice. We extend the interaction hypothesis to consideration…
Differences and similarities in religious and paranormal beliefs: A typology of distinct faith signatures
We applied latent class analysis (LCA) to derive a statistically reliable typology of religious and paranormal beliefs in a large, diverse sample of New Zealanders (N=4422). We identified five patterns of belief, which we call faith signatures, reflecting distinct combinations of high or low belief in different religious teachings and paranormal phenomena. Although conventional wisdom pits agnostics against religious believers, we found that undi…
Thin and Thinner: Hypothesis-driven Research and the Study of Humans
Some say that researchers who study humans are locked in to frameworks of epistemic assumptions from which there can be no escape. We explain, on the contrary, how researchers who disagree may nevertheless reconcile their differences. Freedom from the epistemic dungeon is made possible by practices that convert beliefs into testable hypotheses, which are then tested. Such practices are the engines of scientific progress. To clarify misunderstandi…
Right-Wing Authoritarianism and Social Dominance Orientation Predict Different Moral Signatures
Age differences in right-wing authoritarianism and their relation to emotion recognition
This study examined the correlates of right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) in older adults. Participants were given tasks measuring emotion recognition, executive functions and fluid IQ and questionnaires measuring RWA, perceived threat and social dominance orientation. Study 1 established higher age-related RWA across the age span in more than 2,600 New Zealanders. Studies 2 to 4 found that threat, education, social dominance and age all predicted …
Psychology (35 works) · Social Psychology (28 works) · Political science (22 works) · Social Psychology (19 works) · Social and Intergroup Psychology (18 works) · Sociology (18 works) · Politics (13 works) · Cultural Differences and Values (11 works) · Law (11 works) · Social dominance orientation (9 works)