Emily Kubin
Biographic Data
| ID | 770035 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Emily Kubin |
| GIVEN NAMES | Emily |
| FAMILY NAME | Kubin |
| SIGNATURE | KUBIN E |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Oxford |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0606-8594 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 17 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 17 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Liberals and Conservatives See Different Victims: Moral Disagreement Is Explained by Different Assumptions of Vulnerability
Moral disagreement across politics revolves around the key question, “Who is a victim?” Twelve studies explain moral conflict with assumptions of vulnerability (AoVs) : liberals and conservatives disagree about who is especially vulnerable to victimization, harm, and mistreatment. AoVs predict moral judgments, implicit attitudes, and charitable behavior—and explain the link between ideology and moral judgment (usually better than moral foundation…
The Psychology of Victimhood in the Law
Questions of legal blame and punishment hinge on judgments of victimhood: who is a victim and who is a victimizer? The law presumes that we judge victimhood objectively, but science shows that victimhood relies more on biased perceptions than impartial facts. The disconnect between victimhood in the law versus victimhood in our minds undermines the quest for justice. Here, we review three key psychological principles of victimhood and how they ca…
Claims of Victimhood Shield Politicians from Political Scandals
How Social Media Connects and Divides Us: Psychological Insights and Paths Forward
Social media was once celebrated as a revolutionary space for constructive connection. While it can foster community, amplify marginalised voices and expose users to diverse perspectives, these platforms are also implicated in the rise of polarisation, intergroup conflict and extremist movements. This review examines how social media use can be both beneficial and detrimental, with a focus on the key underlying psychological mechanisms that expla…
Can AI-generated news reduce hostile media perceptions? Findings from two experiments
Introduction The current debate regarding artificial intelligence (AI) raises the question of whether AI-generated news articles on controversial topics can reduce news consumers’ hostile media perceptions (HMP). In addition, there is a debate about people’s prior attitudes toward AI and how it influences people’s perceptions of AI-generated news articles. Methods Based on the theoretical foundation of the MAIN model and the Hostile Media Phenome…
Political censorship feels acceptable when ideas seem harmful and false
People seem willing to censor disagreeable political and moral ideas. Five studies explore why people engage in political censorship and test a potential route to decreasing censorship. While Americans report being generally supportive of free speech and against censorship (Study 1), we find that people censor material that seems harmful and false (Study 2), which are often ideas from political opponents (Study 3). Building on work demonstrating …
Perceiving opponents as self-disclosing bridges partisan divides
Political polarization is driving disconnection and animosity between opponents in the United States. We propose perceiving opponents as self-disclosing helps foster connection and reduce animosity. Building on research demonstrating that self-disclosure fosters interpersonal relationships, we test whether vignettes expressing political views that seem self-disclosing increase connection, respect, and willingness to interact among opponents. Acro…
Understanding news-related user comments and their effects: A systematic review
There has been growing interest in research on news-related user comments. Here we conduct the first systematic review of this literature—quantitatively and qualitatively (248 studies)—that covers the entire communication process (content analyses, surveys, experiments). Results indicate a focus on online news articles ( vs videos) and little consideration for major social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok). Research often assesses incivility in…
The polarizing content warning: How the Media Can Reduce Affective Polarization
Past research suggests that journalists can (unintentionally) exacerbate affective polarization when reporting on growing levels of polarization in society. However, is there a way for journalists to report on the realities of growing political polarization without dividing people further? In our research with five pre-registered experimental studies (N = 3,414), we develop the polarizing content warning which, based on inoculation theory, warns …
Threat Rejection Fuels Political Dehumanization
Americans disagree about many things, including what threats are most pressing. We suggest people morally condemn and dehumanize opponents when they are perceived as rejecting the existence or severity of important perceived threats. We explore perceived “threat rejection” across five studies ( N = 2,404) both in the real-world COVID-19 pandemic and in novel contexts. Americans morally condemned and dehumanized policy opponents when they seemed t…
Reducing Political Dehumanization by Pairing Facts With Personal Experiences
The media is increasingly blamed for inflaming political animosity, but it may also bridge partisan divides—with the right strategies. Past research highlights the outgroup‐experience effect: Sharing personal experiences (and not facts) helps to reduce partisan animosity. However, sharing facts is a pillar of good journalism and is essential for mediated political communication. Across four studies in two countries, we show that journalists, and …
Seeing your life story as a Hero’s Journey increases meaning in life
). Eight studies reveal that the Hero's Journey predicts and can causally increase people's experience of meaning in life. We first distill the Hero's Journey into seven key elements-protagonist, shift, quest, allies, challenge, transformation, legacy-and then develop a new measure that assesses the perceived presence of the Hero's Journey narrative in people's life stories: the Hero's Journey Scale. Using this scale, we find a positive relations…
National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic
Changing collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1, N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors associated with public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., closing bars and restaurants) during …
Predicting attitudinal and behavioral responses to Covid-19 pandemic using machine learning
At the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 became a global problem. Despite all the efforts to emphasize the relevance of preventive measures, not everyone adhered to them. Thus, learning more about the characteristics determining attitudinal and behavioral responses to the pandemic is crucial to improving future interventions. In this study, we applied machine learning on the multi-national data collected by the International Collaboration on the Social…
Personal experiences bridge moral and political divides better than facts
Significance All Americans are affected by rising political polarization, whether because of a gridlocked Congress or antagonistic holiday dinners. People believe that facts are essential for earning the respect of political adversaries, but our research shows that this belief is wrong. We find that sharing personal experiences about a political issue—especially experiences involving harm—help to foster respect via increased perceptions of ration…
The role of (social) media in political polarization: A systematic review
The Role of Religious Orientation in Worldview Conflict
Worldview conflict is a regular part of life. We typically encounter information that disagrees with or disconfirms the way we understand and make sense of the world. People usually respond negatively to such experiences; however, do responses depend, in part, on people’s individual religious beliefs or orientations? We tested whether religious orientation (i.e., intrinsic, quest, religious fundamentalism) and religious involvement moderated the …
Reducing Political Dehumanization by Pairing Facts With Personal Experiences
The media is increasingly blamed for inflaming political animosity, but it may also bridge partisan divides—with the right strategies. Past research highlights the outgroup‐experience effect: Sharing personal experiences (and not facts) helps to reduce partisan animosity. However, sharing facts is a pillar of good journalism and is essential for mediated political communication. Across four studies in two countries, we show that journalists, and …
Political censorship feels acceptable when ideas seem harmful and false
People seem willing to censor disagreeable political and moral ideas. Five studies explore why people engage in political censorship and test a potential route to decreasing censorship. While Americans report being generally supportive of free speech and against censorship (Study 1), we find that people censor material that seems harmful and false (Study 2), which are often ideas from political opponents (Study 3). Building on work demonstrating …
The polarizing content warning: How the Media Can Reduce Affective Polarization
Past research suggests that journalists can (unintentionally) exacerbate affective polarization when reporting on growing levels of polarization in society. However, is there a way for journalists to report on the realities of growing political polarization without dividing people further? In our research with five pre-registered experimental studies (N = 3,414), we develop the polarizing content warning which, based on inoculation theory, warns …
Perceiving opponents as self-disclosing bridges partisan divides
Political polarization is driving disconnection and animosity between opponents in the United States. We propose perceiving opponents as self-disclosing helps foster connection and reduce animosity. Building on research demonstrating that self-disclosure fosters interpersonal relationships, we test whether vignettes expressing political views that seem self-disclosing increase connection, respect, and willingness to interact among opponents. Acro…
Seeing your life story as a Hero’s Journey increases meaning in life
). Eight studies reveal that the Hero's Journey predicts and can causally increase people's experience of meaning in life. We first distill the Hero's Journey into seven key elements-protagonist, shift, quest, allies, challenge, transformation, legacy-and then develop a new measure that assesses the perceived presence of the Hero's Journey narrative in people's life stories: the Hero's Journey Scale. Using this scale, we find a positive relations…
The Role of Religious Orientation in Worldview Conflict
Worldview conflict is a regular part of life. We typically encounter information that disagrees with or disconfirms the way we understand and make sense of the world. People usually respond negatively to such experiences; however, do responses depend, in part, on people’s individual religious beliefs or orientations? We tested whether religious orientation (i.e., intrinsic, quest, religious fundamentalism) and religious involvement moderated the …
The Role of Religious Orientation in Worldview Conflict
Worldview conflict is a regular part of life. We typically encounter information that disagrees with or disconfirms the way we understand and make sense of the world. People usually respond negatively to such experiences; however, do responses depend, in part, on people’s individual religious beliefs or orientations? We tested whether religious orientation (i.e., intrinsic, quest, religious fundamentalism) and religious involvement moderated the …
Personal experiences bridge moral and political divides better than facts
Significance All Americans are affected by rising political polarization, whether because of a gridlocked Congress or antagonistic holiday dinners. People believe that facts are essential for earning the respect of political adversaries, but our research shows that this belief is wrong. We find that sharing personal experiences about a political issue—especially experiences involving harm—help to foster respect via increased perceptions of ration…
The role of (social) media in political polarization: A systematic review
National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic
Changing collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1, N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors associated with public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., closing bars and restaurants) during …
Predicting attitudinal and behavioral responses to Covid-19 pandemic using machine learning
At the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 became a global problem. Despite all the efforts to emphasize the relevance of preventive measures, not everyone adhered to them. Thus, learning more about the characteristics determining attitudinal and behavioral responses to the pandemic is crucial to improving future interventions. In this study, we applied machine learning on the multi-national data collected by the International Collaboration on the Social…
Threat Rejection Fuels Political Dehumanization
Americans disagree about many things, including what threats are most pressing. We suggest people morally condemn and dehumanize opponents when they are perceived as rejecting the existence or severity of important perceived threats. We explore perceived “threat rejection” across five studies ( N = 2,404) both in the real-world COVID-19 pandemic and in novel contexts. Americans morally condemned and dehumanized policy opponents when they seemed t…
Reducing Political Dehumanization by Pairing Facts With Personal Experiences
The media is increasingly blamed for inflaming political animosity, but it may also bridge partisan divides—with the right strategies. Past research highlights the outgroup‐experience effect: Sharing personal experiences (and not facts) helps to reduce partisan animosity. However, sharing facts is a pillar of good journalism and is essential for mediated political communication. Across four studies in two countries, we show that journalists, and …
Seeing your life story as a Hero’s Journey increases meaning in life
). Eight studies reveal that the Hero's Journey predicts and can causally increase people's experience of meaning in life. We first distill the Hero's Journey into seven key elements-protagonist, shift, quest, allies, challenge, transformation, legacy-and then develop a new measure that assesses the perceived presence of the Hero's Journey narrative in people's life stories: the Hero's Journey Scale. Using this scale, we find a positive relations…
Understanding news-related user comments and their effects: A systematic review
There has been growing interest in research on news-related user comments. Here we conduct the first systematic review of this literature—quantitatively and qualitatively (248 studies)—that covers the entire communication process (content analyses, surveys, experiments). Results indicate a focus on online news articles ( vs videos) and little consideration for major social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok). Research often assesses incivility in…
The polarizing content warning: How the Media Can Reduce Affective Polarization
Past research suggests that journalists can (unintentionally) exacerbate affective polarization when reporting on growing levels of polarization in society. However, is there a way for journalists to report on the realities of growing political polarization without dividing people further? In our research with five pre-registered experimental studies (N = 3,414), we develop the polarizing content warning which, based on inoculation theory, warns …
Can AI-generated news reduce hostile media perceptions? Findings from two experiments
Introduction The current debate regarding artificial intelligence (AI) raises the question of whether AI-generated news articles on controversial topics can reduce news consumers’ hostile media perceptions (HMP). In addition, there is a debate about people’s prior attitudes toward AI and how it influences people’s perceptions of AI-generated news articles. Methods Based on the theoretical foundation of the MAIN model and the Hostile Media Phenome…
Political censorship feels acceptable when ideas seem harmful and false
People seem willing to censor disagreeable political and moral ideas. Five studies explore why people engage in political censorship and test a potential route to decreasing censorship. While Americans report being generally supportive of free speech and against censorship (Study 1), we find that people censor material that seems harmful and false (Study 2), which are often ideas from political opponents (Study 3). Building on work demonstrating …
Perceiving opponents as self-disclosing bridges partisan divides
Political polarization is driving disconnection and animosity between opponents in the United States. We propose perceiving opponents as self-disclosing helps foster connection and reduce animosity. Building on research demonstrating that self-disclosure fosters interpersonal relationships, we test whether vignettes expressing political views that seem self-disclosing increase connection, respect, and willingness to interact among opponents. Acro…
Liberals and Conservatives See Different Victims: Moral Disagreement Is Explained by Different Assumptions of Vulnerability
Moral disagreement across politics revolves around the key question, “Who is a victim?” Twelve studies explain moral conflict with assumptions of vulnerability (AoVs) : liberals and conservatives disagree about who is especially vulnerable to victimization, harm, and mistreatment. AoVs predict moral judgments, implicit attitudes, and charitable behavior—and explain the link between ideology and moral judgment (usually better than moral foundation…
The Psychology of Victimhood in the Law
Questions of legal blame and punishment hinge on judgments of victimhood: who is a victim and who is a victimizer? The law presumes that we judge victimhood objectively, but science shows that victimhood relies more on biased perceptions than impartial facts. The disconnect between victimhood in the law versus victimhood in our minds undermines the quest for justice. Here, we review three key psychological principles of victimhood and how they ca…
Claims of Victimhood Shield Politicians from Political Scandals
How Social Media Connects and Divides Us: Psychological Insights and Paths Forward
Social media was once celebrated as a revolutionary space for constructive connection. While it can foster community, amplify marginalised voices and expose users to diverse perspectives, these platforms are also implicated in the rise of polarisation, intergroup conflict and extremist movements. This review examines how social media use can be both beneficial and detrimental, with a focus on the key underlying psychological mechanisms that expla…
Psychology (10 works) · Political science (8 works) · Politics (8 works) · Social and Intergroup Psychology (7 works) · Social Psychology (7 works) · Misinformation and Its Impacts (5 works) · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment (5 works) · Social Psychology (5 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Law (4 works)