@article{AbendrothNaurothRichteretal.2022,
  author    = {Abendroth, Johanna and Nauroth, Peter and Richter, Tobias and Gollwitzer, Mario},
  title     = {Non-strategic detection of identity-threatening information: Epistemic validation and identity defense may share a common cognitive basis},
  series = {PLoS ONE},
  volume    = {17},
  journal   = {PLoS ONE},
  number    = {1},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0261535},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-301019},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Readers use prior knowledge to evaluate the validity of statements and detect false information without effort and strategic control. The present study expands this research by exploring whether people also non-strategically detect information that threatens their social identity. Participants (N = 77) completed a task in which they had to respond to a "True" or "False" probe after reading true, false, identity-threatening, or non-threatening sentences. Replicating previous studies, participants reacted more slowly to a positive probe ("True") after reading false (vs. true) sentences. Notably, participants also reacted more slowly to a positive probe after reading identity-threatening (vs. non-threatening) sentences. These results provide first evidence that identity-threatening information, just as false information, is detected at a very early stage of information processing and lends support to the notion of a routine, non-strategic identity-defense mechanism.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{EderMitschkeGollwitzer2020,
  author    = {Eder, Andreas B. and Mitschke, Vanessa and Gollwitzer, Mario},
  title     = {What stops revenge taking? Effects of observed emotional reactions on revenge seeking},
  series = {Aggressive Behavior},
  volume    = {46},
  journal   = {Aggressive Behavior},
  number    = {4},
  doi       = {10.1002/ab.21890},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-214686},
  pages     = {305 -- 316},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {What reaction stops revenge taking? Four experiments (total N = 191) examined this question where the victim of an interpersonal transgression could observe the offender's reaction (anger, sadness, pain, or calm) to a retributive noise punishment. We compared the punishment intensity selected by the participant before and after seeing the offender's reaction. Seeing the opponent in pain reduced subsequent punishment most strongly, while displays of sadness and verbal indications of suffering had no appeasing effect. Expression of anger about a retributive punishment did not increase revenge seeking relative to a calm reaction, even when the anger response was disambiguated as being angry with the punisher. It is concluded that the expression of pain is the most effective emotional display for the reduction of retaliatory aggression. The findings are discussed in light of recent research on reactive aggression and retributive justice.},
  language  = {en}
}