Project

The relationship between disgust sensitivity and aggressive tendencies against out-groups. A factorial survey experiment.

Code
G0A1625N
Duration
01 January 2025 → 31 December 2027
Funding
Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
Promotor-spokesperson
Research disciplines
  • Social sciences
    • Research methods and experimental design
    • Causes and prevention of crime
    • Criminological theories
    • Social behaviour and social action
Keywords
disgust sensitivity theory-testing criminal decision-making
 
Project description

This research investigates the link between disgust sensitivity and aggressive tendencies against out-groups, addressing a significant gap in existing literature. Out-groups are often seen as threatening, fostering prejudice and potentially mobilizing aggression. Disgust sensitivity, a core human emotion, is believed to shape social judgment, including prejudice, and behavior, yet its relationship with out-group aggression remains underexplored. This research aims to fill this gap by examining the relationships between disgust sensitivity, out-group aggressive tendencies, and key explanatory variables from criminological and social-psychological literature such as integrated social threat, interpersonal contact theory, and dual process of ideology and prejudice. Building on the theory of crime resistance and susceptibility (TCRS), augmented with the concept of social concern, an integrated model is proposed and tested. Data will be collected from a community-wide sample via a randomized survey experiment, manipulating target of aggression and intensity of provocation. The project's novelty lies in its integrative approach to understanding ingroup-outgroup dynamics, crucial for addressing societal challenges of conflict and cohesion. The project aims to advance knowledge in prevention strategies. A deeper understanding of the impact of disgust sensitivity has the potential to channel fundamental tribal tendencies into mitigating instances of aggressive out-group victimization.