Nicholas DiFonzo | Roberts Wesleyan University (original) (raw)
Uploads
Papers by Nicholas DiFonzo
Social Influence, 2016
Abstract Research on the illusory truth effect has found that repeated presentation of uncertain ... more Abstract Research on the illusory truth effect has found that repeated presentation of uncertain statements increases validity judgments of those statements. Three experiments explored the shape of the repetition–validity–judgment relationship over multiple repetitions, the mediating role of processing fluency, and the moderating role of dispositional skepticism. Participants read narratives in which different rumors were repeated 0–6 or 0–9 times; validity estimates, processing fluency, and dispositional skepticism were also measured. Validity judgments were logarithmically related to repetitions; this effect was mediated by processing fluency, and moderated slightly by skepticism. Results explore the boundaries of the processing fluency contrast account of the illusory truth effect, suggest a minor role for skepticism, and inform research on belief in rumor (uncertain statements in circulation).
Rumor psychology: Social and organizational approaches.
Rumor psychology: Social and organizational approaches.
Rumor psychology: Social and organizational approaches.
Rumor psychology: Social and organizational approaches., 2007
Rumor psychology: Social and organizational approaches.
Human Resource Management, 1998
Ineffective strategies of communicating about organizational change (e.g., corporate restructurin... more Ineffective strategies of communicating about organizational change (e.g., corporate restructuring, mergers, downsizing) are earmarked by the presence of pervasive rumors that flourish in a climate of uncertainty. Using 15 structured field interviews with management and public relations personnel from multinational corporations, this article posits that successful programs of change communication hinge upon the proper management of uncertainty associated with change. Two detailed case studies are highlighted as opposing illustrations of change communication tactics that succeeded and failed. Effective change communication campaigns tend to reveal rather than conceal, reduce uncertainty through collective planning, and proactively establish and maintain trust. 1. .. the key element distinguishing effective communication strategies is the proper management of uncertainty. NICHOLAS DIFONZO earned a Ph.D. in social and organizational psychology from Temple University, Philadelphia, and is currently assistant professor of psychology at Rochester Institute of Technology. He teaches courses in industrial/organizational psychology, judgment and decision-making, and inferential statistics. His interests include a variety of issues related to the study of rumor, including organizational rumor management, the accuracy of rumors, and how groups use rumors in sensemaking, as well as the use of dynamic computer simulation environments in training and research.
Diogène, 2006
Tous droits réservés pour tous pays. La reproduction ou représentation de cet article, notamment ... more Tous droits réservés pour tous pays. La reproduction ou représentation de cet article, notamment par photocopie, n'est autorisée que dans les limites des conditions générales d'utilisation du site ou, le cas échéant, des conditions générales de la licence souscrite par votre établissement. Toute autre reproduction ou représentation, en tout ou partie, sous quelque forme et de quelque manière que ce soit, est interdite sauf accord préalable et écrit de l'éditeur, en dehors des cas prévus par la législation en vigueur en France. Il est précisé que son stockage dans une base de données est également interdit.
Journal of Business Ethics
Using forgiveness theory, we investigated the effects of organizational apology and restitution o... more Using forgiveness theory, we investigated the effects of organizational apology and restitution on eliciting forgiveness of a transgressing organization after transactional psychological contract breach. Forgiveness theory proposes that victims are more likely to forgive offenders when victims’ positive offender-oriented emotions replace negative ones. Three pre-post laboratory experiments, using vignettes about a broken promise of financial aid, found that while apology-alone and restitution-alone each increased likelihood of forgiving, restitution-alone was the more effective of the two responses. When combined with an apology, restitution boosted the effect of apology-alone. However, restitution was unnecessary if positive emotions replaced negative ones; third-party blame accomplished this negative-to-positive emotion replacement. Consistent with forgiveness theory, offender-oriented negative-to-positive emotion replacement partially mediated all effects, and negative emotion reductions were strongly correlated with positive emotion gains. We discuss implications for the repair of damaged norms and relationships within an organizational community. These include reparative effects of apology and restitution, dual-process conceptions of violation and repair, repair after psychological contract breach, and emotion replacement models of forgiveness.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1521 Soco 2014 32 5 409, Sep 23, 2014
Nonlinear Dynamics Psychology and Life Sciences, Apr 1, 2013
A two-step agent-based mathematical model of negative rumor spread in the context of conflicting ... more A two-step agent-based mathematical model of negative rumor spread in the context of conflicting groups is presented. The GBN-Dialogue model builds on rumor theory, focuses on person-to-person interaction characteristics, and is dynamical. The model first estimates the probability of rumor transmission between two persons based on their transmission motivation (which is a function of their Group (G) memberships), the strengths of their belief (B) in the rumor, and the Novelty (N) of the rumor for each person. Psychological and sociological research informs this Transmission Probability Function. In the second step, belief levels and rumor novelty of each participant change as a result of rumor transmission and time; literature on attitude change guides these updating functions. Empirical support is presented by comparing rumor transmission literature with results of Monte Carlo simulations on different network topologies. The validity of the model's assumptions is addressed by comparison with simpler and more complex alternatives. 1 2
Australian Journal of Psychology, 2003
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Temple University, 1994. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 1... more Thesis (Ph. D.)--Temple University, 1994. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-149).
Politicians do it, corporations do it, and defendants in court do it. Many social encounters invo... more Politicians do it, corporations do it, and defendants in court do it. Many social encounters involve denials of rumours or accusations of wrongdoing. However, denials are not always effective. Sometimes, denials lead to an even more negative evaluation of the target of the rumour (in other words, the denial 'boomerangs'). We argue that this is more likely to happen in situations where people only hear the denial and are not aware of the rumour. Denial in the absence of a rumour leads to uncertainty about the reasons for the denial and the audience attributes the denial to internal reasons ('there must be something wrong about you') instead of external masons ('you are just responding to false rumours'). We conducted two studies comparing conditions involving denial in the presence of a rumour (rumour + denial) versus denial in the absence of a rumour (denial only). Study 1 found greater uncertainty about the reasons for denial and negative evaluation of the r...
Social Influence, 2016
Abstract Research on the illusory truth effect has found that repeated presentation of uncertain ... more Abstract Research on the illusory truth effect has found that repeated presentation of uncertain statements increases validity judgments of those statements. Three experiments explored the shape of the repetition–validity–judgment relationship over multiple repetitions, the mediating role of processing fluency, and the moderating role of dispositional skepticism. Participants read narratives in which different rumors were repeated 0–6 or 0–9 times; validity estimates, processing fluency, and dispositional skepticism were also measured. Validity judgments were logarithmically related to repetitions; this effect was mediated by processing fluency, and moderated slightly by skepticism. Results explore the boundaries of the processing fluency contrast account of the illusory truth effect, suggest a minor role for skepticism, and inform research on belief in rumor (uncertain statements in circulation).
Rumor psychology: Social and organizational approaches.
Rumor psychology: Social and organizational approaches.
Rumor psychology: Social and organizational approaches.
Rumor psychology: Social and organizational approaches., 2007
Rumor psychology: Social and organizational approaches.
Human Resource Management, 1998
Ineffective strategies of communicating about organizational change (e.g., corporate restructurin... more Ineffective strategies of communicating about organizational change (e.g., corporate restructuring, mergers, downsizing) are earmarked by the presence of pervasive rumors that flourish in a climate of uncertainty. Using 15 structured field interviews with management and public relations personnel from multinational corporations, this article posits that successful programs of change communication hinge upon the proper management of uncertainty associated with change. Two detailed case studies are highlighted as opposing illustrations of change communication tactics that succeeded and failed. Effective change communication campaigns tend to reveal rather than conceal, reduce uncertainty through collective planning, and proactively establish and maintain trust. 1. .. the key element distinguishing effective communication strategies is the proper management of uncertainty. NICHOLAS DIFONZO earned a Ph.D. in social and organizational psychology from Temple University, Philadelphia, and is currently assistant professor of psychology at Rochester Institute of Technology. He teaches courses in industrial/organizational psychology, judgment and decision-making, and inferential statistics. His interests include a variety of issues related to the study of rumor, including organizational rumor management, the accuracy of rumors, and how groups use rumors in sensemaking, as well as the use of dynamic computer simulation environments in training and research.
Diogène, 2006
Tous droits réservés pour tous pays. La reproduction ou représentation de cet article, notamment ... more Tous droits réservés pour tous pays. La reproduction ou représentation de cet article, notamment par photocopie, n'est autorisée que dans les limites des conditions générales d'utilisation du site ou, le cas échéant, des conditions générales de la licence souscrite par votre établissement. Toute autre reproduction ou représentation, en tout ou partie, sous quelque forme et de quelque manière que ce soit, est interdite sauf accord préalable et écrit de l'éditeur, en dehors des cas prévus par la législation en vigueur en France. Il est précisé que son stockage dans une base de données est également interdit.
Journal of Business Ethics
Using forgiveness theory, we investigated the effects of organizational apology and restitution o... more Using forgiveness theory, we investigated the effects of organizational apology and restitution on eliciting forgiveness of a transgressing organization after transactional psychological contract breach. Forgiveness theory proposes that victims are more likely to forgive offenders when victims’ positive offender-oriented emotions replace negative ones. Three pre-post laboratory experiments, using vignettes about a broken promise of financial aid, found that while apology-alone and restitution-alone each increased likelihood of forgiving, restitution-alone was the more effective of the two responses. When combined with an apology, restitution boosted the effect of apology-alone. However, restitution was unnecessary if positive emotions replaced negative ones; third-party blame accomplished this negative-to-positive emotion replacement. Consistent with forgiveness theory, offender-oriented negative-to-positive emotion replacement partially mediated all effects, and negative emotion reductions were strongly correlated with positive emotion gains. We discuss implications for the repair of damaged norms and relationships within an organizational community. These include reparative effects of apology and restitution, dual-process conceptions of violation and repair, repair after psychological contract breach, and emotion replacement models of forgiveness.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1521 Soco 2014 32 5 409, Sep 23, 2014
Nonlinear Dynamics Psychology and Life Sciences, Apr 1, 2013
A two-step agent-based mathematical model of negative rumor spread in the context of conflicting ... more A two-step agent-based mathematical model of negative rumor spread in the context of conflicting groups is presented. The GBN-Dialogue model builds on rumor theory, focuses on person-to-person interaction characteristics, and is dynamical. The model first estimates the probability of rumor transmission between two persons based on their transmission motivation (which is a function of their Group (G) memberships), the strengths of their belief (B) in the rumor, and the Novelty (N) of the rumor for each person. Psychological and sociological research informs this Transmission Probability Function. In the second step, belief levels and rumor novelty of each participant change as a result of rumor transmission and time; literature on attitude change guides these updating functions. Empirical support is presented by comparing rumor transmission literature with results of Monte Carlo simulations on different network topologies. The validity of the model's assumptions is addressed by comparison with simpler and more complex alternatives. 1 2
Australian Journal of Psychology, 2003
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Temple University, 1994. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 1... more Thesis (Ph. D.)--Temple University, 1994. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-149).
Politicians do it, corporations do it, and defendants in court do it. Many social encounters invo... more Politicians do it, corporations do it, and defendants in court do it. Many social encounters involve denials of rumours or accusations of wrongdoing. However, denials are not always effective. Sometimes, denials lead to an even more negative evaluation of the target of the rumour (in other words, the denial 'boomerangs'). We argue that this is more likely to happen in situations where people only hear the denial and are not aware of the rumour. Denial in the absence of a rumour leads to uncertainty about the reasons for the denial and the audience attributes the denial to internal reasons ('there must be something wrong about you') instead of external masons ('you are just responding to false rumours'). We conducted two studies comparing conditions involving denial in the presence of a rumour (rumour + denial) versus denial in the absence of a rumour (denial only). Study 1 found greater uncertainty about the reasons for denial and negative evaluation of the r...