Last month, Marina, a second-year PhD student in the FF-TIP Lab, had the opportunity to present during the Oakland University Psychology Department’s Research Series. This series allows for students and faculty to share ongoing research projects and interests with the department and get constructive feedback to support further development. The presentation, titled “Perceptions and Reactions of Social Withdrawal,” focused on data from Marina’s master’s thesis.
Marina began her presentation by defining her primary constructs of social withdrawal and ostracism and highlighting the current frameworks that are used to explain these processes. However, she highlighted that there is a lack of understanding of how culture influences this process. Addressing this gap, Marina proposed a new model in which social withdrawal and ostracism occur based on cultural orientation, norm violations, and feelings of anger or disgust.
The study employed a mixed design, in which participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups, each using vignettes to target different levels of group orientation. Marina reported very thought-provoking results, suggesting that participants’ emotional responses vary by their country of origin. Additionally, she reported that social violations were more likely to be perceived amongst those who were more collectivistic.
It was great to see such interest across the department as they posed many questions and supportive statements. Marina was so grateful for all the feedback, and we are excited to see how she chooses to incorporate it. Great work, Marina!
FF-TIP LAB 