Zachary Hohman, Elizabeth Niedbala, & Ethan Dahl The Benefits of Being Ignored: The Effects of Ostracism and Inclusion on Identification and Fundamental Needs Zachary Hohman, Elizabeth Niedbala, & Ethan Dahl Department of Psychological Sciences, Texas Tech University Introduction Method & Results Conclusions PROCEDURE Participants told they were playing with same team across two rounds Time 1-Cyberball, DV Surveys; Time 2-Cyberball, DV Surveys HYPOTHESES Fulfilment of individuals’ fundamental needs and group identification will differ across the four conditions of inclusion and ostracism OSTRACISM Ostracism leads to aversive emotional, physical, and psychological consequences Specifically reduces four fundamental needs: Belongingness, Self-Esteem, Control, Meaningful Existence THE CURRENT STUDY Investigate fulfillment of fundamental needs, identification, and feelings of inclusion across crossed inclusion-ostracism design Two successive rounds of Cyberball 4 conditions: inclusion-inclusion, inclusion- ostracism, ostracism-inclusion, ostracism- ostracism DISCUSSION This is the first study to observe social ostracism over two subsequent rounds of Cyberball Allows us to assess changes in feelings of exclusion over time Being ostracized first and then accepted leads to more positive feelings about oneself and the group compared to being included all along Implications for recruitment strategies used in the group context Next step: Observe changes in risk-taking behavior following social ostracism Selected References Hohman, Z. P., & Hogg, M. A. (2015). Fearing the uncertain: Self-uncertainty plays a role in mortality salience. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 57, 31-42. Williams, K. D. (1997). Social ostracism. In R. M. Kowalski (Ed.), Aversive Interpersonal Behaviors, pp. (133-170). New York: Plenum Press. Williams, K. D., Cheung, C. K., & Choi, W. (2000). Cyberostracism: effects of being ignored over the Internet. Journal of personality and social psychology, 79, 748. Wirth, J. H., & Williams, K. D. (2009). They don't like our kind': Consequences of being ostracized while possessing a group membership. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 12, 111-127. One-way MANOVA reveled a significant multivariate effect-Wilks’ Lambda F(3,165 ) = 6.94, p < .001, ηp2 = .233 Identification with the group significantly increased (p < .001) and decreased (p < .001) for those in crossed conditions Method PARTICIPANTS N = 168, Mturk workers Sex: 57.7% Female Age: M = 31.35, SD = 11.09 Ethnicity: 78.6% Caucasian MATERIALS Cyberball: Served as manipulation of inclusion and ostracism DEPENDENT MEASURES Belonging (e.g., I felt “disconnected”) Self-esteem (e.g., I felt insecure) Meaningful existence (e.g., I felt invisible) Control (e.g., I felt the other players decided everything) Identification (e.g., How strongly do you identify with being a part of your group?) At Time 2, those first ostracized and then included were significantly higher than those included then included on Belonging (p < .001), Self-Esteem (p = .013), Meaningful Existence (p = .001), Control (p < .001), and Identification (p = .004).