1. 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,
Williams, K. D. (1997). Social ostracism. In R. M. Kowalski (Ed.), Aversive Interpersonal Behaviors, pp. ( ). 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,
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).