Collaborative Research: Affective, Cognitive and Social Consequences of Death-Related Thought

我们将进行一系列的实验，以探索在先前的恐怖管理研究中证明的与死亡有关的思想的影响背后的心理过程。拟议的研究将：(a)探索内隐情感（即与情感相关的认知结构的激活，而没有直接的主观情感经验）在死亡相关思想对社会行为的影响中的中介作用；(b)探索死亡相关思想对新信息和经验与现有心理结构创造性整合的影响，重点是这些过程在社会刻板印象和自我概念的稳定和变化中的作用；(c)调查少数群体成员和与主流文化疏远的人抵御与死亡有关的思想的其他方式。本研究对理解无意识心理防御、刻板印象、个体自我概念的变化与成长、少数群体与主流文化的异化以及与越轨亚群体（如帮派）的联系具有重要意义。

A series of experiments will be conducted to explore the psychological processes underlying the effects of death-related thought demonstrated in previous terror management research. The proposed research will: (a) explore the role of implicit affect (i.e., the activation of cognitive structures associated with affect without the direct subjective experience of emotion) in mediating the effects of death-related thought on social behavior, (b) explore the effect of death-related thought on the creative integration of new information and experience with existing psychological structures, with emphasis on the role of these processes in the stability and change of social stereotypes and self-concepts, and (c) investigate alternative ways in which members of minority groups and people alienated from the mainstream culture defend against death-related thoughts. The proposed research has important implications for understanding unconscious psychological defense, stereotyping, change and growth in the individual self-concept, minority alienation with the mainstream culture, and affiliation with deviant subgroups, such as gangs.