Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Social Proof

Social proof is a form of persuasion based on comparison and conformity. People compare their behavior and actions to what others are doing and will change to conform to do what their peers do.

Robbers Cave

Robbers Cave

During the 1950s, the landmark Robbers Cave experiment demonstrated that when groups must compete with one another, intergroup conflict, hostility, and even violence may result. At the Oklahoman summer camp, two troops of boys—termed the Rattlers and the Eagles—took part in a week-long tournament. During this time, their negativity culminated in derogatory name-calling, fistfights, and even vandalism and destruction of property. However, this work also revealed that such tension...

Cognitivism

Cognitivism

Cognitive psychology emerged as a significant field in the mid-20th century. It focused on understanding humans' internal mental processes. This approach emphasizes how people perceive, remember, think, and solve problems—elements critical to human cognition.
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBTs) are grounded in the belief that our thoughts profoundly influence our emotions and actions. Advocates of CBT emphasize three core assumptions: first, that cognitions are identifiable and measurable; second, that they are central to psychological functioning; and third, that irrational or maladaptive beliefs can be replaced with rational and adaptive ones. This transformative approach to therapy has paved the way for specific models such as Albert...

Language and Cognition

Language and Cognition

Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.

Cognitive Theories: Lazarus Mediational Theory of Emotion

Cognitive Theories: Lazarus Mediational Theory of Emotion

Richard Lazarus' cognitive mediational theory highlights the pivotal role of cognitive appraisal in shaping emotional responses. According to this theory, the evaluation of a stimulus — based on personal values, goals, beliefs, and expectations — mediates the emotional response. This appraisal process is immediate and often occurs unconsciously, influencing the intensity and nature of the resulting emotion.
Cognitive Appraisal and Emotional Response
Lazarus proposed that...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

People in more individualist cultures are more motivated to make others feel better.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Violence is not a monolith: Ecologies of threat and their psychological signatures.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026

Same author

An ethnography of relationships in societies high in relational mobility.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026

Same author

Gender equality predicts female overrepresentation only in competitive domains where they have a relative advantage over males.

PNAS nexus·2026

Same author

Effects of survey administration mode on response profiles are predictable, and robust across countries: Evidence from 29 countries using machine-learning models.

PloS one·2025

Same author

Value endorsement among Protestants and Catholics within and between countries in Europe: Implications for individualism.

Journal of personality and social psychology·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 15, 2025

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Published on: September 28, 2018

In their God we trust: Religious cognition increases cooperation across religious divides.

Michael H Pasek¹, Allon Vishkin², Anne Lehner³

¹Department of Psychology, University of Illinois Chicago.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

|July 17, 2025

Summary

Thinking about moralizing Gods increases trust and cooperation, not just within religious groups but also between different religious communities. This cross-cultural research shows religion can bridge divides.

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Exploring Dynamic Neural Changes Associated with Religious Chanting

Author Spotlight: Exploring Dynamic Neural Changes Associated with Religious Chanting

Published on: May 31, 2024

Modulation of the Neurophysiological Response to Fearful and Stressful Stimuli Through Repetitive Religious Chanting

Modulation of the Neurophysiological Response to Fearful and Stressful Stimuli Through Repetitive Religious Chanting

Published on: November 4, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 15, 2025

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Published on: September 28, 2018

Author Spotlight: Exploring Dynamic Neural Changes Associated with Religious Chanting

Author Spotlight: Exploring Dynamic Neural Changes Associated with Religious Chanting

Published on: May 31, 2024

Modulation of the Neurophysiological Response to Fearful and Stressful Stimuli Through Repetitive Religious Chanting

Modulation of the Neurophysiological Response to Fearful and Stressful Stimuli Through Repetitive Religious Chanting

Published on: November 4, 2021

Area of Science:

Psychology
Sociology
Religious Studies

Background:

Belief in moralizing Gods is theorized to promote cooperation within religious groups.
There is ongoing debate about whether this cooperative effect extends to intergroup relations.
Understanding the impact of religious cognition on intergroup cooperation is crucial for diverse societies.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether belief in moralizing Gods influences cooperation between religious ingroups and outgroups.
To examine if thinking about God enhances trustworthiness and cooperative behavior in cross-cultural contexts.

Main Methods:

Conducted three preregistered, cross-cultural studies with 1,784 participants (Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus).
Utilized two-player trust games with real monetary stakes.
Manipulated the salience of moralizing God beliefs and participant's religious group affiliation (ingroup vs. outgroup).

Main Results:

Participants who considered God behaved more trustworthily toward both ingroup and outgroup members.
Participants were more trusted by both their own religious group and other religious groups when God beliefs were salient.
Salient moralizing God beliefs consistently enhanced both intragroup and intergroup cooperation across diverse cultural settings.

Conclusions:

Belief in moralizing Gods can foster cooperation across religious divides, extending beyond ingroup interactions.
Religious cognition has the potential to promote moral norms and cooperation between different religious communities.
Findings have implications for understanding the evolution of moralizing deities and promoting religious pluralism.