Spring Term 2003
RESEARCH METHODS II

Module 3

PREDICTORS OF THE BELIEF IN A 'JUST WORLD'

Lerner's "just world hypothesis" was originally formulated as a particular cognitive dissonance state, which occurs in situations involving violations of justice. It states that people need to believe that their environment is a just and orderly place where people usually get what they deserve (Lerner 1970, 1974, 1977, 1980). When witnessing unjust suffering, they are motivated to restore justice which can be done by helping the victim in some form, but if this is not possible people will switch to blaming the victims, either because of their "bad" acts or their "bad" character. This notion of victim derogation was examined in a classic study by Lerner & Simmons (1966), but a number of later studies have questioned these findings. Later developments include the application of the "just world" hypothesis to understanding the perception of rape victims and to understanding victims' own reactions to their fate. More recently, research has focused on the question of "who believes in a just world" (BJW). 

In this module we will focus on the question of whether all individuals believe in a just world to the same extent - or whether there are predictable differences between groups of individuals.  For example, perhaps men have higher BJW scores than women - or vice versa. Or perhaps people from different countries differ in the extent to which they believe in a just world. These questions fall within the study of individual differences, which asks what makes groups of people (or individuals) differ from one another.  (Most of the research you have looked at so far in your degree has investigated the psychological mechanisms that people have in common rather than how people differ.) 

In this module you will examine how well two different variables of your choice predict a person's belief in a just world. The statistical technique we will use to answer this question is called multiple regression. Multiple regression is very useful when you want to test how one continuous variable (e.g., height) varies with the levels of other continuous predictor variables (e.g., weight and age). You will select two continuous variables and choose a method of measuring them (e.g., a questionnaire already in the literature). You will also give each of your subjects the standard questionnaire that measures Belief in a Just World (BJW). Your task is to design a study to ask how well the predictors are able to predict each subject's BJW score, using multiple regression. 

Rubin, Z. & Peplau, A. (1975). Who believes in a just world? Journal of Social Issues, 31(3), 65-89. 

Lerner, M.J. & Miller, D.T. (1978). Just world research and the attribution process: Looking back and ahead. Psychological Bulletin, 85, 1030-1051. 

Furnham, A. & Procter, E. (1989). Belief in a just world: Review and critique of the individual difference literature. British Journal of Social Psychology, 28(4), 365- 384). 

 (a) Statements of Lerner's "just world hypothesis" and criticisms 

Lerner, M.J., Miller, D.T. & Holmes, J.G. (1976). Deserving and the emergence of forms of justice. In L. Berkowitz (ed), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Vol. 9. New York: Academic Press. 

Lerner, M.J. (1980). The Belief in a Just World: A Fundamental Delusion. New York: Plenum Press. 

Aderman, D., Brehm, S.S. & Katz, L.B. (1974). Empathic observation of an innocent victim: The just world revisited? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 29, 342-347. 

Cialdini, R.B., Kenrick, D.T. & Hoerig, J.H. (1976). Victim derogation in the Lerner paradigm: Just world or just justification?  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 33, 719-724. 

Furnham, A. & Gunter, B. (1984). Just World beliefs and attitudes towards the poor.  British Journal of Social Psychology, 23, 265-269. 

Furnham, A. (1985). Just world beliefs in an unjust society: A cross-cultural comparison.  European Journal of Social Psychology, 15(3), 363-366. 

Comer, R. & Laird, J.D. (1975). Choosing to suffer as a consequence of expecting to suffer: Why do people do it?  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32, 92-101. 

Bulman, R.J. & Wortman, C.B. (1977). Attributions of blame and coping in the "real world": Severe accident victims react to their lot.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35, 351-363. 

Hafer, C.L. & Olson, J.M. (1989). Beliefs in a just world and reactions to personal deprivation.  Journal of Personality, 57(4), 799-823. 

Jones, C. & Aronson, E. (1973). Attribution of fault to a rape victim as a function of respectability of the victim.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 26, 415-419.