Naive definitions of action and inaction:the continuum, spread, and valence of behaviors

McCulloch, Kathleen C. and Li, Hong and Hong, Sungjin and Albarracin, Dolores (2012) Naive definitions of action and inaction:the continuum, spread, and valence of behaviors. European Journal of Social Psychology, 42 (2). pp. 227-234. ISSN 0046-2772

Abstract

The cohesiveness of a society depends, in part, on how its individual members manage their daily activities with respect to the goals of that society. Hence, there should be a degree of social agreement on what constitutes action and what constitutes inaction. The present research investigated the structure of action and inaction definitions, the evaluation of action versus inaction, and individual differences in these evaluations. Actioninaction ratings of behaviors and states showed more social agreement at the ends of the inactionaction continuum than at the middle, suggesting a socially shared construal of this definition. Actioninaction ratings were also shown to correlate with the valence of the rated behaviors, such that the more active the behavior, the more positive its valence. Lastly, individual differences in locomotion, need for closure, and Christian religious beliefs correlated positively with a preference for action. Copyright (c) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.