The Impact Of Belief In A Just World And Cognitive Style On Innocent Victim-blaming

When the belief in a just world is threatened, people maybe show irrational behavior suchlike blaming innocent victims. The article examines the impact of belief in a just world andcognitive style on innocent victim-blaming. Meanwhile, this research also expanded theresearch in the field of belief in a just world.Embedded Figures Test, the Cognitive Style Analysis System, and just world beliefs threatsoperation was used to examine the cognitive style, belief in a just world and the impact oninnocent victims-blaming.In experiment1,field independent and field dependent cognitive style and just world beliefsthreats were used to explore the impact of cognitive style and belief in a just world onreaction of people to blame. The results showed that:(1) There’s no significant effect ofcognitive style on behavior of blaming the innocent victims, just world beliefs have asignificant effect on innocent victims blaming;(2) for field dependent individual, the level ofjust world beliefs have no impact on people’s blaming reaction. For field independentindividual, high belief in a just world individual will be more blaming the innocent victims.In experiment2,a holistic-analytic cognitive style and just world beliefs threats operationwas used to examine the cognitive style, belief in a just world and the impact on innocentvictim-blaming. The results showed that:(1) holistic-analytic cognitive style and just worldbeliefs have an impact on innocent victims;(2)For people with the holistic cognitive style,level of just world beliefs have no effect on innocent victim-blaming., For people with theanalytic cognitive style, high belief in a just world individual will be more blaming theinnocent victims.Experiment3using the implicit method to explore the impact of cognitive style and justworld beliefs on people’s blaming reaction. Results were consistent with experiment2.Conclusions as follows:1.A just world beliefs will affect the people’s blaming on innocent victims, compared withlow just world beliefs threat condition, people in high just world beliefs threat conditionswould blame the innocent victims more serious.2. Individual differences in field independent and field dependent cognitive style don’t affectthe blaming response of people.3. A holistic-analytic cognitive style individual differences affect people’s blaming reaction, analytical cognitive style individuals blame innocent victims more serious.4.For field dependent individual, the level of just world beliefs have no impact on people’sblaming reaction. For field independent individual, high belief in a just world individual willbe more blaming the innocent victims.