Antonio Aquino, Chieti-Pescara University (Italy)

I am Antonio Aquino, post-doc researcher at Chieti-Pescara University (Italy), and EASP member since 2014. During the days of the congress, I unfortunately went unemployed and, not being able to count on other economic resources, I was very sad at the idea of having to give up the European Meeting after so many years of waiting (considering also the Covid break). But thanks to the GM Travel Grant I was able to attend this event where I presented a blitz talk on matching effect toward lockdown communication. It was great to be able to present and more importantly to have the opportunity to meet with all my EASP colleagues. I thank from the bottom of my heart the EASP committee for allowing me to take part in this event. In my opinion, as social psychologists, the reciprocal support in difficulties time is the core of social psychology.

Carina Hörst, University of Sussex (United Kingdom)

In March 2023, I was awarded the EASP travel grant, enabling me to participate in the General Meeting in Krakow, Poland. In Krakow, I shared parts of my PhD research project. Using the social identity approach and key political events as triggers, I had been examining perceptions of power among and attributed to far-right street activists. Specifically, I presented insights into how far-right mobilization can translate into public support by experimentally exploring how (un)interrupted mobilization influences people who are not (yet) involved. I explained how disruption, whilst not eliminating, had a buffering effect on support intentions.

I presented this study during the Blitz session on “Polarization” which I also had the honour of chairing. The session featured a range of great speakers and highly relevant topics, and to our all excitement, it attracted so much interest that it filled the entire lecture hall to maximum capacity. The conference was thus a great place to share my research, network, and grow as a presenter.

Not surprisingly, I left Krakow on a high and I felt incredibly grateful for having been given the chance to attend the General Meeting. However, being back home, I quickly realized that others had not been so lucky; some researchers from overseas publicly shared their regret and frustration at having been denied a visa that would have enabled them to come to Poland, and sadly not having been allowed to attend the conference remotely either.

The following refers to many if not most conference organizers, so the EASP General Meeting is only one example: It pains me that remote conference attendance and participation are seemingly no longer considered viable (normal?) options, despite the pandemic demonstrating the inclusivity and cost-effectiveness of this option. Surely, in-person conferences are a fantastic opportunity and remote attendance is a restricted experience of such events. However, what may be presumably “back to normal” for some researchers, can exclude others. It was not without reason that I had to seek financial aid myself; especially for early-career researchers, conferences often come with high financial costs, logistical obstacles, or both.

Whilst I am incredibly grateful for being awarded the travel grant, I believe we need even better inclusivity when it comes to academic conferences. We should eliminate barriers wherever possible, ensuring that everyone has a chance to contribute to great events such as Krakow 2023 – may it be in-person or remotely. These efforts would not only benefit individual researchers but also enrich academia with the most diverse, creative, and energetic perspectives.

Daniela Fernández, The George Washington University (United States)

I have the opportunity of participating in the EASP 2023 General Meeting in Kraków, thanks to the support of the Travel grant awarded by EASP. It was an amazing experience that allowed me to learn from researchers all over the world and to share my research. But more importantly, it was a great opportunity to connect with ECRs from underrepresented groups in academia, creating networks and friendships.

Federica Spaccatini, Università degli Studi di Perugia (Italy)

The travel grant provided me the opportunity to attend the General Meeting in Krakow and it was valuable to me in many ways. It allowed me to take part in the awarding of the “Award for Outstanding Service to the field of Social Psychology” prize to In Mind (of which I am one of the two editors for the Italian version). It allowed me to share with colleagues the results of a research conducted with the research group with which I collaborate and to attend interesting results' presentations of many colleagues. Finally, it provided me the exceptional opportunity of networking with other colleagues from all over Europe, sharing work experiences with them, and familiarizing with good practices as a channel for my personal and professional development.

Giulia Rosa Policardo, University of Bologna (Italy)

I had the opportunity to attend the 19th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology in Krakow, supported by the EASP Travel Grant, a crucial assistance that enriched my scholarly engagement. As a beginner in the field of European Social Psychology Conferences, the grant played a crucial role in making my attendance possible, allowing me to participate in the dynamic and innovative activities and processes emblematic of this distinguished event.

The Congress presented a diverse spectrum of topics, with ground-breaking discussions spanning intergroup relations, health psychology and emerging issues within the discipline (social equality, collective action). A significant facet of my participation was the presentation of a poster that explored the intricate dynamics of inter-minority solidarity. This research examined predictive factors that shape inter-minority solidarity, with a particular focus on two criterion variables: solidarity towards new migrants entering the host country (Study 1) and solidarity towards other ethnic minorities already established in the host country (Study 2).

In addition, the conference served as an intellectual melting pot, where the merging of insights from my ongoing research projects with the innovative perspectives, theoretical frameworks and research methodologies offered by fellow scholars enriched the overall experience. This collegial environment fostered a dynamic exchange of ideas, paving the way for a more comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted landscape of social psychology.

The fascinating city of Kraków provided a culturally rich and lively environment, enhancing the overall experience and contributing to an unforgettable and inspirational event.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to EASP for providing me with this invaluable opportunity, which not only facilitated my active participation in scientific debate, but also fostered connections with like-minded colleagues who share a passion for advancing social psychological research. This experience has certainly left a lasting and positive imprint on my academic development.

Halyna Tsyhanenko, The University of Basel (Ukraine)

I am thrilled and honoured to have received the travel grant for the 19th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology! I am very grateful for this opportunity to expand my knowledge regarding prejudice, well-being and refugee studies. This meeting was an awesome chance to connect with peers and experts, share insights, and learn from the vibrant discussions ahead to contribute to my study in the field. Now, I am implementing most of this experience in my teaching of Social Psychology to Ukrainian students and among my colleagues in the Association of Political Psychologists. Honestly, It was a fruitful experience for me and for my daughter. Because the childcare option gave her many chances to grab something interesting from children from other countries. Thank you for this incredible opportunity!

Marylisa Alemi, Università degli Studi di Perugia (Italy)

I am a PhD student in Social Psychology at the University of Perugia, Italy (Department of Political Science). Last July, I had the opportunity to participate in the EASP General Meeting held in Cracow. This was my first attendance at this event. The meeting provided a great possibility to connect with fellow researchers, including those with whom I had ongoing collaborative projects, such as colleagues from the University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy), and others with whom I started new collaborations. Notably, the EASP meeting facilitated my first in-person meeting with the professor overseeing my work during my PhD visiting period at the University of Sussex (UK). Presenting a poster in such an esteemed international setting was thrilling. The travel grant I received was truly beneficial, and I sincerely hope that other researchers will have the same opportunity in the future.

Sara Panerati, University of Bologna (Italy)

I am incredibly grateful to have been allowed to attend the EASP General meeting in Krakow, Poland, from June 30th to July 4th, 2023, thanks to the generous Travel Grant offered by the European Association of Social Psychology. The meeting was a fantastic opportunity to engage with colleagues worldwide and learn about their incredible work.
The agenda was packed with sessions, and I was impressed by the quality of the presentations. It was overwhelming initially since it constituted my first international experience in such a heterogeneous and stimulating event. It was fascinating to learn about so many innovative approaches.

During the meeting, I had the opportunity to present a poster titled "The Underpinning of gender inequalities: A Multidimensional and Implicit Approach to Investigating Gender Stereotypes." It was a pleasure to share and discuss my work with other scholars. In this work, we investigated gender stereotypes by implementing an implicit method, the Semantic Misattribution Procedure.

It was a great pleasure to spend the week with colleagues from around the world with a passion for a similar topic. Seeing so many people from different countries coming together to share their insights and experiences was inspiring. I want to thank the organizers of the meeting, who did an outstanding job putting together such a fantastic event!

Vincenza Cinquegrana, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” (Italy)

I am Vincenza Cinquegrana, a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Psychology-University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” (Italy). My main research interests are in social psychology. Specifically, I am interested in studying beliefs and attitudes supporting Intimate partner violence (IPV), risk and protective factors in IPV against children and women, and psychological IPV victimization.

I'm extremely grateful to the Executive Committee for the Travel Grant that contributed to funding my EASP participation in Kracow 1-4 July 2023, because I improved my quality of social psychological research by having greater contacts with researchers in different European countries and having better knowledge of and appreciation for each other's work.
My proposal, entitled “Intimate partner violence and stigmatization: An experimental study on helping intentions towards female survivors (Vincenza Cinquegrana, Eleonora Crapolicchio, Bianca Tallone, Chiara Pecini) dealt with the topic of femicide and media.

Intimate partner violence is the most common form of gender-based violence, that occurs within an intimate relationship and encompasses a broad range of acts ranging from psychological, physical, and sexual violence. The fatal outcome of IPV in many cases is the murder of a woman caused by a man, defined as “femicide,” “feminicide,” “gender-related homicide”, or “intimate partner homicide”. According to the United Nations, on average, more than five women or girls are killed every hour by partners or someone in their own family (UNODC, 2022).

Considering IPV’s global diffusion and weaving of various factors, the previous research focused on the etiology and prevention of individual, interpersonal, and sociocultural risk factors.

Specifically, the social context has been recognized as an important component in making judgments about risk and appropriate responses to IPV (Norris et al., 1996; Waltermaurer, 2012). This is because, in a social context where a higher proportion of the general population feels that IPV is justifiable, the victim will be more likely to agree that her abuse is justifiable. In addition, IPV could not be considered an act of social deviance but rather normative behavior, reducing the help-seeking process in IPV survivors (Prosman et al., 2015; Overstreet & Quinn, 2013; Sylaska & Edwards, 2014), and social support for victims (Cinquegrana et al., 2018; Pagliaro et al., 2020, 2021 for review; Kilpatrick, 2004).
So, radical feminist perspectives, psychologists, health and social workers identified many stereotyped beliefs especially associated with IPV that support IPV and gender inequality by legitimizing the perpetrator, blaming the victim, and trivializing the violence (Giger et al., 2017; Peters, 2008; Robinson, 2010; Burt, 1980; WHO, 2012; 2021; Waltermaurer, 2012; European Commission, 2016; Rani & Bonu, 2009).

To reinforce these stereotyped beliefs there is the news conveyed by the mass media. The media impact can be sometimes devastating because the language used in newspaper reports of IPV can affect readers’ judgments (Lamb & Keon, 1995; Flowerdew et al., 2002; Teo, 2000) sometimes acting on the emotional component of the message (Forgas, 2013; Petty & Briňol, 2015; Taylor, 2009). The media, indeed, have an unshakable responsibility for shaping the public’s knowledge about IPV (Leung, 2019; Capezza & Arriaga, 2008; Taylor, 2009).

In our study, we hypothesized that the portrait by a newspaper, of an IPV survivor that affirms her independence (giving an interview) will lead to a decrease in people's behavioral intention to contrast IPV through a decrease of negative emotions for the fatal event.

Effectively, our results showed that the portrait by a newspaper, of an IPV survivor that affirms her independence (compared to femicide and victim conditions) led to a decrease in people's behavioral intention to contrast IPV through a decrease of negative emotions for the fatal event.

Generally, the findings of this study demonstrate the importance of developing guidelines on newspaper reporting to increase helping behaviors in the social context and to reduce secondary victimization in victims.

Zi Ye, Leiden University (Netherlands)

I extend my sincere thanks to EASP for the Travel Grant awarded to attend the General Meeting in Krakow. The support enabled my participation in this enriching event, facilitating invaluable connections and insights. Grateful for the opportunity and eager to contribute to our shared academic community.