Consuming sports: distinction, univorism and omnivorism

The question of the social usages of culture and its links with social groups continues to be a topic of discussion today. The aim of this article is to contribute to the debate by examining coherence in the choice of physical activities and sports. The study focuses on the upper social groups, questioning, from a macro-sociological standpoint, their possible omnivority and their dissonance of choice with regard to these activities. Based on a quantitative survey of the sports participated in by the French, the study shows that omnivority and massification of activities are major phenomena. However, the upper social groups in France remain distinguishable both in terms of their "high level of omnivority" and their choice of distinctive activities. Dissonance is another of their characteristics but to a lesser extent.

Impact of relative size and language on the attitudes between nations and linguistic groups : The case of Switzerland

This study explores the impact of relative size on the intra- and intergroup attitudes of groups who either share a language or have a different language. For that purpose, we examined international attitudes, comparing a small nation, Switzerland, and two larger nations, Germany and France. We found support for the assumption that large neighbouring nations pose a threat to the smaller nation's identity, especially when they are linguistically similar. Consequently, in line with Tajfel's Social Identity Theory (1978), the smaller nation's inhabitants evaluate those of the larger nation less positively, liking them less and perceiving them to be more arrogant than vice versa. By investigating the special case of the French-speaking and the German-speaking Swiss as linguistic groups within their own nation we were able to demonstrate that these groups seek support with the larger-linguistically-similar nation to defend themselves against the more direct in-country threat to their identity. They acknowledge the similarity with the larger nation, yet keep defending their social identity by expressing a dislike for this perceived similarity.

Social sensing for psychology: Automated interpersonal behavior assessment

In this article, we show how the use of state-of-the-art methods in computer science based on machine perception and learning allows the unobtrusive capture and automated analysis of interpersonal behavior in real time (social sensing). Given the high ecological validity of the behavioral sensing, the ease of behavioral-cue extraction for large groups over long observation periods in the field, the possibility of investigating completely new research questions, and the ability to provide people with immediate feedback on behavior, social sensing will fundamentally impact psychology.