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Exploring The Impacts Of Student Classification On Perceptions Of Success, Mackenzie Richmond

Honors Theses

There are several definitions of success, and everyone has their own personal take. Some define success as receiving honors, rewards, or having good relationships, while researchers have their own success vocabulary. Although there is a battle between logic and sociality for perceptions of success, it is commonly agreed that success is linear and multifaceted. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of student classification (undergraduate and graduate/professional students) on perceptions of success. Knowing how someone perceives success offers insight into that person. Such insight can equip therapists on ways to personalize a therapeutic approach, including goals and …

The Impact Of The Covid Pandemic On First Year Students' Locus Of Control, Self-Efficacy And Well-Being, Alexandra E. Bishop

Brescia Psychology Undergraduate Honours Theses

Locus of control, self-efficacy, and well-being are well-studied personality concepts, but the change in these variables, and their relationships, over extremely stressful and uncontrollable periods, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, has not been assessed. The current study evaluated change in locus of control, self-efficacy, and well-being, as well as their relationships with one another, in a sample of students by comparing current data to data collected before the Covid-19 pandemic. It was hypothesized that locus of control would become more external, self-efficacy would increase slightly, and well-being would decrease. Results revealed that locus of control became significantly more external, while …

Race, Masculinity, And Personality Development: Understanding The Black Male Experience In America, Veronica High

Dissertations

Although men from all racial backgrounds have several poor health outcomes, most of the research suggests that Black men have even worse health outcomes compared to White men (Bowman, 1989; Watkins & Neighbors, 2007; Williams, 2003). The majority of published research on masculinity, however, has primarily focused on samples of White men. The issue of how racism intersects with masculinity and its impact on Black men remains understudied and is a current area of focus in the field. The present study examined relationships between Black men on the cultural measures of masculinity and self-esteem, Dark Triad (narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism), …

Two Peas In A Pod? An Investigation Of Friendship And Personality Perception, Josephine N. Collins

Honors Theses

This study investigated whether we can tell people are friends by looking at them. Participants viewed sets of four photos, two of which are friends, and rated personality, appearance, and friendship likelihood. I expected real friends to have higher friendship likelihood ratings and personality similarity. The results indicated self-other agreement among ratings of personality by real friends, but there were not significant patterns among the other variables.

The Mental Noise Hypothesis: A Relation Between Neuroticism And P3 Latency Variance In A Stroop-Style Reaction Time Task, Jeremy Lawrence

All NMU Master's Theses

Neuroticism is a relatively stable personality dimension characterized by tendencies to experience negative thoughts and affect. Its empirically related outcome measures range from anxiety and mood disorders to increases in mortality. Traditional theories of neuroticism, link the construct to greater threat sensitivity, however, these conceptions fail to account for certain salient features of neuroticism, such as negative affect in threat benign environments. The mental noise hypothesis posits that neuroticism results from a more variable mental control system, with support coming from behavioral, psychometric, and neuroimaging paradigms. To assess whether this more chaotic mental control system would variably disrupt the stimulus …

From An Ambivert's Perspective: The Relationships Between Personality Types, Attachment Styles, And Behavioral Tendencies Of Introverts And Extroverts, Andrew Chang

Senior Theses

Over the years, there has been continuous discussion around the idea that extroverts dominate the business workplace over introverts and vice versa. However, depending on the work setting and skillsets needed, it is imperative to realize how certain business practices, personality styles, and relationship approaches are different in every scenario. For this research thesis, the goal was to compare the personality and attachment styles of students who study in two different cultural environments, seeing if there were any apparent relationships between the two variables and student behavioral tendencies. Previous studies have shown that personality, behaviors, and attachment levels can predict …

Psychological Factors That Interfere With Provider Use Of Medication Assisted Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder, Courtney Spencer

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Since the implementation of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for treatment of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), providers have struggled to obtain the necessary waiver (X-waiver) due to required federal applications, training, and guidelines around prescribing. Nevertheless, prescribers have gone through this arduous process to gain their X-waiver, but a unique phenomenon has occurred where some providers with an X-waiver are not utilizing their ability to prescribe MAT. The current study sought to uncover trends in providers prescribing practices while assessing possible factors involved including personality, compassion, compassion fatigue, personal connection, and confidence factors that may be associated with a willingness to …

Individual Differences In Response To Hostile And Benevolent Sexism In A Stem Interview Context: The Moderating Role Of Behavioral Activation, Elizabeth Kiebel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Women continue to face sexism in workplace contexts, especially those that are male dominated, such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Yet, women often fail to confront the sexism they experience, despite confrontation being an effective way to cope with and prevent future harassment (Fitzgerald et al., 1995; Magley, 2002). To date, no one has assessed the potential moderating role of personality differences related to approach motivation on women’s confrontation of sexism. In this study, women were exposed to either a hostilely sexist or benevolently sexist question during a mock job interview that was purportedly being conducted as part …

Mindfulness And Physical Activity As Moderators Of Behavioral Inhibition Sensitivity And Psychological Distress, Edward Silber

LSU Master's Theses

Framed in Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory, the current study examined the moderating effects of mindfulness and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) on the relationship between behavioral inhibition system (BIS) sensitivity and psychological distress. Participants (N=183) were college students at a large public university in the Southeastern United States. Data were collected using an online survey with self-report questionnaires that demonstrated acceptable reliability. Data analysis utilized multiple linear regression models to test study hypotheses. Findings revealed a significant positive relationship between BIS sensitivity and psychological distress, with mindfulness and MVPA significantly moderating this association. Specifically, increased reports of mindfulness and MVPA …

Using Survival Analysis Techniques To Examine The Relationship Between Personality Facets And Employee Turnover, Devon Kinsey

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Employee turnover continues to have severe monetary, time, performance, and human capital implications for organizations. Due to these implications, multiple areas of research have examined the possible predictors of employee turnover, such as personality factors and the narrow facets that comprise those factors. This study examines the facet-level scores of the conscientiousness and openness to experience factors as predictors of employee turnover using data from the ETS® WorkFORCE™ Assessment for Job Fit (Naemi et al., 2014), an assessment based on the Five Factor Model (FMM) of personality. Survival analysis techniques were used in addition to logistic regression analysis when …

The Internal And External Expectancies Scale: Development And Validation., Joanne Raptis

Theses and Dissertations

Healthy lifestyle habits are widely known to improve physical and psychological wellbeing, but many struggle to regularly practice these behaviors. As an overarching solution has yet to emerge, it may prove more fruitful to instead personalize behavior change recommendations and interventions. The present study examined whether individual responsiveness to internal and external expectations can be measured, as it could be a useful behavioral factor to target with tailored treatment recommendations. This construct was first postulated by popular author Gretchen Rubin (2015) but has yet to be studied empirically. For the current project, the Internal and External Expectancies Scale (IEES) was …

The Role Of Individual Differences And Personality Factors In Distracted And Aggressive Driving Behaviors, Alyssa M. Holcomb

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Government reports indicate that, on average, more than 3000 people die due to distracted driving each year, accounting for nearly 10% of all fatal car crashes. Other reports claim that two-thirds of fatal car accidents result from aggressive driving. Previous research has been inconclusive regarding how personality impacts distracted and aggressive driving behaviors. Therefore, the goal of this current study is to fill the gap in the literature concerning the role that personality plays in distracted and aggressive driving behaviors. We also explored the role that distracted and aggressive driving behaviors played in accident involvement. A sample of (N=327) participants …

Understanding How Different Personality Models Can Predict Non-Suicidal Self-Injurious Behaviors, Rachel Chavin

Dissertations and Theses

The current study seeks to examine the role of maladaptive personality traits and personality functioning’s relationship with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) engagement and suicidal behavior. Specifically, this study examined the validity of the Alternative Model of Personality Disorders (AMPD) in predicting historical and prospective self-harm behavior in comparison to the Five Factor Model. This study recruited 400 female participants, ages 18-24, who completed a battery of measures about personality functioning, traits, self-harm, and suicidal history. Two weeks after the initial assessment, participants completed a follow-up survey to assess their NSSI behavior over the past two weeks. Through point-biserial correlations, this study …

Job Satisfaction, Personality Traits, Resilience, And Education Level Among Rural Police Officers, Chellie Newman-Noon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Police agencies struggle with police officer attrition, resulting in agencies needing to hire new officers. This process is costly and results in unwise decision-making by police officers due to inexperience, excessive use of force, and ultimate distrust of police by civilians. Job satisfaction can diminish attrition and excessive use of force and increases both prudent decision-making and civilian trust. The characteristics of personality traits, education level, and resilience contributing to job satisfaction were addressed in the current study using a nonexperimental predictive correlational design. An online assessment of the Big Five traits, resilience, and job satisfaction, in addition to a …

The Effect Of Organizational Climate On Presenteeism As Moderated By Employee Personality, Iva Johan Pavlovic

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This research study was an investigation of the relationship between the five dimensions of personality, organizational climate, and presenteeism - coming to work when ill. Presenteeism has significant, negative impact on employee’s long-term health, the overall organizational performance, and more broadly on national health systems. Researchers have found that in addition to financial impacts of not working while ill, antecedents of presenteeism include both personal, situational (e.g., the severity of the illness), and organizational circumstances. A systematic exploration into all five dimensions of personality and organizational climate has not been conducted to date. The purpose of this quantitative study was …

Overcoming The Odds: The Effects Of The Relationship Between Childhood Adversity, Lifetime Trauma, And Resiliency On Empathy And Conscientiousness, Victoria West Staples

MSU Graduate Theses

This research sought to understand the connection between trauma and the development of resiliency while examining the effects of that relationship on empathy and conscientiousness. Specifically, this study was created to answer four main questions: (1) Does early childhood adversity predict later life trauma? (2) Does childhood adversity and cumulative lifetime traumatic experiences impact the development of resiliency and its subconstructs (i.e., interpersonal resiliency and intrapersonal resiliency)? (3) Is empathy impacted by the presence of resiliency, specifically examining its effect on cognitive and affective empathy (using questionnaires and galvanic skin response)? (4) And is conscientiousness related to resiliency subconstructs? There …

Personality And Coping In Response To Traumatic Experiences In Emerging Adult Women, Julia J. Beier

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Intimate dating violence is a common occurrence, especially among women (CDC, 2019). Because this type of trauma is so prevalent, it is important to explore how experiences of it impact women and how they cope with its effects. This study explored how individual differences impact the ways in which young women cope with trauma, as well as whether the type of trauma moderate the link between individual differences and coping strategies. Participants were 304 college-age women from a large university in the southeastern United States. Trauma was select items from the Trauma History Questionnaire, while coping was measured using the …

Validation Of An Internet Search Strategies Assessment, Joseph A. Wansing

MSU Graduate Theses

The internet has become the go-to place for those seeking information. The strategies that people employ when seeking information differ (Tsai, 2005), and critical thinking is related to these differences (Zhang et al., 2015). Although people use different strategies to find information on the internet, there are virtually no formal, easy to use tools for assessing these differences. Wansing and Wood (2020) developed the Internet Search Strategies Assessment (ISSA) for this purpose. A preliminary study revealed that the scale had four factors as hypothesized, but the measure did not correlate as well as expected with other theoretically related scales. This …

Using Metaperceptions To Evaluate Conscientiousness And Predict Gpa, Montana R. Woolley

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Personality measures have been used for decades to predict many important workplace outcomes, however, the literature reveals weak predictive validities (Barrick et al., 2001; Morgeson et al., 2007). This study investigates metaperceptions, or an individual’s belief about how others perceive them (Laing et al., 1966), to determine if they are a more effective predictor of behavioral outcomes than the typical self-report measures used today. Metaperceptions capture a different perspective than classic self-reports and other-reports, and therefore may measure a different source of construct relevant variance. Using a student sample (N = 181), we tested three main hypotheses: (1) combining self-ratings, …

Personality And Organizational Justice Effects On Counterproductive Work Behavior, Alec C. Drabish

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Counterproductive work behavior (CWB) costs U.S. organizations billions annually (e.g., Bennett & Robinson, 2000). Any behavior that goes against the goals of an organization and is intended to harm either the organization or its members can fit the definition of CWB. To properly address these problems an accurate understanding of CWB and its’ determinants is necessary. Employee perceptions of fairness (organizational justice) is linked to CWB because employees reciprocate unfair treatment with CWB (e.g., Shaw et al., 2003), and the personality traits honesty-humility and self-control are also strong determinants of CWB because high levels of these traits will suppress the …

Early Maturing Out Of Problematic Alcohol Use, Sarah J. Peterson

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Most research suggests that alcohol use peaks in the college years then declines into the mid-thirties (Jochman & Fromme, 2010). However, there is evidence that some individuals mature out earlier: downward trends for some individuals begin in college, with as many as one third of students decreasing their drinking (Baer et al., 2001). It is crucial to identify factors that differentiate those who decrease their drinking early from those who persist in high levels of consumption; doing so would clarify risk for college-related alcohol problems and perhaps subsequent alcohol use disorder, and aid in earlier targeted prevention and intervention. This …

Examining Negative Thinking Styles And Thought Control Strategies Within Borderline Personality Disorder, Courtney K. Mason

Theses and Dissertations

Components of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) include emotion and cognitive dysregulation. The Emotional Cascade Model (Selby & Joiner, 2009; Selby et al., 2009) suggests negative affect and the cognitive process of rumination could be interchangeably increasing over time, leading to maladaptive behaviors. The current study evaluated negative thinking styles (i.e., anger rumination, sadness rumination, worry, catastrophizing) and thought control strategies (i.e., brooding, reflection, thought suppression) in relation to BPD traits using path analyses in a college student sample (N = 204). Results indicated anger rumination, sadness rumination, and worry indirectly predicted BPD traits through thought suppression, brooding, and reflection. However, …

Exploring The Role(S) Of Trait Emotional Intelligence & Personality In Help-Seeking Behaviour Among Undergraduate Students, Nikola Cuvalo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Trait emotional intelligence (EI) and the Big Five personality factors represent promising constructs in the individual differences literature that have been investigated in relation to help-seeking behaviour. This quantitative work explores the relationship between individual differences in trait EI, personality, and attitudes toward – as well as future intentions to engage in – help-seeking behaviour among undergraduate students at Western University. Stepwise regression modelling was used to determine which dimensions of personality and trait EI best predicted help-seeking outcomes and whether attitudes toward help-seeking predicted intentions to seek help from university-provided mental health sources. Resultsindicated that several individual facets of …

The Effect Of Psilocybin On Personality, Ravital Labua

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

As classic psychedelics are increasingly legalized and reintroduced into the psychotherapeutic frame, a deeper understanding of their effect on personality and overall wellbeing - as well as their clinical contraindications and potential pitfalls - will prove essential. As a result, this study represents a preliminary investigation into the effect of psilocybin exposure on a range of personality constructs.

Methods: Data was collected through a collaboration with The Psychedelic Society, an organization that legally administers psilocybin truffles in the Netherlands to self-selecting retreat attendees who have been screened for mental health disorders in accordance with Johnson et al.’s (2008) widely accepted …

Improving The Accuracy Of References: The Effects Of Felt Accountability On Personality Ratings, Cullen W. D. Mccurrach

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

References are a useful preemployment assessment for gathering unique personality information about job applicants. However, despite the capacity for external observers to provide valid personality ratings, references tend to be less accurate than similar preemployment assessments. This problem is important to address, since almost all organizations use references of some kind when hiring. This study attempted to improve the accuracy of the personality ratings provided in references by using two novel interventions believed to improve referees’ felt accountability to the hiring organization. These interventions included (a) a more elaborative rating format that asked participants to provide the reasons underlying each …

Person-Centered Profile Consistency: A Test Of Longitudinal Personality Consistency, Amanda Wright

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Test-retest correlations are a common way to quantify stability in personality. However, these single estimates obscure patterns of consistency as well as individual differences in consistency. Importantly, examining patterns of consistency provides insights into the underlying processes driving personality development. The current study used Bayesian multilevel asymptotic models to examine trends of person-centered consistency using item-level profile correlations across four to nine waves with four datasets (N = 21,616). Results indicated that there were, on average, very high levels of profile consistency across time, highlighting one aspect of the stable nature of personality. There were notable individual differences in …

Individual Differences And Social-Comparative Feedback, Kabir N. Daljeet

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of the overall program of research was to investigate whether there are individual differences that facilitate the acceptance of, or preferences for, social-comparative performance feedback. In doing so, we aimed to establish how individual differences could be leveraged to mitigate the negative reactions that some individuals experience in response to social-comparative feedback (Feeney, Goffin, & Schneider, 2016; Roch et al., 2007). Likewise, we sought to determine whether individual differences were associated with a preference for social-comparative feedback. The results of the first study (N = 255) advanced a novel experimental design and found that, with limited exception, …

Understanding The Importance Of Ambition In The Workplace, Jeff Bean

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Though a common term, ambition is a multifaceted concept that is vastly under researched despite it being labeled necessary for success in the workplace. Of even greater irony is that several sources indicate a significant majority of the reason that employees leave organizations is due to a perceived lack of career development or opportunity, a problem that speaks directly to talent management practices. In light the costly nature of this problem and the presence of sophisticated talent management professionals in large and medium-sized organizations which comprise half or more of the workforce, it causes one to question the assumptions that …

Profiles And Culture: Multi-Level Latent Profiles Based On Personality Traits And Facets And Profile Influences On Performance Outcomes Across Cultures, Weiwei Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Personality research has traditionally adopted a variable-centric approach but recently more studies have adopted a person-centric approach. A person-centric approach can provide additional insights in that it explores for multiple unobserved subgroups within a population and examines the extent to which relationships may differ across subgroups. The current study adds to this growing area in four ways. First, studies have attempted to identify common personality profiles, but results have been inconsistent and very few studies have examined work-relevant samples. The current study addresses this issue based on a large sample that is diverse in terms of industries, occupations, and countries. …

Loneliness Unlocked: Associations With Smartphone Use And Personality, Kristi J. Baerg Macdonald

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Communication and relationships have been dramatically altered because of the rapid adoption of the smartphone in just over a decade. The present study examined loneliness, facets of neuroticism, communication apprehension, emotional support, and nomophobia with individual differences in smartphone use. In addition, the research also looked at differences in loneliness and smartphone use as a result of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Participants (302 women and 290 men) completed a survey of the variables and reported smartphone data over two years. The sample was also divided into pre-COVID-19 (N = 226) and during-COVID-19 (N = 251). …