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Evaluating Sustainability On The Cal Poly Campus: Attitudes, Behaviors, Knowledge, Social Norms, And Social Desirability, Rebecca Sokoloski Sep 2012

Evaluating Sustainability On The Cal Poly Campus: Attitudes, Behaviors, Knowledge, Social Norms, And Social Desirability, Rebecca Sokoloski

Psychology and Child Development

Previous research has shown that attitudes and behavior towards sustainability are not correlated. Social factors including norms and desirability have been found to explain these results. One hundred and six students from California Polytechnic State University participated in this study. The survey used was composed of several sections: attitudes, behaviors, knowledge, social norms, social desirability, and a demographic section. Attitudes and behaviors were found to be correlated in this study. Knowledge and behavior towards sustainability was not found to be correlated as expected. Participants’ attitudes were correlated with friends’ and families’ but not professors’ and peers’ attitudes. Participants’ behaviors were …


Meaning, Morality, And Fluid Compensation In Response To Attitude Threat, Geoffrey Wetherell Aug 2012

Meaning, Morality, And Fluid Compensation In Response To Attitude Threat, Geoffrey Wetherell

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Research demonstrates that people desire a sense of existential meaning in life, and imbue attitudes with a sense of moral conviction. People want to protect their beliefs, because they help them to create a sense of meaning in life. No research however, has examined whether or not moral conviction, a facet of attitude strength associated with a sense of ultimate right or wrong, contributes to one's sense of meaning in life. Furthermore, no research has tested whether or not threatening attitudes leads people to imbue them with increased moral conviction, possible as a means of protecting attitudes, and the sense …


Further Assessment Of The Psychometric Properties Of The Sex Offender Attitude Scale, Brandon C. Bogle Aug 2012

Further Assessment Of The Psychometric Properties Of The Sex Offender Attitude Scale, Brandon C. Bogle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sex offenses in the United States are a major public health concern. Attitudes toward sex offenders are generally very negative and to be officially identified as a sex offender brings on collateral consequences that reduce incentives not to reoffend. The extent to which attitudes toward sex offenders affect discriminatory behaviors and collateral consequences is not fully understood. The Sex Offender Attitude Scale was developed in an attempt to reliably and accurately measure attitudes and stigma toward sex offenders. Initial analyses indicated the SOAS was a reliable and valid instrument. This study aimed to provide additional evidence of the psychometric properties …


On The One Hand And On The Other: The Effect Of Embodying Balance And Uncertainty Orientation On The Confirmation Bias, Jeffrey Rotman Jul 2012

On The One Hand And On The Other: The Effect Of Embodying Balance And Uncertainty Orientation On The Confirmation Bias, Jeffrey Rotman

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The moderating effects of embodied cognition and uncertainty orientation were examined in relation to the confirmation bias. Specifically, the alternate movement of both hands palms up, which often accompanies the expression “on the one hand, and on the other” relating to the weighing of an argument, was manipulated. Uncertainty orientation distinguishes between people who are uncertainty-oriented (UOs), that confront uncertainty with the intention of resolving it; and people who are oriented toward certainty (COs), in that they attempt to maintain certainty, by creating a predictable environment. Significant interactions were found between uncertainty orientation and the embodiment manipulations for selective exposure, …


Preventing Guilt By Association: Mindfulness And Susceptibility To Evaluative Conditioning, Laura Kiken Jul 2012

Preventing Guilt By Association: Mindfulness And Susceptibility To Evaluative Conditioning, Laura Kiken

Theses and Dissertations

Evaluative conditioning (EC) is a type of attitude formation in which a stimulus is evaluated as positive or negative based on repeated pairings with valenced stimuli. Emerging evidence suggests that individuals differ in susceptibility to EC and these differences may be related to various social and psychological biases. One variable that has been linked with less negative attitude formation, although not using an EC paradigm, is mindfulness. Further, mindfulness is proposed to alter dimensions of elaboration that may underlie EC, particularly conditioning of negative attitudes. Therefore, three studies were conducted to examine whether mindfulness is linked to differential susceptibility to …


To Use Or Not To Use: The Role Of Affect And Cognition In Changing Attitudes Toward Using Condoms Among African American Women, Kristina Hood Jul 2012

To Use Or Not To Use: The Role Of Affect And Cognition In Changing Attitudes Toward Using Condoms Among African American Women, Kristina Hood

Theses and Dissertations

The current project involved three studies designed to examine which characteristics of persuasive communications change condom use attitudes. Study 1 investigated the effect of message type (affective versus cognitive) and source (male versus female) on attitude change among a sample of African American women attending college. In Study 1 (N = 146), the affective message and female source produced the most positive change in condom use attitudes. Study 2 examined whether message type and source were associated with favorable condom attitudes in a community sample and whether these findings differed from a college sample. Twenty-seven women participated in group discussions …


The Evolution Of Conservative Attitudes As A Complement To Cognitive Threat Detection Mechanisms, Russ Clay Jul 2012

The Evolution Of Conservative Attitudes As A Complement To Cognitive Threat Detection Mechanisms, Russ Clay

Theses and Dissertations

Conservatism reflects a general attitude structure characterized by a preference for traditional social practices and an aversion to uncertainty and threat. Though the social environment undoubtedly plays a role in shaping conservative attitudes, recent studies suggest that trait-level characteristics may contribute to their development as well. The present research investigated trait-level cognitive threat detection ability as a factor which may influence the development and maintenance of conservative social attitudes. A computer simulation indicated that socially conservative attitudes may function as a strategy for increasing the survival rate of an individual with poor threat detection ability living in a relatively dangerous …


Supply Vs. Demand: Re-Entering America's Prison Population Into The Workforce, Marissa Leigh Enfield May 2012

Supply Vs. Demand: Re-Entering America's Prison Population Into The Workforce, Marissa Leigh Enfield

Scripps Senior Theses

Because rejoining the workforce may prevent against ex-offender recidivism, securing gainful employment is one of the best indicators of successful societal reintegration for released prisoners. However, the stigma attached to a criminal history, combined with ex-prisoners’ lack of human capital, may threaten their ability to obtain a job. The present study examines hiring managers’ attitudes towards previously imprisoned offenders applying for positions in their workplace. Using a combination of brief, fictional applicant biographies and surveys, this mixed-groups factorial study explores how hiring managers (N= 28) consider gender, type of offense, and race when an ex-offender is assessed during the application …


Intragroup Attitudes Of The Lgbt Community: Assessment And Correlates., David W. Hutsell May 2012

Intragroup Attitudes Of The Lgbt Community: Assessment And Correlates., David W. Hutsell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The intragroup attitudes of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community are examined. A general overview of heterosexuals’ views about LGBT persons is considered before reviewing past research on intragroup attitudes that may exist within the LGBT community. Since little work has been done in this area, to fill gaps in the literature a study of 533 self-identified LGBT individuals was conducted to assess attitudes towards each specific subgroup (lesbian, gay male, bisexual male, bisexual female, male-to-female transgender, and female-to-male transgender) of the LGBT community. Several variables, including group identification, perceived stigma, outness, and contact, were examined as predictors intragroup …


Concept Mapping As A Buffer Against Evaluative Flexibility, Keith Welker Jan 2012

Concept Mapping As A Buffer Against Evaluative Flexibility, Keith Welker

Wayne State University Theses

Attitude relevant knowledge is a central component to evaluative consistency and attitude representation. One way to assess the degree to which individuals deliberate and represent their knowledge is through concept mapping. Therefore, the present research investigated whether concept map deliberation moderated attitude consistency in a two-part experiment. Participants (N = 172) completed an online survey assessing personality, attitudes, and attitude strength toward physician assisted suicide (PAS). In a second onsite sessions participants were randomly assigned create an attitude-relevant or attitude-irrelevant concept map, and were randomly assigned to work with a fictitious partner who had a positive, negative, or unknown attitude …


Responses To Domestic Violence Public Service Ads: Memory, Attitudes, Affect, And Individual Differences, Courtney Elizabeth Welton-Mitchell Jan 2012

Responses To Domestic Violence Public Service Ads: Memory, Attitudes, Affect, And Individual Differences, Courtney Elizabeth Welton-Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Public service ads (PSAs) are an increasingly visible part of efforts to decrease the occurrence and consequences of domestic violence. Like other advertising, domestic violence PSAs are designed to grab attention, influence attitudes, and enhance memory for ad content. Over the years, images in domestic violence PSAs have changed substantially; agencies have started using pictures that generate emotions - either vivid negative images (bruised faces or body parts), or positive images (smiling faces) that contrast with the negative text. It is not clear, however, how different types of ad images influence memory for the message and attitudes about domestic violence, …


Implicit Attitudes Of Ethnicity And Language: Evaluative And Associative Priming, Eva Margarita De La Riva Lopez Jan 2012

Implicit Attitudes Of Ethnicity And Language: Evaluative And Associative Priming, Eva Margarita De La Riva Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Most members of minority groups belong to both an ethnic and a linguistic minority. The interplay between these two related yet independent constructs has not been explored. For this reason, this study examined language attitudes following the theoretical model of social categorization by using implicit measures. This study also investigated the implicit association between language and ethnicity. In this manner, the relationship that exists between attitudes towards minority groups and attitudes towards minority languages can be disentangled. A simultaneous study of implicit attitudes of ethnicity and language, and the association between ethnicity and language, may elucidate possible mechanisms involved in …


Identifying The Antecedents Of Moral Conviction, Katherine White Jan 2012

Identifying The Antecedents Of Moral Conviction, Katherine White

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Our understanding of how moral attitudes influence behavior has been greatly expanded by recent research on moral conviction, but little has been done to identify factors that contribute to the formation of moral conviction. The primary purpose of the present research was therefore to identify antecedents to moral conviction. Across two studies, three potential antecedents were identified - reliance on the Harm moral foundation, personal relevance, and attitude intensity. In study 1 (N = 469), high individual reliance on the Harm moral foundation predicted stronger moral conviction. In study 2 (N = 460), high personal relevance and greater attitude intensity …


Abused Women Who Kill: Juror Perspectives On Self-Defense Theories, Shahrzad Nikoo Jan 2012

Abused Women Who Kill: Juror Perspectives On Self-Defense Theories, Shahrzad Nikoo

CMC Senior Theses

In self-defense cases of battered women who kill their abusive husbands, defendants have used Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS) expert testimony to help justify their acts of self-defense. However, past research demonstrates that BWS is ineffective in persuading jurors because it pathologizes the defendant rather than rationalizing her behavior. Additionally, BWS highlights passive (i.e., stereotypical) features of a battered woman, and such testimony may not apply to a defendant with active (i.e., atypical) features of a battered women. The current study hypothesized that another type of expert testimony, Social-Agency Framework (SAF), will persuade jurors to render more lenient verdicts, and that …


A Multidimensional Assessment Of Orthodox Jewish Attitudes Toward Homosexuality, Rachel Shapiro Safran Jan 2012

A Multidimensional Assessment Of Orthodox Jewish Attitudes Toward Homosexuality, Rachel Shapiro Safran

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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