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Full-Text Articles in Psychology

Incels, Violence, And Masculinity: How Masculinity And Membership To Online Communities Shape Perceptions Of Violence, Meghan Scarlott Jun 2023

Incels, Violence, And Masculinity: How Masculinity And Membership To Online Communities Shape Perceptions Of Violence, Meghan Scarlott

Student Theses

As online involuntary celibate (incel) forms have grown, they have become dominated by violent and misogynistic rhetoric. There have also been instances of offline violence being motivated by incel ideology and anti-feminist beliefs. Past research has established a link between inceldom and violent rhetoric through analysis of incel forum posts and activity. However, comparisons between non-incels and incels regarding masculinity and violence have rarely been conducted. We used a survey design to compare incels and non-incels on three factors: support for violence, inceldom characteristics, and internalized masculinity. Consistent with prior research, incels held more negative views of women and feminism …


Mental Illness And Ethnic Identity And Their Relationship With Internalized Stigma Among Individuals Identifying As Latinx And Diagnosed With A Mental Illness, Melissa V. Martinez May 2023

Mental Illness And Ethnic Identity And Their Relationship With Internalized Stigma Among Individuals Identifying As Latinx And Diagnosed With A Mental Illness, Melissa V. Martinez

Student Theses

Identity plays a key role in all matters regarding mental health, especially in experiences of stigma. Stigma, a term used to describe the processes of labeling and stereotyping of particular groups, has been shown to be a major contributor to mental health outcomes. Internalization of stigma, is an emotional and behavioral response that further affects an individual’s functioning beyond the effects of a mental disorder. The relationship between stigma and certain identities, such as gender, have been clearly demonstrated in prior research. However, identity is a complex concept that varies in meaning between individuals. The significance of a particular identity …


An Archival Exploration Of Lineup Fairness In Eyewitness Research, Phoebe Kane May 2023

An Archival Exploration Of Lineup Fairness In Eyewitness Research, Phoebe Kane

Student Theses

In this study, we were interested in investigating if the Betaface facial analysis program reliably predicts eyewitness lineup choosing behavior. If face analysis programs are as good or better than human judgements, using them could be a reliably more efficient, reproducible, and equitable basis for choosing fillers and evaluating lineup fairness. We collected 27 datasets from eyewitness researchers and analyzed them to produce Betaface similarity values, which measured the similarity between all the photos in each array. We compared these Betaface data to the identification data from the original studies. Our analysis of the arrays via Betaface yielded data with …


Metaperceptions Of Interactions Between Asian And African American Adults, Ariana Schlegel May 2023

Metaperceptions Of Interactions Between Asian And African American Adults, Ariana Schlegel

Student Theses

In recent years, there has been a drastic increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States, as well as news stories highlighting African Americans as perpetrators of anti-Asian hate crimes. As such, the paper focuses on how Asian Americans expect to be perceived by others, and how those expectations may change depending on the race (African American or White) and gender (male or female) of the conversation partner. A survey was created, which employed deception to have participants believe that they would have a short video conversation with somebody else about a political topic, and which randomly assigned each …


The Intersection Of Religion And Mental Health Help-Seeking: Themes Within Youth Experiencing Early Psychosis, Breanna Nichols Dec 2022

The Intersection Of Religion And Mental Health Help-Seeking: Themes Within Youth Experiencing Early Psychosis, Breanna Nichols

Student Theses

Little research has examined the intersection of religion and mental health among predominantly conservative communities – where religion tends to weigh heavily. It is known from the literature that religion and spirituality play a role in influencing treatment pathways and views towards mental health. The primary aim of the present study was to explore via secondary thematic analysis, the intersection of religion and mental health within a conservative Midwestern community of youth who are receiving treatment for early psychosis, with a secondary look at family dynamics. Seven participant transcripts were analyzed from the Narrative Enhancement and Cognitive Therapy-Young Adult (NECT-YA) …


Comparing Crime Scene Trajectories: Sexual Versus Nonsexual Serial Homicides, Jonathan T. Dixon Jun 2022

Comparing Crime Scene Trajectories: Sexual Versus Nonsexual Serial Homicides, Jonathan T. Dixon

Student Theses

When faced with a possible serial offender, crime linkage analysis is crucial in identifying which crime scenes belong to the same offender. Thus, when analyzing behavioral consistency to link crimes, it is essential to use a classification model that is empirically tested and is based on the type of crime being investigated. Several classification models examine patterns of consistency and change using a combination of thematic and behavioral subgroups; however, they are tested using sexual and nonsexual crime scenes, which some recent literature argues are two distinct types of homicide and should be examined separately. The present study tests the …


Examining The Effectiveness Of Misinformation Warnings To Alter Stereotypes For Public Figures And Memories For Public Events, Madalyn P. Prince Jun 2022

Examining The Effectiveness Of Misinformation Warnings To Alter Stereotypes For Public Figures And Memories For Public Events, Madalyn P. Prince

Student Theses

Social media allows individuals to share, receive and engage with information and content on an international scale, often with other likeminded individuals and relatively few restrictions (Carr & Hayes, 2015). However, with this access comes the likelihood of engaging with and disseminating misinformation (Allcott et al., 2019), a form of information that may seem true initially but is later revealed as false (Cook et al., 2015). Misinformation is often disseminated by those whose political ideology matches that of the misinformation (Kahan, 2017; Kahan, 2013). The current study aims to expand on the extant literature to examine how misinformation warnings impact …


The Coercion Of The Trial Penalty, Kristen C. Akin May 2022

The Coercion Of The Trial Penalty, Kristen C. Akin

Student Theses

Prosecutors, defendants, and defense attorneys must make decisions as to whether to accept a plea offer or proceed to trial every day. Approximately 95% of state and federal convictions result from guilty pleas (Redlich et al., 2017; Thaxton, 2013; Gazal-Ayal & Tor, 2012; Redlich & Shteynberg, 2016; Edkins, 2011; Weatherly & Kehn, 2013; Helm et al., 2018; Gregory et al., 1978). Some estimate this number to be as high as 97% to 99% (Redlich & Bonventre, 2015; Helm et al., 2018). It is also estimated that every two seconds a defendant pleads guilty (Redlich & Bonventre, 2015). In 1980, 19% …


The Influence Of Parole Case Characteristics And Construal Level On Parole Decisions And Perceived Humanness, Yi Sin Goh May 2022

The Influence Of Parole Case Characteristics And Construal Level On Parole Decisions And Perceived Humanness, Yi Sin Goh

Student Theses

Despite the low rate of discretionary parole release in New York, much is still unknown about the processes underpinning parole decisions. The present paper delves into how aggravating and mitigating parole case characteristics (e.g. institutional behavior) relate to parole decisions and the perceived humanness of parole applicants. The paper also examines how construal level can moderate the above relationships. Finally, a moderated mediation model outlining the pattern of these relationships is posited and tested. 122 New York residents were recruited online and randomly assigned to read either an abstractly or concretely construed transcript for an interview with a parole applicant. …


Support For Militant U.S. Foreign Policy: The Role Of Authoritarianism And International Xenophobia, Brandon M. Garcia Dec 2021

Support For Militant U.S. Foreign Policy: The Role Of Authoritarianism And International Xenophobia, Brandon M. Garcia

Student Theses

Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) has been studied extensively in the domestic socio-political context, but its potential impact on foreign policy is still poorly understood. The current study replicated the putative two-factor model of the construct (Authoritarian Aggression/Submission and Conventionalism) and examined the associations of each factor with perceptions of overall danger to the U.S. posed by other countries and with the support for more militant U.S. foreign policy. As expected, both RWA factors correlated with self-reported levels of political conservatism (r = 0.32, r = 0.33; p < .001) Additionally, Authoritarian Aggression and Submission (but not Conventionalism) were correlated with increased perceived danger from foreign countries (r = .35; p < .001) and increased support for a more militant U.S. foreign policy (r = .25; p < .001). Participants higher in RWA were more likely to view the world as a hostile and threatening place, and in turn support more aggressive military action in response to those fears.


Relationship Between Race, United States Nativity, Perceived Discrimination, And Acculturation Stress, Simone N. Henderson Jun 2021

Relationship Between Race, United States Nativity, Perceived Discrimination, And Acculturation Stress, Simone N. Henderson

Student Theses

Acculturation has been defined as “changes that take place as a result of contact with culturally dissimilar people, groups, and social influences” (Gibson, 2001). This experience can cause stress for those experiencing it, especially when the individual is having a hard time adjusting to a new culture (Kim, 2019). One’s nativity, a person’s native-born status in their environment, and racial/ethnic group can also contribute to their experience of acculturation due to personal differences that these demographic variables create (Bondy et al., 2017; Hall & Carter, 2006). Studying race, nativity, perceived discrimination, and acculturation are essential for understanding the experiences of …


White Racial Identity And Its Impact On Punitive Attitudes Towards Juvenile Offenders, Rossol Gharib May 2021

White Racial Identity And Its Impact On Punitive Attitudes Towards Juvenile Offenders, Rossol Gharib

Student Theses

White Racial Identity is a relatively new concept with little to no consensus as to the operationalization of such identity. The first ever White Racial Identity model was developed by Janet E. Helms in 1990. The role of White racial identity has been studied in the context of the racial gap in employment and its influence on racial attitudes, but it has yet to be studied in the context of the juvenile justice system. The criminal justice system is racially imbalanced, with Black males imprisoned 5.5 times more than White males. One of the factors contributing to this imbalance is …


Impacts Of Mental Health First Aid On Mental Health Literacy And Stigma, Junseon Hwang Sep 2020

Impacts Of Mental Health First Aid On Mental Health Literacy And Stigma, Junseon Hwang

Student Theses

Mental Health First Aid has been developed to train the general public to give initial support to those in mental health crisis and development. The effectiveness of Mental Health First Aid has been questioned due to its relatively short history of the course. Mental Health First Aid was recently widely-disseminated in New York City as part of the ThriveNYC initiative. While most studies were supportive of the training, there has been no study that specifically examines New York residents. We recruited 328 New York residents who self-reported whether or not they have participated in Mental Health First Aid via Amazon …


The Effects Of Podcasts On Mental Health Stigma, Sarah N. Dure Aug 2020

The Effects Of Podcasts On Mental Health Stigma, Sarah N. Dure

Student Theses

Research indicates that media can have both negative and positive impacts on mental health stigma and self-stigma. No studies, to our knowledge, have examined the impact of audio media representation (podcasts) on mental health stigma. Our study therefore examines the effects that both positive and negative portrayals of mental illness in a news podcast would have on mental health stigma. We hypothesized that participants assigned to podcast conditions that primed for mental illness would lead participants to attribute an incident to mental illness. Additionally, we hypothesized that listening to a podcast that speaks negatively about individuals with mental illnesses would …


Examining The Impact Of Competency To Stand Trial And Judicial Instructions On Ngri Verdicts, Erin K. O'Donnell Jun 2020

Examining The Impact Of Competency To Stand Trial And Judicial Instructions On Ngri Verdicts, Erin K. O'Donnell

Student Theses

Objective: The current study tests whether jury-eligible adults follow judicial instructions to disregard information about a defendant’s pretrial competency status when deciding whether he is guilty or not guilty by reason of insanity. Hypotheses: It was anticipated, because of the effects of hindsight bias, that defendants who were previously found competent to stand trial would be less likely to be found NGRI than a defendant who previously was deemed incompetent but has been restored to competency for trial. We also predicted that judicial instructions to disregard pretrial competency status would not effectively eliminate the effect of competency status without an …


The Influence Of Prison Sentence Length On The Societal Dehumanization Of Ex-Offenders, Skye Jensen May 2020

The Influence Of Prison Sentence Length On The Societal Dehumanization Of Ex-Offenders, Skye Jensen

Student Theses

The current study examined the factors that influence the societal dehumanization of offenders, belief in offender redeemability, and support for resource allocation and offender re- enfranchisement. Specifically, the study investigated how prison sentence length influences public opinion on these measures. Two hundred and twenty-two individuals participated in this study and were randomly assigned to one of two conditions involving their responses to a vignette depicting an offender having served either five or 15 years. The results revealed that the length of the offender’s prison sentence did not impact participants’ dehumanization of offenders, belief in their redeemability, or support for reentry …


The Feedback Effect: Does Exposure To Interviewer Feedback Affect An Observer's Perception Of Veracity And Guilt?, Kayla A. Harrod Sep 2019

The Feedback Effect: Does Exposure To Interviewer Feedback Affect An Observer's Perception Of Veracity And Guilt?, Kayla A. Harrod

Student Theses

Historically, assessing deception has been rooted in the belief that a guilty suspect displays signs of anxiety. Based on a suspect’s physical demeanor and other behavioral cues presented during an interrogative session, law enforcement personnel (LEP) will utilize a set of techniques to elicit information about a crime. One such technique is the administration of feedback, which is the verbal assessment of a suspect’s guilt. The issue that stems from administering feedback lies not only in how it is given but also how it is received and interpreted by others. In a two-part study, the possibility of a “Feedback Effect” …


Examining Witness Testimony In Domestic Homicides, Hana Chae May 2019

Examining Witness Testimony In Domestic Homicides, Hana Chae

Student Theses

The present study investigated the effects of varying witness testimony on mock jurors’ perceptions of a case where a woman utilizes self-defense as a reason for killing her husband during a domestic dispute. A 3 (expert witness) x 3 (child witness) design was used to examine the effects of two different forms of expert testimony (Battered Woman Syndrome [BWS] & Social Agency [SA]) and its interaction with presence of child witness [age 5 & age 8]. Jury eligible participants (N = 245) were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). It was hypothesized that the presence of an expert witness would …


Isolation And Support Dynamics Among Concurrent Victims Of Sex Trafficking, Leslie Unger, Chitra Raghavan May 2019

Isolation And Support Dynamics Among Concurrent Victims Of Sex Trafficking, Leslie Unger, Chitra Raghavan

Student Theses

The present study analyzed wiretap data to determine the characteristics of social support among concurrent victims of sex trafficking. Using a grounded theory approach to determine prevalent elements and themes that characterize interactions, conversations between women and conversations between pimps and women that involve concurrent victims as a topic of conversation were examined. A coding scheme was created based on the derived elements, and network patterns were analyzed. Finally, temporal patterns of conflict were examined to determine whether periods of heightened threat were used to punctuate periods of seeming calm, similar to that seen in research on coercive control and …


Individual’S Self Awareness Of Mental Illness: The Effects On Implicit Bias, Microaggressions, And Racial Discrimination, Sarah Zoubaa Dec 2018

Individual’S Self Awareness Of Mental Illness: The Effects On Implicit Bias, Microaggressions, And Racial Discrimination, Sarah Zoubaa

Student Theses

The purpose of the current study is to understand the factors that impact how persons experiencing subclinical psychological symptoms or an undiagnosed but clinically significant psychological problem perceive individuals who been diagnosed with mental illness. Previous literature has investigated the experiences of discrimination among those with mental health problems, but not their attitudes and behavior towards individuals among their in-group. It was hypothesized that individuals with an emerging mental health problem will have higher rates of implicit bias and perpetrate more microaggressions towards those with a mental illness in order to remove themselves from a group that is associated with …


The Relationship Between Right-Wing Authoritarianism & Support For Military Action Among Millennial Voters, Jessica A. Nemet Aug 2018

The Relationship Between Right-Wing Authoritarianism & Support For Military Action Among Millennial Voters, Jessica A. Nemet

Student Theses

This thesis examined the relationship between Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Militarism among millennial students at John Jay College. Previous studies have already suggested a relationship between RWA, heightened perceived individual or communal threat, and aggressive attitudes – especially towards outsiders. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used to gauge the level of authoritarianism and that was endorsed by each subject and these RWA factor scores were contrasted between participants who endorsed Militarism as a viable U.S. foreign policy tactic and those who did not. Consistent with our hypothesis, results suggest that individuals who supported militarism as a viable means to solving international …


Attitudes Towards Racism In Kkk Forums: Denouncement, Avoidance, And Neutralization, Natasha R. Wood Jul 2018

Attitudes Towards Racism In Kkk Forums: Denouncement, Avoidance, And Neutralization, Natasha R. Wood

Student Theses

Recent research has attempted to better understand the complexity of modern terrorism, which seems evermore present in our worldview. However, the scope of the literature lacks representation of far-right ideology, and that of White supremacists within the campaign. Specifically, the potential fear of being labeled as a racist has been recognized as both an obstacle to communicating racial issues and as a potential driver behind the self-imposed social exclusion of White supremacists, which may further contribute to their radicalization rigidity around race-relevant political issues. The current study is an inquiry into the internal perceptions and conceptualizations of racism among members …


Social Media's Influence On Pre-Trial Publicity, Kelly Kondroski Jun 2018

Social Media's Influence On Pre-Trial Publicity, Kelly Kondroski

Student Theses

In an age where more and more people are turning to social media for news information it can only be concluded that those same people are vulnerable to some type of exposure to pretrial publicity. Research has supported the idea that pretrial publicity creates premature judgments of guilt towards the accused and the more exposure a person has on a case the more strongly their opinions of guilt tend to be. Social media has quickly become a platform that users turn to receive news information, including details about cases that are in process of going to trial. Because its high …


Risk Factors Associated With Sexual Assault Among Asian Immigrant Women In Massage Parlors, Daun Jung Jun 2018

Risk Factors Associated With Sexual Assault Among Asian Immigrant Women In Massage Parlors, Daun Jung

Student Theses

Over the past decade, Asian immigrant women have had an increasing presence in the massage parlor industry. Despite that, little is known about the risk to women in these settings. Previous research has addressed health and physical risk factors, yet there are no specific studies on risk factors for sexual assault among Asian immigrant females who engage in sexual services in massage parlors. Thus, this study aims to examine the prevalence and risk factors for sexual assault against Asian immigrant women in massage parlors. Using existing interview data to examine the relationship between these factors and sexual assault (Chin et …


Did You Just Lie To Mom And Dad? Parental And Cultural Influences On Perceptions Of Lie Acceptability, Rosaura Dominguez Jun 2018

Did You Just Lie To Mom And Dad? Parental And Cultural Influences On Perceptions Of Lie Acceptability, Rosaura Dominguez

Student Theses

Previous literature suggests that mothers may stand out as unique lie recipients in terms of perceptions of lie acceptability and that this may be related to the influence of cultural values – that mothers are special and, thus, must not be lied to. However, recent work suggests that this may not be the case. Instead, parental status may be the driving factor behind differences in perceptions of lie acceptability. Nevertheless, cultural values seem to influence perceptions of lie acceptability. The purpose of the present study was to further explore the role of culture in perceptions of lie acceptability. Participants rated …


Bait Questions As Source Of Misinformation In Police Interviews: Does Race Or Age Of The Suspect Increase Jurors' Memory Errors?, Matilde Ascheri Jun 2018

Bait Questions As Source Of Misinformation In Police Interviews: Does Race Or Age Of The Suspect Increase Jurors' Memory Errors?, Matilde Ascheri

Student Theses

Bait questions—hypothetical questions about evidence, often used by detectives during interrogations—can activate the misinformation effect and alter jurors’ perceptions of the evidence of a case. Here, we were interested in investigating whether mock jurors’ implicit biases could amplify the magnitude of the misinformation effect. We accomplished this by manipulating the age and race of the suspect being interrogated. As an extension of Luke et al. (2017), we had participants read a police report describing evidence found at a crime scene, then read a transcript of a police interrogation where the detective used bait questions to introduce new evidence not presented …


Imagination Or Proof: The Use Of Imagery And False Evidence In Eliciting Internalized False Confessions, Kendall Mcmillen Jun 2018

Imagination Or Proof: The Use Of Imagery And False Evidence In Eliciting Internalized False Confessions, Kendall Mcmillen

Student Theses

Rates of internalized false confessions has become increasingly salient through the use of DNA evidence in exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. False confessions also carry heavy legal consequences, and internalized false confessions (Appleby & Kassin, 2016; Kassin & Neumann, 1997; Kassin & Wrightsman, 1980), where the individual actually believes they committed a crime, may be especially damning (Kassin S., 2007). The presentation of false evidence has been found to be extremely influential in eliciting a false confession (Horselenberg, Merckelbach, & Josephs, 2003; Kassin & Kiechel, 1996; Nash & Wade, 2009), as well as imagery (Garry, Manning, Loftus, & …


Violence In Prostitution, Serena Maszak May 2018

Violence In Prostitution, Serena Maszak

Student Theses

It is estimated that the majority of prostitutes are victims of violence, including rape and homicide. Some research has suggested that the clients of sex workers perpetrate most of these acts of violence. While several qualitative studies have examined specific incidents of violence, the prevalence and causes of violence in prostitution remain largely unaddressed by the existing literature. This study compares attitudes towards sexual violence and prostitution between men who have purchased sexual services and those who have not. Participants were 170 men recruited online, with 35 (20.6%) participants self-identifying as those who had previously purchased sex. Overall, a significant …


Do Flashbulb Memories Transmit Across Generations? 9/11 As A Case Study, Shanique Meyler Dec 2017

Do Flashbulb Memories Transmit Across Generations? 9/11 As A Case Study, Shanique Meyler

Student Theses

Psychologists have only recently begun to examine the extent to which personal memories transmit across generations. When they have, they typically focus on family stories (see Merrill & Fivush, 2016) or memories of historical events (Svob & Brown, 2012). The present study extends this line of research to flashbulb memories, or memories of an individual’s circumstances when first learning about a consequential, historical event (Brown & Kulik, 1977). To this end, the present study examines the extent to which flashbulb memories surrounding the events of the terrorist attacks on 9/11 transmit to the next generation. The results suggest that flashbulb …


Multiple Perpetrator Sexual Assault: The Relationship Between The Number Of Perpetrators, Blame Attribution, And Victim Resistance, Yi Jin Genevieve Lim Dec 2017

Multiple Perpetrator Sexual Assault: The Relationship Between The Number Of Perpetrators, Blame Attribution, And Victim Resistance, Yi Jin Genevieve Lim

Student Theses

Sexual assault has been and continues to be a prevalent public health and social problem that can lead to severe ramifications for the victim. There has been growing research on multiple perpetrator sexual assault (MPSA) and how it qualitatively differs from single assailant offenses. However, there is a paucity of studies investigating the differences between sexual assault perpetrated by duos versus three or more individuals and how it affects victim behavioral responses and blame attribution. This study aimed to examine the relationship between the perceived level of victim blame and the number of perpetrators in MPSA cases contingent on the …