Psychology Commons^™

Social Distance As A Function Of Mental Health Status And Gender Of College Student Peers, Kaitlyn A. Zuilkowski

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine college students' general preference for social distance from individuals who have mental disorders, as well as their preference for social distance from a peer with a specific diagnostic label of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), or a Stuttering Disorder. College students (N = 180) enrolled at a Southeastern liberal arts university completed the Modified Social Distance Scale which assessed general preference for social distance from people with mental disorders and subsequently read a short vignette describing a male or female college student who had been diagnosed with and …

Female Students' Clothing Styles And Their Effect On Perceived Intelligence By College Professors, Dea Kamberaj

Honors Theses

This study was conducted to look at the contemporary effects of students' clothing styles on college professors' perceptions about the students' intelligence, attractiveness, and sociability. The effects of three dress conditions, formal attire, provocative attire, and casual attire, were studied on professors on a southeastern university. The hypothesis stated that a student wearing formal attire would receive the highest overall rating and the highest rating in intelligence. The casual attire condition would receive the lowest rating in intelligence and overall rating. The rating of the provocative clothing condition is predicted to change based on the sex of the rater. One …

Effects Of Menstruation On Women's Likeliness To Forgive, Brittany K. Gaillard

Honors Theses

The effect the secretion and ovulation phases of the menstrual cycle has on forgiveness was examined in this study. It was hypothesized that women in either phase of their menstrual cycle would be less likely to forgive than those not in either phase of their menstrual cycle. Participants (N = 146) completed three questionnaires, one measuring their likeliness to forgive, one measuring their forgiveness of others, self, and situations, and the last collecting demographic information and information about their periods. The results showed no significant difference in woman's likeliness to forgive when experiencing a period and when not experiencing a …

Emotional Intensity And Persuasion, Laurencio Tamayo

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Problem Solving And Functional Fixedness: A Comparison Between Eco-Reps And Non Eco-Reps, Keith G. Richard

Honors Theses

A quasi experiment was conducted to examine functional fixedness and creative problem solving. The purpose of this research was to attempt to identify differences in cognitive ability between recyclers and non recyclers. This researcher investigated whether recycling group affiliation or priming for functional fixedness would affect task performance among college students. A tower building activity was developed for this study to determine if members of a college recycling group, the Eco-Reps, would complete a problem solving activity faster than non Eco-Reps. Some participants in each group were primed for functional fixedness. This researcher hypothesized that Eco-Reps would complete the task …

This Looks Familiar! The Effect Of Prior Notification Of Civil Settlement On Award Determinations In A Product Liability Case, Jessica Crawford

Honors Theses

Research has established that pre-trial publicity increases potential jurors’ awareness to factors that may or may not become evidence at trial. The purpose of the present study was to examine how variations in prior notification of a civil settlement would influence juror decision-making. A sample of jury eligible students (N = 123) read one of three news summaries in which the settlement amount ($14.75M v. $4.25M v. $800,000 v. Control) and prior notification (3 Day v. 3 Week Delay) were manipulated. Results indicated that similar to pre-trial publicity, jurors utilized prior information as a basis for determining award. In …

The Effects Of Yoga And Aerobic Exercise On Concentration And Feeling-States, Elyse J. Dolde

Honors Theses

The impacts of yoga and aerobic exercise on level of concentration and change in feeling-states were examined in this study. They hypothesis was that concentration and feeling-states would improve over a yoga and aerobic exercise session, but yoga, a combination of exercise and meditation, was expected to produce greater positive changes than aerobic exercise. Participants included 70 students from Roger Williams University, 27 male and 43 female. 34 took part in 30 minutes of yoga and 36 took part in 30 minutes of aerobic exercise. Concentration levels and feeling-states improved significantly over sessions of both yoga and aerobic exercise sessions …

The Effects Of Context Dependency In Recognition Memory And Source Memory, Aljeandra Vargas

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Creative Expression Through Dance: The Effect Of Direct Instruction Versus Inquiry Learning Teaching Methods, Christy Hedlund

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Minority Status And Language Fluency On Vietnamese Asian Americans In The Predominately English-Speaking American Workplace, Lily L. Truong

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Emotional Regulation And Memory: The Effects Of Reappraisal On Source Decisions, Chad Gremillion

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? A Mixed-Method Study Of The Mentoring Relationships That Guide Student-Athletes Toward Career Decisions, Andrew J. Schwehm

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

An Intervention In Stereotype Threat : Does Gender-Affirming Literature Reduce Female Vulnerability In Mathematics?, Emily Dowd

Honors Theses

The current study examined whether the presentation of gender-affirming literature, in the form of information about the University of Richmond‟s Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program, mitigated female stereotype threat in the domain of mathematics. A pilot study tested 10 male and 10 female college-aged participants to determine whether a derogatory beer commercial produced the threat effect in women; results were inconclusive. A follow-up study used threat methods derived from previous research and information about the WGSS program at Richmond for the intervention manipulation. Results from 30 female college students indicated insufficient threat and a nonsignificant positive increase in …

Forgiveness As A Mechanism Of Self-Regulation : An Ego-Depletion Model, Lindsay Myerberg

Honors Theses

Revenge is the natural human response to interpersonal transgressions. However, given the benefits of forgiveness, it is important to consider how forgiveness can be facilitated. Many factors have been shown to be associated with forgiveness, ranging from situational factors (e.g., perception of the transgression) to dispositional factors (e.g., personality traits). This study aims to extend research on the factors that are associated with forgiveness, and determine the processes on which forgiveness relies. To demonstrate that forgiveness requires self-regulation, Study 1 examines if ego-depletion decreases willingness to forgive, and Study 2 examines if glucose consumption can negate this ego-depletion effect. Results …

Friendship And Problem Solving : The Effect Of Various Situations On Co-Rumination In Emerging Adulthood Friendships, Kelly Larsen

Honors Theses

Co-rumination is the act of negatively discussing problems with another person. The focus of co-rumination is generally on the negative aspects, or things that cannot be changed as opposed to active problem solving. Co-rumination is positively associated with positive friendship quality as well as internalizing symptoms such as anxiety and depression. Co-rumination is most commonly studied in children and adolescents, but the present study extends this research by looking at the undergraduate population. In addition the current study aims to find differences in co-rumination in response to four different hypothetical scenarios. One hundred and thirty one students at the University …

Reactions To Psychological Contract Breaches: An Experimental Manipulation Of Severity, Theresa Atkinson

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Identification Style On Confidence Inflation In Eyewitness Testimony, Kelsey L. Stratton

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine whether confidence inflation in eyewitness testimony can be altered by the effects of self-perception and public commitment, as manipulated by identification style. In order to investigate these specific effects, identifications and confidence reports were made using both private and public methods. Additionally, target-present and target-absent lineups were used in order to assess their relative effects and to control participant accuracy.

Results revealed that the best confidence-accuracy correlations, as determined by a comparison from pre-lineup measures, were a result of post-lineup, private identifications. This indicates that self-perception may be more responsible for confidence …

Identifying The Negative Stigma Associated With Having A Learning Disability, Kelsey Lisle

Honors Theses

Those with learning disabilities (LDs) can be characterized as a minority group, and like most groups of minorities they face a distinct stigma by the larger population. While there iscurrently a lack of research in understanding LD stigma, it has become increasingly important given the push for inclusive classrooms settings. In this study it was hypothesized that regardlessof a participants’ gender, when participants were given a hypothetical description of a person that included information indicating that the individual has a LD, the participants would rate that individual less favorably. Results were consistent with the hypothesis. Participants perceived the hypothetical LD …

Gender Differences In Emotional Responses To Hooking Up, Kelsey Malone

Honors Theses

The present research looked to explore the relationship between the emotional responses of college students to different hooking up behaviors. Seven hundred and nine undergraduates participated in a web-based survey that included a demographic questionnaire, SDS, PANAS, AUDIT, and a measure of hooking up. This measure examined the frequency with which they participated in eight different types of hooking up varying by degree of familiarity to their hook partner and whether or not the hook up was coital or non-coital, as well as their emotional responses to the behavior and their perception of the emotional responses of their partner. Results …

Lexical Development In Adult Beginning Second Language Learners, Angela Chouinard

Honors Theses

This research tests the hypothesis that knowledge of derivational morphology facilitates vocabulary acquisition in beginning adult second language learners. Participants were mono-lingual English-speaking college students aged 18 years and older enrolled inintroductory Spanish courses. Knowledge of Spanish derivational morphology was tested through the use of a forced-choice translation task. Spanish lexical knowledge was measured by a translation task using direct translation (English word) primes and conceptual (picture) primes. A 2x2x2 mixed factor ANOVA examined the relationships between morphological knowledge (strong, moderate), error type (form-based, conceptual), and prime type (direct translation, picture). The results are consistent with the existence of a …

Self-Perceived Attractiveness And Its Influence On The Halo Effect And The Similar-To Me Effect, Lauren Cotter

Honors Theses

The present research examined the influences of the halo effect and the similar-tome effect on physical and sexual attractiveness for hiring decisions. It was hypothesized that the halo effect would cause applicants rated highly in physical and sexual attractiveness to receive higher ratings of hireability than unattractive applicants.However, if the similar-to-me effect is influential for levels of attractiveness in hiring situations, participants who rated themselves as less attractive should favor unattractive applicants. The results did not show an interaction between participant self-ratings and ratings of hireability, indicating the similar-to-me effect does not apply to physical or sexual attractiveness. There was …

Do College Women Facilitate The Sexual Assault Of Their Same-Gender Peers?, Allyson Hopper

Honors Theses

National studies indicate that approximately 25 percent of women have been sexually assaulted by the time they finish college. Although male peers are often the perpetrators, women also engage in behaviors with their female peers that may increase the risk of sexualassault. In the present study, we sought to determine how often college women engaged in these behaviors (i.e. “female facilitation”). Participants were 373 female students (sophomorethrough senior; Greek and independent) who completed an online survey containing measures of sexual assault, alcohol consumption, and female facilitation. The female facilitation measure indexed both “facilitator” behaviors (those directed toward others thatlikely increase …