Psychology Commons^™

Music And Athletics: An Inseparable Bond, Alisha Symington

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Music is so deeply ingrained in nearly every part of our culture, it sometimes passes by unnoticed. However, if one were to remove music from its typical appearance, the resulting silence can be deafening. For example, in a film, such as Star Wars, if the main theme did not exist, the anticipation of the film and the overall reaction to the plot would be far less appealing. If clothing stores did not play spunky electronic music, would consumer’s shopping habits be altered? A strongly universal and historic aspect of culture that a lack of music would dramatically is the world …

Associations Of Religious Involvement And Mortality: A Critical Review, Thomas Fisher

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

In this review we address the conflicts of previous research on associations between religious involvement and longevity. We will also discuss causes of conclusional variance within these studies. Our study of inconclusive research will equip individuals with insight about sources of disagreement and origins of variance within empirical studies on religiosity and longevity. A wide variety of sources were selected to represent the diversity of findings. Most selected studies identified psychosocial elements of religiosity and proposed a positive, negative, or no correlation with longevity. We reviewed the validity of each study and analyzed the proposed association with longevity. Numerous methodologically …

Reverse Freshman Fifteen: A Qualitative Study, Ruth L. Markham, Taryn Viers, Ashley Laird, Ashley Dibert

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

The decision to make lifestyle changes as related to health cannot be easily summarized as it involves multiple areas of an individual's life. To examine some of these issues 15 college women who had intentionally experienced significant weight loss during their college years were questioned using a semi-structured interview technique. The interviews contained questions concerning how factors such as identity, motivation, habits, availability of resources, and priorities affected their conscious choice to pursue a healthier lifestyle. Transcriptions were coded and analyzed to determine commonalities in factors related to these lifestyle changes. Three common themes emerged which included having an active …

The Relationship Between Music Preference, Moral Competence, And Spiritual Well-Being In Christian College Students, Elizabeth Stokes, Gabrielle Metzler, Chi-En Hwang, Di Wu

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

In this survey study, we examined the effect of Christian music with lyrics versus secular music with lyrics (written as “Christian music” and “secular music”) on the moral competence and spiritual well-being of college students. These students were taken from the population of Cedarville University and were aged 18-25. We hypothesized that Christians who listen to mostly Christian music have higher moral competence and spiritual well-being than those who listen to primarily secular music. Tested through an online survey using the Moral Competence Test (MCT) and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWB), this study found no gender differences, therefore the subsequent …

Social Psychology Of Public Defenders: A Qualitative Study, Michael W. Firmin, Kari E. Barnhill, Hannah W. Foster, Ying-Ruey Chuang, D. Elise Lawrence

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

The right to an attorney is a one to which all U.S. citizens are entitled, in conjunction with the constitution's sixth amendment. Difficulty arose when people who were unable to provide necessary funds to hire a lawyer and, subsequently, went into trial pro se. Resolution was met with the creation of the public defense system -- a system which is unfortunately understudied, and sometimes regarded in a negative light, including a negative perception that public defense is a broken system. This belief sometimes bleeds into the minds of potential clients who may believe a public defender is not sufficiently competent …

Effects Of Olfactory Sense On Chocolate Craving, Michael W. Firmin, Aubrey Gillette, Taylor E. Hobbs

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Chocolate has been referred to as one of the most socially acceptable addictions. It is one of America’s most craved foods, and women tend to crave it more frequently than men. Kemps and Tiggemann (2013) conducted an innovative experiment to reconcile the ideas of mental imagery, scent, and craving. After presenting images of sweet foods and having female undergraduate students smell a neutral scent, the researchers found that the neutral smell decreased craving for sweet foods.

In the present study, researchers sought to replicate many aspects of Kemps and Tiggemann’s design. This new study went one step further, though: in …

A Qualitative Assessment Of Military Kids: Instabilities & Constants, Michael W. Firmin, Taylor E. Hobbs, Aubrey Gillette, Hannah W. Foster

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

In the present study, we addressed the following research question: Do college-aged military kids report similar patterns in affect, behavior, and cognition due to shared perceptions and experiences? The study was conducted through semi-structured qualitative research interviews on a selective, Midwest, private college campus. Participants were asked questions regarding their upbringing as a military child and were asked to identify any potential connections between their past experiences and their current beliefs and behaviors. We report qualitative findings relating to themes in the areas of family dynamics, adaptability, and lifestyles.

Perspectives On Adoption From Christian Adoptive Parents: A Qualitative Study, Ruth L. Markham, Kelley C. Pugh, Valerie A. Sohn, Emily N. Gentry

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Although adoption has long been studied, the rising current evangelical trend of adopting has brought about a new series of questions, mostly pertaining to, “What is it like to be a Christian adoptive parent?” The research goals were to understand how faith motivates one’s decision to adopt and the assimilation of the adopted child into the family, to examine the parallels between theological adoption and human experience adoption, and to see if parents have a qualitatively different kind of bonding or affection for their biological and adoptive children. This qualitative research study was conducted through semi-structured interviews with practicing Christians …

The Experiences Of Being A Full-Time Firefighter: A Qualitative Study, Ruth L. Markham, Nicole M. Tiffan, Lauren A. Kuhlwein, Heidi M. Gibbs

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Firefighters are exposed to stress both physically and psychologically on a nearly daily basis, which can have a profound effect on their physical and emotional well-being. In the present qualitative study we explore the effects of being a full time firefighter on both personal and professional aspects of life. Full time firefighters from departments around the southwest Ohio region are being interviewed using a semi-structured format. Those interviews are recorded and transcribed for the purpose of analysis, as we look for common themes among these professionals. Our questions specifically focus on the experiences a firefighter has had while being on …

The Effects Of Styles Of Dress On First Impressions, Ashley Dibert, Ashley Laird, Di Wu

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Many factors influence our first impression. Previous research found that clothes may affect people’s perceptions and attitudes toward others. Even subtle changes in the style of dress would affect others’ perceptions on multiple characters such as success, trustworthiness and reliability (Howlett, Pine, & Orakcioglu, 2013). It has also been found that the amount of similarities between raters and the individuals rated were positively correlated with the rating scores of favorable characteristics (Michinov & Michinov, 2011).The current research aimed to investigate how a person’s own style of dress would influence their perception on attraction based on those individuals’ style of dress. …

Differences In Perceptions Of Cheating Between College Students And Professors, Ying-Ruey Chuang, Andrew Voss, Di Wu

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

The current research aimed to examine whether students and professors who cheated in the past would differ from those who did not cheat on their perceptions on the severity, percentage, and impact of cheating behavior. Data were collected from 434 students (61% female, 39% male, mean age: 19.78) and 42 professors (57% female, 43% male, mean years of experience: 17.29) through an on-line survey in a private Christian university. The current study focused on the severity, the impact, self-report, and the perceived percentage of cheating behavior in the survey. Furthermore, questions on the severity of cheating were categorized into three …

The Motivation To “Like”: Do “Likes” Cause Conformity On Social Media?, Charles D. Dolph, Daniel J. Case Jr., Devin M. Welsh

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Social media has become the norm in westernized culture in many households. Many companies ranging from small to large organizations have employed multiple forms of social media in order to promote their business. Some companies are inclined to buy “likes” from other businesses in order that their product may seem more appealing to viewers online. The question that this study aimed to address whether participants were more likely to “like” a picture if the picture has more associated “likes”, rather than if it is a good picture as deemed by a professional photographer. This would follow the traditional conformity principles, …

Relationships And Client Protection Differences In The Apa And Aca Ethical Codes, Michael W. Firmin, Kristin Dewitt, Lauren A. Kuhlwein, Taylor E. Hobbs, Aubrey Gillette

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

We present the results of a line-by-line comparison regarding relationship and client protection issues between the American Psychological Association (APA) and American Counseling Association (ACA) ethical codes. Out of 144 total differences in these ethical codes, 34 differences pertain specifically to the topics of relationships and client protection.

Results from the study showed ACA to provide extensive requirements and prohibitions relating to the therapeutic relationship, compared to APA’s more general and principle-driven approach to this domain. Citing a few examples here, we note that ACA requires more extensive documentation of relationship boundary changes pertaining to romantic and/or sexual relationships, therapeutic …