Psychology Commons^™

Religious Self-Identity And Racism, Alexandria Morgan

Honors College

This project is a replication of a study by Johnson, Rowatt, and LaBouff (2010) that subliminally primed American Christian participants to think about Christianity subconsciously and found increased prejudice towards Black Americans. This study is often cited to support the claim that “thinking about religion makes people more prejudiced,” despite not having been replicated effectively. Replicability is crucial to make appropriate claims. We replicated the original study with updated explicit priming methods as well as updated racial prejudice scales with a recruited national sample of 500 white American Christians through Prolific.ac. Participants were randomly assigned to a priming condition, where …

Development, Line By Line: An Introspective Case Study On Narrative Identity And Development Through Poetry, Milla Miller

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Situated at the intersection of creative writing and psychology, this project analyzes the author’s adolescent poetry alongside her current work to explore psychosocial and narrative identity development. Specifically, the work contrasts poems written about developmental stages in process with those written in reflection of previous stages in order to reveal how the understanding of self evolves. In addition to the complexities revealed by these temporal differences, structural elements unique to the poems provide further levels of understanding: choice of form and figurative dexterity show cognitive and narrative advancement; themes reveal psychosocial conflicts; and repetition across a poetic lifespan identifies the …

Indoctrination Into Hate: The Development Of Racial Neuroses Resulting From Racist Socialization Under White Supremacy, Aliya Kathryn Benabderrazak

Haslam Scholars Projects

Racial-ethnic socialization is critical to our unique and individual conceptualization of reality. This socialization occurs explicitly and implicitly across the lifespan and has significant implications for one’s behavior, social relationships, and ideological beliefs. Two of the most notable and impactful spheres in which racial-ethnic socialization occurs are within the family unit and schooling contexts. The treatment and teachings within these two spaces shape our social and psychological development. The first part of my project considers the neurosis of Whiteness as a psychological consequence of racist socialization within school settings and primarily White communities—as a macro example of the family unit—to …

We The People. Who? The Face Of Future American Politics Is Shaped By Perceived Foreignness Of Candidates Of Color, Patrizia Chirco, Tonya M. Buchanan

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Pursuing a more equitable political representation of a country's demographics is essential both as a matter of principle and pragmatism (i.e., realpolitik). As such, the goal of the present study was to replicate and expand on research on the impact of voter race/ethnicity and ideology on voting behaviors and interpersonal judgments of political candidates of color from different racial and ethnic groups. After participants (N = 282) saw the same political candidate of color (randomly assigned to identify as Mexican American vs. African American), we assessed interpersonal judgments and behaviors (e.g., expertise, voting intentions), perceived Americanness, and memory for skin …

Effects Of Religious And Science Identity On Compatibility, Darby C. Casey

Honors College

Science and religion sometimes appear to clash; for example, some religious organizations reject COVID-19 restrictions on religious grounds. However, many people, like millions of religious scientists, see science and religion as perfectly compatible. The purpose of this study is to examine how people who identify as religious and people who identify as scientists think about science and religion as either compatible or in conflict. The study was conducted with psychology and honors undergraduate students at the University of Maine and consisted of surveys asking about students’ religious and science commitment, as well as their perceptions of the science-religion relationship. We …

Dungeons And Disorders: Destigmatizing The Mental Health Conversation, Wren Hart

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Games, especially tabletop role-play games, have often been used by individuals to explore parts of their identities or concepts that are bigger than they are. Dungeons and Disorders is an adventure module detailing the quest of heroes destined to save a land plagued by debilitating problems. Dungeons and Disorders combines this tendency with psychological information on mental health disorders, in order to begin destigmatizing the mental health conversation. Players of this module will get to explore dungeons based on mental health disorders, starting with obsessive compulsive disorder and culminating with depression. The final boss of Dungeons and Disorders is an …

Advancing Technology & Digital Lifestyles: Facilitating A Group Independent Study, Kailey Droz

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

For my senior capstone project, I facilitated a group independent study (ISP) through Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies at Western Washington University called Advancing Technology and Digital Lifestyles. A small group of students and I critically and creatively analyzed our relationship with technology, and its impacts on the individual, interpersonal relationships, culture, and society. Prior to facilitating, I did research within the fields of cyberpsychology, social psychology, communication studies, and media studies. I am sharing my syllabus and facilitation notes, my final project (two short stories), an annotated bibliography, and a reflection on the group ISP and my process.

Here …

Towards A Psychological Science Of Abolition Democracy: Insights For Improving Theory And Research On Race And Public Safety, Cynthia J. Najdowski, Phillip Atiba Goff

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

We call for psychologists to expand their thinking on fair and just public safety by engaging with the “Abolition Democracy” framework that Du Bois (1935) articulated as the need to dissolve slavery while simultaneously taking affirmative steps to rid its toxic consequences from the body politic. Because the legacies of slavery continue to produce disparities in public safety in the U.S, both harming Black people and the institutions that could keep them safe, psychologists must take seriously questions of history and structure in addition to immediate situations. In the present article, we consider the state of knowledge regarding psychological processes …

The Future Of Women In Psychological Science, June Gruber, Jane Mendle, Kristen A. Lindquist, Toni Schmader, Lee Anna Clark, Eliza Bliss-Moreau, Modupe Akinola, Lauren Atlas, Deanna M. Barch, Lisa Feldman Barrett, Jessica L. Borelli, Tiffany N. Brannon, Silvia A. Bunge, Belinda Campos, Jessica Cantlon, Rona Carter, Adrienne R. Carter-Sowell, Serena Chen, Michelle G. Craske, Amy J. C. Cuddy, Alia Crum, Lila Davachi, Angela L. Duckworth, Sunny J. Dutra, Naomi I. Eisenberger, Melissa Ferguson, Brett Q. Ford, Barbara L. Fredrickson, Sherryl H. Goodman, Alison Gopnik, Valerie Purdie Greenaway, Kate L. Harkness, Mikki Hebl, Wendy Heller, Jill Hooley, Lily Jampol, Sheri L. Johnson, Jutta Joormann, Katherine D. Kinzler, Hedy Kober, Ann M. Kring, Elizabeth Levy Paluck, Tania Lombrozo, Stella F. Lourenco, Kateri Mcrae, Joan K. Monin, Judith T. Moskowitz, Misaki N. Natsuaki, Gabriele Oettingen, Jennifer H. Pfeifer, Nicole Prause, Darby Saxbe, Pamela K. Smith, Barbara A. Spellman, Virginia Sturm, Bethany A. Teachman, Renee J. Thompson, Lauren M. Weinstock, Lisa A. Williams

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

There has been extensive discussion about gender gaps in representation and career advancement in the sciences. However, psychological science itself has yet to be the focus of discussion or systematic review, despite our field’s investment in questions of equity, status, well-being, gender bias, and gender disparities. In the present article, we consider 10 topics relevant for women’s career advancement in psychological science. We focus on issues that have been the subject of empirical study, discuss relevant evidence within and outside of psychological science, and draw on established psychological theory and social-science research to begin to chart a path forward. We …

“Don’T Confuse Patriotism With Nationalism”: A Literature Review And An Analysis Of Two Domains Of Post-Wwii Nationalism In Germany, Ashton Krueger

Honors Theses

This thesis includes a literature review that is an examination of nationalism and patriotism as psychological constructs as well as an analysis of two post-World War II domains of nationalism in Germany. In the psychological literature, there is a very important distinction to be made between the concepts of nationalism and patriotism. As nationalism and patriotism remain relevant areas of study by scholars due to more global citizens than ever before, it is vital to understand the distinction between the two. The goal of the literature review is to demonstrate how nationalism and patriotism differ substantially, how patriotism also takes …

Self-Actualization And The Need To Create As A Limit On Copyright, Christopher S. Yoo

All Faculty Scholarship

Personhood theory is almost invariably cited as one of the primary theoretical bases for copyright. The conventional wisdom views creative works as the embodiment of their creator’s personality. This unique connection between authors and their works justifies giving authors property interests in the results of their creative efforts.

This Chapter argues that the conventional wisdom is too limited. It offers too narrow a vision of the ways that creativity can develop personality by focusing exclusively on the results of the creative process and ignoring the self-actualizing benefits of the creative process itself. German aesthetic theory broadens the understanding of the …

Minority Stress And Alcohol Use In Sexual Minority Women's Daily Lives, Robin J. Lewis, Kelly A. Romano, Sarah J. Ehlke, Cathy Lau-Barraco, Cassidy M. Sandoval, Douglas J. Glenn, Kristin E. Heron

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

"Moral Of The Story": How Children’S Books Regulated Race Relations Starting Before The Civil War To Today, Faleya Scales

History: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The relationship between the racial content displayed in children's books and the development of relationships between blacks and whites has consistently been one that has been overlooked. The purpose of this article is to address the correlation between the two topics while also explaining how racial propaganda in children's books has affected the psychology of those in the relationship. Children's books are key components of everyone's childhood and understanding how they have impacted how we think and behave in relationships with the other race is the key topic highlighted in this article. Not only do you get a perspective into …

Teaching Materialism Through Storytelling: A Collection Of Short Stories And Learning Materials, Zoie Zvonar, Katherine Arnold

Honors Projects

This collaborative projects seeks to combine the disciplines of psychology and writing into a collection of short stories and learning materials dedicated to teaching young students the psychological concept of materialism. In order to accomplish this goal, Zoie Zvonar and Katherine Arnold have designed and created a set of materials that seek to inform, educate, and instill in those young students what materialism is, how to recognize it in our own lives, its consequences, and potential strategies to lower high materialistic tendencies. Zoie Zvonar created the companion guide, learning activities for both students and instructors, and an additional resources list …

“My Name Is My Identity”: Understanding Conceptualizations Of Gender Identity To Improve Measurement, Sage Volk

Honors Theses

Existing measures of gender identity have some inconsistencies that lead to researchers missing out on the comprehensive image of an individual’s gender. The purpose of the present study was to assess how individuals who do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth conceptualize their gender identity. To understand which aspects are important to an individual’s gender identity, semi-structured interviews were conducted with four undergraduate students who identified as non-cisgender (e.g., transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, etc.). Results of the qualitative analysis identified two themes within conceptualizations of gender identity: (1) personal and (2) social. The importance of these …

Cross-Cultural Work In Music Cognition: Challenges, Insights, And Recommendations, Nori Jacoby, Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis, Martin Clayton, Erin Hannon, Henkjan Honing, John Iversen, Tobias Robert Klein, Samuel A. Mehr, Lara Pearson, Isabelle Peretz, Marc Pearlman, Rainer Polak, Andrea Ravignani, Patrick E. Savage, Gavin Steingo, Catherine J. Stevens, Laurel Trainor, Sandra Trehub, Michael Veal, Melanie Wald-Fuhrmann

Psychology Faculty Research

Many foundational questions in the psychology of music require cross-cultural approaches, yet the vast majority of work in the field to date has been conducted with Western participants and Western music. For cross-cultural research to thrive, it will require collaboration between people from different disciplinary backgrounds, as well as strategies for overcoming differences in assumptions, methods, and terminology. This position paper surveys the current state of the field and offers a number of concrete recommendations focused on issues involving ethics, empirical methods, and definitions of “music” and “culture.”

Beyond Dissociation And Appropriation: Evaluating The Politics Of U.S. Psychology Via Hermeneutic Interpretation Of Culturally Embedded Presentations Of Yoga, Genelle N. Benker

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Psychology in the United States (U.S.) is partially constituted by a cultural history of intellectual imperialism that undermines its altruistic intent and prevents disciplinary reflexivity. The scholarship and clinical application of Yoga exemplifies the way U.S. psychology continues to give lived authority to imperialism as part of the neoliberal agenda. Through a hermeneutic literature analysis of two source Yogic texts and peer-reviewed articles that exemplify the dominant discourse on Yoga in U.S. psychology, this dissertation identified themes that describe culturally embedded presentations of Yoga and their sociopolitical implications. Through interpretation, Yoga was conceptualized as: (a) a 5,000 year-old tradition that …

The Descendants Of Hurao: An Exploratory Study Of Chamoru Rights Groups, Alan T. Butler

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The psychological literature conducted in Guam on indigenous practices of resistance to colonialism is nonexistent. This dissertation responds to this absence in the literature by conducting an exploratory hermeneutic study on the lived experience of members of Chamoru rights groups in Guam. Data for this study were collected through semi-structured interviews with eight members of Chamoru rights groups. Results indicated that engagement in a Chamoru rights group can be a deeply meaningful experience that involves education, activism, and being part of a supportive community. This community was felt to be healing, allowing for active engagement with community issues and against …

The Healing Power Of The Arts - Drama Therapy And The Use Of Theatre In The Treatment Of Trauma, Brooklyn Snyder

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Theatre is an incredibly valuable therapeutic tool. In this thesis, I explore the ways in which trauma can reshape individuals lives, both cognitively and physically, impeding their sense of self, ability to trust, engagement, and many other seemingly ordinary aspects of day to day life that those of us unaffected by trauma take for granted. Additionally, I cover how employing theatrical tools, like improvisation and role play, can act as a beneficial treatment option for those who have suffered a traumatic past. Drama therapy allows individuals to reconnect with their bodies and their minds, gain new perspectives on their experiences, …

Humor Improves Women’S But Impairs Men’S Iowa Gambling Task Performance, Jorge Flores‑Torres, Lydia Gómez‑Pérez, Kateri Mcrae, Vladimir López, Ivan Rubio, Eugenio Rodriguez

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is a popular method for examining real-life decision-making. Research has shown gender related differences in performance, in that men consistently outperform women. It has been suggested that these performance differences are related to decreased emotional control in women compared to men. Given the likely role of emotion in these gender differences, in the present study, we examine the effect of a humor induction on IGT performance and whether the effect of humor is moderated by gender. IGT performance and parameters from the Expectancy Valence Model (EVM) were measured in 68 university students (34 men; mean …

Integrative Pharmacotherapeutic Approaches To Treating Depression, Charlotte Tse

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), based in the philosophy-religions of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism, is more than a purely prescriptive medical system; it is a way of life focused primarily on the principles of prevention rather than the more reactionary direction that pharmacotherapy in the US has taken. Mental illness is expected to account for a quarter of China’s overall health burden by 2020, with depression affecting around 100 million people and nearly 30 percent of young Chinese adults. Conventional antidepressants have a delayed onset and unpredictable therapeutic efficacy in this condition, especially in mild to moderate cases of depression. In …

“A” For Effort: Rewarding Effortful Retrieval Attempts Improves Learning From General Knowledge Errors In Women, Damon Abraham, Kateri Mcrae, Jennifer A. Mangels

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

Previous research has shown that the prospect of attaining a reward can promote task-engagement, up-regulate attention toward reward-relevant information, and facilitate enhanced encoding of new information into declarative memory. However, past research on reward-based enhancement of declarative memory has focused primarily on paradigms in which rewards are contingent upon accurate responses. Yet, findings from test-enhanced learning show that making errors can also be useful for learning if those errors represent effortful retrieval attempts and are followed by corrective feedback. Here, we used a challenging general knowledge task to examine the effects of explicitly rewarding retrieval effort, defined as a semantically …

The Function Of Role Models In The Identity Development Of African American Male Adolescents And Young Adults, Gensis Galan

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The function of role models in the lives of adolescents has been linked to many positive outcomes, including academic success and enhanced physical activity (Assibey-Mensah, 1997; Babey, Wolstein, & Diamant, 2016); however, it remains unclear who adolescents and young adults are seeking and identifying as role models. This two-part interdisciplinary project started with literary analyses of a memoir and semi-autobiographical novel that depicted the experience of two African American male adolescents and their exploration of identity; during this time, each male developed the desire for a role model whose behavior he could imitate. The second part of this project included …

Daoism And Dialogism: A Dialogue Between China And The West, Xiaodi Zhou

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, I explore Chinese Daoist theoretical connections with modern conceptions of dialogue and Western theories of psychology (Murase, 2008). I investigate and compare these lines of Western thinking (Strang, 2004) with classical Chinese thought (Zhang & Chen, 2009), noting the complexities in each. I discuss and disseminate how the Daoist principle of yin yang may be related to the dialogic understandings of Bakhtin (1981, 1984a, 1986, 1990, 1993). I also contend that the Western field of psychology, particularly the work of Carl Jung (2014), has incorporated Daoist principles of yin yang in its conception and practice. I argue …

Interview Of Rosanna Mastrangelo, Rosanna Mastrangelo, Juliana Mastrangelo

All Oral Histories

The Interviewee:

Rosanna Mastrangelo was born in February 1964, in South Philadelphia. Her parents, along with the rest of her family, were Italian immigrants who had come to America after the end of World War II in hopes of rebuilding a better life for themselves. Raised in a tight-knit Italian neighborhood and surrounded by Old World traditions, Rosanna quickly realized the importance of remaining close to one’s roots, especially in forming her unique sense of identity. But as she went to school and became acquainted with people of other backgrounds and experiences, it became ever more clear that her sense …

Perception: Exploring Cognition And Consciousness Through Visual Art, Summer Shepherd

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The concept of consciousness has perplexed humankind for thousands of years. Countless scientists, philosophers, and artists have devoted their lifetimes to solving humanity’s questions about our relationship with the world we live within. The creative arts, such as music, theater, and visual art, can facilitate critical thinking and meaningful interpersonal communication. This paper explores the visual artwork of the author, Sunny Shepherd, through examination of historical and contemporary artistic influences on the work, as well as the psychological and philosophical concepts that fuel it. Months of research, planning, and creating went into the manifestation of the final exhibition, Metamorphosis , …

The Alchemical Vessel, River Soma

MFA Statements

My work comes from a place of deep feeling on a bodily level. Amidst the decorative play, there is a sense of the primitive and primordial, and also a certain humanity and clumsiness through struggle. Through the hermetic tradition I relate the alchemical vessel and its symbolic process of interior development to my artistic practice. Focusing in mixed media sculpture, I discovered a concentrated accumulation of symbolism specific to my practice, but also the full recognition of my practice as a ritualized psychological undertaking.

Sexual Victimization, Trauma, & Resilience To Disordered Eating, Ava Fergerson

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

It is widely known that sexual assault disproportionately affects women. College-aged women are the highest risk population of all ages, in fact. Sexual assault can occur at any age and may have a varying range of emotional consequences for survivors. This includes pathological coping mechanisms, such as disordered eating behaviors. This study examined the mediating effect of resilience on the relationship between sexual assault and disordered eating behavior in a sample of women who reported negative sexual experiences. A sample of 519 undergraduate women at Western Kentucky University completed a survey assessing sexual experiences, trauma symptoms, disordered eating behavior, and …

Memory And Music, Sean Harty

Music: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

A literature review of sources pertaining to Music and Psychology. Focusing on how the brain reacts to music, and how our brains change as we age. Relates these topics to practicing music therapists. Proposes future studies based on the collected research.

A Generative Model Of The Mutual Escalation Of Anxiety Between Religious Groups, F. Leron Shults, Ross Gore, Wesley J. Wildman, Christopher J. Lynch, Justin E. Lane, Monica D. Toft

VMASC Publications

We propose a generative agent-based model of the emergence and escalation of xenophobic anxiety in which individuals from two different religious groups encounter various hazards within an artificial society. The architecture of the model is informed by several empirically validated theories about the role of religion in intergroup conflict. Our results identify some of the conditions and mechanisms that engender the intensification of anxiety within and between religious groups. We define mutually escalating xenophobic anxiety as the increase of the average level of anxiety of the agents in both groups overtime. Trace validation techniques show that the most common conditions …