Psychology Commons^™

Validating Empathy As Captured By The Meanness In Psychopathy-Self Report, Stephanie Marie Molina

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Psychopathy is a distinctive personality disorder with an array of interpersonal and affective deficits. In particular, deficits in affective and cognitive empathy skills are noted to be a central feature of psychopathy. Specifically, the construct of psychopathic meanness, which is conceptualized as a tendency to act aggressively without regard for others, is preferentially related to deficient empathy. To elucidate the relationship between psychopathic meanness and empathy, three studies were conducted utilizing the Meanness in Psychopathy-Self Report (MiP- SR). The MiP-SR is a new measure that parses apart the construct of psychopathic meanness into three factors: Malice, Coldness, and Imperviousness. MiP-SR …

Associations Among Benevolent Sexism, Relationship-Contingent Self-Esteem, And Relationship Maintenance Strategies In Heterosexual Women, Carrie Underwood

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Past research shows that heterosexual women who endorse benevolent sexism (a sex-role attitude) tend to be highly invested in romantic relationships (Lee, Fiske, Glick, & Chen, 2010). Consequently, they may be more likely than other women to remain in relationships that are troubled. The current study aimed to shed light on this possibility by examining whether benevolent sexism was associated with the relationship maintenance strategies that women use in troubled relationships. I presented women with a scenario of a troubled relationship and manipulated the type of sexism the male partner in the scenario endorsed. Repeated measures ANCOVA revealed that women …

Methods Of Teaching Social Intelligence And Its Impact On Service Quality, Martee Fischman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Current literature on social intelligence was reviewed and analyzed and most was focused on the general understanding of social intelligence and methods of measurement. There is little literature that connects social intelligence to the business world and none that focuses on the hospitality industry. It is important to fill the gap in research because social intelligence could have a significant impact on service quality, which in turn affects revenues. The current literature provides a good foundation, but more research is needed in the hospitality industry to determine the impact social intelligence actually has on service quality. Experimentation utilizing several measurement …

Validation Of A Personality Scale: A Factor Analytic Approach, Leslie Forbush

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Researchers and clinicians alike make use of various assessment instruments to investigate variables of interest. These instruments include affective assessments, which require individuals to make judgments about themselves. To make these judgments individuals reflect upon their attitudes, interests, values, and personality traits and choose the corresponding response option that they feel best represents their current status with regards to the variable of interest for each question. The optimal number of response options to be included in such affective measurement scales has been greatly debated over the past several decades (Cox, 1980; Foddy, 1993; Jacoby & Matell, 1971; Jones & Loe, …

How We Complain: The Effect Of Personality On Consumer Complaint Channels, Riley Allen Berry

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to explore any connections that may exist between personality types and consumer complaint channels. A sample of 490 undergraduate students at the University of Nevada Las Vegas was surveyed during class time with a paper and pencil survey. The survey consisted of four service failure scenarios each with eleven possible courses of action. Respondents were asked to rate their likelihood to participate in each action on a seven point Likert-type scale. The three personality factors measured against the complaint behavior were Locus of Control, The California Psychological Inventory measure of Sociability, and Cattel's 16 …

Exploring The Morality Of Arthur Miller And Elia Kazan To Show How It Affected Their Work, Friendship And Society, Dale D. Parry

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to explore the moral convictions, or the lack of same, in the personal character of Arthur Miller and Elia Kazan and to show how those convictions affected not only their work and personal friendship but society as well. They first met in 1946 when Harold Clurman of the Group Theater passed to Kazan a Miller play that he had read entitled All My Sons. With the success of the play, the two became fast friends and collaborators in profession and ideology. Each had in common the Great Depression, problem fathers, marital instability and Communism. …

The Influence Of Parent Factors On Child Perfectionism: A Cross-Sectional Study, Lisa Caitlin Cook

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Perfectionism is a multidimensional construct that affects adults and children and is associated with psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsiveness. Studies regarding risk factors for perfectionism are scarce but extant research and theories suggest parents may be involved in the development of perfectionism in children. The present study included 160 children aged 8-17 years (67 males, 93 females) and their parents. The study examined child perfectionism across five age groups (8-9 years, 10-11 years, 12-13 years, 14-15 years, 16-17 years) as well as relationships between parent and child perfectionism and between parent psychopathology and child perfectionism. Self-oriented …

Playing With Fire Or Arson? Identifying Predictors Of Juvenile Firesetting Behavior, Mary Ellen Britt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Firesetting is a complex behavior that spans a wide range of developmental stages in childhood and adolescence and involves varying motivations and intents. A better understanding of this destructive behavior is critical to developing strategies to control its devastating effects. The purpose of this research project was to identify potential predictors of juvenile firesetting behavior by studying youth who were enrolled in a regional firesetting intervention program. Data collected from firesetting assessment instruments completed by parents or guardians of program participants were examined. In the analyses, special emphasis was placed on evaluating associations between juvenile firesetting behavior and the socioeconomic …

Personality, Presence, And The Virtual Self: A Five-Factor Model Approach To Behavioral Analysis Within A Virtual Environment, Michael Patrick Mccreery

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

For several decades, researchers have explored the existence of the virtual self, or digital embodiment of self found within an avatar. It was surmised that this new component of one’s overall identity not only existed in conjunction with the public and private persona, but was replete with the necessary physical and psychological characteristics that facilitate a broad range of cognitive, cultural, and socio-emotional outcomes found within a virtual environment (e.g., Second Life, World of Warcraft). However, little is known with regard to whether these characteristics do indeed impact behavioral outcomes. For this reason, this study employed an observational assessment method …

Studying Personality In Juvenile Prostitutes: Aren't All Delinquents The Same?, Nina S. Brathwaite

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to test whether specific personality traits differentiate juveniles who engage in prostitution from those who do not. Juvenile prostitutes (n =34) and delinquent non-prostitutes (n =33) being detained in the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center were compared on a number of personality variables and offender subtype classifications measured by the Jesness Inventory-Revised (Jesness, 1988). It was hypothesized that the prostitution group would score significantly higher on scales closely related to immaturity, depression, denial, and sensation-seeking. Results of MANOVA and chi square indicated that the two groups did not differ significantly with regard to their …

African American Parental Beliefs About Resiliency: A Delphi Study, Vita L. Jones

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Resiliency is a concept that has been discussed in the fields of anthropology, psychology, sociology, and education for over 30 years. Most authors define resiliency as the ability to triumph over adversity. The term associated with children/youth who rise above negative situations is resilient. A subgroup of students who are disproportionately affected by negative perceptions from society and who often find themselves in negative situations are African American children/youth. It appears that these students encounter less social fit in school, have a higher propensity for at-risk behavior, and experience less favorable academic and social outcomes.

This study involved a Delphi …

Cross-Sectional Study Of Strength In Sharing: Philanthropy In Girl Scouting, Juergen Barbusca

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

On the morning of September 11th, the world was witness to a tragedy that represented the very worst and the very best of what human beings are capable. Marked by heroic deeds with life-saving consequences, caring acts performed by complete strangers, and charitable giving carried out by a shocked but generous country, the events of September are prime exemplars of America's philanthropic tradition. For some, these humanitarian acts were instinctive, for others more purposeful and conscious, and for still others perhaps an appeal to duty. The response to the immediate and longer-term needs of the victims, their families and communities …