Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Research Proposal: Gender Differences Concerning Thoughts On Love Attitudes And Romance, Sarah E. Brady

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Which gender has more romantic views on love? Oftentimes, women think of their sex as the more romantic gender and complain that their partners are not romantic enough. Yet, is this truly the case?

Research Proposal: Marijuana And The Sociability Factor, Jennifer Ip

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Contrary to popular belief, the social effect of drug use is not necessarily negative. Studies have shown that peers and acquaintances play a role in the initiation of substance use. However, the same evidence also supports that ties with others, especially those with similar characteristics correlate with better mental health (Ford, 2001). According to Ford (2001), by regulating behaviors and attitudes through the creation and exercise of constraints, or by providing individuals with a belief that life has meaning and purpose, social integration may no only promote mental health, but physical health as well. Some studies have found that marijuana …

Research Proposal: Dogs As Reducers Of Anxiety In Social Situations, Jennifer L. Sytsma

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

For many years animals have played a large part in the average family unit. Animals become more than just pets and begin to be considered a family member or a best friend. With such close relationships developing between owner and pet it would not be far fetched to say that animals could act as a social mediator for those who suffer from chronic anxiety in social situations.

I believe that pets can greatly reduce stress and anxiety during social interactions with those who suffer from social anxiety. Since dogs are the most commonly seen pets in an outside setting most …

Research Proposal: Effects Of Tipping Styles On The Quality Of Service, Allison Paul

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Occasionally people enjoy, or engage in dinning out at restaurants. People go out to celebrate birthdays, holidays, promotions, and many other special events. However, along with celebration follows showing the server appreciation by tipping. People have their own reasons for tipping big or leaving the server a penny. Some guests tip 5 percent and some tip 50 percent. Most people tip at the end of the meal as compared to the beginning. Some would say that might keep the server on their toes. Many people tip on the speed of the food, if the server kept their beverages full, or …

Research Proposal: Gender Stereotypes Within Children‘S Play, Melani Saito

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

For my research I will study the interaction habits of boys and girls. I wanted to watch these children and observe this behavior: to see if girls interacted with girls more than boys, and boys would play with boys more than girls. Bigler & Liben and Fagot & Hagan‘s Journal articles support my hypothesis of the children interacting with their own sex more. But Shirley and Heywood would disagree and support the idea that there is no difference. I wanted to study this because I think that it would be interesting to find that children really do play with their …

Research Proposal: The Effects Of Alcohol On The Social Aspects Of High School Students, Katherine Friedhoff

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Although the legal drinking age is twenty-one, the age that a person begins to consume alcohol is decreasing. In a study in 1997, the average age of first alcohol use was 13.2 years old ( Maney, Higham-Gardill, & Mahoney, 2002). Drinking alcohol at a young age can lead to social problems and even delinquent behavior. It has been said that adolescent alcohol misuse has been shown to be part of a constellation of problem behaviors including delinquency and illicit drug use (Barnes, Welte, & Hoffman, 2002). Not only does it aid in future delinquency but also antisocial personality and health …

Research Proposal: The Effectiveness Of Personality Tests In Predicting An Individual‘S Job Performance, Cecelia L. Mcpheron

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

This study is designed for the purpose of determining whether personality tests are effective in predicting an individual‘s job performance. I chose to research this topic because of my interest in industrial psychology. In addition, there are a number of businesses that require potential employers to complete a personality test.

Bates (2002), addresses the fact that personality assessments can be extremely useful in hiring the right person for a particular job. Employment tests seem to be on the rise and roughly 40 percent of employers use them. In addition, human resource professionals should expect to pay a significant amount of …

Spring 2003, Full Issue

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

No abstract provided.

Prologue, Michiko Nohara-Leclair

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Music On Concentration, Jennifer Ip

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

People have long speculated the effects of music on learning. According to the Mozart effect, classical music has a positive effect on learning. Researchers have found that other genres of music, as well as silence, can actually act as distracters rather than stimulators. In the present study, 32 participants were tested under four different conditions. The participants were required to read an excerpt and then answer questions about the excerpt. For three of the excerpts, the participant was required to read and then answer questions while listening to music, while the fourth reading comprehension task was completed in silence. Results …

Gender Differences In Attitudes Of The United States Initiating War Against Iraq, Cecelia L. Mcpheron

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Extensive research has shown that men have an attitude of war that is different from women’s. Based on such research, I hypothesized that more men than women would support the United States’ initiation of war against Iraq. The study involved 30 participants, in which there were 15 males and 15 females. All of the participants were administered a nine question survey that obtained information about how they felt about the United States initiating war against Iraq and if they supported it or did not support it. The results revealed no statistically significant effect of gender on a participant’s attitude of …

Gender Differences In Shopping Habits And Goals Of Shopping, Angela R. Merrell

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

A review of the literature suggested there could be gender differences in the goals and shopping habits of consumers. The hypothesis is that female college students will take part in the activity of shopping for the sake of shopping while male college students will take part in the activity of shopping to purchase specific items. I tested this hypothesis by giving out questionnaires concerning one’s shopping habits and goals to volunteer undergraduate college students of both genders from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO. The findings did support the hypothesis. Individual statistics from each question show support for gender differences. …

Gender And Ability To Distinguish Between Sugar-Free And Sugar Peppermints, Allison Paul

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Do men and women have the same ability in distinguishing sugar free peppermints from regular, with sugar, peppermints? Many would say that women have a stronger sense of taste and smell, possibly due to motherly instincts. Fourteen male and fourteen female students from the Human Subject Pool at Lindenwood University participated in the study. The students were asked to taste two peppermints and record, which they thought was sugar free. The results revealed no statistically significant sex difference in the student’s ability to identify the sugar-free candy. However, there was a significant finding in order effects. Seven out of the …

The Role Of Gender On The Accuracy Of Change Detection, Jennifer L. Sytsma

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Does gender play a role in the accuracy of change blindness when observers are presented with a Rensink, O’Regan, and Clark (1997) flicker paradigm? I presented male and female subjects with two sets of A and B photographs that depicted a model in a natural setting with some sort of obvious change occurring between scenes A and B. Participants were asked to record any noted changes. I hypothesized that females would be more successful in accurately identifying the changes between scenes A and B than males. Results of the study reveal that there is no statistically significant effect of gender …

Do You Know Your 50 States?, Katherine Friedhoff

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

When information is forgotten, sometimes a visual cue can act as a spark to cue your memory into remembering the lost facts. In this study, the task at hand is recalling as many of the 50 United States as possible. Twenty undergraduate students were randomly assigned into two groups, where the first group’s task was free recall of the 50 states and the second group received a blank map of the states to test cued recall. This memory task may sound like an easy one but recalling the United States of America is tougher than participants imagined. However, there was …

Research Proposal: Gender Differences In Cleaning Your Hotel Room, Angela R. Merrell

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

At home, the majority of women do more cleaning involving such household tasks as cooking, washing the dishes, keeping the floors clean, and so on while the men tend to achieve little of the household cleaning load with the exception of managing the finances and doing household repairs. However, when in a hotel room setting a man will throw away trash, straighten up the bathroom by putting the used towels in a pile, and engage in other straightening activities more than a woman will. I want to look into this because I found it interesting that in my personal experiences …

Gender Differences Concerning Thoughts On Love Attitudes And Romance, Sarah E. Brady

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

In the present study, the question of which gender has more romantic views on love was investigated. Thirty participants were given a 30-question survey regarding their thoughts on love. Using a coded rating system, certain responses were considered to be more romantic and other responses were categorizes as less romantic and more idealistic. Results of this study showed that males, more often than females, supplied the romantic response to the survey questions. These findings might imply that males are the more romantic gender.

Research Proposal: Alcohol And Sexual Behavior, Brian Roth

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

It is known that alcohol and open sexual behavior are related. Does alcohol intake make young adults more receptive to engage in sexual activity? This is an amazing topic that is rather controversial and there are many opinions and debates about this topic. My goal is to find out by conducting this experiment whether there is a relationship between alcohol intake and sexual behavior among young adults. I plan to find that the intake of alcohol by young adults does make you more receptive to sexual behavior, because alcohol alters your thinking and allows you to act more freely. This …

Can You Tell The Difference, Brian Roth

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Theorists have been led to believe that there is a gender difference when it comes to how you eat. In my present study I recruited sixteen females and fifteen males who participated in a survey and taste test to see if there was a gender difference between males and females in regards to identifying store brand food and name brand food. I found that there is no gender difference in the ability to name brand food and store brand food. I plan on presenting my study to several grocery stores and showing them my results. The grocery stores could then …

Greeks Compared To Non Greeks And Alcohol Consumption, Melani Saito

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

For my experiment, I studied the difference between students who are involved in a Greek organization compared to those who are not. Forty undergraduate students from Lindenwood University were used. They filled out a survey that I have prepared about Alcohol Consumption, asking a variety of questions such as, how many nights a week they go out, how much money they spend on an average week on alcohol, and where they go when they want to go drink. Results show that there is no significant difference between those students involved in Greek organizations compared to those who are not, but …

Prologue, Michiko Nohara-Leclair

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Prologue.

Research Proposal: Relationship Between Pay And Job Performance, Jessie M. Bell

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

There is no argument that employee morale has an effect on an employees production and job performance. I want to see if pay ties in with employee morale and research whether there is a relationship between pay and job performance. I find myself often saying things like "They don't pay me for this" in my workplace which leads me to believe that if people were paid more they would be willing to do more. Job satisfaction is so important because it is one of the three most important predictors of overall well- being (Judge & Watanabe, 2000). Sousa-Poza (2000) states …

Volume 1, Issue 1 Full Issue

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Full Issue.

Research Proposal: Effects Of Class Attendance On Overall Grades, Sarah Seay

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

One research inquiry that comes to question is whether school attendance has an effect on overall grades made by each student. This question comes to mind for numerous reasons. If students do not miss school does this mean they get better grades because they are learning more or because of their dedication and motivation and low absence levels. Is it that students who miss numerous days of school do not care about their grades or that their grades are lower because they do poorly on tests and assignments?

Research Proposal: Teacher Feedback And Student Grade Improvement, Sara Sullivan, Sara Sullivan

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

I am proposing a research project to discover whether there is a significant grade improvement in students receiving positive feedback from teachers on tests, assignments, or papers, as opposed to students receiving negative feedback or no feedback at all. I decided to look into this question because I have read several studies pertaining to student motivation and achievement and am interested to know how much, specifically teacher feedback, will improve student grades throughout the course of a semester. The studies I have reviewed discuss student motivation and achievement and indicate students’ perceptions of how these behaviors are likely to occur.

Research Proposal: The Effect Of Income On The Probability Of Divorce, Johanna Bisges

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

The research question I am proposing is whether the income of a couple has an effect on their probability of getting a divorce, especially among couples in the lower class or upper class. This is of great interest to me because lately I have heard of several divorces of upper class married couples, and I wondered if the reason that they were getting a divorce was related at all to the couples’ income. Researchers examining the economic contest of American families living in the 1990’s noticed several interesting trends (White & Rogers, 2000). White and Rogers (2000:13) found “significant positive …

Research Proposal: Does Mood Affect Learning And Memory?, Meila Fleming

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Mood is the state of mind or emotion. However, does mood affect learning and memory? I stumbled upon the question one day in my eight o’clock class completing an assignment on research questions. The only thing that I remembered from class is my teacher stating that learning is affected by one’s mood. Research has been researched on this topic in the past but in different forms. One of the articles that I found was about research on the Effects on Learning, Behavior, and Mood. The other article that is similar to my study is long-term effects of emotion and cognition. …

Research Proposal: Is Corporal Punishment As Effective As Positive Reinforcement?, Aaron Deakin

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Research today has revealed various methods for behavior change and behavior change strategies. A question that leaves many researchers turning their heads is, what is the most effective and efficient way to change aggressive delinquent and violent behaviors. Is punishment as effective as positive reinforcement? This is interesting because in an image concerned society, people may be more apt to model behaviors that are rewarded positively rather than to behave appropriately from being punished. My hypothesis is that positive reinforcement will be more effective than corporal punishment. “Most family and pediatricians favor the use of corporal punishment and pediatricians agree …

Research Proposal: Cultural Differences In Dating, Relinda Pearson

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Dating constitutes an important activity in two developmental stages: adolescence and young adulthood (Sheming & Jiping, 2000). Dating is seen as recreation or an opportunity to have fun, as a means of status grading, as an opportunity for companionship with members of the opposite sex, and also as a way of sorting and preference. Lindenwood University has a very diverse student body. Many students that attend Lindenwood University are from many different places on the globe. The student body of Lindenwood University assumes that they are one in the same, but that assumption ranges in many aspects. Dating is one …

Secondary Traumatic Stress In Law Enforcement Personnel, William Carl Heusler

Theses

This study was designed to add to the body of empirical knowledge about law enforcement occupational stress utilizing the compassion fatigue/compassion satisfaction model developed by Figley and Stamm. The predictions that intimate contact with trauma victims will increase the risk for compassion fatigue and burnout was evaluated yielding results that established no difference between law enforcement personnel with direct contact and those that had little or no contact with trauma victims. The suggestion that secondary trauma has a cumulative effect on persons exposed over time was also investigated showing that in this population of police officers, a cumulative impact did …