Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

(Re)Constructing Race: How Essentialist Beliefs Shape Social Justice Support, Abbey Alvarado

Honors Theses

The political climate and social discourse around social justice has grown increasingly tense and hostile in recent years. The current study investigated potential predictors of the opposition to support for racial equity and social justice reforms. Research illustrates that a biological conceptualization of race (“essentialism”) has powerful implications on information processing and social-psychological outcomes regarding issues of race and racism. In the current study, we conducted a survey of 164 University of Richmond undergraduate students. The survey examined the interplay of essentialism and beliefs about systemic racism and white privilege on social justice support. The results showed that essentialist beliefs …

Black And Blue All Over: Whose Lives Matter?, Bella Purvis

Honors Theses

This study investigated the influence of beliefs about race on support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Blue Lives Matter (BluLM) movements, mediated by attitudes towards police and beliefs about white privilege. Utilizing a sample of undergraduate university students, data were obtained through a survey measuring beliefs in the biological and social constructs of race, support for police, belief in white privilege, and attitudes toward BLM and BluLM. Results indicated that individuals who perceive race as a biological construct are less likely to support BLM and more likely to support BluLM, while beliefs in white privilege and attitudes towards …

Longitudinal Associations Between Peer Victimization And School Belonging In Elementary-Aged Children, Bridget E. Mcguiness

Honors Theses

Belonging is crucial for children’s social adjustment, and peer victimization has the potential to threaten belonging. Alternatively, it is possible that low levels of belonging can elicit higher victimization. My study determined the directionality of the relationship between peer victimization and belonging and whether gender moderated the relationship. There was no evidence that peer victimization was associated with decreases in classroom belonging, but low belonging was associated with higher levels of peer victimization. Gender did not moderate the relationship.

Prototypicality And Need To Belong: How One’S Standing In The Group Affects Parochial Cooperation, Huidi Yuan

Honors Theses

This study explores the dynamics of parochial cooperation within intergroup social dilemmas, specifically examining the roles of harm, prototypicality, and the need to belong (NTB). Utilizing an experimental design and an adapted investment game, the study investigates how these factors influence individuals' decisions to engage in cooperation that is biased towards their own group, especially when such actions potentially harm outgroup members. The findings reveal a strong preference for parochial cooperation over universal cooperation and free-riding, consistent with previous research on ingroup favoritism. Notably, this preference is significantly moderated by the harm condition, where participants reduced their parochial investments when …

Let Your Head Hang Down: A Narrative Examination Of Cultic & Conspiratorial Romance, Kyle Macy

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

A response to recent cultural trends of radicalization, extremism, and violence in American society, this dissertation, a novel rendered in ephemeral fragments of oral histories, interrogates the romanticist postures that compel a community of musical artists, the so-called “Folk Revival Revival,” toward infamy and tragedy. Where more traditional sociological approaches to cultic formations stress the importance of centralized charismatic authority, and more traditional psychological approaches rely upon a conspiratorial Cold War ethos of cognitive bias and coercive control (i.e. “brainwashing”), this project meets such assumptions with incredulity, asserting instead that cultic and conspiratorial entrancement awakens first from within, and may …

Development And Initial Validation Of The Supervisor Responsiveness Scale, Ramon Garcia

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Theoretically, responsiveness to the emergent needs of supervisees and clients is the primary means by which clinical supervisors help trainees become effective psychotherapists (Friedlander, 2012). To advance understanding and research on this aspect of supervision, the Supervisory Responsiveness Scale (SRS) was developed and assessed psychometrically.

First, 35 items reflecting trainees’ perceptions of their supervisor’s responsiveness, as defined by Friedlander (2012), were developed and rated for clarity, face and content validity by a panel of 12 experienced supervisors. After the item pool was refined based on these ratings, 216 supervisees representing all training levels rated each item on a 1 ( …

An Exploration Of The Depictions Of Queerness In Yuri!!! On Ice, Kenneth Broughton

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the show Yuri!!! On Ice, specifically its portrayal of gay men. It 1) explores the themes present in the work, with a focus on the depiction of queerness as a transformative force, 2) examines the audience’s opinion of the work via content analysis, and 3) discusses the representation of queer people within the work. The representation of gay men in the show is discussed within the larger framework of Western media, and I also provide context from histories of queer representation in both America and Japan, review common trope usage (both within the story and in Western …

Screen Time And Problematic Behavior: Piloting A Family- Based Intervention, Naomi Morissette

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

School-aged children are increasingly growing up in a technology-driven society. The amount of time children spend engaged with screens is problematic, as is the subsequent impact on the development of their executive functioning skills. The current study investigated the feasibility of an online, asynchronous, family-based intervention to limit screen usage for elementary-aged children. It was hypothesized that removing screens from children’s bedrooms and one hour before bedtime was a feasible strategy to limit screen use and would result in positive behavior change, specifically regarding the ability to self-cue the use of executive skills. Additionally, it was hypothesized that an online …

Improving Care For Adults With Visual Impairment Through Interprofessional Education, Marissa L. Ferrito

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Introduction: There is a significant negative impact on the quality of life of individuals with visual impairment. The number of adults with visual impairment is growing and health professionals will need to be able to respond with effective care and as part of interdisciplinary teams

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to explore the impact that interprofessional education (IPE) has on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes held by future health professionals regarding their ability to treat adults with visual impairment.

Hypotheses: It is hypothesized that after an IPE module, future health professionals will demonstrate more knowledge …

Determinants Of Medical Cannabis Use For The Treatment Of Anxiety: A Qualitative Study, Catherine Blasi

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Anxiety is a disorder characterized by feelings of tension, excessive fear, and physiological changes. Specific classes of anxiety disorders have been recognized, including social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, specific phobia, panic disorder, and separation anxiety disorder. Cannabis is the most commonly used federal substance in the U.S. In recent years, medical cannabis has been increasingly utilized as a treatment option following approval in many U.S. states. At present, no literature addresses explicitly why individuals with anxiety choose to utilize medical cannabis as a treatment option instead of other longstanding treatment options, including psychotherapy and medication. Therefore, the purpose …

How Team Engagement Improved Positive Behavior Intervention And Support, Colleen Canty

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) are a continuum of behavior intervention strategies designed for implementation across the student population. The implementation of PBIS has demonstrated positive academic and behavioral outcomes, as well as safe and favorable school culture in the public education setting (Ockerman et al., 2012; Sugai & Horner, 2009). However, in the alternative school setting, results have not been as favorable. “Alternative school programs have also moved towards adopting PBIS framework, however, outcomes have been less positive. Although alternative programs are often more restrictive and specialized because of the intensified needs of their youth, they share instructional, …

The Anticipation Is Killing Me! - Examining The Mediating And Moderating Relationships Between Mistreatment Anticipation And Work Engagement, Mia N. Fagan

Master's Theses

The mistreatment of workers by customers in the service industry is widespread and well-known. Although customer mistreatment is associated with negative consequences for employees, there is little knowledge about the potential consequences of the expectation of future mistreatment. The present study examined the relationship between mistreatment anticipation and work engagement and hypothesized that mistreatment anxiety would mediate the relationship between the two and that perceived organizational support (POS) would moderate the relationship between mistreatment anticipation and mistreatment anxiety. Data were collected from a sample of 183 individuals via an online survey. Results showed a significant and negative relationship between mistreatment …

Switching The Narrative: Pastors’ Beliefs And Reasonings, Dejaune K. Thompson, Sheriyse M. Williams, Shuntay Tarver, Portia C. Stokes

Psychology Faculty Publications

Although many African Americans experience mental health/addiction (MH/A), only 39% of the population seek professional treatment. Several significant barriers contribute to their ability to seek treatment, and as such, many African Americans feel more comfortable relying on the Black Church and pastors for support. However, many pastors are not prepared to support the MH/A needs of their parishioners thus leaving those who seek help without the proper MH/A care they need. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the perceptions held by African American pastors on preparedness based on experience and theological beliefs to address MH/A issues within …

Created Stepping-Stone Configurations Depend On Task Constraints, Jeffrey B. Wagman, Maisha Tahsin Orthy, Amy M. Jeschke, Tyler Duffrin

Faculty Publications – Psychology

Previous studies have shown that choices about how to configure stepping-stones to be used as playground or exercise equipment reflect a person’s action capabilities. In two experiments, we investigated whether choices about how to configure stepping-stones to be used as a path for locomotion additionally reflect the goals for which or the constraints under which the path is to be used. In Experiment 1, participants created stepping-stone configurations (with rubber mats) that would allow them to cross a given space quickly, comfortably, or carefully. Configurations in the “Quickly” condition consisted of fewer mats, and longer mean (linear) distances between mats, …

Narcissism And Alcohol Use: The Mediating Role Of Drinking Motives Among College Students, Jake R. Solka, Laura J. Finan

Faculty Publications – Psychology

Objective: The current study examined associations between grandiose and vulnerable subclinical narcissistic traits and alcohol use among college students and whether drinking motives mediated these associations.

Methods and Participants: Young adult college students who reported past month alcohol use were invited to complete self-report online surveys (N = 406; 81% female; Mage = 20.13, SD = 1.69; 10% Hispanic; 85% White).

Results: Results from path analysis using structural equation modeling indicated that there were no direct associations between grandiose or vulnerable subclinical narcissistic traits and alcohol use. However, several drinking motives mediated these associations. Specifically, the association between grandiose …

Effects Of Delay And Reminders On Time-Based Prospective Memory In A Naturalistic Task, Lauren D. Black, Dawn Mcbride

Faculty Publications – Psychology

The current study examined the effect of a delay on naturalistic time-based prospective memory (PM) tasks. Two experiments were performed to compare PM performance on a texting task with delays of 1 to 6 days after an initial session. In the first experiment, half of the participants were asked to repeat their response with the same delay to test whether requiring a second response (i.e., a repeated PM task, such as taking medication at the same time each day) would affect time-based PM performance. In the second experiment, participants were given an implicit or an explicit reminder several hours before …

Using Music To Feel Better: Are Different Emotion-Regulation Strategies Truly Distinct?, Jeffrey Kahn, Kaylee C. Enevold, Destiny Feltner-Williams, Kendall Ladd

Faculty Publications – Psychology

People use music to regulate their emotions in a variety of ways. Whereas some of these strategies are conceptually and empirically distinct from one another, other strategies are not wholly distinguishable. We examined the distinctiveness among strategies used to regulate emotions via music listening. College students (N = 274) completed an online questionnaire with closed-ended and open-ended items designed to measure their use of music to regulate emotions and other music and emotion-related measures. Confirmatory factor analyses suggested that some of the strategies in Saarikallio’s taxonomy are not completely distinct from one another, yet correlations between these strategies and other …

Centering Veg*Ns Of Color: An Intersectional Imperative To Anti-Veg*N Stigma, Caitlin M. Mercier

Faculty Publications – Psychology

Veg*ns of color continue to be underrepresented with their health less understood in veg*n scholarship. As intersectionality and health outcomes remain an understudied focus in anti-veg*n scholarship, the concealable stigmatized identity (CSI) framework offers a way to identify the link between stigmatization and health outcomes for VOC. Using the CSI framework, the paper provides a review of multilevel manifestations of anti-veg*n stigmatization in previous and current veg*n scholarship. The paper offers future directions for researchers to examine stigmatization and its impact on VOC. Recommendations are provided to generate knowledge about the experiences and health of VOC.

Expanded Transference: A Humanities Perspective On The Generative Core Of Ernest Becker's Theory Of Human Nature, Daniel Liechty, Jerry Piven

Faculty Publications - Social Work

The death anxiety thesis is widely considered to be Ernest Becker’s primary contribution to social theory and is associated with his most widely read book, The Denial of Death (1973). This essay suggests Becker is understood in a more sophisticated and nuanced way when his death anxiety thesis is situated in the context of his earlier work in the humanities and social sciences. The death anxiety thesis itself is one component of a much broader theoretical conceptualization of expanded transference, a constant thread through all of Becker’s writings from his doctoral dissertation through his final posthumously published works. Furthermore, the …

The Lived Experience Of The Covid-19 Pandemic Among Mandate-Resistant Adults In Washington State, Amber N. Peterson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study examined the lived experience of self-identified, mandate-resistant adults in Washington state. This study explored participants’ experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, from a retrospective framework by uncovering challenges, silver linings, decision-making, and self-reported mental health. Remote interviews were conducted with nine participants. Participants were between 23–31 years old, mostly male, and over half identified as Black. Through semi structured interviews, data was collected and analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Participants described their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted significant changes in the way they lived their lives. Most notably, participants described ways in which they defied COVID-19 …

The Pursuit Of Happiness: Freedom And Well-Being In Positive Psychology, Kevin J. Mckenzie

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This project explores the relationship between freedom and well‑being. Through reviewing the literature of positive psychology and existential psychology, clearer pictures of well‑being and freedom emerge, allowing for statistical analysis. By adopting Seligman’s well‑being theory as a model that incorporates hedonic and eudaimonic elements of well‑being and self‑determination theory’s conceptualization of autonomy as a proxy for freedom in existential psychology, this study explores the relationship between these constructs and their theorized factors through correlational analysis. A potential measurement model for an overall well‑being measure incorporating freedom as a factor is proposed and tested using confirmatory factor analyses. The effects of …

The Effects Of Confession Evidence And Defendant Race On Juror Perceptions, Victoria E. Dodge

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Confession evidence continues to be one of the most persuasive, incriminating forms of evidence presented during a criminal trial (Kassin & Gudjonsson, 2004; Leo, 2009). Research suggests that jurors may also be influenced by extra-legal factors, such as personal characteristics of the defendant (e.g., the defendant’s race; D.J. Devine & Caughlin, 2014; Pickel et al., 2013; Sommers & Ellsworth, 2000). Research investigating the effect of race on juror perceptions has yielded mixed results. Some research has found that White jurors discriminate against defendants belonging to a racial minority while other research identifies a phenomenon referred to as the watchdog hypothesis …

Posttraumatic Growth Following Pregnancy Loss, Megan Pinette

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is positive psychological change that can result from the struggle with trauma or other highly stressful events (Calhoun & Tedeschi, 1999; Calhoun et al., 2010). The aim of this study was to capture the rich narratives of individuals who have experienced pregnancy loss and reported PTG. The narratives of ten participants were investigated to better understand what areas of posttraumatic growth they experienced following this often-devastating loss, as well as the processes that led to this growth. Participants of this study reported experiencing growth in the domains of (a) Relating to Others, (b) Personal Strength, (c) New …

Graduate Students' Accessibility To Human Sexuality Training, Samantha B. Rotay

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Human sexuality is a basic foundation of the human experience. In graduate school for psychology, students are often taught about sexuality in terms of gender identity and sexual orientation. However, there is a lack of education around sexual functioning in terms of sexual wellbeing, arousal, and disorders. Many psychologists are licensed as general practice clinicians but only a small percentage of psychologists have training in human sexuality. However, many generalist psychologists hold a caseload of couples and individuals who are experiencing sexual concerns. Due to the limited training, therapists are less likely to assist clients in therapy around sexual concerns. …

Male Collegiate Student-Athletes Masculinity And Attitudes Toward Mental Health Seeking, Jennifer L. Mayette

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The mental health and well-being of college student-athletes has recently come to the attention of the general public with the increase in current and past athletes speaking out about the stressors they faced during their collegiate careers. With this increase in attention, higher education institutions and larger athletic associations have turned towards research to identify factors that are contributing to the struggles of student-athletes. One factor that has consistently been identified as a barrier for athletes seeking help for mental health concerns is stigma. For male student-athletes in particular, perception of the stigma associated with receiving psychological help due to …

Disability In Education From A Neurodiversity Standpoint: A Multi-Article Dissertation, Isabelle Kluge

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This theoretical multi-article dissertation is a broad examination of education, including trends in our school system, juvenile justice system, and cultural/media system to address the disproportionate targeted failure of students with disabilities from a neurodiversity standpoint. Research shows how our current education system is not the practice of freedom for all learners, but rather a reproductive practice that teaches forms of group-based privilege that results in the disproportionate outcome of school failure, oppression, and incarceration for students with disabilities. Creating liberatory learning spaces for neurodiverse students of all races must include challenging White supremacy, neurotypical superiority, and a standardized one-size-fits-all …

The Relationship Of Workplace Support, Job Control, And Burnout In Nurses, Shannon A. Mccleery

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Nurses are the most likely group of healthcare workers to develop burnout. Previous research identified supervisory support, job control, and decision-making ability in the workplace as protective factors against burnout. There was a gap in the literature regarding the relationship between burnout in nurses and their experience of support, control, and decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reducing and preventing burnout in nurses is important due to the nursing shortage and concerns of attrition rates. This quantitative study examined the relationship of emotional support, instrumental support, job control, and decision-making opportunities in the workplace to burnout in hospital-based nurses. Measures used …

"Why Does This Have To Be So Hard?": Perinatal Experiences From An Ecological Systems Approach, Caitlin Senk

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study examines the lived experience of the perinatal population to understand how they can be supported from the lens of different ecological systems and what counselors can do to better serve people with uteruses during their perinatal experience. Furthermore, this study aims to utilize an inclusive framework for capturing the perinatal experience of people with uteruses and to explore barriers and facilitators to care through an ecological systems framework. Fifteen participants who have experienced infertility, conception, pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, stillbirth, and postpartum were recruited through various means throughout the United States. Thematic analysis was used, with semi-structured interviews and …

Midas’ Children: Affluent White Families And The Effects Of Parental Bias On Child Outcomes, J. Sema Bruno

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Navigating parental biases within White affluent homes assumes family dynamics as yet unexplored within family therapy praxis. This dissertation examines parental biases directed toward domestic laborers employed in affluent White homes and how these biases might affect the parent-child relationship and the emerging values of children in these homes. Research from other fields demonstrates that domestic laborers experience social bias within the workplace; what this highlights is the likelihood that children in these settings are navigating unspoken subtleties of racism and classism in the context of developing socio-emotional maturity and family relationships. The first article within this dissertation critically reviews …

Productivity In Private Practice: Experiences And Best Practices Of Mental Health Counselors, Mark C. Pilger

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study is to understand how mental health counselors in private practice conceptualize, approach, and manage productivity, including key strategies and best practices employed through a qualitative study of lived experience. Inclusion criteria for participant eligibility included being a licensed counselor with a degree from a CACREP-accredited counseling program, working primarily in a private practice setting, and with primarily adult clients. Nineteen participants (N = 19) met these criteria and were included in the study. A thematic analysis was utilized by a team of researchers, which resulted in seven primary themes. The primary themes relate to the …