Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Physiological Reactions To Uncanny Stimuli: Substantiation Of Self-Assessment And Individual Perception, Tatiana Ballion

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is abundant anecdotal evidence substantiating Mori’s initial observation of the "uncanny valley", a point at which human response to non-human entities drops sharply with respect to comfort (Mori, 1970), and the construct itself has a long-standing history in both Robotics and Psychology. Currently, many fields such as design, training, entertainment, and education make use of heuristic approaches to accommodate the anticipated needs of the user/consumer/audience in certain important aspects. This is due to the lack of empirical substantiation or, in some cases, the impossibility of rigorous quantification; one such area is with respect to the user’s experience of uncanniness, …

Using Personality Profiles And Gender To Predict Affect, Chelsey Vandyke, Jonathan Gore

Jonathan Gore

Despite the abundance of research examining the association between personality traits and affect, few researchers have examined personality profiles. The hypotheses tested in this study examined how gender, extraversion, and neuroticism interact to predict positive and negative affect. Participants (n = 2,542) completed personality and mood surveys online. Bivariate correlation analyses and hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted to analyze the data. Results supported previous findings about the correlation between neuroticism, extraversion, and negative and positive affect, and people who are high on extraversion and high on neuroticism experienced the most affect variability. The correlation of extraversion and positive affect …

Individual Differences In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Behavior: Implications For Personality, Christina Nicole Toms

Master's Theses

Individual differences (IDs) in zebrafish (Danio rerio) behavior were examined across time and contexts in order to investigate personality traits. Zebrafish (N = 30) were exposed to six behavioral tasks that were collectively expected to capture (a) aggression, (b) boldness/shyness, and (c) fear. The tasks included a small open field, mirror exposure, emergence, large open field, novel object, and predator exposure tasks. IDs in behavior were found to be consistent across time for a majority of behaviors and consistent across contexts for all but two behaviors. Convergent and discriminate evidence was examined for the three constructs. There was …

Comprehensive Creativity When We Need It, Review Of "The Cambridge Handbook Of Creativity," Edited By James C. Kaufman And Robert J. Sternberg, Stephen J. Guastello

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Reviews the book, The Cambridge handbook of creativity edited by James C. Kaufman and Robert J. Sternberg (see record 2010-21837-000). The title suggests that The Cambridge handbook of creativity is an encyclopedic collection of all the major chunks of knowledge connected to creative behavior. Although it does not disappoint in that regard, the contributing authors do a superb job of capturing the coherence and the theoretical and thematic developments of their respective areas. Overall the reviewer would recommend The Cambridge handbook of creativity to serious researchers in creativity and anyone who wants to be seriously creative. Psychologists and educators are …

The Political Personality Of U.S. President Barack Obama, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of an indirect assessment of the personality of U.S. president Barack Obama, from the conceptual perspective of personologist Theodore Millon.

Information concerning Obama was collected from biographical sources and media reports and synthesized into a personality profile using the Millon Inventory of Diagnostic Criteria (MIDC), which yields 34 normal and maladaptive personality classifications congruent with Axis II of DSM–IV.

The personality profile yielded by the MIDC was analyzed on the basis of interpretive guidelines provided in the MIDC and Millon Index of Personality Styles manuals. Obama’s primary personality patterns were found to be Ambitious/confident …

The Impact Of Entrepreneurial Personality Traits On Perception Of New Venture Opportunity, Jun Yan

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

This empirical study examined links between entrepreneurial personality traits and perception of new venture opportunity in a sample of 207 respondents. Four entrepreneurial personality traits were included to predict respondents’ perception of new venture opportunity. They are (1) achievement motivation, (2) locus of control, (3) risk propensity, and (4) proactivity.The results of multiple regression analysis show that three of the four entrepreneurial personality traits—locus of control, risk propensity, and proactivity—related significantly to perception of new venture opportunity in expected directions. Among the three personality traits, proactivity was found to have the strongest influence over entrepreneurial perception. No significant relationship was …

Psychographic Segmentation Of The Self-Employed: An Exploratory Study, Matthew G. Kenney, Art Weinstein

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

Although it is well established in the academic literature that entrepreneurs share common traits, there has been limited research dedicated to evaluating psychographic profiles of the self-employed. Using the Nominal Group Technique, the authors gleaned insight from a panel of experts in an effort to segment the self-employed based on personality traits and the benefits they receive from an entrepreneurial career. The findings show that self-employed individuals can be classified into four distinct segments: Exemplars, Generals, Moms and Dads, and Altruists. Each group derives different benefits from self-employment. Understanding these benefits can greatly assist entrepreneurship educators and marketers of small …

American And Chinese Personality Traits And Task Load In Simulated Flight Crews: Individual And Team Level Effects, Matthew Edward Loesch

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Understanding the impact of pilot interpersonal dynamics may be crucial for flight team success as well as the prevention of air crash disasters. Achieving optimum performance from flight teams requires limiting unnecessary pilot task load. This study examined American and Chinese simulated flight crews. Factors believed to affect cockpit interpersonal dynamics and subsequent crew task loads were pilot personality and nationality. Pilot personality, team personality elevation, team personality variability, and team nationality were analyzed for their potential impact on task load perceptions. Twenty-four American, 23 Chinese, and 23 mixed nationality two person teams were created and used for comparisons. Increasing …

The Convergent And Discriminant Validity Of Five-Factor Traits: Current And Prospective Social, Work, And Recreational Dysfunction, Christopher J. Hopwood, Leslie C. Morey, Emily B. Ansell, Carlos M. Grilo, Charles A. Sanislow, Thomas H. Mcglashan, John C. Markowitz, John G. Gunderson, Shirley Yen, M. Tracie Shea, Andrew E. Skodol

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

The convergent and discriminant validity of Five Factor Model (FFM) personality traits with concurrent and prospective social, work, and recreational dysfunction was assessed in a large, longitudinal clinical sample. Consistent with five factor theoretical expectations, neuroticism is broadly related to dysfunction across domains; extraversion is primarily related to social and recreational dysfunction; openness to recreational dysfunction; agreeableness to social dysfunction; and conscientiousness to work dysfunction. Findings support five factor theory and the clinical assessment of normative personality traits.

Personality Traits As Prospective Predictors Of Suicide Attempts, Shirley Yen, M. Tracie Shea, Charles A. Sanislow, Andrew E. Skodol, Carlos M. Grilo, Maria O. Edelen, Robert L. Stout, Leslie C. Morey, Mary C. Zanarini, John C. Markowitz, Thomas H. Mcglashan, Maria T. Daversa, John G. Gunderson

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

OBJECTIVE: To examine higher order personality factors of negative affectivity (NA) and disinhibition (DIS), as well as lower order facets of impulsivity, as prospective predictors of suicide attempts in a predominantly personality disordered sample.

METHOD: Data were analyzed from 701 participants of the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study with available follow-up data for up to 7 years. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses was used to examine NA and DIS, and facets of impulsivity (e.g. urgency, lack of perseverance, lack of premeditation and sensation seeking), as prospective predictors of suicide attempts.

RESULTS: NA, DIS and all facets of impulsivity except for …

Personality Traits And Mental Health Treatment Utilization, Christopher J. Hopwood, Brian D. Quigley, Carlos M. Grilo, Charles A. Sanislow, Thomas H. Mcglashan, Shirley Yen, M. Tracie Shea, Mary C. Zanarini, John G. Gunderson, Andrew E. Skodol, John C. Markowitz, Leslie C. Morey

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Recent theory and research suggest a relation between five-factor model personality traits and mental health treatment utilization, even after controlling for psychiatric disorders and global functioning. The current report further tests this hypothesis in a large clinical sample, using a wider array of treatment modalities than has been previously studied. Overall, results were limited and inconsistent. Although neuroticism was related to utilization across treatment modalities, many of these relationships resulted from its association with psychiatric diagnoses. Other traits showed limited and inconsistent relations to the use of psychosocial and psychiatric treatments.

Simplifying The Cattellian Psychometric Model, Gregory J. Boyle

Gregory J. Boyle

Extract:
This chapter concerns the scientific analysis of individual differences in human psychological functioning including personality structure, undertaken by the author over a 30-year period (Boyle, 2006b).

Personality Theories And Models: An Overview, Gregory J. Boyle, Gerald Matthews, Donald H. Saklofske

Gregory J. Boyle

Extract:

The thesis of these volumes is that the study of personality traits has advanced towards 'normal science' in the sense of a Kuhnian paradigm (cf. Eysenck, 1981; Kuhn, 1962). That is, most researchers in this area share a set of common core beliefs supported by empirical evidence. These include the relative stability of traits over time, a significant genetic and biological influence on personality, and relevance of traits to many areas of everyday life.

Self-Destructive Behaviors Of Adolescent Girls And Boys, Carolyn A. Curtis

Honors Theses

From a social constructionist perspective linked with a feminist standpoint, I examine three forms of adolescent self-destructive behaviors: eating disorders, self-mutilation and substance abuse. The social construction of adolescents’ norms, values, and beliefs, as based upon their interactions with family, peers, and the media, helps explain these self-destructive actions. In addition to a comprehensive literature review, I interviewed five adults who work with adolescents in the state of Maine, and used these professionals’ experiences and knowledge to support the current theories pertaining to these acts of self-harm. To better understand what drives some adolescents to harm their own bodies, I …

Perceived Desirability Of Given Names: Identifying A Relationship Between Given Names And Associated Personality Traits, Ellen D. Parks

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This study was designed to determine whether participants would have better recall for names with phonetic properties that matched a paired personality trait. In other words, phonetically attractive names paired with positive traits and phonetically unattractive names paired with negative traits should have higher rates of recall than names whose phonetic properties did not match a paired personality trait, such as phonetically attractive names paired with negative traits or phonetically unattractive names paired with positive traits. Given names were deemed to be phonetically attractive or unattractive based on the number of sonorants (soft consonant sounds such as l, m, n, …

An Overview And Discussion Of Fred E. Fiedler's Contingency Model Of Leadership Effectiveness, Sara K. Kuhn

Librarian Publications

A discussion of the components of Fred E. Fiedler's (Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Washington) Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness (1964), including its applicability to public libraries.

The Sales Managers' Implicit Personality Theory And Leadership Variables, Gordon Gunn Mosley

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of sales managers' implicit personality theory and various leadership variables provided to salespeople by their sales managers. Several bodies of literature were reviewed for this study from the educational psychology, management, leadership, and marketing/sales disciplines. More specifically, this study addressed the following research questions: (1) What effect does sales managers' implicit personality theory have on the nature of the feedback they provide to their salespeople? (2) What effect does sales managers' implicit personality theory have of the transformational leadership they provide to their salespeople? (3) What effect does sales managers' …

Political Psychology And Personality, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

Following a brief overview of historical approaches to personality-in-politics inquiry, this book chapter reviews the current state of the field – specifically, psychodynamic approaches, trait/motivational perspectives, and cognitive models – and argues that Theodore Millon’s personological model offers an integrative framework for assessing personality in politics and building a conceptual bridge between personality patterns and political leadership styles.

Millon’s model accounts for structural and functional personality attributes at the behavioral, phenomenological, intrapsychic, and biophysical levels of analysis and provides a theoretically coherent framework for studying personality in politics consonant with established principles in the adjacent sciences and integrative with respect …

Measuring Personality And Values Across Cultures: Imported Versus Indigenous Measures, Fanny M. Cheung, Shu Fai Cheung

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

Cross-cultural studies of personality have shown cultural similarities and differences in the manifestation of personality traits. In interpreting cultural differences in personality traits, we should consider not only the experiences of people in different cultures, but also the measures adopted and the cultural orientations of researchers themselves. In this chapter, we discuss the considerations in adapting an instrument from one culture to another culture. We illustrate the alternative approach of developing an indigenous personality measure in the Chinese culture.

Personality In Political Psychology, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This chapter outlines the history of personality inquiry in political psychology, examines the current state of personality assessment in politics, and charts a course for the study of personality in politics in the post-cognitive revolution era, informed by contextually adjacent scientific fields such as behavioral neuroscience and evolutionary ecology.

The chapter offers a comprehensive, generative, theoretically coherent framework for studying personality in politics, consonant with established principles in the adjacent sciences and integrative with respect to accommodating a diversity of politically relevant personal characteristics. The proposed framework attempts to bridge conceptual and methodological gaps between current formulations in the source …

An Empirical Analysis Of The Effect Of The Need For Closure On Materiality Thresholds Of Auditors, Cynthia M. Daily

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the strengths of a specific motivator for judgment and decision-making, referred to as “need for closure” and determine how the strength of that motivator affects materiality judgments of auditors.

The extent to which auditors seek and process information prior to forming a judgment can have important consequences in the conduct of an audit. In this regard, psychology researchers have identified a personality characteristic—a motive for judgment and decision making—that influences the decision making process. This motive, referred to as the need for closure, pertains to the desire of individuals to clear …

Are Sexual Promiscuity And Relationship Infidelity Linked To Different Personality Traits Across Cultures? Findings From The International Sexuality Description Project, David P. Schmitt

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

Over 17,000 participants responded to self-report measures of sexuality and personality as part of the International Sexuality Description Project. It was expected that romantic relationship infidelity would be associated with the personality traits of disagreeableness and a lack of conscientiousness across most cultures. Sexual promiscuity, on the other hand, was expected to relate to extraversion across most cultures. Analyses across 58 cultures from 52 nations revealed that romantic relationship infidelity was significantly associated with disagreeableness and low levels of conscientiousness across most cultures. Sexual promiscuity was related to extraversion across many, but not most, cultural regions. The expected pattern of …

Cross-Cultural Research On The Five-Factor Model Of Personality, Robert R. Mccrae

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

The Five-Factor Model (FFM) is a comprehensive taxonomy of personality traits, which are tendencies to show consistent patterns of thoughts, feelings, and actions. Although it was originally identified in the United States, the model appears to describe personality structure well in a wide variety of cultures, suggesting that personality trait structure is universal. Age changes--decreases in Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness and increases in Agreeableness and Conscientiousness from adolescence to adulthood--also appear to be universal, as are gender differences. Current studies comparing the mean levels of personality traits across cultures show systematic patterns, but their interpretation is uncertain. The FFM is …

Effects Of Gender And Counter-Stereotypical Major On Overall Impression And Ratings Of Stereotypical Traits, Heather M. (Heather Michele) Thornton

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of gender and academic major type (i.e. gender stereotypical, non-stereotypical, and neutral) on assessment of a target person in order to determine how people perceive those who violate gender norms. Participants rated the person on three dependent variables assessing general impression of the target. They also completed ratings of the extent to which twelve adjectives best described each target person (e.g., sensitive, competitive, aggressive). It is predicted that targets with non-stereotypical majors will receive lower ratings for overall impression, physical attractiveness, and desire to meet. It is also predicted …

The Personality Trait Of Hardiness As It Relates To Bereavement, Janice Dianne Davis

Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between one personality factor concerning the beliefs about one's world to the resolution of grief. The question to be studied was whether unresolved grief was related to levels of hardiness. Thirty individuals served as subjects for this study. They completed the Resolution of Grief Instrument and the Hardiness Scale. Results of the Pearson product-moment correlation showed that a negative relationship exists between hardiness levels and the resolution of grief

Analysis Of Academic Achievement And Personality Traits Of Adult And Traditional College-Age Subjects, Mary Kay Bevars

Student Work

What was the relationship between personality traits and academic achievement? This study was designed to answer this question by surveying a group of 77 students enrolled in developmental reading classes in a junior college. Subjects completed a self-report personality test which measured eight personality traits and a measure of inherent aptitude. Achievement was measured by criterion referenced tests. Bivariate and multivariate correlations between measures of personality and measures of achievement were examined separately according to race, gender, and age (under 25 versus over 25 years). Results indicated that Vigor was the only personality trait which significantly correlated with achievement; however, …

A Study Of Relationships Between Machiavellianism, Dogmatism And Perceived Persuasiveness Of Messages, Marilyn Henderson Ihle

Student Work

Psychologists and researchers in communication have shown much interest in personality variables such as Machiavellianism and dogmatism. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between these two traits and perceived persuasiveness of different message types. Four hundred and twenty-six students enrolled in Speech 101, Fundamentals of Speech Communication, at the University of Nebraska at Omaha were administered the Mach V scale and the Dogmatism Scale-Foxm E. They were also presented two hypothetical, news releases to read and to rate on persuasibility. One release was based cm authority and the other on reason.

The results of this study …