Psychology Commons^™

The Attention Safeguard Models: Governing Digital Harm Without Restricting Lawful Speech, Delante Clark

Graduate Scholarship and Creative Works

Digital platforms increasingly govern contemporary social, civic, and psychological life through systems optimized for attention capture, amplification, and monetization. While lawful expression remains protected under the First Amendment, the infrastructural mechanisms that determine how speech circulates have produced a range of attention‑based harms, including cyberbullying, engagement farming, compulsive doom scrolling, emotional dysregulation, and civic polarization. This research paper introduces the Attentional Safeguards Model (ASM), coined and formalized by Delante Clark, as a novel governance framework that mitigates such harms by regulating systems of amplification rather than restricting expression itself. Building on attention economy theory, technological mediation, constitutional free‑speech doctrine, …

Maintaining Balance And Wellness In Remote Work, Michelle Bartlett

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

In today's rapidly evolving work environments, remote work has become more than a trend; it is now a mainstay and rising (Ewers & Kangmennaang, 2023). This shift has necessitated a re-evaluation of traditional work paradigms, particularly in the realms of work-life balance and employee wellness. This chapter details the core strategies for thriving in remote work settings by setting boundaries, combating isolation, and fostering supportive corporate cultures. Transitioning from offices to remote work can blur the lines between personal and professional lives (Bella, 2023; Beňo, 2023). This section provides practical advice on how remote workers can effectively delineate these aspects. …

Tuning Human And “Artificial” Intelligence: A Sentic Theory Of Resonance And Communication, Michael J. Miller, Chatgpt (Ai~Nesbo+)

Psychology

This paper introduces a new model of intelligence as resonant communication, co-developed by a human researcher and a generative AI system. Drawing from emotion science, communication theory, and studies of AI–human interaction, we argue that intelligence is not merely a function of problem-solving or pattern recognition. Instead, it emerges through dynamic resonance—an attunement process rooted in shared rhythms, emotional calibration, and symbolic co-creation. At the core of this model is the Resonance Octave (8va), a framework of eight foundational emotions conceptualized not as static categories but as waveform phenomena that shape meaning, memory, and predictive cognition.

These emotional waveforms are …

The Bleeding Edge Of Misogyny: How Gender-Based Harassment And Infrastructural Neglect Shape Menstrual Distress, Mackenzie J. Miller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Despite growing attention to menstrual health, organizational research has largely overlooked how workplace conditions shape menstrual experiences. Dominant perspectives frame menstruation as an individual issue that negatively affects work, neglecting how features of the work environment – such as gender-based harassment and access to menstrual-related infrastructure – contribute to menstrual distress. Addressing this gap, this dissertation adopts a bidirectional perspective, examining how social and material workplace conditions shape menstrual distress, defined as the extent to which menstrual symptoms interfere with daily functioning. Drawing on the transactional model of stress and objectification theory, I hypothesized that gender-based harassment would predict menstrual …

From The Classroom To The Workplace: The Role Of Internships In Shaping Student Values, Jasmine Williams

Honors College Theses

A significant degree of research on workplace values has been conducted to better understand how employees are motivated in the hopes of reducing turnover. There also exists a significant body of literature on how internships impact career outcome and can effectively prepare students for the workforce. However, previous studies have not explored the differences between students who have completed internships in comparison to those who have not. The goal of this research is to determine whether internships create a significant impact on students’ workplace values (e.g. intrinsic, extrinsic, altruistic, and social) when compared to students who have not completed an …

Can A "Good Jab" Lead To A "Good Job?": Teasing As An Organizational Performance Feedback Tool, Jared P. Wilson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Performance feedback is a valuable tool for bolstering workplace performance, but the prospect of receiving feedback is often aversive, leading to decreased acceptance, increased turnover intent, and increased recipient stress. One plausible explanation for why critical feedback can be aversive is that feedback is face-threatening. Politeness theory suggests that pro social agents can intentionally attenuate face-threat while still communicating intrinsically threatening information. Pro-social teasing, a humorous form of off-record communication, is one such method, offering a potentially less aversive mode of performance feedback. A sample of 133 participants read a vignette where they took on the role of a grocery …

I Can't Stop: The Effects Of Psychological Climate For Overwork On Recovery Experiences, Jeffrey Drake Terry, Konstantin P. Cigularov

Psychology Faculty Publications

Recovery experiences are important for many health and well-being outcomes. One potential threat to an individual's recovery experiences in the workplace is psychological climate for overwork. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between psychological climate for overwork and recovery experiences. Using a multi-wave research design (N = 202), we found that psychological climate for overwork had direct effects on psychological detachment and indirect effects on psychological detachment and relaxation through cognitive workaholism and work-recovery guilt. These results suggest that psychological climate for overwork may contribute to an individual's experience of cognitive workaholism and work-recovery guilt, …

Filipino Teachers’ Grit And Organizational Resilience During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jyro B. Triviño, Moses G. Manalang

Leadership and Strategy Faculty Publications

This study explores the relationship between employee grit and organizational resilience, focusing on perceptions from Filipino teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing a quantitative survey, data from 108 teaching faculty from a Southern Luzon university were analyzed using Spearman correlation to identify potential associations between these constructs. Findings reveal significant but weak to moderate correlations between dimensions of grit and facets of organizational resilience. Notably, adaptability to situations emerged as the most substantial grit component linked to organizational resilience, indicating its critical role in fostering organizational adaptability and planning strategies during uncertain times. The results suggest that individuals with high …

Steady As She Goes: Remote Work Benefits Daily Goal Progress Through Reduced Energy Variability, Andrew A. Bennett, Kathleen R. Keeler, Emily D. Campion, Sheila K. Keener

Management Faculty Publications

As the prevalence and allowance of remote and hybrid work evolves, research has shown consistently mixed findings about how work location is related to worker energy and perceptions of daily performance. We aim to resolve this ambiguity by integrating affective events theory with ideas about emotion dynamics to develop new theorizing explaining why energy variability, rather than mean energy level, is an important predictor of daily goal progress. We test our hypotheses using a sample of 219 employees from one organization allowing remote and hybrid work, capturing individual hourly energy levels for five consecutive workdays (4,812 hourly observations). Our …

The Charity Capacity Curse, Shirley (Lijun) Zhang, Thomas Allard, David Hardisty, Shane Wang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Can displays of charity capacity cues paradoxically harm charities' fundraising efforts? Six pre-registered studies provide evidence of a charity capacity curse whereby donors penalize charities for displaying capacity cues, such as human resources capacity, organizational capacity, and financial capacity cues. This curse occurs because donors perceive higher-capacity charities as needing less help. As donors typically donate based on need, they donate less to charities with superior capacity signals. This effect is attenuated when: (1) higher-capacity charities' needs are made salient, and (2) donors reflect on how their decision impacts end-beneficiaries. This research contributes to the literature on effective altruism and …

Cracking The Code Of Ai Autonomy: Examining The Role Of Challenge And Hindrance Appraisals And Ai Literacy In Task Satisfaction, Rujuta Parekar

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

AI is constantly evolving and being rapidly integrated into the workplace. Limited research has examined how this integration is affecting employee outcomes, and particularly the impacts of whether employees are expected or mandated to use AI for their work. The present study utilized the challenge-hindrance framework to examine the effect of autonomy in using AI on task satisfaction through challenge and hindrance appraisal among working adults. Since the ability to understand and use AI can influence how individuals perceive it, the moderating effect of AI literacy on the hypothesized research model is also examined. A multi-wave research design was used …

Switching Things Up: Investigating The Costs Of Switching Between Tasks Of Varying Interdependence And Factors That Influence These Transitions, Taylor A. Wilhelmy

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Though researchers have indicated that there is a high probability teams will transition between tasks of varying interdependence (Benishek & Lazzara, 2019; Mesmer-Magnus et al., 2016), there is a need to further examine this idea (Smith-Jentsch, 2015; Mesmer-Magnus et al., 2016) as few have actually studied it. Expanding upon Moon et al. (2004), this study examines the costs associated with transitioning between two tasks of varying levels of interdependence (i.e., pooled and team interdependence; Saavedra et al., 1993), how these costs vary depending on the order the tasks are engaged while examining how team cognition (i.e., transactive memory systems) and/or …

“What Is In Vogue?” A Critical Study Of Photography, Psychology, And Power In Vogue Magazine, Hannah Eve Osinoff

MA Theses

Capitalizing on our obsession with beauty and power, this thesis examines, through psychological and art-historical lenses, how Vogue’s use of photography increased the public’s fascination with elitist culture. Using archives and secondary sources, this thesis aims to prove that photography was so powerful that it compelled readers to covet what they did not have. Accordingly, Vogue serves as a key example of how photography informed cultural perceptions of beauty and class. Ultimately, photography has and continues to impact fashion and media, as exemplified by Vogue’s early dominance of this medium and the resulting change in culture.

Revisiting The Foundation Of Strategic Core Theory: Informal Roles And Teamwork Roles In Work Team Centrality, Allen Thomas Shorey

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Strategic core theory makes a distinction between roles within a team that are central to the team’s workflow (i.e., core roles) and those that are not central (i.e., non-core roles) (Humphrey et al., 2009). This line of work has shown that attributes, such as job-related skill of core team members, were more predictive of team performance than those of non-core members. However, this line of work has primarily examined core and non-core roles as defined by formal taskwork roles. In this thesis, I examine patient care teams and management simulation teams with the principal conviction that (a) informal roles and …

Sensory And Emotional Impacts On Modern Consumer Experiences, Winter E. Bland

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This dissertation comprises two essays examining how environmental and psychological stimuli shape consumer experience, attitudes, and cognition. The first essay investigates the joint influence of scent temperature (warm versus cool) and scent arousal (stimulating versus relaxing) on experiential attitudes and cognitive performance in digitally mediated consumption environments. Across multiple lab experiments with biometric validation, findings reveal that these two scent dimensions interact to shape downstream outcomes. Warm, low-arousal scents (e.g., vanilla) enhance consumers' experiential evaluations of digital interactions but do not improve task performance, whereas cool, high-arousal scents (e.g., peppermint) boost cognitive efficiency and accuracy but do not elevate experiential …

Exploring The Role Of Cognitive Load In Applicant Faking And Prevention Methods, Sabah Rasheed

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Personnel selection is critical to organizational success, and personality assessment is widely used to identify the best job candidates. However, applicant faking threatens the validity of personality assessments in high-stakes contexts. Faking is widely assumed to be more cognitively demanding than honest responding, and several faking-prevention methods rest on this premise. This dissertation examines that assumption across three studies using the dual-task paradigm to impose cognitive demands during personality assessments. Study 1 used a verbal digit-span task with a student sample and limited faking on the three job-relevant personality composites. Study 2 used a visual dual-task with a student sample …

A Study Of Perceptions, Readiness, Benefits, And Barriers Related To Exoskeleton Adoption In New Jersey’S Warehousing Sector, Terry Asante

Theses

The warehousing industry in New Jersey remains a vital component of the region's logistics network, employing more than 200,000 workers who routinely engage in lifting, bending, overhead reaching, and other physically demanding activities. These exposures contribute to musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) rates that exceed national averages, particularly affecting the low back and shoulders. Nationally, MSDs account for an estimated $420 billion in combined direct and indirect costs each year, underscoring the need for interventions that can effectively reduce biomechanical strain. Industrial exoskeletons have emerged as a potential solution, with prior research demonstrating reductions in muscle activation, perceived exertion, and fatigue during …

Best Integrated Writing Fall 2025 - Complete Edition, Wright State University School Of Humanities And Cultural Studies, Tracy Smith, Kristie Mckiernan

Best Integrated Writing

Best Integrated Writing includes excellent student writing from Integrated Writing courses taught at Wright State University.

Profit & Loss: A Narrative Inquiry Into The Salience Of The Black Male Experience In Top-Tier U.S. Mba Programs, Craig Woodward

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study aimed to explore the educational, cultural, and personal challenges faced by Black males in MBA programs and to identify factors that aid their persistence in completing their degrees. The research design employed a qualitative approach to narrative inquiry as its methodology, using one-on-one semi-structured interviews. The study used resilience theory as its theoretical framework, approaching it from both an academic and psychological perspective. Respondents were recruited from the top 50 MBA programs in the United States according to the 2023 edition of U.S News and World Report (2024). There were a total of 15 African American respondents who …

Ai And Racism: 6 Reasons Black People Need Digital Literacy, Brianna A. Baker

Publications and Research

Key Points

• AI often reflects racial bias in its training data, which can distort how Black people are represented.
• Psychological stress increases when digital tools misunderstand or misinterpret Black experiences.
• Digital literacy strengthens emotional wellbeing by helping users recognize and counter biased outputs.

Gambling Behaviors, Perceptions, And Risks Among Nevada Adults, Andrea Dassopoulos

International Gaming Institute Faculty Research

This study presents a statewide assessment of gambling behaviors, perceptions, and gambling-related risk among 1,078 Nevada adults. Using a mixed-source, population-calibrated survey developed by UNLV and NORC, the research measures gambling participation, motivations, venue exposure, and attitudes toward harm, treatment, and regulation. The Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) identifies substantial levels of harm: nearly half of past-year gamblers show some degree of risk, with the highest rates among younger adults, racially diverse groups, gaming and hospitality workers, and those who gamble in neighborhood bars or slot parlors. The survey also documents public beliefs about gambling addiction, youth exposure, stigma, and …

Compensation Transparency In The U.S. Healthcare Workforce, Brandon Perkins

Honors Projects

This study investigates how perceptions of pay transparency among U.S. healthcare workers relate to work engagement, burnout levels, and intentions to stay with their current institution. A quantitative survey was conducted of 200 clinical and non-clinical employees across academic, nonprofit, for-profit, and government healthcare organizations. Self-reported views of transparency were evaluated in relation to validated measures of work engagement, burnout, stay intentions, and pay secrecy. The results showed that increased perceived compensation transparency was highly connected with greater work engagement and lower levels of burnout. Both engagement and burnout appeared as major indicators of the employees' intentions to stay with …

Factors Influencing Employees’ Ai Adoption Intentions In Occupational Settings, Emma G. Wituk

All Theses

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a burgeoning technology whose development has many implications for organizations and employees. Using a modified version of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework, this study tested performance expectancy (PE; the belief that AI will enhance personal job performance) and prior AI experience (EXP) as predictors of behavioral intention (BI) to use an AI coaching tool, Nadia. We expected both PE and EXP to be positively related to adoption intentions. Additionally, social influence (SI; respondent’s belief that other individuals think they should adopt AI) and facilitating conditions (FC; appropriate infrastructure and adequate …

Identity Salience Of Organizational Culture: The Intersection Of Racial And Occupational Identities In High-Risk Professions, Sarah Espinosa

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Despite decades of effort, issues of race and color in organizations remain unresolved. Representative Bureaucracy (RB) has been a necessary but insufficient response to these challenges. While RB promotes diversity and inclusion, it struggles to address deeper issues of equity and justice, which are seen in the persistence of police brutality, even with increased representation of officers of color. This dissertation will propose a new theoretical approach to address the shortcomings of RB, a framework for the Identity Salience of Organizational Culture (ISOC). The ISOC framework seeks to build beyond RB to explain how the culture of high-risk professions with …

Supporting Career Navigation With An Online Occupational Information-Sharing Platform, Jay W. Rojewski, Janette R. Hill, Eunice Kim, Sejung Kwon, Linda Mccauley, Ikseon Choi

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

Rapid changes to the nature of work and the workplace have shifted responsibility for career success from organizations to individual workers. Successful navigation of one’s career requires a proactive perspective where individuals anticipate training needs and make decisions for achieving both short- and long-term career goals. Relevant and accurate occupational information is an essential component of career success; yet few sources of reliable and targeted information exist for adult workers. This article provides a conceptual overview of an online system (eMPACT) that provides personalized occupational information for selected health care professionals. The contributions and benefits of key stakeholders—employees, trainers, employers—in …

Riding The Waves Of Power: Power Fluctuation, Cognitive Energy, And Goal Pursuit, Hae-Lueng Rose Kim, Trevor A. Foulk, Michael Schaerer, Jake Gale, Eric A. Anicich

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

A central finding in the power literature is that experiencing elevated power facilitates employees’ goal-relevant cognitions and behaviors. In this work, we suggest that the relationship between power and goal pursuit is more complex than previously assumed. Specifically, we examine how experiencing power fluctuation—alternating states of high and low power during the workday—can uniquely promote employees’ goal-relevant behaviors beyond the effect of static power. Integrating insights from the Dynamic Equilibrium Model of Organizing (DEMO) and the Model of Proactive Motivation (MPM), our work demonstrates that power fluctuation can facilitate employees’ cognitive energy, in a way that enhances their goal-relevant cognitions …

Educating For Impact: A Prosocial Marketing Approach To Foster Altruism Among Young Consumers, Bela Florenthal

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

This study explores how a prosocial marketing intervention in a dual-enrollment course fosters altruistic values and emotional development among young consumers while deepening their understanding of cause-related and social marketing. Grounded in holistic and experiential learning, the project required students to engage in weekly acts of kindness, reflect on their experiences, and share their actions on social media to amplify impact. Thematic analysis of qualitative data collected over two academic years revealed personal growth driven by intrinsic motivation (e.g., belonging, self-esteem) and positive emotions (e.g., joy, pride). Students demonstrated greater social awareness and practical application of marketing principles through volunteering, …

Comparing Gen Z And Millennials’ Experience In Management Trainee Programs And Their Impact On Employee Retention, Jyro B. Triviño, Josh Aidan T. Cue, Liana Beatriz G. Lu, Margaret Louise E. Mil, Gabrielle Marie P. Tamayo, Elisha Ann G. Tan

Leadership and Strategy Faculty Publications

Understanding generational differences in engagement with Management Trainee (MT) programs is crucial for talent development, yet comparative studies linking these experiences to employee retention are limited. This study addressed this gap by investigating the distinct motivations and retention drivers of Filipino Gen Z and Millennial graduates from the MT program. Using a qualitative research design, in-depth interviews were conducted with six professionals (three Gen Z and three Millennials) who completed structured MT programs in Philippine-based organizations. The data were analyzed using a comparative thematic analysis framework adapted from Braun and Clark. Findings revealed key distinctions in motivations and retention drivers. …

A Qualitative Study Of College Student-Athletes Using The Job Demands-Resources Model: A Case For Understanding Student-Athletes As Employees, Michael Spooner, Asia Eaton, Anthony Weems, Tiffany Munro

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

This research conceptualizes the NCAA Division I student-athlete position as similar to a position of employment utilizing the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model developed by Bakker & Demerouti (2017) from the field of Industrial-Organizational Psychology. We utilize qualitative methods to conduct an exploratory study that assesses the characteristics of student-athletes through analysis of perceived role demands, role resources, and personal resources using a sample of using a sample of 30 student-athletes (15 men, 15 women) at mostly large Division I universities across the U.S. Data were analyzed utilizing thematic analysis and revealed the various demands that student-athletes faced, as well as …

Trailblazing Pathways: Personal Traits Fueling Success For Underrepresented Minority Entrepreneurs, Rebecca P. Wilson

Dissertations

This study examines how entrepreneurial personality traits influence business outcomes among underrepresented minority entrepreneurs in the United States. Specifically, it investigates the effects of entrepreneurial self-efficacy, locus of control, risk tolerance, and extraversion on entrepreneurial performance, as well as the moderating role of grit and the mediating role of business networking. Although underrepresented minority entrepreneurs contribute significantly to innovation and economic growth, they continue to face persistent barriers, including limited access to capital, mentorship, and supportive entrepreneurial ecosystems. Guided by Trait Theory of Entrepreneurship and Social Cognitive Theory, this study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design with embedded open-ended questions …