Psychology Commons^™

“I’M Not Just A Sex Robot”: Perceptions Of Stigma In Online Sex Workers, Clover Stutz

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate online sex workers’ perceptions of stigma. Due to the increase in OnlyFans creators associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, these creators’ perceptions of stigma were of particular interest. Fifteen participants were interviewed, and themes were developed using thematic analysis. Three themes were identified, corresponding with findings regarding societal, interpersonal, and internalized stigma: ‘Persistent Judgement,’ ‘Strengthened and Severed Ties,’ and ‘Levels of Shame.’ Much of these findings echoed past research, but participants experienced unique manifestations of stigma as well—notably, participants reported navigating strict censorship on social media and often faced the misconception that …

The Changing Motivations Of First-Generation College Students, Jessica Lynch

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Past research has clearly indicated that first-generation college students are a unique cohort facing specific obstacles on their journey through higher education. That said, it is crucial to understand their motivations for pursuing a college degree in order to better help guide them throughout their studies. Furthermore, comparing these motivations and motivation changes to those of continuing-generation college students provides further insight regarding the uniqueness of first-generation college students. In Study 1, we studied this by asking students to recall their past motivations for enrolling in college and cite their present reasons for being in college. In Study 2, we …

Emergency Care For Youth Who Experience Suicidality And Identify As Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer/Questioning (Lgbtq+): An Interpretive Phenomenology, Theresa Schultz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Suicide is a leading cause of death in children; youth who identify as LGBTQ+ are at an exponentially higher risk of suicide. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of young adults who identify as LGBTQ+ and sought emergency care for suicidality when they were adolescents.

Methods: Heideggerian hermeneutics phenomenology is the research method used in this study. Youth, ages 18-25 years, who identify as LGBTQ+ and sought emergency treatment for suicidality when they were adolescents (13-17 years) were recruited to participate;fifteen youth enrolled. Individuals ranged in age from 20 to 25 years. Participants described …

“I Hear You”: Exploring The Lived Experience Of Counselors’ Empathic Response To Clients When Conducting Telephonic Counseling During Covid-19, Michael Sickels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dissertation supervised by Dr. Debra Hyatt-Burkhart

This study sought to unearth the lived experience of counselors empathically responding to clients via telephonic counseling during COVID-19. The term empathic response refers to as attending to the emotional and mental state of another person in a way that is attuned with the feelings and meanings of the individual’s experience. There are few studies that have assessed the merits of telephonic counseling, and even fewer that have examined counselors’ empathic response to clients through this medium.

To uncover the lived experience of the target population, the participants of the study were purposefully selected …

Personal Intelligence Is Evident In The Sophistication Of People’S Narratives About Personality, Jayne L. Allen, John D. Mayer

UNH Personality Lab

Personal intelligence concerns the ability to understand personality in oneself and others—including the understanding of motives, socioemotional traits, and abilities. We examined if people’s scores on the ability-based Test of Personal Intelligence (TOPI) would be reflected in their narratives about someone whose personality they had learned about. In a Preliminary Study (N = 220), we collected narratives and open-ended descriptions about their learning. In Study 1 (N = 212), experts rated the respondents’ open-ended narratives for their sophistication about personality, defined as their knowledge and complexity of thought around the topic. Respondents also filled out checklists concerning what they learned …

From Physical Violence To Online Violation. Forms, Structures And Effects: A Comparison Of The Cases Of ‘Domestic Violence’ And ‘Revenge Pornography’, Matthew Hall, Jeff Hearn

psychology

In this paper, we examine the nature and limits of violence by way of a comparison of the physical violence and online violation, in terms of their form, structure and effects. We explore similarities and dissimilarities in what precedes the event, perpetrator intentions and motivations, the forms and types of violence, the medium through which they are delivered, who they are directed towards, the technologies and processes deployed, and their impacts. We argue that it is problematic to restrict the concept of ‘violence’ to intended physical acts that cause harm, because non-physical, psychological, emotional and other forms of non- (directly)physical …

Presence At A Distance: Video Chat Supports Intergenerational Sensitivity And Positive Infant Affect During Covid-19, Ellen Roche, J Rocha-Hidalgo, Doug Piper, Gabrielle Strouse, Lucinda I. Neely, Jenna Ryu, Lauren Myers, Elisabeth Mcclure, Georgene Troseth, Jennifer Zosh, Rachel Barr

School of Education Faculty Publications

COVID-19 disrupted infant contact with people beyond the immediate family. Because grandparents faced higher COVID-19 risks due to age, many used video chat instead of interacting with their infant grandchildren in person. We conducted a semi-naturalistic, longitudinal study with 48 families, each of whom submitted a series of video chats and surveys and most (n = 40) also submitted video of an in-person interaction. Families were mostly highlyeducated, White/Caucasian and lived between 1 and 2700 miles apart. We used multilevel models to examine grandparents’ and parents’ sensitivity during video chat across time (centered at February 1, 2021, the approximate date …

Development And Evaluation Of The Atheist Identity Concealment Scale (Aics), Paul E. Yeatts, Dena M. Abbott, Debra Mollen

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The Atheist Identity Concealment Scale (AICS) was developed as a tool to assess the degree to which atheists conceal their atheist identity from others. Drawing on concealable stigmatized identity (CSI) theory, the aim of this study was to provide researchers with a valid means to effectively assess atheist identity concealment. Using three separate samples of more than 500 adults in the USA, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted which ultimately resulted in a short, robust measure that comprised eight items. Additional validity evidence was provided by examining the relationship between the AICS and several previously validated tools (i.e., outness, …

Climbing The Masculine Hierarchy: Examining Constructions Of Masculinity Through Incel Identities, Alyssa Jewel Davis

All Theses

In a gender-segregated digital space known as the Manosphere, a group of men calling themselves “Incels,” or involuntary celibates, express feelings of hostility and hatred towards women. Incels hold a low position on a masculine hierarchy where the men who hold the most power in society are those who have access to women’s emotional and sexual services. Incels are characterized by feelings of entitlement to women’s services and aggrievement by their inability to access them. As a result, they often appear to fantasize about or engage in acts of violence to compensate for their lack of masculine privilege. However, there …

Perceived Longevity Of Mrna Technology Increases Support For Covid-19 Vaccines, Scott Eidelman, Emily M. Vance, John C. Blanchar, Katelynn Kallodaychask, Yuna Shimomoto, Kaori Yamasaki

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Among the reasons for Covid-19 mRNA vaccine hesitancy are the vaccines' relative newness and, consequentially, concerns about their risks and safety. In this research, we address these reasons by manipulating the perceived longevity of the technology underlying mRNA Covid-19 vaccines (i.e., how long participants think these technologies have been in existence). An internet sample of American adults (N = 433) was shown one of the two versions of a timeline of medical events with 'creation of mRNA vaccines' placed to its left or right. The placement of mRNA vaccine creation on the left-end of the timeline resulted in Covid-19 mRNA …

Collaborating With Big Brothers Big Sisters And Parents To Develop Caregiver-Initiated Mentoring, Meredith J. Scafe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research shows that youth enrolled in formal mentoring programs often wait months before being matched with a mentor. This paper describes the development and pilot test of Caregiver-Initiated Mentoring (CG-IM), a program originally designed to equip caregivers to assist Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) mentoring program staff in identifying and recruiting mentors from their social network. Using a mixed-methods design, the initial efficacy of the CG-IM program was evaluated via a small pilot test. I broadly explored caregivers’ experiences participating in the CG-IM program and a BBBS staff member’s experience implementing it. Caregivers completed a post-survey that included quantitative measures …

Compliance With Ostracism: How Excluding A Member Of A Despised Outgroup Affects Psychological Need Satisfaction, Emma Nettles

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Ostracism is a social process through which individuals are excluded or ignored (Williams, 1998). While recent research has slowly shifted toward the perpetrators of ostracism, relative to the targets, there is still little research on the effects of complying with ostracism. While previous research suggests engaging in ostracism leads to negative affect and thwarted need satisfaction, ostracism was directed toward an otherwise underserving target (Legate et al., 2013). The current research examined the effects of being instructed to ostracize a member of a despised outgroup on affect and need satisfaction. Seventy-one participants were recruited to play Cyberball, in which they …

Examining Dehumanization Of Individuals With Schizophrenia, Brianna Drake

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Objective: Previous literature examines dehumanization of marginalized groups; though, most of this work focuses on ethnic and racial groups. Currently, there is a gap in the literature examining the extent to which people with mental illness are dehumanized. This study examined whether people with schizophrenia are dehumanized (relative to other marginalized groups, such as drug addicts). Furthermore, this research will investigate if using “person-first” language can attenuate dehumanization.

Method: Participants (n = 310) were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk to complete a measure of dehumanization and demeaning needs for each of the nine targets (i.e., self, close friend, lawyer, elderly, …

What Makes A Good Relationship? Examining The Role Of Psychological Needs On Relationship Satisfaction Moderated By Attachment, Kristin Rutland

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Objective: The current study examined the relative importance of psychological needs as predictors of relationship satisfaction and how differences across dimensions of adult attachment moderate these relationships. Through the examination of psychological needs, relationship satisfaction, and attachment questionnaires, it was predicted that psychological needs predict relationship satisfaction differently across the attachment spectrum, with attachment serving as a moderator of these associations.

Method: Data was collected from online crowd sourcing software, Amazon Mechanical Turk (Mturk). There were one hundred and fourteen participants, ranging from 18-78 years of age (M = 27.39, SD = 11.21), who were currently involved in a romantic …

Our Bodies, Our Stories: Mental And Physical Self Connection As A Protective Factor In Sexual And Gender Minorities, Emerson A. Todd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The mind and body connection has been actively examined in neuroscience and developmental psychology backgrounds. Sociological theorists posit ways that individuals develop a sense of self through mind, body, and the social world. While research on the connection between the mind and body in disabled and aging populations is common, less is known of the everyday impact of these connections for other minority populations. The present study uses mixed-methods research to explore the relationship between mind and body and the impacts on internal and social life. The quantitative aspect of the study found significant relationships between physical and mental health …

Exploring The Divergent Social Dimensions Of Ceo Narcissism On Internal Firm Outcomes, Andrew Brandon Blake

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I move away from the common clinical conception of narcissism in management to a novel two-dimensional concept and measurement of narcissism. Because these dimensions are shown to have divergent motives, goals, social strategies, and behaviors, I theorize that these differences in narcissism will have diverging effects on the firm. Then, I shift the conceptual focus of CEO narcissism research from the CEO as an agentic decision-maker seeking external praise for firm consequences to an implicit social strategist who prioritizes short-term interpersonal interactions in service of narcissistic supply. I examine four internal outcomes likely to be influenced by …

Social Comparison And Shifting In Quantitative Performance, Ashlee Pardo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Research has produced conflicting results in terms of whether positive stereotypes enhance or impair the performance of individuals who have both positively- and negatively-stereotyped identities. Shih, Pittinsky, and Ambady (1999) found that relative to a no identity control group, Asian women performed better on a mathematics test when their positively-stereotyped identity was salient (i.e., ethnicity) but worse when their negatively-stereotyped identity was salient (i.e., gender). In contrast, Cheryan and Bodenhausen (2000) found that both positive and negative identity salience in Asian women led to reduced performance relative to a no identity control group. In the current study, I aimed to …

An Intersectional Study Of Perceived Academic Climate And The Imposter Phenomenon In Psychology Students, Kelsey Braun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social exclusion in higher education can occur at multiple levels (e.g., systemic, institutional, interpersonal, individual), and individuals simultaneously hold multiple social identities that could influence their perceptions of academic climate. The current study utilized a mixed-methods convergent parallel design to explore the impact of multiple social identities, perceptions of academic climate, and the imposter phenomenon among psychology students. In the quantitative portion, participants (N = 142) completed an online survey related to gender centrality, academic climate, and imposter phenomenon. Gender group comparisons revealed that cisgender men indicated poorer perceptions of climate than cisgender women and gender minorities, but imposter …

Hurting To Helping: Regret As A Potential Motivator Of Helping Behavior, Chandler Ann Findley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has suggested that emotions can influence people’s motivation to engage in prosocial behaviors. Even negatively-valenced emotions, like sadness, guilt, and shame, have been shown to motivate prosocial behaviors. Exploratory analyses of a previous study indicated that regret may also motivate increased prosocial intentions, but no research has been published to experimentally test whether feelings of regret may motivate prosocial behaviors. Therefore, the present research seeks to experimentally manipulate participants’ current emotional state to empirically examine whether regret motivates greater helping behavior than other, similar negative emotions that have already been demonstrated to motivate prosocial behaviors in humans. These …

Daily Variation In Prioritizing Positivity And Well-Being, Lahnna I. Catalino, William Tov

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Prioritizing positivity is the tendency to use pleasant states (e.g. contentment, joy) as a key criterion to structure daily life. Research shows that people who tend to possess this trait are happier (between-person effect), but a separate question remains: on days people prioritize positivity, relative to their own baseline, do they feel happier (within-person effect)? In a sample of college students (n = 301) who completed a 2-week diary study resulting in 3,894 reports, we evaluated this hypothesis using hedonic and eudaimonic indicators of well-being. We also tested whether between-person differences in prioritizing positivity (measured as a trait and mean …

Resisting Problematic Smartphone Use: Distracter Resistance Strengthens Grit's Protective Effect Against Problematic Smartphone Use, Shi Ann Shuna Khoo, Hwajin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Recent studies suggest that grit serves as a protective trait against maladaptive smartphone use. However, little is known about possible boundary conditions, such as cognitive abilities, that could modulate the relations. Evidence suggests that the cognitive functions that underlie goal-maintenance abilities—specifically, inhibition—could moderate the relations of the two subfactors of grit (i.e., grit-consistency and grit-perseverance) with problematic smartphone use. Hence, we investigated the moderating roles of two core aspects of inhibition: prepotent response inhibition and resistance to distracter interference. Testing college students (N = 237, Mage = 21.8 years, 73.4% female), we found that only resistance to distracter interference, but …

Reevaluating The Factor Structure Of The Family Resilience Assessment Scale For African American College Students, Quandrea Rachelle Harper

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to reevaluate the initial validation process of the Family Resilience Assessment Scale (FRAS) and to validate the measure for use with African Americans. Although the FRAS has been previously validated using a sample from the general population in the U.S. and has demonstrated cross-cultural utility, its applicability for use specifically with African Americans is inconclusive, as demonstrated by preliminary research findings. In the current study, data were collected from a sample of African American college students to conduct an exploratory factor analysis using all 66 items initially included in Sixbey’s validation study, and a …

Distress And Growth In The Black Community, Devin A. Noel-Harrison

Research Psychology Theses

Racial discrimination is an unfortunate reality that people of color regularly experience. This leaves lasting impacts on the health of individuals and communities. With the increased use of social media, videos depicting violence against black bodies are widely circulated. The consequences of being exposed to these race related traumatic events online (TEO) can be damaging to the mental health of the black community, maybe even more so if one’s racial identity is important and salient to their overall wellbeing. Though witnessing these race related TEO often lead to posttraumatic stress, positive change may also be possible known as posttraumatic growth.

Music: Seeking Pleasure, Emotional Language, Ritualized Communication, Jillian N. Gerlach

Interdivisional Studies Summer Fellows

The impetus for my project was how I view listening to music as a spiritual or religious experience. Listening to music, instead of practicing religion, satisfies my inclination toward spirituality. In the introduction to my paper, I outlined how music exists in my life. I thought it was valuable to provide my unique experience to give context to my research. I created a diagram that delineates how I interact with music and the benefits I derive from listening to music. During this self-reflection, I realized listening to music functions like a ritual for me. I noticed my individual ritualized listening …

Closeness In Interethnic Friendship (Arabic, Javanese, Tionghoa): A Qualitative Study On Adolescents Living In Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia, Fadjri Kirana Anggarani, Avin Fadilla Helmi, Claudia Rosari Dewi

Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia

This study aims to describe the formation process of the closeness in interethnic friendship among adolescents living in Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. A qualitative study using grounded theory method is employed. Study participants comprised five adolescent girls, aged 16–17 years, with the following interethnic friendships: Javanese–Arabic–Tionghoa, Javanese–Arabic, and Javanese–Tionghoa. Data on the formation process of closeness in interethnic friendship were collected using semi-structured interview referring to the Closeness Interethnic Friendship Guideline for Adolescents. Data were analyzed using initial coding, focused coding, axial coding, and theoretical coding. Results reveal seven composites of closeness in interethnic friendship: disclosure, comfort, compatibility, reappraisal of …

Attitudes Of The Colleges Of Education Students Towards Individuals With Mobility Disabilities In Jordan, Khalid Mohammed Al Jundiu

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية للبحوث في التعليم العالي

This descriptive study aimed to survey the attitudes of students at the College of Education towards individuals with motor disabilities in Jordan, in order to benefit from it in knowing the extent of the need for programs to change negative attitudes towards individuals with disabilities. The population of the current study consists of all Jordanian public universities for the first semester of the academic year 2020/2021. The study sample consisted of (712) male and female students. It was randomly selected from seven public universities Jordan. The researcher built a scale to achieve the aims of the study. The researcher used …

Interactions Between Sex And Pet Ownership On Attitudes Toward Children, Aya Dudin, Mayra Linne Almanza-Sepulveda, Katherine T. Cost, Geoffrey B. Hall, Alison S. Fleming, Jonathan Freedman

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Background: Many people are attached to their pets. This attachment shares characteristics with the parental attachment to children. Previous studies have established a sex difference in attitudes about children; women compared to men report more positive attitudes about children. However, whether this sex difference is attenuated by owning and caring for pet(s) has not been investigated. Methods: In a sample of non-parents, we investigated the following: (1) whether the established main effect of sex on attitudes about children was moderated by pet ownership using a 2 (male, female) x 2 (pet owner, non–pet owner) design; and (2) whether the established …

Psychology In The Modern World, Kutay Agardici

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus is created for the two courses I will be teaching at City College in the psychology dept. Topics include cognition, language, learning, memory, nature vs. nurture, abnormal psychology, social psychology, etc.

The Psychological Empowerment Impact Of Twitter Microblogging: The Case Of #Stopasianhate During Covid-19 Pandemic, Natnaree Wongmith

Theses - ALL

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a surge in anti-Asian hate incidents across the US (Misra et al., 2020). As a response to the alarming escalation in xenophobia and racism resulting from the pandemic, #StopAsianHate and #StopAAPIHate have been employed to shed light on the issues. Twitter can effectively assist protestors to participate in the movement by facilitating collective effort, efficiently disseminating the information, and encouraging the discussion about a topic (Chon & Park, 2020). Social media has been recognized for its contribution to one's empowerment in various domains, allowing the marginalized group to regain their sense of power …

The Impact Of Environmental Variability On Perceptions Of Parental Ability From Bodily Cues, Kaitlyn Boykin

Master's Theses

This study aimed to extend work considering how bodily cues appear diagnostic of parental ability. I examined body adiposity and sexually dimorphic features for women (i.e., breast size) and men (i.e., muscularity). I further considered how salience of resource scarcity might heighten perceptions of a potential mate as an effective parent when possessing features that connote underlying resource availability (e.g., body fat). Participants were primed with resource scarcity or a control condition before assessing parental affordances of female and male targets. Targets were orthogonally manipulated to possess high and low levels of adiposity. Female targets were manipulated for breast size …