Psychology Commons^™

Outside The Box: Gender Roles, Gender Incongruence, And Psychological Wellbeing, Ashton Boffa

Honors Projects

My project explores the impacts of gender roles and gender identity on psychological wellbeing. Previous research has shown that gender roles are negatively associated with psychological wellbeing, and transgender individuals have lower psychological wellbeing than the cisgender population. Since transgender individuals have had unique experiences with gender roles, it leads to a question of how these individuals have been affected by gender roles. Participants responded to a confidential questionnaire about their experiences with gender roles as they were growing up, their gender incongruence, and their psychological wellbeing. The results were consistent with previous research. Furthermore, my results suggest that transgender …

Is Title Ix Enough?: Analyzing Feelings Of Institutional Betrayal Among College Students Who Experienced Sexual Assault, Zoe N. Kross

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Honors Projects

Institutional Betrayal reflects the failures of an institution to accurately prevent or respond to students after sexual violence has occurred. Previous literature shows that survivors of sexual assault are at an increased risk of PTSD and anxiety. The goal of this study was to understand what supportive services Macalester survivors want/need and to analyze if students feel supported by their institution. Grounded in analyses of the domestic violence movement, hookup and rape culture, the neuroscience of trauma, the history of Title IX, and commonly used survivor support services, the goal of this study was to understand what survivors of sexual …

Borderline Personality Symptoms And Relationship Threat: The Moderating Role Of Perceived Parental Rejection, Elsa Baumgartner

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) often perceive relationship threats more intensely, resulting in increased emotional reactivity. However, this link has never been examined with physiological measures in “real time,” nor have reports of perceived parental rejection ever been investigated as a potential moderator of this link. To fill this gap, the present study induced romantic relationship threat, after which participants completed an emotional reactivity task while electroencephalography data were recorded. Results reveal that higher levels of BPD features were associated with increased emotional reactivity, indicated by larger late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes, to negative stimuli in the face of …

Understanding Why Some Whistleblowers Are Venerated And Others Vilified, Christopher D. E. Atkinson, Eric D. Wesselmann, Daniel G. Lannin

Heroism Science

Whistleblowers are individuals who witness a moral infraction committed within their organization and report this infraction publicly to hold the group accountable. Whistleblowers often face ridicule, vilification, and exclusion both within their group and sometimes within broader society. Thus, whistleblowers put themselves at personal risk to adhere to their moral code and protect others; these criteria commonly classify someone as a hero. We argue diverse reactions to whistleblowers are influenced by numerous situational factors that influence perceptions of a whistleblower’s intentions as well as the expected consequences of their whistleblowing. Whether a whistleblower is viewed as a virtuous reformer (i.e., …

Perceptions Of Trauma-Informed Care In An Intimate Partner Violence Resource Center, Kailyn Alderman

Honors Theses

Every year, an estimated 10 million people experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in the United States (Huecker et al., 2021). The long-term implications of surviving IPV can be debilitating and limited community resources influence the likeliness of physical and psychological recovery. Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a set of practices that may produce improvements in the quality of life for IPV survivors. There are a variety of definitions of TIC and empowerment, which may serve as a barrier to implementing these practices. The present study examined employee and volunteer perceptions of trauma-informed practices and empowerment at a domestic violence agency. The …

How Covid-19 Restrictions During The 2020-2021 School Year Affected The Mental Health, Physical Health, And Social Health Of The Students At Bowling Green State University, Hannah Davies

Honors Projects

The purpose of this study was to survey BGSU students in the Honors College and Athletics Department to obtain their perspective on whether Covid-19 restrictions during the 2020-2021 school year affected their mental health, physical health, and social health. The study was performed in an effort to allow people to consider whether Covid-19 protocols influenced the mental and physical well-being of students. If that was the case, was there a difference between the student-athletes and the non-athlete students.

An Analysis Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Students At The University Of South Dakota, Alexandra J. Buss

Honors Thesis

The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly took over the United States (US) in the beginning of 2020. Nationally, damages to finances, housing, and mental health have impacted many. Despite being one of the least densely populated states, South Dakota quickly rose to some of the highest rates in the nation and was identified as a national hotspot. While there have been significant reports on the effects of COVID-19 on certain communities (healthcare workers, small business owners, parents), more research is needed on the effects on university students. In this report, I aim to assess damages based on financial status of students, mental …

Examining The Experiences Of Black, White, And Other Student Groups On Campus, Christopher Pauyo, Reanna Tran, Kaelyn Ireland

Symposium of Student Scholars

The climate of a university can be critical to the experiences and mental health of students on a university’s campus (Budge et al., 2020), as such it is necessary to examine the experiences that perpetuate a university’s racial climate. Past psychological research has aimed to reduce negative emotional reactions born of race-related experiences in targeted and marginalized groups (Carter & Forsyth, 2020; Kim, 2016). Although the focus of prior research was essential in improving the experiences of people of color, other directions such as, analyzing the similarities and differences between experiences and emotional reactions of different racial groups, exist as …

The Development Of Purpose Among Marginalized Older Adults: A Resource For Resilient Aging, Ameesha Narine, Semper Habib, Shubam Sharma

Symposium of Student Scholars

Contrary to societal presumptions, older adults can show positive adaptation despite facing declines associated with late life (i.e., resilient aging; Wiles et al.,2019). One understudied resource that older adults may use to support their resilience is having a sense of purpose. Drawing on purpose has been shown to positively relate to mental and physical health (Musich et al., 2018). However, there is limited research that has examined how older adults develop purpose, particularly those who experience challenges due to aspects of their identity (i.e., due to marginalization). The current study explores older adults’ life stories to understand how a sense …

Trajectory Of Substance Use Disorders And Collegiate Recovery In Emerging Adults, Jordyn Hebert, Victoria Chaney, Rebecca Smith Msw, Thomas Bannard, Leah Weingast Ma, Danielle Dick Phd, Erica Holliday Phd

Symposium of Student Scholars

Abstract

Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs) provide services to support emerging adults achieve academic success, while maintaining substance use disorder recovery. College and university campuses can often be considered abstinence-hostile environments, giving rise to the need of support services for students in recovery. A nationwide survey to understand the efficacy of services provided by CRPs was conducted to assess the demographics and academic profiles of students involved with CRPs. Co-occurring disorders including mental health issues, criminal histories, utilizations of recovery services and 12-step groups, and work histories of students were also assessed. CRPs can provide services and an environment to students …

Bullying: How Feelings Of Fatalism May Influence Youth Choices To Offend, Tammy Shartzer

Theses

School age bullying continues to be a source of intense research as it is commonly linked to increased levels of delinquency in adolescents. In an effort to understand the process through which bullying victimization is linked to increased levels of delinquency, researchers continue to explore environmental and psychological components. This study used both OLS regression and negative binomial regression to examine the relationship between traditional and cyberbullying victimization and delinquency to assesses if fatalism mediates or moderates this relationship. An individual with fatalism often feels they are stuck within a revolving cycle of bad happenings and are powerless to change …

The Benefits Of Social Support On Health And Well-Being In Military Populations: Examining Mechanisms, Source Of Support, And The Reach Of A Workplace Well-Being Intervention, Annamarie Sophia O'Neill

Dissertations and Theses

Social connection is essential for health and well-being. Although the salubrious effects of social relationships have been established, important questions remain such as: the mechanisms driving these beneficial effects, the extent that promoting social support in the workplace can benefit workers and their romantic partners, and if support from important but less close sources of support (like supervisors) can offer additional health benefits beyond support from closer relationships (like romantic partners). Over three studies, I explored these topics in the context of military couples (Studies 1 & 2) and in partnered service members (Study 3) on health and well-being outcomes …

Protecting Violent Free Speech And Combatting True Homicidal Threats In Cyberspace, Aimee Lillie

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

No abstract provided.

Great Men Are Almost Always Bad Men: The Cultural Revolution Of The Techno-Totalitarians, Gregory S. Mckenzie

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

No abstract provided.

Manipulating Image Luminance To Improve Eye Gaze And Verbal Behavior In Autistic Children, Louanne Boyd, Vincent Berardi, Deanna Hughes, Franceli L. Cibrian, Jazette Johnson, Viseth Sean, Eliza Delpizzo-Cheng, Brandon Mackin, Ayra Tusneem, Riya Mody, Sara Jones, Karen Lotich

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Autism has been characterized by a tendency to attend to the local visual details over surveying an image to understand the gist–a phenomenon called local interference. This sensory processing trait has been found to negatively impact social communication. Although much work has been conducted to understand these traits, little to no work has been conducted to intervene to provide support for local interference. Additionally, recent understanding of autism now introduces the core role of sensory processing and its impact on social communication. However, no interventions to the end of our knowledge have been explored to leverage this relationship. This work …

People Remember Liked Political Policies As Having Been Attributed To Their Own Party, Dalton Thomas Bailey

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A robust finding in psychology shows that people tend to like information more when it supports their existing beliefs, or comes from their own ingroup, a finding known as motivated reasoning. These findings are especially prominent in a political context. Quite consistently, research suggests people increase their liking of political information like political policies when they are attributed to their own party. What is unknown, however, is if people also tend to attribute personally liked information to their own party. These studies were conducted to investigate this question.

Two, within-subjects studies were conducted. In both, participants (undergraduate students) saw various …

Surviving Child Pornography: Fifty Years On, Jeanette M. Westbrook

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Burnout On Career Commitment Among Physicians, Clergy, And Law Enforcement During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Quantitative Study, Christopher L. Clem

PhD in Organizational Leadership

The long-term effects of the COVID-19 crisis among helping professionals such as physicians, law enforcement officers, and clergy remain unknown. The strain and enormous stress encountered by these professionals are profound and concerning (Benham et al., 2020; Greene et al., 2020; Stogner et al., 2020). In this study, the researcher explored the effects of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment) on career commitment among helping professionals including physicians, law enforcement officers, and clergy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, the findings provided insight on the general causes and effects of burnout including possible solutions to counter its effects. Additionally, the …

Preference For Harmony : A Link Between Aesthetic Responses To Combinations Of Colors And Musical Tones, Sijia Song

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

According to Palmer and Griscom (2013), individual differences in the preference-for- harmony (PfH)—the tendency to prefer stimuli that represent “good gestalts”—is relatively consistent across domains of aesthetic judgment. In the present study, we built upon their findings by showing that PfH for color combinations is strongly associated with PfH for isolated musical chords. We also newly showed that ratings of the harmoniousness of chords are not uniquely predicted by their objective harmonicity (the extent to which their constituent partials resemble a harmonic series), but rather, by a combination of their “smoothness” (the lack of spectral interference between their constituent partials), …

Differences Between First-Generation And Continuing-Generation College Students In Psychological Need Fulfillment, Academic Engagement, And Retention, Cole A. Holt

All NMU Master's Theses

First-generation college students (FGCS) often struggle to find academic success unlike continuing-generation college students (CGCS) who often obtain higher GPA by the end of the semester. Using self-determination theory (SDT) as a lens, differences between FGCS and CGCS both at the beginning and end of the semester were investigated. Measures included psychological need fulfillment (autonomy, competence, relatedness), academic self-regulation (relative autonomy index), stress, academic engagement (learning involvement), academic performance (GPA), and retention. Between groups t-tests were used to assess differences in FGCS and CGCS, whereas multiple regression analyses were conducted to test relationships among the measured variables. FGCS reported …

Factors Influencing Attitudes Towards Ex-Offenders, Sydney Mosser

All NMU Master's Theses

Every day, incarcerated individuals are being released back into the general population having served their time. However, these released ex-offenders are 83% likely to re-offend if they are not able to reintegrate properly (Alper et al., 2018). The present research explored how various factors of ex-offenders and community observers could have an influence on attitudes towards ex-offenders upon reintegration. Specifically, we looked at the influence of three manipulated characteristics of a hypothetical ex-offender, race, gender, and age, which were presented to the participant in the form of a vignette. After reading one randomly assigned vignette, the participants were asked to …

The Aftereffects Of Corporal Punishment On Adults: Association Of Childhood Spanking With Adult Stress Levels, Marie Sanyang

Senior Theses

Spanking has been an acceptable form of punishment for centuries. Previously thought as effective, studies have now shown the detriments of spanking, including increased aggression, drug abuse, and stress levels. This exploratory study sought to observe the stress levels of adults who experienced childhood spankings. It was hypothesized that those who experienced frequent spankings would report increased anxiety, reduced socialization, and decreased emotional regulation in times of stress. It was also hypothesized that those who reported being spanked would report lower emotional and physical health regulation and higher mental health diagnosis. Fifty-four participants were composed of undergraduate and graduate students …

Important To Me And My Society: How Culture Influences The Roles Of Personal Values And Perceived Group Values In Environmental Engagements Via Collectivistic Orientation, Tengjiao Huang, Angela K. Y. Leung, Kimin Eom, Kam Pong Tam

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Despite extensive works examining the influence of personal values on environmental engagements, scarce research has examined the influence of group values that are perceived as important in the society. To address this lacuna and recent calls for more cross-cultural environmental research, we investigated whether and how culture, via collectivistic orientation, influences the roles of personal values and perceived group values, namely egoistic and biospheric values, in motivating environmental engagements in a Western (the U.S.; N = 469) and an Asian (Singapore; N = 410) country. To highlight a few findings, the study showed that personal values and perceived group values …

Situational Factors Shape Moral Judgments In The Trolley Dilemma In Eastern, Southern, And Western Countries In A Culturally Diverse Sample, Bence Bago, Andree Hartanto, Lucas E. Tiong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The study of moral judgements often centres on moral dilemmas in which options consistent with deontological perspectives (that is, emphasizing rules, individual rights and duties) are in conflict with options consistent with utilitarian judgements (that is, following the greater good based on consequences). Greene et al. (2009) showed that psychological and situational factors (for example, the intent of the agent or the presence of physical contact between the agent and the victim) can play an important role in moral dilemma judgements (for example, the trolley problem). Our knowledge is limited concerning both the universality of these effects outside the United …

Testing Theoretical Assumptions Underlying The Relation Between Anxiety, Mind Wandering, And Task-Switching: A Diffusion Model Analysis, Andree Hartanto, Hwajin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Despite the well-documented negative effects of anxiety on task-switching (switch costs), few studies have directly tested major theoretical assumptions about (a) the specific processing component of task-switching that is impaired by anxiety, (b) anxious individuals’ strategies during task-switching, and (c) the mediating role of mind wandering in the relation between anxiety and task-switching. We addressed these issues using a stochastic diffusion model analysis and novel thought-probe technique in the task-switching paradigm. Our results suggest that the locus of impaired switch costs under state anxiety lies in the efficiency of task-set reconfiguration and not in proactive interference processing. Moreover, state anxiety …

The Relationships Between Resilience, Care Environment, And Social-Psychological Factors In Orphaned And Separated Adolescents In Western Kenya, Sarah C. Sutherland, Harry S. Shannon, David Ayuku, David L. Streiner, Olli Saarela, Lukoye Atwoli, Paula Braitstein

Internal Medicine, East Africa

The relationships between care environment, resilience, and social factors in orphaned and separated adolescents and youths (OSAY) in western Kenya are complex and under-studied.Survey responses from OSAY living in Charitable Children’s Institutes (CCI) and family-based care settings (FBS) in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya were used to examine the associations between 1) care environment and resilience; 2) care environment and factors thought to promote resilience (e.g. social, family, and peer support); and 3) resilience and these same resilience-promoting factors, using multivariable linear and logistic regressions. This cross-sectional study included 1202 OSAY (50.4% female) aged 10–26 (mean = 16; SD = 3.5). …

The Influence Of Integrated Behavioral Health Primary Care Setting On The Utilization Of Mental Health Services And Depression Treatment Response Among Men, Tendai Masiriri

Dissertations

The 2010-2013 National Health Interview Survey showed that nearly 9% of men had daily feelings of anxiety or depression, yet less than 41% sought help for their symptoms (Blumberg et al., 2016). Men are more reluctant than women to seek help (Angst et al., 2002; Brownhill et al., 2005). The failure to seek help among men is associated with multiple factors related to stigma and gender, yet male suicide rates are approximately 3-5 times higher than their female counterparts. However, they have a higher likelihood of seeking help from a medical provider rather than a mental health provider. If men …

Executive Function Moderates The Effect Of Reappraisal On Life Satisfaction: A Latent Variable Analysis, Wei Xing Toh, Hwajin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Emotion regulation strategies, such as reappraisal and suppression, have been shown to dissimilarly affect life satisfaction. Specifically, reappraisal is linked to higher life satisfaction, while suppression is associated with lower life satisfaction. Less is known, however, about the potential moderators of these established relations. Given that reappraisal and suppression are contingent, in part, on executive function (EF), which comprises a group of adaptive, goal-orientated control processes (i.e., inhibitory control, working memory, and shifting), we explored whether different components of EF could moderate the impact of reappraisal and suppression on life satisfaction. Using latent moderated structural equation analyses, we found that …

Borderline Personality Traits And Romantic Relationship Dissolution, Kenneth Tan, Samantha H. Ingram, Laura Anne Lau, Susan South

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Many studies have found that borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with romantic relationship instability, with relationship dissolution being a recurring theme. Scant research, however, has examined the dissolution strategies and post-breakup outcomes for individuals with elevated levels of borderline traits. Findings from two studies revealed that there was an association between BPD criteria and tendency to employ less adaptive dissolution strategies when terminating a relationship. Furthermore, elevated levels of BPD traits were associated with less self-concept clarity and more unwanted pursuit of ex-partners. These findings both provide insight into how individuals with BPD traits experience relationship dissolution and suggest …

Perceptions Of Emotional Functionality: Similarities And Differences Among Dignity, Face, And Honor Cultures, Maitner A.T., Decoster J., Andersson P.A., Eriksson K., Sherbaji S., Giner-Sorolla R., Mackie D.M., Aveyard M., Claypool H.M., Crisp R.J., Gritskov V., Habjan K., Andree Hartanto, Kiyonari T., Kuzminska A.O., Manesi Z., Molho C., Munasinghe A., Peperkoorn L.S., Shiramizu V.

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Emotions are linked to wide sets of action tendencies, and it can be difficult to predict which specific action tendency will be motivated or indulged in response to individual experiences of emotion. Building on a functional perspective of emotion, we investigate whether anger and shame connect to different behavioral intentions in dignity, face, and honor cultures. Using simple animations that showed perpetrators taking resources from victims, we conducted two studies across eleven countries investigating the extent to which participants expected victims to feel anger and shame, how they thought victims should respond to such violations, and how expectations of emotions …