Psychology Commons^™

Longitudinal Applications Of Stepladder Technique For Enhancing Group Performance, Conner Lutterman

Discovery Day - Prescott

Stepladder technique is intended to improve decision making in small groups by structuring the entry of group members, ensuring that each member contributes to the decision-making process. Previous research has employed the stepladder technique for intellective exercises of short duration. Here, we examined a more realistic application of the stepladder technique to a longitudinal project team engaged in a design/build/ test engineering program. Application of stepladder technique beyond a laboratory/one-time setting is a unique addition to the team performance research. Preliminary data indicates that the stepladder technique is effective in a longitudinal project more aligned to typical organization applications; constraints, …

Ageism In The Workplace: Ageing In The Age Of Intolerance, Jacqueline Magnarelli, Lauren Stricker, Dylan Fry, Jasmin Tahmaseb-Mcconatha, Frauke Schnell, V. Krishna Kumar

Psychology Student Work

Age discrimination is widespread, but not widely acknowledged. Unlike racism and sexism, ageism is often normalized (WHO, 2020). As people live longer, healthier lives, they also remain in the workplace longer (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). A majority (64%), of older workers, particularly female workers, report being subjected to discriminatory mistreatment (AARP, 2014).

This presentation focuses on a discussion of the preliminary results of an ongoing study addressing age discrimination in the workplace. A sample of 244 WCU faculty and staff (ages 20 - 80) responded to an online survey. Questions probed work experiences, work attitudes, stress, and life satisfaction. …

Could Social Media Be A Mortality Salience Prime?, Miriam Mead

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Social media has had a profound impact on society. It has changed how people interact with each other. People can share updates on their lives, make new friends, and so much more - all digitally. It has become not only a world of its own, but also a part of people’s daily lives. Many studies have been done on how social media impacts humans - be it their relationships or mental health. However, there is a gap in research when it comes to social media’s possible role in Terror Management Theory (TMT).

Text Messaging Between School Counselors And Students: An Exploratory Study, Nicholas R. Gilly

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

This exploratory case study examines the impact of text messaging on mentoring relationships when used as an outreach between school counselors and high school students, where established relationships are lacking. An SMS gateway was used to mediate communication between school counselors (N=2) and students (N=5) over a three-month timeframe. The SMS gateway converted email, sent from counselors, to text messages, which were received on mobile devices of students and allowed students to respond back to counselors. Findings indicate that the use of text messaging may ease scheduling of face-to-face meetings between counselors and students, but evidence does not support any …

172— The Impact Of Extracurricular Leadership Activities On Adolescent Life Satisfaction, Brittany Bearss, Nicholas P. Palumbo

GREAT Day Posters

Little research has explored the role of different leadership activities on the psychological wellbeing of adolescence. However, previous research has shown that leadership development along with the satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs: autonomy, relatedness, and competence; and experiencing feelings of vitality lead to optimal functioning and development and positive life satisfaction (Ryan & Deci, 2000; 2001). The current study uses Self Determination Theory (SDT) and Authentic Leadership Theory (ALT) as guiding frameworks to examine the relationship between leadership activities and adolescent life satisfaction. The study aimed to explore how the three basic psychological needs, feelings of vitality, and …

Parental Nurturance In Childhood And Adolescence Correlated To Anxiety In College Students, Julianne R. Urban

Senior Honors Theses

Parental nurturance is important for individuals in childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. In general, high levels of parental nurturance helps individuals to be well-adjusted. However, anxiety disorders are prevalent among emerging adults, so the present study investigated a potential correlation between parental nurturance and college student anxiety. Participants consisted of undergraduate students who were at least 18 years old and enrolled in at least one psychology course. They were asked to complete the Parental Nurturance Scale and Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale. The results indicated a significant negative correlation between the two variables. Specifically, increases in parental nurturance were …

Check One Box And One Box Only: Christianity And Biracial/Bi-Ethnic Identity Development, Carina Schiro

Senior Honors Theses

A phenomenological overview showed the current understanding and conceptualization held by biracial and bi-ethnic individuals of their racial identity development. While the literature on biracial identity development recently expanded, there is little research done on the various coping mechanisms and mindsets used to create a solidified sense of racial identity in biracial and bi-ethnic individuals. Additionally, there is no research investigating Christianity’s influence on biracial identity development. Such research could bring greater understanding to the various ways double racial consciousness has impacted the lives of multicultural individuals. Furthermore, investigations have brought greater understanding of the different identity resolutions individuals have …

Ambivalent Sexism: Why Do Victims Get Blamed?, Rianna West

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

The current study empirically investigates the factors that influence how a person judges the victims and perpetrators in a sexual assault case. This work grows out of the MeToo Movement; a cultural shift that has allowed women to come forward and share their experiences with sexual assault (Mendes et. al, 2018). The goals of the current research are to understand how someone who holds ambivalent sexist beliefs and beliefs in rape myths may view the #MeToo Movement and a victim of assault. This study has 2 (victim race) X 2 (victim gender) X 2 (participant gender) design, where 181 participants …

Family Resilience: Preventive Solution Of Javanese Youth Klithih Behavior, Casmini Casmini, Supardi Supardi

The Qualitative Report

In the past seven years, the people of Yogyakarta have been confronted with the rampant of brutal behavior of adolescent social behavior, and have led to criminal acts, known as klithih. It is necessary to research about how the resilience of Yogyakarta families in conducting preventive solutions to klithih behavior. Most family resilience study is related to the behavior solution of klithih focusing on the role of parents in parent’s perspective. This study aims to explore family resilience in klithih behavioral preventive efforts in the perspective of adolescents with the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method on three male middle …

Understanding The Impact Of Psychological Empowerment, Workplace Motivation, And Social Capital On The Job Performance Of Farmers In Honduras: A Mixed Methods Study, Susan Lale Karimiha

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A farmer’s job performance is critical to the production of raw materials such as food, fiber, and fuel and is therefore an important concern for individuals, businesses, and economies across the world. The literature on improving farmers’ job performance has focused more on introducing new technologies, and less on the psychosocial factors that improve job performance. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the impact of psychological empowerment, workplace motivation, and social capital on farmers’ job performance in Honduras.

A mixed methods approach was used to collect and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data. For quantitative data, a …

Examining The Neural Activity Of Self-Monitoring Using Fnirs, Ambriel Cohen, Paul Fuglestad, Katherine C. Hooper, Isabel Suazo, Lauren Toledo, Dr. Christopher Leone

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

In social psychology, self-monitoring refers to the way in which individuals regulate the manner in which they present themselves to others. High self-monitors are those who are driven to fit in, and strategically adapt their presentation of self to cultivate a specific image of themselves. Low self-monitors are driven more by their personal values and are less likely to adjust their behaviors situationally. One component of self-monitoring is emotional regulation, where high self-monitors are more adept at regulating the presentation of their emotions, (e.g. concealing and faking them), than low self-monitors. We used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to study how …

Pilgrimage: True Belonging: Exploring The Human Desire To Belong Through Dance And Storytelling, Lincoln K. Belford

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

The human sense of belonging morphs and changes as we mature and gain life experience. The relationships we make, or choose not to, affect the way we perceive ourselves, which directly correlates to our understanding of how we belong to the universe as a whole. Perception of self and belonging are inextricably connected, therefore by focusing on belonging to ourselves rather than to the world around us, we experience self-acceptance, allowing us to forge deeper, more meaningful connections with those we choose. True belonging is an active practice that takes effort, and involves reflection and critical evaluation of self. A …

The Association Between Sibling Relationship Dynamics And Empathic Abilities In Young Adulthood, Nahide Gungordu, Maria Hernandez-Reif

Southeastern Council on Family Relations Conference [2018-2020]

Existing research concerning the effects of empathy development has primarily focused on the role of parents, culture, and education but has overlooked the role of siblings. This current retrospective study investigates sibling relationship quality and cognitive and affective empathy in young adults to address the question of whether siblings influence young adults’ empathy processes. A total of 205 young adults participated in the study and completed questionnaires examining their sibling relationship quality and empathy. Strong positive relationships were observed between affective empathy and sibling relationship quality, which suggests that siblings may play a unique role in shaping each other’s affective …

Crisis Communications: Facing Covid-19 Together Could Lead To Positive Psychological Growth, Lowri Dowthwaite

Social Space

Although news reports of hoarding, and panic-buying might make it hard to believe, research shows that natural disasters, like the COVID-19 pandemic, can actually bring out the best in people. Although times of significant threat or crisis can cause post-traumatic stress, research shows that so-called “adversarial growth” is just as common as a response. This is our capacity to not only overcome a crisis, but to actually grow stronger, wiser and more resilient.

Can Exploratory Learning Help To Close The Minority Achievement Gap?, Shannon Nicole Derkson, Marci S. Decaro

Undergraduate Arts and Research Showcase

Underrepresented minority (URM) students are disproportionately retained and underperform in STEM disciplines compared to non-URM students, yet are needed in the STEM workforce. Possible causes of this minority achievement gap are social isolation, “chilly” classrooms, low confidence, and stereotype threat (Ballen et al., 2017). Inclusive instruction, which includes active learning, may help to reduce this gap (Saunders & Kardia, 1997). Active learning engages students in learning through activities and/or discussion in class as opposed to passively listening to lectures (Brame, 2016; Freeman et al., 2014). But, not all active learning strategies promote inclusive learning environments. We examined whether a type …

The Foundations Of A Mexican American Bias Scale, Kendra Quiroz, Cynthia Willis-Esqueda

UCARE: Research Products

Mexican Americans are the largest group of Latino/a/x in the US. The purpose of this study was to provide information on the current stereotypes concerning Mexican American males and females with a university student sample. A total of four hundred and four students volunteered from a large midwestern university. Participants spontaneously provided their notions of unfair advantages, unfair disadvantages, and stereotypes for Mexican American males and females. All data was collected through an online survey. The responses were provided with randomized introduction of the group to be described. In addition, items to measure essentialism were included. Results indicated that there …

The Relationship Between Social Functioning And Anxiety Symptoms In Preschoolers With Autism, Kaylee L. Cox

Senior Theses

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social functioning. Furthermore, children with ASD have been found to have high rates of comorbid anxiety. Understanding the relationship between ASD and comorbid anxiety is essential in raising awareness of anxiety symptomology in children with ASD in hopes of better informing treatment and support. The present study examines the relationship between social functioning and general anxiety in children with ASD compared to typically developing (TD) children. The first objective of this study was to examine group differences in social impairments and anxiety symptoms between children diagnosed with ASD and TD children. …

The Effects Of Ego Depletion And Deception On Thin-Slicing Accuracy, Jessica C. Lowe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the effects of ego depletion and deception on thin slicing. Experiment 1 examined whether participants could identify a video that contained a lie at an accuracy rate better-than-chance. Fifty-five percent of participants selected the deception video, which provided support that the videos were distinguishable. Experiment 2 assessed whether ego depletion and deception could decrease thin-slicing accuracy. The main effect of deception on deception accuracy was significant, such that participants in the deception condition had lower deception accuracy than participants in the no-deception condition. The main effect of depletion and the interaction of depletion and …

Popular Television’S Health And Safety Message: What Has Changed In The Past Generation?, Heather Ann Leon

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The assertion that television has an impact on viewers is well-supported in theory and empirical research. Hundreds of researchers have conducted hundreds of studies focused on limited, specific programming content or specific effects to contribute to this evidence. However, far fewer researchers have conducted broad, comprehensive programming content analysis. One exception is a 2005 study from Will et al. examining multiple health and safety behaviors including sexual activity, driving behaviors, intoxicating and unhealthy substance use, and violence depicted in the 1997/1998 primetime television season. Results of their research showed overall that primetime television promoted the perception that the observed health- …

Dissociative Identity Disorder: Etiology, Media, And Stigma, Leah N. Millard

Student Publications

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is often portrayed incorrectly in the media, causing the public to know little about the disorder other than the stigmatizing information from the media. Because of this, individuals with the disorder often face more stigmatizing behaviors than the "normal" amount of stigma those with mental disorders often face. The newest revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) contributes the etiology of the disorder to underlying trauma, however many psychologists consider a "sociocognitive" or "fantasy" model. Current research provides more support for the trauma/posttraumatic model of the disorder and further supports the harm …

The Impact Of Social Support And The Number Of Searchers On Perceptions Of Consent Searches, Kaitlyn Wilson, Emma W. Marshall, Jennifer L. Groscup, Eve M. Brank

UCARE: Research Products

Consent searches require voluntariness of consent for validity under the 4th Amendment. Social situational factors may affect perceptions of voluntariness, but their importance is minimized in court decisions about searches. Participants (N = 328) rated perceptions of a consent request in a consent search situation in which social power dynamics (i.e., number of searchers and the amount of social support) were manipulated. Social support affected perceptions of pressure to say yes to the search. Significant differences in perceptions between the third-person and first-person perspective were observed, indicating that judges may overestimate consent voluntariness. There was also a significant three-way interaction …

The Politics Of Sports, Sydney Kopp 20

Honor Scholar Theses

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Module To Address Interest And Anxiety In Learning Science For Female Secondary Pupils In Nigeria, Muhammad Tukur

Student Works (2020-2029)

The purpose of this study was to develop a Module for female secondary pupils to help increase interest and anxiety (FSSMIA) in learning science at a selected public day senior secondary school in Zamfara, Nigeria. The study further intended to create awareness for parents to perceive the importance of their daughters learning science. A Type 1 Developmental Research Design was used in the study based on the ADDIE Model. First, a needs analysis with selected female pupils was conducted through a focus group interview. Analysis of related curriculum documents and textbooks was also done to establish the need for this …

Why Do Cosmopolitan Individuals Tend To Be More Pro-Environmentally Committed? The Mediating Pathways Via Knowledge Acquisition And Emotional Affinity Toward Nature, Kenichi Ito, Angela K. Y. Leung, Tengjiao Huang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Past research offered evidence that cosmopolitan individuals behave more pro-environmentally. The current study systematically examined two mechanisms explaining why. One the one hand, cosmopolitan individuals acquire knowledge about global challenges concerning environmental crises and become aware of mitigating strategies. On the other hand, cosmopolitan individuals extend their prosociality beyond humankind and develop an emotional affinity toward the natural environment. We set out to provide the first empirical support for these cognitive and emotive pathways accounting for why cosmopolitan individuals tend to be more environmentally friendly. We recruited a total of 1,159 participants to systematically investigate the simultaneous mediation of cognitive …

The Threat Of Virality: Digital Outrage Combats The Spread Of Opposing Ideas, Curtis Puryear

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The prevailing stage for conversations about politics and morality has shifted from private and face-to-face to public and digital. Moreover, the digital landscape itself changed considerably in the past decade. The era of static webpages has been replaced by dynamic social networks where ideas and reactions to events spread rapidly. With every comment we, or a political adversary makes, numbers quantifying social approval tick up or down. Instead of holding digitized versions of one-on-one conversations, we argue in front of audiences who throw digital “points” at and accelerate the spread of the winning side’s ideas. I argue this subjectively raises …

Being Listened To With Empathy: The Experience And Effect For Emerging And Middle-Aged Adults, Elizabeth (Casey) Moore

Communication & Theatre Arts Theses

This study examined the experience of being listened to with empathy for two lifespan cohorts, using survey methodology to collect qualitative and quantitative data from 223 emerging adults (ages 18–25) and 61 middle-aged adults (ages 35–64). While both cohorts described the impact of empathic listening with similar positive themes, including feeling cared for and happy, chi-square analyses revealed statistically significant differences between the two groups in the frequencies of nine of the twenty-seven themes (33.3%). Independent t-tests also identified statistically significant differences in perceived empathy based on the listeners’ age cohort. First, respondents rated middle-aged listeners higher on the Responding …

Exploring Perceptions Of Anti-Racism Interventions And Possible Correlates, Marena L. Mcleod

Selected Honors Theses

Although there is a large body of research on anti-racism interventions, little research has been done on participant perceptions of anti-racism interventions or the relationship between certain perceptions and other factors. This study addresses perceptions of anti-racism interventions among college students and how perceptions relate to willingness to attend interventions, aspects of religiousness, identification with all of humanity, and factors such as gender and race. The sample includes 69 undergraduate students, all of whom self-identified as Christian. Results indicate that perceptions were generally positive. It was found that reported importance of interventions, agreement with reasons for positive attitudes, and willingness …

Blockchain As A Technological Imaginary: Media Framing And The Views Of Blockchain Professionals In The Arab World, Ibrahim Subeh

Philosophy Dissertations

Blockchain is a new way to organize, process and share data; it is a distributed ledger that facilitates the secure and private exchange of digital assets and content types without the need for intermediaries, thus revolutionizing all sectors involving the use of databases. This first systematic study of blockchain as a technological imaginary empirically assesses the media framing of this emerging technology in the Arab world and juxtaposes it to the perceptions of blockchain professionals in the region. The researcher uses a mixed methods approach consisting of quantitative and qualitative techniques; a quantitative content analysis of the online versions of …

A Toolkit To Deal With Negative Reactions In The Covid-19 Crisis, David Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Understanding our own and others’ biases helps us respond better to difficult situations. Adopt what I call the 3Rs approach - refrain, reflect and resolve, to deal with negative events and manage our negative gut emotions and reactions.

Emotions & Satisfaction: Does Emotional Contagion Make The Heart Grow Fonder?, Morgan Brewington

Scholars Week

Existing research identifies strong links between empathy within couples and relationship quality, often helping to cope with difficult life events (Levesque et al., 2014). Similarly, emotional contagion is the process of mirroring the expressions and affect of others, but going further to adopt the emotions that were mimicked (Doherty, 1997). Some research identifies a positive relationship between contagious emotions and relationship quality but impacts of empathy and emotional contagion in relation to sexual and relational satisfaction are yet to be investigated (Mazzuca et al., 2019). The interpersonal theory of depression includes the contagion of negative affect, by which depressed individuals …