Psychology Commons^™

The Information Used To Judge Supportiveness Depends On Whether The Judgment Reflects The Personality Of Perceivers, Objective Characteristics Of Targets Or Their Unique Relationships, Brian Lakey, Catherine Lutz, Alan Scoboria

Psychology Faculty Publications

People who judge their relationships as more supportive enjoy better mental health than people who judge their relationships more negatively. We investigated how people made these judgments; specifically, how people weighed different types of information about targets under three different conditions: when judgments reflected the personality of perceivers, the objective characteristics of targets, and the unique relationships between perceivers and targets. Participants (i.e., perceivers) judged the same four videotaped targets on personality, similarity to perceivers and likely supportiveness. As in previous research, perceivers based their judgments on perceived target similarity to perceivers, and on target personality. However, how perceivers weighed …

The Adaptiveness Of Punishing Behavior: A Baseline Study, Levente Littvay

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study sheds light on the current patterns of punishing behavior. Experimental work with ultimatum bargaining shows that individuals have a high sensitivity to fairness, and when taken advantage of, are willing to endure costs to punish deviant behavior. Third party observers of the unfair behavior asked to represent ultimatum recipients are more hesitant to engage in such punishment. This becomes ever more puzzling when we consider individuals’ high value of their own reputation in similar settings. This leaves both rational choice modelers and political psychologists puzzled. This study presents the baseline model for a research agenda proposing a multi-agent …

Broken Scales: Obesity And Justice In America, Adam Benforado, Jon Hanson, David Yosifon

Faculty Publications

This Article is not so much about the scales we use to measure weight, but the scales we use to infer causation and assign responsibility-including the scales of justice. Ultimately, the problem we face is not obesity itself. Obesity is only a symptom of the problem. When scientists and public health experts point to various environmental agents-whether larger portion sizes, corn subsidies, video games, or urban sprawl-they, too, overlook the deeper source of our troubles. Our real problem is that we have an extremely difficult time seeing and understanding the role of unseen features in our environment and within us …

Irbism: Prejudice Against Institutional Review Boards, Donelson R. Forsyth

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Alexander Pope, who opined that "the proper study of man is man," did not have to convince an Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the wisdom of his words. Just this week I was told that I could not use the question "What city does your romantic partner live in?" to check if the subject was in a long-distant relationship (made the partner too identifiable). Earlier in the year a reviewer objected to asking students about their mother and father's parenting style (reports on the behavior of unconsented third parties). When I said I would recruit participants from classes, the reviewer …

The Paradox Of Promoting Creativity In The Asian Classroom: An Empirical Investigation, Aik Kwang Ng, Ian Smith

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

To shed light on the paradox of promoting creativity in the Asian classroom, the authors conducted 3 studies. The 1st study found that novice teachers classified student behaviors as desirable but uncreative (DBU) versus creative but undesirable (CBU). The 2nd study found that conservative-autocratic teachers were more likely to encourage DBU behaviors in class, whereas liberal-democratic teachers were more likely to encourage CBU behaviors in class. The 3rd study found that cultural individualism—collectivism had a positive impact on liberal—democratic teaching attitude but a negative impact on conservative—autocratic teaching attitude. In turn, liberal—democratic teaching attitude had a positive impact on the …

Individual And Social Influences On Ethnic Identity Among Latino Young Adults, Lenna L. Ontai-Grzebik, Marcela Raffaelli

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Building on prior Latino ethnic identity research, this study had three goals: describe age-related trends in ethnic identity among young adults, examine relations among ethnic identity and individual factors, and explore the impact of family and peer socialization on ethnic identity. The participants (two hundred 19-to 30-year-olds; mean age = 22.5) completed self-report surveys sent to Latino undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in four midwestern institutions of higher education. The findings suggest individual factors are strong predictors of ethnic identity during early adulthood; respondents who were younger, high on Latino orientation, spent more time in the United States, and whose …

Is The Good Life The Easy Life?, Christie N. Scollon, Laura A. King

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Three studies examined folk concepts of the good life. Participants rated the desirability and moral goodness of a life as a function of the happiness, meaning, and effort experienced. Happiness and meaning were solid predictors of the good life, replicating King and Napa (1998). Study 1 (N = 381) included wealth as an additional factor. Results showed little desire for exorbitant (over moderate) wealth, but also a desire to avoid poverty. When effort was operationalized as number of hours worked, respondents desired the easy life, particularly at moderate levels of income. When effort was operationalized as effortful engagement (Study 2), …

Assessing How Identity Lens Accessibility And Distinctiveness Inform Application Of Gender- And Race-Relevant Stereotypes To Black Women, Gina A. Paganini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite clear evidence that stereotypes of women and Black individuals are opposing, little is known about how such identity-relevant stereotypes are applied to Black women. The lens-based account of intersectional stereotyping (Petsko & Bodenhausen, 2020) suggests that judgments of an individual Black woman should shift toward (i.e., assimilate to) stereotypes of whichever identity “lens” (gender, race, or their intersection) is salient. This dissertation builds on the lens-based account by considering whether identity lens salience can lead judgments of an individual Black woman to assimilate or contrast to identity-relevant stereotypes, and whether different ways of inducing identity lens salience are more …

A Preliminary Analysis Of The Motivation To Volunteer At Sporting Events Among College Students, Keunsu Han

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Volunteering makes an important contribution to human society. Increasingly, at recent sporting events, volunteers are a critical part of the overall success of the events. Colleges and universities need to provide opportunities for students to meaningfully experience contributing to society during their college life. The purpose of this study was to enhance the understanding of volunteer motivation among college students at sporting events. In particular, the study focused on the investigation of the demographics of college student volunteers in selected sporting events, the examination of the primary motives that influence their decision to volunteer, and the identification of the major …

The Impact Of Racial Identity Attitudes On The Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Of African American Undergraduate Students, Tamara A. Johnson

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between racial identity attitudes and career decision-making self-efficacy. Two hundred and forty-three African American undergraduate students completed a demographic questionnaire, the Cross Racial Identity Scale (Worrell, Vandiver, & Cross, 2000), and the Career Decision-Making SelfEfficacy- Short-Form (Betz and Taylor, 1994). Results from a hierarchial multiple regression revealed a significant negative relationship between career decision-making self-efficacy and pre-encounter self-hatred attitudes, and a significant positive relationship between internalization multiculturalist inclusive attitudes and career decision-making self-efficacy. The other four racial identity attitudes, pre-encounter assimilation, pre-encounter miseducation, immersion-emmersion anti-white, and internalization afrocentricity, were not significant predictors of career decision-making …

Examining The Behavioral And Physiological Components Of Communication Skills Training With Married Couples: Are Differential Effects Mediated By The Topic Discussed And Initial Level Of Marital Distress?, Tara L. Cornelius

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to experimentally examine the effects of the Speaker-Listener technique when the couple was instructed to either (a) discuss an issue within, or (b) outside the marriage, on couples’ initial and long-term levels of marital distress and satisfaction. This study was designed to examine Gottman, et al. (1998) hypothesis that the Speaker-Listener skills training technique may be effective and lead to improved levels of marital satisfaction when the couple is complaining about a third party, but complaining about each other may become divisive and weaken the marital relationship, and that such an effect would …

The Effects Of Task Structure And Group Target Monetary Incentives On Social Loafing, Nelson R. Eikenhout

Dissertations

Social loafing refers to the decrease in individual performance output that occurs when individuals perform a task in groups in which the output is pooled. Pooled output refers to the performance of all group members added together to get a total group output. Therefore, because all group members contribute to a single group outcome, individual performance output is obscured. This study examined the following questions. First, what are the effects of the method of pooling the output (additive vs. disjunctive) on individuals who work on a concurrent task in small groups? Second, what are the effects of group target based …

Euthanasia: An Exploration Of Public Opinion, Debra M. Babylon

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The acceptance of euthanasia is examined using the 1972-2002 GSS cumulative dataset. The dataset contains a total of 43,698 respondents. The euthanasia question, "Should a terminally ill patient be allowed the right to die?" was asked beginning in 1977. The number of respondents answering the euthanasia question totals 22,039. The independent variables age, race, gender, political view, religious affiliation, and education were reviewed to assess their impact on support of euthanasia. Additionally, in order to test the "slippery slope" hypothesis, the abortion question, "Should abortion be allowed under any circumstance?" was added to the independent variable list. Cross tabulation was …

An Empirical Study Of Highly Personal Topics Involved In Self-Disclosure, Alicia Monique Mathews

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Self-disclosure refers to what individuals reveal about themselves to others. This topic has been a focus of research by social psychologists, communication scientists and others for several decades. The current study aims to contribute to research in this area by examining the topics of self-disclosure of college students. Archival data previously collected from college students were used. Research participants were asked to recall a highly personal experience when answering questions about their self-disclosure behaviors dealing with the targets of mother, father, same-sex friend and dating partner. The study developed a taxonomy of topics that were identified by college students as …

Perceptions Of Diversity Among Current And Former Students And Faculty In Three Graduate Programs, Margot E. Ackermann

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study compared the perceptions of diversity among current graduate students, former graduate students, and current faculty in three graduate programs. Sense of belonging, universality, openness to experience, diversity experiences, and perceptions of diversity were examined. Participants included 64 current students, 30 former students, and 15 faculty members in Old Dominion University's M.S. and Ph.D. programs in psychology and the Virginia Consortium Program's Psy.D. program. Solicited by either email or postal mail, participants completed an online survey that assessed demographic details and the variables of interest. After addressing data issues, Pearson's r examined the relationships among the dependent variables. ANOVAs …

Emotional Intelligence And Coping, Veena A. Nair

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the set of abilities involved in emotion processing and regulation. The current study examined the relationship between trait EI and general intelligence, personality, and coping. It also investigated whether trait EI was a significant predictor of problem focused and emotion focused coping strategies after controlling for general intelligence and personality, and examined whether trait EI predicted self-reported outcome of a stressful situation and academic achievement. Participants were 106 college students who were individually administered the two subtest version of Wechsler's Abbreviated Scale of lntelligence (WASI), the Schutte Self-Report Inventory of EI (SSRI), the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised …

Predictors Of Participation In Premarital Prevention Programs: The Health Belief Model And Social Norms, Kieran T. Sullivan, Lauri A. Pasch, Tara Cornelius, Ellen Cirigliano

Psychology

The development of effective programs to prevent marital dysfunction has been a recent focus for marital researchers, but the effective dissemination of these programs to engaged couples has received relatively little attention. The purpose of this study is to determine which factors predict couples' participation in premarital counseling. Predictive factors were derived from the health prevention literature, with a particular focus on the health belief model (HBM). Couples' beliefs and attitudes about premarital counseling were assessed at least six months before their wedding, and participation was assessed after their wedding. Results indicate that the strongest predictors of couples' participation were …

An Exploration Into Gender Role Conflict, Attitudes Toward Females, And Relationship Beliefs, Julia M. Wood

Doctoral Dissertations

Gender role conflict and negative attitudes toward females have been areas of increasing concern since the early 1970s. Research has shown that both gender role conflict and negative attitudes toward females cause complications for the person with such perspectives. Relationships are an area that has been impacted by gender role conflict and attitudes toward females. Determining the impact that gender role conflict and attitudes toward females have upon each other and upon relationship beliefs will increase awareness of the seriousness of these complications allowing clinicians to focus therapeutic interventions on methods that will increase relationship quality.

Using the Gender Role …

Music Videos And Perceptions Of Women, Shanda Jenkins

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether or not watching sexually explicit music videos will affect how different women are perceived in different situations. There were 301 subjects recruited from Old Dominion University. The mean age was 20.5 and there were 189 women and 111 men. The participants watched two music videos and rated the main performer in the music video. Next, they watched an interview video and rated the person in the interview. The interview video featured one woman who was either African-American or Caucasian, and that woman was interviewing for either a job or a potential …

Insights From Cognitive Psychology, Chris Guthrie

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Generational Differences Among Active Duty Members, Stephanie M. Skibo

Theses and Dissertations

There seems to be a widely held belief that different generations have different attitudes toward work, organizations, and co-workers. Clearly, these observed differences have implications for managers and leaders. Actions taken by leaders might be misunderstood by junior organizational members, leading to undesirable outcomes. Considering that many generational groups are represented within the Air Force, there is a need to analyze and understand potential generational differences. With the exception of the Smola and Sutton (2002) study, little empirical research has explored the extent to which these differences actually exist and whether differences exist among Air Force members. This research explores …

An Analysis Of Generational Differences Among Civil Servants, Stacey L. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

There seems to be a wide held belief that different generations have different attitudes toward work, organizations, and co-workers. Clearly, these observed differences have implications for managers and leaders. Actions taken by leaders (who are often older) might be misunderstood by junior organizational members (who are often younger), leading to undesirable outcomes (i.e., turnover). Considering that many generational groups are represented within government service, there is a need to analyze and understand potential generational differences. With the notable exception of the Smola and Sutton (2002) study, little empirical research has explored the extent to which these differences actually exist and …

Biotechnology And The Law: A Consideration Of Intellectual Property Rights And Related Social Issues, Michael D. Mehta

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] “Recent advances in biotechnology are expected by many to improve crop yield, reduce reliance on agricultural inputs like pesticides and herbicides, alleviate world hunger, improve the safety and effectiveness of pharmaceuticals, assist in the discovery of genes that trigger diseases like cancer, and make more efficient our legal institutions through DNA testing. Clearly, innovations in biotechnology are a powerful force for social change, and they pose unique challenges and opportunities for legal scholars and institutions. This section of the Pierce Law Review focuses on the interface between law and technology by examining how innovations in biotechnology accelerate debates about …

Sociological Realms Of Emotional Experience, Kathryn J. Lively, David R. Heise

Dartmouth Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Cross-Situational Consistency Of Affective Experiences Across Cultures, Shigehiro Oishi, Ed Diener, Christie N. Scollon, Robert Biswas-Diener

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This study examined cross-situational consistency of affective experiences using an experience-sampling method in Japan, India, and the United States. Participants recorded their moods and situations when signaled at random moments for 7 days. The authors examined relative (interindividual) consistency and absolute (within-person) consistency. They found stable interindividual differences of affective experiences across various situations (mean r = .52 for positive affect .51 for negative affect) and cultural invariance of the cross-situational consistency of affective experiences. Simultaneously, the authors found a considerable degree of within-person cross-situational variation in affective experiences, and cultural differences in within-person cross-situational consistency. Thus, global affective traits …

Managing Social Conflict - The Evolution Of A Practical Theory, David B. Moore

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article describes the co-evolution of a process and a theory. Through the 1990s, the process known as "conferencing" moved beyond child welfare and youth justice, to applications in schools, neighbourhoods, and workplaces. In each of these applications, conferencing has assisted participants to acknowledge and transform interpersonal conflict, as a prelude to negotiating a plan of action. Much analysis of conferencing has been linked with social theorist John Braithwaite, whose work has influenced the development of a multidisciplinary theory of these process dynamics, and the development of guiding principles. Key links between theory and practice are described in chronological sequence.

Identifying At Risk Youth For Delinquency In Southern West Virginia, Roderick Q. Neal

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Juvenile delinquency has been an important area of study. Academics, practitioners, politicians, and legal scholars have devoted their attention to basic questions about the nature of youth crime. This report was designed to identify which psychological and social variables are statistically reliable predictors of significant juvenile delinquency in southern West Virginia. In an effort to identify at risk youth, 200 subjects were administered a 16-question survey. This survey had a mixture of continuous and categorical psychological and social variables and the data was analyzed using Logistic Regression strategies. One hundred of the subjects had been referred to a juvenile probation …

Prevalence Of A Looming Maladaptive Style As A Cognitive Vulnerability To Anxiety In Rural Populations, Caleb P. Rose

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The present study attempted to find a global cognitive style among rural populations suggesting that threatening situations are seen as rapidly rising in risk, progressively worsening, or actively accelerating and speeding up. Participants completed a battery of anonymous questionnaires including a non-identifying demographics questionnaire and commonly used, published psychological assessments which measure anxiety, depression, worry, perception of negative life events, and looming vulnerability to anxiety. It was predicted that demographic variables, such as socioeconomic status, rural/non-rural status, and experience with natural disasters, will predict anxiety, which, in turn, would predict scores on the measures of anxiety, depression, and cognitive style. …

Minimizing The Pervasiveness Of Women’S Personal Experiences Of Gender Discrimination, Mindi D. Foster, Lydia C. Jackson, Ryan Hartmann, Shannon Woulfe

Psychology Faculty Publications

Given the Rejection-Identification Model (Branscombe, et al., 1999) which shows that perceiving discrimination to be pervasive is a negative experience, it was suggested that there would be conditions under which women would instead minimize the pervasiveness of discrimination. Study 1 (N = 91) showed that when women envisioned themselves in a situation of academic discrimination, they defined it as pervasive but when they experienced a similar laboratory simulation of academic discrimination, its pervasiveness was minimized. Study 2 (N = 159) showed that women who envisioned themselves experiencing discrimination minimized its pervasiveness more so than women reading about discrimination …

When The Advantaged Become Disadvantaged: Men’S And Women’S Actions Against Gender Discrimination, Mindi D. Foster, Stacey Arnt, Jill Honloka

Psychology Faculty Publications

Intergroup theories suggest that different social identities will either discourage or encourage the taking of action against discrimination (Bartky, 1977; Jost & Banaji, 1994). However, research (e.g., Branscombe, 1998) has shown that discrimination is a less negative experience for men than for women. As such, it is possible that men may take greater action than women, regardless of identity. However, men’s responses to their perceived disadvantage has not yet been tested. Among those induced to ascribe to a gendered stereotype identity, men endorsed more action than women did.Among those induced to ascribe to an identity based on a gendered social …