Psychology Commons^™

Culture From Chaos: The Formation Of Social Norms From The Dynamic Self-Organization Of Individuals' Attitudes And Behavior, Jerry G. Cullum

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Top-down models of culture provide a useful although limited understanding of cultural content, formation, and change. Previous theorizing using bottom-up models help to explain why cultures exist and explain some of their content. Dynamic social impact theory (DSIT; Latane, 1996) expands on previous bottom-up models by proposing a concise mechanism for cultural content transmission and the dynamic outcome of this process. Furthermore, the catastrophe theory of attitudes (Latane & Nowak, 1994) suggests that the level of involvement of an issue will modify attitude change and therefore modify DSIT's predictions. The present study expanded on previous research to offer a more …

The Relationship Between Reality Beliefs, Personality Traits, Need For Cognition, And Social Desirability, Scott J. Adams

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project investigates reality beliefs (RBs), which are defined as a system of fundamental premises about the world, knowledge, value, relationships, and humanity that set standards by which one evaluates the relevance and importance of experience.

Researching The Public Opinion Environment By Sherry Devereaux Ferguson, Sage, 2000, Pp 296, Price: $30 (Cloth)., Vijay G Vancheswar

IIMB Management Review

Researching the Public Opinion Environment examines theories, systems, and methods for understanding and managing public perceptions that shape governments and corporations. Ferguson emphasizes environmental intelligence systems, research, and continuous feedback as essential tools for navigating rapid change and media scrutiny. The book critiques reliance on media reports alone, arguing that organizations should validate public opinion through surveys, focus groups, and other research techniques. It explains sampling methods, questionnaire design, and analytical tools such as content analysis, Delphi technique, and Q methodology. Ferguson also explores media influence, highlighting concepts like the spiral of silence and third-person effect in public opinion formation.

Small Groups As Complex Systems: Formation, Coordination, Development, And Adaptation By Holly Arrow, Joseph E Mcgrath And Jennifer L Berdahl, Sage Publications, New Delhi, 2000, Pp 336, Price: $ 69.95 (Cloth); $ 31.95 (Paper)., Ravindra Singh Bangari

IIMB Management Review

Small Groups as Complex Systems presents a theory of small groups as adaptive, dynamic, and complex systems rather than collections of independent individuals. Drawing on systems, dynamical, and complexity theories, Arrow, McGrath, and Berdahl argue that group behaviour emerges through interactions among members, tasks, tools, and contexts. The book examines group formation, operation, adaptation, and transformation, while proposing new research methods such as experimental simulations, comparative field studies, and computational modelling. Challenging traditional positivist approaches, it advocates a broader understanding of causation, context, and change. The work lays a foundation for future research on group dynamics and organizational behaviour.

The Effect Of Background Information On The Identity Formation And Self-Concept Of Adoptees, Molly Susan Dye

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adoptees are over represented in clinical populations. Issues of self-concept, identity formation and the search for background history may be of particular relevance to adoptee clients and could be addressed as a focus of treatment. This study attempted to assess if lack of knowledge about background information is related to poorer selfconcepts and increased difficulty with identity formation in adoptees. Adults (N=299) who were adopted prior to 6 months of age were recruited from adoption related sites on the Internet. Measures of self-concept, identity formation and adoption related factors were completed on a web page designed for this study. Results …

Context And Demonizing The I.R.A., Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article questions a consensus that the I.R.A. is largely responsible for the recent suspension of Northern Ireland’s home-rule government by the United Kingdom.

Public Diplomacy And International Broadcasting As Antiterrorism Weapons: Philosophical Dilemmas, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes problematic assumptions in differentiating public diplomacy from international broadcasting as weapons against terrorism with global reach.

The Black And White Of Profiling: Sniping On The Sniper Case, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article analyzes the construct of profiling in the aftermath of the arrest of two suspects in the recent sniper attacks perpetrated in the greater Washington, D.C. area.

Lay Theories And Evaluation-Based Organization Of Impressions: An Application Of The Memory Search Paradigm, Yuk-Yue Tong, Chi-Yue Chiu

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

People may believe that personal attributes are fixed entities that cannot be changed (hold an entity theory). Alternatively, they may believe that qualities of a person are malleable (hold an incremental theory). In the present research, the authors used Sternberg's (1966) memory search task to examine entity and incremental theorists' cognitive strategies in memory search. It was hypothesized that entity theorists, who have a greater tendency to make spontaneous evaluation of people, would organize impressions in short-term memory according to whether the stimulus persons are positively or negatively evaluated. Next, they might compare the probe only to the stimulus persons …

Dynamical Evolutionary Psychology: Mapping The Domains Of The New Interactionist Paradigm, Douglas T. Kenrick, Jon K. Maner, Jon Butner, Norman P. Li, D. Vaughn Becker, Mark Schaller

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Dynamical systems and evolutionary theories have both been proposed as integrative approaches to psychology. These approaches are typically applied to different sets of questions. Dynamical systems models address the properties of psychological systems as they emerge and change over time; evolutionary models address the specific functions and contents of psychological structures. New insights can be achieved by integrating these two paradigms, and we propose a framework to begin doing so. The framework specifies a set of six evolutionarily fundamental social goals that place predictable constraints on emergent processes within and between individuals, influencing their dynamics over the short-term, and across …

Trends. Preemption Logics, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses the idea and complexities of preemption in the context of 21^st century global terrorism.

Personnel Security: Beyond Initial Screening And Selection To Career Aftermath, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes Issues pertaining to personnel security in the aftermath of an individual’s career with an organization.

Trends. Predecisional Distortion: An Example Of Psychology Distorting Justice?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses the concept of ‘Predecisional Distortion’ in the context of how juries make decisions.

Commentary On “Conditions For Success And Failures Of Denial And Deception: Democratic Regimes”, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article provides commentary on an essay written by Mr. Walt Jajko. Mr. Jajko’s essay was itself a commentary on an article published in the book, Strategic Denial and Deception, the Twenty First Century Challenge, that was edited by Roy Godson and James J. Wirtz and published by Transaction Publishers (2002).

Mr. Jajko was formerly assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Oversight and director, Special Advisory Staff, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy within the United States Government (USG).

Trends. If You're So Right, Why Are We Sure You're So Wrong? Iraq, Free Riders, And Social Loafing, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses and evaluates public discourse surrounding the acceptability of militarily invading Iraq through a social psychological perspective. In social psychology, the research tradition for constructs such as free-riding and social loafing suggests that, wittingly or unwittingly, many political actors assume that the United States will act to address actual political threats in a certain way, and that they (the other political actors) can adopt contrarian ideological stances because they don’t have to address those same threats.

Friendship Quality In Youth Disability Sport: Perceptions Of A Best Friend, Jeffrey J. Martin, Kerry Smith

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

The purpose of the current investigation was to examine friendship quality with a best friend in youth disability sport with an international sample of moderately experienced athletes with disabilities ages 9 to 18 years. Participants were 85 males and 65 females from four countries who competed in track and field and swimming. Data were collected with the Sport Friendship Quality Scale (Weiss & Smith, 1999). An exploratory factor analyses indicated that participants viewed their friendship quality with a best friend in disability sport as having both positive and negative dimensions. The latter focused exclusively on conflict experiences. Females reported stronger …

An Empirical Analysis Of The Effect Of The Need For Closure On Materiality Thresholds Of Auditors, Cynthia M. Daily

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the strengths of a specific motivator for judgment and decision-making, referred to as “need for closure” and determine how the strength of that motivator affects materiality judgments of auditors.

The extent to which auditors seek and process information prior to forming a judgment can have important consequences in the conduct of an audit. In this regard, psychology researchers have identified a personality characteristic—a motive for judgment and decision making—that influences the decision making process. This motive, referred to as the need for closure, pertains to the desire of individuals to clear …

The Relationship Of Ethnicity Ethnic Identity And Problem Type To Preferences For Counselor Race In College Students: A Survey Of African-American And European-American Students, Sara H. Bausch

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

African-American and European-American participants were surveyed to determine the relationship of ethnicity, ethnic identity, and type of presenting problem on preferences for counselor ethnicity. Participants indicated their preferences for counselor characteristics, including ethnicity, for personal and academic problems. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance and regression techniques. The results indicated that African American participants prefer ethnically similar counselors and all participants with high ethnic identity prefer ethnically similar counselors. The results suggested that participants prefer different characteristics for different problems. Participants indicated more willingness to seek help for academic problems. Ethnicity was a significant predictor of preference for an …

A Comparison Of Big-Five Personality Factors Safe Sex Behaviors And Social Desirability Using Paper-And-Pencil And Interactive-Voice-Response Surveys, J. Eric Tedford

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Paper-and-pencil tests (PP) have been the cornerstone of surveys and questionnaires in psychology for well over a century. Researchers have longed for a survey method that would provide similar results and quicker data analysis. There are several methods that have been commonly tested against PP surveys; including computers and computer-assisted telephone interviewing, in which a researcher phones the participant who answers questions by pressing the numbers on the keypad of his phone. Both of these methods have yielded conflicting results that showed them to give either equivalent, more social desirable, or less social desirable answers. There has been relatively little …

Training And Performance Self-Efficacy, Affect, And Performance In Wheelchair Road Racers, Jeffrey J. Martin

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

In the current study, social cognitive theory was examined with athletes with disabilities. More specifically, hierarchical and self-regulatory performance self-efficacy, self-regulatory training self-efficacy, outcome confidence, and affect were examined with wheelchair road racers (N = 51). In accordance with social cognitive theory, moderate to strong significant relationships among 3 types of self-efficacy and outcome confidence were found (rs = .41 - .78). All forms of self-efficacy and positive affect (rs = .39 - .56) were also related providing additional support to social cognitive theory and the important relationships among training and performance related efficacy and affect in …

Differences In Perception And Number Of Incidents Of Sexual Harassment Among College Students In The United States And The Federal Republic Of Germany, Antonia Von Tobiesen

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine the difference between American and German students in perception and frequency of sexual harassment. The participants were female Old Dominion University psychology undergraduates and psychology students from the Universitaet Freiburg. A survey containing the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire {SEQ), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and modified questions from Gutek's (1985) Main Questionnaire (Women's Version) was used. The survey was designed to reveal sexual harassment experiences in the work environment or in the university setting, while measuring the effect of the experiences on self-esteem and the students' reactions to the incidents. The results indicated that …

Recruitment Of Engaged Couples For Premarital Counseling: An Empirical Examination Of The Importance Of Program Characteristics And Topics To Potential Participants, Kieran T. Sullivan, Carmen Anderson

Psychology

The recent emphasis on prevention in helping couples to avoid marital distress may be limited by lack of participation in prevention programs by engaged couples. The purpose of this study is to understand what potential participants perceive are attractive characteristics in premarital prevention approaches. Eighty-six engaged couples completed questionnaires assessing demographics, personality and the relative importance of premarital program characteristics. The results indicate that leader characteristics, content, and topics such as communication, finances, and problem-solving are the most important elements of premarital counseling to couples. Differences based on gender and risk level are reported. Suggestions are made for more effective …

Trends. Self-Esteem And Terrorism, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses the role self-esteem plays in terrorist behavior. Analysis includes the application of Jennifer Crocker and Connie T. Wolfe’s views as presented in their 2001 Psychological Review article “Contingencies of self-worth” (Vol 108 (3), pp. 593-623).

Threat And Threatening Language: Public Discourse On Iraq, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article explores the relationship of language, the construction of threat, and the constructor’s response to that which is constructed.

Vestiges Of Communism And Personnel Security, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article illustrates several interpretive difficulties in employing personnel security criteria in the context of national security.

The Arduous Path To Brand Loyalty, B S Bhatia, Anupam Bawa

IIMB Management Review

Brand loyalty is a highly sought after goal. But how do some of the commonly used marketing strategies fare vis-à-vis this goal? B S Bhatia and Anupam Bawa explored the relationship of nine elements of marketing strategy — market share, competitive strategy, pricing strategy, promotion scheme, advertisement, perceived level of advertising, media used for advertising, factors influencing first purchase and type of distribution outlet used — to brand loyalty. Data was collected from 300 households, both rural and urban, belonging to all income groups, in two districts of Punjab and in Chandigarh. The products included in the scope of the …

Trends. A Room With A Cue: Validating An Age-Old Intelligence Tool?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the psychological implications of the choices regarding physical features of a given individual’s environment (e.g., a person’s office).

The Ahimsa Acculturation Scale: A New Measure Of Acculturation For Adolescents In A Multicultural Society, C. Anderson Johnson, Paula Palmer, Jennifer B. Unger, Peggy Gallaher, Sohaila Shakib, Anamara Ritt-Olson

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Acculturation has been associated with adolescent health-risk behaviors. Most acculturation scales are inappropriate for adolescent surveys because they are too long, are not applicable to differing ethnic groups, or are language-based only. A brief, multidimensional, multicultural acculturation measure for adolescents was developed. Sixthgrade students (N = 317) in Los Angeles completed that scale and other measures of acculturation. The Acculturation, Habits, and Interests Multicultural Scale for Adolescents (AHIMSA) generates four subscores: United States Orientation (Assimilation), Other Country Orientation (Separation), Both Countries Orientation (Integration), and Neither Country Orientation (Marginalization). Three of the subscales were correlated with the subscales of a modified …

The Violent Streak In Humans, N Balasubramanian

IIMB Management Review

No abstract provided.

Individualism/Collectivism, Psychological Processes, And Styles Of Conflict Resolution, Gangaw Zaw

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Conflict resolution styles in relation to Individualist (IND) and Collectivist (COL) value orientations were examined in the present study. Past research (Ting-Toomey et al., 1991, Pearson et al., 1998) has focused on cultural groups in order to explain conflict resolution styles. The current study analyzed conflict resolution styles (using the ROCIII) in relation to antecedent variables of culture, measured by the Collectivism and Individualism scale (Thandis et. al. 1993) as well as attribution processes and related emotions. Psychological factors such as causal attributions (the belief to which other's actions are attributed) and interpersonal emotions such as anger and empathic feelings …