Psychology Commons^™

Sense Of Belonging From A Distance: How Online Students Describe, Perceive, And Experience Belonging To The Institution, Marleigh Luster Perez

Dissertations and Theses

The availability and ease of access to online bachelor's degree programs has led to a dynamic shift in the world of higher education. While overall, there has been a decrease in student enrollments, distance student enrollment has been growing. According to a report by the Babson Survey Research Group, between the fall of 2012 and the fall of 2016 students pursuing higher education at all levels across degree-granting institutions fell by 3.8%. During the same four-year period, the percentage of those students choosing to take all or some of their courses at a distance increased from 25.9% to 29.7%. Among …

Investigating Sexual Fantasy And Sexual Behavior In Adolescent Offenders, Hayley Lauren Tews

Dissertations and Theses

Juvenile sexual offenders (SOs) have been found to account for a significant proportion of sexual offenses. A critical gap has been identified in our knowledge regarding the role of sexual fantasy and sexual behavior in juvenile sexual offending, even though these variables have been identified as an important treatment target for this population. Specifically, it is not clear if SOs differ significantly from juvenile non-sexual offenders (NSOs) in their sexual fantasies and sexual behavior and as such, if reports of fantasies and past sexual behaviors should be used as a target for sex offender specific treatment. This study explored differences …

Hearing The Voices Of Bicultural And Bilingual Teachers: Using A Case Study Approach To Explain The Professional Identity Development Of Early Career Native Chinese Mandarin Teachers, Jing Chen

Dissertations and Theses

Increasingly, Native Chinese Mandarin teachers have been migrating to the United States and taking positions as Mandarin teachers in U.S. schools. Many have needed support for professional identity development as bicultural and bilingual teachers given their new social cultural context. The purpose of this study was to describe and explain the experiences and professional identity development of early-career Native Chinese Mandarin teachers in one Northwest Pacific city. Using a theoretical framework of social cultural theory in education and the bicultural identity integration construct, I conducted a multiple case study of four early-career Native Chinese Mandarin teachers in four different school …

An Examination Of Daily Family-Supportive Supervisor Behaviors, Perceived Supervisor Responsiveness And Job Satisfaction, Luke Daniel Mahoney

Dissertations and Theses

Balancing both work and non-work life is increasingly recognized as a challenge for employees, and supervisors are in a position to support employees in their efforts to do so. Supervisors who exhibit family-supportive behaviors in support of employees who juggle work and family roles show benefits for employees in terms of well-being and job outcomes. The purpose of this study was to take a more fine-grained look at family-supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB) using daily surveys in order to advance understanding of how family-supportive behaviors work within-person. Another aim of the study was to examine perceived supervisor responsiveness (PSR) for the …

The Use Of The Birth Control Movement As A Eugenics Weapon, 1920'S-1960'S, Peyton P. Holstein

Young Historians Conference

While Margaret Sanger made great strides in the crusade for legalization and open access to birth control for women, groups paired her work with ideologies such as Social Darwinism to arm the eugenics movement throughout the Twentieth-century. The eugenics movement was a culmination of racism and newly found scientific theories which led a crusade to purify the American population through reproductive cherry-picking on the basis of race. One of the primary ways that this group attempted to weed out “undesirable” races within the American population was through birth control as well as sterilization. These two movements - birth control and …

"It Puts A Face To All The Knowledge We've Gotten" : A Program Of Research On Intimate Partner Violence Surrogate Impact Panels, Kate Louise Sackett Kerrigan

Dissertations and Theses

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is one of the most pressing and consequential social problems facing the United States. The current response to IPV in the U.S. is most often a form of tertiary prevention, targeted at individuals directly responsible for (referred to here as "justice involved individuals" or JIIs) and harmed by IPV (referred to here as "survivors"). U.S. institutional responses to IPV are implemented through the criminal justice system. The inherent contradiction in grounding IPV intervention approaches such as BIPs within a social system that itself uses coercion, threat of punishment, and retribution to maintain order and control over …

Peers' Academic Coping As A Resource For Academic Engagement And Motivational Resilience In The First Year Of Middle School, Daniel Lee Grimes

Dissertations and Theses

Beginning middle school is a difficult transition for many young adolescents. Academic coping skills and the ability to exhibit motivational resilience in the face of potential academic adversity can contribute to the success with which students navigate this transition. Students' peer group affiliations are known to have the ability to contribute positively to students' academic engagement, motivation, and achievement at this time. The current study explores the potential of a student's peer group members' use of eleven ways of academic coping to affect the change in student academic engagement over the course of the first year of middle school. Data …

Life Satisfaction In Division Iaa And Division Iii Football Players, Krista Haunani Francisco

Dissertations and Theses

Level of life satisfaction is not something of which many sit down and take appraisal. However, levels of life satisfaction, especially low levels of life satisfaction, can have a direct effect on health. Low levels of life satisfaction cause an increase in self-reported stress. Inversely, high levels of stress cause a decrease in life satisfaction. This decrease in life satisfaction is associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes. A majority of student-athlete healthcare is centered around the physical aspects of health, with mental health just recently becoming a concern. It was apparent through the research for this study that …

Asian American Women In Leadership And Abusive Supervision, Mari A. Wu

University Honors Theses

Drawing on the shifting standards theory, intersectionality theory, double jeopardy theory, the lack of fit model and role congruity theory, I investigate whether there are differences in perceptions of abuse as a function of leader race (i.e., Asian and White) among women. Participants completed a Qualtrics survey in which they evaluated photos of Asian and White women supervisors and indicated the extent to which they believed the person in the photo would be abusive. Results did not reveal a significant difference in perceptions of abuse, but did reveal a significant difference in favor of Asian leaders in perceptions of friendliness …

The Balance Of Personality, Chris Allen

PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources

This open access textbook was developed as an upper division undergraduate textbook for theories of personality. Its intended audience are students from Portland State University enrolled in Psychology 432 Personality course. The chapters are shorter than some personality textbooks and in this particular course Psy 432 the textbook is combined with other readings including scientific articles on personality. This open access textbook may be of interest to other courses interested in teaching about theory and research on personality.

Please see the Open Textbook Library for faculty Reviews of this textbook

Adopt/Adapt
If you are an instructor adopting or adapting this …

Interview With Karin Waller, Karin A. Waller, Patricia A. Schechter

Conflict Resolution Oral Histories

Karin Waller was interviewed by history professor Patricia Schechter on May 27, 2020, in Portland, Oregon. Also participating in the interview are graduate students Cleophas Chambliss and Liza Schade.

In this interview, Waller describes the personal, social, and intellectual intersections that brought her to graduate study, her mentors in the graduate program, and her thesis project.

Interview With Mary Zinkin, Mary Zinkin, Stephanie Vallance

Conflict Resolution Oral Histories

Mary Zinkin was interviewed by Stephanie Vallance on May 6, 2020. Also participating in the interview were Liza Schade and Lady J.

In this interview, Zinkin describes her own self-designed interdisciplinary graduate degrees in Conflict Resolution at Portland State and her influence in the creation of those degree programs at PSU. She discusses her academic work in the field of conflict mediation, and her view of the need for a professional, skills-based degree that blended theory and practice. She describes the logistics of getting the program off the ground, noting the development of curriculum, number of students, and the conversation …

Perceived Overqualification And Task Performance:Reconciling Two Opposing Pathways, Allen Lee, Berrin Erdogan, Amy Tian, Sara Willis, Jie Cao

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this study, we predict that higher levels of relative deprivation and higher levels of task mastery constitute two pathways through which perceived overqualification (POQ) has indirect and opposing effects on task performance. Further, we predict that occupational instrumentality, the degree to which the individual regards their job as a stepping tone to future career opportunities, will serve as a moderator for both pathways. Across two studies, as well as a supplementary study, we found evidence that POQ is positively associated with followers’ perceptions of both task mastery and relative deprivation. In both studies, we also found consistent evidence for …

Association Of Use Of Rehabilitation Services With Development Of Dementia Among Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Analysis Of Domestic Data In Taiwan, Ming-Chi Lu, Hanoch Livneh, Chieh-Tsung Yen, Hua-Lung Huang, Miao-Chiu Lin, Shu-Wen Yen, Ning-Sheng Lai, Tzung-Yi Tsai

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objectives: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was found to trigger the higher risk of dementia. Limited information, however, is available on whether the use of rehabilitation services (RS), an integral part of healthcare programs, can lessen dementia risk for RA subjects. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship of RS use to the development of dementia in RA patients.

Methods: We identified 2,927 newly diagnosed patients with RA, 20–70 years of age between 1998 and 2007, from a national health insurance database. 965 patients from this sample received RS, and 1,962 patients were designated as a control group (non-RS …

A Study Of The Impact Of Covid-19 On Home Delivery Purchases And Expenditures, Avinash Unnikrishnan, Miguel A. Figliozzi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly affected shopping behavior. This study surveys people living in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro Metropolitan area on household and demographic characteristics, e-commerce and home delivery service and product preferences, number of deliveries made before and during the COVID-19 lockdown, and household expenditures on home deliveries. Ordered choice models are developed to understand factors that affect the number of online deliveries made before COVID-19, and the number and household expenditures on online deliveries during the COVID-19 lockdown. Results indicate that higher-income households are more likely to make more online deliveries and spend more money on home deliveries …

Results From A Pre-Post, Uncontrolled Pilot Study Of A Mindfulness-Based Program For Early Elementary School Teachers, Summer S. Braun, Robert W. Roeser, Andrew Mashburn

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Mindfulness-based programs are a novel and promising approach for supporting teachers’ occupational health and well-being. Although rationales for mindfulness programs for teachers have been offered, the empirical research base evaluating approaches for educating teachers in mindfulness is still developing. This study reports the findings of a pilot study of a mindfulness-based program. This study is unique in that it is one of the only studies of the Mindfulness-Based Emotional Balance (MBEB) program to focus on early elementary teachers, to be implemented by a new instructor, and to recruit teachers via extrinsic motivators.

Methods: A pre-post, uncontrolled pilot study of …

Diverse Autonomic Nervous System Stress Response Patterns In Childhood Sensory Modulation, Jacquelyn Christensen, Heather Wild, Erin S. Kenzie, Wayne Wakeland, Deborah Budding, Connie Lillas

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

The specific role of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in emotional and behavioral regulation—particularly in relation to automatic processes—has gained increased attention in the sensory modulation literature. This mini-review article summarizes current knowledge about the role of the ANS in sensory modulation, with a focus on the integrated functions of the ANS and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and their measurement. Research from the past decade illustrates that sympathetic and parasympathetic interactions are more complex than previously assumed. Patterns of ANS activation vary across individuals, with distinct physiological response profiles influencing the reactivity underlying automatic behavioral responses. This review article advances …

It’S About Time: Staff Support Contacts And Mentor Volunteer Experiences, Thomas E. Keller, Alison Drew, Hyuny Clark-Shim, Renee Spencer, Carla Herrera

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Formal youth mentoring programs typically rely on volunteers to serve as mentors to young people, with training and guidance from agency staff. A fundamental program practice is to provide ongoing support and supervision to volunteer mentors by engaging in regular contact to monitor the progress of the mentoring relationship and offer guidance and encouragement. Using data from mentors (n = 504) in multiple mentoring programs (n = 55), the current study investigated how the amount of time devoted to these match support contacts was associated with mentor perceptions regarding the nature of their volunteer experience, specifically: the quality of supervision …

Family Features Of Social Withdrawal Syndrome (Hikikomori), Malagón-Amor, Luis Miguel Martín-López, David Corcoles, Anna González, Magda Bellsolà, Alan R. Teo, Antoni Bulbena, Victor Pérez, Daniel Bergé

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Family may play an important role in the origin, maintenance, and treatment of people with social withdrawal. The aim of this study is to analyze family factors related to social withdrawal syndrome.

Methods: Socio-demographic, clinical, and family data, including family psychiatric history, dysfunctional family dynamics, and history of family abuse were analyzed in 190 cases of social withdrawal with a minimum duration of 6 months that started an at-home treatment program. Data were analyzed at baseline and at 12 months.

Results: In 36 cases (18%) neither the patient nor the family allowed at home evaluation and treatment by the …

Determinants Of Motivation For Mentoring Among Adults Volunteering To Mentor Youth, Miriam Miranda-Díaz, Hyuny Clark-Shim, Thomas E. Keller, Renee Spencer

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Most youth mentoring programs rely on volunteers to serve as mentors to youth. This study investigates factors associated with motivations for volunteering in this capacity, specifically altruistic and self-oriented reasons for becoming a mentor. Because adults who volunteer as mentors and youth mentees typically come from different socio-cultural backgrounds, the study examines demographic characteristics associated with these different motivations. In addition, the study addresses the empathy-altruism hypothesis suggesting that individuals with higher levels of empathy exhibit greater altruistic tendencies. For this analysis, the focus is on ethnocultural empathy and its association with volunteer motivations. The sample consisted of 1,000 volunteers …

The Combined Effects Of Parent And Teacher Involvement On The Development Of Adolescents' Academic Engagement, Nicolette Paige Rickert

Dissertations and Theses

The current dissertation includes two related studies designed to examine the combined effects of parent and teacher involvement on the development of adolescents' academic engagement as they transition to middle school. Previous studies have demonstrated the positive, individual effects of parent and teacher warm involvement on adolescents' engagement in school. However, this research is limited in its focus on only one social partner. Adolescent development is embedded within multiple, dynamic systems, necessitating the examination of both parent and teacher influences. The few studies that have examined parents and teachers together suggest that their combined effects are both cumulative (additive) and …

Systems Isomorphisms In Stochastic Dynamic Systems, Rajesh Venkatachalapathy

Dissertations and Theses

The identification of isomorphisms between disparate systems is an important focus of systems science. Such isomorphisms have not only conceptual and pedagogical value to systems science, but they also provide pragmatic value to specific disciplines by suggesting new ways to model familiar phenomena and by serving as reference models that show how even simple models can generate complex behavior. Specifically, this dissertation looks at certain classes of stochastic dynamic systems (SDS) and shows that similar equations can model phenomena in sociology and psychology. In both disciplines, what is modeled by these SDS isomorphisms is a certain type of reliability, defined …

Recruitment Marketing: How Do Wellness And Work-Life Benefits Influence Employer Image Perceptions, Organizational Attraction, And Job Pursuit Intentions?, Amy Christine Pytlovany

Dissertations and Theses

A global talent shortage is motivating employers to change the way they approach recruitment. To stay competitive, business leaders are strategizing new ways to attract employees and market their organizations to prospective employees. This research examined the impact of work-life and wellness programs on employer image perceptions (instrumental, symbolic, and experiential) and recruitment outcomes (organizational attraction and job pursuit intentions). It integrated these literatures to inform evidence-based organizational decision-making.

Study materials were developed with pilot testing conducted using Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Pilot 1 (N = 40) assessed the value of 32 types of benefits across traditional (e.g., health …

Caring About Aftercare: Thesis Presentation Of Initial Findings, Sage B. Fuentes

University Honors Theses

While previous research has studied the impact of stigma and non-normative play within the BDSM and kink community, previous psychological research involving BDSM practitioners has not investigated the cultural practice of aftercare that tends to follow the highly sensationalized acts within the culture. The current study examines this cultural practice by giving a series of semi-structured interviews to assess the importance of aftercare and how it impacts negotiations and play. BDSM practitioners (n = 11) participated in audio recorded interviews regarding questions on identity, kink, aftercare, consent, and negotiation. 72.73% of individuals rated aftercare as mostly to largely important in …

Plea Decision-Making: The Influence Of Attorney Expertise, Trustworthiness, And Recommendation, Kelsey S. Henderson, Reveka Shteynberg

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Attorney recommendations influence defendant plea decisions; and the degree of influence likely rests on the perceived trustworthiness and level of expertise of the attorney (factors of source credibility). We explored attorney source credibility factors and how these characteristics influence defendants’ plea decision-making. MTurk participants read a hypothetical plea scenario and were asked to imagine themselves as the defendant in a DWI/DUI case making a plea decision; in the scenario, we manipulated the defense attorney’s level of trustworthiness, expertise, and plea recommendation. There was a significant interaction between attorney recommendation and trustworthiness on defendants’ plea decisions; participants who were advised to …

Mixed Signals: The Unintended Effects Of Diversity Initiatives, Tessa L. Dover, Cheryl R. Kaiser, Brenda Major

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Organizational diversity initiatives—programs and policies intended to increase the fairness of organizations and promote the inclusion, hiring, retention, and promotion of underrepresented groups—are ubiquitous. Despite the widespread implementation of diversity initiatives, several empirical investigations point to challenges associated with these initiatives. We suggest that one of the challenges hindering the effectiveness of diversity management involves the unintended signals that these initiatives send. Specifically, we review social psychological evidence that the mere presence of diversity initiatives can have unintended consequences through the communication of (1) fairness signals, (2) inclusion signals, and (3) competence signals. The presence of organizational diversity initiatives may …

What Do Consistency And Personableness In The Interview Signal To Applicants? Investigating Indirect Effects On Organizational Attractiveness Through Symbolic Organizational Attributes, Annika Wilhelmy, Martin Kleinmann, Klaus G. Melchers, Filip Lievens

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Personnel selection research has recognized the importance of providing applicants with both standardized (i.e., “consistent”) and individualized (i.e., “personable”) treatment during interviews. However, research has yet to examine the mechanisms underlying the effects of perceived consistency and personableness in the interview on applicants’ attraction to organizations. Drawing from signaling theory, we investigate how interview consistency and personableness impact organizational attractiveness. To this end, we developed a conceptual model that proposes that applicants interpret perceived interview consistency and personableness as signals about what the organization is like in terms of symbolic organizational attributes (organizational competence and benevolence, Lievens and Highhouse 2003), …

Urbanicity As A Moderator Of The Relationship Between Stigma And Well-Being Outcomes For Individuals With Serious Mental Illnesses, Emily Leickly

Dissertations and Theses

During the deinstitutionalization movement in the 1960s, community mental health centers and supportive and affordable housing for people with serious mental illnesses (SMI) was concentrated in economically disadvantaged urban centers. Today, these urban centers are becoming increasingly gentrified and unaffordable for people with SMI. Affordability is no longer synonymous with urban living, and supportive housing for people with SMI is increasingly found in non-urban areas. Given this shift, it is important to understand the potential impacts of non-urban living on people with SMI. Non-urban environments provide potential benefits for the general population, including reduced traffic and increased proximity to the …

Believe Our Stories & Listen: Portland Street Response Survey Report, Greg Townley, Kaia Sand, Thea Kindschuh

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Many advocates, local officials, and people experiencing homelessness agree that Portland needs a better way to respond to low-priority calls for service involving those experiencing homelessness and behavioral health crises. This report examines efforts to address homelessness in Portland through the development of a plan to dispatch the Portland Street Response unit rather than police.

A team of community partners spread out across the city July 16 and 18 to interview people experiencing homelessness to help inform the design of the Portland Street Response pilot project (PSR). An additional team went out on Sept. 6.

Members of Street Roots, Sisters …

Self-Regulatory Consequences Of Observing Others Making Goal Progress: A Longitudinal Field Study In Weight Loss Groups, James P. Reynolds, Thomas L. Webb, Kathleen C. Mcculloch, Grainne M. Fitzsimons

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

OBJECTIVE: What happens when people see others making progress toward a goal that they also hold? Is it motivating or could it undermine goal pursuit because people feel that they have made progress themselves (i.e., they experience vicarious goal satiation)?

METHODS: We investigated these questions in a longitudinal field context - a group weight loss programme. N = 132 participants who were overweight or obese and attended weekly weight loss classes completed questionnaires over 11 weeks to investigate the consequences of observing other people making progress toward their goal of losing weight

RESULTS: Observing others making good progress was associated …