Psychology Commons^™

Navigating Online Dating: Exploring The Intersection Of Attachment Styles, Parental Attachments, And Sociosexuality In Online Dating Among College Students, Jensley Velez-Lozada

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The aim of this thesis is to explore the connection between attachment styles, parental attachment, and sociosexuality as predictors of online dating attitudes among college students. As society navigates this new digital era of online dating, how does it continue to transform young adults as they form romantic and sexual connections? It becomes increasingly important to understand the psychological mechanisms that influence these behaviors. This study examined how anxious and avoidant attachment styles, parental attachment, and sociosexuality may have contributed to online hookup attempts and outcomes behaviors. It also examined how these variables interacted and influenced both the likelihood of …

Stem Vs. Non-Stem Students’ Stimulant Misuse For Academic Advantages, Camille H. Allie

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study aimed to explore the relationship between academic discipline, caffeine consumption, reported perception of stimulant misuse behaviors, and reported academic stress at the University of Central Florida. Participants were categorized as either STEM or non-STEM majors and reported whether they had misused stimulants in the past 12 months and their daily average caffeine consumption. Due to the low number of participants who reported stimulant misuse, caffeine consumption was incorporated, grouping participants as either “above median” caffeine consumption or “below median” caffeine consumption. Two 2 (Caffeine Consumption: High vs. Low) x 2 (Major: STEM vs. Non-STEM) between-subjects ANOVAs were conducted …

My Body, Your Choice: Exploring Reproductive Abuse Among Undergraduate Women In A Post-Roe America, Riley H. Alvero

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision in June 2022 overruled Roe v. Wade (1973) and held that abortion access is not a constitutionally protected right. The overturn of Roe v. Wade has had notable impacts on women’s overall sexual behavior and reproductive choices, and it highlights a macro-level infringement on women’s reproductive agency. Coercive condom use resistance violates reproductive autonomy on a micro-level, but can have equally harsh effects. Previous literature has studied these occurrences singularly; this research investigates connections between them. This study recruited 14 undergraduate women with a history of reproductive coercion, in the form of …

Examining Perception Of Psychedelic Substances And The Role Of Hallucinations Among College Students, Ryann F. Hilts

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Inquiry into psychedelics is undergoing a cultural and scientific revival, driven by their potential application as novel treatments for mood disorders, substance misuse, and end-of life-distress, but continued implementation in clinical and medical contexts necessitates extensive research. The present study utilizes self-reported data to examine psychedelics across three areas: student attitudes, patterns of use, and motives for use. It additionally explores the perceived importance of hallucinations in therapeutic contexts and focuses on psychological experiences of those with lifetime psychedelic use. The study aimed to deepen understanding of current literature surrounding psychedelics, specifically among university students. Participants were asked to complete …

Using Different Measures To Explore Confidence Bias In Video Games, Laura Valdes-Vega

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Researchers have been debating whether video games influence our cognitive and perceptual processing abilities. There are two notable gaps in the video game literature, which are (1) the lack of objective performance measures and (2) not addressing participants’ confidence ratings. This study addressed both by examining (1) the relationship between confidence and performance scores, (2) changes in confidence after gameplay, and (3) the relationship between self-reported play hours and AimLabs performance. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining AimLabs data with pre- and post-game confidence ratings. Participants were grouped (high, medium, low) based on reported weekly play hours and three perceptual …

Active Musical Engagement Versus Passive Music Listening: Effects On Emotional Modulation, Claudia Allocca

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study explored how different forms of musical engagement, actively playing versus

passively listening, impact emotional regulation following exposure to a stressor. The goal was

to better understand whether active participation in music offers greater emotional benefits

compared to simply listening, as previous research often highlights music’s role in emotional

modulation but overlooks the influence of performance-based engagement. A total of 28

participants either played music or listened to music and then completed both pre- and post-

stressor measures assessing mood, mental task load, and heart rate. Contrary to the original

hypothesis, findings revealed that participants from the listening group …

Examining The Social Influences Of Conspiratorial Belief And Endorsement, Phoebe S. Archibald

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether social factors such as the need to belong, fear of negative evaluation, and conformity predict belief in conspiracy theories, and whether political orientation and social media use moderate these relationships. Conspiracy theories play a growing role in shaping public opinion, and identifying the social contributors to such beliefs can help explain why individuals adopt them. Ninety-nine undergraduate students completed surveys measuring conspiracy belief, need to belong, conformity, and fear of negative evaluation, along with questions about political orientation and social media use.

Correlational analyses revealed that all three social variables …

Organization And Activation Of Caffeine Expectancies, Catherine S. Forsyth

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Caffeine is the most consumed and widely used psychoactive substance in the world. Whether someone uses caffeine or not, expectations about use can be influential to some degree. Expectancies exist everywhere and are extremely influential in all aspects of life. Regarding drug use, expectancies can affect behavior, outcomes, and one’s experience with the drug. Caffeine is no exception, caffeine expectancies have been seen to play a role in several actions such as the development, maintenance, and reinforcement of caffeine use. This study examined latent use profiles of caffeine and relationships between the profiles and the activation of caffeine expectancies. Multidimensional …

Assessing The Relationship Between Perceived Psychological And Physical Pain In Adults With Orthopedic Pain, Daniel C. Karimi Dehkordi

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Suicide remains a public health concern in the U.S., particularly among individuals experiencing chronic pain and psychological distress. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between perceived physical and psychological pain in 41 adults with chronic orthopedic conditions. The relationship between other risk and protective factors and perceived levels of pain distress was also examined. Results showed a significant positive correlation between psychological distress and physical pain (r(39) = 0.388, p < .05) and psychological distress and depressive/anxiety symptoms (r (39) = 0.477, p < .01). Psychological distress was moderately associated with feelings of hopelessness (r (39) = 0.403, p < .01), however, the relationship between physical pain and hopelessness was weak and nonsignificant (r (39) = -0.06, p = .71). Contrary to expectations, emotional support did not buffer the effects of psychological distress (r (39) = 0.07, p = 0.66). Mediational analysis confirmed that emotional support did not influence the relationship between physical pain and psychological distress (Beta (β) = -0.969, p = 0.572; Sobel Z = 0.5598, p = 0.575). Age was not correlated with psychological distress (r (39) = -0.24, p = 0.13) or mental health symptoms (r (39) = -0.05, p = .77). While there was no significant difference across sex, males reported higher mental health symptomatology and psychological distress scores than female counterparts. These findings underscore the direct impact of physical pain on psychological distress and challenge assumptions about the protective role of social support. The study highlights the need for integrated, multidisciplinary interventions targeting both physical and psychological pain to mitigate suicide risk among individuals with chronic orthopedic conditions. Future research should iii explore alternative support mechanisms and resilience-building strategies to address the complex interplay of pain, distress, and suicidality.

Anxiety And Adaptive Functioning In Young Adults: The Moderating Role Of Psychological Flexibility, Makenzie L. Kennedy, Jeffrey E. Cassisi

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Anxiety is highly prevalent among emerging adults and is associated with impairments in academic, social, and daily functioning. While previous research has documented strong associations between anxiety and adaptive functioning, the present study uniquely tested psychological flexibility as a potential moderator that may foster resilience and adaptive coping.

Undergraduate students (N = 522) from the University of Central Florida completed measures of anxiety (PROMIS-A, GAD-7, STAI-S), adaptive functioning (WHODAS 2.0), and psychological flexibility (COMPACT-23). Confirmatory factor analyses supported distinct but correlated latent constructs of anxiety and adaptive functioning. Due to poor subscale intercorrelations, the COMPACT-23 total score was modeled as …

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Cultural Stigma, And Identity Distress Among College Students, Jessica T. Frank

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), cultural stigma, and identity in a sample of college-age students. Previous studies have primarily focused on children, yet few have examined ADHD as it persists into adulthood. Likewise, studies examining cultural stigma and identity were limited and primarily examined stigma toward mental health as a general concept rather than ADHD-specific attitudes. To address these disparities, a sample of undergraduate college students enrolled in psychology courses at a large metropolitan university (N = 339) were recruited and took an anonymous online survey in exchange for course …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Working Memory, Lake Miller

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Extensive research has shown that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as sexual abuse, poverty, physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect, can negatively impact an individual’s development. The presence of ACEs has also been linked to an increase in one’s engagement in risky behavior, dropping out of school, unemployment before the age of 21, and a variety of health issues. Currently, there is a gap in literature regarding the performance of different working memory (WM) tasks and the presence of ACEs. This study focuses on filling this gap in literature by measuring participants’ Philadelphia ACE score, which is a 16-item questionnaire, …

A Story Of Oppression A Psychological And Creative Approach, Juan R. Morillo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The aim of this project is to survey the manner in which oppression is expressed in selected works of literature. It is a topic that not only am I familiar with through my studies of literature and psychology, but one that I, as well as every Venezuelan expatriate has witnessed and felt for their country. The project focuses on social and political oppression, using the current Venezuelan crisis as a focal point, and selected literary sources as a framework. I will analyze dystopian classics such as George Orwell's 1984 and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, as well as Margaret Atwood’s The …

What’S In A Name And/Or A Frame? Ontological Framing And Naming Of Social Actors And Social Responses, David Westerman, Michael Vosburg, Xinyue Liu, Patric R. Spence

Human-Machine Communication

Artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally a communication field. Thus, the study of how AI interacts with us is likely to be heavily driven by communication. The current study examined two things that may impact people’s perceptions of socialness of a social actor: one nonverbal (ontological frame) and one verbal (providing a name) with a 2 (human vs. robot) x 2 (named or not) experiment. Participants saw one of four videos of a study “host” crossing these conditions and responded to various perceptual measures about the socialness and task ability of that host. Overall, data were consistent with hypotheses that whether …

In Seal We Trust? Investigating The Effect Of Certifications On Perceived Trustworthiness Of Ai Systems, Magdalena Wischnewski, Nicole Krämer, Christian Janiesch, Emmanuel Müller, Theodor Schnitzler, Carina Newen

Human-Machine Communication

Trust certification through so-called trust seals is a common strategy to help users ascertain the trustworthiness of a system. In this study, we examined trust seals for AI systems from two perspectives: (1) In a pre-registered online study participants, we asked whether trust seals can increase user trust in AI systems, and (2) qualitatively, we investigated what participants expect from such AI seals of trust. Our results indicate mixed support for the use of AI seals. While trust seals generally did not affect the participants’ trust, their trust in the AI system increased if they trusted the seal-issuing institution. Moreover, …

The Impact Of Human-Ai Relationship Perception On Voice Shopping Intentions, Marisa Tschopp, Kai Sassenberg

Human-Machine Communication

In the emerging field of voice shopping with quasi-sales agents like Amazon's Alexa, we investigated the influence of perceived human-AI relationships (i.e., authority ranking, market pricing, peer bonding) on (voice-)shopping intentions. In our cross-sectional survey among experienced voice shoppers, we tested hypotheses specifically differentiating voice shopping for low- and high-involvement products. The results emphasized the importance of socio-emotional elements (i.e., peer bonding) for voice shopping for high-involvement products. While calculative decision-making (i.e., market pricing) was less relevant, the master-servant relationship perception (i.e., authority ranking) was important in low-involvement shopping. An exploratory analysis of users’ desired benefits of voice shopping reinforces …

Communication Style Adaptation In Human-Computer Interaction: An Empirical Study On The Effects Of A Voice Assistant’S Politeness And Machine-Likeness On People’S Communication Behavior During And After The Interacting, Aike C. Horstmann, Clara Strathmann, Lea Lambrich, Nicole Krämer

Human-Machine Communication

Humans adapt their communication style when interacting with one another. With interactive technologies such as voice assistants taking over the role of an interaction partner, the question arises whether and to what extent humans also adapt to their communication style. The adaptation could have a grounding function, ensuring efficient communication with the current interaction partner, or be based on priming which could endure and influence subsequent interactions. In a pre-registered experimental lab study, 133 participants interacted with a voice assistant whose communication style varied regarding politeness (polite vs. non-polite) and machine-likeness (machine-like vs. natural). Participants’ verbal behavior during and in …

Gender-Targeted Substance Use Interventions For Young Cisgender Women And Transgender Women – A Scoping Review, Stephanie A. Nairn, Jason Phillips, Thomas Jones, Debbie Schmill

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Polysubstance use among young people has recently become the focus of popular media, public health interventions, and research due to alarming increases in polysubstance use-related morbidity and mortality in younger age groups. Data in Canada and the U.S. indicates that morbidity and mortality due to polysubstance use among youth is increasing. Researchers have shown that adult-focused interventions for polysubstance use cannot simply be ‘mapped onto’ youth, as young people occupy lifeworlds distinct from those of older adults. Adult-focused interventions may be irrelevant and not efficacious for youth. Further, some researchers have argued there need to more gender-targeted interventions to attenuate …

A Stress Perspective Of Leader-Follower Relationship Ambivalence, Ghada Baz

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Ambivalence is the experience of both positive and negative evaluations regarding an object such as a person or an event. Although interest in leadership ambivalence has been growing among researchers, there is still little understanding of what distinguishes it from poor leadership. The goal of this dissertation was to contribute to the leadership ambivalence literature by examining ambivalence in the leader-member exchange (LMX) relationship through the lens of occupational stress. Specifically, I used the job demands-resources model as a theoretical foundation and presented leadership ambivalence as a unique job demand that is associated with emotional exhaustion as a symptom of …

The Role Of Medical Cannabis Use In Pain, Sleep, And Mental Health Outcomes Among Older Adults, Madison H. Maynard

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Older adults represent the fastest growing demographic of cannabis users, and they endorse cannabis use for a variety of reasons including modulation of chronic pain, mental health symptoms, and sleep concerns. Despite escalating patterns of use, current evidence leaves questions of efficacy unanswered among these groups of users. Goals of the present study were to examine the role of medicinal cannabis within subjects at the daily level on the interrelated symptoms of depression, anxiety, sleep, and pain. A final sample of 106 medical cannabis users were recruited nationwide, ranging from 55 to 74 years of age (66.67% female, 82.86% white). …

The Effects Of Sexual Assault On Identity And Interpersonal Relationships Among Male And Female Victims, Ishara Jean-Francois

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The current study aimed to examine the effect of sexual assault on identity and interpersonal relationships. Although previous studies have examined the connection between sexual assault and interpersonal relationships following assault, there is a lack of research that examines possible gender differences. Further, the effect of sexual assault on identity has been understudied. Male victims are less likely to report their assault for various reasons. Therefore, it is important to focus on this demographic so their stories and experience do not go untold, and they can get the proper help and resources. College students (N= 505) completed an anonymous online …

A Meta-Analysis Of Cannabis Research: Is There Evidence Of Lasting Neurocognitive Effects?, Mark J. Crisafulli

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Cannabis use in the United States has generally increased over the past decade as more States have legalized recreational use. In conjunction with changes to the chemical makeup, which has made available cannabis more potent, the long-term effects experienced by cannabis users may have changed, and more individuals may be effected. The current study replicated the methods used in Schreiner & Dunn (2012) and Grant et al. (2003) to conduct a meta-analysis examining the neurocognitive effects of cannabis after abstinence lasting a period of at least 25 days. Previous research has found mixed results, with some studies finding significant differences …

Examining Changes In Pain Sensitivity Following 8 Minutes Of Cycling At Varying Exercise Intensities, Brandi B. Antonio

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This study assessed the effect of an eight-minute cycling intervention using varying intensities on exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH). Generally, current research examines EIH using protocols that last for more than 10 minutes and reach 75% of an individual's VO2 peak. The main objective of this study was to examine the effect of varying intensities on pressure pain threshold (PPT) and heat pain threshold (HPT) at the thigh and forearm, tested pre- and post-cycling intervention.

Healthy male participants (n=16) performed a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer to establish their peak power output (PPO). In subsequent visits, participants completed five different …

Human Performance In Context: Exploring The Effect Of Social Support On Vigilance, Allison E. Garibaldi

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Over many decades, vigilance research has consistently found that performance on vigilance tasks decline over time (i.e., the vigilance decrement; Davies & Parasuraman, 1982), and that performing a vigilance task is both mentally demanding and stressful (Warm et al., 2008). Researchers have subsequently implemented a wide range of interventions to both understand and attempt to attenuate the vigilance decrement and its associated affective effects. Among these efforts, little attention has been devoted to understanding the effects of the social environment on vigilance. Nonetheless, a handful of studies have indeed suggested that the presence of others can affect performance, workload, and …

Madness As Epistemic Advantage: The Relevance Of Standpoint Epistemology To The Evolution Of Mental Health Care, Aven E. Kazmier

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to examine the potential epistemic advantage possessed by those with lived experience of mental illness. The frequent lack of conceptual alignment between the perspectives of individuals with lived experience and the biomedical model of mental illness has often resulted in epistemic injustice—lived experiential knowledge tends to be devalued and excluded from larger discussions about mental health. I propose that by occupying a marginalized social location and critically engaging with one’s social position, psychopathologized individuals may achieve a standpoint that allows a deeper comprehension of the systems of power that affect the mental health care …

Attitudes And Perceptions Of Mental Health In The Vietnamese Community: A Comprehensive Analysis, Mai Ly Nguyen-Luu

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis explores the complex and multifaceted landscape of attitudes and perceptions toward mental health within the Vietnamese community. Mental health issues remain a significant global concern, and understanding how these issues are perceived and addressed within specific cultural contexts is vital for effective mental health promotion and intervention. In the case of the Vietnamese community, the interplay of cultural values, stigmatization, and access to mental healthcare services makes this study particularly relevant.

The research investigates the cultural factors that shape attitudes and perceptions toward mental health in the Vietnamese community, including traditional beliefs, familial roles, and the influence of …

Rewriting Reality: The Sociological Context Of Gaslighting, Kristen L. Engasser Jr.

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In 2007, Robin Stern published The gaslight effect: How to spot and survive the hidden manipulation others use to control your life, highlighting gaslighting as a form of psychological abuse that makes victims question the validity of their perceptions. Since then, gaslighting has primarily been tackled from a psychological perspective. Some sociologists, however, theorize that gaslighting is not simply a psychological issue but a sociological one as well. They argue that gaslighting may take place unintentionally when a perpetrator acts on their biases towards members of other social groups, a concept known as epistemic gaslighting. As a form of …

Guns Can't Kill Ghosts, Krista B. Ruffo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis explores the grieving process of a child, 6-year-old Maple, in a fictional way. As Maple attempts to carry on with daily life, such as attending first grade, after the death of her father, she experiences supernatural visions that cause her to consider what life and, consequently, death is. She also contends with her mother’s unwillingness to tell Maple why her father is dead, since her mother believes that keeping Maple shielded from the full truth is the best course of action. Maple struggles with sleeping issues, reoccurring dreams of her father, depression, lack of interest in formerly exciting …

Are You Looking At Me? The Relationship Between Social Media And Personality Disorders, Madison G. Goran

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis investigates the relationship between social media and Cluster B Personality Disorders: Borderline Personality Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder, and Histrionic Personality Disorder. This research builds upon previous findings by examining specific negative social media motivations and behaviors, such as excessive use and negative motivations, in relation to Cluster B Personality Disorders. Participants completed the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD; Zanarini et al., 2005), The Short Dark Triad (Jones &Paulhus, 2014), Antisocial Process Screening Device (Frick & Hare, 2002), Self-Test Histrionic Personality Disorder (Olivardia, 2022), and Motivations for Social Media Use Scale (MSMU; Rodgers …

Sexual Assault Disclosure: The Role Of Survivor And Disclosure Recipient Race & Ethnicity, Nola J.A. Browne

Honors Undergraduate Theses

To date, most research on sexual assault disclosure has utilized samples composed predominately of White women (Fedina et al., 2018). As a result, there is a need for research that examines sexual assault disclosure within racially and ethnically diverse samples. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine whether survivors’ race/ethnicity is related to whether they disclose their sexual assault to others of the same and different races and ethnicities. The study recruited undergraduate college students from the UCF Psychology Department Sona System to complete an online survey that assessed history of sexual assault and disclosure of sexual assault …