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Master's Theses

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Full-Text Articles in Psychology

Personality And Perceived Police Legitimacy, Yuxuan Yang Dec 2025

Personality And Perceived Police Legitimacy, Yuxuan Yang

Master's Theses

Police legitimacy refers to one’s trust in the police to be fair and make just decisions in their interactions with the public. Individuals’ perceptions of police legitimacy play a crucial role in predicting how they interact with police. More positive perceptions are associated with cooperative behaviors; less favorable views are associated with resisting behaviors. Few studies have examined the relationship of broad personality traits with perceptions of police legitimacy. The current study examined the HEXACO model of personality and right-wing authoritarianism as predictors of perceived police legitimacy among college students (N = 268). While taking gender, race, and social …


Digital Neuropsychology And Social Anxiety: The Effect Of Observer Presence And Personality On Stress And Cognition, Ava M. Dixon Nov 2025

Digital Neuropsychology And Social Anxiety: The Effect Of Observer Presence And Personality On Stress And Cognition, Ava M. Dixon

Master's Theses

This study examined how observer presence and social anxiety influence stress and cognitive performance during neuropsychological assessments, focusing on the potential benefits of unsupervised digital testing environments. Eighty university students were randomly assigned to observed or unobserved digital neuropsychological conditions and completed assessments of social cognition and executive functioning and questionnaires of social anxiety and personality. Participants also completed measures of state anxiety and heart rate variability at baseline and after cognitive tests. The findings indicated that observation led to higher subjective anxiety, but it did not produce significant interactions with social anxiety on stress or cognitive performance. Post-hoc analyses …


“What Are We And What’S Coming Next?”: Queer People’S Experiences During Sociopolitical Unrest In The Us, Ariana Cristal Morales Nov 2025

“What Are We And What’S Coming Next?”: Queer People’S Experiences During Sociopolitical Unrest In The Us, Ariana Cristal Morales

Master's Theses

Queer (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or other gender and sexual identities) folx have become a major focal point during political elections. As political climates have projected forced attacks towards queer populations, society has followed suit. Investigation on the impacts of such changes towards queer folx is important to uncover, as sociopolitical climates have shifted within the last 10 years in the US. The present study utilizes a phenomenological framework to understand the lived experiences of queer participants living in the US from 2015-2025 during political and social shifts. Semi-structured interviews were utilized to explore 10 queer participant’s lived experience …


The Initial User Experience Of A Gamified Mental Health App, Angill Lynae Oliva Nov 2025

The Initial User Experience Of A Gamified Mental Health App, Angill Lynae Oliva

Master's Theses

Despite the availability of mobile mental health apps, high dropout rates due to low user engagement and attitudes about their effectiveness remain significant challenges. The present study examined the relationship between digital therapeutic alliance (i.e., the efficacy of therapeutic quality for digitalized mental health interventions) and college students’ engagement and perceptions of use with a gamified mental health app, SuperBetter. Digital therapeutic alliance was measured using the Working Alliance Inventory-Short Revised (WAI-SR), while engagement was assessed by the total number of completed activities in the SuperBetter app. Students’ intrinsic motivation was measured using the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI); and perceptions …


The Potential Co-Occurrence Of Perfectionism, Food Insecurity, And Gpa With Orthorexia Nervosa Risk, Samantha Kay Gould Nov 2025

The Potential Co-Occurrence Of Perfectionism, Food Insecurity, And Gpa With Orthorexia Nervosa Risk, Samantha Kay Gould

Master's Theses

There are indeterminate risk, prevalence, and correlation data on orthorexia nervosa (ON) as shown by current literature on disordered eating (Rodgers et al., 2021). As a roughly defined disordered eating pattern, ON may be better understood after identifying associations among other attributes in a college student sample (Abdullah et al., 2020; Mavrandrea & Gonidakis, 2023; Parra-Fernández, 2019; Rogowska et al., 2021). A cooccurrence and influence of perfectionism, food insecurity, and grade point average (GPA) with ON risk was hypothesized since current literature suggests college students exhibit each of these characteristics independently (Abdullah et al., 2020; Ambwani et al., 2019; Caferoglu …


Early Visual Predictors Of Progression To Alzheimer’S Disease And Dementia With Lewy Bodies, Abril Baez Nov 2025

Early Visual Predictors Of Progression To Alzheimer’S Disease And Dementia With Lewy Bodies, Abril Baez

Master's Theses

We examined whether specific visual cognitive skills predict progression from Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The Benson Complex Figure Task (BCFT) was used to measure visual perception and construction (copy), and visual memory (recall). National Alzheimer Coordination Center longitudinal dataset included participants who remained stable (MCI-stable; n =2630), progressed to AD (MCI-AD; n =798), or progressed to DLB (MCI-DLB; n =59). Baseline BCFT scores were entered into logistic regression models predicting diagnostic outcome. Impaired copy performance was significantly associated with MCI-DLB (B = 0.79, OR = 2.21, BCa CI [0.26, 1.36], …


Exploring The Moderating Effect Of Boundary Management Strategy In A Remote Work Environment, Brandon M. Vasquez Aug 2025

Exploring The Moderating Effect Of Boundary Management Strategy In A Remote Work Environment, Brandon M. Vasquez

Master's Theses

Remote work has evolved significantly, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and continues to influence employee experiences in both positive and negative ways. Managing the separation between work and personal life is of importance. More specifically, using a boundary management strategy of segmentation may be more effective than an integration strategy because those who separate the two domains of work and family/personal life may be less prone to conflict in their lives. The present study aimed to examine the moderating effect of boundary management strategy on the relationship between remote work and job satisfaction, work-life balance, and well-being. Specifically, it was …


Attention In The Age Of Tiktok: Examining The Cognitive Impact Of Short-Form Video Consumption, Samantha Shannon Sutrisno Aug 2025

Attention In The Age Of Tiktok: Examining The Cognitive Impact Of Short-Form Video Consumption, Samantha Shannon Sutrisno

Master's Theses

With the rapid growth of popularity among short-form video platforms such as TikTok, media consumption has shifted toward fast-paced and highly engaging formats. This trend raises questions about the potential effects of continuous exposure to brief and repetitive audiovisual stimuli on attention. Research on short-form video’s impact on attention is limited, but prior studies suggest it may influence attention in meaningful ways. This study examined the relationship between short-form video consumption and attention among TikTok users (N = 110) by using the Attention Network Task (ANT), which measures the alerting, orienting, and executive control networks of visual attention. Participants were …


A Closer Look At The Relationship Between Cultural Intelligence And Organizational Citizenship Behaviors, Lesli B. Quiroz Aug 2025

A Closer Look At The Relationship Between Cultural Intelligence And Organizational Citizenship Behaviors, Lesli B. Quiroz

Master's Theses

As organizations—particularly in the United States—become more multicultural due to globalization, they increasingly rely on individuals' ability to succeed in complex, cross?cultural environments. Cultural intelligence (CQ), or the ability to successfully adapt to unfamiliar cultural settings, has been previously related to expatriate cross-cultural adjustment, group effectiveness, and more recently, to organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB), which are voluntary extra-role workplace behaviors that lead to positive employee and organizational outcomes. This study mainly sought to theoretically expand the limited research on the relationship between CQ and OCB with some research questions. In a sample of 93 participants based in California, results found …


Correlations Of Intersectional Identity Cohesion And Growth In Queer And Transgender Black, Indigenous, And People Of Color, Zoha T. Qader Aug 2025

Correlations Of Intersectional Identity Cohesion And Growth In Queer And Transgender Black, Indigenous, And People Of Color, Zoha T. Qader

Master's Theses

Past research has found that identity cohesion (how integrated multiple identities are) is a protective factor that moderates the relationship between intersectional microaggressions and mental health outcomes. Individuals with higher identity conflict (multiple identities clashing) had anxiety and depression symptoms that could be predicted by the distress they experienced from intersectional microaggressions. For those with high identity cohesion, this was not the case. While compelling, the question remains, what are the factors that contribute to identity integration versus identity conflict? The present study will utilize existing data of 417 QTBIPOC individuals. Ratings of LGBTQ+ community belonging and engagement, and LGBTQ+ …


Exploring The Ant: How Well Do Three Attention Networks Predict Road Hazard Perception, Xander Philip Martinez Aug 2025

Exploring The Ant: How Well Do Three Attention Networks Predict Road Hazard Perception, Xander Philip Martinez

Master's Theses

Hazard perception is the ability of a driver to anticipate emerging dangers. Driving is a complex activity requiring attention to various stimuli to prevent accidents. Prior studies have shown that older, experienced drivers detect more cues and perceive hazards better than younger, inexperienced drivers. Attention is multifaceted, and three visual attention networks were focused on in the study: alerting (readiness), orienting (spatial focus), and executive control (distraction inhibition). A sample of 95 participants completed two tasks: The Attention Network Test was used to assess these three attention networks, and to measure road hazard awareness, participants viewed short dashcam videos (~233 …


The Impact Of Early Life Experiences On Math Confidence, Nhu X. Hin Aug 2025

The Impact Of Early Life Experiences On Math Confidence, Nhu X. Hin

Master's Theses

Students form beliefs about their academic abilities through a combination of emotional experiences and early learning environments. While prior research has documented how math anxiety can undermine performance and how early experiences with math-typed activities can foster positive attitudes, less is known about how these factors collectively influence students’ math confidence. The present study investigates how math anxiety, engagement in childhood math-typed activities, and perceived support for math-related learning contribute to college students’ confidence in their math abilities. Participants (N = 102) completed self-report measures assessing each of these constructs. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the three predictors collectively …


The Anti-Work Attitude Scale: Conceptualizing And Measuring The Resistance To The Institution Of Work, Alayna Del Rosario Aug 2025

The Anti-Work Attitude Scale: Conceptualizing And Measuring The Resistance To The Institution Of Work, Alayna Del Rosario

Master's Theses

Recent shifts in labor discourse have drawn attention to rising burnout, declining organizational commitment, and diminishing job satisfaction, which challenge traditional assumptions about the centrality and desirability of work. These tensions have given rise to the concept of anti-work, a growing discourse that questions the moral, economic, and psychological foundations of work itself. Despite its cultural relevance, anti-work remains largely undertheorized and unmeasured in empirical research. Drawing from interdisciplinary scholarship, this study defined anti-work as a negative critique of work as a social construct, questioning its value, purpose, and impact on individuals and society. Anti-work was operationalized through two higher-order …


The Relationship Between Hindrance Demands And Work Engagement: The Moderating Role Of Resilience, Adoré Davis Aug 2025

The Relationship Between Hindrance Demands And Work Engagement: The Moderating Role Of Resilience, Adoré Davis

Master's Theses

The coronavirus pandemic decreased work engagement globally due to increased hindrance demands. Many organizations were motivated to increase work engagement, which is positively correlated with beneficial organizational outcomes. The intention of this study is to examine if personal resources like resilience moderate the relationship between hindrance demands and work engagement. Hindrance demands are refined from job demands and hindrance stressors, which are stressors that impede progress in employees. Resilience is a personal resource correlated with pro-social behavior, internal locus of control, and higher levels of empathy. Resilience as a personal resource has mainly been studied as a predictor of work …


Working Memory In Major Depressive Disorder: A Meta-Analysis Of Structural And Functional Brain Differences, Eunji Back Aug 2025

Working Memory In Major Depressive Disorder: A Meta-Analysis Of Structural And Functional Brain Differences, Eunji Back

Master's Theses

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders in the US and is characterized by depressed mood and loss of interest. Many MDD patients also experience difficulties with executive function, including working memory. Neuroimaging studies reveal structural and functional brain differences between MDD patients and healthy controls that may underlie these working memory difficulties, but findings have been mixed. A quantitative synthesis of neuroimaging data through a meta-analytic approach offers a promising avenue to identify commonalities across studies. We conducted separate meta?analyses of structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, with the latter focused …


Demographic Characteristics And Selected Personality Traits Of Women In Competitive Bodybuilding, Chloe A. Zeeuw Aug 2025

Demographic Characteristics And Selected Personality Traits Of Women In Competitive Bodybuilding, Chloe A. Zeeuw

Master's Theses

This study investigated demographic characteristics and measures of personality (dimensions of performance perfectionism and five-factor model characteristics) in women in competitive bodybuilding between 18-25 years old. A total of 24 women completed an online survey which included a demographic questionnaire, the Five Factor Model Rating Form (FFMRF), and the Performance Perfectionism Scale for Sport (PPSS) inventories. Descriptive results for the FFMRF were Openness (18.17±3.12), Conscientiousness (25.58±3.33), Extraversion (19.96±3.46), Agreeableness (19.88±4.58), and Neuroticism (15.67±4.94), and for the PPS-S were Self-oriented performance perfectionism (20.96±3.53), Socially prescribed performance perfectionism (13.96±4.26), and Other-oriented performance perfectionism (10.54±4.23). Pearson’s correlation coefficients and Shapiro-Wilk tests revealed that …


Social Sprouts: A Play-Based Packaged Intervention - Improving Peer Interactions In Early Childhood Classrooms With A Novel Group Contingency, Brittany D. Garza Aug 2025

Social Sprouts: A Play-Based Packaged Intervention - Improving Peer Interactions In Early Childhood Classrooms With A Novel Group Contingency, Brittany D. Garza

Master's Theses

Teaching prosocial skills such as positive peer interactions in early childhood settings not only promotes behavioral health but reliably predicts future learning outcomes. The literature suggests that decreasing levels of challenging behavior may improve peer interactions, and a feasible class-wide strategy that can address this combination of needs effectively is a group contingency. The current study investigated the effect of a novel group contingency, Social Sprouts, on both positive peer interactions and disruptive behavior. This study utilized a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design in three Head Start classrooms to evaluate the effect of this packaged intervention delivered just before and during …


Connecting For Success: Evaluating The Frequency Of Check & Connect Meetings On Student Behavior, Kaylee S. Mckinney Aug 2025

Connecting For Success: Evaluating The Frequency Of Check & Connect Meetings On Student Behavior, Kaylee S. Mckinney

Master's Theses

Dropout prevention efforts commonly address risk factors including chronic absenteeism, which continues to be a nationwide concern. Check & Connect is a student engagement intervention that aims to improve graduation rates and mitigate several risk factors of dropout. Previous research has failed to address if the frequency of Check & Connect meetings results in varied effectiveness of the intervention. The current study aims to evaluate the effects of modified frequency of Check & Connect meetings on academic engagement, term grade average, absences, and office discipline referrals through the use of a multiple baseline across participants design. Results revealed that students …


Reflecting On Racial Microaggressions: The Impact On Food Consumption In Minority Women, Khadiza Akter Aug 2025

Reflecting On Racial Microaggressions: The Impact On Food Consumption In Minority Women, Khadiza Akter

Master's Theses

U.S. laws, policies, and practices have been implemented to reduce forms of overt racism and discrimination. These structural barriers have been effective (e.g., Dovido & Gaertner, 2000; McConahay, 1986; Sue & Sue, 2007). Covert forms of racism, however, including racial microaggressions, are more difficult to address using structural changes and, therefore, continue to thrive (Omi & Winant 1994; Sue et al., 2007). Racist attitudes and discriminatory behaviors are sources of anxiety and stress (Kogan et al., 2014; Pascoe & Richman, 2009) with long-term anxiety and stress leading to elevated risks for mental and …


Do Finances Determine Our Fate?: Understanding The Relationships Between Socioeconomic Status, Inflammation, And Cancer Recurrence Risk, Faith Wilbourne Aug 2025

Do Finances Determine Our Fate?: Understanding The Relationships Between Socioeconomic Status, Inflammation, And Cancer Recurrence Risk, Faith Wilbourne

Master's Theses

Individuals of a low socioeconomic status (SES) are more likely to experience a cancer recurrence relative to individuals with a higher SES. This may be partially explained by the stressors of living with a low SES. These stressors can increase inflammatory markers known to elevate the risk of cancer development. Health-promoting behaviors such as exercise, adequate sleep, and a healthy diet can reduce systemic inflammation. Health behaviors may therefore moderate any potential relationship between SES and cancer recurrence risk. This study explored associations between SES (income, educational attainment) and inflammatory markers related to cancer recurrence while seeking to determine if …


Understanding User Behaviors: Impact Of A 28-Day Intervention On Screen Time And Problematic Internet Use, Cade T. Campigli Jul 2025

Understanding User Behaviors: Impact Of A 28-Day Intervention On Screen Time And Problematic Internet Use, Cade T. Campigli

Master's Theses

This thesis examines a 28-day self-monitoring intervention to reduce problematic internet use among undergraduate Instagram users. A quasi-experimental factorial mixed design with a repeated measures component was used, with participants split into an experimental group (daily Instagram screen time logging) and a control group (reporting Instagram interactions). Problematic Internet use was measured using the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2 (GPIUS2). Results showed no reduction in problematic internet use in the experimental group compared to the control, nor a correlation between screen time changes and problematic internet use. However, the experimental group showed a modest decrease in mean screen time …


Replicating Vignoles Et Al. Results On Multidimensional Self-Construal: Comparing The United States, East Asia, Southeast Asia, And Latin America, Jon Lorenz A. Lim Jul 2025

Replicating Vignoles Et Al. Results On Multidimensional Self-Construal: Comparing The United States, East Asia, Southeast Asia, And Latin America, Jon Lorenz A. Lim

Master's Theses

Contemporary research on self-construal indicates that people define and perceive themselves either as independent or interdependent. Self-construal scales have become the most common method to quantitatively measure both types of self-construal across the United States, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Multidimensional measures of the self tend to be more accurate in defining the self than earlier dichotomous scales. In general, European Americans and Latin Americans perceived themselves as independent and East and Southeast Asians as interdependent. In the current study, undergraduate European American, East Asian American, Southeast Asian American, and Latin American students from San Jose State University …


The Relationship Between The Dark Triad And Perceived Career Mobility: The Moderating Role Of Perceived Organizational Support, Julia W. R. Leong Jul 2025

The Relationship Between The Dark Triad And Perceived Career Mobility: The Moderating Role Of Perceived Organizational Support, Julia W. R. Leong

Master's Theses

Prior research on career mobility has found that personality is not a strong predictor of career mobility. However, these studies have mainly focused on the Big Five personality traits and have not looked into other personality traits as predictors. The present study has looked into alternate personality traits and their relationship with perceived internal and external career mobility. These traits were the Dark Triad traits, consisting of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. The present study hypothesized that each of the Dark Triad traits would positively predict both perceived internal and external career mobility and that perceived organizational support (POS) would moderate …


The Relationship Between Psychological Contract Breach And Work Motivation And Attitude Among Tech Employees: The Moderating Role Of Conscientiousness, Rama E. Khoury Jul 2025

The Relationship Between Psychological Contract Breach And Work Motivation And Attitude Among Tech Employees: The Moderating Role Of Conscientiousness, Rama E. Khoury

Master's Theses

There has been some research on moderating factors of the relationship between psychological contract breach (PCB) and work engagement and affective commitment. However, most studies conducted have mainly focused on situational factors (e.g., job satisfaction, exchange imbalance), not on individual factors (e.g., personality traits). This research gap leaves a question in the role that personality traits play in influencing the negative consequences of PCB. The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating role of conscientiousness on the relationship between PCB and two outcomes, work engagement and affective commitment. Hypotheses were tested using 103 technology industry employees in the …


The Impact Of Child And Parent Trauma Exposure On A School-Based Trauma-Focused Child Intervention, Andrea Donis Jun 2025

The Impact Of Child And Parent Trauma Exposure On A School-Based Trauma-Focused Child Intervention, Andrea Donis

Master's Theses

National statistics demonstrate that vast majority of Latine youth living in low-income neighborhoods in the United States experience on-going trauma exposure throughout their life. However, most trauma-focused therapies were designed without considering the impact that experiencing new trauma exposure during treatment may have on treatment effectiveness, limiting our understanding of the potential attenuation caused by new traumatic experiences. In addition, most youth research has focused on the impact of child trauma exposure, with little attention given to the impact of parental trauma exposure on child treatment outcomes despite the salient role that parents play in child development. In particular, little …


The Gay Dating Experience: Partner Selection And Self-Compassion In Short And Long-Term Dating Application Behaviors, Vinchenzo Vassalotti Jun 2025

The Gay Dating Experience: Partner Selection And Self-Compassion In Short And Long-Term Dating Application Behaviors, Vinchenzo Vassalotti

Master's Theses

This study examined the potential of a self-compassion mindstate intervention on queer men’s virtual partner selection behaviors to encourage resilience in offset to previous unfavorable experiences. This study also explored how partner-seeking contexts (short-term, “hook-up”, and long-term, romantic) influence judgement. Participants were randomly assigned to a self-compassionate mindstate induction or a control group. Afterward, using a within-subjects, repeated measures approach, participants evaluated faux profiles within both partner-seeking contexts on a series of measures (“Attractiveness” ratings, “Confidence of Pursuit” ratings, and “Yes” swipes). The initial hypotheses were unsupported. When including identity-relevant covariates in the model, I found main effects of education …


Family Matters: Experiences Of Family Stigma, Addiction Recovery & The Role Of Self-Compassion, Kennedy Hoying Jun 2025

Family Matters: Experiences Of Family Stigma, Addiction Recovery & The Role Of Self-Compassion, Kennedy Hoying

Master's Theses

Addiction and substance use is currently one of the most stigmatized disorders in society, creating a barrier to treatment and recovery. This study explored the role of family stigma, the stigmatization processes of family members of otherwise stigmatized individuals, within families of substance users to examine how stigma might affect family support behaviors. Two hundred and twenty-two U.S. adults who have a substance using family member completed an online survey regarding their experiences of family stigma, attributions of responsibility for addiction, self-compassion, and any supportive recovery behaviors they engage in to help their family member’s addiction. Results of correlation analysis …


Early Social Experience And Biased Attention To Threat-Related Emotion In Infancy, Cidnee Hall Jun 2025

Early Social Experience And Biased Attention To Threat-Related Emotion In Infancy, Cidnee Hall

Master's Theses

By 7 months of age, infants typically develop a bias toward threatening facial expressions, such as fear and anger (Leppänen & Nelson, 2009; Leppänen et al., 2018; Peltola et al., 2009; 2013). However, individual differences in threat-related attention biases in adulthood are related to socioemotional functioning across a broad range of outcomes, including racial biases and psychological well-being. Links between attention and socioemotional development may begin in infancy, with prior evidence demonstrating that both maternal well-being and race may bias visual processing of emotional expressions (Morales et al., 2017; Vogel et al., 2017; Quinn et al., 2018; 2020). Thus, the …


Determinants Of Integration: Migration Difficulty, Mental Health, And Social Connections Among Eritrean Immigrants, Shewit Woldemichael May 2025

Determinants Of Integration: Migration Difficulty, Mental Health, And Social Connections Among Eritrean Immigrants, Shewit Woldemichael

Master's Theses

This thesis explores how the experience of migration hardship affects integration outcomes of Eritrean migrants in the U.S. and the Netherlands. Using original survey data and the Immigration Policy Lab’s Integration Index (IPL-24), this paper investigated the intersection of economic, psychological, and social interactions that facilitate integration outcomes. This research finds that migration hardship doesn’t just make people’s lives more difficult; it breaks down the social ties and mental well-being that are essential for economic success measured by integration.


The Relationships Among Orthorexia Nervosa, Perfectionist Tendencies And Academic Achievement In Nutrition And Dietetics Students, Sophia Grace Owens May 2025

The Relationships Among Orthorexia Nervosa, Perfectionist Tendencies And Academic Achievement In Nutrition And Dietetics Students, Sophia Grace Owens

Master's Theses

Eating disorders can cause a disturbance in how the health of food is viewed (Cerniglia et al., 2017). If a person has disturbances in their eating behaviors that can cause harm to their health, but the behaviors do not fit into the criteria of a specific eating disorder, they fall into the category of a disordered eating pattern (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2018). Because of the stress the college environment can cause students, some college students may cling to anything they can control, which may be reflected in their dietary habits. Orthorexia Nervosa (ON), a disordered eating pattern, is …