Psychology Commons^™

Does Moral Identity Effectively Predict Moral Behavior? A Meta-Analysis, Tobias Krettenauer, Steven G. Hertz

Psychology Faculty Publications

This meta-analysis examined the relationship between moral identity and moral behavior. It was based on 111 studies from a broad range of academic fields including business, developmental psychology and education, marketing, sociology, and sport sciences. Moral identity was found to be significantly associated with moral behavior (random effects model, r = .22, p < .01, 95% CI [.19, .25]). Effect sizes did not differ for behavioral outcomes (prosocial behavior, avoidance of antisocial behavior, ethical behavior). Studies that were entirely based on self-reports yielded larger effect sizes. In contrast, the smallest effect was found for studies that were based on implicit measures or used priming techniques to elicit moral identity. Moreover, a marginally significant effect of culture indicated that studies conducted in collectivistic cultures yielded lower effect sizes than studies from individualistic cultures. Overall, the meta-analysis provides support for the notion that moral identity strengthens individuals' readiness to engage in prosocial and ethical behavior as well as to abstain from antisocial behavior. However, moral identity fares no better as a predictor of moral action than other psychological constructs.

Burnout’S Prevalence Estimations: A House Of Cards?, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

Elmariah et al. (2016) found that 65% of the internal medicine residents who were assessed suffered from burnout. We have 3 concerns about the conclusion. First, the authors used a cutoff score on a burnout measure that is problematic because (a) it is devoid of theoretical or clinical grounding and (b) burnout items were formatted in an unorthodox manner, and (c) including residents who responded "neutral" to a symptom item among those identified as burned out. Second, the authors identified as burned out residents who worked on the night float rotation although the data suggest otherwise. Third information on symptom …

On The Dead End Of Current Research On Burnout's Prevalence, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

Dimou et al. (2016) concluded that >50% of surgeons experience burnout. For three reasons, we think that such conclusions are unwarranted. First, there are no consensual or binding diagnostic criteria for burnout. Second, recent research (e.g., Bianchi, Schonfeld, & Laurent, 2015) suggests that burnout is actually a depressive syndrome. Finally, we note that researchers’ recommendations about stress-reducing organizational changes often remain incantatory because they insufficiently consider the economic issues and macrosocial power relationships that can hamper the recommendations’ implementation. Current practices in burnout research have led to an accumulation of results, the clinical meaning of which is obscure.

Burnout-Depression Overlap: A Study Of New Zealand Schoolteachers, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Mayor, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

We examined the overlap of burnout with depression in a sample of 184 New Zealand schoolteachers. Burnout and depressive symptoms were strongly correlated with each other (r = .73; disattenuated correlation: .82) and moderately correlated with dysfunctional attitudes, ruminative responses, and pessimistic attributions. All the participants with high frequencies of burnout symptoms were identified as clinically depressed. Suicidal ideation was reported by 36% of those participants. Three groups of teachers emerged from a two-step cluster analysis: “low burnout-depression,” “medium burnout-depression,” and “high burnout-depression.” The correlation between the affective-cognitive and somatic symptoms of depression was similar in strength to the burnout-depression …

The Role Of Individual Character Strengths In Adolescent Academic Achievement And Risky School Behavior, Paul Deschamps

Wayne State University Dissertations

Adolescent achievement is a major developmental task in adolescence and reducing Risky School Behaviors is an important part of the process. Patterns of adolescent achievement and general development are the result of the cumulative process that includes a long history of experience and socialization in school, in the family, in the peer group, and in the community. This study is the first to expand understanding of these key interrelated but unique outcome variables of both Academic Achievement and risky School Behavior through examination of individual Character Strengths in the presence of other key intrapersonal and contextual variables from multiple systems …

An Analysis Of Virtual Place Learning/Navigation In Children And Young Adults Prenatally Exposed To Alcohol, Neil Christopher Dodge

Wayne State University Dissertations

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder refers to the spectrum of disorders resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure and is the leading cause of preventable mental retardation. Rodent studies have found that prenatal alcohol exposure impairs performance on the Morris water maze. This task requires the rodent to use distal room cues to locate a hidden platform in a pool of opaque water. Successful performance on this task is dependent upon hippocampal function. Rodents prenatally exposed to alcohol are impaired on the Morris water maze and show damage to hippocampal neurons. A human analogue of the Morris water maze, the virtual water maze …

Forgiveness, Health, And Psychological Adjustment In Older Adults, Emily Elizabeth Standish

Wayne State University Dissertations

The overarching goal of this dissertation was to examine the relationships between forgiveness and physical and emotional outcomes in older adults. Data for the analyses was from the Religion, Aging, and Health Survey, a nation wide probability survey of older adults. Data were collected at two time points separated by three years, wave 1(W1) in 2001 and wave 2 (W2) in 2003. The main outcome measures used in the analyses included four forgiveness scales (conditional forgiveness, unforgiveness, conditional forgiveness by God, and unforgiveness by self/others), five mental health measures (self-esteem, life-satisfaction, optimism, depression, feelings of control, rumination), a self-rated physical …

A Study Of Stability: Maternal Reflective Functioning From Pregnancy To Seven Months Postpartum, Kristyn Mei-Lee Wong

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study examined the stability of parental reflective functioning from the third trimester of pregnancy to seven months postpartum, as well as possible factors that impact stability. The current sample included a subsample of 47 mothers who participated in a larger study examining fetal brain connectivity and infant outcomes. Parental reflective functioning was assessed using the Pregnancy Interview-Revised (Slade, Grunebaum, Huganir, & Reeves, 1987; Slade, 2011) and the Parent Development Interview-Revised Short form (Slade et al., 2003). Additional measures assessed parity, adult romantic attachment, and demographic factors. Stability of reflective functioning was assessed in two ways, continuously and categorically. Findings …

Video Game Addiction And Motivation In Emerging Adults: A Person-Centered Approach, Amy Beth Kohl

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study investigated risk for problem video game play (PVGP) and motivation for play in emerging adult college students. A sample of 700 undergraduate students were recruited to participate in an online survey. A person-centered approach was utilized to examine risk for PVGP, and found three clusters of individuals representing a High Functioning/High Gaming group, A Low Functioning/Moderate Gaming group, and a High Functioning/Low Gaming group. For motivation it was found that participants who derived satisfaction of higher order needs from video game play had an increased likelihood of PVGP. In addition, individuals who had lower satisfaction with physiological needs, …

The Effects Of A Life-Stress Interview For Women With Chronic Urogenital Pain: A Randomized Trial, Jennifer Carty

Wayne State University Dissertations

Chronic urogenital pain, pressure, and dysfunction are common, affecting nearly one in seven women in the U.S., who are commonly diagnosed with pelvic floor dysfunction, painful bladder syndrome, or interstitial cystitis. Women with these symptoms tend to have co-morbid anxiety and depression, relatively high rates of lifetime trauma and abuse, and conflicts or stress from key relationships. There is theory and evidence indicating that unresolved abuse or emotional conflicts can trigger or exacerbate urogenital pain and other symptoms (Abbass, 2009), but assessment of the presence and role of psychological stress is rarely done in women’s health care settings. When mental …

The Impact Of Age On Workplace Motivation: A Person-Centered Perspective, Keith Lynn Zabel

Wayne State University Dissertations

The present study used the person-centered approach to examine how profiles based upon six different age conceptualizations differentially impact workplace motivation. In the first known study to examine all conceptualizations of age simultaneously, results suggested the age conceptualizations of subjective age and health significantly impact growth motives for older workers, but not social or security motives. Results suggest social motives are influenced more by chronological age as opposed to other conceptualizations of age. Implications for practitioners in designing and implementing HR activities (e.g., succession planning) and researchers in utilizing all the conceptualizations of age and studying workplace interventions are discussed.

Urban African American Youths' Academic Performance As Related To Fathers' Involvement During Development, Travis A. Goldwire

Wayne State University Dissertations

Father involvement in the context of urban African American youth was examined using a subsample (n = 556) of a large cohort of participants followed longitudinally through development. Data was collected at regular intervals (e.g., Age 7, 14, 19 and young adult). Young adults (n = 93) were surveyed for retrospective accounts of their fathers’ involvement in their lives before age 18. In the young adult data collection phase (the main subject of this project), most participants reported varying levels and frequency of involvement from their fathers while growing up, including helping at school, providing social support, and encouraging academic …

Teen Perceptions Of Cell Phone And Internet Sexual Messaging: Trends And Predictors, David Gregg

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to propose and test a predictive model for high school sexting in order to better understand influences and characteristics that contribute most to one’s decision to sext. Sexting was defined as either sending or receiving photos, videos, or text messages that contained full nudity, partial nudity, sexual requests, or comments of a sexual nature. Rates and typical recipients of sexual content were also examined in this study. A sample of 314 high school students in an urban area of Southeast Michigan were surveyed. Males were found to more frequently report engaging in nearly …

Examining Level Of Differentation And Conflict Resolution Styles Used In Romantic Relationships And Implications For Romantic Relationship Satisfaction, Amanda Kerbawy

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study examined the effect of level of differentiation on the conflict resolution styles utilized in romantic relationships, and implications for romantic relationship satisfaction. This study’s sample was composed of 189 participants, with 100 females and 89 males. The average participant age was 30.29. The setting for this study was a large Midwestern urban University. Findings suggested that there is an effect of level of differentiation on the conflict resolution styles used in romantic relationships, with a high level of differentiation being associated with the utilization of the integrating style. Implications for therapy are outlined.

Emotion Perception Correlates In Moderate And Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Rachel Keelan

Wayne State University Dissertations

Introduction: Studies have demonstrated that individuals with TBI experience impairments in emotion perception accuracy in facial and auditory modalities but does not yet understand patterns of emotion perception and their relation to neurocognitive performance. The current study assessed why emotion perception deficits occur via psychological and cognitive relationships as well as patterns of emotion misattributions.

Methods: 50 adults with a bona-fide moderate or severe traumatic brain injury and 39 healthy comparison adults were included in the study. Eligible participants completed a battery of paper-and-pencil and computerized neuropsychological measures, including three tasks of emotion perception, and psychological questionnaires.

Results: The TBI …

Diabetes Interaction Study: Communicating Understanding And Social Support, Dana K. May

Wayne State University Dissertations

The current study evaluated a brief individualized feedback intervention developed to improve communication style of parents with an adolescent with type 1 diabetes. Seventy-nine parent-adolescent dyads (13-18 years) were randomized to receive a single session of brief feedback to target parental person-centered communication skills (n = 39) or to receive an educational comparison group (n = 40). Families were asked to discuss a diabetes related problem. A clinician concurrently rated the parent’s communication skills to identify communication strengths and weaknesses. Parents in the feedback group received feedback on their use of person-centered communication during the conversation using motivational interviewing techniques. …

Motor Skills Among Preschool-Aged Children Born Prematurely, Brittany Nicole Peters

Wayne State University Dissertations

It has been documented that children who are born prematurely are at risk of experiencing motor skills deficits early in life; however, little is known about the relationships between early perinatal risk factors and later motor abilities. The current investigation attempted to gain better understanding regarding the influence of gestational age and sex on early motor development among a cohort of preschool-aged children born prior to 34 weeks gestation (N = 104). Additionally, relationships between motor performance and other abilities, namely cognitive and language, were examined. As hypothesized, degree of gestational immaturity was significantly associated with poorer performance on specific …

Adolescent Hopelessness: School Connectedness, Community Involvement, And Adult Supervision As Protective Factors In The Context Of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Caitlin Marie Mclear

Wayne State University Dissertations

Research has found that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, absent parent, and parental drug use are linked to a number of negative outcomes, including a sense of hopelessness (Flouri & Panourgia, 2012). However, not every child or adolescent exposed to ACEs will experience negative outcomes or develop a sense of hopelessness, due to potential protective factors which may act as buffers to exposure to trauma. The current study investigated the relationship between ACEs reported by adolescents and self-reported feelings of hopelessness, and examined the potential modifiable external protective factors of school connectedness, community …

Self-Efficacy, Health Promotion, And Rehabilitation In Acquired Brain Injury, Hillary Antoinette Parker

Wayne State University Dissertations

Health self-efficacy is important to health behaviors and self-management of chronic conditions. It has been associated with positive health and rehabilitation outcomes generally but has been understudied in acquired brain injury (ABI). Given the high rates of disability and long-term impairments associated with ABI, health self-efficacy and health behaviors are promising factors to evaluate in the assessment and management of ABI. This study examined the relationships among health self-efficacy, health behaviors, and functional independence in ABI rehabilitation, and the extent to which cognitive impairment and trait affectivity affected these relationships. This study also examined the unique role of rehabilitation self-efficacy …

The Moderating Effects Of Protective And Risk Factors On Outcomes For Behavioral Smoking Cessation Treatment, Holly Reid

Wayne State University Dissertations

The rate of cigarette smoking is three-fold higher among adults living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Autoimmune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) than in the general population (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Relative to non-smoking HIV-positive adults, HIV-positive cigarette smokers have even higher mortality rates, more physical health problems, greater tobacco-related health disparities, lower quality of life, and more barriers to treatment. These barriers are often interrelated with the significantly higher rate of trauma and violence exposure reported in both cigarette smokers and persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA; CDC). Violence exposure not only predicts emotional distress and substance use, but also …

Cognitive Style, Laterality, And Executive Functioning, Leia Cherie Vos

Wayne State University Dissertations

Researchers have long linked creativity to psychopathology. In particular, everyday creativity is positively associated with schizotypy, a personality style with a possible relationship with schizophrenia that is associated with cognitive dysfunction. Genetic, biological, cognitive, and behavioral studies show connections between schizotypy and creativity, but the strength and mechanisms of these connections remain inconsistent or unclear. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the relationship between these constructs from a neuropsychological perspective. In part one, a large non-clinical sample completed several questionnaires to consider the relationship between the constructs and related aspects of personality. A small indirect relationship was found …

Exploring Crossover Effects Among Working Spouses Through The Lens Of Social Cognitive Theory: Soc And Work-Family Conflict, Kevin Thomas Wynne

Wayne State University Dissertations

Managing competing demands from multiple life domains poses a significant challenge for today's workforce. In particular, employees who also have an active role at home often experience work-family conflict (WFC), which is associated with a number of negative outcomes. Research has shown that the selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) set of coping strategies includes behaviors that tend to reduce WFC. However, it remains unknown how working spouses' use of these effective strategies "crossover" to influence the partner’s outcomes. Do individuals' use of SOC coping strategies reduce their spouse's experience of WFC? Using an emergent data analytic method—the actor-partner interdependence model …

A Mouse Model Of Toluene Abstinence-Induced Pathology, Sean Callan

Wayne State University Dissertations

The intentional misuse of volatile solvents is a persistent public health concern. Limited self-report data suggests that chronic inhalant abusers experience withdrawal symptoms including anxiety and seizure symptoms. However, these symptoms have never been explored in a preclinical model and are not considered part of the DSM-V criteria for an Inhalant Use Disorder. For this experiment, 76 young adult male Swiss Webster mice were exposed to either 5,000 ppm toluene vapor or air (0 ppm) for 24 consecutive hours beginning on postnatal day (PND) 30. Following the 24 hour exposure, mice were allowed to recover for 3 hours before behavioral …

Management Safety Climate And Violence Prevention Climate: A Mediational Model For Healthcare Employee Outcomes, Lydia Hamblin Hamblin

Wayne State University Dissertations

Workplace violence is defined as aggressive acts against employees ranging from verbal abuse, threats, and bullying, to physical assault (OSHA, 2002; Jackson, Clare, & Mannix, 2002). The two purposes of this study were (1) to differentiate two specific forms of psychological climate related to workplace violence on a work unit: Violence Prevention Climate (VPC) and Management Safety Climate (MSC), and (2) to test a causal model focusing on the relationship between these climates and their effects on relevant outcomes for at-risk employees in the healthcare industry. MSC was expected to partially mediate the effects of VPC on four outcomes: work …

Understanding Uzbek Child Rearing As A Mediating Factor In The Government’S Reliance On Child Forced Labor During The Annual Cotton Harvest: A Pilot Project, Kathleen Crowley

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

In this pilot study, 11 international students studying in the Capital District region of upstate New York completed the Parental Authority Questionnaire (Sensese, Bornstein, Haynes, Rossi, and Venuti, 2012) and two also completed the Parenting Style Questionnaire (Robinson, Mandleeco, Olsen, & Hart, 1995) in an attempt to validate these instruments for diverse cultures. All participants contributed to focus group discussions of parenting attitudes and practices in their home countries to refine the focus group methodology. Two participants from Uzbekistan were interviewed individually to explore parental attitudes and practices that may relate to that country’s ongoing reliance on forced child labor …

Parenting Stress In Immigrant Families Of Children With An Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Comparison With Families From The Host Culture, M Millau, M Rivard, C Mercier, C Mello

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

Immigrant families of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) face significant challenges in accessing and using rehabilitation services appropriate for their child’s disorder. Compared to families native to their host country, the stress experienced by these families in relation to their child’s condition may be magnified by their immigrant status. This study compared self-reported parenting stress levels among 24 mothers and 17 fathers who had immigrated to Canada to income-matched, Canadian-born parents. Overall, Canadian-born parents tended to report higher stress levels than immigrant parents, but this may be primarily due to the high stress levels among Canadian-born fathers relative to …

Dealing With Diversity: A Qualitative Evaluation Of The Program Mentor Migration Salam, Hildegard Wenzler-Cremer

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

In the project “Mentor Migration SALAM -Spielen Austauschen Lernen Achtsam Miteinander (Playing-Sharing- Learning-Attentively-Together) students mentor a child from a migrant family for a period of 8 months. They spend about three hours of leisure time a week together. The students are assigned to only one child, so they can develop an interpersonal relationship to that child and its family. For the children the project helps to expand their horizons, gaining a wider knowledge of their surroundings, the urban neighborhood they live in, the city itself. The act of students and pupils coming together, offers in itself, lots of learning opportunities: …

A Similarity Graph-Based Approach To Study Social Representations Of The Economic Crisis: A Comparison Between Italian And Greek Social Groups, Roberto Fasanelli, Anna Liguori, Ida Galli

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

In order to analyse the common sense theories about the economic thinking and acting, this research has been conducted with the theoretical framework of the Social Representation Theory. By interviewing Italian and Greek participants belonging to different social groups, we examined how expert and lay people face this phenomenon. Inspired by the Structural Approach, which considers SRs as constituted of two parts (a structure and a content), data were collected through specific strategies and were created ad hoc: hierarchized evocations, characterization and multiple choice questionnaires. Four groups of participants (N=120 for each country; n=30 for each group; gender balanced) …

Occupational Stress Of Working Women In A Specific Culture, Santa Misra

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

The occupational stress of the working-woman in a specific orthodox socio-cultural milieu and the effects of personality traits, which are considered as preventive, protective as well as assailing factors, that influence the stress in the workplace, is now a burning issue in organizational sectors. Thus the study sought to examine the relationship of personality attributes on the management of occupational role stress in the working woman(N=550) from 11 occupational groups varying in age, level of employment and working hours in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. For each subject, data were collected on 10 measures of occupational stress, 4 measures of coping resources, …

The Relationship Between Servant Leadership, Affective Commitment: Organizational Citizenship Behavior And Team Effectiveness, B Mahembe, A S. Engerbrecht, Z Dannhauser

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

The goal of the study was to conduct an analysis of the relationships between servant leadership, affective team commitment, OCB and team effectiveness in the South African school system. A non-probability sample made up of 288 school teachers was drawn from 38 schools in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Item analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to analyse the data. Positive relationships were found between servant leadership and team effectiveness; servant leadership and affective team commitment, affective team commitment and team effectiveness, servant leadership and OCB; affective team commitment and OCB; and OCB and team effectiveness.