Psychology Commons^™

Message, Messenger, Or Receiver: Effects Of Social Identity And Personality Characteristics On Foreign Policy Decision Making, Joseph Aromando Iv

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This project investigates the effects of social identity and personal characteristics on foreign policy decision-making. The two main US political parties, Democrats and Republicans, were used as markers for social identity. Participants were first instructed to read a scenario regarding a hostile fictional country followed by a speech regarding the same fictional country. Two speeches were created using a content analysis of speeches from Democrats and Republicans prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Participants were randomly placed into one of four conditions. One condition paired a Democratic-themed speech with a Republican speaker, another paired a Democratic speech with a …

Relating The Big Five Personality Factors And The Method Of Dog Obtainment In Female Dog Owners, Julia Rifenberg

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Dog ownership is highly common in the United States and has a large impact on the U.S. economy due to dogs' required expenses. Thus, it is important to assess dog owners' method of dog obtainment, as it is the first step to canine companionship. Dog owner personality traits and their relationship with where dogs are obtained has not yet been studied. To assess this relationship, we reached current dog owners through an online survey containing the Donnellan et al. (2006) Mini-International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) scale and asked participants where they obtained their dog. Results indicated 90% of participants were …

The Connection Between Body Modification And Personality, Taylor Ann Shoemaker

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has been inconsistent in its findings regarding the associations between body modifications (e.g., piercings, tattoos, augmentation, scarification, split tongue) and the Big Five personality traits (i.e., openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism). All traits have been found to be significantly correlated with body modification in at least one study, but their significance differed from study to study. The purpose of the current study was to examine the associations between body modification and each domain of personality concurrently to add to the literature surrounding differences between modified and unmodified individuals. To participate in this study, participants were asked …

The Negativity Bias, Revisited: Evidence From Neuroscience Measures And An Individual Differences Approach, Catherine Norris

Psychology Faculty Works

Past research has provided support for the existence of a negativity bias, the tendency for negativity to have a stronger impact than positivity. Theoretically, the negativity bias provides an evolutionary advantage, as it is more critical for survival to avoid a harmful stimulus than to pursue a potentially helpful one. The current paper reviews the theoretical grounding of the negativity bias in the Evaluative Space Model, and presents recent findings using a multilevel approach that further elucidate the mechanisms underlying the negativity bias and underscore the importance of the negativity bias for human functioning.

The Link Between Humor And Personality, Alexander R. Hawley

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This study sought to expand upon the research on humor and personality by attempting to find connections between the two through a digital survey. The participants of this study were 51 individuals obtained through social media that were 74.5% women, 23.5% men, and 2% non-binary. The Humor Styles Questionnaire and Midlife Development Inventory were used to assess humor styles and personality factors. Then, a correlation matrix was computed to examine associations between the two sets of variables. Four significant relationships were found: self-enhancing and openness to experience, self-enhancing and extraversion, aggressive and agreeableness, and self-defeating and neuroticism. These results can …

The Contribution Of Adverse Childhood Experiences To The Interplay Between Insecure Attachment Characteristics, Trait Emotional Intelligence, Difficulties In Emotion Regulation, And Personality Organization, Kseniia Gvozdieva

Dissertations and Theses

There are well-established connections between unfavorable attachment experiences and subsequent personality pathology. Individuals with adverse attachment experiences and those with personality pathology have been found to have difficulty with emotional awareness and emotion regulation. Attachment characteristics inform emotional intelligence and emotion regulation, while emotional intelligence and emotion regulation capacities can be protective against personality pathology and serve as a potential mechanism of positive change in one’s attachment. Complex trauma disrupts attachment and the subsequent development of emotional intelligence, emotion regulation, as well as personality structure.

In this dissertation, we examine the ways in which individual attachment patterns can be linked …

Exploring A Mediational Model Of The Relationship Between Skin Color And Mate Selection In Desi Young Adults, Rabiya Ahmed

Dissertations and Theses

Skin color bias is present in South Asia and is especially apparent within the Desi (i.e., South Asian) marriage market, where explicit preferences for fair-skinned marital partners are made and lighter skin is perceived as more attractive. It is also known that, through the halo effect, attractive people are perceived to possess positive personality traits. The present study aimed to determine if skin color is associated with long-term mate preference among U.S.-based Desi adults as it is among Desi in South Asia, and if so, if that relationship is mediated by perceived attractiveness. It also aimed to determine if, in …

Influence Of Personality Traits On Trooper Retention In The Southeast United States, Amethyste Marie Sanchez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Evidence suggests an issue with trooper retention at state law enforcement agencies in the Southeast United States. A current literature gap exists in understanding how personality affects long-term employment at law enforcement agencies in the Southeast United States. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether there are personality traits that influence the retention of a trooper in the Southeast United States for 5 or more years. The personality traits tested were taken from the 16 Personality Factor 6th Edition Security Selection Report and included emotional adjustment, integrity/control, intellectual efficiency, and interpersonal relations. The theoretical basis for this …

The Effect Of Priming Metacognition And Critical Thinking On Dispelling Psychological Misconceptions, Marissa Renee Bamberger

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examined to what extent the supraliminal, semantic priming of undergraduate introductory psychology students’ metacognitive and critical thinking skills predicts their ability to dispel common psychological myths and misconceptions. This thesis also investigated to what extent undergraduate introductory psychology students’ personality traits predict their ability to dispel common psychological myths and misconceptions. Fitting standard and hierarchical regression models, this study found that, although gender, age, year in school, and college-generation status were not significant covariates, persons of color typically exemplified greater endorsement of psychological misconceptions than their White / Caucasian peers. Also, compassion (an aspect of the agreeableness trait …

The Effect Of Social Media Use On Physical Isolation In Individuals With Borderline Personality Disorder, Davena Limitless Longshore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) experience extreme interpersonal conflict, crippling their ability to sustain successful relationships. Consequently, clinicians within the psychological field face difficulty in devising treatments plans which can assist these individuals with suffering minimal relationship loss. The purpose of this study was to understand how current technological methods of social interaction affect individuals who suffer from BPD to improve treatment outcomes. This research was guided by the principles of attachment theory and social baseline theory. A quantitative correlational design using social network analysis and multiple regression analysis was used to examine data from surveys. Participants were solicited …

Pay For Performance, Satisfaction And Retention In Longitudinal Crowdsourced Research, Elena M. Auer, Tara S. Behrend, Andrew B. Collmus, Richard N. Landers, Ahleah F. Miles

Psychology Faculty Publications

In the social and cognitive sciences, crowdsourcing provides up to half of all research participants. Despite this popularity, researchers typically do not conceptualize participants accurately, as gig-economy worker-participants. Applying theories of employee motivation and the psychological contract between employees and employers, we hypothesized that pay and pay raises would drive worker-participant satisfaction, performance, and retention in a longitudinal study. In an experiment hiring 359 Amazon Mechanical Turk Workers, we found that initial pay, relative increase of pay over time, and overall pay did not have substantial influence on subsequent performance. However, pay significantly predicted participants' perceived choice, justice perceptions, and …

“Soldiers Of The Same Struggle”: A Comparison Of Attachment And Personality Between Justice-Involved Youth In Gangs And Not In Gangs, Lyndsey Keyte

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Risk factors for juvenile delinquency and gang membership are essentially identical, although only a certain subset of justice-involved youth join gangs. In an attempt to identify factors that differentiate justice-involved youth in gangs from justice-involved youth not in gangs, the present study compared attachment styles and personality traits of 406 detained justice-involved youth, 154 of whom were gang-involved and 252 of whom were not. Results showed no significant differences in personality traits or attachment styles between justice-involved youth in gangs and not in gangs. However, results demonstrated attachment styles and personality traits characteristic of both groups of justice-involved youth.

Variation In Personality Among Semi-Wild Myanmar Timber Elephants, Sateesh Venkatesh

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines two personality traits: exploration and neophobia, which could influence human-elephant conflicts. Thirty-one semi-wild elephants were tested over two trials using a custom novel puzzle tube containing three tasks and three rewards. Our studies show that elephants do vary significantly between individuals in both exploration and neophobia.

Is It Complicated? Validity Of Personality Interactions For Predicting Performance, Jacob C. Bradburn, Ann Marie Ryan, Anthony Boyce, Tamera Mckinniss, Jason Way

Personnel Assessment and Decisions

Research on personality within the organizational sciences and for employee selection typically focuses on main effects, as opposed to interactive effects between personality variables. Large, multi-organizational datasets involving two different measures of personality were examined to test theoretically driven trait by trait interactions in predicting job performance. Interactive effects of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness, Agreeableness and Extraversion, Extraversion and Conscientiousness, and Emotional Stability and Conscientiousness were hypothesized as predicting overall job performance. However, these hypothesized effects were generally not supported. Implications for personality assessment are discussed.

Personality, Online Learning, And Covid-19, Dareen Christabel, Hannah Fields, Sarah M. Krysl, Mariah Rodriguez

Student Work

While characteristics of in-person learning versus online learning and the impact of personality on academic success have been studied, the nature of these variables in the context of a stressful event like the COVID-19 pandemic remains undetermined. This quantitative correlational survey analysis investigated 133 participants’ prior online learning experience and neuroticism levels, via the Big Five personality test, to examine relationships between those two variables and the variables of perceived learning, change in GPA, and perceived lost learning during COVID-19. Researchers found no significant correlations or effects between any of these variables. Researchers concluded that while the variables in question …

Charismatic Personality Characteristics As Perceived By The University Students In Tulkarm Governorate, Ziad Barakat

Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث

This study aimed to identify the charismatic personality characteristics as perceived by the university students in Tulkarm Governorate. For this purpose, the Charismatic Personality Characteristics Scale was applied to a randomly selected stratified sample of (478) male and female universities students from Al- Quds Open University (Tulkarm branch), An-Najah National University (Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine), and Palestine Technical University, Khadoori . The study found out that the participants highly appreciated the charismatic personality characteristics, and showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the responses of the participants to the scale with regard to the field of …

Gender Differences In Personality: An Item-Level Analysis, Casey C. Smith

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Personality is a social and organizational construct with a substantial history and discourse. One particular area in personality that is of interest is gender differences in personality. Gender differences have been found on scales measuring various aspects of personality, such as narcissism (Grijalva et al., 2014). While there are differences present in personality data, there hasn’t been a consistent explanation for why this occurs. This research looked specifically at the construction of personality items to begin to understand the differences in personality by gender. While social roles and social context are mostly referenced to inform the response patterns of men …

Using Personality-Based Propensity As A Guide For Teaching Practice, Lin-Miao L. Agler, Kelley Stricklin, Larisa K. Alfsen

Faculty Publications

The Big Five-Factor personality traits are examined in the present review. Individual characteristics and personality types may contribute differently to choices of learning strategies and overall cognitive performance. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to provide a brief overview of consistent research findings on personality constructs as predictors of school-related factors, including academic ability, reading and math skills, metacognitive assessments, self-regulatory learning and processing strategies, and students' confidence; and (2) to highlight the applicable value of using personality-related propensities to guide teachers in the classroom. Inter-relationships among personality, cognition, metacognition, self-regulation, and learning outcomes are addressed. More importantly, …

Mental Healthcare Providers' Personality And Its Relation To Preferences Of Client Personality, Taylor R. Rodriguez

Master's Theses

The incorporation of personality assessment and client treatment preferences in psychotherapy has implications for therapeutic processes and outcomes (e.g., treatment engagement, retention). While this research has largely focused on client characteristics and traits, mental healthcare providers seem to demonstrate differing perspectives of clients as a function of both their own and their clients’ personalities. However, no prior literature has considered providers’ pretreatment preferences of clients. The current study aimed to examine providers’ unique personality profiles and their associations with preferences for client personality characteristics utilizing a person-centered personality approach (i.e., latent profile analysis). Specifically, the study (1) examined providers’ personality …

Trait Conscientiousness And Agreeableness In Relation To Positive And Negative Mood Self-Perceived Altruism, Justin Thomas Robertello

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

While much research has been done on altruism and people's perceptions of the altruistic tendencies of others, perception of altruism as it relates to self, especially in relation to the influence of internal states, lacks similarly extensive investigation. This study aims to explore how the stable internal states of personality and the fluid states of mood play a role in our own perceptions of our altruistic tendencies. Participants were provided with a personality questionnaire and exposed to image sets designed to induce positive or negative mood. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) was administered post mood induction to verify …

The Factor Structures Of Ability And Trait Emotional Intelligences Relative To General Intelligence And Personality, Nicholas Carfagno

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Emotional Intelligence is a popular term used to describe one’s experience with their own emotions and awareness of others’. Although emotional intelligence is thought to be a helpful predictor of various variables such as work performance and wellbeing, there is disagreement within the field of the precise definition and method of measurement. The current study examines two of the most popular models of emotional intelligence, ability and trait models, to determine if they are the same construct or two different constructs that share a moniker. Additionally, both ability and trait emotional intelligences’ factor structures are examined through hierarchical and bifactor …

The Dark Tetrad At Work: Examining The Effects Of Bottom-Line Mentality, Job Satisfaction, And Perceptions Of Organizational Politics On Counterproductive Work Behavior, Ryan Barry

Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary organizations often use personality measures when selecting new employees. Recent developments in the literature have shown that measures of the dark tetrad traits (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism) provide additional benefits (e.g., incremental validity) over measures of normal personality (e.g., Big Five) in predicting counterproductive work behavior (CWB). The purpose for this study was to identify factors that may affect the positive relationship between higher levels the dark tetrad and CWB. We proposed that perceptions of supervisor’s bottom-line mentality (their focus on prioritizing profits over other goals) serves as a moderator, whereas one’s job satisfaction and perceptions of organizational …

The Relationship Between Personality And Online Game-Playing Motivations Among College Students, Johari @ Underwood Jasnina Jaslind

Student Works (2020-2029)

The present study attempts to investigate the relationships between personality and online game-playing motivations amongst college students. A total of 200 college students who are actively playing PUBG (Player Unknown’s Battle Ground) were approached and voluntarily answered a set of questionnaires which consists of Mini- IPIP (Mini-International Personality Item Pool Scales) and Motivation for Play to measure type of motivations in playing online games. Descriptive analyses were used to analyze the personality traits and in-game motivation of players, Independent Sample T Test to examine gender differences in playing PUBG and Pearson Correlation to examine the relationships between personality and motivations. …

The Impact Of Contact Experiences On Personality And Mental Illness Stigma In The Uae, Michelle Maria Antonia Tomas Smigura

Psychology Theses

Mental health illness is one of the most stigmatized diseases globally. Mental illness stigma continues to play an important role that shapes societal responses to individuals with mental illness. Owing to the negative consequences of stigma endorsed by the public and thereby internalized by the individual, better understanding is required to identify how these public negative attitudes develop towards people with mental illness. This study examined whether one’s contact experiences with mental illness influenced the role that their personality plays on mental illness stigma. Participants (N = 203) completed the Social Distance Scale, 20-item short form of the International Personality …

The Myers-Briggs Personality System And Its Moderating Effects On The Relationship Between Job Characteristics And Job Satisfaction, Rebecca Marshall

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In this research, I examined how characteristics of the job, namely task significance and task identity, predicted job satisfaction and how those relationships were moderated by one’s Myers-Briggs type. It was hypothesized that the thinking/feeling dichotomy would moderate the relationship between task significance and job satisfaction and the sensing/intuition dichotomy would moderate the relationship between task identity and job satisfaction. In the study, I sought to understand how these moderated relationships would differ for people with good and poor psychological health. There were 945 people who participated which required them to answer questions about their job, personality, psychological health, life, …

The Relationship Between Undergraduate Gender, Drinking Motives, Alcohol Involvement, And Neuroticism, Jaymi Wilson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The onset of problem drinking behaviors for many college undergraduates occurs as they enter a new environment devoid of previous inhibiting factors. For whatever reasons college students choose to drink—and not all of them do—it is imperative to understand both the motives and influences affecting increased alcohol related risks. After conducting a thorough literature review, I propose a research design to test the hypothesis that drinking motives and alcohol involvement are mediated by neuroticism. To support this prediction, I will present a model that considers the impact that subject personality, namely neuroticism, may have in mediating the relationship. Specifically, this …

Attachment Style: Connecting The Personality Traits Of Our Parents To How We See God, Kaitlyn C. Holcombe

Honors College Theses

This study was conducted to explore the connections between parental personality traits, adult attachment styles, and attachments to God. The personality traits of parents influence the level of care they are able to provide for their children; this impacts the child’s attachment style. Later in life, attachment styles influence friendships, romantic relationships, and even relationships with the divine through the correspondence pathway. How we view God is thus indirectly impacted by the personality traits of our parents. One-hundred forty-two undergraduate students participated in the study, answering various measures for perceived parent personality, attachment, and religiosity. All measurements were replicated from …

The Maze Of Personality: Latency And Electric Organ Discharge In A Mormyrid Fish, Gnathonemus Petersii Gunther 1862 (Mormyridae, Teleostei), Abbey C. Lipe

Theses and Dissertations

Personality is individual differences in behavior, consistent across contexts. Among Gnathonemus petersii we investigated, we hypothesized that fish could be grouped by: (1) slow/fast maze performance, (2) low/high electric frequencies, (3) correlated latency and frequency. Our first two hypothesis were not supported. Our third hypothesis was partially supported.

Assessing The Role Personality Plays In Puppy Raisers And Guide Dogs In Training, Cassidy D. Wood

Honors Theses

Several factors affect how guide dogs in training fare during the period before the dogs are paired with their future handler. One factor that has not been researched in the past is personality compatibility between the puppy raiser and the dog in training. For the needs of the visually impaired community to be met, guide dog schools need to efficiently train and match dogs to handlers without the dogs failing. To help reduce the number of dogs that fail guide dog training, this study suggests the assessment and comparison of personality for the dog and potential puppy raisers to better …

The Impact Of Religiosity And Personality On Resilience And Coping Strategies, Leah Eldred

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of religiosity and personality on resilience and coping strategies amongst undergraduate college students. Participants completed four different questionnaires measuring religiosity, personality, resilience, and coping skills, as well as a demographic questionnaire. A two-way factorial ANOVA statistical analysis and correlation analyses were conducted. The findings indicated that participants who were pessimistic reported more use of maladaptive coping strategies than optimistic participants. The main implication of this study was that people who are more pessimistic can be taught how to utilize adaptive coping strategies rather than the maladaptive ones that they …