Nihilistic Violence Aesthetics In Public Online Communication, Heath Nicholas Landress

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Public online communication has increasingly included violence-related content that is meme-based, ironic, visually stylized, multimodal, and only partially ideological. This comprehensive literature review synthesized research on online extremism, extremist memes, toxic multimodal content, dehumanizing digital communication, nihilistic violent extremism, warning behaviors, platform affordances, and youth-facing online environments. The purpose was to clarify what the literature had established; identify where the scholarship remained fragmented; and map research domains relevant to social, behavioral, public safety, and human services scholarship. The review used a structured, comprehensive literature review strategy supported by integrative synthesis procedures. The final corpus contained 34 scholarly sources, including 32 …

Affect Regulation In The Context Of Sexual And Gender Minority Stress: A Scoping Review Protocol, Daphne Y. Liu, Benjamin A. Swerdlow, Shao Yuan Chong, Nadia Kako, Alex Rubin, Nicholas S. Perry

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

Objective

To provide a broad, comprehensive picture of affect regulation in the context of sexual and gender minority stress, this scoping review aims to identify and synthesize methods, methodologies, and available evidence pertinent to emotion regulation and coping in the context of minority stress among sexual and gender minority (SGM) people.

Introduction

SGM people face disproportionately high rates of mental health problems due to experiences of minority stress and lack of social safety. Theories and growing evidence suggest that affect regulation plays a critical role in SGM people’s well-being in the face of minority stress. Researchers have largely studied emotion …

Emotional And Social Perception In Hearing And Deaf Individuals, Julie Klenotic

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This study will compare the differences in emotional recognition and social dynamic understanding between hearing and Deaf people. I will investigate the differences in these areas between hearing and Deaf individuals, as well as the role American Sign Language use has in performance. It will utilize point light walkers which will display the emotions happy, angry, sad, and neutral. Participants will be asked which emotion is being displayed based on the presented gait of the point light walker. Second, they will view 15 videos from the Interpersonal Perception Task without audio. The questions from the IPT 15 will then be …

The Efflorescence Of Apocalypticism (Imminent & Prepping Beliefs): Considering Informational And Motivational Regulatory Mechanisms, James T. Good Mr.

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In the last quarter of the 21st century, apocalyptic beliefs emerged in scholarly and lay representations notably doubling over the last decade. With nearly forty percent of United States citizen reporting this belief, unfulfilled questions arose: What drives discrepancies in beliefs of an imminent end of the world? Additionally, what drives beliefs in the need to prepare for an end of the world? These individual questions were examined together in this study using Construal Level Theory (CLT) and Regulatory Focus Theory (RFT) in an attempt to identify how psychological mechanisms are significantly affecting the fluctuations, in these self-reported beliefs. A …

Industrial And Organizational Psychology Researchers’ Positive And Negative Experiences With The Peer-Review Process, Alexa Weaver

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Peer review plays a critical role in advancing the field of psychology; however, limited empirical research has examined psychologists’ experiences with the peer review process. The present study investigated both positive and negative peer review experiences among industrial and organizational (I/O) psychologists and assessed the prevalence of specific reviewer behaviors. A two-phase survey design was administered via Qualtrics. Study 1 employed open-ended questions to identify recurring themes in researchers’ experiences with peer review. Thematic analysis revealed distinct positive and negative patterns of reviewer behavior, which informed the development of Study 2.

Study 2 quantitatively assessed the prevalence of behaviors associated …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Catatan Managing Editor Memandang Diri Lewat Pandangan Orang Lain: Catatan Editorial Tentang Meta-Prasangka, Whinda Yustisia

Jurnal Psikologi Sosial

In October 2023, when I was still living in Chicago, United States, Idhamsyah Eka Putra, one of the leading social psychology researchers, contacted me with a rather long text message. Although it was sent via a short message, the content was as complete as a proposal; it consisted of an introduction, urgency, and a forward-looking plan. He began by explaining that the concept of meta-prejudice, which he first introduced in 2014, would soon be 10 years old. To strengthen the presence of this concept, he proposed that the Journal of Social Psychology publish a Special Issue on meta-prejudice and asked …

Clocking Out: Experiences Of Customer Sexual Harassment, Coping, And Psychological Well-Being Among Waitresses, Paola Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Workplace sexual harassment (WSH) is an ongoing issue which has been growing in literature especially when looking at the effects of WSH on employees. Yet, few studies have looked at workplace sexual harassment that occurs from customers towards employees known as customer sexual harassment (CSH). The current study investigates the role of coping strategies as a moderator when responding to CSH and the effects on employees' short- and long-term psychological well-being in terms of anxiety and depression.

Emotional Eating Behaviors And Parental Feeding Practices In Three-Year-Old Children And Their Association With Body Composition One Year Later, Keely Wright, Kenia Rivera, Elysia Poggi Davis

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Emotional eating – eating in response to negative emotions regardless of hunger – is an obesogenic trait that often develops in childhood and remains a habit through adulthood. Greater emotional eating is associated with a higher body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) in 7-12-year-old children (Webber et al., 2009). However, few studies have examined the relations between emotional eating and weight gain in preschool-aged children. Moreover, there is limited research on parental feeding practices and weight gain in preschool-aged children. The current work investigated the association of emotional eating behaviors during an emotional eating task in three-year-old children with change in …

Grief As Slip: (How Little I Show) An Exploration In Clay, When Words Are Not Enough, Michelle A. Smith

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Grief as Slip (how little I show) implies that even as we acknowledge our mortality and the fleeting nature of life, we still only reveal a fraction of our true selves or our deeper realities. The ceramic artwork in this exhibition carries and conveys a journey through the present and remembered emotions of the artists’ personal narrative. By juxtaposing the tactile nature of clay with the ethereal quality of human experience, Smith contemplates the profound interplay between material transformation and emotional resilience. The exhibition’s intent is to translate the essence of complex emotional states into abstracted forms so they can …

Claiming More To Cope: Does Ostracism Increase Overclaiming?, Katy Q. Chen

Honors Theses

In a pre-registered online study, we investigated the relationship between ostracism and overclaiming. Ostracism is the act of deliberately or unintentionally excluding and ignoring others. Overclaiming refers to the behavior of exaggerating one’s knowledge or familiarity with specific topics, often as a way of attempting to present oneself as more knowledgeable or competent than one actually is. Drawing from the temporal need-threat model, we hypothesized that ostracized individuals, as a compensatory response, would likely overclaim more compared to included individuals. This online study simulated a work experience where participants were asked to answer questions about their work-related experiences and opinions. …

An Adaptive Paradox: Improvised Drama Therapy And Dialectical Behavior For Eating Disorders In Teens, Krystany Taylor

Expressive Therapies Theses

The complexity of treating eating disorders compels professionals to investigate collaborative and integrative approaches to address psychological rigidity and emotional aversion in affected individuals. Mindfulness within Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and improvisational theater techniques may contribute to advancing emotional flexibility. This thesis study explored spontaneity in expressive therapy and gauged budding adaptive skills related to emotion regulation in minors with eating disorders. At a behavioral health center in Southern California, I held a dual role as a group facilitator and trainee drama therapist; I therein joined DBT and improvised drama therapy methods into a group treatment setting for ages 14 …

Applied And Conceptual Implications Of Relational Density Theory In Machine Learning And Behavioral Economics, Bentley J. Elliott

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Relational Density Theory (Belisle & Dixon, 2020a) is an advanced conceptualization of Stimulus Equivalence (Sidman & Tailby, 1982) and Relational Frame Theory (Hayes et al., 2001) that allows behavior scientists to measure the strength, formation, and malleability of covert behavioral experiences such as attitudes, biases, and probabilities. Relational density combines principles of behavior with the fundamentals of Newtonian classical mechanics to quantify the dimensions of relational framing as a tool for examining behavior. This thesis contains two studies on relational density in context. The first study utilized relational density theory and principles of behavioral economics to measure attitudes and charitable …

Is Common Behavior Considered Moral? The Role Of Perceived Others' Motives In Moral Norm Inferences And Motivation About Environmental Behavior, Kimin Eom, Bryan Kwok Cheng Choy

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The present research examines how inferences about moral norms from descriptive norms change by perceptions of others' motives in the context of environmental behavior. When individuals think that many others engage in an environmental behavior (e.g., water and energy conservation) for prosocial (vs. proself) motives, they infer moralization about the behavior in a given context. They infer stronger injunctive norms about the behavior and expect others to experience moral outrage at violation of the moral standard (e.g., wasting water and energy). The moral norm perceptions predict people's motivation to engage in environmental behavior themselves. We further show that expected guilt …

A Laboratory Evaluation Of The Effects Of Empathy Training On Racial Bias, Victoria D. Suarez, Adel C. Najdowski, Angela Persicke, Jonathan Tarbox

Psychology Division Scholarship

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the efects of behavioral procedures, including relational training and multiple exemplar training on empathic responding of individuals who display racial bias. In particular, this study used a multielement design with fve adult participants to evaluate whether the presentation of relational frames of coordination and distinction between the participants’ values and the values of a person belonging to a group for which a bias existed altered empathic responses toward people belonging to such groups. The results showed empathic responding was higher when relational frames of coordination were presented and lower when relational …

Gender Stereotyping In An Agricultural Sample, Andrea Fink-Armold

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A vast wealth of social psychological research conducted over half a century has demonstrated the consequences of gender stereotypes. However, this research has significant limitations. Namely, generalizability outside of academia and the effects of social change. This study examined a non-academic population that has recently experienced significant gender role redistribution to overcome these limitations. Utilizing a full-cycle research approach consisting of both ethnographic and experimental methods, I examined three research questions: 1) how do gender stereotypes manifest within rural agricultural communities? 2) how is women’s increased participation in agriculture related to changes in gender stereotype use? and 3) how do …

The Effects Of Perfume On Work Performance, Tian Soon Choo, Hiral Bharatbhai Variya

Introduction to Research Methods RSCH 202

This study investigates how fragrance could affect staff efficiency at work in the service industry, particularly insurance agents. Scent is recognised to affect human behavior and perception; nevertheless, the majority of study to date has overlooked scent's possible impact on job performance in favor of focusing on its relationship to confidence and beauty. We will explore whether wearing perfume improves work performance through a panel study with 100 insurance agents. Performance is gauged by the number of policies sold and the amount of premium generated. Our study proposes to investigate the potential significant impact of perfume, both positive and negative, …

At The Intersection Of Domestic Violence And Mass Shootings: A Qualitative Analysis Of The Relationship Between Ipv And Gun Violence, Troy Bleau

University Honors Theses

The intersectional study of domestic violence and mass shootings has only recently been the subject of inquiry within the psychology field. Within the past ten years research has been developed to examine the relationship between these two epidemics. What authors have found is that DV does play a role in shooting perpetration. This study aimed to identify domestic violence as a risk factor to predict, and subsequently intervene before future instances of shootings. 112 shootings were analyzed between the years of 2020 and 2023--they were then categorized as DV-related, non-DV related, and/or History of DV. The tested hypothesis was that …

Feldenkrais And Music Informed Listening: A Neurophenomenological Perspective On Autism, Arona Primalani

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Phenomenologists identify the subjective body and its felt-senses as the basis for human development and consciousness, including mental health. Several mental health disorders, when viewed from a phenomenological perspective, share common symptomology related to varying extents of fractured selves, which in turn hinders dynamic interaction between individuals, their actions, and their relationships with their social and material worlds. Autism is one such condition. Hence, I created an intervention to investigate how listening, which foster subjective and intersubjective experiences, lies at the heart of somatic and arts-based interventions. This thesis, first, begins with a summary of the presenting symptoms observed in …

The Power Of Words: Unpacking Language's Role In Educational Inequities, Zara Yokohama, Liz Beccari, Malcolm Jasmin

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

The language used to describe racial disparities in education may inadvertently influence how we address them. Framing such disparities as “achievement gap” rather than as “inequality in educational outcomes” assumes a deficit thinking mindset, shifting focus from the structural injustices contributing to education disparities to individuals, resulting in decreased prioritization of racial equity (Quinn & Desruisseaux, 2022). We aim to replicate this prioritization effect, specify the language driving the effect, and examine the impact of frames on perceptions of how to achieve racial equity. Participants were randomly assigned to conditions framing racial equity concerns as: a racial achievement gap, racial …

Assessing The Independent Role Of Moral Foundations In Attitudes Toward Various Justifications For Abortion, Saba Shahid

Master's Theses

Although many states have legal frameworks that restrict abortion to certain situations, largely associated with health risks to the mother, child or both, other factors, such as financial stability, emotional readiness, and partner's presence, are not covered by existing laws, though they may be critical factors contributing to abortion decisions. To assess the role of these factors, participants (N= 302) were recruited online via Prolific Academic and randomly assigned on a between participants basis to view a single vignette that manipulated abortion justification category (financial, emotional, partner) and the presence/absence of justification. They reported the extent to which …

Self-Perception And Positive Stereotype Endorsement, Aileen Lovitt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The origin and reasoning behind the use of racial stereotypes has been a point of interest for researchers over the years. Many different theories have been proposed including those related to cognitive, evolutionary, and motivational explanations. However, most of these theories and the research backing them primarily focus on negative stereotyping. The origin of positive stereotyping, which also has negative implications associated with their use, has not been evaluated fully. Previous research has suggested that the motive to preserve self-worth and positive self-concept may play a role in stereotype endorsement. Two studies were conducted with the purpose of investigating whether …

The Effects Of Background Music On Productivity In Classrooms, Trinity Carter

Selected Student Publications

This paper examines how background music influences productivity in classroom settings.

thorough research has shown that music does stimulate the brain (Rickard & McFerran, 2011) but due to limitations in research, a general consensus on how it affects a person’s productivity cannot be drawn (de la Mora Velasco & Hirumi, 2020). The study attempted to address the limitations noticed across multiple studies: (1) specification of how background music is manipulated during the study (2) number of participants (3) testing only in educational settings and (4) effects of background music on conceptual learning. It was expected that background music would be …

The Psychological Effects Of Solitary Confinement On Incarcerated Individuals: A Systematic Literature Review, Lara Z. Parkes, Jonathan C. Dowers

Selected Student Publications

This systematic literature review looks at previous research that explores the possibility of a correlation between solitary confinement and the presence of mental illness within those isolated inmates. Twenty percent of prison inmates experience isolation for up to twenty-two hours per day with restricted social interaction and limited amenities (Hagan et al., 2018; Ryan & DeVylder, 2020). Certain inmate demographics are more likely to be sent into isolation in an effort to protect themselves or others, including members of the LGBTQIA+ community, the developmentally impaired, and the mentally ill. However, this practice often has the opposite of its intended effect. …

Making Deception Fun: Teaching Autistic Individuals How To Playfriendly Tricks, Adel Naj, Megan St. Clair, Kacie Massoudie, Jonathan Tarbox, Lauri Simchoni, Marianne Jackson, Angela Persicke

Psychology Division Scholarship

Perspective taking is a critical repertoire for navigating social relationships and consists of a variety of complex verbalskills, including socially adaptive forms of deception. Detecting and being able to use socially adaptive deception likelyhas many practical uses, including defending oneself against bullying, telling white lies to avoid hurting others’ feelings,keeping secrets and bluffing during games, and playing friendly tricks on others. Previous research has documented thatsome Autistic1 children have challenges identifying deception and playfully deceiving others (Reinecke et al., 1997). Thecurrent study employed a multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the use of multiple exemplar training, rules,modeling, practice, and …

Proteomic Profiles Of Cytokines And Chemokines In Moderate To Severe Depression: Implications For Comorbidities And Biomarker Discovery, Kathleen T. Watson, Jennifer Keller, Caleb M. Spiro, Isaac B. Satz, Samantha V. Goncalves, Heather Pankow, Idit Kosti, Benoit Lehallier, Adolfo Sequeira, William E. Bunney, Natalie L. Rasgon, Alan F. Schatzberg

Psychology Division Scholarship

Objective: This study assessed the proteomic profiles of cytokines and chemokines in individuals with moderate to severe depression, with or without comorbid medical disorders, compared to healthy controls. Two proteomic multiplex platforms were employed for this purpose. Metods: An immunofluorescent multiplex platform and an aptamer-based method were used to evaluate 32 protein analytes from 153 individuals with moderate to severe major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls (HCs). The study focused on determining the level of agreement between the two platforms and evaluating the ability of individual analytes and principal components (PCs) to differentiate between the MDD and HC groups. …

The Effect Of Background Colors And Associations On Perceived Attractiveness, Help-Seeking, And Helping Behavior, Zeina Y. Ghanem

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of this study is to understand how background colors influence an individual's perception of another person's interpersonal attractiveness, along with how these factors affect an individual's social support giving and seeking behavior for each presented image. The study aims to explore the effects of color, attractiveness, color associations, and prosocial behaviors. Participants (N = 278) consented to take a 10-minute online survey. The background colors used were red and blue with varied saturation levels (light, medium, and dark) and a white control background. There were no significant effects of background colors and saturation lightness levels found for …

Exploring Social Inclusion And Community Participation Opportunities For Adults With Developmental Disabilities, Arilyn Jewel Baldowski

Honors College Theses

Social Inclusion and community participation among adults with developmental disabilities (DD) have remained critically underexplored, despite their essential role in promoting equal opportunities and access to fulfilling lives. This study addressed a significant gap in the literature by investigating the experiences of individuals within the population. The research aimed to explore social inclusion and community participation opportunities on adults with DD. Participants were recruited through an organization that offers residential camp programs to adults with developmental disabilities, and an online survey was used to collect data on the availability of opportunities, the extent of involvement, and the perceived impacts on …

Objectification And Meaning Transference: Does Showing More Skin Mean Less Perceived Agency For Brands?, Zachariah Schlichting

CMC Senior Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of sexual imagery in advertisements on consumers’ perceptions of brand competence and agency. The effect of a brand’s expected agency was also manipulated between two groups, high expected agency (e.g., tech companies) vs low expected agency (e.g., alcohol companies). 167 participants (M=22.48, 54% women) were recruited through Sona Systems and social media to partake in an online survey conducted through Qualtrics. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four experimental groups and shown seven fictional advertisements; four target advertisements and three deception advertisements. They were then asked to rate their …

I Just Don't Want To Hear It: A Look Into The Relationship Between The Dark Triad And Negative Criticism, Carson Montgomery Hewitt

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Three dark personality traits have been identified and grouped together to form what is known as the Dark Triad of personality. Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy are all connected by a lack of emotional empathy, and the presence of interpersonal hostility. When presented with negative stimuli, it is far from surprising to see an adverse reaction appear in participants scoring high in these traits. Little research has been conducted regarding the relationship between physiological response and dark triad personality traits. Even fewer so in the case of responses to criticism. This study aimed to examine the relationship between these dark personality …