Social Psychology Commons^™

From Consumerism And Stereotypes To Pasta Sauce: A Study Of The Barriers Facing Stay-At-Home Fathers, Nastinia (Nina) Bailey-Dick

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In the following thesis I describe and analyze the experiences of stay-at-home fathers by focussing on understanding, analyzing, and changing the barriers that discourage fathers from choosing the role of primary caregiver of their children. In this study, 19 stay-at-home fathers in Ontario (defined as fathers who are or have been the primary caregivers of their children for over 30 hours a week for at least a year) shared their experiences and perspectives regarding their roles as full-time parents through a written survey. Three of these fathers also shared their experiences through qualitative interviews. I found that full-time fathers face …

The Planning Fallacy And Group Predictions: Are Groups More Or Less Biased Than Individuals?, Deanna L. Messervey

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Research on the “planning fallacy" shows that people tend to make overly optimistic predictions about the time it will take to complete a task,despite knowing that similar tasks in the past have exceeded predicted completion times. Although the planning fallacy has been well documented in individuals, few researchers have examined how groups make predictions interactively. The main purposes of this thesis are to examine whether people make overly optimistic predictions for group projects and whether group discussion exacerbates this optimistic bias. In three studies, participants were asked to make predictions for an upcoming collaborative task alter engaging in group discussion …

'Skippers Of The Shore Crew': Women And A Fish Plant Closure (Labrador), Sheila M. Keefe

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The closure of the east coast cod fishery in 1992 resulted in the largest industry lay-off in the country, stripping 35,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians of their source of livelihood--l2,000 of whom were women, employed predominately in the processing sector. While the impacts upon Newfoundland women have been the subject of considerable research (e.g., CMHA, 1994), little to no information has been gathered about Labrador women displaced by the closure of fishery. This is a serious gap in the literature--one which the present study attempts to address. The present study examined how senior women fish plant workers in the Labrador Métis …

The Motivational Quality Of Global Attributions In Hypothetical And Experienced Situations Of Gender Discrimination, Mindi D. Foster

Psychology Faculty Publications

Traditionally, global attributions have been thought to reduce instrumental behavior aimed at resolving negative events. However, the present research shows global attributions for gender discrimination are related to taking action against unfair treatment. In Study 1, women ( N = 157) completed a questionnaire assessing attributions for hypothetical scenarios of discrimination and collective responses to discrimination. In Study 2, women ( N = 79) were placed into a laboratory situation of discrimination and asked to indicate their attributions for and responses to their unfair treatment. In both studies, hierarchical regression analyses showed that global attributions were related to both individual …

Exploring The Inequalities Between Men And Women In Relation To Marriage: A Feminist Analysis Of Women In Social Work's Experiences Of Marriage, Natalie Mccormac

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this thesis I explore the inequalities between men and women in relation to marriage and the impact ofexternal pressures on women and their choices within their marriages. I interviewed five married women and one woman in a common-law relationship about the story of their marriage. I used narrative analysis to interpret the verbatim transcriptions of each interview. In the findings I present portions of each woman’s story in her words along with my own interpretative comments. The findings indicated that women are experiencing indirect pressure from extemal sources within regard to their individual choices and their choices within their …

'Love The Sinner, Hate The Sin': Reality Or Fiction?, Scott G. Veenvliet

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Do religious individuals “love the sinner, but hate the sin?” More specifically, is relatively higher intrinsic religious orientation linked to tolerant attitudes toward gays and lesbians, yet condemnation of homosexual behaviour? There have been conflicting conclusions within the relevant literature in answering this question (Batson, Floyd, Meyer, & Winner, 1999; Fisher, Derison, Polley III, Cadman, & Johnston, 1994; Fulton, Gorsuch, & Maynard, 1999). 169 undergraduate students completed several scales measuring religious orientation, church teaching of “love the sinner, hate the sin," and scales measuring attitude toward both homosexual people and homosexual behaviour. Intrinsic religion was associated with relatively less tolerance …

The Relationship Between Student Involvement And Adjustment To The Transition To University, Amber Michelle Filiatrault

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The study reported in this paper examined the relationship between involvement in extracurricular academic and community activities and students’ adjustment to the transition to university. The study also sought to identify the underlying motivational factors that influence students’ decisions to get involved in these kinds of activities. Participants were 90 first-year undergraduate university students (59 females, 31 males) with a mean age of 19.4 years (SD=.98), participating in mass testing sessions conducted at WLU with introductory psychology classes. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire containing measures designed to assess various aspects of involvement and adjustment. These included a background …

Conscious, Deliberate, And Purposeful Living: Lessons From The Adult Daughters Of Psychiatrized Women, Jody Lee Brown

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The following document details the intellectual and emotional journey I embarked on when I chose to cross the subject-object divide by exploring a phenomenon with which I had direct lived experience. Incorporating feminist multiple interviewing techniques, participatory action learning. and critical autobiography. I sought to examine what it means to be the adult daughter of a woman who has been labelled and treated by the psychiatric profession (i.e., who has been psychiatrized). I begin with an exploration of the “phenomenon” as it is presented in the literature. To orient the reader I offer a description of what I believe are …

A Model Of Volunteer Progression: Supporting And Sustaining Volunteerism In A Primary Prevention Project, Nicole L. Kenton

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study examined the developmental progression of volunteers involved in a community development project and the role of factors on various ecological levels (individual, familial, project and community) that impede and support this progression. In-depth interviews were completed using a narrative approach with a total of 11 individuals who were volunteers (n=5), staff members (n=4) and individuals who were once volunteers who later became frontline staff members (n=2) at the Highfield Community Enrichment Project. This project is one of the several Better Beginnings, Better Future program sites implemented in Ontario. Volunteer participants were asked to tell a story about their …

A Qualitative Study Of Presently And Formerly Homeless Female Adolescents (Ontario), Allison J. Rice Roberts

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Very little research has been carried out with young homeless females in Canada. Therefore, the following study investigated homeless in the Kitchener-Waterloo Region, in two age groups of female adolescents from two different types of settings, a youth drop in centre and a female youth shelter. One sample of 8 female youth was between the ages of 14-19 and was presently homeless. The other sample was an older group of 5 individuals between the ages of 19-27, who had experienced homelessness in their earlier adolescent years. A semi-structured, open-ended interview was carried out with these 13 females. The interview was …

Utilization Of Global Attributions In Recognizing And Responding To Gender Discrimination Among College Women, Mindi D. Foster

Psychology Faculty Publications

Although learned helplessness theories suggest that global attributions for gender discrimination may serve to promote feelings of helplessness about responding to discrimination, group consciousness theories suggest they may instead be a precursor to enhancing collective actions against discrimination.

To examine this theoretical discrepancy, college women completed measures of attributions for gender discrimination, political consciousness (as measured by common fate), participation in collective action, and helplessness behavior among college women. To examine the unique role of global attributions, participants were included if they made external and unstable attributions for discrimination (N = 231). Structural equation modeling showed hat recognizing discrimination occurs …

Positive And Negative Responses To Personal Discrimination: Does Coping Make A Difference?, Mindi D. Foster

Psychology Faculty Publications

Although psychological research has found that perceiving personal discrimination is associated with negative psychological symptoms, group consciousness theories suggest that perceiving personal discrimination can be empowering. To attempt to reconcile these presumably opposing findings, the present study suggested that how one copes with perceiving personal discrimination may better predict whether the outcomes are negative or positive than the perception of personal discrimination alone. American female university students ( N = 262) completed a questionnaire assessing their perceptions of personal discrimination, psychological symptoms and psychosocial behaviors. A series of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that coping mechanisms predicted psychosocial behaviors over and …

Emergency Shelters As Empowering Settings For Young Women: A Study Of Process And Outcomes, Theresa Bailey

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study used a participatory approach to examine the process and outcomes for young women who entered an emergency shelter. The purpose of this study was to explore differences and similarities between young women from family of origin and young women with child welfare placement experience when they entered the shelter and then again three months later. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. In the quantitative component a series of two factor mixed ANOVA’ s, t-tests, and regressions were conducted on 40 initial interviews and 30 follow-up interviews. The results of these statistical analyses demonstrated that young women from …

Changing Landscapes: Stories Of Five Women Farming Ecologically, Sherri Joy Van De Hoef

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Community and the natural environment have always played an important role in my life. I have had the opportunity in the past few years to explore these areas in more depth. My introduction to Community Psychology during my undergraduate degree exposed me to agricultural initiatives that emphasized community and respect for the environment. I explore these initiatives further by conducting a study (van de Hoef, 1998) of Ontario couples who live self-reliantly (that is, they grow their own food, build their own homes, live off the electricity grid, and find supports in their local communities). Subsequent to that study I …

Partner Abuse In Gay Male Relationships: Challenging 'We Are Family', Jeffrey Aguinaldo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purposes of this study are twofold: a) to explore the material experience of partner abuse among gay male relationships and b) to explore the discursive conditions from which gay men must draw to negotiate the experience of relationship violence. I incorporated Standpoint epistemology and Queer theory to inform the theoretical basis of this thesis. To achieve the research objectives, I conducted a total of seven interviews with gay men. The findings from the interview data are presented in two phases. First, I presented three stories of gay men who had experienced violence and abuse at the hands of their …

Understanding Equity And Oppression From A Different Perspective: Students Evaluate Their Education, Kevin Black

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In 1993, the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training (MET) created a draft document on the topic of antiracism and ethnocultural equity in school boards. This document contained guidelines for anti-oppression policy and practice within schools. Many stakeholders within the education system and society debate whether or not an education for equity is being provided in schools. I chose to respond to this debate by listening to the voices of an unheard stakeholder group: students. Two methods of data collection, questionnaires and focus groups, were utilized in my study. Seventy-one students participated in the questionnaire section, and six students further …

The Relationship Of Social Dominance Orientation And Political Efficacy To Political Participation Of Women, Cherie D. Werhun

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Two studies were conducted to examine the factors that influence women’s choices of political participation. In the first study 600 University students were asked their likelihood of engaging in 35 traditional and non-traditional political activities to create social change (the Political Activity Scale). Factor analysis identified 5 factors, one of which represented traditional and political activities, one of which represented non-traditional political activities and three of which represented a mix of traditional and non-traditional. In the second study, 80 University students read a social issue concerning poverty or the environment, and completed a revised political activity scale. They also completed …

Perceiving And Responding To The Personal/Group Discrimination Discrepancy, Mindi D. Foster, Kimberley Matheson

Psychology Faculty Publications

To explain why minority group members recognize less personal than group discrimination, research has focused on cognitive processes. While within self-categorization theory it may be argued the discrepancy is a function of a salient social self that perceptually discounts the personal self, it can also be argued that depersonalization allows for the cognitive possibility of perceiving similar amounts of personal and group discrimination. The present study suggested that, consistent with group consciousness theories, the social self may serve to both discount as well as integrate the social self, depending on the way in which the social self is defined. Using …

Acting Out Against Gender Discrimination: The Effects Of Different Social Identities, Mindi D. Foster

Psychology Faculty Publications

Self-categorization theory suggests that when a social identity is salient, group- oriented behavior will ensue. Thus, women should be likely to act out against gender discrimination when their social identity as women is salient. However, self-categorization theory has typically defined a social identity along stereo- types, which may serve instead to maintain the status quo. Two studies therefore examined the effects of two different social identities on taking action against discrimination. Participants were female students (Anglo American (93%), African American (2%), Native American (2%), Hispanic (1%), Asian American (1%) and Other (1%)). Study 1 examined a structural model and Study …

Policies And Programs To Prevent Child Maltreatment And Promote Family Wellness In Ghana, Bright Isaac Asante

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study examined policies and programs to prevent child maltreatment and promote family wellness in Ghana. In the thesis, I discussed values that guide child-care in Ghana, the daily realities of children and families, and policies and programs to promote family wellness and prevent child maltreatment. Lastly, I looked at the climate for prevention and early intervention. I presented recommendations under each of these sections. In the first part of the literature review, I examined some definitions of child maltreatment, the prevalence rate, etiology, and consequences of maltreatment. In the second part, I reviewed some policies and programs to prevent …

Perceiving And Feeling Personal Discrimination: Motivation Or Inhibition For Collective Action?, Mindi D. Foster, Kimberley Matheson

Psychology Faculty Publications

Relative deprivation and group consciousness theories differ in their predictions of how personal discrimination and personal discontent will be related to taking collective action. According to relative deprivation theory, assessments of personal status should be unrelated to taking collective action.

In contrast, group consciousness theories suggest that while perceiving personal discrimination is necessary for collective action to occur, feelings of personal discontent may inhibit it. Female students completed questionnaires assessing their perceptions of, and affective responses to personal discrimination, as well as their participation in collective actions. A hierarchical regression analysis found that personal discrimination and discontent interacted such that …

The Courage To Change: Salvadoran Stories Of Personal And Social Transformation (El Salvador), Audrey Celeste Rosa

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Through a humanist, socialist, and feminist lens this study is an exploration of the process of social change. Using a grounded-theory and narrative approach, and a mix of qualitative methods (field study, in-depth and informal interviews, and participant observation), eleven in-depth interviews were generated from the sociocultural and political context of El Salvador: a country which has chosen a revolutionary path to social change. The present study focuses on the personal and social transformation processes of eight exemplary individuals, six of whom the author has known through an extensive history of solidarity work and social action. The resulting narratives are …

Supporting Community Innovators: An Evaluation Of The Sexual Offender Program Of Community Justice Initiatives, Kitchener, Ontario, Stephanie Campbell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis is an utilization-focussed evaluation of the Sexual Offender Program of Community Justice Initiatives (CJI) of Kitchener, ON. The evaluation was guided by a steering committee consisting of program stakeholders. The main goals of the study were to examine whether the program offers services which correspond to the program’s three newly stated outcome objectives and to gain program participants’ and volunteers’ suggestions to improve the program services. The study is also aimed to examine how well participants achieved the three program objectives. Information for the evaluation was gained through focus group interviews with program participants, telephone interviews with support …

Barely A Whisper In The System: Parents' Perspectives On The Prevention Of Foster Care Placement, Tammie O. Belliveau

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Despite an abundance of literature stressing the need to prevent child maltreatment and foster care placement, information related to the prevention of foster care placement and child maltreatment from a parent's perspective is virtually nonexistent. This research utilized qualitative research techniques to elicit parental perspectives on the prevention of foster care placement and child maltreatment. Results were analyzed utilizing Belsky's (1980) ecological framework for child maltreatment and a risk and protective framework. Results are discussed in terms of theoretical, research, practical and personal implications. Practical implications stress the importance of creating interventions which (a) strive to build self-esteem, (b) provide …

The Need For Social Validation, Robert S. Graham

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis describes the psychometric evaluation and validation of a scale assessing people's tendency to use others’ opinions in order to assess the correctness of their own opinion. In study 1, 320 introductory psychology students completed the 12-item Need for Social Validation scale (N SV), as well as the Need to Evaluate and Self-Monitoring scales. The NSV scale was demonstrated to possess good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha=.85), a two factor structure, and high test-retest reliability after 22-weeks (r = .76). The NSV was found to be negatively related to the Need to Evaluate scale (r = -.49) and unrelated to …

Cross-Cultural Differences In Parenting And Moral Development In Late Adolescence: A Narrative Approach, Wanna E. Mar

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study investigated differences in parenting and late adolescents’ moral development in two cultural groups: Chinese-Canadian and European-Canadian Measures of parental authoritativeness and degree of parental influence on moral values were administered to a sample of 62 European-Canadian and 40 Chinese-Canadian university students, aged 17-26 years. The participants were then compared with respect to two outcome measures, one assessing the degree to which they internalized and represented parents’ viewpoints (“voice”) in narratives about moral socialization, and the other assessing level of moral reasoning development. Results indicated that reported parental authoritativeness was positively related to the degree of parent “voice” displayed …

Social Support, Campus Involvement, And The Adjustment To University, Krista Martin

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis sought to assess the relationships between students’ involvement in campus life and their adjustment to university. Additionally, the study examined some of the possible determinants of involvement in campus activities (i.e., living in residence, past involvement in school activities, and parental community involvement). Ninety-eight introductory psychology students completed a questionnaire containing measures of campus involvement, social support, residential status, students’ past involvement in school activities and their parents’ involvement in community organizations. Results indicated that students who were involved in campus organizations and activities were better adjusted to university social life. In addition, there was some evidence that …

Value Dilemmas In Striving For Social Justice: A Case Study Of The Working Centre (Ontario), Stephen Orr

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study examines the Working Centre, a self-help resource centre for the unemployed in Kitchener, and how it has responded to the changing nature of work. It explores the growth of global capitalism and the impact of new technologies on the workplace. The study also examines how economic restructuring leads to high levels of unemployment and part-time work. The thesis reviews the Working Centre’s mission, goals and objectives, and how these have been translated into action in the Centre’s early years and today. Finally, this study discusses the Centre’s efforts to pursue a social justice agenda in a rapidly changing …

Juvenile Delinquency And Adult Aggression Against Women, Michelle Kalra

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The present research assessed whether males who exhibited delinquent acts in their youth would be likely to demonstrate aggression against women as adults. Attitudinal information was also collected to see whether attitudes supporting aggression would mediate the relation between juvenile delinquency and adult aggression against women. Male undergraduates (N = 185) responded to a 68-item, comprehensive measure of delinquency that included five subscales (Official Contact, School and Family Offenses, Serious Crime, Delinquency, and Drug Offenses), three attitudinal measures (Rape Myth Acceptance, Adversarial Sexual Beliefs, and Acceptance of Interpersonal Violence) and two measures of aggression against women (Sexual Experiences Survey and …

Lessons Learned In The Heart Need To Be Changed In The Heart': The Development And Evaluation Of A Primary Prevention Intervention Of Men's Violence Against Women, Patrick Fisher

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis presents an evaluation of primary prevention intervention working towards ending men’s violence against women. In 1995, a committee was created by the Waterloo Regional Public Education Committee for the Prevention of Violence and Oppression Against Women and Children to develop a presentation kit on the topic of men’s violence against women. The presentation kit is to be used by staff and volunteers from the local agencies in talking to groups of men about violence against women. The presentation kit provides background materials about violence against women, the philosophy behind the development of the kit, instructions on how to …