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Social Psychology Commons

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Series

2007

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Institution
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Articles 1 - 18 of 18

Full-Text Articles in Social Psychology

An Observational Analysis Of Psychosocial Behaviors And Caregiver Responses In The Durban Children’S Home, Sarah Young Oct 2007

An Observational Analysis Of Psychosocial Behaviors And Caregiver Responses In The Durban Children’S Home, Sarah Young

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In South Africa, many children find themselves in at risk situations arising from issues like HIV, abuse, and poverty, which highly impact their mental well being by forcing them into unlivable situations. The Durban Children’s Home, located in Glenwood, Durban, works to tackle this problem, providing facilities, meals, and care for 75 homeless, abused, terminally ill, and/or poverty stricken children. Yet in coming from situations where children no longer have support of their primary caregiver or environment, these children require quality psychosocial attention in the Home. However when basic needs of so many children must be met in an institutional …


The Soft Embodiment Of Culture: Camera Angles And Motion Through Time And Space, Angela K. Y. Leung, Dov Cohen Sep 2007

The Soft Embodiment Of Culture: Camera Angles And Motion Through Time And Space, Angela K. Y. Leung, Dov Cohen

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Cultural assumptions about one's relation to others and one's place in the world can be literally embodied in the way one cognitively maps out one's position and motion in time and space. In three experiments, we examined the psychological perspective that Asian American and Euro-American participants embodied as they both comprehended and produced narratives and mapped out metaphors of time and space. In social situations, Euro-American participants were more likely to embody their own perspective and a sense of their own motion (rather than those of a friend), whereas Asian American participants were more likely to embody a friend's perspective …


Are There Personality Factors That Can Undermine Moral Judgment Development?, Nathan A. Kerr Aug 2007

Are There Personality Factors That Can Undermine Moral Judgment Development?, Nathan A. Kerr

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research in moral psychology has focused on understanding what factors assist in the development of moral action and decision making. Examples of these research factors include educational experiences (Rest et al, 1986), intelligence (Rest, 1979), and social networking (Derryberry & Thoma, 2000). Personality factors facilitating moral judgment have also receive attention in recent years with Damon and Hart (1988) exploring self-understanding as a possible factor in moral judgment and Baumeister and Exline (1999) proposing that exercising self-control is often characteristic of those who often employ prosocial behavior. Pizarro (2000) suggested that those who fail to utilize empathy may think about …


The Effects Of Attachment Relationships On The Development Of Effects Of Empathy Or Depersonalization In Adolescence, John Lamanna May 2007

The Effects Of Attachment Relationships On The Development Of Effects Of Empathy Or Depersonalization In Adolescence, John Lamanna

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research on attachment theory supports the notion that our early attachment relationships are integral to empathic development, and that early negative attachment relationships can promote depersonalization rather than empathy. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of separations from one’s primary caregiver(s) on the development of empathy or depersonalization in adolescence. Adolescents who have been separated from their biological parent(s) due to abuse and/or neglect were expected to differ on self-reported levels of empathy, dissociation, hostility, and depression when compared to adolescents who have not had such involuntary separations in their life. After performing descriptive, correlational, …


Children's Use Of Race In Drawing Inferences Based On Their Understanding Of Race Constancy, Casey A. Dawson May 2007

Children's Use Of Race In Drawing Inferences Based On Their Understanding Of Race Constancy, Casey A. Dawson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Children’s understanding of race constancy and their subsequent use of race as a means of drawing inductive inferences were investigated. Race constancy was determined by children’s tendency to say that people could change category membership by changing their outside appearance. A second phase of the study measured how many race-based inferences children made relative to other social categories such as age or sex. The results indicated that children who had a better understanding of race constancy were also more likely to use race as a means of drawing inductive inferences. These findings support a developmental progression of race constancy and …


Causes & Perceptions: An Exploratory Study Of Suicide In Indo-Fijian & Fijian Youth, Marcie L. Grambeau Apr 2007

Causes & Perceptions: An Exploratory Study Of Suicide In Indo-Fijian & Fijian Youth, Marcie L. Grambeau

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In a culture that is extremely religious, traditional and conservative, one may not first assume that suicide is one of Fiji’s leading causes of death amongst its youth population. However, the number of suicides today is one of the highest in the world and is rising at alarming rates. This study was designed to understand the underlying pressures that directly affect Indo-Fijian and indigenous Fijian youths, both the majority race in Fiji. The study focuses mainly on interviews conducted in the urban area of Suva but includes references to the rural areas, where a large number of suicides occur. The …


Beauty Ideals & Body Image: Suva, Fiji, Melissa Kong Apr 2007

Beauty Ideals & Body Image: Suva, Fiji, Melissa Kong

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Fiji is a country rich with traditions and culture. For many decades, the two dominant ethnic groups in Fiji- Indo-Fijians and Indigenous Fijians- have maintained their distinct cultural values and practices. As a country that is currently experiencing westernization, technological advancement, and the influx of mass media, cultural traditions, lifestyles, and ideals are changing rapidly. One such change from the traditional past is the emergence of a new body ideal and different beauty standards. In this research project, connections will be made between the past and present in regards to body and beauty ideals in Fiji. The differences and commonalities …


Tornar-Se Negro & Thinking Beautiful, Ayana Hosten Apr 2007

Tornar-Se Negro & Thinking Beautiful, Ayana Hosten

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 1990, the census reported that Brazilian’s population was 55.3 percent branco, 39.3 percent parda, 4.9 percent negro, and 0.5 percent Indio. In response to complaints that these racial identities were not sufficient, the IBEG conducted a survey where they asked people “Qual é sua cor?” This survey resulted in a list of 134 different racial identities that reflect the complexities of race in Brazil due to a history of miscegenation. At the two extremes of this racial spectrum is branco and negro. These two extremes have cultural and historical significance that I examine through scholarly research. In the field, …


The Pond You Fish In Determines The Fish You Catch: Exploring Strategies For Qualitative Data Collection, Muninder Kaur Ahluwalia, Lisa A. Suzuki, Agnes Kwong Arora, Jacqueline S. Mattis Mar 2007

The Pond You Fish In Determines The Fish You Catch: Exploring Strategies For Qualitative Data Collection, Muninder Kaur Ahluwalia, Lisa A. Suzuki, Agnes Kwong Arora, Jacqueline S. Mattis

Department of Counseling Scholarship and Creative Works

Qualitative research has increased in popularity among social scientists. While substantial attention has been given to various methods of qualitative analysis, there is a need to focus on strategies for collecting diverse forms of qualitative data. In this article, the authors discuss four sources of qualitative data: participant observation, interviews, physical data, and electronic data. Although counseling psychology researchers often use interviewing, participant observation and physical and electronic data are also beneficial ways of collecting qualitative data that have been underutilized.


What Do People Desire In Others? A Sociofunctional Perspective On The Importance Of Different Valued Characteristics, Catherine A. Cottrell, Steven L. Neuberg, Norman P. Li Feb 2007

What Do People Desire In Others? A Sociofunctional Perspective On The Importance Of Different Valued Characteristics, Catherine A. Cottrell, Steven L. Neuberg, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Humans, as discriminately social creatures, make frequent judgments about others' suitability for interdependent social relations. Which characteristics of others guide these judgments and, thus, shape patterns of human affiliation? Extant research is only minimally useful for answering this question. On the basis of a sociofunctional analysis of human sociality, the authors hypothesized that people highly value trustworthiness and (to a lesser extent) cooperativeness in others with whom they may be interdependent, regardless of the specific tasks, goals, or functions of the group or relationship, but value other favorable characteristics (e.g., intelligence) differentially across such tasks, goals, or functions. Participants in …


The Moderating Effects Of Rituals On Commitment In Premarital Involvements, Kelly Campbell, James J. Ponzetti Jan 2007

The Moderating Effects Of Rituals On Commitment In Premarital Involvements, Kelly Campbell, James J. Ponzetti

Psychology Faculty Publications

This study examined how rituals were associated with commitment, and to what extent rituals moderated the investment model variables (i.e., satisfaction level, investment size, and alternatives) on commitment. Although rituals promote commitment in marital and family relationships, the salience of rituals to commitment in premarital involvements has not been investigated. University students (N=100) who agreed to participate were in a couple relationship but not married. Findings indicated that rituals were significant predictors of commitment; however, no unique variance was accounted for once investment model variables were taken into consideration. Rituals significantly moderated the relationship between alternatives and investments, and commitment. …


Mate Preference Necessities In Long- And Short-Term Mating: People Prioritize In Themselves What Their Mates Prioritize In Them, Norman P. Li Jan 2007

Mate Preference Necessities In Long- And Short-Term Mating: People Prioritize In Themselves What Their Mates Prioritize In Them, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

People were given highly constrained low budgets of mate dollars to allocate across various characteristics pertaining to their ideal partners and to their ideal selves for long- and short-term mating. First, results replicated findings from LI et al. (2002) and LI and KENRICK (2006). For ideal long-term mates, men prioritized physical attractiveness and women prioritized social status. For ideal short-term mates, both sexes prioritized physical attractiveness. Second, people's design of their ideal selves mirrored what the opposite sex ideally desired in their mates. For a long-term mating context, men prioritized social status in themselves and women prioritized physical attractiveness in …


Predicting The Use Of Campus Counseling Services For Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino/Hispanic, And White Students: Problem Severity, Gender, And Generational Status, Kieran T. Sullivan, Lucila Ramos-Sánchez, Stephanie D. Mciver Jan 2007

Predicting The Use Of Campus Counseling Services For Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino/Hispanic, And White Students: Problem Severity, Gender, And Generational Status, Kieran T. Sullivan, Lucila Ramos-Sánchez, Stephanie D. Mciver

Psychology

The purpose of the current study was to identify predictors of counseling center use among Asian, Latino/a, and White college students. Findings indicated that females and second generation students report the most severe difficulties. Problem severity and gender predicted counseling center use for White and Asian students, whereas only problem severity predicted use for Latino students. Generational status was not a significant predictor of use for any group.


Increasing Retention Of Women Engineering Students, Kieran T. Sullivan, Ruth Davis Jan 2007

Increasing Retention Of Women Engineering Students, Kieran T. Sullivan, Ruth Davis

Psychology

This paper reports the results of a study carried out over several years to determine the factors predicting success for women engineering students at Santa Clara University. We examined psychosocial factors, such as commitment to engineering and confidence in engineering abilities, as well as the effect of a specific intervention on the retention rate of young women engineering students.


Promoting Resilience In Inner City Youth : Implications For Counselors, Anthony D. Lymus Jan 2007

Promoting Resilience In Inner City Youth : Implications For Counselors, Anthony D. Lymus

Graduate Research Papers

The strain and difficulties that plague the inner city continue to mount. As a result, youth who grow up in this environment are exposed to violence, substance abuse, inadequate education, and poverty. Although some youth become a part of the cycle that produces these unfortunate events, some are able to make it out and become assets to society. This occurrence has been termed resilience. The study of resilience continues to grow as researchers attempt to provide information for school officials, communities, and mental health practitioners about how to promote resilience in inner city youth.


Group Dynamics, Donelson R. Forsyth Jan 2007

Group Dynamics, Donelson R. Forsyth

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Group dynamics are the influential actions, processes, and changes that take place in groups. Individuals often seek personal objectives independently of others, but across a wide range of settings and situations, they join with others in groups. The processes that take place within these groups--such as pressures to conform, the development of norms and roles, differentiation of leaders from followers, collective goal-strivings, and conflict-substantially influence members' emotions, actions, and thoughts. Kurt Lewin, widely recognized as the founding theorist of the field, used the term group dynamics to describe these group processes, as well as the scientific discipline devoted to their …


Intuitions Of Justice: Implications For Criminal Law And Justice Policy, Paul H. Robinson, John M. Darley Jan 2007

Intuitions Of Justice: Implications For Criminal Law And Justice Policy, Paul H. Robinson, John M. Darley

All Faculty Scholarship

Recent social science research suggests that many if not most judgements about criminal liability and punishment for serious wrongdoing are intuitional rather than reasoned. Further, such intuitions of justice are nuanced and widely shared, even though they concern matters that seem quite complex and subjective. While people may debate the source of these intuitions, it seems clear that, whatever their source, it must be one that is insulated from the influence of much of human experience because, if it were not, one would see differences in intuitions reflecting the vast differences in human existence across demographics and societies. This article …


Oxytocin Increases Generosity In Humans, Paul J. Zak, Angela Stanton, Sheila Ahmadi Jan 2007

Oxytocin Increases Generosity In Humans, Paul J. Zak, Angela Stanton, Sheila Ahmadi

Business Faculty Articles and Research

Human beings routinely help strangers at costs to themselves. Sometimes the help offered is generous-offering more than the other expects. The proximate mechanisms supporting generosity are not well-understood, but several lines of research suggest a role for empathy. In this study, participants were infused with 40 IU oxytocin (OT) or placebo and engaged in a blinded, one-shot decision on how to split a sum of money with a stranger that could be rejected. Those on OT were 80% more generous than those given a placebo. OT had no effect on a unilateral monetary transfer task dissociating generosity from altruism. OT …