Social Psychology Commons^™

When “Right Makes Might”: Moral Superiority And Its Effects On Decision-Making For Others, Emily Shakal

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Within the psychological literature of morality, little research has been done on the concept of moral superiority. The aim of this study was to determine whether a self-perception of moral superiority led to increased severity of judgment toward social issues and harsher moral action against perpetrators. Participants in the experimental condition were given a moral identity prime prior to all tasks. The results showed that the moral prime was not effective in increasing a sense of moral superiority in comparison to the control condition. Severity of judgment also did not differ between groups. There was no difference between groups on …

Body Image, Fear Of Fat, And Attentional Bias For Thin And Non-Thin Bodies, Neusha Khaleghi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study examined the impact of Attentional Bias Modification (ABM) on body image and fear of fat in college women. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: an ABM condition or a non-ABM placebo condition in viewing a series of thin and non-thin body stimuli. Extending previous work documenting associations between attentional biases and body dissatisfaction and the effects of ABM on body dissatisfaction, we hypothesized that effects of an ABM task designed to direct attention toward non-thin bodies would: (a) decrease body dissatisfaction, (b) increase body appreciation, and (c) decrease fear of fat. There were no significant …

Evaluating Implicit Self-Compassion In College Students, Emily Kutok

Senior Honors Projects

Typically, research on self-compassion and mental health has used the measurement tool of self-report (explicit) surveys to examine self-compassion. Implicit Association Tests (IAT) can be applied to a number of di erent constructs, some of which include racial biases, gender stereotypes, and suicidal ideation. ey are used to measure the strength of a person’s automatic association between two concepts (in this case, between self and compassion). By measuring implicit self-compassion, a researcher can expect less self-report bias related to self- presentational concerns and the limits of introspection, and they can capture psychological processes that occur without full conscious awareness but …

Why We Ask Why: The Ways In Which Control And Stereotyping Biases Affect Internal Attributions, Tia Francis

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Since the idea of attributions was famously discussed by Fritz Heider (1958), a wide array of empirical research has focused on the phenomenon. Included within the sphere of attributional theories are internal attributions, which have been of particular interest to the psychological community for decades. Although there is no comprehensive theory for why people make these attributions, literature points to establishing control as a possible motivator. In addition, research suggests that people may make more extreme internal attributions about minorities, particularly when they are not aware they are relying on stereotypes. Participants (N = 377) observed a modified version of …

Dancing, Mindfulness, And Our Emotions: Embracing The Mind, Body, And Sole, Alisha M. Collins

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This capstone project examines dance, as an intervention and mindfulness practice that assists with managing our emotions. There is a need for dance therapy in social institutions such as, healthcare facilities, schools, and community centers. Dance therapy has the potential to reduce negative emotions, create mindfulness, improve self-expression, and promote a healthy well-being. I am proposing that dance therapy is applied as a regular practice in social institutions to develop mindfulness and promote emotional stability.

In this study, I argue that dance therapy can contribute to our well-being long term. In addition to this written thesis, a visual component of …

Perceived Knowledge And Defense Of Political Attitudes, Matthew H. Goldberg

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Three experiments tested if perceived knowledge about a political issue predicted people’s willingness to engage with relatively weaker versus stronger belief-threatening information on that issue. Study 1 assessed people’s perceived knowledge on four political issues and, for each issue, manipulated whether participants chose between arguing against a weak versus moderate argument or a moderate versus strong argument. Only one issue provided some support for the primary hypothesis. When people believed they were not knowledgeable about the carbon tax, giving them a relatively stronger set of arguments to choose from (moderate versus strong) further increased their preferences for the weaker argument …

Racial Bias In Elementary School Children: Effects Of Skin Tone And Facial Features, Maya Alyse Rex

Honors Theses

This work examines whether explicit and implicit racial attitudes are driven primarily by skin tone, other features of facial physiognomy, or both in elementary school children (N = 108) between the ages of 5 and 12. Children evaluated faces varying in skin tone (from dark to light) and facial physiognomy (from Afrocentric to Eurocentric). In an explicit bias task, children rated how much they liked each face that appeared on the computer screen one by one. In an implicit bias task (a child-friendly version of the Affect Misattribution Procedure, Dunham & Emory, 2014), on each trial participants rated a Chinese …

"Triggers": Systematic And Social Cues For Black College Student Racial Self-Consciousness And Rejection Sensitivity, Race-Based., Leanna T. Luney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Scholars have examined black student well-being in varying ways including through the framing of race-based rejection sensitivity (Downey & Feldman, 1996; Mendoza-Denton, Downey, Purdie, Davis, & Pietrzak, 2002) and racial self-consciousness (Clark & Clark, 1939). Research shows that black students perform worse academically when they display high levels of race-based rejection sensitivity and racial self-conscious levels (Brannon & Taylor, 2015; Clark & Clark, 1939; Koehler & Skvoretz, 2010), and feelings of racial self-consciousness or rejection sensitivity stem from discriminatory and prejudicial experiences. However, research has not fully connected the broader context surrounding black students in college to their high levels …

Examining Generativity Development Among College Student Leaders Who Mentor, Hannah M. Sunderman

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the influence, if any, of age cohort on generativity among college student leaders who mentor. While previous research has revealed that college student leaders who mentor tend to demonstrate higher levels of generativity than other college student leaders and general college students (Hastings, Griesen, Hoover, Creswell, & Dlugosh, 2015), research as to the development of generativity among college student leaders who mentor has not been determined. Additionally, a need exists for further research on the antecedents of generativity (McAdams, 2001, p. 434). The current study sought to fill these gaps in …

“Room At Our Table": Analyzing The Efficacy Of Pro-Refugee Social Media Campaigns Based On Hospitality Values And Resource Sharing, Virginia Gallner

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Applying a theoretical framework of engaging hospitality values can reduce implicit bias. This research was implemented through a social media campaign called Room at Our Table, based around a series of webisodes that utilize the psychological concept of meal sharing as a community-building activity to change perspectives on hospitality toward refugees, via the reduction of implicit bias. Psychologically, aversion to welcoming refugees can also stem from identity threat and a desire to protect resources within a given group. Here in Nebraska, people are changing their minds about refugees based on personal interactions. In 2016, Nebraska resettled the most refugees per …

Interactions In Social Settings: The Relationship Between Alcohol And Sexual Assault Among College Students, Heather Lepper

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Research has linked alcohol to violence and sexual assault, especially within the college student population. Most of this research focuses on the effects of alcohol on victims or perpetrators of sexual assault and not on bystanders of such situations. This study examines how self-reported drinking behavior affects students' ability to recognize risk of sexual assault in written scenarios and the various barriers that would inhibit their willingness to intervene. A sample of 275 students (183 female, 92 male) were asked to read one of three scenarios and respond to a brief questionnaire adapted from Burn's (2009) Barriers to Bystander Intervention …

Violence And Aggression In School Settings, Barbara Katic

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

Violence and aggression continue to cause harm to American schools and communities, which has been visibly illustrated by the continual perpetration of school shootings. In order to prevent these situations for occurring again, the etiology of violent and aggressive behaviors must be studied. Utilizing an ecological perspective, both the risk factors and protective factors of violence and aggression, also known as a dual strategy approach, are examined within an educational context. Specific risk factors reviewed include weapons exposure and social rejection, while protective factors reviewed include school connectedness and pro-social relationships. Implications regarding the prevention of violent and aggressive acts …

Persistence Of Cultural Heritage In A Multicultural Context: Examining Factors That Shaped Voting Preferences In The 2016 Election, Anna M. Schwartz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The prevailing discourse about the myth of the “melting pot” of American culture implies that heritage cultures are eliminated in favor of a homogenous “American” norm. However, this myth belies the persistence of our cultural heritage in forming our attitudes, morals, and habitual patterns of thought, each of which shape how we participate in our democracy through voting. By contextualizing voting predictors such as authoritarianism, social dominance, and sexism in developmental and ecological theories, this dissertation shows how they are shaped by culture and transmitted through consumption of media and interaction with members of one’s community and family. In an …

The Narration Of Conflicting Accountabilities In The Era Of High-Stakes Teacher Evaluation, James Christopher Head

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The U.S. Government’s Race to the Top program inspired a wave of education reforms across the nation aimed at holding teachers individually accountable for their students’ “growth” on test scores. These individualized programs implemented new forms of audit technologies aimed at orienting teachers’ priorities toward the calculations produced by students, rather than towards students’ holistic growth and well-being. In so doing, these programs signify an ideological rupture for teachers in that their long-shared sense of interpersonal accountability is institutionally re-directed – and reinforced with consequences – toward calculative accountability. In this dissertation, I investigated teachers’ experiential navigation of the introduction …

An Overview Of Suicide And The Impact Of Interacting Factors On Current Suicide Trends, Shawna Burrow

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Approximately 44,965 people committed suicide in 2016 in the United States, and the rate has been rising for a decade and a half. Suicide has far-reaching consequences which affect not only the victim, but those close to the person as well. For every suicide, an estimated six people are futher traumatized, bringing the current loss survivor estimate to over 5 million. Additionally, suicide costs tax payers about 70 billion dollars annually. Despite outranking homicide as a leading cause of death, the long-standing stigma associated with suicide creates a barrier for open and effective communication about the issue. This paper investigates …

Childhood Development: How The Fine And Performing Arts Enhance Neurological, Social, And Academic Traits, Katherine Rowe

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

Childhood development has always been a major topic when studying psychology and biology. This makes sense because the brain develops from the time a child is conceived to the time that child has reached around the age of twenty-seven. Doctors, psychologists, and sociologists look at numerous things when studying childhood development. However, how common is it for researchers to study how the fine and performing arts affect childhood development? Sociologists tend to be extremely open and mindful of all aspects of things such as culture, sexuality, religion, and even age. By taking a sociological standpoint when studying the arts …

Fear Of Missing Out, Social Media Abuse, And Parenting Styles, Kylie Richter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the increasing rise in technology use, particularly engagement in social media, it is important for researchers to gain a better understanding of the usage patterns along with the antecedents and consequences of heavy social media usage. In addition to the rise in social media usage, a new anxiety driven phenomenon is storming the research world, FoMO (Fear of Missing Out). To date, there has been little empirical research on the relationship between social media usage and psychological adjustment. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between FoMO, social media abuse, and parenting styles. It is theorized that because FoMO …

How Want Vs Need Self-Talk Facilitates Goal-Directed Behavior, Danielle Elyse Baker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Exercising self-control can be a challenge, whether it involves avoiding temptations or striving toward long-term goals. When attempting to exert self-control, the way people address themselves (e.g., self-talk) is important. This study examined how self-talk strategies want and need affected behavioral self-control outcomes in a temptation situation using a 2 (self-talk strategy: want vs need) x 2 (goal emphasis: temptation vs long term goal) factorial design. Participants’ own cell phones served as the temptation and a computer task designed to portray a career-relevant emotional intelligence training served as the long-term goal. Participants were randomly assigned toward either the long-term goal …

Community- Versus School-Based Mentoring Matches: Do Mentees’ Parents Differ In Family Risk, Perceived Support Or Reasons For A Mentor?, Meredith Sourk

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores whether the parents or guardians of youth participating in community-based (CBM) and school-based (SBM) mentoring programs differ in their level of family stress, economic adversity and perceived social and community support. Participants were 131 parents of youth in either CBM (n = 79) or SBM (n = 52) programs sponsored by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBS-Canada). Parents completed an online survey that assessed demographic characteristics and involvement in BBBS-C programs. Additional measures assessed family stress, economic adversity, perceived support (interpersonal, community), and reasons for wanting a mentor. Parents of youth in CBM matches were less …

The Effects Of Skin Tone On The Perception Of Discrimination In Young African American Women, Danielle T. Stamps

Honors Theses

This research focuses on the perceived discriminatory experiences (i.e. colorism and racism) that young African American women report as a function of their actual and perceived skin tone. Colorism is a form of internalized racism when individuals with darker skin tones are discriminated against by others. Each participant (N = 76) was given the Pantone Skin Tone guide and asked to find the best color (varying on undertone and lightness) that matched closely to their skin tone without feedback from any reflective surfaces and with a handheld mirror. Following that, the researcher identified the participant’s skin tone. In addition, participants …

The Influence Of Activated Short-Term Mating Goals On Men’S And Women’S Domain-Specific Mating Self-Efficacy, Nathaniel Thomas Horton

Honors Theses

Men and women are motivated to identify and procure mating opportunities that would best facilitate the survival and long-term reproductive success of their offspring. In the current study, we hypothesized that when primed with mating interest, men and women would report greater self-efficacy in behavioral domains that would be attractive to the opposite sex. Men and women were randomly assigned to a mating or control prime condition, then completed a self-efficacy scale tapping into behaviors related to physical attractiveness enhancement, dominance, and status; participants also completed a scale assessing their level of intrasexual competitiveness. It was predicted that men primed …

Utilizing A School-Based Treatment To Address Socially Anxious Elementary School Students, Mckell Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Despite the availability of promising clinic-based programs, youth exhibiting socially anxious behaviors rarely receive the treatment they may need. Those that do get treatment, often do so in the school setting. Thus, the demand for effective interventions to address those needs in the school-setting is growing. The present study investigated the effects of a modified CBT intervention, delivered in the school setting, on positive peer interactions and self-rating social anxiety. Results showed that the treatment package provided an increase in positive peer interactions across all four participants, as well as a decrease in self-rated anxiety behaviors.

Separating Self-Esteem From Self-Concept Processes: An Investigation Of Emotional Responses To Self-Image Threat, Andrew Schwarzkopf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The researcher examined self-concept/self-image and self-concept maintenance processes in response to self-image threat. Replicating previous research, the researcher hypothesized that those who had self-image threatened would not engage in derogatory behavior in order to maintain self-concept (Fein & Spencer, 1997). Participants completed a false intelligence test giving negative, neutral, or positive feedback and were given an opportunity to evaluate members of a locally stereotyped or locally nonstereotyped social group for a hypothetical job position. No significant main effects or interactions were found for feedback or applicant social group on participant evaluations of applicants, indicating that derogation did not influence judgements …

The Influence Of Visibility On Mental Health Amongst The Muslim Female Population In The United States, Sarika Antora

Theses and Dissertations

Analyses of self reported data of a sample of 222 Muslim American women show that women who are more visibly Muslim have increased symptoms of anxiety and depression because the Hijab makes them more vulnerable to anti-Muslim discrimination and prejudice.

Children Weigh Need And Level Of Disloyalty When Evaluating Disloyal In-Group Members, Lily Samiee, Valentin Gulyas, Jacquelyn Glidden, Angelica Buneno

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

The current study extends existing literature about children's views regarding the moral obligation of group loyalty. Findings indicate that children think loyalty to one’s group is not obligatory, and helping one’s out-group is sometimes a moral necessity, however not when it comes at a high cost to one’s in-group.

The Use Of Participant-Confederates In Examining Behavior Among The Falsely Accused: A Pilot Study

Symposium of Student Scholars

False confessions, which are admissions of guilt of a criminal act by an innocent individual, are a leading cause of wrongful convictions (Drizin & Leo, 2004). Researchers have primarily focused on identifying coercive elements of interrogations and confessor characteristics that increase the likelihood of false confessions, rather than examining potential relationship factors between the perpetrator and the false confessor. This pilot study examined whether Russano et al.’s (2005) cheating paradigm could be modified to include a participant-confederate who is either a stranger or a friend. Participant-confederates engage in a staged cheating incident and then send a plea to innocent-participants asking …

The Effects Of Exposure Of Political Affiliation And Race On Perceptions Of White Privilege And Anti-Black Discrimination, Hannah Knechel

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This thesis explored the effects of exposure to different political affiliations and races on participants’ perceptions of white privilege and anti-black discrimination. Recent research has studied the effects of race, framing, and guilt on the acknowledgement of white privilege, but none have explored how political affiliation can affect these perceptions. If simple exposure to these symbols of political affiliation can alter the perceptions of those exposed, perhaps the results of this study could be used to bring about awareness and ease political tensions. Participants were placed in one of six groups consisting of either a white or black experimenter wearing …

The Influence Of Religion On The Criminal Behavior Of Emerging Adults, Christopher Salvatore, Gabriel Rubin

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Recent generations of young adults are experiencing a new life course stage: emerging adulthood. During this ‘new’ stage of the life course, traditional social bonds and turning points may not be present, may be delayed, or may not operate in the same manner as they have for prior generations. One such bond, religion, is examined here. Focusing on the United States, emerging adulthood is investigated as a distinct stage of the life course. The criminality of emerging adults is presented, a theoretical examination of the relationship between religion and crime is provided, the role of religion in emerging adults’ lives …

Allopathic Medicine’S Influence On Indigenous Peoples In The Kumaon Region Of India, Eliana M. Blum

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

This paper focuses on the use of western medicine in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, India. The goal of this research is to understand which healing practices are preferable in rural villages. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 53 participants, including two spiritual healers, two doctors, and one pharmacist. Results indicate that allopathic medicine, otherwise known as modern medicine or western medicine, has become the go-to remedy for even the most remote people in India. Nearly all participants use allopathic medicine, but less than half of the participants experiment with other forms of healing, such as Ayurveda, homeopathy, meditation, and yoga. …

Game Of Thrones Versus History: Written In Blood. Brian Pavlac, Joseph Young

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

No abstract provided.