Social Psychology Commons^™

Layperson's Norms Surrounding Politician Sexual Misconduct And Sexual Harassment, Yelyzaveta Distefano

Master's Theses

While there are legal definitions of what actions and circumstances constitute gender based prejudiced, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape, less is known about lay people's norms and perceptions of what behaviors and situations qualify as each of these categories, especially involving the role of context in which ambiguous social-sexual behaviors occur. Additionally, sexual harassment paradigms have not explored the unique power relationships of politicians and those working under them in political office, an especially topical locale of workplace SH in a post #MeToo America. 277 participants completed a survey with a 2 (setting: workplace, office party at the bar) …

An Experimental Test Of Fiedler's Contingency Model Of Leadership Effectiveness: The Effect Of Gender, Samantha De Souza

Master's Theses

The present study is an experimental test of Fiedler's (1967) Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness across genders, as Fiedler's Contingency Model has been tested largely with male participants. The model predicts group performance based on four key variables: leadership style, as indexed by the Least-Preferred Coworker (LPC) Scale, and three situational variables, leader-member relations, task structure, and position power. In situations characterized by high leader-member relations, and low position power, Fiedler predicts a negative correlation between the leader's LPC score and group performance when groups perform a structured task (Octant II), and a positive correlation when groups perform an unstructured …

Judgements Of Attributional Responsibility, Social Dominance Orientation, And The Insanity Defense., Stephanie S. Souter

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Issues of race, law, and mental health meet at a cross-section when it comes to cases involving the not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) plea in which the defendant is a member of a marginalized group. Although the duty of a juror is to reach a fair and unbiased verdict, the reality is that there are many ways that a person’s thoughts can be biased without them being aware of this (Bargh, 2001). This mock juror experiment (the first of its kind), investigated the role that Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) and attributional responsibility has in the success of NGRI …

Papal Support For Women Under Uncertainty: Changing Perceptions Of Women In Religious Leadership Positions In The Roman Catholic Church, Stephanie M. Byers

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Women have historically been barred from holding positions of leadership and power. As a result, much of the literature examining women as leaders is narrow in context, focusing mainly on business and political settings (Eagly & Johnson, 1990). The current work contributes to diverse leadership research by analyzing women leaders in the context of the Roman Catholic Church - a historically gender-biased religious organization with no current leadership opportunities for women. The Church’s rigid leadership stance provides an optimal setting for exploring openness to accept change in traditionalist organizations. Previous research on identity leadership has shown that prototypical leaders are …

The Impact Of Perceived Stress, Happiness, And Religiosity On Political Orientation, Bryant Daniels

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increasing stress levels over the past 30 years have reached an all-time high, which has also correlated with an increase in medical insurance costs due to the adverse effects on life expectancy, obesity rates, and non-communicable disease deaths. An additional social problem affecting the U.S. is a 20-year increase in political dichotomy. Research has shown a distinction between liberals and conservatives on a variety of characteristics ranging from sleep patterns, disgust, personality, and even cleanliness. This current study used two other characteristics that correlate with both stress and political orientation, and they are happiness and religiosity. The purpose of this …

Qualities That Promote Male Friendship, Troy Alan Akins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The psychological, physical, and social circumstances surrounding the relationship between friends can be detrimental, especially in males. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the qualities that can be used to promote friendship among adult men ages 30 to 35 in the Northeastern Wyoming area. The theoretical framework for the study was Miller’s relational cultural theory. Data were collected from 11 semistructured interviews with men ages 30 to 35. Data were transcribed and analyzed to identify themes. Participants reported that they rely on acts of justice and fairness as well as established understanding to have clarity in friendship, …

Need To Belong, Fear Of Missing Out, And Social Media Use: Predictors Of Perceived Social Rejection, Linda K. Perna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The decline in mental health among U.S. college students is a significant concern. Research suggests that social media use may contribute to this decline. Heavy reliance on social media has been linked to feelings of loneliness and disconnection, psychological distress, and a fear of missing out on rewarding social experiences, which may ultimately trigger feelings of social rejection. Using a foundation of need to belong theory, the purpose of this quantitative study was to examine individual differences in the need to belong, fear of missing out, and social media use as predictors of emotional and behavioral reactions to ambiguous social …

Self-Efficacy And Health Perceptions, A Survey Of American Indian Obesity, Kristina L. Babbitt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Compared to other ethnicities, American Indians have higher rates of obesity and are disproportionately diagnosed with comorbid diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. While genetic, behavioral, and social risk factors contribute to health disparities and disease, the concept of self-efficacy, an element of Bandura’s social cognitive theory, influences the ability to overcome barriers and reduce risk. When combined with the health belief model, this theory also provides the foundation for understanding perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs about disease. Yet, research in these areas is limited for American Indians. Therefore, the purpose of this cross-sectional survey study was …

Exploring Gender Dysphoria Among Active-Duty Transgender Service Members In A Right-To-Serve-Openly Military, Ralph Ogburn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. Department of Defense’s June 2016 directive-type memorandum 16-005 permitting transgender service members to serve openly in the U.S. military disqualifies transgender personnel with a history of gender dysphoria from serving in the military unless a licensed medical doctor certifies that they have been free from significant distress for 18 months. Research has illuminated the prevalence of gender dysphoria among military veteran transgender members due to their military experiences, but not in active-duty military. Informed by role theory and minority stress theory, the purpose of this interpretive phenomenological analysis study was to explore role conflict and stress in the …

Attitudes And Beliefs Related To Risk Of Sexually Transmitted Infection In Swingers Who Do Not Use Condoms, Deborah Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexually transmitted infection (STI) affects the public as a hidden epidemic of contagious disease with significant economic and health impacts. There are 110 million living with STI in the United States, with 20 million new infections annually. Condom use can reduce STI, but some people have sex without condoms, with risk for contracting or transmitting STI increasing when a person is in the same sexual network. Swingers are a growing sexual network and are a group at high risk of developing and spreading STI. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to develop an understanding of the attitudes and …

Meat-Eating Justification And Relationship Closeness With Vegetarian Family, Friends, And Romantic Partners, Amy Vandehei

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Omnivores often respond negatively when friends, family members, or romantic partners disclose adoption of a vegetarian/vegan diet. Examining the beliefs behind these negative responses could result in improved relationships between omnivores and vegetarians. This study examined whether the beliefs omnivores hold to justify meat-eating are related to relationship closeness. The theory of planned behavior provided a foundation with which to examine the attitudes omnivores have about meat consumption. A survey was used with 190 omnivores with existing friend, family member, or romantic partner relationships who had become vegetarian/vegan. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the extent to which meat-eating …

Strategies African American Stepfathers Use To Build Positive Relationships With Their Stepdaughters, Shauntele Peynado-Rogers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have shown that strained relationships between stepfathers and their stepchildren contribute to family dysfunction and stress. As the number of blended families in the United States continues to rise, it is important to determine how stepparents develop positive relationships with their stepchildren. The purpose of this study was to determine what strategies African American stepfathers use to develop positive, supporting relationships with their school aged stepdaughters. Family systems theory guided this research. The generic qualitative approach was used to conduct the study. Purposeful sampling resulted in data being collected from 7 participants using semi structured interviews. Colaizzi's 7-step method …

Preservice Teachers' Perceptions Of Public School Violent Intruder Drills, Kati Oakes Pusey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public schools in the United States are increasingly implementing violent intruder drills in response to school shootings; however, the impact these drills have on the well-being of preservice teachers is not fully understood. A lack of knowledge also exists as to how intruder drills contribute to preservice teachers’ motivation to enter the profession. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of preservice teachers who have participated in violent intruder trainings and drills. Using prospect theory as the framework, the key research questions addressed preservice teachers’ perceptions of violent intruder incidents and drills as well as their …

Wrongful Conviction: Using Lived Experience To Explore Errors In Juror Cognition, Danielle Nicole Schulte Lewis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractWrongful conviction is a pressing legal and social justice issue that requires scholarly attention in the United States. The role of jurors in the criminal justice system has been empirically investigated and debated for many decades as researchers attempt to understand the juror decision-making process and how jurors contribute to wrongful conviction. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore how errors in juror cognition during decision-making led to juror reliance on narrative construction and commonsense reasoning rather than legal and judicial instruction in wrongful conviction cases. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 jurors who served on a criminal …

Integrating Social Emotional Skill Development Throughout College Access Program Activities: A Profile Of The Princeton University Preparatory Program, Catherine M. Millett, Marisol J. C. Kevelson

Journal of College Access

In a prior study we demonstrated that college access program participants have positive views of the extent to which the program supports the development of their social and emotional skills and related college help-seeking behaviors in college. In this follow-up study, we explore the extent to which participant views vary by length of participation in the program in high school (i.e., dosage) and the extent to which alumni enrolled in college differ from college graduate alumni in their perceptions of the influences of the college access program. Results reveal that a multi-year college access program may influence different social and …

Exploring The Relationship Between Diversity Training And Counselor Competence In Working With Cisgender Men Wearing Makeup, Brandi Velasquez Nash

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The concepts of gender and sexuality within counselor diversity training continue to expand and change over time; therefore, it is essential that mental health professionals are knowledgeable of the challenges faced by gender nonconforming (GNC) individuals, specifically cisgender men who wear makeup. This includes being aware of the biases and stigmas that GNC individuals face and understanding how those barriers affect their mental health.

Elements that are applicable to this population include: (a) the historical significance and implications of cisgender men who wear makeup, (b) social media platforms where cisgender men showcase their makeup skills, (c) cultural experiences of GNC …

An Exploration Of Factors Influencing First-Generation College Students' Ability To Graduate College: A Delphi Study, Ashley C. Gray Benson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation serves as a counter-narrative to the standard deficiency model in published research that characterizes most first-generation college students as feeble and unequipped when it comes to thriving in, persisting in, and graduating from college. This is one of the few studies that examines the success of first-generation college students from the students’ perspective. First-generation college students who graduated from college participated in a Delphi study that addressed this question: What factors influence first-generation college students' ability to graduate college? Three rounds of data collection resulted in ten themes, roughly in order of importance based on feedback from study …

We Are All Green: Stereotypes For Female Soldiers And Veterans, Katherine French

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As the number of females in the U.S. military continues to rise, the need for research concerning this cohort becomes increasingly important. In consideration of gender role theory, society may assume that soldiers and veterans are male, due to stereotypes. Thus, it was hypothesized that participants would be more likely to implicitly associate military (i.e. prior military or combat veteran) as male compared the neutral condition (i.e. prior Peace Corp volunteer). The current study (N = 174) used gender pronouns as implicit measures of gender assumptions. Participants were assigned to read six gender neutral scenarios; three focal scenarios (i.e. combat …

Elementary School Children’S Understanding Of Disproportionate Discipline, Sharla D. Biefeld

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

In the U.S. Black students, particularly Black boys, receive more out of school punishments, are punished more frequently, and are punished for more subjective behaviors than their White peers (Skiba, Michael, Nardo, & Peterson, 2002). This phenomenon is referred to as disproportionate discipline and is an early precursor to the disproportionate number of Black men and boys incarcerated in the U.S. Disproportionate discipline begins as early as preschool, and continues throughout elementary, middle, and high school (Gregory & Fergus, 2017). Perceptions of discrimination greatly impact children’s school involvement, school belonging, and educational outcomes (Brown, 2017, for review). However, little is …

Mortality Salience, Group Membership, & Reciprocity, Fatima A. Martin

Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of mortality salience, group membership, partner's behavior, and adherence to the norms of positive and negative reciprocity. Three-hundredeighty- four participants completed the either a mortality salience or control (where mortality was not salient) induction, a group membership induction, a personal norms of reciprocity scale, one round of a single-shot trust game (a measure of positive reciprocity), and one round of a singleshot ultimatum game (a measure of negative reciprocity). During the trust game, an ostensible interaction partner received a small monetary endowment, and contributed either that entire endowment or less than half of it (keeping …

The Flexible Impact Of Affective States On Group Decision-Making And Ideational Creativity, Young-Jae Yoon

Dissertations

Positive and negative affect are often thought to influence the cognitive performance of individuals and groups via their effects on two different dimensions of cognitive processing style: heuristic vs. systematic processing, and global vs. local attentional focus. Recently, research has suggested that the effects of affective states on the analytic and creative performance of individuals depend on the relative dominance of heuristic vs. systematic processing (for analytic performance) and of a global vs. local attentional focus (for creative performance) just prior to the affect's arousal (Huntsinger, Isbell, & Clore, 2014; Huntsinger & Ray, 2016). Extending this individual-level evidence to small …

Decreasing Women's Endorsement Of Benevolent Sexism, Kelsey Berryman

Master's Theses

The aim of the current study was to reduce women's endorsement for benevolent sexist beliefs. the intervention aimed to educate women about the prevalence and seriousness of benevolent sexism. as this is a subtle and deceptively positive type of sexism, women are particularly susceptible in endorsing it (Glick & Fiske, 2001). in order to increase awareness for benevolent sexism in their everyday lives, some participants read an informational text about the pervasiveness and harmfulness of benevolent sexism in the U.S. This text was read after participants had already written about a time they engaged in benevolent sexism to elicit negative …

The Effect Of Imagined Intergroup Contact On Heterosexism, Laurel Mertz

Master's Theses

Heterosexism and other forms of prejudice against the LGBTQ community remain prevalent across the world. Thus, the study of how to reduce heterosexism has become a much more common and necessary domain of research in recent years. Previous research has demonstrated mixed results of the effect of imagined intergroup contact on heterosexism. the current study sought to evaluate various contexts in which imagined intergroup contact would decrease or increase levels of both implicit and explicit heterosexist attitudes. I predicted that individuals who imagined winning a basketball game with a gay teammate would display more positive attitudes toward gay men whereas …

One Door Opening Is Another Person's Insult: Examining Benevolently Sexist Behaviors And Attitudes In American Males, Rachael Turner

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study explores Ambivalent Sexism Theory and takes a closer look at the correlation between the behaviors and attitudes that surround it. In this study 133 male participants completed surveys questioning their acceptance and engagement in certain benevolent behaviors, as well as measuring their level of being considered sexist and kind. Results indicate that men who endorsed benevolently sexist ideology more frequently engaged in benevolent behaviors with women as well as believed this behavior was appropriate. However, regression analysis show kindness had a higher predictability in determining whether the men would in engage in these behaviors and consider it appropriate.

Gender And Ethnicity: Are They Associated With Differential Outcomes Of A Biopsychosocial Social-Emotional Learning Program?, Ronnie I. Newman, Odikia Yim, David Shaenfield

Psychology Faculty Publications

Context: Social-emotional learning (SEL) program outcomes may be enhanced when programs take into account gender and ethnicity differences, yet few studies directly examine these variables. The limited literature further suggests improved outcomes accrue by integrating physiological techniques, such as yoga and meditation, directly into SEL curricula to reduce stress.

Aims: This study investigated the association between outcomes of a yogic breath-based biopsychosocial SEL intervention across gender and ethnicity.

Methods: Fifty-nine high school students were evaluated on 4 positive (self-esteem, identity formation, anger coping ability, planning, and concentration) and 3 negative SEL outcomes (impulsivity, distractibility, and endorsement of aggression). Using a …

Empathic Anger And Personal Anger In Response To Fairness Violations: Relations To Self And Other-Oriented Motivation And Behavior, Athena H. Cairo

Theses and Dissertations

Prosocial behavior research has shown that empathy-elicited compassionate concern often motivates actions performed with an ultimate goal of helping others even at cost to oneself, whereas empathic distress motivates low-cost help with an ultimate goal of helping oneself. Less is known about the motivational outcomes of empathic anger felt when witnessing injustice or harm to others. Though empathic anger predicts third-party compensation and punishment, it is unclear whether this motivation is ultimately self or other-oriented. Three experimental studies examined the empathic anger-altruism hypothesis, that empathic anger evoked when witnessing another being treated unjustly would evoke altruistic motivation to help the …

Does Testosterone Affect Sexist Attitudes In Men? A Simulated Analysis, Steven R. Bowman

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Sexism continues to negatively affect the lives of women across many cultures and modern societies. Although sexism has a damaging effect on people overall, women are disproportionately affected. Previous research on the topic generally explores attitudes, culture, socioeconomic status, sexual and violent crime census data, and developmental factors, but there is a lack of research investigating potential links among biological factors, such as hormone levels, and sexist attitudes. The present study used simulated data to simulate a study investigating the relationship between endogenous testosterone, cognitive aggression, and sexist attitudes. Using the faux, pwr2ppl, and ProcessR packages in R Studio open-source …

Lead Me To Lose: How Leaders, Uncertainty, And Competition Influence Weight Loss Intentions In Groups, Jeffrey M. Beaulieu

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The rates of obesity in the US was 42.4% in 2017-2018. Engaging people’s social identities through leadership may be an effective method to encourage weight loss. The social identity approach to leadership often examines representative and prototypical leadership as of the average group traits or as leaders who are similar to followers. However, exceptional leaders may also be prototypical. The preference for exceptional (ideal) over similar (representative) leaders may lie in the identity function the leader serves. Here, I hypothesized that ideal leaders (e.g., someone who has already successfully lost weight), who embody extreme positive group attributes are most influential …

Father's Profession Predicts Academic Outcomes For Women In Stem, Christopher Bach, Bettina Casad

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Underrepresentation of Women in STEM

Despite earning a larger percentage of bachelor’s degrees than men, women earn less than half of bachelor’s degrees in most science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields (Casad, Petzel, & Ingalls, 2018). STEM fields are often high earning, highly innovative professions, and therefore underrepresentation of women in STEM is a concern (Burke, 2007; Hossain & Robinson, 2012).

Attitudes, Self-Efficacy, and STEM Outcomes

Positive attitudes about math at a young age positively correlate with entrance into math related classes, leading to higher math self-efficacy and greater intent to pursue STEM careers (Wang, 2013). Because math self-efficacy …

Shadow Women: Wives Betrayed By Sex Buyers, Ingeborg Kraus

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Shadow women are women whose husbands betray them by using prostituted women. Until now, there has been almost no attention paid to the harm to the wives or partners of men who use prostituted women. In this interview, Dr. Ingeborg Kraus talks to the former wife of a sex buyer. She describes the impact of her husband’s betrayal on her and her family. This type of harm needs to be taken seriously and more research done on it.