Social Psychology Commons^™

Religious Discrimination In Courtroom Oaths, Shannon M. Griffith

Theses and Dissertations

The current study investigated whether trust in Atheists moderates the relationship between prejudice against Atheists and belief in a hypothetical Atheists’ witness testimony. Pilot studies revealed that participants do not innately label witnesses who affirm as Atheists and determined that there was no significant difference between ratings of belief in Atheists witnesses in comparison to Christian witnesses. Responses from 185 MTurk participants confirmed that belief in witnesses did not significantly differ between Atheists and Christians. Furthermore, trust did not moderate the relationship between prejudice against Atheists and belief in the Atheist witness. These studies furthered research in distrust against Atheists …

Beyond Black And White: Infusing Restorative Practices Into Student Discipline, Louis L. Fletcher Phd, Peter Hilts

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

As a reaction to school violence, zero-tolerance became the rule in many school districts. The latter practice silenced student voices and institutionalized the overrepresentation of minority students in discipline situations. An over-reliance on punishment has not significantly changed behavior; therefore, it is time to explore proactively using restorative practices to allow students to value the reasons behind rules instead of simply complying to avoid punishment.

Childhood Victimization Pathways And Violent Extremism, Michael K. Logan

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The current study elaborates on childhood victimization as a nonideological risk-factor for participation in violent extremism. In particular, we focus on contextualizing the early lives of a sample of former members of violent White supremacist groups (n = 44). Data were collected through life-history interviews and analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. The findings indicate that there are three distinct victimization pathways characterize the early lives of our sample: (a) living in a dangerous family, (b) residing in a dangerous community, and (c) living in an unstable, chaotic family environment. These victimization pathways provide further insight into the …

The Influence Of Humorous Priming And Situation Type On Generation Of Malevolently Creative Ideas, Reo W. Newring

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Creativity is usually considered a positive attribute, but what happens when creativity is used to generate a harmful product? Malevolent creativity (Cropley, Kaufman, & Cropley, 2008) refers to a clever, original product with negative valence, or intention to harm. The purpose of the current study was to examine predictors of malevolent creativity, expanding on existing knowledge and exploring a new area, specifically humor. Humorous primes were used to evoke malevolence, in the form of dialogues between two cartoon characters engaged in highly aggressive, moderately aggressive, self-defeating, or neutral exchanges. Subjects were then provided with a hypothetical situation (problem) and asked …

Cynical Towards What? Cynicism Towards Management And Cynicism Towards Diversity Training Differentially Relate To Post-Diversity-Training Measures, Danielle B. Rutz

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

We examined the role of organizational cynicism, that is, the belief that the management of an organization lacks integrity and cannot be trusted to provide truthful information (Dean, Brandes, & Dharwadkar, 1998). In the present research, we further developed our measure of cynicism, distinguishing between cynicism towards management and cynicism towards diversity training.

White participants (N=198; 55% female; M_age = 37.57, SD_age = 10.52) were recruited via MTurk for a study concerning impressions of diversity training. Participants responded to a cynicism measure and then read ostensible corporate memos that described the training as being supported by …

Volunteer Perceptions Of Upward And Downward Communication Facilitate Organizational Commitment, Kelly Prange

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Retaining productive volunteers is an essential issue nonprofit organizations face, as volunteers help extend the services of their target populations. The current study examined upward and downward communication and training as important volunteer management practices with respect to facilitating volunteer engagement and commitment. Using social exchange theory as a framework, the present study investigated the reasons why organizations should stress giving volunteers training and open communication and soliciting feedback from volunteers. Doing so may initiate a social exchange relationship in which volunteers receive training and communication from organizations and in turn become more engaged and committed to the organization. As …

Aware Of What? The Structure And Meaning Of Gender Aware And Blind Ideologies Across Gender And Race, Abigail M. Folberg

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Aware and blind ideologies concerning race (i.e., multiculturalism and colorblindness) have received considerable attention. However, few studies have assessed parallel ideologies about gender, gender awareness (GA) and gender blindness (GB). We examined the relationships of GA/GB to benevolent (BS) and hostile (HS) sexism and assessed the factor structure and measurement invariance of GA and GB across gender and race. Evaluation of the GA/GB measure indicated the presence of two factors (GA and GB) that were invariant across gender and race. Further analyses indicated that greater GA was associated with HS but not GB, whereas greater GB was positively associated with …

Levels Of Teacher Emotional Intelligence In Selected "Beat The Odds" Schools: A Descriptive Study, Nathan L. Schmutz

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This study sought to describe selected “beat the odds” schools in Washington state based on the levels of emotional intelligence of classroom teachers. In total 5 schools were selected to participate, and 3rd-5th grade teachers were invited to complete the EQ-i 2.0, a validated emotional intelligence assessment. Participants also completed the validated School Culture Triage survey to assess teachers’ perspectives of school culture. In total, 20 teachers participated in the study, completing both survey instruments. A descriptive analysis of the EQ-i 2.0 results found that this sample of teachers had a mid-to high mean level of emotional intelligence on all …

Stop Truancy Before It Starts: Getting Every Kid To School, Everyday, Brittany Roulette, Hannah Twedt, Paula Skala

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Attending school consistently builds a foundation for academic achievement and social success in the future. Students missing an excessive number of school days throughout childhood for any reason experience increasingly negative outcomes as they grow older. When truancy leads to dropping out of school, this costs individuals money in lost wages associated with reduced education levels. Truancy also costs society as a whole in reduced tax collection, increased crime, and increased need for public services. Research demonstrates that minority students and youth with other risk-factors are more likely to experience school disengagement leading to truancy. Punitive school policies such as …

Cumulative Sexual Victimization And Mental Health Outcomes Among Incarcerated Women, Jennifer Hartsfield, Susan F. Sharp, Sonya Conner

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This research explores the relationship between three different types of self-reported sexual victimization and subsequent mental health problems in a sample of incarcerated women. Previous literature establishes a link between victimization histories and poor mental health outcomes. This study focuses on sexual victimization experienced as a child, as an adolescent and as an adult, both individually and cumulatively, in relation to entering prison with a mental health diagnosis as well as reporting current depressive symptoms while incarcerated. Each type of victimization is significantly related to both prior mental health diagnosis and current depression in prison. Furthermore, there is an additive …

Mental Imagery Boosts Music Compositional Creativity, Sarah Shi Hui Wong, Stephen Wee Hun Lim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

We empirically investigated the effect of mental imagery on young children’s music compositional creativity. Children aged 5 to 8 years participated in two music composition sessions. In the control session, participants based their composition on a motif that they had created using a sequence of letter names. In the mental imagery session, participants were given a picture of an animal and instructed to imagine the animal’s sounds and movements, before incorporating what they had imagined into their composition. Six expert judges independently rated all music compositions on creativity based on subjective criteria (consensual assessment). Reliability analyses indicated that the expert …

Exploring The Impostor Phenomenon's Behavioral Characteristics: How Do Gay Male Leaders And Impostors Cope?, Donald B. Scott

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed-methods case study was to explore and describe the coping skills used to overcome 9 behavioral characteristics by gay men serving in civic or nonprofit leadership roles who are identified as experiencing the impostor phenomenon (IP) by the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS; Clance, 1985).

Methodology: This study used a mixed-methods, descriptive case study approach to collect both quantitative and qualitative data about 14 study participants. Each completed the 20-question CIPS that represented the quantitative strand of the study prior to an interview that included 10 semistructured interview questions designed to collect rich, descriptive data. …

Being While Doing: An Inductive Model Of Mindfulness At Work, Christopher Lyddy, Darren J. Good

School of Business Faculty Publications

Mindfulness at work has drawn growing interest as empirical evidence increasingly supports its positive workplace impacts. Yet theory also suggests that mindfulness is a cognitive mode of “Being” that may be incompatible with the cognitive mode of “Doing” that undergirds workplace functioning. Therefore, mindfulness at work has been theorized as “being while doing,” but little is known regarding how people experience these two modes in combination, nor the influences or outcomes of this interaction. Drawing on a sample of 39 semi-structured interviews, this study explores how professionals experience being mindful at work. The relationship between Being and Doing modes demonstrated …

Expanding Intersectionality Praxis: Informing Culturally-Responsive Programming For Black And Latino Gay And Bisexual Young Men, Justin T. Brown

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Black/Latino gay/bisexual young men face a multitude of health disparities caused by various determinants of health. However, despite the awareness of the gaps, health intervention research rarely explores the impact of current health intervention strategies on Black/Latino gay/bisexual young men’s overall health and well-being. Traditional health interventions are deficit-based, health condition-specific, and often limited in their cultural-specificity. As health-related fields move toward holistic, evidence-based practices, new primary prevention approaches need to emerge. Using qualitative investigation strategies, this study included primary analysis of participatory workshop artifacts, and secondary analysis of survey and focus group data. This study identified critical factors necessary …

Diversity's Impact On The Quality Of Deliberations, Amanda N. Bergold

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Racial minorities endure unfair treatment in our legal system on a variety of different outcomes, jury decisions in particular. Courts and researchers propose increasing diversity in juries as a method for improving jury deliberations and reducing racially biased outcomes for minority defendants (Peters v. Kiff, 1972; Sommers 2006). In the present research, I investigated the impact of diversity on the quality of deliberations, as defined by both sensitivity to case strength, and by more high quality contributions to deliberations. In the first study, both minority group members and majority group members provided more, higher quality, contributions when they …

The Fear Factor: Exploring The Impact Of The Vulnerability To Deportation On Immigrants' Lives, Shirley P. Leyro

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This qualitative study explores the impact that the fear of deportation has on the lives of noncitizen immigrants. More broadly, it explores the role that immigration enforcement, specifically deportation, plays in disrupting the process of integration, and the possible implications of this interruption for immigrants and their communities. The study aims to answer: (1) how vulnerability to deportation specifically impacts an immigrant’s life, and (2) how the vulnerability to deportation, and the fear associated with it, impacts an immigrant’s degree of integration. Data were gathered through a combination of six open-ended focus group interviews of 10 persons each, and 33 …

Warmth And Competence Traits: Perceptions Of Female And Male Nurse Stereotypes, Randolph E. Gross

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

A nursing shortage looms ahead; 1.03 million new nurses will be needed by 2022 to meet society's healthcare needs. A major barrier to recruitment of women and men are nurse stereotypes. The literature suggests four female and four male stereotypes exist; however, no quantitative research exists that explores perceptions of non-nursing undergraduate students. Approximately, 90% of college students do not consider nursing as a career option, and 72% have misconceptions of what nurses do in reality.

According to social cognitive theory's Stereotype Content Model (SCM), perceptions are viewed through a combination of two dimensions: warmth and competence. The author devised …

The Impact Of Social Dominance Orientation On Experienced Threat And Consequent Interviewer Discriminatory Behavior: A Psychophysiological Approach, John F. Capman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Though the representation of Black males within lower echelons of organizations has increased since the inception of Title VII (CRA 1964), Black males continue to be highly underrepresented in management-level roles (EEOC, 2015). The current study was developed to examine how social dominance orientation (SDO) among White males (Sidanius & Pratto, 1994) might disadvantage Black males attempting to advance into management jobs. Additionally, I evaluated the role of threat in contributing to discrimination against Black males by directly assessing threat responses among Organizational Decision Makers (ODM) using psychophysiological measures (i.e., cardiovascular responses). Male and female participants were recruited to participate …

Prostitution Survivors: Backlash In Australia, Melinda Tankard Reist

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This report is a personal account of prostitution survivors facing harassment from representatives of the sex industry in Australia. At events to promote a new collection of stories by survivors of the industry—Prostitution Narratives: Stories of Survival in the Sex Trade—speakers were intimidated and insulted. The survivors describe their experiences and their determination to speak-out against prostitution, even in the face of opposition.

A Street Child’S Perspective: A Grounded Theory Study Of How Street Children Experience And Cope With Grief, Somidha Ray

The Qualitative Report

The research project entitled – “A Street Child’s Perspective: A Grounded Theory Study of How Street Child Experience and Cope with Grief,” seeks to understand and explain how street children experience and cope with grief. Grief is multi-faceted and highly subjective. However, most street children, sharing the same contexts and backgrounds show some commonality in their experiences and coping styles. The paper attempts to understand grief as it is subjectively experienced by street children. The research employed qualitative techniques – In-Depth Interviewing, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and field notes. The researcher contacted an NGO and through them, gained access to …

Do Education And Personal Relationships Reduce The Stigma Of Those Labelled?, Jessica Rose Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Labels exist within society for many reasons. Labels exist within school systems to benefit students by providing them with the best possible education. This includes providing accommodations when appropriate and guaranteeing the least-restrictive environment for them to grow and succeed. While labels are designed to help students, they sometimes have negative side effects, such as stigma that could result in stigma and subsequently low self-esteem or poor self-image. This study examines 93 students' responses for a connection between relationships with those who are labelled and attitudes and beliefs about those who are labelled educationally, as well as a possible relationship …

Tweeting About Sexism Is Good For Women’S Wellbeing, Mindi D. Foster

Clear Language Summaries

Social media can be used to promote equality in a way that empowers women. When women experience sexism or unfair treatment, they can respond by tweeting about their experiences to decrease the negative effects of the incident on their well-being and mood.

Bling And Brand Recognition: What Your Conspicuous Consumption Says About You, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Makers of luxury goods can charge even more if they play down their famous labels

Professional Development For The West Virginia School Psychologists Association, Andrea Nunn

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The present study evaluated the professional development provided by the West Virginia School Psychologists Association (WVSPA) in 2016. A 2011 survey was revised and distributed to all members of the WVSPA. West Virginia school psychologists rated the overall WVSPA’s professional development for the last few years as ‘good’. Participants rated WVSPA services as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ with the exception of the resources available through the WVSPA website. Most participants rated this area as ‘fair’, showing that it would be a major recommendation for WVSPA revision. In addition, topics suggested as needing more coverage in future conferences include: emotional behavioral disorder, …

Enhancing Creativity Through Multiculturalism, Singapore Management University

Research@SMU: Connecting the Dots

Professor Angela Leung finds that multicultural experience is a useful lens through which to analyse creative performance.

See her papers:

• Multicultural experience, idea receptiveness, and creativity
• Embodied metaphors and creative "acts"
• Being environmentally responsible: Cosmopolitan orientation predicts pro-environmental behaviors

A Current And Increasing Problem Of Anti-Social Behavior Via Anonymity Using Electronic Mediums Demanding Recognition As A Biophsychosocial Disorder That Perpetuates Criminal Behavior Online, Hannah Wood Despres

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Most people who commit crime fall into a classification of criminological, sociological or psychological disorders called biopsychosocial disorders. Cyber-crime is unique in the fact that, cyber criminals can commit crimes behind completely closed doors and they are virtually anonymous. This makes for a varied environment of theory on the causation of cyber-crimes. The proposed disorder theory, computer mediated anonymity asocial disordered theory, is based on the notion that the anonymous nature of electronic mediums in communication has significantly changed people’s interpersonal skills. The change in interpersonal development is therefore affecting social engagement behavior online and has allowed a lack of …

Positive Psychology Coursework And Subjective Wellbeing, Heather E. Walker

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Positive Psychology aims to shift the conversation of mental health from solely repairing mental dysfunction to focusing on individuals’ positive qualities or strengths (Seligman, 2000). This study aims at exploring connections between a Positive Psychology college level coursework and students’ self-reported wellbeing using an electronically administered survey containing multiple scales used to measure various aspects of wellbeing. Scales used were The Ryff Scale of Psychological Wellbeing, The Purpose in Life Test (PIL), the Alienation Scale, and questions related to the course content itself. Students who have higher wellbeing tend to have increased life benefits such as health, life-satisfaction, and flourishing …

What Is The Pressing “Animal Question” About? Thinking/Feeling Capacity Or Exploitability?, Gordon Hodson

Animal Sentience

Marino’s timely review highlights what humans go to great lengths to ignore and suppress: non-human animals such as chickens have rich inner lives. Although I share her belief that such evidence should provide the impetus for ending the exploitation of chickens, the psychological literatures on motivated reasoning and group-based dominance suggest not only that this is unlikely but that people will push back precisely because of the implications (as they do for climate change). Human psychology has done a great deal to suppress the recognition of sentience in animals, but it can also shed insights into ending exploitation.

Relationship Of The Openness Personality Trait And Development Of Belief In God, Anne Njenga

Student Research Posters

The development of an individual’s beliefs about God is significantly influenced by teachings of parents. However, not all children have the exact same beliefs as their parents. The present study will examine what may be the characteristics of individual who have similar or differing beliefs than those to which they were exposed as a child.

Although not identical to a “belief in God”, much of the past research evaluating belief systems has focused primarily of “religiosity”. Caldwell-Harris (2012) noted that openness to experience was the personality characteristic that differed most between the religious and non-religious respondents. Even controlling for education, …

Women’S Readiness To Engage In Risky Sexual Behavior: The Effects Of Interpersonal Violence Victimization And Social Rejection, Jacqueline Woerner

Wayne State University Dissertations

The current study explores the role of psychosocial factors in women’s likelihood to engage in risky sexual behavior (RSB). Social rejection is particularly relevant as it is linked to a wide range of negative outcomes including engagement in self-reported RSB; however, its causal role has been rarely studied in a systematic manner. Furthermore, interpersonal violence victimization has been associated with RSB, but the processes underlying this relationship are largely unknown. This study aimed to: 1) test the impact of social rejection on women’s tendency to engage in RSB; 2) understand victimization as an individual vulnerability for engaging in RSB; and …