Social Psychology Commons^™

Why Having An Affair With The Boss Is A Bad Career Move, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

And men who date female superiors are judged more harshly

Effects Of Self-Monitoring And Social Support On Exercise Adherence, Dominic Cauteruccio

Honors Projects in Applied Psychology

The purpose of this study was to look at the effects of self-monitoring and social support on minutes of exercise per week. Specifically, self-monitoring examined whether self-monitoring and self-monitoring in combination with social support would increase minutes of exercise over a four week period. The study was four weeks long, with participants randomly assigned into three groups: a control group (group 1), a self-monitoring group (group 2), and a self-monitoring plus social support group (group 3). Exercise time was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and social support was measured using the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors (ISSB). …

Exploring The Stigmatization Of Anorexia: A Focus On The Structural, Interpersonal, And Individual Levels Of Stigma, Paraskevi Evelyna Kambanis

Student Works

This paper will review the literature that outlines the stigmatization of anorexia nervosa within society. I will focus on the structural, interpersonal, and individual levels of the ecological system, providing explanations and examples of how the stigmatization of anorexia nervosa manifests on each level. I will describe the consequences of societal stigmatization on individuals’ psychological and emotional health and well-being, and will examine how interpersonal stigmatization affects individuals and relationships. I then offer conclusions based on my literature findings, and offer future directions, focusing on all three levels of the ecological system, for dismantling the stigmatization of anorexia nervosa.

Insecurity Threat And Its Implications For Leadership Preference, Allen Lee

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

I investigated insecurity threat and its implications for employee leadership preferences. Preferences for three types of leadership style were examined: charismatic, relationship-oriented, and task-oriented leadership. It was anticipated that individuals’ salient work values would predict leadership preference more strongly after insecurity threat than under control conditions. Two different types of threats were investigated in comparison to a neutral control condition.

Results showed that there were no statistically significant differences in leader ratings between threat conditions. My results suggest that threat does not significantly influence preference for charismatic or task-oriented leaders. Work values did not significantly predict a preference for a …

The Influence Of Emotional And Situated Social Cognition Factors On Consents To Search, Sarah A. Moody

UCARE: Research Products

The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution holds that the government cannot conduct an unreasonable search or seizure without probable cause or consent. A surprising majority of people acquiesce to search requests and research is lacking in determining what factors play a role in these decisions. Findings from the current research on the roles of emotions and situated social cognition in consents to search may help police officers and other legal authority figures ensure against coercive or unfair consents. Based upon regression models constructed from the data, authority figures can alter their search requests to help prevent coercion. The current …

Do Psychological Contract Perceptions Mediate The Relationship Between Procedural Fairness And Prosocial Behavioral Intentions Under Conditions Of Uncertainty Threat?, Kayla D. Finuf

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Organizational justice and citizenship behaviors are important components that contribute to an organization’s overall effectiveness. Additionally, when an employee enters into a new organization, they form psychological contracts with their employer that consists of elements such as fairness and consultation. This study aimed to integrate the literature on organizational justice, psychological contract, and organizational citizenship behaviors, as well as look at the possible effects uncertainty may play. Specifically, it was proposed that psychological contract would mediate the moderating effects of uncertainty and justice in predicting prosocial behavioral intentions. Results did not support the hypothesis. Interestingly, however, identification with the university …

Feelings Of Doing Good For Myself Or Others: Discussing Effects Of Self-Conscious Emotions On Sustainable Consumption, Chi-Cheng Luan

Open Access Dissertations

Consumers have increasing interests in sustainable products, but the actual purchase rate is relatively low. To find the reasons of this gap, previous studies focus primarily on cognitive factors of behavioral change based on the theory of planned behavior. Little research, however, discusses such a sustainable consumption issue from emotional aspects. Thus, this research proposed that self-conscious emotions play an essential role of sustainable consumption behavior, and such emotions are driven from private and public self-consciousness. Study 1 examined participants’ general evaluations toward two emotions and sustainable consumption behaviors. The results showed that empathic concern had a significantly positive effect …

Regulating Belongingness Needs: Regulatory Focus And Responses To Social Exclusion, Katherine E. Adams

Open Access Theses

The current project examined the effect of social exclusion on regulatory focus motivations (promotion and prevention focus). Building on previous work, I posited that whether exclusion activates a more promotion or prevention focus depends on the person’s initial standing with the group (i.e., initial member vs. non-member). Additionally, I hypothesized that regulatory focus motivations should influence excluded individuals’ subsequent social reconnection efforts. In two studies, participants were socially excluded after either being included or not as an initial member of the excluding group; in a first study, participants also had the opportunity to reconnect with a new social partner. …

Quit Playing With Your Watch: Perceptions Of Smartwatch Use, Christopher M. Gaeta

Open Access Theses

This study identified perceptions and social norms that may affect smartwatch adoption. Interviews were conducted to identify perceptions of smartwatch use and norms that might affect those perceptions.

Smartwatch use was found to activate norms associated with wristwatch use – specifically, smartwatch users’ peers took offense to the users looking at their wristwatches. This study also found that norms prevent the use of smartwatches’ voice controls in public and various perceptions of smartwatch use and ownership.

Program For Education And Enrichment Of Relational Skills: Parental Outcomes With An Adhd Sample, Kelsey Gonring

Dissertations (1934 -)

The goal of the current study was to examine the effect of PEERS®, a 14-week parent-assisted friendship-building program for adolescents with ADHD, on parental functioning, quality of the parent-adolescent relationship, and family functioning. Participants included 25 parents (19 mothers, 6 fathers) of adolescents with ADHD. Families completed the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®; Laugeson & Frankel, 2010). Measures of parenting stress, parental efficacy, parent-adolescent communication, parent-adolescent involvement, causal attributions for negative social interactions, and family chaos were completed by parents at pre and post-treatment. Parents demonstrated statistically significant improvements in parenting stress and parent-adolescent communication …

Peers®: Long-Term Effects On Social Skills, Social Anxiety, And Physiological Regulation In Adolescents With Autism, Kirsten Ashley Schohl

Dissertations (1934 -)

This study aimed to examine the efficacy and durability, through replication and extension, of the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®: Laugeson & Frankel, 2010). PEERS® is a parent-assisted social skills group intervention for high-functioning adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This study is the first to address replication of the long-term outcomes of PEERS® outside of the site of development. Further, this study is the first to assess the effects that PEERS® has on the plasticity of physiological regulation and social anxiety over time. 36 participants completed PEERS® and were assessed at three different time …

A Geographic Distribution Analysis And Examination Of Social-Psychological Factors And Their Lmpact On Death Penalty Support In The United States, Katy Moharter

Masters Theses

Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in the United States in 1977, research has focused on shifting attitudes and waning public support for this institution. Support for the death penalty varies between different temporal, geographic, and demographic boundaries. Research also suggests that social-psychological factors such as attributional style and moral disengagement play a significant role in rationalization of death penalty support, as well as the intensity of the support. Aspects of moral disengagement serve as reliable predictors for death penalty support for a limited sample of participants, which this research intends to evaluate at a greater scale. This research …

“My Logic Is Undeniable”: Replicating The Brain For Ideal Artificial Intelligence, Samuel C. Adams

Senior Honors Theses

Alan Turing asked if machines can think, but intelligence is more than logic and reason. I ask if a machine can feel pain or joy, have visions and dreams, or paint a masterpiece. The human brain sets the bar high, and despite our progress, artificial intelligence has a long way to go. Studying neurology from a software engineer’s perspective reveals numerous uncanny similarities between the functionality of the brain and that of a computer. If the brain is a biological computer, then it is the embodiment of artificial intelligence beyond anything we have yet achieved, and its architecture is advanced …

Emotional Responses And Coping Strategies Associated With Cyber Victimization Via Social Media, Amanda G. Mayhew

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This study examined the impact of different forms of social media on the emotional and behavioral response to cyber victimization. Via Survey Monkey®, participants viewed a hypothetical post on either Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. This post mimicked a cyberbullying scenario that targeted the victim’s weight. Participants were asked to consider a number of different responses to the cyber victimization including: severity of bullying, behavioral response (e.g. liking, sharing, blocking, etc.), emotional responses, and coping strategies. They also completed measures of empathy and cyber victimization experience. They were grouped into one of two cyber victimization groups: history of less victimization vs. …

Detecting Affiliation In Colaughter Across 24 Societies, G. A. Bryant, D. M.T. Fessler, R. Fusaroli, E. Clint, L. Aaroe, C. L. Apicella, M. B. Petersen, S. T. Bickham, A. Bolyanatz, B. Chavez, D. De Smet, C. Diaz, J. Fancovicova, M. Fux, P. Giraldo-Perez, Anning Hu, S. V. Kamble, T. Kameda, Norman P. Li, Jose C. Yong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Laughter is a nonverbal vocal expression that often communicates positive affect and cooperative intent in humans. Temporally coincident laughter occurring within groups is a potentially rich cue of affiliation to overhearers. We examined listeners' judgments of affiliation based on brief, decontextualized instances of colaughter between either established friends or recently acquainted strangers. In a sample of 966 participants from 24 societies, people reliably distinguished friends from strangers with an accuracy of 53-67%. Acoustic analyses of the individual laughter segments revealed that, across cultures, listeners' judgments were consistently predicted by voicing dynamics, suggesting perceptual sensitivity to emotionally triggered spontaneous production. Colaughter …

Eyes Wide Open: Only Eyes That Pay Attention Promote Prosocial Behavior, Zoi Manesi, Paul A. M. Van Lange, Thomas V. Pollet

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Research from evolutionary psychology suggests that the mere presence of eye images can promote prosocial behavior. However, the "eye images effect'' is a source of considerable debate, and findings across studies have yielded somewhat inconsistent support. We suggest that one critical factor may be whether the eyes really need to be watching to effectively enhance prosocial behavior. In three experiments, we investigated the impact of eye images on prosocial behavior, assessed in a laboratory setting. Participants were randomly assigned to view an image of watching eyes (eyes with direct gaze), an image of nonwatching eyes (i.e., eyes closed for Study …

The Role Of Harm, Detectability, And Knowledge Of Hiv Non-Disclosure Laws In Affecting Punishment Recommendations For Hiv Law Violators, Christina Marie Dodson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Many U.S. states have passed HIV non-disclosure laws that criminalize sexual behavior on the part of HIV-positive persons who do not disclose their HIV status to sexual partners. This study broadly focused on the impact of two major philosophical approaches for meting out punishment to law violators: the just deserts and the deterrence perspectives. The study examined how these two approaches may influence laypersons’ motivations for punishing someone with HIV who violates an HIV non-disclosure law. In addition, the study examined how knowledge or no knowledge of an HIV non-disclosure law by the law violator influenced punishment recommendations. A 2 …

Socializing In The Internet Age: A Comparison Of Virtual And Traditional Groups In Terms Of Self-Definition, Self-Investment, And Personality, Christopher T. Jurgens

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

As individuals find more of their social identity defined in the virtual sphere, it is important to understand the functions and structures of virtual communities. Yet, a comprehensive comparison between virtual groups and traditional groups has yet to be conducted. This study investigated structural and functional differences and similarities between virtual and traditional communities. Participants (N = 63) in four groups (traditional social/virtual social and traditional professional/virtual professional) were compared on measures of function (as defined by their self-definition and self-investment) and structure (as defined by their personality traits). Three hypotheses were tested: 1. Virtual and traditional groups would not …

The Power Of The Situation: Approach And Avoidance Tendencies In Romantic Relationships, Emily Wetherell, Helen C. Harton

Research in the Capitol

How a person handles conflict in a romantic relationship is closely linked with his or her relationship satisfaction. Seeking positive outcomes is correlated with greater satisfaction, while avoiding negative outcomes is correlated with lesser satisfaction. Whether a person tends to seek positives vs. avoid negatives is related to personality, but this study tested whether it also might be affected by aspects of the relationship itself. 114 undergraduates indicated how they were likely to respond in three romantic relationship conflict scenarios that varied the level of a person’s relationship investment, their level of relationship alternatives, and perceived relationship repair/dissolution. I also …

Finding The Missing Links: A Comparison Of Social Network Analysis Methods, Shawn James Mehess

Dissertations and Theses

Too many students leave school without even the essential skills (ACT, 2011), and many others are so drained by the experience they lack a desire to continue on to a post-secondary education. Academic engagement has emerged as a construct representing students’ personal investment in school (Greenwood, Delquadri, & Hall, 1984), and may be a psychological variable which can be intervened on. However, interventions must occur as quickly as possible to maximize their efficiency (Heckman, 2007). Students’ peer groups may be a particularly potent venue of intervention, however several options exist for how to go about measuring their social networks.

In …