Social Psychology Commons^™

Adolescent Attitudes Toward And Perceptions Of Suicide, Stigma, And Help-Seeking Behavior, Julia M. Hollinger

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Suicide is a leading cause of death for adolescents and represents a major national health concern (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, [AFSP], 2015; (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2013). Because adolescents spend the majority of their day at school (Erbacher, Singer, & Poland, 2015), the effectiveness of school-based suicide prevention programs may be improved through better understanding of adolescents’ views on the subject of suicide and the factors that may influence participation in prevention efforts. The present study explored the attitudes and perceptions of seventh grade students from a suburban middle school in Pennsylvania, using archival survey data. Variables that …

The Empty Chair Appointment, Jody Long, Ken Sakauye, Khaja Chisty, John Upton

Research, Publications & Creative Work

The objective was to test an intervention to reduce failed rates for psychiatric appointments. We collected data for this study of the characteristics of patients who missed appointments from March 2011 through September 2012. A phone triage assessment intervention was implemented to address chronic first-time failed attendance appointments (N = 78). The main reason for failed appointments was transportation difficulties. The first-time appointment show rate increased after implementing an assessment intervention. Phone assessment intervention was practical and may improve nonattendance for psychiatric appointments. The discussion reflects speculations about causes and possible measures to make services more accessible.

A Randomized Trial Of Implementation Intention And Industriousness Training For Exercise Initiation And Maintenance, Phuong Thi Vo

Wayne State University Theses

The current study tested the utility of a personality-informed approach combined with implementation intention formation to increase exercise initiation and maintenance. Participants (N = 221) were randomized to one of three research conditions and participated in a baseline psycho-educational group session. Participants returned individually for 3-week and 2-month follow ups. There were no statistically significant differences found among participants with regard to step rate at the end of the 3-week tracking period. However, effect size calculations at the 2-month follow up indicated that participants in the industriousness group showed the most increase in their exercise and industriousness levels while participants …

Social Media Usage And Subjective Well-Being In Middle School Students, Kimberly R. Hutcheson

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

With more people using social media platforms at younger ages, it is imperative to understand the relationship between social media use and subjective well-being. Previous research regarding young adults and their use of social media has shown inconclusive results concerning frequency of social media use and well-being. The current study focused on a younger adolescent population and on their motivations for posting on social media as opposed to their general frequency of use. Thirty seven middle school students took an online survey asking questions regarding frequency of social media use, motivations for use, self esteem, life satisfaction, and source of …

Schadenfreude, The Dark Triad, And The Effect Of Music On Emotion, Robin Lane

Honors College Theses

Schadenfreude is a humorous response at the misfortune of others and has been suggested to be an empathic defense mechanism. Previous research indicates that individuals who tend to exhibit the Dark Triad personality traits narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism, experience higher levels of Schadenfreude. Additional studies suggest that music modulates neural activity associated with experiencing humor. In the present study we ask, do music and dark personality traits influence Schadenfreude? Participants viewed a series of brief, randomly intermixed physical misfortune and neutral videos (e.g., a person falling off a treadmill or running on a treadmill, respectively), with either an upbeat or …

Interdependent Self-Construal: A Link To Psychological Resilience, Tyler West

CMC Senior Theses

In the course of figuring out one’s identity, the proactive manner in which an individual defines one’s self or builds one’s character is an important aspect of the venture. Markus and Kitayama (1991) described and contrasted interdependent self-construal and independent self-construal, two forms of self-construction. This paper presents the theoretical link between interdependent self-construal and psychological resilience. Identity development is viewed through the interdependent self-construal perspective and it is explained how interdependence provides an individual with more and better opportunities for identity development. Through a conceptual tie to self-compassion, interdependent self-construal may be a key component to experiencing psychological resilience.

Who Will Be The First To Buy Autonomous Vehicles? An Application Of Everett Rogers’ Diffusion Of Innovations Theory, Reilly Jackson Umberger

CMC Senior Theses

Autonomous, otherwise known as self-driving, vehicles represent the future of transportation. Vehicles that drive themselves offer far reaching benefits from increased leisure and productivity for individuals to significant improvements in congestion and infrastructure for governments. The autonomous car will radically change the way we look at transportation, and they are right around the corner. However, the question remains: are we ready? Are we, as a society, ready to hand over the steering the wheel and trust autonomous vehicles with our safety? This paper predicts how the autonomous car will spread through society by analyzing and applying the product qualities and …

Best Friends Forever? The Influence Of Technology On High-Quality And Low-Quality Childhood Friendships, Molly R. O'Donnell

CMC Senior Theses

This literature review provides a holistic assessment of childhood interaction by investigating the many ways in which new technologies have influenced both high-quality and low-quality childhood friendships. As technology becomes increasingly more prevalent in society and inevitably continues to evolve peer-to-peer communication, traditional approaches to social interaction have adopted entirely new mediums. Children are now being exposed to communication-altering devices younger than ever before, which has profoundly influenced their social relationships. This thesis explores past competing research on the topic of children and technology by explaining the many ways in which technology has both helped children develop high-quality peer relationships, …

Can Narrative Fiction Reduce Prejudice Toward The Mentally Ill?, Mara Bandt-Law

CMC Senior Theses

This paper proposes an experimental study that will examine narrative fiction’s ability to reduce implicit and explicit prejudice toward the mentally ill through spontaneous perspective-taking. The study will measure participants’ (n=100) opinions toward the mentally ill, contact with the mentally ill, and disposition to perspective-taking. It will then manipulate when and if the fictional narrative reveals the protagonist to be mentally ill. The character will be revealed as mentally ill either at the outset of the narrative, at the end of the narrative, or not at all. The study will then measure participants’ implicit and explicit prejudice and the extent …

Graduate Bulletin, 2016-2017 (2016), Minnesota State University Moorhead

Graduate Bulletins (Catalogs)

No abstract provided.

Measuring Older Adult Confidence In The Courts And Law Enforcement, Joseph A. Hamm, Lindsey E. Wylie, Eve M. Brank

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Older adults are an increasingly relevant subpopulation for criminal justice policy but, as yet, are largely neglected in the relevant research. The current research addresses this by reporting on a psychometric evaluation of a measure of older adults’ Confidence in Legal Institutions (CLI). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) provided support for the unidimensionality and reliability of the measures. In addition, participants’ CLI was related to cynicism, trust in government, dispositional trust, age, and education, but not income or gender. The results provide support for the measures of confidence in the courts and law enforcement, so we present the scale as a …

The Role Of Intentions In Conceptions Of Prejudice: An Historical Perspective, Patrick S. Forscher, Patricia G. Devine

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this chapter, we will draw on previous treatments of the history of prejudice research (Devine, 1995; Duckitt, 1992; Milner, 1983) to conduct an historical review of how events in both the real world and the research world have shaped researchers’ conceptualizations of the intentionality of prejudice. We argue that, while early research focused on the intentional aspects of prejudice, modern research focuses more exclusively on the unintentional aspects of prejudice. As a result of the modern overattention to the unintentional aspects of prejudice, researchers have ignored the possibility that some people are motivated to express prejudice (Forscher & Devine, …

The Effect Of Gender Threat On Implicit Sexism And Stereotyping, Shelby Speegle

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gender threat occurs in situations in which one is threatened by the possibility of acting like the opposite gender (Vandello et al., 2008) and is most pervasive for men (e.g., “you throw like a girl”). This study examined the question of whether men, after being told they performed like women, would respond with negative implicit evaluations of women. In addition, competence threat (with no reference to gender) was examined to see if it would affect men in the same way. Women were threatened by being told they performed like men, although it was hypothesized there would be no effect of …

Seft-Monitoring And Attitude Polarization: Individual Differences In The Role Of Belief Consistency And Belief Confidence In The Mere-Thought Effect, Rosanna Rodriguez

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The mere thought effect is the tendency for favorable attitudes to become more favorable and unfavorable attitudes to become more unfavorable following thought (Tesser, 1978). Changes in belief-consistency and belief-confidence mediate this effect (Tesser, Martin, & Mendolia, 1995). However, there are self-monitoring differences in the extent to which people are driven by consistency in their beliefs (Fuglestad & Snyder, 2009; Snyder, 1974). It was predicted that mere-thought and self-monitoring will interactively influence attitude polarization. We also hypothesized that the interactive effects of mere-thought and self-monitoring on attitude polarization will be mediated by belief-consistency and belief-confidence. After indicating their initial attitudes …

Categorizing Pro-Environmental Behaviors Using The Laypeople's Perspective, Ashley Jade Gillis

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Most efforts to categorize pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) have focused on researchers’ – rather than laypeople’s – perceptions of PEBs. Drawing on the psychometric paradigm used to categorize environmental risks, we aimed to identify the PEB attributes salient to laypeople and, from that, determine the underlying dimensions of PEB. In Study 1, participants (n = 157) evaluated 30 PEBs through open-ended questions. The results revealed 21 attributes that laypeople commonly associate with PEBs. In Study 2, 250 MTurk participants rated 74 PEBs on the 21 attributes. An exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors underlying PEB: Factor 1 (Financial and Behavioral Cost), …

Motivational Factors That Influence Retirement Contentment, Mary Greer Landon, John M. Ritz

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Retirement is a stage of life where people withdraw from a position of active employment. According to retirement no longer focuses entirely on an event that occurs when one ends their primary working career, but it is now a stage of life and stage of human development that can extend beyond full-time work to part-time employment and the stoppage of work for pay. This research focuses on the withdrawal from full-time work and the factors that contribute to retirees a well-being in retirement. Retirement models, for the most part, have focused on financial resources such as income and personal assets. …

The Effects Of A Trauma-Informed Care Training Program On Mental Health Professionals Knowledge, Skills, And Attitudes With The Smi, Angelina Pelletier

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Trauma has been found to be highly prevalent among individuals diagnosed with SMIs. Mental health professionals have been reported to misdiagnose or avoid addressing trauma in this population. There is a need to provide information about trauma and to foster awareness among mental health professionals who are treating individuals diagnosed with SMIs. With a TIC approach, operating from a recovery-oriented philosophy, there have been interventions created to address trauma and SMIs with the aim of developing awareness about trauma and the impact it may have on someone’s life. With these factors in mind, mental health professionals should be competent in …

Correlations Between Sexual Imagery And Sexual Cognitions, Jennifer L. Mcdonnell

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Analyzing the relationship between the visual imagery used in music videos, and the sexual cognition of viewers. Sexual cognition is the awareness of one's own sexual behavior, and its implications. The visual content of music videos was analyzed focusing only on the imagery used. The Heterosexual Script (Jhally, 2007) in particular is observed in most music videos, highlighting the sexual objectification of women and the dominant role of males. The direction of causality between the visual imagery and sexual cognitions can only be speculated using a number of theories, namely cognitive dissonance (Festinger, 1957), cultivation theory (Gerbner et al., 1994), …

Authoritariansim And Collectivism: Antecedents And Consequences Among College Students, Jasmine Samuel Ms.

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) suggests there are five distinct moral dimensions, which define morality as a whole. MFT can be broken down into two groups binding: in group/loyalty, authority/respect, and purity/sanctity-which encompass group morality. Harm/Care, fairness/reciprocity are individualizing dimensions, which highlight individual morality. Recent work has found MFT predicts sociopolitical ideologies, as well as sociopolitical attitudes. In an effort to better understand the existing relationships we investigate MFT as a predictor of sociopolitical parties, and attitudes Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO). We also draw on similarities between Individualism/Collectivism and MFT. Specifically we demonstrate individualizing foundations, and dimensions …

Generation Rated X: Personality Traits, Sexual Attitudes, And The Effects Of Sexually Explicit Media On Attraction Among Men, H. Christopher Eckstein

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Previous research has indicated that exposure to pornography, or sexually explicit media (SEM), can lead married men to express a stronger desire for sexual intimacy (Staley & Prause, 2013). However, SEM exposure has also resulted in decreased physical attractiveness ratings among men evaluating their spouses (Kenrick, et al., 1989). Only a small amount of research has investigated the effects of SEM on attraction among unmarried males. The current study examined the effects of SEM in a sample of 108 heterosexual, undergraduate males. Participants evaluated pictures of 15 unknown women’s faces for physical attractiveness. They were then exposed to five minutes …

A Formative Evaluation Of A Smartphone Application For Couples: The Affectionate Gesture Planner, Patrick Robert Bortz

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

The Affectionate Gesture Planner (AGP) is a smartphone application (i.e., “app”) that aims to increase relationship satisfaction for couples in long-term relationships by prompting couples to complete loving acts for each other on a daily basis. The AGP app is informed by concepts from social exchange theory and the investment model (Rusbult, 1983), which predict that increasing the mutual exchange of beneficial investments to the relationship improves the quality and stability of the relationship. The present study is a formative evaluation on the prototype of the AGP app. Based on participant feedback, the AGP app will be improved prior to …

Reflections On Black Lives Matter In The Context Of Human Rights And Family Science, Shuntay Z. Mccoy, Anthony James

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

- While all lives do matter, the humanity of all lives is not collectively recognized.

- Violent contexts place an extraordinary amount of stress on Black youth, families, and communities.

- Systematic violence causes multiple transitions in families and threatens families' psychosocial adjustment.

- The collectivistic approach served as an adaptive response to varying levels of oppression faced by Black people since arriving in the Americas.

- Black Lives Matter has significant implications for the work of family life educators, researchers, and practitioners.

A Unified Framework Of The Shared Aesthetic Experience, Huakai Liao

CMC Senior Theses

Aesthetic expressions have been seen as the manifest of human culture. The psychology of aesthetics have proposed various models, describing the various phenomena related to aesthetic experience, such as sensory pleasure derived from aesthetic stimuli, emotional response toward aesthetic depiction, cognitive mastering over aesthetic emotion, etc. However, further examination reveals current models have theoretical limits for the explanation of society-wide aesthetic preference due to limited scope of focus. Thus, the current project proposes a new theoretical framework to describe the process through which the society comes to converge on aesthetic preference. Examination of related theories and experimental evidence shows that …

The Effects Of Cognitive Load And Stereotyped Groups On Punitiveness, Daniel Schmidt

CMC Senior Theses

The current study explores the interactions of cognitive load and stereotypes on emotions felt toward stereotyped groups and decisions of punitiveness for a crime. Dual processing models suggest that cognitive load can decrease deliberation and increase intuitive and emotional judgments. The Stereotype Content Model suggests that different stereotyped groups evoke different emotions. The current study tested the hypothesis that individuals under high cognitive load will be more likely to rely on stereotypical information and associated emotions when making decisions on punishment for a crime. Study 1 had 205 participants from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk website complete an online survey in which …

Groundhog Oracles And Their Forebears, Daniel S. Capper

Faculty Publications

Groundhog Day animal weather forecasting ceremonies continue to proliferate around the United States despite a lack of public confidence in the oracles. This essay probes religio-historical and original ethnographic perspectives to offer a psychological argument for why these ceremonies exist. Employing Paul Shepard’s notion of a felt loss of sacred, intimate relationships with nonhuman nature, as well as Peter Homans’ concept of the monument that enables mourning, this essay argues that groundhog oracles serve as monuments that allow humans experientially to attempt to heal lost sacred relationships with animals like weather forecasting bears, hedgehogs, and badgers

Self-Expansion And Romantic Partner Request For Friendship Termination, Emily C. Wages

Scripps Senior Theses

According to self-expansion theory, there is an innate drive to gain new resources, identities, and perspectives, which causes people to seek and maintain interpersonal relationships. However, an individual’s relationship partners may come into conflict with each other. In the current research, 656 adults in established monogamous romantic relationships completed an online questionnaire about romantic partners asking them to give up a friendship. The researcher explored the prevalence of this friendship interference phenomenon and its relationship to sources of self-expansion. The amount of self-expansion provided by a friendship was manipulated through vignettes. Additional measures assessed the relationship between amount of self-expansion …

Bounded Rationality's Account For The Influence Of Group Identification On Ingroup Favoritism: A Field Investigation Using Jewish And Arab Populations In Israel, R. Matthew Montoya, Todd L, Pittinsky

Psychology Faculty Publications

We used the bounded rationality approach to explore the impact of group identification on intergroup relations. 1,289 Jewish and Arab citizens completed assessments of group identification, functional relations, and indices of ingroup favoritism. Results provided evidence of (a) a positive relation between group identification and ingroup favoritism; (b) perceptions of more positive functional relations that were associated with less ingroup favoritism; and (c) that high-identifiers who evaluated relations as positive experienced the lowest levels of ingroup favoritism. We discuss how the results clarify the complex relation between group identification and ingroup favoritism.

A 50-Year Review Of Psychological Reactance Theory: Do Not Read This Article, Benjamin Rosenberg, Jason T. Siegel

Psychology | Faculty Scholarship

Psychological reactance theory (PRT; Brehm, 1966) posits that when something threatens or eliminates people’s freedom of behavior, they experience psychological reactance, a motivational state that drives freedom restoration. Complementing recent, discipline-specific reviews (e.g., Quick, Shen, & Dillard, 2013; Steindl, Jonas, Sittenthaler, Traut-Mattausch, & Greenberg, 2015), the current analysis integrates PRT research across fields in which it has flourished: social psychology and clinical psychology, as well as communication research. Moreover, the current review offers a rare synthesis of existing reactance measures. We outline five overlapping waves in the PRT literature: Wave 1: Theory proposal and testing, Wave 2: Contributions from clinical …

The Effect Of Inconsistency Appeals On The Influence Of Direct-To-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertisements: An Application Of Goal Disruption Theory, Benjamin D. Rosenberg, Jason T. Siegel

Psychology | Faculty Scholarship

Scholars across multiple domains have identified the presence of inconsistency-arousing information in direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertisements, and have suggested that these appeals, which highlight differences between people’s actual and desired lives, may create psychological disequilibrium. However, experimental assessment of the distinct influence of inconsistency-arousing information in this domain is rare. Guided by goal disruption theory (GDT)—a framework that outlines people’s reactions to goal expectation violations—we created DTC advertisements designed to make people’s life inconsistencies salient. The influence of these ads on people’s perceptions of, and intentions to use, prescription drugs was then assessed. Results from an SEM analysis support …

Urban Congolese Refugees In Kenya: The Contingencies Of Coping And Resilience In A Context Marked By Structural Vulnerability, Julie A. Tippens

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The global increase in refugee migration to urban areas creates challenges pertaining to the promotion of refugee health, broadly conceived. Despite considerable attention to trauma and forced migration, there is relatively little focus on how refugees cope with stressful situations, and on the determinants that facilitate and undermine resilience. This article examines how urban Congolese refugees in Kenya promote psychosocial well-being in the context of structural vulnerability. This article is based on interviews (N = 55) and ethnographic participant observation with Congolese refugees over a period of 8 months in Nairobi in 2014. Primary stressors related to scarcity of material …