Personality and Social Contexts Commons^™

From Theory To Practice: A True-Crime Podcast, Lauren V. Peckham

Senior Honors Projects

The Criminal Element is an innovative, victim-centered podcast that bridges the gap between criminological theory and real-world criminal cases. The podcast is designed as an educational resource for undergraduate Criminology and Criminal Justice students, alongside general audience members interested in learning more about criminological theory. Through the lens of true crime, this podcast is an engaging exploration of foundational and advanced theories while avoiding sensationalism and exploitation, a prevalent problem among true crime media. Each episode connects criminological theoretical concepts – such as strain, social learning, and social disorganization – to contemporary and historical cases, providing listeners with accessible and …

The Role Of Asd On The Reality Television Dating Show, "Love On The Spectrum", Priscilla Muñoz

Posters - 2025

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disorder that is determined by early challenges in social and communicative behaviors (Taddei et al., 2024), has been studied widely in all stages of life, from toddlers to the elderly (Heijnen-Kohl et al, 2017; Debodinance et al., 2017). • Every case of ASD is unique in that each can present different behaviors, however, there are three behaviors that are prevalent in many cases of ASD. The behaviors that are found and studied often include repetitive behavior (Martinez-Gonzalez, 2022), emotional meltdowns (Lewis & Stevens, 2023), and restricted interests (Jasim & Perry, 2023).

• Specifically, …

Understanding The Stereotypes, Emotions, And Behaviors Towards Introverts In The Workplace, Kristen M. Fisher

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study utilizes the SCM and the BIAS Map to understand perceptions of introverts within the workplace and highlight potential approaches to mitigate introversion mistreatment. It was hypothesized that, when compared to extraverted employees, introverted employees would be perceived as lower in warmth and competence, receive more emotional responses of contempt, more behavioral responses of passive harm, and that contempt would mediate the relationship between competence and passive harm. Conversely, it was hypothesized that extraverts would be perceived as higher in warmth and competence, receive more emotional responses of admiration, more behavioral responses of active facilitation, and that admiration …

Stress, Coping, And Psychological Growth In Personnel In A High Arctic Weather Station, Jelena Brcic, Patrick Nicoll, Peter Suedfeld, Phyllis Johnson, Lillian Shurgold

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

Ideas about positive change following a stressful experience have been of interest to researchers for some time (Antonovsky, 1987; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996). A few areas of study have been developed, some with a focus on successful coping such as research on resilience, sense of coherence and hardiness, stress inoculation, posttraumatic growth, and toughening (Tedeschi, Park, and Calhoun, 1998). Suedfeld (2001) has encouraged researchers to focus on the positive effects of work in extreme and unusual environments however, only a few have done so with astronauts, cosmonauts (Ihle et al., 2006: Suedfeld et al., 2012), and high-altitude mountaineers (Smith et …

Gratitude And Personality: A Meta-Analysis, Nancy E. Frye, Selenay Aytac, Michele M. Dornisch

Post Library Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between gratitude and personality through a comprehensive review of existing research and a meta-analysis of findings on the correlation between gratitude and the Big Five personality dimensions.

Transhumanism And Artificial Personality, John D. Mayer

UNH Personality Lab

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Methods For Binning Responses To Open-Ended Survey Items About Everyday Events: A New Tailored-Binning Approach, Derrick M. Angier, John D. Mayer

UNH Personality Lab

Psychologists and other researchers employ diverse types of surveys and survey items. Lifespace-type items include questions about a person’s external life conditions and activities, for example, “How many hours did you spend playing video games last week?” and elicit countable responses, for example, 0 hours, < 1 hour, 1-2 hours, 3-5 hours, etc., where the response intervals are referred to as bins. We report on a procedure for creating tailored bins for participants and compare it to two other binning approaches in an original and a replication study (Ns = 263 and 246). The Tailored binning approach developed here is highly structured, but, for convenience, can also be applied in less formal fashions. In the structured form focused on here, it compares favorably with alternative approaches such as Equal Percentage and Equal Interval methods. The pros and cons of each method …

Exploring The Dynamics Of Volitional Personality Change: A Psychoeducational Intervention Study With Young Adults Transitioning To The Workforce, Erica Baranski, Ramona L. Martinez, Zihan Liu, Kevin Hoff

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

College graduates transitioning to the workforce completed a 13-week, light, psychoeducation intervention designed to increase volitional personality change motivation via weekly email newsletters. Contrary to expectations, the intervention did not significantly enhance overall change motivation or consistently inspire desired trait change goals following the study period or after 6 or 10 months. However, participants in the intervention group did report increased desire to change emotional stability at specific points during the study. These findings underscore the limitations of this particular psychoeducational intervention approach and help to fill in the boundary conditions of when and how personality change is possible. Additionally, …

Reshaping Resilience Mental Health Challenges In Post-Pandemic Students And Workforce Readiness, Ryan Potts, Tarandeep Kaur Arora, Susan Miller, Julia Ann Boyd Dr.

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on mental health, especially on college students, who faced disruptions to their education and social environments. This study explores the mental health effects of the pandemic on students at Murray State University, focusing on changes in anxiety, depression, relationships, and academic performance. Using survey data collected from students in Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and the Nursing Program, the study aims to understand the trends across pre-pandemic, during-pandemic, and post-pandemic periods. The findings show a significant increase in anxiety and depression during the pandemic, with effects lasting post-pandemic, alongside differences in how students …

Emotional Intelligence And Socioemotional Attributes: Distinct Constructs And Their Uses, John D. Mayer, David R. Caruso

UNH Personality Lab

We examine evidence for the validity of different measures under the label emotional intelligence (EI). Some measures are valid for the assessment of EI and others are valid for the assessment of socioemotional attributes (SEA). The constructs of EI and SEA are defined and measures of each described, along with the mental response processes the measures elicit: test-takers’ abilities, self-estimated attributes, or observer reports. Both EI and SEA measures are valid but for distinctly different purposes, and the two classes of measures make different predictions. We add our voices to those who have advocated for dropping the EI label from …

Identifying Personality In Reptiles And Assessing Welfare Implications For Their Roles As Ambassador Animals In An Educational Setting, Valery Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined behavioral variability and personality in 13 reptiles used as ambassador animals at the American Museum of Natural History. Observations across seasons and novel object tests revealed individual differences, behavioral components, and correlations. Findings emphasize reptilian complexity, highlighting welfare implications while underscoring the need for further research.

Afro-Caribbean/Afro-Caribbean Descendant Students' Attitudes Towards Mental Healthcare, Imani Tucker

Theses and Dissertations

The low mental healthcare utilization rates for Afro-Caribbean College students living in the USA has been seldom studied. This study sought to add to the literature by measuring if Afro-Caribbean cultural affiliation, an Afrocentric worldview, and/or student generation influences mental health seeking actions and mental illness stigma in this group.

Shadows Of Discrimination: Impacts Of Ambient Discrimination On Queer People In The United States, Kayla A. Dufour

Psychology | Senior Theses

People identifying as LGBTQIA2S+ in the United States experience victimization, direct discrimination, and violence at a rate of 2 to 4 times higher than their heterosexual counterparts (Bender & Lauritsen, 2021), leading to higher levels of psychological pain and suicidal ideation, with up to 50% of LGBTQIA2S+ people having suicidal thoughts in their lifetimes. Those who experience ambient discrimination, such as witnessing or being made aware of discriminatory behavior of someone other than oneself in your group, have higher levels of psychological pain, PTSD, and substance use (Peterson et al., 2019). The goal of the present study is to gain …

Help-Seeking For Problematic Alcohol Use: Stigma, Shame, & Guilt, Olivia G. Chapell

2025 Honors Symposium

Stigmatization is a prevalent barrier to help-seeking behaviors in problematic alcohol users, especially among college-aged students. By using a cross-sectional electronic survey method, the relationship between personal or immediate family experience with substance-related treatment and perceptions of stigmatization was assessed.

Personality And How It Relates To Coping Flexibility, Rebecca Kearns

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Stressful events, negative emotions, and negative events are all a normal part of life. How we react and cope with these events can reduce the damage stress can have on our mental health and well-being. There are many ways to cope with situations, but not all are considered to be beneficial. The ability to alternate between different coping strategies within a given situation is called coping flexibility. Having high coping flexibility is considered to be healthy and adaptive, but not everyone possesses the ability to flexibly cope with situations. Personality may explain individual differences among coping flexibility. The big five …

Exploring Factors Associated With Adverse Childhood Experiences And The Development Of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among Children And Adolescents, Ayesha Qureshi, Sarah Delahanty Phd, Sima Sharghi Phd, Lisa Shauver Ms, Ayla Mapes Phd

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have a significant influence on long term mental and physical health risks, including the development of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms (PTSS). The current study examined the association between demographic and geo-coded environmental factors and ACE exposure and PTSS development among pediatric patients seen in a behavioral health department at a children’s hospital. Geo-coded factors included Child Opportunity Index (COI scores) and Rural Urban Area Commuting Codes (RUCA). ACE-related factors (type of ACE, ACE overall score) were also included when examining PTSS. Machine learning results indicated that models incorporating environmental data and ACE-related factors performed better than models …

Dark Triad Personality Traits And Correlations With Mating Preferences, Mackenzie Warner, Yara Ali, Averee Martinez, Oliver Espana, Madeleine Scott

SPARK Symposium Presentations

With dating apps coming to a rise, there comes an influx of people who begin to use them, whether that be for long-term relationships, short-term, or even friendships (Freyth, et al., 2021). Additionally, dark personality traits, such as narcissism, are associated with higher perceived attractiveness and positive personality traits (Rauthmann et. al., 2012). Along with this, there has been research that shows differences in gender usage for dating apps and whether that is related to the Dark Triad personalities, with a desire for those that reflect the dark triad personality traits (Carter et al., 2014). To study this further, in …

Correlates Of Body Image And Physical Self-Concept, Rashuna Middleton

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The growing overlap between social media and celebrity culture has played a significant role in shaping individuals' perceptions of body image and self-worth. This study explored the relationship between celebrity worship, problematic social media use, narcissism, physical self-concept, and body image among undergraduate psychology students. This study utilized the Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS), the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), the Maladaptive Covert Narcissism Scale (MCNS), the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), the Body Influence Assessment Inventory (BIAI), the Self-Objectification Questionnaire (SOQ), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE). Findings indicated that vulnerable narcissism positively correlated with body image, whereas grandiose narcissism …

The Downstream Well-Being Effect Of Encounters With The U.S. Criminal Justice System, Christopher A. Sanders, Laura A. King

Psychology Faculty Publications

This study examines the relationship between encounters with the criminal justice system and psychological well-being in a large U.S. sample. This project builds upon previous research about the negative outcomes tied to such encounters by examining potential long term negative effects on people’s subjective well-being and sense of meaning and purpose in life. Panel study participants indicated their lifetime exposure to the criminal justice system, and then, about two years later, indicated their current subjective well-being and sense of meaning and purpose in life. Our findings reveal that the number of past police arrests is associated with reductions in well-being, …

Measuring Personality And Animal Treatment Attitudes With The Pet Scale, Zackery J. Hilton

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Previous research has looked at the association between personality traits and the proclivity, or history, of committing acts that are characterized as animal abuse or animal cruelty. Much research has also found that individuals who exhibit this type of behavior towards animals also tend to exhibit similar behavior towards other individuals, mainly in the form of domestic or child abuse. Previous studies have measured animal abuse using very explicit and extreme criteria, using acts that are without question blatant abuse or torture; however, there is some grey area where many may argue whether certain acts should be considered abuse, which …