Personality and Social Contexts Commons^™

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 …

Relationship Partners’ Experiences Of Managing Conflict With Individualist And Collectivist Cultural Perspectives: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis, Rebecca Alithia Payan

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, the increasing number of multicultural marriages leads to the individualistic traditional American nuclear family colliding with ideals from a collective culture. This conflict over individualistic and collective nature can lead to martial conflict, including divorce. In this context, this study seeks to answer an important question: How do relationship partners experience managing conflict, considering individualist and collectivist perspectives in the United States? The methodology utilized the Medium-Q of Reflexive Thematic Analysis of data gathered from qualitative open-ended interview questions and a brief survey. Findings reveal engaging themes, leading us to understand that individualism and collectivism influence …

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 …

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 …

Just Give Me A Reason: Developing A Scale To Explore The Drive For Seeking Provocation, Sydney R. Kavanaugh

Theses and Dissertations

Provocation seeking (PS) is defined as the deliberate choice an individual makes to enter into a situation wherein other people are likely to provoke (e.g., threaten, insult) them towards some type of dispute. Rooted in the broader framework of situation selection, which describes how individuals choose environments that align with their goals and emotional states, PS specifically captures the tendency to seek out contexts likely for conflict. The present studies represent an initial step in investigating the novel concept of PS by identifying commonly endorsed PS behaviors and developing a measure to assess them. Given the lack of existing research …

In Praise Of Dust, Hasler Gomez-Perez

Theses and Dissertations

A desire path is a physical manifestation of where a system has failed, but also where it has been refused, where a new path has been made. The wake exists in the post, it is not a singular, untethered event, but a subtle double entendre that lives in the post-death, but also in the pre-life—not a liminal limbo, but a superposition of dying and waking.

This collection was assembled and composed over the course of two years as I navigated my practice, myself, and others. Present here are my thoughts, my experiences, and in many ways my beliefs. IN PRAISE …

Psychology: Personality, Coping, And Stress In Undergraduates, Gwendolyn Butler, Andrew Clapper, Abby Hill, Sophia Castillo

SPARK Symposium Presentations

It is no secret that college students frequently find themselves the victims of a variety of everyday and long-term stressors that can interfere with their psychological wellbeing (Saleh, et al., 2017). There are a variety of coping styles that students can use to help mitigate their stress, including problem-focused and emotion-focused coping styles (Gárriz et al., 2015).Identifying whether or not certain personality traits respond differently to different coping styles could be a critical step in informing different individuals on specific coping strategies. Currently, however, research gives mixed results regardinghow individuals with certain traits tend to cope, specifically with regards to …

Music Therapy For Women Survivors Of Human Trafficking And Domestic Violence, Dorothy Briggs

SPARK Symposium Presentations

As music therapy research progresses, populations that are underrepresented and under-researched become more evident. There is a lack of research, specifically intervention studies, addressing the needs of women survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence. The aim of this study was to construct a goal focused plan of care created by and for these survivors. Nine music therapy sessions were created, each focusing on a different goal outlined by women survivors completing the work development program at Strings for Hope in Nashville, Tennessee. The sessions followed a natural progression, addressing increasingly more difficult topics. One session was led with the …

Built By Family: How Early Environments Shape Transformational Leaders And Star Followers, Gabrielle J. Ong

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines how early family environments—defined in this paper by parenting and attachment styles—influence the development of transformational leadership and star followership qualities in children. By integrating research from behavioral and developmental psychology, it explores how authoritative parenting and secure attachment foster self-concept, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. These traits, in turn, predict transformational leadership behaviors such as intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration, as well as star followership traits like active engagement and independent thinking. Through this, a conceptual model is proposed to illustrate the pathways from parenting and attachment to leadership and followership outcomes, mediated by personality, self-concept, and …

The Relationship Between The Facets Of Extraversion And Exercise Habits, Mckenna Prouty, Izzy Melendez, Garrett Handelman, Will Feinberg

SPARK Symposium Presentations

The majority of adults in the US do not meet recommended levels of physical activity (Wilson & Dishman 2014). Research suggests that there could be a link between these low levels of physical activity and poorer mental health. (Davis, et al 2021). Previous research has suggested that personality traits like extraversion, neuroticism, and (as defined by the Big Five Personality Traits) can have a moderating effect on the relationship of physical activity enjoyment and habit. The current study seeks to observe the relationship between the extraversion personality trait and exercise habits. Participants consisted of Belmont University students enrolled in Scientific …