Social Psychology Commons^™

Milton Rokeach's Experimental Modification Of Values: Navigating Relevance, Ethics And Politics In Social Psychological Research, Stefan Jadaszewski

Psychology from the Margins

In 1967, social psychologist Milton Rokeach (1918 – 1988) proposed that in order for social psychology to remain relevant to the issues confronting the social sciences and the United States, it must adopt value as its core construct. In addition to influential conceptual advancements, his major contributions to this literature would include the development of the Rokeach Value Survey and the introduction of a method of experimentally inducing changes in values, termed "self-confrontation." Rokeach conceptualized this body of research as operating within an explicitly humanistic, democratic and socially-oriented ethic. As Rokeach's efforts to produce socially-relevant research expanded beyond the traditional …

Stuck In The Present: Gaps In The Theoretical Past And Applied Future Of The Psychology Of Men And Masculinities, Zachary T. Gerdes

Psychology from the Margins

Over 30 years of research in the psychology of men and masculinities (PMM) has relied primarily on social constructionist and social learning theoretical perspectives. Social constructionism applied to gender and masculinity is much older than is often claimed in the psychology of men and masculinities literature. By paying a deeper homage to the feminist and social science researchers throughout the 20^th century that influenced social constructionist theory applied to gender, PMM theory can grow and more effective clinical and prevention interventions can be designed for men. This is especially important considering the hundreds of problematic outcomes associated with how …

Gender Differences In Sexual Assault And Ptsd Stigma [Poster], Megan Kennedy, Elizabeth Lefler

Research in the Capitol

Sexual assault, a significant problem in our society, is experienced differently by male and female sexual assault victims. Stigma is frequently experienced by sexual assault victims and reinforced through media, culture, and rape/sexual assault myths, and influences the mental health problems victims face after assault, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Overall, insufficient research has been conducted on the differing experiences of stigma based on gender and diagnosis. It was hypothesized that male sexual assault victims would elicit more stigma than female characters, and characters with PTSD would elicit more stigma than characters who are resilient. With 214 participants, partial support …

Implementation Planning Adapted For Group-Based Training Of Proactive Classroom Management Strategies, James Jaran Upright

LSU Master's Theses

Proactive classroom management (PCM) strategies are preventative teacher practices implemented prior to the onset of problem behavior. PCM strategies have been widely demonstrated to be effective in preventing and reducing disruptive behavior while promoting academic engagement in the classroom. In practice, however, the use of proactive strategies is far less common than reactive strategies for managing student behavior. Although teachers are concerned about classroom management, many report a lack of training or support needed to successfully implement behavior management strategies. One promising approach for supporting teachers’ use of behavior management strategies is implementation planning. Implementation planning is an implementation support …

The Effects Of Violence In Video Games On Individual Levels Of Hostility In Young Adults, Grant Jones

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

For a while, video games have been the target of scrutiny with regards to their perceived potential to adversely affect younger individuals. In particular, it is often argued that these video games, particularly those of violent nature, may increase hostility to an extent that it manifests itself in violent behavior. This thesis aims to denote what effects these video games have on young adults, particularly in relation to the respondents’ indicated extent of adverse childhood experiences, trait anger, and competitiveness, all three of which were assumed to have a positive relationship with hostility. A survey was distributed to students attending …

Effects Of Self-Affirmation On Anti-Terror Related Worldview Defense Following Mortality Salience, Haley Jewel Ramsey

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Previous research has demonstrated that self-affirmation via values affirmations seem to buffer the self against perceived threats (Steele, 1988). An example of such a threat is opposing worldviews regarding civil liberties in counterterrorism policies. The present study uses the threat of worldview opposition in regards to counterterrorism policies in conjunction with an experimental induction of mortality salience to explore whether self-affirmation can attenuate increases in worldview defense following mortality salience. It was hypothesized that mortality salience would increase worldview defense, but that self-affirmation would decrease worldview defense following exposure to a worldview threat. When extremity of attitudes toward civil liberties …

Age, Gender, And Socioeconomic Status Differences In Explicit And Implicit Beliefs About Effortlessly Perfect Self-Presentation, Kathy R. Berenson, Tess M. Anderson, Jill Glazer, Melissa P. Menna, Huilin Xu

Psychology Faculty Publications

Feeling pressure to project an image of effortless perfection -- always appearing to perform with self-confidence and ease --- has been portrayed in the media as an increasingly common mental health vulnerability with potentially serious implications for college women. Despite this, almost no empirical research exists on effortlessly perfect self–presentation (EPSP) or demographic differences in it.

• Some recent research suggests that perfectionism is on the rise among young people (Curran & Hill, 2017), and that it is more associated with mental health problems among students with high rather than low socioeconomic status (Lyman & Luthar, 2014). However, these studies …

Development And Validation Of The Single Item Trait Empathy Scale (Sites), Sara Konrath, Brian P. Meier, Brad J. Bushman

Psychology Faculty Publications

Empathy involves feeling compassion for others and imagining how they feel. In this article, we develop and validate the Single Item Trait Empathy Scale (SITES), which contains only one item that takes seconds to complete. In seven studies (N = 5724), the SITES was found to be both reliable and valid. It correlated in expected ways with a wide variety of intrapersonal outcomes. For example, it is negatively correlated with narcissism, depression, anxiety, and alexithymia. In contrast, it is positively correlated with other measures of empathy, self-esteem, subjective well-being, and agreeableness. The SITES also correlates with a wide variety of …

A Model Of Employment Supports For Job Seekers With Intellectual Disabilities, Alberto Migliore, Kelly Nye-Lengerman, Oliver Lyons, Jennifer Bose, John Butterworth, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Interviews with 16 employment consultants-triangulated with job seekers, family members, and supervisors-revealed a model of employment supports aligned with the elements described in the literature, although with an added emphasis on (a) building trust as a key element starting from day one; (b) a circular process converging on the job match; (c) and flexible intensity of supports. The model can be used for improving clarity in communication with employment consultants about effective employment support practices for assisting job seekers with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Psychosocial Impacts Of Technology Training In Transitional-Aged Youth With Autism, Collin D. Dean

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The transition from adolescence to adulthood can be difficult to manage for any individual. In addition to typical adjustments, additional challenges for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have included living at home for longer, isolating themselves socially, and struggling to find the motivation to seek employment and/or education. Research suggests that these factors are influenced by deficits in adaptive functioning, social cognition, and emotional/behavioral functioning. For this reason, various programs have been implemented to support the adjustment of transitional-aged youth with ASD. Among such programs are postsecondary vocational organizations which seek to assist individuals on the Autism Spectrum by …

Investigating Sexual Violence In College-Aged Dating Couples: Does The Medium Affect The Message?, Emily F. Plackowski

All NMU Master's Theses

This paper explores the reactions of college students to sexual violence scenarios. Scenarios depicted long-term, same-sex and opposite-sex dating couples. Eight scenarios were created, varying along the factors of: presentation medium (video, written) and sex(es) of assailant and victim (Male/Female (M/F), Male/Male (M/M), Female/Female (F/F), and Female/Male (F/M)). Each participant was presented with one of the eight scenarios, in a between-groups fashion. Participants’ conceptualizations of the scenarios were gathered via comprehension and interpretation questions. Participants were also asked questions to gather demographic information. Demographic analyses showed that over one-third of respondents had experienced sexual assault. Contrary to hypotheses, written scenarios …

Screening For Traumatic Brain Injury In Prostituted Women, Melissa Farley, Martha E. Banks, Rosalie J. Ackerman, Jacqueline M. Golding

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Violence is pervasive in prostitution and can cause traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study estimated the prevalence and demographic correlates of TBI among 66 women and transwomen in prostitution. Ninety-five percent had sustained head injuries, either by being hit in the head with objects and/or having their heads slammed into objects. Sixty-one percent had sustained head injuries in prostitution. The women described acute and chronic symptoms resulting from head injury and/or concussions. These included dizziness, depressed mood, headache, sleep difficulty, poor concentration, memory problems, difficulty following directions, low frustration tolerance, fatigue, and appetite and weight changes. Screening for TBI is …

The Adaptive Functions Of Jealousy, Jose C. Yong, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Jealousy is a troublesome emotional experience for those afflicted by its onset. The grip of the “green-eyed monster” has been known to cause misery and produce some drastic coping behaviors ranging from paranoid stalking to violent aggression. But rather than a product of civilized culture gone wrong or a mental disorder as some thinkers have claimed jealousy to be, the current chapter proposes from an evolutionary perspective that jealousy plays an important role in our lives by serving a critical adaptive function for humans—the vigilance over and protection of relationships that are valuable to us.

The Art Of Peer Pressure: Social Desires As Incentives To Join Students Protests In Jordan, Jordan Hughes

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Collective action and rational choice theory suggest that social movements suffer from a tragedy of the commons that incentivizes individuals against participation. The last several decades of increased youth-driven protests and demonstrations in the Middle East, however, suggest that these collective action barriers are being consistently overcome. I propose an addition to the rational choice basis of Olson’s collective action theory which incorporates social desires, and specifically peer pressure, as an observable individual incentive. Using a combination of interviews and vignette-style factorial surveys, I test this hypothesis to measure the effect of perceived peer pressure on the intention of students …

Civilians On The Battlefield: Creating A Realistic Training Aid For The United States Military, Aaron D. Beam

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The United States and our allies and partners have adopted a humane approach to warfare based on established principle of the laws of war centered on the principles of Military Necessity, Humanity, Proportionality, Distinction, and Honor. These principles dictate that US Military forces conduct warfare with a careful consideration of our impact on civilian populations with a special duty to protect and limit harm as much as possible given the accomplishment of a mission. Likewise, the US Military has developed a sound counterinsurgency and unified action military model that recognizes that warfare is not fought simply with kinetic force, but …

The Effects Of Rhythm For Social Emotional Learning Skills Development, Jonathan O. Mande

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

Many people talk about the importance of music in school and learning, we all know about its effects on cognitive development for children and adults. Though despite these universally known facts, music education programs are increasingly underfunded in schools, private lessons are not accessible to most people, while our country is simultaneously suffering from an increase in academic retention and destructive societal conflicts. Music brings all people together and at its core is rhythm. It makes available a space for joy; to fully express love, build bonds and strengthen our individual spirits. When used intentionally, music heals and is a …

Ego Development, Defense Mechanisms, And Adaption In Transgender And Gender Nonconforming Individuals, Jack Girardi

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

This presentation talks about ego development, starting in early childhood, for transgender and gender nonconforming individuals and how that in turn manifests into defense mechanisms. These defense mechanisms are being misattributed to other factors as a result of societal stigmas that also play out in the immediate home, school community, and clinical atmospheres of the individual. Early psychoanalytic theories are used to explain the transgender and gender nonconforming individual's negative sense of self and low self-worth. This negative sense of self is then transformed into defense mechanisms which then have the power to destroy interpersonal relationships, career development, and academic …

Assessing Bias Among Boston Monument Attendees, Allison Rodgers, Keren Tersooi

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

Boston is a city, which is conflicted by the disparity between its liberal beliefs, as it is ranked the 5^th most liberal city in the U.S, and the reality of its culture (Tausanovitch & Warshaw, 2013; Johnson, 2017). Studying Boston monuments, which are a large tourist attraction and significant financial revenue stream, can provide additional insight into the contributing factors surrounding Boston’s racist reputation (Southern Poverty Law Center, 2016; Gaertner & Dovidio, 2005; Franca & Monteiro, 2013; Scennell & Gifford, 2017; Gurler & Ozer, 2013). Relevant theories such as implicit bias, aversive racism, place attachment, compositional hierarchy, and the …

A Clean, Green New Zealand? An In-Depth Look At The Personal Experiences Of Animal Rights Activists, Svetlana Feigin, Richard Glynn Owens, Felicity Goodyear-Smith

The Qualitative Report

This study explored personal experiences of animal rights and environmental activists in New Zealand. The stories of participants provided insight into the challenges activists face in a country where the economy is heavily dependent on animal agriculture. A qualitative methodology was utilised and several major themes emerged: (1) emotional and psychological experiences, (2) group membership, (3) characteristics of activism and liberation, (4) the law and its agents, and (5) challenge to society. Participants of the study represent a group of individuals engaged in acts of altruistic offending triggered by exposure to the suffering of non-human animals. Their moral philosophy and …

Benevolent Sexism And Racial Stereotypes: Targets, Functions, And Consequences, Jean Marie Mcmahon

Dissertations and Theses

In this dissertation, I present three manuscripts in which I integrate race into an ambivalent sexism framework using experimental, correlational, and cross-sectional methods. The first paper tests whether a female's race acts as a subtype to differentially elicit benevolent sexism (BS). Two experiments demonstrated that BS is more strongly associated with White women than Black women. The second paper explores the relationship between protective paternalism (a subcomponent of BS), anti-minority attitudes, and threat. Threat was associated with stronger endorsement of protective paternalism and a corresponding increase in anti-minority attitudes, particularly for White men, implicating BS in the maintenance of racial …