Social Psychology Commons^™

The Role Of Afrocentric Features In Mental Healthcare Utilization And Counselor Preferences In Black College Students, Randl B. Dent

Theses and Dissertations

Though mental health issues are prevalent in Black young adults, they underutilize mental healthcare services. This research examined the role of feature-based discrimination in mental healthcare (under)utilization. Study 1, a secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, provided no evidence supporting a link between skin tone and mental healthcare utilization, when controlling for depression diagnosis. However, when controlling for depression symptoms, there was a trend such that Black young adults with darker, as opposed to lighter, skin tone utilized healthcare less. Study 2, an experimental study with 33 Black college students, showed 73% of the …

The Justification Of Prejudice Toward Childfree Women, Annalucia Bays

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research suggests that women without children are perceived negatively by others and experience adverse outcomes in various settings. This study investigated psychosocial justifications of prejudice toward childfree women. Participants (N = 891) completed measures of right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), the internal (IMS-S) and external (EMS-S) motivations to respond without sexism, and prejudice toward childfree women (i.e., perceived disadvantages of being childfree, evaluations of childfree women, and perceptions of childfree women’s warmth). Most participants also completed one or more justification measures of hostile sexism (HS), benevolent sexism (BS), gender-specific system justification (GSSJ), and femininity ideology. Results indicated that greater RWA …

Bridging The Empathy Gap: Effects Of Brief Mindfulness Training On Helping Outgroup Members In Need, Daniel R. Berry

Theses and Dissertations

Witnessing others in need can be felt similarly to experiencing it oneself (empathy) and motivates assistance of those in need (prosocial action). It is well-documented that empathy can occur automatically, but when those in need are not members of a social ingroup, empathy and prosocial action are undermined. One major ingroup—outgroup division in American and in other countries is based on race. Although most condemn racial discrimination, empathy and prosocial action are often lower, however unintentionally, in interracial contexts. In light of this empathy gap, it is important to identify psychological factors that could bolster empathy and prosocial action toward …

To Help Or Not To Help? Assessing The Impact Of Envy And Gratitude On Prosocial Behaviors, Anna Maria C. Behler

Theses and Dissertations

Envy is an other-oriented but negative emotion; no research has examined the influence of envy on prosocial behavior. Study 1 examined whether envy and gratitude would promote or inhibit prosocial behavior. I hypothesized that envy would result in less helping behavior than a neutral condition, whereas gratitude would increase helping behavior. Results supported the hypothesis that envy inhibits prosocial behavior. There was not enough evidence to suggest that gratitude promoted helping.

Study 2 examined how envy and gratitude affected prosocial behavior when participants were given the choice to help or harm others. I hypothesized that experiencing envy would result in …

The Role Of Mindfulness In The Regulation Of Behavior Among Those Prone To Negative Urgency, Alexandra M. Martelli

Theses and Dissertations

Negative emotions can be challenging to regulate, and for some individuals can lead to failures of behavior regulation. The present study is an initial effort to explore the role that mindfulness may play in fostering effective behavior regulation among those prone to high negative urgency (NU). Eighty undergraduate students were recruited based on their high or low scores of NU. First, participants completed a self-report measure of mindfulness (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale; MAAS), an Emotional Go/No Go task in an fMRI scanner, and then reported alcohol consumption. Results showed that those with high in NU had low levels of mindfulness …

Psychological Consequences Of Genetic Testing, Jack Allen

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing describes genetic testing which is done using online or mail in services, without the direct supervision of a counselor or physician. Individuals can order information about their ancestry, trait information, and even disease risk information. Online testing services have previously been prevented from offering certain types of genetic self-knowledge to consumers due to government regulation, however, there is little information available about how genetic self-knowledge may affect consumers. The present study evaluated whether simply believing oneself to be genetically disadvantaged could cause an individual to perform poorly on a working memory task.

University students participated in a …

Relationship Commitment As A Moderator Of The Effects Of Promotion Focus On The Pursuit Of Change And Stability Relationship Goals, Sarah Wall

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

According to regulatory focus theory, promotion-focused people should experience stronger engagement toward goals which are framed as leading to advancement. However, because situations can afford or constrain people’s regulatory preference, the present research investigates how promotion-focused individuals’ preference for change and advancement may be altered by the affordances offered by the broader contextual environment (i.e., their romantic relationship). I hypothesized that among participants in romantic relationships, those with a promotion focus (chronic or induced) would engage less in relationship goals when they reflected on how completing these goals would positively change their romantic relationship from its current state, compared to …

Exploring The Middle Path: Effects Of Ethical And Secular Mindfulness On Well-Being And Prosocial Behaviour, Siyin Chen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Mainstream mindfulness programs generally remove Buddhist ethics, causing some to worry they may encourage self-indulgence and have limited capacity to promote well-being. We compare the effects of secular and ethical mindfulness (incorporating principles of non-harm and interdependence) on well-being and prosocial behaviour. Participants (N = 621) completed six days of ethical or secular mindfulness or active control exercises. Secular and ethical mindfulness practices both reduced stress and self-image concerns, and increased life satisfaction and self-awareness. Ethical mindfulness also enhanced personal growth. Participants were also invited to donate to a charity. Both mindfulness practices potentiated effects of trait empathy on …

Pupillometric Response To Implicit Social Exclusion, Jared Balbona, Grace Hwang, Lori Markson

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Previous research suggests that people are highly sensitive to rejection, and may even display physiological reactions, such as increased pupil dilation, when they are explicitly rejected by others compared to when they are accepted (Silk et al., 2012). To our knowledge, no research to date has investigated pupil dilation in response to implicit social exclusion. To address this gap, we obtained pupillometric values using a Cyberball paradigm, in which 11 participants were either included or indirectly excluded while playing an online ball game. Participants were told before each game that they would be playing with either human players (i.e., other …

An Examination Of The Most Recent Episode Of Molly Use Among College Students, Amy L. Stamates, Ashley N. Linden-Carmichael, Brynn E. Sheehan, Perter D. Preonas, Cathy Lau-Barraco

Psychology Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE--The current study examined event-level characteristics (e.g., contextual factors, risk behaviors) during the most recent episode of Molly use among a sample of college students who reported previously using Molly.

PARTICIPANTS--Participants (N = 151; 66.7% female) were drinkers aged 18 to 25. Data were collected from October to November 2014, February to April 2015, and September to November 2015.

METHOD--Participants completed measures regarding typical Molly use and items related to context and behaviors during their most recent episode of Molly use.

RESULTS--Findings revealed that our sample most commonly reported using Molly earlier in the evening while hanging out with friends …

Socio-Cognitive Factors And Perceived Consequences Associated With Alternative Forms Of Alcohol Use, Abbly L. Braitman, Ashley N. Linden-Carmichael, Amy L. Stamates, Cathy Lau-Barraco

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: Popular media have highly publicized alternative forms of alcohol use (eg, eyeballing, inhaling alcohol vapor) among college students as a growing concern, possibly associated with severe health risks. Formative research indicates rarity of use.

Participants and Methods: College students (Study 1: n = 411; Study 2: n = 687) completed an online survey.

Results: Findings confirmed infrequent use of alternative methods of alcohol use and low likelihood of trying them in the future (Study 1). Participants indicated varied reasons for possibly trying each alternative form of alcohol use, but consistently perceived consequences for all forms (ie, health concerns), as …

Journey To Success: Lessons From Successful Same-Sex Couples, Jeni L. Wahlig

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Therapists are often called upon to support same-sex couples along their journey to success. Yet, only limited information is available for understanding what success means for same-sex couples, what the journey to success might look like, and how we might support them in navigating that journey. In this dissertation, I seek to begin to fill this gap in knowledge by conducting an extensive literature review of factors that affect same-sex couple relationship success and a qualitative research study. In the study, I use narrative inquiry to explore the challenges and life-events important to couples’ journeys toward success; the resources and …

The Effects Of Gender And Perception Of Community Safety On Happiness, Jennifer K. Daffon

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Income-based indicators of happiness have been shown to be limited in their ability to predict happiness. Alternative measures of happiness have been gaining prominence in happiness research, and two predictors of happiness were investigated in the current study. The extent to which happiness (measured by affect, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being) could be predicted by gender and perception of community safety was investigated with 19,644 participant responses to The Happiness Alliance Survey. Multiple linear regression models indicated that gender and community safety are significant predictors of affect, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being. The effect of the predictor variables was similar …

Attune With Baby: An Innovative Attunement Program For Parents And Families With Integrated Evaluation, Sara Beth Lohre

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Infants speak in their own language; sounds, screeches, cries, and howls that help them to communicate their caregiving needs. Unaware, parents may develop a checklist of caregiving approaches to the baby. The infant tells the adult directly what they need, and waits for the parent to respond. Infant talk may change from soft and quiet to loud and aggressive; coos and cries become crying and screams as the infant’s caregiver—communicating the intensity of emotion, urgency of their request, or their frustration with varied and sometimes inadequate, failed, or missing caregiving patterns the infant has no choice but to accept. When …

Reducing Adolescent Anger And Aggression With Biofeedback: A Mixed-Methods Multiple Case Study, Jedidiah S. Savard

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Adolescent anger, aggression, and violent outbursts are social problems significantly affecting each of us. Individual therapeutic management of pathological anger is treated in various ways depending on practitioners’ theoretical orientations and competency levels. Popular psychological individual and group therapies addressing anger and aggression in adolescents focus primarily on cognitive-behavioral techniques that manage anger’s symptoms. Evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapies often require clients to self-identify emerging antecedents of anger without assistance; such therapies employ predetermined strategies to assist the client to emotionally de-escalate prior to an angry or aggressive episode. However, cognitive responses to an emotional upheaval stemming from an emergence of anger …

The Relationship Between Childhood Maltreatment And Sexual Coercion Proclivity In Women, Christina Renee Dean

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have explored the effects of sociocultural factors on male and female sexual expression, as well as the relationship between sexual objectification and overall sexual well-being; however, few scholars have focused on how, when combined with early experiences of childhood maltreatment, such factors can result in increased long-term risks for a variety of concerns that may impede the development of healthy relationships in women. This quantitative study explores the relationship of childhood maltreatment and sexual coercion proclivity in adult women. The purpose of this study was to measure self-reports of 1 or more experiences with childhood maltreatment (i.e., physical, sexual, …

Developing And Maintaining Online Romantic Relationships, Corrina Lowe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Internet has become the one of the most used ways for individuals of both sexes to meet potential mates. The purpose of the grounded theory study was to gain an understanding of the stages of development of an online romantic relationship and the motivations that impact the progression and the maintenance of relationships through asking individuals who have experienced the phenomenon about their experiences. Social penetration model, social learning theory, and the stimulus- role-value theory guided the study. Four samples of convenience were used to obtain the 20 participants, including the Walden University participant pool, 2 local universities, Match.com …

Persistence And Achievement In Academics, Robert L. Altman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

One of the most valuable commodities in modern society is a college education. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2016), an estimated 20.5 million students enrolled in American colleges and universities during the fall of 2016, with the majority enrolled in undergraduate programs. When assessing undergraduate success, many studies focus on academic achievement, with grade-point average (GPA) serving as the most common measure. Other studies utilize persistence to graduation as the primary measure of success. Based on the available literature, college success can be predicted by several domains, including personality, motivational influences, and social variables. In the …

Psychopathy And The Effect Of Imitation On Empathetic Pain, Emily N. Lasko

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Psychopathy is a disorder largely characterized by a marked deficit in empathy, however, the specificity and extent of the deficit is currently unclear. While it has been well-established in the literature that individuals higher in psychopathy tend to have intact Theory of Mind abilities and exhibit a deficient ability for affective empathy (Blair, 2005), the contribution of motor empathy to these abilities, particularly in regard to empathy for pain, has yet to be experimentally examined. Additionally, the possibility of imitation increasing motor empathic abilities has not been tested in this capacity. The goal of the current study was to further …

The Influence Of Resource Scarcity And Childhood Socioeconomic Status On In-Group Inclusiveness, Spencer Dobbs

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Millions of individuals worldwide are malnourished and without clean drinking water due to a lack of environmental resources. Resource scarcity is a ubiquitous ecological threat that significantly influences social cognition and behavior. For example, research on resource scarcity has shown that it significantly reduces in-group inclusiveness. In fact, when individuals are primed with resource scarcity, they are significantly less likely to categorize racially ambiguous others as belonging to their racial in-group. The current study aimed to extend this research by examining the impact of resource scarcity on in-group inclusiveness while also accounting for variations of early life environmental hardship (i.e., …