Social Psychology Commons^™

Surviving Their Stripes: The Diagnostic Odyssey And Impact Of Life With Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Julianna L. Breazeale

2025 Honors Symposium

Background: Hypermobile type Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) is subtype of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome that is a genetic connective tissue disorder with complexities involving joint hypermobility, tissue fragility and severe pain. Patients often experience misdiagnosis, medical dismissal and years of waiting for a diagnosis. Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the quality of life and diagnostic journey for patients living with hEDS.

The Effects Of The Replication Crisis Instruction On Skepticism, Ericka Hoppes

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Over the past decade, there has been growing concern regarding the Replication Crisis in psychology. The crisis has called into question the credibility of psychological research by highlighting the field’s difficulty in reproducing findings (Open Science Collaboration, 2015), as well as the prevalence of questionable research practices amongst psychologists (e.g., p-hacking, falsifying data, incomplete reporting of measures, etc.). Given that the crisis presents psychological research through a critical lens, learning about the aspects of the crisis can be a useful pedagogical tool for helping students develop a healthy sense of skepticism regarding scientific studies. The present study investigated how teaching …

Examining Antecedents Of Diversity Initiative Fatigue: A Moderatedmediation Model, Anne Simpson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis investigates the relationships between bias awareness, motivation to respond without prejudice, racialized attitudes, and diversity initiative fatigue (DIF) among employees within an academic setting, specifically focusing on faculty and staff at Western Kentucky University. Data were collected through a survey-based approach to measure these constructs and assess their relationships. This study hypothesized that bias awareness negatively correlates with DIF and motivation to respond without prejudice mediating this relationship. Furthermore, the research examines how racialized attitudes moderate the relationship between bias awareness and motivation to respond without prejudice. By examining these relationships using a moderated mediation model, the study …

College Students’ Beliefs: Association Between Skin Color And Acceptance, Christopher James Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

The Multiracial population represents the fastest-growing demographic group in the United States and is expected to more than double by 2060 (Vespa et al., 2018). Despite this rapid increase in the Multiracial population, there is a dearth of research regarding racial identity development, anxiety, and depression on this group. Social inclusion has been recognized as a fundamental human need, and Multiracial individuals may be more likely to be accepted into a majority group if their appearance is racially ambiguous. The current study builds on previous knowledge by utilizing a novel measure developed to examine the beliefs held by Monoracial and …

Playing Empathy: The Impacts Of Theatre On Empathy, Isabelle J. Daoust

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this study is to address a gap in the literature regarding the relationship between theatre and empathy; specifically, investigating how varying levels of participation in theatre may influence cognitive and affective empathy. This study examines whether empathy can be fostered through mere observation of theatre or whether active participation yields greater effects. Twenty-eight undergraduate participants, all of whom attend a small liberal arts college in the United States, either participated in three theatre games or observed their fellow participants playing them. The results did not support the primary hypotheses, as most empathy-related measures showed no statistically significant …

The Mediating Role Of Social Connectedness In The Association Between Volunteering And Affect In Daily Life: A Dynamic Approach, Megan E. Mansfield

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Sustained engagement in prosocial behaviors, like volunteering is an evidence-supported facilitator of well-being. Volunteering and well-being are also dynamic processes unfolding over long and short timespans, which is well reflected in research on well-being (e.g., Heshmati et al., 2023) but less so in the research on volunteering. This is the case despite existing evidence demonstrating that dynamic changes in components of well-being, like emotions, are associated with engagement in particular behaviors including civic or prosocial behaviors (Hou & Bonanno, 2018; Snippe et al., 2017). Therefore, it would be reasonable to suspect that volunteering may have a similar dynamic relationship with …

A Motivational Approach To Understanding Uncertainty And Information-Seeking As An Inherent Condition Of Relationships, Samantha Brindley Wozniak

Wayne State University Dissertations

Romantic relationships are precarious contexts where individuals have a significant opportunity to constrain their close other’s outcomes (Kelley & Thibault, 1978). Such circumstances make uncertainty in a relationship challenging and inherently impose vulnerability to hurt and rejection for both partners (Murray et al., 2006). To deal with these challenges, people are known to employ information-seeking behaviors as ways to improve confidence in their perceptions of the relationship (Knobloch & Solomon, 1999; 2002). Despite existing perspectives on relational uncertainty and communication, there lacks a parsimonious framework identifying what motivates different information-seeking behaviors. The research presented here suggests that a regulatory focus …

Experiences Of Community Leaders And Organizers Within The Stop Six Community, Caitlin Herron

Social Work Theses - Archive

Although community-based and grassroots leadership research exists, little exists in the way of exploring the personal and relational experiences of community organizers to their work and to their community. Using data collected from semi-structured interviews with self-identified community leaders, this research addresses insights into their lived experiences. In particular, a thematic exploration looks at what appeared across each interview. This research is intended to serve as a basis for future research into the lived experiences of community organizers outside of one specific experience or cause, but rather to take an in-depth look into them, their perceptions, and their relationship to …

Personality Functioning And Sexual Aggression: How Criterion A Of The Alternative Model Of Personality Disorders (Ampd) Relates To Sexually Aggressive Cognitions In Men, Ryan Van Fossen

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated how personality functioning and maladaptive traits contribute to sexually aggressive cognitions (SAC) in men, extending existing research on personality pathology. Three primary aims were examined. Aim 1 explored the relationships between SAC and the four components of personality functioning (identity, self-direction, empathy, intimacy). Aim 2 evaluated the structure of personality functioning as measured by the Levels of Personality Functioning Scale-Self Report (LPFS-SR). Confirmatory factor analyses tested four competing models: unidimensional, two-factor, four-factor, and bifactor. Aim 3 assessed the combined influence of maladaptive traits and personality functioning on SAC. Participants included 469 heterosexual cisgender men, ages 18–24, drawn …

Sights And Sounds Of Veteran Identity: The Use Of Photovoice Technique And Lyric Analysis In A Community-Based Participatory Action Research Framework, Stephanie Jett Ph.D., Laurie Peebles

Academic Affairs

Researchers often attempt to define what it means to be a Veteran; however, there is a dearth of research where that question is directly asked of Veterans. Instead, a traditional approach to research is taken where the experimenter defines the variables and asks the participants to provide responses without being included in the research process or reaping any direct benefit from participation. We assert that in order to better understand this unique population, it is vital that we elevate their voices by employing more qualitative, community-based participatory action research (CbPAR) models where Veterans are empowered to use their voices to …

Liking Gap(S) In Getting-Acquainted Interactions, Susan Sprecher

Faculty Publications – Sociology and Anthropology

In first interactions, people often think about how much they like the other and how much the other likes them in return. Recently, a liking gap has been identified, which is the tendency for people to underestimate how much a new acquaintance likes them. With data from a compiled sample of pairs of strangers interacting for the first time, this investigation contributes to knowledge on how common it is to experience this perceived liking gap (versus no gap or an overestimation of how much one is liked). Also examined is an actual liking gap, the difference between how much people …

Exploring The Relationship Between Athletic Identity And Academic Resiliency Through A Life Skills Transfer Lens., Lilla Kisvari

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine and explore the relationship between athletic identity and academic resiliency. This is an exploratory study with three research questions: 1) How do Athletic Identity and Academic Resilience correlate? 2) What are the latent classes that exist between Athletic Identity and Academic Resilience? 3) How do these latent classes differ in terms of their academic and athletic characteristics?

The study utilized secondary data which were collected in 2020 and included a total of 489 participants. The participants completed the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) and the Academic Resiliency Scale (ARS-30). Findings revealed that …

The Unintended Consequences Of Normalization: Unmonitored Mental Health Discourse Among Youth And Suicide Risk, Farley Morris

Social Work Theses - Archive

Suicide has become an increasingly common cause of death among U.S. children ages 10–14. In 2001, suicide accounted for 8% of deaths in this age group; by 2010 the proportion rose to 12%, and by 2020 it reached 22% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020). Although factors such as adverse childhood experiences (Felitti et al., 1998; Jones et al., 2024), psychache (Shneidman, 1998), burdensomeness (Joiner, 2005; O’Connor, 2011), and hopelessness (Bat Tonkus et al., 2022; Qiu et al., 2017) are associated with suicide, these elements alone do not explain the significant rise in suicide deaths over the past …

Resilience And Reality: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of People Living With Hiv In Texas During The Covid-19 Pandemic – A Qualitative Study., Ahmed F. Alanazi

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

This study investigated the lived experiences of individuals living with HIV (PLWH) in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area of Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic, using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) framework. The research examined the intersection of health, social dynamics, and psychological resilience among PLWH, who faced compounded vulnerabilities due to systemic inequities and the dual public health crises of HIV and COVID-19. Through semi-structured interviews with ten participants from diverse backgrounds, the study captured the profound impacts of disrupted healthcare systems, heightened stigma, and social isolation on this marginalized population. The findings reveal that the pandemic exacerbated existing inequities …

I Love You, But I’Ve Got To Cancel You: Psychological Determinants And Consequences Of Cancel Culture Participation, Rebecca Tukachinsky Forster, Daniel H. Spitz

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

This study explores how individuals react to celebrities who take a political stance that contradicts and threatens their social identity. An online experiment examines these questions in the context of the Israeli war against Hamas in the wake of the October 7 terror attack. Israeli Jewish participants who were led to believe that a beloved celebrity fully embraced the Palestinian’s narrative and condemned Israel experienced more negative and less positive emotions and had a greater intention to cancel the celebrity. However, writing a comment or a social media post (particularly if the comment bashed the celebrity) partially buffered these emotional …

Shaping A Wellness-Oriented Culture: A Mixed-Methods Exploration Of The Mental Health Training And Stigma Reduction Among College Seminarians, Evan P. Taja-On

Journal of Catholic Education

Mental health is vital to seminarians' holistic development, playing a crucial role in their personal growth and pastoral readiness. Equipping seminarians with mental health training enhances their human formation and addresses stigma, creating a foundation for more compassionate and effective ministry. The study utilized an explanatory research design with 11 college seminarians as the participants. The study reveals that mental health training significantly improved seminarians' knowledge, awareness, and beliefs, leading to a more supportive and informed approach to mental well-being. Seminarians transitioned from initial skepticism to active mental health advocacy, recognizing the importance of psychological support alongside spiritual care. The …

Schizophrenia: Breaking The Myths, Peighton Hunt

A with Honors Projects

Throughout the years, schizophrenia has been commonly misunderstood and misrepresented within the media. Film, television, news outlets, and even social media frequently fail to do research before involving mental health, both intentionally and unintentionally creating turmoil for innocent people. Most of the depictions created are completely false and fail to properly reflect the reality of the disorder. Mental health is a hot topic, especially with young adults and college students. However, to this day schizophrenia still continues to be one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized mental disorders. By being educated on the reality of schizophrenia, we can help eliminate …

Master Of Disguise: Humor, Disguise, And Performance Anxiety, Jordan Pearsall

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study examined humorous facial disguise in relation to social anxiety during a speech task. Social anxiety is characterized by a strong desire to present a positive image of oneself to others, while simultaneously doubting one’s ability to do so (Clark & Wells, 1995). Performance anxiety is a subtype of social anxiety that affects individuals in various performative contexts, to include public speaking. Previous research has examined the relationship between social anxiety and facial concealment through face-masking (Karimi 2024; Saint & Moscovitch, 2021), concluding that facial concealment can serve as a safety behavior intended to reduce social anxiety. Further, humor …

Out Of The Circle: Exploring Religious Ostracism In Cyberball, Ralph D. Stewart Iii

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychological effects of social ostracism in group settings, particularly in relation to social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) and the need to belong (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). Collective self-esteem, hostility, and belonging were examined to see if they changed significantly with the implementation of ostracism through the Cyberball paradigm (Williams, 2000). The relationship between ostracism, hostility, and religious fundamentalism was also explored. Though insignificant results from subsequent analysis were obtained, these results suggest weaker ostracism effects for interpersonal measures rather than intrapersonal measures consistent with findings by Hartgerink et al. …

Understanding The Influence Of Team Identifications Influence On Perception Of States, Morgan Elizabeth Macke

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Team identification refers to an individual’s psychological connection to a team or athlete (Wann, 2006a), while rival salience involves awareness of a prominent rival team (Wann & James, 2019). This study examined the relationship between sport team identification and perceptions of a state housing a salient rival, specifically whether identification with the University of Kentucky (UK) men’s basketball team influenced perceptions of Tennessee, home to rival team University of Tennessee (UT). It was hypothesized that greater team identification would be associated with more negative evaluations of Tennessee, and that this relationship would be mediated by perceptions of the rival team. …