Social Psychology Commons^™

Shall I: Do The Motivations For Breakup Sex Differ Across Different Scenarios?, T. Joel Wade, Zoe Macuto

Faculty Journal Articles

This research investigated endorsement of the 4 motivators (relationship maintenance, ambivalence, hedonism, miscellaneous) for engaging in breakup sex across three relationship breakup scenarios, i.e., a breakup occurred due to: general reasons, infidelity, and being in a long distance relationship using an online questionnaire with a primarily White, primarily heterosexual sample (n = 304, Mage = 20.67). Results indicated that women are more likely than men to engage in breakup sex for relationship maintenance reasons when the breakup is due to general reasons, and for a long distance breakup scenario, non-heterosexuals engage in breakup sex for relationship maintenance reasons, and overall …

The Influence Of Familial Nudging On Attitudes Toward Climate Change And Monetary Contributions: An Exploration Of Ease And Difficulty With Evidence From Japan, Canada, The Usa, And Norway, Hidenori Komatsu, Hiromi Kubota, Kenji Asano Asano, Yu Naga, Catherine Salmon, David Widman, Elisabeth Oberzaucher, T. Joel Wade, Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair, Maryanne L. Fisher, Rebecca Burch, Ryoko Takikawa, Samara Rice

Faculty Journal Articles

Climate change countermeasures require monetary investment for implementation through regulations, often in the form of public taxes. Therefore, public opinion on climate change is an important factor in achieving carbon neutrality (CN). How public perception is formed, leading to motivation to fund measures for CN, needs to be identified. This study aimed to identify the causal structures of attitude change leading to financial investment through two surveys in multiple countries using nudging messages emphasizing familial support (familial nudging), which is effective in promoting pro-environmental attitudes. Study 1 (2023) examined how familial nudging moderates risk-averse attitudes toward climate change. Despite successful …

The Effect Of Need For Closure, Gender Essentialism, And Contact On Transphobia, Jacob E. Vargas

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Using a motivated social cognition framework, this study explores whether there is an indirect effect of need for closure on transphobia via gender essentialism and whether this relationship is moderated by transgender contact. Data were collected from an undergraduate sample of 405 cisgender participants (n_men = 159, n_women = 246). A simple mediation and a moderated mediation were used to examine the hypothesized relationships, controlling for participant gender. Results reinforced the positive correlation between gender essentialism and transphobia and the negative correlation between transgender contact and transphobia. However, the mediation and moderation hypotheses were not supported. Need …

Echo Chambers On The Left, Echo Chambers On The Right: How Socioideological Identity Emotion Shape Social Interaction Behavior On Social Media, Dean Carl Jackson

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation investigates how echo chambers emerge on social media by shifting the lens from aggregate patterns of information exposure to moment-by-moment, individual level interaction decisions between peers. I theorize that selective exposure online is not only about what content people consume or avoid, but also about selective social exposure—accepting, rejecting, or sharing with the sources of that content—guided by sociopolitical identity, ideological distance (ID), and discrete emotions. To test this, I employ two survey experiments using real tweets varying in ideological extremity and measure user’s likelihood to Block, Follow, Retweet, or reply, alongside self-reported emotional reactions and ID between …

This Is How You Can Be A Cool Adult, Angelica Angelica

ENGS 15.11: Design and Education

“This Is How You Can Be a COOL Adult” is an interactive and self-reflective lesson designed to help high school juniors through college seniors practice being more compassionate, open-minded, optimistic, and laughing-out-loud (humorous) in their everyday lives. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to describe and explore research-based strategies that foster compassion, open-mindedness, optimism, and humor, and create a personalized “COOL Action Plan” with self-reflection logs to track progress. The lesson takes place in an unconventional classroom setting (outdoors) and includes mini-lectures, meditation, collaborative games, creative role-play, personal reflection, and practical methods for applying these qualities …

Psychological Contract Breach And Institutional Trust In Higher Education: Extending The Triadic Framework, Hannah E. Blodget, Katelyn R. Raborn, Justin Travis, Susan Ruppel

University of South Carolina Upstate Student Research Journal

Psychological Contract (PC) theory, originally developed in organizational contexts, has increasingly been applied to higher education to understand the expectations and obligations that students perceive in their relationships with institutions. In this context, the PC refers to the unwritten set of mutual expectations and perceived obligations that shape the student-university relationship (Rousseau, 1998). Psychological contract breaches (PCB), or perceived failures to fulfill promised obligations, can undermine student trust, engagement, and institutional commitment. Despite growing interest, research on PCBs in higher education remains sporadic, often limited to cross-sectional designs, single relational targets, and inconsistent measurement approaches. Moreover, most studies focus on …

Who Belongs And Why It Matters: Belonging At An Oregon Elementary School, Kelly Smith

Educational Leadership Professional Doctorate Dissertations

Student sense of belonging is at the foundation of student outcomes with impacts reaching far beyond the walls of the elementary school classroom. This study investigates factors that shape students’ sense of belonging at an Oregon elementary school where Youth Truth survey data over the past three years have revealed a lack of sense of belonging amongst students. Correlates to the low sense of student belonging were identified via a root cause analysis process with students, staff and families. As a result of the root cause analysis, a theory of improvement was developed with input from students, staff and families. …

How Do Human And Ai Gender Bias Interact In Hiring Decisions?, Eyuel Getahun, Daniel Burton Shank, Casey I. Canfield, Jessica L. Cundiff, Jenny L. Davis, Celia Freed

Psychological Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

The hiring process is crucial for organizational success but has long been troubled by human biases. Many organizations now include AI in their hiring protocols to mitigate these biases and increase efficiency. However, AI itself can have biases baked-in. Human biases and AI biases are distinct but related; here, we examine how human and AI biases interact to affect hiring outcomes. Through an online experiment, we examine this question in the context of gendered hiring for a male-dominated leadership position in electrical engineering. The study tests how elevated and depressed AI recommendations for male and female job candidates affect participant …

The Predictive Validity Of Implicit, Explicit, And Subtle Racism Measures On Nonverbal Behavior And Explicit Evaluations Of Black And White Women Interviewers, Adele E. Weaver

Open Access Dissertations

Statement of the Problem: A long-standing history of the oppression of Black Americans has resulted in racism manifesting through White individuals’ nonverbal behavior in interracial interactions’ specifically by way of unfriendly behavioral cues, or on the other end of the spectrum, overly positive and patronizing nonverbal behavior. Regardless of the underlying sentiment, White people’s nonverbal behavior in interracial interactions affect Black people’s mental and physical health and longevity. However, there is a dearth of research on how well-established measures of implicit and explicit racism predict racist nonverbal behavior, and even more so for subtle self-report measures. Methodology: To this …

How To Remember Names Lesson Plan, Madison Paige Davis

ENGS 15.11: Design and Education

This is an introductory lesson intended for any high school- or college-aged student who wants to learn how to deepen connections with others, whether for personal or professional relationships. Through a combination of lecturettes, discussions, reflection time, and activities/ quizzes, students will learn and apply their knowledge about the benefits, science, history, and strategies of remembering people’s names so that they are able to use names in future conversations. The final activity will be a simulation of real life scenarios where students will have to either remember and use a stranger’s name or practice asking for their name, whether they …

Your Words Matter, Sophie Thai

ENGS 15.11: Design and Education

This lesson focuses on helping students understand the profound impact that affirmations and gratitude can have on their mindset and well-being. Applicable for everyone, students are encouraged to take their learnings and practice them in real life, hoping to promote a shift in perspective. Students will be able to recognize the benefits of their words and the way they speak to themselves, and understand how they can make changes in their lifestyle.

In this lesson, students will have a chance to reflect and learn about the science behind affirmations and gratitude while being introduced to strategies used to implement them …

Measuring Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence Victimization: Scale Development And Validation, Amanda N. Godes

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) has become a prevalent form of violence recently due to the ubiquity of social media and the advancement of technology. One attempt has been made to measure TFSV victimization (TFSV-V; Powell & Henry, 2019). However, we have identified several limitations in the TFSV-V, including variability in the specificity of items, items confounding in-person experiences, items that are ambiguously worded, and the omission of critical TFSV experiences. As such, Study 1 aimed to address the limitations in the TFSV-V by revising the current measure and validating a new 18-item measure, the TFSV-Revised. Scale development methods were also …

Exploring The Role Of Collective Narcissism And Ideology In Support For Reparations, Melih Can Sahin

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Many societies with colonial histories have begun to grapple with their legacy of historical injustices and their ongoing consequences, leading to national apologies and sometimes consideration of reparations. In this context, it is important to understand the factors enhancing or impeding public support for reparations. This dissertation focused on the role of beliefs (ideology) and identity (collective narcissism) as predictors of support for reparations addressing historical injustices. Drawing from existing research, we expected that those higher in conservatism – and those higher in collective narcissism - would oppose reparations more strongly. We also examined the interaction between ideology and collective …

Fleeing Structural Stigma: Psychological Outcomes For Transgender And Gender-Diverse Internally Displaced Persons, Max E. Cartagena

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In 2025, at least 1,000 bills targeting transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals were introduced across the United States, contributing to an environment of escalating structural stigma. As a result, many TGD individuals have relocated from states with high levels of stigma to those with lower levels in search of safety, access to care, and social affirmation. This study examines these individuals as internally displaced persons (IDPs) and is informed by refugee psychological literature, as both experiences arise from coercive structural forces that compel individuals to relocate. This perspective highlights the involuntary nature of their migration, driven by the need for …

The Hidden Struggle: Peer Perceptions Of Imposter Phenomenon And The Impact Of Gender, Elizabeth C. Yanes

All Master's Theses

Imposter Phenomenon (IP) affects about 82% of people and can have detrimental effects on the mental health and achievement of sufferers (Bravata et al., 2020). Given the previous literature on IP and research on bias in interpersonal judgments based on gender, I explored how the expression of imposter feelings impacts interpersonal perceptions of competence and intelligence, and how gender moderates this relationship. Participants read one of four vignettes and indicated how competent and intelligent they viewed the individual in the vignette in which a high achieving man/woman college student does/does not express IP. Results of the 2 (Gender Pronouns: He/Him …

Nothing Short Of Superheroic: A Quantitative Study Of Lifetime Exposure To Superhero Comic Book Media As A Predictor Of Attitudes Towards Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion, Michael Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

This dissertation examined the relationship between lifetime exposure to superhero comic book media and attitudes toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Drawing on theories of identity formation—transitional objects, parasocial relationships, and cultivation theory—it investigated whether engagement with superhero narratives predicted DEI attitudes. Using quantitative methods, data from 499 U.S. adults were collected via Qualtrics. Two instruments were used: the Lifetime Superhero Comic Book Media Exposure Scale (LSES) and the Intolerant Schema Measure (ISM), which assessed prejudice across race, gender, sexuality, class, age, and religion. Multiple linear regression revealed that superhero media exposure significantly predicted ISM scores (B = 0.118, …

Applied And Conceptual Implications Of Relational Density Theory In Machine Learning And Behavioral Economics, Bentley J. Elliott

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Relational Density Theory (Belisle & Dixon, 2020a) is an advanced conceptualization of Stimulus Equivalence (Sidman & Tailby, 1982) and Relational Frame Theory (Hayes et al., 2001) that allows behavior scientists to measure the strength, formation, and malleability of covert behavioral experiences such as attitudes, biases, and probabilities. Relational density combines principles of behavior with the fundamentals of Newtonian classical mechanics to quantify the dimensions of relational framing as a tool for examining behavior. This thesis contains two studies on relational density in context. The first study utilized relational density theory and principles of behavioral economics to measure attitudes and charitable …

Learned Helplessness: An Online Replication And Validation, Arshpreet (Sunny) Kandola

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The current study entails the partial replication of a classic learned helplessness two-phase triadic design experiment within an online learning context and aimed to validate a new attributional style self-report measure designed to identify individual differences in tendencies to develop learned helplessness consistent with the original reformulation of the hypothesis. Further, recent innovations in neuroscientific technology have allowed for a deeper examination of the mechanisms at play, finding support for a major re-interpretation of the theory of learned helplessness - suggesting that helplessness is more so the default passive response, while the active ingredient that is detected or expected (i.e., …

The Demand For Educational Functions Of Study Tour Products: From Students’ Perspectives, Yaqi Yu, Azizan Marzuki

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Few academic studies have comprehensively examined the actual demands of students regarding the educational function of study tours. This paper develops a demand index system based on three dimensions: cognitive, affective, and behavioral demands. A questionnaire survey was administered to 397 students. Initially, student demands were categorized using the Kano model. Subsequently, the “dependence” and “expectancy” characteristics were analyzed through the dissatisfaction index (DI) and satisfaction index (SI). The impact of fulfilling each demand on dissatisfaction and satisfaction levels was then determined. The results indicated that among the three dimensions, there were 7 must-be demands, 6 one-dimensional demands, 8 attractive …

Climate Change And Parenthood: Impact On Family Size Decision-Making, Minha Hossain, Jennifer Lai, Mindy Engle-Friedman

Publications and Research

This study explores how parental status relates to childbearing decisions in the context of climate change and builds on prior research linking climate anxiety to reduced family size intentions. A survey of 114 participants revealed that non-parents were significantly more likely than parents to plan to have fewer children and to express concerns about climate change. These findings underscore differences in how parents and non-parents approach future reproductive decisions and highlight the role of climate-related concerns in shaping family planning intentions.