Exploring Communication Gaps In Pakistani Desi Families: A Comparative Analysis Of Joint And Nuclear Settings And How The Existence Of A Communication Gap Impacts The Emotional Wellbeing Of Members In Either Settings,
2024
SSLA Class of 2024
Exploring Communication Gaps In Pakistani Desi Families: A Comparative Analysis Of Joint And Nuclear Settings And How The Existence Of A Communication Gap Impacts The Emotional Wellbeing Of Members In Either Settings, Maria Rehman
SSLA Culminating Experience
This qualitative research explores the existence and impact of communication gaps in Pakistani, desi families and compares joint and nuclear family systems by delving into the nuances of family dynamics. It explores how the presence of a communication gap impacts the emotional well-being of family members. It was aimed to uncover the manifestations of communication gaps, the comparison of that between joint and nuclear families, and how it has an emotional, psychological effect on family members. A sample of six young women were recruited and divided into two groups based on the family they belonged to i.e., joint or nuclear. …
Effects Of Mindfulness Training On Prosocial Responses In Intergroup Relations: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial,
2024
Virginia Commonwealth University
Effects Of Mindfulness Training On Prosocial Responses In Intergroup Relations: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Denise Yiran Zheng
Theses and Dissertations
Based on social identity theory and intergroup emotions theory, individuals feel for and act toward others based on their group-based social identities. Recent research shows that mindfulness can enhance prosocial responses toward others across group divides. The current research examined the effects of mindfulness training on prosocial behavior in intergroup relations where such behavior is difficult (e.g., with marginalized or devalued social groups). The study also examined potential mechanisms, namely state empathic concern and appraisal, that may explain how mindfulness increases prosocial behavior toward outgroups. This study compared the effects of a 2-week mindfulness training to a matched coping training …
Rewriting Reality: The Sociological Context Of Gaslighting,
2024
University of Central Florida
Rewriting Reality: The Sociological Context Of Gaslighting, Kristen L. Engasser Jr.
Honors Undergraduate Theses
In 2007, Robin Stern published The gaslight effect: How to spot and survive the hidden manipulation others use to control your life, highlighting gaslighting as a form of psychological abuse that makes victims question the validity of their perceptions. Since then, gaslighting has primarily been tackled from a psychological perspective. Some sociologists, however, theorize that gaslighting is not simply a psychological issue but a sociological one as well. They argue that gaslighting may take place unintentionally when a perpetrator acts on their biases towards members of other social groups, a concept known as epistemic gaslighting. As a form of …
The Influence Of Intersectionality On Identity And Resilience,
2024
University of Central Florida
The Influence Of Intersectionality On Identity And Resilience, Stephanie Washburn
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Co-occurring multiple minority group membership (e.g., ethnic/racial minority and sexual/gender minority) has come to be referred as intersectionality. The purpose of this study was to explore if intersectionality is related to identity and resilience in undergraduate adults. The participant pool consisted of college students from a large metropolitan university in the Southeastern United States, (N = 340), who took an anonymous online self-report survey battery in exchange for course credit. Higher levels of resilience were associated with lower levels of identity distress. Further, identity commitment, but not identity exploration, predicted resiliency. Sexual/Gender Minority (SGM) individuals had lower resiliency than …
Need For Cognition, Empathy, And Self-Esteem As Predictive Factors Of Modern Media Selectivity,
2024
University of Central Florida
Need For Cognition, Empathy, And Self-Esteem As Predictive Factors Of Modern Media Selectivity, Alfredo J. Hurtado Jr.
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Personality traits often drive media selectivity, as individuals seek out specific types of media and media genres for gratification. To further understand selectivity in a modern context, this study examined the personality factors of need for cognition, self-esteem, and empathy in relation to engagement with social media, literature, music, podcasts, video games, and tabletop games, with their associated genres. Analyses of 328 participants revealed that personality traits provided minimal to mild influence in media and genre selection, suggesting that the mechanisms behind media selection are comprised of other psychological and sociological factors.
Investigating Various Personality Factors As Predictors Of Poor Belief Updating Regarding Controversial Political Issues,
2024
University of Central Florida
Investigating Various Personality Factors As Predictors Of Poor Belief Updating Regarding Controversial Political Issues, Eric E. Haseman Jr
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Belief updating is a research area investigating how individuals refine or fail to refine their preexisting beliefs when confronted with corrective sources. Understanding the various drivers of poor belief updating in a political context is essential to maintaining an informed democracy, as the ideal voter in a democratic nation updates political misconceptions and false beliefs when presented with corrective sources. Despite the importance of this topic, the literature examining potential factors that could contribute to poor belief updating in a political context remains particularly limited. I aimed to address this limitation by recruiting undergraduates from the University of Central Florida’s …
Investigating Influences On Muslim-American Identity Development,
2024
University of Central Florida
Investigating Influences On Muslim-American Identity Development, Ruqayyah Adam
Honors Undergraduate Theses
The purpose of this study was to understand how the childhood experiences, perceived discrimination, and Islamophobia experienced by Muslim-American college students have played a part in their identity development and overall well-being. Participants completed the RYFF Psychological Well-being Scales, Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale, Centrality of Religiosity Scale, GAD7, Identity Distress Survey, Multi-Ethnic Identity Scale, as well as a narrative questionnaire that asked about their childhood experiences. After carefully analyzing the results of my study, results indicated that while Muslim-Americans faced extra difficulties due to discrimination, Islamophobia, and the integration of multiple cultural identities, they still experienced higher well-being and self-esteem despite …
Meta-Understanding: Implications For Psychological Well-Being In Diverse Communities,
2024
Wilfrid Laurier University
Meta-Understanding: Implications For Psychological Well-Being In Diverse Communities, Ting Hsueh
Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)
Feeling personally understood during day-to-day interactions is a rewarding experience for people and has been linked to greater psychological well-being. But are interpersonal situations the only contexts in which people desire to feel understood by others? We theorize that since individuals tie themselves to their social groups, individuals will also experience greater psychological well-being when they feel that other people in the world around them understand core elements of their group identity, what we call meta-understanding. We also examined whether meta-understanding is perceived to a different extent for members of dominant and marginalized groups in society. In Study 1 ( …
How Individuals’ Opinions Influence Society’S Resistance To Epidemics: An Agent-Based Model Approach,
2024
Purdue University
How Individuals’ Opinions Influence Society’S Resistance To Epidemics: An Agent-Based Model Approach, Geonsik Yu, Michael J. Garee, Mario Ventresca, Yuehwern Yih
Faculty Publications
Background: Protecting public health from infectious diseases often relies on the cooperation of citizens, especially when self-care interventions are the only viable tools for disease mitigation. Accordingly, social aspects related to public opinion have been studied in the context of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. However, a comprehensive understanding of the effects of opinion-related factors on disease spread still requires further exploration. Methods: We propose an agent-based simulation framework incorporating opinion dynamics within an epidemic model based on the assumption that mass media channels play a leading role in opinion dynamics. The model simulates how opinions about preventive interventions change over …
Character Strengths In Applied Behavior Analysis And The Treatment Of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study,
2024
CUNY City College
Character Strengths In Applied Behavior Analysis And The Treatment Of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study, Michael G. Johansen
Dissertations and Theses
Diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have continued to rise. Individuals diagnosed with ASD may display a range of deficits in social communication, behaviors, and symptoms that limit everyday functioning. Among the treatments for ASD, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is typically the earliest and longest intervention individuals with ASD are exposed to. Concerns have been raised over ABA being a compliance-based therapy which potentially produces prompt reliance, reinforcement dependency, and a lack of intrinsic motivation. In an attempt to address these concerns, this study aimed to assess the potential benefits of including the concept of character strengths from the field …
Comparing Perceptions Of Continued Presence Of The Deceased And Unidentified Sensed Presence Experiences In A Non-Clinical Sample Of Paranormal Experients,
2024
CUNY City College
Comparing Perceptions Of Continued Presence Of The Deceased And Unidentified Sensed Presence Experiences In A Non-Clinical Sample Of Paranormal Experients, Scarlet Sidwell
Dissertations and Theses
Research on individuals' paranormal experiences, particularly sensed presence experiences, has predominantly focused on bereavement contexts (Kamp et al., 2020; Evrard et al., 2021). However, less is understood about the similarities and distinctions between perceived presence of the deceased and unfamiliar sensory perceptions of presence. The present study employs both quantitative and qualitative methods to explore the phenomenology of individuals' sensory experiences of presence within two distinct domains: perceptions of the continued presence of the deceased (PCPDs) and unidentified sensed presence experiences (USPEs). The current study utilized data from a sample of paranormal believers and experients to test the hypotheses that …
Testing An Integrated Dual Diathesis-Threat Model Of Authoritarianism,
2024
University at Albany, State University of New York
Testing An Integrated Dual Diathesis-Threat Model Of Authoritarianism, Brendan Gallagher
Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)
The Dual Diathesis-Threat Model of Authoritarianism proposes parallel motivational pathways by which similar personality features could predispose liberals and conservatives to different forms of authoritarianism. Specifically, the model posits that cognitive rigidity serves as a shared dispositional ‘diathesis’ of right- and left-wing authoritarianism ‘activated’ by distinct threats. For cognitively rigid conservatives, threats of change (i.e., threats to cohesion/conventions, cultural shifts) were expected to enhance the embrace of RWA; while for cognitively rigid liberals, threats to change (i.e., oppression, inequities, barriers to social progress) were predicted to promote LWA. Two studies examined this premise. In Study One, American citizens (N …
Understanding How Laypeople Perceive Sexual Harassment Claims From "Non-Typical" Claimants,
2024
University at Albany, State University of New York
Understanding How Laypeople Perceive Sexual Harassment Claims From "Non-Typical" Claimants, Jennifer Mezzapelle
Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)
Over the past four decades, scholars have generated a wealth of knowledge on the topic of sexual harassment. However, in much of this research, findings may have resulted from participants assuming that the target in question was a “typical” sexual harassment victim (i.e., a White, straight, cisgender woman who is traditionally feminine and conventionally attractive; Kaiser et al., 2022). As a result, the generalizability of this research is inherently limited, as it may not accurately reflect how sexual harassment is perceived when it is aimed at a person who does not possess the attributes typically associated with sexual harassment targets. …
Compassion Cartography: Mapping The Psychological Landscape Of Altruistic Equity And Effectiveness,
2024
University at Albany, State University of New York
Compassion Cartography: Mapping The Psychological Landscape Of Altruistic Equity And Effectiveness, Kyle Fiore Law
Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)
Psychologists and philosophers have often championed deliberative reasoning over empathy as a better approach to overcoming parochial biases and guiding altruistic equity and effectiveness. Advocates of the effective altruism (EA) philosophy even advise philanthropists to downregulate empathic responses to maximize the impact of their donations. However, recent research reveals that extraordinary altruists (XAs), such as those who donate organs to strangers, are driven primarily by empathy. This dissertation explores whether empathy necessarily impedes altruistic equity (impartial regard for others’ welfare) and effectiveness (prioritizing impact), revealing a more nuanced reality that challenges this perspective. Across two phases of research involving three …
The Exceptionalist-Normalist Continuum: Contents, Correlates, And Consequences Of Beliefs About The Psychological (A)Typicality Of Perpetrators Of Mass Atrocities,
2024
University at Albany, State University of New York
The Exceptionalist-Normalist Continuum: Contents, Correlates, And Consequences Of Beliefs About The Psychological (A)Typicality Of Perpetrators Of Mass Atrocities, Dylan Campbell
Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)
A consensus view within the literature on perpetrator behavior in mass atrocities holds that perpetrators tend to be psychologically typical rather than atypical and thus, that even “ordinary” people are capable of extreme acts of violence against civilians when the right combination of social-psychological forces is at work. Whereas much prior research speaks in some way to this claim’s validity, no prior study of which I am aware has directly investigated laypeople’s beliefs regarding the truth of this proposition. Here, I report findings from four preregistered studies (total N = 1,256) investigating the contents, correlates, and consequences of lay theories …
Cues And Clues: How Humor Targets Classify Joker Intent,
2024
Northern Illinois University
Cues And Clues: How Humor Targets Classify Joker Intent, Jared Elijah Patrick Wilson
Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations
When targeted by a joke, the target has an evaluation to make: is this joke an affiliative tease or an aggressive joke? While both are characterized by a humorous but relevant provocation, a tease is intended to communicate face-protective information or general affiliation (e.g., Keltner, 2001) while an aggressive joke is intended to enhance the self by socially demeaning another (e.g., Martin et al., 2003). The target must engage in everyday mind-reading in an attempt to accurately classify such a joke, considering information such as off-record marker usage and the reputation of the commenter, but little research has been done …
Teacher Self-Efficacy And Teaching Experience,
2024
Eastern Illinois University
Teacher Self-Efficacy And Teaching Experience, Nicholas Daniel Hafner
Masters Theses
Teacher self-efficacy significantly impacts student learning in a variety of ways. High levels of teacher self-efficacy can lead to improved student outcomes and act as a protective factor for multiple stressors. The present study investigated the associations between teachers’ years of experience and their hours of professional development concerning a teacher’s overall self-efficacy and its three domains: student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management. It was hypothesized that years of experience and hours of professional development would predict overall self-efficacy and its three domains. A survey was utilized to gather demographic, experience, and self-efficacy information. A total of 194 teachers …
Religiosity And Spirituality Among Sexual And Gender Minority College Students,
2024
University of Central Florida
Religiosity And Spirituality Among Sexual And Gender Minority College Students, Emily N. Popovetsky
Honors Undergraduate Theses
The purpose of this study was to examine the possible relationship between religiosity and spirituality as separate factors and its effects on the sexual gender minority community (SGM) regarding identity distress and identity commitment to aid in SGM identity and religious identity integration. It was investigated whether spirituality could moderator the negative effects of religious rejection for the SGM community regarding identity distress, and identity commitment. A comparison between the non-(SGM) community and SGM was included. This study viewed multiple different aspects of religiosity such as religious rejection, current religious practices, and centrality of religion in one’s life as well …
The Neural Mechanisms Of Inter-Friend Aggression,
2024
Virginia Commonwealth University
The Neural Mechanisms Of Inter-Friend Aggression, Wyatt Brown
Theses and Dissertations
Decades of research concerns intimate partner aggression (IPA). While important to understand and prevent, investigations of IPA largely ignore another vital social relationship: close friendships. To investigate aggression between close friends – inter-friend aggression (IFA) – functional neuroimaging analyses enable to assessment of neural activity and mental representations of aggression in different social relationships. As such, 98 participants completed the well-validated Taylor Aggression Paradigm modified for a magnetic resonance environment against their current romantic partner, a close friend, and a stranger. Univariate analyses assessed the differences in the degree of neural activity and the role of Narcissism and negative urgency …
Mindfulness, Moral Outrage, And The Climate Crisis: A Novel Approach Toward Motivating Pro-Environmental Behaviors,
2024
Virginia Commonwealth University
Mindfulness, Moral Outrage, And The Climate Crisis: A Novel Approach Toward Motivating Pro-Environmental Behaviors, Erika Blair
Theses and Dissertations
The consequences of anthropogenic climate change are severe, continuously accelerating, and pose serious threats to the human and natural world. It is imperative to address the climate crisis from a psychosocial perspective and incite lasting, individual-level behavioral change. Various theoretical models have been adapted or developed to explain pro-environmental behaviors. However, the predictive powers of the most commonly used models have proven to be limited, and the underlying psychological processes of pro-environmental behavior constitute a significant gap in the literature. The present study identifies two psychological processes that show significant promise in motivating pro-environmental behaviors: moral outrage and mindfulness. Moral …
