Social Psychology Commons^™

Building Character By Building Characters: A Literature Review Examining The Efficacy Of Tabletop Roleplay As A Creative Intervention For Developing Social Skills In Adolescents, Kathleen Angela L. Bautista

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

In the realm of tabletop roleplay games, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) earned a reputation as the most prolific franchise within the genre and has since prevailed as a popular bonding activity for peer groups of all ages and backgrounds. Among the player base in the D&D community are those that gleaned its potential to offer a conducive space for personal growth, particularly in the realm of psychosocial development, given that D&D sessions facilitated dynamic social interactions among the members. The emphasis on imagination in D&D nurtures the tenets of intermodal expression, as players are encouraged to explore their creativity through …

How Geek Therapy Plays Into Expressive Arts Therapy: A Literature Review, Caroline Bryan

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Within this paper, I explore how geek therapy plays well with the methods of expressive arts therapy. The combination of geek therapy and expressive arts therapy can assist clinicians in immediately connecting with their clients and identifying strength-oriented narratives that honor the client’s preferences, modes of expression, and pop culture affinities. This engagement with expressive approaches utilizing affinity-based interventions can lead to a deeper sense of understanding of the client’s intra-, inter-, and extra-personal relationships. Through this literature review of expressive arts therapy and geek therapy, primarily focusing on video games in therapy, clinicians from all walks of life can …

The Significance Of Sonic Branding To Strategically Stimulate Consumer Behavior: Content Analysis Of Four Interviews From Jeanna Isham’S “Sound In Marketing” Podcast, Ina Beilina

Student Theses and Dissertations

Purpose:
Sonic branding is not just about composing jingles like McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ It.” Sonic branding is an industry that strategically designs a cohesive auditory component of a brand’s corporate identity. This paper examines the psychological impact of music and sound on consumer behavior reviewing studies from the past 40 years and investigates the significance of stimulating auditory perception by infusing sound in consumer experience in the modern 2020s.

Design/methodology/approach:
Qualitative content analysis of audio media was used to test two hypotheses. Four archival oral interview recordings from Jeanna Isham’s podcast “Sound in Marketing” featuring the sonic branding experts …

Searching For The Good Vibes: Examining The Relationship Between Self-Transcendent Social Media And Social Isolation, David P. Peters

Theses - ALL

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health and well-being have been a serious concern for researchers. Studies have shown that social isolation brought on by lockdowns and social distancing have led to increased feelings of loneliness and disconnectedness (Giallonardo et al., 2020; Pancani et al., 2021). Researchers have also discovered that self-transcendent media and eudaimonic media experiences generate positive feelings of inspiration, relatedness, awe, and connectedness (Oliver et al., 2019). The purpose of this mixed methods study is to explore the relationship between self-transcendent social media video consumption and feelings of loneliness and social disconnectedness attributed to social …

Fear Of Failure, Mindfulness, And Procrastination, Jose M. Parlade

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Procrastination is a complex behavior with often negative consequences. Prior studies have found a positive correlation between procrastination and various negative emotional states, such as fear of failure. Conversely, specific mindfulness techniques, have been negatively associated with procrastination in prior research. The current study set out to examine the correlations of fear of failure and procrastination as well as those of mindfulness and procrastination. A sample of university students (n=310) were assessed using three scales: the Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory (PFAI), the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS), and the Pure Procrastination Scale (PPS). Results indicated a significant positive correlation …

If We End, I Lose Part Of Me: The Influence Of Dissolution Consideration On Perceived Self-Contraction, Abigail J. Caselli

Dissertations - ALL

Romantic relationships provide people with the opportunity to change who they are and how they come to think of themselves. This process, known as self-concept change, is generally positive and creates a perceived sense of closeness between romantic partners. However, not all romantic relationships remain intact, regardless of the benefits associated with self-concept change. Thus, people experience breakups, which impact how they perceive themselves. But before leaving their relationship, people have thoughts about leaving (i.e., dissolution consideration). People will likely perceive changes to their sense of self before leaving the relationship. Specifically, I predicted and found in Studies 1-2 that …

Energy Portraits For Flute, Clarinet In B-Flat, Violin, Cello, Piano, And Percussion, Luis Solis

Music Theses and Dissertations

Energy Portraits is a 25-minute work for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion based on the nine Enneagram personality types. The Enneagram system delves into underlying motivations and thought patterns of different people rather than only external behaviors, so this piece incorporates the typical overall energy of each number as a miniature portrait. The movements are not in the same order as the nine types from the Enneagram but are reordered and renamed for musical reasons. This allows the listeners who are not familiarized with the Enneagram to still understand the theme and energy of each movement.

Flourish is …

Examining And Exploring Social Constructs, Conflict Management Style, And Workplace Conflict Among Workers In The United States, Keith Boyd

Dissertations

This mixed-methods study explored social constructs, conflict management style (CMS), and workplace conflict among workers in the United States. Workers do not understand the connections between social constructs, CMS, and workplace conflict. A lack of information on workers' experiences and representation in conflict literature supports the gap in understanding (Aquino, 2000; Bourdieu, 1986; Hayes, 2008; Herr & Anderson, 2005; Lin, 2001; Long, 2007; Meng et al., 2019; Mertens, 2003, 2009, 2018; Sosa, 2019). The study used a transformative-emancipatory explanatory sequential design focused on workers. There were 82 convenience sample participant surveys and 12 purposive sample low-level cooperativeness CMS participant interviews …

Loving The Skin You’Re In: The Mediating Role Of Internalized Racism Between Skin Color Satisfaction And Self-Esteem, Lauryn A. Miller

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Colorism is discrimination against individuals with darker skin, with preference afforded to those with lighter skin (Hunter, 2007). To study colorism, researchers have looked at concepts that colorism influences, such as skin color satisfaction, internalized racism, and self-esteem (Coard et al., 2001; Maxwell et al., 2015). The current study determined if internalized racism acts as a mediator between skin color satisfaction and self-esteem in Black participants since internalized racism influences both (David et al., 2019; Maxwell et al., 2015). I also determined if skin color acts as a moderator, explaining differences in the effect of skin color satisfaction on internalized …

U.S. Extremism And Media: How The New Age Of Politics Speaks To Media Usage, Josephine R. Haneklau

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

On January 6th, 2021, the nation watched from their television screens as a group of extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. An interesting emotion fell over the U.S. public – it was both shocking and not shocking at all. The attack on the Capitol was a by-product of years of internal division, catapulted by Trump’s presidency. Between racial divisions and the progression of Black Lives Matter, the advancement of COVID and its governmental policies, and Trump’s divisive nature of president at a peak, it seemed almost inevitable that an offense like this would occur.

As political conversations …

Trauma Healing With The Neurosequential Model Of Therapy And Bal-A-Vis-X, Becky Johnston

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Stigma related to childhood trauma is shifting with the help of advancements in the understanding of neurobiology and interventions that are proving to be effective for healing. There are immense costs and consequences for survivors of childhood trauma and their loved ones that were not so long ago considered irrelevant and the notion that kids bounce back from adversity was previously popular in the psychological community (Perry & Szalavitz, 2017). The broad strokes of Dr. Bruce Perry’s clinical intervention model, The Neurosequential Model of Therapy (NMT) describes a trauma-sensitive, sequential approach to changing the stress response within mental health counseling. …

Jlootbox: An Agent-Based Model Of Social Influence And Gambling In Online Video Games, Lila Zayed

Honors Capstones

Loot boxes are digital treasure chests that players spend real money to purchase, wherein the contents are randomly generated. Since players spend money on the pretense they might receive something valuable, many comparisons have been drawn to gambling behavior as the reward is up to chance. To explore this phenomenon, agent-based modeling will be used to simulate this behavior. Agent-based modeling allows us to create heterogenous agents who follow simple rules so that we may observe emergent behavior in a population. An agent-based model was created using Repast Simphony for this end.

Parameters included the player’s internal decision strategy around …

The Relationship Between Alexithymia, Callous Affect, Aggression, And Emerging Adulthood, Grace Sutz

Honors Theses

Emerging adulthood is a term used to define a time of development for college-aged (i.e. aged 18-29 years) individuals experiencing a period of identity exploration, instability, self-focus, feeling ‘in-between’, and a time of possibilities and optimism (Arnett, 2014). During emerging adulthood, it is common for young adults to experience elevated levels of psychopathic traits (Smits, et al. 2011). Psychopathic traits such as callous affect, impulsivity, and narcissism have been known to be a risk factor for aggressive behaviors (Marsee, et al. 2005). It was expected that higher levels of callous affect and Borderline Personality traits would be associated with higher …

Birth Order, College Major, And Social Behavior, Gianna D'Aconti

Honors Theses

There are many risk factors for antisocial behaviors. For example, birth order has been linked to personality traits, such as aggression and stubbornness (Fagan & Najman, 2003), and these personality traits have been identified as risk factors for antisocial behaviors, such as callousness (lack of empathy and emotionality) and psychopathy (personality traits associated with being a psychopath; e.g., Frick & White, 2008). These traits can be found in sibling interactions and are correlated with birth order (Odudu et. al, 2020), as well as with college majors when including Machiavellianism (Tang & Chen, 2008). Using Paul Frick’s work on studying callous …

The Association Between Parental Relationships And The Marital Views, Attitudes, And Relationships Of College Students, Emma Oswald

Honors Theses

Divorce is a prevalent issue in the United States, even though research suggests that a healthy marriage is beneficial to children’s development and well-being (Ribar, 2015). Children having divorced parents (Potter, 2010) and parents in unhappy marriages are associated with more difficulties with the psychological well-being of children (Bannon, et al. 2018). The goal of the present study was to determine whether parental divorce and relationship quality are associated with the marital views, attitudes, and relationships of college students. Participants were asked to complete a series of online survey scales measuring parental relationship status, age of parental divorce (if divorced), …

Student Perceptions Of Gendered Racial Microagressions, Ayanna Brewton

Honors College Theses

The impact of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination is a widespread issue in society that has become more visible to people with privilege and has been more widely studied by social scientists and mental health professionals. More recently, the impact of gendered racial microaggressions has been investigated. Gendered racial microaggressions are defined as indirect and everyday slights and insults based on the intersection of racism and sexism (Gadson & Lewis, 2021). Research shows that gendered racial microaggressions toward multiple minority status individuals has a negative impact on their mental wellbeing (Mekawi & Todd, 2018). However, there is a gap in the …

Racial Justice Allyship In White Non-Adopted Individuals With Adopted Siblings Of Color, Lydia Zicker, Adam W. Fingerhut

Honors Thesis

The ongoing prevalence of racial injustice in the United States demonstrates the growing importance of White allies and co-conspirators supporting people of Color to combat the social systems which consistently favor White individuals and disadvantage people of Color. While recent psychological research on allyship has touched on issues of racial injustice, a gap in research on transracial adoption and its impact on allyship presents an opportunity for further knowledge and progress to be made. Bridging research on transracial adoption, outgroup ally development, and factors that affect racial attitudes, the research presented in this study examines predictors of racial justice allyship …

Moral Matching: Strategic Messaging To Overcome Barriers To Persuasion, Tess M. Buckley

Communication (PhD) Dissertations

Persuasive messages are often met with resistance. Message fatigue is a unique motivational state caused by excessive exposure to redundant messages, which leads to active and passive resistance towards persuasive messages. The consequences of active and passive resistance are particularly harmful when directed towards messages intended to assist individuals in making health decisions. This dissertation investigated a message framing strategy, moral matching, to combat message fatigue resistance in the context of COVID-19. Guided by message fatigue and moral foundation theory literature, there were three main purposes of this dissertation. The first purpose was to identify what features of COVID-19 health …

The Effect Of Race On The Evaluation Of Quarterbacks, Kian R. Sohrabi

Psychology Honors Projects

Black quarterbacks have faced stereotypes and biases about their performance for decades. While Black quarterbacks are more common in the NFL nowadays, it is not clear whether their performance is being evaluated without bias. Black quarterbacks are often discussed in ways that emphasize their physical abilities but criticize their mental attributes. This current study sought to investigate the effect of race on quarterback evaluation. Study 1 examined the effect of race on fans’ evaluations of quarterbacks; Study 2 looked at the effect of race on evaluations by high school football coaches. Participants completed an online experiment in which they were …

Practical Skill Building And Application Of Sketchnoting And Visual Thinking, Troy Schubert

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Practical Skill Building and Application of Sketchnoting and Visual Thinking

In the ever-quickening stream of information flowing toward us, how do we connect and engage with that stimulus in meaningful ways? Where does the new information fit in the mosaic of knowledge we already hold? Sketchnoting and visual thinking are methods that work in harmony with the way our brains work, allowing for deeper absorption and recall. The goal of this project was to build foundational skills in sketchnoting and visual thinking, and then find opportunities to begin applying those skills in real-world situations. This document chronicles the journey and …