Psychology

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10323/11898

Browse

Now showing 1 - 12 of 12

Exploring the need for chaos: an examination of political preferences in the United States and Poland
(2025-01-01) Szala, Anna; Shackelford, Todd K.; Zeigler-Hill, Virgil; McDonald, Melissa M.
This dissertation examines the relationship between the Need for Chaos (NFC) and political preferences in the United States and Poland. Across four studies, it investigates NFC in relation to ideological orientation and party support, and compares its expression across two contrasting political systems. Study 1 (n = 400) found no significant association between NFC and political orientation or party preference in the US. Study 2 (n = 474) translated and validated the NFC scale for use in Polish. Study 3 (n = 472) replicated the analyses in Poland, again finding no consistent link between NFC and ideological or party affiliation. Study 4 (n = 872) offered a cross-national comparison, showing higher NFC levels among Polish participants regardless of political alignment. Across all studies, NFC was more closely related to psychological traits such as status-driven risk-taking and social disconnection than to ideological content. The findings suggest that NFC reflects a generalized disposition toward system disruption, shaped more by context and psychological factors than by political ideology.
With friends like these: modeling self-disclosure depenetration and reconnection trajectories
(2025-01-01) Hicks, Paxton Chase; Taku, Kanako; Zeigler-Hill, Virgil
Self-disclosure is a common relationship development behavior. As relationships develop the topics that individuals share expand, and get deeper (i.e., penetration processes). Both current and previous literature, however, neglected the opposing process of depenetration. Depenetration may be an important consideration for how changes in information intimacy affect relationship dissolution. The present study attempts to model depenetration processes to observe how depenetration affects perceptions within a relationship. A total of 825 participants were recruited from a midwestern university or online. Participants completed a series of vignettes manipulating the intensity of depenetration while measuring their perceptions. Results indicated depenetration rate affected the perceived intimacy of the relationship negatively but also led to stronger reconnection. In other words, although sharing less intimate information may initially turn people away, they may not be as reluctant to come back. Further studies should consider how other variations in information intimacy affect relationship development and dissolution.
Exploring the Narratives of Black and Native American Women in STEM
(2025-01-01) Mongene, Noelle; Escobar, Martha; Eberly Lewis, Mary B.; Haynie, Kathleen
This research examines the experiences of women from groups traditionally underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields through two qualitative studies focused on young Black women and Native American women in educational and professional STEM contexts. Using an intersectional framework, these studies investigate how race, gender, and cultural identity shape participants’ sense of belonging, persistence, and success in STEM fields.Study 1 explores the educational pathways of young Black women who participated in a program preparing young Black women for Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles at the high school level, and their transition to various STEM fields at the undergraduate level. Participants in this study reflected on their participation in the preparatory program, as well as shared their personal challenges and successes in the pursuit of STEM. Study 2 explored the career paths of Native American women in various STEM fields, at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels. Participants in this study described the profound impact that identity, culture, and history had on their pathways in STEM, with attention to the roles of traditional knowledge and community in promoting resilience in the face of barriers. The interviews were discussed to reveal similarities and differences in the experiences of these two marginalized groups. The studies highlight the importance of belonging, representation, and environments that affirm the identity of women of color in STEM, and shed light on distinct experiences of discrimination and the availability of representation that reflects participants’ own backgrounds. These findings highlight the need for equity initiatives that consider the intersection of gender, race, and culture, to support and strengthen inclusivity in STEM.
Anachronistic Adaptation: An Empirical Test of the Response-Readiness Theory
(2025-01-01) Pappas, Jacob Gerard; Vonk, Jennifer; Lewis, Mary; Zeigler-Hill, Virgil
Common, heritable mental illnesses constitute a considerable challenge for evolutionary models of human behavior. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention, is especially difficult to reconcile with evolutionary theory given its high prevalence and association with considerable dysfunction. Response-readiness theory attempts to explain ADHD as an evolutionary mismatch, which occurs when previously adaptive traits are rendered maladaptive by environmental change. Particularly, response-readiness theory frames ADHD as an adaptation to environments that are dangerous, resource scarce, unpredictable, and harsh (i.e., the environmental adversity hypothesis), arguing that inattention facilitated environmental scanning, important in detecting threats in unpredictable environments (i.e., the hypervigilance hypothesis), whereas hyperactivity facilitated investigative exploration, vital in orienting to novel and unfamiliar environments (i.e., the exploratory hyperactivity hypothesis).Study One tested the environmental adversity hypothesis, indicating that harsh and unpredictable childhood environments were associated with inattention, whereas unpredictability alone was associated with hyperactivity. Study Two tested the hypervigilance hypothesis, conceptualizing hypervigilant threat detection in terms of both the proficient detection of threats, as well as a more general bias to perceive threats in ambiguous cues. Although the latter conceptualization was supported, the former was not. Study Three tested the exploratory hyperactivity hypothesis, indicating that inattention, not hyperactivity, was indirectly associated with exploratory information seeking in both domain-general and domain-specific contexts, and that these relationships were mediated by individual differences in intolerance of uncertainty. Although providing only mixed support for response-readiness theory, the results of this project present an opportunity to break new theoretical ground, particularly in the development of the hyperactive facilitation theory. This theory advocates for the contextualization of response-readiness within a larger differential susceptibility framework. Informed by the present results, the proposed theory frames hyperactivity as a mechanism of development plasticity (i.e., the readiness spectrum hypothesis), intolerance of uncertainty as a vital motivator of investigative exploration, orienting ancestral individuals to unfamiliar environments (i.e., the uncertainty reduction hypothesis) and inattention as a cognitive filter, necessary for coping with the informational demands of environmental unpredictability (i.e., the attentional filter hypothesis), The implications of each novel hypothesis are discussed, followed by recommendations in testing them.
No shades of grey: does dichotomous thinking mediate the associations that narcissistic personality traits have with anger?
(2024-01-01) Vrabel, Jennifer Kelly; Zeigler-Hill, Virgil; Vonk, Jennifer; Shackelford, Todd K
Narcissism concerns grandiosity, vanity, self-absorption, and entitlement. Individuals with high levels of narcissism demonstrate a strong desire to maintain or boost their status and ego. This desire is so fundamental that individuals with high levels of narcissism may experience anger whenever they encounter provocations that may threaten their feelings of self-worth. However, little is known about the cognitive processes that characterize individuals with high levels of narcissism and how these cognitive processes may impact their responses to provocations. This is important because shedding light on these cognitive processes could help explain why individuals with high levels of narcissism are predisposed to become angry following perceived provocations. One cognitive process that may be particularly important is dichotomous thinking. That is, individuals with high levels of narcissism may see provocations in terms of “black” and “white” with no shades of grey. As a result, the overarching goal of the present research was to explore the connections between narcissism and dichotomous thinking (Study 1) and whether dichotomous thinking mediates the associations that narcissistic personality traits have with anger after experiencing a provocation (Studies 2 and 3). The results of Study 1 revealed that extraverted narcissism and antagonistic narcissism were associated with dichotomous thinking. Neurotic narcissism was not associated with dichotomous thinking at the zero-order correlation level. However, after controlling for the other types of narcissism, neurotic narcissism was associated with dichotomous thinking. Further, the results of Study 2 revealed that dichotomous thinking mediated the association that each type of narcissism (i.e., extraverted narcissism, antagonistic narcissism, neurotic narcissism) had with anger through hostile attributions. These findings did not replicate in Study 3. This may be explained, at least in part, by the recall writing task failing to activate dichotomous thinking in Study 3. Discussion focuses on the implications that dichotomous thinking may have for the lives of narcissistic individuals.
Why Should I Tell You? Differences in Self-Disclosure Among Sexual Minorities are Associated with Experiences with Minority Stress
(2025-01-01) Edge, Jared; Vonk, Jennifer; Zeigler-Hill, Virgil; Welling, Lisa; Manning, Mark
Minority stress has been identified as a significant contributor to mental/physical health disparities within sexual minority populations. The Minority Stress Model describes different sources of stress, such as distal (e.g., victimization) and proximal stressors (e.g., internalized stigma), alongside ameliorating processes, such as social support, that can influence health outcomes. The stressors that an individual might experience are partially influenced by sexual orientation, with some identities experiencing stressors that are specific to that sexual identity. One avenue through which minority stress might impact health outcomes is through disclosure of a minority identity, an experience that is often associated with positive health outcomes but may invite stigma. Across three sets of analyses, gay/lesbian, bi+, and asexual participants reported experiences with minority stress, past experiences with disclosure, and willingness to disclose their identity as a sexual minority in two hypothetical contexts. The first research question examined differences in coming out milestones, finding that asexual participants reported discovering, identifying with, and disclosing their sexual minority identity at later ages over shorter intervals than gay/lesbian and bi+ samples. The second research question demonstrated indirect effects of the associations between discrimination events and microaggressions and likelihood to disclose through the proximal stressors expectations of rejection and internalized stigma, although these associations differed by sexual orientation. The third research question demonstrated that community connectedness moderated the association between expectations of rejection and likelihood to disclose orientation, but only for the asexual sample. Across these analyses, different orientations reported consistent differences in the minority stressors that were associated with disclosure, which could help clinicians customize treatments to better address their minority clients’ needs.
Exploring Innovation and Behavioral Flexibility in Captive Carnivores
(2024-01-01) O'Connor, Victoria Lyn; Vonk, Jennifer; Borrego, Natalia D; Escobar, Martha; Shackelford, Todd
The highly specialized order Carnivora, while underrepresented in the comparative cognition literature, faces diverse ecological and social constraints. Thus, species and individuals should differ in behaviors associated with cognitive abilities, facilitating the successful navigation of these challenges. Behavioral flexibility was measured in 80 individuals of 17 species through personality assessments predicting success on a multi-access puzzle box (MAB) and behaviors associated with cognition on both a MAB and an Impossible Task. At the species level, social species were significantly more persistent on the MAB, and smaller body mass and higher encephalization was associated with persistence and latency to success on the MAB. Within species, on the individual level, there were several significant differences in behaviors between the sexes, ambassador versus exhibit animals, and wild versus captive-born species in the behavioral trait assessments, and on the MAB and Impossible Task. No significant differences existed between individuals of different ages or species rated differently on the IUCN scale or in brain volume on the MAB. This dissertation contributes to the growing field of animal cognition through the first use of personality assessments predicting problem-solving success on an MAB, the largest and most inclusive sample of felids on an MAB, and the first use of an Impossible Task in non-domesticated felids.
Tried and True: The Influence of Perceived Loyalty on Friendship Perceptions and Functioning
(2023-01-01) Sauls, Destaney; Zeigler-Hill, Virgil; Shackelford, Todd; Vonk, Jennifer
Friendships provide social support and often serve to enhance psychological well-being. As such, it is important to understand how these friendships function. One feature that may contribute to friendship functioning is loyalty; however, the role of loyalty in friendships has not been sufficiently studied. The current work is intended to examine the potential relationships between the perceptions of two forms of loyalty and different aspects of friendship functioning. Passive loyalty refers to behaviors intended to be constructive in a relationship, but that may be passive in nature, such as letting a conflict go without holding a grudge. In contrast, active loyalty refers to behaviors that are more overt, such as defending a friend against the criticism of others. Participants were undergraduates drawn from the subject pools of two mid-sized Midwestern universities. Study 1 (n = 445) found that participants viewed their current friendships more positively than past friendships and that active loyalty was especially important in predicting the perceived closeness of the friendship. Study 2 (n = 252) found that active loyalty predicted perceptions of closeness for both the individual and their friend. Study 3 (n = 474) found that perceptions of active loyalty were associated with different aspects of friendship maintenance (i.e., satisfaction with the friendship, investment in the friendship, and perceived quality of alternatives to the friendship) and that active loyalty had indirect associations with friendship commitment through these features. Although hypotheses for all three studies concerned both passive and active loyalty, passive loyalty was somewhat overshadowed by active loyalty. That is, the associations that emerged for passive loyalty often were obscured when active loyalty was included in the same analysis. However, it is important to note that the associations concerning passive loyalty often resembled the associations for active loyalty but were typically smaller in magnitude. Understanding the different potential implications of passive and active loyalty may allow for additional insights regarding how to cultivate and maintain meaningful friendships, ultimately enhancing the well-being and social connectedness of individuals
Religious Value Transmission: An Exploration of the Internalization of Catholic Values in Adolescence, Young Adulthood, and Parenthood
(2024-01-01) Ott, Joy Louisa; Vonk, Jennifer; Shackelford, Todd; Taku, Kanako
Despite increasingly secular pressures, more Catholics continue to practice the faith in which they were brought up, as compared to members of other Christian denominations. It is of interest to understand what factors contribute to the maintenance of childhood beliefs into adulthood and into one’s own childrearing practices, thereby passing those beliefs to the next generation. This dissertation explored religious value transmission through the lens of internalization across three notable life stages in Catholic individuals: young adolescence (Study One), young adulthood (Study Two), and parenthood (Study Three). Across these three stages, the pattern was mostly consistent: parental influence was positively associated with religiosity, and this relationship was generally mediated by identified, but not introjected, internalization. Study One found that adolescents' perceptions of their parents' religiosity were associated with both introjected and identified internalization. Study Two showed that, while current factors (e.g., peer experience and school affiliation) changed the ways in which parental influence was associated with internalization and religiosity, they did not entirely replace parental influence. Study Three showed that people tend to raise their children similarly to how they were raised with regards to religion, thereby continuing the cycle of religious value transmission. Apart from two notable deviations (wherein introjection was also a significant mediator), identified, but not introjected, internalization was associated with the religious outcomes throughout the three life stages, highlighting the importance of this fuller form of internalization in religiosity and the continuation of the value transmission cycle
A Multi-Pronged Approach to Studying Human-Animal Interactions in Zoo Settings
(2024-01-01) Truax, Jordyn Paige; Vonk, Jennifer; Escobar, Martha; Shackelford, Todd
Zoos of the past focused primarily on animal exhibition, yet the modern zoo has shifted to a focus on animal conservation and public education. This change has coincided with a negative shift in public opinion towards zoos after documentaries such as Blackfish, leading to comparatively more positive views of sanctuaries. These preferences seem to be influenced by the lack of animal exhibition at sanctuaries, suggesting that human influences on animals are important to public perceptions of zoos. Thus, human-animal interaction research is essential to understanding perceptions of zoos and human influences on captive animals. This dissertation addresses both factors. Study 1 assessed public opinions on zoos versus sanctuaries, and investigated how these opinions are impacted by knowledge of zoo practices. Highlighting any positive information, but particularly in relation to conservation, led to more positive public opinions. Studies 2 and 3 considered human-animal interactions through human impacts on captive animals, as further knowledge could both increase animal welfare, and then, positively influence public opinion. Study 2 examined the influence of visitors on the behaviors of zoo-housed parrots in an aviary. Birds engaged in decreased positive behaviors, increased negative behaviors, and more birds were present as visitor numbers increased. The increase in negative behaviors was minimal compared to the increase in birds present, which may indicate the birds were not negatively impacted by visitors. Study 3 evaluated the judgment biases of two ambassador animals after exposure to zoo visitors. The chicken displayed pessimism whether it was held or perched, but the tegu displayed pessimism only when no visitor touch occurred. This suggests negative effects of visitor interactions for the chicken, but touch interactions may not be aversive to the tegu. All three studies contribute to our understanding of human-animal interactions for the improvement of animal welfare and public perceptions of these facilities.
Changes in Vaginal pH and Lubrication in Response to Sexually Coercive Stimuli
(2024-01-01) Vance, Gavin Scott; Shackelford, Todd K.; Vonk, Jennifer; Zeigler-Hill, Virgil
Women’s genital response to sexual stimuli is cue non-specific, such that women display similar levels of genital arousal in response to preferred and non-preferred sexual stimuli, which is discordant with their subjective reports of sexual arousal. One explanation for this phenomenon is the preparation hypothesis, which proposes that women’s genital response to sexual stimuli evolved to be cue non-specific to reduce injury to the vaginal walls during both consensual and non-consensual intercourse (i.e., sexual coercion, forced copulation, or rape). Consistent with the preparation hypothesis, women display genital arousal (including vasocongestion and vaginal lubrication) in response to audio stimuli depicting rape. However, over human evolutionary history, rape imposed special and severe adaptive costs on women, notably loss of control over mate choice and, potentially, rearing without co-parental support a child whose sire is of unknown genetic quality. The spermicidal hypothesis of vaginal acidity proposes that women’s cue non-specific genital responsivity evolved to prevent fertilization by sexually coercive men of unknown genetic quality. Women’s vaginal pH, which changes over the ovulatory cycle, and in response to sexual stimulation, may afford a mechanism by which women prevent fertilization by rape. The current research employed a within-subjects design to compare changes in vaginal lubrication and pH in response to different audio stimuli to investigate whether women have evolved a physiological mechanism (i.e., production of more acidic vaginal pH) to avoid fertilization by rape. The main goal of the present research was to determine the effect of coercive versus consensual sexual stimuli on women’s genital arousal. Specifically, I predicted that women would produce more acidic (i.e. lower pH) vaginal lubricant in response to sexually coercive audio stimuli than to neutral, sexually consensual, and violent non-sexual audio stimuli. An additional goal of this research was to replicate and extend previous research by testing the effect of different audio stimuli on vaginal lubrication. Therefore, I also predicted that women would produce more vaginal lubrication in response to a sexually coercive audio stimulus than to neutral and violent non-sexual audio stimuli, but less lubrication in response to a sexually consensual audio stimulus. Results largely failed to support the predictions of the present study; however, several significant interactions emerged from the repeated-measures ANCOVA. Namely, the effect of experimental condition on amount of vaginal lubrication, and changes in vaginal pH depended on women’s fertility status. Discussion offers potential explanations for these interactions, addresses the many limitations faced by the present study (e.g., potentially inaccurate assessments of pH and fertility), and outlines a path forward for future research regarding changes in vaginal pH.
Precarious Manhood And Threat-Motivated Gun-Related Attitudes And Behavioral Intentions Among Men In The United States
(2022-11-03) Ray, Travis; Parkhill, Michele; Zeigler-Hill, Virgil; McDonald, Melissa
The precarious manhood thesis posits that men are motivated to maintain attributes associated with societally accepted forms of masculinity. As a result, when men feel their manhood is threatened, they tend to respond with exaggerated displays of masculinity. Prior research indicates that guns are closely intertwined with masculinity and thus may be a tool through which men can demonstrate their manhood when feeling threatened. To empirically test this idea, the current research conducted two experimental studies examining the causal influence of masculinity threats on gun-related attitudes (Study 1) and behaviors (Study 2). It was hypothesized that men exposed to a masculinity threat would report more gun-supportive attitudes and have a greater likelihood of engaging in gun-related behaviors relative to men exposed to a gender affirmation— especially in a public context. Adult men residing in the United States (N = 381) completed assessments of demographics and adherence to masculine gender norms prior to their randomization into the masculinity threat and public display conditions. Following the manipulations, Study 1 participants (n = 184) completed measures of gun- related attitudes, while Study 2 participants (n = 197) also completed assessments of gun-related behaviors. Results generally did not support a causal association between the masculinity threat manipulation and gun-related constructs, resulting in retention of the null hypotheses. However, exploratory analyses revealed significant associations between adherence to masculine gender norms and demographic variables with gun-related outcomes. Together, these results suggest that masculinity threats do not have a causal influence on gun-related variables. Rather, gun-related attitudes and behaviors are partially explained by social, developmental, and cultural factors—including adherence to masculine gender norms.

Browse

Recent Submissions