Psychology Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2801

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    The Affective Consequences of Conforming to Gender Stereotypes
    (2016) Venaglia, Rachel; Lemay, Edward P.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    It was of primary interest to examine the affective consequences of conformity to gender stereotypes, and to assess if feelings of social approval and authenticity mediate the relationship between conformity and affect. Therefore, we utilized an Electronic Momentary Assessment methodology to capture University of Maryland students’ engagement in gender stereotypical behavior, and their emotional and social experiences during their daily social interactions. Counter to expectations, we found that regardless of one’s own gender, enacting gender prescriptions enhanced feelings of authenticity and feelings of social approval, and enacting proscriptions reduced feelings of authenticity and feelings of social approval. Enacting prescriptions predicted more positive affect and enacting proscriptions predicted a more negative affective experience. Feelings of authenticity and feelings of social approval independently predicted feelings of more positive affect. Overall, our findings suggest that irrespective of gender, engaging in desirable stereotypes has a number of social, personal, and emotional benefits.
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    Affective Pathways of Work-Family Enrichment Among Dual-earner Couples
    (2009) Dunn, Marianne Grace; O'Brien, Karen M; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The current study examined the extent to which resources generated at work influence family functioning among dual-earner couples while accounting for interdependence of observations among couples. Path analytic findings based in the Actor Partner Interdependence Model (APIM; Cook & Kenny, 2005) and Work-Family Enrichment Theory (Greenhaus & Powell, 2006) supported the presence of a mediated model. The relationship between resources generated at work to positive family performance was mediated by positive affect at work. A number of intrapersonal effects, including one mediated effect emerged between work, positive affect at work, and family variables. One interpersonal effect was detected: female family-supportive organization perceptions predicted male dyadic adjustment. The results and implications for theory, policy, practice, and research are discussed.
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    Affect and Cognition as Antecedents of Intergroup Attitudes: The Role of Applicability and Judged Usability
    (2009) Leary, Scott; Stangor, Charles; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    When making intergroup evaluations we experience cognitive and affective responses. Given that the content of the cognitions or affective reactions are applicable and judged usable, each has the potential to influence one's attitudes towards that group. In a Pilot Study participants reported significantly more disgust than fear when thinking about gay men, and significantly more fear than disgust when thinking about African-Americans. Studies 1 and 2 provided initial support that these specific emotional responses to social groups are moderated by the extent to which that information is judged as usable. Data from Study 3 did not fully support my hypotheses, as personal relevance did not moderate the extent to which affect was related to social distance. Implications and limitations are discussed.
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    Impact of Residential Substance Abuse Treatment on Affect and Personality-Related Variables Across Inner-city Substance Abusers
    (2007-06-27) Aklin, Will M.; Lejuez, Carl W; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Substance abuse treatment outcome studies have shown positive effects for a large number of drug users with regard to reduction in substance use and criminal activity, as well as improvement of general well-being. However, high rates of relapse following treatment have compelled researchers to elucidate the individual difference factors that change among those who receive substance abuse treatment. Affect- (depressive and anxiety symptoms) and disinhibition-related variables (impulsivity, risk taking) may be of particular relevance. These factors are related to the development and maintenance of substance use and distinguish between substance users with and without Axis I and II disorders that may interfere with treatment success, such as depression, anxiety disorders, or antisocial personality disorder. Consequently, these factors may be considered important treatment targets. However, there currently is a dearth of research focused on understanding whether these variables are affected by standard substance use treatments, and more specifically, which variables may change throughout the course of substance use treatment. Given that many of these variables are considered to be enduring aspects of an individual's personality, the extent to which they are malleable by treatment is an important consideration. Moreover, to enhance the generalizability of these findings, it is important to understand the extent to which changes occur in more standard substance use treatments as opposed to more elaborate and targeted treatments that rarely are disseminated in real world treatment settings. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine the effect of a residential substance use treatment program on particular affect- (e.g., depressive and anxiety symptoms, stress reactivity) and disinhibition-related variables (e.g., risk taking). A sample of 81 inner-city substance abusers were assessed on self-reported and behavioral measures of the above affect- and disinhibition-related variables that have previously found to be implicated in substance use over a 30-day course of treatment. A residential treatment program provides an optimal setting for evaluating changes as behavioral confounds (i.e., substance use) can be controlled, and the natural changes during abstinence can be measured with both reliability and validity. A significant pre-post treatment decrease was found on scores of risk taking, as indexed by the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART); levels of depressive symptomatology and stress reactivity also evidenced a significant pre-post decrease. These data are discussed with respect to implications for understanding the factors that underlie mechanisms of change during treatment, thereby informing substance abuse prevention and treatment programs.
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    "Easier Said than Done": Promises as False Proxies in Goal Pursuit
    (2006-12-11) Orehek, Edward; Kruglanski, Arie W; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This study investigated goal activation following a promise to complete the goal. Because promising is a statement of commitment to a goal, it is generally assumed to increase goal activation. However, when individuals have the motivation to infer progress on the goal, and when information is accessible which would facilitate such an inference from the act of promising, goal activation should decrease following the promise. We hypothesized and found that when promises are made after competing goals have been activated and when positive affect is experienced following the promise, goal activation is lower than when a promise is not made. Only when competing goals were not activated and positive affect was experienced did promising lead to greater goal activation than not promising. These results add to current work on feedback processes in goal pursuit, and demonstrate the paradoxical effects of promising to complete a goal.