Psychology
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Item GENDERED INVESTMENTS IN CAREER AND FAMILY: VALIDATING A MEASURE OF MOTHERHOOD SCHEMAS AMONG UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN(2016) Savela, Alexandra; O'Brien, Karen M; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)One persistent trend characterizing many work-family arrangements is the tendency for women to invest more heavily in the family sphere compared to men and to compromise career pursuits for their children or partner. Discovering which factors perpetuate these gender-stratified investments in work and family is necessary because, along with investing more in the family, women tend to be concentrated in low-paid, low-prestige occupations. Improving the ability to measure how young women perceive the motherhood role will allow researchers to advance the study of women’s career development. Accordingly, the present study tested, among undergraduate women, the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Meaning of Motherhood Scale, which assesses the ways in which mothers are expected to think, feel, and behave to be seen as “good” mothers. The study found that the Meaning of Motherhood Scale, originally developed with a sample of mothers, did not have the same structure in a sample of undergraduate women, non-mothers. Implications of this finding are discussed. Post-hoc analyses were implemented to explore the factor structure of the Meaning of Motherhood Scale with undergraduate women and a three-factor structure measuring Involvement, Flourishing, and Traditional expectations of mothers was found. Tentative implications of these post-hoc findings, future directions for research, and clinical implications are discussed.Item Gender, Behavioral Assessment of Negative Reinforcement Driven Risk Taking Propensity, and Cigarette Smoking(2015) Dahne, Jennifer; Lejuez, Carl W.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death and disability in the United States and most often is initiated during adolescence. An emerging body of research suggests that a negative reinforcement model may explain factors that contribute to tobacco use during adolescence and that negative reinforcement processes may contribute to tobacco use to a greater extent among female adolescents than among male adolescents. However, the extant literature both on the relationship between negative reinforcement processes and adolescent tobacco use as well as on the relationship between gender, negative reinforcement processes, and adolescent tobacco use is limited by the sole reliance on self-report measures of negative reinforcement processes that may contribute to cigarette smoking. The current study aimed to further disentangle the relationships between negative reinforcement based risk taking, gender and tobacco use during older adolescence by utilizing a behavioral analogue measure of negative reinforcement based risk taking, the Maryland Resource for the Behavioral Utilization of the Reinforcement of Negative Stimuli (MRBURNS). Specifically, we examined the relationship between pumps on the MRBURNS, an indicator of risk taking, and smoking status as well as the interaction between MRBURNS pumps and gender for predicting smoking status. Participants included 103 older adolescents (n=51 smokers, 50.5% female, Age (M(SD) = 19.41(1.06)) who all attended one experimental session during which they completed the MRBURNS as well as self-report measures of tobacco use, nicotine dependence, alcohol use, depression, and anxiety. We utilized binary logistic regressions to examine the relationship between MRBURNS pumps and smoking status as well as the interactive effect of MRBURNS pumps and gender for predicting smoking status. Controlling for relevant covariates, pumps on the MRBURNS did not significantly predict smoking status and the interaction between pumps on the MRBURNS and gender also did not significantly predict smoking status. These findings highlight the importance of future research examining various task modifications to the MRBURNS as well as the need for replications of this study with larger, more diverse samples.Item The Role of Feminine and Masculine Norms in College Women's Alcohol Use(2015) Kaya, Aylin Esra; Iwamoto, Derek K; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Current literature suggests not only that men and women can conform to both feminine and masculine norms, but that women who adhere to certain masculine norms may be at greater risk for problematic alcohol use. This study examined conformity to both masculine and feminine norms, and how conformity to distinct norms influenced heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related problems among a sample of underage college women (N= 645). Results demonstrated that the masculine norms risk-taking and emotional control were associated with increased HED, while the masculine norm power over women was associated with a decrease in HED. Traditional feminine norms, including modesty and sexual fidelity, were associated with a decrease in HED and alcohol-related problems. The feminine norm relational was associated with increased HED, while the norms thinness and appearance were associated with increased alcohol-related problems. The study’s theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.Item Racial Differences in the Propensity to Negotiate(2015) Crosby, Brandon John Richburg; Gelfand, Michele J; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This research set out to examine the potential impact of race on the willingness to negotiate in the workplace. Drawing on previous research on gender influences on the willingness to negotiate and research on race and workplace discrimination, it was predicted that Black employees would be less willing to negotiate as compared to Whites, yet that this relationship would be moderated by a positive climate for diversity. Findings from interview data and a survey with employed participants showed that Black participants were less likely to negotiate on various topics such as promotions, bonuses and stock options. The ambiguity of these topics as well as climate for diversity were investigated further in a lab experiment designed to manipulate organizational factors that could impact one’s willingness to negotiate. The manipulation for the ambiguous condition, climate for diversity nor the race of the participant impacted negotiation rates. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.Item THE ROLE OF IMPLICIT SELF-CONCEPT IN PLANNING FOR CAREER AND FAMILY IN UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN(2015) Silberberg, Ayelet; O'Brien, Karen M; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Married women are more likely to leave careers and take on domestic labor responsibilities than their partners. This contributes to gender inequality in the workforce. The current investigation sought to understand this phenomenon by examining factors contributing to career and family planning in college-aged women. A novel Implicit Associations Test (IAT) examined the degree to which implicit self-concept explains variance beyond explicit measures of gender in willingness to compromise career for family, and chore division expectations. Eighty-six undergraduate women completed the IAT and a computer survey. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses found no relationship between the IAT and other variables. However, participants expected to perform more chores than ideally desired, and a positive relationship emerged between egalitarian gender role expectations and egalitarian ideal chore division. In post-hoc analyses, high expressivity related to egalitarian chore division expectations, and willingness to sacrifice career for children. Recommendations for future research and practice are discussed.Item THE ETHNIC ETHICAL LEADER: HOW PERCEPTIONS OF A LEADER'S ETHNICITY AND GENDER ALTER PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR ETHICALITY(2014) Muhammad, Rabiah Sahara; Hanges, Paul J; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The present dissertation examines the role of ethnicity and gender on perceptions of a leaders' ethicality. Based on the literature of social information processing, people are recognized as leaders when the content of a perceiver's prototype matches the target's characteristics, attributes, and behaviors (CABs). With this dissertation, I add to the existing literature by testing whether categorizing someone as a leader is associated with perceptions of their ethicality. The goal of this dissertation is to examine if the most salient leadership CABS reported in the extant leadership literature are those that may be more consistent with stereotypes of White males than other demographic groups. I hope to examine if leaders may be perceived as less ethical as a function of their race or gender due to a mismatch between the perceiver's leadership prototype and the target's leadership CABs. Four studies were conducted to investigate these issues, with a focus on perceptions of leader's ethicality. In Study 1, participants generated the necessary CABS to describe leaders of different ethnicities, genders and contexts and rated these CABS on how much they fit with the idea of the leader. Study 2 exposed participants to a resume that had a description of a leader that varied in the leader's gender and ethnicity (White, Black, and Hispanic). Study 3 was a within-subject experiment that utilized an implicit assessment of participant's attitudes regarding the ethicality the leaders with an Implicit Attitude Test. In study 4, a between-subject design was used to test the role of context in influencing the salience of the ethnic/gender leadership prototypes. Specifically, the situational context (occupation) and ethnicity (specifically Black) were manipulated and MBA students rated the ethicality of the leader. This dissertation represents the first empirical investigation of leader ethicality through the lens of ethnicity and gender.Item The Gender Dynamics of Dissent in Organizations(2012) Severance, Laura; Gelfand, Michele J.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Contemporary approaches to organizational behavior tout dissent as critical to organizational success. However, dissenters often incur penalties for expressing opinions that differ from the majority. The current work examines dissent as a gendered phenomenon, taking into account how the social context (i.e., female-dominated, male-dominated, and mixed gender work groups) affects both backlash incurred by female dissenters as well as group performance. Study 1 demonstrated that female dissenters incurred more backlash than did male dissenters and that female participants reacted especially negatively to female dissenters. Study 3 demonstrated that female dissenters expected to receive the most backlash for speaking up in female-dominated groups relative to male-dominated and mixed gender groups. Study 4 demonstrated that women were actually most likely to dissent in female-dominated groups (relative to male-dominated and mixed gender groups), although this did not translate into differences in group performance. However, dissenter communication style emerged as a key moderator of objective (i.e., group performance) and subjective (i.e., backlash toward the dissenter) outcomes as a function of group composition. Specifically, in female-dominated groups, women's use of impolite communication tactics (e.g., interrupting) were related to decreased performance and increased backlash. Further, women were able to anticipate these backlash consequences. Overall, this work advances the understanding of gendered dissent dynamics in the workplace and how these influence not only female employees but also the organizations in which they are embedded.Item A Biosocial Approach to Negotiation(2011) Severance, Laura; Gelfand, Michele J.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The current study advances a biosocial model of negotiation, in which the effects of estradiol and opponent gender on competitive behavior are examined. Sixty-four female participants engaged in a computer-mediated negotiation simulation and completed measures assessing psychological distance, negotiation goals, opponent perceptions, and self-presentation concerns. Results demonstrated that psychological distance, estradiol, and opponent gender interact to predict competitive and conciliatory negotiation behavior. This study carries substantial implications for conflict management theory and practice as it illustrates the joint influence of biological and social situational factors on negotiation behavior.Item Toward a Better Understanding of the Relationship Between Gender and Crack/Cocaine Use and Dependence(2008-08-27) Reynolds, Elizabeth Keats; Lejuez, Carl W.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Building on previous research, this cross-sectional, exploratory study of 142 crack/cocaine users, currently enrolled in residential substnace abuse treatment, aimed to replicate previous findings indicating that females evidence greater use (past year and heaviest use) and dependence (current and lifetime) of crack/cocaine compared to males. In addition, this study sought to examine potential risk factors in the relationship between gender and crack/cocaine drug use. Results indicated that females used crack/cocaine significantly more frequently in the past year. Males and females did not differ on dependence or lifetime heaviest use. Frequency of use by romantic partner and lifetime major depressive disorder diagnosis were significantly related to both gender and past year crack/cocaine use frequency, and met criteria as risk factors in this relationship. This study adds to previous reports of greater crack/cocaine use among inner-city females and identified potential factors underlying this greater frequency of use by women.Item Psychological Health and Meaning in Life: Stress, Social Support, and Religious Coping in Latina and Latino Immigrants(2007-04-13) Dunn, Marianne Grace; O'Brien, Karen; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study examined and the relative contributions of (a) gender, (b) perceived stress, (c) social support from family and significant other, and (d) positive and negative dimensions of religious coping to the prediction of the psychological health and meaning in life among Central American immigrants. Findings revealed that greater perceived stress by Latinas/ Latinos was predictive of psychological health and meaning in life. Social support from significant other also was predictive of presence of meaning in one's life. Negative religious coping, specifically reappraisal of God's powers was predictive of search for meaning in one's life.