Psychology (Functional Area: Social and Personality)

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Open Access
A Cross-Cultural Investigation of Minority and Non-White Majority Children's Implicit Attitudes Toward Racial Outgroups
(2015-12-16) George, Meghan Louise; Steele, Jennifer
In this research I aimed to increase our understanding of the early emergence of racial biases by examining the implicit racial attitudes of minority and non-White majority children in two cultures. In Study 1, minority children in Canada completed an Implicit Association Test to measure implicit racial attitudes. Young non-Black minority children held a pro-White (versus Black) implicit bias. However, unlike previous findings, the magnitude of bias was lower for older children. In Study 2, I examined the implicit attitudes of Malay (majority) and Chinese (minority) children and adults in Brunei with limited contact with White or Black peers. Children showed implicit pro-White and pro-Chinese (versus Black) biases by early childhood, but showed no pro-White (versus Chinese) bias. Together, these findings support theorizing about the development of implicit intergroup cognition (Dunham et al., 2008), but suggest that context can shape these biases to a greater extent than was previously thought.
Open Access
An Examining of Economic Stress and its Impact on Financial Risk-taking Through Perceptions of Control
(2018-05-28) Quimpo Katter, Joana Katherine; Greenglass, Esther R.
The current project consists of two studies that explore the theoretical framework linking economic stress and financial risk-taking, with a focus on the importance of perceived control. Specifically, it was hypothesized that economic stress would influence financial risk-taking behaviour by first influencing an individuals sense of personal control over their own situation, which would, in turn, influence their perceived control over risky behaviours. The role of related personality traits in influencing perceptions of control and risk-taking behaviours are also considered. Study 1 explored the effect of an economic stress manipulation on the extent that an individual perceives his or her own financial situation to be under his or her personal control, and how control perceptions are associated with perceived risk in gambling and investing activities. Study 2 expanded on the exploration of control perceptions to include perceptions of both personal internal control and control by outside forces, to fully capture how perceptions of control shift under economic stress. Partial support for the hypothesized model is found. Theoretical and practical implications of the study findings are discussed.
Open Access
Are Bicultures More Than the Sum of Their Parts? Exploring Context Sensitivity in Relation to Cultural Frame Switching and Well-Being
(2016-09-20) West, Alexandria Leta; Sasaki, Joni
Identifying with multiple cultures is increasingly common. In negotiating their two cultures, biculturals engage different cognitive systems depending on contextual cues a phenomenon called cultural frame switching. Effective cultural frame switching likely requires biculturals to attend closely to the surrounding context, and as a result, biculturals may become especially context-sensitive. We experimentally tested whether cultural frame switching increases biculturals context sensitivity (Part One) and whether greater context sensitivity relates to higher well-being for biculturals (Part Two). Part One results failed to demonstrate a consistent causal relationship between frame switching and context sensitivity, though exploratory analyses provided some evidence that biculturals self-reported ability to frame switch between cultures may predict context sensitivity. Part Two results showed mixed support for a relationship between biculturals context sensitivity and well-being. In addition to limitations and future directions, theoretical implications for the way biculturalism is conceptualized and studied are discussed.
Open Access
Attitudes Towards Children of Divorce Among European Canadian and South Asian Canadian Young Adults: The Role of Divorce Norms and Cultural Identification
(2018-03-01) Michel, Justin; Lalonde, Richard N.
Since the latter half of the 20th century, divorce has become relatively common in individualist cultures (e.g., European countries), while it is still rather uncommon in collectivist cultures (e.g., South Asian countries). Previous work has found that individuals that stray from marital norms can be stigmatized, but no previous studies have examined the views that people hold regarding children of divorce. The present study (N = 221) explored the extent to which European Canadian and South Asian Canadian young adults stigmatize other young adults from divorced families. While participants from both cultures were not highly stigmatizing, differences in stigma were partially explained by differences in perceived cultural divorce norms. The heritage cultural identification of South Asian Canadians was also found to moderate the relationship between perceived cultural norms and individual stigma. Results point to the importance of perceived social norms and cultural identification when examining the perception of young adults with divorced parents.
Open Access
Charmed I'm Sure: Do Charismatic People Have More Satisfying Sexual and Romantic Relationships?
(2021-11-15) Tu, Eric; Muise, Amy
High quality romantic relationships are a key predictor of health and well-being, but sexual dissatisfaction and frequent conflict can make it challenging to maintain relationship quality over time. Personality traits, such as the Big Five personality dimensions have been associated with relationship and sexual satisfaction, but less is known about other individual differences. Across three multi-method studies, I tested the role of charisma, the quality of being influential and affable, in the maintenance of sexual and relationship quality. Charismatic people were more responsive to their partners needs during sex and both they and their partners reported higher sexual satisfaction and desire. People higher in charisma also reported higher relationship quality, in part because they used more positive conflict management strategies. The current research is among the first to investigate charisma, which has primarily been studied in workplace and leadership contexts, as a protective factor in the maintenance of intimate relationships.
Open Access
Cultural Differences in Indecisiveness
(2015-12-16) Ng, Andy Ho Man; Hynie, Michaela
East Asians endorse naïve dialecticism, a lay belief system that tolerates contradictory information (Peng & Nisbett, 1999). Accordingly, individuals of East Asian (vs. European) cultural backgrounds are more likely to hold and less likely to change ambivalent attitudes (Ng et al., 2012). If East Asians have a heightened tendency to see both positive and negative aspects of an object or issue, but less inclination to resolve these inconsistencies, they may experience more difficulty in committing to an action, and thus be more indecisive than other cultural groups. This, in turn, may have a negative impact on life satisfaction. These propositions were tested in four studies. In Study 1 (N = 59) I examined how indecisive tendency differed between East Asian Canadian and European Canadian participants using a real educational decision. Results indicated that East Asian Canadian participants exhibited different manifestations of indecisiveness (i.e., decision difficulty, post-decision regret, decision latency) to a higher degree than did European Canadian participants. In Study 2 (N = 511) I investigated cultural differences in chronic indecisiveness and how naïve dialecticism and need for cognition might contribute to these differences by comparing East Asian Canadians, South Asian Canadians, and European Canadians. It was found that East Asian (vs. European and South Asian) Canadian participants exhibited more chronic indecisiveness, and naïve dialecticism and need for cognition mediated the relationship between culture and indecisiveness in opposite directions. In Study 3 (N = 104) I tested again the mediating role that naïve dialecticism plays in explaining cultural differences in chronic indecisiveness and examined how these differences might have negative downstream consequences for life satisfaction. Results indicated that East Asian (vs. European) Canadian participants had lower life satisfaction, which was mediated serially by naïve dialecticism through chronic indecisiveness. In Study 4 (N = 109) I established the causal effect of naïve dialecticism on indecision using a priming method and tested whether evaluative ambivalence would explain this effect in a consumer choice task. It was found that European Canadian participants who were primed with a dialectical mindset were more indecisive when choosing a computer, relative to those not primed, and this effect was mediated by evaluative ambivalence toward the chosen alternative. Findings of this dissertation contribute to the indecisiveness literature by showing individual and cultural variations in indecisiveness as well as their antecedents, mechanisms, and consequences.
Open Access
Culture and Baby-Naming in a Multicultural World: Identity and Pragmatic Motivations Predict Choices and Preferences of Baby Names Among Bicultural Individuals
(2019-03-05) Cila, Jorida; Lalonde, Richard N.
Changes in the repertoire of first names represent a cultural product of multiculturalism. As societies become increasingly diverse, choices of names can be construed and examined in the context of cultural identifications and acculturation strategies employed by bicultural individuals. This dissertation provides the first empirical investigation of baby-naming choices and preferences among bicultural individuals using a cultural psychological lens. The studies reported employ mixed-methods and build from different theoretical approaches. The quantitative studies allow for testing important predictors of baby-naming preferences and choices, whereas the qualitative data provide a richer understanding of the phenomenon. Study 1 (N = 71) provided initial evidence of how issues of cultural identity and pragmatism affected choices of baby names among a culturally diverse group of parents. Studies 2a (South Asian Canadians; N = 326) and 2b (Iranian Canadians; N = 126) examined four key predictors of baby-name preferences. Across both samples, stronger acculturation to heritage culture and motivation for ethno-cultural continuity predicted stronger preference for ethnic names. Preferences for mainstream names were predicted by both stronger acculturation to mainstream Canadian culture and greater concerns about negative consequences of ethnic names. Study 3 (N = 211) surveyed a group of primarily first-generation immigrants of an Indian background living in three English speaking countries: Canada, the United States, and the UK. This study also examined two new predictors of baby-naming choices, namely ethnic pride, and perceptions of names as markers of cultural identity. Results overall supported previous findings about the role of both identity and pragmatic motivations in baby naming choices, although the pattern of relationships varied slightly. Two exploratory mediational models illustrate possible pathways through which these identity and pragmatic concerns relate to name choices. Qualitatively, we provide additional support for how names are used as a means of signalling cultural group membership, displaying ones sense of ethnic pride, and intergenerational cultural transmission. At the same time, names are seen as pragmatic tools that can help better position the child in a mainstream cultural context. Implications of these findings are discussed and a number of potential avenues for research on culture and baby-naming are proposed.
Open Access
The Effects of Ostracism on Self-Regulation for Sociotropic and Autonomous Individuals
(2014-07-09) Relkov, Tonia Giuliette; McCann, Doug
The present study investigated individual differences in the relation between ostracism and self-regulation. Previous research shows that being excluded leads to reduced performance on tasks that require self-regulation. Self-regulation deficits have been linked to many mental health issues, including depression. According to the diathesis-stress theory, depression results from pre-existing vulnerabilities combined with stressful events. Two vulnerabilities to depression are the personality variables sociotropy and autonomy, characterized by high levels of interpersonal dependence and autonomy/achievement, respectively. In this study it was predicted that those high in sociotropy would show greater self-regulation deficits after experiencing ostracism, while those high in autonomy would experience a buffering effect. Participants played a game called Cyberball that includes or excludes the player. They then completed a measure of self-regulation. Results show that sociotropy moderated the relation between ostracism and cookies eaten. This suggests that individuals overly invested in interpersonal relationships react differently to ostracism.
Open Access
Effects of Self-Distancing and Mindfulness Instructions on Anxiety and Approach Motivation
(2015-12-16) Eftekhari, Eldar; McGregor, Ian
Two experiments tested the effects of self-distancing and mindfulness instructions on approach motivation and state anxiety. Following Kross and Ayduk (2011), we expected that the self-distancing and mindfulness instructions would be particularly useful in providing relief for anxious people who tend to get mired in ruminative distress. Both experiments accordingly tested the hypotheses that self-distancing and mindfulness manipulations should restore a more buoyant approach motivated state and reduce anxious distress, especially among the more trait anxious participants. Results with both fly-on-the-wall (Study 1, N = 148) and mindfulness (Study 2, N = 143) manipulations revealed that both manipulations increased self-reported approach motivation only for trait anxious participants. Neither self-distancing nor mindfulness had an effect on self-reported anxious distress and negative affect. The discussion examines whether the self-distancing and mindfulness manipulations increased approach motivation among trait anxious participants due a defensive reactive approach motivation (McGregor, Nash, Mann, & Phills, 2010), or if they restored a resilient kind of approach motivation which then allowed trait anxious participants to more mindfully acknowledge their worries. The discussion also examines possible reasons why the self-distancing and mindfulness manipulations did not reduce state anxiety despite their demonstrated effectiveness in past studies (Kross & Ayduk, 2011; Baer, 2003; Hofmann, Sawyer, Witt, & Oh, 2010).
Open Access
Examining Adolescent Daughters' and their Parents' Implicit Math-Gender Stereotypes
(2018-11-21) Lapytskaia, Christina; Steele, Jennifer
Women continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields, and research suggests that math-gender stereotypes may be a contributing factor. In the present research I examined daughters and parents implicit math-gender stereotypes during an important developmental period for career-related decisions: late adolescence. Participants (N=415) included adolescent girls (N=185, Mage=17) and at least one parent (N=230, Mage =49). Implicit math-gender stereotyping was measured using an IAT (Greenwald et al., 1998), and explicit stereotyping, math attitudes and math ability were measured using self-reports. Daughters and parents demonstrated significant implicit and explicit stereotyping, but no relationship emerged between daughters and either parents math-gender stereotypes. Moreover, parents math stereotyping did not predict their daughters math attitudes or ability. However, daughters math attitudes and ability were predicted by their own implicit and explicit stereotyping. These findings highlight the importance of challenging math-gender stereotypes across development.
Open Access
Familial Abuse of South Asian Immigrant Women: Analysis of the Narratives of Victims
(2015-12-16) Zafar, Sadia; Ross, Erin C.
This qualitative study examines the familial violence experiences of South Asian immigrant women in Toronto. An important focus of the investigation was the contribution of honour ideology toward these experiences. Ten South Asian women who had immigrated to Canada participated in the study. Eight of them had immigrated after getting married to Canadian men of South Asian ethnicity and two had sponsored their South Asian husbands after they had themselves immigrated to Canada. Unstructured interviews were conducted with the women. These interviews were analysed using the grounded theory method of qualitative research developed by Glaser and Strauss (1967). Following Rennie’s (2000) exposition, grounded theory method was applied as an inductive approach to methodical hermeneutics. The analysis produced three main themes representing immigrant women’s experiences of familial violence: (1) Lost in the Desert, (2) Navigating through the Desert, and (3) Complexities of Honour. The participants’ initial experiences of immigrating to Canada and starting their lives anew were akin to getting lost in the desert. They had very few if any resources to aid them in this new phase of their lives. Gradually, however, they started adjusting to the new realities and actively sought out resource and support to manage their situations. Honour ideology was important baggage that directed the women through their ordeals. I concluded that the role of honour ideology in the life of South Asian immigrant wives is multifaceted and has positive as well as negative dimensions. While honour scripts resigned women to their abusive marriages and burdened them as guardians of family honour, they also offered them personal strength, social support and safeguards against abuse. These findings are discussed in relation to the extant psychological, anthropological, and sociological literature. The need to broaden the current narrow understanding of honour, as primarily vested in female sexuality, to a more complex ideology about right living is stressed. The implications of cultivating this more elaborate understanding of honour for domestic violence research and services, as well as for scholarly research and discourses are discussed.
Open Access
Financial (In)Security is Tied to Personal Well-Being for Men and Relationship Well-Being for Women When Women Endorse Sexist Attitudes
(2023-08-04) Liepmann, Alexandra; Muise, Amy
Benevolent sexism undermines gender equality by ascribing men and women to traditional gender roles, with women as warm caregivers and men as protectors and financial providers. The appeal of these beliefs for women lay in the security and financial provision that men provide. However, if partners do not live up to these ideals (i.e., men violate the expectations of providing financial security), both men and women could experience poorer well-being. Specifically, men could experience lower personal well-being (anxiety) and women could experience lower relational well-being (lower relationship satisfaction). We examined how men and women’s benevolent sexism moderated the association between men’s reports of financial security and men and women’s well-being. In the current study, we followed 171 mixed-gender couples (who were tracked weekly and over several months), during a time of heightened financial insecurity, the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that when women were higher (compared to lower) in benevolent sexism, men’s anxiety was negatively associated with their financial security, such that they felt more anxiety when they reported lower financial security. When women endorsed benevolent sexism, and had a partner who reported lower financial security, women experienced lower relationship satisfaction. The findings support a key tenet of Ambivalent Sexism Theory — men’s role as the financial provider — and demonstrate that when women hold gendered expectations that are violated, there are negative outcomes for both men and women’s well-being. Implications, including how gendered expectations in relationships can undermine well-being in the face of challenges, are discussed.
Open Access
Forecasting your Financial Future: A Construal Level Theory Perspective on Economic Stress and Coping
(2022-03-03) Too, Miranda Aislinn Hanna; Greenglass, Esther
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, young Canadians are facing an uncertain employment future. This project sought to investigate how mental representations of prospective stressors impact perceptions of threat. Using Construal Level Theory (Trope & Liberman, 2010) and Stress and Coping Theory (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) as conceptual frameworks, the present research examined the relationship between construal, psychological distance, and stress appraisal in the domain of economic stress. Results indicated that construing a stressor in abstract terms attenuates the relationship between psychological distance and perceived threat. Further, psychological distance from a stressor was associated with predicted future affect and financial resources. There was no significant association between psychological distance and social support resources. Contrary to expectations, no association was found between psychological distance and construal. The implications and limitations of these findings are discussed
Open Access
Forlorn and Fervent: Religious Radicalization of the Meek
(2015-08-28) Ferriday, Chelsea; McGregor, Ian
Compensatory Control Theory posits that the belief in an orderly and willed world that is under the control of external or personal forces is an innate human need, and people will use whatever sources of control are at their disposable to defend that belief. This thesis extends Compensatory Control theory by proposing external and personal sources of control are not entirely substitutable; rather they are disposition-dependent. This thesis specifically assessed whether participants with at least some forms of low but not high dispositional personal control would react with religious zeal following threat to external sources of control. Across two studies participants were measured for dispositional personal control and randomly assigned to an external control threat or no-threat condition. In Study 1, an unstable economic forecast heightened external control religious zeal among participants with low personal control dispositions. In Study 2, reflecting on a poor relationship heightened religious zeal on an independent religious zeal measure. These results help explain why different life events can trigger religious extremism for different types of people.
Open Access
From Catastrophe to Mastery: The Relationship Between Internal Control and Distress During Economic Threat
(2020-11-13) Chiacchia, Daniel Joseph; Greenglass, Esther
Every year, many young people navigate through a precarious job market, leading to substantial psychological distress. Across two preregistered experiments, the current program of research examines the curvilinear relationship between perceptions of internal control and distress when people find themselves in an uncertain job market, as well as the psychological mechanism (i.e., self-blame) by which this effect may occur. In Study 1, perceived control over ones life more generally and perceived internal control over ones job prospects did not buffer against lower distress when ones job prospects were threatened, nor were the relationships curvilinear in nature. In Study 2, results indicated that perceived internal control over ones job prospects did not cause distress during economic threat. Furthermore, no evidence was found to suggest that those with high levels of perceived internal control were more likely to engage in self-blame. The theoretical and practical implications of the proposed research are discussed.
Open Access
Having the Time of Our Lives? How Threat Appraisal is Influenced by the Subjective Nature of Time
(2015-12-16) Sass, Rachelle Alexandra Marie; Greenglass, Esther R.
Temporal construal is the cognitive process that determines an event’s location in time and the experience of its distance from the present. The greater the temporal distance, the more likely events are represented in abstract versus concrete features. This experiment examined temporal construal’s effect on threat appraisal of a stressful medical procedure, where the manipulation involved university students imagining the procedure in concrete or abstract terms. The near-future group was expected to interpret the procedure as nearer and more threatening than the distant-future group on questionnaires. An Implicit Association Test (IAT) measured response latencies during categorization of stimuli into paired concepts (threat and time). A significant interaction was found between a personality trait and temporal construal on the perceived distance of the procedure, t(189) = 2.14, p = .03. IAT results found that participants were faster at categorizing stimuli into congruent versus incongruent pairs, t(179) = 4.05, p < .001.
Open Access
Holding Grudges: Developing Theory and Measurement
(2019-03-05) Van Monsjou, Elizabeth Marie; Struthers, C. Ward
The aim of this dissertation was to develop a theory of holding grudges and a questionnaire to measure their occurrence. In Part 1 I used semi-structured interviews to identify six underlying components of holding a grudge: victims need for validation, feelings of moral superiority, lack of control over the grudge, its diminishing psychological impact, severing ties with transgressors, and altered expectations of the future. Together these six aspects form a cycle whereby a transgression or trigger creates feelings of invalidation that makes it difficult for victims to let go of what happened. Over time and with introspection they are able to move on to the point where the grudge becomes latent, however it can easily be triggered to near the strength of the initial transgression. In Part 2 I used three studies to winnow 171 items generated from Part 1 into 18 items reflecting three aspects of holding a grudge: disdain, referring to feelings of dislike and intolerance for the transgressor; emotional persistence, including sustained negative affect such as anger and hurt; and perceived longevity, reflecting participants feeling as though they would never be able to let go. As expected, these aspects of holding a grudge were linked to less forgiveness and greater general unforgiveness, as well as revenge, avoidance, and rumination. Personality traits did not play a large role in how likely individuals were to hold a grudge for a specific transgression; however interpersonal power, attachment anxiety, and neuroticism were associated with emotional persistence.
Open Access
How Attachment Shapes Approaches to Sexual Need Fulfillment
(2020-05-11) Raposo, Stephanie; Muise, Amy
Sexuality often distinguishes romantic relationships from other relationships. Because most romantic relationships are sexually monogamous, partners have important roles in meeting each others needs. Being responsive to a partners sexual needs (i.e., sexual communal norms) is associated with greater relationship quality, whereas fulfilling needs with a focus on what will be returned (i.e., sexual exchange norms) is associated with lower satisfaction. Romantic attachmentworking models of the self and partnershapes how people approach sexuality and may underlie sexual need fulfillment norms. The current research combines sexual need fulfillment and attachment theories to better understand how sexuality influences relationships. In my first paper, I tested whether perceived partner sexual responsiveness buffers the lower sexual and relationship quality that highly anxiously attached people typically experience. In my second paper, I explored whether highly avoidantly attached people endorse more sexual exchange (vs. communal) norms, and how this influences sexual and relationship quality.
Open Access
I'm Watching You: Examining Mate Value Discrepancy, Power, and Jealousy in Electronic Intrusion of Romantic Partners
(2023-08-04) Millett, Grace Kathleen; Struthers, C. Ward
Electronic intrusion (EI), the act of monitoring a romantic partner and violating their boundaries online, has gained empirical interest as a prevalent form of digital dating abuse (DDA). The present thesis sought to explore why individuals perpetrate EI against their partners. Within the framework of evolutionary theory, prior research has revealed high mate value discrepancies (MVD) predict greater DDA perpetration. In the present research two cross-sectional correlational studies test perceived MVD as a predictor of EI perpetration, jealousy as a moderator, and desire for power as a mediator of this association. Across both studies I found that contrary to predictions, MVD did not predict EI perpetration, jealousy did not moderate this association, and desire for power did not mediate the association. These findings contribute to the literature on this new form of partner abuse and suggest that further work is needed to understand why individuals perpetrate EI towards their partners.
Open Access
Improving Police Response to Autistic Persons: A Community-Informed, Attributional Approach
(2023-08-04) Salerno, Alisha Carmela; Schuller, Regina
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can affect social interaction, communication, and behaviour. autistic individuals may react differently in stressful situations, such as police encounters, which can subsequently lead to adverse outcomes. The current research examines police response toward autistic individuals. In the first paper, I examined how autistic community members perceive the challenges police may face when interacting with autistic individuals, as well as explored community-informed recommendations on how interactions between the police and autistic people can be better managed. In the second paper, across four studies, I examined decision-making in police interactions with autistic people through a lens of attribution theory, exploring how autistic-characteristic behaviour affects attributions and responses. Taken together, this research represents a novel exploration of decision-making toward autistic people in police encounters, and how these interactions can be better managed, using an evidence-based, community-informed approach.