Psychology (Functional Area: Social and Personality)
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Browsing Psychology (Functional Area: Social and Personality) by Issue Date
Now showing 1 - 20 of 56
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Open Access The Effects of Ostracism on Self-Regulation for Sociotropic and Autonomous Individuals(2014-07-09) Relkov, Tonia Giuliette; McCann, DougThe 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.Item Open Access Space Invaders: Examining the Effects of Portable Music Players on Perceived Crowding(2014-07-09) Rain, Marina; Mar, Raymond A.An invasion of personal space occurs when levels of contact with others exceed desired levels of contact and can lead to feelings of crowding, anxiety and stress. The current study investigated whether the use of portable music players (e.g., MP3 players) under conditions of personal space invasion has an effect on level of anxiety, stress after-effects, perceived control, and cognitive processing style. The results indicate that using MP3 players does not affect one’s level of anxiety, stress after-effects, and perceived control. However, those who listened to music tended to engage in global cognitive processing. There was also an interaction effect between gender, MP3 player use, and personal space invasion on perceived control. Compared to males, females who listened to music felt that their lives were governed by chance when their personal space was invaded, whereas the opposite was true when their personal space was not invaded.Item Open Access Racial Stereotypes, Identity, and Identity Denial among East Asian Canadians(2015-01-26) Tak Kuan Lou, Evelina; Lalonde, Richard N.The model minority stereotype ascribes East Asian minorities with positive characteristics such as intelligent and hardworking, and at the same time, with negative traits like socially-awkward and emotionally-reserved. Three studies investigated the psychological effects of the two sides of this stereotype on East Asian Canadian young adults as well as factors that may moderate or mediate these effects. Study 1 (N = 208) was a correlational study that explored the association between different stereotype aspects and well-being. Negative stereotypes were consistently linked to poorer well-being and lower self-esteem, but the relation between positive stereotypes and outcomes was moderated by generational status. Positive stereotypes were related to better well-being and higher self-esteem among first-generation participants, but to poorer well-being and lower self-esteem among second-generation participants. Study 2 had an experimental, between-subjects design, in which Chinese Canadian participants (N = 95) were asked to recall and write about an experience in which they were attributed with either a positive or a negative stereotypical trait (positive stereotype and negative stereotype conditions, respectively) or with a non-stereotypical trait (control). Contrary to predictions, there were no statistically significant condition effects on the primary outcome measures (well-being, state self-esteem, mainstream and heritage acculturation). Study 3 was an experimental laboratory study in which East Asian Canadian participants (N = 108) were either positively stereotyped (stereotyping condition) or not stereotyped (control) by an experimenter (who was either White or East Asian) in a social interaction before completing a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. As hypothesized, participants who had been stereotyped responded differently on some of the outcome measures than those who had not been stereotyped, and this difference was moderated by generational status. Relative to their non-stereotyped counterparts, stereotyped first-generation participants reported less mainstream identity denial whereas stereotyped second-generation participants reported more mainstream identity denial and lower mainstream acculturation. Experimenter race was not a moderator nor was identity denial a mediator of the relation between stereotyping condition and well-being outcomes. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that the model minority stereotype is like a double-edged sword, both in content and its associated outcomes for East Asian Canadians, with second-generation individuals perhaps at greater risk for negative outcomes. Limitations, directions for future research, and implications are discussed.Item Open Access The Effects of Power and Assurance of No Future Transgressions on Post-Transgression Responses(2015-01-26) Khoury, Careen H.; Struthers, C. WardThe primary aim of this Dissertation was to investigate the effect of power on victims’ decision to seek revenge against, or hold a grudge against, or forgive the transgressor following a transgression. The secondary aim of this Dissertation was to examine one potential boundary condition as well as potential mechanisms that underlie these effects. Guided by the approach/inhibition theory of power (Keltner et al., 2003), it was hypothesized that power would have a differential effect on post-transgression responses. As predicted, Study 1 showed that power had a positive effect on revenge and a negative effect on grudge. Also as predicted, Study 2 showed that approach motivation was one mechanism underlying the power-revenge relation and inhibition motivation was one mechanism underlying the power-grudge relation. In both studies, power did not have an effect on forgiveness. In addition, Studies 3 and 4 demonstrated the moderating role of assurance of no future transgression on the relation between power and post-transgression responses. Under conditions of assurance, powerful and powerless victims were less likely to seek revenge and hold a grudge, respectively, and were more likely to forgive. Finally and contrary to the prediction, results from Study 4 showed that there was no evidence for the mediational role of victims’ ‘lack of a need to teach the transgressor a lesson’ and ‘safety’ on the moderation between power and assurance on post-transgression responses. Possible explanations of these results and limitations of this research are discussed.Item Open Access Retaliatory Aggressive Driving: A Justice Perspective(2015-01-26) Wright Roseborough, James Everett; Wiesenthal, David L.Aggressive driving behaviours such as rude hand gestures, horn honking, tailgating, or causing damage to another vehicle continue to be a threat to motorist well-being. Based on the General Aggression Model and the attribution-of-blame model of injustice, the current study developed and tested a model of aggressive driving that included individual differences and cognitions related to the perception of injustice, driving anger, and retaliatory aggressive driving. A sample of 269 undergraduate students viewed five animated unjust driving scenarios and responded to items assessing cognitive, emotional, and behavioural responses. Results supported a model of aggressive driving suggesting that the belief in an unjust world contributes to perceptions of injustice via sensitivity to unjust events, and from perceptions of injustice to retaliatory aggressive driving via driving anger. Results also provided support for an attribution model of perceptions of injustice and provided a unique investigation of these attributions and perceptions in the driving environment. The current study also developed and found support for a new measure of driving justice sensitivity that may prove to be useful for future driving research. As a whole, this study provides a unique examination retaliatory aggressive driving, and data that can contribute to driving training programs to help reduce driving aggression.Item Open Access The Effects of Post-Trangression Responses on Apology(2015-08-28) Guilfoyle, Joshua Robert; Struthers, C. WardIndividuals struggle with offering an apology following a transgression. The present research examined how victims’ post-transgression response (PTR; forgiveness, grudge, revenge) interacts with PTR expression (direct and indirect) to affect offenders’ willingness to apologize. Additionally, social pain and self-control were tested as mediators within this relationship. Results demonstrated that victims’ PTRs interacted with PTR expression to differentially affect offenders’ apologies. Indirect forgiveness and direct unforgiveness were more likely to facilitate apologies compared to direct forgiveness and indirect unforgiveness. Moderated-mediation analyses demonstrated that social pain mediated the relation between victim PTRs and PTR expression on apology. Specifically, when expressed directly, unforgiving responses led offenders to experience greater social pain, which in turn, prompted them to apologize. Those who received indirect forgiveness compared to direct forgiveness experienced greater social pain, which in turn, led to higher apology. Self-control did not mediate the relation. Implications for victims’ PTRs and offenders’ apologies are discussed.Item Open Access Forlorn and Fervent: Religious Radicalization of the Meek(2015-08-28) Ferriday, Chelsea; McGregor, IanCompensatory 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.Item Open Access Cultural Differences in Indecisiveness(2015-12-16) Ng, Andy Ho Man; Hynie, MichaelaEast 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.Item 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.Item 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, JenniferIn 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.Item Open Access Effects of Self-Distancing and Mindfulness Instructions on Anxiety and Approach Motivation(2015-12-16) Eftekhari, Eldar; McGregor, IanTwo 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).Item 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.Item 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, JoniIdentifying 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.Item Open Access The Effect of Expectation and Intention on the Appreciation of Absurd Humour(2016-11-25) Quinlan, Joshua Augustus; Mar, Raymond A.Violations to our sense of meaning have traditionally been thought of as a source of anxiety and threat. However, meaning violations can also be a source of humour, as is evidenced by their abundant use within comedy in the form of absurd humour. The present study investigated this apparent paradox by examining the effects of expecting absurdity and perceiving an intention to be funny on humour ratings of absurd jokes. The roles of various individual differences were also investigated. Results indicated that expecting absurdity increased funniness of the first absurd joke encountered. Perceived intention to be funny did not affect funniness ratings. When controlling for individual differences, there was also a significant interaction between Expectation and Intention, although the direction of this effect differed depending on which individual difference was controlled.Item Open Access Pro-Black, Pro-White, or Proactive: Examining Predictors of Implicit Racial Bias in Black Participants(2017-07-27) Bair, Allison Nicole; Steele, JenniferThe majority of research examining implicit racial bias has focused on the biases held by White participants (Jost, Banaji, & Nosek, 2004). By contrast, the implicit racial bias of minority group members has been largely overlooked, despite the potential for these associations to provide new insight into the nature of implicit social cognition. In the current research, I extended previous findings by examining predictors of implicit racial bias for Black participants. Specifically, across three studies conducted in two cultural contexts, I examined whether implicit racial bias was related to Black participants racial ideologies, defined as an individuals philosophy about how racial group members should live and interact with other groups in the larger society (Sellers, et al., 1997, pp.806). Consistent with my expectations, implicit racial bias, as measured by the Implicit Association Test (IAT; Greenwald et al., 1998; 2003; Studies 1 & 2) and the Affective Misattribution Procedure (AMP; Payne et al., 2005; Study 3) was significantly correlated with racial ideologies. However, the specific relationship depended on the cultural context as well as the implicit measure. In Study 1, within the predominantly White Canadian context, Nationalist ideology was negatively correlated with implicit pro-White bias. By contrast, in Study 2, within the predominantly Black Jamaican context, Humanist ideology positively predicted pro-White bias (Study 2). In Study 3, again conducted in the predominantly White Canadian context but with a different measure of implicit racial bias (AMP), Nationalist ideology negatively predicted implicit pro-White bias, while both Assimilation and Humanist ideologies were positive predictors of implicit pro-White bias. In Study 3, explicit racial attitudes, system justification and individual versus collective success orientation were also significantly correlated with implicit racial bias as measured by the Affective Misattribution Procedure (AMP; Payne et al., 2005). As expected, however, ideologies accounted for unique variance in implicit racial bias. The implications of these findings for understanding implicit racial bias in Blacks, in predominantly White and Black contexts, are discussed.Item Open Access Inducing the Use of Racial Labels: The Impact of Defying Colourblind Norms on Explicit Prejudice(2017-07-27) Vaccarino, Elysia; Kawakami, Kerry LynnIn society today, there exist strong norms against outwardly expressing prejudice and mentioning group differences such as race is often discouraged. Though people who act according to these colourblind norms appear to embrace egalitarianism, behaviour associated with these norms can have adverse effects on subsequent intergroup bias. In particular, research has demonstrated that not acknowledging race can actually increase prejudice (Kawakami et al., in preparation). The current research uses a novel paradigm, related to an ambiguous interracial photograph, to examine the impact of inducing people to use racial labels on subsequent explicit prejudice. Specifically, I investigated whether acknowledging, versus avoiding race reduces bias on the Modern Racism Scale (Study 1) and the Attitude Towards Blacks Scale (Study 2). Furthermore, I examined whether implicit prejudice (Study 1) and External Motivation to Respond Without Prejudice (Study 2) moderate this effect. Implications for race relations and potential future research directions are discussed.Item Open Access Police Response to Developmental Disability(2018-03-01) Salerno, Alisha Carmela; Schuller, ReginaIndividuals with developmental disabilities (DD) are at considerable risk for encounters with the criminal justice system. This study examined the experiences and perceptions of people with DD, and caregivers of people with DD, in relation to their interactions with the police. Ninety-one participants (n=25 people with DD & n=66 caregivers of persons with DD) completed a survey that probed their experiences with police. Findings paint a detailed picture of police encounters amongst individuals with DD. Three-quarters of the sample reported at least one police interaction in their lifetime. Individuals with police involvement were more likely to be older, not living with their parents, have mental health issues, and were more likely to have a mild (compared to a severe) impairment. Participants with DD described different types of encounters compared to the caregivers, and perceived these interactions much differently. Findings suggest that those with a less apparent DD may be at greater risk of an adverse encounter with the police.Item Open Access Wisdom and Post-Transgression Responses: A Cognitive and Behavioural Perspective(2018-03-01) Tehrani, Amirnikan Eghbali; Struthers, C. WardDespite psychologys renewed interest in the ancient notion of wisdom, few studies have examined how wisdom influences victims post-transgression responses (PTRs). It was hypothesized that wiser (vs. low-wisdom) victims of transgressions would respond to an interpersonal transgression using more forgiveness and inhibition, and less grudge, revenge, and behavioural aggression (hypothesis 1). It was also predicted that the relation between victims wisdom and their PTRs would depend on the intent of the transgressor (unintentional, intentional) (hypothesis 2). Results (N = 137) confirmed that wisdom was associated with higher forgiveness, and lower unforgiveness. However, wisdom did not predict inhibition and behavioural aggression. In addition, the interaction between victims wisdom and transgressors intent predicted forgiveness and grudge, but not inhibition, revenge, and behavioural aggression. A reconciliation index was also predicted by wisdom directly, and by the interaction of wisdom and intent. Overall, wiser individuals appear to be more prosocial following a transgression.Item 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.Item Open Access The Influence of Self-Esteem on Reactions to Challenge and Threat(2018-03-01) Maki, Kristen; Greenglass, Esther R.Abstract Stress has been described as a universal phenomenon, which results in distressing experiences that ultimately influence our behaviours. Whenever individuals encounter an event, they make an appraisal and may perceive that event as threatening, challenging or benign. While challenge perceptions are associated with pleasure and potential for gain, threat appraisals are related to negative emotions and potential for harm or loss. An individuals self-esteem (their own perception of their self-worth) may influence their responses to events appraised as a threat or challenge. The present study tested the hypotheses that in the presence of a threatening task, higher self-esteem would act as a buffer against negative outcomes (i.e., anger and anxiety), and as a boost towards positive outcomes (i.e., vigor and absorption) in response to a challenging task. Challenge and threat appraisals were manipulated in undergraduate university students in anticipation of a speech task, and self -esteem was assessed with Rosenbergs scale (1965). The results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis did not support the hypotheses, however additional multiple regression analysis revealed that those with higher self-esteem who were led to view the task as a challenge assessed the task as less threatening than those with lower self- esteem. Limitations and future directions of the current study are discussed.