Ethnic Identity and Subjective Well-Being in Korean Adult Adoptees
Megan Julian
Butler University (IN)

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between ethnic identity and well-being in a population of Korean adult adoptees and to make comparisons to nonadopted Korean and Asian American populations. Sixty-nine participants (47 adoptees, 22 nonadoptees) filled out a self-report survey assessing their ethnic identity (MEIM), subjective well-being (SWLS), and general affective state (PANAS). Results revealed that adoptees and nonadoptees differed significantly in their ethnic identity but not in their satisfaction with life or their general affective state. Subjective well-being was significantly correlated with affective state and the ethnic pride component of ethnic identity. Similarly, a regression analysis revealed that ethnic pride accounted for a significant portion of variance in subjective well-being when controlling for affective state. This suggests that ethnic pride, independent of mood, is related to subjective well-being. Additional research is necessary with more representative samples of adoptee and nonadoptee populations to clarify this relationship.

Megan Julian is a senior psychology major and plans to graduate in May 2007. She received a Butler University Presidential Scholarship, the Edgar Lee Yeager Memorial Award, and has made the Dean's List every semester. Since 2003, Ms. Julian worked with Dr. Bohannon on research in the field of flashbulb memory and is completing a thesis to disprove the previously held belief that consistency across repeated times of testing is the only way to estimate the accuracy of flashbulb memories. Ms. Julian hopes to enter graduate school in fall 2007 in either child clinical or school psychology.

Bullying: Assessment of Measures and of the Relationship Between Bullying and Empathy
Caitlin Szalay
Berea College (KY)

Bullying is a common problem in schools, and the psychometric properties of many measures used to assess bullying and victimization still need to be evaluated. Also, a greater understanding of the emotional characteristics of children involved in bully/ victim problems is needed in order to develop effective bullying intervention programs. The purpose of the present pilot study was to establish the convergent validity of 2 commonly used measures of bullying: the Reynolds Bullying and Victimization Scale (BVS) and the Colorado School Climate Survey (CSCS), by comparing them with an established measure, the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (OBVQ). Differences in empathy levels among children identified as bullies, victims, bully-victims (children who both bully and are bullied), and children who are not involved in bully/victim problems were also investigated. Five children (ages 8 to 10) completed the BVS, CSCS, and OBVQ followed by the empathy measure. Preliminary analyses indicated trends that supported the hypotheses. There were high, positive correlations between the 3 bullying measures (r > 0.70), and victims (n = 1) had the highest raw empathy score, followed by not involved children (n = 3) and bully-victims (n = 1). Data collection is ongoing, and factor analyses will be used to determine the convergent validity of the bullying measures.

Caitlin Szalay is a senior and plans to graduate in May 2007 summa cum laude with a BA in psychology. She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Mortar Board, a Dean's List student, and president of her Psi Chi chapter. Ms. Szalay has worked as a teaching assistant in the psychology department and as a tutor. During the summer of 2005, she participated in the University of Utah's Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP). Her current research interests include preventative interventions for bullying, values, and human environment interactions. After graduating, Ms. Szalay is planning on participating in a volunteer teaching program prior to pursuing a doctoral degree in either community or clinical psychology.

Cross-Cultural Evaluation of Implicit Leadership Theories in American and Asian Students: An Experimental Study
Ny Thi Tran
Georgia Southern University

The purpose of this study was to conduct a cross-cultural evaluation of implicit leadership theories on desired leadership behaviors (consideration and initiation structure) between American and Asian students using an experimental design. The study examined American and Asian students' different perceptions of leadership and desire for certain leadership behaviors. For example, Ling, Chia, and Fang (2000) stated that the social-cultural environment is a major part in leadership and that the Asian leadership theories are different from those of American theories. The two samples were exposed to a photograph of either an Asian male leader, White male leader, or no picture of the leader (control). Participant's ideal leadership behaviors were assessed using the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ). It was hypothesized that students exposed to a leader in the same ethnic group have higher ethnic identity compared to students exposed to a leader in a different ethnic group. Furthermore, it is expected that Asian students exposed to the Asian male leader will desire consideration leadership behavior while American students exposed to the White male leader will desire initiating structure leadership behavior. In addition to the study, we observed potential factors such as attachment style, personality traits, and transformational leadership. Pilot study results indicated that men with fearful attachment style have lower transformational leadership behavior compared to men with dismissing attachment style. Implications for future research on cross-cultural ideal leadership behaviors are discussed.

Ny Thi Tran is a senior with a major in psychology and plans to graduate in May 2007. She is currently the vice-president of Education for Psychology Coalition and Members for Society for Human Resource Management, chair of Volunteer Services of Omicron Delta Kappa, and a McNair Scholar. In addition, she received recognition for Who's Who Among Colleges & Universities, the National Dean's List, and the National Scholar's Honor Society.

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