FRIDAY, MAY 5, 2006

View Research Award Paper Presentations:
- Presentation I (8:00 - 9:00 a.m.)
- Presentation II (9:00 - 10:00 a.m.)
- Presentation III (10:00 - 11:00 a.m.)
- Presentation IV (11:00 - 12:00 noon)
- Presentation V (2:00 - 3:00 p.m.)


Psi Chi Regional Research Award: Paper Presentation I
8:00 - 9:00 a.m., PDR 16
Moderator: Daniel Corts, Augustana College (IL)

1
The Relationship Between Altruism and Self-Construal: A Cross-Cultural Study of Helping Behavior in Brazil and the United States
NICHOLAS C. CUCCIA & KRISTINA L. PAGEL, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and CARINE FRANCA, GISELE LOPES, & GREICE SANTOS, Federal University of Bahia, Brazil (Kathleen Stetter, Faculty Sponsor)

Altruism was measured in relationship to self-construal and culture. Data were collected from two samples: Brazil and the United States. Overall, Brazilians scored lower on altruism. Interdependent self-construal was found to be negatively correlated with altruism in both the US and Brazil if the helping behavior involved loss of status.

2
Blaming Others Under the Just Worldview Hypothesis: Terror Management Theory and Counterfactual Reasoning
ERIN ROBBINS, ZACHARY B. GIBSON, PHILIP GIBSON, and J. PATRICK CASHIO, Birmingham-Southern College (Shane Pitts, Faculty Sponsor)

We investigated effects of mortality salience (MS) and counterfactual reasoning (CF) on empathy and blame judgments. Participants whose mortality was made salient manufactured counterfactuals for a tragic accident before making blame and empathy judgments. MS/CF participants produced the highest levels of blame and lowest levels of empathy relative to controls.

3
Gender Issues in the Categorization of the Elderly: Examining Evaluation, Potency, and Activity
MAGGIE FLYNN, Ohio State University-Newark Campus (Jessi L. Smith and Paul Panek, Faculty Sponsors)

This study investigated how categorizations of the elderly influence ratings of evaluation, potency and activity. Results showed "Grandmother" as the most negative category label whereas "Elder Statesman" was the most positive. Gender-neutral categories (Older Adult and Senior Citizen) were rated in the middle. Implications for ageism and sexism are discussed.

4
Perceptions of Appropriateness of Violent Acts by French and American Students
JENNIFER L. KRUG, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (Matthew Taylor, Faculty Sponsor)

This study measured the perceived appropriateness and intensity of response to a violent interaction in which provocation and character nationality was manipulated. Compared to their American counterparts, the French participants rated the response of the perpetrator as overly intense regardless of provocation; Americans held a similar view only for the unprovoked scenario.


Psi Chi Regional Research Awards: Paper Presentations II
9:00 - 10:00 a.m, PDR 16
Moderator: Jeff Smith, Mount Union College (OH)

1
Differential Effects: Acculturation, Ethnic Identity and Acculturative Stress Among Latino Subgroups
JASON BLOUT and ANDREW BREDOW, Hope College (Lorna Hernandez Jarvis, Faculty Sponsor)

This study examined the impact of ethnic identity, acculturation, and acculturative stress on different Latino subgroups. Mexican adolescents exhibited stronger ethnic identities, less acculturation, and higher acculturative stress. Non-Mexican adolescents demonstrated lower ethnic identities, higher acculturation, and lower acculturative stress.

2
Solving Ambiguous Business Problems: The Effects of Problem Construction and Divergent Thinking
ASHLEY E. PERMANN and HEATHER C. SCHWEBACH, St. Cloud State University (Jody J. Illies, Faculty Sponsor)

This study explored the effects of problem construction and divergent thinking on creativity. Participants with high divergent-thinking ability generated creative solutions to an ill-defined business problem regardless of whether or not they engaged in problem construction. Participants low in divergent-thinking ability were creative only if they engaged in problem-construction.

3
Implicit Attitudes Towards Feminism
JESSICA JENEN and KRISTOPHER SCHUSTER. Valparaiso University (Jennifer Winquist and Daniel Arkkelin, Faculty Sponsors)

The concept of feminism seems to have a stigma attached to it. Current measures of attitudes towards feminism utilize self-report methods and therefore have problems with social desirability. Participants' explicit and implicit attitudes towards feminism were measured and two significant interactions were found within the implicit measures.

4
Learning to Learn: An Evaluation of Strategy Use in Language Learners
JENNIFER R. PITZER, Greenville College (Jim Zahniser, Faculty Sponsor)

This study examined language learning strategy usage. Explorations of basic psychological processes such as schema and flow aid in understanding the process of second language learning. Motivation, proficiency level, and direct/indirect strategy use were measured. Direct strategies were most widely utilized, whereas indirect strategy usage was more predictive of proficiency.


Psi Chi Regional Research Awards: Paper Presentations III
10:00 - 11:00 a.m., PDR 16
Moderator: Kristine Kelly, Western Illinois University

1
Predicting Change: A Comparison Among Brazilian, American, and Chinese Ideas About Change
MEGAN O'BRIGHT & KRISTIN WEBER, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh; and CLAUDIA OLIVA, FERNANDA DURAN BRITO, & MINO RIOS, Universidade Federal da Bahia (Kathleen Stetter, Faculty Sponsor)

This study looked at Brazilian and North American predictions of change as well as types of trends they were more likely to choose in predicting the future (linear or nonlinear). Research was a replication of a study on Chinese and Americans. Brazilian results were found to be in between that of Chinese and Americans.

2
Psychometric Evaluation of the Suicide Probability Scale in Adolescent Inpatient Samples
ASHLEY SALVATORE, JENNIFER BAILEY, QIJUAN FANG, and KIRSTIN CHOMA, University of Northern Iowa (AUGUSTINE OSMAN, Ph.D., Faculty Sponsor)

The present investigations addressed a number of concerns for using the Suicide Probability Scale (SPS) with adolescents. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the 4-factors provided adequate fit to the sample data. Estimates of criterion validity were also strong.

3
In the "Blink" of an Eye: Estimates of Teacher Effectiveness From a 24-Second Thin-Slice of Behavior
AMY SCHUMACHER and JUSTIN REINEKING, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (Bart VanVoorhis, Faculty Sponsor)

This study measured participant perceptions of an instructor based on varying levels of information. Independent variables were picture vs. no picture and quality of verbal information (clear audio, filtered audio, written). Participants with the most information rated the instructor most similar to students who had a class with the instructor.

4
The Relation Among Family SES, Family Time, and Adolescent Independent Decision Making
LINDA SPRIGGS and JAIME DEYLING. Kent State University (Dr. Manfred H.M. Van Dulmen, Faculty Sponsor)

This study examines the relation among family SES, family time, and adolescent independent decision making using data derived from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Results show that SES, but not family time, is associated with adolescent independent decision making after controlling for adolescent age and household structure.


Psi Chi Regional Research Award: Paper Presentations IV
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon, PDR 16
Moderator: Marjorie Lindner Gunnoe, Calvin College (MI)

1
Participant Sex and Type of Harassment as Predictors of Coping Responses to Sexual Harassment Encounters
O'NEAL HAMPTON and MAUREEN CASEY, University of Wisconsin-River Falls (Travis Tubré and Bryan D. Edwards, Faculty Sponsors)

Using a 2x3x5 mixed-factorial design, we examined interactions between participant sex and harassment type in predicting coping responses to hypothetical opposite-sex sexual harassment. Data from 225 college students indicated significant male/female differences in using certain coping responses across different types of harassment behavior (e.g., sexual coercion vs. unwanted sexual attention).

2
Attachment and Children's Concepts of God
KELLY CHARLAND and ERIN POLL, Hope College (Jane R. Dickie, Faculty Sponsor)

Children's attachment to their parents and their perceptions of God were measured to compare compensation and correspondence hypotheses. Children's perceptions of God were similar to their perceptions of their parents. Correspondence hypothesis, specifically IWM correspondence, as opposed to socialized correspondence, explains children's perceptions of God more than the compensation hypothesis.

3
Color is Salient, Even for Colorblind People
FRANK M. KENNER, John Carroll University (Janet D. Larsen, Faculty Sponsor)

Participants with anomalous color vision searched for an X in a 3 X 3 array of either similar (angular) or different (round) letters on a computer screen. For both conditions a color singleton target aided visual search, while a color singleton distractor hindered search for the target.

4
Adult Children of Divorce: Memories of Parental Conflict and Time Spent With Noncustodial Parent
DANIELLE KEOWEN and LINDA BIRNBAUM, Western Illinois University (Kristine M. Kelly, Faculty Sponsor)

The purpose of this study was to investigate parental conflict and child custody situation in college students whose parents were divorced. Results indicated that participants whose parents had joint custody coped less effectively with their parents' conflict, and those who had more contact with the noncustodial parent remembered more conflict.


Psi Chi Regional Research Award: Paper Presentations V
2:00 - 3:00 p.m., PDR 16
Moderator: Kelly Henry, Missouri Western State University

1
Perception and Extent of Substance Use in a Conservative Christian University With a Prohibitionist Substance Use Policy
JACQUELYN N. GIEM, Andrews University (Duane C. McBride, Faculty Sponsor)

This study examined perception of substance use, self-reported use and their relationship at a conservative Christian university. Use perception was significantly higher than self-reported use; the influence of perception on use was significant, but moderately low; and over-perception affected males to a greater extent than females.

2
An Event-Related Potential (ERP) Study of Behavioral Inhibition
SARA SPENCER, Valparaiso University (Kathleen Thomas, University of Minnesota, Research Mentor; James Nelson, Valparaiso University, Faculty Sponsor)

Using the Go/NoGo paradigm, with varying levels of inhibitory load (1, 3, 5), this study examined the differences between Go and NoGo trial ERP components across inhibitory load levels. Results showed decreases in behavioral accuracy as a function of inhibitory load, suggesting a difficulty in inhibiting a tendency to respond.

3
Contextual Cues in Spoken-Word Recognition
JASON BISHOP, Eastern Michigan University (Beverley Goodman, Faculty Sponsor)

Ambiguity and phonetic variation have proved problematic for models of spoken-word recognition. By presenting participants with an acoustically manipulated speech signal in order to determine the reliance on semantic context, this study examines the relative contribution of bottom-up and top-down processes in lexical access and speech perception.

4
Does the Future Factor of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory Measure Orientation Toward the Future or Conscientiousness?
MAGGIE KOLLER, Beloit College (Lawrence T. White, Faculty Sponsor)

This study attempted to tease apart two separate components of the Future factor of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI).  Judges' categorizations of ZTPI Future scale items and subsequent factor analyses indicated that the ZTPI's Future factor actually measures orientation toward the future and the personality trait of conscientiousness.
 

©2009  Psi Chi - The International Honor Society in Psychology, All Rights Reserved | site by 3HD