Keynote Address by:
Tim Kasser, Ph.D.
Knox College
Author: The High Price of Materialism
Co-Editor: Psychology and
Consumer Culture:
The Struggle for a Good
Life in a Materialistic World
Materialism and Its Alternatives
Partial Funding Provided by:
The University of Scranton Student Government
A Grant from Psi Chi,
&
Generous Contributions of Alumni:
Keith Gunn
David Osborne
Colleen Phillips
Organized by:
Association for Psychological Science Student Caucus
University of Scranton
2007 Conference
Faculty………………………………………………………………………………….….J. Timothy Cannon
Student Co-Chairs………………………………………………………………………....Lauren Chin
……………………………………………………………………………………………..Krystle Evans
………………………………………………………………………………………...…...Melissa Novak
We extend our thanks to APSSC student volunteers, the University Print Shop, the Mailroom, Aramark, Donna Rupp, and University Maintenance.
Schedule of Events
Table of Contents Eyewitness Evidence: Improving its Probative Value A Critical
Assessment of Child Custody Evaluations. Writing Personal Statements for Graduate School Building Paths to Success: A Case Study in Correctional Rehabilitation Justice Orientation and Care for the Environment How Expectation Affects Humor Appreciation The Effect
of Perceived Negative Social Support on The Relationship of Adolescent Development and Behaviors with Parental Support and Monitoring Influence of Violent Media on Aggression Disparities between Genders Can any Man be a Superman? An Empirical Investigation of Stereotypical Body Images in Comic Books The
Influence of Artists' Statements on Perception of Artworks: Correlates of Numerosity Estimation Correlates of Isolated Sleep Paralysis (ISP) in a College Sample Two Tests of the Effects of Feelings of Familiarity on Statement Truthfulness Do Idealized Images Shape our Self-Worth? The Effects of Media on Self-Esteem An Inexpensive Touch Screen Apparatus for Training Small Primates Types of
Childhood Trauma as Differential Predictors of Welfare Trust and Authority in Academic Institutions: Student Perspectives Adolescent Girls' Academic Achievement: The Roles of Menarche and School Transitions The
Relationship between Wing’s Subgroups in Children with Autism Perceived Maternal
Concern about Weight Corresponds with Body Shame Alternative, Computer-Driven Measures of Field Dependence/Independence Does meaning matter? An investigation of semantic relatedness Gender Differences in Spatial Memory
Symposium
Brennan Hall 228 10:15-11:45
Eyewitness Evidence: Improving its Probative ValueAuthored by: Gary L. Wells, Amina Memon, and Steven D. Penrod Reviewed by: Galen Baril, Ph. D. The University of Scranton
A Critical Assessment of Child Custody Evaluations. Limited Science and a Flawed SystemAuthored by: Robert E. Emery, Randy K. Otto, and William T. O’Donohue Reviewed by: Christie Karpiak, Ph. D. The University of Scranton
Workshop
Brennan Hall 203 10:15- 11:45
Writing Personal Statements for Graduate SchoolSteven M. Specht Utica College of Syracuse University
Justice and Attitudes
Chairperson: Galen Baril, Ph. D. The University of Scranton
Brennan Hall 228
12:00- 12:20
Building Paths to Success: A Case Study in Correctional RehabilitationJane Augustine1, Walter Broughton2, Colleen Phillips1, & Jonathan Wasp3Employment Opportunity & Training Center1,
Marywood University2, & MinSec Scranton, LLC3 We examine the success of a US DOE funded life
skills program in a PA jail, comparing participants’ rates of re-incarceration
within the same facility with those of similar inmates incarcerated 3 years
earlier (before the program was begun). Within 12 months of release, we find
the participant rate is 1/4th lower (27% vs. 36%) and at 18 months 1/3rd less
(30% vs. 44%). These differences hold with gender, education and ethnicity
controlled. Several potentially confounding criminogenic factors could not be
assessed, however. We conclude with lessons learned from this externally
conducted evaluation. Justice Orientation and Care for the EnvironmentChristie P. Karpiak & Galen L. BarilUniversity of Scranton
Pro-environmental attitudes result from different motivations that could have very different implications for behavior and cognitive process. Two such motivations identified in the literature are ecocentric (a/k/a biocentric), love of the environment for its own intrinsic value, and anthropocentric (a/k/a social-altruistic), concern about the environment because of its importance to humans. This study is a test of the relationship between Kohlberg’s cognitive moral reasoning and these motivations. We predicted that ecocentered attitudes would be positively related to Postconventional, principled moral reasoning, which is based on principles of justice, fairness, and equality, and that anthropocentric views and environmental apathy would be negatively or unrelated to Postconventional reasoning. 158 college students (60% female) completed Rest’s Defining Issues Test (DIT; Rest, 1993) and Thompson and Barton’s (1994) measure of environmental attitudes. Students were predominantly white, Catholic (67%), and of middle (48%) and upper middle (38%) socioeconomic class. Principled moral reasoning, the percentage of postconventional responses, correlated positively with ecocentrism and negatively with environmental apathy. Anthropocentrism was unrelated with principled moral reasoning. Ecocentrism is the only attitude that has been found in previous research to correspond with environmentally-friendly behavior. Lack of relation between principled moral reasoning and anthropocentric reasons for concern about the environment is interesting and perhaps counterintuitive, but is consistent with Schultz and Zelezny’s (1999) study of related values. In regard to demographic and background factors, only gender and major were related to the variables of interest. Women had higher ecocentrism and lower apathy than men. There was no relation between gender and principled moral reasoning. Science majors evidenced higher principled reasoning, r(159) = .220, p = .005, and ecocentrism, r (159) = .163, p = .040), and lower anthropocentrism, r (159) = -.181, p = .023, than other majors. Business majors evidenced lower ecocentrism, r (159) = -.170, p = .032. 12:40- 1:00 Environmental Attitudes: Relationships with Right Wing Authoritarianism, Social Dominance Orientation, Political Affiliation, and Moral ReasoningChristina R. Irace1, J. Timothy Cannon1,2, Christie P. Karpiak1, Galen L. Baril1, & Alexandria N. Melone11Psychology Department, 2Neuroscience Program, The University of Scranton
Thompson and Barton developed an environmental attitudes survey measuring three scales: Ecocentrism (Ec), Anthropocentrism (An), and Environmental Apathy (EA). EA was found to be significantly positively correlated with An and negatively correlated with Ec. Recently, Karpiak and Baril administered the Thompson and Barton survey, along with the Defining Issues Test and other measures, to an undergraduate population and found that Ec significantly positively correlated with Principled Moral Reasoning (PMR) and negatively correlated with Stage 4 Moral Reasoning (S4MR), the latter also positively correlated with An. In this study we sought to replicate the Karpiak and Baril findings above while adding measures of Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA), Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), as well as questions relating to political party affiliation and level of agreement with the positions of the Democratic and Republican parties. RWA and SDO have, to varying degrees, been found to be related to racial attitudes and political orientation. We wished to determine whether RWA and SDO scores might also be associated with attitudes related to "environmentalism." Political orientation questions were included because party affiliation is associated with liberal/conservative ideologies, which in turn have been found to be related to willingness to be supportive of environmental initiatives. Agreeing with existing literature, we find that EA is negatively correlated with Ec and positively correlated with An. PMR is positively correlated with Ec and negatively correlated with EA. S4MR shows the opposite relationships with these two measures. New observations include that RWA is positively correlated with SDO and both are positively correlated with EA. Also, participants affiliating with or expressing positive opinions toward the Democratic Party exhibit lower levels of EA. Affiliation with the Democratic Party is negatively correlated with RWA. Republican affiliation is positively correlated with EA as well as RWA and SDO. Human InteractionsChairperson: Thomas Hogan, Ph. D. The University of Scranton
Brennan Hall 203
12:00- 12:20 How Expectation Affects Humor AppreciationEmily Freedner, Flannery Wright, & Barney BeinsIthaca College
Cartoons and jokes have no objective humor value. The appreciation of such stimuli is subjective, depending in part on context. Previous research has revealed that people are susceptible to information about how funny jokes are “supposed to be.” In this study, 94 participants rated jokes, single-panel cartoons, and multi-panel cartoons. Two groups heard that others had rated them either as not very funny or as very funny; a control group received no message about supposed funniness of the stimuli. The message that the participants received affected their ratings. When the participants expected stimuli not to be very funny, ratings were low. When the expectation was for funny stimuli, ratings were highest. The ratings of the control group were in the middle. In addition, we found that multi-panel cartoons were seen as least funny, whereas single-panel cartoons and jokes received higher ratings that did not differ from one another. The data lead to two main conclusions. First, people are susceptible to expectations in their enjoyment of humor. The effect may be due to an induced, overall mindset rather than to specific evaluation of each stimulus. Second, incongruity and surprise may be responsible for the higher ratings of single-panel cartoons and jokes compared to multi-panel cartoons. 12:20- 12:40 The Effect of Perceived Negative Social Support on Diabetes Management in Native AmericansSteven Boydston, Dane Hewlett, Lindsay White, Lisa Hughes, Allison Trinker, Kevin Bussolini, Jessenia Eliza, Barbara Nankin, Jessica Oddo, Aimee Wagner, Katherine Dela Cruz, Sean Golan, Elana Rosen-White, & Laura StreckfussIthaca College
Diabetes currently affects more than 20 million Americans, disproportionately affecting Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians. Our research objective is to contribute to the understanding of how perceptions of responsibility for disease onset influence disease management, particularly among these minority groups. Previous research suggests that individuals who perceive themselves as responsible for the onset of their diabetes will report higher levels of anger, self-blame, and perceived negative social support. Our model suggests that these variables subsequently influence how an individual manages his or her diabetes. Our current study focuses on Native Americans and how their judgments of responsibility for disease onset influence ratings of anger, self-blame, perceived social support and disease management. One hundred and twenty Native American participants (18 males, 98 females, 4 unspecified) completed our 15 minute survey. These Native American participants rated themselves far more responsible for disease onset than had been found in previous research, producing an entirely new and unexpected relationship between judgments of responsibility and disease management. This restricted range of values made it difficult to detect any relationship between judgments of responsibility and anger. However, a negative correlation emerged between perceived negative social support and disease management, suggesting that nagging and criticism are not conducive to effective disease management. In light of these data, new modeling patterns need to be proposed to explain disease management in Native Americans. Intervention programs designed to decrease perceived negative social support may subsequently increase the ability to manage diabetes in both populations. 12:40- 1:00 The Relationship of Adolescent Development and Behaviors with Parental Support and MonitoringDeborah A. Daniels, Thomas J. Lane, & Elise N. PepinUtica College
Erikson’s (1959) developmental theory stresses the need for
adolescents to explore ideological and interpersonal domains in order
to
develop their identities. Within this exploration, one must experience
autonomy
by forming attachments with peers, while decreasing time spent with
parents.
As adolescents attempt to achieve healthy identities, they need both
psychological autonomy and behavioral regulation (Barber, 1992).
Identity
achievement is experienced by adolescents who know where they are
going, are
comfortable with themselves, and who look forward to receiving
recognition from
the people who are important to them (Erikson, 1968). Parental
support and
monitoring have been linked with adolescents’ externalizing
(e.g., drug use)
and internalizing behaviors (e.g., depression; e.g., Pettit, Laird,
Dodge,
Bates, & Criss, 2001). Culture and Media
Chairperson: Steven Specht, Ph. D. Utica College
Brennan Hall 103
12:00- 12:20 Influence of Violent Media on Aggression Disparities between GendersAva Laera, Lindsay Liotta, & Amanda FigueirasMarist College Research has verified that violence in the media effects
societal violence (Anderson, Berkowitx, Donnerstein, Huesmann, Johnson,
Linz, Malamuth, & Wertella, 2003). This idea was conceptualized by
Bandura and his
social learning theory that states people act aggressively when exposed
to
violence (Haridakis, 2006). Anticipating that our findings would
concur with
this theory, we expected that males and females would respond
differently to
each clip presented to them. We also predicted that regardless of
gender, the
violent movie clip would produce more aggressive responses than the
non-violent
movie clip. Lastly, we suspected an interaction would occur between
the genders
and the aggressive words. 12:20- 12:40 Can any Man be a Superman? An Empirical Investigation of Stereotypical Body Images in Comic BooksJennifer A. McLaren & Carole S. SlotterbackUniversity of Scranton
Comic books portray their superhero characters with gender stereotypical body proportions. The main audience of comic books, which reached $400-$450 million in sales for 2003, are adolescent and teenage males (Diamond Comic Distributors, 2005). A study by Leit et. al (2001) suggests that males exposed to stereotypically “ideal” body images displayed greater discrepancies between their actual and ideal body images than males who were exposed to average masculine images. Lavine, Sweeny, and Wagner’s (1999) study suggests that exposing males to women portrayed as sex images can also lead to a decreased self image. The purpose of the current study is to examine gender differences in muscle definition, skin exposure, projective heights and weights and BMI ranges of comic book superheroes and compare them to human proportions. Fifty comic books were randomly selected from a list of the top selling comic books for the month of October 2003. Two pictures of each of the fifty-three characters, both male (n = 34) and female (n = 19), were selected based on pre-established criteria. Each picture was measured and coded for body lengths, widths, muscle definition, and skin exposure by two raters. The measurements of each rater were averaged to reduce discrepancies. Significant gender differences in muscle definition were found suggesting that the bodies of male superheroes display more muscle than females. No significant gender differences were found for skin exposure. When compared to the gender differences in humans, superhero characters display the same average height difference as humans, but showed significant differences in average weights and BMI ranges. 12:40-1:00 The Influence of Artists' Statements on Perception of Artworks: Preliminary FindingsErin N. VanDewerker & Steven M. SpechtUtica College
It is customary in exhibitions of artwork, that artists are allowed and encouraged to submit statements to accompany their creative pieces. These artists' statements may range from explanatory information about a particular technical process to more elaborate treatises regarding the philosophical "message" which an artist may be trying to convey through the work of art. The present study was designed to examine the effect that artists' written statements might have on perceptions of the accompanying artwork. Participants rated either a representational artwork or one of two "abstract" (i.e., non-objective) artworks. Half of the participants rated the artwork without reading any prior information about the artwork The other half of the participants rated the artwork after reading the respective artist statement about the work (i.e., written by the actual artists). Each artist statement was approximately 115 words in length. In addition to the various ratings of the artwork, the amount of time (i.e., duration in secs.) participants spent viewing and rating the artwork was measured. Preliminary data from this study suggest that participants who read the respective artist's statement prior to viewing artwork, may rate the artwork as more "interesting" and less "abstract" and may "like" the artwork more compared to participants who are not presented with the artists statements. Ratings of interest were highly correlated with ratings of how much participants liked the artwork. Ratings of abstraction were negatively correlated with viewing time. Keynote Address
Materialism and Its Alternatives
Given by:
Tim Kasser, Ph.D. Knox College
Brennan Hall 228 2:15-3:30
Poster Session3:45- 4:30 5th Floor Atrium Brennan Hall
Board 1 Correlates of Numerosity EstimationThomas P. Hogan, Jennifer A. McLaren, & Morgan K. CerioUniversity of Scranton
Numerosity estimation involves providing a quick estimate of the
number of objects presented for a brief exposure time, usually less
than 1
second. Although we have obtained reliable measures of numerosity
estimation
ability in several studies, it has always shown near zero correlations
with
other measures, such as verbal ability and general quantitative
ability,
including computational estimation. In each of the previous
studies,
participants responded to the numerosity task without feedback on
accuracy of
their estimates. In the present study, we hypothesized that
numerosity estimation
with feedback after each trial would yield significant relationships
with
measures of quantitative and spatial variables. Board 2 Correlates of Isolated Sleep Paralysis (ISP) in a College SamplePeter A. DiNardo, Deidra Liddle, Peter Lucchio, Joseph Macura, Tiffany Mellor, Emily Gundlach, & Steven J. GilbertState University of New York, College at Oneonta
Isolated Sleep Paralysis (ISP) is an event in which the typical muscular paralysis associated with REM sleep occurs while falling asleep or upon awakening. The individual is aware of their surroundings, but is unable to move, and often has hallucinatory-like experiences. College samples consistently show higher prevalence rates than the general population. ISP is often accompanied by fear, and has been linked to anxiety disorders, particularly panic disorder. We examined the relationship between ISP and positive and negative affect, and anxiety sensitivity in a sample of 50 college students, who completed an interview about ISP experiences, and filled out the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) and the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI). A specific prediction derived from the literature on panic was that anxiety sensitivity would be more strongly related to worry about having further episodes than with fear during the episode. Eleven (22%) of students reported past and/or current ISP. The ISP group showed significantly higher scores on PANAS negative affect (25.2) and ASI (28.2) than the non-ISP group (negative affect, 19.1; ASI, 19.2). The groups did not differ on positive affect. None of the measures were related to the degree of fear experienced during ISP episodes. However, worry about having another episode was positively correlated with negative affect, r (11) = .65, p = .03, and was marginally correlated with anxiety sensitivity, r (11) = .59, p = .06. Pending replication on a larger sample, these results suggest that in a non-clinical sample, ISP is related to more general tendencies to experience negative affect and anxious anticipation. Among those who experience ISP, the degree to which the individual worries about having further episodes is also related to negative affect, and to a general tendency to develop anxious anticipation in response to uncomfortable physical or psychological sensations. Board 3 Two Tests of the Effects of Feelings of Familiarity on Statement TruthfulnessKatanya N. Hink & Mark D. CloudLock Haven University of PennsylvaniaWe explored the effects of repetition of statements upon immediate estimates of their truthfulness in two experiments. We expected feelings of familiarity produced by recently hearing trivia-like statements to lead to an implicit assumption of greater statement credibility. In experiment 1, participants heard a recording of 96 statements. Those statement were comprised of 16 heard once, 16 heard twice, and 16 heard three times. Participants immediately rated the truthfulness of those statements and new statements that were all in actuality half true and half false. In experiment 2, we replicated the study, however, we assessed statement truthfulness by providing participants a forced choice between the true and altered version of the statement. In both experiments we found that hearing a statement moments before significantly increases credibility. In experiment 1 we also found that hearing a statement that now seems to be altered decreases credibility. We further found in both experiments that the explicit memory of hearing a statement three times may diminish the implicit effects of repeated statements upon our estimates of the credibility of information. Board 4 I Think I Can, I Know I Can: How Self-Perceived Abilities & Gender Stereotypes Interact to Affect Performance and Future Self-PerceptionsIngber, Julia, Zells & Newman, MattBard College
Stereotype threat is the concept that when negative stereotypes are made relevant to performance on standardized exams, performance decreases for members of stereotyped groups. Research on stereotype threat has repeatedly demonstrated that intellectual performance is affected by factors beyond ability. The stereotypes of interest in this study are those positing that men are better at math than women. This study also investigates the concept of self-efficacy, which is knowledge of one’s abilities that are necessary for successful performance. Specifically, this study examines whether self-knowledge of abilities decreases women’s vulnerability to stereotype threat. Knowing the affects of negative stereotypes on self-knowledge is equally important. Negative stereotypes can convince some people that they will perform poorly, causing self-doubt. This self-doubt can lower performance, which can affect goals such as attending graduate school. Self-knowledge is measured via two self-efficacy questionnaires. This experiment consists of 41 male and female Bard College students who took a 20-question GRE. Participants are randomly assigned to either a control condition or a stereotype-threat condition. It is hypothesized that self-efficacy is a mediating variable in performance differences between men and women due to stereotype threat. Participants displayed gender differences in math performance in the stereotype-threat condition, with an average score of 50% achieved by men and 28% by women. Changes in perceived ability to obtain entrance into graduate school varied more among women in the experimental condition than the control, with 16% increasing efficacy and 33% decreasing efficacy, compared to 11% & 11% respectively. Further analysis is needed to reveal gender differences in blood pressure and the predictive value of academic background on performance. Board 5 The Relationship between Maternal Employment History and Young Adults’ Attitudes about Maternal Work Status and Career AspirationsShelby S. Cochran, Jenna N. Filipkowski, & Catherine ChamblissUrsinus College The present study assessed the long-term impact of maternal
employment during the preschool years (2 through 5 years) on the children’s
attitudes about maternal employment and how these attitudes influence career
aspirations. The participants consisted of 1,614 college students aged 17 to 25
years old; there were 986 females and 628 males. Participants completed a
packet consisting of demographic information about career and family
aspirations, the Beliefs about the Consequences of Maternal Employment for
Children questionnaire (BACMEC), questions about their mother’s work status
during various developmental stages, the Criticism of Maternal Work Status
Scale (COMWS), and the Maternal and Paternal Relationship Scale (MRS and PRS). Board 6 Do Idealized Images Shape our Self-Worth? The Effects of Media on Self-EsteemStacey J. Vogler-Musil & Carole S. SlotterbackThe University of Scranton The sociometer theory, developed by Leary et al. in 1995, is
based on the assumption that people have evolved a drive to seek out
significant interpersonal relationships due to the fact that early human beings
were more likely to survive if they belonged to social groups. Therefore, an
individual continuously monitors his/her social environment to determine the
degree of his/her social acceptance and this degree of acceptance determines
his/her level of self-esteem. Board 7 An Inexpensive Touch Screen Apparatus for Training Small PrimatesShawn Steckenfinger & John A BrendelLock Haven University
Training small nonhuman primates in cognitive
tasks requires specialized apparatus that is immune to escape, disassembly and
destruction. Ideally it should be versatile, portable and capable of data
collection and storage. This article describes a touch screen system that is
relatively simple to build, inexpensive and extremely versatile. Most of it can
be constructed from equipment that many laboratories already have on hand. The
only moderately large investment is the computer with monitor and touch screen.
However, it is likely that a computer is already available and the touch screen
with monitor can be purchased for less than $1500.00. We have been using it in
our laboratory to train squirrel monkeys in a variety of cognitive tasks. Board 8 Types of Childhood Trauma as Differential Predictors of Welfare in Young AdulthoodAllison M. Smith, Christine B. Sieberg, Caitlin T. Burditt, & Ellen Flannery-SchroederUniversity of Rhode Island
The maltreatment of children is a serious public health problem. Such stress adversely affects development in a variety of complex ways, including poor psychosocial adjustment. However, studies examining the effects of childhood trauma on development often focus on a single trauma type (sexual abuse in particular). This study aimed to bridge a gap in the literature by examining whether emotional neglect, emotional abuse, physical neglect, and physical abuse, in addition to sexual abuse, make unique contributions to later symptomatology. We hypothesized that various trauma types would differentially predict psychosocial outcomes in young adulthood. Participants were 232 undergraduates (63% female) enrolled in a mid-size, predominantly White northeastern university. They completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI), as part of a larger study examining the effects of childhood trauma. The CTQ is a 25-item retrospective self-report measure that assesses the severity of five types of maltreatment. The TSI is a 100-item self-report measure that assesses posttraumatic stress and its associated psychosocial symptoms on ten clinical scales. A series of step-wise multiple regressions was conducted with trauma categories (on the CTQ), predicting symptom types (on the TSI). As hypothesized, results indicated that different types of childhood trauma significantly predicted different symptomatology. Not surprisingly, sexual abuse predicted symptoms related to sexual behavior, sexual concerns, and tension reduction. Interestingly, emotional abuse was the strongest predictor of numerous outcomes. This type of trauma may have a more adverse affect on development than previously considered. Overall, these findings may be used to better shape the theories that inform prevention and intervention efforts. Future research should examine outcome variability across culture, gender, and other potential mediator variables, as well as variability in other types of trauma (e.g., war, terrorism, natural disaster). Board 9 Trust and Authority in Academic Institutions: Student PerspectivesBethany C. Politylo, Laura E. Bryan, Osama Z. Abdul-Salaam, Santino B. Vallejos, & Arlene R. LundquistUtica CollegeFrustration with perceived bureaucratic entanglements within various spheres of academic institutions has produced increasing intolerance in student populations. Anecdotal evidence suggests that diminishing trust may be a factor in the changes in both the frustration and tolerance level reported. This pilot study was designed to (1) evaluate qualities associated with individuals in whom students place their trust and (2) develop and pilot a research instrument intended to measure what motivates students to trust people expected to help them navigate these perceived bureaucratic entanglements. For purposes of this study helpers are defined as academic advisors, counselors, coaches, financial aid providers, friends, parents, registrar personnel, student affairs personnel, and residence hall directors and/or resident assistants. Seventy-five college students were asked to complete two brief surveys, one rating nine adjectives associated with trusting people and the other rating 15 adjectives associated with people we trust. The results of these surveys were used to create six scenarios of typical “entanglements” college students might experience. Scenarios were created describing helpers who were experienced vs. inexperienced, caring vs. uncaring, and who had an existing relationship vs. were unknown to the person seeking help. The scenarios were presented to 70 introductory psychology students. They were asked to rate the level of trust in the helper presented and to identify whom they would trust most in each scenario. To determine whether general likelihood to trust or willingness to yield to authority are factors that motivate students to trust, participants were also asked to complete an interpersonal trust scale (Rotter, 1967) and an authoritarianism scale (Altmyer, 1981). It is expected that participants high in authoritarianism will be more likely to trust helpers regardless of scenario, but interpersonal trust level will not be a motivating factor in participant perception of problem resolution probability. Board 10 Adolescent Girls' Academic Achievement: The Roles of Menarche and School TransitionsLauren S. HallionBard CollegeThe present study is a longitudinal empirical investigation of the relationship between school transitions, menarche, and academic achievement in adolescent girls. Previous research on school transitions has consistently demonstrated a decline in academic achievement after a transition from primary to secondary school (e.g., Alspaugh, 1998), but findings are inconsistent for the academic consequences of the transition that occurs between middle school and high school (e.g., Cole et al., 2001). Some previous research on puberty suggests that adolescents that experience their first menstrual period significantly earlier or later than their peers may suffer negative repercussions (Simmons & Blythe, 1987), but other research suggests that these consequences may arise only if the adolescent experiences puberty earlier than her peers (Koivusilta & Rimpelä, 2004). Participants in the present study include 168 females ages 9-15 at Time 1. 92 participants returned for Time 2, one year later. At both Time 1 and Time 2, participants completed self-report questionnaires. Participants that transitioned from middle school to high school between Time 1 and Time 2 showed comparatively poor academic achievement. Participants that experienced menarche particularly early or late had poorer grades than participants that experienced menarche between the ages of 11 and 14. Board 11 The Relationship between Wing’s Subgroups in Children with Autism and Parental Stress and DepressionColleen Zanis & Christie KarpiakUniversity of Scranton Parents of children with autism experience higher levels of
stress and depressive symptoms than parents of children with other
developmental disabilities. Multiple factors contribute to their distress,
including features of the child’s presentation. This study was conducted to
determine whether specific social patterns in children with autism are
differentially related to parental stress. We hypothesized that since aloof
children have the most limited communication and social skills, their parents
will experience greater stress and depressive symptoms than parents of children
who are active-but-odd or passive. Board 12 Attachment Insecurity and Mother’s Concern about Her Own Weight Predict Depressive Symptoms in Body-Dissatisfied College WomenChristie P. Karpiak & James P. BuchananUniversity of Scranton
Poor body image is a risk factor for development of serious psychological problems including eating disturbances and depressive disorders. However, poor body image is quite common, particularly among girls and young women, and most individuals who are dissatisfied with their bodies do not go on to develop symptoms of depression. We examined interpersonal variables that differentiate body-dissatisfied women with symptoms of depression from those without. Cash, Theriault, & Annis (2004) have drawn attention to the contribution of relational insecurity to problems with body image, and many others have documented the increased risk of depression in people with insecure attachment styles. Other more distal social variables, like popular media portrayals of women and perceived attitudes of parents, friends, and same-aged boys have been thoroughly examined in regard to body image, but it is unknown whether they predict clinical problems. Little has been done with these social variables to try to differentiate dissatisfied individuals who do not experience depressive symptoms from those who do. We hypothesized that attachment dimensions are useful in predicting depression in body dissatisfied individuals, and expected distal social variables to lose predictive utility when attachment is considered. 182 body-dissatisfied women completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Adult Attachment Questionnaire, and 12 items designed to assess their perceptions of their parents’, friends’, and significant others’ attitudes about body size. They also provided their height and weight. Correlations were significant at p < .05 between BDI scores and all items except BMI and questions about fathers. In regression, both attachment dimensions (avoidance p = .004, anxiety p=.002) predicted depressive symptoms. Of the other social variables, only perceived importance to mother of mother’s own size (p = .048) was a significant predictor of depressive symptoms. The regression model was accounted for (adj. R²) 22% of the variability in BDI scores. Board 13 Perceived Maternal Concern About Weight Corresponds With Body Shame In Securely Attached DaughtersNatalie C. Fala, Christie P. Karpiak, & James P. BuchananUniversity of Scranton
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