Undergraduate Sample Research Articles

Materialism and Drinking Motives: Examining the Longitudinal Associations in an Undergraduate Sample

Alcohol use is common among individuals attending university and frequent use is associated with several negative effects. It is therefore important to assess individual difference factors preceding alcohol use. Materialism, a value one holds that prioritizes status through the acquisition of money and possessions, has received minimal research focus in relation to alcohol use and has predominantly been examined using cross-sectional designs (i.e., data collected at one time point). The present study was the first to test the association between materialism, risky drinking motives (i.e., motives preceding alcohol use associated with increased consumption and related problems), and risky personality traits (i.e., stable characteristics associated with frequent substance use and related problems) using a short-term longitudinal design. Undergraduate student drinkers (N = 317) completed self-report questionnaires at baseline and follow-up (2 weeks later). Hierarchical regression analyses found that greater levels of materialism significantly predicted each drinking motive while controlling for risky personality traits. Materialism significantly predicted drinking to cope with depression when controlling for trait hopelessness (β = .16, p = .014), drinking to cope with anxiety while controlling for anxiety sensitivity (β = .11, p = .024), and drinking for enhancement while controlling for sensation seeking (β = .24, p < .001). Results provide evidence that materialism is associated with risky drinking motives, which may inform prevention and treatment efforts for problematic use among undergraduate students.

Going to College With a Posse: How Having High School Peers on Campus Supports College Achievement

The social experience of transitioning to a 4-year university varies widely among students. Some attend with few or no prior contacts or acquaintances from their hometown; others attend with a large network of high school alumni. Using a sample (N = 43,240) of undergraduates spanning 7.5 years at a public university, we examine what factors predict high school peer prevalence (HSPP) on campus and whether HSPP predicts college achievement above and beyond such factors. Analyses found that HSPP was predicted by variables associated with societal privilege (e.g., being White, continuing generation). Above and beyond these variables, HSPP independently predicted higher grades in gateway STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses and, among first-generation college students, higher retention. The role of HSPP in fostering equity and inequity is discussed. A preprint of this article is available at https://psyarxiv.com/xhpuc/ .

INVESTIGATING SELF-REGULATED LEARNING STRATEGIES FOR DIGITAL LEARNING RELEVANCY

Purpose: The rise of digital learning and the prevalence of affordable devices are convenient for young adults who are accustomed to using their digital devices for almost everything such as communication, collaboration, and accessing multiple sources of information for solutions. However, the lack of ability to self-regulate learning processes has led to poor learning performance among undergraduates. Therefore, this study examined the effects of self-regulated learning strategies (SRLS) on learning performance among Malaysian IT undergraduates. Methodology: A sample of IT undergraduates from private higher education institutions in Malaysia participated in the study. Quantitative data from a total of 563 respondents was collected through questionnaire surveys and analysed using PLS-SEM. The common method variance was utilized in this paper. Findings: The findings of this study constitute essential results that three out of four SRLS domains (cognitive engagement, resource management, and motivational beliefs) positively influenced the students’ perception of learning performance. Significance: This study provides insight into the best SRLS to excel in digital learning for deeper learning particularly in the Malaysian context. Implications of the findings on higher education institutions as well as recommendations for future research are discussed.

The Indirect Effect of Worry on Daytime Sleepiness Among College Students

Daytime sleepiness is a prevalent problem among college students that is associated with impairment in academic functioning and mental health risk. Sleep disturbances, such as difficulty falling and staying asleep, are associated with daytime sleepiness. Sleep disturbances are predicted by worry and may serve as mechanisms by which worry conveys risk for daytime sleepiness. The present study examined the indirect effect of worry on daytime sleepiness through difficulty falling asleep and difficulty staying asleep in a cross-sectional undergraduate sample (N = 172). An indirect effect of worry on daytime sleepiness was observed through difficulty staying asleep, ab = .02, 95% CI [.001 .04]. There was no indirect effect through difficulty falling asleep, ab = −.01, 95% CI [−.03, .01]. The study contributed to the understanding of how worry is associated with daytime sleepiness among college students. Additional research using longitudinal and experimental design is needed to further test difficulty staying asleep as a mechanism between worry and sleepiness.

Psychometric Properties of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Brief Form in an Undergraduate Sample of South African University Students

Assessments are regularly used among clinicians within psychology, yet many are deemed too time-consuming and expensive. The Personality Inventory for— Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5)—Brief Form (PID-5-BF) was developed to measure maladaptive personality traits ( negative affect, detachment, antagonism, disinhibition, and psychoticism), based on the “hybrid model” for personality disorders included in DSM- 5 Section III. Literature indicates that reliability and validity for the PID-5-BF has been established in other countries. We explored these psychometric properties within a South African population using the NEO Personality Inventory Revised and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview’s (MINI) Subscale K: psychotic disorders and mood disorder with psychotic features, as measures for comparison. Our results indicated support for the PID-5-BF with sufficient reliability, convergent, and discriminant validity. More research is needed on the PID-5-BF, especially in South Africa, but our findings indicate it to be a promising assessment tool that could greatly benefit clinicians in the mental health sector.

Predicting fluctuation in narcissistic states: An examination of the g-FLUX scale.

Studying dynamic patterns among grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic states has become an important area of inquiry. The g-FLUX (Oltmanns & Widiger, 2018) scale is a 9-item self-report measure designed to capture narcissistic dynamics in the absence of intensive longitudinal designs (e.g., ambulatory assessment, ecological momentary assessment). Though this scale has been associated with dispositional measures of narcissism, it has not yet been validated using ambulatory methods that can directly assess fluctuation in narcissistic states. The present study examined whether the g-FLUX scale predicts variability in state grandiosity and vulnerability across two samples: a community sample (N = 320) that was oversampled for low modesty and an independent undergraduate sample (N = 314). Results revealed that the g-FLUX scale predicts momentary variability in grandiosity and vulnerability. Results were stronger in the community sample. The study suggests that researchers should consider using the g-FLUX scale when interested in capturing dynamics within narcissism, especially when intensive longitudinal designs (e.g., ambulatory assessment methods) are not an option. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Bridging gaps in distance learning during a pandemic: exploratory questionnaire based analysis in Jordan during COVID-19 lockdown

During the second semester of the 2019/2020 academic year, universities and schools around the world switched to distance learning to comply with the strict lock-down conditions and assure the safety of staff and students. Thus a structured self-administered questionnaire was used on an undergraduate sample of students (n = 573) enrolled in the Faculty of Pharmacy at one of the top private universities in Jordan. It aimed to measure the student's general attitudes, perceptions and obstacles witnessed during that period. The results indicate the need for implementation of a sustainability plan to assure the levels of quality in the program, by offering more proactive strategies that ensure the fairness of online assessments, and online students' affairs office, which will provide positive reinforcement to junior students and allow online academic counselling sessions that are focused on problem solving and emotional health which will in-turn stimulate quality distance learning practices.

Laypeople’s beliefs about the effects of common estimator variables on memory

ABSTRACT This research builds on James Ost’s research investigating whether laypeople’s beliefs align with those of experts. Recent studies that examined the relationship between high-confidence eyewitness identifications and accuracy proposed that the mechanism underlying this relationship may be based on a knowledge-conditional model. According to this model, the accuracy of a confidence judgment depends on knowledge about factors that affect memory accuracy. However, there has not been a comprehensive assessment of laypeople’s knowledge about the effect on memory accuracy of many estimator variables known to influence the accuracy of eyewitnesses, specifically those relevant to research on the relationship between witness confidence and accuracy. This study consists of the development of a 30-item scale to assess laypeople’s knowledge of the effect of 10 common estimator variables on memory accuracy from three points of view (POV): Self, Other, and Juror. Across MTurk and undergraduate samples, laypeople’s beliefs about the effect of these estimator variables were generally consistent with research findings and did not differ as a function of POV. Additionally, for most estimator variables, participants’ beliefs about memory were consistent with results in the confidence-accuracy literature; confidence and identification accuracy appear to be poorly calibrated for estimator variables that people know less about.

Evaluating the Instantiation of Narcissism Components in Contemporary Measures of Psychopathy.

Narcissistic traits figure prominently in classical conceptualizations of psychopathy and bear substantial empirical overlap with components of psychopathy. Yet the degree to which various widely used self-report measures of psychopathy include relevant narcissistic content has not been evaluated, especially in relation to new, multidimensional models of narcissism. Using a large undergraduate sample (N = 432) and self- and informant-ratings of narcissism, the present study examined narcissism's instantiation in several commonly used self-report psychopathy measures. A modern conceptualization of narcissism at three levels of hierarchical organization (i.e., Trifurcated Model of Narcissism) was applied to comprehensively evaluate narcissism's instantiation in these psychopathy measures. Although narcissistic traits related to self-centered antagonism were well-instantiated across psychopathy self-report measures, narcissistic traits related to agentic extraversion were represented more modestly by most (i.e., Triarchic Psychopathy Measure, Self-Report Psychopathy Scale: Version III, Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale), but not all (i.e., Elemental Psychopathy Assessment [EPA]) psychopathy measures. Only the EPA contained substantial representation of all narcissism components. Given the theoretical and empirical overlap between psychopathy and narcissism, it behooves researchers to be aware of the degree to which psychopathy measures capture narcissistic content.

Stress and sleep in college students prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Within the short timeframe of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been increasing interest in its potential impact on psychological stress and sleep. Using standardized self-report measures, we examined differences in stress and sleep by comparing responses from three independent samples of undergraduates in the United States. Samples were obtained prior to COVID-19 (Spring 2019) and at two periods during the pandemic (Spring 2020 and Summer 2020) which corresponded to an increasing impact of COVID-19 at the local level. Within the combined sample of 1222 students, 94% identified as Hispanic. Contrary to our hypotheses, stress, sleep quality and insomnia were not significantly higher in the samples collected during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in support of our hypotheses, bedtime and waketime were significantly later during the pandemic, and sleep duration was significantly longer. Although scores on the global measure of sleep quality did not differ across semesters, supplemental exploratory analyses demonstrated a more complex picture of differences in sleep variables. Among the findings, there was evidence of greater sleep latency, greater sleep medication use and poorer sleep efficiency during the pandemic. Our results suggest that, within the US college student population, COVID-19's impact on stress and sleep may not be entirely negative.

Using mixed-method feasibility studies to examine the impact of a mobile standing desk on undergraduates’ sedentary time

Objectives To understand experiences with and measure the effect of mobile standing desks (MSD) on undergraduates’ sedentary time (ST). Participants Two samples of full-time undergraduates in Fall 2018. Methods Study 1 (n = 21): baseline average daily ST was measured via activPAL4TM inclinometers and the NIGHTLY-WEEK-U questionnaire for 7 days. Participants received a MSD for one week then intervention ST was calculated. Study 2 (n = 28): baseline ST was measured with an online NIGHTLY-WEEK-U questionnaire, participants received a MSD for one month, then intervention ST was calculated. Paired-sample t-tests assessed differences. Interviews/online questions explored experiences. Results Study 1: objectively measured (p = .0045, d = .71) and self-report (p = .0005, d = .92) ST reduced significantly post-intervention. Study 2: ST reduced significantly post-intervention (p = < .0001, d = .98). Facilitators and barriers to desk usage were described. Conclusions MSD were effective for reducing undergraduates’ ST across one-week and one-month.

Real-time Mental Health Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on College Students: Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.

BackgroundCollege students’ mental health may be disproportionally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic because of the abrupt shift off campus and subsequent loss of a social network and potential long-term impact on job prospects.ObjectiveWe sought to assess the nature of COVID-19’s mental health impact among a sample of undergraduates who were experiencing the pandemic as it occurred in real time.MethodsIn total, 140 college students completed smartphone-based ecological momentary assessments of anxiety and optimism related to COVID-19 and other generic mental health variables 6 times daily.ResultsParticipants completed >23,750 surveys. Overall, >75% of these surveys indicated at least some level of anxiety about COVID-19. On average, the proportion of responses each day at the highest levels of anxiety about COVID-19 was 7 times greater than the proportion of responses at the highest levels of non–COVID-19–specific anxiety. Structural change analyses indicated a significant downward trend in COVID-19 anxiety after the first week of June, but even at the lowest point, >15% of the participants in the sample still reported high levels of COVID-19 anxiety each day. Participants felt more anxious about COVID-19 on days when the number of new cases and deaths due to COVID-19 were higher. When participants felt anxious about COVID-19, they also felt sad, anxious (in general), and had a greater desire to drink and use drugs. Participants felt more optimistic about COVID-19 when they received more support from others and from their university.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated the widespread mental health impact that COVID-19 has had on college students.

Perfectionism, conscientiousness, and neuroticism: Does age matter?

Research has linked dimensions of perfectionism and personality traits included in the five-factor model (FFM), such as conscientiousness and neuroticism. There has been very little research, however, on the relationship between perfectionism and FFM facets in older adults (i.e., age 60+). This is of particular importance given that previous research suggests that as individuals age, the relationship between perfectionistic strivings and conscientiousness weakens, and the relationship between perfectionistic strivings and neuroticism increases. The present study aimed to examine the moderating effect of age on the perfectionism-conscientiousness and perfectionism-neuroticism link. In addition, a secondary aim was to examine differences in perfectionism levels amongst young adults and older adults. Measures of perfectionism and the FFM facets, conscientiousness, and neuroticism, were administered to a sample of undergraduates (n = 587) and older adults (n = 313). Age was found to moderate the relationship between personal standards and conscientiousness only. Differences in perfectionism levels as well conscientiousness and neuroticism were observed. More specifically, undergraduates were higher on perfectionistic strivings and neuroticism. Research and clinical implications are discussed.

A test of the tripartite influence model of disordered eating among men

Studies of the Tripartite Influence Model conducted with female samples suggest that thinness-oriented pressures, internalization, and appearance comparisons may be risk factors for disordered eating. However, limited work has investigated this model among men utilizing measures specifically designed to assess both muscularity- and thinness-oriented processes, which characterize male body image concerns. To address this gap, the current study examined the Tripartite Influence Model of disordered eating among men using a battery of such measures. A convenience sample of 265 male undergraduates completed validated, self-report measures of disordered eating, muscularity- and thinness-oriented appearance pressures, internalization, and appearance comparisons. Path analyses supported a slightly modified version of the Tripartite Influence Model, indicating direct and indirect paths from sociocultural pressures to disordered eating via internalization and appearance comparisons. These results provide support for a version of the Tripartite Influence Model among men. Specifically, muscularity- and thinness-oriented pressures appear to be related to disordered eating among college men via indirect pathways involving thin internalization, muscular internalization, and appearance comparisons. Future work is needed, however, to examine whether the model would generalize to muscularity-oriented disordered eating.

Status, rivalry and admiration-seeking in narcissism and depression: A behavioral study.

Humans seek admiration to boost their social rank and engage in rivalry to protect it when fearing defeat. Traits such as narcissism and affective states such as depression are thought to influence perception of rank and motivation for dominance in opposite ways, but evidence of the underlying behavioral mechanisms is scant. We investigated the effects of dimensionally-assessed narcissism and depression on behavioral responses to social defeat in a rigged video game tournament designed to elicit rivalry (stealing points from opponents) and admiration-seeking (paying for rank). We tested an undergraduate sample (N = 70, mean age = 21.5 years) and a clinical sample of predominantly depressed elderly (N = 85, mean age = 62.6 years). Both rivalry and admiration-seeking increased with time on task and were particularly enhanced in individuals high in narcissism. Participants engaged in more rivalry when pitted against high-ranked opponents, but depression partially mitigated this tendency. Our findings provide behavioral evidence that narcissism manifests in increased rivalry and admiration-seeking during social contests. Depression does not suppress general competitiveness but selectively inhibits upward-focused rivalry.

Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Revenge Attitudes Inventory-21.

Despite a few hypothesized associations between revenge and suicide in the suicide literature, the potential of revenge as a multidimensional construct related to suicide has remained unexplored. Using data from undergraduate samples across 2 studies, we examined support for the psychometric properties and nomological network of scores on the Multidimensional Revenge Attitudes Inventory-21 (MRAI-21), a new self-report instrument composed of 3 dimensions: craving for revenge, revenge rumination, and suicide-related revenge. Results from Study 1 (N = 510), suggested that a 3-factor oblique solution obtained through contemporary factor analytic methods provided the best fit for the sample data. Estimates of internal consistency reliability for the MRAI-21 scale scores were above .90. In Study 2 (N = 380), we examined internal consistency reliability estimates for 6 concurrent self-report measures and conducted convergent validity analyses using latent variable modeling with scores on the MRAI-21 and concurrent measures. Results showed that scores on all instruments had adequate estimates of reliability and revealed a unique network of correlates for each of the MRAI-21 scale scores. Findings suggest that revenge can be measured as a multidimensional construct within the context of suicide; future directions and clinical implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

A test of a triadic conceptualization of future self-identification

People encounter intertemporal decisions every day and often engage in behaviors that are not good for their future. One factor that may explain these decisions is the perception of their distal future self. An emerging body of research suggests that individuals vary in how they perceive their future self and many perceive their future self as a different person. The present research aimed to (1) build on and extend Hershfield’s et al. (2011) review of the existing literature and advance the conceptualization of the relationship between the current and future self, (2) extend and develop measures of this relationship, and (3) examine whether and how this relationship predicts intrapsychic and achievement outcomes. The results of the literature review suggested that prior research mostly focused on one or two of the following components: (a) perceived relatedness between the current and future self in terms of similarity and connectedness, (b) vividness in imagining the future self, and (c) degree of positivity felt toward the future self. Additionally, differences in how researchers have labeled the overall construct lead us to propose future self-identification as a new label for the three-component construct. Our research built on existing measures to test the validity of a three-component model of future self-identification. Across three samples of first-year undergraduates, this research established the psychometric properties of the measure, and then examined the relationships between the components and four outcome domains of interest: (1) psychological well-being (self-esteem, hope), (2) imagination of the future (visual imagery of future events, perceived temporal distance), (3) self-control, and (4) academic performance. We demonstrated that the three components of future self-identification were correlated but independent factors. Additionally, the three components differed in their unique relationships with the outcome domains, demonstrating the utility of measuring all three components of future self-identification when seeking to predict important psychological and behavioral outcomes.

Perfectionism and the Imposter Phenomenon in Academically Talented Undergraduates

The imposter phenomenon is characterized as difficulty internalizing success due to feelings of inauthenticity or phoniness despite contrary evidence of competence. Academically talented students in undergraduate honors programs could be more vulnerable to the imposter phenomenon as compared with other undergraduates because of experiences surrounding perfectionism and participation in highly selective programs. In this study, researchers examined the relationship between gender, honors program participation, perfectionism, and the imposter phenomenon among undergraduates. Results of a hierarchical regression analysis indicate that socially prescribed perfectionism and honors program participation relate to higher levels of imposter feelings in an undergraduate sample. Implications and practical recommendations for researchers, educators, school counselors, and college administrators are discussed.

Associations Between Transdiagnostic Cognitive-Affective Vulnerability Factors, Negative Reinforcement Drinking Motives, and Problematic Alcohol Use among Undergraduates

Objective Anxiety sensitivity, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation difficulties have each demonstrated significant individual associations with problematic alcohol use and negative reinforcement motives for alcohol use among college students. However, extant research has yet to examine these three factors simultaneously with regard to the possibility of differential associations with alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems and coping and conformity motives for alcohol use. As such, the present study sought to examine whether such differential associations exist within a sample of undergraduates reporting past year alcohol use. Methods: Participants were 379 undergraduate students reporting alcohol use in the past year who completed self-report measures for course credit. Results: After controlling for the effects of sex, lifetime marijuana use status, and negative affectivity, greater anxiety sensitivity social concerns and difficulties with emotional awareness were associated with more alcohol-related problems. Greater anxiety sensitivity social concerns and impulse control difficulties were associated with greater conformity alcohol use motives, and greater impulse control and emotional clarity difficulties were associated with greater coping motives. Conclusions: These findings suggest that greater fears of anxiety symptoms because of their potential negative social consequences and certain emotion regulation difficulties (i.e., impulse control, emotional clarity, emotional awareness) may be particularly problematic because they are associated with alcohol-related problems and negative reinforcement motives for use among undergraduates.

A novel construct of anhedonia revealed in a Chinese sample via the Revised Physical and Social Anhedonia Scales

BackgroundAnhedonia is a core clinical symptom of mental disorders. The Revised Physical Anhedonia Scale (RPAS) and the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS) have been applied in clinical and non-clinical samples since 1980s. However, the construct of a unified RPAS&RSAS for comprehensive measurement of anhedonia has never been explored. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to examine the factor structure of the unified RPAS&RSAS among undergraduates and clinical patients.MethodsA total of 3435 undergraduates from two universities and 294 clinical patients with mental disorders had completed the Chinese version of the RPAS and the RSAS. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were each conducted to reveal the constructs of the RPAS and the RSAS. CFA was used to evaluate first- and second-order models for the unified RPAS&RSAS in undergraduates and clinical patients. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the RPAS and the RSAS were also evaluated.ResultsEFA and CFA indicated 2-factor structures for RPAS and RSAS, with the factors being defined as anticipatory anhedonia and consummatory anhedonia. The second-order model of the unified RPAS&RSAS in the undergraduates and clinical patients both had satisfactory fit index values (Undergraduate sample: CFI = 0.901, TLI = 0.899, RMSEA = 0.055, SRMR = 0.086; Clinical sample: CFI = 0.922, TLI = 0.911, RMSEA = 0.052, SRMR = 0.078). The psychometric robustness of the RPAS&RSAS were confirmed by high internal consistency and test-retest reliability values.ConclusionsThe unified RPAS&RSAS with a second-order structure was confirmed in both undergraduates and clinical samples in Chinese. The construct of anhedonia was refreshed as covering physical and social domains, and each of them includes both anticipatory and consummatory components.