Undergraduate Sample Research Articles

Properties of the Continuous Assessment of Interpersonal Dynamics Across Sex, Level of Familiarity, and Interpersonal Conflict.

The Continuous Assessment of Interpersonal Dynamics (CAID) is a method in which trained observers continuously code the dominance and warmth of individuals who interact with one another in dyads. This method has significant promise for assessing dynamic interpersonal processes. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of individual sex, dyadic familiarity, and situational conflict on patterns of interpersonal warmth, dominance, and complementarity as assessed via CAID. We used six samples with 603 dyads, including two samples of unacquainted mixed-sex undergraduates interacting in a collaborative task, two samples of couples interacting in both collaborative and conflict tasks, and two samples of mothers and children interacting in both collaborative and conflict tasks. Complementarity effects were robust across all samples, and individuals tended to be relatively warm and dominant. Results from multilevel models indicated that women were slightly warmer than men, whereas there were no sex differences in dominance. Unfamiliar dyads and dyads interacting in more collaborative tasks were relatively warmer, more submissive, and more complementary on warmth but less complementary on dominance. These findings speak to the utility of the CAID method for assessing interpersonal dynamics and provide norms for researchers who use the method for different types of samples and applications.

A bifactor model of meanness, coldheartedness, callousness, and sadism

Although callous/unemotional or mean psychopathic traits overlap with sadism, there may be specific aspects differentiating sadism from this component of psychopathy. The factor structure of eight scales that assess sadism or the meanness component of psychopathy was examined using confirmatory factor analysis in two independent samples: an Amazon MTurk sample (n = 338) and an undergraduate sample (n = 626). Compared to single-factor and two-factor models, a bifactor model that includes a general Antagonistic factor and specific Sadism factor best fit the data for both samples. The results suggest that, although mean or callous/unemotional psychopathic traits and sadism share commonality, sadism is characterized by unique features. Specifically, measures of sadism assess the tendency to derive pleasure from the suffering of others, a feature not covered by most psychopathy measures. These findings suggest that although people high in sadism are likely to be callous/unemotional, callous/unemotional people may not be sadistic.

Issue Information

The September issue of PsyCh Journal features four Original Articles, beginning with an assessment of factors promoting proenvironmental behaviors in urban Chinese children, which finds environmental sensitivity and personal norms as two critical factors. This is followed by a verification of the Greek version of the Family Assessment Device (FAD), using correlations with the already validated Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES‐III). A third contribution explored the mediating role of social support and hope in the linkage of extraversion with happiness in a sample of undergraduates at a Malaysian university, finding a serial mediating effect, through social support and then hope, of extraversion in the enhancement of happiness, in addition to two stronger indirect effects. The fourth article examined the heritability of spatial working memory (SWM) and set‐shifting abilities, both consistently observed as impaired in individuals with schizophrenia and thus considered potential endophenotypes of this illness, finding moderate heritability for SWM but no significant heritability for set‐shifting ability in a healthy Chinese twin sample.These are followed by two Short Communications, the first reporting the use of quantitative semantics to find clusters of words in LinkedIn users' self‐descriptions to an employer or a friend. The second examined relationships among proactive personality, job crafting, and mental health in a survey of full‐time Chinese employees, finding that job crafting mediated a positive relationship between proactive personality and mental health.A final contribution presents reflections from within China on how crucial problems encountered in the development of new artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms (such as understanding the semantic structure of images) can promote better understandings of the human mind itself, leading in turn to more powerful AI capabilities. image

The Bystander Behavior (For Friends) Scale: Factor Structure and Correlation With Prior Victimization.

The Bystander Behavior (for Friends) Scale (BBS) offers a promising method of studying prosocial bystander behavior in the context of sexual assault and intimate partner violence. The underlying structure of the BBS has only been studied in the development sample, which was predominantly White and from one university in the Northeast region of the United States. This single sample raises questions about the replicability and generalizability of the factor structure. In addition, confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) methods, which are favored for binary data, were not used in the developmental sample. There also is limited research on individual characteristics that may relate to engagement in different types of bystander behavior. The primary aims of the current study were to (a) use CFA to evaluate the factor structure of the BBS in a sample of university undergraduates recruited from four universities and (b) test associations between prior victimization (general and family-specific) and BBS factors. University undergraduates (n = 556) from four U.S. universities comprised the sample. Weighted least squares CFA confirmed the original four-factor model of the BBS, namely, Risky Situations, Accessing Resources, Proactive Behaviors, and Party Safety. The Proactive Behaviors factor was positively associated with both general and family-specific prior victimization. The Risky Situations and Party Safety factors were positively associated with general prior victimization but were not associated with family-specific prior victimization. The Accessing Resources factor was not associated with either general or family-specific prior victimization. The BBS is multidimensional, and the factor structure is robust. The different associations between certain types of bystander behavior and prior victimization highlight the potential value in considering the BBS factors separately.

Where's the H? Relations between BFI-2 and HEXACO-60 scales

We examined the relations between the scales of the Next Big Five Inventory (BFI-2) and the 60-item version of the HEXACO Personality Inventory—Revised (HEXACO-60) using self-reports from a Canadian undergraduate sample (N = 700). Results showed generally close correspondences between conceptually similar HEXACO-60 and BFI-2 scales, although HEXACO-60 Emotionality was somewhat less well accounted for by the BFI-2 scales than BFI-2 Neuroticism was accounted for by HEXACO-60 scales. However, the HEXACO-60 Honesty-Humility scale was largely unaccounted for by the BFI-2 scales. Results suggest that the BFI-2, despite its psychometric soundness, would not be suitable for use when studying individual difference variables or personality phenomena in which Honesty-Humility might be implicated.

Social Interaction and Internet‐Based Surveys: Examining the Effects of Virtual and In‐Person Proctors on Careless Response

A lack of human interaction and environmental control in Internet‐based data collection have been suggested as possible antecedents of careless responding, which occurs when participants respond to survey items without regard for item content. To address these possible antecedents, this study investigated whether survey proctoring deterred careless response in an undergraduate sample by reducing environmental distractions. The study randomly assigned respondents to one of three proctoring conditions: remote online un‐proctored, remote online virtually proctored, and in‐person classroom proctored. Data quality was examined via nine careless response indicators. Analyses indicated that proctor presence had effects on a small number of careless response indicators. Virtually proctored participants performed better than un‐proctored participants on one of nine careless response indicators, and in‐person proctored participants performed better on two careless response indicators compared to un‐proctored participants. Environmental distraction fully mediated the relationship between in‐person proctor presence and self‐reported diligence. Implications for survey administration are discussed.

Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Neuroticism Subscale of the NEO-PI.

Neuroticism is an important concept in psychology, self-report measures of neuroticism are important for both research and clinical practice. The neuroticism subscale of the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Personality Inventory (NEO-PI) is a brief measure of neuroticism, and it was widely used in the world. This study was aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the neuroticism subscale of the NEO-PI. A total of 5,494 undergraduates from three universities and 551 clinical patients with mental disorders from a psychological clinic had completed the Chinese version of the neuroticism subscale of the NEO-PI. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine how well the three hypothetical models fit the data and the measurement equivalence of neuroticism subscale across gender. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability were also evaluated. Both the six-facet model and the bi-factor model (six-facet model with one general factor) achieved satisfactory fit, while the six-facet model had best fit (Undergraduate sample: TLI = 0.919, CFI = 0.933, RMSEA = 0.044, SRMR = 0.033; Clinical sample: TLI = 0.921, CFI = 0.935, RMSEA = 0.047, SRMR = 0.041), and it had measurement equivalence across gender. The neuroticism subscale also showed acceptable internal consistency and good stability. Within the undergraduate sample, there were statistically significant gender differences in neuroticism total scores and scores of six facets, while there were no significant gender differences in the neuroticism scores in the clinical sample. Both in the undergraduate sample and the clinical sample, anxiety facet, depression facet and vulnerability facet of the neuroticism subscale significantly predicted the depression level, while anxiety facet, angry-hostility facet and vulnerability facet significantly predicted the anxiety level. In conclusion, the Chinese version of the neuroticism subscale is a reliable and valid measurement of neuroticism in both undergraduate and clinical population.

Response Force in Conjugate Schedules of Reinforcement

In conjugate schedules of reinforcement, the amplitude or intensity of a reinforcing event is proportional to an aspect of the target behavior or response (e.g., MacAleese, Ghezzi, & Rapp, Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 104, 63–73, 2015). In a novel series of experiments, MacAleese et al. demonstrated that changes in clarity of a visual stimulus conjugately reinforced an arbitrary target response in a sample of undergraduates. In Experiment 1, we extended the results from MacAleese et al. (2015) by evaluating whether different parameters of response-contingent volume change in audiovisual stimuli conjugately reinforced responses on a force transducer in a sample of undergraduates. In Experiment 2, we evaluated the degree to which responding was maintained when conjugate changes in the volume of audiovisual stimuli (either high-preferred or low-preferred) were provided as a consequence for exerting force on the manipulandum. In Experiment 3, we evaluated the degree to which responding was maintained across multiple extinction components. Results from these experiments indicate response force covaries with changes to the amount of force required to produce conjugate changes in audiovisual stimulation. Furthermore, results suggest force may be an important index of response effort and preference across low-and-high preferred stimuli within this conjugate schedule framework, as well as an important index of extinction-induced variability.

Does shame influence nonsuicidal self-injury among college students? An investigation into the role of shame, negative urgency, and brooding

ABSTRACTCollege students experience high levels of life stress that put them at increased risk for nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). It is important to understand which vulnerabilities put students most at risk, in order to inform treatment in college counseling centers. This study investigated the joint contributions of specific vulnerabilities to lifetime history and frequency of NSSI among a sample of undergraduates (50% reported a history of NSSI). Results showed shame-proneness was uniquely associated with NSSI frequency beyond other negative emotions. Negative urgency and brooding exacerbated this effect. This study provides insights into the contributions of specific vulnerabilities to NSSI and implications for practice.

Cognitive Style and Frame Susceptibility in Decision-Making.

The susceptibility of decision-makers’ choices to variations in option framing has been attributed to individual differences in cognitive style. According to this view, individuals who are prone to a more deliberate, or less intuitive, thinking style are less susceptible to framing manipulations. Research findings on the topic, however, have tended to yield small effects, with several studies also being limited in inferential value by methodological drawbacks. We report two experiments that examined the value of several cognitive-style variables, including measures of cognitive reflection, subjective numeracy, actively open-minded thinking, need for cognition, and hemispheric dominance, in predicting participants’ frame-consistent choices. Our experiments used an isomorph of the Asian Disease Problem and we manipulated frames between participants. We controlled for participants’ sex and age, and we manipulated the order in which choice options were presented to participants. In Experiment 1 (N = 190) using an undergraduate sample and in Experiment 2 (N = 316) using a sample of Amazon Mechanical Turk workers, we found no significant effect of any of the cognitive-style measures taken on predicting frame-consistent choice, regardless of whether we analyzed participants’ binary choices or their choices weighted by the extent to which participants preferred their chosen option over the non-chosen option. The sole factor that significantly predicted frame-consistent choice was framing: in both experiments, participants were more likely to make frame-consistent choices when the frame was positive than when it was negative, consistent with the tendency toward risk aversion in the task. The present findings do not support the view that individual differences in people’s susceptibility to framing manipulations can be substantially accounted for by individual differences in cognitive style.

Compromiso estudiantil en educación superior: adaptación y validación de un cuestionario de evaluación en universidades chilenas

To understand how students learn is a complex, yet indispensable, endeavor for quality improvement in higher education. Student engagement questionnaires offer useful snapshots to capture the diversity of learning experiences. Nonetheless, the quality of evidence that they provide depends upon the instruments' validity and contextual relevancy. This article reports on the adjusting, piloting and validation of a questionnaire to measure student engagement, among a sample of undergraduates at three Chilean universities. We adapted and validated, in the Chilean context, indices and items regarding student commitment from the 2013 version of the National Survey of Student Engagement. The results suggest that the student engagement indices only partially function and thus require modifications to significantly improve validity. To that end, the processes of adaptation and validation of the instrument are reported, as well as adjustment alternatives. This research contributes to the improvement of the validity of the instrument in the local context, providing insights on student engagement and experiences in Chile.

Opportunity and Self-Control: Do they Predict Multiple Forms of Online Victimization?

This study investigates the predictors of four types of cybercrime victimization/experiences: online harassment, hacking, identity theft, and receiving nude photos or explicit content. The effects of victimization opportunity and low self-control are examined as the primary independent variables in logistic regression analyses of data collected from a large sample of undergraduates enrolled at two universities in the United States. Results suggest that opportunity is positively related to each of the four types of online victimization, and that low self-control is associated with person-based, but not computer-based, forms of cybercrime. These findings speak to the utility, and also the limitations, of these perspectives in understanding cybercrime victimization risk among college students, and to the potentially criminogenic nature of the Internet.

Fundamental Social Motives Mediate the Associations that Dangerous and Competitive Social Worldviews Have with Ideological Attitudes

The purpose of the present study was to examine the connections that dangerous and competitive social worldviews had with the ideological attitudes of Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO). More specifically, the focus was on the possibility that the associations that these social worldviews had with ideological attitudes may be mediated by the fundamental social motives in a sample of undergraduates (N = 485; 79% female). The results revealed partial support for the hypotheses such that the association that the competitive social worldview had with RWA was mediated by the status seeking motive, the affiliation motive, and the kin care motive, whereas the association that the competitive social worldview had with SDO was mediated only by the status seeking motive. In contrast, the fundamental social motives did not mediate the association that the dangerous social worldview had with RWA. Discussion focuses on the implications of these results for understanding the role that motivation may play in the connections between social worldviews and ideological attitudes.

A Failure to Launch: Regulatory Modes and Boredom Proneness.

Boredom is a ubiquitous human experience characterized as a state of wanting but failing to engage with the world. Individuals prone to the experience of boredom demonstrate lower levels of self-control which may be at the heart of their failures to engage in goal-directed, meaningful behaviors. Here we develop the hypothesis that distinct self-regulatory profiles, which in turn differentially influence modes of goal pursuit, are at the heart of boredom proneness. Two specific regulatory modes are addressed: Locomotion, the desire to ‘just do it,’ an action oriented mode of goal-pursuit, and Assessment, the desire to ‘do the right thing,’ an evaluative orientation toward goal pursuit. We present data from a series of seven large samples of undergraduates showing that boredom proneness is negatively correlated with Locomotion, as though getting on with things acts as a prophylactic against boredom. This ‘failure to launch’ that we suggest is prevalent in the highly boredom prone individual, could be due to an inability to appropriately discriminate value (i.e., everything is tarred with the same gray brush), an unwillingness to put in the required effort to engage, or simply a failure to get started. In contrast, boredom proneness was consistently positively correlated with the Assessment mode of self-regulation. We suggest that this association reflects a kind of rumination that hampers satisfying goal pursuit.

Perceptions of attenuated psychosis in a diverse sample of undergraduates.

Prior to the release of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, experts in the field of psychosis research considered including a psychosis high-risk syndrome-attenuated psychosis syndrome-as a formal diagnosis. Opponents argued that such a diagnosis may increase the risk of stigmatization of individuals whose symptoms often remit. Although previous research has examined provider perceptions of attenuated psychosis syndrome, little work has focused on lay perceptions. A total of 455 college students read three vignettes, each depicting a character with a different level of psychotic disorder (attenuated psychosis syndrome, schizophrenia or no psychosis). Following each vignette, participants responded to questions assessing: (1) identification of the character as mentally ill, (2) stigmatizing attitudes and (3) beliefs regarding the helpfulness of potential treatments. Compared to a character with no psychosis, participants identified the attenuated psychosis syndrome character as more likely to be experiencing mental illness, but endorsed only slightly more stigmatizing attitudes. Participants tended to rate psychological types of treatment as more helpful than other types for an attenuated psychosis syndrome character. Non-expert undergraduates appear to view attenuated psychosis symptoms as indicative of mental illness, though not as severe as schizophrenia symptoms. The minimal level of stigma endorsement indicates that college students may not be especially likely to spontaneously stigmatize peers with attenuated psychosis syndrome.

A bifactor model of intolerance of uncertainty in undergraduate and clinical samples: Do we need to reconsider the two-factor model?

The theorized role that intolerance of uncertainty (IU) plays in the acquisition, maintenance, and treatment of multiple emotional disorders underscores the importance of valid assessment tools. Research using the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-Short form (IUS-12) has conceptualized IU along 2 dimensions, namely, prospective IU and inhibitory IU. However, recent research has cast doubt on the separability of these dimensions. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the fit of competing measurement models of the IUS-12 in separate undergraduate (N = 506) and clinical (N = 524) samples. Unidimensional, correlated 2-factor, and bifactor models were tested using confirmatory factor analysis. The results of both studies supported a bifactor model consisting of a strong general IU factor. The general IU factor explained the majority of unique variance in the IUS-12, and suggested that a total score is generally appropriate for assessing IU. The general IU factor was most strongly and consistently associated with symptoms of multiple disorders. The inhibitory IU group factor was more weakly associated with most symptom measures in the clinical sample, but only with social phobia symptoms in the undergraduate sample. The prospective IU group factor was only separable from the general IU factor in the undergraduate sample, and did not explain unique variance in disorder symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record

Examining the relations among the DSM–5 alternative model of personality, the five-factor model, and externalizing and internalizing behavior.

Given long-standing criticisms of the DSM's reliance on categorical models of psychopathology, including the poor reliability and validity of personality-disorder diagnoses, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) published an alternative model (AM) of personality disorders in Section III of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; APA, 2013), which, in part, comprises 5 pathological trait domains based on the 5-factor model (FFM). However, the empirical profiles and discriminant validity of the AM traits remain in question. We recruited a sample of undergraduates (N = 340) for the current study to compare the relations found between a measure of the DSM-5 AM traits (i.e., the Personality Inventory for DSM-5; PID-5; Krueger, Derringer, Markon, Watson, & Skodol, 2012) and a measure of the FFM (i.e., the International Personality Item Pool; IPIP; Goldberg, 1999) in relation to externalizing and internalizing symptoms. In general, the domains from the 2 measures were significantly related and demonstrated similar patterns of relations with these criteria, such that Antagonism/low Agreeableness and Disinhibition/low Conscientiousness were related to externalizing behaviors, whereas Negative Affectivity/Neuroticism was most significantly related to internalizing symptoms. However, the PID-5 demonstrated large interrelations among its domains and poorer discriminant validity than the IPIP. These results provide additional support that the conception of the trait model included in the DSM-5 AM is an extension of the FFM, but highlight some of the issues that arise due to the PID-5's more limited discriminant validity. (PsycINFO Database Record

Musical Competence is Predicted by Music Training, Cognitive Abilities, and Personality

Individuals differ in musical competence, which we defined as the ability to perceive, remember, and discriminate sequences of tones or beats. We asked whether such differences could be explained by variables other than music training, including socioeconomic status (SES), short-term memory, general cognitive ability, and personality. In a sample of undergraduates, musical competence had positive simple associations with duration of music training, SES, short-term memory, general cognitive ability, and openness-to-experience. When these predictors were considered jointly, musical competence had positive partial associations with music training, general cognitive ability, and openness. Nevertheless, moderation analyses revealed that the partial association between musical competence and music training was evident only among participants who scored below the mean on our measure of general cognitive ability. Moreover, general cognitive ability and openness had indirect associations with musical competence by predicting music training, which in turn predicted musical competence. Musical competence appears to be the result of multiple factors, including but not limited to music training.

Predicting college students’ environmentally responsible behavior from personality, political attitudes, and place attachment: a synergistic model

Much research has examined the effect of personality, political attitudes, and place attachment on environmental concerns and behavior intentions. However, the effects of these factors have largely been studied separately from one another. Moreover, little research has focused on their relationship to environmentally responsible behaviors (ERB) directly. In the current study, a moderated mediation model was proposed to capture the synergistic effects of personality, political attitudes, and place attachment on ERB. An undergraduate sample (N = 475) completed an online survey of Big Five personality, political attitudes, place attachment, and participation in ERB. Correlation analyses suggested that openness to new experiences, liberal attitudes, and place identity had reliable, statistically significant relations with ERB. The moderated mediation analyses provided support for the synergistic model. Specifically, openness’ effect on the adoption of ERB was mediated by liberal attitudes and this mediation effect was further moderated by place identity. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Factor Analysis and Psychometric Validation of the Body Image Disturbance Questionnaire in an Australian Undergraduate Sample

ObjectiveBody image disturbance encompasses various cognitive and behavioural states originating from a distressing, negative evaluation of one's appearance. It is broader than negative body image, comprising not only dissatisfaction but also distress and dysfunction, and is a core feature of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). This study had two broad aims: to establish normative values for body image disturbance within an Australian population and to examine the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Body Image Disturbance Questionnaire (BIDQ).MethodAustralian undergraduate students (N = 950, 744 female) from Western Sydney completed the BIDQ, along with measures of clinical psychopathology, self‐esteem, and functional impairment.ResultsThe BIDQ displayed good internal consistency and predictable concurrent relationships with measures of depression, anxiety, stress, self‐esteem, and functional impairment. It also yielded a single latent construct, while higher scores were noted among participants who screened positively for BDD.ConclusionsBIDQ scores for this sample differ to those originally reported, which may reflect sample differences or cultural variation. These values provide a more accurate and reliable guide for clinicians using the BIDQ in Australia than previously available. Overall, the BIDQ demonstrates good psychometric efficacy in an undergraduate sample, although future research should validate the measure among wider clinical and community populations.