Lehigh Valley Undergraduate Psychology Conference (2006)Peoples’ Perceptions of Privacy This study investigated perceived violations of privacy in situations where medical records are shared with a third-party. Ninety-one female college students read four scenarios describing a young woman who visited her doctor’s office and learned that personal medical information had been disseminated. The scenarios varied in terms of the recipient of the personal information (familiar group physician vs. unfamiliar pharmaceutical company) and whether or not consent to share the information had been given. Participants responded to questions regarding whether the young woman should have filed a complaint, if her confidentiality was violated and how the participant would respond in a similar situation. Results revealed several significant main effects and interactions. Implications for future research will be discussed. The Relationship Between Eating Behavior and
Stress in College Women The current study was conducted to determine whether stress levels affect nutritional behavior. Sixty-nine female participants at a predominantly female college were recruited from General Psychology and Lifespan Development classes and received extra credit for their class. At each of three times, participants completed questionnaire packets that included measurements for anxiety and nutritional behavior. Specifically, these packets were distributed during the second, fifth, and eighth weeks of the semester. As hypothesized trait anxiety level influenced self-reported healthy eating behavior, eating frequency, and state anxiety level; however, healthy eating behavior, eating frequency and state anxiety level did not vary as a function of time in the semester. Implications for college campus stress and health and wellness programs are discussed. Influence of Goal Orientation and Anxiety on
Memory The purpose of the current study was to investigate the influence of goal orientation, time pressure, and anxiety on recall. Thirty-eight female college students completed the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scale (PALS; Migdley et al., 2000), a 20-item assessment measuring two dimensions of goal orientation, Motivation for Success (MS) and Motivation to Avoid Failure (MAF); they also completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spielberger, 1983). Participants were then placed in either a timed or an untimed condition and asked to study and later recall a list of 20 non-sense syllables. Results suggest that goal orientation (MS and MAF), time pressure, and state anxiety did not influence number of non-sense syllables recalled. Limitations and future research directions are discussed. The Effects of Relaxation Training on Stress
Management in College Students The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation and The Relaxation Response as stress management interventions in female college students. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the two interventions, or to a control group. All groups were pre-tested on peripheral temperature and state-anxiety level and were then exposed to a stressor. The control group was post-tested immediately after the stressor; both treatment groups were trained in a relaxation technique and then post-tested on criterion measures. Results of the study suggested that there was a marginal main effect for treatment condition on state anxiety, but the treatment condition main effect was not significant for peripheral temperature. Suggestions for further research are offered. The Relationship Between Locus of Control,
Stress, and Friendship: Moving to college and adjusting to a new lifestyle can be very stressful. Quality friendships and certain personality types, such as locus of control (LOC), however, have been shown to act as a buffer against stress. A sample of 52 female students attending a private, all-women’s college, completed a packet of three questionnaires: Spielberg’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Rotter’s LOC scale, and a friendship questionnaire designed specifically for this study. Results supported the hypothesis that those who exhibited the most internal LOC had the strongest negative correlation between stress and friendship. Further research could assess the influence of such variables as amount of schoolwork, extra-curricular activities, and other student time constraints. Eating, Exercise, and the Menstrual Cycle This study examined caloric intake and energy expenditure across the four phases of the menstrual cycle between those women using oral contraceptives and those who are free cycling. Sixty female college students between the ag es of 18 and 35 were asked to keep a daily record of their caloric intake and energy expenditure for approximately one full menstrual cycle. Women who were and were not using oral contraceptives were compared on caloric intake and energy expenditure. Results revealed that those participants using oral contraceptives had significantly more variability in caloric intake and energy expenditure than those who were free cycling. Implications of these findings are discussed. Correlates to Marital Satisfaction This study examined links among life satisfaction, marital satisfaction, and degree of congruence between personality traits of one’s ideal and actual spouse. Forty-four women and six men from the Cedar Crest College community completed measures of life satisfaction and marital satisfaction. They also completed the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) twice, once with respect to ideal mate personality, and once with respect to actual mate personality. Results indicated a significant positive correlation between life satisfaction and marital satisfaction. Furthermore, the magnitude of personality discrepancy on each dimension measured by the IPIP was negatively correlated with both life satisfaction and marital satisfaction. Results suggest that people with spouses who approximate their personality ideals are more satisfied in both life and marriage.
Moral Reasoning as a Function of Socioeconomic Status,
Family Structure, and Family Relationship Quality The current study examined moral reasoning and factors that influence its development. A sample of 77 female college students completed a packet containing the Moral Judgment Test (MJT; Lind, year), as well as a measure of quality of family relationships, and a brief survey of demographic information pertaining to participants’ family structure while growing up (e.g., intact vs. non-intact, age when parents divorced). No correlation was found between moral reasoning and the quality of family relationships. However, a negative correlation resulted between moral reasoning and age of the participant. Regression analyses indicated that the only variable that predicted a significant proportion of variance in moral reasoning was current age of participant. Implications for future research are discussed.
Effects of Age, Time, and Use of Misleading Questioning
on Children’s Susceptibility to Suggestion Previous research has shown that children are highly susceptible to suggestion. The current study sought to determine whether timing of misinformation, and time of testing influence recall in Pre-K and Kindergarten children. All participants watched a puppet show and answered 6 questions about what they saw at two different times. Specifically, the children were interviewed twice over a two-week period and were either exposed to misinformation at both time 1 (immediately) and time 2 (two weeks later), or at time 2 only. Results indicated that memory accuracy declined from time 1 to time 2, and that Pre-K children displayed greater recall accuracy overall. However, susceptibility to misinformation was unrelated to when misinformation was presented or to class placement.
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