Lehigh Valley Undergraduate Psychology Conference (2007)Environmental Effects on the Perceptions of Women’s Leadership Potential The purpose of this study was to compare perceptions of female leaders from students at a co-educational institution and an all-women’s institution. Sixty female junior or senior college students completed the Stereotyped Beliefs about Women Managers Scale (SBWMS; Moore, Grunberg, & Greenberg, 2004) and the Women as Managers Scale (WAMS; Terborg, Peters, Ilgen, & Smith, 1977), and responded to a set of two resumes for an employment opportunity. Females from the all-women’s institution were expected to score higher on both scales and more favorably rate the female applicant. Results revealed that only the gender of the applicant significantly affected participants’ views of business leaders. Additional findings and their implications will be discussed. An Examination of Resident and Commuter Students Researchers have long been curious bout the similarities and differences of college students who live on versus off campus. This study explored the relationship between students’ living arrangements and three factors: their personality, values and cognitive abilities. It was expected that commuter students would exhibit stronger core values and different personality traits, while resident students were expected to show higher cognitive abilities. Sixty-one participants completed three instruments used to measure their values, personality, and cognitive abilities as well as a demographic questionnaire. Results supported previous research in that the two groups differed slightly in personality and values, but remained very similar in cognitive ability. Implications of these results will be discussed. The Relationship Between Cognitive‑ and Affective‑Based Persuasion, Political Beliefs and Individual Differences There are established relationships between people’s individual differences (including personality), their ability to be persuaded, and their political opinions. The primary goal of this study was to examine the persuasiveness of political video advertisements, in terms of Need for Affect and Need for Cognition. Eighty students at a small liberal arts college completed the Myers‑Brigg Type Indicator, the Need for Cognition Scale, the Preference for Affect Scale and a political opinion questionnaire. They were also exposed to cognitive‑ and affective‑based issue advertisements on the legalization of marijuana. Results indicated that the cognitive‑based advertisement was perceived as most persuasive and most preferred. Secondary findings and their implications will be discussed. Does Having a Human-Interactive Based Career Path Influence Levels of Personal Meaning in Female Undergraduates? The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of intended major (declared vs. undecided) and career goal orientation (helping vs. non-helping) on levels of personal meaning as measured by the Life Regard Index-Revised (LRI-R; Debats, 1998) and the Life Attitude Profile-Revised (LAP-R; Reker, 1992). Forty-one female freshman and sophomore Cedar Crest College students participated. Inconsistent with hypotheses, results indicated there was no effect for major or career orientation on personal meaning level scores. Participants with a declared major and/or career oriented toward helping others did not exhibit significantly higher levels of personal meaning. Other relevant results and their implications will be discussed. Gender Similarity Bias and the Perceptions of Female Managers Women have come a long way in their pursuit of achieving high level management positions, but are they getting there for the right reasons? Fifty-one male and sixty-four female college students participated in the research. A 3 X 2 mixed ANOVA assessed the effects of a female applicant’s qualifications and participant gender on promotion and hiring decisions. Results indicated females view women managers more favorably than men. Hiring and promotion potential were found to be dependent upon the qualifications and not the gender of the applicant. Implications of these findings will be presented. Relationships among Birth Order, Academic Self-Efficacy, and Social Support The purpose of the current research was to evaluate the relationships among birth order, academic self-efficacy ratings, and the types of social support systems sought by female college students. Participants were 84 female undergraduate students from Cedar Crest College, who completed the College Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (Owen, 1988) and the revised form of the Perceived Social Support Scale (Blumenthal et al., 1987). They also read three scenarios presenting common academic stressful situations, and indicated their preferred form of social support. Results indicate that participants’ self-efficacy scores were positively correlated to their ratings of self-efficacy regarding each of the three hypothetical scenarios. In addition, birth order effects were found concerning whether participants would confide in or ask a sibling for help.
Dietary Restraint, Physical Activity and PROP Taster Status Influence Body Mass Index in College Women The present study investigated the influences that dietary restraint, physical activity and PROP taster status have on body mass index. PROP-impregnated filter strips classified 57 female college students as tasters or non-tasters. The Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire determined high or low dietary restraint and the Physical Activity Scale determined high or low physical activity. A 2 x 2 x 2 analysis of variance was performed with BMI scores as the dependent measure. Results suggest a non-significant trend wherein tasters exhibiting high levels of restraint and physical activity have lower BMIs. Likewise, non-tasters exhibiting low levels of restraint and physical activity have higher BMIs. The implications of this study can lead to a better understanding of the contributors to obesity. The Effect of Parental Status on the Female College Students’ Stress Level The current study examined the stress associated with being a student and simultaneously raising a family. Participants were 33 female Cedar Crest College students. The hypothesis of this study was that female college students with children (n = 10) would have higher stress levels than female college students without children (n = 23). The secondary hypothesis was that students with children would utilize coping strategies more often than students without children. Results indicated that parental status did not have a significant influence on stress level (Daily Stress Inventory scores; Brantley & Jones, 1989) or coping strategy utilization (Ways of Coping Questionnaire; Lazarus & Folkman, 1988). Correlational analysis showed no relationship between perceived and measured stress levels. Faculty and Student Perceptions of Academic Dishonesty This study compared faculty and student perceptions of academic dishonesty. Participants included 75 female undergraduate students and 26 college faculty members across campus. Research packets included 4 vignettes that varied the amount of time to complete an assignment and worth of the assignment, ratings of the severity of different behaviors, and questions about the institution’s honor code. As predicted, the faculty perceived acts of dishonesty as more severe than students. There were also significant main effects for procrastination and worth of assignment. Faculty and students significantly differed in their knowledge and perceived effect of the college’s honor code. Other results will be discussed. The Impact of Education on the Effects of Exposure to Thin Ideal Media Images Exposure to media’s portrayal of the thin ideal has been shown to affect women’s perceptions of themselves. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of education, prior to exposure to the thin ideal body image, on women’s body satisfaction, mood affect, and self-esteem. Undergraduate college women (N = 38) were randomly exposed to advertisements from popular magazines containing thin ideal images, and either healthy body image education or no education. A two factor mixed model ANOVA failed to find any significant effects. Trends suggest those who are exposed to thin ideal magazine images and not educated on healthy body image will have decreased body satisfaction and self-esteem, but no effect on mood. Further research is needed. Stereotype Threat Among Women at a Women’s College and a Co-educational College The current research examined the effects of stereotype threat on the mathematics performance of female students at a women’s college, as well as reported differences in role model influence among those women. Forty-two college students completed a math test under high or low stereotype threat conditions. A 2 x 2 (Threat x Influence) ANOVA revealed no significant difference between stereotype threat conditions on math test performance. A main effect for role model influence on math performance was also not significant. Sophomores performed significantly better on the math test than juniors. Participants who reported changing their majors reported higher levels of role model influence. Implications of the research, as well as future directions will be discussed. The Relationship Between Leadership Roles, Achievement Motivation and Health Lifestyles in College Women This research examined the relationship between leadership, achievement motivation and health lifestyles. Participants included 60 female college students. All The Effects of Simple and Complex Video Games on Female College Students’ Attention The study examined the effects of video games on attention. Thirty-seven female undergraduates solved arithmetic problems (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) on a computer while a confederate played a simple video game (Project Gotham Racing) or a complex video game (Call of Duty 2); a control group solved math problems with no distractor. Participants’ reaction time and accuracy were measured. Performance was predicted to be worst in the complex video game condition and best in the control group. Contrary to predictions, game condition did not influence performance as measured by accuracy or reaction time, despite participants feeling game conditions were more distracting than the control condition. Results indicated that screen location influenced reaction time for addition and division problems only. Gender Stereotypes and Perceptions of Assertiveness and Aggressiveness at Single-Sex and Coeducational Institutions This study examined gender stereotypes and perceptions of aggressive/assertive behavior held by 83 undergraduate female students. Participants read a scenario describing a couple receiving poor service at a restaurant. The manipulated variables were level of action taken (no action, minimum action, maximum action) to correct service and gender of the person correcting the service. Dependent variables were ratings of appropriateness, assertiveness, and aggressiveness regarding the couple’s response. Participants also completed the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (Spence, Helmreich, & Stapp, 1974). Results indicate significant findings for the level of action variable. Participants viewed the Minimum Action as the most appropriate and assertive, and the Maximum Action as the most aggressive. There were no significant results for the gender of the initiator. Pro-anorexia and Perceptions of Anorexics: The Influence of Conscious Intent This study examined the influence of perceived choice in evaluating women displaying behavior associated with an eating disorder. Participants (N = 60) read fictitious diary entries written by a woman supposedly suffering from anorexia. The author’s weight and whether or not she was a follower of the pro-anorexia movement were manipulated. Participants evaluated the author of the dairy entries and completed the Just World Beliefs Scale (Rubin & Peplau, 1975). Results indicated that overall impressions of the author were not influenced by the author’s weight or use of Pro-ana websites. However, use of Pro-ana websites led to higher ratings of author’s vigor. Further, participant’s who read the author was underweight rated the author as more popular and in control of her feelings.
The Role of Attachment Style and Self-Esteem on Psychological Distress and Coping An individual's level of stress and the coping method he/she employs is a product of several variables. The present study investigated the role of attachment style and self-esteem on one's stress level and method of coping. Eighty-seven female college students completed a packet of questionnaires assessing self-esteem, attachment style, stress, and coping. It was hypothesized that self-esteem and attachment style would have a significant effect on stress level and coping method. As expected, results indicated that self-esteem had a significant effect on the level of stress experienced and the likelihood of using problem focused coping. However, attachment style did not play a significant role. Implications of this study and suggestions for further research will be discussed. The Effect of Personal Health Behaviors, Health Locus of Control, and Weight on Self‑Esteem The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of health behavior frequency, health locus of control (HLOC) and weight on self‑esteem. To investigate this relationship, a sample of 77 female college students were recruited to participate in this research. A 3 x 3 x 2 analysis of variance was conducted. Contrary to expectations, there was no relationship found between weight and self‑esteem. Among women reporting low or moderate health behavior frequency, those with an internal HLOC (who tend to link their behaviors with a health‑related outcome) had higher self‑esteem than women with an external HLOC. Finally, self‑esteem decreased among obese participants as health behavior
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