Many investigators of death attitudes have emphasized the limitation of self-report measures of the fear of death in that responses are often unreal and highly questionable due to defenses and ego maneuvers. The Self-Administered Threat Index (SATI) introduced by Rainey and Epting (1977) appears to meet most criticisms of other investigators. The present study was a partial replication of the Golding, et al. (1966) study with the SATI replacing the Sarnoff Fear of Death Scale. Forty-six introductory psychology students, both males and females, performed a tachistoscopic recognition task, completed the SATI and the Semantic Differential and were administered a brief structured interview.

The primary purpose of my dissertation was to assess two competing models of catch-related attitudes (CRA) of recreational anglers for: 1) valid psychometric measurement, 2) consistency of CRA under different angling contexts, and 3) effect of CRA on angler preferences. Data came from a statewide survey of 6,924 licensed Texas anglers, and a follow-up survey of 1,078 freshwater catfish anglers identified by the statewide survey. I used confirmatory factor analysis to determine that a 4-construct model of CRA provided better fit to the data than a 3-construct model, and was configural and metric invariant across gender, ethnic, and angling context groups indicating cross-group comparisons would be unbiased. However, low factor loadings on several items, and low variance extracted estimates, indicate that current CRA scales require refinement. Additionally, structural equation models found that angler responses to the CRA scale were moderately consistent when measured in generic and species-specific contexts (50-60% shared variance), and the relationship between the two was not consistently moderated by measures of angling avidity. Next, I assessed influence of CRA on angler fishing trip preferences using a stated choice analysis. Results showed that angler choice of hypothetical fishing trips was influenced primarily by travel costs and catch-related trip attributes, and that CRA were significant mediators of angler preferences for associated trip attributes. Finally, I used a latent class state choice model to analyze separate trip choice models for five sub-groups of catfish anglers divided based on their CRA scores. Individual models showed considerable variation in preference for catch-related attributes paralleling strength of each groups’ attitudes towards a given CRA construct. Overall, results indicated that CRA scales are valid predictors of angler preferences and behavioral intentions. Human dimensions researchers studying angler populations will find the CRA scale to be a useful tool to incorporate into predictive models of angler behavior and preferences. Furthermore, fisheries managers should find the CRA scales useful to assess management preferences of an increasingly heterogeneous angler clientele, and aide them in designing management plans that efficiently meet angler needs and catch-related expectations.

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The relationship between goodness and happiness, between wickedness and punishment is so strong, that given one of these conditions, the other is frequently assumed. Misfortune, sickness, and accident are often taken as signs of badness and guilt. If (a person) is unfortunate, then he has committed a sin. Heider (1958, p. 235) Illness is a universal phenomenon, and every society develops ways of defining and coping with illness. It is a fact of life with which everyone must live, although the effects of disease and reactions to illness may vary widely across individuals and cultures. Individuals and groups vary in their susceptibility to certain diseases, in their beliefs and attitudes toward illness, and in the ways in which they explain and adapt to illness. These variations in the distribution, definition, and reaction to illness have led to the recognition of illness as a psychosocial as well as biological phenomenon, and have increasingly become the objects of social and psychological inquiry.

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Attributions that point to sexual orientation being involuntary tend to be associated with more favorable attitudes toward homosexuals (Herek & Capitanio, 1995). Aside from attributions, those with more contact with sexual minorities are likely to have accepting attitudes about bisexuality (Mayfield & Carruba, 1996). Yet, the quality of the contact matters; research indicates that those with poorer qualitative contact have less positive attitudes toward homosexuals (Hodson, Harry, & Mitchell, 2009). Also, those with high religious beliefs are susceptible to beliefs of homosexuality as a choice and have more negative views (Kendra, Christopher, Franzen, & Keyes, 2006; Herek, 2002). While attitudes about homosexuality and bisexuality have been shown to be related, bisexuality is distinct from homosexuality and deserves separate focus (Mohr & Rochlen, 1999). The current study expands past research by examining a variety of factors related to attitudes toward bisexuality, such as perceiving sexual orientation as a choice, religiosity, and amount and quality of contact. Our first hypothesis is that both the perception of sexual orientation as a choice and higher levels of religiosity will relate to more negative attitudes toward bisexuals. Next, both the quantity and quality of contact with sexual minorities will predict attitudes such that less contact and less quality contact will be related to more negative attitudes toward bisexuals. We collected data from 1725 (67.2% female) individuals through participation in an online survey. Results indicate negative attitudes towards bisexuality are significantly related to the perception of sexual orientation as a choice (r = .499, p < .01) higher levels of religiosity (r = .515, p < .01) and lower levels of contact with sexual minorities (r = -.547; p < .01) and quality of contact (r = -.617; p< .01). These findings and comparisons of these relations by self-identified sexual orientation will be presented.