Male gender role norms were considered from a self-discrepancy perspective. The male gender role was divided into 4 perspective domain combinations based on the participant's perceptions: self-ideal/ought, other-ideal/ought, self-actual, other-actual. These categories were assessed using an adapted form of the Male Role Norms Inventory-Revised (Levant et al., 2007). It was hypothesized that large discrepancies between the perspective domains in a male's gender role concept would be significantly related to depression, anxiety, and lower general health quality, and this relationship would be moderated by the centrality of the perspective domains to the participant's gender role concept and by the centrality of the male gender role to the person's identity. High self-ideal vs. low self-actual discrepancy was related to increased depression and anxiety when moderated by perspective domain centralities. High other-ideal vs. low other or self-actual discrepancies were related to lower reported health quality.

In order to evaluate the cognitive appraisal and meaning-making components of the Transactional Model (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and Meaning-making Model (Park & Folkman, 1997) of coping, several specific forms of appraisal and coping strategies were analyzed in the present study. It has been proposed that religiousness and time influence the meaning-making process (Park, 2005); therefore, an interaction of intrinsic religiousness and time were key variables in the study as well. A survey designed to address relationships among locus of control, type of situation, intrinsic religious orientation, specific coping styles, and maladaptive psychological symptoms was administered to 240 students of a regional university. Evidence was found for the importance of primary cognitive appraisal, but no evidence was found for the interaction of intrinsic religious orientation and time on meaning-making coping or psychological symptoms.

The study of personality and its many facets is one of several significant areas in the field of psychology, which is being studied in detail. Personality, as a construct, is not often well defined and less often well understood, since it is a composite of such varied factors as perception, motivation, learning, culture and so on. Because of this present lack of clarity it must and will be discussed, written about, and experimented with until a clear, operant definition, acceptable to psychology, has been devised.

Underachievement in postsecondary education has been a growing concern for educators and researchers. Higher education institutions have implemented early alert systems to identify students performing below standards. This early warning system has major limitations that confine it to an identification only approach. The current study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Student Attitude Assessment Survey-R (SAAS-R) in a postsecondary sample. First, a confirmatory factor analysis validated the SAAS-R in a postsecondary sample. Predictive validity was then investigated by identifying students as underachieving or achieving based on responses to the SAAS-R and via a regression-based discrepancy model (ability vs. achievement). Then, the SAAS-R was compared to the discrepancy model to see whether the SAAS-R is an accurate assessment for identification of achievement. Tests of convergent validity included comparison of the SAAS-R subscales to well established similar constructs. Discriminant validity was checked by comparing the SAAS-R to a Social Desirability Scale. Finally, measurement invariance was explored to see if the SAAS-R would measure across groups. The SAAS-R demonstrated strong evidence of structural, convergent, and discriminant validity, yet limited evidence of predictive validity. Assessment of measurement invariance across self-identified traditional and non-traditional students yielded no evidence of measurement invariance. Initial psychometric properties support extension of the structural model of the SAAS-R to postsecondary students and the convergent validity utility of the SAAS-R subscales. However, more research is needed before the SAAS-R can be applied as an assessment of underachievement in postsecondary education.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research has proliferated in the last twenty years with significant research demonstrating the detrimental effects of early childhood adversity. While many measures purport to measure ACEs, very few capture the intensity of ACEs while still calculating the traditional “ACEs tally.” Thus, it is the goal of this dissertation to collect evidence for an expanded ACES measure. The Variability in Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale (VACE) measure builds upon the original ACEs and captures interval level data. Two survey-based studies were conducted in which convergent and criterion related validity and test-retest reliability evidence were collected. In Study 1, the traditional ACE tally was not significantly related, through a multiple regression analysis, to depressive symptoms, stress, or substance use F(3, 81) = 1.72, p = .169. VACE scores were only significantly related to depressive symptoms with the entire regression model accounting for only 1% of the total variance in the sample who received the VACE measure F (3,81) = 5.024, p = .003. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF) scores were related to depressive symptoms and substance use accounting for 2% of the variance in the sample, F (3, 85) = 8.751, p F (3, 357) = 19.33, VACE score was significantly related to depressive symptoms and substance use with the model accounting for 1.8% of the total variance in the sample F (3,359) = 28.844, p CTQ-SF model accounted for 1.9% of the variance in the sample F (3, 359) = 29.37, p VACE was calculated using a Pearson’s r correlation (r = .854, p r = .664, p VACE (n = 38). The test-retest reliability suggests sufficient temporal stability of the measure across time. The primary goals of modifying an existing ACE measurement to capture greater variability and accumulate validity and reliability evidence for this new measure were achieved.

Previous research has indicated that exposure to pornography, or sexually explicit media (SEM), can lead married men to express a stronger desire for sexual intimacy (Staley & Prause, 2013). However, SEM exposure has also resulted in decreased physical attractiveness ratings among men evaluating their spouses (Kenrick, et al., 1989). Only a small amount of research has investigated the effects of SEM on attraction among unmarried males. The current study examined the effects of SEM in a sample of 108 heterosexual, undergraduate males. Participants evaluated pictures of 15 unknown women’s faces for physical attractiveness. They were then exposed to five minutes of SEM, after which they re-evaluated the same 15 faces for attractiveness. This study also examined the association between Big Five personality traits and self-reported sexual attitudes. The relations between sexual attitudes and the effects of SEM exposure were also explored. Counter to the expected hypothesis, results indicated an increase in attractiveness ratings after SEM exposure, demonstrating a sensitization rather than a desensitization effect on attraction. The Big Five Extraversion trait significantly predicted increases in attractiveness ratings after SEM exposure. Personality was also a significant predictor of sexual attitudes in relation to the socio-sexual orientation facets of behavior and attitude, which constitute the number of casual and changing sex partners and attitudes towards uncommitted sex, respectively. Additional research is necessary to replicate and confirm novel findings in this study.

The ways in which sexuality is perceived among members of society has substantial effects in regards to overall health and well-being. The current study investigates not only the nature of sexual cognition but also the differences in cognition in regards to participant genders. More specifically, this study seeks to investigate the differences in sexual attitudes and thoughts among different genders that may lead to different forms of sexual risk. In order to identify these differences, societal influences such as social roles, parenting styles, and sexual education are all examined in regards to gender. Factors such as age and demographics were also considered. Participants consisted of university students who answered online questionnaires regarding sexuality. Results indicate that there exists a mediational relationship between participant gender, sexual cognition, and sexual risk.

Sexual communication is important in overall sexual and relationship satisfaction.Women, in particular, report lower psychological well-being when sexual dysfunction occurs (Davison, Bell, LaChina, Holden & Davis, 2009). This study was designed to uncover precisely how important sexual communication is in relation to sexual satisfaction, whether there are any discrepancies between women’s desired sexual acts verses the acts they actively take part in, and to what degree personality has an effect on sexual communication and activity. Participants were 428 women from the psychology pool at University of Central Florida. The average age of the sample was 20.7 years (SD = 5.24). Approximately 56% of the sample identified as white, 14% as black, 7% as Asian and 10% as other. Communication was positively correlated to sexual satis-faction, there were no found discrepancies between sexual participation and desired sexual acts among the study participants, and personality significantly predicted levels of communication and participation in varying sexual acts, particularly regarding extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness. Communication about sex is strongly related to life and health satisfaction and a greater understanding of sexual desires should be continually sought to create harmony within relationships.

Dog ownership is highly common in the United States and has a large impact on the U.S. economy due to dogs' required expenses. Thus, it is important to assess dog owners' method of dog obtainment, as it is the first step to canine companionship. Dog owner personality traits and their relationship with where dogs are obtained has not yet been studied. To assess this relationship, we reached current dog owners through an online survey containing the Donnellan et al. (2006) Mini-International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) scale and asked participants where they obtained their dog. Results indicated 90% of participants were female (N = 411); consequently, we limited our analysis to only female dog owners. Female dog owners' personality scores were related to their dog obtainment location (i.e., Breeder, Pet Store or Online, Rescue or Shelter, and Informal). Female dog owners who obtained their dog from a Rescue or Shelter had significantly higher scores of Agreeableness than female dog owners who obtained their dog from a Breeder. Female dog owners who obtained their dog from a Breeder had significantly higher scores of Conscientiousness than those who obtained their dog Informally or from a Rescue or Shelter. Additional exploratory Likert scale questions were posed to participants, asking why they chose their obtainment location and why they chose their dog specifically. Our study revealed there is a relationship between dog owner personality and method of dog obtainment. This information is useful for rescues and shelters looking to increase adoption because they can develop methods to attract less Agreeable and highly Conscientious women. We hope our findings can make future and current dog owners aware of how their personality relates to their choice of dog obtainment location and that they will take all methods of dog obtainment into consideration.

<p>Numerous studies have suggested that shyness and sociability may be orthogonal personality traits, each of which are associated with distinct behavioural and psychophysiological correlates. Shyness has been linked to a variety of adverse mental health outcomes, and individuals who are high on both shyness and sociability (conflicted subtype) may be particularly at risk. The current study first aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (RCBSS; Cheek, 1983) before examining the moderating influence of sociability on shyness in relation to psychological and psychosomatic functioning. The internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and convergent/discriminant validity of the RCBSS was assessed using a sample of 152 university students, a subset of whom were tested 6 months later. Results provided support for the strong internal consistency and short- and long-term stability of the measure, as well as its convergent, divergent, and predictive validity.</p> <p>A significant shy X social interaction was found for the Bodily Preoccupations (BP) subscale of the Illness Attitudes Scale (IAS; Kellner, 1986, 1987). In particular, BP scores were significantly higher for the high shy-high social group than the low shy-high social group. This finding suggests that the conflicted subtype can be distinguished not only on behavioural and psychophysiological dimensions but also on the psychosomatic level. This result extends prior research and lends further evidence towards the notion that the treatment of shyness as a multidimensional construct, rather than a unitary construct, accounts for additional variance in psychosomatic outcomes in different types of shy and socially withdrawn individuals. Accordingly, this knowledge may better inform treatment in some cases of extreme shyness in which people are socially withdrawn and inhibited for different reasons.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)