Carrie M. Brown

An Analysis of Learning Objectives and Content Coverage in Introductory Psychology Syllabi

Introductory psychology is one of the most popular undergraduate courses and often serves as the gateway to choosing psychology as an academic major. However, little research has examined the typical structure of introductory psychology courses. The current study examined student learning objectives (SLOs) and course content in introductory psychology syllabi (N = 158). SLOs were mapped to the APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major. Content analysis was based on the principles for quality undergraduate education promulgated by the American Psychological Association. Over 50% of the syllabi contained objectives specific to the science and application of psychology (knowledge base, research methods, and application). Analysis of content coverage revealed instructors spent significantly more time on topics related to physiological and cognitive psychology and spent significantly less time on topics related to the history and scope of psychology, research methods, and developmental psychology. The current study also explored the influence of instructor specialty area on content coverage.

Acculturation Clusters and Life Satisfaction

The purpose of our study was to determine if acculturation variables from different acculturation domains form empirically extracted acculturation clusters [based on Berry’s (1997) model], and if the clusters are related to the life satisfaction of first and second generation immigrant college students. One hundred twenty-two students attending a university in the Midwestern USA (70% female), representing more than 20 countries of origin, completed an online questionnaire. Hierarchical cluster analysis using Wards method and a k-means analysis revealed four acculturation clusters that were labeled (1) Bicultural Attitudes, (2) Bicultural Practices & Heritage Identity, (3) U.S. Practices, and (4) Heritage Practices. Participants in the two clusters most closely resembling Berry’s (1997) acculturation category of integration (i.e., Bicultural Attitudes, and Bicultural Practices & Heritage Identity) reported significantly higher life satisfaction than participants in the cluster most closely resembling Berry’s (1997) acculturation category of separation (i.e., Heritage Practices). The findings of the present study lend additional support to the use of clustering methods as a way of including multiple domains of acculturation, thereby gaining a more comprehensive understanding of acculturation and its connection with psychosocial adjustment. The results also reinforce prior research findings that integration, or biculturalism, is an adaptive acculturation strategy.

Racial Identity, Self-Esteem, and the Impostor Phenomenon Among African American College Students

The Impostor Phenomenon (IP) is marked by an individual’s persistent perception of incompetency despite contrary evidence. The presence of IP has been found to negatively affect many college students, but literature on IP among African American college students, specifically, is limited. Previous literature has emphasized a positive association between racial identity and self-esteem for African Americans, and an inverse association between self-esteem and IP among non-African American samples. However, few studies have examined these variables in African American undergraduate samples. Objectives: The current study examined the relationships between racial identity, self-esteem, and IP among African American undergraduate students. It was hypothesized that self-esteem would mediate the relationship between racial identity and IP. Method: The participants were 112 (74% female) self-identified African American undergraduate students who completed an online survey. Results: Mediation testing via bootstrapping revealed support for the hypothesis—self-esteem mediated the relationship between racial identity and IP. Conclusion: University initiatives should focus on creating inclusive environments that foster racial identity development and self-esteem for African Americans to reduce experiences of IP.

Modeling Adoption Attitudes: Recalled Maternal Warmth, Affection for Children, and Parenting Motivation

We tested a model for predicting adoption attitudes: that remembered parental warmth is associated with more positive attitudes toward adoption and that this relationship is mediated by motivation to parent and liking of children. One hundred and eighty-seven university students participated in the study. Controlling for participant gender and adoption experience, the model was supported for maternal warmth, but not for paternal warmth. Specifically, the relationship between recalled maternal warmth and more positive attitudes toward adoption was mediated positively by liking of children and negatively by motivation to parent. The results implicate both childhood experiences and contemporary motives and preferences in adoption attitudes.

Perceived Parental Rejection in Middle Childhood as a Predictor of Lower Adulthood Resilience

Negative relationships with parents can affect individuals in numerous ways, including psychological adjustment (Rohner & Rising, 2006; “Ronald P. Rohner,” 2004), coping (Rohner & Khaleque, 2002), and stress levels (Jaremka et al., 2013). Specifically, perceived parental rejection—addressed in interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory (IPARTheory; Rohner & Khaleque, 2002)—is one negative parental relationship that can impact effective stress management through the negative correlates associated with it (e.g., emotional instability, low self-esteem; Rohner & Rising, 2006; “Ronald P. Rohner,” 2004). This difficulty dealing with stress relates to resilience, the ability to bounce back from, or thrive despite, stress that is potentially traumatic (Fletcher & Sarkar, 2013). Resilience is positively associated with numerous factors, including selfefficacy (Smith et al., 2008), self-esteem (Mizuno et al., 2016), and by definition, coping well with stress (Fletcher & Sarkar, 2013). Conversely, perceived parental rejection—the perception of coldness, ABSTRACT. Negative relationships with parents can affect psychological adjustment, coping, and stress levels. It is possible that these relationships can also impact resilience, although this is an area not greatly explored. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from, or thrive despite, potentially traumatic events. One theoretical framework from which to explore resilience’s association with perceived negative parental relationships is interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory, or IPARTheory, a theory of human development aiming to uncover the associated outcomes of perceived acceptance and rejection from significant others. Research investigating IPARTheory has revealed that perceived parental rejection is negatively associated with well-being, with some evidence for a negative association with resilience. Thus, we sought to investigate if perceived parental rejection would predict lower resiliency, for both women and men, and how the predictive strength of perceived maternal and paternal rejection might differ for men and women, separately. Participants (N = 308; Mage = 36.29) were recruited via snowball sampling and Amazon Mechanical Turk, and they completed measures of perceived parental acceptance-rejection and resilience. Using multiple linear regression, we found that perceived paternal rejection—but not perceived maternal rejection—predicted lower resilience for men and women combined (β = -.19, p = .007). However, analyzing genders separately, the only significant regression was perceived paternal rejection predicting lower resilience for men (β = -.29, p = .02). Additional results controlling for age are reported. The present findings suggest that perceived parental rejection is an imperative focus for future resilience research and intervention. Perceived Parental Rejection in Middle Childhood as a Predictor of Lower Adulthood Resilience

Examining the Reliability and Convergent Validity of IPARTheory Measures

*Faculty mentor COPYRIGHT 2016 BY PSI CHI, THE INTERNATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY IN PSYCHOLOGY (VOL. 21, NO. 4/ISSN 2164-8204) ABSTRACT. According to interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory (IPARTheory), parental acceptance is fundamentally important to healthy development. IPARTheory has been validated around the world, but there has been relatively little IPARTheory research conducted in Latin America. The first purpose of our research was to extend the reliability and convergent validity of measures of IPARTheory (perceived acceptance and rejection from parental figures, psychological maladjustment) among a Guatemalan sample. Because of Guatemala’s unique situation due to the relative fluidity of ethnic identity of the population and history of conflict between the two main ethnic groups of Ladinos and indigenous Maya people, we also examined how attitudes toward indigenous Maya people and Ladinos were related to participants’ perceived acceptance-rejection from parental figures. Participants were 62 students (75.8% women) from a public university in Guatemala who each completed a paper-and-pencil survey. Correlations ranging from 0.56 to 0.91 (p < .001) among the subscales of the IPARTheory measures, via strong Cronbach’s alphas ranging from 0.69 to 0.96, and correlations between IPARTheory measures and ethnic prejudice ranging from 0.26 to 0.34, provided support for the reliability and convergent validity of IPARTheory measures in Guatemala. The findings also established a relationship between parental acceptance-rejection and ethnic prejudice. Our study took an initial step in establishing IPARTheory in Guatemala and its connection to ethnic attitudes. Further research should establish IPARTheory measures in other Latin American countries, as well as explore connections between IPARTheory and other social psychological constructs. Examining the Reliability and Convergent Validity of IPARTheory Measures and Their Relation to Ethnic Attitudes in Guatemala

Perceived Parental Acceptance-Rejection and Artistic Preference: Replication Thirty Years Later

Abstract In 1982, Rohner and Frampton investigated if there is a relationship in the U.S. between the degree to which adults recall themselves as having been accepted or rejected as children and their current preference for graphic art varying in complexity of design. The researchers found a relationship between these two constructs - the participants’ perceived parental acceptance in childhood was associated with a preference for more complex art forms, which differed from their expectations based on the findings of previous studies. The purpose of our study was to replicate Rohner and Framptons (1982) work, 30 years later, in order to determine if similar findings would emerge. Among our 133 participants, perceived maternal acceptance in childhood was associated with a preference for more complex art forms [similar to Rohner and Framptons (1982) findings]. However, our participants’ perceived paternal acceptance in childhood had no association with artistic preference. We suggest that in the future, researchers work to uncover the underlying reasons for the relationship between artistic preference and perceived parental acceptance and rejection.