Shanhong Luo

Interpersonal attraction and personality: what is attractive--self similarity, ideal similarity, complementarity or attachment security?

Little is known about whether personality characteristics influence initial attraction. Because adult attachment differences influence a broad range of relationship processes, the authors examined their role in 3 experimental attraction studies. The authors tested four major attraction hypotheses--self similarity, ideal-self similarity, complementarity, and attachment security--and examined both actual and perceptual factors. Replicated analyses across samples, designs, and manipulations showed that actual security and self similarity predicted attraction. With regard to perceptual factors, ideal similarity, self similarity, and security all were significant predictors. Whereas perceptual ideal and self similarity had incremental predictive power, perceptual securitys effects were subsumed by perceptual ideal similarity. Perceptual self similarity fully mediated actual attachment similarity effects, whereas ideal similarity was only a partial mediator.

Organization and Predictive Power of General and Relationship-Specific Attachment Models: One for All, and All for One?

Given recent evidence for multiple attachment models, we examined the organization and predictive power of general and relationship-specific attachment representations in two samples using two distinct measures of attachment models. With regard to associations among relationship-specific models, peer models (romantic partner and friend) and parental models (mother and father) were more similar to each other than to any other models, and anxiety/self-model representations were more consistent across relationships than avoidance/other-model representations. With regard to links between general and specific models, romantic and friend models made the strongest and independent contributions to general models, and romantic relationship involvement moderated the importance of romantic models to general models. With regard to differential predictive power of multiple models, general, romantic partner, and mother attachment made unique contributions to well-being indicators; relationship outcomes, however, were only predicted by individuals’ corresponding relationship-specific models. Implications for the measurement and conceptualization of adult attachment are discussed.

Perception of global climate change as a mediator of the effects of major and religious affiliation on college students’ environmentally responsible behavior

Previous research has shown a reliable association between environmental education and environmentally responsible behavior (ERB). Research has also shown that aspects of religion were associated with ERB. However, the mechanisms of associations are unclear. This study builds on previous research addressing the relationship between student major, religious affiliation, and ERB in two important ways. First, we tested the role of global climate change (GCC) perceptions as a mediating variable in the relationship between major and ERB, and between religious affiliation and ERB. Second, we developed a new measure of ERB focusing on impacts to natural resources. Student major was found to be a significant predictor of participation in ERB, as was religious affiliation. Student major and religious affiliation were also found to be significant predictors of GCC perceptions. The effect of major and religious affiliation on ERB was both mediated by GCC perceptions.

Factors Affecting Knowledge, Perceptions, and Attitudes Regarding North Carolina Coastal Reserve Management

During the period May 25–October 28, 2007, we collected data in face-to-face interviews on four sites in the North Carolina Research Reserve system. We subsequently conducted analyses on the effects of education, income, length of visitation, and frequency of visitation on visitor knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes regarding management. Visitors to the sites were well-educated, listed incomes above the state median, and were racially homogeneous. At the overall level, the majority (63%) knew who owned the sites, but only 43% correctly identified the managing agency. The majority also believed that overall conditions at the sites were stable, although those that had been visiting longer perceived conditions as deteriorating. Education was positively correlated with knowledge of ownership and management, and with support for additional rules and enforcement. Neither income, nor frequency of visitation showed any correlation with any of the dependent variables at the overall level. Some site-specific findings differed from the overall findings and varied from site to site. These differences were addressed individually.

Predicting college students’ environmentally responsible behavior from personality, political attitudes, and place attachment: a synergistic model

Much research has examined the effect of personality, political attitudes, and place attachment on environmental concerns and behavior intentions. However, the effects of these factors have largely been studied separately from one another. Moreover, little research has focused on their relationship to environmentally responsible behaviors (ERB) directly. In the current study, a moderated mediation model was proposed to capture the synergistic effects of personality, political attitudes, and place attachment on ERB. An undergraduate sample (N = 475) completed an online survey of Big Five personality, political attitudes, place attachment, and participation in ERB. Correlation analyses suggested that openness to new experiences, liberal attitudes, and place identity had reliable, statistically significant relations with ERB. The moderated mediation analyses provided support for the synergistic model. Specifically, openness’ effect on the adoption of ERB was mediated by liberal attitudes and this mediation effect was further moderated by place identity. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.