Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2024, Psychology

Experiencing prejudice is a reality faced by members of stigmatized groups in their daily lives; thus, researchers have long been interested in what this experience entails. Prejudice can serve a self-protective role allowing members of stigmatized groups to protect their self-esteem by attributing negative feedback to prejudice. Prejudice can also be detrimental, as the threat of being evaluated according to negative stereotypes about one's group can be threatening for members of stigmatized groups. The current research aimed to examine attributions to prejudice as a potential mechanism which may cause prejudice to be simultaneously protective of one's self-esteem and a threatening experience. Across three studies we examined the relation between attributions to prejudice and both threat and self-esteem. We predicted that attributions to prejudice would lead to increased social identity threat, and that these same attributions to prejudice would be protective of self-esteem. We found consistent evidence for the former prediction in all three studies, and consistent evidence for the latter prediction in Studies 2 and 3. Furthermore, in Study 3 we identified a negative consequence of attributions to prejudice leading to increased social identity threat – social withdrawal. The evidence suggests that while attributions to prejudice can serve a protective role for self-esteem, they have the parallel cost of increasing threat.

Committee: Duane Wegener (Advisor); Steven Spencer (Committee Member); Richard Petty (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, Communication

When people experience reminders of their mortality, anxiety heightens. This, in turn, can increase worldview defenses such as outgroup derogation. In this experiment, White participants (N = 190) read an online news story that presented a death threat (death threat, non-death threat) and identity threat (White threat, Black threat, race-neutral threat) manipulation. Following exposure to the experimental manipulation, participants completed measures of anxiety, specific self-esteem, and worldview defense. A multicategorical moderation supported the integration of specific self-esteem in social identity processes. The findings from moderated mediation analyses support previous terror management research (Greenberg et al., 1997): When exposure to a death threat has not been sufficiently suppressed, anxiety from the threat can manifest in worldview defenses. Results demonstrate that specific self-esteem buffers anxiety elicited from threats unrelated to racial identity. Implications include identity processes by which the effects of threat can be mitigated.

Committee: Jesse Fox (Advisor); Lanier Holt (Committee Member); Nancy Rhodes (Committee Member); Zheng Wang (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Journalism; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Psychology; Social Psychology; Social Research; Statistics; Web Studies

PHD, Kent State University, 2014, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology

The initial formulation of the theory of stereotype threat existed as a relatively stand-alone theory (Steele and Aronson 1995). Researchers, primarily residing within the field of experimental psychology, argued that negative stereotypes associated with an individual's social identity created additional pressures on individuals to perform, or what researchers referred to as performance burden. These additional pressures hindered the performance outcomes of individuals (primarily students working on exams), and extensive exposure to stereotype threat resulted in individuals disidentifying with the role identities at the root of the negative stereotypes. As research on stereotype threat progressed, the recognition that negative stereotypes existed at the intersection of social identities and role identities began to take shape. The motivation behind this research rests on the recognition that, stereotyped groups are forced to reconcile social meanings associated with both their social and role identities while maintaining a positive self-concept, which is inherent in stereotype threat. Data for this research, comes from The Science Study, a longitudinal study of primarily black and Latino/a sciences students beginning in 2006. The analysis initially integrating stereotype threat into Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory is through the construction of separate latent growth curves for black and Latino/a students, heeding initial calls by stereotype threat researchers to run separate models for students divided by social identities. Further moderated analysis is conducted using longitudinal model moderated by academic identity salience (Ch. 5), and feelings of belongingness to one's ethnic identity (Ch. 6). Results show a need to simultaneously incorporate identity theory and social identity theory into further research on stereotype threat given the numerous significant parameters within and between both perspectives.

Committee: Richard Serpe (Committee Chair) Subjects: Sociology

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2024, Psychology

Depending on racial identity, individuals have substantially different experiences of racial discrimination. High variability in attitudes, beliefs, and prior experiences about racial discrimination can alter how each individual from racial majority and minority groups faces and processes a story that is or is not related to racial discrimination in everyday life. The present study aims to compare black and white individuals' ways of processing a story depending on the content, especially focusing on racial discrimination at the neural level. In a functional manganic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner, black and white individuals watched a video of a black woman telling her bad experience of consumer service. At first, the storyteller talks about the experience without mentioning anything about race, but in the middle of the story, it becomes clear that it is an instance of racial discrimination. Taking advantage of this unique structure of the story, participants' brain activities were compared based on the content of the story. Focusing on dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and using a method called univariate intersubject correlation, neural synchrony between each and every pair of participants was computed. When the story is not related to racial discrimination, pairs of white individuals showed the greatest neural synchrony than any other pair types including pairs of black individuals which suggests ingroup heterogeneity and outgroup homogeneity effect when processing a story at the neural level. When the participant learned that the story was related to racial discrimination, this effect disappeared, and neural synchrony was associated with the participants' similarities in psychological constructs. Neural synchrony between white participants was predicted by dissimilarity of implicit racial bias, similarity of political ideology, and similarity of belief about malleability of individual prejudice. In contrast, neural synchrony between black participants was (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dylan Wagner (Advisor); Steven Spencer (Advisor); Lisa Libby (Committee Member) Subjects: Neurosciences; Psychology; Social Psychology

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2024, Psychology

Previous research has highlighted the importance of understanding the psychological processes first-generation immigrants undergo when adjusting to a new country. Still, not much is known about the experiences that their children —second-generation immigrants — face. Although biculturalism is proposed to be a highly adaptive trait among immigrants (Bae, 2019; Rahim et al., 2021; Yamaguchi et al., 2016), we propose this might not always be the case. In the current research, we aimed to develop and validate a new measure, Bicultural Rejection. We suggest our measure is an improvement on previous similar measures as we sought to capture feelings of not belonging to either cultural group. In three studies, we developed and validated our measure and linked it to heightened social identity threat in both American and Latin contexts. In our fourth study, we attempted to manipulate reports of bicultural rejection, but were unsuccessful. Similarly, in our final study, we attempted to implement a mere belonging intervention to reduce rates of bicultural rejection but were also unsuccessful. This research contributes to the literature of second-generation immigrants and the psychological processes they face in their lives.

Committee: Steven Spencer (Advisor) Subjects: Social Psychology

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2024, Educational Administration

Past and current research has explored the link between the “blackness” of a person's name and socioeconomic outcomes in American society. Black-sounding names were shown to influence employment prospects, access to credit markets, and choice of housing among other opportunities. While education research had identified a relationship between teachers' perceptions of students with distinctively Black names and perceived academic potential, it had yet to examine how targeted students perceive and internalize nameism, a portmanteau of name and racism, in predominantly white learning environments. A qualitative study examined nameism and its influence on students' selfconceptions and learning experiences. Using a phenomenological gaze to study participants' experiences, the results revealed mixed, contradictory views on Blacksounding names within the sample. Study participants expressed feeling compelled to maintain varying situational identities to avoid name-identity threats expressed through implicit bias and microaggressions. Participatory action research was used to construct a multimodal, evidence-based intervention to address nameism as a problem of practice in classrooms where experiences with nameism are most likely to occur.

Committee: Aaliyah Baker (Committee Chair); Kiara Lee (Committee Member); Rochonda Nenonene (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Black History

PHD, Kent State University, 2022, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies

The purpose of this investigation was to explore the effects of stereotype threat on women's construction of gender and mathematical identities, and to examine how these various cognitive negotiations may affect their mathematical reasoning on challenging definite integral applications. This was a qualitative study that primarily utilized the episodic narrative interview method. A sample of 20 Calculus II students were given a calculus assessment and a survey regarding the importance of gender and mathematics to their identities. Results of the surveys were used to identify a purposeful sample of four participants to be interviewed. Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed four themes that offer some insight into women's experiences at the intersection of gender, mathematics, and stereotype threat. The findings include evidence that both gender identification and domain identification (the strength with which one identifies with mathematics) influence the effects of stereotype threat. More specifically, women, whose gender is more central to their identity and who care the most about their identities as mathematicians appear to be more vulnerable to the effects of stereotype threat. Findings also support earlier claims that gendered discourse in mathematics harms women's construction of mathematical identities.

Committee: Karl Kosko (Committee Chair) Subjects: Mathematics; Mathematics Education; Pedagogy

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Psychology

Many mainstream organizations celebrate and emphasize their history, even though their histories often marginalized women, racial minorities, and other underrepresented groups. Drawing from the “cues hypothesis” (Murphy et al., 2007), we suggest that when organizations emphasize their histories, they provide a cue of social identity threat (i.e. the concern that one may be devalued because of their group membership) for members of historically marginalized groups. Specifically, we hypothesized that emphasizing an organization's history would undermine trust, belonging, and intentions to participate in the organization among Black participants. Four experiments and an internal meta-analysis supported these predictions. Across studies, Black participants who were exposed to an organization that emphasized history showed reduced trust, belonging, and intentions to participate in the organization relative to those who viewed a control organization. Furthermore, consistent with social identity threat theory, these effects were stronger among individuals who reported higher levels of stigma consciousness (Pinel, 1999). Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated these basic effects. In Study 3, we examined whether membership in a marginalized group would moderate the effects; we found no evidence that emphasizing history triggered social identity threat among White participants, who have not been historically marginalized in mainstream US organizations. Study 4 examined how the content of an organization's history would shape the effects. This study found that the effects of emphasizing history were mitigated when the organization's history was diverse and inclusive. Taken together, these findings suggest that emphasizing organizational history (even when that history is not overtly racist, but merely manifests society's racism) is a ubiquitous, yet underappreciated source of social identity threat among marginalized groups. These findings have implications for broadening participation (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Steven Spencer PhD (Advisor); Fujita Kentaro PhD (Committee Member); Crocker Jennifer PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Social Psychology

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2018, Psychology

Two distinct ideologies have dominated discourse and research on managing diverse groups of people: colorblindness and multiculturalism. Previous research indicates that non-Hispanic Whites react more negatively to multiculturalism because they perceive diversity efforts as exclusionary of their group. However, it remains unclear whether this perceived exclusion triggers social identity threat. Across 4 studies and over 1,000 participants, we examined whether Whites express greater indicators of social identity threat when considering a multicultural versus colorblind ideology. The results consistently indicate that a multicultural ideology does not represent a social identity contingency for Whites in general, Whites higher in ethnic identification, nor Whites higher in need to belong. Additionally, explicitly mentioning Whites in an all-inclusive multicultural ideology does not reduce indicators of social identity threat. The collective evidence suggests Whites respond similarly to colorblind and multicultural framings of diversity, and points to a promising path for facilitating positive intergroup relations.

Committee: Jennifer Crocker PhD (Advisor); Steven Spencer PhD (Committee Member); Kentaro Fujita PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2016, Media and Communication

This study applied the uses and gratifications (U&G) perspective in order to explore Chinese students' SNS (Social Networking Site) identity construction in four ways: (1) how Chinese young adults studying in the U.S. use various kinds of SNSs, (2) how their use of SNSs are influenced by the surveillance of the Chinese government, (3) how their experience with and perceived threat of surveillance varies depending on the type of SNS being used, and (4) how their experience with and perceived threat of surveillance are related to their SNS posting behaviors and identify construction on SNSs. This study categorized SNSs by their national origin (Chinese SNSs vs. U.S. SNSs) and by their network openness (open SNSs vs. closed SNSs). Thus, SNSs were assigned to one of the four categories: (1) Chinese open SNSs, (2) Chinese closed SNSs, (3) U.S. open SNSs, and (4) U.S. closed SNSs. 169 Chinese students attending colleges in the U.S. participated in a survey for this study. They were asked about their experience with and perceived threat of surveillance, posting behaviors, and identify construction on the four different types of SNSs. This study found that Chinese students in the U.S. have different experiences and perceptions of surveillance depending on the type of SNS they use. This study also found that the different level of surveillance experience and perceived threat of surveillance were related to different SNS posting behaviors and identity construction strategies. Implications of these findings are discussed, and limitations and opportunities for future research are addressed.

Committee: Sung-Yeon Park (Advisor); Gi Woong Yun (Committee Member); Louisa Ha (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Mass Media

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2014, Sociology

Although the existing transnational literature on xenophobia is voluminous, it has mostly neglected the effect of urban status on intergroup relations. This article addresses this shortcoming by integrating theories from urban sociology with work on ingroup-outgroup dynamics drawn from contact theory, group threat theory, social identity theory, and social dominance theory. Method: Using a sample drawn from the sixth wave of the European Social Survey, I construct a critical experiment modelling the effect of both residential status and outgroup presence on xenophobia in the Scandinavian states. Findings: My results point to inconsistent influences of urbanity/urbanism on xenophobia, but a robust negative influence of percent foreign on xenophobia (i.e., partial support for contact theory). Conversely, my critical experiment, which takes the form of interacting residential status (urbanity) and foreign percentage, is positive and consistent with group threat theory, social identity theory, and social dominance theory. I conclude with speculation on how sample selection and composition plays into these findings, as well as with suggestions for future research.

Committee: Edwards Crenshaw Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Craig Jenkins Ph.D. (Committee Member); Vincent Roscigno Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Scandinavian Studies; Sociology

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2005, Psychology

This study expanded Massey & Fischer's (2001) conceptualization of stereotype threat to determine why some African-American college students internalize stereotypes, whiles others externalize stereotypes and to examine the relationship between racial identity attitudes and their tendency either to internalize or externalize stereotypes. This study also examined in-group identity and social distance to whites, as additional factors that may be related to internalization and externalization of stereotypes and racial identity attitudes. A sample of 100 African-American college students, attending a predominantly white institution, were administered the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshman (NLSF) and Racial Identity Attitude Scale (RIAS-B). African-American college students internalized stereotypes more than externalized stereotypes, and adopted more preencounter attitudes compare to other racial identity attitudes. Correlation analyses suggested that African-American college students' immersion-emersion attitudes were negatively related to internalization of stereotypes, and no significant relationships were found between racial identity attitudes and externalization. In-group identity and social distance to whites yielded some significant relationships with racial identity attitudes, but no relationships with internalization and externalization of stereotypes.

Committee: Karen Schilling (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2013, Psychology

One health-related issue gaining momentum and notoriety at the national level is the health disparity between men and women with men experiencing poorer health outcomes in a variety of domains. I propose that one determinant for this disparity is the conformity to masculine gender expectations. As masculine gender expectations are often characterized by displays of toughness and invulnerability, it is important to establish under which conditions these expectations effect health behavior. Study 1 examined the combined effects of participant sex, masculine identity threat, and gender role orientation on self-injurious behavior. Gender role orientation was measured using the Bem Sex-Role Inventory during a mass screening and during the laboratory session participants either received a masculine threat or no threat. Men engaged in more self-injurious behavior than did women. Importantly, gender role orientation qualified this effect with higher masculine men exhibiting more self-injurious behaviors than higher masculine women. Study 2 examined if self-affirmation is one condition under which self-injurious behaviors could be reduced for higher masculine men. After measuring gender role orientation in a prescreening session, male participants were randomly assigned to either a self-affirmation or no self-affirmation condition during laboratory sessions. All men were exposed to a masculine identity threat. As expected, high masculine men given a chance to self-affirm showed a decrease in self-injurious behaviors relative to high masculine men not given this opportunity. Theoretical contributions, implications, and future directions for this line of research are discussed.

Committee: Andrew Geers PhD (Advisor); John D. Jasper PhD (Committee Member); Jason Rose PhD (Committee Member); Stephen Christman PhD (Committee Member); Barbara Chesney PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology; Public Health; Sociology