Master of Arts, Miami University, 2008, Psychology

Previous research has demonstrated that nonconscious and conscious goals are more similar than different. Research has also demonstrated that active goals influence various processes and outcomes: accessibility of constructs, evaluations of goal-related objects, and information recall. The present research was designed to demonstrate that goals would be best considered in a dual-process framework, with nonconscious and conscious processes being identified as having different precursors and outcomes. The research examined how the impressions of an individual are influenced by the simultaneous possession of a nonconscious and conscious goal. It was predicted that implicit and explicit evaluations of the individual would vary based on the activated goals; however, the results were inconclusive. Limitations of the research, as well as proposed future directions, are discussed in terms of a dual-process model of goals.

Committee: Amanda Diekman PhD (Advisor); Kurt Hugenberg PhD (Committee Member); Allen McConnell PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Social Psychology