Theses and dissertations

This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students. 

Displaying 1 - 3 of 3
Filtering by

Clear all filters

137356-Thumbnail Image.png

Do Fame, Money and Performance follow Altruistic or Narcissistic Playing Styles in the NBA?

Description
The media often portrays professional basketball players as narcissistic, entitled and selfish, but are these portrayals accurate? After all, basketball is a team sport and team sport research indicates that players are more altruistic and selfless. This study proposes a way to assess narcissism and altruism through observable behaviors from…

The media often portrays professional basketball players as narcissistic, entitled and selfish, but are these portrayals accurate? After all, basketball is a team sport and team sport research indicates that players are more altruistic and selfless. This study proposes a way to assess narcissism and altruism through observable behaviors from all the active players in the NBA.
ContributorsPappas, Carissa Anne (Author) / Kwan, Virginia (Thesis director) / Glenberg, Arthur (Committee member) / Mae, Lynda (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2013-12
134062-Thumbnail Image.png

Growth Mindset and Future Self-Connectedness as Explanations for Cultural Differences in Self-Improvement

Description
The purpose of this thesis study is to widen the understanding of the effect culture on self-improvement. Past research found that Japanese students, when compared to their North American counterparts, are more likely to strive for self-improvement by persisting when they encounter academic setbacks. In addition to North Americans and…

The purpose of this thesis study is to widen the understanding of the effect culture on self-improvement. Past research found that Japanese students, when compared to their North American counterparts, are more likely to strive for self-improvement by persisting when they encounter academic setbacks. In addition to North Americans and Asians, this thesis examines South Asians as well. It is hypothesized that South Asians will have similar levels of self-improvement as East Asians. This thesis also looks at possible explanations for why culture affects self-improvement. Two variables, future self-connectedness and growth mindset, are proposed as these explanations. It is hypothesized that culture affects future self-connectedness and growth mindset, and those two variables in turn influence self-improvement. 

For this thesis, 100 undergraduate and recent college graduates completed online self-report measures. Results of independent t-tests showed that there were no significant differences between South and East Asians in self-improvement, which is consistent with what was hypothesized. There were also no differences between South and East Asians in future self-connectedness or growth mindset. The two Asian groups were then combined and compared to North Americans. Further independent t-tests were run, and results found that while the trend was as expected and Asians exhibited higher levels of self-improvement than North Americans, they did not exhibit significantly higher levels. There were also no significant differences between North Americans and Asians in growth mindset, however, North Americans had significantly higher levels of future self-connectedness than Asians, contrary to expectation. Results of mediation regressions found that neither future self-connectedness nor growth mindset significantly explained the effect of culture on self-improvement.
ContributorsShaikjamaludeen, Shaikhameedha (Author) / Kwan, Virginia (Thesis director) / Shiota, Michelle (Committee member) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12

Birth Order Effects on Personality: Implications for Field of Study, Academic Self-Efficacy, and Future Self-Identification

Description

The purpose of this study is to explore birth order effects on personality and how they influence field of study, academic self-efficacy, and future self-identification. The research aims to replicate past findings on birth order and personality variation while further exploring how birth order affects field of study, academic self-efficacy,…

The purpose of this study is to explore birth order effects on personality and how they influence field of study, academic self-efficacy, and future self-identification. The research aims to replicate past findings on birth order and personality variation while further exploring how birth order affects field of study, academic self-efficacy, and future self-identification. Furthermore, the research study will examine if personality variation mediates the relationship between birth order and field of study, academic self-efficacy, and future self-identification. The research sample (N=90) was used to explore these concepts. Lastly, the research will investigate within families, if birth order predicts differences in personality, academic self-efficacy, and future self-identification using 13 sibling pair results. The researchers recruited participants to complete self-reports of birth order, variable measures, and demographics using a survey on Qualtrics survey software through social media channels during the Fall and Spring of 2022 - 2023. The study yielded very few implications for birth order and personality variation, and how they influence fields of study, academic self-efficacy, and future self-identification. Further exploration of birth order and personality as they relate to field of study, academic self-efficacy, and future self-identification is necessary as it may positively contribute to parental expectations, parent-child relationships, and parental understanding of differences of goals and interests among siblings. Furthermore, future studies should investigate factors that may change birth order effects on personality such as evolving social standards, family size, and culture shifts.
ContributorsLinos, Emilia (Author) / Kwan, Virginia (Thesis director) / Mae, Lynda (Committee member) / McMichael, Samantha (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2023-05