Research Studies Database
21 Ideas, 21 Articles
The Psychology Research Think Tank is committed to making any idea researchable, no matter how specific or random. Every study listed here began as a simple "I wonder". Now, they're destined for accredited journals.
Current Body of Work
Proximate and Distance Heterosexual Dating Relationships: Differences, Similarities, and Dynamic of Factors that Predict Relational Success
Long-distance relationships are a common thing in the modern age, and they present a number of challenges that normal relationships do not. This study examines the differences between the two and which is healthier for the couple in the question.
PUBLISHED
London Journal of Medical and Health Research
Mary Kate Grossman, Anna Regan Mask, Karim Panjawani, Lily Savage, Kendall Sprague, Alden Wiygul, and Dr. Darren George
A Reconceptualization and Expansion of Flirting Behavior and Its Impact on Life Satisfaction and Friendship Quality
The practice of flirting has long been viewed as sexual or romantic in nature. However, this study proposes that flirting is associated with a much broader array of social interactions, and that its primary function can differ depending on the desired outcome.
PUBLISHED
American Journal of Psychology
Braden Hall, Toni Rebaldo, and Dr. Darren George
Implementing Time Management and Goal Setting Procedure in a University Research-Methods Class: Psychological and Academic Outcomes
Goal setting and time management have long been celebrated as foundational requirements for high level accomplishment across many domains. This study determines whether time management and goal setting can be taught and applied successfully in a large academic class in a relatively short period of time, and whether this leads to improved educational outcomes for students.
PUBLISHED
Archives of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Rebekah Riddle, Brinley Cowart, Caitlin Dufour, Jorge Ikeda-Sanchez, Serena Jefferson, and Dr. Darren George
Flirting for Me or Flirting for We? The Dark and Light Triads as Predictors of Flirting Motive
Previous Think Tank research confirmed that flirting can be used for various purposes, including relationships and gaining favors. This study follows up on the previous flirting study to examine what traits may predict flirting behavior, including measures related to the Dark and Light Triads.
PUBLISHED
Personality and Individual Differences (PAID)
Braden Hall, Toni Rebaldo, Amelia Geist, Angel Reed, and Dr. Darren George
Outside Friendship Interactions: Its Impact on Relational Satisfaction for Dating and Married Couples
Friendships play an important role in individual well-being and romantic relationship satisfaction. While prior research has explored the general benefits of friendships, limited studies have examined how specific types of outside friendship interactions (OFIs) impact couple relationship satisfaction (CRS). The present study addresses this gap by investigating the influence of OFIs on the CRS of dating and married couples.
UNDER REVIEW
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (JPSP)
Toni Rebaldo, Collin Gabel, Connor McCaffrey, Holly Knauf, and Dr. Darren George
Operationalizing Wisdom: Family Pattern Predictors, Outcomes, and the Addition of Integrity to the SD-WISE Scale
In the 21st century, researchers are still attempting to conceptualize and operationalize one of the most ancient of all qualities: wisdom. The present study builds on the already established SD-WISE scale, which proposes that wisdom is the composite of seven qualities. This study augments that scale by the inclusion of an eighth quality, integrity, and examines how this quality impacts wisdom measurement.
UNDER REVIEW
Frontiers in Psychology
Matthew Snyder, Chris Rasmussen, Gabriel Sacasa, Sydney Anthos, Andrew Molargik, and Dr. Darren George
Boundaries: The Impact of the Number of and Adherence to Boundaries on Success Outcomes
Individuals often set personal boundaries on how they live their personal lives for a variety of contexts, including romantic relationships, friendships, and their spirituality. This study examines the effects of setting these boundaries and whether they lead to increased life satisfaction and success in those areas.
UNDER REVIEW
Acta Psychologia
Amelia Geist, Chris Rasmussen, Gabriel Sacasa, William Elmore, Gabe Castaneda, Grant Pethel, and Dr. Darren George
Loneliness in the University Undergraduate in the Age of Social Media
This study examines loneliness in college undergraduates as a measure of their social media usage. It also determines how loneliness as a concept can be divided into several subcategories, including social and emotional loneliness.
UNDER REVIEW
Journal of Individual Differences
Caitlin Dufour, Alex Stern, Jorge Ikeda-Sanchez, Sydney Anthos, Angel Reed, Elizabeth Davis, and Dr. Darren George
George Kelly Revisited: Interpretive Filters, can They be Operationalized?
Interpretive filters are the cognitive lenses through which an individual views their world. Such filters exist in all aspects of life and all individuals. This study proposes that the differences in how individuals use these filters affects their life satisfaction.
UNDER REVIEW
Journal of Constructivist Psychology
Ryan Quinlan, Matheson Chen, Laney O'Donoghue, Laney O'Donoghue, Anmol Abbasi, Andrew Molargik, and Dr. Darren George
Determinants and Outcomes of Emotional Reactivity
Being emotionally reactive is generally understood to be a negative quality. This study examines the causes of this trait, the components of emotional reactivity, and the potential positive and negative consequences for being emotionally reactive.
UNDER REVIEW
Personality and Individual Differences (PAID)
Serena Jefferson, Rebekah Riddle, Diego Hernandez, Benjamin Bradshaw, Chris Rasmussen, Ethan Davis, and Dr. Darren George
The Impact of Insecurity, Fear, Optimism, and Controllability on Decision Making in Crisis Situations
Individuals face stressful situations on a regular basis in a wide range of categories, including physical threats to their safety, relationship problems, and threats to their self-esteem. This study examines how individuals make decisions during these difficult situations.
WRITING PHASE
Weekly Meeting Time: Mondays 2:00 - 3:30 PM
Grant Pethel, Caitlin Dufour, Jackson Alexander, Sydney Anthos, Jorge Ikeda-Sanchez, Nick Parten, Damon Sparks, Jack Roussos, and Dr. Darren George
Cognitive versus Emotional Empathy: Similarities, Differences, Outcomes
Empathy is a widely understood concept, but can it be broken down into more distinct concepts? This study proposes that there is a cognitive and emotional component to empathy, and having varying levels of each affects how individuals react to situations and see the world.
WRITING PHASE
Weekly Meeting Time: Tuesdays 12:00 - 1:30 PM
Alex Bosché, Anna Kate Pearce, Gianna Viviano, Kiki Onyeagocha, Mimosa Ryan, Prudence Hathaway, and Dr. Darren George
The Impact of Childhood Parenting Patterns on Adult Functioning
When collecting data, the Think Tank often uses a "Family Patterns" tool that gathers information about study participants' childhood conditions, such as how much time they spent on screens or how often there was criticism in the home. This study seeks to provide a holistic summary of how these patterns affect adult functioning by combining data from six other Think Tank studies.
DATA ANALYSIS
Weekly Meeting Time: Wednesdays 3:00 - 4:30 PM
Gabrielle Gregory, Mary Sladen Polmatier, Julia Taraska, Jordan Stokes, Addison Ries, Nikki Avizius, Anabel Mallard, Will Caputl, and Dr. Darren George
Physical Attractiveness as an Interpretive Filter
Previous Think Tank research has demonstrated the usefulness of using interpretive filters to understand human behavior. This study follows up on this research by focusing on one such filter: self-perception of physical attractiveness and its implications for life and relationship satisfaction.
DATA ANALYSIS
Weekly Meeting Time: Fridays 1:00 - 2:30 PM.
Matheson Chen, Ryan Quinlan, Jackson Alexander, Tate Harris, Sam Henderson, Megan Hill, Johnny Mohre, Elsie Czarniewski, Cassandra Norris, and Dr. Darren George
Friendship Need Fulfillment
It is well understood that most humans possess a fundamental need for friendships and positive social interactions. This study examines parasocial relationships, spirituality, and relationships with artificial intelligence models to determine the drive for and effectiveness of using alternative sources to fulfill such friendship needs.
DATA ANALYSIS
Weekly Meeting Time: Fridays 3:30 - 5:00 PM
Diego Hernandez, Alex Blalock, Alexander Chapman, Charles Barr, William Beaudoin, Brycen Buffington, Jason Mun, Mya Quarles, Lily Casteneda, Micah Dukes, and Dr. Darren George
Economizing Experimental Psychology: A Case Study in Retention and Response Quality of Multi-Platform Assessments Using Qualtrics and Pavlovia
The Think Tank specializes in low cost research conducted through various online platforms, such as Qualtrics. While financially convienient, this approach can be complicated for experimental studies that require specific tools, such as Pavlovia, a psychophysics application. This meta-analysis examines the effectiveness of such multiplatform designs and identifies hurdles for future online, experimental studies.
WRITING PHASE
Does not meet weekly, contact Dr. Lange for meeting times
Dr. Ryan Lange, Jackson Alexander, Micah Dukes, Isaac Philips, Anna Pearce, Megan Hill, Caitlin Maier, and Serena Garza
Sensory Noise: Predictors of Working Memory and Mental Imagery
Mental imagery refers to the generation of mental representations of sensory experiences. Research has found that this skill relates heavily to working memory and can be affected by the addition of additional mental tasks. This study examines the vividness of mental imagery targets when other sensory inputs are present.
DATA ANALYSIS
Weekly Meeting Time: Fridays 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Dr. Ryan Lange, Jackson Alexander, Micah Dukes, Clemens Pavlish, Conoyi Campell, Adaugo Okwuadigbo, and Lily Castaneda
The Effects of Emotional Priming on Percieved Vividness and Valence of Mental Images
Past research has indicated that the emotional valence of an image can have major effects on its memorability, affecting its vividness when recalled. This study elaborates on this finding by using various combinations of emotional priming in combination with mental imagery generation.
DATA ANALYSIS
Weekly Meeting Time: TBA
Dr. Ryan Lange, Isaac Phillips, Micah Dukes, Megan Hill, Anna Kate Pearce, Serena Garza, and Jayden Pearson
The Impact of a Friend's Bad Relationship
Previous Think Tank research indicates that quality outside friendships can have positive effects on romantic relationships by offering emotional outlets for partners. This study examines the other side of this paradigm: does the quality of a friend's romantic relationship affect their ability to befriend others?
IN PROGRESS
Weekly Meeting Time: TBA
Jade Horne, Samantha Robinson, Greyson Dillard, Lindsay Elkins, Jason Mun, Nikki Azvizius, Julia Taraska, and Dr. Darren George
The Impact of Hidden and Not So Hidden Prejudice
Overt prejudice has been found to have deleterious effects on virtually all aspects of social behavior. However, hidden prejudices—preconceptions an individual may be unaware of—are hypothesized to have similar effects. This study seeks to examine the effects this type of prejudice has on social relationships.
IN PROGRESS
Weekly Meeting Time: TBA
Jaden Rossell, Jack Simmons, Clemens Pavlish, Rella Yarrington, Andrew Davis, Isabelle Miller, Katera Lancaster, and Dr. Darren George
Redefining Vividness: Aspects of Sensory Imagery
Sensory imagery has traditionally been defined either in terms of separate modalities or as multimodal experiences. This study revolves around a third perspective: the specific components of a sensory modality. For example, do some individuals picture color more vividly while blurring details?
IN PROGRESS
Weekly Meeting Time: Thursdays 8:30 - 9:30 AM
Dr. Ryan Lange, Jackson Alexander, Isaac Philips, Micah Dukes, Dominick Hylton, Brayden Allen, Kyle Gossett, and Parker Zaffarese