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    Individual differences in visual search: A systematic review of the link between visual search performance and traits or abilities
    (Elsevier Ltd, London, United Kingdom, 2024-09) Wagner J; Zurlo A; Rusconi E
    Visual search (VS) comprises a class of tasks that we typically perform several times during a day and requires intentionally scanning (with or without moving the eyes) the environment for a specific target (be it an object or a feature) among distractor stimuli. Experimental research in lab-based or real-world settings has offered insight into its underlying neurocognitive mechanisms from a nomothetic point of view. A lesser-known but rapidly growing body of quasi-experimental and correlational research has explored the link between individual differences and VS performance. This combines different research traditions and covers a wide range of individual differences in studies deploying a vast array of VS tasks. As such, it is a challenge to determine whether any associations highlighted in single studies are robust when considering the wider literature. However, clarifying such relationships systematically and comprehensively would help build more accurate models of VS, and it would highlight promising directions for future research. This systematic review provides an up to date and comprehensive synthesis of the existing literature investigating associations between common indices of performance in VS tasks and measures of individual differences mapped onto four categories of cognitive abilities (short-term working memory, fluid reasoning, visual processing and processing speed) and seven categories of traits (Big Five traits, trait anxiety and autistic traits). Consistent associations for both traits (in particular, conscientiousness, autistic traits and trait anxiety - the latter limited to emotional stimuli) and cognitive abilities (particularly visual processing) were identified. Overall, however, informativeness of future studies would benefit from checking and reporting the reliability of all measurement tools, applying multiplicity correction, using complementary techniques, study preregistration and testing why, rather than only if, a robust relation between certain individual differences and VS performance exists.
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    Less Animal-Based Food, Better Weight Status: Associations of the Restriction of Animal-Based Product Intake with Body-Mass-Index, Depressive Symptoms and Personality in the General Population
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2020-05) Medawar E; Enzenbach C; Roehr S; Villringer A; Riedel-Heller SG; Witte AV
    Restricting animal-based products from diet may exert beneficial effects on weight status; however, less is known about such a diet and emotional health. Moreover, personality traits, for example high neuroticism, may contribute to restrictive eating habits and potentially confound diet-health associations. We aim to systematically assess if restrictive dietary intake of animal-based products relates to lower weight and higher depressive symptoms, and if differences in personality traits play a significant role. Cross-sectional data from the baseline LIFE-Adult study were collected from 2011–2014 in Leipzig, Germany (n = 8943). Main outcomes of interest were dietary frequency of animal-derived products in the last year measured using a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), body-mass-index (BMI) (kg/m2), and the Center of Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Personality traits were assessed in a subsample of n = 7906 using the Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Higher restriction of animal-based product intake was associated with a lower BMI, but not with depression scores. Personality, i.e., lower extraversion, was related to higher frequency of animal product intake. Moreover, personality traits were significantly associated with depressive symptoms, i.e., higher neuroticism, lower extraversion, lower agreeableness, lower conscientiousness, and with higher BMI. These findings encourage future longitudinal studies to test the efficacy of restricting animal-based products as a preventive and therapeutic strategy for overweight and obesity.
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    Musical interest, church attendance and personality : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1980) Wards, Allan Ross
    WARDS, A.R., 1980, Musical Interest, Church Attendance and Personality. M.A. thesis, Massey University, New Zealand. This study set out to investigate whether any relationships might exist between an individual's personality, his/her secular status, and involvement in music performance. It was hypothesised that Groups differing in church and musical interests will vary in personality characteristics as measured by the PRF (for motivational variables) and the NSQ (for level of stability). Ten Groups were studied: Church Choir, male and female; Church non-Music, male and female; non-Church Instrumental, male and female; non-Church non-Music, male and female; Salvation Army Band, male; Pipe Band, male. Ten subjects, drawn from the City of Palmerston North, formed each group. Analysis of results took two forms: Profile analyses of all groups in the possible comparisons of groups; Q-type factor analysis of group and subject differences. It was concluded that such an approach to the study of groups and interests is practicable, but that the measuring instruments used in this study were too blunt, and that caution must be used in interpreting results.
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    Religious belief, schizotypy and abnormal thinking : the inter-relationships : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2001) Harvey, Bridget Jane
    This study examined the relationship between religious beliefs, schizotypy and abnormal thinking with a view to clarifying some of the discrepancies in the literature. There were 136 women and 57 men, from Massey University who took part in the study. The mean age was 22 years and respondents completed a demographic questionnaire and three questionnaires that measured religious beliefs (Maltby's 1999 Age-Universal I-E Scale), schizotypy (Claridge & Brok's STA schizotypy personality scale) and abnormal thinking (Morris and Johnson's CEQ scale). The results indicate that there is a relationship between the three constructs however this was not gender specific as anticipated or related to religious affiliation. Further research is recommended as religious beliefs can be an enormous part of some peoples' lives and this is an area that could be greatly influential in the therapeutic arena for individuals with either religious difficulties and/or psychological difficulties where religion may be presented as problematic.
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    An exploration of occupational personality traits and communicative competence in New Zealand leaders and non-leaders : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand. EMBARGOED until further notice.
    (Massey University, 2015) Schischka, Caroline E
    The thesis reports New Zealand empirical research on leadership and its antecedents in terms of occupation-relevant personality traits and communicative competence. Objectives of the project were to: (i) explore the demographic differences in personality traits and communicative competence; (ii) investigate the difference between leaders and non-leaders in terms of personality and communicative competence; (iii) examine whether patterns of relationships among personality and communicative competence variables differ between leaders and non-leaders. These objectives govern research that aims at alleviating the current scarceness in New Zealand organisational psychology literature regarding personality traits and communicative competence of leaders. In a cross-sectional, correlational design, the Business Attitudes Questionnaire was used as a personality inventory, and the Political Skill Inventory as a measure of particular segments of communicative competence. Findings showed that males scored higher on Openness than females; age and work experience were both significantly positively related with Extraversion. When comparing leaders versus non-leaders, leaders scored higher on Emotional Stability, Extraversion, Professionalism and Networking Ability than non-leaders. The personality traits Extraversion, Altruism and Conscientiousness were significantly positively related to the four aspects of Ferris' "political skill" as an aspect of communicative competence. There were systematic differences found between leaders and non-leaders regarding the correlational pattern between personality and communicative competence. Relationships between Altruism, Conscientiousness, and Openness, on one hand, and all four aspects of "political skill", on the other, were stronger for leaders than non-leaders. A few relationships – such as those between Extraversion, Emotional Stability and Professionalism, on one hand, and some aspects of "political skill" – were higher among non-leaders. These findings are discussed in terms of their convergence with and divergence from the existing literature. Limitations of the present study are critically scrutinised, followed by extrapolations for future research. Overall, the research identified a clear need for further examination into psychological predictors and concomitants of leadership such as personality and communicative competence in the New Zealand working environment.
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    Personality styles and coping strategies : the relationships between sociotropy/autonomy, coping, and mood : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2000) Parkhill, Gillian Mary
    Beck's (1983) personality-event congruence hypothesis proposes that individuals high in the personality constructs of sociotropy and autonomy are vulnerable to the development of depression when facing stressful life events that are congruent with their personality dimension. The present study investigated if the stronger empirical support for Beck's hypothesis for sociotropy, than for autonomy, is due to differences in coping strategies used by sociotropic and autonomous people. Using a cross-sectional retrospective research design, with a non-clinical student sample, the present study tested the hypotheses that people with different levels of sociotropy/autonomy use different coping strategies, and that coping mediates the relationship between sociotropy/autonomy and mood in the face of stressful events. The roles of gender and social support in that relationship were also explored. While sociotropy/autonomy levels did not affect coping patterns found between interpersonal and achievement events, sociotropy/autonomy was found to influence coping in general. Participants with low levels of sociotropy and autonomy showed decreased use of self-control, accepting responsibility, and escape-avoidance coping. The coping strategies of self-control and escape-avoidance mediated the relationship between sociotropy/autonomy and positive affect, while escape-avoidance mediated the relationship between sociotropy/autonomy and negative affect. Women had higher sociotropy scores than men, and although participants low in both sociotropy and autonomy reported higher levels of social support, no gender differences in social support were found. Social support had a positive influence on positive affect and a negative influence on negative affect. Men used more planful problem-solving than women, but the gender differences in coping were unrelated to coping differences found between the different sociotropy and autonomy levels. These findings are discussed within the framework of the personality-event congruence hypothesis.
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    Depression as a function of stressful life events, social support and personality : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2000) Freedman, Tracy Amanda
    The effects of stressful life events, personality factors (extroversion, socialization/psychoticism and emotionality/neuroticism) and social support on depression were assessed. A questionnaire consisting of The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, College Life Stress Inventory, Depression Inventory, and The Brief Social Support Questionnaire was administered to a sample of 124 volunteer university students enrolled in undergraduate psychology courses. Results showed that other than for socialization, with women scoring higher on average than men, there were no significant differences between men and women, or between ethnic groups, on any of the variables. Age was found to be inversely related to stressful university life events. Emotional instability and low satisfaction with social supports predicted depression. The effects of university life events on depression were mediated by satisfaction with social supports, but not by number of social supports. Emotional stability was found to predict satisfaction with social supports. Emotional instability predicted severity of university life events and explained the largest proportion of variance in depression scores.
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    An exploration of New Zealand work value orientations, gender, and personality traits : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2011) Hamman, Chloé M
    The research objectives of this thesis were a) to explore gender differences in New Zealand work value orientations, and b) to explore the relationships between work value orientations and the Big Five personality traits. The purpose of these objectives was to identify if previous international findings on gender differences in work value orientations could be replicated in New Zealand (e.g., Elizur, 1994; Lips & Lawson, 2009; Weisgram et al., 2010) and to further clarify relationships between important behavioural and motivational influences (Parks & Guay, 2009). The thesis employed a correlational research design. The Values and Motives Inventory (VMI) was used as a measure of work values orientations. A respondent group of 1311 individuals had completed this assessment as part of selection and/or assessment purposes. Of these participants, 459 had also completed the Fifteen Factor Questionnaire Plus (15FQ+) as a measure of the Big Five personality traits. Findings suggested that females scored significantly higher than males on work values endorsing benevolence and supportive relationships with others. Conversely, males appeared to be more financially driven. These gender differences in work values orientations are discussed in terms of their implications for gendered roles and work interests in New Zealand. Findings suggested that the strongest work value-trait relationships occur between Affiliation and Extraversion, Affection and Extraversion, and Aesthetics and Openness. These, and other significant value-trait relationships, are discussed in terms of their implications for goal orientated behaviour, motivation, vocational choice, and the practice of assessment testing in New Zealand.
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    Conceptual replication of Seo (2008), “Self-efficacy as a mediator in the relationship between self-oriented perfectionism and academic procrastination”
    (12/12/2021) Williams M; Edwards SR
    Introduction Self-oriented perfectionism is the tendency to set high standards for oneself and evaluate one’s behaviour accordingly. Based on a study of 692 students in Korea, Seo (2008) reported finding a negative relationship between self-oriented perfectionism and academic procrastination – i.e., the tendency to procrastinate on academic tasks. Furthermore, Seo reported that this relationship was completely mediated by self-efficacy. Seo’s study has been influential in the literature but to our knowledge has not yet been independently replicated. In this study we report a preregistered conceptual replication testing five hypotheses based on Seo’s key findings. Material and methods A detailed preregistration (including data processing and analysis syntax) was lodged in advance of data collection at https://osf.io/xfvd8. Participants were 575 students recruited from OECD countries using prolific.co. Academic procrastination was measured via an adapted version of the Procrastination Assessment Scale – Students, while self-oriented perfectionism was measured via the 5-item self-oriented perfectionism subscale of the Big Three Perfectionism Scale. Self-efficacy was measured via the New General Self-Efficacy Scale. Both ordinary least squares regression and structural equation modelling were used to test hypotheses. Results We found no evidence of a bivariate relationship between self-oriented perfectionism and academic procrastination in either set of analyses. However, we did find evidence of a small and negative indirect effect of self-oriented perfectionism on academic procrastination via self-efficacy. Conclusions We were only able to partially replicate Seo’s key findings, having found no evidence of a negative relationship between self-oriented perfectionism and academic procrastination.