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According to interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory (IPARTheory), people who perceive rejection by important others experience more psychological maladjustment than those who do not perceive rejection. IPARTheory predicts universal responses to perceived rejection or acceptance, making it important to explore its predictive ability with theoretically-related constructs like romantic relationships. Participants (N = 443; Mage = 36.05 years; SD = 11.26; 46% identifying as men, 45.4% reported their assigned sex at birth as male) completed surveys regarding perceptions of their childhood relationships with their mother, interpersonal anxiety, engagement in romantic surveillance, jealousy, infidelity, sociosexual orientation, and gender norms. We examined how well perceived maternal acceptance-rejection (independent variable) predicted reasons to spy/stalk on a romantic partner and the likelihood of spying/stalking (dependent variables). For both models, we explored psychological maladjustment, interpersonal anxiety, jealousy, and sociosexuality as mediators and included correlated demographic variables as covariates in the models. Jealousy mediated perceived maternal rejection and increased surveilling. Our study broadens the understanding of variables that influence surveilling behaviors in romantic relationships in the United States, and provides support for the universal application and predictive ability of IPARTheory.

Infidelity is often defined as perceived as a violation of relationship exclusivity rules, and many view infidelities as immoral. Thus, one can imagine the importance of understanding why up to a fifth of research samples report cheating in their current relationships. There is considerable literature regarding what factors predict infidelity. Although individual characteristics associated with infidelity do exist, relationship-based variables tend to be the most consistent and robust factors. This chapter will discuss various theories and research findings that suggested different relationship-based factors and frameworks with which to consider and predict why some people engage in infidelity. This chapter reviews some major ideas and research through the lens of the investment model of commitment (i.e., satisfaction, investment, quality of alternatives, commitment), as well as other relationship-based variables (e.g., opportunities and boredom, relationship type and length) that have received empirical support. Finally, the chapter ends with a nod to future directions in this area, and a notion of what researchers should expect from the literature in the future.

Sociosexuality, comfort with sex outside the confines of a committed relationship, and parent–child dynamics have been associated with experiences of sex guilt. However, the mechanisms through which family dynamics are related to sociosexuality and sex guilt are still unclear. Using a developmental framework, in a cross-sectional study, we examined whether attachment styles and parent–child relationships would be associated with the development and maintenance of sociosexuality. We hypothesized that insecure attachment styles and sociosexuality would independently and positively mediate the relationship between parent–child relationship quality (accepting/rejecting) and sex guilt. Findings support past research and suggests that parental rejection predicts insecure attachments, which positively predicts unrestricted sociosexuality, and in turn, is negatively associated with sex guilt. This could suggest that sociosexuality may act as a buffer for sex guilt among this sample.

Religiosity and sex-related attitudes are often correlated, and on occasion negatively. That is, as religiosity increases, sexual attitudes tend to become more conservative or generally more disapproving in valence. Recent research suggests that one's own sex guilt may be the mediating influence in this relationship. A series of two studies sought to extend that research and examine the extent to which an individual's religiosity and sex guilt influences their perspective of pornography and sex workers. A survey containing relevant measures was distributed to undergraduate participants as well as individuals from Amazon.com's MTurk. Results indicate that individuals high in religiosity have more negative views of pornography in general, and more demonizing views toward sex workers. However, it was their own sex guilt that mediated that relationship. This study replicates and adds to our current understanding of how religiosity and disparaging views of sex are related, but also shows the importance of including sex guilt as an influential individual difference.

Arguably, one’s feeling of desperation is important in decision-making, especially in high stress situations. However, this is an assumption, as there is no known measure of desperation, outside of being symptomology for other health related constructs (e.g., depression). Through a series of studies, we created and validated a measure of state desperation. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggest that the State Desperation Scale contains two components that encompass both emotional and motivational aspects. In the first study, we showed that scores on the measure positively correlate with other negative state-based constructs, such as stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, and coping strategies, and negatively correlate with positive affect. We replicate these patterns over three samples. Finally, in an experimental study, we manipulated desperation to show that it is state-based, but also distinct from stress or anxiety. Analyses indicate the measure is reliable, content valid, and provides evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. We conclude the State Desperation Scale adequately measures the emotional and motivational components of desperation.

The current study examined relationships between sociosexual constructs and motivations for infidelity in a currently cheating sample. Members of the AshleyMadison.com website who were actively using the website to search for and/or engage in infidelity completed a brief anonymous online survey. Our findings supported previous research regarding emotional and sexual motivations for infidelity. However, we also found that various individual differences were connected to each type of motive. For example, sexual motivations for infidelity were best predicted by being male, having an unrestricted sociosexual orientation, experiencing less sex guilt, having greater Christian identification, and being less satisfied with the primary partner. Importantly, these were not the same patterns for each type of motivation (e.g., anger). Finally, participants' satisfaction with their secondary (i.e., infidelity) partners was not consistently predicted by the motivations for infidelity. This suggests that an individual-differences approach to predicting issues related to infidelity is an important approach for future research.

Arguably due to the influence of raunch culture, stripping is now a normalized female behavior that is encouraged and may even be expected in Western culture. The purpose of the current studies was to examine the behavior of casual stripping in the general public and examine potential correlates and predictors of that behavior. We began by examining the traits that have been highlighted in past research that are often associated with professional stripping. Specifically, we examined parental rejection, sociosexuality, and personality traits. Overall, we produce evidence that sociosexuality and paternal neglect do predict engaging in casual stripping behaviors. This study is important because the behavior of ‘casual’ stripping is fairly common, yet virtually unexplored in current research. Additionally, the implications of this hypersexualized, but normalized, behavior can include debates in feminism theory, normalization of various sex behaviors, self-esteem, and the sexualization of young people.

Students frequently request concept-list study guides prior to exams, but the benefits of instructors providing such resources are unclear. Research on memory and comprehension has suggested that some challenges in learning are associated with benefits to performance. In the context of an introductory psychology course, a study was conducted to investigate the impact of providing a concept-list study guide on exam performance, as opposed to having students create a study guide. Additionally, student preferences for various types of study guides were examined. Results indicated that although students greatly prefer that the instructors provide a study guide (as opposed to making their own), providing a concept-list study guide resulted in poorer exam performance. These results call for future research on the influence of study guides on student performance.

The introductory psychology (Intro Psych) course is the bedrock of the psychology major and the front face of our discipline. The class not only provides a foundation for students in the major but also provides a comprehensive portrait of the discipline for nonmajors. Despite a sizable body of research focused on pedagogy related to the introductory class, there are many questions that remain unanswered. We provide a comprehensive review of scholarship related to the Intro Psych course and discuss current practices and concerns related to textbook options, as well as teaching methods, course design, assignments to help students learn, and students’ learning outcomes. Finally, we provide five major suggestions for future work. We charge researchers to identify major bottlenecks to learning, design multisite studies, measure moderators of learning, assess long-term retention, and design/assess different models of teaching Intro Psych.

In 2015, AshleyMadison.com (AshleyMadison) was hacked, leading to the release of site members' personal information. The exposed members faced public scrutiny, judgment, and other negative outcomes. In this study, we examined predictors of the demonization of the AshleyMadison participants (i.e., AshleyMadison members, owners, hackers) to help explain victim derogation. We attempted to discern the role religiosity and sexual guilt played in the demonization of the AshleyMadison hacking participants. We predicted sexual guilt would mediate between religiosity and demonization of the AshleyMadison hacking participants. Our findings indicate that religiosity alone does not predict demonization. Instead, sex guilt was a necessary part of the equation and mediated between participants' religiosity and the amount they demonized the different groups.

As the number of political scandals rises, we examined the circumstances that might influence how a politician would be judged as a result of a scandal. Specifically, we hypothesized that ingroup b...

Two studies examined the effectiveness of a flashcard-based study strategy, Flashcards-Plus, in an ecologically valid context. The strategy requires students to create flashcards designed to increase their ability to retain, comprehend, and apply textbook material to exams. In Studies 1a ( n = 73) and 1b ( n = 62), we introduced all students to the Flashcards-Plus method and compared their exam scores. Students who used this strategy scored significantly higher than those who did not. In Study 2 ( n = 434), we randomly assigned six introductory psychology courses to either receive a classroom lecture with the Flashcards-Plus strategy (i.e., three experimental courses) or no lecture (i.e., three control courses). Students in the experimental courses scored significantly higher than those in the control courses after the lecture. The results from all three studies demonstrate that students who were introduced to the Flashcards-Plus study strategy scored significantly higher on exams following the lecture than students who were not. These findings suggest that this easily implemented teaching strategy can help students achieve deeper levels of processing (i.e., comprehension and application) in a self-directed manner, which benefit students’ performance.

A common cultural norm in committed relationships is that of sexual exclusiveness. When this norm is violated, those involved are often perceived negatively. Recently, a website facilitating extradyadic relationships, AshleyMadison.com (AM), was hacked, and the personal information of the members was illegally disseminated. As a result of the large amount of accompanying media coverage, AM users have been negatively perceived and even openly mocked. The current study explored potential predictors for the negative perceptions (i.e. demonisation) of AM users using a large online sample. In a predominantly exploratory study, myriad variables were examined from both outside (e.g. just world belief) and inside the psychosexual (e.g. sociosexuality) literature. The findings indicate that the predictors of jealousy and sexual guilt both positively predict demonisation of AM users, above and beyond the other individual difference variables.

Awe is a complex, cognitive–conceptual emotion associated with transcendence and wonder. Music has the power to create this kind of transcendence. Can music evoke awe? Previous research demonstrates that awe is associated with individual differences in personality such as openness. This study examined whether different kinds of music across a wide variety of genres can evoke awe and whether the experience of awe depends on individual differences. The study further investigated the relationship of awe to patterns of emotional responses to different dimensions of musical genre. Study 1 demonstrated that high need for cognition and low cognitive closure predicted awe for reflective and complex music, that felt happiness predicted awe for all kinds of music, and that perceived happiness and sadness predicted awe only for reflective and complex music. Study 2 replicated the finding that perceived sadness can evoke awe in reflective and complex music and further demonstrated that experienced musical awe correlates with individual differences in the tendency to experience awe more generally. These results are of interest to advertisers interested in evoking awe with music and marketers interested in segmenting to target the appropriate populations for this purpose.

The relationship between religion and sexual satisfaction has long been debated. Oftentimes, previous research on the relationship between these two constructs has been directly contradictory. The current study sought to provide more detail, or perhaps clarify the way that religiosity may relate to sexual satisfaction. Past studies have shown that high religiosity is connected to lower sexual activity, lower desires, and more conservative values. Thus, the current study examined sexual guilt, resulting from sensitivity to internalized religious beliefs and teachings, as a potential mediator between the two constructs. Participants completed an online questionnaire that included measures of religious identification and internalization, sexual satisfaction, and sex guilt. Results suggest that sex guilt mediates the rela- tionship between religiosity and sexual satisfaction for unmarried individuals, but not for married individuals. We suggest calling this finding the sacred bed phe- nomenon because the difference between the models for married and unmarried samples may be due to a belief in the sacred marital bed.

Past studies have indicated that individuals with an unrestricted sociosexual orientation (SO; 'unrestricted' reflects comfort with sex outside the confines of a committed relationship) emphasize attractiveness and desirability when pursuing ro- mantic partners. Additionally, SO is related to decreased commitment, and ultimately increased infidelity, in a current romantic relationship. Thus, the current study investi- gates potential mediators between sociosexual orientation (SO) and romantic commit- ment. Perceptions of a romantic partner's characteristics such as physical attractiveness, various personality traits, and perceived similarities were examined as mediators. The findings indicate perceived social skills, intellect, and perceived similarities with the partner were all significant mediators between SO and commitment. Additionally, physical attractiveness was a marginally significant mediator. The final mediation model suggests that individuals with unrestricted SOs may have lower commit in their current relationships because participants with an unrestricted SO, compared to partic- ipants with a restricted SO, rated their partners as having fewer social skills, less intellect, and also fewer similarities between themselves and their partners.

Introductory psychology is one of the most popular undergraduate courses and often serves as the gateway to choosing psychology as an academic major. However, little research has examined the typical structure of introductory psychology courses. The current study examined student learning objectives (SLOs) and course content in introductory psychology syllabi ( N = 158). SLOs were mapped to the APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major. Content analysis was based on the principles for quality undergraduate education promulgated by the American Psychological Association. Over 50% of the syllabi contained objectives specific to the science and application of psychology (knowledge base, research methods, and application). Analysis of content coverage revealed instructors spent significantly more time on topics related to physiological and cognitive psychology and spent significantly less time on topics related to the history and scope of psychology, research methods, and developmental psychology. The current study also explored the influence of instructor specialty area on content coverage.

Introductory psychology (Intro Psych) is one of the most popular and frequently taught courses on college campuses, yet educators in psychology have limited knowledge about what is covered in classes around the nation or the extent to which class content reflects the current scope of the discipline. There is no explicit model to guide course content selection for the intro course, which poses substantial challenges for instructors. This article proposes a new model for teaching the intro course that integrates (a) scientific foundations, (b) 5 major domains or pillars of knowledge (biological, cognitive, developmental, social and personality, and mental and physical health), and (c) cross-cutting themes relevant to all domains (cultural and social diversity, ethics, variations in human functioning, and applications; American Psychological Association, 2014). We advocate for national assessment of the course, a similar introductory course for majors and nonmajors, the inclusion of experiential or laboratory components, and additional training resources for instructors of the intro course. Given the exponential growth of psychological knowledge and applications during the past decades, we caution against attempting to provide exhaustive coverage of all topic areas of psychology in a one-semester course. We conclude by discussing the challenges that lie ahead for the discipline of psychology as it launches this new model for Intro Psych.

This study examines faculty views concerning the appropriateness of teaching specific undergraduate psychology courses in an online format. Faculty express concern about teaching methodology and counseling/clinical content courses online, but endorse teaching introductory and nonclinical content courses in either format; faculty report diverse views on the extent to which capstone and integrative experiences in psychology can be facilitated in a virtual format. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the growing demand for online psychology course offerings.

The current studies used the Perceptions of Dating Infidelity Scale (PDIS), which identifies attitudes toward three types of behaviors indicative of cheating: Ambiguous, Deceptive, and Explicit behaviors, to predict actual infidelity behaviors. Participants reported their attitude toward these behaviors and then reported their willingness to engage in these behaviors with a hypothetical target (Study 1) and reported actually engaging in these behaviors over the course of one month (Study 2). Study 1 showed that attitudes for Ambiguous and Deceptive behaviors significantly predict a willingness to engage in these behaviors with a hypothetical target. Study 2 showed that attitudes toward Ambiguous behaviors significantly predict actual engagement in Ambiguous behaviors during the course of one month.

Individuals with an unrestricted sociosexual orientation (SO) are less committed to their romantic relationships and more likely to engage in infidelity. Furthermore, commitment is negatively associated with tendencies to cheat. However, no previous research has examined the possible mediating role of commitment in the relationship between SO and infidelity. The current study examined whether commitment mediated the relationship between SO and willingness to engage in three types of cheating behaviors (Ambiguous, Deceptive, and Explicit). Results suggested that commitment partially mediated the relationship between SO and infidelity, such that unrestricted individuals had lower commitment, which in turn led to a greater likelihood of cheating. Implications of this association and directions for future research are discussed.

Ethnic attitudes may be a consequence of both group membership, as posited by Social Identity Theory (SIT), and of individual difference characteristics, as posited by Social Dominance Theory. University students in Guatemala (N = 196) reported their ethnic identity and completed a battery of surveys including Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), social distance, gender role attitudes, and social desirability scales. Results indicated that similar ethnicity, low SDO, close social distance and egalitarian gender role attitudes accurately predicted positive attitudes toward the Indigenous group. Similar ethnicity, close social distance, and high social desirability predicted positive attitudes toward the super-ordinate (Ladino) group. These results imply that many factors affect attitudes toward ethnic groups, such as SDO, gender role attitudes and social desirability. These results have implications for theories of inter-group relations and also for potential interventions to improve ethnic relations in Guatemala.

The current study compared the predictions of two socio-cultural theories, shifting standards and intergroup bias, to predict sexual double standards that occur in reactions to computer-mediated infidelity. Shifting standards theory (Biernat In The shifting standards model: Implications of stereotype accuracy for social judgment, APA, Washington DC, 1995) suggests that individuals will judge female targets more harshly than male targets, based on culturally ingrained stereotypes regarding sexual behavior. On the contrary, intergroup bias theory (Brewer In Psychol Bull 86:307–324, 1979) predicts that individuals will judge outgroup targets, or members of the opposite sex, more harshly than ingroup targets, or members of the same sex. Participants were shown a hard copy of presumable evidence that extradyadic computer-mediated behavior had occurred, engaged in by one of two members of a couple. The two groups differed only by the sex of the target, the female “Colleen” or the male “Bill”. Then participants reported their attitudes toward the target’s behavior, resulting distress, and likelihood to terminate the relationship. Results showed support for the intergroup bias theory, suggesting that individuals altered their attitudes toward the behavior based on whether the target was an ingroup or outgroup member.

Although many individuals report being friends with their ex-romantic partners (Wilmot, Carbaugh, & Baxter, 1985), the literature regarding post-romantic friendships is very limited. We investigated whether satisfaction in the dissolved romantic relationship could predict post-romantic friendships and friendship maintenance. We found that the more satisfied individuals were during the dissolved romance, the more likely they were to remain friends and the more likely they were to engage in friendship maintenance behaviors. We also found that friendship maintenance fully mediated the association between past romantic satisfaction and current friendship satisfaction.