Date of Award
1-20-2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Victor Ottati
Second Advisor
Fred Bryant
Abstract
This research aimed to explore general and general normative open-minded cognition, respectively, as shaped by prominent social figures (i.e., normative referents). The administered survey included two distinct measures in attempt to estimate the amount and/or severity of influence each referent possesses over the participants, GOMC (i.e., General Open-Minded Cognition) and GNORM (i.e., General Open-Minded Cognition as determined by normative standards). The research hypothesized the GNORM of the determinants: Caregivers, Teachers, Community Leaders, and Peers, have a statistically significant affect over both the GOMC and GNORM of the participants, due to the fundamental psychological authority each determinant maintains over the participant throughout childhood development. In other words, the long- lasting impacts of such figures, as described in multiple areas of psychological literature and experimentation, would be exemplified in the participant's dispositional open-mindedness. Furthermore, this study predicted the normative referents held a statistically significant predictability power over the participants GOMC and GNORM, with potentially one determinant predicting above and beyond the other three. An online, Qualtrics survey consisting of one GOMC measure, five instances of GNORM, four relationship closeness checks, and a concluding demographic section was given to Loyola Undergraduate students enrolled in psychology courses (e.g., PSYC 101), in order to empirically measure the hypothesized relationships. The participants were instructed to answer the GOMC and first GNORM measure through their personal perspective. The remaining four GNORM measures, however, displayed instructions for the participant to answer from the perspective of a certain normative referent (i.e., Caregivers, etc.). Relationship closeness checks were also built into the survey, however, the responses to such questions were not included in the statistical analyses. These checks should be considered closer to demographic questions than actual measures, provided solely for contextual cues of the individual participant's perspective on a certain referent and inspiration for future research looking at the effect of Caregivers, Teachers, Community Leaders, and Peers. A short demographic section was also included in the survey. The participants were asked to record their gender identity, age, political affiliation, household size, place of origin description, and religious affiliation. They then read a short debrief and concluding statement, with contact information for both the faculty sponsor and primary investigator. The participants were requested to not reveal the contents of the study to other potential participants, as this cross-contamination might bias the results. Overall, the goals of this study were rooted in the exploratory nature of the content. Determinants such as these have not been included in open-minded cognition to date, and, what's more, the GNORM measure has yet to be validated. Due to the novel nature of this research, directional hypotheses, positive versus negative associations, are not included in the proposal. The primary initiative of this study is to shed light on an ever-growing field of study.
Recommended Citation
Martinez, Mia Jasmine, "Open-Minded Cognition and Transmission of Norms" (2025). Master's Theses. 4561.
https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/4561
