Meera Komarraju

• Southern Illinois University Carbondale

The current research investigates people’s perceptions of others’ lay theories (or mindsets), an understudied construct that we call meta-lay theories. Six studies examine whether underrepresented students’ meta-lay theories influence their sense of belonging to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The studies tested whether underrepr...

We examined whether the effects of social dominance and modern racism are moderated by racial stimulus for perceptions of status, cooperation, and competition. Results indicated that for the White targets, higher levels of social dominance resulted in lower ratings of cooperation, whereas it resulted in higher ratings for the Latino targets.

Drawing on social exchange theory and a person-situation framework, we examined perceived organizational support as a moderator of the relationship between the Dark Triad personality traits of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy with specific types of counterproductive work behavior (i.e., sabotage, production deviance, withdrawal, theft,...

Using student data (465), we examined the effects of race, class, and education level on perceptions of student loneliness, problem behaviors, competencies, and expectations of success. MANOVA analyses indicated main effects of class and age on problem behaviors, and a significant interaction (race, class, education level) for loneliness, competenc...

Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, we examined the effects of stereotype threat and autonomy support on the test performance of 190 African American college students. Participants completed a set of 7 easy and 7 difficult problems from Raven’s Progressive Matrices and a survey including measures of Academic Self-Concept, Learning Climate, and Percepti...

MTurk workers (235) and undergraduates (448) in intra- and intercultural relationships provided data about relationship attitudes. A MANOVA stepdown analysis showed a significant sample by type of relationship interaction for dyadic adjustment. Regression analyses for dyadic adjustment, relationship satisfaction, and commitment showed consistency i...

Data was collected from individuals in intracultural relationships (139) and intercultural relationships (120) through MTurk. MANOVA analyses indicated individuals in intracultural and intercultural relationships differed significantly in terms of relationship satisfaction (RAS), dyadic adjustment (DAS), and commitment level, with those in intercul...

College students vary in their procrastinating behavior with some completing their work promptly and others constantly delaying/failing to meet deadlines. We investigated students’ striving for perfectionism and self-determined motivation as predictors of their academic procrastination. Undergraduates (393) completed a survey including a 35-item Mu...

We conducted the first tests of implicit academic identity (social versus studious) in relation to explicit academic identity (social versus studious), self-efficacy and self-esteem as predictors of self-determined motivation and goals (performance and learning). In Study 1, 366 undergraduates completed measures of implicit social/studious identity...

In two studies, we assessed the effectiveness of a careers in psychology course in increasing students' career decision self-efficacy, and the role of increased career decision self-efficacy in predicting motivation as well as course, and major satisfaction. Students completed assignments involving career self-exploration, planning future semesters...

We examined motivational orientations, cognitive–metacognitive strategies, and resource management in predicting academic achievement. Undergraduates (407) completed the Motivated Strategies Learning Questionnaire, Implicit Theories of Intelligence Scale, Achievement Goal Inventory, and self-reported grade point average. A MANCOVA (controlling for...

Identifying the best predictors of academic performance is crucial for postsecondary institutions seeking students with the greatest promise. We investigated the relative strength of standardized test scores (ACT), high school GPA, and non-cognitive, college readiness skills in predicting college GPA. College freshmen (505) completed the 108-item S...

Differences in students' academic self-efficacy and motivation were examined in predicting preferred teacher traits. Undergraduates (261) completed the Teaching Behavior Checklist, Academic Self-Concept scale, and Academic Motivation scale. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that academic self-efficacy and extrinsic motivation explained 5-2...

Personality and learning styles are both likely to play significant roles in influencing academic achievement. College students (308 undergraduates) completed the Five Factor Inventory and the Inventory of Learning Processes and reported their grade point average. Two of the Big Five traits, conscientiousness and agreeableness, were positively rela...

Reviews the book, A guide for beginning teachers of psychology by James H. Korn and Jason Sikorski (see record 2010-10132-000 ). This book, published by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, addresses a vital gap in the discipline and is likely to be used by potential teachers to prepare for and enter a classroom with a sense of excitement, p...

Student–faculty interactions can be crucial in developing students’ academic self-concept and enhancing their motivation and achievement. Colleges and universities that actively foster close and frequent contact between their students and faculty members are more likely to reap a host of benefits from such initiatives. Faculty members taking an int...

College students (308 undergraduates) completed the Five Factor Inventory and the Academic Motivations Scale, and reported their college grade point average (GPA). A correlation analysis revealed an interesting pattern of significant relationships. Further, regression analyses indicated that conscientiousness and openness explained 17% of the varia...

The current study examined ethnic differences in horizontal and vertical dimensions of individualism and collectivism among 96 African American and 149 European American college students. Participants completed the 32-item Singelis et al. (1995)Individualism/Collectivism Scale. Multivariate analyses of variance results yielded a main effect for eth...

Across 4 years, 87 teaching assistants (TAs) completed measures designed to assess personal efficacy, teacher efficacy, and liking for teaching before (pretest) and after (posttest) a weeklong training program. Paired sample t tests revealed a significant increase in personal efficacy and liking for teaching, a significant positive correlation betw...

The relationship between attitudes toward members of ethnic or cultural minority groups and men and women in authority or leadership positions was examined. The Ethnocultural Empathy Scale and Gender Authority Measure were completed by 317 participants. Results yielded a positive relationship among the attitudinal measures, indicating that individu...

Purpose – This study aims to examine the role of horizontal and vertical individualism‐collectivism in explaining conflict management styles. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 640 respondents completed the Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory‐II (ROCI‐II, Form C) designed to assess five conflict management styles and the individualism‐col...

This study explored the relationship of current incidences of academic dishonesty with future norm/rule-violating behavior. Data were collected from 154 college students enrolled in introductory and upper-level psychology students at a large Midwest public university who received credit for participating. The sample included students from many diff...

Undergraduate students in the United States (172 students) and Malaysia (208 students) completed the Academic Motivations Inventory (Moen & Doyle, 1977). Malaysian students scored significantly higher than U.S. students on the following motives: Thinking, competing, desire for self-improvement, facilitating and debilitating anxiety, as well as disl...

The authors examined ethnic differences in endorsement of the Protestant work ethic (PWE; M. Weber, 1905) among Black (n = 96) and White (n = 149) college students and tested whether differences in ethnic identity and perceptions of social class mediated the relationship between ethnicity and the endorsement of PWE values. Blacks were higher in lev...

As the number of dual-career employees entering the workplace increases, it is important to understand how the integration of work and family responsibilities influences work outcomes. The current study examined occupational role salience, work-family conflict, basic understandings, spousal support, and organizational support as predictors of work...

Understanding the relationship between personality characteristics and academic motivation may be central to developing more effective teaching strategies. The current research examined the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and individual differences in college students’ academic motivation. Individuals (172 undergraduates) were...

This study examined the validity and reliability of scores on the Academic Self-Concept Scale (ASCS) in a group of 291 European American and 396 African American college students. The study compared the factor structure and scale and subscale internal consistencies for these samples to previously reported findings by Reynolds. The seven-factor solu...

The current study evaluated the cross-cultural validity of Holland's (1985) theory through internal and external analyses based on the responses of 172 natives of India who completed the Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) and measures of job and occupational satisfaction. Internal consistency estimates for Holland dimensions, intercorrelations a...

A study was made of the impact of gender on learning in group relations conferences. Questionnaires were sent to 265 adults who participated in seven group relations conferences. The conferences varied in context and design, but each included a small group event highlighting reactions to consultant authority. Three-month follow-up data were collect...

At some point in the distant past, teaching undergraduate psychology was straightforward. A college professor with a doctorate in psychology gave lectures to a group of young people whose main occupation was being a student. Today, psychologists' vision of what it means to be a quality instructor of psychology has expanded as the contexts in which...