Cognitive and Personality Predictors of Attitudes Toward Genetic Research
Department
Psychological Science
Major
Psychology
Research Advisor
Bichsel, Jacqueline Michelle
Advisor's Department
Psychological Science
Abstract
Most research on attitudes toward genetic research has focused on individual differences that are explained by demographic or environmental factors. The present study utilized cognitive and personality factors in the prediction of attitudes toward genetic research to explore how reasonably stable traits account for the variance in attitudes. A sample of 289 participants (145 males, 144 females) ranging in age from 18-88 was administered the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities, the Big Five Inventory-44, and the Attitudes Toward Genetic Research Questionnaire (GRQ). Regression analyses determined the proportion of variance accounted for in each GRQ factor by both the cognitive and personality variables. The results of these analyses indicated a significant amount of the variance in each GRQ factor was accounted for by differing cognitive and personality variables. These variables added to the variance in GRQ accounted for by demographic factors.
Biography
Jodi Paul is presently a student of Psychological Science at Missouri University of Science and Technology. She is in the last semester of her undergraduate studies and anticipates receiving a B.S. in Psychology with an emphasis in Cognitive Neuroscience and a minor in Pre-Medicine in May of 2010. After graduation, she will enter the Behavioral Neuroscience Ph.D. program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. While in this program she hopes to gain further research experience in Neuroscience, focusing on neuroimaging techniques and neurodegenerative disorders. Currently, Jodi Paul is working in the Cognitive Studies Lab aiding in research investigating personality and cognitive factors that underlie attitudes toward genetic research. She will be presenting her research at the American Psychological Association Convention in August.
Research Category
Sciences
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Document Type
Poster
Award
Social Sciences poster session, Third place
Location
Upper Atrium/Hallway
Presentation Date
07 Apr 2010, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Cognitive and Personality Predictors of Attitudes Toward Genetic Research
Upper Atrium/Hallway
Most research on attitudes toward genetic research has focused on individual differences that are explained by demographic or environmental factors. The present study utilized cognitive and personality factors in the prediction of attitudes toward genetic research to explore how reasonably stable traits account for the variance in attitudes. A sample of 289 participants (145 males, 144 females) ranging in age from 18-88 was administered the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities, the Big Five Inventory-44, and the Attitudes Toward Genetic Research Questionnaire (GRQ). Regression analyses determined the proportion of variance accounted for in each GRQ factor by both the cognitive and personality variables. The results of these analyses indicated a significant amount of the variance in each GRQ factor was accounted for by differing cognitive and personality variables. These variables added to the variance in GRQ accounted for by demographic factors.
Comments
Joint project with Lauren Summerville