Julie Fitness
Macquarie University, Department of Psychology, Faculty Member
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Introduction: This study compared the Trust Promotes Adjustment (TPA) approach with the Centralist Approach to Trust (CAT) regarding the relationship between trust beliefs in others and psychosocial adjustment. The TPA predicted linear,... more
Introduction: This study compared the Trust Promotes Adjustment (TPA) approach with the Centralist Approach to Trust (CAT) regarding the relationship between trust beliefs in others and psychosocial adjustment. The TPA predicted linear, whereas the CAT predicted quadratic, relationships between the two. The predictions were tested by analyses for the curvilinearity of data gathered by Teunisse et al. (2020). Method: Six hundred and fifty-one adults (M age = 24.9 years, SD = 10.4 years) completed standardized scales of trust beliefs in others, agreeableness, and social intelligence. Results: In support of TPA, trust beliefs in others were linearly associated with social awareness. In support of CAT, quadratic relations were found between trust beliefs in others and both agreeableness and social skills. Individuals with very low or very high trust beliefs showed lower agreeableness and social skills than those with the midrange of trust beliefs or the linear relationship between the variables. Individuals showed optimal psychosocial adjustment when trust beliefs were between 1.5 standard deviations above and below the mean. Discussion: These findings challenge the traditional TPA, which asserts that increasing trust in others corresponds to increasing psychosocial adjustment. The findings support the CAT hypothesis that too little or too much trust in others is associated with psychosocial maladjustment with implications for psychopathology.
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This study examined spontaneous and forced choice elicitations of emotion within the context of happy and unhappy dating relationships. Seventy-one subjects (35 men and 36 women> in long term relationships were given 20 hypothetical... more
This study examined spontaneous and forced choice elicitations of emotion within the context of happy and unhappy dating relationships. Seventy-one subjects (35 men and 36 women> in long term relationships were given 20 hypothetical relationship behaviours, 10 positive and 10 negative. Five behavioural events in each set of 10 were self-initiated and five were partner-initiated. Subjects imagined each behaviour occurring and tape recorded their subsequent thoughts and feelings. Subjects then chose one of 16 emotion categories, derived from Roseman’s (1984) cognitive model of emotion, that best described their feeling about the event. They also indicated how much control they perceived they and their partners had over the event. Emotional expressions from the verbal protocols were coded into the same set of 16 categories, and these spontaneous and forced choice measures achieved strong convergent validity. Results showed patterns of elicited emotions varied significantly depending on behaviour valency and, to a lesser degree, the initiator of the behaviour. Specific hypotheses derived from Roseman’s model relating particular emotional responses to relationship happiness were net supported. Theoretical and methodological implications are discussed
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Previous studies have documented links between sub-clinical narcissism and the active pursuit of short-term mating strategies (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality, marital infidelity, mate poaching). Nearly all of these investigations have... more
Previous studies have documented links between sub-clinical narcissism and the active pursuit of short-term mating strategies (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality, marital infidelity, mate poaching). Nearly all of these investigations have relied solely on samples from Western cultures. In the current study, responses from a cross-cultural survey of 30,470 people across 53 nations spanning 11 world regions (North America, Central/South America, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia, and East Asia) were used to evaluate whether narcissism (as measured by the Narcissistic Personality Inventory; NPI) was universally associated with short-term mating. Results revealed narcissism scores (including two broad factors and seven traditional facets as measured by the NPI) were functionally equivalent across cultures, reliably associating with key sexual outcomes (e.g., more active pursuit of short-term mating, intimate par...
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This article describes the development and refinement of the Annandale Emotional Signature Scale; a measure that was subsequently employed as part of a battery of tests to explore the validity of the constructs of abandonment and... more
This article describes the development and refinement of the Annandale Emotional Signature Scale; a measure that was subsequently employed as part of a battery of tests to explore the validity of the constructs of abandonment and annihilation. The Annandale Emotional Signature Scale (AESS) was first developed and administered to undergraduate psychology students, followed by a group of practitioners who were aware of the abandonment and annihilation dimensions. Based on the results with these sample populations, the AESS scale was modified and administered to a clinical population. From these studies with three different samples, two highly reliable factors emerged from the AESS. The Abandon factor comprises items describing feelings of inadequacy, self-critical thinking, and pleasing behaviours that indicate anxiety and worry about over-responsibility and rejection by others. The Annihilate factor comprises items describing adverse and traumatic events from the past, as opposed to ...
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The role of emotions in adult learning and achievement has received increasing attention in recent years. However, much of the emphasis has been on test anxiety, rather than the wider spectrum of negative emotions such as sadness, grief,... more
The role of emotions in adult learning and achievement has received increasing attention in recent years. However, much of the emphasis has been on test anxiety, rather than the wider spectrum of negative emotions such as sadness, grief, boredom and anger. This paper reports findings of a qualitative study exploring the experience and functionality of negative emotions at university. Thirty-six academic staff and students from an Australian university were interviewed about emotional responses to a range of learning events. Data analysis was informed by a prototype approach to emotion research. Four categories of discrete negative emotions (anger, sadness, fear, boredom) were considered by teachers and students to be especially salient in learning, with self-conscious emotions (guilt, embarrassment, shame) mentioned by more students than staff. While negative emotions were frequently viewed as detrimental to motivation, performance and learning, they were also construed under some c...
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The aim of this research was to explore the predictors of gullibility and to develop a self-report measure of the construct. In Studies 1 to 3, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on a large pool of items resulting... more
The aim of this research was to explore the predictors of gullibility and to develop a self-report measure of the construct. In Studies 1 to 3, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on a large pool of items resulting in a 12-item scale with two factors: Persuadability and Insensitivity to cues of untrustworthiness. Study 4 confirmed the criterion validity of the scale using two distinct samples: scam victims and members of the Skeptics Society. Study 5 demonstrated positive relationships between gullibility and the self-reported persuasiveness of, and likelihood of responding to, unsolicited emails. Throughout the article, analyses of a variety of measures expected to converge with the scale provided evidence for its construct validity. Overall, these studies demonstrate that the construct of gullibility is distinct from trust, negatively related to social intelligence, and that the Gullibility Scale is a reliable and valid measure of gullibility.
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Research Interests: Marketing, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Depression, Cognition, and 12 moreBehavior, Social Cognition, Social Interaction, Facial expression, Causality, Relationship Quality, Close relationships, Attribution, Attitude, Cognitive Process, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Positive Emotion
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Research Interests: Social Psychology, Evolution, Vulnerability, Fitness, Attachment Style, and 14 moreEmotional, Primary Appraisal, Secondary Appraisal, Criminal Cognitions, S, H, M, P, E, N, R, G, J, and A
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Description Purpose: Findings from an explorative study of University student and academic staff perceptions of emotions in the teaching/learning context are reported. Originality: This study is innovative in that it will contribute to... more
Description Purpose: Findings from an explorative study of University student and academic staff perceptions of emotions in the teaching/learning context are reported. Originality: This study is innovative in that it will contribute to our understanding of how particular kinds of ...
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The role of emotions in adult learning and achievement has received increasing attention in recent years. However, much of the emphasis has been on test anxiety, rather than the wider spectrum of negative emotions such as sadness, grief,... more
The role of emotions in adult learning and achievement has received increasing attention in recent years. However, much of the emphasis has been on test anxiety, rather than the wider spectrum of negative emotions such as sadness, grief, boredom and anger. This paper reports findings of a qualitative study exploring the experience and functionality of negative emotions at university. Thirty-six academic staff and students from an Australian university were interviewed about emotional responses to a range of learning events. Data analysis was informed by a prototype approach to emotion research. Four categories of discrete negative emotions (anger, sadness, fear, boredom) were considered by teachers and students to be especially salient in learning, with self-conscious emotions (guilt, embarrassment, shame) mentioned by more students than staff. While negative emotions were frequently viewed as detrimental to motivation, performance and learning, they were also construed under some circumstances as beneficial. The findings are discussed in relation to the value of social functional approaches for a better understanding of the diverse roles of negative emotions in learning and achievement.