Betsy A Smith
Biographic Data
| ID | 116098 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Betsy A Smith |
| GIVEN NAMES | Betsy A |
| FAMILY NAME | Smith |
| SIGNATURE | SMITH B A |
| AFFILIATIONS | United States Naval Academy |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8627-3920 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 53 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1987 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Family as a Pathway to Suicidal Behaviors Through Depression Symptoms and Internalized Homophobia
Research consistently highlights how systemic and social factors can adversely impact mental health, and the potential buffering effects of family support, yet raced sexual minorities are vastly underrepresented among these studies. As rates of suicide increase among Black people and remain high among men and those in gender and sexually diverse communities, this study sought to examine to relationships between family dynamics and suicidality amo…
Cynicism, Political Extremism, and Associated Factors in Military Service Academies
Military extremism is a critical threat to democratic norms. While past research has found that cynicism is positively associated with political extremism in the general population, it has not fully addressed the association between cynicism and military extremism—nor what factors are associated with cynicism to begin with. We identify social media use, organizational instability, and psychological distance from leadership as potential predictors…
Status Threat, Partisanship, and Voters’ Conservative Shift Toward Right-Wing Candidates
Past research indicates that support for conservatism increases when individuals perceive threat to their group’s social status – i.e., prestige and respect. However, the causal link between status threat and increased electoral support for conservative candidates has not been established. Most prior studies rely on observational data, and it remains unclear how the effect of status threat on candidate support varies depending on the specific con…
Pop culture resentment: Testing existing and alternative measures of white racial attitudes
Understanding white Americans' attitudes toward Black Americans is crucial in US public opinion. However, survey measurement of these attitudes is hampered by social desirability bias, low discriminant validity, and the potential for heightened demand characteristics and backlash. I propose a new measure: music genre preference. Consistent preference for genres historically and popularly linked to white culture over those linked to Black culture …
Complementary or Competing Frames? The Impact of Economic and Public Health Messages on Covid-19 Attitudes
The American reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic is polarized, with conservatives often less willing to engage in risk-mitigation strategies such as mask-wearing and vaccination. COVID-19 narratives are also polarized, as some conservative elites focus on the economy over public health. In this registered report, we test whether combining economic and public health messages can persuade individuals to increase support for COVID-19 risk mitigation. …
It's All Under Control: Threat, Perceived Control, and Political Engagement
The relationship between political threat, anxiety, and political engagement is the subject of a large but mixed body of evidence. While some researchers find that political threat and/or anxiety increase engagement with politics, others find that they lead to disengagement. In this article, I highlight two factors which explain when threat will increase political engagement: perceived control over the threat and individual differences in threat …
Human Values and Sophistication Interaction Theory
Musical engagement and identity: Exploring young adults’ experiences, tastes, and beliefs
Our study explored how adolescents’ experiences and musical preferences might relate to musical identity, and the likelihood of engaging in musical activities as adults. Participants were 170 first-year university students, both music majors and non-music majors. A questionnaire collected participants’ responses regarding beliefs about music, as well as self-reported ratings of musicality and the likelihood of engaging in musical activities. Resu…
Trends: How Internet Search Undermines the Validity of Political Knowledge Measures
Political knowledge is central to understanding citizens’ engagement with politics. Yet, as surveys are increasingly conducted online, participants’ ability to search the web may undermine the validity of factual knowledge measures. Recent research shows this search behavior is common, even when respondents are instructed otherwise. However, we know little about how outside search affects the validity of political knowledge measures. Using a seri…
The Ideational Foundations of Symbolic Ideology
Theories of symbolic ideology view it as an affective orientation untouched by ideational content. Drawing on Shalom Schwartz's theory of basic human values, we propose that four bedrock values—universalism, openness to change, conservation, and self‐enhancement—shape symbolic ideology. We explore whether politically sophisticated and unsophisticated individuals ground symbolic ideological identities in cognitive values to a comparable degree. Us…
Social Network Disagreement and Reasoned Candidate Preferences
This study investigates the effects of social network disagreement on candidate preferences. Although much research has explored the effects of disagreement on political tolerance and disengagement, less work has examined the relation between disagreement and political reasoning. We predicted that because disagreement reveals conflicting points of view and motivates people to consider these views, it should promote more effortful reasoning—and th…
Gay” or “Homosexual”? The Implications of Social Category Labels for the Structure of Mass Attitudes
Multiple identity and identification terms are used in social science research on sexuality, including clinical terms such as “homosexual” and “heterosexual” and more colloquial terms such as “gay” and “straight.” In this article, we show that far from being synonyms, these terms have consequences for attitudes about gay and lesbian rights. We begin by providing a historical overview of the terms “homosexual” and “gay and lesbian,” showing the di…
Looking for Answers: Identifying Search Behavior and Improving Knowledge-Based Data Quality in Online Surveys
Internet surveys are cost-effective and convenient, but give respondents the opportunity to search the Web for answers to factual questions. Surprisingly, few have investigated the quality of political knowledge data collected in crowd-sourced Internet samples. Using a novel technique to identify individual “cheaters” across six data sets—collected on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (professionalized paid “workers”) and SurveyMonkey (less-professionaliz…
Occupational Therapists and Therapeutic Riding
Statistics indicate that physical therapists considerably outnumber occupational therapists in utilizing therapeutic horseback riding as a treatment modality. This study was conducted in an effort to gain insight into the reasons for the discrepancy. Two different questionnaires were developed and distributed to two different populations, occupational therapy practitioners, and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) accredited schoo…
Aquatic Contact with Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins
1987). Aquatic Contact with Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins. Anthrozoos: Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 71-72
Human Values and Sophistication Interaction Theory
Trends: How Internet Search Undermines the Validity of Political Knowledge Measures
Political knowledge is central to understanding citizens’ engagement with politics. Yet, as surveys are increasingly conducted online, participants’ ability to search the web may undermine the validity of factual knowledge measures. Recent research shows this search behavior is common, even when respondents are instructed otherwise. However, we know little about how outside search affects the validity of political knowledge measures. Using a seri…
Looking for Answers: Identifying Search Behavior and Improving Knowledge-Based Data Quality in Online Surveys
Internet surveys are cost-effective and convenient, but give respondents the opportunity to search the Web for answers to factual questions. Surprisingly, few have investigated the quality of political knowledge data collected in crowd-sourced Internet samples. Using a novel technique to identify individual “cheaters” across six data sets—collected on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (professionalized paid “workers”) and SurveyMonkey (less-professionaliz…
Gay” or “Homosexual”? The Implications of Social Category Labels for the Structure of Mass Attitudes
Multiple identity and identification terms are used in social science research on sexuality, including clinical terms such as “homosexual” and “heterosexual” and more colloquial terms such as “gay” and “straight.” In this article, we show that far from being synonyms, these terms have consequences for attitudes about gay and lesbian rights. We begin by providing a historical overview of the terms “homosexual” and “gay and lesbian,” showing the di…
The Ideational Foundations of Symbolic Ideology
Theories of symbolic ideology view it as an affective orientation untouched by ideational content. Drawing on Shalom Schwartz's theory of basic human values, we propose that four bedrock values—universalism, openness to change, conservation, and self‐enhancement—shape symbolic ideology. We explore whether politically sophisticated and unsophisticated individuals ground symbolic ideological identities in cognitive values to a comparable degree. Us…
Social Network Disagreement and Reasoned Candidate Preferences
This study investigates the effects of social network disagreement on candidate preferences. Although much research has explored the effects of disagreement on political tolerance and disengagement, less work has examined the relation between disagreement and political reasoning. We predicted that because disagreement reveals conflicting points of view and motivates people to consider these views, it should promote more effortful reasoning—and th…
Aquatic Contact with Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins
1987). Aquatic Contact with Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins. Anthrozoos: Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 71-72
It's All Under Control: Threat, Perceived Control, and Political Engagement
The relationship between political threat, anxiety, and political engagement is the subject of a large but mixed body of evidence. While some researchers find that political threat and/or anxiety increase engagement with politics, others find that they lead to disengagement. In this article, I highlight two factors which explain when threat will increase political engagement: perceived control over the threat and individual differences in threat …
Aquatic Contact with Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins
1987). Aquatic Contact with Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins. Anthrozoos: Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 71-72
Occupational Therapists and Therapeutic Riding
Statistics indicate that physical therapists considerably outnumber occupational therapists in utilizing therapeutic horseback riding as a treatment modality. This study was conducted in an effort to gain insight into the reasons for the discrepancy. Two different questionnaires were developed and distributed to two different populations, occupational therapy practitioners, and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) accredited schoo…
Looking for Answers: Identifying Search Behavior and Improving Knowledge-Based Data Quality in Online Surveys
Internet surveys are cost-effective and convenient, but give respondents the opportunity to search the Web for answers to factual questions. Surprisingly, few have investigated the quality of political knowledge data collected in crowd-sourced Internet samples. Using a novel technique to identify individual “cheaters” across six data sets—collected on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (professionalized paid “workers”) and SurveyMonkey (less-professionaliz…
Gay” or “Homosexual”? The Implications of Social Category Labels for the Structure of Mass Attitudes
Multiple identity and identification terms are used in social science research on sexuality, including clinical terms such as “homosexual” and “heterosexual” and more colloquial terms such as “gay” and “straight.” In this article, we show that far from being synonyms, these terms have consequences for attitudes about gay and lesbian rights. We begin by providing a historical overview of the terms “homosexual” and “gay and lesbian,” showing the di…
Social Network Disagreement and Reasoned Candidate Preferences
This study investigates the effects of social network disagreement on candidate preferences. Although much research has explored the effects of disagreement on political tolerance and disengagement, less work has examined the relation between disagreement and political reasoning. We predicted that because disagreement reveals conflicting points of view and motivates people to consider these views, it should promote more effortful reasoning—and th…
Trends: How Internet Search Undermines the Validity of Political Knowledge Measures
Political knowledge is central to understanding citizens’ engagement with politics. Yet, as surveys are increasingly conducted online, participants’ ability to search the web may undermine the validity of factual knowledge measures. Recent research shows this search behavior is common, even when respondents are instructed otherwise. However, we know little about how outside search affects the validity of political knowledge measures. Using a seri…
The Ideational Foundations of Symbolic Ideology
Theories of symbolic ideology view it as an affective orientation untouched by ideational content. Drawing on Shalom Schwartz's theory of basic human values, we propose that four bedrock values—universalism, openness to change, conservation, and self‐enhancement—shape symbolic ideology. We explore whether politically sophisticated and unsophisticated individuals ground symbolic ideological identities in cognitive values to a comparable degree. Us…
Musical engagement and identity: Exploring young adults’ experiences, tastes, and beliefs
Our study explored how adolescents’ experiences and musical preferences might relate to musical identity, and the likelihood of engaging in musical activities as adults. Participants were 170 first-year university students, both music majors and non-music majors. A questionnaire collected participants’ responses regarding beliefs about music, as well as self-reported ratings of musicality and the likelihood of engaging in musical activities. Resu…
Complementary or Competing Frames? The Impact of Economic and Public Health Messages on Covid-19 Attitudes
The American reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic is polarized, with conservatives often less willing to engage in risk-mitigation strategies such as mask-wearing and vaccination. COVID-19 narratives are also polarized, as some conservative elites focus on the economy over public health. In this registered report, we test whether combining economic and public health messages can persuade individuals to increase support for COVID-19 risk mitigation. …
It's All Under Control: Threat, Perceived Control, and Political Engagement
The relationship between political threat, anxiety, and political engagement is the subject of a large but mixed body of evidence. While some researchers find that political threat and/or anxiety increase engagement with politics, others find that they lead to disengagement. In this article, I highlight two factors which explain when threat will increase political engagement: perceived control over the threat and individual differences in threat …
Human Values and Sophistication Interaction Theory
Pop culture resentment: Testing existing and alternative measures of white racial attitudes
Understanding white Americans' attitudes toward Black Americans is crucial in US public opinion. However, survey measurement of these attitudes is hampered by social desirability bias, low discriminant validity, and the potential for heightened demand characteristics and backlash. I propose a new measure: music genre preference. Consistent preference for genres historically and popularly linked to white culture over those linked to Black culture …
Family as a Pathway to Suicidal Behaviors Through Depression Symptoms and Internalized Homophobia
Research consistently highlights how systemic and social factors can adversely impact mental health, and the potential buffering effects of family support, yet raced sexual minorities are vastly underrepresented among these studies. As rates of suicide increase among Black people and remain high among men and those in gender and sexually diverse communities, this study sought to examine to relationships between family dynamics and suicidality amo…
Cynicism, Political Extremism, and Associated Factors in Military Service Academies
Military extremism is a critical threat to democratic norms. While past research has found that cynicism is positively associated with political extremism in the general population, it has not fully addressed the association between cynicism and military extremism—nor what factors are associated with cynicism to begin with. We identify social media use, organizational instability, and psychological distance from leadership as potential predictors…
Status Threat, Partisanship, and Voters’ Conservative Shift Toward Right-Wing Candidates
Past research indicates that support for conservatism increases when individuals perceive threat to their group’s social status – i.e., prestige and respect. However, the causal link between status threat and increased electoral support for conservative candidates has not been established. Most prior studies rely on observational data, and it remains unclear how the effect of status threat on candidate support varies depending on the specific con…
Psychology (13 works) · Politics (11 works) · Social Psychology (11 works) · Political science (10 works) · Law (9 works) · Social Psychology (9 works) · Law (8 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Electoral Systems and Political Participation (5 works) · Social and Intergroup Psychology (5 works)