Honors Theses

Advisor

Erin O’Mara, Ph.D.

Department

Psychology

Publication Date

4-2018

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Abstract

The research sought to examine if there was an association between performance self-esteem (i.e., self-worth regarding academic performance) and stress (perceived and physiological) on end of semester grade point average (GPA) in college students. It is hypothesized that the effect of performance self-esteem on GPA at the end of the semester will vary by stress. In the two part longitudinal study participants completed measures to assess performance self-esteem and perceived stress. Participants also provided two saliva samples to assess the steroid hormone cortisol, before and after an acute lab stressor task. Participants were for permission for the researchers to access their official GPA from the University’s registrar. The results showed the effects of perceived stress and performance self-esteem on GPA varied by sex. Physiological stress was not found to have an association with GPA and did not interact with performance selfesteem to predict GPA.

Permission Statement

This item is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and may only be used for noncommercial, educational, and scholarly purposes

Keywords

Undergraduate research

Disciplines

Psychology

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS