Secularization Trends Obscure Developmental Changes in Religiosity

How do people’s religious beliefs and behaviors change over the course of adulthood? Previous research found rapid decreases in religiosity during young adulthood and rebounds in middle and late adulthood. However, secularization trends—if not accounted for—can bias or obscure age-graded changes in religiosity. Using longitudinal data from over 14,000 Dutch participants aged 16 to 101 years, we disentangled secularization trends from developmental changes in religiosity. Controlling for secularization, we found no evidence for age-graded declines in religiosity among young adults but lifelong increases in religiosity. These increases were most pronounced during middle to late adulthood, consistent with theories that emphasize the self-transcendent focus of this life stage. College-educated individuals were generally less religious and experienced less pronounced age-graded increases in their religious beliefs. These findings must be understood in the context of secularization trends as indicated by significant decreases in religiosity among people of all demographic groups

Religiosity Change and its Effects on Personality

Religion is not as popular or widespread in the world as it was decades ago. Despite this ongoing worldwide secularization trend, individual differences in religiosity are still prevalent and associated with a variety of psychological variables. In particular, individual differences in religiosity both predict and are predicted by individual differences in personality. Given the influence religion has on identity, politics, and society, it is important to understand changes over time in religiosity amidst secular declines and how these changes impact personality. This dissertation consists of two chapters. In Chapter 1, I analyzed religiosity development across the lifespan while controlling for ongoing secularization trends using longitudinal data from over 14,000 Dutch participants aged 16 to 101 years. Results from a series of mixed growth curve models indicated that religiosity increases across the lifespan, with no evidence for age-graded decreases in religiosity after controlling for secularization. Increases were most pronounced during middle to late adulthood and moderated by education, such that college-educated individuals were less religious and experienced less pronounced age-graded increases in their religious beliefs. In Chapter 2, I investigated between- and within-person associations between religiosity and the Big Five personality traits in a sample of over 12,000 Dutch individuals across 11 years. Results from random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPM) at the between-person level indicated religiosity was associated with higher levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness, and lower levels of emotional stability, extraversion, and openness. At the within-person level, when people experienced an increase in agreeableness and/or extraversion relative to their usual levels, they tended to subsequently believe more strongly in God than usual, and this effect was bidirectional for agreeableness. Between-person associations were moderated by gender and religious upbringing. Religiosity was negatively associated with extraversion for women and positively associated with agreeableness and conscientiousness for men; people who grew up in a religious family had a stronger negative association between religiosity and openness. Taken together, results from both studies show that religion is still pervasive and influential on personality despite worldwide declines in religiosity

Madeline Lenhausen's Quick Files

The Quick Files feature was discontinued and it’s files were migrated into this Project on March 11, 2022. The file URL’s will still resolve properly, and the Quick Files logs are available in the Project’s Recent Activity

Toward a comprehensive dimensional model of sustainable behaviors

The goal of this study was to identify the underlying latent dimensions that account for variation in sustainable behaviors (SBs) among American adults. Our strategy was to assess all of the SBs sampled in existing measures, as well as a number of other variables relevant to individual differences in SBs, in a community sample (N = 1234). Variation in SBs could be accounted for by four broad dimensions: (1) goods, (2) food, (3) transportation, and (4) engagement. These dimensions were related to a range of criterion variables involving values, attitudes, personality traits, and demographic characteristics. Some potentially important and unique links with outcomes supported the importance of distinguishing the dimensions that underlie SBs. This work provides an evidence-based organizational scheme for SBs in future studies and points to important new directions in research on individual differences in proenvironmental behavior

Konzeption eines „smarten“ betrieblichen Flächenmanagementsystems für den kleineren Nicht-Staatswald

Forstwirtschaftliche Flächen des Privatwaldes werden v.a. einkommenssteuerrechtlich dem Betriebsvermögen beigemessen. Demnach reicht forstliches Eigentum u.a. unabhängig von Bewirtschaftungsmaßnahmen für die Annahme einer betrieblichen Tätigkeit aus. Jedoch wird entsprechendes Handeln gerade im Privatwald seitens der Eigentümer i.d.R. bereits durch den Wunsch nachhaltiger und erfolgreicher Bewirtschaftung eigener Flächen anvisiert. Neben der hier waldrechtlich verlangten ordnungsgemäßen Forstwirtschaft erfordert erfolgreiches Wirtschaften ein ständiges Abwägen, Bewerten und Vergleichen. Im Bereich der Zielgruppe von Nicht-Staatswaldbetrieben kleiner 500 ha Forstbetriebsgröße stehen diesen Merkmalen allerdings u.a. klimatische Herausforderungen, komplexe organisatorische Strukturen und kartellrechtlich bedingte Umbrüche entgegen. Insbesondere die aus Letzterem resultierenden Verschiebungen forstfachlicher Betreuung erfordern eine qualifizierte Darstellung forstbetrieblicher Daten entlang grundlegender betriebswirtschaftlicher Aspekte von Inventur, Planung und Kontrolle. Doch hier mangelt es der Zielgruppe an günstigen und modernen Lösungen. Um diese Lücke konzeptionell zu schließen, kommt in dieser Arbeit ein breiter Methodenpluralismus zum Einsatz. So erfolgt zunächst die Herausstellung institutioneller Rahmenbedingungen mit Hilfe einer Literaturrecherche. Darauf baut die beispielhafte Untersuchung bestehender Lösungen des Flächenmanagements der europäischen Agrar- und Forstwirtschaft auf. In diesem Zuge findet sich in dem britischen „myForest - woodland manager“ eine kostengünstige und einfach strukturierte Webportallösung, welche einer deutschen Lösung als Blaupause dienen kann. Mit „LogBuch“ findet sich wiederum aufgrund sprach- und GNSS-gestützter Dateneingabe und -verwaltungsoptionen eine neuartige Lösung der Geometrieerfassung und -attributierung. Diesem Ansatz folgt die Dokumentenanalyse hinsichtlich der Ausweisung forstlicher Geometrien. Gleichsam dient diese Methodik der Ermittlung von Parametern entsprechender Attributierung dieser Flächen. Dabei zeigt sich sowohl hinsichtlich der Flächengliederung und Waldeinteilung als auch der quantitativen Bestandesbeschreibung ein heterogenes Bild. Demnach existieren innerhalb Deutschlands merkliche Unterschiede v.a. hin-sichtlich der Waldeinteilungsstruktur, aber ebenso bezüglich der Inventur-, Planungs- und Dokumentationsparameter. Basierend auf den Erkenntnissen der exemplarischen Untersuchung von Flächenmanagementinstrumenten und der Dokumentenanalyse werden mit Hilfe leitfadengestützter Experteninterviews der Status quo und zukünftige Perspektiven des Flächenmanagements seitens der Zielgruppe eruiert. Hier zeigt sich u.a. eine hohe Bereitschaft zur Dokumentation des Maßnahmenvollzugs, wenn diese entlang weniger, aber relevanter Merkmale und technisch adäquat unterstützt werde. Zudem besteht der Wunsch nach digitalen und mobilen Lösungen, welche zudem den medienbruchfreien Kontakt zu Dritten wie z.B. der Forstbetriebsgemeinschaft (FBG) ermöglichen. Seitens der FBG liegt wiederum ein Bedarf der Zuordnung von Kataster- und Naturaldaten vor. Diese Erkenntnisse münden in der modellhaften Konzeptionsentwicklung und exemplarischen Erprobung dieser. Mit Hilfe eines solchen Modells ist es forstlichen Akteuren konzeptionell möglich, Forstbetriebsflächen digital abzugrenzen und einzuteilen. Darüber hinaus können sie eigenständig Bestandesbeschreibungen vornehmen und die zugehörigen Daten aggregieren. Neben der technischen und kartographischen Verbindung von Sach- und Geo-daten ist hier die eigentümerbezogene Verwaltung von Flurstücksdaten und flächenbezogene Planung und Dokumentation des Naturalvollzugs möglich. Somit findet sich mit der vorliegenden Konzeption ein wertvoller Beitrag hinsichtlich der Rationalisierung betriebswirtschaftlicher Prozesse von Inventur, Planung und Kontrolle. Dies gilt gerade auch angesichts der Option des betriebsübergreifenden Flächenmanagements kleiner und mittlerer Nicht-Staatsforstbetriebe.Forestry land of private ownership is mainly classified as business assets for income tax purposes. Accordingly, forest ownership is sufficient for the assumption of a business activity, regardless of management measures. However, in private forests in particular, owners are already aiming for sustainable and successful management of their own land. In addition to the proper forest management required by forest law, successful management requires con-stant consideration, evaluation and comparison. In the target group of non-state forest enterprises with less than 500 ha, however, these characteristics are countered by climatic challenges, complex organisational structures and upheavals caused by cartel law. In particular, the shifts in forestry support resulting from the latter require a qualified presentation of for-estry data along basic economical management aspects of inventory, planning and control. But here the target group lacks affordable and modern solutions. In order to approach this gap conceptually, a broad pluralism of methods is used. First, the institutional framework conditions are identified with the help of a literature review. This forms the basis for an exemplary investigation of existing solutions for land management in European agriculture and forestry. During this, the British "myForest - woodland manager" offers an inexpensive and simply structured web portal solution that can serve as a blueprint for a German solution. LogBuch", on the other hand, is a novel solution for geometry recording and attribution based on language and GNSS-supported data input and management options. This approach is followed by the document analysis regarding the classification of forest geometries. At the same time, this methodology serves to determine parameters for the corresponding attribution of these areas. A heterogeneous picture emerges both in terms of land division and forest classification as well as quantitative stand description. According to this, there are noticeable differences within Germany, especially regarding the forest division structure, but also in terms of the inventory, planning and documentation parameters. Based on the findings of the exemplary study of land management instruments and the document analysis, the status quo and future perspectives of land management on the part of the target group are elicited with the help of guideline-supported expert interviews. Among other things, this shows a high willingness to document the execution of measures, if this is supported adequately along a few, but relevant characteristics and technically. In addition, there is a desire for digi-tal and mobile solutions that also enable contact with third parties such as the forestry association (FBG) without media discontinuity. On the part of the FBG, there is a need for the allocation of cadastral and natural data. These results lead to the development of a model concept and its exemplary testing. With the help of such a model, it is conceptually possible for forestry stakeholders to digitally delineate and classify forest enterprise areas. In addition, they can independently describe stands and aggregate the corresponding data. In addition to the technical and cartographic linking of geodata and their attributes, the owner-related management of parcel data and area-related documentation of natural execution is possible here. Thus, the present concept is a valuable contribution to the rationalisation of management processes of inventory, planning and control. This is especially true in view of the option of cross-company land management for small and medium-sized non-state forest enterprises.2022-08-1

Reference Group Processes in Personality Assessment

The overall purpose of this project is to examine individual differences in reference group processes, and how these differences influence personality test scores. We pursue four specific aims: First, we will assess what reference groups people report using when responding to personality test items. Second, we will investigate whether and how personality traits, age, and gender are associated with reference group choices. Third, we will test whether comparisons with different reference groups are associated with different personality profiles. Fourth, we will assess what reference group comparisons evoke personality profiles most similar to the personality profile where no reference group is specified (i.e., standard administration)

Effects of reference group instructions on big five trait scores

People responding to personality questionnaires rate themselves by comparing themselves to some reference group, but this reference group is typically not specified. In this study, we examined differences between Big Five trait scores when people responded to trait questionnaires without a specified reference group, as is typical in personality assessment, and when they were asked to compare themselves to people in general, close others, people their age, people their same gender, their ideal self, or their past self. We found that personality scores tended to be more adaptive for between-person comparisons than within-person comparisons. We also found that unprompted instructions produced mildly higher scores across all traits. There were few differences among between-person reference group conditions. Men rated themselves as slightly more agreeable when comparing themselves to other men. Implications for basic and applied personality assessment are discussed