Title
The Effects of Target Age and Perceived Death Responsibility on Posthumous Impression Formations
Date of Award
2008
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Psychology
Abstract
Death positivity biases and posthumous evaluations are considered a universal normative social phenomenon which influences social judgments of the dead; we postulate that these individual biases are mediated by both sympathy and fear of mortality, or the belief in a just world. Study 1 postulated that sympathy mediates such positivity biases when target responsibility for cause of death is manipulated. We hypothesized the mediation of the just world violation on posthumous evaluatory measures when age at the time of death was manipulated in Study 2. Although results were inconclusive for both studies, alternate hypotheses and boundary conditions of death positivity biases are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Heilborn, Jenny Rebekah, "The Effects of Target Age and Perceived Death Responsibility on Posthumous Impression Formations" (2008). Master's Theses. 1163.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/masters-theses/1163