Tara De Young

 Tara De Young

Tara L. De Young

  • Courses1
  • Reviews1

Biography

University of New Mexico Gallup - Management

Graduate Instructor and Student at New Mexico State University
Higher Education
Tara
Young
Las Cruces, New Mexico
I am a graduate instructor and student at New Mexico State University. I will defend my dissertation in January of 2019 and graduate in May of 2019 (with the potential to begin a career before May of 2019) with my PhD in Psychology. I have extensive training and interest in data analysis, teaching, programming, and on a variety of research methods.

As a researcher, I specialize in Social Psychology and currently conduct research on sexual health decision making, gender inequality with a focus on the sexual double standard, and sexual and romantic fantasies with an interest on relationship functioning. I maintain a lively research program by actively publishing in peer-reviewed journals and participating in annual conferences. In my research, I test and apply theories from social psychology to reinforce personal sexual health behaviors, reduce gender inequality, and better understand close relationship behaviors.

As a psychology educator, I utilize research focused, purpose-driven teaching to inspire and empower students' curiosity and critical thinking about the social world. This enables students to leave my classes with real-world skills that will increase their success and happiness. One example of how I do this is through assigning students to debate a relevant topic in psychology, such as the replication crisis. During the debate, students work together, utilize search techniques, and apply persuasion skills to gather and compile information, and finally argue their stance clearly and persuasively. I have experience teaching in person and online courses of varied sizes; whether I have 9 students or 150 in a class, I make learning intimate and meaningful through the utilization of team-based learning, a teaching strategy designed for teamwork with emphasis on evidence-based and application-focused learning.

I am currently actively seeking a career in academia, or research/data focused industry positions.


Experience

  • New Mexico State University

    Graduate Teaching Assistant

    -Assist in designing course material such as handouts, quizzes, and tests
    -Grade student work
    -Assist students in class and during office hours with any questions or concerns
    -Update/manage course grades online

  • New Mexico State University

    Graduate Student Instructor

    Teach, design, and implement courses in psychology
    Provide timely feedback to students
    Mentor students in psychological research and instruction

  • New Mexico State University

    Graduate Student Council President

    Represent the graduate student body in committees and at the state level. Serve on Graduate Council, Faculty Senate, Student Fee Review Board, and various other committees to advocate for graduate student needs. Work to remedy and assist with graduate student issues (ex. health insurance, adviser troubles, graduate assistantships, etc.).

  • Marc A. Caplan and Associates

    Psychological Consultant

    Administer and score psychological assessments (WAIS, WISC, WASI, WMS, PAI, PAI-A, MMSE, Conners, D-KEFS, psychological interviews, etc.) as a consultant for private parties, legal representatives, state departments, and physicians. Regularly conduct psychological interviews and mental status examinations for Disability Determination Services.

  • ORGAN MOUNTAIN TECHNICAL RESCUE SQUAD

    -Field certified through the state of New Mexico
    -Assist in rescue operations and missions in New Mexico
    -Stay current in methods and procedures used during search and rescue missions
    -Regularly attend monthly business meetings

Education

  • University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

    BS

    Psychology
    -Awarded the Outstanding Senior Award, 2013 •1 of 150 students university wide, chosen by faculty -UWEC Spring Dean’s List for entire undergraduate career -Interned at the Office of Sustainability on campus -Was a Teaching Assistant for several undergraduate classes -Worked in multiple research labs on campus -Tutored in need students at the Academic Skills Center

  • New Mexico State University

    Master of Arts - MA

    Social Psychology
    -Was awarded the Preparing Future Faculty Graduate Assistantship Award -Served as Vice President of Activities for Graduate Student Council -Worked on many ongoing research projects with multiple collaborators

  • New Mexico State University

    Doctor of Philosophy - PhD

    Social Psychology

  • New Mexico State University

    Graduate Teaching Assistant


    -Assist in designing course material such as handouts, quizzes, and tests -Grade student work -Assist students in class and during office hours with any questions or concerns -Update/manage course grades online

  • New Mexico State University

    Graduate Student Instructor


    Teach, design, and implement courses in psychology Provide timely feedback to students Mentor students in psychological research and instruction

  • New Mexico State University

    Graduate Student Council President


    Represent the graduate student body in committees and at the state level. Serve on Graduate Council, Faculty Senate, Student Fee Review Board, and various other committees to advocate for graduate student needs. Work to remedy and assist with graduate student issues (ex. health insurance, adviser troubles, graduate assistantships, etc.).

Publications

  • Gender role violations and the sexual double standard.

    Journal of Homosexuality

    The sexual double standard (SDS) suggests that women are evaluated negatively and men positively for engaging in similar sexual behaviors. According to social role theory, the SDS exists due to gender role structures. Consequently, perceived violations of women’s sexual behavior are associated with the SDS. In addition to gender role violations of sexual behavior, two additional violations of gender roles exist: heterosexual sexual orientation norms and gender role characteristics. The current study aims to investigate whether the SDS persists for sexual orientation–violating and gender role characteristic–violating targets, and to examine which of the three gender role violations influence evaluations of others’ sexual behavior. A U.S. sample of 483 participants evaluated target individuals who were either female or male, heterosexual/gay man or lesbian, feminine or masculine, and had 1 or 12 sexual partners. Results indicate that SDS persists for gender role–violating targets but is exhibited differently for targets violating heterosexual sexual orientation norms and gender role characteristics.

  • Gender role violations and the sexual double standard.

    Journal of Homosexuality

    The sexual double standard (SDS) suggests that women are evaluated negatively and men positively for engaging in similar sexual behaviors. According to social role theory, the SDS exists due to gender role structures. Consequently, perceived violations of women’s sexual behavior are associated with the SDS. In addition to gender role violations of sexual behavior, two additional violations of gender roles exist: heterosexual sexual orientation norms and gender role characteristics. The current study aims to investigate whether the SDS persists for sexual orientation–violating and gender role characteristic–violating targets, and to examine which of the three gender role violations influence evaluations of others’ sexual behavior. A U.S. sample of 483 participants evaluated target individuals who were either female or male, heterosexual/gay man or lesbian, feminine or masculine, and had 1 or 12 sexual partners. Results indicate that SDS persists for gender role–violating targets but is exhibited differently for targets violating heterosexual sexual orientation norms and gender role characteristics.

  • Effect of Cursor Orientation on Left and Right Hands Performance

    Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 60th Annual Meeting

    Many factors, such as cursor orientation, cursor shape, and direction of movement have previously been found to impact human performance in graphical user interfaces. However, the majority of, if not all, previous research has focused on right-hand mouse control of cursors. The current study examined both left and right hand mouse control of cursor with a 2 (response hand; left vs. right) x 3 (cursor type; left-oriented arrow, right-oriented arrow, and neutral-orientated crosshairs) x 8 (target location) within-subjects design. The purpose was to examine the effects of response hand and cursor orientation on performance of moving cursors into different target locations. Results showed that there was a difference in the three cursor types for right handed individuals, as well as in left- and right-hand mouse control for right-handed, left-handed, and ambidextrous individuals. Implications for interface design and future research are discussed.

  • Gender role violations and the sexual double standard.

    Journal of Homosexuality

    The sexual double standard (SDS) suggests that women are evaluated negatively and men positively for engaging in similar sexual behaviors. According to social role theory, the SDS exists due to gender role structures. Consequently, perceived violations of women’s sexual behavior are associated with the SDS. In addition to gender role violations of sexual behavior, two additional violations of gender roles exist: heterosexual sexual orientation norms and gender role characteristics. The current study aims to investigate whether the SDS persists for sexual orientation–violating and gender role characteristic–violating targets, and to examine which of the three gender role violations influence evaluations of others’ sexual behavior. A U.S. sample of 483 participants evaluated target individuals who were either female or male, heterosexual/gay man or lesbian, feminine or masculine, and had 1 or 12 sexual partners. Results indicate that SDS persists for gender role–violating targets but is exhibited differently for targets violating heterosexual sexual orientation norms and gender role characteristics.

  • Effect of Cursor Orientation on Left and Right Hands Performance

    Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 60th Annual Meeting

    Many factors, such as cursor orientation, cursor shape, and direction of movement have previously been found to impact human performance in graphical user interfaces. However, the majority of, if not all, previous research has focused on right-hand mouse control of cursors. The current study examined both left and right hand mouse control of cursor with a 2 (response hand; left vs. right) x 3 (cursor type; left-oriented arrow, right-oriented arrow, and neutral-orientated crosshairs) x 8 (target location) within-subjects design. The purpose was to examine the effects of response hand and cursor orientation on performance of moving cursors into different target locations. Results showed that there was a difference in the three cursor types for right handed individuals, as well as in left- and right-hand mouse control for right-handed, left-handed, and ambidextrous individuals. Implications for interface design and future research are discussed.

  • The sexual double standard in the real world: Evaluations of sexually active friends and acquaintances.

    Social Psychology

    The sexual double standard (SDS) has traditionally been studied by examining evaluations of hypothetical targets. Although much knowledge has been gained regarding the SDS by using this methodology, the literature thus far has suffered from a lack of ecological validity. The goal of the present study was to determine whether the SDS emerged in evaluations of participants’ real-life friends and acquaintances. Participants (n = 4,455) evaluated a randomly assigned male or female friend or acquaintance whose sexual history they were familiar with. Women were evaluated more negatively as their number of sexual partners increased, whereas number of partners was not related to evaluations of men. The SDS was not moderated by the closeness of the relationship between the participant and the target person.

  • Gender role violations and the sexual double standard.

    Journal of Homosexuality

    The sexual double standard (SDS) suggests that women are evaluated negatively and men positively for engaging in similar sexual behaviors. According to social role theory, the SDS exists due to gender role structures. Consequently, perceived violations of women’s sexual behavior are associated with the SDS. In addition to gender role violations of sexual behavior, two additional violations of gender roles exist: heterosexual sexual orientation norms and gender role characteristics. The current study aims to investigate whether the SDS persists for sexual orientation–violating and gender role characteristic–violating targets, and to examine which of the three gender role violations influence evaluations of others’ sexual behavior. A U.S. sample of 483 participants evaluated target individuals who were either female or male, heterosexual/gay man or lesbian, feminine or masculine, and had 1 or 12 sexual partners. Results indicate that SDS persists for gender role–violating targets but is exhibited differently for targets violating heterosexual sexual orientation norms and gender role characteristics.

  • Effect of Cursor Orientation on Left and Right Hands Performance

    Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 60th Annual Meeting

    Many factors, such as cursor orientation, cursor shape, and direction of movement have previously been found to impact human performance in graphical user interfaces. However, the majority of, if not all, previous research has focused on right-hand mouse control of cursors. The current study examined both left and right hand mouse control of cursor with a 2 (response hand; left vs. right) x 3 (cursor type; left-oriented arrow, right-oriented arrow, and neutral-orientated crosshairs) x 8 (target location) within-subjects design. The purpose was to examine the effects of response hand and cursor orientation on performance of moving cursors into different target locations. Results showed that there was a difference in the three cursor types for right handed individuals, as well as in left- and right-hand mouse control for right-handed, left-handed, and ambidextrous individuals. Implications for interface design and future research are discussed.

  • The sexual double standard in the real world: Evaluations of sexually active friends and acquaintances.

    Social Psychology

    The sexual double standard (SDS) has traditionally been studied by examining evaluations of hypothetical targets. Although much knowledge has been gained regarding the SDS by using this methodology, the literature thus far has suffered from a lack of ecological validity. The goal of the present study was to determine whether the SDS emerged in evaluations of participants’ real-life friends and acquaintances. Participants (n = 4,455) evaluated a randomly assigned male or female friend or acquaintance whose sexual history they were familiar with. Women were evaluated more negatively as their number of sexual partners increased, whereas number of partners was not related to evaluations of men. The SDS was not moderated by the closeness of the relationship between the participant and the target person.

  • Situational influences on condom purchasing

    Sexuality and Culture

    Despite the well-documented role of condoms in safe sex, people frequently fail to use them. Embarrassment and other negative emotions that occur while acquiring condoms may make it less likely that people will consistently purchase condoms, subsequently decreasing condom use. It is important to examine how situational factors affect emotions related to condom purchasing behaviors. Two experiments examined the influence of different condom purchasing situations on emotions felt and willingness to purchase condoms. Participants imagined one of three condom purchasing scenarios: anonymously at a self-checkout counter, non-anonymously at a regular checkout counter, or asking for condoms from a locked display. Results revealed that participants’ self-reported willingness to purchase condoms increased as levels of anonymity increased. Similarly, participants reported more positive emotions as anonymity increased. A negative correlation between negative emotion and willingness to purchase condoms also emerged. Overall, results suggest a need for businesses to help provide anonymity to customers, perhaps through incorporating self-checkouts into their stores to potentially decrease negative emotion felt and increase condom sales and potentially consistent condom use.

  • Gender role violations and the sexual double standard.

    Journal of Homosexuality

    The sexual double standard (SDS) suggests that women are evaluated negatively and men positively for engaging in similar sexual behaviors. According to social role theory, the SDS exists due to gender role structures. Consequently, perceived violations of women’s sexual behavior are associated with the SDS. In addition to gender role violations of sexual behavior, two additional violations of gender roles exist: heterosexual sexual orientation norms and gender role characteristics. The current study aims to investigate whether the SDS persists for sexual orientation–violating and gender role characteristic–violating targets, and to examine which of the three gender role violations influence evaluations of others’ sexual behavior. A U.S. sample of 483 participants evaluated target individuals who were either female or male, heterosexual/gay man or lesbian, feminine or masculine, and had 1 or 12 sexual partners. Results indicate that SDS persists for gender role–violating targets but is exhibited differently for targets violating heterosexual sexual orientation norms and gender role characteristics.

  • Effect of Cursor Orientation on Left and Right Hands Performance

    Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 60th Annual Meeting

    Many factors, such as cursor orientation, cursor shape, and direction of movement have previously been found to impact human performance in graphical user interfaces. However, the majority of, if not all, previous research has focused on right-hand mouse control of cursors. The current study examined both left and right hand mouse control of cursor with a 2 (response hand; left vs. right) x 3 (cursor type; left-oriented arrow, right-oriented arrow, and neutral-orientated crosshairs) x 8 (target location) within-subjects design. The purpose was to examine the effects of response hand and cursor orientation on performance of moving cursors into different target locations. Results showed that there was a difference in the three cursor types for right handed individuals, as well as in left- and right-hand mouse control for right-handed, left-handed, and ambidextrous individuals. Implications for interface design and future research are discussed.

  • The sexual double standard in the real world: Evaluations of sexually active friends and acquaintances.

    Social Psychology

    The sexual double standard (SDS) has traditionally been studied by examining evaluations of hypothetical targets. Although much knowledge has been gained regarding the SDS by using this methodology, the literature thus far has suffered from a lack of ecological validity. The goal of the present study was to determine whether the SDS emerged in evaluations of participants’ real-life friends and acquaintances. Participants (n = 4,455) evaluated a randomly assigned male or female friend or acquaintance whose sexual history they were familiar with. Women were evaluated more negatively as their number of sexual partners increased, whereas number of partners was not related to evaluations of men. The SDS was not moderated by the closeness of the relationship between the participant and the target person.

  • Situational influences on condom purchasing

    Sexuality and Culture

    Despite the well-documented role of condoms in safe sex, people frequently fail to use them. Embarrassment and other negative emotions that occur while acquiring condoms may make it less likely that people will consistently purchase condoms, subsequently decreasing condom use. It is important to examine how situational factors affect emotions related to condom purchasing behaviors. Two experiments examined the influence of different condom purchasing situations on emotions felt and willingness to purchase condoms. Participants imagined one of three condom purchasing scenarios: anonymously at a self-checkout counter, non-anonymously at a regular checkout counter, or asking for condoms from a locked display. Results revealed that participants’ self-reported willingness to purchase condoms increased as levels of anonymity increased. Similarly, participants reported more positive emotions as anonymity increased. A negative correlation between negative emotion and willingness to purchase condoms also emerged. Overall, results suggest a need for businesses to help provide anonymity to customers, perhaps through incorporating self-checkouts into their stores to potentially decrease negative emotion felt and increase condom sales and potentially consistent condom use.