Masters Thesis Defense by Lacie T. Alt
Virtual
Raina Lamade, Ph.D., ABPP
631-748-7687
rlamade@umassd.edu
https://umassd.zoom.us/j/98293078368?pwd=WhdJfKNhBePb3y2FbxmbTQBUO5qFL2.1
Target Audience: Faculty and Staff
Category: Thesis Defense
Title of Defense: Master’s Thesis Defense by Lacie T. Alt
Date of Defense: July 21st, 2026
Location: Zoom https://umassd.zoom.us/j/98293078368?pwd=WhdJfKNhBePb3y2FbxmbTQBUO5qFL2.1
Start time of Defense: 1:00 PM
Title of Paper: Personality, Beliefs, and Moral Disengagement in Moral Decision-Making and Antisocial Behavior
Abstract:
Moral behavior involves both how people judge morally relevant situations and how they respond when self-interest conflicts with moral standards. The present study examined how personality traits, moral beliefs and attitudes, and moral disengagement were associated with moral judgment, low-stakes dishonest reporting, and self-reported antisocial behavior in an online adult sample. Participants completed measures of Dark Tetrad traits, empathy, moral beliefs, moral disengagement, moral judgment, dishonest reporting, cyberaggression, and adult conduct problems. Findings provided partial support for the study hypotheses. The strongest support emerged for antisocial behavior, particularly cyberaggression, which was uniquely associated with psychopathy, sadism, moral disengagement, moral identity, and intrinsic religiosity. Psychopathy also showed the most consistent association with adult conduct problems. Moral judgment findings were more task-specific, and dishonest reporting was rare, limiting conclusions about low-stakes dishonesty. Overall, the findings suggest that moral judgment, dishonest reporting, and antisocial behavior are related but distinct outcomes within moral self-regulation.
Advisor: Dr. Raina V. Lamade
Committee Members: Dr. R. Thomas Boone and Dr. Mary Kayyal
Contact Email: rlamade@umassd.edu